Life with a toddler...

Marin is officially a toddler now. She started walking at 11 months old and is now running around everywhere (except outside, where she prefers to crawl for some reason). She is constantly busy "helping" and loves to play with her toys. She also LOVES reading books. We are always finding new things that need to be baby-proofed as she can reach higher and get into more things. She has figured out ways to get around some of the stuff we had previously baby proofed and now we have to figure out how to keep her out of trouble. Her latest discovery is that she can turn on and off the dishwasher... She continues to sleep very well (at least 11-12 hours a night with a 2 hour nap every day). She used to eat just about anything but is becoming increasingly picky. Her favorite foods are: green peppers, bananas, chicken nuggets, and eggs. I keep trying to think of ways to sneak more fruits, veggies, and grains into her diet. She drinks her milk like a champ but still refuses to use her sippy for anything but water (needless to say, she is STILL using a bottle). She still doesn't say many real words yet but is very "talkative". She has mastered the art of the temper tantrum; anytime she doesn't get what she wants she screams and cries. We were hoping the terrible two's wouldn't start for another year! Otherwise, she is a very sweet girl. She loves to cuddle and give hugs and kisses. We love our little girl so much!

Getting stuck under her high chair.

She tries to undress herself all the time...

Mmmm... green peppers!

Easter 2011

For Easter this year, Marin and I went to Grandma Diane's house for brunch while Adam worked. Marin loved the food and looked super cute in her dress. The weather was beautiful and Marin loved being able to go outside for a bit.

Me and Marin

Lovin' the warm weather!

Cutest little Easter Bunny!

1 year old!

Look who celebrated her 1st birthday! I can't believe my baby girl is already a year old. We had a birthday party on March 12 at our house with family. We had snacks and cupcakes and enjoyed talking to everyone.

Marin and mommy before the party.

Mama's girl :)

Such a sweetie!

PRESENTS!!!

Marin got some great gifts. Her favorite was a pink chair just her size from her Grandpa and Grandma Whiting.

CAKE!!

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."

We were hoping for a big mess but Marin didn't care much for the cake, she pretty much just smashed it around on her tray.

A LOT of catching up to do...

Wow, how time flies! We are doing well and keeping very busy with work and raising our little toddler. Here are some pictures from the past few months.

Marin's first Christmas

Family picture on Christmas Eve

Such a happy and smiley girl!

Getting into trouble...

Stealing mommy's money!

Earlier this year we got a kitten. Her and Marin were best buddies. Unfortunately, Marin was allergic to her so we had to give her away to a good home :(

Marin got her ears pierced!

Such a sweetie!

Must be her mama's girl :)

Wearing mom's sunglasses!

Looking cute in her new raincoat!

9 Month Sweetheart!

I still can't believe our baby girl is 9 months old already! We had her doctor's appointment the other day and her stats are: 20lbs, 12oz (75%) and 28inches (75%). She is getting so big and so cute. It is amazing how much she learns and changes every day. She is now walking around with her little push toy like a pro- I'm sure she will soon be ditching the toy and running around on her own. She is very vocal and constantly babbling (we are still waiting for the official "mama" and "dada"). She likes to clap her hands and now says "hi" while waving. I think the best word to describe her right now is "busy"... she is into EVERYTHING and it is so cute to see how interested she is in everything. We are so in love with her and feel very lucky to have such a sweet girl for our daughter :) Here is what we have been up to the last couple months...

First Halloween: Cutest Little Bumble Bee!

First Thanksgiving! We hosted it at our house this year!

Marin has become VERY "helpful"... she LOVES doing dishes,

she loves to help rearrange the cupboards,


and she loves to help clean the floors (by eating all of the crumbs and fuzz).

She loves to read her books (or at least pull them all off the shelves).

"Hey Marin, I think you've got something on your nose."

8 Month Photos... so cute!

7 Months Old!

Wow, Marin has grown and changed so much in the past month! Pretty much as soon as I finished the last post, she started really crawling and now she is unstoppable. She gets into EVERYTHING and we constantly have to chase after her. She has really discovered her voice and is becoming more and more vocal every day. Unfortunately, she LOVES to let out loud high pitched screams and screeches ALL the time which leaves our ears ringing... She recently learned to wave, which is the cutest thing ever (she likes to wave at everything... people, her bottle, walls, TV, cars, etc :). She is still a great sleeper at night, sleeping from about 7-7:30pm to 6:30am most nights. She continues to work on growing those little teeth; she currently has 3 on top and 2 on the bottom. It is so fun watching her cute little personality develop and she is such a sweetie!

Busy, busy, busy all the time!

Right after she started crawling, she started kneeling...

She discovered there was all kinds of stuff for her to get into!

She started doing this...

and this... so we had to move the mattress down a level.

Now she LOVES to stand and is constantly pulling herself up... next comes walking!

Lovin' some cheerios!

Such a cutie!