Nellie's 1st Trip to Kansas

Mila, Nellie and I went to Kansas this weekend to celebrate my sister and upcoming nephew!  One of her best friends and I through her a baby shower and I was SO excited to make trip. It made it even more special that it was a girls only trip and Nellie's first flight and trip to Kansas.

We scheduled the trip so that my parents would be flying back to Kansas at the same time so they were able to help me with the girls on the flight (and layover on the way there).

The girls did great on the flight, with Nellie being a rockstar; she rarely cried and seemed content sitting in the seat on the plane. Even though it was a really good flight I was sort of nervous about making the trip home by myself.  I didn't have long to worry about it, though, because, before we knew it, we landed in Kansas City!!!

We went straight from the airport to my sister's house and Mila was ecstatic to see Aunt Sissy and Uncle Bret.  They are definitely her happy place.

I had an amazing time spending quality time with my sister and I can't wait to see her as a mom. She is going to be amazing.

Friday, when I was shopping for the baby shower my parents, Erin and Bret took the girls to Deanna Rose, which is such a fun place for kids. I was a little jealous that I wasn't able to go but they sent lots of pics so it was kinda like I was there :)

I also got to see a few of my favorite things while I was there, including my best friend, Whitney (thanks for making the drive from MN!)...

the Royals winning a World Series game...

Beautiful fall colors....

and old friends and future besties...

The shower was a great success; my sister has so many amazing and generous people in her life. We were also to get some great photos of the girls in our family.

Before we knew it it was time to head back to California. I had purposefully booked a nonstop flight from KC to LAX with the thought that I could make it through a max of three hours of craziness and Robert would be there to greet me at the end.

The girls must have sensed my nervousness because they were AMAZING on the flight back and seriously could not have been better.  Mila watched her iPad, ate her snacks and even laid down and took at nap; Nellie, too, took a long nap and spent the rest of the flight playing in my lap.

We had a great time in KC but the girls were definitely ready to see their daddy.

See you soon Kansas City!

Nellie is Walking!

Just one day after turning 10 months, Nellie started taking steps. 

While she was a little cautious at first, she is now on the move and walks about half the time.  I think she still prefers to crawl because it gets her there faster...but not for long!

Beach Camping - Sunset Vista & Crystal Cove

At the beginning of October we took our trailer down to Sunset Vista, a seasonal campground just a few miles away in Huntington Beach.  We had a great spot, overlooking the boardwalk, right by the ramp down to the beach.  Robert's friend and wife also had a spot a couple down from us so we hung out with them and their son, as well as our friends that stopped by.  It was a great time and definitely a party site.

The last night we were there it rained and we were awake most of the night worried that the awning was going to flip the trailer over and we were all going to die (or was that just me?).  Thankfully that didn't happen and it stopped raining in the morning so we were able to pack up early and head home.

Then just two weeks later we went to El Moro Campground in Crystal Cove/Newport Beach.  This site was much quieter and there were no lights at night. The views and sunsets were amazing and the entire campground is on a tier so you had a great view of the ocean at all times.  We went to the beach one day and the girls had a blast; Mila went into the water for a millisecond and Nellie ate her body weight in sand.  The next day we went on a hike up into the mountains behind the campground.  It was very hot the entire times we were there but we will definitely be coming back here.  We ordered a pizza to the campground the first night and cooked dinner the second night; we were able to get the Sunday AND Monday night football games so we enjoyed the view and some football.

Happy 10 Months, Nellie!

10 Month Stats

Weight: 19.8lbs (approx)

Length: 28in (approx)

Eating: you are eating three meals a day now and continue to have four bottles of 28 ounces of milk.  You are also taking a iron supplement to help with your low iron levels.  Tori says you LOVE caviar and get so upset when it's gone (not sure why the other family has caviar for babies!); you love oatmeal for breakfast and lately have been on a couscous kick.

Bedtime: your bedtime is still about 630pm, although, it's hard to always get you down at that time with everything that we have going on.  You're still waking about 6-630 every morning but we try not to get you up until 7am on the weekends.

Naps: you are down to two consistent naps, each averaging about and hour and a half to two hours at a time

Diapers: size 3s 

Clothes: i packed away all of your 3-6 clothes and you are mostly wearing your 6 month outfits.  The 9 month clothes are a little big but you are starting to grow into them.

Favorites: you love to walk around the house and play with the magnets on the dishwasher.  You want everything that Mila has and then you play with it for two seconds, long enough to upset her, and then you throw it aside and look for your next toy.  You love eating dog food, playing in the toilet,  digging in the trash/diaper pail and dancing to Whip/Nae Nae.

Development: you are full on saying mama and dada now and have started to sign "more" a couple of times (always when you want more food!).  You can grab all your food and feed yourself and I think we will introduce a sippy cup soon.  You are cutting two more teeth (for a total of eight) right now and you are thisclose to walking on your own. You can now walk when holding one hand and have taken a couple of steps on your own before you drop down and start crawling.  

Nellie,

Happy 10 months my love!  You are such a delight and always so happy.  You had your flu shot yesterday and only whimpered for about two seconds before smiling at the nurse and clapping.  

You are definitely our little firecracker and you have a mind of your own.  You have been trying for weeks to get to Roscoe's doggy door, even biting Mila on the arm when she tried to stop you.

You finally made it and played with the door for about two seconds until you realized you could actually climb out of it (something Mila never did!).

You went full on head first trying to climb out the door but ended up getting stuck with your legs kicking inside, reminding me of Winnie the Pooh getting stuck in the honey pot.

You constantly keep us on our toes and you are such a little daredevil.  You know when you're doing something wrong too because when we catch you you crawl away at full speed.  I could barely keep you seated long enough to get your monthly photo, and after 10 minutes I only had one that wasn't blurry.

You're so very close to walking and are now only interested in holding one hand while cruising along.  You have taken a couple steps on your own, but nothing we have caught on video yet.  

You might not be able to walk on your own yet but your favorite song in life is Whip/Nae Nae and any time it comes on or we start singing it you get the biggest smile on your face and start dancing. I swear you are actually doing the dance too.

You try anything you can to get Mila to notice you and love to crash her party when her friends are over. Anywhere she goes, you are close behind, following her and getting into whatever she is doing.

You say both mama and dada now, you love to hug and snuggle and have been glued to my hip lately, pretty much not wanting anyone else.  You are absolutely beautiful and it looks like your blue eyes and dark hair are here to stay. We love you so so much and I can't believe we are only a close two months away from you being one!

Love,
Mommy

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mila!

Oh how things have changed for you this year, little love.  Among many other things this year, you:

• got a sister
• started preschool
• went camping for the first time
• went to Disneyland
• started soccer

Your think your dad is the funniest guy on the planet and always ask to see him or be with him when it's just the two of us.  He's like a kid himself so you get easily frustrated with him when he is teasing you; you haven't realized how to roll your eyes and walk away yet; usually you just cry and tell me, "Mommy! Daddy's tricking me!"

Your little personality is starting to develop and you are so much like your mom, very talkative, independent and cautious.  You're so very sensitive of other people's feelings, saying things like "it's not your fault" when someone tells you sorry, asking me "what's wrong, babe?" and checking all the time, "you're not mad at me?"  You like everything in order and I walked by your room the other day where Nellie had thrown q-tips all over the floor and you said, "Ugghh!  Who made this mess?!"  and then proceeded to clean them all up and throw them in the trash.  Not too long ago you told Nellie, "Nell Bell, you're making me nervous."  We never know what you're going to say and it's so nice, funny, entertaining and always surprising.

This is not to say that this year has been without challenges.  We have seen more tantrums, fits, screams, grunts and huffs and puffs in the past six months than I can recall seeing from one person...ever.  The good news is that your fits never last for more than two minutes; it's the end of the world and then, suddenly, all is right again.

I cannot imagine what this next year will bring but hopefully it will be more laughs than tantrums, so many giggles and hugs, bonds with your sisters, developed friendships at school and so much happiness.

Birthday Interview

***Mila is 3 years old***

1. Who is your favorite person in the whole world? mama
2. What is your favorite color? red
3. What is your favorite television show? movies
4. What is your favorite outfit? birthday shirt
5. What sport do you like best? soccer
6. What song do you love? ABCs
7. What is your favorite cereal? cheerios
8. Who is your best friend? Lexi
9. What do you want to be when you grow up?  like mama
10. What is your favorite book?  Go Away Big Green Monster
11. What are you really good at? preschool
12. Where do you wish you could go on vacation? Sissy's
13. What is your best memory? blue
14. What would you buy if you had $1,000? cereal
15. What vegetable do you hate the most?  tomatoes
16. If you could have a wish, what would it be? snacks
17. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream? strawberry
18. Who is your biggest hero? me
19. What do you like to do best with your friends? play
20. What do you hope you get to do before your next birthday? blow out candles

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MILA!!!!