A long holiday weekend!

Over this past weekend the Varleys had a busy weekend. Not only were we over hauling our backyard, but we had some good friends in town too. Friday Clint and Paul worked for about 4 hours laying down rock in three different areas of the yard which looks awesome.

Saturday we started the day by putting Alivia's new house up (a early b-day gift from grandma and Paul). After that was done the glider went up then it was off to a fun afternoon of laying mulch. Once the day was done we headed off to meet up with some friends for a fun evening. It was so good to see Julie, Justin and Abby. I know Alivia just loved being the center of attention all weekend. By the way the backyard looks amazing so you should stop by and check it out!

Sunday we headed over to papa and nana's house to swim which Alivia loved. It was a full day of swimming, eating and great weather. Later that night Alivia got another early b-day gift from papa and nana. Clint put it together so Alivia could play in it all day Monday. She just played and played in her new sandbox.

Alivia enjoying her first playhouse. She just loved having a place of her own:)
She couldn't stop opening the windows and laughing like this is the best thing ever.

After a long day at the pool. Alivia is finally ready for a nap.

Pretending were at the beach.

Play Day

Alivia and I have really enjoyed are Minneapolis moms groups. This past week we went to an indoor gym and just had a ball. Alivia has loved playing with other kids even though she tends to hang with the little ones. It's nice to see her enjoy being in that environment and not always needing mom right there by your side.

Showing off her big smile to all the ladies.
Playing with the balls. Sam in the blue shirt just took charge in the ball pit.

Alivia loved jumping on the trampoline.

The look of please stop taking pictures, your embarrassing me.

Loving those balloons.

Live, laugh and learn

This past year I have learned so much from Alivia. Together we have learned the ups and downs of life with a little girl. I never knew how much I could love someone so little till I had Alivia. Over the past 11 1/2 months we have grown together as mom and daughter.

She has taught me how to slow down and enjoy what's in front of me

Enjoy every minute of every second because it goes by way to fast

It's okay to be messy

How much fun a magazine and toilet paper can be

Laughing isn't just for funny things

A kiss can make it all better

Having a clean house all the time is crazy

Taking everything out of cabinets is so much fun

Food isn't always for eating

Life only gets better with kids

Friday nights are made for cuddling on the couch

Sleeping in till 7:15am is a treat

Hearing your little girl say "mama" can bring a tear to your eye

Waking up every hour just to watch her sleep is heartwarming

Knowing your loved when her little arms hug you back

Last but not least a smile from your little girl can make your life so complete

out of touch

Sorry it's been so long since I have updated on Alivia. The Varley family has been living without cable, internet and a phone since the weekend. We are crossing out fingers we will be back in the loop by tomorrow. I have lot's to post!!!!
Thanks to my mom and Clint's work computer I am able to check email and write this you all of you.....

Dance, dance, dance

Alivia and her cousin Presley have been enjoying their own kid dance parties. I wish I could video the whole time because it's pretty entertaining. Here is a little something I get to enjoy every Monday!

11 months old!!!

It's been awhile since I have done an update on my little pumpkin. Alivia is now 11 months old! She only has a few more weeks of being my little baby then she is off to the toddler world. This past months she has really done a lot of growing up. She is getting around the house with no problem. No walking yet, but we do a lot of fast crawling and walking along furniture. We also love to go up the stairs. Alivia has really started becoming more vocal. Alivia says mama, da da, baa (aka ball), yeah and uh oh. She has mastered shaking her head yes and no to answer you.
Anyone that has been around her during eating time knows she is a wonderful eater. She eats pretty much anything. Some of her new favorites is hamburger especially with mac n cheese and hot dogs. I think Alivia and her cousin Presley could give Kobayashi (Nathan's contest winner) a run for his money. We love fruit and veggies which is so great. I think we have pretty much bought out the gold fish company as well.
Alivia is growing everyday and learning new things every minute. She has become moms biggest helper when it comes to laundry, making the bed and cleaning the floors. I might be a little bias, but she has been perfect so far. I might be kicking myself when she goes through those awesome adolescence years.
Now that it's nice out we tend to spend most of our time outside. Clint put up a swing in the backyard so between that and the park we have really enjoyed playing outside. We have met up with Alivia's friend Sam to have a picnic at the lake and do some people watching. Alivia is always up for anyone who wants to stop by, our door is always open!

Alivia dancing at a wedding we went to in Iowa
Hanging out at grandma and grandpa Varley's house driving in the car her daddy played with when he was little.

Showing off her stylish pj's and giving us her best look in the morning.

Wanting to be just like daddy in her own baby escalade. (We do not own one we just were test driving to see how it runs:)

Showing all of us how much we loved the spagetti grandma Varley made us for dinner.

Getting caught red handed playing with the toliet papper.

Takes after her mom

My little pumpkin has really started showing an interest in the workout equipment. Her favorite thing to do if I am on the computer is crawl right up on the treadmill and bounce up and down. I think I might have a runner on my hands soon. I guess we should start her young so by age 4 Alivia can run her first marathon.

Look at me mom I'm fast