Sunday, December 12, 2010

Sweet Pea and Santa - 2010

Last night we got to go see Santa Claus!!! Sweet Pea thought it was really cool. But, I think she got a little shy when she sat on his lap. At least she didn't cry, and she looks more comfortable than last year!!!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Celery

Last night when we got home I let Sweet Pea carry in the plastic bag that had one green pepper and one package of celery. When she got in the living room she opened it up and said, "Ohhhhhh, THANK YOU, mama!!!" It was the funniest thing. Then she took out the celery package and said, "I LOVE CELERY!" and started eating pieces of it. If I had known celery would make her so happy I would have bought it long ago!!!

Bunny

A while back, Sweet Pea's daddy meant to get  her attention, and he was going to say either "honey", or "baby", and it came out, "bunny". Her eyes lit up and her whole face smiled when he called her that. Ever since, she loves when he calls her Bunny. It is adorable. The other night, we were dropping off his dinner at work, and I said, "Remember, he's just going to get his dinner and give us kisses, then he has to go back to work". And I told her "Daddy loves you", and she said, "Yeah, daddy loves Bunny" and pointed at herself.

So sweet!

Thursday, November 4, 2010

New Camera Equipment = New Sweet Pea Pics!

I bought a speedlight for my camera tonight and couldn't wait to get home and try it out! Lucky for me I have a beautiful subject to photograph :) I'm so happy with this new speedlight, and wish I would have bought it earlier. Next on my list is a new lens. Until then, enjoy!





Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Halloween 2010

Halloween is my favorite holiday of the entire year, so now that Sweet Pea is old enough to walk around in a costume I was especially looking forward to this year! I don't think we're quite ready to go door to door trick or treating, but, we did take advantage of other opporunities. The zoo had a fun event called "Boo at the Zoo" that we attended. I was hoping for Sweet Pea to get to trick or treat there, but, they did that during the day and we came at night. Regardless, it was lots of fun. There were cool decorations and the childrens zoo was open for the little ones. We came across some really cute little ghosts, and Sweet Pea said, "Eat ghosties eyes". I have no idea where she came up with that, but, I thought it was hilarious! We had a great time!







Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Pretty Princess

Here's a cute pic of Sweet Pea trying on her Halloween costume. It's funny because we kept asking her what she wanted to be for Halloween and all she would say was, "Dora". Do you know how hard it is to find a Dora costume? In addition, she was completely uninterested in any costume we held up to her (probably because they weren't Dora.) However, I did go get a Dora backpack, and she was uniterested in that, too.

Us: "Do you like this?"
Her: "Yes."
Us: "Would you wear it?"
Her: "No."

So, long story short, I just picked out a princess dress. I think she likes it!

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

2 Year Stats

We had our 2-year checkup recently and here are Sweet Pea's stats:

Height: 34 inches (50%)
Weight: 27.5 pounds (55%)
Head Circumference: 50 cm (97%)

And, just for fun, you can compare what her stats were at 18 months:
http://aweebitofheaven.blogspot.com/2010/04/18-month-stats.html

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Out for a Sunday Drive...

Sweet Pea and her BFF took a ride in her new SmartCar this weekend for my mom's birthday celebration at the park. I think they like it!


Tuesday, October 12, 2010

2nd Birthday Recap

Saturday we had Sweet Pea's birthday party at the pumpkin patch. We were all so surprised by how HOT it was! When we got in the car to leave at 5pm, the car temperature gauge said 92!!! Sweet Pea had a blast - despite the hot weather. My mom bought her a really cute shirt that had a piece of cake on it that she was going to wear to her party, but, it had long sleeves so we had to dig out some summer clothes. The pumpkin patch was so much fun, all the kids got a pumpkin, a ride on the tractor train, and a ticket to the playground. We held a toy drive to donate toys to Friends of Kids which is an organization that give toys to kids who have cancer. I can't wait to drop off our donation, we have so much! Everyone was so generous, it really means a lot. Here's a few pics from the day:









Friday, October 8, 2010

Fashionista!

This is how we wear headbands at our house:

And this is how Sweet Pea likes to spend her time in mommy's closet:


Lollipop Lollipop

For the record I wouldn't give Sweet Pea a lollipop (can you say "choking hazard"?), BUT...we picked up dinner at the Thai restaurant and the nice man behind the counter gave it to her and she shoved it in her mouth before I could blink an eye. She did OK with it, and cried her eyes out when she ate it all and it was gone :(

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Pennies and Little Girls

I've recently discovered how delightful it is to ask Sweet Pea what she was dreaming about when I get her up from a nap or in the morning. I'll say, "Did you have sweet dreams? What did you dream about?" and she always responds without hesitation. A few days ago it was "Nini's puppies" (Nini doesn't have any puppies). And this morning it was about "Pennies and little girls".

So cute :)

Friday, October 1, 2010

First Fly In

In case you didn't know, Sweet Pea's daddy is an aviation extraordinaire! Last weekend we took her to her first "Fly In" at the Alton Regional Airport. Since she LOVES heavy machinery, we thought she'd love this. We were right!


Farm Girl

Yep, these tires look good...

Friday, September 24, 2010

Apple Pickin!

We went to pick apples last weekend and it was such a big hit with Sweet Pea we plan on going again next week while the weather is still good! Here's a few pics of her enjoying the day:








Wednesday, September 1, 2010

Hold You!

Sweet Pea wants to "hold you"! Which, really means she wants YOU to hold HER! Or, her to hold something, or YOU to hold something. So cute!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

On the Potty! WEEEE!

It's been a big week at our house! Sweet Pea has went #1 on the potty almost 5 times this week! Wowzers! She should be easy to potty train, from day 1 (literally) she HATED getting her diaper changed, and still does! I will always remember the nurse changing her in the hospital saying, "It's not that bad!" and I asked if all the babies scream like that when they get their diaper changed. She said no, and I can't wait to not have to deal with diapers any more!!!

Now She's Just Showing Off!

So, a couple days ago Sweet Pea counted all the way to 10 and I was totally impressed. Last night in the bath I asked her if she could count in Spanish, and she starts "Uno, dos, tres..."

!!! I was totally blown away! So, I counted to 10 in Spanish a couple times and she could do it by the time we finished the bath! She got a little mixed up on 9 because her teacher (yours truly) couldn't remember how to say "9" in Spanish. But, I got on Google and figured it out right away!

I gotta get this stuff on video! The problem is, she won't do it if you ask, you just have to get lucky. Looks like I need to carry a camera around everywhere I go just in case!!!

What's Your Name?

A little convo we had tonight...

Me: Do you know your name?
Gwen: ...baby
Me: You are my sweet baby, but, do you know your name?
Gwen: ...feet
Me: You have beautiful feet, and your name is Gwendolyn.
Gwen: Ding Ding!

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

She can count to 10!

Wow! I am so excited that Sweet Pea can count to 10! She is such a big girl! We were riding in the car yesterday and she was talking and all of a sudden she counted all the way to 10 all by herself! I am so impressed! It's funny because if you ever ASK her to do it she gets irritated and shakes her head no. So, I guess I just got lucky yesterday!

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

She Loves Happy Birthday!

I mean, realllly loves it! So much, she gazes at me and her eyes dilate when I'm singing it! Its awesome! Needless to say, I sing it to her pretty much everyday. Its especially cute because after the first time, she says, "Dada?" that means she wants me to sing, "Happy birthday dear Dadaaaa". Then, after that song she says, "MomMom?" So, I sing it to myself. This goes on for a few more people, then we're finished and moving on to something else.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

Literally...

This afternoon Sweet Pea was fussing, and I wanted her to use her words, so I said, "Say words". Her response? You guessed it..."Words."

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

2nd Birthday Approaching!

I can't believe how time flies! I remember the night I went into labor like it was yesterday! Now, I'm looking at Sweet Pea's second birthday in just 8 more weeks! I'm considering doing something a bit different for her birthday this year. Since we are so fortunate to have all the things we need, (including our health) and so many people who love us in our lives, I thought it would be nice to use Sweet Pea's birthday party to bring joy to other children, too. I'd like to have a toy drive at her birthday party and give the donated toys to a charity. This year it would be Friends of Kids with Cancer. A friend of mine from high school has twin girls and they do this every year for their birthday. They keep a big box outside the party and guests bring toys to be donated to the organization. On days they have treatment (chemo), the kids get to pick a new toy from the "Toy Closet". I also think this would help teach Sweet Pea to think of others less fortunate and be thankful for things she has. As she gets older she could participate and choose the charity to donate the toys to.

Since I've never been to a birthday party like this, I'm curious if anyone has any input or suggestions?

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

First Tummy Bug = Sad Face :(

Monday morning Sweet Pea woke up puking :( This is the first time we've experienced "puking" sick, and it was the most awful thing ever! She was throwing up almost every 30 minutes and would cry, "no no noooo" when she was doing it. It was so pitiful, I wanted to cry, too. After taking it easy and a loooong late afternoon nap, she was able to keep down some water and Pedialyte, as well as some 'Nilla Wafers and Saltine crackers. Bless her heart. She was 99% better Monday evening, and Tuesday there was no sign of illness at all. Thank goodness for a fast recovery!!!

Monday, July 12, 2010

Fashion Show Benefit for SIDS Resources

This weekend Sweet Pea and her cousins starred in a Fashion Show Benefit for SIDS Resources. I also donated some items for a silent auction. I donated approx. 50 Oreo Truffle pops, and a custom children's silhouette. The show was so cute! She did fabulous, I definately don't have a shy child!!!

It was a wonderful event, but, I always think about the way our lives have changed that put us in touch with SIDS Resources. They are a wonderful organzation that no one wants to be a part of. When I took Sweet Pea to get fitted for her fashion show outfit I went to the desk at the boutique and said, "I'm with SIDS Resources" and it made me so sad. I don't want to be with SIDS Resources. I don't want my brother and sister-in-law to be with SIDS Resources. Really, I don't want anyone to be with SIDS Resources. As the director said this weekend, "Our goal is to educate people on the safe practices to reduce sudden infant death. In other words, our goal is to work ourselves out of a job." I think she said that perfectly.






Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

First Trip to Chicago!

This weekend we took Sweet Pea on her first trip! We drove 300 miles one way to visit Aunt Katie in Chicago. We were really apprehensive going on such a long trip because she pretty much HATES riding in the car. Much to our surprise, she was totally awesome for ALL 300 miles both ways (600 total!!!) We couldn't believe how great she did in the car. I'm pretty sure we have the best kid EVER!!! She sang songs, played with her Yo Gabba Gabba laptop (she squealed "Oooooh BABAAAA!" over and over - it never got old!), colored, and drew pictures.

We went to the Chicago Board of Trade, the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), lots of cool restaurants, Lake Michigan beach, on bus rides, and on a train. She had her first cheeseburger on the way back home and loved it! I hope she didn't like it too much though, because I don't eat meat and we were hoping to get her to eat something so she'd fall asleep - which she didn't. Did I mention my kid doesn't fall asleep in the car like everyone else's? Seriously, on the way home she slept for the first 30 minutes, and that was it! Here's a few pics from our trip, enjoy!