"care"- ing

Hello all. Ruth here. Happy Sunday and Happy (day after) Valentine's Day.

We all are doing pretty well. Ayla has been VERY sick this last week and is finally feeling a little better today. She had a fever, runny nose, very bad cough, ear infection, and sores in her mouth. Poor baby. Besides that... Let's see....What else have we been up to?

Last weekend the three of us packed up and drove up north to visit Jake's cousin Dennis and his wife Laura and their little bun in the oven. They live about three hours north of us in Colfax, WI in this beautiful house on a lake. We had SUCH a good time. Especially Ayla who took to both of them quickly. She still talks about them every day since we came home and makes me show her pictures of them. (she calls them "Tennis" and "Lola") While there, we walked out on the frozen lake, went to the park and walked around, built a snow woman and swung on a swing and went down the slide. These things are all Ayla has talked about since. That and the highlight for Ayla- "puppy Robbie" and "Kitty Ivy" as she calls them. (Dennis and Laura's pets)

Ayla of course continues to be fun and entertaining, busy, creative and wonderful. Over the last week she has really begun to sing to herself and it is so heart warming and funny to hear her from the other room. Her repertoire consists of twinkle little star, lullaby, baba black sheep and the ABC's (which to my surprise she sung from beginning to end the other day with MOST letters correct!)

Also, in the last 2-3 weeks she has begun talking in full sentences. She amazes us. The phrases that come out of her mouth are amusing and mind blowing. "Bring this one too" "Look at the rainbows" ""Kitty has fishy like Ayla" (referring to her stuffed cat "eating" a fish cracker) " "I watch the shadows" "The juice goes right there."

Along with sentences has come more of an opinion and independent attitude which has been somewhat of a challenge. For the first time we have had to actually parent and not just meet basic needs. The terrible twos are upon us.

Today Ayla wanted to "play tea" and I set up the tea set while she put winter hats on all her puppies and sat them around in a circle...a true tea party!

Ah. One fun thing that Ayla does is somewhat obsess over underwear. Ayla is a true girlie girl and likes anything that is mama's. She seems to think my underwear is pretty neat and will take (clean) pairs from the laundry and collect 3 or 4 pairs in her fist, carry them around the house and say, "so petty" (pretty) and wear them on her head (picture included.) She even wanted to take one pair to sleep with her one night! She also likes makeup, shoes, and anything she deems "so petty."

One of my favorite things is that she gave her baby doll a name. Jake and I have always called the baby Clarabelle, Clara for short. Out of the blue yesterday she started calling her doll "care-la." It is one of the cutest thing I have ever heard. What's interesting is that now that Ayla has given the baby a name, she is obviously now more attached to her.

Ok. enough for now. Hope all is well with you.