Time Flies

I can't believe it's June already!  Seems like it was just Easter, and now we're already headed for the Fourth of July.

Bethie is such a joyful girl.  She loves to tell everyone her name, which is, of course, Bethie Boo.  She used to say "Bey Boo", but already she is saying "Beppie Boo."  Her words come in more clearly every day, and there are more and more of them.  She had to go to the sitter's all last week as I'm battling a nasty bout of bronchitis, and she doesn't like that I'm sending her away.  When I went to put her jammies on her on Thursday, she said, "Go away, Mommy!  Daddy do jams."  Her first full sentence, and it was telling me off! 

She is quite the Daddy's Girl, though.  Every morning and after every nap, the first word out of her mouth is "Daddy?"  It is nice to see them together, too.  Jeff is an incredible daddy, and Bethie and I are very blessed to have him.

We've discovered a computer program called Zoodles that is a conglomerate of games and video bits for little ones.  Bethie loves to play on there more than anything these days.  After she asks for Daddy, then it's "Zoodles game?"  There are games that work on colors, numbers, shapes, letters, sorting, and pretty much anything you can imagine.  The first time she told me about a triangle I almost fell out of my chair!  She loves to sing, too.  Here she is, doing her imitation of Cookie Monster's "C is For Cookie":

She is starting to move away from the Toy Story toys in favor of the Disney Princesses and Mickey Mouse.  She likes to brush her dolls' hair and put their shoes on.  She hasn't yet discovered that their dresses come off and that their clothes can be changed, but I think that will be next.  She is chatty and happy and helpful, and she does really well with her manners.  We are just so proud of our girl! 

Easter 2011

For the first time, we are really celebrating Easter this year.  Before this Bethie has been too small and didn't really understand, but this is the year we celebrate!

We saw the Easter Bunny last weekend, and although Bethie went up to him, she was not about to sit on his lap.  She was very adamant about that!  She would stand by him if Jeff and/or I were there, but that was it. 

We've been reading our Bible stories about Jesus this week, and she likes to blow kisses to the picture of Jesus we have in the bedroom.  We've also been telling her about how the Easter Bunny will come and hide eggs and bring her a present.  I asked her what she'd like, and she said, "Two presents."  She now understands presents, and is very excited!

Our friends Theresa and Victoria bought Bethie the cutest Easter dress and accessories, and we got her all dressed up for the Easter Bunny last week.  We also got a "Toy Story" egg coloring kit that we'll use this weekend, so stay tuned for more pictures!

Sharing with the Easter Bunny

Bethie has always loved books, whether she is being read to or reading to us.  Now that she is recognizing letters, numbers, and objects, books have become even more fun!  She got this book as one of her birthday gifts from Grandma and Grandpa, and we have to read it every day:

Terrible Twos

Boy, have we hit them with a vengeance!  Gone is our sweet little angel, and in her place is a little imp with a beautiful face whose favorite word is, "No!" 

"Bethie, do you want grilled cheese for lunch?"
"NO!"
"Do you want some ice cream?"
"NO!"
"Do you want to go outside?"
"NO!"

*Sigh*

Christmas 2010

Christmas this year was, as always, a blessed event that was made even brighter by Elizabeth.  She understood this year that the presents under the tree were not only for her, but that they held fun surprises.  She wanted to open them every day, but aside from a few gifts from Mama and Daddy (that we were too excited to keep under wraps), she opened everything on Christmas Eve.  That is the tradition in my family, and it worked well, especially since she still gets so easily overwhelmed and exhausted.  We let her open a few gifts before dinner and the rest of them after.  She received so many nice things.  Lots of books and puzzles, which she adores, some pretty new clothes, lots of toys, and enough money to buy whatever else she liked!  She chose a TMX Elmo, since she loves everything Elmo.  He giggles when you tickle him, then falls to the floor and stands back up again.  Bethie was a little afraid of him at first, but that didn't last long.  She also chose a few movies, and since she got a Bethie-sized upholstered rocking chair, they went well together.  She likes to sit in her chair with a snack and watch a movie, or at least a few minutes of one.  Then it's off to play, and then back again for a few more minutes of movie time. 

Christmas morning was a great deal of fun.  Bethie got another puzzle (you can hear her say, "Yay!" when she opens it in the video), some books, a stuffed animal from one of her favorite shows, a collection of plastic jungle animals, and a small kitchen to play in.  She has spent the last few days making the animals roar at each other and cooking food for her dolls.  She is such a bright, inquisitive little thing, and it doesn't take long for her to catch on to anything! 

The video is from Christmas morning and it's a little long, but we love it.  I couldn't say anything for the first few moments because I was trying not to cry, watching my little girl get excited over her first Santa gifts.  I hope you all had as bright and merry a Christmas as we had!

Christmas Card

In a bit of Christmas frivolity, I "elfed" us.  I thought this was so cute, I had to share!

Ssssssssssssssssssss . . .

Here is a video of Bethie doing her animal sounds.  She speaks in half-words so "hat" comes out "haaaaaa", for example, but if you listen carefully you can make out what she is saying.  Her favorite thing to do is make the snake sound!