Merry Christmas!

Althea had a very merry Christmas, despite a slight cold. Thanks to all who were so generous to her this year!

New rocking horse from Auntie Rachel and Uncle Jamie, which is currently living in the newly remodeled basement at Turtle Lake (also by Rach and Jamie).

Princess of Christmas, Althea and Stella were all decked out by the Wenzels.

Christmas cutie!

HALLELUIA! Althea has taken to randomly singing the Halleluia Chorus. This particular version was caught at bathtime. Will she hate us for this later? Maybe, but it's worth it!

A Happy Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with family and friends. Althea played and laughed and smiled a lot!
One of the highlights was hearing her say her own name for the first time. We just love that cute little voice! Enjoy!

Busy Girl!

The best way to describe 15 month old Althea is: BUSY! She's also happy and silly and lots of fun. Can you keep up with her in these latest videos? We get tired just watching!

Happy Halloween 2009

Althea's second Halloween was busy and fun. She participated in the ultimate frisbee costume extravaganza as piglet (or swine flu, if you prefer).

On Halloween she was a flower fairy and enjoyed posing for many pictures with friends.

She went trick or treating for the first time and seemed to get into the spirit of the evening despite having no clue what was going on! She managed a "tckrtee" at one house, so we were quite proud of our little beggar.

Hanging out with her cousin Stella was a highlight. Are auditions for Wicked in their future?
Overall, it was a wonderful weekend.

Hip Hop Althea

So we'd been told that babies like Beyonce's music and decided to test the theory. The results can only be described as Bootylicious! Check out the cuteness!

Who's ready for school?+

So yes, I'm a teacher, but I promise I didn't put her up to this. We found this cute desk at a garage sale this summer, thinking Althea might enjoy it in the future. Little did we know, she's ready for kindergarten! Enjoy the video!

Althea's First Birthday Party!

Happy Birthday Althea!

Althea is one year old! We had a birthday bash on Saturday and Althea enjoyed swimming, jumping, playing, and eating cake for the first time. Many of her friends and family were there, but many others couldn't attend, so here's a little glimpse into the festivities!

Creative Expression

It is such a joy to watch Althea grow and change and continue to explore her world. She's currently walking all over the place, and getting more creative in her activities of choice. Here's some new pictures to document that fact!

Attempting to enter the fountain after cousin Leo's baptism.

We love slides. Althea can go down the smaller slides all by herself!

Dancing in a tutu at the McCabe abode.

Cause and Effect

August is here, and Althea continues to grow and change. She's beginning to understand the effects caused by her actions, and I find that she's entertaining me more often than I'm entertaining her! Enjoy her latest !

Baptism

Althea was baptised by her Grandpa Jim this past Sunday. The immediate family witnessed the event, as did Althea's godmother, Carolyn Jenson. Althea is very active, but made it through the ceremony without too much squirming! Enjoy some pictures from this beautiful event!

Grandpa performs the ceremony at Turtle Lake.

Proud Grandparents Julie, Al, Sally, and Jim.

Proud parents and godmother!

A focused Althea.

We love our family!

It's been a very busy and fun Fourth of July weekend for Althea. She has experienced many firsts, hung out with friends and family, and smiled through it all! We so enjoy watching her live each moment to its fullest. Here are the latest pictures and some stunning video!

On Thursday night, we hung out with fellow Irondale graduates and their offspring. What a crew!

On Friday, Althea went to the Minnesota Zoo for the first time with her cousin Stella. Althea liked the aquarium best, but the farm was a close second!

On Sunday, Althea went to her first Twins game with mom and dad, grampa Jim and gramma Sal, and grampa's sisters' families. She clapped every time Joe Mauer was at bat!

And on the Fourth of July, cousin Lai brought a toy to Turtle Lake that Althea used to practice her walking skills. Amazing!

Althea's first trip to Como Zoo!

Today, despite the rain, Althea visited Como Zoo. She giggled at the monkeys and kicked with joy at the seals, but mommy only let her pet the FAKE tiger. It was a great time, and we plan to go back many times!

Summer fun!

Althea has been privileged to attend a couple of first birthdays recently. Her cousin Stella turned one in May. At that party, Stella shared some space in her new sandbox for Althea! Of course, mom and dad forgot the camera, but it was well documented by Uncle Scott and Aunt Sarah.

At her friend Mia's first birthday party (Sarah and John Carrico's little girl), we remembered the camera and Althea got to experience her first bouncy castle! She (along with all of the other kids) absolutely LOVED it. Here's some video to prove that fact. Enjoy!

Nine months old today!

Althea is 9 months old and very active. Here's a quick video of her latest accomplishment. We definitely take more baths as she gets a lot dirtier getting into everything!

She's Mobile!

Althea is learning to crawl. Time for mom and dad to get back in shape!

Althea the fashionista?

While I, Britt, was gone for the weekend, Althea spent a bit of quality time with her aunt Rachel. I think Rach is determined to get her little niece into fashion at an early age.

Check out the pose as Althea peruses the magazine...


...and then rips out the page! Maybe she's not quite ready to make any decisions about her future.

Althea's New Noises

After watching this video, you be the judge. Is Althea destined to be a trumpet player or an elephant? Enjoy!

Winter's almost over...

March is here, but Althea is still into her winter gear. Here's a new hat Grandma Julie made for her! So cute.

Six Months Old!

Althea turned six months old this month. Quite the milestone! She's learning so much, and we're enjoying interacting with her more and more. This video shows her hanging with cousin Stella. Here are some other pictures of Althea's winter escapades!

Grandpa Al and the girls in matching Gophers gear!

Friends Julie, Liz, and Katie come to visit from Chicago.

Althea checks out the some artsy ice houses with the Harts.

Funny Food Faces

Eating solid foods is yucky! At least so far. We'll let you know when Althea gets the hang of this. But for now, here she is eating her first (sort of) bites of (sort of) solid food! To be fair, I don't know if I'd like rice cereal all that much, either.

Jump Around!

At just over five months, Althea is rolling from back to front, becoming more and more vocal, and generally enjoying life. We get a kick out of her smiles, squeals, and giggles. Here she is bouncing around! Babies are a great cure-all for the winter blues. I hope she brings you as much joy as she brings us!

Girls' Weekend!

Althea recently enjoyed her first girls' weekend (plus baby Leo) at cousin Bec's cabin in Wisconsin. We played and ate and laughed a lot! Here are some pics.

Althea and Leo. What a difference three months makes!

Anne and Ari in the AM

Ava. Too cute.

Althea and mommy just chillin'.

Enjoying the New Year!

Althea is really enjoying 2009 so far. It's going to be a year of great strides for her. As former lifeguards and water safety instructors, her parents have already taken her swimming. This video is proof that she's destined to be a swimmer as well!

We've enjoyed time with family and friends over the holidays and hope you enjoy this latest update in the life of Althea!

Friends Katie and Sam with Althea and Britt

Althea laughing on camera!

Swimming with the Andersons and Julkowskis at Lutsen.

A stunning close-up

Friends David, Erin, and Gabe with Britt and Althea