100 Things You Never Asked About Me (In Honor of My 100th Post)

Yes, ma'am. This is Post #100! Can you believe it??

So.....I apologize...........in advance.

(Innnnn-haling...)

1. My middle name is Kathryn. (With a "Y"!)

2. So is my grandmother's...

3....and my grandmother's brother's daughter's.

4....and my niece's.

5. I think that's the best way to spell it. (Of course.)

6. I learned to knit about 9 years ago.

7. I've made a handful of finished projects.

8. I knitted a newborn outfit for Atticus, but never managed to sew it together.

9. I'm horrible about starting projects and not finishing them.

10. I have intense guilt about it.

11. I like to read.

12. I used to devour books in one sitting.

13. It's rare that I finish one in several months' time now.

14. I have intense guilt about that as well.

15. If I had the time (and wouldn't fall asleep doing it), I'd read 24/7.

16. Really, I have a thing for books. I think they deserve the utmost respect.

17. In fact, I hate to break the spine of a book, so I often read with the book barely open and just PEER into it so the book won't look used.

18. That's some crazy "OCD" weirdness right there.

19. I think ADD/ADHD, OCD, ODD, and all the other abbreviated medical conditions are OVERLY diagnosed.

20. Paul and I both have hazel eyes.

21. My eyes were actually blue until I was 4 years old.

22. My first dog's name was "Lassie."

23. I was apparently a fairly impressionable kid.

24. My family and I visited my aunt and uncle in Germany when I was little.

25. I had my 5th birthday party there.

26. I received a tiny plastic snow globe as a present from some random German boy who lived near my aunt.

27. I kept it until only a year or so ago. Don't ask me why.

28. I hate the kind of "hold" silly objects can have on a person.

29. I struggle with knowing when to save or trash items.

30. I am excited about an idea I just read about to preserve the memory of "special-ish" items by taking a picture of them and then writing a few sentences about each one for a photo album. (And then TRASHING the actual objects!!)

31. I grew up in a family that owned a furniture/gift shop business.

32. I was once buried down deep in a giant MOUNTAIN of bean bags there by two of my much-older cousins.

33. They left me there, and I couldn't get out.

34. I have never forgotten that experience.

35. I feel sure it is the reason I have a tendency to be claustrophobic.

36. In fact, I feel a slight panic-attack coming on right now just thinking about it.

37. However, flying doesn't bother me one bit. I LOVE flying.

38. Maybe it's because I LOVE traveling.

39. Besides Germany when I was small, I've been to...

40. London,

41. Paris,

42. Prague,

43. Vienna,

44. and New York. (Ha! It's a foreign country, right?)

45. Speaking of New York, I LOVE Broadway musicals. (Show tunes, anyone??)

46. I am a singer......though not a Broadway singer.

47. But if God hadn't planned for me to be a mommy, I might have chosen to be a Broadway

singer and dancer. (Well, that or a veterinarian. Ha!)

48. I'm thankful for and happy with HIS plan.

49. AND I get to be a "church singer" sometimes.

50. I met my darling husband at college.

51. He transferred to where I was after our freshman year.

52. We had mutual friends.

53. He sort of had me "picked out" before he even got there! (Thanks, Freshman Face Finder.)

54. I already had a boyfriend.

55. It didn't matter. God was in control.

56. We are living happily ever afterly...

57. I graduated with a degree in psychology (hate psychology) and a concentration in elementary education. (The only way I can explain that to people who didn't go to a liberal arts school like mine is that it was sort of like having a double major.)

58. I loved the organizational parts of teaching--curriculum, lesson-planning, textbook adoption, class rosters, name tags, rules, making things, centers, teacher workshops, writing on the board, tidying the room at the end of each day, even grading papers. (Yes, I know I'm weird.)

59. But I hated getting up early in the morning.

60. And I hated feeling like I couldn't make enough of a difference in the lives of some children.

61. I'm thankful I'm teaching my OWN children now.

62. I homeschool because...

63. ...we believe God gave us complete authority over our children to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord and that, at least FOR US, that can ONLY be done if we are solely responsible for their daily instruction. (In other words, it does NOT take a village...)

64. ...if there's one thing I know from my years as a teacher, one-on-one instruction trumps group instruction almost any day of the week, certainly when it's tailored to a child's ability level.

65. ...our kids don't need "socialization" by the world's standards. Placing them in a classroom with only same-age peers all day every day will teach them only the social skills of THAT age group. (And just keep in mind, bad company corrupts good character.) At home, they can learn to relate to many different age groups as they "socialize" with adults, older children who are growing in responsibility, younger children who need help from the older ones, and other homeschool families and/or friends at church.

66. ...I'd miss out on so many ridiculously funny, preciously endearing, wildly chaotic, and be-still-my-heart memorable moments in my children's lives that I don't know what I'd do with myself all day if I didn't do THIS. As bedraggled as I usually am, the truth of the matter is that I'd miss my kiddos terribly if they weren't right here at home with me day in and day out.

67. ...for the most part we can do whatever we want, whenever we want (which is the way I like life to be, don't you?) without concern about "missing school." So we can take a road trip to visit family or friends during the week if we want, we can take a break and go to the Wonder Place or the zoo or the library if we want, we can take vacations (WILL we ever??!!!) during off-peak travel times and get all the best deals, and we can have play dates whenever we want. (FREEDOM!! It's a good thing.)

68. ...I want to be the one who GETS to teach them all the cool things they need to learn about! 'Cause I'm selfish that way. (That's why.)

69. I enjoy photography.

70. Sadly, I don't have time to adequately LEARN to do it as well as I'd like.

71. My favorite color is purple. All shades.

72. It's actually NOT because I grew up rooting for the Hamburg Lions, whose team color is purple.

73. I don't know why I like it, I just do.

74. I'm not a fan of pink, in general. I LOVE it on Saylor, and I don't mind the occasional pink item for myself, but I'm not one of those gals with a NEED for pink.

75. I detest filing things.

76. Even finger nails. (Hee hee)

77. It shows.

78. I am an organizer and enjoy all things "Organization."

79. However, I have allowed my house to become so full of stuff that now that I'm MUCH busier just doing the day-to-day things like feeding, clothing, and teaching children, there is no longer any organization in our home.

80. I have intense guilt about it. Serious guilt.

81. I am desperate to declutter my home.

82. But I think I may need moral support AND a drill sergeant.

83. Oh, and I'll take a babysitter while we're at it, too.

84. I'm not ashamed to say it...

85. I need some help over here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

86. I'll never forget when Paul and I were just getting to know one another, we'd tell each other long lists of things we liked or disliked. Some of mine were/are:

87. I like Dutch irises. A lot.

88. Really, I like just about any flower.

89. Except I don't like marigolds. Because they stink.

90. And actually, I think lilies do, too. If they're right by your head and all.

91. I like rainy days. When I don't have to get out in it, that is (especially with four small children).

92. I like naps and sleeping late, neither of which are possibilities for me right now.

93. I grew up on Simon & Garfunkel, The Mamas and the Papas, Peter, Paul & Mary, The Lovin' Spoonful, and Three Dog Night.

94. I still dig them all!

95. I am a big poetry fan.

96. I even used to write it in college, but it took so much out of me I had to quit.

97. Ha! From the look of that list so far, I obviously should have grown up in the 60s so I could be the hippie (minus the drugs) that I am.

98. Politically?? Not so much.

99. I actually HATE politics.

100. I married someone who loves politics. (Of course.)

(...big exhale)

Have anything in common with me???!!

Not Me! Monday

Y'all.

I am SOOOO organized these days. SOOOO on top of things! I have NOT let it become CHRISTmas season without posting October's Pumpkin Patch pictures! I mean really, who let's an entire month and a half go by??!! And I am NOT still unprepared to publish said post. I, of course, have everything all lined up, pictures properly captioned, and a very descriptive narrative written to accompany all those great photos!!

And we did NOT have any trouble whatsoever getting a decent shot of all four kiddos. We NEVER have trouble doing that!! Like this one, in which they are NOT the slightest bit squinty...

Or THIS one, which is just perfection in a photo.

My blessed children are NOT doomed to have their mother's squinty, sun-sensitive eyes. They LOVE staring straight into the sun for photos!! (Just like me.)

Gabriel has NOT always found the dishwasher to be a great place to play with cars. Because I don't know about you, but WE provide our children with all the best, most age-appropriate educational toys.

And that is absolutely NOT moldy crud growing in the dishwasher...because let's face it, we have the BEST dishwasher on the planet. NEVER a moment's trouble!

This, my friends, is NOT my closet. NONE of what you see here actually exists. This photo is a fake. Because I do NOT have a messy closet!!! NOT me!!

And we most certainly do NOT store incredibly random objects on the top shelf. Objects I'm sometimes not sure why we would even have!!


Do you see the neon green ring? Those are NOT my high school English literature books...because I am NOT so nerdy as to BUY them when I was graduating. Because that was NOT required (really, it was NOT), so why would I doooooo that???!! Oh, probably because that literature could NEVER be found in a public library. Right?!

And I did NOT come outside one afternoon to find THIS:

It is NOT Noah's creative concept of an outdoor restaurant called "Good Tiyr"--just in case you thought it was. He did NOT find that tire way up in our woods and proceed to roll that sucker all the way down into our backyard and use it as inspiration for a "restaurant."

Who would have ever thought of such a thing?? NOT my child!! He has so many more important ways to spend his time. And besides that, our yard HAS NEVER and COULD NEVER look like Fred Sanford's!

This is NOT the dining table.

I am NOT so exhausted with it all that I am contemplating calling in an "outside crew" like they have on Hoarders (scary, scary show on A&E) and just getting rid of everything we own. I am so thankful for the stuff--the stuff that takes over and makes it so I no longer notice my children!! I am NOT in serious need of a vacation (NOT a Staycation). And I am NOT still yearning for this cob house:

You can head over to MckMama's Not Me! Monday to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

One Teeny Tiny Way...

Well, we actually got all our shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child packed and to the church on time. It took me a bit to CRRRRRAAAAMMMM all the goodies in!! After that last post we ended up getting a few more items, plus the third box, so things had to be reconfigured. There were watercolor paints and inflatable balls, board books and Hot Wheels, mini tea sets and mirrors. It was pretty unbelievable how much stuff we fit into such a small space. Then I had to take care of all the little details. Like printing labels, gathering rubber bands to secure the boxes, and filling out the "All About Me" pages for the two non-writers. (They did the coloring, however.) This project is so much fun! Feels just as good/sweet/loving/nurturing to do this for three children somewhere far away we'll almost certainly never meet as to do it for our OWN kids. It really does. In fact, in some ways it feels better. (Not that that's WHY one should do it.)

In his book Living Beyond the Limit , Franklin Graham writes, "In a world where life for many children is harsh and cruel, what do you think a child will do when he or she receives a box filled with toys and candy — a small present by American standards, but unbelievably generous by their own? Most often, a child will unwrap the shoe box, take out just one piece of candy or one small gift and hand the box back. When we tell them, "No, the whole thing is yours," their little eyes peer back into the box in disbelief — some cry, others giggle, most just hug the box close to their grateful hearts."


That's reason enough, wouldn't you say?

Go to their website and check out exactly what this organization is all about. And by the way, Samaritan's Purse (the mother organization of Operation Christmas Child) includes in each box a small booklet with the Gospel message in the child's native language.

If you didn't get your shoe box(es) done and dropped off in time for the last day of National Collection Week, you can actually send completed shoe boxes YEAR ROUND!!! Yes! No more excuses! Send them to:

Samaritan's Purse
Operation Christmas Child
801 Bamboo Road
Boone, NC 28607

Now. I'm going to step on my political soap box for just a sec. Many will watch the images in this video (one of my absolute favorite songs, by the way)...

or images of our OWN countrymen in poverty and dire straits and say that our government should step in and do this or that to meet their needs and "fix" things for them. In fact, I used to be one of those people! (Ah, those crazy high school and college years!) I actually thought government should get in there and TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE, but I now know that:

1) Life isn't fair. It never WILL be. That's thanks to Brother Adam and Sister Eve. Right?
2) Some of the people in those situations are there as a result of consequences of their own actions. (Not saying we should leave them in their desolate state...I'm just pointing it out.)
3) Putting the government in charge of solving problems of this magnitude is like putting an 8-year old in charge of planning...I don't know...the Inaugural Parade! There's just no way it's going to get done WELL.
4) ALL the government has ever done is "dole out." It can't and won't show Christ's love.
5) The government DOESN'T EVEN HAVE THE MONEY to do it!!!! Though it claims to. (And will just tax and tax and tax EVERY BODY to get the money, yet will still be in debt. It TAKES from one and gives to another. That's called stealing, by the way.)
6) These are opportunities for believers to LOVE people and thus WIN their souls for the Lord (meeting the greatest need they will ever have).
7) It's not the government's business to love on people. The government DOESN'T love people. It just enables them (to stay where they are).
8) It's the Church's business to love on people. The Church should be GIVING it's time, it's money, it's resources, it's gifts and talents, it's abundance, it's love. God commands His followers (not the government) to "feed the poor," etc. In fact, God never commands (or even suggests!) the State should address social ills caused by sin (speaking of "The Fall" here, not specific sins). This responsibility rests solely with the Church.
9) The government really ought to be focusing on keeping us a free country and preserving our liberties (or what's left of them).
10) The government should REMEMBER that we were not founded on Socialist principles!

That said...we, the Church,

better.
get.
busy.

Makes me think of this Casting Crowns lyric:

But if we are the Body

Why aren't His arms reaching?

Why aren't His hands healing?

Why aren't His words teaching?

And if we are the Body

Why aren't His feet going?

Why is His love not showing them there is a way?

Jesus paid much too high a price

For us to pick and choose who should come

And we are the Body of Christ.

So. Shoe boxes??? This is just one teeny tiny way (among many) we can show Christ's love to others. Just help meet some BASIC needs and then share the good news of Jesus. Send some money to do some good some where, but make sure it's an organization that is all about spreading the Gospel. We don't NEED even HALF of what we have. So just QUIT! Quit getting more and more for yourself and give to someone else! So many people have LITERALLY nothing. Not even any hope. Please pray that they receive hope--the hope of Jesus Christ--and then let's join in and help MAKE it happen!!!!

"Go, send, or disobey." -- John Piper

(I've been having trouble with wacky font changes. Here's hoping they publish correctly...I don't pretend to understand the mysteries of Blogger.)

Still Playing Catch Up: VBS

Things that happened in June and July...


We did two VBS's this summer. I guess we were trying to make up for lost time, since we hadn't attended any at all since Noah was maybe 3 or 4. One was at my parents' church. My parents came up to see Saylor's dance recital (on a Sunday) and then spontaneously decided to take the big kids back with them for the week! Yes, ma'am. That is what is called a "win win" situation. I, the overworked Mommy, desperately needed a moment to breathe, and Mimi and Da must have needed some one-on-one time with their eldest two grandchildren. So that worked out just fine.

Well, they had a blast going to VBS each morning and then fishing, swimming, playing, watching movies, etc. at with Mimi and Da every afternoon. Meanwhile back in Little Rock, the babies and I went shopping at Kroger's for THAT night's supper, and it was pleasant and quiet (remember, no talking around here for the "2 and under" crowd) I just love shopping for fresh ingredients for supper. Never do it, but love it. I even tried out a new recipe, which. was awesome. Woo hoo!!

*sigh*

I really did miss my big 'uns, though, so I headed down to see their closing ceremony Friday night of that week. Got some of it on video. Loved their cute VBS crafts! Aren't they the greatest?! And there's ALWAYS some sort of picture frame. ALWAYS.

There were a few other items, but I've no idea where they've wandered off to.

A couple of my favorites:

Saylor made a drum (out of a peanut can)

Noah made a prayer journal

Token Picture Frame #1

And #2

OUR church had a VBS this year, too. It's important to note here that our church, as of this summer, was a mere year and a half old, so the fact that there even WAS a VBS for such a young (and small) church is really saying something. (See the link for Redeemer Community Church on my sidebar? Y'all come on!!) It was also the most well-thought-out, beautifully-decorated, and interesting VBS I've ever attended/helped with, and I've been to MANY a VBS!! I just have to commend all our volunteers for how well it all came off. I wish my camera would have been functional (and not sitting here with a full card and no software for this crazy computer) so I could have shown you how truly awesome it was! Ours was an African Prayer Safari called "Kingdom of the Son," which took us through The Lord's Prayer. Mimi's kid-sized stuffed giraffe made an appearance, along with Noah's tent and various other items...The decor? Well, it was grand.

I taught the 4- and 5-year old kiddos, so Saylor was in my class. She did great with me there. No whining or neediness. She just did her thang. And I even got to use a felt board, which cracked me up! Gabriel and Atticus were the only babies in the nursery, so they really developed a special bond that week, I think.

My kids thought snack time was the best part of each day, and I couldn't have agreed more. Our ladies went all out. No packaged cookies and Kool-aid here! No sir! We're talking "Ants on a Log" (pretzel sticks dipped in peanut butter and then sprinkled with chocolate sprinkles), "Gorilla Grub" (apple slices to dip in yogurt--'cause gorillas like to dip their food. Did you know that?), "Dirt Cups" (you know...the pudding and crumbled cookie stuff), "Critter Crunch" (yummy trail mix complete with M&M's and served in an ice cream cone--how cute is that?!), and I cannot for the life of me remember what the last thing was, but I'm sure it was equally as creative and tasty. And the snack ROOM itself was truly something to behold! They had hung vines from the ceiling and turned the lights down low and there were all sorts of jungly-type animals all around. It was trés cute.

And, oh, the songs they learned! The Hamburg VBS was an Australian theme called "The Boomerang Express," and Noah knows every single word to the main song. Take it from me. We've seen him "perform" it for the family a time or two while standing on our couch. The Redeemer VBS songs were African and extremely catchy. Our favorite? "Harambe," meaning "let's get together" (a.k.a. "Namsifu mungu kwa" which is Swahili for "I praise God"). It had a fun little dance to go along with it. Even the adults couldn't help but jump in there!

All that to say that we (and this does not include Gabriel, who did NOT appreciate being dropped off in the nursery with perfect strangers) thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at VBS this summer. And, may I point out, I successfully showed up ON TIME (even a bit early) five days in a row WITH all four children (under the age of seven) clean, dressed, and fed--and with no help?! It CAN be done, people! It can. But I will admit it was nothing short of crazy, and I was absolutely beat by the time I got home each day. Thank you, Lord, we are (normally) a homeschooling family.

In other somewhat-related (and much more recent) news...

We have been very busy getting our shoe boxes packed for Operation Christmas Child. We did it last year through our church and loved every minute of it!! Something new and exciting about this year is that we are going to make our postage-cost donation online and then print out labels with bar codes. This will enable us to track where our boxes end up!!! Cool, huh? And this year, we will enclose some info. about our family in hopes that we may befriend a pen pal or two. It's not too late to get involved yourself!! Go to the official website linked above and read all about what to do. It's easy. You can find your nearest drop-off location here. The drive is through Monday, November 23. So hurry!! (We'll be dropping ours off at church tomorrow.)

There's a list of gift ideas (and some things to definitely NOT include) on the website. OH!!! And in case you don't have time to get stuff together, you can always simply go to their website and make a donation to defray shipping costs, etc. It's a worthy cause.

Here is what OURS look like. Included are MANY little toys, a plush toy, a pencil pouch full of candy, a toothbrush and toothpaste, a comb or brush, a little pail to keep things in, crayons, a pad of construction and tracing paper, a train whistle, nail clippers, several mechanical pencils, and a bar of soap. (By the way, if you send soap you should put it in a baggy so it won't ruin the taste of any candy you may enclose. We double bagged our soap and put our candy in the pencil pouch--just to be safe.) I still need to put in a washcloth and the little notes about ourselves, but they're mostly done. In fact, we had stuff left over that wouldn't fit, so instead of returning things, we're just going to fill another box.

Snips, Snails, & Pretty Pigtails (Running Behind)

Thought I'd be a blogger again...you know...now that it's not crazy around here. (Ha! Who am I kidding?) I've been working on this post for almost a month now! I figured I'd better get it posted before it becomes December and none of this makes any sense anymore. Let the "snips" begin...

Noah was in a play at Academy. (Wait--did I forget to mention we enrolled him in LR Homeschool Academy?**) They did a little play about Christopher Columbus. Noah was a sailor. He had such dramatic flair when rehearsing his lines. Seriously cracked me up. The only problem he had was remembering WHEN to say those lines. He kept getting confused on WHICH lines to say WHEN, so he'd panic and then practically whisper until he was sure he was right and then suddenly he'd get louder. And he wouldn't pay attention to what the others were saying, so he would often say the wrong thing...even though he remembered it was his turn to speak. It was funny. Poor thing. I was honestly a little worried he'd never get it right in time for the performance, but when the moment of truth finally arrived...he did GREAT!! I've always thought he could be an actor. Just ask him sometime to tell you about something that requires some description, and boy! you'll get description alright!! Like when he wants to tell me all about so-and-so twisting his arm on the playground (yeah--gotta love that for a confidence-booster in our decision to put him in a group with peers his own age) or when he has found some amazing treasure up in the woods. Always entertaining, that boy.

Noah and His Friend Brady After the Play

And while I'm on the subject of Noah, here are some before and after pics of his hair. :) I cut it a while ago, but forgot to blog about it. Mostly, I wanted to share this website with you, just in case YOU ever have to take on this ultra-challenging task. It helped ME tremendously!!

Scandalous!

Much Improved

Such Precision!

**Homeschool Academy is a one-day-a-week classroom setting for children who are homeschooled. Kids in the upper grades get a chance to take classes like photography, chemistry lab., and ancient Roman history. Stuff like that. Second graders do geography, sign language, art and stuff like that. I know because I used to teach the second grade class. Anyway, that's Academy. It's a great idea, in theory. I actually help out in a kindergarten class, so Noah gets to go for free. (Hooray for free!)

Saylor has been enjoying her "status" as big sister lately. (Though sometimes a bit too much.) I often hear her talking to Atticus like "Yes, you ARE a cute baby, aren't you?" (and I DO hope you imagined that line with as much sing-songy baby talk as possible). And she's enjoying directing playtime with Gabriel. "Okay, Gabriel. Let's go to my room. Do you want to put the baby to bed? Okay. Come on!" We're working on not being manipulative. (Crazy how that just comes naturally.) Today she was doing such a good job, though, of helping Gabriel. He kept getting frustrated with the trains because one of the cars would flip over or something and then they wouldn't roll right. Saylor was very attentive to his needs. She kept going over and saying, "Do you need me to fix it? Okay. How about we let Thomas pull this one? Will that work? Now then. Now you can do it." Gabe would even come get her when he needed help!

Spontaneous Dress-up/Cowboy Game

(apparently with masks AND tooth-brushing)

The other day at dinner Saylor spontaneously wanted to tell things she loves about the babies. (Paul had taken Noah to a men's meeting at church, so it was just the four of us together.) Her answers?

1) She loves that Gabriel says "Eh eh" when he wants his silkie and "mm mm" (with proper inflection) for thank you. Ha!

2) She loves that Atticus has crazy hair when he wakes up and that he smiles big at her. So sweet.

She has really become very social (with kids) lately. I was shocked to find her several weekends ago at a VERY extended-relations family reunion talking and talking and talking with this seven year-old boy. I have no idea about what. But for whatever reason, they just hit if off. (Of course, after all that conversing she still didn't even know his name!)

Say Say and Her Little Friend Sydney

(Thanks for the pic, Syd's Mom!! Love you!)

And then there's Dane. Dane and Saylor have been friends since birth, so perhaps this is why he is so enamored with her. They are in class together at Academy and from what I've been told, Dane looks out for her. As in....if a boy wants to approach Saylor, he has to go through Dane first. Ha!!! Love that kid!

We may or may not have already arranged their marriage. (hee hee)

Gabriel is slowly, but surely, coming out of his language shell. We started the speech therapy process with...umm...about twelve words (and several signs and sounds). By the second week, he very eagerly let me teach him to say his therapist's name ("Ash" for Ashley). He LOVES her and is trying more and more sounds for her each week. He learned to say "yes" about couple of weeks or so ago, and he now uses it freely (without prompting). It is such a delight to hear real words come from his mouth. Some new words he can say now when looking at pictures or being prompted in some way are "bubble," "turtle," "purple," "read," "book," "open," and "bath." He's been actively USING words like "Say Say," "I don't know," "me," "stop," and "water." I've learned one thing that works for him is pairing a motion/sign with a new sound. He sometimes needs the physical thing to do while making the sound. Like when I taught him to say "Ash," I taught him to sort of hang on the short "a" sound for a bit and then clap when he was ready to say "shhhh." That's what worked for him. So weird how our brains work that way. Anyway, we are ever so thankful that he is able to receive therapy and that he seems to be doing quite well.

Extra Cheesy

Gabe is also very comfortable in his role as "Big Brother." You might think he'd rather just go on being a baby right along with Atticus, but nope. He definitely knows his job is to look after the "baby." In fact, he can often be heard telling Atticus "no no" when Atticus finds something on the floor and wants to eat it or when he looks like he might try going up the stairs. He'll run to get me and say "beh beh, beh beh!" and point to tell me that Atticus is going somewhere he shouldn't (like toward the toilet). The other day Gabriel "protected" Atticus from the strange lady/toy store-owner by running to his side, placing his hand on Atticus's head, and patting it lightly. He stayed right with him until I returned. (FYI: I was ten steps away making my purchase, while they played at a train table.)

When Atticus fusses, Gabriel makes sure to get him his Silkie.

They are fast friends, those two. They just have an understanding between them. I guess being a mere 16 months apart makes it easy to relate to one another.

And Atticus? Our little Atticus? Well, he's walking. Oh, yes he is. He technically took his first steps the day before his birthday (October 9th), but only a few short days later starting doing as many as five or six steps at a time. He fell on his face a few times, so he was a little tentative for the longest, which tends to slow one down. (Can ya blame him?) And while he's still going no more than say SEVEN steps before plopping down, he's willing to try more often now. And he's more stable when standing. He just hasn't figured out that he can stand himself up from sitting yet. But still...it counts. He's walking.

Most Likely the Cutest Crooked Teeth You Ever Saw

I've always said he is a very determined little guy, so this new endeavor suits him just fine. Recently he has developed the habit of making this cute little double grunt right after he says "dada"... so he goes, "Dada, uh uh." It is the keee-YOOO-test thing ever. He even heard Paul come in the front door the other day and immediately started crawling as fast as he could from the kitchen to the living room saying, "Dada, dada, dada, dada!" Awwww. That's my smart little fella!!

Atticus has also had a hair cut. I decided I would NOT allow the baby mullet to happen this time around!! Aren't you proud of me?? He's now had his first official trim.

Other snippets about Atticus I should have mentioned as they happened are:

1) He mimics "night night," "bye bye," "ball," "uh-oh," "ma ma," "Oh, no!" and Gabriel's version of "thank you."

2) He signs "hat," "dog," "bear," "duck," "car," "snake," and sometimes "more."

3) He waves "hi" and "bye."

4) He loves to play "This Little Piggy," "Peek-a-boo," and "Patty Cake."

5) He recognizes the word "Silkie" and smiles when he sees it.

6) He is the first Davidson baby ever to actually take a nap at church.

7) He is obsessed with obtaining the phone, the remote, and/or the computer.

We start 'em early around here.

These are the things I want to always remember...

Wishing

Mama needs a new food dehydrator. (Check out this giveaway at Keeper of the Home.)