Valentine's Day

All dressed in hearts on another unusually chilly day, we ventured out to the park to enjoy what little sun we have had lately.

Visitors from the North

I am finally getting up some pictures from earlier in the month. Now that Caterpillar Girl is a year old, I had thought to end the blog. However, protests have made me change my mind. The blog will continue but there likely will not be as frequent posting.



My aunt, uncle, and cousin came down from New York in time for Caterpillar Girl's birthday. It was great to see them again. I hadn't seen my cousin for something like 20 years. Glad we could all be together again with the newest little family member.

Happy Birthday!

Caterpillar Girl is one year old today! We had a family get-together over the weekend to celebrate.

Caterpillar Girl in her birthday crown that I made.

Homemade bunting decorates the park pavilion.

Playing with Granddad

Daddy pulls Caterpillar Girl in the new birthday wagon from Ahma.

There's not even any cake on that plate yet!

mmmm! Here's the cake and it's deeee-licious!

Gifts are fun to open.

I love books. They are great to hold and chew (and I like when Mommy and Daddy read them to me too.)

Walking around with my ball...

Enough with the crown already.

How tall am I? Measuring on the new growth chart made by Mommy.

Running away with the card from Aunt M.

What fun! Learning to count with a gift from Aunt M.

Making a plaster handprint to remember my first year.

I Have Hair

Finally her hair is long enough to get "bedhead" after a nap.

Party Dress

Caterpillar Girl is walking all over the place now. This weekend, she went to her friend's first birthday party, toddling in her fancy party dress, anklet socks, and maryjanes. She loves to hold someone's hand to walk along.

But she can walk along all on her own, just as well.

She had a wonderful time playing with all her friends.

The birthday girl read her a little story.

And she shared a balloon with another little friend.

Meet Molly

Our beloved Meghan passed away just before Christmas, and she is much missed. We adopted a new dog, a 13-month old that we named Molly. She fits right into the family. She came from a puppy mill and needs a lot of love and attention to get over former neglect, but we know she'll get it from us. The SPCA called her a terrier mix, but we think she might be a schnoodle (schnauzer/poodle mix). Either way, she is a sweetheart and Caterpillar Girl enjoys having her around.

Working Out

Caterpillar Girl joined a gymnastics class at the YMCA a few weeks ago. Right from the start, she loved the freedom of crawling in the large space, pulling up on the beams, bouncing on the trampoline, and watching the other tiny gymnasts.

Plus, she turned out to be a showoff. At the first class, she was being shown how to get off a high mat on her belly. We had been practicing getting off the couch for a few weeks so she plopped right down impressing all the other mommies.

The past three days, she has been letting go of furniture and taking a few toddling steps, so this past week she zipped all over the gym with their walker, causing more gasps. She laughs and sparkles at all the attention.