a date with dono

penny and her buddy donovan went on a date this past saturday (parent supervised of course).

they had a little lunch at mcdonalds to kick of the date.  and as you can tell, things got serious fast.

they look innocent.. but that looks pretty close to penny's...

ahh - the old hug move.  i swear he did the movie theatre stretch-yawn.



they both look a little too comfortable here.  his hand on her neck. her hand on his shoulder...



on no he didnt!!!  okay that's it.  last date til you are 30 penny.  you both look way too experienced at this.   you didnt even make him work for it.  10 seconds at a playplace and bam - you give up the goods.



against my better judgement, we let this date continue on to st peters recplex.  both kids LOVE swimming and as it's january and snowy out - they had a few months to wait before they'd hit an outdoor pool. plus - there is nothing better than swimming to wear out a toddler. 

they both had a great time.  dono was everywhere and penny just kept throwing up hands and screaming in excitement.  at one point kris said he looked down and saw on her belly underwater and thought "wow - i didnt know she can swim"  he quicly remember she can't and pulled up a spurting penny.  who seemed unfazed by the almost drowning and got right back to screaming in excitement.

they both had a great time and penners was asleep in about 5 mins after we left.  followed up by a 2.5 hour nap at home and an early bedtime. glorious :)

overall the date was a success - but i will be keeping an eye on this donovan kid... he moves a bit fast for my liking... :)



snow day!!!

well, we finally had our first day of season in st louis.  as it's already january it's kind of late and apparently everyone forgot how to drive in the snow.  so mommy attempted to go into work early at 6am and proceeded to turn right back around after she saw the highway. 

when i got home, kris went outside to the shovel the driveway and penny kept asking to go out in teh snow.  as far as she knows this is the first time she's every seen snow.  i told her it was too cold and we couldnt go out yet (it was only 7am -barely getting light).

well - i was outsmarted by a 1 year old who kept brining me her snow stuff.  a hat, boots, her coat, her gloves (all the stuff she just saw her daddy put on a few minutes before).

the little lady won and i broke down and got her ready for the snow (keep in mind the process of getting her ready far outlasted the amount of actual time she spent outside).

here are a few photos from penny's first snow adventures

sledding thru the yard

getting ready to go down the hill on teh side of our house

"holy crap - maybe this was a bad idea"

houses look so pretty covered in snow :)

passed out at 8:30 am.  i love snow.



mommy's little helper

does anyone else remember that little golden book?  "mommy's little helper"  it was my FAVORITE as a kid.  my mom actually gave it to me the other day to take home for penny. it's a little beat up (masking tape is working wonders though).  i haven't yet read it to penny but i think it's time.  because i have the makings of an amazing little helper.

lately penny does whatever mommy does.  she likes to stand up on a stool when i am doing soemthing in the kitchen. she likes to help bake.  she helps me clean (we did the windows last week).  if i vaccumm she gets her vaccum (aka lawnmower) and follows around after me.  she even got her own little brown set for christmas.  after dinner we sweep the kitchne together.  once we have a big pile she hands me her dustban and says "here you go" so i can sweep it all up.  and of course we clap over each completed task.

she is also great at helping with little stuff.  after we change her diaper (pee pee only) she's throws it away in the trashcan.  if she finds any trash or fuzz on the ground she stops to picku p the "yuck yuck" and give it to me.  this can be a bit of a pain in the booty as it takes her forever to get up the steps (dont judge - they could use a good vaccumm - she finds lots of yuck yuck there)

but the best of all is her new chore.  penelope is in charge of feeding gatsby and she does an amazing job.  for about a week now this has been penny's responsibility.  if gatsby's food bowl is empty or low she picks up the bowl and bring it over to the cabinet by the sink.  she waits for mommy to open the cabinet (child locks) then she scoops the food into the bowl.  she then carries it back all by herself and sets it down for gastby.  she has done great. she is very steady with the food, but is sometimes a littel over zealous with this chore. occasionally gatsby will be eating and she decides he needs a refill.  today she grabbed him by the face when we has eating and pushed his away then picked up his food bowl to refill.  (we need to probably talk about that - i dont hink most dogs take kindly to that..)

here are some pictures of little helper doing her chores...(note the different outfits - i took photos on two days...)

1. picking up the food bowl and carrying over to mommy

notice the side eye from gatsby.. this was right after she literally pushed him out of his own food bowl.

2.  scoop the food into the bowl

3. put lid back on

4. pick up an crumbs (she's gotta sweep later! penny rights a tight ship).





5. bring bowl back for gatsby

6. praise yourself through clapping for a job well done.

7. show gatsby some love for being a good sport :)



stylin' and profilin'

she's a girl after my own heart.  cares about purses, boots and accessories.

penny has alwasy loved hats, is a fan of her coats and loves her shoes.  lately purses have been added to the mix.

not sure what started it, but one day a few weeks ago. penelope was walking around just getting "stuff"

then all the sudden i hear "bye bye" and she is strolling out the room.  dressed like this:

we have pearls, keys, a whistle (she must have been heading to bad neighborhood, a resusable bag (she's very green) and her purse.

from that day forward she must take not one but two purses with her everywhere.

when we say it's time to go bye bye.  penny starts loading up.  hat on first, followed by coat, followed by purse slung on each arm.

she walks out the car. i load her up and strap her in - then we must put the purses back on our arms.  she carries them in where we are going then gets ot her important suppliers (mirrors, books, etc).

it's very important.  if you try and leave with her purses you hear "peez peez peez.  my perrz" (aka - please please please my purse)

so they go with us.

kids got some attitude.  a little too mcuh if you ask me.  notice the little cocked hip in some of this pictures.  she is going to be trouble...

smart girl

this kid is getting smart.  smarter and smarter everyday.  and further away from a baby every day.  it's crazy.  i still call her baby sometimes but cleary she's a toddler, if not a big girl.  the stuff she learns is amazing, and so it how quickly they pick it up.  it's little things like running over and saying no no no when i put on a jacket.  because she knows jackets mean you are getting ready to go somewhere and doesnt wnat me to leave (in this instance i was just cold but she was very concerned).  it's picking up on words.  when she eats we tell shes' such a mess.  now she is alwasy concerned about "mess" on her hands.  if there is food, or chalk or anything she says "mess mess mess" until you clean it up.  she suddently knows where teh sky and where the ground is.  i didnt teach her that. not sure who did.  but she knows it.  and she'll tell you about it... THE ENTIRE DRIVE HOME FROM DAYCARE.

when you say "penny is silly"  she'll repeat and say "silly" and then throw her head back and fake laugh - because she knows that's silly.  she can associated all colors.  not great at saying them, but really good at matching them.  she can identify most shapes - star, square, triangle, circle, heart.  again - doesnt always say them, but can easily sort tem and if you ask her to point the triangle she can.  she can undersatnd sizes.  to stack rings or to figure out what goes in something.  no more trying to squeeze giant baby dolls into the beds in her little dollhouse.  she has some spatial skills now.

she follows directions extremely well.  she can get something if you ask her too.  she will bring you stuff.  she understands instructions liek "turn around, flip it over, backwards, behind you, top/bottom"

it's amazing. i'd like to say that i spend hours and hours with her practicing this stuff but i geuss it just comes to them naturally.  just watching people interact and she picks it up.

which means we are gettig VERY careful about what we do and say.   everyday penny wakes up excited to tell you about soemthing she remembers from the day before.  whether its' telling you her name, singing a part of a song, or jus pointing out a new body part.  apparently shes' as impressed with her learning as we are :)

the most amazing thing is her language.  she is still hard to understand (that damn paci - we have a plan to get rid of it too) but she has so many  more words lately.  and phrases.  she makes simple sentences (here you go.  here you go gatsby). 

but while it's so incredible - it's sad to me too.  it's going to fast.  baby stage is over.  we are well into toddler and that's going to fast too.  slow down little one!!! 

and of course... because a post with all words is super boring - some video proof of my little smartie :)

1.  the rings:  i love watching her do the rings.  she says "no no" every time she gets it wrong then finds the right one.

2.  color matching.  i love love love this melissa and doug toy.  it's one of penny's favorites too.  such a fun toy to play and great for learning colors.  penny has been doing this one for a while now.  she's so good at it that she thinks it's funny to fake you out.  lots of putting on the wrong color at first then saying "nooo" before she puts it on the right one.

3.  name.  i love love love hearing her say her name.  and she is always so excited about. "i penn-ay"  this time was after bath and in the mirror.  she's pretty proud of herself :)

dental hygiene

penelope takes dental hygiene very seriously.

we brush our teeth at least 3 times a day for about 10 minutes a time. 

she got a new stool with her name on it from santa that pushes from the corner up to the sink then climbs up and yells "teeth" until we come in to help her.

the photos at the end are once i said we were done.  clearly she thought there was still more brushing to do.

the kid is nuts.



hell has frozen over...

penelope loves bathtime.

that's right - not a typo (although there are many on here).

penelope anne has decided she LOVES to take baths.  how did this happen you may ask?

well i'll tell you.  it started out slow.  really really slow.  but somehow, right before christmas (as the best present ever) she started taking baths again.

for those of you who dont know - she had not taken a bath in a bathtub since March 2010.  Yes - 9 months.  we held her down in there a few times to hysterical screaming, we tried the sink, we trid the old ducky baby bath, we tried just sitting in an empty tub, we tried bathing puppies, we tried every toy in the world and ever trick...non worked.  we got by on a bucket of soapy water, sponge baths and the distraction of yo gabba gabba on tv.  in the summers when she was stinky we'd just bath her in the pool.

yep, i said pool.  the kid LOVES water in nay shape or form... except for some reason the bath tub.

however... one day in late december she walked by the bathroom and decide she was interested in the yo gabba gabba foam creatures i'd tried to bribe her with a few months back. i said we can't play unless we get in the bath.  she considered then asked to be put in.  she was fully clothed and htere was no water - but she was in the bath.  we did this again the next day. and the next. until i slowly started taking of clothing before she could get in.  (you need to take off yoru boots, no bath with your shirt, etc).

one day, with just a diaper on, i decided to trun on the water... she freaked a bit...but finally touched it.  just a stream (no water actually filling the tub).  it went well until i tried to take off the diaper, bad move.  bath over.

i came armed the next day.  same plan.  in the bath with diaper, water slowly dripping.  however this time - new bath mat, and new faucet cover.  suddenly the faucet was intersted.  i got the diaper off.  i decided to try filling up the tub.  once she relaized what was happening...she freaked. 

i quiclky got out hte bath gel crayons from aunt kori.  these crayons allow you to write on your self but it's actually soap.  little did she know she was getting clean.  in the middle of this she freaked again.  but no worried i had the super secret weapon this time.  colored shaving cream in a cupcake tin (god i love pinterest).

a few foam brushes and she was in heaven :)

and the rest is history.  baths are alive and well in our house again - praise the lord.

she actual cries now when we say bath is over. she always wants "more splash"

i love having a clean kid. she smells so nice :)

now... photographic and video evidence :)

exhibit a:  she NEVER stops talking in the bath.

exhibits B:  she's not screaming in these photos:

exhibit C: after bath time (this is what kris and i missed the most.  we loved playing in our bedroom with a clean happy little girl.. )