Cardigan Cutie

All spiffed up to see baby Jack turn 1! Happy Birthday to one of Liberty's favorite babies! (she carried around his invite/picture for 3 weeks saying JACK JACK JACK). Liberty is very into having whatever mommy has (hence the recent cardigan and boots purchases).

From 2011_11_20 Cardigan Cutie

Freestone Park - Rides & Ducks & Bad Santa

We live near some of the coolest parks! Freestone park has a train, carousel and jet ski ride. We've never done them - until today! And now we will be loyal customers. Liberty was jumping up and down with excitement when we told her she could ride each ride. I almost didn't let her go the jet ski ride because they go by themselves and she's only 1 and a half for crying out loud - but she held the handle bars and had such a great time! Then we fed the ducks which is always fun. Then, by chance, we saw Santa Clause and she was fine at first and approached him, but as soon as Santa went to shake her hand she burst into tears - was terrified. So, I don't think we'll be sitting on Santa's lap this year. Cameron and I couldn't stop laughing because she's never had that reaction to anyone before - so her first "fear cry" totally took us by surprise - but Santa tends to do that to toddlers I hear...

Zoo with Cheray

On a whim, my friend Cheray and I took our girls to the Zoo. It was a beautiful day and we hadn't been to the zoo in months so Liberty really enjoyed herself. She especially liked the Monkey and Tiger. I need to do a better job of getting Kayla and Liberty in a picture TOGETHER. Next time.

HALLOWEEN 2011

Fun time had by all. Liberty went trick-or-treating at about 4 neighbors houses. Tried to let herself in but they didn't mind:) She enjoyed glow-sticks, flashlights, a few lolly-pops, screaming like the older kids in the haunted house, and being the prettiest purple butterfly in all the land.

Pumpkin Patch with Heppner's

Oh my...more pumpkin fun! After a great breakfast with our friends at the Hangar Cafe at the Chandler Airport (airplanes everywhere!!), The Heppner family met us at a nearby farm on a hot day to ride the train, visit some farm animals, do the bounce house and air pillow and pick out a little pumpkin with our cute pumpkins. Sienna and Liberty had a ball - and so did the grown ups.

Weekend Before Halloween

Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ted came to visit! We went to see Elmo at Changing Hands bookstore and hung out in the gorgeous weather. Lots of crafts and Halloween prep too.

Pumpkin Patch and Butterflies with Gma and Gpa

We took a trip to the Desert Botanical Gardens to take a hayride, pick out a pumpkin, visit the petting zoo and see the butterfly exhibit. It was TOO DAMN HOT but Liberty enjoyed spending time with my parents. We dressed her up in her Halloween costume (purple butterfly) so Gma and Gpa could get to see her and Liberty was quite the attraction inside the butterfly exhibit (people took pictures/video of her for example!) She was too adorable for words. So instead I have 43 pictures for you.

18 months old

Recap of what our very tall 1.5 year old is up to these days...

Weight: 28lbs 2 oz, Height: 35.5 inches according to Dr. (99.9%) we think she's 35 inches (99.6). She is as tall as an average 30 month old. 3T in clothes.
Sleeps 7:45pm-7:30am. New to 1 nap: 12:45-3pm.
Hobbies: Pointing out every airplane, bike rides, coloring and stickers.
Says about 40 words, 12 of which a stranger could recognize.
Still calls all babies "mama". LOL I cannot figure this out. Baby was MY third word.
Has a love of lollypops, popsicles and the ability to DIP anything (in ketchup, ranch, italian)
Is DJ TRAK_TOR's biggest fan. Uncle Andy mixes her custom beats.
REALLY loves her weekly music class with Miss Colleen she calls "teacher".
Favorite movies: Milo & Otis and BABIES
Favorite books lately: "If you give a mouse a cookie..." and all the others in that series and Eric Carle books like "Brown Bear". And Gyo Fujikawa books like Baby Animals.
ELMO IS HER #1
BUTTERFLIES are her #2
BABY DOLLS/STUFFED ANIMALS (like beanie babies) are her #3
Tells me almost every times she goes potty in her diaper...so we are giving early potty training a shot here soon. She's used her potty a few times (by luck I'm sure).
Requests to give Cheetah Girl a cat treat at least 5 times a day.
If you ask her to say Flamingo or Music class it sounds like she says "Nicki Minaj". Go figure.


Video (6 min) of her doing some of her animal sounds and words:
*all the chest thumping is her signing "gorilla"
*when she gets distracted and runs away and asks me to pick her up that is because I asked her to say "Trash truck" and she thinks we need to run outside fast to catch the trash truck like we usually do.
*sweet dancing at 4:50

From Animal Sounds and Words VIDEO

San Francisco 2011

Each October we head over to SF to visit Cameron's Granddad and Uncle Thom. Last year Liberty was 6 months and took her first plane ride, and now she was 18 months and got the biggest kick out of flying in an airplane! Thom and Derek hosted us in their beautiful new home with a TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY view. It was also Fleet Week so the Blue Angels were flying around the city - so we spent a lot of time on the deck watching that. In addition to visiting Granddad and Thom, ANDY lives in SF now so we were SO HAPPY to see him. Liberty has a special fondness for her Uncle Andy and he picked us up from the airport and drove us all around the city. Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ted came out too!! We ate out, went to the Farmers Market at the ferry building, visited the sea lions at Pier 39, ate at House of Nanking, watched the air show, visited Granddad and had many meals with him. It was so nice having the 4 generations together. Liberty had a blast (minus the stomach bug that had her a little puky at 1am each night) but we love San Francisco and our family so it was a wonderful trip.

Oktoberfest in Tucson 2011

Each year since I've been 18 I've celebrated Oktoberfest with Two-Dad. While at the UofA, we'd go up Mt. Lemmon in Tucson and listen to music, eat, sit in the grass - the usual. But for the past couple years we bring the food and music to Two-Dad at his house. This year the party got pretty big at Aunt Nancy's (how I forgot pictures there, I don't know) so we had a quiet visit at Two-Dads. He is one of the most amazing men I know and I'm so happy we have these pictures.

Eating a Popsicle

Here is Liberty enjoying a popsicle (actually TWO) one day while I am trying out some new settings on my camera. I have a point and shoot camera and I feel like the pictures I take inside never turn out very well (maybe because of the windows in the family room)...so there is my lame excuse for the 27 pictures of my child eating a popsicle. And she's adorable. There is that too. I especially like the short video of her "eating a popsicle". :)