The Things She Says...

Amelia:  (While watching a mailman deliver mail)  "When I get bigger, I'm going to be a mailman!"

Me:  "That would be a really great job!  You'd like walking outside all day!  Is there anything else you'd like to be?

Amelia:  "Yes.  A shopper!"

Beach Babes

This past weekend, the kids and I went to Carlsbad beach with my mom and Larry.  Amelia always has a great time at the beach, in fact,  it's one of her favorite places to be.  She loves to go in the water and play in the sand.  Maybe it's because she was born in July but my girl loves all things summer!  She would spend all day and night at the beach if she could!  Grandpa Larry suggested we get her a boogie board this summer...I'm sure she would LOVE that!  My mom is a beach lover too so I'm sure most every visit this summer will include a beach day.   Baby G has been to the beach once before but he slept through the entire visit...so, I suppose this was his first official beach day.  He, of course, loved it!  He ate some sand, put his feet in the water, and had a little catnap while sister was playing with grandma and grandpa.  It was a wonderful day!

 

Dimples and Dancing

A couple weekends ago, we traveled up north to attend my cousin Ryan's wedding.  It was a beautiful wedding and a fun family trip.  The bride, Ann, looked amazing and the wedding decorations were beautiful.  Amelia was in awe of the bride and groom the entire night...she would not leave their side the entire reception.  She was a dancing fool and by the end of the night, she was one exhausted little lady! The next day, we spent a relaxing afternoon at the lake with our Ryan, Anne, and the rest of our family.  Amelia got to play with her cousins while I took some time to take pictures of my favorite little guy and his adorable dimples.

In awe...

Dancing Blur...

Tuckered out!

The boy at the lake

Dimples!

Amelia is still talking about the wedding.  We play "I'm Anne and you're Ryan" pretty much every single day...she sings songs about them at bedtime...and she still loves to talk about all the dancing she did at the reception!  Thanks Ryan and Anne for a beautiful celebration!  xoxo

Besties...

The things she says....

This here is a two for one thing she says post...
While having a little family picnic in our backyard today, Amelia decided she was done eating lunch and wanted water in her water table...

Me:  "You need to have a few more bites of lunch, then we will put water in your table."

Amelia:  (While walking to another part of the backyard)  "I'm going over here.....you're making me nervous."

Nervous???  Really.  I didn't know two year olds got nervous.


Then later as Robert and her were observing some pill bugs.

Amelia:   "Daddy, look the daddy pill bug is upside down."

Robert:  "I know, you can turn it over."

Amelia:  "NO!  I don't want to.  It's bugging me!"

She has no idea how clever she is!

This Boy

While daddy and Amelia were at the store today, I decided to shoot some pictures of my favorite little guy.  Looking at these photos makes me realize once again just how quickly time passes and I can't believe how big he is getting.  I really should take a photography class and take pictures of my two ones more often.  Until then, here are a few of my favorites from today...

The Things She Says...

While driving in the car the other night, there was a faint smell of gasoline.

Amelia:  It smells like gas in here.   Whooooooooooooo gassed in here???

The Things She Says...

While driving in the car with our friend Tajuana....

Amelia:  "Tajuana, where is your little boy?"

Tajuana:  "I don't have a little boy,  I don't have any children."

Amelia:  (of course)  "Why?"

Tajuana:  "Because I'm not a mommy."

Amelia:  "Oh, then what ARE you?"........... Pause.........  "A grandma???"


It is truly fascinating watching a little human's brain develop...incredible really.  The way they piece information together and try to make sense of everything.  It's my absolute favorite part of being a mama.

The Things She Says

As we were driving today and Amelia was looking out the window.

Amelia:  "Mommy, I saw a girl."


Me:  "Oh Yeah??"


Amelia: (after a looooong pause)

...

...

...


"and she was cigaretting!!!"

A girl and her bike

For Christmas, Grandpa Larry got Amelia this really cool red tricycle.  We brought it outside and to my surprise she knew exactly how to ride it.  After a little practice, she was riding down the sidewalk on her own.  It's really bittersweet watching her ride this bike...how and when did my baby girl grow old enough to ride a bike...*tear*
That being said, I look forward to the days that we can ride bikes together as a family and try out all the bike paths our local parks have to offer.
Here Amelia is practicing her bike riding skills in our driveway...she looks pretty serious, right??

She says she's going to let brother stand on the back when he "gets bigger".

Until then, she seems pretty happy riding solo.

Little Food Lover

Amelia didn't have her first taste of solids until she was about six and a half months old.  She had mashed bananas. I assumed Graham would follow her lead and start at about the same time.   Boy, was I wrong!  I have heard that babies will "tell" you when they are ready for food.  I thought this was crazy talk...until I saw my boy in action.  This little guy goes nuts when he sees us eat.  He grabs our plates, steals handfuls of food, knows how to use a spoon, and screams at the top of his lungs when we are eating and he isn't.  I have been giving him small licks of fruit here and there and he loves it!  I even put some fruit in one of those mesh contraptions for him to snack on while we eat....I swore I'd never use one of those!!  Yesterday, he refused to nurse because he was too interested in grabbing at the toast I was eating.  I assume he was trying to tell me something so I headed to the kitchen and mashed up a banana for him.  Big sister wanted in on the action too and together we fed G his first meal....bananas of course.  I have a feeling this guy is going to have quite the appetite!

Thumbsucker?

The other day, Jill was here holding G.  As usual, he fell right to sleep in her arms.  After we had been chatting for a bit, I looked over and saw this....

he's not usually a thumb sucker but he was really into it.  I just love how his lower lip is bent.

Thank you Jill for being one of G's favorite nap spots.  We love you!

Could it be love??

With Valentines day right around the corner, G just may have found his next true love.  Her name is Leighton and she's the cutest little thing.  G let her take a nap on his lap, helped her with her headband, and even tried to hold her sweet little hand.  It must be love...

He seemed a little down and and out when it was time for her to go back to her mama.

Ahhh, to be young and in love...

Time for a bath

I just love how happy and relaxed G is in the bath...just like his big sister!  As soon as he hits the water, he's all smiles, babbles, and giggles.  He has recently discovered the fine art of splashing.  He loves to pull his legs up to his chest before letting them slowly fall back into the water.  He does this over and over.  Sister thinks it is hilarious!
I love the view from the edge of the sink.  How cute are these feet?

Not to mention, this sweet face...

Sister usually loves helping me give Graham his bath, but today she had other priorities.  Seems as if someone else needed a bath too...

A Hair Dryer for the Holidays

The weeks leading up to Christmas were filled with lots of decorating, shopping, elfing, gingerbread house making, Christmas story reading, cookie baking, tree trimming, planning, wrapping, and entertaining.  Like any mama, I wanted this Christmas to be perfect for Amelia.  I have pretty much waited most of my adult life to share this holiday with my own children because everything is better through the eyes of a child. The past two years, Amelia was still too young to embrace Christmas.
This year, Amelia was really pumped for Christmas.  She knew what she wanted and made sure to tell everyone she talked to.
Amelia wanted her very own hairdryer.
She loves to watch me do my hair and loves it even more when I use my hairdryer on her.  One day I suggested she ask Santa for her very own hairdryer and the rest was history.....
It really was quite humorous watching the reactions when she told people what she wanted from Santa. When she told Santa himself, he gave a jolly ol' chuckle before declaring her request a first.
Of course, Santa brought her that hairdryer.  He also brought her and G a play teepee.  Santa was clever, he wrapped her hairdryer and put it inside her teepee.
Amelia woke up to this on Christmas morning...

As she walked into the living room, she stood about 3 feet away from her new teepee.  She looked as if she was in awe.  As she began to speak, I was expecting a "WOW", or "What's that?", or even a tiny squeal of delight.  What came out of her mouth next was in true Amelia fashion...pretty darn funny.  She turned to Robert and I and sadly declared... "Santa didn't come!!!"   What?  Didn't she see all the presents before her...I mean, they weren't there the night before.  So we said, "Why do you say that?".  Amelia responds with, "He didn't come because I don't have a hairdryer!"  Ha!  Only in the mind of a two year old....

When she finally unwrapped her hairdryer, she was very excited to say the least.

Here she is "blowing" her hair in the new pajamas that Santa left for her.

She wasn't as excited about the teepee as I thought she would be...oh well, I suppose their bond will take more time.  My hopes of her quietly reading in it, propped up on her floor cushions will have to wait for a later date.  Perhaps she is a tad too young.... 

Some other presents she enjoyed...

Her baby carseat...just like brothers....had to be strapped in... rear facing and all!  I wonder if her baby is sleeping too...

Her new bike..or "motorcycle" as she calls it.  She kept trying to drive it with her new carseat...at least it was still rear facing!

Christmas can be really overwhelming for anyone, especially for a two year old. Amelia got a ton of wonderful and fun presents, got to see lots of family members, and ate waaaaaaaaay too many sweets.

At the end of the night we were all pretty tuckered...

Let the countdown for Christmas 2013 begin....

This Guy....

Melts my heart every single day!

Love for Grandpa

My dad lives 1.2 miles away, a quick drive down only one major street gets us to him or him to us...usually him to us.  He likes to make quick pit stops throughout the day and often joins us for dinner.  Amelia is so used to him coming over that she often says, "Look, Grandpa came home!"  as he pulls up to our house.  Needless to say, she adores him.

Graham loves grandpa too....

We are really lucky to have him so close.

Thank you dad for all you do for our family....you are RAD!