"Before you were conceived I wanted you. Before you were born I loved you. Before you were here one hour I would die for you."

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April 29, 2009

Tally trip!

Last week we finally got a chance to visit Tallahassee for the first time since moving away. It's only been 5 months but it feels like it has been so much longer. During our visit we had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends. Even though we are so glad to be back in Orlando, we will always miss some things about Tallahassee. It will always be a very special place to us, especially since it is where Laila was born and where she spent the first 5 months of her life! We hope to be able to go back to visit a lot and make many more fun memories there throughout the years!



We've been on this road many, many, many times over the past 4 years!




Laila reading a book to pass the time!




On our way to Tally, we stopped in Ocala to see our family Phil, Jill, and Carson Schuck! We got to see Nate's Aunt Cathy as well! It was a short visit, but we are so glad we got to catch up with them and meet Carson for the first time. Carson is exactly 1 month older than Laila and he is such a cutie! It was really fun to see them both together. We look forward to spending many holidays with them in the future and watching our little ones grow up! Thanks again Phil and Jill for having us over....we had a great time!



Cousins and 2nd cousins!




Laila and Carson loved the fridge letters!
I think it is safe to say they are both going to be getting another tooth real soon!





This is Laila and her friend Caroline! We got to stay with Caroline and her parents during our time in Tally. They were such wonderful hostesses and they made us feel so welcome. It was really nice to be able to have a crib for Laila to sleep in, lots of toys, and a friend her same age for her to play with. Thanks again Sarah and Steve for your hospitality!





We also got to visit with our friends the Grulich's and Garcia's! It was our first time meeting Kinley, the Grulich's newest addition that was born in December! She is a little doll! It is amazing how fast Avery (the Grulich's oldest daughter) and Gabe (the Garcia's son) are growing up. We are also very excited for the Gabe because he is going to have a little sister, Hannah Grace, in July!




Here we are at the Peacock's house. Laila is sitting on Nana's lap and as you can see she is the center of attention! Everyone was so excited to see her and she loved playing with them too!




Laila was catching them up on all the new things she's been learning like waving hi and bye, blowing kisses, showing how big she is, and crawling and cruising around everywhere!



Laila's Great Nana



Dane & Laila, 2nd cousins




Danielle & Laila, another 2nd cousin



Nicole & Laila, another 2nd cousin!





I think Laila has missed rocking on the swing with Nana!






Laila got to have a playdate with two of her first friends, Ben and Caroline! The three of them were all born pretty much within a month of eachother. It's hard to believe that before we moved we could lay them down next to eachother to snap a picture, but now we have to snap the pictures fast before they all crawl away! Next time they will all be walking and we'll be chasing them around everywhere! Thanks so much Trish for capturing some of these really cute pictures of our babies. Sarah, thanks again for hostessing! We had a great time and I'll be looking forward to our next playdate!



Ben, Laila, & Caroline






















Can you say bed head!!!
This is Laila right after she woke up from a long nap after the playdate!




Here we are back at the Peacocks!






Natalie, Laila & Eli - 2nd cousins



Noah & Laila -
yes another 2nd cousin (she has lots and there are 9 of them just in the Peacock family)




Laila feeling like a big girl in Natalie's Power Wheels Jeep!




Turning up the radio!




A new water toy for the birthday boy, Micah!





Spending more time with Nana





Singing Happy 4th Birthday to Micah! All of the Peacocks, Nana, and more of our family David, Colleen & Lindsey Phelps came over to celebrate. It was so great to see everyone again! Thanks for the great dinner and your delicious brownies DeDe!!








Saying good-bye to Great Aunt DeDe! Thanks again DeDe for giving Laila's hair another little trim! We love and miss you ALL so much, and we're so glad we got to hang out with the whole gang! You guys are the best! xoxo

April 17, 2009

Florida Hospital Photo Shoot

My sister works for the Marketing Department at the Florida Hospital (where I was born over 29 years ago!). On April 13th they were having a photo shoot of babies that she asked us to be a part of. Laila was an adorable model, posing for the camera and making everyone smile! They caught a couple cute ones of us and gave us the copies. On a side note, I wished the stylist hadn't put so much hairspray in my hair or made me look so pale and tired :), but I guess I can't complain too much since the pictures were free for us! There are still some good ones, especially of Nate and Laila! Here are a few that I thought turned out the best.




















April 16, 2009

A little visit from the Rimpf Family

Tonight we got to catch up with some old family friends from North Carolina, The Rimpfs! Mrs. Rimpf (Cindy!), her oldest son Brian, his sweet wife Lauren, and their two adorable little boys Carter (3 years) and Greyson (almost 5 months) came over for dinner along with my mom, dad, sister, and brother. Brian and his family are on a little road trip right now and are here in Orlando for a few days doing Disney, Animal Kingdom, and all that fun stuff! They surprised Mrs. Rimpf and flew her down to Orlando for a few days so she could go to the parks with them and get to catch up with a few of her old friends as well.


The Rimpfs lived in Orlando and were friends with my parents before I was born, so they have known me my whole life! As Brian puts it, we used to be playpen buddies! :) We were even the flower girl and ring bearer together in his aunt's wedding. They are such a sweet family and it was great to catch up with them. Hopefully one day we'll get to reconnect with Mr. and Mrs. Rimpfs other kids, Kevin, Bridget, and Nathan! It has been way too long since we've seen all of them! I know my parents miss Cindy and Anton and have so many good memories with them! I have heard many fun stories of their crazy times together!


Here are a few pictures from the old days! I think the first two must have been at Easter time and the third one is from Cindy's sister's wedding. My, how things change! Brian is about a foot and a half taller than me now! I don't know for sure but he must be at least 6'8''!
















The pictures below are from tonight of our kids! After they left, I was mad at myself for not taking pictures of us all grown up now, but we at least got a few cute ones of our children!


I love how baby Greyson is not even 5 months old yet and is almost the same height and weight as Laila! He is a healthy big boy and one of the cutest things I've ever seen!



Greyson!




Laila, Carter, and Greyson
(Love how Laila is starting to blink her eyes again before the camera even flashes! I think that is a sign that I take too many pictures! Hopefully her eyesight won't be affected!)




Carter giving Laila a ride around the house!



We had a great time tonight guys! Thanks so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to hang out with us! Hope to see you again soon!

Random

I had a mini photo shoot of Laila the other day and had to share some of the adorable pictures! Here are some of the many happy faces of our little girl! She is 10 1/2 months old in these pics!




























The photos below are just some other random pics from the past few weeks.....




Laila and Grandpa Lail



Laila's 2nd bottom tooth is finally coming in!




Laila sharing her cheerios with Daddy!!!



We met Grammy at Monkey Joe's while she was there with some kiddos from school!



She was a little too small for most things but she still had fun watching the older kids and playing with her Grandma!



Laila and Monkey Joe!



Bubbles!!!



Laila loves her little duckies from Oma!