Silly Goose

When you are in the mood for something sweet and you don't have the right ingredients, sometimes it's necessary to improvise. Like making smores...no graham crackers? We used animal crackers. No chocolate bars? We used mini chocolate chips. No marshmallows? Um...well, we did have marshmallows. Pop those suckers in the oven and Ta-Da! Dessert in a pinch.

Charis and I set up a little picnic in the kitchen and I even gave her milk in a "grown-up" glass (reminding her every few seconds not to drop it, bite it, spill it....) The combinations gave her a case of the giggles, so I quickly grabbed the camera. She did not disappoint. Enjoy!

Squeaky Clean!

The girls got their first bath together this past week! Charis was delighted to have a friend to play with in the tub. The little mother in Charis came out when she decided to help give Atalie her bath. Good thing Attie didn't mind the facial scrub-down. Atalie thinks Charis is hilarious, which really helps.

Squeaky clean!

Now weighing in...

Atalie turned 6 months at the end of June. I've been waiting to post this because her doctor's appointment wasn't until yesterday. I needed to get my stats in order. :)

Height: 27.5 inches (95%ile)

Weight: 19 pounds exactly (90%ile)

I've been wondering why Charis's old clothes aren't fitting her so well. I kept thinking How much did I shrink these? But, Atalie has caught up with Charis. Charis was only 6 ounces more at this age, and Atalie is 2.5 inches taller. Ah-ha! No wonder I'm having trouble with those crotch-snappy-things on all her clothes. And she's in a bigger diaper size, too. So, just turning 6 months old and in 9-12 month clothes, and some of Charis's 12 month clothes.

She's babbling a lot, when she can get a word in around Charis. :) She tends to be very quiet in public, taking it all in. She loves standing, smacks her big ol' belly when she's excited. No teeth yet, no rolling. Though I'm not surprised with all that tubba-tub to get moving. She loves peas, despises applesauce, and still loves tummy time. Not much hair yet, though the little bit that is coming in looks really blonde.

And she managed to get her toes in her mouth. Yay! I love it when they do that. There's a lot of grunting and straining involved, but the toes do manage to get there for a second or so.

I do loooove me some chunky babies.

The Fine Art of Jewelry Making

And by fine art, I mean chenille stems and jewels (also known as pipe cleaners and plastic beads).

Charis and I were talking about having a giving heart and being kind to others. So we decided to make bracelets for a few people. Brian and our 9 year old neighbor named Joey were on the list, but I wasn't sure how either would feel with a bracelet. Brian might feel conflicted to wear man jewelry all day as not to hurt her feelings and Joey...well, he'd probably just be confused.

This is also a great activity to practice motor skills. Threading is tough work for a 2 year old! We took our craft outside to enjoy the nice weather (and to avoid microscopic beads rolling into every nook and cranny in the house). I debated on whether or not to drag everything outside, but Major gobbling up every bead that rolled his way like they were little mini doggy treats and me, awkwardly chasing 1000 self-propelled jewels across the kitchen floor (over and over and over) helped solidify my decision.

Eventually she just had fun dumping beads. :)


She's proud of her bracelets!

The finished product!

S'mores!

I've been waiting for an ultra-hot summer day that is also cloud free, but unfortunately those days have been few and far between. It's the only time so far this year I've wished for temperatures in the upper 90's. See, I have this super fun activity to do with Charis---s'mores that bake in the sun!! Get yourself a pizza box, aluminum foil, s'mores ingredients, and you are ready to go!

Unfortunately, the sun, weather, Brian's schedule, and my patience have not been cooperating. So....we decided to make them in the oven. If you haven't done it before, here's how it goes:

Step 1: Gather supplies and lay out your s'mores on the baking sheet. Oven should be set around 375 degrees.Step 2: While assembling, taste the ingredients for freshness and taste.
Step 3: If you are Charis, you taste again by gracefully shoving a marshmallow in your mouth with one finger. Step 4: Bake for 4-6 minutes.

Step 5: If you are trying to avoid the squishy, chocolaty mess (it will squirt out the sides) from getting on your furniture, I suggest consuming them at the table. But, if you are looking for fun and a little danger, try spreading out a few towels on the couch or floor. That's what we did. I know, I'm wild and crazy like that. ;)

Step 6: Happily devour.

Camping Preparations!

Brian and a few other guys went camping in West Virginia this past weekend. Brian had been looking forward to this trip for a long time.

In preparation for his outdoor adventure, he set up his tent in the backyard and he and Charis played. She was VERY excited. She pulled on the Moo-Cow boots and was ready to go!!

At first the tent was all fun and games.

We found out that she happens to like the dirt that goes along with camping about as much as I do.

Which is not much. Oh, I like to dream about being adventurous. In my mind I think Camping with the family! What's not to love? And then I think about it...heat, sweating, lack of shower, catching my hotdog on fire over the campfire, burning my smores, waking in the middle of the night and praying the bears don't eat me while I stumble through the woods to find the bathroom...I could go on and on. So right now I'll let Brian enjoy the wilderness and I'll enjoy tent camping...in my backyard. Maybe by the time I'm 30 my adventurous side will "kick in."

Big Girl Bed!

When Atalie was born, Charis was 19 months old. She was so comfortable in her crib that we hesitated to make the transition to a new bed at the same time a new sibling was coming into the picture. This week we made the move to a new "Big Girl" bed with Charis. The first week...love love love. She was asking...no, begging...to go to bed. The second week? "I yike the crib. Where can crib be?" (yike= like, just in case you weren't sure.)

And today?

As soon as I walked out of the door, this happened:

Charis: AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

Me: It's time for a nap. If you need something, you don't need to scream. Just say, "Mommy I need you."

Charis: Mommy, I need tumping. (something)

Me: What do you need?

Charis: (long pause) uh, chocolate chips??

Me: (about to burst from holding in laughter, yet speaking in my best fake firm voice) It's time for a nap.

I understand, though. I often need chocolate chips, too. ;)