Bounce, Bounce, Duck:

Alanna went to her first birthday party for a friend.  

She had a blast!!!

They had this blow up bouncy house and it was also a first for Alanna.  She was not scared at all and immediately wanted to go in.
(the child has NO fear)

She spent the majority of her time in there on her bum and falling down.  It was hysterical to see her trying to bounce.  She doesn't have enough weight of her own to make it bounce, so she just ended up walking like a duck.  SO FUNNY!

It was a great party and we had a ton of fun. 
We may just have to rent one of these things for Alanna's birthday in August.

Monkey Monday:
  

Alanna WANTED to wear this bow!  She ASKED for it!

This is a big deal in our house!!!

And she looked super cute to boot!

 She LOVES her dog.  Asha gets multiple hugs AND kisses every day.  Awwwwww.

It's Spring Time:

 We have a hanging flower pot in the front of our house.

A couple of days ago we discovered this...

It's hard to tell here, but his nest is made up of 70-80% of our dog's hair. HAHA!

Now we have a small dilemma though.  Do we continue to water the flowers so they don't die and possibly drown the nest?  Or forget the flowers and leave the little birds alone?!?  The mom bird is tiny.  We think it is a fench.

Have a nice weekend!  

Happy Mother's Day to all three of the great moms in our lives and a sweet little Great Grandma.

We love you all!!

Our smart little girl:

Alanna is funny and so smart.  I know...I'm her mama so I am totally biased.  It's just so neat to see how her little brain works though.

#1 - Every time we buy milk at the store (or even pass by it for that matter) she says "Milk" and then "Moo!"  So cool that she knows it's from a cow!

#2 - Yesterday we were at the vet and a big yellow lab was in the waiting room with us.  Alanna pointed at it and said "puppy."  I told her it was not a puppy because it was big.  She thought about it for a second and then said "dog?"  So neat that she figured that out on her own.

#3 - Asha, our dog, had to be put out yesterday to get her teeth cleaned. When we picked her up, she had a bandage on her leg where the IV had been.  Alanna saw her and said "OH NO!  Asha wowie" and then she blew a kiss to it.  So sweet.

#4 - I was telling her goodnight last night and giving her a hug when she tooted rather loudly.  She said "oh, shoo" and it CRACKED ME UP!  She is 20 months old!  HAHA!

 

Thieves:

Every night after I put Alanna's jammies on, she runs to her dad with her socks and lays on the floor.  It's our little routine.  If he's not in the room, she will yell "daddy, socks!!"  He then knows that she is ready for her feet to be oiled.

Every night (through the cold months at least) we put an essiential oil blend called 'thieves' on Alanna's feet.  It helps with congestion, cough, runny nose, etc.  WE LOVE IT and it really works.  It's a lot like vicks vapo rub but totally organic and natural.  I know, because I mix it myself. =)

It's jojobo oil (the carrier oil) and then clove, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemon, and rosemary essential oil.  It smells so good!

It's called 'thieves' because several thousand years ago, they didn't embalm dead bodies and instead put all kinds of oils on the body to help with the stench.  Grave robbers would go in and steal the body and inadvertently get covered in all the oils too.  They soon realized that they were never sick, and that the oils they got covered in were keeping them well.  So the thieves basically discovered this blend of oils had a health benefit.  Or so the story is told... 

Mommy, Yanna Do It:

Some of my friends laugh at me because I'm a "helicopter mom."  That means I hover over Alanna, trying to make sure she's safe.  I guess it's a first time mom thing.

So we were at the park a couple of days ago and I walked on to the big playground with Alanna and walk up to the slide with her. (as usual)  She stopped me and put her little hand in the air and said 'Mommy, Yanna (Alanna) do it!"  I CANNOT BELIEVE MY CHILD TOLD ME SHE COULD DO IT HERSELF!

 

Well, HERE is the proof that I stayed at the top and didn't help her AT ALL while she went down the slide.  Such a big girl!

But then...my big girl wanted to go on the BIG BIG slide all by herself too.   Yes, I said big twice because it is just that big.  My heart stopped.

The black platform is over my head.  EEK!!!

But I let her do it.  I put her up there and told her to sit on her bottom and wait.  I ran back down to the bottom and snapped a quick picture and then caught her.  She did it!

 I was so proud of her!  But I NEVER want to do it again.  HAHA!  Here are a couple more cute pictures...just for fun.

 She was so excited to sit on a big swing by herself.  I guess I'm gonna have to get used to this "Yanna do it" thing.  I was the same way.

Monkey Monday - Not A Soldier:

Mamaw got Alanna some ABUs.  It is so cute to see them that small.  Alanna didn't think so.

I love that she still has on her metallic sandals with them!  So funny.

I know this one is really blurry but you can still tell how much she didn't like the whole outfit.  She loved the hat and still wears it to this day, but the uniform is no good. 

Poor Cie-J was so excited to 'dress her up' and take her in to work and show her off to all his military co-workers.