Christmas 2009

It was a magical day as I hoped for...Alora surprisingly was up early and did not want to go back to sleep like she normally does so early in the morning, but possibly she knew there was something special about the day! We all got up and went downstairs to see what Santa had left us all. Cole was very excited about the car track he saw first and Alora her 4-wheeler that matched Cole's. Of course, Cole couldn't pull himself away from his new electric train! We set it up in his room so that he could play with it by himself and not worry about little sister trying to take it apart and of course he asks us constantly to go with him to watch it! We had a fun time playing with cars, building robots with all the Megablocks, coloring, eating, practicing ABCs, and chasing each other on the 4-wheelers. It was a fun-filled day that I hope the children will remember...at least a part of.

Alora is babbling!

She's so cute! The past couple of weeks, we realized that when Alora yells, "Bah BAH!" She's calling her brother. We would say, "Boy BOY?!" We tested it out...she will keep repeating after you! This week or rather yesterday, I noticed when she woke up from her nap she started doing the "Doy doy doy..." the same thing Cole did last year transitioning to words! She also has been "La la la..." singing and "L..." swishing her tongue side to side...So I believe her first word was Mama which she still says, for me it's "maMA?" but it sounds similar when she wants a bite of your food! "mammma". She says bottle "BAba". I miss it, but am so glad she has stopped the glass-shattering scream! She still has quite some lungs when she cries and you can't miss her crying...oh no, she WILL be heard!

Decorating Done?

Here are some current photos of the house...

Family Photos November 2009

In an effort to get a jump on the Christmas cards, I set us up to take portraits again this year with Nicole/Moonlighting Photography. Unfortunately, it was scheduled for a Sunday on which Heath works, so by the time we got there it was already dark outside. The kids were tired, I was tired, Heath was tired...needless to say, we hurried the session along. Fortunately, we got a few good shots from the magic that Nicole captures! We were probably in and out of there in about 45 minutes where as under normal circumstances she takes as long as needed to "get the shot" we want or need. She does a great job and I'm never disappointed. The kids could cooperate a little more, though...oh well, that's how it goes. I'm hoping we can do another session in March for Cole's 3rd birthday with the Razorback outfits I got the kids on our summer trip. They are cold-weather sports outfits, so hopefully it will still be cool/cold next March! If we can get the kids to pose together, too...

Our First Home

Oh yeah...so I keep forgetting to publish the photos of the house keeping up with FB and myspace (they're on there!)forgetting that FB copies what I have here so I would only have to write it once...HELLO! Anyway, we returned from our summer vacation to find out that we got the house of our dreams, the one we had been holding out for, praying for while we let all the other good ones, ready ones, for-sure ones go...worrying about whether or not we would have a place to live since the house we were renting was going into forclosure and the bank wanted us out so they could sell it...I prayed and prayed for this house and the Lord delivered! And what a blessing this year (past 12 months) has been with the house and Alora coming into our lives! It all worked out in the end and we got a great deal to boot! Enjoy the photos and I hope you can drop by sometime and see it for real...nevermind that I have to clean in shifts!...I'll burn a candle for you!

Halloween 2009

We took the kids to the District Trick-or-Treating this year and to their "Ghost Walk" hoping for something different and interesting. The District at Green Valley Ranch Hotel and Casino is an outdoor shopping mall, a true Mall in that it is a street that is blocked from cars and has shops on both sides of the street. It is a favorite shopping place of mine that I shopped regularly my first year of teaching when I was revamp my wardrobe from the Hawaii beach wear and lifeguarding job to becoming a teacher. Now, mind you, I have neither the funds nor motivation and still wear the wardrobe from five years ago! That's quality, folks! Also, I would rather spend my money on pink baby clothes! Remember, Cole's wardrobe has been provided by my generous coworkers and will last/have sizes up to 6! He's still in a 2-3! Off the subject...so the Ghost Walk was interesting with Circus tents and characters handing out candy. The shops side was reminiscent of the Galleria Mall last year with a line of people snaking and blocking all of the shops. We staying on the street catching sight of oddly placed merchants and Trick-or-Treated with them!
After all, there was no contest of obtaining the most candy that night. We just wanted Cole and Alora (Mommy and Daddy, too!) to see the costumes and experience the evening. But really, Mommy just wanted to show off her little Snow White!
The night ended well with a lollipop on the way home and then right to bed!

Summer Vacation

We took three weeks off from Vegas and drove to Arkansas to Michigan and back. This would be the first visit for Alora to meet everyone. It was a long, dreadful drive, but worth it. Heath and I took a combined total of over 400 photos of which I have sifted through and found the ones of family and my personal favorites. Those were posted on facebook and myspace. I have a few that could go up here...

Alora's First Summer

Since Alora sat up on her own on April 22nd, it's been nonstop entertainment! She has been trying to get Cole to play with her showing him toys, rattling them at him, following him, babbling at him...she started solid food and was reintroduced to formula on May 3rd. She shuddered at the first taste of the plain rice cereal. Since then, she has been eating well...eating anything! She seems to save her milk for naps and bedtime sipping on it throughout the day. Alora was still pushing backwards at the end of May in an effort to crawl, but did not take steps FOREWARD until July 2nd. She would only take two steps at a time for the first couple of days, then four steps, stop, sit up, and try two or four steps again a short while after. She started waving the first of June. She would also clap and babble in excitement!

She now crawls exploring all the edges of the house, following Cole, her beloved big brother only now he will play with her. Alora's face lights up, she smiles big for Cole. He says Hi to her, hugs her, gives her kisses (if you ask!), and brings toys to her. I was so hopeful and still am that they will grow close and stay that way as life-long friends. She cries when he leaves the room in a hurry and she can't follow quickly enough. She is pulling herself up getting ready to walk. Soon she and Cole will be running around together! She signals me when she's tired and ready for a nap by pulling on my leg or resting her head in my lap. When she wants to feed herself, she bangs on her tray. When she wants picked up, she holds out her hand. When she's thirsty, she'll crawl into the kitchen! What more can I say, but that I am truly blessed! I wouldn't be surprised if she was walking in the next couple months.

Crawling Soon...

Alora is just a little rollie-pollie! She definitely wants to play with Cole. I watched her yesterday, roll one way towards Cole on one side of the house, and then Cole was on the other side of the house, and Alora rolled in the other direction...and rolled and rolled! She is also asking for things. She will clap her hands on her pudgy thighs concentrating on what she wants as if to summons it. I tried it out...she was doing this with Cole's piggy and coin toy, so I brought her within reach and she grasped onto it as if trying to pick it up and examine it! It was adorable! TBC...

March Milestones 09

It's official. Alora rolls! Last weekend, she rolled onto her side and then her belly. We had just seen the doctor for her four month shots and they said not to expect her rolling over completely until she was six months old. Well, she did it again Saturday and Sunday. She now tries to roll over if you take too long changing her! This past weekend, she's even popping her little behind up and clutching whatever she can. The swimming starts next. She's already kicking! Anyone who said it goes by quick wasn't kidding and by quick...every week there's something new...just like with Cole, the first year is almost gone. I'm so glad for photography or I would forget everything!

Alora at Four-Months-Old

Most babies, they say, will sleep through the night by four months of age. Cole definitely was, and still does most nights. Alora had a couple nights when she did sleep ten hours. Of course, I still had to get up to have enough breast milk for the day...but Alora still wakes up between 12 and 2 a.m. and then every three hours after that. It's all worth it! Look at this gorgeous girl! She's a happy baby and it shows. Sleep? I can hope that when she starts solids in May, I might be able to get more than three hours of sleep a night! Enjoy the photos!

Cole's Second Birthday

This year, it was just us. We got Cole a cake and littered the house with balloons which we had recently discovered, on our way home from eating at Red Robin, that Cole loves balloons. He paddled the Red Robin balloon all the way home laughing hysterically the whole ride.

He knew something was going on when all the attention turned to him to blow out his candle. And then...a present! He has been stealing Heath's pen out of his uniform and from the computer desk or wherever else he can find them. He tries to draw with them on anything in his way. What perfect gift than a coloring set? Washable markers to be exact. You expect a two-year-old to try and color on the tables, the walls...but what Cole wanted to do was eat the markers! He actually bit the tip off one! We color with him and he likes that, but as soon as you turn your head, in his mouth go the markers! What a terd! Heath and Cole had fun static-ing the balloons to the wall and sling-shotting them up in the air. Surprisingly, none of them have popped yet, even the ones Cole insisted on jumping on! All in all, it was a fun day.

Desert Snow!

Maybe you heard...it was probably in the news...it snowed here a week before Christmas! It was very exciting. I was at home with Cole, Alora was sleeping. "Look, Cole! Snow." We watched it fall for awhile, then Cole got bored. I couldn't stop watching...I thought how unlikely it was to have a white Christmas in Las Vegas, but here it was! It was beautiful. I had seen it snow here a couple times before, but the snow had always melted as it hit the ground or soon afterward. This snow lasted at least four days. There was about five inches on the car. It weighed down the branches of the tree in the front yard so much so that they touched the driveway! Heath and I threw snowballs at each other as I tried to make the second snow man ever in my life! I would have been nice if Cole could enjoy it the way we did, but maybe in a couple more years when he'll willingly agree to wear gloves!

Family Photos

A coworker of mine has a sister/sister-in-law starting a photography business. She's got a pretty good start going, but she's not very well known. She held a portrait party where we were able to go and have our photos taken without a sitting fee. She also has this great deal where she puts all of the photos onto a CD-ROM and you can buy that and the rights (she signs off on them) for a small fee. We did that. We tried to have Christmas cards made, but the photo shop's printer at Wal-mart kept crashing. They kept promising to redo the cards, but by the time their printers were working again, it was too late to send them out to everyone. You'all will have to settle for belated birth announcements...or the blog! Thanks to Moonlighting Photography for the beautiful photos! There's 90 total...if you want copies, let us know!

Pink Everything!

I was afraid that the last post would be the end of Alora's sweetness, but we have truly been blessed! She eats every three hours and sometimes goes six hours with her naps. Unfortunately for me, I can never tell when that's going to happen...it's usually during the day when Cole is running around screaming, so I have yet to sleep more than four hours a night with the exception of one or two nights, since we brought her home from the hospital! I have adjusted, I think. Even if she doesn't wake me up after four hours, I seem to startle myself awake to check on her...plus, I'm nursing, so I have to deal with the aches of that.

Alora doesn't cry much and when she does, it's not the piercing sound that you normally hear that makes you do anything to stop it. Her cry is progressive and could almost be described as singing. When she gets hungry, she starts out squirming and grunting. When she finally wakes herself up, she'll make a sound like she's calling you, Hello? After a few of those, she starts to sound like a baby crocodile. It's actually pleasant unless she continues to be ignored.

She smiles a lot. She even tries to talk to us. "Ah-oo...ah-oo..." especially after her diaper changes or feedings when she hasn't fallen back asleep.

We have also been blessed with an adorable supply of baby girl clothes...hand-me-downs from my friend/co-worker who had a little girl in April. Her baby grew so quickly, much of the clothes she didn't even get to wear! We have a generous supply for Alora's first year. Some of the newborn clothes are for the summer and we're in the winter, but I don't know if Alora will even get to wear it all. There's just so much! Thanks to Sarah and Paige! I am embracing the pink!

When we found out I was pregnant again, we were sure it was a boy. I held out on buying anything pink even after the first ultrasound when the said it was a girl. Afterall, doctors make mistakes sometimes. After the second ultrasound, all the pink stuff from Sarah, and the baby shower, I definitely embrace the pink! I have never really been and girly-girl, but that is changing! I want everything pink now, for Alora and I'm thinking about replacing my wardrobe! I love Alora! She is so sweet, an angel! If you think I'm crazy, you'll see...when you hold her, talk to her, or hear her cry! You'll be hooked, too!