Catch Up

Now that we live back home and close to family, I find I don't blog nearly as often as I once did. So, now I'm playing catch-up. So much has happened in the past month or so, much of which needs it's own post. That will come. Eventually. For now, here's a glimpse of what's happenin'.

The little dude is a Sunbeam! What?! In our church, the January after a child turns three he/she moves out of Nursery and graduates to the Sunbeam Sunday School class. It's kinda a big deal. Our little guy isn't the biggest fan of church. Well,  it's more the sitting he isn't fond of. But, he's been so excited to move into Primary (the children's Sunday School program) that Andy and I have noticed a huge improvement in his behavior at church. Not that he was bad, just impatient... and bored... and that can sometimes lead to him running toward the front of the chapel, giggling and taunting Daddy... while the bishop is talking. But, no more. Not our little guy. He tries so hard to be reverent during sacrament, loves to say the prayer in Sunbeams and comes home ready to tell us what he learned or what scripture story they read.

Our teeny baby is now six months old and has been introduced to the wonderful world of solid foods. There's not a fruit or vegetable this girl has met that she hasn't liked. I've been working on sign language with her, to help her tell me when she's hungry or wants more, but she hasn't quite caught on yet and much prefers to yell at me when I'm not shoveling her food into her mouth fast enough.

And our big kindergarten girl was named Kid of Character for her class this week (it's like student of the week). Each week, all the teachers in the school choose one child from their class who has exhibited one of six character pillars (trustworthiness, fairness, respect, responsibility, caring and citizenship). There's a bulletin board near the front of the school that displays pictures of each of the kids of character and the character they exhibited. Ava's teacher said she couldn't choose just one for Ava so next to Ava's picture it read: "Ava couldn't choose just one character pillar to be good at. She's good at all of them! Way to go Ava!" She was so excited when she saw that and thanked her teacher. It makes my heart swell with happiness to know that the things we strive to teach her at home, and the things we see her often exhibit in our home, she carries with her at school too. We're so proud of our sweet girl!

A Unique Sense of Style

I have a hard time relinquishing control. There it is, I admit it. Before I had kids, I knew this woman whose son would only wear swim trunks, snow boots and t-shirts. So, every day that's what he wore. With the exception of Sundays, when church attire was necessary, the kid had a standard uniform. While it was quite the conversation starter, I remember wondering how in the world she could let her son out of the house looking like that. I just knew that when I had children they'd always be dressed adorably. Their outfits would match and people would comment on how cute my kids look. I would have control of their appearance.

Funny story. I had kids and lost control. Well, atleast of their clothing choices. Jax most days will only wear a shirt with a monster truck on it. We have about 20. Every time we go to a clothing store he is sure I browse the racks for monster truck shirts.

On occasion, he'll forgo the monster truck shirt for Ninja Turtles or Star Wars, but that's about it. Usually, his pants aren't a problem but he has an odd affinity for a pair of blue galoshes that look like sharks WHICH he likes to tuck his pants in.

And Ava, my sweet little girl who I dressed so adorably in her early years is now a little fashionista. Each day she chooses her own ensemble, right down to the accessories. And we get something that looks a little like this:

Let's go over this shall we? We've got the pink scarf that actually belonged to Andy's grandma. Ava found it as we cleaned out Grandma's house after her death and just HAD to have it. Next, we have the butterfly rhinestone shirt and a color block skirt. Not too bad. But look closely at what's below the skirt, those, dear readers are blue leggings with large sunflowers on them. They're Ava's favorite leggings. Next, we have a pair of purple Fancy Nancy socks (if you've read the books, you know why these socks are so appropriate) and brown Mary Janes. She LOVES this outfit! It's a pretty accurate representation of what she wears on a daily basis. Initially, I had a hard time letting her choose her outfits. It's one of those things I wanted to have control of. I mean, my kids' appearance is a direct reflection of me, right? Did Ava's outfit make it seem as if I didn't have it together. Is any of this important. NO! Because, when I realized the confidence it gave her, when I saw her admiring her ensemble in the mirror before school, I was okay with losing control. My little girl is growing up. She's developing her own sense of style and using it to express herself. I love that. One day, she'll be a teenager, she'll be obsessed with her appearance and clothes. I'll long for the days when she was little and carefree and happy to wear this:

 

 Or this: