Numbering My Days

1 trip to the mailbox

1.5 naps (some days it's 1, some days it's 2)

2 snacks

3 meals

8 diapers changed

10 requests to "crash" onto the couch/Mommy & Daddy's bed

15 books read

153 "You're so cute"s from Mommy and Daddy

200 "I love you"s from Mommy and Daddy

248 kisses from Mommy and Daddy

4,567 requests to go outside.  Currently, my favorite sentence is "out, out, out, out, out, out, out, out."

(Yes, some numbers are approximations.  I'm pretty sure the Psalmist wasn't looking for an exact count.)

The Bug's Life is currently experiencing technical difficulties. In the meantime, please enjoy this

video clip of me enjoying Gramma and Grampa's wading pool.

 

We will resume normal posting as soon as Mommy finds the charger for the camera battery.

Show Us Your Life: China Patterns

This week's Show Us Your Life topic is china patterns.

When Mommy and Daddy were married almost 7 years ago, they chose Mikasa's Parchment pattern for their fine china.  Mommy thought this was a great pattern because it's fairly timeless.

For Mommy and Daddy's first anniversary, my Grands suprised them by completing their china set!  Would you believe that even though they have more than enough fine china to eat off of they have never, ever used it?

Mommy says it's because she's afraid that if she takes even one piece out of the box she'll never be able to get it back in.  So, I guess we'll start eating on these beautiful dishes when Mommy and Daddy get around to buying a hutch to display them in.

Thankfully, our everyday dishes are pretty pleasing to the eyes.

This pattern is Candy Apple by Noble Excellence.  We have all of the pieces except for the square plates (Mommy was worried that they were too trendy) and we get compliments on them all the time.  Isn't that footed cereal bowl fun?

Speaking of fun, here is my personal china pattern.  It's made by Sassy and is called Dippin' Diner Plate Set.  You can find it at fine retailers around the nation...you know places like Walmart and Target.

Happy Birthday, Mimi!

Today is Mimi's birthday!  

My family (minus Gramma...that lucky duck is with Cousin Micah this week) helped Mimi celebrate her birthday last night by hitting up Boudreaux's Cajun Kitchen.  The restaurant ended up being a bit more casual than Mimi expected it to be...but you know that worked out perfectly for me!  No one minded the little red head walking between the tables. 

Mimi really wanted to get a pic of me putting my hand on my hip.  As you can see, I was having none of that! 

I was, however, having a saltine or two (or four) while we waited for our dinner selections to be served. 

After our Cajun dinner, we headed back home so the grownups could top off their bellies with a yummy Italian Creme Cake made by Mommy.

Happy birthday, Mimi!  Thank you for loving me since the day I was born*!

*Technically, this picture is from 7 days after I was born. I know you loved me from day 1, though.

Sunday Best

This past Sunday, our church held a baby parade for kiddos ages 3 and under.  It was a whole lot of cuteness packed into 5 minutes!

I got to wear this cutie little pillowcase dress Mimi ordered for me. I figured this was a great way to make sure "Uncle" Oscar (the parade announcer) didn't forget my name.

There were at least 23 "babies" in the parade, and our church family did a great job of cheering for each and every one of us.  Here are a few of the babies I know best:

Little Miss Leila with "Uncle" Ryan and "Aunt" Michele (she's hiding back there).  Leila was stylin' in her teeny gold sandals.

My good buddies, Ian and Preston, with "Aunt" Tara.  Two of the coolest guys I know.

This is my fellow-thumb-sucking-friend, Braelyn.  I don't think you've met her before.  Isn't she a cutie?  Mommy thinks she looks like a little Cabbage Patch doll.

Yours truly. 

 Mommy and Daddy deliberated between carrying me and letting me walk. Obviously, carrying won. Mommy was worried that if they let me walk I may have decided to explore the stage...then they would have had to pick me up...and a little fit may or may not have ensued. Mommy and Daddy weren't really wanting to invite that kind of drama.

When the worship service was over, we joined part of the Young Adult group for lunch at the swankiest restaurant around...IHOP!  Can you find me in this picture?  I promise I'm there.

 I had never eaten at the HOP before, but it sure did get two thumbs up from me! Eggs + Pancakes = Yum Yum.

Later in the day, Mommy decided she wanted to take a little siesta.  While she was inside the air conditioned house, Auntie and Danielle helped me bring the day to a perfect close...by letting me play with every single watery toy I own.

 

Auntie + Danielle + Kiddie Pool + Sprinkler + Water Table = Big Fun!

Happy Monthday to Me!

Can you believe that I turned 16 months old on Friday?!

Here are some things you should know about me at 16 months:

I still wear 12-18 month clothes.  I'm finishing up my last few size 3 diapers, though, and then I'll be moving on to size 4.

I love to be around other kids.

I have made peace with the church nursery...except for the few times I have been the only kiddo in my class.  In that case, I can pretty much guarantee an automatic meltdown.

"Bath", "motorcycle", "thank you", and "baby" have all been added to my sign language vocabulary.

I've had a bit of a vocabulary explosion this month.  These words are now erupting from my mouth:

Mimi (used for Mimi & Gramma)    

Poppa (used for Poppy & Grampa, and always spoken in a whisper)    

zoo                                    "Yiya" (Alyssa)

"Eye-a" (Ian)                      "Beby" (Becky)

mine                                  "burse" (purse)

"ice" (eyes)                        beep beep                    

"num num" (yum yum)       "wash" (watch)    

"kiki" (kids)                        "piboo" (peekaboo)         

"dash" (crash)                    "sus" (Jesus)                 

baby                                  "wawa" (water)    

"Lelelele" (Leila)                "nankoo" (thank you)         

"KK" (Katelyn)                           up
hat

I love to dance...and I'm not bad at it, either.

I am allowed to watch a little bit of TV now!  This is my default TV watching pose. 

Mommy and Daddy love it because it's 15 minutes of uninterrupted cuddle time.

I can finally reach the big girl books on the top shelf of my bookcase.  Mommy is less than thrilled with this particular development.

"Little Miss Muffet" is my favorite nursery rhyme.  I like to scream when the spider frightens Miss Muffet away.

"The B-I-B-L-E", "Itsy Bitsy Spider", and "Mr. Sun" still top out my song hit list.

Rockin' out to Greg and Steve's "We All Live Together, Volume 2" is one of my favorite daily pastimes.

Happy Belated Birthday, Auntie!

Thursday was Auntie Alyssa's 25th birthday!  Her coworkers helped her celebrate by:

A.  Suprising her with a speech pathologist dressed in a Spongebob costume*.

B.  Suprising her with a delicious homemade red velvet cake.

C.  Suprising her with a Target gift card, Gerbera Daisy bouquet, and Chipotle lunch.

Those Baylor therapists are crazy, I tell ya'!  I guess that's why Auntie fits in so well there.

Last night was our big family celebration of Auntie's special day.  She really wanted to try out a "cool" eatery...but when a toddler is part of your dining party (and Auntie was adamant that my presence was non-negotiable) it seriously limits the "cool" resaurants that will welcome you with open arms.  Auntie and Mommy were finally able to settle on a place that would accomodate Auntie's need for cool & my need to be me...but then I woke up with a fever and totally threw the plans out of whack.

Never you fear, though.  We just moved on to Plan B and had a nice little Carino's dinner here at home.  Of course, no birthday dinner is complete without a BFF...which is why Staci suprised Auntie by coming into town for the weekend.  Can you tell Auntie was thrilled to see her?  She was absolutely shocked when Staci walked through the door!

The suprises weren't over yet, though, because  Mommy had also secretly invited Danielle over for dessert.  Auntie was really glad to see her face, too. 

Take it from me...there is no shortage of laughter when these 3 ladies get together!

And, in case you're wondering, here's a shot of the brownie cheesecake Mommy made for dessert. 

Unfortunately, it was semi-disappointing. Mommy's not giving up on it yet, though! She thinks it just needs a few tweaks to bring out its hidden yum potential.

Happy Belated Birthday, Auntie! I know birthdays are a big deal to you, and I hope this one was all that you dreamed it would be.

*Two of the speech paths knew how much Auntie hates people dressed in costume.  They tried to get Chick-Fil-A to let them borrow the cow costume (because that one scares Auntie to death), but the CFA manager didn't buy into thier "great marketing opportunity".