13 months

On Monday you were 13 months old!  This last month, since that big 1st birthday, has flown by.  You have grown and changed so much.  You've started making animal sounds.  Some you imitate from us and others you already know and identify with the animal on your own.  You are pretty solid at doing the sounds for puppy, monkey, and cow.  You love to bark at the dogs whenever you see them or when you want them to play with you.  It's the cutest thing because you puff out your cheeks and make a "ruff, ruff, ruff" sound. I took you to the dog park earlier this week and you loved ruffing at all those pups.

Last week I took you to the library for story time and you walked next to me just holding on to one hand.  You haven't done that since but you have been standing up on your own.  Earlier this week I caught you on video in the yard standing yourself up in the grass.  It won't be long before you're walking and running and kicking that pink soccer ball that Grandpa Bill gave you when you were first born. :)

Not only have you been making animal sounds but your new favorite words are "Uh oh".  Anytime you drop something or you see someone else drop something you say "Uh oh" and you look very concerned.

You are also learning some body parts.  If we ask where your nose is you point to your mouth, so we are working on that one.  :)  But when we read your book where you pull up the flap to reveal the baby's body parts you know your fingers/hands and toes/feet.  You will actually pull your foot up and put it on the book where the baby's foot is.

I love watching you learn.  It is so fascinating and astonishing to me.  I'm so glad I get to be with you all day to catch these moments and encourage your growth.

You are still doing a great job feeding yourself yogurt every morning.  I even bought you some new spoons to help.  You are becoming very interested in what Mommy and Daddy eat, which means we have to make sure we are eating healthy foods that we can share with you.  Sometimes you still don't want to eat what I put on your tray, but we are working on it.  This week you did eat some lasagna and you seemed to like it.

One morning last week I peaked in my room and you were walking along, holding on to the edge of the bed, peaking up over it and playing with Bosco.  You were patting the mattress like you've seen us do when we play with him.  Bosco was barking and running around on the bed playfully.  It made me hopeful that he will continue to get use to you and be nice.

One of my favorite things now is when you crawl over to me and crawl up into my lap to sit with me.  It makes me heart melt.  I love my sweet girl.

This past weekend we went to Springfield to visit Grandma and Grandpa and Aunt Paige and we got to go to the lake.  It was your first lake trip and you loved it.  You loved being in the water but did not love the life jacket.  I think you wanted us to just throw you in to swim!  We had fun watching Grandpa Ben and Aunt Paige do flips and dives off the dock.  In a few years you'll be able to jump in from the dock too.  On Sunday we visited with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa on the farm and you got to see some cows.  You had fun mooing at them.

Earlier this week you got to do some finger painting with edible finger paint that I got from "We Can Too Art Supplies".  http://www.weecantooart.com/ 
Daddy wanted you to paint a picture for him to take to work.  You painted two beautiful pictures.  One at the picnic table with your hands . . . and then one on the patio with you whole body.  :)  It was messy but fun.  Then it was bath time.

It's a Beautiful Day

Today all the windows are open, the rain is gently falling, and a cool breeze is flowing through the house.  LOVE.  Thank you Jesus for this cool, rainy day.  Our dry grounds and dead, sun scorched grass was in desperate need.  As was my soul.  Now don't get me wrong, I am in no hurry for fall b/c fall leads quickly to winter.  And I hate winter.  I love summer and I love hot, but weeks and weeks of 110 degrees is a bit much.  I am so thankful for this cool, rainy, lazy day to air out the house. 

I am LOVING eating outside with Quinn.  I am loving watching Quinn feed herself yogurt each morning.  I am loving watching Quinn play in her house/slide and figure out how to climb, open the door, and walk around it.  I am loving drinking out of mason jars.  I am loving eating Caprese salads made from homegrown tomatoes and basil.  I am loving making healthy green smoothies with kale from my garden and my new blender.  I am loving Quinn getting closer to walking.  I am loving actually being able to go for walks again with Jeff and the dogs.

This past weekend we went to the JW Pilgrimage and the weather was absolutely perfect.  It was a great weekend: open space, air to breathe, a pool, a lake, a Snack Shack :) - what more could you ask for.  Oh, meals cooked for us- that's always nice.  Prayer and worship.  Good friends.  Other kiddos for Quinn to play with.

And the other reason I'm in such a good mood and feeling refreshed: yesterday was the first day in weeks (since the molar started coming in) that Quinn was being independent, playing on her own, not being needy, fussy, wanting to be held- and I was actually able to get some things done!  Now if I could just get her sleeping through the night again . . .

Thank you, thank you.


Crags and Clay by Lisa and Michael Gungor

Standing up from crags and clay
The peaks of earth
In full display
They break the lines
That break the sky
That’s full of life
Full of life

The chaos of creation’s dance
A tapestry, a symphony
Of life himself
Of love herself
It’s written in our very skin

All praises to the one who made it all
Who made it all
All praises to the one who made it all
And finds it beautiful

Soil is spilling life to life
Stars are born
To fill the night
The ocean’s score
The majesty
Of sculpted shore
Mystery

All praises to the one who made it all
Who made it all
All praises to the one who made it all
And finds it beautiful

Fearfully and wonderfully and beautifully made

A lesson in self-feeding

This morning we had gorgeous weather. It was finally cool enough to sit outside and eat breakfast. I decided you let you feed yourself yogurt so you'd get some practice using a spoon. You loved it and ate way more than you usually do! It was messy but you did a great job.

It turns out that you also love peanut butter toast, just like daddy! You were chowing down on it at lunch on Tuesday.

Quinn's 1st Birthday Party

Party Time! 

 

Let's be honest, I spent the last several months collecting birthday party ideas on Pinterest.  It was a lot of fun but also overwhelming and intimidating.  But it in the end, what was important was that Quinn had an awesome time with friends and family and I got a chance to be creative and reflect on the past year.  It wouldn't have come together with out all the help from family, esp. my sweet sister, mother-in-law, and my dad's girlfriend.  SO thank you especially to Chrissy, Kim, and Wendy for all the help setting up and cleaning up.  And thanks to Kim and Jeff's grandma for making the sugar cookies for the fruit pizza bar.

Here is the set up and food:

 my labor of love the week before the party

I used chalk board paint for the signs and yellow spray paint on the mason jar, holders, frames, and highchair.

(the lemonades were switched to the correct sides later on)  :)

I made the banner by punching 2 inch circles from scrapbook paper and sewing them straight through on the sewing machine- it was SUPER easy!

 photo booth background

photo booth props made from foam and hot-glued to wooden skewers

strawberry cupcakes

 fruit pizza bar

 the food table

our new patio :)

Here are pictures from the party:

Everyone seemed to have fun even though it was 100+ degrees outside.

 

Photo Booth:

Here are some more photo booth pictures!