The O'Shields Family: October 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

Spectacular 6 Months

Well, I thought I should get Lydia’s 6 month post written since she will actually be 7 months next week! It’s so hard for me to believe that this little girl is already 1/2 a year old. To keep this post interesting, I thought I would take each letter in her first name to create a sentence starter that would share a bit of information about her:

Loves to… eat! I haven’t found a food yet that she doesn’t like. She

eats a few tablespoons of cereal each morning with a jar of fruit, and a jar of fruit and a veggie at night. She is still nursing when we are together and I am really dreading the day when it is over. It has definitely been a tremendous bonding experience for us and I am so glad that I have stuck with it!

You can find her wearing.. a size 6-9 months clothes, size 2 diapers,

and a bib! I think I have written this before, but Mackaylan hardly ever wore a bib except when she was eating. I always wondered why all of the little outfits included a bib that matched. Well, now I know! Lydia is such a drooler. Sometimes she will go through 3 bibs a day! Crazy!

D id you know… Lydia is cutting her 4th tooth? Her two teeth on

the bottom are completely in, and the two on the top have broken through the gum and are coming in slowly but surely!

I love it when… she smiles, laughs, and babbles! She is such a happy

baby and I do not take that for granted. I have a feeling that she is going to be a talker like her big sis! I have been working on sign language with her and am looking forward to the day when she signs her first word. I have a sneaky feeling it may be very soon! So far we are working on “eat,” “mommy", and “more.”

A few firsts… This month was a busy month. Lydia attended her first

volleyball game to see Aunt Betsi coach,

celebrated her daddy’s 32nd birthday,

watched her first parade.

splashed in the water at Great Wolf Lodge,

and so much more!!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

One Super Scavenger Hunt

Yesterday Mickey and I surprised the girls with a special getaway to Great Wolf Lodge! All Mackaylan knew was that we were having Family Fun Day and that she would be given clues along the way as to our final destination. As far as Lydia was concerned, she was all smiles as usual! So, after getting poems written and bags packed we set off on our way!

The first poem let the girls know that we were ready to get the day started, and it also informed them that they would receive the first clue once we had departed.

Mackaylan received a game and Clue #2 just a few miles down the road. Clue #2 told her she should would receive the next bit of information when we stopped for lunch. It also let her know that the item she would receive she was sure to like a bunch!

We stopped for lunch in Gastonia at Longhorn and it was delicious! There Mackaylan received her next prize which was a wallet and some cash along with a poem about Clue #3.

Clue #2 told her that she would receive the third and final clue when she saw an airplane flying low. Usually when we go through Charlotte we see lots of airplanes coming in and out of the airport. However, yesterday we only saw 1, and if Mackaylan would not have pointed it out we would have totally missed it. She was ready for her final clue!!!

Along with Clue #3 she received a lollipop. The poem explained that the first letter of the three items she received were the initials to our final destination: G for game, W for wallet, and L for lollipop: GWL- Great Wolf Lodge!!

It took her a minute to realize that we were really just a few short minutes away from Great Wolf Lodge, but once she did she was so excited!

During the month of October, it is Howl-o-ween at the Lodge which means there is trick-or-treating, hayrides, pumpkin painting, and “scary” story time along with the normal fun of the waterslides.

Once we got checked in we suited up and headed down to the waterpark for some fun! NOTE: Lydia didn’t wear this suit, but we took advantage of a photo op while we could! ha

Down in the waterpark we took turns riding rides with Mackaylan and spending time at the water’s edge with “Little Bit!” Both of the girls LOVE the water so this was a perfect getaway. I thought it was hilarious that we saw 3 other families from CGS at “The Lodge!” It’s a small world!

Last night, we enjoyed some time trick-or-treating throughout the lodge, dinner, and a “scary” story time with Violet the wolf. I just love these two purrfect girls!!

After a good night’s sleep (we were all in the bed asleep by 9:30PM!) we were up bright and early to hit the waterpark before returning home. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast complete with Dunkin’ Doughnuts and were joined by Aunt Betsi for our morning adventures which made out trip complete!

We all enjoyed riding the slides, splashing in the water, and time away to focus on our family. Mickey has been working crazy hours so this getaway was what everyone needed! I knew it was all worthwhile when Mackaylan took my hand on the way to ride one of the slides and said, “Mama, thanks for bringing us here!” Priceless!

Before leaving we took advantage of the fall décor and I snapped this adorable picture of my two favorite girls!!! We tried to get a family shot as well, but it didn’t turn out. I guess we will have to to to the pumpkin patch now just so we can get a family photo! haha

What a perfect fall break!!!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Mickey’s 32nd Birthday!

This week we celebrated Mickey’s birthday. His work schedule has been c-r-a-z-y lately so we kept things pretty low key with dinner at home, cake, and gifts!! You will be able to see by the pictures that Mackaylan “dressed up in her fancy clothes” for the party, and of course Lydia was all smiles on her daddy’s special day! Here are a few pics from our fun night together:

The Birthday Boy