Christmas Time!

We are enjoying spending this Christmas season with our 1 1/2 year old and she seems to be enjoying it too. 

A couple weeks ago we attended the parade downtown... while it was fun, I'm not sure it's worth the wait.  We may be finding a small town parade to attend next year.  It's rather difficult to entertain a 1 yr old for 40 minutes just waiting on it to start.  She did seem to enjoy it for the most part though.

Looking at a dog dressed like Santa

A view from the other side.

AR waved at at many of the floats and people as they went by.

I believe this was when we saw Santa coming

We were able to get our house decorated when we returned from Thanksgiving.  This year we broke down and bought a fake Christmas tree.  Real ones give me sinus infections and my husband was nice enough to forgo the real ones for my health.  I was also in a purging mood while decorating and was able to get rid of over a storage tote full of old decorations!

Our tree and presents... though a couple are birthday presents which is why they might stand out!

Nativity, mantle, and advent calendar.  I've decided to wait until next year to start the advent calendar as AR is still too young to do most activities.

Our Christmas card display.  I LOVE checking the mail in December!

I hope to have some pictures up of AR in her beautiful Christmas dresses soon!

Other happenings:

AR has been very interested in our snowman and Santa that go in front of the fire place.  I often find them moved somewhere else and usually facing the wall as if they are in time out... which I've never done that type of time out with her.

So the other day AR refused her nap and this is what I turn around to find at supper time.

A friend returned our jumping exersaucer and AR wanted to get in it which was so funny b/c she's sooo big.  She could literally stand on her knees in it!

She still enjoyed playing in it for the time being though.

Learning the ways of tools with Daddy.

AR managed to get in the dryer and get stuck... I did know she was doing this so don't think I'm a horrible mom and just found her this way!  We try to keep the door shut now!

Thanksgiving and Life w/ a 19 Month Old!

I'm really slacking in the blogging world right now.  Hopefully I can start doing better than 1, maybe 2, a month!

For Thanksgiving we headed to William's parents house to be w/ his whole family.  Since his brother and SIL aren't going to be with us at Christmas we decided to spend the whole time w/ that side of the family.  We had a great time and AR loved being there and I think she was secretly wondering why I was still there! 

Grayson and AR in their headbands!

Grayson jammin' with Uncle Andrew

Of course there had to be some Ring Around the Rosie... a big favorite!

 On Friday evening we headed over to spend time with some longtime friends of the Trammells.  They have beautiful property and we were able to get some family pictures.  We also enjoyed their company very much!

They Hayes Family

Everybody!

Our family

The girls and Papa

 I don't really have any other pictures to share but I just wanted to take a moment and tell you what all AR is up to these days... mostly so I don't forget!  :)  

She is talking more than ever and I love hearing her new words.  Some of my new favorites are:  "pease" (please - and she knows how to use it), "sowy" (sorry - still confused but we are getting there on the meaning), "ah-men" (amen), and "shy-sho"(which means jacket and she says it all the time).  She is also starting to put two words together such as "mama car", "daddy shy-sho", or "daddy wok" (work).  She even refers to herself as "Addy" instead of Abby but says it all the time.

She tells me when she has a "shoo-wee" (dirty diaper) now but as soon as she says it, it's like she didn't mean to.  She fights most diaper changes at least until we get to the changing table and sometimes there too.  

Just this week she started refusing peanut butter sandwiches AND deli meat... so it's stressing me out a little when it comes to lunch time.  Hopefully, this will pass!  She does however love her clementines and oranges... I think she'd eat them all day!  Her newest major request is ice in her water.  It took me a while to figure out what she was asking for the first time but I get it now!

Not only does she run pretty well, she also runs away from me now which doesn't fly very well w/ me!  :)  If she knows we are about to change a diaper, get ready for bed, or get a spanking... she will run and sometimes yell out.  We are attempting to nip this in the bud right now.

This girl wants to "wok" everywhere which has caused some scenes in stores when she doesn't want to ride in the buggy.  It has improved since I have started warning her before we even get out of the car that she's going to ride in the buggy and if she tries to get out she will get a spanking.  Over all, it really has gotten better... thank goodness!

So as you can see things are crazy busy around here and having a 1 1/2 year old def. has it's challenges!  We wouldn't trade it for the world though... I'm loving her being able to communicate better with me and that she's started to understand things I tell her so much more. 

Can't wait to get some pictures of this girl in her cute Christmas clothes!

Catching Up and Two Photo Shoots

So you may have noticed the lack of blog posting over the past couple months... lets just say that first trimester can get the best of you!  Most of you know we are expecting our second child at the end of May and this pregnancy is soooo different already having one and being distracted by her.  October was pretty rough and very long for me.  All I could do was make sure she was fed and entertained and desperately wait for nap time... for the both of us!  Luckily, the need for naps has slacked off and I don't have to have one every day now.  Now that the second trimester is here, it's time to get caught up on all the housework that was neglected during the first!

I have a few pics of AR from the past couple weeks and then photos from two different photo shoots.  Enjoy!

Silly girl found the netting for next year's beach mantle.

Still sleeping after bringing her in from the car

Balancing her checkbook

Loves corn on the cob!

My bad for thinking if I left her alone w/ her oatmeal and a spoon she'd eat it correctly...

Putting shoes on an antique doll at JJ's house

While daddy went hunting w/ Grand Daddy, we visited Aunt Mollie, Uncle Chad, Grayson, and Caroline... it was fun and crazy at times!

Fell asleep on daddy's chest... she NEVER does this and the last time she did fall asleep in somebody's arms like this she was 8 months old... that is unless she does it at the grandparent's house!  We did find out she has a sinus infection though so I think the is the reason behind it... or she just looooves her daddy!

The other week my friend Donna was kind enough to take some pictures of the three of us... here are just a few of them.  You may see them again on a Christmas card!

Miss Independent did not want to hold hands...

just a little close up of how she really feels!

Then last week while we were visiting the cousins, we took advantage of having the three of them together and took some pictures.  I got to try out my new lens and loved it!!  Once again here are just a few of them!