Elysen is a very busy 15-month-old (almost 16 months now), and she started walking just days before we left for Tyler. Well, she actually started walking about a month ago, at least. But she flat out refused to walk without holding onto the couch or the table or her walker. I knew she was perfectly capable, so I started making her walk around the house holding my hand. Pretty soon, she got the idea, and started stepping out on her own. No wobbly one or two steps for this girl, she was off!
We left for Tyler on July 1st. Elysen did so well on the drive - I was impressed. It's the first time she and I have gone alone in a long time. We took a couple of breaks and watched a couple of Elmo dvds and she was great!
Riding the dino at Posados
I was unsure how long we were going to spend in Tyler, but once we got there, and I realized that there was nothing rushing me back to Arkansas, I decided that we would stay for awhile. We ended up staying with Marmee and Grandad for almost 2 weeks!
We did some shopping, of course, which Elysen tolerated fairly well (except one day when we were late getting home for lunch - oops). I also had a few things that I knew I wanted to do with her now that she is getting old enough to really enjoy outdoor activities. We went to the zoo on Saturday when Daddy, Aunt Allison, and Uncle J.B. (and Ginny) came into town. Elysen liked the zoo, but even the small scope of Caldwell zoo was a little lengthy for her taste. She probably loved the penguin exhibit most because it was inside and she could look at the aquarium. She also loved the snake house for the same reason - although I was not thrilled to be there because 1- it's the snake house and 2- they recently decorated by hanging giant furry spiders from the wall. Thank you, Tyler Zoo for making my nightmares a reality.
Ready for the zoo!
Aunt Ashley and Aunt Allison
Snack break!
Petting a goat!
Then promptly washing our hands.
Anyway, we also spent quite a bit of time seeing Nana and Granny. I want Elysen to spend as much time as she can with her great grandmothers.
Walking with Nana
Sitting with Granny
We went to eat at the grocery store/deli/coffee bar Fresh with Granny and Aunt Sissy. Elysen saw the cheese cow and got so excited that she started "moo"-ing at it. People were stopping and laughing at my "moo"-ing child. She LOVES cows. She also really enjoyed the giant frozen fish in the meat section. Fresh was amazing, and I will go there again - probably every time I go to Tyler from now on.
Giant cheese! (These are taken with my phone, so they are a little out of focus).
Cheese cow!!
Elysen spent so much time outside while we were in Tyler. It was HOT most of the time we were there (big surprise), but she wanted nothing more than to play outside with the dogs. Mom filled up her little sandbox with water so Elysen could swim, but she wasn't a huge fan. Mostly, she loved swinging, playing on the trampoline with Marmee, and playing with Chloe and Lilly. The last of these resulted in 2 new phrases: "Sit" which sounds more like "Sa" and "Good girl" which sounds like "Guhguh" (this is accompanied by heavy patting on the head or back). I've already heard her tell Remus "Guhguh" since we've been home.
Aunt Ashley just started her job for the summer, so we went to eat at McAlisters several times to spend time with her. Elysen loved seeing her aunts and uncle while we were in Tyler. She was very clingy the whole time we were there, but by the end of our stay, Aunt Ashley was her new favorite person.
I got to see Lindsay and Daniel while I was in town, which was so nice. Baby Atticus is due in the fall, so I was excited to see Lindsay looking pregnant and cute.
Several other visitors came to the house to see Elysen while we were in town, and she entertained them all.
First pigtails!
Trampoline time
Elysen is such a big girl these days. She's walking everywhere - rather quickly now. She got some big girl tennis shoes while we were in Texas, and they give her even more freedom to roam. She is talking all the time about everything. Her favorite words are "more", "daddy", "momma", "clock", "Elmo" (this is a biggie - I hear it about 100 times a day), "cow", "duck", "frog", "cracker" (which really sounds more like "ckkkaaa"), and her very favorite thing in the whole world - "fan" (which sounds like "sha").
"Guhguh"
It's so nice to be able to communicate with her in an easier way. Even though I can't always guess everything, she's pretty good at pointing to make herself understood. I'm so proud of her. She gives me so many kisses and hugs each day, which make me melt. She still takes a bottle at night, but I know it won't be long until that's gone as well. I feel like that is the last remnant of her time as a baby.
Today I took her to Battlefield Park and we ate a snack and played on the slide and swing. We took a walk and sat on a bench together. Those are the times when I have to remind myself that she's only 15 months old - she seems to be growing up so fast. She is also more and more opinionated - which may end up being a problem in a few years. I can see her personality taking shape.
So that's my long post about our fun trip to Tyler. Even though we were worn out when we got home, we can't wait to go back soon!
