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!

Do you like my hat?

egg hunt and nap time

Last year, at 6 weeks old, she slept through her first Easter egg hunt at the farm. She slept in a carrying pouch as her cousins helped us find her eggs.

This year, again, she was taking a nap when all the cousins were ready to begin the Easter egg hunt. The hunt went on as she slept. Her cousins left her eggs in their hiding places (Grandma B labels them so each kid finds 5 eggs)... and she found them later when she woke up. The hunt was inside this year since it was so muddy from the melting snow.

belly and teeth

Her teeth and her belly... the first two body parts Brielle can identify on herself:). She knows where a baby doll's eyes are, but hasn't figured out where her eyes are yet. We're working on "nose" next.

piano time

Brielle enjoys playing the piano keys... on this day she sat all by herself on the bench for nearly 10 minutes while she played (and posed for some photos)! This piano used to be Great Grandma Betty's-- it is now at Grandma & Grandpa M's house.

State Champs! Yeah Eagles!

Tim, Brielle, & I cheered on the Golden Eagles to their state championship in basketball a couple weeks ago. Brielle is sporting her blue & gold ribbons. She did a pretty good job at the game, and slept the whole way home. And yes, she has a hot pretzel from the concession stand in her hand. It was her first one, and she enjoyed it:)!

thank you notes

Here is Brielle helping write her birthday thank you notes:). When she sees someone else with a pen, pencil, or marker, she wants to do the same... she doesn't want to feel left out!

Bath time- love it!

Brielle really enjoys bathtime. She likes putting her stacking cups together... and using them to take a drink once in awhile.

She loves the squirt toys that Alexia gave her.

And her mom & dad have fun styling her hair:)