Annnnd......she's off!

We have runnage!!! Alivia took off like a jet plane. She is now running from room to room, pushing her dolly in a stroller all the way across the house, and climbing all over the place. She is powerful, busy, and incredibly strong-minded. And only 10 and a 1/2 months old.

I am also pretty convinced that she was a dog in her past life. She likes to watch us with eager eyes as we eat, hoping we will drop a crumb for her to gobble up. She enjoys splashing in the toilet, and the other day she licked my face.

When I'm not chasing after the little monster, or entertaining a toddler, I'm thinking about the holiday season. I've been brainstorming affordable gifts for my little spawn. I've decided on a box full of paints and paintbrushes for Chloe. She absolutely lives for painting. She will often bring me a fresh piece of paper and state very matter-of-factly "I paint dis." It is not uncommon for her to also tap her sister on the head and declare "I paint dis too." Whenever I pull the art box out, she starts to jump up and down and shake and sputter and get really giddy, and I start to think I should call 911 or something. Paint is her toddler drug. She has to get her fix every day.

Our local craft store had bottles of paint for a buck apiece, so I grabbed a slew of colors, a handful of brushes, and a few packs of construction paper. Threw it in a shoebox, tied on a ribbon, and voila....crack-in-a-box!