Stepping Along

Well, its about time that I blog about Peanut's new accomplishment. Walking. Yes, as I predicted she would walk by the time she was one year old or sooner. Peanut has been walking for about 6 weeks now. However, now she is walking like a birdie! It is so sweet to see her waddling along in the backyard to catch up with a ball. Sometimes she even puts her arms back as she leans forward. Maybe it can help her 'catch' the wind and glide through the grass or on the carpet!

Along with walking she has accomplished a few more advancements. Peanut loves the attention she gets when someone says "SO BIG!!" She raises her arms to the ceiling and shoots out a huge smile from ear to ear. She also enjoys saying words like "nigh-nigh" (night-night) and sometimes I can get her to say 'momma' or 'dada.' However, her favorite word to say is butterfly (babr-bye). She'll say that all day long if possible. Another milestone is climbing on everything. She is very adventurous and steady. She climbs onto folding chairs, uses the kid couch to climb onto a big couch, stands on and rides on little 'grasshopper' indoor bike, climbs up our staircases (with a worried momma behind her), tries to climb the ladder on the swing set, and climbs on the end of the slide to slide down by herself. Peanut likes to give Hi-fives, she'll wave bye-bye sometimes, and clap when you cheer her on. She is a go-getter at 11 months! Lookout everyone here she comes.

I must say this past 11-1/2 months have literally flown by much to quickly. I hardly had a chance to absorb everything she has accomplished yet and more to come. I love how she learns so quickly. Her brothers and sisters definitely have helped pave her way but, boy, she sure knows things that they didn't teach her. I cannot wait to see how this next year of her life goes. I look forward to more accomplishments, little Peanut!

Road Trip

We were ever so lucky to travel to visit my dearest best friend, Bek and her loving hubby, Shawn and their adorable little babe, Anika this past weekend. We tried something different on this trip. To avoid Chicago's traffic we left MN in the evening so Mr. Lugnut could drive all night long and the little nuts could sleep for almost the entire trip. I know Walnut got the most sleep compared to the rest of us. He is such a great sleeper, what a lucky guy! The rest of us woke up on and off. I felt so bad for the middle seat rider, Hazelnut. She had the hardest time finding comfort as she slept. Peanut was also struggling to get snugly, waking every few hours with a moaning cry of discomfort. I would lean over and stretch across the seat to rub her cheek. Poor sweet pea, at least that helped ease her back to sleep. I got little bursts of sleep here and there, maybe a total of 5 hours which definitely not the needed amount. On the brighter side, Mr. Lugnut stayed awake! Yahoo, right!!! We made it safely. The 12 and 1/2 hour drive took only 11 hours!

We had a wonderful time hanging out with the Fiest family. We felt at home at their new beautiful house in Midland, Michigan. Our kids were in love with all of Anika's toys. Someone else's toys always seem to be a "prize" in their eyes. The weather was warm and humid so we were able to enjoy the swingset and slide in their backyard. The kids had a blast showing Anika toys and giving her lots of love. The adults had fun, too. We played with all our little nuts and also had some time to play card games. Also, the guys were able to get in a few games of MTG. Bek and I were able to chat while enjoying all our little ones. Oh, I cannot forget to mention the food! Just ask Almond about the food, she will tell you all about it. Our bellies were well fed. We had a great time with such awesome friends and gracious hosts! Thank you!