Higher and Higher, Baby

Elise is crazy. She loves to climb, even in the bathtub. Here is a video of her scaling the shower wall, with the added bonus of Jonathan's commentary.

To Read or Not to Read

This is a picture of Elise almost four months ago. She was eight months old then, and she loved books. Even when Elise was really tiny, she would pay attention for so long as I read to her, sometimes as long as half an hour or more straight.

I have been sad lately because I thought Elise didn't like to read anymore. I used to love that she loved books, but she won't sit still long enough to be read to anymore. She squirms away almost every time you try to read to her.

I said something about this to my sister, and she suggested that maybe Elise just wanted to read all by herself. [Remember this post?] My sister said her son went through an independent phase where he wouldn't let anyone read to him either. I had never thought of that, so I started watching Elise more closely.

And she still loves books. I realized that before I had just been too quick to take them away from her when she tried to read on her own. She's really hard on books sometimes (just yesterday, she ripped the cover off of one book, tore the page in another one, broke the binding on a board book, and bit into yet another board book). Since the books she reads belong to my sister's family, I didn't want her to mess them up. (Obviously, you can see how well that's going, but Holly is really nice about it.)

When you give her a chance, she really is very interested. This was yesterday:

This sight melted my heart.

I was so glad my baby still likes looking at books, even if she usually is too wiggly to finish Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? right now. She is just learning to walk, which makes her crazy about moving. All. The. Time.

And every once in a while, she will sit still for you.

[This picture also melted my heart.]

Yard Sale Finds

My sister and I went yard saling today, and we found some fun things. I love going yard saling with Holly; she is the best deal-finder I know. I got this Little People barn for Elise for 75¢. She loves it.

I also got her this set of percussion instruments that are pretty fun, also for 75¢.

The barn is missing the silo, but I was happy with my purchases! Much better than paying $30 or $40 to get the toys new.

A couple of weeks ago, Holly got this entertainment center while we were yard saling. It's not in perfect condition, but it's really nice and sturdy. Only $5. I know, crazy. Holly was pretty happy, especially since she hated her old entertainment center.

So, happy day today. Maybe I'll wrap up the barn and drum set and give them to Elise for her birthday, which is in less than two weeks.

Soaking Up the Sun

Today the high was 111°, but the kids were a little energetic and needed to run around outside. Holly's kids put on their bathing suits and Elise wore just a swim diaper, and they all played outside while we sprayed them with the hose. They had a lot of fun.

wet

the hooligans in action

Going, Going, Gone!

Elise has really been taking off with walking lately. She's such a daredevil! She has discovered the freedom of walking wherever she wants, and she loves it.

Oh, and she also climbs.

Peek-a-boo

This is Elise playing peek-a-boo with her shirt. She keeps us laughing.

And here's more peek-a-boo, just because she's so cute.

I love this {adorable} kid.

Eat Your Veggies!

Elise likes vegetables. It's weird. She'll take peas over pears any day. Last night she tried broccoli (steamed, with nothing on it), and it was a big hit.

Don't worry, she doesn't eat too healthy.

[Remember this?]

Forty-four Ouncer

My sister, who is six months pregnant, has been craving lemonade slushies from Cirle K a lot lately. (Don't judge her; she's pregnant, it's really hot, and they're really yummy.) I have been getting them a lot lately too. (You can judge me if you want.) And did I mention these slushies are 44 ounces of pure goodness?

Elise likes them too. Probably too much. She's still trying to figure out the whole straw thing, but she's getting better.

I didn't mind sharing a little with her until she decided she had to do it all by herself. [Remember this post?] I tried letting her do it, but this is what would happen:

You can't really tell from this video, but she kept flinging slushy five feet into the air. She was getting it all over the place.

So I tried to help her.

Bad idea. This is what followed. She has never thrown a fit like this before!

[Note: I was still giving her all she wanted, but she just didn't want my help!]

Pathetic, right?

So I caved and let her at it again.

Bad Hair

I don't want to say anything bad about my beautiful daughter, but let's just face it: she has bad hair right now. It's not her fault; it happens to most babies. She is just getting her hair later than a lot of kids. I didn't have much hair until I was two and half either. While her hair is coming in, though, I'm not sure what to do with it. Cut it so it's even? Embrace the weirdness somehow? Cover it with bows and hats? Ignore it altogether?

Here's a shot so you understand what we have to work with.

And in the bath, it's a bona fide rat's tail. Awesome.

Suggestions?

Good thing she's so dang cute, huh?

Long Shirt/Short Dress

Background info: Elise has this shirt and this dress. They are from the same line because I liked the line so much.

Funny story: today before church, I fed Elise breakfast, and Matt got her dressed. He then put her right into her car seat, and we rushed off to church (8am is too early for church!). When we got there, I realized that what Matt had thought was Elise's dress was actually her shirt! At least he put her diaper cover on.

Dry Bath

Elise and Ryland love to play in the bath so much that they even play there with their clothes on when there's no water.

They crack me up.

Backyard Camping

My brother-in-law took his two older kids, ages 4 and 3, camping in the backyard. We all joined in the festivities beforehand (but opted to sleep inside, since nighttime in Arizona is still really, really hot).

Elise ate graham crackers for dinner. She thought that was awesome.

The rest of us had hot dogs, chips, and s'mores. Super nutritious, I know.

Matt roasting hot dogs

and making s'mores

my beautiful sister with her cute pregnant belly

This is my nephew Leighton singing to the flies to try to keep them away.

Shoes

Elise is into shoes lately. Here's a video of her trying to put on her cousin Savannah's shoes (and trying to eat them). Listen closely and you can hear her saying shh.

Little Miss Independent

Elise has been wanting to be so independent lately, especially when it comes to feeding herself. Suddenly, I am not allowed to feed her with a spoon unless I sneak it in while she is working on scooping up a bite. And everything that doesn't require a spoon must be done completely solo. It has made for some interesting mealtimes. By "interesting," I mean disastrously messy.

pureed bananas across her forehead

green beans everywhere

I guess she's got to learn some time.

Loads of Fun

Ryland and Elise had too much fun playing with this laundry hamper. First I pushed them around in it singing "Row, Row, Row Your Boat," which was a big hit.

Then Ryland decided to stand on it. Elise so wanted to join him, but since she is still mastering standing on the ground, she settled for using the hamper as a drum.

Here they are in action.

Don't you love how kids can get so much enjoyment out of the simple things in life?