Ayla's First Birthday Bash

The invitation. We decided to go with a rose theme since it is her middle name.

The birthday girl with mom and dad.

Happy Birthday Ayla! The entry way.

Ayla Rose's 1st Birthday! The dessert table.

The other side of the entry way. Party hats and favors.

The food table. Vegetables, ham and cheese roll-ups, chicken salad pitas, banana roll-ups, and spinach dip.

The monthly picture board.

Blowing out her first candle with the help of TJ and Julian.

She was a bit hesitant to dive into the pile of pink icing.

But once she discovered the cake inside, she decided to indulge.

And seemed to throughly enjoy it.

But eventually she had had enough and stood up and walked away.

We got her all cleaned up and in her party skirt and hat.

And her friends joined in on the party attire.

The big kids played in the backyard on the hammock.

And in the sandbox.

And stamped roses with celery.

Then Ayla opened her presents- A pink ball from TJ!

A singing tea set from the Glenns and a xylophone from the Sirmans!

And her first doll from mom and dad. She was so elated to open this doll!

And an awesome pink bike from Uncle Andy and Aunt Dana.

And some cute new outfits from Kaeme and Papa.

We partied into the night by bundling up and riding bikes outside.

I think it's safe to say Ayla had a happy birthday. Thank you to everyone who helped make it such a special day! She may never remember it but at least we have pictures :)

Ayla's Twelfth Month

Ayla Rose is one year old! I would say, "my goodness how the time has flewn", but that is just not the case. The day I gave birth to her seems like it was so long ago, and I can barely remember life before she was part of our family. I guess it's a good thing I blog :) It has been a fun year watching her grow from an awesome baby into a fun, silly, awesome toddler. She is such a good little girl, I can't help but smile when I watch her toddle around the room making happy noises along the way. We are so glad to have her as part of our family of four.     

We met Daddy for lunch at the park

I love when they sit next to each other and play nicely

TJ nicknamed Ayla "pinto" for no apparent reason. I think "frankenstein" may have been a bit more appropriate. Not that she looks like him, but she sure does have the arms out walk down to a tee.

We took the kids to O2B for the "Morning Magic" program. Pretty sure it was the best day of Ayla's life!

Here she is in the foam pit during the gymnastics portion of  Morning Magic.

Ayla's favorite food is bread, but really any carb, like spagetti, will do. When she eats she sucks on her food, as if to enjoy every last drop of flavor before swallowing it down her throat?

Ayla LOVES books. She will flip the pages on her own, or bring me one then back her bum into my lap so that I will read it to her.

We enjoyed a January day at the pool with Julian and Ella Grace.

And a January trip to the beach.

Ayla loved the sand.

She is still trying to figure out if it tastes good.

She loves picking things up and putting them on her head- bows, shirts, necklaces... and beach pails.

This beach baby enjoyed a nap in the sun at Marco Island. 

Ayla tagged along so well during frisbee golf.

She is becoming quite the little climber. Rocks, the fireplace, steps, and now she even climbs to the top of our stairs.

One handed plank? No big deal.

She was so excited when TJ kicked the ball to her...

And then 2.5 seconds later he is tackling her, saying, "No hands, Awa, no hands!"

We celebrated Ayla's actual birthday at the park, opening a few presents from family.

Sporting her new birthday skirt from Aunt Amanda, Ayla loves water.

And she loved her first tatto from Kalil!

And the next day we got her ears pierced! Tattoos and piercings- we are turning her into quite the little rebel ;)

More pictures to come of Ayla's little first birthday celebration with friends...

TJ's 32nd Month

TJ is often asked, "how old are you?" to which he replies, "I two and a half" and he knows that in June he will turn three. With Ayla's birthday just around the corner and lots of talk of that, he is already looking forward to and planning his own party. "Mommy, I have a good idea, at my birthday party I will have a batman cake and we will ride bikes and go to the beach and play in the sand..." 

He loves to do what he calls "tricks" or "gymnastics" like standing on one leg, spinning in a circle, or hanging on things.  He also likes to "read books" by looking at the pictures and telling the story. He can often be found playing with his little toy animals and insects, lining them up, moving them to and from various boxes, and telling them what to do. He behaves best when he gets a nap but it is usually a fight to get him to take one- "Mommy, I have a good idea, how about I watch one chuck n friends and then take a nap tomorrow?" 

He knows the nightly routine and won't let anyone but himself say the prayer. His prayers usually consist of lots of thank you's, especially for the fun things he was able to do that day, and he almost always is thankful for food. 

Over MLK weekend we headed south to get some extra sunshine. TJ loved burrying Trent with sand.

But he may have loved getting buried even more!

Trent wanted to take Ayla out into the water but TJ clung to his leg and said "I want to go too!" He loves his Daddy, that is for sure.

We went to Marco Island, where TJ enjoyed jumping in and out of this raft.

He loves to jump!

TJ is often in his own little world, talking to himself, pointing at things, describing them, etc. It doesn't matter if no one is listening, this boy just likes to talk.

Here's an example of one of his "gymnastic" tricks, this is his "handstand." His feet are in the air- clearly a handstand.

"What's your name? Do you want to play in the sand with me?" Making new friends everywhere we go.

My mom came down to work on some projects with me and she brought Anna. TJ was so excited to have them both stay for a few days.

Trent planned a special camping adventure for TJ in the back yard. He taught TJ how to set up the tent (before it gets dark) and all about fire safety. 

They made a fire, roasted marshmallows on a wire hanger, and slept contently in the tent all night long. I think we are ready for a true camping experience.

We went to Lake Wauberg and played some frisbee golf.

TJ was good at finding and fetching all of our inaccurately thrown frisbees.

After frisbee we went for a paddle boat ride in the lake. It was a fun Saturday indeed.

TJ loves to play outside.

TJ is learning how to put his clothes on all by himself- one day he decided to be silly and put his sweater on his legs.

Once he figures out how to do something he is pretty insistent on doing it by himself- "No Mom! Don't help!"

Lately TJ has been a bit more picky with his food. And so was born- the crust-less sandwich.

Luckily little sister- who isn't picky at all when it comes to her carbs- is always there to eat TJ's ends.

I tell you what, TJ is one fun little boy to have around. I love spending my days with him.
Especially when he takes his nap.