Lylah-- 20 months

Dear Lylah, 

20 months old! You are SO close to being two, and I can't seem to fathom that. You are just such a funny, sweet, silly, smart little girl. 

Things about this month I don't want to forget....

--How you call strawberries "strawbabies" and blueberries "bluebabies". 

--Love to say the ABC's, minus a few letters occasionally. "ABCFG....menenopeeeee!" You love to say your letters and numbers with Daddy. 

--You love to take your temperature and call it "mer-da-der". 

--We were at the park and you were climbing, and I opened my mouth to tell you to slow down and you said "Don't go too fast!". Wow. 

--You love to say "How 'bout...." Because apparently, I say that constantly. 

--You want to "sungle" constantly. "Sungle Daddy. Hold Daddy." 

Sleeping: 

This month you have been sleeping LATE, which I love. A few times this month, you slept until 9, and it was amahzing. (Which is totally a word my iPhone recognizes now.)  You take a good nap at 1, and it's usually 2-3 hours. Occasionally you'll nap for an hour and then roll around in your bed and sleep off and on. And talk. 

You've started waking up and instantly being on the go. You used to want to be held and "sungle", but now you want to be put down and you are on the go. It's pretty cute. You look like a mini realtor. You point out pictures and rooms, and head to the living room to play. 

 Here you are counting: 

Playing: 

Above is one of your new favorite games. You love playing in your bed. You like to put your bear "to sleep" and say "night night" and pat him. Pretty cute. And you love to put all your animals in your shopping cart and "go shopping". And when you put them in your cart you say "Get in there!". 

Still love outside, and have recently discovered sidewalk chalk. I'm starting to trust you to play in the front yard more, which is fun, cause we have great neighbors. And the weather (hopefully) should continue to warm up, so we should do this more! :)

We LOVE you!

Love, 

Mom and Dad

Newletter--19 months

Dear Lylah, 

This month I have felt like you are so big. You are growing up so fast! I want time to slow down, but at the same time, it's fun to see you learn new things. The bigger you get, it seems the more fun you have experiencing new things. 

You definitely have a mind of your own, and are developing more and more independence each day. As I slowly figure this toddler parenting out (uh, trying to), I have found you enjoy when I explain things to you. And most of the time, you seem to understand. Ish.

It's fun to hear the phrases you've picked up. The ones you say are things we say a lot. It's so funny to discover what you say all the time! "Dirty Hands" "Yucky Now" (when something falls on the floor) "It go?" (Where'd it go?) "Come on!" "Ryan!" (Apparently I saw this a lot, because L does, too...)

Here you are the zoo with your BFF, Hannah!

We went to the zoo, and you talked about it for weeks. Rhino! Hippo! Duck! Hannah! Loller! (Stroller)

You love going to church, and to MDO. You love to name your teachers and the kids in your class. 

Daddy said the other night at dinner that in a few months, we are not going to be able to get a word in edgewise. And he is so right. You talk constantly. Here's an example: 

Daddy: What did you do today? 

Lylah: Park! Asher!

Daddy: You went to the park with Asher!

Lylah: Swing! Slide!

Daddy: You went on the slide and you played on the swing? Fun!

Lylah: Bye bye park!

Daddy: Then you said "Bye" to the park?

Lylah: Yeah. Car! Car! Bye Asher!

Recently you started saying "Throw fit!" and throwing yourself or whatever you are holding down. This cracks me up. And for some reason, it helps. Once I say "Okay, you throw your fit", you are fine. And sometimes you walk for a little bit and proclaim "'Nother fit!". 

You still love to eat. You were sick in the middle of the month, and I knew you were sick because you didn't really want anything to eat...even grapes. That was not fun. 

When you are not sick, your favorite things are grapes, broccoli (I know...crazy), corn, a few bites of an apple slice, cheese and recently ham. You ask for ham all the time. 

I'd have to say being outside is one of your favorite things.  You love going to the park, and you love running around in our backyard. You love the puppies! You prefer Sadie, but Parker likes you more than Sadie does. You will throw a fit if you only see Parker, and scream "Sadie! Hold you! Hug!" until you come around the corner or into the garage. 

Your other favorite things would have to be reading books. I literally read you books allllll day. You would be happy if all we did was read books. You love your barn, your new tunnel, and your car. And recently you are obsessed with your belly button. :)

You are such a fun, happy girl! We love you!

Love, 

Mom and Dad

Beaver Creek 2013

Ahhhh, Colorado.



End of February we went on a family ski trip! We were in Beaver Creek, Colorado. We had a blast! We were there for an extended weekend in a condo with this view right up the road.

Gorgeous!

L loved the snow. So much she would throw a fit if she had to go inside.

 The group before leaving. Fun times!

Newsletter-18 months

Dear Lylah,

I am not prepared to write an 18 month newsletter! I just cannot fathom this. Maybe it's that February is a short month. Or that 18 months just seems so big....so close to being 2! Crazy.

Still love books!

You are constantly talking, and learning and signing and talking. Did I say talking? You love to go through all your signs. You will say them in the car. In your bed after you wake up. Everywhere. We'll hear: "Sky! Grass! Please! Banana! Flower! Leaf! Juice! Milk!" (it goes on and on. and on.)

You've started picking up some phrases. Here's a video: 

You absolutely love other children. Every child is "a baby!".  You love a good playdate! You show off your toys, but are still pretty bad at sharing. We're working on it!

I love this picture cause it captures our life. The clutter, the bedhead....our little moments. 

You are sleeping well and eating REALLY well. Still love food! Your favorites currently are bananas, broccoli, applesauce, corn, avocado (which you call "a-cado"), grapes and crackers. You would eat crackers all day if we let you. And pretzels.

We had a fun Valentines day! I made you a little last minute Valentines breakfast, including pink cereals I had from the Valentines snack I made for your MDO party and a piece of toast cookie cut into a heart. (So thankful for whoever gave that cookie cutter as a wedding favor....whoever that was.) You had a fun day at MDO, and got a new toy from us...Elmo. Whom you LOVE. You sleep with him (we finally got brave enough to let you have a stuffed animal in your bed) and ask for him constantly. "Elmo? Hug?"..... "Elmo! Eye. Nose. Mouth. Hand. Feet."

You are SOO tall! Your pants just get shorter and shorter and it gets harder and harder to keep your belly from showing. I'm going to have to get you some 3T clothes. You can wear some 2Ts, and a few 18-24 months, but you are getting so big. Your hair is getting long, too. 

At the end of the month, we went on a ski trip (separate post coming). This was the one exception to your great sleeping. You are not a fan of sleeping in the pack'n play. But other than one bad night and crying for a bit when we put you down, you did fine. Ish. 

Here you are before the trip, trying on your boots. (a last minute $9 Walmart find!)

And yes, that's a toothbrush. One of your favorite things. 

You loved the snow! Gigi and I took you out twice and we both had fun snapping pictures of you. It was great because you were such a marshmallow that you couldn't run away. You walked around for about 15 minutes, and touched the snow a few times. Then you looked up and said "all done".



We love you!

Mom and Dad

Lylah's "School"

Lylah goes to MDO (Mother's Day out) two days a week. Originally, she went only one day a week, on Thursdays. When I enrolled her in MDO, she was about 9 months old. I could not imagine her going more than one day a week. She was so small! And she is the youngest in her class, along with another boy who is her Birthday twin. (Sept 1st is the cut off, and her b-day is Aug 31.) 

Here she is on her first day:

She's so tiny!

What I remember about this picture was that she wasn't very good at wearing shoes yet, and had only been walking for a few weeks. The shoes she has on were too small, and purely for the picture. And being the prepared mother that I am, I had no non-baby shoes for her to wear to go outside at school. After her first day (where I apologized over and over for sending her in baby slippers), I went shopping and gave her a crash coarse in walking in real shoes. 

We have had a little trouble with crying when I drop her off. She would go through times where she would sob (only for a few minutes, until I'm gone) and times when she would hop off my hip, wave "buh-bye!" and go play. It's quite a range of emotions. I never know quite what I'm gonna get. 

Regardless of her drop off reactions, she gets excited any time I say we're going to "school". She says "Yeah! Amy!" (one of your teachers) and just recently she started naming classmates. "Hayley! Abby! Anna!"

Before school with your "ba-pack" or "backie".

You love your teachers, Ms. Krista and Ms. Amy. They are SO sweet to you! Here they are with you at your Fall Party.

Around December, I started to think that she would enjoy two days. Read: me too. I didn't even know if I could, but I asked and they said yes! Then I was really worried that I would miss you. And I do. I usually pick you up a little early cause I miss you. (How pathetic does that sound when I say it out loud?) 

Here you are at your "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" party. 

 I am so glad I decided to send you to Mother's Day out. SO glad. I had reservations about doing it, but it has been good for everyone! I noticed that after you started school, you would repond to my directions better. You sit down on command, and you started talking more and more.

I love having time to myself! I can actually vacuum! Cause L hates it. H-a-a-a-tes it. Sometimes I mop. Sometimes I read. Sometimes I go crazy and go to Starbucks and sit. Inside. (INSIDE!) Sometimes I just run quick errands that would be a pain to do with L (getting her in and out of the carseat. If you have a baby, you know). 

I love that she goes to a Christian school, and that they have chapel and teach her about Jesus. I love that. She loves going there, and they say she loves going to the gym and snack time. No surprise there.