Constant fun

Lately, Annabelle has been repeating everything I say. Most parents would be thrilled that their little one is learning new words and improving their method of communicating with words. I, too, am excited to hear Annabelle increasing her vocabulary, although it's come back to bite me in the behind. I don't not swear, but I do have my little phrases that I say when I get frustrated or I mess something up. That phrase is, "Oh, shoot!". I never yell it or say in a mean way. It usually is said under my breath, and yet, little Anabelle has picked up on it. She tries to say it as well, only it doesn't quite sound the same. Instead, it sounds like a 4-letter word that starts with the same two letters. I had no idea that Annabelle paid attention to things I said to myself. I was seriously mistaken. I was so embarrassed when I was with another woman and she asked Annabelle a question and her answer was, "Oh, sh--!". I guess I'll really have to watch I say.

One of Annabelle's favorite games these days is playing "seek", meaning the second part of the game hide-and-seek. She loves for me to hide and then come find me. She doesn't yet get the idea of her hiding and my seeking her. It's hard to get her to give me a few seconds to hide. I have to put her in my room and close the door most of the way, but not all of the way because she doesn't know how to open doors and would be stuck in the room, and then run as fast as I can to my hiding spot because she doesn't wait any time whatsoever once I leave. I think she's starting to understand that she needs to wait until I call her. It's pretty funny to watch her look for me. Usually, she walks right past me and doesn't see me. She is really good at remembering all of my past hiding places and so I've had to get really creative. One time, I think Annabelle was trying to hide. She went over to her laundry hamper, dumped out all of the clothes in it, and then pulled it over her head. It was really funny. When she heard me laughing, she started charging at me and chased me all around the upstairs for a full 20 minutes. I was laughing so hard that it was hard for me to run away from her.



Annabelle is also really into helping with anything I'm doing. It's usually not a problem and I enjoy her help. She hands me dishes in the dishwasher to put away, throws things in the trash for me, and helps do the laundry. It's not always welcome when I'm trying to prepare a food dish. She stands on a chair at the kitchen counter and plays with anything she can get her hands on, including food, or she also likes to throw everything on the floor. The other day, she was "helping" me make dinner by crumbling up the goldfish she was eating for a snack and throwing it on the floor. Thankfully, she was just as willing to help me clean up her mess.



Here are more pictures of other things Annabelle likes to do.



She likes to carry my purse around, or here, she has a little backpack she likes to wear.


She received a puzzle box from great grandma Ellen and has put it to good use.

Here, she has a ladybug on her hand. You
may not be able to see it, but Annabelle was
very interested in it.