yet another video

I have been meaning to share this video from this Monday I believe. But, I have been a little lackadaisical in my blogging I suppose...

This is just Holland being the silly girl that she is:


We leave tomorrow for our vacation to San Diego!!! I am sure that we will have tons of pictures and videos to share upon our arrival! I can't wait to go to SeaWorld and the San Diego Zoo with Holland! It should be a great time!

Catch up time

Well, last Tuesday Holland and I got back from visiting my parents, grandparents and some other extended family members. One might think that surely I would have had an update, at least a few pictures or a video to share before now. But, I have been known to procrastinate.

This first video is taken before we left, Holland in our backyard. Most days we spend at least a few hours outside, with the majority of her time spent going up and down our 3 porch steps and then just hanging out on the patio and her little picnic table.



This video is taken just a few minutes later. Holland is fascinated with the number TWO! She seems to show zero interest in pursuing her counting past the number two at this point however. Maybe next week :) Holland also displays some impressive jumping off the steps moves in this clip.



And this one was taken at my parents' house. Holland was dancing around and spinning and making herself dizzy. It makes me dizzy just watching it!!

Rocking with friends

This weekend we had a great visit with my childhood friend, her husband and their 2 children. Holland really loved having two other children to play with all the time and they all got along so great! You will see that in this little video:

more videos?!

Here are yet two more videos that I took today. Lately, more and more Holland just is so sweet and funny (sometimes more funny than sweet or vice versa!) and I like to grab the camcorder for those times!

In this one Holland was just eating lunch. I just found it really cute how she was swaying to the African music in the background...



This video shows Holland totally tormenting Modoc. She, as most of you all know, likes to feed Modoc. Today I bought a cheap bucket and she thought it was extra fun to put his food in the bucket and then run around the house laughing like crazy!

A nice day at the park

2 posts in a day?! Woah!

Here are 2 short videos of Holland this morning at the park closest to our house. They are a little similar- mostly just her climbing the stairs and sliding... We probably will drive to another park later this afternoon, though I think that posting more than 4 videos in a day would just be overkill!

Silly antics

Thought I would share a video from yesterday as well as another one taken earlier this week... The one from yesterday unfortunately cut off short because the battery ran dead. But here is the background you didn't get- Holland was playing in the backyard and picked up a rock as she loves to do. She kept playing around and pretending to put it in her rock and sometimes actually putting it in her mouth. So, I threw it in the trash can inside. Then, she thought it would be funny to find other rocks, sticks or just dirt and run inside with them and throw them in the trash. You will also see that she is did not want me following her!!



This one needs no narrative- just Holland being Holland :)

No fear

Here is a little video of Holland doing something she enjoys- She likes to stand up on her pony and then bounce back in the seat yelling "whee" (when she stands she says wooah) At least in this video she held on all the time, she also likes to stand without holding onto anything, but we are trying to get her to at least always hold on- it seems to be working most of the time :) She truly has no fear in almost anything! (which can be a scary thing for us!!)

New clothes- mostly same tricks

Here is a video taken this afternoon of Holland once again showing off body parts and more animal noises. I know, a lot of it is repeated, but I thought it was cute and so I thought I would share.

3 videos from the last month

I finally got the problem fixed (okay, not me so much, but someone came and fixed it) and now I can share videos again! Here are three taken the last month:

Holland showing off some animal sounds with dad. This was nearly a month ago, she now knows many more, but it still gives you an idea...



Holland Easter egg hunting in the kitchen. This was taken a few days before Easter. Holland got the concept of finding eggs and putting them in her basket right away and had so much fun doing this over and over again!



Holland playing with a step stool. This is the sort of thing that Holland does all the time, she is so silly!

18 months old today :)

Well, I have been wanting to post on here for the last few weeks. But, I hate doing repeat pictures since I send most of those out via email (if you don't get them and want to- just let me know!) and I really have been wanting to add amazing videos of Holland, but I just cannot figure out what is going on! Today I am calling the support staff again and if that does not work going to figure out how to have someone with a lot more know-how to fix my problem between the camcorder and the laptop. But, my apologies to anyone checking this to always find- no new posts!!

So, since I have no videos and most of you have seen all the pictures, I thought maybe you would like a list of words/phrases/sounds Holland is currently saying. Now, there is no way that I can make it inclusive of all she says, but this is the best I can do at this moment from memory:

mama
dada
ball
hair
head
nose
ears
mouth
eyes
belly
toes
sock
shoe
pants
jacket
door
window
light
clock
apple
cracker
cookie
peas
water
juice
milk
more
thank you
all gone
uh-oh
whee!
go!
Go? (I list this separately, because it is basically- where did it go?)
Here it is! (granted sounds like more like heeey iiihh)
outside
nigh-night
bye-bye
I love you
hi
hello
baby
car
tree
book
bed
no
sshhh (telling modoc to be quiet)
stop
stay
two (sometimes she also says one and three, but she loves the #2!)


animal sounds:
cow (moooooo)
horse (neigh neigh!)
lamb (BAAA!)
dog (ruhr ruhr)
kitty kat (meeew)
pig (the cutest snorting sound)
elephant (pushes air between her lips, very cute!)
duck (quaa-aah)
monkey (whispers hahahaha)
bee (ray, ray- don't know why, but this is what she says, and every time we chuckle!)
lion (raaahr)
snake (sssssss)

I know that there is so much that I am forgetting, but that at least gives you an idea... Holland will also mimic almost anything and she is starting to say her own name also- pronounced "haw-ee".

She also is starting to put words together- mama shoes, go bye bye, etc.

Sorry again for my lack of updates! Hopefully I can get the videos to share very soon!

(and a cute picture of Holland with a waste bucket on her head!)

Happy Easter!

Okay; so I think that it has been almost 3 weeks since I have added an entry in here! Eek! I have been a little frustrated because I have some really cute videos that I want to share, but am having constant problems uploading them. I am sure that there is an easy fix to figure out why Microsoft is all of a sudden overriding the necessary software that I need to use, but I can't figure it out!! Hopefully I find a way to get someone here or fix it myself sometime soon....

Holland has picked up more and more words and animal sounds lately. She now also likes to give Modoc commands- Stay, Go, NO! I think it is funny. I also like that Holland rarely uses the word no as we rarely us it also, so she does not say it all the time like a lot of toddlers seem to.

Holland has really enjoyed egg hunting the past few days. I thought that I would at least share a few pictures of her on this Easter weekend since sadly I am unable to share the videos that I have. But, hope you enjoy these just the same. We have mostly just done a lot of hiding eggs inside. But, Friday a friend of Holland's came over and they both hunted for eggs in our backyard. It is just so fun to watch little ones interact, especially at this age!

























And this one was taken this morning after opening up her Easter basket. She loved the little chick that we gave her:

a glimpse into an ordinary Monday

I took 3 videos of Holland today. I realized that I really have not taken of her talking or doing so many of the things that she now does on a daily basis.

Holland talking! I will have to take another video of her saying her other words!


This is just a video of Holland being her usual silly self. Joe said that the chair looked tacky because it is facing directly towards the tv. Haha. So, just in case anyone was wondering, I had only moved it there today while I was cleaning up the living room and we never even have the tv during on the day (other than to listen to music!)


Dad coming home!
Holland gets so excited when Joe comes home from work. Often she points and yells, "dada" as she sees him drive up, while watching him through the window. Today, she was a little more reserved with her excitement, but I know it was there all the same.

Weee!

Here is a little video taken of Holland in our backyard this afternoon. There is an elevation change on one section in the grass and Holland loves to run down it saying "weee!" I really don't know where she picked this up. I guess that either Joe or I must have said it to begin with though neither of us really recall doing that.

You might notice that we got a new fence!!! It so nice to finally have a private backyard! Of course, now the back section of the fence looks horrible, but we plan to have that done also in the next month or so.

Growing vocabulary

Recently, Holland has been picking up more and more words and phrases. She is so proud of herself when she adds a new word to her ever-growing vocabulary- so am I though! I have never sat down and written the words that she currently knows. I am sure that there are many other words and phrases that she says that we are not even aware of, but these are recognizable- (at least to Joe and I!)

Night-night
Bye-bye
thank you
Uh-oh
ball
light
more
ruhr, ruhr (imitates the way Modoc barks, this is her "dog")
cracker
baby
mama
dada
blue-blues (blueberries)
water
milk

She also will imitate "moo" and snorting for a pig if we do it first. I am sure I am forgetting a few other words and or phrases, but I will try to add them if I think of them later!

And, what is a post without at least one new picture???

Home for good

So, now not only will I be home with Holland for 5 full days a week- but now on Thursdays and Saturdays as well! I was actually "laid off" this past Thursday. As it turns out, I was already looking into other part-time options. It is a blessing, although still a bit shocking! But, at least I have a few months or so to figure something else out!

Not a whole lot else transpired this week. Here are pictures of Holland (and Joe and Modoc) at a park we went to yesterday. (not our usual neighborhood park- Holland had never played here before..)

(and I apologize- these pictures are now not of the infamous "yesterday". I had complete intent to publish this blog on Sunday, but alas, it is now Wednedsday night and it has yet to be published. I think that means, I better do something else tomorrow!!!)

It DIDN'T snow today!

We have had far too much snow and extreme winter weather lately- which means we
have been indoors way more than we would like. We are accustomed to going on a long walk at least both Saturday and Sunday, but for several weeks that has been out of the question with the icy roads and sidewalks. BUT, today the sun came out; it warmed up to around FIFTY DEGREES and was just an all- around nice day. As soon as I came home from work, we went on our favorite walk to the park nearby.

Even though it was so nice out, there was still a lot of snow at the playground. Holland still walked very well around it all though. She also now is focused on walking up and down stairs. She is able to go down the stairs without sitting down first- just walking down like you or I might. It is rather impressive. She is always learning new things though!!!

Here are pictures taken at the park today:

=

Video time!

Apparently, recently I only get on here to post recent videos of my silly girl. I guess I am not deviating from the norm again tonight. These were all taken about a week ago. I will try to take at least one more tomorrow. Holland is seriously getting funnier everyday! I am so blessed to actually be home with her almost all of the time now. It is so fulfilling getting to see all these little antics she does- I would never trade it for anything now!!

And, I doubt anyone really knows about how difficult sleeping has been for us lately, but... I am so excited!!! I found something that really works for both Holland and I and I am able to put her down at night and she is as happy as could be. I just lay down next to her bed and sing to her, the first night she protested for maybe a minute, the next night about 7 seconds and tonight, nothing! And, by protest, I mean grunting, she never even was upset :) Naps have been amazing also. I am so happy that we have finally found something that works for us!

Enjoy the videos!!

10 seconds of Holland spinning and dancing with her baby

2 silly minutes of Holland's life (same background music!)

(don't mind the laundry- I was in the middle of folding it, when I thought I should take this!)



Holland tired, but trying to find her 2nd wind...
Holland was obviously tired in this video (before how I figured out how to adequately put her down) but she still wanted to play!

Ride that pony!

I know that posting another video might be just "taking the easy way out" of adding a blog entry- but I never claimed to be a notable blogger :) Here is a video taken last night of Holland riding her Radio Flyer pony. She is quite fearless, as always, luckily this video does not completely show her standing up on the pony. She really is my baby stunt artist!

It has been far too long since my last post! But, I FINALLY have videos that I have uploaded

Here is Holland playing with a musical toy that she enjoys. You will see she likes to dance and spin and spin around to the point where she makes herself very dizzy! Pay no attention to the clothes she is wearing! I guess that Joe threw them on her in a hurry while I was gone...\



This video somewhat broadcasts one of Holland's newest tricks- flinging herself into her playpen. She usually does it with much better precision, but you get the idea. I am always right behind or next to her, so I could catch her or help her- even though I never need to- that girl has amazing balance!!!



This is just a very short clip of Holland saying a new word- "baby". She knows that almost all pictures and videos are of herself, the baby, so she often will say "baby" when she sees the camcorder or camera (as shown here...)



I had a few other older videos that I considered uploading and sharing, but I think that I will stop here, at least for now. Maybe I will add another video or two later this weekend.

Another busy week

Well, this past week marked my first week as not working full-time anymore! In fact, due to my work making a simple mistake, I actually stayed home every day this week. (minus the half day yesterday) It was so nice to be able to capture all of Holland's little moments. I know that she has been in perfectly capable hands while I was working, but it has made me realize that I missed a lot. Oh, nothing catastrophic like learning the alphabet all of a sudden, but it is just all the little things. Like, when she so methodically runs to the bookshelf, grabs a book, sits down in her little wagon and begins to read out loud to herself. It is those moments that I am so thankful that I won't have to miss anymore. (at least not nearly as often)

In addition to just enjoying each other's company, Holland and I also made it to three open gyms playgroups. It was so much fun just watching her little energetic, lithe body run around, playing with toys and grabbing as much attention as possible.

I did not take any pictures at the open gyms that we attended, but here are some other random pictures that I took this week. Maybe this week I won't wait another 7 days until I make another post!

Like mother, like daughter? (Holland loves to get her hands on the laptop given the opportunity!)





Being silly as usual



She loves to stand on a basket behind the couch and talk to Joe. She gets so proud of herself!


Telling her big bird something very meaningful



Looking outside- when we still had a yard covered with snow (she carries the little stool there herself)