Say What?

I think the most exciting part of Shelby's development these days is her growing vocabulary. Of course I think she's fabulous because she's mine, but I swear, she says a lot for her age. She is a very good communicator and has even started stringing words together. I have not been doing her monthly updates since she turned a year, so it's about time I do a vocabulary update.

Words she says all the time:

•  No
• Mama
• Dadda
• Down
• Mine
• Night Night
• Dog
• More
• No More
• Bus
• Bird
• Moose
• Nana (for Grandma)
• How (for Howard)
• Milk
• Yellow 
• Duck
• Baby
• Babas (for bottle)
• Poop :)
• Outside
• Book
•  Hi
• Bye Bye
• Foot
• Eye
• Up 
• Duck
• Bumbo (as it the bumble bee song)
• Shoe
• Ouch
• Food
• Banana

Words She Says Sometimes

• Yes
• Please
• Dennis (our neighbor)
• Shelby - I swear I hear it twice
• Purple
• Blue
• Circle
• Home
• Help

I am sure I am missing some, but those are the ones that come to my mind. It's so fun to watch her language develop. Of course I am in awe. I am sure with child number 2, 3, etc language comes even more quickly. It's all impressive to me!

Meet Annamol

Yes, meet Annamol.....or as most of us would say it, Animal :)

Shelby has fallen in love her her plush little pal. I remember the moment I picked this little guy up at the baby boutique. It was pretty pricey for its size, but there was something about it that drew me to it. It was cute, soft, friendly, unique - a perfect addition to my love's crib. This little guy has been sitting in the corner of Shelby's crib since before she was born. I would pose her with her Animal for her monthly picture and let it sit in the corner of her crib with the rest of her "friends." Over the last few months, however she has started a love affair with it. She used to make noises and gestures toward it, so Jack and I started asking: "Do you want you animal?" Well, she can't quite say it, but close. Annamol is definitely her first 3- syllable word!

Jack put her to bed one night and noticed she reached for her Annamol as she hit the sheets. Ever since then, she sleeps with it in her arms, all night long and chews on it when her teeth are bothering her.  I try to not let Annamol leave her room and definitly not leave the upstairs. First, I can't imagine the horror if it went missing and second, I am trying to avoid germs in her bed at night. She loves it though, she wants to hold it whenever it's in sight and when it's not, she often asks for it. It's cute AND a lot of pressure.....what happens if we loose it? Time to buy a back up to have on hand.

Here are some oldies but goodies with Shelby and her "Annamol"...

Sock Hop

Last weekend we were invited to the cutest little birthday party for my friend Nicole's daughter - Maddy. The theme was 50's sock hop and she did it to the max! She handmade poodle skirts for all the girls!  Nicole and her sister Katie ALWAYS throw the most adorable parties and this one was no exception. The images are not the greatest, but you'll get the point. Happy 3rd Birthday Maddy Mae!

Last Vacation Pics

I promise. I know I have posted a ton, but these are from a little side photo shoot that we did with Shelby and her cousin, Davin. They are about 7 months apart. It seems like a lot now, but down the road they will be such good company for one another. My sister-in-law found these cute outfits and she suggested we buy them. So cute. Needless to say, it was near impossible to get Shelby to sit, so we just let her do her thing and captured what we could :)

Gotta Brush Those Toofers

Shelby and Jack make a good tooth-brushin' team :) xo

Family Photos

We set aside some time one evening on our trip to do some family photos. Not professional or anything, but I think they turned out really cute. Again, too many to choose from!

Destin Family Fun

We recently returned from a week-long vacation in Destin, Florida - AKA Paradise. It was lovely. The beach was amazing, the water, weather, house, company; all of it was wonderful. We coordinated the trip with Jack's whole family and collectively rented a very nice house RIGHT on the beach. It was perfect, Jack and I could enjoy the beach while Shelby was sleeping and the 6 other big kids could come and go as they please. The trip was very welcomed. Between being pregnant and having a newborn, it had been a while since we had been on a true vacation.

Some highlights included...

• Family talent show
• Crab hunting
• Sand Dollar Diving
• Shark swimming by - eek!
• Banana Boat Ride
• My cute and super fat 7 month nephew, Davin
• Shimp boil
• 7 days off work :)

Lowlights...

• Toddler on an airplane and I'll leave it at that. UGH!
• Jack getting a sunburn on Day 1

We took 754 photo over a 7 day period, so it's tough to pick out highlights, but below are a few. Shelby is a WILD CHILD. She loved the beach and refused to sleep if there was action. One night she stayed up until 11pm!

For perspective, our house is in the background....the left half of the one right "over Jack's head."