The Circus came to town!

This picture is classic! We had just arrived at the circus & this is Rylie's first reaction. There was an elephant in the pre-show & a man was leading him around the floor. We got an up-close & personal look at the elephant....Rylie was a bit concerned!

Here he is....Rylie couldn't take her eyes off him. Stewart put her up on his shoulders to get a better look!

We hiked up to ours seats & the lights went down & the show began! This is Rylie cheering & clapping! We couldn't believe how excited she got. It was great to see her smiling & clapping & saying "yay!"

Here is a lovely shot of the three of us....We went with the Wilsons & the Carlisles....we all had a great time & the kids loved it!

I am not sure why this posted sideways...I apologize for the inconvenience! Anyway, this was at intermission! Such a little sweetie. She just couldn't quite hang in there after all the excitement. So we packed up & called it a night...on our way out we got to see the zebras eating backstage. They are my favorite!

*As a sidenote, we are teaching her to say "Thank you" & today she used it appropriately several times without us having to tell her to! Yay!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

We just wanted to take a minute & say Merry Christmas to all of you who check our blog.....we are so blessed to have such wonderful friends & family. God has blessed our family so much......Rylie is growing like a weed & this Christmas she is big enough to enjoy the tree & try to unwrap a few gifts! We put out our nativity scene & Rylie loves to look at baby Jesus & the animals, especially. We are going to take her to see the live Nativity this year. I want her to always know the true meaning of Christmas....the birth of our Savior. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas & a wonderful New Year....& don't be afraid to say "Merry Christmas" to people in a society that focuses on "Happy Holidays"! :)

Playing in the yard before it gets too cold out!

Here are a few pictures of me & Rylie playing outside on a nice day in November. She had a blast crawling around in the leaves & exploring things. She is handing me a stick in this shot......she kept piling leaves & sticks in my lap. She loves the outdoors, just like her daddy! Note the teeth in this shot....she had one big one sticking out on the top & 3 on the bottom. Since then, 3 more have made their appearance on the top...she is getting quite the grill!

This is the photo shoot for Daddy's business Christmas cards. Rylie didn't like actually touching the bubble-mower, because when she put weight on the handle, the front would come up & she would lose her balance. (She is in the beginning stages of walking.) She actually took off on her own across the grass after this shot....she saw our pumpkins sitting on the grass & forgot about her fear of walking! It also helped that her friend Kaylen (who is 22 months old) was there to encourage her to walk! Anyway, this is the shot Stewart chose for the cards...they were cute!

I liked this one, too. She looks like she is posing just for the picture! In addition to the new teeth & walking, she has also learned to eat with a spoon or baby fork! I know, I can't believe it either! She holds her spoons & forks all the time, even takes one to bed with her sometime...hahaha! One day I was feeding her some pureed carrots & she dipped her spoon in & started eating! She has great co-ordination! I will have to post a video of that so you can watch...it is so funny!

Here is our little doodlebug playing in the driveway....she is pushing her walker around. She doesn't like to be in it, but she loves to push her cousin John Gavin around in his walker! He is 8 months old now! She has also added a few words to her ever-growing vocabulary lately.....she can say "Mommy" , "Daddy", "Mo"(=more), "Light"(especially popular when we go to look at Christmas lights), & "yellow" (the only color she will acknowledge!). She also says "eye" & likes to poke you in the eye while saying it! We are teaching her to gently point! We are also working on "Thank you".....this comes out sporadically & sounds like tattoo! Kids are so much fun!