Powerful: Derek + Laura

  This is my little Owen and he is the most handsome little boy ever. He brings so much joy to our lives. He is an excellent napper, happy 98% of the time, and a great little brother. He laughs at every thing Brooklyn does and is so patient as she pulls and pokes him while they try and play. Here is a glimpse of Owen James at 6 months old: He sits up and loves to play with anything put in front of him He drools like nothing I've ever seen before Can roll from front to back and back to front but mostly rolls from back to tummy Loves tummy time Is obsessed with Brooklyn and Peek a boo Isn't the best night time sleeper but he is getting better every day. He gave me 6 hrs last night...to bad it was from 6 pm to 12 am instead of 12 am to 6 am. Once he's in a deep sleep he does great but just has a hard time getting to sleep at first Smiles at everyone so he can show off his dimples Blabs mama everyday all day but I don't think he has connected it yet...

This weeks class was Music time. It was so much fun and the best part is the kids were all worn out by the end. Brooklyn is taking a great nap as I write.  Here is how I set it up and what I did: Pick out 15-20 songs that the kids will love. Make sure a lot of them have actions the children can learn to do. I will list all the songs I picked below. E-mail parents and ask them to bring an empty plastic water bottle and some scarves or ribbons. Purchase and blow up one balloon for each child. Set up "What's in My Basket" game. I filled up one easter egg for each child with something different. I used coins, pasta, marshmallows, cereal, rice, beans, etc. Anything I could find in my kitchen that would make noise when you shook the egg.  Each child gets to come pick one egg, shake it, and guess what's inside. Depending on your age group you can have them count how many of the objects are inside the egg. The kids each loved having their own turn. Then start off with...

A couple of weeks ago I was talking to some of my friends about starting some kind of regular class where we can get our kids together once a week to learn and play. As an added bonus, we all get to chat as well. That night I started researching different activities that are good for kids ages 18 months-3 years. I put together an 8 week schedule that will include different themes each week so that our children can be exposed to many different things. I couldn't wait to get started. I e-mailed my friends my ideas/schedule and once I knew who could participate I went shopping to pick up supplies. Everything I have needed so far I found at the Dollar Tree and Micheal's. Today was our first class and it was a lot of fun. Our theme this week was animals. As everyone arrived I let them pick out a folder and decorate it. I also took a picture with the kids and their moms. We started by reading a couple of animal books I had on hand. The kids loved them because they were flap books a...

Texas is having some gorgeous weather lately. I don't even mind the upper 80s as long as its not too humid. I forgot how sticky everything feels when it's 80-99% humid. Somedays I just daydream that I'm in Hawaii instead of Texas because that's where humidity is actually worth it. Ha Anyway, moving on to what I came to blog about. With this nice weather Brooklyn and I spend almost every morning at the park. She'll usually let me  walk/jog 2 miles on the trails at the park before getting completely restless. Then she's off and never wants to leave. Every time we park our car and I let her out of her carseat, she sees the park and screams with excitement. I love it and all the park people think it's pretty cute too. Our little Brooklyn sure can bring a smile to any face.  So grateful to live in a wonderful city full of parks, walking trails, and friends to have park play dates with. Brooklyn sure is happy in Texas.  This is pure joy  Playing with some friends ...