Happy Boy

Today's the last day to enter our giveaway!


Evan is happy, usually.














Notice the saliva pooling in his mouth.

After a couple of moments, the drool is sure to escape. (The bib was removed for a better picture.)

The drool is bad, but the spit up is worse. Our remedy is a big blanket to protect the floor. The worst part of the spit up is that Evan plays with his little pile of goo before I can clean it up! Meghan has even stepped in it, too. This big blanket has been doing very well protecting the floor even though Evan goes from top to bottom and side to side. We can pretty much contain him though. He may not crawl yet, but he is mobile!

DAME* Update

Don't forget to enter our giveaway!

School has ended. YIPPEE! Softball has officially started. Derek plays on Mondays and Wednesdays. Well, we are at least going to try both days. If we find it doesn't work for the other three of us, namely me, then we'll reevaluate as needed. For now though he will love playing shortstop twice a week for our church's team. Our plan is to spend time outside as a family each evening he is home.

Derek rode his bike home from church (well, about five miles from the church because of safety). What took me 30 minutes to drive took him an hour and a half to ride. There is quite an elevation difference from our church in Delaware to our home in Pennsylvania. Along the way we drive through Maryland, too. Doesn't biking in three states to get home from church sound like fun? When we lived in MD, Derek would bike home from (the same) church, but it wouldn't take quite as long with less hills.

Evan is doing great after battling a cold for a while. He eats food better than Meghan did even at age 1! Once he's hungry, or reminded it is time to eat, he really wants his bottle though. We have covered the living room floor with a queen size blanket. Unlike a rug, it can be thrown into the washer when he spits up on it. This happens several times day-each time he is on the floor. Evan is really close to sitting up, but not quite there. He can put the pacifier in and out of his mouth. Bad news for me: he seems to have given up his evening nap.

Meghan has added /k/ sound to her words. She adds it to milk, book, look, walk, park, and duck (that I can think of). Book and milk are old words, but much more understandable now! Unfortunately, some of her well-spoken words are getting muddled. An example is "elbow." Elbow was spoken with every sound before. But this past week, elbow and several/many other words have changed into less understandable words. Apparently this is not abnormal for apraxic children, though still a concern. We still have to correct her and keep our expectations high. It's hard to believe that four months ago she was just learning to put two syllables together like ba-ba and da-da. She would only do that with a lot of help and prompting.

Meghan is doing (mostly) better with potty training. Several times a day she tells us she needs to go; sometimes we have many false alarms though. She still has makes messes in her underwear often though. We only use Pull-Ups when we are out and about. She loves our walks and time outside.

Derek and I have been married for almost six years. In less than six years we have outlasted a smoothie-maker and a blender. Both were very nice wedding gifts. The day we brought home a two and one half GALLON tub of vanilla ice cream our blender died. (I was concerned about where it would fit in the freezer, but we made room. It was a fundraiser sale. Who can resist ice cream?) When Derek went shopping last week, he bought a new one. It's digital! I didn't realize how good this would be, until I pushed the "drink" button, and sixty seconds of high and low blending later, we had our smoothie! It timed it for us, too! I was pretty impressed for a not-too-expensive-but-much-needed blender. My one complaint is that I can't seem to tighten it enough...and when the motor is on, it loosens a bit...or more than a bit. With softball season upon us, it means lots of milkshakes and smoothies! (It is also good for Meghan's mouth muscles to drink thick drinks through straws.) I wonder how many more blenders we will use over the next many years.

I have decided that the children and I are going to get out for a morning walk nearly every day. Before breakfast I plan to put on the sunscreen (we are pale and pasty) and head out the door after we eat. Otherwise, I fear that once it gets humid (it's already hot), we won't go out except to swim. And though it's warm enough to bring out the pool, I am not ready for it until the weather stays hot. Feel free to hold me accountable for the walks!

Like many on the East Coast, here in PA, we had a very short spring. We went from temperatures in the 50's and a bit of 60's to the 80's and even 90's. Where is my perfect 65 degrees and sunny day? I'm not ready for shorts! Today's high is not even 60, with rain, so maybe spring is here after all!

*DAME=Derek, Annette, Meghan, Evan

Butterfly Craft

I saw this butterfly craft at Lucky Me (a great blog for children's crafts).
We used our mini coffee filters and mini craft sticks. (We only have a coffee pot for company, and for some reason I thought the tiny craft sticks were cuter than the regular ones.)


Meghan used her markers to color the filter. I put polka-dots on mine.

(Yes, that hair band is back. I wish I could say it looks great...)

Then came the FUN part. Do you see the joy on her face?

Meghan used the spray bottle to spray the colored filters. Unfortunately, her aim was quite high, and the table got very wet. With a little help she did just fine.















After the filters dried we folded them and placed them between two colored craft sticks with a pipe cleaner for antennae. I used markers to draw eyes. Our googley eyes never stay with glue.

Ta-dah! A butterfly.


Don't forget to enter our giveaway for fun felt patterns!

The Park

On Friday our whole family went to the local (just three miles away!) county park. Derek has every other Friday off, but when he has school, we don't take advantage as easily.



We began with both children in the stroller. Pushing 70 pounds (children + stroller) was an excellent workout for me, especially as I maneuvered through mud, gravel, and over tree roots!



It was really nice to give Meghan some independence while walking since cars were not a concern.



She walked the whole time with her head down, examining the trail and looking for rocks.















Sweet.

See, Evan really does smile!








Evan made sure he was awake in time for the playground. Evan wasn't nearly as enthusiastic about the swings as Meghan was at this age. He didn't squeal once, though he seemed to enjoy it! She still loves it, though she went back and forth to the other equipment.












This is a very large slide! (We did not go to the toddler playground. Derek thought this would be more fun!)

Our Celebration Giveaway

It's celebration time! Derek finished his semester! The blog has it's 1ooth post! And now, Little Crickets is giving a fun felt pattern to one lucky reader! Thank you for following our us on our family journey!

Felt toys are not just fun for children, they are fun to make too! Little Crickets has a variety of felt patterns that boys and girls can enjoy.

You might remember the felt apple I made a while back. The apple was a free pattern for signing up for Little Crickets' email list. The emails that are sent usually offer a very sweet deal; the most recent sweet deal was buy one pattern, get one free! It doesn't get much better than that!

(I just bought the tea set. I haven't made it yet, but it came with 53 illustrations! There is plenty of guidance to help you make these patterns. I can't wait to relax in the evenings and make this!)

To enter this giveaway, go to Little Crickets and browse their shop. Pre-made felt toys are also available! Come back here by 11:59 PMon April 30th and leave me a comment, telling me your favorite fun felt pattern. You do not need to have a blog to enter, but please make sure you leave an email address so I can contact you! (If you blog make sure your profile can be viewed by others!) I will post the winner on Friday, May 1st.

To earn an extra chance to win a fun felt pattern of your choice, blog about this giveaway! Just leave me a separate comment telling me where you blogged!

Enjoy!

Evan In Pictures

Evan was born six months ago!

2 months

12/22/08

3 months

2/1/09

4 months

3/1/09

4/13/09

Almost 6 months

Foam Sewing Cards

Sewing cards are great for fine motor skills. I made these two from foam I had on hand. It is actually the "sticky" kind, but I left the white protective backing on it without any problems.


The needle is made from a folded pipe cleaner. This is much easier for Meghan to manipulate than taped yarn.


Meghan can use these, though she doesn't sew in the traditional sense. (See the fish above.) This, like many of the things we do, is more of an introductory activity for Meghan.


If you decide to make these for a toddler, give plenty of extra yarn. A toddler most likely won't sew it in the way an older child would.


You can also use recycle greeting cards to make a rectangular shaped sewing card. I was inspired by ABC and 123 a great site for parents of school-aged and preschool children and teachers, too.

I saved my little hole-punched circles. I thought they would be great on a card or another craft...they're already self stick!

Derek and I knew we had a hole punch. We could not find it. We looked for several days in all the right places. Nothing. We figured we would have to buy one (though we borrowed one to do this). The next day we found the missing hole punch in our hutch. Ugh!

The missing hole punch must have really made an impact on Derek though. He talked in his sleep a bit about needing it!

ABC's About Me

I saw this at Corn Rows and Meadows and thought I would give it a try.

This is just a silly list of things about me. Any surprises?


A is for your age: 32

B is for your burger of choice: homemade grilled cheeseburger on a bun with NO condiments other than a touch of salt

C is for the car that you drive: Chevy Malibu

D is for dog's name: As a kid, Tippy and Dog (yes, that was his name!), as a teen, Mandy

E is for an essential item you use each day: toothbrush and toothpaste

F is for your favorite television show: Psych. This show is on USA. It is one of the few reasons I miss cable. Thankfully we buy this show on DVD. It's well worth it!

G is for favorite game: Catch Phrase

H is for hometown: Rome, PA

I is for instruments played: I think I am the definition of tone deaf. I can't even clap while singing! For Music for Elementary Ed I had to play the piano and recorder for the midterm. I earned a B for a reason!

J is for favorite juice: Really, I'm not a juice fan, but some orange juices I really enjoy.

K is for what you'd like to kick: My laziness.

L is for last restaurant you dined at: A local family restaurant when Derek's family was visiting.

M is for your favorite muppet: Animal as a kid. Now I think I like Scooter...he always seems to be looking out for his buddy Kermit. I have a big heart for Gonzo...hmm. This is tough. (FYI: My cell phone's ring tone is to the Muppet's theme song! We watch them fairly often on the DVDs we had long before Meghan was born.)

N is for number of piercings you have: Two at present time with one in each ear.

O is for overnight hospital stays: Three for me (ear infection and two births), but I also stayed over night with Meghan for her SVT and for Evan with his dehydration. (I won't count the times in the ER overnight with the children since they weren't admitted, though we were there for way too long!) Answer: 3 or 5

P is for people you were with today: Derek (if you count a sleepy good morning and goodbye), Meghan, Evan, Meghan's teacher Tracy.

Q is for what you do in quiet times: read, internet, Bible reading, prayer

R is for regrets: yes

S is for status: happily married with children

T is for time you woke up today: Which time? I slept until Derek's alarm at 4:30, returned to sleep until 6ish when Evan awoke, and then took a little nap again until about 7. Then it was time to get up for the day.

U is for what you consider unique: Each person

V is for favorite vegetable: Corn on the cob or corn cut off the cob (but not from the grocery store)

W is for your worst habit: not listening

X is for x-rays you have had: Two (plus lots of dental ones) As a teen, I swallowed a gas-permeable (hard) contact lens that hurt my throat. Two years ago I had a slightly broken foot.

Y is for yummy food you ate today: Special K cereal, "homemade" toast, chicken and rice soup

Z is for zodiac sign: Cancer, but I don't put stock into it.

Little Hands, Big View

I had the camera out, but Meghan somehow got it, too. Instead of immediately taking it away, I let her use it! (Not what I would typically do.)
I helped her take a few pictures. Here Meghan shows you her brother and our typical mess.














Lucy is keeping Daddy company as he looks up from his school work.













Here is our cherry coffee table (handmade by Grandpa Jones), Little People farm, and various clutter.



It was really cute to watch Meghan take pictures. Her reaction was even better.

The Three Little Pigs Finger Puppets

I am really excited to show you the finger puppets that I made over the weekend, plus some. After browsing the internet for other cartoon and puppet pigs and wolfs, I designed these myself.

I still can't do a decent French knot (as you can see), but my blanket stitch has really improved.

They took a lot longer than I anticipated to complete. My sewing time (does not include designing which was quite time consuming) was about six hours. They could have been made much more simply, but I had fun including the details of the straw, sticks, and bricks.

As I made these, I had no idea how Meghan would react. I chose these puppets to make because she really enjoys the story.

She likes the hand puppets we borrow from the library, and so when I saw some very simple spring/Easter puppets, I was inspired. If you browse her site, you'll also find lambs!

She did enjoy the finger puppets, but mostly only when Mommy was using them to tell the story, but she helped.

Weekend Fun

Pizza. I cannot get enough of it. It is a joy for me to eat good pizza. Good ol' cheese pizza is my favorite. I have worked in two pizza shops, one preparing food as a teenager, and later after college, as a waitress for a summer job. All you can eat pizza to go with my work...priceless!

I prefer pizza from a pizza shop, but I will make it too. Previously, I have used pizza dough from a package or pre-made from the dairy case. Finally I made some from scratch, using the breadmaker. I have decided that the sauce is really important and am still looking for a good one. (I do used jarred pizza sauce.)

After I had the dough stretched a bit using my knuckles to fist it, Derek came in and wanted to toss the pizza in the air. He actually had several good tosses before I grabbed the camera. Once I had the camera, the dough didn't cooperate. The results were pretty good though!

Friday and Saturday were warm and sunny. Meghan had her shovel out, but the ground was hard. When she couldn't dig, she place some hard-packed dirt on the shovel.

She also carried around some freshly picked flowers in the shovel.

There is a quote that says, "The only difference between a weed and a flower is discrimination." Sometimes I think weeds have deeper roots and a longer life span. But the concept is right. Dandelions are precious flowers to children, but most of us would rather not have them in our yards.

Cotton Ball Lamb and Scissors

We made this cotton ball lamb. I have seen it posted by several people, but Jennifer at Ramblings of a Crazy Woman was the first one I saw post it. Her site is great for preschool crafts!


Instead of the recommended paper plate, I just cut an oval from white paper.

Lots of glue is needed.


When I let Meghan glue (though I did most of it), she signed "thank you." She really enjoys crafts and often thanks me while we make them!


Then have some fun gluing the cotton balls!

While Meghan placed the cotton balls, I cut the four feet and head. I opted to leave off the googley eyes since they always seem to fall off. Instead I cut white eyes and placed a dot in the middle.

Does anyone have any ideas how to keep the googley eyes attached? Regular glue doesn't seem to work for us.

Meghan was so crafty that day that I also introduced her to scissors! First we cut into a strip of paper, and then we cut a straw into many pieces. This was fun for her, but she had a difficult time cutting. (She's only two though!) These scissors are made for left or right handed children, so if she decides that cutting is easier with her right hand, she can still use them.

Can I Trust God?

For several weeks now God has been teaching me that though He truly is all powerful, He is not my magic genie, willing, though able to fix each of my problems and could even prevent them. Many people struggle with God and choose not to accept His gift of Jesus because they just don’t understand how a loving God would allow sickness, poverty, and even the death of children.

I have recently read through the book of Job in the Bible. Job was a wealthy and respected man, while remaining upright and blameless (though not sinless…he is still just a man) according to God. Everything- his health, family, friends, wealth were taken from him. Yet Job still maintained that God was sovereign and good. He wanted answers from God, but he did not blame God. What Job did not know was that God allowed Satan to remove all of Job’s blessings. God knew Job would continue to trust Him. It seems to me that God allowed this horrible suffering for the purpose of glorifying Himself. In the midst of struggles, it’s hard to remember that it’s not about us.

In the book Lies Women Believe by Nancy Leigh DeMoss the second chapter focuses on lies Christian women believe about God. The sixth lie she focuses on is that God should fix my problems. The book explains that this type of thinking is deceptive for two reasons. First, it makes God seem like a genie, here to please and serve us. This thinking also suggests that often our goal in life is to be without problems and difficulties…anything unpleasant. Though God does not always prevent or remove our problems, He uses our trials to mold and shape our lives. James 1:3 says, “because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” As a Christian, I have great hope in this promise found in Romans 8:28-29: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. The truth is that He will use our problems to reveal His grace and power to the world.

Our pastor spoke on this recently. Here is some of what he had to say. So often we ask God, “What have you done for me lately?” For so many it’s about what God can do for us, rather than what he already did for us on the cross. We make it about what He can do for us instead of about who He is. Our Savior. He’s God. The Messiah. He is the Potter; we are the clay. It’s easy to trust when your child’s health gets better and marriage is great, but we need to take him at His word when life does not happen the way we want it. Do we trust when the miracle does not happen? Malachi 3:13-14 gives a great example of this mindset. The Israelites said, “It is futile to serve God. What did we gain by carrying out His requirements…?” Their complaint revealed their faulty thinking – it is not about what we gain but about glorifying God. If our goal is to glorify God, as it should be, then yes, we must trust in all circumstances. (If you are interested in hearing the sermon, click here. The church's website is listed in the sidebar under favorite sites.)

I think back to when Meghan was in cardiac ICU medically paralyzed in hopes that her heart and other organs would recover…or before that when we learned that her heart was beating 320 times each minute, and the team in the ER could not get it under control. Derek and I prayed. We hoped. And we trusted God. We had had 17 happy and healthy days with her before this. We are forever grateful that we did not have to find out then how we would respond to losing our baby, but we trust we would go on loving, trusting, and worshiping our Lord and Savior. 2 Corinthians 12:9a says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” What a promise!

Just because a person becomes a follower of Jesus Christ does not mean that God gives them an easy life, free of sickness, poverty, and heartache. A Christian doesn’t have to go through the trials by themselves. God is always with us. Not only that, we have the assurance of eternity spent with God free of all of this life’s troubles.

When troubles come let’s lean on true grace, Jesus. Let’s consider how we think of God and begin to truly trust in Him, at all times and in all circumstances. We don’t have to be thankful for each trial, but we should be thankful during the trials, trusting God’s plan for each of us. God is good. We can trust Him. Always.

(Now that I have finally put my thoughts to “paper” and share them with you, I wonder how soon I will be tested in my faith.)

In Pictures

Today Meghan is 2 1/2. She has changed in incredible ways since her birth, and not just in appearance. Derek and I have changed too, for the better.

Meghan at almost 2 months

























Meghan's first Easter 5 1/2 months
























North Carolina, almost 1 year

About 1 year ago at 1 1/2




















Second birthday

Easter age 2 1/2

Speech Update and D

We've added another letter to our ABC Sound Book. This will be the last post on it though. The remaining letters have 0, 1, or 2 words. I plan to complete the alphabet, but it won't be interesting enough to post. (Though after the first one, I guess these probably weren't too exciting either, so thanks for tolerating us!)

Letter D includes down, Daddy, Dora, and Donna. Down and Dora came from Google Images.

I get really excited thinking about all of Meghan's progress in her speech. She has come so, so far since February! As you can tell by the word list on the sidebar, her vocabulary is really increasing. Just a few months ago she could not even attempt most words she can now say in some form. Yesterday she started saying "oh man!" repeatedly. It was adorable.

Though she is attempting many more words, they still often come out as grunts. Sometimes they are even multi-syllable grunts! Without her pointing, answering a question, or using a sign many of her "words" are not understandable even to Derek and me.

This week Meghan said pillow and heavy. Pillow is one of those words that is very hard to know what she's saying without a pillow in sight. Heavy is fairly clear though. Meghan loves to lug around heavy things. The first time she said it she was carrying a five pound bag of flour (fresh from the grocery store) from the kitchen to the living room. She did it without dropping it, too! She has called other things heavy too, including some big rocks outside today during therapy. (Now that nice weather is here her speech therapist is happy to take Meghan outside. Isn't that great!?) Part of Meghan's enjoyment of pushing and carrying heavy things is due to the need for stimulation. Her occupational therapist has even suggested encouraging Meghan to push a full laundry basket and carry jugs of milk. We'd already been doing that because Meghan enjoys it so much.

Mine/my (if she has a word for each, they sound the same) has been mastered. UGH! Her selfish little side is certainly showing now. When she watches Blue's Clues (her favorite) she says notebook at the prompt!

Meghan is also attempting more word endings. Sometimes she makes a word plural, but most often she does not, even when we encourage her to do so. She has also been saying milk with a "growl" at the end. When we pointed it out to her therapist, she explained that it made sense since the /k/ is said at the back of the mouth.

Meghan is 2 1/2 and communicates wants/needs with one word sentences. Especially when encouraged, (but not much on her own) she is putting two words together. So when she wants me to sit with her and tells me to sit, I ask her to say "Mommy, sit." Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't depending on the mood and the combination of words asked of her.

Until this week, when Meghan would wake up during the night (a few times a week) she would just cry. Now she calls out for her daddy! (Derek even went to her that first time!) It is much more pleasant to be awaked by a word than by cries!

Others are noticing Meghan's progress, as well, which is very encouraging. We appreciate your continued prayers. I can't wait for the day that she can share more with us and sing, and tell us all her thoughts. Thanks for caring about our little girl!

Freebie of the Day

A while ago I was introduced to the Homeschool Freebie of the Day website. Each weekday it offers a free ebook or other item for downloading. The only glitch is that it is only available for that one day. The good news is that you can choose to sign up for a weekly email telling you what will be free that week.

I signed up for the weekly email several weeks ago. It wasn't until this week that there was anything of interest to me, since I don't homeschool and don't plan to more than a bit of preschool. This week I downloaded two ebooks. One was a three year sewing course for beginners (for teacher or student) and the other was Mother Goose coloring pages. (Sorry I didn't share this before, but it slipped my mind.)

Some things might interest you even if you don't have children or if they are grown since the topics vary. (Friday is a good day for history buffs...multiple Paul Revere items.)

From Freebie of the Day: "Every weekday, Monday through Friday, we’ll post a new homeschooling “freebie” to this site. What kind of “freebies”? Stuff like: Unit Studies… Ebooks… Audio Programs… Games… Samples… Lesson Plans… classic books… and other quality resources! This is the REAL THING."

So if you think you are interested, check it out here. If you know of other things like this, please let me know!

Enjoying the Goods

Here Evan is snacking on the teddy bear I made for him. The ribbon came off quickly, as I knew it would since I didn't attach it. The ears must be tasty because he finds them often.

Here Evan models one of his new bibs. It covers him very well.

Meghan likes her button book, too, but I did not consider her personality enough when I made the book. Meghan only uses the shapes that match the color of the buttons (red felt shape on red button). I need to cut some new shapes to help her enjoy it a bit more. Yes, she is a bit obsessive about certain things. She must get that from her brother.

Sticky Numbers

Meghan is starting to have a slight interest in numbers. I should emphasize slight.

ABC and 123 and The Adventures of Bear showed me an idea that I thought might interest Meghan as an introductory activity for a basic counting concept.

I made a simple chart with the numbers 1-6. In each block I had the number of dots to correspond with the number.

Meghan used some colored circles to cover the dots. She removed the stickers herself which is great for those little finger muscles!

Unfortunately she wasn't too interested in counting the stickers or identifying the numbers, but it's a start. She has more than three years before kindergarten...plenty of time to learn to talk, count, and know her alphabet. Sometimes I have to remind myself of that!

(I used the stickers when we moved to color code the boxes to correspond with specific rooms. It seemed to work well.)

Book Party

Today we had a book party. All we needed was a bed covered in pillows, tons of books, and a couple of children. My hope was to read and read and read.
















However, in true Whipple (or at least this Whipple) fashion, the pillows, books, and children were gathered in time for a quick picture, but the book party with lots of reading didn't happen as I had hoped. By the time the picture was taken, I smelled something and had to change a diaper. While I was doing that, Meghan found her blanket and pacifier, which is only used for sleeping. She had a tantrum when she wasn't allowed to have the pacifier...so Evan and I read a book together. Eventually Meghan joined us, as I expected she would. Soon after Evan needed a nap. We only read five books together during the book party. We usually read that many in a sitting on the couch, so I was a bit disappointed.

Tonight I brought home a new load of books from the library. When dinner was over Meghan and Meghan wanted to take the books "up." So we took the borrowed books upstairs while Evan napped and Daddy mowed. We had a blast reading for over an hour! The book party that flopped really turned out to be an introduction to hopefully a new tradition!

We truly have lots and lots of books. We've been very blessed, but the library still offers us so much! I don't buy fiction books for myself, so the library or church library meets those needs. Recently I found some great "learning resources" at the library. To supplement the fun and enjoyment that a book can give, included in a bag with the book are puppets! Meghan loves this and so do I!

I'm grateful to one of my blogging friends (even if I can't remember which one) who had a reading festival recently and shared the idea. Meghan can say book, so that's why we had a book party! Go and plan your own now!

(I changed the background of the blog, hoping this is a bit more reader-friendly. You are welcome to share your thoughts, positive or negative. I miss the green though...)