Monday, January 23, 2012

Chinese New Year

Happy Chinese New Year!  We celebrated as a family yesterday at my brother's house.  My dad made a bunch of yummy food and all of the kids had a fun time playing together.  I didn't get a single picture of Ayla while we were there.  I normally don't see her the entire time we're there.  As soon as we set foot in the door, she's off running around with her cousins until I have to drag her out kicking and screaming.










Today, while we were at my parents' house after I got off work, I dressed up the girls in their little Chinese outfits.  My little dolls. :)










Sunday, January 22, 2012

Aubree: 10-months

My Aubree baby is 10-months old today. *SIGH*  In two short months, she will be a year old.  

Disbelief.

She is so awesome.  That pretty much sums it all up.  We just can't get enough of her.  Her chubby cheeks, her drooly smiles, her squishy legs, her snuggles, her little giggles.  Everything.  

She is still busy getting into literally everything she can get her hands on.  Sometimes it makes my head spin because not only can I NOT keep up with her, I can't get anything done.  I feel like I'm at an all day track meet trying to stop her from getting into things.  Ayla must think that I've completely lost it some days.  All too often, she watches me sprint from the kitchen and hurdle the ottoman (a.k.a.--my makeshift baby gate) with a dripping spatula while shouting, "No, no, NO, Aubree!!" I'm almost positive she knows what "no" means.  Actually I know she knows.  Wanna know why?  Because she'll actually pause for a second when I say it, but then she turns around and grins at me...even giggles...and then turns back around to do it again.  Little stinker.

She thinks her big sister is the coolest person ever.  She wants to play with whatever Ayla's playing with (not something that Ayla loves...we're working on that).  In the car, she just staaares at Ayla and laughs at her.  It's adorable.  I hope they grow up to be good friends and I hope they take good care of each other.

She is a piggy!  And I loooooooooove it.  LOVE. It.  She's pretty much eating all table food now.  I have a few jars of stage three baby food on hand in case we're on the run and need something quick.  She has happily eaten everything we've offered her.  At every meal, I'm floored at the empty bowls I get to toss into the dishwasher.  I feel like she would just keep eating and eating.  I am thrilled beyond belief that she eats well.  It's one less thing to stress out about and that makes me a happy mommy.

She hasn't attempted to take any steps yet.  Every now and then, she'll stand for a few seconds without holding on and she's cruising along furniture with a lot more confidence lately.  She crawls so fast, I swear her legs don't even touch the ground. :)  Especially when she heads for Kody's water bowl or Ayla's potty chair.  Goodness.

She still takes two naps a day but I feel like she may be getting to the point where she only needs one.  Both of her naps have started creeping later and later and each one is only 45-60 minutes.  I'm not going to make any changes just yet...we'll see what she does the next few weeks.  Her bedtime hasn't changed.  She's generally in bed and asleep between 7:00 and 7:30.  She starts to stir around 6:30 in the morning.  If we're lucky, she makes it a full 12 hours. :)

She is just so full of life and it's so fun to watch her grow and discover the world.  Her eyes sparkle when she smiles.  She is as sweet as she is feisty.  I have a feeling we have another strong woman on our hands.

I couldn't resist posting just about every picture I took this morning.  I love all of her different expressions.  Grandma bought her this outfit--is it not the most adorable thing you've ever seen?  It's my new favorite. :)








Every time I look at this picture, my heart flutters.  Full body warm fuzzy.








This is going to come out sounding really weird...but I want to gnaw on those cheeks.  Seriously.  They're delicious.






This is the look she gives me when I tell her no...she looks like trouble.





Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Pajama time

On my days off, the girls and I often stay in our jammies for most of the day.  If we leave the house, it usually isn't until 4:00 in the afternoon, so why not stay comfy? :)  Last Friday, we were complete bums and just played all day.  Perfect. :)




Totally blurry, but that smile is priceless.  You can feel her joy in this picture. Love her.















Ohh, that cute, squishy face...I can't get enough of her.







At the end of the night, Dean was helping Ayla brush her teeth and told me to go look at her bed.  When I went in there, I found that she had her moose all tucked in.  So cute. :)