words, words, and more words

sophie is finally starting to talk more. i've gotta admit, i've been a bit worried about her. she's still way behind where molly was at this age, but now she's at least attempting to say words. something seems to have clicked in the past few days. this list is more for me so i don't forget but maybe you'll enjoy it too.

ma ma, mommy
na na or nanny (da da or daddy) she refuses to say daddy
nolly (molly - she said this for the first time tonight! usually molly was na na also)
drink
dah do (domino)
fraw (frog)
cook coo (cookie)
hi
bye (hi and bye were added this week also)
no
dank oo (thank you)
pop
baka ball (basketball - yes, i'm very pleased she knows this word!)
ball
ffff (giraffe, fish)
col (colt)
ha-ee (hadleigh)
pa pa (grandpa)
grandma (she doesn't actually say grandma, but i can't remember the actual sounds to type)
bubble
turn
two (she's very aware that she'll be two on her birthday)
uh too (me too)
more
bock bock (jayhawk)
poop
baby
keee (kitty)
sh (shoe)
cold
boo
take (kate)
je je (blanket)
d-d (dora
backpack
la la (barney, elmo, pooh)
moo (cow)
aaa (baa, sheep)
ruff (dog)
meow
ribbit
grrr (bear)
rawww (dinosaur)
quack quack (duck)
gobble gobble (turkey)
ah ah (monkey)
oink
bock bock (chicken)
boom (car, she's trying to say vroom but comes out boom or broo)
mmmm (eat, food)
cool (school)
choo choo
cheese
eees (please)
apple (not sure the exact sound for this either)
na na (banana)

i'm sure i'm missing words....i'll have to update when i think of more

she also knows almost all her colors but doesn't say them. she says the animal or animal sound instead. sophie learned her colors from reading brown bear brown bear. so if we point to something green and say what color is this, she'll reply back with frog. it works for now! she's always had her own little language. she doesn't say charlie but moves her teeth up and down. for a horse, she makes the motion of riding a horse (this i also used for the color blue). to say alex, she flicks her tongue (who knows why). for anna, she touches her hair because anna always curls her hair when we visit. for ice, she simply takes her glass and the points her finger down and shakes it up and down signaling she wants ice in her cup. she clicks her tongue for a mouse, cake, or icecream). she stretches her arms out and makes the sound of an airplane flying when she sees or hears one.

she's a smart girl and can remember just about anything and pick up on conversations. here's a for instance: several days ago, molly and i were having a conversation in the van about holding domino on our laps and why he doesn't let molly or sophie hold him. when we got home, sophie sat down and pointed to her lap and started saying domino. we didn't engage her in the converstation in the van but she listened and understood everything we were saying.

my spunky little girl will be 2 in 16 days! crazy!!!!

happy pancake day!

today was international pancake day (or national, i'm not sure which one. whatever it is not will take place in a few days) so we celebrated by making pancakes for dinner and playing with pancakes after.

 sophie loves to help cook

 and make a huge mess....

adding raspberries and blackberries to the pancakes.

 ready to cook!

yummy!

 trying to flip the pancake like they do in the pancake race

using the spatula to flip

sophie absolutely loved this!

molly didn't want to participate because of her accident earlier today. notice her toe...i'm not sure how bad the bruise really is because of the polish and the fact that i'm not allowed to touch it. she dropped the jar of peanut butter on her toe before lunch. it's been a very dramatic day (she's still up with throbbing pain - so she says). i'm sure it really does hurt. just wish she could get some sleep to forget about it.

this is how she watched sophie play with the pancake. perhaps we'll try again in a few days on the next pancake day!

our new, fun toy!

last week we went to a playdate and made ocean sensory bins. i'm sure if you're on pinterest you've seen these. they're so fun! i can't wait to make a few more for the girls to play with. while they can be a bit messy, they're perfect for a quick filler activity, boredom buster, or in my case tonight...keep them distracted while i make dinner! :) here's a look at our bin and the girls having fun.

preschool!!!!!

molly started preschool today! we hadn't planned on sending her this year but went to check out the preschool we were interested in for next year last week. i was very impressed with the structure of the school and molly loved it. they told us they had an opening in the afternoon tuesday-thursday class so we signed molly up. we visited last thursday for about an hour so molly could fully decide if she wanted to go. there wasn't a doubt in her mind...she loved it. off to target we went to buy a school backpack. not just a backpack, but a school backpack.

 here she is ready to go into her classroom at sunbeams preschool!

 hanging up her school backpack.

 her first day was a great one to start out on - valentine's day! she was so excited to have a valentine's day party and make valentine's for her classmates. holidays are a huge deal to molly and must be celebrated just so! she wanted to cut out hearts and then we found glitter...ta da!

 she had lots of fun at her party eating cupcakes and making a cute craft.

 passing out valentine's was another huge hit! oh, and see her teacher? that's mrs. franklin, wife of the car guy, jeremy franklin - "where you'll always be (beep beep) another satisfied customer!"

what's for lunch?

in case any of you are wondering why i always post a big meal for lunch, it's because of matt's work schedule. since he works during the evening hours, we eat our big family meal at noon. thus, the "lunch" foods at dinner time. :)  oh, and on a side note, i watched food inc. on netflix (very informative). it made me contemplate buying organic food. however, i pretty much believe the organic stuff is about the same...how do they really know it wasn't grown with pesticides, and then when i look at regulations, it says that some are not free of pesticides. so really, is it that much different? meat would be about the only exception. that i may try to do more of. as i was grocery shopping yesterday, i thought i'd buy some organic cauliflower since it was only $1 more. but, it was already browning and would have needed to be cooked that day. i'm not buying something that's already showing signs of going bad. so back to the non organic section i went and bought two beautiful heads of cauliflower.  off my soapbox and onto the menu....

2/11/12

b: cereal
l: eggs, pancakes
d: broccoli cauliflower avacado soup (this was pretty good...light and healthy)
    http://www.familyfreshcooking.com/2011/02/17/broccoli-cauliflower-avocado-soup-recipe/

2/12/12

b: cereal
l: turkey chili/cinnamon rolls
d: pb/honey, yogurt, cucumbers, oranges

2/13/12

b: cereal
l: tortilla soup
  http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/tortilla-soup-10000001571536/
d: tacos and burritos

2/14/12

b: cereal
l: super food salad with shrimp
  http://iowagirleats.com/recipes/superfood-salad-with-lemon-vinaigrette/
d: quesadillas wtih cheese and turkey pepperoni, apple slices, carrots

2/15/12

b: cereal
l: grilled stuffed chicken and black bean burritos
   http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/chicken-black-bean-burritos-50400000108353/
d: pb/honey, broccoli, apple slices

2/16/12

b: cereal
l: parmesan chicken, sweet potatoes, green beans
d: eggs, toast, yogurt

2/17/12

b: cereal
l: sausage and saurkrat (hotdogs for the girls), mac and cheese, veggie
d: oatmeal with mixed berries

encouraged

if you want to be encouraged, spend some time with the third through sixth graders at northwest bible church. these kiddos have a heart for others. i had the joy of teaching their council time tonight during awana. i focused on the parable of the good samaritan and got the kids engaged by asking them to think of someone they knew who was picked on, bullied, or didn't have many friends. i then put them in groups and had them list reasons why these individuals were victims of the bullying. they came up with some great reasons...all very true and happen on a daily basis. we reviewed the parable, and discussed how the peer they were thinking of was like the man in the story who had been robbed and beaten and passed by twice without being shown compassion. i challenged this group of kids to be the good samaritan in their school even if it means they'll become a victim themselves. Christ, told us to love our neighbor. everyone we come in contact with is our neighbor. we are to love as Christ loved. we talked about how actions speak louder than words. at the end, i asked if there were any questions. (this is where the real encouragement comes in). they were so full of questions and different situations and scenarios wanting to know how best to handle the situations they are faced with daily. i even had a couple come up and talk to me after dismissal. these kids have a heart for others and want to be a friend to the friendless. i even had one boy ask me what to do since he was friends with the bullies. my response, don't participate....i could tell he was thinking hard. i was also asked what if they're your enemy? love your enemies as yourself. i used the example of Christ on the cross. He said, "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do." these kids got it and wanted to be a friend.

how easy is it to get swept up in the poking fun, laughing, and passing by as adults. our excuses are endless but none of them are right. we are to have a heart like these kids and be that good samaritan.

let's eat!

friday 2/3/12

b: pancakes with strawberries
l: deli turkey/cheese sandwiches, cucumber slices, banana
d: spicy jalepeno chicken sausage quesadillas
    http://www.alfrescoallnatural.com/RecipeDetails.aspx?ID=10

saturday 2/4/12

b: cereal
l: tuna melts, spinach/fruit smoothie
d: parmesan chicken, salad, garlic bread

sunday 2/5/12

b: yogurt, grapes
l: crockpot chicken with rice
   http://forkinit.blogspot.com/2008/01/dinner-reality-check.html
d: super bowl party

monday 2/6/12

b: cereal
l: spaghetti squash with turkey spinach meatballs
   http://aggieskitchen.com/2009/02/11/spaghetti-squash-and-meatballs/
d: at the folks

tuesday 2/7/12

b: cereal or yogurt
l: lasgna roll ups
d: grilled turkey and cheese, peas, apple slices

wednesday 2/8/12

b: cereal
l: chicken rice soup, bread
   http://www.healthy-eating-made-easy.com/chicken-rice-soup-recipe.html
d: pb/honey, carrot sticks, oranges

thursday 2/9/12

b: cereal
l: pork loin roast, sweet potatoes, green beans
d: eggs, toast, fruit