Ayla Says...

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Daddy: "Oh!"
Ayla: "What's wrong Daddy?"
Daddy: "I just remembered something I forgot to do."
Ayla: "What? Touch a bonfire? Did you forget to do that?"

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Walking upstairs
Ayla: "Daddy won't let me in the playroom because he's on the phone. (Scribbles in her notebook) I'm diagnosing him with 'Can't-come-in-atosis"

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Talking about birthdays
Ayla: "When I turn 5 I think I'm going to get adult presents." (sad face)
Mommy: "What are adult presents?"
Ayla: "You know, things like pictures and forks and spoons."

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Sitting next to me. Leans over and sings in a whisper...
Ayla: "Nationwide is on your side."

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After lunch
Mommy: "Linc are you done with your wawa?"
Ayla: "Mom, it's not wawa. It's water. We need to teach Lincoln the right way to say things."

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Random
Ayla: "Did you know soap makes me a tiny bit nervous?"
Mommy: "Why is that?"
Ayla: "Because when I drink the bath water the bubbles get in my mouth."

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Talking to a friend in the car
Ayla: "I lost my watch but I think it might be in our attic."
Friend: "We have an attic too."
Ayla: "We have 2 attics. One is messy and the other one is even messier."

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Cleaning up her room with Netta (my mom). Ayla kept asking Netta to let her know if she found her watch.
Netta: "Ayla, I didn't find your watch but I did find a toenail clipping."
Ayla: "Oh good! My mom has been looking for that for years!"

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Looking out the window
Ayla: "What a nice day! The birds are singing. The squirrels are out looking for food. The alligators are chomping their teeth..."

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Lovely Lulu

I'm an aunt! I can finally say that and I love the way it sounds. Here she is, my beautiful niece Lulu Sara Greene.

Now let's go back to the beginning and see what I can remember about this day. Because, to be honest, I'm writing this 6 months later and things can so easily get hazy.  Jeff had planned a work trip to San Francisco the week Rhea was due. Admittedly not the best timing, but we were all convinced she would deliver late.  So onto the plane he went. Then Ayla got sick. Not just your typical "mom, my throat hurts" type of sick, but the stomach flu variety. Skip ahead a few days to March 19 and I get a text saying Rhea and Jonathan were in the hospital and the baby was on her? his? way. At this point Ayla was recovering, but was in no shape to sit in a waiting room. Plus, giving all those possible germs to an infant? Forget about it. So the search went out for someone to help. Our babysitter pulled through and I got to visit Rhea.

As I walked up to the front desk to ask for her room number, they glanced at my growing belly and assumed I was there to have a baby of my own. Really? I'm dressed (semi) nice... and CLEARLY not in labor. But I digress. So I walk into Rhea's room and there she is. Smiling. There's music playing. The vibe in that room was so chill. Oh epidural, let's count the ways we love you.

Then there was some waiting, a tasty lunch, a babysitter rotation at home and more waiting. Folks, they don't call it a 'waiting room' for nothing. Every time one of our phones beeped or buzzed all eyes went to the owner. Was it news? Jonathan had taken to texting me so I got a lot of hopeful looks directed my way. Then came the sweet lullaby tinkle played across the maternity wing. It had to be! Something was different about this lullaby. (The hospital would play it each time a baby was born.) Sure enough, Jonathan came walking out with the biggest grin on his face. With a tear in his eye (or maybe more) he announced they had a daughter. A precious girl! A whoop went up and hugs were handed out. We waited a bit more to meet the newest family member, but it was oh, so worth the wait.

Even Dad/Papi got in on the action. Lulu was named after him and although he didn't say it out loud, I could tell he was very touched.

She was wide awake, just taking it all in. Happy to be out in this new world. Then the nurse took her footprints and gave her a bath. She.was.not.happy. And let me just tell you, when Lulu isn't happy, she lets you know.

But then she was wrapped back up- a perfect little package, complete with a bow on top. She fell asleep immediately and we got another peek at the adorableness. I mean, just look at those cheeks!

Three days later we got to visit again. I think she's the perfect mix of Rhea and Jonathan. Lovely Lulu...I heart you.

As I write this, Lulu is already 6 months old!  I'm trying to go in chronological order so I won't add any current pictures but there are lots more to come!

Ayla Says...

Here are the most recent sayings in my continued collection!

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Ayla: "I'm magic like Elsa. And I'm pretty powerful. More powerful than a fire hose."

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As Jeff is reprimanding Lincoln for spitting food.
Ayla: (yelling from the bathroom) "Lincoln! Listen to your father!"


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After seeing a heart I drew.
Ayla: "Oh it's so cute I might just cry!"


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Confusing thoughts
Ayla: "I'm never going to smoke when I'm an adult because I don't want to die..." (thinking) "Is dying bad for you? It's not good luck right? But it is good because you get to see God."

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Going outside

Ayla: "Come on Lincoln. Scoot your patoot."


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At the dinner table
Ayla: "Let's call Netta."
Mommy: "What do you want to talk about?"
Ayla: "I need to talk to her about this house. And God. And love and peace."

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Looking at Calvin
Ayla: "My favorite part of Calvin is his head. And the smallest part of him are his little nipples."


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The day after Easter
Ayla: "Hey Mom, did you hear God last night?"
Mommy: "I didn't. Did you?"
Ayla: "Yes! He said 'I love you'. And it was Easter. Wasn't that a good Easter present?!"


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To Daddy after he worked out
Ayla: "EWWW Daddy! Your stinky. You need a shower young man."


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Playing upstairs before bed.
Ayla: "What's that noise? Is it a monster?"
Mommy: "I think Daddy is home." (Starting to go downstairs)
Ayla: "But Mom! You can't just go downstairs all willy-nilly. It might be a scary monster!"


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Winter Snow 2013

I wanted to post a few pictures of our winter (still in my effort to catch up). It was a very cold winter across the country this year and Charlotte was no exception (although all those Ohio folks got it WAY worse than us.) The first snow of the season started on January 28 right when it began to get dark. Ayla was so excited to see snow there was no way we were going to convince her to wait until morning, so we bundled up the two kids and out they went.

Lincoln didn't quite know what to make of it.  All he knew was that if Ayla was outside, he needed to be also.

He refused to keep his gloves on and paid the price pretty quickly. You can see one is missing in this picture. It's like he couldn't figure out which was worse- wearing these silly things on his hands or feeling his fingers slowly turn to ice.

Ayla thought it would be fun to go on the playset so I was able to snap a few photos before Lincoln decided he'd had enough. The snow turned the slide into a icy human luge.

 

Linc definitely has that "get me off this swing and into the warm house" look on his face. 

When it snowed again in February, we made another trip outside- this one was more of a quick visit, hence the no gloves and hat look.  I knew Jeff would take Ayla out again once the snow accumulated a little more. (They were predicting several inches. It ended up being more than just several inches and we enjoyed a nice city wide snow day!)

All in all it was a very fun winter snow season for Ayla. She and Jeff spent hours outside sledding and stomping around. She and I made a somewhat sideways snowgirl in the front yard, (She insisted it be a girl, not a snowman.) and made countless snow angels together. Lincoln enjoyed endured the ten minutes he spent outside throwing his gloves on the ground. I think he might have more fun next year when he has a better understanding of snow gear :)

Lincoln: 18 months

I'm overdue for a Lincoln check in and as I'm writing this, he is much past 18 months but I needed to post some pictures and jot down some of his oh-so-adorable quirks. The main reason I'm doing this blog is to be able to look back and remember as much as I can. I really think it's impossible for them to grow any faster than they already are!

At 18 months, Lincoln has become Mr. Independent. He loves to stomp off on his own and figure things out.

Sometimes that involves dragging a pink Barbie suitcase around. I have no idea why he deems this a super fun activity...maybe he just likes having something follow HIM around, since he is usually doing the following.  (It's completely empty by the way)  He's taken Barbie in just about every room of our house and corner of the yard.

He has also found his voice- namely when he wants something. Or wants someone to get out of his swing, like in this picture....

Every once in a while, Lincoln will be the one to come up with an idea and Ayla is the one to follow. As I was cooking dinner one night, he pulled every single cookiesheet, cutting board, placemat and cupcake tin out of the cupboard. (It was just one of those battles I wasn't willing to fight.) Then he climbed in and made himself at home. (Ayla then swooped in and added a feminine touch with pillows and blankets.) Leave it up to the girl to cozy up the joint.

Another quirk of my dear, sweet boy is to drink his milk like this.

 

As soon as milk is handed to him, he plops himself on the floor, lays back, and takes it to the face. Daddy originally showed him how to do this when he continued to forgot to tip the cup in order to drink. I guess it made an impression on him, because now he assumes this position for EVERY cup of milk no matter how cold or uncomfortable the floor might be. 

One last toddler quirk, and this is something Ayla did as well. When Lincoln sees Jeff doing push ups, he runs over and jumps on his back.  Jeff, amazingly takes it in stride and continues on- but Linc did it to me the other day and I just about smashed my face on the concrete. Pushups are hard enough without 25 extra pounds!

 This little 18 month old boy has my heart!

We waited a long time to hear Lincoln talk. He still doesn't say much, but here's what he was saying at a year and a half.

Momma
Dadda
Wa-wa (water)
Hot (anything with the slightest temperature is labeled "hot!")
Car

Ayla Says...

Same idea, different title! Just as before, I love writing down the things that come out of Ayla's mouth.  As she gets older, she is coming up with evan more clever ideas, deep questions and just plain funny sentences.

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Ayla: "It's such a nice day! Can we leave the door open a little bit so the nice can get inside?"

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After getting upset with her
Ayla: "Awkward! Umm... Mom? Can you just smile for me?"

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After playing outside
Ayla: "Ugg....I'm so puckered out from working so hard."

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Coming in from preschool
Ayla: "Well, I have good news and bad news. What do you want me to tell you first?"
Mommy: "The good news."
Ayla: "I learned how to eat cereal in the living room without spilling it! And now for the bad news. Elizabeth (a friend at school) bumped her head really really hard. She tripped over a chair that somebody forgot to push in."

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Eating applesauce
Ayla: "The cinnamon in this is so good I can't even stand it!"

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Tucking her in
Mommy: "Goodnight, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite." (Turning to leave)
Ayla: "But wait Mom....bed bugs make me a little bit nervous."

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Random
Ayla: "Hey mom? I think when I'm 46 I'll put my face under water and swim without my swimmies on."

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Playing hide and seek. I was hiding under a blanket.
Ayla: "I see a big tooshie!"
Mommy: "Hey! Don't say that!"
Ayla: "Why?"
Mommy: "Because no one wants to hear they have a big butt."
Ayla: "But Mommy, you DO have a big tooshie!"

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In the car
Mommy: "Father's Day is coming. Do you know who you father is?"
Ayla: "Yes! God! I even know a song about it. (Starts to sing) God our Father, God our Father, Once Again..."

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Random
Ayla: "When the baby is here the Skipper family will have 5 people! Me and Mommy, Daddy, Lincoln and the baby. We will fill up the whole car!

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Eating ice cream
Ayla: "This treat is so good it makes me want to wag my tail and slap my face!"

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Brother & Sister

I remember when Lincoln joined our family, I looked at him hoping and wishing he and Ayla would be good friends one day. Really, that was part of the reason we had more than just one child. A sibling relationship is so special and like nothing else. (I speak from experience.) Ayla loved Linc from the moment he came home, but they couldn't really play together. Recently, things have changed.

My wish came true! One of my favorite things is watching our children laugh and play together. Lincoln looks at Ayla with such wonderment. She is THE coolest thing he's ever laid eyes on. That means, when Ayla dresses him up or asks him to do something, he usually complies. Even if that means wearing a tutu.

 

Can we just see that again? Because I can't get enough of these two. Ayla will stick a tutu on him and then proclaim "We are twister girl and twister boy!" She starts some music and they bop and dance around. (Linc does more of a bounce with a shoulder shake)

These two have become little peas in a pod. Wherever Ayla goes, Lincoln goes.

This was a cold and muddy day but the kids had been cooped up in the house from the rain, so when Ayla asked if she and Lincoln could go stomp in the mud, I just had to say yes.

Ayla likes the mud and muck more than Lincoln (he has a thing about getting his hands dirty), but he had to give it a whirl since Big Sis did.

I'm telling you, the kid will do just about anything to make her happy.  Then he in turn, is happy also.

Until recently, Lincoln wouldn't sit still to listen to books. He'd glance at the page and then take off to find something more interesting.  That is, unless Ayla is 'reading' to him. If she's reading then he's all ears.

I mentally went through a quick list of activities they enjoy together. Ayla leads most of these and sets good examples.  Every now and then something will sneak in that I really wish she hadn't shown Lincoln. Oddly, the golden time of day is from about 6:30-8:00 p.m. Something magical happens during that time and they just can't get enough of each other. (Maybe they know bedtime is right around the corner?)

So glad she has taught/helped Lincoln to:
-listen to books
-play hide and seek
-dance
-kiss
-go down the slide fearlessly
-jump on the trampoline
-play dress up
-hug
-go down the stairs
-use a fork
-swing on the glider
-clear plates after a meal

She should have kept it to herself- How to:
throw fruit (yes, at one point an entire cantaloupe was making it's rounds)
splash hard in the bath (leaky ceiling anyone?)
have a screaming contest
climb out the the bathtub over and over
throw rocks
blow bubbles in milk
stomp on ice cubes (hello danger zone kitchen!)
spit

Let me just say, these two have their moments just like every other sibling set. They scream at each other, Ayla grabs things out of Lincoln's hands and Linc pushes her back in return. They. fight. almost. every. day. But it's usually for a few minutes and then they are happily on their way, searching out the next activity. Twister girl and twister boy: the dynamic duo.

A Key West Christmas

I'm really trying to catch up on our lives, so we're going back in time once again to talk about one of the last things we did in 2013. Normally, you wouldn't be digging in sand in mid December...

We made very last minute plans to take a family vacation, soak up some sun and escape the unusually cold winter (especially for my mom in dad in Ohio). The whole family packed up and flew into Key West, Florida. Yippee! The place we stayed had several pools to chose from so there was lots of this going on.

Ayla finally took the plunge (no pun intended) and faced her fears about jumping in the pool. She's never liked to get her face wet (swim lessons could only go so far without that skill)- so after Aunt RheRhe urged her to try little jumps first, she slowly progressed to these full "frog jumps. Admittedly, I think some bribes were thrown in too, but by the next day- Ayla was jumping in for fun, and not caring a bit if her face went under water.

The boys, er... I mean men, planned a fishing trip one morning. They took a boat out and did some open ocean fishing. I'm writing this thinking that I have no idea what kind of boat they took, or what kind of fishing it actually was. All I know is, they showed up later that afternoon with sunburnt faces, a bag of fresh fish and huge smiles. (We ate the fish that night for dinner and dubbed it "the best food of the trip.") The rest of us spent the morning at the beach. Dad had no interest in getting on a rocking boat, so he tagged along with the women and kids.  (Two of his least favorite things are #1. hot sun with no shade in sight and  #2. sea sickness)

It wasn't exactly your typical beach. Because of the area's topography, this beach had to be man-made and there was very little surf. That meant lots and lots of seaweed and no sea shells. But the sand was soft! Ayla wanted to collect shells, but quickly found an activity that was just as fun. Chasing sea gulls.

Lincoln joined in, but was a little more reserved. Where as Ayla approached it with an "I'll get you birds!" attitude, Linc was more like "you come to me".

Rhea also entertained the kids with her makeshift sand bucket and shovel. Oddly, the Walgreens we stopped at did not sell beach toys. (They said it was out of season!) So she picked up a plate and bowl set and grabbed some plastic spoons. How's that for resourceful?

My dad/Papi took Ayla out past the "gross green stuff" to get to the ocean. Isn't this a sweet picture?

But this one might be my favorite of the day. Gosh, I just can't get enough of my darling girl.

 

And I can't forget this handsome guy.

Another day we took a trip out to Mallory Square where it's rumored to be the best place to catch the sun set. Before sundown, Linc and Ayla found some stray roosters and decided to feed them some popcorn.

This somehow evolved into Lincoln thinking he could take back the popcorn he'd thrown. I think he figured if they weren't going to enjoy it, there is no way it could go to waste. The kid loves his food. I love how he's looking around to see if he's going to get caught eating popcorn off the ground.

We sat on the water's edge to take in the sunset.

Then soon realized it was too cloudy to see the sun...so we took pictures of ourselves instead.

Then we attempted to have dinner. Let me tell you how (not) fun that was. The waitress actually offered to take Lincoln off our hands and show him around the restaurant. Bet that doesn't happen every day. He was gone for a minute & thirty seconds before he came back crying. The kids were tired from a day in the sun and after I inhaled my dinner we climbed in a cab to go home to bed. It was then we realized it was only 8:00. Guess the sun affects more than just kids. Doesn't everyone look as happy as a clam?

On one of our last mornings we hit up this really cool restaurant for brunch. I wish I could remember the name. What I do remember is there were lots more stray roosters wandering around the tables and the pancakes were amazing.

 Right after brunch we all walked down the street into the heart of Old Town, to check out Earnest Hemingway's home. The tour guide showed us around the house and talked about the author's life (and his obsession with six-toed cats...apparently they are good luck.) The house/museum has 40 to 50 of these cats wondering around which just made Ayla's day.  She usually asks me at least once a week if she can have a cat.  After the tour, Rhea gave Linc a chance to release all his built up energy. I love that he's a blur in this picture because that's how he is in real life too. Moving so quickly, that when I take his picture it's often blurred.

The smile afterward. My kids can't get enough of their Aunt Rhea. Did I mention she is 6 months pregnant here?

Family photo op.

Before I finish up, I have to mention two other activities that happened on the island. The first was this fun kite that Ayla and Daddy flew.

It took him a while to get the kite in the air, but once it was there it went higher and higher.

The last activity was only done by the guys, and it was quite comical. Who knew paddle boarding was so funny? Here's Jeff.

And the rest of the crew. Starting from the furthest, Dad, Kyle, Jonathan and Jeff. I know that it doesn't look funny, but the thing about these paddle boards is that they take a combination of concentration, balance, and knowing the correct way to stand. It also helps to have a paddle that fits the size of your body. My dad may have lacked one or more of these items. 

This was the result. Once it was clear he was not hurt and could actually touch the bottom, we burnt off all those poolside drinks with some good ol' laughter. I know it seems rude to laugh when your dad falls in the water over and over but there was some laughter on his side as well. (maybe) Add to it that Ayla kept yelling "Papi why aren't you on your boat? Why do you keep falling off? Why can't you climb back on?" I'll say this- if any of those other guys had been falling you can bet your paddle that Dad would be holding his side with laughter.

We had such a great trip and it was nice to get away and relax before the holidays.  I could completely make that a new tradition!