Children's Christmas Parade

The Christmas Festival (big event in Natchitoches) was this past weekend, and we took Anna to the Children's Parade for the first time. She seemed to really enjoy it. You can see in the pictures that she was practicing her "parade wave," which is actually just the way she waves right now. It was cute. When people in the parade waved, Anna waved back. I also included a few pictures of the parade itself. Kevin and I tried not to laugh too hard at some of the people in costume walking with the parade. Bless their hearts for entertaining the kids!

Who, me?

Anna is doing so many funny things lately, so I thought I'd post a few of the highlights. She is excited to sit on the potty (most days). She has also started to really enjoy coloring. She gets pretty serious about it, as you can see in the picture. She says new words every day--it's crazy. She repeats the last word or two of everything you say to her--or to someone else. She likes to say HI! to people in the grocery store. We get mixed reactions on this one--it's kind of funny. She also likes to play with her cell phone. She says, "Hi!.....doing?" Very cute.

Summer's over...

I know it's been a while since we've posted anything. We're back at school and into our busy schedule, but I intended to post some of the pictures of our trip to Pennsylvania and Denton from early August! So, even though it's almost a month later, I'll post them. We had a really great time on our trip. Anna was a great little traveler. The weather in Pennsylvania was beautiful, so we enjoyed a lot of time outdoors (parks, hiking, etc.). Anna also got to pet her first real, live horse in Denton! I need to take some new pics of Anna, so I'll do that soon and then post them!

Summertime fun!

Anna's pre-school had a water play day on Friday. Kevin and I got to go and participate--we had a great time. Anna loved running around and screaming in the "sprinkler." That is, after she got used to her water shoes. She walked around like a dog with socks on for a few minutes when we first put the shoes on her--which we did the night before, thank goodness! She just kept high stepping and saying, "Off!" It was hard not to laugh--poor baby. Anyway, she got used to the water shoes and loved playing in the water. We were also excited for her to try watermelon for the first time. She, however, was not as excited. Wouldn't eat a bite. But she still loves cataloupe, apples, oranges (which she calls "asha!"), and--her all time favorite-strawberries. So, I think we're covered on fruit for her.

Cool kid

Not much to update on--summer's moving right along these past few weeks. Anna is discovering new toys at her preschool. She doesn't want to leave when I go to pick her up! She loves the play kitchen and sofa and chair set. She also loves dancing to "Ralph's World" now. It's pretty funny stuff---Kevin and I enjoy it too! We'll be getting a CD or two of his soon. Here are two recent cute pics of our cool kiddo. (I brought the sunglasses back from Kansas City for her...she likes them, but doesn't keep them on for too long.)

First Haircut...well, trim.

Anna got her first haircut this weekend. Her little bangs were really in her eyes and starting to bother her, and since she won't let us get anywhere near putting a barette in her hair--we went for a little trim. I was sad to see her little face look kind of different with her new bangs, but it's nice to see her not be irritated by her hair in her eyes. She didn't seem afraid at all--was a good girl while her hair was being cut.

Time flies!

Time has flown since the last blog! We traveled to New Mexico to visit family and friends and had a great time. We got up to the mountains one day, so Anna had her first "hike!" She enjoyed it very much. She wanted to step on every rock and tree root to test it out. We had such a nice time, and our time there flew by. We wish we could've spent even more time with family and friends. But we're looking forward to our next visit. Not much else to report around here. Malena is getting ready for the Clarinet Conference next week. She's performing for the first time so is a little anxious. So, she's practicing and rehearsing a lot this week. Anna will stay with Daddy while Mommy is at the conference. Kevin will be Super Dad!! He's great with her, so things will be just fine. They always have so much fun together. Anna continues to amaze us with how quickly she seems to be learning to talk. She tries to say just about everything and is lately focused on her colors. Such a funny girl! Here are a few pics from our trip.

Swimming!

Anna started swimming lessons this week! She's enjoying it. She is very relaxed in the water, which is great. Unfortunately, she's so relaxed much of the time, that she doesn't really want to kick or move her arms, but she does enjoy being pulled through the water and "jumping" around in it. There are 2 other little girls in her class who she calls "babies," even though they're around 4 years old. She loves watching them and will sometimes imitate them. (I added a bonus picture just because I thought it was cute.)

Puppies!

We went down to the riverfront last weekend, and the Humane Society was having adoptions! Anna really enjoyed seeing all the puppies and kittens. She wasn't sure she wanted to touch them, but she loved looking at them and making doggie and kitty noises. She was a little superstar. A lady there asked if she could take some pictures of Anna looking at the puppies because she was so cute. :)

Mother's Day!

We had a great Mother's Day. Here are a few photos of Anna bringing me a card in the morning and of the two of us later that day. We took photos of Anna and Mommy last year for her first Mother's Day (and then with Daddy for Father's day). We liked them so much, that we did it again this year.

Update

So, it's been a while since I blogged last. Anna has been a busy little girl: parties, walking, almost running, reading any book she can find (or asking Mommy or Daddy to read it to her), and growing way too fast. We've had a busy month so far and are looking forward to settling down a little now that the semester is done. Anna starts swimming lessons this week. Other than that, we are just cleaning house and trying to get some rest. The pictures are from the past couple of weeks.

Lost in play

Poor little Anna thought it would be fun to crawl under the table to play. It was...for a little while. Poor thing. I promise, we didn't let her be trapped for long. She also likes to store things in the "cookie sheet" cupboard in the kitchen now. We find something new there every day. Funny girl...

Springtime fun!

We've been enjoying the spring weather (when it's sunny out!) as much as we can. Here are some pictures of Anna getting ready to go on a walk (she holds her hat on her head...we're not sure why) and Anna in her new swing for the first time (likes to swing high and fast...oh dear!). She is really trying to communicate more and more with sign language and words. She says her own name now sometimes while patting her chest--so cute! Today was the first day it was pretty hot and muggy. I think we'll get the summer outfits out! She is also walking around really well now! The bumps and bruises have begun--she fell 3 times the other morning, resulting in a fat lip and bump on the head. Poor thing--she tries to get going faster than her little legs will go!