Personality

Mom says that my personality is on full display at this age. Playful, happy, and friendly are the first words that come to mind. She likes to imagine how my best traits will play into my grown up life in the future.

For example, will I be a stern business manager or tough teacher with my critical eye for perfection? Maybe an actress with my flair for drama? One thing is sure, I will need to be the boss. My teachers say that am the best helper, always telling the younger kids what to do. I am very good at keeping my parents in line, too.

One of the traits that snuck in from Mom's side of the family is my ability to be persistent (or what some would call "stubborn"). I am especially persistent when my parents need to leave the house in a hurry. If I don't want to go, then I can find plenty of ways to stall, like getting comfortable and leisurely eating my snack. Mom says one day this will be a positive trait... maybe not so much right now.

My main focus is channeling my nurturing side as I prepare to be the very best big sister. My tendency to give big spontaneous hugs and my love for cuddling is going to make the new role easy. Maggie, Moxie, and my dolls get the benefit of my sweetness now. I can't wait to meet my brother and show him what a great kid I am!

Sanibel

We just spent a few days on Sanibel Island for what Dad calls our Babymoon. When we got there, we went straight to the beach to look for shells (shelling is considered a competitive sport down there).

Dad tried out his new fishing rod, the "Whoopin Stick". A man caught a 7 pound shark in this spot earlier in the day, but Dad's most exciting catch was a seagull!

Then we tried out the pool. It was a little chilly after the sun went behind the building... maybe that's why all the other families disappeared at 6:00! But, I still loved doing my new big girl jumps (one time I surprised Dad when he wasn't paying attention, that's why he made this face). The slide was awesome, too!

The next morning we had a few hours to play before our friends got to town, so we rented bikes to ride to the lighthouse. I loved these, because I could sit up high and see all the flowers along the way.

The lighthouse was booooring... but we had a nice picnic with our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, then walked on the beach. I found a live starfish, it was squishy and curled around my little hand!

Mom said this place was a regular Animal Kingdom. We saw dolphins, pelicans (all named "Nigel", after the pelican in Finding Nemo), hermit crabs, turtles, and lots of fish.

The best part of the bike ride was stopping at Dairy Queen for my first ever chocolate dipped ice cream cone. Yum!

Then, it was time to see my friends! Talia and Matilda came down all the way from Chattanooga. Our Moms joked that this vacation was going to be a contest to see who could get the least amount of sun! Mom thought she would win because she put SPF 85 all over me, but those girls were rocking the long bathing suits and hats.

We played at the beach looking for shells, building sand castles, and avoiding all of the sting rays! In this picture, you can see 3 dark spots in the water behind me- part of a huge family of sting rays that swam back and forth all day. My favorite part was when we took turns filling up our buckets to pour water on their Dad. He screamed every time because the water was cold, and it was so funny!

We couldn't decide which was better, the beach or the pool. And, don't even get me started on the awesome hot tub!

I'll miss my friends, we had a great time. We shared our toys and danced to Lady Gaga while our Moms had girl time and our Dads watched the basketball games.

Mom said this was our vacation for the year since my baby brother is coming in July, and we'll be on Baby Lockdown for a while. But, she said we can still squeeze in a fun trip to Boston in May for Joy's wedding!

2 Going On 20

My parents spend most of their time these days laughing at the things that come out of my sassy little mouth. Hopefully these pictures at the aquarium captured my fearless, fun spirit along with the comments!
Here are some favorites:

• "Don't say No to me! I want the black pen. Please!"
• At church watching the choir and priests walk in: "There goes God."
• Random announcement at the playground: "Mo-mar Kha-da-fee". (A reminder that my little brain is a sponge and my parents should be careful what they let me watch on the nightly news.)

Dad's favorites:

• Sitting on the potty, crossing arms onto lap: "So Dad, how was your day?"
• "Dad, we are going on a walk. We need something. We need money."
• At bedtime when Dad said he loves me and my Mom: "I love my Mom, and you can't have her."

Mom's favorites:

• "Mom, I like you when you take me to the playground."
• "Do you see my belly? It's getting big. My baby sister is in there."

This brings us to the debut pictures of my 23 week old little brother in Mom's belly! He is kicking like crazy, and giving Mom plenty of new hip and back pain to slow her down. Mom says she is being really careful with her diet this time (sadly, fewer break-and-bake cookies and no yummy Tex Mex that sustained me in her belly back in the good old days in Austin), but she still feels bigger this time around!

As for my part, I've been a very good girl. I'm peeing and pooping in the potty. Sometimes I disappear, sending my parents on a frantic hunt, only to find me doing my business on the potty all by myself. One tiny little habit that my parents would like to break is my nightly poop, the urge that comes 20-30 minutes AFTER they have put me in bed. I love to get back up and sit on the potty while dragging out a conversation with Mom or Dad as they encourage me to hurry up. Part of the fun of this age is earning my new nickname of Drama Queen. Every day brings an adventure or experience that sends me into a new hilarious performance. For example, in this picture, you can see that freaky-looking fish sent me jumping back a step when he swam right up to the glass. Then I talked about that freaky fish for the rest of the day, making this face for effect every time!I'm a very independent big girl now, testing my boundaries, and providing my parents with endless entertainment along the way!

New Camera

This week we got a new camera to document my life in higher resolution (Mom says she loves it and wants to marry it). The UPS Man brought it to our house when Mom was at work and I was asleep, so Dad had a great time becoming The Camera Master. Maggie and Moxie were asleep (and therefore too boring as subjects) so Dad had to get creative with his muse. Mom thinks it's hilarious that Barbie is the first one on the new camera. Luckily, the next morning I was more than willing to ham it up!You may notice that it's still dark outside in these pictures... That's because I wake up every day at 5:45am, full of energy and chatting as if I just finished a Starbucks trenta latte. Stay tuned for more fun pictures!