Naptime with daddy

I almost forgot to share this, and that would have been a mistake;)!  While we were in Destin on vacation, daddy and Kyley bought mommy a spa day for Mother's Day.  Mommy left with Ashley and Lacy to go have some girls time, and Kyley stayed at the house with the boys.  Well, you know that Kyley is not the best napper and only naps in our arms...and fights those naps sometimes too.  When the girls got back to the house, this is what we walked in to...  At least he got her to go to sleep, and we have a fun memory of it!

I am a big girl now!

Not only does Kyley have her first four teeth, but she is not really interested in baby food anymore.  I will admit a lot of the lack of transition has been to my lack of knowledge and fear of choking.  I am taking baby steps though!  While we were on vacation she mastered the skill of eating finger foods, and she made a dent in the production of Gerber Puffs:)!  She gets so excited to have her puffs, melts or small pieces of food (still working on this)!  Kyley had been watching us more and more intently when we were taking bites the past month or so...she had been doing this for months, but she started reaching for our food.  It is so much fun to see her turning into this big girl!  It is hard to believe it but every day she is so much more fun than the last!

Boating fun!

Seriously, is that not the cutest picture you have ever seen!  Last weekend we were finally able to get out on the boat for the first time this year.  We have had some great temps, but we have had such awful wind that it makes it miserable.  Of course we had to invite Uncle Greg, Aunt Emily and Cousin Calyn to join us...it would not be the same without them.  We had so much fun getting Kyley and Calyn to pose for these pictures.  They were laughing, pinching, falling, smiling...if only they knew how much fun they are going to have growing up together.  It was a shorter trip than we planned because OF COURSE it was windy.  But, the fact that neither of the girls had napped prior to the boat ride was probably what put a halt to our first venture of the summer.  Either way it was a great time, and we cannot wait for the next one!

Sunday was another great day...even better than Saturday because the wind was way calmer.  So, the three of us headed out on the boat again.  Kyley loves to drive, as I have shared before, and driving the boat is just as fun!  She also loves to just sit and play.  We cruised around the lake for almost 2 hours, and she spent half of it just sitting there soaking up the sun (with her 55 sunscreen and hat of course)!  Kyley even ate her dinner on the boat.  I think that we could get used to this routine for the summer!  We have to make up for last year too!

Wild Child

So, there is no doubt that Kyley loves to be the center of attention.  We knew that she WAS our center of attention as it was just the 3 of us.  Now that we are able to take her out and about in public, we have realized that she makes it known that she is "in the building"!  She will talk, smile, laugh, yell, scream...whatever it takes to get the attention of other people!  We call her our "wild child", and she even has the shirt to match it!  I guess we cannot complain because at least she is not screaming and crying...she is screaming and laughing.  Kyley is going to be our "thrill seeker" and social butterfly!  All I know is that it makes me proud to hear all of the wonderful comments about her when we do go out!  But, how could you not love that adorable smile?????

Our first family vacation! Destination...Destin, Florida

The main reason that we are very behind in our posts is that we went on our first family vacation May 7th - May 14th to Destin, Florida.   We flew from Wichita with the Miller clan (Ashley, Kevin, Dylan and Eli) on Saturday morning, and we arrived in Destin around 6:30PM.  We actually flew into Pensacola and drove to our rental home for the week where the Browns (Lacy, Paul and Austin) were preparing for our arrival!  They went to the store and purchased all the groceries, diapers and other necessities for the week so that we could begin relaxing right away.

This was not only our first vacation, but it was Kyley's first time in a plane.  We were nervous for weeks anticipating the flights and how she and her little ears would handle them.  Well after we got through security lugging our bags, car seat, stroller and ourselves we made it on to our first flight together.  Kyley was excited from the beginning to see all of the people and her new surroundings.  She gets excited with just about anything new we do.  The first and second flights were almost a non-event for her and both the boys.  If I can brag a bit...I think that they were MORE than very well behaved, and not one of them had any issues with their little ears.  

We took a scenic drive to Destin, and we immediately fell in love with the clear blue water and soft, white sand beaches.  I am a sucker for palm trees too...it definitely signifies paradise!  We did not realize how amazing that Destin was...from the beaches, water, shopping, restaurants, views to the fact that it is a narrow strip of land only a few miles wide.  I cannot think of anywhere else like it.  We could not wait to get to our house to see the Browns and of course, the house!  It was beautiful...perfect for our 3 families for the week.  We had plenty of room, a pool and a 2 minute walk to the most beautiful beach I have ever seen.  

Kyley actually had a lot of new "firsts" during vacation...first flight, first visit to the beach/ocean, first time in a pool swimming, first time around that many people for an extended period of time, first outdoor restaurant, first carousel ride, first time she clapped, first time in a swimsuit (all 6 of them), first bath with mommy, first trip to Hard Rock Cafe, first time shopping with both mommy and daddy, first time in the sand, first time eating paper:), first time REALLY in the sun...too many to list them all.  The best part about all of these new "firsts" is that she handled them like a champ and enjoyed them all more than any 1 year old could!

We spent our vacation relaxing in the sand and sun.  Sun...something we had all been missing out on this past year.  The mornings started off hanging around the house, then off to the beach, home for lunch, naps for the kiddos, then pool time, dinner and bedtime for kiddos and adult conversation time.   That was the routine of almost every day.  Kyley's favorite time of the day was pool time.  We could not believe how much she loved the water and playing in it...she would laugh, smile, kick her legs (like she knew what to do) and best of all, get mad when we tried to take her out.  So, I mentioned naps...Kyley decided on vacation that she would take only three 30 minute naps per day most days.   When the boys were all napping Kyley was out hanging at the pool with the adults, and I do not think she minded all of the attention.  She must have been worried that she was going to miss out on something.  

We had taken her to a restaurant before vacation, but we did not realize how good she was in this new environment.  And, we did not realize that she was now such a big girl sitting in her high chair.  She was so enamored by the people and activity.  Kyley would sit and play, smile, drink her water and eat her gerber puffs.  We commented several times during the trip on how much she had changed in the past few weeks.  She really is turning the corner from baby to little girl on us...not sure we are totally ready.  It was not just a fluke either...the behaving in the restaurant...we have now since done it MANY times and get the same response:)!  

Kyley loved watching the boys...all 3 of them.  Dylan and Eli Miller are the twins that are just 1 year older than her, and Austin Brown is almost 1 3/4 years older than her.  The boys are all busy bodies, so she was entertained nonstop.  In fact, it was Ms. Lacy and Austin that got Kyley to clap for the first time one evening when she was watching every move he made.   It was so darn cute!!!  Little do all 4 of them know that they will be making many memories together over the next 18 years or more!

Kyley got to visit her first Hard Rock Cafe.  Yes, we went because mommy loves to got there and collects items from every one every where she goes.  Kyley was so excited she slept in her stroller while mommy and daddy ate!!!  Either way it was a special time...it was mommy and daddy's 10th wedding anniversary lunch and they spent it just the 3 of them!  They also went and looked at some houses, window shopped and spent the afternoon together.  It was a great day.

The 3 families really had a great time together, and it was really tough to leave at the end of the week.  We especially hated to say goodbye to the Browns.  They live in Little Rock, Arkansas, and we do not get to see them as much as we would like to.   We had a wonderful week, in a beautiful house, with great friends, in the most amazing vacation spot we can think of!  We cannot wait to go back!

Racing to catch up!

Well, it has been about 2 and 1/2 weeks since we posted any news...and so much has happened.  Stay tuned for lots and lots of pictures and updates this week as mommy catches up after our vacation, garage sale and first weekend enjoying the lake this year! 

I'm so happy...

I know that I have said it many times before, but I am saying it again...Kyley is a HAPPY baby!  I guess I would be happy too if I was running the household at the age of 1:)!  She rarely cries or as some would say has the chance to cry.  However much time and energy it takes from me, I just personally do not believe in the cry it out method.  I do think that this has helped develop this happy, even-tempered baby...that is of course, very spoiled and hooked at my hip.  Now, I know that other methods work for others and that is great it just didn't work for us!  Although, she is now getting to the age that she knows what she is doing so we may have to alter our methods a bit!

 Kyley is not yet crawling, and she truly may go straight to walking like some say...but it would be a while yet.  Her favorite thing to do is stand.  She is getting very strong and loves to go from the squatting to standing, kneeling to standing, laying to standing (with help from daddy) positions.  Kyley loves to stand up against the couch, end table or wherever we put her.  I think she likes seeing the world at a whole new level!

 Finally...she let me get a snapshot of those big ol' teeth!  The top two came in first and the bottom were not far behind.  You can only see the top two teeth in this picture, but I am lucky I got any.  She has really been battling with those four teeth for a few weeks now, but I am glad they all just came at once.  Kyley is learning how to use those teeth too.  Daddy has mentioned her biting on a few occasions, and she likes to lay across my lap and gnaw on my knee.  Needless to say we will stop that habit before it starts...!  She is starting off her 2nd year with a whole new perspective on life and so are mommy and daddy.   What a joy she is for us!

Driving or Crawling....easy choice!

 Kyley got her first car or "buggy" for her birthday when she was in Nebraska.  We finally got it put together so she could ride in it Friday.  She loves it, and she has so much fun going in circles around the house...one hand on the wheel and one on the horn!  We will be taking it outside if the weather decides to actually make it's mind up and stay warm...and not 50 mph winds.  Kyley is going to be the hit of the neighborhood in her new wheels.

She does not feel the same way about crawling as you can tell.  I thought it would be good for her to stretch out her little legs after being in her car and mine...maybe get some crawling practice in??  Kyley was NOT having it.  She loves tummy time as much as she did the first time I put her on her tummy as a little baby.  Although, she can roll over and usually does.  I guess she just decided to let me know how frustrated she was that day!

Tu Tu Girly

Kyley was one lucky little princess this birthday.  She got to have yet another birthday party.  We had a party for all of her/our friends that have been just like family to us over the past 10-13 years, but they have been especially supportive and helpful the past year when we needed them the most.  About 40-50 of our dearest, closest friends gathered with their kiddos at Tu Tu Girly Party Studio in NE Wichita for a princess diva party!  They had a pirate theme too in order to accommodate all of the little boys.  I am pretty sure that everyone enjoyed the party especially the little ones.  Kyley had a great time, however, she is not quite old enough to enjoy it like the others.  

There was lots of food, drinks, fun, games, presents, great company and one special celebration.  The studio set up a "Princess Crowning" and "Father/Daughter" dance.   Jason read Kyley the sweetest poem, put a little tiara on her head and danced with her.  Several of the ladies had tears in their eyes as it may have been the sweetest thing ever.  It made us think forward 20 + years to her wedding when they will do their father/daughter dance.  I know that Jason's mom, Grandma Denise was loving that moment as she watched them dancing together with big smiles on both of their faces.  Kyley loves dancing with her daddy!

The party was over so quickly, but Kyley was exhausted.  One big party for one big 1 year old girl.  It sure is going to be hard to top her 1st birthday!  Thankfully she is too little to remember and compare or we would be in big trouble!