Fall Flying By!

We've been having a lovely Fall, for the most part! Lyla is ever-so-chatty lately. Bossy, too, I might add. She has officially learned that she can say, "No" in response to things she doesn't want and activities in which she would prefer not to partake. I have been trying desperately to teach her to say, "No thanks," or even just not scream, "NO!" as if I were trying to pour lemon juice onto a boo-boo. Will keep you posted on how that's going. She definitely has her own agenda and her own ways of expressing it.

Since our last post, we've started at a new daycare. Lyla switched to my school district's Early Childhood Development Center and we're very pleased with our decision to move her there. I was hesitant, naturally, about having to transition all over again and go through that horrible month-long crying at drop-off, wondering how she is all day, sick to my stomach at the thought of her being scared and confused at daycare phase. But honestly, it's been great. She had only a few days where she was upset at drop-off (and it only lasted briefly), and she usually just walks right on in, happy to be there. Daily reports from her teacher, Ms. Maria, are always positive. She is happy to be there, too, which is how it should be. It's way out of our way, but totally worth it. Lyla is going full time, with the exception of Grandma and Grandpap being right down the road and able to pick her up whenever they need a little grand-toddler time.

I have welcomed Thanksgiving Break with wide-open arms and a huge smile. Man, I needed a break! Teaching this year has been kind of tough, and I miss spending time with my little girl. I did forget, however, that all those things-to-do on my mental preferred priority list will simply not get done over the holiday because, well, spending time with my little girl means just that. She's certainly not going to volunteer to help repaint and redecorate the bathroom, or sort through garage sale items. Although, yesterday, she wasn't far from helpful when I steam-cleaned the living room carpet.

Monday, my first official day vacation, Lyla and I took Faryn and Rain to the park so their mommy could get some school work done. We packed a picnic and spent a couple hours at Bear Creek Park. The weather couldn't have been better! The kids all behaved well and we had a lovely time! They were rewarded with slushies from Sonic on our way back home.

Tuesday, Lyla and I joined Ms. Ray from work and her sweet, adorable 2-year-old, Regan at the Gaylord to wander around, look at the (*cough* premature *cough*) Christmas decor and snap some pictures. We then grabbed a bite at Panera - yum! The girls were ever-so-cute together and at one point even had an actual toddler conversation, consisting mostly of the sounds animals make and also lots of random noises blurted out, copy-catted, and followed by immediate giggles. Regan set an awesome example for Lyla, so I am hoping we get to hang out more often!

We got our 18-month pictures back from Visual Empathy. Visit Visual Empathy to have a peek at our sweet girl - just enter session code lyla18months. Thanks to Kristina for another great session and beautiful pictures!

To see other recent pictures and additional pics from the park and the Gaylord, go to my November Picasa album! There will be plenty more after Thanksgiving, I'm sure...

I also uploaded some videos recently, when it was on my mind. Here are a few more recent clips:

Ladybug, Ladybug...

Happy Halloween!

Lyla had a blast this year! Of course, the only other year she has to compare it to was her first, and she didn't exactly have the capacity to understand what was going on. She was just a fluffy pink lump. This year, she understood her costume, thought it was fun that others were dressed up, too (at least I think so), and especially liked the part where she got to knock on doors and get candy! It was a little difficult, at first, to distract her from her desire for instant gratification, but once she got the swing of the whole door-to-door thing, she seemed to enjoy it.

We started Halloween Day off with a little old-fashioned pumpkin carving. Lyla was interested in what her mommy was getting into, but not quite attentive enough to participate in the whole task. She played with the slime and helped poke the shapes out once I carved them... then off she ran. Once we lit the pumpkin in the dark bathroom, her interest was again peaked, although more so regarding blowing out the candle inside than in the jack-o-lantern, itself.

Halloween Night, we were happy to have Grandma and Grandpap join us at Aunt Shannon's house for trick-or-treating. We got to spend some pre-sugar-rush family-time with cousins; Faryn dressed up as a pink lady and Rain as a punk-rocker. They were so adorable! By the end of the night, Lyla had consumed her day's worth of calories in sugar and chocolate, and despite my belief that she would sugar-crash and fall asleep easily after such an active night, she was buzzed until almost 11:00pm!

As always, more pictures at Picasa!