Sunny Skies

The closer we get to going home the more and more I am enjoying and appreciating the sunlight!  I love the NW and I even love the overcast chilly days and often don't mind the sun being absent for days and in the fall/winter weeks at a time.   However, I've been spoiled.   I've now lived in the south going on six months and I have seen the sun, probably every day with the exception of maybe two days.   

The whole family has nice sun kissed skin - tans!  Little Mae even has white crease lines where her little rolls didn't allow sun... all of these features are soon to fade as we venture back home.   As it is - no one will be too overtly jealous of our tan skin as they hardly will see it since we'll be bundled up freezing our tushies off (yes tushies) since it's barely dropped below 75' since our arrival here.   

This morning for the first time since our arrival it was colder here than back home.  It was only by a couple of degrees and within a few hours we had reclaimed our role as the hotter city, but nonetheless fall has arrived both here and back home and while a sweater here would send me into a fit of heatstroke, still it is chilly for Biloxi, but the sun is still shining in the beautifully blue clear sky. 

I will miss the bright blue skies that are sometimes filled with gorgeous clouds or sometimes just a vibrant blue clear sky.  Somehow I really think it is blue-er here.     It's gorgeous!  It truly has been a great time to enjoy the sun, the beach, the warm weather - even in the fit of the awful heat this summer it was an overall pleasant experience.  

I'm sure Ace will miss it as well - not that he still won't run around outside and have a blast doing so in more layers - but he likes to be 'naked' (aka wearing only underwear.)   Often the first thing he does when we come home from being out and about is strip down to his undies.   Even here in our 72' house he complains he's 'cold'  so he'll have a rude awakening when he returns to the NW to our house that we used to keep at 65' in the winter months.   :)    


If you look the right of the photo you'll see this was a double rainbow! Beautiful!

 It's been a beautiful, sunny, and warm place to live these last six months and we've enjoyed it!

Fall Themed Sensory Box

My favorite time of year is fall.  I love all the rich colors of leaves and decor - the new crisp days (at least in the NW) and the falling of the leaves.   Which is why I was so excited to make Ace's latest sensory box.    It also works out perfectly, as it will last us for the entire fall season - since with a move in the middle of our school time - I won't be making a new box until December.  

Inside this box is: hay (I bought a small size bale of hay, but the 'craft' size would have been more than sufficient,) a fake pumpkin, felt squash and felt leaves, silk leaves, foam turkeys and chipmunks, and foil confetti leaves.    A lot of similar items, yes - but in different shapes and textiles.  Provides plenty of opportunity to sort, sift, count, identify, etc..   Overall this box cost about $12 - although the felt leaves and squash (which were also coupled with felt pumpkins) were used in one of his trays so I suppose that I could not factor those into his box cost in which case this sensory box would be under $10 :)

Ace is enjoying this box - as is his sister.   We knew that it was only a matter of time before we'd have to rethink the best way to play with the sensory box now that sister is standing up and very proficient at mobility.   Yes Mae WANTS that box.  She wants whatever is it.  :)

Ace is of course a very patient and loving brother and doesn't care if sister is touching it as long as mom is nearby.   He's a smart kid to know that mom will keep track of her and that he doesn't need to worry.  He also knows if she tips it over it isn't his fault.  hehe.   

Dear Daughter...

Dear Mae,

It seems like just yesterday you made your arrival on a chilly January afternoon.   It's hard to believe that you're a mobile, squeally, communicative almost 9 month old now!   Where does the time go?   I love that you light up when you dada enters the room. I love that you ask for 'mama' and look for me in a room. 

You have started to try out waving 'bye-bye' although I think you're still trying to decide if it's for you or not.   You are walking along the couch and go after what you want.   You have a sixth sense (I swear!) to ferret out paper and try to eat it.  In fact it is a guarantee if you find paper it will be in your mouth. 

You love your brother and love to play with him and you giggle when he chases you. You watch your brother all the time because you know he's your key to success.    Just a moment ago I watched as you craned your neck past mommy to watch as your brother skirted past the gate blocking the stairs.  You watched intently to observe what he had done and after he had completed this mission you signed with urgency 'all done' (which is your cue for mommy to put you down) and you were off to mimic what you had just observed. Now that you are taller and standing, your brother is finding it more difficult to retreat from your persistence. At the moment he still has a safe haven of the couch, but he's running out of places to run from you. I hope you are kind to him once you recognize your powers more and more.

Now that you are standing you're so happy!  You love playing at the water table and splashed until you are soaked.   So happy that you could finally do it after observing your brother doing it for so many weeks.     Although you do have the same stubbornness that runs in the family and we are constantly telling you 'NO!' when you attempt to climb up and touch the tv.   We tell you 'no' and you get the biggest grin on your face.  Naughty!  (But adorable, I won't lie.)

You have lost your 'good sleeper' title - now you're more average and like your brother at this age.  That's ok, I know I'll miss waking up to feed you in the middle of the night whenever you do choose to sleep through the night, so I'll enjoy our time while we have it.  Although a few hours break between wakings is greatly appreciated.  

Mae you have an appetite for anything that we are eating - but you never want to eat much.  I usually can get about a 1/3rd of a jar of baby food in you - and you're otherwise happy to just sorta chew on the food we have whether it be gyro meat (which you love!) french fries, cucumber, or pasta - you just want to explore and that's ok.   

Your family loves you very much and we love that you're on the move, exploring your world, and smiley EVERY morning.   It's such a joy to wake up to that smile. 

All my love,
Your mommy

A Southern Belle

Mae is pushing nine months old - three quarters of a year old is just around the corner.  It is crazy how much time has gone by.  We've now been in the south for five months.  When we arrived Mae was just a little over three months old.    Which means she has officially been a southern belle for over two months!   Yes our little girl has spend more of life in the south than in the NW.    She's adapted to her role of a southern belle nicely.  

Mae loves to crawl around outside - although often gets timid in the grass and prefers to stay in one place unless she is chasing her brother.   She does very well to leave a hat on if one is presented to shade her.   

Like her hat?  B from The Ravenna Girls made it for her!

Dresses (another southern belle staple) won't slow her down either.  No matter her attire - whether dress, skirt, and just a diaper - she can crawl with great speed and efficiency if she so desires.   It's impressive!   Occasionally a dress will thwart her because her feet get stuck in it - but she merely does a little foot maneuvering and continues along without much fuss. 

Sunlight also is great for Mae... doesn't she look pretty? ;)   She loves to play in the sunshine and when it peeks in the house through the windows, she likes to chase it and tries grab it.   It's really adorable to watch as she crawls after the sunlight and trying to track it down.  


Probably one of my favorite pictures of her to date!

Overall this little southern belle is doing wonderful and I know she will miss the warmth and sun after we leave (we all will!)   But I am sure she will enjoy exploring all the other neat things that the NW affords us that the south does not... like snow!  Brr!

Cloud Viewing

Living in the south we are privileged to have a sky full of beautiful clouds.   All the various kinds of clouds are a part of our daily viewing pleasure and where better way to teach Ace about the different types of clouds.   

As part of his school we take time every now and then to review the types of clouds.    I printed out Cloud Type lesson kit for free from ETC Press.   It included the nomenclature cards and and a few other helpful tools to help show Ace about the various types of clouds.   He's still pretty young to really absorb a lot of the science - but the visuals are great.  

While on Pinterest I came across a great idea of a view window for the clouds, although when I clicked to obtain it - it was for a classroom and cost over $30 for the kit... so I decided to make my own (if you'd like a copy for personal use only please email me and I will send you the PDF.)  It took a naptime to get everything lined up and all the clouds properly identified.  It's not perfect, but it is accurate and for my toddler it is a fun way to 'hunt' for clouds.   :)

Ace had a lot of fun trying to find the different type of clouds.   I think that he'll really enjoy this activity when he's a bit older and can read for himself.   For now he likes to use the view window to poke his head through it and look for clouds that way.  It makes me smile.

So while I don't think he's learning a lot of the accurate names, he's having fun looking at the sky.   We also started to make up the shapes of clouds and that is probably the most fun of all! 

Linking up on:  Living Montessori Now, Sun Scholars, It's Playtime on The Imagination Tree, Preschool Corner on Homeschool Creations, Mom to 2 Posh Lil Divas and Classified: Mom.

Biloxi's Lighthouse

I think one of the things that I am going to miss the most about living in Mississippi is the lighthouse.  It really is the iconic 'centerpiece' of Biloxi and it is beautiful no matter the time of day or night that you drive by.    I love to photograph it and I've loved learning about its history.

This lighthouse is a cast iron light house built in 1848 and originally stood relatively close to water.  It now exists as the only lighthouse in the middle of a highway and also Mississippi's only remaining lighthouse.   Biloxi's waters receded a bit and eventually put in a man made beach in the 60s.   This lighthouse survived both Camille in 1969 and Katrina in 2005 (although all the brick on the inside washed out after Katrina and extensive remodeling was required to reopen it to the public.)  To read more about its fascinating history click here.

We were able to take a tour of it last weekend and go inside and the light in it is beautiful.  The view is pretty gorgeous too.   I was wearing Mae in the ergo and toted her up the spiral staircase and up the 8 rung ladder into the top.   It was a bit precarious but we managed.

If you notice the pale blue line - that is where the water reached with Katrina, Camille's water level is significantly lower.

It was a lot of fun to be able to go inside, learn a bit about the history, and to see how the lighthouse really works.  It was also neat to learn about the history of why it is now in the middle of a highway - probably its most unique quality. 


Circa 1901 - Photograph from Library of Congress and obtained from here.

Standing and Stairs

Mae has been pulling herself up into standing now for a few weeks and is starting to adventure into free standing.  Although mostly just to cautiously lower herself to the ground, but still she's working on feeling it out.     She's gathered a lot of independence (including signing 'all done' when she's done with mommy holding her. sniff sniff)  and is enjoying her different perspectives that come with all her standing.  

Upon achieving her newest skill we broke out the table for her to play with and she loves it - as does her big brother who remembered the fun that he had with it 'back in the day.'   Us parents remember it too, although not as fondly...   I've been really pleased with how well Ace and Mae are doing playing together.  Ace is a very patient big brother as his sister mauls him, climbs on him, and even slims him.   He's very gentle and giving when she snatches stuff from him.   I hope as they grow older they both continue to be loving toward one another.

Mae loves to play at the table.   Her twist on it though that we never really saw Ace do is to try and eat it.   She wants to sample everything - and will even get on her tippiest tiptoe to try and reach something to consume... although I have yet to capture that on film.

She pulls herself up on everything now - using the fridge, drawers, walls, couches,  or perhaps even the chair her brother is sitting in.   She doesn't mind and her patient brother continues to allow the silliness.

Other skills Mae has been mastering with or without the help of her family is climbing the stairs.  Yes, she often can be found ascending the stairs (or at best sitting at the base of them thwarted by the gate.)   Her big brother is trying to teach her how to descend the stairs safely.  She just smiles at him and continues upward.    She has a few times managed to break a barrier and climb the stairs on her own.  She's doing pretty well with it. Although I'll be happier when she learns how to go down the stairs and not just up.  :-$

Walking is up next!  Although its hard to say when walking will occur, she's still very cautious and takes her balance very seriously by lowering herself slowly to the ground... but one thing is for sure - she wants to go places.   She might skip walking and go straight for climbing... watch out world Mae's coming!