Fairies

Annie said that Fawn - the animal fairy- taught the other fairies her talent of riding on dogs.

Half Birthday Fun!

Annie celebrated her half birthday on October first (for those of you that don't do all the crazy birthday things that our family does- a half birthday is 6 months after/before your real birthday and another way to celebrate you!) Annie wanted a new teddy bear and a Tinkerbell doll for her birthday. She got a bear from Build-A-Bear (see previous post) and then that evening we surprised her with chocolate cake (two and half candles to blow out) and the whole set of Disney fairy dolls. She was thrilled! There was a catch though- she only got to take Tinkerbell out of the box right away, the other dolls she had to earn by making it through naps and bedtime without the paci that she had just given up that morning. The dolls were a great incentive to keep her focused on relaxing without the paci! She earned all the dolls without too many tears and is currently loving playing fairy dolls with anyone that will join her!

Anna Bear

October 1st was Annie's half-birthday. Turning 2 1/2 seemed like a great time to take the big step of saying good-bye to the paci, so Mommy and Annie decided to do something special with the paci. Annie said she would like a new 'brown bear with a pink bow' for her half-birthday, so Mommy took her to the mall to make a bear at Build-A-Bear. Annie chose a soft bear with a sweet smile and then stuck her old pink paci into it's paw before filling the bear with fluff. She loved making the bear and immediately named her 'Anna Bear.' That afternoon when Annie wanted a paci for her nap I reminded her that she still had it in Anna's paw, but that she didn't need to suck on it anymore. She squeezed the paw and seemed comforted... About ten minutes later she was screaming at Anna Bear and begging me to cut off her paw. Five minutes after that meltdown she was quietly apologizing to Anna Bear and back to squeezing the paw and snuggling the bear. She hasn't needed the paci since that day-- 16 days later and it looks like we are finally getting past the paci! Yay for Annie!

Farm Field Trip

Annie and I went on a recent field trip to The Farms at South Mountain in Phoenix. We met my photography group 'Snap Happy Moms' there and had a delicious fresh lunch and beautiful (but hot) tour of the farms. Annie got to see a pumpkin patch with the pumpkin blossoms still bright yellow, and she got to play with some great friends. The baby in the picture is Annie's little friend Arabella. It was a great day of exploring with friends!

Sid the Science Kid

"I'm lookin' for my friends, I'm lookin' for you..." Annie dances along to the "Friends" song on Sid the Science kid. She doesn't watch much TV-- less than an hour a day, and typically will only ask to watch Sid. The only other show she ever watches is Sesame Street- but that is only when Mommy is burnt out on Sid! She loves to play that she is Sid, too. Annie will want me to act out scenes from the episodes that she requests to watch over and over again!

Annie's Very First Haircut!

Annie got her first haircut on Friday, September 24 at a cute place called 'Snip n Snap' near our home in Surprise. She went with Mommy earlier that day to watch Mommy get a haircut and told Mommy, "When Annie gets my haircut they will put a haircutting dress on me, too!" So, she was happy to wear the cape and watch her own haircut in the mirror later that day. They also gave her many distractions, such as: a movie of her choice, a sucker, a fun car to sit in during the haircut and the promise of a super cute hairdo- complete with glitter hairspray. She loved it!!

Daddy's Softball Game

Daddy Ben started his softball league in the middle of September. Annie loves watching him and cheering him on! She knows that he is number 41 and enjoys yelling his number and saying, "Go Daddy, GO! That's my Daddy!" She also likes her own little softball glove and ball that she brings to play catch with friends. It is purple and yellow and has Tinkerbell on it! It is super cute to watch her interact with the kids hanging out at the games-- she is such a little munchkin compared to them!