Pumpkin Sneak-Peek!

Because we are headed to Denver this weekend, we had to carve our pumpkins a little early. Taylee wasn't sure what to think of it at first. She quickly caught on and began to enjoy pulling

the pumpkin seeds out. Then putting them back in! It became pretty frustrating for the rest of us after just a few minutes. ;)

She was a little freaked out by the pumpkins once they were carved. This is no surprise, as she has been terrified of any and all halloween decor that we have encountered this year. The witch on the neighbors porch, the vampire in the restaurant lobby, the halloween decor at Lowe's . . . It has been difficult to say the least. I'm not sure how trick-or-treating is going to go. Looks like it's Trunk-or-Treat for us!

Believe it or not, we took this photo in the dark, with only the candles for light. Oh, yeah, and the flash.

With a little chocolate bribery to persuade her, we finally got a photo of her with the finished product . . .

Babies for Babies

Taylee's fascination with baby dolls has reached an all new level recently. She is consumed by caring for her baby. She feeds it - cereal, crackers, yogurt - whatever Taylee is in the mood to eat (strange . . .). She styles the babies hair, or lack thereof, with bows, combs, and gel. She even tries to do "ponies" like mommy does in her hair. The problem now is that she has found a new, or should I say, old, babydoll to love and dote upon. While visiting nana's house Taylee found a babydoll from my childhood to play with. This babydoll is hideous. It has freaky eyes that are supposed to open and close, but are stuck in a creepy slit open stare. It has clothes, but Taylee likes to take them off (constantly!), so it's bright pink cloth skin highlights the gray cyanotic tone of it's plastic head. To top it off, I think it may be growing mold or something foreign on it's head. I have disinfected it, so at least it's clean mold. ;) When we tried to remove it from Taylee's care and replace it with her other babies she quickly shot us down. Why? Because she "wuvs her." Guess we're stuck with an ugly baby because our baby wuvs her.

Big Girl!

Taylee was so proud of herself for getting her dress on all by herself today!

Her 1950's hairdo, however, is just a little bedhead ;)

Poopy at Mimi's

Recently the discussion of potty training has been a frequent topic at our house. Taylee is showing signs that she is ready - alerting us to poopy, hiding when she does number two, asking for diaper changes. She LOVES to sit on the potty, but never actually goes. She sits for about 30 seconds then announces "done!" Unfortunately, when she really does have to go (as evidenced by her hiding in the corner and stiff-arming anybody who comes near her), she wants NOTHING to do with the potty. Not sure where to go with this dilemma . . .
But the funny part of this post is her ridiculous poopy behavior. A couple of
weeks ago Taylee was at Mimi's Cafe with her grandma and grandpa. Nana and Poppie arrived to pick her up, and it seemed nature was calling. The whole family got stuck in the lobby at Mimi's for 20 minutes while Taylee completed her business. Even better, she insisted on standing in the middle of the doorway, and stiff-armed anyone who approached. Umm, awkward?! She caught on to the fact that we found this amusing, and has been telling me "Poopy at Mimi's" ever since.
Sadly, we had a repeat event over the weekend. We were dining at Red Robin on Saturday night, and it seemed the poop monster was back for another visit. Because we were still at our table, Taylee made it her business to do her business in the middle of the aisle. No amount of coercion on our part would convince her to abandon her position. Despite our embarassment, it was pretty comical watching fellow customers, servers, and busboys making their way around Taylee while she pooped in the aisle. Here is another high quality photo from my phone, of Taylee in the act.

Like Mother Like Daughter and Other Random Thoughts . . .

Taylee is really taking after her mommy these days. She has developed quite an affinity for candy and chocolate. She knows that mommy often has chocolate in her purse, and she sees right through me when I try and deny it. Recently in the car she told me "mommy, chocolate please." I told her sorry Taylee, no chocolate. She replied "mommy- chocolate purse! Hand me Taylee!"
Anybody who knows me knows that I don't go anywhere without my iPod touch. I really like to play Words with Friends. Some might say I am a little obsessive. ;) Taylee finds it and says "mommy ah pod!" Now she has found a little pink calculator (the case on my iPod is pink), and she calls it Taylee's ah Pod. I'm sure she will be asking for an iPhone before first grade!
Her vocabulary is really growing, and she is speaking in sentences now. They don't always make sense, but they get her message across. "Taylee sit on de table. Watch Skyler, daddy." "Taylee pink football. Can't find it?!" It's nice to see that although her pronunciation is a bit lacking, she is progressing appropriately in her ability to communicate.
Each day brings fun new adventures to our home. We can't wait to see what the future holds!

Sophisticated

After 2 1/2 looong years my handsome son Skyler got his braces off today. We are thrilled with the results! His friends at school told him he looks 'Sophisticated.' What do you think?

Pre-braces

Today, before the BIG event

And the Grand Finale!