Fabulous Friday!

Y THE JOY OF MY HEART & SONG TO MY LIFE Y

SKYLER LEONA

Ready, Set, Crawl!

Skyler is crawling.....no walking....no running! lol... These past seven days have been full of milestones and physical developments. First the tooth, then the speech, now the full blown crawl and boy is she quick! Our little 7 1/2 month old has gone from the boot scoot to the "Get out of my way, here I come!" It's very exciting. She has definitely won the battle with gravity!

Enjoy her in action.....

What's a little crawl without some tongue?

After a few trips around the living room, she even took some time out to play with Laney.

DA-DA!!!

It's official! Skyler said Da-Da, very clearly, Sunday morning. Although I wish her first words would have been Ma-Ma or even Steelers, I was over joyed. She has been rambling so many different sounds, but all day Sunday, it was just one word......DA-DA! Super clear and quite loud!

She has enjoyed her Christmas toys so much from our family.

As promised, here are some more pictures of the STAR herself!

Airplane from Auntie Kevie & Uncle Larry.

Fisher price Crawl along Cat from Cousin Nikki.

Fisher Price Brilliant Blocks from Glammey & Papa

Grateful smiles!

Diamonds & Pearls

.....well pearly whites that is!

Yes, Skyler got her first tooth! Her gums have been extremely hard these past few weeks, so I started feeling them a couple times a day and BINGO, one emerged this past Tuesday night. She has been such a champ during this teething process. Hardly any fussing and certainly no crying. Just acting like the Skyler we all love and adore.......a pure ray of sunshine, little Miss Happy herself! I wish I could capture this development, but it's just too tiny to photograph. Perhaps in a few weeks.

Now, about those diamonds! Auntie Kevie and Uncle Larry had a very special piece of jewelry made for Skyler at Christmas. It's a heart pendant with her emerald birthstone set in the middle of two diamonds and what special diamonds they are! These diamonds came from Skyler's late Grandma Iona's ring.

Diamond & emerald pendant

Looks like I'll have to invest in a jewelry box for our sweetie, because Skyler received two more pieces of jewelry during the Christmas holiday. My dear friend of 25 years, Denise Gross, bought her a silver bracelet that has the cutest dangling heart. Too-too sweet.

Bracelet from Denise Gross

Another treasure arrived when Auntie Cheryl and Uncle Charles visited over Christmas. When my sister Cheryl was christened over 46 years ago, her God father, John Marriott, (Glammey's cousin) gave her a beautiful silver bracelet with the most gorgeous details inscribed on the face. After keeping it safe all these years, my sister proudly gave it to our daughter. What wonderful stories I can share with Skyler when she gets older about her heart pendant and bracelet. Definitely heirlooms to be cherished forever!

Auntie Cheryl's christening bracelet

Of course, I can not do a blog without pictures of the star herself.....Skyler Leona! Tom and I try to have frequent date nights and when we do, Skyler spends most evenings with our wonderful neighbors, the Norgans. Skyler not only adores our family as well as Miss Helen & Miss Sherri, but she just loves Denise and Frank. We are blessed to not only have them as neighbors, but as dear friends! Here is Skyler playing with Denise yesterday.

Speaking of playing, Skyler has been enjoying her toys from Christmas. Below are just a few toys sent all the way from Idaho from Auntie Nicola and Uncle Bogie. Talk about decisions-decisions! I will post more pictures of more toys given to her from Glammey & Papa and Cousin Nikki & Cousin Jodi. She should never be bored......lol!

Tongue Madness

Hard to believe our Skyler is already grown out of her first week of her 7 month birthday. All she wants to do is play, play, play and go, go, go.........and doing quite a bit of this with her tongue hanging out.

As part of her ongoing discovery and not too mention her fascination with her own tongue, she's also grabbing even more toys, books, and gear these days. Bath time is still a favorite evening activity.

Skyler is enjoying more solid foods. Her #1 choice over the holidays were mashed potatoes.

Separation anxiety has yet to rear it's ugly head. *yeah* Skyler just enjoys people, especially her family. She has not been clingy or even frightened/overwhelmed by strangers. She seems accustomed to hugging, holding and kissing! I'm thrilled that her personality just gets sweeter as she gets older. She even stayed cheerful when experiencing temperatures in the low 30's for the very first time. Although we only went from house to car and car to work, her cheeks got so rosy!

As far as talking, Skyler has been experimenting with different sound combinations. I've noticed her mimicking the mouth and jaw motions of my speech. It's fascinating to watch and I am certainly blessed to have her in my presence full time while working. Here are some shots taken at work. Isn't her westie outfit just the cutest?

As you've already figured out from the many pictures above, Skyler is a fan of her own tongue. When the camera turns on, the tongue goes out. Not the most attractive behavior but definitely humorous! As her Daddy always says, "She's just a big bundle of sugar."

Backyard Adventure

After a fabulous Christmas celebration, The Shorts, The Clarks and The Greens, woke up Saturday morning to begin building Skyler's awesome Wood Gym Set. Spending an entire day with my parents and Tom's family always proves to be a super time! I continually count my blessings that I share my life with these amazing people.

It was definitely a chilly day filled with laughter, good left-over food and tasty beverages. I can't thank those involved enough, for all their hard work, commitment and love put into this 10 hour project! Working behind the scenes were Auntie Kevie and Glammey, making sure our tummies stayed full and that our quench for thirst never faltered!

They say a picture can speak a thousand words, so please view for yourself! You'll notice towards the end of our day, we only lost the sun...not our humor!

THE CREW:

Uncle Larry, aka "Project Manager/Monarch "

Our Chief with Cousin Jared, aka Master Engineer, Cousin Jodi, aka Parts Manager, and Papa, aka Honey Doer.

and finally, Tom, aka Go To Guy.

THE SITE:

The Short's backyard

THE BUILD BEGINS:

THE BUILD CONTINUES:

THE RESULT:

Thank you Uncle Charles and Auntie Cheryl for providing Skyler with this Christmas present and again, thank you to my wonderful family for making this come alive!