Myla, Colin and Melissa

Just Stuff

2012-02-12T18:05:00.001-08:00

Myla has started to ask much more complex questions and we had an entire conversation about the difference between liquids and solids on the way home from school this past week. She also pulled out a hard and unexpected one "Where do people come from".

Saturday was the best day ever for Myla and she spent all day recovering even going to bed before 8:00 PM tonight because she was still tired. We ran errands Saturday morning, ate at JCI, Myla rode her bike, and then we got a call from Melissa's cousins. Erin, Jay and Claire were in Houston and wanted to know if they could stop by for a visit. Soon Myla and Claire were off and playing non-stop upstairs, downstairs, inside and outside. Just as they were leaving around 5:30 pm Colin's cousins Eric, Jen, Sadie, and Russell came over. Jen and I went to a shower/girls night for Courtney while the "kids" stayed at home to play. They went strong until around 11:00 pm when Myla finally fell asleep. It was such a fun and great day we wish every weekend could be so much fun.

Myla playing with her bubble machine before Claire arrived

Party Time!

2012-01-30T20:23:00.001-08:00

Colin saw a coyote in the field by our house last week poking around the bayou. Not a sight you see every day in the city.

It was a fun week of celebrations. Myla went to stay Saturday night with Uncle Matt and Aunt Brittany while Colin and I went out for our 8th anniversary. We had a great time at Pete's Piano bar downtown and stayed in the Hilton Americas. Looking forward to many more anniversaries!

We made a trip to Georgetown on Saturday night to visit our friends Frank and Liz and their daughter Emery. She and Myla had so much fun playing together. It was so cute when Myla tried to help Emery go to sleep.

On Sunday we headed over to Round Rock for Cage's 1st Birthday. He was so cute and handled the spotlight with a natural. He had fun chasing Myla around the house. Man did he dig into that cake!

Myla has been wanting Cannon to sleep upstairs with her. We gave in last night and he spent most of the night on his bed in her room. Sometime early in the morning Cannon drug his bed to the landing outside her room. She must have followed him and made a bed for herself right beside him. When Colin went upstairs he found them together. Then when Colin woke Myla up and we were laughing at her she decided to try to lay like Cannon as well to give us an even more giggles.

Myla got to go to her first princess party for cousin Tatum's 5th birthday. She had a great time and slept all the way home.

New Year!

2012-01-15T19:06:00.001-08:00

We had a great 2011 and are very much looking forward to the year 2012. We were able to do so many things but the year still seems to have gone by much too fast. Even these first weeks of 2012 have been jammed packed with fun but I'm amazed how long it has been since Christmas. Ah, well...guess that means we are just having too much fun.

Myla playing in some of her new dress up clothes.

We spent New Year's eve day with the Goodnight family. Myla always enjoys playing with all her cousins. Here are the girls.

We decided to finger paint one evening after work. It had been so long since the last time and she can really make a mess now.

Myla and Brooklyn playing in the tent from Aunt Michelle and Uncle Charlie while we were at Jimmy's for the Texan playoff game.

Last Sunday afternoon I decided that we needed a trip to the park complete with picnic. I thought it was heading for disaster when I was rushing to get some food cooked and everyone ready before it got dark and both Colin and Myla were a little grouchy. Once we got to the park though we had a great time. Myla loved this thing once she got up the nerve to do it. She also had fun going down the tunnel slide with her flashlight.

Friday was Colin's birthday so Myla and I made him some cupcakes. She thinks the mixer makes too much noice so she got some koozies and covered her ears. Problem solved.

The red one is Elmo, green is Oscar, and blue is Cookie Monster in case you didn't get it.

Myla struck up a conversation with me one evening this week talking about her new friend Justin at daycare. She said he was really nice. Then we started talking about dinner and I informed her that she need to eat so that she would grow, her hair and skin would be beautiful and she would be a lovely person. She then said - "Ooo Yeah, then I can get sparkly skin, too." I told her that her skin might not sparkle but her eyes would. She looked up at me and said, "Justin smiled at me and his eyes sparkled". I think he has now replaced "Big Ryan" as her imaginary companion because he has been going everywhere with us.

Today was a fun day. Myla and I went to see Beauty and the Beast in 3D. She really enjoyed it especially since she was wearing her Belle dress. When we got to the theatre she informed me that we had forgotten to wear makeup and princesses always wear makeup. I told her I had some lip gloss in my purse and she decided that would do.

After the movie it was a trip to the grocery store for us and then back home. I got to work chopping and cooking. I was able to make 5 casseroles to freeze. I feel like that is a great start to 2012 and there will be more amazing things to come.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-30T17:49:00.001-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas we've had. Myla got to see all her grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and cousins for the holiday. As usual it all happened so fast but we enjoyed every minute.

Myla and Jack riding bikes

Myla got to make some snow for Christmas this year. She had fun and made a huge mess in the kitchen.

Friday night the Goodnights came over for dinner and our gift exchange. They all got to help Myla make cookies for Santa.

Moustache anyone

Making reindeer food at the end of the night

Myla outlasted us on our Christmas eve. She stayed up until midnight watching a movie while Colin and I dozed on the couch. After we finally put her to bed these little elves got to work. We only had one thing to put together this year!

Myla playing with some of her new toys

At lunchtime on Saturday we left Houston to go spend December 24th with the Calame's. We opened presents at Grandma Calame's then headed over to Aunt Susan's for the Christmas celebration.

Myla and Claire laughing together.

Opening presents at Grandma's on Christmas Eve.

Myla is growing so fast. She is now attending a new daycare and adjusting just fine. She gets to go to Chuck-E-Cheese every other Wednesday for lunch which has been a big hit. She is really starting to grow and seems to be taller every day. She is working on learning her letters and really wants to learn to read. She sometimes gets frustrated that she cannot read any of her books yet. That means we get to read lots of books to her. She is becoming very inquisitive and wants to know so many things. When driving in the car she always wants to know what road we are on, where it goes and when we are going to turn. She is also working on familial relationships and trying to figure out who belongs to who. She loves to play with toys and frequently asks if someone can come over to play with her.

We are looking forward to 2012 and all the adventures that it will hold.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

December is Here!

2011-12-09T17:28:00.000-08:00

We got our Christmas Tree!

Decorating

We bought a gingerbread tree kit which I thought would be a lot easier for little hands to help. She ate as much of the decorations as she put on but it turned out pretty cute!

We went to cousin Carter's 3rd birthday party and it was the cutest party ever. Troy made all the cars from the show out of cardboard. The kids got to race each other around some tires. They had so much fun.

Here is the birthday boy Carter with cousin Sadie.

Busy November

2011-11-27T15:05:00.001-08:00

It's been a fun and busy November so far. We had a fun trip to the zoo with Colin's cousins (Eric, Jen, Sadie and Russ). The elephants are really enjoying their new home and it is so much fun to see the little ones playing around.

Myla and Sadie looking at the lions.

Myla really likes to play in her room these days. She and Colin built a castle out of blocks and Myla was all dressed up to play with her Snow White and Price Charming.

We were able to skip town for a day and go spend a day on Boliver Island. Myla enjoyed the ferry ride as well as the fishing. Colin caught one fish but it was just too small to keep.

We walked down to the beach and had it all to ourselves. Myla had so much fun running around and playing in the waves.

Sometimes you just can't stay awake any longer.

We had a fun and fast Thanksgiving. We took a trip to Devine to eat with the Calame's. It was too bad most of the family wasn't able to make it but we got a good cousins picture from oldest to youngest of the cousins. We'll have to try again at Christmas and see how big that one is.

Myla, Amber and Pauline playing chase in the arena.

Myla got to spend a couple of days in Devine with Grandma and Grandpa Calame for Thanksgiving. I had to come back to Houston and work and Colin went hunting. It was nice having a night to myself to do some relaxing and organizing.

Fun Stuff

2011-11-12T12:36:00.000-08:00

I finally moved all the picture frames to Myla's "new" room over her bed.

Myla and her bear had a tea party while I was hanging up the frames.

Last Sunday I went through all our files and shredded a bunch of old stuff. Myla found great use for all the paper. It was everywhere and we are still finding it.

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

We started the festivities on Saturday morning. Myla put on her Ariel costume and we met Merissa, Jack, and Elle at the Zoo for a little Zoo Boo.

Posing with the Fiesta bird.

The new elephant exhibit was great. The baby elephants were playing in the water and running around everywhere. It was so very cute.

Saturday evening we took the drive to Conroe for a pumpkin carving party. Myla had fun playing with all her Thomson cousins and all the adults ended up doing all the carving.

Myla and Tatum

I made a cat at Myla's request

Tatum, Sadie, Myla and Carter painting pumpkins.

Colin made the butterfly pumpkin and I made the cat

Monday after work we went out for dinner then over Jack the Lobster's house for some trick or treating. Myla loved going up to the doors, knocking and saying "Trick or Treat". She wanted to do it more. Then we headed off to the Goodnight grandparents house and Uncle JR & Aunt Alysia's before calling it a night.

Fall Fun!

2011-11-04T20:40:00.000-07:00

The weekend before Halloween we took a trip out to Halter, Inc. It is a non-profit organization that uses horses and miniature horses for therapy for special needs children. They had a hayride, a small petting area, pony and horse rides, and pumpkin patch.

Myla's first ride on a pony!

She thought she was just like Cinderella in a carriage.

Trying to take a family picture....

Camping in Arkansas

2011-10-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

We took a camping trip to Arkansas this month and had a great time. We got to visit Colin's cousins and his Aunt Priscilla. It was a long drive but the weather was great and the company even better. Myla loved every minute of it.

The original plan was to leave at 4 AM Saturday for the 10 hour drive and come back home after taking down camp on Tuesday. Our car was packed with people and stuff. Colin's mom and sister drove with us while JR and Alysia flew. We had to cut our trip short by one night due to bad weather. Monday night we had dinner at Aunt Priscilla's house and saw on the news that some bad weather was coming. We decided not to chance it in our tents so Michelle stayed at Priscilla's with the little ones and the rest of us rushed back to camp to pack up in the dark. It was pretty wild and thank goodness we had so many helping hands to get both campsites loaded before the lightning really started. We just shoved everything in and then drove over to the fire station where Colin's cousin Russell volunteers. We were able to pull into a truck bay so that we could repack everything so we could all fit for the ride home. Just as we got there the sky really started to light up. A few minutes later lightning struck just outside the station and scared us all! It had struck the transformer outside and the fire truck just outside the open bay door. Power went out for a bit then came back on. We started to account for everyone and in walks Lee very pale. He had been outside making sure everything was OK in the bed of his truck when lightning stuck. We were all a bit shaky. After the weather improved a bit we went back to get Myla at Priscilla's then hit the road. It was a long tough drive back and we drove all night to get home about 7 AM Tuesday morning.

Myla, Colin and I canoeing on Lake Beaver. She had fun but we weren't able to stay out on the lake for very long. She really enjoyed scaring all the ducks on the lake.

Reading to cousin Callie. When Michelle, Lee and Callie first showed up at the campsite Myla asked if Callie was going to be her new sister. They had so much fun playing with each other.

While we were in Arkansas we took a trip to a Chili dinner at the Hickory Creek Fire Department where Colin's cousin Russell is a volunteer. Myla got to learn all about the fire trucks. On Sunday we went to a pumpkin patch/corn maze/hay ride. They had an awesome corn box. We all got in and played for quite a while.

Myla making a corn angel

Just too cute not to share!

Weekend Fun

2011-10-04T18:01:00.000-07:00

We took a trip to Austin this weekend to visit with Aunt Cindy, Cage, Logan, Frank, Liz and Emery. We had a great time. Myla has been missing Aunt Cindy so she was pretty happy to get to spend an hour with her on Saturday. Cage is getting so big and is such a happy, smiling baby.

Saturday afternoon we went went to the Disc Golf course by Frank and Liz's house. The girls had a great time out there wandering around. These are some great dads.

Myla and Emery playing in a dry creek bed.

Eating snow cones on the front porch.

Sunday we came back home and went to Jimmy and Annette's house for football watching. Construction on the Wet Squirrel (garage is being converted to an icehouse for watching football and other escapes). A couple of weekends ago Jimmy had a truckload of sand dumped so the kids could play. This is how dads impress their little girls. Colin was really excited to play in the sand this week.

We have finally almost finished moving Myla into her new bigger room. We still have some finishing touches but it is looking pretty cute.

We turned the landing at the top of the stairs into a useful activity space.

We have completed our home study interviews and are again in the waiting game. We will be waiting for our worker to finish his report and get it submitted for our licensing. We should hear back by the end of this month. Once we are licensed we will be assigned a FAD worker and then begin looking for our family additions.

First Big Bike

2011-09-27T18:03:00.001-07:00

Myla is really starting to like dressing up and playing around. She even makes me wear some of my shoes or put on a dress.

We were working on her new room upstairs and Myla decided that she wanted to play hair salon. She made Colin and I both sit in the chair along with each of her stuffed animals. We were one bunch of beautiful beings afterwards.

Sunday afternoon Myla and I went shopping and got her first big girl bike. She outgrew her tricycle a few months ago but was scared to get the big bike. She picked out a very pink Disney princess bike. She had been playing dress up and was wearing her Belle dress when Colin got home from watching football. Immediately they got to work putting the bike together so she could ride it before dark.

Myla did so great on her first ride. She had some trouble on the very, very small inclines and needed a few pushes but after awhile got up to some good speeds. Every now and then she had to stop to check on her baby in the back or to rearrange the berries she picked and had rolling around in her basket.

On the way home from daycare Monday evening Myla and I were talking about all the upcoming holidays including Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. After I mentioned Christmas she got excited and started talking about feeding the deer at our house. It took me a moment to realize that she was talking about making reindeer food and putting it out on Christmas Eve. She remembered a lot of details of what we had done and was excited to get to do it again. I was so excited she remembered such a small detail from almost a year ago when she was

only 2 1/2 years old!

A small update on the adoption process...We heard from our new worker and have finally scheduled our home visit and interview for next week. We are really excited and happy to be making a little bit of progress. The other night when we were reading books before bed Myla stopped me in the middle of a story and asked me if her sister and brother would be able to read stories with us at bedtime. I told her absolutely. This afternoon after leaving Target we were walking to our car and she told me that when we have a bigger family we would all have to hold hands in the parking lot together.

September Days

2011-09-18T16:28:00.000-07:00

After so many months and months of using markers Myla finally gave in to temptation and marked up her face, arms and legs. Thankfully they were dry erase markers and we caught her right away. She know she was in trouble though.

We bought a $5 clearance slip-n-slide and it has been a favorite evening treat. "On your mark....get set....Go!"

The other night after Myla had finally gotten quiet upstairs I went to check on her. This is what I saw when I rounded the corner.

At the top of the stairs... Myla had gotten out all her stuffed animals and baby dolls and put them all to bed. The top step was neatly lined with several under the Dora blanket. The striped towel and pink sheet were covering numerous other "babies". All nicely down for the night with Myla. Who cares that there is a twin bed and a full size bed in her room. She slept on the floor at the top of the stairs with all her friends.

Friday evening after work we took Myla to see The Lion King in 3D. When we got home she put on her glasses again and sat on the couch ready to watch the Lion King 1 1/2 that we have at home expecting the same effect.

Saturday morning I was getting dressed up to attend a baby shower and Myla decided she wanted her hair fixed too. She instructed me that she wanted lots of crazy ponytails. She got what she wanted and loved it.

Sunday we went over to Jimmy and Annette's house so the boys could watch football and the kids could play. Jimmy had a load of sand delivered earlier in the week and boy did Myla and Jack get dirty. They play a long time - even through some of the wonderful rain we got.

Labor Day Weekend

2011-09-05T18:24:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago we met our friends Frank, Liz and their daughter Emery in Galveston. Myla and Emery had a great time playing in the water.

One Thursday evening we decided to take Myla to the zoo after work. We got there about 6:30 pm and it was still hot but there was almost no one there. We had a good time.

Friday night our friend Nate came to town to go to the Astros game with us. Then Saturday morning Myla, Colin and I packed and headed to San Antonio for the weekend. We dropped Myla off at Grandma and Grandpa Calame's for the night while Colin and I had a date on the Riverwalk. Then we picked her up Sunday morning for a trip to Sea World.

Meeting Rosita from Sesame Street

Family pic on the Riverwalk Monday morning

Pic Colin took from roof of the hotel while Myla and I were swimming in the pool Sunday night.

Summer fun at the Lake and more

2011-08-17T17:22:00.000-07:00

One Saturday Myla morning I gave Myla a bath and then took her upstairs to get dressed. She became very defiant all of a sudden and would not get dressed and mostly over underwear. Finally I decided fighting was not productive so I told her she could not come out of her room until she got dressed and then I went downstairs. After about 20 minutes of playing she got quiet. Ten minutes later she came down the stairs dressed. I told her she had done a good job and still didn't argue about the fact that she still did not have on any underwear.

Myla usually goes to the grocery store with me and loves to pick out flowers. She usually picks something pink. We stick to the $5.99 bunches and she usually finds something pretty good.

Myla was happy to wear the pink hat that she got with Aunt Brittany and Uncle Matt. Now she can wear it just like dad.

Myla and I met my family at Lake Buchanan last weekend and had a great time. Colin had to stay in Houston for work but we were still able to enjoy ourselves. Saturday afternoon we rented a pontoon boat and took the first trip out with the kids. Then Grandpa Calame, Uncle Dunor, Uncle Matt, Aunt Brittany, and Aunt Edna took it out later for fishing.

There wasn't much water in the cover where we stayed but they kids still had fun. Myla never seemed to mind that she didn't catch anything.

You think???

Today I picked up Myla from daycare and she was in a pretty goofy mood. We had talked for a few minutes about whether or not she had behaved in class and I found out she was put in time out again with three other kids. She never did directly answer me on what she had done to get time out. Then I asked her if she had learned anything about letters. "No" she said. How about numbers? Did you learn about any numbers today? "No" she said. Then there were a few seconds of silence and all of a sudden she says "I didn't learn anything today!" and was very exasperated by what she had just realized. "You better tell the teacher tomorrow mom. I didn't learn today". I thought it was pretty funny.

We went on our second attempt to get a fish today. I say second because two weekends ago we went to lunch and told her that she had to behave at the restaurant and in Home Depot or we were not going to go to the pet store afterwards and get a fish. Needless to say we did not make it to the pet store.

Today we went again. We started by looking at all the mice, guinea pigs, and birds. Then we went over to the fish. We picked out a pretty blue one (her request has been a "Blue golden fish"). We got the food, a little home for it, some water conditioner, and all we needed was the net. Then Myla started running off and around the store. After a few attempts to get her to behave I had enough and said we were going to put everything back. It was a very sad day. We put it all back and Myla cried all the way out the door, to the car, all the way home and for a few minutes after we got home. I hope she learned her lesson. We will try again tomorrow.

Just an update

2011-07-23T21:10:00.000-07:00

There have been some things that have happened in the past few weeks that I intended to put in the blog but never got around to it and I have already forgotten some of those cute moments. Ah well. One that still make me laugh is when Myla was in the bath a couple of weeks ago pretending to swim and all of a sudden she got very excited and called out to me like I was so far away when in fact I was standing there brushing my teeth. She excited said "look, I can reach the whole tub" meaning she now is as long as the full tub when she lays out. Then she said "Now I'm bigger and can use a glass cup". Reminded me that sometimes we need to set achievable goals so that we can feel extra good about ourselves.

Myla got to spend an entire week (well it felt like it at least) in Devine playing with grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. She had a blast and did not want to come back home. We met Grandma Calame and Aunt Edna in San Antonio to get Myla and then she was so sad and cried softly for about the first 40 minutes of the ride back. She continues to talk about when she gets to go back for another visit.

Amber, Addison, and Myla. Probably the prettiest girls I know but who am I to say.

Last Sunday we went to friends David, Stacey and Brooklyn's house for fajitas and pool time. Myla had so much fun playing with Brooklyn.

Last Saturday we went to visit with Colin's family for Frank's birthday. On the way we had discussed with Myla about manners and talked about how nice it is to tell someone Happy Birthday on their day. She was a little unsure but all on her own finally went to Frank to tell him a quick "Happy Birthday" and off she ran. Myla had a great time playing with her cousins.

Myla and Sadie

Last Saturday morning we went to the Houston Zoo. It was a little rainy but it was great for keeping the crowds away. Myla got to see the Dora 4D show and was amazed.

She always has to ride the carousel "like Mary Poppins"

While Myla was in Devine Colin and I got to spend a weekend in San Marcos and Austin with our friends from college. We had a great time and realized not so very young we all are now.

Just a picture I like.

For anyone curious for an update on our adoption we are getting very excited. The process is long but necessary. We have finished our classes and turned in all our paperwork. Our next step is to have our home study completed. Our worker has been on vacation for the past two weeks so hopefully we will be able to schedule the home study very soon. This is the part where they come back to our house and interview us individually, together, and get to know much more about us. After that we should get our license and begin our search.

Colin and I are getting more excited and it seems like one or two new additions will feel very natural. Myla is also getting excited and talks about it on her own. She talked about it with her teacher at daycare and told her that she was waiting on her new sister and was going to help her and show her how to color just like her teacher was. She has also made a list of things she can do with a sister or brother. I write it down every time she comes up with something new. Earlier today she was sitting in her car seat and mentioned that her sister might get upset and she would have to show her and help her to be happy.

Dance Recital

2011-06-26T10:51:00.001-07:00

Saturday was Myla's first dance recital and a very busy day. Grandma Calame and Aunt Edna came to Houston on Thursday and spent all day Friday with Myla. Then after a bit of a late night, Myla and I were up at 6:30 am to be at dress rehearsal by 8:00 am. Myla was excited and had no trouble getting ready. She did a fantastic job at rehearsal and kept wanting to go back onstage. Then we went back home to have lunch with Grandma Calame, Aunt Edna, Uncle Matt, Aunt Brittany, Aunt Cindy, Cage, Uncle Dunor and Grandma Goodnight. Then it was back to Cullen Performance Theatre at University of Houston for the recital at 6:00 pm. Myla's dance was number 37 "I want Candy" so we had a while to wait.

Friday night Myla put make up on all of us. She did a pretty good job.

Having fun with Cage.

Dancing on the far right. Twist!

Getting ready in the morning.

Awards ceremony after the recital.

Summer Fun

2011-06-18T08:06:00.001-07:00

We went back to Galveston last Saturday and Myla had a blast. We will definately need to make a few more trips this summer. She got right out there and started running around. She didn't want to leave. We made some sugar cookies before going to the beach and they were delicious. Myla and Colin decorated them while I packed for the day trip.

Myla and Cindy decided they should be potato heads too.

Painting Daddy's toenails

We finally got Myla a real bed instead of just a mattress on the floor. She helped Colin and I put it together. We bought matching beds because we have to have everything ready to bring a child into our home by the time we finish our adoption classes in two weeks. We are really looking forward to bringing in a new member of our family. I am sure it will still take some time but we can't wait.

Friday night Logan decided he wanted s'mores and fired up the bbq pit. Myla loved hers and got so sticky. She had to take a bath afterwards. Perfect for a summer night.

Family fun

2011-05-30T08:58:00.000-07:00

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?.....times 60+ a day and that is what a day with Myla has turned into. It sure can make you feel like you don't really know very much after awhile. Curious little brains. Summer has really set in and we have started to enjoy the sprinkler, swimming pool, popsicles, and most of all the a/c.

Currently we are working on trying to get into a routine and figure out a way to satisfy both the need for a nap or resting period during the day that still make it possible for Myla to go to bed at a decent time. Myla was never big on naps and doesn't always need one but if she takes it too late in the day we have either a really cranky kid in the evening after work or a sleeping kid. Then, she stays up all night. We have some nights that Myla is staying up until after midnight - sometimes way after. She still wakes up about the same time in the morning regardless of the nighttime adventures. It wasn't too bad because she was just staying in her room and playing for hours then getting in bed and falling asleep. However, now that she realizes she can get into things while everyone else is in bed it will be a big problem. Her first venture out she got baby Cage's bath sling and shampoo out of the bathroom, took them to her room and starting giving her stuffed animals baths in shampoo over her carpet. There was shampoo everywhere and she used about half the bottle.

A couple of weekends ago we went to my cousin Jacob's wedding and had a great time. The wedding was beautiful and it was great for Myla to get to play with some of her cousins. Myla danced with Colin but once she danced with her little girl cousins on her own we were chop liver.

Myla enjoyed the delicious groom's cupcakes.

The reception was at a lodge in the middle of some corn fields so we took the opportunity for some fun family pictures.

Just some cousins enjoying ring pops.

Myla and Emma dancing

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's super Cage!

Cindy, Myla, Cage and I went to Devine to watch Amber in her dance recital. She did so good up there on stage. Her father daughter dance was so very sweet.

Myla and Addison waiting for the recital to begin.

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T09:04:00.001-07:00

Wonderful weekend so far! Friday night we packed a picnic dinner and went to Miller Outdoor Theatre to watch the Houston Ballet perform. We all three enjoyed the show and the weather was great. Saturday morning I got up and ran errands and picked up Myla's dance recital costume. Then we packed up the car, went by Colin's office, stopped at Target for some kites and made a trip down to Galveston. Myla had a great time building sand castles, running in the water and trying to surf. She was much more adventurous than last year and warmed up to the water much quicker.

Waiting for a wave.

Ready....Set....and then nothing happened when the wave came. Colin and I soon became the machines that made the surfing happen. It was a bit tiring but lots of fun.

1st Kite flying

Myla got to see Colin's office for the first time and did not want to leave this exciting and wonderous place that he goes almost every day.

Myla likes to play in her room after we send her off to bed. We read a few books, tuck her in and say goodnight. Then she gets up and plays - sometimes for over two hours. We hear her banging, clanging, singing, and talking. After we finally hear the quiet we go up to make sure she has fallen asleep in the bed and is covered. Usually she tucks herself in well and we just have to move toys off the bed around her. She is getting progressively more messy pulling more out of toy boxes and the closet. This is her room about 11:30 pm when I went to check on her. We had even cleaned her room before we went to bed. If you look closely you can see her under the blanket on her chair.

The masterpiece Myla and Colin built.

Last weekend we drove to Kingwood to watch Myla's cousin Tatum perform in her dance recital. She was beautiful and Myla really enjoyed it. After Tatum's dance they got to sit in the stands together and were so cute together.

Easter

2011-05-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

We had a bit of a low-key Easter this year. We spent Saturday with Colin's family complete with egg hunt. Myla had so much fun playing with her cousins. She fell asleep on the way home so Colin and I had to color the eggs for Sunday by ourselves. Then on Sunday she slept in a bit and got up to see what the Easter bunny had brought. After a quick egg hunt in the backyard we decided to go to the museum of natural science. It was a great day and wasn't very crowded. Then we took a train ride around Hermann park which was full of family gatherings.

Myla posing in her Easter outfit at the park.

Acting like a crocodile. She did this all on her own.

Egg on a T!

Playing with Tatum

The grandparents and grandkids.

Myla's 3rd Birthday Party!!!!

2011-04-18T20:25:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Myla!

Sunday we had Myla's birthday party and she had so much fun playing with all her cousins and friends.

Blow out those candles! Scrambling for the pinata goodies

Opening her presents

I was pretty nervous about the cake but am really pleased with the outcome. Cindy and I made the flowers and petals during the week and I started baking the cakes on Friday night. I finished baking about 11 am Saturday. I used a total of four boxes of cake mix. The bottom tier was made of 3 vanilla layers and the top tier was 2 layers of chocolate cake.

Saturday late afternoon I made the buttercreme icing and put it on the cake followed by fondant on top for a nice smooth finish. We added a shimmering powder to the fontant for a little sparkle but it didn't show up too well.

Myla's cousin Amber was a big help. She make her own castle to show me how it should be done. She also kept sweeping the floor under me because I was getting sparkles everywhere.

Late Saturday night Cindy and I covered the cone turret tops in royal icing and then rolled them in sparkles. I pipped the window outlines and covered them with sparkles as well. We finished about 11:30 at night.

Sunday morning I got up at 6:30 am and started to assemble the cake. I inserted several dowels and then put on the top tier.

I had to melt white chocolate candy to attach dowels to the towers. It didn't work really well and some broke loose once I inserted them into the cake. I was a bit worried the top towers would fall off when I moved the cake outside.

I had to cut through the fondant to insert the front piece. I later thought that I should have done this for all the towers as well to help hold them straighter.

Then I had to pipe all the seams and bases of everything with green icing and add the flowers and leaves we had made earlier in the week. This is what it looked like at 10:30 am on Sunday. I waited to add the top blue cones until it had been moved outside.

Viola! Finished cake.

I expected to have a lot more cake left over but we finished off quite a bit.

35th Anniversary

2011-04-14T18:46:00.000-07:00

We had fun celebrating Grandma and Grandpa Calame's 35th anniversary a couple of weeks ago. We had a suprise dinner for the whole family at Triple C. The cake was beautiful and just like the one a the wedding.

Myla and Amber licking icing from the cake when they thought no one was looking.

Myla turned 3 on Sunday and we took her to the children's festival in downtown Houston. She had fun watching a short live Dora show, riding her first roller coaster, and enjoying the outdoors. We can't wait for her party this weekend. She got to open her present tonight because we will be using it for the party. Man was she excited to get to jump on her very own jumping castle in the back yard. She wasn't very happy about having to come back inside afterwards.

Other Happenings

2011-03-31T19:22:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to take a cake decorating class for some time but to non-commital to actually sign up for something (and too cheap) so in preparation for Myla's 3rd birthday cake Cindy and I have been practicing. We played with fondant while Mom and Edna were here for a visit a couple of weeks ago and last weekend worked with piping and creating different decorative pieces. It is has been fun and delicious.

Some royal iced flowers

Leaves On the left is our small fondant covered cake that we worked on for over 30 minutes. Then Logan had to be more creative and make a pac-man cake in about 15 seconds.

Myla had lots of fun playing with the fondant too.

Myla coming down the stairs ready to go to Jack's 2nd birthday party.

Just a few more Disney

2011-03-31T19:16:00.000-07:00

Just some more Disney pics

2011-03-20T18:11:00.000-07:00

Stunt show at Hollywood Studios

Scene used to look like San Francisco.

Shaking hands during the parade

Pointing out where they wanted to go next. We waited for a parade to start with another family and the rest of the afternoon Myla kept asking to go see Maya again.

Watching Beauty and the Beast

Meeting Eeyore

Don't get stepped on
Ahhhh.... no hands!

Showing the way with her map in Animal Kingdom

Disney World

2011-03-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

In mid February we took Myla to Disneyworld and all had a great time. Definately top 2 vacation. We spent two days at Magic Kingdom, 1 day at Animal Kingdom and 1 day at Hollywood Studios. We stayed at a Disney resort and it made getting around very easy. The weather was perfect in the low 70's during the day and mid to high 50's at night. We never really broke a sweat. Thankfully we were able to go before all the spring break visitors and didn't have to wait too long for any rides.

Myla had a fantastic time and was so excited about everything. She hugged all the characters and especially like the live shows. She fell asleep on the way home from the airport and when she woke up in our driveway she cried and said she wanted to go back. Every morning for a week she woke up asking if we could go see all her friends at Magic Kingdom. We took tons of pictures so I will be uploading some over the next couple of weeks.

Other fun stuff.....Cindy and Logan welcomed Cage Anderson Medina into their lives on January 31st. He is adorable and still does lots of eating, sleeping and pooping. Mom and Dad are in love with their little guy and Myla likes him so far too.

More fun stuff....Colin started his new job as Director of Operations for Star Protection the day after we got back from vacation.

Animal Kingdom

We spent an entire day at Animal Kingdom and waited the longest in line for the Safari ride. It was pretty neat and we got to see lots of animals in a much more natural type habitat. Myla rode the Dinosaur ride (same as the famous Dumbo one but much shorter line) and she loved it. She also wanted to ride the big roller coaster but is no where near ready for that (or tall enough).

Eating some cheetos while waiting in line

Safari Minnie

Waiting for the bus outside our hotel

Cinderella's castle at night.

In line for "It's a Small World"

Riding the carousel the first time. "I'm like Marry Poppins"

First time Myla met Cinderella

Waiting for the boat to go on the Jungle cruise

Baby Shower

2011-01-19T11:35:00.001-08:00

We had Cindy's baby shower at the Methodist Church in Devine on Saturday and had a great time. Cindy got almost everything she needed and Myla had fun playing with everyone. It was a quick trip but we really enjoyed it.

Aunt Brittany, Myla, Aunt Edna, cousing Brittany

Myla and Aunt Cindy

Cindy and the grandma's to be (again)

Diaper cake Lauren made

We are all getting excited about the arrival of Baby Cage. He should make his appearance on Sunday Jan 31st or February 1st. Myla is getting really excited but I don't think she really understands how much she is going to have to share Aunt Cindy and Logan.

Tap, Ballet, and Tumbling

2011-01-19T11:30:00.001-08:00

Myla started a dance class two weeks ago and here a few pics from her first class. She goes once a week for 45 minutes. They do 15 minutes of ballet, tap and tumbling. She loves it and looks forward to it all week. She randomly breaks out into some of her dance steps and takes a bow often. She loves to dance anytime she hears music, even if it is just background in a commercial. Her coordination is already improving and it is fun to watch. They will have a recital in June.

Goodnight Christmas

2011-01-19T11:25:00.000-08:00

We got together with the Goodnights after Christmas to have our family Christmas. We got to spend the evening together, ate pizza and opened gifts. Every year we do a tacky gift where each family buys one tacky item that is no larger than 12" tall and cannot be crude. Then we all draw names and exchange gifts. The kicker is that you have to display the gift you receive for a full year in a visible spot in your house.

JR and Alysia gave Darren and Mary Beth the best one of all because it keeps giving. It was bacon flavored air fresheners.

Darren and Mary Beth did a great job with their purchase of a giant cartoon head.

Uncle JR reading a book that he and Alysia got Myla.

Christmas

2011-01-03T11:28:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas. The weekend was much too short but we had a great time. We left Houston after I got off work on Christmas Eve and drove to Grandma and Grandpa Calame's. We spend Christmas Eve at cousin Kayleen's house and got to visit with much of the Calame family until after midnight. Myla had a great time playing with all the kids. Christmas morning we opened presents at Grandma and Grandpa Calame's house and Myla spent the rest of the day playing with her new toys and her cousins.

Myla and Amber playing the Xbox Kinect Dance game. They did pretty good. Myla spent most of the time watching Amber and copying her moves.

Little Addison enjoying all the presents

Finally I caught one of Charle's grins

The kids went through the wrapping paper pretty quickly and all seemed to really like their gifts.

Uncle Matt's turn to pass out presents this year.

Some of the little Calame girls (well only one of them actually has the last name) on Christmas Eve. Myla, AMber, Pauline, Taylor, and Allison
Opening presents from the Calame kid drawing.

The week before Christmas Logan's two younger brothers came to stay with us in Houston. Myla loved having them to play with. One night we went to look at Christmas lights in River Oaks and got out to take a picture at one house. This tree was full of stings of lights just hanging down to right above our heads.

Another tree at the same house. Cars were parked in the street and everyone was getting out and taking pictures in front of this house so we had to do the same.

I still have more pictures to post of the Goodnight Family Christmas as soon as I get a chance.

Merry Christmas #1

2010-12-20T11:01:00.000-08:00

Early Merry Christmas

Since we will be out of town and did not want to take the presents from Santa in the car to Devine and then have to haul them all back we just had Christmas a little early at our house. Friday night we made lots of cookies and reindeer food. Grandma Goodnight came over to help. Then Myla put the reindeer food outside, set out the cookies, and went off to bed a little after 10 pm. After several attempts to sneak downstairs including one attempt to hide under a blanket on the couch she finally fell asleep in her own bed. Colin and I stayed up to finish everything and were in bed around 2 am hoping Myla would sleep in.

She was yelling "mom" from the top of the stairs at 6:15 am but luckily I was able to put her in bed with us and she fell right back asleep until 9:00 am. Once she woke up we kept her in our room to get the dogs outside and turn on the camera. While we were waiting, Myla walked over to a chair in the corner of my room and picked up the camera battery charger. She picked it up very carefully and said "Oh, I love it" in a very sweet and sincere voice. I said thank you but that is not your present.

Next we took her our of our room and asked her if she had heard Santa. Of course her reply was an excited "yes". Then we proceeded to the front door to find he had in fact been there and his reindeer enjoyed the feast we had left for them. Off to the living room and Myla just looked around. It took her a full 30 seconds to see all the presents and get excited.

She had no trouble diving in and opened all the presents wrapped in Dora paper first. It was going a little slow at first because she wanted to open the packages and play with each one right away.

We got a little worried when she was really excited over the first book she opened and wanted to read it right then. She looked at every page. We kept trying to get her to grab another present but she just kept flipping pages. Now, because she had about six new books individually wrapped we were sure that this was going to be long. After the second or third book she started to speed up.

Finally she made it to the back of the stack to find a wonderful doll house. I have been wanting to get one for her for a while but felt she wasn't quite old enough. I thought when I finally got this one that it would be a few months before she grew into it. I was wrong. She played with it all weekend. Making the little people talk to each other and has even named a few of them.

Playing with her "computer to tv" toy. It is a keyboard with stylus type pen that you hook into the computer and has a few games and activities. Anything you draw on the little pad shows up on the screen and it has letters and numbers to trace.

After opening everything inside we put on jackets and shoes to check out what Santa had left outside. A beautiful new house complete with BBQ, sink, fence, mailbox, and tools. I also got her a couple of planter boxes and artificial flowers and vegetable to plant. She had a great time.

On Sunday when I was in the kitchen chopping some onion and bell pepper she climbed up to see what I was doing. I explained that I was chopping veggies and she said "Oh, I'll go to my garden". Out the back door she went a few moments later threw a plastic carrot, lemon, and tomato on the counter for me to cut up. It was pretty cute and she was excited to contribute.

Saturday night Myla's friend Jack came to stay the night. It started out a little rough with Myla being very possessive. After being sent to her room several times she finally got over it and they played until 9 pm. Whe moved her mattress down stairs to the living room to put them to bed. It took almost two hours for them to fall asleep. They sat in the dark giggling and running around. While Colin was in the shower and I was brushing my teeth they kept tipy-toeing their way to our bedroom and then giggling as I chased them back to bed. We let them continued playing and yelling out "Get to bed" every now and then for a while since they were having so much fun. We finally had to separate them, putting Myla on the couch and Colin sitting by Jack until they fell asleep.

Sunday morning Colin took Myla outside to play with her new soccer ball and she wanted to wear the flower girl dress from Uncle Dunor and Aunt Lauren's wedding. Instead they found a fabulous combination of shirt and shorts much more suited to soccer. That afternoon we had dinner with a few friends Myla got to wear the dress. She even requested to have her hair fixed like a princess. The kids got to play together and had a great time.

Overall it was a fantastic weekend and we can't wait to see everyone at the Christmas Eve party and on Christmas Day! Myla is counting the days off on the calendar until we get to see "all my cousins and friend".

Busy Days and Crazy Hair

2010-12-17T09:54:00.000-08:00

We've been keeping especially busy preparing for Christmas and trying to keep up with the weeks. We created a calendar for Myla to track down the days to Christmas (which will be this Saturday in our house) and she is getting really excited. She will randomly go over to the calendar and tell us what is going to happen on each of the days and talk about what is happening. Last night we started making cookies and other goodies for Santa. Tonight we will continue baking, make special reindeer food, and get ready for Santa. Santa has a lot of work to do tonight once Myla goes to sleep.

Cindy, Myla and I went to the Mad Potter one night to do some painting. The plan was for me to pick them up after I got off work, eat at Chick-fil-a and then go paing. Myla fell asleep just as we got close to eating and slept the enitre time we were in the restaurant. We had a hard time waking her up once we got to the Mad Potter and she ended up having a good time.

Yes we took her out in public with this hair do.

We went to Myla's cousin Carter's 2nd birthday party and she had fun in the jumping castle and sand pile. She really started to have a good time once the crowd started to leave and there was more room to try out all of Carter's new toys.

Pulling the pinata strings

On Monday night I took Myla to Outdoor World for pictures with Santa. She did really well. We had gone on Sunday and she got to see him but the line was too long and we decided to try another day. On the second attempt there was only one little girl in line and I was a little worried it was not going to go well. Myla was a bit anxious so I sat on the floor talking to her about Santa. The girl in front of us was about 3 years old. She walked up, froze halfway there and I thought - man this is not goin gto go well if she cries or bolts off. She decided Santa looked fun I guess because she ran right up to him leaving her mom behind and got right in his lap. Then she talked his ear off and didn't want to get down. After they finally pulled her off Myla and I walked up. She asked me to carry her the last few steps. I picked her up and told Santa "Merry Christmas". He said it back and asked Myla if she wanted to sit with him and put his arms out. She went right to him. She told him her name very quietly and the photographer said "smile". She gave it her best which usually looks like she is in pain or something. We got the pick and off we went to explore the store.

Sitting with Frosty before seeing Santa.

Driving a pontoon boat in the store

Wednesday night we made a gingerbread house. Myla had a good time and dropped candies all over the floor. Each time she would say "That's all right. The dogs will get it".

Cindy has been doing some fun things with Myla while watching her during the day. They made a book with a short sentence about everyone in our house. Myla read it to Colin and he said it was so cute. She was very proud of it.

Aunt Brittany and Uncle Matt gave Myla a trampoline for Christmas last weekend and she absolutely loves it. She is getting so playful and creating all kinds of new games.

Sunday Erin, Jan, and Claire were in Houston and stopped by for a short play date. The girls just started playing right away like they see each other every week. Myla was excited to show Claire her room and they had a good time. Erin and I went up there to check on them and they gave us the stare down to get out. Aren't they too young for that? They were playing music on the keyboard and with a microphone and dancing around. I wish I had a camera up there to see them having so much fun. They ran through the house and did everything together. They even went to the bathroom together - one on the big potty and one on the frog potty.

Catching Up

2010-12-01T10:00:00.000-08:00

It has been a busy couple of months and I am a little behind. To start with our computer crashed and we are using our old one which takes much longer to upload pictures - hence the delay.

October was a fun month with Myla getting more animated. She had a great Halloween and was dressed as Red Riding Hood. We started the day at Ikea. We got there early to beat the Saturday morning crowd and found out they were giving out candy to the kids at different departments in the store. I had put Myla in her costume when she woke up so it really worked out. Later that afternoon we stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Goodnights to do some more trick-or-treating. Once it started to get later we took Myla to Uncle JR and Aunt Alysia's then headed over to Jack's house to play for a bit. He had a great lion costume made by Merissa's mom. A few weeks later I told Myla we were going to go back to Jack's house to play when I picked her up after work and she yelled out "Oh - Trick-or-Treat".

Myla, Cindy and I painted the living and dining room a few evenings in November. Myla didn't make too big of a mess and only painted for short intervals between Dora episodes. Aunt Cindy had the bright idea to leave small strips at the bottom of the wall for her to paint.

Myla had her first real pony tail. I hadn't realized it was long enough for one until I came home and Cindy had put it up. Now she has sorter hair again and we will have to wait for a while to do that again.

Myla loves to draw on her markerboard. She is getting pretty good control. She did really well for a while making sure to put all the caps on when she was finished but stopped being so diligent and a few weeks ago and now they are all dry. I guess it's time for some more.

You can see how well she is tracing numbers. The pink numbers are what I wrote and she traced over with purple.

She smashed her face against the board and asked me to draw her head like we trace her hands. I did and she filled in her face. Pretty good I think although I did put on some of the hair.

Playing with chalk in the back yard.

Aunt Cindy made Myla some death ray goggles.

We hosted Thanksgiving this year and we had a house full of Calames, Duboses, and Goodnights. Myla loved getting to see everyone and she and Amber decided that either Amber was staying at our house or Myla was going back to Devine. I'm just glad we are not having tears when they have to say goodbye.

Myla shaving with Logan

Monday night Colin, Myla, Cindy, Logan and I loaded into the car and went on the hunt for a Christmas tree. We found the perfect one. Tuesday night while Logan was at work and Colin was at basketball Cindy, Myla and I decorated the tree.

On another update Myla is doing excellent on the potty training. She still sleeps in a diaper at night but has been waking up to go to the bathroom and goes days without accidents. She even gets to wear her pretty panties instead of trainers. She is also forgetting to ask for a candy sometimes after she uses the potty. We tried using treats when she used the potty and nothing worked very well until she discovered starbursts. She started trying to trick us to get the candy.

We also got Myla a big girl mattress for her room. She loves to jump on the bed so we decided to get a foam mattress and wait on the bed frame. The crib mattress is still in her room and she likes to put it on the floor and use it for a trampoline.

Great News

2010-10-24T19:33:00.000-07:00

We got great news this week when Colin finalized plans with work to get him moved back to Houston. The transition will start the second week in November. He will still be traveling some but should soon be back in Houston with us much more. We so excited and I don't really mind giving up having the closet and bathroom all to myself.

We had a great weekend. Saturday night Cindy made us dinner and it was such a nice night we ate outside. It was like a double date complete with candles, a toddler, and two dogs. Myla really liked eating out there and had more than we can usually get her to eat in one meal. If it hadn't been so last minute we would have invited others to join us.

Myla getting ready to make some butterfly stepping stones in the backyard with Aunt Cindy and I on Sunday.

Helping Mom make dinner on Friday night.

Playing on the beach Sunday afternoon. We decided late in the day after running errands to go down to Galveston. We left the house at four o'clock. It was a great afternoon and Myla had so much fun playing in the water. After about an hour she fell in a wave and swallowed a bunch of water. Then she ran over to me and threw up in the sand right at our feet. That was the end of the water. After cleaning up we went to The Strand and had dinner before driving back home.

Myla has been so hyper lately and pretty much either talks or sings almost nonstop.

The new Mr. and Mrs. Calame

2010-10-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Uncle Dunor and Aunt Lauren's wedding this past weekend in Waco at Moon River Ranch. It was a beautiful wedding and the whole weekend was so much fun for everyone. It was great to spend time with family.

Flower girls eating a quick bite after morning pictures and before the wedding.

Groom and his men heading leaving the ranch to get to the church before the lovely bride.

Groom with Grandma Betty

Setting up for group pics with the photographer

View from the balcony of our room at the ranch

Aunt Lauren, Charles, and Uncle Dunor on the hayride after the rehearsal dinner. It was yum yum yummy.

Grandma Calame with Amber on the hayride

First Dance

We had so much fun and were amazed at all the wonderful happenings of the weekend. We can't wait to see the newleyweds again over the upcoming holidays. Myla and Amber did a fantastic job as flowergirls and looked so cute walking down the aisle with Lauren's nephew Braxton.

A great big thank you to all that helped out and attended. Especially to Lauren and her parents for such an amazing experience.

Dewberry Farms

2010-10-10T11:16:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took a trip to Dewberry farms. Myla had a great time. Aunt Cindy, Mark, Merissa and Jack went with us and Myla even got to see her cousins Tatum, Tanner and Carter while we were there. They had lots of activities and and the weather was nice. They had some amazing activity areas but Myla is still a little young for some of them.

Looking at the flowers in the wild flower patch.

Searching for the best pumpkin in the pumpkin patch

Myla and Jack. Myla picked out her boots before we left and they turned out to be a great idea while walking through the fields.

Riding a horse with no legs

Riding the train with her cousins

Myla now gets to stay home with Aunt Cindy while I go to work and she is really enjoying it. They have gone on picnics, shopping, baked all kinds of goodies and made halloween decorations. It's been great having Aunt Cindy and Logan around to keep us company while Colin is out of town (and when he's here).

It seems that Myla is getting more goofy by the day. She has several little games that she has invented and really has fun with them. She also walks around reinacting Dora and Diego episodes and throws them into random parts of the day. We can be in the grocery store and she will be helping to put the groceries in the basket and all of a sudden get excited and yell out "Swiper no swiping". She is also trying to figure out ways to trick us into getting her way. I have to say she is pretty creative and sneaky.

We can't wait to see everyone at Uncle Dunor and Aunt Lauren's wedding next weekend!

Camping in Arkansas

2010-09-15T17:09:00.000-07:00

Practice casting and reeling in our pine cone catch with the Barbie fishing pole

Ready for a sudden unexpected rain

Goodnights hanging out after dinner

Colin with cousins Ben and Dwight

Myla showing off her dirty hands

Playing peek-a-boo behind the trees

Playing with the flashlight while peeing in the dark

Pulling Jack in the wagon at the zoo. She pulled him for quite a while

What's happening?

2010-09-12T14:43:00.000-07:00

Colin has the camera in New Orleans so I can't post any of the pics we took of our camping trip in Arkansas over the Labor Day weekend but I can say we had a great time. Myla loves to be outside so an entire weekend was just perfect with her. The weather was great and DeGray State Park is fantastic.

We continue to work on potty training and some days Myla comes home in the same diaper I dropped her off in.

Yesterday Myla went to Grandma and Grandpa Goodnights house for a few hours while I painted my bedroom. Since my mattress was on the living room floor we had our very first super comfortable slumber. We ate animal cookies, drank milk, and watched Snow White. Just before going to sleep Myla said she had to go potty so we went upstairs to the bathroom. Then she woke me up by poking me in the face at 8:00 am and said "Momma, I go pee-pee". I just knew she was telling me that her diaper had leaked and she had gotten my mattress all wet. I opened my eyes and she pulled me upstairs to the bathroom. Wow a dry diaper all night and she woke up and went straight to the potty! It was great.

Myla has made a friend with a little neighbor girl. Thursday and Friday night we went outside and they played for a couple of hours. On Thursday we went out with our sidewalk chalk and the little girl (about 3 1/2 or 4) came out with her mom and brother. I called out and said that she could come over and draw too. She was a little shy and does not know very much English. Myla was so excited to have a friend that she was jumping and chattering away. The little girl (Lupita) was a bit suprised and didn't really know how to react to Myla's excitement. Soon they were drawing smiley faces and straight lines all over the place. Then her older brother joined as well as another boy down the street. Our driveway was very colorful. Once it got dark I told Myla we had to go inside for a bath and she looked at Lupita and said " 'mon, take a bath wid me, lets go". Friday when we got home and pulled in the driveway she asked right away where "Pita" was. After dinner we went to ride the tricycle outside and Lupita brought our her stroller. They took turns riding and pushing. It was pretty cute.

I will try to post the camping pics soon.

A few more pics

2010-08-21T08:53:00.000-07:00

Unpacking some things took longer than others.

Playing at the Discovery Green fountains in downtown Houston with Jack

Helping to paint some of the decorations for her room

We're Home!!!!

2010-08-21T08:23:00.000-07:00

We were finally able to move back into our house a couple of weeks ago and we have been keeping very busy. It seems that our four months in Houston so far has gone very fast.

In the last three weeks we moved into our house, made a trip to Devine for Uncle Dunor and Aunt Lauren's shower, gone to the zoo, Discovery Green, painted one room and unpacked almost everything. We even grilled in the back yard!

Myla and her cousins

Riding the carousel at the zoo

Aunt Lauren and Uncle Dunor opoening presents

Rocking out at Aunt Michelle and Uncle Charlie's

Playing chess outside a restaurant in Houston

Myla is loving her new home and especially likes to make everyone go up and down the stairs a million times. She had been very helpful cleaning and unpacking. She even got to paint the very lower part of one wall with a roller.

Myla really enjoys singing kids songs and like to put on music and dance. She like to watch Diego, Dora, Disney sing-a-longs, and wonderpets. We try to watch only one show everyday but some days we are pretty lazy and watch more.

Myla boycotted the potty training when we moved again but has been using the potty again for three days and has not had any accidents in two days. She has even woken up with a dry diaper once. I was hoping settling into a routine and our own place would do the trick and it seems to have worked. She is also almost stopped throwing fits completely. It is sooooooo nice. Myla is in a new class at school and seems to be participating well. She can recognize her own name and is trying to draw simple faces, cat faces, and a few letters (although they are almost unrecognizable). She is drinking out of a big girl cup and I will be happy to put away the sippy cups soon.

Cute moment:

Right before we moved into our house I had bought a new island for the kitchen from IKEA and had to lay down my backseats so it would fit. I moved Myla's carseat to the front and then picked her up from daycare. She was very excited to be able to see everything and kept saying "Oh Wow". Then when we go to the first stop light and were coming up on a car she yelled out "careful mom, caaaaareful". She then proceeded to tell me to shop or be careful at every stopsign, light or just in traffic on the highway. Already a backseat driver and not even three! (As a side note the passenger side air bag was off in case anyone is worried)

We are working on teaching Myla our names and her full name and it is really cute to hear her say them all.

Zoo

2010-07-25T17:55:00.001-07:00

Myla and I were all set for an uneventful weekend with a possible tropical storm in the gulf keeping Colin in New Orleans. I took Myla to Uncle JR and Aunt Alysia's for a couple of hours while I ran some errands and when I went back to pick her up I was suprised when Colin appeared. We ended up spending the evening with Uncle JR and Aunt Alysia and Myla had a great time playing. She fell asleep in the car before I even got out of their subdivision.

We went for a visit to the zoo on Saturday morning and the kids really enjoyed the animals.

Myla and Jack in the piranna tank.

Having fun on the carousel.

Children's Museum

2010-07-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Colin, Merissa and I took Jack and Myla to the Children's Museum on Saturday and they had a lot of fun. The new additions were fantastic. It was really busy but still enjoyable.

Playing vet and taking care of the animals.

Last weekend Myla and I went to visit Erin, Claire, Jay, Aunt Susan, Uncle Marvin, and Taylor in Lufkin. The girls had so much fun together playing and dancing. They switched shoes and had so much fun running around.

Myla was a little under the weather for some of the week with an ear infection. I was sick with a stomach bug early in the week and was miserable for a couple of days and now poor little Jack seems to have gotten a little of it as well.

Sunday we celebrated Grandpa Goodnight and Aunt Mary Beth's birthday with lunch and cake.

Myla's verbal communication is really fun to experience. She used the word beautiful the other day and it was so cute.

Happy 4th!

2010-07-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Summer fun has been great. We had a fun 4th of July spending the day with friends and family. Grandma and Grandpa Calame came to Houston for a visit and went to watch the fireworks downtown with us. This year was a little disappointing due the flooding we had a couple of days earlier causing 1/3 of the fireworks having to be set off to avoid losing them altogether.

Myla - 26 months, Jack - 15 months, Brooklyn - 9 months playing in the splash pad at Brooklyn's house on Sunday. The water entertained them for most of the afternoon.

Aunt Brittany and Aunt Edna looking gorgeous at Garden Ridge.

We've been keeping busy and are anxious to get into our house. I bought Myla some "new" furniture for her room. Now that she is older we are moving away from a nursery and into something more "big girl". The pieces will need some work but I fell in love with them at the Salvation Army store. Myla seems to like them as well.

YIPPEE!!!!

2010-06-15T11:00:00.001-07:00

Monday when I picked Myla up from daycare we had a little celebration. I was told that she had used the potty all by herself 4 times during the day. We stopped at the grocery store and she got to ride in the car basket, pick out some cupcakes and then we went home and ate them to celebrate.

Myla also rode her tricycle all by herself for the first time over the weekend. She did lots of practicing so she could show Colin when he got home. I got out the camera and tried to film her first pedals. It was very difficult to film and help her at the same time. I even made her fall over once but she got right back on and kept rolling along.

Colin's dad is in the hospital recovering from a quadruple bypass but is doing well. He had the surgery on Thursday. Saturday he had to receive 2 pints of blood but is now on the mend.

Myla and I missed getting to visit with family in Kansas City but are hoping to schedule another visit soon. Colin had a great time visiting everyone and we missed him while he was away. First we have to move into our house in the next couple of weeks and get into a new routine yet again. This has been one crazy summer so far!

Summer Fun

2010-06-06T18:29:00.001-07:00

We've been spending the weekends with family and friends and Myla is enjoying all the outdoor fun. We went to the Houston Zoo today for some hot afternoon animal viewing.

Saturday was the Galveston sandcastle contest and our friend Merissa helped her work build a sculpture. Myla had fun playing on the beach. I have never seen so many people on the beach in Galveston.

Memorial weekend we took a trip to Devine. Myla had fun playing with grandparents and cousins and running around outdoors.

Kissing new cousin Addison.

Watching Colin throwing cousin Charles in the pool.

Houston

2010-05-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Myla is trying to adjust to her new temporary home and having lots of fun playing with her friend Jack. They get along pretty well with occassional fights and meltdowns.

They seemed to enjoy a hot summer night with frozen fruit juice pops.

Both Myla and Jack have a set of mops and brooms and spend a lot of time playing with them.

Peek-a-boo

Last weekend Merissa and I took Myla and Jack to an indoor kids gym. They had lots of fun and it was a great way to get out of the house and burn off energy.

Myla also got her first trip to Chuck-E-Cheese. She wasn't old enough to play too many games but she liked the show and kept asking for the mouse to come back.

Myla has adjusted well to her new daycare and we are working on a new daily routine. Bed time has become a bit of a challenge but hopefully it won't last too long.

Some super exciting news - this morning Myla peed in the potty! She has sat on it a few times the past few days and tried really hard to go and today we finally had success again.

Fun Stuff!

2010-05-07T12:49:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to our move back to Houston this weekend - well at least excited about the idea but not the actual moving. We will miss Colin during the week but I'm sure he's not too unhappy about all the video games he will get to play and all the space he will have in the bed. I've been busy packing and trying to sneakily pack some of Myla's stuff. She has noticed a few things missing and asked for them but lost interest soon after.

We have been having trouble with Myla at bed time for the last week. She just won't stay in her bed. Monday and Tuesday night it took her over an hour to finally go to bed. On Wednesday night she finally went and got in our bed and fell asleep while we were in the living room watching tv. Thursday night she didn't fuss much; however, we found her on the bedroom side of the hall gate in a deep sleep when we got up to go to bed ourselves.

Myla and I went down to the pool for the first time this summer on Wednesday afternoon. She found a hairband in the bathroom and put it on all by herself. Her left ear is completely folded over but she wounldn't let me fix it because she had done it herself. She wore it like that the whole time we were at the pool. This by the way is one of the wonderful faces she makes when you say "smile".

We picked up some flowers at the grocery store the other day and Myla really likes them.

Myla helped me pack up some of my clothes Wednesday and she fell in love with my pink slipper socks. She put them on all by herself and then shoved her feet into some shoes. The shoes are on the wrong feet but again she would not let me fix them. All she needs is an 80's aerobic leotard, some high top reeboks, and sweatbands.

Weekend Fun!

2010-05-02T12:39:00.000-07:00

Uncle JR and Aunt Alysia came for a visit this weekend. We had lots of fun and were happy for the company. We took a lunch cruise on the Steamboat Natchez, took a trolly ride, had a great dinner, and went to Nottingham Plantation.

The boat captain called out the docking instructions to the crew using a megaphone.

We had ice cream and sno-balls in Metairie.

Riding the trolly car on the way back from dinner.
Nottingham Plantation. One of the largest public plantations. It was beautiful.

The white ballroom

Myla playing in the gardens

We will be spending the rest of the week packing and getting ready for our move back to Houston.

We'll be back!!!

2010-04-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Life has taken a crazy turn in the last few weeks and we will be moving back to Houston. I got confirmation that I have a new job and will be moving back to Houston with Myla in two weeks. Colin will stay in Louisiana for a little while but will eventually join us. I start my new job on May 12th and Myla will start a new daycare on May 10th. This will give me a couple of days to get us both settled. In the meantime I will be packing and finding my replacement at work here. We'll see you in a couple of weeks!

Florida!!

2010-04-19T14:33:00.000-07:00

On Friday afternoon Colin came home from work and asked if we wanted to go to Florida for the weekend. I said if we could get something cheap I would love to go. Well we found a great hotel for $60, made the reservation and packed to leave Saturday morning. We woke up at 8:30 and started our 4 hour drive to Destin, FL. This was Myla's second trip to thebeach but the first one she ended up sick.

We stayed at the Courtyard Marriott in the Sandestin area which gave us access to shuttles, restaurants, shopping and a georgous beach. We had such a relaxing, great time it felt like we were there for several days.

Sunday on the drive back home we stopped in Pensacola to visit Fort Pickens. We were lucky and it was a weekend of free entrance fees.

The beach view inside the park. If you go to Pensacola it is pretty busy and croweded on the beaches. If you go into the park for Fort Pickens it is much less crowded.

Myla loves to pick flowers and put them behind her ears.

Family picture at one of the larger cannons.
The first hour at the beach Myla spent most of the time on the blanket. She was a little grossed out by sand sticking to her feet at first and kept calling it "messy" but then got over it and started digging and playing in it.

We went to a super cute shopping center near our hotel with a ton of activities and restaurants. It was really family friendly. The residents and extened stay vacationers drive around in golf carts instead of cars. One guy just really has too much money and time on his hands. He had spinners on his golf cart.

Just sitting in a huge chair.

Colin and Myla walking out to the water. She was a little scared of the waves but finally on Sunday would hold our hands and let us swing her in the waves.

Playing in the sand

Myla had her 2 yr check up this afternoon and is:

23.6 lbs - 10th percentile

34" tall - 50th percentil

A new cousin and a new haircut

2010-04-06T19:10:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to welcome Addison Lynae Dubose born Monday morning. She was 8 lbs and 19.5 inches. A beautiful little girl.

We told them to make a silly face

Aunt Cindy did a great job cutting Myla's hair. We had to turn on a Barney dvd and bribe her with candy.

The back

Super cute new haircut

We are enjoying our stay in Devine and Myla loves to go for walks in the field with Grandma. She constantly asks for Charles and Amber and has had so much fun playing with them. We spent today with Aunt Cindy and then she got to play with cousin Taylor this afternoon. We will be having more fun the rest of the week before our trip back home.

Easter

2010-04-06T18:50:00.001-07:00

We had a fantastic Easter getting to hunt eggs with cousins at Aunt Mary's house and Grandma Calame's.

Myla copying Charles while trying to get an egg high in the tree.

Myla's first ice cream cone

Checking out the chickens

Swinging with Claire

Sharing eggs

Two young girls in the country

Bluebonnets

Happy Birthday Party

2010-04-06T18:29:00.000-07:00

We had Myla's birthday party on Saturday in Devine and had a great time. Thank you to everyone that was able to join us for cake, presents and egg coloring.

Playing with her new Dora book with Claire.

Myla's response to "Happy Birthday to You"

Testing out her new bike

Waiting for her guests to arrive

Playing with Grandma Calame and Grandma Goodnight

Pre Easter Party

2010-04-01T13:29:00.000-07:00

Flowers are in bloom everywhere. Myla and Colin picked these out of our front yard.

Today Myla had an Easter party at daycare complete with egg hunt. They said she had a really great time and caught on very quickly. She was very concerned trying to get eggs before everyone else and kept dropping them while looking over her shoulder. Here she is before school.

After school looking through all her goodies.

She finally discovered there were treats inside the eggs. Here she is trying to get the wrapper off a chocolate egg.

She acted like it was a mistake when she got some of the wrapper off until I told her it was ok and to take off the rest.

We can't wait to see everyone this weekend for Myla's birthday, the real Easter, and to welcome Myla's new cousin.

Camping

2010-03-28T14:32:00.001-07:00

We decided to take a last minute camping trip this weekend and invited Mark, Merissa, and Jack to join us at Chicot State Park. The camping went really well, especially considering there was a 12 month old and a 23 month old. Friday night was pretty cold in the mid fifties but Saturday and Sunday were beautiful. We saw lots of armadillos and the racoons came out at night forcing us to put up all our food.

Checking out the fishing pier.

Playing in the new tent.

Mark, Jack, and Merissa hiking at the Louisiana State Arboretun.

Swamp

Myla climbed her first tree. She got pretty high with Colin's help.

Myla and Jack seemed to really like camping with only a few melt downs and despite Myla's obsession with claiming all toys as "mine" and hoarding them. The difference in packing for a camping trip for the two of us vs with a toddler and dog is huge but it was all worth it.

Go Hornets!

2010-03-23T12:42:00.001-07:00

Myla loves a sing-a-long video that has disney characters in costume doing various things at Disneyworld and singing songs. She really loves to put on a dress and imitate some of the same dances that Minnie Mouse, Alice in Wonderleand, and Mary Poppins do in one song. Minnie wears a blue and white polka dot dress and Myla loves it. We went to the outlet stores in Gonzales (really we were there for Cabellas) and Myla saw this blue and white polka dot dress in The Children's Place and had to have it. We tried it on her in the store and she wouldn't take it off. They had to ring it up while she wore it out of the store over her clothes. As soon as we got home she wanted to wear her dress and watch "Min Mouse".

Myla in her Minnie Mouse Dress riding the bus

Target sponsors a free day at the Louisiana Children's Museum one Sunday a month so we went for a visit. Myla had a great time and ran around non-stop.

"Big" kids

Mr. Roger's neighborhood

Monday night we had tickets to the New Orleans Hornets basketball game. When we got home from work we told Myla we were going to the basketball game. She ran to the other room, grabbed a plastic softball and tried to dribble it on the kitchen floor. She had a great time at the game. I think the high seats had her a little nervous at first but she watched the whole game and waved around her Hornet's blow up stick. She clapped for them and loved seeing the mascot. This morning when I woke her up she rolled over and said "Go Hornets". Then she told me "pretty dress mom".

Birds at the Park, "Chalking", and Talking

2010-03-15T11:29:00.001-07:00

With the gorgeous weather we have spent lots of time outside. I took Myla to the park and she had a blast chasing all the birds. Here she is sneaking up on a big flock on the ground.

Luckily we were able to avoid all the mud.

We have been "chalking" a lot and our sidewalks are covered. Myla especially likes for me to trace her body or shoes all over the place. She also like to color over any stains or old gum on the sidewalk.

We rotated some of Myla's toys around the house and she has been fixated on her blocks for the last week. She can build pretty high now. I started this one up to her knees and she built the rest. After she got this last block on it fell over. She also builds by color and will put all the blue in one tower and all the pink in another. And this is her favorite dress. She requests it almost daily calling it her "dancin dress".

Sunday afternoon Myla was watching an episode of Dora and Colin and I were having a conversation at the computer behind the couch. Dora ended and Myla turned around and said "More Dora". I said "No, in a minute you are going to ask Dad to take us to get some candy from the store." She turned around and sat for a minute while we talked some more. Then all of a sudden she popped back up and said "Dad, take mom store for more candy". It was awsome and Dad could not resist. We loaded up, went to the store and then to the park to swing.

She loves to say "mornin" and tells Cannon, "Myna took a bath" everytime she gets out of the tub.

23 Months Old

2010-03-08T18:51:00.000-08:00

We took another trip to Houston this past weekend to attend our little friend Jack's 1st birthday party. We had a great time and it was the first time we had all three of these little guys together. Brooklyn is 5 months, Jack is 12 months, and Myla is 23 months. Not one of them wanted to cooperate with the picture taking and this was the only one I got of all three at least facing one direction.

Sunday we got to spend the entire day with Uncle JR and Aunt Alysia. Myla really enjoyed all the activity as well as the company. She shadowed JR and Alysia throughout the day. We went fishing, played at the park, ate lunch and then got to visit with Grandma Goodnight for a bit before leaving.

After breakfast we went outside to help Colin and JR fish. Myla finally touched the fish but it was just a real quick poke.

Just fishin'

Myla inspecting Uncle JR's newspaper catch.

Colin decided to try using a worm for bait and dug one up in the backyard. Myla was excited about it but wouldn't actually hold it.

Hoarding pine cones

"I'll get it" Digging for more worms

Helping Aunt Alysia weed the yard.

Myla remains very active and her level of play is advancing. She loves to put on "pretty dresses" and is picky about which ones are pretty. She can put her shoes on by herself and gets them on the correct feet most of the time. She is starting to imitate our actions more and more. If I am in the kitchen making dinner she will pull out the mixing bowls and big spoons and stir them up. One night when we were cleaning up toys before bed and Colin was sitting on Myla's little chair putting dominoes from the floor into the domino box. Myla looked at him then pulled the other chair over, sat in it and tried to reach the floor to put up dominoes just the way he was.

Another advancement has been the ability to open doors on her own. Our door knobs are just a little bit higher than usual so it hasn't been a problem until now. One night last week Colin and I started watching a movie after she had been put to bed. After a while, she started shaking her door around and we just figured she would end up going back to bed as usual. Then the door made a funny sound and I sat up thinking it had been opened. We muted the movie and waited a minute but did not hear anything. We started watching the movie again and all of a sudden Myla was sneaking down the hallway and peeking her head around the doorway to the living room. She said "Mom???", saw us and smiled real sweetly. The next night we did not have an escapee, however Monday morning she got up and let herself out again.

The most wonderful new thing happened today. For a couple of weeks Myla will sometimes respond back to "I love you" at bedtime with her own version with a very clear I and You but mumbled love in the middle. Today however she came over to me in the kitchen and hugged my leg. A few minutes later she asked to be picked up for a hug. I picked her up and she hugged me and said, "hugging", "I love you". It was completely unprompted and so sweet.

Weekend Fun

2010-03-01T15:33:00.001-08:00

Myla's 2 year old picture.

I was using our printer and took a break. When Colin came home we tried to start printing again but paper would not feed. After 1.5 hours of Colin's persistance he found the culprit - chocolate. Myla and I had eaten a Hershey bar earlier in the day. Usually I only give her a small corner off a few pieces but that day I left her unattended for a few minutes. Lesson learned. Thank goodness the printer doesn't get hot.

The culprit........

We took a trip to Houston so that I could spend some time with my Mom, brothers, and

sisters-in-law while Colin helped his siblings and Mom clean out her garage. We had a great time and it was nice to get to see so many in one trip. While we were at the Goodnight house waiting for everyone to show up Colin found some "treasures" in the garage. He was well prepared. survival backpack, milk jugs, fishing rod, walking stick, paddle, canteen, and snorkel.
Myla can recognize all her Aunts, Uncles, and Cousins by name but sometimes refuses to say them. She was refusing to call Uncle Dunor by name until he brought out his jerkey. Then she was his shadow and there was no shortage of "Dunors".

While Myla and I were out with the girls on Saturday afternoon she kept saying and pointing to Aunt Brittany sitting in the third row seat when we would ask her to name someone or even just randomly. Then when we were drivng back home late Sunday night she pointed behind her and asked for Aunt Brittany again. I had to explain that Aunt Brittany was at her house with Macy, Brooke, and Ellie, sleeping. It was so cute.

Sunshine!

2010-02-21T13:45:00.000-08:00

The weather has finally been a little nicer so we were able to go to the zoo again this week. Saturday was perfect weather. It was sunny and cool. All the animals were out and Myla ran all over the zoo.

Earlier in the week I took Myla to the park to play outside. She really loves to climb and slide. Running non-stop is also very entertaining for her as well.

Myla's usual routine in the morning is to watch cartoons and eat her breakfast while I finish getting ready. She likes a variety of foods for breakfast from cereals to pancakes. One morning I walked back into the living room and she had Pops cereal stuck all over her face. Some fell off before I could get a picture. I guess she figured out how to lick and stick them to herself and they have now become a favorite snack.

I think we have settled on a birthday party date of Saturday, April 3 in Devine. As soon as details are finalized I will be sending out invitations.

More Parades Please

2010-02-14T16:53:00.000-08:00

Currently we are working on picking up all our toys at the end of they day and it is going well for the most part. Myla's helpfulness is sometimes a little frustrating - like when I am trying to mop the floor and she is trying to mop me.

Terrible twos are an every day occurence now. Myla is trying to use whining and fussing to get what she wants but so far it isn't working. She cried for almost 30 minutes on Wednesday trying to get me turn on the tv. She tried to do it herself but couldn't get the movie she wanted. After several attempts to distract her with toys and other activities I just gave up and ignored her. She finally gave up but first punched me in the leg and then sat down to look at a book quietly. She would not let me join her. She said "back, back Mom" so I just left her alone.

She also wants to do more things by herself and throws some pretty good fits when it doesn't work out.

We still color almost every day at home and at school. She is starting to get pretty good at coloring specific shapes.

We tried finger paints for the first time this week and she has asked for it every day since.

Myla had a Valentines day party at daycare and came home with lots of goodies. I was the only mom that did not send a present for the other kids. Who know a class of 18-24 month old kids would all bring cards, pencils, and cups to give to everyone. A little crazy if you ask me.

We were invited to view the parade from one of the buildings he works for on Saturday night and it was the perfect way to view a parade. There were large crowds and it was pretty cold. We were able to stay in a fenced area with another couple with a 3 yr old boy. We also had access to the warm building when we got too cold. Myla had fun running up and down the whole block and playing with the little boy as the crowds pushed around on the other side of the fence. Eventually there were about 10 people out here with us. We had to watch though to make sure that Myla didn't get hit with any of the trows from the floats. Those beads can really hurt. I got hit in the chest when someone thew a whole plastic bag full of beads and it knocked the wind out of me.

Playing football on the sidewalk

We left with tons of stuff. We had to get a trashbag from the building to carry it all to the car. I never dreamed we would get so much. I laughed when I saw someone with a huge wooden cart on wheels. I take it back.

We weighed our stuff and it turns out to be 37 lbs of beads, footballs, and frisbees. I'm so glad that we started throwing stuff back over the fence to the crowd halfway through the parade. Guess what Myla's 2nd birthday party theme will be

.......Mardi Gras......

Beads for everyone

Today Myla and I went to Target and while we were walking around she kept saying "Avery" to me. Finally we passed an aisle and she said "Mom, Avery" very forceful. I looked over and a little girl from her daycare class was in a basket with her parents and older sister. She smiled, waved and said "Myla". The mother looked at me confused and said, "isn't that Shyanne?" I laughed and told her that Shyanne is the other girl that looks very much like Myla but Avery was correct. If was fun to see them recognize each other out of class and from so far away. After a minute or two they went off to check out and Myla kept looking for Avery every time we went down another aisle.

I got Myla her first umbrella and she played with it while we were in the store. She would say "oh no, rain" and put up the umbrella. Whe we were walking out of the store she said "Mom, raining outside" and grabbed the umbrella again. It did not rain in the store or outside but she was happy just the same.

Colin and I were both shocked this week when she pulled out a basket of toys and said "I'm playing with these toys". It just sounded to complete and grown up.

One more note - I am hoping she is getting closer to peeing in the potty again. Friday each time when she had to go she would say "Oh" and run for Ragedy Ann. We would have to pull off her bloomers, sit her on the potty, wait for Myla to say "all done", get Ragedy Ann off the potty, pull up her bloomers, dump the little potty into the big potty, and then flush. Someday!

All new furniture...well, almost.

2010-02-12T19:44:00.000-08:00

Some excitement tonight and it had nothing to do with Mardi Gras. At 6:30 the power went out in our building. Five minutes later I hear the upstairs neighbors running down the stairs. I went out to see...... they are loaded down with 16 month old kid and bags, out of breath, and I notice it stinks outside. They said "our apartment smells like electrical fire. We called everyone and are loading up in the car for safety."

I immediately grab Myla, dog and stuff the diaper bag, jackets and blankets and put the dog and stuff in the car. I went back inside, got the neighbor to call my cell so I could find it in the dark, and found a flashlight. I called Colin who is working late due to the parades for the next few nights and let him know what was going on - Well as much as I knew anyway.

I went back in and grabbed a few more essentials. By this time the electric company arrived. One minute later fire dept with 3 trucks arrives. They went upstairs to inspect the apartment and knocked on everyone's doors. We stood out in the cold watching while they worked. They determine that the problem is on the outside elec box for the building which is located near the upstairs neighbor's apartment and they may not be able to fix it tonight. I called our other neighbor and left them a message so they would not come home and have no power.

The fire department let us know it was safe to go in our apartments but informed the upstairs neighbor that they should let theirs air out for a while. I went back in and found some candles and a lantern. A few mintues later I invited them in so the kids could play and they could stay warm. Danielle and Izzy (mom and son that live upstairs) came in while her husband and 16 yr old stayed outside to watch what was going on. The kids played for a good two hours. We have met them after they moved in two months ago but never really got to talk to them much. It will be nice to have a little kid so close to play with when Myla gets bored with me.

About 9:30 pm Danielle and her husband decided to go eat somewhere and check around to see if there were any vacancies at nearby hotels just in case. Just 10 minutes after they left the power came back on so I called to let them know. We were instructed that it is a temporary fix and to use minimal electricity - no thermostats over 68 degrees and only lights for the room you are in, no dishwashers or hairdryers, etc. This was at 9:50 pm. Myla is happy and watching Dora before going to bed now. I am thankful for my husband and his emergency prepardness type of mind rubbing off on me a little. In two seconds I processed the emergency, had a plan, and was in execution mode. All ready to grab the box of important documents, cpu, and baby necessities before everything else went up in smoke.

As I emptied the diaper bag that I stuffed just before walking out the door with Myla the first time, I see that these are the things that I had packed as last minute essentials - extra diapers, juice, milk, cup, hat, bag of chewy chocolate chip cookies.

They will be back at 7am to turn the power back off and finish with a permanent fix.

I am grateful for renters insurance even though we didn't have to use it. It made the waiting a lot less stressful. It would not be easy to replace everything, but it was great and even comforting to know we were as prepared as possible for such a situation.

Parade!

2010-02-07T09:57:00.000-08:00

Friday night we went downtown to see a New Orleans Mardi Gras Parade. This one was themed with nursery rhyme stories so it was very fitting for Myla. She had a great time and started yelling "catch it" to everyone when the beads were bing thrown from floats. She really like to King on his float. She talked almost the entire time but we could hardly hear her for the crowds, bands, and wind.

It was a chilly, windy night but fun.

Myla with all her "pretties"

This week we had a day of really nice weather so we we took Cannon for a walk in the afternoon. While I was getting Cannon's leash Myla put her bear and Berney in the stroller then she climbed into the basket underneath.

Myla has started playing in her room at night when we put her to bed. I guess she was much too wound up last night from the parade because she played in there for just over an hour. When we finally went to bed and checked on her she had a bed full of toys.

Miss Myla is turning into such a little girl. She has started shrieking at anything that excites her. She talks almost non-stop on some days. I took her to the book store with me on Wednesday and she was talking so much and so loudly that it started to border more nuisance rather than cute to the other customers. She yelled out every color she saw, any character she could name, and any action she did. It was full of "Blue....Chair...Cat...Run...I got it....What a mess....pick up....white....mountain.......come on mom......boooooks......more booooks....kids.....more kids......etc.

I painted Myla's toe nails on Friday and she thought they were so pretty. She also likes to mimic everything I do in the bathroom. She even pretends to put in contacts, fights me for water in the sink to wash the imaginary soap off her face, and uses my makeup brushes to put on her "makeup".

I bought us all some new clothes this week and when I pulled hers out of the bag she got all excited and would say "oooh, pretty" and spin them around on the hangers or do twirls. She even tried some on and then we had to dress Elmo in some new pretties as well.

Let's Start Partying!!!!

2010-01-31T14:51:00.000-08:00

The New Orleans Area is full of energy as we start the festivities for Mardi Gras and get ready for the Super Bowl. Places such as daycares, schools, and businesses are announcing closures for Monday after the super bowl whether they win or lose. On the news Friday night they started warning people that plan to go to Florida for the game about the rules - which I though was pretty funny. Amazing that they have to warn residents of one of the most well known party cities about the limits of partying in another popular party city. Warnings were:

1. Here you can walk the streets with your alcoholic drink but no open containers in Miami

2. Here bars serve 24 hrs but in Miami, only until 3am.

3. No alcohol on the beaches in Florida

4. No tailgating or RV parties where ever you want in Florida

Myla put Colin's shirt on all by herself. She was really proud and danced around in it.

Every time I open the pantry Myla tries to steal something from it. Thursday I went to put my selection down on the counter and when I turned around this is what I saw. Good thing she wasn't strong enough to open that jar of brown sugar.

Sunday we went to the Little Rascals parade in Metairie. Myla got a few beads and enjoyed some of the floats once she got over all the noise.

Saturday night Colin was giving Myla a bath and she counted to three all by herself when playing with some toys. Of course by the time I got in there to hear it she refused to do it again. Then Sunday morning we were playing with her "CuCakes" (Strawberry Shortcakes memory card game) and she just counted to five unprompted and unassisted. It was amazing.

At daycare they have been working on everyone's names. They make the kids call each other by name and it is really cute to hear them say "bye Shyanne" and "hi Myla".

Myla has developed quite a sense of humor. She likes to tease us and call us different names and just giggles. She will point to her baby and say "Mom" and then point to me and say "baby". When I correct her she starts giggling and can hardly repeat it again. She will mix "Mom" and "Dad" and just laughs like crazy when we act confused or angry when we correct her.

Short Trip

2010-01-23T18:23:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun filled week. Myla and I spent all day together Monday and she wore me out.

Friday afternoon had to go to Alexandria, La so Myla and I decided to go with him. We left late in the evening for the three hour drive. Saturday morning Myla woke up early so she and I went down for breakfast and ran around the hotel for a while while Colin slept in a little since he worked late after our arrival. Myla went up and down the stairwell four times before I called it quits. Three flights of stairs over and over very slowly at 8:00 am was not so my idea of a Saturday morning.

Afterwards we went to the Alexandria zoo and had a good time. We saw a black panther, bald eagles, huge turtles, lots of alligators, and more. Myla walked the whole way and towards the end kept wanting to sit on the rails with teddy bear for a rest. Lately she is attached to a different stuffed animal or babydoll every day. They must sit beside her in the car on the way to daycare and she asks for them when we walk out of daycare at the end of the day.

Her favorite at the zoo was a jeep. She did not want to leave it.

Myla put a shirt on all by herself for the first time this week and can put on some of her shoes as well. She is starting to actually sing some of the lyrics in some songs and repeats everything we say. She loves to dance and can do the hokey-pokey.

On our way home from daycare we pass by the East Jefferson General Hospital and they have a huge sign on the side with a big green apple. Myla signs apple and yells it over and over every time we pass by. Friday morning on the way to daycare we passed by the building but you cannot see the sign from that direction. She recognized it as the same building and yelled out apple, apple.

I think I should just create a template for posts with a medical update section. Friday when I picked Myla up from daycare they asked if she had eaten anything different or I changed detergents because after nap time she woke up with a bit of a rash. They showed me the spots which weren't too bad and mainly on her inner thighs and lower back. We discussed possible causes and went over her morning activities and those of the day before. By the time I got home there were a few more with some on her stomach, neck, and arms and were beginning to look like hives. I took all her clothes off to keep an eye on it and they became more swollen but no fever. I gave her benadryl and it seems to slow the progress. Saturday morning they had developed into large welps and covered most of her stomach, both knees, ankles, back of her neck and underarms. We are keeping her on benadryl and hopefully they go away soon.

Happy Birthday Colin!

2010-01-17T19:01:00.001-08:00

We had a fun weekend to celebrate Colin's birthday. I secretly arragned for Mark, Merissa, Jack and David (we missed Stacey and Brooklyn) to come for a suprise visit this weekend and it worked out really well. They all showed up at our door late Friday evening and Colin was happy and suprised to see them all. I have never been able to keep a secret from Colin and this one just about drove me crazy.

Myla and Jack got along pretty well. We weren't sure what to expect because they each ended up at the doctor's office Friday morning for fevers. Both were diagnosed with double ear infections. It could have been a disaster of a weekend but they both remained in good moods and active.

Jack 10 months and Myla 21 months taking a bath Friday night.

Reading a bedtime story together.

Jack brought his radio flyer cart and was so cute pushing Myla around.

Saturday morning we had another suprise for Colin. His mom arrived about 10:30 am to spend the day with us and babysit. We had breakfast then went to the World War II museum. After that it was back home to play with the kids and all went out to dinner at Zea's. After dinner we went to Bourbon street and had a really great time. We met some interesting people, drank a little too much, and listend to some Big Al Copeland. We had an interesting cab ride home and the babies slept in a little on Sunday.

Overall it was a perfect weekend made possible by Joan and her babysitting.

Cannon trying to sneak a seat in Myla's chair.

Burrrrrrr!!!

2010-01-10T19:41:00.001-08:00

We've had a cold week just like everyone else so we didn't get out and do very much. Myla continues to like daycare and seems to learn so much every day.

When I picked Myla up on Thursday the daycare owner stopped me at the sign in table to tell me that she had to tell me the cutest story. They are transitioning a girl named Brooke that Myla used to play with in her old room into Myla's room. They brought her in for a couple of hours so she could start getting used to the new older kids and teachers for this coming week. The owner said that when they walked in the room Brooke immediately saw Myla and yelled out "My Myla, My Myla" and ran over to give her a hug. They haven't seen each other in a couple of months but they still recognized each other. Brooke stayed by Myla's side the entire time she was visiting and even scooted her chair closer to Myla for snack time. They said it was the cutest thing. I can't wait to see what happens this week.

With the change in weather Myla's hair gets crazy when she plays in her tent and sits in her chair. Most of it blends with the chair but it was funny to watch anytime she moved or got off the chair her hair would stick out in the direction of the chair.

Being inside so much made us get a little creative. She had fun turning her tent upside down and then we would sing "row, row, row your boat" while she stuck her arms and waved them out the doors.

Myla has discovered that she likes mittens and gloves. She kept calling Colin's gloves "hands". She would put them on and walk around with her massive new hands and wiggle her fingers.

Myla has started to sing several songs and says so much even using three word sentences now. We discovered today that she knows both our names which suprised me for some reason. She is starting to play pretend with her dishes and fake food. She puts it on plates and sets her bears down in chairs to eat. She loves to bring us food as well. She has also started to assert her independence more and even thrown a few fits.

Happy 2010!

2010-01-04T18:38:00.000-08:00

New Year's Resolutions

Learn to take clothes off by myself

Make sure all toys are on the floor everyday

Cover my body in bright orange highlighter so that when it is washed off I look like I used a bottle of self tanner on my arms and hands.... CHECK

Watch Dora 24/7

Read a big book

.....Watch Dora and read a big book at the same time......CHECK

We had a fun New Year's eve in Houston with the Goodnights and enjoyed the visit with Maggie and Martha. Myla stayed up to ring in the new year but we went back to JR and Alysia's to put her to bed soon after. She had lots of fun drawing with Aunt Alysia, playing with Uncle JR and making Grandpa Goodnight watch Barney.

I think we have been traveling a little too much though because Myla was missing home and asking for it every evening. When we got home Saturday night she was so cute and happy when she woke up in the transfer from car to bed. We were really happy because she slept until 11:30 am Sunday. She was so hyper and excited all day playing around the house Sunday we just couldn't get enough of her joy.

New Year's day we went with the Goodnights to the Cushman's New Years party and Myla found instant friends in three young girls. She saw them playing in the back yard and ran right up to them to say hi. Then she started running from the porch to each one and giving them hugs. They were so sweet and ran circles in the yard chasing her.

Running back from a hug.

New Year's Eve with Alysia, Maggie, Martha, and JR.
This morning when I woke Myla up she was still half asleep and started calling out "Brooke, Brooke". When we were at Matt and Brittany's she kept trying to get their smallest dog Brooke to sit with her in the chair and yelling her name. She must have been dreaming about her when I walked in the room. Uncle Matt also made a pile of leaves for Myla to run through and she really enjoyed it once she got the hang of it.

We also learned that Myla can say her own name now and verbalizes her actions. For example she will say"knock" when she knocks on a door or "kick" each time she kicks something.

Merry Christmas to All

2009-12-28T11:38:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas traveling to Devine and Houston. It was great to see everyone and Myla really enjoyed all the activity. Cannon also had a good time but our poor city dog is a bit wimpy in the country. He followed me out to the monster bonfire the boys had built and couldn't make it back to the house because his paws were so full of stickers. Colin had to carry him back and we had to pull them all out.

The best Christmas present of all wasn't even a present for me. It was a Ragedy Ann doll just like the one my mom had made for me when I was little. When we had our Christmas in New Orleans I had thought about my old doll and told Colin I wondered what ever happened to it. I had also looked at a few in the toy stores but could not bring myself to buy one. I had no idea the whole time that my mom had found her old pattern (over twenty five years old) and was making one for Myla the whole time. I remember my doll so well and was so excited to have a doll bigger than I was. Now Myla has the same doll (also bigger than she is) and I am so excited.

Aunt Cindy opening her gifts

Aunt Edna playing with Charles new video game

Myla, Amber and Colin putting together Myla's tent. They had lots of fun playing in it together.

Myla became so attached to Amber while we were in Devine. They played together for hours. She even asked for her several times after we had left Devine for Houston and again on the way home to New Orleans.

It is so much fun now that she remembers everyone and is even becoming attached. She knows all her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins by name now. I just love the way her sweet little voice sounds when she calls one of their names. It will be bittersweet when she begins to pronounce them all a little better.

Myla was generous with her hugs and couldn't stop loving on Amber. She just followed her around trying to be involved in anything Amber was doing. Amber was so sweet and patient helping and playing with Myla. She is going to make a great big sister when her new little sister arrives in a few months.

Hugging Charles

Charles studying a gift

The day after Christmas we woke up early and went to Colin's cousins' house in Pearland for breakfast. Then we went back to Grandma and Grandpa Goodnight's house for another family Christmas. We enjoyed the visit and look forward to New Year's eve.

Uncle Darren, Aunt Alysia, and Uncle JR

Grandpa Goodnight, Aunt Mary Beth, and Grandma Goodnight

Myla was so excited about her new tent that I wanted to share the video.

Fun Week

2009-12-20T20:48:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun filled week playing with all our new toys. Myla enjoys her new house and loves for us to climb inside with her for a visit. Even Cannon has gone in a couple of times.

Earlier in the week we went to City Park where they had a large display in the kids area and botanical gardens set up with decorations and lights for the holidays. It was really cold but she still had fun. She even got to ride the carousel for the first time.

Giant Poinsetta tree

Running around

Myla has been fighting a cold for several days and Thursday night it started to get worse so we went to the doctor on Friday. She got an antibiotic to prevent the development of another ear infection and we were told to give her a tiny amount of cough medicine and allergy medicine at night for a couple of days. She was pretty snotty and miserable most of Friday afternoon. Friday night she was really tired earlier than usual and curled up on the floor and went to sleep on her own. She was feeling much better by Sunday.

Myla is really enjoying all the traditional toddler songs. She is learning all the hand motions and starting to sing them on her own as she plays around the house. She is starting to dance with her stuffed animals and wants us to dance as well.

Merry Christmas in New Orleans

2009-12-12T15:58:00.001-08:00

Playing hide and seek with Myla is lots of fun. Where is Myla??

Boo!

We bought a new computer desk and chair this week and Myla had lots of fun with the boxes. Even Cannon joined in the fun.

Since we will be out of town for Christmas we decided to have it early at our house this year. Good thing Myla can't tell any of the kids at daycare about it yet and doesn't know how to read a calendar.

"Christmas Eve"
We made peanut butter cookies for Santa.

Then we set them out for Santa. Of course we had to do a taste test. We made sure to put out M&M's for Mrs. Clause.

"Christmas morning"

Myla slept until 10:00 AM which was really nice for Mom and Dad.

She went straight for her new little cottage to check out the toys. Later when we put the side together to make it like a tent she made both Colin and I get in to play. Not all at the same time though.

Shooting a few hoops

Then on to the wrapped stuff

T-ball. Mom needed a present that would keep Myla and Colin busy.

Cooking up some breakfast.

The aftermath....Hurricane Myla

We had a great morning. Then went to the mall to thank Santa for our presents and a little lunch. Our plan was to see the wonderful light display at City Park in the evening but it has been pouring outside since about 4:00PM. Myla has been playing with all her new toys for hours. Hopefully the newness doesn't wear off too soon!

In other news this week.... Myla had her first big booboo at school caused by a flying toy that resulted in an "ouch" report. It left a small mark on her cheek but she toughed it out. Myla is continuing to expand her vocabulary and starting to become easier to understand. We learned a few new signs as well. I was told that she figured out the cots for naptime at school are bouncy and taught the others how to use them as a trampoline. She has been moved to the floor for naptime.

We can't wait to see everyone again soon!

December - 20 Months Old

2009-12-06T18:58:00.000-08:00

We are getting in the holiday spirit at the Calame/Goodnight household. Saturday we went to pick out our Christmas tree and Myla got to experience this fun for the first time. It was a little cold but we had hot breakfast in our bellies.

We found it! The perfect one.

Our little helper likes to get in the middle of everything. She was very curious about what daddy was doing under the tree.

After putting on the lights Myla was able to help decorate. Non-breakables on bottom, please

Sunday evening we went out to dinner and then to see a wonderful light display at one of the local parks. There were lots of displays including a windmill, train, hot air balloons, huge candy canes, christmas tree, raindeer and of course, papa noel. There was one section set up as a walking tour and another as a drive through. Myla really enjoyed it. We are looking forward to the much larger display complete with lighted train ride in City Park next week.

Snowman

Myla wanted to go back to see the train from the first time she saw it and was not willing to delay her return to it for any pictures. Through the whole tour she kept saying "too-too".

Myla has really started talking this past week. She mimics almost anything we say and is pretty much obsessed with Dora the Explorer. She has been eating much more this past week so I think we are in a growth spurt, not to mention energy burst. We ran and danced around the house so much this week I was actually sore from the activity. Myla likes to shake hands and loves to cuddle with Cannon. She climbed onto his bed and snuggled up with him a few mornings while I got ready for work. She plays pretend with her dolls by putting them to bed and making sure they have blankets, sitting them at her small table and feeding them, reading them a book, and even consoling them or making them dance. It is so precious. I cannot wait until she gets to play with some of her new Christmas presents.

I have been fighting a cold all week and now Colin and Myla have caught it. Hopefully they get well soon.

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T13:54:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and got to see both the Calames and Goodnights. Wednesday morning we woke up early, packed the car and got on the road. We stopped in Houston to visit with Grandma Goodnight for a few minutes at work then went to Herman Park to play and watch the trains with Aunt Mary Beth. After lunch we got back in the car and headed for Devine.

We ate delicious food at Grandma Calame's on Thursday and got to visit with Great Grandpa Heiman and Great Grandma Betty. Later that evening we went to Great Aunt Susan's house to see more of the Calames.

Myla and Claire had fun playing with the bubbles.

Friday we spent more time with family and went to the ranch to see Great Aunt KK and Great Uncle Tommy's new house.

Aunt Edna and Myla at the ranch

Looking for ducks and birds at the tank

Myla had so much fun playing with cousin Amber. They entertained each other for hours running around the house. I loved it because I actually got to visit with everyone for awhile. Myla even got to jump on the giant trampoline with her cousins for the first time.

Myla and Amber watching a movie together

On Saturday we drove back to Houston, had dinner with the Goodnights then played some games before going to bed.

Myla had so much fun playing and visiting with everyone that she stayed up until midnight most nights we were away from home. I fear that she may be hard to get back into her routine again. She was very excited to be home again and ran around checking everything out when we walked through the door. We had lots of fun visiting everyone an are looking forward to doing it again in a few weeks.

How to dress your friend....

2009-11-22T12:34:00.000-08:00

It feels like Myla became an older child in the last week. Her level of play has really grown and her imagination seems to have really started to develop. She will crawl around the house neighing like a horse for fun and invite her friends over for dinner. Just this week we were joined at the table by an inflatable lion (he didn't like vegetables very much) and a purple dinosaur. Today it was decided that if Barney was going to be potty training with Myla he should wear a diaper too. He also gets lotion at night and sometimes drinks milk.

Myla has been exploring her dresser but has not been able to get any clothes on or off by herself. Usually she ends up with something wrapped over her shoulders or tucked under her neck.

How to get dressed...

First you have to catch the little guy

Then after a considerable struggle the sweater is forced on

Sometimes you have to make it a game. Once suggestion would be peek-a-boo

Another suggestion is to pretend like you want to wear that very special sweater too.

Hummm...It needs a little something more

(yes, Elmo is potty training as well)

Come on Elmo, hats are really fun. Even Myla wears one.

See, now we look great and are ready to go bye-bye.

It seems as though Myla's milk allergy has been the culprit for a rash that has been lingering around due to a virus she had several weeks ago. At the advice of an allergist we have stepped up our efforts to avoid any foods with milk or milk products along with a prescription lotion and antihistamine. We have already seen some improvement and Myla is no longer waking at night due to itchiness. I am amazed at how many products contain milk. We are having to experiment with a whole new world involving soy and label reading.

Some excellent news is that Myla has finally started to put on a little weight in the last month and is now a whole 23 lbs!!!!

Chores

2009-11-17T18:28:00.001-08:00

Myla has started her first chores. Making dinner had become a very frustrating daily task for me because it included the last minute notification of whether or not Colin would be home, figuring out what to cook, Myla screaming or just demanding my attention non-stop and getting under my feet at every turn. We have finally found a solution. Chores. Myla takes all the silverware to the table (one piece at a time) and then any other necessary items that will be needed and cannot be spilled or broken. When she completes this task we move on to feeding Cannon.

Opening the pantry door (with assistance)

Open the bin and scoop out the food. Pick up any dropped pieces.

Walk very slowly and carefully through the kitchen make the turn into the dining room and avoid any toys or other obstacles. Go through the back door and dump the food into the bowl. Oops - a few fell on the deck. Must pick every one of them up.

Washing dishes - Just kidding, she pulled her chair up to the counter to investigate what was up there.

Trying to copy mom's expression.

Myla thought her outfit needed a little something extra. She also put shorts on Elmo's head.

Playing with Daddy

Let's Talk

2009-11-10T18:13:00.001-08:00

We have started the process for potty training and have had moderate success so far. This has caused us to spend much more time at home. Myla was very scared the first time she used her frog potty but is getting more comfortable with the idea. She loves to play with her new potty training doll and will even put Barney on the potty then clap for him when he is "all done". We have made it to the potty in time several times so far but I think this is going to take a while.

Myla is starting to mix using her signs and verbal words to let us know what she wants. She has figured out how to pretend she is asleep as a form of avoidance. She is not very convincing yet but it is really cute. At first she would just close her eyes and turn her head to the side. Today when I said "let's change your diaper" she ran to her room, climbed into her bed, plopped on her stomach, closed her eyes and ignored me. Yesterday when I asked her to pick a book up off the floor she fell to the ground and closed her eyes. She will put her finger to her mouth and whisper "quiet" when we pretend to sleep.

Myla's favorite games right now are stacking blocks really high, running around in her ball pit, dancing, dumping a set of flashcards or box of envelopes all over the floor then trying to put them all back (somehow she always tires of this game after about 15 minutes and it always end with everything still on the floor), emptying all her hair bands on the floor to decorate it with color, and everyday we must color with our markers.

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween to all! We hope everyone had fun. This week Myla learned to say more words and now we are working on aunt, uncle, grandma and grandpa. She can identify more shapes and we are working on colors. Myla requests to color on her markerboard everyday and is getting much better control when drawing.

Pumpkin painting Thursday night.

Earlier today we went to a park to take some Halloween pictures. She loves her butterfly wings and didn't want to take them off Friday night when we tried them on - she kept running up and down the hall and around the house. Here is our butterfly in a tree.

Butterfly running in the park.

After going to the park we went back home and did some trick-or-treating at our neighbor's house. There were four older ladies that had invited us earlier in the week. Here is Myla on our back deck checking out her candy.

Then she got to enjoy some.

And some more....

Earlier in the week we had some rain. Myla wanted to go out and had a little fun. She didn't like actually getting wet so she mostly stayed under the covered part.

We have been working on jumping for months and Myla is really getting the hang of it. The two videos below were taken on 10/25 and 10/30. Now she is trying to jump off anything that is slightly raised off the ground including curbs, door steps, books, or boxes.