Ayda's Toy Story Party

Totally didn't realize I never posted about Ayda's party! Oops!!!!

Ayda LOVES Toy Story. Her favorite characters are Buzz, Woody, and Jesse. So we thought it was only fit to celebrate Toy Story style! Woody even showed up for the party!

Ayda ready for her friends to come over! And she was seeing Woody for the first time. She thought it was pretty funny!

Woody!!!!

The yummy food! We had Buzz Lightyear Galactic Fruit, Slinky Dog's Puppy Chow, Jesse's Cowgirl Hat Cookies, Woody's Round-up Chips and Salsa, and Pizza Planet Pizza Pockets! None it was healthy but for snacks it was great.

Her very yummy cake from a local bakery that we love!

Gabe and Liam!

Ayda's best friend, Easton!

Sara made it for the party and Ayda was so excited to have her "Aunt" Sara there!

George and Grace

We had a friend of ours who does balloon creations come for the kids! He is amazingly talented and does way more than just animals! Here is Jesse!

Yummy Cake!!!

Me with Woody!

Kevin's mom and aunt relaxing on the bounce house!

It was such a fun afternoon celebrating our sweet girl's birthday and spending time with wonderful friends! We had a blast and Ayda was completely worn out after the festivities! It was a perfect day!

A New Routine and a Happy Mom!

Ayda is in a random stage of not wanting anyone to bathe her if I am home. She will absolutely pitch a fit if anyone even tries! And as I am getting further along in this pregnancy bathing her is beginning to really hurt my back more and more. So we have come up with a new routine...and I am one happy momma! I take my shower in the morning. I strip Ayda down to her diaper before I get in the shower. After I'm done I call for her and she comes running! I turn off the shower (she is terrified of a shower) and start a bath for her. She gets in and I wash her which is so much easier with me in there with her. Then she gets to play in the bubbles till she wants to get out. She usually stays in the tub long enough for me to get dressed, do my make-up, and sometimes get my hair done! It's great!!! And my back is spared. I love it! And as you can see from the pics...Ayda loves it too!

Swimming in the bubbles!

25 Week Picture

I'm a week late this month but here is the pic for this month!

24 Weeks

So I neglected to take a 24 week picture this time! We got really busy on Sunday and totally forgot. But all is well still and trust me...I am growing! I saw the midwife this morning and everything looks great. Baby's heart rate was 150 (same as Ayda's in utero...perhaps it's a girl?) The baby is transverse but still has time to flip and be head down. At least he/she BETTER do that!!!

Morning Sickness: Occasionally a little queazy some mornings but it's usually if I didn't eat much protein the day before or I didn't eat a big dinner. I have only had this a few mornings all month though!

Cravings: I have had a little more of a sweet tooth this month and the past two weeks I have wanted Chickfila like crazy! I have to watch myself and I only get the grilled chicken sandwich even though the fried sandwich or chicken fingers is what sounds the best! Compromise!

Movements: This baby jabs me a lot. Ayda was more of a stretcher. This baby just loves to take random hits at me! And he/she LOVES to bounce on my bladder. I love all the movement though and will definitely miss it!

Energy: My energy has been great! I find myself able to stay up longer at night which is great because I actually feel like I see Kevin again! And I have been walking a lot and even doing some light jogging the past couple weeks. It feels good to get out and get some fresh air!

Clothing: Still loving my bigger size pants and I love that I look pregnant in my shirts. People have commented while we are out about Ayda being a big sister! Glad to look pregnant and not just pudgy anymore!

What I miss: I have not really found myself missing much this month! I'm just really enjoying being pregnant!

I'll post a picture if we take one before 28 weeks. If not I'll definitely get one then! I can't believe after the holidays I'll be in my third trimester! It's going by so fast!!!

Ayda Grace

I can't believe we celebrated Ayda's 2nd birthday today. The time is going way too fast. I also wonder if I will always be weepy on her birthdays. I was last year and I was again this year. I just remember so vividly welcoming her into the world and into our family. It's like it was yesterday. This year has been so much fun with her. She has learned so much and her personality has come out tenfold. We are so blessed to have her in our lives!

Here are some things I want to remember about our little girl when she turned 2:

Favorite Food: Yogurt, cheese sticks, fruit

Favorite toy: her shopping cart, dolls, and Toy Story toys (she sleeps with Woody and Jesse every night)

What makes her laugh: Playing "I gotcha" (I tickle her), getting chased by daddy

Favorite words she says: Pee Boo (Peek a boo), Yee Hoo (Yodel a hee hoo-Jesse)

Favorite Movie/tv show: Micky Mouse Clubhouse, Toy Story (1-3)

Weight: 30 lbs

Height: 35 inches

Ayda Grace,

You are a joy to your daddy and me. We love spending our lives with you and watching you grow. You make us proud everyday in so many different ways. We are simply smitten with you and have been since the day we laid eyes on you. You bring humor, love, and joy into our everyday lives. I pray you will always hold onto that positive outlook on life. I also pray that you will follow in God's call for you and follow after Him. We are raising you with His help! We love you with everything in us and couldn't ask for a better little girl! We are crazy about you sweet girl!

Mommy and Daddy

Check back soon for pics of her Toy Story party...we had a special guest!

Thanksgiving Week

Ayda and I packed up the friday before Thanksgiving and headed north to Birmingham Al. I had been a doula for a birth that Wednesday night before and was still feeling a little sluggish but nothing was going to stop us. Of course Friday morning I went in to get Ayda out of bed and she sounds terrible! I called my friend, Jennifer, at 6AM (She was on her way to work) to make sure it was ok if we still came. She said come on! So we did! Eight and a half hours later we arrived! We spent Friday afternoon with my brother's crew. We went to the playground and dinner. Even though Ayda felt rotten, she still had fun playing with her cousins. Then we headed to Jen's house for a weekend of fun! Turned out her son (two months older than Ayda) was also getting a cold of some sort so we basically spent the weekend tending to our sick babies. Her 4 month old had it by Saturday as well. We wiped lots of snotty noses, washed our hands a lot and used clorox wipes several times. The kids still managed to have a ton of fun and it Jen and I loved seeing them playing together.

We managed to go out of the house a couple times. One of our outings was to Samford University where we both graduated from. It was so surreal being there with our three kids and one more on the way. It's only been 5 years since we graduated!!! Nathan and Ayda loved running around the quad playing. If you had asked me when I graduated if I thought I would be back on campus 5 years later with my 2 year old and be 5 1/2 months pregnant with our 2nd baby, I would have laugh hysterically! But God is good!

Sweet baby Andrew! He loved watching the big kids run around and play. Perhaps we'll make this an annual trip! Next year he'll be keeping up with them and our little one will be watching it all go by!

We headed to ATL on Monday to begin a week at my mom's house. On Thanksgiving morning we ran/walked (boys ran/girls walked) in the Gobble Jog 5K race. It was very fun and I really enjoyed the exercise. The rest of Thanksgiving was spent relaxing and waiting for my brother's family to arrive. On Friday we SHOPPED...nough said!

On Saturday we had our Thanksgiving. We started at iHOP for breakfast and then headed to Lennox mall to ride the Macy's Pink Pig. The kids had a blast!!! Then we headed home to start cooking our feast!

Ayda enjoying the yummy food! Kevin fried the turkey this year and it was amazing!! I have already requested he do another one for Christmas.

I love this picture of my grandmother with her great grandbabies. I jumped in there to get my belly in there. ha!

It was a great Thanksgiving week with family and friends!

Thanksgiving: Friends

Ok so I am WAY behind on my thankfulness posts! But in Lieu of Ayda's birthday I want to try to get caught up on my blogging so I can blog about her today!!!

I wanted to finish up with being thankful for my friends and community. Kevin and I feel family, friends, community are so important in our daily lives. We are so thankful for the people God has put in our lives to hold us accountable and enjoy life with.

Here are a few of my friends that I am so so thankful for. Without them I would be lost!

Jennifer W: We have been friends since we were 4 years old. Actually at the young age of 4 we didn't really like each other. But when God placed us in the same first grade class, we clicked and have been best friends since. We are so different and our moms never quite understood how we managed to end up being so inseparable. She was very girly and into boys, shopping, indoor games, etc. I was the tomboy. I loved sports, being outside, camping, etc. You get the idea! But now almost 28 years later we have more in common than ever. Mommyhood! We talk almost everyday and share all kinds of helpful hints with each other. Discipline, recipes, organizing tips, daily struggles, and more. I'm so thankful for her friendship!

Kaitlin T: We met in small group a few years ago and God has really deepened our relationship since. We did so much with her and her husband when we lived in ATL. They were such a fun couple to spend time with many nights a week! Lots of dinners together! When we moved to FL I was so afraid the distance would interrupt that bond some. But God has only brought Kaitlin and I closer. We both have gone through some stuff the past year that we were able to talk to each other about and seek advice and prayer from each other about. I'm thankful for her constant willingness to hear me out and give me advice where needed or just listen if that's all I really need.

Lauren L: We started out as NICU buddies working together. Now she is so much more than a co-worker. She is like a sister. We can always pick up where we left off no matter how much time has passed since our last chat. Ayda absolutely adores "Aunt Lauren" as well. She is fun to hang out with or share crazy stories with. She was with me when I was in labor with Ayda and she was such a support during and after her birth. She helps me see things in perspective when I am losing it and is not afraid to tell me to get a grip! I am so thankful for her honesty, love, and constant friendship!

Taunya F: Taunya was really my first close friend down in FL. Her son, Easton, is a month younger than Ayda and they LOVE playing with each other. We met in MOPS last year and I am so thankful we did. We are now in the same Life Group at church and have many playdates with the kids. She is great to talk to and also share parenting tips with. She is so so sweet and I am so thankful she is part of our life.

I could go on and on and on about the many friends God has blessed me with. Our Life Group is amazing and I love meeting with them every week. Everyone is so wonderful and I am so thankful for those relationships. Our church family is wonderful and so supportive as well! When I stop and look around I realize how truly blessed we are with relationships. If Kevin and I ever needed anything we know we have support here in FL but also a family of friends in ATL that still love us and would be there for us! What a blessing!

As Thanksgiving came and went last week I did a lot of thinking about all of this. I also reflect this time of year on the past 12 months and love seeing all that God has done in my life and our family's life. I know each relationship is a blessing and gift from Him. I find it so hard to find the words to say thank you to Him but I know that in treasuring these relationships it is what He wants to see. I am so grateful for ALL He has done!

Happy Thanksgiving (a week late!)