After dance class today, Layla and I headed to a playdate at our neighbors. Layla was acting all out of sorts. She was very whiney, very selfish, and just plain ugly. Basically, she was acting like a snotty nosed, two year old. There was one toy that she continued to throw a fit about and so I gave her an ultimatum. Either she cut it out or we were going home. Two minutes later, we were packing up and heading home. When we got home, she continued to throw her fit. I ignored her for a bit and when it seemed that she was winding down (after about 15 mins), I sat on the bottom step and asked if she was ready to talk to mom. She then dried it up, and came and sat in my lap. We had a somewhat intelligent conversation about the rules of life and how we act and treat people. After it was said and done, she went and played with her things. About 20 minutes later, I was doing the dishes and she came walking in and said, "Momma, I share". I just smiled and said, "yeah baby, that's right".
Life is rough for a two year old. Sometimes they have to test us to see if we are going to follow through on what we say we are going to do. This time we both passed the test:).
Monday, January 30, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Sunday Sitdown
What a fast week!
We started the week with dance class and then hosted a playdate at our house with 4 of our neighbor friends. It was a great time for the kids (and moms) on a rainy Monday. It was so fun, we are meeting again tomorrow, just at a different house:)
Monday night, we were heading over to aunt Natalie's for our Monday night tradition of watching the Bachelor. Guess who answered the door when we rang the bell?? GRAMMY! Layla was so excited. She had tried to come by earlier in the day to surprise us but we weren't home. So now we were really surprised! Natalie and Chris had gone to TN over the weekend and grammy hitched a ride back and was here for the week. That meant that a normal week, now had a few more plans:).
Layla spent the night at Natalie's Monday and stayed while I taught my Tuesday morning class. Then we all headed to lunch date which included Katie and Lucy. A grandmother, 3 moms, and 3 daughters. It was girl heaven and Layla was surrounded by BABIES! She was on paci duty when ever it called. Have I mentioned how blessed I am to have a daughter? I can't imagine life without one.
Wednesday was a chill day, We shopped a little and had lunch. Then Natalie, Grammy, me, and the kids headed to dinner since the men were working late.
Thursday and Fridays were busy days for us. I had committed to keeping baby Hamilton (8weeks) since his mom was going back to work and he wasn't starting day care until Monday. It was about 8am-6pm both days. He went to our moms group at church with us on Thursday and Music Class on Friday. We had a great time and he was such an easy kid. It was a great way to see what life with 2 would be like. It was ALOT easier than I thought, but you must remember that I wasn't sleep deprived like I would be if he was mine.:) I even went to the grocery store with the two of them. Layla is at a great age. There is not a shred of jealousy in her when it comes to Hamilton, Annie, or Lucy. She is very gentle, sweet, and helpful. Maybe I'm ready to venture in that direction??
Saturday, Lucas and I decided we were going to treat Layla to a new movie. We had grown a little tired of the regular rotation and thought it was a perfect day for a family movie. She wanted to buy Cinderella but we had to somehow explain to her that it was not out of the Disney vault right now:/. After looking through several movies at Best Buy, her hand landed on a Barbie Princess movie.....NO! I eventually sold her on UP because of the balloons on the cover. Daddy also through in the Hunchback of Notre Dame because it is one of his childhood faves. We loaded up on candy (mini M&M's and PEZ, Layla's choice) at the check out aisle and then headed home to watch the movie.
Have you seen UP?? It is a little sad. Over the weekend we probably watched it 3 times and I think I got a little teary eyed each time! What a great movie with some very funny parts. Layla loved it and actually sat through most of it, which was nothing short of a miracle. It was definitely a great addition to our DVD library.
We started today by heading out to church. Anytime, we listen to worship music or christian music in general, Layla calls it "church music". We had tried to remind her that it is music about Jesus, but to her its all the same. Nothing is more precious than my daughter belting out "Oh happy DAy...When Jesus washed my sins away!" She loves that song along with "Stand Up for Jesus", & "Who Built the Ark?". She even throws in her own renditions like "Zip up, Zip up for Jesus" when zipping up her coat. Then one day, we were getting coffee at the grocery store and she added "Coffee for Jesus" all in the same melody as the song. A woman in the coffee aisle laughed out loud as Layla and I talked about whether or not we thought Jesus drank coffee. He was a busy guy who ran on little sleep...my bets are he did.
Anyway, after church as Layla napped, I went on a run with my neighbor. It was a beautiful day and we had a great run. I felt awesome and refreshed and was very thankful that I ditched my Sunday nap and ran instead. Now time to relax with my hubby.
Have a great week everyone!
We started the week with dance class and then hosted a playdate at our house with 4 of our neighbor friends. It was a great time for the kids (and moms) on a rainy Monday. It was so fun, we are meeting again tomorrow, just at a different house:)
Monday night, we were heading over to aunt Natalie's for our Monday night tradition of watching the Bachelor. Guess who answered the door when we rang the bell?? GRAMMY! Layla was so excited. She had tried to come by earlier in the day to surprise us but we weren't home. So now we were really surprised! Natalie and Chris had gone to TN over the weekend and grammy hitched a ride back and was here for the week. That meant that a normal week, now had a few more plans:).
Layla spent the night at Natalie's Monday and stayed while I taught my Tuesday morning class. Then we all headed to lunch date which included Katie and Lucy. A grandmother, 3 moms, and 3 daughters. It was girl heaven and Layla was surrounded by BABIES! She was on paci duty when ever it called. Have I mentioned how blessed I am to have a daughter? I can't imagine life without one.
Wednesday was a chill day, We shopped a little and had lunch. Then Natalie, Grammy, me, and the kids headed to dinner since the men were working late.
Thursday and Fridays were busy days for us. I had committed to keeping baby Hamilton (8weeks) since his mom was going back to work and he wasn't starting day care until Monday. It was about 8am-6pm both days. He went to our moms group at church with us on Thursday and Music Class on Friday. We had a great time and he was such an easy kid. It was a great way to see what life with 2 would be like. It was ALOT easier than I thought, but you must remember that I wasn't sleep deprived like I would be if he was mine.:) I even went to the grocery store with the two of them. Layla is at a great age. There is not a shred of jealousy in her when it comes to Hamilton, Annie, or Lucy. She is very gentle, sweet, and helpful. Maybe I'm ready to venture in that direction??
Saturday, Lucas and I decided we were going to treat Layla to a new movie. We had grown a little tired of the regular rotation and thought it was a perfect day for a family movie. She wanted to buy Cinderella but we had to somehow explain to her that it was not out of the Disney vault right now:/. After looking through several movies at Best Buy, her hand landed on a Barbie Princess movie.....NO! I eventually sold her on UP because of the balloons on the cover. Daddy also through in the Hunchback of Notre Dame because it is one of his childhood faves. We loaded up on candy (mini M&M's and PEZ, Layla's choice) at the check out aisle and then headed home to watch the movie.
Have you seen UP?? It is a little sad. Over the weekend we probably watched it 3 times and I think I got a little teary eyed each time! What a great movie with some very funny parts. Layla loved it and actually sat through most of it, which was nothing short of a miracle. It was definitely a great addition to our DVD library.
We started today by heading out to church. Anytime, we listen to worship music or christian music in general, Layla calls it "church music". We had tried to remind her that it is music about Jesus, but to her its all the same. Nothing is more precious than my daughter belting out "Oh happy DAy...When Jesus washed my sins away!" She loves that song along with "Stand Up for Jesus", & "Who Built the Ark?". She even throws in her own renditions like "Zip up, Zip up for Jesus" when zipping up her coat. Then one day, we were getting coffee at the grocery store and she added "Coffee for Jesus" all in the same melody as the song. A woman in the coffee aisle laughed out loud as Layla and I talked about whether or not we thought Jesus drank coffee. He was a busy guy who ran on little sleep...my bets are he did.
Anyway, after church as Layla napped, I went on a run with my neighbor. It was a beautiful day and we had a great run. I felt awesome and refreshed and was very thankful that I ditched my Sunday nap and ran instead. Now time to relax with my hubby.
Have a great week everyone!
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
we have created a monster
Every day since Disney, Layla says, "I go back to Disney World. I get pen, I get book and I go back to Disney World!". When she says pen and book, she is talking about her autograph pen and book. Since she says it so much, we have been replying with, "call granna, papa and grammy, granddaddy and ask them to take you!". She has asked both sets of grandparents, a couple of times! We have been watching a lot of Disney movies. Her favorites this week are The Lion King, Mary Poppins, and Beauty and the Beast. She has pretty much forgotten all other tv shows. She knows the characters, the songs, and can tell you what is coming up next.
It is hard to explain the death of the dad in Lion King. She is confused because Simba grows up to look like his dad so she is confused about which one is the Lion King. When Simba finds his dad dead and yells, "Dad dad!" Layla yells with him. I am dreading the day she has to experience the death of someone close to her. I pray that it is not until a day when she has a good understanding about Jesus and eternal life. Right now, I just tell her that Mufasa is with Jesus like Maggie (family dog) and that Simba will get to see him again (like in the vision in the movie). What a HARD concept for a two year old, but it seems to satisfy her questions...for now.
Layla, we WILL go back to Disney World. But not until you are three or four:).
It is hard to explain the death of the dad in Lion King. She is confused because Simba grows up to look like his dad so she is confused about which one is the Lion King. When Simba finds his dad dead and yells, "Dad dad!" Layla yells with him. I am dreading the day she has to experience the death of someone close to her. I pray that it is not until a day when she has a good understanding about Jesus and eternal life. Right now, I just tell her that Mufasa is with Jesus like Maggie (family dog) and that Simba will get to see him again (like in the vision in the movie). What a HARD concept for a two year old, but it seems to satisfy her questions...for now.
Layla, we WILL go back to Disney World. But not until you are three or four:).
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Kids remember everything!
We were in the burbs today visiting a khols and it was lunch time. There was a McDonald's close by so I decided we would just drive through there. Layla has probably been to McDonalds about three times in her life (including today) so I didn't expect her to know what I was talking about when I told her where we were going.
As soon as I mentioned the word McDonalds, she yelled "like Woody!". So of course, I am digging through my brain thinking what is she talking about and why is she making that association?? Then she sang, "chicken, French fries, and chocolate milk" in a familiar tune.
Then my light bulb went off! The tune was the song "Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky fried chicken, aNd Pizza Hut!".
Let me make the connection for you...
On our third day in Disney, we attended a dance party with the gang from Toy Story. Woody danced very excitedly to the "Kentucky Fried Chicken" song with hand motions and all. It probably lasted a total of 5 mins and Layla wouldn't even dance to it without me holding her!
So today, when she heard McDonalds, Woody dancing is what came to her mind.
She made me laugh out loud when I figured it all out. She amazes me with her memory of even the smallest details. Love that kid.:)
As soon as I mentioned the word McDonalds, she yelled "like Woody!". So of course, I am digging through my brain thinking what is she talking about and why is she making that association?? Then she sang, "chicken, French fries, and chocolate milk" in a familiar tune.
Then my light bulb went off! The tune was the song "Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut, McDonalds, McDonalds, Kentucky fried chicken, aNd Pizza Hut!".
Let me make the connection for you...
On our third day in Disney, we attended a dance party with the gang from Toy Story. Woody danced very excitedly to the "Kentucky Fried Chicken" song with hand motions and all. It probably lasted a total of 5 mins and Layla wouldn't even dance to it without me holding her!
So today, when she heard McDonalds, Woody dancing is what came to her mind.
She made me laugh out loud when I figured it all out. She amazes me with her memory of even the smallest details. Love that kid.:)
Saturday, January 14, 2012
GRACE
I love spending time with people and just getting to know where they came from. Each of us is made very uniquely and our lives hold very different stories. This past year, I have built relationships with people who are very different than me. We have shared different ideas about relationships with a significant other, had different views on how to parent our children, different political ideas, different convictions, we are the product different parenting methods, and we even have very different ideas about our purpose on this earth and who is our creator.
Yet one thing is common in all of our lives. We each have a past.
I had lunch with a sweet friend yesterday and she started sharing some things about her past. Not unlike my past there were some things there that are just not pretty. As I approach 30, slowly yet surely, I have been thinking about that past. In the first 30 years of life for me, I have made HUGE decisions that have molded the way I am going to spend the REST of my life. I survived the high school years without too many enemies, I completed a college degree, I married the person I am going to spend the rest of my life with and we started the family. Also mixed into the first 30 years of my life, there were things that happened which were not so good and they also will be with me for the rest of my life.
I guess the point is, NONE of us our exempt from our past. It is who we are today and why we are the way we are today. We all have our skeletons in the closet and there is so much freedom in being able to say, "Look at all my baggage but look at the person I am right now and the better person I am still striving to be".
This next year, I hope to continue to build relationships with people much different that me. I want to continue to be tested about why my views of marriage are what they are, why I see the importance of raising my children the way I do, why I have really strong convictions about some things yet have an attitude of freedom in other things. I even want to be tested about my spiritual beliefs and why I am a servant of Jesus Christ. I want to have a mind and a heart that are free of judgement and full of love. I want to teach Layla to have that same kind of heart. The Jesus kind of heart. When tested, I hope what they see is a person of love, that is genuine and consistent, and a person they can trust.
The truth is, when you get to the bottom of things, the beauty is in the differences.
Yet one thing is common in all of our lives. We each have a past.
I had lunch with a sweet friend yesterday and she started sharing some things about her past. Not unlike my past there were some things there that are just not pretty. As I approach 30, slowly yet surely, I have been thinking about that past. In the first 30 years of life for me, I have made HUGE decisions that have molded the way I am going to spend the REST of my life. I survived the high school years without too many enemies, I completed a college degree, I married the person I am going to spend the rest of my life with and we started the family. Also mixed into the first 30 years of my life, there were things that happened which were not so good and they also will be with me for the rest of my life.
I guess the point is, NONE of us our exempt from our past. It is who we are today and why we are the way we are today. We all have our skeletons in the closet and there is so much freedom in being able to say, "Look at all my baggage but look at the person I am right now and the better person I am still striving to be".
This next year, I hope to continue to build relationships with people much different that me. I want to continue to be tested about why my views of marriage are what they are, why I see the importance of raising my children the way I do, why I have really strong convictions about some things yet have an attitude of freedom in other things. I even want to be tested about my spiritual beliefs and why I am a servant of Jesus Christ. I want to have a mind and a heart that are free of judgement and full of love. I want to teach Layla to have that same kind of heart. The Jesus kind of heart. When tested, I hope what they see is a person of love, that is genuine and consistent, and a person they can trust.
The truth is, when you get to the bottom of things, the beauty is in the differences.
Friday, January 13, 2012
What we have been up to since Christmas
 |
| Visiting Mrs. Katie on her 30th Birthday. Layla got to help Lucy with her bottle and dance almost naked with Henry:) |
Jason, Robin, and Layla's cousins Reese, and Gavin came to Atlanta to stay for the weekend to see baby Annie for the first time. While they were here, we took the kids to Build a Bear. This was Layla's first time and she seemed to like it. She chose her bear and then chose the ballerina clothes to dress her in!
 |
 |
| While we were at the mall, they still had the train going so the kids went for a ride. Reese (8) & Gavin (4) with Layla. |
 |
| Granna always wears a robe so she bought Layla one while she was there. Layla says, "it has pockets just like Granna's". And instead of calling it a robe, it is a "robot". |
 |
| Cousin time! As you can guess, they were about to watch Ariel! |
 |
| Lunch with Papa at Demos. |
 |
| Granna bought her this dress. I think she wore it to "Papa's church" on wednesday night |
 |
| While they were at Demos, they also ran into Layla's great granddad! I am not quite sure that she recognized him:) |
 |
| A trip to Granna and Papa's is not complete without Nani! |
 |
| Friday night movie time with the grandparents |
 |
| They were watching Lilo and Stitch. Papa has "Woody's hat" on. |
 |
| You can't tell that much in this pic but Layla is wrapped in a blanket like a baby. She wanted to be like baby Hamilton. |
 |
| Layla's game day attire. In case you haven't heard, Alabama won the National Championship. |
 |
| Last time they won..Layla looked like this! 7 Months old. ROLL TIDE! |
 |
| We have tried to see baby Annie as much as possible without disturbing Aunt Natalie's rest. This was taken yesterday and she will be 3 weeks old tomorrow. My baby holding a baby doesn't seem right. Annie was very alert and in a great mood! |
As for Lucas, he is still working hard at growing his company. I am proud of him and his hard work.
I am just trying to be the best wife and mom that I can be. I am so glad that this is the season that God has me in. I could not be happier. For "me time" this year, I am still teaching my 3 spin classes a week. I am also venturing into other areas of exercise. I attended my first Hot Yoga class last night and loved it. I look forward to doing more yoga in general. I also will continue to attend our mom's group at church every Thursday morning and my book club the last Tuesday of the month. There are a couple of service opportunities at church that I would like to get involved in but I am still praying about what that looks like for this year.
TGIF Everyone!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Big girl pants
So Layla has been potty trained now for about 8/9 months. Up until this point we have been lifting her up on the toilet.
Today, I was taking a shower and Layla came browsing in telling me she had to go potty. That was no surprise, she usually gets the urge when it's just the two of us and I'm in the shower. Anyway, I told her to hold it for a second, that I was almost finished. When I looked over she had dropped her drawers and was schooching herself up onto our big toilet. She went potty, then reached for the toilet paper, wiped, then jumped down and pulled up her pants! Of course, I got excited so she wants to do it herself all the time now. I do follow up with a wipe here and there but how nice it is that she has accomplished this task on her own.
Go ahead and laugh that this seems like big news to me but our little girl is just so big and amazes me everyday!
Today, I was taking a shower and Layla came browsing in telling me she had to go potty. That was no surprise, she usually gets the urge when it's just the two of us and I'm in the shower. Anyway, I told her to hold it for a second, that I was almost finished. When I looked over she had dropped her drawers and was schooching herself up onto our big toilet. She went potty, then reached for the toilet paper, wiped, then jumped down and pulled up her pants! Of course, I got excited so she wants to do it herself all the time now. I do follow up with a wipe here and there but how nice it is that she has accomplished this task on her own.
Go ahead and laugh that this seems like big news to me but our little girl is just so big and amazes me everyday!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
2011 at a Glance!
January: We had a huge snowstorm in Atlanta that lasted about a week. Layla really started talking a lot, but we often had a hard time understanding her words. Lucas and I went to Montana, snow skiing, for about 8 days without Layla. If was our first long trip away from her.
February: I turned 27. We had a fun, VERY COLD week in Montana. Layla threw up for the first time in her life from cutting a tooth and got a black eye.
March: We took our first lake trip of the year with Natalie and Chris. Granna, Abbey, and Grant came to visit Atlanta.
April: Lucas turned 27. Layla freaked us out when she seriously choked on a chip. Layla and I took a trip with Grammy and Aunt Natalie to Destin. We celebrated Easter and Layla was potty trained.
February: I turned 27. We had a fun, VERY COLD week in Montana. Layla threw up for the first time in her life from cutting a tooth and got a black eye.
March: We took our first lake trip of the year with Natalie and Chris. Granna, Abbey, and Grant came to visit Atlanta.
April: Lucas turned 27. Layla freaked us out when she seriously choked on a chip. Layla and I took a trip with Grammy and Aunt Natalie to Destin. We celebrated Easter and Layla was potty trained.
May: We spent a lot of time in the fountains at the park and at the pool. Layla and I visited Murfreesboro and I ran my second half marathon. Then we all went back to watch my sister in law, Abbey, graduate from high school. Layla started talking in 2/3 word sentences.
June: Layla turned 2! Found out that we were going to have a new niece in December. Lucas moved into his office outside of the house. More fun at the lake and pool!
July: Ran my first Peachtree Road Race on July 4th. Layla and I took a trip to TN and then headed south to Baton Rouge for PawPaw's birthday.
August: More pool time. Friends Jake and Amanda visit Atlanta. Layla got a viral case of the hives, which caused us to take a visit to the dr. First "non routine" visit of her life. Visited TN to watch cousin Reese participate in her first "triathlon" and celebrate 8th birthday.
September: Layla started her first year of ballet. She learned how to "spell" our last name. I took a road trip to Memphis for a wedding while Layla stayed with daddy!
October: Enjoyed the month of no travel by celebrating fall with all the fun activities. Also had many baby showers to welcome the new little ones!
November: Went to TN for Gavin's 4th birthday and Natalie's baby shower. Went back to celebrate Thanksgiving and then started our Disney trip!
December: A week in Disney World. Christmas parties. Baby niece, Annie, is born Christmas Eve. Layla's first Christmas at home. At a great party with neighbors to bring in the New Year!
We had a very blessed 2011. I love looking back on a year and seeing all the unexpected things that happened. God always knows just what we need exactly when we need it. He has blessed our family beyond measure and we look ahead to a new year to excited to see how he is going to work out every detail.
I pray that this year, being rooted and established in love, that my family would be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love surpasses knowledge -that we may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power at work within us.
Eph 3:18-20
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)