Elise's Second Birthday - Tinkerbell Party

Tinkerbell birthday party

Her lovely handmade birthday banner

Tons of Tinkerbell decor

Birthday cards

Tabletop decor, flowers and treats 

Dessert Table

Enjoying her party

Her beautiful Tinkerbell birthday cake - she LOVED it!

Adorable birthday girl

Make a wish

 She blew out her candles like a pro

Proud birthday girl

Yummy cake

Elise had such a great time celebrating her second birthday party with all her family and friends! I'm sure it comes as no surprise that little miss Elise specifically requested a "Tinkerbell party". I've said it before and will say it again, Elise is obsessed with everything Tinkerbell. It all started with a little Tinkerbell doll we got her back when she was 15-months-old. She carried that doll with her everywhere and nobody was allowed to take it out of her hands. Since then, she's branched out into an entire array of Tinkerbell themed clothing, toys and accessories.

Mommy was happy to oblige her requests, and had lots of fun planning and decorating with grandma. We handmade her birthday banner and enjoyed coordinating colors and party ideas. The moment Elise walked in and saw all her decorations, she was in awe. She made her rounds to find all the Tinkerbell decorations, each time exclaiming, "look Tinkerbell is at my party!". She was just beyond pleased, which made us so happy.

We bought her a brand new playground for her birthday, and she had lots of fun playing on it with all the other kids. She was all smiles when everyone sang her happy birthday, and she blew out her birthday candles like a little pro. Her cake turned out absolutely fantastic! Thank you to Cake and Candy Specialties for doing such an amazing job. We loved the adorable Tinkerbell decorations and it tasted delicious. Also, a big thanks to all our family and friends for making her day so special and for sharing so many of your great photos!

She loved her Tinkerbell figurines

Watch Tinkerbell fly

So cute and playful!

Yep, everyone wanted to pose with Tink

Elise's new playground

Having fun with the kiddos

 Daddy, Mommy and baby sis

Presents

All smiles while opening her gifts

  

She loved all her gifts!

Big smiles from the birthday girl; she approved!

Tinkerbell aftermath :)

As usual, we took tons of photos. For the full album, click the link below.

Elise's 2nd Birthday Party

Happy Fourth of July 2011

Our family of four on July 4, 2011

Elise had a fantastic 4th of July weekend, swimming and watching fireworks light up the night sky. I have to say, we officially have a little firebug on our hands! Elise loved playing with the colorful sparklers and when one burned out she was already on to the next saying, "I want more sparklers" and, of course, she had to choose which color she wanted. She also had everyone laughing because each time she heard a firework explode, her eyes widened, she looked around at all of us, put up her pointer finger and exclaimed, "You hear that...you hear that...that's firework!".

We went and watched the Citrus Heights fireworks again this year. Elise had fun watching the colorful display surrounded by family. Mommy enjoyed taking lots of firework photos. I got a few clear shots of the colorful firework finale, however, when it comes to firework photos, I find myself enjoying the ones that didn't quite turn out as expected. The photos where the camera moved, and captured the light in a more abstract way, are always the most interesting to me.  

The Fourth of July has extra special importance to us as July 4, 2009 was Elise's first holiday. She was only one-week-old on her first 4th and I still remember her all cuddled up, and sleeping in her baby swing while we watched fireworks outside. She was so tiny back then; it's hard to believe she's now two-years-old and playing with sparklers. We love our little summer girl so much!

Happy 2nd Birthday Elise!

Elise,

Two years ago today, mommy and daddy met and held you in our arms for the very first time. We stared into your eyes and cried tears of joy at seeing the tiny and perfect little life we created.  We marveled at each precious moment we spent with you; your fragile beauty, your full head of hair, your little feet and toes, your sweet disposition. In those very first moments with you, we didn't think about the weeks, months or years ahead; we just reveled in the remarkable yet fleeting newborn stage.

Over the course of your first year, time went by slowly and the build up to each new milestone had us on edge, reeling with excitement. We cheered you on for your first smile, laugh, wave and steps toward sitting up, standing, crawling and walking. We were left in awe of everything you accomplished and how much you redefined our original perception of love and happiness.  You were the happiest and most content little baby; a constant joy to be around.

In your next year of life, time suddenly began to dash right by us. You grew and matured more than we ever could have  imagined. You transformed from a baby to a full-fledged toddler. Your adorable personality began to shine through and you became quite the little chatterbox. Like most toddlers, you wore your emotions on your sleeve and strove to express yourself.

Now you are two-years-old, and we see a little girl in front of us. A beautiful, thoughtful, loving, opinionated, independent and extremely intelligent little girl. A little girl who smiles and laughs all the time, who cuddles and will always tell us she wants a hug, who comforts mommy and daddy when they seem down, who is passionately curious about the entire world around her and wants to emulate everything we do - just so long as she is able to do it herself ;). A little girl that is so incredibly special and makes her parents proud everyday.

Happy 2nd Birthday Elise!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Happy Father's Day x 2

Daddy and his little girl

Daddy has even more reason to celebrate this year, now that he is a father of two adorable little girls. One beautiful, fiesty and incredibly smart little two-year-old and one precious newborn, whom he will meet for the very first time in early August. He adores the three girls in his life and tells us all the time just how special we are.  

Winning over Elise as a baby

Ever since Elise was a newborn, daddy made it his number one mission to win her over. Watching through nearly all her baby videos, you hear, "dada dada dada", "who do you love; daddy!", "she's dada's baby girl", "dada's here", "dada will be your first word, say dada" on repeat. I think if I compiled all these moments, together into one video, it would be over and hour long, no joke. All his hard work and love has completely won over the heart of our little girl. I absolutely love the close relationship they share; there is nothing better in this world then when they smile and laugh together.

Still winning her over today  

Daddy is completely devoted to our family and there isn't anything he wouldn't do to make us happy. He is loving, patient, hard-working, playful and smitten with his girls, and in my book, the most ideal father and husband. We love you dad, and are grateful for everything you do and for simply being the amazing person you are.

Sacramento County Fair 2011

Elise's first trip to the Sacramento County Fair

Youth art and baking exhibit; she wanted a cupcake!

Kids arts and crafts

4-H pygmy goats

Making friends with the cows

Feeding marshmallows to a friendly pig!

Riding the carousel for the first time

Our California Girl

Our platinum blonde, sun-loving California girl

Beautiful blue eyes; deep in thought

Just a few of her many adorable expressions

Mommy, daddy and Elise got to visit with our friends Mattu and Sunny last month! They were in town visiting, from London, and we were so happy to get a chance to catch up on the past year. Mattu took some beautiful candid photos, which I just have to share. She really captured the playful spirit of our darling little nearly two-year-old girl. Elise has the cutest and often silliest little expressions. This is one of my favorite things about toddlers; you never have to question their emotions because they proudly display each one - often in the most dramatic of ways.  She started out playing shy and coy, but after a half hour, she was playing hide-and-go-seek, and by the end of the day had made best of friends with Mattu and Sunny; so much so that she did not want to say goodbye!   

Visit Mattu's beautiful photography blog at: http://anokhifocus.blogspot.com/

Playing hide-and-seek with Mattu

This one is just so cute; her smile always wins us over

Daddy and Elise - these two are never far apart :)

More fun expressions - pensive, joyous, playful and coy

Roseville Strawberry Festival 2011

We spent Mother's Day 2011 at the Roseville Strawberry Festival. Elise had a blast exploring the amusement park, watching the puppet show, chasing after animals at the petting zoo and eating plenty of fresh strawberries. Her favorite, of course, were the chocolate covered strawberries! It was a fun festival, and watching Elise laugh and smile all day was the best Mother's Day gift imaginable.

Elise's photo of the day

Elise has been featured, as photo of the day, on spearmint baby. Spearmint baby, is one of my favorite blogs on the web. I love reading the birth stories, seeing all the baby bump photos and of course viewing the photo of the day. Click the link below to check out her post, and explore spearmint baby blog. Thanks again Mattu, for the beautiful photo. It is one of my absolute favorites!

http://www.spearmintbaby.com/2011/05/photo-of-the-day-204/

Northern California Cherry Blossom Festival 2011 - Japantown, San Francisco

We attended San Francisco's Cherry Blossom Festival for the very first time this year. It was one of the most fun festivals we've experienced, and the parade was simply fantastic! Elise especially loved watching Hello Kitty, the anime costumes and the princesses in the parade. She also enjoyed rhythmically dancing to the beat of the Taiko Dojo. Grandma, grandpa and Uncle Colin joined in on the fun too. 

Japantown was bursting with street vendors, festivities, costumes and crowds all eager to celebrate Japanese culture and traditions. The festival took on a more serious tone this year, given the recent earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It was wonderful to see so many people generously donating  to support Japanese relief efforts. We had a great time, and would love to make the Cherry Blossom Festival a yearly family event.

Happy Mother's Day x 2

Giving her baby sister a kiss!

Mother's Day feels extra special this year as I am now officially a mommy of two. I am 26 weeks pregnant with Elise's baby sister! She has been affectionately nicknamed "newbie" by Elise. Elise likes to come up hug my growing baby belly and give newbie kisses. It is so cute how excited she gets. I'm not sure that she fully understands the whole idea of a baby being in my belly, but despite that she is still super enthusiastic.

Stats - I'm currently 26 weeks pregnant. At our 20-week-checkup the ultrasonographer confirmed it is a baby girl, who is plenty active and growing well. Baby girl # 2 is scheduled to debut August 13, 2011. Elise and her sister will be just over two years apart in age.

Weight gain - So far I've gained 13 pounds, but it feels more like 25. I feel much bigger this time around, and I think it's because I'm carrying higher than I did with Elise. Elise used to wedge herself way down into my bladder, and I remember the ultrasonographers would always comment on how low she was positioned. Newbie girl is positioned right smack in the middle of my belly, she's easier on my bladder, but not so easy to conceal under clothes. I'm still wearing my regular jeans, but I've had to go out and buy a bunch of flowy shirts to cover the oh-so-obvious baby belly. Oh and for those that buy into to the old wives tales - this is proof that carrying low or high has no determination on the sex of the baby.

How I feel this time around - TIRED! From weeks 6-21, I felt, simply put; exhausted. I had morning sickness again, not nearly as bad before, but enough to zap my energy and make me feel like an emotional pinball. Working full-time and caring for an energetic toddler has added to the exhaustion level. When I was pregnant with Elise, I took naps and slept in late when needed. This time around, I certainly haven't had that luxury. With all that being said, the last few weeks have been great! I've felt a surge in energy and the nesting stage had officially begun. I've been cleaning and cooking up a storm, while still finding plenty of time to spend with daddy and Elise.

Food cravings - Shocker here; lemons. Lemons is what I craved with Elise and the craving has come back again this time around. The more tart the lemon, the better. I've also been craving spicy hummus. I make my own spicy roasted red pepper hummus dip and it is absolutely delicious. I've made it three weeks in a row now, so I think it has officially acheived craving status. I garnish the hummus with parsely and serve it with warm pita bread. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it. If you want to try out the easy and delicious recipe click the link below. 

http://allrecipes.com//Recipe/spiced-sweet-roasted-red-pepper-hummus/Detail.aspx

Special moments - I've started to really feel baby girl moving over the past few weeks. She pokes, kicks, twists and turns all over the place. Daddy felt her first movement from the outside on 4/6/11! A few nights ago, her movements were visible from outside my stomach for the first time. She's making her little presence known and that makes me smile :) Also, the thought of Elise having a baby sister is making me especially happy. Growing up, I always wanted a sister close in age, so I know Elise will really enjoy having her around.

The six month baby bump

Elise is so excited to meet her little sis