The Pupil Becomes the Teacher

This past weekend we got to spend a relaxing weekend at Lake of the Ozarks.  Nana and Papa Nance were down, and we just took it easy each day.  Audrey really enjoyed swimming herself and throwing the dogs’ toys in the water so the dogs would swim after them.  She played so hard that she took 3.5 hour naps both Friday and Saturday.  Friday, she slept on the boat for over an hour, and when we got back, went right back to sleep in her bed for another 2 hours.  Despite these extended naps, Audrey still went to bed around 8:30 and slept in until 7:30 or 8 each day.  I actually woke up before she did on Sunday!

My favorite part of the weekend was a mother daughter moment on Saturday evening.  Nana and Papa were making dinner, Daddy was putting things away on the boat dock, and Mommy and Audrey were playing on the patio that houses Audrey’s sandbox, little plastic picnic table, and 2 plastic child-size Adirondack chairs.  While Audrey played with sidewalk chalk, Mommy sat in one of the little chairs and put her feet up on the bench of the picnic table.  Yes, I am proud to say that my hips did fit into the children’s chair, although the chair stayed put when I stood up.  My action caught Audrey’s eye, because she quickly walked over to the other chair, pulled it around to the other side of the picnic table and attempted to crawl into the chair.  Audrey did not succeed in her first effort to imitate her mom because she pulled the chair too close to the table, leaving her no room to climb into it.  Frustrated, Audrey pulled the chair around to the same side of the table where I was.  She put the chair right next to mine and climbed into it.  She then proceeded to slouch down in the chair so her heels hung over the edge enough to set them on the bench of the table.  When her heels touched the bench, she looked over at me with a huge grin.  I could see the pride in her accomplishment displayed on her face. 

While we have known  for some time that she was watching, taking note, and imitating our actions, this was the first immediate reaction to my behavior that I have seen.  The best part, however, was the look on her face when she achieved her goal.  Even though Audrey is not yet 16 months old, I know that there is something I can learn from her actions in this scenario.  Audrey tried, failed, tried a different approach, and succeeded.  It is a simple lesson, but one that I hope we can continue to instill in her as she grows older and her goals become bigger and more difficult to achieve.   I think Philippians 4:13 says it best: “I can do everything through him who gives me strength.”  

Pretty Girl

I have a feeling Audrey is going to be a girly girl.  Why?  Because she absolutely loves shoes and bracelets.  “Shoe” was one of her first words; it was right around 10 or 11.   She loves to take her shoes off and try to put them back on herself.  She also has favorite pairs of shoes that she will choose over others if she is given a choice. 

The bracelet habit started because her daddy puts his watch on the nightstand where Audrey can get it.  She would pull the watch over the nightstand, and she managed to figure out how to put it on.  That became the first thing she would do when we got home.  So, I gave her one of my bracelets to play with.  She would put the bracelet on and wear it around while she was playing.  From time to time, she’ll decide to be creative and try putting the bracelet on other parts of her body like her feet and ears.  Audrey’s grandma Rosie bought her some of her own bracelets to play with so she would not break mommy’s.  Now, it is hard to get Audrey out of the house without one of her bracelets on.  It’s a good thing we want her to wear the shoes! 

Independence Days

Audrey celebrated her second 4^th of July in style…sleeping. We were at the Lake of the Ozarks, and she played all day in her little pool and her sandbox; she wore herself out so much that she was in bed by 8:30.  So, after she went down for the night, mom and dad and Nana and Papa watched fireworks from the boat dock.  We took a lot of photos, all of which are posted in the Summer 2010 album. 

As we celebrated our nation’s independence, I couldn’t help but be struck by how Audrey is growing each day in her own independence.  She is using a spoon to eat; half the time she gets frustrated and just uses her fingers instead, but she has the ability to do it if she tries really hard.  It is really cute to watch too, because you can see just how hard she is trying.  Audrey has also learned the two most basic words of communication, “yes” and “no.”  She can nod or shake her head accordingly as well.  Unfortunately, the “no” is more commonly heard than the “yes.” 

We are also starting to work with Audrey to hold the dog leashes.  She gets really excited she when successfully lets the dog guide her down the hallway to our front door.  Being that she is small and the dogs are stronger than she is, Audrey does get pulled down and knocked over during the process more often than she would like.  This usually ends the dog walking lesson for the day.  She is continuing to work on it though. 

The new expression of independence that I am most scared of is Audrey’s interest in phones.  She will pick up a phone, or anything that resembles one (like a remote control), put it to her face, and say “hi.”  From time to time she will also cock her head to one side and put a hand on her hip.  I don’t recall doing that, but she had to learn it somewhere.  I am extremely conscious of everything I do in front of her now, because of her sudden interest in imitating adult behavior.  While these actions may be cute now, I now they won’t be adorable anymore when she is 16 years old.  So, mommy and daddy are on our best behavior and praying God will help us set a good example for our little girl.