Day 4

This day began with a trip to Niceville to visit our old home (that we still own). Our renters are moving out next week, and we had to do the final walk-thru to make sure everything is all good to determine the deposit return. It smells the exact same as when we lived there and brought back some great memories while looking around the place. Our renters have left it in such great shape, which is good because hopefully we can either sell it or move back into it if Josh get's re-stationed in Destin this transfer season (although I really don't want to leave Texas!!).

We got to the beach in the early afternoon and it was such a beautiful day again! Josh's family was waiting for us, and we had fun watching Lila and Coleman play together for a couple hours before they had to head back to Atlanta. It was so nice to visit with them since we don't get to see each other very often with Josh's crazy work schedule.

That evening, we took some more family pictures on the beach at sunset which included my dad this time. They turned out so great (even though Alli was fussy most of the time!). Good thing she is a cute crier! After pictures, we hung out with my and Josh's parents on the deck while we watched the beautiful sunset before heading to a dinner date with my sister. It was the first time we got to go to dinner without Alli since she was born. We went to Camiles to eat, and it was so nice to drink wine and eat delicious sushi without worrying about keeping a busy toddler entertained or a baby quiet. Josh, my sister, and I had such a great time, and the grandparents had a fun time watching and playing with the babies.

 ready for our date

Destin, Day 3

We took a little break from the sun yesterday and met up with Josh's family at The Track. The Track has go-carts, games, and rides for adults and also a section for the kids called Kids Kountry. We went around noon, so we had the place completely to ourselves! It was so nice to pick whichever ride that we (Coleman and Lila) wanted to go on and not have to wait in a line. They rode each ride that was there plus the train twice. They went on most of the rides by themselves, which got a little scary on the airplanes when they started ascending really high. But, they survived and had such a great time!

That evening, we took some pictures on the beach at sunset which turned out beautifully. Some of the pictures turned out blurry, so we're going to take some more today (which Josh is super excited about)! My dad and sister got into town right before we left to meet up with Josh's family at Harry T's, so we ended up having a huge party at the restaurant. Thankfully, there were lots of hands to help with the kids, because Lila and Coleman were more interested in seeing the sights around the restaurant than sitting still (which is to be expected at this age!). Dinner was delicious, and it's always fun to visit with one another and watch the babies run around together (although they aren't much babies anymore!).

 Grammy and her grand daughters

 Lila terrorizing her sister

Vacation Day 2

Yesterday, Josh's family visited with us on the beach. We had such a great time being together, and Lila had a fun time playing with her cousin, Coleman, aunt Melissa and uncle Ryan, and Mamu and Big Pop.  They got to meet Alli for the first time also, and she loves them already. Lila and Coleman were troupers on the beach and played until well past their nap times.

 Coleman and Lila playing with Alli

 Josh, Lila, Coleman, and Melissa

Both babies took the best naps after being out on the beach all day, and we had to wake them up after 2.5 hours to get ready for dinner. We met Josh's family at the Back Porch, which was one of our favorite restaurants to go to when we lived here. It is so delicious as well as nice and loud so that no one would be disturbed by our loud children!

After dinner, Lila and Coleman had fun playing with each other outside the restaurant. Coleman kept hugging Lila, which she thought was so funny. They are so cute together, and it's so much fun to watch them grow up together. The last time that they were at this beach together, they were only 2 and 9 weeks old!

Destin Vacation Day 1

Wow, there are SO many pictures from yesterday! Don't worry, I won't post them all here, but it's hard to narrow them down! The weather has been so beautiful! There is a high of mid-80's and a low of the mid-60s. I even was a bit chilly on my morning run yesterday (which I haven't felt since about last February!).

We got to the beach around 11 am, and we realized how much stuff two little ones need for a day at the beach! Josh had to make several trips to the condo and back to make sure that we had everything. Lila played her little heart out, and Alli took several cat naps under the umbrella. The water is so crystal clear and the sand is such a beautiful white color. We definitely miss living within 10 minutes of this beach!!

That evening, we got ready and walked down to the Crab Trap which is just down the street from the condo. It was such a nice night, and Lila got to play on the playground on the beach while we waited for dinner, which was nice. We had such a great first day together before our extended family joined us down here. I'll post on that tomorrow :)

 playing at the dinner table

 playing on the playground at the Crab Trap

20 Months Old *October 3, 2011*

Wow, only four more months until your second birthday! I have your birthday party all planned out with a Minnie Mouse theme, since you love Mickey Mouse Clubhouse so much! I also have your Christmas presents bought and ready for you to see and open on Christmas morning! You're going to thank me one day for being so punctual and organized :)
Here's what you've been up to this past month:

*you weigh 25.8 pounds and are about 31.5 inches tall.


*you are having such a great time at Mother's Day Out and are learning about your letters. In September, you learned about letters A, B, and C. 

*you are wearing mainly 18 and some 24 month clothes. You are using up the last of your size 4 diapers and then will be moving onto 5's. Your 18 month pajamas are just about too small and we'll have to put them up soon. 


*you absolutely LOVE your pink bunny stuffed animal and call her "daby" for some reason. 

*you LOVE to take your diaper off, but you have to move your belly to see how. It's funny to watch you lift your belly and undo the straps. 

*you still think that your potty is such a fun toy and will take the lid off and use it as a chair around the house. You actually sat on it for about 40 minutes the other day, but no business was done. 


*you love to scour the countertops to see what you can find to play with. You will pitch a huge fit if we don't give you what you are asking for (which is about 90% of the time!). 


*you are still the queen of fit-throwing! We try our best to ignore you when we can, but it's SUPER frustrating when you scream and wake up your sister (which happens about 2-3 times per day). 

*you still love to throw anything you can get your hands on. You are getting much better at throwing only balls though. 


*you still drink about 3-4 cups of milk per day and still call it "k." I'm not sure why you only say the last part of the word, but I'm not going to correct you because it sounds so cute. You will also drink water, if it's very cold and from a straw.


*your favorite foods these days are waffles, bagels with cream cheese, strawberries, blueberries, bananas, oranges, carrots, peas/green beans, honey nut cheerios, Chick Fil A chicken strips, Smuckers strawberry Crustables, goldfish, any kind of bread, sweets galore, ravioli, penne pasta noodles with any kind of sauce, turkey and cheese sandwiches with mayo, Doritos, Salt and vinegar chips, egg and cheese biscuits, hashbrowns, and mac and cheese....but you are still pretty finicky about what you eat and when. 

*you really hate to sit down for meals, and will eat much more if you are allowed to roam around and graze. 


*you love to play in your crib! You will play happily for an hour before bed and after you wake up on most days. When we go to get you out, you run away from us and try to prevent us from getting you out. It makes life with a new baby so much easier knowing that you are so happy in your bed!

*bedtime is between 7:30 and 8pm and we usually get you out of your bed around 9am. 


*take one afternoon nap at around 1:30/2 until around 4/5.

*your gymnastics class finished this month, and I'm not sure when we can go back now that you started school, but I hope to get you back up there for the Spring session. You can now do a tuck and roll all by yourself! 


*you love to brush your teeth!

*you have 16 teeth now, four more came in this past month and are working their way through. You are not much fun to be around when you have teeth coming in!

*you talk all the time, but don't say too many real words. Your favorite words are "ball", "shoes", "juice," "milk" (sounds like 'k'), "dog", "Alli" (sounds either like "a-yee" or "a-dee", "lila," "Auburn" (sounds like 'Aubie'), "night-night", "hi", "cool"(you love to say that everything is "cool"), "wow", "uh-oh", "baby", "sister", "mama", "daddy or dada", "Pop", "love you", "book"-sometimes


*anything else that we try to get you to say comes out sounding like "dada", but at least you try and humor us!

*your favorite tv show is definitely Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and you love to dance and sing all of the songs in it. You will also try to get as close as you can to the tv to watch it. 


*you will dance to anything that has a beat. You went to your first dance class this past month and really enjoyed it.  I wish there was more days in the week so that we could go more often!

*you know the motions to "itsy bitsy spider," "mr. sun", "wheels on the bus", and are learning "twinkle twinkle little star". You also love to sing the "abcs" with your ABC Elmo doll.


*you love to make a mess and to climb on everything, which has made you very difficult this past month. But, that is just the story of a toddler!


*you love to giggle and laugh. Your teachers say that you giggle all day long, especially during lunch time. You're such a silly girl! You can also fake cry, which I taught you on accident while playing a game. 

*you really love your sister (most of the time) and are so sweet with her. You are learning to be gentle, but don't always like being gentle with her. You love to try and lay on her or pick her up. You like to watch her play on the floor, and you also like to read with her. I hope that you are always this loving of your sister!!

You have definitely kept me on my toes this month, but I love to watch you move and run around. Your activity level amazes me, and I love that you are so excited about everything that you do. We love you, Lila!

Baby Twins?

So many people have told me that they think Lila and Alli look a lot alike, and I have to say that I do agree with them. They do have their differences, of course, but they really favor each other. I had hoped that they would look alike when I found out that I was having another girl, so this makes me very happy! They both continue to change everyday, so who knows what they will look like even a month from now!?!