Today is brought to you by the letter 'B'

***I began this post weeks ago....there is no use in finishing it because she is a lot different now...so I am posting this and will work on a new post this week that is more up to date...

B..... ah ah ah

Yea, Annaka will never understand the opening of this post. I have not found Seaseme Street on anywhere for her to watch. Instead her favorites are "Bob" (veggie tales), Backyardagains, "Mimmie" (Minnie...Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and "Mam-o" (Nemo....or Elmo depending on the context). Infact we have even had naptimes that she has woken up for and instead of calling for Mommy she has called for Nemo. Imagine the conflict of ...should I go in and get her...or is she playing and should I let her be?... Its so much fun to see her imagination come alive!


When we returned from our six week support trip Thanksgiving week, we knew Annaka was getting tall and we should be thinking about a toddler bed. She was throwing fits one day that no discipline we gave tamed. We decided she needed to calm down so we put her in her crib to calm down some. Not long after we left the room did we hear a huge THUMP! She then walked out of her room rubbing her red forehead. She had climbed out of her bed! Needless to say, that was her last time in her crib. She loves sleeping in a big girl bed and most nights will stay inside. Clint and I dont wake up to much, and the only time she wanders out of her bed is early in the mornings when we clearly did not hear her! We are working on that! :) As she was having to learn to stay in the bed until we told her she could get out. I had punished her a few times and finally sat on the bed beside her to 'discuss' this issue. When I sternly said "look at mommy" she quickly moved her face to literally an inch from my nose. Then I began telling her that she needed to stay in bed..bla..bla..bla...and when I was finished she, still an inch from my face, said "MEOW" in a sweet little girl voice. You try not laughing at that one!


Back to the B.....Annaka tends to throw the letter 'B' in front of many words. Milk is not Bouk, Apple is Bapple, etc. Even sometimes to our surprise, words sound much 'different'. Imagine sitting at friends house having dinner when Annaka begins asking for another chip...yet she reverses the syllables and throws in a B sound in the beginning. Use your imagination. We are working on getting that one changed. Now I never say the word Chip but say Ch Ch Ch Chip...to which she repeats ch ch ch b..... oh no! It does not help that everyone (including Clint and myself) cannot help but laugh!

Potty training. Those two words should be enough to make any mom shutter. I feel like I am saying Mufassa Mufassa Mufassa and we all should be shuttering as the hyenas did in Lion King. Or how about the old Paula Abdul song that sings two steps forward, two steps back. I guess we are doing a little better than that. Maybe three steps forward, one step back. We tend to have three or four great days with no accidents and then the dredded 'step back' day where we have two accidents before 9am. Its only week two. She is getting the hang of this. Just as I am getting frustrated thinking "maybe I started this a little too early" we are in target and she grabbs her pull up and yells "POOP". Of course we were in the back corner of the store and had to book it to the front, leave the cart (full) in front of the bathroom and assess the damage. To my surprise, there was NO damage! She had a dry pull up and went in the potty! I think anyone in the front half of the store could then hear me shouting "Yea! Big Girl!" as I danced around the bathroom stall. Yes, mothers have no shame:) We are getting there. We will not have to take diapers when we leave in a few months!


The past week and a half have brought a new level to our conversations. She picks up everything and now will relay anything....when she wants to. Today she asked me where her blankie was and I began to lead her on a hunt around the apartment calling "blankie....blankie..." She then busts out with "blankie...where are you?" Then when put down for her nap she decided she did not want to take one and shouted "Mommy, all done"! Two weeks ago we still would have heard only the single word 'Blankie' or a repeating of several words. Now she makes it all up herself! Her sentences do not all revolve around food or getting something as what has been the norm ("mommy, more please") but tell us about something or express herself in a new way. Now I am starting to feel old! I no longer have a baby!

I have never had a picky eater, a fussy eater, any issues with eating at all. She just wanted to eat and wanted to eat NOW. I had always fed her in order to avoid a mess. I realized I needed to let her feed herself more often, despite the mess, so that she will learn not to be so messy. It has been a stretch for me, but she is getting better. As long as I keep a close eye and find that line of 'done eating' and 'lets play'. When I leave her too long in her high chair with her food it ends up on her head....or her entire fist in her yogurt then wiping it on her face and hair. Here is a photo of spaghetti night.....

...this was after she picked up a meatball and said "ball"! I jumped and caught her before she 'threw the ball'. I guess weather she threw it or not, it is better than when asking her if she wanted a hot dog, her response was "Puppy?"

I had better close before this is entire toooo o long!


Ok, I said the end but lied. One more story. Not that I am expecting anyone to still be reading this since I am so poor in updating, but more for me to have record of to remember later.....

Annaka knows her letters and her colors. i LOVE how she sais Pink and practically spits in your eye as she makes the P sound! We are working hard on numbers now.

Oh, one more.....We had sooo much fun at Kaleidoscope:) Here are some photos from that day....



I love this photo from Christmas time...

Spoken Word

You know your little girl is growing up when she corrects herself. It almost brought me to tears to hear her change her word for Banana from NANIE to b-na na. I almost wanted to 'correct' her to say Nanie again...but knew that it probably would not be a good thing for her to enter the thrid grade still saying Nanie.

Her new favorite thing to say (besides the word NO) is "guck". Now one may be confused thinking this means yuck but nope thats not right. It is her word for 'Stuck'! She says it when she falls down and wants you to take her hand....when she wants you to open something she cannot open...and even when she sees something that has the possibility of coming apart yet is supposed to be stuck together (like a nail or screw in an object). Tonight she was trying to take my shoe off my foot and was not successful. 'guck' . She also did not like the fact that she was fastened in her carseat and could not get out...'guck' and did not like that she had to sit on my lap while visiting with some people...'guck'. She was getting 'stuck' a lot today!


We have been traveling for over a month now. Just under two weeks to go. We have been all over the east coast. From Florida to Boston and every state on the east coast between! Here are a few random shots of Annaka....will post a photo post about our whole trip when we get back.

Dessert for lunch?

Mmmm butternut squash! Sk-shhh as Annaka calls it! Today we shared a butternut squash for lunch. (Well, we only finished a little over half of it) Somehow I feelt like we were eating dessert for lunch today!


Sitting at the table, I realzed my little girl is using a fork to eat, smiling with each bite giving out a loud 'Mmmmm'. When she heard me say 'Squash is yummy, Mmmm' she leaned over and kissed the squash on her plate. I think she ate more than I did!

What a fun lunchtime:)

Fun and New Friends!

Deanna Rose Farmstead...who cant have fun there! Annaka loves the annimals and Mommy loves that its FREE! What? Yes...I said Free! If anyone is in the Kansas City area anytime you have to make your way to Deanna Rose:)

(Annaka wanting to touch the great big cow.)

(Annaka loves the baby goats. She has to run and touch each one on the back)

(Watching another little girl feed the goat from a bottle. She did it too, we just dont have any photos of that)

(Papa taught Annaka to feed the pellets to the bigger goats. She LOVED feeding them!)

(She had no fear. I was afraid she would try to break into the animal's fenced off areas!)

We met some new friends there who live in North Carolina. No, this time we did not meet because Annaka walked up and gave them her cup and snack or wanted to sit on their lap (both have happened before). Liams Grandma works with her Grandma. You can imagine how the rest worked out....two Grandma's with cute grandkids talking to each other...showing each other pictures...etc. My mom comes home and tells me... I have felt like I have known Kimberly and Liam since Liam was born:) Clint and I were very excited to meet Daniel, Kimberly and their little Liam last Saturday. We had a blast and cant wait to see them again in October in North Carolina! (The kiddos birthday's are a day apart!)

(Liam and Annaka looking at the ducks)

We took 4 pictures of Annaka and Liam sitting on this cow-chair thing. It was so funny to flip through them fast as you can see their facial expressions change! Tooo easy to add captions to what they are saying/thinking! I will spare you all four and only post two!...

The only thing missing is a photo of both families together! We will have to get one of us all together in October!

9.9.9

9 is a very unique number...check this out...

Very interesting....please please please click HERE and check out Nathan Lawrensen's blog (cfhusband.blogsopt.com) . If you have never herd of him, browse his blog, read the story of Nathan, Tricia, and Gweneth and consider taking action!

Seriously, this is legit. Nathan and Tricia went to Liberty and have an amazing story of God working in them and through them!

Thank you!

Where Did My Baby Go?

I know I have been watching my little girl grow up for the past 14 months but really....when did she quit becoming a baby! She walks, talks, feeds herself, has a mind of her own....if only she would change her own diaper (or potty train herself).

Selfishly I am sad that she does not need me as much. I know what some may say...just wait until they are a teenager, driving, etc and really dont think they need you.

I am excited to be seeing her little personality become more apparent:)

She is tender hearted toward her baby doll, putting it to bed in the pot-holder drawer, putting her doll in the high chair to eat, and in the carseat. All this is until she sees me holding the doll. Then she grabs the doll and throws it on the floor as hard as she can. (good thing we are not crossing that bridge anytime soon )

She will play with anything that is not a toy. (and some toys too) The other day this was her 'toy' of choice....

The non-stick spray lid and a travel laundry bag. Even more fun when Papa puts the laundry bag on top of her head. It becomes an instant tent. I thought she would throw it off her head immediately, yet she wanted to play inside!

She is also VERY opinioniated! She wants to use any dipping sauce she sees someone else using, wants me to put a bow on her head or her necklace around her neck. (for some reason I cannot find the photo of her in her high chair eating ... necklaces and all. ) She even insists on me putting her green crocks on her whenever she finds them. It does not matter if she already has other shoes on, or if she only brings me one shoe! She insists!

I have LOVED every minute being a mom and look forward to cherishing every moment to come! Annaka is so much fun! I love....
when she runs to give me a hug....

when she backs up toward me in order to sit on my lap...

when she takes a break from watching Veggie Tales to grab my arm and point to the tv to 'show me' what is going on...

when she dances around the living room with me...

when she uses the sign language she knows to tell me she wants 'more' or says 'please' to try to get out of taking a nap...

when she pats me and says in her sweet little voice "mama"

.......my heart just melts!

(I just had to throw this photo in too! She has ticklish legs! This is the photo we get when I am trying to get her to smile by tickling her leg.....she giggles and cannot sit still for the photo! )

Cheese

Cheese! Annaka now almost has 10 teeth. 9 with another one that is just about to poke through. I can feel the pokes under a thin layer of gum. She is such a ham:)

Photo Blog of Little A

I am totally taking this opportunity to not write much. Yes, you read correctly. Here are our past few months in photos. There are several events that are not documented because I am horrible at pulling out our camera to take photos. I dont know if it is because I just dont think about it or I am frustrated at how it doesnt always work correctly...either way, I rely on other people to take photos so if you have some of Annaka... may I please have a copy?:)

Easter 2009. Hiding among the stuffed animals at the Metskers house. What a fun tradition!

Aunt Natalie graduated from college in May! Congratulations! Annaka liked the cap and tassle.

Then she had enough. When Aunt Natalie needed her cap back she simply went for the shoe! There is always something to keep her happy:)

Annaka's first tript to the beach was this summer! We spent a week in Nags Head. Our little independant girl liked to push the stroller which was a great clue that she needed a doll stroller for her birthday! (Yes, she loved wearing her hat and sunglasses and mostly kept them on! )

Here's the hat and glasses again as she plays in the sand. She LOVED the sand and the waves! (and the baby pool too!)

Quite the ham in the beach house.

Next we headed to Portland for a month long culture training. It was there she definately grew out of a few outfits, grew a ring of curles around her head, learned to say many more words such as boy and car, and made many, many, many new friends! (P.S. if anyone has photos of Annaka with any of her new friends at WV I would love to see them!!!)

"Look! My book came with me!" She LOVES to read!

Annaka had the best view of anyone on 6'4" Papa's shoulders!

Watching the swing band performance...

Having fun riding a tricycle...

On one of our many daily walks!

Stuffing her face with cheese and bread at the Chinese Classical Garden...

Mommy painted Annaka's toe nails for the first time ever. She did not really know or care...but everyone else did!

One of our many new friends? Nope, just a mirror!

Giggling after bath time....if you look close, I love that you can see her little tongue!

Then time to crash! Asleep during Mamma and Pappa's team meeting.

Actually this is more a photo blog of Annaka at different stages...not necessarially the event, but that is all you come to this blog for anyway :) Its been quite a busy summer and now we can post regular and not feel guilty for missing major events this summer.

Lucky Little Lady is ONE!

This Lucky little lady had quite a wonderful celebration......or two! We were on the east coast for a month raising support and a little time off in the middle to have a party with both families at the beach!

She kneaded her cake as if it were bread dough....

Then she realized how good it tasted!

Stuff it in!

Then on her actual birthday we celebrated with a Polka Dot Party! These are the only three I have on my computer right now... I will post more next week!

She actually was pretty dainty as she ate her cake...until she had some help from Papa to get her face messy! I dont think she minded much:)


One of her favorite toys is her doll stroller. I think it may come in a tie with her ball.

She would put her doll in the stroller.....then put the ball in the stroller.... and push/pull it everywhere!

She had to leave all her toys behind two weeks after her birthday. I am excited to see her re-discover them next week when we return home after a month away!

Sorry for the random post with not much information, I have began this post many times. Sometimes with stories...sometimes creative ways to talk about Annaka and her birthday. Time is flying by and there was not even a post of her birthday parties so I am just going to piece something together and will write more later! :) We have been in Portland for a month long training and will be in the midwest next week.