First Horse Show

Doodlebug finally went to her first horse show! It was my first show in several years as well. We had a great time. The whole family came out to watch such a big event. Mary Elizabeth had fun watching me ride Doodle and wanted to hug as soon as we were done. Maybe we will have pictures of a 20 year old Doodle and a 10 year old M.E. years from now!

Day off

M.E. was sick Sunday so I put in for a sub and we took it easy Monday. She is such a good girl and so much fun to play with! She wants to read book after book and color (or draw as she says) all of the time. We enjoyed an easy day, but as we headed to school this morning she was back to normal. Her favorite songs to sing are "Old MacDonald" and "The Wheels on the Bus". Then we always talk about what she thinks she will do at school that day. This morning I asked her who she thought she would play with today and without any prompting she said 3 classmates names. I am constantly amazed at how much she understands even though she can't always articulate what she wants/means.

Veggie of champions, Lima Beans!

M.E. has picked at, refused, etc. vegetables for ages now. I gave her a spoonful of lima beans with dinner tonight and she ate them before her chicken! Yea! The start of school has been good. M.E. has enjoyed her new class and plays hard all day. I got my new kids today and they seem good. It is the last bunch that I know from TMS, so I saw some familiar faces. Hopefully they will stay this nice!

18 months

My girl is growing up so fast! We had our 18 month check up yesterday and she weighed 35.8 pounds and was 35 inches tall. We went to buy new shoes today and she is now a 7 1/2 wide! She still loves to read books. Playing pretend is also a favorite activity. She likes to pretend night-night with anyone who will cooperate. I have lost count of her words. She says whatever she wants to really. If I say something she will repeat a word from my sentence. For example- Mama can't reach that, then M.E. says- reach, reach. She puts together 2 word sentences occasionally like- LuLu sit! She also likes to "count" things. She will take you by the hand and lead you around. Playing chase and marching are also favorites. She can walk all the way to LuLu and Joe's house and back. She continues to sleep well. Bedtime is around 7:30 and she is up at 6. Naptime is 12-2 sometimes longer. Her favorite foods are chicken, cheese, bananas and mandarin oranges. We survived our 1st trip to Chidren's this summer with croup. Who gets croup in the summer? My girl who used to just ride in a stroller and let me browse at the mall does not want to ride, and if she must the stroller better not stop. Publix, Walmart and Target are all okay though. I think she would rather be on eye level with me so we can talk more and she can see better. M.E. has yet to meet a stranger and has no fear of setting off on her own. I am not sure if this is a good thing or not! Monday means the start of a new school year. M.E. is now in toddler 2. We went to meet her new teacher today and I think we will like her. It has been a fun summer!

Need to add- Tantrums and pouts are a regular occurance these days. Nothing ever last long, but it is fullblown when she cuts loose! She says "No" to almost everything (even when she means yes). "Oh No!" and Oh My!" are favorite phrases.

Girls and their horses

Mary Elizabeth has quite the stable of horses. She received this pony as a baby gift from our friend Jennifer. Just recently M.E. has decided she wants to ride it. She can climb on by herself, but he is really tall so she needs help getting situated once she is on. Climbing off is no problem. It is too cute to watch her wrap her legs around his belly and rock. She also still rides her Radio Flyer horse. She can make him bounce like you wouldn't believe! I included the photo of me and Doodle because I am so proud that we are finally making progress. Doodle's education has been spotty at best, but this summer she has really come along. It helps when I ride consistently! For those of you who knew her mom Junebug can you believe I ride Doodle with a whip and spurs?! Convincing Doodle to go forward can be a challenge!