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    Snapshots of Joy & Gratitude

    When I used to teach 3rd grade, I read Cam Jansen with my students. Cam had a photographic memory, so she would go around taking snapshots in her mind. She would later use these snapshots to help solve mysteries. 
    Lately, I’ve found myself doing the same thing (well, the mental snapshot thing, not the solving mysteries part). I find myself taking a mental photograph of a situation as a way to pause and soak up the joy. The intentional pause also gives me a moment to acknowledge the gratitude I feel. 
    It happens in simple moments, like when Matt, Henry, Tate, and I are “making a tent” on the bed
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    Introducing Baby Foods

    It’s been fascinating to compare Henry and Tate’s developmental trajectories. Henry was four months -old when we took a trip to New Mexico and Colorado. Matt and I distinctly remember eating at a restaurant when Henry started reaching for our water glasses. He wanted to bring everything to his mouth. 
    Tate has entered that same phase (exact same behavior with water glasses!), which is why we want to get him started on solid food. The Montessori approach to food introduction actually begins even earlier, but I’m too nervous to start any earlier than four months. 
    I think we’ll start with rice cereal, sweet potato, banana, avocado, and apple. We never
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    Healthy Kid Lunches

    Henry graduated from the Youngest Children’s Community at his Montessori school. He’s been there since he was 18 months-old, so it was a bittersweet transition. The teachers and I cried as we said goodbye, and we exchanged gifts. The nice part is that we were able to transfer him to a different campus (of the same school), so our commute is cut in half. 
    When he was in the Youngest Children’s Community, the children worked together to make lunch for themselves every day: tacos, pizza, sandwiches, hummus, etc. It was the sweetest, most amazing thing. Now that he’s in primary (ages 3-6), we have to send him with a lunch
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