Our (almost) 8 month old-- Morning and Night

If we've talked on the phone between 7am and 7pm in the months since Alice's birth you've probably heard her babbling, screeching, saying da-da-da-da-da, or blowing raspberries. She's loud. The video above is from this morning, right after nursing and eating an entire 4 oz jar of baby food. She's busy and loud and now crawling. At night she loves to splash before bed time. Her bath chair has allowed a safe, fun transition from the toddler tub.

I'm trying to get in to better routines these days. By making very manageable goals I can create a habit and then expand on it.  I'm going to exercise for 20 minutes a day--sounds lame, but I've got to start somewhere. I'm going to work on my Precepts Bible study for 20 minutes a day. Lights out at 11:00pm.

I'd love your recommendations on the final commitment. I want to spend 20 minutes a day reading books on raising a godly, creative, poised, loving little lady. Will you email me or post a comment with books you recommend? I'm working on Dobson's bringing up Girls and I've heard good things about Shepherding a Child's Heart (?). I'd love to hear what's made a difference in your life or the life of your family.

Bright, Sunshiny Day

Today the temperature was 72 degrees and I loved every minute of it! It was a reminder of Spring days to come. The bright part of this day is Alice's new crib blanket hand made by a sweet woman at church for our girl.

Alice's open mouth is supposed to show off her two new bottom teeth that broke this week, but you can't really see 'em. They're there, finally, and I'm glad the pain, crying and screaming is over!

Mt Snow, Vermont with friends

 This used to be the "couples without kids" annual ski weekend. Now look what we've become!
Mark and I joined our Boston friends in Mt Snow this weekend for skiing, cozying up by the fire, good food, games, fun with friends and time with babies (and 2 more on the way).
The weather and mountain were beautiful. The other mamas kept Alice so I could take a turn on the slopes. Not skiing for two years really affected my skills and muscles, but I enjoyed the day despite my bad form. I'm very impressed with how well Mark can ski. He seemed to really enjoy himself! The scenery reminded me of my Austrian days and how much I love snow-covered mountains and trees.