The things I love the most

The last couple of weeks, it seems that every time I turn around, there is yet another scene that warms my heart. Genevieve is learning and growing so fast. She has begun putting together full sentences in the last couple of weeks and her imagination with playing has seemed to taken off with her speech. I just love it! So, here are some of the things that I love the most, lately.

1) Genevieve and her umbrella. With rain and cooling temperatures, Genevieve took her first walk with an umbrella this past week and LOVED it! It was good that the rain was light and stopped while we walked as Genevieve didn't prefer to hold her umbrella upright during most of our walk. She liked holding it to the side and kept saying "I hiding!" She was completely enamored by her new accessory. Just yesterday, we had to get it out again so she could hold it while she was swinging. No, there was no rain, but it was still fun!


2) Dave and Genevieve. When I get home from my morning run, I often find Dave and Genevieve on the couch. They're, usually, cuddled under a blanket with her lying on top of his chest, watching either Sports Center or Backyardigans, (you can guess who chooses each show). I don't know if there is anything I love more in the world than seeing the two of them. I love how sweet are together.


3) More of Dave and Genevieve. Genevieve loves playing with whatever she finds in my nightstand drawers. Last week after she had put on her pajamas, she apparently found a little back massager. I had gone to put something away and when I returned to the room, Genevieve was lying in blissful relaxation on the floor as Dave massaged her back with the new toy she had found. I loved that he was showing her what it was for and that she enjoyed it so much. They are the two sweetest things in my life!

4) Exploring the backyard. Just in the last few weeks, Genevieve has discovered her independence in wanting to play and wander in the backyard on her own. I am often working somewhere in the yard or am in and out of the house doing chores. I, usually, find her in a flower garden in the sunken area of our yard, completely fascinated as she examines leaves, flowers, berries, or rocks of some sort. Such a little girl in this big yard, it seems like a whole world in comparison to her. It is so picturesque to me.


5) Princess Genevieve. Last Sunday, I realized that Genevieve had worn her Easter dress a total of only two or three times and knew that it wouldn't fit her next summer. I put her in the dress for Church and told her that she looked like a princess. The rest of the day she kept telling her dad and me, (and likely everyone else she saw), that she was a princess. I thought it was so funny. The talk about princesses has not stopped since. She puts necklaces around her head to make princess hats/crowns, wore her princess socks to go on a walk to look for garbage trucks (another recent fascination of hers), wears her princess bike helmet to play outside, puts on her princess dress-up cloths from her cousin, requests to see princesses on the computer, and points out any picture of a girl in a pretty dress and says "princess!" I let her watch The Little Mermaid for the first time last week; I think we may be in for it, now! Oh well. I think Genevieve is a princess!


6) Reading in bed.  Genevieve has always enjoyed books and often likes to sleep with a book or two in her bed.  The other night as I went downstairs to get something for Genevieve's bedtime, I came back into her room to find her all cuddled up under her blanket, lying with her head propped up against the crib, and her book lifted across her belly as she was reading in bed.  I had never seen her do this before and thought it was so cute.  I tried to get a photo of her the next evening as she relaxed to do the same thing, but nothing could beat the mini-adult sight of the previous night.  She's growing up, I guess.