Sam

19-Month-Old Elsie

Elsie Louise at 19 months is smart, brave, sweet, coy and even without the words to do it, can sass me better than anyone. There's a look. The sassiest smirk on the sweetest smartest face. We're all in huge enormous trouble as soon as those words start really coming. As for now, her favorite words are  "daddy" "baby" "bye" "shhhhh" "cookie" and "apple" (bapple).  Elsie takes good care of every baby doll in the house. Sometimes you'll walk into the living room and she'll have many of them on pillows, covered with blankets and receiving sips of milk. She'll put her finger to her lips and "shhhh" you so that you don't wake any of them up. The girl has dance moves. I've never seen any quite like hers (she's very creative and artistic about them). Her favorite songs right now are "John the Rabbit"  "Wheels on the Bus" and anything the Beatles played on their first Ed Sullivan appearance.  She loves slides and sledding and crunching through snow. She loves to bake cookies and make soup. And Elsie LOOOOOVES to draw. Give her paper and anything to mark it up with and she is set for a good hour.  She. Loves. It.  She is a social butterfly. When we took her to a friends house to watch the Superbowl, she went from person to person chatting and sitting on laps. And she loves her brother. She will sometimes attach herself to him with a hug and hold on with all her might. She is particular about giving out snuggles and kisses but when she does she really truly means it. Especially in the middle of the night if she wakes, she's so glad to see you that she often plants a big smooch right on your lips. It makes interrupted sleep pretty bearable. Right now she loves the books Everywhere Babies, Animal Nursery Rhymes, Elsworth's Extraordinary Electric Ears and Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks and Things That Go. She's also kind of in love with a 1969 edition of Better Homes and Gardens Baby Book which she found in a pile somewhere. What fun it is to have an Elsie Lou. I love watching her little (big) personality emerge. And I love that all week she's been waking up from her nap fifteen minutes before Sam wakes from his and I get a little time alone with her. Time where she's still just sleepy enough where I can steal a few snuggles and lots of kisses.

KISS

Lunch at Cafe Buddy and Bean

Hard Hats Required

The Artist

Going Bananas

These two rascals were supposed to be peeling and mashing three bananas for a cookie recipe...I figured they would nibble on them but...they ate them gone! Three bananas!

Dog and Haircut

A Little Marvel

"Yeah" by Blind Lemon Sam