More Max Firsts

Max has been buzzing through his 1st lately!  Sometimes I can't keep up and want them to slow down - he is just growing so fast!  I'm gonna blame it on the Southern heat here in North Carolina...or maybe it is because he will be 7 months old next week...YIKES!!

Over the weekend, it wasn't too hot and humid so we spent time in the backyard.  Max loves to see what is going on around him and always takes everything in.  He loved sitting in the grass and played with it for the longest time.  This was the first time he had been in the grass like this.

Arabella also found some worms in our garden and she had fun showing Max.

Today was the first time he had a teething biscuit.  He loved it!!  There was hardly any left and it kept him and his budding teeth/mouth happy for a long time.  It was so adorable to watch him discovering the new taste.  He was one happy boy, even if he was a mess at the end of it!

Keeping Busy

Our weather didn't cooperate for much of the beginning of July so we spent more time indoors than we would have liked.  And when it did cooperate, it was so darn hot in the afternoon...too hot to go outside and do anything.  So we tried to keep busy doing some indoor activities and when we could get outside, we did.

Arabella loves crafts and loves to paint, so we decided to get a few canvases for her to paint on.  It didn't necessarily keep her busy for as long as I wanted it too, but she had fun and it was an inexpensive craft project.  It also allows her the time to be creative and paint what and how she wants to.

She has also been working hard in her workbooks on numbers.  She really enjoys practicing and we have spent many hours doing the activities.  I think she will really be ready for Kindergarten.

I've been busy preparing for our Moving "In"/Garage Sale this weekend.  I have already made 2 trips to the Goodwill and I am sure after Saturday, when all is said and done, more will have to go.  It feels good to be purging and clearing out the clutter and things we don't need anymore.  But it is a lot of work and I am ready for the Sale to be over!

And this week, Arabella had been in all day Drama Camp.  She loves it and is super wiped out, so much so that she fell asleep on the way home on Monday evening.  She is practicing hard and on Friday, she will be performing for us.  We can't wait!

Babies on The Way

We are so excited!!  No, I'm not pregnant, even though I would have another baby...Jay is a different story.  We have 2 bird nests at our house.  One is in the hanging Boston fern on the front porch and the other is in a planter on our balcony railing.  It is a perfect spot for a nest and we love that we can look out and see the birds sitting on the eggs.  We figure that any day now they will be hatching.  I haven't been able to get a shot of the actual egg sitting because we don't want to scare them off.  But there are 2 eggs in the nest and we check on them daily!  Stay tuned!

Wordless Wednesday

Moving Up To Guppy

Arabella finished another swim lesson session this morning.  I couldn't be prouder of the progress she made over these past 2 weeks.  She was put into a more advanced class this session and she did AMAZING!!  Most of the kids were at least a year or two older than her, she stuck with them and the class was 40 minutes instead of 30, like she has been used to.  She worked super hard on her front crawl, her backstroke is very, very strong and her side breathing technique is coming along.  She every worked on treading water.  Her instructors were great and I hope that she can be in one of their classes again.  They gave great instruction, feedback and made the class fun.  I am so proud of you Arabella!  You rocked this session of swim lessons - Max and I loved watching you swim in the pool and make waves.  Keep it up!!

 Max watched her intensely...he was picking up technique tips for when it is his turn to hit the pool!

Treading water!!

Her front crawl.

The backstroke!

Thursday's Thoughts

Hearing: The sound the sleepy baby sounds of Max while he sleeps.
Seeing: The sibling bond between Arabella and Max.

Tasting: Coconut frozen Greek yogurt....yum!!

Smelling: Nothing much...
Feeling: Like I (we) as parents are doing something right.*





*When I picked up Arabella and Max from the kids club at the gym today, I received the biggest compliment about Arabella.  One of the care givers took me aside and told me what a sweet, smart, caring and compassionate little girl she is.  They said that she was very nurturing to another little girl who was sad and upset and that it was such a nice surprise to see such a kind gesture.  It was so nice to hear that she was kind and helpful...and it made me feel pretty darn good about the job we are doing as parents.  We must be doing something right. 

Watching The World Go By

Yesterday was the first day in a very long time that started out sunny and stayed sunny.  Today is another story.  It has been overcast and now thunder is off in the distance.  We wanted to take advantage of the sunny blue skies so once Max was down for his nap, Arabella and I drug the patio chaises into the yard and watched the clouds go by.  We tried to find shapes in the clouds and it was a lot of fun.  She loved picking out the shapes and having "girl time".  We had a fun time out in the fresh air before it got too hot and steamy.  Here are some of the clouds we saw...can you see the shapes???

                                                           Do you see the elephant??

                                                                    Summer sky beauty!

                                      An alligator or hippo with their mouth open...you decide.

 A bird in her nest.

                                                                 Cinderella's profile

                                                                     A fish or whale

                                                           Teddy's face

Wordless Wednesday

Bittersweet

It makes me sad to think that it will probably be a very, very, very long time before I have to drag this tote out of storage.  While living in Montreal, I looked forward to washing and putting our snow gear away when it came time to do so in May.  But I have been putting it off here.  I finally washed it all up and Arabella helped me sort it this afternoon while Max napped.  The tote is all the winter hats, mitts, scarves, ski pants and the like that we won't be needing here in the south.  I am sure it will get cold(er) but certainly not anything like what we are used to in Montreal.  And to be honest, I will miss that - A LOT.  I like the snow and change of seasons.  I like having to get bundled up to play outside.  I LOVE the way the air smells when it snows.  I can't bear to part with too much of our snow gear.  For a few reasons - maybe we will go skiing here in the NC mountains or we could go back to visit Montreal in the winter or maybe we will get a freak snow storm where we will need it or maybe, just maybe, CAT will move us back up north on our next move (my wish would be back to Canada...but that is at least 5 years off).  I did purge somethings that we were too small or worn and can fit it all in one tote.  And I just put it away in a closet with tears in my eyes.  Feeling very bittersweet right now.

Yellow Band

Today Arabella hit a milestone at her swim lessons.  Since being put in an advanced class she has been doing great and her instructors are wonderful.  She has been working really hard and today they told her that she should try and take the test to get her "yellow band".  What is this yellow band??  Well, at one of the pools we belong to, you need to pass a swim test in order to swim in the pools without a parent.  The lifeguard/swim instructor in me knows she is ready for this step.  The mom in me doesn't want her to have this "freedom" and I want to keep her little and with me.  But I guess it is all part of letting go, right?  And allowing her to grow up and get stronger at things.  She was a bit nervous when she took the test and was tired from her already 40 minutes in the pool, but she passed with flying colors and she hasn't taken the yellow band off yet.  There is another band, the green band, but she isn't quite ready and besides, I don't want her to have total free reign in the pool yet!  Way to go Arabella!!  Mommy is so proud of you, my little dolphin!!

Lowe's Build & Grow - Toy Story Pizza Truck

On Sunday, Jay and Arabella took off to Lowe's for another Build & Grow project.  She loves them and has a great time.  This time she made the Pizza Planet car from the Toy Story movie.  She was very excited to make it.  And Jay admits that they are not always that easy.  There are small nails you have to get it just right and this time there were specific places for the stickers.  She is always very proud of her project and loves to show me when she gets home.  She also gets a badge upon completion and we have to immediately put it on her apron.  So cute...keep up the good work when you go back in 2 weeks for another project!

Maxton's Milestones

Maxton keeps on growing and hitting his milestones. I think they are coming fast and furious this time around with him. It is wonderful to see him growing and doing new things, but I want them to slow down a bit. (Partly because I am not sure that we will have another baby...which makes me sad.) He is pretty much sitting up all by himself. And the big one...he is starting to pull his legs underneath him and try to move. He isn't too sure what he is doing, but I have a feeling that before long, he will be on the move! And when that happens, all bets are off. He is so strong and determined he will be chasing Arabella in no time. We are proud of you Max...but please just slow down a bit!

Look at that posture!  And his hands are always in his mouth...trying to find the teeth that need to pop!

Not the best picture of him trying to get his crawl on.  He was on the couch with Arabella and had flipped from his back to his stomach and then wedged himself against the cushions!  Silly guy.  I was able to get a bit of a movie though. 

Stop Hunger Now

This morning, Arabella and I did something to pay it forward. Ever since I can remember, I have been involved with community service, I had to do it in high school and it carried on after that as well. It has been something that I have wanted to start doing with Arabella - I think it is a very important lesson for her to learn (and will do the same with Maxton). So when we joined our church here, we had the opportunity to get involved and make a difference. Arabella is already a very caring and compassionate child who loves to help others. She is also very wise and understands way more than we think she does. So when I told her that we were having a girls morning and we going to do something fun to help other kids, she was all about it. We got up early to make it to church for 8:45 am. We were the first shift of the day and we had a big job ahead of us. We were part of a team making 80,000 meals in 1 hour and 3 minutes. The goal for the day was to make 285,000 meals that will be shipped to Africa to make sure that children had a hot meal to eat. Our church, St. Matthew's Catholic Church, has teamed up with Stop Hunger Now to make these meals, each one costing 25 cents. It is amazing how little it truly costs to feed someone. We are so lucky and we don't even realize it. It makes me sad to learn that every 6 seconds, a child dies from hunger. And what is even more alarming - we have enough food on this planet to feed every person 4.3 pounds of food a day.

Our set up of the food to be packaged and the packaging it goes into.

Here is the best little runner of the day! So happy to help!

Our team worked hard to package the meals, which include a cup of rice, a cup of soy protein, some vegetables and a vitamin packet for those who suffer from malnutrition. It was so easy and simple to do this and Arabella was such a great help. Once we filled the bins with the packages, she "ran" them to another station so they could be weighed and then sealed for shipment. She LOVED helping! It was a great experience and I know that we will do it again together. When I asked her what she liked best about today at bed time she told me "I liked helping the other people" - and she could have responded with many different things. I guess that really says something and makes me think we are doing something right as parents. Thank you Arabella for spending such an important morning with me.

If you are interested in learning more about how we helped today, please check out the website: http://www.stophungernow.org/

My Little Fish

Arabella is having a great Summer with her swim lessons. It took her a bit of time to figure out the way that her new lessons are taught...there are minor differences in the way the class is structured and some of how the skills are taught versus what she is used to in Montreal, but all that aside, she caught on quick and is doing AMAZING!! For her first session, she was in a mixed class with a few kids that were not at the same level so she was a bit bored in the class. But that allowed her to get adjusted. Now for this session, she is in a mixed class again, but this time around she is the youngest one and is catching up quickly to the older kids. And this time the class is 4 mornings a week for 40 minutes. It wipes her out, but she is kicking butt. She is hanging with the older kids and her teachers are so impressed with the job she is doing. I actually really, really, really like her instructors - they are great - they give great feedback during the class and are super supportive. So she is thriving in this session. She has one more week to go and we will see what they say on Thursday and what level they want her in. In the meantime, I am so very proud of her. She saw the whole length of the pool freestyle and her backstroke is super strong. Keep it up my little fish!

Working on her kicks and her stroke.

Max loves watching her lessons...hopefully he will follow in her footsteps!

Yup, that is her backstroke! Looking good!