Author: Joyce

Sleep Study

Megan is learning to take wonderful lunchtime naps. Occasionally, she will take two shorter ones.

For some reason, she sleeps better at nap time on the couch with all the noise then she does in the quiet of her room. She sleeps on her back, but today she was all over the couch.  We push the coffee table up to the couch so she won’t fall off. But if she wakes up without anyone noticing, she can get down herself. I suppose she fell back asleep as she was getting down in the last picture.

Megan is also doing better sleeping at night. Last night she was in bed, around 9:00! Her new bed time is 10:00 and she will cry until I check on her. Then she falls asleep to her lullaby tape and sleeps until around 5:00.  After a quick snack, she sleeps till 7:00 or later.

Animal Crackers

When we were getting ready to move overseas, I was not sure what ingredients I would find. I searched around for recipe books using simple ingredients. One of the recipes I still use is for Graham Crackers. We made them when Mark was teething and have continued the tradition through Megan. All of the kids love home made animal graham crackers. If given the choice, they prefer the small ones.

This recipe is very easy to make. The sugar has already been reduced some, but it is still a sweet recipe. They freeze wonderfully. Megan knows that her “cookies” are kept in the freezer, so will sign “please” if she is near the freezer and wants one. They are very addictive with milk!

Animal Crackers
By Christopher Morley (1890-1957)

Animal crackers and cocoa to drink,
That is the finest of suppers I think;
When I’m grown up and can have what I please
I think I shall always insist upon these.
What do YOU choose when you’re offered a treat?
When Mother says, “What would you like best to eat?”
Is it waffles and syrup, or cinnamon toast?
It’s cocoa and animals that I love most!

The kitchen’s the cosiest place that I know;
The kettle is singing, the stove is aglow,
And there in the twilight, how jolly to see
The cocoa and animals waiting for me.

Daddy and Mother dine later in state,
With Mary to cook for them, Susan to wait;
But they don’t have nearly as much fun as I
Who eat in the kitchen with Nurse standing by;
And Daddy once said, he would like to be me
Having cocoa and animals once more for tea.

Potato Creek

The weather has been so beautiful this week! We decided to take a picnic lunch to Potato Creek and spend the day there after church.  It was so much fun being outside, exploring new trails and being with each other. God has blessed me with a wonderful family!

First Steps

Megan has been practicing her walking. Her favorite time to get her practice in is when the kids are in bed asleep.  She usually takes just a few steps to Daddy.  Megan thinks that she needs to hold on to a finger to practice her skill the rest of the time.

Today she surprised us by walking from the counter to the table without help! The kids have only seen her take a step or two and I have not seen her walk that far either. We went outside to see if I could get a few first step pictures, and when we came in she was tired and refused to show off for Daddy!

She took a few more steps this evening, but she prefers to crawl.  I am glad, because I think Megan may skip walking and go straight to running so she can keep up with her siblings!

First Ice Cream Cone

With the weather being so warm –80 degrees today!–the kids wanted ice cream. Megan got to enjoy her first cone!

In case you are wondering, there is a tiny dab of ice cream in the cone. But, until she is bigger, she will have to eat ice cream cones without the ice cream 🙂

Megan’s Birthday

Today is Megan’s birthday. It is hard to believe that she is one already!

She does not walk yet, but is very close. Megan loves to climb, so we need to be careful to put the step stool away. She also likes to sit in small spaces. She cut another tooth yesterday so she now has her four front bottom teeth, two molars and four top teeth.

She signs please when she wants something. It is usually when I go into the freezer for something because she knows her “cookies” are there. She also signs thank you, but usually needs help to remember. She is learning to sign Daddy now too.

She is still our night owl, but we have been working on earlier bedtimes. The first time we put her to bed early, she screamed for an hour. When she quieted down and I went to check on her, she was waiting for me. She giggled and crawled to the other side of her bed like it was a game. For the next two and a half hours she quietly waited in her bed for me and giggled every time I came in to check her. I finally went to bed! The last time I checked on her, she fell asleep while I rubbed her tummy.  It was around 1:30! She is doing better, but still goes to sleep around 10:00, which is much better than midnight.

Right now she is enjoying chasing a balloon around.  Maybe that will tire her out and she will go to bed early 🙂

Today’s Smile–Throwing Rocks

During our vacation, Adrian really enjoyed all the rocks that he could throw into the lake. He collected a few rocks, but most of the time he preferred throwing them. One day Grandpa said that “God put the rocks where they were.” Adrian wondered a minute before Allan said, “God put the rocks where they are so little boys could throw them.”