Aquarium Pics

Finally remembered to upload a few of these pictures from our trip!

Cousins

I know Zac and Julia really missed Molly last week. Here is a cute shot of Molly hitching a ride to Austin with us after our weekend in DFW. Eliza and Molly had so much fun together!

Last weekend

We have TONS of pictures and videos from our trip to DFW last weekend. I just need to get them off the camera so I can post a few here. We went to visit Uncle Zac and Aunt Julia for a little Spring Break vacay. This time Eliza really hit it off with her dog cousin Mollie! And Eliza now calls Julia "Ju Ju." She managed to say Zac a few times too. Saturday Zac and Jules took us to a cool restaurant called Joe Ts. And Zac volunteered to be the designated driver so we could try their famous margaritas. Sunday we all went to the Dallas World Aquarium. Everyone teased me because I'm a little obsessed with aquariums, but they all liked it too. Eliza got to see plenty of turtles (still her current favorite word) and also tons of birds, monkeys, and of course, fish. She can't say monkey, but she says "ee ee ooh ooh" when she sees them. (She also squeaks when she sees a picture of a mouse). My favorite part was when she saw some HUGE sharks and manatees and just kept saying "ooooh!" and her eyes got huge. I think we blew her mind a bit. Pics to come!

Squirrel

I know these vocab posts sound like I'm bragging (hopefully you're an Eliza fan if you're reading the blog anyway, right?) but I want to remember when she started saying certain words... So, this morning I saw a squirrel on the patio and pointed it out to Eliza. She ran over and waved to the squirrel (who, surprisingly, did not wave back. What's your problem, dude?! ;))and said squirrel several times. Her version sounds like "wur wel". Also, she now says "star." At least 10 times a day she points out a star to me, usually a teeny tiny one she found on some book or toy. ~T

Perfect day

Yesterday Eliza and I had so much fun that I just want to blog about it now so I'll remember it. First we went to storytime at BookPeople, then the playground at Whole Foods. Then we stopped by PetSmart and saw the cutest puppy ever. She loves the fish and the birds there too. (She just started flapping her "wings" when she sees a bird; I have no idea where she learned it but it's adorable.) After naptime we went to the Triangle and played in the fountain while listening to live music. She's much more cautious this year with the water and doesn't get soaked and let it hit her in the face like she used to. She loves watching the big kids there. On the way to the Triangle she and I did a little shopping at Target and got her some new crocs to wear this summer. (This girl LOVES shoes!) When we got home I let her skip a bath (the fountain cleaned her off, right?) and we read lots of bedtimes stories. Then we took turns giving each other belly kisses (S took a break from work to join in on the tickle fun) and I sang her to sleep with the song my Papa used to sing to me when I was little (Carolina Sunshine Girl by Jimmie Rodgers). Ah, I'm a lucky girl. ~T

Turtles & Kisses

Last weekend we took Eliza to the Turtle Pond on campus and she's been saying "turtle" ever since! Today I took her to see some turtles and other animals at Petco and we've been reading books about turtles too. She's been giving kisses on command for a while but recently she's started initiating kisses on her. There's nothing better than a toddler spontaneously planting a big wet one on your cheek! Above is a shot of Eliza at the park after successfully sliding down on her tummy by herself. Doesn't she look proud? Oh, and notice she's got molars now! ~T

Negative

Eliza knows a lot of words now, body parts, animals, all sorts of things. She even says thank you. But last week she learned to say the word no. And she hasn't stopped since. While it comes in handy at times - "Do you want some more drink?" "NO!"- she's now saying it constantly. "It's time to change your diaper!" "NO! (and she takes off running!) It's both hilarious and infuriating. I'd get her on video saying it, but I don't want to encourage her. If you see her soon, I'm sure you'll hear plenty of it.

Zoo Time

As far as zoos go, the rescue zoos are slightly more interesting.  It's amusing to play out each animal's back story.  Here, for example, is the crazy parrot that gave Ellie the giggles.

My daughter the groupie

Seems Eliza is already into the Austin music scene. Check her out with her hipster friends last month.

Feb pics are up!

February highlights are in the Picasa album to the left. Soon we'll post pics of the Kite Festival and our trip to the zoo. Stay tuned.