teaching a child who is eager to learn

The past few days I've been truly contemplating what i want to accomplish as a mom. i've been evaluating my goals and what i hope to accomplish while teaching Henry what he needs to grow up well.

While I was in college, I was an Aide for a Montessori school in Dallas. I really admired the children. The ages I worked with ranged from 3-5, and it was amazing how they were so much like little adults. While I have been researching different teaching techniques, and exercises, I am very much gravitating towards the Montessori method. My plan is to set up our home to accommodate those practices, and to see how Henry takes to it. I feel as he is learning and mimicking my every move, now is the time to teach him how to be orderly, organized, and to think for himself. Children are so amazing at what they do while growing. I am very excited about this decision. I've already started to see how some of the changes we have made here have helped him feel more independent. And it seems, that as we have given him the space to be independent, he has become more calm and comfortable in his settings. This will be an interesting journey. I will be posting our progress on here to share with you what I see as Henry gains his independence.

when it snowed in texas

so we don't get snow all that often. Come to think of it, all the snow that we got while i was growing up was pretty scarce, and it always melted by the afternoon, or it wasn't cold enough to stick. Mostly, i remember ice storms. i remember sliding down the street on cardboard boxes and sliding lots. but i don't remember much snow. Last year we got 12 straight hours of snow. It was beautiful. Every weather station was commenting how Texas hadn't had a storm within that caliber since the 1970's. Well, it seems that this winter season felt it needed to trump last winter. We had two days of below freezing temps, introduced by thick layers of ice that covered everything. By day three, (when it is usually all melted and gone) we got 6" of snow. Oh how i love snow. I think it is one of the most beautiful things that nature provides us. Everything is given this layer of 'hush' after it snows. Down here we don't get to experience it that often. Last year, lil H was too small to do much more than sit in the snow and stare at me wondering, why on earth his mom would plop him down in something so cold to take a picture. This year, however, was different. Both Andrew and I had to work regardless of the storm, but we took henry out for a little bit before the sun went down. He didn't seem to notice that he was cold, until he face planted in the snow. Then, he flailed all his limbs, and threw a huge fit, which was followed by a bath to warm him back up.

aren't those rosy cheeks irresistible?