Mar 24, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories
It was a big day around here. For an end-of-the-fiscal-month-nobody-move-until-we-get-paid kind of day, it was a really big day.
One day back in February, the Bear came and sat beside me on the couch and pointed at my laptop screen and I decided to take that as a teaching opportunity. I created a new document and spelled out a few words: car, dog … you know, first word stuff, and read them to him, highlighting each one and changing the size of the font to emphasize each word as we read it. We went through the alphabet a couple of times and that was about it. I suppose I was feeling ambitious about him mastering the ability to read at 18 months.
We looked at the document again the next day, and then not again until today, when it sprang to mind as he was sitting beside me and I opened it. As soon as it hit the screen he looked and said “Car!!” I was totally flabbergasted, ran to the bedroom to interrupt HH with the important news that the Bear had just read his first word, and then returned to the living room to make sure it wasn’t a fluke.
I highlighted some other words and we went through the alphabet and then I went back to car, highlighted the word again, and received another enthusiatic “CAR!” So. My 19 month old bear just read his first word today. And I try not to use this space to brag about him being extra special because that’s just annoying, but today, it’s good to feel like I’m doing something right, at least one thing, so please extend a little grace and let me share.
CAR!!!
Thanks, I’m finished.
Anywho, you’re probably really here for the news that I actually did it, and Goldilocks is no longer the wee Bear. It really was time. And I promise I didn’t wimp out and just trim his fringe/bangs again. See?
So here’s the before:
Man, it was hard to put scissors to those beautiful curls!!
Here’s the during:
We kept him occupied with Gerber Graduate Puffs and Veggie Tales during the procedure. (Thanks, Amiee!) I cried a little as I was nearing the finish and I thought about the fact that this is hair he’s had since the day he was born! I’m okay. Really.
And, drumroll please, here’s the after!
Grown up enough to comb his own hair now. Sigh.
The Veggie Tales kept him distracted whilst HH grabbed some more shots. Then the Bear let out a big sigh, got down from his high chair, and suggested picking up an application to Yale while we’re out tomorrow.
And that was our big day.
xCC
Mar 24, 2010 | The Good Word
It’s close to the end of March. The year has progressed more quickly than I expected in some ways. In other ways it has felt like time was moving at snail’s pace. When I spoke about my over and over again patterns yesterday, and thought about some over and over again patterns in my life this morning, I realised I needed to be reminded (over and over again) about God’s love.
So I took a moment to reread this and to remember what He reminded me at the beginning of the year.
We need to remember what the Lord has said to us. And treasure it. And chew on it over and over again.
I decided to link to it here, because I have a feeling you might also spiritually feel “close to the end of March.” And there are things the Lord said to you in some of the Januarys of your soul that are worth rereading, remembering, re-engaging with, and re-believing.
I hope this re-post will encourage (or re-encourage) you. I’d love for you to add a link in the comments to something you may have posted that you needed to re-read. Perhaps the rest of us can be encouraged by it, too.
xCC
Sometimes even if you’re just crawling, it feels good to remember you’re moving forward. 🙂
Mar 23, 2010 | South Africa, Travel..ling Tuesdays
Happy Tuesday! How’s it going? Sorry it’s almost gone! As promised, I am picking up where I left off last week, with pics from die strand at Strand. And good news! Remember a few weeks ago when we were in Pringle Bay and I forgot to take a picture of Hangklip because I’m a cotton-headed ninny muggins? Well I got a picture for you! Check it out:
Yeah! It’s that third point that you see in the distance there. Don’t I deliver? 🙂 Those dudes are playing rugby in case you’re wondering.
So. Strand. You gotta say it with a soft ‘ah’. The Bear is now carefully making his way out to the surf of False Bay, the big bay that Strand, Gordon’s Bay and lots of other pretty places sit on.Ă‚Â See that mountain in the background? The almost flat looking one? That’s Cape Town’s famous Table Mountain. This picture is looking at it from the “backside” — it’s more impressive if you see it from the usually-photographed-side facing Table Bay, but either way it’s beautiful!
Now that he’s made it to the surf, the Bear is ready for Dad to come and take him out deep!
While they went for a swim, I took some shots for you! I even asked this cool surfer girl if I could take her picture just for you guys! Don’t say I never do anything for you. Her name is Megan.
I love her red board, purple leash and green board shorts. Thanks, Megan! And amusingly, this big-ol’-pointy-building right here is a condominium complex called Hibernian Towers. I can’t get away from Scottish football if I try. (The “Hibs” stadium was near where I first lived in Edinburgh.)
Here’s another slice of the general vicinity…
Yay, they’re back!
It was difficult to convince the sh-sh-shivering bear that swim time was done.
But when he got hold of someone’s beach tennis ball, he was nicely distracted.
And not keen on returning it. We eventually managed to give it back. 🙂
So here’s the finish-with-a-favourite moment. I don’t know why I like this one so much. I think it’s the funky tree on the right. I love how the beach is right there, so close to the street.
Sigh. I know you wish you were here right now, but just think: March 21st started spring for you, and autumn for us. We’re heading towards winter now! It probably won’t quite be a winter like what you’ve had in the northern hemisphere… but still.
Hope you enjoyed this TT! Did you think it was Strand-tastic? tehe Enjoy your adventure today!
xCC
Mar 23, 2010 | The Good Word
I’ve noticed a pattern in my life, over and over again. And yet I am still forgetful and prone to fall into it, over and over again.
What I’ve noticed is that it’s often the case that when I spend a lot of time focusing on myself, be it how I feel, what I don’t have that I wish I did have, what many tasks are before me to be accomplished, perhaps even just how it is hard to be where I am at the moment or in the season that I am in…when I spend time focusing on things like these, it is very easy to get downhearted, downtrodden and discouraged.
But over and over again, each time I find myself in that “ddd” place, at some stage, something reminds me to stop looking down, and look up.
Isaiah 26:3 says “You will keep Him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.”
And this verse has become so real to me, over and over again. If I take a moment to re-focus, and to turn my mind to God, I might remember:
His incredible faithfulness in days gone by.
His abundant provision for me when I had no idea how it would be accomplished.
His beautiful promises that I’ve seen Him keep over and over again.
His self-sacrificing gift of love, Jesus Christ, through whom I have everything I need for life and godliness.
Over and over again, I realise each day is an opportunity that comes with a choice. I wish I could say I only dwell in discouragement for an hour or two before I remember to look up. Sometimes it takes a while. But eventually I remember that what I keep my mind focused on will determine my attitude and my perceptions of life. When I remember the goodness of God and take a moment to choose to trust in Him all over again, I find the peace that was missing, when it was still all about me.
The Sermon in a Nutshell: God’s peace isn’t for sale at Target. It isn’t available when you’re out for a jaunt of “retail therapy,” a Starbucks coffee or a gym session. But if you can remember, recount, and dwell on the goodness of God, He can keep you in perfect peace like nothing else.
Mar 22, 2010 | Baby Photos, Stories
We’ve been told. By friends and family. By you guys. By neighbours. By strangers who’ve made it apparent by asking how old my little girl is. I think this finally might’ve done me in — the Bear is going to get a REAL hair cut.
Here’s the slice of backstory you need:Ă‚Â The new iPhoto, this awesome software that comes standard on a Mac has this really cool Face Recognition feature. After you tell it who a person is by tagging their face, it begins to scan your other photos to look for more pictures that might be the person you just tagged. After a while it seems to get pretty accurate. I have been really impressed when I look at a picture of myself that looks a lot like my Mom and it asks if it’s a picture of my Mom. It’s also looked at pictures of me where I look more like my Dad and asked if I’m him. I know that probably makes it sound less accurate, but trust me, you need to see what I’m talking about. It’s pretty impressive.
Since we’ve taken a gabillion pictures of the Bear since he was born, iPhoto has gotten pretty good at recognising pictures of him. Occasionally if we take a picture of another baby, iPhoto might think that baby is the Bear, until we tag the other baby to tell iPhoto it’s someone different.
I usually call home on Skype. Sometimes when I speak to my Mom and Dad they’re on Skype, too. But at other times, when I call them on their landlines or mobiles, I pull up a picture of whomever we’re speaking with so the Bear knows who he’s talking to. I pulled up a picture of my Mom for just this reason the other day, in the folder of pictures that have been tagged as her. And I noticed this additional “suggestion” at the bottom:
Yup. iPhoto thinks the Bear is his G.C. (Short for “Grandma Claire”). They really look a lot alike in that photo! Which means, if I’m honest, the Bear’s really starting to look like a girl.
I’m hoping to muster up the strength to give those goldilocks that are getting blonder by the day a wee trim…tomorrow.
Feel free to pray for me. (And HH! He doesn’t want to let those curls go — I think even more than me!) I’ll let you know how it goes.
xCC
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