New Year's Eve

Last New Year's Eve, we kind of installed a tradition for our little family of visiting lights around town (we went to Zoo Lights). This year, we decided to check out the Blossoms of Lights at the botanic gardens. Yes, it was cold, but we enjoyed all the wonderful paths that were set out for us to see the lights. It was even more fun to see them through a two-year-old's eyes. Cause let me tell you, they move much faster when you are two...

Myla had a blast! She kept saying "run, run, run" all the way through. She would say "this way!" whenever a new path popped up and "more lights" when we would stop for a minute. She made so many people that were walking around us just giggle and enjoy her too. She just loved it. One gal said she was a little pink snowball barrelling though. (I was the one who said we should bring the stroller, although all it did was tag along and keep her with us in the parking garage.)

If you ask me though, I think her favorite part was crunching in the snow with her new snow boots.


Happy 2010!

Homecoming anniversary

Yesterday was the two year anniversary of Myla coming home from the hospital after nine really long weeks. And tonight, we celebrated with her making us a wonderful fruit salad from the kitchen she got for Christmas from Mam-mam and Pop-pop. She was so cute cutting the fruit in half and telling us what it was (pear, orange, strawberry). She was having a lot of fun until real dinner was ready and then we weren't so cool. If I'd been thinking, I would have put together a real fruit salad and maybe that would have appeased her.

Today we went swimming at Aimee's high school pool. I think Myla had more fun watching the divers that Aimee was coaching and critiquing their splashes. (I think she made it hard for Aim to coach too because she does some really cute things, but that's just me...) She did do some great kicks and gliding, worked on her scoops and almost floated on her back. I think we are making progress.

So, we were thinking about how amazing and really inspiring our girl is that in two years, she's ignored the whole born early thing and cruised through every milestone. She talks like nothing else - three and four words in a row sometimes that you can understand! - runs, plays, colors, and gets heavy if you carry her for too long. She also gets antsy and wants to walk, but that's a different story. Two years ago we brought home a tiny four pound baby on oxygen who got lost in her car seat. She's had no setbacks, no real illnesses and reservations about doing things on her own time. Maybe the nurses were right. Maybe we really will have our hands full when she is a teenager...

Merry Christmas

We just got home from a week of joyous Christmas celebrations. Sunday, we played with Witulski cousins and had a great dinner. One of Myla's cousins wouldn't let her down she was having so much fun coloring and playing. Then last night, we played with more cousins running around and playing with new toys. She's a little confused as to how there are so many cousins and they don't all have the same name I think, but she has fun with them just the same.

Today, Myla had the best day, opening presents and playing with her new toys and reading her new books. We had a great day watching her do it all too. She got new beds for her babies, a kitchen, and some very cute outfits. Add in all the Little People stuff and the bath crayons and she was in heaven! She got very good at saying Merry Christmas by the end of the day and it was very cute. John and I got spoiled too - web cams and Cricut cartridges and movies, oh my! - and we certainly felt like little kids again.

We are especially grateful for our families this year. It hasn't been an easy year for us but we always knew that we could count on them to rally around us. We know how important they are to us, and we know we probably don't always tell them but we hope that they know they are. We'll do our best in 2010 to tell them more.

Remember - only 364 days to go till Christmas! Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Stylin'

Myla completed her first round of swim lessons today. She had the best time chasing ducks and kicking. We still need to work on her scoop and the floating on your back parts, but she loved it I think. All morning she went around the house saying "simmin lemmons" and was really excited to put her suit on. I think we'll have to look into the next round once the Y releases their schedule. She even got a pretty yellow certificate to show off - if you could get past the shy part that she's all of a sudden doing with anyone. But once she flashes that smile, you know you are okay.

She's also been a busy girl learning her colors (most things are blue or green, sometimes purple) and counting to ten (even if she does miss a couple of numbers here and there). This week, Myla got to play with one of her East Coast friends, Emma, and teach her the word "no, no" and how much fun it is to run away from mom. That Myla, she's a trouble maker I guess.

We have been counting down to Christmas on our calendar and are very excited to begin the festivities tomorrow with the Witulskis. It will be the first time since she became mobile that she will really get to play with her cousins on that side of the family. They are bigger and older than her, but I think she'll have just as much fun watching them as she will trying to keep up. Or maybe they will just make her laugh cause they are so funny. We'll have to see!

Christmas time is here!!

Yeah for Christmas!! Myla has already taken a liking to this holiday what with the tree and lights and all. She liked Thanksgiving too, it's just that the main mascot is a turkey and gobble gobble doesn't have the same ring to it as ho, ho, ho....Maybe we need to be more creative with T-Day activities and start celebrating them sooner. I don't know, but anyway it's Christmas time!!

Here's just an idea of the fun we had building the gingerbread house together. The dog got a lot of candy off the floor but otherwise, Myla was a big help squeezing out the icing and holding the walls together and especially taking the candy off and putting it back on again then eating it. Look at that mop-top of hair she's got! Time for another trim.

Lately Myla has been reading so many books. She got some from Boynton that she likes a lot and that teach her colors and letters and sounds etc. Recently, we've been reading the Christmas Story book for children about the greatest gift of all during Christmas that of Baby Jesus. She's so cute when she says it too!

This morning while Myla was eating breakfast I was playing a video game and I didn't know she was watching until the car I was driving got stuck and she said, "Uh, oh!" and then something like, "Go Dad-dy!" It was cute. Probly shouldn't let her watch me play GTA IV.....yet anyway. So much fun being a parent.