Snow Play for Sydney

With the additional 3-4” of snow we got on Saturday, we decided it was time to take Sydney outside to play. She loves looking at the window to see the snow, and she loves to play in it too! We got the girl all bundled up in her snow suit, gloves, hat and all just to have her shake the gloves off every chance she got. Her poor little hands and cheeks were so cold.
Daddy got the sled that Uncle Allen gave him and strapped Sydney in, the second time he pulled her in the sled. She LOVED the sled. She had a big smile on her face each time she made it down the hill.

March of the Penguins

We took Sydney to a local nursery that decorates for Christmas with neat stuff. They had a display of penguins that Syndey loved.

In the Holiday Spirit

Sydney is loving the holidays this year. All the lights, Santa and snow! We have had 2-4" of snow on the ground for over a week now and Sydney thinks it is just great. She loves to see the Christmas lights on the tree, has her favorite ornament(s) and loves to point at Santa and say "O,O" or something like it. We are going to have a great time this year.

Sydney meets Santa

Sydney and I went to the Festival of Trees today. There were all kinds of Christmas trees for Sydney to look at and Santa was there. Sydney wanted out of her stroller, but when it came time to actually visit that strange man she was not interested. She was very weary of him and leapt for mommy. I had to get up there with her and she still was not interested.

Halloween 2007

Sydney was once again in Texas for Halloween this year. She was the cutest little piggy that you ever saw! She also got into the candy thing, however she prefers to eat the candy through the wrapper! We quickly took care of that and now she is a candy lover even though she only gets a small few bites.

Weekend with the Cousins

We recently had a weekend with the cousins. We met up at a hotel, that had an indoor pool, and let the kiddies play, swim, and play some more. Everyone was amazed at how big Sydney has gotten and mobile and busy she is. It was a great time and we look forward to spending more time with cousins at Thanksgiving.

The Hoovers Visit Iowa

Our old neighbors from NC, the Hoovers, came out to Iowa for a visit last weekend. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed watching Harrison and Jackson play with Sydney. She is much bigger and more mobile/busy than the last time they saw her in June. She slept well while they were here and really enjoyed having someone other than mommy to play with.

We took them to Corporate so they could see where David works. There is a display floor with all kinds of equipment for kids to crawl all over.

Daddy Time

Sydney loves her daddy and runs to the door when comes home from work everyday. On the weekends she loves playing with him. They play blocks, read books and have tickle time! Daddy thinks Sydney has the cutest laugh ever.

Mommy's Little Helper

Sydney loves to follow mommy all over the house. She is very good at sneaking into places that she shouldn’t be. Lately she has been infatuated with the refrigerator. Anytime mommy (or daddy) open the door, little girl makes a mad dash. She used to just play with the water bottles on the bottom shelf in the door, but now she is trying to help mommy cook dinner. She is so proud of herself.

13 months old and busy, busy, busy!

Yep, we have a toddler on our hands. We had pictures taken today and she was so busy that she would not even stay still for a cake! I will send you the link to the pictures when they are up. We met daddy for lunch and then headed to the mall for some returns. While we were there we did some shopping for Kiki. Kiki loves to send musical things to her grandkids and Hallmark has a really cute spooky tree. Sydney saw it in the store a few weeks ago and LOVED it. So we got it today, thanks Kiki!

Sydney can squeeze the button to make the tree sing but she doesn’t. instead she brings it to mommy or daddy and steps back in anticipation of the music. Too funny.

America's next Top Model

Sydney believes she can be "America's next Top Model." She is modeling a fabulous lingerie outfit from Aunt Jodie and Uncle Micheal. The 2 piece leopard print cropped pant set is adorned with frilly lace and pink satin straps, a must for any "Princess in Training."

She is modeling in front of the fireplace, her favorite place to play in the house.

Not much new with us

This week has been spent playing and cleaning for company this weekend. Our friend Joel is visiting us from NC. We are planning a trip to Chicago for some shopping (mommy) and the zoo or aquarium (Sydney and daddy). It should be fun. I just wish we could stay longer as there is so much to do in Chicago.

Sydney's Swing

We put up Sydney's swing today. She LOVED it. We will have a lot of fun swinging as Daddy will be putting up a swing for mommy too!

My New Swing

Sydney's great Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Russ sent her a swing for her birthday. It has been raining so much that we could not put it up yet. So Sydney has been playing with it in the living room. She things it is fun to climb in and maybe thinks we got her a La-Z-Boy.

More Birthday Pictures...

Sydney's Birthday Party

Sydney's first birthday party was given by her Kiki in Texas. We were in Texas for Aunt Jodie's wedding so Kiki decided we should have a birthday party too. There were balloons, cupcakes, presents and cousins. We had a great time. Sydney loves her cousins and they are so sweet to her. They showed her how to blow out candles and open her presents.

Birthday Countdown

It is now August and this time last year Robbie was hot and tired. Little did she know how much more tired she would get during the next year! It is so hard to beleive that Sydney will be turning one year old in 2 weeks! The year has really flown by. We look at the hospital pictures and cannot remember Sydney being so little. We also remember the crazy feelings and thoughts we had about taking her home. Sydney survived and seems to be doing pretty well!

Next week is Aunt Jodie's wedding in Texas. Sydney will be one of the flower girls. Aunt Jodie's request for Sydney is that she be able to eat wedding cake since it is exactly one week before her birthday. Mommy and daddy are not sure about that yet, but somehow we have a feeling that even if we do not give cake to her, some other family member will. :)

Look at my Daddy!

David got to play with big boy toys at the lake. Allen brought his boat and some skis for everyone. David was very excited about this chance to water ski. Sydney and mommy walked out on the dock as daddy was skiing and waved. Luckily daddy did not fall when he waved back.

Fun at the lake

Last weekend we traveled to Big Ston Lake, SD to visit David's mom and Dennis. David's brother's and their families met us there and we had a great time. Sydney really liked being outdoors, though she did not get in the water or the boat. Instead, she played inside with Aunt Nancy, cousin Kylie and Grandma Jean. In fact, Aunt Nancy thought it would be funny to let her play in the sink!

Snack Time

Sydney and I are enjoying summer and spending time outdoors. We ate a snack on the front porch the other day, apples one of Sydney's favorites.

My new trick

Sydney is now 11 months old. She is VERY active and gets into most everything. She is also walking, most of the time. She will walk across the room and then sit down and decide to crawl. She is also a climber. She pushes toys to objects and then steps on the toy to reach whatever it is she is looking for.

She recently explored our computer desk and found a jungle gym made just for little girls.

We've Moved!

I know that many of you have been anxiously awaiting a new post on this blog and I want to apologize for the delay in postings.

As many of you know, we have recently moved to Iowa. This all started back in March, hence the last post date. I am now a full time stay at home mom so hopefully I will have more time to write.

Sydney has grown a lot! I will be posting some pics soon.

My First Boo Boo

Sydney fell and hit her head on the play gym yesterday. She did not cry according to the babysitter. Her war wounds look more like carpet burns than a fall. She is still the same happy baby though!

Aunt Jodie's visit

Aunt Jodie came to visit Sydney last weekend. She was so excited about seeing the little princess. Sydney was in love with all of the attention she got. She was also pretty spoiled...

Ceral Time

It's the last day of January and we decided to try cereal for the first time. Mommy mixed the cereal up like soup and got Sydney ready with a bib and her own spoon. The spoon did not last as Sydney gagged herself with it then through it on the floor. Sydney was very interested in eating, but the flavor was different. She ate several spoonfuls and then was ready to be done.

Look what Santa brought Sydney

Sydney was a very good girl this year...all 4 months. Since we were in MN and SD at Christmas, Santa left his present for her in NC. She is very active at 4 1/2 months and absolutely loves her activity bouncer.

Sydney's First Christmas

Sydney's first Christmas was exciting. We were in South Dakota at Grandma Jean and Dennis' new house on the lake. We spent Christmas Eve with Uncle Steve, Patty, Nikki, Tyler, Uncle Allen, Aunt Nancy, Lucas, Nathan and Kylie. There was plenty of entertainment for a 4 month old.

I've found my feet!

Sydney has found her feet. She is now reaching for them and trying to get them to her mouth. She also LOVES being naked. As soon as you reach for the tabs of her diaper she starts squirming and cooing as she knows she is about to be naked. It is like we have a totally different child!

Uncle Allen and Aunt Nancy

Allen was probably the most excited person to meet Sydney. The day we saw them he immediatley washed his hands and came over to get Sydney. He would take her to the window and show her the lake. They would play in the floor with the toys. He even babysat one evening so we could go to Target; I think they just watched basketball together.

It was very nice to have Nancy around to give mommy a break during the day. She would take Sydney and entertain her so that I could do something else. Many thanks to Aunt Nancy for keeping some baby stuff for us to use when we were in MN. Somehow she even managed to send some toys back to NC with us. Hmmmmmmm....

Cousin Nikki

Nikki is Sydney's oldest cousin, however she has a 2 year old brother at home so she is not a stranger to crying and diapers. She had a lot of fun playing with Sydney and showing her the Christmas tree. Nikki's boyfriend also thought Sydney was pretty cute as he was always tickling her and playing with her toes.

Cousin Kylie

We were most anxious to see what Kylie thought of Sydney. "Baby Cindy", as she was called by Kylie, was a lot of fun. Kylie was busy showing her how big girls eat their dinner, make Play Doh shapes, and use the potty. Perhaps the best thing Kylie did was "rolling practice". Sydney was so close to rolling over while we were in MN that everyone was in the floor trying to encourage the big event. Kylie rolled around the floor trying to get Sydney to do the same. I guess Sydney was paying attention as she rolled front to back soon after our return to NC and rolled from back to front yesterday (Jan 11).

Cousin Nathan

Cousin Nathan was sooo excited to meet Sydney. He is a very sweet boy and loved playing with Sydney. He said "Uncle David, Sydney is an angel." We could not agree more! Of course our opinions change when she is fussy and will not sleep.

Cousin Lucas

We had a wonderful time in MN over Christmas. Sydney got to meet more cousins and they had a lot of fun. Cousin Lucas was very excited to meet Sydney. He has had a lot of experience with his younger siblings, so he was a pro at holding and entertaining Sydney.