A Nonna Visit!

Okay, so all you see of my mom in THIS post is her hands. Sorry Mom, but anyway. My mom (Nonna) came to stay for a few days this last week and we had so much fun with her! Nonna is one of Layla's bestest friends and once she arrives she's glued to her side. She brought Layla some new bath toys, which Layla loves.

She brought a bathtime Dora and along with it comes her twin baby brother and sister (which I had no idea even existed). But Layla loves her babies and carried them with her everywhere that day. Even out to Red Robin, which we were treated to. 

Later that day Layla was invited to splash around in a little pool, which you may notice the deflation... they really could care less. Here's Layla and her little neighbor friend, Olivia.

I love little toddler legs... so yummy, especially Lalya's.

Then she found a shoe, which occupied quite a chunk of her time. She'd say, "Eww" and then throw it, and repeat.

More fun!

While my mom was here, she offered to watch Layla overnight, so Tanner and I could go do something fun. We had such a great time hanging out, just the two of us. We ended up staying at a hotel nearby and swam a bunch. We decided to wake up early and grab Layla from home, so she could finally experience a swimming pool.

(She pretty much wanted out the whole time)

Then we hit the splash park on Sat. for Layla's Nursery activity. She pretty much hates the splash park too, but is slowly warming up to it. I caught her touching the water a few times :)

Unsure...

Okay, one touch.

And then her favorite part. The "Fun horsies". That's what she calls them and asks for them all day long. The odd thing about Layla is that she'll get so excited for them and then each time she gets on she'll have the most BLANK look on her face. I've taken her on myself before and asked her, "Are you having fun??" And she'll say, in a very monotone voice, "Waywa fun" ("Waywa" is how she says her name) She cracks me up.

Potty and the Roadhouse

A new potty! We're giving it a go.... soon. I'm a little scared to dive right into the whole potty training scene. I'm not really sure why, it just really intimidates me. I'd love to hear advise from other moms before I actually start.

The last day Nonna was here we went out to Texas Roadhouse, a favorite of ours, to let my mom indulge in some delicious rolls. We sat right next to the HUGE mural of a Native American and it freaked Layla out a little. 

Layla sure does love her Nonna. They were pretty much inseparable these last few days. Oh and yes, more proof of her sunglasses obsession.

Pure Joy

Family Night at the Temple

Here's our family.

We decided last night to go to the temple for Family Night. It was really sunny and clear, but extremely windy. I still loved it. Such a nice break from rain and thunder. At times, Rexburg is so beautiful to me.

This was Layla's first time at the temple... NO I take that back. She went through the open house when she was teeny tiny, but hasn't been back since then. It was really special seeing her love the temple so much now.

Beautiful

Here I was almost falling over (don't have the best balance when pregnant), but managed to get a picture of Layla pointing up to, "Angel No Nye" So cute.

Layla and Daddy

Run

Pretty

Gorgeous

Trip to the school

Tanner's sister Sharsti came for a visit this last week/weekend. We loved having her here! She really was a perfect houseguest! Babysat Layla, went out with us, helped me clean even! We love her and miss her already. Layla has asked many times, "Where Shurshi?"

Well we decided to go visit campus and show Sharsti around. I had never been to the school gardens and was impressed by how pretty it was. Layla loved it there too!

Her favorite part were the "Piders and Bishies" You know how there are water spiders, well Layla is an unusual girl and thought they were very cute.

She loves being independent and though it was so great that she could stand on the edge of the fountain by herself... for about 5 seconds. We grabbed her quickly after this picture was taken because she was getting dangerously close to the edge.

If you know Layla, or have been around her lately, you'll know that she loves statues. Well maybe it's just the word that she loves because this look is screaming, "Get me off this giant scary lady!!" 

I had asked her if she wanted to sit on the statue's lap and she replied, "Okay" and so I hoisted her up. While lifting and juggling Layla and my camera, a picture was randomly taken. I couldn't help but laugh after I saw what it captured. 

I may have scarred her for life. 

The new sprinkler!

Our neighbors exchanged their pool for a sprinkler. I guess it had a leak in it, but we're a little relieved because the pool took up a lot of space in our front yard. Anyway, the kiddies love the sprinkler just as much. Tanner took Layla out front to play, while I picked up and this is what I saw, while looking out the window.

She found a "pretty" and had to check herself out, looking into the bumper of Tanner's truck.

Layla was "jumping" over the sprinkler and Tanner thought he'd give it a go too. I just thought this picture looked crazy. Tanner's legs just falling out of the sky. Layla said, "NO! stop."

Then she kindly watered some of her rock collection. They were a bit dirty.

And then took a break with me. What a fun day!

Gotta love the park!

Layla loves going to the park. She's quite timid when it comes to actually playing on the toys, but is warming up to them nicely. She hates going down slides and almost has to be clutching the side railing at all times. Silly girl.

She really likes to let loose and run wild through the grass, especially if there's a carousel at the other end!

"Does anyone have a dollar for me to ride? But I'm cute..."

I had zero dollars that day. Sad.

I won!!

I won a contest that one of my favorite blogs (Make it and Love it) was offering, to win a Gift Certificate for one of Brittany's amazing cakes! I'm so excited!! I really needed something like this, because I've been starting to really feel the effects of being pregnant with a toddler and what a mood lifter!! I'm thinking maybe have a cake made for Layla's 2nd Birthday? Or maybe a baby shower? I guess I could just make one for me for absolutely no reason! How fun!!

Here are some of her amazing cakes on her site. You should go check them out!

Pool Party

Okay, I know this is a tree and not a pool, but I wanted to take a picture of it, because I was so amazed that it bent back into shape. I should have caught a picture when it was bended severely from the crazy Rexburg winds. Our little tree is a miracle!

Layla LOVES water and was SO excited that our neighbors got a pool and set it up right in our front yard/sidewalk :) There's a soft lining under the pool so the kids wouldn't get hurt on the pavement.

She was having a blast!! Can you tell?

She would even crouch down and act like she was swimming. So far, I've noticed that she isn't afraid of water as long as it is semi-controlled. The Splash Park, on the other hand, seems to be a bit too much at this point. Hopefully that'll change soon.

Her friends left :(

So silly

Someone brought out otter pops and Layla was in Heaven. She kept calling it her "yummy drink", probably because it was melting so quickly and the only way she could eat it successfully was to suck the juice out. Fun day!

Crafty Mood

Lately, I've been in such a crafty, need to make something, mood. It's been nice, but I feel bad for my family, because of all the scraps of stuff lying around. Here is a scrap pillow I made for Layla. I had a little bit of fabric leftover from Brittyn's Blankie and I didn't want to waste it.

The back

Layla was watching me take pictures... which you've probably already noticed, by her foot and piggy in the above pictures. She felt a little left out, so she grabbed her pillow and straightened it up, sat in front of it and said, "Mommy, cheese!"

I found a few BIG flowers at the craft store yesterday and thought I'd turn them into lovely hair accessories! Like?