Ayla's Fourth Month

Ayla has been changing and growing up so fast. I have it written down that her first laugh was on May 8th (3 months old), and just one month later, at four months old, she is a giggle machine. She is such a happy girl, and smiles when given even the slightest amount of attention. During her fourth month she was also a wonderful sleeper- sleeping on and off most of the day and allllll night long. Unfortunately, our trip to Arizona changed all that.

Ayla's fourth month began with a trip to Tallahassee for Meme's big birthday party. Here is the whole gang during the party.

The following day was Mother's Day. After church we packed up (while my Dad held Ayla in the Lazy-boy) and headed back to Gainesville.

The next weekend we went to Orlando to pick up Trent from a dental clinic. While Trent was working on teeth, the kids and I met up with a friend at Downtown Disney. I put Ayla in the front of the stroller thinking she would enjoy looking around, but instead she decided to sleep.

That night, we booked a hotel by the Orlando airport. We picked up dinner and took it back to our hotel and ate by the pool. Ayla woke up while we were eating and she was so happy.

Trent happened to match Ayla in his green and pink shirt.

The next day we headed to Cocoa Beach.

Ayla did some tummy time at the beach. Since she sleeps so much, Ayla's head is pretty flat on the back. When she is awake we try to keep her off her back as much as possible so that her head will hopefully round out. 

Ayla loved being held by Mikhael and Bronson when they came to visit. We sure miss having them as neighbors.

Kalil was so helpful during our stay in Phoenix. Here she is holding Ayla in the tub.

After our short weekend in Phoenix we went to the Navajo Indian Reservation five hours north. While there, we went on a beautiful hike in Chinle, AZ with Trent's mom and step dad. We were only able to get one picture on the hike before our camera died :( I also forgot to bring a hat for Ayla so the top of her head got sunburnt :(

We also went fishing with Trent's step dad.

After one week on the reservation I was kind of over it. We were staying in the older housing complex by the old hospital, and I didn't feel particularly safe. My cell phone had been stolen and I didn't have an old phone to activate. I also felt like I was camping due to limited supplies and no AC! Needless to say, I only lasted one week! Trent drove us half way to Tucson, where Trent's sister picked us up. Then Trent's mom took TJ down to Tucson with Trent's sister while I kept Ayla with my sister in Phoenix for the week. 

We were so happy to be back in Phoenix with Amanda (and air conditioning). While we were there we did lots and lots of shopping (scheduled around all of Mason's therapy appointments).

Mason was so sweet with Ayla. Here he is giving her a pacifier.

Ayla absolutely loved Kalil. Kalil knew just the trick to get her to giggle- pat-a-cake! It worked every time.

Ayla is quite irresistible. I love her chubby cheeks and big smiles. I also love looking at her when she is fast asleep. Ayla's fourth month was a good month. 

TJ's 24th Month

At 2 years old, TJ....

... Loves the swimming pool. We don't have a pool but he randomly requests to go "swimmin'" on a regular basis.

... Is a complete goof ball. He loves to act silly, climb all over Daddy, and make funny faces.

 ... Loves to jump. Here's his four star landing after jumping off of the blue storage bin behind him. He likes to jump off of high surfaces or just up and down on the ground. He jumps when he is happy, excited, and when trying to dance.

... Is a mess. If I leave him unattended for more than a few seconds there is a good chance I will return to a sight like this. That white powder all over TJ, the couch, and the floor- that's infant formula.

... Loves sports, especially basketball. He was in heaven when Bronson lifted him up to shoot some hoops in the back yard.

... Is intrigued by bugs. He's pretty good about not touching them, but he does like to get on all fours to get a better look.

... Loves to eat. Here he is downing a peanut butter sandwich, a favorite around here. He's not too picky, and is pretty much always hungry.

... Wears matching outfits with his sister as much as possible. Luckily for me, he doesn't put up a fuss about this.

... Is a happy boy. He runs around all day with a big smile on his face but it is sometimes hard to capture because he absolutely hates the camera.

During TJ's 24th month, we...

... Took a family trip to Cocoa Beach. While there, we rented a surf board and took turns trying to catch a wave. For the record, TJ was not a fan of surfing. 

Before we got in the water I attempted to take some pictures of the kids. Like usual, I couldn't capture the perfect picture of the two of them in their matching outfits, but I did have fun chasing after them with the camera.

 ... Went to the splash park for Trent's birthday.

 ... And to Yamato's Japanese Steakhouse for Trent and I's 6 year anniversary.

He was amazed by all the fire and tricks.

 ... Went to Arizona and stayed with my sister for the weekend before heading north to Ft. Defiance for Trent's dental externship. TJ had a blast playing with his cousins and all of their toys.

 While in Ft. Defiance we played at the local park...

...Went on drives during the day to kill time observe the pretty scenery and animal life. 

TJ was ready to jump through the fence and pet the horses until they started to walk towards us, at which point TJ pleaded for me to hold him.

... Went to the local zoo. He was lifting up the rope, ready to jump into the cage with the bear, also. 

... Celebrated TJ's actual birthday with cupcakes and a mini mylar balloon. He loves to sing the birthday song. It's now up there with the ABC song as one of his favorites.

Claudia knew exactly how to make TJ's day special.

And that concludes TJ's 24th month and second year of life. We now enter the next chapter- the "terrible twos." Our trip to Ft. Defiance did, ironically, take a terrible turn on TJ's birthday- my cell phone was stolen :(
Here's to hoping the next year isn't as awful as some say. I better go to the library and find "1, 2, 3, Magic" a discipline book recommended by my doctor. Has anyone tried that one? Or maybe you know of another one?

Ayla's 3rd Month

Most girls love to play dress up with their dolls. I wasn't what one would describe as "girly" growing up (tomboy through and through) and even I loved playing dress up with my dolls. The only thing that would have made it more fun was if my baby dolls were real. Fast-forward twenty years, and that's where Ayla comes into play. Getting her dressed just might be my very favorite part of the day. 

And the good thing about Ayla is that she doesn't seem to mind this dress up game at all. The outfit changes don't seem to bother her, and the headbands don't seem to phase her.

My friend from Gainesville who moved to Arizona, Claudia, handpicked this lovely headband for Ayla off etsy and mailed it to us. And the cute (size 9 month!) skinny jeans, those are from my good friend, Katie Garcia. My little 3 month old is already busting out of her 6-9 month wardrobe.

Ayla tagged along to Sophia's birthday party with TJ. There were lots of parents and grandparents at the party that seemed delighted to take turns holding Ayla. I, of course, was the most delighted of all.

Speaking of grandparents helping, here's Papa holding Ayla while lounging by the pool at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando. Priceline hooked us up with the hotel, and my parents hooked us up with watching the kiddos.

When we don't have a grandparent to help hold Ayla, we rely heavily on the swing.

The picture woke her up but she was all smiles. She is a pretty happy little girl...

Except when big brother sits on her. Even so, she handles the torture quite well. TJ is making her into one tough little girl.

This month was a special one for Ayla because her dad gave her a blessing at church.

My mom made the blessing gown for me when I was a baby. The tatting along the collar was made by my Great Grandmother Foote. Same dress (minus the bib- couldn't find it), same blanket, quite different looking babies.

Here she is with her own blanket (rather than mine) and her cute rosette headband from Kim. Ayla loves to suck on her fists and has recently wanted nothing to do with her pacifier.

We went to the pool the other day and Ayla wore her little bikini that I bought my niece, Kalil, when she was one year old. That's right, my just barely 3 month old is wearing size 12 month swimsuits. And since TJ isn't wearing a diaper anymore, he still fits in his size 12 month swimsuits too. That makes the already small gap in their ages seem even smaller.

Ayla was a sleeping champ for almost the entire month. But the past few days have been a completly different story, so naturally I don't have too many sweet things to say about her right now. I can tell you one thing, she is cute. At least that's what I tell myself when she is up in the middle of the night and is wide-eyed and smiley- "It's a good thing you're cute, little girl, it's a good thing you're cute!"