Leila vs. the cat

My cat, Otis, is not a fan of Leila.  He rarely makes an appearance when she is awake in the house.  When he does, it's to eat or take care of business.

Poor kitty.  He wasn't always like this.  Otis always seemed to be hanging around the house with me...until we brought the baby home.

Otis is afraid of Leila.  Although I'm not surprised,  I am annoyed.  Wouldn't you assume that your pet, that loves attention from you, would also love attention from your child?

Leila tried, the minute she could move, to pet Otis.  That's what cats like, right?  

He's always been able to outrun her.  He runs under the bed, in the fireplace, or anywhere just to get away from her.  On many occasions he has tried to stand strong and show Leila who's boss.  He's hissed and growled at her for coming too close.  (We are teaching her to hiss back.)

Honestly I don't know what he's so scared of...  

Look at him.

Freaky cat eyes

Look at her.

Always-moving toddler

Alright, maybe she will be able to outrun him eventually.

Were you hoping for an adorable post about babies and pets?  

  I'm linking up with Growing up Geeky and Aidan...with Eos this week for Toddle Along Tuesday.  Head on over and get your fill. 

Big news...I will be co-hosting an upcoming Toddle Along Tuesday!  The link-up will be opened Monday night, August 13th and the topic is Finding Balance.  What do you do to stay sane in your crazy busy life?  Come back in two weeks to share your tips and link up!  

       

Vacation hangover

...STILL.

I just can't seem to shake this vacation feeling.  You know, the one that involves afternoon naps, no real responsibilities, and no routine.

The pile of mail sitting on my counter is about to bite me.  My suitcases, although unpacked, are still in our bedroom.  Pictures need edited and stories need to be told.

I know it's not going to get done on it's own.  

I know that it's not going to be done today.

It's the weekend and I'm going to enjoy it!  Monday will come soon enough.

Two months untill two

As Leila gets older she is looking more and more like...herself!  She's a good mix between Jeff and I, not really resembling one of us more than the other.

Although this picture of me on my second birthday (with my mom and dad) may convince you otherwise.  What do you think?

August 1979,  my 2nd birthday

July 2012, Leila at 22 months old

What's up with Leila just two months from her second birthday? 

• She is really good on her feet!  Leila has been atempting to climb up and down a few stairs without any support.  It's pretty scary to watch, but I am amazed at her abilities.  She has started jumping and can just barely get both feet off the ground.  I can't belive how much she moves.  Getting a snuggle from her has always been a struggle!

• Yes! Yes! Yeah!  I love that when I ask her a question she actually thinks about it before she responds.  It's even better when she responds with a "yes" instead of just staring at me like I am talking to a wall.

• She still takes one AWESOME three hour nap a day.  That nap and her twelve-ish hours of sleep at night make for one happy Momma and toddler.

• Leila is willing to try almost everything we give her to eat.  She won't always swallow it, but at least she gives it a try.  The only vegetables I have gotten her to swallow lately are green beans and raw carrots.  She loves cereal for breakfast, fruit and pretzels are her favorite snack, and we feed her whatever we are eating for dinner.

• She has a best friend, Charlie, who is just two months older than her. Since we've been on vacation she has asked about Charlie a lot.  We've spent at least ten minutes (that's a long time for her to be focused on anything) looking at Charlie's pictures.  It is too cute!

• Leila has spent many hours in the pool since we've been away from the beach.  She doesn't love it yet, but she's slowly warming up to the idea that her feet cannot touch the ground.  The floaties are just for my own peace of mind since she is glued to me while in the pool.  Last week she enjoyed getting dunked and blowing bubbles.

• My favorite Leila-thing this month...she recognizes that the three of us are a family!  Before bed each night Jeff, Leila, and I have a family hug-a-thon and lately she's been recognizing us as a family outside of that bedtime ritual.  Her voice is so sweet, especially when she says "family"! 

Only a two more months until Leila's second birthday!  This is such a fun age!  I can't wait to see what age TWO will bring.

Making Rainbows {Guest post}

Hello, fellow citizens of Leilaland!  I'm Rulissa and I blog over at Mustard Seeds in Oklahoma. Jen is on vacay in Chicago this week (have a slice of pizza for me, darlin!) so y'all get me instead - you lucky dogs!!

I'm an (almost) 40, stay-at-home mom of three monkeys who drive me bananas on a daily basis!  I blog about my life, projects, DIY stuff and how I put my faith in God into practice.  We are ranchers here in Oklahoma, so I talk about cows some, too!  But today, I'm sharing a fun art project my Monkey Princess and I did one rainy afternoon.  She's asked to do it again and again and again, so I guess she liked it!  Enjoy!

Making Rainbows

I love rainy days.  They make everything clean and smell nice.  But...they also keep us inside and a little stir crazy.  So the other day while the boys were at school, Princess and I decided to brighten up the gloomy day and make our own rainbows.  We just got out the watercolor paint and a couple of coffee filters and went to town.

But, first - a warning... You will need to cover your workspace with newspaper or something because the paint will bleed through.  But that's actually the cool part of using coffee filters!  You'll see in a minute...

We flattened out the filters and started with a circle of color in the middle.  (I did this part for Princess, so she could get started.)  After the first color, just pick another color and paint around the circle, then another and another until you have made rings of color to the very edge of your filter.  You can go the traditional ROY G BIV rainbow colors, or you can just let loose (which, if you are doing this with a toddler, is probably what will happen!)

Now you have to let it dry...  This was the hardest part! But after it's dry, cut your filter in half and... voila!  Instant rainbows!!  We taped them to the back door and since the color bled through the coffee filter, you could see the rainbows from the inside and the outside!  Cool, uh?!

I hope you enjoy this little project.  Feel free to hop on over to my blog for more fun stuff! And, thanks for hanging out with me while Jen's away!

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Thanks Rulissa for the window art idea!  I am always looking for fun activities to do with Leila.  I haven't tried using watercolors with her yet.   Sounds easier, and not as messy, as washable tempera paints.