Terrific (and sometimes Terrible) Twos!

Audrey has molded into quite the sweet toddler recently. Well, okay, maybe not always sweet. She does have a tough-girl side too. She, like most toddlers I'm sure, does not like the word "no". It can sometimes send her into a full blown, red faced, tear streaking tantrum. But on her good days she loves to pamper her babies (and she has a lot of babies), will give many hugs and kisses when asked, and has become quite the "cookie" monster.

Some other recent developments:

*Little Miss Talks Alot. She'll pretty much repeat anything you ask her too (or even don't ask her too). This includes calling her dada "Mike". I've now been instructed to refer to my husband as "dada" at all times.

*She's wearing 2T clothes already and wears a 6.5 shoe! She's tall so it's a bit of a challenge finding pants that aren't floods. Shorts will be nice come summer.

*Her canine teeth have finally all cut. Now she's working on her second molars.

*Loves Dora, Golden Grahams, hummus and popcorn although if you ask her what she wants for lunch or dinner it's always "mac n cheese".

*Babies and Legos are her favorite toys. She's not "attached" to any one thing however at bedtime she has to have her "original" baby and "Elmo's Ducky Day" book with her.

*She can count to 10, mumble the ABC's, and is getting to know her colors.

*She now enjoys her books instead of destroying them. We read a few books every night before bed. She has her favorites but "Elmo's Ducky Day" is a given and must be read before she takes it to bed with her (I can read it by heart now). "Good Night Moon" and "Are You My Mother?" are some other favorites, but these can go back on the bookshelf before bed.

*She has a love/hate relationship with Tia the dog, but LOVES George the cat. I think he may be developing a soft spot for her too. Gracie, the other cat, is warming up to her however I think there are still some trust issues that she's hashing out.

*She still loves the outdoors! She has a great time in the snow and enjoys tossing snowballs however we're all looking for Spring though!

Florida and the New Year

Happy New Year everyone! We've had a pretty eventful last few weeks. Our trip to Florida was great. There were a few bummers, like Audrey's unexplained temperature, some crummy weather and the cold I was lucky enough to take home with me. The good stuff... Audrey is a born flyer, she loved spending time with Grandma and Grandpa Nelson, she got to pick oranges from a tree, and she played at the beach and the park with her cousins. We were a little surprised that her fear of the sand and water had returned. We though we had moved passed that last summer however she refused to get in the pool and would not walk on the beach without her socks and tennis shoes on!

In the last few weeks she developed quite a few quirky, cute and pondering habits. She loves to go for walks around the house while holding our hands, so we're "walking together" as she puts it. She loves to dance around the kitchen and run through the house at top speed hollering, "Ready, Set ...GO!" Her love for the bath is gone :( It's a struggle to get her in and she's usually the one to end it by saying, "All done now". We're not exactly sure why this changed but we're thinking it has to do with teething (she's got 4 more coming in) or perhaps she's just growing up and changing her ways. She still loves Elmo and SpongeBob but has a new-found love for Dora the Explorer. She enjoys being outdoors, even playing in the snow, but only after much convincing to dress properly for the elements. Once she's out there though, you can't wipe the smile of her face ...and her smile is priceless!