52:41 | rewarding

Swim class every Thursday at 6. Dumdum every Thursday at 6:35. The little treat bucket on the way out of the swim school is irresistible. And she earns it. My little fish jumps in and gives it her all... So dumdum it is.

We use positive reinforcement rather than punishment. Choices instead of dictates. It works. She's learning how to be a good person. A sweet, kind little girl that makes her Mama and Daddy very proud. And makes us laugh when she turns it around on us! She's getting too smart!

52:40 | babies

Aubrey has never really been attached to any one thing. Not even as a baby. I don't know if it's because we never encouraged it or because she was always too busy exploring everything. But then came Mr. Stupid. Horrible name, I know. We can thank Opa for that. Mr. Stupid is the tiger on the right. Squeeze his hand and he will dance to the most awful dive bar music you can imagine. But she loves him.

52:39 | sassy

Aubrey has always had a passion for shoes. At 14 months old, Daddy swore he'd never go to another shoe store with her again. Ha! She was unstoppable. Aubrey needed a pair of boots this summer for a wedding we were in. I wasn't too sure what we were going to find then we saw them. The most perfect pair of purple boots. Her favorite color. They're the cutest thing EVER. I love my little Texan.

52:38 | so true

There's something to be said for the accuracy of fortune cookies. Whether it be her kindness, her generosity, or just being her happy little self, I am so incredibly proud to be her mommy. One of her favorite things to is blow out a candle. And making a wish for Grandma is always part of it. Despite all of the million things that she could wish for herself, her wishes are always to benefit someone else and Grandma is a very special part of her.

52:37 | holding on tight

She's in our bed. Every night. She didn't start off that way. In fact, she slept in her own bed beautifully since she was born. Slept through the night by two weeks old. She might have done it sooner than that if I hadn't been so concerned with her nighttime feeding schedule. But now... She's cuddled up next to us (all over me) every night. It started with putting her in the bed to nurse her and just went from there. It didn't take long before she decided our bed was more appealing. It's not always the most comfortable but it feels so good. Cuddling up to her and hearing those baby sleep sighs...ahhh... melt me. It's incredible how one touch from Mommy, one whisper, can soothe and settle her. I love being that person. The one that makes anything and everything better. It's a powerful feeling. So yes, for now she's in our bed. Daddy is kicked to one side and Mommy to the other but it works for us. Kicks out of nowhere and her being so close you'd think she was attached but... She's only little once and the days are flying by faster than you can imagine. I'm going to soak them up. 

P.S. She's sideways in this photo. No surprise there.

52:36 | piggy backs

I really have to make a point to be in more pictures with Aubrey. I want my sweet baby to see how we spend our time together. I'm so busy taking pictures that I'm never in them. I write to her in a journal and tell her stories about our life together, crazy comments she makes, what her personality is like but she still needs to see it. And of course I can never get enough pictures of the two of us together.

52:35 | detailed

Sometimes you just have to wait a minute. She had  to write out her grocery list. That's what Mama does so that's what Aubrey does. It also came with an explanation of exactly what we needed and why. She's picking up on my use of rationales. We've never been a "because I say so" kind of family. We always explain the why's and how's so not only does she listen but she understand the concept behind what we're telling her. I can't help but laugh when she says "do you understand Mama?".