I can’t believe it’s taken me over a month to post about lyla girl’s first birthday. But, the sun has been shining, and sitting at the computer has taken a back seat, i suppose.

Her actual birthday fell on a saturday this year, so it worked out perfectly to have a small party to celebrate her first year of life. The weather was beautiful, she loved opening her gifts, and she devoured her whip cream & strawberry cake-success all around!

lyla was a pretty mellow baby, but as she neared one this crazy little personality started to emerge-or maybe explode.

it seemed like it happened overnight. she got real loud, and real mobile quick.

from the moment she learned to walk, she has been running, climbing, and getting herself into all sorts of precarious situations.

she is fearless, and i often find her perched on top of something, teetering near the edge, with a proud smile on her face.

she’s had countless bloody lips, bumps, and bruises. in fact, probably more than both her sisters put together.

she is very verbal, and already has lots of words.

{mama, dada, doggie, juice, all done, baby, uh oh, bye, night-night, binkie, and nana-for banana}

she loves to cart around her baby doll, color, and play outside.

she loves to play in the dirt, whether it be the garden or a mole hill. i really do love watching her play outside, but i do not enjoy giving her multiple baths a day.

{she really loved her card from finley}

she is extremely affectionate. she loves to be held, and freely gives out hugs and kisses. it’s quite adorable watching her show love to my friends or the women who take care of her at church.

she’s not quite 20 lbs yet, which makes her our smallest baby (hooray!!!). a funny fact: adalaide weighed 20 lbs at 6 months. isn’t that crazy?!

another funny fact: when adalaide was this old (13 months) i popped out lyla. can you believe that?! i most definitely cannot imagine having another baby right now.

lyla sleeps from 7 or 7:30 until 8, and takes two naps. this blessed sleep schedule came much later than it should have, but it’s here now. and i feel like a million bucks now that i’m finally well rested.

this year really flew by. i know we all say that as every year comes to a close, but this one seemed to fly by faster than normal. i have really struggled in the past, watching how fast our babies grow. feeling such joy in each new stage, but also saddness that time was going too fast for me. I still really wish that we could keep our little ones little for longer, but i’m focusing much more on the joy part. living in the moment, and being thankful for the time God has given us. it’s a good, freeing feeling and I’m thankful God’s been working on my heart.

Lyla came into our family when we were least expecting it. but, God’s timing and plan for our family has been more perfect than anything I could have orchestrated. She is a gift from God, and we are so blessed to be her parents.

and now i’m crying.

speaking of crying, here is the video of her birth. i cry every time i watch it, remembering how excited we were to meet her and hold her, and remembering how instantly my heart grew with love for our new daughter.

lyla, you are one very loved and adored little girl. happy first birthday!

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZcPVASPr-k?rel=0]