Starting a NewVember Tradition

My talented and creative sister-in-law started this tradition in 2008 and we decided to get on board, finally. Each November she celebrates NewVember where she tries to do something new everyday.  Between her blog and Facebook statuses she’s done an amazing range of adventurous activities over the last few years. I’m always inspired by Ann.

So this year we are starting our own NewVember tradition. Yesterday we started our gratitude journals. Today we remembered to add to them at the last possible moment. Seriously. We had to wake Elli back up to find out what she was grateful for. She was so sleepy but got out “thank you healthy bodies” which sounds an awful lot like when she prays before a meal. Just too sweet.

So for today, we played in a leaf pile. This is new in comparison to last year when we didn’t rake a single leaf. Yeah, my last year’s pregnant self wasn’t that interested in taking care of the yard last fall. But to make it truly new, we added a favorite game of all three kids: peek-a-boo. Sammi loved getting all the way covered with leaves, over and over again. Elli loved covering her up, again and again. And Scott had a perpetual smile watching the whole thing go down. Check it out for yourself:

During all the fun, Elli and Sammi worked on their gross motor skills by scooping leaves and covering each other up. Elli practiced counting to ten and even made it to sixteen a few times. She loves the number three now, since it’s her age. And Scott practiced his gross motor skills by standing while holding on to my shoulder. He loves to be upright and to walk everywhere. I’m glad he’s finally tall enough that I don’t have to bend over when he holds my fingers and we walk, endlessly, around the house and anywhere else we are. Next I’ll be glad when he can do it without holding my fingers at all. Though his little fingers gripping my fingers is something precious.

What NEW thing will you do this month?