How could you not love this happy, jam-covered face?

Dinosaur Play Mat

I found this darling easy craft online and decided to make it even though it's not the most girly thing ever.

It's a dinosaur play mat that kids can take in the car or to church with little dinosaur figures to play on. The instructions and some better pictures are here:

http://servingpinklemonade.blogspot.com/2010/06/dinosaur-play-mat.html

It was so incredibly easy- the hardest part was going out to buy wonder under because I didn't have any but the actual process of making it took about an hour. I'm thinking of making a few different scenes like a jungle scene or ocean scene but I'm not sure if I'm creative enough to do it on my own... if anyone is interested in sharing ideas for that let me know!! :)

First Steps!!

You never quite realize how much your child has grown until you see them next to other kids that are younger. We just got back from Utah last weekend where we got to spend time with family, especially the new addition to the Grossarth's! Madison is so cute, and we forgot how tiny babies are when they first arrive!

One of our favorite things about Lyla is her inquisitive personality. She loves exploring and figuring out how things work. Sometimes it means that she's getting into things she shouldn't, but how can you stay mad at such a cute face??? For Christmas we got Rock Band, and for Valentine's day we brought it out to play/sing some love songs. Afterwards we just played around for a bit and Lyla decided to join in on the fun with Mommy!

A few weeks ago Lyla surprised us by taking her first few steps! Paul had taken her out of church because she was getting a little fussy, and when he set her down in an empty classroom she began walking over to one of the chairs! When we got home we quickly set up one of her favorite toys ("Sweet Talkin' Pup" from Hallmark) on the couch and set her loose. She was a little wobbly, but we were so excited! She's gotten a lot better since then, but still prefers to crawl. Right now that's the fastest mode of transportation besides Mommy and Daddy's arms :-)

My husband the hair dresser

I've been complaining for months about my gross dark hair which hasn't been cut or colored since before we moved (meaning almost a year- that's so awful)! Finally Paul had heard enough so he asked me how brave I felt. Then he suggested that we go to Walmart to get hair dye and then he would do the highlights. I was a little worried at first but he did a great job and it's so nice to feel like me again! I don't have a good before picture, but just imagine me with dark hair that always looks greasy and ugly- this is so much better!!

Paul also trimmed the back of Lyla's hair while I held her so she no longer has a mullet! Melaleuca better watch out- if they don't treat Paul well he may just leave to open his own salon. :)

Our early morning:

This is what we were doing this morning at 5: Ok, I guess it's hard to tell but we were wrapped up in blankets watching the super bowl. We didn't want to watch it on Sunday so Paul recorded it and we got up early to finish it before Paul had to go to work.

Don't we look lovely so early in the morning? :) I can't believe I used to get up that early or even earlier for work. My body has gone downhill in the last year- I definitely couldn't handle that anymore!

This picture was from a few months ago but I just found it. We went to Red Robin to celebrate Paul's b-day. Lyla started out in a high chair but before we could even order, she threw a fit until she ended up on our laps for the rest of the meal.

I just love my sweet little squirt! She is growing so fast and constantly changing. She can stand well on her own but hasn't yet had the desire to learn to walk. She loves to either cruise around the house with her speed crawl or she begs me to carry her everywhere until my back aches. She's a picky eater so I hide vegetables in her cereal and find creative ways to get her to get a little protein. It's also really hard to get her to drink milk now that she's switched to cow's milk. Her favorite activity is to sit on my lap in the rocker while I read to her and then if I get tired she turns through the pages of the books over and over. Her favorite time of day is when daddy comes home- she starts clapping her hands and gets a huge grin and screams with joy. So fun!



We took family pictures when Lyla turned 1:
This one's kinda crazy, but I especially love Lyla's eyes. So pretty!

My baby knows how to shimmy!!

Every Valentine's day, my mom gives us little stuffed animals from Hallmark that either sing or say funny things. Lyla loves to play with all four that we have gotten over the years. She sits and hugs them for hours and then has me hug them all. Her favorite is El Toro of Love- a funny red bull- and every time he starts talking, she does this little dance:

She is so hilarious- she's constantly making us laugh with her huge smiles and babbling and little tricks that she learns. She has so much energy, and I love hanging out with her!

Christmas & Wedding

I've been lazy lately and just haven't felt like blogging, but I guess I better post some pictures before it gets too far from Christmas. We had a great 2 1/2 week visit to Utah over Christmas and enjoyed joining in with my family's hectic lifestyle! :) We got there just in time to help with the last minute preparation before my brother Josh's wedding on December 21st. The wedding was in the Manti temple which was absolutely beautiful, especially with the 18 inches of snow that fell the night before the big day! Unfortunately the snow prevented some people from making it to the sealing, but luckily we all stayed in a little bed & breakfast the night before so we all made it. They are such a great couple- I know that they will be so happy together. I'm very excited to get to know Alisha more and to have her in our family!

Josh was so sweet and sang a song to Alisha at the wedding luncheon.

We had a pedicure so that we would have pretty glitter toes for the wedding! Of course no one saw them because it's winter, but we knew that they looked great! :)

After the wedding, we all relaxed a bit and got ready for Christmas. We had a little visit from Santa but Lyla was not extremely excited about that!

I especially loved the red lacy skirts that my mom got to go with Lyla and Kaitlyn's p.j.s.

A sleepy Lyla on Christmas morning

Clapping yay for her new toys after she finally woke up enough to care.

Grandma Rumsey gave her a band set- she loves to shake the rattle and the bell.

After Christmas, we were excited to escape the snow and freezing weather and go to California! It was nice and warm in Palm Desert and we loved the resort we stayed in. It was so nice to wear shorts again and to swim for hours everyday! Grandma stole Lyla for some bonding time:
I want to go back there- this winter has already been way too long! We had a great time being together and relaxing all week.