Our Blue-Eyed Redhead

 

Dear Hannah,

Your sweet-tempered little self just gets more adorable every day! I can’t believe you are 9 months old already!  You’re still my teensy little redhead pulling off 3-6 months clothes, however (like this darling outfit).  But healthy, enjoying food, and progressing in your development? Yes! So, I’m not worried!

You really do enjoy food–vocally. Those “om om yom yom” noises are just the cutest thing when munching on cheerios. Oh how you love to babble and “yah yah” about everything!

Laughing, smiling, and just all-around happy & content… you love life!!

You love books, toys that sing (the few we have!), water bottles, bath time, and animals, especially of course Pepper the puppy.  Two little white caps are steadily making their way through your bottom gums, a point of interest to check out with your fingers and tongue.

I couldn’t be more grateful to spend every day with you!!

Love, your biggest fan

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star: Music Reviewed

Children’s music is just fun! Instilled from my own childhood with “Wee Sing” songs and my momma singing Primary Songs from the hallway, I just love children’s music. I loved using it in the classroom… for sweet preschoolers and definitely for the sweet students I worked with the past few years. And now, I love using music with my sweet baby girl!

To my great joy and elation, Hannah loves music too!  About a month or so ago she started this adorable “head bob” to any music we sang, whistled or listened to.

Video of Hannah’s head bobbin’!

She continues to bob and bounce and flap those arms! Her favorite genres are… well everything!  From lullabies to jazz, to even the lawn mower humming outside or me chopping vegetables. Music is everywhere don’t ya know!

The variety of children’s music out there is probably never ending. I am constantly finding new songs/artists/albums I like. Right now I love Raffi’s station on Pandora.

But here is a review of some fav’s:

• Raffi
  As mentioned above… he is great! Who doesn’t love Raffi?! From “bumping up and down in my little red wagon” to “shaking your sillies out”, he has a song for everything. What I specifically like about his songs, though, is the pacing and volume.  Most of them are just the right tempo to clap your hands and stomp your feet to without the overwhelm.
• Laurie Berkner
  Super fun, fun songs! For anytime! Pretty upbeat and her lyrics are super catchy. Super catchy that you will be singing them all. the. time. And kids love her!
• Genevieve Jereb
  Hello teachers out there!! You MUST get her music. It’s fantastic.  She is an occupational therapist and thus incorporates some great rhythm & therapeutic elements to her music.  The tempos vary, but most of her songs are a steady, heartbeat speed… and so ultimately very calming!  She’s Australian so the accent is fun, too.
• Music Together
  This is actually an early childhood music & movement program, which I also highly recommend. The music is fantastic!  Specific favorites are “Kookabeara,” “Train is a Comin’,” “Little Johnny Brown” and “Dinga Ding” mainly because of their awesome rhythm and tone. The musicality (harmonies, rounds, chants) and the variety of instruments used throughout their library of music is fantastic exposure for little ones.
• Cathy Bollinger
  I’m only familiar with her album called “My Turn Your Turn”. This includes a slew of songs for teaching appropriate social skills in a fun way; when to say hi, what to do when angry, etcetera.  Someone could call them a little cheesey, but I think they are great for use at home or in the classroom.  Maybe not my all-time-favorite songs I really don’t mind stuck in my head, but it is always very useful to put important information to music—easier for our brains to remember! Maybe in a few years when Hannah can’t stop talking about everything under the sun we will sing “save a little bit for later”.
• Jewel
  Just putting in a short plug in for her lullaby album. Lovely and very sweet.
• Frances England
  I recently discovered her… and I love her stuff!  Maybe I love it more for me than for the kiddos… Though I think both can enjoy! Her style is a sweet combo of folk and indie-pop. The tempos of her songs are more fast-paced with words popping around all over (in a fun way of course). She is a very creative singer-songwriter and makes me dream of sitting on my porch swing strumming my guitar while singing like. (She reminds me of Ingrid Michaelson a little.)
• Elizabeth Mitchell
  Also recently discovered and so not familiar with everything, but I like her style. Very folk-like and sweet!

There ya go folks.  Do you have a favorite children’s music artist I need to check out and add to my collection?

We are a happy family!

Jake’s parents and sister’s family came to visit us over Labor Day weekend! The cousins were delighted with each other and Grandma and Grandpa (insert picture of Nana Jo with the girls!)

We visited the NASA Space Center in Houston! How could we live here and not visit this place? The center itself was small-ish but we saw a lot with the tram tour. Aside from melting from the heat of waiting for and riding the tram, it was cool to see the Apollo Mission Control Center (Yes, I want to watch Apollo 13 now), the International Space Training Center where they were building a lot of stuff I didn’t retain ANY info about, and the ginormous Saturn V rocket!

 

Annnd…

Our newest family photo:

     

Haha. On Tuesday we jaunted up a bit north with everybody to visit this place Jake’s brother-in-law, James, knew about. Check out these stuffed animals! WARNING: if you are an anti-hunting activist… know that you’ve been warned. 🙂 James knows the elderly gentleman somehow who has collected all of these animals & reptiles, most of which he has hunted himself throughout his life!! Incredible stories behind everything!

    

Hannah taming the wild beasts? Not a future prophecy I hope to shout!  And I promise… I only left her side for a SECOND for the picture!

We ended the day enjoying ponies, goats and dogs at the Weirich’s. Safer than tigers? You bet.

    

It was a blast to have family in town and miss them already!