Rocking Horses and My Blessings

Now that Vada is getting bigger she has been playing on her "big girl toys" more. This pink horse she received for her first birthday from Grandpa Augie and Grandma Suzie, per my request. It turned out that I was wrong on her developmental skills and she just wasn't quite ready for it. So I packed it away and only recently did I bring it back out. Vada likes her pink horses, she has two, as you can see in the picture. The magenta horse came from Grandpa Jim and Grandma Nette. Vada can almost rock Magenta on her own and with Pink she can scoot it backwards while remaining saddled. 

Vada and I were waiting for both Kiliegh and Jasmine to come home. I always get excited and verbally express it to Vada when the time gets close for the girls to come home. When Vada gets bigger I want her to know that having her sisters home is an exciting thing. 

The funny thing is that having her sisters home is already an exciting thing for her! Man, she loves them!

I love my girls, I love their individual bonds with each other and I am so blessed to be their mom!

The Calm

I love that I haven't had a whole lot to write about. Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy this blog and the outlet that it has so often provided for me but its nice to have a life that isn't overly interesting to write about.

Things are good. I'm sure that they could be better but I know that they could be worse and have been a lot worse!  

I love this calm that we have settled in and I am thankful for it. I could get into how I am nervous for our future and holding on tight but something was said today during our church service that I needed to hear and that I need to keep repeating to myself ... and now that I think of it ... it doesn't make full sense, HA! So I'll just say that I need to remind myself that God. has. this. under. control.

Now, back to the calm ... 

ahhh, yes, my littlest of littles and I have been spending a lot of our "free" time being pool side. Errr..,  not really, but its a nice thought and that's what counts! We did have a little blow up pool  ("did" and "have" being the key words) but on a recent windy day, it blew away!  

Now we spend our time chillin' at Vada's water table and yes, it is almost as nice as being at a pool. Almost. (wink. wink.)

Notice anything different about Vada? Maybe I am not being helpful enough, its not so much that there is something different about her rather just something new. Ill just get to the point. Check out her forehead. Yep, your looking at another bruise. This time it came from doing a nose dive from the toilet. Let me elaborate a little...

So I am happy to say that Vada knows the signs for "potty" and for "poop". She will use both signs in and at the correct times which I am uber excited about. Sometimes she will even sign "poop" before she begins to go! Yeh, she is pretty much a genius, I know! 

Anyway, Vada is still going to the poop and pee on the toilet and has been for some time now (See 'Number Two, Twice' for more on Vada's first days on the potty.) but she is nowhere near being fully potty trained. Vada can hold herself up on the toilet needing no seat attachments but always needing a "spotter" because, well, she cant walk let alone hop off of the seat and her feet hang about ten inches from the floor! 

Man, I ramble even when I write! 

So, how did Vada get the nastiest of nasty bruises? Well, ill finally tell you. She didn't go pee or poop before getting into her bath on the night of this particular incidence, although I thought that she gave a pretty good attempt at it before hand. So I stuck her into the water only to quickly pull her back out as she began to push a number two out! She did her "business" and was ready to get back into her warm water and instead of signing "bath", "water" or even "all done" which would have given me some warning, she lunged at me or rather through me and landed, head first, on the tile of our bathroom floor! The sound of her head connecting with the tile was sickening and it makes me cringe just thinking about it again! Ugh, I hated that moment and I feel so guilty about it but I think that she hated it even more than I did ... take a look ...

Pretty freakin' scary. If I do say so myself!

This wasn't V's first facial bruise. In fact, there have been plenty. She wears them well but I wish that she would find something else that she finds fashionable because the bruises are so last season and mommy no like!

If you go back to that picture and just look at her as the little toddler than she is and try to blur that green knot on her head out of your minds, then you'll be able to see how big she is beginning to look! This girl is growing! She actually looks like a two year old now! 

I really noticed her length while we were walking to a friends house today. She was in her SmartTrike and I realized that her feet actually touched the foot rests and then some! Pretty soon she will be able to reach the foot pedals and away she will go!

Check out the differences in her length in just a year. The below picture is from today and the ones following are from last summer. 

Summer of 2012

Summer of 2011

Summer of 2011

Summer of 2011

Okay, so maybe I am a bit crazy because now, after taking another look those last three look pretty much the same as the first one but let me tell you, she has grown in weight and in height! :)

Speaking of growth. She recently began standing up without the support of anything or anyone! I know, e.x.c.i.t.i.n.g! But yesterday she did something even more exciting. She took her first two unsupported steps and then again today she took two more!

 If I were a betting for money type of person, I would bet that she doesn't realize what she is doing. She wasn't excited in the least about the fact that she made it from point 'A' to point 'B' and she looked at me like I had lost my marbles, when I began to cheer after she had done so and both times she was very coy about her accomplishment. If I were the betting type of person, I would also bet that the moment she realizes what she is doing, she wont quit and let me tell you, Vada has all of the skills that she needs to walk independently, hell, she could  even run, if she wanted to. She just needs to break out of her comfort zone. I know it's coming and soon! Vada is about to burst into a wonderful new phase in her little life and I am both looking forward to it as well as I already missing the baby that she once was. But progress is always good and always worth celebrating!

Little Fish

The weather has begun to heat up in the mid-west so I thought since today was one of the hottest days thus far, it was a perfect time to break out V's water table and little pool.

She strutted around our yard in her washable swim dipe for what seemed like hours. It could have been too, if I hadn't cut her playtime short for nap time. I know, I know, what a drag!

This little girl is like a fish out of water! I am looking forward to next summer when I put her into swim lessons. We've been going to this lady's house who does lessons all day through the summer. She. is. amazing! When I first started Jasmine and Kiliegh, with in the first three days they were both swimming under water and Kiliegh is three years younger than Jasmine! I have already spoke with the teacher and she is willing to work with V personally as well as in a class setting and if need be, I can get into the pool and help too, once V is three. I think she'll love it.

For now, she will happily play in the water in her own yard... 

...and I will sit back and enjoy every moment of having my little fish a baby/toddler because too soon she will be grown and these moments will be memories.

She Makes my Heart SING!

I couldn't have asked for a better Mother's Day gift! 

Oh my, this girl knows how to make my heart happy...

You have to Watch this video!

Welcome to the World

Introducing my newest nephew, a week ahead of his due date but not lacking in size (or in cuteness).., Please welcome my nephew, 

Lincoln Matthew Miller

Born on May 10, 2012

9lbs-6oz and 20" long

My sister, Charity and Lincoln are doing fine, there were some tough moments but they are now both home and together, where they are suppose to be.

I got to have some newborn baby holding time the day after Lincoln was born, which I didn't like at all.., HA! If you believe that, then you don't know me at all! 

A New-do

Yep, she is as excited as I am about this hair-do! Her hair is a growing!

Wordless Wednesday: Moving Her Way

My Reset Journal: Day's 5-8

As I sit here one hand is on the keys typing and compensating for the other which is pleasantly warming on a cup of hot Chai tea (made with soy, if that helps). However, my heart and emotions are slightly divided. 

Since I wrote The Beginning of the End and No More Giving Up, where I claimed that I would not give up on being healthy and also where I claimed my commitment to the Ultimate Reset Cleanse from Beachbody. I thought that I should bite the big one and also tell about my complete lack of motivation to follow through, at least where the cleanse was concerned. 

Truth is, I did quit, give up or stop (you can insert whatever word you see fitting) the Beachbody Cleanse.

 Is my health not important to me? That's not it at all, however, I am not going to make excuses or really even get into all of the reasons behind my choice or the choices that led me to stop this particular diet. When it comes down to it, I quit and that's all that really matters.

 What I will say is that the menu for the cleanse provided delicious meal recipes that I plan on incorporating into my normal cooking routine and that I did in fact learn some from the cleanse. So I did walk away with an added amount of healthy knowledge as well as a choice to remain a vegetarian (not a Vegan though).

The pictures below are of my last two meals from the cleanse , so I figured I might as well share them.

Fresh veggie tray with humus and a Quonia salad.

Zucchini and cashew soup with roasted veggies

Since this update is totally out of date I have been asked by several people what my plans are now. Well, after my morning cup of coffee, Insanity will be calling my name again and I am eager to get back into that routine and like I mentioned above I will continue living a vegetarian life style! I have limited my soda intake to only drinking it when I am using it as a mixer and I am still working on my sweet tooth!