the weekend update

pretty normal weekend at the layton household...

i did a little bit of running here (well on my way to achieving my 2 hr. half marathon goal!!):{bee-you-tiful}

ryan did a little bit of biking around here:{quote of the weekend...ryan to maren when he got home from riding in the rain: "Well, now I know what it feels like to be a windshield."}

leah did a little bit of this:{yes, standing WHILE blowing her kazoo...now that's talent, ladies and gentlemen}

and we did a lot of this with friends:
{no, not gambling...just some friendly games of nertz...and for the record...i beat ryan both nights}

refreshed, recharged and ready for a new week...i think...

a little bit...

we've been doing a little bit of a lot lately...

a little bit of time out...a little bit of beanie modeling (in 70 degree weather...she was forced to find a new addiction due to recent removal of all jackets)...a little bit of hair design...a little bit of trash can emptying...a little bit of riding bikes in spandex...and tonight, a little bit of march madness...

top 'o the morning...

we had a semi-festive st. patrick's day...well, as festive as you can get when you teach piano all day long. :) we started off the morning to find that the leprechauns had turned our oj into gj. yum!
i made green ranger cookies for my piano students (okay, for me too...they're yuuuuumy!).ryan was all dressed up and ready to go in his green attire.i also dressed up (including the bracelet ryan made for me out of green cross-connect wire when we were engaged six years ago...i wear it every year) but no pictures...

leah dressed up too...but we didn't get pictures of her before she bled all over her outfit. yup. leah had her very first major owie. it turned out to be not so major, but...she fell off a little tricycle at a neighbor's house and hit her head right on the corner of a block. the block cut her forehead and blood got all over her shirt. it didn't even bruise like i though it would, but she has a fun little scab.

leah's new trick

So, last Saturday when I got home from my morning run, Ryan said to me, "Hey, look what Leah can do." And then she stood up. Yes. She stood up. She always seems to do her new tricks when I'm not there, which simply reinforces my theory that she really doesn't like me. :) But that's a story for another post. For now, three cheers for Leah!

Ryan and I are quite certain she can walk...and that she does walk when we're not looking. We have yet to prove that theory, but we're pretty sure. She just knows we want her to so badly, that she won't do it for us.

The first part of the video is last Saturday when I got home (therefore, the non-matching outfit can be attributed to her father...hey, at least he got her dressed, right?!). The other is from two nights ago. That outfit is half attributed to me (the matching part) and half to Leah....quite eclectic if you ask me.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Yesterday I was doing yoga and Leah thought she could use her new-found standing skills to help me out. She stood on, underneath, on top and VERY close by me the entire time. I got a double ab workout from laughing so hard. She's a yoga natural.

She did stand up for about 20 seconds the other day, but she always does that when we're not watching at first so we can't get the camera. She knows she has to hold up her end of the bargain with grandma...she must walk by April. :)

On a side note, we have taken away all of her jackets. Yes, ALL of them. She was throwing way too many unnecessary tantrums so they're gone. No more. Good thing the weather is warming up or we'd have one chilly bambino on our hands.

take three

happy birthday to my beautiful mom. we thought we'd make this a tradition since we did it last year and the year before, but i fear i have a less-than-willing subject this year. it's the best we could do...enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

birthday leftovers

i realized i never posted the rest of leah's birthday. it was a blast. well, it was a blast between all of her tantrums, time outs and her first ever split lip (she fell and hit it square on the corner of the piano bench!)

first we had a triple birthday party in the park with our two-year buddies jack and ty. we ate yummy chili and cupcakes and played with bubbles.
she had a great time.really, she did. sunday we had a pizza with her name spelled out in the pineapples, opened presents and had a rice krispy cake (fine, i'm selfish - i don't like cake, so it was my idea!) and had fun with some friends.
thanks to everyone for making her birthday celebrations so special!

love this

my friend michelle and my s-sister jen are doing this and i thought it was a great idea! so...

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a handmade gift from me during this year (the first six for me since i've done it with two others!). When and what will be a surprise. There's a small catch though...Post this same thing on your own blog and then come back and leave a comment telling me you're in. Remember, only the first 6 comments receive the gift!

a catch: i have to know you. :)

my grandparents the love birds

everyone should be jealous of my grandparents. i mean LOOK at them! they are so in love!! a few years ago, i undertook a ridiculous project to write my grandpa's life history. it was a neat experience and he has since passed away, but i'm nowhere near finishing it. it's my big 2009 project. cross your fingers. but...i think it's a blessing it's not done because my family just discovered hundreds of old slides that no one knew about. there are some gems in there (including this one from 1953). my mom is scanning them and i'll use them for the book. i decided to photoshop this one a bit and i really like how it turned out. (original on top - photoshopped on bottom) if you could blow it up, you'll see tons of scratches and dirt on the original, but i think i got rid of 99% of them. looking at all the pictures really makes me wish i had the chance to get to know my grandma better. she died when i was one. that woman had style. i would die for her wardrobe...and her legs if i'm going to be completely honest. and it really makes me miss my grandpa. even though it's a big job and a big stress, i'm glad i get to compile and write his history. it's been a neat experience.

grandpa layton

i just had to post these two pictures of leah and her grandpa layton. the top was taken the very first time she met him - as he was arriving in the sfo airport on the way home from his mission in tonga in november 2007. the bottom was taken just last weekend when they were in town to see us...i mean leah. she ALWAYS snuggles him (and only him) like this...and she's not a snuggler. makes my heart melt. the same tiny, contented smile on her face in both pictures...

"toot" years old

It's hard to believe my little leah bean is two years old today (or "toot" as she calls it). What a fantastic two years it has been...we love this little girl to pieces.And here's a few snapshots of the last 731 days of our lives...

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Love you, Leah.