Silly with a little bit of crazy cackle mixed in...

I figured Auntie Sara and Auntie Hailey would at least want to see Moo's first experience with Nutella. Zac of course was appalled, but then again he doesn't even like Nutella, or hasn't tried it or something like that...he didn't get it.

Moo has been doing this absolutely crazy cackle laugh lately, and we just don't get it. Chris told me that she has a video of Maggie running around outside doing it, and she'll watch it and laugh and laugh.

Moo's super into being silly. She is also very into pretending. She loves making Mommy "coppee" every morning. She also walks around the back yard collecting food (completely pretending there is something there when there is not, not even using sticks, rocks or grass as food). Then she precedes to feed Parker and Daddy all the delicious food...yum, yum!

Oh ya, we bought Maggie a camper trailer too! We're planning a camper staycation this weekend to see if Magnolia will actually sleep in this new camper.

Check out FB for some pics!

Maggie Moo and Food!

There are many, many things I've learned in parenthood. There are things I was good at right away, and things I really had to work at, still have to work at. As Maggie and I sat down to dinner tonight I was thinking that Zac and I really got it right when it comes to food with Magnolia. We honestly LOVE our family meals---all of us. Of course we all love to eat, but we love being together, being silly, and sharing the stories of our day with each other too. I know many families struggle with toddlers and food. There is usually at least one goal addressing mealtimes and eating with every family I work with. Food is almost always a topic of interest among my fellow mommy-friends, so I thought I'd share a little bit about how we've gone about food with a toddler.

First off, I can't say I came into this without a lot of fantastic information. One of my fabulous mentors, and advisers throughout my early childhood studies, Janice Fletcher, specialized in "Feeding Young Children." I actually took a course entitled, "Feeding Young Children" in college. Janice ingrained in myself, and her other students, some basic principals about feeding young children. Zac and I knew right away that we would follow these principals as a family.

These principals are:

• Adults should eat with children
• Adults choose what is served
• Children decide how much they will eat
• Adults set the feeding environment
• Children should serve themselves
• Children need a variety of foods

Zac and I have absolutely NEVER told Maggie that she has to eat something. We always talk about the foods we give her though---what they taste like, how they feel, what it looks like. We eat those foods too, and talk about them. Not in a manipulative, "Yumm, yum this is so good, you are completely missing out" kind of way, but we definitely share with her when we really like a food. We always model eating new foods with Magnolia, and let her feel comfortable with exploring and trying new foods in her own way. Chris really taught me a lot about how much of a complete process eating is for children. That it literally requires a child get down and dirty, and often without eating a single bite of food.

Knowing that Maggie gets to choose what and how much she eats is a huge relief to us. We don't have to freak out about making her try foods, or eat this many bites of this, or all those other meal time battles. We simply choose a variety (types, colors, textures) of foods that we feel is healthy and best for our family for each of our mealtimes, and she does the rest.

She gets to create her own relationship with food.

Recently we've discovered that Maggie's tastes preferences can be quite different from our own. Magnolia absolutely loves to dip her toast in her juice. This completely repulses Zac. He of course is making comments about her becoming an "ultimate eating champion," but still we let it go. We would never want someone commenting to us about what we like to eat being gross, so we in turn respect what our daughter chooses to eat.

Magnolia has also recently discovered those delicious sugar packed foods as of recently---cookies, cake, frozen yogurt (TCBY to be exact), etc. Zac and I try not to make too big a deal out of these foods at all, if we make the choice that they are served. We actually serve these things WITH dinner if we decide that they will be an option. I know, you are probably thinking we are crazy right? The thing is though, that Magnolia, although she likes these foods, likes her other food just as much. Tonight I watched her take a bite of her cookie, sit it aside, and then dig into her broccoli and tofu until it was gone. To her, if I said we are having say a grilled hummus sandwich with cheese, she would be bouncing up and down with joy. We've made sweets no big deal, but WE choose what's served, and we certainly don't choose to serve them often.

I loved the photo above that Zac posted of Moo eating. We still watch her eat sometimes and think "Wow, she LOVES food." And especially from a little girl who when she first started to eat as an infant would feel pain.

I can't say that meals are always going to be easy with Maggie, but I can definitely say we are proud and comfortable with everything we've done, and that she's done concerning food so far.

And on a last note...

In case any of you were wondering, Can Maggie undress herself?

What Color is that M?

Apparently Magnolia knows at least six colors as demonstrated during play with her M's! Magnolia has also added the word "and" to her vocabulary, which kind of surprised Zac and I as she demanded, "Mommy AND Daddy up!" as Zac and I tried to sneak in a little more sleep Saturday morning when we brought her back to our bed!

I know...just little details of a child growing and learning, but these little details and changes fill me with excitement and pride each day!

Summer @ Home

Of course we've been spending lots of time outside with the beautiful weather. Magnolia took some pictures of flowers this morning while playing outside. She also enjoyed taking off her shoes and stomping in water with her bare feet. She likes to crawl through her tunnel as well (I know, I know...the colors are atrocious!). She loves to swing in the hammock too!

She's having difficulties differentiating between flower and weed---she loves pulling flowers!

Maggie Celebrates Mother's Day

I have no excuses, but I have absolutely no photos of the Mother's Day celebrations this year. I figured I at least needed to share some details about the celebrations...

Magnolia and Daddy surprised Mommy with a beautiful card, and a beautiful pair of earrings. Of course they snuck out to Daddy's car first thing on Sunday so Maggie could add her "notes" to the card for Mommy. Zac said he had her rehearse saying "Happy Mother's Day" in the car, but all she got out after handing me my gift was, "Mommy Pretty!" That worked just as well I thought:)

On Saturday Grandma and Papa joined us at the market. They were even gracious enough to hop on the city bus with us. Magnolia went into a semi state of shock once again when we got on the bus, and then of course acted right at home on the bus ride back. It was a great morning!

On Sunday afternoon we had a celebration of mothers with my family. As many of you know my family is all women + Zac and Brad. We have a lot of matriarchal celebrating to do of course!

We ate fish tacos and yummy TCBY cake, and had a great time.

I promise I'll get pics next year!

Reading to Baby

I'm sure I've mentioned this before, but Magnolia's a little into babies. This baby that Grandma Crist bought her has been the new Baby that must participate in everything Maggie does. She goes every where we go, she eats with us, she goes potty with Moo, etc. Apparently when Maggie went to the park with Aunt Sara and Uncle Brad, Brad pushed Maggie in a swing and Aunt Sara pushed Baby in another swing.

Here's Magnolia reading Baby The Wheels on the Bus.

"Wuv You Mommy" and More

Tonight Magnolia came home from school with her first official, made it myself, mother's day gift. A beautiful potted spring garden! As she handed it to me she said a very adorable "Wuv you Mommy!"

I love, love, love, love you too Moo!

Preschool...Already???

Zac and I spent this morning interviewing and touring a preschool for Magnolia. Since Maggie will be transitioning out of Chris' loop next Fall (time has moved unbelievably fast!) we have to start getting on wait lists again. It really feels like we just went through all this, but we know with long wait lists, at schools we would want Magnolia to attend, our chances are slim as it is to get in, so we better do it now!

Zac and I are thinking that Magnolia will be able to attend full-time preschool when she's three, so this too limits our options. If we are looking for an accredited school in the downtown area, I'm pretty sure that means we have about four options. I've already ruled out two of the options based on curriculum/philosophy/organization, etc., and the third option is incredibly expensive with full time care being 9am-3pm, so that leaves really only one option for us---the school we visited today---it's a great school! Or, we completely overhaul our entire lives, Zac or I quit our job, we sell our house and such, and then we might be able to try something along the lines of cooperative preschool!...that's kind of a joke, but who knows, we'll see.

Lastly, here's just a bit of Zac and I's evening entertainment.

Magnolia learned to scoot her ottoman to her crib to climb in and play

(this lesson was taught and demonstrated by Parker, not Mommy and Daddy),

this is now a very fun activity.

Bouncin', Bouncin', Bouncin'

Magnolia cuddling with "MY DOGGIE!"

Magnolia working on balancing on Rody to bounce and get on and off.

Developmental Update: Magnolia has really changed a lot over the last few weeks. She has become extremely independent---wanting to do just about EVERY LITTLE SINGLE THING on her own! She also picked up on that very common word among many toddlers..."NO!" Usually it comes out as, "NO MOMMY!," or "NO DADDY!" or for some reason "NO MAR-MAR!" Poor Marley just couldn't do anything right yesterday. I was kind of hoping that Magnolia wouldn't need to use this word as often as she is, considering she doesn't hear it at home or school, but it's one of those inevitable things I've learned.

Magnolia is still working on a lot of balance and control with gross motor tasks. Zac and I noticed that today her fast walk is starting to actually look like a run! She is throwing a ball overhand now, and is getting better at lifting a foot to balance then kick a ball forward. She is still very small, so climbing has been somewhat difficult. She's been working this week on finding a stool, or something else to use to assist her with climbing on the couch, bed, etc.

Chris left me the most ecstatic message last week that Magnolia crossed the "wiggly bridge" at Manitou Park all on her own. Apparently she had been working on this task for quite some time. I promised I'd take her over to watch the accomplishment myself!

Magnolia is completely into dressing and undressing herself right now. She can put on her jacket completely on her own (using the coat trick---I'll get a video of that one), she can take off socks and shoes completely independently, and she puts on pants with just a tiny bit of help. She zips and unzips her pajamas all on her own now too! She continues to ask to use the potty, and is peeing in the potty quite frequently. She always attempts to go poop on the toilet, and is very excited to wipe herself and flush.

She is enamored by other children! She loves nothing more than playing with Parker, and she still talks about her best friend Emma daily, although it's been quite awhile since Emma's mother and myself have gotten a play date arranged for them.

She loves to "vrrmmm, vrrrmm," which consists now of either riding in the car shopping carts at either Fred Meyers, Home Depot, or Albertsons, or sitting in the driver's seat of mommy or daddy's cars. She always tells me that she's driving to "Emma's house!"

She's totally on a bugsy kick (no comment), and she can't wait for baby cousin. She keeps telling Zac and I that she has a baby in her tummy too!