It was bound to happen....

Baby Girl got into the lipstick...

 

 

She was so proud of herself.  Thought she was so pretty.  I agree!

My Flowerbed

I love the special feeling that you get when you see a house with wonderful flowers gracing it.  Flowers just seem to add so much to a house.  In my opinion, they help to make a house a home.  Two years ago, my husband built me a flowerbed.  I was very pregnant at the time, with a baby due in August, so I didn't get to use it that year.  Last summer, I had a toddler who was better at getting into things than listening, so I didn't get to use it last year either.  This year is different!

Baby Girl helped me every step of the planting process.  We started by pulling the weeds from the walkway connecting to the flowerbed. 

 

 

Then, we planted our flowers.  Baby Girl has 2 pots of flowers that are hers.  She got the dirt ready for planting, planted the flowers, and is responsible for watering them.

 

 

 Our flowers are looking great!

 

Here are Baby Girl's flowerpots.  They are doing well (and getting lots and lots of watering!)



Outside!

The weather has finally started cooperating and it really is SUMMER!  Yeah!  We've been waiting so long...it seems like forever.  Winter has it's highlights, but there is nothing like getting to go outside and play for just as long as we want.  Baby Girl loves the outdoors and I think would stay there just as long as we let her.  Here are a couple of her favorite things to do so far during the few weeks that we have been able to enjoy O-U-T-S-I-D-E!!!!

A, B, Cs

I am not a teacher.  I never wanted to be a teacher.  I never had that desire.

I am not crafty.  By any stretch of the imagination.  I need a pattern.  I need straight lines.

I am not creative.  I don't like to paint or draw or color.  I stay inside the lines.  I color things what they are in real-life.  I don't put polka dots on elephants or stripes on dolphins. 

I am not a huge pretender.  I can't come up with things to be.  I think of that scene in "Miracle on 34th Street" where the little girl says no one will play with her because she doesn't like pretending.  She's a little girl, not an elephant.  That's me.

That's me.  I'm analytical and straight-forward.  I'm an executor, not an idea-person.

However, I am a MOM.  So, now that I'm a mom, I have to continually step outside of my analytical comfort zone and enter into creativity.  I have to come up with ways to keep a toddler occupied beyond reading books and counting butter containers.  I have to think of things to do with toys other than stack them and knock them down.

So, I'm trying to morph into someone who is still me, but just a bit more creative.  I know that if I try too much to be someone other than me then my daughter will see right through it and now want to be around me. 

Which brings me to the alphabet.  We have been reading an A,B,C Bible book at night and Baby Girl has started picking up on the letters, so I decided that it was time to actively teach her the alphabet.  Since I have no background in teaching preschoolers and need a big shot of creativity to come up with anything amazing, I decided to stay in my comfort zone.

Here is what we are doing for the letters:

 

 

I'm tryng to keep the words that we use as those that she says or tries to say.  Plus, I think it's a good idea to use pictures that we have taken with her so that she can relate better to the picture.

We've hung the letters on the wall in our living room and everyday we go through them.  She seems to be enjoying it since she helps me glue the pictures on the papers and helps hang them on the wall.

So far, we've done A, B, C, D and E.  She's doing really well, except doesn't seem to like the letter C.   The letter C has so many great things to offer...cream cheese, cat, corn, cow, car...

Now, on to F....fingers, fish, football, fork, feet...I think I may be enjoying this more than she is.  Apparently, I needed an outlet for my creativity that I didn't know that I had.

Love Languages

I used to be an avid reader, you know, pre-baby.  I liked to read pretty much anything that came across my path....fiction, non-fiction, self-help, etc.  In fact, there was a time that I read almost exclusively self-help books.  My all-time favorite self-help relationship book is "The Five Love Languages."

In short, the book states that there are five areas where people can express and receive love:

1. Quality time
2. Gifts & surprises
3. Physical touch
4. Acts of service
5. Words of encouragement

You need to know how your partner receives love in order to know how to express your love in a way that will be received and appreciated.  For example, my primary love language is quality time.  In order to really feel loved, I need to spend time with someone without the distractions of life.  Real quality time.  My husband needs words of encouragement.  I like them, but wouldn't really say that I need them like he does.  However, since I know that this is important to him, then I tell him often how much I love him and how thankful I am for him.  It lets him know that I really appreciate him in a way that he values.

Lately, I've been thinking quite a bit about my love language and the love language of Baby Girl.  I so want her to always know that she is loved.  But, how can you tell what the love language of a 2 year old is?