Cool Baby Clothes: Talking Toucan

On one of our many visits to Cracker Barrell (favorite road trip stop), we purchased a toy called "The Talking Toucan." It's a little stuffed bird that repeats everything you say over and over in a high-pitched squeaky voice. Somehow it made me laugh at the time and I thought it would be fun to turn on when we have company over. It pretty much makes everything you say sound stupid, so we don't turn it on very much.

But that's fine because we now have our own little living talking toucan. Isabelle is talking up a storm and she repeats everything you say, just like the talking toucan toy...but much cuter. I'm not sure you'd know what she's saying if you didn't just say it yourself. But she sure does try. There is really nothing more adorable than a talking toddler. Each word has it's own cuteness and while I find myself trying to teach her the correct pronunciation, I almost don't want her to start saying words the right way. When she finally started saying my name (ahh, the sweetest sound!)...she'd call me "mobbie" instead of "mommy". Sometimes it would even sound like "bobby". And I loved it. Now she says Mommy (sometimes "mama") and I kinda miss the old way!

My favorite part about our copycat conversations is that she nods in agreement while she repeats what I've just said. I've also learned about the words that I apparently say a little too much. "Okay" must come out of my mouth constantly, because that is now Isabelle's all-time favorite word. I also say "okie-dokie" a lot, and "sound good?".

Some of my favorite of Izzy's favorite words:

firetruck = "iuh-shuck"

granola = "gawowa"

outside = "ows-eye"

school = "sool"

bouncy house = "oucy ouse"

strawberries = "bowbawies"

goldfish = "oh-ish"

Some of her favorite names: Cici - one of her very first words and she says it pretty perfectly
Granddaddy -="gahdadee" or something like that (very tricky)

Ellie = "ay"

Brun = "boon"

Mac = "mac"

Libby = "ibby"

Betsy Grace = "esie -ace"

Matthew = "afew"

Laurie = "Ahwee"

Crockett = "cockett"

Isabelle has the tendency to leave out the first consanant in a word, which is why I now realize that all those months she was saying "adee" she was saying "Daddy", just as I suspected. She also says "Oh" for "No" which is so stinkin cute.

Everyday I am amazed at what she remembers and what she is learning. If I promise that we will do something in an hour, she doesn't forget. We drive by places like Cici's house, Christ Church (school), even the library and grocery store, and she points and says what they are.

She is really into naming the mommy and daddy in books and on TV. This morning there was a recap on GMA of Dancing with the Stars, and she points to the TV saying, "mama? daddy?"...meaning the couple dancing must be a mommy and daddy, right? I guess she's just used to seeing me, all glammed out, being swept off my feet by my hunky husband. Ha!

This age is so fun. I swear it really does just keep getting better.

Last weekend I was busy making two crazy groom's cakes...both for the same groom! The first one was what he picked, and was served at the wedding reception. A tire shaped cake since his weekend hobby is racecar driving. Seems like a pretty cool guy!

You might change your mind when you see his favorite casual look! The bride surprised him with a teva cake just like his own, complete with the gray sock that he always wears with it!

Now that it's nice and warm out everyday we have been loving the outdoors. What a switch from last year when Isabelle was crawling everywhere. Being outdoors was not so easy. Now we play on the deck and splash with the water table, the bouncy house is out every week, and trips to the playground are plentiful!

Here are the Barksdale cousins enjoying dinner together one evening (Izzy half naked after playing with the water table!):