family photo: best we could get! =)June was a month of VBS, strawberries, garden and sick. The sick was the hard part. I got a terrible head cold, then the boys got hand-foot-mouth disease. Not fun! We had to stay home-bound for the last few weeks of June so that we did not spread it further. I always think that we never go anywhere, but once we couldn't go anywhere, we missed the few places we did go regularly (church, library, parks, cousins'/friends' houses). Thankfully the weather was pretty nice and we played a lot out in the backyard. And one thing neat to see with being stuck at home with each other was how they really had to play with each other. C is getting big enough now that he wants to join in the play so I have really been working on G and W to include him.
talking on their "phones"
playing computer games, or watching G play computer games
- wants to be big and do things for herself that I have to work at letting go a little, like use a knife to butter her own bread.
- and at the same time seems to have regressed a little - awfully fussy, wants to be picked up and carried and ride in the shopping carts...she wants more attention that is sometimes hard to give when you have 2 other little ones to take care of.
- LOVED VBS! It was so right up her alley...following a schedule, doing crafts, recreation time outside (which she keeps mixing up and calling "craftreation"), following instructions, etc. Makes us realize more and more how ready she really is for school this fall.
- Has memorized, like really memorized ("hidden in her heart" type memorize), her first Bible verse. It was from VBS: "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" Matthew 5:6. She will say this out of the blue for us here and there, and keeps asking questions so that she remember what it is about too. Awesome.
W notes:- turned 3! Yay! Loved his birthday weekend and sharing it with lots of family. This was the first year where he really got that his birthday was special - I remember that when G turned 3 too, and that is so much fun!
- is starting the process for giving up his nap. There have been many afternoons that we have not been able to get him down to sleep for a nap. (Obvioulsy resulting in crashing around suppertime or very early to bed.) I am so not ready for this yet, although on days when he hasn't slept, we have been able to get him to do "quiet time" like his sister, which means he is getting big enough to grow out of them. He understands that he needs to be quiet and read books on his bed and he can't come out until the set time on his clock - and he does this quite well, none of the excuses or escaping or whining that we had transitioning G with that.
- have I ever mentioned that this boy loves fruit? He could eat it for every meal and snack and still go for more. So the summer fresh fruit season has been awesome so far. I try to vary the fruit that he has, and often have to not put the watermelon on the table until after the main course is finished otherwise he won't want to eat anything else but the watermelon (or whatever fruit we are having)
C notes:- still teething...still growing...although I have noticed a lot less awkward falls this month - less tripping over nothing falls, but more "I want to try that because G&W did that" falls.
- I think we may have turned this sweet baby into a couch potato during our sick period. We watched a lot more kids tv and videos and movies while we were all sick, and of course C watched right along with us. And now he points to the TV and grunts (his way of asking to turn it on), and whenever any sort of moving picture is on (even if it is a small sports clip on ESPN.com that S is watching), he finds a pillow or chair or lap and settles in like it will be an hour long movie. He can say "boaw-boaw" and sign the paws for Blues' Clues theme song, can toot the whistle with the Dinosaur Train theme song, and dances with glee to the WordWorld theme song. He also has caught on to the big 2's fussing when you turn the TV off and will shout "NOOOOO!" right along with them. (Yes, we have our issues at this house, and are working on them, thank you very much)
- Loves to go and play outside and will go and grab his shoes and bring them to you, and if you are busy and can't comply, he will put his own shoes on (crocs work well for this), stand at the door and scream short screams over and over to get out.
- And has aquired that bad habit too - grunt screaming for things he wants rather than using his words. Thankfully this is getting better, but we were all at fault too because there were 4 people that could get him what he wanted just so he would stop!
- New words (I think this might be the last time I do this - getting harder to remember what is new now that he is talking/signing so much!): listen/hear, bicycle(this is such a fun sign to watch him do!), flower, guy, ear, nose, mouth, teeth, hair, toes, feet, outside, "Blues Clues", hi, good (in response to "how are you?"), and he also likes to answer any question that is asked him - if he doesn't know the right answer? he will just say "Bubby" confidently enough that others will look to me for interpretation...which I don't have.
- and much to my mother's shagrin, he has gotten really good at saying "Boppa" for my dad...and as much as she (and I) tried to get him to say "Aahma", he would just look at her, smile sweetly, and say "Boppa!" So I leave you with a cute picture for my mom:
playing on the front steps with Aahma R
