Pushing Buttons

Collins already knows how to push our buttons. She knows when she is engaging in bad behavior and likes to see how far she can take it. A good example of this is at the dinner table. Let me walk you through a meal with our messy little eater.

I'm over eating and getting bored...how can I have myself a little fun?

Oh, I know, I'll throw food off this side of my tray....

Then smear food all through my hair...

Then do the double side pitch...

This game delights me.

And exhausts my parents.

Stuck Inside

Collins likes to be outside. She takes her basketball to the back door and just looks up at us like, "let me out people!". So when we got a couple days of bad weather this weekend, we were scrambling trying to keep this baby entertained indoors. Luckily, we had some good distractions.

A very fun visit from Poppy...(Happy birthday, Al! and Heather, we missed you!)

A visit to the very cool Marbles Kids Museum downtown...

And just getting silly because we've been in the house way too long...

I'm happy to report that the weather forecast is much improved for the rest of the week...didn't realize how much we relied on being outside until we got stuck inside!

Speaking our Language

We've enjoyed the sounds of happy babbling for months now, but the past few weeks those sounds have turned into something recognizable. All of a sudden, Collins has actual words to say...

Right now she's a little sponge- soaking up every word, sound, and gesture that surrounds her. It's fascinating to watch her make the connections. She now barks when she sees a dog, blows when she sees a candle, and whines and expects a snack when we pass a sample station at Harris Teeter (called out...sad, but true).

Up until this point, I have felt like our most important job as parents has been to provide safety and security for Collins. But now I feel pressure to be good teachers and to help her learn everything she possibly can- and at this point at least- it feels like the sky is the limit. Exciting stuff!

Girls Weekend

What happens when Dad heads to Charleston for a bachelor party weekend? The girls will play...

Love girl time...we kept ourselves busy with a swim lesson, a cookout, a playdate, a visit to three new playgrounds, and a ladies lunch out. Only thing missing was a girly movie and talking about boys....but we'll save that for later.

Easter Treats

The Easter Bunny delivered several treats to the Fork household this holiday weekend....

Our first treat arrived Friday afternoon direct from Hickory. Mom and Baba came to hang out for the holiday and it was so special having them here to hunt eggs, make a bunny cake and enjoy the beautiful weather with- Collins couldn't have had more fun acting silly and gabbing the whole time.

 

On Saturday, our treat was attending our first neighborhood Easter egg hunt. Collins scored an impressive number of eggs, but she also had a little bit of help...

Competition was fierce between the 14-months olds...

Treats to go along with the newly finished deck- a new grill for Brian and Collins!

And finally lots of sweet treats....what a fun Easter!

All Better

Feeling better just in time for Easter!

(Collins has been quite proud of her sitting abilities and has been doing lots of practicing in the beach chair.)

Highs and Lows

Parenting high: Listening to your baby laugh hysterically as she gets chased by waves in the ocean.

Parenting low: Holding on tight to your feverish, lethargic baby who feels terrible and there isn't anything you can do about it. A doctor confirmed yesterday that Collins has a virus, but luckily there is no infection. We just have to ride this thing out and hope it ends soon. Signs were good this morning- more drinking and more playing.