Lemony Winter [Break]

Do you know how much I love being a teacher?  Not only do I love my job, you know for the changing lives reasons and the something different every day stuff - but also for the time off.  Lots of time off to spend with my little babe.  I say all the time that if I had to work a 9 to 5, all year long with no breaks, I'm not sure if I could do it.  Teaching is awesome for so many reasons but mostly, at this age, because I don't miss too much.

Winter break came and went and went by way too fast just like all of our other breaks.  We are always so busy with Christmas stuff in the beginning that the first week just flies by and the second week we are recovering so it flies by too.  I was sad because all of Lemon's activities that I never get to go to with her were also closed (Gymboree mainly) but we did get to go to a class right before school resumed again.  It was hard to fill the days and keep her busy but I loved every single minute of it.  This girl definitely can't just sit around inside she has to be outside adventuring and just running around.  It was so much fun!

Our time off with her, this time and at this age, was awesome.  She is figuring stuff out, not throwing fits, saying "thank you" and "please," learning signs and words super fast (even mimicking sentences) and sleeping like a champ (7pm to 7am every single night).  It was so effortless, to be her mama, over these two weeks, it was seriously the best time we've had all together.  So easy and just super fun.

Sometimes I just take pictures of her perfect hair.  This as an especially great hair day.  Those curls, I die!

And a baby in a belt?  What?!  Cutest!  (Just buy a kids' belt from Target, add some holes and cut off the end!)

She's still so tired in the mornings, missing that nap an hour or two after she wakes up but she is doing awesome at night still!

Trying on my bra.  It's funny the things they pick up that you don't even realize like bras and filling up our water bottles using the water cooler.

The zoo is seriously her favorite place!  We are lucky we live less than 5 minutes away and have passes.

We did a lot of grocery shopping and sometimes had to have photo shoots.  I know the pic on the right is blurry but sometimes they are just too good, even blurry!

Loving on her daddy because he had Cocoa Pebbles - her first time eating them!

See that curl on the left, sticking straight out, a perfect ringlet?  I do not do her hair, she just wakes up looking like this!  It's amazing.  Her hair is incredible.

She can name, and imitate, about 12 animals.  It's SO awesome!

Yoga with our friends at Love Life Studio in Tempe.  Our friend, Tiff, teaches a baby class on Wednesdays at 9am, so fun although Lemon and Nora (Tiff's daughter) just ran around most of the time!

More Cocoa Pepples.  :)

Sea Life Aquarium in Tempe with friends - so fun!  She loved every minute of it, a great place to take your babe to run around.

There was a treasure chest at Sea Life and a handle that Lemon thought was really fun to make rattle, with her pelvis, and so it looks like she's doing something else.  Hhhahahaa!

We also live right by Scottsdale Fashion Square and Lemon loves the Disney Store, well any store, really.  She has admirers at the mall who she usually goes and sees on Wednesday nights, with Ian while I'm at yoga.  Loves the mall. 

Breakfast with grandpa

Arizona Falls with my dad - if you've never been - go!  So cool!

A before-dinner walk to see the giant, blow up, Christmas Hello Kitty on our street!

A late Christmas get together with Ian's parents, my mom and step-dad and Ian's brother's family.

Movers and Shakers at Desert Song Yoga and Massage on Mondays.  Sad we were the only ones there (went with Tiff and Nora), but it was fun!

Lemon didn't care about dancing she just wanted to stack the blocks.  We need more yoga blocks at home!  She loved climbing the bolsters and walking on the blocks too, like a balance beam.

I love going out to dinner with my little family.  Gluten free pizza at Sauce is our fav!

Gave her a whole piece, for the first time, and she loved it!

Gymboree Play and Music with our babe!  Loved it and LOVE Ms. Susie!  We hadn't been there since August I think!

Our friend Brittany (Ian's friend of over 10 years) has taken over as Lemon's nanny and we could be happier.  It has been AWESOME and we are so lucky to have her.  This was the first pic together!

Tried finger painting, Lemon hated it.  Stuck her foot in it and she hated that too.  Oh well, guess we will try again another time.  Too funny!

I took her to swimming at Hubbard Swim School for her weekly swimming lessons by myself for the first time (since she's been older) and it was tough!  But I got to swim with her, which was fun, but she is heavier than she used to be!

New hair and out to dinner with the girls - love me some mommy time!

If you are ever looking for something to do to entertain your babe and don't have any money or ideas, head to the grocery store and hang in the produce aisle.  When we were nap transitioning this is where I first brought Lemon to keep her awake and entertained.  She loves it and it's awesome for sensory play.  She says "hi" to everyone and then yells "BYE!" when they walk away.  Hilarious.  Oh and she licks every single thing she picks up so then I have to buy it.

Her new fav spot is on the side of our house in our neighbor's yard.  I have no idea why she likes it, maybe because it's tiny rocks and dirt instead of giant rocks like in ours, but she could spend hours here.  Give this girl some dirt, spoons, a bowl and some water and she's good.  Who is this kid?  I hate getting dirty!

I get the best of both worlds, being a stay at home mom (on breaks and in the summer) and a working mom and I am so incredibly lucky because my hubs gets to be home with us too.  Two teachers equals not a lot of money but we sure are rich in time with our muffin and each other.  Ugh, I'm sad it's over but Spring Break is only 8 weeks away!  And then . . . SUMMER!