This my friend...

...Aaron! Actually that is a phrase Ally has been using, but I will start with an Aaron update. There isn't really anything to update, he is still the happiest baby ever. We had thought he might start to roll over, but he just can't seem to do it. It probably doesn't help that he gets less floor time, though Ally does not tend to bother him when he is on the floor.
Aaron has started blowing raspberries. He likes to do that and get himself all slobbery. He is also cooing and talking quite a bit. Especially when Ally is not around it seems that he has to get his two cents in. I think that once he learns to talk there will be no quiet moments in this house. He is napping a bit less, which is ok, but it seems that Ally naps more than he does some days. I guess that I can't complain because he does sleep from 9 to 9 on days that I don't have to work.
The best thing about Aaron right now (other than sleeping!) are his smiles. He has the biggest smiles and he gives them out so freely. I love those big gummy grins and little man giggles!
Ally continues to amuse us with her conversational skills. I think that Pop-pop and Mamaw have passed along the talking genes to her. Her conversations are getting more elaborate and she is starting to ask questions. Thankfully, it's not 'why' yet. I was frustrated about something one day and she asked 'What's wrong mommy?' The when we were at a concert something happened and kids started laughing, Ally, who was too young for the joke asked 'what happened?' She also likes to ask 'what's going on' and '[what are you] guys doing here?'
Ally is also very encouraging. For awhile when she was trying to do something that was difficult for her she would say 'keep trying, don't give up.' Now she is saying that to us when she thinks we are having trouble. At the store I was searching a box to see if it listed the battery requirements. I remarked to Ally that I couldn't find them anywhere and she replied 'keep trying, don't give up mommy!' I'm guessing that she really wanted the bubble machine to work!
Another amusing conversation happened in the car when I sneezed. Ally promptly said 'bless you' and stunned I replied 'thanks Ally.' Then Ally said 'say excuse me mommy.' Now she's teaching me manners!
Last night I took Ally to her first concert. I thought that it was awesome and Ally seemed to like it too. A local preschool won a grant to have Carole Peterson come and perform. I use her music regularly in my storytimes so I was really excited to go. The concert was free for parents and all children 2 and under so we didn't even have to pay. Miss Carole and Alvin (her sidekick) were great. They sang lots of fun songs that they taught us the dances to (though they did not do 'Peel Bananas', Ally's favorite). We even had a snowball fight (white loofas). The snowball fight was a bit dicy when Ally refused to return hers. I sadly had to rip it from her fingers and give it to another child to return. We did go and buy our own (we not have purple and blue snowballs). I was also a sucker and bought a cd. But, I figured that I use her music so much she should make some money from it, plus she signed any cd you bought so Ally got her very first autograph!
Another first for Ally was her first date :) Ok, so it was an outing with a boy, but it was the first time that she went anywhere with someone other than a family member. Miss Deb and Micah picked up Ally and brought her to the library for our second dance party. You can read about it here on Deb's blog: http://gurleys.blogspot.com/2010/05/first-date.html
I think that Ally had a good time, despite the fact that she glued herself to mommy's leg for the last 30 minutes :)
Finally, here are some other phrases that Ally has said to make us laugh recently:

See you later Mike - to some guy not named Mike, as well as to mommy

I don't like that song - repeated several times as we scanned a cd

I want to take a nap - what she really wanted was a binky which now stay in the crib

Aaron wants to watch Yo Gabba - can you guess who really wanted to watch Yo Gabba

This my friend mommy - Awwwww

This my friend juice - guess mommy isn't so special

Love you Aaron - Awwww, what a good big sister