January Moments

We are half way through January, and that is fine by me. This month would probably rank as my least favorite. Lots of cold, usually illness, and not much going on. We are just hoping this year to not meet our deductible in the first month!

Amidst all that, I've found opportunities to laugh, and I've managed to catch some of our fun on the camera. So here goes:

Sadie was standing on here singing her little heart out.

 And here she is tagging along while I clean.

 A few days after the first snow, the temps climbed back into the 40s, so we enjoyed playing outside. The snow was wet and easy to pack into a snowman. I loved watching the girls build him! My mom gave the girls a "snowman kit" for Christmas, so once his body was made, we simply put the rest of him together.

 Last week  is snowed all weekend, and it was a beautiful and peaceful snow. After naps on Sunday we decided to go sledding. I don't remember the last time I went sledding; I think I was always home with a baby. Not this time!  We met up with D and two of the boys at the hill and had so much fun. In all my years of staying home with a baby, I didn't realize how much work it was sledding with small kids. Pulling the sled up the big hill with two kids in it makes for a great and tiring workout!

 Maisie loves to eat snow and make snow angels.

 Here is our backyard with the 10-12 inches of snow. School was cancelled last Monday, so we hung out at home and had a relaxing day. Brandon snowblowed several driveways and then went to work. Tuesday morning was a late start, so that meant no preschool or Bible study. Bummer. That afternoon Maisie started running a temp. She ended up missing the other two days of school. However, I'll take a fever any day over the stomach flu.

 Sadie + sticky notes = funny looking 2 year old.

 Brandon read the bedtime story on the bunk bed with all three girls. Sadie was in Heaven!  She's not allowed up there, so when he invited her up, she was super excited!



Now onto other memories without photos:

On Friday I attempted shopping at the mall with both Maisie and Sadie in tow. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't fun either. Sadie did fine in the stroller, but Maisie loves to touch everything. That's how she learns. It will be a long time until I do that again.

Saturday I went back to the mall - by myself. :) Sidewalk sales are a great time to start school shopping for next year. I was able to get Analise some great shirts and pants for about $3 a piece...some even cheaper! Woo-hoo!  And I got myself my own deal at Maurice's.

Our Sunday mornings are looking a little different. Instead of going to the first service while the girls are in Sunday school, Brandon is now co-teaching an adult class during first service. We then get the girls and go to the late service together. Some families do this each week, but it's a first for us. It makes the morning longer for everyone, but I enjoy it. I like a different worship style; I like meeting new people, and I like worshiping as a family. (as much as 2, 4, and 6 year old can worship). I think the girls are doing a nice job of staying quiet, and  I appreciate the help from Grandma and Grandpa. So for the next few months,  I will enjoy this change.

Analise went to her good friend, M's, birthday party last week. It was a "fancy"  party where fancy dress was optional. It turned out that Analise was the only girl that went for the "optional" look. She wore a nice red sweater, new blue jeans and her twinkle toe shoes. All the other girls were in their fancy dresses with tights, etc. I felt terrible, but what I did learn was that  it didn't bother Analise. She was confident in her own skin. Of course, the others didn't care what she looked like; they were so kind and encouraging...more for me than Analise. :)

Some quick funnies:

One evening last week I announced, "If you are a (insert last name) girl, then you need to help me fold clothes." Maisie quickly replied, "Mommy, I'm a boy."

I frequently hang the girls' drawing and things on the front door, and sometimes they fade. Analise came home with a cute penguin, so I asked  her if I could hang it on the door. She says, "Sure...but don't let it faint!'

Maisie missed the letter P this week at school, which also meant she missed pajama day...something she was looking forward to. I told her we could have a pajama day at home, and she was fine with that. Throughout the week we talked about different words starting with the P sound. I'll be honest, Maisie knows the letter, but she doesn't have a clue 90% of the time what a word starts with. She hasn't connected with sounds yet. So when the girls and I made cookies this week, I would ask her questions like, "Maisie, this is bbbutter. What does butter start with?" And since it was P week, she always answered with, "P!" I get to the word flour and ask the same thing, and again she answers with, "P!" In response to that, I hear my 6 year old say, "Actually a p and h go together sometimes to make the f sound, but not this time."

Maisie is so loving and sweet, but sometimes she misses the obvious things in life. For example, the other morning we take Analise to school (like every week day since August), we pull into the garage and Maisie asks, "Where's Analise?" Seriously? She began to guess that maybe she was at Aunt. S's or Grandma's house. Oh my...

Maisie and I have done a few I Spy books, and she has a princess version of an I Spy book. I'm learning this is a really good activity for us...because it makes you look beyond the obvious. I'm learning that sometimes she can quickly find what she is looking for; most of the time if she can't find it in the first 3 seconds, she wants me to show her where it is. I will give her clues such as, "It's close to the deer." She can find the deer but still miss what she is looking for. What I find revealing though is we can go back several days later to look at a page we've already done, and she remembers exactly where each picture is. The reason I mention all this is because I feel like I am learning more about her and her learning style. When Brandon was a kid, he had trouble learning the sounds of letters, and therefore had trouble learning to read. He had to memorize the whole word.  I sense Maisie may be on the same path. And being as smart as her daddy is a good thing.

Sadie's latest word is "nuffing." (nothing) I'll ask her what is wrong, and she'll say that. Sometimes she uses it when she is mad, almost like a swear word. (And she doesn't learn those words from us!) It's kind of funny.

Okay...short post turned long. I better get some things done...