Rides

 You might remember this scene from a year ago . . . 

Oh, what a difference a year makes.

I love the sound of these two playing well together.

I wonder how long it will be before David tries to get Alina to push him around?

Peek-a-Boo

 I've been trying for a while to capture Alina's cute game of Peek-a-boo. She'll often pull it out when she's on the changing table, but if I pull out the camera she quickly stops.

There it is! I love love love how transparent Alina is in her feelings. I want her to always feel safe in expressing her feelings purely. I think this plays into how she plays her little game.

She doesn't hide much from anyone when she has fun like this.

Thanks for playing, come back soon!

Little Red Chair

 It's fun to pull out some 1-year old treasures we saved from David's toddlerhood. This chair is priceless. Oh, the stories it could tell of the two cuties it has held.

A Little Closer

 Alina has taken her time learning to walk. She celebrates every little baby step, and fills up her confidence little by little.

This was a night that we were coaxing her to step, but she was so pleased with herself to occasionally stood on her own that she couldn't process the thought of taking a step. 

She wanted to relish in her success, so that's what we did.

In the mean time, I am carrying around a 23 pound baby whenever we do errands. Sometimes I think I don't need a basket because I'm just grabbing one item--but that thought is always erroneous. This girl is worth her weight in gold, but carrying her is making me a strong Mama!

Along the "carrying" lines . . . I am quite the sight when I walk in to church. After we shed our winter gear, I still have a diaper bag (so Daddy can have all of Alina's supplies and toys during 2nd hour while they are buddies), a large purse full of tricks for leading the children in music, and a 23 lb toddler on my hip. Lots of people stop and ask if they can carry something for me. I must look like quite the sight! I don't wish for our little girl to grow up any faster than she must, but I do look forward to holding a hand instead of carrying her. Maybe in the summer time, when her feet are more steady and the ice is gone?

Reading Time

In the last month, David has read 3 novels written at a fourth grade level. He reads because he loves it. I'm happy to read with him any time he wants, but his reading has taken off out of his own interest, and not because his mother has pushed it. (We're too busy pushing the writing side of our language arts curriculum.)


Most of his reading is done under his blankets after he's supposed to be asleep. I had to laugh this night, because he fell asleep before he switched off his flash light.

I love the idea of a kid that loves to read. I even support staying up late occasionally to finish a story. But first there has to be a certain maturity before I can get fully behind it. If you want to stay up reading buddy, that's fine by me. But come morning time, I need to see a smiling happy face to greet a new day! So we're trying to find that balance--where he feels like he can read a few minutes before bedtime, but it doesn't alter David's disposition the following day.

Piano Boy

 David will be starting piano lessons from a lady in the ward this month, and he is thrilled at the prospect! He reads notes on his own, as well as picks out tunes and harmonies by ear. Betsy Hunt will be a great teacher for him, as she has a Masters Degree in Piano Pedagogy and her teachers in her youth were all out of Julliard. I fully trust that she will help David take his piano skill to whatever level he works for while he is under her tutelage.

Oh, and don't tell David, but I signed him up for a piano piece in an April recital for his school. I'll find just the right way to present it to him so he's all on board with it once he has a song that he loves to play . . .

The Colorer

It's kind of funny, because I've always wondered why I couldn't get David engaged in coloring. He's never taken to the blank paper and crayons offered him, or paints, or pencils, or anything artsy.

With Kindergarten, he's had to get over that and learning to write is the hardest thing we face each day. I try to disguise it as many ways as I can in getting him to pick up a pencil or crayon or marker, but he's a bright kid and he figures out what the real intent is.

So I was shocked when I offered Alina some crayons and paper, and she doesn't want to put them down. Her attention span lasts only about 5-10 minutes with it, but she loves it! She loves to hold them, to see the colors appear, to press lightly then hard.

I think it's funny that both of my kids are picking up on coloring at the same time. It makes for some fun together time at the kitchen table!