Bubbles, Bubbles

Magic Kingdom - January 2012

Catching Up - Videos from Months Past

A very wise woman reminded me recently that all of Mary Ellen's little milestones are going to pass by so quickly and I need to be vigilant about recording them and sharing them (thanks, Mom). I had been very good about capturing videos of Mary Ellen over the last few months, but I've not been so good about sharing them. So here's to the start of a string of videos. Some of them are a bit outdated, but they so fun to watch! And I'll try (really, I'll try) to keep putting current ones up.

January 2012 - My Little Bean Breaker

It Really Is Magic

Seems like forever ago, but on Christmas Eve, Amy Chris and Jenson met us at the Magic House. For those of you who haven't been (and you must not be from STL), the Magic House is a children's museum in St. Louis that is jam-packed with activities and exhibits for even the littlest of visitors.

Needless to say, the kids had a blast!

Strawberry Time!

It may seem strange to those of you up north, but February is strawberry season down here. Jealous?

On Mom's most recent visit, we took our girl out to pick some berries. She was thrilled, since strawberries (or sta-boos) are her favorites. And she did a great job, though running through the rows proved to be more fun that actually picking the berries.

Our Little Chatterbox

So we always knew that Mary Ellen would be verbal, but this kid continues to surprise and delight us with her blooming vocabulary.

You name it, she'll try to say it. She names her colors. She names the animals in her puzzles. She gives me plenty of ideas about what she'd like to have for lunch, snack, etc. She loves to "play," "walk," "cook," and "read." She loves to ask for basketball, either to play on the porch or to watch on TV. So her pronunciation isn't perfect, but she's getting the hang of this talking thing and fast.

This week she started putting a few words together. Here are a few of my favorites:

Upsie Daisy

I don't know.

Open it. Shut.

I did it.

The quiet days in our house are gone. Long gone. And I love it.

2011 in Review (Part 2)

 It's time to ring in 2012, but since I promised a few more pics, here goes. Just a few more highlights from 2011:

Mary Ellen discovered Sesame Street.

Ok, so she was asleep, but the Cardinals Won the World Series!

Our little lion on Halloween.

Outside Grandpa's office in December.

Nana came to visit often this year, and this visit brought us to the beach. Best. Day. Ever (according to Mary Ellen).

Mary Ellen was the model for many of Mama's projects. She makes a good model, no?

It's okay to share a lap from time to time, right guys?

This could be me circa 1978.