nev, joe and i went to chicago and crawfordsville, indiana recently for some r & r. we had TONS of fun and did lots of different things. to start, nev had another airplane ride. despite it being her bedtime she refused to sleep and was happy as long as she could play. so, she played the entire time. before we even got on the plane we discovered nev has a love for pickles! she ate pickles and onions at the airport restaurant...i thought we were in for a disaster on the plane because of that but it turned out fine! :) once we got to chicago nev went to a park off michigan avenue with grandma and grandpa herzog, did some art with grandma peggy, and went to dunkin donuts with grandpa tobey to taste her first donut! joe and i took her along the lake michigan trail, viewed the ohio street beach and went to navy pier! while at navy pier nev rode a train and the carousel as well watch a chicago children's museum staff person make gigantic bubbles (the museum is part of navy pier)! that was a big hit and daddy even bought her a souvenir from the museum store...he was such a sucker!
then we were off to indiana after a brief time in chicago! while in indiana, nev played on her first slip-n-slide with the neighborhood kids and her cousins, mia and elle! she didn't like it at first (i think because the water was cold) but then after a few times i couldn't keep her off the slide. she didn't like the fact she had to wait her turn either since she was having so much fun! she also had her first popcicle and played in her first homemade (built by mia and elle) fort with pillows, blankets, furniture, etc.!
she also went to the local ice cream shop, dari-licious and had her first vanilla ice cream cone! grandma peggy treated all of us girls...thanks! again, she was in heaven... and she got to play at the infamous "turtle park" at the ice cream joint with her cousins...even better! she also went to a creamery in indianapolis one day and saw over 20 baby calves, saw lots of chickens and roosters running around, and had ice cream again! vacation must be a kid's dream (and an adults too for that matter)! thanks aunt beth for the great idea!
nev went to the strawberry festival again this year. she was able to do some of the activities in the kid area this time! she rode on her first pony and at first didn't want me to let go...but once i did...she was all smiles! she also got to paint with daddy and eat pork tenderloin, french fries, and some funnel cake! yikes...for someone who rarely has junk food she was living it up! she was smiling and saying hello to everyone she saw including the daughter of one of joe's high school classmates!
in addition to spending lots of time with her indiana family (grandma peggy, grandpa tobey, uncle rob, aunt beth, mia and elle) she saw her summer fling from last year, wyatt motz. she got to play over at his house frequently as he lives across the street from grandparents herzog. he showed her how to swing a golf club, pushed her around on a trike, and showed off some too on his 4-wheeler. and, they kissed again this summer...he was her first kiss last year! then, she got to see cameron james (the son of my good friend sarah james), another friend she met last year. they shared with each other REALLY well...it was quite impressive!
nev had a great time and loved to spend time with her indiana family! she said (and still does) "tobey, tobey, tobey" over and over again, danced with grandma peggy, showed off for aunt beth in the bathtub, finally approved of uncle rob by saying hi and giving him a kiss, "bought" groceries from cousin mia, and followed elle around wherever she went. and she even went to church for the first time too with grandma peggy and grandpa tobey! what a busy little girl! she charmed everyone (humor a mom, please) and really adapts well to new situations and new people!
a few other updates...she says a lot of words halfway now...too many to list at this point. her first two word phrase was "thak thew," or thank you, and recently she is on a kick of saying, "no mine." she continues to use her manners by saying "peas" when she wants something, will sign "i love you" with her hands and arms, and asks for "mow," or more. she likes trying to use silverware and will ask for a "shpoo," or spoon. she also likes to sing "row, row, row, your boat" by saying "whoa, whoa, whoa" to the correct tune! she will start up her swim lessons again next week since she was cleared by the doctor after her tubes! and, last but not least...she got a sister...an english pointer dog named, jet! they get along great and nev likes to sit near jet and point her finger while babbling too her or it looks like she is bossing her around!
we look forward to celebrating father's day this weekend and having a playdate with my friends lori and amy and their daughters at our house! yippee!