It's time for an update, y'all! Seeing as my last post was...December 4, we've got a lot to cover! First up, December:
Last day at Kindermusik. We loved the Kindermusik class taught by our sweet friend Alysa. Anna is now always requesting a song, and I don't know whether to thank or blame Kindermusik, haha.
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| Anna playing with a bell shaker |
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| (most of) our Kindermusik class |
We had a cold but not snowy December. That still meant that we could bundle up and look like Eskimos...
We had an amazing ward Christmas Party with a Bethlehem theme. Here's our little family in at the nativity scene.
We had a nice Christmas. We spent Christmas Eve with dear friends--in, and quiet. Christmas morning was quiet too. It was just Alexander, me, and Anna. There was much rejoicing, much wrapping paper, and much delicious food with our neighbors, friends, and the missionaries.
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| one of our stockings--finished Christmas eve! |
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| the spoils |
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| unwrapping gifts--she finally got the hang of it! |
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| Pure exhilaration. She was sooooooo excited about Elmo!! |
One of my favorite and most common sights--Anna looking up at me.
Trying out mom's new Christmas gift--an
Ergo. Highly recommended!
Visiting Miller's Dry Goods in Arthur, IL. Anna was convinced that this shelf was just her size and kept going back to it so she could sit on it.
Ready to go--day trip to Chicago. We visited the Aquarium, the American Girl Store, the Lego Store, Sprinkles, and ate some authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza.
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| Anna and Dad in the yellow submarine--learning how to push buttons |
More Winter Pics:
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| Looking so grown-up with a little ponytail |
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| More growing up and smiles! |
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| smiles! |
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| Anna and Dad reading nursery rhymes together |
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| going down the slide (wheee!) on a not-so-cold day |
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| playing in the sink! |
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| pockets! also, pretty serious. Sometimes she just is this way. |
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| helping mom peel and chop carrots for the week. |
Anna has figured out how to take photos with my phone--the camera is the only thing she can access while my phone is locked, so she's become rather good at it. I do, however, have to delete a lot of blank/black/blurry photos daily. Here are a couple of the good ones. She's also taken some videos--they are pretty funny! I will try to figure out a way to upload them here someday.
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| Self-portrait |
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| more self-portrait |
Other Anna updates:
She has more than 50 words (I stoppped counting at 50 :) ).
Favorites are:
Elmo (mehmo)
up (bup!)
dinner (ninner)
shoes
puppy
couch (for the little green one that she got for Christmas)
cookie
cracker
mail
go, go, go!
see (request to pick her up so she can "see" what is up high)
chair
song (always a request/demand for a song--keeps me on my toes)
brrrrrr!
She likes to eat:
clementines, beans, berries, smoothies, crackers, cheese cubes, apples, oatmeal, peppers, pizza, carrots, peas (she will take my hand, lead me to the freezer, and say "peas?"), and most of what we eat. I don't think that she really dislikes anything specifically or categorically.
She likes to:
go get the mail, go to the store, play with Levi (wahwah) and Benjamin (menmen) and see Alysa (syssa), go to nursery (nurney), kick the ball ("kick!"), play with bottles (lotion bottles, empty bottles, spray bottles, she likes them all), play ring-around-the-rosies (see-see), watch the trains go by (chugga chugga choo choo!), read books (boo! eead!), and color (cayn, paper?).
She's learning to:
Say "yes" (emphatic head nod, and "ses!"), take off pajamas and jackets, put legos together, nap later in the day, sleep all night, request desired food, knock on the door (especially loves to do this when she hears the shower turn off in the morning--then runs to the bathroom to knock for daddy to let her in), go down the slide, run, stall, and smile for the camera.
