A Happy Holiday!

I started this post overwhelmed realizing I haven't posted since September and have TONS of pics that include Halloween and Thanksgiving. Well, anyone reading this blog can see those on FB if you haven't yet. So then I decided just a Christmas update would suffice. Well, I did a horrible job this year of taking photos where people are looking at the camera. I would have loved to get group shots of all our loved ones at all 6, yes SIX family Christmas get togethers, but I was having way too much fun enjoying Ayla and the holidays through her eyes. We started at my Aunty Cindy's with my dad's side of the family ont he 23rd, then Christmas eve spent time with Scott, Jon, (Brett's bro and fiance) and Gramma Daryl at her house, ending the night at Brett's uncle Tom's with all his mom's side. Christmas day we had a great morning just the three of us then headed to my mom's to join my sister and my mom. The day after Christmas we spent the morning with Papa, Vicki, and Scott and Jon, then headed to Brett's gramma's, then ending that night back at my mom's to celebrate with my mom's side.

The holidays are always tough without my dad. Ayla has brought that joy back to us. Praise God for that. Christmas celebrates Christ's birth and is a time to reconnect with family and spend quality time together. We could have easily been, and at times were, very tired and overwhelmed, but neverending Christmas with a two year old makes that impossible. This should sum it up: Ayla is currently obsessed with everything girly! My mom got her the tu-tu. Wow, I never would have know my daughter would tend to those things. However, she still has her rough and tough side and I felt the need to remind my mom in case she was worried that Ayla loves to climb, climb, climb.

So I made this:Which did this:

I love you mom!

Back at it...

Well, school is just around the corner. Brett and I went back last week for meeting. Kids arrive this week. I almost titled this post - to blog or not to blog...

I go back and forth about continuing our blog. Most of my blog stalkers see pics and such on facebook. We started this blog for everyone to see pics and hear updates of pregnancy and then continued that with Ayla's first year. During that year this blog saved me! I was able to use it as an outlet and get feedback on the joys and hard times of a first time mommy. When I went back to work it became much more sporadic and has now become something that hangs over my head while I say to myself "I need to update the blog!" I LOVE reading the blogs of my friends. I look almost daily for updates to their blogs. So, I am going to try and have a much more positive outlook on this blog, updated it more often, I mean I know all of you wake up daily going "man, I wish Alicia would update her dang blog!"

Lets start with this: My little girl is 2. 2! When did that happen?! She is so much fun, quite the handful, but we are having a blast. She is developing an imagination and a great sense of humor. Like most two year olds struggles to share, and wants to be the boss. She has started calling me "mom" instead of "mommy" - yikes! Loves to run, jump, build, read, be creative, and watch Dora. Everyday she is learning something new. She is so curious and is asking question after question. We are loving it. Right now her favorites are "whats dat sound?" "oh no, what happen?" and "what dat mommmy". She has developed a furrowed brow that she uses when she is not happy with what we are saying. We use our big green chair for "time outs" and that for now is working - we'll see. She definitely pushes the limits. She is so so smart. She can count to 10 and sings most of the ABC's! Not really interested in going on her potty, still sleeps in her crib -12 hours straight and naps for 2, with her raggedy, mangles sleep sack though ;) She is startng to love dressing up in my clothes and shoes, loves getting her nails painted and putting my hair bands in her hair. She loves wrapping up her baby dolls in blankies and sing them to sleep. She is the perfect combo of on active tough kid and sweet little girl...

Going back to work means a new babysitter for Ayla. I am only teaching part time. Periods 4,5,6. I don't need to be in until 11 and can leave by 3. We found an AMAZING in home day care where a few of my teacher friends take their kids. So far it is going well. As well as can be expected. I am very proud to say Ayla has become a mommy's girl! Having spent the first 2 years of her life a daddy's girl I am happy I am in the #1 spot. So dropping her off is torture as I have to peel her off me screaming. Everyday gets easier though. The girl has to try right?

Summer so far

I am happy to say that we have been making the most of our summer together! Ayla is almost 2 and we decided it was time she experienced all the fun summer festivities we loved when we were kids. We purchased all the appropriate season passes (Wild Waves and zoo) and have already used them much to our advantage. We also had my sister in town from Boston and family in town from Montana so we had a small Brown family reunion (mom's dad's - my maternal grandpa's side of the family).

Ayla's 1st rides!!! We hit up Wild Waves today - just the rides though. We were a little nervous that Ayla would get scared or really squirmy. However she again amazed us with her fearlessness and loved the rides. We had no lines and at times she was the only one on the rides.

Here she is driving her boat:

Her fire truck:

The ferris wheel with mommy:

That spaceship ride (?????) with daddy

And here she is driving her car:

We also rode the choo choo and the carousel. So fun!



Brown family reunion

My cousin Nick and I holding up the giant king crab legs we ate for dinner

Christina, Mom, and Me

Me and Scooby

The whole fam damily

Nick (her nephew) and Mom

Mom and Scooby

Ayla and her 2nd (possibly 3rd???) cousin Amelia. She is my mom's cousin's daughter's daughter :)

My sister and our 2nd cousin Kaylee (possibly 3rd????). Her mom is my mom's cousin :)

And simply, the cake


Northwest Trek
I must admit that in past visits I have seen little, if any of the famed wildlife at Northwest Trek. So much to my surprise we saw TONS yesterday. Including the moose - Ayla's favorite:

Ayla was LOVING the tram ride. She was pointing and screaming at every animal (and rock and duck and bug).

Kyla, Ayla and Grant checking out the insects

The Turtle Pool

Uh, should I get in?

Hey, I kinda like this

Just relaxin'

Two (she pronounces it "do") blocks mommy

Which pales in comparison to this: the awesome water jungle at my mom's. It even has a slide (not in pic because Ayla kept moving it and sliding onto the grass instead)

Mariner's Game

This game vs the Yankess was possibly the most boring live sporting event I have every attended. EVER. So we took pictures...

Our other fave summer activity is walking to the elementary school right by our house and let Ayla do her thing. In this case, hoopin' and screamin' and spinnin'

Wenatchee

Brett, Ayla and I made a trip over to Wenatchee for a visit - friends and sunshine! Us girls were college roommates and so were the boys. We all now have kids of our own (including Janet and Joe who couldn't be there, they are in Ethiopia picking up their little girl Elyana!) and it so fun to get together and share this chapter of our lives.

From left: Justin, Jeni and Abby Harris (Wenatchee), Sarah, Johhny, John, and Emma Pell (Greensboro, NC), Brett, Alicia, and Ayla Thompson (Auburn)

A trip to the park...
Me, Sarah, and Johnny

John and Emma - typical

Brett and John

Emma and Ayla playing nicely :)

Ayla and Emma SHARING!!! Tough for an almost 2 year old and a almost 3 year old. But, by the end of the trip they were dancing and hugging each other!

We loved the sunshine and time with friends. Can't wait to meet up with Joe, Janet, and Elyana on the 14th to welcome home Elyana!

Ring of Fire by Ayla and Brett

Happy Father's Day everyone!!!

From Mother's Day to Father's Day and everything in between!

I am a blog slacker. However, school is out - finally!!!!! So I will hopefully do a better job on keeping you all up to date on the Thompsons.

In no particular order. Our spring happenings...

Father's Day

Ayla and her daddy.

She is definitely a daddy's girl.Brett's grandpa Bobby, Brett's dad Preston, Brett and Ayla

Ayla's new tricycle. She LOVES it. I think she likes the helmet even more though. After a crying fit at Target because she couldn't wear the helmet in the store we put it on as soon as we got home. She didn't take it off for another couple of hours...

A visit from Aunty. Ayla is so in love with her. She even let my sister paint her toenails!

My mom got Ayla this Hummer for Christmas. With the sun finally arriving Ayla has gotten to take it for a spin a couple of times. As you can see she takes driving VERY seriously, lol.

Mother's Day

at Daryl's House

Ayla playing hide and seek with Brett's uncle Bob and aunt Bonnie. She was having so much fun with them!

Me and my mom.

Really the best woman in the world, to her friends the best friend, to her brothers and sisters the best sister, to her mom the best daughter, to Brett the best mother in law, to me the best mom, to my dad the best wife, and to Ayla the best grandma.
A wheel barrow ride from daddy

Clapping with Brett's cousing Bronte

Eating a cupcake with grammy. My mom made my favorite cherry chip cupcakes for Mother's Day and obviously Ayla is a huge fan too:

Ayla's graduation from her Beasts class at Little Gym! She started as a Bird when she was 10 months old. Now approaching 2 we are going to take the Summer off and start her up again next fall when she will be a Super Beast! She started over a year ago at an army crawl, now she jumps, runs, and even walks on the balance beam. Go Ayla!

Crawling up to the podeum to accept her Little Gym Medal!