My Sand-Angels

So we have arrived and are having tons of sand, sun and fun.  When we arrived last night we headed straight for the beach. Martha, Annie, Myself and girls were greeted by a gorgeous moon, planet and tons of stars.  Thank you God for all you have created for us to enjoy and give You glory.  Adeline and Essie loved the sand immediately.  Shrieking and running and everything.  So then this morning, though a bit chilly we headed down.  It was amazing and warmed up before too long.  The same excitement as last night was extended this morning and caught on video.

We have played and played.

 

Finger Foods

My girls attend a daycare that doesn’t supply meals and no snacks until January for Essie (approx 18 mo).  I have been mentally stretched to come up with foods my sweet ones can eat with their fingers.  At this age (13 mo) they don’t have the capability to feed each child jar food and by no means do they want it (typically).  I still use most of these for Adeline, she just eats hers with a utensil – I hope.  So… here are some of my ideas and I would LOVE to hear some of yours:

• Chicken patties (soy product)
• Peas (both girls love to eat these frozen at home, esp when teething)
• Carrot squares (from the frozen food section)
• Cottage cheese (one of the first successful spoon foods)
• Sweet Potato cubed  (my girls don’t seem to eat Idaho, yet love fries – go figure)
• Quesadilla (chicken or cheese)
• Olives sliced (they both love putting them on their fingers to eat them – toy and a food)
• Yogurt (need some help here from the teachers, but typically not for long)
• Veggies can be cut up: Green beans, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Carrots,
• Avocado cubed (though this is rejected by my girls at this stage, I keep trying though)
• Fruits cut up (peaches, banana – I feel like I slow the browning down by leaving as much as possible in the peel with a slice down the center and then peak inside with the crosswise cuts into half coins, grapes – cut to avoid choking, watermelon, strawberries sliced, honeydew, cantaloupe, kiwi, mandarin oranges – not many due to the acidity and the ease of diaper rash for my girls, pears)
• Raisins – though not too many for the baby until her system can handle them a bit better
• Cheese cubes or shredded early on
• Both my girls like to eat apples whole, though I don’t send it in to school b/c I like to know I am watching them closely.  Both started early.  They just seem drawn to eat that stem.  Once you get them away from that you are all good.  For a little bit anyway.
• Eggs scrambled seem to do well too. 
• Egg whites boiled – though this food too is currently snubbed
• Canned beans: Bakes, Northern, Lima, any I bet
• Soy Crisps
• Rice Cakes
• Gold Fish and any other crackers (cheese filled kind too)
• Granola bars
• Fruit filled cereal bars
• Pasta tubes or corkscrew work best for my two (so yes that includes mac n cheese)
• Rice
• Tofu – plain and cubed.  (I need more creativity here)
• Hot dogs (For Essie I cut them lengthwise twice then crosswise into bitty pieces)
• Shredded Chicken
• Shredded or ground Beef  (though not tolerated too well with the little ones)
• Oatmeal  (when it is cooled it clumps a little and works all the better for a finger food)
• Dry cereal  (Essie even eats flakes – with only front teeth.  She is dedicated to eating.)
• Pizza usually goes over well too
• Mommy wraps:  Tortilla spread with cream cheese to moisten and help keep it closed, sandwich meat and cheese; rolled up then cut into slices and even further into pieces for the bitty one)
• I have a few of those tubs of food for Esther if I ever run out of ideas and another few of those boxed TV dinner type meals with a veggie and main dish.  Both get eaten without being warmed.  Their favorites are the Gerber Ravioli. 

Maybe I should have done my I prefer to feed them list and then a last resort gotta get something in their box to feed them list.  After looking over that list I wonder why do I seem to act like this is difficult.  Just so you know we are going on day 7 of turkey and cheese.  Not really, but poor Adeline has had her strings of what we call “mommy wraps”.

Does anyone feed their little ones soy beans.  Do you cut them in half?  They seem to me to be the choking hazard size.  I really would love more ideas :)

Teaching Tuesday: Just say NO!

Simply say no… Girls know when to say no to the wrong pair of shoes.

We have visitors!

And man oh man have we had fun.  Presents for everyone’s birthday :)  Ice-cream to treat the tummy :) and adventures outside :)  We planted a tree and everything.

Right or Left Handed

Looking at Esther one can easily tell she is a good eater.  She has figured that it is even better if she uses both hands equally.  Though in truth she seems to use her left hand more than her right when eating. So it seems appropriate that this past week I videoed her using her left hand with the spoon/spork.  All other tasks she seems right dominant.  I don’t care what hand you use or how much you eat… you are a cutie and you are mine to love as long as God gives you to me.  Here you are eating Oatmeal incase you wonder 20 years from now – I won’t remember.

Teaching Tuesday: How to be a Mommy

I just had to capture and share Esther being a cute Mommy.  I was just about in tears it was so sweet.

 

Then I had the joy of this ray of sunshine coming out:

What an awesome way to start the day!!! 

This is the day that the Lord has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it.  Ps 118:24

What a cute face…if kept brief!

I love it when babies cry.  They are just so cute!!!  Now don’t get me wrong I go CRAZY if it lasts too long or if they are hurt.  But this is a tired cry… for a minute there I didn’t think I was going to get her to do it for me.  Then at last :)

So pitiful!

And she had just turned 13 months the day prior :)

Adeline’s Birthday Party

Late Post…. but oh so worth it!

We were out at the Suwannee River with tons of friends and family.  We had cousins as Adeline calls them: Clare, Tess, Mary Peyton, Charlie, Alex, brought by Aunt Mary, Molly, and Trisha.  Friends: Daniel and David (Mommy Julie), Claire, Gracie, Kate (Mommy Jill), Ashton, Lacie, Brother, Talia – school friend (Mommy Lynn and Daddy Scott); Naomi – school friend, Audry, Charlotte (Mommy Ilza); Keely, Meme, Papa, Aunt Annie, Uncle Chad, Mommy, Daddy, and Essie!

There was coloring of rainbows:

There was a slip n slide:

There was eating watermelon:

 

Eating of lunch:  I made some Jello Rainbows:

We had a delicious Butterfly cake with Brazilian coconut “kiss” balls surrounding it.  Clare and Tess helped Adeline decorate it!

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Clare and Essie:

Adeline helping get the Kayak down to the river:

 

Fun folks:

Adeline had asked for a boat ride as soon as she woke up that morning.  So after cleaning up a bit we went on a boat ride.  I think she lasted 2 minutes before putting her head down in my lap for a rest.

I had planned to hide some little people animals then read the story of Noah, but there were just too many people for it to work out.  Bryan did a great job getting burgers and hot dogs ready for folks.   So many people helped clean up and pick up it was amazing.  And of course all the help from Aunt Annie, Uncle Chad, Bill and Martha made it all possible.

Sweet Esther is 13 months

A little late, but time is just flying by. 

Sweetie, you are 13 months old.  We celebrated Adeline’s turning 3.  You are a doll and have a smile that lights up the neighborhood.  Your giggle is heart melting.  Your hair and skin are so soft, almost velvety.  You wave hello to most.  You seem to really like waving to strangers.  You blow kisses now.  It is a sweet treat when I leave in the morning to get some good bye love.

You say ba for ball, da for daddy and dog, ada (very quick a before the da) for addy, go is differentiable, mama (ahh), and most recently bo for book, and you even seem to make sounds to Amen.  You sign doggie, more, all done, book and understand eat and milk.  When you are hungry you stand at the bottom of your high chair.  You still only have 7 teeth, but some more are coming soon from the amount of drool that is occurring.  You are a lover of shoes.  You insist on them going on first thing in the morning and they are the last thing off before bed.  If for some reason one comes off you find us and we put it on.  In your infant class you would even put plastic cups on your feet and walk around when we weren’t sending in shoes.  We learned baby!  You drink a bottle at bed time though would still prefer to have one in the morning too.  You are already using a spoon and even a fork of sorts with remarkable accuracy.  You do eat most with your left hand, but do other things with the right predominantly. You love Calhoun and have eaten dog food weekly up until recently.  You enjoy holding onto his leash for walks and just yesterday walked him completely around the yard.  You share your food with Calhoun without much complaints, though we are working on this. You push around strollers and play with cars.  You even growl like a bear with this one peak-a-boo book.  Now you growl regularly as you know now you get a lot of attention from this.  At daycare and at the river are little mini-benches that you love sitting on.  It is a daily routine on the way into school.  You continue to devour watermelon when it is near.  We seem to be continually fighting diarrhea b/c you have no trouble eating sand, dirt and who knows what else.  You eat so much sand it comes out the other end in a very noticeable consistency – sand patties.  You eat most foods.  You snub veggies the most, but if I get the temp and flavor right you do pretty good.  You know you like rolls and can spy one a mile away. You even had a hissy the other day b/c you saw what once help cupcakes.  We didn’t even give you one, just a taste of the icing of one.  You love baths.  You are very happy to go along for the ride wherever Adeline wants to go.   You love the pool and walking around in your inflatable crab.  You don’t care so much for boat rides.  It could be too that we seem to go out when it is your bedtime and it has been a long day.  We owe you there.  You love pushing yourself on the mini-tricycle/push toys. We go on wagon rides regularly.  Folks say how much you look like Adeline and this is so true.  Though when we compare pics side by side your face is significantly thinner.  Though it will likely always be obvious you are sisters – praise God.  I think that is a blessing.  Ms Gwen made a photo album with pics from the last year that is priceless.  You now have your new teachers in Toddler A.  Sadly you don’t have Ms. Debra, but you do have Ms. Becky, Ms. Shelia (was in Adeline’s 2yr old class last year), and ???? (who knows sign language)!

We thank God for you!  He has a great purpose for your life I know.  Isaiah 14:24 The LORD Almighty has sworn, "Surely, as I have planned, so it will be, and as I have purposed, so it will stand.”

Happy Birthday Annie!!!

Adeline has a picture for you :)  We hope to drop it off on your special day.  I picked her up Monday to find a beautiful pic in her box at school.  She immediately said it was for you.  Hope you have a great birthday!  We had a lot of fun Sunday night!!!