loves swimming!

perfect depth for swimming!
but she still wouldn't keep her head out of the water...so after too many gulps, we had to cut our swim date short.

painting and peanut butter sandwiches

THIS is what Peanut Butter looks like in the hands (and on the face) of a true artist!

she was really into her work, but paused to take bites of her paint-covered sandwich (she never put the snack down!)

turn up your volume! you don't want to miss her "yes".. or the random honking....and watch closely for the many faces of nani. Several appear in this short video!

Topsail Beach in July

t

first beach trip of the summer -- we spent 4 days relaxing on the sand, splashing in the ocean, napping under the dock, and eating really good food! it was great.

didn't think she was supposed to make that face till she was 13....awww, DAAAAAAD!

good-bye to beach...good-bye to beach...good-bye to beach....sing good-bye.

the famous elmo jammies

aiyana is simply fabulous. that says it all, really. she's sweet, yet tough when she needs to be.
outside is her favorite place to be, though she also loves to be home, and tells us this by chanting: "happy home. happy home..."
she's headed to the beach tomorrow for a much deserved vacation. she works hard.
in addition to elmo, she's also discovering "princesses". ...since mommy had to work (at home) extra last week, and daddy was out of town, we had to hire the furry red baby sitter to entertain nani a little more than we would have liked to. she even began saying: "all done elmo"..i thought she'd had enough of the little guy, but we realized she was "all done" at precisely the same point in the movie each time -- when the greedy mean guy lands in grouchland. i can remember jenna not wanting to watch the sea witch in the little mermaid, either. brought back memories.
anyway, i realized we've been absent from the blog for some time now. again. blame it on facebook.

pool party!

i can't believe i forgot to post these pictures until now! we had such a great time swimming with our church when we went to the pool.
nani caved to the peer pressure and decided to jump right in the pool when she saw the big kids doing it! she's been a little cautious this swim season until this night....she even tried out the water slide and couldn't get enough!

a bit about aiyana

some things you might not know about nani:

favorite color:
she's beginning to favor the color PINK
when i offered her a bowl of strawberries in a blue bowl, she LOUDLY protested "NO!"
then, she went to her drawer, chose a PINK bowl, and brought it to me.
I said: "Did you want a pink bowl?"
she nodded, smiled, and said, "Pink".
today, she again showed preference for a pink cup at breakfast.

i thought she was leaning toward the color GREEN, since she can identify the green trees in the book. She is also beginning to identify other colors when we ask her to "point to the blue", "point to the red", etc.

favorite celebrity:
elmo!!!
now, this is a little surprising since she doesn't/didn't watch TV. However, her friend, Parker, LOVES "Mo" and has "Mo" toys and a DVD. Aiyana carries the DVD case around and says, "watch elmo. watch elmo".
Well, Nani now has her own "Mo" DVD's which she watches a little bit at a time, mostly when there is housecleaning to be done.
AND, most sweetly, Daddy bought her a cute pair of elmo pajamas which she WILL NOT let go of! She didn't even want to let go of the pants so we could put them on her! (pj picture coming soon)
elmo has influenced nani in one other way. She has developed an attachment to her blankets. We watch "Elmo in Grouchland" in which Elmo loses his beloved blanket and spends the movie singing about and chasing his blanket.
Since watching Elmo with his blanket, Nani is dragging her blanket out her bed with her and around the house. She plays games with her blanket (like "peek-a-boo" and "cover-my-head-and-walk-around-crashing-into-things" -- that game's pretty funny!) Last night, she covered her potty seat with her blanket and sat down on it. That was wierd.

my sunshine

i think nani looks like sunshine in this swimsuit.

"you are my sunshine" has always been my song for her. even before she was born.
today, we swam at the "waterpark" at the Y with Parker and Metabelle. We'll try to go twice a week, since we're there anyway, and the girls loved it! Nani will need a new suit with sleeves, since we polished off a tube of sunscreen on her bare back (practically)! It was easy last summer to keep her delicate shoulders covered with a swim-T.
So, how did she take to the waterpark? I guess this was her first "waterpark" experience. It's a nice zero-entry pool with fountains and waterfalls. I've gotten use to seeing them. We've been so spoiled in the past with Lifetime and Brier Creek swim club! Nothing like that here. But it was all new to nani! And nani's mommy didn't have to keep both nani and parker (14mos) afloat! That was the best part. All were free to roam (within arm's reach of course!)
nani was cautious at first. She hasn't been in a pool since last summer. Probably doesn't remember the experience at all. So, she lingered poolside for the first hour with her feet in the water and mostly below her knees. Then, she spotted the waterspouts and ran over to them! (We're working on "walking-feet" at the pool, now!) She stuck her arm in the spray, which of course got mama pretty wet and that was pretty funny. repeat repeat repeat. once she got her head wet by mistake, she was all in. This is going to be one wet-n-wild summer!

mountaintop father's day

so pretty

thanks, auntie em!

thank you for sacrificing your white derby glasses. they are truly bringing joy to your niece. and they're still intact! if mommy dares to try to wear them, to say, drive...nani demands/requests them be returned to her.

here, zeke! give these a try!



excuse me? those would be mine. thanks.
isn't she too young for such a 'tude?

chicks are so confusing.


enlarge this pic and take a look at her face!

Brookfield Zoo

daddy, you have a little something right...there.

daddy. it's still there.

nani knew just what to do at the butterfly exhibit. She sat down, posed for a pic, and smiled!

A day at the zoo always ends with a good bath.
This is the traditional sink bath in Papa's kitchen sink.

Indiana. take 2.

nani loves her Papa and Great-Grandmother

but, grandma, i NEED to stay and watch this T.V. at gymboree

nani's 1st corn-on-the-cob! she LOVED it! we will definitely be getting some corn handles!

nani loves her cousins! she spent the day at the Indianapolis Children's Museum with Eden, Evie, Grandma, Auntie Brenda, and mommy

and one, and two...

so THIS is how she gets those "guns"

she has such a dramatic "stink" face! Papa Walker wanted to pick the prettiest roses for nani.
.....
It's time again for our monthly update. Somehow a month always seems to sneak by between postings, (it's actually June 22, I just edit the date for my "scrapbook"!) so this should be a big one! We have done A LOT! Baby Jaxon's shower was May 30, and then we went back to Indiana the next week just to play.

"Cinder-nani" (named after her auntie, "Cinder-emmie") liked sitting amongst the cinders during most of the festivities of the baby shower.

"hey, nani! you got your tickets?"

"to the gun show?"
......

nani knows baby showers = lots and lots of leftover cake!
nani doesn't eat much cake (or sugar at all)...but she worked VERY hard for auntie shelly's baby shower. she earned a little sweetness. she was climbing on grandma to get a few bites. "mo? mo? mo?" "peas? peas?"

doesn't she look like a pro? (on the bike, not the cake) this was her first ride on a trike. she could almost keep her feet on the pedals. she just needs a little practice.

just needed her "elmo" (not the fuzzy red guy, "elmo" = "helmet")
but sometimes, "elmo" = "elmo", the fuzzy red guy. more on that obsession later.