Yogurt...

Here's a video of Ivy eating some yogurt - it's a little long, but hopefully our family members who don't see her often will enjoy it...

A few pictures...

Ivy has these little glasses that came with her Mrs. Potato Head... She LOVES to wear them around the house, even though they are way too small... Here she is with her back pack, pink cell phone, and glasses...

Ivy with her Valentine's gifts - an Elmo dvd and Elmo stickers...

Ivy playing the drums at Uncle Craig's house...

We had some wonderful weather yesterday and today - We played outside a lot and Ivy loved every minute of it...

Here is Ivy riding on the tractor with Daddy...

We bought Ivy a small soccer ball - she likes to carry it around rather than kick it...

We're still here!!

Hi All, Sorry that I haven't posted anything in a while - we just haven't done anything exciting lately. I'm not sure I've taken many pictures over the past couple of weeks - Ivy doesn't sit still long enough for me to go get my camera - if she's doing something I want to take a picture of, by the time I go get my camera and get back to her, she's moved on to something else.

So hopefully I'll post some new pictures soon.

Hope everyone is doing great!!

Snow Day - Part II...

We ended our day yesterday with a little snow cream...

Here are pictures from some of our time in the snow today...

A view of our street...

Grandpaw pulling Ivy around on the snow shovel...

Looking up our driveway...

PACIFIER UPDATE: Ivy is completely paci free!! I had one paci still out on her book case. It was one that I had cut the end off of and it was "broken". She actually threw it in the trashcan this morning. So that is it. I really thought that was going to much harder than it was. Now we'll move on to more "Big Girl" things like potty training!!!

SNOW DAY!!!

It started snowing here last night - within an hour we had an inch or so of snow...

Here is Ivy's picnic table on our back porch about an hour after the snow started...

We went out this morning before breakfast but it was sleeting. The sleet kept blowing in Ivy's face so she we headed back inside after about 5 minutes.

And here we are outside after Ivy's nap - a much better experience! The wind was blowing and it was SO COLD but Ivy wanted to stay outside.

Trying to throw a snowball...

Our house in the snow...

The pond between my house and my parent's house...

Our snow-covered back yard...

Sledding with Daddy...

All of our cats on our bed...

L-R: Sharky (grey w/stripes), Malcom (black), Charlie (tabby), and Barney (solid grey).

Barney is our indoor/outdoor cat. He has been trapped inside all day today. He keeps going to the front door and meowing to go out. I open the door just enough for him to fit through and he sticks his head out and then backs back in the house. He's not happy about being inside, but at least he's warm.

Night Two Success...

Well, after fighting it for a while, we did it. We took the plunge and decided to start trying to "wean" Ivy of her pacifier (paci as we call it). Months ago, we had decided to only let her have it during sleep times - that was a good idea as her vocabulary exploded at the same time so she quickly became the chatter box! She knew we couldn't understand her as well with the paci in her mouth so it wasn't a hard transition for her. Well, I was a little "flexible" with the rules and she was getting it more and more in the car. Hey, it makes her less demanding in the car. I don't have to hear "Mommy, fish book." Or "Mommy, Elmo song." Or "Mommy, water." So anyway, after a talk with Richard's cousin-in-law (thanks Graeme!) we decided that we should give it a try. The first night wasn't great - at all! She cried before bed, I tried to tell her what a big girl she was. She actually told me "No big girl!" which made me feel bad. So after about 20 minutes of sadness, she calmed down enough for me to turn off the light and exit her room. She went about 10 more minutes of crying spells until finally she was just sobbing continuously. So we gave in...

She wasn't allowed to have her paci all day yesterday except at nap time (I needed the 2 hour break!) and then at bed time, I offered her the "broken" paci (it has the very tip snipped off). She started to cry again, but this time with less ferocity. We finished our normal bedtime routine. As I lay her in her crib, she says, "paci" in the smallest voice. I again offered her the broken paci. She again starts to cry. I quickly start reminding her of all the ways that she is a big girl. She has pooped in the potty twice (too much info, I know), she pee-pees in the potty all the time, she wears pig tails, she goes up and down the stairs all by herself - those are all things that big girls do! For some reason that seemed to work! She was quiet and calm. I told her to hug her blankies, put them over her eyes, and she replied back with a quiet "Okay..." I kissed her goodnight, told her I loved her and that I'd be back in the morning. Again another "Okay." and out of the room I went. That was it. She talked for a while. Played with her hair on and off. Put the blankies over her face. But no crying. And no asking for her paci! She did wake up at about 1:30 but never asked for her paci. I went up to her room to check on her and after I gave her both blankies and tucked her back in, she fell back asleep. Still no paci request!!

So here I am, it is 6:45 AM the next morning. Ivy is wide awake watching Yo Gabba Gabba while laying in my bed. She woke up at 6:15, never asked for her paci, and has been talking non-stop! So we made it! I'm sure we'll both be exhausted by the end of the day, but that's okay. Hopefully that will make tonight even easier - or it will make it harder because she will be too tired... Let's hope it's the first option...

Preschool...

We signed Ivy up for preschool this week. It is the preschool at our church. Ivy is enrolled for the 2010-2011 school year so we have a while before schools starts for her. She will be in the two-day 2s meaning she's in the 2-year old class and she will go two mornings a week. Her two days are Tuesday and Thursday. It's only for about 2 hours a day, so only 4 hours a week. I think she is really going to love it. Her 2-year old preschool room will be the same room she will be in for her 2-year old Sunday school class. So it will be a very comfortable place for her to be. I want her to have this opportunity to learn from and play with other children. It will also give me a little time to do some errands without having to haul around a toddler... That is something I'm looking forward to!! :)