9 Month Comparison

I haven't been able to take as many pictures of Peyton this month because someone has been sick for going on three weeks now. First it was Kaleb so I had to take special care of him. Then it was Peyton with some new teeth. Now it's Kaleb again. I did manage to get a couple Peyton pictures so here we go!


Kaleb at 9 months

Peyton at 9 months

Book Review: Sons of Encouragement: The Warrior

Once again, a Francine Rivers book. I probably sound like a broken record, but I LOVE her writing. It's always great. This series (Sons of Encouragement) is about five men of the Bible who were inspiring. The Warrior, The Priest, The Scribe, The Prophet, and The Prince. This book is technically the second in the series, but since they don't relate, you can read them in any order you'd like. Okay, on to the review. The Warrior is about Caleb (can you tell why I chose to read it first?). It starts with the plagues in Egypt and takes you through the Israelites taking the Promised Land. As Rivers would remind her readers, it is just fiction. She takes facts from the Bible and creates a story with them. I love character development so this is right up my alley. It made me want to read Exodus through Joshua all over again. The book really made me think about God's promises, protection, and provision. It was only six chapters - although they were kind of long - so it's a pretty quick read. Recommend? Totally!

DIY House Rules

Here's how I made our house rules with a pallet

I found this pallet on the side of a road in Laurel. I wanted one that was this color. It kind of reminds me of driftwood.

Eric took off 5 of the planks. Four were for the mini-pallet (see below) and one was to secure them together.

Here's what it looks like with the four planks nailed on top of each other.

 
 

And here are our house rules. We only have 2 because it is easy to remember and everything else falls under these two rules. Plus, Jesus said they were the two greatest commandments.

 

Books of the Week

We've been going to the library Tuesday mornings as part of their summer preschool program. We check out about five books at a time for Kaleb. Here are the books of the week:

The Construction Crew by Lynn Meltzer
It's no surprise that Kaleb wanted a book about the machines at a construction site. This book is actually pretty good. It includes all of his favorites like bulldozers and excavators, but it also includes extension ladders, power drills, and other tools. Kaleb really likes it!

Look Out! A Giant! by Eric Carle
I wanted to include two books a week by famous children's authors. Eric Carle is one of the most famous so I thought I'd start with his books. When we read all of the ones from the library, I'll choose another famous author. Netflix has a new show that reads 4 of Carle's books and shows the pictures. Kaleb really likes it, too. ANYWAY, this book is lesser known (at least by me). I was surprised at how short it was. There are flap throughout the book that Kaleb really likes lifting, but they don't really make sense in the book. Kaleb has now told me that he loves that book.

One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish by Dr. Seuss
I couldn't have books by famous authors and not include Dr. Seuss - the most famous of them all! I really wanted to start with some of the books we had as kids. We haven't read this one all the way through yet. It's kind of long for a four year old. No matter - love some Dr. Seuss. I have a new item for my bucket list: own all of Dr. Seuss's books.

Kelsey's K Book by J.L. Mazzeo
I changed it to Kaleb's K Book. I wanted to get a book that would be relevant to him. It has lots of things that begin with K. There's a book like this for every letter, so when he starts back school I'll try to get the one for the letter of the week.

Peter's P Book by J.L. Mazzeo
I also changed this one to Peyton's P Book. Kaleb  would say "P for Peyton and K for Kaleb!" At least he's making the connection. Similarly, this book gives many things that begin with P.

Tyrannosaurus Rex Up Close by Peter Dodson
Kaleb's newest thing is dinosaurs. He's even having a dinosaur party this year. This book may be a little scarier for him, but apparently boys like that sort of thing. I really like this nonfiction book because it gives information, but not so many that it's overwhelming.

Holy Moly Chicken

Another easy recipe that is holy-moly good! I had to force myself to stop eating it.

Ingredients:
5 cups boiled, cubed chicken
2 can cream of chicken
8 oz sour cream
1 1/2 sleeves Ritz
1 Tbsp poppyseed

Extras:
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp Worcestershire
pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Layer chicken on the bottom. Combine all other ingredients EXCEPT Ritz and poppyseeds. Mix together with the chicken. sprinkle Ritz and poppyseeds on top. Cook for 25 minutes. (The extras are what make it super delish)

9 Month Update

Peyton with his best friend!

Age: 9 months! Now he's been out as long as he was in!
Weight: 21.4 lbs
Length: 27 inches
Sleep: He takes a short morning nap (30-45 minutes) and a longer afternoon nap (2-3 hours). Some days he goes without an evening nap, but some day he just can't help it. He sleeps about 11 hours at night. So if we put him to bed at 8 he wakes up around 7. Some days we get lucky and he sleeps until 8.
Likes: He ADORES being around people! His favorite is his brother, of course, but he also loves to be around his family. He can't sleep without his paci, but he doesn't have a particular blanket he must have. He just needs to snuggle. He also likes when people act silly, throw him up in the air, and blow raspberries on his belly. He likes watching "Color Crew" and eating. He really likes eating.
Dislikes: If he's crying, it's almost always because he's hungry. He doesn't like Puffs or the stage 3 food because of the "chewing" he has to do with his gums.
News: He had another busy month. He started crawling at the end of June, learned how to wave and give high fives, started giving us kisses, and is saying "dada." Actually, he reserves "mama" for when he's hurt or angry. Otherwise, I never get him to say it. He's all about dada now. :) He started pulling up in the last few days, so look out for next month's news update!

Houses in Laurel

There are some things I've seen on Laurel houses that I'd really like to have one day.

Lovely small porch

Eric really likes the red iron on the stair rail

And on the windows

We'd love to have a small balcony on a second floor

 

How cool is that little turret?

Fun, swirly staircase

Love the big porch with a swing

I'm not sure why, but I love this porch. I guess because it's so deep

Another second story balcony