I love fall

With the start of fall-  Northern California is warm and just starting to cool off.  

I miss New England during the fall months we lived there for 5 years.I have fond memories of fall colors, picking apples kids jumping in big piles of leave and jackets. 


This Fall class' Beaded Spiders & Nicho's.

Pumpkin Bread, Cranberry Bread and comfort foods will soon be in my kitchen.  I love fall!

Beaded Spider Earrings

Green and amber beads make up these spiders

I love Nicho Shrines - Homage to Artist, Saints and remembering special people and things

Love the tradition and charm of the spin on Mexican Day of the Dead

Afternoon Nap

Afternoon's with Manuel

 

   Afternoon Nap ...

OK  awake now!

Good Eats & Oragomi to show

                          While baby napped today 

                           I made his Lunch & Dinner 

Did not have one of these when my children were little ones.  This makes things so much easier and
 FAST clean up !

peach berry cereal

Apple Juice

Quinoa

Fresh Spinach

Eggplant, Squash, Carrot and Onion

                                      Love these cheery animals

 Panda hangs from Ceiling Fan

Simple fish hang from chopstick size dowels

Cool paper selection make up these fun fish

BUSY -Play-Eat-Sleep- BUSY -Play-Eat-Sleep

Manuel's Busy Day

Play time 8:30 sharp! 

Lots of smiles, crawling, singing and waving at people biking, walking and driving by. 7-month-old Manuel and I were enjoying our amazingly sunny and warm morning hello.  We are both in good moods.  Such a nice morning we decide to sit on the front porch and look at the green leaves in the huge trees and listen to the hustle and bustle the morning brings. 

I think I will start keeping track of how many people wave, say Hello or say OH What an adorable baby!   

Today's favorites   "That is one happy baby" with a thumb up added by a 20 something college age guy as he skateboarded by. 

 The second was a group of 3 pregnant women who saw Manuel and I sitting on the front porch. All three women looked at him as   their mouths dropped open.... As if they saw a movie star who they have had a big crush on since the age of 13. They said " awh"... in unison and smiled longingly.  Manuel looked down and smiled sweetly, as if he was going to wink a big flirty hello!

 

          

Nap time came sooner than later.  Books a bottle and some bouncing and he was out.  Truly nothing cuter than a sleeping baby. 

Rasberry, apple and oatmeal

    

Happy Happy Happy

After lunch Fresh Apple Juice Chaser

Tunnel Time

  games and songs and time for Nanny Jill to take off.  

  Big smile and a good bye as Dad takes over.

"Sing Baby Sing"

Good Morning from Nanny Jill

Did you know that day-old babies are attracted to  rhythmic patterns? It's true! In 2009, researchers from Hungary and the Netherlands reported that, by measuring their brain waves when listening to rhythms, day-old infants are able to detect differences between them. This wasn't a learned skill. It was innate. How cool is that!

My Baby’s loved to be serenaded. Nothing sweeter than a 3-6month old cooing along whiles your singing to them. 7-9 month olds sounds, gestures and facial expressions and belly  laughing and squealin. 10-12 month olds understand  more names words  and people   skilled at various gestures, such as shaking his or her head no, pointing at something out of reach, or waving bye-bye.  Baby's babbling with new improved inflection and "dada" and "mama" and" ba ba ba"  The exclamations, such as "uh-oh!"  "Oh-no!"

Some of my favorite songs. 

• The ABCs
• Mary Had a Little Lamb
• Itsy Bitsy Spider
• I'm a Little Teapot
• Hush, Little Baby
• Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
• Row, Row
• You Are My Sunshine
•  Row Your Boat
• The Wheels on the Bus
• Gluck Gluon went the little green frog one day
•  Chickarocka Chick boom
• Sing Sing a song... make it happy 
•  I love you there's no doubt about it
• Where is (Childs name) 
• Open shut them open shut them
• I am so excited
• I like to eat eat eat apples and banana’s
• If you’re happy and you know it...
•  Motown Songs also make great kid tunes - dancing optional

Change in the winds

                    Change in the winds

One of the many green belt parks early evening shadows

When things change unexpectedly, perhaps before I'm ready or sometimes for what seems to feel like the worse, I like to remind myself that maybe it's the wind taking me to where I'm suppose to be. Thank you, Mary Poppins.

As summer turns to fall the heat has not left Northern California.  Summer fun for Nanny Jill made up of walks to the park. A few long weekend get-a-ways and a trip to Portland OR and  Washington State.  Having a bum knee really curtailed my bike adventures. After 3 injections
I am ready for what this fall brings.  

                                          
Time flown by as I end a fun filled year with a little one who is starting full time preschool this month. I will miss interacting with the sweet little guy.  He has grown in so many ways it has been such a fun adventure for me.

                                                

As I say good by to one little one I am saying hello to a 
7 month old named Manuel.  He is sweet, curious, truly outgoing.   Manuel engages everyone he meets with a baby Hello!