Audrey's First 5K

On Saturday, we went with the Hoenigs to the ThriVe 5K run at Forest Park.  While Billy ran the actual 5K, I walked a 3K while Audrey rolled just ahead of me in her stroller.  She enjoyed pointing at the dogs and waving at strangers while we walked.  Lillian (a.k.a. baby Hoenig) fell asleep, but Audrey stayed awake the entire time.  When we got done with the walk, Audrey wanted to explore.  She would walk up to other children and just watch them.  Then, she found a children’s area with games; he favorite part was the pool full of ducks.  I think we will definitely have to keep an eye on her when we are out in public now.  She has reached that age where sitting in a stroller is not very appealing, and she wants to show her independence by roaming and exploring. 

On Sunday, we visiting Greenville and spent the day with my parents and grandparents on the lake.  Billy swam with Audrey and showed her how much fun it is to jump off of the dock.  To be honest, it isn’t really jumping, because Audrey sits on the edge and then leans forward into her dad’s arms.  But the sensation of falling and the splash are the same as if she had jumped.  By next summer, I think we’re going to have to keep her on a leash when she’s near the water to ensure she doesn’t just go jump in without an adult to assist her.  We will definitely have to do more swimming lessons this winter! 

Repeat Repeat

Audrey has become extremely fascinated by repeating words and reciting what this are.  She now knows the words that describe her body (head, toes, eyes, ears, etc.) and is learning animal names and noises.  Her current favorite is "Nay" in reference to a horse.  I don't think she is able quite yet to differentiate the noise from the name.  She saw a horse pulling a carriage down the street today (a common tourist ride in downtown St. Louis), pointed, and said "Nay."  She can also repeat her name and other people's names. 

Audrey has also become extremely attached to a soft, pink stuffed puppy dog that we call "puppy."  She takes it to school every day and takes it to bed with her each night.  We forgot it when we went to the lake this weekend, but when we got home, she found it right away.  Once she found it, she would not give it up again, not even to eat dinner.  I never thought anything would come between her and food, but she was so upset that we wouldn't let her hold the puppy that she screamed through dinner and didn't finish her food. 

We visited the lake of the Ozarks this weekend, and Audrey had a good time playing with the "Entourage" and their wives/girlfriends.  She also had a good time with Logan.  They played in the sprinklers together and even swam together for a little bit.  Audrey even "swam" by herself for a few seconds; she had her life jacket on (of course), but we would let go of her hands and let her float without human assistance for a few seconds until she started to lose her balance and roll.  She never got scared though; instead, she would squeal and giggle.  Audrey also went tubing for the first time on Sunday.  Her Papa Nance picked out a Torpedo/Rocket shaped tube.  Daddy drove the wave-runner and mommy rode in the tube with Audrey.  Every time we went past the dock, she would smile and wave at the attentive audience she had waiting back at the dock.  There is no doubt in my mind at this point that Audrey will be a lake rat like her mom and dad. 

High Heels and Handbags

While Audrey may not quite be at the age where she can manage walking in high heels, she is at the age where she likes to carry a purse on her arm and try to wear mommy’s shoes.  Just last night, she wanted me to assist her with putting my flip flop under her foot and fitting the strap between her toes.  She could not walk very fast or far, since the shoes was at least 5 times the size of her foot.  This only confirms my previous suspicions that she likes shoes, maybe too much.

On Sunday, we went to church to see our friend Lillian be baptized.  When we picked Audrey up from the nursery, they informed us that she had been playing dress up as she walked to the door with a  small pink purse over her arm.  At school, she is always playing with the hats and the baby dolls.  I don’t know if it is because she has been spending so much time with mommy, or if it is something she is predisposed to be.  Whatever the reason, Audrey continues to show signs of taking after her mom in her desire to dress up and accessorize.

Audrey Says "Hi"

Last week, Billy was in Israel for work, and Audrey and I had a girls’ week.  While we enjoyed each others’ company, we still missed daddy.  With the time change, I was only getting to talk to Billy for about 15 minutes a day, and that usually happened to be while I was at work.  Since he was not getting to “talk” to Audrey, I decided to take a video of her talking to him.  The resulting video makes me smile every time I watch it.  I hope you enjoy it too! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwzLfmMKFqE