Arts & Crafts

We have been trying different arts and crafts for about a year now.  I think Elanor is at an age now, where she is really starting to enjoy them, and get good at them!  We have beaded necklaces, painted with watercolors and finger paints, made stick puppets...but the all time favorite is the coloring book and crayons.

About a month ago, Ella received a mermaid coloring book as a gift.  I am so impressed with the skills she has developed from this book!

The night she got it (August 24), this is what she colored:

This is how her coloring has progressed, over just one month... 

September 17

September 21

September 26

I think we have a future art-eest in the house. 

We have also been trying new food!  Well Liddy has been trying new foods.  We have moved past the rice cereal and been eating...

BANANAS!! 

and PEARS!!

Just look at those smiles...much different than the face she gave while eating the rice cereal.  I knew she was waiting for bananas!  We have also tried carrots and oatmeal.  So far, I think the oatmeal and pears mixed together is the favorite.  It is so fun to see Lydia try each new food!  I just wish we didn't have to wait 4 whole days in between them...

Between meals and arts and crafts time, Ella took her first train ride.  We took the light rail from Sunrise to Old Folsom and back.  It was a blast!

There was so much to see on the train.  We even got to decide if we wanted to sit forward or facing the back.  That was an easy decision for Elanor...BACKWARDS!  

Every day is a new adventure.  I can't wait to find out what tomorrow brings.

End of Summer

That's right, these kids know it, and they wear it on their shirts...they are ADORABLE!  And I can't get enough.  

Lydia is working her way through her first year of life.  Newest on her list of completed milestones is her first bite of real food.  Well...OK, whether it is really food is questionable.  I'm actually not sure what rice cereal is...it isn't rice, and it certainly isn't cereal...but she tried it.  Well...OK, whether or not she actually tried it is also questionable.  I mean, I haven't seen her react to something so quickly before!  It was instant.  And she gave me the look...WHAT WAS THAT?  I could just see her mind churning, thinking "Rice Cereal, Mom, REALLY, where are the bananas, apples, peas even?"

There's the look.  But we keep making it...and she keeps spitting it out...I think we are all counting down the days until the bananas make an appearance.

Ella is also checking things off her completed milestones list.  She is a graduate from diapers!  That's right...potty trained, check!  There was a celebration with cupcakes, goodies, games and treats.  She's a big girl now, and proud of it!

We have also been exploring our County and Town, finding what fun there is to have near home.  And, seriously, we moved to the best place ever.  Elanor and Lydia are so lucky to be able to grow up in a place like San Anselmo.  Here is what we have found so far...

McNear's Beach.  In San Rafael.  BEAUTIFUL!  We hung out on the beach this day, but next time we go back we are bringing our suits.  Not only can you swim in the bay, but they have a public pool too!

Our local San Anselmo parks.  Really, we knew about these before we moved here.  Still love them!  Plus watching Ella try to fly her new kite at the park when there was absolutely no wind, priceless.  She just couldn't wait for a windy day...

Hearts Desire Beach on Tomales Bay.  BEAUTIFUL.  I wasn't expecting to be able to swim in the water here also, so we forgot our suits again.  But that didn't stop Elanor!  Next time, we will bring our bathing suits and maybe some snorkeling gear, and there will definitely be a next time.

Our Block Party!  So much fun.  Not only do we live in a great town, we live on the best street in this town.  Our block party was a full day of swimming, slides, mingling with neighbors, riding our bikes and wagons down he middle of the street, and dancing.  Oh, the dancing.  Ella was moving so fast my camera couldn't keep up!

Now, I didn't think it was actually possible to do.  But Elanor figured it out.  How to fall asleep, while dancing.  One minute Ella was dancing in the street, holding hands with some of our neighbors.  The next minute, I look at her, still standing up holding hands with the neighbors, band still playing, ASLEEP!  So much fun.

And concerts on the lawn in front of Town Hall.  Of Course, It doesn't hurt when it's our favorite Johnny Cash cover band.  It was a blast, and Liddy was moving to the music too!  

Adorable girls.

Time to Slow Down

I don't know how it is possible.  I should have listened to the countless blogs and stories from friends.  I should have learned from my own experience.  But it is true.  They grow up so fast.  And it seems that the second time around is faster than the first.  And how that is possible, the second grows up faster than the first...well that is some sort of twist of the fourth dimension that is totally unexplainable.

So Lydia is already 5 months old.  And her first year of life is almost half over.  My time off from work is coming to an end, and I find myself just wondering how this happened.  How did this time pass so quickly? 

I have heard from many people "enjoy every stage".  And with Ella I feel I did that.  But with Lydia, I find myself thinking about it a lot.  And I have also found there is a lot I am going to miss, but there are also things I won't. 

Won't Miss:waking up (multiple times) in the middle of the night for feedings
Will Miss: The way she looks at me when I pick her up at 2AM after she realizes that no matter what time it is, I will be there for her.  Holding her little hands while she eats. 

Won't Miss:  the massive amount of laundry to do every weekend
Will Miss:  Holding her hands and feet multiple times a day while changing her from one cute outfit to another

Won't Miss: the time, energy, scabs, soreness of breastfeeding
Will Miss: knowing that what I am doing is the best thing for her and keeping her healthy and strong

Won't Miss: Potty training
Will Miss: How proud I felt after the first week of "no accidents".  Seeing her face when Ella got her first lollipop for this very reason.

Won't Miss: changing diapers
Will Miss: ???  I'm not sure there is anything I'll miss about diapers.

Won't Miss: sitting in traffic.
Will Miss: going to the zoo, fairyland, the City and seeing their faces each time, like it's the first time we've been there.

Whether I'll miss it or not, I'm enjoying every second of every day.  I just wish time would slow a little...

But Why?

Laughter is like medicine.  No matter your mood, or what you are doing, if you start to laugh you automatically start to feel better.  I'm finding that is my favorite part of spending time with the girls.  They make me laugh, constantly, every day.  And you never know when it's coming...

Ella:  Mommy, I want milk...NOW.
Me:   Yes, ma'am
Ella:  I'm not a man, I'm a girl!

Me:   Here are some cheerios
Ella:  Cherrios?...You're kidding me.  (It was a good thing, she ate them up).

Ella:  Mommy, sit on your bottom, your making me nervous.  (I think I may have said this a few times to her before...)

Playing "Hide & Seek", upon finding Ella "hiding" in the middle of the living room floor:
Ella:  Who are you and how did you find me?  (We have been watching a lot of Tangled recently).

But alas, I fear we are also entering "why" territory.  Which is funny in it's own way...you never know when it is going to end...


Me:   Ella, it's time to turn off the TV.
Ella:  But Why?
Me:   Because it's time to eat dinner.
Ella:  But Why?
Me:   Because we need dinner to grow up strong and healthy.
Ella:  But Why?
Me:   Because we want to do fun things like paint, and ride our bikes.
Ella:  But Why?
Me:   Because riding our bikes is fun.
Ella:  Oh.

And even better then Elanor's hilarious new words is the laughter that comes from Lydia whenever she sees her sister trying to push her in the swing, bounce her in the chair, or hand her toys on the floor mat.  Lydia gets the BIGGEST smile ever and starts giggling...the best and most adorable giggle I have ever heard.

And in between all the smiles we have been having a lot of fun...

hanging out at home

playing at the park

trying to avoid water at the water park

shopping

racing with our friend Molly

learning to roll over

eating broccoli (yummy!)

getting our first hair cut

and painting

Sparkling Good Times

We are really starting this summer off with a bang.  We have been up to so much that I feel we have hardly been home...it's nice to be out of the house and enjoying what our beautiful town has to offer.

We started off with a trip to a baseball game (a Father's Day gift to Dan from Ella and Liddy).  We went to the San Rafael Pacifics game on one of the hottest days of the summer at the time (we soon found out that 95 really isn't that hot!).  Liddy figured out how to the handle the situation quite well...just fall asleep.  The rest of us were pretty miserable ...  and when the Pacifics were up 8 to 1 after the end of the 5th inning, we called it a night.  It was a blast though and Elanor loved to see Sir Francis the Drake (the Pacifics mascot) running around.  She actually went and gave him a hug which is unusual for our shy little girl.  

The next day we spent in downtown San Anselmo at the Art and Wine festival.  After this year, I'd have to say it is now a tradition for us to walk around and end with a train ride.  Ella seemed to enjoy it a lot more this year then last.

And we visited our new park downtown which was just unveiled about a week ago.  The land and construction of the park was donated by George Lucas (he lives in town with us).  Imagination Park has some grass, benches and a fountain with Yoda and Indiana Jones.  Dan's stoked.

And then there was 4th of July weekend, and we made sure to pack it full of fun.  We started out with 110 degree heat in Sacramento.  Sound fun yet?  Well, after running through the sprinklers for a while and spending most of the day inside with the AC on, we ventured out for some early fireworks.  Elanor held her first sparkler.  Amazing.  We then lit the fireworks.  Ella said her favorites were the snakes...

The next morning we went to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery.  I wish we would have ventured up here sooner, it was so much fun.  We fed both Trout and Salmon but all liked the trout the best, mainly because they were larger and easier to see.   Although, really, we basically just had a blast watching the fish fight over the food.  We'll be back later this year when they are climbing the ladder.

And then later that day was the County Fair.  We rode the airplanes about 5 times in a row, but we had to venture over to see the pig races and baby chicks...and we were really excited when our pig, Britney Spareribs, won the race!

I hope the rest of the summer is as fun and eventful as it has started off.  I don't know if Ella will remember a lot of this as she grows up, but I know I will.  And they will be great memories.