on his way

Andrew had his 15-month check-up this morning and all is well with him. Inching taller every day and managing to keep his ever-so-slight weight gain proportionate with his growth. He's a lean machine with a dash of stubborn.

Other highlights? He's started walking. And more than the few steps that we would encourage after dinner as seen in this quick snippet of video from last week.

Maybe by Christmas (and with a little inspiration from his older sister and cousin) Andrew will make walking his first choice instead of reverting back to the easy crawl.

anticipation

Today marks the first Sunday in Advent, and begins a countdown to the celebration of Christmas. There's something about having little ones that makes the anticipation even greater for me. In our house this year, we have several family activities to commemorate this season.

The first is our Advent wreath, which we typically light for our meal on Sundays from now until Christmas day. Morgan has already connected our wreath at home with the one she saw on display at church.

All of the little preschoolers received a take-home project: a paper chain for each day of Advent with a discussion question or activity written on the inside for that day. Morgan has already cut and glued each strip, and was excited to remove the first one tonight.

I also intend to resurect my mom's hand-crafted Advent calendar, a felt banner with 24 pockets, each holding a piece to the Nativity. By Christmas day the scene will be complete with little Jesus in the manger. I know Morgan will enjoy this just as much as I did as a child.

And finally, I am most excited about a new tradition. With inspiration from my crafty cousin Katie, we are wrapping 24 Christmas books for the kids. Each night before bed, they can choose one from the stash to open and we will read it together as a family.

What fun we will have in this season of preparation!

Happy Giving Thanks Day

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise your glorious name.
1 Chronicles 29:13

look alike

Morgan got a hold of my sunglasses yesterday. She ran to the mirror and hollored, "Look at me! Who do I look like?"

My reply, "You look like Rachel!"

"No," she said. "I look like Aunt Kelsey," she corrected. And in her brain, I could almost hear, "Duh, Mommy. How could you not see the resemblance???"

next up

Morgan's hair twirling has gone from girlie habit to a daily obsession. A full-on
get-the-scissors-to-cut-the-knot obsession. Every day on the left side.

One day last week, Morgan called me from her room in a slight panic. While in bed, she had twirled her hair so tightly that her finger had literally become stuck. Again with the scissors.

The more she twirled, the more we discussed a short haircut. Not as any sort of punishment or consequence, but as a preventative measure so that she wouldn't be walking into preschool rocking an asymmetrical haircut. After looking at pictures from last year, Morgan asked when she could have short hair again. That was my cue.

I brushed up on my hair-cutting skills Saturday night, watching technique from trained professionals on You-Tube. (No laughing, Dad!) And Sunday afternoon while Andrew played and Scott suffered through another Lions game, Morgan and I headed to the basement with the laptop and a 45-minute VeggieTales movie.

And this is the result - click to zoom. These pictures were taken after Monday's twirl-free nap, so pardon the bed head in the back. I still think she looks adorable.

the real deal

Scott was off for Veterans Day and we took the weekday opportunity to take Andrew for his first genuine haircut. I wasn't sure it needed more than a trim, but my attempts in the bathtub weren't proving successful. It was time to see a professional.

After a recommendation from a friend and a slew of "before shots", we headed to the family-friendly shop and got right down to business. Andrew loved the car. Thinking he was buckling in for a ride, he was all smiles.

And then the stylist started in with the spritzes of water.

And the scissors.

We tried our best to distract Andrew and keep the crying to a minimum.



Meanwhile Morgan enjoyed the fact that she wasn't in the hot seat!

And then it was over. As soon as we were home, I grabbed the camera to get some comparison shots and this is the very first one I captured of Andrew. Think he was happy to be back?

Andrew's curls and swirls are gone for now - I knew I would be sad to see them go - but I think his hair will grow in so nicely. After seeing the pictures side by side, it's obvious that this haircut was long overdue! He is such a handsome little toddler.

fall fun