Sliding!

There is a small play area at the mall and Minka takes a few minutes to warm up but is realizing slowly but surely that she can do most of what the bigger kids are doing.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears! Oh my!

We were able to spend the weekend together and decided to enjoy the beautiful weather at the Denver Zoo (back on Oct 22).

Minka now knows what noise/motion a kitten, puppy, pig, elephant, monkey, fish and frog make!

We are ready to go! Daddy and his baby, Minka and her baby.

Minka pointing at the first animals she sees!

 She makes an elephant noise while simultaneously throwing her arm up like the trunk.  Here she is in action welcoming the elephants.

 These gorillas were hilarious.  Nothing like relaxation!

 Getting a little sleepy but still enjoying the outing!

 Fun on Daddy's shoulders before heading home and sprinting across an open field with delight!

Denver Childrens Museum

One weekend Minka and I decided to explore the Denver Childrens Museum.  It was a blast for both of us!

The Museum was laid out brilliantly and had specific areas for different ages/interests.  We spent most of our time in the 'under 2' section.  This area was painted and decorated like a forest.  Everything was colorful, many textures to feel and Minka enjoyed figuring it all out!

 In another section was an area to put together railroad tracks and push trains.  Minka surprised me at how well she could put together the train cars and push them along the track. She loved it!

 Her favorite section was the dress up area with tap shoes on the dance floor in front of the mirror.  They had music playing but Minka was dancing to her own beat the whole time :)

Winter Wonderland

I think Colorado is giving us a kind farewell and preparing us for the Minnesota tundra.  We should be moving to MN within the next three weeks!  M&M was able to have some fun in the freshly fallen snow today.

Mom!  Help!  Get this weird stuff off my hand!

 It is Everywhere!

 She thought it was funny I would eat the snow.  She tasted it but was too cold for her liking.  Instead she shoved her hand in the snow and offered it to me.  Right before she realized it was FREEZING and that was not fun.

It Ain't A Party Until There is Cake!

On the day Minka turned one, she decided she wouldn't take an afternoon nap.  She was cranky and tired and mad.

Until she saw this.

Jareth baked cupcakes and configured them to look like a frog shape and creatively iced it to be a cute, delicious frog.

 Getting a good look and a taste of what is to come.

 Hmm..should I pick it up?  Should I lick it?  Nah!  I'll just stick my finger right in the middle.

 Frosting is delicious!

 I think I can get it in my face faster if I use two hands.

 An approving nod, Dad you did GOOD!

 Is there more?  Please tell me there is more!

A nice glass of milk to finish it off.  A job well done.

Birthday Time!

Wow.  I haven't even posted about her birthday. We went to Chuck E Cheese.  I am glad we did it for two reasons.  1)  I had never been there and was excited for myself.  2) Now that we did it, we don't ever have to do it again.

Surprisingly, it went very well and they were very accommodating.  I would hope so.  They carry out nearly 15 parties at a time multiple times throughout the day!  HUNDREDS of children were sprinting through the restaurant.

Here is the birthday girl. She is one and proud of it.  Thanks to Grandma Lisa for the adorable Tutu!

 Proud (and very brave) Parents

 She wasn't sure about this gigantic rat balloon.  Seriously, who decided Chuck E. should be a rat?  Who likes rats??

 Game Time!

 

Pushing the tokens in was one of the funnest parts!

Update

I think an update is overdue.  Minka is over 13 months old!  She is getting really good at learning new things. 

For example, she was walking in the livingroom and our fully furnished non child-friendly apartment has a lot of danger areas.  Most have been altered for her but she's one and she's clumsy.  She hit her head on the TV and looked at me with a very sad face.  I told her to come over and I'll kiss it to make it better.  She obliged.  Then she realizes what just happened.  She spins around and goes over to the wall and smashes her face against it.  She turns around hiding her smirk of wit and shoots me a sad face.  She walks over, I kiss her and hug her and tell her it's all better!  Again she is happy with this result turning around for another headbutt on the wall (this time a little softer) and walks over to me and says "Ah Bear!"

She has also learned how to pick her nose.  Not just touch it and figure it out.  She loses her entire finger for a good while before we are reassured it hasn't shriveled up and gotten lost in there forever.

She also says EYE!  and points to her nose.  This one cracks me up.

She loves to eat.  I think she looks bigger every morning.  She is nearly 30 inches tall and weighs 19 pounds.

She runs all over the place and is getting better at holding our hand while she walks beside us. 

She is still very uninterested in the TV.  I am not sure if I enjoy this one yet or not.

She just started cuddling with us where she actually sleeps rather than getting so excited she's not in bed that she just runs around with a crazy grin.

She is a tough girl.  She hardly ever cries because she is hurt or does not feel well.  When she bumps her head or falls down she gets a look of anger and attempts to blame her pain on me as if I made it happen.  She will rub out the pain and continue playing.  She had pneumonia last week with a temp reaching over 105.  She hardly complained.  She wanted to cuddle which was unlike her but she still played and ate well.  I thought my thermometer was broken because surely she was not that sick.  The doctor was amazed that she had a such a great temperament.  She is now back to her normal self which makes for a happy family!

She still wears size 3 diaper and I am not sure what I will do this winter since she pants that are 12-18 months in size but I still have 6 or 9 month pants that don't fit her waist and literally fall off.

She still doesn't have much hair but she does have an entire mouth full of teeth, with the exception of maybe four.

She continues to be a dancer and a reader.

What a joy a toddler is!

Beautiful Butterfly

You may be asking yourself Where have we been?!  Well.  I am currently squeezing in 60 hour work weeks while trying to stay sane, travel back and forth to Wyoming, get a week of work in Oklahoma City, house hunt, start a new job, and transfer to MN.  Yes, that is right.  November 18th will be my last day in Denver.  I am coming back to MN!!  I was referred for a fantastic opportunity at the main building of Cargill in Hopkins, MN and I am very thrilled for this new adventure!  It will take some work to hopefully get Jareth transferred to another unit while maintaining his flight hours but we think this can be done....some way.

I have made a conscience decision to leave work at work and forget it while I am not there.  I hope this leads to a happier me and more blog posts for you!

After a week in Oklahoma City helping their location I vowed to have the entire Saturday devoted to playing with Minka and relaxing.  No work.  No cleaning.  Just playing.

She likes to help me get ready.  She rubs the blush brush on her cheeks.  She brushes her hair.  Tries to put bobby pins in my hair.  Such a girly girl!

 She loves to brush her teeth.  As Jareth puts it,  "She doesn't move a muscle.  She hardly blinks."

 Toys + pink frosted animal crackers = happy Minka.

 Daycare had a party where Minka wore antennas and butterfly wings.  She loves them.  I had to fight her to remove the wings so we could load her into the carseat.  The antennas lost the fight and she showed off her cute headband to everyone at dinner!  Such a beautiful butterfly.

 
PS.  My biggest accomplishment has been taking these pictures today and actually posting them today!  Score 1 for me.  Thanks for sticking around while I have been away from the blog!

Princess Minka Mae

Happy Labor Day!

Frankenstein

Minka recently learned that frogs eat flies by sticking out their tongue.  She now sticks out her tongue imitating a frog to everything she sees.  We found a frog of her very own.  His name is Frankenstein and she loves him.

Photobooth Fun

What parents do to have fun.

Lunchtime

Mom:  Minka, Say Cheese!
Minka: Whaaaaatt????

Mom: Okay, let's try again.  Say Cheeeeese!
Minka: I am busy eating...

 Mom:  Let's try one more time.  Say Cheese!
Minka: I will look at you but I am not smiling.  You are interrupting my lunch.  Try again later!