{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 

 

Some things I learned on our trip to VA

We returned yesterday from a week and half of wonderful travel, visiting some of my favorite people and places.  We went to northern Virginia, near DC, to celebrate my Aunt Pami's retirement from a long career in the federal government.  Then we went to my grandparent's beach house near Virginia Beach.  I learned some things along the way.

1. There is no good time to an 8 hour drive with a baby, but leaving at 2 in the afternoon may be the worst.  (Oh, and that's an 8 hour drive for normal people.  For us, it was 10).

2. Piper is happiest when someone is holding her.  It doesn't matter who.  She's a social baby.

Aunt Pami

Mama

Nana

Cousin Caleb

Dadder 

Big Sister

3.  Cadence can identify more dinosaurs than we thought.  At the Natural History museum, she looked at the skeletons and easily told us, "There's a triceratops, and t. rex, and stegosaurus.  Oh, and that's a brachiosaurus.  Where's the pteranodon?"  Thanks, Dinosaur Train.

4.  There is no overstating the cuteness of baby cousins playing together.  When they weren't trying to clobber each other. 

This is James Ian.  He belongs to my cousin Caleb and cousin-in-law Elaine.  Is he not absolutely adorable?

5. My daughter's love of dancing runs deep.  She will shut down the dance floor.  See how she almost has it to herself?  That's because everyone else was going home. She danced with exuberance for quite awhile and entertained many of Aunt Pami's friends and colleagues at the retirement party.

 6. If I needed to cast the role of wise old man in a movie, I should cast my Dado.  I've known for a long time that my Dado is supersmart.  (The man published books on nuclear reactor technology. Complicated stuff.)  But he really looks wise, doesn't he?  I'm so grateful for him, and for my sweet Nana.  I teared up when I saw them holding hands in church.  They're the best.

7.  Cheerwine tastes better at the beach.  Even though I can get it at the grocery store here, it's just not the same. (Also, I knew I liked the Avett Brothers, but now that the Cheerwine website told me they've teamed up for a charity concert, I like them even more.)

8. Piper's hair is getting some serious curl, at least in the beach humidity. 

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

T-shirt flowered onesie and headband

I cut up an old t-shirt awhile back, and as I've mentioned before, I used 15 minutes here and there to snazz up a onesie for Piper.  And then I made a headband.  

This onesie was inspired by this one here. I just cut 4 progressively smaller circles and stitched them together with an X, so they scrunched a bit. (I also used a bit of fabric glue to achieve the flower-y look.)  Then stitched them to the onesie.

The headband was inspired by this one here.  I love that Piper can rock a headband.  Keeps the older people in the grocery store from calling her a boy.

I really like making things from t-shirts - they're so soft, and stretchy, and just generally forgiving to work with.

Aw.  Sweet baby girl.

Linked up to: A Glimpse Inside, Tatertots and Jello,

Theme of the Week: Princesses

It was bound to happen: Cadence asked to learn about princesses this week.

Reading: The Very Fairy Princess by Andrews, Princess Knight by Funke, The Twelve Dancing Princesses by Isadora (online at wegivebooks), and Disney Princess books from Cadie's collection

Cooking and Pretend: Have a Princess Tea Party!


Music: Listen to the Disney Songs and Story Station on Pandora - it's heavy on princess tunes

Science: Make glitter slime!  This activity caused to me to utter one of those sentences you never thought you would say, but as a parent, you are always saying improbable things.  You know what I mean?  Here's what I said, "Because princesses like slime...and science...and glitter.  Right?"

Extras: Watching Gigi: God's Little Princess DVD from Dassa, playing on the Disney princess website, and wearing BEE-YOU-TI-FUL princess outfits

First Day - June

{this moment}

Inspired by SouleMama, {this moment} is a single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

9 months

My baby is getting so big.  And this girl.  Oh, this girl.  She's so happy.

Jury's still out on what color her eyes are.  What do you think?  Hazel? Green? Gray?  I don't think they are brown.  or blue.

She loves to crawl around now.  LOVES it.  She's fast too, even though she won't lift her belly off the ground.  She usually goes for our shoes. 

I still think bathtime might be her favorite time of day.  She loves crawling so much she does it in the bath too.  She gets to take baths with her sister now, which she also loves.  She pulled up to stand for the first time the other day - in the tub.  Little nut.

She likes this car toy a lot now too.  She sits on it and goes...backward.  That'll change before I know it too.

She enjoys eating very much.  We have yet to discover a food she does not enjoy.  She made our whole table laugh the other night at the dining hall when she got tired of trying to pick up the little bits of carrots on her placemat and just put her mouth right down and sucked them up.

That's my girl.

Theme of the Week: Turtles

Cadence asked to learn about turtles this week.  Did you know World Turtle Day was May 23? 

Reading:

Turtle Splash! Countdown at the Pond by Falwell

In the Small, Small Pond by Fleming

The Turtle and the Moon by Turner

Art: Make an egg carton turtle - except we decided not to use an egg carton, we used a bowl

Rhyme: This my turtle (ah, memories...I used this with my Mr. Turtle puppet at the start of every storytime)

Extra: Go to the lake on campus and look for turtles, Watch Go, Diego, Go!: Save the Sea Turtles (Season 1, Episode 16)