Bumpkin Bum-kin

We've had a busy week of gorgeous weather and so we've been spending most days outside trying to enjoy it. We've been to the park, earned some big-kid scraped knees and have dirt under our fingernails...ahhh summer. Tonight after dinner, Reina and I split an ice cream cup. I know, I'm getting to be a push over. Anyway, all this warm weather has also inspired a little more nudity out of Reina than usual, hence the bumpkin comment. No matter the weather, she's always a bum-kin.

Ok. So, I'm sorry about this one but it cracks me up. She looks like a strange kind of superhero..."Full Frontal Girl to the Rescue!"

kickin' back after a good dinner

raspberries galore accompany most car trips...or singing

good. clean. free. fun.

Thumbs up for a great dinner Uncle Matt and Aunt Jen!

tuckered out

That's a hairy tulip. Note the squishing going on. Inherited my brown thumb.

Smiling pretty

CHEESE!

Toddlerhood

I think it may be official. My little tiny baby has become a toddler. Yes, we've seen this coming for months: the new skills, more adventurous behavior and even the tantrums. Every day Reina is learning, doing or trying to get away with something new.

Her language development is increasing by leaps and bounds. She can now say via signing: milk, more, PLEASE, THANK YOU, all done, bath, what/where/why/I don't know, baby, bye bye, and eat. She can speak these words: Daddy, Mama (but rarely still), Nana, hot, ow, 'nana (which means banana), hi, shoes/cheese/socks/fish/cereal, go-go (I think means Grover from Sesame Street) and 'lmo for "Elmo". She can make animal sounds like monkey "ooh ahh ooh ahh", dog "ooh ooh ooh", lion, cow and the Count "ahh ahh ahh"!

Even more amazing to me than her communicating is what she can comprehend and understand. I'll ask her to go upstairs and she will. Or bring a book, or a diaper, close the door. Or where are Mama's shoes? Or where is your milk? The fact that she has something going on in that brain is incredible to me considering she was barely more than a lump of goo 16 months ago!

Her new favorite activity is climbing and balancing on surfaces higher than her. So far no stitches. Good thing Bill keeps some suture in the laundry room! She also loves being outside. Every time the dogs are out now she wants to go, too. She helps me to get the mail and loves running around the yard sniff-sniffing anything green. She also loves picking dandelions and going to the park to swing. She has discovered how to push herself down the slide to where I am waiting at the bottom. See previous comment about no stitches yet.

As spring develops into summer I'm sure we'll have lots of fun new activities to try outside...hopefully we can stay on top of scooping the dog poop out of the yard!

watching Daddy edging the yard

I want to go out, too!

A special visit from Aunt Cathi

Speedy Deliveries!

Does anybody remember from Mister Rogers' neighborhood the Speedy Delivery guy? Mr. McFeely? Well neighbors, he made two Very Important Deliveries this week. One, to our friends Jeff and Giselle, and the other to Bill's brother and sister-in-law, Ryan and Kristin. Welcome babies Michael and Casey! Your big brother and sisters are glad you are here! Enjoy each family's accounts of the dramatic arrivals at your leisure. All I know is, it makes you wonder whether they should teach home delivery in those childbirth classes people take!

Toot toot, Trolley says its time to go...have a beautiful day in your neighborhoods!

Mr. McFeely: little known fact, the M. in Fred M. Rogers stood for McFeely.

Go Fly a Kite

While waiting for Bill to return from Texas...which he has, Reina and I went to the annual Kite Show at a local park last weekend. The weather was warm and appropriately windy for kite flying. We saw stunt kite teams (yes, stunt kites) and large demonstration kites, as well as several dozen individual amateur kite fliers. Reina was pointing with glee at everything, much like every other kid there under 3 years old. She loved watching the extra large fish and snake and was confused as to where all the kites went during a pause in the wind.

Today, she finally had her 15 month check-up, a little behind schedule. She weighed in at just 20lbs (10th %) and was 30 5/8 inches tall (37th %). Despite her skinniness factor (slender is the preferred term) she was right on track with her development and even gave the doctor a hug as she left! No hugs for the nurse who gave her the vaccinations...RN's always get the shaft, docs get all the glory! Oh well, at least at the end of it all she still wanted me most.

The hostage crisis at bedtime has also abated. She now goes to bed as well as she used to, minimal fussing and sleeping all night. Thank goodness. I remember why she slept in her crib from day 1. Now the entire family is sleeping better!

Not much else going on around here, back to work, some spring cleaning/gardening and waiting for friends and family to have new babies! Congratulations to Jeff and Giselle and we're still waiting for Ryan and Kristin...come on new cousin!

So many kites in the air made Reina a frenzied pointer.

Our favorite 2, look how small the person flying them is in comparison!

Reina making her "flower sniffing" face. Not really sure why. It is kind of a grotesque smile, I guess. Grandpa said she better learn how to make a different face or she'll scare her prom date away when she smells her corsage!

Vindication

Finally, some non-partisan proof that Reina is my kid too! Check out the bottom of the page....

Textravaganza

Home again, home again, jiggety-jig. Any Mother Goose fans out there? So, once again Reina has racked up her frequent flyer miles and we've returned from our visit to Texas. Like her cousin Milo, bedtime bootcamp has begun. So many different bedtimes and locations has royally screwed up the Queen, who once was a champ when it came to going to and staying asleep.

While we enjoyed some warmer weather, lots of food and visiting with multiple family members, it is also good to be home. The dogs sure are glad to be back as well, although prolonged time in the kennel has robbed them of what few manners they had.

Bill remains in Texas until Thursday, so we're having girl fun until then...maybe we'll go shopping at Ikea, or get pedicures! Or maybe just hit the swings at the park while it's sunny. We miss you Daddy.

Bill and Reina on the people mover in the Dallas Airport

Death Match Chess at the Comfort Suites


The Queen does NOT prefer to be held by a mere Princess, Andrea at her 16th birthday bash.

1st Dance with a cowboy, Uncle Jeremy. Last dance with anyone per Bill.

Sniff sniffing some Texas Bluebonnets in Historic Gruene

2nd Cousin Pierce and 1st cousins Reina and Milo in the wet grass by some cacti. "Move it Pierce, I'm outta here. The Queen doesn't like wet bottoms!"

Dancing Queen in Gruene Hall. Which is, all together now, "the oldest dance hall in Texas!"