Nathan is still more content to crawl than walk. He has a walker that gets him everywhere he needs to go so I probably need to put that away to give him some motivation to venture out fully on his own. He is "talking" a lot more - communicating is probably a better word. He does signs for (or responds to) these things: clap, sing, dance, kiss, laugh, smile, brush your teeth, wash your hands, use hand sanitizer (He's our Mr. Clean!). His current word list is up to two: Daddy and Jesus. I would say he has good priorities for his age. :)
Kathryn has accomplished a major feat with potty training. We are really proud of her and grateful for her cousin Monet's inspiration. We spent a week in Tennessee, and Monet and Kathryn learned together. There have been a lot of pink marshmallows earned over the last few weeks.
Here are some funny things Kathryn has said lately:
1) "This milk is kind of gross. I think there's a cobweb in there."
2) After turning the key on her tricycle, "This helps me know where to go. It's kind of like a GPS."
3) Getting dressed for her birthday party, "Does it cover my shoulders?"
4) Mom: "Do you want the whole banana or a chunk?"
Kathryn: "Maybe a chunk so Nay (Nathan) can have some."
5) "I'm not very big because my muscles are just plain." ???
Thanksgiving was great. We had Uncle Allen and Aunt Annie come down from Boston to celebrate with us. Being with family has been a huge blessing for me lately so I was very grateful to have them here and be able to just talk together. With Annie's genius, we pulled off a very yummy, gluten free Thanksgiving meal. (Just don't ask about the GF rolls I attempted - the apple crisp made up for this!)
Here are some pictures from the month:
My first attempt at gluten free bread - very poor, very eggy!
Paul wanted a close up to really catch the masterpiece. :)
Nathan opening presents on his 1st birthday.
Nathan devouring the whole cupcake at his party. Usually kids stop after the frosting but he ate the whole thing!
What handsome men!
Kathryn and Uncle Allen doing stretches during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Uncle Allen, Kathryn, and Aunt Annie
Kathryn was so, so happy to be with these two.
Something amazing happened to Kathryn when Annie was here. Kathryn just fell in love with her and wanted to be everywhere she was, watching everything she did. It was really sweet. Could I ask for a better role model for my daughter?
Nathan's first attempt at feeding himself. It is definitely me, and not him, who is holding back the self feeding process.
I couldn't resist including another great picture of these two.
Cute Kathryn wearing her new overalls from Aunt Emily and choosing between which dress up outfit to wear. Typically she puts on both!
I am so grateful to be a mom and grateful for being able to start again every day. I have never done something this challenging before. But the Lord is helping me. With Paul's loyalty and belief in me and my siblings' consistent, encouraging conversations, I keep going. People always talk about how it is the difficult things that draw you to the Lord. That is so easy to say until you are the one being pushed to Him! There is joy in striving to come closer to Him. Giving up is just not an option. Once again, this scripture speaks strongly to me right now (John 6:66-69):
67 Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
68 Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the awords of eternal life.
I believe and am sure!
