OurWildflowers: updates

sigh - almost two full months since my last post. I will squeak one in under the wire. The last two months were jam packed with holiday fun. Unfortunately the details are already a blur, but I'll post a bunch of pictures to satisfy my future self.

Harper's major accomplishments are that

1. She learned to walk!! Yay!!! right after Thanksgiving, while we were decorating the tree she just took off on her own. She had taken a few independent steps on her own prior to that, but now she's off and running.

2. She is completely weaned! Woot Woot, I nursed her for 15 months. Sweet baby girl, it was bittersweet to wean you, but your a big girl and have a whole big world to be out and exploring. It was the right time for both of us. I have to say that without the "mommy guilt" that I had about leaving her when I was nursing, Jon and I have had several date nights in the past couple of months. Its been so great to go out on our own and remember that we can have fun on our own, that we can have conversations with other adults and each other. I think this milestone of Harper's (and myself) will lead to a possible Mommy and Daddy vacation in the near future.

Olivia's biggest accomplishment lately is that she is truly reading!! I am in awe of her on a daily basis. She writes LONG letters to me, and my mind is blown that I can read them. My bright little girl sounds out everything and puts pen to paper and writes it down. She has been doing that for a few months now, but has only lately really been doing the reverse of that and sounding out/reading on her own. She is always looking at signs/books/cereal boxes and sounding out the words and using any context clues she can find to put it all together and read independently. Her preschool teacher approached me to ask if Olivia would like to read a book to the class at the end of the month. She is so excited!! The book she chose to read is called Rhyming Dust Bunnies, she memorized long ago, but now she stops and looks at the words and sounds them out on her own. I know that this combination of memorization /reading sight words is how literacy begins. I can't wait to find her with a flashlight in bed reading on her own. I think by next year we'll be there. xoxo

ok..... i should write so much more. I have been truly blessed and have had a wonderful holiday season. Olivia turns 5 in one week, which opens up the floodgates for sappy mommy to gush on and on about time passing by and how much I love my sweet Olivia. For now, it is late and I am going to post a bunch of pictures to make you happy. I'll have to try my best to write again in the next few weeks about Olivia's Birthday and all of the lovely party plans.