Hylie's 2-year-old Photo Shoot

I'm actually shocked at how sweet some of these pics turned out--because the process was pretty difficult getting this kid to cooperate with the camera.  You'll notice she is not smiling and actually looking at the camera in any of the photos...but we still love her and think she's super adorable!

Happy Birthday, Hylie!

It's hard to believe this little gal is two already!  Hylie started getting excited about birthdays in general from an Elmo episode she enjoyed that explained birthdays, so when we told her that her's was coming up, boy was she thrilled!  She let us know she wanted to have a princess party, balloons, a heart cake with sprinkles, and that Hylie, mom, and dad were all to wear crowns, ha ha!

We sure had fun putting her birthday together and it seemed like she enjoyed her day.

We decided to celebrate her birthday a day early so it would be on a Saturday--she didn't seem to mind.  She woke up to some fun balloons--but this mom is going to have to be more stealthy next year because I actually woke her up the night before trying to tie them to her bed!  Ah!  Luckily the room was dark enough she didn't see them, but I had to get her back to sleep... 

Hylie LOVED all the pictures from this past year.

A birthday dinner of Hylie's favorites: chicken, bread, pickles and...

BIG CORN!

Getting ready to be measured--Hylie grew SEVERAL inches in one little year.  She's still in the 95th percentile with her height!

We got Hylie a 'Klip-Klop Princess Castle' and it was a HIT!  She loves watching the little horsies strut down the ramps.

And the little carousel on the castle plays music which Hylie was quick to dance to--then she got even MORE excited when she saw her shadow wanted to join in on the fun!

Finally it was time for her birthday cake with TWO candles (Hylie kept reminding us that she gets to have more than just one!)  On Monday our Family Home Evening activity was learning how to blow out candles...

...and the practice paid off!

Hylie also got some princess gear from Grandma and Grandpa and our dear friend, Mer.  If you can't tell, she absolutely LOVES it!

Nana's 99th Birthday

Geoff, Hylie, and I were so grateful to have the opportunity to be with Nana for her 99th Birthday celebration in St. Joseph, Missouri.

We had some great one-on-one time with Nana Saturday morning.  Hylie was her sweet little self: chattered away, played with balloons, read books with Nana, and even gave her some high fives!  Nana was thrilled to have Hylie there and enjoyed seeing this little ball of energy in action.

At Nana's birthday celebration it was fun to hear everyone share special stories and moments they have enjoyed with this remarkable mother, aunt, grandmother, and friend.

Geoff's aunt and uncle even pulled out Nana's china and silver to be used at the party.  Nana hand-painted these pieces--aren't they beautiful?

  She's such a talent and is quick to let you know the talent came from her left hand.

That evening we enjoyed a family dinner together where Hylie was able to 'help' Nana blow out her candles. Hylie understands how to blow, but her aim and gusto isn't quite there!  It was cute, after Nana successfully blew all the candles out, Hylie asked to do it again and sweet Aunt Margie was quick to oblige!

Hylie enjoyed giving the bear at our hotel a high five every time we passed!

One thing is for sure, the Redmond's don't take life TOO seriously!

Geoff with Uncle Tom, wearing some official party garb...

Aunt Margie and I with our 'staches!  Between the guys and girls, I think we know who wins the 'who wore it better' contest here, right?

We got in one more one-on-one visit with Nana Sunday morning before we had to head back home.  Happy Birthday, Nana!  We sure love you and are so grateful we got to be there for this special occasion.

Trip to the Beach

Hylie and I finally made it over to the beach this month, and boy did Hylie love it!

I was shocked that she kept her hat and sunglasses on the entire time!

She loved the sand and chasing the sea gulls, she kept asking me to catch one--needles to say that did not work out.

At first, the water wasn't that appealing to her, but towards the end of our stay, she started running and splashing in the shallow areas.  Hopefully it won't be too long before we return again!

Sweet Baby Woodhouse #2

We recently had an ultrasound appointment for our little baby and were so thankful to continue to receive news of good health and proper development for this little one.  We fell in love with this sweet profile and are grateful to be over half-way there!

My pregnancy has been smooth and wonderful (aka no arthritis!).  This baby is much more active in the womb than Hylie ever was--kicking and dancing at any and all hours of the day or night, which is a total delight.  However, I can't lie...it makes me wonder how active of a baby this little one is going to be when it arrives!