New Outfits

Grandma Johnson sent the kids new church clothes. Don't they look great? Thank you Grandma.

Happy Halloween

We had a great Halloween in Bisbee. The church had a trunk or treat for the kids. They were giving candy out by the handfuls. Elizabeth loved being a cowgirl. She chased all the boys around for a good half hour before the trick or treating started. She did a great job of saying trick-or-treat and thank you when the candy was put in her bucket.

A Great Party

Elizabeth had a great time at Aunt Jeremy's baby shower. When we arrived, she walked upstairs and told Aunt Jeremy, "I'm ready to party." Then she said, "we need candles."
Elizabeth loved the game of finding safety pins in rice. She watched Aunt Jeremy do it, and immediately wanted to try it herself. So, she hopped up on the chair and grabbed the bowl. Then Grandma Johnson elisted her help when it was Grandma's turn to find the pins.

Thanks Aunt Jeremy for such a fun time. We love you and can't wait for our new cousin to arrive.

Brrr

"Mommy, I want to make a snowman."

It snowed in the mountains yesterday. Now every time Elizabeth looks at the snow, she wants to make a snowman. She might get her wish over the weekend.

Making Cookies

Grandma Ross and I baked cookies today. Thanks Grandma Ross. I had fun.

Coloring with Great Grandma Ross

Great Grandma Ross and I are having a great time coloring.

Corn

I helped Grandma shuck corn today. She taught me how to peel off all the layers to find the corn. It's fun.

I also tested a few for quality purposes.

Up and Down

Elizabeth loves running up the hills at Grandma's house, especially when Grandma is waiting with open arms at the bottom of the hill. Tonight she ran up and down the hill 12 times.

Fall In Idaho

Fall in Idaho is beautiful. Elizabeth has had a great time picking up the different leaves. It has been a great teaching tool to determine if the leaves are the same, or different.

Put To Work

Grandpa has many projects that he needs help with on Hurricane Hill. One of them is putting a gate at the county road so they can close the gate and head to Arizona for the winter.

The Zoo

Uncle Eric and Aunt Jeremy treated us to the Idaho Falls Zoo today. We had great time looking at the animals. Elizabeth loved the monkey house. There was a crazy monkey that was swinging all over the place. Elizabeth was mimicing the sounds of the monkeys. It was fun to watch.

Elizabeth really liked the animals she could recognize by herself. The pig and lion were a big hit. Uncle Eric was really good about helping her see into the lion enclosure when she wasn't tall enough.

Thanks for a great day!

I Like To Ride My Bicycle

Grandma Johnson is teaching Elizabeth how to ride a bicycle. Elizabeth thought it might be easier to use the peddles with her shoes off. Since taking the picture she has gotten pretty good at riding it. By the time we head back to Arizona she should be a pro. Thanks for all the help Grandma.

Loving Freedom

We took an afternoon drive to Carr Canyon. The kids enjoyed picking up pine cones and climbing over stumps and rocks. Elizabeth loved having her picture taken. She wanted to sit at every picnic table to pose and saying...cheese.

How? When? Why?

I went to check on Elizabeth while she was sleeping this afternoon and found her naked as a jay bird. I have no idea when she took all her clothing off. I don't know if she got hot, or just upset that she had to wear clothes. She wouldn't tell me why here clothes were off when she got up. I think she was just as confused and surprised as I was. Silly Girl!

Toddler Time at the Bisbee Library

Today for Toddler Time at the library they had one of the Mom's do a class on tumbling. Elizabeth loved it, but had a hard time waiting her turn and standing on the line. She kept saying, "Elizabeth's Turn" over and over. Toddler time at the Bisbee library is great. They read a story, sing songs, do sign language, do a craft, and have a snack. There are also toys and puzzles to play with in the children's reading area. This is where you will find us on Friday mornings from now on.

Wahoo

Elizabeth can finally say her name!

Markers=Fun

Elizabeth found the markers in WalMart the other day and HAD to have them. I put her in the high chair complete with a new notebook and markers. I then proceeded to take a quick shower while she watched Curious George and tested out her new markers. This is the aftermath of a Toddler using markers unsupervised.
It was all over her face, hands, and shirt. The marker had even soaked though the shirt which turned her chest blue in a few spots. It's a good thing kids are washable.

Good Morning

Time with Daddy

We are having a great time in Bisbee, and the kids are loving spending time with Daddy. I think Daddy's thoughts are the same.

Daddy has introduced his love for blanket forts. The kids giggle and squeel each time the blankets are brought out.

Snuggling

I love E's snuggles.

I'm A Fish

We swam at Uncle Wayne and Aunt Brandi's on Saturday, and Elizabeth is a fish. She loved going under water, blowing bubbles and floating. Daddy dunked her under the water for the first time and she came up laughing. It is wonderful that she isn't scared of the water. I think it helped watching her cousins swim. She loves them and wants to do big things like they do. Cooper was great with her and even helped her go down the slide at least a half a dozen times. We will have to swim again soon.

Outfit Evolution

E's outfit has really evolved this morning. Now she is wearing size 0-3 month socks with size 13 shoes, (which are really frustrating her because they will NOT stay on like she thinks they should) and a strawberry shortcake shirt.

Irish Dancing

Elizabeth has been watching the Irish dancers on Sesame Street this morning. The show prompted her to go into her closet and ask for her tutu so she could dance like them. Notice the entranced look...she didn't want to take her eyes off the tv for the picture. Silly girl.

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day. We love you Daddy.

Making Apricot Jam

Elizabeth has been refusing to go to bed for me. Tonight I was busy making and canning apricot jam. This is how she finally fell asleep at 9:15.

Afternoon Activities

Since it is too hot outside to take walks in the afternoons, we have been playing in the water on the back porch. Both kids love being outside, and beg to go out after naps.

Dear Elizabeth

Dear Elizabeth,

I want to tell you how much I love you. You and I have really struggled this week. You have inherited your mother's strong will and your father's stubbornness. For the past week, bedtime has only been a suggestion, and getting you dressed after bath time is even harder. But there are good moments too; like when you were walking down the isle in target this afternoon...10 ft ahead of me only to stop, turn around and say, "I'm Shoppin'!" Or when you insisted on more ketchup for your chicken nuggets and stuck your nose in it when Mommy wasn't looking. I also loved watching you play with friends and the excitement in your eyes when you learned how to get on the swing all by yourself. I hope the refusal to sleep in your own bed, and the screaming when something doesn't go quite like you want it too is just a phase. I pray that I can keep up with your energy and excitement for learning. You are so smart. You see things in your world that I have taken for granted and I love that about you.

Thank you for being my daughter. (And maybe, just maybe, Can Mommy win the bedtime war at least once in the coming week?...that would really boost my Mommy confidence.)

Love you,

Mom

Picture Taking

We need to work on E's picture taking. She used to be so good at it. I was kneeling down to try to get a good picture of her and she did the same thing as me. She is a definite watcher (like her mother). Last night at a party she was watching a puppy scratch his ear so she decided to do the same. It made Mommy and Daddy smile.

Great Grandma's

We went to visit Great Grandma Ross today. Any time we spend with her is always special. The kids did a good job of staying out of too much trouble. Elizabeth spotted the chair she is sitting on and had to use it at the table for lunch.

I am so pleased that my children can spend time with my Grandmother. She is a very special person in my life. I love her dearly. She is such an example of loving unconditionally, living life fully and using and developing talents no matter what your age or life circumstance. I love you Grandma.

Mommy is SO Proud

I love my children so much. We drove 400 miles today in the car today and Andrew and Elizabeth didn't complain once. They are wonderful travelers. Thank you for being so good Elizabeth. You are such a good girl.

400 miles of being good is definitely worth a chocolate chip cookie.

An Invite

Elizabeth was invited to her friend Porter's Birthday Party this week. She has a great time whenever they are together. Porter is pretty good at making her laugh, and she loves to chase him around.

She's also a pretty good flirt. We are in trouble!

Dresses and Nightgowns

Elizabeth is all girl. She loves dresses. It is the first thing she asks for when she gets up in the morning. When she's wearing a dress she loves to spin and dance. Every time music is played she says, "I'm Dancin'!" Notice in the picture above; she has her pajama top on, but couldn't bear to be without the dress. Last night she refused to take off this dress for bed and Mommy refused to let her wear it any longer because it was very dirty. Luckily, I found a nightgown for her to wear, which made her happy to be wearing a new dress to bed. She can be a challenge at times, but she sure does make me smile.

I'm gonna be on America's Funniest Home Viedos

That's right, we have a rising star on our hands. We sent in this clip of Elizabeth trying to play in the water from last summer and the people at AFV thought it was funny enough to make the show...so tune in with us Sunday night on ABC. Here's the clip.

I've been Sick

Elizabeth has been really sick for the past week. We hope to have our ball of energy back soon. Mommy doesn't like seeing her sick.

Potty Dance

We have been working with Elizabeth to recognize when she needs to use the potty. Every time I turn around it seems like she is taking her diaper off. We went to the store on Friday and found 10 pairs of big girl underwear. She thought it would be fun to wear them all at once.

Today when she sat on the potty, she actually had some action down there. She was so suprised, and we were thrilled. Daddy, Mommy and E did a big potty dance!

Elizabeth's Heaven

If Elizabeth could build her own heaven I think it would be one giant swimming pool. To say she loves water is understating it. The RV park Grandma and Grandpa were staying in had a heated pool so we let Elizabeth test it out. This is the first time she has been in a swimming pool since she was 4 months old. She loved it and hated to get out. She would kick and float. Since Grandma and Mommy weren't dressed for a full on swim, she had to stay on the step, which was so hard for her. We will have to frequent more pools once it heats up.

Sonora Desert Museum

Grandma and Grandpa came to Arizona to learn more about the desert and the plants that grow here. Today we accompanied them to the Sonora Desert Museum.

We had a great time learning about the plants and animals that live in our back yard. When we saw our first snake through the window E said, "Oh Wow!" Elizabeth over the past couple of months Elizabeth has learned how to breathe in to smell with her nose, so every flower that was at her level needed to be examined and smelled.

Elizabeth learned about deer, fish, spiders, snakes, lizards, fox, road runners, wolves, and birds.

Elizabeth being a ham.

Showing Off

Grandma and Grandpa Johnson arrived today from Idaho. Elizabeth and Andrew were thrilled to go outside and play with them.