...and Mommy gets a new MacBook Pro Laptop (which I'm still trying to figure out, so I'm trying to catch up on photos, videos, etc). Here goes.
First, our little baby has turned 2! She seems to have made leaps and bounds in the past month to us in terms of speaking, thinking, sharing (some of the time), empathy, sweetness (especially to the baby in my belly) and her awareness and memory of other people. I think spending time in Wisconsin for Thanksgiving and then with the whole Clarke crew for Christmas really helped her cement everybody in the family in her mind and she talks about everybody often. She even says "Good Night" to Erica's baby a lot! She's very sweet and thoughtful.
In the past few weeks she's said some pretty great things (many of which I've already forgotten), but here are a few that stand out to me:
-- I got a new iPhone for Christmas (thank you Santa/Brent/Daddy!) and it's coming in the mail. This week I was talking to Jill on the phone when the call dropped and I made some comment under my breath about my stupid phone and Sabrina said "Mommy, you need your new phone." We hadn't even told her about the phone really...why would we?...but she has clearly been listening!
-- When I opened my new laptop on Christmas morning, I looked at Brent and said "You went to the Apple store!" (it's one of his favorite places) and Sabrina said "I went to the Apple Store TOO" - when I asked what they sell there she said "...apples" (as if I was a total dummy). Then she went on to say "Mommy, it's a new laptop!" In this family, she definitely knows what a laptop is.
-- Me: "maybe aunt ashley could come to your Christmas concert at school." Sabrina: "yeah!" Me: "Should we invite her?" Sabrina:...silence...then "no, I don't want to bite her" haha
As I said, I'm sure there are more that I've already forgotten, but I'll throw them up on the blog if/when I remember them. She's pretty insightful these days and has an amazing memory that regularly shocks us.
To celebrate her big day we had dinner at Nana and Poppy with the whole fam (Nana, Poppy, Ashley, Dante, Tim, Erica, Erica's baby, and Natalie, Kurt, Celia, Della, Lee, Cara and Casey!) It was a wonderful dinner followed by skating on the Boulder Ice ice rink that Poppy has been working on tirelessly to get ready for the Christmas/Birthday season, capped off by a fruit tart cake (candles, of course) and prezzies. The next night we hosted a party for more friends at our house where Sabrina got yet another cake (with more candles, which almost burned off her hair...we're not used to leaving her hair down!) and several more prezzies. We're going to be a part of one more group party next weekend with her birthday buddies, Casey, Lily and a new friend, Noa (all of whom were born on the same day, 6 days after Sabrina). That should be another fun and crazy event! The fun never stops around here.
Her favorite gifts from her birthday include her new strider bike from Nana and Poppy, her baby doll stroller from Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich, her drum from the Baumgartners, the new CD for Mommy's car from Ashley and Dante (with Yellow Submarine and Octopuses Garden on it...new faves), her blue monster from Tim & Erica, and her "food baby" from her teacher Zeba at school. She got many more things and we're still finding time to play with everything. We're feeling very loved and lucky these days!
Here are some photos and a few short videos from her first two birthday parties.
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Sabrina Skis Part 2
This is a follow up blog post to Brent's back in early November. Here is an album with all the shots of our skiing outings (now 4) to date! It include a few duplicates, sorry about that, but we wanted to capture all of her 1-year old skiing in one place.
We started in early November at our house, then moved to the parking lot in Breckenridge for both night and daytime skiing with Poppy and Brent, then we graduated to the bottom of the Quicksilver lift at Breckenridge. She didn't want to put on her skis at the big resort, so we just held her in our arms and had her "ride" our skis, but we figured that another day of exposure is good - especially if we can keep her having fun and asking for more. We only make it for about 20 minutes at a time right now, but it seems to be perfect for her. Not too intimidating, not too cold and never too far from a warm cup of hot chocolate or tea!
Also, please pay attention to how hard Brent and Poppy are working in these videos to cart her back up the slopes (even the small ones!) time and time again when she says "More!" "More hockey stop!" - they can't resist her and they are getting a great workout as a result!
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Holiday Concert at the Cottage School
Every Thursday, Mr. Scott The Music Man, comes to Sabrina's school. She is smitten! Thursdays are my favorite morning because I can always get her out of the house in a hurry if I just say that "Mr. Scott is coming today!" - she will pick out her outfit lightning fast, put on her jacket, her hat, her mittens and stand by the door waiting for me. I am SO tempted to lie on some Mondays so I could get the same motivation...but she's too smart for that more than once, I'm sure. Anyway, he is certainly a big hit in her mind so we were excited to meet him and see his show in December. They hosted a cute little concert for parents (and grandparents) just before the holidays. The photos tell a thousand words, as they say...
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Sabrina's first time on skis
Boulder had another snow day, so we decided it's time to teach Sabrina why we like snow so much in the mountains. Skiing! I didn't have time to groom the front yard, so I had to essentially carry her to keep her from getting stuck in the deep powder (up to her knees). We made a few runs down to the sidewalk complete with a hockey stop finish. Sabrina giggled and kept asking for "more".
Next stop Breckenridge!
Next stop Breckenridge!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Fall and Halloween 2011
We have been having a great fall in Colorado complete with beautiful fall colors on the trees, a late October snow storm that buried us...for a day...and Halloween!
We went to the same pumpkin patch that we visited last year, Munson Farms, but Sabrina decided this year that she hates pumpkin patches. She was in a great mood leading up to arriving there and was fine as soon as we left, but she thought the whole thing was kind of scary this year. We captured a few funny shots of just how grumpy she was that day, but unfortunately none as perfect as we got last year with her overalls and pig tails. At least she loved the squash, apples, corn and sweet potatoes that we bought there.
Earlier this week we were blanketed with 6-8 inches of heavy fall snow in Boulder. We kept Sabrina home a little late that morning so we could all go play in the snow. She needs better mittens for snow man making, but other than that, we had a lot of fun. She really wanted to help Daddy shovel the walk too, so since I'm going to be no help with shoveling this year, the bigger I get, we might just have to get her a little shovel so she can help out.
Sabrina's Great Aunt Deed was key to our Halloween plan when we couldn't find a plain, nude pair of toddler PJs for her Sumo Wrestler costume. In a last minute sewing whirl, she made the perfect costume for Sabrina. All that was left for us to do was give her a sumo diaper made of electrical tape and put her hair in a top knot. To complete the family theme, Brent found an inflatable sumo costume and I wore a silk bathrobe I purchased on our honeymoon in Vietnam and went as their supportive geisha. We went to Brent's office party (with his officemate, Natalie, who had Celia and Della with her...what a treat!), and then to a party at Sabrina's school, The Cottage. We're going to try trick or treating tomorrow evening in our neighborhood. She's got "trick or treat" down pretty well, though we don't think she has any idea what it means yet!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Songs Songs and More Songs
Sabrina is a pro at nursery rhyme medleys these days. Once she gets going, it can be a good 20-30 minutes of constant chatter before she stops to think. She did this on a hike the other day and we had people laughing behind us because they couldn't believe how long she was singing and how many different songs she went through. Favorites include ABCs, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, The Wheels on the Bus (all verses!), Bumble Bee, Tomorrow (from Annie)...and many others! She was in a good performing mood the other morning (while we shot the Big Sister video) and went on a tear with some of her favorite songs. Here are a couple of clips of her funny, hyper-speed singing style. Sometimes she gets going so fast she drops words. I wonder where she gets her fast talking from? hmmm...
Big Sister!
Sabrina is going to be a big sister in April! Brent and I are excited to announce our newest family member, due to the world around April 22, 2012. I am happily into my second trimester this week and relieved to have heard a good, strong heartbeat today around 150 beats per minute. We still can't imagine another human being ending up quite as cute as Sabrina, but we can't wait to meet this little person (affectionately known as "Gnocchi" thus far) and to see what the next Little Halsey brings to the world.
As you can see in the video, Sabrina "kind of" gets it. She says that it's going to be a boy "Little Brudder" and then a girl "Little Shister" and then she says "I'm a boy" these days...so...who knows, really? Gender to be revealed in April!
We can't wait to continue the adventures!
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Happy (cold!) Birthday to Molly
We have been having such a beautiful fall here in Colorado that we thought of a perfect birthday plan - a train ride in the mountains! So a week before my birthday, we bought tickets for the Historic Georgetown train. Both Sabrina and Celia love trains, the weather has been gorgeous, so why not? Well...we woke up the morning of the 8th to snow flurries in Boulder and freezing temperatures. Oh well, we bought tickets, let's go for it. Then as we got near Georgetown, trucks started pulling off the highway to put their chains on...hmmm...and by the time we got there, there was about 6 inches of snow on the ground, blowing wind, and it was 28 degrees. ZOIKS! Thankfully we were mostly prepared with extra clothes, hats, gloves, and blankets for all of us so we weathered the storm and went for the ride. Natalie, Erin, Celia and Della get maximum credit for being such great sports! We had very little complaining and lots of laughing. You can't go wrong with that. If the girls happen to remember this day, they'll certainly have some strong words for their crazy parents, but we all survived to tell the tale! And we got some nice photos out of the excursion. What a funny trip!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
2011 Boulder Fall Fest
Poppy and Sabrina made the local paper!
If you go to the story online, there is also a video and Sabrina is the first kid in the video. The music was not our favorite actually (haha...pretty cheesy) but it was a gorgeous day and fun to be down on Pearl St. Here's a link to the article and the video I'm going to see if we can find a copy of the video for posterity. (I'm sure this link is temporary)
Silly but fun!
And I promise that I will catch up on posts soooon! We have a lot going on and it's all good, just never seem to get on the computer anymore!
And I promise that I will catch up on posts soooon! We have a lot going on and it's all good, just never seem to get on the computer anymore!
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Corn Maze with the Baumgartners
The Denver Botanic Gardens puts on a corn maze every year and since Natalie and Kurt are members there, we got to check it out with them this year. It ended up being an extremely hot day so the sale of hot chocolate and cider seemed a bit off, but the rest of it was fun. We got to go on a hay ride too, pulled by 2 Clydesdale horses.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
I looking for tigers!
One of my favorite stories about Sabrina in the past few months was during a beautiful hike along the Mesa Trail from Eldorado Springs. Sabrina was in the backpack, happily munching on some snacks, and Brent and I were immersed in a long conversation. After awhile of silence from the backpack, I looked back and asked Sabrina what she was doing and here is how the conversation went:
Me: "Sabrina, what are you doing back there?"
Sabrina: "I looking for tigers!"
Me: "Oh yeah? Where are the tigers?"
Sabrina: "In the gwass" (grass)
Me: "Is there anything else in the grass?"
Sabrina: "And panda bears"
Brent and I laughed and laughed while she proceeded to find giraffes, elephants and other zoo animals in the Boulder Open Space. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any REAL wildlife but it was a great insight into her brain and how she's starting to come up with her own fantasy world. As I said, this was one of my favorite Sabrina moments in a long time!
Me: "Sabrina, what are you doing back there?"
Sabrina: "I looking for tigers!"
Me: "Oh yeah? Where are the tigers?"
Sabrina: "In the gwass" (grass)
Me: "Is there anything else in the grass?"
Sabrina: "And panda bears"
Brent and I laughed and laughed while she proceeded to find giraffes, elephants and other zoo animals in the Boulder Open Space. Thankfully, we didn't encounter any REAL wildlife but it was a great insight into her brain and how she's starting to come up with her own fantasy world. As I said, this was one of my favorite Sabrina moments in a long time!
Saturday, August 27, 2011
More Photos from the weekend
Here are some catch-up photos from our weekend in Breckenridge watching the cycling race.
USA Pro Cycling Challenge Breckenridge
We came up to the condo this weekend to watch the first USA Pro Cycling Challenge as it rolled through Breckenridge. The fifth stage today started in steamboat springs and finished in breckenridge. It was amazing to see some of the best cyclists in the world up close. Many of the competitors in this race competed in the Tour de France about six weeks ago. I have become a major fan over the past few years and it was really fun to see! Here is a video of the front peloton flying around the corner.
Sabrina had just woken up from a nap when we whisked her out the door to watch the finish of the race so she was a bit stunned by the crowds and the noise, but when she saw he first of many motorcycles, she got really excited. She said "motorcycle just like Poppy's!" and later she said "Lots of motorcycles". I guess that WAS part of it! As you can see there really were a lot of motorcycles zooming past.
Brent has a few more photos on his camera so we might amend this post later with a few other shots of the event. And we also got some pretty photos of our morning hike up Spruce Creek Trail.
The race ends tomorrow in Denver so we are going to try our best to avoid the crowds and traffic and get back home! Great to see so many people up in the mountains but we really hope not to see them on the roads.
Sabrina had just woken up from a nap when we whisked her out the door to watch the finish of the race so she was a bit stunned by the crowds and the noise, but when she saw he first of many motorcycles, she got really excited. She said "motorcycle just like Poppy's!" and later she said "Lots of motorcycles". I guess that WAS part of it! As you can see there really were a lot of motorcycles zooming past.
Brent has a few more photos on his camera so we might amend this post later with a few other shots of the event. And we also got some pretty photos of our morning hike up Spruce Creek Trail.
The race ends tomorrow in Denver so we are going to try our best to avoid the crowds and traffic and get back home! Great to see so many people up in the mountains but we really hope not to see them on the roads.
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Ahh Kaboom!
Just a funny, little video from the other day when Sabrina and I walked in the house with way too many things in our hands, she dropped her water bottle, I said "KABOOM" and she died laughing. Here is the video 10 minutes later when she was still cracking up every time I said "KABOOM"
Monday, August 15, 2011
Marker Craziness!
In mid-August, I went on a fun trip with some friends from Lehigh and here are a few photos that show what happened while I was away. Yikes! I could be judgmental, but then again, here is my own Marker Craziness, circa 1979 or 1980, with Lee Carmichael. I wonder where she gets it! Can't blame Brent for this one! At least she knew how to have fun with it - I've always wondered what I was so scared about in this photo! talk about looking busted, right?
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Monterey, California August 2011
Happy Birthday Brent!
We took advantage of a last-minute work trip that I had to make out to San Francisco in early August and turned it into a mini family vacation to celebrate Brent's birthday. Brent was able to meet up with his cousin, Ben, and his son, Jonas, for a day in the city. We all met up for dinner after Ben's wife, Megan, and I finished working. We went out for a great German dinner and watched Sabrina devour all sorts of German food. The people at other tables were commenting about how much she ate!
That night we drove down to Monterey where we spent the weekend taking the free trolley to the Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, and Cannery Row. We were able to go to the aquarium two days in a row on the same ticket which made for a very nice way to split it up without pushing for too long either day. We also went on a glass bottom boat ride from Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday evening where we saw tons of sea lions and Sabrina got to eat kelp!
Sunday we stopped in Castroville at the Artichoke Cafe which was the funkiest, 70s-style diner we have ever been to, but they had a menu chock full of artichokes. We had them steamed, fried, dipped in ranch dressing (no butter...very disappointing)...every way you could imagine. Sabrina seemed to get the concept of "scraping off" the artichokes by the end of the weekend, but we're pretty sure she just loved the dip. Who can blame her?
We had a great family getaway and really enjoyed spending several days non-stop with Sabrina. She's such a great traveler!
We took advantage of a last-minute work trip that I had to make out to San Francisco in early August and turned it into a mini family vacation to celebrate Brent's birthday. Brent was able to meet up with his cousin, Ben, and his son, Jonas, for a day in the city. We all met up for dinner after Ben's wife, Megan, and I finished working. We went out for a great German dinner and watched Sabrina devour all sorts of German food. The people at other tables were commenting about how much she ate!
That night we drove down to Monterey where we spent the weekend taking the free trolley to the Aquarium, Fisherman's Wharf, and Cannery Row. We were able to go to the aquarium two days in a row on the same ticket which made for a very nice way to split it up without pushing for too long either day. We also went on a glass bottom boat ride from Fisherman's Wharf on Saturday evening where we saw tons of sea lions and Sabrina got to eat kelp!
Sunday we stopped in Castroville at the Artichoke Cafe which was the funkiest, 70s-style diner we have ever been to, but they had a menu chock full of artichokes. We had them steamed, fried, dipped in ranch dressing (no butter...very disappointing)...every way you could imagine. Sabrina seemed to get the concept of "scraping off" the artichokes by the end of the weekend, but we're pretty sure she just loved the dip. Who can blame her?
We had a great family getaway and really enjoyed spending several days non-stop with Sabrina. She's such a great traveler!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Hiking and Carousel Riding
We hiked up above the Moffat Tunnel off the Peak to Peak Highway, then we stopped in Nederland to check out the Carousel of Happiness (the actual name), which is one of Sabrina's favorite places these days. I think we got out with only 3 rides in a row this time, but we've been there for as many as 5 rides in a row before! She loves it. And amazingly, she has gotten really good at remembering from time to time what animals she rode on. We've been having so much fun with her getting remarkably smart, even more verbal, and showing strong preferences for things. She is certainly acting her toddler age! Most of the time it's very sweet and interesting to hear what she comes up with, but there are times when she's starting to push the envelope with us. Getting dressed in the morning is sometimes a challenge - she wants to wear that shirt, no, that shirt, and those pants, no she hates pants. It can be trying, but we're also trying to appreciate what a cool time it is in her life when she's working out her own thoughts and how to express them.
Also, we had a bit of a scare this past week. I was changing her diaper and didn't realize that she had grabbed a dime out of a purse that I let her play with. As she was on the changing table, down it went. I freaked out and started asking her over and over "Did you swallow the dime?" and she kept saying "I swallow it" I called the nurse hotline and they assured me that it can cause problems, but most of the time it just passes. The nurse also laughed as we were talking because she heard Sabrina in the background saying "I swallow it" "I swallowed the dime" and she commented that 1) Sabrina sounded like she was fine and 2) she was really verbal for her age! She even asked me to confirm her birthday. It was funny in the midst of being a stressful phone call. But, after 5 days (longer than we hoped), out came the dime! phew. Pretty gross, but I'm so glad we found it and I really hope we never have to go through that again.
Also, we had a bit of a scare this past week. I was changing her diaper and didn't realize that she had grabbed a dime out of a purse that I let her play with. As she was on the changing table, down it went. I freaked out and started asking her over and over "Did you swallow the dime?" and she kept saying "I swallow it" I called the nurse hotline and they assured me that it can cause problems, but most of the time it just passes. The nurse also laughed as we were talking because she heard Sabrina in the background saying "I swallow it" "I swallowed the dime" and she commented that 1) Sabrina sounded like she was fine and 2) she was really verbal for her age! She even asked me to confirm her birthday. It was funny in the midst of being a stressful phone call. But, after 5 days (longer than we hoped), out came the dime! phew. Pretty gross, but I'm so glad we found it and I really hope we never have to go through that again.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Monday, July 25, 2011
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
We spent a wonderful long weekend in Sturgeon Bay, WI with the Andinos and Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich. The stories from our weekend are contained in the photo captions in the following album.
Monday, July 18, 2011
The Things Sabrina Says...
In the past six weeks or so, Sabrina has become a veritable blabbermouth!! She's now talking in 4-5 word sentences with a few six worders in there. Honestly, we can't keep up with what she is doing these days, it's all changing so fast. Here are a few great Sabrina-isms over the past month or so. I apologize if you've heard most of these already, but I want to record them for posterity!
She was holding Brents cow shot glass, which she loves to drink water from, and unfortunately it slipped and crashed on the floor (for those of you who know about Brents love of cows and everything WI, you can imagine his heartbreak, but we are getting him counseling and heading to WI this weekend to replace the shot glass). Anyway, I told Sabrina that she should say "I'm sorry" to daddy for breaking his shot glass and about five minutes later she said "I'm sorry cow, I broke it!". We laughed so hard that she proceeded to say that about 15 more times. So I'm calling it six words but Brent calls it 2 3-word thoughts. Whatever. It was awesome.
About three weeks ago she saw Brent coming out of the shower and she pointed and said "vagina!". We had to clear that one up quickly and she seemed to understand, but who really knows? Then about a week after that she saw him again and said "elephant!". Brent was completely redeemed and feels so much better about himself. Besides brent feeling like a man, we also thought that was a pretty amazing correlation that she came up with...I mean, what else has a trunk hanging off the body like that? She's a smarty.
That same week, she tooted rather loudly while standing in our room and when we both looked at her, she turned around and said "horsey!" as if blaming it on the imaginary horse behind her. We almost died laughing.
Last week on the way home from daycare, Sabrina was still beaming from FINALLY spending time with nana and poppy after they returned from their Turkish adventures the night before and she said "I want to see nana." So we called her up in the phone to say hi. . Then, while we were talking to nana, poppy walked in their house so Sabrina talked to him for awhile and then said "where did nana go?". It was pretty much a full conversation!
Last Friday I went to daycare to pick her up after not seeing her for three days due to a work trip, and when I got there she was so excited to see me that she ran across the room and barreled into another kid in her class, Bailey, who fell right over. Then she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and shouted "I'm sorry Bailey!!!" before finishing her run to jump into my arms. It was so adorable! The teacher and I just looked at each other and cracked up.
This weekend we spent time in breckenridge with nana and poppy and BerndUwe. We decided that she says BerndUwe better than most other people we know! She nailed it.
On Sunday morning, we were playing in the pool in Breckenridge and she looked at nana and said "Nana, get in the water". We decided that she's rather demanding when she knows what she wants!
She's also saying phrases on a regular basis like "I don't like it" or "I like it" and "I want...". When you ask if she's done eating, she'll say things like "no, I'm still eating". She started telling us to sit "right here" or to do things "right now". She will tell us if she "fell down" or if somebody was "crying" at school that day,
She likes to "drive mama's car" (don't worry, not really), get in her "carseat", say a pretty good rendition of "see you later alligator", she talks to Pongo all the time like "good boy pongo" , "no pongo!", and "this way pongo!" when we are on a hike and he goes the wrong way. She still remembers that she rode a "leopard" on the carousel at the zoo several weeks ago (and that Celia rode the "monkeys...hoohoohooohehehehe") and she is basically incredible to talk to lately. It's like having a little person around who genuinely makes us laugh, laughs at our stupid jokes, and says things we never knew that she could say!
It has also made it much easier to deal with the occasional crying fit because it's typically about something thats upsetting her and she can usually tell us what is wrong, at least give us a clue. One of the funny events like this from the weekend, though traumatizing for her, was when she started screaming and then said "chicken in the eye" and she had, in fact, stuck her huge chicken finger in her eye and, well, it hurt. We are hoping the Darwin effect will avoid that one a second time.
I've got some photos to post of random events over the past few weeks, but I don't have them ready just yet. I'll try to post them before we head up to WI on thursday for a fun weekend with the Halsey clan at a condo in Sturgeon Bay, WI.
She was holding Brents cow shot glass, which she loves to drink water from, and unfortunately it slipped and crashed on the floor (for those of you who know about Brents love of cows and everything WI, you can imagine his heartbreak, but we are getting him counseling and heading to WI this weekend to replace the shot glass). Anyway, I told Sabrina that she should say "I'm sorry" to daddy for breaking his shot glass and about five minutes later she said "I'm sorry cow, I broke it!". We laughed so hard that she proceeded to say that about 15 more times. So I'm calling it six words but Brent calls it 2 3-word thoughts. Whatever. It was awesome.
About three weeks ago she saw Brent coming out of the shower and she pointed and said "vagina!". We had to clear that one up quickly and she seemed to understand, but who really knows? Then about a week after that she saw him again and said "elephant!". Brent was completely redeemed and feels so much better about himself. Besides brent feeling like a man, we also thought that was a pretty amazing correlation that she came up with...I mean, what else has a trunk hanging off the body like that? She's a smarty.
That same week, she tooted rather loudly while standing in our room and when we both looked at her, she turned around and said "horsey!" as if blaming it on the imaginary horse behind her. We almost died laughing.
Last week on the way home from daycare, Sabrina was still beaming from FINALLY spending time with nana and poppy after they returned from their Turkish adventures the night before and she said "I want to see nana." So we called her up in the phone to say hi. . Then, while we were talking to nana, poppy walked in their house so Sabrina talked to him for awhile and then said "where did nana go?". It was pretty much a full conversation!
Last Friday I went to daycare to pick her up after not seeing her for three days due to a work trip, and when I got there she was so excited to see me that she ran across the room and barreled into another kid in her class, Bailey, who fell right over. Then she stopped dead in her tracks, turned around and shouted "I'm sorry Bailey!!!" before finishing her run to jump into my arms. It was so adorable! The teacher and I just looked at each other and cracked up.
This weekend we spent time in breckenridge with nana and poppy and BerndUwe. We decided that she says BerndUwe better than most other people we know! She nailed it.
On Sunday morning, we were playing in the pool in Breckenridge and she looked at nana and said "Nana, get in the water". We decided that she's rather demanding when she knows what she wants!
She's also saying phrases on a regular basis like "I don't like it" or "I like it" and "I want...". When you ask if she's done eating, she'll say things like "no, I'm still eating". She started telling us to sit "right here" or to do things "right now". She will tell us if she "fell down" or if somebody was "crying" at school that day,
She likes to "drive mama's car" (don't worry, not really), get in her "carseat", say a pretty good rendition of "see you later alligator", she talks to Pongo all the time like "good boy pongo" , "no pongo!", and "this way pongo!" when we are on a hike and he goes the wrong way. She still remembers that she rode a "leopard" on the carousel at the zoo several weeks ago (and that Celia rode the "monkeys...hoohoohooohehehehe") and she is basically incredible to talk to lately. It's like having a little person around who genuinely makes us laugh, laughs at our stupid jokes, and says things we never knew that she could say!
It has also made it much easier to deal with the occasional crying fit because it's typically about something thats upsetting her and she can usually tell us what is wrong, at least give us a clue. One of the funny events like this from the weekend, though traumatizing for her, was when she started screaming and then said "chicken in the eye" and she had, in fact, stuck her huge chicken finger in her eye and, well, it hurt. We are hoping the Darwin effect will avoid that one a second time.
I've got some photos to post of random events over the past few weeks, but I don't have them ready just yet. I'll try to post them before we head up to WI on thursday for a fun weekend with the Halsey clan at a condo in Sturgeon Bay, WI.
First (real) Hair Cut
In July we finally decided Sabrina was ready for her first hair cut (by somebody other than her obviously UNtalented mother...at least in the hair department!) We went to Brent's "lady" (who he has been seeing for over ten years now! I know...) and she was great with Sabrina. Sabrina pretty much hated the entire thing, though, and we ended up resorting to that terrible parenting trick of bribery by candy. Jen, the stylist, had some strawberries & creme lifesavers and Sabrina fell for it completely. Here are some pretty bad phone shots of the event. And, since I'm posting this in mid-October, it's time for another haircut. Oh joy!
Monday, July 4, 2011
4th of July and Skiing (really!)
(catch up post!)
We spent a great 4th of July weekend up in Breckenridge with the Baumgartners. Brent and Kurt actually skied on July 3rd! A record, for sure. Check out the photos of the "kind of" snow. They sure had fun.
The next day we went on a fun Fourth of July hike outside of Breckenridge with Kurt, Cecilia, and Uncle Adam. Natalie stayed home with Delaney and clearly fed her very well. Check out the milk coma photo!
The girls discovered "knucks" (giving each other knuckles) on the hike and kept doing it to each other from backpack-to-backpack. It was hysterical. They were a really cute pair to cart around.
Natalie's brother, Adam, kept us all entertained all weekend with his music and Sabrina still talks about Adam each time she sees a guitar. She was a huge fan.
We enjoyed the fireworks at the Riverwalk Center where we got married (always fun for me and Brent) and the girls were great. Celia was excited that they were "loud" just like I told her they would be and Sabrina just kept asking for "mo fire, mo fire" in between sets. They loved it. Della slept soundly through the entire thing.
We're really enjoying our Fourth of July tradition in Breckenridge with the Baumgartners!
We spent a great 4th of July weekend up in Breckenridge with the Baumgartners. Brent and Kurt actually skied on July 3rd! A record, for sure. Check out the photos of the "kind of" snow. They sure had fun.
The next day we went on a fun Fourth of July hike outside of Breckenridge with Kurt, Cecilia, and Uncle Adam. Natalie stayed home with Delaney and clearly fed her very well. Check out the milk coma photo!
The girls discovered "knucks" (giving each other knuckles) on the hike and kept doing it to each other from backpack-to-backpack. It was hysterical. They were a really cute pair to cart around.
Natalie's brother, Adam, kept us all entertained all weekend with his music and Sabrina still talks about Adam each time she sees a guitar. She was a huge fan.
We enjoyed the fireworks at the Riverwalk Center where we got married (always fun for me and Brent) and the girls were great. Celia was excited that they were "loud" just like I told her they would be and Sabrina just kept asking for "mo fire, mo fire" in between sets. They loved it. Della slept soundly through the entire thing.
We're really enjoying our Fourth of July tradition in Breckenridge with the Baumgartners!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Party with the Carmichaels
(catch up post!)
We spent a great night at the Carmichaels' new property where they are building their new house. Lucas, Lizzy, Liam and Logan were here and we had quite the crew!
Sabrina enjoyed (we think) her first s'more and boy did all of our clothes pay for it. What a mess!
Sorry the group photo turned out so poorly, but I'm glad we captured everybody anyway!
We spent a great night at the Carmichaels' new property where they are building their new house. Lucas, Lizzy, Liam and Logan were here and we had quite the crew!
Sabrina enjoyed (we think) her first s'more and boy did all of our clothes pay for it. What a mess!
Sorry the group photo turned out so poorly, but I'm glad we captured everybody anyway!
A plea for cheese curds
I brought home some cheese curds from my Frontier flight, and now Sabrina's hooked. She's been asking for them all morning. Time to get back to the Homeland!
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Denver Zoo with the Baumgartners
(catch up post!)
We spent a great day at the Denver Zoo with the Baumgartners awhile ago and here are a few shots of the girls' favorite part, the carousel. Sabrina still talks about how she went "round and round and up and down" on a "leopard" and Celia went on the "monkeys."
Sorry for the lack of captions!
We spent a great day at the Denver Zoo with the Baumgartners awhile ago and here are a few shots of the girls' favorite part, the carousel. Sabrina still talks about how she went "round and round and up and down" on a "leopard" and Celia went on the "monkeys."
Sorry for the lack of captions!
Monday, June 20, 2011
NOTA 40th Annual
June 17-19th was the 40th Annual of the None of the Above Ranch (no, it's NOTA Ranch) and we brought it in with a frenzy. We gathered in Northern California to celebrate with about 50 people who are all connected to the Ranch in various ways. There were ranchers (new and original), their kids, their grandkids, their husbands & wives (new and original), caretakers who have become part of the place, new friends, old friends, old traditions, a new old house, wonderful food, and great music. We walked, we talked, we danced, we sang, we laughed, and laughed, and swam and swung (?), and then did it all again the next day.
Sabrina's first trip to the Ranch (outside the womb, at least) was a complete success. We couldn't have asked for a better sport! She slept when she could, she stayed up until all hours of the night without complaint (except once...which was loud!), she slept in a tent, she laughed at us playing volleyball, she hiked in the backpack, she walked in the tall grass, she charmed the crowds. She also had an amazing group of girls who took such great care of her all weekend. Maddie, Bronwyn (BoBo), Sophia, and Claudette were sweet, caring, fun, and conscientious of her - it made for a great, relaxing weekend for me and Brent! Between her "ladies in waiting" and Nana and Poppy, we barely saw her! She has been catching up on sleep ever since we got home a week ago, but it was well worth it.
Here are some photos of the fun.
Sabrina's first trip to the Ranch (outside the womb, at least) was a complete success. We couldn't have asked for a better sport! She slept when she could, she stayed up until all hours of the night without complaint (except once...which was loud!), she slept in a tent, she laughed at us playing volleyball, she hiked in the backpack, she walked in the tall grass, she charmed the crowds. She also had an amazing group of girls who took such great care of her all weekend. Maddie, Bronwyn (BoBo), Sophia, and Claudette were sweet, caring, fun, and conscientious of her - it made for a great, relaxing weekend for me and Brent! Between her "ladies in waiting" and Nana and Poppy, we barely saw her! She has been catching up on sleep ever since we got home a week ago, but it was well worth it.
Here are some photos of the fun.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Burley and other happenings
The Burley has officially become Sabrina's favorite mode of transportation. She walks out the front door, runs to the garage and stands in front of it saying "Burley" and pointing to the door. She then squeals and stamps her feet in ecitement when we pull it. She often says it twice too, and it sounds like she's singing the song "booly booly, booly booly, booly booly" i hope that translated because it's pretty funny and I've had that song stuck in my head for about two weeks now. She also beeps like a large construction truck when we back it up which Brent is very proud about. It's pretty hysterical. Beep beep beep. She says it very seriously too, like she's helping us get it out of the garage.
We had an absolutely great memorial day weekend with a visit from Lexy and her parents, Kristi and Andy, numerous bbqs, a wedding for Sabrina's babysitter, Hannah, an impromptu party at Nana and Poppy's with our friends, Charlie, and his parents, Kathryn and Rob, another impromptu party at Nana and Poppy's to celebrate the new Adoption Option baby they picked up (#47), the Boulder Creek Festival, and then a mellow family hike and quiet day at home on Monday. A little bit of everything. It was exhausting, relaxing, and really fun. Sabrina impressed us all with her great mood all weekend (except once when she couldn't go in the Burley and Boy, did we hear about it!) and her ability to party with Celia until almost ten o'clock two nights in a row! They have so much fun together these days, we can hardly compete when Celia is around!! I think Sabrina has been a great buddy to Celia too when her world has been pretty turned around with the addition of her baby sister, Delaney (Della). She has handled it like a champ, but it's great to see her have a good friend like Sabrina to play with day after day. Della is cute, but she's still a little dull if you're two! We have fallen head over heels in love with Della ourselves and it's probably good for Sabrina to have Celia at the same time! I can't keep my hands off that little baby, she's such a sweetheart.
Here are some photos from the weekend.
Sabrina's best words these days are Burley (of course), airplane, motorcycle (very adorable how she says it), and applesauce (said very emphatically). She is still progressing on two and three word phrases and it's getting easier and easier to have a conversation with her. I noticed that today while taking a walk and she really does answer correctly which always surprises me. She's definitely paying attention!!
In other news, I got an iPad for Mother's Day and this is my inaugural iPad posting! I hope it comes across ok! If anybody wants to FaceTime or Skype with me, let me know! Sabrina is starting to get it too. I called her from upstairs yesterday as she was eating breakfast and she just squealed "mama" when she saw me on Brent's computer. wow - it's amazing how different her understanding of technology will be than ours! It's a good thing she has a tech nerd for a papa (and I mean that in the best of ways). I can't believe it's June and our baby is nearly a year and a half old. Time sure does fly when you're having fun!
We had an absolutely great memorial day weekend with a visit from Lexy and her parents, Kristi and Andy, numerous bbqs, a wedding for Sabrina's babysitter, Hannah, an impromptu party at Nana and Poppy's with our friends, Charlie, and his parents, Kathryn and Rob, another impromptu party at Nana and Poppy's to celebrate the new Adoption Option baby they picked up (#47), the Boulder Creek Festival, and then a mellow family hike and quiet day at home on Monday. A little bit of everything. It was exhausting, relaxing, and really fun. Sabrina impressed us all with her great mood all weekend (except once when she couldn't go in the Burley and Boy, did we hear about it!) and her ability to party with Celia until almost ten o'clock two nights in a row! They have so much fun together these days, we can hardly compete when Celia is around!! I think Sabrina has been a great buddy to Celia too when her world has been pretty turned around with the addition of her baby sister, Delaney (Della). She has handled it like a champ, but it's great to see her have a good friend like Sabrina to play with day after day. Della is cute, but she's still a little dull if you're two! We have fallen head over heels in love with Della ourselves and it's probably good for Sabrina to have Celia at the same time! I can't keep my hands off that little baby, she's such a sweetheart.
Here are some photos from the weekend.
Sabrina's best words these days are Burley (of course), airplane, motorcycle (very adorable how she says it), and applesauce (said very emphatically). She is still progressing on two and three word phrases and it's getting easier and easier to have a conversation with her. I noticed that today while taking a walk and she really does answer correctly which always surprises me. She's definitely paying attention!!
In other news, I got an iPad for Mother's Day and this is my inaugural iPad posting! I hope it comes across ok! If anybody wants to FaceTime or Skype with me, let me know! Sabrina is starting to get it too. I called her from upstairs yesterday as she was eating breakfast and she just squealed "mama" when she saw me on Brent's computer. wow - it's amazing how different her understanding of technology will be than ours! It's a good thing she has a tech nerd for a papa (and I mean that in the best of ways). I can't believe it's June and our baby is nearly a year and a half old. Time sure does fly when you're having fun!
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Psyche!!!
Sabrina is learning great new words these days, like "Psyche" when she tries to give you something and then takes it back.
Sunday, May 1, 2011
Videos from April
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Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Happy Easter!
While the weather didn't exactly cooperate for our Easter weekend with
Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich, we had a wonderful weekend. Brent and
Sabrina played hooky on Friday and spent the day eating pizza in Denver and visiting the Denver Zoo. Sabrina has figured out zebras lately and she saw them right away by the entrance and then thought all other animals should be called "zebra" for the rest of the day. However, she did know the names of a lot of the animals. Maybe all those repetitive book readings are starting to pay off. She can even do a really cute arm motion when she describes what an elephant says that includes a hand motion. You can see it in one of the pictures. She makes her arm the trunk and makes a funny elephant noise. Brent gets credit for teaching her that one.
On Saturday I went to a blessingway celebration for Natalie & Kurt's new baby (who is due on May 15th) while Sabrina, Brent, Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich hunkered down at home while the untimely snow melted outside. Sabrina showed off her cooking skills and taught Grandma Gail how to dance to her music machine.
Then we went down to the Butterfly Pavilion in Westminster. There are a lot of pictures from there because we finally remembered to bring the good Nikon camera with us and we managed to capture one of my favorite photos of Sabrina ever. It's the first close-up of her. What a looker!
Easter morning was a blast and started with her first easter basket in her crib (we're not sure she actually noticed it, but it was fun to sneak in and put it in there), then we "practiced" egg hunting in our living room before heading over to Nana and Poppy's for the big hunt. Natalie, Kurt, Celia and BB2 (on board) joined us, along with Brent's cousin Tom. We enjoyed the best ever eggs benedict thanks to Nana and had multiple egg hunts for the girls, long wheel barrow rides with Poppy, and really fun blanket tossing with Uncle Kurt and Poppy. The girls even did a good job of sharing the blanket: "Celia turn" then "Brina turn" then "Celia turn" then "Brina turn"...pretty cute.
We finished off the weekend with a sushi dinner at Hapa on Pearl St. and Sabrina ate a full sushi roll! It didn't have raw fish, but it was rice and seaweed and she took it down without a problem. Then she made friends with the frog statue at the Boulder Book Store so we had several visits there during dinner (see photo). Man, she's hard to keep up with these days!! She keeps us on our toes. It was great to have 2 extra sets of hands around this weekend and I think there was a moment when Brent and I were actually sitting at the table, at a restaurant, at the SAME TIME. what a treat! Thanks Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich!
Sabrina did great with her names this weekend and we think she might end up calling Grandpa "G-Pa" - thankfully he seems ok with that. She got pretty good with Grandma too! She's asked for them both several times since they left early Monday and we know she can't wait to see them again soon. Thanks for the fun trip Grandma and G Pa!
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Two-word phrases!
I almost forgot one of my favorite milestones from the weekend - Sabrina has figured out two-word phrases! It started with "Bye Bye Daddy" as we drove away from the house and by the end of the weekend we'd heard "bye bye doggy" "hi Celia" "bye bye Celia" "hi Celia"...ok you get the point, she loves Celia...and a few others like "more milk." i even overheard a spot on "I love you" to Brent while he was putting her to bed. We're thinking that was a mimic more than a sentence (since we haven't gotten her to say it again yet) but it was adorable.
She also answers questions pretty accurately these days. She says both "yeah" and "no" and she's usually pretty logical and correct in what we're asking. She has a boy in her class at school that says yes to absolutely everything and she does that when she's tired, but most of the time she really means what she answers. It's nice when it comes to meal times and she can actually let us know what she wants or doesn't want. Of course...she's one, so there are times when she's completely illogical, tired, fussy, and irrational, but we're able to communicate with her more and more these days. Bring on the sentences!! (I know, I'm going to regret that..)
She also answers questions pretty accurately these days. She says both "yeah" and "no" and she's usually pretty logical and correct in what we're asking. She has a boy in her class at school that says yes to absolutely everything and she does that when she's tired, but most of the time she really means what she answers. It's nice when it comes to meal times and she can actually let us know what she wants or doesn't want. Of course...she's one, so there are times when she's completely illogical, tired, fussy, and irrational, but we're able to communicate with her more and more these days. Bring on the sentences!! (I know, I'm going to regret that..)
Friend Filled Weekend
This weekend we spent a lot of time with friends. On Saturday afternoon we got to see Sabrina's buddy Triana just before her 1st Birthday, which is today. Triana is my friend Alicia's daughter and you can see what a cutie she is these days in the photos that Alicia took. I was glad Alicia took pictures and shared them since we've fallen down on the job of taking good pictures of Sabrina lately. Oops. She just moves a little too much for that! We spent time out on their newly completed back deck and in the yard enjoying the sunshine. Since they live very close to the airport in Longmont, planes were flying overhead the whole time and Sabrina has mastered "airplane" and is pretty good at hearing them and then pointing to them in the sky. A few times she did an adorable crouch down and hold up her finger by her face like she wanted us to be quiet so she could listen for the next "aaarplane."
We also spent a lot of time with Aunt Nat and Celia (which Sabrina says almost perfectly now...and often!) as Brent was continuing work on the deck and Kurt was out of town on business. We spent about 2-3 hours at the Farmer's Market on Saturday on a beautiful spring day in boulder. We had a picnic in the shade while Sabrina took a catnap, Celia (and eventually Sabrina) played in the dirt with shovels and buckets, and Natalie and I finally had a long-overdue chance to catch up. Saturday night we saw our friends Lea and Justin, along with Nat and Celia. Celia and Sabrina pulled off their all-time cutest night together and ran around the restaurant probably 45 times, cracking up at each other as they chased each other around, and calling out each others' names over and over. Thankfully the rest of the diners were understanding..and most were laughing as much as we were! Sabrina proceeded to sleep like a rock for over 12 hours. We're thinking of hiring Celia on a retainer for 1 hour just before bed every night. It was adorable and a wonderful, fun night with friends.
Sunday morning we took the girls to the pool, where Celia showed off her fantastic swimming skills and Sabrina got a little more comfortable in the water. We're thinking that swim lessons might be good to do again just to get her more comfy in the water since she seemed to love it when we did lessons last summer. She did very well overall, but had a few clingy moments when the (very crowded) pool got loud or crazy. It was packed and chaotic so I didn't blame her. But watching Celia jump off the wall, dunk her head, and come up smiling was pretty great to see. We'll get there!
We rounded out the weekend by having dinner Sunday night with my second cousin (we think) Abbie and her 8-week old son, Knut (pronounced ka-newt). He is a little doll with beautiful eyes and a cute smile, especially when he hears his mom's voice. We had a nice, though hectic, dinner at the Southern Sun and we're slowly acknowledging that dinners out are just not the same when all Sabrina wants to do is go "OUTSIDE." We each take turns constantly running after her (which she loves) and having half-conversations. But we know it's a phase and there are a lot worse things that she could be addicted to than being outside. We love our little Boulderite.
She's got quite a personality lately (which Ashley got to hear first hand on the phone the other night). Ooh boy does she get mad at the drop of a hat these days! But she recovers just as quickly so it's just a matter of riding out the frequent but short bouts of tears.
Finally, our latest update is that for three nights in a row now (we're not counting our chickens before they hatch...but...) Sabrina has gone to bed without a bottle! It used to be part of our nighttime routine but the doctor cautioned us against it since it's bad for her teeth. So we now brush her teeth, read books, and just put her in bed and she falls asleep. I guess she was more ready for it than we were! I'm sure we'll have some relapses, but now at least we know she doesn't need it. It feels like progress...for now.
We're looking forward to Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich coming to visit on Friday for Easter weekend! We'll post more during or after their trip. Happy Easter to all!
We also spent a lot of time with Aunt Nat and Celia (which Sabrina says almost perfectly now...and often!) as Brent was continuing work on the deck and Kurt was out of town on business. We spent about 2-3 hours at the Farmer's Market on Saturday on a beautiful spring day in boulder. We had a picnic in the shade while Sabrina took a catnap, Celia (and eventually Sabrina) played in the dirt with shovels and buckets, and Natalie and I finally had a long-overdue chance to catch up. Saturday night we saw our friends Lea and Justin, along with Nat and Celia. Celia and Sabrina pulled off their all-time cutest night together and ran around the restaurant probably 45 times, cracking up at each other as they chased each other around, and calling out each others' names over and over. Thankfully the rest of the diners were understanding..and most were laughing as much as we were! Sabrina proceeded to sleep like a rock for over 12 hours. We're thinking of hiring Celia on a retainer for 1 hour just before bed every night. It was adorable and a wonderful, fun night with friends.
Sunday morning we took the girls to the pool, where Celia showed off her fantastic swimming skills and Sabrina got a little more comfortable in the water. We're thinking that swim lessons might be good to do again just to get her more comfy in the water since she seemed to love it when we did lessons last summer. She did very well overall, but had a few clingy moments when the (very crowded) pool got loud or crazy. It was packed and chaotic so I didn't blame her. But watching Celia jump off the wall, dunk her head, and come up smiling was pretty great to see. We'll get there!
We rounded out the weekend by having dinner Sunday night with my second cousin (we think) Abbie and her 8-week old son, Knut (pronounced ka-newt). He is a little doll with beautiful eyes and a cute smile, especially when he hears his mom's voice. We had a nice, though hectic, dinner at the Southern Sun and we're slowly acknowledging that dinners out are just not the same when all Sabrina wants to do is go "OUTSIDE." We each take turns constantly running after her (which she loves) and having half-conversations. But we know it's a phase and there are a lot worse things that she could be addicted to than being outside. We love our little Boulderite.
She's got quite a personality lately (which Ashley got to hear first hand on the phone the other night). Ooh boy does she get mad at the drop of a hat these days! But she recovers just as quickly so it's just a matter of riding out the frequent but short bouts of tears.
Finally, our latest update is that for three nights in a row now (we're not counting our chickens before they hatch...but...) Sabrina has gone to bed without a bottle! It used to be part of our nighttime routine but the doctor cautioned us against it since it's bad for her teeth. So we now brush her teeth, read books, and just put her in bed and she falls asleep. I guess she was more ready for it than we were! I'm sure we'll have some relapses, but now at least we know she doesn't need it. It feels like progress...for now.
We're looking forward to Grandma Gail and Grandpa Rich coming to visit on Friday for Easter weekend! We'll post more during or after their trip. Happy Easter to all!
Saturday, April 9, 2011
March & April Activities and Events
We have had an action packed month with tons of birthday celebrations, fun milestones with Sabrina, and another great doctor's appt (except for those pesky shots). Erica kicked off the birthday celebrations on March 27th and in honor of that we finally got our Family Wall built on the refrigerator and she loves it.
The first morning it was up, she just stared at everybody for several minutes as we pointed to each person and told her who they were. We worked hard on Erica for the weekend in anticipation of a solid "Happy Birthday Erica" but we ended up with a few good "Erica's" and a rushed, but sincere "Hap thday" (or something like that...it's a little short on syllables). Then the 29th brought Poppy's birthday and she certainly has "Poppy" all figured out. She says his name over and over and over. To be honest, as soon as she got "happy birthday" and "poppy" related in her mind, it's been hard to break her of it. It was rough for Celia and Grandma Gail who came on April 5th & 6th and each time we said Happy Birthday, all Sabrina could say was "Poppy!" We've decided that he's a Toddler Whisperer. They simply love him. Celia talks about him randomly during the week as well. Funny stuff. But I will say that the Family Wall on the fridge is working well and she can pretty consistently recognize and say Ashley, Erica, Poppy, Nana, Josh, Grandma (Gail), and Grandpa (sounds like Papa) (Rich). She's learning the rest too!
Here are a few pictures of Celia's 2nd birthday party at Nana and Poppy's. Notice Sabrina's curious little eyes viewing that present...
After many birthday celebrations, we've found that Sabrina only slightly likes sweets, but we don't push that too hard. I'm sure that time will come. Truthfully she'd rather eat peas most of the time. She's gotten really into chicken nuggets lately and can eat them like a pro with her fork. In the past 4-6 weeks she's completely mastered eating with a fork. (see video...in which she also randomly ate about 6 sushi rolls...complete with the seaweed on the outside!) Sometimes we wonder if she likes what she's eating, or is mostly infatuated with eating with a fork.
She's getting better with spoons as well, but those are tricky devils sometimes. Things fall off! Not cool. Overall she's doing very well with her eating lately. She still goes through "fruitatarian" stages now and then and only wants melons, grapes, or strawberries, but other times she'll surprise us with chowing down on quinoa, cous cous, pasta (a favorite word), fried eggs, vegetables (she loves grilled carrots), and yogurt. We're sticking with goat's milk and yogurt and she seems to be doing so much better. The phlegm issues we were having are much improved - very little coughing and sneezing these days. Yay! She made it through a pretty tough cold and flu season this late winter and we even got good marks from the doctor for not bringing her in from December through March. And a daycare kid too!
Speaking of the doctor, we took Sabrina in a few weeks ago for her 15 month appt. and she got great marks, yet again. First and foremost, they couldn't believe her verbal skills. In fact, when the doctor came in she thought the nurse had put her on the wrong height/weight chart because Sabrina was reading a book with me and identifying all the animals by name and their sounds. The doctor thought she must be at least 18 months! Looking at the correct growth chart though, Sabrina fell into the 25% percentile for both height and weight and 50% percentile for her big head. She weighs 21 lbs., 2 oz., is 29 3/4" tall, and her big noggin is 18" around. She's not putting words together into sentences yet, but she's certainly got a ton of words. They said her vocabulary is about that of a 2 year old, but putting words together into sentences is the next big step we should watch for. I've started noticing a few things like "what's that?" and "that mine", but I'm not calling those sentences yet. We're certainly shocked at the things that she points out each day though. It's amazing to see her little brain developing so rapidly.
Spring has definitely sprung here in Colorado and while we've gotten a few spring ski days in, we're moving into "outside" mode (Sabrina's all time favorite word) and we spend most of our time at home trying to find things to play with outside. One thing we noticed right away is the 3' drop off just to the left of the door when you walk out to our back deck. Between Sabrina's little legs and Pongo's desire to run out the door right on top of her, it makes for a dicey place to have a large drop off. Brent has spent time over 2 weeks and built her a wonderful railing. Now we don't feel quite as nervous about letting her walk out the back door. Of course there's nothing else she can get in to outside, right?
The first morning it was up, she just stared at everybody for several minutes as we pointed to each person and told her who they were. We worked hard on Erica for the weekend in anticipation of a solid "Happy Birthday Erica" but we ended up with a few good "Erica's" and a rushed, but sincere "Hap thday" (or something like that...it's a little short on syllables). Then the 29th brought Poppy's birthday and she certainly has "Poppy" all figured out. She says his name over and over and over. To be honest, as soon as she got "happy birthday" and "poppy" related in her mind, it's been hard to break her of it. It was rough for Celia and Grandma Gail who came on April 5th & 6th and each time we said Happy Birthday, all Sabrina could say was "Poppy!" We've decided that he's a Toddler Whisperer. They simply love him. Celia talks about him randomly during the week as well. Funny stuff. But I will say that the Family Wall on the fridge is working well and she can pretty consistently recognize and say Ashley, Erica, Poppy, Nana, Josh, Grandma (Gail), and Grandpa (sounds like Papa) (Rich). She's learning the rest too!
Here are a few pictures of Celia's 2nd birthday party at Nana and Poppy's. Notice Sabrina's curious little eyes viewing that present...
After many birthday celebrations, we've found that Sabrina only slightly likes sweets, but we don't push that too hard. I'm sure that time will come. Truthfully she'd rather eat peas most of the time. She's gotten really into chicken nuggets lately and can eat them like a pro with her fork. In the past 4-6 weeks she's completely mastered eating with a fork. (see video...in which she also randomly ate about 6 sushi rolls...complete with the seaweed on the outside!) Sometimes we wonder if she likes what she's eating, or is mostly infatuated with eating with a fork.
She's getting better with spoons as well, but those are tricky devils sometimes. Things fall off! Not cool. Overall she's doing very well with her eating lately. She still goes through "fruitatarian" stages now and then and only wants melons, grapes, or strawberries, but other times she'll surprise us with chowing down on quinoa, cous cous, pasta (a favorite word), fried eggs, vegetables (she loves grilled carrots), and yogurt. We're sticking with goat's milk and yogurt and she seems to be doing so much better. The phlegm issues we were having are much improved - very little coughing and sneezing these days. Yay! She made it through a pretty tough cold and flu season this late winter and we even got good marks from the doctor for not bringing her in from December through March. And a daycare kid too!
Speaking of the doctor, we took Sabrina in a few weeks ago for her 15 month appt. and she got great marks, yet again. First and foremost, they couldn't believe her verbal skills. In fact, when the doctor came in she thought the nurse had put her on the wrong height/weight chart because Sabrina was reading a book with me and identifying all the animals by name and their sounds. The doctor thought she must be at least 18 months! Looking at the correct growth chart though, Sabrina fell into the 25% percentile for both height and weight and 50% percentile for her big head. She weighs 21 lbs., 2 oz., is 29 3/4" tall, and her big noggin is 18" around. She's not putting words together into sentences yet, but she's certainly got a ton of words. They said her vocabulary is about that of a 2 year old, but putting words together into sentences is the next big step we should watch for. I've started noticing a few things like "what's that?" and "that mine", but I'm not calling those sentences yet. We're certainly shocked at the things that she points out each day though. It's amazing to see her little brain developing so rapidly.
Spring has definitely sprung here in Colorado and while we've gotten a few spring ski days in, we're moving into "outside" mode (Sabrina's all time favorite word) and we spend most of our time at home trying to find things to play with outside. One thing we noticed right away is the 3' drop off just to the left of the door when you walk out to our back deck. Between Sabrina's little legs and Pongo's desire to run out the door right on top of her, it makes for a dicey place to have a large drop off. Brent has spent time over 2 weeks and built her a wonderful railing. Now we don't feel quite as nervous about letting her walk out the back door. Of course there's nothing else she can get in to outside, right?
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Bath Time Video
Here is Sabrina in the bathtub tonight being cute.
(enjoy the end when Pongo comes in to say hi!)
(enjoy the end when Pongo comes in to say hi!)
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Missing Daddy for a week
Sabrina and I are braving the tough, 70-degree weather here in Boulder for an entire week without Brent. At least it's a lot better than when it was negative 10 outside, like last time! Now he's in Portland in the cloudy, semi-rain, and we are basking in gorgeous Boulder spring sunshine. (though we're jealous that Brent got to see Ash and Dante last night and we didn't...boo) BUT - Sabrina looked at a picture on the fridge tonight and after Mom/Nana told her who is was, she repeated "Ashley" several times! She's really starting to recognize people - it's amazing. I'm going to put up pictures of the fam on the fridge for her, down low where she can see it, and we'll start having daily quizzes. I think that I can find good pictures of all of you. I hope so!
We are handling life ok without Dad so far, but it would sure help if I could kick this cold! I'm getting better each day, but it seems to be lingering. Grrr. At least Sabrina has been very sweet and easy this week which helps a lot!
Here are a few random photos of fun things that we've been up to - most of them involving Nana, who has been helping a lot with daycare pick-ups, play times, etc. Thanks Nana!
Sabrina decided that snow is NOT a prerequisite for sledding. We did about 15 laps around the yard.
Maybe the smell reminded her of Dad? Whatever it was, she loved wearing Brent's helmet around the house the other day.
Figuring out things like clips, zippers, and any type of fastener is a fascination for Sabrina right now.
In true Poppy style, he outfitted a luxurious wheel barrow chariot for Sabrina and they took a tour of the neighborhood, out on the sidewalk. A neighbor almost got her camera out, they were so cute! Sabrina kept saying "Hiiiiii" and then (almost immediately) "Bye bye!!!"
And here was one last tea party with Daddy before he left on Sunday. What a good sport, huh? Sabrina loves her new mini table. She will even walk over to it with a book, sit in the chair and "read" the book, then announce loudly "ALL DONE" and slam it shut. Adorable.
We are having a girls part tomorrow night with Mom/Nana and Natalie and Celia since ALL of our men are out of town. Sheesh...leaving the ladies home with the kiddos, huh guys? Well, we'll try not to have too much fun without you.
I'll try to post a few more photos before Brent gets home on Sunday, but no guarantees. I have so much respect for single parents! A week is plenty for me!
We are handling life ok without Dad so far, but it would sure help if I could kick this cold! I'm getting better each day, but it seems to be lingering. Grrr. At least Sabrina has been very sweet and easy this week which helps a lot!
Here are a few random photos of fun things that we've been up to - most of them involving Nana, who has been helping a lot with daycare pick-ups, play times, etc. Thanks Nana!
Sabrina decided that snow is NOT a prerequisite for sledding. We did about 15 laps around the yard.
Maybe the smell reminded her of Dad? Whatever it was, she loved wearing Brent's helmet around the house the other day.
Figuring out things like clips, zippers, and any type of fastener is a fascination for Sabrina right now.
In true Poppy style, he outfitted a luxurious wheel barrow chariot for Sabrina and they took a tour of the neighborhood, out on the sidewalk. A neighbor almost got her camera out, they were so cute! Sabrina kept saying "Hiiiiii" and then (almost immediately) "Bye bye!!!"
And here was one last tea party with Daddy before he left on Sunday. What a good sport, huh? Sabrina loves her new mini table. She will even walk over to it with a book, sit in the chair and "read" the book, then announce loudly "ALL DONE" and slam it shut. Adorable.
We are having a girls part tomorrow night with Mom/Nana and Natalie and Celia since ALL of our men are out of town. Sheesh...leaving the ladies home with the kiddos, huh guys? Well, we'll try not to have too much fun without you.
I'll try to post a few more photos before Brent gets home on Sunday, but no guarantees. I have so much respect for single parents! A week is plenty for me!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Saturday, March 5, 2011
A visit to Nala and great slides
(Disclamier: CATCH UP POST #2 FOR TONIGHT!)
Here are just a few random shots from a fun day in early March when we went sledding outside of Nederland at Mud Lake (Nala's final resting spot), then stopped at a park with great slides in Boulder.
Here are just a few random shots from a fun day in early March when we went sledding outside of Nederland at Mud Lake (Nala's final resting spot), then stopped at a park with great slides in Boulder.
Friday, February 25, 2011
Portland Trip February 2011
(Disclaimer: CATCH UP POST!)
At the end of February, Ashley and Dante moved from San Francisco to Portland, OR. Sabrina couldn't resist the opportunity to check out a new city, so we flew out for a couple of days right around their move, along with Nana and Poppy, and checked out their new digs. They have found a great spot in a swanky, fun district in Portland and we loved walking around the city. We checked out Powell's Books, the Deschutes Brewery, Voodoo Donuts, and even made a short road trip out to Tillamook on the coast. We didn't make it to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, but we did stop at a cheese shop and petting zoo.
It was great to see where Ash and Dante live so we can picture them in their new home, and getting a few days of full-time Sabrina was great for me too. Too bad for Brent who had to stay and work, while we stayed a block from his company's huge office in Portland and walked by it every day. Then the following week, he went to Portland to work. WHOOPS! could have planned that one better.
Here are a few photos of our beach trip and the petting zoo.
At the end of February, Ashley and Dante moved from San Francisco to Portland, OR. Sabrina couldn't resist the opportunity to check out a new city, so we flew out for a couple of days right around their move, along with Nana and Poppy, and checked out their new digs. They have found a great spot in a swanky, fun district in Portland and we loved walking around the city. We checked out Powell's Books, the Deschutes Brewery, Voodoo Donuts, and even made a short road trip out to Tillamook on the coast. We didn't make it to the Tillamook Cheese Factory, but we did stop at a cheese shop and petting zoo.
It was great to see where Ash and Dante live so we can picture them in their new home, and getting a few days of full-time Sabrina was great for me too. Too bad for Brent who had to stay and work, while we stayed a block from his company's huge office in Portland and walked by it every day. Then the following week, he went to Portland to work. WHOOPS! could have planned that one better.
Here are a few photos of our beach trip and the petting zoo.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Valentine's Day 2011
Despite the colds, the sniffles, the fevers - daycare is sometimes a pretty good thing. Today we were invited to The Cottage School for a Valentine's Day party in Sabrina's room. We had to bring cards for all the other kids in her classroom (9 plus Sabrina) and hand them out to the other kids. All of the kids also made their parents Valentine's Day cards with pictures of them attached. The party itself was a bit of a dud, we have to admit, but we did have a chance to spend some time at her daycare with all the other kids and talk to her teachers, Zoe and Justine, for longer than usual. When it came time to hand out the Valentines, Sabrina showed off her sweet, intelligent self. We would hand her a card and ask her to go give it to Crystal and lo and behold, she would walk across the room and give it to Crystal! She did the same for everybody else in the class...although at times she walked back over and took it away....well, they are still learning all those social skills, right? It was pretty funny. We were impressed that she knew all the kids in the class by name and can follow instructions so well these days. It was also great to see her interacting with all the other kids. She's learning so much!
Her teachers told us how sweet she is and how much she makes them laugh every day. One said that Sabrina's "cute sounds" keeps her smiling all day. It's still great to hear that we have a cute, nice kid.
Not many other parents showed up to the party, and those who did didn't stay long, but it was still nice to put a few names to the faces of the others kids in class. We still miss Lexy, Kristi and Andy a lot but it was good to meet a few new people.
Brent's real motivation for showing up to the party was my story from last week of this adorable little boy, James, who is always there at the end of the day with Sabrina. Well last week, I caught James and Sabrina KISSING each other goodbye! Brent had to meet this kid, and hopefully talk to his father. Well James' parents didn't show up, but we did hear a bit more about the story and it turns out that James kisses everybody...including his first love, Jonathan, whom he smooched on the playground awhile ago. He's just a lover, we guess! At least he's a cutie. I'm ignoring the germ implications of this entire story...lalalalalala....
It was a silly little event, but one that I'm glad we attended. It just feels good to know a bit more about where she is all day and with whom she's spending her days. It's a nice place and she still seems to be doing very well there. She's completely comfortable in her new room and seems to be holding her own with the big kids.
It was also nice to be home from work and daycare early today so Sabrina and I could head down to the park to do some swingin' and slidin' and enjoy the 60+ degree weather in Boulder.
And finally, Brent proved that romance can still exist even with a toddler in the house and he cooked me a wonderful dinner complete with chocolate fondue! What a guy.
Here are some photos of her Valentine's Day loot, our trip to the park, and our yummy dinner.
Happy Valentine's Day to all and thank you for all of her great cards and gifts!
Her teachers told us how sweet she is and how much she makes them laugh every day. One said that Sabrina's "cute sounds" keeps her smiling all day. It's still great to hear that we have a cute, nice kid.
Not many other parents showed up to the party, and those who did didn't stay long, but it was still nice to put a few names to the faces of the others kids in class. We still miss Lexy, Kristi and Andy a lot but it was good to meet a few new people.
Brent's real motivation for showing up to the party was my story from last week of this adorable little boy, James, who is always there at the end of the day with Sabrina. Well last week, I caught James and Sabrina KISSING each other goodbye! Brent had to meet this kid, and hopefully talk to his father. Well James' parents didn't show up, but we did hear a bit more about the story and it turns out that James kisses everybody...including his first love, Jonathan, whom he smooched on the playground awhile ago. He's just a lover, we guess! At least he's a cutie. I'm ignoring the germ implications of this entire story...lalalalalala....
It was a silly little event, but one that I'm glad we attended. It just feels good to know a bit more about where she is all day and with whom she's spending her days. It's a nice place and she still seems to be doing very well there. She's completely comfortable in her new room and seems to be holding her own with the big kids.
It was also nice to be home from work and daycare early today so Sabrina and I could head down to the park to do some swingin' and slidin' and enjoy the 60+ degree weather in Boulder.
And finally, Brent proved that romance can still exist even with a toddler in the house and he cooked me a wonderful dinner complete with chocolate fondue! What a guy.
Here are some photos of her Valentine's Day loot, our trip to the park, and our yummy dinner.
Happy Valentine's Day to all and thank you for all of her great cards and gifts!
Vail Getaway Weekend
Thank you Nana and Poppy for a wonderful Christmas present! We left Sabrina at the condo in Breckenridge with them and Brent and I spent the weekend in Vail. Sabrina was well cared for by Nana and Poppy with the help of Jacob Goodman and his brother Ivan here for a visit. Bri visited on Saturday night as well and loved to have happy competitions with Sabrina. Who can say "happy" more times in a row??
We skied in 40+ degree weather out the back door of our hotel onto a private lift, then got massages in the evening and had a great dinner. The next morning we ate again, skied again then went back to Breckenridge to spend the evening with Nana, Poppy and Sabrina. We took Sabrina sledding up on Boreas Pass and she loved it...well, until I dumped her out onto her face when we were going too fast! Oops! Bad parenting moment. Then we finished out the weekend with a yummy dinner at Michael's and an easy drive home with a deeply sleeping baby in the car. Wonderful weekend!! Thanks again!
We skied in 40+ degree weather out the back door of our hotel onto a private lift, then got massages in the evening and had a great dinner. The next morning we ate again, skied again then went back to Breckenridge to spend the evening with Nana, Poppy and Sabrina. We took Sabrina sledding up on Boreas Pass and she loved it...well, until I dumped her out onto her face when we were going too fast! Oops! Bad parenting moment. Then we finished out the weekend with a yummy dinner at Michael's and an easy drive home with a deeply sleeping baby in the car. Wonderful weekend!! Thanks again!
Friday, February 11, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
"Get Out, Get Out, Get Out"
Tonight as I was driving home from The Cottage School with Sabrina, she did one of her funniest "mimics" yet. She's constantly chatting these days and repeating almost everything that we say (it's almost scary! we have to watch what we say). Usually she'll fixate on a word or phrase and stick with that for a few days, i.e. "ball" for about 2 weeks, then "happy", then "bubble", then "apple" and now "bye bye." It's very sweet.
So I was listening to NPR as we were talking back and forth about seeing "Dada," pointing out her "shoes" on her feet, and touching the "cheeks" on her face and the story turned to Egypt. The commentator described the scene in Tahrir Square tonight when Hosni Mubarak addressed the crowd. Mubarak did not back down, as everybody thought he would, much to the dismay of the people of Egypt. The story said that by the end of the speech, the crowd started yelling "Get Out, Get Out, Get Out" and just then Sabrina started yelling "Get Out, Get Out, Get Out" in the back of the car. I cracked up. Our little protester! We love her.
So I was listening to NPR as we were talking back and forth about seeing "Dada," pointing out her "shoes" on her feet, and touching the "cheeks" on her face and the story turned to Egypt. The commentator described the scene in Tahrir Square tonight when Hosni Mubarak addressed the crowd. Mubarak did not back down, as everybody thought he would, much to the dismay of the people of Egypt. The story said that by the end of the speech, the crowd started yelling "Get Out, Get Out, Get Out" and just then Sabrina started yelling "Get Out, Get Out, Get Out" in the back of the car. I cracked up. Our little protester! We love her.
Sunday, February 6, 2011
GO PACK GO - SUPER BOWL XLV CHAMPS
On February 6, 2011 the Packers became Super Bowl Champions! It was a great game, with tension in the middle, injuries, bad calls, great plays and we celebrated with family, good friends, cheap beer, and tons of food. Sabrina sported her Green Bay Packers pajamas that Great Aunt Deed sewed for her. It was perfect that the Packers kept playing because she only barely fits into the PJs now and hasn't yet this season. Way to go! In the PJs, she became a huge fan. She also learned how to say "touchdown" the Friday before the game, not just do the signal for it. Now she's a regular American football fan. Lisa and Gary came over with Mom and Dad and we all wore cheese on our heads (including Pongo) and cheered on the Pack. Brent was a very happy guy that night. It's so nice to have a team to cheer for when our Broncos have such a terrible year. They still have my heart, but the Packers sure did make this a fun football season for us. GO PACK GO!
Here are photos from the Super Bowl, as well as the photos and videos of our sledding expedition (ALL the way around the block) earlier in the day.
Here are photos from the Super Bowl, as well as the photos and videos of our sledding expedition (ALL the way around the block) earlier in the day.
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| Packers superbowl win |
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