Halloween

Her last first holiday (if you can call Halloween a holiday). Of course we had to let her experience it! We started off at one of the girls in my discipleship group house. Her family does an annual Chili dinner and Halloween party. So fun to see all the kids together. Once again, I must say it, Lyla LOVES other kids.

Lyla was a cupcake for Halloween. She did not mind her costume and actually kept her hat on the entire night. So cute! After dinner, we went over to my parent's cul-de-sac and took her around to all the neighbors houses. This is were I trick-or-treated as a kid and it was so fun to show her off to all the neighbors that had seen me trick-or treat! My parent's street is special. No one has moved on or off the street (except for one) since we have lived there. We joke that everyone will die living on that street. There were no kids living on the street as we grew up there. All of them had grown up. We were it. So everyone was like grandparents to us and we have special memories with each family.

Anyways, we took Lyla around, and she had no clue what was going on. She did finally get up the courage to pick out a piece of candy at one house and that is the piece she decided she wanted to eat that night. The big winner?? A cherry tootsie roll pop. She loved it. Once we got back to my parents, that girl ate the entire thing down to the stick. It probably took her about 30-45 minutes, but she did it. And boy did she enjoy it!! Now we feel like the Holiday season can really begin. And yes I have started playing Christmas Music.

Ready to Go!

Grabbing a drink before her long night.

First House

Loving her lollipop

Little Cupcake with her daddy

So tired, but determined to finish her candy!

One Year!

OH. MY. GOODNESS. Never has a year in my life gone by faster than this one. I cannot believe my baby is one year old. I never could have imagined how becoming a mommy would forever change my life. I mean I knew there would be no more sleeping in on Saturday mornings, but I never imagined how much I would be grown through raising my child. I have LOVED every minute and am excited for this next year (and many more) with her. She has grown and changed so much in one short year, I cannot even fathom what this year will hold in store.

She had her one year old check up on her birthday. Yes, I have already been told what a mean mom I am for making her get shots on her birthday. She survived and did not know the difference. Her birthday celebrations last more than just that day....we celebrated all week. She checked out well. She did get three shots, but was such a big girl and only cried for a minute. Once she got her juice and cheerios, it was like nothing happened. Anything can be cured with food for this girl. She weighed 20 pounds 3 ounces and was 28.5 inches long. She is in the 25th percentile for both.

God is constantly reminding me of the MANY blessings in my life. My happy, healthy child is one of them. I cannot be on my knees enough thanking Him for her. I know I am not entitled to anything on this Earth and everything that He has so graciously given to me to steward is His. It brings tears to my eyes thinking of how so often I forget to live in the moment, cherishing every single minute I have with her. After all, no one is promised tomorrow. I relish every kiss, hug and every time she wants me to pick her up, BUT so often I find myself needing to get to that next thing/phase/chore/meal....God quietly reminds me, so often, that THIS will not last for long. And that sweet reminder brings me back to the moment. I love this little girl more than words could ever express. And thank you Lord for picking me to be her mommy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYLA! We love you!

Fall

I LOVE Fall. I love everything about it, the cooler temperature, the cute clothes, the breath-taking colors of the leaves, the smells, the food....everything! And it means we are well on our way to Christmas! Christmas, of course is my ABSOLUTE favorite, but I don't want to rush through the Fall season. Especially now that we have Lyla, I want to enjoy every moment of her experiencing all that each new season brings. I feel so blessed that we live in a place that actually has seasons. A lot of people have never experienced each unique season and what each one has to offer, and we can! That is one thing I will never get tired of or take for granted living here. Just as I am getting bored with the current season and can't find anything in my closet to wear, the next new season sweeps in with its cool breezes, vibrant colors, changing trees, and just lifts my spirit.

This is Lyla's first Fall (her last FIRST season) and boy are we enjoying it! She has a new Fall clothes and we have been practically living outside. This past weekend in the spirit of welcoming Fall, we drove up to Burt's Pumpkin Patch. Something everyone should experience. The colors of each pumpkin are gorgeous, the smells are amazing, and the sounds warm my heart. We went as a family with Aunt Allison and Aunt Sarah as well. Yes, Sarah is in town for Fall break and we have enjoyed soaking up every minute with her. Lyla loves her Aunt Sarah and was so excited to see her! We will be sad to see her go because we won't get to see her again until Christmas (just another reason to be excited about the Christmas Season!). I got a new lens for my camera for my birthday from Adam and this was our first time playing around with it. I am so excited about it!

The Girls.

Taking in all the sights and sounds.

Mom, why are you making me sit with all these pumpkins?

Loves her dad.

Love my family.

Not sure about the pumpkins.

Allison picked out her pumpkin, which she is going to turn into pumpkin pie.

Beautiful girls.

Dancing with Aunt Sarah. You can see her three teeth.

Big pumpkins.

I could not get her to put down that snack container. The pictures might have turned out cuter had she wanted to hold a pumpkin instead. Oh well....real life :) What can I say? She loves her food.

Happy Fall!

The Zoo

A few weeks ago (yes I am still trying to catch up on posts) Nicole and I took the kids to the zoo. It was a big hit! They loved it! I was a little worried that Lyla would still be a little young for it, but she had so much fun looking at all the animals and following Tripp around. I can't wait to take her back once she is walking, I think that will complete the experience for her. The weather was absolutely perfect! It was overcast and I was worried it might rain, but it never did and the sun even came out after lunch. I had forgotten how big the zoo was! We got there in the morning, which was perfect because all of the animals were out and awake. It gave the kids something to actually look at!

Looking at the flamingos. 

Nicole and Tripp. So much fun being able to do things with them.

Looking at the animals together.

Tripp telling Lyla she needs to learn to walk.

Looking at the monkey.

Playing.

Mama gorilla with her baby on her back.

They were so good the whole day and of course fell asleep as soon as we put them in the car.

11 Months

Well, this is my last "month update" before my baby girl turns ONE!! I cannot believe it. Everyone tells you how fast it goes, but it's hard to believe it until it happens to you. This year has flown by and each day Lyla get more fun. Hard to believe, I know!! She really is at my favorite stage. I know I say that every time, but this stage really is. She is SO FUN!! We go back to the doctor at one year, so I don't have any weight updates, but here is what she is up to -
~ She has three teeth, two on the bottom and one on the top
~ She is a super crawler, but is actually just content to be carried around. She loves to "help out" and watch everything we are doing, and the best view is from our arms. I do not mind this at all because I know there will come a day where she does not want me to hold her, so I love carrying her around.
~ She can stand up by herself but won't walk. She has twice taken one step, but nothing more than that. She will just sit down whenever we encourage her, so I guess she is not ready.
~ If she is on the floor, she does not like it when we leave the room without her.
~ She is in to EVERYTHING. I am not sure my house will ever be put together ever again. Adam keeps wondering why we have toys at all, because she is interested in everything else. She pulls out everything from the kitchen cabinets, the bookcases, the bathroom cabinets and draws, our dresser, moves the kitchen table chairs around....etc.
~ She loves her blanket. We call it her monkey blankie because it has monkeys on it. Our friend Lindsey gave it to her at her baby shower and she has slept with it every night since she was born. She loves to carry it around with her.
~ Likes to turn the light switch on and off.
~ Still just says "mama" (which still melts my heart each time) and "dada", but is really trying to say more. She says "juss" for juice, "mor" for more when eating if we say it, "doog" for dog, "no" and she will shake her head no, but not appropriately. She tries to copy us when we say one word sentences for her.
~ She gets louder by the day. She squeals with delight, screams (both when happy and upset), laughs all the time, but believe it or not this girl has an attitude too. She knows what she wants and mkaes sure to let Adam and I know.
~ She can click her tongue...this is most resent.
~ She can roar like a lion and woof like a dog.
~ She loves to play peek-a-boo.
~ She still loves the cell phone and will put it up to her ear and pretend to talk on it, but when someone really is on the other end, she will not talk.
~ She loves to hold and carry around the silliest things: her brush, her tylenol bottle, fingernail polish, a small tube of sunscreen or vaseline, her sock.
~ She loves kids and her Sunday school class. The volunteers say that she runs the room every Sunday.
~ She loves to be outside.
~ When we are around other people, even if its people we know really well, she is shy at first but warms up quickly.
~ She is getting more snuggly, but on her time and when she wants to be.
~ She points at everything and wants to know what it is.
~ She is so busy all the time. Not wild, just busy and always on the move. She can self entertain, but likes us to be close by.
~ She is only nursing twice a day now. Morning and at night before bed.
~ She will for the most part eat anything and a LOT of it. This girl can eat!! She has just recently started spitting food out if she decides she does not want it, but that is normally when she is full. She still loves cheese. That is probably still her favorite. She loves fruit. We are trying to be good about giving her pretty much whatever we eat.
~ She sleeps 12-13hrs at night and still takes two naps during the day, usually equalling 3 hrs.

I love this girl and am enjoying watching her grow up. While I wish it would go by slower, the joy that she brings me overshadows how fast it is and it is so worth it!!

We have been sick these last two weeks and we are ready for these germs to be out of our house! Aunt Sarah comes in this weekend and we are so excited to see her.

Supporting the Jackets. Yes she does have a black eye. We were skyping with Aunt Sarah and she fell on her snack container.

Pointing and carrying around her brush.

Playing on the back porch. Now I can just leave the door open and she will go in and out by herself. That is a level in her hand that her dad uses to build. I guess she is busy building something herself or making sure the chair is level.

Swinging at the park by our house. We have been LOVING the weather lately. She was too busy watching the little girl who was swinging next to her to pay attention to me or the camera. 

Last Beach Post...I Promise!

So the last vacation of the summer was spent over Labor Day weekend, in Hilton Head yet again. What can I say? We are creatures of habit. Why change a good thing? This time we went with Adam's family. His mom, dad, grandmother, older brother David, and young brother Jonathan and his wife Kara all were able to come. We had a great time despite the yucky weather most of the time. We of course hit the outlets, with the rest of the beach-goers trying to avoid the rain, ate out, and played games. We also got to celebrate Adam's 30th birthday!

Uncle J enjoying the pool.

Lyla and Mama enjoying some time together.

Being silly.

One of her staple faces right now. She will get really excited and  make an "O" shape with her mouth like she is in amazement. It is so cute and makes us laugh.

Enjoying PawPaw's lap.

After a yummy dinner out to celebrate Adam's birthday.

Aunt Kara and Uncle J. They are expecting their first little one the beginning of February. We are so excited for Lyla to have a cousin!

Love this girl!

Sister-in-laws. Lyla loving on her baby cousin.

The awesome cake that was make especially for Adam by a woman at David's church.

The birthday boy.

Trying to catch a few rays.

One of the few times they braved the pool. It was cold!

More Pawpaw love.

Playing on Honey's lap.

With Pawpaw and Honey.

We had a great time. I am not sure when we will get back to the beach. I am sure it won't be until the beginning of the year after the crazy busy holidays are over.