Big Trees

Kevin may have lived in California his whole life, but there is so much he hasn't seen! On Saturday we headed over (up?) to the Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We had a picnic lunch just in time for the guided tour through the forest. It ended up being a little long and after Lily was done with her power nap, she was done with the back pack. But it was a great day trip.

She started out pretty content in the back pack.

Slowly she got a little more drowsy.

And finally conked out . . . for 30 minutes; definitely not long enough.

On our way back we stopped for a bathroom break and ended up with ice cream cones. Lily, who isn't allowed to have ice cream yet, was content to play peek-a-boo with Daddy's hat.

She was a trooper for being confined to her car seat for what felt like most of the vacation; a trip from Riverside to Sacramento, a day trip to the coast, a day trip to the trees, and then back down to Riverside. I'm still surprised that she get so excited when I grab my keys and put on my sun glasses; the girl loves to go!

Eleven Months

So after the drama I posted yesterday, today we definitely turned a corner. In fact today she ate some french toast . . . for both breakfast and lunch. She wanted nothing to do with the pears at lunch so I opted back to the leftover french toast which I knew she liked this morning. Sigh. Then dinner was just amazing, both for me and her! I made Black Bean and Mango Chicken Salad into lettuce wraps for Kevin and me, and pulled out chicken, beans, corn, and mango for Lily. And she ate it all! And she drank milk from a cup! She had good naps and a good poop. It was a good day.

To top it all off, we did our mini photo shoot. For the first time ever, I actually took her monthly onesie picture before the actual month was over.

You can see above a pacifier in Lily's hand. She hasn't "used" a pacifier since she was four months old when she opted for her thumb for soothing at nap time. But when I was packing up some of the infant things, (drool bibs, pacifiers, hand mittens, burp cloths, etc.,) she found a pacifier and has really taken to it as a teething toy. I'm actually more fond of the pacifier in her mouth than the newly found skill of grinding her front teeth. It's worse than nails on a chalkboard. Most of the time the pacifier is upside down or cockeyed like below.

She still loves patty-cake and we often use it in the car to keep her awake until we get home in order for her to nap in her crib.

She is pulling up on everything and just this week has finally learned the skill of sitting back down. No steps yet, just balancing. She now crawls on her knees when she wants to but still prefers to scoot quite quickly on belly.

Last week she learned a new word, "Hot Dog." And where did she learn it from? Her favorite DVD, Mickey's Clubhouse. She calls the DVD Hot Dog and should you happen to say "Hot Dog," she moves toward the television. That's what I get for letting my daughter watch T.V. That DVD has been a lifesaver on more than one occasion; especially when packing the van for a trip.

One of her favorite games chase. Daddy will tell her "I'm gonna get you!" and she giggles and begins to crawl as fast as her little army crawl can go. Oh it makes my heart so happy to see the two of them scramble around the house.

This is her favorite "new" toy. It's used and faded a little by the sun, but with new batteries it still lights up and sings (quite loudly.) She has her very own little personality and is not afraid to let you know exactly what her emotion is at that very moment. We often call her our little Drama Mama.

I can't believe we only have one month left before my baby is a year old!

Lily Lately

Man, I love this little girl more than words can express.

She has a little dimple that will melt your heart and her tiny outburst of a laugh makes me giggle.

But man, oh man, she is giving me a run for my money. These past few weeks may have been the toughest on this Mommy thus far. (I say that as I am now months away from the constant ear infections.)But at this point, I cannot figure out what is wrong with her. It feels like she eats nothing but Cheerios and cheese. She has decided that she is done with pureed foods, but she is picky with textures of so many other foods. She hates bananas. She'll eat five or six beans before she decides she is tired of them. Take a couple bites of pasta before it repulses her. On Thursday she loves eggs, but on Friday she won't keep them in her mouth. She'll take a few bites of oatmeal and then she is "all done," her favorite word.Then when I do get her to eat a little something, an hour later she doesn't get her way, throws a fit, gags on her mucus, and throws up all over herself. Today she chose to do this while we were visiting CBU. Luckily, a friend was close to help us into the bathroom, and I had a spare outfit and a plastic bag for the old one covered in soured yogurt. I know it isn't intentional. Just last week she had a coughing fit in her sleep and threw up her broccoli and beef dinner all over her crib. It was disgusting. I had to throw her in the shower, clothes, diaper and all while Kevin stripped the bed. I am just praying she outgrows this sensitive gag reflex.I know this has to be a phase. Maybe it's the heat. Maybe it's the top two teeth that are coming in. Maybe she is growing. Maybe I need to relax more . . . But no matter how crazy she is and the drama she creates, we love her and couldn't imagine life without her.

July Vacation

I realize I am still blogging about our vacation . . .

On Friday of our vacation we headed west. We stopped in Fairfield to visit the Jelly Belly Factory and their free tour. Even though I have been several times, I find it interesting, and you get Jelly Bellies at the end. What's not to love? Plus, Kevin had never been.

Unfortunately, we hit the tour right at nap time, but she was a trooper, staying awake for the whole thing so she could catch a nap on the next leg of our outing.

After the tour we headed out to Samuel P. Taylor state park for a nice picnic in the shade. My poor Dad took most of the pictures during the week so this is here are a few I actually have of him.

And Daddy even posed for a shot with Kevin even though Kevin beat him at golf the day before.

After lunch things got a little crazy. We weren't sure what we were going to do. We had a short time before Jon had to get back. We drove around for a little while talking about where to stop. We ended up driving toward the city and got out to take a few pictures by the bridge. (Mom stayed in the car with a sleeping baby.)

It was beautifully chilly!

Yeah for practically free day trips. (Thanks Mom and Dad for filling the gas tank.)

Concerts in the Park

My family are pros at finding free (and really cheap) events. I guess it stemmed from having very little money growing up and was compounded by a family of 6. But regardless of what we did, we did it together. Some of my fondest childhood memories are of picnics, drives to the forest or beach, all with family.

Since I quit my job in January, money has become pretty tight. So for a small vacation this summer, we headed home, well, my old home. We went up to Sacramento to spend some time with family. Free lodging, free meals, and free entertainment; can't beat it. (Thanks Mom and Dad for the room and board.)

Monday was the fourth and everyone had the day off. We spent it at home relaxing and enjoying each other's company. Tuesday and Wednesday Kevin and Dad went to work while Mom, Bug, and I hang out. It was lovely not having any agenda except making sure Lily caught a nap. But Thursday began our "vacation." Kevin and Daddy headed out for golf while us girls went out for breakfast (after dropping Jon off at summer school.)

Thursday evening we headed over to a park in Fair Oaks for a picnic dinner and a concert in the park. They did a lot of Louis Armstrong and were actually very entertaining. We left at intermission in order to get Bug home to bed. It was warm until the sun set but then was actually quite comfortable. Best of all, free. A great kick off to the rest of our (almost) free weekend.

Fourth of July - 2011

We celebrated a wonderful Independence Day with my family up in Sacramento. Both G.G. and Uncle Bud came over. We had hot dogs, grilled pineapple, and homemade ice cream. After dinner we looked at slides from the 80's. When it got dark we went out front and lit fireworks. It was a perfect day.

Pictures from Grandpa's Weekend

This is just a collection of some of my favorite pictures from Grandpa's memorial weekend. We are smiling. It was a sad time, but we knew Grandpa had gone home to be with the Father. We shared good memories and enjoyed our "reunion."

Three of the four.

Uncle Rick loves the babies, and Lily loved him back. Of course, he may have bribed her with his iced tea.

My husband captured this one. We were watching the slide show of old pics Dad had put to a couple of tear-jerker Brad Paisley songs when Grandma reached out and put her arm around her youngest. It makes me cry even now.

This was a collection of random things put out at the memorial; an engine Grandpa had built, his boots and John Deere hat, some belt buckles, wedding picture, and fiftieth anniversary picture and some other things.

This is a great picture of my parents, but I love the other one that shows his boots and belt buckle; how I remember my dad from my childhood.

Grandma and the second generation.

Third generation.

After the service we went back to my parents house for some more time together.

Bug and my cousin Missy.

Lily was showing that she was "SO BIG" and hit Grandma in the face with her spoon.

It was a long weekend for Bug and she was plum tuckered out.