Carissa is 15 months now and totally into doing whatever anyone else–especially Wesley–is doing.

Just off the top of my head, lately I’ve observed:

— Wesley stamping his feet and Carissa copying.
— Wesley tossing crayons off the table onto the floor and Carissa copying.
— Wesley playing with a helium balloon by the ceiling fan and Carissa copying.
— Wesley rolling toys down the stairs and Carissa copying.
— Wesley tossing diapers and other objects over the second floor stairs balcony and Carissa copying.

But sometimes the copying is good. She picks up so much so quickly and is really coming into her own.

They both love playing in the sink. But after I took the first two pictures below, I decided it’s best if it’s not at the same time.

They like playing with the same toys (leading to spats, of course). That’s the next three pictures below. Notice Carissa standing on the ride-on toy. She is always trying to stand on anything that looks like it might be fun and dangerous. Today I pulled her off the back of the couch just as she was trying to stand up. It doesn’t back up to anything, and it was a fall waiting to happen. I’ve seen her take a step up the stairs all by herself, standing upright and holding onto nothing. But she is braver than she ought to be because her balance isn’t ready for walking upstairs by herself yet. Hopefully she won’t do that when I’m not looking.

Carissa is quite the character. She loves wearing her sparkly red shoes. They are her favorite (picture #6).

I have a hard time cleaning out or filling the dishwasher when she’s around because it’s one of her favorite play things–especially the silverware basket (picture #7), which she carries around and fills with toys. I usually have to do a quick search before starting the dishwasher to rescue any stashed matchbox cars. She also loves getting into cupboards and the pantry. Anything and everything works as a toy for her.

I like that she’s big enough I can set her on the counter while I cook dinner and work in the kitchen. Sometimes she and Wesley sit up there together. It’s some of my favorite time, having both my kids around me while I cook.