state of the family // January 2016

Philippa Florence - 2 and a Half Year Old Update

Trending in Pippa's world is any type of headwear - from hats to hoods to headbands,  Daniel Tiger songs on Apple Music, and the show

Little Einsteins

. She loves her afternoons at school with all her friends, and tells us stories of everything she plays and learns. She lights up whenever we pull into the church and school parking lot. She is learning all too quickly that I can look up anything on the internet and show her pictures. ("Mommy, we look at Disney World on you computer?") She loves paging through the picture memory books we make each year, and from our trips and vacations. I love watching her imagination flourish as she plays with her toys, talking to herself in different voices. Also, 2 and a half is a constant oscillation between sheer joy and outrageous temper tantrums, so life is an emotional roller coaster in our home.

She is quick-witted, kind-hearted, observant, and sensitive to the emotions of those around her. I just love watching her personality develop each month. This is going way too fast, you guys.

Pippa Quotes and Moments

+ "This is awful." (Not sure what this was in reference to. She just kept walking around repeating this yesterday).

+ "Spit stays in my mouth." (A lesson learned at school.)

+ "Buenos días! Good morning, Sweet Boy!" (When we go in Teddy's room each morning)

+ "It's NOT LAUGHING!" (AKA It's Not Funny.)

+ "Mommy, don't talk to me." (RUDE.)

+ "Mommy, you got a baby in you belly?" (Nope, still recovering from the last one.)

+ "You play with me?" (Melt my heart, baby girl).

+ "I can't doooooo it. I can't do anyfing!"

+ "I working. Oops! I need more coffee." (She said this as she sat in the spot on the couch where I normally grab my laptop and get some work done...you guessed it, while drinking coffee. She's watching and learning. Yikes!)

+ As she prepares some cake for me in her play kitchen, she lectures, "Mommy, you eat you cake first, and then you get a cooooooooookie!" (So yeah, we might bribe her with cookies sometimes I guess.)

+ "What's that sound? What am I hearing?" (There's construction going on in our neighborhood).

+ "That me! When I was a baby." (Whenever she sees a picture of a baby).

+ "What _______ doing?" (She asks this question a million times/day What Pablo doing? What tree doing? What friends doing?)

+ "We go to Mexico? Mommy and Pippa and Teddy and Daddy and Pablo go to Mexico?" (We went on a trip to Mexico last year to visit her cousins, and she has a photo book with memories from the trip.)

+ "Mommy! There's a ant in my applesauce!" (This occurs infinity times when she eats apple sauce - any small black spots she sees are "ants".)

+ We saw a dead lizard on the ground yesterday and she said, "What dat?" I replied, "Oh that poor lizard has an owie." She was quite concerned: "Oh no! The lizard go to doctor? He got a owie on the head."

+ "It's soooo cozy." (She loves wearing jackets, sweaters, and blankets wrapped around her shoulders. These are rare occurrences in Florida, but she seems to love being cozy.)

+ "It's Christmas time?"

-"No baby, Christmas is over."

 "Oh. It's you birthday?"

-"No, my birthday is all done."

"Oh. It's MY birthday! Happy birthday! I get cake?" (Sure, why not. Any excuse to celebrate!)

+ "Mommy! There's an oregano on my finger!" (She calls any black spot on her food an ant. When we had pasta, I told her it was a spice called oregano. She then saw a black spot on her finger, started crying, and screamed in terror about it."

+ "Mommy, here's your earring." -

"Um...where did you find that? And where is the other one?"

 "In my bed." -

"Why did you have mommy's earrings in your bed?"

"They my gold doubloons!" (Kid loves pirates and buried treasure...)

Theodore Scott - 6 month update

Oh, Teddy Bear. What's going on in your little life?

+ Teddy's still sleeping through the night consistently from about 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. I'll be very honest about his nap schedule - it doesn't exist. We're on the go a lot more than we were when Pippa was a baby, so I put him down in his crib when he's giving sleepy cues, otherwise he naps in the car or in the Moby wrap.

+ He is still exclusively breastfed 5-7 times per day, but is looking mighty interested in our grown-up food. I'm waiting for him to sit up on his own before introducing solids, although he goes "boneless" whenever I try to get him to sit up. He does seem to want to stand on his own, so maybe we'll just skip over the whole "sitting" thing.

+ Teddy's babbling is getting more frequent, and he has started using syllables like "a-da." He loves to flirt with the ladies, and gives a huge smile to anyone who will make eye contact with him.

+ He now reaches for his big sister, and watches her every move when she comes into view. She can make him laugh without too much effort. He just adores her. He also is content as can be as long as he's being held.

+ As for play, Teddy's still obsessed with his bouncer, and loves to log roll from one side of the room to the other. He does the "superman" pose, too! Toys hold his interest for a few minutes, especially the monkey toy on his carseat (one of those hanging toys that vibrate when you pull them down).

+ I would be remiss if I didn't mention teething. Poor guy has been teething since before Christmas, and one of his little teeth finally poked through on the bottom. I can feel two more on top trying to make their way out. We have tried every teething toy imaginable, but little man still prefers chewing on someone's thumb. Which is quite painful now that a sharp little tooth is in play.

+ Size 3 diapers, size 6-12 month , or 9 month clothes. He's lost a little of his baby chub, and is starting to look longer and thinner. Thankfully, though, his thighs still have rolls for days. And his face is still very round and  Charlie Brown-esque with big emoji eyes.

Justin + Emily

+ Justin is enjoying coaching some basketball this winter, and I am enjoying that the season is relatively short. It's fun watching our students compete in a sport they love, too!

+ Is anyone else still recovering from Christmas, even though it was a month ago? I have struggled getting back into a consistent routine, although maybe that has more to do with the amount of traveling we've been doing lately.

+ I celebrated my 28th birthday with iced coffee, a donut, and some quality family time. And awesome mail from my parents and in-laws! Now *someone's* 30th birthday is right around the corner, and we've got some big plans up our sleeves...

+ I just got back from a conference in Dallas with the health and wellness company I'm partnered with. It was an awesome learning experience, fun to see friends, and a little stressful with a 5-month-old.

+ Justin, Pippa, and I are in the throes of a fun little challenge called "toddler sleep routines."

+ I am starting a 90 Day Game Plan with my business this week. I'm working on being creative instead of making excuses when my plans get thrown off by my children. They are my WHY not my excuse.

+ Justin is throwing himself into his new fitness routine in the mornings, with the arrival of some fitness equipment and new all natural workout supplements in the mail last week!

+ We are truly appreciating living in Florida during this time of year. We have endured some brutal winters in Minnesota, and definitely don't take for granted the sunshine and relative warmth of the winter months here.

+ But also, we can't wait for beach weather again! (Especially me...I was 9 months pregnant, then postpartum with a newborn in tow last summer).

That's a wrap! What's new with your family?