Doing Big Girl Things

Loreli is growing up. It's crazy, but it's happening right before our very eyes.

 

She will sit for 20 minutes or more just looking at stacks of books. Now for those who don't know her too well, this is a long time because she is super busy and wiggly.

She's learning how to hold a bowl and feed herself with a spoon! She has had spoon control down okay for a while, but this last week for the first time I gave her the bowl. I finally decided that I should let her learn and try not to control everything and since then she's done great!

One of my favorite things that she does is walk up to one of us and reach for our hand and then proceed to lead us somewhere, but usually it's to nowhere that she's leading us. Such trickery! We walked through town the other day and she held my hand the entire time leading me down the street. I love it!

She also loves to talk. She will stand and talk to us (or strangers) a mile a minute with her hands just flying all over! It's very entertaining. She is still not saying words that we understand, but just yesterday said "bkkkss" when referring to a book. Yaay!

When Mashed Potatoes Attack!

This season on FOX...a helpless child innocently eating dinner, unsuspecting that this might be her last...

She is slowly consumed by a mass of killer mashed potatoes!

You see why children disgust me?!

The Loreli One-Step

We are going to market this as a workout video for those with limited mobility

Good Find

In our bi-weekly trip to Williston, we usually stop at the thrift stores just to see if they have anything new.  Sometimes we get lucky, like this time.

 

She is watching a show, hence the vague expression.  But she does like the chair a lot. 

Little Helper

Loreli is a really good helper. Well, when I say helper I really mean that she is good at getting into whatever I am doing at the moment. Yesterday mornings activity involved making bread and of course she participated. 

Here she is so sweet and clean.

  

And here she is after somehow flour exploded everywhere which she couldn't resist sampling.

  

 When it's all done, she just kicks back and admires her work.

Oh and here is an update on the belly.

Have a fab day!

Birthday Fun

I recently passed the 26th anniversary of my birth.

 Katy had a good time using her new cake decorating tools.

A large box came via FedEx, and what was in that box?

 

Another box, but not just any box; a beautiful, handmade, hand carved, walnut box.

For those of you less familiar with westerns or great American hero's, this is Clint Eastwood from The Outlaw Josie Wales and was carved by hand by Jack.

The box alone was amazing but the great thing about boxes, is that they open up and usually contain other things.

Two 44. cap and ball revolvers.  Aren't they beautiful.  Cap and ball means that they don't shoot bullets but you load them like you would load a muzzleloader.  Very cool. 

It's never too early to start an interest in firearms.

Winter Fun

Winter has finally come to North Dakota.  I know it was foolish to hope that it would last like it has been, but a part of me really hoped it would.

We finally have clothes for the littlun' appropriate for the winter climate.  It makes it difficult to move for a stubby-apendaged, amature walker to be in really poofy clothes but she didn't mind.

The best part of playing in the snow, is the hot chocolate afterwards.  Loreli quite agrees.

It has a doodle!

IT'S A BOY!  Katy had an appointment today and to our surprise she was farther along than we had thought.  She is 20 weeks and 4 days and so they did the full ultrasound.  These things kind of creep me out but here you go. 

 

 Here is a profile shot

 

A foot

 The goods

feet and a hand

And the creepy clay-mation face

White Winter Wedding Wonderland World, Wiskers?

 For some reason this family can't seem to shake the winter weddings.  Sorry I guess.  Katy and I set a bad trend in motion.  It was a bit brisk and I did make myself sick trying to create ice figures for the reception but it all turned out quite splendid, the reception that is.  The ice things were a disaster. Not that they killed anyone they just didn't work, at all.  Sigh.

You can see that Loreli enjoyed the treats at least as she sucked all the white chocolate off of a pretzel.

 The colors were grey and turquoise-ish and everyone did really well getting ties and shirts to match, but then everyone kept their coats on so you can't really tell.

 Macyjo was getting chilled thus requiring some bear hugging.

 It was entertaining watching them trying to move around like this.  Did you ever see The Mighty Ducks when the coach ties the whole team together and tries to make them skate "as one"?  I think the hockey team would have won a race against these three.  Now if their goalie was wearing a wedding dress I wouldn't want to make any bets, but then if their goalie was wearing a wedding dress it would have been a different kind of movie all together.

and another one bites the dust, or snow.  Mandy, you're up.  You have a nine year lead on the next in line.  But NO WINTER WEDDING!