Ellie has the crawling down and now we're working on the walking. She's not super interested in it but we're getting there little by little. In the past week or so she's gotten really good at cruising (walking around the furniture while holding on) and we know it won't be long until she's walking everywhere. She's getting to be such a big girl!
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Go Daddy (and Mommy)!!
Matt is on a couple of softball teams - one for 20/30 and one for his company. We can't make it to very many games because of timing but we were able to join him a couple of weeks ago when his company played.
The girls had a fun night. Hayden met a couple of other little girls (I've got a couple of great pictures that I'll post soon) and Anabelle hung out with one of Matt's coworkers. Does that seem strange? Are you wondering where their mother was? I was playing softball!! Can you believe it? It's a co-ed league and they were short a girl so Matt asked me to play. I filled in as catcher and even got a hit! Not too shabby for a gal who hasn't played softball ever (well except for playing catch with Dad and Ash in the summer and a game or two during P.E.) We had a fun night and it was great to get outside with the kiddos. We are SO ready for the fall!
The girls had a fun night. Hayden met a couple of other little girls (I've got a couple of great pictures that I'll post soon) and Anabelle hung out with one of Matt's coworkers. Does that seem strange? Are you wondering where their mother was? I was playing softball!! Can you believe it? It's a co-ed league and they were short a girl so Matt asked me to play. I filled in as catcher and even got a hit! Not too shabby for a gal who hasn't played softball ever (well except for playing catch with Dad and Ash in the summer and a game or two during P.E.) We had a fun night and it was great to get outside with the kiddos. We are SO ready for the fall!
Debuting the Bike
Last weekend the weather was nice enough early in the morning to take a walk. We told Hayden that she could *finally* take her bike outside and she was thrilled! We armed her with a helmet and knee pads and she off like lightning! Take a look at our girl GO!!
(Watch Ellie in the background in her stroller - she's cheering Hayden on and clapping! So cute!)
(Watch Ellie in the background in her stroller - she's cheering Hayden on and clapping! So cute!)
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Happy 1st Birthday, Ellie!
Happy birthday to our Little Miss Sunshine. We have never seen a baby who smiles as much as this one and whenever any of us are down, she instantly brightens up our day. It has been an interesting year with Ellie in our family and she fits in perfectly.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
I Want to Ride My Bicycle...I Want to Ride My Bike
Hayden got a bike for her third birthday from Oma and Opa. She loved that it was pink and covered in princesses. She loved that it had a bell. She loved that she got to wear a helmet and knee pads. She loved sitting on it.
However, she did not love that it was summertime and outside bike riding was not in the cards for several months. She tried to ride the bike in the kitchen but just couldn't get the timing down on pushing the pedals. We'd try and help her but the bike typically stayed in the living room just waiting for the heat to break.
This morning though she asked to ride it. Sure - why not?! She put on her shoes, pushed on the pedals, and off she went. All of a sudden it just totally clicked for her. We were gone most of the day but before dinner she asked to ride it again. She was loving it!
COME ON FALL WEATHER!! WE WANT TO RIDE OUR BICYCLE!!
However, she did not love that it was summertime and outside bike riding was not in the cards for several months. She tried to ride the bike in the kitchen but just couldn't get the timing down on pushing the pedals. We'd try and help her but the bike typically stayed in the living room just waiting for the heat to break.
This morning though she asked to ride it. Sure - why not?! She put on her shoes, pushed on the pedals, and off she went. All of a sudden it just totally clicked for her. We were gone most of the day but before dinner she asked to ride it again. She was loving it!
COME ON FALL WEATHER!! WE WANT TO RIDE OUR BICYCLE!!
Favorite PJs
If Hayden has a good day going potty without any accidents her reward is picking out her pajamas at night. She's been doing well with this incentive lately and loves to pick out her PJs. The nights that she does get to pick she almost always picks this combo: her pink monkey shorts and her Wyoming Cowboys t-shirt that she got from Aunt Afton. Go Pokes!!
Birthday and Football
Matt was lucky enough to share his birthday with the season opener game for the Arizona Cardinals. We have season tickets so we made a plan to spend the day watching football.
Dottie from daycare agreed to watch the girls all day for us and we left the house at 9:30. We tailgated with friends of ours on the west side of the stadium. The west side of the stadium has grass and it was AMAZING. In fact, we've been totally spoiled and will only ever want to tailgate on the grass from now on. We had BBQ, chips and dip, and cold beer. The only thing missing was patriot cupcakes...that were nice and cold in our refrigerator in the garage. Booooo Savannah.
The tailgate was huge (about 30 people) and was complete with satellite tv. It was a little warm out there but we had a nice breeze that kept it bearable.
We headed into the game and were there early enough for the pregame show and National Anthem. The NFL did a really nice job with everything. They handed out mini flags to everyone and showed a tribute to 9/11 narrated by Robert De Niro. Then a bugle played "Taps", followed by a moment of silence, then the crowd chanting U-S-A, and then a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Jordin Sparks. During the Star Spangled Banner they spread a giant flag over the field that was held up by service men and women and all of the football players. There were a lot of tears in the stands, including my own. It was a very nice tribute.
The game itself was a nail biter and was so much fun. The scoring went back and forth between the Cardinals and the Panthers and came down to the last play in the game. The Cardinals won by 7 and Matty was a very happy birthday boy. What a fun way to spend his 34th birthday!
Dottie from daycare agreed to watch the girls all day for us and we left the house at 9:30. We tailgated with friends of ours on the west side of the stadium. The west side of the stadium has grass and it was AMAZING. In fact, we've been totally spoiled and will only ever want to tailgate on the grass from now on. We had BBQ, chips and dip, and cold beer. The only thing missing was patriot cupcakes...that were nice and cold in our refrigerator in the garage. Booooo Savannah.
The tailgate was huge (about 30 people) and was complete with satellite tv. It was a little warm out there but we had a nice breeze that kept it bearable.
We headed into the game and were there early enough for the pregame show and National Anthem. The NFL did a really nice job with everything. They handed out mini flags to everyone and showed a tribute to 9/11 narrated by Robert De Niro. Then a bugle played "Taps", followed by a moment of silence, then the crowd chanting U-S-A, and then a beautiful rendition of the National Anthem by Jordin Sparks. During the Star Spangled Banner they spread a giant flag over the field that was held up by service men and women and all of the football players. There were a lot of tears in the stands, including my own. It was a very nice tribute.
The game itself was a nail biter and was so much fun. The scoring went back and forth between the Cardinals and the Panthers and came down to the last play in the game. The Cardinals won by 7 and Matty was a very happy birthday boy. What a fun way to spend his 34th birthday!
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| Matt's Football Birthday |
Maggiano's Birthday
Matt loves Maggiano's, so much so that this is the 3rd or 4th birthday celebration we've had there for his birthday. But, I think that this is the first time we've had kids there with us. The girls were both so good and we had a wonderful dinner.
When we were looking at the menu we noticed that our most favorite dish, the mushroom ravioli al forno, was no longer listed. We asked the waiter about it and he said that they no longer carried it. We said we were disappointed and tried to find something else on the menu (and only cried a little bit about it after he walked away). A few minutes later the manager came by to see how we were doing. We expressed our disappointment in the loss of our beloved ravioli. He said that they had a wedding that ordered them and that he thought they had a few cases in the kitchen. A few minutes later he came back and asked us to name our next child after him because he had found more ravioli. Yay!! The ravioli was delicious and we tried to savor every last bite of it. We also discussed naming another child Jose.
The rest of the meal really was wonderful. The food was top notch as always. We had such a nice night celebrating. Happy Birthday Matt! We love you!
When we were looking at the menu we noticed that our most favorite dish, the mushroom ravioli al forno, was no longer listed. We asked the waiter about it and he said that they no longer carried it. We said we were disappointed and tried to find something else on the menu (and only cried a little bit about it after he walked away). A few minutes later the manager came by to see how we were doing. We expressed our disappointment in the loss of our beloved ravioli. He said that they had a wedding that ordered them and that he thought they had a few cases in the kitchen. A few minutes later he came back and asked us to name our next child after him because he had found more ravioli. Yay!! The ravioli was delicious and we tried to savor every last bite of it. We also discussed naming another child Jose.
The rest of the meal really was wonderful. The food was top notch as always. We had such a nice night celebrating. Happy Birthday Matt! We love you!
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
More Disneyland and California Trip
A couple videos for your viewing pleasure. First, we took Hayden on several rides so she was warmed up to the idea of rides and didn't complain about any of them while we were on our way to them. The roller coaster in Toon Town is quicker than a kiddie coaster probably should be. Here is how it went down for Hayden:
The next day was the beach. Hayden had never been to the beach so she wasn't sure what to expect. At first she didn't want to get near the water. She was content to stay back and play in the sand. Then all of a sudden, she said, "I'm ready to go to the water now, Daddy." She loved it and played in the waves:
The next day was the beach. Hayden had never been to the beach so she wasn't sure what to expect. At first she didn't want to get near the water. She was content to stay back and play in the sand. Then all of a sudden, she said, "I'm ready to go to the water now, Daddy." She loved it and played in the waves:
Monday, September 5, 2011
Disneyland!!!!
About six months ago Matt found out that he had a work tradeshow at Disneyland right before Labor Day weekend. So we decided to make it a family vacation and take the girls to Disneyland. We knew that both girls would be too young to remember it but we knew that Hayden would love to see the Disney princesses and ride some of the smaller rides. Matt's parents decided to join us for the weekend and become a part of the "dreaded stroller people".
Matt flew to LA on Wednesday morning for the conference. Dave drove from Vegas to LA and Sarah flew to Phoenix to help me drive the girls to LA. We met up in Anaheim at our hotel and enjoyed Pizza Hut in the room. It had been a long day for all of us and we turned in early to prepare for our big day at Disney on Friday.
We were up early on Friday morning for breakfast at 6:30 at the hotel. We loaded up on food and then made our way to an early morning entry. The park opens at 9:00 and Matt was able to score us tickets to enter at 8:00. The park was quiet and virtually empty and it was wonderful. We walked up Main Street, took pictures in front of the castle and headed for our first ride. Because it was so quiet we were able to get on a bunch of rides with the girls before the big crowds hit. We rode Dumbo, Teacups, Peter Pan, the Carousel, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Storybook Boats, It's a Small World, and the Toon Town Rollercoaster...all before lunch. Hayden got to meet Minnie and Mickey Mouse as well as Pluto.
We grabbed lunch early and then got in line for the Finding Nemo ride. It was a tight ride in a submarine and Ellie and I weren't crazy for it. I think that under different circumstances (shorter wait, cooler weather, less people on the ride) it could have been a great ride. At that point we started making our way back to the castle and caught an impromptu show by Mary Poppins. Mary reached out to shake Hayden's hand and got a high-five instead. It was hilarious.
Because Matt went to Disneyland after his tradeshow on Wednesday night he offered to take the girls back to the hotel for a nap. Dave, Sarah and I stayed and rode a few rides - Star Tours and Space Mountain. Space Mountain was just as incredible this time as it was the last time I rode. Such an awesome ride! Then we took the monorail over to the Disneyland Hotel for drinks. We found a Hawaiian-themed bar and were greeted with a load "Aloha" from everyone when we walked in the door. We had drinks and a few appetizers and enjoyed the atmosphere and the air conditioning...and the lack of kids and strollers.
When we got back to the park we tried to ride Indiana Jones. We were in line for about 10 minutes when they announced the ride was down and that they were working on it. We waited another 20-25 minutes and were moved forward to take the next ride. When we moved up to board the ride it was shut down again. Such a bummer!
After that we met up with Matt and the girls and did a few more rides. We took them on the Jungle Cruise and walked up to Tarzan's Treehouse. Then we rode Pirates of the Caribbean. I remember how great the ride was from the first time I went but didn't remember how scary it was. I guess this was the first time I'd seen the ride through the eyes of a three year old, but we'll be sure not to take the girls on that ride again for several more years.
The parade began and we managed to catch the last 10 minutes of it. Hayden loved seeing all of the characters and had a great seat on top of Matt's shoulders. After that we headed to dinner at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ and ran into the Morris family. Shaun works with Matt and I'm friends with his wife Holli. Their daughter Taylor is about 6 months younger than Hayden and their son Colton is about 6 months younger than Anabelle. Taylor and Hayden are the best of friends and were so excited to see each other. They asked to take a picture together and then hung out a little bit before we headed to dinner. Hayden was really sad to have to leave Taylor.
Dinner was really good and our cowboy entertainment was fun. The weather was perfect and we got to eat outside. After dinner we walked to the show, Fantasmic. I was worried that the girls would be ready for bed but they were both such troopers. The show started at 9:00 and lasted about a half hour hour. Anabelle managed to fall asleep during the show and Hayden enjoyed most of the show from Matt's shoulders. Some of the show was a little scary to Hayden and she snuggled with me but she loved seeing all of the characters and seeing Mickey Mouse save the day.
We caught a few minutes of the fireworks over the castle on our way out and then walked back to the parking garage instead of waiting in the long lines for the tram. We got the girls tucked into bed with their new Minnie Mouse dolls and they both fell asleep almost instantly.
It was a wonderful and magical day and one that I hope to never forget.
Matt flew to LA on Wednesday morning for the conference. Dave drove from Vegas to LA and Sarah flew to Phoenix to help me drive the girls to LA. We met up in Anaheim at our hotel and enjoyed Pizza Hut in the room. It had been a long day for all of us and we turned in early to prepare for our big day at Disney on Friday.
We were up early on Friday morning for breakfast at 6:30 at the hotel. We loaded up on food and then made our way to an early morning entry. The park opens at 9:00 and Matt was able to score us tickets to enter at 8:00. The park was quiet and virtually empty and it was wonderful. We walked up Main Street, took pictures in front of the castle and headed for our first ride. Because it was so quiet we were able to get on a bunch of rides with the girls before the big crowds hit. We rode Dumbo, Teacups, Peter Pan, the Carousel, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland, Storybook Boats, It's a Small World, and the Toon Town Rollercoaster...all before lunch. Hayden got to meet Minnie and Mickey Mouse as well as Pluto.
We grabbed lunch early and then got in line for the Finding Nemo ride. It was a tight ride in a submarine and Ellie and I weren't crazy for it. I think that under different circumstances (shorter wait, cooler weather, less people on the ride) it could have been a great ride. At that point we started making our way back to the castle and caught an impromptu show by Mary Poppins. Mary reached out to shake Hayden's hand and got a high-five instead. It was hilarious.
Because Matt went to Disneyland after his tradeshow on Wednesday night he offered to take the girls back to the hotel for a nap. Dave, Sarah and I stayed and rode a few rides - Star Tours and Space Mountain. Space Mountain was just as incredible this time as it was the last time I rode. Such an awesome ride! Then we took the monorail over to the Disneyland Hotel for drinks. We found a Hawaiian-themed bar and were greeted with a load "Aloha" from everyone when we walked in the door. We had drinks and a few appetizers and enjoyed the atmosphere and the air conditioning...and the lack of kids and strollers.
When we got back to the park we tried to ride Indiana Jones. We were in line for about 10 minutes when they announced the ride was down and that they were working on it. We waited another 20-25 minutes and were moved forward to take the next ride. When we moved up to board the ride it was shut down again. Such a bummer!
After that we met up with Matt and the girls and did a few more rides. We took them on the Jungle Cruise and walked up to Tarzan's Treehouse. Then we rode Pirates of the Caribbean. I remember how great the ride was from the first time I went but didn't remember how scary it was. I guess this was the first time I'd seen the ride through the eyes of a three year old, but we'll be sure not to take the girls on that ride again for several more years.
The parade began and we managed to catch the last 10 minutes of it. Hayden loved seeing all of the characters and had a great seat on top of Matt's shoulders. After that we headed to dinner at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ and ran into the Morris family. Shaun works with Matt and I'm friends with his wife Holli. Their daughter Taylor is about 6 months younger than Hayden and their son Colton is about 6 months younger than Anabelle. Taylor and Hayden are the best of friends and were so excited to see each other. They asked to take a picture together and then hung out a little bit before we headed to dinner. Hayden was really sad to have to leave Taylor.
Dinner was really good and our cowboy entertainment was fun. The weather was perfect and we got to eat outside. After dinner we walked to the show, Fantasmic. I was worried that the girls would be ready for bed but they were both such troopers. The show started at 9:00 and lasted about a half hour hour. Anabelle managed to fall asleep during the show and Hayden enjoyed most of the show from Matt's shoulders. Some of the show was a little scary to Hayden and she snuggled with me but she loved seeing all of the characters and seeing Mickey Mouse save the day.
We caught a few minutes of the fireworks over the castle on our way out and then walked back to the parking garage instead of waiting in the long lines for the tram. We got the girls tucked into bed with their new Minnie Mouse dolls and they both fell asleep almost instantly.
It was a wonderful and magical day and one that I hope to never forget.
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| Disneyland |
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