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?

Baby Steps

Elise has been starting to walk some recently. I'm so dang proud! She's doing great. Where did my baby go? She's really steady at standing, and when she doesn't just dive forward, she can take up to about four steps at a time.

standing on her own

yes, three videos, because I just can't get enough

(feel free to watch as much or as little as you want)

My baby is becoming a toddler.

{sniff}

Cool in the Pool

Arizona is hot! Who knew? We have been staying pretty cool, though. Elise loves the water.

Here's Elise playing in the water in the pool in the backyard.

And here we are at the YMCA pool. So much fun!

Thanks, Aunt Ann, for the awesome ball!

The deep water was Elise's favorite. She's fearless!

super bright sun = squinty baby

We're having such a fun summer!

Hippo Walk

Elise is getting so close to walking, especially in the last few days. It may be a few weeks more before she really takes some steps, but here she is practicing with the hippo walking toy. I'm so proud!

[That's Holly voice on the video. She was manning the camera so I could spot Elise in case she wiped out. This was Elise's first time using this toy. I thought she did awesome!]

Twenty-one

I am finally twenty-one years old. I know, I'm still a baby (especially because I already have a baby), but at least I'm really old enough to be an adult now. [I'm pretty sure that sentence made no sense.]

Anyway, Holly and Jonathan got me a delicious gluten-free cheesecake to celebrate. Divine!

my sister Holly and her husband, Jonathan

Happy birthday to me!

We didn't share with this little hooligan (she was already in bed), but I just wanted to include this picture from earlier that day. I love that she is wearing rain boots on the wrong feet.

Kissing Cousins

Elise's cousin Ryland is really into kissing right now. He kisses pictures in books and toys and people and...well, just about everything. Even Elise. Scratch that: especially Elise. She's just the right size for him, right about his level but still smaller so he can pin her down if need be. Tough love, I guess you could call it. He's so stinking cute.

And, here's another video of Ryland, just for fun. Shoes are another thing he's really into right now. I was amazed at how well he could walk in these flip flops!