We've had a hard time celebrating Christmas over here with near 80 degree weather. But I think the last of the warm weather has left! Now I finally feel comfortable blasting Christmas music and watching all the movies. Isla really enjoys looking at all the ornaments and she now refers to herself as "Santa Claus" and Aussie as "reindeer". This is going to be fun :)
Every year we make our annual trip to Bronners and pick out an ornament that represents the year. This year we can't go to Bronners (in fact, we aren't even sure we'll get to go home). I had my parents facetime me while they were at the store to pick this one out. Although, I'm wondering if we should have gotten a little poop ornament to better represent 2020 haha
I put this nativity up and Isla shouts "Be-hem star!". I didn't know she even knew what this was, let alone the "Bethlehem star".
Isla has really been liking beet juice lately. So we pull out our huge juicer, throw some veggies and fruits in, juice it up, and immediately strip down because beets stain. At least she's getting a ton of nutrients, right? (She currently likes carrots, celery, beets, apples, and cucumbers all juiced together)
We love our afternoon tea time together. Mostly it's just snack and a story, but sometimes it's extra special. We'll bake something in the morning to enjoy in the afternoon. We read poetry together and our read-aloud. We just finished Winnie the Pooh and are in the market for another chapter book that will keep her attention with a few pictures thrown in.
Bubba needs tummy time to get his head up. He HATES it. And I hate doing it to him. Isla is so encouraging. She got down on the ground and pretended to struggle like him then leaned over and said "come on Bub!".
Hard at work!
Ewan is the happiest little guy. It's such a difference from when Isla was a baby. I had to work REALLY hard to get her to smile. In fact, our doctor even had concerns with how little she smiled and laughed. So to have a baby that is THIS happy just melts me. He smiles whenever I even look at him, but especially when I say "what are you doing?". I love his joy.
I'm not sure if you can see her, but Isla is at the very top of this structure. At the zoo there is a playground that looks like it somehow doesn't follow the park structure laws because it is so high. Fearless Isla climbed all the way to the top, peeked out and waved, then sat there for a few minutes before deciding to take the huge slide down. It makes me sweat, but I also love the risks she takes!
We went to the zoo with some friends. Isla and her little friend wanted to hang like the monkeys :)
That same little friend from the zoo joined us at the nature preserve (can you see them both here, deciding if the mud is worth jumping into or not?). Isla and her friend, A (we'll call her that for privacy reasons), have really grown into sweet little pals. They are around the same age and just adore each other. Her mom and I get along great too! I wish we could have more chances to hang out. Now that it's getting colder and we can't be outside as much, I'm not sure what covid-safe socializing will look like. I really, really hate the state of our world right now. It's messing everything up.
In the future, I'd like to do a lengthy post on the importance of outdoor play. I have learned so, so, so much lately about the benefits of outdoor play, how other countries use outdoor play, and what it does to children. I could write a book on it. What I know to be true is that being outdoors is better than any teacher, any toy, or any experience I could try to give Isla. She comes alive and so does the world. I love the idea that I read recently by the author Erin Kenny: "children cannot bounce off the walls if we take away the walls". It's so true.
Tea sipping, sun catching, and leaves blowing.
Always helping me in the kitchen! Usually sneaking licks :)
I caught daddy sleeping on the job!
Bubba boy weighs a whopping 14 pounds! He is almost double his birthweight, which is supposed to happen around 6 months. I like chunky babies anyway.
Isla must have been here :)
Pop Pop has tried to get Isla on his 4 wheeler, but she wants no part in it. I think he's hoping Ewan will like it one day!
It's kind of a running joke that the Readys keep EVERYTHING from Michael and Sarah's childhood and my parents kept nothing. I'm glad they kept this little bike that both kids used. Isla had a lot of fun with it!
All sorts of things happening here: playdoh work going on, Aussie getting in trouble for barking at the neighbor, Ewan trying to get some vitamin D, and pumpkins turning into toothless old men.
Unfortunately, I haven't been feeling well. Michael is convinced it is symptoms of my anxiety and I'm convinced it's Covid. He isn't wrong, though, my anxiety has gotten really bad recently, for a number of reasons. My doctor suggested I get a Covid test just to rule that out. I waited in the drive-thru line for TWO hours. I'm glad I took Ewan because he needed to nurse. I sent this picture to Michael in my frustration, but now I think I'll show this to my grandkids when I tell them about 2020. "I once nursed Ewan in the car while I waited to get Covid tested in the middle of a pandemic." Don't worry the car was completely stopped and parked while I did this. Here's to hoping I'm negative.
And lastly, I snapped this picture this morning. The picture seemed familiar, so I went back in my archives to look...
They must be related ;)
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