Quote of the Moment:

Love is a seed: it has only to sprout, and its roots spread far and wide- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Lia and Monkey




This is what it has come down to for Monkey: Lia steals his toys, takes over his bed and always trys to 'get him'!! Actually, they are becoming good friends. Lia is really interested in Monkey (and his things) and Monkey is great with Lia. They have 1 toy that they share. They take turns playing with it! Its really cute watching them play. Monkey can still get away when he wants to but he's always making Lia giggle which I love.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

One Year

Paul and I have been on an amazing journey in the last year. We've seen our baby thrive and grow into a little toddler. Lia is so curious about life and the world around her and she's very energetic and playful. She is confident, willful, determined and independent. She smiles so easily and when you can get her to stop moving for a moment she gives great hugs and kisses. She crinkles her nose and kind of squints her eyes when she smiles (we've dubbed it the 'stink face'). She likes to climb on my back and go for a ride! She is walking ALL over the place. And she's just learned how to climb down from the couch. When I try to get her to come to me, she giggles and goes in the opposite direction (great)! She claps and points. A few words in her vocabulary are daddy, dog, go and book. She just recently said mommy and bubbles! It's really cool to see the beginnings of back and forth communication. Lia likes the color green. She likes to 'eat' (play with) little pieces of lettuce and broccoli. She loves to eat peas. She likes to touch and smell the herbs growing in our garden and always wants to grab the leaves on the trees when we go for walks. She loves to play in the grass. I'll be happy when she stops putting everything in her mouth (except the broccoli and lettuce)!! She still only has four teeth. She is eating cheese and wheat now (she had some food sensitivities earlier). I had to cut things out of my diet too but now I am eating whatever I want. Woo Hoo!
Lia loves other babies and children. It seems like she knows they are more like her. She likes to touch and hold hands. She doesn't seem intimidated. She is learning how to pet Monkey gently and he is letting her. So cute. She goes for walks and bike rides with daddy. Mommy and Me Yoga is a thing of the past I think (she just gets into EVERYTHING and I can't do any yoga because I'm just chasing her around). We play in the park, walk Monkey and go to storytime. We are currently going to another music class which is a ton of fun.
Lia, you've learned and developed so much in this past year. It's so amazing having you in our lives and sharing the wonders of new experiences with you. Can't wait to see what this next year brings.

Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Visits

We have had a very exciting couple of weeks. On top of taking our first trip with Lia and celebrating the big first birthday we've had a bunch of family out to visit. First was Paul's mom and cousin Brianna. This was Brianna's first time out to Colorado. Next up was my mom and stepdad Gary. This was Gary's first trip out to Colorado too. The visits were a perfect mix of sightseeing and just relaxing and catching up. Brianna liked seeing the university and cooking with Paul. Gary loved the ride up to Estes Park. My mom and Alice enjoyed some shopping and spending time with their grandchild. Lia loved spending time and playing with all her family. We enjoyed the company and cooking food for you guys. Thanks for everything guys. We miss you already!

Out with the girls.

Weeee!

Exploring Estes Park.

Shopping on Pearl St.

Thanks for a great visit, everyone!





Sunday, July 4, 2010

Birthday Pictures










Happy Birthday Lia!

Lia is one year old! We celebrated her birthday at the house yesterday with our friends and neighbors Chris and Monica and Paul's mom and cousin Brianna who came from Maine to visit. It was a beautiful day for a little BBQ and spending time outdoors in the sunshine. Paul made some awesome food including minted quinoa salad with fresh peas and a rhubarb and fig chutney. The cake however (which I made) was the main event. Lia had her hands on it even before I could put it on her tray. Then she promptly dug in. I'm not sure how much she ate but she had a great time playing with it! Monkey was right there to catch what fell on the floor. After it was all said and done, Lia had cake everywhere- on her face, in her hair, in her ears! I think she had a great birthday. Happy Birthday Lia. We are so proud of the little girl you are becoming.