The tub is filled with ....

So as everyone knows, Faith loves books. That is just a given. If someone is reading to her at school she won't leave their side; even to come to me. I guess since she has her favorites here at home she secretly has them memorized in her head. She has started sitting down and reading on her own better recently. That is something we need to work on; alone play. However as we read her favorite Barney book and pause in places she fills in the blank. It is a rhyming book and easy for her to know what comes next. I remember a movie from years back of little Grace reading Alfred Snood. Never did I imagine my little one sitting here alongside me telling me how the stories go. And it isn't only Barney, it is Mickey Mouse and the Beanstalk also. She sees the picture with the giant catching Mickey and she yells, "Hurry, Hurry, run!" Books that she has been hearing since day one will have the blanks filled in too. It is so neat to hear her talking with the book and reading along with me. I love that time when she cuddles up with me and asks to sit on my lap. "Read, read, peas" she says. As story time creates a good time to learn, we are learning shapes. Along with the heart shape we have learned where our heart is. She'll pick it out in her book and then I'll ask her where her heart is. She taps her chest. Where is mommy's heart. She taps my chest. What does it say? She says "beat, beat". Where is Lamby's heart. Get ready for this answer. Are you ready? She grabs her tag on Lamby's bottom where the little TY heart is for beanie babies. "Heart." Yes Faith, you are right. That is Lamby's heart. I'm not sure why her's is on her bottom though and not in her chest. I love her insight.

Back to Normal, I think??

So Bud has arrived back home from school and the house is like it used to be. After a long weekend to visit the family back home we were exhausted come Sunday after we arrived home late. It is always nice to see the folks however the drive is so tiring. What has Faith been doing? Let me see.... It seems like since her daddy has came back home that she has become twice a tear as was before. Maybe it will pass. Hopefully, I pray. Let the screaming and crying fits begin.... now. First it was not wanting to put on the clothes and then it was going potty and then it was wanting to go outside with no socks on, and then it was falling off the couch and hitting her head. She has figured out how to put her high heels on for dress up. Yesterday she came prancing out in those heels and a feather boa. A straw hat topped her head and she had on a pink dress. Everything goes on the head nowadays. Underwear (everyone's), shirts, blankets, hats, stuffed animals, diapers. And yes, poor Abby, they go on her too. It is always crazy here at the Gymnaste home, however the craziness is what brings us joy. Adios!

3 Days and Counting

With the countdown at 3 days until Bud comes home, we are both excited about his arrival. Since Faith can count to five now, I will ask her how many days till daddy comes home. I'll say 1, then she says 2,3 really fast trying to stick her fingers up. Next I'll say four and then she puts her hand up and says, five. That's right. She wants to ride in her daddy's truck every morning and cries when I tell her no. I wish we could stick around our house for a few days upon his arrival however we are off to Illinois for Thanksgiving. Hopefully it will be a good trip and Faith will sleep. We sure are looking forward to seeing everyone and eating alot.
Today was church day. This girl gets so excited at the mention of church. "Nur Nur." That is her word for nursery. We pull into church and when we get out she says, hand. She wanted to hold my hand when we walked in. She led the way. That was a first. Most of the time I am asking for her hand. There she goes hopping and galloping down the hall. I asked her what we learn about at church and she says, "Je Je" (Jesus). A sister had a bag full of toys for little ones and she let her play with a princess wand and tiarra. She loved it. I think that she loved the chocolate teddy grahams better that a little girl kept giving her. The people are so nice there. If they had the contemporary Christian music there, I'd be all set. I do love the LDS church and I long for the day when my child can teach me stuff that she learns at church.

Petit gymnaste

Petit gymnaste. That should be her name. "Little gymnast". As always, Wednesdays are gymnastics day for the preschoolers. Since it was wet outside this morning she was able to sit and watch the kids do gymnastics class in the gym. Here were all these toys to play with; Bikes, push toys, mats, tunnels and balls. She ran right past them over to the gymnastics class. She asked me if she could join and I said no because she wasn't in mommy's class. She sat for 30 minutes contently watching everyone. Occasionally she would get down from my lap and inch over to the mats. Her eyes remained on me to make sure that it would be okay. "No, no Faith." Back she came to sit. This week at nap time she has been interested in doing headstands on her cot. I guess I am teaching her well. When she falls off she'll put her pillow on the floor and try again. When interfered with, a big "No" comes out of her mouth. . She will put her hands and head on the ground at home and try to roll over. Just a little push and off she goes. Over and over again. She puts her arms above her head and twirls around like a ballerina. Zoe from Sesame Street does that in one of her books. I just love to sit and watch her. I think that she would love the balance beam because she walks the wood planks at school. I know she would love to learn to tumble and be good at it because I was one, Grace, her cousin, loves dance and movement, and my aunt's family were all gymnasts.

Gratitude

As the holidays fast approach I find myself thinking of family. What tradition is our family going to incorporate into the upcoming years? I look at some of the children in my class who are so spoiled and ungrateful for what they have and I think to myself. How am I going to teach Faith that concept? My head teacher, Sylvia, tried explaining that children have no concept of the world until age 6 or 7. Until they have a concept of the world, they can't be grateful. As we approach Thanksgiving, it is a holiday just for being grateful for all the blessings we have. So I think that Faith and I will take another trip to the library to find Thanksgiving books and talk about all the things that we are thankful for. Then we will get out our photo books and talk about the love we have for all our family. I just can't justify what Sylvia says. I will stick to my guns and believe that your child is only capable of learning what you teach her. They don't say thank you because they know that is what you expect. Maybe when they are Faith's age; however by three I think that they should know what it is to be thankful if someone has taught them. I remember Christmas last year. It broke my heart to hear two of my nieces arguing over who had more presents. Not a thank you to their mother was said and the toys were thrown on the floor for Faith to climb over. They had come to expect presents and not be thankful for the amount they were given. So let's all remember our thanks this time of year and every time of year. Remember our families, near and far. We love you all.

Retaining information

It is crazy to think how much information Faith retains when I teach her. The other day I noticed that she had picked up her sign language again. She hasn't used it since she started talking a few months ago. So I thought she just spit one out randomly until I decided to actually ask her to use her hands to say words to me. As I strapped her into her carseat yesterday I asked her to say all the words that I remember teaching her. After she spoke them she used her hands to repeat each one correctly. At one point in time I thought that it was such a waste to teach her signs after she stopped using them. However now that I know that she actually retained that information I will continue to teach her new words. However, I myself need to learn them first.

TOUCHDOWN!!

After only a week and a half working on potty training with Faith, something clicked in her head last night. As I asked her to go close her door before bed she walked over and closed it. I continued to put away our books and out of the clear blue sky, she grabs her diaper and says potty. What? What did you say? I ask again and then hurry to the bathroom. She pulls down her pants as I take her diaper off. I kid you not, as soon as she sat down, it happened. Now she has told me potty before when she wets herself however this time she hadn't gotten to that point yet. I guess the M&M's and fruit snacks are working their job well. Way to go, Faith!

What did you say?

What did you say? That is what Bud has been saying recently on the phone to Faith. As I have been around her more recently with him in Georgia it seems like it is called mommy talk. I can clearly understand her. Since she can't say "how are you", I decided to teach her a few words in spanish that are easier to say. As we sat at the table the other night I told her say "Hola". Well that was easy enough. How about "que tal?" Yep she said that clear as could be too. Since she can say two phrase words better than three, she decided to try it out on her daddy that night on the phone. I didn't prompt her she just said it. Now if I tell her "Hola, Faith." She replies with "Hola, que tal?" Bien, I say. Y tu? I ask her. Asi Asi. I thought that I was going to die from laughter. Of course I taught her these words but it is neat that she has remembered the order they come in. Here is a little video for those of you who have a hard time believing me.

Wiggle Worm

I thought it used to be bad when Faith was a baby and wouldn't get dressed. However now a days she is perfectly content without clothes on. Often this is how it goes. Faith let's get dressed. She runs down the hall looking behind her to see if I am coming. Yep, here I come. Look, it's a pretty princess shirt. Your favorite. Yes, I've got her attention. As the shirt goes over her head she pushes it away and screams. We try again. Surprise, surprise.... I get the same result. Faith you can't go to school with no clothes on. I can't believe I am trying to reason with a one year old. Let's put on your pants. We try standing as she is playing with something else. Nope, she kicks the leg out as I put the other one one. I decide to lay her down and get physical with the pants. She arches her back and screams some more. Come on Faith, mommy has her pants on. Man, I didn't know it was going to be this hard to just get dressed. Some days are better than others but she kicks and screams to avoid clothing. So mommy got smart. Bye Faith, I say as I walk out the door. "Faith, Faith, go" Nope, you have no clothing on. "Faith, Faith, go." You have to go find your shirt. OK. Now go get your pants and shoes. Don't forget your jacket. It's cold outside. It may take us twenty minutes to get dressed but we eventually get through it. Never rush yourself with a little toddler. That is what I have learned from this whole ordeal.

Ballerina by day... cow by night

Since my digital camera is not working right I will have to post my Halloween pictures on my photo show site when they come back. There once was a pretty ballerina who tiptoed all through the house. Whirling and twirling, hopping, running and singing. With her pink two two and white tights on she curtsied her way into her classroom on Wednesday. Glitter highlighted her cheeks and she was beautiful. I couldn't help but think that here in a few years she will still be wearing that two two and dancing around; if she is anything like her mother who loves to dance around. Her and her friends paraded around the school and boy was she excited when mommy gave her a bag of candy just for herself. Because it was cold that night we decided to put on our cow costume that Andma got for her and headed out for a walk. We stopped at three houses in which she was able to see and collect rocks (her favorite), say hi to a kitty (her second favorite) and watch the pumpkins (her third favorite) all in one walk up the street. She might also have liked the few M&M's she got since those are only usually only for potty treats. It was nice to a have a toddler to enjoy this occasion with this year. I only wish her daddy could have been here to see. Hopefully the pictures will tell the story though.