Getting Comfy

After our first full week of living in our new house, we are all starting to get comfortable…

Yeaaahhh, blankie, bunny, and Barney make it even better. This window ledge in the breakfast room is the kitties’ favorite spot to sit (or snooze). And this is Rebel’s spot as of late. And while we were unpacking another car load today, Helen Grace discovered my Mickey Mouse ears (from my Disney trip with PwC), and she thought they were awesome- especially since they matched her Minnie shirt!

“Nes!”

Helen Grace has a new favorite *original* word…it happens when she automatically responds, “No,” to your question or command without thinking and then she changes her mind to, “Yes.” The result is, “Nes!” We hear this on a pretty regular basis from our little independent firecracker. :)

“I too!” is another phrase we hear a lot. Whenever you are doing something that she wants to do as well, it’s “I tooooo!”

Here Comes Peter Cotton Tail

Ohhhh, the bunny outfits have made their big seasonal debut- I’m so excited!

“Nose!” Love this girl. There’s the scowl that we are seeing more and more often these days. Lunch with Lilly, Adam, and Libby

Odds and Ends

If Baby can take a nap here, then Baby Girl will too. (By the way, she’s just pretending.) Worn out after a lunch date with friendsWe have discovered sidewalk chalk…why didn’t I think of this before now? I know we will be spending a good bit of our summer in this spot. :)

Helen Grace, Meet the Corner

Well, we have a new first…Helen Grace’s first time to stand in the corner.

This afternoon, her daddy was holding her and I leaned in to her, and she popped me in the face. And to top it off, she refused to apologize. After pulling her aside for a talk, she still wouldn’t relent, so I stuck her in the bathroom corner and told her to stay there until she told me she was sorry. She stood there for at least 20 minutes, saying "No!" every time I asked if she was ready to apologize. We have a soggy wall now (complete with wet hand prints), but she finally gave in. Victory!

Our Next Chapter

THIS……is what has kept the Toohigs so busy lately.

We’ve moved!

We weren’t necessarily planning on moving in the near future, but on a bike ride around a nearby neighborhood a few months ago, John discovered our dream house that met both of our long list of must-have’s for a house (which is a TALL order), was move in ready, was not currently lived in, and backed up to a beautiful lake with a walking trail around it. It couldn’t have been more perfect. We moved in this weekend, and we are finally starting to feel settled in. Helen Grace really did well with the adjustment, despite still feeling a little under the weather. She was completely exhausted (like I have never seen before) from being shuttled between grandparents on move in day. After a wild meltdown, we cuddled up on the couch with Barney and a baba of milk, and she soon calmed down and went right to sleep. Before I went to bed, I went to check on her and woke her up- doh! Other than that, she slept pretty soundly. The next day, she went down for a nap and bedtime awake and without a peep. Now the kitties, on the other hand, had quite an adjustment and were very timid to explore. After 24 hours or so in the new house though, they were wandering around and checking out everything. Helen Grace has loved sitting at our kitchen table, watching the ducks and geese, and then chasing them around the yard. We look forward to many more wonderful years together here!

Last breakfast at our old house Settling into her new room while chaos reigned around her First breakfast in the new house Kisses for puppy dog She was having a ball running from one side of the living room to the other and talking to herself in the mirror.

Watching a squirrel right outside the front door Showing us how a squirrel eats a nut The kitties have finally settled in as well

Infection & Independence

Our poor baby is not feeling her best. After a very fitful night of 100 degree fever and coughing for Helen Grace and little sleep for any of us, Grandma took HG to the doctor on Thursday morning. The verdict: an ear infection in the works. I believe this is only the second one she’s had (the last one was this exact time last year), and while she is pitiful, I have to remember how lucky we are to have had so few. Thankfully, she did not inherit her Mommy’s ears.

Also, her independent streak continues to shine. Tonight, we ate dinner at a local pizza place that has two of those driving games in the back for the kids. She loves to sit in them and pretend to drive, and when we first got there, she had them all to herself. Later, two other little girls arrived, and I saw her try to swat at one of them who was sitting in the car. I jumped up and had a little talk with her about sharing and taking turns. She wasn’t happy about it, but she stood back and watched them play, patiently waiting for her turn. One of the girls noticed this and got down after a few minutes to let HG have a chance to play {very sweet}. Again, I ran back there to praise Helen Grace for being patient and sharing, and she beamed with pride! After dinner, two little boys arrived on the scene and took over the games. HG was a little intimidated and stood back to watch them play. One *finally* got out of one of the games, and HG made her approach and climbed into the car. He soon changed his mind though and tried to take over the seat. He pushed her, and she started bawling. Of course, the mama bear came out in me (since his mama was obviously nowhere nearby), and I jumped up and told him that it was time for *him* to share. He smartly backed off, and I tried to comfort Helen Grace. She looked at me with tears streaming down her face and told me to “Stop!” (with that little outstretched hand) and “Sit!” and pointed at our table. What?! My baby girl is now a big girl who wants to take care of things on her own, even when she is hurt. Gosh, am I ready for this???