Montessori Monday-Water Station

Inspired by the Montessori method and this post, I decided to set up a water station for Emily in our kitchen.  I set it up when she was about 15 months old and she took to it very quickly.

Her water station is fully loaded with 2 or 3 small drinking glasses and a set of dish towels to wipe up any spilled water.
She really LOVES her water station and the freedom she has to quench her own thirst.
I love that it is hidden behind our pantry doors and doesn't take up any extra space in our already small kitchen.  I don't think I could squeeze in one more piece of furniture if I tried.

I think the self-serve water station is great at cultivating independence, motor skills, focus and concentration in a toddler.  Give it a try..I think your little one will surprise you!

Play dough Recipe

Emily helping me knead the warm dough.

Emily and I made some play dough today.  She loved mixing the ingredients with her hands and she has been playing with it all day! 

Here is the recipe we tried today:

Ingredients: 

1 C Flour
1 C Water
1/4 C Salt
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
2 tsp Cream of Tarter
Food Coloring (I left this out because I didn't have any on hand)
Sauce Pan and Wooden Spoon 

Pour dry ingredients into a sauce pan. Let your little one mix it up. 

Now add the wet ingredients to the sauce pan and give it a good stir until it's combined nicely.

Now move it over to the stove and constantly stir it over med heat until it forms on big chunky ball. Carefully plop the ball out onto your counter and little cool a little before handling.  Knead it out a few times and it's ready to be played with! Super easy.  Store it in a air tight container. 

I love the texture and squishyness of this recipe.  It wasn't sticky at all. Head on over to this blog to see a picture tutorial of this exact recipe. :)

A Little Girl and Her Hero

Enjoy some awesome photos taken by Tamera Barding. She captured the amazing bond between Josh and Emily...it is truly unique.

Mini bday party

Grandma Sherry threw  a mini-bday celebration at Great Granddad and Great Grandmother's house for Emily.  Thank you!

Grandma Sherry and Emmy

Loving her new toy!!!

This is such a thoughtful gift!! Emily loves it!

Having fun with Great Grandmother

Sunny days

It's warming up and Emily loves her kiddie pool. 

 She loved throwing all the balls out of the pool.

All done...  

Fun in the sun

11 months old -May 15, 2011

Wow! Little Emily turns another month older today. One more month and we're gonna have a 1-year-old in the house! I've already started thinking seriously about her 1st birthday celebration.. And it looks like we have some plans set. And just in case you were wondering...no big birthday bash for us! We are going to celebrate this special  occasion with a weeks worth of trips (Disneyland, beach camping, cabin...).

Dearest Emily,

Happy 11 months old!

You're such a big girl now, aren't you? You are still the happiest baby we've ever known! And you have a fun personality.  You love to play tickle games.

You are doing so many things these days.  You love to climb on everything.  You've figured out how to climb up on the couches and you keep trying to climb on top of your play table.

You love your little push car walker and you love to dance to music. It's so cute to watch!
You are really good and mimicking words we say. And when you see Tucker you smile and say "tuter"! So cute!!

Your favorite thing to do right now is to "read" books.  You always get your books and look a them and point to the words. You sometimes "read" them and then you quickly turn the page.
You love when we read to you and your favorite book right now is "Ten Little Lady Bugs" by Melanie Gerth. You can't get enough of that book! lol  Daddy sometimes hides it from you because he doesn't want to sit there an read it to you for the 100th time in a row! lol Don't worry, when I find it, I always put it back in your book basket ;)

You have grown to love the outdoors.  During the day, I will leave the sliding door open for you to go in and out as you please and you always want to stay outside.  You crawl around and look at leaves, rocks, and other interesting things.  You also love to follow Tucker around and try to grab his paws.  He doesn't really let you though. He quickly moves them away from you.

We love you!! We can't believe you are almost a year old!

A day with the Great's

Emily loves spending time in Great Grandma Paula's backyard pulling grass with Great Grandpa Bill. She also tries to pick the lemons off the tree! :) What a special moment.