Has anyone else felt like my blog was getting book-heavy recently? You'd think I didn't do anything except read...which actually is probably pretty close to the truth if you only look at the few moments of free time I have. Free being a relative term.
Anyway, just to prove I do more than read, I thought I'd take advantage of Jen's super easy template to post something besides a book review.
Just before I got pregnant with Second Daughter back in 2007 I started an ambitious cross-stitch project: a Christmas stocking for First Son. I finally finished it in mid-January, in 2014.
I intend to ask a friend to make it into a stocking for me. Everything was included in the kit and it looks pretty straight-forward, but I'm not willing to risk seven years of work when I have basically no sewing experience. In hopefulness, I'm waiting until closer to Thanksgiving because...
I immediately started one for First Daughter, the Holy Night Stocking, which she helped me select. In general, I anticipate it being less elaborate, though if you look at the finished product, you can see I have a lot of background stitching ahead of me. I assumed the cloth would be blue, but apparently just the stitching...
Second Daughter lost her first tooth on January 28th. She didn't just lose it; she pulled it out herself.
Yes, she pulled it out. While sitting on the couch.
It's hard to see the hole in the picture because the adult tooth was growing in behind it. It's on the bottom, the middle tooth on her right.
Exactly one week later, on February 4th, she lost her second tooth. This one was the middle tooth on her bottom left. According to Second Daughter, First Daughter helped this one come out. First Daughter claims she had just tapped Second Daughter on the shoulder. It's a little surprising how a tap on the shoulder can make a tooth pop out...
Again, it might be hard to tell because her adult tooth was already growing in behind.
What does seem clear is that our third child is going to need braces. Since Second Son has already lost his top two teeth, I give our chances of all four needing braces at about 90%. Our orthodontist is so pleased. They are always very nice and complementary to our family when I troop in with all the kids. Smart people.
Kansas Dad had two snow days last week and all our outside activities were cancelled. I was perfectly content to spend all those days at home and the kids didn't even think to ask for snow days from school. I was the one who was having trouble motivating. But we persevered and got most of our work done. I kept reminding myself I'd rather finish school early than have a few days off randomly.
My camera battery was totally dead, so I have no pictures of my own from the big snowstorm of the year. Then I remembered Second Daughter's camera. Kansas Dad ventured out to call in the girls who stayed out the longest and took a few pictures for me.
Then it got bitter cold and I didn't let anyone go out for two days. In theory I agree with the people who say there is no bad weather, just bad clothes, but we haven't invested in the kind of outerwear the kids would have needed to play outside on those days; we just don't have them often enough to justify it.
Second Daughter is currently obsessed with bird field guides, especially those that feature bald eagles on the cover. Kansas Dad picked up about twenty pounds of them at the library for her last week.
I recently signed First Son up for Khan Academy. It's a bit of a compromise on his daily math practice. I felt like I should try it out myself a little bit, too. Then Kansas Dad logged on and we started a little competition to see who could master skills faster. It's hard to say I've spent too much time reviewing my math skills, but I think it's possible I have. I've let it slide the past couple of days, so I'm pretty sure Kansas Dad is well ahead of me now.
First Daughter was inspired to make Valentines for all the kids in her Catechesis class, so we skipped some lessons earlier this week to make cut-out cookies for her to share as well. She did almost all of the work herself but I couldn't resist the urge to roll them out for her. We also tried out some mini-cookie stamps I received for Christmas and hadn't hidden away because we hadn't tried them out yet. They worked really well! They were easy to use, worked perfectly, and easy to clean. Plus, they make tiny cookies that you can pretend don't have any calories.
I've written before about our sponsored child with CFCA. Last month, they changed their name to Unbound and unveiled a new logo. I love to read their blog. Even if you can't afford to sponsor a child, I encourage you to check it out. Every post is full of hope, courage, and joy.
Happy Valentine's Day!
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