Animal sounds and eating like a big girl!

Here are a couple videos of Reese showing her animal sounds and eating her cereal like a big girl. She can do a snake now too which sounds more like a 'th' sound instead of 's' but it's still pretty cute!

Big girl!

Reese is such a big girl these days and seems to be growing up by the second! She is becoming more and more independent and wants to do everything herself. She will sit there forever 'playing' with her shoes. Trying and trying and trying to put them on and take them off. If you walk over to help her she just pushes you away, saying "na na na" (no, no, no!). She loves to play in her highchair if you let her after she eats. She wants her bib off and straps unbuckled but doesn't want to get out. She'll sit there and try and do up the buckle by herself. Sometimes she turns around toward the window and says, "bye, da da" over and over.

She is getting pretty good at feeding herself with a spoon too. I give her the bowl of cereal and a spoon on her tray and she eats it by herself for the most part. If my hand is anywhere near the tray, it gets pushed away. Almost all of the cereal ends up in her mouth too! I don't think she likes to get too messy yet (yay for the clean up on my part!). We have a little video of it and will post soon.

It seems early to even start thinking about potty training but she has been telling us when she poops. We thought it was just coincidence at first when she looked at us and said "poo poo" but sure enough she had indeed. Since then, she has been telling us right before she goes, pretty consistently. Maybe we should introduce a potty?!

Reese loves all of her buddies so much. She is constantly giving them hugs and kisses and loves to tuck Ruby in before she goes to bed. She also has an obsession with hats. Ruby has to have a hat on most of the time and so does Reese. Which is odd since she won't leave a headband or bow in her hair no matter what! She tries to share her water and snacks with her buddies too. So funny!

Here are some of the latest pictures.

Chicken Pox

Well, Chicken Pox have come and gone. Luckily GS was here for the first couple days to help us figure out what to do! We kept Reese covered in calamine lotion and did daily oatmeal bath soaks. Seemed to help as much as possible I guess. Thank goodness her sleep wasn't interrupted by the itch. The pox were pretty bad on her back but her face wasn't too bad. All spots have scabbed and healed now so we've been enjoying our time outside of the house lately!

Granny Sue's visit

Granny Sue, we miss you! It was so great having GS here for just over three weeks. Reese LOVED her special time with her Granny and she was such a huge help to Scott and I. Scott was busy studying for finals and playing hockey so it was great to have some extra help around the house. I basically had a three week vacation which I must say was pretty nice! Of course Granny came with lots of treats for Reese which she loved, especially her tent/tunnel and backpack full of buddies. Also, gave Scott and I a chance to get out a few times for dinner and drinks which is always a treat. Oh and I can't forget to mention Granny's awesome cleaning skills, our place was sparkling by the time she left. We had so much fun with you and appreciate all your help, thank you so much for coming GS, we love you!

15 months

Time sure flies by when you're chasing around a toddler! 15 months has come and gone in the blink of an eye. Reese is so busy these days, it's an effort just to keep up. We're not sure about her stats because things are done a little differently here in Wales but rest assured the girl is definitely a growing! She is starting to talk more and more but sticks to simple things like hi and bye. She knows her animal sounds (dog, cat, monkey, cow, sheep, lion, and snake) and usually obliges when you ask her what each says. We have a short video of it so will try and post soon. She's always on the move and loves to play hide and seek, peek-a-boo, read her books, kiss all of her 'buddies', talk on all of her phones and dance to music. Oh and did I forget to mention about her feisty little attitude. She will definitely let you know when she isn't getting what she wants, mini tantrums and all. Hoping those are just a phase but have a feeling it's just the beginning!

Christmas in Wales

We woke up bright and early Christmas morning to do stockings which Reese attacked as soon as she got in the living room! She tore right into hers....and ours too. We had homemade cinnamon rolls with our coffee then moved on to presents. Reese was really into opening gifts this year, pulling paper off of any and everything. After gifts, we enjoyed bacon brunch for breakfast then took a long afternoon snooze, all three of us. We celebrated Christmas dinner with friends which is always nice, especially when we can't be home.

Here are a few pics- Reese writing a letter to Santa, stockings, opening stockings, hanging with her buddies Laura and Stu, and posing with sweet little Blakely in front of the tree.

Visit to Santa

We've been searching all over the past couple of weeks trying to find somewhere to visit Santa. Last weekend we were able to track him down! We met a few friends for lunch and then off to see Santa and his reindeer. Reese climbed right up in his sleigh with him for a few pictures before deciding she wasn't so sure and quickly jumped back in our arms. Mighty young looking Santa here in Cardiff, Wales!

We are busy making last minute preparations for Christmas. Looking forward to homemade cinnamon rolls and bacon brunch in the morning followed by a big dinner with friends that night.

To all of our friends and family near and far, wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!