the high low

esther m had a lot of fun doing this:

and then got sick and was doing more of this.

abacus finch

exchange rate

i never imagined the day would come that...

...she and her cousin would skype with their grand dad over lunch.

...she would start loving my personal care products

...she and the dogs would "build bridges". most of the dogs tolerate her awkward hugs now.

she would rock herself in the rocking chair

 

i love watching you grow and explore the world, my sweet child!

animal farm

esther margaret went from only knowing what a cow says to suddenly knowing about 10 animal sounds: cow, sheep, dog, snake, bunny rabbit, kitty cat, bird, goat, horse and rooster.

tick tock goes the glock

a proud first for dad: esther margaret's first time at the shooting range. jeremy, jhg and i actually went to the home of the new sheriff so it wasn't as white trash as taking a 16 month old to a public shooting range. oh totally. we had the place to ourselves. but not to slouch on safety around guns, esther margaret sported her ear muffs the whole time. she doesn't like to be exposed to +80 decibel level noise.

trick or tweet

the day before halloween, miss lou, em's teacher, asked each mother to bring a treat for each child to share. not a naturally crafty person, i took this charge as my first dip into the pool of "kids projects that parents really do". i must have had memories of showing up to school with things that only a clueless but well meaning immigrant parent would make, but i seriously overcompensated. 3d stickers, halloween twine, three types of snacks...i was that super annoying mom. of course i didn't know until i saw what esther margaret brought home.

see if you can guess which treat was made by the overachiever mom.

head and shoulders

since the weather has been so warm, em and i have been riding to the park a lot...

before our maiden voyage, feeling a little strange with her helmet.

 getting a pic with both of us on the bike was a little dicey, so i didn't attempt it.

after the ride, she refused to take off her helmet.

 her enlarged cranium did slightly remind me of this:

 for some reason, i took her to the park the first few times in her pjs. after viewing these pictures, i am now embarrassed enough to get her dressed beforehand. adding a vest does not mean you're dressed appropriately. this goes for me too.

her helmet is from the new bear mountain bike shop. if you haven't been, check it out! thanks blaggs!

two outfits a day

thanks for coming to visit from the great north!