October 31

First, happy second birthday to Audrey! We have had a good, and very busy, day!

I have enough pictures from today for about 10 posts, but I'm not going to get them all edited and uploaded tonight. The past few days (and weeks) have worn me out, and my eyes will barely stay open now.

So I may turn today's pictures into a series of posts spread throughout the week. For today, here is Audrey in her new class at church...Beginner I for 2 year olds. Miss Peggy is the teacher, and she has been teaching that class every week for over 50 years!!!! Her grand-daughter and our friend, Angela, also helps in the class.

I was really nervous about Audrey going to a big kid class. In the nursery they just play and have snack time, so she is used to being able to do whatever she wants at church. I wasn't sure how she would react when asked to sit still and listen and participate in an entire hour's worth of structured group activities.

But she did great! I snuck a peek through the door at one point, and she was sitting in a chair by herself (shocking! I really thought she would cling to Angela all morning!) listening and watching everyone. Miss Peggy said she participated in all the centers and did a good job. What a big girl! They also sang Happy Birthday to her and gave her a special sticker, which she liked a lot!

Stay tuned this week for pictures of Audrey's new play kitchen, her Halloween costume, and her night of trick-or-treating with her buddy Cael!

October 30

We survived the birthday party, and I think everyone had a good time! Our house was packed full with family and friends and lots of little kids. It was a bit crazy, but that's the way it is around here.

Audrey was in a good mood and seemed to have fun. She really enjoyed the unlimited access to the goldfish crackers I had set out. She had a good time hanging out with all of her friends, especially her buddy Adam. She did a fairly good job opening her presents, and she especially liked the guitar she got from Wesley and Owen. She didn't want to eat her birthday cake though, which was surprising because it was all she had been talking about for the past two days. Here are a few pics from the party today.



After everyone left the party and Audrey went down for a nap, I headed to the park to do a photo shoot with the Berg family. I almost always photograph little kids. So it was a nice treat to do a photo shoot with adults, who were willing to sit and pose for more than a split second at a time!
And finally, Daniel, Audrey and I ended the night with dinner at Panera and book browsing at Barnes and Noble. A nice relaxing end to a long, crazy day!

October 29

I'm in the midst of getting ready for Audrey's second 2nd birthday party tomorrow. I'm not sure why I thought it would be a good idea to have two parties this year. Two parties means decorating two cakes. And decorating cakes stresses me out!!! I always think I will be able to do it, but it never quite works out the way I want it to...frustrating.

I'll post a cake picture tomorrow. For today, here are a few pictures of Audrey "helping" Daddy rake the yard.

October 28

I am failing at this daily picture thing lately.

I wish I would have taken a picture of Audrey dressed up in her Pippi Longstocking costume at Sprouts this morning. She looked pretty cute, and I managed to get her pigtails to stick straight out! I can't wait to take her trick or treating!

I wish I would have taken a picture of Audrey and I working at the pumpkin patch at church this afternoon. It was FREEZING, so we spent a lot of time inside the foyer. But Audrey was just so happy to be at church; she loves that place so much. She had a lot of fun going up and down the stairs again and again.

I wish I would have taken a picture of Audrey riding the train at the mall tonight with Simon and Elliot. She had to ride on it by herself, because adults aren't allowed. That's a pretty big step for Audrey, as she tends to be a bit clingy and scared of new things. But she loved riding the train all by herself, and she smiled and waved hi to me and Lindsey every time she rode past us.

Instead I have a picture of the new toothbrush I got at the dentist's office today...probably the one event of the day that I don't want to remember. It was just a cleaning, so it wasn't really that bad...but still, I HATE even having to step foot in the dentist's office!

October 27

I don't have much to share today...just a picture of my sweet little girl!

October 26

Ugh. It's 11:25 pm. I just walked in the door and I haven't taken any pictures yet today. Tuesday's are such crazy days. Things should start to calm down for me by next week. I keep saying that, so I hope it is true!

Anyway, here's a picture of a card that we made in my Stampin' Up! workshop tonight. Christmas is only two months away!!!

October 25

This is a lame picture, but it's all I have for today.

Audrey got this "puter" at her birthday party yesterday, and she loves it! I'm sure she loves being able to have a computer that she can actually touch, because Mommy and Daddy's computers are strictly off limits. It's actually a pretty cool computer. You can download customized content to it. Right now, when you turn it on, it says, "Hi Audrey!" You can also send Audrey e-mails from our computer. Then when she presses the e-mail button, our e-mail will show up on the screen and be read out loud to her. So fancy!

Audrey has really been impressing me lately with how well she knows and recognizes the letters of the alphabet. Tonight, we were playing with the computer, and I randomly went through most of the alphabet, asking her to push the letter button when I said the letter name. She got at least 80% right on the first try. Sounds like she's about ready to start reading! :)