Better late than never!

Two years ago I signed Ladybug up for a reading program at our local library.  We logged whenever she was read to at home or daycare.  At the end of the summer the library draws names and she win a giftcard to our local mall.  Almost 2 years later, we go to the mall to use it.  I let her spend it however she wanted.  Anyone who knows my little Diva knows this is right up her alley.  She's got good taste!

Kris Kross?

I'm not sure if any of you are old enough to remember the group Kris Kross from the 90s. Well, this weekend my daughter gave me a blast from the past moment. It was after her nap and we were getting ready to go to the store. She wanted to get herself ready and I was more than happy to let her. When I saw her dressed with her boots on, I was so happy! I looked immediately to see if the boots were on the right feet and they were. Great job, Ladybug! Then, while putting on her jacket......I saw this......

That's right, she had them on backwards.  Gotta love this girl!!

She wanted everyone to see her sparkling boots!!  She just cracks me up!!!

Proverbs 22:6

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it. 

I'm sure I don't have to tell any of you how difficult and rewarding raising a child can be. Along with the everyday challenges of teaching them right from wrong, is teaching them about having a relationship with Christ. I struggled with the best age appropriate way to teach her outside of Sunday school at church.

Well, we took a family outing to Mardel to look for something to aid us in this process. I found it to be a little bit of a challenge because a lot of the books were geared towards children that were older, even though it said they were for "toddlers" or "preschoolers". We were about to leave & then I saw the clearance shelf. I found this book and it appeared to be what we were looking for. The stories are short and they have questions and character building activities to do at the end of each story. Something that I wished it had was little prayers, but we usually incorporate something from the questions at the end of the chapter into our prayers.

This has been such a blessing because it has really been on my heart to help Ladybug build her knowledge and relationship with Christ. She absolutely loves the book and actually wanted to read it tonight for her bedtime story. That really made my heart smile!

She also shared the story of Adam and Eve with me. Her father read it to her this afternoon while I was getting groceries.

Me: What was this story about?
Ladybug: Don't eat the apple said the boy, don't eat the apple said the girl.
Me: Were they supposed to eat the apple?
Ladybug: No! They were not being good listeners.
Me: What do you know about God?
Ladybug: He made everything and he helps people. He is in the Bible and he is older. =)

She has to be the smartest 2 year old I know! I love this little lady!!!

Oh, below is the book that we ended up getting. I absolutely love it! Please leave a friendly comment! Follow and I always try to follow back! Have a wonderful Monday!!!

Saying her prayers.  Love this girl!

Weekend in a glance!

We had a really great weekend. I got to spend a lot of quality time w/Ladybug & my husband was super excited about football season. They watched 1 game together, before she got restless and needed her afternoon nap.


Some how she knows what to use this thing for. Making sure Bear can breathe before he goes to bed.



This is an awesome shirt I got from www.union28.net I used a coupon that I got from one of my new favorite blogs, www.wearethatfamily.com The t-shirt website has a lot of interesting material for married couples. Check out the 30 day challenge! www.reviveourhearts.com




I took on the challenge of trying to put twisties in Ladybug's hair. I used a product called, Kinky Curly. Needless to say I am not a fan of the product or the price. I did however think I did a good job on my first try with the twists.




Daddy daugther time! Ladybug really likes scratching on the table!

Doctors

Ladybug had a doctor's appointment on Monday to look at a lump on her leg. It is pretty big & has been there for about 3 wks. We went to the doctor 2 wks ago & the doctor on call did not seem concerned. She said to keep an eye on it & come back if it changed. Well, 2 wks later it is still there. Her pedi was in town this time & was able to look at it. He was concerned about what it was & why it showed up 3 wks after her immunizations. Initially it was thought to be a knot from the shots. Well, we went for a sonogram on Tuesday morning & then to meet w/the surgeon on Tuesday afternoon. Ladybug did really well during the sonogram. She was not scared & stayed still until the tech finished. Well, once we went to the surgeon, she said she would call on Thursday after she had viewed the sonogram footage, to tell us what steps would be taken next. She called yesterday & praise God!!! It was full of fluid. The size concerned her a little, but she thinks it will be absorbed back into the thigh. She wants us to call in 2 wks & say if it has gone down or not. We will go back in & discuss draining the knot, depending on how it looks & what the surgeon thinks. She was really nice & sat & held Ladybug for the majority of the visit. Ladybug even grabbed a piece of paper & "read" to her. She is such a wonderful baby!

JBF!

There is this wonderful consignment sale that comes to town 2x a year. I usually volunteer the sale so that I can shop early. I got Ladybug a lot of goodies, but I am only sharing a few of them. The cute kitchen set had to be returned b/c it was broken. Can you believe that they consignor actually tried to tape the door on to give the illusion that it wasn't broken. How rude! :( I am just glad that they let me return it. I spent the rest of the money on winter clothing for Ladybug. It is a great way to save money & get brand new, never worn & slightly worn clothing. I love the sale & I am hooked!!!



These are some of the Legos I bought for Ladybug. They are big, which she needs right now & the best part is.......I got a huge bag for $2! Okay, I got this cheerleader uniform for my husband, who is a BIG TEXANS FAN!!! It still had the tags on it. Regular price was $17, it was on sale for $3.50 & it was 50% off day, so it was only $1.75!!


I got this cute little art set for Ladybug. It was so cheap & so cute. It was $10. On one side it is the chalkboard & the other side is dry erase. It also has a clip that can be used to hold art if she wants to draw or paint. She also got a cute dress to wear in her upcoming wedding. Oh, she is going to be a flower girl in one of my good friend's weddings. It was only $12 and totally worth it!!

Free babysitters are great!

Ladybug recently got to spend some sweet quality time with her Uncle & Auntie. Uncle read her a story. Ladybug loves to be read to. She is listening like there is going to be a test!

Pee Pee?

Potting training is a serious issue and one that my daughter nor myself are ready to tackle. She is only 16 months! Well, today she was having playtime before she went to bed. She was all over the living room.....like usual. =) She climbed onto the couch & starts jumping....b/c she knows she isn't supposed to......stops, grabs the front of her diaper and says, "pee pee". What......sure enough...she was peeing. According to the potty training gurus, she does not have the necessary criteria to be a successful potty trained toddler. Mainly b/c she is not consistant, doesn't have the muscle control down & can't pull her pants up & down. She is basically just feeling the sensation. I was excited that she learned to recognize the feeling, but I am not rushing potty training at all!

She is definitely getting a spunky personality! Today we were in Dollar Tree. I told her it was time to leave & she politely said, "Wait". She said it twice! "Wait, wait". What is the world coming to!

Wordless Wednesday

Brushing my teeth!!!

Yes, Ladybug has started brushing her teeth. I love that she loves this!!!! She has eight teeth & does not mind the taste of her toothpaste! We use Aquafresh b/c we got a coupon from her Pediatrician. Who would have thought that toothpaste w/o fluoride would be so expensive!? Oh, well. Hopefully this is the start of good and healthy gum & teeth care!!!

Artsy!

Sometimes I get a little obsessed with making sure that my daughter is developing in every stage that she should be. I am always on line looking at toys that will help with her cognitive development. Her babysitter is great about challenging her cognitively through play and education. She is really great. Well, we recently started doing more art projects around the house. I love these little non-toxic dot art markers. This brand is not my favorite & I have to keep my eye on her....or she will try to eat them! But...they are harmless, so a little paint is okay.

This is Ladybug hard at work. Notice the orange lipstick she is sporting. The picture on the right shows her displeasure with me when I take the red from her. She was getting a little carried away! =)



Oh, yes......the orange had to be removed from her also, but was quickly replaced with the blue. These are scented .....she does like oranges. I can see how she got confused! I love this girl!!!

Updates from 15 month check up!

Sorry, I know I am late on this one. Our little Ladybug......growing...growing....growing

Baby's Name: Ladybug

Birthday: 04/05/2010

Height: 31 inches

Weight: 19.13

Cool things Ladybug is doing now?:

Ladybug is walking, talking, making little two word sentences, climbing on the couch & getting down by herself. Finally keeping her bow on for at least an hour!! Using a fork & a spoon semi-properly. She can say: hello, bye, bye, hi, mommy, daddy, no, yes, mine, I did it, Yay!, baby, baby cry, eat eat, night night, baby, ball, egg, meat, eye, nose, excuse me, thank you, Lovie & of course the names of her friends! Oh, she also steps off the curb & onto the curb. She continues to love the water and the beach! She is holding a crayon correctly & it looks like she will be right handed. She has mastered stickers & can take them off paper & put the on paper. We are going to tackle more art projects next! Wish us luck!

She is my big girl

Today when I picked up Ladybug, her babysitter let me know that she is making SENTENCES!!!! The baby at the daycare was crying and Ladybug notified the babysitter by saying, "baby cry". She is so smart! Here is a little bit of her in action this week!


Ladybug obviously doesn't know she is too big for the Bumbo. I think this is her way of telling me she wants a chair her size. I guess I should put that on my Just Between Friends shopping list!


She thinks she is such a big girl. She really loves milk, but enjoys juice every now and then. I am glad she doesn't over indulge in that juice! Now if she would just over indulge in her vegetables!


Looking very serious as she puts the straw back in her big girl juice!

Faker?

Wednesday night Ladybug was really upset and could not comforted to go to bed. My first thought was that her ears were bothering her. We are lucky that she has only had 1 ear infection. I would like to credit breastfeeding to that, but.....she probably just has good genes! =) Well, I let the babysitter know this and about 2 hours later she called. Ladybug was clingy and appeared to be not feeling well. She was also hitting at her ear. I call the doctor (who could fit us in in 30 minutes) pick up Ladybug & go to the doctor. I could see in her eyes that she was not feeling well & would not let her lovie or thumb go. Once we got to the doctor she was a different baby! Walking around the office, talking, waving.....excuse me? Hey, Little One.....aren't you supposed to be.....sick. So...I look like a dork in there with this perfectly healthy child. LOL! Well, she had her ears checked and the doctor thought is was probably allergies b/c they were clear, but she did have some post nasal drainage. Don't you just love when they can cure themselves. Well, the babysitter and I just laughed about her miraculous healing. I guess she wanted to "pretend" to be sick. However, she was quite refreshed after her nap. She had so much fun & felt so much better.....she broke a shutter on mommy's birthday camera! It looks worse than what it is, but it still works perfectly! Just a little taste of the terrible twos is what I'm getting. =)

Wordless Wednesday

Just seeing her sweet little face makes me smile all over!!!! This picture was taken outside of church on Sunday. We have gotten used to going to the Early Bird service, b/c she needs her Sunday, late morning, naps.

Something I like Saturdays!!

Okay, today was crazy hot & just about killed me! I took Ladybug and myself out on the town! By "town" I mean Hobby Lobby! That is my store. I bought some material b/c I am determined to learn how to make rosettes. Maybe I can put them on a shirt or make something for my hair or Ladybug's hair. Her hair is growing!!! The texture is changing a little.....has me a little concerned....but we are trying out different styles to make the process move smoothly.

Well, her caregiver informed me that she was working w/stickers & able to get them off the page & place them on her work. Well, I just thought that was wonderful, so we went picking out stickers for her to use. She enjoyed it so much she worked up a thirst!

Oh, Ladybug also called herself helping me w/the laundry! Well, at least she didn't unfold those towels!