My Life Out Loud

My little lovies

2012-07-23T13:20:00.001-05:00

I captured this picture yesterday and can't quit looking at it. I love the look of complete love and adoration on Brianna's face as she's feeding Garrett and the way he's looking up at her with such sweetness. It's candid moments like this that I treasure and why I almost always have my phone in my pocket. I don't want to miss a moment!

I was also looking back over the blog from when Brianna was Garrett's age and realized how much I had forgotten about daily life with her and the little things she did. So, I've decided it's time to start blogging again, if for no other reason than so I'll have a memory book of sorts for when they are grown and my mind has forgotten the details of this time. Because lets face it, having two kids has given me many wonderful things, but gray hair and a somewhat spotty memory are two of the lesser "gifts" of motherhood!

Welcome Garrett Xavier!

2012-05-07T09:27:00.001-05:00

Birthdate: May 3, 2012
Time: 8:36pm
Weight: 7lbs 15oz
Length: 20 inches

We're all doing well and at home now. He's eating and sleeping well and getting completely spoiled by mommy, daddy and big sister! We are all three completely smitten!

Tanyard Creek Nature Trail

2012-03-17T14:09:00.001-05:00

One of the reasons we were excited about the move to Bentonville was the fact we would be surrounded by beautiful nature trails, creeks and hiking paths literally minutes from the house. This morning, we decided we'd go for a hike and check out Tanyard Creek Nature Trail, which has a small waterfall at the end of the trail and lots of places to enjoy the scenery. Plus, its only a 2 mile trail and has little elevation change, which is good for me given that I'm almost 33 weeks pregnant and not up for any true hiking!

So, after breakfast we loaded Brianna, Moab and a backpack of snacks up for the 10 minute drive north to Windsor Lake Dam and the Tanyard Creek. It was beautiful and perfect weather for being outside! Plus, it gave me lots of opportunities to play with my new toy, a Cannon EOS Rebel T3. I'm most certainly an amateur photographer but Brianna was more than willing to let me get lots of practice!

Blowing dandelions

She's singing "Great Big Stomping Dinosaur Feet" from Dinosaur Train, just in case you were wondering what she's doing in the below picture.

We had a great morning and can't wait to find more places to enjoy the scenery!

Planting Strawberries

2012-03-13T18:17:00.000-05:00

I remember growing up that my Grandpa Medlin always had a bed of strawberries in the backyard and if there's anything that says summer to me, its fresh picked strawberries eaten on a hot day. I wanted Brianna to have the experience of growing something this year so when I found these potted strawberry kits at Sam's Club, I thought it would be the perfect project for her, with a little help from mom and dad!

Here's a few pictures of getting the baby plants all potted and ready to grow beautiful, yummy strawberries!

In the last one, she's asking if she can water the plants a tiny bit more. Pouring the water on seemed to be her favorite part! We checked them tonight and all the little plants were growing strong and spreading out already so here's to hoping we have an abundance of strawberries in the near future!

Lil Sous Chef

2012-03-12T20:08:00.000-05:00

Lately, we do a lot more cooking than we used to and every time we cook as a family, Brianna insists on having a job. So, breakfast on weekends and dinners every night have become quite the family affair. So far, we've decided she's an expert at beating up the eggs and mixing up just about anything else, from batter for Morning Glory Muffins on the weekends to the gremolata topping for a recent Cinnamon Beef Stew.

She's becoming quite the little helper and we love having her in the kitchen with us! Having her help cook seems to help her be willing to try new things lately too because she's added several new recipes to her list of things she's been brave enough to try lately!

Brianna's Third Birthday Party

2012-02-26T15:08:00.001-06:00

I think the pictures tell the story better than I could .... so here's several from Brianna's birthday party, belated as they may be.

Hello again

2011-11-03T07:54:00.001-05:00

We opted to do the early genetic screening this time so yesterday was the sonogram and blood work. Thankfully, everything looks perfect with the baby's development so that put our minds at ease. Here's a few pictures from the sonogram. The funniest part of the whole thing happened about a minute into the viewing when Brianna turned to daddy and asked, "can we put something else on that TV daddy?"

Hello Little One

2011-10-31T08:55:00.001-05:00

For those that haven't heard, Justin and I are expecting a second child on May 9. We had a sonogram two weeks ago and I'm finally getting around to posting one of the better pictures. You can see the arms and legs and even little fingers and toes! We're now twelve weeks along and I'm ready for this trimester to be over. Let's just say it's been very different than it was with Brianna. By this point with her I had started gaining weight and with this one, food and I do not get along so I'm actually losing a bit. Not that I'm too concerned about it but I would like it if someone could find my appetite and return it to me!

She looks so big!

2011-10-31T08:44:00.001-05:00

Brianna finally has decided to like hats but they make her look both adorable and like a little girl. She's not really a baby anymore.

Corn Maze, Pumpkins and Ponies

2011-10-30T18:34:00.000-05:00

So, I know its been a very long time since I updated the blog but instead of posting one big post, I thought I'd do separate ones, starting with our trip last weekend to a local corn maze and pumpkin patch. Our nieces, Bethany and Addisyn, were visiting us with Nana and Pops so we thought it'd be a good weekend to check out some of the local color here in Bentonville. We were not disappointed in the least!

The Petting Zoo: There were goats and sheep to pet and of course, Brianna found the babies as soon as possible. It wasn't easy to get a picture of the animals since all they wanted to do was run around.

Riding the Ponies: Brianna had never ridden a pony before but with Bethany and Addisyn to help her be brave, she couldn't wait to try it out. I think you can tell from their faces they all had a good time!

The Cow Train: Brianna picked Daddy to ride the cow train with her. From how cramped he was, I think he would have preferred she picked Mommy for this one.

Picking Pumpkins: All the girls got to pick their own pumpkins and bring them home to paint. You should have seen the mess they made on the table! Thank goodness for water soluble finger paint that washes out and off!

Everyone had a great time. Justin took his first helicopter ride as well, although I didn't get any pictures of it. We made it through the corn maze and by the time bedtime rolled around, all three girls were asleep before their little heads hit the pillow. It was a great way to end our weekend together!

New Videos

2011-08-14T10:22:00.000-05:00

Brianna loves to dance and make up her own little "special dances". We finally broke out the Flip and got it on film a few nights ago!

She has one swim lesson left but here's video from this past Saturday's lesson. She's improved SO much!

The Things She Says...

2011-07-13T16:48:00.000-05:00

Brianna-isms

"Mama, if I were covered in mud, you'd clean me up and kiss me all over!"

- This started a few months ago when I was telling her how much I loved to kiss her. I told her that even if she were covered in mud from head to toe, I'd still kiss her all over. She's taken that idea to heart.

"Let's play opposites!"

- She likes to find the opposite of something, like saying Green means stop at a stoplight. Her latest is to say "you don't love me" so that I'll find a crazy way to tell her how much I do love her.

"Who made this for me? Who gave this to me? The next time I see them, I must tell them thank you!"

- She likes to know where things came from and insists on telling the person thank you.

"I'm not giving up mama! I try again!"

- Yes, my daughter has learned that the words "I can't" have no place in our house.

"Next time I at church, I tell God I need a bruder (brother) and sister or two bruders Mama!"
- If I have twins next time, we know who we need to talk to...just saying. She really wants a little brother, so much so that she randomly ran up to a little boy at the mall and gave him a hug because "he was so cute mama and I just needed to hug him!".

2nd Round of Swim Lessons

2011-06-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

Here's a clip from today's swim lessons at Emler. Brianna did fantastic considering she missed last week and at the lesson before that, she wouldn't come anywhere close to doing the songs, activities, going under water or floating on her back. Its amazing what a difference a few weeks makes!

Its been a crazy month....

2011-06-12T16:58:00.000-05:00

First, my apologies to all the family that's been asking for pictures and updates. I hope to remedy that today. Secondly, there's been far too much going on with my job, our business and Brianna to cover in one post so I'll try to keep it to just the highlights.

Here she is today in a dress my mom made for her. Silly girl won't smile without sticking her tongue out so to get a cute picture, I told her to dance. That did it ... she loves to dance and hop!

It was splash day at school on Friday so she was very happy to have her swim suit on!

How Brianna and Daddy spend their days when Mama is traveling. Justin had the day off when I happened to be on a business trip, so they had a daddy/daughter date day. They ate lunch at El Chico then spent the afternoon playing at the mall in Denton. I think she's a pretty happy girl when she's hanging out with Daddy!

Before swim lessons ...

After swim lessons...need I say more?

These next few pictures are from Mother's Day, which we spent with Justin's family in Prague, OK. His grandfather is a rock hound and Brianna absolutely loves to play withe his "pretty rocks". They live on a farm and there were several baby calves to watch, as well as fish to "pull out of the water". I think she caught two all on her own on this trip!

My three favorite little girls! They are all growing up way too fast!

Sharing an ice cream cone with Nana. I met Justin's parents one Sunday to pick up a welder from them that Justin needed so we all had ice cream together. Brianna informed me she only likes her ice cream on a cone, not in a cup.

And last but not least, she likes to help me put my suitcase or briefcase in the car in the mornings. I guess she's gotten used to all my travel because she's not really fazed by me leaving any more. Of course, she gets to have all kinds of fun with Daddy when I'm gone so its not like she's missing out on too much!

I think that's about it. My parents spent a weekend here with us recently, but they have all the pictures on their camera and haven't sent them to me (hint, hint Mom!!) so once I get them, I'll share those as well. I had to clean out my iPhone just to take pictures of her today because its completely full of apps for her to play and pictures of her. I'm beginning to hint to Justin that I need a new one so I can pass this one on to Brianna. I never thought I'd be giving something like an iPhone to a toddler as a toy, but that's the world today I guess.

Love you all,
Lucretia

Just a few pictures

2011-05-03T11:33:00.001-05:00

Its been a busy week around our house and its only Tuesday! Here's a few recent pictures of Brianna.

On Saturday, she woke up from her nap missing Daddy so I took her to see him at work. She kept telling me she wanted to go see him "where the motorcycles all played" so off we went. She was in absolute delight over all the shiny pretty bikes. I think she touched every single one of them and because she was so cute about it, the staff didn't seem to mind too much. Of course, we snapped a few pictures of her "riding a motorcycle!".

On Saturday's when I have to get my allergy shots, she loves to go with me but gets very concerned for me when it comes time to get the shots. She holds my hand, squeezes my finger and tells me "I help you be brave mama". She even clapped for me when it was over and then asked if she could have a stamp for helping me be so brave. She's such a sweetheart! I think what she likes the most though is all the magnetic drawing boards they have. Since I have to wait 30 minutes after the shot before I can leave, we've got time to kill and thankfully, she has just enough attention span to make it if I can keep her engrossed in art and counting and drawing shapes. She gets pretty intent on what's she's drawing!

And she loves her Moab Puppy! She knows all the commands and gets a little bossy about it sometimes when he doesn't do exactly what she wants as quickly as she wants. We're working on having a little patience as well as helping Moab realize he needs to obey commands from her too. But, sometimes, they can be the most loving pair, like this morning.

Now that is a sweet picture of my two precious babies!

Riding Her Tricycle

2011-04-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

Brianna is finally tall enough to fit her little tricycle! Of course, that's mean she's grown a couple inches since December but oh well....

So Proud!

2011-04-15T16:33:00.000-05:00

I'm not going to embarrass Brianna by posting a picture of her on her little pink princess potty seat, but I'd like to! Its been a week now since we took her to Walmart and let her pick out her own potty and big girl panties and I'm proud to say she is doing fantastic! She's still learning to listen to her body but with a little help from mommy, daddy and the teachers at school, she's gone 5 days with no pee-pee accidents! She wakes up dry every morning now and wants to use her potty "so I can take my vitamins!". Even though she was already getting her My First Flintstones every morning, she somehow thinks they are her reward now.

Needless to say, I'm very proud of how quickly she's learned to use the potty. I think the fact that she told me before we got the potty that "pull-ups just easier mama" when I'd ask her why she wouldn't tell me she needed to potty had something to do with it. I swear she's too smart for her own good some days!

(and for those of you wanting pictures ... I'll try to post some this weekend. You can always find pics on facebook though on either my profile or Justin's.)

Walk Like You Have Somewhere to Go by Lucille O'Neal (a BookSneeze review)

2011-04-14T14:06:00.000-05:00

In her personal memoir, Lucille O'Neal (the mother of NBA star Shaquille O'Neal) tells her story of personal hardship and growing up in a family that did not approve of her wild ways. Pregnant and abandoned by the baby's father, she draws on the strength ingrained in her to overcome not only the public battles but the personal demons of her life.

I honestly wanted to like this book but unfortunately, it left something to be desired. O'Neal is candid about her life and upbringing, but throughout the whole book, I was left with the sense that she was holding back on her audience. There were several interesting stories and antecedents, one of which includes the family's return to the USA from Germany to find the prejudice against African Americans more severe than in Germany.

While O'Neal shares of her life as an alcoholic and in a troubled marriage, she does not share with the same depth and detail of her recovery or faith. She gives the audience an inside peak into the life of an NBA star and the challenges faced living on the road. I admire her dedication to her son, not only to help him stay level-headed and out of trouble, but also in how she helped other mothers of NBA players navigate their way through that lifestyle. Shaquille's life stands as a strong example of her influence and perhaps that example speaks louder than this memoir of her true strength.

Overall, I enjoyed small parts of this book, but don't believe its one that I will read again.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

2nd Birthday Pics

2011-02-23T18:37:00.000-06:00

Sorry its taken so long to get these posted! Enjoy!

The night before her birthday, I decided to make cupcakes to take to school. I didn't get to last year because of work so I was determined to do it this year. She, of course, wanted to help. We made yummy strawberry cupcakes using my sister's awesome strawberry cake recipe.

More mama! Right there!

The taste test. I'm assuming she liked them because she gobbled this one down and ask for another one!

Unfortunately for both of us, Dallas got hit with snow and ice on her birthday so we didn't get to take cupcakes to school. I know! So sad! But, I had hope. I'd taken what was left of the batter to make a small cake and covered it, thinking I'd ice it and take it on Monday when the weather cleared. Well, we returned from Super Bowl parties to find that cake pan on the kitchen floor, licked clean courtesy of our wonderful dog Moab. I was not a happy mommy! This is the second year that my plans for a party at school for her have been thwarted!

Now, on to the actual party, which was February 12, a week after her actual birthday. She and Bethany, her oldest cousin, have the honor of sharing a birthday so Amanda and I try to plan parties so that the grandparents can be at both. Based on the pictures below, I think its safe to say that she was completely spoiled!

We did a Minnie Mouse theme, complete with cakes (yes, the same strawberry because that's what she requested) that looked like Mickey. She had no problem blowing out the candles this year!

And she also had no problem eating ALL the cake and ice cream either!

So, now that she's two, what's she doing these days. In short, a whole lot! She is a regular chatterbox, speaking in 4-7 word sentences, and every day, there's a new funny story and phrase that comes out of her mouth. This morning (Feb 23) as I was taking her to school, it went something like this.

Brianna: Mama, I a precious baby!
Me: Yes you are! Are you my precious baby?
Brianna: No! I Grandma's
Me: Oh really. Do you want to call and tell her that?
Brianna: Sure Sure!
(insert break while I call Grandma, my mom, on speaker)
Grandma: Hi Brianna!
Brianna: Grandma I your precious baby!
Grandma: Yes you are!
Brianna: hears Grandpa say hi Hi Grandpa! I your silly goose!

There was more to the conversation, but it was so cute to listen to her talk to them about what she was wearing (a shirt) and where she was going (to school). As if the answers would be anything other than that!

Her two year well check went great. She's at 97% on the height charts and 54% on the weight charts. Her pediatrician said her language development is way ahead of her age and so is her reasoning / logic. She's wearing size 3T clothing now and is steadily working her way towards potty trained. In fact, she woke up this morning completely dry and proceeded to tell me she needed to sit on the potty. The conversations we have while she's sitting on the potty are hilarious but for the sake of not embarrassing her in the future, I won't share all of them. Suffice to say, she's embarrassed me a few times when I've come out of the bathroom by asking me in front of whomever is around if I made "BIG pee pee's come out". Yes, we have entered the stage of bathroom humor coming out of her mouth because she doesn't realize yet that bathroom's are private things.

Justin and I got her an art easel for her birthday and she seems to really enjoy that. It doesn't surprise me since one of the first things out of her mouth when I pick her up from school is related somehow to that day's art project. But, it did lead to the first time I saw her attempt to do something beyond her ability and let me have a glimpse into just how stubborn & independent she really is.

Justin had drawn a car for her when they were playing. Later that night, she decided she wanted to draw a car of her own. After a few attempts, she was getting very frustrated so I asked her if she wanted me to help her. She informed me, "No mama. I do it myself." So, she scribbled and tried some more and I asked her when she stopped if that was a car. She looked at me with a look you'd expect from a teenager and said "No mama. That is NOT a car." So, once again, I asked if she needed help. She finally admitted she did and we drew it together. I was so proud of her for trying to do something that is obviously beyond her hand/eye coordination and for not giving up even after several attempts. I have a feeling though it won't be too much longer and she'll have it figured out. She's stubborn that way.

Minnie Mouse Birthday Card

2011-02-05T17:18:00.000-06:00

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

2011-02-05T12:10:00.001-06:00

So cute! She loves to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star for us!

Gorgeous Weekend!

2011-01-31T19:58:00.000-06:00

Saturday was glorious ... the kind of beautiful day that catches you by surprise because its the end of January and 75 and sunny. All of which make you glad to simply be alive and able to get outside.

So, how did we spend the day? It started right after breakfast with Brianna announcing in her very authoritarian toddler voice that it was "tickle monster time mama!" I love tickle monster time. We put on our tickle monster mitts, read the story and laugh till we can't laugh any longer. Its awesome mommy/daughter time! She has her own set of mitts and we tickle each other till we can't laugh any longer. I love that the book ends with an "i love you so much" and big hugs too. She randomly announces its tickle monster time, grabs the book from the shelf and plops down in the middle of the floor with it, much like in this picture.

We also spent a lot of time playing at the park. When we first started taking her to this park, we had to hold her hands to help her climb the stairs. Now, everything is "i do it myself mama" and do it herself is right. She was all over the place, climbing the stairs, making new friends, taking turns, going down the slide, swinging, trying new things and just generally having a great time.

We went to Panera Bread for lunch afterward and then home for a nap. Lately, she's taken to going to bed with a book and "reading" until she falls asleep. She doesn't want to be rocked or cuddled or anything. We read stories, give her kisses and then she informs us that its night night time and that she needs her taggie and her book and we can "go now. I go night night by myself.". I swear she is the most independent little thing when she wants to be. This is a far better option than the temper tantrums of a month ago though so I'll take it. I miss the cuddles, but its far better for her if she can wind down and go to sleep on her own. Its almost time for her to transition to a toddler bed, but I'm not quite ready for that.

I still can't believe she's going to be two on Friday....that's a whole other post though.

A Crazy Week

2011-01-14T10:21:00.000-06:00

I think the title of this post is an understatement...its been a chaotic, out of control week. It all started Wednesday of last week with a trip to the ER for me.

See, I've been on allergy shots for months now and they are fabulous. I no longer have to take medication every day, I feel amazing and I simply can't explain how much of a difference having my allergies under control has made. That is, until I had such a severe reaction that I ended up in the ER after using my EPI pen because I broke out in hives and my throat was tightening to the point it was difficult to breathe. Oh, and the ER was after a visit to a local urgent care facility that refused to treat me and made me take an ambulance to the ER instead. Can't wait to see what that bill is going to be...

I was fine the next day, but Brianna woke up with a low grade fever Thursday so we kept her home from school. She was a trooper, going to the allergist with me for a check-up and just generally being a little doll, despite the fact that she was running a 100 degree fever off and on all day. Friday, that fever turned into 102.8 and she was miserable. So, we spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch, watching the clock for when the next dose of Motrin could be given. Her fever finally broke at 6am Saturday morning and she spent the next 24 hours doing nothing but sleeping to recover from it all.

Monday was pretty normal, Tuesday was a trip to the doctor for a cough left over from the virus that BB said made her chest hurt. Wednesday was pretty normal but then yesterday, the wonderful seasonal flu hit me and I spent the afternoon curled up on the couch trying to sleep and cursing the construction crew operating behind my house on the Denton Rail Trail train line. So, now its Friday and I'm back at work (shhh...don't tell anyone I'm blogging too!) and just ready for the weekend. I leave Sunday for our National Business Meeting in Florida and will be gone until Wednesday night so that will be 4 nights of not being home to see Brianna and Justin, which is not my idea of a good way to spend the week but hey, I've got to earn a paycheck right?

Anyway ... here's a few pictures from all our recent episodes.

She likes to "do it myself mama" and insisted on taking her own temperature.

Hmm, can I fit in this box?

Beanies not only keep her ears warm, they make great peek a boo props!

Playing trains with daddy. She wants to sit in the middle of the train tracks, no matter what configuration you build them in. Its just not the same apparently if she's sitting outside the tracks!

Making Memories at 4:30am

2010-12-20T15:59:00.000-06:00

Sometimes, the sweetest memories are made at the most unexpected times. As I drug myself out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to answer her screams, the last thing on my mind was taking pictures and having sweet little conversations. Something woke her up ... a nightmare, missing Daddy, who knows. She didn't want to go back to bed. She wanted a clean diaper, a banana and for Mommy to turn on the Christmas lights. So, that's what we did. We talked about the lights, their colors, the ornaments, when Daddy would be home, if puppy was sleeping, the fact that puppy woke up and needed outside to potty ... anything that came to her mind, we talked about. She wanted to look at Daddy pictures and rock after she finished her banana so we rocked and looked at pictures of Daddy on my phone and on Facebook (thank you FB friends for all the pictures he's tagged in!). She hugged the phone, saying "I love daddy pictures mama" and was as happy as could be. We got ready for the day, played tickle monster and giggled uncontrollably until we absolutely had to leave for school and work.

I might be exhausted right now, but at 4:30 this morning, I was in my own little slice of heaven.

What's Brianna Been Up To?

2010-12-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

I've been wanting to post this for a few days but with preparing for Justin's two week mission trip to India, its been a little crazy around our house!

So, now that Bree is 22 months old (plus a few days), what's she up to? Here's a few pictures from Thanksgiving with her two cousins, whom she adores!

- She speaks in 4 and 5 word sentences, although they may not be in correct grammatical order all the time (but who cares right!). They however do typically have a subject, a verb and an adjective and we have whole conversations every day on the way to and from school. I lost count of how many words she knows a long time ago.

- She's taller than everyone in her class by almost a full head so no telling what her two year well check will show. A few of the 2T pants I bought a couple months ago will be too short in a few weeks if this growth spurt keeps going!

- She's able to tell me the general storyline of her favorite Backyardigans or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse episodes and is starting to develop imaginative play for her doll and animals.

- She can count to 12 if she really thinks about it but regularly hits 8-10 pretty easily. She's also starting to get basic math concepts. We asked her at school yesterday if she counted as one person, add mommy to get two people, how many people would you have if you added Miss Donna. She thought about it and answered 3! Amazed me to watch her mind work that one out!

- She also knows all her colors (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, white, brown and pink) and is starting to identify basic shapes.

- She still signs occasionally, but usually to add emphasis, like when she really wants more cheese, not just kind of wants more cheese.

- She's very close to being able to jump with both feet now too. Its crazy funny to watch her try to figure it out! At first, all that happened was arm swinging, a big step and lots of giggles. Now, she kind of hops and will get one foot off the ground. Her favorite thing to say afterward is "TaDa!".

- She's very intent on potty training as well, although she still can't quite tell you she needs to go before she does. But as soon as she feels herself start to pee-pee, she lets you know and wants to be changed right away. That is, if she's not too busy playing. If she's playing, she could care less. Nothing interrupts play time.

- She's becoming more social now too. Even last week, she wasn't comfortable giving people we see every week a hug, but this week, she will enthusiastically. She loves to hug too ... everyone at school gets hugs bye-bye and if someone's having a particularly tough morning, she's the first one to run up to them with a hug and say "all better now. hugs make (fill in the name) happy. no more cry." Its so sweet to watch her being a loving little girl.

- Last but not least, she loves to play "peeky boo towel" after bath time. She gets all excited for you to through the towel over her head so she can "hide". After a few rounds of this, she takes off running around the living room saying, with giggles, at the top of her lungs, "I naked baby! Watch me run! I naked!". I love how she sticks her little tongue out! It was hard to get a picture of her because she was in constant motion.

I Naked!

This morning was a little hard on her with daddy being gone. So, to make her feel better, I told her that whenever she misses daddy, just blow him a kiss and that kiss will fly all the way to India to tell daddy she loves him. That made her smile from ear to ear and she quickly started blowing kisses in the air saying "go indada (India) kisses. love you daddy!" It was so sweet to watch. My baby girl is growing up.