Pockets

Anna Kate LOVES pockets!

So much so that she tried to keep her hand in her pocket while trying to open the cabinet!

Painting Piggies Pink

This evening Anna Kate kept saying the same thing over and over. All I could get out of it was "baby" and maybe "pink." She started reaching for the nail polish that I had used to paint her fingernails and toenails this morning so I gave it to her (after checking that the lid was tightly on). Then she ran and got a baby, sat down and tried to paint her baby's toenails. But that wasn't good enough! She said, "Mommy sit," climbed on my lap, and said "open." Sorry baby, no pink piggies for you!

Sugar & Spice

SUGAR:

Quietly reading a book to herself.

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and SPICE:

Climbing into the cabinet and pulling everything out over and over again!

Deciding to eat her snack sitting inside the pantry.

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and EVERYTHING NICE!

Sunday Sillies

More dancing! This time with a rockin' piano from Uncle Patrick.

We tried to do curls for church but they didn't turn out as well. Then Anna Kate got applesauce in her hair during lunch so I tossed her in the bath and washed them out.

Now that Anna Kate is 18 months old, she can officially go to the nursery at church. Today was her first time. She didn't care at all that I left - no tears or clinging to me. I came in and checked on her a couple of times. One time she was on a shelf in a cupboard and when I went to pick her up she was standing on a little table with both her shoes off. She had a great time! She helped cleaned up the toys when her teachers said it was time to clean-up and have snack. She ate most of her snack but had a hard time staying in her seat to eat - usually she is strapped in. When she was done with her sippy cup she put it in the bucket she was suppose to and then tried to "help" some other kids do the same - except they weren't done with their waters yet! I think she is going to love it. Hopefully she doesn't drive her teachers crazy with all her climbing.

She got Christmas treat from church in a little stocking. I took out the candy and gave her the stocking to play with. She ripped off the cute gift tag that was attached, threw it into the garbage can and then sat down and put the stocking on as a sock. What a fun girl!

Special Blanket

My grandma made this ABC blanket for me when I was a little girl. (Yes, the J is backwards.) I must have loved this blanket very much because it is missing all the backing. I got it out and showed it to Anna Kate. She started (kind of) singing the ABC song and pointing to the letters. Then she wrapped herself up in it.

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree

Anna Kate loves to go around the Christmas tree, even in the hard to squeeze by places!

Anna Kate got a new toy from Grandma and Papa that plays the ABC song. She likes to push the button and dance to the music over and over.

Christmas Recap

We traveled through snow to my parents' home in Puyallup on Christmas Eve. The roads were pretty bad to begin with but got better as we went along.

Anna Kate didn't quite get the unwrapping part of opening gifts but she loved what she found inside. She got a piano from Uncle Patrick, a book and shoes from Luke and Molly, and a special Tigger from Aunt Nana.

Grandma and Papa gave Anna Kate and Molly each a bitty baby!

Aren't they cute giving their babies hugs?

Grandma and Papa also gave Anna Kate some clothes, hat & mittens, books, a toy for the fridge, and a blanket and pillow for the bitty baby.

We had a family gift exchange - white elephant style! This gingerbread man has been making the rounds the past few years - he always shows up! Luckily for Brianna there were movie tickets inside him.

Papa reads books to the kids by saying, "blah, blah, blah" instead of the real words. He was "reading" to Anna Kate this way and stopped for a moment. Anna Kate picked up right where he left off saying, "blah, blah, blah!" It was very funny!

This is pretty much what Anna Kate ate for Christmas dinner... picky girl!

All of us except Dad! The roast beef dinner was delicious!

Brianna read the Christmas Story to the kids.

Brianna also had a pictionary game for us to play. All the answers were Christmas Carols and the team had to sing the answer to get the point. I love the picture Patrick drew of Rudolph!

We had planned on having our traditional gingerbread house contest but we ran out of time. Grandma made all three kids matching aprons just for the occasion. We will have to use them next year.

We left Puyallup Christmas afternoon and headed to Bremerton to see Anna Kate's other grandparents, along with her aunt, uncle and two cousins who live there. Anna Kate had fun playing with the girls and chasing their tiny dog. I think the poor dog tried to hide from Anna Kate and her constant poking but she stopped at nothing to get to her.

We all had a wonderful Christmas!

Happy Holidays

Calmed down curlies

Curly Top

So what do you do when you are snowed in AGAIN and you've already played with a stroller, done an art project and taken a bath and it's not even snack time yet??? You put curlers in of course!

Anna Kate had them in for over an hour before they started bugging her and she wanted them out.

Perfect little ringlets.

After combing through the curls a bit! Wild!

An Early Christmas

Since we've been snowed in for a week (and counting), Anna Kate and I have been getting a little bored with all her toys. So I requested Santa to bring Anna Kate's Christmas present early this year so we, I mean she, could have something new to play with!

Santa brought her a very cute set of things for her baby and a new baby.

Anna Kate went right for the stroller. (It's her favorite toy at her friends' houses.)

After giving baby a ride she decided it was her turn.

She just fits! She used her feet to move herself backwards.

Finally, baby got to have another ride.

But only for a little bit!

I'm not sure what this look was for!

And then it was Anna Kate's turn again.

She was so sweet and wanted me to have a turn. She pushed and pulled me over to the stroller and said, "Mommy, sit, Mommy, sit."

Crazy girl!

Checking the baby food label... maybe the baby has some allergies!

Beauty Shop

Squirt, squirt!

Comb, comb!
(Notice the back of the comb is being used.)

Funny smile with crazy bangs! :)

Please, no more pictures Mommy!

Light

April asked the secret to capturing the brightness in Anna Kate's eyes. Both of these photos were taken without a flash but with Anna Kate close to a window with the blinds pulled up. All the snow outside helped to reflect a lot of light in!