Holiday Lights at CALM

We have wanted to make it out to CALM all winter but have had a tough time with the weather and having both girls healthy at the same time! We made it happen though...It is beautiful. There are thousands of lights and we went to "Winter Wonderland", "Dinosaur Exploration", Wild Safari and "Wilderness Adventure".  They do a really great job and it was a lot of fun. We made it to the carousel and Gabby and Lilly both enjoyed it. It was a chilly night - mid 40's but we dressed warm and even visited the reptile house. We are so happy that we were able to make it this year. May you have a wonderful New Year and a prosperous 2013.

A Few Fun Christmas Shots

What a wonderful Christmas! We had a full schedule but it was wonderful. On the 23rd we attended Ann's annual Christmas Open House. Both girls wore beautiful dresses and their pearls. I didn't get a picture of Gabby but perhaps Ann got one that I can post later - she looked like a princess.

The 24th was spent at the farm. We headed up there mid-morning and spent all day there. We had a wonderful ham lunch and then went for a horseback ride. Lilly took a good nap and enjoyed chasing Gabby and Clover up and down the stairs. We had a wonderful time visitng with cousins that we don't see often and with family that lives close but is hard to pin down. Santa made a visit to the farm with baby dolls and trucks. We had two tuckered out elves on the way home!  As you can see, Santa also showed up in Bakersfield on Christmas Eve - WOW!

Christmas morning was spent at our house with our precious little elves. We opened stockings and then had Grandmother Ann and Grandfather Russ over while the girls opened their gifts. Both kids were spoiled. We are so blessed. After presents, it was brealfast time and nap time for Lilly. I made an egg casserole that was good but probably won't make it again and Gabby had her usual - greek yogurt. Overall Christmas was a wonderful holiday full of family and love. I missed attending Christmas Eve service and signing some of the Christmas songs...but there is always next year!

Lilly is teething so it is hard to grab a picture of her without something in her mouth. Just when I thought we were done for a little bit...I looked in her mouth this morning and saw another tooth popping through. It's good that they are coming in and will help with the food options but it is painful along the way! This morning I was making her bag for school and I turned around and she was muching on an apple! I think it felt really good - nice a cool and crunchy.

I hope that you had a wonderful holiday and are looking forward to 2013. Take care and be safe!

Lillian Turns 1!

It is now official....Lillian is 1 year old today! I know everyone says this but honestly the last year has flown by. I remember having Lilly and the joy of bringing her home for the holidays like it was yesterday, has it really been a year? Lilly had a rough morning and did not want to smile but she looked very cute in her new outfit. Hopefully I'll snap a few tonight when she's in a better mood...

Lilly is teething and so she just is a little cranky. We feel very blessed at the holiday time. We have 2 beautiful daughters and they are all healthy (for the most part - I don't think Strep throat or colds count) and they are happy most of the time. I love my little Lillybug and am excited to see what the next year holds. She is a pure delight and we love her dearly.

Lillian's One!!!...Almost

We celebrated Lillian's birthday yesterday with an Ice Cream Party at Dewar's with 20 family and friends. Ice cream in the middle of winter, on the outdoor patio with heaters next to a waterfall that had fire coming out of it - Perfect! Lilly was a happy girl and the ice cream was tasty. It is hard to believe that it has been a year since she was born. She is almost walking - but there is no rush from me on this end. She has started climbing...and falling. She is eating better each day which makes mom VERY happy. She still LOVES grapes. She has 6 teeth with #7 ready to break skin any day. She clearly says 3 words: mama, dada and bye-bye (with a wave). She is a fiesty one and will make sure her sister does not take her toys. She loves to climb the stairs but has not decided she will go down feet first. She enjoys playing peek-a-boo and puts the blanket over her head. She has recently started to do puzzles and is really good at putting shapes into certain the elephant. Lilly LOVES to dance and knows exactly how to make each book or toy play music. She has been a joy and we love her so much.

2012 LRSH Christmas Program

This year Gabby is in room 2 and her class sang "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". Gabby was the person selected to say the introduction and she did a GREAT job! She has no problem talking in front of a crowd :) She was a fabulous singer and despite having a cough - was one of the only kids that remembered all the hand gestures. The video is too long to post so you'll just have to take my word for it.

Here are a couple pictures from after the program. Gabby got to wear her new fancy dress and I learned my lesson last year and changed her right after the program!!! That way nice clothes stay nice. She was a little difficult when it came to taking pictues but we were the only ones in her room doing pictures and she had a huge chocolate brownie waiting for her at her chair.

December on the Farm

The girls and I went to the farm for the day yesterday and what a day! It was beautiful and sunny. It is brisk but still very nice. Gabby got a good ride on Morning Glory and had a fun time playing at the farm. Lilly enjoyed playing with the beads that Grandma Debi used to decorate (at least she didn't pull them off the tree!). Both girls are under the weather but were happy for the change of scenery yesterday.

Express Wash

Lilly loves to climb into the dishwasher when we are loading or unloading it. She is a curious little one :) It is hard to believe that she will be 1 in a 10 days! Where does the time go?

Just a Couple Fun Ones...

Lilly has 6 teeth now and is getting over her 2nd ear infection. She has such a playful personality and it is fun to watch her grow. She loves to do something she knows she's not supposed to do and then turn and look at you to make sure you're watching (i.e. crawl under the tv stand or drinnk the  bath water). She chases her sister around the house and never lets her out of her sight. She is close to walking...but then again, maybe not. She lets go, but has not taken a step yet. You can see her thinking about it...

I probably can't get away with naked pictures for too much longer...but my mom took this one and I thought it was too cute! Gabby is having a great week. She is listening well at school and is learning several sight words. She is enjoying the morning search for the Elf (who still does not have a name this year...) and loves to play with her sister. I feel very lucky that the two of them have each other! Gabby has gotten in the Christmas spirit and makes sure all the lights on the tree and outside are on. I'll have to grab a few pics...we have rain deer in the front yard this year and we also went to a fake tree (I just couldn't handle the work and mess with 2 kids). The tree is huge and is beautiful - I couldn't be happier with that decision!

Lillian is 11 mos Old!!

It is hard to believe but Lillian was 11 mos old yesterday! How time flies...Lilly is doing great. She loves to play with the books, especially the ones that play music or make sounds. She knows where all the buttons are and how to make them play. She loves touch and feel books as well. Lilly is a banger, she loves to bang anything she can. She is also very good at stacking. She can stack the rings (not always in the right order...) and bowls. Lilly's favorite time of the day is Bath Time. She gets excited, squeals and kicks her legs. She can't get in the water fast enough. She really gets excited when Gabby joins her...and it is hard to keep her in one spot. She loves to play with cups in the bath but unfortunately she then tries to drink too much of the bath water so I end of taking them away. I believe she is teething right now as she is refusing to eat anything. It is difficult on the parents but she seems happy enough. She drinks her bottles and the rest has little interest to her. When she's not teething, she is a great eater. She loves peas, cheese, grapes and fresh mac and cheese. Lilly loves her older sister and chases her around the house - she is a very fast crawler! She has entered the phase of not wanting to be left and if she hears a door open and you are not in line of sight, she is sure to let you know she is not happy about the possibility of being left behind!

Gabby is continuing to do well. I was happy when she told me there was a new girl in school and she walked up to her, told the girl her name was Gabby and they played together. The new girls name is Charlotte. When I went to pick Gabby up, she was sure to give her a hug goodbye -- I'm glad to see she is developing into a warm and loving person. Gabby was Student of the Day yesterday and was extra happy because it was pie feast at school. She told me she had 2-3 pieces of pie, 1 apple and pumpkin  and that he pie made the boys act crazy :) We are ready for Thanksgiving and I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday!

Gabby in her Fancy Dress

I cannot express to you how long Gabby has wanted to wear this dress! It is a fancy dress that we got from cousin Katrina. It has been hanging in Gabby's closet for years and she has asked me countless times if she could wear the dress - the only problem is we never had an ocassion that was appropriate for her to wear the dress to. Well, this weekend - she got to wear her dress! Gabby and I went to the wedding rehearsal for Jack (my youngest brother) and she looked beautiful. She wanted to wear her hair in pigtails with her silver sparkly shoes. Gabby was bouncing off the walls but in such a good mood, it was fun (and exhausting) to watch. The wedding was at the JEH Ranch on the Kern River - beautiful location. After the rehearsal, we all went to dinner at the Hungry Hunter. Mid-way through the meal, Gabby started to "peter out". Gordon took her home so she could go to bed - which was welcomed by me as I was exhausted! The wedding was Saturday and went off without a hitch. It was an wonderful event and a full weekend.

Gabby in her new clothes

Gabby has entered a phase where she enjoys picking out different outfits and trying them on. When I say this, I mean trying a LOT of outfits on...The other morning, she had 3 outfits on before school, and 3 on after school! I had to put my foot down and have limited it to 1 outfit after school or else I'm just picking up clothes all the time. Yesterday morning, Lilly was up at 5:15am so I went to check on her, I checked on Gabby as well and she was in bed - no sign of mischief. I went to take a shower and came back at 5:30 to grab Lilly and Gabby was sitting in her bed, wearing a tutu and hello kitty shirt, with a tiara, teaching Fancy Nancy and her other animals the alphabet flash cards. She had gotten out a bunch of sticky notes to write notes on their progress and was making sure all her paperwork was done. This was all done by night-light and she was quiet as a mouse. What am I going to do?? I do love my girl but she is a character at times! She loves her new hello kitty pj's from Aunt Dusty and her new dress from Aunt Dora. Gabby loves to wear her hair in braids so I am getting creative with how to do her hair. Gabby continues to do well in school and is learning to read. She knows several sight words and is even learning to spell! The other day Grandmother Ann was talking about a boy and spelled BOY and Gabby said casually "yes, Grandmother Ann, my friend is a boy". We both were surprised...but then again, nothing with this child surprises me anymore.

The Many Smiling Faces of Lillian

I will have my mother note that in each of these photos, Lilly has a different hairstyle!! Yes, I do not ALWAYS put it in a ponytail....just most of the time :) I even braided her hair the other day which was really cute but did not last long. Lillian is cruising and starting to not use her hands to hold onto things while standing. I think walking is a ways away still - thank goodness! She LOVES to play in the apple drawer of the fridge and enjoys when Grandmother Ann goes to school to read her books. She has her front teeth and I think some others are popping through as well - at least that is what I am hoping is waking her up at 4:50am!

Lillian is talking a lot and is a Daddy's girl. Whenever she hears Gordon's voice or sees him, she gets very excited. He is gone this week but sends us videos and she gets excited when she hears his voice on the phone. She loves bath time. I am not surprised as Gabby loved this time as well but it is a lot harder with 2 kids! Gabby insists on taking a bath with Lilly which Lilly actually prefers as well. They sit in the bath together and play and play. Lilly has decided that she enjoys laying on her back in the bathtub - which would be fine if I was in it to hold her but while I usually sit outside the tub, it makes it challenging to keep her upright. She also drinks more bath water than I'd prefer....Her favorite book is Brown Bear and is learning to turn pages. She likes to bang things and dance to music - I think she is a loud one!

Lilly is a good eater. She has long since been on table food and prefers feeding herself. Her favorite food is baked beans, peas and grapes. She also enjoys cheese, mac & cheese and a soft piece of toast. She really enjoys making a mess and is learning how to drop her food on the floor :) It's hard to believe that in a month she will be 1!! Where has the time gone?

Trick or Treat

Here is the end to a fun Halloween! We had some friends over, some wine and cheese and lots of wild animals. The kids had a blast trick-or-treating...but I think they had the most fun just hanging out together. Lilly made it to 3 houses and then fell sound asleep - at least she was plenty warm! Gabby had a couple wardrobe malfunctions so we went from Cinderella to Briar Rose - to a Briar Rose that didn't have any shoes. It was a successful night and I am ready to get back to "normal" activities!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! This is an exhausting holiday :) Lillian went to school as a jack-o-lantern and will transform into a ladybug tonight. Gabby had wanted to be Areial for Halloween but the costume was ripped so I returned it. She then said she wanted to be Diego so I thought we were over Areial....until this morning when she remembered and wanted to wear her mermaid outfit. Long story short, we settled for Cinderella. This dress is long, with a full hoop and is not the best dress for a parade BUT what else is it for? She was beautiful. The parade went off nicely and Room 2 had a great rendition of "Old Ghost". Gabby loves to sing!

Basement of Horrors

After Murray Farms we rested up and then went to Seven Oaks where they have a haunted house! Gabby loves this and remembered it from the year before. This year she wanted to dress up as Briar Rose...Lillian was a ladybug but I didn't get a picture of it :( I will get one when we go out on Wednesday because it is too stinking cute! Gabby went through the haunted house 2 times and then we came home and carved our pumpkins. Gabby was instructing dad how to do it. What a full weekend but lots of fun!

Picking Pumpkins at Murray Farms

We had a fun weekend getting ready for Halloween. Saturday Gordon and I got a special treat and had my mom watch the girls for an hour while we got to go work-out and play tennis. I then took Gabby to a street fair where she had a bounce house, face painting, and a customized balloon. We took a nap and then went to Aliza's for a fun playdate. Sunday morning we took a family trip out to Murray Farms. We went through a couple of corn mazes, went in the Butterfly House (I don't think it is humanly possible for Gabby to get closer to a butterfly than she was in the Butterfly House - see below), explored the ant farm, took a hay ride and saw all the orchards, picked out 3 pumpkins and jumped on the "pillow". This was one of the coolest jump pads I have ever seen...no supervision so user beware but Gabby had a great time. It is huge! We ran into a friend of Gabby's from LRSH so that was fun for her.