Counting the ....months....weeks....and days

Where to start? Hmmmm.....well, I guess not much has changed since I last wrote. The sun has been peeking through more often and we have had two days in a row of mid 50's to low 60's weather! That is way exciting because now we can actually spend time outside without freezing. Marlee loves going outside and walking and if she can't...well...i'm sure you can just hear her now screaming and crying. She is so set to do what she wants when she wants, but she is getting better about dealing with it. Her hair is getting longer, she is getting taller, and her feet are getting bigger. And it is all happening way too fast! I wish she would slow down, but then we are really enjoying all the new things she does everyday. She can tell, or show, you where her ears, hair, fingers, toes, feet, nose, eyes, bellybutton, and mouth are. Her vocabulary is still growing daily. Outside, Frog, Spy, Down, Please, Dora, and I am sure there are more, but I just can't think of any more at the moment. One of my favorite words she says is, "hi". I say this because anytime she wakes up from a nap or bedtime, or you walk into a room where she is, she looks at you, smiles, and says, "HI". She is so sweet. We only have a couple of months until we arrive stateside and then we will get to share this bundle of joy! Although, now she isn't so much a little bundle as she is a running, jumping, talking, laughing, and smiling little girl. I have put some pictures below to share that sweet little girl.



Look at that face!



Her hair is getting sooo long!





She likes brushing her hair.



"Flowuh"...she says every times he sees one. (She brought one back from her walk...it is small but it is in her hands)



This is Marlee standing by the gate to the front of the house. She just stands there pointing at the lock saying, "Door" because she wants to go for a walk. She is so smart!




This is one of my FAVORITES!

A Mile A Minute

I have been meaning to update this thing for a week or so now, but just haven't gotten around to it. Marlee is doing so many sweet, new things that I don't know where to begin. I know I brag about her all the time, but each new days brings something new! Before I ramble on for days about what she is doing now...an update on everything else Herring is in order, I suppose. Hmmm...no snow in a couple of weeks now. That is so nice, and even this last weekend was nice. It was almost 60 degrees outside and the sun was shining. We had to get out of the house, and I was beaming with happiness. It is amazing what some good ol' vitamin D can do for you. Marlee had a great time too! She wanted to go everywhere and get into everything. We have finally been using an umbrella stroller for her because it is easier to get out and mess with. She likes riding it, but I think she likes trying to get out of it even more. We went to downtown K-town this weekend for some shopping, and some people watching. The pigeons were all on the ground and Marlee was so excited to see them, pointing and babbling about. We went into one of my favorite stores, H&M. She loves looking at the jewelry in the kids section and when we got close she did all she could to get out of that stroller. She sees something she wants and is determined to get it in her grasp. This time it was a flower beaded necklace and bracelet. Then her attention was on something else and before I knew it she leaped out of her stroller (she wasn't strapped in at that point in time)and ran around the corner of the clothing aisle. My purse, and clothes were hanging on the back of the stroller so when she got out it fell over and things scattered, Zachary was in the dressing room, so you can imagine the scene. CHAOS...well, in my mind. She is such a stinker! Nonetheless, it was a very nice day! Zach is back to work (he hates it!), and I am just taking care of everything else. They even called him at 230 this morning and told him to be in by 4am to work a twelve hour shift! He hadn't even had a full nights sleep. Can you believe that? These people are ridiculous! Good thing we leave in May. I don't know how much more stupidity he can take, and me for that matter. Anyway, off the soap box I go.
As I write this, my child is crawling in circles around her couch in the living room. She has so much energy this morning. She has been dancing, chasing around Oscar (well, he doesn't really run away), and playing with her plethora of toys. She is so funny, and is obviously showing signs of my sense of humor! Ha...see, wasn't that funny? eh...anyway, this morning she was watching her "baby can read" video and the song, "I'm a Little Teapot" came on. She was tilting over her body with the song. I was laughing so hard and was so excited to see it! Zachary had seen it before, but I hadn't. She loved it too! She just tilted over smiling. Also, when "Old MacDonald...farm" comes one she says, "eieieieoo". It is sooo super sweet! She even did it on skype for her MiMi and Pawpaw. She is saying a new word everyday it seems. "Plate", "looov eh" (love you), "stop", "Bye" (she has said bye bye, but now it is just "bye"), "teeth"...I can't really think of them all right now, but...(her show is over now, and she is waving saying, "bye"). Anyway, I could go on forever! Her new or same faves are yogurt, cheese, her "sooo" or show, elmo, chocolate, taking a bath, the "Tinkerbell" movies, babies, her pacifier, cups (she lines up non-lid cups on the stool in the kitchen, and lid-cups on the counter), and balls. When we go to her playgroup every week she spends most of the time trying to get all the balls. She still doesn't like us to tell her "no", or when we turn off her show, when she can't get her cups or yogurt, and when we don't let her down when she asks us. We can't wait to come home so everyone can meet her. We have our tickets, sort of. Zachary got an email saying when we leave and such. We are leaving from Ramstein which I am happy about. I did not really want to take a shuttle to Frankfurt. We ship Oscar to Zach's mom, Carol, in April and he will be with her until she brings him down to Texas when she visits. That is going to help us out so much! So, if you are reading this Carol, THANK YOU! I really want to see a few people, some I don't really mind if I don't, and really want to have a real birthday party for Marlee this year. I hope at least some friends and family can make it to San Angelo, but if not it is understandable. Well, I have had to put this down quite a bit this morning to tend to my sweet babe, so I have lost all my train of thought. I hope everyone has a blessed day! ...and please keep all the victims of the earthquake in Chili in your thoughts, and those of Haiti as well. Heck, please keep all those less fortunate than yourselves in your thoughts and prayers!