it's raining, it's pouring...

i'm actually really enjoying the rain today. I have a fire in the fireplace, a cup of coffee in my hand, and Macie is napping! it's nice to have a slow day now and again......and I'm so excited that our naps are fixed. Macie went nearly 2 weeks without a real nap......that was an adventure to say the least! I think that I fixed it though....(thanks, Cookie!) i'm pretty sure that due to our nightweaning and trying to cut back/limit daytime nursings she went on a nap strike. she would go to sleep fine, but as soon as we layed down if i moved at all, she was awake and not happy for the rest of the day. so since tuesday I haven't been limiting her nursing as much, and she's back to her normal 2 hour naps!! yay! she just wasn't ready to wean, and that was her way of letting me know it. and thankfully i had a friend who nurses her babies for a long time too, to help clue me in!

Macie's vocabulary is really taking off.......yesterday she told me very clearly "it's cold in here!" and after dinner last night, she told bobby "i need to go to the bathroom." (potty training time, here we come!). she didn't go to the bathroom, but that's beside the point! I can't wait for the holidays this year with her......she's going to enjoy everything so much now that she's big enough to know what's going on! I've got to get on planning her birthday party, too. it's only 7 weeks away.......it's unbelievable! this time 2 years ago, i was huge, and finding it hard to believe that it was possible that i would be pregnant for 2 more months!

we were visited by a fairy last week!  we got macie some wings when we went to the renaissance festival a couple of weekend ago, and i thought i'd take advantage of the few remaining flowers i have around the yard and get some fun pictures!  

macie has really begun to bloom lately.  she's not quite as bashful, or as nervous about being without me anymore.  for the past month, she's been staying (and enjoying) in the church nursery!  that hasn't happened......ever, and i really needed it!  i was totally feeling the effects of not getting to hear or participate at church!  we either didn't go, or i ended up staying in the nursery with her for the entire time.  I did commit to serve in the toddler room permanently at the 11 o'clock service, so we've been getting up and going to the 9:30 service, and that's been wonderful!  not only do i get to enjoy a church service, but macie gets a few hours of play time with some other kids!  she's becoming much more social with our friends, too.  she's gotten comfortable enough with them, i guess!  it's refreshing to see her opening up!  

new!

so, it looks a little different here now!  I wanted to have a little bit of a focus and a theme here!  Our ginormous oak tree is loaded down with acorns this year, and Macie and I have become mildly obsessed!  We go acorn collecting whenever we go outside.  I've never really thought about them before, but it is truly a miracle that something so small can grow to be such an enormous tree.  Which got me thinking even further about trees and God and us.   God starts us as a tiny seed and grows us into people....it's amazing.  Of course, nothing can grow without nourishment, so that is now my main goal, to nurture and nourish Macie in to the "tree" that she will someday become.  The verse that is now posted at the top of my page says it all about why we should be so focused on God.  Imagine these huge trees that are rooted so deep where they stand that they never thirst for anything, and never worry about the storms or droughts that will come.  

God has been really working in me lately to prioritize His way, and to be the woman that He has called me to be......to live biblically......I am to fear God, be a helpmate to Bobby, and to nurture my children.  The more I try to learn about how I should be living, the more excited I get about how it will affect our lives, and glorify God.

school school school

so, i've been on the hunt to find the best fit for us and learning.  I think that Macie's ready to start having a little structured "school" time each day, and I've tried hard to think of what i want to incorporate.  Thank goodness for blogs, though........so far it seems to be the best way to find "real life" information and experiences.  I've read several sites on several different methods (montessori, waldorf, charlotte mason, etc.) while I like some of the ideas that montessori and waldorf have, I'm not so crazy about the forced independence that comes with it.  I happen to like that Macie wants me to be involved with her........and I want to have a Christian/God base to what we do, so I think that Charlotte Mason may be our way!  It's got the nature focus that I love about montessori and waldorf, but It's founded in Christianity, which is crucial in my opinion.  

I've also done some good toy purging lately.  I've donated a lot of "junk" toys, put away our loud toys for rainy/bad days, and really set everything up to focus on our classic, quality toys.  I want Macie to learn how to imagine and play, not for her toys to play for her.  It's hard now, when your only options in toy stores are plastic, battery operated headaches in boxed that require absolutely no imagination on the child's part.  She's just now starting to show more of an interest in books, so I'm really trying to encourage this........it may be a little selfish, but I want her to love reading as much as I always have!

We went to the zoo last week, and Macie had a great time.  I didn't take any pictures of her, though.....i'm so terrible.  I got a few pictures of some of the animals, and bobby took some pretty good video, so as soon as he gets that all loaded I'll get the video posted up here.  She loved the monkeys and the birds......there was an area that you could walk through and feed Lorry's (sp?), she thought it was great.  The birds land on you and eat out of your hand.  She's been talking about the birds and mommy since we went!  

bringin' it back on the road

I know i've said this in every post, but from here on out, I'm commited!  I'm going to make sure I update at least twice a week!  That's big talk, I know, but I really  want a place where everyone can keep up to date on macie's comings and goings!  

She's getting so hilarious now, and it blows my mind how smart she is.  I've recently decided to start setting up our home preschool......she's too eager to try new things to not get going with it!  I've been super inspired by several Montessori mama blogs, so I'm really thinking we'll lean that way.  I think it will fit us really well.....she's really independent already, so if I can further cultivate that and let her learn, then fantastic!  

19 months is a fun but difficult age..........her personality is really blossoming now......i get glimpses of what kind of girl she'll be every day.  She's got such a mix of me and bobby.......she's wild and loud and outgoing, but such a homebody too.  and too many kids totally overwhelm her.  she gets that from bobby.......

an entire year (plus a month!) has passed since i became a mommy, and as i write that, it's still unbelievable! i love every minute of it......even the difficult ones, and there's are many! right now, at this very moment, she's trying to eat a crayon......yeesh! I'm going to try to start keeping this up for my family and friends, as a way for everyone to keep up with macie as she grows. we have lots of videos but no time to make them into movies that we can send out, so the least i can do is try and upload some pictures at least once a week with a little update!!

she's a walking fool now, and loves to climb the stairs, so our baby gates are being put to good use! she's also picking up some sign language, which is great! bobby and i are really trying to at least get her the basics so that she can tell us what she wants before the has the words for it. She loves the baby signing time videos, so that makes it easy for her, and us to learn together.

i'm going to send this address out to everyone, so keep on me to update!! I'll do my best!!!!