Every Wednesday, Amelie gets to go to dance class. And what a treat that is! She just loves it.

Giggling with her friends during stretching time.

Setting up for a pretend picnic.

When she’s not in dance class, here are some other things she’s been up to.

Drawing really sweet pictures of faces. She told me this one was a picture of the whole world.

Delighting in blowing bubbles in her milk.

"Smile, Sweetheart!"... "Whatever, Mom."

Every day I look at my baby and think, “When did she grow up?” I love how she says, “You’re sure welcome” in response to “Thank you,” how she makes up very long and complex songs about various animals that usually involve said animal checking their email, and how she is (sometimes) so tender with her baby brother. I have to get as many snuggles in now before she’s all grown up.

During the day, poor Calder is outnumbered 2:1. He’s surrounded by fancy princess dance stuff and a sister who is very feminine. So, what’s a boy to do? Join in, of course!

"What?! C'mon, don't tell me you don't love this necklace!"

"What about these? I think they really complement the football outfit."

"And this? What do you think of this?"

"Well, fine then. I guess I'll just hang out here in this corner with my blankie."

Disclaimer: He asked to wear the dress, okay?

Second disclaimer: His favorite toys are trucks and cars. It’s all about balance, right?

This sweet boy is now 18 months old! A fact that astonishes me. This is such a fun age and I am loving spending my days with him.

Sorry I haven’t posted for so long! Life has been a little topsy turvy around here. I’ll try to be better.

A couple weeks ago, my friend Marcie took pictures of our family for us. Unfortunately, it was a freezing cold morning and it decided to rain while we were trying to take the pictures. So, the session was short. And cold. And wet. Luckily, Marcie is talented and was still able to get some good pictures. Thanks, Marcie!

So, thanks again Marcie! You definitely went above and beyond as you braved the uncooperative weather with us that day.

I thought I should write a post about something we do weekly and that we really enjoy–Community Singing Time! A while back, my friend and neighbor, Janae, decided to organize a weekly singing time for our neighborhood. It’s been fantastic! Every week, someone hosts the group and leads the singing time part of the activity. This part usually lasts about 30 minutes and we sing lots of fun songs with hand gestures, dancing, and musical instruments. The host picks the songs and is in charge of running the show. We have some songs that are favorites and get sung nearly every week and the host can also introduce a new song to the group. The host also usually tries to teach some basic music theory concepts–fast and slow beats, high and low notes, etc. After singing time, the kids all sit down (usually on big blankets) and another mom (who signed up for the job) reads books to the group. During this time, a third mom distributes a little snack to all the kids. We all rotate hosting, reading, and feeding. It’s a casual group, so there are some weeks when we don’t make it to singing time, but we go most weeks.

We got to host the group last week. Here they all are during reading/snack time. Not everyone was there this last week, but it was still a good size group.

It’s been a great way to get the kids together to learn. Not to mention how nice it is to visit with the other moms! I’m so grateful that Janae organized it and got it going!

Amelie’s had a lovely February. Here’s a bit of what’s been going on:

When Grandma and Grandpa Haymond gave Amelie this new coat, they called it the Pinkalicious Coat. So, I thought it appropriate that she was reading Pinkalicious while wearing the coat. Thanks again, Grandma and Grandpa--she loves it!

Isn't this a cute doodle? I love the little guy with the hair, ears, eyes, and smile. I think that's his neck, but I could be wrong. Could be legs.

We were dancing around to Sesame Street music the other day and this is what Amelie did at the end of every song. Something she picked up in dance class, I think.

We’re looking forward to a fantastic March!

Oh, and I think this is my 100th post on this blog–that’s a lot of posts! I’ll have to figure out how to get it formatted and printed like a book some day.