March 26, 2016

I made it home Saturday evening just in time for Easter.  Jeremy suggested that we go to East Brent to hear Mom and Dad’s new pastor.  He is young and has a wife and two boys.  It was really different seeing someone other than Brother Dale in the pulpit.  Selah June wore her little Easter dress that Grammy and Ga-paw bought her.  She looked like a beautiful little watercolor painting.

Of course, Mom and Dad went way above and beyond with the Easter baskets and Easter egg hunt and treats galore for all the little ones.  Ab dressed all her boys (yes, Brock too) in blue and white seersucker, pink shirts, red suspenders, and hats.  They were adorable.  And Satie and Sebastian had bunny masks that they wore pretty much the whole afternoon.  The pictures of all of them standing on the front steps will be a treasure we cherish for decades to come.

March 23, 2016

i left this morning for my last conference of the 2015/2016 academic year.  Jeremy and I just got back from a short weekend getaway.  Consequently, I feel really sad leaving Selah June again so soon.  Grammy and Grandpa took me to the airport, and SJ cried when I kissed her bye bye.  It broke my heart.  She’s been very emotional the last few days because of her teething.  I know in my head that that’s what’s going on.  (Last night was a brutal gnashing of teeth all through dinner and bath time.). But it still makes me question my choices and rethink my priorities when I hear that little voice sound so sad.

We we also accomplished all the steps necessary to put our house on the market.  When I went to leave the house this morning, the sign was in the yard.  So many emotions surged through my mind and heart.  That’s MY house!  Jeremy and I built that house together in the middle of a really dark patch when nothing we invested in yielded anything of value.  I picked out everything in that house.  It reflects me.  Selah June’s nursery is in that house.  All the emotions I experienced in anticipation of her arrival.  It’s a lot.

March 19, 2016

We went on a family adventure with Selah June today.  The weather was supposed to be awful, but it turned out lovely…perfect for a drive to the zoo!  Every single day we practice our animal sounds, but its a little bit of an abstraction given that we haven’t seen many of them in real life.  UNTIL TODAY!!!  We saw lions and tigers and monkeys and sheep and pigs and ducks and fish and birds and hippos and zebras and giraffes and all kinds of animals!

visit to the zoo

March 17, 2016

I’m not very good at buying holiday attire for Miss Selah June.  Part of it is that I don’t do much shopping anymore, and part of it is that I just don’t think of it or go to events for which it would be appropriate.  But thanks to Sheila Dunn, I had cute little St. Patrick’s Day leggings complete with green tutu.  She rocked it like a champ and had a blast wearing it through the rough and tumble of the park.  Ab and Jules joined us for some quality time, and the two little ones had a blast running all around getting filthy and having fun.

Note to self: Plan at least two holiday outfits composed of hand-me-downs in anticipation of full-on partying.

March 16, 2016

Selah June’s obsession over the out of doors continues.  After work, we spent time out on the back porch soaking in the sunshine and running around the backyard.  Jeremy cooked steaks on the green egg and entertained SJ by counting and throwing her blue ball with neon green rubber poky things.

outside

She decided it would be a good idea to bring several of her toys out with her – one at a time, of course.  This child makes me smile every day…

March 15, 2016

Selah June experienced her first voting day today.  We went to the polling place before work, and she charmed the socks off of all the volunteers.  She stole stickers from everybody, and clapped for all the people as they successfully voted.

She’s a politico in the making.

voting day

March 10-13, 2016

Jeremy and I went away for the weekend – the first time we have both been away from her since she was born.  It was really strange.  I missed her more intensely because we were both away.  But I also felt such stress relief being completely away from all work responsibilities and parenting responsibilities.  We realized that this was the first vacation we have had together by ourselves in 11 years.  It was much needed and very therapeutic.

We checked out a Disney cruise, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.  Disney has the best private island of all the cruise lines.

May 9, 2016

Miss Selah June is getting to be so big!  She has just recently started combining people when giving commands.  (And, yes, they are commands.)

Today her command is “Mama, Dada, outside!!”

There is no limit to how long she can stay outside.  She told Ashley in the car on the way home that she wanted to go outside.  And then she spent HOURS in the yard.  What could she possibly find to do out there?  Run around, chase the puppy, kick the ball, throw the ball in the pit, pick up pots, play with leaves, and so on and so on.

Jeremy has also introduced her to puppy videos on YouTube.  She really likes the car commercials with the dogs driving.  She thinks they’re really funny.  I’m just amazed that she gets that that’s a joke.

And she’s constantly pulling your leg.  Today, I asked her repeatedly to give me a kiss….  With a slight little grin she wryly said “no!” over and over again.

March 9, 2016

Mom says that Selah June is all of a sudden really into puzzles, and she’s able to figure them out like a rockstar!  At home, we’ve been reading a lot of board books.  They don’t actually have text but rather involve a lot of identification.  We like to look at our huge Elmo book, our Doc McStuffins book, and our puppy book.  We know the following words and can identify them in our books:

Elmo, Abby, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Grover, and Count

ball, bee, flower, bird, boat, fish, teeth, toothbrush, man, lady, tricycle, snowman, dolly, baby, girl, crab, spider, ghost, hippo, dragon, butterfly, owl, sheep, and puppy

keyboard, drums, bells, guitar, and horn

She really likes making the owl sound — hoo hoo

March 6, 2016

There is nothing Miss Selah June loves more right now than being outside.  She asks VERY regularly to accompany the puppy out into the yard.  With the weather warming up, it’s been quite fun to throw our socks and shoes to the wind and romp around in the grass chasing after our big purple ball.

We particularly like to toss the ball into the fire pit — much to Daddy’s chagrin.  For whatever reason, she refuses to let me sit in the little folding chair.  She doesn’t really want to sit in it, but she definitely does NOT want me to sit in it.

Ashley told me that SJ regularly could spend up to 2 hours running around the backyard.  I wouldn’t have believed it if not for today’s fun.  We are going to enjoy many a sunny afternoon together listening to the rustle of the trees, the chirping of the birds, and the occasional vroom vroom of our country neighbors.