Wheels, Hair and the Porch

Two members of our family are sporting new 'dos...and for a change I'm not one of them. :) Doug got brave and let me cut his hair at home this week for the very first time. It was so much fun! It's a little shorter than I intended, but not much. It's pretty close to the way I pictured it. I told him I'll get better with practice. :) You'll have to tell me what you think. I've been bugging him to shave off that beard. But...he is fighting me on it, so we made a compromise...he trimmed it down to a well-groomed goatee. I can live with that for now. Although, I will say, I think it makes him look sinister. :) Danika seems fine with it...as long as he's not wearing a baseball cap.

My "sinister hubby with his new haircut.

Danika is the other "new 'do"....her hair is FINALLY long enough for her very first hair bow! I was so pumped I ran out and bought six. They actually stay in, and for the most part, she hasn't figured out they are there yet, so she doesn't pull on them. It's pretty fun.

Danika with her new hair ribbon...and looking a little tired.

Daddy and Danika playing together.

Danika has a special little friend named Trinity who will turn 2 years old next week. I haven't asked her parents yet, but when I remember to do that, and if they give the okay, I'll post a couple of cute pictures of them together. Trinity and her parents have been very, very generous to Danika with clothing, toys, baby swings, carriers, and all sorts of fun stuff. We can't possibly thank them enough for all the things they have given us. Most of Danika's cute little things were once Trinity's...the generosity of her family has been one of God's special blessings to us over the last year and a half...there are so many things that Danika has that just would not have been possible without thier kindness. A few nights ago they came to visit and brought Danika a very special toy to borrow for a while. It is the coolest walker I've ever seen. It is made up of multiple inflatable rings, and the rollers on the bottom go in any direction. Danika LOVES it! She is running all over the place in it and just bounces off everything. She's been terrorizing the cats with it and thinks it is way too cool to be this mobile. Prior to this, her favorite toy was her jeep...also a gift from Trinity and family. She still likes it...she thinks it is great to sit in it and beep the horn with her nose. :) Up till now it has been a huge hit...but last night the rainbow walker took the lead as Danika's new favorite object. She loves it because she can navigate in any direction she wants really quick and easy...mommy loves it because it bounces off the walls and furniture without leaving marks. :) It has been the most entertaining thing in our house the last few days!



Doug continues to work on the back porch. As with most home improvement projects, it has turned out to be a much bigger project than we anticipated. It turns out the support beams are all rotten underneath. So....it's going to be a lot of work. Here are a few pictures of the process as it went from one small hole to assess the damage, to the entire floor being ripped out so Doug can put new support beams in.

Doug was excited on Wednesday...he started taking a small engine repair class here in Millcreek. They offer the class every year and he has always wanted to take it, but it is always on Wednesday nights...and in the past we always had church that night. But...at this particular point in our lives, our Wednesday nights are free...and so for 10 weeks Doug is taking this class. He thinks it will be pretty cool.

And last but not least...just a few pictures to entertain you.

The other day, Doug was getting Danika dressed out in the living room while I got myself ready in the bedroom. Danika is quite a fighter when it comes to changing diapers and dressing her...she is just way too busy to hold still long enough for you to finish the job properly. So, from the living room amid a whole lot of squawking and happy babbling, I hear Doug firmly saying "Hold still...no....don't crawl away....come back here....keep that foot down....no....not that leg....wait....come one....aaahhh!" I couldn't help but laugh from the other room. And then a very defeated Doug brought this mermaid creature in to me and left her on the bed. :) Apparently, she wasn't very cooperative when it came to using both leg holes.

Danika's favorite "toy" (while she loves the new walker) would still have to be the cats. She thinks they are the coolest thing EVER. So...anytime she has a "close encounter" and can actually touch them, she squeals with delight. As you can see....there might be a good reason the cats don't let her get close enough to touch them very often. :) (In case you can't tell...I managed to actually capture the moment when Danika poked Sam in the eye.)
And here's my little "Shorty-McNorty" as Doug so lovingly calls her, sitting in the kitchen. This was taken right before the other cat unwittingly walked around the corner into Danika's reach and then ran for his life towards the basement.

So....seconds later, I get to see this. This is what I normally see when I'm trying to take care of her...her little hind end as she army-crawls away from me as fast as she can. :)

Last but not least....Mom...this info is for you. Danika crawled for REAL for the first time on Friday night. It was only a few steps...but she did it! And today, she crawled some more. So...she is figuring it out slowly but surely. And she pulls herself up on everything now...the chairs, the couch, Doug's legs...anything she can get a good grip on she wants to climb and stand up. And...she claps. Doug claps and says "Patty cake, patty cake..." and she imitates him. It's pretty cool. Tooth #5 and #6 are almost all the way through. And she "dances" now too. When I turn on the radio and sit in front her and move my shoulders, she moves her right shoulder up and down to imitate me. It just cracks me up...not both shoulders....only one. :)

So...that's life in the Bierer household this week. Smile and have a great day!