Aubrey Ann made the following post while saying “I’m checking email!” :

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Translation:  I love you all veeeeeery much!

My little one just woke up from her nap, and I am spying on her over the monitor. She just said, “Love Mommy, Veeeery much, Daddy veeeery much, PJ veeery much”, and then stopped talking. I think she went back to sleep! What a cutie!

Brandon and I recently purchased memberships for the three of us to the Chaffee Zoo.  We have gone twice in the last couple of weeks since getting it, and we already feel like it was a good investment.  Aubrey Ann absolutely adores seeing all the animals.  She especially likes the “G-raffes”, and LOVES to feed them.

All ready, lets feed some “G-raffes”

Whoa, is that his tongue?

Where did my leaf go?

Aubrey Ann loves being able to wander and explore, something Mommy and Daddy have only started to to let her do *occasionally.

She loves all the statues and posters of the animals, and this last visit to the zoo, the Flamingo’s stole the show.  Aubrey Ann watched them and laughed for a good 5 to ten minutes.  They just wouldn’t stop talking!

Here are a couple more pics from one of our special visits.

What a special way to spend some of our family days.  We look forward to many many more trips to the zoo with you Doodle bug!

During the month of January, Aubrey Ann was invited to her very first Princess party.  First, I must say that it never ceases to amaze me how drawn little girls are to all things girly.  Aubrey Ann adores princesses, and has never seen a Disney princess movie.  She was incredibly excited as we got ready to go to the princess party, and she kept saying “Happy Birthday Princess!” over and over.

Aubrey Ann’s two friends (who shall remain nameless as I am unsure whether the parents want their children mentioned on the internet) were dressed as beautiful princesses, and all the rest of the girls dressed accordingly.  Aubrey Ann felt particularly proud of her princess attire, which was her dress for my brother’s wedding.

When we first arrived, we all danced in a circle, while Aubrey Ann stood in the middle.  I am quite certain that once again, Aubrey Ann thought this party was indeed for her.  She would carelessly weave in and out of the circle as every one whizzed past.  She fell more than a dozen times, and quickly dusted her self off, and went at it again.

Then, snacks were laid out, where Aubrey Ann discovered her first Ritz Cracker.  Generally, the crackers I serve to Aubrey Ann are some sort of high fiber, low taste crackers, so the Ritz were a welcome variation.  Aubrey Ann happily ate atleast 5 crackers before Brandon and I told her it was time to take a break.  Imagine our suprise when we found our daughter happily munching ANOTHER Ritz, when we knew she had not gotten it from the table.  Yes, she was being the human vacuum cleaner.  Lovely…

The best part of the party was when Aubrey Ann and Daddy danced to “Cinderella” by Mark Shultz.  It was so beautiful, and I watch from the table with tears flowing.  The thought that it is quite likely that Aubrey Ann and her Daddy will dance to that same song on her wedding day was overwhelming.

So here are a few photo’s from that special party:

Aubrey Ann had a great time, and she spent the next several weeks singing “Happy Birthday” to princess.  It was adorable.

Here is Aubrey Ann and Daddy dancing to their song:

See Mommy and Aubrey Ann in the corner cutting a rug!

And the princess takes her bow!

What a beautiful party!  We couldn’t help but smile when we thought that someday Aubrey Ann might be having one of these princess parties!  She truly is a Princess of The King.

Here is a video of Aubrey Ann showing how well she knows her lowercase letters with her Mommy. This video was from last month, Aubrey Ann was 20 months old:

Mari Jo wanted me to add, that she feels bad that she seems really rushed in this video, but Aubrey Ann never lets us take videos of any of the stuff she learns, so Mari Jo was trying to hurry before Aubrey Ann got too bored!

Here is another video of Aubrey Ann and I doing some yard work:

Finally here is a video of Aubrey Ann making some valentines for everyone:

Thanks for letting us share! We are so proud of our sweet baby girl!

Last week Aubrey Ann and I went on a date night. She wanted pizza so we went to Chuck E. Cheese. When we got their she was overwhelmed by the flashing lights, bright colors and screaming kids. After we put our stuff down I asked her if she wanted to get down and run and play, she said, “No thank you.” I held her and we walked.

Back to our date night story…So we were walking around and went to the little kids area and she started saying, “Brownie! Brownie! Brownie!” I thought she might be hungry, but it was obvious that she was a “brownie” somewhere. I walked over until we found the “brownie.

Story Side Note: Aubrey Ann has a great memory. She remembers things that she has seen once just in passing. One day about a month ago while at home, Mari Jo and Aubrey Ann watched an episode of Barney (yes, that big purple dinosaur).

So if you hear Aubrey Ann say “Brownie ride” or “Brownie pushin’ da buttons” you’ll know what she’s talking about.

Today when we were having breakfast, Aubrey Ann said, “Fun date night, climbing up, pushin’ da buttons, ridin’ da brownie!”

Now that’s a good memory and something her and I will be doing again, real soon.

Here is the Brownie Ride. Aubrey Ann was too excited to look at me for a picture.

I have had 25 years of life lessons, some easy and some not-so-easy.  Not one of those lessons compare to what I have learned from being a Mommy.  So, I decided to make a list.  Mind you, I fully realize that I am young, and have only been a mother for roughly two years, so I realize there is A LOT (ok, ok TONS) left to learn, this is just a few lessons I have picked up a long the way in my short journey.  If you want to hear some  real life lessons, ask someone who has raised four or five kids, not a mother of one.

What I have picked up a long the way:

1.  Nothing is ever perfect, in fact the fun is in the imperfections.

2.  A messy face is WAY cuter that a clean one.

3.  I have never felt so protective of anything or anyone until I met my daughter.  When it comes to her, I cannot be held responsible for what I say and do.

4.  Spray and wash is my best friend.

5.  There are always more crumbs, everywhere.

6.  Every age is the “best” age.

7.  Being a good mom is the hardest job in the world, much harder than reigning in 22 five year olds.

8.  There is no better feeling in the world than when your sleeping child is on your shoulder.

9.  Nobody has all the answers.  Nobody is the perfect parent.  Chances are, what worked for someone else’s child will NOT work for yours.

10.  A perfectly clean house with a toddler inside is an impossibility.

11.  When I heard Aubrey Ann cry for the first time, something woke up in my heart.

12.  My daughter makes me think so much harder about the woman that I am, and the woman I want to be.

13.  I will never be the mother my daughter deserves, but that sure doesn’t stop me from trying.

14.  I will never be able to watch the news, read the newspaper, or see a homeless person without thinking, “that is someone’s baby”.

15.  I have never felt more fulfilled than when I became Aubrey Ann’s Mommy.

16.  Some of the things that use to be so important to me seem so silly now.  I could really care less about the size of my thighs, or whether or not my hair and make-up are perfect, I am much more concerned with how I look on the inside, and how that shapes my daughter.

17.  I love my husband even more now that I watch him be a Daddy to our daughter.  He is truly amazing.

18.  When your child is sick or hurting, you gain the supernatural ability to stay up all night, being vomited on, and never once think about how you missed sleep, or need a shower.  When your child is sick, that is all that matters.

19.  The days are long, but the years are short.

20.  On tough days, I often think of this quote “No one said it would be easy, they said it would be worth it.” and I now know it is so true.

As the days turn into weeks, the weeks to months, and the months into years, I often remind myself of this quote, and it helps me to remember to live in the moment, and to steal all the kisses I can:

Excerpt from Anna Quindlen’s All My Babies are Gone Now: “…But the biggest mistake I made is the one that most of us make while doing this. I did not live in the moment enough. This is particularly clear now that the moment is gone, captured only in photographs. There is one picture of the three of them, sitting in the grass on a quilt in the shadow of the swing set on a summer day, ages 6, 4 and 1. And I wish I could remember what we ate, and what we talked about, and how they sounded, and how they looked when they slept that night. I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing: dinner, bath, book, bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.”
God, help me to savor every moment.  These years fly by, and soon my baby will be all grown up.  Thank you for the precious gift of my daughter.