Another Project

What it looked like before I started....

What it looks like now! So very cute sitting on our front porch....

23 Months Old

Here she is, one month before her second birthday! Such a big girl, she wanted to wear a dress today! Some of her favorite things are: horses, talking on the phone, playing outside and playing in her kitchen. She has a little plastic ice cream come that is her favorite thing to "cook in kitchen" as she says.

And of course a few out-takes...

Twin Lake Beach

Paige and I went to the beach with our neighbor friends today. This beach is a hidden gem, I'd never heard of it or been there and I was pleasantly surprised! We got there around 10:00 and we were the only people there until about 11:15...it was free to get in and very clean! Paige enjoyed playing in the sand and would only go in the water about ankle deep, but she went in and had fun! I can't wait to go back!

Daddy's Girl

Paige is becoming obsessed with Daddy. Earlier today she told me to stay inside so she could go outside and play with daddy! I must admit it's very cute and it warms my heart that her and daddy love each other so much. I think it's so important to let daddy have his time with Paige, he plays different...gives her new ideas...new ways to do things and it's fun to watch her blossom. Her speech is becoming more and more clear every day, and I can't get over some of the stuff she says! I took a little "mommy time" earlier and had to snap these quick shots before I left. Paige and daddy by the pool...and she found another turtle in the yard.

Summer Time...

Summer is fun...summer is hot...summer involves lots of sunscreen. Paige is learning to deal with the daily chore of sunscreen, not her favorite task (or mine). We did manage to sit in the shade this afternoon and do a little rock art, she's been very into painting lately. I gave her a paintbrush to use in her water table, she likes to "paint" everything with water. Today she got to paint the rocks with real paint and she loved it...

P-A-I-G-E

I've been working on saying the letters in her name for a while and it's evolved from letters and numbers to actually memorizing the correct letters. I guess repetition does work, I love this girl!

All in a day...

This morning it was raining again and we were glad the library had story time so we could have an outing. Before our library trip Paige was lacing beads, it's taken her a while to get the hang of it (and the patience) but she's having fun and announces to me every time she's able to do it. It's been a good way to learn her shapes, she'll say "look a circle one" or "look a star one".

After story time we came home for lunch and it was really hot and humid so we changed clothes into a tank and shorts...capris were way to hot! We played outside for a bit, she was hot and so was I! This girl loves to be outside so it took some persuading to come in, nap time was upon us. After nap we went back outside...she had a snack and we played in the shady places around the house. Awhile later I ended up stripping her down to her diaper, she was so hot...red face and wet hair. We had lots of water!

Since she was already down to her diaper I figure why not paint! She had fun and was excited to give her painting to daddy when he got home from work! Funny how we started out day with a shirt and capri's and ended it with just a diaper...MN weather is unperdictable!

A trip to the mall

Paige and I took a trip to Mall of America yesterday. She woke up early and it looked like another rainy day, I figured why not take a trip to the mall! I decided to pack a backpack instead of carrying a diaper bag and I didn't bring her stroller. I thought it would be the perfect place for her to run and explore and I was right. It felt so good to go on a little "adventure" with my sweet girl, and even better that I didn't have 3 bags and a stroller. It was so great to watch her run and explore and run some more.
I kept telling her what a big girl she was and she was so proud! She sat in a "big girl chair" rather than a high-chair at lunch and didn't suck her thumb at all (I told her that big girls didn't suck their thumb at the mall). There was a special twinkle in her eye and it meant so much to let her be a "big girl", I see more trips like that in our future.We had lunch at noodles and even made a quick trip to Ikea on our way home. She took a 2 hour nap so I  know she was tuckered out.

D.A.D.

This was part of our father's day gift to Ryan...so cute had to post !

DAD!

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! Paige is one lucky lady, she has an amazing daddy! He loves her so much and she's turning into such a "daddy's girl". She has so many men in her life that love her, what more could you ask for!
I love you daddy!

A visit from the fox...

Here's one of our latest visitors. It's hard to see in the video, it sort of looks like a cat...but believe me it's  a fox. It's fun to watch all the wildlife in our backyard, although I could do without the raccoon! Do date we've seen: deer, fox, raccoons, beavers, turtles, pheasants, chickens and of course squirrels. 

I love you!

For those of you that don't know Barney's (yes, the big purple dinosaur) favorite song here's a little sample:

Oh My!

Paige has been very interested in the "worker guys" that are digging up the street in front of our house. They dropped off their tractors last night and we went for a walk to check them out. Paige's first words when we went to look at them were "oh, my". She wanted to sit in the seats but I told her that wasn't a good idea, instead we dodged misquotes and looked at the big machinery. They started working this morning at 7:15 and boy were they loud. The good news is that Paige had fun watching them out the front door, it was good entertainment! Looks like they'll be back tomorrow and maybe even next week.

Mowing the lawn

We have have a "daddy's girl" on our hands, she was a big help in mowing the lawn today!

I give up, it's to hot! I'll let daddy finish by himself...

I love you so much

The phrase "I love you so much" is something that Paige has started saying lately. Not only is it adorable, but it melts my heart! I heard her say it to her baby yesterday as she was playing, it's cute to her express her feelings. When she says it to Ryan or me it's usually followed by a big hug, it's the best part of our day.

We love YOU so much too!

Up Early (again)

First off, we have to say Happy Birthday to Ryan, yesterday was his birthday :)! We had a little bbq to celebrate the Carlson birthdays and it was great to spend time together. Judy and Ron gave Ryan all the horses that he played with when he was a little boy and Paige is loving them! She tells me the little black one is her favorite, I asked her what his name was and she said "tiny".
She was up at 5:45am wanting to play with her horses, at least my early bird had a plan :).

Pool Time

I finally took Paige's pool out today, thanks to grandma and grandpa for helping us blow them up with the air compressor...I would have passed out if I had to blow everything up! I thought it was going to be so much fun to watch Paige play in the pool, but I was wrong. She's always apprehensive about new things and the pool was nothing different. She wouldn't go in and cried hysterically when I tried to put her in...I decided it wasn't worth stressing her out (or stressing myself out). She played in her swimsuit, running around the yard, swinging, playing in the sandbox, and just when I thought all was lost she decided to stand in the pool with me. We sang a few songs of "ring around the rosy" and she started to become more comfortable, boy this girl is stubborn! By the end of the afternoon she was putting her lips in the pool, but still wouldn't sit down. Hopefully each time she'll have a little more fun and be more comfortable.

Showing off her boo-boo from the tumble she took earlier this week. 

Before/After

Here's my latest "project". This little table was in my mom and dad's shed and has been there for many years, we don't know the history on it...but I'm guessing that it's pretty old. With a little elbow grease I turned this: 

Into This: 

An now it's sitting next to the couch in our basement, I love it!

New Kitchen

My friend Sara's parents are moving, their sold their house in Andover and were sweet enough to give Paige a little kitchen. They had this for when their grandkids (Paige's future husband Rylan) were in town. She LOVES it! It's been keeping her busy, she's been cooking, talking on the phone and "washing" dishes. Thanks to John and Sharon for such a fun toy!
I love watching her play, she has a hard time playing independently sometimes...this new toy has kept her busy and that makes for one happy mama!