Big Girl Bed

We were always amazed that we have such an active, daredevil child and yet she hadn't ever even tried to climb out of her bed. Well, it only took time and Sunday was the day that all our thoughts came true. Alahna was super cranky and didn't want to take a nap. I told her to go to sleep and walked out of her room, expecting that she would fall asleep eventually. After a half hour of playing then wining, the crying got much louder. I didn't hear a thump, so I'm pretty sure she didn't fall, but the crying was louder, because she was standing at her door!! I went up to check on her and much to my dismay the day came,she successfully climbed out of her crib. I had been fearing this day, because she is such a good sleeper and very consistent. I was worried that she wouldn't ever go to bed and she'd be up reaking chaos in her room every night. We didn't know what to do and tried to brush it off, like hopefully this doesn't become a trend. So when I went to put her to sleep for the night, she acted completely normal and then bam, 15 minutes later I heard those cries at the door! At that time, we didn't want to take the crib down and get the toddler bed out of the garage, so we put her mattress on the floor. She wan't having this and needless to say I was a long night! She eventually cried long enough that she decided the matress wasn't that bad. The following day Eric put her toddler bed together and she was actually pretty excited. She still cried herself to sleep but the time period got a lot better and the last few nights she has actually stayed in bed after saying good night and falls asleep! Thank God that it wasn't a long lived battle. She looks like such a big girl sleeping in a bed! Oh the little things that you hang onto as a parent of your first.

My baby is two!!

Alahna turned two on Thanksgiving this year and what an amazing way to remind us of how thankful we are! I still can't believe how fast the last two years have gone. I've heard so many cliche sayings from parents, but until you are one, you really don't know that they are so true. Time does go fast, but what a blessing it is. It's hard for me to remember back to each baby stage, because we are in the fast paced life of a toddler now. I am constantly reminded about how much love I have for this little girl. I seriously never knew I could love someone as much as when I became a mother. Thank you for all the wonderful memories and the adventure to come, Alahna. We love you!!



We had a small party in Chicago on her birthday and another one in PA when we got home. There wasn't much of a theme, but Alahna said she wanted a "cat" for her birthday, so I made a cat cake =)

Family Pictures

We finally got some "formal" family pictures taken. One of our good friends is a wonderful photographer and captured some great shots of us out enjoying the beautiful east coast fall. These are also Alahna's two year old pictures. She has gotten so big. It's truely amazing!

Fun Fall Festivities

October has been a great month for us (barring the recent illness that the last post highlighted). My mom and Dave came to visit for an extended weekend in the beginning of the month. Alahna loves having Grammy and Papa around. We got to go to the Children's museum, Morris Arboretum, a nice Italian resteraunt that actually had gluten free pasta/pizza, and best of all just spend good quality family time together.








We celebrated Alahna's birthday early, since my parents won't be here for the real deal. She was quite excited for the pumpkin ice cream and lots of wonderful presents. An Ariel barbie doll, Curious George Movie and Elmo movie have provided hours of entertainment =)




The following weekend we went to a pumpkin patch with Alahna. This was no ordinary pumpkin patch. It had a play place, train, hay rides, entertainment for the kids and of course a TON of pumpkins. We had a great family day enjoying the beautiful fall weather.








Last weekend we went to a Boo at the Zoo, where there was trick or treating at the zoo. We decided to take our friend's daughter with us too. It was very fun. We are definitely getting the itch to have more kids around. =) Although 2 two year olds was quite the handful! The girls were really good and had a great time. Alahna was a monkey (if you can't tell-she didn't like the hat) and we surprised our friends at church, so we pretended Kayleigh was a zebra (black and white, it works...).



More fall fun to come with pumpkin carving, Halloween and family dinner this weekend!

Even Doctors Get Sick

Well, it's the truth, even doctors get sick.

Unfortunately I've been battling what I thought was allergies but was actually a sinus infection and it has dropped down into my chest to cause me not to have a voice and cough like crazy. This is definietly the worst I've ever felt! Luckily my family doctor is a friend and former resident last year and she got me on some good antibiotics. I'm not normally very good about taking care of myself. I don't know if its the doctor or mother in me, but I hate to just stop and rest. I decided that I should face that fact that everyone gets sick days for a reason and I should take advantage by taking the day off to REST! I wanted to share how sweet my family has been to me.

Alahna's way: "sick...(pointing to me)...Sorry Mama (hug)"

Eric's way: picking up my slack on the dishes, homemade pumpkin pancakes for breakfast and taking Alahna to storytime, so I can take a nap!

I love my family!! I am so blessed to be surrounded by so much love. Noone likes being sick, but atleast I can be thankful for my family, warm food, lots of fluids and nap, nap, nap =)

Fun, Family, Friends

August and September were fun and busy months for us. Eric and Alahna went to Colorado for 2 1/2 weeks to visit all our families out there. Unfortunately I had to work, so I wasn't able to go. They had a great time with all the grandmas and grandpas playing, hiking, going to the children's museum, balloon festival and many other fun things. Alahna loves spending time with all her grandparents (and I'm sure they had fun too).





It was hard for me to be home a lone, but I made the most of it and had some fun myself. One of my best (and longest)friend came out to visit me for a girls weekend. We did lots of girly things that we don't get to do with our husbands and kids...chick flicks with ice cream, shopping, wine bar, a spontaneous trip to the beach! It was a really great time! Unfortunately as many of you know, Pennsylvania has a large population of ticks that harbor Lyme Disease. Jennifer unknowingly got bite on our walk in the woods and came down with a bad case of Lyme Disease!! She is going better now that she is on the proper treatment. Boo!!




Once Eric and Alahna got back, September was filled with lots of family fun. We went to our first Philly's game! Alahna LOVED it! She was dancing and swinging the towel, yelling yay and giving "knuckles" to everyone around us! It was quite the event =)



We also got to enjoy the Ephrata town fair with my family. Grandma and Grandpa spoiled all the grandkids and we got to go on a lot of rides and eat good food. It was really fun.




The church we go to turned 2 today. It is so good to be a part of a growing and lively church. God is good and has been very good to us! We got to celebrate the church's aniversary today out at Bud's farm. We had a blast. There were tractors, jeeps, a jumping castle with a slide and lots of great friends. We are excited to see what God has in store for us in the this coming year!

Phone snaps

Running after a busy toddler doesn't lend itself to having much time to grab the camera when the opportunity for a great photo occurs. Eric recently downloaded a bunch of pictures from his phone, so I thought I would share some with you. It will give you an idea of what our days are like =) It is such a blessing that he is able to stay home with her while I'm embarking on this crazy doctor journey!

Car wash fun:





I scream, you scream, we all scream for Ice Cream!




We rode our bikes to the ice cream shop and Alahna insisted on having Elmo ride with her =)

Potty time? I don't think it's supposed to go on your head!




Shoes and strollers are definitely Alahna's favorite things! She loves to wear our shoes around the house. Sometimes she gets a little more than she bargined for.





They are both actually in Colorado right now visiting all our family (before Alahna turns 2 and we have to pay for a plane ticket)! It's really hard not having them here. It's so quiet and lonely. Atleast I have our dogs to keep me company! Its amazing how just a little time away makes you so THANKFUL for your amazing family. We are truely blessed. Alahna is the sweetest little girl that lights up my life and Eric is a steady torch that leads me though the tough times and carries our family throughout the days. I miss them a ton! I do have some pretty fun things lined up for when they are gone that I haven't gotten to do in a long time. Lots of girl time with some friends. I went out in the city for only the second time last night so that was really fun. I also have a ton of organizing and work to do, so all in all I will keep myself busy and enjoy my little talks with my family on the phone. Alahna can actually say hi, love you mama and bye, which is all the conversation I need to bring a smile to my face =)