Can you tell which is which?
{Answer: Top = Laura Leigh, Bottom = Lydia}
Friday, June 27, 2014
Which baby?
Thankfully, I've been able to visit Laura Leigh twice now, once with our whole little fam and once by myself this past week. There are lots of posts to catch up on but I had to go ahead and post these pics. One of the pics below is my little Lydia and one is Laura Leigh -- crazy to me how similar they are.
Can you tell which is which?
{Answer: Top = Laura Leigh, Bottom = Lydia}
Can you tell which is which?
{Answer: Top = Laura Leigh, Bottom = Lydia}
Saturday, June 21, 2014
Her first haircut
I had been thinking of cutting L's hair for months since she had just one little section that had grown a lot longer than the rest. Earlier this week, we had to spend a few days quarantined at home cause of a slight case of pink eye for L, and I think I had a bit of cabin fever. One minute, I was looking at L watching TV. The next minute, I decided to have her sit on the ottoman, used a teeny hair band, and trimmed up that little section.
She looks a bit older with her big girl cut now. Though she didn't even notice what I had done, it still counts.
ajb
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
L's first movie!
To start the summer, we headed to the movies with the neighbors while Graham was out of town. The girls loved being able to have such a fun outing with their friends and especially the popcorn treat boxes.
We saw Rio2 (which I thought was ok for the most part), and Lydia seemed to enjoy it though she did need to walk around after a little while. All in all, it was a successful first experience for little bit.
The Potty Diaries, cont.
So, on day 4 of our official potty training, Lydia started actually walking toward the potty by herself which was a huge improvement from 3 days of just noticing when it happened but not making any movement at all. We thought we were well on our way.
Unfortunately, by the time we headed out to EB's dance recital at the end of the week, Lydia refused to even sit on a potty outside the house and started to get upset to even use her little potty at home some. I realized after the weekend that she just wasn't quite ready. Physically, she's ready, and she definitely gets it. She just mentally did not want to do it.
So we've postponed until our travels are over, and she's now in pull-ups. She is however singing songs about how she loves going potty -- which is totally not true. Maybe she's getting herself psyched up.
dance photos
Well, we didn't have formal dance photos taken this year, but I did take these at home the day before the recital. I love them, and it's pretty much all EB was interested in doing anyway.
She said she just made up that one ;), and of course Lydia had to get in on the fun ...
Sunday, June 15, 2014
our little ballerina
This year, we tried out a dance studio for EB. While Lydia and I were at swim lessons, EB had a trophy night ... she was quite proud about finishing.
The class included ballet, tap, and tumble, and she was able to go every week with several friends - here are Laura, EB, and Ava.
That Saturday, for my 36th birthday, she put on a dance recital just for me! It was the real deal - an hour or so of all kinds of dance with kids of various ages doing all sorts of interesting things. Their group did 2 numbers, one ballet and one tap.
We got the day started with a few doughnuts from Mary Lee ... and a birthday song! (I did smile for one of the pictures)
Cute sisters on their way in to the recital!
EB before her ballet routine ...
Lydia may have had the MOST fun of all of us - she danced the ENTIRE time, trying to mimic the moves of the dancers on stage. She did not want to leave and cried for more.
Blowing us a kiss on her way off stage ...
We made sure to get flowers for after the show ... she was STOKED!
Nona and Big Daddy and Granddaddy were able to come! EB was quite excited to show off her skills. Nona even got to go back stage to help her change from her ballet costume to her tap costume, per EB's request.
After a little down time that afternoon and after seeing all the grandparents off, we took a trip to Perkins Rowe for California Pizza Kitchen (and some silly pictures).
The class included ballet, tap, and tumble, and she was able to go every week with several friends - here are Laura, EB, and Ava.
That Saturday, for my 36th birthday, she put on a dance recital just for me! It was the real deal - an hour or so of all kinds of dance with kids of various ages doing all sorts of interesting things. Their group did 2 numbers, one ballet and one tap.
We got the day started with a few doughnuts from Mary Lee ... and a birthday song! (I did smile for one of the pictures)
Cute sisters on their way in to the recital!
EB before her ballet routine ...
Lydia may have had the MOST fun of all of us - she danced the ENTIRE time, trying to mimic the moves of the dancers on stage. She did not want to leave and cried for more.
Blowing us a kiss on her way off stage ...
We made sure to get flowers for after the show ... she was STOKED!
Nona and Big Daddy and Granddaddy were able to come! EB was quite excited to show off her skills. Nona even got to go back stage to help her change from her ballet costume to her tap costume, per EB's request.
After a little down time that afternoon and after seeing all the grandparents off, we took a trip to Perkins Rowe for California Pizza Kitchen (and some silly pictures).
We're famous ...
A few months before Mother's Day, one of Ashley's friends mentioned her friend is the editor of 225 Magazine and she wanted to volunteer Ashley for the Mother's Day issue featuring "working Mothers." Although hesitant, Ashley was able to ensure that she would be able to approve what was eventually published. The best part, though, was the photo shoot!
The photographer came by one day when the girls would be home. They got some great shots ...
After it came out, several people we know stopped Ashley and the girls to say "Hey. I saw you in 225 Magazine!" Pretty cool to be famous! EB was especially excited about it since so many of the teachers at her school mentioned it (even in the carpool line) and her classmates brought the magazine to school to show her and share in the excitement.
Here are the unedited answers she submitted to 225:
My biggest challenge:
... is figuring out how to deal with the fact that I live a state away from my extended family. I love the life my family is creating here in Baton Rouge -- our church home, our careers, our friends, my daughters’ schools and all that they are able to do in this city. But, having grown up with both sets of grandparents in the same city and extended family all around, I never imagined raising my own family in a city without other family members around to be a part of our daily lives. For now, I’m thankful for FaceTime, phone calls, and the ability to make quick trips to Mississippi and Alabama to see our family whenever we want, though it’s never often enough.
My advice for working moms:
... is the same advice I'd give to all parents (both moms and dads that work both inside and outside the home). Namely, that we should think about what is really important to us in the current year or phase of life as well as in the future and to create conversations within our work-places that question the taken-for-granted assumptions we have about our careers and families. I'd also suggest trying to think outside what we're often taught to expect to do -- I know women and men who all want to be great parents and it's up to us to determine (both as individuals and within organizations) what our individual responsibilities should be within our families and workplaces to make it all work better. Those of us who are lucky enough to even consider questions of work-life balance owe it to others to have these kinds of conversations and to re-envision how organizations can work better for moms and dads. We all want and benefit from happy, healthy, and productive families, so we should all be invested in figuring out how it can work best.
What's the biggest thing you learned from your mother:
... that we can show our love for others through our actions. My mom did everything when I was growing up; she was my Sunday school teacher, Girl Scout troop leader, my 8th grade English teacher, shopping partner, Jr. Beta Club sponsor, and was at every school event, practice, and competition, all while teaching middle-school and high-school English for 25+ years. As cliché as it sounds, I appreciate her as a mother more and more each year as I begin to attempt to do all that she did now with my own daughters. If I could go back to high school and change one thing, I'd name her my Star Teacher since she obviously deserved it over everyone else. I've made lots of mistakes as a daughter, and she never let me know it.
How I connect with my kids:
Since my girls are little, we spend a lot of time making Lego towers, working on art projects or building new creations, playing outside and digging in the dirt together, and reading lots and lots and lots of books. But, most importantly, I try to really listen to them and treat them as real people, whether they’re upset or joyful. Their anxieties or frustrations may never feel as important as my own, but they are. I hope that they feel my love for them in how I’m eager to be present and as I try to truly listen.
The photographer came by one day when the girls would be home. They got some great shots ...
After it came out, several people we know stopped Ashley and the girls to say "Hey. I saw you in 225 Magazine!" Pretty cool to be famous! EB was especially excited about it since so many of the teachers at her school mentioned it (even in the carpool line) and her classmates brought the magazine to school to show her and share in the excitement.
Here are the unedited answers she submitted to 225:
My biggest challenge:
... is figuring out how to deal with the fact that I live a state away from my extended family. I love the life my family is creating here in Baton Rouge -- our church home, our careers, our friends, my daughters’ schools and all that they are able to do in this city. But, having grown up with both sets of grandparents in the same city and extended family all around, I never imagined raising my own family in a city without other family members around to be a part of our daily lives. For now, I’m thankful for FaceTime, phone calls, and the ability to make quick trips to Mississippi and Alabama to see our family whenever we want, though it’s never often enough.
My advice for working moms:
... is the same advice I'd give to all parents (both moms and dads that work both inside and outside the home). Namely, that we should think about what is really important to us in the current year or phase of life as well as in the future and to create conversations within our work-places that question the taken-for-granted assumptions we have about our careers and families. I'd also suggest trying to think outside what we're often taught to expect to do -- I know women and men who all want to be great parents and it's up to us to determine (both as individuals and within organizations) what our individual responsibilities should be within our families and workplaces to make it all work better. Those of us who are lucky enough to even consider questions of work-life balance owe it to others to have these kinds of conversations and to re-envision how organizations can work better for moms and dads. We all want and benefit from happy, healthy, and productive families, so we should all be invested in figuring out how it can work best.
What's the biggest thing you learned from your mother:
... that we can show our love for others through our actions. My mom did everything when I was growing up; she was my Sunday school teacher, Girl Scout troop leader, my 8th grade English teacher, shopping partner, Jr. Beta Club sponsor, and was at every school event, practice, and competition, all while teaching middle-school and high-school English for 25+ years. As cliché as it sounds, I appreciate her as a mother more and more each year as I begin to attempt to do all that she did now with my own daughters. If I could go back to high school and change one thing, I'd name her my Star Teacher since she obviously deserved it over everyone else. I've made lots of mistakes as a daughter, and she never let me know it.
How I connect with my kids:
Since my girls are little, we spend a lot of time making Lego towers, working on art projects or building new creations, playing outside and digging in the dirt together, and reading lots and lots and lots of books. But, most importantly, I try to really listen to them and treat them as real people, whether they’re upset or joyful. Their anxieties or frustrations may never feel as important as my own, but they are. I hope that they feel my love for them in how I’m eager to be present and as I try to truly listen.
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Laura Leigh Little!!
Back in May, the newest addition to our extended family arrived. Welcome to the world, Laura Leigh Little!
As Whitney posted, "Laura Leigh Little just couldn't wait any
longer to make her debut! Born May 17th at 11:03pm weighing 7 lbs. 7 oz
and 20 and 3/4 in. long!! We are in awe of God's new blessing and
bundle of joy in our lives!"
The girls were beyond excited to have a new little cousin, and Lydia just loves that she has an "L" cousin. Here are some pics taken just after she was born. We've since been able to visit and meet her ourselves, and we'll hopefully post those photos soon!
Some day, your cousins will teach you how to each at Piccadilly with Granddaddy and CC just like they did the day you were born, Laura Leigh ...
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