Rael is 9 Months & Her Big Sister

Rael is unstoppable now and loves to get into anything and everything. If we are in the backyard, she is enjoying eating leaves, dirt, and grass... one time this mama caught her in the act of eating a SNAIL!! We love that she enjoys exploring and that she is learning new things each and every day. She no longer eats mashed baby food, and now enjoys eating finger foods. She is such a good eater and eats just about anything you put in front of her. She has a blast going full force with both hands picking up every piece of food on her tray. She loves music and moves her whole little body up and down to the beat. She waves hello and goodbye and claps. She can say two words clear as day which brings such joy to our hearts: "Mama" and "Dada". She loves to play with Laylie and always knocks over toys or helps her make more of a mess with whatever she is doing. Each month we can see their bond grow closer and closer together. She loves to swing in the swings at the park or on our patio. She has just conquered a new trick - standing while holding onto something - and we know that in a few short months she will be walking. She will melt your heart with her adorable smile, capture your eyes with her bald head and big blue eyes. We are just having too much fun with this girl and I am so looking forward to enjoy her being 9 months.    

And the adorable big sister... 

 

A Refreshing Saturday with Friends

I am so glad that God created friends. When you find the friends that you can laugh with, tell each other wonderful stories, encourage each other when life gets tough, and make silly jokes with, you always feel so refreshed and happy after hanging out with these types of friends. Today, my whole family experienced one of these refreshing times being with our close friends and enjoying every minute of it. We met our friends, the Williams family, bright and early at 9am for some waffles at BoxD in downtown Carlsbad. As we sat together catching up on our week, our girls hula-hooped, tossed a ball back and forth, and played games with each other on the grass turf lawn. A few hours later, we all decided to continue our day together and head down to Seaport Village. As we arrived, the sun was shining brightly. The day turned out to have the most perfect San Diego weather, which was great, because a festival was being held for all kinds of street performers. We were able to watch many different acts, tricks, and stunts - some funny on purpose, and some accidentally funny. We had a picnic lunch on the grass near the water and ended the day with ice cream and cartoon character balloons for our girls. As we were driving home, a little voice in the back seat said, "I think this was one of the best days ever." Jason and I had to totally agree with our Laylie. Wonderful friends, perfect weather and tons of fun. Cheers to an awesome day!

Daddy/Daughter Day

Today was "Daddy & Daughter Day" at preschool and Laylie had a blast with Jason. She was counting down the days until she could bring her daddy to school and show him all of what she does throughout her days. She woke up really early and was eager to start the day. We enjoyed the morning as a family and ate breakfast together, and then Jason and Laylie were off on a fun day together. They played in the classroom - reading books, playing with play-doh, and they did some wonderful art work. They stamped their hands in purple ink and placed them on each side of this beautiful Daddy/Daughter poem, which is going to be laminated by Laylie's teacher Miss Wendy.  After that they made their way to a special room that was full of warming trays and wax crayons. As Jason held a piece of paper over the warming tray, Laylie colored with the wax crayons which were melting from the heat, which made a fabulous picture! Then Laylie took Jason outside to the playground, where she got to show him everything she does each day during recess.  Jason pushed Laylie on the swings, watched her paint another picture, road bikes together, and spent quite some time digging in the sand for treasures. Laylie came home completely overjoyed and thrilled - it was a perfect Daddy/Daughter day.

Happy Days

Rael is on the go...

A days worth of crawling...very dirty tiny toes.

And, It's been so beautiful outside we had some special time in the sunshine with our Tadee Le -

The Whites hope your having a jolly of a day! 

God Calls His Children To Be Helpers

These last few weeks, Laylie has been such a helper around our house. She will ask me a few times a day how she can help and is so eager to either wash the dishes, mop the floor, or even dust the house. I am truly blessed by my little girl and I can't help but think to myself how big she is getting and how she has such an amazing heart. Baby girl, you are always blessing your mama and papa - whether you are just snuggling on the couch with us, playing, or even helping us around the house.

Laylie is now writing her name and she can now sound out words while we read to her.