twenty months

Aubrey is 20 months old now, can you believe it?! She is growing by leaps and bounds, and has an amazing capacity for learning. She can count to ten and just about say the alphabet (needing one or two prompts). She also has learned how to manipulate very well. If she does something naughty and is getting in trouble she tries to hug or kiss us and be cute to distract us. She also knows if I am in the bathroom I can't immediately run to stop her from doing something so she seizes the opportunity to color on her chair or open the bathroom cabinet. Mischief is her middle name....

Aubrey is extremely affectionate. We get more than our share of hugs, kisses and "shuggle, shuggles" (snuggles). Many times throughout the day I hear, "Mommy, Wuv You!" Now she is getting comfortable around Gramma and Papa D. and Uncle John and Aunt Alisa they are getting some of the love too.

Bonus photos: the spread for my Mom's birthday dinner and a picture of the cake I made.

We survived the move! I think....

I can't believe it has been so long since we moved already, I am still unpacking boxes and settling into our new house. I want to take pictures so you can see what it looks like here but the inside isn't anything like what I want it to look like yet and outside it is either snowing, raining, or super muddy. I'll get to it eventually. Here is one picture I took looking out from the living room, over the deck at the lake.

We are all slowly adjusting. Aubrey was more needy and cranky for a while, but I think she is finally settling in and understanding this is home. She loves having tons of room to run around, inside and out, and is sporting all kinds of new bruises from tripping. I think she inherited my gracefulness. Bill is in the middle of his second week at his new job and is enjoying it very much. The coworkers are nice, the work not too overwhelming, and yet plenty of responsiblity and leeway to make improvements where they need them. I am really missing my friends back in VA, and am reluctantly adjusting to the slower pace here. Aubrey and I went to Target today: 35 minute drive there, 30 minutes in the store, 30 minutes to Starbucks, 20 minutes home. A little different from my two Targets and ten starbucks in a ten minute radius. ;)

It is probably a good thing that we are further away from all stores and restaurants because Bill won't be getting a paycheck until he works for six weeks, yikes! I am going to be going shopping with my sister-in-law Alisa next week though, I am very excited about that (and praying Aubrey cooperates!)

I have so many plans for the house, and then I have spaces I don't know what to do with. We got all kinds of free cable channels on our tv so I have been watching HGTV and thinking I need to apply to one of those home makeover shows. Maybe I'll post pictures on here and ask for ideas for colors, floor coverings, storage options, etc. I know some of you have amazing taste (Liz that definitely includes you!)

Our wish list includes a canoe for the lake and a swingset for Aubrey. As long as our Townhouse rents out soon maybe we will be able to afford a few of these grand plans I have. :)