11 months!

In 3 days, Oaklie will be 11 months and only one month away from her first birthday and Christmas. :) This last month she has mastered walking. She is constantly on the go unless she's asleep. She has learned a few more sounds and words. She walks around the house saying uh-oh! It is just the cutest thing. As of right now, I am currently trying to wean Oak on a sippy cup. I am more then ready to be done nursing. Oaklie has been pretty stubborn so far but that is to be expected at first. I know for the first couple of days it is going to be a battle and there will be a lot of tears, but it is time. So if any mothers have any suggestions or tips it would be greatly appreciated. We learned recently that Oaklie LOVES Candy Canes. She can eat them all day if I would let her. I've been really good at keeping her away from sugar and juice, so her new love for Candy Canes comes as no surprise because that is the closest thing she has tried to candy besides a little bit of ice cream.

The days are counting down until Oaklie and I fly home. :) I am always excited to come home but I am dreading the plane ride. I am a little nervous flying with Oaklie alone... again. But this time she is walking so I have a feeling it is going to be a LONG trip for both of us. On the bright side of things, we will probably be staying until the first of April. Andrew will be going TDY to Cannon AFB in New Mexico for 2 months after the New Year so instead of flying back with him after Christmas then jumping on an air plane again in 2 weeks, we are just going to stay in Idaho. In fact we will be in Idaho for the majority of 2014. After Andrew's TDY ends in April, we will come back to Florida for 4 months then he will be deploying to Afghanistan for 4-6 months. Nothing is set in stone yet for his deployment but it is looking more likely to happen. 2014 is going to be challenging for us, but it is part of his job and I am so lucky that I have a family to go home to so Oaklie and I aren't here all by ourselves for months on end. They are definitely my rock during times like these. So blessed to have the family I do.

Its crazy to think the next time I get on, Oaklie will be turning one. This year has gone by so fast. It is true what they say. I wish time would slow down just a little bit so Oak wont get so big so fast. I still cant believe Thanksgiving is this week and then Christmas next month. Where did the fall go? It never feels like the holidays here. It has gotten a little cold, but I can still wear my flips flops. I know I am going to freeze next week but I am excited for it. A change in season will be good. We all just need to pray for snow so we can have a white Christmas then everything will be perfect. :)

10 Months and lots of Candy!

Oaklie turned 10 months on the 29th. Its crazy she will be one in 2 months. This last month, Oaklie started walking. She doesn't need the help of furniture to walk anymore. She gets into EVERYTHING. I feel like I can never keep my house clean because while I'm cleaning and putting things away, shes behind me pulling something else out. Oaklie has come to like getting in our cupboards and pulling everything out of them and spreading pots and pans out throughout the house. She definitely keeps me busy with all her messes. It is a lot more work now that she is mobile but this is the fun age. As much as I miss her cuddling, I love that she can now interact with us. Her personality is like none other. She has always loved to talk but she now mimics sounds we make and she is now saying mama. :) She is always smiling and laughing. She just brightens up my day.

Yesterday was Oaklie's first Halloween. She dressed up as Minnie Mouse and she was just the cutest Minnie ever. There were a lot of Minnie's this year but no one had the same costume as Oaklie. We got lots of compliments on how cute she was. In Florida they go house to house instead of trunk or treat and Oaklie enjoyed every minute of it. We got lots of candy and Oaklie was all smiles the whole time. So you can say her first Halloween was a success.

Now that Halloween is done with, we can now start getting ready for Thanksgiving and start listening to Christmas music. Oaklie's Christmas and birthday is all done and sent to Idaho. So I can now just enjoy the holidays and finish up last minute shopping with my family. And around this time next month I will be home. Crossing my fingers this month goes by quick. :)

Pumpkin Carving

Last night we decided to finally carve our pumpkins. Oaklie didn't enjoy it as much as I thought she would. She didn't like the feeling of the pumpkin guts. But I am really happy with how our pumpkins turned out in the end. Of course we had to do Minnie Mouse for Oaklie, and being the football fanatics that we are, we had to do one of our football teams. Since the New York Giants aren't doing so hot, (my team) we decided to go with Andrew's team, the Denver Broncos. More pictures to come when we take Oaklie trick or treating. Oaklie looks so darn cute in her costume. Can't wait! :)

Family Time

There is nothing like spending the weekend with my little family. We took Oaklie to a pumpkin patch today and it was a first for all three of us. Growing up I always got my pumpkin from my grandpa or from the local grocery store. So going out and looking through fields of pumpkins was a lot of fun. We then ended the night by going to the beach and doing a little fishing. It is still surreal for us to be going to the beach during October. We definitely miss the change in the season. I'm a boot and sweater kind of girl, but soon enough I will be back home freezing my butt off in the snow. Until then enjoy some pictures from our fun eventful day. :)

9 months!

Another month has come and gone. When I was pregnant, 9 months seemed to drag but now that Oaklie is here, the first 9 months flew by. Oaklie is crawling everywhere. She likes to be on the move constantly. She likes to follow us from room to room. I like to call her my little shadow because she is always right behind me. Oaklie isn't walking yet but she uses about anything she can to pull herself up and walk along. Oak is starting to talk, it is not just screaming anymore. She can say "dada" for Daddy, "papa" for grandpa, and "baba" for.... well we don't really know what that means. She will not say mom. I try to get her to but she doesn't want to say it just yet.

Just recently Oaklie's first two bottom teeth broke through. I thought teething would be a nightmare but she took it like a champ. She never got a fever and she was never grumpy. Just the other day we notice two little white teeth barely poking through. So I hope the rest of her teething goes just as smoothly.

Every month I notice little changes in Oaklie's personality.  She is becoming more and more aware of her surroundings and she knows exactly what she wants. Overall Oak is a happy girl but every once in awhile she shows us her attitude. If you take something away from her or a toy does something she didn't want it to do, she has a scowl on her face and sometimes she will let out a little scream like shes telling us or the toy not to do that. It is so cute now but lets hope in the future she is not as stubborn and outspoken like her parents.

We've had a few exciting things happen this past month. We recently got our plane tickets to fly home for Christmas. It has been 3 years since I've been home for the holidays and I cant wait to see the snow and be with my family for the holidays. We will also be spending Oaklie's first birthday at home. I'm excited everyone will be able to celebrate with us. Oaklie and I will be home for another month. We are flying out the week after Thanksgiving and Andrew will be flying in the weekend before Christmas and we will be staying until the 7th of January. I know I said I would never fly with Oaklie alone unless I had to but I think coming home for another month is worth it. Only 2 more months and we will be home again. Cross our fingers they go by quick. :)