Happy New Year, Party Time, Excellent 2015!

Getting our party on to ring in the New Year 2015

Our New Year countdown to midnight cookies...yum

Hat decorating, tinsel and confetti fun

Mom goofing around

Sippin' sparkling cider, they look far too sophisticated here

Balloon, tinsel & confetti heaven

Ain't no party like a New Year party because a New Year party don't stop! Momma decided that the girls were in need of a super fun New Years Eve party to ring in 2015, complete with balloons, noise makers, party hat decorating, sparkling cider and massive amounts of tinsel and confetti (Dollar Tree shout out). The girls had the time of their lives plus getting the go ahead to stay up way past their bedtime was pretty much a dream come true. They also got to have fun with Gramps & Grams who partied right along with us...bless their hearts for making it midnight hah :) Raising four kids sure takes the wind out of your sails. We are slowly learning just how valuable our sleep really is!

The biggest hit of the night was the tinsel. I swear these girls thought it was the most entertaining thing ever invented; they threw it up in the air, rolled around in it, coated the entire floor and house in it. As for staying up until midnight, Elise had absolutely no problem whatsoever. That girl has been a night owl since the womb, so it should come as no surprise that she duked it out like a champ. Alina, on the other hand, was begging to go to sleep by 11:00pm and proceeded to crawl into her bed and do just that. She was woken up by fireworks set off right before midnight, causing her to run from her bedroom into our arms just in time to countdown with us...let's just say she was not a happy camper, but technically she made it! I think we've started a new tradition for New Years Eve, because the girls were raving about the party the following day and saying how they cannot wait until our next one. Success! Goodbye 2014 and Happy New Year 2015!

Grams & Gramps were party animals!

These two were giggling all night long

Playing Ipad with Grandma

Alina showing off her sparkles

It's raining tinsel

They made it! Happy New Year 2015!!

Elise's First Visit From the Tooth Fairy

Elise's 1st visit from The Tooth Fairy - $10 sparkly dollars

Elise was very excited when she discovered her first loose tooth a few months ago. We expected it to fall out within a month, but despite all her wiggling it didn't quite happen that way. Instead, her adult tooth started growing in behind her baby tooth, so the dentist recommended that she get the baby tooth pulled since it was unlikely to fall out on its own. Elise did well at the dentist, there were definitely some tears, but overall she was very excited once her tooth was out and the dentist placed it in a special tiny treasure box for her to bring home.

Later that evening before bed, we read a story about Tooth Fairies and how they love to collect teeth to build their castles in the sky and how they always leave a very special gift behind as a thank you. Elise was so excited that she had a difficult time falling asleep that night. She carefully placed her tiny tooth in her special lost tooth pillow, and drifted off to dreamland. She was thrilled to wake up in the morning and find that a Tooth Fairy came to take her tooth and left a sparkly $10 dollar bill in its place along with a special thank you note. She now has a second loose tooth and is determined to wiggle it as much as can be, so the Tooth Fairy will come visit once again.

Sleepy Girls, Crafts, Silliness and Smiles

Elise fast asleep and deep in the realm of dreamland

Sleeping Beauty, Alina all snuggled up

Little cuties playing, plus Alina's favorite toddler books

Every so often, the girls will sleep in after a busy and fun Saturday. Mom and dad love these rare occasions, mainly because of the extra sleep it allows us, but also because we get to peek in on them fast asleep, looking so cozy and content while dancing throughout the realm of little girl dreamland. They look so cute all snuggled up and dozed off. They are usually happiest when they get to sleep in a bit, so no complaints from mom and dad!   

After spending most of May on-the-go, we relaxed last weekend and the girls got to play in their rooms and just enjoy each others company. Elise's room is usually the happening place. Alina makes her way in there in the morning, so they can both play together. It's usually dolls, dress-up or tug-of-war (yes, we are still learning the art of sharing). Alina really enjoys when we read books to her, and her toddler favorites; Goodnight Moon, Peek-a-Who?, and The Hungry Hungry Caterpillar, still make her laugh and smile to this day. Elise is really into arts and crafts now, and recently asked to make a collage. I held on to an old Disney desk calendar, which was perfect for collage worthy photos. Elise chose all her own Disney photos and even designed most the layout. She really enjoyed the process. Momma did most of the work on Alina's, but she had input on the photos we used. They turned out great. Elise even asked to bring hers to school for show-and-tell. Disney collage success.

Elise's first Disney collage, she was so proud

Cute girls being silly, favorite sandals and one MESSY room

Alina's adorable Disney collage, super cute!

Las Vegas Trip 2013: Excalibur and Family Time

The Excalibur in Las Vegas

The cousins excited to visit the castle

 

The kids had a blast at the Excalibur arcade

Outside the Excalibur Castle walls

 

Last weekend, we took our first out-of-state road trip with both the girls, the destination: Las Vegas, Nevada! We went to visit family and the girls got to meet some of their little cousins for the very first time. The trip was lots of fun, and the little cousins had the best time playing together. We managed to get all seventeen of us together for a group family photo, with all the kids looking at the camera, which really is a feat in and of itself. After spending time with family the first day, in the evening we made a trip over to the Excalibur Hotel as the kids were enamored by the prospect of visiting a castle. We stayed at the New York, New York Hotel, so the Excalibur was conveniently located right next door. We took the kids to the Excalibur Arcade and despite being tired from a long fun day (and restless road trip), they dashed around and had a great time playing all the arcade games. When the night finally came to a close they both crashed out the second we put them in bed...this NEVER happens in real life, only on our vacation alternate reality, HAH. Suffice it to say, we also crashed out the second our heads hit the pillow. Ahh, vacation bliss!

 

 

Little Alina meeting Baby Kellan; all hugs!

Ticklish kiddos and big smiles

The little cousins had a great time playing together

Group shot of the family; super cute

Angel Island Family Camping Trip - June 2013

Angel Island in Tiburon, CA

 

View of the San Francisco Bay from Angel Island

Live music at Angel Island Cantina

 

The girls found caterpillars on the trail to our campsite

Angel Island view of the SF Bay

 

 

Earlier this month, our family got together for a summer camping trip at Angel Island near Tiburon in the San Francisco Bay. Grandma planned the trip, and things turned out rather amusing throughout the course of the weekend. Let me start by saying that Angel Island is a very scenic destination, and quite an interesting place to explore. There are many abandoned buildings on the island as it was once a location for immigrant processing, POW camps, and quarantine stations. It is also home to a Nike Missile Site dating back to the 1950s. This creates great opportunities for exploring past relics, but without a vehicle or bicycle it takes quite a while to get around the island due to its size. With kids, and no stroller it wasn't possible for us to do much exploring beyond our initial trolley car site seeing tour.

 

There are only eleven campsites on the island, so camping here is pure seclusion. Grandma booked a winner in terms of location. From our campsite we had a great view of the San Francisco Bay, and there were trails near the site leading down to a small rocky beach as well as a trail leading up to stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge, Tiburon, Sausalito and Marin. While it was freezing most of the day, and a bit overcast (it is SF after all) the views were gorgeous! We were only able to stay for the day, but Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Colin and Aunt Darcy all camped overnight. None of them were able to fully sleep that night, between the foghorns and raccoons fighting and growling outside their tent, they were jolted awake multiple times throughout the night. Grandpa even had to go out and chase off the raccoons a few times. Although I was initially sad about missing out on the camping experience, after hearing how difficult it was to sleep, I think it was best that we missed this overnight adventure. Two toddlers running on little to no sleep is a recipe for chaos. We would definitely visit Angel Island again and recommend it to others, but make it a DAY trip!

 

The view from the trail above our campsite

The Golden Gate Bridge from Angel Island

 

Enjoying family time at the campsite; find the deer

 

Angel Island view of Tiburon and Sausalito

 

Sweet Alina by the beach

Disneyland Trip 2012 - Tomorrowland Experience

Tomorrowland - Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage
 

Tomorrowland Rocket

Innoventions fun - ASIMO robot

Alina enjoying the sensory experience of Innoventions

Innoventions futuristic lights and design

In line for Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters ride

 

More futuristic fun in Tommorowland

 

Happy Alina cuddling Rex from Toy Story

 

Look Who's Walking! - Alina at 10-Months-Old

Baby Alina is walking at 10-months-old!!!
 

Cute baby walker in her blue tutu swimsuit

Baby Alina turned 10-months-old on June 12th. She took her first unassisted steps on June 22nd, 2012! Just a short week later she began full on walking. This is the biggest milestone of our baby girl's first year and we are amazed that she has mastered it so early on. We think her strong desire to keep up with big sister Elise, pushed her to take those first steps. She only crawled for a few short months and now fully enjoys viewing the world upright and on her toes. We are such proud parents right now! Watching our baby girl walk is nothing short of amazing; and we just can't believe how fast she progressed. I'm sure running, climbing and dancing are not too far off. What a special moment for our littlest doll!



Our skilled little walker perfecting her gait

Walking and calling for "mama" - I love this combination hah

Alina has a few favorite words now; "mama, dada, baba", and her favorite non-word "gaga", which is always super cute to hear. She isn't a little chatterbox quite yet, but she knows all she needs to get by. I think that saying rings true, either you have an early talker or an early walker, she certainly falls within the latter category. Elise was the early talker, but she didn't start walking until after one-year-old. I work on introducing new words with Alina, but as of now she sticks to her favorites, and you will never hear me complaining about her saying "mama" too much, I can't get enough of that one and it seems to be her overall favorite - YAY for mama!

Baby stinker face strikes again; look at all those teeth!

 

Playful little sweetheart

At 10-months-old, Alina has a total of six teeth; four on top and two on the bottom. She got her  additional two top teeth right around eight-months-old, and hasn't had any more come through since. She is no longer nursing, I stopped right before she turned 10-months-old, as she was no longer interested. She has four 8-oz bottles of organic baby formula in additon to all her daily meals. She now eats the same things we have dinner...hooray. She especially enjoys chicken, pasta, spaghetti, turkey meatballs, eggs, avocado, steamed broccoli, squash and carrots, soybeans, and fruit of any kind. She's not a picky eater as of yet, although she has been turning up her nose to tomatoes (which she used to love).

Feed the baby - she's a big eater now
 

Spaghetti face! She has no qualms about getting messy

Helping us do the dishes, with an irrestible giggle



Alina is still a great sleeper. She usually has an hour nap in the morning, and a 1-2 hour afternoon nap. She sleeps the entire night through from 7pm - 7am. She rarely ever cries when put down for her naps or bedtime. This is a huge change from Elise, who always cried when put down to sleep (she still does even to this day). It is nice to be able to lay her down and watch her cuddle into a ball and fall asleep almost immediately. We are so grateful to have a little one who embraces her zzzz's!

One sweet little girl! She is always happy :)

Pretty in pink and showing off her beautiful eyes

Alina looks even more like mommy's little twin, as her eyes are beginning to darken. She has gorgeous hazel eyes right now and it has us wondering if they will stay that way or turn all the way brown. Right now they appear to be brown in the center surrounded by green on the outside. I think they will likely turn brown, but only time will tell. I also love that her hair has stayed a nice golden brown color. It is getting much longer now and we do not plan to cut it. We are going to let it all grow out, nice and long - no bangs for this little one.  While Alina looks like mommy, she definitely has her daddy's sweet and mellow temperment. She rarely ever cries and is not demanding whatsoever, however, she is a ball of energy and super inquisitive. She loves playing with her toys, especially the musical ones, as she is so curious about all the sounds. She is also quite active and always finding a chair to push along the floor; any way possible to get into dishwasher; looking for ways to climb up furniture and toys; and this little one puts everything in her mouth, we really have to watch her in that department. Other than that, she is so easy and always a joy to be around.

 

 



Reading her musical sound book; she loves it





 

 

Alina's growth stats at her 9-month checkup:

Height: 28 in (50th percentile)

Weight: 15 lbs 14 oz (5th percentile)

Alina had her most recent checkup at 9-months. At that point, she was average height, but still super tiny weight wise. Since then, she is no longer nursing and now on formula and three full meals a day. I can tell she has gained considerable weight, although she is still a naturally petite little girl. I'm looking forward to finding out her growth stats at her 12-month checkup. I plan to start her on whole milk in another month or so. I have a feeling we are in store for a huge growth spurt. She may be our tiny little doll now, but not for long; I plan to enjoy it while it lasts!