Happy Halloween

Arg!
We had a great Halloween this year! Lyla decided to be a pirate and her cousin who was planning on being Dora, decide that two pirates would be more fun than one! Turns out she was right!









Lyla giving her best pirate face. She kept saying "Arg!" "Ahoy Matey!" and "Walk to the plank!"












Waiting for treats!





Lyla was a little scared at first about going to random strangers doors...but once she saw that they were handing out free candy on cue, she was racing her cousin to the next house.

Arg!

Lyla has decided she wants to be a pirate for Halloween this year. Here is a little sneak peak of her costume...hopefully we can convince her that pirates also wear pants.

A few words and phrases to remember

It seems like Lyla is growing and changing faster each day. She's gone from infant to baby to toddler...and now she is looking more and more like a big kid each day. Here are a few things we hear from Junebug on a daily basis that we want to get written down before they are gone...


"Who say dat?" (said whenever she hears a noise of any kind)

"What kind isit? (something she says when we tell her she is going to get a special treat/surprise)

"Stam up" (Stand up)

"Hide from Seek" (one of her favorite games!)

"...or no." (Usually said after stating what she wants to do instead of asking a question...

"...oh tay!" (okay)

Pink!

Pink, pink, pink. The girl loves it.
Ha! We always said we wouldn't have a girly girl tutu princess if we ended up with a daughter...we forgot to take in account that she would have her own opinions, likes, and dislikes. We try our best to sway her opinion, but as you can tell by this picture, she usually wins.
Pink it is.

Toddler Creed

I saw this on the parent's wall at Lyla's new daycare and thought it explained the current phase she is in right now.

TODDLER’S CREED

If I want it, it’s mine.
If I give it to you and change my mind later, it’s mine.
If I can take it away from you, it’s mine.
If I had it a little while ago, it’s mine.
If it’s mine, it will never belong to anybody else, no matter what.
If we are building something together, all the pieces are mine.
If it looks just like mine, it’s mine.

We are also deep in the "I can do it all myself!" (L's exact words) stage right now.

Summer Fun

We have been busy having tons of fun around here lately! Here are some highlights of our summer so far:

Lyla has finally discovered the wonderful world of food! It all started almost immediately after her 2 year checkup. She is trying and even eating things that used to make her cry when you would place them near her! She is still a bit of a "choosy chowhound" but she is definitely branching out! We have also started, with the help of Deceptively Delicious by Jessica Sienfeld, getting sneaky and hiding the nutritious stuff in her favorite meals. Here is what Lyla has to say about it:

"Oh my goodness, so yummy!"

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In June, Lyla and I went with her Cousin Bliss and Aunt Chan to an amusement park just for toddlers.

Lyla preferred to watch from the sidelines while her cousin rode all the rides...boats, cars, a ferris wheel, pony rides, and a carousel. She wanted absolutely nothing to do with any of the rides. She did however get really excited about the airplanes and jumped right on. I honestly don't know what came over her to pick this one, but I was so proud of how brave she was to give it a try. Before they turned it on, I made sure they would be able to stop it at any time...

She rode the airplane for a whole 30 seconds before she realized that it was sooooo not what she had imagined it would be like.

Even though she wasn't into the rides, we had so much fun watching the other kids. They did have a train that met Lyla's approval which we rode as the finale of our day.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At the end of June we went to San Antonio for a getaway! We spent most of the time by the pool, but also visited the zoo, ate yummy food at some great restaurants, met up with some good friends, and overall just enjoyed getting away from reality for a while.

Imitating the flamingos at the zoo:

Swimming and relaxing poolside

Gaga

I'm not a big Lady Gaga fan, but I'm a huge Glee fan and absolutly loved the episode where they did a few Gaga songs...especially the last song! I guess I may have been singing it around the house a lot lately...

School Picture

Lyla's first school picture!

Goodnite lite

We are all really excited about the present that came in the mail today! Lyla's Grandma T. got her the Goodnite Lite! Lyla is an excellent sleeper, but is terrible about waking up REALLY early. We are hoping this little gadget will help her to stay in bed just a little bit longer. It has two timers that cause it to light up...one for when she needs to go to sleep (it glows like a moon)and one for when it is time to get up (sun). We started using it tonight! I don't know if it was coincidence or if this little night light is seriously genius, but she went to sleep faster and easier than she has been lately. We will see what the morning holds for us!

2nd Birthday!

How is it possible that we now have a 2 year old!?! It's been two weeks since the big day, but I still don't believe it!
We had such a great time celebrating this big milestone! On her official birthday we took her out to eat and play at Whole Foods. Afterwards, we went home and Lyla opened a few presents and enjoyed a sweet treat. She was pretty wiped out from the fun day...but not too tired to scarf down her birthday cupcake!


Lyla sitting next to the Desert willow tree we planted for her birthday.

On the Saturday after her birthday we had our families and a few close friends over to join us in celebrating Lyla's special day. Somehow we dropped the ball on taking lots of pictures, but I am just glad I caught a decent one of the birthday girl before she was covered in green and blue icing.

Yummy yummy butterfly and ladybug cupcakes...

We have a lot of family birthdays that follow Lyla's so we have been singing the birthday song a lot lately. It has steadily become on of her favorite songs. However, she hasn't been too keen on the idea that it is no longer HER birthday and when singing it, often firmly adds in..."no, it's my birthday!"

Happy Birthday Lyla! We love you so very much!

Spoon

We always strive to teach Lyla lots of useful and important things...

L-Y-L-A !

Bluebonnets

The wildflowers are unbelievably beautiful this year! I honestly can't remember the last time they have been this plentiful. Bluebonnets, phlox, Engleman daisy, Texas star, Indian paintbrush, and Prairie verbena (to name just a few) have painted the fields and highways every color of the rainbow!

My friend Sarah and her son Jack joined Lyla and I on a trip out to the Wildflower Center so we could snap some pix of the kids in the bluebonnets. We had such an awesome time and took some great photos. Here are a few of my favorites!

I thought this one was too funny!



For fun, I thought I would post one of last year's bluebonnet pictures. I can't believe how much she has grown in a year! Can you believe the big 2 year birthday is just a few weeks away?!

Playroom

I have been working on Lyla's playroom since we first moved in and it has finally come together.
Here are some pics!

I found this chest in my parents storage room and covered it with some a fabric that Lyla picked out. Next to that is a pot lid rack that we no longer needed...now it makes a perfect book rack.


My mom came up last weekend and repainted my old table from when I was a child. The chairs were pretty beat up so we decided to buy some new ones from Ikea that matched perfectly. This picture also shows the clothesline I added for all of Lyla's artwork.



On the back wall I painted a large chalkboard and framed it with pieces of quarter round moulding I spray painted red.



I also built an extra shelf in the closet to take advantage of the storage space.



Now, with all of this wonderful play space and easy access to her favorite toys, what does Lyla decide to play with?

Weekend fun

We have been having lots of fun around here lately! Ever since spring hit and the cold weather has disappeared (thank goodness!) we have been spending every second we can outdoors! Lyla got to hang out with both her cousins, Grandma, and Aunt Mel last Friday. They had a blast running all around the backyard getting into all kinds of messes. Then on Saturday we spent the morning at the zoo with cousin Bliss and Aunt Chan. After nap time we checked out a new frozen yogurt place which was quite a treat, and finally on Sunday we went to a free kids show at a local coffee shop. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the weekend!




Checking how her height compares to some of her bear friends.



Feeding the goats at the zoo.



Loving the frozen yogurt!



Lyla is really into pirates right now and calls this her pirate shirt. Then she added a sparkly tutu skirt and said she was a pirate princess. She picked the outfit out herself and was extremely proud of it!

Feeling much better now

Phew! I am so glad the past two weeks are now over! Our family has been to the doctor's office a total of 4 times over the past 14 days. Lyla got a cold virus (which she shared with me), after the cold set in for a few days she got pink eye in both eyes (which she shared with me). Later both of our colds turned into nasty sinus infections which thankfully are treatable leaving us feeling much better these days.

Somewhere in the middle of all of this (of course, on a day when Lyla was actually feeling pretty good) our little Junebug got a "nursemaid's elbow". Lyla thinks it is hilarious to drop to the ground when we are holding her hand. This time her little game turned into quite a traumatic experience. A "nursmaid's elbow" is a partial dislocation of the elbow and is apparently pretty common in toddlers. Typically, after the doctor reduces the subluxation the child is supposed to be able to bend and move their arm immediately. Lyla's doc felt a little pop when he was fixing her arm but afterwards she continued to wail and refused to use or move her arm. We then did the treatment again, still nothing...She wouldn't let anyone touch her arm and would not move it even an inch. We tried enticing her with fancy stickers, bribing her, being silly, playing games and singing songs...nothing. She just held her arm tight to her and cried tears of pain. The doctor was concerned there might be something else wrong so he ordered a bunch of x-rays. They showed nothing but beautiful healthy bones. We decided to to the arm treatment one more time but afterwards she still refused to use her arm and cried when anyone touched it. We were sent home with the orders to keep an eye on her and come back if it didn't get better. While we were walking to the car, Lyla cried in her most pathetic voice ever "I want to drive the car." So we opened the car door, and she jumped in the front seat and grabbed the wheel with both hands and started laughing. She was totally fine. We are now pretty sure the doctor fixed her arm the very first time when he felt her elbow pop. Had we just taken her out to the car we would have avoided a lot of tears...not to mention the while x-ray experience!

So now, we just have to be extra careful with her arm as it can happen again very easily now.



Lyla is now back to her old self...which means taking big naps, sleeping through the night, and a healthier appetite. This makes for very happy mommies!

We had to get very creative with things to do around the house on our sick days...You can't tell from the picture, but we are racing around the house "sledding" on our blanket.

Lyla's current favorites

I saw this on my cousin-in-law's blog and thought it would be fun to do with Lyla (Thanks Julie!)

Color: Green
Number: Orange
Letter: A
Toy: Lenny (Wonderpets hamster she was just playing with)
Day: I don’t know (while shrugging shoulders)
Best Friend: Lila Rose
Drink: Water
Food: Blackberries
Snack: Bar (Kashi cereal bar)
Sweet treat: Pasta
TV Show: Yo da gabba train ride (Yo Gabba Gabba)
Song: ABC’s
Sport: I don’t know
Store: Eat
Restaurant: I don’t know
Book: I don’t know
Movie: Baby Signing Time
Animal: Animals, animals, animals from places near and far (this is a song that one of her toys plays)
Place to go: Museum

Cooking with Lyla

Normally we try to keep Lyla out from under our feet the kitchen when we are cooking, but tonight I thought I would try something different and let her help me out. I pulled a chair up to the counter and we worked together to make one of our family's favorite meals: Aloo Gobi (potatoes and cauliflower)!

She had lots of fun measuring the spices and dumping them in the bowls. She also loved smelling all of the different ingredients...she liked the ginger/garlic the best!

I forgot to take a picture of the final product, but it was seriously delicious!!

If you are interested in trying this dish out for yourself here is the recipe:

Aloo Gobi

Ingredients:

Vegetable oil
1 large onion finely chopped
1 large bunch of fresh coriander chopped (separate the stalks from the leaves)
Small fresh green chilies chopped finely (1-3 depending on how spicy you want it.)
1 large cauliflower cut evenly into eights
3 large potatoes peeled and cut into even pieces
1 can whole peeled tomatoes grated
Fresh ginger peeled and grated
2 cloves of fresh garlic chopped
Cumin seeds
Turmeric
Salt
Garam masala

Preparation:
Heat several tablespoons of vegetable oil in very large shallow pan. Add chopped onion and 1 tablespoon cumin seeds and stir. Cook until onions are creamy and translucent. Do not burn the cumin seeds! Add the chopped coriander stalks (not the leaves yet!), 2 teaspoons of turmeric and 2 teaspoons of salt. Add chopped chilies and stir. Stir grated tomatoes into the mixture. Add ginger (around a tablespoon sized amount) and garlic and mix. You now have your curry sauce which can be used for any number of dishes!
Add the potatoes and cauliflower to sauce plus a few tablespoons of water to make certain the mix doesn’t stick to the pan. Don’t add too much water! Ensure the potatoes and cauliflower are coated with the curry sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are tender.
Last, add 2 teaspoons of garam masala and stir. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves on top of the curry. Turn off the heat and cover for as long as possible before serving.

Yum!

Trying to get creative

We have been having to get extra creative with Lyla's meals lately. In typical toddler style she has become pretty picky about what she eats...but we have found that it is all about the presentation! Cookie cutters are our new friends!


Star cheese veggie burger = happy girl!



Pancake with fruit and star eggs:



Before we discovered the cookie cutters, she wouldn't touch eggs...now they are one of her favorite foods. Plus we can sneak in lots of chopped spinach and she hasn't a clue!

If anyone has any more sneaky tips for picky eaters we are all ears! Please share your ideas!

Potty time!

Very exciting news here! Lyla went on the potty for the first time yesterday! She even did it again a second time. But that was it...the mystery and excitement is over and she is back to wanting nothing to do with it.

Day at the Museum

Thursday night Lyla decided to wake up in the middle of the night yet again. She had done the same on Monday night and we were up for hours. I didn't want to repeat another "all-nighter" so I did what any tired mommy would do...beg and bribe! I told her if she went back to sleep and didn't cry or wake up until the morning I would take her to the museum. It worked and she went back to sleep without another peep. In the morning when I went in to get her out a her crib her first words were "I want go museum!"

So we did!

Here are some pics of our fun day:

Driving the big bus

Enjoying the awesome new Air exhibit. It is incredible! One of the best exhibits we have seen there so far.

Here is a little video of Lyla in the wind chamber.



Afterwards we went out for lunch and a sweet treat!



I thought I would add this picture in just because it was so darn cute! We went out and did some furniture shopping today and picked up a little tent for our happy camper.

Singing ABC's

We have to be very sneaky when we want to catch video of Lyla! If she notices that the camera is on, she gets very quiet and shy. The other day we were playing around after breakfast on Valentine's day and I was able to turn on the camera without Junebug catching me! She was pretending a piece of trash was a bar of soap and was washing her hands (we always sing the ABC's while we wash!).

Pebbles

Lyla wore her first ponytail today!







She usually makes a big stink when I pull her hair up and pulls it out immediately. Today I told her she could look just like Scout (one of her friends at school that wears pigtails) if she wore her hair up and she was all too excited to have me do her hair!

Okay, not exactly front page news...but very exciting for us!

Wizard of Oz

A while back we watched the Wizard of Oz during one of Lyla's 1 AM wakings. She is now totally obsessed with the movie. She could watch it all day, every day. No more Elmo, no more Sid the Science Kid...it's all about Oz. She even named her new baby Dorothy. She asks to watch it at least three times a day...