Sun

This was probably last month sometime. The sun has been out a lot lately. We had been eating and sitting on the pitch a lot to enjoy it! Shelby loves to be outside :)

A Starbucks Birthday

My friend Kristina and Marianne both had birthdays last week. They are the MOPS Co-coordinators a d it just so happened that we had a Steering Meeting on Thursday. I thought it would be nice to do something special for them so I made these wonderful cupcakes that were filled with an expresso cream made from Starbucks French roast coffee. I found the idea on Pinterest an thought it was too cute!
I also made caramel macchiato's for everyone at the Steering Meeting. I just used a little sweetener, 3 TBS caramel, 3 TBS heavy cream and coffee. Then topped it with whipped cream and a shaving of dark chocolate. Yum!
I also secret contacted the rest of the steering team to put in a few hula each to get them each a Starbucks gift card. Kristina and Marianne ended up with $37 gift cards!
I'd say it was a successful birthday surprise! Even more so because I didn't ruin the cupcakes!

Time for a move

I can hardly believe that we've been in Washington just about a year now! Time can go by so quickly. When we first moved here we had just a few short weeks to secure a place to live and since we didn't really know the area yet we had a hard time deciding. After A LOT of driving around and searching we settled on a very nice apartment complex in a good area. We have really enjoyed living in "undisclosed location" and have been happy with our accommodations but we feel a little cramped in an apartment. Plus, a yard would be so nice for Shelby to have a space to run around and play pretend (see earlier post)!!!

Our lease is up May 22nd and it's time to start house hunting!!! We have already begun the search. Saturday Jason worked 12hrs and us girls stayed busy looking at 5 potential rental houses. We've been looking at some duplexes and houses. About 1,200 - 1,500 sq ft and 2-3 bedrooms. I've been on Craigslist constantly and looking for "For Rent" signs all over town. I've seen some wonderful options that are in the low end of our price range which is great. I'm nervous about finding the perfect place but excited to get settled in something more permanent.

So for now that's what is keeping my very busy. I've really enjoyed driving around and hearing Shelby's sweet comments from the back seat about everything we see! 

Pretend Lands

I've been noticing that when Shelby's off playing by herself lately she plays pretend. Like this morning I was putting on my makeup and she was playing with my makeup brushes, etc. She was holding them up, "walking" them around on the counter and not only talking to them but for them. At one point she got really into it and the eye brow brush was telling the toothbrush something very enthusiastically! Then the tongue cleaner got in on the convo too! TOO CUTE :)

I love every new stage of her growth and development! She's so smart and has the sweetest personality!

Oh, Shelby!

As usual this morning Shelby was arguing with me about what outfit to wear. She NEVER wants to wear what I pick out. Sometimes she'll tell me that the outfit I picked is dirty in an effort to not wear it. Well, today she took that to a whole other level!
She tells me, "No! I can't wear that. It's dirty. It has poo poo on it." She said this very matter of fact. LOL!

Cuss Word

Shelby has officially said her first bad word! That word is...."stupid".

The first time Jason and I heard her say it we stopped talking and looked at each other inquisitively for a moment. Then proclaimed, "Did she just say what I think she did?" Sure enough she was saying it in the correct context (______ is stupid) and she was clear so I guess she did say it. Oh, Shelby!
Now I hear her say it a few times a day. I have to stop, ask her what she's talking about and why doesn't she like it. Then I tell her that she's not talking nicely.

We've officially hit what I'm calling the "Parrot Phrase". She has just recently started repeating EVERY word we say. Her enunciation isn't quite there yet but we know what she's saying alright.