A few good pictures

"I will sing to the Lord, for he has been good to me." Psalm 13:6

Adela started preschool and goes three days a week. She loves it and hardly says goodbye to me when I leave her class. On the way to preschool she asked me, "Mommy, Can I have blue eyes?" I said, "You have lovely green eyes that God gave you. Mommy and Daddy have green eyes too." She said, "Can you ask God to give me blue eyes?" :)

Her teacher told me yesterday that she is a good listener. You can imagine how happy I was to hear that!

Nora's first ride in a swing. Look at those chunky legs!

The closest we'll get to Disney World anytime soon :)

My mom got us these beautiful roses for our 8th anniversary. Can't believe it's been 8 years already. God has truly blessed us.

I convinced Adela to help me do the dishes. She was in charge of rinsing. I think she got more water on herself and the floor than on the dishes!

Thank you McFrederick's for my awesome outfit! I just need to learn to sing "Old MacDonald" now! Nora turned 7 months old on the 19th and has just started sitting alone.

Between pureeing baby food (I haven't bought one single jar of baby food for Nora!) and running Adela to and from preschool, not to mention all the other "motherly" duties, I don't make time to blog. At least being a stay-at-home mom has some great perks: never a dull moment, on the job training, smiles and kisses for bonuses and lots of variety. Of course, I could do without the occasional nightshift duties. :) Adela loves preschool and is the only girl in the class! Nora is a smiley, happy baby, but I can't call her my sweet sleep-all-night angel baby anymore. She's up at least every 3 hours. I keep expecting to feel some teeth any day now. Otherwise, she is rocking on all fours and has taken two "knee steps."

Carowinds

We took a trip to Carowinds yesterday and had a great time. Nora stayed with Aunt LaDonne while Leo, Adela and I enjoyed some rides. I can't believe how quickly Adela is growing up and becoming a little lady. She is lots of fun and full of surprises. Some of her favorite phrases are, "Actually..., Are we there yet? Is it far? (She has never liked car rides), When I get 5, I can watch Hannah Montana (I have never agreed to this - she likes to set her own age limits), Will you play 'doctor' with me? (that's her favorite game and asks every little girl she meets to play it with her)." On Wednesday she is starting preschool. I'm just a little nervous, but she is really excited about it of course! On a funny note for all you Dora fans out there, when she finished saying the blessing for lunch yesterday she said, "... and Swiper, no swiping! Amen."

Who is Math?

Tonight I was reading a book to Adela called Math on the Playground. She asked me, "Mommy, who is Math? Is it a boy or a girl?" :)

Words that Challenge Me

"Ultimately, the key to competent parenthood is in being able to get behind the eyes of your child, seeing what he sees and feeling what he feels. When he is lonely, he needs your company. When he is defiant, he needs your help in controlling his impulses. When he is afraid, he needs the security of your embrace. When he is curious, he needs patient instruction. When he is happy, he needs to share his laughter and joy with those he loves.

Thus, the parent who intuitively comprehends his child's feelings is in a position to respond appropriately and meet the needs that are apparent. And at this point, raising healthy children BECOMES A HIGHLY DEVELOPED ART, requiring the greatest wisdom, patience, devotion and love that God has given to us. The Apostle Paul called the Christian life a 'reasonable service.' We parents would do well to apply that sane standard to the behavior of our children."
James Dobson in The Strong-Willed Child

This is a song Adela made up yesterday at the park. Notice how easily distracted she is!

I těžké dny přinášejí "ovoce"

Musím se pochlubit co zase Amy uvařila včera na večeři. Bylo to fakt tak dobré, že se o to musím podělit. Prostě u Wilsonů "hambáče" moc nejedou (ale taky je jíme, nebojte:-)
Z obrázku asi poznáte co bylo na talíři, ale kdyby náhodou tak to byla krůtí sekaná zapečená se sýrem a rozmixovanou zeleninou, čerstvě nasbírané zelené lusky lehce osmahlé s vlašskými ořechy, bramborová kaše s bylinkami a česnekem. K tomu čerstvá paprika a okurek jako chutná ozdoba. Prostě SUPER! Nezávidím Vám na co teď myslíte:-)
Tak zase někdy..., Leoš

Angel Baby Nora and On the Go Addy

I got to spend a special morning with my sweet angel baby Nora while Adela went with Leo, Papa and Grammy out on the canoe and to the park. I call Nora my sweet angel baby because she is amazingly easy to read and I can put her in her crib as soon as she is sleepy. She just smiles up at me, covers her eyes with one arm and sucks her thumb on the other. I usually stand there in awe that she could be so adorable and content. She can be fussy in the late afternoon or evening and likes to be held more, but for the most part she's, well, an angel! :) Here she is with her "lovey" and thumb.

Before Adela left to go out on the canoe, I asked her to send greetings to her friends, Monika and Kristina back in Brno! Ahoj, holky! Chybíte nám!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

On Wednesday, Dr. Frino announced that Nora's hip is now officially "normal!" So, we are shouting "Hip Hip Hooray!" She has to wear the brace at night and at naps (which I don't mind at all - I think it helps her sleep better since she can't roll around the bed in it). We thank the Lord for providing wise doctors who took perfect care of Nora. While we were waiting to see the orthopedic, we met another child that had to have the same brace. Her hip dysplasia wasn't discovered until she was 4 months old, so she had to be in a cast for 3 months and was wearing the brace to keep her hip in place. She was almost 2 and hated wearing the brace. So, we are especially grateful to her pediatrician, Dr. Winters, who first found that she had a "hip click" when she was just 5 days old. He immediately arranged an appointment with the orthopedic. I think I'll send him a carrot cake or cookies! :) Thanks to all of you who prayed for Nora.

This was Nora's last hip ultrasound. The technician, Klista, was so cheerful and always made us feel comfortable. Did you know that babies' hips are mostly cartilage at birth and slowly begin turning to bone around 3-6 months? http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/bones.html Nora will have a follow-up appointment and x-ray of her hips when she is 6 months old. Dr. Sapp was Nora's first orthopedic and was excellent at carefully explaining everything we needed to know about hip dysplasia. He also has a 4 month old at home.

Nora without her brace! Look at that smile!

Look at me, brace free! :)