Happy Independence Day!

For our 4th of July weekend this year, we walked into Boston and saw the Shell where the Boston Pops play (along with all the other famous singers; this year was Toby Keith) and experienced the celebratory atmosphere. We saw the General on his horse in the Garden.

Near Faneuil Hall we found a not-so-elusive star...

We got all dressed up to go to church then headed to a BBQ with some friends.

Music was playing and patriotic crowds were everywhere as we walked along the Charles River to await the fireworks. Kayla thought the firework display that accompanied the end of the 1812 Overture was pretty awesome and we probably should have headed home after that, but we waited it out until 10:30 when the real fireworks began. New fireworks were on display this year, which were all very impressive. We could only stay for about 5 minutes of the fireworks because our Little Miss was much too tired to stay up for so much excitement. As we walked home we saw the lights reflecting on the MIT buildings. Of course we stopped to watch the finale...AMAZING!

Although we miss being able to spend every holiday with Kayla's Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles, we are very happy to be in Boston this year to celebrate the birth of our country.

So much excitement for such a little girl!

We hope everyone had a happy 4th of July!

Look Who's Walking Now!

Kayla is officially walking and here's the video to prove it:

Don't you love how she couldn't care less about falling. Our little girl gets up every time!

(Sorry about the video being of her back...getting a video of her walking towards the camera is nearly impossible!)

Discovery Museum

Today Kayla and I joined one of our new friends and her little boy on an outing to the Children's Discovery Museum, just a few minutes from our home. The kids had a lot of fun playing in the water, hanging out in the honeycomb, and playing with the toys. Kayla figured out the Ball'n'Tube toy right away and got the biggest kick out of it!

Happy 1st Birthday Kayla!

We were able to celebrate Kayla's first birthday by moving into our new apartment. Woohoo! Luckily, Grandma and Grandpa Wolf had come along for the long ride out from Chicago with us, so Kayla had more than just her boring parents to party with. She opened her presents all throughout May. (We have a really hard time waiting to open presents around here. :) ) Some presents were opened in the car during the drive and the rest Kayla got to open in the midst of piles of boxes here in Cambridge. The next day we were unpacked enough for me to make her a little chocolate cake. Although she made a huge mess, she didn't eat any of it! Apparently the girl doesn't like chocolate cake. We love her anyway! I guess next year we'll have an ice cream cake for her; she loves her ice cream!

Uncertain about this chocolate cake business...

"Haven't I been cute long enough? Let me outta here!"

Her first official birthday cake mess. Although she refused to eat it, messiness was accomplished.

Memorial Day 2010

We have officially moved to Boston. I'll post more on that later, but for now I'll stick to our Memorial Day. Last year we spent Memorial Day in the Labor & Delivery room, waiting for our little girl to be born. Now she's here and we've enjoyed this past year and six days of being her parents (more on her birthday later, too).

This year was quite different. We were moved into our new home enough to be able to take the day off from unpacking to walk along the Freedom Trail. It took much of the day, but it was a fitting was to spend this holiday. There were many historic sites that we took in today: Boston Common, King's Chapel, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, Boston Massacre site, Bunker Hill Monument, and all the rest along the trail. It was great to be able to just follow the red brick trail through the city...no getting lost! I think we walked about 7 miles today, and we got our first light Boston sunbu-hns . It was a fun day and a great way to spend our last day before Braden starts the LGO program.

John Hancock's grave marker.

Paul Revere's grave marker.

Kayla hung out with the notorious "Mother Goose" (well, her grave stone).

I rode on and fought against the "Democratic Donkey".

The balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read in July 1776 and the site of the Boston Massacre in 1770.

12 Month Appointment

Our Little Miss had her well-baby check-up today. Everyone at the doctor's office couldn't get over how happy she was the whole time. Kayla is just our sweet little girl who makes everyone around her happy.

Here's her newest stats:

Length: 29.5 in. (60th percentile)

Weight: 19 lbs. 3.5 oz. (23rd percentile)

Mother's Day 2010

This was my first Mother's Day as a Mom. It was wonderful! Braden let me sleep in while he took care of Kayla and made breakfast -- waffles topped with strawberries, sausage links, hash browns, and pineapple-mango juice. Delicious! I got a new pair of running shoes from my sweet hubster and a little herb garden from my adorable daughter (the cilantro has already sprouted!).

We took Mother's Day to try brushing Kayla's teeth for the first time. You can tell how much she enjoyed it. I guess we'll keep trying...

I hope all the mothers out there had a great Mother's Day!