Blocks, Trains, and Lazy Days!

Gooood morning!  
Today, I will admit, I'm taking a "PJ Day".  I got a really good night's sleep last night, but its cold outside and I'm making a crock pot meal...and those two things just scream "Don't be a hero! Stay in your pajamas!"  :) It's one of the perks of my current employment, along with having the cutest boss in the world!  
So, since Lyles and I decided to stay in and stay cozy, we had some yummy oatmeal with apples and cinnamon, and then settled down with her blocks.  
I was checking my email when she said... 

"Wooook Mama! A Train!!"

She was super excited, and I think she did a great job!  I just had to take pictures of her work (and my sweet baby in her "gabba jammies")!  She's getting so big and smart!  I'm just a little bit proud of her. <3

Shopping Day!

Today has been another full day!  We spent the morning at Hobby Lobby with a quick trip to Dollar Tree!  Anytime we go shopping in that center we hit the Dollar Tree and let Lyles pick out whatever her little heart may desire. It's super helpful to have something new to hold her attention for the rest of the shopping trip.  She almost always chooses a ball, and today was no exception.  A sparkly turquoise bouncing ball has been added to the toy box.  

I needed some more card stock for printing Gabba labels, and a couple of pages of pretty paper for some bunting I've been working for our bedroom.  When we got home, I put these pictures of Lyla Lu's second year of life together.   I can't believe how quickly she has grown and changed!!

Birthday #2!

Today was a SUPER productive birthday project day!   First thing's first!  Dustin, Lyla, and I went to the book store this morning to find a Yo Gabba Gabba board book!  I saw the idea on Pinterest (of course) to have guests sign a book for the birthday girl to keep!  If you do this every year, she will have a nice collection of books and sweet signatures of people who were a part of her birthday celebrations, and it provides a snapshot of her interest for that year.   I love the idea!
After the book store, we decided we would enjoy our one "sit down restaurant meal" for the week!  We try to limit ourselves to going out once in addition to having pizza "in" on Monday nights!  We were near a yummy barbecue restaurant (Rib Crib!), so we had to stop! Lyles ate her weight in food (as usual), and we headed home.  Lulu promptly fell asleep, and I got to work on her cake table back drop!  I LOVE a good cake table decoration!
This is what I came up with last year:

It was cookies & milk themed, and although Lyles enjoyed herself...

She had no input on the anything!  I can't WAIT for this next one!  Don't get me wrong, there are about 1,000 things I miss about having a "baby" baby...(Look at that toothless grin!!)...but I just love the excitement of a toddler. This girl is a gabba freak!

Anyway, during her nap, I made a couple of DJ Lance Boom Boxes, the signs for the activities & games, a "Yo Lyla Lyla" sign and assembled the fabric/board for the backdrop. I layed it all out, and I really like what we have so far! Lyla woke up equally thrilled. "Soooo cute, momma!"  :) (high praise!) 

One of my favorite things to talk to Lyles about lately is who she is going to invite to the party! She lists everyone she knows, and it goes something like this:

"I bite....Kat!  I bite.....Juju!....I bite...Mama!" etc. etc. 

It was a fun day.  I was glad to have Dustin home, and we got a lot done!  Chalk it up as a "W"!

Monday Funday!

Today we woke up "ready to roll" (<---one of Lyles new favorite expressions)!  If I ask her where she wants to go, she will always say one of 3 things, (in addition to grandparents' houses):

1. The Zoo

2. The Museum

3. Get cupcakes!

Deep down, I'm always hoping she says #3, but today she said zoo!  Unfortunately for Lyles, it was 23 degrees this morning.  So....her second choice was...the museum! 

After looking for the car keys for *literally* an hour, we were on our way!  There were not many other people at the museum today, so Lyles had free reign!  She built towers, painted her face (a little!), played with bubbles, drove a tractor, and saw dinosaurs (animatronic...I don't have a picture of that because she was a litttttle skittish with how realistic those guys could roar and wanted to be held!).  

Her favorite thing to do at the museum, though, is play in the gymnastics center.  Normally I dread this part of our visit because there always seems to be "big kids" jumping around right next to by my little baby's head!  However, today was great!  She had the whole place to herself until a lady with twin two year old girls came in.  They were very sweet, and they all took turns rolling and "fipping!" (assisted somersaults) around the different mats.  After telling the other mama how awesome she was for taking on toddlerhood x2, Lyles and I went home for lunch.  

She promptly took a 2 hour+ nap (thank you gym mats), and I watched a musical and snuggled with her the whole time. <3 Sweetness.

She woke up and we got busy doing another party project.  She is LOVING preparing for her 2nd birthday party!  Everytime I produce another Yo Gabba Gabba themed item she is completely giddy!  It's super rewarding and fun to see her enjoying things that I make, and I LOVE being crafty, so it's a win win! I won't post party project pics til the big day, but I will say my entire craft closet is a hazard!  Open the door and you don't know which Gabba character will fall onto your head.  But I love doing it, and I can't wait for her to see everything all at once!

"H-art" Project

So, today was one of those days that started out a little rough, as some days with a toddler naturally do.  It was simply because we had just woken up from "one of those nights".  You know the type...staying up til 11:something, waking up a few times to snack, and then hitting the floor bright and early!  I was cranky, and Lyla's first comment to me was "crazy hair, mama!".  Thanks, Lyles.  (Someday...when she has hair...she'll understand!)  

I had big plans for us, though.  First, of course, I had to get that crazy hair under control.  The sighted world is often a little more intimidating than my (almost) two year old when it comes to judgmental glances, so I did everyone a favor, and got myself together.  I even wore real clothes (meaning skinny jeans- not yoga pants)!  We had breakfast and got busy with the Pinterest project of the day (most of my days have a Pinterest project).

Here is a link:

Pinterest Toddler Heart Project

Lyles LOVED painting. She usually hates paint because she's really particular about getting it on her skin, so the toilet paper roll stamp was a perfect fit for her artistic style. :)  Now I have several "masterpieces" to send to relatives, just in time for Valentine's Day fridge decorating season.  ;)

After that, we went to the Individual Artists' of Oklahoma Gallery.  They transformed the whole place into an "indoor urban park".   It was awesome!  They had lots of space for drawing and coloring, a sand table, puppet show area, big blocks, legos, a noodle forest, slides, and soccer balls- all inside! Lyles loved it.  I'm always amazed when she goes into a new space and totally leaves me in the dust while she explores.  She is so fun to watch.  

We stayed there, playing,  for a little over an hour and decided it was time for lunch.  Just down the street was a pizzeria and gelato restaurant.  I can NOT pass on gelato.  Ever. It was so much fun, and it was SOO delicious.   Lyla is probably in the minority among children who would rather eat baby carrots from home than pizza, but that's okay!  She was happy to be there crunching her carrots and bouncing to the fun music they were playing.  After thepizza, we enjoyed a salted caramel gelato which was AMAZING.  

Some mornings I wake up feeling so overwhelmed.  Sometimes the day continues to drag, and it is far from Pinterest worthy.  Most days, though, if given the chance, Lyla will surprise and amaze me with her sweetness, sense of humor, and love, and I can't help but fall asleep knowing how lucky I really am.

Keep in Touch!

Hello!
Welcome to my very first blog post.  I have had blogs before. Most notably during my pregnancy (babywalker1.ourbabychannel.com).  I have an almost daily account of the nine months leading up to the birth of my sweet baby.  I have since printed the entire blog, and made a hardback "pregnancy book" complete with bump pictures and letters for Lyla that I plan to give to her in the event that she chooses to be a mother herself. I LOVE that documentation. 
My second blog attempt was "Loving Lyla Kate".  A blog I had set up and ready to go before I brought her home from the hospital in which I would document my adventures in parenting.  However, juggling a new baby and a new blog just wasn't as easy when she was in my arms instead of in my tummy, and that blog was mostly forgotten.  I love writing and sharing my experiences through pictures and journaling, but I hadn't began again because I just didn't "have the time".
If I were to log the time spent on my smart phone the first (almost) two years of  my daughter's life, it would be embarrassing.  I love Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook as much as the next girl (hey, probably even MORE than the next girl), but when I found myself ignoring my daughter to replay a video of my daughter in a different filter, something felt...off!  It's been about 6 months since my family ditched the smartphone, and with it, my Instagram account, and most of my Pinterest activity (except for my insane collection of Yo Gabba Gabba party planning pins).  However, I still kept my Facebook.  I LOVE LOVE LOVE it for sharing pictures of Lyla with my friends and family.  I love love love it for keeping up with the lives of those not near me, but here's what I don't love.  I don't love that I can't go to sleep without one last check of the day.   I don't love that the first thing I do in the morning is look for new notifications.  I don't love that I spend my daughter's nap time comparing my life to those snapshots of others lives in my newsfeed. (Seriously. I should be sleeping.)  I don't love that a parenting comment or decision I have made is being ridiculed via a status update or shared link.  I don't love the energy I waste being offended by people I haven't seen in real life in years.  These things are embarrassing to admit, but that's kind of the point. My departure from facebook is necessary, and while I fully anticipate withdrawals, including, but not limited to: the shakes, eye twitching, and a sense of not knowing what to do with myself....It will be worth it.  Because guess what?  There is PLENTY to do with myself. Just ask my laundry basket, or more importantly, my daughter.  There may be a day when I have the self control to use social media more responsibly, but if I'm being honest, I know I am far from it. 
I'm trading in "likes" and "status updates" for phone calls and letters...(okay, probably emails...it IS 2014, after all).  It is my hope that close friends and family will continue to keep me updated in their lives, email me pictures of their kiddos, and if they are interested in what's going on in our day to day; come and visit me here.  I hope to connect personally with those who I rely on facebook to keep in contact with, and I fully intend to use this blog frequently to document the ups and downs of toddlerhood, to share pictures and stories of the Walker family, and, if I'm being honest, keep me still somewhat a part of the digital age.  Technology is wonderful and good.  It is my own flaws and the needs of my family that lead me to make some changes.  Wish me luck, and, please, keep in touch!