October has been a very relaxing month for us. We have moved out of our first house and into our little apartment while we wait to find the next house to flip. As difficult as it has been to move out of our big house, it has actually been a humbling and good experience for us-- life is simpler, the house is easier to clean, we have spent more time as a family, and it has just been cozy to be in close quarters as the chilly weather begins to creep in. Even though we are anxious to find the next big project, I don't feel any pressure to pack up again and leave our cozy little space.
Charlize did go through a little adjustment phase but she has settled in and can now call this place home. Here is what she has been up to-
Charlize loves to help me around the house, especially in the kitchen.
So, I made some of the lower cabinets in the apartment baby-friendly. They are full of plastic mixing bowls, measuring cups, wooden spoons and other kitchen tools that are safe for her to play with. She just loves going into the kitchen, opening up her cupboards, and playing house. I never get tired of seeing her play in the middle of the kitchen floor:
It looks like she is ready for that play kitchen her Dad and Grandpa are making her for Christmas!
Charlize has also been expanding her vocabulary.
One of her new favorite words is"cook-coo" which really means "cookie." And wouldn't ya know her favorite cookie is the Oreo. On more than one occasion I have found her in the pantry working the Oreo box open with her cute little fingers. I have since moved them from the bottom shelf to the top!
One of her new favorite words is"cook-coo" which really means "cookie." And wouldn't ya know her favorite cookie is the Oreo. On more than one occasion I have found her in the pantry working the Oreo box open with her cute little fingers. I have since moved them from the bottom shelf to the top!
Here she is enjoying every last bite of the Oreo Grandma Warren gave her before she even finished lunch:
Besides the word cookie, Charlize has also learned so many new words. We are actually able to have short conversations with Charlize and we really understand each other. She is so smart and constantly eager to learn. Here is a list of most of the words she can say.
WARNING: All of these lists are really long and I have no video evidence to go with them; sorry. Charlize is so obsessed with the camera that she won't even pose or perform anymore. As soon as I get it out, she climbs on my lap to watch herself-- even though she hasn't even done anything for me to record!
Mamma, Dadda, and Grandma
She makes a little "zzzzzz" noise when she tries to say Charlize
Hi and Bye-- she is really good and these words
drink, cookie, cheese, banana
baby, ball, book
thank you, tickle, bubble
shoes, jacket-- used especially when she wants to go out somewhere
hot--used when she feels she is hot, when a slide too hot, and around the oven
bow--used when her hair bow falls out
wee-- used when she is sliding off of anything and even sometimes just because
this-- I realized I would point to things and say "Do you want this?" and now if Charlize doesn't know what something is she just says "this"
uh-oh -- Charlize loves to purposely drop things or hide toys under the couch cushions and then say "uh-oh"
no-- Charlize really understands the word no; whenever I tell her "no" about doing something she will stop what she is doing, say "no, no, no" and walk away, then every time she is around something I don't want her to do, she will look at me and say "no." She has recently started telling me (very nicely) "no" when she no longer wants to eat or do something.
oh man!-- Charlize always says this when she falls down
poo-- I have been trying to teach Charlize the meaning of the word "poo" and now she understands. Right after she goes poo in her diaper she will come to me and say "poo" to tell me she needs to be changed.
She is so smart!!
Charlize is also learning a lot of animal noises--
dog
cat
monkey- nick's favorite!
bee
snake
elephant
cow
bear
duck
sheep
horse
and "vvroom" for a car noise
She has also learned where lots of things are on her body--
belly button
ears
nose
hair
piggies (toes)
knee
mouth
teeth
tongue
eyes
cheeks- so cute because she pinches them when you ask here where they are
Another fun thing Charlize is really getting into is music and singing. She loves to dance and sing, especially when she knows the actions to the song. Some of her favorites include:
The wheels on the bus
The itsy-bitsy spider
row, row, row your boat
If you're happy and you know it
The wise man and the foolish man
Charlize understands so many things. One of the cutest things is when she hears the word prayer.
As soon as anyone says it she immediately folds her arms. She usually doesn't
make it through the end of the prayer but she has good intentions. She has now started folding her
arms for prayer when she is really hungry--she has learned that we usually eat right after praying so
she thinks all she has to do is say pray and she'll get food!
When we are not learning, singing, or dancing we are busy playing:
Here are some pictures and a video of Charlize and Grandma Wright jumping on the trampoline. Grandma has trained Charlize to play a simpler version of "crack the egg." Charlize will sit on her bottom and try not to tip over while Grandma jumps.
WARNING: All of these lists are really long and I have no video evidence to go with them; sorry. Charlize is so obsessed with the camera that she won't even pose or perform anymore. As soon as I get it out, she climbs on my lap to watch herself-- even though she hasn't even done anything for me to record!
Mamma, Dadda, and Grandma
She makes a little "zzzzzz" noise when she tries to say Charlize
Hi and Bye-- she is really good and these words
drink, cookie, cheese, banana
baby, ball, book
thank you, tickle, bubble
shoes, jacket-- used especially when she wants to go out somewhere
hot--used when she feels she is hot, when a slide too hot, and around the oven
bow--used when her hair bow falls out
wee-- used when she is sliding off of anything and even sometimes just because
this-- I realized I would point to things and say "Do you want this?" and now if Charlize doesn't know what something is she just says "this"
uh-oh -- Charlize loves to purposely drop things or hide toys under the couch cushions and then say "uh-oh"
no-- Charlize really understands the word no; whenever I tell her "no" about doing something she will stop what she is doing, say "no, no, no" and walk away, then every time she is around something I don't want her to do, she will look at me and say "no." She has recently started telling me (very nicely) "no" when she no longer wants to eat or do something.
oh man!-- Charlize always says this when she falls down
poo-- I have been trying to teach Charlize the meaning of the word "poo" and now she understands. Right after she goes poo in her diaper she will come to me and say "poo" to tell me she needs to be changed.
She is so smart!!
Charlize is also learning a lot of animal noises--
dog
cat
monkey- nick's favorite!
bee
snake
elephant
cow
bear
duck
sheep
horse
and "vvroom" for a car noise
She has also learned where lots of things are on her body--
belly button
ears
nose
hair
piggies (toes)
knee
mouth
teeth
tongue
eyes
cheeks- so cute because she pinches them when you ask here where they are
Another fun thing Charlize is really getting into is music and singing. She loves to dance and sing, especially when she knows the actions to the song. Some of her favorites include:
The wheels on the bus
The itsy-bitsy spider
row, row, row your boat
If you're happy and you know it
The wise man and the foolish man
Charlize understands so many things. One of the cutest things is when she hears the word prayer.
As soon as anyone says it she immediately folds her arms. She usually doesn't
make it through the end of the prayer but she has good intentions. She has now started folding her
arms for prayer when she is really hungry--she has learned that we usually eat right after praying so
she thinks all she has to do is say pray and she'll get food!
When we are not learning, singing, or dancing we are busy playing:
Here are some pictures and a video of Charlize and Grandma Wright jumping on the trampoline. Grandma has trained Charlize to play a simpler version of "crack the egg." Charlize will sit on her bottom and try not to tip over while Grandma jumps.
Charlize seems to enjoy the trampoline but I think she she really likes just running around on it while you chase her from the edge!
Because we have felt a little trapped in the apartment, we have had to get a little creative and come up with some fun in-door activities. Here are some of things we have come up with:
Cotton Balls-
I have learned that anything can be a toy and usually the cheaper things seem to be the most fun.
Playing Cards and Chips-
We never get tired of 52+ card and chip pick up!
Play Doh-
This is one of our favorite activities.
JELLO fun-
I decided to make a pan of jello and just let Charlize play in it;
I got out cookie cutters and some silverware to go with it.
She was a little unsure at first but by the end she was covered in jello and had so much fun!!
Dress-up-
Charlize still loves to play dress up but now she is really into necklaces and hair bows. Putting necklaces on and off, over and over again can keep her busy for at least a good hour.
Can you see all the necklaces around her neck?
One night Charlize kept bringing Nick bows to put on her head and this is what we ended up with. So cute!
When we are not playing, we are spending time relaxing-
Charlize LOVES the ipad and it seems to be a good relaxing activity for Nick and her to do together.
One Sunday we made a big pile of pillows and blankets to play in. Charlize had lots of fun; Nick fell asleep-
Charlize has also recently learned what jumping is--here is a video of her "jumping":
Spending time with Grandpa-
We have been lucky enough to meet Grandpa Warren twice this month for lunch.
Here is Charlize enjoying her first visit to McDonalds. I didn't really want her to eat "mystery nuggets" but Grandpa promised she wouldn't get too sick :-)
While we were eating lunch an old man came up to say hi to Charlize. He told me that he has three daughters and lots of grandchildren. He said that even though he loves spending time with his grandkids, he sometimes misses the days when his girls were little. So, his parting words to me were not to let these days slip past me because they grow up too fast. I was very grateful for that reminder.
Then, when we had lunch at Wendy's a few weeks later, Grandpa taught Charlize a very important life lesson-- how to dunk fries in your frosty.
She really loved doing this-- it doesn't get better than a fry and a frosty!
Posing for pictures before we head out for the goods:
"Mom, are you sure you want me to take candy from strangers?"
Charlize loved that she was getting lots of free candy but she was a little unsure of the method
we used to collect it.
After hitting up Grandma and Grandpa Warren's neighborhood, we headed to
Grandma and Grandpa Wright's house. It was getting late and dark so we just did a few houses there.
Here is the trick-or-treating gang:
Our little girl is growing up so fast-- she really is a toddler now and not a little cuddly baby.
But, I love to watch her grow and I am always amazed at how smart she is and how much she just loves to learn. I am so grateful to be her mom-- she is such a happy little girl and she makes our home a wonderful place to be!
We hope all is well with you and your families. As always, thanks for keeping up with us.
Cotton Balls-
I have learned that anything can be a toy and usually the cheaper things seem to be the most fun.
Playing Cards and Chips-
We never get tired of 52+ card and chip pick up!
Play Doh-
This is one of our favorite activities.
JELLO fun-
I decided to make a pan of jello and just let Charlize play in it;
I got out cookie cutters and some silverware to go with it.
Dress-up-
Charlize still loves to play dress up but now she is really into necklaces and hair bows. Putting necklaces on and off, over and over again can keep her busy for at least a good hour.
One night Charlize kept bringing Nick bows to put on her head and this is what we ended up with. So cute!
When we are not playing, we are spending time relaxing-
Charlize LOVES the ipad and it seems to be a good relaxing activity for Nick and her to do together.
One Sunday we made a big pile of pillows and blankets to play in. Charlize had lots of fun; Nick fell asleep-
Charlize has also recently learned what jumping is--here is a video of her "jumping":
Spending time with Grandpa-
We have been lucky enough to meet Grandpa Warren twice this month for lunch.
Here is Charlize enjoying her first visit to McDonalds. I didn't really want her to eat "mystery nuggets" but Grandpa promised she wouldn't get too sick :-)
While we were eating lunch an old man came up to say hi to Charlize. He told me that he has three daughters and lots of grandchildren. He said that even though he loves spending time with his grandkids, he sometimes misses the days when his girls were little. So, his parting words to me were not to let these days slip past me because they grow up too fast. I was very grateful for that reminder.
Then, when we had lunch at Wendy's a few weeks later, Grandpa taught Charlize a very important life lesson-- how to dunk fries in your frosty.
Thank you Grandpa!!!
Grandpa also taught Charlize how to do a somersault. She thought this was so much fun; they did it over and over and over & she laughed the whole time!
In preparation for Halloween, we decided to go to the pumpkin patch. It was a pretty quick trip but it was still fun to see Charlize run from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to pick them up.
While doing a little shopping with Grandma Warren one weekend, Charlize took Grandma over to the toy section and found a little shopping cart. Charlize pushed that cart all over the store until it was time to go so Grandma decided she needed to buy it for her. Charlize had so much fun with it and she still loves to push it around the house.
Thank you Grandma!
For Halloween I wanted Charlize to be a Disney Princess (because I'm a little worried she won't want to be so girly when she gets older). I decided on Snow White and with some help from my mom we whipped up a cute top and a little yellow tutu. I think she looked so cute.
Every chance she got, Charlize would sift through the candy bowl looking for something yummy!
Posing for pictures before we head out for the goods:
Now on to Trick-Or-Treating:
Charlize loved that she was getting lots of free candy but she was a little unsure of the method
we used to collect it.
Grandma and Grandpa Wright's house. It was getting late and dark so we just did a few houses there.
Here is the trick-or-treating gang:
Charlize had lots of candy on Halloween but we found that her most favorite thing is the
dum-dum sucker. She took so long finishing her first one that she had to take it in the tub with her.
After celebrating Halloween, we took a day trip up to Moses Lake to celebrate
Grandma McNeese's birthday.
We had lots of fun hanging out with cousins and all the aunts. We enjoyed lunch at the Bistro and then went back to Mel's house for presents and dessert. I think Charlize's favorite part was hanging out with Rachel, Tyler and Jayden--they are such good cousins!
Our little girl is growing up so fast-- she really is a toddler now and not a little cuddly baby.
But, I love to watch her grow and I am always amazed at how smart she is and how much she just loves to learn. I am so grateful to be her mom-- she is such a happy little girl and she makes our home a wonderful place to be!
We hope all is well with you and your families. As always, thanks for keeping up with us.
