Soaking Up The Sun



 

While the rest of the United States is getting rained and snowed on, we are well into summer weather! 

 

Scrapling is a massive diva baby!  She LOVES to ham it up for the camera and if she has a chance to put on a show for you...she will!  We recently discovered some awesome baby-gear that we just love...Babiators.  These glasses are so cool! They are durable and come with a warranty too!

 

Scrap/y grew up in Texas and once the warm weather came, she and her siblings were outside playing in the water.  That being said, we decided that you are never too young to start playing outside!  On a trip to Walmart, Yeti brought home a blue swimming pool. 

 

Told you...she's a poser!

Don't let this photo fool you...it was not love at first dip for her.  She refused to sit and only wanted to hold daddy's hand. 

But after figuring out it was like an outdoor bathtub, well she sat and would not allow any water on her shoulders or higher. 

We acquired some ducklings as well, Howard and Sally.  Scrap/y bought them for her Scrappy Doodles Spring Mini Sessions.  The plan is to take care of the ducklings until they can manage to live on their own, then we will release them into the spring where the other ducks live.  Scrapling LOVES them, so when Sally hopped in the pool, of course she was interested!

Her pet duck, Sally, jumped in with her

 

 

And where was our other pet...lounging in the bed of the truck - far away from Scrapling and her pool. 

 

Considering that Scrapling is trying her hardest to walk, we are hopeful that she will be waddling to her pool in no time this summer!!

Growing

It's amazing how much a little person can change from month to month! 

Wading through the tons of photos that we take and have only enough time to put on the computer to look at later, watching Scrapling grow into the spunky little lady she's becoming is so much fun!

Monthly height check

Ok, maybe it is a little over board to take a weekly photo on her Pottery Barn chair, but looking at how tiny she was compared to now...nah, no regrets here!

Loves her Pottery Barn chair

Baby Yoga

Scrapling is now 6 1/2 months going on 12!  She's all about moving, chewing and screaming.  She goes from cuddly little sweatheart to independent baby diva multiple times within an hour. 

The tantrums, as much as we hate to admit it, are hilarious.  It takes some serious will power not to laugh, because we certainly do not want to encourage them. 

Also amusing is her interest to move...ANYWHERE!  Which brings us to her new favorite past time, yoga. 

Put her on the floor or set her on the bed, and she will likely be doing any combination of these moves...

Due to her new regime, she is now crawling, and sitting up all on her own.  Seems kinda fast, but none the less we are very proud! 

Remy, on the other hand, has his game on at all times.  He is her prime target!  It's likely because of the fact that he's always moving that she was encouraged to learn how to move after him.  In our eyes that's an achievement; in his it means more private time in his kennel...she's not able to crawl that fast yet to realize where he runs off to. 

But in standard Remy fashion, he's a good sport!

Swinging On

While life has been breezing by, the poor blog has been getting neglected. 

Texas "winter" is officially subsiding and Scrapling is getting more curious about the world.  And a friendly playdate invitation led to a new pasttime...swinging on the swing.

Armed with sunglasses and a bow (because you can't swing out of fashion) Scrapling watched the world go by from her fun new toy.  In all the hustle she even found her shadow and became mesmerized trying to follow it while she moved. 

It was such an enjoyable time that we have started making it a regular occurance, and Yeti even joined us.

 

For some reason she is content keeping her rock star glasses on...oh and notice the piggie tails!  She's still got enough baby hair hanging out for a set of pig tails! 

And how do you end a fun time at the park?  By sitting in daddy's lap pretending to drive...with her feet! (You know you have tried that!) 

We blinked and opened our eyes to a cute 6 month old packed with energy and ATTITUDE!  She is her momma's daughter! 

Feed me!

Our brown-eyed little Scrapling is growing...in more ways than one.  She is now the proud owner of two teeth. The moment this lovely phase of her life (teething) started research into solids started too.

Between baby food, her beloved girafe, Sophie, and her chubby little digits, both hands and feet, she keeps those chompers busy!

We started out with rice, and have worked our way through veggies. 



Rice Cereal

When she tried peas, her first veggie, she was in love!!  Of course we had no clue what to expect, so she started out with a onsie on, shortly there after we opted to take the onsie off and see what happened with just a bib.  It didn't help at all!  What a mess!




Peas

Next were carrots.  Sure to be a winner, because they are yummy.  Yummy to everyone but Scrapling. Not only did she make a face of utter disgust, she threw a collosal fit.  So carrots were put off to the side.   However, we did make Remy pretty happy by feeding him the left overs. 

After greenbeans and squash, we tried carrots again, and winner winner chicken dinner, she liked them. 



Carrots...the second time

Fruits are now being added to her tiny cuisine.  Sweet potatoes have been a hit so far!  Watching her  faces when she tries her food is just priceless.  At first she isn't sure, but once she realizes it's good, she can't get enough. 

The cutest part of all is watching that little pot belly grow!  Not so cute...what she's putting in her diapers now! ...just sayin'

Re-defining Adventure

When we decided to start this blog, the intent was to highlight our adventures and write down the story because (1) Scrap/y's dad would say that if we don't write it down we likely won't remember (2) it's an easy way to tell the story once instead of have to repeat it twelve times and hope we covered all the parts of it to everyone we told it to. 

I almost wish that this blog began when we met...Kunsan AB South Korea, summer of 2006.  We worked in the same unit, just doors away.  We saw eachother - ALL THE TIME (what bliss when you are dating, right!?!).   It's simply amazing all of the "talents" one magically has when you are dating.  You are a massuse, you can suddenly speak different languages, and you don't worry as much about sleeping in because you want to take in all the adventure you can with eachother.

September '06 Push It Up! Photo by a Panton

Our first trip was to meet Scrap/y's family in Texas.  What a first trip!  Second trip was a week in China with our good buddy HEF before Scrap/y moved to Hawaii, while Yeti stayed in Korea.

Great Wall of China Photo by random stranger

Then Yeti moved to Alaska, and our hula skirt-polar bear romance began.  Two years later we were married in Texas, and celebrated with a cruise up the Alaskan inside passage as we made our way to our new home in North Pole, Alaska.  The purchase of an airplane, trips to Malaysia, Japan, Guam, Hawaii, Amsterdam, Egypt, and a planned cruise to Australia & New Zealand for Jan 2013 later, we were moving again...to Texas (greatest place on Earth).  Somewhere in the Alaska assignment we joined Disney Vacation Club, our forecasted effort to introduce travel and adventure to our spawn when they arrived. 

KLCC Tower in Kuala Lumpur.  Photo by a friend

Misawa Japan Photo by our friend Jackie

Guam

Anne Frank House in Amsterdam Photo by a stranger

The Great Pyramids Photo by our tour guide Adel

Ah the Australia cruise...our DREAM cruise.  Our relationship revolved around travel - there weren't many airports that we hadn't been to.  So planning the Australia cruise was a no-brainer...except, we hadn't really given thought to a baby.  We just figured that we would bring the baby along, if that happened.  We (really Scrap/y) convinced friends to come along too - the more the merrier, right!?  Then we got pregnant, no big deal...we will bring the baby.  2 months before baby's arrival, one of our friends going on the trip suggested we actually make a call to the cruise line to find out the baby policy.  Turns out, the baby would have to be a year old to travel with us.  CRAP!  No big deal, just move it a year.  Works for us, but not all of our friends.  One of them are still going in a couple of days...we are sad we aren't, but glad they can turn the trip into their honeymoon. 

Fast forward to now...the definition of adventure has changed dramatically.  Adventure is found in our Cessna, whether it's flying to Fredricksburg for the day or doing an overnighter in Aransas Pass.  Adventure is wondering whether Scrap/y will get to sleep through the night (Yeti is not affected in the least by mid-night wakings because he is that heavy of a sleeper...annoying!).  Adventure is battling the pesky diaper rash that keeps coming back like a thief in the night, stealing sweet Scrapling's smooth skin.  Adventure is basking in the joy that beams on Scrapling's face when she discovers something new.  Last night was her discovery of what happens when she splashes her hands in the water. 

This is where the adventure is my friends!

Gone are those massages too by the way...they have been replaced with 5 second rubs that don't even remotely get close to the problem area.  As for languages, we are lucky to have a conversation in English, much less any other.  Oh and Yeti sleeps in whenever he possibly can while Scrap/y, who is usually woken up by Scrapling by 6ish to eat and go back to bed, hastily scurries to try to get something done (oh, let's say TAKE A SHOWER) before Scrapling wakes up again.

For us, adventure is no longer booking a trip to a new country, it's living this fly-by-the-seat-of-your-(if you are lucky, clean) pants reality of parenthood.

2012 Wrap-up

The holidays have taken on a new meaning with Scrapling here. 

Last Christmas we were in Aransas Pass telling Scrap/y's parents that they were going to be grandparents and this Christmas we traveled back to Aransas Pass with little Scrapling in tow. 

It's amazing how quickly 2012 came and went...blink of an eye. 

Feels like Christmas everyday!  Baby's first Christmas was a big deal for us.  Of course it can't be her First Christmas without a Christmas photo session...we are blessed with such a happy baby!

Somehow time flew so quickly that Scrapling is nearing the end of 4 months, and also welcoming her two front teeth!  That, of course, made her revert to her newborn days where she was keeping us up all night.  Now that both teeth are out of the gums we are crossing our fingers that her sleeping patterns will return to the way they were - sleeping all night long. 



In the bottom two photos you should be able to see the teeth!

Don't let those gorgeous brown eyes fool you...she's also growing quite the temper! When she's not happy - she lets us know!

See, not all smiles...good thing we have a camera near by at all times!

Why the bib?  Well the little miss has now started eating rice cereal.  We are on day 4. 

 

 

As for us, we couldn't be more happy.  Our little family is complete.  Looking beyond the drool, spit up, poop, crankiness and sleep deprivation what a wonderful year 2012 has been to us.  Can't wait to see what 2013 brings!