new stroller

We just gave Brielle this stroller... she is having so much fun with it!

(Be prepared... this is a long video clip! )

awwwww...

Tim calls this moment "one of the best things about being a parent" :)


(Brielle's upper front teeth are working their way in... we gave her the pacifier on this occassion because she really wanted something to chew on!)

Caught... red handed

It was so cute watching her try to put the marker cap back on:)...

and get a glimpse of that cute braid in her hair... done by Tim!

Cleaning up the driveway

We've been sweeping the driveway lately... as our tree has been dropping lots of stuff. And if we have a broom (or even if we don't), Brielle's favorite thing to play with in the driveway right now is a broom or this plastic thing that looks like a broom. This plastic thing is great because it's so lightweight... compared to when she drags the big wooden push broom around! Brielle has also enjoyed discovering the tulips in the front yard:)

Turning circles

Brielle started turning in circles like this lately... Becky taught her how to play "Ring Around the Rosy" this week with the other kids... and I think that has something to do with it. Becky said when they play "Ring Around the Rosy" Brielle will turn around like this but then sit down too soon... before they are finished singing:).

If Daddy's doing it, I want to..

Brielle likes carrying this broom around outside now... ever since she saw Tim doing it. We'll be walking through the garage and she'll want to grab it and go outside.

Shiner

Brielle picked up this little shiner under her eye last week... she walked right under a swingset at Becky's house where her 4 year-old 2nd cousin, Jack, was swinging and he couldn't stop in time... as he swung forward, his feet connected with her face! Her 11 year old cousin, Dorothy, tried to get there in time to help... she didn't stop the collision but she caught Brielle before she fell back and hit the ground. I was inside and just happened to look out the window 1 second before she was hit. Brielle cried pretty hard for a few minutes... but recovered well. I felt worse about it than she did the next couple of days!

Having a ball.

Playing my guitar

Kristen found a guitar for Brielle this weekend and she loves to play.

Up on the desk

Not only does she like to be up on the couch... she wants to be up the desk too:). Here she is on Grandma Carol's desk at work. Have I mentioned how much Brielle likes Post-It Notes? She must get that from her Grandma Carol. (Right, Carol's sisters?) Grandpa Ted likes to put Post-It Notes on Brielle's forehead and watch her try to take them off. It turns into a pretty fun game for her, and after she gets the Post-It off, she tries to put it back on her head! Now that's a video I need to try and get sometime. (some people think Brielle looks like Jenny in this photo, when Jenny was young... by the way, if you click on the photo, you can view it enlarged)

Doodling

Forget that it says "Ages 3 and up"... she loves this thing!

And can you tell how she likes to perform for the camera? :)

on the couch... but not for long

This short video is for Aunt Jenny to see how big the new doll is next to Brielle:)

Brielle gets pretty excited & proud to be sitting up on the couch... like she's such a "big girl" when she's up there. She can't quite crawl up there on her own, she needs just a little boost. I often will put my hand out for her to step on. Becky, her babsitter, told us that recently Brielle pulled a toy over in front of Becky's couch and used that to climb up... smart girl:)... but even better, Becky's 22 month-old son Pierce was on the floor near the couch and Brielle stepped on him to get up! It worked!

Peaches and a ponytail

Brielle's hair is getting longer, so we've been pulling it back for mealtime. Sure makes clean up easier!

Here Brielle is eating peaches. She loves peaches... she puts them into her mouth as fast as she can... and when they are bite size she barely chews... it seems like she just "sucks" them down.

oatmeal

This video clip is from a few weeks ago... what a cute mess! She probably uses her spoon 30% of the time and her fingers 70% of the time! She's getting better with her spoon little by little, but she would probably look the same today if she ate her oatmeal on her own:).

Heritage Pond & Trail

Last night we went to Heritage Pond... Brielle had fun throwing rocks into the water and watching them splash down below. Grandma Carol brought her own stash of rocks from their house... she's always thinking:)!


Then we took a short walk on the trail. There were a lot of birds flying around, and she kept looking up and pointing at them overhead.

learning how to play euchre from the best:)

We went to see Brielle's 96 year old great grandma last week. The night included some visiting, some pizza (one of Great Grandma's favorite foods), and of course a few games of 6 handed euchre.

And believe it or not... it was Great Grandma's idea for Brielle to put her feet up on the table!

this past weekend...

we walked to the park...

rode down the slide...

rode the slide a few more times...

and tried out the other playground equipment.

Despite the cool wind and the need for a hat, the snow is gone and the birds are chirping... we're so happy that spring is here!

someone likes the sound of her own voice:)

Brielle sure like to hear herself babbling...

especially when it echoes in the bathtub!

Playing with Julia & Eileen

Brielle had a fun time playing with Julia, Eileen, & Nancy.
Thanks for coming to visit us!

new doll

Brielle's Aunt Jenny sent her a new doll for her birthday.

Brielle was pretty excited about it!