San Diego Part 1

We just had an awesome week in Cali!  We really took a chance by traveling with a 9 month old and 3 year old. The logistics of flying with them and all the stuff that they require (including heavy car seats), being off our routine, and then sleeping all in one room was almost enough for us not to book it.  But I am happy to report that both kids were AMAZING on the flights and the whole trip! Yay for us! ;-) I see lots of fun vacations in our future!

We were worried about their ears & the pressure from flying, but they were both completely unaffected! We gave Leah some gum for the first time, but she didn't like it and spit it out. :-)

This little angel didn't make a peep

On the trip we chose to disregard our normal sleep routine which included skipping naps and staying up later than normal. The kids would just fall asleep in the stroller or in the car between activities and we had no major meltdowns! And since we were on the go so much, they were so worn out and bedtime at night was simple as can be!

 We arrived in San Diego in the afternoon. So we just checked into our hotel and went to the pool!

 Carter's first time in a big pool! He loved it!!

After dinner (which was provided by the hotel on the weeknights, incl. beer & wine, score!) we took a walk along a long path on the bay which led to a neat playground in the sand.

 Then we hung around the grounds of our hotel before calling it a night.

The weather wasn't as warm as we would have liked. It was probably in the mid 70s each day. Nicer than Seattle though!

We had a few things planned for our trip, but no set schedule. For a few weeks before our trip there was one big thing we debated doing. We decided at the last minute to go for it and it was probably the most fun day we have had as a family so far EVER!!  Where did we go???  To be continued....... :-)

Last dance class

*I am still catching up after being in southern Cali for a week! Posts about our trip coming soon, but today was Leah's last dance class of the year so I will share about that today!

 Leah has been in the same ballet/tap class since September and the last class was today!

I had to look back and compare my pictures with the beginning!

Look how different Carter is!! Leah has grown so much too!!

Here are a few more cute pics from today -

So much fun to have all of her little friends in the same class!

 She was giving me some adorable poses for our photo shoot :-)

I am so proud of my pretty little dancer girl. She really does have a talent for dance and I hope she continues to enjoy it. We will take a break for the summer and then hopefully (if she wants to) we will sign up again in the fall!

Carter - 9 Months

This cute boy keeps getting bigger, stronger and sillier every day!! This last month he has changed a lot I feel like. He is developing a funny personality and has also started throwing little fits if we take something away from him or something! And he is still SUPER attached to Mommy. Sometimes in the evening when he is really tired he will only let me hold him. I secretly love it :-)

He had his 9 month check up yesterday and is now 18 lbs 10 ounces! He still only breastfeeds and we have tried several new table foods as well.  More than purees we are doing small pieces of things for him to pick up. We do mostly fruits and veggies, and he has tried graham crackers and puffs. He now has 6 teeth! The top four and two on the bottom.

Mmm watermelon! He has a funny face but he really did like it!

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but Carter still gets lightly swaddled and sleeps next to me in the co-sleeper! He sleeps so well that way, I don't want to take a step backward! I have finally started putting him to bed earlier and getting a little me time.  Last night he only woke up once to eat between 7:30pm and 7am! It was great!  We do need to move him to his crib and wean him from the swaddle soon though :-)

Carter has been super scared of loud noises lately. The vacuum, blender, and even some of Leah's toys that make noise really freak him out. Poor guy :-)

Carter went "swimming" for the first time in our little blow up pool at Grammy's house! He loved it and got mad when I got him out!

Carter is obsessed with Leah. He loves watching her and playing with her and if he is ever crying, she does a "silly dance" for him that makes him smile.  I LOVE to watch them interact.

He reaches and grabs for anything and everything that is near him!! And he is strong!!

Leah loves that Carter is able to play with her more and more!

Carter is about to crawl any day! He is getting so frustrated that he can't quite figure it out. He will be on his hands and knees and rock back and forth. And he will kind of crawl around in a circle or push himself backwards, just can't go forward yet!  And now he is also starting to pull up on stuff. Only pulls up to his knees so far, not all the way up yet.

Happy 9 Months buddy!! 

Saturday

Saturday was a busy day too.  Leah has soccer every Saturday morning for 8 weeks. So far she isn't really liking it! It's too bad because she is really good!! She will be really into it for the first 10 minutes or so and then just comes over to us like she is bored! Oh well, at least she still really likes dance class!!

After soccer I took Leah with me for both of us to get our hair cut!  She has only had one hair cut, last fall, and she did really good! Her hair was getting pretty long again though and I figured we should cut it a little before summer with all the swimming, etc that we hopefully will be doing so that it will be more manageable. 

Matching haircuts and shirts, haha!!  Leah was such a good girl and sat in a chair while I got my hair foiled. It was really fun getting some one on one girl time with her! We need to make it more of a regular thing!!!

That evening Dustin and I got a chance to get some wine and see a movie! We went to the Great Gatsby and we both LOVED it! So good, I recommend!  Before the movie Dustin took me to a cute little wine bar that we have been wanting to try! They had yummy wine flights and appetizers!

:)

Unfortunately Carter was being difficult for Neil and Esther and cried a lot when he got tired. He has been extra fussy in the evenings and usually won't even let Dustin hold him! A momma's boy for sure and it makes it difficult to have my own time or get things done. I am sure it is just a phase, but I felt bad for N & E that had to try to deal with his screaming! :-(
While they were here they did the BEST project with the kids as a gift for me! I love it SO MUCH!!

This week we don't have much going on but I will be trying to get organized for our San Diego trip NEXT WEEK!!! Yay I can't wait!

Mother's Day 2013

Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies out there!!! 

We had a great day.  My first Mother's Day with TWO babies! :-)

The day started out with Leah bringing me breakfast and my present -

New running shoes! I am starting to get back into running so I am so excited about these! Gotta love neon pink shoes! :)

Then me and the kids got ready to go to brunch with my mom and bro. Exciting story from the way to brunch....Carter randomly decided to throw up all over himself and the carseat!  First time he has thrown up! And it was A LOT and soaked through all 3 layers of clothes he had on! I have no idea what happened but he seemed fine otherwise so we continued with our plans. Poor little guy had to wear an extra outfit my mom had of Leah's to brunch. :-) Lucky for him he stayed in his carseat and slept while covered up in his blanket so nobody saw him. :-)

Uncle Neil, Leah, Grammy

It was supposed to rain but ended up being a nice day!

Then that evening my mother in law came over for dinner. Dustin grilled steaks for the two of them and I made roasted broccoli, salad, rosemary bread and mashed potatoes. It wasn't my favorite thing to cook dinner on Mother's Day (I would have preferred going out :) but it was fine and we ate outside on our new patio table which was nice.

We still need an umbrella for the table

Love the interactions between these two :) She was handing him a puff.

LOVE

I love Leah's cute little smile in this one :)

Kisses!

Since Leah didn't take a nap, we put both the kids to bed early and ate ice cream while watching Mad Men :-)  Great day!