Cow Bowling

While I haven't had a chance to blog about Audrey's fabulous Christmas(es) this past weekend, I didn't want to forget this one:

As part of her second installment of Christmas yesterday, Audrey received a bowling set which includes a cow as the ball and milk cartons as the pins. It's actually quite cute. I put it in the living room last night after we got home, and I just knew that Audrey's daddy would help her set it up this morning. And he did.

While I was upstairs getting ready for work, I could hear him downstairs teaching her the finer points of bowling. As we typically do, I took over downstairs while Eric got ready upstairs. Audrey asked me to bowl with her, so I thought I'd give it a try.

I was horrible. I could not hit a single milk carton, er, pin. After several bad attempts, Audrey looked at me and said,

"Um, mommy. You're supposed to hit the pins. Yeah, hit the pins!"

Thank you, dear.

Eventually, I started knocking a few pins down. After Audrey decided I may be slight competition, she asked to take a turn. She knocked down 3 pins, and very loudly yelled:

"GO CUBS!!"

Hopeless. Hopeless, I tell you.

To Uncle Brian

Ok, I can't figure out how to get this to rotate, but perhaps Uncle Brian can :)

Merry Christmas!

Two Year Stats

Audrey started off her 2 year well-child visit by telling her pediatrician where to sit! When her doctor came in the room, Audrey pointed and said, "Dr. Mazurek's chair!" Her doctor loves her and fully understood what she had said, and so, of course, she took a seat!

Audrey remains tiny - 24 lbs (18th percentile), 31.75 inches (11th percentile) - but the doctor assured me (as she has done at every visit) that Audrey continues to grow at her own pace. Audrey ate half a pizza for lunch afterwards so this helped her mom feel better as well...

Dr. Mazurek sat down to tell us at the end of the appointment how special she believes Audrey is. A beautiful combination of brains and social butterfly, an unusual and thus refreshing combination.

We think we'll keep her. :)

Two Years Old!

Audrey had a fabulous 2nd birthday. She woke at her usual time - early - but Eric got her to stay in bed and read to her animals while we slept a little later. When only the dog ended up falling back to sleep, Eric and I decided to go wish Audrey a Happy Birthday together.

Her birthday (and Eric's) has been all she has been talking about. "Audrey's so excited!" she would say out of the blue, and then reference her upcoming birthday. "Audrey's going to be 2!" and the past couple days she added, "and Daddy's 34!" So, I knew she just couldn't wait to start the day.

We walked into her room to wish her a Happy Birthday. She was excited but indicated that she was in the middle of one book and had one more left to finish. Well, ok, then. She quickly looked thru the last book as Eric had taken a seat in her room, and I reminded her that, at this hour of the day, I wasn't this excited for any other reason than it was her birthday morning.

She was excited to head downstairs to see the 'prise from Eric and I. Eric had worked hard to get her new play kitchen assembled prior to this morning. The reviews for the kitchen were glowing from a play perspective but were consistently bad from the assembly perspective. I think Eric did a great job and it looks perfect.

Audrey first spotted the Christmas tree with lots of (newly) wrapped gifts under it but quickly lost interest when none of them looked like a true 'prise for this morning. So, she headed in the kitchen and walked right past her kitchen! What caught her eye instead? A nice platter of cupcakes (which of course she then wanted for breakfast). Eric turned her around and then she saw it.

Speechless. Mouth gaping open. I hear her whisper, "A kitchen!" She was so excited! We never found the pots and pans that were to come with it but we just so happen to have a few of those around our own kitchen. She keeps asking me when her microwave will beep but I told her she has to make the sound! She also turned on the burner, and then turned to me and said, "Mommy, this is broke!" No, this is what pretend play is all about! No bells or whistles! Except those that come out of your own imagination! She loves it though so it's definitely a big hit. We did have a minor incident with her cup of milk. No, your refrigerator does NOT keep your mild sufficiently cold. Thankfully, we found it after only a few hours in her frig...

We opened her cards and gifts. I can't believe what thoughtful gifts she got. She loved the letter blocks from Aunt A and Uncle A (especially noting which blocks match in color)! A second gift was from a good friend of mine from grad school. I cried when she opened it as she had thought of Audrey and her red hair during a recent trip to Ireland. She brought back for Audrey a gorgeous green sweater from the Emerald Isle, which I can't wait for Audrey to wear.

We also got her two year pictures taken today. She was not happy to have a brown dress with perfectly matched headband paired with red shoes. However, she was in full support of this ensemble after I told her that her red shoes were her "splash of color". She tried to repeat this often while wearing the shoes (things not matching *really* bother her!). but instead would say, "splash of shoes!" The photographer told Audrey that she was the best two year-old she had ever photographed. She likely changed her mind as the next prop the photographer planned to use was a white chair, but Audrey said, "No, Audrey wants the rocking chair!"

We then had a great lunch (complete with a pink balloon). And, after a nap, we headed to the Children's Museum. She loved the carousel rides, and I loved watching her take in the magic of the stars on the top of the carousel and the pony beneath her. She even got to play with a play kitchen in a giant dollhouse at the museum!

I can't believe it's been two years. When the clock struck 8 AM this year, Audrey was pirouetting in the mirror, saying "Audrey's so cute!" while admiring herself in her dress. Oh what many, many things have changed in two years! And how blessed we truly are.

Birthdays

Audrey is just so excited about her upcoming birthday. She's also very excited about Eric's birthday. She will sing Happy Birthday to him, and then sing to wish herself happy birthday. I decided to tell Audrey what we had bought for Eric's birthday, knowing full well we may not make it until Saturday keeping this surprise. I told Audrey this was a secret, and we were not to tell him so that he is surprised.

This morning, as is typical, I was upstairs getting ready while Eric and Audrey were downstairs having their typical breakfast: grits (or oatmeal depending on the request). I heard Audrey say to Eric:

"Secret! Daddy's birthday present - secret!"

I hear Eric ask her what the secret is, what's the present?

I hold my breath. I figure with me being out of sight, she'll let it slip.

"Surprise, daddy! 'Prise!"

Maybe we will just make it to Saturday!

Red cheeks

Conversation following yesterday's nap:

Me: Audrey, your cheeks are so red!

Audrey looks at me very seriously.

A: No, mommy, my HAIR is so red!

Santa Claus

Audrey was so excited that Santa would be making an appearance at school. I talked with her about what to expect, even had her sit on my lap and pretend that I was Santa, asking Santa's typical questions. Her initial request from Santa was to have him bring her a reindeer, but she later changed to request a doll or a train. Audrey confirmed with me that I would be there with my camera, and indeed I was.

When I arrived to pick her up, she remained excited about seeing Santa. She took my hand, and we headed to the room with Santa. She walked in with me, spotted him, and we walked toward him.

I noticed Audrey slowing down. I bent down to clarify that she's still planning to sit on his lap.

I heard a very quiet, "No."

So, Audrey really didn't like Santa. No surprise there. He's a great idea from a distance, but up close, not so much. It seemed that every parent was there, coaxing their child to go sit on this strange person's lap. All the kids I could see were quite distressed, and the ones who weren't were the ones who had already been distressed by having to approach Santa.

I thought with some reassurance that curious Audrey would approach Santa. The next kid to sit on Santa's lap was little Ian from Audrey's class. He looked content on Santa's lap, so I called Audrey's attention to how big Ian is and look at how he brave he is!

No sooner did Audrey look to see her friend Ian than did big tears start rolling down his face!

I decided that I wasn't going to make her go up to Santa if she didn't on her own. But, then Santa spotted Audrey and held out a sticker for her. Tempting.

Hmmm...maybe I'll just go grab the sticker and run.

With the help of the photographer, Audrey willingly approached Santa, who put her princess sticker on her sweater. Audrey was content with that, but not so much when Santa picked her up.

Maybe next year.

Sure hope Santa gets paid well because there was an awful lot of crying in that room!

Aunt Christy!

After a really busy week and a now full recovery from croup, I finally have some time to update Audrey's blog.

Audrey was still feeling pretty miserable last Saturday morning and after Eric left to get some work done, Audrey just wanted to lay around on me. This is so rare that I enjoyed her snuggling up with me. Despite taking a good nap in her own bed, she continued to lay around on me until early afternoon.

Right up until Aunt Christy arrived!

Though she continued to cough often, she had no time to lay around. She had skills to show off and toys to share with Aunt Christy! We made our first trip to the Children's Museum while Aunt Christy was here, and it was a big hit. Audrey loved the carousel and even got to sit on a big alligator!

Audrey continues to talk about Aunt Christy's visit, pointing out where Aunt Christy's place is at the table and where she slept at night. She is now sleeping with the kitty that Aunt Christy brought and enjoying her new book. Audrey often reminds me that Aunt Christy went home to see Mike (while somehow missing a large snowstorm!).

Audrey can't wait to see Aunt Christy again! She's been practicing her tickling skills so Aunt Christy should beware!

What a fun, fun week it's been

I have said this before, and I don't believe my opinion will ever change: Croup is the worst. This is the third time Audrey has had it, but I think this one was the scariest. It typically lasts for about 5 days, and though I'm too tired to be able to count that high right now, I think this is Day 5. Seal-like cough, fever, lots and lots of crying, respiratory issues, no appetite. I thought we were going to have to go the ER on Tuesday since her breathing was so bad, but we made it thru the night by sitting on the bathroom floor with the shower steam wrinkling our skin and a purple popcicle melting in Audrey's hand. She was so unhappy, lethargic but wouldn't sleep, and just not herself. I told her that night that I was missing my Audrey, and asked her, "Is my Audrey in there?" She didn't smile, but offered a quiet, hoarse, "Yes."

Though the nights continue to be rough, she's definitely getting better. She ended up going to daycare yesterday after a rough morning. Her teacher said she had a good day and even used the potty with success. When we got home, we sat on the floor, and I asked her what she had done that day. I knew my Audrey was back (or at least coming back) when she offered the following (albeit with a hoarse voice):

"Played with kids, and kissed Max!"

The scarf!

Audrey was introduced to the concept of a scarf today, and she absolutely loved wearing the scarf made by her Great-Grandma D. I asked if she would let me take a picture of her wearing it, and she immediately struck a pose on the stairs and said, "Cheese!"

I think she looks so grown up in this picture. Maybe the scarf adds a bit of sophistication. The following conversation didn't help the matter:

Me: Audrey, how old are you?

A: One!

Me: How old are you going to be soon?

A: Um, 14 years-old!

23 months

One month shy of 2 yrs. Hard to believe. Though she did use the word "probably" today so she's definitely not a 1 year old anymore.

Audrey had a great weekend with Grandma and Papaw P and Great-Grandmas D and B. She got lots of good food and was loved on all weekend. She was asleep within a few minutes of getting in the car to head back home, in part due to a hard fought fight the night before to try to avoid sleep. She's been having difficulty falling asleep the past few days, at least partly due to a new molar. She completely skipped her nap on Friday, much to Eric's dismay. Today, I thought for sure she would go down easy for her nap as she appeared ready to fall asleep in her spaghetti at lunch. But, she spent an hour and a half talking in bed, trying to problem-solve her way out of her nap. I told her she wasn't getting up until she napped, and I don't think she bought it. This was the last I heard over the monitor:

Mommy! Moooommmy! Daddy! Daaaaadddy! Suz! Suz! Suuuuuuuuuz! Eric! Eric! Ericcccccc! Oh, Eric working.

Silence. I can't believe how much I can get done in a 40 minute nap!

Early Morning Riser

Our little rooster continues to rise so early, even on the weekends. She knows somehow the difference between waking in the middle of the night, when she easily agrees to go back to sleep if her blankets or animals are adjusted, vs waking at 5:30 or 6 and being ready for the day. This is the case despite it being just as dark at 2 AM as it is when she wakes at 5:30 or 6 AM.

When she woke the other morning, at exactly 6 AM sharp, she greeted me by saying, "Hi, Mommy!" I knew there was no chance she would go back to sleep. I asked her as I scooped her out of bed:

"How do you know that it's 6 AM? How do you know what time it is? That it's time to get up?"

(thoughtful pause)

"Um, the clock."

Duh, mommy!

Scales

Eric was out of town for a conference and when he returned, an alligator returned with him. An alligator for which Audrey has completely fallen. She slept with her new friend, Scales, last night, and the alligator had quite a day today. He got to go potty, get some lotion, ride in the car seat, wait for an oil change, eat a snack, take a nap, go to the mall for some Christmas shopping, get thrown in the rain (oops!) and dried off by the mommy, read books, and finally fall asleep for the night. We got lots of comments about him, and Audrey would proudly tell people, "from daddy!" I hope Scales knew what he was getting into when he climbed into Eric's luggage!

Miscellaneous

A few short Audrey stories that I don't want to forget:

1) My usual name is Mommy. However, as of this week, if I'm in trouble with Audrey, I'm referred to as: "Mommy Pierson!!"

2) Belly button = Belly butt (makes me laugh every time)

3) Audrey likes things to be clean. I appreciate this side of her, at least most of the time. Not so much though when I hear her saying, "Vacuum, mommy" when she finds something on the floor. The other day, she spotted a few drops of water on the kitchen floor. She pointed them out to me, but I told her not to worry about it. The next thing I know, I find Audrey bent over, using the kitchen towel to wipe up the drops of water. "There, mommy!" I just thanked her and moved on...

4) I've noticed that when she has done something she shouldn't have done, her response to my asking her about it has become: "It happens." It really is a clever response to most things.

5) Audrey is getting quite good at playing catch. She's had a good arm for a while, but has really gotten good at catching the ball now, too. When she was first learning, and I would throw the ball to her, I often would say "Oh, bad throw!" if she missed the ball while trying to catch it. Well, recently Audrey has started to make her OWN decisions about the quality of the throws! "Oh, good throw, mommy!" or "Oh, BAAAAAD throw, mommy!"

The other day, Eric asked me very seriously if, um, Audrey corrects/critiques my throws. I knew exactly what he was referencing but considered for a second saying I didn't know what he was talking about. (You know, us Cardinal fans have excellent 'play ball' technique.) I didn't have the heart to though, and Eric mentioned that the last thing he wants to hear when he gets up before the sun's up (b/c our little rooster always does) is to hear such criticism!

All I Want For Christmas

Me: Audrey, what would you like Santa Claus to bring you for Christmas?

(thoughtful pause)

Audrey: Grandma and Grandpa!!

Me: Grandma and grandpa? Is there anything else you'd like Santa to bring you?

Audrey: Um, great-grandma!

No coal in her stocking this year, I bet! :)

Bath conversation

Me: Audrey, who's beautiful?

Audrey: Audrey's beautiful!

Me: That's right!

Thoughtful pause.

Audrey: And mommy is beautiful! And daddy is beautiful!

We'll see what she comes up with when she's negotiating her allowance!

Happy Halloween!

Audrey had so much fun her first time trick-or-treating. Eric had been practicing with Audrey earlier in the week, having her bring her trick-or-treat bag to him through the door of her play house. :) She had learned that she was to say trick-or-treat when going up to a house, and thank you in return. She couldn't wait to get on her bumblebee costume and had been talking about it for days. When she finally got to wear it, and she had everything on including her wings, she stood up and said, "Cute!"

So, we headed out to the first house.

And she froze. Dug in her heels and said "Nooooo!"

The idea of Halloween is quite odd. I mean, what other time of year do you take candy from people you don't even know? Or head up to their house?

With some encouragement and a familiar hand, she headed up to get some candy. Whispering "trick-or-treat" and "thank you". After the first house, she got the hang of it and soon was telling us which direction she wanted to head next. Mentioning along the way how much fun this trick-or-treating business can be.

She got soooooo many complements on her costume, and we were told countless times how beautiful/adorable/cute she is. One person asked if they could take her picture, and Audrey said, 'cheese' for their camera. She drug her bag the whole night and wouldn't allow Eric or I to touch it. There was some hard earned candy in that bag!

Despite red cheeks and nose, she insisted she wasn't cold. With all the walking those little legs did, Audrey didn't protest when Eric picked her up when we were a few houses away from home. She got to have one piece of candy tonight and has her eyes on plenty more for the next several days.

After prayers tonight, she turned around to face me for our nightly before-bed talk. She had the biggest grin on her face - I don't think she knew where to start. Her day had started with a chocolate donut, followed by helping to rake leaves and with pumpkin carving, an Illini win (finally!), wearing her bumblebee costume, and lots of fun trick-or-treating.

Hoping she sleeps in for that extra hour we get tonight!

Pumpkin carving

Audrey had so much fun helping Eric carve her first pumpkin. There were lots of requests for "Audrey's turn!" but she did a good job letting Eric take the lead. Audrey clapped when she saw the final product and got to pick out the spot to put her jack-o-lantern out front.

My favorite picture is the one of her sitting next to the jack-o-lantern. I asked her to say cheese, and she said, "No say cheese!" So, on the blog it goes!

Hopeless

Audrey and I were heading home from a walk on this beautiful Fall day and for no apparent reason, Audrey started YELLING the following for the entire neighborhood:

"GO CUBBIES! GO CUBBIES!"

I shall wait and see how long it takes Eric to read this blog posting b/c I'm not telling him this story. Ever.

Pumpkin Patch!

Audrey was so excited to go to the pumpkin patch yesterday that these were the first words out of her mouth when she woke from her nap. While this was a bad year for pumpkins and the pumpkin patch itself was looking a little sad, we still had a lot of fun on the absolutely beautiful Fall day. Though Audrey was excited to see a lot of pumpkins, her favorite part of the day was undoubtedly her first taste of a caramel apple. I have never seen her sit so long to eat anything. ANYTHING. Caramel apples are confusing at first, do I eat the stick? What the heck is this thing? But once she got the hang of it, there was no stopping her. She pulled every single piece of caramel off every piece of apple. She was eating the caramel off her fingers, the paper, her bib. Everything. I wasn't even allowed to come close to touching her apple. And of course there was no sharing! Thank goodness we got two!

Backseat driver

Audrey got her flu shot today and was so brave and good as gold. On the way there, she was her typical chatterbox self as we spotted flags, houses, beautiful trees, the bank (= free cookies!), etc. When I stopped a little short due to a light change, I heard the following come from the backseat:

"Woooo! Mommy! Be careful! Careful!"

I shall hold my breath for the day that she starts driving...

22 months!

With work, daycare drop off and pick up, and another 'dog doctor' appt, I barely snuck in a picture on Audrey's 22 month birthday yesterday, albeit blurry due to camera phone. She even agreed to say, 'cheese' if she got to view the picture right after. She said she had a good day, even shared with me during her bath her fun time with her friend Zade at school. Something about the swings outside and how much fun they had. Such a good storyteller!

Tonight on our drive home, Audrey told me what she wanted for dinner - eggs and 'shrooms! (a common request these days)

Me: Will you also eat some broccoli for mommy?

Audrey: Um, we'll see.

Oh boy.

Time Out

I was busy making lunch in the kitchen and hadn't heard much from Audrey. This doesn't always mean trouble as of late, as she has been really getting into pretend play with her dolls and Maple Monkey. I did decide to check on her when I heard a stern, "Not nice!" come out of her mouth. I figured she was redirecting Fris, who never needs the redirecting that Audrey offers her.

I found Audrey in the office, pushing the second of two strollers into the corner. She looks up at me, very serious, and says, "Dolls in TIME OUT!"

I'm just glad I wasn't the one in trouble...

Baby dolls

Audrey loves, loves, loves her dolls. She pushes them in the stroller, telling us good-bye as she heads for a walk with her babies. She likes to put them to sleep, covering them up from head to toe with their blankets. I even heard her ask her babies yesterday, "Having fun, kids?"

She also likes to feed her babies. Well, it goes something like this:

Audrey puts one of her babies in her own high chair. She then asks one of us for a bagel, clarifying that it is for her baby. And a plate, again indicating that it is for her baby. Audrey then puts the plated bagel on her highchair tray, and she proceeds to eat the bagel. Nibbling while walking around, playing in various rooms. She continues to claim that the baby is eating the bagel. So, obviously this coincides with when Audrey wants a bagel. But she doesn't want to have to sit while eating the bagel. Smart, eh?

Part of the routine

By far, the best part of my day is seeing Audrey first thing in the morning, and when I pick her up at night. Audrey withdrawal is no fun.

I love that Eric and I have our own special things to do with her. And she knows the routine well. As the Monday mornings have been getting a little cooler, we have been postponing our walks to the park until the sun has been up for a bit longer. I ask her what she would like for me to make her for breakfast, and the typical response is 'Eggs!' She then proceeds to sit on the floor. Anyone else would find this odd, but not us as this is the best spot for her to see me prep her egg! I crack it on the counter but we whisk it and add milk while sitting on the floor! She then gets to watch it cook, and leaves no part of that egg uneaten. We also added into the changing-weather routine playing with her new magnetic letter set for the refrigerator. One morning, I sat down on the floor with her, and she absolutely loved it. Sitting on the kitchen floor? Mommy? And not for making eggs??? She loved it. So, now I am instructed to "Sit Down!" I do, with my coffee in hand, and we review our letters. She is such a sponge, and it is so much fun to teach this little sponge. We of course head to the park a little later, with yesterday's walk including a lesson in seeing our breath!

Most days I cannot leave work early enough to pick her up. She usually does a lap or two around her classroom when I arrive, but she keeps her eye on me the whole time to make sure I stick around to swoop her up. From there, she steals my keys, waves and says 'Bye!' and 'Tank You!' to her teachers and friends, and she takes my hand down the hallway. I get my keys back and we head home. I ask her what she wants for dinner, and she gives me a few ideas (sometimes only things for dessert!). The past few weeks we've been driving by pumpkins and flowers so we talk about those. She's learning what a green vs red light means (Go go go! or STOP!). The favorite part of our drive home though are the 2 hills. Audrey LOVES to go whee! The first hill is just ok, but the second one immediately following is perfect. I love, love, love, that after the first hill, I see in my rearview mirror, an index finger being held up, and hear a little voice that says, 'One more time?' I confirm the one more time, and she giggles, giggles, giggles after the second hill. I used to ask if it was fun, and she would say, 'YES!' but she has started saying on her own, 'FUN!' We then drive by flags and signs (she labels the sign shapes now!). She would then call a building we drive by a house and I would correct her to label it a building. She now says, 'House? No, building!' And giggles. Her developing sense of humor makes me smile. And is another signal that she is not so little anymore.

We head home to get the mail, and she lets me carry her out to the mailbox. I get a nice hug on the way out to it, but she insists on walking back to the house with the piece of mail she is to put on the table. And we head to the stairs to take off our shoes. She's getting better at taking her own shoes off, and puts her socks in the laundry. Fris heads downstairs to greet us, and we greet her back. Tonight, Audrey puckered her lips and made a smooch sound, which we use to cue Fris for a kiss. Audrey was ecstatic that Fris kissed her back.

I love our little routine.

Skinny Minny

Audrey has these new footie pjs that she absolutely loves. I can never predict if she will love or not love something that I get for her to wear. I took a chance on getting her some new footed pjs, and she asks to wear a pair each night. She is such a stick, but I think she looks particularly skinny in these pajamas. Despite horizontal stripes :)

I just couldn't help but call her a Skinny Minny after I saw her in these. Long and skinny. I would ask her 'Who is a Skinny Minny?', and she would say, "Audrey is!" Now when I say "Skinny Minny!", she replies, "Audrey Minny!" Giggles all around.

Bumblebee!

I *finally* decided on a Halloween costume for Audrey. No, not a swing, but it does meet her approval. Whew!

How should I break the news to Fris that there's a matching dog costume?

Broccoli

Audrey and I were sitting on the front porch sharing some 'ice' (popcicles) this weekend. She gets to choose her color/flavor, and I chose mine, but somehow, she always convinces me to switch halfway between. We were outside enjoying her 'prise but were really monitoring Eric up on the ladder, trimming the tree out front. As he started dragging some big branches across the yard, I hear Audrey mumble something into her ice. Never looking up, just continuing to concentrate on her ice.

A: Broccoli.

Me: What did you say?

A: Broccoli.

Me: Broccoli? What are you talking about?

A: Yeah, daddy broccoli.

Well, I do call broccoli 'little trees' to get her to eat this vegetable!

21 months!

Audrey and I went for ice cream to celebrate her 21st! Let's see, she knew as soon as we were heading in the direction of her 'prise' (how often does daddy take her for ice cream on their days at home????), chose her own ice cream, helped carry the napkins, suggested we 'eat outside on the bench', and ate her entire bowl of ice cream on her own, bib free. I just sat next to her and enjoyed our conversation. What a neat little girl we have on our hands.

And the winner is...

Audrey and Grandma S entered a contest this past weekend - Reddest Hair - at the annual Irish Fest, and Audrey won! Oh how she loved to be on stage, taking center stage, crying if denied time on the stage. She wanted to take dance lessons with the older kids on stage but instead agreed to imitate their moves from her seat in the audience (we were later told to enroll her in dance classes!). The judges had to bend over to even get a look at Audrey since she was moving all over -crawling, kneeling, running. After all this activity, Audrey was of course asleep when the winners were announced. I got a few stares when I went up front to claim Audrey's prize. How perfect that she got a stuffed lion and a purse that coordinated with her outfit. She likes to put her purse on her shoulder and tell me "Good-bye" and try to head out the door.

Grandma S was part of the "tough competition" for a different age category. What a trendsetter - so many late entries for the contest after Grandma S took the stage - of course, with the little ham!!

Prayers

We have included nightly prayers as part of Audrey's bedtime routine since her first birthday. I can hear Eric's prayers with Audrey over the monitor, and though he and I do these differently, the basic idea is the same. (He does include the president and 'members of Congress' which cracks me up every time I hear it, imagining Audrey thinking who the heck is Congress?). Anyway, we name each member of the family, friends, Audrey's teachers and friends, and all the animals in the world, asking God to bless each, and add any special requests that we know of. While she has been doing well identifying family in pictures, the idea of listing people during prayers has been difficult to do on her own (understandably so!).

Last night, I talked with Audrey about praying extra hard for Uncle Brian. She folded her hands and turned to me, wanting confirmation Uncle Brian was at the top of our list that night.

A: Uncle B-ian?

Me: Yes, Uncle Brian.

A: And Ivan?

I was shocked that she knew who Uncle Brian is connected to. I don't know why she still surprises me, but she does.

Me: Yes, and we should pray extra hard for Ivan.

A: And 'Tasha?

Me: Yes, and Natasha.

A: Nanc-eeee?

Yes, she included them all. The ones that needed prayers the most last night.

God clearly loves this little girl. She's had many prayers answered. A couple involving babies that have been wanted for so, so long. One we got to meet a couple weeks ago, one we get to meet in the Spring. I'm confident that God will continue to hear Audrey's prayers, with B, N, N, and I at the top of her prayer list for as long as is needed.

Play Date!

Audrey got to catch up with her long-lost friend, Liam, today. They clearly didn't remember each other, but still had a blast at the park.

I had decided a while back that Liam was meant for Audrey. This became particularly evident one day when I saw that Liam was sporting a Bears shirt at daycare. How unusual given we are in Colts country. Liam's mom and I thought today would be a good day to meet up given that the Bears were playing a night game this week. So, I dressed Audrey in her Bears shirt, and we hopped in the car to meet up at the park.

I couldn't wait to see how much Liam had grown. Matured. This boy that seemed meant for my little girl.

And then I saw him. Oh dear lord. What is he wearing but a CUBS outfit???!!!!

It turns out that Liam is in a similar, though reversed situation - dad is a Cardinals fan, mom is a Cubs fan. Poor, poor kid. Particularly sad since the one who dresses him is the Cubs fan.

And I really liked this boy... :)

Dinner conversation

We were eating dinner tonight, and Eric was giving Audrey a hard time about her friend, Lucas.

E: "Does this Lucas have a job?"

A: "Yes."

E: "What does he do for a living?"

A: "Opens."

E: "He opens things for you?"

A: "Yes."

E: "What did you do with Lucas today?"

A: "Play."

E: "You played with Lucas today?"

A: "Yes, and kiss."

E: "Did you KISS Lucas?

A: "Yes!"

Poor Eric.

Labor Day weekend

Audrey had a great weekend in So IL this weekend, despite several missed naps and not feeling so great. She got to see Grandma and Grandpa S and her uncles, aunts, and cousins, as well as her great-grandma and extended family. We got fantastic news from Uncle P and Aunt D, and with this news, Audrey is now (happily!) being referred to as "the old cousin"!! Audrey helped sing Happy Birthday to Uncle B (even sang to him again on our drive back today!) and helped to wish him well on his upcoming journey overseas. We hope Uncle B can check Audrey's blog often to watch her grow and view messages we will send him over the next few months.