Happy Halloween!

The first holiday of what I consider to be the "holiday season" is here!  But before I say anything about this year I just want to post a few pictures from last year's Halloween, Ryleigh's first.  I hadn't started this blog yet at that time, so I want to look back and be all nostalgic : )  Join me! 

The day before Halloween...16 days old

Halloween day, with Momma.

Our happy, new little family...Lucy was still getting used to her little sister

admiring the pumpkins

Yaya was still here visiting with us

Bat Ryleigh...all 9 lbs & 21 inches of her!!

Ryleigh and Daddy, passing out candy

exhausted!

So cute, my little munchkin!!  I can't believe how tiny she was.  Sigh.  This year I can use her to get candy though : ) hahahahaa (insert evil laugh here). 

She had multiple Halloween "outfits" this year, so we started yesterday.  We went to church and Ryleigh modeled this cute little number her Gammy bought her...

I'm sorry about the brightness from the background, but she is a mover and you gotta catch her when you can to capture a picture!  So this is the best I have...but isn't it adorable?  Her shirt has a witch on it and says "here comes trouble"...and that adorable skirt with her little black sweater tights?!?!  Ahhhhhhh!  I wasn't able to snag any more photos because I had to work yesterday so right after church I was outta there.  But Daddy said she was extra cuddly and he was able to capture Ryleigh in rare form....

snuggling!

I mean, she always snuggles her little pink snuggle guy (you can see him off in the bottom corner), but you're pretty lucky if you can get her to stay put long enough to snuggle AND fall asleep with you!  She's at the point now where you can say to her "Ryleigh, is it naptime?" or "Lets go to bed" and she just takes your finger, leads you to the stairs and right on up to her crib where she grabs her snuggle guy and curls right up.  That's great and all, but I miss the snuggles : (   I am glad that Daddy got to enjoy those snuggles, I know how much he loves them.

So that leads us to today...Halloween day!  Ryleigh adorned her next Halloween outfit given to her by Aunt Lori for her birthday.  Isn't she just Bootiful?!

Then we dressed up Lucy.  She's worn the same shirt the past 3 Halloweens, but she really does hate it so I figure, why spend the money on a new one she's just going to hate too.  Plus, I lovingly took the sleeves off this shirt using seam rippers (let me repeat, seam rippers, not just scissors!)  so that her broad bulldog chest could fit into it!

It was then time to eat dinner.  Daddy has a tradition in his family to eat chili with hot dogs every Halloween, so we like to try to keep that going since we never get to spend Halloween with family.  I made the chili (using a great recipe from The Neely's from Food Network), and was then informed that the hot dogs are supposed to go IN the chili.  My bad.  But in my defense, that's just weird, and the hubby doesn't like beans in his chili either, so I was already compromising my chili there, so I was not about to add hot dogs into my it.  So we ate chili with hot dogs on the side.

After dinner we skyped with Yaya for a little bit, but then it was time to Trick-Or-Treat, which Mommy & Daddy kind of dropped the ball a little bit.  We started out walking around the block, but we noticed were the ONLY people.  Eventually we ran into a neighbor that told us there is a neighborhood parade at the other end of the subdivision and everyone starts down there and works there way to our side.  So we were a little late getting to the houses, BUT we did get some candy and we did get to show off our cute costume!  Cut us some slack, we're newbies.

our babies, ready for a night of Trick-or-Treating

Mommy's little monster (clearly she obeys my finger points)

Daddy's little monster

 and we're off!

a true working Daddy, manning the baby, the doggy and the blackberry

completely loungin' in her pink buggy...leg up, slouched back, total relaxation

Ryleigh had lots of fun Trick-or-Treating, especially giving everyone hugs and trying to walk into their houses.  She did actually manage to successfully get into a neighbors house, but it was OK because Daddy got a beer out of it ; )  She also got lots of kisses from a dog the size of a moose and loved it when Mommy poured M&M's into the cup holder of her buggy.  All in all, it was an exciting first experience for all of us and we're excited to keep it up for many years to come!  Lucy may or may not agree with that statement. 

you should never drink, trick-or-treat, and drive!

late night play session, with M&M residue on my face

slowly getting "out of character"

Skyping with Gammy & Grandad before heading to my monster lair

We hope everyone had a safe and happy Halloween!!  Can't wait to see how everyone else spend their evening!

Well, It's Official...

....my baby is growing up.  Yeah, yeah, yeah, we knew it would happen, but it wasn't supposed to happen this fast!

It all started when she began pushing up during tummy time...

(April 2011)

...and I was OK with that, I mean, at least now I didn't have to worry about her burying her face in the ground and suffocating. 

But then she started sitting on her own...

(May 2011)

...OK, no big deal, she can support herself now, which is nice because I don't have to constantly be there with her.  I  can now walk away and grab a Diet Coke or something and she's fine.  But she isn't growing up yet.  She's still only 7 months old.  Single digit months, we're good. 

THEN she started the army crawl...

(June 2011)

...alright, she's starting to be able to get around, but it's not a full on crawl.  So she's not completely mobile yet.  It still takes her a good while to get places. 

Then she started coupling the army crawl with pulling up to her knees...

(June 2011)

...it's not standing!  She's only to her knees!  Plus, she isn't even full on crawling yet, so we still have many steps to go before we're a big girl.  Right? 

Well, the "actual" crawling came really quick as well as the pulling up to our feet...

(July 2011)

...no worries, DO NOT panic!  At least she's not walking around the furniture.  I mean, that's not going to happen soon, she's only 9 months old.  Clearly she's too young to grasp those motor skills.  She's still a baby. 

Well, obviously babies can not only walk around furniture, but start climbing stairs...

(July 2011)

...OK, she's not growing up, she's just a genius.  A baby athlete if you will, but STILL a baby.  Baby's don't eat solid food, like full on pieces of chicken...

(August 2011)

...or stand up all by themselves...

(August 2011)

...or WALK...

(September 2011)

...OH FOR THE LOVE!!  Just stop.  She is NOT walking!  Toddlers walk, not babies, and my BABY is not a TODDLER!  I still have one month before the One Year mark.  She is still a baby. 

But inevitably, babies turn One...

(October 2011)

...sigh.  And babies turn into toddlers.  Who drink out of straws...

(October 2011)

...and play with I-pads unassisted...

(October 2011)

...and eat breakfast platters from McDonald's...

(October 2011)

...and go to daycare...

The whole point of today's blog.  Our little girl is growing up and is now adding daycare to her list of accomplishments and daily activities.  After much deliberation and with a heavy heart, Mommy has decided to accept a promotion at work and to go back full-time. 

It is a bitter-sweet feeling for me since I have thoroughly enjoyed spending the last year at home with my baby.  I feel very blessed that I was able to only work part-time and only at nights the past 9 months and I know how truly lucky I am to be able to say that I didn't have to miss ANY of Ryleigh's "big moments".  But it's time for me to jump back into the swing of a full-time job and it's also time for Ryleigh to spend her days playing with little ones her own age.  Since Daddy and I will be back on the same schedule again, this will also mean more family time for us instead of just "Mommy-Ryleigh" time during the day and "Daddy-Ryleigh" time at night.

Am I nervous?  Yes.  Am I excited?  Yes.  For both me and Ryleigh.  But with my promotion we were able to put Ryleigh into a daycare we feel very comfortable with.  It's a great school that not only offers daycare, but pre-kindergarten and a private kindergarten.  Each week her class will have a different theme to learn about, as well as a weekly number, color, shape, and sign language to learn about.  She will spend her days doing various indoor and outdoor activities  that will switch every 15 minutes to ensure she doesn't lose interest and to keep her mind stimulated.  She will also enjoy nutritious snacks and a lunch provided by her school as well as a 2 hour nap while listening to classical music on her very own little cot everyday.  : )

So on November 7, we will drop our baby, ahem, excuse me, toddler, off for her first day of daycare where I'm sure she'll spend the day having a blast.  I'm sure Mommy will spend that day huddled in the corner at work crying due to separation anxiety.  Prayers for Mommy are greatly appreciated : )

We are very excited about this new transition and for Ryleigh and Mommy's new endeavors.  Wish us luck!!

Ryleigh's Parisian Birthday Soiree

Yesterday was Ryleigh's One Year birthday...as well as her One Year birthday party.  We had a small Parisian themed get-together in our backyard for our little munchkin.  The best way to describe the day is to just go on with the pictures and videos.  Enjoy!! 

"Is it time for cake yet?"

All decked out (excuse the pun)

Croque Monsieurs, French Dips, Palmiers, and baked brie with assorted fruits and crackers

Pear & Walnut Salad with Champagne Dressing, Chocolate dipped Madeleines, truffles and cream puffs

Sparkling pink lemonade (or lemolaid as Eva said) and the birthday cake

Mommy & Daddy with the birthday girl

clapping with Miss. Amy

with Miss. Elizabeth

Ryleigh enjoys a Madeleine

with Yaya

Mommy, Yaya, and Ryleigh

"awwww, let my Lucy come to my party!"

every good birthday needs a good poop...and every good poop requires a little leverage

playing with Abbie

Miss. Amy & Eva play

SO BIG for her big girl coat

Ryleigh likes her sock puppet card (I think Daddy liked it too)

Ryleigh and Daddy stand by while Mommy gets attacked by a bee

"maybe I'll take out this tissue paper"

books from Miss. Amy

 opening her gift from her friend, Eva

opening the gift her cousins Heather and Heidi sent down from Michigan

she mostly liked the ribbon

 so proud of herself

Mommy & Daddy's gifts

her wheelie animals from Mommy & Daddy

gift from Mamaw & Papaw

playing with her gift that Mamaw & Papaw sent down from Michigan

gift from Uncle Dave, Aunt Cristin, Tyler & Kylie

playing with the gift Aunt Cristin, Uncle Dave, Tyler & Kylie sent down from Michigan

her cuddle time bear from Yaya

Olivia!

Ryleigh opening Yaya & Poppi's gifts

"so many clothes!!"

more gifts from Yaya & Poppi

gifts from Gammy & Grandad

clothes from Gammy & Grandad

opening her gifts from Gammy & Grandad

more gifts from Gammy & Grandad

all done!

the pink buggy from everyone at Yaya's work

riding in my pink buggy for the first time

Ryleigh's "booty"

Abbie & Caroline help push Ryleigh in her new pink buggy

the birthday cake Mommy made (vanilla cake with strawberry mousse filling & butter cream frosting)

Ryleigh gets her cake!

Daddy teaches Ryleigh how to smash her cake

more cake smashing...

"hey! I have cake on my hands Daddy!"

starting to get the hang of it...

"oh my!"

"bang bang" on the cake

"I'm one!"

all clean and ready to play

with Miss. Misty, Caroline & Abbie

mmmm Rock Candy

"helping" clean up

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us and also to those who sent gifts for Ryleigh to open.  We are so thankful to have such wonderful family and friends who love Ryleigh so much & have helped us teach and shape her into an amazing little girl this past year.  We really appreciate everyone sharing this special day with us.  Here's to another great year watching our little girl grow & learn!