Happy Valentine's Day

Hope everyone had a fabulous Valentine's Day! Neil and I had a lot of fun spending it with Paige...it is always fun to have a reason to shower her with gifts! Plus, to make the gift giving even more enjoyable, Paige is at this stage where she actually loves to open gifts...maybe she will be that way from now on (I still love gifts). Anyway, she gets really excited when she gets to open them and says "Wow" when she pulls something out of a bag or unwraps it!

Here is Paige with her gift, but she wouldn't look at the camera and smile for me...this is another stage that she is in!

Yep, there is more in the bag!
A new hairbrush and comb...her hair is getting too long for that baby brush we've been using!

"Wow, Mommy...new shoes!"

Paige looks so serious here while applying her new chocolate chapstick. She just loves chapstick and lipgloss...this chocolate flavored one is sure to be a hit!

Valentine Fun...and CHOCOLATE!

Grandma and Grandpa Loethen showered Paige with valentine gifts tonight. Paige was very excited to open her presents! She was even more excited to see what was inside. Grandma made her a new quilt for her babies, she got a beautiful new dress to wear this summer, a belt, and a gargantuan solid-chocolate lollipop!

I am sure you can guess which one was her favorite...yep, the chocolate. She immediately wanted to open it and sink her teeth into that delicious goodness. I wasn't sure we would be able to get it away from her...but I guess she knew when she had eaten enough because after three bites she was ready to put it away!

I sure do envy Paige's self-control with eating. No wonder she is so petite...she doesn't even splurge that much with chocolate (her favorite)!

Paige is helping her baby try out the new blanket from Grandma! So cute and cozy...I hope the baby is ready to share with Paige.

More gifts!

Biting into the chocolate lollipop!
Yummy!

Why Can't I Go Outside?

Paige decided that she wanted to go outside on our deck today, so she put her shoes on all by herself. She was ready to go and didn't realize she was missing something very important (not to mention her coat...it is still cold and snowy)! Funny little Paigey!

Finger Painting

Paige's new favorite activity is finger painting...she asks me to "pait" all the time. We only have two colors (red and white), so we are kind of limited. To mix things up a bit, we have been mixing in some colors from glitter pens and adding some glitter, too. Today, Paige decided that she would like to try a new canvas (I guess construction paper is getting boring) and started painting the tops of her hands and her arms. 'Okay...whatever your creative mind would like my darling. I bet that felt kind of weird and cold on you skin, huh?'

Valentine Party

Paige had a play date with her friends Kacey and Macey today. Kacey's mom planned a valentine party with fun activities that included icing cookies and making a floral arrangement. Paige enjoyed both of these activities a lot. However, the best part was being with her friends...she really enjoys being around Kacey and Macey so much. Although, sharing is definitely a skill that she needs to practice. It is challenging to convince a 19 month old that her friends are not taking the toys from her forever and that there are others to play with...but she is learning!

Here are the girls... getting ready to make their flower arrangements.

Paige is carefully choosing and placing her flowers in the vase.

Looking good...Paige seemed to like the tulips the best.Here is Paige's friend, Macey, acting a little silly...she is a lot of fun to be around.Paige is enjoying her sugar cookie!
Here is Paige's friend, Kacey...she is enjoying her cookie too! Making a basket!
When it was time to leave Paige gave Kacey a high five...and a hug!At home...Paige with her flowers! Aren't they pretty?!

Paige really enjoyed playing with Kacey's basketball goal and even enjoyed Macey joining in for the fun!

Super Bowl Fun

We watched the Super Bowl this year with Grandma and Grandpa Loethen and some friends. Paige had a good time...we took lots of toys and books, but she just liked checking out the new surroundings and watching some of the game. (It was so sad that the Colts didn't bring home a victory, but we still had an enjoyable time.)

I tried to get a pic of all three of us and...as usual, Neil looks silly! I am not sure what is going on with Paige; she looks a bit scared or concerned about something!

Now she is smiling!
Watching the game by Grandpa! One thing that caught Paige's attention was some potpourri that was sitting on the end table. Paige decided to take it all out of the star container and put it in a bag. This was pretty entertaining to her and she did it forever...when she finished with the last piece she exclaimed, "all done." I got it on video for ya to see!

Playing in the Snow

We went out to play in the snow today! It was really hard for Paige to walk because the snow was kinda' frozen and crunchy on the surface. However, Paige had a really fun time and didn't want to go in when Neil and I did...good thing we are the ones in charge and get to make that decision :)

Struggling to walk in her snow attire!

This is the second time she has sat in the snow...last winter she hated it and cried!
Laying in the snow! Struggling to get up...all that snow apparel makes it hard to maneuver!

Making a snowball!

Here's a little video of Paigey trying to walk in the crunchy snow!

Paige had a ton of fun playing with snowballs today, but once she threw them, it was hard to pick them back up and keep her balance. Watch how she face-plants at the end of this video; it is so funny...don't worry, I helped her up immediately (she didn't even cry)!

Going Through the Tunnel

Paige got a tent and tunnel for Christmas that she just loves. However, we have them separated (the tent is downstairs in the basement and the tunnel is in our living room) to save space. (Our house is overtaken by toys! Although, the tunnel does collapse, which is great!) So, Paige plays with the tunnel a lot more and loves to crawl through it with balls and all kinds of other stuff.

Her new favorite activity with the tunnel is to build up a wall of bricks on one end and then crawl through to knock the wall down. I tried to get it on video, but for some reason I just can't get her to do it the same for the camera. She usually comes through and knocks it down with gusto...but in this video she just kinda bumps it as she comes through! She does proceed to knock it down all the way once she stands up, but of course, I had already stopped recording...darn!

First Hot Fudge Sundae

Paige ate her very first hot fudge sundae today. I don't know why, but I thought it would be fun to go to McDonald's and get one for her to try. She had no idea what a sundae was but when I asked her if she'd like one, she got really excited.

When we got it home, Paige had to dig in fast because it was starting to melt! She really seemed to enjoy the fudge a lot (it is chocolate, after all)! Paige is not ever one to overeat, though; so her daddy had a lot leftover to finish for her! I don't think he minded much!

Shoes Are On...All by Herself!

Paige put on her tennis shoes all by herself today! She was so proud of this accomplishment and so was I!

Relaxing with Grandma

Paige really enjoys sitting on her Dora couch; she gets real comfy on it. Tonight was no exception...except that she got comfy on her grandma too!

1...2...3...4

Here's a video where you can hear Paige counting a little before she goes down her slide. She still leaves off the number one sometimes.

Counting

Paige started counting out-loud today. She holds up all of her fingers and moves her index finger back and forth while saying two, three...(yeah, I don't know where the one went).

Yesterday was actually the first time that she ever acted like she was counting. She was playing with a container of buttons and sitting them on the floor one at a time. She was kind of saying something under her breath, but numbers weren't audible.

Heather

Paige said 'Heather' today for the first time. It sounded pretty good, but she left out the middle consonants. So, it sounded more like 'Heaer.' I am excited that she is trying to say my name, but I hope she doesn't try to call me that! :)

Unprompted Kisses..Priceless!

Today at Musikgarten, Paige melted my heart! During the rocking song, Paige came over and gave me a kiss, not once, but twice. I guess she was feeling extra affectionate because this was the first time that she has ever kissed me without prompting her. What a little sweetie!

18 Month Doctor Visit

Paige went for her 18 month well-check today. Dr. Herrbold said that she is doing really great. She is still petite, or course, but overall she is great. Dr. Herrbold just thinks she is going to be a small girl and as long as she keeps growing, we shouldn't have anything to worry about. So, Paige is now 18lbs and 10oz (which is still below the growth chart). She is 30 1/2 in. long (20th %ile) and her head circumference is 18 in. (25th %ile)



During the visit, Paige showed Dr. Herrbold how she pretends to pour tea in a cup, she stacked some blocks for him, and she pointed out a few body parts. Dr. Herrbold says that I should really challenge Paige at this age because toddlers are like little sponges. He encouraged me to teach her to recognize her letters and said that Paige should be able to identify all of them by the time she is two! Wow...really! Yeah, I agree that Paige is a little sponge for knowledge, but that seems a little daunting...all 26 letters (upper and lowercase)! Well, I guess we better get started!

January Playdate

We went to Macey's house for our playdate today. It was a lot of fun, eventhough the older girls (Paige and Kacey) had a little trouble sharing the toys. Macey had an abundant supply of toys to play with, but of course, the girls always wanted to play with the same thing. Macey was just as happy as can be, though...she was simply thrilled to have friends over at her house! I like her attitude...enjoy yourself no matter what toy you're playing with.

This car was the real hit of the day...Paige just loved it!

Playing in the tent and tunnel with Macey!

Birthday Celebrations

Today was Grandma Kathy and Great-Aunt Pat's birthday. (Can you believe that they are sisters and born on the same day.) We celebrated the occasion at Lara and Michael's house with a birthday dinner.

We were responsible for bringing the cake...Paige helped me out by spreading the icing, and she actually did pretty good. She only dug the knife down into the cake once. :)

Here's the cake we made.

Helping Aunt Pat open one of her gifts!Paige enjoyed playing with the Play-Doh while she waited for dinner to be served. Ethan showed her how to make some cool creations with tools she had never seen before...just when Paige was thinking that Play-doh couldn't get any better!! Fun, fun!!

One and a Half Years Old

Paige is 18 months old today...and that is just surreal! I marvel at how big she is, how smart she is, and all that she can do!

Paige is learning to say new words every day! Today she said her own name pretty clearly. She has a little trouble with the 'p' sound but other than that it sounds good. We are always excited to hear what Paige will say or do next!

God is so amazing and we are so blessed to have Paige as our daughter! She is such a joy and is truly the light of our lives. Here is our little girl...getting so big!

Did I mention that she is a little ham, too!

Holding one of her very favorite things, play-doh!
Hammin' it up for the camera again!

Stickers for Daddy

Paige found an interesting place to put her stickers today...don't you admire the creative thinking that kiddos possess?!

Lovin' Those Blueberries

Paige was eating some frozen blueberries that her grandma gave her today. Frozen blueberries are much messier than fresh ones because they are so juicy when they thaw...Paige was a real mess by the time she got done eating her snack. She thought it was pretty funny that she got so messy...and so did I! Luckily, she cleaned up pretty easily!

These Boots are Made for Meowing!

Paige really loves to wear boots...she has four different pair of rain boots: frogs, pink with polka dots, plain yellow, and these kitty boots. The frogs are probably her favorite and these are a close second.

Lately, Paige has been wearing them almost everyday because she has figured out how to put them on all by herself...and she is so proud of herself when she does it. She gets a huge smile on her face and starts dancing around (stomping her feet). This is because of the Boots song by The Laurie Berkner band...she likes to listen to it when she has her boots on.

Kacey's B-day Party

Paige went to Kacey's 2nd birthday party today. She had a lot of fun. The party's theme was Yo Gabba Gabba. Paige liked helping Kacey open her gifts and especially liked the party favors that she got to take home.

Helping Kacey open one of her presents.

Checking out a cool book that Kacey received!

Helping Kacey open the desk that we gave her.