Early Goodbye Team

Everyone was up before 6 AM, and thus we started our day early.  Dan goes to work at 6:15, and he had goodbye waves today.

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"Watching Daddy drive away to work. "

Snuggling with Towel

All cuddles after bath time.

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"Snuggle bath towel time. "

Swinging at Park in Early Morning

Her favorite Activity.
We got an early start since it was 100 by noon!
:

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"This girl loves to swing !"

Quiet lunch.

Feeding herself mashed potatoes and watching the birds outside.

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"Feeding herself mashed potatoes! "

Couch Jumping Break for Camera Pose.

Cheese.

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"Couch jumping. "

Lunch with Mom.

Looking out at the dogs.

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"Outside!!!!!!"

Its another calm lunch.  Elsa's brother always chooses to sleep instead of eat lunch, so we share a meal together.

Back Yard Play

June 2012 on play structure in our back yard.

In the Back Seat with Hoemann Friends.

Errands with Emma and Charlotte.

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"Three in the back row!!"
(taken at Hy-Vee)

She is holding a bottle of soy milk and a piece of a wooden tomator toy.

Morning Play

She has mastered the See and Say.
"This is a bird, tweetle tweet!" never gets old for her.
And neither does a Kleenex grasped firmly in her hand.

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"Favorite toys this morning: a Kleenex and the See n Say. "

Working on Finger Paint Gift for Daddy

Signing: I am all done! Pick me up!

She did seem to like the fingerpaint, but was happy to get washed up.

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"First painting!"

Not Sharing.

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"Get out of my car, Daniel!"
(taken at St. James, MO)

She was not so happy that Daniel wanted to play, too.  She claimed ownership over this car when we went to my parents house on Friday night.

Relaxing with her brother.

On a hot day, celebrating Nanny's birthday.

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"On back porch at grandparents"
(taken at St. James, MO)

On Grandparents' Back Porch Swing

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"Relaxing porch baby."
(taken at St. James, MO)

Car keys remain of high interest to Elsa, as does the key fob with panic alarm button.

Eager to Read with Daddy

The are enjoying a book called Thomas Goes Fishing, and Elsa is pointing out the fish.

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"They pounce on their Daddy after he comes home. "

First Naughty Trick

It's the first time we have seen Elsa do something we ask her not to. Usually she tells herself no by shaking her head and looking at her hands that are getting into some off limits area.

But she is on purpose tossing her sip cup on the floor in meals, often grinning when we say "No, no baby". Daniel likes to correct her too, telling her he floor is not a good place for cups.

Her punishment is no more cup on her tray, which seems to be fair.

Good Tracker

She can now find anyone in any room of the house, and she can do it quickly.

Today I was startled by a lower leg hug and turned around to see Elsa wrapped around me, giving a kiss and her standard greeting, "Hi!"

Pushing puffs around the tray.

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"Elsa is my only lunch date these days. She eats. Everything I do, plus fun Elsa only things like beet/pomegranate puffs."

Rough Teething Times

In the last two days Elsa has had more tears and howls than ever before.

She is getting at least five new bottom teeth, and all at once.

We are enjoying her jokes and smiles even more lately since they are few.

She is obvious pain, but refuses medicine ( keeping it out by buzzing lips which also spits out anything that got in.)

EE for June 12, 2012

Elsa loves babies. This is her friend Eliana. She wanted to hold
her, sit on her, pat her belly, brush her hair, and climb on her.
Instead, we let her sing/sqeaul to her and look at her from a safe
distance.

**The EEs I've not sent in the last few days will be sent out later
this week. I got backed up over here, but they are all done and can
be sent to you IF you reply to this that you want them. Otherwise, I
am going to just put them on her blog and facebook.

Trapped for a Photo

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"Happy luncher!"

There are so many pictures of Elsa in her high chair for a reason... she is rarely still enough to photograph when she is down from there! She dashes around the house and needs mama's two hands to help her play and clean messes.

Swing Fun in Hermann

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"Swinging at grandparents' (and squealing,too)"

This was her favorite place while we were in Hermann this weekend.

Mama Cuddles.

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"I missed her while she was away! "

Elsa needed to be rocked to sleep and cuddled.  She spent two nights with her brother at her paternal grandparents' house and was needing extra attention.

Elsa, you loved this adventure hike we went on, even though you were strapped to a back for over two hours.  You screamed most of the way in silliness.  You love loud volume and hearing yourself!  You said things like, "EEEEEE!!!!" and pointed to the trees.  Sometimes you said, "Seeeee- eeeeee", which we thought was you telling us to look at a particular tree.

Sometimes you'd say, "Seeeee- dadeeeeeeeeeeee, HIIIIIIII, Seeeee DeeDeee!", which meant: 

I see my dad and my brother and I will yell and wave at them until they turn around to listen to me.

I think you frightened off any wildlife that was on the trail, but that's okay. We enjoyed your company better than any deer or possum. 

Post Bath Play

Elsa is 13 months, 1 week in these photos.

(Her dad is 30 years, 3 months.)

EE June 6

This photo is actually from Saturday night when Elsa first saw the
Shelter Insurance Lighted Fountain. She was delighted and screamed
approval for a solid fifteen minutes.

EE for June 5

Elsa has three lower-side teeth coming in this week, and she's noisy

in everything she does. I think that the teething and the volume are

related.

EE June 4, 2012

Elsa's first visit to the Shelter fountain here in town. She had the

best night of her life here, screaming and cheering for the fountain,

clapping, and running around wtih a Sonic limeade.

EE for June 3, 2012

We took a family hike south of town on a trail we'd never tried

before. Elsa was in the frame back pack carrier, and she seemed to

prefer it after walking on the trail for awhile. On the last leg of

the hike, I carried her and she shrieked about leaves and trees and

her brother and dad. That girl really made a quiet walk into a noisy

one! She would be as easy to find as her brother in the orange hat.

EE June 2, 2012

Fresh from a bath, Elsa Kate and her dad play with a cat toy named Mo
Heady. She was pointing out the eyes and kissing it.

Also note that her dad parted her hair to the side in this photo.

EE June 1

Elsa started doing pretend play much earlier than her brother. At
about 11 months, she started making motor noises for toy cars and
shortly started to put little guys imside the driver's seat. On tihs
day, Minnie was taking a drive in teh Gator all over the house.

EE for May 31

This was Elsa's best visit to a park with a slide ever. She wasn't
afraid of it at all! She squealed as she went down and then tried to
clamor up by herself and go again.

EE May 30, 2012

Playing boats on the water table.

EE for May 29

Common Elsa expression. Also, a common summer outfit and a common
hang out spot.

EE May 28

It seems like I've waited for forever for Elsa to show an interest in

indepedent reading! Now we cannot keep her from books! This one was

a Thomas book we were reading on the porch. She kept coming back to

it even while were playing with bikes and the water table. Good girl,

Elsie!

EE May 27

She likes our sunglasses a lot!

EE from May 26, 2012

As much as Elsa likes to put things into small boxes, she also loves

pulling out things. Give her a box of wipes to pull out and then put

back in, and you can watch her play for half an hour!