{ Little Unforgettables }

Warning: I have a feeling this about to be one heck of a long post. And even though I am not trying to make up for lost time, I think I had better apologize in advance.

First of all : What I haven't blogged about in recent days:

-David graduating from Volunteer Fire Academy

-Our 4th Anniversary

-David's Birthday

-My Grandpa Bill leaving us for heaven

-Several trips to ID to be with family

and those were just a few of the *big* events

So skipping over all that simply because it's too overwhelming to try and go back and recount it all. We have had a beautiful and at times difficult last month and a half. Annabelle is now 16 Months and it just hit me the other day that she has become more toddler than baby. I suppose if I wasn't loving this age so much, I would probably be a little bittersweet to see her sweet baby-ness come to an end, but so far I am not, because the older she gets the more fun we have. I'd like to make it my goal, including the terrible twos, teenage years and all, to keep it that way. Just trying to focus on living each and every day to the fullest. And enjoying and making the most of each stage of life since you only get to be whatever age you are, once right?

She changes so quickly and is picking up on so much. I've just got to jot some of my favorite little things about her right now down that I know I'll forget if I don't.

She's been walking around almost exculsively in bare feet, and on tippy-toes. Which brings me added delight because of the little nick-name we gave her before she was born, Twinkletoes. And it's a good thing that it fits her so perfectly now too, since I still call her that.

She has turned into a little bookworm. "Booh", she calls them And she'll either sit and read happily to herself, preferring her book to be upside down of course. Or will sit in our laps and listen to story after story, as long as it doesn't take to long to get from one page to the next. And I am so pleased because up until recently she hasn't had the time or patience for books. Now she can't seem get enough of them.

Mama seems to be her new favorite word... Over and over she says it. And she says it like she is asking a question. "Mama?" And yes, it melts my heart every single time.

She has taken to what I have started to refer to as "MUUAH-ing" things. I'll hear her sweet voice coming from her car seat or stroller, as she leans forward and puckers up her rosy little lips with a , " mama...muah!" Or on coming across the picture of a baby in a book, she'll lean over to kiss it and out comes this great big "muuah!" Also there's the stuffed animal she carries around, stopping frequently to "muuah" it. She even wanted to "muuah" a little earthworm that we found, while digging around in the flower border the other day.

You may not have heard this before but noses, like the buttons on your telephone, are for beeping. She says " meep " and considers it a fine social grace to go around the room, until everyone's nose has been well "meeped."

Her mommy likes pull her around the yard in her little red radio flyer wagon, watering a little here weeding a little there, or picking flowers and her Daddy likes to give her rides in the wheel-barrow or up high on his shoulders...she loves it, holds on tight and shouts, "wheee!"

Using her chubby little finger point out even the tiniest little bug ( to which she makes this funny little " gggaah" sound in the back of her throat ), or the smallest speck of an airplane in the sky. Unlike her Mommy, this girl, does not miss a thing, ever. We can be in the middle of something and she'll notice if a dog barks, 4 houses down.

It thrills her like nothing else to be chased. I know the game is on when she looks at me over her shoulder at with a rather wild little gleam in her eye and then takes off like the dickens. So I chase her around the yard. I chase her around the house. Always rewarded by a highly contagious string of squeals and giggles.

It cracks me up how all of a sudden when we are out she'll pipe up with a "bye-bye" and then waves, deciding it's time to head for home.

Here is a sampling her latest very funny and growing vocabulary. I'm not sure why and it's awfully cute, but she says a lot of things twice.

peas-peas for please

dog-dog

pat-pat

num-nums

broom-broom (car)

moo-moo (cow)

neigh-neigh (horse)

duck-duck

tick-tock-tick-tock (clock)

Jesus

Bible

kitty (beow)

truck

cheese

thank you (tane-choo)

bubbles

bath

flower

hot-dog

pretty

eye

nose

ear

oww ( for owwie)

jammies

okay (o-tay)

yeah

and bleh which must come from when I say to her " no, no that's icky "BLEH!"

She has been into eating all sorts of summer fruit and so far has had and likes fresh, which I am so happy for cause we all know how picky they can be:

Watermelon

Strawberries

Cherries

Blueberries

and Raspberries

{ which she tasted for the first time and was literally scarffing down as many as she could fit in her mouth, as fast as she possibly could just last night at dinner }

And I can hardly wait for our blackberries to ripen up... I can just see her out there on tippy-toes, stuffing in berries, then grinning all pleased and purpley-mouthed.

So Annabelle Mommy just wants you to know you make everyday of our life brighter, more precious, extra sweet, super funny, and such a joy! I don't know how it is possible to love you any more than I do at this exact moment but somehow every day as you grow a little bit bigger you also becomes a little bit dearer to your daddy and I.