baby book entry: 8 months

*says dada, yaya, bobobob, and (*finally*) mama!!
*scooches backwards off a blanket
*menu options include: egg yolks, banana, avocado, applesauce, sweet potato, peas, carrots, zucchini, yogurt, pears, green beans, cantaloupe, broccoli
*she has started rocking and then tipping herself onto her face from a sitting position, then ends up on her tummy to scoot...I think crawling is right around the corner (yikes.)
*we've figured out that she can roll over, just generally chooses not to :)
*her fine motor skills have improved drastically...she likes playing with my hair band and transfers it between her hands
*she takes my hands in hers and makes them clap
*she likes to bang two toys together
*puts her paci back in her mouth (she's been doing this for probably a month now)
*LOVES bath time, books, and eating
*went through 5 days of intense pain from teething (LOTS of drool & low grade fever), but still no teeth!!
*she'd been sleeping from 7 to 7 until we traveled & she started teething; for the last month she's been waking up at least once a night
*had her first tent camping experience last weekend at the church retreat (while teething!)
*super ticklish on her belly & under her chin
*(very) vague/ideal schedule: wake up 7; nap 9-11; nap 1-3; sometimes afternoon nap or just down time in crib around 5; bedtime 7
*I'm starting to wonder if her eyes are turning more gray than blue
*almost everywhere I go with her someone tells me she looks like a "Gerber baby" (I can't argue with that!) :)

Win an Ergo!!

Hi ladies,

There is this awesome contest going on right now to win an Ergo baby carrier! I've been wanting one for awhile and have searched all over the country on craigslist to find one for cheaper...but the problem is, few people ever want to get rid of their Ergo because they love it so much!

Here is the link on how to enter the contest-- super easy!!
http://www.heavenlyhold.com/pages/contest.htm

Irons in the Fire

Life is about to get a whole heck of a lot busier around here. Starting Sunday I have three "hats" to wear: Sunday School Coordinator at our church, SNAP tutor, and PreK3 teacher. (Not to mention wife, mother, housekeeper, etc.) Yikes. This week I've been running around like a crazy woman getting ready for all three roles to start the same week. Here's a sneak peek at what I'll be doing for each position:

-Sunday School Coordinator: recruit teachers (this proved harder than one would imagine!), order curriculum, coordinate subs when needed, be in classrooms, act as support for teachers (this is a volunteer position)

-SNAP tutor: case manage for 6 kids (read: paperwork!), plan lessons for small group instruction focused on strategies to improve written expression, task management, math reasoning depending on each student's individual needs (this will be 2 evenings/3 hrs. each evening)

-PreK3 teacher: play with/teach eight 3-yr olds, plan lessons in reading/writing/math readiness, picture/composer/nature study (Charlotte Mason style), go on enrichment trips (this will be 2 mornings/5 hrs. each- Ellie will be across the hall in a nursery)

While each of these positions is really exciting to me, I get overwhelmed thinking about dishes, laundry, dinner, (cloth) diapers, baby food, and kitchen renovations on top of everything else!! Still, I am SOOO thankful that I am not teaching full-time, but that God has given me these 3 outlets (not to mention the finances) in the educational world so that I can spend more time with this sweet girl:

Super Trooper

Well, the Bishops have had a CRAZY summer! Last week I realized that our little Munchkin had slept in about fifteen different locations in the space of two weeks. She's a trooper!

This summer we made it to:
Boiling Springs, NC (Charlotte Mason conference)
Atlanta, GA (my roomie reunion)
Nashville, TN (General Assembly/mini-fam reunion)
Boynton Beach, FL (to see parents, aunts, grandparents)
Dalton, GA (to see bro, sis, nephew)
Lookout Mtn., GA (to see bro @college)
Dalton, GA (to see bro, sis, nephew, & NIECE!!)
Atlanta, GA (Cov friends reunion)