Tuesday, February 23

my clever girl

Addie: "I need two cookies."
Mom: "You have two. I gave you two."
Addie: "Oh." -pause- "I need, um, five."
Mom, laughing: "No, you don't need five."
Addie: "Six!"

I just love this age! I love that she can be sneaky, respond to logic, and most of all--PRETEND! She is such a happy and (generally) obedient little girl, and we seem to constantly be laughing at her craziness. I have loved every stage of childhood more and more as they go along, and now with Macie, am remembering how much I love the young stages, too. Being a mother is truly the best job!

Friday, February 19

It Worked for Me

My friend Tiff asked her friends to share on their blogs some kind of parenting tip that has worked well in their family. If you want to read the others on her list, click here. For us, it has been our trick to getting our 2 1/2 year old sitting down and excited for Family Home Evening.

For those of you in the dark, in our church families are counseled to hold Family Home Evening (FHE) each week. It is time set aside (usually Monday nights) for families to spend together learning principles of the gospel, playing games, and creating memories (and often involves a treat!). Well, for a while we had a difficult time getting Addie to sit still while we did the "lesson" portion of FHE, even though we keep them super short for her short attention span. Then I had this idea and it has been GREAT. Every FHE we now sit in a circle on the floor with our legs outstretched and feet touching during the opening song, prayer, and lesson/scripture story. We then go ahead with the fun activities. Addie gets so excited to sit in the circle and have her feet touch ours, it actually keeps her somewhat still! Macie usually sits in the middle of our circle, smiling and babbling. I'm excited to watch our FHE circle get bigger and bigger as we add to our family. It's also nice to sit in a big, connected circle because it feels all cozy and lovey, just as a family should.

What are your ideas? Share them on Tiff's blog, or post them in my comments. I'd LOVE to read what has worked for you! What a terrific idea!

Tuesday, February 16

balloon fun


Happy Valentine's Day!

Jester Hat creation (being worn incorrectly, however)


The Butterfly Wing Crusader

WE LOVE BALLOONS