While She Sleeps

Sometimes I wake up early in the morning, and I just lie in bed waiting to hear Lyla's voice over the monitor. Would it be nice to sleep in....absolutly! But I'm awake, and the person I really want to see is still sleeping. So I lie and wait. I close my eyes and listen intently for the tiniest sound that suggests she might be awake. 

And the moment I hear something, I sneak in her room, crawl into bed with her and cuddle her as she wakes up. Then we read books until she's ready to get up.

She fills my heart with more joy then I even knew existed. I am so grateful that this sweet spirit chose to be apart of our family. Love, isn't a strong enough word to describe how I feel about this little one.......But I sure do LOVE her!!

Park Pics

We went to the park, to scout out places to do our Christmas family pics. We tested out a few places, but it was just nice to be there because Lyla loves being outside, and I want her to enjoy it as much as possible before it gets too cold.

Halloween

I think Daniel's favorite part of Halloween is the carving of the pumpkins. He gets so excited, and loves coming up with fun ideas.

 Last year we started the tradition of being M&M's. I enjoy dressing up, but I think spending a ton of money on costumes, is just crazy. So we just stay with tradition.
Last year, Lyla was a brown M&M

And this year we made her yellow. We keep the colors neutral on purpose.
When the girls at Daniel's work found out what Lyla was going to be for Halloween, they made her this adorable tutu to match her costume. It was perfect, and it added just that little extra!

I love Halloween in our neighborhood. We have families drive over to our neighborhood just to trick-or-treat. It's so fun. This year we had around 450 kids come to our door. It gets expensive when you have to buy that much candy, but it's so fun to be apart of. We basically just sit out on our front porch, because it's pointless going inside. The string of kids is so constant, that we wouldn't really have time to close the door.
Daniel's parents came out to sit with us, since they don't get any trick-or-treaters at their house. I think they really enjoy seeing all the kids come and all the excitement in the air. I think if we ever moved, it would be really sad to not have this amazing turn out.

Field Trip

Lyla's preschool class went on a field trip this week. One of the grandparents of a child in her class invited us over to pick pumpkins in their yard and they had a train in their backyard too. It was a huge yard, and it was fun. 

Lyla was a little weary when I put her in the train and walked away, but once it started moving, she was thrilled. Choo choo went the train, and choo choo is what Lyla said for the rest of the day.  

Then we went over to the little pumpkin patch where the kids got to pick their own pumpkins. Lyla was pretty excited about her pumpkin, and really wanted to carry it to the car when we left. But it was pretty heavy. She's still proud of her pumpkin, and talks about it whenever she sees it on our front porch. 

Missing Daddy

Daniel left on Thursday for some Continuing Education in Portland. He'll hopefully be back Sunday night. We have really missed him. Lyla especially. It's the first thing she asks about in the morning, and several times throughout the day. 

It's weird, but it's made me think about families with young children, where a parent is no longer around either because of separation or death or other... But how confusing it is for a young child, and it made me so sad for them. 

Of course, Daniel's coming back, but right now, Lyla is very confused and has no idea why daddy's not here, no matter how many times I explain it. Anyways!!!

Lyla and I have had fun just the two of us, but we are excited for daddy to come home tomorrow. 

Potty Training

I know that no body wants to hear about this, but I don't really care. I am so proud of Lyla and how awesome she is.

We decided to potty train over general conference weekend, since we were basically gonna be 'stuck' at home. I had done a bunch of research, and picked a plan that I felt was right for Lyla. 

She is just so awesome, I can't get over it. I love my little 'big girl underwear' wearing little girl. 

Preschool

Lyla loves preschool. And so do I. I love seeing her explore and discover new things. I also love when she learns new songs, and brings them home with her. She is officially obsessed with the 'Slippery Fish' song!!

Zoo Fun

We took Lyla to the zoo, and had a blast. It was fun for her since she knows all her animals and their sounds. It was a beautiful day.

Kissing the gorilla. 

Petting the Sting Ray's 

Brushing the goats.

Big Girl Bed

Lyla moved up to a big girl bed. It was sooner then we had planned, but I saw that this head board (which matched her dresser) was being phased out AND was 75% off. Lyla was sooooo excited about her big girl bed, and I just had to get her in it.

She just hangs out on her bed reading books. And she sleeps so much better. Which is hard to believe, because she has always been a great sleeper.... But now it's even better. 

1st Day of Toddler Preschool

On Monday, Lyla started preschool. It is a co-op preschool, so parents are asked to be in the classroom with the child. It's only one day a week, and 2 hours a day. Her class is specifically for children ages 18mth-30mths, so it's perfect for her. And since parents are in the classroom helping, it is at a very reduced rate. This school is a perfect fit for us, and I'm so grateful that we found it.

I love being in the class with her, helping her to explore new things and learn. When we first walked in the class, Lyla was terrified. She clung to me, and had zero interest in anything. But after she realized that I wasn't going anywhere, she relaxed a bit, and started exploring.

We had a lot of fun, and I'm excited to go back next week. As an only child, I think it's important for Lyla to learn to interact with other children so she can learn to play, share and be kind to others.