Family Photo time

Its that time of year - Christmas card time!  We all put on nice clothes and then set up the camera on the tripod and just kept snapping pictures until we finally had one where we are all looking at the camera and smiling.  

Expect your card in the mail in a few weeks.

Happy Holidays from Dexter!

Christmas Decorating

Yesterday I helped set up the Christmas tree and put on the ornaments.  I read some Christmas books and wore my Christmas pajamas to bed.  Today we are going to decorate the outside of the house. 

Colorado Trip

I spent Thanksgiving in Colorado with my friends Duncan and Aine McCall.  Duncan is 5 and Aine is 2.  We had tons of fun playing together and eating together.  

Since mommy and daddy slept in Duncan's room I got to sleep in the play room with Duncan in a tent!  This was hard to do because I would rather play with all the stuff than sleep so I ended up sleeping with mommy and daddy.  Still it was fun to play inside the tent.

Aine and I had fun doing puzzles together and having tea parties. 

 We went to a playground both days I was there.  Thanksgiving it was 70 and sunny and I played in shorts the next day it was 40 and windy and we had to bundle up.

Here is the whole family that I visited - Jon, Kristin, Duncan and Aine.  I had so much fun playing with them, I am glad they live only 6 hours away.  Kristin is getting deployed next year so I volunteered to visit them several times while she is gone to play with my friends.

Dressing myself

I am getting very good at dressing myself.  I can take off my shirt and put on a new shirt.  I can take off my pants and put on a shirt.... ok I need to keep working on the lower part.

Outdoorsman

Camping in tents (inside REI) or rock climbing around Albuquerque - I am a true outdoorsman. 

Bored

Grandfather left on Monday and it has been back to school since then.  Not to much going on here.  It is getting colder and darker at night so I have not been on many dog walks lately.

Grandfather is here!

I love visitors.  This weekend my Grandfather is here to visit me.  He brought me a present also, a train puzzle!  I really love to do puzzles.  Here I am solving it for only the second time.

iPad

I love my iPad.  I have so many fun games and movies on it.  I think apple designed it for a 2 year old because it is so simple to move things around or open up any game/movie I want.  I even know how to take pictures on it.

Christmas Shopping

I have been getting several toy magazines in the mail lately and several people have asked me what I want for Christmas.  So I thought I would go through the magazine with my markers and select all the toys I want for Christmas. 

Two and a Half!

Here is my big update on my many skills and likes over the past 6 months

Vital Stats:
Weight: 31 pounds Height: 36 inches
I am up to 18 teeth out of 20 
For clothes I wear size 2-3T shirts and pants, size 5 shoes

Skills:
Physically: I am great at pulling all my clothes and diaper off.  I can pull my pants back up, put on socks and zip my coat.  I can run well and can jump with both feet off the ground if I am holding onto something.  I can brush my teeth and wash my hands pretty well.  Potty training has improved recently.  Although I am not using the potty much I really like to take off my diaper right after I peed or pooped and then sit on the potty.  I prefer to pee in the bathtub than the potty. 

Verbally: My speaking has improved lately as well.  I am speaking more multiple word sentences like "what's that momma" or "no go home" (I say this after school when I want to go to the playground)  I call things by the noise they make instead of their real name, like meow is cat, roar is lion or tiger, etc.  I also babble and talk way more than I used to, so hopefully more words will be coming soon. 

Mentally: I know most of the colors and shapes.  I can point out several letters, my favorite is O.  I understand a lot of what is said to me.

Likes: I like to pick out my own clothes.  I often will not like your first few choices for me so I will end up in shorts, a coat, a winter hat and sunglasses when you take me to the supermarket.   I like to watch SuperWhy and play on my iPad.  I like to go for walks with my dogs and have been walking either dog on my own for a while now.  If I dont want to walk my dog, I like to pull an empty wagon during the walk.  I like to ask nicely for things by signing "please" - it works great for getting whatever I want!

Favorite Foods: Beans, Waffles, Grapes, Blueberry, Banana Bread, Bagels, Mac & Cheese, Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches, Chicken Nuggets, Fruit smoothies.  Favorite Drink is Chocolate Milk.

Dislikes:Being put in time out.  Nap time.  I don't like someone doing something for me - I have  a plan in my mind for what I want to do or wear so dont mess with it!

What is to come: Holiday season is coming soon so I get to go on lots more trips in the next 6 months.  Next week Grandfather is coming to visit.  For Thanksgiving I am going to Colorado to have turkey with Duncan and Aine McCall.  For Christmas I am going to Gram's house in Maryland to visit Gram, my cousins Ben & NIkki and my aunt Deb and uncle Joe.  Then next March I am going to Gainesville to visit my nana and grandfather while mom and dad buy another rental house in Florida.   I am going to be so busy!

At school I have 6 more months to master potty training.  You can't move into the 3-4 year old room until you are fully potty trained!

Winter hat

I love wearing hats.  I have a great summer floppy hat that I wear all the time but today it got really cold outside so I had to get out my winter hat.  The winter hat is nice but it doesn't block the sun, good thing I also enjoy wearing my sunglasses.