My Kids Are Cute

Very Cute.

Random Cuteness

We live next door to a family who has a son about 5 months older than Tali. They like to play together because, as you know, Tali plays like a boy. She can run, climb and get dirty just as easily as the boys (sometimes even better than them). Here is a picture of them from last week. He was on his way home and we were on our way out so it was just a quick little hug to say hello.

Some Pictures of Tali

In her rocking chair.

Reading one of her favorite books (Brown Bear).

This one is my favorite.

She loves that horse!

I know you cannot see her face in this picture. But I'm obsessed with her hair and thought I'd show you how beautiful it is. Wish mine looked like this!

Tali starts school soon and they've asked for two recent pictures of her for her cubby and their board. So yesterday morning I snapped a few. Here are my favorites. (And yes, I switched up her outfit a bit so it looked like I actually take pictures of my daughter on more than one occasion. )

Papa's 90th Birthday

One of the few good pictures with Tali.

My favorite picture.

Tali eating the bread brought for the ducks.

Tali asking for some of Aunt Ilana's drink.



The goose that crashed the picture.

This past weekend we celebrated Papa's 90th birthday. Tali had a great time at the family events.

On Saturday, we had brunch at Commander's Palace, one of the best restaurants in New Orleans. Tali tried many new foods and enjoyed them all. She had garlic bread for the first time and couldn't get enough! Tali ate pancakes, which she liked once I added syrup, and she sampled my bread pudding - yum! But her favorite food was ice cream. Although she had never seen or eaten it before, she knew it was something good from the moment they put the bowl on the table. Tali was playing on the floor when the bowl was set down and she immediately ran over to her spot to sign for help and that she wanted to eat (yes, she's smart enough to make baby sentences at 16 months - as long as they involve food). Then she went to the corner to try and climb in her high chair! We put her in, strapped on the bib and Tali was in heaven. She loved the vanilla ice cream with strawberries.

Between courses at Commander's a group of musicians came in to the room to perform. Tali enjoyed the music and particularly loved the double bass. The first time they played, I walked her over to the bass and placed her hand on it to feel the vibration. The next two times they came into the room, she walked over to the bass herself. She had such a great time at Commander's and was very well behaved for the entire three hours.

On Sunday, Papa's actual birthday, we went to the park for family pictures. Tali wasn't so cooperative for the pictures as there were many more interesting things to see and do. About halfway through she told me she was hungry and thirsty. Since I was unprepared (bad Mom!), she had some ice from Aunt Ilana's iced coffee drink and some bread that Aunt Sue had brought to feed the ducks. Tali chased the ducks, walked up and down the steps, pet the dogs, played in the grass and dirt, and tried to take a swim in the water. She had a blast!

Family Portriat

Last summer, H purchased a lot of fancy camera equipment so that we could take family pictures at home. However, there was one problem that he did not foresee: Someone needs to stand behind the camera to entertain Tali and make her smile. So after months and months of saying we were going to do it, we finally went and got our first family portrait.

Yesterday we went to the Sears portrait studio. Most of the photographers in this area are outrageously expensive (their sitting fee costs as much as the entire package we purchased at Sears) so I decided to give Sears a try. While it may not have been the most upscale place to go, it worked out just fine. The woman taking the photos got Tali to smile and took some good shots. And about 15 minutes after the pictures were taken, we were able to view them on the computer and select what we wanted. After we picked a package, we decided to become members and visit the portrait studio a bit more frequently. Now we just need a house to display all of this pictures.

First Time in Overalls

Tali looked so cute yesterday in her Osh Kosh B'Gosh overall skirt that I just had to take (and share) a few pictures.

Enjoy!

P.S. She's playing with her "big dog" that really needs a name. I'm open to suggestions, but have already ruled out Spot and Jackson, sorry.

Photo Shoot

This morning I took Tali for a mini photo session (20 minutes) at a photographer's home in a nearby town. Surprisingly, Tali was very good up until the end. She smiled, she stared, she was on her best behavior.

It's fun to watch a baby photographer at work. She had a basket of toys and could quickly (within seconds) determine which toys Tali liked to look at and which ones she didn't. Tali's favorite was a toy shaped like a maraca that had flashing lights and buzzed. The other toys didn't seem to interest her as much and the singing bear got an immediate frown and lower lip quiver. 

The photographer took a ton of shots and I can't wait to see them! If they come out nicely, the whole family (Jackson included) might go for a full session with her. I'll post pictures when I get them.