Orno and Other Favorite Words

In honor of our nine month "anniversary" of being united as a family, I thought I'd actually get onto our website and write a post. Wonders never cease...

Mihret's vocabulary has been growing by leaps and bounds lately. At last count, she had words for over 100 things, although to be honest, unless you spent a lot of time with her you would probably only understand a handful of them. Her words aren't always accurate, but they are consistent. For instance, "garbage" is "dah-doo." No idea why, but that's what she calls it and she is slightly obsessed with identifying and throwing away garbage.

Here are a few other words that she likes to say:

Orno
Mihret loves oranges. She calls them "orno." Last night we were coloring a picture of Winnie the Pooh. Mihret picked up an orange crayon and said "orno." I was surprised because she's only used that word for the fruit, but I said, "Yes, that's an orange crayon." She scribbled on the page for a little while and then put her crayon on Pooh, looked up at me, and asked, "Orno Pooh?"

Mihret showing Abby Jane where her belly is

Abby G
Mihret also loves our friends' daughter, Abby Jane. She calls her "Abby G." Abby Jane and her parents were our neighbors at Pepperdine and we spent a lot of time playing in the courtyard with them. Even though we've moved, Mihret still says "Abby G" many times a day and often asks to look at pictures of Abby Jane on the "pooter" (computer). Emily and Abby Jane came to visit us in Duarte a couple weeks, and Mihret was thrilled! Abby Jane is 10 months younger than Mihret, but both girls seemed really happy to see each other. Who knew that children that young made friends?

Mihret entertaining us and everyone sitting around us at an outdoor concert in Monrovia

Eight
Mihret just started "counting" a few days ago. I don't think she really understands what the numbers mean, but she's heard us count a lot and she's learning the pattern. She get's the first two down really well. "One...doo..." Sometimes she'll get three ("ee") and four ("foe"), but regardless of whatever other numbers she says, she always ends with "eight!" Clear as a bell and said with excitement: "One...doo...eight!" "One...doo...ee...foe...eight!" "Foe...eight!"

Walking in Mama's flip-flops

Shoes
Another of Mihret's favorite words is "shoes." She likes to wear shoes - whether they are hers or someone else's. She's been trying to figure out how to walk in my flip-flops ever since we moved to Duarte. Give her a couple more weeks, and she'll probably think they're her flip-flops!

Every condo needs a pool

Waddy
Although shoes are cool, they are not nearly as cool as "waddy" (water). She loves to play in the water, whether it is in her pool, in the sink, or in the bathtub. By far the best way to play in the water, though, is to pull the spout on the Brita filter in the refrigerator while Mama has her hands full taking things out. Awesome...

Raise up a child...

Mihret is 16 months old, and we're chronicling some of the things that she has learned. You know, words and stuff.

We also play the "how does the _____ go?" game; she's got a veritable cornucopia of animal sounds. She know duck, chicken, cow, walrus (seriously), squirrel, owl, elephant, birdie, turkey, fish... the classics.

My favorite, though is "Horse". This video may explain things (wait till the end):

Yup, "Horsies" go "Wilbur". I'm so proud.

She's also learned to spell her first word. Any guesses?

She doesn't know what it means, but will soon enough.

Midwestern Memories, Round one

Well, it's been a while since we've gotten back from our trip to "Central America" or "The Middle East" (in other words- Illinois and Nebraska). Here are a few highlights from our first stop in Meadowbrook to visit Grandpa and Grandma Strawn.

Nothing better than sitting out on the front porch, doing nothing.

Yup, she fits right in. After a long day of playing with cousins, it's important to kick back.

Nana and "My Rhett". I promise you that she is not trying to crimp the hose shut.

That IS a well balanced meal- the brat/sausage group, the pork steak group, and the burger group.

Jordan and Janae. They get along great, and even sometimes share the same outfit at the same time. :)

Aunt Sarah and Jalen. Mihret really enjoyed the time spent playing with her cousins and aunts

and her weird uncle Tim. I'm convinced that he got her hooked on coffee... it is the national beverage of Ethiopia, so I guess it's OK.

We've decided how we're saving on airfare at Christmas...

Next up- There's no place on earth like Nebraska