Ridin' Double

Now that I'm a big girl, Mom let me ride Bandit with her. This was my first official ride, since the only other time I sat on Bandit I was only 16 days old and he didn't actually move. We walked around and around and I wasn't even scared! I liked the view from way up there - I could see over to the neighbor's house and kept making "uh uh uh" noises (my version of "woof") towards their dog.

Father's Day

Snuggling with Dada on Father's Day

June Fun

Here are some fun things that I've done this month...

Hung out with my goat friends

Watched the deer that visits our backyard Picked turnips and went on a hayride at Farm Tots

Splashed on the sprayground in Mill Creek

Hold on, Grandma!

Wheeee! I had a fun visit with Grandma and Grandpa Ottele yesterday. I showed them how I can go down my slide like a big girl and how I can kick balls like a Sounder now. I really liked the presents that they brought me from Disneyland - my very own princesses and a cute Minnie Mouse shirt.

Later, I got to play with a baby kitty at Jen's house. I stayed very busy talking to the kitty and sharing my purse with it.

Look who's talking (and signing!)

I'm talking! Well...sort of. You have to listen really closely and use your imagination, but I started saying "ch" for cheese and "mmmm" for moo a few weeks ago. I've been saying "dada" for quite awhile now, and Mom has given up hope of me ever saying "mama". I'm getting very good at my sign language now - I've got over 15 signs that I can do well, and a bunch more that I'm working on! Some of my favorites are 'more', 'all done', 'eat', 'milk', 'water', 'cracker', 'please', 'thankyou', 'dog', 'cat', 'outside', 'downstairs', and 'nap'. It's really nice that I can tell Mom and Dad what I want instead of just whining about it!

I'm sixteen months old now and am very active! I get serious and quiet sometimes when we play with other kids, but I like to run around crazy at home with the animals. I give hugs sparingly since I'm pretty independent (though I always seem to have one ready for Grammie and Grampie!) and I like to wave at trucks. I'm very tough and hardly ever cry when I fall down (which happens a lot!). Mom still takes me to see my baby friends at our Wednesday playgroups and the Thursday toddler class at the hospital. I'm taking swimming lessons at the YMCA and love to be in the water, though I do get a little chilly sometimes. Now that the weather is nice and I can walk really well, I get to 'help' Mom feed the animals in the morning. My favorites are the cats and I like to visit the goats and sheep too. I don't have a special toy or security blanket, but I do like to tote a purse or bucket around to stash treasures that I find (like pinecones, rocks and dandelions). I usually try to feed my treasures to the dog and goats, even though they don't usually appreciate them. I love to dance and do art. I only get to use real paint at baby school...since I eat my crayons, Mom only lets me draw with water at home. All in all, I'm a very happy toddler!