Pyper: also known as Pip (by dad), Pippy (by Claire), and Pipe (by Summer).
Claire: sometimes has false alarms on the toilet and will then say, "Just gas mom, just gas."
Summer: has been asking me for days why crocodiles walk out of the water.
Extras: Summer's favorite princess is Ariel, Claire's favorite cereal is Honey Nut Cheerios, and Pyper's most vulnerable tickling spot is her legs.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Monday, February 27, 2012
Some Videos
Pyper is finding her voice now. We love it. She squeals and almost every time, the girls laugh. Here she is with me tickling her neck. She laughs, and Summer thinks it's quite funny too.
This morning, as I was folding laundry on the couch, Summer got a notebook and asked how to write Claire's name. I wrote the letters on her paper, and she read them off to me. I didn't know she knew the letters in Claire's name! Then she started writing her name. (As you can tell, Summer still had her morning hair, and Claire was already playing dress up with a bit of my eyeliner and her purple dress.) This is what happened next. (You might have to tilt the screen so you can see better what she's writing. I might not have gotten a good angle with the camera.)
I wiped her nose. Then:
This morning, as I was folding laundry on the couch, Summer got a notebook and asked how to write Claire's name. I wrote the letters on her paper, and she read them off to me. I didn't know she knew the letters in Claire's name! Then she started writing her name. (As you can tell, Summer still had her morning hair, and Claire was already playing dress up with a bit of my eyeliner and her purple dress.) This is what happened next. (You might have to tilt the screen so you can see better what she's writing. I might not have gotten a good angle with the camera.)
I wiped her nose. Then:
Sunday, February 26, 2012
Two Short Stories
The girls have been on this kick lately about who's first versus who's second, who gets the red cup versus who gets the blue cup, and who gets to do something and who doesn't get to do it. Yesterday, they fought over who could say the blessing on lunch first. (We usually have two prayers at mealtimes now--not because my cooking needs it (though maybe it does???) but because the girls both want to pray.) I said Claire could say the prayer after Summer, and Summer said no, that it was just her turn this time. Then she proceeded with "Heavenly Father. Thanks for Claire not say the prayer after me and for me to just say the prayer and for Claire to not say the prayer. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
Claire still got a turn.
Today, Claire walked up to me with her hands cupped together. "My baby, mom. It's my baby." I was surprised that she was actually playing with something invisible. I'd never seen her do this before. I asked if I could hold the baby, and she passed her over to me. I held the baby doll for a minute, then passed her back. Claire asked for me to unbuckle her stroller so she could put her baby in it. I did. Then we buckled her baby in. A few minutes later, I was picking things up and I tossed something into the stroller. Claire came running over, "My baby, mom! My baby!" So I hurried and removed the item, then checked to see if the baby was okay.
But it got really bad when Summer actually took Claire's imaginary baby. There Summer stood, with her hand in a fist saying she'd taken Claire's baby doll. Claire was in tears. I told Summer to give her baby back. She refused, so I moved her fist forward as if passing off this imaginary doll back to Claire. (This was quite a difficult situation because how could Claire actually know if Summer gave the baby back or not?) I don't know how Claire knew, but she did. And then Summer dropped the imaginary doll and kicked it across the room.
Claire burst into tears again.
Claire still got a turn.
* * * *
Today, Claire walked up to me with her hands cupped together. "My baby, mom. It's my baby." I was surprised that she was actually playing with something invisible. I'd never seen her do this before. I asked if I could hold the baby, and she passed her over to me. I held the baby doll for a minute, then passed her back. Claire asked for me to unbuckle her stroller so she could put her baby in it. I did. Then we buckled her baby in. A few minutes later, I was picking things up and I tossed something into the stroller. Claire came running over, "My baby, mom! My baby!" So I hurried and removed the item, then checked to see if the baby was okay.
But it got really bad when Summer actually took Claire's imaginary baby. There Summer stood, with her hand in a fist saying she'd taken Claire's baby doll. Claire was in tears. I told Summer to give her baby back. She refused, so I moved her fist forward as if passing off this imaginary doll back to Claire. (This was quite a difficult situation because how could Claire actually know if Summer gave the baby back or not?) I don't know how Claire knew, but she did. And then Summer dropped the imaginary doll and kicked it across the room.
Claire burst into tears again.
Thursday, February 23, 2012
At 3:36 AM
I Saw Claire rolled up in a ball with her blanket on the floor.
I Felt Summer, who had crawled into bed next to me, kick-kick-kicking as she ran in her sleep.
I Smelled some serious stink from the kitchen garbage (diapers???).
I Heard Pyper squealing and talking and squealing some more.
I Tasted the bitter sweet of an early morning with the girls.
I Felt Summer, who had crawled into bed next to me, kick-kick-kicking as she ran in her sleep.
I Smelled some serious stink from the kitchen garbage (diapers???).
I Heard Pyper squealing and talking and squealing some more.
I Tasted the bitter sweet of an early morning with the girls.
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A Day in the Barney Home (Day 7)
Well, life here isn't just sitting around all day, though Rhett thinks that's all I do around here--(that's a joke), so here's an idea of what a typical day is for us . . .
My little alarm goes off at about five or six in the morning, depending on when her last feeding was. Rhett's two little alarms wake him up between six and seven each morning. On most days, he awakes to a quiet little voice from Claire saying, "Hi dad. Hi dad. Hi dad. I had nice dreams," or an energetic Summer trying to snuggle in next to him.
We start the morning with breakfast. One of our favorite breakfasts is Atole (we call it Oatmeal Soup for the girls). I had it while I was in Guatemala, and I loved it. It's super easy too--heat 1 1/4 C water with a dash of salt and 1/8 C sugar. Then add 1/2 heaping cup oats when the water is boiling. While it boils, put a cup of milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, just until boiling. When the milk is done, pour both milk and oatmeal mixture in blender. Blend. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice. The girls eat their's like a soup, but Rhett and I drink ours in mugs. Try it!
After breakfast, we get cleaned up. Sometimes the girls bathe (if they haven't the night before or if breakfast was messy). We'll read, do our studies, play, and then get ready for school. Here's the before and after pictures for their hair:
Braid from last night
An easy target
Some more braids
Natural curls
A necessary accessory
Then, at about 11:55, we load the van and are off to school. It takes us 20 minutes to get there. The girls sit in the back row of the van, and Pyper's in the middle. When we first tried this setup, I couldn't hear a thing Summer or Claire said to me. And they couldn't hear me either. All the way to school the conversation was something from me, then "What? I didn't hear you." "What Summer?" "I said I didn't hear you, Mom." And it goes back and forth. Now, however, she's learned that there can't be much conversation between us while we drive, so she looks out the window, or tries to talk with Claire. Claire on the other hand, usually falls asleep. Today, since it was Valentines Day and they got a few treats from school, all the way home they were trading. "Here Summer," from Claire, then "Thanks. Here Claire." It was so cute.
So we get to school, and the doors open at 12:15. We take Summer in first, get her signed in and sitting down participating, then Pyper and I take Claire to her room. I sign her in, say goodbye, and head over to the parent room where I study, read, or play with Pyper until 3:15 when we go get Claire, sign her out, and then get Summer.
Then we head home. I love that the girls are so content just looking out the window or talking to each other while I drive. Today, they got to snack on some of their holiday candy. I actually almost swiped some of Summer's to give it to the homeless guy on the corner. But I couldn't reach it. Summer offered me her half eaten tootsie roll, but I couldn't reach that either.
We get back to Liberty Lake, check out the lake (here is the picture from today), and then go home. The girls get some cuddle time with me, and then some tv or computer time while I fix dinner. (The white part of the lake is snow.)
Today, Summer "practiced" for a bit, (I should edit these clips down, but it's 11:53pm, and I only have seven more minutes to get these posted, or else I don't make my goal of seven posts in seven days. Then I'll have to do it all over again! Yikes!)
and Pyper had a fun bath.
After dinner, we do jammies, teeth, and then read together before putting the girls down.
On a typical day, Rhett's gone from about 8:00 until 5:30. He helps with dinner and the bedtime routine, which is always much appreciated.
So now that it's in writing, I guess it does sound like I don't do much all day, but it sure is a lot of work fun!
And there you have it--SEVEN whole days of daily blog posts. It's been fun, but . . . I doubt it will ever happen again! Hope you enjoyed it!
My little alarm goes off at about five or six in the morning, depending on when her last feeding was. Rhett's two little alarms wake him up between six and seven each morning. On most days, he awakes to a quiet little voice from Claire saying, "Hi dad. Hi dad. Hi dad. I had nice dreams," or an energetic Summer trying to snuggle in next to him.
We start the morning with breakfast. One of our favorite breakfasts is Atole (we call it Oatmeal Soup for the girls). I had it while I was in Guatemala, and I loved it. It's super easy too--heat 1 1/4 C water with a dash of salt and 1/8 C sugar. Then add 1/2 heaping cup oats when the water is boiling. While it boils, put a cup of milk in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, just until boiling. When the milk is done, pour both milk and oatmeal mixture in blender. Blend. Then sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, apple pie spice, or pumpkin pie spice. The girls eat their's like a soup, but Rhett and I drink ours in mugs. Try it!
After breakfast, we get cleaned up. Sometimes the girls bathe (if they haven't the night before or if breakfast was messy). We'll read, do our studies, play, and then get ready for school. Here's the before and after pictures for their hair:
Before
Braid from last night
An easy targetAfter
Some more braids
Natural curls
A necessary accessoryThen, at about 11:55, we load the van and are off to school. It takes us 20 minutes to get there. The girls sit in the back row of the van, and Pyper's in the middle. When we first tried this setup, I couldn't hear a thing Summer or Claire said to me. And they couldn't hear me either. All the way to school the conversation was something from me, then "What? I didn't hear you." "What Summer?" "I said I didn't hear you, Mom." And it goes back and forth. Now, however, she's learned that there can't be much conversation between us while we drive, so she looks out the window, or tries to talk with Claire. Claire on the other hand, usually falls asleep. Today, since it was Valentines Day and they got a few treats from school, all the way home they were trading. "Here Summer," from Claire, then "Thanks. Here Claire." It was so cute.
So we get to school, and the doors open at 12:15. We take Summer in first, get her signed in and sitting down participating, then Pyper and I take Claire to her room. I sign her in, say goodbye, and head over to the parent room where I study, read, or play with Pyper until 3:15 when we go get Claire, sign her out, and then get Summer.
Then we head home. I love that the girls are so content just looking out the window or talking to each other while I drive. Today, they got to snack on some of their holiday candy. I actually almost swiped some of Summer's to give it to the homeless guy on the corner. But I couldn't reach it. Summer offered me her half eaten tootsie roll, but I couldn't reach that either.
We get back to Liberty Lake, check out the lake (here is the picture from today), and then go home. The girls get some cuddle time with me, and then some tv or computer time while I fix dinner. (The white part of the lake is snow.)
Today, Summer "practiced" for a bit, (I should edit these clips down, but it's 11:53pm, and I only have seven more minutes to get these posted, or else I don't make my goal of seven posts in seven days. Then I'll have to do it all over again! Yikes!)
and Pyper had a fun bath.
After dinner, we do jammies, teeth, and then read together before putting the girls down.
On a typical day, Rhett's gone from about 8:00 until 5:30. He helps with dinner and the bedtime routine, which is always much appreciated.
So now that it's in writing, I guess it does sound like I don't do much all day, but it sure is a lot of
And there you have it--SEVEN whole days of daily blog posts. It's been fun, but . . . I doubt it will ever happen again! Hope you enjoyed it!
Monday, February 13, 2012
We love Liberty Lake (Day 6)
Rhett and I have been lucky enough to step up our living conditions with each move we've made. The first place we ever lived was in Rigby, Idaho. It was nice, but lacking a few things--like windows and heat. (We refer to it as The Dungeon.) When we moved from there to our duplex in Shelley, Idaho, we got the luxury of windows and heat, as well as a nice little walk to church. It was great. Our move from Shelley to Spokane at Center Court Apartments upgraded us to a balcony and a dishwasher (and we got to keep the heat, the windows, and the walk to church). When we moved to Rockcreek Apartments in Spokane, we had everything from a washer and dryer, to windows, to two bathrooms, to a garage, to heat, to a walk to church, and a garbage disposal. Could life get any better?
And then we moved to Liberty Lake. Here, we see golf carts cruising around the roads and bike paths (it's legal to drive golf carts here, now matter how old/young you are). We also see wildlife of all sorts--wild turkeys, lots and lots of deer, and just the other night I had to slam on my brakes for two raccoons. But my favorite are the partridges. There's a little family of them that live in our yard and the neighbor's yard across the street. I'm not sure why they stick around here, but they are so stinking cute as they run speed-demon like across the road to get out of your way. It happens every day, and it makes me laugh every single time.
One thing we especially love about Liberty Lake is the lake. Here is our view as we turn onto Molter, just before we turn again onto our street. I love the lake peeking through. (Sorry the picture is a bit gray. I took it on my phone. It was cloudy and drizzly today, but still beautiful.) We turn right about where that red tree is on the left.
Often times, on our way home from school, I'll drive a different way so we can drive along side the lake. I usually park and just look out over the water. The people across the street probably wonder about the creepy white van stalking them, but I do it anyway. (Stop and look at the lake, not stalk them.) I love seeing its many faces. When boaters were out in the summer and fall, we'd watch the waves come, come, coming to us. In the wintertime, we'd drive by and there would be people out ice skating. But my favorite is watching the rain fall on the water. It's kind of a lonely, peaceful feeling. Somewhat of an oxymoron, but no better way to describe it.
We look forward to seeing the lake in the spring and what it looks like then. I'll be sure to let you know!
And thanks, Heather, for your encouragement on my posting! I've been wondering who's out there staying caught up on my daily efforts!
And then we moved to Liberty Lake. Here, we see golf carts cruising around the roads and bike paths (it's legal to drive golf carts here, now matter how old/young you are). We also see wildlife of all sorts--wild turkeys, lots and lots of deer, and just the other night I had to slam on my brakes for two raccoons. But my favorite are the partridges. There's a little family of them that live in our yard and the neighbor's yard across the street. I'm not sure why they stick around here, but they are so stinking cute as they run speed-demon like across the road to get out of your way. It happens every day, and it makes me laugh every single time.
One thing we especially love about Liberty Lake is the lake. Here is our view as we turn onto Molter, just before we turn again onto our street. I love the lake peeking through. (Sorry the picture is a bit gray. I took it on my phone. It was cloudy and drizzly today, but still beautiful.) We turn right about where that red tree is on the left.
Often times, on our way home from school, I'll drive a different way so we can drive along side the lake. I usually park and just look out over the water. The people across the street probably wonder about the creepy white van stalking them, but I do it anyway. (Stop and look at the lake, not stalk them.) I love seeing its many faces. When boaters were out in the summer and fall, we'd watch the waves come, come, coming to us. In the wintertime, we'd drive by and there would be people out ice skating. But my favorite is watching the rain fall on the water. It's kind of a lonely, peaceful feeling. Somewhat of an oxymoron, but no better way to describe it.
We look forward to seeing the lake in the spring and what it looks like then. I'll be sure to let you know!
And thanks, Heather, for your encouragement on my posting! I've been wondering who's out there staying caught up on my daily efforts!
Sunday, February 12, 2012
A Post for Pyper (Day 5)
I really can't believe Pyper is now three months old. It is strange to think that she has been with us every day for the past three months of our lives. We love having her in our home and are especially relieved that her little tummy is feeling better. For about the first two months of her life, she was a bit colicky. We think she had acid reflux. She would spit up so much. But she's doing better now, and is more relaxed. Because of that, all she does is smile, smile, smile!
Here's a photo shoot of her:
You may not have noticed, but Pyper always keeps her arms up and her hands in fists. She rarely puts them in any other position. We've been working on stretching them and opening her hands, and we've also been giving her more tummy time to help those areas to prepare her for crawling.
Pyper, like the rest of the girls, loves her dad.
Today, while we were at church, Pyper had a huge blowout. Poop got all over her dress and tights, shot all the way up her back and into her hair, and even leaked onto Rhett's tie, shirt, and coat. It was pretty bad. We didn't have any back up clothes for her, but we did have an extra pair of panties for Claire (out of diapers now) and an extra pair of pants. So Pyper wore this for the rest of the meeting:
She didn't mind too much. And all the sisters in Relief Society got a kick out of her make shift shirt/panties.
More and more, I think she's looking like a Searle baby. I see so much of it in her. But I also see so much of Summer in her looks. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she's Pyper, not Summer!
Pyper is starting to coo and make noises now. We love her pretty little voice. Sometimes she'll audibly sigh, and sometimes dad can get her to laugh. We love it!
Here's a clip of tummy time. Claire's talking in the background. So cute!
We love having Pyper around. And I think she enjoys being here too. She doesn't flinch when the girls get close, she lets them unzip and zip her jammies, check her diaper, and unbutton and button her back up. She loves sitting up and looking around, checking things out. And she's a good sleeper. Right now, she goes to bed at about 8pm, and sleeps usually until about 5am. Every once in a while she'll wake up half way through the night and need a midnight snack, but she goes right back to sleep. And even though the nights were difficult when she was younger, and I was up with her a lot because of her acid reflux and she was uncomfortable, I loved the quiet moments we had together when we finally both fell asleep--her in my arms. She is so precious to us.
Here's a photo shoot of her:
You may not have noticed, but Pyper always keeps her arms up and her hands in fists. She rarely puts them in any other position. We've been working on stretching them and opening her hands, and we've also been giving her more tummy time to help those areas to prepare her for crawling.
Pyper, like the rest of the girls, loves her dad.
Today, while we were at church, Pyper had a huge blowout. Poop got all over her dress and tights, shot all the way up her back and into her hair, and even leaked onto Rhett's tie, shirt, and coat. It was pretty bad. We didn't have any back up clothes for her, but we did have an extra pair of panties for Claire (out of diapers now) and an extra pair of pants. So Pyper wore this for the rest of the meeting:
She didn't mind too much. And all the sisters in Relief Society got a kick out of her make shift shirt/panties.
More and more, I think she's looking like a Searle baby. I see so much of it in her. But I also see so much of Summer in her looks. Sometimes I have to remind myself that she's Pyper, not Summer!
Pyper is starting to coo and make noises now. We love her pretty little voice. Sometimes she'll audibly sigh, and sometimes dad can get her to laugh. We love it!
Here's a clip of tummy time. Claire's talking in the background. So cute!
We love having Pyper around. And I think she enjoys being here too. She doesn't flinch when the girls get close, she lets them unzip and zip her jammies, check her diaper, and unbutton and button her back up. She loves sitting up and looking around, checking things out. And she's a good sleeper. Right now, she goes to bed at about 8pm, and sleeps usually until about 5am. Every once in a while she'll wake up half way through the night and need a midnight snack, but she goes right back to sleep. And even though the nights were difficult when she was younger, and I was up with her a lot because of her acid reflux and she was uncomfortable, I loved the quiet moments we had together when we finally both fell asleep--her in my arms. She is so precious to us.
Saturday, February 11, 2012
A Little about Rhett (Day 4)
RHETT
Feels most comfortable in brown shoes
Is a trademark and copyright guru
Works all day and late into the night to provide for his family
Has two and a half weeks left until he takes the bar in Tacoma, Washington
Is the only male in an eight-women office
Speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese
Loves the band Pearl Jam
Is the inspiration for his sister-in-law Katelyn's major and current business
Keeps long lasting friendships
Drives a black Hyundai Accent hatchback bought from his older brother Andrew
Is really good at finding things
Quotes from Nacho Libre and Napoleon Dynamite all the time
Will often come home with a small gift for me and the girls
Has changed more of the girls' diapers than I have
Quotes from song lyrics at opportune moments
Loves to run but has a bad knee so he can't
Has a very witty and quick sense of humor
Always gets a good deal on a hair cut
Works in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
Also works as a trademark consultant for a business in the Netherlands
Cleans the house when he knows I'm mad at him
Scratches his dry feet together at night in bed
Is persistent (He will get that coat rack to stay in the wall, no matter what it takes!)
Can braid the girls' hair better than I can
Is a very hard worker
Has a nice stash of silver dollars
Is Summer and Claire's favorite person
We are grateful for all he does for us. We love you!
Feels most comfortable in brown shoes
Is a trademark and copyright guru
Works all day and late into the night to provide for his family
Has two and a half weeks left until he takes the bar in Tacoma, Washington
Is the only male in an eight-women office
Speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese
Loves the band Pearl Jam
Is the inspiration for his sister-in-law Katelyn's major and current business
Keeps long lasting friendships
Drives a black Hyundai Accent hatchback bought from his older brother Andrew
Is really good at finding things
Quotes from Nacho Libre and Napoleon Dynamite all the time
Will often come home with a small gift for me and the girls
Has changed more of the girls' diapers than I have
Quotes from song lyrics at opportune moments
Loves to run but has a bad knee so he can't
Has a very witty and quick sense of humor
Always gets a good deal on a hair cut
Works in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho
Also works as a trademark consultant for a business in the Netherlands
Cleans the house when he knows I'm mad at him
Scratches his dry feet together at night in bed
Is persistent (He will get that coat rack to stay in the wall, no matter what it takes!)
Can braid the girls' hair better than I can
Is a very hard worker
Has a nice stash of silver dollars
Is Summer and Claire's favorite person
We are grateful for all he does for us. We love you!
Friday, February 10, 2012
A Post for Summer (Day 3)
Summer is the fire cracker of the Barney home. She has so much energy--from the moment she wakes up and pops out of bed, starting up conversation as if she'd never fallen asleep, to the second she finally stops moving in her bed and finally falls asleep. I still don't know how she exerts so much energy and doesn't ever need to slow down!
Summer is doing great in school. She gets along with her friends really well, and she's learning quite a few new songs that she comes home and teaches Claire and sings to Pyper. Her teachers are always saying nice things about her.
Here she is spelling her name with the bath letters.
The other day, her friend Porter came to school with his hair slicked into a mohawk. She said, "Look mom! Porter has shark hair!"
Summer loves doing yoga. She will get out her yoga pretzel cards quite a few times throughout the week to do a few moves. Here she is doing the warrior pose (the card is at the base of her feet). (Great job Claire too!)
Summer is a typical big sister. She pesters and teases, but she is also quite kind and loving when she wants to be. Just today, I was finishing up lunch . . . getting ready to clean the place up (haha, yeah right) . . . when I noticed Summer had scooted over by Pyper who was laying on the boppy and began reading this book to Pyper.
Pyper actually was looking at the pictures with Summer. Summer was telling Pyper stories from the pictures, and she was talking so quietly I had to listen carefully. 
Claire ended up joining them when she was done eating. This lasted for twenty minutes. It was so sweet.
Summer now does her "studies" in the morning. I print these two pages off, and she traces over them each day. Here's her work from today. She traced the numbers so well that it's hard to tell she even did it. But I watched. I'm proud of her. Then she connected the numbers.
I had her use red here so you could see a little easier. On this page, she is supposed to trace the letters, then copy them below. I added the letters in yellow just in case you couldn't tell what was going on.
Summer is quite resourceful. Wherein Claire would come ask for help, Summer just figures out how to do it on her own--like get a glass of water or climb up onto the bookshelf to get something down.
One thing that Summer really enjoys is when we communicate by singing. The other day, I was asking her to put her pieces of chalk away to the tune of "Ode to Joy" (which she is familiar with because of Little Einsteins.) She responded in song, "No thank you." And then smiled. I responded by singing again. This time, she sang, "No you." I sang back, "No you." This went back and forth a few times, and each time she mimicked the tune that I sang with the two words. Finally, I threw a little trill in there (not that I have any singing talent), she attempted to trill too, and then we both laughed and cleaned up the chalk together. It was fun.
Summer is a light in our home. She's smart and curious and is always thinking. When she's gone playing with friends, we sure miss her. She's a great help around the house and a happy girl. We love this burst of life in our home.
Summer is doing great in school. She gets along with her friends really well, and she's learning quite a few new songs that she comes home and teaches Claire and sings to Pyper. Her teachers are always saying nice things about her.
Here she is spelling her name with the bath letters.
The other day, her friend Porter came to school with his hair slicked into a mohawk. She said, "Look mom! Porter has shark hair!"
Summer loves doing yoga. She will get out her yoga pretzel cards quite a few times throughout the week to do a few moves. Here she is doing the warrior pose (the card is at the base of her feet). (Great job Claire too!)
Summer is a typical big sister. She pesters and teases, but she is also quite kind and loving when she wants to be. Just today, I was finishing up lunch . . . getting ready to clean the place up (haha, yeah right) . . . when I noticed Summer had scooted over by Pyper who was laying on the boppy and began reading this book to Pyper.
Pyper actually was looking at the pictures with Summer. Summer was telling Pyper stories from the pictures, and she was talking so quietly I had to listen carefully. 
Claire ended up joining them when she was done eating. This lasted for twenty minutes. It was so sweet.
Summer now does her "studies" in the morning. I print these two pages off, and she traces over them each day. Here's her work from today. She traced the numbers so well that it's hard to tell she even did it. But I watched. I'm proud of her. Then she connected the numbers.
I had her use red here so you could see a little easier. On this page, she is supposed to trace the letters, then copy them below. I added the letters in yellow just in case you couldn't tell what was going on.
Summer is quite resourceful. Wherein Claire would come ask for help, Summer just figures out how to do it on her own--like get a glass of water or climb up onto the bookshelf to get something down.
One thing that Summer really enjoys is when we communicate by singing. The other day, I was asking her to put her pieces of chalk away to the tune of "Ode to Joy" (which she is familiar with because of Little Einsteins.) She responded in song, "No thank you." And then smiled. I responded by singing again. This time, she sang, "No you." I sang back, "No you." This went back and forth a few times, and each time she mimicked the tune that I sang with the two words. Finally, I threw a little trill in there (not that I have any singing talent), she attempted to trill too, and then we both laughed and cleaned up the chalk together. It was fun.
Summer is a light in our home. She's smart and curious and is always thinking. When she's gone playing with friends, we sure miss her. She's a great help around the house and a happy girl. We love this burst of life in our home.
Thursday, February 9, 2012
A Little About Me (Day 2)
Lots of people have asked in the past three months how I have been doing (regarding giving birth to Pyper). I had a great recovery--the best one yet. I attribute it to being my third birth, but also to Katrina , my cranialsacral therapist; Cara, my prenatal yoga instructor; Cathy, my midwife; and Rhett, for working to pay these great women! I really feel that they all helped me prepare my body for the work of laboring, birthing, and recovering. A week after I'd had Pyper, I couldn't believe that I actually didn't even feel like I'd given birth the week before!
I haven't really struggled with any postpartum depression this time, like I did with the other two girls. Rhett's been really great about helping me in my down times so I don't spiral too deep. He's a wonderful companion.
Pyper's now three months old, and I don't remember what it was like to just have two kids. I stay busy throughout the day trying to meet each girls' needs. Now that both Summer and Claire are in school Monday through Thursday, I get a couple hours where it's just Pyper and me. We've enjoyed the alone time to bond and get to know each other better. When she's napping during this time, I work on my continuing education class that I'm taking online through BYU Provo. It's called "Writing for Children and Young Adults," and it's been a lot of fun for me. I also work on this, on cleaning the house, or on relaxing with Rhett when he's home after the girls go to bed.
I have new callings in our church: I'm the ward choir pianist again (which I love), and I'm the Relief Society music conductor.
I have a thing for paper. Love textured paper, colored paper, printed paper, anything and any kind of craft to do with paper. Analogy: Brittney is to Paper as Rhett is to Shoes.
I love listening to "Funiculi Funicula" while making dinner and the girls are playing. It's a perfect cooking accompaniment. (I even know a few of the words and will sing along . . . sometimes.)
Just the other day, I was going through a few files on my computer and I found this list. It was a list of things I've done in my life that have attributed to who I am. At the time I wrote it up, I was on a kick about how the experiences in our lives make us who we are. So I made a list of some of my experiences to examine in this light who I was.
Here it is:
1) Sky diving
2) Guatemala (3 months, alone)
3) Brazil (pregnant, with a one-year-old, and a husband in class)
4) Scuba certified (in freezing cold water with snow)
5) Swimming at the RS retreat in Spokane (you Spokanites know what I'm referring too) ;)
6) Zumba
7) Divorced
8) Birth at hospital with epidural
9) Home birth natural
10) Getting published in BYU-I's university journal
11) Worked as construction flagger in Yellowstone Park
I would add a few new things to this list, like conquering the pill and starting a small book business, but that was my original list.
I love poetry. Some of my favorite poets are Robert Frost ("Birches," "Bereft," and "Acquainted with the Night"), Li Young Lee ("Braiding," "The Gift," and "Early in the Morning,"), and Rhett. :) (Especially because his poems are about me.)
Chopin and Vivaldi are my favorite classical composers. I do love Rachmaninoff too. But if I had a playlist, and you looked at it right now, you would see Mindy Gledhill's "Mi Ancla," "My Anchor," and "All About Your Heart-Nie Nie Version," as well as Eddie Vedder's Ukelele songs ("Without You," "Longing to Belong," and "Tonight, You Belong to Me").
I am currently working on Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major. I've almost got the whole last page memorized. The bad news is . . . I'm starting from the end and working my way toward the beginning, so I still have a way to go.
I actually enjoying doing dishes, though the sink is never empty these days. But I absolutely find no pleasure at all in doing laundry.
Where do I stand on Twilight? I have a love/hate relationship with the books. I love the concept of the books--girl falls in love with vampire, werewolf gets involved, etc. But I'm not really a fan of Meyer's writing style. Plus, I'm a little jealous I didn't come up with it and write them.
Could this post get any more boring???
Okay. I'm done blabbing.
I haven't really struggled with any postpartum depression this time, like I did with the other two girls. Rhett's been really great about helping me in my down times so I don't spiral too deep. He's a wonderful companion.
Pyper's now three months old, and I don't remember what it was like to just have two kids. I stay busy throughout the day trying to meet each girls' needs. Now that both Summer and Claire are in school Monday through Thursday, I get a couple hours where it's just Pyper and me. We've enjoyed the alone time to bond and get to know each other better. When she's napping during this time, I work on my continuing education class that I'm taking online through BYU Provo. It's called "Writing for Children and Young Adults," and it's been a lot of fun for me. I also work on this, on cleaning the house, or on relaxing with Rhett when he's home after the girls go to bed.
I have new callings in our church: I'm the ward choir pianist again (which I love), and I'm the Relief Society music conductor.
I have a thing for paper. Love textured paper, colored paper, printed paper, anything and any kind of craft to do with paper. Analogy: Brittney is to Paper as Rhett is to Shoes.
I love listening to "Funiculi Funicula" while making dinner and the girls are playing. It's a perfect cooking accompaniment. (I even know a few of the words and will sing along . . . sometimes.)
Just the other day, I was going through a few files on my computer and I found this list. It was a list of things I've done in my life that have attributed to who I am. At the time I wrote it up, I was on a kick about how the experiences in our lives make us who we are. So I made a list of some of my experiences to examine in this light who I was.
Here it is:
1) Sky diving
2) Guatemala (3 months, alone)
3) Brazil (pregnant, with a one-year-old, and a husband in class)
4) Scuba certified (in freezing cold water with snow)
5) Swimming at the RS retreat in Spokane (you Spokanites know what I'm referring too) ;)
6) Zumba
7) Divorced
8) Birth at hospital with epidural
9) Home birth natural
10) Getting published in BYU-I's university journal
11) Worked as construction flagger in Yellowstone Park
I would add a few new things to this list, like conquering the pill and starting a small book business, but that was my original list.
I love poetry. Some of my favorite poets are Robert Frost ("Birches," "Bereft," and "Acquainted with the Night"), Li Young Lee ("Braiding," "The Gift," and "Early in the Morning,"), and Rhett. :) (Especially because his poems are about me.)
Chopin and Vivaldi are my favorite classical composers. I do love Rachmaninoff too. But if I had a playlist, and you looked at it right now, you would see Mindy Gledhill's "Mi Ancla," "My Anchor," and "All About Your Heart-Nie Nie Version," as well as Eddie Vedder's Ukelele songs ("Without You," "Longing to Belong," and "Tonight, You Belong to Me").
I am currently working on Chopin's Nocturne in E Flat Major. I've almost got the whole last page memorized. The bad news is . . . I'm starting from the end and working my way toward the beginning, so I still have a way to go.
I actually enjoying doing dishes, though the sink is never empty these days. But I absolutely find no pleasure at all in doing laundry.
Where do I stand on Twilight? I have a love/hate relationship with the books. I love the concept of the books--girl falls in love with vampire, werewolf gets involved, etc. But I'm not really a fan of Meyer's writing style. Plus, I'm a little jealous I didn't come up with it and write them.
Could this post get any more boring???
Okay. I'm done blabbing.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
A Post for Claire (Day 1)
This post is dedicated just to Claire. She is such a sweety. She adds such a quiet tenderness to our home. We love her so much. I don't know what our lives would be like without her.
I think of her as our quiet comedian. Often times, she'll do something funny, and then just go about her business until I notice her. Even her teachers have commented on her "sophisticated" sense of humor. And she still prefers sleeping on the floor, though now, I guess she prefers the floor next to the couch instead of the floor next to her bed because that's where we find her every morning. Such a funny girl.
Claire started school at East Central (the location that Summer is at) in the beginning of January. This means instead of once a week for two hours with me there to play and interact with her, I now drop her off with Summer (but in a separate classroom) for three hours Monday through Thursday. I had since September to think about putting her in that classroom, and I observed the class, met the teachers, and thought about it a lot. After making the decision to put her in this classroom, I've seen such a growth in her. She struggled for a while with the goodbyes, but she loves school. There is a little window her height that lets her see into Summer's classroom, and Summer can see into Claire's classroom. Sometimes they see each other through the window and wave at each other. They love it.
I've been giving her more liberty to dress herself, and one day she came walking out of her room wearing this new skirt. Needless to say, I didn't let her wear it to school. The breeze would have been too much.
Claire's been putting "y" at the end of her words lately. She says, "head-y," "toesies," "fork-y," "coat-y," etc. Rhett calls Pyper "Pip," and now, Claire calls her "Pippy." It's cute to see that she's come up with a little nickname on her own.
Captain Jack Claire-ow
This is her "I Love to Dance" song and dance. The clip starts with her telling Summer to clap for her. Then she starts into dance and song. Don't stop watching just because it's repetitious. You gotta hear that high note (is that vibrato I hear???).
A few days ago, we were driving home from school and she burst into this "Moon up in the sky" song. I'd never heard it before, so I figured she'd learned it at school. That night when I put her to bed, she sang it again. It was so cute because she'd repeat it over and over again, and then her last time she'd go up high and her eyes would close as if she was trying to hit the high note. The next day at school, I asked her teachers to teach me the song so I could sing it with her. They said they didn't know it, and that she must have made it up. I thought it was so cute so I tried to get her to sing it for the camera. This is what she did.
Here she is, actually singing it--amidst hiccups. She didn't go up high, but she ended the song with "in the ceiling" really quietly. I love the last little look out of the corner of her eyes she gives me at the end.
Rhett took this picture on his new Ipad while we were flying to PA. I love it because it shows her beautiful big eyes so well. Love those eyes.
Claire expresses her love to us so often. A few nights ago, I was putting the girls to bed and she leaned onto my shoulder and said, "I love you mom. You a good momma." She looked me in the eyes when she said it, and I could tell it was genuine.
Here's a clip of her telling Pippy she loves her so much. (Of course, this is coached from me, but it's right after she was telling her on her own, so I thought I'd catch it on the camera too.)
On an unrelated note, so far my wild and crazy year has a list of two things: swallowing pills and getting a post on my blog by a REAL author: Sharon Creech. (Not just REAL, but one of my absolute favorite authors.) I've decided to add to this list: post a blog post every single day for a week. Now that would be wild.
So check back often--here I go being crazy!
I think of her as our quiet comedian. Often times, she'll do something funny, and then just go about her business until I notice her. Even her teachers have commented on her "sophisticated" sense of humor. And she still prefers sleeping on the floor, though now, I guess she prefers the floor next to the couch instead of the floor next to her bed because that's where we find her every morning. Such a funny girl.
Claire started school at East Central (the location that Summer is at) in the beginning of January. This means instead of once a week for two hours with me there to play and interact with her, I now drop her off with Summer (but in a separate classroom) for three hours Monday through Thursday. I had since September to think about putting her in that classroom, and I observed the class, met the teachers, and thought about it a lot. After making the decision to put her in this classroom, I've seen such a growth in her. She struggled for a while with the goodbyes, but she loves school. There is a little window her height that lets her see into Summer's classroom, and Summer can see into Claire's classroom. Sometimes they see each other through the window and wave at each other. They love it.
I've been giving her more liberty to dress herself, and one day she came walking out of her room wearing this new skirt. Needless to say, I didn't let her wear it to school. The breeze would have been too much.
Claire's been putting "y" at the end of her words lately. She says, "head-y," "toesies," "fork-y," "coat-y," etc. Rhett calls Pyper "Pip," and now, Claire calls her "Pippy." It's cute to see that she's come up with a little nickname on her own.
Captain Jack Claire-ow
This is her "I Love to Dance" song and dance. The clip starts with her telling Summer to clap for her. Then she starts into dance and song. Don't stop watching just because it's repetitious. You gotta hear that high note (is that vibrato I hear???).
A few days ago, we were driving home from school and she burst into this "Moon up in the sky" song. I'd never heard it before, so I figured she'd learned it at school. That night when I put her to bed, she sang it again. It was so cute because she'd repeat it over and over again, and then her last time she'd go up high and her eyes would close as if she was trying to hit the high note. The next day at school, I asked her teachers to teach me the song so I could sing it with her. They said they didn't know it, and that she must have made it up. I thought it was so cute so I tried to get her to sing it for the camera. This is what she did.
Here she is, actually singing it--amidst hiccups. She didn't go up high, but she ended the song with "in the ceiling" really quietly. I love the last little look out of the corner of her eyes she gives me at the end.
Rhett took this picture on his new Ipad while we were flying to PA. I love it because it shows her beautiful big eyes so well. Love those eyes.
Claire expresses her love to us so often. A few nights ago, I was putting the girls to bed and she leaned onto my shoulder and said, "I love you mom. You a good momma." She looked me in the eyes when she said it, and I could tell it was genuine.
Here's a clip of her telling Pippy she loves her so much. (Of course, this is coached from me, but it's right after she was telling her on her own, so I thought I'd catch it on the camera too.)
On an unrelated note, so far my wild and crazy year has a list of two things: swallowing pills and getting a post on my blog by a REAL author: Sharon Creech. (Not just REAL, but one of my absolute favorite authors.) I've decided to add to this list: post a blog post every single day for a week. Now that would be wild.
So check back often--here I go being crazy!
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Friday, February 3, 2012
A Post on Blotches
I'm currently taking an online class for my continuing education credits. For part of the class, I was doing a bit of research on some of my favorite authors and their publishing companies. Well, I happened upon Sharon Creech's blog. Sharon Creech wrote Walk Two Moons and Love That Dog--two of my ALL TIME FAVORITE books. I've read both books multiple times.
So when I found her blog post that said, "What have you bought recently?" I just had to leave a comment--because my most recent purchase was one of her books.
And this morning, I got a notice in my email saying SHARON CREECH had left a comment on my Blotches blog!
Is that cool or what!?!
So when I found her blog post that said, "What have you bought recently?" I just had to leave a comment--because my most recent purchase was one of her books.
And this morning, I got a notice in my email saying SHARON CREECH had left a comment on my Blotches blog!
Is that cool or what!?!
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Move over Dora, here comes Little Einsteins!
While we were in PA, Graham introduced us to Little Einsteins. We loved it! So when we got home, I got a few of the videos for the girls. In each episode, the four little characters introduce some famous art and a famous classical song. Then they go on an adventure with the art as the background and the song as somewhat of their theme song. So now, instead of Summer singing this all around the house:
she sings this:
I also hear her singing (to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy,"), "Once there was a buggy wuggy buggy wuggy buggy guy, Once there was a buggy wuggy, now there is a butterfly." Or "We lost our baton, yes we lost our baton, have you seen a bald eagle who took our baton?" to Edvard Greig's "Peer Gynt: Morning Mood." Love it!
And how is it, after I go through the effort to film the girls, put the clip on the computer, edit it, then put it on the blog, that I finally notice the awful mess in the background???
she sings this:
I also hear her singing (to Beethoven's "Ode to Joy,"), "Once there was a buggy wuggy buggy wuggy buggy guy, Once there was a buggy wuggy, now there is a butterfly." Or "We lost our baton, yes we lost our baton, have you seen a bald eagle who took our baton?" to Edvard Greig's "Peer Gynt: Morning Mood." Love it!
And how is it, after I go through the effort to film the girls, put the clip on the computer, edit it, then put it on the blog, that I finally notice the awful mess in the background???
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