Wow…where to start

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We had an amazing…no glorious…no I really can’t even think of a word to describe what a wonderful family vacation we just returned from! We went to Big Sky, Montana and visited Yellowstone and stayed with my family in an amazing home – and it was just perfect. Really. I didn’t want to leave. I could have stayed for at least another month. This is not how I normally feel at the end of a vacation. Normally I am ready to go home, even if it is a lovely trip after 7 days…I hope we get to do it again someday. Bella was a champ – she hiked some steep hikes and asked for more and more. She played with cousins, swam daily, and was a generally happy kiddo. Audrey was along for the ride in the Ergo, and slept fairly good and I think the mountain air and hangin with family did us all a little good. As a sidenote, when people ask Bella if she had a good vacation and where she went, she says, “I don’t know where we were, but we had fun…and my favorite thing was the tooting mud (artist’s paint pots in Yellowstone)..”

I have a bazillion photos to go through, but I will post soon.

We came back to our birthdays – Bella decided she would like a party, so the day after our return, we invited a couple neighbors over for birthday cake and grabbed some Dora decor and a pinata from Party City. She had a blast. Her requirements (as she said to me the night before) were “Mom, I’d like a party…you know with cake, balloons and presents. Owen and Desi can be my guests.” It was very simple and easy going and she was totally happy. Phil took the kids to his house for a dip in the jacuzzi to top the day off! It was lovely.

Bella had her 4 year appointment the next day and she is 36 lbs and 40.5 in. Right in the 65ish% for both. She sure is growing. When she does something good right now, and I praise her she will say, “I know..that is because I am four!” She cracks me up as always.

Audrey is growing too. Today she had a doc appt, and she weighs 15 lbs 8 oz – so she has finally reached the 20%..yea!! I guess feeding her 3 times a day is working finally…she is a pretty picky eater – only likes oatmeal, prunes and orange foods so far…but I plan to keep trying to expand her palette. She is crawling all over now – and has finally learned to sit up. She is already trying to pull up too – she wants to be where her sister is at all times.

No photos today, just wanted to write down some notes. Will go through them all soon!


Summer Fun!

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As usual, summer is just flying by. The Laird Family came out for a week during fourth of July. As usual, we had a blast. I think the photos say it best. Bella just loves seeing her cousins – and Audrey had a great time too! We even met up with the Radcliffe Family in Mission Bay one day. The girls loved the paddle board.

Bella is just growing up so much – she is such the “Big” girl. Today, she went with me to get her first pedicure. It was hilarious – and she absolutely loved it. I let her pick the color, and she was so happy she got to hold the glass bottle the whole time. (She chose neon orange.) The lady gave her a flower on both big toes. She stayed so STILL at the end, so that they could dry. I was really impressed. She can be such a girly, girl, but at the same time, loves to do absolutely disgusting things. Two conversations that we had over the past two days crack me up, so I’ll share:

Mom – Bella, want to go on a fishing lesson when we go on vacation?
B – Do I get to put the worm on the hook and everything?
M – I think so.
B – Do I get to touch the fish?
M – If you catch one…
B – Mom, I LOVE slimy things, so I REALLY want to do that!!!

Later, Jer was out of town, and she was playing nicely downstairs while I was nursing Audrey upstairs and putting her to bed. She yelled up to me this conversation:
B – MOM! Hazel is licking the carpet, but there is nothing there for her to lick.
M – It’s ok, Bella. Don’t worry about it, I’ll check it out when I get Audrey to bed.
(a minute or so passes)
B – It’s OK, MOM! I tried it and there isn’t anything there.
M – (panicked) – Bella, PLEASE, don’t lick the carpet – it is REALLY dirty and can make you sick.
B – MOM, I didn’t lick in the same place that Hazel licked…I just wanted to try it.

On to Audrey…she is now a crawling machine – and is ALL over the place. She has two bottom teeth – and is eating three meals a day in addition to nursing. She is pretty picky about what she will ingest so far – and due to her reaction a couple of months ago, I feel limited with what I give her..but so far Oatmeal, Carrots, Mango & Prunes are the safe bets. She is a crack up – and absolutely lights up when Bella plays with her. She just loves her big sis. She barely naps (like two 30 min naps a day would be common for us…) But she sleeps 11-12 hour at night, so I’ll take it!

Life is good – feel like we are getting into the swing of things. Summer has been pretty awesome so far – can’t believe it is halfway over.