All Done!

I sat Dylan in his highchair next to me in the kitchen this afternoon while I made us some fresh juice (I have a juicer so it's not that hard and as the cold season hits, I'm attempting to keep us healthier). Don't worry - Dylan was armed with his cup of milk, the child hasn't mastered more than a few ounces of patience. As I finished up the juicing Dylan handed me his cup, which usually means he's out of milk, but when I took it from him I could tell it was still completely full. I handed it back and said, "You still have milk in there." He handed it back to me and said, "all done". After months of signing all done and sometimes randomly saying it, he showed he actually understood what it meant. He was done with his milk and wanted some juice! Needless to say, I was very excited!

We also made some "discovery bottles" today. Okay, so I made them and Dylan played with them. These two (see picture below) are pretty basic and I plan on getting a few supplies this week to make a few more that are more exciting. The first one was just water and oil and the second was was water, oil, and food coloring. He loved them both and think he'll love the other ones we make this week. I used gorilla glue to really seal the bottles off - he's not strong enough to untwist them yet but with my luck if I didn't, we'd have a messy disaster on our hands one day. 

Please excuse the messy shirt - a combo of juice and some teething drool!

I know this picture looks like he's trying to eat the bottle but he's actually shaking it up (I had to do a little prompting of, "shake! shake! shake!").

A Birthday Word

I receive a daily message from a new but very good friend. How blessed was I to receive this message on my birthday?  We make getting older such a big deal, usually negatively, when in reality it's a blessing. The more days we wake up the more days we have to get it right and fulfill all the things we were purposed to do. I hope I can enter this next season of my life with a different outlook, better attitude, and eyes set in the right place....enjoy the message: 

“...Imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been
promised” (Hebrews 6:12, NIV)

Sometimes, it’s easy to look at your circumstances in the natural and think,
“I’ve missed my opportunity. I’m too old. It’s too late. I’ve messed up too
much.” But with God, there’s always another opportunity. He created you on
purpose and for a purpose. He’s the one who placed those dreams and desires
on the inside of you. He hasn’t given up on those dreams, and you shouldn’t
either! It’s never too late for God, which means it’s never too late for
you!

I don’t know about you, but I have never heard of a single story, not in the
Bible nor in our time, where God gave someone a dream and fulfilled it on
the same day. No, our lives are designed with seasons and processes to build
our faith and prepare us for the next step. It takes faith, it takes
obedience, and it takes patience to see God’s promises come to pass.

Today, no matter where you are in your journey of faith, just focus on
moving forward. God hasn’t given up on you! Trust that He has you in the
right place at the right time. Trust that He is working all things together
for your good. Trust that new doors are opening. Choose faith and patience,
and you will inherit His promises because it’s never too late for you to
embrace the good things God has in store for you!

Time Flies

After my last post I vowed to post more than once a month - and here I am posting and it's no longer September. I can't believe October is already here. I won't complain - it is the best month of the year! Time really does fly, whether you're having fun or not. Luckily, the past few weeks have been enjoyable and have been marked with new milestones and visits from family and friends.

1. Dylan is walking - all over the place. He went from taking just a few steps when he felt like it to all-out walking. Last Thursday he decided he could do it. Times like that I really wish I knew what was going on inside that mind of his. He just looked at me and walked across the room...grinning the whole way. I clapped and cheered and he joined in, clapping for himself. I love his lack of modesty. I love that he was as proud of himself as I was. Here is a quick clip of his new skills. 
2. Dylan is talking - more. He has added "all done" to his vocabulary and is working on yes and no. He studies my mouth when I talk and pretends to be singing along when I turn music on. He still refuses to say mama on command but I catch him saying it from time to time while he's playing. 
3. Visits from family and friends - the last 2 weekends we have had family and friends in town. It has been busy and hectic but great to have people around. Daron's family was here last weekend and they loved all the time with Dylan. I enjoyed the extra hands and bodies around to entertain our busy little man. 
4. WVU is 4-1, the big LSU game was a bit of a let down but it was better to lose to them than anybody else we've played. Daron remains busy but actually has more time with us this year. Dylan gets to spend time with him most days and they both love that opportunity.
5. I joined the rec center a few weeks ago. It's been nice to have a place to workout and to have more variety. I was getting bored with my runs in the same place and workout DVD. The best bonus is they have an indoor pool with swim lanes and a great kids area. I try to take Dylan once a week and he LOVES it. He is a fearless little fish! Love that he takes to the water so easily but I get a bit nervous since he will crawl/walk into water well over his head and put his head all the way under and just laugh about it. Our swim lessons (glad I was trained in this area) have already begun because slowing him down does not seem to be an option. 
6. Big moment - Dylan has learned the sign for touchdown. In our house this was a big day, ha! He was able to showoff his new skill at the football game last week..needless to say, he was a hit.  

The weather is cooling off and the rain continues to pour down - but today is a few degrees warmer and sunny. I think it may be the perfect afternoon for some pictures with the fall leaves. I know there have been requests for more pictures of Dylan and me - I'll see what I can do. If it doesn't work out, the game this weekend is early so maybe Daron can help snap a few of the little guy with me.

Off to clean and grade papers before my few hours of free time is over - daycare does have its benefits!