Ayla's 1st Birthday Party!

Wow-we are so blessed. Ayla is one loved little girl. We had a house full of amazing family and friends yesterday that came to celebrate our sweet little girls first birthday. My mom made some wonderful cake pops and thanks to the help of her and Nancy we were able to put together quite the party! Everyone had a wonderful time and Ayla loved it! She didn't fuss once all day! Such a good girl! I think her favorite part was when we sang Happy Birthday to her. She was smiling ear to ear the whole time! Yesterday could not have been better!

Ayla gets tickled!

Ayla is changing so much! Lately she has started interacting on a whole new level. She thinks everything she does is absolutely hilarious. It's been really fun to get her laughing. She gets tickled so easily! Below is a video of her and Blair laughing at each other. Her and Blair are really starting to have fun together!

Santa Clause at Bass Pro

We recently went to Bass Pro for the girls to see Santa Clause. I have to admit, Bass Pro has a pretty awesome 'Santa's Workshop'. Not only do they have the best Santa in town but they also have numerous free children's activities. Blair loved everything they had there! Ayla wasn't quite sure what to think about Santa. She held it together for just enough time to snap a pic but then lost it.

GiGi and Harold Visit

Last weekend Shawn's grandma and Harold came to visit from Iowa. They spend their winters in Florida so they came here on their way. We had not seen them since the spring so we were very excited they were coming. Ayla was only a few months old last time they saw her, she's changed so much so we were really glad they'd get to spend some time with her and Blair. We had a wonderful few days with them, can't wait to see them again in the spring on their way back through!

Mizzou Weekend

This weekend we went to the Mizzou/Alabama football game. Our friend Kira went with us-we had a great time! Since Alabama is the number one team in the country we were just hoping to not get completely blown out. There was a good chance of rain so we were also hoping that the rain would hold off. Tailgating was great, the weather was beautiful so we were really excited for the game. Well wouldn't you know that right after kickoff it started down pouring! We immediately headed down under the awnings because I didn't want little Miss Ayla to melt :).

Sick baby...

This past week Ayla was sick for the first time. I picked her up early from the sitter because she was running a high temperature. I took her to the doctor and she ended up having a UTI. Poor baby! She had to get an antibiotic shot in both legs and is on an oral antibiotic as well. The good news is she's doing much better now. She started acting more like herself on Sunday and by Monday was back to normal! Man, it was not fun seeing her sick. Normally Ayla is happy all the time so we are not used to a fussy baby either.

Ayla at the doctor - she looks so sad :(

On a good note, Ayla started crawling a few weeks ago! She still gets easily frustrated but she's doing great!!

4th Annual This Run's for Vaughn! BEAT ALS!

This weekend was the Fourth Annual This Run's for Vaughn. This is such an amazing event! Our family is so grateful to Scott and Kerri Kruse and Kenny and Angela Pope for starting, and continuing to put on such a great benefit. Saturday morning we had great weather for the run. There were a lot of people who came out to support the cause. It's always so nice to see so many great people come out to support the run and raise money and awareness for ALS. We couldn't ask for a better tribute to Vaughn!

There was also a special guest at the run this year. A gentleman, along with his wife and family came to the run. He is a special man because he, like Vaughn, has ALS. He was actually a recipient of some of the money raised at last years run. We didn't know this man was going to be there so when we saw them there were a lot of emotions that came up. As hard as it was to see him in the position he was in, it was so great that him and his family were there. Seeing someone who has ALS and seeing just a tiny bit of what they go through will help raise awareness, and that is what we're trying to do.

Blair and Ayla's first bath together - they loved it!