April 2014

When thinking about our "educational/crafty" activities for the month of April, I knew I wanted to do a few things. I wanted Ashlynn to do fun egg/bunny crafts, but I also wanted her to know that the focus was on the cross, and the resurrection. I decided to do a week of spring crafts, followed by 2 weeks focusing on the cross, and then another spring week. Here are a few of the fun things that we did:

We made "hand print" Easter bunnies. They ended up looking a little "mousey" but Ashlynn loved the paint!

We laced the shape of an egg. I honestly did not think that A would care much for this, but she actually put the post attention into it.  She was very insistent on lacing it by herself, and did not do too bad for her first shot.

The week before Easter, we made palm leaves (no pun intended, as my husband pointed out!).  We waved them, and talked about worshipping the Lord.

We also made watercolor crosses.  We talked about how the people who worshipped Jesus put him on the cross, and they hurt him and gave him boo-boos, which caused him to die.  The night before we did this, my heart was very heavy with how to convey death to a 2 year old, and thankfully the Lord led the conversation.  Later that day, I asked her why we painted the cross and she said "God is good." I asked her what happened on the cross, and she hung her precious little head and said "He died." I pray that this message is one that sticks with her, and that one day she will truly grasp what it means that He died for our sins.

In Little Village on on Easter Sunday, they taught the kiddos about how our hearts are sick, but Jesus' heart is clean, and that He died so that we can have clean hearts. Ashylnn has been talking about Jesus' heart ever since.

In remembrance of His resurrection, we made resurrection rolls.  We rolled up the white marshmallow in the crescent roll, and topped it with oil and sugar. We talked about how they dressed Jesus in white, and put oils and spices on his body because he was dead.

After we baked them, I let her look for the marshmallow. She said "Where is it? I dunno!" We then spent time talking about how Jesus rose from the dead. I know her little 2 year old brain may not comprehend it, but pray that as the years go on, her eyes will be opened to His truths.

Our final "springy" fun was to make a flower.  She got new "dot markers" and I had been wanting to try them out with a dot template.  She did great for her first time, and loved making the white circles "go away".

Easter 2014

We had such a busy,fun and blessed Easter weekend!

Friday started out with a little guy/girl time. Mark went golfing with a friend, while I went to brunch/to get pedis with a friend! The girls headed down to the lake with my mom, and we met them there.

We spent Friday relaxing with my grandparents.

Saturday, Ashlynn enjoyed quite a few rides of the "goh-caht" with her Bampa! She LOVES riding around with him.

We also colored Easter eggs for the first time on Saturday. It was not the gloriously cute event that I had in mind, but it was still fun :)

Bailey just ate newspaper. Ashlynn enjoyed dropping the eggs in the water, but was a little rough with them.

She was so proud of her finished product.

Around lunchtime, almost all of the rest of our family came. My Bampa thought that we were down for an early Easter lunch, but it was really a surprise 80th birthday lunch for him!

Right after lunch, we headed home. We had a wedding reception that evening, and the girlies played with our good friends here at the house. The next morning, we woke up to this sweet ONE year old!

In addition to B's 1st birthday, it was Easter! The girls and Mark got fun little baskets.

Before church, we snapped a few Easter pictures!

That afternoon, the birthday girl helped me prep for Easter/Birthday dinner.

All of the grandparents, and a few uncles came over for dinner. We grilled out, and enjoyed the girls.

And we also had our Easter egg hunt.  

It was such a fun weekend. Even more important than that, it was a weekend of celebrating our salvation, and the sacrifice that the Lord made for us. I pray that we are teaching our girls that it is great to have fun, and hunt eggs, but that there is so much more to the day.

Happy 12 Months Bailey!

Bailey,

You are 1! How is that possible?? You are becoming more of a toddler and less of a baby each day.  We truly love and enjoy watching you grow and develop. It is beyond a blessing to be you and your sister's parents.

Here are your stats from your 1 year checkup:

Weight: 22.8 lbs (86%)

Height: 30 1/4 inches (86%)

Head circumference: 46.3 cm

You got 3 shots, and were pretty upset about it :/ You are a healthy girl, and are on track developmentally! When we tried to switch you to milk, you had some pretty major problems (whole and almond milks). The doctor thinks you may be lactose intolerant, like your mama. You started on a lactose free milk and it seems to be doing great.

You are currently wearing size 12-18 month clothes. You just moved up to size 4 shoes, and are wearing size 3/4 diapers.  You normally take 3 (8 oz) sippy cups a day, and eat a LOT of food. You love table food.  A few favorite foods are: sausage, fruit, and raisins.  

You are mobile! You crawl super fast, and walk along furniture or holding a hand. The doctor says he thinks you will be walking solo soon. 

You normally go to sleep around 8-8:30 each night, and sleep for 12-12.5 hours.  You were waking up some around 2, but seem to be over that phase. Your favorite place to nap is in the Ergo, but most days you take 1 nap in your crib.

You are a mimicker.  You are really quick at picking up things that others do with their hands. You can:

Play peekaboo

Do the "Down in the Garden" rhyme with your hands

Clap

Brush your hair and teeth

Wave

Blow kisses

Make the "a-a-a-a" sound while hitting your mouth

Pretend to talk on the phone

You can also sign for "more" and "all done".

You had your last real bottle this month, and are now solely on sippy cups! Mama was pretty sad about that, but I am also overjoyed to know that you are growing toward independence and developing!

You have 9 teeth, and are working on 3-4 more. 

You have a few words down! You say:

Mama, Dada, peekaboo, more, hi, keys

You have said a few words 1x:

dry, burp, Zeus (Zoooo!)

You love to try and "sing" along with things!

You love being outside (and eating the grass/dirt!). You love to feel the wind and the cool air.  You also love water (rain, bath, any type).  You have the sweetest disposition and the biggest smile! Your Granny calls you "smiley" for a reason.  You also have the biggest temper! You have a tendency to grunt or yell to get things that you want, and you will flail your fists and make such grouchy faces haha!

You are rarely called Bailey. Most day is it "Bay-Bay" but other names include Bay-boo, boo-boo or Bailey-boop.  

You and your sister are the best of friends! Lately she has been asking to "hold bay-bay!" or for you to sleep in her bed. You follow her like a shadow and try to do anything that she does!

 Sweet girl, we love you to the moon and back. Each day with you is a gift, and we treasure your life and the blessing that you are.  We pray that the Lord would grab hold of your soul young, and that He would be glorified through all that you do. Happy 1 year Bailey girl!

Love,

Mama and Daddy