Times, they are a'changing

I've long thought that September should be the first month of the year. So many changes come with the end of the summer and the start of fall. This year has been no exception for our family.

Just a week into September, Abby turned 3. So long toddler, hello preschooler! We decided not to start Abby in formal preschool this year, as her birthday is so close to the cut off date that we are seriously considering starting her a year late in kindergarten. So, she will be home with Joshua and I for another year at least. We're keeping her busy, however (good thing, because she's a mover and a shaker). She has started Sunday School this year, and she wasn't too sure of it on the first day. A friend of mine is her teacher, and she told us Abby announced in the middle of class that first day, "Okay, I think I like this now." Ha! She is also sits with us for the beginning of church (this has been interesting. She is incapable of standing still for long!), and then goes to Children's Church instead of the nursery. We still go to small group every other week, and she gets to play with her little friends there. We also started MOPS this month, so Abby is getting more classroom experience there, singing songs, having a lesson, doing crafts, etc. I'm glad she's getting exposure to other kids and classroom settings before she starts going to school. She's really enjoying it!

Abby also spent her first multiple overnight stay at her grandparents' a few weeks ago. She was gone for three nights. She did well, but was quite tired and "off" the day we brought her home. When we got home, however, she announced that she was ready to sleep in her big girl bed. Yes, she has been sleeping in her pack n play, at her insistence (don't judge!), since she started really having trouble with her big girl bed last winter. She loved her pack n play and always had the opportunity to move back to her big bed, but didn't want to. I think the move and everything was a bit much for her, and she felt safe in her pack n play. I am excited that she just decided she was finished with it. In fact, after two days in her bed, she asked me to put the pack n play away! She also insisted she didn't need a diaper for naptime. I hadn't started taking it off yet, because she never wakes up dry and she was stuck in her pack n play, anyway. She did great for a few days sans diaper, then had an accident. It was no big deal. Accidents happen, and she helped me clean it up. However, now she insists on a diaper again. I guess we will have to feel this one out!

Joshua is also attending the same activities, though he hangs out in the nursery. He's not super sure of things some days. He seems to be way more of a mama's boy than Abby ever was. I am told he is either laughing or crying. One really awesome development for him is that he has transitioned to one nap a day. We have a lot more freedom in the mornings for activities, and then I actually get a break when he and Abby nap. Yay!! Oh, and he is also FINALLY starting to sleep through the night!!

Joshua is also eating up a storm. The ladies in the nursery at MOPS yesterday fed him cheerios, puffs, and a muffin. They insisted he wouldn't eat lunch after all that food. Yeah, right. When we got home, he ate his full lunch as usual. Hollow leg? The funny thing is, he is totally skinny! At 11 months, he is still in 9 month clothes. Now that the weather is getting cooler, I can't find him pants that fit! They're either too short or they fall right off his tiny waist.

Joshua is really trying to learn a lot of words right now. He points to everything and asks, "What's that?" He says "hi" and waves. When he drops something, he says, "uh oh!" He says Mama and Dada, ball, fan, kitty cat, I forget what else. I have been really surprised in the past few days that he is quite clearly saying, "thank you" when I hand him things. What a polite young man!

One of the most exciting changes for me is that I finally got a spot in our church's MOPS group! I was on the waiting list for nearly a year, as the group has over 60 women and needed more childcare workers. Not only did I make it into the group this year, but I am a table leader and the coordinator for outreach. This year's outreach focus is the local crisis pregnancy center. I had been interested in volunteering there, but it's hard to commit to times and days with the kids at this point. So, this is perfect! I am enjoying meeting other moms, getting a 2 hour break from the kids every other week, and getting to work with an organization I feel passionate about.

And, since I always wonder if anyone wants to read my blog or just look at the pictures/videos, here is your reward for making it this far through my post (unless you just skipped down to the videos, in which case, you stink.) :-D

Cowboy Josh! (shout-out to Josh P.!)

Tickling the ivories at the Please Touch Museum

Joshua can't walk on his own yet, but he was certainly strutting his stuff here.