Outdoor Play date

Today we had a play date outside because the weather has been SO nice!! S had a blast playing on all the fun stuff her friend had. I came home and after getting her down for a nap, started scouring craigslist for some stuff for her. I found her a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe and a Playhouse but I am still looking for some more as we are planning on spending a lot of time outside this spring/summer/fall:)

If any of you readers sees a good deal on a fun outdoor toy or are trying to get rid of one, please, please, please let me know!!!!!

3 kids on a 2-seater wagon was very interesting!

Giving her friend a push.

Mowing! Looks like she enjoys it as much as her mommy does!!
More fun toys!

An Artist at Work

Partying

Today was a very busy day!

This morning we headed to one sweet little boy's 1st birthday party! The weather could not have been any better and we were able to enjoy it in their backyard. There were bubbles and playdoh and bats/balls for the kids to play with. We had a great time! Happy Birthday, Connor!

Then, this afternoon, I headed to a baby shower for a friend who now lives in Atlanta. The decorations were amazing and she got so much great stuff for baby Ava! I didn't take as many pictures as I would have liked, but I did get a picture of the fruit bowl. How creative!!

Good Times in Atlanta

This week, S and I made a whirlwind trip to Atlanta to visit with family and friends. We had a great time cooking out, playing on the playground at the park, going down to the lake, meeting friends at the zoo and having lunch with Cousin Jack.

My camera battery died early during the visit and I ended up having to use my dad's camera so I don't have a lot of pictures...yet.

Our trip to the zoo went surprisingly well. I was really worried that S would want to get out of her stroller. She is so independent these days and likes to walk by herself and refuses to hold my hand - very frustrating. But, I was proud of the way she behaved while we were at the zoo. She stayed in her stroller until we got to the carousel, train and playground. Then, after lunch, she did not fight being put back into it while we headed out. It was a wonderful time and she helped to make it so much fun for me too!

A ride on the train.

LOVES the carousel!!!!!

My friend and her 2 boys.

Checking out the polar bears.

Stroller buddies.

Today we celebrated the resurrection of our Lord and Savior! Thank you Jesus for loving us so much that you would die for us!!!!

We started the say out at church. We planned way ahead and were actually able to not only get there on time, but early! This never happens in our house! I am so glad that we did, though, because it was pretty much standing room only!!

Daddy and S before church (you can see S is very excited about going). Our only family photo of the day taken in the preschool SS class that I teach.

This afternoon, we headed out for an Easter egg "hunt". S was not into collecting the eggs and putting them in her Easter basket. But, she did enjoy putting them in a pile and then throwing them around. Maybe next year she'll get into it a bit more!

Easter egg hunt!

After S was bored with hunting Easter eggs, we let Abby out to enjoy the sunshine.

And, of course, we had to dye the eggs! Wow, now that was a bit of a mess. S and I both still have green fingers and the counter was quite the chore to clean up. But, S had fun doing it so it was worth it!

Dying the eggs.

Not too thrilled w/ the green fingers!

Friday w/ Gigi

For a couple of months now, I have wanted to take S to a very fun pizza place. Well, I was able to do so today. Gigi came up to visit so I had a little help and I am very glad that I did! S had a lot of fun on riding on the carousel and climbing in and out of all of the other games! I was surpised at how cheap everything was, especially when S was free to get in and to eat and didn't care much for doing anything that required money other than riding the carousel (which we only did 2 times). Unfortunately S was a little, okay a lot, fussy when we told her it was time to go have lunch. She ate maybe 5 bites at the most. She was really quite awful during lunch. I have learned my lesson and next time and we will eat before we go play. But, after Gigi and I finished eating we went back and played some more before heading home for a much needed nap for S and a much deserved nap for mommy!

Loving riding the carousel!

S with Gigi.

Driving!

After a nap, S was in a much better mood! She posed with her "friends" the bears and read books to them during a photoshoot w/ Gigi!

We had a good day (minus the attitude at lunch) and can't wait for Gigi to visit again!

18 Month Stats

We went to the pediatrician today for S's 18 month well visit! This was by far the best experience yet we've had. S was really good and didn't cry but for maybe 2 seconds when she got her shots (thanks to the lollipop!). Also a huge help was me remembering to bring crayones. This child loves to color! She laid down on her little belly with only a t-shirt and diaper on and went to town. We had to laugh at how cute she was as she intently colored her growth charts!

The doctor and I did have a discussion involving the possibility of having a "strong-willed" child on my hands! Looks like I need to do a bit of reading. I've read Dr. Dobson's Strong Willed Child(this one had a lot of good info in it and I should probably reread it) and also Shepherding a Child's Heart(did not like this one). Any other suggestions?!?!

Stats:
Weight 22lb12oz (27%tile)
Height 33in (86%tile)

Developmentally, S is right on schedule!

The lollipop that helped save the day!

Happy 1/2 Birthday!

Today is my sweet little girl's half birthday! She is a whopping 18 months old:)

To celebrate, we made cookies this morning so that we could decorate them after S's nap. The cooking process was fun, for about 2 seconds, and then on to other things (like watching the loggers outside the window for an entire 15 minutes!).

Watching the cookies bake.

Much more exciting - watching the loggers!

After a good nap, we decorated the cookies which she wasn't quite as into as I thought she would be. But, of course eating the cookies was a blast:) Then, a quick trip to the park was in order to burn off some of that sugar!

Somewhat decorated cookies.

YUMMY!!!!!

S's favorite park!!!!

All in all, a very good day:)

Road Trip to Great-Grandpa's

Yesterday was a crazy day! My dad and brother drove up from Atlanta, picked me and S up, and continued another 2.5 hours to my grandfather's house! Uncle Bobby(my brother) was lucky enough to get the back seat with S so they had a wonderful bonding experience:) S slept a bit on the way there, was an absolute angel while we visited, and was pretty good on the way home (we kept her out past her bedtime so she started to fall apart in the car). We had such a fun time visiting and the weather was perfect so we could get outside some while we were there! I had worried a little about how S would do on such a long day trip, but overall I was very proud of her!

S and Grandpa taking a walk (you see she is using my camera case as a purse!).

Three generations of men.

Great-grandpa giving S a ride on the swing - the swing was her favorite "toy".

Having a blast!

Eating Fix - For Now

Thank you to everyone for your advise on S's high chair/eating issues. I think we've come up with a solution that will satisfy her for now. I guess we have never used a real high chair before. We've used the seat that you strap on to a chair, is that a booster seat?? Anyway, we took the tray off and scooted her up to the table. It seems to work for now but we are going to keep our eyes open for some chairs because I have a feeling my little independent girl is going to be just that, independent! I did have to take the tablecloth off the table b/c it kept getting wrapped up in her feet and pulled off. Always a new challenge:)

Dinner Time Struggles

As some of you know, we have a hard time getting S to eat. She'd just rather be doing other things and not eat altogether. It is a fight at every meal to get something in her belly! Now, to add to the frustration, she is refusing to sit in her high chair. Uggg.... She wants to sit in mommy and daddy's chairs. This poses a rather difficult situation for several reasons:

1. The chairs are too short and she can't reach her plate on the table w/o standing and I do NOT allow her to stand in the chair.
2. She is able to get down since she is not strapped in and therefore eats 1 bite, says "all done" and attempts to get out of the chair.
3. When she is sitting in the chair, the side of the table is the perfect hight to knock her in the head whenever she moves too quickly which leads to a scream fest.

I'm really at a loss at what to do. If I make her sit in her highchair, she won't eat. If I let her sit at the "big girl table" she's not quite big enough. I think we are going to try a different high chair that we have here at the house first. Then, if that doesn't work, we are going to have to find either a new table that is lower or new chairs that are higher. I'm thinking new chairs since we only currently have 2 of them and are a family of 3. This is something I was totally not ready for - a curveball was just thrown at me. If we do start allowing her to sit in a real chair, what a challenge to keep her in her seat until she is done eating (to our satisfaction, not hers).

I'd love to hear some advise from those who've experienced this or even if you haven't if you have an idea of what to do!!!