A Valentine Blessing... May God Bless you with a happy life That's filled up to the brim With special blessings of the heart That can only come from Him. Take time each day For quiet contemplation Make time to love And to be loved... A simple act of kindness Can change the course of a lifetime May God bless you today and Always! Happy Valentine's Day! author unknown … [Read more...]
Feb 13, 2013
Valentine Ornament Tree
A Valentines ornament tree project is a simple project you can do with your kids. It requires few supplies including branches and sticks you can gather from your backyard. Gather some sticks and branches from your yard and put in a vase. Valentines Ornament Tree Project: what you will need & steps 1. You will need felt, fabric, scissors, ribbon, needle & thread, and anything else you want to use to decorate hearts with. 2. Draw hearts on fabric and felt and cut out. You'll need two for each ornament. Make as many as you like. 3. Cut pieces of ribbon you will use to hang ornaments. 4. Sew two hearts together with ribbon in between as you can see in bottom right picture above. have your helper help you hang your ornaments … [Read more...]
Feb 8, 2013
What’s New With Sophia?
What is new with Sophia? She's on the move! Sophia started crawling over a month ago and is picking up speed every day, covering more and more territory. It started small- moving short distances from one toy to another. Now she's all over! Her favorite place to explore is the basket of magazines. As you can see in the first picture, she's up on her knees and into it! She pulls several out at a time and rips as many pages as she can out. She's flirting with the idea of standing and pulling herself up- but still a little timid...which is fine with me! Sophia Loves... Playing with her toys Hanging out with friends at mom's group Taking baths Playing ball Watching her favorite show "Yo, Gabba, Gabba" Hanging out with Timmy Showing people how she claps her hands … [Read more...]
Feb 6, 2013
A Storybook for your Baby
My Mom made a personalized children's book for Sophia titled Into the Woods. It is a professionally bound book by Shutterfly. Her personal pictures are used throughout the story. The book came out really cute and I would recommend doing it for your own child, relative, or as a gift for a friend's child. It's entertaining to read your child a story about them and it is something they will have forever. Below is the cover, back cover, and a few of the pages from inside. … [Read more...]
Feb 3, 2013
Middle Ear Infections and Your Child
Middle ear infections (otitis media) are common infections in children and generally follow an upper respiratory tract infection (common cold). In fact, this condition accounts for most of the antibiotic prescriptions written by pediatricians and other health care professionals. The ear is divided into three areas or compartments. The external ear consists of the auricle (the part we can see) and the ear canal. The middle area consists of the tympanic membrane (eardrum) and the space directly behind the eardrum which has the three smallest bones in our body. These bones help transit sound to the inner ear cavity which contains our balance mechanism (cochlear) and other components to allow us to hear. The middle ear is naturally a warm and moist area that viruses and bacteria love to take up home. They travel the course that generally begins in the nose or sinuses and the throat. From there they can travel through the Eustachian tube (a sort or pressure valve) that runs from the back of the throat to the middle ear( When your ears “pop” while traveling to the mountains the Eustachian tube is doing its job)! Risk factors for developing an ear infection in young … [Read more...]
Feb 1, 2013
Baby Play Date
We had a play date today. Sophia and Baby T practiced their socialization skills while moms baked apple pies. The two are four months apart but just about the same size. Sophia is a little more wild than Baby T, who has always been on the mellow side. He looks at her like, "Who is this crazy girl?" She looks at him like, "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it!" "I'm so excited I can't stand it, you're just like me!" At one point her excitement scared Baby T and he started to cry. I felt terrible. She constantly wanted to grab him and it was hard to keep her from doing this. She couldn't contain her excitement! I put her on the other side of the room with her toys but since she's mobile now, as soon as I separated her, she'd quickly crawl back over to him. They lasted about an hour and a half. Overall I think it was a fun and productive hour and a half for all us; Moms, Sophia, and hopefully Baby T. We baked 2 apples pies. Our babies socialized and engaged one another, stimulating their growing little minds. According to livestrong.com, play dates are extremely beneficial for children because, "Play dates give children the opportunity to socialize with other children, make friends and … [Read more...]
Jan 31, 2013
Dana Point and Lake Tahoe Retreats
We recently spent a couple of days at my mom's house at the beach in Dana Point then headed up to Incline Village in Lake Tahoe for Brandon's snowboarding contest. It's always fun to take a road trip and getaway on a mini vacation. Both places are beautiful and were equally enjoyed. Sophia had a great time, especially visiting C (grandma), Uncle Bilbo, and Aunt Marybeth and friends. Beautiful low tide day at Monarch Loves her Dadada Brandon took first in both contests (slopestyle and pipe)! At Northstar Resort … [Read more...]
Jan 29, 2013
Show Your Love
I recently read an article in the February issue of Parents magazine titled "Spread the Love" written by Francesca Castagnoli and Amanda Kingloff. I thought it offered parents great advice for how to make your child feel appreciated other than just a hug or a kiss. I know Sophia is only ten months and hugs, kisses, and smiles probably keep her feeling plenty loved and satisfied. It's easy to do this with a ten month old. Kissing them all over is part of the daily routine. As she gets older, I realize it won't always be this way and I'd like to get in the habit now of practicing ways of praise other than just hugs and kisses. Below is a list of my ten favorite creative ways to show your child you appreciate them (10 from their list). my 10 favorite ways to show your child appreciation 1. Let your child teach you something they know that you don't. 2. Give your child a foot rub or a long back scratch. 3. Ask for your child's help when you're cooking dinner. 4. Send your child a handwritten letter to your home address. 5. Shut down your phone or laptop to give your child your full attention. 6. Create a secret handshake that only you, your partner, and your child know. 7. … [Read more...]
Jan 27, 2013
Baby’s First Christmas
Christmas has come and gone but since I'm just starting this blog and it's for Sophia, I want to document some memories from her first Christmas here. Heading out to a Christmas party All dressed up Slightly terrified to be on Santa's lap! With Grandma "C" and Mom With Grandpa and Uncle Bilbo With Cousin Elle O'Connell Family Christmas Party White Christmas A walk through the village with mom and dad Cutest Christmas Baby Ever! … [Read more...]
