18 months

Andi's 18 months old! :)

Like I said in the previous post, we're enjoying this "boom" in language development toddlers this age seem to be having, and it seems she s learning new words weekly, or mimicing ours. I love how she tilts her head when she asks me (in her own language) a question, and have to say it is quite convenient sometimes that she can obey more of the simple commands ... yay for her starting to put her own toys back!! Another big step: first solo down the slide at the park! Feet first, on her belly, smiling all the way down.

She still has *quite* the intense personality sometimes though, which can result in quite the temper tantrums. No, I don't like to say this, but it makes her look possessed sometimes :)

She's got 3 molars now, and 6 going on 7 teeth. She's also still not always a fan of having to eat her balanced meals and would rather eat crackers, bread and cereal all day long. But, she loves to eat raisins, and we recently also discovered her love for black beans. A true surprise to me since I hated them as a kid. I even ended up having to peel them out of a burrito I was eating (and licking of the cheese sauce, because "no mom, I don't want the cheese sauce") because she saw them in there and wanted some. I felt like a bird regurgitating food for her baby :) I guess it's good to have found another protein source for her, because I guess she's quite petite! Makes me wonder if she'll take after the women on her dad's side of the family, and turn out shorter and curvier than her mom! (Ha, maybe she will be happy to know that she actually has a chance of developing boobs when she grows up, unlike the ladies on her mom's side of the family :) ) Anyway, that is besides the point ... at this mornings checkup:

Height: 30 1/2 inches (15th percentile, dropped from 27th)

Weight: 21 lbs 9 oz (12th percentile, dropped from 25th)
Head: 47 cm (steady at ~64th percentile)

And of course a few pictures:

18 month shot with Slungel

I've got teeth on the top and bottom!

Our cutie :)

Trying on her mamma's shoes for size :)

Playdate with friend Weston

She also her her first overnight away from mom, so that mom and dad could go on a date. It was a grand success if you ask me, sure to be repeated! Her grandpa took these pictures as she was helping grandma in the garden:

Picking and sorting green beans.

With grandma in her garden.

Andi is also starting to copy me doing things around the house. She's a pro at talking on the cell phone (Hi!), and will have whole conversations. She likes to help feed Sage, and, since last week she "helps" me vacuum! I take an extension piece off of my vacuum for her to pretend with, and it is too fun!

To the birds

I'm loving this new stage we're getting in with Andi. As she's moving and talking more and more, there are just so many more things she can do and understand, uncluding communication!

This morning at breakfast she had her usual slice of bread with peanut butter (which, btw she now eats with a fork herself! :) ). Apparently she was loving it this morning, because she ate it really fast, and when I asked her if she wanted another one, she replied with "please". Just as a side note, she doesn't know how to say "yes" yet, though "no" is unfortunately a big part of her vocabulary.... Anyway, so, I made her another one and cut it up into small pieces.
As we're eating breakfast, birds are starting to show up on the deck to eat Sage's food, which Andi loves to watch. After a while, Andi was done eating after all, so I suggested we cut up her leftover bread into even smaller pieces and give it to the birds as well. She happily helped me set out the plate, and we waited for the birds to come. However, as soon as she really realized what was going on, she wasn't having it! "I'm not sharing my bread with the birds!" I opened the door back up for her, and she quickly grabbed the plate, set it down, and started eating it all again, whether hungry for it it or not :)

Lunchdate at the river

Today Andi and I surprised Ben with a picnic at the river: Sandwiches, cookies, cold drinks and feet in the water. Don't know why we hadn't done this earlier this summer!

Dad - daughter time in the river.

Playing

With her new bucket.

Picnic spot

Shoveling rocks in her bucket.

Yay for getting messy!

Rinsing off all the rocks and dirt got a little cold though, so we warmed up on the chair, in a towel in the sun. With a beverage of course :)

More dad - daughter time :)

August so far ... a photo blurb.

The weekend before this past weekend we headed up to the snowy range with the camper for a little overnight camping trip. We decided to venture into a new area, and took off 4wheeling (on the way home we actually got stuck in a mud hole for a while!) onto Libby flats, and found ourselves a great little campspot ... no one around, with the best views 360!

Our little camper ... shoes to match the eyes :)

Our spot was right on a little lake.

The fam :)

We watched a BIG storm come in over the mountains....

When the storm finally hit, of course we headed inside (it actually started sleeting...that's August camping at altitude!), and taught Andi some camping inside activities:

Eating chips and salsa :)

And playing cards.

She also got herself wedged between the table and the couch :)

The first week of August, Debbie and the kids and I drove to a FtCollins park to meet up with Marcie and her two kids, Trigg and Natalie. It was so great to see Marcie again, and to finally meet her two kids!

Marcie and her little ones!

The kids first played at the park, then we had lunch and after that we found this great splash pad for the kids to cool off in. Andi was a little hesitant at first, but of course couldn't stay behind too far with daring Weston, Tyler, Trigg and Natalie around, and eventually also braved the fountains :)

Andi walking through the fountians.

Andi and Tyler by the fountains.

I thought this one was cute...every now and then all the fountains disappeared, so here's Andi, Weston and Tyler awaiting their return :)

On to other stuff ...

Andi got this tutu as a babyshower present, and the other night I decided to put it on her...she had so much fun with it!

Andi and I went hiking at Vedauwoo with Alex and Adelyn one afternoon.

Andi and Ben playing with Legos

Holland 2010

It's been two weeks since Andi and I got back from Holland, so about time I make a little post about it! We had such a wonderful time at my parents' house in Wijster. We did so many fun things (walks in the area, visited an open air museum, a small bird zoo, shopping, and a day with my sister in the city where she goes to school) but also really just enjoyed doing the normal day to day things...together.
My parents live in a rural area, so there is lots of space to play. Andi loved spending time with her opa and oma, and it made me happy that she got attached to them again so quickly. And, bonus for me, her opa and oma loved every opportunity to babysit Andi, so I got lots of playtime with my sister! Two of my parents' neighbors are dairy farmers, and in a field acros the steet there were a bunch of sheep, and everytime my mom or dad asked Andi to go see the sheep and cows she'd lift up her arms to them to be taken there, and she would say "meehhh" (for the sheep) or "moooh" (for the cows).
Of course we really missed Ben this whole time (he had to stay home for work), and hopefully he can come along again next time.

I have a bunch of pictures, most of which you can see here (Holland) and here (France). But here are a few as well:

Happy opa and oma.

Liselotte and I went on LOTS and lots of runs together. Through the woods, passed the sheep and cows and along the canals :) During the year, we often chat online about going running, and when and where etc., and while sometimes it happens we run at the same time (her training is in the evenings, while I go in the am with Andi ... add an 8 hr time diffference, and there you go, we run at the same time), it is never really together, so we were really looking forward to this!

Definitely one of the highlights: going on lots of bikerides with Andi in the front seat with me. Holland is known for its excellent bike riding (since it's flat!), and Andi loved it as well, pointing at everything along the way, especially when there were sheep, cows or horses around.

Playing in the pool with mom. We had such great weather in Holland. Some summers it can just rain and rain, but this year we had gorgeous days, plenty nice for playing in the pool.

Visiting the neighbors cows and sheep was a daily activity.

In the sandbox, before getting herself completely covered in sand :)

We also had fun playing with nephews Ivan and Tesse! (as with uncle Bastian and aunt Erika!)

Mom and I did some pie baking for my sister's 23rd birthday party!

My dad with his girls and granddaughter :)

Another "must" on the list when visiting home is visiting my grandpa in Zwartsluis and going for a little ride in his boat over the many waterways in the area where he lives.

Andi and I in the boat.

Eating Dutch pannenkoeken (a sort of large pancake) at a pannenkoekenboerderij...always another must when I visit ... Mmmm

My dad got to hog Andi all to himself once day as I went shopping in Zwolle with my mom and sister.

Auntie Liselotte teaching Andi the important things in life. Liselotte, I hope you know that Andi hasn't stopped picking her nose since ...

Sometimes, we slept too :)

Encore ...

* I can't get enough of the fields full of sunflowers, turning with the sun (and, how they seem to be confused when it's cloudy, lol)

* Andi visited her first 12th/13th century castle

* Playing at the beach of a nearby lake. Andi loved treading through the water, stomping with her feet and swimming. Hands in the sand is a different story though. :)

* Andi playing with her nephews, Ivan and Tesse

* Andi fell face first onto a metal grate yesterday. Not so pretty. :(

* Some of the delicatessen eaten so far this trip: goat cheeses, sheep cheeses, duck sausages (can we say MMmm MMmm MMmm!!), and cured horse meat (not very fond of that).

* Andi loves, loves, loves visiting the neighbors sheep, and knows very well how to make their sound.

* Buying a piece of french bread and a chunk of stinky cheese in some small town, and devouring that with my family under the trees in the town square as an afternoon snack.

* More vineyard walks and runs with my sister.


Last day in France today. Tomorrow morning we leave for Holland! Family road trip!

En France!

Andi and I are in France! We are staying with my parents and my sister in my parents' home in the country side in the South, and it is wonderful like always! The stone house was built in 1761, and is so much fun to get to stay in. Quite something to watch Andi climb up stone stairs everyday that are ~250 yrs old! The flight was long and tiring, but very much worth it :) Because the internet is as slow as molasses here (forget facebook), I will leave you with a few snippets only .... more details and pictures to come later!

* Sunshine, bikini, pool.

* Andi playing with grandma, grandpa and my sister from morning till evening.

* Fresh French bread and Mmmm old Dutch cheese.

* Reading books and magazines.

* My sister and I finally get to run together! We went on 2 runs so far to the neighboring village. It's a beautiful run through the vineyards and fields, and although it's only a short run (15 minutes to the village), it is a tough and sweaty one....heat, humidity (!), and HILLS! Have I mentioned before that I don't do well on hills? My sister kicks my butt!

* French bread and cheese.

* Some more sunshine, bikini, pool. :)

* Evening walks with Andi to feed the neighbors' horses and look at their sheep. Beehhhhh

* We take little walks with Andi through the grass, stopping to look at the flowers so she can "smell" them. She doesn't quite understand how to smell something, and thinks the sound we make when we smell comes from blowing, so she wants to stop and blow on every flower :)

* Delicious fresh cherries, and drip-down-your-elbows peaches and nectarines.

* Mmm chocolates and black licorice.

* Andi doesn't do so well sleeping here, so most nights she ends up in my bed at some point. Though it's a little tiring, I have to say it is actually quite fun and cozy. Besides, with a buzy daily schedule of poolside lazyness there are plenty of opportunities for naps :)

* Did I mention the french bread and cheese? (you get the drift ... see why running with my sister is becoming sort of a must? ;) )

* Visiting old villages.

* This weekend my brother, his wife and their two kids are joining us. I wish Ben could too. Miss you my man!

(* P.S Did I get you jealous yet? hihi)