A Moment With The Mini

A conversations between Mini and I:

October 30, 2013

Me: "So are you excited for tomorrow? To dress up and stuff (Halloween)?"

Mini: "Yea I'm excited but not as excited as am I am for Saturday." 

Me: "Oh yea, why is that?"

Mini: "Well I'm excited for Halloween, but I think that Saturday, the wedding is more important than Halloween is."

Me: "..."

Well honestly I can't remember what I said, but I know I smiled and said something to the effect of I'm excited too, or I'm glad you're excited...but the kid had me darn near speechless! 

How awesome is that!? This kiddo is more excited for the wedding than a "holiday" that's all about him...how awesome is that! 

Thank you Mini for warming my heart and making me smile. 

<3 

Little's Movies

Here are some movies of the Little from October.

In this first one she's feeling especially friendly, enjoy!

More words of wisdom from Little Miss.

Finally, a pretty cool one where she's mimicking/playing with Momma. She was smacking her lips so I did the same and then she did it back. Suuuuper cute! 

Enjoying Some Good Books

I love that Mini reads everyday for homework. It has gone from there to him reading for over an hour a night in his bed, his choice, which makes it even that much more awesome! I love to walk by his room and peek in and see him thumbing through a book. So awesome!!!

Tonight I was reading to the Little while Mini was in the bath. He came in and started helping me read to her :) Right now I have the Halloween books out, and brought out some CD's for the books on tape. Instead of watching TV he chose to read a book on CD to his sister...quite cool. Here they are reading. 

The Great Monster Hunt! 

The Spooky Wheels on the Bus! 

I try to read to the Little, but sometimes we go for quite a while without, but I've been trying hard to do it on a more consistent basis. When I get lazy, I just set up the books around her...parent of the year award!

Which One to Choose?

This is a Good One! 

These were some good Dollar Store finds! Score! I hope both the Mini and the Little learn to love reading : )

If You Only Knew

People can be so rude, so mean, so angry. We are all so self centered that we seem to forget there are others around us, others that have things going on in their lives. How is it that we can be so mean to one another, a perfect stranger at times, or not a stranger usually, what gives us that right?

I was at the store today, purchasing some needed items, and someone was just rude. Who asked you? Why are you butting into my life? Your comment hurt me, but you don't know that, because I brushed it off, you don't know because I smiled like everything was okay. But you did, it was rude, and it was unnecessary.

If only you knew, if only you knew what was going on in my life, if only you understood how I'm struggling to get by, if only you knew how I felt everyday, if only you knew what my life consisted of, if only you knew, but you don't. It's okay because most people don't, we assume what we see is what we get.

Although hurt, I am not angry, I know that you too must have a lot going on in your life. I don't know you, I can't possibly understand your motivations for giving completely unasked for critical advice, yet I don't harbor any resentment because I'm sure your life isn't easier either...no one's really is. So I forgive you, as I do most people because...well I don't really know why, I just do.

Life is full of struggles, even the people that seem to have it all together have their problems too. I just wish that there was more kindness, more understanding, and more love in the world.

I hope to teach my children to have compassion for others, to love fully, to forgive even when they were in the right. I want them to see people for the good that they have, not the bad that they exude. I want them to care, to think of other's feelings, and to love. I hope that the things I do now are the right ones, I hope that I show them compassion and love for others, and for them. I hope they see how kindness pay and how yucky it truly does feel to be rude to one another. I hope.

Braggin' Rights!

Gooooooo Mini! 

He had a science test last week, that came with a study guide! So we studied everyday, quizzing him and practicing. I had to WAIT for a whole week to find out what he got! He worked so hard and I knew he knew the material so I was hopeful for him to do really well.

So today was Thursday, and that's the day papers come home. Mini gets in the car and I ask for his folder (which I never do till we get home) because I was dying to see how it went, and...ta da!!! He got 100%!!! OMG I was so happy for him :)

Cheese Mini!!!

He opted to share his 100% with his little sister, we took some picutres but they weren't too cute, but it was nice of him to share. 

Then when we got home I found a Math Test in his homework folder and BAM, another A! So proud of him!!! Goooooo Mini!!! He's really grown up these last few months, it's pretty awesome to watch.

Research Update

We got to go to the lab yesterday and be participants in research, and IT WAS AWESOME! Clearly, it doesn't take much to get me excited...as you can see!

Little Miss was quite a delight and was (in my humble opinion) the best little participant EVER! She wore a headband with a camera attached to it that tracked her eye movement in her right eye while she watched images on a screen for a few minutes. She sat in my lap and I held her. My eyes were covered because when infants don't know what they're looking at (they don't' recognize, or it's a new image) they reference to their caregiver, so in order to eliminate that, they cover the parents eyes.

Like her Momma, Little Miss is also easily entertained. As the experiment began, images were on the screen and she was CRACKIN' UP! I'm dying because I'm like, "What is she looking at!?" but of course, I can't see anything. She laughed for like the first minute and then during the rest just watched.

After it was over I got to see the images...what was this little lady cracking up at...well...has to be something hilarious right?! Dots...they were colored dots (easily amused)! They were accompanied with a sound, so I'm going to assume the flash of the dot and the sound is what did it for her. The researchers said, "This is the part that most babies are bored with but she just loved it." Again, easily amused :)

I'm going to cut out some circles and dance around with them...should provide hours of entertainment for the wee one! Oh and don't forget the sounds...beep boop beep!

The Little got a certificate for her participation, and got to pick out a book as a thank you for participating. Hope we get a call back to do more research in the future, this nerdy mom is all over that!

Watch Out, I'll Grab You!

Little Miss began to grab stuff the other day intentionally. I was very excited because just the day before I was telling Nate I was concerned because she wasn't yet doing this (yes I worry about EVERYTHING). But low and behold, the next day I see her in the backseat, grabbing onto her hanging toy from the car seat, oh good, crisis averted!

I'll take that! 

Yes Mom, I Grab Stuff Now, Calm Down :) 

We are participating in Research at the local university for babies tomorrow, I'm so EXCITED, as I'm a nerd and LOVE research. The moment we got the envelope in the mail asking for participants I filled that bad boy out and drove it to the post office! Yea Research! We are also in a study on infant feeding, but that's only self report and not as exciting. Still, YEA, Research :) 

Read On!

The Mini has been working very hard this year at reading, I think he's doing a magnificent job if I do say so myself. His fluency and comprehension have been excelling, and I'm terribly proud of him. Go Mini!

A Comfortable Reading Position!