Pumpkin Patch

There was never any doubt as to whether or not we would go to a pumpkin patch this year. We WERE going... mostly because we have a favorite local farm we've gone to and because Lyla had spent many weeks reviewing pictures from her previous year there and it was ALL she wanted to talk about. Animals topped her list of things to see. She would review all of them- pigs, cows, goats, chickens, horses and rabbits and by the end her voice was so squeeky with excitement she could hardly stand it. She was stocked for trip. So when Saturday morning arrived, she was ready. We swung by and picked my mom up and off we went.




She loved the slide and kept talking about "all the peoples" at the top. A highlight to the morning was the pony ride.



She had one of the best times riding that pony. All smiles, telling the pony to "giddy up" and waving. She was so happy and proud of herself. You could just see it in her eyes.

After a hayride and some donuts we picked the perfect pumpkin. Lyla found a big pumpkin for Matt and then a tiny pumpkin for herself. She loves her "Tiny Pumpkin", as she calls it, and has been caring for it for the last week. Good times for sure.

Fall... just the way it was meant to be.

Ocean!

Lyla has been bringing up the ocean non-stop lately so we decided to go to Seaside for the day this past Sunday. We went a few times this summer and she really enjoyed looking at pictures from those trips. My mom came too since we wanted to thank her for watching Lyla every Sunday while Matt and I ran Moo-Shakes. We also thought it would be fun to hang out and for Lyla to have her Nana at the beach. The weather was perfect- a little cloudy, not to cold and no rain or wind. Between the carousel, the swings, the beach and a fantastic lunch out, we had a perfect afternoon just relaxing and enjoying the day together.

Busy Little Lady.

The energy level has really ramped up in our house these days. Lyla is way into talking about everything and anything and switching activities every 45 seconds except for when she is playing "babies". The game "Babies" as Matt and I have dubbed it, started all on it own. It involves Lyla tucking her 3 baby dolls (the triplets) into bed over and over again... for like 30 minutes. It is both fascinating and exhausting to watch. She feeds them all, tucks them in, lays down with them, then she instantly yells "wake up babies" and the whole game starts again. There are always a few exhausted sighs from her throughout the game, like she can't believe her babies are up again. It is a pretty fantastic game to watch and play. Matt and I are really amazed at her ability to care for three babies- no one goes hungry.

She also has an insatiable desire to consume frozen blueberries. We have started to make her super healthy smoothies and we call them "Moo-Shakes". She loves them because she associates it with Matt and I making milkshakes this summer- but really they are spinach, apples, bananas- pretty much any fruit/veggie combo and presented with a fun straw and a fancy name. It's a win/win.

Lyla has been into all things happening in the kitchen. She always wants to pull a chair into the kitchen to stand and watch what is happening. She is into taking little tastes of things and touching as many different things as she can. It is kind of a fun way to explore the kitchen. I was making pizza dough the other night and I wondered what Lyla would do with a plate of flour. I found out:

The bathroom has become a new and fun place. The sink holds the promise of a tooth brush, a real glass for drinking and pouring water and bubble soap. All things fun.

A lot of water has been poured these days. It's pretty fun.


There is also a whole lot of singing in the house these days. Happy Birthday is a favorite right now even though we are still just two months shy of celebrating another one in the house. Lyla sings "Happy Birthday Mommy and Daddy" at the top of her lungs a lot.... and then cheers for herself. She also likes playing "Ring around the Rosie". She is starting to ask to watch "Strawberry Cake" and she is always super concerned when Pup-cake goes missing. A genuine concern. It just keeps getting better. She is one fun little lady.

Moooooooooo

We went to visit Matt's parents in Quincy, WA for Labor Day weekend this year. It was a really fun trip. We left on Friday and stopped over to stay the night with the Karns' family. Always a good time visiting them- and love our conversations. Lindsey is pregnant with another little girl too so between the two families, we will have four girls- all right about the same age. I can't wait to watch our families grow together!

We left early on Saturday morning to drive over and stopped at Ellensburg for breakfast. We arrived just as the parade for the rodeo was letting out. Poor timing on our part, but fun to people watch and Matt and I had fun reminiscing about our years spent in that town. Good times.

We had an awesome visit. We were able to see so many people and Lyla had a great time playing and swimming. She loved jumping in the pool- I can't wait to get her into swim lessons. She is a little fish.


Lyla was so excited to go to Ovenell Farms to see all the cows and ride on a tractor. It was pretty much all she talked about. She was in heaven the whole time and she still talks about it daily.






This turned out to be a great trip and very relaxing. It was a much needed change of pace for everyone and it was wonderful to visit with Matt's family.

A little scare today...

I went to the doctor for my 24 week appt. and I really just expected to roll in, have my midwife say that everything looked great and waltz right out. That has been the trend for my pregnancies so I had no reason to prep for another scenario. She got the Doppler out and I heard the heart beat and then there was a dramatic drop and then a quick rise. It sounded odd. We both heard it plan as day. She quickly said that she wanted me to get a stress test right away because there could be quick jumps with the heart rate speeding up but rarely do they hear it dropping and slowing. I went over to Labor and Delivery and it felt weird. The last time I walked that hall I was in labor with Lyla. I was walking down that hallway next to Matt and nervous and scared and excited to meet my little girl. This time I was nervous but had no desire to meet my little girl just yet- she needs to bake a little longer. I got all checked in and they did the heart monitor and the nurse eased my worries right away. The heartbeat was strong and consistent. She also did a modified ultrasound just to check amniotic fluid levels and all was well. I could see our little girl practicing breathing and moving her fingers and toes. Everything looked great. The doctor determined that the drop could have been because I laid down quickly and the baby might have gotten stuck in a weird position. She seemed less than worried and told me that I had a strong 24 week old. What started out as an "oh shit" moment turned into a really happy experience - I got to enjoy an unexpected half hour of bliss listening to my sweet little girls heartbeat and watching her wiggle and wave.

20 Months

Life with Lyla is rather eventful these days. She is talking non-stop and surprisingly enough we are able to understand what she is saying. She has started putting two words together and her vocabulary has expanded drastically since she started going to school four days a week. Since Matt started school we have been taking her to an in home program run by a husband and wife who are both pre-school teachers. There are a total of eight children and it has been one of the best things we could have done for Lyla. She loves it and she is so eager to learn new things. We have really noticed a difference in her vocabulary since starting.
One of Lyla's newest funny things that she does is something I like to call 'trapping statements'. She will say one word like 'cracker' and then when I ask her if she wants a cracker because she just said the word, not because I was planning on giving her a cracker, she will answer 'okay' in the sweetest little voice. She says it as though I came up with the idea she is just going along with it to make me happy. It really is pretty endearing but she traps us in all kinds of things- we are always laughing about it.
Lyla continues to be more playful all the time and has now realized when she is being funny. She calls herself "goose" when she is being silly as in "silly goose". She loves to be naked nowadays and it always looking for ways to play with water. She loves to help out with things and always says "helping" while she is trying to help. Brushing teeth is a favorite pastime for her though I would use the word brushing loosely. It is mostly biting the brush. She is more excited about the drinks of water from a real cup afterwords.
Lyla has started to fake cry somewhat for things and every now and again throws a small fit when she can't have her way. It is pretty manageable and after a few minutes or so she pulls it together or we just redirect her.
All in all life with this little girl gets better everyday. She continues to surprise us daily with new little discoveries.

Beach Vacation

At the end of July we went on a family camping trip. We were all looking forward to this trip so much- it really was a much need getaway. We left of Thursday evening after work and that proved to be a little stressful. We didn't take the dogs on this trip because Alice had gotten pretty sick a week before so she still needed her rest at home. We took the three hour drive and it turns out Lyla won't sleep in her car seat no matter how tired she is. She was pretty fussy by the time we arrived. Once we got there though everything settled down and we were pretty happy. Lyla laid right down in our camper for the night and Matt and I promptly built a fire and sat and talked and relaxed.

The next day was my birthday and it was a fantastic day. Lyla slept in which meant we all got to have a relaxing morning. Matt gave me beautiful ring from Tiffany once we got up. Since I am pregnant I can't wear my wedding ring right now so he got me another ring to wear that fit better. It was one of the most thoughtful gifts and truly special to me. After a delicious breakfast, we went out the beach for the morning. We have taken Lyla to the beach many times, however this time she decided that she didn't like walking in the sand. I mean, not at all. She would stand there frozen and refuse to move if we put her down. That meant a lot of carrying her but that didn't dampen our spirits.


After nap time we went down to the historic district in town and walked around- it was such a beautiful afternoon. After a lovely birthday dinner in town we headed back to the campsite for cake. Lyla has never been a dessert person but not this time- she was a little cake monster- and I loved it.

The next morning Lyla and Matt chatted over coffee...

... and then it was time for family picture time...

... and then we headed to the playground for a little playtime...


... and back to the beach we went...


By Saturday night Lyla was getting done with camping. We were supposed to stay until Monday but after a very long night of no sleep on Saturday we decided to come home and day early. That was the best decision ever because we were able to finish the vacation on a high note. This was a fantastic little family getaway and it was so fun to spend all that time with Lyla and Matt. So many special memories.