Lauren is Crawling

Lauren turned 9 months old today. She is 27 inches tall (25%-ile) and weighs 14 lbs. 8 1/2 ozs. (5 %-ile). To celebrate she decided to finally crawl! Apparently she just never wanted something bad enough to crawl to it. That is until she saw Jack's Lightning McQueen toy on the living room floor while he was in his bedroom. It's all down hill from here, folks.

Nikki, Max and Gordon Ramsey?

The boys liked lounging in their bath robes with a snack and some Yo Gabba Gabba.

On Saturday night, Rob and I scored tickets to a taping of Gordon Ramsey's Kitchen Nightmares at a Greek restaurant here in Ventura Harbor.  Double score, Nikki came up with Max to watch the kids while we went!  So we got all dolled up (how did we miss the opportunity to get a photo of us looking like adults?) and abandoned Nikki with three kids under the age of four.  Our dinner was about what we expected from watching his show...suffice to say we both could have sent our entrees back to the kitchen, but I actually did.  However, we had a great time anyway.  Our waiter was great, cocktails were strong and the pita with hummus was good enough to make an entire meal out of.  While we only got a distant sighting of Chef Ramsey, I was informed that he saw my food when I sent it back to the kitchen.  I hope my lamb makes the final cut of the show, because I sure couldn't cut it at the table!  The best part of the evening was sharing a few laughs and some one-on-one time with my wonderful husband sans cell phone!  It was practically a second honeymoon.

On Sunday morning we all had a nice breakfast and Nikki and I took the boys to the park while Lauren took a nice long nap.  What follows is only a few of the many wonderful photos of the boys playing together.  They have such an amazing time together and I love seeing how close they are becoming as cousins.  Hope your weekend was as great as ours.  And of course HUGE thanks to Nikki and Max for making up to see us.

Max on the playground

The boys "rolled" down the hill

Looking like twins :-)

Close as two peas in a pod

Jack chilling in the climbing tube

Million dollar smile

Watch out because here I come!

Fun in the tube slide

Weeeeeee!!!!!!

Twisty slide, here I come!

Woo Hoo!

Swingers

Max loved this new park

Batman

Jack got a new wall decal for his room...Batman!  It is on the wall over his bed and Spiderman in now on the wall near his dresser instead.  Jack was so excited to watch us put it up.  During our discussion, we mentioned that bats sleep hanging upside down and he was very intrigued.  Really?  How do they do that?  Why?  So we answered his questions and then went about our business.  Well, when Rob went in to tuck Jack in before we went to bed last night, this is what he found...

Our little boy was doing his best to "hang" upside down like a bat with his feet over the safety rail!  He was absolutely sound asleep when we took this photo.  Once we quit laughing, we rolled him over and covered him up.  That's one for the blog, for sure!

Mater Teeth

Dad gum, Dad gum!

I found a horrible lollipop type of candy at the market that has buck teeth like the character Mater in the movie Cars.  Jack of course LOVED it!  Here he is sporting his new Mater teeth.  Heck with college, we've started an orthodontic fund.

Life's a Zoo

What a gorgeous day in Santa Barbara, perfect for the zoo.  I took this shot of the elephant for two reasons.  #1- Rob loves the pachyderms and #2 to show how beautiful that zoo is!  What a perfect setting.  The hills on one side, the beach on the other, and perfect weather almost every day.

Lauren loved her day at the zoo.  It was  her second visit, but this time she was really able to soak it in.  She was silent, just staring intently for the entire time. The animals were OK, but all those people!  Especially little people who were stroller height.  She was in Heaven.  The only thing she didn't like was wearing her hat.  She pulled it off every time I put it on.  Thank goodness for sunscreen.  Most of the time she stayed under the shade on her stroller, pulling herself forward toward the snack tray, so she wouldn't miss a thing.

Jack is practically a professional "zoo goer" by now, but he was so thrilled to have Daddy join us this time.  They did everything together, nearly attached at the hip.  Jack was excited to share  his picnic lunch, especially the Pop Rocks candy that crackled and crunched in their mouths and then made them both laugh hysterically. 

We even got to watch the new kids' show on the lawn after lunch. And let me tell you, that dinosaur was so cool that Jack even hid behind Rob for part of the show, just in case it was real.

Counting Blessings

Is it possible that I NEVER posted this video on the blog?! It was all such a blur for the first few weeks, but I am shocked that this isn't on here. I'm sure we sent it to everyone via email, but just in case (and because we LOVE this and it makes us tear up every time) here it is. Isn't life amazing and aren't we blessed beyond comprehension?

Swinger

Lauren has not enjoyed her swing for quite some time now.  So much, in fact, that I put dismantling it and taking it to Goodwill on my "to do" list.  Well, this morning I put her in it for a minute to run outside (totally expecting her to scream in protest) and this is what took place.  She decided it was fantastic!  She was so absorbed in the act of swinging that she couldn't focus enough to do her two favorite tricks, saying DaDa or waving bye-bye.  Go figure :-)

Best Buddies

If you thought your Friday night was fun, you got nothing on Jack and Lauren.  SpiderJack was playing peek-a-boo with Lauren and she was shrieking with delight!  They had so much fun and we were cracking up too.  I can see the great fun they will have as they grow up together.  Lauren ADORES him and he is adorable with her.  I couldn't be happier than when they are playing together.  Win, win, win!

DaDa

Who?  Me?

Guess who is saying her first word?  Miss Lauren says, "DaDa."  Over and over and over.  Even after I ask her to say MaMa.  Or Brother.  Or Dog.  No, she says DaDa.  I have devoted the last two years of my life to her from fertility treatments (Rob just had a hand in it), to pregnancy (and all the fun complications), and every minute of her life (she is just shy of 9 months old now).  But does she say MaMa?  Nope.  Rob sweeps in on his white stallion every night for 20 minutes of cuddles before bed and HE gets her first word?!  *sigh*  Well, when I DO get a "MaMa" it'd better be accompanied by a big smile and maybe a hug.  In the meantime, her sweet, sleepy cuddles on my chest will have to suffice....and oh do they suffice :-)

Chillin' in the Crib

Jack decided to join Lauren in her crib after her nap this morning.  She was very surprised to have company in there!

Another big milestone...Lauren's first tooth FINALLY came through!  YEA!  After teething for months and months, and suffering with swollen, tender, red gums we can finally see some relief.  While I know this is only the begining of many more teeth, it is a step in the right direction.

Happy Saturday

We started our morning with a yummy breakfast today.  Fresh baked croissants and fruit salad.  If you have not tried Trader Joe's croissants, do yourself a favor and go get some today!  They are frozen, but you leave them on a cookie sheet at room temperature over night to rise and then pop them in the oven when you get up.  They only take about 20 minutes to bake and are one hundred times better than those soft, mushy croissants at the market.  These get super crisp and flaky.  They also have chocolate ones.  Great treat!

Miss Lauren loved our fruit salad.  She had mangoes and nectarines in her new feeder.  It is a mesh pocket with an easy to grab handle.  I put fruit inside and she can suck it out through the mesh.  I don't have to worry about her choking and she is totally entertained.  She is becoming more independent all the time, and easily frustrated when she can't do things by herself.  So this is a great gadget for both of us.  I plan on freezing some watermelon to try later.  She is teething SO BAD (I can see the tooth pushing through her swollen gums, but it still hasn't cut all the way through) and I think the cold melon might feel soothing and taste yummy too.

And finally, Captain America is Jack's latest alter ego.  Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Parlor (or "Batman-Robin" as Jack calls it) is featuring Captain America ice cream as their flavor of the month.  Since Jack took a good nap yesterday we treated him to ice cream after dinner.  He got the very last scoop of Captain America in the building!  It was delicious, if you are three years old.  Now he can use his shield to protect himself from Baby's drool.
Have a great weekend everyone.

Haircut...Oh No!

Rob keeps reassuring me that this is Jack's "summer haircut."  If by summer he means "God awful," then I agree.  Same stylist as always, but I don't know what happened this time.  It is so short that all his cowlicks stand at attention.  Please pray for Jack's hair.

Blackmail

Now THAT'S what I call bed head!

Uuuhhhhh...needless to say, I immediately called to schedule an appointment for him to get his hair cut this week.  But if this is not one of the cutest photos of him, then I don't know what is.  Mommy will be using this for sure when he is in high school.  For sure!

Fireworks

Brunch in Redondo

Waiting for fireworks

Wow!  Fireworks!

Snoozing in the stroller

After brunch in Redondo Beach we journeyed back to Ventura in time to catch fireworks at Ventura City College.  We had a picnic dinner on the lawn, listened to music and waited for the sun to set.  Jack and Rob wandered thorough the vendor booths and came back with a cool Batman cape/mask for Jack.  We had hot chocolate (boy does our Thermos work, yikes!), cookies and popcorn to munch on as the sun slowly sank in the sky.  Finally it was time to cuddle in our chairs and take in the show.  Great display, as usual.  The biggest shocker of the evening was that Baby stayed awake for the entire evening!!  We brought her in her jammies since she usually falls asleep between 7:00 and 8:00, but she was wide eyed for the entire event.  She wasn't scared of the explosions, thank God, because the ear plugs didn't work in her tiny ears.  When the last burst fizzled in the sky, we packed up the stroller and wagon to head home.  Both kids were sound asleep before we got off campus.  We literally poured them into bed (Jack couldn't be roused enough to even get his jammies on ) and then sacked out ourselves.  What a crazy, busy, extra fun four day weekend!

Asleep in the wagon

P.S. I Love You

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

Palm Springs in July?  If Kim and Lorenzo are there for a quick visit from Italy, then so are we!  Two of the greatest, fun-packed days we've had in a very long time.  Yes, the heat was ridiculous, but when you have air conditioning, a pool and super company, who cares.  Jack and Lauren spent most of their waking hours neck deep in the water.  Jack loved copying Luke and Collin by jumping off the edge of the jacuzzi into the pool.  Miss Lauren wowed the crowd by showing off her mad skills at kicking and swimming underwater.  I seriously don't remember the last time we were all together, seems like someone is always missing.  But with Nick and Paula there from Oceanside, Kim and Lorenzo from Italy, and us from Ventura it was like Thanksgiving in July.  Jack had the best time EVER playing with his wonderful cousins, in the water and out.  At one point we had Angry Birds being played on three iPads and an iPhone all at once!  We had delicious meals both days, too.  I can't decide what my favorite was, maybe we should do it all again to refresh my memory, ha!  Pasta, potato salad, ribs, pear tart...(mouth watering)...over two days I know I defeated my week's worth of hours at the gym, but it was well worth the splurge.  Thanks so much to everyone for making such a fabulous weekend for us.  My laundry is clean, I'm ready to do it again :-)

Mommy and the little dolphin

Auntie Kim and her future partner in crime

Three Gaming Musketeers

Movie time!

A serious feast deserves some serious wine, Bella Barbera!

Flemings

Hey, hey, the gang's all here!

Friday night was classic Dinner with Dad Night. It's been a while since we did an MLK (my little kids) dinner with Dad, but this time we had all four of us kids and even all our "dates."  Flemings in Manhattan Beach did not disappoint.  Food, service, ambience, were all outstanding.   Nikki and Troy brought the entertainment (lottery scratchers) to celebrate everyone's birthday since it has been many months since we have had a dinner celebration together.  We also had Andria's graduation from nursing school to celebrate.  My mom and Jim watched all three grandkids for us, so it was an unusual adult only event.  Rob and I didn't know what to do without kids, so we ate, drank and laughed like newlyweds.  We told jokes and stories until about 10:30 which felt like 2 AM to us parents in the group! On Saturday, Rob and I were both in a world of hurt from trying to keep up with the professional drinkers at the table, but we had so much fun that it didn't damper our spirits at all.

Dad and Phil

Roberto and Andria

Nikki and Troy

Who are those people without Jack and Lauren?

Bone-in rib eye, mac 'n cheese, asparagus, garlic mashed potatoes, onion rings and shoestring fries.  Not to mention my pomegranate martini!

She's Nekey!

Getting ready for her bath after swimming.  Lauren has been scooting everywhere!  She has almost cracked the code for crawling, but in the meantime she uses her tummy as a fulcrum and turns wherever she wants to go.  He also rolls side over side as quick as a flash.  And bath time is her favorite time of day, without a doubt.  She is our water baby, for sure!

Aaaaargggghhh Mateys!

It's hard to believe that Max is already 2 years old!  But we joined the family in Long Beach to celebrate his "terrific two" birthday with a fabulous pirate party.  Jack started researching his role early.  We went to Disney store for the hat and wig, and the 99 cent store for all his other props.  We raided his closet for "piratey" clothes.  We even watched Peter Pan and a little bit of Pirates of the Caribbean so he could perfect his performance.  By the time the party arrived, he was ready for his Oscar worthy performance.  He couldn't decide if he was Captain Hook or Captain Jack Sparrow, but either way he had a blast!

Shiver me timbers!

He thought the mustache and beard were AWESOME!

That's a lot of candles little man

...and I'll huff, and I'll puff...

Oh, love your cousin.

Grandma Phyl with Lauren

It's hard to say which of them loved cuddle time the most.

Returning home with frosting in his beard.