Pymatuning

Auntie Ellen and Uncle Joe invited us all out to stay with them for the weekend at their new place in Jamestown, PA.  It was a good four hours in the car...Allie's longest car ride yet. She did pretty well for the drive...eating, sleeping, playing and watching a few Elmo videos.

While there we went to the Pymatuning Deer Park.  The park has a TON of animals that you can feed special animal food (that you purchase for a small price).  Allie was a little apprehensive at first and told Daddy and Mommy to "do it" instead of her.  After a while, she warmed up a little and put on her brave pants.  She was happy to hand over or a cracker or nugget any open mouth she passed by.

This mini-horse kept following Allie around.  She didn't appreciate it much.

Oink!  Feeding the piggies.

"Here you go llama."

Allie liked this mini-horse.  She was happy to give him a little snack.

Chooo-chooooo!

Allie liked the train ride around the park..and the tunnel.

Finally getting the courage to feed the deer.

"Here you go, deer."

Thanks Nana and Auntie for coming with us.

My favorite part about the weekend was the campfire!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE s'mores!  Allie had her first s'more this weekend.  I'm pretty sure she liked the gooey marshmallow and melted chocolate.  I think there will be many more s'mores in our future. 

Mmmmmm....so GOOD!

One evening we went out to the lake to feed the fish and ducks.  Allie liked tossing bread out into the water for the "duts" and "fishies."  Everyone got in on the fun.

Patches had a GREAT time while we fed the fish...she gobbled up any little bread crumb that fell on the ground.  Allie LOVES Patches (aka: Patchee) and spent the entire weekend following her around to pet her.  Patches didn't have quite the same love for Allie.

Nana and Auntie

Lots of fish!

Allie loved Jenna (Auntie and Uncle Joe's great-grandniece) just about as much as Patches.
Thanks, Jenna, for playing and hanging out with Allie. 

20 Months Old

Allie loved to play in the water this month.  She went to the beach, swam in the pool and lake, and ran through the sprinklers.  Allie and I spent a lot of time together this month because I was off from school.  Allie started swim lessons and gymnastics.  She LOVED to go to gymnastics to jump on the trampoline.  At swim class, it took a few lessons for Allie to get used to the pool and the routine.  She was very unsure of everything at first, but soon fell in love with swimming and looked forward to going.  Allie also went to story time every week at the library.  She followed directions well and enjoyed listening to stories and dancing to music.  Allie started talking in phrases and complete sentences.  She liked to do whatever Todd or I did, like brush her teeth, eat what we ate, and repeat whatever we said.  Allie often said, "I need...(dust, brush teeth, wipe, etc)."

 

All

Big Boo-Boo and Boston Bedroom

This weekend Todd and I finally painted our guest bedroom.  After living in our house for 6+ years, we are just not getting around to painting one of the last bedrooms (only one more to go...and I'm secretly hoping that room will be reserved for baby #2 one day). 

Painting with Allie around was a BIG challenge.  I taped while Todd occupied Allie...then Todd painted while I occupied Allie.  She wanted to be a part of EVERYTHING!  Touching the paint.  Climbing the ladder.  At one point I locked her and I in her bedroom just to keep her away from Todd and all the paint. 

Our morning was moving along fine until Allie walked upstairs to see what Todd was up to.  Todd came around the corner.  Allie saw him and thought he was chasing her (fun and games).  She turned around to run, thought she was on the ground when in fact she was one step up.  She missed the step...fell...and her head went crashing into the banister...right into the CORNER of the pole...which caused a HUGE BLUE WELT in the middle of her forehead.  I'm not kidding..HUUUUUUGGGEEE!  Allie screamed.  Todd ran.  I gasped. 

We tried the best we could to put ice on Allie's boo-boo.  She was miserable and hated every minute of it.  Screamed, and screamed...and screamed.  The ice helped a lot with the swelling, but there was still a mark.  The only thing that cheered Allie up was a little bit of Elmo watching on Mom's computer, while drinking her milk, and snuggling with her blanky.  POOR THING!



Overall the rest of the painting session went fine.  No other catastrophes...except for Todd and I getting a little snippy at each other...that was to be expected, lol.  Our guest bedroom came out GREAT!!!  I'm sooooo happy with how it turned out.  To keep a little bit of Boston near and dear to us...we hung up some memorable photos from Beantown.  Boston will always be part of our fondest memories of Allie's baby years.  There were many firsts that happened while we where there and we want to always remember our time as a family in the city on the hill.  The Hammerick Hotel is now open for business and taking reservations.  Allie would like to add that dogs and kids are welcome at any time.

It's hard to see, but the photo on the bedside table is of Allie sitting on one of the duck at the "Make Way for Ducklings" statue. 

I had these photos printed on large paper and wrapped them on canvas that I already had (some old paintings I didn't like anymore).  I love how they come out!  So cute and so cheap!

More photos of downtown Boston.

Happy Birthday, Dada!

We sure did keep busy on Todd's birthday while he was at work.  Breakfast first to start our day...you'll notice the watermelon stain all over Allie's shirt.  I figured we were going to get pretty messy today...so we just left it.

Allie loves watermelon!

Next, we made Todd's favorite dessert...Rice Krispy Treats.  Allie enjoyed licking the spoon.  This was the other half of her breakfast.  "Kiss-py," she calls them.  We blinged out his Krispy's birthday style.  Allie helped decorate.

We did some painting with toddler safe, homemade paint (recipe I found on Pinterest).  We painted OUTSIDE, just in case there was a mess...and there was all over the cement.  Allie did a fabulous job...she liked painting.  Her poster turned out perfect for her dad's birthday.

All clean and ready to go out to dinner...thanks Papa for taking us all out!

Allie's birthday poster for Dada!

Just enough time for a little truck riding and horn blowing with Papa before bed. 

Cheeeese!

Happy Birthday, Dada!

Bye, Bye Binky...Binky Bye, Bye

Words cannot express how incredibly proud (and shocked at the same time) I am of Allie.  After prepping her for the last two weeks that TODAY we were going to say bye, bye to her binky, she did AMAZING!!!  These last two weeks, we watched Elmo videos together about Elmo saying bye to his binky. We made a calendar and counted down the days until Put Down the Pacifier Day. I took Allie to the Binky Tree to see what it was all about and show her what she would be doing in the near future.

Yesterday, she went to bed for nap and nighttime without Binky and didn't cry at all.  She shed NO tears today when she hung up Binky in the tree.  She WILLING said "Bye, bye!"  She's our BIG GIRL now!  We were PLEASANTLY surprised!

Family photo at the Binky Tree 2012

Allie said one last goodbye to her binky.  It was a good ride binky....but Allie's not a baby anymore.  Thanks for doing your job so well and comforting Allie when she needed you most...at night, after immunizations, on the MANY flights to and from Boston.  Binky...your job here is done.

Allie hung up her binky...

...and said "Bye, bye" (and waved too).

Allie's binky hanging in the Binky Tree.

Now a little time for some big girl fun at the park.  Then, off to lunch for Allie's Bye, Bye Binky Celebration.

Todd and I got Allie an Elmo (or as Allie calls him..."ELMEEE") themed gift.  She has been OBSESSED with Elmo lately.  Probably because we have been allowing her to watch clips of Elmo videos about saying bye to your binky.  She loves to see Elmo on the computer.  Needless to say, she really liked her gift.

Inside Allie's Elmo gift was two Elmo big girl bibs, Elmo juice boxes, an Elmo cell phone (this makes cell phone number five or six that Allie owns...we lost count now), some Elmo books, and an Elmo pad of paper to draw in.

Back at home while Allie napped (successfully without her binky...and no TEARS!!!!), the Binky Fairy left a little something special for Allie girl right next to her crib. 

Look what the Binky Fairy left!

The Binky Fairy left Allie a new tooth brush and tooth paste (fluoride-free...safe for Allie), a special toddler pillow with Allie's name on it for her crib, and a tooth fairy pillow to put her non-damaged teeth from the pacifier in when she starts losing them....many years from now.   The Binky Fairy and the Tooth Fairy are friends.

Letter to Allie from the Binky Fairy

Mommy and Daddy's BIG GIRL!!!  We are so proud of you!