Buddies

We got home tonight from a wonderful vacation to North Myrtle Beach, SC!  I'm sure I'll be posting more about that sometime soon.  But for now I need to post this video of Audra and her buddy, Sophie.  

Our nickname for Sophie is Doodle, so that's what Audra is trying to say.  I should also mention that tonight was the first time that Audra called Sophie by name.  Usually she just signs "dog"when she's talking to/about Sophie.

I love watching these two together!  They are such great friends!

Fall Leaves

Days like today, when Audra takes a short nap and wakes up very cranky, make me thankful for a yard where Audra can safely play.  This girl LOVES being outside... bring her outdoors to the fresh air and the grumpiness disappears! 

I raked up a child-size pile of leaves for Audra to play in, but she was mostly interested in rake.  So after a little bit of instruction I let Audra rake some leaves herself.  She took her work seriously, and seemed to enjoy being able to do what Mama did.

I loved watching how hard she would concentrate on picking the leaves out of the rake.  I've been told that her expression of intense focus (and especially sticking out her tongue!) is exactly how David looked when he played as a toddler.

After a lot of raking, Audra decided to play in the leaves.  She enjoyed throwing the leaves at Sophie (which Sophie enjoyed, too!), trying to put them on her head and sitting in the big pile.

Labor Day Weekend

We were able to spend some time at the community pool this weekend (thanks to our friends who are members!), and it was a perfect activity for the Labor Day weekend. 

At 19 months we weren't sure how Audra would do with supporting herself inside a water ring, but she caught on quickly and seemed to enjoy her independence in the pool.  She's growing up so quickly!

Playing the Piano

Audra has recently shown an interest in playing the piano, and I enjoy watching her love for music grow.  She has already learned to not bang on the piano keys, so I let her climb up to the piano whenever she wants.

Yesterday I had to grab the camera since she was insistent that her baby doll wanted to play the piano too!

Noah and Haley

Audra has been learning words so quickly these days!  

Yesterday she spent some time playing with the kids who live next door, Noah and Haley.  Later, during dinner, she practiced saying their names over and over until she got it right!  Here she is about 5 minutes after she first started saying their names.  

As of this afternoon, Noah and Haley are Audra's new favorite words.  It was the first thing she said when she got up this morning, and she talked about them a lot this morning.

I love watching her vocabulary grow!  She communicates so well!

(p.s. She got a little mixed up on the sign language for 'friend', and accidentally signed 'different'.)

Butler-Miller Wedding

This past weekend we went to Wellsboro, PA for the wedding of my college friend, Sonya Butler.  The wedding was held at her parents house, outside the barn...

with the reception inside the barn.

I was glad that I got to see my former college suite mate, Nicole (Butler) Holden.  Her husband is currently stationed in Texas, so I don't get to see her too often.

It was also great to see my sister and her family.  As always, I am grateful for every opportunity that Audra has to spend time with her cousins!  Despite the time that passes between visits, Audra knows her cousins and loves being around them.  

During the reception we put all the kids into a wagon for a picture and Audra, without any prompting, put her arm around Cora.  It was adorable!

Baby Pool

We bought a baby pool for Audra this weekend, and she had a blast!  Our only regret is that we didn't think to do this last month when it was in the 90s!

Audra helped pick out the "ele pooh" (elephant pool) and was excited to find it set up after her nap on Sunday afternoon.

Daddy even got in the pool with her for a while.

Later, the neighbor kids, Haley and Noah, asked if they could come play with Audra.  Audra enjoys hanging out with her friends!

In case you're unfamiliar with Audraese, she's mostly saying "pool... yeah" in this video.

Butterflies

Our neighbors, who have a Certified Butterfly Garden in their backyard, also raise butterflies.  This past weekend they had 4 Male Monarchs and 2 Female Monarchs hatch, and Audra got to see a butterfly up close for the first time.  She even held one on her hand for a minute.  

Cooking Lessons

Audra is no longer content to stay on the floor when I'm working in the kitchen.  I let her stand next to me and watch me work in the kitchen a few days ago, and now she wants to do it all the time.

But with a bowl, a kitchen utensil and a little bit of water Audra is content to "cook" while I make our dinner.  I'm glad when she can keep herself happily occupied while I take care of my work.

A Love of Books

Despite the fact that Audra has over 30 books of her own, we regularly make trips to the library near us for new books.  

Typically our stack of library books will look something like this...

It may seem excessive to let a 18-month-old to have 50+ books to choose from.  However, since we spend time reading every day, this ensures that we don't read the same books over and over.  

And even when I'm unable to read to Audra, I often find her "reading" by herself.

Sometimes she'll sit on her bike to read her books, 

but more often I find her sharing her books with Sophie,

and then possibly laying down to snuggle with Sophie when she gets done reading.