Typing before writing!

Okay, I should have guessed this would be the case with how common computers are now. I can see definite progression with Lana in terms of reading skills: she loves to make up stories and finish the sentences in her books based on memory. As for writing, I haven't spent much time with her practicing this but I just let her draw all of the time. About a month ago, she was playing one of the computer games she likes and she asked me, "where is the 'n'?" I realized that she was playing on the computer when she asked this so I came to see what she was doing. She was typing her name in the prompt! As I got closer, she found the letter 'n' and then finish her name typing the letter 'a' a few too many times. This week, I saw her doing it again. She plays with the case, too. It's funny because she always starts out with lower case and then wants to make the other letters upper case. I am impressed with her typing her name before she can write it!

Back on Track

Well, I just wanted to comment briefly on my running status. As many of you remember that I started running last July with a goal of running a 5k for the first time ever.
http://rempesretreat.blogspot.com/2008/07/new-challenge-for-amanda.html
As many of you know, I was blessed with pregnancy and had to put that goal on hold. I just wanted to let you all know that I am back! After my c-section on May 20, I receive clearance from the doc to start exercising again. So I started July 6, about a year exactly from when I started running last year! I am happy to say that I was able to accelerate my training program and last night I ran 30 minutes straight without stopping! I believe I had just reached this goal last year when I learned I was pregnant! This is a major accomplishment for me as I was never a good runner (always tried to run too fast and couldn'tbreath properly) even though I've biked and hiked and done aerobics. I am on my way to my first 5k!!!

Natural Finger Paints

Lana wanted to do some finger painting for arts and crafts the other day. When I checked her paints, they were so old and some were dry and some were just near empty. I did a quick internet search to learn how to make our own finger-paints! Here is the recipe and here are the results:
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1 C water
food color
Just mix the cornstarch and water and cook over a stove until thick (on a low temp). Then add food coloring.
We also make our own play-dough for sculpting. All we do is mix up some flour and water with some food coloring. It's real easy to understand what your kid is playing with when you make it yourself. It's also nice not to worry about them ingesting something nasty when they decide to eat a little play-dough!

The Wild Side

We have been going to one of the larger county parks for a long time... long before it was a developed county park. My brother learned to drive in it, we fished in it, Justin used to have BB-gun wars in it, and we used to Mountain Bike there as a couple ... now we take our kids there.

I love this park because it still has a wild side that most of the people don't venture into even though the park is much, much busier these days. We frequently have magical encounters there and the animals and plants are abundant. In addition to so many plants that you all could care less about unless you were geeky about it like me, they have wild walnuts, hickory, pecans, blueberries, blackberries and persimmons. It's just such a neat place with so many environments and several favorite spots that I call my "magic places", where I feel so alive and have had some neat experiences with the nature there.

Anyway, we go hiking there frequently but last week we took Lana out to gather some wild blackberries. It was a ton of fun and she really enjoys it. It will be so neat when Daphne is big enough for us to resume our hiking trips there again.

Shorty

I have not liked any haircut I've ever paid for Lana to have, so being a control freak I decided to try cutting her hair myself... I figured it can't be any worse than what I've been paying others to do to her hair. So, the first time, I was right.... it was no worse than what she was getting from hair-cutters but it was not any better either. It was free. This time I stopped by the beauty supply shop and picked up some texturizing shears so I could try giving her hair some "oomf" with a short cut! I think this worked! Here it is....

Look-A-Likes

It is unbelievable how much Daphne looks like Lana did when she was a baby. The heat is doing a number on Daphne's skin and she has some bad baby acne right now.

Here is a picture of Lana when she was this age, also with the baby acne:

Lana is a great big sister! We've had no problems with her being jealous or acting out in response to having Daphne. Lana occassionally gets in Daphne's toys and tells me she is a baby, but she is super sweet to Daphne and is always ready to help with diapers, pacifiers, blankets, laundry and more.

Beating the Heat!

So, it's been about six weeks since Daphne joined our family and we are having tons of fun. Dadda and Lana have been keeping busy while Mommy and Daphne rested indoors in the first few weeks... you never know what you're going to find when Daddy's are leading playtime. Here are some shots of one evening when I found them outside with the water hose, spraying each other. Lana was repeating, "Hold still! Do you like it? Do you like it, Dadda?"
The very rotten Dadda, however, ran around the garden boxes so Lana would get the water hose all tied up! They were both soaked!