Monday, March 29, 2010

Some shining DUKE-Irwin moments…

Duke Docket #1…

Anna has been learning to repeat her ABC’s (AB’s as she likes to call them) and she shocked the socks off her daddy tonight when she spotted a “D” on his Duke sweatshirt while they were going through her letters. We practice our letter names in the tub with our foamy letters, but we’ve never seen her do sight-recognition on her own. And, this specific letter couldn’t have made her daddy happier! View on…

Duke Docket #2…

And another daddy-couldn’t-have-been-happier-DUKE-glory-moment…A-bug’s friend Halo came over with a shiny blue birthday treasure, which of COURSE got slapped on IM-mediately.

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I have to ask though, who looked more excited at first??DSC_0009 

Okay, there she goes, she’s catchin’ on…

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(this is her official “say cheese” face)

Duke Docket #3

And a video that speaks 1000 words…

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

SmackTalk, iPhone style!!

Never thought I would EVER on this green earth say I wanted something so technologized as an iPhone or iPod Touch or whatever else in the world with an "i" prefacing the name there is out there. I'm just not a Mac-y or a tech-y, so they just don't really appeal, I guess. Take it or leave it would be my motto on the matter. Eh, whatev. We usually end up with the bottom of the line free phones that you get when you start a new contract, cuz they fit in the family budget (so you better not go dropping them in the toilet before your 2 years runs up!!) And on top of all that, who would have ever thunk I'd enjoy hearing my daughter SMACK-talk?!?! haha!

So anyways, now that we have that established, I had to eat my words today, all for the love of a child of course. My friend T.C. and her kids came over today for a catch-up visit and brought the beloved instrument into our techno-ignoramus realm and enlightened us with the app "Smacktalk"!! OH man, the Apple heavens opened up and shone down on our little geometric rug in our very own living room aaaaand, I actually said I might consider an iPod Touch solely for the sake of being able to download this singular app just for the hilarity of good family entertainment. The basic jist (which you all probably already know) is that you can scroll through all of these cutesy little animal images that each have different squeaky voices that repeat back to you whatever you speak to them. A-bug was DY-ing. Couldn't get enough of it, once she figured it all out. She was even diggin' the touch screen capabilities!

So, note to self...never say never, cuz you just don't know what kind of smack-talkin' app you're gonna come across someday and fall head over heels in love with, and you'll have to eat your very own words. All for the sake of your child, of course.

It's still not in the family budget of course, but can't a girl (or two) dream of their own personal smack-talkin' days, every once in a while?!

So, anyways, enjoy the vids posted below (or if you can't see them in FB, hop on over to the Irwin Adventures blog @ http://irwinadventures.blogspot.com/2010/03/smacktalk-iphone-style.html) Hope they give you a hearty laugh as it did all of us! Thanks T.C. for brightening our day with the good company and the good laughs!

My lil carnivore...

As we read, on a daily, sometimes hour-by-hour basis these days...A-bug LOVES to squawk out the sound that the animal of focus makes or the sign that she has learned for the animal.

This morning, I had the best laugh when Anna was reading through her Noah's Ark book and saw some chickens in their coop (because I'm just sure Noah kept his chickens in a coop too, right?!) She pointed at the chickens and rather than saying "cheep cheep" or "bock bock bock" she hollered out "mmm mmm"!!!

I think she knows what I've been feeding her all along. And it doesn't seem to bother her one bit.

My lil carnivore!!

(This just seemed fitting for the post.

I'm sure he'd like to be her lil carnivore too!)

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Blab-dab and Blab-dab came to visit…

That would be all Bugsy could produce when asked to say “Grandpa” or “Grandma” this weekend!! Haha! They must sound too similar to differentiate or she just knew that God knew what He was talking about when He said the “two shall become one”.

Here’s a few sweet family shots of our activity-filled weekend…

A trip to the Safari!!!

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Gotta love the petting zoo. DSC_0719 DSC_0371

Especially w/signs like this!!

3 generations in one house!

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 DSC_0728 DSC_0735 Off to watch the crazy monkeys holler!DSC_0736

Do you think she’s a little adored…DSC_0743

For the cuteness factor…DSC_0745

And then it got really wild!!DSC_0747 DSC_0752 DSC_0758

It was a crazy jungle out there! In our party of 5, at least!

And then it was hiking time on Saturday…  DSC_0791DSC_0795 Nice to finally have someone else with the cam to get a few family pics!DSC_0804  DSC_0813

There was a scary stand-off for just a minute or two. I won’t divulge who won…DSC_0822

We left the electrical fence work to Blab-dab. Mama’s heart had taken enough “shock” therapy after daddy’s exciting event from last week, to release him to touch anything potentially “hot” yet.DSC_0832

And then, the final main event…Anna’s dream in a box, or a living room in this instance. BOTH sets of grand-parents (with only 1 grand-child on each side) showed up in the same room, her living room at that!! DSC_0850DSC_0848

Bubbles, snuggling and showing-off ensued!!! DSC_0853

Thanks for taking the time, gas and heart to come love on our girl this weekend Blab-dab and Blab-dab!!! We love and appreciate yoU!

Friday, March 12, 2010

We mamas...

need to do this more often...heap GRACE upon ourselves.
We load ourselves up so heavily with burden upon burden. You know, all those hafta-do's and shoulda-done's. Whether it be self-expectations, crazy schedules, perfectionism, to-do lists, self-imposed rules of perfect parenting, condemnation, impeccable eating plans, comparisons, guilt, pressures, weight-loss/exercise programs, shame, the list goes on and on and on (I'm sure you can add more to the list too!) AND, we know how to do it all well.
What a refreshing, peace-bringing, burden-lifting freeing thought, heaping GRACE upon ourselves!! Here's a link to a quick read on it that I so savored reading tonight. Check it out, take it all in and then go heap it on yourself (and just a thought, I betcha once we start heaping it on ourselves more, we'll be quick to start heaping it on others too!)...

http://simplemom.net/grace-heap-it-on-yourself/#more-5639


"And from His fullness we have all received,

GRACE upon GRACE." -John 1:16

Monday, March 8, 2010

Happy Halfa-Birthday Bugsy!

Mama wasn’t so on top of it this year, but daddy was!! A mini-party was thrown in honor of the year-and-a-halfa bday girl!!

DSC_0596DSC_0601DSC_0610She was pleased as punch with a bouncy green ball on top!!!!!DSC_0603And then came the real indulgence…DSC_0593DSC_0604With left-over proof to show how her mama spoiled her today!

My baybee is even working at slipping her own shoes on now…DSC_0624

She’s not so itty anymore…

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DSC_0632And then came the next indulgence!!!DSC_0636”Mama, should I really be eating this much sugar today?!”DSC_0639DSC_0640” Of course honey, it’s your halfa-birthday! Just shove it in and you’ll thank me later.”DSC_0642”Well, okay then.”

And then the neighbor-lets (it’s my new vocab for neighbor kidlets, we sure love these girls) brought over their new buckets to share for some water time!

DSC_0646 DSC_0650 I’ve been indulging her much lately on learning how to pass water from container-to-container. She has been diggin’ it and diggin’ in!DSC_0651 She was so into her work that she didn’t even notice the crazy going on behind her. These girls are hilarious, always up to some crazy sisterly-loving antic…DSC_0673 But Bugsy says…“I’ve got water to pour and spill neighbor-lets, please don’t interrupt.” DSC_0675 DSC_0674

P.S. THANKS neighbor-lets for bringing more joy to Bugsy’s halfa-bday!!!

At 18 months old, Bugsy decided it was time to:

  • start putting 2 and sometimes 3 words together to get her sweet and sometimes commanding message across (“Hold please”, “Hiya Mom”, “Help please”, “I want mama”)
  • start taking 1-1.5 hour nap, rather than 2. boo for mama ;)
  • start waking up at 630am, rather than 730am. Is there a theme at this age for needing less sleep, maybe?!
  • have a mouth full o’ molars come in all at once
  • start using NO a lot more regularly
  • start using slapping faces as her favored way of getting mama and daddy to hear all about her frustrations
  • start spending more time in the corner for time-outs, in response to the aforementioned behavior
  • start remembering where we’re driving and hollering out what we’re about to see or pass by
  • learning to tease and laugh her head off at herself
  • climb up on furniture on her own
  • awaken the toddler 'tude. she's a diva alright. all girl, all the way.
  • bringing absolute joy to the depths of her parents’ hearts

Aaaand just for kicks, look at the little halfa-year old Bugsy. A little more clueless about our rejoicing over her last year, but darling nonetheless…DSC_0163 DSC_0165 I just noticed we have a ball theme going on for halfa-birthdays…DSC_0169

Maybe it has something to do with daddy’s love for them???DSC_0173 DSC_0177

Thank you Lord for giving us this little Bug to give us maybe a slight glimpse, just maybe a halfa-one of your deep love for us as Your kids.