Gift from Grandparents

Oma & Opa decided to get Jadyn roller skates, after having heard me regale them with tales of her first experience on wheels. Here's proof that it was a good idea.

No, she's not impersonating Frankenstein. She just got up on her feet after we got her gear on.

She was upright a good amount of the time.


Then sometimes she looked like this.

So This is Christmas...

Some action shots from this morning's festivities.

Before it all started...

Her first reaction...

Classic pose with her new "axe"

Jamming out!

Our rocking baby!


Hmm, what could this be?


My Dora Roller Skates!!!


Thank you, Oma & Opa!

Look at all this stuff! (AKA The Aftermath)

Christmas photo shoot 2008

Amanda took these photos today for our Christmas photo shoot. These were the best dozen of the bunch. They are posted in order from 1 to 12. We love several of them but the one we're using is No. 6. Enjoy!

Jadyn was invited to an older friend's birthday party. This friend, a 6 year old, opted for a roller skating party. With slight trepidation I packed her up and off we went to the rink. Putting on those training skates was an experience, but nothing compared to the experience of watching her take those first few tentative glides on the floor.

She did really well - she remained upright most of the time...

Sometimes she looked like this...

And at one point she got tired and did this...in the middle of the rink.

Eventually she got tired of having wheels on her feet.
She turned in the skates and went to the play area.
Ah, the ball pit.

Backyard fun!
Jadyn and Daddy went outside for a little bit to play with the Jeep and just spend a little time outdoors today. It was one of the coldest days of the fall so far around these parts so we bundled up well.

In these two photos above, Jadyn is still getting used to the Jeep.

After a while, she decided she wanted to kick around a ball, so I obliged.

Sometimes, she'll pose for me, and it works out well.

Halloweening

Pics from this year's festivities....

The outfit of choice for school today.

Our little Minnie Mouse.

I love the look on her face in this one.

Ready to get some candy!

Surveying the loot.

JohnMcCain - the dish towel

On Thursday morning, I heard Jadyn say the name of the Republican presidential nominee, John McCain. She said it together, like his name is one word - "JohnMcCain." I realized she was referring to a dish towel she'd been playing with by this name.
We think she picked up on it at her daycare center, though we're not sure if this was part of a short instruction on the subject or she's overheard conversations about the upcoming presidential election.
We have repeated the names of the candidates to her before so that she would be aware of them when she heard them, but we've not formally said anything to her about the election that I can recall much beyond that.
We asked her who "Obama" - Barack Obama, the Democratic presidential nominee - is, and she replied "president." She may not completely understand that our only current president is George W. Bush and that neither John McCain nor Obama has been elected yet.
Now, we could speculate on all the reasons why she picked a dish towel of all things to name JohnMcCain, and it's hard to say if the real John McCain would approve this message. However, she does use the cloth named JohnMcCain alternately as a cape and a blanket for her doll of Grover, the Sesame Street character who of course is blue. Ironically, the dish towel is a blue and white checkered pattern, not red.
The only thing for sure this represents is that it's the extent of our 3-year-old's political punditry.

3rd Birthday Bash

Learning how to aim and shoot.

That tongue cracks me up every time. She always does this when she's focused.

This is one of my favorite "all-natural" shots of her.

This was a joint birthday gift from the family. The first time she put her foot on the pedal, she broke down into a fit of giggles. SO funny! Riding with her is Lillian, a friend who was born just 5 days before Jadyn. They always go to each other's parties.


I LOVE this picture of the two of them.


Her friend Alex decided to take her for a spin. He's concentrating, she's laughing hysterically.


She wants to know where her chauffeur went.

Smiling as we sing "Happy Birthday" - she loves being the center of attention.

Three years ago she came into our lives and changed everything. Time, for the most part, has flown. Every now and then it has crawled. Each moment has been worth each struggle.

What a cutie. I can't stand it.

Three candles on her tiny little cake.

And of course she blew them out!

And now, a comparitive study from the past three years.

Shortly after birth.

Her first birthday.

One year ago.

Tonight. (Yes, she's wearing the same shirt as last year.)

Crazy, isn't it?