You can have anything you want if you ask grandma.

JT's parents came to visit a few weeks ago. We all really enjoy it when they visit, but Audrey love, love, loves it when grandparents are here.

I can't imagine why she is so fond of her grandparents.

She gets ALL of the attention. Usually there are toys and other gifts or treats involved. She gets to show off all of her skills to much applause and someone is always willing to play, read a book, or do whatever she wants.

I would thoroughly enjoy that as well.

This visit Audrey got to show off her swimming skills.

She got some really fun new bath toys and a new cat towel.

She helped Dad and Grandma build a doots sized table and chairs.

And played LOTS of games with Grandpa and Grandma.

It was a good visit for all. I am sure she is counting the days until we go to Madison in April.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the photos, I have not been getting my camera out nearly enough lately. Next visit I will take some photos of you with Audrey!

Mommy's little helper

Audrey always wants to watch me cook. No matter what I am doing if I am in the kitchen doing something she wants to watch. Or even better, help.

She likes helping me make cookies.

Relax, we were making fake cookies from banana, peanut butter, oats, chocolate chips, and honey. They are fake because they do not contain sugar. Cookies contain sugar.

She is not eating raw egg dough. I can't promise that won't happen someday soon, but this dough was clean.

Making granola bars is also lots of fun.

Stirring kale and cheese egg scramble for dinner? Yes, please!

I actually really love that she likes to be involved in the kitchen. However, sitting her on the counter requires a lot of focus on her and holding her is hard. She is heavy. We need to get a learning tower so she can stand up and see what I am doing. Until then I should probably just start wearing her in the carrier on my back while I am cooking. Then she can see and I can have two hands and not be doing everything while backing away from the counter to make sure she doesn't fall off. Everyone wins.

We will figure something out. I am just happy my little lady likes to help in kitchen just like I did!

She also recently has decided she needs to use silverware to eat all of her food. This is both very messy and very slow.

You can never plan too far ahead.

Audrey chose her college last week. I'm sure she won't change her mind before she is 18.

Here is how it all went down.

JT is a lover of Duplos, I'm sure he'll be a lover of regular Legos too. But for now it is Duplos. Thus, often when he is playing with Audrey he is building things from Duplos for her to take apart. She loves taking Duplos apart right now. She has not yet figured out putting together, I'm sure she'll get there soon.

Anyway, last week we were all playing in the living room and I turned around to find an array of college letters built from Duplos on the living room floor. JT was looking pretty proud. To be fair, I was pretty damn impressed. I am not a Duplo engineer and pretty much only build cars, houses, and bridges. College letters blew my mind.

There was obviously only one thing to do at this point, line all of the letters up on the table and let Audrey decide where she is going to college.

The choices were Wisconsin, Michigan State, Duke, Iowa, Oregon, and North Carolina. I assume JT built Wisconsin, Michigan State, and Duke first and then made whatever he could with the leftover pieces. I'm sure doots will appreciate how much thought went into the options.

I declared Michigan State the winner, I'm not sure that all eyes would have seen it this way I know JT's did not. He declared Duke the winner.

She picked up Duke first and then put it down, she then picked up Wisconsin and threw it on the floor. The W shattered into a million pieces.

Then she picked up Michigan State and played with it, taking it apart block by block. At this age, the winner is the one she plays with. Go green. Go white. Audrey is frugal and she chose in state tuition.

JT contests that she chose Duke because it is the only one she touched but did not destroy. My opinion is, there is no way in the world she can go to Duke without drowning in debt so it really isn't a contender. He says she will get a scholarship.

I am keeping my eggs in Michigan State basket. That sure worked well for me last weekend. Go State!

Timely blogging is not my jam.

I am behind. Again. So, I am just going to do one catch up post because it is easier for everyone.

First on the agenda is Audrey's first trip through Canada! We went to visit my brother and sister-in-law for her cousins 2nd birthday party.

We had a great trip. Audrey enjoyed driving through Canada. Well, really she enjoyed sleeping and watching Sesame Street through Canada. But enjoyed means not crying in toddler travel talk. We had even more fun when we got to New York.

The cousins had fun hanging out as did the adults. The birthday party was really fun even though the power went out right as it was starting. Beware friends and family, we apparently bring bad power outage juju with us when we travel. It was warm and afternoon though, so no power no problem! It was a super great party and trip!!

Well, other than poor doots getting sick. The poor little lady got a fever Saturday night and was just not feeling well the whole day Sunday. She slept almost the entire 7 hour drive home.

Which brings us to catch up number two, baby's first ear infection! What a fun milestone, right? Poor Audrey was sick all week. I finally brought her to the doctor Thursday because she had/has an awful sounding cough. The cough was fine, but she did have a pretty bad ear infection. Poor baby.

Thankfully, she is on the mend. She got medicine and has been sleeping all night again (thank god), and is much happier. Yay medicine.

We did enjoy all of the cuddles we got while she was sick. As you may know, Audrey is not very cuddly at all. But when she is sick, she just wants to cuddle. So we soaked in all of the cuddles we could. That part was wonderful.

My final point for the day is this

Do you see those curls!! Her hair is getting pretty long in the back and after bath THERE ARE CURLS BACK THERE! I am so excited I am yelling. All I want is a little girl with curly pigtails. YES!!

Also, I love this outfit so much. So. Much.

A family of Olympic junkies

Audrey loves the Olympics too. Perhaps because it means the TV is on a lot more. But, we did find her trying to snowboard on her Duplo box top the other day.

I don't know what she actually was doing, but it sure does look like she is trying to snowboard. She even repeated the activity several times. And, snowboard cross had just been on TV, so clearly she was beginning her Olympic training at a young age.

Two video disclaimers
1) I am really annoying. I need to work on that.
2) She was fine after she fell, she got right up and was off.

Precious Moments

I need moments like these.

To remind my why it is worth it to miss moments like these.

Photo Credit Chris Switzer

Photo Credit Chris Switzer

Sometimes I miss derby in a painful, gut wrenching way. The sport, the people, the contact. All. Of. It. Well, maybe not the aches and pains. But the longing is real and intense.

But, I know I made the right choice because I get to put this sweet girl to bed more, and have more moments like these.

And I get to hang out with this amazing man more.

And we get to be a family more.

And that makes me really, really happy.

But that painful ache does remind me I need to get to practice to visit more often. That I have time for.

Little babies turn into little girls way before they should

I only wrote two posts in January. Fail. I resolve to do better in February.

So, here we go.

Audrey needs an update of what she is doing these days. Which is lots and lots of things.

Baby girl has become a big girl seemingly overnight. I don't even know where to begin, she has made so many leaps in the past month.

We'll start with physical progress. Audrey can run. Yep. Run. She's is deceptively fast and agile. It is a whole new ball game. She is also working on perfecting the skills of climbing and exercising zero caution. That girl has no fear, at all. This is not because we don't let natural consequences happen. She falls and bumps and bruises a lot. She just has a fearless personality. I have no idea where she got that from. Certainly not her mom or dad.

Anyway, physical advances in recent days include climbing in and out of her rocking chair. Standing in her rocking chair, we have mostly put an end to this but if no one is looking up she goes. Climbing in and out of the hidey-hole. Now that I padded it she rarely smashes her head, of course. Climbing in her toy basket. Climbing in the magazine rack. Climbing up to the slide and going down by herself at the play space. Do you see a theme here?

Audrey is also making large mental strides. We always have tried to talk to her in complete sentences and explain things. Which often gets comments about how she has no idea what we are saying anyway. I have always thought she may not, but she may. And when she does I want to be telling her what we are doing and why. Well guess what, she still doesn't say all that many words consistently, but she understands many, many words and sentences.

If one of us says "Audrey let's go change your diaper" she runs to her bedroom door and starts banging. If she picks up Shasta's toy and you tell her "Audrey, give Shasta her toy" she walks over and offers the toy to Shasta. If she is kneeling in her chair and you say "Audrey, turn around and sit on your bottom" she does. Well, at least most of the time. If she doesn't I say "Do you need help?" and then she almost always sits down. Point being, she understands A LOT more words than she can say.

So, parents out there keep talking to your littles. They understand more than you think and one day they will start responding with words or actions.