Little Helper

Mallory learned a new trick last weekend and it's quite helpful.

She takes her cup from the dining room table ...

and carries it into the kitchen.

After you help her open the fridge, she puts her cup on her shelf ...

and ...

closes the door ...

all by herself. She is always very proud and usually starts clapping afterwards.

Freedom

With Mallory's new found walking skills come her sense of freedom. She now fully understands that where you place her is not where she needs to remain, if she so decides.

This makes changing diapers and getting ready for bed quite fun, and often funny. Here we go ... we start sitting nicely on the bed (at least close to the pjs) ...

but it's far more fun to jump on the bed ...

until she decides she is big enough to try getting off the bed. Thank goodness dad was paying attention and has quick hands.

Ava's Birthday Party

Mallory's friend Ava turned 1 on March 7. We celebrated with Ava during a party at her house.

Mallory enjoyed some cake and

played with her two best buddies, Addison (in green) and Ava (in white). Addison's mom, Sarah, and Ava's mom, Amy, and I went to law school together.

Spoon Practice

Mallory has officially entered toddler-hood. Her do-it-myself independence is beginning to shine through more often.
She loves to use her spoon and feed herself yogurt. It's a little messy but ...

it's sure fun to see her discover that she can do it all by herself.

Sometimes I think she would appreciate fewer camera flashes while she tries to eat.

Let's Go Swimming

Mallory loves to swim. As we prepared for a recent outting to the pool, Mallory was so excited she wouldn't sit still long enough for us to put her pants on so we could leave.

Look at those chubby little legs ...

Bath for Samson

Since he was long overdue, we decided to ask for Mallory's help in giving Samson a bath last weekend. Mallory was able to help right away. Samson hates getting baths, so she made sure that he wasn't able to escape.

With all exits blocked, we were able to get him into the tub.

Not sure exactly what she is doing in this photo...

Mallory helped for a little bit with drying Samson off...

...but she would rather pose for pictures and let Dad take care of the dirty work.

Valentine's Day

Mallory had a lot more fun this Valentine's Day than last year (since she was only 5 days old). Especially since this year she got some presents.

Mallory is checking out her gift bag, while Samson is moping since none of his girlfriends remembered to get him anything.

Mallory is intently studying her gift bag. One of her favorite activities is taking things out of a bag and then putting it back in. This holds her attention for a very long time.

She even graciously modeled her new sweater that Nani made for her.

Mallory's other new activity is carrying the bag around with her everywhere like she is a little shopper. Her mother couldn't be prouder.