Mini-Star Stories

Fake Snoring
Starlynn "plays" sleep all the time with us. She'll say "nigh night" and pat a pillow, blanket or the floor and wants you to lay down, or she lays down and we do the fake snoring with our eyes closed. She has gotten really good at fake snoring.

So, we went to see Garrett's parents and family over the New Year Holiday weekend. Starlynn had a great time and was 98% of the time perfectly social and agreeable.

The last night we spent there, Garrett and I had the treat of a really memorable moment. Starlynn was sleeping in a pack n' play in our room. She slept through the night every night. It was about 6 in the morning, and still dark outside and in our room. Usually if she wakes up at this time, we bring her in bed with us and she goes back to sleep until 7/7:30. Well, the last morning we were there, Garrett and I heard her wake up and stand up, but she didn't fuss, and we didn't move a muscle. After a few seconds, she started fake snoring. We heard her lay back down, fake snore some more, and then soon, we heard the sounds of her sleep breathing.

I didn't know that Garrett had heard it, because we both just stayed quiet like we were sleeping, until he asked me later when we woke up for real if I had heard what she did that morning.

Gotta love it. She fake snored herself back to sleep.

Parrot
I am really enjoying how much Starlynn can/will say now, because she tries to say just about everything. She says most of Garrett and my siblings names. And the other day, Garrett called for me using my name and right after I hear Starlynn go "essie!"

So, the parrot syndrome is fun, but also dangerous. Example: our dogs are annoying and Garrett and I have the bad habit of saying "shut up" to them. Well, the first time Starlynn said "sshh-up"..... yeah..... we are making valiant efforts to fix the problem (mostly by not saying it ourselves).


Signing
One of Starlynn's very favorite thing is sign-language. My brother, Ben, had mentioned "Baby Signing Time" DVDs and one day I went to the library and was looking through DVDs and those popped out at me because of his mention.

She uses sign language like a game. Riding in her carseat, she'll just go through a gammut of them (saying the words along with them). "dah-dough" (cracker) "dough-dee" (cookie) "Apple" "Nana" (banana) "Boat" "ar" (car) "Dad" "papa" (she prefers those signs over mom and grandma... I ask her to do mom and grandma and she just signs dad and papa). "eeep" (sleep) "bafh" (bath) "bapes" (grapes--this is my alltime favorite.. I love the way she says "bapes") "awter" (water) "bood" (bird) "ohsie" (horsie). Man, I could go on forever. She knows a lot of them!

And the best one I think was I looked in the rear-view and she said and signed: "eat eesow" (eat cereal) I cracked up because we never even practiced "cereal".

She'll even do the signs and I'll say the word and she just goes through em. It's a fun game to her!

Papa!!!!!!!!
So, we're sitting in sunday school in the Benton City ward, and her papa and grandma were not in there. Well, papa came in to get his stuff and then went back out to leave, but unfortunately for him, Starlynn caught sight of him. She was trying to climb over the pew to get to him, and when he walked away she said "papa" and the farther he walked away the louder her "papas" got. She wouldn't stop saying papa even after he walked out of the chapel, so Garrett had to take her out. Luckily, all the people were just smiling about the episode instead of getting upset at her loudness.

She just couldn't believe her papa would walk away from her like that. :)

Secret Code Entered
On the way BACK from the tri-cities, Garrett and I like to stop and Miner's Burgers in Yakima. During this visit, Starlynn was climbing on the arcade games, her favorite one being the car races. Garrett is watching her push buttons, and all of the sudden, the game starts and words on the bottom of the screen said "secret code entered".

I told Garrett we need to attach a video camera to her to see how she does things. She is always fixing electronics for me, or programming computers to do things. We could learn a lot from her!

Teriyaki
I LOVE taking Starlynn out for teriyaki. As a mom, it is so comforting to know when your child had a good meal. She just chows down on the brown rice... surprisingly making most of it into her mouth with a fork. I told Garrett I'd take her to eat teriyaki any day, because I know she'll be full and happy for a while afterward. This last time, she liked eating the chicken and gyozas too.

Grandma Grace
We got to visit with Grandma Grace in Kennewick, and Uncle Dale and Aunt Emily too. Starlynn is amazing. She loves all of her grandma's and papas. She walked right up to Grandma Grace in her chair and held her arms out for her. Grandma picked her up and Starlynn snuggled in for several long moments. And this happened a couple times. What a sweet spirit she has. I feel blessed and humbled everyday that I have the task of being her mother.



Maple Valley Library
I like to take Starlynn to the Maple Valley Library. We go there about once a week or every 10 days or so. I decided to take her there as a good opportunity to teach her about inside, quite voices that can transfer over to church. Plus, we love books AND... this is one of Starlynn's best friends. "bear, bear, bear" she says as she climbs all over him and sits on him and get's majorly staticy hair. I am able to get a little bit of editing and writing done at this library while Starlynn plays with books, the large stuffed animals and the kids computers.