Halloween 2011

Trick or Treating brought back a lot of fond California memories of our Halloween last year.  Bella wasn't even walking yet, she willing donned her Halloween costume, and David and I got to eat all the candy! This year was quite the opposite!

We have had Bella's costume for over a month...it has been sitting in her room and she would talk about it all the time:

However, putting the costume on was another story.  We had been to several parties where her fit throwing ended in just wearing a Halloween themed t-shirt.  But come time to Trick or Treat I was forcing that thing on her no matter how hard she screamed.  Daddy came to the rescue mid fit throwing with some chocolate bribery and the costume went on and stayed on without a hitch (minus the Tinkerbell wings)!

We went with a girlfriend (Christina) who has a 2 year old son, Noah.  The kids rode in the wagon for the first half of the evening because they were so busy shoving their faces full of every candy they were handed!  And finally by the end of the evening they were running around like crazy from all the sugar.  They were so precious...they would go up to each door, knock, and say "Trick or Treat", and then "Thank you"!

A Day to Play

David's niece, McKenzie is three and a half, and a bundle of fun.  She and Bella are becoming such good friends and play together so well.  They love cooking together, holding hands, dancing, etc.  David's mom brought McKenzie up on Saturday so we could all go to a pumpkin patch.  The weather was perfect and the girls had a blast.

They rode the train twice

Cruising along

 The petting zoo

 Playing in the hay (this was the only free activity and they had the best time here, of course!)

 We picked a nice big pumpkin that we will carve next weekend

 Me and my boo!

 Kiki and her girls (they both wanted go back to the hay!)

 We had a spooktacular time!

And after the pumkin patch we headed to Home Depot to run some errands.  Who knew even Home Depot could be so much fun?!

Thanks, Kiki and McKenzie, for coming to visit.

Pumpkin Patch

We are getting in the Halloween spirit!  Today we took a trip to a local pumpkin patch for some fall fun.  There were several rows of pumpkins, all in different sizes, shapes, colors and textures.  Bella was particularly amused by the "bumpy" ones!  Once again, our wagon came in super handy! I was hoping to get to go on a hay ride but we were there too early but Bella had fun "driving" the tractor anyway!

Cooler Weather At Last!

When the average temperature has been over 100 degrees I dare say the mid 80's feels really cool!!  We have enjoyed the days by spending lots of time outside.  And what makes being outside even more fun?  A brand new red wagon!  Bella has been eyeing every other kid's riding car, wagon, etc since before we even left California.  I finally got her one and she LOVES it. 

She loves to do the buckle herself and thinks it is so cool that she has a spot to put her snacks and drink.  We have been all over our apartment complex, across an outdoor mall in Austin, and through the park with it in the 4 days we have had it!  What makes this purchase even better is the fact that the box it came in is the best playhouse ever!! David was about to pitch the box and I told him to cut a door in it and it is now her "telephone booth"!  She loves running in and out, poking her head through the windows, and hiding things in the house.  I tried to get her to "decorate" it but she knows we only draw on paper so she didn't seem too keen on the idea!

We spent this past weekend in Austin to visit David's family and walked an outdoor mall with our new wagon.  Bella and her cousin, McKenzie, are really starting to play so well together and it is so sweet seeing them interact.  They were really big into holding hands this trip-in the car, riding in the wagon, in the house, etc. 

Today was exceptionally cool so Bella and I ran to the park for some playground fun and to feed the ducks.  She cracks me up, she sees me do something once and then becomes my little mimic.  After feeding the ducks, and stepping in mud, I took a stick to clean out the bottom of her shoes.  Back at the playground I turn around and what is she doing? You got it....cleaning out her shoes!

She is starting her terrible 2's a little early and has entered a hitting phase.  She KNOWS she is not supposed to hit....she constantly talks to herself and says, "no hit mommy" but it's as if she cannot suppress the impulse to do it anyway.  As we were leaving the park she was singing "this is the way we wash our hands" and then makes up her own verse "this is the way we hit the mommy"....um, really?!!!  She is also back in the full swing of separation anxiety.  We get to church and she announces, "no crying.  Mommy always come back." And yet yesterday I go to get her from the nursery and she is crying so hard she throws up all over me.  But most of the time she is still sweet as pie and keeps me laughing with her gibber jabber.  Her new phrases are "oh my goodness" and "goodness gracious".  She also announces EVERYTHING she is about to do and then says "watch me".  How can you resist this sweet little face?

She Thinks She Can Read

We are in a phase where Bella wants me to sing every song or read every story an infinite number of times until she has it memorized.  Hence she knows every nursery rhyme I ever learned and is steadily memorizing all of her books.  Half the time I lay my head back, close my eyes, and "read" to her from a half napping state....I am inundated with Dr. Seuss!!  Here is a video (sorry it's so long) of her taking a turn "reading".

My Little Dancing Queen

I am certainly not blessed with any athletic ability but I did do dance all through high school and loved it.  As a way to try and meet people I signed Bella up for a Mommy & Me dance class.  There are 5 precious little girls in the class all about age two.  We have been three weeks in a row now and Bella has the routine for our dance day memorized.  If I tell her we are going to dance with Miss Melinda she will say "eat smoothie and egg?" because she knows that's our get out of the house quick breakfast!  She then knows it's time for her 'princess shoes', as she calls them, and tutu.  As soon as we get to the studio she can't contain her excitement, "ask Miss Winda dance now?" and of course once we finally start class Bella asks for the parachute or beanie bags or whatever activity SHE wants to do.  She has a blast jumping up and down, dancing, running in circles, pretending she's an airplane, and watching herself in the mirror.  I just can't help but laugh at her cuteness!  Of course there is no dance technique what so ever but that's not what the class is for.  It's about having a good time and what I like about it is someone else is giving her instructions that she has to follow.  She has to stay on her mat, freeze, and follow what Miss Melinda is doing.  Although David is convinced Bella is going to be a little soccer player, I think we have a little dancer on our hands!!

My Little Chatterbox

There are times when having an early talker can be quite a challenge.  Lets just say I have had an opinionated child on my hand for many months now! But most of the time the talking has me laughing. 

She thinks it is really funny that mommy and daddy have names and likes to remind us, "that mommy Ayse.  That daddy David."

I'll ask her if she knows mommy loves her and she says yes.  I ask her if Jesus loves her and she says yes.  When I ask her how does she know Jesus loves her?  She responds "Bible tells me so" (and here I thought she was just mindlessly repeating words to songs!)

She is so big into pretend play and is always going shopping.  If you ask her where she is going she will tell you Target and always asks for "coupons" and "money" and you have to pretend to put them in her hand....YIKES!

Listening to my little chatterbox is actually a great way to me accountable for what I say and how I say it because she repeats it all in the exact manner that I do.  The funniest is when she has conversations I would have with her with herself.  This usually happens the minute she wakes up in the morning or after a nap.  I mean she literally goes from being fast asleep, slingshots up to her feet, and begins her imitation of me:

"Good morning.  Good dreams?  All done sleeping.  Play toys"

or my new favorite

"Uh-oh.  What happened?  It's ok.  Try again.  Good job"

"Mommy hold you.  Daddy no hold you.  Why?  Ooooo-K, daddy hold you too"

"Go church.  No crying.  Mommy come back.  Good girl"

The last conversation we have had a lot recently.  I do a women's bible study Tuesday mornings which means I have to put Bella in the nursery.  The first week I took her she cried hysterically for an hour before they finally came and got me and by that time she was dry-heaving she was so upset.  I think it was because the room for her age group is tiny and only has a few things to play with that are intended for babies.  So today I asked if she could join the 2-4 year olds and she had a BLAST.  Apparently the theme for the day was firetrucks and so she had colored a picture of a firetruck and they even had the Belton fire department out there so the kids could actually see a fire engine!! I was told she did shed a tear when they put on the siren, but who can blame the kid! She talked about it all day and was so excited about the sticker the fireman gave her and kept reminding me that it was "so fun" and "mommy came back"!  Aw, I kind of feel like I sent her off to school without knowing what I was doing!  But how awesome that the activities are that structured just for the two hours I drop her off!  She's such a big girl and she will tell you what a big girl she is.....(excuse the runny nose):

I know she's thinking "when are we going to Disney, mommy?!"

 My little Texas girl

 My little shadow!

 She washes up very thoroughly!