Let us go see the world

This last week Piper decided the living room was boring,

Like fate worse than death boring.

So we've spent a lot of time exploring.

Saturday she spent over three hours in the backpack. We went to a community fundraiser, Curt's, Elephant Cloud, the Saturday Market. ..

She didn't care so long as she was seeing people and checking out the sights from up high.

She's up to 5 steps in a row these days, but it might be a little while before she progresses. See, girl wants to run. NOW. I steady her to practice her walking and she pushes my hands away and launches into a sprint and because she hasn't gotten the walking part down yet she face plants pretty quickly.

Ah yes, inherited her Mother's patience I see...

So we'll see how long she keeps this up before she realizes she needs to slow down.

With us as parents that might take awhile...

This is Piper ignoring her toy there on the floor and trying to figure out how to get to that big piece of wood-fired pottery on the table above her.

Caught cuttin' a rug - she was boogieing!

Oh more adventures in climbing - see here?

What we have here is Piper using her activity table as a step stool

in order to further terrorize the cat.

Speaking of Ansel. Its funny, but Piper knows to treat Ansel with more care than Imogine. Imogine she can tackle to the ground, Ansel - not so much. But she knows this and wants so bad to touch Ansel and will do these timid finger pokes at him and look at me all mischievous.

Yet another jaunt to the Stables.

Today our dear friend Lynn (aka Granny Lynn) was playing with Piper. They were looking through magazines looking at colors, faces and all that fun stuff. Lynn turned the page and there was a horse in an ad and Piper lunged at it and ripped the page out.

Ya.

Still excited about horses.

So Piper's practicing her table manners for her lunch date with Jonah and Sarah tomorrow for Valentines Day.

I think she needs some more work.

(be warned, this is a long video - intended to give those in need a fix)

.

As promised

Every time the camera came out today she lost interest in walking

and was all about the camera.

So this is what we've got for the time being. I included the clips that don't have her taking steps, because I though you all might get a kick out of her just the same...

At first she gets distracted by her Dad, but I just love the face she gives him...

Next she takes steps for me, but you can see she's getting sillier and sillier with each try...

At this point she's lost it.

She's got the giggle, sillies and can't sit still...

so on this last one we don't get steps, but between her belly and her personality

its just too much not to share...

The First of Steps

I thought it was a fluke, but apparently not.

Yesterday Piper took one timid step from her Dad's arms into mine.

Leading with the belly and with her timid approach, I thought for sure it would be awhile before we saw another step.

But you know what?

Kids will teach you not to count on anything.

They love nothing more than to keep you on your toes.

Literally.

This afternoon she would take a step or two from the table to me.

Fast forward an hour and she's going from the table to her toy box.

Before bed I set her up in front of me and she would take up to three very solid steps before falling. We did it over and over and over so that by the time I realized I should stop laughing and try to tape it, she was beyond over it.

So no video yet.

But before all the walking shenanigans started we enjoyed a winter hike!

Piper is getting bored with just playing in the living room, so it was adventure time. After a lunch out and a nap it was time for some fresh air...

wait...where are we going? You know its about to snow, right?

Hey, not a bad view from up here!

Yoda and Other Squeal Inducing Adventures

This is Yoda.

Yoda is Aoife's sweet pup who hangs out outside while Aoife watches Piper.

Piper loves Yoda.

She talks to him and squeals and gets very very excited when he shows himself.

Provided there is glass between them.

Here is a video Aoife captured...

This last Tuesday we went on an adventure to the pool. Made even more of an adventure by my driving Josh's truck and the pool being closed.

But alas, we have to have these experiences once and awhile...

The coldest picnic ever.

When we got home and settled Piper made her first fort. No joke! She positioned the box how she wanted and then got on in and played.

And here's another video on my camera of Piper and Aoife playing at lunch.

Nom Nom Nom Nom...

Piper is loving food these days. While it takes some creative tap dancing to get the bulk of the good stuff in her, she loves trying just about anything.

Is there more?

Grammy and Grandpa's chickens even thought of her this last week...

"Helping" Da-da with the dishes

ohhh the joys of the light switch...

Daredevil

She pulled this trick before I even had a chance to have my coffee.

Please note the one foot in the air.

She pulled her book box down, climbed on top of it and started playing on the couch.

She's up to all kinds of other things as well...

She can point out "nose" and "eye" on people she knows and in books and is very very determined to eat big people food and feed herself.

Even if that means covering the frightened and confused cats in a spray of spinach muffin.

I've taken to giving her household items to catch a minute here and there.

But really, as soon as she spies me - the game is over...

I keep a close eye on her.

And it's a good thing.

I kid you not. I watched her take her wagon and on her knees push it over to a table. She then climbed into it and I reached for the camera.

She then stood up in said wagon and started pulling items off said table...

As I took the photo, her antics caused the wagon to start moving backwards.

This could have been nasty had I not been watching her with complete awe.

Wow.

Really going to have to watch her even closer.

Auntie Amy Comes to Visit!

I don't know...

Teeth? Developmental? All of the above?

I have no clue.

But Piper is one lucky little girl to have such an awesome, understanding, and easy going Auntie That is all I have to say...

okay, okay...so maybe I have more to say.

Aunt Amy came this weekend with fabulous new outfits for Piper and pampering items for me.

The trip started off the way all trips should....

With a purple sparkly evening gown.

It was a mellow weekend, Aunt Amy has been working like crazy and well...I don't have much left to give. But we had fun just the same.

Though the weekend came with its share of challenges.

This is Piper's "chew" book. We let her chew on it when teeth get really bad. But see this weekend she took it a step farther...she ate it. Like full on ate the book.

I knew something was amiss.

Then there was this.

hanging

on

mom

all

weekend...

ugh.

But Auntie could get her to smile just the same.

Auntie Amy also was the one to figure out that Piper is now talking to the knots in the wood on the stairs. It is too funny!

Well, she does love her some trees.

And pointing.

Lots of demands these days.