Walking Everywhere

Laura Elizabeth has decided that walking isn't quite as fast as crawling but it sure is fun! She gets so tickled at herself when she walks long distances. We get tickled at her because later in the day...she is very clumsy. She will walk almost anywhere and loves carrying her dolls, high chair, books and anything else with her.

She isn't liking milk though. We have added strawberry and chocolate but neither one really appeals to her. If anyone has advice, please send it my way! She goes to her 1 year doctor's appointment next week so we will have to talk with Dr. Huie about this one. Of course, I would love for her to drink plain milk (since it is readily available at all restaurants). But she just opens her mouth back up and lets it pour back out. :)

She is still playing with all of her precious baby dolls that everyone sent her for her birthday. She also loves the rocking chair that PawPaw (Matt's granddad) gave her. Mr. Bear is still her favorite though.

She is growing like a weed...repeating almost anything. She likes throwing things as well. Everytime we get into the car, she proceeds to take off her socks and shoes and throw them.

Occasionally, she slows down enough to fall asleep on her daddy (which he still loves). Otherwise, she is going..going..going.

Visit from PawPaw

PawPaw dropped by this morning to wish LeLe a HAPPY BIRTHDAY! It was such a wonderful surprise. He also dropped off another present for Baby LeLe from Matt's aunt Newana and uncle Billy. We really enjoyed visiting with PawPaw.

We are trying to wean LeLe off of the bottle...but we aren't having much success.

Happy Birthday LeLe!

I cannot believe that Laura Elizabeth is already one! Man! How time does fly! I also cannot believe how much I have learned over the past year. I am going to share some of these things for all of you fellow MOM'S TO BE!

1. When making a crib skirt, don't worry about making sure you get the exact measurements to the floor. The crib is going to be on the lowest setting most of the time so it is going to be crumpled up on the floor regardless.
2. Everyone MUST have a bouncie seat! We still don't know how we could live without the ole Rainforest Bouncie.
3. Don't dry any kids clothes...they grow out of them fast enough without shrinking.
4. Don't bother buying 3 types of bottles. If your child has reflux, she is going to scream regardless of the bottle. :)
5. Don't bother dropping the crib to level 2 and 3. Go from level 1 to level 4! Save yourself some type of sanity!


Okay..I am sure that I will be remembering some more...but on to my little baby. I cannot believe that this time last year she was making a visit to NICU!

This morning, we met Bobo and Pappy to eat breakfast for LeLe's birthday. She absolutely loved the Cracker Barrel pancakes. She also enjoyed walking around with Bobo as neither one of them could sit long enough to eat.

When we got home, it was warm enough for LeLe to try out her new swing set. Thanks to Backyard Adventures for installing it in the freezing weather on Monday! She loved it!

For dinner, the Hollands came over to the house. LeLe enjoyed spending time with them as well. She had no problem opening up their present...as she is now a professional gift unwrapper. LeLe enjoyed her cupcake much better tonight. She really liked chocolate!

Happy Birthday Laura Elizabeth! We love you so very much!

LeLe's First Christmas Day!

Believe it or not, Santa came to visit LeLe. We were in doubt that he would come due to her being such a Hurricane but...he made it! She got a new swing set, several books, several movies, an oversized golden retriever but her favorite gift was a $2.00 Dora ball that Matt got for her!

After we opened presents with our little family, the Hollands and Allens joined us for Christmas Lunch. We then opened more presents! LeLe got the hang of opening presents by the end of the day! She really enjoyed playing with Sara Kate and Jason. They were precious as always.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas Eve at the Skinners

Tonight, we all headed to Laura's to celebrate Christmas. Anne Reaves was singing at the church at the Christmas Eve service so we joined Bobo, Pappy and the Skinners for the service. Anne Reaves was absolutely precious! While she was the front of the church singing, she decided to start waving at all of us. She didn't know all of the words but continued to move her mouth. She was a hit and even displayed some of her ballerina moves while on stage.

Afterwards, we went to Laura's house where we opened presents and ate our traditional prime rib, potatoes and salad. The Skinner's gave LeLe a Bitty Baby doll. She was in love before Laura could even get it out of the box. Anne Reaves loved her flashing Sleeping Beauty shoes. She had to run go put on her dress to go with them before she could open another present. Saxon got tickled at Pappy putting Anne Reaves' helment on his head. All of the girls were precious and we enjoyed the fellowship as always.

Hanging with Lauren and Joel

LeLe slept until 9:30. I believe that she is still worn out from her birthday party. I had a doctor's appointment on Monday. So, my cousins, Lauren and Joel, kept Hurricane while I did some last minute Christmas shopping, renewed my license (that expired 58 days before), and went to see the ole doc.

Laura Elizabeth fell in love with Joel. She was so in love, that she didn't even take a nap...all day long. I have to say, this is the first for her. When they brought her back to the house around 5:00, she ate dinner and fell fast asleep at 5:30. She ended up sleeping until Bobo came on Tuesday morning around 8:30. Thank you Lauren and Joel!

LeLe's First Birthday Party!

Tonight was LeLe's first birthday party! Man! I cannot believe how fast this year has come and gone. I cannot believe that my little angel is already almost one! We invited several of our closest friends to come and join on the festivities. Due to the time of year, I invited several different families mostly folks who didn't even know each other. The party turned out to be so much fun (if I do say so myself). I wasn't really prepared for the chaos though. I had everything planned out (I know...you probably all ready knew that!). Festivities were to start at 5:30. Eat and paint ornaments until 6:15, Sing Happy Birthday around 6:20, Santa arrives at 6:45 and then concluding around 7:30.

Okay...well, let me start off saying that there was a miscommunication and the pottery painting lady didn't get to the house until around 6:20. So, all of the guests (all 64 of them) hung out upstairs. Around 6:25, we all headed downstairs for the festivities. Santa appeared around 6:45 and was HUGE hit! After Santa made his exit, we sang Happy Birthday (where LeLe screamed bloody murder).

LeLe was not at ALL interested in her birthday cake. She was more concerned about all of these folks singing and looking at her. So, she screamed and screamed and screamed. So much so, she had to go upstairs to cool down while the other children ate the precious cake.

Special thanks to my sister who helped me put everything together, Lauren for helping with LeLe and my good friend Mark who took pictures!

I hope to add some more pictures soon! Happy Birthday my little angel!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Visit from Aunt Lisa

Aunt Lisa came over tonight to help watch LeLe. Laura Elizabeth absolutely adored her. When I came home, Lisa was crawling after LeLe and she was belly laughing. She also brought over LeLe her birthday present, Dr. Seuss books. Thanks Aunt Lisa for watching baby Lele!

Busy Busy Busy

We are running around these days trying to make sure that we get LeLe's birthday party in order AND get everything on our shopping list. I hope that you enjoy some more random shots of my growing little angel.

Laura has come up several times to help me get the party in order. Dad is doing much better these days. Thanks everyone for their prayers! LeLe continues to add new words to her vocabulary. The most recent word...WOW! She has taken several steps by herself but since she too is always in a hurry...she prefers crawling. I will say, she is very proficient in crawling. She can now even crawl with a dress. She sticks one leg out and the uses it to maneuver herself. She LOVES being chased. She will start laughing when you start stomping your feet. She also loves helping sort clothes. We have finally taught her to actually put them back in the drawer after she pulls them all out.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Visit with Santa

Today was the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Christmas Festival. Laura Elizabeth had seen a Santa before at Brookwood Mall and wasn't scared at all. However, that was NOT the case today! She was petrified. I am not sure if it was because she was in need of a nap or not. But, she would not let us leave her without crying. At one point, I just sat by Santa and got my picture made too. I did forget to tell him what I wanted though.

While we are at Blue Cross, we ran into the Welborns. Adison and Hall were as sweet as ever. Adison's friend, Eva Katherine, was also with them. LeLe was so excited to see them and is so calm around them. She even sat in Adison's lap which she doesn't do for anyone very often. She also sat by the reindeers. At one point, she was petting Mr. Reindeer.

New High Chair and Nascar Racer!

Laura let us borrow her high chair since LeLe decided to climb out of her very nice wooden one and hang by the lap belt. It was a site to remember! I had run to the laundry room (which is right outside the kitchen) to start a load of laundry while she was content eating her bananas. The next thing I know, I round the corner and she is belly laughing, hanging by the lap belt over the side of the chair. Sadie (our oldest golden) had laid on the floor to break her fall and LeLe was petting her. I about had a heart attack!

Anyway, Baby Saxon has outgrown her high chair so Laura sent it our way! I am so fortunate to have such a wonderful sister!

Laura Elizabeth seems to love it! I am sure that the cushions are nice compared to the hard wood of ours. Moral of the story....for all of you moms to be...get a regular high chair and not a fancy wooden one!

Laura also let us borrow Anne Reaves car! While it doesn't have any Nascar stripes or numbers, it should. I had to work on Thursday night so LeLe stayed with her daddy. When I came in, there were skid marks all over our hard wood floors. For those of you that know Matt, he is a very neat freak. Anyway, I could not believe that he didn't stop when he noticed that the car was leaving marks. Okay folks, I am not talking like one or two...I am talking HUNDREDS! He said that while I was gone, LeLe and he played Nascar for about 30 minutes. As you can see, she VERY much enjoys her new car. Thanks Aunt Laura! You are the best!

On the Go!

Tonight, I brought up a car that Laura let LeLe borrow. She couldn't really get the hang of it at first but I believe that once she does, she will LOVE it! I can remember when Anne Reaves was about LeLe's age. Laura would stand on one side of the hallway and I would stand on the other. We would push her as fast as we could and she would belly laugh. I cannot wait to do this with our little LeLe!

A Few Fun Shots

We stayed at home almost all weekend. Of course, we watched the Alabama/Auburn game on Saturday night. ROLL TIDE!!

On Sunday, I talked Matt into going shopping with me. As soon as we got out, it started raining so we ended up only going to Wal-Mart.

When we got home, we got some shots of LeLe kissing everything. You can see that she loves pointing to the fish in her book. She also likes kissing on Ziggie (our zebra).

Dad is coming home from the hospital tomorrow!! Thanks for all of the prayers.

Mighty LeLe

Do you see anything wrong with this picture? LeLe is suppose to be using the doll stroller to learn to walk. She will push it for a while but when she runs into a wall or corner, she lifts it straight up. It is rather funny. I believe that she sees us moving it when she hits a "road block". She actually has a teething ring in her mouth that she found today.

This morning, Matt was in the bed when LeLe and I got up. She is in LOVE with her daddy. Anyway, she would stand at the door of the bedroom and call him..."dada...hi dada". When she didn't get an answer, she started hitting the door and yelling "dada...hi dada". She still didn't get an answer so then she started yelling..."ATT...ATT". It was too funny. She has said it several times today when she is talking to her daddy Matt.

Pappy is doing better today. He is still a little bit confused but is a ton better mentally. His sodium levels are coming up. Matt is doing much better today as well. Thank you for all of your prayers.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Make a Smilebox greeting

We are very thankful this Thanksgiving Day for all that the Good Lord has provided for us and our wonderful friends and family. Since we have been taking care of daddy, our wonderful Aunt Lisa cooked a fabulous Thanksgiving lunch for us. Of course, dad is still in the hospital but the Skinner family and Mother joined us at Lisa's house. The food was as always...delicious!

Laura Elizabeth had a wonderful time playing with her cousins. I believe that Anne Reaves was in hog heaven with baby "WeWe" there. Baby Saxon was her normal laid back happy self. We tried to get a couple of good shots with the girls but those are hard to come by these days.

Cousin Emily was a great help with all of the girls and Uncle Dave enjoyed the fellowship with the Matts. LeLe got to meet a cat for the first time. She wanted to kiss him of course. Emily also had a HUGE teddy bear that LeLe could not get enough of.

Afterwards, Laura and I headed to the hospital to see Pappy. Poor Matt stayed at home with LeLe. He seems to feel pretty well but I believe that he may be regretting working on Friday.

Oh! Today is Laura Elizabeth's 11th month birthday! I CANNOT BELIEVE IT!! She continues to love her baby dolls. She can say many many words including : DaDa, Night Night, This, That, Boo (for book and bear), Dra (for drink), Eye, and Nose. She can even point to the appropriate facial features (thanks to her dolls). She continues to be a very happy baby. She stands very well on her own and is now pushing the stroller all around the house. Yesterday, we put hard sole shoes on her and it was too funny. She would kick her feet out like a soldier. I cannot believe how fast my little angel is growing.

Please continue to pray for Pappy. At this point, his sodium levels are improving but not his mental status. Please pray for strength for us as well.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pray for Pappy

Pappy has been sick for several weeks now. Actually, I believe that he started getting sick around Halloween. He has been having the same "virus" symptoms as the rest of us. We were thinking that he would eventually get better but instead has taken a turn for the worse. We had to call the ambulance today to pick up Pappy. He is now at UAB. Please pray that he will have a speedy recovery. At this point, he is severely dehydrated and has an altered mental status.

Orange on your Shoulder?

On Friday, November 21st, I ended up taking LeLe in to see doctor Huie. He said that her stomach problems were still due to the virus that she got last week. He said that more than likely she would still be contagious especially if she had a fever. She was down to exactly 19 pounds (so she has lost 13 ounces).

Unfortunately, we missed Baby Allie's birthday party on Saturday...bummer. We stayed close to home and I put up the Christmas tree. I can say that I have always done this the day after Thanksgiving but since we were "house bound"...I drug all of the boxes down from the attic. LeLe didn't know quite what to think about the tree. She loves pulling the ornaments off of the bottom though. She especially likes the Hallmark bear ornament. Matt and I decided to let her play with the bell ornament. We now keep it in the floor by the tree as a distraction to Hurricane Holland.

On Tuesday, November 25th, Matt had hernia surgery. This was rather a surprise to us. Evidently, he had some intestines that decided to come through so he got to go under the knife. He did very well...I was the nervous wreck. Please pray that he will have a speedy recovery.

I have always heard...someone has a "chip on their shoulder" but never an "orange on your shoulder". LeLe is finally over all of her sickness and is now eating us out of house and home. Maybe she will put the weight back on that she has lost.

Playing with Cousins

Kate brought Jason and Sara Kate over for us to try to get a couple more Christmas pictures with the girls. The picture of the 4 children together was too small to put on the Christmas card. Laura Elizabeth was asleep when they got here but woke up so happy to see her cousins. Sara Kate and Jason were so sweet to her and just loved touching the baby.

Kate and I ended up getting a couple of good shots of the girls. Jason tried on LeLe's Halloween costume and loved it! While Kate and I were looking at the pictures, we had a knock on the door. Kate went to answer it and it was a policeman! Evidently, one of the children were playing with the phone and called 911! Can I say...never a dull moment at the Holland house!

We thoroughly enjoyed playing with Sara Kate and Jason. LeLe still isn't feeling quite up to par but definitely tried to have fun while they were here.

Another Bug!

We have been struck again with another bug! Laura Elizabeth woke up Thursday morning with an upset tummy. I spoke with mother and we thought that it was just from her sinuses. However, on the way to school, she proved us otherwise. So, Bobo, kept LeLe all day with her been sick. Thank God for mother! She has been such a blessing!

Friday, LeLe seemed to be doing much better other than she now had an upset tummy the other way. She acted like she felt fine.

I thought I would take some pictures of LeLe while we were getting ready to go eat. Every morning while I get dressed, she sits on my bathroom counter. This is what I get to look forward to every morning!

We met Aunt Tammie, Uncle Allen, and Lauren for dinner at Pablo's and then ran to Costco!

Little did I know, an hour after we got home, I was struck! I was sick all night friday night and then into Saturday. Matt thought that he was fine...until Saturday night! He got it! He was sick all day Saturday and then Sunday too!

We are so thankful to now be better....I have successfully "cloroxed" the house.