2011 Books

What I read this year:

• Dave Barry in Cyberspace by Dave Barry (Jan)  
• Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave by Frederick Douglass (Jan)
• Agnes Grey by Anne Bronte (Jan) 
• The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux (Jan)
• The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne (Jan)
• Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (Jan)
• Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen (Feb) 
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Feb)
• The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis (Feb)
• The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis (Feb) 
• Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis (Feb)
• The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis (Feb)
• The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis (Feb)
• The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis (Mar) 
• The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis (Mar) 
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen (Mar)
• Boys Adrift by Leonard Sax (Mar)
• The Red Pony by John Steinbeck (Mar)
• Mansfield Park by Jane Austen (Apr)
• Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Apr) 
• Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (May)
• The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde (May) 
• White Fang by Jack London (May) 
• Cinderella Ate My Daughter: Dispatches from the Frontlines of the New Girlie-Girl Culture by Peggy Orenstein (Jun)
• Emma by Jane Austen (Jun)
• Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift (Jun)

July I had a hard time settling into a book so I started but didn't finish (for different reasons):

• The Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum
• The Call of the Wild by Jack London
• A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley 
• Little Women by Louisa May Alcott 

Then I got back on a roll:

• Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens (Aug)
• Dubliners by James Joyce (Aug)
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (Sep)
• Girls on the Edge by Leonard Sax (Oct) 
• Villette by Charlotte Bronte (Oct)
• Anne of Green Gables (Nov)
• The Romance of Tristan and Iseult by M. Joseph Bedier (Dec)
• A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute (Dec)

Ada at 11 Months

I am starting to accept the fact that Ada is growing up.  I'm getting excited about her upcoming first birthday and all the adventures that are in store.  It is so much fun to watch her grow!

Stats:

Weight: 20 lbs 12 oz (50%)

Things She's Doing:

Crawling up the stairs every chance she gets.
Emptying kitchen cabinets, bathroom cabinets, bags, bins and boxes.
Fake coughing to get attention.  It cracks me up!
Blowing lots of raspberries.
Napping less in the morning and more in the afternoon.
Sleeping from about 8pm to 7am.
Eating all 3 meals with the family and lots of snacks too.

Things She Loves:

All of a sudden she is in love with her pacifier again. She is clearly teething!
Eating, eating, eating.
The Christmas tree!  She loves the lights and ornaments.
Being tickled by her siblings.
Any toy that makes noise.

Things to Remember:
She had another ear infection.  Sigh...

And a Little Alayna Shall Lead Them...

Last night Alayna said our family prayer at bedtime.  In it she said "we thank thee that Ada can climb all the way up the stairs by herself."  I thought "we are?!?!?" After the prayer she looked at me and said "Mom, I know you're not grateful for that but I am so I said it anyway."

Also, the other day she asked if the Wise Men could bring her presents instead of Santa.

And tonight she asked if us not shopping on Sunday is like the Israelites not gathering manna on the Sabbath.

Oh my dear goodness, I love that girl.