Stuart Little: Our First "Big" Read

My grandma always told us to make sure we read to our kids everyday. We had always planned to since we are big readers ourselves and recognize the importance of reading to our children, but my grandma still voiced her concern anytime we spoke.

We read all the time. We have many books of our own, yet we still go to the library every chance we have to check out more. All of our reading paid off because our son now has a love for books. He always enjoyed listening to stories, in fact there would be days where he would bring out stacks of books at a time for me to read.

Well, a couple weeks ago we tried something. We started reading Stuart Little. I didn't think we would get too far since our son is only a few weeks shy of turning 4. Well, he surprised me! Late last week we finished it! He sat and listened through the whole book! Boy, was I thrilled! I have been anxiously waiting for a moment like this: To be able to read the books I remember being read to as a kid is so exciting!

Needless to say we have now moved on to Charlotte's Web. We are on Chapter 5 and going strong! Yes, he does have some fidgety moments, but he is listening. He has already chosen Beverly Cleary's The Mouse and the Motorcycle for our next read.

I am sure my grandma is as thrilled as we are that he enjoys reading as much as us. And I hope his love for books continues for the rest of his life.

Enjoying the Great Outdoors

It has been SO beautiful the last couple days! I love being able to open the windows to let all the fresh air in, not to mention being able to go outside to play. I have to admit, I didn't really feel too motivated today looking at all the leaves that need to be raked or any of the other number of tasks I could go do outside. I really just feel like enjoying what God gave us: The Great Outdoors!




{Spring has sprung!}



So, that is exactly what I did. After putting Wyatt down for a nap I went outside and laid down on the bench and yep, you guessed it, I took a nap too! Ahhhh, it was so peaceful listening to the wind in the leaves and an occasional bird. That was all that could be heard! No cars, bikes, or jets! {We live next to a military base and we hear jets ALL the time in the summer.}

Later after breaking out the grill for the first time this winter for dinner we decided to have a bon fire, another first for the year! It was great! We didn't have chocolate for s'mores, but I did have graham crackers and marshmallows so, we improvised. Wyatt was very content sitting by the fire with his s'mores.



{Enjoying the good life!}





{Tending the fire}



{Our family}

It was nice spending time outside together as a family. I am definitely going to look forward to more of this coming up through out the summer!

Boredom Buster

Looking for something to distract or to use to occupy some empty time? Well, it is only a magazine, newspaper, or word search away! All you need is anything with words that can be marked on and a crayon, pencil, or if allowed, markers.



{Alphabet Letter Find}



Have your child find different letters in the words by coloring them in or circling them with different colors! It is an excellent way to strengthen their knowledge of letters and keeps their mind sharp too! Great for a rainy day or any time.

28 Weeks!

Well, we are now at 28 weeks, in our 3rd Trimester, and 7 months along now! On Friday we had our doctors appointment and it went very well. Heart beat of the baby is VERY strong which is great! Wyatt got to hold their little device while we listened to it. I think he felt pretty important!

I also had to do my Glucose test. I wasn't really looking forward to it as I remember how awful it was last time. Instead of orange, however, I chose lime. MUCH better! It wasn't that bad at all. What was worse was getting my blood drawn. The phlebotomis was super nice, but did not have a light touch at all! OUCH! Of course for Wyatt's sake, I didn't even flinch. Then I got a shot in the same arm just further north for the vaccine to prevent Whopping Cough. Yeah, that hurt too. Especially the next day.



{The good stuff}

 

I felt good leaving the doctors office having received some good comments my last two visits. The first was in Saginaw for our ultrasound, the doctor actually thanked me for being thin! HA! Okay, your welcome? Then Friday the intern doctor who seen us with our regular doctor told me I was the first she has seen since she has been there who didn't have stretch marks. Wow! I don't know how long she had been there, maybe only a few minutes, but hey, I'll take it! 





 



Baby is kicking like crazy, especially under the ribs. It is a lot of  fun to sit on the couch at night and just watch all the activity! I have been having a lot weird dreams lately and still pretty tired. I haven't really been able to make it to 10pm let alone finish a movie, I always end up asleep on the couch! Overall I am feeling great.  





BEAUTIFUL Sunday Afternoon

Yesterday it was FABULOUS outside! Almost 70 degrees, sunshine, fresh air, and a brisk breeze! To beautiful to spend all day indoors! After church we went to Papa and Nana's like we always do, and after dinner out we went!

Wyatt had a ball outside looking for rocks and just walking around. So much fun he didn't want to go in when it was time. I can't really blame him.



{Rock collecting}



{Playing at his cabin}



          

{Wyatt with Daddy}



{Love this kid!}



{Wyatt and Mama}



After we got home, we took Wyatt for a wagon ride. We went almost two miles around the neighborhood. I realized shortly after we began our walk that it was much more than I bargained for. My legs were SO tired after we got back, I was pretty well spent. But, in my defense I am carrying an extra load so I feel justified!

It was so refreshing to get out and enjoy the great outdoors! I think spring really is around the corner!



Getting Ready for Baby!

Wyatt and I went to town this morning having several things to do. One stop on the list was the Freckled Frog Boutique, which is only our most favorite consignment shop in the whole world! There was a cradle there I have been wanting for a long time, and hoped it would still be there.

When we had Wyatt we used a bassinet that was passed down through the family for years and was getting pretty shabby. It has gone through a few more babies since and didn't think it was still in commission so we figured we should probably find something else. After seeing this cradle I knew it would be perfect because, A: It was made of wood and very durable, and B: The baby would be able be in it longer since it has more room than a bassinet.

While we were there I saw a basket bassinet that just called my name! Sooooooo...I bought that too! It will be perfect for traveling and not nearly as cumbersome as a pack and play. Not to mention it is SUPER cute!

I got everything for 25% off! What a deal!

I have to say, it helps make things a little more real for Wyatt seeing things that are for his little brother or sister. He was telling the owner of the shop that he "...was going to be a big brother and that his mama has a baby in her belly!" 





He helped Nick put it together once we got home and started to sing Rock-a-Bye Baby. He is so excited! Actually, I don't know who is more excited, us or him!

Bathroom Revamp

We bought our house a year and a half ago and before we moved in we made a ton of changes. One room that needed a change was the bathroom. Although we didn't change much what we did change was a vast improvement. After removing the wall paper we painted the walls a light cream. Then we removed the minty green toilet and installed a new white one. We were happy enough with the results.



{Before}



Well, lately I have been really liking the two panel look for a shower especially since we have a window in the shower. I love the natural light. So, while I was at Target the other day I found a cream shear panel that was 60x84 inches on clearance and bought it. I cut it in half and sewed up the edges two make it into two panels. I got another shower rod and curtain clips and hung one on either side. It looked great, but it was still lacking something.

Then I found the missing link! Several years ago I had used two panel drapes for our living room before we moved and had put them away because they did not fit any windows that we currently have. I came across them other day and was going to put them into the donate pile when I had a thought. These could work in the bathroom and may be just what it is missing.



{After}



In no time flat I realized this was exactly what it needed! It looks fabulous! The tub, sink, and floor are all green  and needed something that would complement their color. These drapes did the trick! It made a plain ordinary bathroom dress right up!

We do have plans in the future to update the floor and put in a pedistal sink to open it up even more. Right now with a baby on the way that isn't a priority yet. The two panel drapes will do just fine for now!



My Little Smarty Pants!

There are times when a parent is allowed bragging rights. Not because we have anything to do with it, but because our kids are deserving of the recognition! My son blew my socks off the other day while playing with his Magnadoodle. Almost everyday he says or does something that leave us in complete awe. That day was one of those days.

{Working on his "X"}

I was doing dishes when he says, "Mom! Look at my "W"!" So turning around I am amazed that he did indeed write a "W"! Wow! So of course I said, "That is awesome! What else can your write?" So he erases his "W" and writes again. This time he turned it around and showed me a "Q"! He then went back to writing and turned it around to show me a backwards letter "B"!

Okay, so I had to see how far this went. So today, I asked him again to write all the letters he knew. This is what he did:



{W, T, Q, X, E, C}



I was already impressed that a few months ago he was already recognizing his letters. {Sometimes he would forget some, but after a quick refresher he would remember.} Now he is starting to write! It is so neat to watch! I have to give a lot of credit to PBS. He will sit and watch Super Why! and continually repeat the letters he sees. Another favorite program is Meet the Letters. Learning by repetition does work really well. Needless to say, I am one proud mama and I just had to share!

Rag Quilt: Made With Love!

Well, I finished my Rag Quilt for the baby! Whew! Good experience for sure! I love the way it turned out, although it is far from perfect. I have to say, I did wake up this morning a little stiff from working on this all afternoon yesterday. Who would have thought sewing could be so intense!

The top went together very easily. I cut the strips of material to 4 inch widths and then sewed them together.



{Strips laid out}



{First sewn strip!}


I did it in three sections then sewed the sections together. I went really fast. It went so good I got a little over confident and proceeded to cut out the minky backing. As I was cutting I told myself I should measure it again just to be sure, but quickly dismissed myself. Boy, I sure wish I would have listened! I cut the wrong way on the material and cut myself short!

But it worked out okay. I just had to take away two strips, one on each end and it made the material match in size with out having to get into a lot of math trying to make it work otherwise. It is still a good size despite my error.



{Wyatt had to test it out!}



The hard part was the minky material. Wow! That does NOT like to stay in place! I pinned and pinned and it still moved on me. I did have to "touch up" some spots that came undone, but since it's a Rag Quilt, it doesn't take away from the look.





{Voila!}



{Finished with pillow}







I still had enough extra material to make a little pillow that matches. With the pillow I tried a different technique when using the minky material. Instead of putting the seam on the inside I just sewed the two pieces together on the outside. It worked MUCH better! I think my first Rag Quilt turned out pretty good for my first one and I will definitely being doing another soon!