Happy Birthday to Papa!

Saturday was Papa Morrow's birthday (Tommy's dad). We told Lyla and she sang a line from Happy Birthday to him all day and then sang it for him on the phone. It was so cute we had to record it.

April Trip to NC

Back in April, Lyla and I went to NC to visit my family. Tommy stayed home because he had to work and he also laid down new flooring downstairs in our house. Home improvements are impossible with a toddler around. Lyla does well in the car, probably because I let her watch cartoons so the trip was pretty good. The first day we were there, we went to the Natural Science Center in Greensboro. It was perfect for Lyla. They had a room just for kids under 5 (I think), which had a train table, playhouse with a kitchen, grocery store, see saw, water table, and so much more.

After playing inside, we went outside to the zoo. Check out this peacock. It was out in the open for everyone to get close to. I felt sorry for it because some of the mean little kids were pulling its tail feathers. I guess that's why it kept its feathers spread to protect itself. It was beautiful. My favorite colors, blue & green.I wasn't sure if Lyla would pet any animals, but she loved petting the goats. They were very calm and just laid there for her. Lyla rode on the big plastic frogs. She walked around the entire place. She never wants to be in the stroller when we go to places like this, which can make for a meltdown towards the end sometimes. This particular day she did well because she had me, Papa, and Nana to pick her up when she wanted. I would suggest this place to anyone with kids. There were A LOT of field trips because we went on a weekday, but maybe a weekend would be better. I remember going there on field trips as a kid, but I don't remember it being this nice. I think the zoo part has been added on since then. Lyla loves loves to be outside. Being outside at my parents house is very different than being outside in Florida. Because we have hardly any trees around our house, Lyla thought these huge leaves were really cool. She liked when we put them in her hair. She enjoyed stomping the thousands of ants Nana and Papa had in their yard and on the driveway. We mostly have lizards here in Florida and I prefer that Lyla stay away from them, and definitely not stomp on them. She also rode the "tractor" with Papa. Lyla was in her bathing suit because we wanted her to play in the sprinkler, but the water was cold and she said "Turn it off Papa!" She enjoys the sprinkler a lot more in Florida where it's really hot. We made a trip to Durham to visit my extended family. Great Grandma George gave Lyla her birthday present because she wouldn't see her in June on her birthday. She got a lot of beach toys and a golf set. Lyla loves these toys and has gotten a lot of play time out of them. We spent some time outside in the carport and yard at Grandma's. Grandma has a stationary bike her in carport so Lyla and Nana had to take it for a spin.

Easter Weekend

Saturday we took Lyla to another Egg Hunt. We went to Chets Creek Church which had an Easter Extravaganza. The egg hunt was sectioned off by age, which is a great idea, so Lyla hunted in the 3 and under group. She is a wonderful egg hunter. She collected a lot of eggs, but we put some back and kept 10. Way to go Lyla!Here's her "cheese face" again.Lyla needed a snack after all that egg hunting. She found a table that was just her size.We drove to the beach and ate at Sun Deli. The sandwiches were garnished with Peeps so Lyla gave it a try. She didn't seem to enjoy it that much. It is a strange substance.Easter Sunday we went to the early service at church then went to Mimi's Cafe for brunch. Afterwards we went to the fish/duck pond at the Town Center to try and get some pictures of us in our Easter best. Lyla was too busy chasing ducks to get really good pictures, but here are a few that we took.Once we got home, Lyla dug into her Easter basket. We didn't give it to her in the morning, because we knew it would be impossible to get her away from it to go to church. Lyla already had a Dora doll, so the Easter bunny brought her Diego and Boots. She hasn't let them out of her sight since. They even sleep with her and she plays with them for a long time once she wakes up. She also got a small Dora see and say, a book called "Good night Florida" reusable stickers, and a chocolate bunny.Loving her Dora dolls.Reading her card that came with stickers inside of course.After Lyla's nap, Tommy went outside and hid Easter eggs so she could hunt one more time. We missed our extended family, but had a wonderful time together this weekend.

Lyla's 1st Easter Egg Hunt

This past weekend I went to Palm Coast for a Girls Weekend with my Stroller Strength group. We had a wonderful time. We worked out, stretched on the beach, laid out by the pool, rode bikes had a delicious dinner and then went dancing. Fun fun!

Tommy and Lyla had Daddy Daughter time while I was away. Saturday morning they went to a Easter Egg Hunt on base. Tommy said Lyla ran out and picked up six easter eggs. They also rode a train and Lyla had her picture taken with the Easter bunny. I was so surprised that she sat on the Easter bunny's lap and didn't cry at all. Thank you Tommy for giving this mommy some time away to have fun with her girls and for taking Lyla to her first Easter Egg hunt.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone! Here is Lyla sporting her shirt that says "Kiss Me For Good Luck." Lyla will say "Cheese" when I take her picture but this is the face I get when she says cheese. It's funny, but doesn't make for the cutest pictures. Here's one without the scrunched up "Cheese" face.

Colorado Trip

Back in March, Tommy and I left Lyla with my parents in NC to go to Breckenridge, Colorado. Lyla had a blast with my parents, so we were able to have fun and relax on our trip. Breckenridge is an absolutely beautiful town and I hope to go back many more times in my life. We devoted this trip to skiing, but I would love to go back one day in the summer to hike, bike, and more. The ski slopes are covered in powder, not ice like in NC where I usually ski. They are long and lined with tall beautiful trees. The village that we walked to from our room was so quaint with many shops and restaurants. We also found this little shack of a place that made crepes which we enjoyed for lunch one day. We stayed for three nights and actually tried to extend our trip by another night or two because we were having so much fun, but of course the airlines wanted way too much money for that. Tommy and I are always more into enjoying ourselves than taking pictures, but here are some to show you how absolutely gorgeous this place is.

They Grow Up So Fast

I have to update everyone on Lyla. I usually just post pictures and don't really tell you what she's up to. Mostly, Lyla is talking, she even says some sentences. Her cutest sentences are:

• "Are you OK?"
• "I'm OK."
• "My name is Lyla."
• "I need to hold you."
• "I hug you."
• "I need cow." (her lovey)
• "I need to pee" or "I need to poop"

She is talking up a storm. Speaking of the last sentence, I have always said that I wouldn't bother potty training Lyla until she shows many signs of being ready, because I see absolutely no reason to rush potty training because I hear it's no fun. However, Lyla has started wanting to sit on the adult toilet a few times a day. I got tired of holding her up there, so I finally went yesterday and bought her two potties, one for upstairs and one for downstairs. She hasn't "gone" in them yet, but is logging many minutes on them. We're taking it slow, but at least we have a proper seat for her now.

Lyla loves to be outside especially at the playground. She loves to climb and go down slides. She can go down most slides without any help, just a reminder to sit on her bottom. Sidewalk chalk and bubbles are also a big hit. Nana and Papa came to visit last weekend and I think the three of them were outside for three hours straight Saturday. That's pretty impressive since we live in a townhouse and barely have a yard.

Lyla is currently working on her top canine teeth. They are starting to pop through but it's a slow process. After that, we have the bottom canine teeth to go and the 2 year molars. I can't wait until she has a full set of baby teeth.

Lyla's all time favorite cartoon is Dora. She gets so excited when it comes on, she sings the intro song "D D D D D Dora." She knows all the characters: Dora, Boots, Backpack, Map and Swiper. She loves when Swiper makes his appearance and she tells him "No, no no Swiper" or she says "Swiper no swiping" like Dora says. Other favorites are Olivia, Max & Ruby and Yo Gabba Gabba.

She is growing up so fast, and I was reminded in my Mommy group this morning to cherish my days with Lyla because they will go by fast. She is going to be 18 and off to college before I know it.