A look at our lovely life- Michelle and Chris

Hallie has grown quite attached to her books. She can tell me the names of most stories. Her favorites right now are:

"D-night moon" (Goodnight Moon)

"Dam-bury" (Jamberry)

"Padama ime" (Pajama Time)

"Bawn-awd dance" (Barnyard Dance)

She can recite many lines and will quote them throughout the day. It is so precious when she reads "D-night moon" back to me. She reads with such a sweet voice. My favorite is when she says "D-night nobody" she slows down every syllable as she says it. If she gets fussy in the car, a good remedy is to quote lines from her books and she will finish it.

MOM: "In the great green room there was a . . ."

HALLIE: "Tell-phone!"

MOM: "And a . . ."

HALLIE: "red ball-loon!!"

She also particularly loves Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? She can basically read the entire book since it is so repetitive. All she has to do is identify the picture and then repeat the same phrase. So, she thumbs through it and says "Goldfish, Goldfish-- what a see?" and "Teacher, Teacher-- what a you see?" and so forth.

Hallie is so conversational. Yesterday when I went in her room at morning time she said "Hi, how a you?" I said "I'm good, how are you?" "I'n good!" she responded. Then she asked me lightly "You have fun in nigh-night? You have fun seeping (sleeping)?!" It cracked me up how she wanted to chit-chat. Her eyes were so wide and pleasant like she was catching up with an old friend at church.

She continues to be quite the little singer too. She has almost mastered "I Will" by the Beatles. It has been one of my lullabies for her since she was born. It is so cute to hear her scoop her notes and slide up the scale at the end of the song. The notes are an octave apart and Hallie usually overshoots the octave but it is still darling nonetheless. This morning as she was eating breakfast she starts singing "Down, down baby I could do . . . (she didn't know how to say "karate")." It is a song children sing on her Elmo DVD. She was singing it very rhythmically though-- it had loads of pizzaz!

Hallie likes to talk about the upcoming reunion and the family she will see: "Unca Mar, Aunt Taren, A-man-da (she holds out the second syllable longer), Unca Dan, Aunt Taylene, Ma-pa (grandpa), Mama . . ." For some reason she forgets Joseph (but gets excited when I remind her)and gives me a puzzled look when I mention "Uncle John." She also is good at saying"Jessica" and "Baby Danny" (which she always say in a high-pitched squeal). We will see them in Rexburg.

I will be more mindful of what she is saying and doing in the coming days. I haven't recorded it as well recently.

yes, that is a tear