it all happens too fast!

such a big girl but she looks so little in the bed!

it's hard for me to believe my little girl is sleeping in a twin bed tonight! i've been anticipating this day because i want her good and use to it by the time little sophie arrives however, it's a sad thing too - she's growing up too fast!

i remember almost 21 months ago bringing her home from the hospital. she slept in my arms almost the entire first month because she cried every time i laid her in her bed. then we found out she had reflux and so she began sleeping in her car seat in our room. then, we hit about month 4 and her reflux decreased immensely and she was in her bed. however, we held her to go to sleep. poor habit? maybe, but it worked for us and she falls asleep on her own without any problems now.

just over a year old, molly went to a babysitter for the first time during the day. i was terrified and worried she wouldn't fall asleep laying in a bed by herself. but, she did and that was all it took. we held her for a few weeks after starting at the babysitter to get her to sleep at night, then tried putting her in bed on her own. i remember how hard it was not to hold her to go to sleep but knew it was time she make the transition.

tonight was much the same. i took molly into her big bed and she wanted me to lay down with her. i did for a bit and ran my fingers over her cheeks. we talked about her dinosaur pj's needing to be washed and dried and then she could wear them again, and then about going to sleep. i got up and left - not at all what she was wanting because i knew better than to start the habit of laying in bed with her until she falls asleep. better to do it right from the start because in less than 3 months, i won't be able to. molly did fine. she cried for 5 minutes and was out!

i'm convinced i won't sleep well tonight. i'll wake up and want to make sure she's okay. has she fallen out? is she close to falling out? is the pillow going to suffocate her? she's never used a pillow before but we told her that was part of having a big bed. it's flat so i don't think i need to worry. nonetheless, i'm a mom and therefore i worry! i'll let you know how the next few nights go. i'm hoping as smoothly as tonight!

variety is the spice of life

being a stay-at-home mom i play the same "games" with molly's toys over and over again. while this is fine, i do tire of them and wish for some variety. this is one reason i'm particularly excited about christmas this year - new toys = new games! good for molly, better for mommy! :o)

yesterday we had christmas with matt's family and molly received a shopping cart. she absolutely loves it, and so i do i! there's lots of different things we can do with it and it will pair nicely with the kitchen she's getting on christmas morning allowing for more extension of play!

so far, this is molly's shopping experience:

the groceries are on the bookshelf!

putting them in her cart!

pushing the cart ot the check out!

scanning the items!

putting them in the bag!


then she pays for them with her play money but i couldn't capture a picture of this (she was done with me taking pictures!). i love this because molly is learning to count so i make everythign worth $2 or $3 and she hands me either 2 bills or 3. sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. i think she's figured out what i'm trying to do and doesn't want to do it! every opportunity can be a teaching moment!

finally, the bag goes in the cart and her baby gets a sucker (just like she does at price chopper)!

christmas at the library!

molly had her christmas party at the library this morning. she had so much fun and did many cute things. here's a glimpse!

making a christmas tree!



singing christmas songs!

a visit from santa! santa was a hit until she realized where she was. then she wanted nothing to do with him!

opening her present! - the very hungry caterpillar book and a candy cane

snacks!

christmas crafts 1 and 2

christmas is my favorite holiday and there are so many fun, easy crafts for kids to do during the holiday season. i doubt molly and i will do one every day but here's what we've done so far.

christmas ornament - green craft sticks, pom-pom balls, glitter.

christmas soap - grated bar soap, water, and a little food coloring for fun!

cutting out the shape peppercorn eyes

painting the soap w/food coloring

***note about the soap: food coloring may not be the best option (but is fun). soap falls apart as soon as it gets wet. molly used one during her bath tonight and it was in pieces. so, not a practical thing to do but still lots of fun!

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

i love christmas and all that it brings. first and foremost, it's the time when we remember the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and why he came to this earth. leaving His throne in heaven to become a man, die a horrible death on the cross to take the punishment for our sins, and then rise again on the third day. don't forget the true meaning of christmas this year while enjoying the other wonders of the season!

the tree! i love christmas trees, especially real trees. i love going out and picking out the perfect tree, bringing it home, struggling to get it to stand just right, and the way it smells! we always seem to get a tree that's bigger than we thought once it enters our house. this doesn't make matt the happiest camper and has him thinking again about buying that artificial one. he only briefly spoke of it this year and then moved on to a plan next year for selecting a tree more size-appropriate for our house. personally, i don't think it's too big. yes, it's a little wide (you can only sit on one spot of the couch to see the t.v.) but it's pretty and looks great! i had so much fun decorating it too. molly helped a bit but couldn't figure out how to hang the ornaments and it was too prickly for her also. she did enjoy looking at all of the ornaments, especially hers!

the music! christmas music is music you can never tire of during the season. radio stations always seem to play the same songs over and over, day after day without a lot of variety. it drives me nuts! but, christmas music is okay. i love the catchy tunes that stick with you throughout the day.

decorations! along with the tree, i love decorating for christmas. i don't go all out and do my entire house, but my living room is full of the christmas spirit, especially snowman! i love snowman and have plenty that i can leave out through the month of january too!

presents! i love christmas shopping. finding the deals. fighting the crowds, wrapping the gifts, giving them. it's so much fun! this year, i'm almost done and it's just now december!

movies! christmas movies are the best. there are many classics i haven't seen that i plan to this year. white christmas is one. i know, it's hard to believe, but i've never seen it. i've got a blockbuster reusable coupon for 1.99 rentals anytime through the 17th and lots of free evenings to watch them.

family! can't forget family. i love spending time with family, catching up, reminiscing, laughing, and eating!

there's so much more - this is just a peek into the christmas i love. more to come as the season continues i'm sure!

parenting isn't easy but consistency helps!

molly has entered a stage where she does not want anything to interrupt her playing. all she wants to do is play or read books. lately, eating has been interfering with her playing and therefore she refuses to eat. anything. okay, maybe a bite or two but really, it's nothing. she will sit in her highchair, buck back like a bronco and say "play". i've told molly she can't play until she eats her food. now, i'm not a stickler about finishing everything on your plate, that's a poor eating habit to get into anyway. but, she does need to eat something. the other night for example, she ate 1/2 a banana and was done. didn't touch her sandwich. molly sat in the highchair that night for close to 45 minutes. it was hard not to give in and just let her get down and play but finally, she ate, played, and was a happy girl.

tonight we repeated this scenario but without the positive effects. molly refused to eat anything but a bite of her egg. she then just kept crying and saying play. i told her she wasn't playing until she ate her food. finally, after about 35 minutes i got her down and stuck her in the bath tub. now, i'm not a total meanie - she did get to play with her bath toys. but when she told me she was finished in the tub she started to cry again. i asked her why she was crying and she said "play". i then asked her why she didn't get to play and what she didn't do and she said, "eat". i don't think my punishment was too harsh for my almost 20 month old. she understood perfectly why she didn't get to play. the best part and really, the truest test came after she was out of the tub. i was cleaning off her tray and tidying up a bit and guess what, molly didn't touch her toys. i didn't even remind her. she just knew. after i finished up we read some books and now she's in bed without a fuss!

while the 35 minute stretch seemed to be much longer it was worth sticking to my guns. maybe tomorrow will be a better dinner experience. consistency can be a parent's best friend!

fun in the leaves

i love the way leaves look on the ground. if i had my way, no one would rake their leaves - they'd just stay on the ground. i mean, when it snows, we don't shovel the snow our of our yard - it's suppose to be there! just like the leaves when they fall off the tree. i know many people do not share my same philosophy (as in my husband). so saturday morning was clean up the leaves morning. molly and i worked on raking a big pile (just to jump in!). that's the only reason to rake leaves. we made a very large pile and then had lots of fun jumping in. the good news - matt ran out of time to pick them up so we've played in them today too! :)