Gobble, Gobble!

Friday, November 25th, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving from this little turkey!

My family and I sure have a lot to be thankful for ... we are blessed!

I hope your turkey day was as great as mine!

It started off with me spending some quality time with the family.

Then it was time for me to try a bit of the yummy Thanksgiving meal!

First I got my bib.

And then I chowed down!

My favorite was the sweet potatoes and the pumpkin pie! Mmmmmm...

And then, I took part in our annual Thanksgiving tradition of making a gingerbread house together as a family.

Overall, it was a great day and I was really tired after all the festivities.

But then I awoke this morning for some "Black Friday" fun. Mom and Nana took me shopping in the morning in hopes of scoring some super deals! Here we are before heading out!

And, in following through with another family tradition, I helped Mom decorate the house for Christmas.

Happy Holidays!

11 Months

Thursday, November 18th, 2010

Happy 11 month birthday to me!

It has been a great month for me ... I'm really "coming into my own." And I can't believe that there's only one more month until my 1st birthday. My how time flies!

Aren't I just quite the little lady in my jumper and matching hat? Mom thinks I look like a little school girl in London!

Mmmmmm ... that frosting is just so tempting!

I'll fill you in on all the cool things that I'm doing (below) but one of the new things I'm learning this month is sharing. See ... I'll share with you!

Another new thing that I'm doing this month is getting my point across ... my voice is DEFINITELY being heard around here. As you can see by the picture below, I am becoming quite chatty (which Mom and Dad love)! But, I also have developed a very high pitch scream ... Mom calls me "Super Sonic" when I do that. I don't think Mommy or Daddy really cares for the "Super Sonic" squeal.

To help me celebrate my 11th month, my Nana and Great Grandpa came over and took me and Mommy out to lunch and to order my 1st birthday cake. Nana even bought me a couple of balloons, which I greatly enjoyed playing with!

OK, so this is what I've been up to this month ...

Mom says I have really “grown up” this month! I'm doing and excelling at so many new things!

Physically I'm still pretty long and lean! Everyone thinks I'm older than I really am because of my height. I wear size 12-month clothes (and sometimes up to 18 months … although those are still big). I have lots of hair that Mommy likes to put in bows, barrettes, and ponytails. My 2 bottom teeth have fully sprouted. But my upper 2 teeth and the teeth on either side of my bottom teeth are also showing white through my gums, which means that I'm doing lots of teething ... hopefully they'll pop through soon!

I do LOTS of crawling, standing, and walking all around on the furniture. I can walk with assistance but much prefer to crawl. And I am obsessed with crawling up the stairs ... it's so fun! We make SEVERAL trips up the stairs each day.

I also love to dance! WHENEVER I hear music, I start grooving! I can hear music on the radio, on TV, in the store shopping, wherever, I immediately start movin’ and a groovin’. I wave my arms and wiggle my hips. I also bounce up and down (often in a seated position) to the beat of the music. I really like to do “the hot dog dance” with the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or groove to “Choo-Choo Soul” on the Disney channel. And, Mom thinks I've got a little funk in me because I also really “get down” when a pop or rap song comes on.

Like I mentioned, I'm doing lots of talking. Most of it is just jabberwacking but it sure is fun to hear! I haven’t really added much to my vocabulary but I am making lots of new sounds, squeaks, squawks, and some screams here and there.

Mom says her favorite sound in the world is my laugh. However, I don't "give it up" all that easily ... you've got to kind of work to get me to chuckle. But, I do laugh when somebody tickles me or plays a little game that I find amusing (like peek-a-boo). But my best new trick is laughing with the group! If I hear a bunch of people laughing, I loudly laugh with them. It’s always right on cue and it's hilarious!

And even though I may not be able to say that many words, I am very vocal about what I want, especially if I don’t want to do something. I also communicate by waving hello and good-bye whenever people enter and/or leave the room. I also wave when I get a cue (if I hear someone on the TV say “goodbye or see you later,” I wave good-bye or if we leave a place, I wave bye to the place). It's pretty cute!

And just as a cute side-note, I thought I'd tell you about my baby doll. She's just the right size for me to huge and hold. I especially hug my baby when I hear her cry (Mom makes a crying sound). I immediatly stop what I'm doing to crawl over and grab her. I then hold her and pat her on the back. Mommy says I make an adorable little "mother."

Florida Fun (2.0)

I am one lucky girl … I got to go to Florida again with my family and we had so much fun!

Mom was very nervous about the plane ride.

I am such a “busy body” now and like to crawl around, therefore, I’m not a big fan of sitting in my car seat for longer than 15 minutes. Thus, Mom had every reason to be a little concerned about the plane ride.

However, never fear Mommy, I am a good girl! I behaved perfectly on the plane!

I liked looking out the window … it was neat!

Once we arrived in Florida, I got really excited because I saw a familiar face … Goofy! Lately I have been watching the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse on TV and love it! So when I saw Goofy, I was pretty pumped.

Obviously one of the best things about Florida is the beach!

I love the water but shockingly I wasn’t a huge fan of the ocean … I was a little unsure about the waves.

So, we settled for playing in the sand!

I found a pretty shell and investigated that baby up and down.

I also was quite enthralled with the sand … it felt funny.

And while I was a bit hesitant about the ocean surf, I greatly enjoyed swimming in the pool! Before hitting the refreshing water I got all ready. First, I put on my goggles.

Next, I got into my bikini and applied the SPF.

And away we went! To ensure my comfort and to be sure I had lots of things to do while at the pool, Mommy and Daddy rolled my Pack-N-Play up to the pool! We look like the Griswolds!

Ahhhhhhhh … the pool!

I even enjoyed just hanging out poolside.

Surfer girl!

Because I loved swimming so much, I think I’ve found my calling … lifeguard on duty!

Everyday my Papa took me for a walk around the block … it was our special time together.

And sometimes I wanted to push the stroller.

Having some “down time” allowed me the chance to play with all my technology. In fact, I am quite the technology buff … just call me i-Faith!

Each night we did lots of fun things, one night we enjoyed a bonfire on our patio.

Another night we went for a walk on the beach and then stopped in for appetizers at a beach-side restaurant.

One night my Daddy stayed up late to watch Conan O’Brien. I thought I’d give him a preview of the show with my Conan impression.

While in Florida, I tried LOTS of new things! First, I expanded my culinary experiences and tried some new foods, such as bread, raspberries, gourmet mac-n-cheese, and tiny bites of a frosted doughnut.

And, I tried a sucker for the first time and I love, love, loved it! Mom and Nana brought some suckers on the trip in case I needed one on the airplane to help “pop” my ears and/or to keep me busy. Seeing as I was so good on the plane ride, I got to try my sucker as a treat.

I also learned how to sip juice from a straw.

Another new thing I tried was coloring!

My Mommy and Aunt Chelsey taught me how to do it.

And probably my favorite new activity was playing at the park! One night when we were out getting ice cream, I saw the park and started squawking … I REALLY wanted to check it out! While at the park, I went down the slide with Mommy and Daddy and on the swings. I loved it!

I have been on my baby swing in the backyard but never swinging like this … it was great!

Seeing as my Daddy, Papa, and Uncle all like to golf, I figured I’d try my hand at it too.

The men in my life are all itching to teach me how to swing that club!

Overall, Florida was a blast and I can't wait to go back!

On the tail end of our trip, we stopped in Atlanta for the weekend to visit my Mommy's friend, Alicia, and her new baby, Beckham. We had lots of fun in the ATL as well! And I think Baby Beckham is pretty cute!

It sure was a fun 10 days of vacation! And now, back to the reality of snow in MN!