A look back at 2010

2010 was a great year full of God's faithfulness, favor, healing, and just plain old love! I'm not sure how 2011 can top it but I know that God has great things in store!!

Here's a look back!

January: Our family watched as the Univeristy of Alabama win the National Championship. We celebrated with our friends in Memphis and I remember going to wake Layla up at the end of the game so that we could share the moment with her and capture a couple of pictures.


February: I celebrated my 26th birthday on the 7th. I have come to realize that getting older isn't so bad. With every year comes wisdom and it means more memories with my family. Layla also celebrated her first Valentine's Day. At our mom's group we made a Valentine for daddy.


March: This month was pretty low key for our family last year. The great thing about living in Memphis was that it got warmer there a little earlier. We took a couple trips to the zoo and to the botanic gardens. Noah, Ashly, and Abram also came to visit but Abram came down with a high fever so their trip was cut short. He got home and had double ear infections. Poor guy! We also became much busier parents during this month because Layla perfected the crawl!

April: We took a trip back to Murfreesboro. I don't think that we had been back since Christmas. Layla celebrated her first Easter at her Papa's church. She wore a dress that was made for her by Nancy Burton and was given to me at one of my showers before she was born.


May: WOW, May was a big month for us last year. Where to start?? We took our first "family vacation" to Orlando. It was the 3 of us along with my sister and her husband. We had a great time. We visited the water park, Universal Studios and Disney. Poor Layla was pretty much stuck in her stroller the whole trip because she was only 11 months old but she was such a trooper!
Next we had a visit at our home in Memphis from Layla's great grandfather. It was such a precious time with family for the weekend. This is the month that Lucas was certain he had heard from God on whether to start his own company or not. So we listed our house on the market and moved out of Memphis to Murfreesboro for a bit. Most of you know the story...

June: Our baby girl celebrated her first birthday! We had a pool party that got rained on but was great anyway. The day after we celebrated her birthday, Lucas left to begin his time of work in NYC. Layla also began walking during this month and got her first haircut! Then the big news was, according to God's perfect plan, we sold our house in Memphis, and moved into a house in Atlanta. Still gives me chills to think about how perfect the timing was for everything!

July: This month was pretty uneventful as far as big things go... We were doing a lot of back and forth between TN & GA trying to get everything settled. Lucas was still going back and forth to NYC as well. OH YEA! We celebrated my mom turning 60 by throwing her a surprise party:)

August: Whew! What a HOT month we had. Layla and I spent a lot of the time at the pool. At the end of this month, Lucas was able to come to Atlanta from NY and he hasn't had to return since. I was also doing a lot of running trying to train for a half marathon.


September: This was a great month! I was so happy to have my husband home full time and Layla was so glad to see her daddy everyday! We took a few trips to the lake. Lucas continued to work hard while Layla and I did a lot of playing:)


October: Mid month, we made a trip to Middle Tn where I ran in the Middle Tennessee Half Marathon. Then, later at the end of the month, we participated in Layla's 2nd Halloween and she was the cutest ballerina EVER! We also finished Layla's first semester of The Music Class and was sure to sign up for the winter term because she loved it!


November: This month was a calm one until Thanksgiving rolled around. We spent about a week in Murfreesboro to celebrate Papa's 50th Birthday and then was Thanksgiving! It was definitely probably one of the warmest Thanksgivings that I remember having. After that, we traveled back to Atlanta and decorated for Christmas with our REAL Christmas tree!!

December: Another whirlwind of a month! We were in Atlanta for a couple of weeks and then had to return back to middle TN for the holidays. We began by celebrating my sister's college graduation (YAY!) and then of course Christmas followed! This year was a lot more enjoyable for Layla but we didn't even attempt a visit with Santa because I knew that would be a waste of everyone's time. She doesn't go to strangers, much less ones dressed like Santa. We did make a trip to Opryland Hotel to see the lights and she really enjoyed that. After Christmas, we braved the traffic and headed back home to Atlanta where we brought in 2011. We spent New Year's Eve with Chris and Natalie by eating dinner at Tin Lizzies and then headed back to their house and sat outside by the fire! What a perfect relaxing evening!


Happy New Year Everyone! May God's blessings and favor be upon you in 2011!
Love,
The Kairdolfs
Lucas, Lori, and Layla

In this picture is my friend Jessica and her sweet baby Carter (10 months). We had lunch together over the holidays while I was back in TN. The story is pretty neat because I knew Jessica's husband growing up. We went to Sunday School together for as long as I can remember. He was always like a brother to me and his momma treated me as her own. Then, while I was in college, I began working at this little restaurant called through Through the Grapevine. I can't remember if Jessica was there before or after me but either way, I would say that we were immediate friends. At that time she was dating Dustin, the boy I grew up with. It is a small world for sure. We both worked at TTG for 2-3 years and during that time I became engaged and then later married to Lucas and she then became engaged and married to Dustin. Needless to say we went through major life changes in the company of each other:)

It was neat to go back and see our old boss (who we love) and catch up and watch our kids try to steal each other's food. Although we live in different states, it is friendships like these that I cherish and know they will last for a lifetime!

Jessica maybe you can clarify some of the details...your memory is much better than mine. Didn't I know you a little when we were younger too? You went to church with us for awhile as well right?

Christmas 2010

We had a wonderful Christmas with our families. It was super busy but this year I tried to not get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle but really just sit back and take it all in. With a child of my own, I take on the perspective Mary must of had more easily (minus the virgin birth). Our lives were similar in the fact that we both carried a child for about 10 months and our love for him/her was felt way before we even saw their face. The difference in our lives is that I pray everyday that Layla would live a long healthy life so that she will see her great grandchildren. Mary probably desired that same thing for Jesus, even though their life spans were much shorter back then:) Instead, she finds out that her perfectly beautiful baby boy was going to be murdered in the harshest way for people whom Mary had never known and never would know. Maybe her sacrifice would have been much easier if he were dying for sweet "good" family members. But that was not God's plan. Jesus was born to die for all of the world no matter how great their sin. Although Mary and I are both members of the mom club, her story as mom is dramatically different from any story a mom will ever tell again. Although there are VERY hard times in Mary's story, we must always stick around until the very end because it ends well, VERY well.

And it all started with Christmas, the birthday of Jesus Christ. Since becoming a mom, the day of Jesus's birth will never be passed on as any other day. It takes me back to the immediate, overwhelming love that I had for Layla on her birthday and now the life changing love that I have for Jesus on his birthday!

Here are a few pics from Christmas:

Her Minnie Mouse gloves

Slow present opener

So Excited!

This Year...
Last Year
This Year....
Last Year
This Year...
Last Year

What a difference a year makes!

No, No, No!!!!!!!

Layla first learned the word "yes" a couple of months ago but we have officially entered the "NO!" stage. Lord please give me wisdom in how to deal with my child in this new stage. I have to admit, at first it was kind of cute. That was before she knew what she was really talking about. Now she is beginning to say it with attitude and the cuteness is slowly disappearing:) My favorite though is when she is doing something that I am going to tell her no for and so she starts saying no before I even can. Kids are sure a lot smarter, a lot earlier than we give them credit for!

Other than the word No, this age is definitely my favorite up to this point. I know I say that every month but the more she develops her personality and can communicate with us the sweeter it is! She has also needed a few extra hugs these days which I love, especially when she initiates them. Now when we discipline her there are huge crocodile tears and then a sweet hug usually follows. She has also started walking around the house saying "Go? Go?" while holding out her hands while she is looking for something. Just like we would do when we say " Where did it go?".

She had her 18 month check up while we were in TN for the holidays. This was her last time to see the pediatrician there. At her 2 year old check up, we will use an Atlanta doctor. I feel like a bad mother for not having the exact statistics for her baby book but the doctor visit was full of screaming. I know she was about 25 pounds 11 ounces. As far as her length I really have no idea... 30 something. I do know that she has jumped up to the 75th percentile in height and weight, so at least she is proportional right? She has her second Hepatitis A shot around 2 and then no more shots till kindergarten. PRAISE THE LORD. It just gets more heartbreaking the older it gets. This time she was screaming repeatedly "All Done!!".

We have not pushed the potty anymore since the last post but we are definitely talking about the potty during the day. She will even go to it if I ask where it is. We will be apart a week at the end of January so I think for my 27th birthday (February 7th) I am going to start potty training :)

A post with Christmas pics will be following soon!

Blessings,
LK

Visit to museum

This morning, Layla and I took our first visit to the Imagine It: Atlanta Children's Museum. It was a great escape from these cold days we have had this week. I believe Layla really enjoyed it! We will definitely be back. Here are some pics from our visit!
Have a great Wednesday!

Pooped in the Potty!

Today was a monumental day in the life of parenting for Lucas and I. Well it really wasn't that big of a deal but Layla did poop in the potty for the first time. It was not on purpose though. Now that Layla is 18 months, potty training has crossed my mind but I was not considering anything until after Christmas because it is such a hectic time anyway.

Tonight after her bath, Layla was running around naked upstairs. She was playing with Lucas is his office and running up and down the hallway. Then she paused at Lucas's desk and I saw "the look" and it occured to me that she had not gone yet today. I yelled at Lucas and said "She's about to poop on your floor"! He grabbed her up and ran to the bathroom and set her on the toilet. And what do ya know, she did her business! I knew she was done because she started reaching for the toilet paper. It was so cute. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry because my little girl is growing up. We praised her so much she probably thought we had lost it for sure. Who thought using the potty for the first time could be such a special moment :)

As for continuing/starting potty training, I am still not totally comitted but we will see how tomorrow goes!

All grown up at 18 months

Today, Dec 1st marks Layla's 1 and a half birthday. Can't believe we are on the downslope to 2?!? When Layla was a newborn, 18 months sounded so old to me. Her clothing size now includes 24 months in it! I would say that we are in full blown toddlerhood now. Layla has celebrated her turning 18 months by waking up with a fever. I know that she is cutting more teeth. This is the first time in her life that she has had any sort of fever. I am enjoying the extra cuddling time! We did manage to get out of the house today. I think that we were both about to go stir crazy with all the rain that we have had this week. We took a trip to Lenox Mall to just get a little energy out! Layla does much better at the mall without a stroller. She does pretty well at holding my hand and walking or letting me carry her. Plus it is nice to be able to jump on the escalator rather than always hunting for an elevator. Of course, if I am at the mall for any serious shopping, a stroller is still a must!

Here of a couple pics of Layla from this time last year....
Have you ever seen a bald spot like this??



She still could not even sit up on her own yet.




And here she is as an 18month old. Eating lunch in a "big girl" chair at the mall.

Watching Barney makes her teeth hurt less:)