My Girls

 

Since Layla and Kayleigh are almost 5 years apart I never thought they would have matching outfits. However, the other day I was pulling out the next size clothes for Layla and I found this dress. I remembered that Kayleigh had the same exact dress hanging in her closet. I asked Kayleigh if she wanted to be twins with Layla on Sunday and she got so excited. The funny thing is the dress that Layla is wearing was Kayleigh's when she was little. My Aunt Barbara gave it to her. I remember being so sad because Kayleigh never wore it because I could never get it to fit over her head! Isn't it funny the little things you remember?

Layla's Birthday Party

After a couple of doses of antibiotics Layla was feeling much better so we decided to have her party today. It was just our family and Danielle and Harvey. Josh couldn't make it. We wanted to include them because well they are part of our family and basically aunt and uncle to our children.  Danielle makes amazing cakes so I asked her to make one for Layla. Without me giving any hints at all she came up with a Lady Bug idea which I thought was perfect since our nickname for Layla is "Layla Bug"! She did an amazing job as usual.  Layla loved the cake and her gifts too. You can see below all the fun pictures from the party.

 

This picture is classic Layla. The look almost says "Mom I can't believe it was that good!"

There is an awesome story behind the pig she is opening in this picture. I found that pig on Tao Bao ( Chinese's ebay). I was so excited about the deal I got on it. When it arrived and we tested it out we all busted out laughing when we heard the pig speak German. There isn't a bit of English on the thing! My kids love it and Zeb has already picked up some German words from it! 

Happy 1st Birthday Layla!

Today Layla turned one. I can't believe it. This year has gone by so fast. We were supposed to have a party for her today but instead I spent the morning at the doctor. The diagnosis was a double ear infection and sinus infection. No wonder she looked like she felt horrible.Not the best way to spend your first birthday. So as I left the doctors office I called Danielle to tell her we should cancel the party and move it till Friday when Layla was feeling better. Danielle had already made the cake but just popped it in the freezer till Friday. Perfect. 

Layla we love you so much. You have brought us so much joy and laughter. God knew you would fit perfectly in our family. You love your brother and sister and want to be with them all the time. You go search for them in the house if you don't know where they are. You love to join them in a good laugh. You are so expressive and have tons of personality. You are beautiful! You also know exactly what you want and will let us know too! You have no fear of anything and you love to wrestle on the bed with your Daddy and your siblings. Layla we love you!

Layla pushing her new train that her Nanna and Poppa gave her. 

Saying Goodbye and An Early Birthday

My parents left yesterday and I must say after seven and half years of being here the good byes haven't gotten any easier. I am not the type that cries at the airport during the goodbye. I am the one that wakes up the next day and realizes they are really gone and I burst into a million tears. I walk around with an ache in my heart for a while until I get used to them being gone. I might spot little things around the house that remind me of the them and just ache inside. As my kids get older the depth of the good bye sinks in for them as well. This time around Kayleigh cried some and was really sad. Which just breaks my heart. In the short five years of her life she has had to say some hard goodbyes not just to grandparents but to friends as well. It's just plan hard.

We traveled so much the month that my parents were here that I didn't have time to plan an early birthday party for Layla before they left. Last night in an attempt to somewhat reenact a birthday party I decided to give Layla a bowl of chocolate pudding. We sang Happy Birthday and watched her go to town on the pudding. I think it is safe to say she LOVED it. 

Our Trip

Well the drive went okay. The first leg of our trip Layla cried two of the three hour drive because she didn't want to be in the car seat. Half way through the drive John was seriously considering buying Layla and I a plane ticket to fly on the way back home so we all wouldn't have to endure the screaming. However, day two of our trip was much better and we had renewed hope that she would get more used to the car seat. We have really enjoyed being in this beautiful city. We have enjoyed catching up with old friends and seeing the beautiful mountains. I have loved showing my parents around and they have been great about keeping Layla while I was in meetings. I am so thankful my parents were able to see some different cities while they were here visiting. 

This is our version of a potty break because there are no rest stops along the way. You pull over on the side of the road and hope your kids don't fall off the side of the mountain while you take them potty!

Packing Again

 Well, we are back from Thailand and it is time to unpack and repack again! We head to a city about 6 hours away on Monday. My parents are still here for a couple of more weeks and I am so glad! We rented a car and decided to drive for the trip instead of fly. I am excited for my parents to see the country side. We will only go about 3 hours the first day and stop in a city half way for the night. We are going to caravan with another family and I am excited about the road trip. I know Zeb and Kayleigh will do fine but Layla is the wild card. She hasn't been in a car seat since she was two months old. I'm not sure how she will take to being strapped in a seat for 3 hours. We will see!
John joined forces with another dad today and took the kids on the train so I could get some packing done. He took some awesome pictures that I thought I would share.

Riding the Elephants

There is an elephant village literally one minute from the house we are staying at so we decided to check it out yesterday. The last time we tried to ride the elephants in Thailand I was VERY pregnant with Zeb and it was my mom and dad's first time to Thailand. I wasn't planning on riding at all but we had hoped that Kayleigh would ride with them. That didn't happen after an elephant's trunk came over her shoulder and scared her to death because the elephant thought she was holding a banana. So when the time came for her to get on the elephant with my parents she was not going to do it. I was hoping for a more successful trip this time and I was really pleased. Kayleigh and Zeb both rode the elephants and loved it! The elephants walked through a pretty deep river while we were on their backs which was really cool. Cool for us but not the guy in front of us because his wallet fell out of his pocket deep in the the muddy disgusting water. However, I was quite impressed when the Thai guy dove right in and fished out his wallet with no problem. 

John and I thought this sign was hilarious! How do you park in the car?

Layla excited about snack time!

We have been teaching Layla to communicate with us through some simple baby sign language. She really gets excited when we understand her. She also likes crackers.

11 Months

Our little Layla is 11 months old now. She can pull up on things and cruise around where she wants to go. She hasn't gotten the nerve up to let go so no first steps yet. We have spent the past week keeping her away from the pool and from eating the ants. We have an awesome outdoor kitchen and eating area where we are staying. The downside is with kids we have lots of food left under the table. Before I can sweep it, the ants are out in full force trying to collect the food and so is Layla. She is actually interested in trying to get the ants as well! When Layla gets super excited her whole body shakes. The picture below is her excited/shaking in action. I can't believe she will be one in a month!

This "cage" we created with the chairs was an attempt to keep her out of the pool. At first she thought it was a fun idea but it didn't last long. 

While on Vacation.....

We have eaten lots and lots of ice cream!

Spent almost the whole day in the pool!

Or lounging by the pool!

Swung on our swing.

Loved on the grandchildren.