Fall Turned Quickly Into Winter

Whew! The last few months have certainly flown by, as they increasingly seem to do. We had a great November, with not only our normal activities--dance class, MOPS at church, Kyla's preschool-- but also birthday parties, basketball and Thanksgiving keeping us busy.

Kyla continues to enjoy her ballet/tumbling class, and even tried out the "Run, run, leap" move that she has been hesitant to try. It's one that each student does by herself, while the others watch, and we think that must intimidate Kyla for some reason. But she finally tried it one class and seemed very proud of herself. She loves learning the moves and has a great memory, often repeating them at home all on her own. And of course, she loves to twirl and spin, so that part is always fun.

In preschool Kyla has continued to learn things that even amaze us, like small Bible verses, the pledge to the Bible, and other things like that. Her teachers are wonderful, and she loves to go each time. Of course they also work on identifying letters, numbers, and shapes, reinforcing what Kyla already knows. Increasingly, Kyla has asked how to spell words, so we oblige, waiting for the day when she spells something on her own--ha!

We attended a few birthday parties in November, including another Frozen one and Jasmine's Sophia party. They are always a good time! Jeff played in his usual basketball league, and Kyla and Jen attended a few of the games. Kyla did great sitting on the bleachers and was a great cheerleader for her dad. She loves to yell "Go Guys" and even learned a small cheer: "Dribble it, pass it, make a basket."

We enjoyed a fun week before Thanksgiving with GranDad and GranJan; of course Kyla had a blast with the grandparents! Then we got to spend time with G-Dad and Grams for Thanksgiving weekend, even making it to the zoo. Kyla loved all the animals and was glad to finally see them again (she had been asking for months to go to the zoo!).

Kyla has picked up a phrase from her daddy--"C'mon Man!" and loves to say it for people to laugh. She has increasingly understood how to joke around, although she still takes things pretty literal most of the time. Some of her favorite things still are going to the park, reading books, and occasionally chasing Dash. She has done pretty well at potty training, but still doesn't go at school, holding it for 5 hours while there! We hope she'll continue making progress, especially for our DisneyWorld trip in January.

Our big family news is that we are now officially waiting to adopt our second child. We have submitted all the paperwork and now just wait for a phone call. We realize it probably won't be as fast as Kyla's adoption, but we hope it doesn't take too long--although we know God's timing is always best!!

Happy Halloween

We had fun trick or treating with friends in the neighborhood. We also had a dress-up day at dance class. Kyla had fun but refused to smile in the pictures! Our church's fall festival was fun. Kyla's favorite thing was jumping in the bounce house and seeing Katelyn.

Ballet, the Beach, and Back to School

With the summer nearly over, the schedule began to change--although we did head to GranJan's and GranDad's for a few relaxing days at the beach before "school" started! We had a blast and Kyla actually enjoyed the water most of the time. We played at the park, in the sand, and enjoyed grandparent time.

Kyla started a ballet/tumbling class this month. She is enjoying it and definitely learns a lot.  For part of the class she is a little shy, but she always remembers the things the teacher showed her when we get home. Her teacher is great and does a great job of teaching the kids the correct positions while still understanding that they're just little kids. She is very sweet with the girls.

Kyla also attended her first day of mother's day out/preschool. She only goes one day a week (momma wasn't ready to part with her for two days), but she has thoroughly enjoyed it. In fact, the first day Kyla just walked right into class without even giving momma a hug or saying bye. Mom was a little sad to see her big girl walk right in, but she was also so glad that Kyla is confident and feels comfortable with her teachers. She has already learned so much, including new songs, more about the alphabet, more about Bible stories, and done lots of art projects. Her teacher, Miss Ann, is very sweet and great with the kids. And mom is certainly enjoying the hours alone to get things done (although the time does fly by!).

Kyla and mom also enjoy MOPS two times a month, and Kyla loves her teachers there too--along with all her friends!

 

Snuggles

Make Way for New Adventures

We started July off with a fun weekend celebrating GranDad and his retirement as well as GranJan's birthday. A surprise visit from Uncle Matt and Cousin Ryan made it even more special. We had a great time at Top Golf, a trampoline park, and filled in the rest of the time with good family fun. 

The rest of the month flew by since we all--including Kyla--spent a week in the Bahamas serving on our church's mission trip. Jeff helped roof a building at the Christian middle/high school where we were staying and working, and he also used a machete to cut through the jungle for a water line. Jen helped with a Bible conference for teen girls. And Kyla got to be the star of the group and play with the missionary kiddos.

We may have been a little crazy to bring a 2-year-old on a mission trip, but Kyla was certainly a trooper. Thankfully a woman on the trip watched Kyla and the missionary kids in the mornings, so we did have time to help. The only major issues we had were:

1. Kyla had difficulty falling asleep, especially the first night. We didn't really get to our room to go to bed until probably 10, and Kyla didn't fall asleep until after 2am. So it was a rough first night for Jen. Every night did get better, though, but Kyla was just so wound up that she took a while to get still.

2. We knew Kyla was a runner,  but it was definitely confirmed on the trip. Regardless of what we did, she liked to take off running down the school driveway and in the airport too. And boy is she fast!

The rest of the trip was a good time of fellowship and hard work that will be meaningful for the students who attend the school. And we did get to enjoy the beautiful beaches some, too!

Kyla also participated in a "mom and me" swim class. She wasn't very comfortable in the water at the beginning of the 2-week class, and was still pretty hesitant at the end. But she did gain some confidence and we learned some new things to try in the water. She went under water only 3 times during those weeks but will now blow bubbles in the water and do lots of kicking.

At the end of July we had the blessing of having both Danielle and Jermaine Jr. come visit. We had a great time, and Kyla clearly enjoyed their love and attention!

Letting Go, A New Cousin, and More

So I guess this is turning into a monthly summary, but at least that's better than the once a quarter or less that we published for a while.

June flew by, as it seems every month does now! We enjoyed swimming, the splash park, and playing at the playground on a regular basis. Kyla still is a little hesitant with the water, but does seem to enjoy the pool as long as her face doesn't get wet. She is also still quite the climber, able to do most of the things at the playground by herself. Her vocabulary continues to grow and grow, and she speaks in sentences quite a bit. Sometimes it's a little frustrating (such as when she says "don't touch me" or "stand right there" or "do it like this") but it can also be quite cute when she says "I love you" or "whose that name?" (her way of asking what is his/her name).

We also participated in our church VBS, and Kyla and mom both had a blast. Kyla looked forward to going to her class each day, and she was thoroughly worn out for naptime. The one thing she did not like, however, was when the teacher tried to put her hand in clay to do a mold. The teacher said she cried and hid in the play fridge in the room. So we got a mold of the letter K instead.

Kyla's favorite thing lately has been listening to the Frozen soundtrack. She requests it every time we get in the car and knows lots of words in the songs. Sometimes she even sings parts of the songs in her bed or when she's playing.

http://youtu.be/tKr_7f6odkY

Kyla can also spell her name, identify all letters and tell you what sound most of the letters make. Unfortunately potty training has taken a downward turn,  but I guess we'll conquer that eventually!

May Memories

Zoo with Nana, Papa, and Jasmine

Mother's Day

At the mall

At a butterfly exhibit

Fun at the arboretum

splash park