22 Months

Another fashion statement with her notorious froggy boots:)

Chillin in mommy's glasses

Following Papa on the way to search for strawberries 

 More strawberry picking

"Oh I wuv you icekeem"

 Lunch at Papa's Pizza!  I don't fit in the tunnels near as easily as I used to!

 Boo!

 I love my home 

 Ready, set.......

 Shoot!  I was quite impressed with her form.

Fun times with cousin Beatrice

 The girls are so cute together.  It makes their mommies proud!

A visit to Philomath High School before they begin tearing it down

 The halls seem awful big to a little girl

 Nothing but net

 She can spend 30 or 40 minutes throwing her favorite yellow ball

 Again, nice form!

 Pretty blessed

Watching kids at the park 

Excited about the slide 

Fun times with Auntie 

Loving on zozo 

Don't you just want to eat her up? 

My talented Sister-in-law took some family pictures of us this month and you can view them here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.223884617631179.64238.100000289267332&l=c126ab676f

Oh summer!  Where are you?  Being the outside creatures that Sierra and I are - this weather really stinks!  We still manage to make it outside once a day (unless it absolutely pours all day) but come on sun.  Our garden looks pathetic except for the peas which Sierra is very excited about.  And my corn actually did come up.  I was kind of shocked.  We've got beans, squash, corn, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, grapes, artichokes, asparagus, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, and cukes.  Sierra has been quite a helper this year - and I only hope that the weather will cooperate enough to give us a bountiful harvest. 

 

It's amazing how much different things are this year.  Last year I had to stick so close to her because she still was a bit wobbly on uneven ground, and there were many things that looked interesting enough to want to put in her mouth.  Our garden did not do so well because of this - but this year she can help pull weeds, plant seeds, and be several yards away, and as long as I can see her I know she's fine.  She can identify pokey's (blackberry bushes and thistles) and knows to avoid them and is also aware that dog doo is something we DON'T want to step in.  I am thrilled that she enjoys being outdoors and even more thrilled that my Western Garden Book is one of her favorite current reads.  Every day after her nap she lugs the giant book around, instructs me to sit, and we go through it together.  She points at the pokey cactuses, the apples, melons, peas, and tells me all the colors of the flowers.  It brings me great joy.

 

After several months of struggling with discipline - and trying to come up with something that worked - Sierra had her first time out.  I was terrified.  She had refused to listen to me several times in about a 20 minute period, and threw a fit because she did not get her way.  I had decided that I was going to give time outs a try.  I marched her to a round chair in her play room, sat her on it, and told her she needed to sit there until she could calm down and listen to me, and then I left.  I expected a total meltdown and that I'd have to put her back in the chair 50 times.  But she immediately calmed down.  After about 40 seconds (this seems quick but you are supposed to start small) I walked in and asked if she was ready to listen.  She said no and proceeded to get out of the chair, so I placed her back in the chair and repeated that she needed to stay.  40 seconds later - I asked her again if she was ready to listen and this time she said yes.  So I helped her up, and she went about her business. 

 

Later that day after her nap (a generally grumpy time of day for her) she got really upset about something and said, "I sit in chair."  I wasn't really sure how to react, but I walked her in and sat her in the chair and again left the room.  She calmed right down and eventually I heard her voice call to me, "All better now mommy."  I was still in disbelief that my almost two year old child got the concept so quickly and recognized that she was out of control on her own, and literally put herself in time out.  It's worked quite well since then, sometimes she asks for a time out, and I of course put her in time out too, but she always calms down right away.  So for now, it's working.  It's not that she never throws fits now, and always minds me because of this, but if she gets out of control, it really does help her collect herself.  We may have to adjust as time goes on, but I'm pretty proud of her.

 

Some of Sierra's favorite activities right now include playing with play dough (sometimes we do this 4 or 5 times a day), throwing a ball up and down the driveway, coloring, pretending to make me soup, sandwiches, and tea in her kitchen, reading, and going to town.  If I say we are going to go to town she is headed to the door to find her shoes.  She loves going to the park, grandma and grandpa's house, or even just to the store.  And she has gotten a lot better at staying in the shopping cart instead of wanting to run wildly through the store (daddy does play chase with her in the aisles if he comes along though).  She's growing up in so many ways and I am so proud of her.  There are many things I want to hold onto forever though.  She is such a little love bug and I dread the day that she doesn't want me to hug and kiss on her.  She is generous with her I love you's and recently started stating "Oh mommy wuvs me"  when I squeeze her.  It was so special when she started being able to say that she loved me, but for some reason the first time she uttered those words, I had to try hard not to bawl.  After all isn't that what we as parents work so hard for - for our children to realize how much we love them.  So when she whispers those words, I just want to hold her there forever.  I hope that no matter what life throws at us in the years to come - that she will ALWAYS remember that her mommy (and daddy, and grandparents, and great grandparents, and aunts and uncles, and soooo many people) wuvs her so much!