My Best Friend’s Wedding

I’m lucky enough to have four beautiful (inside and out) women that I call “my best friends.”  I have probably mentioned before how we have been friends since we were 5.  Despite long distances and much time in between visits, I think we have grown closer as we have gotten older.  I know for sure that my appreciation of their reliably steady friendship and sisterhood continues to grow.

It has been especially wonderful taking part in one another’s weddings.

Thus, my dear friends Suzanne and Clayton were married in our hometown church the week before Christmas.  The wedding, reception, and the pictures and events prior were filled with the spirit of love, friendship, and family.

Here are some pictures:

     

Geneva absolutely loved dancing!  She wasn’t the least bit shy about dancing in a group of people.  She literally danced until she dropped and then was still grooving on her way to the car.

     

With Sabrina, Bonnie, and little Lyla.  Bonnie was quite the trooper at 37 weeks pregnant with baby boy.

I love how Geneva and Lyla are friends at an even earlier age than Bonnie and I.

With gramps, gram, and daddy.

  

Dance! Dance! Dance!

And… She’s done.

I love how my whole family was at this wedding (though Nate is absent from these photos due to his 16 year old urge to go home early). 

 

Suzanne and Clayton: I wish you both a lifetime of love and happiness.  Thank you for including us in your special day.

Christmas Cookies

Today, in preparation for Geneva’s daycare Christmas party, we made Christmas cookies together for the first time.  They were peanut butter Hershey’s cookies and Geneva loved making them. 

Jolly Old St. Nicholas

On the eve of December 6, Geneva left her shoes out in preparation for a visit from St. Nick.  Upon awaking she couldn’t wait to see what goodies awaited.

Potty Training

Lately, Geneva has shown some interest in using the toilet.  On two separate occasions she asked to use the potty and proceeded to do so successfully.  However, on multiple other occasions she has asked to go to the toile, gone, and done nothing.

Is she nearing the time where she is going to potty train?  Undoubtedly, but for now we’re just acclimating to the potty and helping Geneva feel comfortable with it.

Tips and suggestions are always appreciated.

Thanksgiving Revisited

We had a lovely Thanksgiving filled with wholesome organic and locally grown foods that we were able to share and enjoy.  We will  get into the ins and outs of the dinner at a later date but I thought I would share some pictures of the event to whet your appetite in the meantime.

We had a lot to be thankful for this year, particularly our friends and family.  Thank you all for enriching our lives so much.

I LOVE YOU

 

Tonight as Geneva was going to bed she said “I love you” to her Daddy for the first time.  It was adorable if a bit muddled.  This kid has grown so much over the past 18 months.  It’s so exciting to see.

Do you want raisins?

“Yea” is how Geneva responded.  Now that she has thoroughly mastered saying “No" (to almost everything), she has realized that “Yea” is more useful in some situations- like when raisins are being offered.

Oh Toddler!!

For the Love of Books

Lately, Geneva is finding a whole new appreciation of books.  When we read to her at night, she becomes really interested and engaged in the store and pictures.  So much so, that she wants to bring her book to bed with her.  In the morning, she holds it up- ready to read it again.

The other night, she already had her book but wanted her baby doll too.  At first, she was laying her head on top of her baby, which was on top of her open book.  As soon as she saw the camera, she hopped up but you can still see her props.

 

There is just something calming about Goodnight Moon, isn’t there?

Oh, and Footy pajamas are BAAAAAACK!!! :)  Geneva was giggling the other night as Greg put her into them. 

Gram’s Visit

Geneva had a fabulous time whenever her Gram came to visit her.  They especially had fun when mommy and daddy went out of town for the weekend.  Their week was full of walks, a visit to the farm, and a friend’s birthday party.  Not to mention the frozen yogurt (healthy, I promise!!), light up shoes, and play with dolls and pretend food.

Here is a sweet picture of the giddy pair:

18 Month Stats

18 Month Stats:

Weight: 24.5 lbs (a shade above the 50th percentile; down a 1/2 lb likely due to recent illness)

Length: 32.25 inches (about the 65th percentile and on trend)

Head: 18.5 (about the 60th)

Teeth: 8 (2 new in the past month) with lots of swollen gum action

Here are some other things that stand out to me:

Signs: same frequently used signs as last post : more, please, book, milk

Receptive Language: understands basically everything we ask/tell her to do; understands and answers questions (with “NO” or shaking her head); points to animals/fruits/objects when we ask her to

Expressive Language: I will estimate about 40 spontaneous/appropriately used words or animal sounds; answers “no” appropriately (though frustrating for us); points and tells us to “sit”; Adds the word “I” to make some phrases (“I play” “I sit”); More frequently uses 2 word phrases (“slide please” “more please” “please book”, etc); imitates/repeats almost anything, including short phrases

Songs: Does the actions to If your happy and you know it, Ezekial’s Bones; Sings something that sounds like “Three Blind Mice”

Cognitive: Started pulling off her socks when looking at a book with “piggies” in it; points to and names body and facial parts; identifies animals in different formats (pictures, live, cartoon-like); Pretend Play (pretends to feed her baby play food with smacking sounds, uses fork to pretend feed also; kisses her baby)

Motor: runs; feeds self well with fork; loves to climb; Puzzles are frustrating for her but improving a little – this is an area that stands out to us as needing improvement

Behavior: starting to test us by intentionally doing what we ask her not to do- looks at us and smiles while she does it; cries/hates being put into “time out”

Favorites: having books read to her; singing songs; “playing” the piano; carrying around and “feeding” her baby; cutting her pretend fruits; sliding at the park

((((( This is all mostly for my own record keeping and the benefit of grandparents or others you might be interested in the developmental details.  )))))

The girl with a curl

There was a little girl who had a little curl

Right in the middle of her forehead;

When she was good, she was very, very good,

And when she was bad, she was horrid.

This sweet nursery rhyme pretty much sums up our last two weeks (minus the awesome time that we had whenever my mom came to visit).  Between allergies, sinus infections, 104 degree fevers, flu shot fevers, teething, and the crankiness associated with each of these- we had certainly had a time ;)

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

-Or, “Happy Harvest” as I was thoughtfully corrected yesterday ;)

Geneva has already been to 3 Halloween ‘events’ and we still have another party to come later this evening.  She is definately getting some use out of her homemade BEEEEE costume :)  Yes, it is “mommy-made” with love.  More love than sewing skills, that is.  You can probably tell from the pictures that I made mine also.  Myself and many of the vendors dressed up for the Farmers’ Market yesterday.  We also held a costume contest and I had the fun job of taking the pictures, picking, and calling the winners.  They were cute and it was a really fun and festive day at the market. 

These are Geneva’s teachers at day care.  We met with the class and walked around to various locations where people passed out candy to the kiddos.  It was very cute and lots of fun for everyone.

    

Taking a little break from the walk.  Otherwise, she kept up really well and we only carried her a little bit.

At the market Saturday:

 

A little like her mama

This morning, Geneva insisted on bringing the book she was looking at into the high chair with her for breakfast.  She did not let it go easily.  She comes by it naturally though: I started my habit of reading while I eat at about 8 years old with cereal boxes.

Oh and, another cute thing she is doing recently—saying, “cheese” whenever I point the camera at her.  It actually does help me get her smiles a little more easily.

Fiddilee-Dee

Last night we took Geneva to Fiddlesticks Farms for an evening of farm animals, pumpkins, sliding, hay rides, and playing in straw and sand. 

We knew that this place existed here in our town, but we had no idea how awesome of a place it is.  We were both pleasantly surprised at the multitude of activities for families and children and how professionally it was conducted.

Geneva loved seeing and petting the baby goats:

 

It must be all the practice on her rocking horse at home, because she loved the life-size pretend horse.

Here we are going up and down the huge slide.  The kids (especially Geneva) loved it.  After she was back on the ground, she kept trying to just walk up the steps on her own.

Greg might win the award for cutest picture of the night:

Here we are on the hay ride going out to the pumpkin patch:

 

Here is our sleepy baby on the hay ride back to the main area.  You know that Greg was soaking up all kinds of hugs and kisses:

If you live in or visit the area- I HIGHLY recommend you check this place out.  Go when it is cool (so you can wear pants and boots to keep the dirt/dust off), spend at least 2 hours, bring a camera, and plan on getting a little dirty.  It is worth every bit of the admission charge.