my new house...

hello! okay, i really am sorry for not blogging more often. now that i'm running around, playing outside, and traveling, i just don't have time to sit down at the computer as much as i used to! but, there's much to update on, so here i go! first, we had a great trip to the beach in florida to visit SELT (uncle scott, aunt elaina, lauren, and taylor)! the ocean was so pretty - here's the view from the condo...

the ocean water was too cold for me, but i had lots of fun swimming in the pool. we played games ate a lot of yummy food, and just enjoyed hanging out. i was really good in the car on the drive there (about 13 hours) and was pretty good on the trip home (what seemed like about 13 days). by then, i was just ready to be back in our own house, but i tried to be as good as possible. it was definitely worth the drive! here are some more pictures of me hanging out...

when we got home, i really missed SELT and the ocean so much that i wanted to go back...

now that we're back at home, i'm up to my usual self, but i do have some fun things to report on. i'm saying several more words now and i forget which words i've already told you that i can say, so here's a report on my full vocabulary (or as much as i can remember at this minute): hat, hot, hi, book, ball, bread (a.k.a. "bed"), uh oh, grape (a.k.a. "bep"), mama and dada of course, and everything else is "buh."

i love climbing, reading books, playing the harmonica and recorder and kazoo, eating snacks, pulling on mommy's leg when i want her to pick me up, kissing pictures of people in magazines, dancing, dragging articles of clothing around the house, stacking blocks, playing with mixing spoons, playing outside, and running. i wave at little kids but usually not adults (i get kind of shy around big people). when mommy gives me a snack like a piece of cereal or bread, i pick it up in my fingers and then have to touch it on something (highchair tray, shopping cart, church pew) before putting it in my mouth. i'm not sure why i do this, but i do. mommy and daddy each have things they're very particular about, and this is one of my things. in general, life is going really well and i feel like i'm growing up quite nicely. :)

i really love living with mom and dad, but i've been thinking about my future and planning ahead, and i had just been feeling like it was maybe time to venture out on my own. paying rent to my parents just didn't seem like a wise use of my money - after all, why rent when you can own? and although the economy is hurting some, interest rates are very low and it's a great time to buy. so... i did! i bought a new house - here it is:

although some people are having a hard time getting a good mortgage because of bad credit, my credit is spotless! and i wanted to take advantage of the tax break for first-time homeowners, so i reviewed all the paperwork and signed on the dotted line...

i really love my new home, and it's located on a very nice property too. i even have a guy to mow my lawn for me!

the only downside is not having mom around to prepare all my meals, so i have to fend for myself...

mom and dad's house is pretty close, so i think i'll still visit them at mealtimes. but i do like sleeping in my new home. the ground is much softer than i expected!

so, that's what i'm up to lately... i'm hoping to see beamee and grampee and aunt aimee, uncle greg, and gabrielle in just a few weeks (plus SELT again!), so i'm really looking forward to that! :) and i'm sure i'll see mimsie and grandpa again soon too. in the meantime, i'll keep you posted on how things are going around the house. and i'll leave you with a few more cute pictures...

now if i could only find my pants...