Lydia ~ 24 Months

She loves to be outside and to sneak some of "outside" inside... :)

Pouring tea...

Well, obviously the biggest thing that happened this past month was Lydia's second birthday, but since I have separate entries on that and our Gatlinburg trip, I will just share a few recent pictures of our not-so-little two year old! When we went for Lydia's two year check-up, the doctor just said, "she's taller than well, everybody her age"! :) Maybe one day she will make it back onto the "charts"... She is still around the 60th percentile for weight, though, so I guess it all evens out.

I am continually amazed at Lydia's exploding vocabulary and ability to retain and remember information - even things she has only heard once. She continues to be a sweet little girl, but is definitely developing a stronger will and has found ways to express that. We are working with her frequently on these issues. She hasn't had a "tantrum" yet... but we wouldn't mind avoiding that altogether if that's even possible... :) She is also continuing to sleep well (12 hours per night) and has done very well with potty training!

Lydia did contract some sort of virus this month, and ran a fever of 105 + for about a day and a half. She is much better now, though, and is back to being silly, sweet, and asking us what a variety of things are, names of pretty much everyone she sees, etc. She is such a joy and we are so thankful for her!

Gatlinburg ~ Fall '09

Telling Secrets? ... taking a break at the convention center...
Enjoying the music!

Enjoying the sucker! :)

Our Group

Feeding/Chasing the ducks...

the future Dr. Winstead with the current Dr. Hunt

YES! A Bear ... right beside the road! CRAZY!

View from the front porch of our cabin!

We recently took a trip to Gatlinburg, TN, with some senior members of our church for a conference. We heard some excellent preaching and music, and had fun hanging out in Gatlinburg. Mel, Lydia and I stayed with my parents (their church also attended) in a cabin, which was sooo much nicer than a hotel with a little one! Here are a few pictures of our trip...

Lydia's Second Birthday Party

Walking around with her cousin, Karolina!

Apparently, the watermelon looked more appealing than the "real" food... :)

Some of our party guests

Gifts from our very generous family members and friends!

More interested in the bubbles than in finding out who they were from...

Shoes!! :)

Lydia's Cake and Party Favors...

Yummy!

Please, Daddy... I haven't had enough sugar already... :)

Daddy is still working on taking pictures with both of us looking at the camera, but just to prove that I did attend her party....

Such a big girl!



Lydia celebrated her second birthday with almost our entire immediate family (all of whom drove hours to join us) on Saturday! We also had some friends and church members who helped us celebrate. We were very thankful and had a great time!

Happy SECOND Birthday, Lydia! We love you!!

Lydia Turns TWO!!

Our little angel turned two years old today! Unfortunately, we discovered that she had a mild kidney infection, and she therefore had to spend a big part of her birthday in the doctor's office, but she really seems to be handling it all really well. She celebrated with Daddy and Mommy today, with a yummy Happy Meal from McDonalds and a PINK cupcake! We hope to celebrate with her family and friends on Saturday!

Spending some time doing one of her favorite activities - coloring! :)

Lydia ~ 23 Months

Yes, we are starting early... :)

Heading to church one Sunday evening...

She LOVES to swing - especially in the "big girl" swing!

Lydia with Daddy...

As I sit here to enter this last blog update from my little girl's second full year of life, I can hardly believe it! Lydia will be TWO years old soon, and I can still remember the day we headed to the hospital to await her arrival! These have been two of the most blessed years of our lives, and we daily thank the Lord for all He has given us and taught us through our precious daughter. As I was putting together a photo collage of Lydia's second year, I was reminded just how much she has changed and how many things she has learned to do and accomplish during this year. Lydia has learned to walk solely (and on her own) at the very begininng of this year, to eat virtually anything Mommy and Daddy eat, to sleep in a toddler bed, to eat without sitting in a high chair, to go to the potty, and to talk in complete sentences and literally carry on a short conversation with an adult! It is truly amazing when I think about it! Some of Lydia's favorite activities still include reading (and now she will actually "pretend" to read books to us - so cute!), coloring with anything that will write - including permanent markers... (oops, Daddy), playing with Play-Doh, playing outside with bubbles, on the swings, etc., and going to church! She loves to ask us every time we get her dressed if it is "church day"! She has experienced a little bit of separation anxiety, which seems to be normal for the end of the second year of life, but seems to be managing that, other than a little bit of whimpering when she is dropped off for Sunday School.

Almost TWO!

We look forward to celebrating Lydia's second birthday with family and friends in a few short weeks! We praise the Lord for this very precious gift He has chosen to give us and we thank Him for allowing us to be Lydia's Daddy and Mommy!

Lydia ~ 22 Months

As I sit here typing this, I can hardly believe that Lydia's next monthly update will take us to her second birthday! WOW! It has been such a joyful journey, but I will save the sentiment for next time! :)

first attempt at "Mrs. Potato Head"


loving her cousin, Brittany!

playing with Grandmother Allred!

Helping clean Grandma's kitchen... :)

During this month, Lydia cooperated through several more changes in her daily routine and has adjusted quite well to some skills that are new to her. She gave up her crib for a toddler bed last month and she did so well with that, we decided to go ahead and let her eat at the table like a "big girl" also. She has done really well with that, as well, although the placemat seems to be a big temptation - it must just look like it wants to be picked up... :) After that, we made an unexpected trip to be with my grandmother who has recently had several strokes and took a pretty serious fall with one of the most recent episodes. Lydia and I stayed with her for several days and Lydia had fun playing with her cousin and cheering Grandmother up! When we came home, Mommy pretty much went into panic mode because the school where I am teaching part-time this year was set to begin a couple of weeks earlier than what I had thought. Sooo... Lydia had to learn to use the potty - and FAST! We basically set the next Monday as the start date, got the little potty out, some toys for the bathroom, LOTS of undies, training underware, etc. and started first thing that morning. I will not go into details, but by nap time on the first day, I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that I didn't think Lydia was completely (biologically) ready for potty training and maybe we would just have to wait. After her nap on that first day, though, things went much better and have continued to improve for the most part! We've had a few accidents, and I would definitely not say that she is trained, but it is a good feeling to know that we have not had to change diapers (except after nighttime) for a few weeks now!

Also during this month, Daddy also spoke during a revival at a church in Monroe, NC, and Mommy began teaching a couple of classes, (English for 11th and 12th graders and a Writing Course), at the local Christian school in our community. Since I only teach between one and three hours each day, Mel is able to hang out with Lydia, which is good for both of them, since the nature of his occupation has him away on many nights and weekends. We are thankful that the Lord has provided us with this opportunity that will help with our finances, but will also allow me to be at home with Lydia, primarily.

Lydia seems to have transitioned really well into these new phases of her life, and we are so thankful! She continues to be a happy, loving and sometimes silly little girl with whom we are completely in love!

Lydia ~ 21 Months

Well, the last few posts have pretty much covered Lydia's twenty-first month, but I will post a few additional pictures to sum up this month. Lydia and her Daddy and Mommy stayed quite busy this month! We went on vacation (to Asheville and to visit with most of Mel's family in Morganton, NC), we had Vacation Bible School at our church, and we transitioned Lydia from her crib to her "Big Girl Bed"! Lydia really enjoyed playing with her cousins while we were with them, and it makes me wish that we lived closer to family so that she could see them more often. We are thankful, though, for the times we are able to be together and we know that being where God has placed us is always best. Lydia continues to be a sweetheart and we are so thankful for a precious little girl who transitions so well in so many circumstances. As you can see in the vacation posts and from some pictures in this post, Lydia really LOVES to be outside - in the water, blowing bubbles, coloring with sidewalk chalk, etc.

Look at these BIG Bubbles!!

Lydia and Daddy at our VBS Kick-Off Event! She wore Daddy out in the "Bouncy House"!

I think her favorite color is PINK!