Big Girl

It is hard to believe that this is my little girl!! She is quickly becoming a BIG girl. She enjoys standing and is getting really good at it. She has perfected crawling and chases Gabby around the house. For some strange reason, the bathroom is her frequent destination choice - we haven't figuered out why....Lilly has also started drinking milk from a cup with a straw!! I wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it but it's true. She prefers it this way...and the milk should be cold. She is known for stealing bottles at daycare...but she won't drink them at home. She likes to do things herself, hold the cup, crawl, eat, etc...I think we have an independent one!

Last Days of Summer

We are enjoying the last days of summer....:( We have had a wonderful summer but it has definitely been a warm one!  Gabby has really improved her swimming this summer - it is so fun to watch.

Lilly Turns 8 Mos

Lilly turned 8 mos old this week! Time is going by way to fast. I didn't get a picture on the actual day but this was taken yesterday. Lilly is a great eater. She likes to feed herself and enjoys table food. She is trying to put the spoon in her mouth with food which makes a fun mess. Her bottom tooth is in and is so cute. She plays with it with her tongue. I think the other one is close behind, based on her attitude of late. She is also starting to cry when I leave her or let someone else hold her. This is a hard phase on a mom! I know she will be just fine but it always hurts when she cries....

Star Student

Well....it was the second day in her new class and Gabby got student of the day! She is working on her reading and is really enjoying her new class and friends. Today she gets to have an ice cream with grandmother Ann - what a lucky girl!

Fist Day of School

Today was the first day of school for Gabby. She moved up and is now in room 2. Her new teacher is Ms. Paula. Gabby was so excited to go to school today and I hear that she did great. Gabby colored the school bus and then cut it out.

Fun San Diego Vacation

We took a 3 day vacation to San Diego this past week. It couldn't have come at a better time. After 10 straight days of over 100 degree days - we were looking forward to the cooler beach weather.

We left Thursdday morning and got to San Diego at 7:30 - easy trip and no traffic! We had Gabby's ultrsound and then went straight to the beach. We lucked into the best weather - it was warmer than usual (mid 80's) and the water temp was 70 degrees. Gabby had a blast in the ocean. This was the most fun she has had playing in the waves. We stayed at the beach until 1 and then went have a picnic. We went to the hotel, took naps (I went shopping) and re-grouped for the evening. We thought of all our options and decided to take advantage of the great weather and went back to the beach. It was incredible.

Gabby had the best time feeding the whale. I'm not sure why this was so fun for her but she fed that whale a lot of sand! Day 2 started with a waffle (the usual when we stay at the hotel in San Diego) and a visit from Judi. Judi was Gabby's first teacher. She was with Gabby from 1 month - 3! We feel like she is part of our family and love her dearly. She came bearing lots of gifts for the girls and we had a chance to catch up. From there we hit the zoo. I don't have any pictures but it was hot! We had to put Lilly in long outfits to prevent a sunburn! Gabby walked the whole way (and if you know the SD zoo, you know that is a long way)! We made a stop at the Okapi's - that was a must. Then it was so nice that we hit the beach again. This time Gordon and Gabby went to Del Mar and took a boogie board. Gabby was hanging with 6-7 year olds and that she was one of the big girls. That evening, Gabby's friend Colleen came over to watch and play with the girls. Gabby was so excited and on cloud 9 so see her friend. Gordon and I went out on a date and let the 2 girls play - Thanks Colleen!

Saturday was so nice that we just opted to hit the beach again! How many times can you be in the water at 9am and think that it was too hot? I got a couple videos to show Gabby's progress in the water. She swam out beyond the waves with Gordon and then was learning how to catch the waves and body surf.

We topped the vacation off with a trip to Temecula with the girls of the Creighton Family - all in all - a wonderful vacation and it couldn't have gone better.

Wacky Wednesday

Today is Wacky Wednesday at school and  boy was Gabby wacky! She picked out  her outfit today...her shirt was on backwards, she had on leg warmers with shorts (not to mention that it is 102 today), 2 different socks on, 2 different shoes on, her hair was in a french braid that was sideways and she had a barrett on the side of her head. What an outfit.

The Girls

We feel so blessed. Gabby loves Lilly and Lilly loves Gabby. When Gabby plays with Lilly, she cracks up laughing - it is too cute! What a full and wonderful weekend!  Camping out, swimming, bike riding, playing with friends, cooking up lots of yummy food in the sand, a visit to the hospital to see our new cousin (no name yet), a visit from both sets of grandparents - I'm exhausted :) Oh and not to mention that Lilly has officially started crawling!!! Just this morning I put her on her mat and went to the kitchen to pack the bags, I found her at the door looking at Monty!! She then chased Gabby and me down the hallway - I can't believe it is already time for this!!

Swimming

I just thought I'd post a short clip of Gabby's swimming - she has gotten a lot better! We have been watching Olympics - she has also been doing "ballet in the pool" aka synchronized swimming. She loves it.

Camping Out

Gabby got to camp out 2 nights this weekend! She loves it :) No mosquito bites this time! What a fun thing to get to do with dad. I don't think the sleeping bag got much use as it was still 80 degrees at night - but a girl always needs her Hello Kitty sleeping bag.

Lilly Loves Her Bath

Lilly loves her bath as much as Gabby did at this age. It is so cute. As soon as she hears the water, she starts kicking her legs and gets a huge smile. It is hard to keep her in the tub as she likes to move around a lot! Gabby has been taking baths with her and that keeps her well entertained. The other thing Lilly really likes....her hair brushed! She loves it. I can't blame her, she has so much of it that I am sure it feels good to have it clean and brushed.