"Five-Hundred-Twenty-Five-Thousand-Six-Hundred Minutes"

This jersey is a big deal.

When we had Carly, everything in life came to a screeching halt; well except for work.  We sort of developed this mentality that the sacrifice for having a healthy family (speaking in an emotional health way) simply meant giving family 100% of our non-working time.  It was so difficult for us to find the balance between family time, couple time & individual time...we just couldn't seem to do it all.  And by "we" I suppose I mean "me."  Since my poor husband has to deal with a wife who struggles with balance in the first place and then a wife who was facing post-partum depression, Brian essentially succumbed to my need for him to give up hope of any extra-curricular activities so that he was available to his family. Being the wonderful man he is, he never complained and actually agreed, reminding me that "this is the season we are in right now...and that's okay."

But oh how I envied the moms who could say yes to the occasional girls night, a quick coffee date, a morning run, a weekend get-a-way or for Heaven's sake a date night with their husband!  And I'm sure he missed golfing on any sort of regular basis, the occasional poker night, watching sports uninterrupted...and even playing video games.  But there was no way under the sun with our crazy work schedules, lack of family support (proximity-wise) and fear of not pouring enough of ourselves into our marriage or our parenting that I was going to have time for a ladies Bible Study...or that Brian would have time to join the church softball team.

Funny how seasons come and go.  In the midst of it; even something as simple as what I've described above; from the inside appears that you'll be stuck in that season for the rest of time...or at least until the smallest in the family is in high school.

But here we are, a new job for Brian that has given him an extra 10-15 hours/week that he's NOT at work, children who are no longer babies, a church down the street and a community of friends to share life with, and all of a sudden we are saying yes to things we wouldn't have dreamed saying yes to even one year ago.  Every Monday night Brian plays in a Parks & Rec Softball league.  And every Wednesday morning I attend a women's Bible Study.  How we've grown in the past 4 years: it's a big deal.

So this jersey makes my heart happy.  It represents a new season of flexibility and opportunity; at least for now.

"Life is Worth the Living Just Because He Lives"

August 19th I said goodbye to my Nana. Well actually I suppose I said goodbye earlier that year, March 2015.  But we had communicated since then.  August 19th she had a massive stroke.  Her body wanted to recover and press on living, but her mind did not.  She slept for 5 days and I have full confidence that her soul went to meet her maker on August 24th.

I had a terrible week leading up to her death.  I had taken on 60 hours of work in 7 days, committed to a few extra activities I normally don't commit to, booked flights for me to fly home alone with the kiddos, prepared 3 songs for the funeral, did a LOT of crying (I am not one who runs out of tears) and the night before we flew home began packing at 11pm...only to wake up at 5am to catch a flight to Iowa.  And of course in the midst of those things my nana had died.

Death sucks.  It's a hard pill to swallow.  Weather baby was 6 weeks in utero or a woman 99 years old...its a life...and a loss...and it must be grieved. Now everyone does this differently...so differently in fact that people almost never say the "right" thing to a person suffering a loss.  But we are inherently good human beings--designed in God's image--so we do our best to support one another.

I must say I was showered with love and affection and support and blessing, THANK YOU for checking in, sending cards, texts, emails and phone calls.  Knowing that my family was in the thoughts and prayers of my closest friends was a blessing to me. Thank you!

Funerals are great.  In my opinion.  They bring such closure to a traumatic event.  It's a time to say goodbye, celebrate life, reflect on wonderful memories and prepare for the difficult days, weeks, months, years ahead.  It depends on the loss and the person left behind.  So, flying home and being with my ENTIRE family (minus Joshua, Zola & Piper who I believe showed sacrificial love by staying home) was needed.  We held hands and all said goodbye together (I mean, not literally). I am so glad I had the week following her death to be in the same physical proximity as my family members.

There's one thing I realized about myself that I will note more intentionally in the future. I need to say goodbye.  Actually say it.  Not in a "hey I realize you could go at any time so I'm not getting my hopes up to see you again" (can you imagine...that would be stupid and awful!) but in a "I need you to know that I love you, cherish you and my life has been impacted by watching yours" sort of goodbye.  I composed a lengthy letter to my Grandpa and read it to him while he was laying on his death bed (even though at the time we didn't know that was the end).  Speaking those words to him helped a great deal in my personal journey of grief.  I didn't speak those same words to Nana, and I'm still really struggling with that.  So, I had started a letter to her before she passed....hoping I would get to read it to her on her 100th birthday.  I was advised to finish it...so I did.

Dear Nana,

100 years!! What a thrilling number!  I marvel at the experience you've had since 1915...all that you've seen, all that you've done, all the people you have loved.  Pre-WWI, pre-Titanic tragedy, pre-motorized vehicles, planes...you have evolved with a quickly changing world and have done so with grace & poise beyond what most could undertake.  You've been a daughter, a sister, a friend, a wife, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, a great-grandmother and a great-great-grandmother.   I cherish that we have 5 living generations.

Nana, I must share with you the impact your life has had on my spirit.  You have influenced my thoughts and my actions and have modeled some of the key life lessons I yearn to mature into understanding.  When I think about you, I find myself holding onto these words:

Balanced.  I don't think a woman lives to be 100 without having an incredible capacity for balance. You don't indulge or deprive.  In fact, I chose the word "balance" as my "word" for 2014 (yes...I have a yearly "word"...you'll have to excuse the nerd in me) in your honor.  Whether it is food, exercise, cleaning, cooking, spending, saving, talking, listening, reading, watching, observing, sharing...you simply appear to be in harmony with life, relationships & Christ.  Please teach us all how to have more hope and less stress.  I might add that you aren't completely balanced.  You love and you pray...whole-heartedly.  Thank you for loving unconditionally and being committed to praying for me, my husband and my children.

(you can tell I finished the letter after her death as I moved from present tense to past tense...)

Strong.  Goodness by the time you had reached age 20 you had been through real trials. You had mourned the loss of your father, given birth to a baby that lived only 2 short days and were in the midst of helping your husband work through a severe illness.  I suppose God gives us strength to endure at the time it is needed but He certainly sustained you through some difficult times.

Refined.  The dictionary defines "Refined" as: To become pure, fine, elegant or polished; to make fine distinctions in thought or language.  I believe the older you grew, you became exceedingly more polished, elegant, creative, distinct, lovely.  You had a firm grasp on our changing world and rather than being confused, frustrated, melancholy...you embraced it and chose to see the beauty of allowing oneself to evolve through life.  You held tight to the promises of Christ and chose to cast your cares upon Him.

Thank you for being a model of a saintly woman in my life.  I love you, I cherish the times we spent chatting...the times you spent listening to me go on about my own "struggles" and joys...the many times you partook in humor...sometimes at your own expense...and the life lessons I will take with me as I continue my own journey of living a long and fulfilling life.

With deepest love,
Tricia

PS--I don't' think I quite understood just how much you loved chocolate until your funeral.  I've always wondered why I prefer chocolate over any other food and now I know it is hereditary!  A dear friend once bought me an ornament that read: "I'd give up chocolate...but I'm no quitter!" I wish I would have shared that with you. ;)

It feels good to write that.  It feels good to publish it.  I hope maybe it blesses you, even a little bit.

5 Generations

2012

2014

The last photo I took of Nana (2015)...the youngest & oldest member of the "Stubbs" clan.

"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" {Carly 3 1/2 Years}

I'm not sure whether to begin by saying I LOVE CARLY AT THREE YEARS OLD or to begin by saying THREE HAS TURNED OUT TO BE THE BEST AGE EVER.

So I'll say both. ;)

Every time I would complain about the baby stage to my Mama followed by an expression of utter guilt that I wasn't enjoying "every minute" of it she would always say that during childhood, each passing year just got better.  So far, she's been totally right (what else is new?).

I am quite certain I love everything about Carly.  We just click.  We think alike, speak alike (okay...she just copies what she hears out of my mouth), we have similar interests and simply similar personalities.  I hope that she has the same desire I did to always let Mom be a best friend!

Carly is a bit dramatic, a bit strong-willed, a bit emotional but ultimately driven by her ration and her thoughts (for as much as a three-year-old can be).  She is incredibly sensitive, compassionate, understanding, willing, helpful & eager.

I love Carly's ability to communicate.  Not that her pronunciation is perfect (because its far from it) but her vocabulary and her understanding of concepts is remarkable to me.  For example, she is great at reporting the difference of an emergency vs something that is against the rules.  If Luke has somehow found himself an outlet, has found his way on top of the table, is playing in the toilet, Carly will come running and say, "we have a-mer-ja-see!"  If Luke is pulling on the curtains, playing in the potted plants, pulling hair or throwing his food, she reports that Luke is disobeying.  I love that she understands the difference and can communicate that.

Independent. Is that what you call someone who can do everything "alla by my-surse (myself)?" Unless of course she is needing attention, and then she needs help all the time "because I am a baby right now." She can dress herself, put on her shoes, unlock the door, go outside, open the car door, crawl into her carseat and buckle her top buckle.

Helpful. Carly loves to be a "big helper" and immensely enjoys being praised for doing so. Sometimes she professes that she needs a TREAT because "I'm such a big helper, though!"  She helps clear the dishwasher, puts her own folded clothes away (when she feels like it) and after a meal can clear her dish, open the dishwasher and place it inside.  She is very willing to help me when my hands are full (although sometimes her fingers get tired of holding her crafts from church, her bouquet of flowers she just picked or her toys) by grabbing something I've dropped, running back up stairs for an item, etc. Just in the last month she began actually being of assistance in picking up her toys.  It's been really nice to have an extra set of hands and I've PROMISED myself that I will find balance between having realistic expectations of how much the eldest child should contribute/help and when I am demanding too much.  And...you are welcome to call me out on it if you feel my expectations ever become to high.

That promise doesn't stem from my own eldest-child scaring, by the way...I loved having more responsibilities than my siblings...it gave me a weird sense of self esteem or something. 

Carly plays with her MagiClip dolls what seems like every minute she is at home.  She loves jumping on beds, playing chase, getting tickled, wearing her princess dresses (she prefers her "Queen Elsa Dress" and is in it every waking moment of time we are inside our house.  She recently added princess jammies to her in-the-house wardrobe, as well).  She wants me to play with her all the time but understands I have other responsibilities to balance as a mother and therefore is perfectly content to play on her own for semi-long periods of time.  She loves to hide under her bed at night with her Daddy and requests that I find them by asking Simba & Nala plush toys "where is my baby kitten?"  Her favorite book right now is Madeline; but it seems to change weekly.  She loves the movies, Mary Poppins & Sound of Music (which was intentionally introduced after she fell in love with MP) and always always becomes a character in the story, singing & dancing right along with everyone else.

She talks a lot about when she will marry her prince and actually took it upon herself to make a veil out of my curtains Luke pulled down.  She will ask to pick flowers 100% of the time, melts down when she can't do something on her own that she seemingly expects she should be able to do and she will eat just about anything we put in front of her. She LOVES chocolate milk...and all things with sugar in them.  We can get her to do anything with bribery of a treat or the threatening of taking away her princesses.  We try not to use those tactics in parenting much, however, largely because she is such a reasonable communicator.

I could go on and on about how thoughtful she is...how often she expresses that she loves us...how she adds on a prayer for someone who has recently been sick to every prayer she hears...that she loves going to church, playing with friends, SWIMMING...how often she talks about her family (particularly her Grandparents and her cousins, Cora & Jackson)...or that she had real tears streaming down her face last month while requesting to move to Iowa.  Actually, I feel a bit bad that I have so much to say about Carly in comparison to my recent post on Luke.  I love them both the same, of course, but I think when the first child reaches new milestones, us parents are just so amazed at what they know, what they say and how they think that it's fun to report on!

I just had no idea a three-year-old could be so fun, so precious & so easy.

"Above All Treasures of the Earth"

My heart nearly exploded as I boarded my flight from Denver to Orlando last week.

And might I add that I was traveling alone, for the first time in 4 years.  I dove into what has quickly become one of my favorite books ("Out of the Spin Cycle" by Jen Hatmaker--Devotions to lighten your mother load) and spent time thanking God for the past three weeks.  When I wrote a recent post on how I survive the Florida heat, I had no idea that a 3-week hiatus from life should have been a bullet point on my top ten list.  In a matter of weeks, I had really meaningful time with my two dearest friends, both of my siblings & both sets of my children's grandparents.  Not to mention my Grandma had visited just 2 weeks prior to that.  Although sometimes hosting & traveling can be exhausting, my heart was left filled rather than drained upon the conclusion of a "life-break". And...for the first time....ever...I actually felt rejuvenated and ready to step back into real life, rather than mourning what was over.

I'm in a really good place after a fairly ugly year; and it feels undoubtedly refreshing.

I met Carley the first weekend of my freshman year of college and we hit it off right away.  She hasn't been to Florida for a couple of years so took the initiative to plan a trip; childless, I might add. In the few days she was here, we spent time with my kiddos, had dinner out (alone), a beach trip & got in some shopping.  We spent a lot of time chatting about our kiddos & our hubbies.  Good conversation might be my favorite thing.

Brian's folks were here for 5 days in between Carley visiting and us leaving for Colorado. I had a lot to do between work, packing & designing a 30th anniversary book for my parents, so I pretty much stayed out of their way...which essentially means I didn't take a whole lot of photos.  My kiddos sure love spending time with them!

Off to Denver we went!  The flight went well (PTL!) and when we landed we were greeted by this beautiful face.

Anna escorted us to a local park where my family was eagerly waiting for us!  We spent a few hours letting the kids burn off the energy stored up from 4 hours of sitting on a plane!

Getting to see Trey teach his middle-schoolers at Cherry Hill (the mega-church he is currently doing an assistant-ship for seminary at) was a highlight of the weekend! Who knew my little brother could so boldly proclaim the gospel in such a polished way!

One beautiful car ride later, we were welcomed by a little cabin in the mountains of Keystone.  From there we enjoyed a lot of hiking...

She loved hiking in her boots!

Half-way up Quandary Peak!

Our first 14-er!! Is the air a bit thin up here? ;)

This totally counted as a date!

We found it ironic to be in tank tops next to snow & not shivering

...a fun gallivant of white water rafting...

Thee most attractive picture ever.

...home cooked dinner every night (this was an added blessing for me because really nobody wants us to take my two littles out to eat)...

Can't beat that view!

...thee hot tub (which is extra fun in the cool, crisp mountains)...

...lounging, playing & fellowship.

We all deemed our mountain vacation the best one my family has taken to date.  I never knew vacation with a 1 & 3-year-old could be so relaxing (Thanks, M&D)!

Brian so graciously allowed me to stay an extra day to spend time with Anna...which meant he was flying solo on the plane parenting gig.  I felt quite guilty about the whole ordeal but we both agreed it was absolutely necessary to have some meaningful time with someone who has been my best friend since I was...nine.  Of course I communicated with him every step of the way & could relax once I knew he had turned the key to our house.  He says I carried the stress for him as he really wasn't worried. ;)

Anyhow, Anna and I put every second of our 24 hours to good use!  We hiked Horsetooth, ate a Mad Greens (um...can someone please build one of these next to my house?!), spent the afternoon talking about marriage (SINCE SHE IS NOW ENGAGED!), and headed out to dinner with her then-boyfriend, Nate.  Upon meeting this man I had an inkling was going to be her future husband, I jumped out of the car to give him a hug!  Nothing like being awkward!! ;)  It took me 2.3 seconds to see that they were madly in love and perfect for one another.  Nate was easy to get to know & fun to spend time with. I think he & Brian will get along quite nicely. :)

So there you have it.  Can you see how a 3-week hiatus from anything remotely close to "normal life" breathed so much joy into my heart?  If I was a guessing woman...I'd say next August will look fairly different than this one, but let's not get ahead of ourselves.

"Feelin' Hot, Hot, Hot!"

Thee Official Guide

How-to-do Summer in Florida: 

Weiss Style

We've lived in Florida 5 years!  5 YEARS!  Listen, people...I really didn't even think we'd make it a full year here.  Funny how God reveals His plan to your heart only in ways you can understand it and with timing you can absorb it.  Although the past few years have been FILLED with amazing milestones, special friends, new homes, little running feet and many days feeling like we were on vacation, those of you who keep up with me know that I can't stand the heat.  Every April as it warms up I dread that I have to spend THEE NEXT 6 MONTHS sweating.  Yes, by my calculations, we've spent just shy of 1,000 DAYS of our life DRENCHED.  You'd think I'd be super skinny with all the water weight I lose each day. ;)

So...after some serious heart-searching, I decided that Florida Summer 2015 was going to be DIFFERENT! It was my first full summer in Florida NOT pregnant or nursing (it's really no fun when you take a hold of your baby's food supply for a feeding and it slips out of your hand....).  So, here is my ultimate guide to withstanding loving our Florida Summers.

1. Fresh Fruit

I think in years past, fresh fruit meant too many stops at the grocery store, too much cutting & chopping and too much of a mess with babes.  But...I've found that the return on the investment of standing in the kitchen cutting up a watermelon is huge.  Plus...I've become way better at slicing & dicing most fruits through practice.  We are one month into the official "summer" and my family has been through 5 pineapple, 8 watermelon & endless tubs of strawberries, cherries & grapes.  OH...and MANGO! I have lost count of how many of those slippery suckers I've chopped up.

2. OJ Popsicles

The kiddos love popsicles and this is my "healthy" way of doing them.  They are so messy & so sticky...so we try to time them right before a bath. ;) Nevertheless, its a treat that makes being outdoors fun.

3. Shade

It's a good 10 degrees cooler in the shade...so we try to spend a lot of time there.  One thing I've never done before that I began doing this summer was using an umbrella.  Yeah, I'm that girl.

4. Swimming

Although it seems like a big ordeal to get loaded up for pool time, I'm becoming increasingly better at choosing snacks & packing quickly to get out the door.  Wet clothes get hung in the back yard upon our return, and if we only stay a half hour at the pool, it was still fun anyway.  You've gotta love all things water to survive the Florida heat.

5. Splash Pads

I thought first about just classifying "WATER" as a summer must-have, but it's so important it essentially became two points.  On days I just cant bare to be covered in chlorine, we choose the splash pad!  I am also getting good at remembering a change of clothes for the kids that I keep in the car at all times...and Carly is excellent at getting dressed & undressed without flashing anyone.  I also keep buckets & clean towels in the trunk & sunblock in every bag.  You just never know when you're going to end up getting wet!

6. Waterproof Mascara

I really dislike waterproof mascara, but I thought it would be a motivator for wearing make-up this summer.  It's worked quite well, actually!  Doesn't really give the lashes their full length potential but that's really okay. ;)

7. Updated Wardrobe--swim, casual & running

I bought a few new swimsuits and focused on cute, breath-able tops to wear with my pre-pregnancy shorts that finally fit! OH WAIT....there's no way this 27-year-old mother of two can wear the short, shorts she wore at age 22.  Geesh...I bought new shorts. ;)  AND...updated my work-out wardrobe to be in the category of "fit" instead of "frumpy."  All the improvements have helped me feel cute when sweaty.

8. Hair

Have I mentioned how much I love Pinterest?!  I have been obsessed with up-dos this summer and have Pinterest to thank for it! When the crown twist & every braid under the sun came back into style, you can bet this girl cheered!  I get more comments about how "cute" I look when my hair is up...and that is a first!!  "Work that up-do....own that pony tail!" ;)

9. Blinds

We bit the bullet and invested in battery operated blinds for our un-reachable windows.  It drained our "disposable income bank" but so far it's saved about $80/month in electric costs.

10. Positive Attitude

Ultimately, the key to not complaining about the heat has been to have a positive attitude.  I shouldn't complain about anything, period, and especially about living in the "tropics."  When sweat is running down my back as I walk 3/4 of a mile into work, I just smile to myself and say, "You signed up to embrace the heat this year!"

"Cherry Lips, Crystal Skies" {Luke 18 Months}

Luke is our cuddly-rough-and-tumble-messy-funny-sly-charming-all-things-outdoorsie little guy!  He is up for a hug or a kiss at almost any moment and just loves to give friendly touches or rough bumps to everyone he meets.  High fives, fist bumps, nose rubs, those lovely open-mouth kisses and of course the "I am going to hold onto your leg until you pick me up" affections.  He's incredibly fickle (which is why I chose this song) and goes from giggling and running around to throw-myself-on-the-ground fits.  I think both are pretty adorable.

These are my favorite things about Luke

1. Bedtime snuggles--and how he points to his rocking chair before every nap even though we've never rocked him to sleep.
2. Watching him play with his cars & trucks...he doesn't have an incredibly long attention span yet...but if he's going to play with something for an extended period of time it's going to be his race track.
3. When he scrunches his nose and squints his eyes with a little smirk on his face because he just can't figure out how to nod his head.
4. That he is a pretty good sleeper--giving me periods of 10-11 hour night sleeps and 2-3 hour nap sleeps. Holy moly that blows what his sister did at 18 months out of the water!
5. That his favorite foods are eggs, olives, tuna & cashews.  Yes...we can always get him to eat those 4 things and we understand our kid is special. ;)
6. Watching him follow around his sweet big sis who is so good at including him!
7. That toddler waddle-run
8. That he rubs his ear when he's tired or needing to self-soothe for a bit
9. Reading him peek-a-boo books...or really that he's happy to sit for 20 minutes and read if given the opportunity.
10. He is trying SO hard to use his words but the sweet boy can only get a few out.  I love that his most used word is "Mama" because it makes me feel special...and other than Dada, milk, no, up, this, that, dog & all done he doesn't say much but "ah, uh & mmm."

Here are the things about Luke that drive me crazy

1. He cannot for the life of him figure out how to have an affirmative comment.  So...we have to deal with him shaking his head and saying "no."  Thanks, bud.
2. That he finds pulling Carly's hair THEE MOST HYSTERICAL thing on the planet.  Not cool.  This act makes bike rides (which we love doing) very difficult.
3. Oh when he stands at the door and pounds on it with all his might while crying out some sort of "let me out of here!"  Neighbors....we treat our son really well but by golly he just wants to spend every waking minute outside.
4. That he throws his food when he doesn't like it or is finished with his meal
5. Lukey is so stubborn and still completely irrational.  It drives me nuts.  I feel like all I say to him some days is, ¡escúchame!

This is a plum...in case you were wondering

I love having a son and we thank God for his sweet & sly spirit everyday.  He is going to keep us on our toes but love us with all he's got for all time, I think.  We pray for his heart every night as we hold him close that he would be a man of integrity, grace & endurance as He seeks living a spirit-filled life.  And until then, we pray for God's daily guidance in how to shepherd this young boy's heart.

"Favorite Things" {April, May & June}

Precious Moments

Carly: Miss C loves to sing.  She uses a lot of catch phrases and music to describe her feelings and explain circumstances.  A few examples...When she sees a bee she will burst into song: "When the dog bites, when the bee stings (pronounced: dings)..."  Or somehow, nearly each time I ask her to help me with something (Carly will you please close the door, put on your shoes, pick up your toys...) as she so willingly flutters off to complete the task she begins singing, "Cinderelly, Cinderelly, lots a day a Cinderelly...mop the flooor & clean the dishes..." (yes those are the words in order of how she sings that song).  And finally, if she asks you who your favorite princess is, upon your answer she will sing you that Princess' song.  Be sure to say your favorite princess is Ariel next time she asks. ;)

And...every other conversation we have with her either makes our hearts burst with joy or our stomachs hurt from laughing.  Just this week she has said to me, "Mom, you are so beautiful in your heart," "We bought you these flowers because your WHOLE family loves ya" and "Ganks, Mom, you're just the BEST!"

Luke:
Luke loves popcorn.  He generally eats is while squatting over the bowl, two-fisted.  One evening, Brian decided to throw the popcorn up & catch it on his tongue.  We all clapped.  Luke then took a big handful of those delicious freshly pooped kernels and threw them across the room followed by an expressive applause!  We had a good laugh over that one.

Healthful Living

I really don't consume any food worth writing about as I consistently drink 2 meals/day, so I'll share another one of my go-to recipes:

1.5 Cups frozen spinach
1/2 an orange
1 tbsp of goji berries
1 tbsp of lemon juice
1 tsp of camu powder
1/2 C orange juice
1/2 C water
Ice to taste

Places & Spaces

The kitchen re-model is coming along quite nicely.  Our motto is: slow & steady wins the race. ;) Brian has taken on this project with very little help from me. We painted the walls in February, and then the cabinets have taken most of May & June.  It's really just prioritizing when we need family time vs when he can devote a good 3 hours to getting a section of cabinets done.  Hopefully by next "quarter" he will have completed the back splash.

I love the piece we added to the kitchen and continue to love the new light fixtures.

I also love sitting down with this devotional I've been reading in the mornings with a cup of coffee. Sometimes I enjoy it inside & other times I sit in a lawn chair in the yard while the kiddos play.  A co-worker actually gave it to me upon finding out I was a Believer and I think of her every morning.

Growing Minds

Carly has completely immersed herself in the imagination of play stage and doesn't need a whole lot of interesting activities to occupy her mind.  When she does get bored, however, it's nice to have a few things to turn to.  She doesn't enjoy baking (sad) but at least we found that out! A few times I asked her to help me measure/pour/stir and she just had no desire.  She doesn't really want to do arts & crafts and reading only happens when she's in the right "mood" so finding ways to interact with her that are educational can be a bit tough.  She loves her alphabet puzzle and her matching game...but she really just wants to act out life with her little dolls (that happen to be Disney princesses).  She is quick to be helpful in cleaning or organizing and receives quite a bit of praise from us when she does so willingly and successfully.

Luke's mind grows by pushing, pulling, touching, throwing, running, bouncing & bumping.  He is beginning to take interest in shapes and enjoys figuring out how something works (open/close, anything that moves on wheels, etc).  He wants to do-it-himself and will let you know it!  He's beginning to point and recognize his animals...although it would be helpful if he could verbalize what he's pointing to!  He's got "Dog" & "Mooo" down. ;)