7 years ago
Sunday, January 12, 2014
Our Family Now
Well...a LOT has changed since my last post. Now Keith and I have two daughters. Layla Scout Westbrook & Sophie Belle Westbrook. Layla is four years old and will be five on March 7, 2014. Sophie is two years old and will be three on May 13, 2014.
We still have Bella, our Rottweiler/German Shepherd mix. Bonnie and Clyde now live with Keith's parents in Benton, so we still see them often.
Keith is teaching his seventh year for Hoxie Public Schools; 6-12 grade choirs and an 8th Grade General Music course.
I am in my 11th year of teaching; my ninth year for Nettleton Public Schools. I teach Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd Grade Music classes.
Layla is our compliant, tender-hearted, dramatic daughter. After 4 years at an in-home sitter, she began Pre-K4 in August and LOVES it!
Sophie is our very strong-willed daughter. I'm paying for my raising with that child! She still goes to an in-home sitter right now.
And that's all the time I have. I've got to get off right now and get us all ready for church and AWANA. :)
Friday, April 16, 2010
Kindermusik 04-15-10
Pictures from Layla's Kindermusik class last night -
KM Village, ages birth to 18 months.
KM Village, ages birth to 18 months.
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| Kindermusik Spring 2010 |
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Layla is CRAWLING!
Sorry it has been so long since I last posted. We've had very busy times, and our computer has been on the fritz. But, we think we've got it fixed now (I sure hope so).
Yes, you read the title correctly - Layla Scout is crawling now! She crawled for the first time on Friday, December 11th, and we were lucky enough to catch it on video! When she first began crawling, she moved both arms and her left leg normally, but on her right leg she would use her foot instead of her knee. It was cute! But, by Monday she was doing all four points-of-contact correctly. Now, she can book it across a room on all fours! But it's still cute to watch b/c she looks like one of those robot dogs b/c she doesn't lift her legs, she just slides them. It's cute to watch!
And, she pulls up on everything now! She did this for the first time on Thanksgiving day (Nov. 26th)! She pulled up using Keith's mothers' leg and pant leg. Then for the longest time she would only pull up on hard, sturdy objects. But now, she'll pull up on nearly anything! So, the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29th), we came home a little early so we could move her crib mattress down to the lowest setting. Wow, did that look different!
We've had a great Christmas and I'll try to post all of that soon - we celebrated on Christmas day with my family, on the 26th at Keith's grandma's with all his extended family, and on the 27th with Keith's family. But for now, I'm going to bed. Layla was sick yesterday and today so my lack of sleep is seeing me to bed. She got a virus that had her throwing up nearly everything she ate for 24 hours. Thank goodness that's over (or so it seems and we certainly hope)! The poor girl, she just wanted me holding her all day and every time she would empty her stomach, she would just look at me as if to say, "What's happening Mommy? What's going on?" I've never seen those beautiful brown eyes look so sad. :( And golly, that's hard on Momma to not be able to do anything but hold her, kiss her, and tell her I love her and it's going to be okay. I would be totally fine if I never had another day like today - if only...
Well, the clock has turned and it's now 2010, so I bid you all goodnight and say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" 2009 was such a blessing, and I'm sure 2010 will be even better!
Yes, you read the title correctly - Layla Scout is crawling now! She crawled for the first time on Friday, December 11th, and we were lucky enough to catch it on video! When she first began crawling, she moved both arms and her left leg normally, but on her right leg she would use her foot instead of her knee. It was cute! But, by Monday she was doing all four points-of-contact correctly. Now, she can book it across a room on all fours! But it's still cute to watch b/c she looks like one of those robot dogs b/c she doesn't lift her legs, she just slides them. It's cute to watch!
And, she pulls up on everything now! She did this for the first time on Thanksgiving day (Nov. 26th)! She pulled up using Keith's mothers' leg and pant leg. Then for the longest time she would only pull up on hard, sturdy objects. But now, she'll pull up on nearly anything! So, the Sunday after Thanksgiving (Nov. 29th), we came home a little early so we could move her crib mattress down to the lowest setting. Wow, did that look different!
We've had a great Christmas and I'll try to post all of that soon - we celebrated on Christmas day with my family, on the 26th at Keith's grandma's with all his extended family, and on the 27th with Keith's family. But for now, I'm going to bed. Layla was sick yesterday and today so my lack of sleep is seeing me to bed. She got a virus that had her throwing up nearly everything she ate for 24 hours. Thank goodness that's over (or so it seems and we certainly hope)! The poor girl, she just wanted me holding her all day and every time she would empty her stomach, she would just look at me as if to say, "What's happening Mommy? What's going on?" I've never seen those beautiful brown eyes look so sad. :( And golly, that's hard on Momma to not be able to do anything but hold her, kiss her, and tell her I love her and it's going to be okay. I would be totally fine if I never had another day like today - if only...
Well, the clock has turned and it's now 2010, so I bid you all goodnight and say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" 2009 was such a blessing, and I'm sure 2010 will be even better!
Monday, November 16, 2009
The Butt Scoot
She's doing the butt scoot! I just had to post this real quick! We just watched her do it! We sat her down and put her toys out of her reach and she scooted on her butt to get herself to it! Oh wow! I wouldn't exactly call it mobile yet, but she's getting closer.
Also, if you stand her up and help her grab something stable (the coffee table, your legs, etc.) she'll stand there on her own!
And, Keith put one of her toys out of her reach on the activity mat. Instead of scooting to the toy, she just scooted over far enough to grab the corner of the mat and pulled the mat to herself.
Just had to post these accomplishments real quick!
Also, if you stand her up and help her grab something stable (the coffee table, your legs, etc.) she'll stand there on her own!
And, Keith put one of her toys out of her reach on the activity mat. Instead of scooting to the toy, she just scooted over far enough to grab the corner of the mat and pulled the mat to herself.
Just had to post these accomplishments real quick!
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Layla's First Halloween
On Halloween Eve, Layla spent the night with Grandad and Mumsie, and Daddy had to get up early to take students to Jr. High All-Region Tryouts. So, Mommy had some time alone that morning to get some things done, and then drove out to see Layla that afternoon.
Mommy's little pumpkin actually had two costumes - a fleece one to keep her warm outside and a cooler one for visiting the relatives inside. She, of course, looked adorable in both of them!
Grandad and Mumsie's first trick-or-treaters were Maddie, Rachel, and McKyna (my cousin Jamie's kids).
Then, Mommy and Mumsie took Layla trick-or-treating the relatives that lived nearby. First it was Uncle Charlie and Aunt Patricia, then Uncle Jim and Aunt Betty, followed by Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Retha, and then Uncle Mark. Finally, Layla and Mommy trick-or-treated Grandad and Mumsie. Now that was cool b/c Mumsie had bought special treats just for Layla - 3 packages of her favorite yogurt, one of each flavor-banana, peach, and strawberry! What a special treat and something only a grandma would do! Thanks Mumsie and Grandad! (Mommy and Daddy will actually let me have these treats!)
After that, Mommy and Mumsie drove to Layla's house to pick up Daddy (he was home now) and they all went to the Westbrook's church. Every year on Halloween they have "Treats from the Trunk." The have cars lined up in a circle with their trunks in and they pass out candy. They also have blow-up toys for the kids to play on that Layla will probably get to do next year. Then you go inside and get a free hot dog and chili dinner, complete with Fritos, a cookie, and lemonade to drink. What fun!
This was enough for our little pumpkin, so we all went home for the night and set our clocks back to get an extra hour of sleep. WOOHOO! Best night of the year!
Mommy's little pumpkin actually had two costumes - a fleece one to keep her warm outside and a cooler one for visiting the relatives inside. She, of course, looked adorable in both of them!
Grandad and Mumsie's first trick-or-treaters were Maddie, Rachel, and McKyna (my cousin Jamie's kids).
Then, Mommy and Mumsie took Layla trick-or-treating the relatives that lived nearby. First it was Uncle Charlie and Aunt Patricia, then Uncle Jim and Aunt Betty, followed by Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Retha, and then Uncle Mark. Finally, Layla and Mommy trick-or-treated Grandad and Mumsie. Now that was cool b/c Mumsie had bought special treats just for Layla - 3 packages of her favorite yogurt, one of each flavor-banana, peach, and strawberry! What a special treat and something only a grandma would do! Thanks Mumsie and Grandad! (Mommy and Daddy will actually let me have these treats!)
After that, Mommy and Mumsie drove to Layla's house to pick up Daddy (he was home now) and they all went to the Westbrook's church. Every year on Halloween they have "Treats from the Trunk." The have cars lined up in a circle with their trunks in and they pass out candy. They also have blow-up toys for the kids to play on that Layla will probably get to do next year. Then you go inside and get a free hot dog and chili dinner, complete with Fritos, a cookie, and lemonade to drink. What fun!
This was enough for our little pumpkin, so we all went home for the night and set our clocks back to get an extra hour of sleep. WOOHOO! Best night of the year!
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| Layla's First Halloween |
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Pumpkin Hollow and Pumpkin Carving
Okay, so here's a "Cindy" post. This is probably how they'll be from now on. (By Cindy post, I mean that you get to see ALL the pictures taken, not just the ones I select). If I do this, then at least you'll get to see pictures, cause I just can't find the time to go through them and pick out only the good ones, anymore. Enjoy!
On Sunday (Oct. 25th), Keith and I took Layla to her first pumpkin patch (it was also both of our first too). The pumpkin patch we went to is called Pumpkin Hollow, and we couldn't have asked for better weather (which was a nice treat since it's been raining SOO much for the last two months)! Layla is so observant, so she really enjoyed all the stuff to look at, and she loved the hayride! She would just smile and laugh and bounce (she bounces up and down when she's excited)! Here's the pictures from the trip:
Here are some other pictures that have been taken this month. We visited my Great Uncle James (excuse the lack of pants on my child-she had just blown up a diaper so I didn't put the adorable matching skort back on her). There's also some pictures of Daddy and his little girl, and several pictures of her with a bow (this is still a new and exciting thing for Momma).
And finally, here's pictures of us carving our first Jack-o-lantern! It was our first time to ever carve a pumpkin, and we had fun doing it! Layla even joined in on the fun (but not with the knife)! Finally, I love dressing in holiday clothes, so I took some pictures of some of her outfits. I wish I had remembered to capture them all, but at least I got some of them. The jack-o-lantern shirt is an age-appropriate shirt we bought for her last year before we knew she was going to be such a petite little girl - it's 6-9 month size so it comes down to her knees...literally. Who knows, we might get to wear it next year too (haha!) Yes, my almost 8-month old wears 0-3 month clothing!
Thanks for looking and reading! I hope you enjoyed!
On Sunday (Oct. 25th), Keith and I took Layla to her first pumpkin patch (it was also both of our first too). The pumpkin patch we went to is called Pumpkin Hollow, and we couldn't have asked for better weather (which was a nice treat since it's been raining SOO much for the last two months)! Layla is so observant, so she really enjoyed all the stuff to look at, and she loved the hayride! She would just smile and laugh and bounce (she bounces up and down when she's excited)! Here's the pictures from the trip:
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| Pumpkin Hollow |
Here are some other pictures that have been taken this month. We visited my Great Uncle James (excuse the lack of pants on my child-she had just blown up a diaper so I didn't put the adorable matching skort back on her). There's also some pictures of Daddy and his little girl, and several pictures of her with a bow (this is still a new and exciting thing for Momma).
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| Visiting Uncle James and Misc. |
And finally, here's pictures of us carving our first Jack-o-lantern! It was our first time to ever carve a pumpkin, and we had fun doing it! Layla even joined in on the fun (but not with the knife)! Finally, I love dressing in holiday clothes, so I took some pictures of some of her outfits. I wish I had remembered to capture them all, but at least I got some of them. The jack-o-lantern shirt is an age-appropriate shirt we bought for her last year before we knew she was going to be such a petite little girl - it's 6-9 month size so it comes down to her knees...literally. Who knows, we might get to wear it next year too (haha!) Yes, my almost 8-month old wears 0-3 month clothing!
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| Pumpkin Carving |
Thanks for looking and reading! I hope you enjoyed!
Saturday, September 26, 2009
What a Busy Life We Live!
I now understand why most of the blogs I read that are frequently updated belong to women that don't have young children at home or women who are fortunate enough to be stay-at-home moms. Wow...now that I'm a working mom again :P I find myself having so much to blog about but not getting it done because I can't stay awake to do it. When I was staying home with Layla for those 5 wonderful months, I didn't blog much because there was so much adjusting to a newborn and working on our house (it was not in baby-friendly condition). Now, I'm just always so exhausted, sleepy, and overwhelmed by everything that needs to be done, both at home and at work. Even if I choose to neglect chores and blog instead, I find myself unable to concentrate and stay awake.
Here's my daily schedule: I get up and get me ready, get everything packed and ready for the day and the sitter, and then wake her just in time to nurse her, change her diaper and clothes, and run out the door. Then I've got a 20 minute drive to the sitter's house, it usually takes about 3-4 minutes to drop her off, and a 15 minute drive to the middle school. I teach one 6th grade Music class and drive about 10 minutes to an elementary school where I pump, teach 2 kindergarten classes, eat lunch, pump again, teach three 1st and 2nd grade classes, pump once more, and leave to go get Layla. On Monday and Friday, that is a 30 minute drive to the sitters house; on Tuesday and Thursday, we meet the sitter at Sam's Club at 5:00; and on Wednesdays we meet her at the mall play area at 4:00. Some days Layla wants a short nap soon after we get home, but this isn't an every day thing. Further, on Monday nights I still teach my Kindermusik class so I have to leave the house by 5:45 and usually don't return until 8 or a little after. And on Thursdays, Layla and I participate in her KM class, leaving at 5:45 and returning around 7ish; then it's supper, bath, and bed for her. And then there's school activities at nights - concerts, PT conferences, etc. Further, right now is football season so Keith is gone every Friday until waay late. So when Saturday and Sunday roll around, I don't want to sit at the computer and blog. I just want to play with My Girl as much as possible and catch up on what I miss out on Monday through Friday. I know, I know, welcome to life in the real world...the real, cruel, working world. :(
So, here's what Layla's up to now:
*She sat up on her own for the first time on Keith's birthday, Septemtber 8th.
*Her six month check-up weight: 12 lbs, 14.5 oz (a little below the 5%)
*Her six month check-up height: 25.25 in. (25%)
*Is trying to figure out how to crawl (she's got the legs but still has no idea how to do her arms yet).
*Eats at the table with Mommy and Daddy now in her Graco Tot-Loc Chair.
*Likes Multi-Grain Cheerios
*Really likes Gerber sweet potato puffs
*Drinks apple juice from a sippy cup (if you help her tilt it back)
*Still puts everything in her mouth
*Gets teething fussies and fevers, but they still haven't broken the skin yet. (Although you can definitely see them through her gums in the front now. This has been a long, slow painful process so far.)
*Has started throwing fits (screaming) when she doesn't get her way (and Keith and I try not to laugh at them because that's all they are...fits - there's nothing wrong with her).
I have so many pictures and videos to share, but that takes even more time...at least I'm posting something today. :) Keith says I'm probably wasting my time because no one probably checks this anymore since I haven't been doing it very often...haha! Maybe so, but at least I feel better about myself for having put something up here. So if you're out there and you do read this, please leave a comment of some sort so I'll know I didn't waste my time. Even if it's just "Hi!" Please, just let me know I didn't waste good nap time today to do this.
Until next time, I hope you enjoy!
Here's my daily schedule: I get up and get me ready, get everything packed and ready for the day and the sitter, and then wake her just in time to nurse her, change her diaper and clothes, and run out the door. Then I've got a 20 minute drive to the sitter's house, it usually takes about 3-4 minutes to drop her off, and a 15 minute drive to the middle school. I teach one 6th grade Music class and drive about 10 minutes to an elementary school where I pump, teach 2 kindergarten classes, eat lunch, pump again, teach three 1st and 2nd grade classes, pump once more, and leave to go get Layla. On Monday and Friday, that is a 30 minute drive to the sitters house; on Tuesday and Thursday, we meet the sitter at Sam's Club at 5:00; and on Wednesdays we meet her at the mall play area at 4:00. Some days Layla wants a short nap soon after we get home, but this isn't an every day thing. Further, on Monday nights I still teach my Kindermusik class so I have to leave the house by 5:45 and usually don't return until 8 or a little after. And on Thursdays, Layla and I participate in her KM class, leaving at 5:45 and returning around 7ish; then it's supper, bath, and bed for her. And then there's school activities at nights - concerts, PT conferences, etc. Further, right now is football season so Keith is gone every Friday until waay late. So when Saturday and Sunday roll around, I don't want to sit at the computer and blog. I just want to play with My Girl as much as possible and catch up on what I miss out on Monday through Friday. I know, I know, welcome to life in the real world...the real, cruel, working world. :(
So, here's what Layla's up to now:
*She sat up on her own for the first time on Keith's birthday, Septemtber 8th.
*Her six month check-up weight: 12 lbs, 14.5 oz (a little below the 5%)
*Her six month check-up height: 25.25 in. (25%)
*Is trying to figure out how to crawl (she's got the legs but still has no idea how to do her arms yet).
*Eats at the table with Mommy and Daddy now in her Graco Tot-Loc Chair.
*Likes Multi-Grain Cheerios
*Really likes Gerber sweet potato puffs
*Drinks apple juice from a sippy cup (if you help her tilt it back)
*Still puts everything in her mouth
*Gets teething fussies and fevers, but they still haven't broken the skin yet. (Although you can definitely see them through her gums in the front now. This has been a long, slow painful process so far.)
*Has started throwing fits (screaming) when she doesn't get her way (and Keith and I try not to laugh at them because that's all they are...fits - there's nothing wrong with her).
I have so many pictures and videos to share, but that takes even more time...at least I'm posting something today. :) Keith says I'm probably wasting my time because no one probably checks this anymore since I haven't been doing it very often...haha! Maybe so, but at least I feel better about myself for having put something up here. So if you're out there and you do read this, please leave a comment of some sort so I'll know I didn't waste my time. Even if it's just "Hi!" Please, just let me know I didn't waste good nap time today to do this.
Until next time, I hope you enjoy!
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