A Great Big Sister-to-be

We have been trying to prepare Alli for the arrival of her baby brother for a while now. And even though she would lift up my shirt when we asked her where her baby brother was, I was pretty sure she had no clue what that meant 'cause occasionally when asked, she would show us her own belly or even her daddy's. But, just recently I'm starting to think that maybe she understands a little more. She will kiss, hug and lay her head on my belly (sometimes unprompted which I absolutely love!). She also recently started playing with her baby doll, and insisted that I wrap it in a blanket which is strange 'cause to my knowledge she has never seen a baby be swaddled up. She was definitely pleased when I swaddled the doll though and then wanted to rock it. Anyway, I think she is going to make a very loving and caring big sister and a great little helper as well. She loves to throw things away for me, helps empty the trash from the bathrooms, and even assists with putting the new trash can liner on- something she just started doing one day. I know I've done enough bragging, but I just feel so blessed to have such a sweet little girl full of so much personality. I feel like I just can't love her enough. Can't wait to meet her brother and find out what kind of personality he will have. I have a feeling I will love him just as much :-)

Baby brother are you in there? You can come out now!

How do you eat an Oreo cookie?

I don't know about you all, but Alli likes to pull her Oreo apart and scrape the filling off with her teeth. After that she smashes the chocolate wafer against her mouth until it becomes mushy and what doesn't make it into her mouth is left smeared all over her face, hands and arms. Not fun to clean up, but I'm pretty sure Alli thinks it was worth it! I have to say it was pretty fun to watch too!
As for me (in case you were wondering), I'm a milk dunker, but as a kid I would twist it open and lick out the filling before eating the chocolate wafers- mmmmm! And I know a cousin of mine whose son saves a little piece in his hair for later after his mom fishes it out :-) How about all of you? Comments welcome as always!

What a healthy snack mom!

Dement Family Photo

I'm guessing this will probably be the last Dement family photo of 3! As you all know we will soon be the Dement family of 4 and I'm hoping that family photo will make it to the blog very soon. Awaiting our baby boy.... just waiting.... and getting bigger by the day.... trying to be patient.... trying to stay comfortable.... becoming more anxious.... oh the joys of being 9 mos pregnant :-)

Day trip to Corpus Christi

We took a family day trip to Corpus a couple weekends ago, and while we were not well prepared since it was a last minute idea (the morning of to be exact), we all had a great time. We visited the Texas State Aquarium during the heat of the day and then headed to Padre Island National Seashore for the evening where Dwaine fished the surf and Alli and I played and walked on the beach. I found 2 whole sand dollars- still fuzzy actually! I didn't even know they were ever supposed to be fuzzy, so I wouldn't touch them. I had Dwaine come over to look, and he said that's the way they look when they are still alive, so apparently these hadn't been washed up for long. I thought that was very cool (and I'll actually touch them now that I now they don't have mold or something growing on them).

Alli absolutely loved playing in the water- so much so that she would have just walked out there until the water crashed over her head if we let her. Dwaine says her face actually lit up with excitement the first time he took her into the surf. You gotta just love those moments as a parent! She also enjoyed chasing seagulls and collecting seaweed.

Dwaine caught enough whiting to feed us for the next evening. I don't guess you would call it a completely successfull fishing trip, but it was enough to give him the "bug" and now we're shopping for a "beater" 4x4 beach/ranch vehicle so he doesn't have to steal my 4x4 everytime he goes somewhere. The mustang doesn't work to well for those purposes as you can imagine.

Well, I guess that's enough details for one blog posting... now here are some pics from the day. The beach pics are on the 35mm and hopefully will make it to the blog before too long (the digital camera didn't like the humidity). These are from the aquarium.

I loved the sea turtles-they just look so cool and I'm sure they speak in that dopey surfer accent just like the one from Finding Nemo!

Dad and Alli watching the sea otter flip and play in the water.

Mom (with Thomas at 8mos in the making) and Alli checking out the sting-ray and shark petting tank. Can't wait to come back next year when Thomas can enjoy it outside the womb!

Corpus Christi...Amen.

(just a little inside joke for my dad)

Puffy cheetos and water guns... what more could you ask for?

At the baby shower that my friends recently had for me, my friend Esmy had set up a kiddy pool for the kids. They also had plenty of big puffy, curly cheetos and of course, water guns too. Everytime I looked at Alli she had cheetos in her hand as well as all over her face. She had a great time with all the other kids and couldn't have cared less about where I was at any given time. I guess a little socializing is good and I'm glad that she is starting to figure that out too! I thought this picture of her was just too cute not to share...

First boating experience

We took Alli out for her first boat ride over Mother's Day weekend. It took me a while to get the pics up b/c they are 35mm pics, so I had to finish the roll, get them developed, scan them etc. Anyway, finally they're on the blog! She had a great time on the boat and loved anytime we were actually moving accross the lake. I think she likes the wind through her hair and maybe she's a little bit of a thrill seeker. She did not like getting in the water however. I have to say I was with her on that one 'cause it was still quite cold at that point. Hopefully, this will be the first of many fun-filled family boating trips. Chili was even along for the ride. He however prefers the boat to be sitting still :-) He's not nearly as brave as our little Alli.

I think I could drive this thing, don't you daddy?

Gotta keep those sun hats on! Don't we all look cool :-)

Yeah, I have to say this is fun...

Give us another year or two and we'll have her in the tube behind the boat. Let's hope she thinks that's even more fun!

Alli & her cuz

Alli and her cousin Lainey. Don't they just look so sweet!

Mirror, mirror...

Mirror, mirror on the wall who is the most adorable of them all....
I have been trying to get Alli to let me put a bow in her hair lately 'cause she actually has enough hair to do that now (barely). And maybe then people will quit telling me what a cute little boy I have :-) Of course as soon as I put it in, she takes it right back out. So I took her to the bathroom mirror to show her how pretty she was with it. When I lifted her up to the counter top, she took a seat in the sink. And then she decided that was so much fun that she didn't want to get down. So I let her play in the sink for awhile and she was so distracted that she left the bow in her hair the whole time! Now when we go in the bathroom, she always wants to play in the sink. I however don't find it fun to sit in the bathroom with her, so most of the time she doesn't get her way which leads to a temper tantrum, etc. but you don't want to hear about all that. Whew, toddlers sure are fun sometimes!

See, doesn't she just look so cute!
Hey mom!
This is so much fun! Who knew?
What's down there? Where's the rest of me?
Yep, that's me alright! I do look good! But as soon as I'm done playing up here, this bow has got to go!

Any of you mothers of little girls out there who know how to get them to start wearing bows in their hair, I'm open to suggestions! (hint, hint Rebecca, Stephanie- I know Julianne and Autumn always have accessories in their hair- tell me your secrets)

Quack, quack!

We took Alli to the duck park in Boerne a couple of weekends ago and fed the ducks. Everytime she sees a duck- a real one, a decoy, a picture of one, a stuffed animal duck, her duck tub, etc. she says "quack quack"! And sometimes when she sees other birds (the flamingos at the zoo, for instance) she still chimes in with a "quack quack". I started to correct her, but then they starting honking and they actually did sound quite a bit like ducks- how do you explain that to a 15mos old. A duck is definitely not the only animal noise she has learned, but by far her favorite and most consistent. As a matter of fact, we've almost got the whole farm down, not to mention a few jungle animals. It's amazing how all of a sudden things are clicking and she is picking them up so fast- amazing to watch! Anyway, here are some pics from our outing...

A little too close for mommy's comfort. Dwaine has good timing with the camera 'cause I yanked my had away right after he snapped this shot!
Okay, so these are not the cutest ducks in the world- quite ugly actually. But, Alli didn't care.
Here ducky... we kept trying to tell Alli to throw the bread at the ducks, but she wanted to walk right up to it and have it take it out of her hand. That didn't happen, of course.
Alli always has to stop what she's doing to wave and say "hi" to the cars when they drive by. I still can't get her to do that with people that say "hi" to her in public. No, only for cars.
Alli decided she needed to eat some of the bread too, which would have been fine had that piece not just fallen on the ground, so Daddy had to take that one away.

We also got to see the fish in the creek and fed some of them too. Alli also loves fish by the way (we have two aquariums at home). She says "sishes" everytime she sees fish. I guess we'll have to explain one of these days that the plural to fish is still fish, but I don't think she's ready for that lesson just yet :-)

GOTCHA day for Lainey!

Alli's cousin Lainey became an "official" member of our family this last Tuesday!!!!! Lainey has truly been in our family for well over a year, but this was the actual adoption day (or GOTCHA day as adoptive parents like to call it). The court hearing was short and sweet, but oh so meaningful. I'm so grateful that Alli and I were able to be there for it. Lainey, we all love you so very much and are truly blessed to have you in our family.

Lainey with mom & dad (April & Russell), big sister Maddy, and the judge

The whole happy clan from L to R: Lainey's Grandad, the caseworker, Great Aunt Elaine (Lainey's namesake), Gavin on Pawpaw's shoulder, Aunt Marcie, Aunt Julie holding Alli, Grandma, April, Russell & Maddy... and sitting on the judge's desk- that of course is our precious Lainey who was too busy ripping the gavel in two pieces to look at the camera! Good thing the hearing was already over by that point :-)

Bathing Beauty

As you can see, Alli has been practicing to be a swimsuit model. I must say, I think she's doing a fabulous job- she's got those moves down. Sometimes, she even wears a swimsuit :-)

We still need to work on the expressions a little, but I think you can tell she was having a great time anyway.

Easter!

Alli really enjoyed her first Easter egg hunt. After we showed her what to do with the first egg, we pointed her in the right direction for the rest of the eggs, and she would promptly pick them up and put them in her basket. She must have been thinking "I don't know what this is all about, but it sure is fun!" Oh, and of course she enjoyed the candy too- yes, we gave our 1 year old candy, but Daddy ate most of it. She just got a little sample of it each day until it was gone. By about the third day after Easter, she had figured out where we kept it and would point and ask for some each morning- does somebody have a sweet tooth like her Daddy? We'll try not to let that become a habit!

I must have done something good to deserve all this!

Alli with all her eggs after the hunt! And Chili checking it out.

Look what I got Daddy!

Mmmmm this sure is good stuff!

Mom and Alli

Spring is here!!!

Last weekend, we took a family day trip up to Marble Falls to visit Grandma & Pop (Dwaine's folks). Along the way we stopped at the Exotic Animal Park and petting zoo in Johnson city. I wasn't sure if Alli would be old enough to enjoy it, but she proved to me that she was! They pulled us around the park behind a tractor in a caged trailor with bench seats. The llamas, camels, zebras, buffalo, assorted deer, emu, etc (you name it) followed us around begging for handouts and they got plenty of them. Alli would get so excited and bounce up and down pointing when they would come near, but she was none too happy when one of the animals got a little lick of her hand. That was too close for her- she quickly pulled back and gripped onto daddy for dear life. It was hillarious. Then we visited the petting zoo where she finally warmed up to the animals enough to give them a little pet on the back. I'm sure we'll be visiting again when she's a little older and when baby brother can join in on the family fun!

While in Marble Falls, we were hoping to find some oppurtunities to take some spring bluebonnet pictures, but because we've been a little (or a lot) lacking on the rain this season, there were very few to be found. We found a spot to take a few scenic pics with some bluebonnets here and there, and they turned out great. But, because I was so used to taking pics in fields of blue as a kid, I would be satisfied with nothing less. So, we made a little detour on the way home through Fredericksburg to the Wildflower Farm (a little irrigation will get those wildflowers growing- not exactly wild anymore, but you get the same effect). Anyway, I was very impressed with the farm that included a butterfly house and fields of different varieties of wildflowers. I think it would have been even better if we had waited a couple of weeks as many of the flowers were just beginning to bloom. Anyway, I got the pics I wanted!

Doesn't she just look beautiful? Ok, so I'm a proud mommy, but you gotta admit that's pretty darn cute!


She sees a car going by on the nearby road! She just loves those cars!!

As most of you know, it's hard to get a 14mos old to look at the camera when you want her to- especially when she's surrounded by flowers that are oh so pretty! That's ok, I love candid shots!

I know some of you are wondering why there are no pics of Alli at the animal park(or maybe you weren't). Anyway,we decided to use the digital camera for video footage while we were there and busted out the ol' 35mm for the still pics. Still need to get them developed (remember when that was the only option- ahhh sweet technology). Maybe when I get them back, I'll scan them in- we'll see :-)

Here kitty kitty...

We have discovered that Alli absolutely LOVES cats. She spots them from far away and gets overly excited when she sees them. We don't have any cats, and I'm not much of a cat person, so I'm not sure what the fascination is about, but whatever. I guess some cats are cool and if she likes them, that's fine with me. Well, there were some cats wondering around at the wildflower farm. And upon spotting one, Alli promptly climbed out of her stroller, and the chase was on!

"I'll just take refuge in this tall field of flowers," the cat thought.

"Kichika (that's kitty cat in Alli speak), where did you go?"

"Are you in there?"

" Oh good, I found you!"

As you might know, the cat was less than thrilled when she found him and made a quick getaway shortly afterward. She probably would have continued to look for it, but daddy and I put an end to the chase- that cat was long gone by that point :-)

Alli & her friends!

Alli had a playdate with a few of her friends last week. The plan was to swim in the baby pool, but because the sun never broke through the clouds, we found other things to do. I think all the kids had a great time anyway and they ended up spending the majority of the day together. Although I think they were all exhausted by the time the playdate ended, we made it through the day without any major breakdowns. Pretty good!

From left to right: Alli(14mos), Carson (9mos), Blaine (14mos), and Callie (10mos). Aren't they adorable? OK, so Callie was not too thrilled with the wagon ride (I think she wasn't sure why she had to share her wagon with everyone).
Alli and Blaine- being the same age, they seemed to have a great time together. We'll have to do this more often. Too bad Callie lives way accross town- sure is a fun place for the kids to play!

Grandma & Pawpaw's visit

Grandma and Pawpaw came to visit Alli a couple weekends ago and we all had a great time! Alli really loved having them at her house and got some good bonding time in...

This is Pawpaw performing his famous flip trick that he does with all his grandbabies (and used to do with his own kids too). As dangerous as it looks, they all love it and usually beg for more! Alli wasn't too sure about it the first attempt or two, but once she relaxed a little and actually let him flip her, she realized it was quite fun!
Wow Pawpaw, you were right, that is fun! Grandma and Alli chillin' on the hammock.
On Sunday, we took a trip down to Nana's and had a great visit with her also. A little bonding for Alli and Nana too!

Wow, what a great visit! Thanks for coming out Grandma and Pawpaw. We really enjoyed our time with you guys. Love you very much Grandma, Pawpaw and Nana!