Stylin'

A Snowy Day

Reading

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/TG1eUdBPdG/

Holiday Fun

We've been having some holiday fun around here.  On Friday, we decorated a gingerbread house with Aunt Wendy.

Who knew that the best part would be feeding candy to Aunt Wendy?

Then, today, we put up the Christmas decorations!  But my memory card was almost full, so I didn't get very many photos.  I made up for it by getting this one:

Offerings from my tiny Zen master. (River rocks in the dishwasher.)

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/S5iXwUhPZC/

Advent

We set up Devyn's first Advent calendar on Saturday. I used a cut set of bags from Ikea and tied them to our banister with our greenery.

I found a lovely poem about advent that I'm using to guide our little celebration this year.  

The first light of Advent is the light of stone--. Stones that live in crystals, seashells, and bones.
The second light of Advent is the light of plants-- Plants that reach up to the sun and in the breezes dance.
The third light of Advent is the light of beasts-- All await the birth, from the greatest and in least.
The fourth light of Advent is the light of humankind-- The light of hope that we may learn to love and understand. 

So far, she got a little felt Christmas tree on the first day.  Each bag has a felt star in it that she gets to add to the tree.  The second day, I gave her a candle to play with before we lit the candles on our Advent wreath.  Today, day three, I gave her a shiny river rock.  

She loves it.

And this is why I love my little girl.

We're going to use it to decorate our little nativity.  I built the stable out of toy blocks today.  :)  We're going to use her stuffed farm animals and I'm going to make people out of clothespins.  But she'll be able to play with it, which is the important part.

I've been thinking for a long time about how I wanted to celebrate the season, and I just decided that I want to do the stuff I love and so that's what we're going to do.

For the rest of this week: Tomorrow she'll get a piece of rock candy before we decorate a gingerbread house.  Wednesday, she'll get our copy of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and on Thursday, she will get a sea shell before we go to the aquarium. On Friday she will get some sprinkles to help me decorate biscotti for her teachers at MOPS, and on Saturday we will make salt dough ornaments. 

19 Months Old

Dear Devyn,

Can I just tell you how excited I am to find out more of what's going on in that beautiful brain of yours as you learn to talk more and more?  You are putting together two and three word phrases all the time now, like "dog food, dog tail, cat tail, mama shoes, dada bag, eat food," and my personal favorite, "Where Dev?" (meaning you want to play peekaboo!).  You can also do all of the hand motions to Patty-cake and say a lot of the words, though you like to cut to the chase and start with "roll it..."

You can also count to ten, which has me absolutely flummoxed and over the moon!  You also definitely understand the concepts of one, two, and three, correctly identifying one shoe, two horses in a photo, or three slices of banana on your plate.

You still love listening to and making music.  I bought some jingle bells on a velcro strap as party favors for your birthday, and you've recently discovered that you can velcro them onto your ankle and dance around making music.  You'll do that all day happily.

You've also started really enjoying playing with your dolls and stuffed animals. Dolly is your favorite doll, and we just got a little floppy stuffed dalmatian dog at IKEA that you adore—we named her Dee Dee Doggy in honor of your Grandma's dalmatian.

You also like anything with buttons (the more it looks like something a grown up would use, the better) and anything with words.  You pull my cookbooks out all the time and page through them, looking at the pictures.

You LOVE to help out when I can give you a real job to do.  So far, you unload the silverware from the dishwasher for me, and you take the silverware to the table to help me "set" the table (you're still too short to really see to put it at the places, but that's OK!).  You also love standing on a chair in the kitchen to help me cook.

We started going to MOPS, and I put you in the 19–24 month room before you were really 19 months old.  The director of the day care part emailed me and wanted to make sure you were really ready to be in that older room.  I said we were flexible, and she said she would check with the teacher.  The teacher said you did great and were fine with all the bigger kids, so you get to stay there, and I'm thrilled.  I think you started talking more from hanging out with Grey, and so I'm hopeful that the older kids in MOPS will have the same positive effect.

You're also tall enough now to reach things on the dining room table, the kitchen cart and the kitchen counter, so we have to be extra careful.

Happy Thanksgiving, my darling girl.  You are the thing I am most thankful for, now and always.

Love,
~Mommy

Imaginary Friend

If I needed any confirmation that Devyn has discovered the joys of imagination, this morning she was walking around waving bye bye and air kissing to someone only she can see, and now she is telling some sort of very intricate story to her dolly that involves telling Dolly bye bye and asking her where her "bee-bo" (belly button) is.  :D

Giving Dolly a bottle.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/R-P5ARBPUP/

Playing with Dolly this morning.  She lifted up the doll's dress and said, "No bee-bo!" (For those of you who are unfamiliar with the term, bee-bo means belly button.)

She's saying a lot more two-word phrases all of the sudden.  Yesterday she said "Big step" as she came in the house from the garage, and we got "bye-bye Dada" this morning as Brandon left for work.

(And yes, that is a spoon hanging out of D's mouth.  I gave it to her to feed Dolly, but she wanted to chew on it instead.)

Rocking the baby (doll).

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/RqjIlKhPYH/

Washing and Singing

Doing an iPod dump before our trip this weekend, and so I thought I'd upload a couple of videos.

This is Devyn washing chard for our dinner.  She was VERY thorough. Each piece got washed many, many, MANY times.  :)

I went downstairs to start the laundry or something, and as I was coming back up, I found this.  Reading in the bathroom, of course!  

Happy Halloween!

Our first trick-or-treating went pretty well!

We all dressed as dogs to go our with our little puppy. 

Devyn decorated her own trick-or-treat bag. 

Sisters!  ;)

We hit about six houses, but Dev was ready for more!  Unfortunately, she had a little fever today, so we didn't want to push it.  She's been sick on Halloween twice now!  Not so cool.

We leave Saturday for Dallas, then Jackson to meet Baby Cousin Holden!

Used her stickers to decorate her Trick or treat bag.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/RdpRgnhPWm/

Perfect kid food at Berkshire

You can't tell, but those are carrots and Brussels sprouts she's eating.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/RYqgwCBPWD/

Snack time

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/RYqeDGBPWA/

It begins

18 Months Old

Dearest Devyn,

Today you are 18 months old.  I can't believe how quickly the time has passed.  You are more and more your own little person every single day, and you continue to astound and amaze me.

I wrote, at the very beginning of your life, that you would be my greatest teacher, and you prove me right every day.  As much as I strive to teach you the things you need to know in life, you are teaching me the things I still need to learn.

You have such a passion and tenacity for life.  You growl throatily when you see something you want and cheer "Yay!" when you get it.

You love to sing and dance—whether there's music or not—and you love to listen to music or have me sing to you. Favorite songs are "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" and all the songs from Kindermusik.

As I write this, you are standing under the apple tree, picking apples off the branches and inspecting them as you go.

You can walk and run like a champ.  You dance, stomp your feet, and clap your hands, and I've definitely seen you trying to jump.

You are too tall for your 12-month clothes, but too skinny for your 18-month clothes.  Right now, you love to unlace your shoes whenever you can get your hands on them.  And shoes that go on with velcro come off almost immediately when we get in the car.

You are a champion at throwing little tantrums when you don't get what you want.  Sometimes we have to have strong words about changing your diaper, or putting on shoes, or getting dressed.  You do love bath time, but loath getting out and getting dressed after!  You also don't like to have your hair brushed or for me to put barrettes or pony tails in it.  It requires great patience from me and much crying and gnashing of teeth from you to look so cute.

You can identify lots of body parts now, including head, hair, eyes, ears, nose, mouth, tongue, teeth, arms, hands, fingers, legs, toes, feet, belly button and belly.  You are also starting to use two-word phrases.  You just recently started saying "right there!" and pointing when we ask where something is.

You are very much your daddy's girl right now.  You ask for him many times per day, from the moment you wake up until the moment you go to bed.  I tell you that he goes to work so that we can stay at home, but I'm not sure you have any concept of what work is.  :)

You're still a fearless eater, happy to try lots of things and enjoying things we never would have expected.  For example, you really seem to like bean sprouts of all things!  You eat four times a day: breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack, and dinner.   You still love avocados, cheese and any kind of fruit.  You have learned how to ask for bananas (and do so frequently!).

You like bags and purses.  Every time you put a bag over your shoulder, you say, "Bye-bye!" Off to see the world. You still love to sort things; any activity that includes taking something out of one container and putting it into another container is a big hit.  And BOOKS!  We cannot go more than an hour or two without reading some books.  You get so excited about books!  I guess it shouldn't surprise me, what with my genes and your dad's.  Favorite books right now include "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" and anything by Sandra Boynton or with dogs in.

I could not be more proud of you, little one.  And I can't wait to see what the next few months have in store for us!

All my love,
~Mommy

Anderson Farms Pumpkin Patch

This free digital collage made with Smilebox

Last week we went to Anderson Farms; they have a "fall festival" with lots of animals to feed and look at, a wagon ride out to the pumpkin patch, a little mini train and lots of other cool stuff.  

We put Devyn in her puppy costume, and I can't tell you how pleased I am with the way it turned out!  Plus, it's comfortable enough (and WARM enough) for her to wear happily for several hours.

She had an absolute ball running around, looking at the goats and rabbits and ducks, feeding the cows, and climbing on the wooden train playground.  It was really a wonderful morning.  

Music Class

Dear Devyn,

Can I brag on you just a teeny-tiny bit?  Because I know I am your mom and genetically predisposed to be proud of you, but you are just so freaking amazing sometimes that I can't hold it all in.

This morning we went to Kindermusik class, which you just love. I am so glad I decided to bite the bullet and just pay the money and sign us up, dang it, because you absolutely blossom and shine every time we go.

This morning you were making all the mommies and daddies smile and laugh.  As soon as the welcome song started, you ran to the middle of the circle of parents and babies sitting on the floor and started dancing.  The song has us do an action to welcome each baby in the group, and you were doing your darndest to mimic every single one: swaying, waving, stomping your feet, clapping, spinning and more.  I am so, so impressed with the way you really participate in the class, rather than just sitting and watching.  And at home, you sing along and dance to all the songs and you've started making choo-choo train noises, too.

You are a big helper whenever it is time to put the toys and instruments away in class.  You are sweet and gentle with all the babies, and you play with the bigger kids so nicely.  When Miss Adrian (our instructor) was saying goodbye to you today, she called you her little rock star.  And you SO ARE, my little love!

And please don't hate me for this, but you did it all with your pants falling down and your belly hanging out.  You are in a strange place in clothing sizes, my darling; your 12-month shirts still fit your shoulders, but they are too short when you reach your arms up (as I discovered this morning!).  I already knew that your 12-month pants were too short, but your 18-month pants are way too big around the middle.  I tried to put a safety pin in the waistband this morning, but you are a wiggler and I did a poor job. Oh well!

We have made a new friend at Kindermusik too, and her mom suggested we have a play date next week, so I will be looking forward to that.

I'm just having such a good time with you right now, my lovey.  You are an absolute joy, when you're not being an absolute pill—it all comes with the territory and I love every minute of it.

All my love,
~Mommy

Cutting apples

My favorite nerds in their Star Wars shirts.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/Qa9XOqBPW8/

Apple printing

Running!

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QVyzz3BPUC/

Picking apples before the frost.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QTAaXohPZ4/

Helping pick apples

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QTARg8hPZy/

Sandbox days

Photos!

A little birdy told me that Miss Beth needed more photos, so I thought it was about time for another photo dump post.  :)

First, a few little photos from when the Renners were here.  We were terrible about remembering our cameras!  But we did take our camera to the farmer's market with us, where Devyn got her first balloon animal (I think it's supposed to be a butterfly).  She also got read lots (and LOTS) of books by both Grandma and Grandpa.

Then, these cute photos are from last week when Wendy and Devyn and I went up to the mountains to look at the aspens changing.  Aunt Emily, I hope you notice that she is wearing the strawberry jacket you gave her (at Christmas I think?) and the hat and gloves you gave her—at my baby shower!  (The gloves are still a little big, but she thought they were big fun.)

Devyn was a mighty fine hiker.  I'd say she walked at least as much as we carried her.  Then we got to picnic in the rain a little bit.  Small price to pay for such a nice morning!  And she was definitely the cutest strawberry on the mountain.

New sandbox.

Gran and Pop sent Devyn a very early Christmas present—a sand box!  It's very neat.  The benches fold out to become a cover to keep the kitties out.

We went and bought sand for it today, and Devyn was so excited she couldn't even wait until we were done dumping all the sand to get in and try it out.  Maybe we'll get some good use of it before it gets too cold to be outside as much.

D. is still fighting a cold—or something.  We think she picked it up when Grandma and Grandpa were here, and she seemed to be getting better, then last Tuesday she came down again.  Same symptoms all over again.  Brandon says maybe it mutated and she had to fight it all over again.

All I can say is that we are all tired of wiping noses.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/QN5DCShPS1/

Crazy monkey in the apple trees

Ya Ya Orchard

At Ya Ya orchard

Grandma and Grandpa Renner were here for the weekend and we had a wonderful time.  On Sunday we went to brunch at one of their favorite places, Lucile's Creole Cafe.  After we ate, we took a little detour up to Ya Ya Farm and Orchard.  It's a pick-your-own apple orchard, though we did not pick any apples. 

Devyn LOVED their big horses. (Not sure what kind they are—big like Clydesdales, but they have another name.) She kept saying "Neigh! Neigh! Neigh!" over and over again, but was a little shy to pet them.  They were VERY friendly because you can buy fallen apples for them to eat.  

Devyn also LOVED running around on the farm, and was not thrilled when it was time to go.  But I'm sure we'll be back!

The book that makes us all cry.

"I am your favorite book, you are my new lines."

Eating an apple.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/PptDd5hPT_/

Some random tid-bits

• Devyn and I went to drop-in mommy and baby swim time at the rec center—I thought it would be teaching the babies how to float and kick and splash in the water, when actually it was a fairly intense water aerobics class for the mommies using the babies as hand weights. But I think Devyn liked it.  Whenever I say "go swimming" she makes the sign for fish.
• Yesterday we bought her a baby-sized potty.  It's a convertible one that goes from being an all-in-one training potty to a step-stool and a seat that fits on the big potty.  Haven't even gotten it out of the box yet, but we'll see how it goes.
• We went to a clothing swap last week with my stroller club, and she got very overwhelmed by all the people and kids.  The life-sized stuffed pony in the basement didn't really help, either.
• After a devastating episode where we couldn't find the lovey at bed time, a new rule had to be implemented wherein the lovey doesn't leave the crib (except for some immediate post-sleep snuggling in the glider chair).  The first time I explained this rule, there was much crying and gnashing of teeth and I had to pry it from her tiny, tenacious fingers, and it made me feel like a terrible mommy for depriving her of her lovey.  The next time, there was a little resistance, I reminded her of the rule, and she said, "Thank you," and handed it to me. And that is what she has done every single time since then.
• Speaking of thank yous, one of my very favorite things she does right now is when she runs up to us, gives us a big hug and says, "Thank you!"  Lord, let me remember that when she's a teenager.
• She has started saying "The end!" every time we finish reading a book.  And believe me, we read a LOT of books.  One of her favorite things to do is run up to me or Brandon with a book in hand shouting "Book!  Book!  Book!" until we acquiesce and read it to her.  I think she would sit and listen to us read books to her all day long.
• She has been playing with the bathroom scale recently, and we have ascertained that she weighs just over 20 pounds.
• She loves dogs and elephants and monkeys.  I'm thinking she might be one of the above for Halloween.
• She has recently figured out how to put the shapes back on the spindles on her shape stacker, instead of just how to take them off.  

Brandon and I celebrate 7 years of wedded bliss tomorrow. On Thursday, the Renners arrive for a short, weekend visit and we will probably celebrate Brandon's birthday and our anniversary.  Then, the next week, I'll be spending three days at a business conference—Devyn will spend one day with her daddy, one day with her Aunt Wendy, and one day with our friends Tiffany and Logan.  Then, the week after THAT, I spend the weekend at the annual SCBWI conference.

And then, the week after that, I collapse and don't move for at least a week or two.

Wearing daddy's hat.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/O7f0LoBPaB/

Lunch

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/O67CYuhPcI/

D found an old Baggie with formula in it.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/O4IgoSBPWv/

"The End!"

Devyn has started to say "the end!" at the end of every book we read.  Too cute.

Sunday morning reading.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/OzB98fhPZh/

Zucca's vodka sauce is delicious.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/Oja35fhPWq/

Playing dress up with mommy's underwear.

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/Ojaz5WBPWn/

Pigtails!

via Instagram http://instagr.am/p/OO8e_0BPWY/

Devyn and Daddy

I found those photos from the birthday party Devyn went to—in June.  

Devyn and Daddy enjoy some pizza.

Daddy shows Devyn how the fountains work.

Devyn discovers the babbling brook.

Devyn and the birthday boy.

And, I think these were just some random restaurant we went to, but I thought they were cute.  :)