Ivey's First Trip to the Zoo

We met Grandma & Grandpa at the zoo Saturday. We had great weather and great fun! The adults agreed that the giraffes, gorillas and harbor seals were the most entertaining. I think Ivey liked the seal and playground best. We were disappointed that the polar bears exhibit was closed for renovations. We also did not see any monkeys which I thought was odd.

 

Wooly Worm Fun

We went to the Wooly Worm Festival in Banner Elk last weekend with Karen & Lillian. We watched wooly worm races and High Country Clogging dancers. We ate corn dogs, fried chips, fresh kettle corn and some fresh squeezed lemonade. We went hiking the next day before heading home. Lillian and Ivey had so much fun together!

One of the many dance parties!

20 Months and counting...

Ivey loves her animals and dolls. She is always carting them around and having conversations with them. She also tries to share her food and milk with them. Her new teachers at daycare have fallen in love with her as we knew they would. She is talking more and more everyday. She is Miss Independent, helping herself to a snack in the pantry to trying to dress herself. She loves to close doors and often closes herself in her bedroom. She can't yet open the doors on her own, but I'm sure it will not be long. She loves to walk on her own (without a hand to hold or stroller to ride in) anywhere we will let her go. She is quite the little diva - trying to wear my shoes, carrying my purse or wearing a hair band as a bracelet.   

  

Helping Mommy fix my toy

ASU Homecoming Parade

Eating PB&J Ivey style

Ivey and her best bud, Brownie

Love to help Mommy clean!

Summer Fun

We have been to the mountains as much as we can to beat the heat in Charlotte. On our weekends in Charlotte we try to get outside early with a run or bike ride to the park. Ivey loves bike rides and 'asks' to go frequently by pulling out our helmets or pointing to the bikes. She is understanding everything we say but still not talking much at all. She will repeat anything we say if we ask her to, but rarely says anything on her own. She still just points and makes the Ivey noise.

She is becoming more independent everyday. She is also becoming more stubborn. We should not be surprised. Her latest fight is wearing a bib. She also insists on doing things herself - brushing her teeth, washing herself, brushing her hair. This would be great if only she did these things well. She still loves to clean and if you leave the kleenexes or wipes in her reach she will clean the whole house with the entire package. She does use the swiffer fairly well.    

Trip to Charleston

We headed to Charleston to meet our newest family member, Margaret Rhodes Hyde. She was born on August 29th. She is a very sweet and precious baby. We tried to get Ivey to touch her, but she was not interested. She was more interested in Anne's toys, specifically her doll stroller.

Ivey did touch the horseshoe crab at the SC Aquarium. Gammie, Joe and I took Anne and Ivey to the aquarium and they both had a ball. Ivey pointed at all of the fish and made fish faces at them.

Ivey also really enjoyed the beach. She would giggle every time the water touched her feet. She even played in the sand some (much to my surprise). She really enjoyed dumping the bucket of water that Gammie and I kept refilling.