Our October

 As previously written I decided to participate in the Nike Women’s Marathon as a half marathon runner. Not being much of a long distance runner, training was challenging, painful and one of the best feelings knowing what I could accomplish. I ran it with some of the best ladies ever and I hope to be able to run with them again!

 

 A couple weeks ago we headed up the hill to Apple Hill! We of course went for the essentials: Apple Cider doughnuts, hot cider, pumpkins and Alice discovered she loves to play with hay!

 

 October also brought Halloween! Alice was a little too young last year so this was her first active Halloween. We dressed her up as a strawberry and took her “Trick or Treating” at Grandma, Grammy and Poppy’s houses. She was fascinated by carved pumpkins and had fun running up and down the street waving at trick or treaters and yelling “Bye” to them as they left the house.

 

I have spent a lot of time really watching Alice lately. The things she’s learning, her little quirks, her personality is really starting to shine through and take over! She is playful, loud, friendly, loving, outgoing and she is starting to understand the importance of communication. She is finding her ways to tell us what she wants and figuring out ways to get it. It still just blows my mind every time I think about the last year and how much she has grown, how much she has learned. Since she has been walking for a while now she is now learning to run and climb, keeping Ryan and I on our toes at all times!

With all this new found love she has for everything around her it’s getting me even more excited for the months to come. Fall is here and with that of course comes the holidays, the beautiful weather and the best time of the year!

 

Run Rachel, Run!

For some crazy reason this past New Year’s Eve I thought it was a brilliant idea to declare that I, Rachel Vaughn, would run a half marathon in the year 2012! Not only did I have this crazy idea I decided to share it with everyone and I am ever so lucky to have friends who make me stick to the things I say.  

So, in just a few short days I will be running in my very first (and possibly my very last) half marathon… 13.1 miles… 3 hours of running… in SF… up hills… oh my. However, I keep reminding myself that I am not only doing this for me but for my little bug. I know she is to young to understand but I want her to grow up knowing that she can do anything she sets her mind to... even if it's painful and kinda boring.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Football season is here and I have found that I am not nearly as into it as I have been in the past. I joined a Fantasy team this year, just girls, and we are all having fun with it but as far as sitting and watching… can you just tell me the final score?

Yesterday Ryan had Alice while Lizzie and I ran 8 miles (blah!) and when I came home Ryan had the Raider game on and Alice in her Raider shirt. She seemed intrigued by the game for a bit but then it was off to breakfast with the girls.

Ryan did start Alice’s football training with a lesson in cheer….

Just say “Touchdown!” and Alice throws her hands in the air and waves them like she just don’t care!

Alice turns 1

I have been so horrible with keeping up on the blog... something I predicted I would struggle with so until I can get my act together here is a peek at Alice's 1st Birthday party!

Even with teeth chattering Alice LOVED playing in her new pool.... Our very own little mermaid!

 

Ryan and I just celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on the May 29th. It is amazing how time passes and how in just two years our lives have changed forever. I love you Ryan and here’s to many more anniversaries and years spent together!

9 months and counting

May 25th our little Bug turned 9 months! Ryan and I have been in awe of the new things she is doing and how much difference a couple days makes! Alice has started eating more and more solid foods, she now has waving down like a pro, she has started to clap and my favorite she gives kisses! They are a little sloppy but she'll get it down soon enough.

Last week we took a walk over to the park by our house and decided to give the swings a shot. Ryan got some amazing pictures and Alice loved every second of it!

I think we found he new favorite pass time.

Pass on the Peas Please  

Now, Alice isn’t a picky eater… she has tried everything I have given her but on go #2 with my homemade peas it was clear that Alice is not a pea eater. I couldn’t get her to even take a bite of them so I figured I would let her play with them instead and I think Ryan and I have discovered a little artist in her!

Today our sweet baby girl turns 8 months young. These months have just melted away and Alice has become a very independant, fun loving, two toothed, wiggle dancing machine.

I can't get over how much more I love this little munchkin each day!

After weeks of much need rain we are starting to see the sunny side of spring. With the beautiful weather and everything in bloom, Alice, Ryan, Ollie and I headed outside for some needed sunshine...

I can't get over how big Alice is getting and how much fun she is!

 
 This Easter we ventured our way up north to Portland to spend time with Ryan's family. Being our first major trip with the baby we were both super nervous knowing we had to plan everything just right to keep our little bug happy as can be. The flight alone was enough to send us into panic mode but knowing Alice would feed off of it we kept as calm as we could and let her be the wonderful baby that she is. No crying, no fuss, just playing, eating and sleeping! She was as perfect as can be.

  Once in Portland, ready for rain, we were pleasantly surprised by warm sunshine. We were told many times that we brought the sun with us and we better not take it when we leave. The sun lasted us all weekend giving us a chance to walk everywhere and enjoy Downtown Portland (or at least the bit we were in).

  This trip Alice and I got to meet a lot of new family on Ryan's side that I have not met and that Ryan had not seen for years. I really enjoyed meeting new cousins and spending the evening with them fulfilled my desired for a large family. We also got to spend some much needed time with Shannan, JF and Joshua before their stay in Portland is up and they head on their way to Australia for a year.
  Over all we had a great weekend enjoying the weather, the city, the people... It renewed my love for Portland <3

Today is Grandpa's birthday. It's one of those bittersweet days. I miss him so much but I can't help but want to take the day to celebrate his life on a day where he would have been one year older. I never imagined how hard it would be to be without a grandparent and all I want to do is to make sure Alice can spend every second of time she can with her grandparents. The love, memories and happiness I have with my grandparents is what I want her to have and to appreciate as much as I have had and do have. 

So, Happy Birthday Grandpa... You are missed more then words can say.

7 months

Yesterday Alice turned 7 months young. Where the time goes I have NO idea. It's only a short 5 months until we will be celebrating our baby's first birthday. She's so grown up! 

 

Solid foods, laughing and sitting on her own... Ryan and I are enjoying every moment we can with her.

The last 6 months

The last 6 months have been without a doubt, the hardest that I have ever experienced. They have also been some of the most joyful and fulfilling months of my life. With Alice’s 6^th month coming to an end and her 7^th starting I look back on all that we have seen, felt, experienced.

August 25, 2011…

Alice Rosemarie Vaughn is born. Two weeks early ready to see the world and Ryan and I are surrounded by loving friends and family! Life shows us how honored we are to have the people in our life that we do. No silly games, no dishonesty and mistrust just pure happiness, love and joy from people who care about us and that we care about in return.

September 2011… October 2011…

  After Alice was in the hospital for a week with infections we get the very sad news that Grandpa (Great Grandpa) is very sick. Told only months to live, we all prepare ourselves for one of the hardest times to come upon our whole family. We rely on the strength and make up for the weakness in one another. We share our feelings, memories, LOVE.

  Grandpa’s life will forever be celebrated.

November 2011… December 2011…

  With the holidays upon us and mentally preparing ourselves for the obvious changes, everyone struggles. The reality that our family has changed in such a way that you feel a little bit of you missing, is hard to grasp. I know the feelings I felt and they are gut wrenching but the feelings going through my Mom, my Aunt, my Uncle… to lose a father. It’s beyond my comprehension.

January 2012… February 2012…

Happy New Year!

  This would be the start to a new year, putting 2011 behind us and moving forward. No more bad news or bumps in the road… or so we thought.

With some blurry vision I went to my eye doctor thinking “I just needed some new glasses” but was quickly directed to a retina specialist for a torn retina. Surgery, laying face down for 2 weeks, standing upright for a week only to find I have some complications, face down again, laser surgery to fix the problem, face down, and now I am upright but still healing. This all happening over a 2 month span and being one of the more difficult things I personally have had to go through. Not being able to hold Alice, help with Alice and rely on Ryan and family to help me was hard to deal with. However, I NEVER would have gotten through it all without Ryan, without family, without friends and once again I am shown how lucky I am to have amazing people around me.

 

  February 25, 2012 Alice turns 6 months! She is so big… grown so much and is developing into the most amazing little person.

March 2012…

  Here we are, March. A new month and with every hope in my body for the skies to clear, we are hit… again.

  Never really having to deal with the loss of a family pet (Simone and I), we are all faced with the sadness. After days of being sick, my parents took Lexi to the vet to see what might be the problem and to see what they could do to help him. After running tests it was clear that he had illnesses that they could not help, that were out of their control. As the news of Lexi settles in with our family, Ryan gets a sudden call from his mom. His grandma is ill and is progressively getting worse as the days continue. Still no word about her condition today and knowing the feeling of loss, every inch of love I have is being given to Ryan and sent to his family.

  After a good weekend but crappy Monday, my parents did what I would never be able to do and took Lexi to the vet yesterday to have him put down. It’s never going to be the same without him.

  So we are looking forward to the coming month to bring us some sunshine. April will be our start to our new year. We have so many wonderful things to look forward to: Alice’s continual growth and all her daily surprises she gives us, Ryan and I celebrating our 2^nd anniversary, a new niece (or nephew) joining the family(!!!), Alice turning one, dear friends getting married and all the new adventures Ryan and I will have in parenthood!

  So here’s to 2012 (or the rest of it anyway) may it be one of the best years of our lives!

6 month check up

   Yesterday Alice had her 6 month check up! It is crazy how quickly time goes and how BIG our little girl has gotten. She is tall, skinny and perfect in every way! The most exciting thing about the appointment was the green light to start solid foods. ice cereal, sweet potatoes and peas are on the menu for the first few weeks. Last night, rice cereal. Yum!

It started off as a little fun in her highchair until she realized the camera was out and I was mixing something funny looking!

In the end, more food ended up covering her bib and face then actually in her month but it was a good effort on her part and in the end she got her way and got to play with the spoon!

What a Beautiful Day

   Sacramento has been seeing the strangest of winters and yesterday was no exception. If I didn't know any better I would have thought it was April with May just around the corner. Sunny, warm, beautiful. So, Alice and I took advantage of this wonderful day and sat outside on the grass to soak in the Vitamin D and take a few pictures....
 

Where has the time gone?

In just a few short days our little Alice will be 6 months old. 

6 months... Where has the time gone? She is her very own little person, chatting it up, smiling at everything she can, grabbing for everything in site and making Ryan and I happier then ever. 

Happy Valentine's Day 2012

Sitting and watching Ryan play with Alice it crossed my mind... Did we ever think we would be HERE in this moment right now married, with a baby?

Sometimes I have to stop and really take it all in. Take in the moments we have lived and all of the amazing moments to come. Alice is going to continue to grow, learn, become her own and Ryan and I get the chance to help her become who she will be for the rest of her life. Scary thought, huh? We better be on our best behavior for the next 18 years or we could really screw this kid up!