Happy 2nd Birthday Penny

Pictures:

1. Penny opening gifts with mommy on her 2nd birthday
2. Crawling through her new tunnel (thank you grandpa and grandma Phipps) with her new Jessie doll (thank you Dylan, and Dustin & Emily too)
3. New outfit, she just loves having pockets
4. Birthday shirt and skirt
5. Cheesing with a dandelion in her ear
6. Converted big-girl bed
7. She's all the gift we need
8. Most (more than half) of the extended cousins from the Nichols' side

Penny turned 2 recently and is a bundle of energy.  She talks a whole lot and fairly clearly.  She has a passion for Toy Story and Tangled, we watch them at least a few times each week.  She has done great with the conversion of her bed and we are now slowly working of potty training.  It would be nice if the latter part was as easy as the bed conversion.  Penny is also expecting a baby sister to come in September, she hasn't shown any interest in sharing the spotlight, so this could be a fun transition.  There isn't much else to report from the Nichols' household.  Until next time...

Its only been about 4 months since the last post

I figured I would try and update the blog once more before Penny turns 2 later this month.  She now has a rather extensive vocabulary, words like genius, einstein, amazing, grandma, and grandpa are commonly flowing from her lips.  Unfortunately, she is very versed in "no" also.  She is already starting to take a run at the terrible 2's and many times I wonder where my sweet, even keeled little girl has gone.  As most of you know, Emily is expecting and is now about 15 weeks along, we should be finding out the sex around the time of Penny's 2nd birthday.  I don't think Penny has yet grasped the concept that she will be a big sister later this year, but she'll figure it out once she isn't getting 100% of the attention.  Let's hope that process goes smoothly.  As for this posts' pictures:
1. Penny gets a 2-point take-down on Eli
2. Leaning in to give Eli a kiss, she needs to slow play this for about another 23 years
3. Cheesing and saying "giddyup" while on Rosco's back
4. She really loves her puppy
5. Practicing potty time while reading and brushing her teeth.  She's showing off her new book that her cousin Benjamin sent her.
6. Moshing with a mohawk
7. Mohawk is about all that can be done with her hair still at this time
8. Checking out Dylan's new birthday gift
9. Penny loves to try on daddy's hats, this is her wearing my class A hat for my fire dept dress uniform
10. She is also into shoes (great), wearing daddy's five finger toe shoes

I'm sure that I am forgetting something, but I can't think of any other news from this Nichols' household.  Until next time.

2010 Holiday Season

1. Penny with her new guitar from grandma Flynn, hopefully she has mommy's musical talent
2. Cheese!
3. Rosco wearing Penny's new chef apron
4. Ready to go in her ultra-cute peacoat and hat
5. Now that we're done talking pics for the Christmas card Penny decides to smile
6. Whipping up dinner in her new kitchen and chef outfit
7. Pay no attention to the stain on the front of her shirt, she's happy
8. Sporting her new hat, handmade by Emily's co-worker
9. Showing off her new chef outfit (from Uncle Dustin and Aunt Emily) to Dylan
10. Good family photo from the Phipps Christmas
11. Cheesing with daddy's hat
12. One of the Christmas card rejects, that's about how the whole photo shoot went
13. Looking cute and ready to go see the trains at the State Museum and Eiteljorg
14. Chez Penny
15. Opening Christmas gifts with grandma Phipps

Over the past few months Penny keeps saying more and more.  She repeated "genius" with her own flair of "I a genius."  Still working on the grammar, but she's got the idea along with a lack of self-esteem issues with that attitude.  She refuses to say "I love you," but will reply without hesitation "I love football."  To her future husband (25-30+ years from now), YOU'RE WELCOME.  She is getting to the point where she can repeat just about anything you say.  At one point her "uh oh" and "oh no" became "uh no."  She is almost always a little joy, but occasionally we get to see her temper flare up (must've got that from mommy).  She eats incredibly healthy for a toddler, unfortunately that doesn't elicit weight gain.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that she hit 20 lbs before she's 2, we're more that ready to turn her car seat around, but she just won't cooperate.  The holidays were fun, and fortunately Penny didn't get too spoiled by the grandparents.  Emily and I bought her 3 gifts and she was over opening them before the 2nd was done, hopefully thats a good sign of things to come.  Until next time, everyone have a safe and happy New Year.