6 Months Old!

Our Lyla Jane turned 6 months old on May 28th!  

We give all the thanks and praise to the Lord for bringing our amazing little girl to this milestone.  Here are a few of the newer things she's been doing--

• She is starting to eat rice cereal--she's not too sure if she likes it, but she's definitely getting better and better at swallowing it. :)  
• She's fascinated with her tongue and loves to stick it out and make silly noises with it.
• She likes having play time on her back or tummy where no one is holding her--sometimes she just likes to have her space!
• She is starting to reach for toys and grasp them.
• She is becoming much more aware of her environment and what is going on around her--she still loves to look at faces too.
• She's getting sensitive to loud noises and sometimes gets upset if something is too loud.
• She is starting to be amused by Lulu. :)
• We have discovered that Lyla is ticklish--she turned all red and giggled the other day as I tickled her! 
• She still hasn't rolled from her back to her tummy, but she is soooo close! 

Here's the birthday girl!

We had a little celebration for her. :)

Lyla's first icecream.  

Not only did Lyla have a birthday party, she also went fishing for the first time on her 6 month birthday.  

 She was a little sleepy, but she experienced her first bass--oh my!

I thought this was cute--a daddy fishing :)  Joel was so excited to have Lyla along.

Daddy and his girl

Lyla and some lilacs!

"God's voice thunders in marvelous ways; He does great things beyond our understanding."   Job 37:5

Auntie Bryana put this verse in the birthday card she gave to Lyla--it rings so true at this special time and always.

A few things to pray for:

• Please pray for Lyla's muscle strength and tone--she really isn't very close to sitting up yet.
• Please pray that Joel & I make wise decisions in Lyla's care.
• Please pray that her eye-crossing will be able to be corrected.
• And just in general for her health, growth, and mental development.

And, as always, we are so thankful for you and for your prayers.  It is such a blessing to have so many loving friends and family.  Lyla, Joel, and I send our love your way. 

Video Fun!

Lyla's first time in the pool!

She sure likes Daddy's whiskers :)

Fun Around Home

Here's the silly little girl--she discovered her tongue again!  (Please excuse that the video is sideways for the first couple seconds--that's my excellent videography).  :)

I don't claim to have any real photography skills or expertise, but I do like to take pictures of flowers.  Here are a few of the flowers in bloom around our house.  Spring time is so beautiful!

Irises

Columbine

My favorite--Azalea

Somebody's talkin up a storm!

When I was weed-whacking yesterday this baby squirrel ran right up to me.  He is too young to have fear of people yet.  I made a little buddy--he was too cute. :)  

When I was going to go back to bed the other morning after Lyla's early morning feeding, this is exactly how I found Lulu.  I'm pretty sure she thinks she's a little person.

A Very Special Day

Well, this last Sunday was a very special day--a blessing and a day to remember.  Not only was it Mother's Day (my first Mother's Day!), but it was also the day of Lyla's dedication at church.  I put the video of the entire dedication on here for those of you who want to see it.  It's about 12 minutes long.  Lyla was an absolute doll during the whole thing.  I thought she would sleep through it because she was very sleepy right before we went up to the front of the church.  But as soon as we got up there and she saw all the faces, she perked up.  And during the prayer when the family gathered around her, she thought it was just the funniest thing.  She was talking and squawking throughout that whole final prayer and even for about 15 minutes after we went back to our seats!  She knew something special was going on. If you watch the video you can tell when she talks because we all look at each other and kind of giggle when she does it.  All in all it was a wonderful experience and we will always treasure it in our hearts.  More importantly, we will pray for the wisdom and strength to live by the commitments we made that day to raise Lyla in a home centered on Jesus. 

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts.  Impress them on your children.  Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Deuteronomy 6:6-7

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. " Proverbs 22:6   

Lyla really liked my Mother's Day rose. :)

This is the gift that Joel gave me for Mother's Day--the stones are Citrine, Lyla's birth stone, and they are heart-shaped.  What a very thoughtful gift from a very wonderful husband.

My little angel

Joel's Mama

Jenny's Mama

Both amazing mothers and grandmothers--we love you soooo much!

Just a word on motherhood--

Becoming a mother is probably the most profound and life-changing thing that has ever happened to me (other than excepting Jesus into my heart).  What a blessing it is.  Motherhood is a whole new world that I never knew existed until I entered it.  Even if someone had tried to explain it to me before and describe how amazing it is, I could have never comprehended it until I became a mom.  I thank the Lord that He allowed me to be a mother.  He created the love between Lyla and I, and I can now understand how His design is perfect.  Wow.

Engaged!

This past Saturday Joel's brother Joshua and his girlfriend Bryana got engaged! We're so excited to have Bryana as a part of the fam. :) We love Auntie Bryana! These are some pics taken right after it happened---

What a cute couple 

And what a rock!

Congratulations you two--we love you!

By the way...

There have been a few recent inquiries as to Lyla's current weight, length, etc.  Well, at her last doctor's visit on April 30th she weighed 11 lbs 9 oz and was 24 inches long.  She is now in the 10th percentile for length and for head circumference--yay!  She's not quite on the chart for weight yet, but I think she'll get there!  

Trip to Marshfield

On Monday Lyla and I took a trip to Marshfield to visit some Brayer relatives.  Lyla got to see many new faces, including Great Grandma Irma, Auntie Kelly (actually she's my cousin), my cousin Katie and her little son Gabriel who is 2 weeks younger than Lyla, Great Aunt Mary, Great Aunt Jane (who she actually met in March), Great Aunt Barb, and Great Uncle Paul.  We had SOOOO much fun!  Little Gabriel is such a cutie--it was so sweet to see them together even though they weren't much interested in each other.  Maybe some day they'll be friends!  It was altogether a wonderful blessing and lots of fun.  Enjoy the pics and videos!

Gabriel and Uncle Paul

Baby Fun!

Lyla's Great Aunt Barb

Great Uncle Paul

Great Aunt Mary

Great Aunt Jane

Crazy Auntie Kelly 

Having fun with Great Grandma Irma :)

And a few more pics...

Gabriel & Lyla Jane

What a handsome little fella  :)

Baby Swap!

Lyla's Great Grandma Irma

Katie, Grandma, Gabriel

New Swimsuit...

Can't wait til it's warm enough to use it!