Oh Happy [Reading] Day!

Today Katelynn read the following words all on her own, using phonics:  am, an, ad, at, rat, pat, sat, cat, fat, mat, bat, hat, man, fan, ban, ran, can, van, tan

What an amazing parenting moment to see that lightbulb over her head go "click!"  I was a little hesitant about this post because I don't want to come across as a show off and I certainly try not to be one of "those parents" who talks incessantly about her kids.  But I am posting away, because it was truly a joyful moment that I couldn't help but document!  She was beyond excited; it's rare to see my often serious girl with such a big smile plastered on her face.  And mommy was excited too.  We called Daddy and Nanna right away.  


For anyone interested or curious, we have been working through The Ordinary Parents' Guide to Teaching Reading by Jessie Wise and Sara Buffington.  My friend Erin recommended it.  The format is easy to follow for both parent and child, and has been fun for both of us.

A Post for Nanna

Well, I know that Nanna will not be happy about the Pinterest post unless it is followed with appropriate posting and pictures of one of her grandchildren.  Tyler has been up to a lot of cute things lately that I felt deserved a mention anyway.

13 months is such a fun age.  It is also really interesting to watch your second grow and see how different kids are from one another.  Things I somehow expected to be the "same" as his big sis are so different.  For example, Tyler walked a little earlier than KK - but that's not what surprised me.  I knew there might be differences like that.  But he did surprise me with the insane speed in which he has ramped up to coordinated FAST walking.  The little guy could tear across the living room at warp speed with a couple of weeks of his first steps.  KK's ramp up to fast walking was much more slow and cautious and took a couple of months.  

Tyler is super expressive and chatty - this is the same as his sis.  However while she spoke her first clear word at 7 months, he still mainly babbles. However, it is clear he is trying to communicate.  His favorite word besides "mama" is "Oh!" - said in all sorts of cute and different ways and with different kinds of emphasis, often as a means to point out things he wants to touch or "discuss" with mommy. I really need to capture it on video because it is melt-your-heart adorable.   

He loves to take things in and out of bags and can occupy himself for quite awhile with this task.  He likes to get into the plastic cups in the pantry and take them in and out of the various school lunch bags that reside there.  He then proudly carries his filled bag around the living room.  He has become super observant of the world around him.  He likes to get his own wad of toilet tissue and hurl it into the potty after mommy, sister or daddy are done.  He also likes to take a wet wash cloth and "clean" the floor the way he sees mommy do so frequently. 

Who knew these tiny little people would capture my heart so... Yes, Nanna, you knew - didn't you?!

Pinterest Projects

So, I can thank/blame my lovely SIL Jen and this blog post for introducing me to Pinterest.  Not only am I copying Pinterest, but I am also copying her with my latest projects.  I will also attempt to use this as my latest sorry excuse for not blogging too much these days...a girl can only focus on so many things at once!

Project 1
I finally tackled the "art wall" that I had wanted to create for the little girl, to display all her creative drawings and crafts.   Here's the inspiration from Pinterest, which Jen found for me... she is also doing a smaller version for her daughter's play room:

And here's my almost identical take on it:

I got the vinyl letters from DIY Lettering, and the service/ quality was great. 

Project 2
I love candy displays and have seen some cute ones on Pinterest, but they seemed pretty loud and large.  Then I saw my SIL's take on the Pinterest project and pretty much exactly copied her version.  This will be my new tribute to seasonal decorating, since I basically do NONE other than Christmas.  At least  now I will have some appropriate candy for each holiday/season.  Here's the original idea from Pinterest:

And here's my version which is similar to Jen's...I might add a cute ribbon to it to liven it up a bit:

Also thanks to Pinterest/Jen I have become re-enthused about home decorating.  I feel I am below average at it, but I am trying to improve by copying all these great ideas.  I am also finding that browsing lots of pictures helps to train my eye as to what looks good in a room.  It still does not come naturally for me at all.  But I have spruced up a few things in my living room and bedroom without spending too much $$.  Maybe a separate post later about that!