state of the family update (april)

Wow. It seems the last time I did one of these family updates was in April, so it's high time everyone knew

exactly

 what our family is up to. (Just kidding - these updates are mostly for me to look back on!)

Philippa Florence - 2.5 years old

The biggest change I've seen in Pippa the past few months is how funny she's getting. Not accidentally funny, like when she mispronounces a word, but actually funny, where she's making jokes and well-timed comedic facial expressions. She's also a little

too

 observant at times, playing conscience to her parents when we want to buy something or eat a second helping of dinner. She currently loves "helping" with everything from chores, to feeding Teddy, so I'm trying to take advantage of it. Even when it makes the task take 10x longer.

We also went to Disney World's Magic Kingdom for a day, and Pippa has been talking about it ever since. She begs to watch the parades on YouTube (if you know me, you know one of the things I hate most in life is parades, so it's proof positive I love my child), and she constantly talks about how Tinkerbell blew her a kiss, or how Captain Hook waved to her. Her favorite ride was the flying Dumbo, because we went on it after dark and she could see the castle all lit up.

+ "This is nice and cozy here." This phrase often occurs while snuggling to read.

+ Me: "Oh look! This Mason jar is only $2. Should I buy it?"

   Pippa: "No Mommy. You already have one at home." (shoot - she got me there)

+ "That's enough, Daddy! No more pasta."

+ "So you have today, and be HAAAAAAPPY!" This is an excerpt from one of her "shows" where she talks for about 5 minutes straight and I can't understand most of what she's saying. We happened to get this part on video, and now I can't stop saying it. It's like an inspirational speech.

+ Pippa: "I don't like it." (referring to whatever is for dinner).

    Me: "Well have you tried it?"

    Pippa: "No."

    Me: "We gotta try new food cuz it might taste good!" (Thanks, Daniel Tiger!)

    Pippa, reluctantly: "Ok, I'll tryyyy it." moments later: "Hey! I like it!"

+ Pippa: "Mommy I like black olives. You want a black olive?"

   Me: "No thanks, Pippa."

   Pippa: "We gotta try new food cuz it might taste good!"

   Me: "Oh. Shoot. Yes, I guess that backfired on me. Well, Mommy tried black olives a long time ago, and they weren't for me. But I guess I'll try them again." (Meanwhile I pretend to put an olive in my mouth but feed it to the dog).

+ "Mommy, are you happy, sad, or mad?"

+ "Wow. That's an enormous bee!" (I love teaching her big words, precise words, and using them in context over and over until they assimilate in her vocabulary).

+ "Mommy, let's watch Snapchat Stories. But no silly faces!" (She loves watching snapchat stories with me, but is oddly terrified of the weird face filters - especially face swap)

Theodore Scott - 8 months old

+ Teddy

Bear is still sleeping through the night, and has a more consistent nap schedule. He'll do 3 30-40 minute naps/day. I'm thinking of switching him over to 2 longer naps, but it's a bit tough at the moment since I work in the early afternoon.

+ Is now on formula and eating 3 solid or pureed meals/day in an effort to help him put on more weight. He fell below his growth curve, so we're working with our pediatrician to get him back on track. He loves avocado, banana, rice cereal with coconut oil, sweet potato, and Puffs. He didn't love my homemade apple puree or pureed carrots.

+ I think I can officially say he said his first word! Whenever we talk about Pippa, or many times when he sees her he says "Di-da." He sure does love her!

+ He also frequently says da-da, but I can't tell if this is for Dad, doggy, or just babbling. We're working on bye-bye and waving, too!

+ He is *so* close to crawling. He pushing himself up on all fours and rocks back and forth. Any day now! He also pulled himself to a standing position in the pew at church this Sunday. We're in for it soon!

+ Love to play with the fire truck he got from Nanny for Easter, bounce in his bouncer, roll around on a blanket grabbing toys, and pulling the dog's ears.

+ Still in size 3 diapers, 6-12 month or 9 month clothes.

Justin + Emily

+

Justin is finishing out his school year strong, and is managing all the end-of-the-year activities. School play, field trips, and concerts - life sure gets busy as summer approaches, but he loves watching his students doing things they love.

+ I am also buried in a pile of correcting and lesson planning, but having a blast teaching my students about poetry. (I NEVER thought I would say that). We're doing limericks - so fun, and haiku to start with. The students are so creative! In Spanish we continue to use the storytelling method to learn new vocabulary words. My drawings on the board to illustrate are...less than stellar.

+ Our family got the chance to do Magic Kingdom for a day with my parents and one of my sisters. Pippa was basically enchanted the entire day, and Teddy took about one 10 minute nap because there was so much to see and do. It was so fun to watch them experience the magic of meeting characters, riding the kid-friendly rides, and seeing Cinderella's Castle.

+ And finally, Justin turned the big 3-0 in March! We celebrated with a party on the beach ending in a bonfire. It was absolutely perfect, and such a fun, low-key way to mark the occasion.

That's a wrap for April! I can't believe my next few updates will include our firstborn turning 3, Teddy turning 1, and our 6th wedding anniversary. It's going to be one amazing summer!