Table with a View

Amity had received birthday money from my parents, Nanna. and Aunt Ruth and Uncle Bill and we had decided to use it to buy her a table and chairs but were waiting for the big KidKraft warehouse sale this weekend. I couldn't go the first day of the sale because it was Friday and I couldn't manage the girls and the sale at the same time. So, we arose early Saturday morning to head to the sale only to find a CLOSED - SOLD OUT sign on the door. I was so disappointed but we decided to head up to Frisco to Ikea to check out their tables and chairs. After a cinnamon roll and lots of walking around, we found a table and chairs we liked and brought them home for Dennis to assemble. He spent Saturday evening putting it all together.

This was the scene this morning:

She gets a beautiful view of our backyard with some no-longer-used burglar bars! Don't tell the bad guys!

I have ordered a cute oilcloth tablecloth off of Etsy to protect the table and my sanity and look forward to lots of eating, drawing, painting, play-doh, and pretending at this sweet little table!

Front Yard Photo Shoot

They weren't exactly dressed for a photo shoot but we were outside yesterday afternoon while Dennis worked in the yard and it just seemed like a good idea.

Amity was naming all of Vivien's body parts in this pose.

Vivien wonders if sister is truly qualified to hold her.

Amity finally looks at the camera!

And now...a medley!

On our way home from Home Group on Friday night, Amity was pretty wired! Sorry, Sloans, we didn't realize it was so late! Amity sang most of the way home while Dennis and I talked. After a while, we realized that she was combining all of the songs she knows into a lovely medley. It went something like this, "Happy birthday to you! Zac--che--us! We all fall down!" with a little bit of the ABCs, "Jesus Loves Me", and "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" thrown in. I am so glad that she is getting this creative talent from her Daddy!

This was her rendition of Zaccheus during yesterday afternoon's drive. I think the genetically engineered teacher in her really likes the pointing part where Jesus told Zaccheus to come down from the tree.

Next Time Won't You Sing With Me!

Between singing with us in the car, her Fridge Phonics toy, Sesame Street DVDs from the library, and the Letter FactoryDVD she got for her birthday from PopPop and Lolly, Amity has really fallen in love with the ABC song. The teacher-part of me knows that she only truly knows/recognizes maybe half of the alphabet but the mama side of me is secretly proud when she breaks out in song while in the grocery cart! :)

Happy Birthday, Eli!

Four years ago today, Amity's oldest cousin was born! She is a very big fan of Eli and has recently become a very big fan of birthdays. She can be heard singing the "Happy Birthday Song" at all times of the day, including the middle of the night!

Yesterday, on our way home from lunch, she was singing in the backseat, and I caught her on video.

Happy 4th Birthday, Eli! We can't wait to celebrate with you!

Mother's Day 2010

I awoke this morning to find a poem from my two little girls with ghost writing by their father:

To our wonderful mommy

Whom we love very much

Your cooking fills our tommy

And you have the sweetest touch

We couldn't ask for anyone better

You calm us when we're crying

You change us when we're wetter

Or when we have a poopy,

And you do it without ever sighing!

You make us laugh

You make us dinner

You teach us crafts

Just SOME of the reasons you're a winner!

Your mommy skills have passed the test

The decision is unanimous

You truly are the VERY BEST

Happy Mother's Day from the Two of Us!

This was followed by a pancake breakfast with eggs and bacon courtesy of Dennis and my Dad.

After church, we went to lunch at Pappadeaux with GG and KK. Yummy!

One little girl had to go straight to naptime because she was a little upset about not getting to ride her tricycle. The other little girl let me pose for a few pictures.

So blessed by these two little ones! So thankful for the mothers and grandmothers in our lives!

Thankful...

Dennis is facilitating the Bible study tonight with his group of guys from church. Because he was spending some extra time preparing, I did the bathtime/bedtime routine with Amity tonight. After reading this week's Bible story about Joshua and the walls of Jericho, there was a short discussion about how Joshua obeyed God and then it asked "Who should you obey?" "Who else?" Sometimes I can't tell how much she is taking in but when I read these questions, she immediately said, "I obey Mommy and Daddy" and then later went on to add, with prompting, aunts and uncles, grandparents, teachers at church, and Mrs. Etta.

She then climbed up in my lap for us to pray. I prayed first and then I asked her what she was thankful for. This question has previously not gone anywhere but tonight, I asked her if she was thankful for her bed and her soft pillow and then she kept going with "Mommy and Daddy" and the whole list of family, including Baby Vivien. So sweet! Of course, the list did end with gorilas so I am not fully confident that she gets the concept but I do think we are making some headway!

On another thankful note, I am thankful that Vivien is once again sleeping through the night and that she can now roll both ways. However, that does mean that we can't leave her lying anywhere alone now. She was on her playmat tonight while I was dressing Amity and Dennis was getting ready to leave. I heard her start to cry and, by the time I got to her, she was a couple of feet off the mat on the hard floor. Poor baby! She seemed to have survived the rolls and was happy to be laid in her comfy bed.

So much to be thankful for!