(I promise we did not teach her this.)

Before I post the pictures I should have posted months ago and catch up on the last three months of Aly's life, I just want to reintroduce you to this silly little girl who has grown and learned so much. Here's the latest:

• Aly is a future American Idol contestant. It's true. She spends all day every day singing her favorite songs, which at this moment are "Sesame Street", "Sing a Song", "Jesus Loves Me", "ABC's", "Five Little Monkeys", and "Twinkle, Twinkle". She also loves dancing to American Idol and often tells us to "dance on the floor!"
  
• She has become very interested in learning more about Jesus. Every night before we go to sleep we have to "read 'bout Jesus", which means reading stories from her Little Girl's Bible Storybook for Mothers and Daughters, which I highly recommend. She can tell you the complete story of Adam and Eve and Noah's Ark and she names all of her babies Isaac after Abraham and Sarah's baby. I think she is finally starting to understand that Jesus wasn't always a baby.
  
• After we read our Bible, Aly folds her little hands, squeezes her eyes shut and thanks Jesus for everything she can think of. (From Mommy and Daddy to pufferfish and apple juice.) One night when she had a bad cold, she said, "Thank you, Jesus, for feel better."
• We are finally to the point where she can communicate just about anything to us, which is really nice. I think back to all of those times when I thought how much I wished she could just tell me what she wanted and now she can. We were in the car yesterday and she wanted to listen to her Curious George song again, for the 1,000th time. Donny and I were talking and weren't paying much attention to what she was saying until she pleaded, "Daddy, I say (said) please!"
• We walked into Mason's the other day, which is an obvious girly store if you've never been there. As soon as we walked in the door she said, "Mommy, there's no boys in here!" Excellent observation.
• She can not only recognize all of her letters of the alphabet and their sounds, but she can also spell and recognize her name! She can also recognize a circle, triangle, square, and rectangle and knows all of her colors! She loves to learn and has a great memory.
  
• About a week ago, she learned how to draw a smiley face! She draws a "circle, two eyes, nose, and smile"! Donny took a picture of her best one with his phone yesterday. She did this all by herself!! (Just the face, not the stick person.)

She continues to bring us more and more happiness every day as we watch her grow, learn, and turn into the little person she is going to be. There's truly nothing better than being her mommy.

Finally Time to Catch Up

I know I haven't updated Aly's blog since November, but the holidays are always so busy. Then we lost a very special person in our lives. I couldn't keep posting every day pictures without mentioning him, but I haven't been able to bring myself to put anything into words until now.

Thomas was more than just Caroline's daddy, Bonnie's husband or even our best-friend-in-law (if there's such a thing). He was our friend. Every memory I have from high school and so many since then includes him in some way. He was the most intelligent person I have ever known. I always joked that if you had a question about anything, no matter what it was, all you had to do was ask Thomas and he would either know the answer or make up one that was so good you believed him.

He was funny. Every day situations were just more fun with him around. We used to always make fun of him because he had such a baby-face that he really didn't have to shave and he would always reply with, "I can't help it! I'm Scandinavian!" which was such a typical Thomas come back.

He loved my best friend with all of his heart. On one of the trips to Florida that I took with Bonnie's family, she and Thomas spent a lot of their time combing the beach for seashells because Bonnie loved them. (Sorry, Bon, I know you don't like this story, but it's my favorite!!) He had such a great attitude about it and seemed to love it as much as she did. Then one night, I happened to pass through a room where Thomas had fallen asleep and heard him talking in his sleep about "collecting all those freakin' shells"! I laughed for days about it, but I also knew at that moment how much he loved her.

Aly spent the first year I went back to work with Bonnie's mom and Caroline at their house. I used to have to leave her with Thomas some mornings and he would keep her and Caroline until she got there. I remember day after day of leaving Aly in his arms, screaming her head off and him telling me to just go and she'd be fine as he frantically searched for Mickey Mouse on the DVR.

I have been overwhelmed (and I know she has too) by the number of people who don't even know Bonnie, but have told me they are praying for her and Caroline and her soon-to-be baby brother. Prayer and her limitless faith have gotten her through this time, so please remember to continue to pray for her as time goes by. I know she is faced with new challenges every day, but her strength comes from God and He is able.

You can follow her blog at www.sweetcarolinebaby.blogspot.com
You will be inspired.

Beautiful Fall Day, Beautiful Girl

 

Pumpkin Patch 2008

Then...






Now...

Going to "school"

Donny caught Aly's daily routine on his camera phone this morning. Here she is going to school. Please take the time to notice her lunchbox! What a big girl.

"I-ceam!"

Aly has inherited her daddy's memory. This summer, we discovered a new gas station with the best gelato you have ever tasted. We literally went once or twice a week to get "ice cream", but we haven't been there since July. We were out of milk, but we wanted to skip the Wal-Mart trip and get Aly in bed, so Donny was going to run into the gas station to grab some while we waited in the car. We pulled up to the gas station and Aly excitedly squealed, "I-ceam! I-ceam!" 

Who can resist such a smart and ecstatic little request? Not us. We piled out of the car and went in for some gelato. She has even gotten good enough with a spoon that she was able to eat it on her own...in public! Believe it or not, she didn't get a drop on her. What a precious memory that I don't ever want to forget! By the way, when this picture was taken, she was saying, "Chee!" (cheese). I love her personality more than I ever thought possible.

Yee-haw!! Cousin Holly's 4th Birthday Party

We had a great time celebrating Aly's cousin's fourth birthday. Holly's latest obsession is with horses, so her parents decided to go with a western theme and it was so much fun. Aly loves Holly so much. She randomly asks, "Where La-lo go?" We thought "La-lo" might stick for a while, but she just started calling her Holly today. I think Holly is secretly disappointed that she lost her nickname......Or as she would call it "naked name". =)




Aly is 20 months old going on 20 years old. She is doing so many new things that it is hard for me even think of everything, but allow me to try for my own documentation purposes...

When she gives kisses she says, "Mmmmm-wuh".

We have to call roll every night as we are going to sleep to be sure all four of her favorite animals are in bed with her. If you try to slip one by her because it's in another room, she knows and won't be able to sleep until it's there. Then we have to kiss each one as she holds them up to our faces and says one by one, "Night, Boo (Bear)", "Night 'Fraffe (Giraffe)", "Night E-ow (Meow)", "Night Di-saur (Dinosaur)".

She has a cheese quesadilla ("t-teeya" for tortilla), grilled cheese sandwich or "pee-pee", which is pizza oddly enough, every day as her main dish for lunch and dinner because it is all we can get her to eat. I'm hoping it's just a phase. She still loves any kind of fruit and will ask for a "nack" (snack).

She loves to color or read books while laying on her stomach with her feet kicking in the air.

She will use the potty once in a blue moon after a great run of going about 4 or 5 times a day (number one and two) for about two months. She just lost interest, so I keep asking and just wait for her to decide. When she does go, she sits on the potty and says "Aaaah" and then puts her hand to her ear and says, "wisten" (listen). Shortly after, we hear a little tinkle. Embarrassing behavior on my part soon follows. I get a little excited.

I bought Aly and Leap Frog phonics video and just from watching it, she knows all of her letter sounds except for I,U, and V, which are a little tricky. We sing the song every time we are in the car. It goes like this: Momma: "The A says..." Aly: "Aaaaa" (Repeat) Momma: "Every letter makes a sound. The A says..." Aly: "Aaaa". She can also name A, B, H, and S when I write them. If you have a baby, you need this video!! It's amazing.

We have added lots of animal sounds to her repertoire. My favorite is the elephant. I'm not sure it actually sounds like an elephant, but she raises her arm like a trunk.



We are so blessed to get to share our lives with this precious little angel. She is nothing less than pure happiness.