Happy Saint Nicholas Day! We celebrate by opening stockings in our house. (We open family gifts on Epiphany- Jan 6- so we get both early and late gifts.) We exchange gifts with Dave's family on Christmas, but this lets us focus on different parts of the experience throughout the entire Christmas season and especially on Jesus rather than all about gifts.
Mirabel was most excited about the treats! treats! treats! that were in the stocking (and the Advent calendar). Her job is snuffing the candles on our advent wreath and opening one of the advent calendars.
Another funny Mirabel tale....we came in from the cold and she started dancing around but knew she needed to get her boots off before racing for the toilet. As she jumped, she said "Not go potty in my pants, not go potty in my pants...no way, Jose!" And she made it, too!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
Random Musings
Recent Blessings:
- A Saturday where I had nothing scheduled except a potluck and pantry swap (swapping extra canned goods with others). My friend Sian hosted a fantastically tasty potluck and I got to trade some of my extras for goodies like blueberry jam, rhubarb ginger marmelade, and bread and butter pickles! I didn't feel rushed to leave and could really just enjoy the conversation. Note to self- quit overscheduling. :)
- I have been hitting the thrift store circuit and scoring big on shoes! I think I purchased something like 10 pairs. It has enabled me to get rid of some that really had seen their day. I've also gotten a bunch of clothes and all of it at 30-50% off the marked (thrift store) price!
- My mom continues to babysit Mirabel almost every Friday and I get a date night with my hubby.
- Mirabel is liking school instead of pulling fake sick days. Since we figured it out and did some intervention, she hasn't missed a day. My vacation balance and work schedule are happy about this.
Funny Mirabel Story:
When in the car, we sing songs to pass the time. A favorite is the Wheels on the Bus. Because I can't handle the same verses again and again, I started making up verses. The doors on the bus open and shut, the dogs on the bus go bark, bark, bark, and so on. Last week, I started singing the Mirabels on the bus go (wait for M to answer) and without missing a beat she said "I'm so cute! I'm so cute! I'm so cute!" Trying hard not to laugh, I asked what the Paulinas on the bus said. (Paulina is our foreign exchange student.) They say "I'm so cute," too, in case you were wondering. Apparently, mommies and daddies and all adult women say "Shh, shh, shh" but uncles make odd noises (which is true for my brother and brothers-in-law) and Opas and Grandpas say "Ha, ha, ha."
It was also incredibly fun to come downstairs for our first winter wonderland (fortunately on a Saturday) and see her excited little face...Mommy...it's snowing Mommy, it's snowing!! Can I see it? Can I touch it? Can I eat it?
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
- A Saturday where I had nothing scheduled except a potluck and pantry swap (swapping extra canned goods with others). My friend Sian hosted a fantastically tasty potluck and I got to trade some of my extras for goodies like blueberry jam, rhubarb ginger marmelade, and bread and butter pickles! I didn't feel rushed to leave and could really just enjoy the conversation. Note to self- quit overscheduling. :)
- I have been hitting the thrift store circuit and scoring big on shoes! I think I purchased something like 10 pairs. It has enabled me to get rid of some that really had seen their day. I've also gotten a bunch of clothes and all of it at 30-50% off the marked (thrift store) price!
- My mom continues to babysit Mirabel almost every Friday and I get a date night with my hubby.
- Mirabel is liking school instead of pulling fake sick days. Since we figured it out and did some intervention, she hasn't missed a day. My vacation balance and work schedule are happy about this.
Funny Mirabel Story:
When in the car, we sing songs to pass the time. A favorite is the Wheels on the Bus. Because I can't handle the same verses again and again, I started making up verses. The doors on the bus open and shut, the dogs on the bus go bark, bark, bark, and so on. Last week, I started singing the Mirabels on the bus go (wait for M to answer) and without missing a beat she said "I'm so cute! I'm so cute! I'm so cute!" Trying hard not to laugh, I asked what the Paulinas on the bus said. (Paulina is our foreign exchange student.) They say "I'm so cute," too, in case you were wondering. Apparently, mommies and daddies and all adult women say "Shh, shh, shh" but uncles make odd noises (which is true for my brother and brothers-in-law) and Opas and Grandpas say "Ha, ha, ha."
It was also incredibly fun to come downstairs for our first winter wonderland (fortunately on a Saturday) and see her excited little face...Mommy...it's snowing Mommy, it's snowing!! Can I see it? Can I touch it? Can I eat it?
Happy Thanksgiving to you all!
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Mirabel Update
Some things that Mirabel is doing (just a point in time):
- Vocab explosion - sentences, repeating what we say, adding phrases and words like crazy. Some of my favorites- "No worries." "Oh, my goodness!" "Good job, Mirabel Grace." "More Jesus, Mommy, more Jesus." (when she wants another Bible story at night).
- Still in constant motion. She tires me out. She can ride a little two wheel bike with training wheels now. She swings on a regular swing by herself, pumps her legs, and lately has taken to leaning back as she swings. She loves having her dad swing her upside down and side to side (tick-tock clock).
- She is a great eater. She loves fruit and vegetables, and of late pancakes are a favorite treat.
- She still sleeps pretty well, taking a nap daily, going down well and staying asleep until 7:30 or so in the morning.
-Exciting for us- potty training since mid-July. She's been rocking on that, and is wearing diapers just for nap and nighttime.
She's starting Montessori preschool/daycare next week Monday. I think she will really like it a lot. I'm excited to see how it ends up going for her.
- Vocab explosion - sentences, repeating what we say, adding phrases and words like crazy. Some of my favorites- "No worries." "Oh, my goodness!" "Good job, Mirabel Grace." "More Jesus, Mommy, more Jesus." (when she wants another Bible story at night).
- Still in constant motion. She tires me out. She can ride a little two wheel bike with training wheels now. She swings on a regular swing by herself, pumps her legs, and lately has taken to leaning back as she swings. She loves having her dad swing her upside down and side to side (tick-tock clock).
- She is a great eater. She loves fruit and vegetables, and of late pancakes are a favorite treat.
- She still sleeps pretty well, taking a nap daily, going down well and staying asleep until 7:30 or so in the morning.
-Exciting for us- potty training since mid-July. She's been rocking on that, and is wearing diapers just for nap and nighttime.
She's starting Montessori preschool/daycare next week Monday. I think she will really like it a lot. I'm excited to see how it ends up going for her.
The end of summer
We're enjoying our family vacation this week, spending it with Dave's family (sisters and their husbands and kids and his parents). We all have cabins right in a row next to each other up at Heartwood. We've enjoyed tubing down the river, kayaking on the lake, biking, walking, eating, boating, talking, and resting. Dave and I have gotten 8+ hours of sleep each night since we've been here which was much needed.
When we get back, we'll be welcoming Lisa to our house as well as two foreign exchange students, Paulina from Poland (though she's been living in Mexico the past few years) and Yirui from China. Full house and exciting times ahead!
When we get back, we'll be welcoming Lisa to our house as well as two foreign exchange students, Paulina from Poland (though she's been living in Mexico the past few years) and Yirui from China. Full house and exciting times ahead!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Feet that go where God sends
Before I was pregnant with Mirabel, I heard a sermon that talked about blessing, not cursing. One thing that specifically stood out to me was an admonition to parents to intentionally bless their children and not curse them. While most parents don't actually curse their kids with swear words or phrases like "you'll never amount to anything," they do say hurtful things like "I can't believe you did that" or "Why do you always ..." or "That was a stupid decision" etc. It stuck with me. I have tried to specifically bless Mirabel each night when I put her to bed and try to avoid cursing behavior.
For the past few months, I have been praying for her this way- God, please bless Mirabel with a strong mind, eyes that see, ears that hear, a mouth that speaks truth, a kind and compassionate heart, hands that serve, a strong body, and feet that go where God sends. For the past few weeks, she has been saying "baa-dee" along with me and "fee..go...God...senns" when I say the last two phrases. It's a sweet memory for me.
Little Mirabel- may your feet always run along the path where God sends.
For the past few months, I have been praying for her this way- God, please bless Mirabel with a strong mind, eyes that see, ears that hear, a mouth that speaks truth, a kind and compassionate heart, hands that serve, a strong body, and feet that go where God sends. For the past few weeks, she has been saying "baa-dee" along with me and "fee..go...God...senns" when I say the last two phrases. It's a sweet memory for me.
Little Mirabel- may your feet always run along the path where God sends.
Monday, July 5, 2010
Big, big, big BOOM!
We had a great 4th of July celebration yesterday- church, then a BBQ party after church, then hanging out at home, then off to the Party in the Park. Mirabel saw a few fireworks set off by individual households during the music session and was dancing all around, but when it came time for the real display, the booms scared her. Last year we watched the show from someone's yard, and it must have been far enough away that she could just enjoy the show without being scared of the sound.
We went to the park with my friend Lisa and it was great to be able to bike home faster than the cars! We finally tumbled into bed around 11:30...the latest she's been up since she was a little skipper!
(Note the excitement of my day...I bought an Old Navy tank top in 2003, which has been my goto shirt for the 4th ever since. I found a matching tank for Mirabel for 50 cents at a garage sale and it made me smile all day long.)
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Our little bean counter
I was eating dinner with Mirabel the other night and she took a handful of her green beans out of the dish and plopped them on the table. Slightly frustrated, I said to her that I thought it might be better to keep them in the dish. (I'm sure that's exactly how I said it, too.) I went back to eating my meal and heard her talking. Vun, too, free, for, fiv!! Clap, clap, clap. I looked over and she had lined up five green beans right in a row. I didn't even know she knew how to count, but I guess she has been paying attention to her number books and puzzle.
Our little wonder turns two next month and we're looking forward to other wonders this spring and summer. I'm hoping one of them is potty training. :)
Our little wonder turns two next month and we're looking forward to other wonders this spring and summer. I'm hoping one of them is potty training. :)
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