Peek-a-Boo

Yesterday Maddy and I were playing on the patio while the older girls were at the clubhouse swimming. We had such a fun game of peek-a-boo....and Maddy's face just lights up when she smiles. We had such a fun time...She is full fledge walking now and it has become her perferred mode of movement. She is also sitting at the dinner table with us which makes it a little more complicated but we are working on logistics. She is teeting and getting some big molars but you would never know it by this huge smile!

Madeline's First Horseback Ride

The girls and I headed up to the farm this weekend for some fresh air. We had a perfect weather day...overcast and mild! It was perfect. Gabby and Lilly rode their horses to Grandma Debi's and then Gage and Gracie went for a short ride. While I was there, I thought it was time for Maddy to have her first horse back ride. She really liked it! The rhythm of the horse walking...I'm so happy that I was able to give all of the girls their first horseback ride! What a lucky mom.

"L" of Lion and Lillian

Lilly is starting to color with more meaning. This is what she came home with on Friday...and she kept asking me "you proud of me?"  Of course I am proud of her! She is learning to stay in the lines and is identifying different shapes (and letters) on her paper. We hang a lot of her artwork on the fridge because we are so proud of her.

Student of the Day

Look who was student of the day! Yep...Lilly got a red lollipop. We are so proud of her. She is really doing a good job at school and on Wednesday they had a magic show and she was very attentive and earned Student of the Day.  Lilly really is growing up so fast. I have to remind myself that she is only 21/2 - I couldn't be a prouder mom.

Fun in the Pool

Look who's geting bigger.  She loves to hang in the pool and sit at the big table. She will no longer sit voluntarily in the high chair...which makes things very challenging at meal time - but it's always an adventure!

Ventura Beach Day

We had a long full day yesterday.  Brooke and I took the kids to Ventura to the beach. What a day! It was sunny and warm.  Gabby did some great Boogie Boarding and body surfing. Lilly built some good sand castles and chased a lot of waves. We walked down the beach and found this really cool bounce house on the beach - the sand was HOT!  The girls had a great time. Only negative was that Lilly got really sunburned :( Nothing makes you feel worse as a mom as when you see your kid become a crispy tomatoe! She now understands the importance of why we put sunblock on every morning! In a couple days she will look better but she is pretty red today.  The girls play very well with Lucas and Natalie and it's easy and fun to all go places together. On another note...Lilly has started sleeping without a diaper! She has been dry for the last month and it's time we let her be a big girl - night 1 was succesful...fingers crossed :)

Signs This is NOT my First Child

I joke about this but there is a lot of truth here....Maddy's favorite place to play is on top of the train table. With our first child, I may have been concerned about her falling off, bumping her head, dropping something breakable...but by the third child - I find this a rather safe place for her to play! I can see her head from the kitchen, if she falls - yes it is on a hardwood floor but at least there is a rug, she can't damage anything and she learns how to climb.  She loves to be up here and read her books, play with her blocks, put on necklaces, eat her sister's protein bar or try to grab Gordon's coffee. Maddy is learning to climb and she loves it!

La Jolla Light

Gordon submitted an article to the La Jolla Light and it got picked up! Our girls thought it was the coolest thing to see their picture in the newspaper!

July 4th Holiday Weekend

We started the weekend off with Mother-Daughter haircuts. We both needed them!!! Gabby went first and had 3-4 inches cut off. She informed my hairstylest that this is what she asked for on "Father's Day". My hairstylest said are you sure it was for "Father's Day"?  Gabby was sure. She has wanted her hair cut for months and we finally got it done!

 We then headed to San Diego for some fun in the sun.  We went to the zoo and got a good family picture...which is very hard to do these days! I even got one with the kids since I am usually the one behind the camera.

 We went to the zoo several times this trip.  We did nighttime zoo and the kids loved it.  We had one of the best lion sightings we have ever had. They were feeding them right in front of us and they showed us how they check their health while doing it and watching them jump is amazing. Then the male lion was pacing for the crowd and turned and sprayed 2 ladies in the front row. There are signs warning of this....but I didn't think it would actually happen!

 At the zoo, we had incredible sightings. We saw a baby giraff that was 5 days old!!! The Rhino was acutally walking around, the Cheetah was in the pen, the camel was walking, the snakes...well are snakes, saw the dragon, saw Polar Bears, Okapi's, good activity with the Hippos (Lilly's request was to see the Hippos) and good Panda Bear.  The girls love the zoo and enjoyed the flamingos and ducks...especially the baby ducks.  Gabby was trying to protect the mama and baby ducks as they were walking on the path and the mama duck snapped her...she learned her lesson! They had chocolate cake and ice cream, lots of Skyfari time and really enjoyed the zoo.  Gordon and I have decided the Maddy is too big for the bjorn - the only problem is she wants to be in the action so it is hard to put her in the stroller.

We also did the beach every day.  The weather was incredible and the water is very warm.  Gabby did some real body and boogie board surfing this trip and one day, went in the ocean 4 times! Lilly rode the boogie board and played in the waves and Maddy crawled in the waves and enjoyed the water (which some young babies do not).  We even braved the beach on July 4th...which I can tell you about but nothing will describe the mayhem that it was. There was not a spot to be had on the grass area and the beach was slim pickings. We got a good spot but it was VERY crowded. We saw fireworks in La Jolla (although I tried to get a picture - it did not take).  It was late and we did not stay long - but we saw them! This is what Lilly looked like a nap time. Exhausted and happy.

Singing Lilly

Lilly has started singing lately. She can sing so sweetly...and she can belt out "Let it Go" as well. Our little LillyBug is growing up so fast!