Pictures

Life is pretty crazy right now. I'm working on a whole lot of stuff that I will update everyone on soon.... here's a couple of new pictures to hold everyone til then ;)


I made this cake for my nephews baptism today. I was happy with how it turned out.

Ayla playing

Ayla hanging out with family...these girls were the flower girls at our wedding! I can't believe how big they are now!

Ahhh summer :)

Daddy's girl

Exploring the outdoors

Day at the park

Getting creative; who needs toys?!

Trying new things!

Having Fun!

We seem to be having these few gorgeous days sandwiched between colder ones. I've been taking Ayla outside on the warmer ones to let her test her new found walking skills. She has a hard time making her way over the rougher surfaces but loves trying! I think I have has much fun as she does....I love being a mommy ;)

Happy Easter

Happy Easter everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed the day :)

We went up to see my family in Massachusetts for an easter egg hunt which was a lot of fun. Ayla found a couple of eggs and was quite content with them. She tried her first bits of candy and LOVED it, of course what girl doesn't like chocolate?! We also were able to meet the newest addition to the family, Chloe (my cousin Jasons baby girl) who was absolutely adorable! It's crazy to see a whole new generation of babies together :)

On the way home we stopped and visited Gabe. I've been picking up a lot of little things to bring to his site, which is already overflowing with things. It makes me feel good to have it well decorated, especially for the holidays. I miss my little boy and wish he was here to celebrate the holidays with us. I can't believe this is our 3rd easter without him. It really doesn't ever get easier, I guess there are some wounds time can't heal.

Here are some pictures from the day:

I can't help it.....I just think she's so darn cute!

One of the amazing things about kids is that they are extremely entertaining to just sit back and watch. Or at least Ayla is :)

This was amusing. She was singing to her socks, that she proudly removed from her feet, while sitting on her toy school bus... backwards and with the seat up so that her butt was in the storage compartment.


Ayla decided she wanted to talk to Daddy. The whole conversation consisted of her screaming
"DA DA DA DADADA DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!" and then throwing the phone. I guess Dada didn't talk back.

Dancing Monkeys

Makayla received a new toy today. It was a little bear that danced, and she immediately fell in love with it! She LOVES to dance. Here are a couple little clips of her and her new bear :)

Makayla's walking!

I figured it was a good time for another Makayla update :)

We had her 12 month check up yesterday (a couple weeks late) and it went very well. She weighed in at 22 lbs and 30 inches long, right around the 50-60th percentile in both. She gained 2 lbs and 1 inch since her 9 month check. They gave her shots (which always breaks my heart) and drew blood to do a few screenings which I'm waiting on the results for. They also decided to do a eye screening since Nate wears glasses and I had a lazy eye as a kid. it was difficult to keep her focused but after multiple attempts they were able to get her to do what they wanted and she passed :) All around a good appointment!

Last week Makayla started walking! She has been cruising around the furniture for awhile now, and would take 1 or 2 steps to get from one thing to another, but nothing more than that. March 5th (Nate and I's dating anniversary ;) ) I gave her her sippy cup while she was standing and she walked it over to the couch! I was so excited and she was so proud of herself. Every day she seems to gets braver. Today she was doing really good going from one end of the room to the other and back. Of course Nate and I made a big deal every time she did so she thought it was great!

Here's a little short video clip of her walking:

Updates

Wow, it's been awhile since I've posted! Life has been hectic as usual...

After Ayla's birthday I left for a mini vacation/CHERUBS get together in Indiana. I brought Ayla with me, and had a great time! I met up with 4 other CDH families and shared a lot of laughs, tears, and good times all around! I really wish we could do it more often.

Unfortunately after getting back home, Ayla got sick, passed it to me and I passed it to Nate who is still not feeling well. The last two weeks have been horrible! I can't wait for Spring to finally arrive! I just hope this is the last round of sickness in my house this winter.

Bakery update: Well...things didn't go the way I had hoped :( The bakery owner ended up having someone ready to sign the lease now, and I wasn't. Pretty much sums it up. It sucks, but I'm not giving up on opening a business soon. The whole experience has opened up some other doors, and given me a much better idea of what my next steps need to be. I will update more on this in the next week or so. The next month or so is going to be filled with meetings, appointments, classes, and a lot of work... but I will be ready next time a space opens up! I know it's going to work out, and finally feel like my dream is within reach. I've never thought I would feel so positive about loosing out on the bakery space, but I'm taking it as a learning experience and feeling pretty good about what I learned :)

That about sums it up for now. I've got a lot going on right now, but will try to update a little more often :)

Here are a couple of pics:

Indiana Get Together:
Ayla's birthday shoot:

Makayla's First Birthday

Valentines Day?

Happy Valentines Day all!

To me today wasn't about enjoying a nice night out with my hubby...oh no, it was about preparing for Ayla's birthday! And I loved every minute of it :)

This post was really just an excuse to share my pic of Ayla's birthday cake that I just finished :)



And here are some recent pics of Makayla:

Me: "Ayla, No! Don't hit the cat...."
Ayla points at the cat and gives me the look to which I know she is trying to figure out if it's worth ignoring me...

Ayla hits the cat

and laughs, giving that evil "I did something bad" look.

Sick again

Ayla is sick....again! She finally got over the last cold she had, and barely a week later she's sick. Ugh. I know it's all about building up immunities right now, but I am so tired of cleaning up puke and trying to comfort a very grumpy little girl. I think once she starts feeling better I am going to take a night off and get out of this house! I'm going crazy here!

Other than that things are going pretty well. I've picked up more hours at work, which leaves me less time to do everything else, but at least the pay check is a bit bigger.

I'm starting to plan Ayla's first birthday! We are keeping it small since we are limited on funds, but it should be nice. I can't believe my baby is almost a year old already. Time really flies by. She is looking more and more like a little girl and less like a baby every day. She is standing by herself now and I think she will be taking her first steps very soon.

2 days after Ayla's birthday, she and I are flying out to Michigan to meet up with some friends of mine I met through CHERUBS. I am soooo excited to see them again, I can't wait! I've been counting down for weeks now. It's going to be interesting flying alone with Ayla. I hate flying alone to start with, and I know having a baby will make it harder, but it is going to be so worth it!

Well, thats about it for now. Life has been pretty boring since I am pretty much stuck in the house besides work until Ayla gets better. I can't wait for Spring!

Here are some recent pics of Ayla:

Makayla's Video

Here's a little video of Makayla cruising around the furniture,making faces. Don't mind the mess in the background of what is supposed to be my living room.... Ayla finds that the most fun can be had by taking everything off shelves and out of boxes and throwing them around the room. Ahhh, oh well....I give up :)

Makayla Pics

Someone mentioned that I haven't been posting enough pictures of Makayla lately so here are some more: