More pics from the mud bath

Just thought I would share some more pics of their fabulous time in the mud yesterday - this may never happen again, so I really let them enjoy it.....



Colten threw mud on Mahala before she was ready to get down and dirty. She was NOT happy about it!!!




Mahala decided she was ready....

Mahala discovered that she could make handprints on the sidewalk with the mud ~~my little creative princess~~

Colten's feet

Mahala's feet

Anastacia's first food

We weren't completely sure that Anastacia was ready for solid food. She has been watching us eat every night at supper, but we thought maybe she just liked the design on the plates. So when Shawn went to the grocery store after work today, he surprised me by picking up a box of rice cereal. I was so excited to try it with her, so we mixed it with some breastmilk and tried it out!!! Here is her absolute first bites of solid food ever - you get to watch it as it happens (how cool is technology??!!!). I wanted Shawn to be the first one to feed her since I am the ONLY one who has been able to feed her so far.......

She seemed like she was just a natural at eating, didn't she??? I cannot believe how great she did. Here are a couple of pictures as well, I love seeing her with food on her face!!!

"Ok, gimme some more!!!!!!" Here's a video closer to the middle of the feeding. She had really gotten the hang of it by this time....

School is fun, fun, fun!!!!

I have recently been studying a lot about learning styles and I found out that Colten is something called a kinesthetic learner, which simply means that he learns by doing, not just seeing or hearing. So we are learning about measures (i.e. cups, pints, etc.). I thought that it would be a really interesting way to learn if we used different size containers to demonstrate the measures. So we took it outside to prevent the mess that would inevitably occur inside the apartment. Here is Colten learning that 4 quarts equals a gallon and 2 pints equal a quart. He also learned that 2 cups equals a pint. Today we just learned some basics, but it is a great foundation for him and he really retained the info!!! Tomorrow we will work on converting these measures to find out how many cups it will take to make a gallon, etc.

Here is my beautiful Mahala watching her Bubba learn (all the while learning a few things herself).
And of course, we have to have the baby, she absolutely loved being outside - we took her jump-a-roo and she sat there for at least 30 minutes....

And of course, what do you think all of that water and dirt play led to.......

They were obviously having a blast!!!! We had a really great day outside in the nice weather. And it was a really neat way to end the school day!

Ok, so first of all, Shawn put together Anastacia's high chair this weekend. It is a really nice high chair that my Dad gave me at my baby shower. We didn't want to put it together until she was ready to use it b/c 1. we didn't want it messed up 2. the apartment is small and we only want things we currently need. So, Shawn and the kids put it together this weekend and Anastacia LOVES it!!! She likes this thing better than her swing or her jump-a-roo or anything else (except maybe her Bumbo). I think she just really likes being able to sit up and look around without anything obstructing her view. We put toys in front of her, b/c she is just starting to be able to grab things on purpose. We have to put blankets around her b/c she really isn't quite big enough to sit up straight on her own, but she still really seems to like it.

Secondly - Anastacia laughed out loud today!!!!!! I mean for several seconds!!!! And three times in a row!!!! It was for her Daddy, of course, but I got to hear it. She laughed quietly once a couple of weeks ago for the first time and I heard her but noone else did (I don't think anyone believed me). And then this weekend at church a friend was holding her and she told me that she laughed, but I did not hear it. So today, Shawn had just gotten home from work and was in the bedroom playing with her and I hear him say "Larena, come here, you gotta hear this!!" So I go running and she is laughing so hard at her Daddy. I ran back to the kitchen to get the camera and she starts laughing again. By the time I got back with the video camera, she stopped. I tried three times to catch it on video so I could post it, but she would not do it again. So I will keep trying and when I do get it, you better believe you will get to see it!!!

Next, we did our first science experiment today. Here is a little pic of the fun we had....
The experiment includes growing radishes and learning about the different stages from a seed up to a full grown plant. It will also include testing different growing environments to see which works best. It will take four weeks for us to complete this experiment. Today we started a sprout tray by cutting open an orange juice carton and laying it on its side, lining it with paper towels and wetting them. Then we placed 20 seeds inside, taped it shut and placed it outside where it is warm. Tomorrow we will check it and see if any have sprouted. If they have, Colten will make drawings of each stage of sprouting, then make a graph to show how many are at each stage. He also got to make "mini planters" with tinfoil and potting soil, which is what you see in the picture above. He wrapped tinfoil around a size D battery and left the top open. Then he taped it, pulled the battery out and filled the planter with potting soil. He placed 2 radish seeds in two of the planters and then placed them in a styrofoam tray with a little water in the bottom. Now we wait to see if they grow. We have to water them and record results each day. He is very excited and he is sharing all of the activity with Mahala (like the good big brother that he is).

Mahala learned how to spell "stop" this weekend. She saw a stop sign and asked me what it said. I told her and then later that day out of the blue she writes it on the dry erase board and says "Look, mama, STOP!" I was so shocked - this girl is gonna teach herself to read before she even starts kindergarten. She loves to "read" and write and she knows all of her upper and lowercase letters. She knows a lot of their primary sounds and is working on sounding words out. She spends a lot of time "journaling." She carries a notebook and pen or pencil around all of the time and she writes entire pages of letters, sometimes even writing words that she has seen. Then she sits down and reads them to me. She also likes to make lists of things that we need to buy at the store. She is learning about adding and subtracting. We add and subtract everything - this girl LOVES to learn!! So here is a picture of her in a typical Mahala position - laying on the floor with a notebook in front of her and a pencil in her hand:

I am so proud of my little family - they are a bunch of little geniuses! God has blessed us with a wonderful group of kids. The Word tells me that my children will always be taught by the Lord and that their peace is great - I absolutely believe it. They are wonderful, wise, mighty children of God and I love them more and more each day.

Day of Distinction

We just had an amazing weekend at Celebration Church!! This was our God Encounter "No Sin" weekend where we spend practically the entire weekend at the church. We had In-Gauge Friday night, a leader's meeting Saturday morning, church Saturday night, church Sunday morning and God Encounter Sunday night!!!!! We are tired in our bodies, but so pumped and energized in the spirit and mind!!! Everyone who serves at Celebration got some really cool shirts that we all wore to the Sunday night God Encounter service, so it was a sea of red and black shirts to show the unity of Celebration. Damon Thompson was speaking and he felt like God told him to anoint everyone in the church with oil and pronounce blessing over each person's life. So all of the pastors got anointed, then the G4:2 students got anointed, then both the pastors and students went out and anointed and prayed over EVERY person in the building with oil - it was CRaZy!!!!! (There were at least a 1000 people) There were tears and laughter and joy and so many amazing things happening. Anastacia got healed from sickness she had been fighting that morning - she had thrown up and had a really stuffy nose and was running a temperature. She slept for 8 hours straight last night (which was wonderful!!!) and she can breathe easily and has had no sign of vomiting or fever at all!!!! God is so good!!!!! If you have ever had an infant with a stuffy nose, you know how miserable it can be - she was having trouble nursing b/c she couldn't breathe and she wasn't sleeping well b/c of it and NOW she is perfect!!! Praise God!!!!!

Damon felt like God was speaking that Celebration was beginning a "day of distinction" where the ones who truly serve Him will be distinguished from those who don't. There will be favor and anointing and health and prosperity in the lives of those who truly serve Him. He compared it to the scriptures concerning David, when God sent Samuel to choose David as king of Israel. David was distinguished from his brothers by his heart to serve and do the right thing. David wasn't out there looking for fame and fortune - he was serving in the position he had been placed with his whole heart. He was doing the everyday things with excellence and God recognized him and chose him b/c of it. Damon also talked about how David was chosen, but that he had to continue doing the everyday and being faithful and didn't actually come into the position of king until years later. We must continue to serve faithfully and God is the One who will promote us at the right time.