Boys!

Audrey got a nice surprise when both Eric and I went to pick her up from daycare this afternoon. Eric is on vacation, and I got home early today, so we decided to pick her up together and head out for a nice dinner out. While we were talking with the staff and getting her stuff together, another dad came up to Eric and showed him a video of Audrey. What might she be doing in this video?

Well, this dad is the father of one of Audrey's boyfriends, Max. Max is a cutie, and I finally got to meet him today. Max's dad had video of Audrey playing with Max's hair and patting his back. Max's dad said he asked him the other day if Audrey was his girlfriend, and he said, "YES!" I told Max he was cute, and asked if he was aware of Audrey's other boyfriend. To which Max's dad said, "Uh oh!"

It's good that she's on vacation for the next week. She should only be spending time with one guy: her daddy!!!

Coch-ate!

Coch-ate! Coch-ate! Audrey is in love. Coch-ate! Coch-ate! First thing out of her mouth this morning (ok, second to Mommy!). She wanted it for breakfast and dinner. She's addicted.

What is 'coch-ate'?????

CHOCOLATE!

Where does she get this from??? Hmmm...

Boo!

Audrey is into scaring others, primarily her daddy. Our early mornings generally go like this:

Audrey wakes up at the crack of dawn. Prior to any roosters waking.

Audrey comes to bed with us, rarely closing her peepers again.

Eric gets in the shower.

Audrey waits...

I hear her quietly saying, "Boo. Boo."

Practicing. To scare Eric when he comes back in the bedroom.

I prep her, reminding her to be quiet until he comes back into the room, to really scare him.

She agrees, and is quiet.

Until she hears him get out of the shower.

"DADDDDDYYYYYY!!!"

She just can't wait to see him. And when she does, what does she say?

Nothing. Silence.

"What about Boo?"

Oh, right. "BOO!"


All this before 6 AM!

19 months!

This is the first time when I asked her to smile, she flashed a big grin for the camera. She then immediately wanted to see how her picture turned out, to give herself a big grin!

Fun with the Grandparents!

Audrey had a great weekend with Grandma and Grandpa S. She loved playing t-ball and eating jello (with blueberries) with grandpa, and reading, playing peek-a-boo, and doing puzzles with grandma. Fris enjoyed the visit as well, but she doesn't like to show off for the grandparents as much as Audrey. Eric and I got so much done. How is it that we get more done without

Audrey's help? Hmmm...

Early bird

Audrey continues to rise so early. This morning was 5 AM. I heard Eric get her and try to bring her to bed with us so he can sleep a few more minutes, but she protested, asking to eat instead. Is this revenge for all those early mornings Eric woke his own parents up so early?

We usually start our early Monday mornings at home with a walk to the park. Despite my love to sleep in, I really enjoy our early morning walks when the air is cool and the only sound we hear is birds singing. Audrey has started pointed out all the swings and slides she sees in others' backyards, and she gets so excited when the park and all its glory comes into view. Not to mention all the dogs she can lay eyes on. As is usually the case, we were the first to the park this morning. Audrey's early bird status gets her no waiting on the swings or the slide. A downfall to this is that Audrey also gets to be the one to get the morning dew (or any remaining rain puddles) off the playground equipment. There were many puddles this morning but she didn't care. It took a few turns on the slide to get it dry enough that she could actually slide, but she's a determined little girl. She was sliding down fast in no time - just the way she likes it!

Diamonds are a girl's best friend!

We had a fun 4th of July at home, starting at the farmer's market to buy some flowers and trying a few new recipes over the course of the day. Audrey enjoyed spotting all the dogs at the farmer's market (Dog! Dog!) and having a chance to play at home the rest of the day. I asked during her bath if she had a good holiday, and she responded with an enthusiastic, "Yes!"

Audrey has been learning her colors and shapes, and she is so proud of herself when she is correct. She likes to tell me the color of her plate at the time, the color of my shirt or hers, and any colorful toy she may spot. She can recognize most of her shapes, bringing a square, circle, triangle, etc. on command. But, she is so far labeling only one shape. Perhaps the most important shape? We made sure her daddy knew about this today.

Me: "Audrey, tell daddy what shape this is."

A: "Diamond." (While pointing to her ring finger, which is the sign.)

E: "At least I don't have to buy that one! I'm done buying diamonds!"

The Parade

Audrey had a parade at daycare today, and I couldn't miss it. How could they get toddlers and tens of others kids to march in any organized fashion? They did, though there were of course a few stragglers. Including my Audrey. How can one resist the swings outside? And, what am I supposed to do with this streamer thing I made? She got in line when it was her time though, and made the parade route with her teacher. All the kids in their red, white, and blue.

Before the parade started, I stopped into Audrey's classroom. Since we had a little more time than during the usual pick up, she enjoyed showing off to me all the things in her room. Audrey even showed off all the picture cards she knows. The teachers review these everyday with the kids, and we get a copy at home as well. Audrey enjoys sitting in her chair at home to review her cards, and I know she enjoys sitting in a big circle with her class at school to do the same. I was amazed at all the words she knew, as well as the signs. It was clear that her teachers adore her, which had been evident to us before.

Today was Audrey's last day in the young toddler room. She will be transitioning to the big kid room next week, which is where all her older friends are. It was hard to say good-bye to her teachers though. Audrey gave her teachers a card and a small gift, and of course a hug and a "thank you". They'll only be next door, so they won't be far. She's familiar with each of her new teachers, so I think this transition will be the easiest yet, at least for Audrey...