Get Down

K. likes to sit on chairs and couches, so her dad taught her the technique for turning around to get down (rather than going head first). Here she demonstrates it:

"Yeah, man, that's cool."

Fun in the Sunday

We had dinner tonight at with some friends. It was fun (and delicious), and their kids are great with K. She always takes several minutes to warm up, but after her initial uncertainty (and dinner) she had a great time playing and chatting with her friends.

K. with her friends. Someday she, too, will learn to smile on command.

K. and L., playing at the kitchen. K. goofing around with S., who is so sweet with her. You can tell what a good time K. had!
Playing on the climber in the back yard. K. doesn't climb yet, but she loves wandering around and investigating. She also opened and closed the yellow door (behind her in the photo) about one hundred times.

Bowled Over

This afternoon we went bowling and out for dinner with some great friends of ours. This was K's first time bowling, and she really liked watching the ball roll down the lane. She spent much of the time walking around with our friend J--they looked at so many fun things, practiced walking, and pretended to drive at the arcade. K, jealous that she doesn't have nifty shoes like Dad:
"Don't let them roll me down the lane by mistake, Mama!"

Smiley Saturday

"Cheese...how much longer do I have to smile, Mama? My cheeks are starting to hurt. Hurry up and take the picture."

Tote-tastic

For the record, I am perfectly willing to admit that I have somewhat of an obsession with tote bags (really with any sort of luggage). K. likes to put things in containers and take them out again, so I thought it was high time that she had her own tote bag. She really likes the tote (imagine that). And, if you've ever met my mom, you'll know where K. and I get our obsession from.

Nice.

Here is a post to shamelessly toot our own horn: B. made a great instrument rack for me, and I wanted to show it off on the blog. I needed a nice place to store my instruments, and this rack does the trick. So, um, yeah, here's a photo of K. Really. That's why this post is here--to show another photo of the little one.

Little Drummer Girl

"Gotta focus...must...get...this...right"

We Be Jammin'

K. got a new pair of PJs. They're quite cute (in my opinion) so I let her wear them this morning when we were playing.

Teriffic Twin Times

K's friends A. and E. came over today--they're twins, and just over a month older than K. She had so much fun playing with them, and they were, of course, great with her because they're used to being with other kids. We had lunch and played until nap time, and I was proud that K. seemed to interact well.

Two out of three isn't bad for a photo taken just before nap time:

K. with E. trying to decide what book to read. K. is standing up with the help of her bookcase; her friends are both walking so I think she watched them and took notes.

K. and A. at the kitchen counter:

K. and E. playing with the set of squeaky eggs:

Saturday Visitors

Grandma and Grandpa L. came for a visit today. We had a great time playing, though I didn't grab my camera until just before nap time (thus the sleepy little one). Grandpa playing "this little piggy" with K:
Blue eyes run in the family:

Ring, Ring

"I know--can you believe it? I just had to call and tell you: I've started to do imitative play and it's such an exciting milestone!"

Climb Time

All the way up...all by herself.

Future Pianist?

You should hear the wonderful (modern) songs that K. composes on the fly! She really enjoys the piano, so perhaps we'll force her to take lessons when she's a little bit older. Of course, she'll have trouble with the pedals for a couple of years...

Vroom, Vroom

Whenever K. plays with her Little People school bus, she makes a "vvvvvv" sound, like the "vroom, vroom" that Mom makes while pushing it around. Here's a video of her playing. Oh, and she waves at you at the end!

P.S. Guess who can crawl up an entire flight of stairs by herself? (Don't worry, I was right behind her.)

Future Cheerleader?

Is K. a potential cheerleader? She didn't seem to mind wearing the outfit, and if she gets Dad's genes she'll be athletic.
She might have to go somewhere other than Purdue, though, as gold isn't a good color for K.

Shifting Gears

K. is playing with a toy that has actual spinning gears. It is from a friend who went to Purdue, so it is only fitting that she is sporting Perdueware while playing with it. "Is this the same color as the one in my other hand?"

I Know A Little Girl

Just to show K's hair--this is how curly it is when fresh from a bath!

Monday Morning Exhaustion

K. had a jam-packed weekend (see previous posts) and was ready for her nap pretty early on Monday morning. The following photos were taken in a span of only a few minutes: Here she is, happily dropping a cup down the slide.
Still with the cup...
A little less energy this time...
So tired she can't support her head on her own.

First Comes Love

Although several experienced moms and dads have told me that I actually want to discourage walking, K. got a new toy to encourage it. It's a doll carriage (or buggy) and I like it because it's quite sturdy and she can put things in it and push them around. I put the doll in for her, as a suggestion, and she later added a small red ball and an animal bowling pin. She did catch on to the pushing and walking thing, though, which makes me quite proud.
(And you can admire her cute dress again).

Sunday at Home

Since K. had taken a good nap in the nursery at church in the morning, we had a fun play time once we got home. Just some miscellaneous photos of cuteness (and her super-cute dress!).
Some miscellaneous playing:

Good Times with Friends

K. got to see her friend J. Saturday evening, and had so much fun with him!

Saturday at the Lake

To celebrate Grandma A's birthday, we went up to visit them. K. spent some time with her grandma, reading a new peek-a-boo book (one of her favorite things in the world). She also made a new (stuffed) friend:
Grandma A. read to her for a while:
After lunch, we all went on a boat ride.
"This is the greatest!"

Friday at the Museum

We spent last Friday at the Children's Museum with some friends and had a blast! K. had so much fun touching everything (and using hand sanitizer judiciously). I'll try to sum up her trip in photos:

K. driving a race car (to make Grandpa J. proud). I think she'll have a lead foot when she's older.
K. crawled up a set of two foam steps and through this little tunnel, then dove headfirst down the other side--she loved it! Here's a video of the same place.

The museum has a big area with varied foam surfaces for kids 2 and under to explore. It's kind-of amazing, and the type of thing I really want to have in my house (though it is cost prohibitive). K. crawled and cruised around and had a great time--and met her identical twin!
K. sitting on some dinosaur eggs. Kids could also dress up in a dinosaur costume, but she's a little young for that yet.

K's first time on a carousel. She was too young to ride a horse that goes up and down, but this stationary one suited her just fine.

She enjoyed the ride.A huge thanks to my friend S. for letting us come along with her family--we had such a wonderful time!