Cavalia Show

For Christmas, Mommy and Jillian received tickets to the Cavalia show from Cindy Stephenson. They went to the show tonight with Cindy, Dany, McKenna, Lindsey and Noelle. Jillian got all dressed up in a very purply outfit, and was excited to see the "horse ballet". Here's a photo that Mommy texted from the show. Hopefully Mommy will also write a little blurb on how things went ...

The New Bike

Jillian has gotten lots of practice riding a bike, at least one without pedals. Her little Strider bike has seen lots of action, and Jillian is pretty good at steering and balancing, lifting her feet up for a long time. We thought she might have enough confidence now to try a big bike with pedals (and training wheels).

Tonight, she wanted to try her new Christmas bike out, so Daddy gave her pushes up and down the hall while showing her how to move the pedals. After doing that for a while, Daddy got tired and had to take a break. In the meantime, Jillian kept working on it, and eventually figured out how to get it started and keep it going with the pedals. She kept going and going, and only stopped when we told her it was time to be quiet since Bridget was trying to sleep. Here's a video of some of her practicing. Note that she still hasn't figured out how to use the brakes ... she just crashes into the walls at the ends of the hallway.

Christmas Day

It was 7:00 am, and Jillian was half-asleep when Daddy asked her "Who do you think came to visit us last night?" ... that's when Jillian's eyes popped open as she yelled "Santa!" And she was off and running towards the Christmas tree. Bridget was still sleeping, so we had to carry her there.

The first thing Jillian saw was her new bike! Then, she saw the stockings stuffed with new things and the presents under the tree. She was all over it, pulling everything out of the stocking, then helping everyone else with theirs. She moved quickly to the presents, as well. Bridget got into it, too, helping to open up presents. They were very excited about the whole affair.

Afterwards, we went to Scott and Cindy Stephenson's to celebrate with Helen and the Paul family. Jillian continued her torrid pace, wanting to help handout Christmas presents to everyone, even as we tried our best to slow her down. Bridget had a good time playing with the dogs in their kennels, and she was always looking for something to eat.

Next, we went to the Christmas Day service at Grace Lutheran. The girls were getting a little restless after so much excitement, so Jillian headed right off to the nursery to play, while Bridget spent much of her time in the foyer. We headed home right after the service and got the girls down for a nap as fast as possible.

At 3:00 pm, the Peterson family showed up for dinner that Mommy had been working on. After a great meal, Jillian and Adam ran themselves ragged the rest of the evening, while Bridget did her best to tag along. We had some very tired girls by the evening.

Christmas Eve

It was Bridget's first Christmas Eve at the Piercy gathering in Castle Rock, and something like Jillian's third time. They both got dressed up in their new Christmas dresses, and also in their matching coats. They had good naps, so they were both raring to go with all the cousins.

When they showed up at the Uhlenkott house, Jillian immediately hooked up with Rielee and they took off for the downstairs playroom. Bridget stayed upstairs and hung close to Mommy and Daddy, not having seen a lot of relatives for a while. She eventually warmed up and started wandering around freely.

Santa showed up about 7:30 pm, and we weren't entirely sure how Jillian would react, since she hadn't seen him since last year, and she wasn't so hot on him back then. But, she was excited to see him this time, and when asked to sit on his lap, she jumped at the chance ... she was all smiles and waved excitedly to everyone. When Santa asked what she wanted for Christmas, she responded "a dolphin Pillow Pet". Then, when she opened up her present from Santa, she was jumping up and down when she saw it was a dolphin Pillow Pet. Wow!

Bridget wasn't as keen with Santa, giving him an uncertain stare. When Santa reached out to hold her, she turned away. Oh well. At least she didn't cry.

The girls then opened presents with all of the cousins. Bridget was so happy to get a new baby from Lexi, and she took care of it the rest of the night, carrying it around or putting it to sleep. Jillian got some very cool presents as well, but never put down her dolphin Pillow Pet.

Jillian headed back downstairs to play with all the kids, saying later that the room was a "disaster" and complaining that the boys were throwing balls at her. Bridget stayed upstairs and stayed active, trying to climb everything and yelling loudly for all to hear.

Nutcracker Ballet

We figured Jillian was now old enough to go to the Nutcracker Ballet in Portland. Mommy and Daddy had been going every year, as part of our Christmas tradition, and we had always seen lots of little girls there, all dressed up in their Christmas dresses. So, we were ready to take Jillian along last Wednesday. She was excited to go in her new Christmas dress.

We had decent seats, way up front about 5 rows from the stage (this photo shows her up there). She held on to the program the entire time, because it had a picture of a ballerina on the front. For quite awhile, she kept asking us when she'd see that ballerina. She also asked us at what time she'd get to go on stage. Jillian kept her attention pretty well at the start of the show, and was a little afraid of the mouse battle.

After the intermission, Jillian was fading, and laid down on her seat for short little "rests". She was ready to be done, and kept asking when we'd go home ... so she didn't see much of the second half. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep on the way home.

New Stuff

A little Christmas treat ... new stuff from the girls:

1. Salty vs. Sweet : We've known that Jillian has a taste for salty foods, and on the flip side, only eats a little bit of sweet foods. Bridget, on the other hand, has a sweet tooth. She wants sweet stuff all the time, and eats as much as she can get.

2. Preferred Puppy : For the last several weeks, Jillian was carrying around a particular stuffed puppy everywhere she went, and sleeping with it at bed time. If it was out of her sight for even a moment, she immediately started crying "Puppy!!?".

3. Book Bearer : Bridget has figured out that if she brings us a book, we'll stop what we're doing and sit and read with her. The books are starting to arrive fast and frequent.

4. Dramatic Tantrums : Maybe she saw some other kid doing it (like her big sister), but Bridget has occasionally resorted to the overly dramatic tantrum when something is taken away, or when she's scolded. She'll either a) throw her head back with her eyes shut and cry, or b) fall down face first on the floor and cry.

5. Panting : If Bridget wants to get into her crib to play, she'll pant like a dog.

6. Nose Blower : For as young as she is, Bridget has already figured out how to blow her nose. If we put a tissue up to her nose, she'll give a big blow into it. We've had lots of practice lately, since she's had a cold.

7. Computer Geek : Just like her big sister, Bridget is constantly trying to get up to the computer (especially the mouse) and pretend to play on it. Her favorite things about this are the grabbing the mouse, and the thrill of getting caught.

8. "Where's Bridget?" : Ask this, and Bridget will play her peek-a-boo game. She'll hold her hands over her eyes and wait for you to say this, then she'll pull her hands away and laugh ... and do it again and again.

Sighting No. 61

We made our way to Seattle this past weekend, to visit friends at the Swanson Nursery. They had a live camel, donkey and reindeer there, and Jillian and Bridget loved to watch them. When they weren't doing that, they were running wild. This is a photo of Bridget all bundled up in her winter coat, playing in the kid-sized sleigh they had there.

Bridget and Tree

A cute picture of Bridget one time when she wasn't trying to pull off ornaments. Such an innocent look. 

The Quad

Jillian does things at her own pace and when she's ready, it's full speed ahead.  She has decided to master the Quad, which she calls her tricycle.  She operates the on-off button plus the ones that are forward, neutral, and backward.  She now always wants to go out to ride her Quad and her play puppy has to ride with her.  I even eventually had to get her mittens as her hands were getting cold.  

Looking for Christmas

Here's a picture of Bridget looking out the front window, usually checking out the cars that go by. She's standing by the Christmas tree, under supervision of an adult, since she usually likes to see which ornaments she can reach and pull off.

Pre-school Christmas Program

Jillian had been preparing for her Pre-school Christmas Program for many weeks now. We got to hear her practice singing her songs over and over again, especially "Away in a Manger." So, she was ready to perform today in front of Mommy, Daddy & Bridget, Grannie & Papa Woodruff, Papa Ken & Beverly, and Cousin Meagan and Zach.

When the program started, Jillian just stood there and listened to everyone else sing, even though we were certain she knew the words. Eventually, after a couple songs went by, Jillian got into it and started singing and doing the movements. She did a very nice job of being loud and expressive, while nearly falling off the little platform she was on. This photo shows her with the other kids in her class (not the best quality shot, due to being a bit far away). After each song, everyone clapped, and so did Jillian.

After it was over, Jillian went right for the cookies ... and not long after, got totally wound-up and was running wild. When we talked to her teachers, they were so proud that Jillian had sung during the program, because apparently she had not been singing during their practice in class.

The Star

Jillian has been so excited about putting the star on the tree, she's been talking about it all week. And, she always asks Daddy if he'll help to lift her up. We finally got the tree up, and Daddy did his best to lift up a much bigger Sweetie-Pie, who nicely placed the star on top.

Tree Decorators

Jillian was a little workhorse when it came to decorating the tree. Mommy unwrapped the ornaments and handed them to Jillian, who hung them on the tree. At first, all of the ornaments were ending up in one spot on the tree, but eventually they got spread out. Meanwhile, Bridget did her best to remove all of the ornaments, at least those within reach. Towards the end, Jillian got tired and was handing the ornaments to Daddy and asking him to put them on the tree. Only one ornament (a glass ball) ended up a casualty. We ended up with a beautiful tree that Jillian is very proud of. And we are on constant alert for Bridget getting near the tree.

The Tree Farm

This was actually one of the nicer days for us to go pick out our Christmas tree this year (above freezing and not raining). We started out walking, but after a few steps, both Jillian and Bridget wanted to be carried. We walked to the far side of the tree farm, like we always do, and fortunately Mommy immediately found a nice tree (shown in the photo). Jillian helped Daddy with cutting down the tree, holding on to the saw the whole time. She had let us know that she was very concerned about when the tree falls down (that it might hit Briget), so we got out of the way when it did tumble. We loaded the tree up in Papa Ken's truck and took it home.

Funny Hat

     I have this sack of granny squares that I started to crochet years ago and almost every time Jillian was here, starting when she was about a year old, she would put the square on her head as a pretty hat.  So yesterday Bridget found the sack and did the same thing, putting the crochet on her head as a hat.  She would look at Papa or I so we could say, "What a pretty hat."

     Jillian has such a knack for using words that we find amusing.  She fell asleep on the ride up but when Papa packed her in the house she said she was just "relaxing".  Today I had to be Santa many times and pretend to bring her a present while she was sleeping.  She is definitely getting into the Christmas mode.

Bridget-Speak

We're starting to hear some words and semi-words out of Bridget:

1. "Ma-ma" and "Da-da" : We're hearing these more lately, especially when she wants someone or something. Usually, it's a wailing kind of thing.

2. "Out" : She started saying this at Grannie's house, when she wanted to go outside whenever Sophie went outside.

3. "Buh-" : This is her way of saying "Bottle". If she starts pointing and yelling at the bottles when she wants her milk, we tell her to say the words, and then she'll smile and say "buh-".

4. "Nah" : Well, it sounds like this when she wants a banana. Not sure if she's really got this one yet, but we'll give her the benefit of the doubt.

Not only these, but she's added some sounds to her repertoire, including the "k" and "hard g" sounds.

Princess Castle

This is Jillian's latest fun thing to do. She loves to build her very own princess castles out of her wood blocks, to which she adds lots of princesses and other figures. She's been very proud of her creations, and very unhappy when Bridget destroys them.

Utensil Practice

Mommy decided it was time for Bridget to work on her utensil skills a little bit, so she gave her a plastic fork to eat her dinner. Bridget did a pretty good job when she managed to get something on the fork ... it usually took about 3 or 4 tries. But, she stuck with it and got a lot eaten that way.

Christmas Crafts

Jillian is taking an Oreo break after working hard on her gingerbread house.  I helped her make the base and glued it so after her nap she could decorate her house.  She has gotten so good at decorating by looking at the picture and putting pieces where they should go or she will decide how she wants it to look.  She worked for a long time, even peeling the sticky backs off the pieces.  She realized there was a pattern on the roof and followed it but sometimes she liked green better.  She was excited to take it home to show Mommy.

Walking Sophie

While Jillian was at preschool, Bridget spotted Sophie's leash and wanted me to hook it up.  Sophie put up with a lot and I had to untangle her several times, but Bridget really enjoyed it.  When I felt Sophie needed a break and took off the leash, Bridget had one of her "throw myself on the floor and cry in anger" sessions.  Later she got to do it again and must have been tiring of leading the dog as she didn't object much when I rescued Sophie again.

Yum! Chocolate Cheerios

We had to laugh after looking at Bridget a few minutes after giving her some chocolate cheerios.  Notice the one on her forehead.  This little "sweets" eater will love her chocolate.

New Stuff XLVII

All-new, all-different, all-fun ... courtesy of those Woodruff girls:

1. "Oh for goodness sake!" : One of Jillian's favorite phrases these days.

2. "Tell you what ... / How about this ..." : This is a common sentence starter for Jillian, typically when she's trying to persuade us about something.

3. Clothes Horse : Jillian will typically go through about 3 or 4 changes of clothing in a day, usually into one of her dresses. She's got the coordination thing down, as she knows what accessory goes with each dress.

4. BFF : When we ask Jillian who she played with at pre-school, it is always "Reese". Apparently, they're good friends and spend most of their playtime with each other. And, there may be a little rivalry, since Jillian constantly talks about two other girls who only play with each other.

5. Picking Up Bridget : We have to constantly get after Jillian about her picking up Bridget. Even though she might be strong enough to do it, she's not very gentle, and it usually ends in Bridget crashing to the floor.

6. Tattletale : Now that there is a little sister to tattle on, we hear it all the time from Jillian ... "Mooooommmmm" or "Daaaaaaddddd", followed by "Bridget did ..." this or that. Not that Bridget cares much right now.

7. Self-confidence : It appears that Jillian has plenty of this. When she changed into one of her dresses and came out to show Daddy, and Daddy remarked "You look so pretty!", she responded "I know, Dad."

8. In Other People's Shoes : We typically have some pairs of shoes in the hallways, since we kick them off when going on carpet. So, Bridget is very fond of slipping into them, and then trying to walk around in them.

9. Take It and Run : Perhaps Bridget will be the little imp, always seeing what she can get away with? Well, time will tell, but she's getting good practice now, as she loves to grab things (that she knows Jillian, Mommy or Daddy want) and run off with them, giggling the whole way.

10. Mean Face : It's Cousin Meagan's trademark, and Bridget has learned it, too. She scrunches up her nose and squints her eyes, and makes a loud sniffing sound.

11. Tongue Clicks : However you describe this sound, Bridget now does it, and sometimes does it a lot.

12. Climbing Everything : Maybe this has already been mentioned, but it bears repeating. Bridget is climbing everything! We are routinely finding her standing on top of chairs, Jillian's kitchen appliances, and just about anything else she can crawl up.

13. Sippy Cups : We've begun the transition away from the bottle towards sippy cups. Bridget is pretty good at using them already, showing a dramatic flair by throwing her head back when she sips.

14. "Is it Christmas yet?" : As soon as Thanksgiving was over, we heard this from Jillian. Slowly, much of her talk is turning to plans for Christmas, like "where's our tree?"

Snowman

Every time Jillian visits Tierney in her room she makes a snowman.  Tierney has these big fluffy balls so Jillian stacks them up and then dresses the snowman in a scarf, hat, earphones, and any other thing she can think of.  She is quite creative that way.  Tierney's job is to hold up the snowman until she finishes.

Pre-school Photo

It was one of those moments, when Mommy and Daddy looked at Jillian's pre-school pictures ... their little Sweetie-Pie was growing up. Hard to believe how much it's happened already! Jillian did a very good job smiling for the camera (although she was very serious for the class photo).

Sister Fun

Both girls were in good moods this morning and spent a lot of time playing together.  They had the most fun with Jillian piling up pillows around Bridget and Bridget throwing them off the couch, both of them laughing hilariously.  Then they moved to taking the cushions off the small couch to use it as a bouncer which works because without the cushions it's pretty close to the floor and high around the sides.  Then Bridget would join Jillian in riding her little sit-on-car while Jillian rode her bike around and around.  Then later Papa hooked up a dogs leash to the little rider and pulled Bridget around.  Bridget would pull her car around when she wasn't riding it, using it like a pull toy.

Bridget is always determined to do everything that Jillian does, so today when Jillian was napping, Bridget got on Jillian's bike and managed to move it a little.  She has a will to keep up with big sister!

Busy Playtime

When Rielee came to play the first thing they did was get all dressed up including fairy wings you can't see.  They even got Bridget dressed up in a grass skirt and lei.  Boy, was Bridget excited about that.  She also had goggles for something.  I had a hard time getting cooperation for a picture from all but Rielee and the other pictures didn't turn out, only this one where I cut off part of Rielee's head.  They moved from this to outside (after changing) to ride bikes and everything else.  They have a lot of energy as when they finished that they headed up to the tree house to play Pirates.  Bridget was  right in the middle of all the action and loving it.  They then picked apples from the tree and played in the waterfall, floating leaves down to the pond. When Rielee went home it was then nap time for Jillian and she went right to sleep.

Rocket Send Off

Bridget got to go to the Rocket send off for the team.  She wanted to stand by Rielee and shake her pom-pom.  The girls appreciated the send off.  Jillian was in preschool so missed it this year.

Future Teacher

Now that Jillian is going to preschool, she likes to pretend she is the teacher and do what they do in school.  Obviously they do the alphabet song every day.  She found a dowel on the counter so she lined up the alphabet (not in the right order) and sang the song while pointing at the letters she knows.  Then I had to point while she sat in a chair and sang it again.  It's hard to do that song when you have to search for the right letters. 

More Volleyball

Jillian, Bridget, Mommy, and Daddy got to come to the district game and see Macee and Tierney win District.  Of course, Jillian was also happy to see Rielee there.  Bridget didn't want to be confined to the bleachers where she couldn't run around so Mommy had to watch a lot of the match from the foyer.  But after the match Jillian and Bridget had the run of the floor.  In fact, Daddy had to catch Jillian to get the picture.  It's not easy!

Show and Tell

Jillian was so excited that she got to show Sophie for Show and Tell at Preschool.  She had been waiting to do it for a long time.  I sat in the back with Sophie so Jillian and the kids didn't notice.  All the kids sat quietly while they shared.  Then Mrs. Elliot told Jillian to look and she squealed when she saw Sophie and that was the end of the children sitting quietly as they all wanted to pet the dog.  "D" for dog was the letter of the week so it was appropriate.  The teacher finally got the kids to sit in a circle so everyone could pet Sophie.  Jillian was so proud.  

The Fairy Princess & The Cupcake

Jillian got dressed up as a fairy princess this year, complete with wings and a battery-powered light up dress. Bridget dressed up as a little cupcake that kept her nice and warm.

Because Mommy had to work on Halloween night, we took the girls around town on Sunday night, to whoever was available at the time, so the girls could do a little early trick-or-treating and Mommy could come along. Then on Monday evening, Daddy took the girls around to a few more stops, including the neighborhood with all the other kids that were walking around (it was pretty busy on our street).

Jillian pretty much understands what's going on, so as soon as she gets candy at one place, she is immediately asking to go to the next stop to get more candy. Bridget just enjoys walking around, but if the candy bowl is lowered to her level, she'll grab as much as she can.

Pumpkin Carvings

Here's this year's edition of Jack-o-Lanterns. Mommy carved her Cinderalla pumpkin in front. Daddy carved a "mad" pumpkin, which Jillian took exception to, saying it's a "happy halloween". Jillian first colored her pumpkin with crayons (hard to see here), before carving a happy face. And Bridget has the tiny pumpkin.

Jillian is giving Bridget a big hug in this photo, doing her best to keep Bridget from running away, as she always does when it's picture time.

Sleepover

The girls were staying overnight while Rick and Heather went out for their 5th Anniversary.  We took them first to see the haunted yard on 16th Ave and Jillian got out with Papa to walk around since Bridget had fallen asleep.  Jillian wasn't frightened.  In fact, she thought it was all pretty neat.  When we got home she got her evening treat of not just ice cream but ice cream piled high with whip cream.  Jillian's plan was to sleep in Bridget's portable crib with Sophie which I thought was a clever idea so Sophie couldn't run around.  About 5 minutes into that plan Jillian came out and announced that she had put Sophie in her kennel.  Obviously, Sophie wasn't settling down or maybe it was Jillian because Sophie is usually out for the night by that time.

Today I heard Bridget yelling in the living room so went to see what the problem was.  There was a beetle crawling toward her and she was frozen in that spot pointing at the beetle as it got closer and closer.  I worked to convince her that it was harmless and touched it, so pretty soon she touched it too.  Then she got down and was OK.

Bridget-Outside Girl

     Bridget got to spend a lot of time outdoors today while Jillian was napping since Bridget already had a long morning nap.  When someone went out, she was at the door yelling to go out also.  She'd run to get her shoes and jacket on.  She walked all around the many driveways and spend time picking up rocks from one side of the driveway and throwing them over the bank on the other side.  She sets her own course of direction so sometimes I have to pack her where she should go.  She ended up at the apple tree demanding an apple as I will always pick her one.  She gnaws on it for quite awhile and then throws a mini-fit when she drops it and I throw it away.  She came in for awhile to eat and then was outside again, this time kicking a ball around the driveway.  Surprising how good she can control the ball. 
     When Jillian was outside before her nap her main interest was in riding her bike.  It's surprising how fast she can go now and raise both feet off the ground and coast.

Sighting No. 60

Been a loooong time since one of these was posted, and it's not like there aren't any nice pics of the girls. Daddy just needs to get with it and put these on. So, here's Bridget on a Sunday morning ...

Pumpkin Patch

(This is a little late, but ...) Last week, Jillian's pre-school class went on a field trip to the pumpkin patch at Willow Grove. Mommy also got to go along. The whole class wore yellow jerseys, and got to do all sorts of fun things like go for ride on a tractor-trailer and pet some farm animals. And of course, they got to pick out pumpkins. This picture shows the pumpkin that Jillian chose.

Cutie

Sometimes you put a picture on because it is so darn cute plus shows Bridget's dimples.  She is holding a tiny doll bed and she put a doll in it to rock.

A Fairy and a Reader

Jillian wasn't in the door for 2 minutes and she was stripping off her clothes to get on her dress up clothes.  She then rode her bike around singing "I'm a fairy", plus more that I couldn't always understand.  Since I wanted a picture I'd hide behind a wall until she saw me and then she would ride the other way.  I'd trick her by going around the other way so I got several shots of her since she turned it into a game. 

Bridget always wants to do what you're doing so when Papa sat down on the hearth to read, Bridget climbed right up there too, with her book to sit and read.

Colorful Painting

We got this driveway paint set so Jillian couldn't wait to try it out.  It had a roller and paint brush, so Papa and her had a good time making the driveway colorful.  When they finished up here they went down to Tierney's and painted a Hi Tierney on her driveway.  After painting Jillian would ride her bike through all the paint and around the track that Daddy drew the day before. 

Lynne's Birthday

The family came to help Lynne celebrate her birthday.  Bridget seems to like these celebrations and Jillian did most of the blowing out of candles.  It was funny later as Lynne was opening her presents and everyone was seated around, that Bridget realized she could be the center of attention.  She would laugh and then roll on the floor, get up and run  partly out of the room and come back laughing hysterically and fall down again and do it again.  I think partly that it was due to a short nap, so that when everyone left she fell right asleep.

1-year Check-up

Bridget went into the doctor's office today for her 1-year well child check. She was accompanied by Mommy and Jillian, who wanted to see her get her shots. The doctor this time around was Dr. O'Neal, who delivered Jillian. She was amazed at how much both girls were grown. Bridget's checkup showed that she was doing great. Bridget wasn't so happy with the 3 shots, getting pretty mad at the world, but she got over it pretty quick and was back to her happy self.

The nurse measured Bridget, and found that she was 31 inches long (93rd percentile), she weighed 21 lbs 12 oz (56th percentile), and her head size was off the charts.

The Rocking Chair Adventure

 Bridget has discovered the rocking chair so I brought it upstairs.  She climbs on, rocks for awhile, gets off for a couple of minutes, and then gets back on.  It is now her main source of entertainment.

I had to include this picture as it will freak out Rick and Heather.  Normally she crawls on and then turns around to sit.  As I was taking her picture she decided to stand.  As soon as I yelled "sit", she sat back down.  Not long after the picture taking I saw her standing again and this time not holding on to anything.  Thankfully she grabbed on quickly as it started to rock.  If she can get on something she is going to climb it.  Fearless!

Preschool

Now that Jillian is going to preschool she has taken an interest in the little play schoolhouse.  It's one way to find out what happens in her preschool because she has one doll be the teacher and she instructs the other children just like her preschool teacher does.  She lines the other dolls up and tells them to sit quietly and listen.  When they go out to play she tells them they have to play nice on the playground.  One day she picked out a man teacher like Daddy. Since it is hard to get information from her about what happens at real preschool, this is very informative and fun.

New Stuff XLVI

The October 2011 version of the New Stuff:

1. Straw Drinker : Without even thinking about it, we gave Bridget a cup of water with a straw in it, and she immediately started sipping it right up. That didn't take long to figure out ...

2. The Screamer : Bridget must feel like screaming is the way to be heard (above her big sister), because her volume has gone up and up. Sometimes at the dinner table, it's a big scream-fest.

3. Milk Drinker : Daddy failed to mention this a couple weeks ago, but Bridget has made the transition from formula to whole milk. There wasn't much of a transition ... when we gave a bottle of milk to her just before her 1st birthday, she drank the entire thing without batting an eye. That was easy ...

4. Long Hair Girl : Pretty much the first thing people notice about Bridget (other than her smiley face) is her really long hair, which tends to just hang down in front of her eyes most of the time. We're thinking that those cute curls are temporary, so we have yet to ever cut her hair.

5. "I'm texting" : Jillian has this little blue toy that looks like a phone. She wanted to take it to bed with her, but when Daddy objected, she said "But Dad, I'm texting".

6. The Little Chef : Mommy gets lots of help from Jillian in the kitchen. Jillian is always asking if she can help out, and she can get up high enough with help from her stool. Her favorite thing to help with is the chocolate chip cookies.

7. "I can't talk to you right now" : This is a once-in-a-while response from Jillian, typically when she's busy doing something.

8. Baby Memories : Seeing Bridget do a lot of things, Jillian has a lot of questions about what she was like when she was a baby. She'll ask us "Did I ___ when I was a baby?", and when we tell her what she used to do, she laughs.

9. Talking on the Phone : Just like her big sister, Bridget loves to pick up real and play phones, hold them up to her ear, and pretend to talk.

10. The Sick House : This also didn't get mentioned, but almost the entire month of September saw our entire household laid low by colds, or something like it. It was a pretty miserable time, and there was a severe lack of sleep. It was probably the sickest that Bridget's ever been, and it lasted the longest for her.

11. Big People Food : Bridget seems convinced that any food that we eat, she should also be eating. So, she'll run right up to us, and start yelling at us to have a bite. We have yet to find anything she doesn't like. Her first favorite was a banana, but now if she sees her big sister eating Cheerios in milk, she comes running ... she could eat those all day. Oh, and she likes ice cream, too.

12. Lotsa Sounds : Bridget is working on talking, and she has in her repertoire "ma-ma-ma", "da-da-da", "na-na-na", and so on.

13. The Stomper : When Bridget gets really excited about something, she has a tendency to stomp her right foot.

14. Stryder : All of a sudden, Jillian is lifting up her feet when riding her little Stryder gliding bike, so she's starting to figure out how to balance and steer.

Halloween Decorating

As soon as we got out the Halloween decorations, Bridget latched onto this large pumpkin to carry around all over.  Luckily it's a plastic one that is fairly light.  So far we have put up all the Halloween decorations pretty high up.

After all the decorations were up, it was time to read Halloween books.  At first Jillian didn't want me to read any books with witches, which limited the number available.  Bridget just wanted to sit there for a couple of minutes, and of course Jillian wanted Sophie there too.  We got to read about 5 books which is pretty good considering.

Bridget and Baby

Every day Bridget will get a baby out and carry it around giving it hugs.  She usually will pick one out of the many that is her favorite.  She is over her cold and it is so nice that she's busy playing and trying to keep up with big sister.  Of course her favorite place to be is outside and the one day we got a little rain she stood at the back door yelling and pointing outside.  Today I just let her roam outside and found she doesn't look back and walked right up to Julie's house.  That was a treat as it was her first time on the bouncer and Jillian joined her.  She was laughing continually.  

Volleyball Game

Jillian and Bridget got to go to Ridgefield for Tierney and Macee's volleyball game.  Bridget was so good and sat and watched all the action.  Jillian had a great time playing with Rielee the whole time.  They probably couldn't tell who won but the Rockets won in three.