Christmas

Audrey had a great Christmas and got to celebrate twice here in Indy and also in Macomb. She wrote a letter to Santa on our Christmas Eve, and made sure to include a request for everyone (including that coat for Isabella). She is such a thoughtful little girl. And of course Santa got some cookies and Rudolph an onion. The gifts under the tree weren't too elaborate, but my favorite was the set of sleds. The kids can't wait to use them!

I have to say, I *really* love the last picture here...

Four!

Audrey had a great 4th birthday. Complete with a new dollhouse and lots of other presents. We were lucky enough to all spend her special day together. She had informed me that she planned for her day to include: something special for breakfast, to get married, and to plant a tree...The actual day included the Children's Museum, especially a few rides on the carousel, and to the "balloon place" for dinner. She even got to eat mac-n-cheese at both lunch and dinner. Dessert only after dinner though...Definitely was her birthday!

Meeting Santa

Audrey was soooo excited that Santa was coming to school, and she couldn't wait when I arrived with her Santa hat to go meet him. Just as I expected, she greeted him without hesitation and sat right on his lap. She had an extended conversation with Santa, asking for a specific Cars toy she had been dreaming up. She was so disappointed though when we got in the car, and she realized she had forgotten to ask Santa for a coat for Isabella. She had been planning to ask him for one for awhile, but she got so excited that she forgot. We will have to include it in our letter to Santa. :)

Thanksgiving

Audrey had a great Thanksgiving and was lucky enough to see all of her cousins. This picture is the best I got of the Pierson/Bell cousins. The boys look like they are ready for a nap after all that turkey! Audrey also got to celebrate cousin M's first birthday. We should have stayed to watch her take her first steps instead of heading back home that evening. (Insert pole incident). As Audrey so wisely said as we checked to ensure my car was in one piece, "Hey, I have an idea. How about next time we visit Uncle P and Aunt D, we park on the street!" She does know how to break the tension!!

Swim lessons

Audrey has very patiently watched Ian take swim lessons the last couple of months. After tee-ball was over, she made it clear that she really wanted to get back into the pool. She absolutely loved her first swim lesson this weekend. She got to head into the pool with Eric, and she said she can't wait to head back next week. Though she requested some goggles for her next lesson. :)

Dinner Date

Look who my dinner date was tonight! Eric had a late meeting, and Ian unfortunately was so sick that he wanted to skip dinner and hit the hay by 5:30. So, Audrey and I made the most of it. I lit some candles and one of us had a glass of wine. I loved, loved, loved having some quiet time with her. We finished the night by snuggling on the couch while watching a little Giada. Eric thought she was asleep when he got home and found us lying on the couch, but not Audrey! That would be silly! :)

Though we now know that Audrey's rash from several weeks is shingles, I was trying to figure it out during this conversation, which happened just after a very trying dinner in which she hated the main course of a homemade soup:

Audrey, do you have any idea what your rash is from? Did you eat or touch anything that you think may have caused it?

After a moment of thought:

It was the soup. That soup from dinner tonight!

Halloween

Little Red Riding Hood was a big hit. Everyone loved her costume. Audrey especially loved the tutu...

There was absolutely no hesitancy this year. She walked right up to doors. Said her peace. And moved on to the next house. She would have kept going had the Big Bad Wolf not called it a night...

Root, Root, Root for the Cardinals!

Just for the record: Eric brought this shirt downstairs for Audrey to put on. I had permission for the kids to wear Cardinals memorabilia for one day. You know, the day after winning the World Series. We shall make this an annual blog post. :)

Pumpkin Carving

I seem to have missed getting a picture of the finished product! It was beautiful though! :)

Pumpkin Patch

We tried out a different pumpkin patch this year, and we chose a beautiful Fall day for a first hayride to find the perfect pumpkins. Audrey loved trying out the hay bale maze, but nothing compared to the hayride. She got a front row seat next to the tractor and couldn't wait to head to the pumpkin patch, where she found the perfect pumpkin. But, nothing compared to that hayride - didn't stop talking about it!!

Beauty & The Beast

Audrey knew she was in for a surprise, but she was taking guesses at pretty small surprises (a special dessert, new toy). Her interest piqued though when she found out her surprise included getting to wear a dress AND hanging out with just Eric and I. When we told her she was going to see Beauty and the Beast, she spent the rest of the day saying, "I can't believe this is my surprise!" She spent most of the Act I on one of our laps, but she toughed out the second act without problem. For some reason, she LOVES Gaston and was really sad when he met his fate. She did choose Belle though when she was told she could get a souvenir from the Broadway Across America play. She held tight to Belle on the drive home, though we heard it hit the floor of the car when she passed out from all the excitement a few minutes later!

Life lesson #1

Audrey spots a car top carrier atop a car:

"Mama, look at that thing on top of the car. Look, it's on top of their car! I guess they haven't drove it into the garage yet, right mama?"

New 'do

While not Audrey's first haircut, it was her first professional haircut! She had been wanting to head to the salon with me for months, and since Audrey has a little brother who just loves passing the time by pulling out clumps of her hair, it seemed like the right time to get her hair cut. I warned her that I may cry, to which she said, "Aw, mommy!", but we both did great! We opted out of the shampoo after she almost fell into the shampoo bowl due to her small size...but Audrey sat patiently waiting for the finished look! Several people walking by commented on how cute her haircut was. We think she looks so grown up! Sniffle :(

Tee ball

We've been thinking of having Audrey join a tee ball team in the Spring, so I wanted to enroll her in a tee-ball camp this Fall to see if she enjoys it enough to be part of a team. Lessons started a couple weeks ago, and I noticed Audrey to be the only girl. She didn't seem to mind though! Her coaches instructed the kids to get into a line, and of course Audrey ended up knowing the little boy standing next to her. She didn't seem all that impressed with him (muttering under her breath, 'yeah, I sometimes play with him on the playground at school') but has enjoyed getting to know him and some of the other 3 year-olds in her group. It is needless to say quite entertaining for all, never knowing which direction the kids are going to run when running the bases, but Audrey has made great strides. I told Eric after our first lesson that we may have more of a social ballplayer on our hands, but after the next lessons, I could see her really getting into playing ball. There was no drawing in the dirt and only threw her glove one time (!). She's got her ready stance down and is running after that ball, getting into the pile of boys who are doing the same. She earned a medal at the last lesson, and loves wearing it around the house! She gave her friend from a school a big hug at the end of camp, and this shy little boy offered a big grin in return. Things are looking good for a Spring team!

Some Audreyisms...just so I don't forget...

You know, daddy, when I'm 4 and you're old, then...

Well, when I'm 20, I'm going to do it how I want to do it!

Now ends phone conversations with: "Have a crazy hair day!"

Have I really not blogged about Miss Audrey since the 4th of July? Let's see, some Audrey updates:

When mad at her brother, she now yells, "You're not my brother. You're my SISTER!"

Tonight when Audrey and I went to pick up Ian, his regular teacher was in there as well as a teacher that has had Audrey on occasion (Ms. Jarvis). When we walked into the classroom, Audrey yelled: "Hey Jarvis! What are you doing in here?!" Oh my gosh! Did that just come out of her mouth? The teachers couldn't stop laughing, and Ms. Jarvis said, "Hey Pierson! What are you doing in here?!" And added: "I can't wait to have you in pre-k!" Lord help us!

Audrey generally likes my choice in radio stations. She actually encourages me to sing along. We were close to home on Monday, and she asked if I liked the song playing on the radio. I told her I did. "Well, I don't like it. You can only listen to that one on your way to work."

I'm sure I'll think of more!

Heather!

Audrey just could not wait for Heather's arrival. And of course, Aunt A, Uncle A, and cousin J's arrival as well! She was disappointed that Duke did not make the trip as well. We had to establish one more ground rule than last year - Audrey was not to lick Heather's face (or vice versa) - but otherwise the girls did a good job of bunking together. They loved the Sunday festival despite the heat and playing in the pool and with the sprinkler. If they only knew about the fireworks they missed each night! Maybe next year!

Audrey loves to watch Giada. Yes, prefers this cooking show over Sesame. Over most things actually. But, Giada doesn't cook the most healthy of foods. Salt, butter, mascarpone cheese, and liquor. Core ingredients in most of her dishes. Audrey knows we try to eat healthy. She will comment that I wouldn't like a certain dish when she hears Giada adding another unhealthy ingredient. And she tries to tell Giada thru the TV to not add more unhealthy ingredients.

Audrey is such a big help with Ian. Truly. And they are best buds. Last week, she realized that she could reach Ian in the back seat to be able to share snacks with him. He LOVES this.

We were on our way home from running errands yesterday, and Audrey was to be sharing a snack with Ian. I heard a lot of complaining from Ian, and I checked to make sure she was sharing with him.

Are you giving Ian some of those Goldfish, too?

Well, yeah. But salt isn't good for him. So, I'm licking it off before I give them to him.

Poor Ian!!!

While asking for calamine lotion to help relieve bug-bite related itching, I asked her where she got the bug bites from:

Well, when I was two, I got them for Christmas.

Memorial Day weekend

We had a great holiday weekend. Apparently Audrey needs to hike in the woods more often though b/c when we finally got to our destination of a state park, Audrey announced that it looked like a really big mall!! She was a real trooper during the hike and often wanted to be the line leader. She didn't mind being the caboose with mommy a few times though either. She also loved her first pony ride on the horse who wouldn't tell her his name...

She also got to go for a dip in the pool with Ian. Of course Ian wasn't too sure why he was sitting in a large bath outside, but once he warmed up to the idea, he loooooved splashing his sister, much to her chagrin. Last year's swimsuit still fits so it was an all around cheap weekend!