Vacation time!

My favorite month of the year has come and gone.  It's my favorite because it starts to cool down below 100 later in the month AND we go on our annual San Diego trip.  Per usual it was wonderful and relaxing.  I have included several photos at the end of the post.  There were so many cute ones.  We stayed at the same house we've rented the last few years and brought the dogs along too.  They, of course, had a blast at the dog beach and the girls LOVED the sand and the water.  Leila didn't want to get out at one point and was just sitting in the water.  Anytime Scott or Keira would go down to the water to fill up a pail she was close behind making sure no one forgot her.

We also took the girls to their very first baseball game with Scott's parents.  We had a blast as did the girls.  We even ended up on the TV (with me making a funny face of course) as our friends texted us a photo of what we looked like on the TV.  Of course we were trying to entertain the girls.

Before the game

Just heading to the game

Keira is still cracking us up with her sayings.  She is also getting pretty good at swimming.  Can't wait for next summer.  Plus Leila loves the water so I think she's going to be a fish too.  After we got back from our vacation we potty trained Keira as well.  She has been doing so well over the past week and a half.  The first day and the third day she had a couple accidents, but since then (knock on wood) she's been perfect...even at school.  She is so proud of being such a "big girl" that one night she needed to sleep with her underwear (like a blankie) so I let her instead of having a tantrum.  Well, around 1AM I hear "underwear mommy, underwear" through the monitor.  She couldn't find it and I had to go find it to give it to her as she wouldn't let up.  Luckily that was the only night that happened.

Working on her breathing

Keira is talking up a storm lately.  Seriously...it's hard to get her to be quiet, but I love it.  She's just so chatty and how she describes things are so funny.  A couple of Keira's current quotes are:

• "She a cranky butt" - in reference to Leila as we sometimes say that when she's tired and whiny 
• "I want some sink in this." - wanting water in her play teapot

Leila is just a beast.  She is standing some on her own and continues to need to be next to her ALL THE TIME.  Of course she has her temper too.  If Keira is drinking juice or something, Leila will actually yell at her for a drink.  We had some juice in San Diego and I gave her a sip of it.  She liked it A LOT!  So Keira took a sip and Leila yelled at her. Then I took a sip to see if she'd do it again...yep, another holler.  Then my mom took a sip and she yelled again.  Then when we brought it towards her she was smacking those lips.  It was pretty funny.  Can't believe she's almost a year old!  Where does the time go?  She also thinks she's quite a big girl and refuses to eat any purees and insists on eating only what Keira eats.  So now I have all these purees that no one will eat. 

10 months old!!  Seriously this is the best photo we could get. Girl is wild! 

Just how we hang out at home sometimes

SAN DIEGO

Chillin' 

 Getting ready to dig

 A little sass!

 Sisters hanging and playing in the sand with their dad

 Still diggin'

 Abby's tea cups at Sea World

 Waiting for the show to start at Sea World

 Beach babe!

 Ready to paddle board

 Trying to steal snacks

 Family photo

 Running in the waves

 Right before they got bowled over by a wave

 Not happy after that wave took her down

 Happy now in the chair made out of sand

 LOVE!

 Daddy and his girls

 Watching the dolphins warm up

 Elmo's ride!  Keira had to go on it several times

Just a couple paddle boarders

Surgery, a new job and more...

Every time I think there is going to be a lull and life will slow down a bit, it doesn't.  I guess that's how life is with two young children.  It did slow down for a couple days as I FINALLY had my surgery.  I was really worried it wasn't going to happen because there was still some residual fluid around my pancreas and I was super emotional driving to my pre-op appointment, but he came out with great news and it was done.  No joke that I was probably the most giddy patient they've ever had.  I was ready and had a great team in place to perform the gall bladder removal, so I wasn't nervous at all.  A little anxious since I've never had surgery, but not necessarily nervous.  All went well and I was out of there by noon.  I was extremely excited that I could eat again and enjoyed some delicious Coldstone ice cream for lunch the following day.  I was immobile for a couple days just hanging out in bed for the most part, but I was up and around soon enough even though I was pretty sore.  I also started a new job, so I was officially unemployed for about a month.  Scott and I also finished our bowling season, which we were sad about as it's so much fun but we will be at it again next year.

As for the girls, Leila is a wild woman!  She is also a bit of a troublemaker and very mischievous. She also seems to realize when she is taunting Keira by taking something from her and running away with it.  She thanks she is really funny.  She also has to be anywhere and everywhere that Keira is.  If Keira is eating, Leila is there and wants some.  If Keira is playing with her stroller, Leila is right next to her.   She is almost standing up on her own, can wave bye-bye, and claps all the time.  She is also cruising around furniture quite proficiently.

This face looks sweet and innocent, but it's far from it!

9 months! 17 pounds!

Lookin' for some trouble

About two weeks after my surgery, we did have a fun adventure with one of our neighbors and we went to the second to last day of Cardinals Training Camp.  Keira LOVED it!  She honestly thought she was going on the field and as we got there she was running through the concourse saying how she had to get to the field to throw the ball. She would then make a throwing motion with her arm.  She was pretty distraught to learn she wasn't allowed to be on the field as was her friend.  They did get to cheer nice and loud for Larry though.  They kept saying (regardless of who caught the ball) "Go Larry!"  At the end of camp we had special bracelets to get autographs from four of the players which was a bit of a wait, but she had fun and now has some good signatures for guys that have made some key plays for the Cardinals this year. She was not a fan of Big Red as we don't do people dressed up in costume and had to keep an eye out for him throughout the entire time we were there.  You never know when that big red bird might pop up behind you.  Of course they are very kid friendly and also had a mini combine set up.  Keira participated like a champ and definitely excelled at certain obstacles over others.

Keira is getting even chattier (if that were even possible) and really says the funniest things as she's learning how to form sentences and have conversations.  One example is when she wants the lights on she says "Turn the dark off."  Also, we hear a lot of "oh man, Leila" if Leila is into something of Keira's and messes it up or we also hear a lot of "no Leila, no. NO!"  One recent conversation at the dinner table was as follows:

• K: This not your monkey water, mommy! (in reference to me stealing her water cup with a monkey on it to take a sip)
• Me: sorry!
• K: Daddy have beer?
• Me: Yes, he does.
• K: Mommy too little?

It's so interesting where her mind goes and how she processes things.  She is also just the sweetest little girl.  She used to not be super cuddly as a baby, but she has gotten a tiny bit more cuddly and is getting so affectionate.  She has to always give kisses and hugs when saying goodbye to anyone, even Leila (which Leila loves as she squeals in delight), and she will also blow kisses like a champ.

So those are the highlights of the month.  I can't wait for September as we head to San Diego at the end of the month for our annual vacation!

 Sisters having a tea party!

 Leila right up in it, per usual

 Keira is eating, so Leila is close by 

 Scott swimming with his girls.  They LOVE the water!

A LONG, busy month!

We had quite the busy month in July! This will mostly be a month in pictures with a few stories.

We went to Long Beach/Los Angeles for the Fourth of July as we do every year.  We stayed for a few days and it was wonderful.  The girls had a blast and of course we loved seeing our friends that we don't get to see enough.  As for my surgery update, still nothing.  I'm still on my bland, low/no fat diet which is just so wonderful. I have a few staples I can eat and that's about it.  Scott has been loving dinners the past 8 weeks.  I am scheduled for surgery on August 7th, but I won't know until the 6th whether or not it will happen.  Also, I am hopefully on the verge of a new job offer.  I will keep you updated next month, but I'm excited.  I've been unemployed for one month now and I have definitely realized that I am someone who needs to work.  Scott and I did have an awesome date night out to see Bruno Mars in concert.  No joke that we had amazing seats and Bruno was amazing!  It was seriously one of the best concerts I've ever been to.

Leila is just getting bigger and bigger.  She is 8 months now and in addition to crawling, she is pulling herself to a stand, cruising around furniture, of course falling down and knows how to let herself down slowly.  It's quite impressive.  And of course Keira is so sweet with Leila when she falls down and she will squat and say "Leila, you okay? You okay, Leila?"

Leila's crawl is seriously funny. Sometimes she crawls normally, but most of the time it's a version like this:

Leila is also growing so much that she got her bottom two teeth in early July, right about 8 months old. This is quite the milestone as it took Keira quite a while to get her first teeth, however Leila was in beast mode while teething.  She is definitely not as pleasant as Keira was.  It's amazing how each child is different.

8 months!

LOVES standing up on this chair and burying her face in the animals

Just cruisin' around with sister's gardening shovel

Keira is still making us laugh on a daily basis.  Of course she has some brutal tantrums as well, but they are usually few and far between and the laughs make it worth it in the long run. Typical two year old behavior.  She had her fourth hair cut this month and it is quite the serious situation as she holds so still and only her eyes dart around to see what the stylist is doing.

We have had another busy month with gymnastics every Saturday, but we also added in a two week swim lesson session with the City.  She's great in our pool, but we wanted to get her acclimated to a different instructor.  The first day was rough in that she cried almost the entire lesson, but she still did everything the teacher asked (while crying), which I thought was quite funny.  The next day she was a different child and was completely fine.  She is quite the little fish and her kicks are getting stronger and stronger every day.  Her jumping on the other hand still needs some work.  Here's an example:

 Keira is also the best big sister ever!  She is always checking on Leila and is so sweet with her.  She will hold her hand down a slide, picks out a water bottle for Leila and holds it for her to drink, and just checks on her constantly.  Of course on the flip side we also hear a lot of "No Leila! Too little" when Keira doesn't want her to touch or play with something.  Leila just loves her big sister though and wants to be all up in whatever she is doing.  She can hold her own too.  She gets mad if Keira tries pushing her out of the way or takes a toy and she will yell.  Their interactions are hilarious.  I can't wait to see more as they continue to grow.  Keira also seems to think that anytime I go to Starbucks she gets something.  I mentioned Starbucks in passing one day and I hear her say from the backseat, "I need my Starbucks. I need my chocolate milk."  Needless to say I was shocked, but of course I had to take care of the little lady's needs (and mine).

 Loves to paint

Hosing the deck/pool/dog and LOVING it! She is quite the helper. 

Watching the progress on her dinosaur hatching from the Science Center

Below are additional photos of our adventures in July.

 BEACH TIME!

 Leila is loving her first time at the beach

 Of course no beach trip is complete without snack time

 Me and my girls

 Scott and his two girls

 A little beach wrestling session

 Fourth of July!

 The whole family!

 Sounia hung out with us and we went to the Aquarium

 Cousin Katelynn was in town and met us at the beach to make some sand castles

 The girls with their bestie, Mia, at the Science Center

 Leila building at the Science Center

 Just checking out the Sesame Street Exhibition

 This grump was hanging with Oscar

 Adorable!