Reid Updates, Part II!

In addition to clear expansion in his vocabulary and play-acting (i.e. he will bring us a cookie from his kitchen upon demand), Reid has been growing physically and is becoming more and more independent every day. The minute we pick him up from daycare, he motions for his lunchbox, which he proudly carries as he walks down the hallway. Some days, he will hold on to his lunchbox for the entire trip home and will carry it around the house until dinner time. He also continues to love balls (throwing, kicking, carrying around) and gets a lot of joy out of seeing Finn run after balls in the backyard or in the living room. However, if Finn doesn't relinquish the ball as fast as Reid likes, Reid will wag his finger at him and tell him "da," which mean "drop." Usually, Finn abides and prevents a nuclear meltdown like only a toddler can have. Reid loves giving directions to adults, too. He frequently tells Andy and I where to sit, what to retrieve for him (blueberries! strawberries!), what to pick up, etc. He also loves going to playgrounds and climbing on anything he can find. Recently, we took him to Azalea Lane playground and he was really excited to see trains pass by, although he did get frightened when one train (Amtrak) was a little too loud and a little too close. He has a similar love/hate relationship with his little toy Thomas the Train remote control train, and he will rush to protect his other toys from the path of the train whenever we are playing with it. Oh, and of course he continues to love giving kisses (even to himself) and bubbles and playing in the water. Never a dull moment in the Layden household!

Reid updates!

Reid has been so much fun lately, and we have loved watching him explore the world. He recently began really enjoying play-acting with his toys, and he loves finding cats and smelling flowers on our frequent blue car walks around the neighborhood. While he hasn't started speaking in full sentences just yet, he has a few words that he uses quite often, such as "mama, dada, mo(more), go ? (where did something go), moon, moo (cow sound), bye or ba (bye)." I have also heard him mimic me with "hoorah" and "yay" and "woo," which is adorable. Besides mimicking, he has also been enjoying hide-and-seek, and he will hide behind the plant in the corner of our living room with delight as Dada and I ask an empty room (or Finn), "Where did Reid go?", and he will then pop out from behind the plant with glee. We love our little toddlerman!

Dance 'Til You Drop

Let's pretend I'm not writing this post in February. Instead, let me take you back to December and our holiday dance...

Waiting for Olivia's Christmas performance to start at AllSaints like a big boy!

We all enjoyed attending the Chapman's Christmas Baby Santa gift exchange.

Playing with friends at the Chapmans!

We enjoyed a lot of family walks, bike rides, and breakfasts during Christmas break. Reid loved going to Shakers with Mom and Dad.

Playing with cousin Naveen during Ackley Christmas 2016.

Andrea cleared out a great space for the kids during the present exchange. Reid was especially interested in the window hardware.

Uncle Said and Aunt Eva's house has some wonderful views. One day, Reid may get to swim with his cousins during Ackley Christmas!

New tradition: Checking out the lights at Lake Eola followed by dinner afterwards (WWB).

Playing with Dylan in Palmer's "secret hiding place" on Christmas Eve.

Exploring a Christmas gift- a new kitchen!

Christmas M

Christmas morning!

We look silly, but we love each other !

We love Grandpa!

Opening presents with Apa!

Fun with cousin Gage during Layden Christmas 2016. The pirate ship was a big hit!

Learning how to play the piano...

Nee Nee knows the way to Reid's heart!

Fun during Layden Christmas 2016!

Baseball!

The Holiday Dance

Well, I suppose it is time to post about BBL's holiday fun. It seems like the past month has been a (welcome) whirlwind of revelry, and this mama is tired. Tired but grateful - so, so grateful. Once again, we had a wonderful holiday season, full of our favorite people and memories that we will cherish for years to come. Now, hang tight, this post is bound to be a long one...

We kicked off the holiday season with a trip to Millenia Mall to visit with Santa, which was prominently featured in a previous post. From that point forward, every week was filled with some variety of holiday fun.  One of our favorite events was Holiday on the Drive, an annual College Park event that shuts down Edgewater Drive and includes snow, Santa Clause, reindeer, live music, food trucks, etc. This year, we were able to enjoy Holiday on the Drive with the Millers and the Chapmans. While 2/3 of of the adults spent the majority of the time trying not to spill their wine while chasing after the toddlers (errr... I mean engaging in meaningful activities with said toddlers), we all had a great time - especially Reid. He loved the live music and was in awe of the (soap) snow falling from the sky. He was also sure to keep a diligent eye on his stuffed puppy during the entirety of the event, and he loved snacking on his parents' food (if there was any wine involved, we were sure to keep it to ourselves of course). Overall, Holiday on the Drive was a success, and we look forward to attending next year.

It turns out that Holiday on the Drive was the push we needed to decorate for Christmas.  The following day, we ventured to Home Depot to pick out a Christmas Tree.  Reid was in awe of all of the trees, but he was especially smitten with the singing and dancing stuffed animals that lined Home Depot's aisles. Maybe next year, sweet boy. Anyway, we returned home after buying a tree, and I promptly instructed Reid to put the tree up and start decorating the house. He refused, so the tree sat untouched until after Reid's bedtime.  When he woke up the next morning, we watched him immediately notice the tree, point at it, and promptly start ignoring it.  No surprise because we only put pine cones and lights on the tree, much to Reid's chagrin. See, ornaments look like balls and Reid loves to throw balls and throwing and breaking ornaments sounds like so much fun. Alas, Reid was satisfied (barely) with the tree, threw a pine cone or two, and promptly moved on. I like to believe he appreciated all of our decorations though.

In an effort to cram as much merriment into our weekend as possible, we attended the Winter Park Christmas Parade the following day (Saturday). Despite a slight hiccup (Reid forgot to put on shoes before he left the house) and the quick-ish purchase of some new kicks, we had a truly joyful time at the parade. We were able to say hi to some of our favorite people (Art, Olivia, Grandma, Jenn, Ellison, Dylan, Graham, etc.) and break bread with the Chapmans at one of mama's favorite places (my mama and Reid's mama a.k.a ME)- Power House Cafe. Reid is a big smoothie and hummus fan, and the Power House Cafe did not disappoint. Besides spending time with some of our favorites, the best moment of the Parade goes to Reid chasing after the Santa float. Clearly, he felt he had more things to say to Santa beyond what he came up with during his first Santa visit of the season...which leads me to another holiday event we participated in (after the jump)....

Brunch with Santa at Alfond Inn was chock full of cuteness - picture dozens of little kids dressed in their Christmas outfits, Christmas decor, delicious food, Christmas music, and an up close and personal encounter with the man himself. I believe Reid enjoyed seeing Santa, but I KNOW he loved the food and spending time with some of his cousins. Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for a great morning!

In an effort to keep my [1] reader[s] interested, I will put a lid on this post - you can read more about our holiday adventures in my next post! Ho Ho Ho. 

Flashback Friday! Halloween recap time...

Halloween 2016, unlike Thanksgiving 2016, was not a success. In fact, BBL spent most of Halloween night laying with mom and dad and nursing a fever on a blow-up mattress we sat out on the living room floor. No costume, no candy, and no fun! That said, we did have fun playing dress-up with our little man prior to and after Halloween. And Reid has enjoyed sorting the leftover halloween candy and carrying it around the house (yes, this is still happening in December).

Without further ado, allow me to introduce you to Reid the Shark, Reid the Rastafarian, and Reid the Tiger

A sampling of how Reid and I spent our Halloween evening- at least one of us was in costume! (Thanks, Snapchat filters!)

Thanksgiving 2016

Well, I suppose I should have posted the Thanksgiving post before the Santa Claus post, but here we are. In conformance with societal norms, we did wait until after Thanksgiving to visit Santa Claus.  However, days tend to blend together of late so please forgive the tardy post. In any event, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day meal at my Aunt Suad and Uncle Mac's home this year. With the exception of last year and this year, my parents have always hosted a big Thanksgiving Day meal at the Lake Waunatta Home, and I am still not used to the change. It seems that many of my family members aren't used to the change either since less of them have shown up over the past two years. Still, my Aunt and Uncle hosted a great Thanksgiving (with the help of my Mom's cooking and Andy's homemade pumpkin pie, of course!), and it was really nice to visit with my family that was in attendance. It is also really fun to see Reid walking around among his little cousins, like Zain and Naveen.

After enjoying a late Thanksgiving lunch, we returned home (with Reid in a turkey stupor in the backseat), and Andy and I enjoyed a cold beer on our porch while Reid continued his nap. Then, we took a family walk on the golf course and watched the sun set. Overall, Thanksgiving Day 2016 was a success.

The following day, Andy and I spent the morning with Reid, Gage, Scotty, Apa, Nee Nee, Aaron, and Dom. Around Reid's naptime, we left for an overnight stay at New Smyrna Beach to celebrate our third wedding anniversary. As usual, NSB did not disappoint, and we really enjoyed the alone time and the ability to eat a fancy-ish meal (and a delicious meal at JBs) and have uninterrupted adult conversation for hours. Quiet time on the beach and the opportunity to begin a new book were also welcome distractions from our "normal" life. That said, we talked about BBL often and were anxious to return to him the following day.

On Saturday, after we returned home, we spent some quality time with Nee Nee, Apa, Scotty, and Gage. We treasure the time we get to spend with all of them, but especially sweet Gage. It is really fun to see the boys interact, and we have loved seeing Gage grow up and open up more. He is a very kind-hearted three year old that especially loves dogs, chocolate milk, Dada, Apa, swimming, super heroes, and legos- that is my take on him, anyway!

On Sunday, we took Reid to the Mall at Millenia and visited with Santa (see previous post). Later that evening, we enjoyed a belated Thanksgiving meal at my parents' home since the Clark and Rios families missed the Thanksgiving Day meal. As usual, it was heartwarming to see Reid interact with his grandparents and cousins, and the food was delicious. Reid took a late cat nap while we ate so we were able to enjoy a relaxing meal and (mostly) relaxing evening. Even though Reid spiked a fever upon our return home on Sunday (he wanted to keep us on our toes- we were too relaxed), we had a heart-filling Thanksgiving Day, anniversary trip, and weekend. Bring on Christmas!