Busy May

We've had a busy couple of weeks ... although it's hard to pin-point exactly what we've been doing.  Work is going well for both Aaron and I and Elayna's started transitioning to the 1-year room at her daycare.  We've had a run of birthday parties, graduation parties, and trips to the pool to cool off.  Ordinary life is exhausting.

Last weekend was Pete Gubka's first birthday party.  Pete is Elayna's best friend at daycare and I work with Pete's mom Jacquelyn at Wells Fargo.  Pete and Elayna actually are best friends -- they tend to play together the most at school and both light up when they're together.  Pete is a few weeks younger than Elayna but was walking before her and is a smart and cute boy.

I think they have their own special language ... it definitely looks like they're sharing a good secret here.

Elayna is also starting to prove to us how imaginative she is.  I'm now starting to find stuffed animals in the kitchen cabinets or the remote control in her toy stroller.  Its fun to watch her figure things out but also push the limits of what she can do.  She's also starting to show a little more temper.  If something is taken away or out of reach, she'll arch her back and howl ... its a fun new season for Aaron and I.

Here she is using my shoe as a purse.

and here she is with a new 'drum set'.  (I thought this was much funnier than Aaron did...)

“Where’d my baby go?”

I find myself missing my 'baby' almost every day as I get to know the new mature little-girl she is becoming.  Almost overnight, Elayna is walking, eating, and chattering ... she's remarkable and sweet and funny.  But she is definitely not a baby anymore.

Other annoying things I find myself saying:

• "I can't believe how big she's getting!"
• "Remember when she ...."
• and a new favorite, "Wait 'til you hear what she did today!"

To top things off, she'll be transitioning to the 1-year olds room at daycare next week.  They won't allow babies to graduate until they're walking well and feeding themselves ... 2 things she was struggling with a month ago.  However, she's been given the green light.  Her first graduation!

I took this picture yesterday and love it because she just looks so grown-up.

We also have a quail nest back by our air conditioner.  We're not sure if the momma is still hanging around or not but its fun to see some signs of spring.