Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Rainy Camping

Our Ward (aka Congregation) had a campout a couple weekends ago. It thunderstormed. Because I wanted her to sleep in her own bed and not disturb her tempestuous rhythms,  Caroline and I were safe and warm at home til the morning. We rejoined the brave ones for breakfast, anxious to see how they fared... Eric and Gwen had a marvelous time anyhow! Gwen was just short enough that her feet missed the dripping roof and she didn't get soaked until she got up. :) and the rain didn't even seem to phase her AT ALL. She was just tickled to be outside! 

Caroline, not to be outdone, insisted on walking everywhere herself, even though her height meant she got pretty soaked in the wet grass. That was a day of SUPREME independence! (if we attempted to pick her up or redirect her, there was an eruption of squalling fits!)
After packing up the tent, we stopped at a boardwalk metro park to see if all the rain had impacted the waterfall. We were NOT disappointed! Both girls thought this was pretty awesome! The only way we could get Caroline to stop looking at it so we could take a picture was if I held her with my body as a screen. :)

 Caroline charging on ahead, full speed, despite the slippery boards. Gwen doing another 'pose' in the background.



 We found some beautiful leaves. Gwen and Caroline wanted to compare theirs. Daddy had to get in on the leaf-bragging session so he picked this one with fungus nubs all over it!

Walking along the boardwalk with my beautiful family, everyone so happy, the world so clean and glistening, the outing spontaneous and free with no expectations, schedules, or time tables, all worries and cares temporarily left behind... Money, school, work, projects, things to do and things to buy... none of it mattered. I was absolutely content and my heart was filled to the brim with gratitude. I am so happy. I am so blessed. My family is mine for eternity and I couldn't ask for anything more. :)

Posing

Gwen is at a funny stage of 'posing' for photos. Some are cute, some are sassy, some manage to look sort of spontaneous, but most tend to look like she is doing a crazy yoga balancing pose or holding in her pee. Some recent pics to illustrate the posing phenomenon:







She's such a character! :)

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

First Dentist and First Day of School

Gwen's first visit to the dentist was yesterday. She was nervous, so I was too (for her), though I made a big show of how fun and exciting the visit would be. And you know what?... it really was! Gwen had a GREAT time, loves her dentist, loves her new Dora toothbrush, carries around about 6 toothbrushes of all sizes to help brush the teeth of her dolls and stuffed animals, and is eager to show Mommy and Daddy that she can brush her own teeth before bed! I have to say, if anyone is looking for a pediatric dentist in the NW Columbus area, I highly recommend ours! He was really exceptional at making Gwen feel comfortable and happy throughout the entire exam and tooth cleaning.

Today was Gwen's first day of preschool. She was sooooo excited, probably more excited about her new Rapunzel panties than anything else, and is ecstatic about her 'big girl' Dora backpack that I picked up from a garage sale this summer for 50 cents. She was willing and eager to get dressed today, let me fix her hair, and didn't even complain when I made her go potty before we left the house even though she 'didn't have any pee pees' (yeah right).

the funny faces you get when you ask a toddler to 'smile'



She seems to like it so far, but I can tell she is also struggling with the classroom rules and structure (which is exactly why we wanted her in preschool). I observed when I dropped her off that she was having a hard time following the directions for activities the teacher had out (she wanted to play with the kitchen and the teacher had to redirect her 3 times). Apparently there was another similar incident on the playground when Gwen wanted to play with the big equipment and the teacher told her it was off limits. Well, I hope she continues to be happy to go to school, settles in to the classroom rules and routines, and learns some things about expectations, respect, and following directions. She's such a big girl!