It's the Loud Toys...

that seem to be the favorite ones to play with right when the dog is barking and the phone is ringing and I am trying to get dinner on the table.

BUT...it is worth it to see two little sisters laughing and playing together.

This toy makes me laugh.  Dennis and I may have even pressed the button on it a few times after the girls were in bed!

Thanks, Lolly and PopPop, for Vivien's new toy! She (and Amity) LOVE it!

That's Amore!

Our busy Saturday began with the three Grovers going in different directions. Dennis left to serve as the substitute administrator for Saturday School, I went to work the bilingual table at the Mesquite Job Fair, and Amity went to play with her cousins Eli and Eiley at her Aunt Becky and Uncle Dylan's house.
The afternoon found us back at home with naps for Amity and me and lawnmowing for Dennis (he says that is relaxing for him!). Later, Amity and I made our first trip to Newflower Farmers Market and we loved it! We found blackberries for 79 cents and lots and lots of other great deals.
While our dinner was warming in the oven, we took advantage of the beautiful sunshine and freshly mowed lawn.

This dinner, Chicken Tetrazzini, was a first for me to make but it scored big with Amity. As you can see, she likes those noodles (note the one she is wearing on her eyelid and the one on her belly...so much for that bath!). She also liked the blackberries and broccoli and green peas. As her KK says, she just likes!

Take Good Care of My Baby

Aside from the thunderstorm raging outside, there was something else unusual going on in the Grover house on Monday night. Miss Amity was NOT sleeping well! She would awaken and cry but would not take a bottle and didn't want to be held. Around 11:30, I hauled her pack and play into our room and placed it next to my side of the bed in the place it used to be in her first few months of life.
In the process of setting up the pack and play, I laid Amity in our bed next to her daddy. Amazingly, she perked up, sat up, and began jabbering away like it was the coolest thing ever! Her mom and dad laughed for a minute but were not prepared to spend the whole night this way! We put her in her bed next to ours and, with occasional pats on the back through the night, we made it to the morning.

However, in the morning, we discovered that our Little Miss was running a fever and had a very gunky nose and bad cough. I stayed home from work (I usually work on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) and called Dr. Moore. Shortly after 10:45 a.m., we found out that Amity had one of those infamous ear infections that we thought we were going to escape in her first year of life. Thankfully, we have discovered that she loves the pink stuff (Amoxicillin) and it seems to be working.

Since Tuesday, we have been sleeping well once again...

and Amity has been practicing taking good care of her own babies! Well, "good care" is relative for an almost one-year-old! I promise that she did not learn how to carry a baby this way from me!

Just like Michael Jordan, tongue out to the side as she prepares to "dunk" the baby into the stroller!

This hold is a little more like what I have tried to model for her.

And then we regress!

Thankfully, Amity has enough love for more than one baby. The girl has got a LOT of love to give!

And we're walking...

...sort of! After KK told us about a special Fisher Price walker/doll stroller, I found one on ebay that was being sold locally for $12.50. We picked it up this afternoon, and after a fabulous dinner for three, Amity had the chance to try it out. Besides an initial topple on the first try, it seemed to do the trick! Here is the video of Amity taking her first assisted steps!

A night of firsts

Dennis and I had a date night tonight and invited our favorite little person to join us for dinner at Red Robin. Amity had quite a few firsts!

First time using/eating crayons

First time ordering something off of the kids' menu

BEFORE

DURING

AFTER (Yes, she did eat all of that mac 'n cheese!)

First free balloon from a restaurant and first lesson from dad on static electricity

Tiny Bubbles

Spring Break 2009: Amity's First Trip to the Zoo

Amity was so excited this morning for her first trip to the zoo. She couldn't stop smiling on our ride down I-30.

Throughout the past week, her teacher-parents have been doing a few things to "build background" (shout out to Dr. Bob!) about the zoo. We visited the pet store to get a new battery for Paco's collar and, while we were there, peeked in on some of the critters in their cages. We also borrowed a DVD from the library about a visit to the zoo.Based on this prior knowledge, Amity arrived at the zoo today expecting to see animals like the gorila,
the meerkats,

and some giraffes.
However, she wasn't expecting to see anything like this:

Of course, other zoo-goers were not expecting to hearanything like the noise that Amity's daddy loves to make when he is around pretty much any animal. He really had some of them thinking that there were some rogue animals calling out from the trees.

It was a beautiful day to spend with cousins...

and with PopPop and Lolly! I think we may have worn them out!
Amity snuck in a short nap too... but she was wide awake when we entered the Children's Zoo where she petted a bunny, waded in the water,

slid down a slide with Mom,

and took a family picture.

Yea for a perfect first trip to the zoo!

Spring Break 2009: Lunch with the Tías

Amity is blessed to have lots of tías in her life. Gloria is one of these tías. She is responsible for cleaning the office area at Dennis's school in the afternoons. As she and Dennis have developed a very sweet, Spanglish friendship over the past three years, we have enjoyed treating Gloria and the other ladies to lunch during our Christmas and Spring Breaks since they are still hard at work. We always make the same thing: lasagna, salad, bread, and trifle and they are always very gracious to act like they like it! They gave Amity lots of hugs and smiles and helped her (and her Daddy) work on some Spanish vocabulary!

Spring Break 2009: Playtime with Ella

A girl needs at least one friend with really great hair who can inspire her to reach her full hair potential. Thankfully, Amity already has the perfect hair-friend in little Miss Ella and they were born just 8 days apart. Amity's playdates with Ella just keep getting more and more exciting and, apparently, Ella's hair is more and more inspiring!
Here are the little munchkins on their first outing when they were just a few weeks old.
We got together for more fun times back in August when they were almost four months old and full of smiles.

Today, we could barely keep them still for a picture! See how Ella has influenced Amity's hair?

Is there anything cuter than smiling girls with hairbows?Ella wowed Amity with her ability to stand by herself and cruise from one piece of furniture to the next. Unfortunately, Ella took a tumble once in the process so Amity is thinking that she will keep her feet firmly planted for a little while longer.

The squishy blocks were some of the favorite toys enjoyed by these two very flexible little girls! Just love those little legs!

Thanks to Rebecca and Ella for a fun play date!

Spring Break 2009: Relaxing at GDaddy & KK's Farm

Spring Break 2009 is here and we have a busy and fun-filled week planned! First of all, we headed "over the Red River and through the woods" to GDaddy and KK's farm for a long weekend.

These are some pictures from a visit over a year ago when the G (my car) was still with us and GDaddy was still working his magic with all of the landscaping.

Amity definitely remembered GDaddy and KK who were waiting with Lassie when we pulled up the drive. They whisked her inside and she didn't even shed a tear about being away from Mom and Dad which is quite unusual these days. As the weekend progressed, we were pretty convinced that she actually preferred being held by GDaddy and KK!

Life on the farm is pretty much sleep, eat, and play (at least while we are there) and that is how we like it. We attended church on Sunday and hung out at the house in the afternoon and evening. Amity really enjoys all of the toys that GDaddy and KK have inherited from their friends and family.

One favorite toy was this musical chair. We would place Amity in the seat and then she would very gingerly crawl out.

Apparently, my watching American Idol and Dancing with the Stars when I was pregnant has impacted this little girl with some natural rhythm and a love for all things musical. She will break out with some snazzy dance moves if she hears just the hint of music coming from anywhere nearby.

Sometimes, she likes to combine instruments to produce some newer, more exotic sounds!

On Monday morning, we visited the Amish furniture store where Dennis and I always like to dream about future purchases. Monday afternoon was spent outside with GDaddy's petting zoo (one collie, two beagles, some guinea fowl, some cows, and some horses). We are still learning the exact number and names of the guineas, cows, and horses!

Tuesday morning, we woke up, donned our green to prevent any merciless pinching, and said good-bye to GDaddy and KK. Thanks for a great visit!

After more than five hours in the car, Amity was still giggly! I think she likes her new seat!