Ireland's First Day of Nursery

The fabulous nursery workers in our ward invited Ireland to come a week earlier than her official 18-month birthday. They try hard to help kids assimilate and so have parents come with on the first time. I was home sick so I missed it but Brent tells me it was immediately apparent he didn't need to be there. Ireland was perfectly happy although supposedly she rushed the snack table when the time came. Aye de mi! That girl has an appetite!!! A few weeks ago she actually heckled the priesthood when they were passing the sacrament because she wanted more bread. Anyway, Brent tells me she's good to go to nursery from now on.

Oh how I love these guys!

Oi

Before you ask "What was Danika doing?" when you view these photos allow me to explain. In general, I don't believe in toys. They cost money, make a mess and stunt imagination. Not having a load of toys for my girls also motivates me to get out of the house and do things with them. As such, the girls are pretty good at coming up with their own entertainment around here. Ireland really likes to play with the pots and pans and shut herself in the cupboard. Hearing her bang around in the kitchen isn't unusual.

Apparently Brent did some rearranging a few days ago. He moved the cake flour from high on a shelf to inside one of the lower cupboards. If Ireland gets into anything, it's the cereal... she's never even attempted anything else. Also, Liesel is a pretty good snitch. Not much goes down without my knowing it around here. All these things created the perfect storm.

I'd heard the banging of pots and pans for the last 10 minutes or so when Liesel was suddenly by my side. "Uhmmm, Ireland's makin' a MESS" reported my favorite informant. She often says this when Ireland had just pulled a few pots and pans out onto the floor. Still, I thought I'd better check it out and was met with this scene:

When I pulled out the camera Ireland immediately cracked a smile and said "CHEESE!" as if she were so very proud of what she had done.

As the video shows, Liesel also aknowledges when Ireland "cleans up" so I guess she's not a total snitch! Oi, anyone know how to get cake flour out of a tulle skirt?

Radio Flyer Love Part II

While visiting Jim and Vanessa I found yet another reason to love Radio Flyer products. They had this little airplane scooter which was just perfect for Ireland.

Seriously So Cute

I'm continually amazed at the little things Ireland is picking up here and there. My jaw dropped when I called Liesel in for bedtime prayers and Ireland solemnly folded her arms. She's so chubby, she can usually only grab one elbow.


Admit it, the video makes you smile, doesn't it?

Tip Toes

Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?

~Robert Browning

I Am Baby, Hear Me ROAR!

From the city of "da Bears" and "da Cubs", here's our little bear cub.

Tutu True

If you can peak around the sippy cup, you'll see her shirt says, "Tutu Cute" on it. Now that the weather is warm and humid, I've been dressing the girls in their tutu skirts a lot. They're just as cool as shorts but easier for changing diapers. Liesel has thinned out a lot but Ireland's pretty much bum and belly which makes her tutu puff out all the more in the back. So sweet!

The Entropy of Cake

We celebrated Ireland's birthday a day early. In my family we call that "Birthday Observed." Sort of like how there's a Martin Luther King Jr Day and then there's a Martin Luther King Jr Day (Observed). Following tradition, we got her a cake. I found the most adorable one with shamrocks and a little pot-o-gold on top at Whole Foods.

Ireland took just a second to check out her dessert.

Then she tried a little of the green icing...

...and some of the chocolate mousse that made up the pot-o-gold.

She tried putting the mousse in her hair...
...and happily realized Mom and Dad wouldn't intervene in her fun.

Then the lightbulb went off.
Ireland kept holding the sides of the cake as if to say, "This WHOLE thing is mine!"

She couldn't have been happier.

Mom cleaned the highchair while Dad cleaned the baby.

Another Ireland Update

Like her sister, Ireland prefers to be naked. Changing her diaper has become a battle of getting her to stay still. I found that playing with her feet keeps her sufficiently entertained while I work like mad to keep her covered. Here we are just playing. LOVE her laugh!!!

Not that life is a barrel of laughs. No two ways about it, teething is a nasty business!

Grandpa is WAY more permissive with the girls when it comes to handling electronics! He feels he's giving them early exposure. I think he's also currying favor. You may remember he was the same with Liesel.

Usually my sewing machine is kept in the desk but I was working on a couple of projects. Ever the resourceful girl, Liesel discovered it was the perfect size for her. Ireland discovered Liesel's discovery, much to her delight. A Liesel in the Box if you will. Can you hear Liesel demanding her "privacy"? There's nothing in the world like seeing my girls play together!

Baby Steps

Ireland took her first steps today. I was stooped over holding onto her when she just decided to take the plunge. She left my hands and did a quick but calculated one, two, three. Then she fell forward on her hands, her little bootie in the air. Ireland's pediatrician told us she would likely walk early and as my mom puts it, she's as "sturdy as a piano" when she's standing. It's exciting although I don't want to lose my baby just yet.

Even if she's walking she's still technically a baby since she has no teeth. Right? Right?

Ireland Update

Liesel is developing at such a breakneck speed I feel like my posts on Ireland are a bit lacking. Not that Ireland isn't making strides of her own! It's just that her strides are a lot less verbal and harder to blog about. To make up for my neglect, here's a few things Ireland is up to of late:

She loves gerkin pickles and can practically suck one dry:

She loves watching for people out the window. Grandma and Grandpa always waved to her as they were coming and going. She'd bounce up and down and bang on the window:

She likes taking Liesel on (with a lot of help from Dad):

She gets a lot of compliments on her name:

She's an absolute doll and I'm so happy I can be home with her. I love watching her learn and grow along with her sister.

Army Crawl

I received a request from my sister to get video of Ireland doing her army crawl. She can actually crawl like a regular baby but seems to prefer this method. Both of her big toes have blisters on them from doing this. Believe it or not, she can really haul when she wants to. From behind it's cute to see her little bum shifting rapidly from side to side. Sorry some of the video is shaky. Liesel was hanging on me.

Marie Antoinette

Marketing companies for baby products really deceive the American public. They lead you to believe babies and children are perpetually happy, loving and most of all, CLEAN. They aren't. Usually they have some mess on them somewhere that good parents try hard to prevent. I guess that's why I really love my girls when they're fresh out of a bath or shower. Their skin glows and they're happy and loving. I was actually going for a bubble afro when I gave Ireland a bubble bath but this was the result:

I think she likes the look!

First Words

To my surprise it wasn't Mama or even Dada. Ireland's first words were boo boo. Bright and early this morning I was hanging out with the girls in my bedroom when Liesel started jumping up and down saying "BOO!" to make Ireland laugh. She responded in kind with her own "booooo... booooo". At first I thought it was a fluke but after a few minutes it was clear she was trying to communicate with her sister. I love that her first words were a result of their interaction.

Now we're working on Mama :)

Dancing Queen

My mom often dances in the kitchen when she was in a good mood (which is pretty much all the time). She noticed Ireland really enjoyed it. Mom and Ireland often end up in matching outfits like they were on this day.

VROOM! VROOM!

After weeks of army crawling (with surprising speed might I add), Ireland seems to have her sights on a new form of movement. She's started the engine and her foot's on the accelerator.

Stay tuned for race results!

Ballet Lessons

Ireland had a major blowout on the way to the outlet mall in Park City. It was the perfect excuse to frequent the Gymboree for a fresh outfit! They had these ballet onesies that I couldn't resist. When Whitney saw her in it, she decided to pass along some of her wisdom:

Tragedy/Comedy

Since she was born, Ireland has occasionally made this exaggerated frown when she's about to fuss. I've wanted to capture it on camera but I always seem to just miss it. Lately she's been making the face less and less. I was fortunate she happened to make it while we were taking some last family photos at the Boston temple:

It makes me just want to hug her!

Capturing her laugh has been equally as difficult. I finally had the camera handy when she went into a laughing fit with her dad. I've watched this over and over.

Tickled Pink

Ireland was in gales of laughter while I ran around the house like crazy to find the camera. I got it just in time to catch the tail end of the fun. Seeing my sweet so sweet husband with our girls makes my heart feel like warm butter sliding down hot toast. Ireland's laugh is absolutely music to my ears.

This weekend was the annual Wooden Soldier outlet sale and per usual I spent way too much on their lovely dresses. How can you resist when something that's typically $200 is marked down to $25? One of the dresses was chocolate brown and pink which perfectly coordinated with the shoes Liesel got for Christmas, and the bow, and an outfit of Irelands. I couldn't wait to dress the girls for church today. Unfortunately our time block is 11:30-2:30 and by the time church is over Liesel is climbing the walls for a nap. We snapped just a couple of quick photos.

Ireland was in a bit better mood:

For Reggs

This post is intended for an audience of 1. My sister chastized me for not posting enough photos of Ireland. She has a point, we haven't been nearly as diligent as we should be. Tonight I took some video that I hope makes up for my negligence a bit. Enjoy!