She Loves the Barney Song

When she hears this song her undivided attention is put on it. Can't say the same for myself...

Hi! Remember us? We know it's been a long time, and we have no excuse. Alana is still being such a great child. I think we say that tongue in cheek, because her energy level is picking up by the day; no wait, buy the minute.

Currently we have increased energy and 10" of snow to keep us locked in the house. Pair that with minus 20 degree wind chills and you get a recipe for cabin fever. Time to figure out where to take a child while it's freezing outside!

Alana gets faster by the day. She's getting better at watching where she goes, but would still walk off a cliff if you don't watch her. She just loves to throw any size of ball (or anything that resembles a ball) around. That too is getting stronger, so you better beware if she comes towards you with an object. You'll wear it like a hat without the right defense. She also loves to bounce on everything, and that includes mommy and daddy if given the chance. Then there's "dance dance", "jump", and "spin". All fun. All dangerous.

She really wants to talk, but her language is just not quite comprehensible yet. She'll mix in a word here and there but you have to listen for it. Force her to say "da da" or "ma ma" and you'll get it. Other than that she just looks you right in the eye and fires off some random babble. I think we're supposed to understand it but we don't have a clue. It's awfully cute though, and I'm not quite sure I want what's coming out of her mouth to come out as words I understand.

Halloween was great. She was wondering why we were leaving her on people's porches and running away for the first couple of houses, but after people came to the door and gave her candy she quickly caught on. After that she wanted to go up to every house we walked by. She had a blast. We have been having swimming lessons every Saturday morning and she loves the water. If she'd eat more she'd be warmer! As you can see by the picture, Santa isn't her favorite quite yet. I have a feeling that will change right about 7:00am Christmas morning...

If we don't get out here before Christmas, we want to wish you all a great holiday season. With Alana in our lives, I know we are looking forward to this holiday in a whole different light. May you all be blessed with family, friends, and relaxation during this time of year.

And most of all, take care of each other.

Lora, Michael, Alana