It's you!

Watching someone learn a language is so interesting.  Madison certainly understands the language far more than she can speak...though I am curious how much that has to do with learning to talk and how much it has to do with learning the language itself.  
What's interesting is how much she listens to us and learns through how we respond to her.  I read a great book called "Nurture Shock: New thinking about Children".  A great book that has an interesting chapter on how kids learn language.  Definitely worth a read.
These days, she's a little parrot and will repeat words...she can count to 10 and say her ABC's by repeating after me, although she doesn't really know what they mean yet.  The most interesting part is when she looks in the mirror, and I ask "whose that?", she will say "it's you!". For months now, whenever we would stand and look in the mirror, Madison would get excited about the image that she saw...and I would say "Look, it's you and mummy".  I guess she thinks she has 2 names..."Madison" and "it's you".  haha.


On another note, when I went down to Madison's room this morning to get her out of her crib, she was sitting naked in the corner with her blanket ...she had managed to take off her sleeper and her diaper!  Thank goodness it was not a poopy diaper...that would have been a mess to clean.  She's taken her sleeper off before...but this is the first time she's removed her diaper.  I might have to start putting her in a onesie to sleep if this is going to be a habit!  Anyone else have any bright ideas?

favorite pictures of the week

Just a few of my favorite pictures of the week.

Sometimes you just have to let them eat with no clothes on (and then give them a bath!!!)

Nothing hits the spot like a little warm milk from starbucks

smiling up at daddy

The beginning of a beautiful friendship

I love how sweet Madison is to Evan....she lies on the play mat with him, helps me burp him after a feed and is kind enough to share the chariot...even though she's kind of squished.  It's the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

You know it's been a good chariot ride when they both fall asleep!

Madison's friend Madi (Madeline)

Evan and his new friend Amira

Fun with the iphone

Madison loves the iphone.  She knows that if I take a picture or a video, she can instantly look and see what I've just taken...and she knows that it's her.  Technology is such a part of her life...so different from when we were growing up.  Here I had the iphone turned so the camera was facing us..she was fascinated....it was like a mirror only somehow more fun.  I couldn't resist taking pictures when she started making faces!

As Evan becomes more interactive, Madison is trying to play with him....she's always getting on the play mat with him and chats away as if he can understand what she's saying.  I love this second picture.  I can just imagine what she is saying to him

Family Pictures

Our good friend Heath came to Canmore last weekend to take some family pictures of us.  He did an awesome job, and it was so nice to get pictures of the whole family.  Here are a few of them.

Bedtime routine

All the books you read about sleep tell you to establish a bedtime routine with your child.  It usually consists of a bath, reading a few books and being calm and quiet.  Madison's bedtime routine is the opposite.  We always know when she's ready for bed...because she gets hyper!  We let her run or jump and burn off her energy....it usually lasts between 10 and 30 minutes and then she goes down for bed with no problems.  Here's a little video of her evening energy spurts.

New this week

Just a few pics from the last week.  Our household is finally healthy and happy...well, except for Grant who is still recovering from shoulder surgery and soooo sad that he can't ski...a foot of powder has fallen at Lake Louise and Sunshine in the last 2 days.  Figures that we would get heaps of snow right after his surgery.

Madison has been wanting to sit on the toilet lately...she hasn't done anything in it yet, but is thrilled to be sitting on the toilet like a big girl.

Evan has started smiling at us

And now that we are all healthy, we've started our walks in the chariot again.  Madison doesn't mind sharing with her baby brother.