Betsy Bear

This post is dedicated to our Betsy girl.  It's well overdue!  Our sweet Betsy will be 18 months old this month, no longer a baby but a little girl (and she thinks so, too).  She's trying so hard to be more independent like her brother, insisting on doing EVERYTHING like Tristan; brush her teeth on her own at the sink, sit at the table for dinner with the family instead of in her high chair, walk the steep stairs on her own up to our front door, run around the grocery store instead of sitting in the cart, run around EVERYWHERE actually, strollers are no longer an option, she screams hysterically when I attempt to put her in one.  She really thinks she's older than she is and wants to be like her brother so much.     

(Left) Her face is so kissable.  So soft and squishy.  I promise that this girl smiles sometimes, it just takes a little more effort to get it out of her.  Tristan is pretty much the only one that can get her to smile and laugh really hard without really doing anything.  He could take a bite out of his food and she would be in tears laughing at him.  He is the funniest person in the whole world to her.  We have agreed that she's a very serious girl with a lot on her mind.  She loves to be silly while keeping a straight face.  She smiles and laughs a lot with her eyes. 

(Right) The three of them pretending to be cats.  Betsy and Tristan like to lick the walls, so gross, and Betsy thinks that she's supposed to bite things, while in cat mode.  Her meow is really cute too.   

Betsy loves being a part of Tristan's preschool group.  All of the kids are so sweet to her.  She seriously has the time of her life!

These two love hiding in closets together.  

She's still the best napper in the world!  Sometimes she needs a little winding down before she falls asleep and she grabs books from the shelf and reads a little.  I love watching her on the baby monitor screen and listening to her read.  It's so sweet.  But she's so happy when I lay her down for naps, she does a 'snow angel' movement and then that thumb goes right in her mouth.  Sometimes she waves to me as I leave and says "bye".  She usually gets a good 3 hours in.  So wonderful.  

Reading Dad's Surfer Magazine.  She really gets into it!  Dad's proud.  

Betsy in front of Diamond Head in Waikiki.  

I'm a little obsessed with her bathing suit body.
Betsy girl adds so much fun to our family, I don't know what we would do without her.  We love love love this little girl and everything that she's becoming.