Mommy's Shoes

Milayla has been pouring her little heart into learning how to walk without holding on to anything. She would be really good at it except that she insists on trying to wear Mommy's shoes while she does it. The shoes are a little big for her yet. Very cute, none the less :).

First Birthday

We were all pretty excited to celebrate the big FIRST birthday for Milayla. After Milayla went to bed on the night before we all decorated and finished off the preparations. So when Milayla woke up the following morning Mommy was quick to rush in and start getting photos of our little one year old and begin the celebrations. And thanks in part to some training from her big brother, Milayla is very good at showing she is one year old.

Once the Birthday Girl was dressed, it was off to the living room where plenty of decorations and gifts awaited her. If we had of realized just how fun all those balloons would be we probably could have eased off on some of those gifts ;)

After scouting out the birthday banner, it was back to the balloons....

Atticus couldn't wait any longer to give Milayla the gift he picked out for her and hurried to give it to her and help her open it. We were pretty impressed with how thoughtful Atticus was about giving a gift to Milayla and making her a card (wish I remembered to take a picture of the awesome card!). He picked out a toy truck, with the idea that it was a bit bigger and easier for Milayla to play with than some of the cars we have (and this girl loves playing with the toy vehicles). 

And with that it was on to a few more cars, books, clothes and a couple small toys. 

A special delivery from Great Grandma and Grandpa Hochstein; she LOVES her new birthday book! Thank you!

Milayla certainly got the hang of how to open of those gifts and delighted in being allowed to tear the paper off.

Then it was time to sit down for a birthday breakfast; whole wheat pancakes with apple sauce and pears. Milayla waited very patiently.

Then dived into her pancakes!

After breakfast it was time for Milayla's very quick morning nap (guess she was far too excited about the fun in store for her) while the rest of us prepared for our morning adventure. 

The Birthday Girl got into her Birthday dress and kept herself entertained while waiting for the rest of us to get ready.

Our birthday adventure took us to the park where we took Milayla's One Year Photos before sitting down for a picnic lunch and games. Since Milayla still isn't too keen on solid foods, we kept the lunch simple so that the Birthday Girl could munch on whatever she wanted (veggies, fruits, whole wheat bread etc.). 

We kicked around a ball, played tag, chased ducks and pretty much whatever the Birthday Girl seemed interested in pursuing. Atticus even volunteered his services as a goal post.

Before heading home for some birthday cake, we snapped a family photo which, for being on auto-timer, turned out well enough. We're all present and smiling. Now, if only we were all in focus :).

Walking home

We decided to go a little non-traditional for our cake selection since Milayla does not yet get sugary treats, it seemed a shame to make a cake that she couldn't eat. So it was a creative alternative and some whole wheat banana muffins. Any guesses on what the cake is?

The Birthday Girl was pretty ecstatic about it....

ready to pounce...

it's.....Watermelon!

Certainly no guilt about having a second piece of that delicious cake 

After cake and another brief nap we were off on a bike ride to a nearby organic farm to visit the animals, play at the park, and eat some fresh ice cream. It was a great way to round out the day. 

(In an effort to be more present, Mommy left her big camera at home for that outing :). Though, we did get a quick photo on our phone.)

What a lovely celebration we had. It was so much fun spoiling our Little Lady and doing our best to make sure she knew it was her special day. We love her so much. We are grateful for the light and joy that emanates from those big blue eyes of hers and the warmth in her smile. We are truly blessed to have her in our family.

Happy Birthday, Milayla!

1 Year - Milayla

Our Little Lady turned ONE! 

That's a #1 she's making with her right hand ;)

We can hardly believe it. There was no shortage of excitement around here as we prepared for and celebrated her BIG day. More about the celebrations in another post, for now, we are going to focus on our incredible Little Lady.

It has been an absolute joy to have Milayla in our family. She continuously fills our home with laughter and amazes us with her determination to learn and grow. 

She is incredibly attentive to the people and things around her and loves the task of making others smile. We love all the cuddles and kisses that she gifts us with frequently.

This last month has brought more growth and change as her personality shines through brighter each day. Books are beginning to take an even higher priority in her play time and she will climb into our laps, book in hand, in anticipation of cuddles and reading. Some of her favorites are her Turn and Learn books, Hungry Caterpillar and If Jesus Walked Beside Me.

She adores cars and climbing. The day she figured out how to make car sounds for prolonged periods of time as she rolled the car across the floor she was so happy that she applauded. Playing with cars and  trains is one of her favorite activities to do with her big brother. As for climbing...it's a miracle she isn't covered in scrapes and bruises. She is determined to explore via climbing.

We have definitely noticed a huge increase in her love for music. She completely lights up when she dances, sings or plays whatever instruments she can find. Favorite song to sing? Any of the primary songs, but lately, Bei meiner Taufe (which is the German version of When I am Baptized) seems to be the favorite. Favorite song to dance to? Everything, though classical and big band are always well received. And lately, she has been trying her hand at conducting music in church. She is absolutely captivated by the organ at church and will sit back and wave her hand through the air with a smile on her face.

There is no doubt that Milayla has very richly blessed us each individually and as a family. She is an absolute joy and we feel very honored and privileged to be her parents.

 It has been one incredible year. Here's to many, many more.

Happy Birthday, Milayla.

We love you!

Big Boy Bed

We decided that since we were moving and things were going to be changing all over the place that we would transition Atticus into a big bed at the same time. Well, once we moved the setting up of his big bed was little delayed due to all the work that needed to be done on the apartment and our inability to start  unpacking until it was finished. So, Atticus was shuffled into the travel cot while Milayla shared our mattress on the floor with us. It was luxury accommodations around here, no doubts about that!

After many weeks, the big day finally came – Milayla moved into the crib, we moved our mattress on to a bed frame and Atticus moved into his big bed. After Atticus helped Daddy set it up and make the bed he climbed right on in. When he realized how much extra space there was he figured Milayla should be in there with him.

They look so tiny in that big bed!

On Atticus’ first night in the bed, we were talking about if we should try to find a railing to put on his bed when suddenly we heard a big thud – Atticus had fallen out. Thankfully, it was a quick recovery and he was back to dream land while we located any extra pillows and put them on the floor next to his bed. He has not fallen out again so we’re (hopefully) safe without the railing (although we have not yet ruled it out).

We have only had a few incidents of him getting out of bed, which we counts ourselves pretty fortunate for (we had a "three-strikes-your-out-penalty" which meant he had to sleep in the play pen for the night and that seemed to do the trick). 

After nearly two months of sleeping in the bed he is finally discovering that he can jump on the bed. Perhaps 'Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed' will make its way into our book collection soon...let's just hope this Momma won't be needing to call the doctor.

All things considered, it has been a great change that we were all ready for!