Leila, Leila, pumpkin hater

It was a beautiful (HOT) fall day at a nearby dairy farm. We had a fun adventure planned for Leila's first trip to the pumpkin patch.


At first she was all smiles.

She ran around touching all the pumpkins, posed for a few photos with Aunt Val...



...and then it happened. Leila discovered a pumpkin stem. Seems harmless, right?

Something pissed her off.

Hello, mini-meltdown.

And she's off!


Mini-meltdown turned into meltdown,


which turned in to TIME TO GO!


I don't want to leave you with a crabby pants shot. The day was not a total waste.


In the middle of all of her meltdowns Leila managed to bring smiles to our faces. Watching her enjoy the new sights, sounds, and smells was worth it!

Aunt Kimmy is baaaaack

Auntie Kim and Uncle Tim are visiting from back home this weekend.

My sister came last year at this time. We celebrated Leila's one MONTH birthday!



Here's Aunt Kimmy and Leila at lunch on Friday. (She still can't decide on what to be called...we'll let Leila decide.)



We've had a busy few days so far. More to come!

Making myself useful

Projects are my thing. I need to feel like I am useful, especially with my new (maybe temporary) role as a stay-at-home mom.

At the beginning of the month I came across a link on Pinterest that caught my eye.

Living in a miniature two bedroom apartment (with no garage) is a challenge. Everything must have a place and I am determined to not be over-crowded with things. (Those of you that have seem my place know that we are stuffed to the max!)

I decided this would be my new project:


Thanks to Kelly over at The Complete Guide to Imperfect Homemaking I have organized our entry way, the pantry, two closets, my daughter's toy boxes, my creative supplies, Tupperware cabinet, and the gift bag tub/box.

I even got Jeff on board! He worked on organizing the attic, purged some clothes, organized his drawers, and is starting to tackle an outdoor project. I love when he buys into my organizing frenzy.

The only project I photographed was the gift bag tub. (And didn't even take a real "before" picture.)

Before: All the gift bags were in the turquoise tub squished on top of each other and the ribbons were scattered about. When I would look for a gift bag, I stuck my hand in the tub, lid half off (because it was overflowing with gift bags), and grabbed the first non-baby bag I saw. Ribbons...forget about it.


After: I sorted the bags and recycled the overused ones. I placed them in the diaper box so I could easily flip through the bags to find exactly what I was looking for. I wrapped the ribbon around folded index cards and into a plastic baggie.


Simple. Easy. Not super awesome.

What about you...what are your newest projects?

Change

I finally love staying at home. I've been quite a flip-flopper on this topic this past year. One day I feel the urge to teach, to have routine, to make a difference, and the next day I realize I AM doing that.

Three days later I am dying to get out of yoga pants and a ponytail.

I never expected to like staying home. And I didn't...at first. My maternity leave was hectic. No more than three hours of sleep in a row for four months makes a Momma crazy. When I went back to teaching in January it was wonderfully terrible. I couldn't help but wonder if getting my final pink slip in June was the universe trying to tell me something, again.

This second chance at staying at home with Leila has been not-even-close to perfect, but it has changed me. Changed how I picture myself, how I picture our future.

I like what I see.

Pajama Jam

It's been cloudy and cool here at the beach this week. We maybe saw the sun for an hour yesterday. I kind of like this mini change of seasons we have in San Diego. Just when I've had enough the sun will be shining for an entire month!

We stayed home today and hung in our p.j.'s all day long. Our pajama jam was my favorite by far! Check out DA-gee (as Leila calls him) in the background.




We're jammin', jammin,...and I hope you like jammin' too.


After awhile I could tell Leila had enough up-close Mommy and Daddy playtime.


Jeff said she practically dove into her crib when he took her down for an early nap. That girl loves her alone time. Or could it be the eight pacifiers in her crib? Perhaps it was the awesome jam session?

Sunday funday...family style.

Goodbye Baby, Hello Toddler!

I love that Leila is a toddler. It is her personality that I love the most. Her spunk, her fearlessness, her stories (oy,oy oy,oy really means more than you think!), her dramatic tears, and her love for the outdoors.

I know I have said it before, but Leila is FUN to hang out with. Never did I imagine that my tiny blob-like baby would be such a cool little person in just one year.

Look how big I look!


Dr. Seuss said it best...

I hear so many moms talk about how they miss the baby days. Not me. Don't get me wrong, I loved my blob baby.

But now Leila is a toddler and we're smiling about it!

Just in case you haven't heard...

And so is this toy drill Daddy taught me how to use.


Teething is no match for this thing.


You should have seen the drool on her chin after 15 minutes of carrying it around like this.

The decor details

I just HAD to show you all the craftiness my friends and family managed to dish out for Leila's first birthday party.

We were inspired by the Queen Bee Market and Pinterest, and this is what we came up with:

Thanks Betsy for the awesome photos and gorgeous cake!

The banner


Rainbow fabric garland


Dessert and gift table


Pom Poms!


Six layer RAINBOW layer cake


Tie Dye cupcake, just Leila's size


If you're not on Pinterest, you should be. It's not something that you need, it is something that you WANT. Trust me. Check me out by clicking the Pinterest button on the right.

Who's that girl?

Leila is that girl.

The one that makes everybody smile.

She's the one that cannot sit still.


The girl who has no fear of strangers, dirt, or water.


The one that loves to sing and talk to anyone that will listen.


Leila is that girl that everyone loves.

After getting to know my baby for the last twelve months I can tell you that she has quite a personality. Leila squeals and pants (yes, like a dog) with happiness. She gets so excited (and equally frustrated) that she shakes. She waves and says "hi" to the people that pass her in the stroller.

She's curious, smart, loving, and funny.


Leila is a girl that knows what she wants!


And that girl is my baby!