Music Class

Every Friday for the past 10 weeks Alivia and her cousin Presley have been going to music class. They sing songs, listen to music and play instruments. Alivia has really enjoyed going and as the weeks went by she really started showing an interest in it. Above is a picture on our way to our last class. Alivia is showing you her new cheerleader pose.

Here is Alivia playing with the parachute at music

Alivia playing the bells with her long legs

Another picture of her showing me she can play the bells

Having Fun at Home!

Alivia as you know it learned to crawl a few weeks ago. Well since then she has not stopped exploring her limits. She loves to stand next to everything like her toys, crib, chairs and the sofa. She also has figured out how to climb up the step by our front door.

It has been so much fun watching my little baby grow up into a big girl these past few months. It's so crazy how fast it goes. My little baby will only be a baby for 2 more months then I guess once they turn 1 year old they are considered a toddler. She has definitely been a blessing and the best thing that has happened to our little family. Maybe if you ask Sampson he would tell you different, but he will soon grow to love her. Speaking of Sampson, Alivia loves to watch him fetch for his ball. She thinks it's so funny so I will have to get it on tape and put it up.

A day at the park!

Every Thursday Alivia and I meet up with her cousins and aunt at Edinborough park in Edina. It gives the kids some time to run around and play with each other outside of our homes. Presley, Jack and Alivia have really enjoyed playing with each other. Jack is so good about taking time out to help Alivia down the slide or just sit and play with her. Presley is just a crazy lady and runs around.

Jack hanging out with Alivia in the little kids area
Alivia just blowing some steam off

Alivia thinks mom is so funny

Presley giving "Allie Baby" a hug

A Touch of Spring!

It's finally here!!! Well I guess a few days of warm nice weather doesn't mean spring is here, but we can pretend and enjoy it. Alivia and I were so lucky to get out to the park the other day and enjoy the 65 degree day. This was her first time swinging and going down the slide and she loved it. We both are very anxious for the weather to stay nice to go to the park more and go on walks. I hope this summer she enjoys running with mom like last summer. So we can only hope that warm days are here to stay!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Alivia.

Weekend with friends

This past weekend Alivia had some friend over and they had a great time playing. Carter Bentley came up to visit from Iowa and stayed all weekend and the two of them just had a blast. On Saturday Samuel Friberg stopped by and we grilled and played all night. It's so fun to see them all interact with each other. Alivia likes to play by herself and just kind of watches everyone. Samuel is all over wanting anyone and everyone to play with him and Carter is the big boy who is into everything.

Big girl Alivia hanging with Lindsay who is always ready for a picture.

Check out Carter who is getting so big. He loves electronics and anything with buttons.

Oh Sam just couldn't get enough of the pretty pink scooter. Mister dare devil himself standing on everything. The boy with no fear.

Oh Lindsay the perfect auntie to Samuel and Alivia.

All the kiddos getting dinner together.

Each kid with different personalities, but when is comes to food they are all quiet and sweet.

Baby vs. Dog

Alivia just loves Sampson now and thinks he is so funny. Alivia likes to go after his collar and his tail when she can. Maybe Sampson is the one teaching Alivia her growl. I am glad to see Sampson is being so nice to her and doesn't mind the occasional pinch or pull on the ear. Poor Sampson thought his life was over when we brought Alivia home for the first time and now he is thinking he finally has someone to give him attention.

Weekend with Grandma, Auntie and my Uncle

Alivia was so lucky to have visitors this past weekend. Her grandma Varley, auntie Courtney and uncle Chase came up to visit. We had a great time playing and showing off my new crawling skills. I even got to stay up till 9pm on Friday night to hang out with everyone.
Saturday we hooked up skype so now we can talk and see everyone when they are needing some Alivia time. We also headed to the Mall of America and did some shopping. I think everyone had a great time and we look forward to seeing them again!

9 months old!

Today Alivia turned 9 months old! A lot has happened this past month not only is she growing, but we are eating big girl food and crawling. Alivia had her 9 month appointment and weighed in at 19 lbs 9 oz and 29 1/2 inches so we are getting big. This past month we have gone from baby food to big girl food. Some of our favorites are grilled cheese, pancakes, toast and jelly, carrots, black beans, bananas, oranges and list goes on. It's a good thing we have all those teeth to eat with.

Another big accomplishment is we are crawling as you saw in the earlier post. She just figured it out and loves being able to get to her toys on her own. We also have been pulling ourselves up on our table toys and in our crib. Speaking of our crib Alivia has figured out how to sit up when we wake up. So the first of that was sooooo much fun. She would do it at night thinking it was time to get up and play and also at naps. So we have been adjusting to this slowly.

Alivia hasn't said any words yet, but sometimes Clint and I think she is saying "hi" or "daddy". I think all parents do this so it's okay. We do a lot of babbling such as "babababa", "naw naw naw" and some others I couldn't even begin to know how to spell out. Alivia is going to be finishing up her music class she has been taking with her cousin Presley. I wouldn't say she's the top of the class, but she has enjoyed the music and playing with the instruments. I guess that is all on our little princess...

Were crawling!!!

My little baby is finally crawling! The last few days she has really been showing an interest in wanting to go get things and today was the day she went after it. The day before we turn 9 months we are on the go go. Alivia has been pulling herself up in her bed, coffee tables and toys and to think she could be walking in the next three to four months is crazy to me. Where did my baby go. Oh well I guess that means off to new big girl milestones!

New favorite thing...

On of our first favorite things is playing with Sampson (our dog). Alivia has really been interested in him and wanting to grab, play and get in his face. She thinks he is really funny and sometimes likes to roll over him (see above). Alivia's personality is really starting to show which makes our days more interesting each day.

Another new favorite thing is reading books. In the last few days Alivia has really enjoyed flipping through them while I quickly try to read what's on the page. She really likes her Curious George book. It has parts that you flip open to see what's behind so it makes it more fun. We usually do this each morning and before naps...