The Crews Family

Let's go outside!

2011-04-16T22:31:00.009-04:00

It's almost May, and I've left out some great moments with Leighton and her Daddy over the last few months. I had to add this last post from our final days of winter before moving into Easter pics. We were lucky enough to avoid anymore snow and get Leighton outside. However, it was much colder than these photos look. We were tricked by the sun and so excited to get out!

Swinging with Daddy at the park. Our fingers were numb.

So sweet smiling at each other!

Drew & Uncle Andrew came up for a weekend in March. Enjoying hot cocoa after playing in the cold.

One of her latest princess costumes. Jasmine watching herself on TV!

Her new soccer net and ball. Likes to play with Dad the best. No interest when all the neighborhood kids join in.

She shoots, she scores!

The goalie

Still loves him to "throw her to the moon"

Daddy's girl

Such a pro at riding her scooter.

A beautiful sunny St. Patty's Day.

My busy chef.

Helping Daddy with his push-ups.

Leighton's 1st requested playdate with her friend, Jenna from school. Our usual playdates are with Mommy's friends' kids. I had them all by myself for 2+ hours, and they were a handful. Lots of drama and cat fighting over microphones, pink markers, princess dresses..... the usual. Her friend locked herself in the guest room, etc. Here are a few sweet moments.

Playing doctor. Jenna was dressed as a combo of Jasmine/Fairy princess.

Taking the babies for a walk.

Daddy thinks it's funny to help Leighton climb our little tree. Not exactly a climbing tree, but it makes for a good picture. Check out the green grass and my girl's cute bare legs!

February - Nana's visit & a Big boo-boo

2011-03-22T19:45:00.010-04:00

A few more photos from February.....

Nana came up to see us for a week. She was so nice to spend some QT with the L-train while Joe and I went to New York City for a long weekend. We both love NY and used to go a lot before Leighton was born. We've been wanting to make that trip for a while now. Nana brought us a few days of beautiful weather followed by snow of course. We were just thankful for those few sunny days around 65-70 to melt the remaining snow and get outside!!! We rode bikes, scooters, walked our babies and had a picnic. Leighton loves to be outside.

Nana & Leighton across from Charcoals, our favorite breakfast spot.

We stayed in Jersey City so we could have a view of the skyline from our room. Joe discovered this hotel which is only 20 feet from the Path train. It was a 3 min ride into NY.

My first look at the Freedom Tower under construction.

We had to do it! We stopped by our favorite southern bar to have the best BBQ chicken nachos ever. We frequented Brother Jimmy's when Aimee & Andrew lived only a few blocks away.

We also saw Jersey Boys on broadway which was the best show I've seen yet. We had dinner at the Crews' favorite Italian restaurant, Il Vagabondo. Yum!

View from our hotel room the day we arrived.

What a difference 2 days makes. The morning we left.....

View from the other side of our hotel of Lady Liberty.

A 9-11 memorial for the Jersey City residents near our hotel. It was a steel beam from the WTC. Very surreal with the NY skyline in the background.

Good-bye NYC! Pretty view with the snow coated trees along the river.

Taking Nana to the club for dinner.

My girl lives for dessert!

Making herself right at home

We also had our biggest injury yet in February. She slipped on a rock climbing wall at the mall play area. She scraped up her belly pretty bad and cried for a straight hour or more. We forgot to get a good shot of the wound. This is a few days later. She wanted to take a picture with her camera all by herself of course!

Doesn't look like much here but it was rough the first 2 days.

My pretty girl after her bath! In all her glory ready to jump all over my bed so I can chase her around trying to get her ready for bed.

Our Big Girl!

2011-03-09T15:21:00.004-05:00

A few big milestones in February....

Leighton has always been a great sleeper and still takes daily naps at 3 years old. Maybe because she runs sprints all day long. I've never seen my child walk anywhere. :)

The pediatrician told us it was time for a big girl bed and no more pacifiers. Leighton loved her crib and would have slept in it forever. So, we were worried she may have a hard time adjusting. We took the side railing off her crib, and she did great from the very first night. We are so lucky and proud of our big girl! She is now very excited about picking out a big girl room. She loves looking at the furniture catalogs with me and picking her favorite bedding..... all purple of course!

We gave that 2 weeks and then told her it was time to give the "pappys" to the babies that need them. We decorated a box to leave for the Pappy Fairy, and in exchange for her pappys she would leave a prize. We left the box in our living room where the Christmas Tree was and told her the fairy was magical like Santa. The next morning she told me she thought the Pappy Fairy probably left us a Christmas tree. So cute what they imagine. I wish I could jump into her thoughts for just a moment! The pappy was hard to give up. She had such a hard time taking naps for the first week, but she's doing great now and napping every day!

Meet Momo the monkey clock. We close his eyes at night and naptime and set an alarm to wake him up. She knows she has to stay in her room until he wakes up. Greatest kid gadget we've purchased to date! She says he's her best friend and we hear her say good morning to him every day. So sweet!

Her first night. Had to peek and see if she stayed in bed.

The box she decorated for an hour!

The Pappy Fairy left her a pink heart pillow with her name on it to snuggle with.

Getting cozy with her new pillow. I love this smile!!!!!

Big Storms Came & Hopefully Have Past

2011-03-06T12:19:00.016-05:00

The first big snowstorm this winter was the day after Christmas. Our lawn remained covered in snow for 8+ weeks after that. We would get 3"-4" then another 6"-12", etc. We had a storm every few days for the entire month of January it seemed. Leighton couldn't wait to see our grass again and loved getting outside to ride her bike and scooter for a few mild days in late February. Our fingers are crossed that Spring is on it's way, and we won't be seeing anymore of the white stuff. Here's a few shots from our fun in the snow.

Our snow princess. 3 year olds don't offer much help building a snowman, but I worked up a sweat.

Before the next snow, Leighton was able to ride her new tricycle one day. I could only take 10 min of the freezing wind. She didn't even notice and would have stayed outside forever.

At the Disney Princesses on Ice show. Of course, she had to dress-up. She wore her new Ariel costume from Aunt Aimee. She likes to choreograph her own show that we discuss all the time. The latest plans are: "She will skate with Tinker Bell in a pink princess dress, purple skates, a pink stage with yellow curtains, and only princesses! No princes, genies, or spooky people."

One of Joe's cousins got married in mid-January. The Stumm's and Crews' were in town. A few photos from the weekend.

The kids went sledding on Sunday..... on baking sheets. :)

Who needs a sled? Leighton just dives down the hill like a little penguin.

Cousins

Uncle Andrew's turn!

Having fun with Annie & Papa Joe

We went to dinner before they left and Leighton had fun tossing pennies into the fountain. Think she was saying "Oh my gooness" here.

Our pretty backyard friends searching for dinner. Hope he finds something. :(

Sledding with Trey after another snow.

Trying to pull Trey back up the hill.

Watching ANOTHER big snowfall with Baby Emily. This may have been the biggest since we moved here. Especially since there was so much snow on the ground already.

Our back deck during the storm.

Our front door from the street. The little red thing is our newspaper.

King of the world. On top of a 7+ ft. snow mound on the other side of our driveway.

Joe's car almost completely buried.

The pretty lake and waterfall near our house. The calm after the storm is always so beautiful!

The stream that runs from the waterfall.

Leighton thought it was so funny to see the park buried in snow.

Enjoying her first hot chocolate by the fire.

Cozy days inside waiting for the snow to end. Watching a movie with her baby. I think they look alike here.

Snow White is back.... reading a story with Daddy. Love her expression. She's so into the book!

Crazy Fall & Holiday Season 2010

2011-02-08T15:55:00.032-05:00

We've had an eventful last 5 months. The entire fall season and hopefully most of winter has passed since my last post. I try not to leave too much out since this has been our family album since the "L-train", as we like to call her, came into our world. As you will see, she loves to play dress-up. She wears her Snow White costume all day every day. She now has a few others too, and we love to see the outfits she comes up with. She loves puzzles and any sort of memory/matching game right now. She is an expert at both. She is very imaginative and constantly makes us laugh. She also NEVER stops moving or talking from the moment her feet hit the floor in the morning. Unlike her sleepy mommy, she doesn't need any time to wake up. Her immediate questions are: what are we doing today, and (of course) what are we wearing?!? It's quite exhausting, but looking back at photos of the last few months makes me realize time flies too fast!

Picking pumpkins in her favorite outfit.

Joe's birthday dinner in Atlanta

Most of the Crews gang.... just missing the Stumm's

Silly Papa Joe

Halloween party at the Green's. We were Ali & Daniel from Karate Kid.

And Shane was Johnny, of course. Some things never change.

Our little princess

Trick or treating with the Green's and Watts'

Painting with Grandpa Buddy in Jacksonville

Making Buddy's day snuggling

Thanksgiving day in FL. Aaahhhh!!! I think we were reflecting the sun.

One of my favorite pictures.

Our family on Thanksgiving day

Such a lady

UF/FSU game with some of our favorite people

In our happy place!

Took our first trip to Disney after Thanksgiving. L's first look at the castle.

Nana & Grandpa Buddy went too (and don't forget "nice bear")

Getting her favorite princess' autograph. She had to take off her shoes to show SW her SW socks (which she had to wear 3 days straight). Just this week, she started pretending she's the princess giving autographs when she plays dress up. So cute!

Her preferred form of transportation that week.

Getting her princess makeover at the Bibbidy Bobbidy Boutique with her very own fairy godmother

Too much hairspray!

A manicure..... it's good to be Leighton.

And Bibbidy Bobbidy Boo.... it's Snow White!

In front of the beautiful castle at night.

Grumpy princess. So tired but hangin' in there for the Christmas parade.

The most magical place on earth... especially at Christmas!

Using nice bear to hide from "the Beast"

Late night headed home with my pretty princess

Washing all of the princess goo off the next day in her giant tub.

Our family

Talking to Cinderella about her Minnie Mouse face paint. We visited the princesses twice. By far her favorite part of Disney World!

Tea cups

Celebrating her 3rd birthday a few days early with Nana & Buddy

December 3rd - Leighton's 3rd birthday. A few of her friends joined us for pizza and cupcakes. She dressed herself and was very proud of her selection.... fairy outfit, red socks, white sandals and all!

Christmas Eve

Dinner with Ellie and Ashleigh who is the cutest here!

My sweet girl was sick at Christmas and so tired. Love this sweet face though!

Uncle Gerry & Papa Joe reading "The Night Before Christmas"

Ready to check out what Santa brought with Drew

A princess bike

Snow White made a surprise appearance on Christmas Day of course.

Helping Daddy

Dance party with Drew

Me & my girl. This picture of me reminds me of my mom.

The whole gang on Christmas day

Goodbye Summer - Time for PreSchool

2010-10-04T23:31:00.009-04:00

Leighton with her best buddy Trey. Taking a walk to the park.

Throwing rocks into the canal.

Love these shots of them chasing each other.

Taking a break in the shade with Trey's baby bro, Cade.

One of our last visits to Sesame Place with Nana.

My little climber!

Time for the dentist. They let her clean the hippos teeth.

A bag full of prizes, balloons and fancy sunglasses..... this dentist knows what she's doing. She was in her happy place! The prize basket is bigger than her.

Showing off the drawing the hygentist did on her arm.

Phillies game with Mike & Laila Minter

Uncle David came up for a visit. He was such a good uncle with princess dance parties every morning.

Her first day of pre-school. So excited that she climbed in her chair and patiently waited for me to come down and make breakfast! She's never done this before and hasn't again since! I usually have to beg her to stop moving and eat.

My big girl - ready for school! It's only an hour and a half twice a week, but it was bittersweet for me dropping her off on her own. I got choked up, but she blew me a kiss and never looked back.

Chopsticks & Singing

2010-08-12T23:41:00.003-04:00

A few recent videos of our funny girl....

Leighton has been dying to use chopsticks after seeing a child on tv eat with them. We took her to a Japanese steakhouse for Hibachi. She ate shrimp for the first time and salad too!!! Most of the food didn't make it to her mouth for the first 20 min, but she was a pro by the end of dinner.

Singing her fave song on the way home which she has named "The Oh Oh Song". She knows a lot of the actual words to the song too. Daddy taught her to say "crank it" when she wants us to turn it up which has now come back to haunt us. She sings along with everything these days and is a very bossy backseat passenger.

Time to make the donuts

2010-07-22T21:49:00.003-04:00

"Down the shore" - Week 2

2010-07-16T14:11:00.013-04:00

We spent the 2nd week with the Crews'. Our party with the cousins the first night.....

David & Cody

An early birthday celebration for Papa Joe. Family shot - check out the tall guy!

The cutest house in OC. We spent 4th of July at the McKenna's and walked to the beach for the fireworks. OC show to our right and Atlantic City followed to our left.

The twins

Natalie & Aimee

Sweet Ellie ready for the fireworks

Watching fireworks with Daddy.

Drinks on the bay at Crabby Jack's

A great picture of the Crews fam

At the rides with Drew. So hard to believe she can ride all by herself now.

I often wonder whose having more fun... Daddy or Leighton?

Sweet cousins - we didn't pose either of these. They are so cute together!

Loved Tigger and the Ernie & Bert firetruck. It took an entire week though for her to get the courage to actually ride them. She wanted to go by for a visit every morning, but wouldn't get too close.

Told Daddy she wanted money to buy a Hello Kitty balloon..... then finished his ice cream while he got out his wallet. Definitely Daddy's girl!

Owen & Joe digging a hole.

Relaxin' in the hole with Daddy - life is good!

Nothing like playing in a hole with Jake, Ellie, & Drew

Drew catching some waves

Poor Daddy (although I'm pretty sure he loved it)

Our last night on the beach. It was such an amazing night.... it was hard to leave. I think it was close to 9:00 when we finally did. Annie & Papa Joe with the kiddos.

The Stumm's

Michael with his girls Ashleigh & Ellie

Love the lighting after the sun sets. A perfect end to a perfect vacation!

A few last shots in the lifeguard stand

Good night Ocean City!

"Down the shore" - Week 1

2010-07-15T20:11:00.011-04:00

We just returned from a wonderful 2 week vacation in Ocean City. We had the most amazing weather! It only rained one morning and the day we left! Leighton was a perfect angel for the entire trip. The terrible two's we've been battling were almost non-existent in the magical land of OCNJ, and the ocean air knocked her out.... she napped almost 3 hrs most days! She loved being there. A few of her fave things were morning bike rides to Brown's for "eggies" & donuts, ice cream cones, pizza, the boardwalk rides (especially Ernie & Bert and Tigger), building sand castles, and jumping waves! She told me she was going to "miss the beach soooo much" on our drive home. I have so many great photos that it was hard to decide. I'll do a 2nd post later.

Having pizza with Annie our first night. She was having a girls week with her sisters.

Her first bike ride

Browns donuts - so good!!!

Our first beach day. Loved building sand castles and collecting shells. Such a big difference since last year. She was so independent on the beach.

Our Minnie Mouse

A night at the rides.

Her first ice cream on a cone.

Swimming in the tide pool. She met a few friends on the beach. She walked up to them all by herself and said, "Hi, what's your name?"

My fave bikini!

Ellie & Leighton

Cutest Phillies & Eagles fans ever!

Leighton the mermaid. She asked us to "sand her up" after watching us bury the other kids.

Steven, Leighton & Papa Joe

Cousins in town for the 4th of July weekend

Leighton, Ellie, Ashleigh, and Jake

Packed car..... look closely to see David & Cody.

My Birthday & Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-17T01:41:00.008-04:00

Our friends Philip and Courtney came up from Florida with their baby, Olivia. I can't believe Leighton was the big girl for a change.

Our family on my birthday

Leighton filling up her froggy pool with our neighbor, Alyssa.

My 2 favorite people! Definitely Daddy's girl! A few recent photos I love....

Butterflies, Graduation, Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-14T22:39:00.011-04:00

A friend of mine talked me into raising butterflies with Leighton. I'm terrified of bugs and had no idea what I got myself into. She loved watching the caterpillars grow.....

....and had fun decorating our fancy butterfly house with the chrysalis' hanging inside. While decorating she told me, "Butterflies gonna love it! Leighton say, Hi butterfly what's your name?". I think she expected them to come out talking to her like on tv.

Meet 4 of our friends

Once the butterflies started flapping around the box, she was terrified of them. She wouldn't even walk past the box. She liked setting them free though. As each one flew away, she yelled "Bye-bye butterfly".

Taking Baby Abby for a walk.

The Stumm's came to visit for Memorial Day weekend, and we went to Sesame Place on Saturday. Watching a show from the back row. Couldn't see much of it buried in Daddy's shoulder. Zoom in to see the terrified face. Paybacks for me since I did this same thing to my parents.

Got braver after a while.

Mini water slide.

Andrew & Drew in the lazy river

She and Drew were so cute together on this visit.

Such a sweet face!

Can't believe she's big enough for all of the rides.

Outside the Camden Aquarium on Sunday.... overlooking the Philly skyline.

I love the hippos!

Sweet cousins!

She also graduated from her Mommy & Me class a few weeks ago. She loved her teachers! She can sing so many songs now especially ones we sang at class. So cute!

Cupcakes and treats at graduation

My little movie star

My crazy child stalling at naptime.

Playdate dinner with some friends of ours. They chased each other for hours.

Leighton's New Scooter and The Zoo

2010-05-19T17:19:00.006-04:00

The terrible two's have been rough for us lately. Since Leighton's been such a good girl for the last 2 weeks, we bought her a scooter. We may just dress her in her Elmo safety gear every morning since it makes us laugh so hard. She could actually use it since we're always nursing a boo boo on her knee.

Close-up of her peanut head

Daddy giving her a lesson

Her friends Bailey and Alyssa have scooters too which is why she really wanted one.

Can't believe I got her to pose. She's such a big girl!

And already a pro!

Last weekend, we also went to the Philadelphia Zoo for an evening event with Joe's company. It was nice to have the entire zoo to ourselves. No crowds so we could get close to the animals. Leighton's favorites were the otters, the tigers, and the carousel. She said she "loved the otters and wanted to kiss them".

On the carousel with Daddy

The crazy peacocks making a lot of noise

The lions were lounging

This guy was strutting around right up to the glass. Cool but a little scary too.

Wearing her giraffe sunglasses on the way home. Way passed her bedtime, and she was a crazed child. Her new favorite thing to say is, "Hi, what's your name?" to anyone and everyone we see. She was yelling it to the people at the bus stop in Philly here.

....and she's out! 9:45 pm asleep with her shades on.

JOE PASSED THE CFP!

2010-05-19T17:08:00.002-04:00

Joe took his CFP test in March and finally found out he passed! I'm so proud of him and so relieved it's over! We went out for dinner and ice cream to celebrate the night we got back from Florida. Leighton really missed her Daddy! He makes her laugh so hard, and I love that she has his smile!

Vacation in Florida

2010-05-19T16:05:00.007-04:00

Joe and I just celebrated our wedding anniversary. We flew to Jax, and my parents took Leighton for a few days while we went to the Amelia Island Plantation. It was our first vacation alone since our honeymoon 7 years ago. We had the most perfect weather, and Joe actually turned his blackberry off (for most of the trip)! Our last day, we met some friends at the TPC golf tournament in Ponte Vedra and had a great day and dinner with them. Poor Joe flew back for work, and Leighton and I stayed a few extra days. It was so hard to come back to a rainy and cold Philly! May is my least favorite month in the Northeast! It's 80 one day and 50 the next!

One of our many great dinners!

The sunrise each morning... our room overlooked the 6th hole of the golf course.

I rode along one morning while Joe played golf. One of the oceanview greens.

Meanwhile..... Leighton was busy making homemade ice cream with Nana, swinging at the park, and swimming in the pool.

We celebrated Mother's Day before Joe had to leave. A great day with the pool and slip 'n slide. Loves her daddy!

Love this face!!!

Sunbathing by the pool.

4 generations on Mother's Day

Fed the same lonely goose every day. He kept coming back.

She would swing for hours.... literally a straight hour. I tried to capture her view from the swing. I don't blame her with the sun and the wind in her hair and with this view of the river. Life is good!

Swimming with me on our last day.

This was a big step for her to allow this much distance between us.

Playdate with my friends from high school and their boys.

Uncle Adam and Leighton

And Grannie O-O too!

All bundled on the flight home.

It's good to be Leighton....

2010-04-21T18:15:00.004-04:00

We've had a lot going on for the last few months. Leighton has been a busy girl. We've really enjoyed the great weather that came a little early this year. She lives outside with her new BFF's in the neighborhood. Mostly ages 8-11 which is so funny. In March, we went to see Elmo Live and had a visit from both Nana and Annie. We had a great trip to Atlanta for Easter and spent last weekend with Uncle David & his girlfriend Cody while they were in town. We're now looking forward to a trip to FL in 2 weeks.

So excited to see Elmo!

Posing with him. She brought one of her Elmo dolls with us and got a new light-up toy and balloon there! She can't get enough of the little red monster!

Very excited.... waiting for the show to start!

Love this face.... seriously into it! When the characters on stage waved to the audience, she waved back and told us "they waved to Leighton". She thought the whole show was just for her.

At the Camden aquarium while Nana was here.

These 2 pics make me laugh. It looks like she was so into it, but these were the only still moments of the day that lasted 20 seconds. She thought it was all great but mostly just wanted to run around as fast as possible!

It was a beautiful, clear day! The aquarium is on the river across from the Philly skyline.

Another great day! Having a picnic lunch..... except Nana and I ate all the food. She just likes to run!

Loves to dress up in her fairy costumes these days and cast spells on us with her wand.

Holding hands outside with Bailey, 11 and Alyssa, 8. They are so great with her and come knocking every day to ask if Leighton can play. Our sidewalks are covered in chalk art at all times!

Playing outside again while Annie was in town.

In Atlanta, checking out what the Easter bunny brought her. Highlights were another Elmo toy of course, new sunglasses, and a cookie for breakfast!

Headed to the Easter egg hunt with Papa Joe.

Our family

The hunt wasn't very tricky. The eggs were laying all over the practice green at the Crews' club, and it took approx. one minute for the kids to hunt.

Hiding from the bunny with Annie and Papa Joe.

Aimee, Andrew, and Drew

Me with my girl!

Cousins. Impossible to get them to look at the camera at the same time.

Drew and Papa Joe like to practice their karate moves. Papa Joe dressed in Annie's robe ready for the fight. Hilarious! Pictures don't do this justice.

Loved Annie's rocking horse

With Uncle David and Cody

My favorite picture with her sweet pigtails and dress and especially the boo boo's on her knees!

Back in Yardley. This outfit is her ensemble. All her faves.... fairy costume, Phillies hat, Dave's sunglasses, and her fall dress shoes.

We ran the Rocky steps with Cody for the first time.

Then the Flyers Playoff game with Joe's cousin, Ryan and his god-daughter, Natalie too.

Leighton didn't want Uncle Dave to leave! :-(

It's Potty Time!

2010-03-01T12:47:00.003-05:00

We decided to try out Leighton's new potty last week. No luck at first. Then we were stuck inside during another snow storm on Thursday. She wore big girl underwear all day. After making it to the potty one time with stickers and M&M prizes, she was on a roll. I felt as if it was an ongoing firedrill for a few days, but she's already a pro. She even wakes up in her diaper waiting to go potty!

Posing with her potty and Elmo underwear. Princesses were the sticker of choice the first day.... check out her shirt. This was only 11 a.m.

Having a teddy bear picnic. Desperate for things to do in one room and off the sofa to avoid an accident.

Helping Daddy study for his CFP test.... only 3 weeks away!

Had to include a few more. She loves her Rody horse these days. She got it for Christmas but recently decided it's her favorite toy ever. I get exhausted just watching her.

Snow Days

2010-02-17T13:31:00.010-05:00

On Saturday, Feb 6th, we got a foot of snow. Then we got close to 2 more feet a few days later. This was the most snow we've seen since we moved here. Leighton had a high fever during the first storm and was sick all week. She wasn't sure about playing in the snow at first but finally got into it. We were trapped inside and so happy for a visit from Annie and the Stumm's last weekend.

Coloring with Daddy during the storm - Leighton loves to color right now. It's the only calm, quiet thing she's ever done. I love to watch my little artist at work.

I found her coloring like this with slippers and hat on. Poor girl must have been cold.

My sick girl watching her 100th episode of Elmo that week.

View from our front door during the storm.

Art projects by candlelight.... we lost power for a few hours. Very confusing for a sick 2 year old that just wants to watch tv.

During the night, little elves cleared our front steps. View from our front door the next morning.

My camera doesn't do it justice. It was beautiful with the sun and blue sky the next day.

Buried cars.

Our back deck.

After the street was cleared, the mounds were up to Joe's chest!

In Daddy's boots!

Annie made it up from Atlanta despite the weather.

Some light reading before bed..... the old testament. Leighton loves this bible story book. Poor Annie got suckered into 5+ books that night.

Part of our culdesac didn't get plowed right away. Hiking through some tire tracks with Annie.

Leighton is so light that she didn't sink down much. It would have been up to her waist.

An enormous mound of snow. L calls these mountains when we see one in a parking lot.

Joe pulling Leighton and Drew on the sled.

Crazy Uncle Andrew always making us laugh!

Love this photo of Drew. Looks like he could be vacationing in Aspen!

Ellie and Ashleigh came over to play too.

Drew and Ellie playing house. Drew was singing happy birthday to her. So cute!

The adorable Valentine's Day cookies Nana sent.

More snow the next night - eating snowflakes. Only 2-3" thank goodness!

Clean teeth & a hair cut...

2010-02-17T13:06:00.003-05:00

Leighton recently had her first visit to the dentist, and she did GREAT! It was such a fun, kid-friendly office that she didn't want to leave. I'm so glad her first experience was a good one. She also got a hair cut the same day.... just a much needed trim.

Not sure about the buzzing, but would do anything for another prize.

Yeah, no cavities!!!

They gave her this bag and filled it with prizes every time she opened her mouth. She was beside herself with stickers, games, princess toothbrushes, and balloons. It was like her first trip to the fair. She's flashing her clean teeth at the dentist hoping for just one more prize!

Not as easy to get the hair cut. She didn't want to sit on any of the fun kid seats so we found a Minnie Mouse doll, and she liked the big kid chair.

Life is good - a clean smile and a new do. She hates the sun in her eyes. So, my little back-seat driver is always wearing sunglasses. It never gets old!

Happy New Year 2010!

2010-02-02T16:03:00.007-05:00

Here is what we've been up to in 2010.

Jan 2nd, a little video of L dancing with Mickey Mouse. Notice her Daddy crashed in the background.... after New Years Eve and New Years Day at the FSU game.

Back in Yardley.... taking care of her babies. Becoming such a good little mommy!

Flu shots! No fun! :(

One in each arm in the same week.... sporting a Dora bandaid on each gun. She cried when I wouldn't let her sleep like this. Dora makes everything better.

Weekly trips to the Bagel Train with Daddy.

Lots of reading with Daddy.....

We've all been sick a few times and finally feeling much better. Leighton's first flowers from Uncle Adam. It was so perfect since she loves the Bee Movie. She tells me, "the boon (balloon) is sick too since he has a bandaid on his head". Amazing how much she understands!

Christmas 2009

2010-02-02T15:02:00.006-05:00

We spent the holidays in FL this year, but we were able to celebrate with Annie, Papa Joe, and Uncle David a few days before leaving. It's good to be Leighton! Including her birthday, she opened presents all month long.

She is Papa Joe's biggest fan! Still sporting her crazy smile and wearing the Eagles jersey Daddy bought for her.

Coloring with Uncle David at her new big girl table.

I love how little she looks in pictures with Papa Joe.

"Westbrook" putting baby Emily to bed in the new cradle from Aunt Aimee.

He always makes her laugh!

Good night to Annie & Papa Joe.

Christmas Eve in FL....

With Uncle Adam, Nana, & Buddy

Trying on the Tinker Bell costume Keri gave her - with my cousin Kayleen

Santa came!

Feeding her Bitty Baby

Still can't believe Santa brought the Elmo microwave I told her she should ask for!

Opening presents is a very serious job.

My Dad's Chia Obama bust.

Wearing the dress Granny O-O bought her.

She did laps around the house all week long pushing her babies! As fast as one can push a stroller. She apparently found my necklace.

Reading a story with Daddy & Bitty baby. One of my favorite pictures!!!

Cozy with Adam by the fire.

Leighton's Birthday Weekend

2010-01-30T11:32:00.009-05:00

I can't find the time to keep up with our blog lately. Since I'm terrible at writing in Leighton's baby book also, I'm counting on this to look back on. I didn't want to leave out her 2nd birthday or Christmas. So, better late than never!

She is getting so tall! 2 year stats: 90% height and 50% weight. She is also talking like crazy. Attempting to sing lots of songs including her ABC's! She can also count to 12 and sometimes 14 - just gets a little stumped at the number 5. Our favorite thing is she recently learned our name is Crews, and it's so cute to hear her say it. She knows Megan and Joey too but sometimes calls us Mommy Crews and Daddy Crews. She calls downstairs for Joe, and yells "Daaaaaddy, Joooooey". I thought I had converted Joey to Joe, but I apparently call him Joey when I yell for him. I'm learning all my quirks from Leighton! She loves to pretend, especially with play food and her kitchen and taking care of her babies.

A family photo taken just before her birthday - I think she looks like Joe here.

My parents came up to celebrate with us. On Dec 3rd, we sang to her with candles for all of her meals since she is really into birthdays right now. French toast for breakfast....

At lunch with her birthday crown from Mommy & Me class where we also sang to her!

Diggin' into an Elmo cupcake after dinner.

A few days later we planned a little party for her, but it snowed. Joe's cousin Megan and her little girl Ellie came despite the weather which was so nice of them. Leighton loved having sweet Ellie with us!

Her big gift was a kitchen - notice the spatula in hand.

Her fake smile... wishing we'd hurry up and eat cupcakes!

With Nana and Buddy.

Family shot with Minnie & Mickey too.

Making coffee for us the next day. Most likely serving potato chips with it (which she likes to boil on her stove). She also microwaves our ice cream. Yummm!

Outside our club at the Santa brunch the next day.

She is officially terrified of him. Poor girl! I gave him her list since she was too afraid. What goes around comes around. I did this to my parents too and much older than this.

Worried Santa may come around the corner. She was nervous the whole time we were there.

Crazy Fall 2009

2009-11-12T16:09:00.007-05:00

We have had an eventful past 2 months which is why it's been so long since my last post. Here's what we've been up to.... it was hard to keep this one short. :)

In mid-Sept, I took a trip to Hawaii for our Godson Toa's Baptism. I'm so glad I was able to be there, and he is the cutest!!! I'm in love. I miss him and his Mom so much!

The Pere family in front of their new house.

My last Hawaii sunset.... across the street from their house. I can't believe my best friend gets to enjoy this every night!

The next weekend Joe ran in his first half-marathon in Philly. I am so proud of him! We went to the Eagles game after his run. Enjoying a victory beer with his cousin Ryan.

We went to Boston for the BC/FSU game.

Our next trip was to Atlanta for a wedding in October. Leighton with Uncle David and "Poppy Joe" cheering on the Phillies.

Hangin' with all her friends in her pack 'n play. She takes quite a team to bed with her every night, and the team keeps growing.

A fun day with the Green's. Leighton loved playing with Hunter and Taylor. Wish we could see them more often!

Saying our good-bye to Annie.

..... and off to Jacksonville next. She loved pulling her suitcase through the airport!

At Nana and Buddy's house. This is her new fake smile - all teeth and her eyes are rarely open.

My dad put a swing in the backyard. Swinging with Great Grannie O' and Uncle Adam.

Believe it or not..... ready to go swimming in October.

Loved playing the piano

A book with Nana. The book we had to read to her 25 times/day while we were there.

Back in Yardley at our Mommy & Me class Halloween party. She was a fairy princess.

Then at our Tumbling class Halloween party with her friend Trey - an FSU cheerleader and a fireman. They are so cute together!

Kisses from Trey....

Celebrating Daddy's birthday. She helped with the presents and the candles. She finally likes cake! Maybe not such a good thing. She requests it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.

Daddy's girl on Halloween. She loved trick-or-treating and M&M's!

Cutest cheerleader ever!

My crazy baby likes to take all her clothes off and in this case wear her slippers only.

Daddy throwing Leighton to the moon. Her new favorite thing to do. It looks like she just jumped out the window. Click on these two to see her face closeup.

At breakfast with Annie and Papa Joe. They were just here for a quick visit.

More vacation pics

2009-09-25T22:11:00.006-04:00

I had to post a few more pics from our July OC trip since I just got them from Annie's camera. Our family on the beach.... impossible for her to look at the camera when we are both in the picture.

Rockstar baby!

In timeout on the beach. LOL!

Drew the shark.... this photo just makes me smile!

Beautiful sunset with my hubby!

"Cousins by the dozens"

Another gorgeous sunset.....

My sweet nephew Drew at his pirate adventure ride. So cute in his costume!

Drew, Papa Joe, and Ellie

Ellie putting the final touches on Drew's costume. So sweet!

My Little Gymnast

2009-09-25T17:02:00.003-04:00

Here is one of Leighton's latest tricks!

Daddy's girl

2009-08-14T00:28:00.003-04:00

Leighton discovered the Bee Movie with her Daddy, and it's the first TV show/movie she's really into. Although it only lasts 5-10 minutes, she actually sits still. She wants to watch it EVERY day. So, we almost have it memorized. She is really turning into Daddy's girl. They are so cute together!

Bee Movie Day 1.... Cozy with Daddy, Elmo, and her bear on the sofa

Bee Movie Day 2..... Check out the tiny feet

Bee Movie Day 12

Swimmin' with Daddy

Loves her new Phillies hat.... and her talking Elmo

Summer Vacation

2009-07-19T17:42:00.018-04:00

We had a great 2 week vacation in Ocean City, NJ. My parents came up during our first week, and we spent the second week with the Crews' for our annual July 4th trip. It took Leighton a few days to warm up to the waves and being sandy, but she is my beach baby now! She had the best time!

The first morning of our family vaca..... reading brochures with Daddy

Our favorite babysitter Annie was so nice to let us have a date night and take my mom out to dinner too.

Enjoying her first of many Brown's donuts

Loved holding hands while we walked on the boardwalk

Her first rides.....

Uncle DD, Aunt Aimee, Ellie, and Drew on the train

Drew and Ellie dancing with the monkey band

Walking home after the rides

Joe wrestling L and Drew

Poor David headed to the beach with all the baby gear

A nice PB&J on the beach... then eating more snacks with Grandma. L never stopped eating on the beach. She just stumbled around looking for more food.

Can't remember the last time I was with my parents on the beach

My "Jersey Girl" on 4th of July

Sweet Ellie fillin' up the pool

Wonder if Daddy noticed L's sandy hand in his beer?

L & Owen - she calls him Owoa

L finally warmed up to the waves with Aunt Flo

Playing with her favorite friend "Eddie" as she says

Ellie and L

With my happy girl

2-Pop and Baby Ashleigh

Sand monster

Loungin' in the pool...

Her new game with Daddy. He acts like a chicken when she lifts his glasses. I love how hard she laughs!

Drew enjoying a Sponge Bob ice cream

With Daddy and Ryan

Erika and Jake

My powder baby.... great idea from Joe's cousin Megan to get the sand off. We went a little crazy with the powder this night. Leighton loved the routine and covered her eyes when it was time to powder up each day.

With Drew on the lifeguard stand

BOO

Vacuuming with Papa Joe on our way out.

Baby Girl Rocky

2009-07-19T13:43:00.002-04:00

Leighton wanted to try on her pink "chucks" that are still a little too big. She does not like getting dressed lately, and I hadn't fought her for the shirt yet. Realized this was the perfect Rocky outfit and knew Daddy would love it! They went to Karate school on Sesame Street which is what she is demonstrating. She cracks me up!

Posing by the ring....

Practicing her moves and putting on her robe....

Expert financial advice anytime

2009-06-13T17:51:00.002-04:00

Our first beach day

2009-06-12T10:17:00.003-04:00

We went to visit Joe's cousin Megan and her girls Ellie and Ashleigh at the beach on Wednesday. Leighton wasn't sure about it at first. She was terrified of the waves and didn't like getting sandy.

She picked up her boogie board and walked away after an hour. She saw the stairs and decided that was her escape route from this sandy place.

She finally came around and was eating goldfish (and sand) off the ground by the end of the day. Dirty baby!

They were so cute together.

Kicking in the pool last weekend.

She also got her first haircut on Saturday. It doesn't look much different, but her bangs are out of her eyes. We're still working on losing the mullet look.

I can't stop taking photos of Joe reading to Leighton. They're so cute together.... and in this case I couldn't resist.

Memorial Day & Weekend with the Crews'

2009-06-01T21:34:00.006-04:00

We spent Memorial Day weekend here and took Leighton to the park and the pool. The Crews' came in town last weekend for a wedding, and Annie spent a few days with us. Drew's 4th birthday is also coming up. So, we celebrated on Sunday. Leighton and Drew are very cute together as long as they are not stealing one another's toys.

My sweet girl eating a fig newton..... her first cookie.

The new "do". We're also doing mini pigtails which Joe and I love. Check out her choppers!

Tired girl at the pool with Daddy.

Swinging with Annie at our favorite park.

Loves the slide and driving the train.

Had a nice visit with Annie!

At the wedding.....

With Papa Joe, Aunt Aimee and crazy cousin Drew.

So sweet!

Joe hard at work blowing bubbles. Poor guy, neither one is interested.

The birthday boy!

Not big on sharing.....

....... unless it's a book with Papa Joe.

Bath Baby

2009-06-01T21:17:00.005-04:00

I had to share some pics from bathtime a few weeks ago. They are my new favorites!

Where's Leighton's teeth?

tongue....

ears.....

Now, where's Leighton's mullet?

Having the time of her life!

All cozy for bed......

FL Trip

2009-05-16T20:08:00.009-04:00

We just got back from a long trip to Florida. Leighton had a great time at Grandma & Grandpa Buddy's house while we went to 2 weddings. She got 2 new teeth while we were there which was rough, but they took good care of her. She loved being outside!!! The best part of the trip was coming home to green trees and (mostly) warm weather in PA.

Excited to see Uncle Adam

Didn't take long for her to warm up to Riley - first thing she said when she woke up every day was "dawg"

In St. Simons at our first wedding - incredible weather!!!

Taking a walk to the river with Daddy

First trip to the zoo. We learned all the animals nap in the afternoon.... not the time to go. We had more fun than she did. She just liked watching the other kids. Also discovered she's terrified of the carousel. She was buried in my shirt during the entire ride.

Loves being free from the stroller - I wish I had a close up of this face

The giraffes were the only animals we saw up close and personal since they were feeding them.... you see how interested she was.

Loving Grandma

My sweet girl... it was a long hot day at the zoo.

Our 6th wedding anniversary - it was a great relaxing day with margaritas by the pool.

Another wedding in Sarasota

Being sweet with Grandpa Buddy

Bubbles!

Not to sure about the pool.

Loved running around the yard and being sprayed by the hose!

4 generations.... saying good-bye to Grandma & Grannie-O

Daddy had to come home for work a few days before us. We were so excited to see him!

Also missed her babies

Reading the paper with Daddy - love this!

This entertained me. Poor Dad in his new little girl world - trying to eat a frosty with Elmo and 3 baby dolls in his lap.

Easter Pics

2009-04-19T10:19:00.004-04:00

We went to Easter brunch at our club, and Leighton was not a big fan of the bunny. I don't blame her. Check out his creepy eyes!!! I wasn't excited to sit next to him either. I'm worried she's going to have a phobia like her mama since she likes Elmo on tv but is terrified of the talking Elmo doll.

Modeling her Easter outfit. Love this pose!

Silly girl!

The Easter Bunny brought her lots of new books, bath toys, and a quacking duck that she ran from. Go figure, she usually loves ducks!

Reading her new favorite Dora book....

Loving the nice day outside. It was beautiful but still 50 degrees. She didn't care.

March Visitors

2009-04-08T12:24:00.006-04:00

Room 2B has been occupied for the last 3 weeks. We had visits from Grandma and Grandpa "Buddy", Papa Joe, Uncle Adam, and Annie. Leighton loved having all of the attention, and I loved having the company during the last really cold month. It flew by, and we hope Spring is on the way! I'll pretend I didn't just see the flurries outside.

Feeding the ducks with Grandma and Grandpa Buddy

Daddy met us at the lake for a quick break from work

Cruisin' around the neighborhood.

We had dinner with Papa Joe while he was here on business

With Annie....

Meeting Baby Ashleigh with Aunt Beth (Joe's cousin Megan's new baby). When she sees a baby sleeping, she always says, "Shhhhh". So cute!

Loves to undress her dolls and make us dress them again. This poor doll is always naked.

Also loves reading! She looks so interested, and this is just a magazine.

This is her favorite thing to do with Daddy.... the elevator. When she's up, she can see herself in the mirror above the sofa. She's almost too big for him to hold like this anymore! :(

My Crazy Baby

2009-03-11T22:29:00.004-04:00

Leighton loves to put things on her head. She won't keep a hat on outside in the cold, but she'll wear daddy's hat all day in the house. She was cracking me up yesterday dancing around and watching herself in the mirror. I had nothing to do with any of these. I was just her audience (which she loved). She definitely entertains us these days!

My rapper baby....

Dancin'

She makes boy noises (which is partially her daddy's fault) and she likes to watch herself spit. So gross, but the picture makes me laugh.

Wearing her pj's and Converse sneaks that her Uncle David gave her for Christmas. Love it!

Snow Day

2009-03-05T12:49:00.005-05:00

We got about 5 inches of snow on Monday. It was still snowing and too cold to take Leighton outside that morning. Daddy made her a snowball to play with in the kitchen. She just wanted to eat it.

Cruisin' around on the back deck while Daddy built her snowman. It was a quick one since it was so cold. Lost one mitten right away.....

Uh oh.... we got a little worried about her bare hands getting frost bite once the gloves were off.

Daddy hard at work....

She kept saying.... Ooohhh and snow which you can tell by her mouth in all of the pictures.

Our stylish snowman wearing her shades later that night. It's hard to see her arms.

Getting cozy with Mom trying to warm up her hands. She looks so big to me here.

Enjoying the fire in her chair.

A few more recent pics of my silly baby. Having lunch Jane Fonda style. The best part is the serious face. She has no idea how funny she is and wears this headband all day.

She did this herself as well. These are her sweatpants in case you can't tell.

Leighton's First Date

2009-03-03T13:18:00.002-05:00

Daddy doesn't think this is very funny! We had dinner with our friends last weekend and had to get a shot of the 2 kids by themselves. They look so confused!

Leighton having a glass of wine with her friend Trey....

Winter 2009

2009-02-16T12:35:00.010-05:00

I haven't posted pictures in a while. So, here's what we've been up to this year. Uncle David stayed with us after Christmas for a few weeks. Leighton was so attached, and we miss having him around. My Mom and Grannie-O also came up for a visit in late January.

As for an update on Leighton... she's a talker. I can tell she understands me so well now and says a ton of new words. My favs are shoes, baby, night-night, and cheese (in reference to mac&cheese - definitely my girl). She tries to take care of her baby dolls which is so cute. Since it's so cold out, we go to the mall play area a lot to get out of the house. She goes down the mini-slide there all by herself..... over and over and over again. She loves chasing the older kids around.

We've had a few beautiful days in the past 2 weeks, and we were able to go to the park. She didn't even need a hat one of the days!!! Zoom in on this one to see her 2 newest top choppers.

We went down this slide over and over again. She loved it!

She loves wearing my headbands around the house. It's funniest when she puts them on herself so that she looks like an Indian. Here she is reading and singing with her toy all at the same time. She had no idea I was even in the room with her. So cute!

Obsessed with her belly button and unfortunately mine too!!!

All cozy watching TV while waiting for her bottle one morning. It's very rare that she sits still for more than 5 seconds. So, I love this picture.

Climbing inside the trunk we use for a coffee table is her new favorite thing to do. She also likes to dig through it tossing every book inside over her shoulder.

We went to the aquarium in Camden, NJ while my Mom and Grannie-O were here.

I loved this huge hippo.

At dinner on the way home....

She loves her Daddy! Especially his "flyovers".

Reading the new Verizon guide. This is pre-haircut so you can kind of see her mullet. I wish I had a better picture of it. My Mom and I clipped it off, and she looks like such a big girl now.

Reading to Uncle David

Wearing her hat with her PJ's

Christmas 2008

2009-01-12T22:17:00.012-05:00

My new favorite family picture from the Santa brunch

The Stumm's at the Santa brunch

YaYa Girl's night with the cousins. The boys went to a Flyers game.

We went to Aunt Beth and Uncle Gerry's house for Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner. Uncle Gerry and Papa Joe always read "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids, and they each have an instrument for sound effects. Leighton was awake for the whole night but was out by 6:00 on Christmas night.

Ellie gave Leighton a Baby Huggums doll just like hers. So sweet! (Ellie is Joe's cousin Megan's daughter)

Leighton loves her new baby and has just started saying "Night, Night" this week. She pretends to put her dolls to bed and covers them with a blanket or dishtowel.... whatever she can find. I can't believe how much she understands already!

Ellie helping with Leighton's bottle. She's going to be such a good big sister soon!

Attempting to get a group shot of all of the cousins' kids and Uncle David.

A little better.....

The twins....

Chaos while getting ready for the story.....

Drew, Leighton, & Natalie

Such a cute group!

Kisses for Daddy.... still working on her pucker.

Dilirious little monkey girl

Christmas morning - waiting with Aunt Aimee & Drew to see what Santa brought.

Her new chair from Annie & Papa Joe

Drew's pirate ship looks cool

Santa brought Leighton a farmhouse.

More toys for Drew.

Drew pulling Leighton in his new sled

I guess she needed a sled too.

Attacking Uncle David with Drew's new Spider Man costume and web shooter.

Since the mask was a little big for him. Everyone else decided to where it. I'm still not a big fan of masks.... creepy. Papa Joe climbing the walls.

Joe & David

Really creepy - with mask and mullet wig (not sure when & why we got the wig out)

The whole Crews' gang at Christmas dinner. Mr. Crews' brother and his son and Aunt Florence joined us too.

The hosts.... Aunt Beth & Uncle Gerry playing Drew's new guitar.

Molly Mo & Steven - if you haven't met Molly, she's Joe's twin cousin :)

JW Tumbles

2009-01-12T21:54:00.008-05:00

We go to a tumbling class every week. Leighton gets so excited the minute we walk in the door and loves playing with the other kids. Annie Grannie came along over the holidays and took a few pictures.

Her first back flip

Always head first down the slide

My little monkey girl....

Mac & Cheese Mohawk

2009-01-08T23:51:00.005-05:00

I just found these pictures from early December and had to post them. Pics from Christmas to follow soon.

We like to give Leighton a mohawk in the bathtub, but sometimes she puts her mac & cheese fingers in her hair during dinner. It's disgusting but makes a great mohawk.

A good side view......

We also had a playdate with Leighton's buddy Trey a few weeks ago. They were so cute looking at the candles in the windows together. Love their reflections in the window.

New Video

2009-01-05T17:18:00.008-05:00

I'll be posting pictures from the holidays soon. In the meantime, here is a video of Leighton on the move. She's been walking for about a month. Sorry this is sideways. Can't figure out how to flip it.

Cutest Eagles fan ever.... with Daddy's hat on!!!

Ready for the game in her shades yesterday with Uncle David.

Weekend with the Crews'

2008-12-10T20:05:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Leighton's birthday with the Crews' last weekend. I think she remembered not liking the cake the week before and didn't want to get her hands messy again. She cried when we sang "Happy Birthday" to her and went to bed early during her party. She's definitely my girl and needs her sleep. She got a new baby doll from Annie and Papa Joe and a Cabbage Patch Kid from the Stumm's. I love the name.... Vida Myrtis. Aunt Aimee also gave her a princess outfit and crown that I can't wait to dress her up in. She got so many nice gifts.

Cousin Drew and Annie helping open presents.

Her new baby. She's so tired.... I don't think she knew what was going on.

Keep that cake away from me!!!

Santa brunch at our club the next day. She and Drew had so much fun.

With Annie and Papa Joe

.....and Aunt Aimee

Love this picture with our friend Mike and her buddy Trey. Neither of them liked Santa.

Drew and Santa

Thanksgiving & 1st Birthday

2008-12-09T11:50:00.006-05:00

My parents were here for Thanksgiving, and we had an early birthday celebration for Leighton. It was only 5 days before her big day. She is a picky eater. Maybe the first child that wouldn't eat any of her cake on her 1st birthday. Don't be fooled by the big mess.... none of it made it in her mouth.

Thanksgiving Day - outside with Grandpa

She joined us for dinner which never happens. She's usually in bed. Should have taken this before dinner. Nice dirty dishes.

Birthday party on Friday....
Saying hi from inside her new house. And talking Elmo from Grandma & Grandpa.

Mini-cake for the birthday girl. Very impressed with my decorating skills.

Diggin' in!

Gotta love daddy in the hat and the one sock!

Huge mess! Thinking about maybe licking a finger.... still not sure.

"So Big" - We could play that game all day long.

The aftermath....

Lovin' the new raincoat

2008-11-20T16:45:00.005-05:00

We hate the gloomy days/weeks we've been having, but I love dressing Leighton up in her raincoat. It was one of my favorite gifts we received. I can't believe it already fits her, and she's almost one year old!!!

She loves this new toy we borrowed from our friend Trey and is very proud of herself that she's got it figured out.

A few shots of my screaming child. I'm so excited that I captured a photo of this since she does this quite often. It looks as if she's upset, but she actually just likes to see how high-pitched she can scream. It gives me a headache just looking at the photos.

Walkin.... she's taking 4-6 steps at a time now.

I love it when she's all bundled for a walk.

Couldn't leave these out. Cheering for the Eagles with Daddy! She hasn't brought them any luck so far.

Our little monkey

2008-11-05T17:50:00.007-05:00

Of course, Leighton had to be a monkey for Halloween since that's what we call her. We went trick-or-treating with Annie & Papa Joe, the Green's, and the Watts'. She was so good and loved watching all of the kids. I'm hoping Annie Grannie has some more pics from Atlanta since my camera card was full by Halloween night.

This was actually a few days before Halloween. We loved putting her in her costume, and she never seemed to mind either.

Love this face!!!

Jen Green with her kids Taylor and Hunter. So cute!

The whole gang!

Already tired as we're headed out for candy... holding on tight to her tail and pacifier. Gotta love the feet.

The pirate, Hunter, finally getting the hang of trick-or-treating.

Taylor sharing some candy.

Later that night, Mom & Dad dressed up as Tiger Woods and Fluff. It was a little creepy how much he looked like Tiger. His paint was all over everyone.

Only have a few pics of our party since my camera was full. Everyone went all out. Suzanne, the banana, was Curious George's date. Wish I had pics of him too.

Had to include this one. Philip used his Batman voice all night which was better than the costume. He also wore this to the Ga Tech game the next day which was hilarious.

Trip to Jax

2008-11-04T15:52:00.001-05:00

Just got back from a great trip to Jacksonville and then to meet Daddy in Atlanta. Here's a few pics from Jacksonville.

Reading to Uncle Adam. Loves giving kisses.... just a little agressive. We're working on it.

Took her first steps while we were there, up to four at a time!!! Not walking as much now that we're home.

Off to Starbucks with Grandma....

We watched the FSU/VA Tech game with Aunt Tirzah and her boyfriend Brian. Leighton loved all the attention.

Nothing like a nice cold bottle..... I'm a bad mom. She just loves anything cold since she's teething.

Lip smacking good....

Great-Grannie O making her laugh.

Pooped from the long day. All cozy and ready for bed.

Reading a book with Grandpa. Really into it!

Loving on Riley. I can't get enough of her in this hat and coat!

Saying good-bye to Grandma & Grandpa.

Cruisin' around Grandma's house

2008-10-27T23:24:00.003-04:00

During our visit to FL last weekend, Leighton's Great-Grandma took a few short videos of her. She took a few steps the same day, but we didn't catch it on video.

Our little climber

2008-10-22T12:27:00.004-04:00

Had to share these too! Last week I was washing dishes when I realized how quiet Leighton was. She was climbing into and out of the barstools. She was so focused and probably did this a hundred times.

Such a big girl

2008-10-22T12:01:00.004-04:00

Playing in her room. I love this smile!

In her big girl jeans and shoes. She's so much fun to dress up.

She now thinks it's funny to wear her shades and always makes me laugh.

With Uncle Dave in Ocean City. This was her first Brown's experience. No donuts yet.... she enjoyed cheerios while we had breakfast.

Singing to herself in the mirror. By far, her favorite toy!

Leighton finally started using her walker last month. It took forever to teach her what to do with it, but now she's addicted. She's very proud of herself!

Minor collision..... checking things out.

Being silly! She thinks it's so funny to bend her head backwards.

Standing all by herself..... deciding what to do next.

Bathtime

2008-09-21T21:24:00.005-04:00

Our favorite time of day....

All cozy and ready for bed .....and still climbing the furniture

Last Few Weeks

2008-09-21T00:39:00.005-04:00

Here's a few of my favorites.....

Wearing mom's sunglasses

The only cabinet we don't have a lock on. Can't keep her out!!!!

Talking to the train

Playing "Where's the baby?" after lunch

A million toys and stuffed animals, but all she wants to do in her room is climb furniture....

Not happy about the "no climbing" policy

All set to watch the Noles. The line was too long at the only place that would show our game on tv. So, we didn't see any of it. We still wore our FSU gear.... and of course mom's favorite sneaks.

Playing with Grandma 911 in the yard. She came up for a visit a few weeks ago.

Yeah! Daddy's home! (love this one)

Grandma leaving to go back to Florida. We miss her!

New shoes, new toys, new bows

2008-09-02T09:12:00.003-04:00

We just bought a new walker for Leighton. It moves pretty fast. So, she's still trying to keep up without falling. I also can't get enough of her new sneakers. She looks like she's going to jog away.....

Here is her other new favorite toy. I wish I would have known all she wanted was a $2.00 ball before I bought the other 200 toys. Also, notice her new bow. We love it even though there's not a whole lot of hair to clip it to.

Not sure where this new face came from.
I love it.....

Last Weekend

2008-08-27T13:57:00.003-04:00

A typical Sat morning at the Crews house....

Sometime before 7am, we get a wake-up call from Leighton. We bring her to our bed to have her bottle and play. She loves to climb up and look out the window. She occasionally uses daddy's face as a step.

Saturday at the pool.... hanging in the baby pool for a change. She liked to crawl around on her hands and feet like a crab. She'd crawl until her head was under if we let her. She has no fear!

We just discovered a nice park with a friend of mine, and it's only a short walk from our house. Leighton loved the baby swings, but it was hard to get a shot of her while she was swinging.

Swinging with mom......

Gotta love this one...

Relaxin' in her stroller

To complete a great weekend..... beets for dinner! I couldn't leaves these out. If you look closely, you can see her two bottom teeth coming in. Finally!!!!

Summer Days

2008-08-05T16:19:00.002-04:00

Here is what we've been up to this summer. Leighton is getting bigger by the minute. She's into everything and definitely keeping me busy!

August (8 months)

Cruisin' around....

She loves to wave all day long.....

I love this picture!

At the pool with Mom & Grandma

July 2008 (7 months)

In Ocean City with the Crews'

Drew & Leighton - so cute together

On the boardwalk

With Papa Joe after a long beach day

Playing with Ellie at the beach

She loved hangin' with Jake

Her daily nap on the beach

4th of July

With Annie Grannie

June 2008 (6 months)

Watching the Phils with Daddy

Visiting Grandma, Grandpa, and Great-Grannie O in Florida

First swim in the pool at Grandma's house

2008-01-05T00:26:00.000-05:00

Meet the Grandparents

2008-01-05T00:23:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas

2008-01-04T23:44:00.000-05:00

Grandma Waldron

Annie Granny

2008-01-04T23:43:00.000-05:00

Our first family photo...

Leighton two weeks

2008-01-04T23:27:00.001-05:00