C's new tricks

We have a climber. Some shots from the last 24 hours.....

First, it was just fun to climb up on her sister's chair. She would sit there on her knees and laugh and smile. Cute, right? (Until she stands up and my heart stops beating for a second...)
Then she figured out how to go from the chair to the coffee table. The keyboard is an old one that stopped working, so we cut the cord off and made it M's when M was about 2 or so. C. now loves to "type" on it....

Looking to see if she has an audience. And waiting for Mom or Dad to come get her down.
Finally, this isn't the best picture, but didn't these shoes for C. turn out cute? I made them yesterday and I think they turned out pretty neat. They are made of a rosy-pink wool felt...to keep her toes nice and warm this winter - or at least until she outgrows them!

ETA - a link to the pattern I found for the shoes - in case anyone reading wants to make a pair. They aren't hard to sew, and I used gripper fabric (think what's on the soles of kids footie pajamas) for the sole, to make them non-slip, instead of leather.

Catching Up

Much has been going on - not all bloggable. As of last Thursday, the session at W's church officially voted to ask me to serve as a parish associate there - so I am looking forward to getting into that more in January. I'll be working with children's and adult's c.e. first - helping to bring some order and planning to those programs that currently have none. Should be good.
On the parish associate note, W. has been teaching an adult Sunday School class this fall using the book Journey Through the Word. Those who have been in the class said last Sunday they want to keep going in January and study the socio-political context of the first century - the background of the New Testament. Anyone know of any not too academic resources for this study? We're looking for a book they can read and discuss together with limited help from W. or me as we both have other responsibilities on Sunday morning. All suggestions are welcome.
Presbytery council has hired the person I thought/hoped they would for the temporary executive. I think this will be good - she will do a good job. I'm still considering whether I'd be interested in the permanent position in another 2 years or so - we shall see.
Finally, some recent pictures........This is M. making playdough...our living room rug may never recover, but that's okay....

M. working on her website - we love starfall.com - a great site that teaches a phonics-based reading program and is intuitive enough for kids to do on their own.

Our turkey cookies - M. saw the Pi!lsbury ad with a picture for these in it and wanted to make them - she was quite proud of how they turned out.


And last but not least, my family cooking dinner. W. made grilled ham and cheese sandwiches tonight. M. buttered the bread (and licked the butter knife). C. tried to climb the stool again and get underfoot. The sandwiches were quite good. I think the picture is even better.

Yogurt for dinner

So, one of C.'s favorite foods is yogurt - plain, whole milk yogurt (babies need fat in their diet the first two years for optimal brain development, so no low-fat stuff - and I try really hard to avoid artificial flavors before about 18 months, so plain it is....) She loves this stuff - and also loves trying to feed herself with the spoon. So, we usually use at least 2 spoons - one for her and one for me. Until she grabs both.....




She spent a good 10 minutes or so waving those spoons around, laughing and talking to us, and smearing yogurt all over. Yogurt is fun to fingerpaint with, did you know that? And fingerpainting is good for all sorts of things like developing fine motor skills and creativity and such - so this is really educational.....and fun for mom to clean up......

10 Things about me....

So, More Cows tagged me for this almost a week ago, and I'm finally getting around to typing up my list to post. So, here goes....

10 Random Things about me....

1. In the last year and a half, as I've adjusted to being a stay-at-home mom, I have rediscovered a love of sewing. I now have a sewing machine that does more than I understand how to do (it's a Babylock - and I would highly recommend the brand if you're looking...) and have made a number of things, from Halloween costumes to pants and turtlenecks for M., to matching sundresses for M. and C. last summer.
2. Echoing More Cows and Jon, I also have double-jointed fingers, and yes, I've had them lock in weird ways during both communion and benedictions.
3. I did college in 3 years and seminary in 4 - reversing the standard timetables. My seminary experience was definitely good - I spent the 4th year doing a full-time internship that changed my ideas about what sort of ministry I was called to in very helpful ways. Not sure if doing college in 3 years was all for the best, but what's done is done.....
4. My living room rug has small bits of various colored playdough dried onto it. I'm still trying to figure out if I should put lots of energy into getting these up, or just budget to buy a new rug when M. and C. outgrow the playdough age.
5. I don't really enjoy exercise, but have found I feel much better and have much more patience when I exercise regularly - so I try to do it anyway.
6. I really love being home with my girls full-time - even though I am regularly exhausted emotionally and physically and I never get to really "leave work" I wouldn't trade these years for anything. And I'm grateful that I'm both a mother and staying at home because I chose this - unlike many women I've met who have had these experiences but didn't choose them freely.
7. I love to cook as well, and especially with my 4 year old M. - who expresses sheer delight and amazement at the processes of cooking and baking - making the whole experience much more fun.
8. I have a terrible sweet tooth - the amount of Halloween candy I've consumed in the last week is shameful.
9. I wasn't too fond of dogs growing up until I met W.'s family's dog, Mugsy, a German Shephard/husky mix who was the best and friendliest dog on the planet, unless you happened to be driving a UPS truck. Mugsy won my heart, and W's and my first "furbaby" was our dog Micah. We also have 3 cats - all of whom I also love.
10. I am seriously considering homeschooling my daughters for a number of reasons which I should blog about in the future, including a belief that human beings should not be mass produced, a concern about both the quality and social environment of the public schools, and a growing realization that M. at least is quite gifted and unlikely to fit in well to a traditional classroom environment. The more I consider this as time goes by, the less it scares me. I continue to have mixed views about homeschooling in general - but it may be the best thing for my kiddos - and I am a true momma bear about my kiddos - I would do just about anything for them and I will growl quite loudly at anyone who is after them.