In case you haven't heard - we're expecting the 4th member of our family - our second child!
We have experienced so many emotions since May 2nd when I found out I was pregnant. We have gone through shock, excitement, overwhelmed, joyful, and even fear. But we could not be more excited about this new addition to our family.
We immediately got to work on making room in our little house for another person. We have a garage sale fast approaching to eliminate some "extra" furniture that we do not need and do not have room for!
Next we immediately got to work on researching bigger cars! Yup that's right, I let go of my "dream" car for the comfort and SAFETY of our growing family. I'm not even 30 and I bought a mini-van! Laugh now, but then come experience all that my van has to offer and you may be trading in and up before you know it!
Today I had my first ultrasound to see the tiny baby and hear his/her heartbeat. Its always such an amazing experience to see and hear your child's heartbeat for the first time. Today was even more special as we rushed in 2 days early in fear that something may or may not be wrong. Thankfully all is well and our baby has a strong little heart beat at 142 beats per minute.
I am 7 weeks along in my pregnancy, meaning this little Damato is due in the beginning of January! Yup that's right, January is The Month of the Damato! New baby is due on the 10th, our 7th anniversary is on the 15th, and AK will turn TWO on the 21st!!!!
I guess we will spend all year saving for January for the rest of our lives!
We are so proud to say that we accomplished this pregnancy without the help of one doctor, without the heartache of one failed attempt, and without the pressure of fertility problems! The Lord really showed himself to us through this go 'round!
I will always be grateful for the journey it took to get AK here and the testimony of her existence. She is a miracle in her own right, proving to the world that modern medicine was not necessary after all and that God truly would receive all the glory. This new baby is also a miracle on its own showing us that God will bless those who wait upon him. The conception and birth of each of our children now have their very own victorious testimony of overcoming, defeating, and accomplishment. We are so excited about the journey ahead of us. We are still trying to fully wrap our minds around this idea that is really a reality and are so thankful for all those who have supported us over the past 5 years in our journey to become parents. Please pray with us that this will be a full term healthy pregnancy. We had some minor blood pressure complications at the end of the last pregnancy and we do not want to experience that again! Please pray that we can smoothly make the transition from a family of 3 to a family of 4. Pray that AK will easily take on her role as big sister and that our marriage will only strengthen as we increase in number.
God is so good and we can't wait to see what the next year will look like for us!
This blog is to help keep friends and family posted on the things going on in our life. Look for updates on AK and find out what we've been up to lately.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Saturday, May 7, 2011
First REAL Trip To The Beach
So, last year little AK visit the beach about 4 times from the month of April through January, but none will compare to this first interactive day at the beach!!
We drove down to FL to visit all my parents. We stopped to see my Dad first and enjoyed some much needed catching up. We took AK over to see her Papa (her great grandfather) and that is always a sweet time.
After that visit we headed down to land of emerald green waters and white sandy beaches!! We did a little retail therapy on Saturday - and attended a great worship service at Destiny Worship Center. The best part about attending Saturday night church on a your traveling weekend is that you get more time to enjoy your Sunday before you have to head home on a 3+hour drive!
We rolled out of bed Sunday morning, ate waffles and put on our suites. I must say I probably really had no intention of actually getting wet or really staying long. Since this was AK's first "real" trip to the beach I didn't know what to expect. We stopped at one of those beach junk stores and got AK a set of sand castle bucket toys - you would have though we had given her a million dollars. She was so proud to carry that bucket around the store. We bought her a tourist t-shirt that said "Destin,FL" on it and then headed towards the coast.
We somehow managed to find amazing public parking and access that lead us straight to private beaches! We squeezed in between the two resort signs and set up our chairs, our tent, and all our bags and toys. AK was very unsure of the dry white sand under her toes. I'm sure it was because the sand is almost fluid and not a solid surface. I went straight to the water, which had a red flag(dangerous rip current) to test out the temperature. Being May 1st I knew it would probably be chilly - it was a little cool at first touch, but as I found out later - it was really quite nice!
Since AK wasn't a fan of the dry sand I thought I would take her down to the harder wet sand. This was more pleasing to her sense of touch - but once she saw that water we were done for. I think I must have a fish for a baby b/c she went straight for the waves breaking on the shore! She loved the splash of the cool water onto feet! Next thing I knew I was having to hold her tight as she treaded further into the red flagged water!
I insisted on taking a break b/c I was so overwhelmed by her excitement of the water and I was honestly not prepared for her desire to dive right into the roughest ocean I had seen in a while. We headed back to our spot on the sand, this time we laid the beach sheet out giving AK a more solid surface to stand on and this seemed to do the trick. Mom packed a lot of snacks (such a good grandmother!). We gave AK a baggy of goldfish and I'm not sure I have ever seen such delight in my baby's eyes as she ate that snack - sandy hands and all! Like any curious baby AK did have her fair share of sand eating that day -but mostly by default of playing in the sand, nothing compared to the day we discovered she liked to garden!
Matt went back to the car and got his good camera, so we headed back to the water for a little memory catching!
Keep in mind that I never intended on getting wet. In fact I never even took my swimsuit cover-up off b/c I just didn't see the need....
Over all it was an amazing experience, red flag, and all! I cannot wait to get her back down to that water on a much calmer day.
My favorite part of her excitement was the high pitched scream of "WOO" every time a wave washed up on shore and splashed us. I fall more in love with my special gift from God everyday. She truly amazes me. From the moment she wakes up, she is the most joyful child I have ever seen. She loves to play "tickle" and even says in her best sneaky voice "tickle, tickle" when she wants to play! She dances even where there isn't music! She sings her own words when she hears a tune on the TV or radio. She gets excited like a kid on Christmas when she discovers a round object in public and scream "BAALL" as loud as she can until we acknowledge that she is correct! She loves to eat, whatever is on my plate (even if it's the exact same food) and she loves to drink, from my cup instead of hers! When she sees any animal she calls them over by making kissy sounds and patting her leg as if to say "come here, come on..." She is truly a blessing from above and I thank God for her daily. I thank him for the journey it took to get her here - She is an answer to prayer in every way!
Until next time....
BE BLESSED and BE A BLESSING!
We drove down to FL to visit all my parents. We stopped to see my Dad first and enjoyed some much needed catching up. We took AK over to see her Papa (her great grandfather) and that is always a sweet time. After that visit we headed down to land of emerald green waters and white sandy beaches!! We did a little retail therapy on Saturday - and attended a great worship service at Destiny Worship Center. The best part about attending Saturday night church on a your traveling weekend is that you get more time to enjoy your Sunday before you have to head home on a 3+hour drive!
We rolled out of bed Sunday morning, ate waffles and put on our suites. I must say I probably really had no intention of actually getting wet or really staying long. Since this was AK's first "real" trip to the beach I didn't know what to expect. We stopped at one of those beach junk stores and got AK a set of sand castle bucket toys - you would have though we had given her a million dollars. She was so proud to carry that bucket around the store. We bought her a tourist t-shirt that said "Destin,FL" on it and then headed towards the coast.
We somehow managed to find amazing public parking and access that lead us straight to private beaches! We squeezed in between the two resort signs and set up our chairs, our tent, and all our bags and toys. AK was very unsure of the dry white sand under her toes. I'm sure it was because the sand is almost fluid and not a solid surface. I went straight to the water, which had a red flag(dangerous rip current) to test out the temperature. Being May 1st I knew it would probably be chilly - it was a little cool at first touch, but as I found out later - it was really quite nice!
Since AK wasn't a fan of the dry sand I thought I would take her down to the harder wet sand. This was more pleasing to her sense of touch - but once she saw that water we were done for. I think I must have a fish for a baby b/c she went straight for the waves breaking on the shore! She loved the splash of the cool water onto feet! Next thing I knew I was having to hold her tight as she treaded further into the red flagged water!
I insisted on taking a break b/c I was so overwhelmed by her excitement of the water and I was honestly not prepared for her desire to dive right into the roughest ocean I had seen in a while. We headed back to our spot on the sand, this time we laid the beach sheet out giving AK a more solid surface to stand on and this seemed to do the trick. Mom packed a lot of snacks (such a good grandmother!). We gave AK a baggy of goldfish and I'm not sure I have ever seen such delight in my baby's eyes as she ate that snack - sandy hands and all! Like any curious baby AK did have her fair share of sand eating that day -but mostly by default of playing in the sand, nothing compared to the day we discovered she liked to garden!Matt went back to the car and got his good camera, so we headed back to the water for a little memory catching!
Keep in mind that I never intended on getting wet. In fact I never even took my swimsuit cover-up off b/c I just didn't see the need....
My favorite part of her excitement was the high pitched scream of "WOO" every time a wave washed up on shore and splashed us. I fall more in love with my special gift from God everyday. She truly amazes me. From the moment she wakes up, she is the most joyful child I have ever seen. She loves to play "tickle" and even says in her best sneaky voice "tickle, tickle" when she wants to play! She dances even where there isn't music! She sings her own words when she hears a tune on the TV or radio. She gets excited like a kid on Christmas when she discovers a round object in public and scream "BAALL" as loud as she can until we acknowledge that she is correct! She loves to eat, whatever is on my plate (even if it's the exact same food) and she loves to drink, from my cup instead of hers! When she sees any animal she calls them over by making kissy sounds and patting her leg as if to say "come here, come on..." She is truly a blessing from above and I thank God for her daily. I thank him for the journey it took to get her here - She is an answer to prayer in every way!
Until next time....
BE BLESSED and BE A BLESSING!
Friday, April 29, 2011
It's Not TOO LATE
We had blast at the trunk show yesterday - the jewelry peices are amazing!!! With Mother's Day and Graduations fast approaching I know you all could use some good gift ideas!!
You purchase comes within 2-3 days and it's already packaged for gift giving!!
I bought some great pieces, so I know you will find some too!!
If you aren't too much into jewelry or you would rather make a donation straight to the Godwin's you can send your tax deductible check per the instructions below:
Lifesong has graciously set up a fundraising account for us to raise funds to help pay the "ransom" to bring Zoe home. If you would like to be a part of God bringing Zoe to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift. Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on Zoe's behalf, and will pay the adoption expenses out of fund received. They truly are amazing people and a God send!
Steps to do this:
-Please make checks payable to: "Lifesong"
-You should write "Godwin/#1549" in the memo section.
-You can then mail your check to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Att: Godwin/#1549
Post Office Box 40
Gridley, Illinois 61744
Thank you for supporting this great cause! We can't wait to meet Zoe Grace!!
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Holy Week, Birthday Parties, Egg Hunts, and Easter Sunday
You can tell by the title that this last week has been BUSY!!
Just like many of you, our week was filled with many church activities celebrating what we call "Holy Week". This is the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the week that seals what we believe in our Christian faith. Its a celebratory week for followers all across the world. We are reminded of Jesus' preistly role, his brotherly role, his human role, and his sovereign role in all of our lives.
The week started like any other Holy week, a blow out excitement filled service Palm Sunday experience, then on Maundy Thursday we experienced a traditional seder meal at church. It was a very enlightning experience to say the least. A well known scholar, Dr. Jim Fleming, visited our church to walk us through the reason behinds the traditions. He taught us many things that just reading from the Bible would not teach us. He has done all his homework and literally brought the stories of the New Testament to life.
Friday was Good Friday, we opted to not attend the Good Friday service at our church, we typically have not attended this service through the years. I'm not sure why we choose to not attend, but its a service remembering Jesus' death experience on the cross.
We hosted a birthday party at our house in honor of a dear friend who moved away last year. His birthday fell on Good Friday this year and they were in town to celebrate Easter and his birthday with family. It was such a wonderful feeling to have our home filled with great friends and sweet baby girls running around everywhere! Its moments like that reminded you how much the Lord has blessed us in our lives.
Saturday was the big 1st egg hunt for AK! We decided Friday night that we would get up head to Old Navy to take advantage of their "One Day Wonder" sale on Polo's for just $6 each, and then go for special breakfast out with our last stop being the church for the big Resurrection Celebration and egg hunt! What we discovered was that on special sale days our Old Navy opens super early! I had Matt call the store when we woke up at 7am to find out what time they opened. We were expecting a recording to give us the hours, when much to our surprise the store clerk answered the phone!! They were already open at 7am!! WHO KNEW?! So we decided with the sale being so good that we shouldn't wait - we hopped out of bed, rushed to put on some comfy clothes, grabbed a sleepy AK and went shopping. We of course never intended to end up at the church without going back to shower and clean up and we never ever intended to run into people we knew!
We scored huge at Old Navy, not just on the polo shirts for Matt (this is his work wardrobe), but they had a grown up version of an egg hunt in the store. They had bar codes hidden throughout the store that you had to scan with your iPhone or droid - when you scanned the bar code it entered you for a chance at $50,000 but it also gave you chance for an instant win of several thousand dollars or coupons.
There were 15 bar codes to find in the store, I think we gave up after 12 - we didn't win big money, I'm sure that since we didn't find the last 3 codes they were probably instant 5K winners, but oh well! We did each score a great BOGO coupon. We also found an amazing clearance rack that had blue jeans in Matt's size for just $6! We walked out of Old Navy with 6 polo shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, and 2 t-shirts for less than $100 - in fact we saved over $100 from all the sales and coupons. This amazing shopping experience of course took us longer than we thought it would so we rushed over to Chappy's Deli for a special family breakfast out.
Just as we got settled into our booth (which is our new trick to keep AK satisfied out to eat) we see some friends from church walk in the door. Being the sweet friends that they are they asked if we wanted to join them for breakfast. Much to our surprise 2 more families were joining us that morning. They were all heading to the church after breakfast with their baby girls for the egg hunt as well. The only difference is they were all dressed up and ready to be seen by the world. Remember we hopped out of bed to run an errand and didn't shower before we left! We were so unprepared for the entire breakfast experience. All the baby girls were dressed so beautifully in their smocked bunny dresses and then there was my sweet AK literally still in her PJ's! We had no highchair cover b/c we originally intended to seat in a booth! AK does not sit in the highchair for more than 5 minutes so this was a bad scene from the get go. Matt and I ended up passing AK back and forth from one lap to another. Anything to keep her happy - all the other sweet baby girls were behaving so nicely, seating in their highs chairs and not making any sort of scene! My child was literally climbing across the table to get to things out of her reach! She wouldn't drink her own drink but rather insisted on drinking from my cup or worse yet her daddy's coffee mug! She saw the packet of creamer and was immediately entertained by this plastic yet squishy object. I tried to tell Matt discretely that he may feel a trickle liquid run down his arm b/c she was gnawing on this creamer container, but he was talking and I couldn't seem to interrupt him. Before I could say a word or give a warning "POP" she burst the container and liquid creamer sprayed everywhere! "OH NO" I was so embarrassed!! Not only did creamer run down Matt's arm, but it sprayed across the table touching every nicely dressed person in it's path. It was sort of funny until I realized the bulk of the cream landed square on the forehead of one of this precious, well behaved little girls. I was so upset that my insatiable child caused this major commotion at the breakfast table. Our food came and she refused to eat, making it hard for us to enjoy our meal and fellowship with these other families. We rushed out of the restaurant realizing that our time had really gotten away from us now that we ate with a large group of people. We needed to be at the church like right that moment to fully enjoy the activities of the day. We rushed home, changed clothes - which was inspired by those other young couples at breakfast and dressed AK in her bunny dress I sewed a month before. We did make it to the church just in time for the egg hunt.
The egg hunt was so much fun. We had tried to practice hunting eggs for a couple of weeks before, but in true toddler fashion AK was only interested in breaking the eggs apart. She did collect quite a few eggs - but eventually gave up on the egg hunt. They had inflatable eggs and balls for the little ones to hunt, and those were the biggest hit when all was said and done.
That afternoon AK had her first experience with Easter candy. She tasted smarties for the first time, and then accidentally discovered the jelly bean!
The next morning she woke up to a stuffed Easter basket filled with all kinds of goodies. Crayons, bubbles, toys, and peeps!! We dressed in our best Sunday clothes and pearls and headed to church to celebrate our Risen Savior.
I had put a roast on and when we got home I put the finishing touches on our meal. Roast, potatoes, carrots, a side of pineapple casserole, and roasted asparagus. While the casserole was cooking, Matt hid a few of the Easter eggs in the front the yard flower beds - AK went out in her Sunday best and hunted eggs. It was such a fun day filled with first time memories!
Just like many of you, our week was filled with many church activities celebrating what we call "Holy Week". This is the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is the week that seals what we believe in our Christian faith. Its a celebratory week for followers all across the world. We are reminded of Jesus' preistly role, his brotherly role, his human role, and his sovereign role in all of our lives.
The week started like any other Holy week, a blow out excitement filled service Palm Sunday experience, then on Maundy Thursday we experienced a traditional seder meal at church. It was a very enlightning experience to say the least. A well known scholar, Dr. Jim Fleming, visited our church to walk us through the reason behinds the traditions. He taught us many things that just reading from the Bible would not teach us. He has done all his homework and literally brought the stories of the New Testament to life.
Friday was Good Friday, we opted to not attend the Good Friday service at our church, we typically have not attended this service through the years. I'm not sure why we choose to not attend, but its a service remembering Jesus' death experience on the cross.
We hosted a birthday party at our house in honor of a dear friend who moved away last year. His birthday fell on Good Friday this year and they were in town to celebrate Easter and his birthday with family. It was such a wonderful feeling to have our home filled with great friends and sweet baby girls running around everywhere! Its moments like that reminded you how much the Lord has blessed us in our lives.
Saturday was the big 1st egg hunt for AK! We decided Friday night that we would get up head to Old Navy to take advantage of their "One Day Wonder" sale on Polo's for just $6 each, and then go for special breakfast out with our last stop being the church for the big Resurrection Celebration and egg hunt! What we discovered was that on special sale days our Old Navy opens super early! I had Matt call the store when we woke up at 7am to find out what time they opened. We were expecting a recording to give us the hours, when much to our surprise the store clerk answered the phone!! They were already open at 7am!! WHO KNEW?! So we decided with the sale being so good that we shouldn't wait - we hopped out of bed, rushed to put on some comfy clothes, grabbed a sleepy AK and went shopping. We of course never intended to end up at the church without going back to shower and clean up and we never ever intended to run into people we knew!
We scored huge at Old Navy, not just on the polo shirts for Matt (this is his work wardrobe), but they had a grown up version of an egg hunt in the store. They had bar codes hidden throughout the store that you had to scan with your iPhone or droid - when you scanned the bar code it entered you for a chance at $50,000 but it also gave you chance for an instant win of several thousand dollars or coupons.
There were 15 bar codes to find in the store, I think we gave up after 12 - we didn't win big money, I'm sure that since we didn't find the last 3 codes they were probably instant 5K winners, but oh well! We did each score a great BOGO coupon. We also found an amazing clearance rack that had blue jeans in Matt's size for just $6! We walked out of Old Navy with 6 polo shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of shorts, and 2 t-shirts for less than $100 - in fact we saved over $100 from all the sales and coupons. This amazing shopping experience of course took us longer than we thought it would so we rushed over to Chappy's Deli for a special family breakfast out.
Just as we got settled into our booth (which is our new trick to keep AK satisfied out to eat) we see some friends from church walk in the door. Being the sweet friends that they are they asked if we wanted to join them for breakfast. Much to our surprise 2 more families were joining us that morning. They were all heading to the church after breakfast with their baby girls for the egg hunt as well. The only difference is they were all dressed up and ready to be seen by the world. Remember we hopped out of bed to run an errand and didn't shower before we left! We were so unprepared for the entire breakfast experience. All the baby girls were dressed so beautifully in their smocked bunny dresses and then there was my sweet AK literally still in her PJ's! We had no highchair cover b/c we originally intended to seat in a booth! AK does not sit in the highchair for more than 5 minutes so this was a bad scene from the get go. Matt and I ended up passing AK back and forth from one lap to another. Anything to keep her happy - all the other sweet baby girls were behaving so nicely, seating in their highs chairs and not making any sort of scene! My child was literally climbing across the table to get to things out of her reach! She wouldn't drink her own drink but rather insisted on drinking from my cup or worse yet her daddy's coffee mug! She saw the packet of creamer and was immediately entertained by this plastic yet squishy object. I tried to tell Matt discretely that he may feel a trickle liquid run down his arm b/c she was gnawing on this creamer container, but he was talking and I couldn't seem to interrupt him. Before I could say a word or give a warning "POP" she burst the container and liquid creamer sprayed everywhere! "OH NO" I was so embarrassed!! Not only did creamer run down Matt's arm, but it sprayed across the table touching every nicely dressed person in it's path. It was sort of funny until I realized the bulk of the cream landed square on the forehead of one of this precious, well behaved little girls. I was so upset that my insatiable child caused this major commotion at the breakfast table. Our food came and she refused to eat, making it hard for us to enjoy our meal and fellowship with these other families. We rushed out of the restaurant realizing that our time had really gotten away from us now that we ate with a large group of people. We needed to be at the church like right that moment to fully enjoy the activities of the day. We rushed home, changed clothes - which was inspired by those other young couples at breakfast and dressed AK in her bunny dress I sewed a month before. We did make it to the church just in time for the egg hunt.
The egg hunt was so much fun. We had tried to practice hunting eggs for a couple of weeks before, but in true toddler fashion AK was only interested in breaking the eggs apart. She did collect quite a few eggs - but eventually gave up on the egg hunt. They had inflatable eggs and balls for the little ones to hunt, and those were the biggest hit when all was said and done.
That afternoon AK had her first experience with Easter candy. She tasted smarties for the first time, and then accidentally discovered the jelly bean!
The next morning she woke up to a stuffed Easter basket filled with all kinds of goodies. Crayons, bubbles, toys, and peeps!! We dressed in our best Sunday clothes and pearls and headed to church to celebrate our Risen Savior.
I had put a roast on and when we got home I put the finishing touches on our meal. Roast, potatoes, carrots, a side of pineapple casserole, and roasted asparagus. While the casserole was cooking, Matt hid a few of the Easter eggs in the front the yard flower beds - AK went out in her Sunday best and hunted eggs. It was such a fun day filled with first time memories!
Monday, April 18, 2011
promised pictures!
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| looking at the zoo animals |
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| She must be Italian! |
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| coolest animal I've ever seen! Reminds me of peanut in a weird way! |
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| have you ever seen a giraffe bend down? |
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| swinging at the zoo playground |
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| wee!! |
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| look at her sense of pride as she rides that big kid toy! |
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| we bought this for $1 at the youth auction fundraiser! Best $1 spent ever! |
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| the new water acitivity table |
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| leraning how it works with Daddy |
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| splish splash |
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| did the car run out of gas? |
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| i think so! |
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| all ready for church |
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| happy girl! |
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| whats so funny? |
Just a little update...
We decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather this weekend and head to the zoo bright and early Saturday morning! Our zoo has a great deal where you can get a years membership for only $35. This covers the cost of 2 adults any day of the year and little AK goes for free until the age of 3. Its such an amazing deal because it would normally cost us $20 to get in without the membership. Now, AK and I a can head to the zoo any day of the week. This will come in handy when we start having Fridays off together this summer. It is also nice because we will be able to bring anyone with us as our guest on our membership. This means any time a grandparent wants to join us for a zoo trip we've got you covered!
I am in the process of uploading the pictures from the weekend right now. I may have to come back and do a post with just photos when they are done. I've never uploaded the pictures from the big fancy Nikon camera before, so hopefully I am doing it correctly. Apparently you have to transfer the files and then convert the files to jpegs so you can share them. Its totally confusing to me, but its supposedly the way to get the best quality photograph. In fact I just checked on this process and I will definitely have to come back to upload an entire post of just photos, its only on number 11 of 125 in the conversion process!
The weather was almost down right chilly for the zoo, but we made the best of it! It was not crowded which was fabulous for us! AK even got to play on the big kid playground there at the zoo. We are always trying to teach her new things. I've learned that it takes a good 2-3 days of going over the same new word before she totally gets it. We started really working on "What does a dog say?" The very first time she attempted to say it, she was in the bath tub. She responded with "braf braf" and then proceeded to giggle harder than I have ever seen her laugh. For two days after that experience, if you asked her "what does the dog say?" she would just laugh and laugh some more. If you were really patient she would eventually say "braf braf" but mostly she would just laugh. I knew she finally got it when she answered this morning during her breakfast time. She just amazes me at how absorbent she is. She can now tell you what a cow says and what a dog says, and rarely mixes the two up when you ask her.
In the last week she has become the funniest little person I have ever been around. She loves to play chase with her Daddy. He will tell her "I'm gonna get you..." and she immediately takes off running while looking back over her shoulder to make sure he is really coming. She gets so tickled at trying to out run him she usually trips over her own feet and falls into complete hysterical laughter. Because of this new found love for the game of chase she also enjoys hide and seek. You run and hide while she is watching and she will come seek you out. She giggles the entire time until she "finds" you when she sees you she says "baa" which is really suppose to be "BOO!"
I've totally enjoyed each and every stage of her life, but so far this has to be the most fun stage there has been. Watching her learn and discover new things brings such a joy to my life.
AK must have her Daddy's engineering blood running through her veins because the most entertaining thing for her to do these days is put tops on things, or build blocks. If an item has a lid or top she is not satisfied until she has properly fit that lid or top onto that item. When she accomplishes her task she is quick to applaud herself with claps and a big "yaaay" followed of course by her precious giggle.
We took her to toys r us this weekend to get an activity table for the backyard. After starting at all the option and prices we decided on this Little Tike's water table. I was so excited for her to have a fun activity for the backyard that I couldn't wait for her to play with it. Now remember, it was a chilly Saturday at the zoo, which means it was still a chilly Saturday at our house - but we played anyway! I didn't realize how WET she would get splashing her hands around in this little activity table! We had the best time playing outside with her. Matt bought a $2 kite while we were at the store and amazingly AK was interested in watching that kite fly across the sky. She followed her Daddy all around the front and back yards as he flew his kite.
Sunday we went to church and then went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries with some friends afterward. Our friends has a little girl around 3 years old named Mason. Mason loves AK and gets so excited when she is around. Mason was eating her hotdog and dipping it in ketchup before each bite. AK got so interested in what Mason was doing she reached right over and stuck her french fry into Mason's ketchup. I want you to know that I have been trying to get AK to eat ketchup for a few months now. She has never been interested in this condiment! But I'm pretty such after Sunday's lunch ketchup has become her new favorite side item! We decided to give AK her own container of ketchup to dip her fries in, but instead of the fries she skipped right to her finger and enjoyed the taste of ketchup without any food! It amazes me, how one small person can influence another!
Be looking out soon for a post with just photographs from our fun filled weekend. Now that I now how to use the new camera you may also find some pictures of many other fun things that happen around our house!
Until next time, Be Blessed & Be a Blessing!
I am in the process of uploading the pictures from the weekend right now. I may have to come back and do a post with just photos when they are done. I've never uploaded the pictures from the big fancy Nikon camera before, so hopefully I am doing it correctly. Apparently you have to transfer the files and then convert the files to jpegs so you can share them. Its totally confusing to me, but its supposedly the way to get the best quality photograph. In fact I just checked on this process and I will definitely have to come back to upload an entire post of just photos, its only on number 11 of 125 in the conversion process!
The weather was almost down right chilly for the zoo, but we made the best of it! It was not crowded which was fabulous for us! AK even got to play on the big kid playground there at the zoo. We are always trying to teach her new things. I've learned that it takes a good 2-3 days of going over the same new word before she totally gets it. We started really working on "What does a dog say?" The very first time she attempted to say it, she was in the bath tub. She responded with "braf braf" and then proceeded to giggle harder than I have ever seen her laugh. For two days after that experience, if you asked her "what does the dog say?" she would just laugh and laugh some more. If you were really patient she would eventually say "braf braf" but mostly she would just laugh. I knew she finally got it when she answered this morning during her breakfast time. She just amazes me at how absorbent she is. She can now tell you what a cow says and what a dog says, and rarely mixes the two up when you ask her.
In the last week she has become the funniest little person I have ever been around. She loves to play chase with her Daddy. He will tell her "I'm gonna get you..." and she immediately takes off running while looking back over her shoulder to make sure he is really coming. She gets so tickled at trying to out run him she usually trips over her own feet and falls into complete hysterical laughter. Because of this new found love for the game of chase she also enjoys hide and seek. You run and hide while she is watching and she will come seek you out. She giggles the entire time until she "finds" you when she sees you she says "baa" which is really suppose to be "BOO!"
I've totally enjoyed each and every stage of her life, but so far this has to be the most fun stage there has been. Watching her learn and discover new things brings such a joy to my life.
AK must have her Daddy's engineering blood running through her veins because the most entertaining thing for her to do these days is put tops on things, or build blocks. If an item has a lid or top she is not satisfied until she has properly fit that lid or top onto that item. When she accomplishes her task she is quick to applaud herself with claps and a big "yaaay" followed of course by her precious giggle.
Sunday we went to church and then went to eat at Five Guys Burgers and Fries with some friends afterward. Our friends has a little girl around 3 years old named Mason. Mason loves AK and gets so excited when she is around. Mason was eating her hotdog and dipping it in ketchup before each bite. AK got so interested in what Mason was doing she reached right over and stuck her french fry into Mason's ketchup. I want you to know that I have been trying to get AK to eat ketchup for a few months now. She has never been interested in this condiment! But I'm pretty such after Sunday's lunch ketchup has become her new favorite side item! We decided to give AK her own container of ketchup to dip her fries in, but instead of the fries she skipped right to her finger and enjoyed the taste of ketchup without any food! It amazes me, how one small person can influence another!
Be looking out soon for a post with just photographs from our fun filled weekend. Now that I now how to use the new camera you may also find some pictures of many other fun things that happen around our house!
Until next time, Be Blessed & Be a Blessing!
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Help With Gardening
As promised earlier - Here is the story of AK helping us with our gardening.
Saturday we decided to use our first free weekend at home doing a little yard work. We headed out the Southern Home and Gardens store to pick up a variety of spring flowers so we could do a little gardening. AK fell asleep on the way home, which gave us a chance to get a good jump start to our project. After she woke up from her nap we brought her outside and set up her pack and play with her favorite toys. Immediately a delivery was brought to us from the mailman. It was an expected package from AK's LiLi (my Mom) that had a few new pair of pajamas, a new swimsuit for the summer, and a surprise pair of sunglasses!
We played with the sunglasses and checked out the new pj's, and then went on about our business. AK got restless in the pack and play and it was lunch time so the two of us headed in to get a bite to eat. When lunch was over we headed back outside and this time I let AK roam the yard in freedom. I was spreading mulch in the freshly spruced up front bed and my sweet girl decided she wanted to help, you can see the video of my little helper lending a hand.
After we spread the mulch we had just one project left - planting some flowers under the maple tree. This project required a fresh pile of potting soil and peat moss to make for a good foundation. Again My little helper was reading to "dig" right in. Next thing you know AK has a mouth full of fresh potting soil and peat moss! OH NO - Parent Panic sets in and we immediately scoop her up and take her straight for the water hose! Please note - it was a beautiful warm day, but only warm, like 75 at the most. Matt begins gushing water in AK's face trying to get her to rinse her mouth out. Eventually her mouth was clean of all dirt, but in the meantime our little princess was having a blast playing in the frigid water hose water! She was drenched - so off her shirt came, and then her leggings - uh oh - water + a diaper = bad idea! Genius strikes and I run for the new swimsuit - so here we are on a warm spring day hosing off our baby with cold water in the driveway, stripping her down naked, and putting her in a swimsuit. It was quite the scene! Needless to say, we our panic was probably overrated, but hey AK got a thrill out of it!!
Let's just say that delivery at lunch was made just in time!!
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