Jade and shoes

Jade has loved shoes ever since she was able to walk (about 5 months now), but it's only been within the last couple weeks that she has gotten seriously frustrated with the in-ability to put them on and take them off, her self.
So, earlier this week I went out and bought her some pink "croc" look a-likes so she could have some semi practical slip on shoes to put on and take off on her own.
So for the past couple days whenever she isn't eating, sleeping, or asking to sit on the potty (no she is not potty trained, she just likes to sit on the potty) she is on the floor with her toys and her shoes and she puts them on and takes them off.

Ta Da! She is very proud of herself here.

Reading is another favorite past-time, but only if she has her shoes on. Also note her new princess nightgown, she got that this week as well, and I think she knows how adorable she is in it.

JB asked me when/if this phase would ever be over. We both laughed knowing that even if she gets over the constant need to put on and take off her shoes, that most likely her love for wearing shoes will never end and if it does will most likely be replaced with a new fetish. I'm guessing clothes are next.

My week

After returning home from our TX/Wedding trip late Sunday night Jade and I had a super busy week. Besides having to catch up on work, laundry, cleaning, and regular household duties, it was also the start of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) on Tuesday. This year I have volunteered to cooridnator the creative activities for our group so that meant Monday night I was up cutting and trimming and organizing and putting together the crafts and nametags to be ready bright and early on Tuesday morning.

Tuesday afternoon I was grateful to get out of the house for a little while to go hang out with friends and do nothing except talk while our kiddos played.

Wednesday was the first day of Bible study, being held at my house. I'm so excited to be starting Bible study up again. I feel like it's been forever! (we stopped in May). The group of women who are in the bible study are a wonderful mix of ages and stages in life, I am looking forward to gleaning from their wisdom and experience.

The rest of this week is gonna be pretty slow for me, which I am very grateful for. Today I figure if I clean a bathroom, or sweep the floor I'll have done enough to count this as a profitable day.

The Fair is happening this week and I secretly hope we get to go to it this weekend. If not, I may go to the mall to exchange a shirt my wonderful husband got me for my birthday. (I love him or buying me a size to small!)

Hope everyone else's weeks are going well!

Pics from our TX trip

This past weekend was my best friends wedding...or maybe I should say "our" best friends wedding, since Nic and I both have known Jenny since we were very little (like 3yrs old) and have all been really good friends ever since. Here we are before heading out to dinner for Jenny's party.
Our kiddos were so cute together, they stayed home Thursday night with a sitter. CJ played with trucks...
...and Jade played in our shoes. She is such a little girl.
Here is some of the gang at dinner:)
Friday we went to the Rose Emporium for the rehearsal. For some strange reason the kids didn't want to stand around doing nothing, so Jade and I took a walk. Here she is on a back trail.
After the rehearsal we went to an Italian restaurant for dinner. We got Daniel (Jenny's baby brother) to sit in between us because he is so cute. He liked that:)
Saturday the big day arrived, here Nic and I are before pictures, before the wedding started.
Jenny was given a granola bar to keep her energy up and Jade promptly went over to her to beg for a bite:)
This is Jade and I. I tried to get her to wear her flower halo, but she would have none of it.
The two cute kids before they walked down the aisle.
Can you see Jade in this pic?
After the ceremony Jade played with Grandma in the water founatin
Dancing.
My parents:)
Dancing and a goofy game:)

Harbor Day

We went with friends downtown for Harbor day today. Here is Daddy and Jade on the Hawaiian Chieftain. It looks a lot like the Lady Washington (the boat used in Pirates of the Caribbean) which was there as well...but we've already been on that boat.
Daddy and Jade going out on the dock towards a tugboat.
Next to an old looking boat:)

Family pic:)

Happy Jade and Dad, she likes the boats!
Here they are watching little model boats racing in a pool area.
Here is a full view of the Hawaiian Chieftain boat we went on.
fun afternoon!

Bubbles a picnic

We had a work picnic to attend last night. While talking with grown-ups is lots of fun, Jade found the bubbles a more exciting diversion. Here she and her friend are trying to pop the bubbles laying in the grass.
she got impatient wanting the bubbles to be blown faster
this is her all exciting, and trying to blow bubbles through her fingers
Here she is with Daddy saying it's time to "Eat".

Jade's Smiles

I just want to eat her up:) My goofy, little smiling girl!

Just a few cute pics from the beach

Jade in the water

Jade and Me

Grandma Mangione, Aunt Li and Jade

Digging in the sand

Just for fun

You Belong in New York City

You're the energetic, ambitious type. And only NYC is fast enough for you. Maybe you'll set yourself up with a killer career Or simply take in all the city has to offer.

What City Do You Belong In?

A short pic of Jade at the beach

Some Pics from MI

It's early in the morning and Jade is still sleeping. I noticed pics from our trip had already been downloaded to the computer, so I thought I would post just a few.

Our flight in went pretty well and Jade seems pretty happy and healthy. It is taking her awhile to warm up to a lot of the family, but she doesn't seem to have any problems playing with her Aunts. She really loves the piano. Here is Jo playing with her.

When I left for a short walk to the family garden Jade wasn't to happy about that. So she sat on Great Grandma's lap with her blankie.
Mom decided to make some wonderfully delicious homemade bread from scratch yesterday. She ground the wheat herself and everything. I, however, I'm very allergic to fresh ground flour (well, I sneeze like crazy) so Travis took me for a canoe ride around the pond to show me were all the turtles sun themselves while Mom ground wheat. Here I am pretending to paddle. I actually didn't paddle the whole time. Travis said he could do it better:)
Travis caught a turtle to show Jade. She liked poking it's head and watching the turtle push it's head in and out of it's shell.
"Where's the turtle?"
Before church on Sunday morning Grandpa Bechtle played piano and Jade joined him.
This is a Sunday morning pic with her Grandpa's

I'm leaving on a Jet plane

Jade and I are off tonight to go visit family for a week. So you probably won't see any posts for awhile!

A dramatized tale

Jade and I struck out on an adventure just thirty minutes ago.
Against rain and wind we fought hard on our bicycle.
Jade yelled in the background "hyahgaohanso" which in any language means "go faster mommy, faster!"
I peddled faster, the rain stung my eyes. Would we ever make it? How can we prevail?

Finally, our destination was made. Frantically we gathered our few belongings and ran into the store. "Quick Jade" I said "Grab it, it's the last one!" Jade responded "gabagabaga" which of course meant "I have it mommy". After laying down our golden coins to pay we once again got back on our bicycle and headed out into the open road

"We can make it!" I said "nothing can stop us!!". "Gagooo" said Jade (hurray!).

Once in our home we proudly laid down our prize. The very last Madden Football...09 for Daddy to play later this evening.

Here comes the bride

Jade and I will both be in my best friends wedding. And I don't mean the movie. My good friend from childhood is getting married the first weekend in September and Jade gets to be one of the flowergirls (I'm a bridesmaid) you have to go to my friends site to see the adorable flower girl dress she gets to wear!!!

Cute pictures from this weekend

This weekend Jade got to spend with friends since I had to work a home school conference and J was out of town for a work conference. So she played with fun, new toys, hung out with her little buddies and even got to go play at the zoo! Here are just a few of the cute pictures that were taken of her!
Don't you just love that little belly peaking out? :)
That little tongue sticking out is defiantly a "Bechtle" thing to do. Daddy does that whenever he's working on something:)
Busy with her toys

Our bike ride

Today Jade and I went to the gym for an hour, following the gym we went for a four mile bike ride to the Park. After the park we visited a friend for half an hour or so (who lived really close to the park) then we took our bike home. About half way home I felt some weight on my backpack (Oh, I forgot to draw in my pink back pack!) and turned around to see a little pink helmet hanging down and my daughters chubby little face peacefully sleeping. It was SO precious. Poor little Jadey had a big day out and about.