The Holiday Season.

As the holidays approach we are really missing Austin being around.

Lyla is becoming such a big girl and I think she will really enjoy being around family this year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Last year we started a sugar cookie tradition where we baked and decorated cookies together, so I made some and sent them to Austin (vacuum sealed) along with icing to decorate. I hope this can bring a little bit of home his way.

I didn't make it in time to make him a big Christmas package, but I am sending out a couple tomorrow that will have random items in it.

Lyla and I are looking forward to her first Christmas in Georgia this year where she will get to see her grandparents, aunts and uncles, and many more family members that she would not other wise get to see.

This being said, March can not come quickly enough for us. We are very ready for her Daddy to be home!

A little over 100 days until he is back in GA for leave!

Happy Fall!

Happy Fall from the Conley's!

Lyla and I are still desperately missing Austin each and every day and as the holidays approach it doesn't get any easier. These are the funnest times of the year for our family, and we sure are going to miss him through out all of the holidays, starting with Halloween!

Unfortunately we have missed this year and last year with him for Halloween. There is always next year though!

Lyla is a cute little flower this year, so I was going to go to Party City and get the Bumble Bee costume that was just like my Lady Bug that I had last year. But come to find out, they didn't have it anymore. I can't tell you how hard it was to find a decent, non-revealing, Bumble Bee costume.... sad if you ask me!

But I managed to find something decent that I can put a top under and wear leggings with and be appropriate.

So far this season we have enjoyed Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins, Pumpkin Patches, Painting pumpkins and one of two play group Halloween parties. (Will update with photos after Halloween).

 Painting her first pumpkin!

This is turning out to be a fun Fall for us!

8 months down, 4 more to go... we got this!

Goodbye September....bring on October!

Austin is doing really well, just so everyone knows. I always update about Miss Lyla but I am sure there are many who are interested in how Austin is doing. He is always happy to get to talk and play with us on Skype and Lyla loves talking to daddy!

Honestly, whoever invented Skype really did it right for us Military families! It is so nice that Lyla gets to talk to, "kiss" and "hug", and even play with Daddy while he is thousands of miles away. She wakes up in the morning and often will ask for him. Any time I take the computer out she runs and asks for Daddy! I know it sounds kind of sad, but to me it is actually nice that she will know who he is when he gets home.


And we are back to Lyla! haha She went to the doctor this week and is a little over 23 lbs and 32.5 inches tall! Very average and she is growing well. This kid eats like a HORSE! We honestly do not know where she fits it all in that little body. Thankful to have a happy and healthy little girl though!

I hate to wish my life away, but now that September is almost over, we are that much closer to all actually being together. Can't wait!

Happy 1/2 Birthday

Lyla is now (as of Sept. 6th) 18 months old! I can't believe we are closer to 2 than 1 now... our baby is growing up way too fast and is learning SO much.

I think I need to get on board with this "your baby can read" or something? I don't know, we spend most days at play dates and just having fun and sometimes I feel like I am somehow falling short on the educational side of things. Any suggestions are always welcome.

She is such a little ball of energy, as any one who knows her would agree, so we go to a play date or just out almost every single day.... otherwise we may both go crazy.

I am really enjoying this age of watching her learn and discover every little new thing. Sometimes I wish we had the memories of these days of our childhood that will long be forgotten. I just want to once remember what it was like to discover something so simple for the first time. It sure is fun to watch!
We don't get to go get her "stats" (height/weight) until later this month and I can't wait to see how she has changed in that way as well. The kid eats like a baby cow and I have no idea where it goes! ! !! ! !  I mean... have you seen her? She is tiny!

Oh us Conleys...

Lyla and I are truly enjoying our friends that we have made recently. We have something planned at least every day of the week and it is nice to keep my mind off of the deployment and just enjoy our little girl.... thats right, not so much a baby any more, but a little girl! 

Lyla got a great Kitchen set that I found on craigslist this week and is loving it to bits!

(She was "talking" to me...telling me "Thanks mom and dad, this is AWESOME!")

We have also been to the Imagine It museum in Atlanta which is great, so many things for the kids to do and hours of fun! Lyla is really kind of starting to play with other kids instead of just along side them, so it is nice to see.

Deployment update: 

Austin has said that they will in fact be gone for the entire year and got their official orders for that this week. It stinks. We were really looking forward to the possibility of getting to spend the holidays together. Good news.... the 22nd will mark our 1/2 WAY POINT!!! Then we will only have 6 more months left to go! 

Until next time...

Hello Sun...

WOW what a HOT HOT HOT summer we are having! I hope Germany has a more subdued summer, which from what I can see from my friends there, it is. 

Lyla LOVES being outside, but it is almost impossible unless we go early in the morning or just go to the pool, which we have been doing a lot of this summer. 

Lyla got her first ever black eye this July. She was playing on the couch, as she often does, and this time it just didn't turn out well. She was having a great time jumping and ended up launching herself into the arm of the couch which resulted in this:

 I looks pretty bad, but she healed quickly and is perfectly fine and back to her "dare devil" antics.

We also took our first ever trip down the Suwanee River (in Florida) in canoes while it rained and rained and rained! It was a nasty day, but we had a lot of fun and Lyla actually loved it!

She was getting sleepy at this point because she was running on no nap at all. 

She now loves the "beach" feel, so our next trip to a beach won't be like it was in June where she hated it! So glad for this! 

I am also almost done getting my dog training certification so I will be able to start my own business doing dog training! This is something I can carry with me always and something I have always wanted to do. 

Now we are just still staying busy and counting down the months until Daddy is back home! We have now been apart for 6 months and he has been deployed for 5 months.... it needs to hurry up and get over with!!

15 Months of life

WOW! Lyla turned 15 months old this month and it is amazing what babies can learn in that time. We had her appointment today and she is a whopping 21.2 lbs and 31.5 inches tall! She will of course be taller than me by the time she is 12... haha. 

She is say many many words, which include but are not limited to:

Dada, Cody (one of the dogs), Beau (another dog), Stop, No, Yes, Duck, uhuh, Ball, that, Dog, she clucks like a chicken and "Woof"s like a dog! There are others, but I think that is enough to give you a good idea! 

She climbs, runs, kicks and throws a ball. Very active kiddo and eats like a horse!! 

Lyla and I are just trying to keep busy doing things with our play group and getting out of the house. So if anyone wants us to hang out, just let me know! We are missing Austin very badly. R-n-R is such a tease! We just want him home for good!!