Sidewalk Chalk

I introduced Kate to sidewalk chalk a few weeks ago on one of our Momdays, and even though she was much more interested in carrying the chalk around and getting more on her shirt than our driveway, it was still a huge hit.  After a few minutes of wandering around with her new colorful treasures, she walked over to where I was sitting and gave me the most unexpected and most glorious hug.  Her little arms wrapped around my neck and her face nuzzled into my shoulder as I hugged her back with one arm and rubbed her back with the other. 

It was the first hug I'd ever seen her initiate--completely unprompted.  What made it even more amazing is how long she held the hug.  My usual little "busy body" of a girl stayed still and hugged me for so long that after a couple of minutes I reluctantly lifted her head up off my shoulder to make sure she was still awake.  I was worried our hug would be over then, but instead, thankfully, she laid her head back down on my other shoulder and hugged me tighter.

We just sat there on the driveway.  Hugging.

This was a rare and beautiful gift--this unsolicited and oh-so-genuine display of affection from my one-year-old child.  I couldn't hold back the tears that filled my eyes as I rubbed Kate's back and started slowly rocking her from side to side, soaking up this joyful feeling and realizing:

This is one of the best moments of my life.

The two of us, covered in sidewalk chalk, just sitting on the driveway.  Hugging. 

Kate: 16 Months

Kate: 16 Months

You know how I thought 15 months was mind blowing?  Well what’s bigger than “mind blowing”? 

Mind melting?  Mind exploding?! 

Whatever it is, that’s how I feel about observing Kate at 16 months old.  I’m pretty sure it’s my favorite age so far!  (It’s possible I say that every month, but dammit, I mean it.) 

The biggest mind blowing, melting, exploding thing is that her vocabulary has skyrocketed!  She’s gone from knowing a handful of words, to having the ability to kick my ass at Scrabble.  The following is a list of words Kate currently says.  Some of them are ones she’s been saying for awhile--like “Mama” which was her first word (yeah that’s right)--but most of them are new this month:

Kate’s Words: 16 Months

Mama

Sit

Up

Elmo

All done

Bye-bye

Dusty

Ball

Teeth

Amen

Sun

Book

Cheese

Pants

Bubbles

Legs

Crayons

Goodnight

Umbrella

Socks

Drink

Dada

Outside

Yeah

Yay

Hi

Kate

Chalk

Eat

Cheese

No

Milk

Zebra

Please

Nana (for Banana)

Glasses

Eggs

Bunny

More

Grandpa

Puzzle

Pasta

I couldn’t believe the “puzzle” one when I came home and Grandma Pam announced she could say it after they’d spent some time playing with puzzles, but sure enough, she could:

Most of the above words are said in response to us saying them first.  For example, at bedtime I’ll ask, “Kate, would you like Mama to put some lotion on your legs?” and she’ll pat her legs and say, “Legs.”   Or I’ll ask, “Do you want some cheese?” and she’ll reply, “Cheese!”  She doesn’t go around naming things on her own yet, but the girl can repeat almost anything*.  She’s also just beginning to string words together.  We taught her how to ask politely when she wants to be picked up and now she says, “Up, please.”  She also requests, “More please” at mealtime when she’d like more food.  My favorite is when she said, “Goodnight, sun.” as I closed her blinds at bedtime.

(You're "awww"-ing.  I can tell.)

Her memory is crazy good, and she has started saying the next words to books and songs like Twinkle Little Star and a fun little alphabet song we sing (“A is for apple, a-a-apple, B is for ball, b-b-ball…”) before G or I say them. 

I’m telling you—this is mind exploding, bending, twisting, melting stuff!!

Kate is also learning her animal sounds--and since I know you think I’m lying, here’s the proof: 

Sixteen months marked Kate’s first skinned knee, followed quickly by her second skinned knee so she had a nice little matching set.  Going from walking on the soft surface of the grass to the solid surface of the sidewalk throws her for a loop.  She’s stumbled a few times, so now when she’s outside and sees there’s a change in surface coming--the grass, the sidewalk, the crack and slight drop between the garage and the driveway, etc.--she gets down, crawls over it, and then stands back up and continues walking on her merry way.  I think this is her plan for preventing future skinned knees, and frankly, I think it's brilliant.

Speaking of knees, Kate also knows her body parts!  She can name and point to her belly, nose, eyes, ears, teeth, legs, etc.  She also loves naming your body parts, so if you’re holding her be on guard for her to gouge your eyes out and proudly exclaim, “EYES!” or jam her grubby fingers in your mouth and gleefully announce, “TEETH! TEETH!”   

It’s her thing.

And, oh yes, how can I forget? Kate got both a new house and new car this month.  Her parents?  Neither of those things. 

* Mama’s really gotta start keeping those f-bombs in check.

Things Loved in June

1. Fresh basil.

I'm trying my hand at growing some of my own herbs this summer and I'm loving it!  Instead of doing planters filled with flowers on our back deck, I have pots filled with basil, oregano, and parsley and they are getting more attention than any of my potted flowers ever did!  The basil is by far my favorite, and it's growing really well.  My favorite summer sandwich is roast beef and fresh mozzarella, smeared with pesto and topped with a few extra whole basil leaves.  I love stepping in from the deck, my hand filled with basil leaves freshly clipped from my plant, shaking them at G and proudly declaring, "See this right here?  This would've cost me THREE DOLLARS at the grocery store!"  It never gets old.

2.  Composting.

I hate hate HATE to see things go to waste, which is why I was so excited to volunteer for a citywide composting pilot program that began in June!  Instead of tossing them in the trash, we now put any kitchen scraps such as egg shells, vegetable peels, etc. (a.k.a. "household organics"), plant clippings, food-contaminated paper that can't be recycled (ex: ice cream cartons), and even Kate's disposable diapers!! in a compost bin provided to us by the City of Madison, and every two weeks our bin is set out and emptied right along with our trash and recyclable bins.  Our compost materials are then taken to a large composting site outside of town where they are eventually broken down and used for other resources, including generating methane used to make electricity and power vehicles. We're one of 600 households piloting this composting program for the next two years and I am crossing all my fingers and all my toes that it's a success and something our city implements full scale!

3.  These Old Navy wedges:

I picked up these super cute wedges at Old Navy a couple of weeks ago and they go perfectly with so many of my summer skirts.  They're also quite comfortable--I even went for a walk in them!

4.  Vicci Martinez's performance of "Dog Days are Over" on NBC's reality singing competition The Voice.  It was absolutely incredible!  You can watch it below, or CLICK HERE to see it in a larger screen.

Fourth of July Weekend

G and I had our 6th annual Fourth of July party over the weekend, and it was our best one yet! We had perfect weather and 50 people in attendance for lots of fun, food, and fireworks!

Pinwheel centerpiece, and buckets of sunscreen, bug spray, and goodies for the kids.

Kate: 17 Months



 

Taylor (14 months) with her parents Erica & Matt.

Deb and her son Anthony (age 7) playing catch in the backyard.

A glass of sangria in one hand, granddaughter in the other--what more could you ask for?

A rare G&D pic.  This weekend marked 12 years together!

  

Rex (7 months) with his dad, Jason.

Patriotic tattoos were another hit with the kids!  (Carter, age 5)

Anthony, age 7

Marit, age 4 

Carter gave me my very first tattoo--not bad for an almost 6 year old!

Glow bracelets for the kiddos.  They had fun with these once the sun started setting.

Brothers and best buds, Anthony and Carter.

Once the sun went down we enjoyed s'mores around the firepit (both traditional chocolate and Reece's peanut butter cup--mmm!) and watched some neighborhood fireworks.

G snapped one last picture of my tat before we called it a night and I crossed my fingers it'd wash off!

Ir was such a fun day--thank you to everyone who joined us!  Hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend!