Sadie's newest favorite thing...

Our last post showcased Sadie's love of food. Sadie's other love is climbing. Chairs, couches, windowsills, cupboards, highchairs. Just earlier this week Nathaniel watched as Sadie figured out how to shimmy up the claw-leg of our kitchen table, hoist herself onto a chair, scootch across the seat until she could stand triumphantly at la mesa. Nathaniel decided to intervene as she swung her leg up onto the tabletop.

Here are some videos of her first real attempts at walking. Following those are some pics of her going to new heights... the powder room sink. Having congregated in the hallway after church we all turned around in surprise to see Sadie vaulting herself into the wash basin.

Hmmm... Here i go!

Uh-oh! Someone's watching me!

Oh! You have a camera! *pose*

A Few of Sadie's Favorite Things

Sadie basically has two favorite things: EATING and CLIMBING.

First, Sadie loves to eat.  Anything and everything she can get her hands on ends up in her mouth--toys, dirt, and sometimes food.  She seems to prefer the salty to the sweet.

She's incredibly independent and insists upon feeding herself, which makes for a not-so-tidy clean-up. . . especially when she rubs macaroni and cheese in her eyes.  I've started removing her clothes before letting her eat; the bib just wasn't doing a good enough job.

She also loves to climb.  Lately she's taken to holding mom's fingers while she tries to walk up the stairs.

But life is always best when you can combine your two favorite things.  In Sadie's case, this means climbing in the high chair while eating.  Yes, I do buckle her in but she seems to be a mini Houdini.  Needless to say, eating time requires some vigilance on our part.

 

Maybe someday my sweet little girl will learn how to obey when I tell her to sit down.  For now, I'll consider myself blessed to have a cute little girl who loves food; although, I'm not sure where she puts it all. 

Springtime Pictures

None of the pictures do Sadie's hair justice; it's a curly mess most days.  We love it!

Better than a puppy!

It's funny how Sadie follows Grant around like a little puppy. She vacuums up every crumb or bit of lint we fail to sweep out of her path. She chews books and papers and shoes. She slobbers a ton, and if we're not careful she's been known to piddle on the rug. She even learns new tricks! Here's a few of her most recent achievements.

Pushing the fire truck (she bonks her head at the end, but she's OK!)




Waving, Soooo big, and folding arms!

One Last Post Before the Start of a New Semester

Although I would like to say that I plan to post more this semester, I think we all know that it is not going to happen.  But honestly, I would rather spend my free time with my kids.  So, I'll post pictures whenever I get the chance. 

You might notice that the pajamas on Christmas Eve are not the same as the pajamas on Christmas.  We had a case of the Christmas Flu.

 

Sadie enjoyed the box that we gave her, but Grant still hasn't used his potty.

 

Not Quite the Memory I was Hoping to Make

Christmas lights are one of the things that I love most about this time of year.  The warm memories of visiting the lights on Temple Square and the candy displays in the ZCMI windows downtown still bring a smile to my face, and I want to provide my kids with the opportunities to create similar memories of Christmastime.  So when I read about the Christmas light display at Lakemont Park, I knew that we just had to make the 45 minute drive to see the lights.  Christmas lights on the lake!  Train displays!  Christmas music!  What could be better?  Surely the long line of cars to enter the light display is a good sign, right?  I guess I didn't realize that when businesses have an opportunity to sponser a Christmas lights event, you might get Christmas displays like the one pictured below.

We got to see a weight-lifting Santa display sponsored by the local gym, Santa driving cars that he purchased from the local car dealer, and Santa driving a team of Clydesdale horses pulling a Budweiser sleigh.

On a positive note, Grant and Sadie loved the tunnel of lights and the train display.  So maybe they were able to create some happy memories after all. 

A Visit with Maureen's Goats and Sheep

Maureen's sheep had new baby lambs in November, and we took a few hours on a Saturday to make the long drive to visit the baby sheep. Grant was so excited when I told him we were going to see the sheep and goats, and he told me in his matter-of-fact way, "I want buy sheep."

Pretzels are the treat of choice among the sheep.  Check out the horns on the ram!

Grant fed the goats dry leaves.  In fact, both the goats and the sheep enjoy eating fall foliage.  We can't wait for Spring when new baby goats and sheep will arrive at Maureen's home!

Grant also loved chasing Maureen's cat on the front porch and barking at Maureen's rather large dog.