Lil' Smarty Pants

Today I decided it was time to share some of the amazing things Lil' has learned.

Her vocabulary is growing daily! Here's a list of her words....Dada, Mama, Baa(Belle), munumuna (banana), baby, hi, duck, moo, eye, whoa, yes, sister, book, bear, ouch, yeah, bath, and walk. Some of her more advanced words are....button (and she knows that they are on clothes and bodies) and Bapa (which is the same for Grandpa and Bampa) Her newest word is hat. She likes wearing them more now that she can say it. She touches her head when they are on and says "hat".

She also uses baby signs. She knows light, eat, and all done.

She has two friends, "Georgie" and "Duke" that she sleeps with nightly. She knows their names and is often heard telling them stories before she tucks them in bed next to her.

She will find things like her hat or shoes and some specific toys when asked.

She has learned to give "big hugs" and "kisses". She shows Belle affection several times a day by leaning her cheek on Belle's head. She is rewarded with lots of sloppy wet kisses in return.

She knows how to get off and on the couch. Getting on requires a shoe (preferably Mama or Daddy's) or a pillow, or toy to give her a boost.

She knows not to play with the buttons on Daddy's toys in the entertainment center. It took just one session of "time-out" to learn it is no fun so don't get caught touching the buttons and smile really cute if you do.

Learning, Learning Everyday

On Thursday of last week Lil' learned to get off the couch. Her Bampa's pant legs came in handy the first few tries but it didn't take long for her to get proficient at it all on her own. Then on Saturday Lil' and her Grandma Barbie spent some time playing with the blocks that Uncle Niddles made. Grandma Barbie would put one block down and then Lil' would put another one on top. She is also expanding her vocabulary everyday...This week she added the word duck and the sign for eat.

Here are a few photos from this week....

Yummy Biscotti from Drama

Drama called Mama on her birthday and gave her a super easy recipe for homemade biscotti. The recipe came from a dear family friend, Barbara, who used to teach home-economics. Saturday is grocery shopping day so yesterday Mama got the cake mix she needed to make them. Sunday Mama cooks while Mr. Eleven (Daddy) and Lil'11 play. Today Mama made a turkey dinner - we've had a coupon for a 14 lg. turkey since Christmas that Daddy got from his job at the airport. After the turkey cooked all day Mama mixed up the biscotti. After they cooled she tasted a tiny bit since she was still a bit full of stuffing and mashies. They were yummy!

Here's the recipe....

1 box cake mix (Drama has used carrot cake & yellow cake...Mama used Cinnamon Swirl Cake)
1 cup flour
2 eggs
1 stick of butter - melted
nuts or poppy seeds are optional. (Drama likes pecans!)

Mix up the cake mix and flour. Add the eggs. Melt the butter and add any nuts or extras to the butter. Add this to the cake mixture. Use your hands to get things all worked together. It will look a little bit dry.

Use a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper. Form the cake mixture into a rectangle about 14" x 4". Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven and slice biscotti desired width. Flip onto their side and put back in oven for 10 minutes. Then turn off the oven and leave them in the oven for 30 - 40 minutes.

Thanks Drama...Mama is definitely putting
this recipe in her binder of favorites.

We've Got Standing

Lil' 11 has kept us on our toes the past couple of days by being on her toes. She is finding it better to be on her feet than sitting down. Balance is a tricky thing to figure out and takes lots of practice. Mama, Daddy and Belle are watching and waiting for the first steps....which seem to be close.