This, that and everything else

Since I'm so behind on blogging, I have a lot of miscellaneous photos lying around.  Many are too cute not to share - which means you are lucky enough to get a photo and video dump post!  Here are some of our daily adventures throughout the winter.

On a cold and stormy day, Abby and I got creative.  I brought out the paints and A took to it with ease.  She loved the paintbrushes and sponges.  I had to quell my inner artist and not go crazy when she just smooshed all the colours together into a brown mess.  She seemed to like it.  Many of you may have already received a card with Abby's masterpieces on it!

So many December and January birthdays.  Colouring cards.

Winter meant a lot of colouring time.  Abby loves her crayons and stickers.

Abby decides Daddy's package needs some stickers!

Abby really pays attention to all we do and tried to mimic us.  We have to be careful now!

A still loves her books.  She loves you reading them to her, and will request you read to her first, before any other activity!  I love to hear her "read" to her animals and babies.  Her favourite books she can almost recite word-for-word.  She's too smart sometimes!

That's A, naked reading a book! Morning routine.

Abby got lots of cool toys for Christmas and her birthday, which is great because she's starting to really develop the ability to independently play.  She loves creating things and then destroying them too.

And this is usually the aftermath of a day inside!

I think A's trying to tell me she wants to go outside.

Even though it's cold and snowy, Abby is very much an outdoors kid.  She loves going on walks, loves her winter boots and does not like being cooped up inside all day.

Her most frequent request: Make a snowman - or "'noman" as she says.

One things we found out though, Abby was not a fan of tobogganing.  Too bad.  She'll learn to love it!

Winter also means football!  Abby enjoys watching sports and eating popcorn - although, I suspect it's more of the latter than the former!

We always love when family visits.  We had a great visit with Great Nana.  Abby made sure that Great Nana read books and danced with her.

In fact, there's always time for a book - especially "Jillian Jiggs"

We also love our weekly playdates with Kaitlyn!  The two girls have so much fun together, and Susan and I get to kick back a little and enjoy a coffee while the girls act silly.

A also loves K's sister, baby Emily!

Dad bought a new sound system, and we tried it out with the Batman movies.  Abby was "kind of" a fan, until it became too scary.

January also ushered in the longest streak of colds we've ever had.  Starting in California, Abby and I were sick on and off all winter (and into the spring!).  It was horrible; the only good thing that came out of it, was lots and lots of cuddles.

A makes herself comfortable to watch some TV.  Silly girl.

This is what happens when D thinks it'd be cute to leave my b-day card in A's crib!

Safe to say, she's my daughter after all - she loves chocolate.  Especially, mommy's birthday cupcakes.

Winter also means training starts in earnest again.  D and I both swam again this year.  D participated in the Burlington Swim meet and did very well.  A and I had just come home from California, so I didn't compete.  Abby love watching the swimmers.  I think she would have jumped in if I let her.

A string of -30C weather led D and I to miss our treadmill access we had in the condo.  So, D being Dustin, decided we needed a treadmill in our basement to round out our "Pain Cave" (a.k.a. our basement furnace/storage room).  I must admit, it was very nice having the ability to train while Abby slept, especially on D's swim nights.  It meant I could get a lot of training in, without freezing too.

Making the most of nap time!

My little runner has picked up on the fact that mommy and daddy run!  She will go to the front door, where I keep my running watch, iPod, hat, etc, and put them on so she can go running too.

As mentioned, Abby is a great observer these days.  She wants to be just like Mommy and Daddy.  She's begun to want a coffee (steamed milk) with Dad after work.  She was super excited when she was able to have it in a real espresso cup.  She also makes food in her kitchen for us all the time.

Daddy's teaching A to become a barista and a bartender!

Of course you need a wineglass with risotto.

Tantrums have begun!

I took this video a day or two after Abby had help me make cookies.  She had decided one morning that she needed to make cookies in her own kitchen and got all the ingredients out of the cupboard by herself.  "I got to get noisy.  Abby get noisy" - noisy is the hand-mixer.  "Abby need bowl", "I maybe cut chips", "I open this one and maybe open this one."  She's so funny.

Helping clean up her mess!

"I find Abby letter and Daddy letter and Tayson letter" (on our ADT security sticker)

Safe to say she's a fan of fruit shakes.  I can't make a shake without her wanting to drink it too, and getting it all over the place.