A while ago a family friend posted about her daughter's birthday and how she loved the song Happy by Pharrell. It made me laugh bc Addy also loves this song-in fact it is the first song that I can remember her dancing to all on our own, and she often requests it. So when I saw that our friend made her daughter a video of all her loved ones dancing to that song, I thought what a great idea it was and decided to do the same! Although it is a bit late, we love the results and all the people in it. Also, Addy has done the impossible and decided she loves this song, and the people in it EVEN more! So thanks for the idea Mikila, and thanks so much to all those who participate-Addy and family love all of you more then words can say. You make us so very HAPPY, as does our sweet girl!
As of yesterday, my Adelaide is a large and in charge 2 year old! Even writing that sounds surreal-it feels like its been two seconds instead of 2 years-and yet at the same time I feel like I can hardly remember life before her-like she has always been here where she belongs, with us.
I think as a parent you want to be sure that your children aren't spoiled, but at the same time you love them so much you want to 'spoil' them or give them the world. I think, for me at least, this came to the forefront. Addy has a few friends in nursery, and we wanted to let her have some of them over, so we decided to throw a little bday party. The nice thing about it being so close to Halloween is that its a built in theme-so we told her friends to come in costume, and be ready for some fall fun. We made minestrone sausage soup, and my Mom made some delicious buttery rolls, and had cider and water to drink. We ate and played for a while, Addy with her friends, me and Lester with ours, which was a nice fit! Then we eventually headed into the back yard for a pumpkin piñata. I think this was a first for many of the kids, so it was really fun to watch. I particularly loved how after I told Addy what to do, she felt the need to say 'Whack!' out loud every time she hit it. It was like she thought it wouldn't count if she neglected to say it-so funny and so typical Addy. All the kids seemed to have fun, but the way their eyes lit up when they saw the candy falling was priceless-it was like a light bulb went on, and they suddenly saw the point in hitting the pumpkin. They all raced around to get their candy, and then we eventually headed in for more play time and hanging out. When it came time for dessert, everyone sang happy bday and Addy blew out candles on her pumpkin pie like a pro. We had this a la mode and then did some present time and more hanging. We are so lucky to have so many good friends, and I know Addy loved every second of it!
On her actual birthday, we were able to go out for a birthday breakfast in Nob Hill with my in laws. The food was delicious and Addy loved her blueberry banana souffle pancakes almost as much as the time with her Lolo and Lola. Later that night, we did cake, ice cream and presents with my family, since Lester had to miss that portion of the birthday party when he had to go into work.
That night when we were reading some of her new books and cuddling, I again thought about how much more my already wonderful life means now that she is in it. Her, Isla and Lester are not just my family, but they are also my best friends-corny, but true! There is no one I would rather spend my days, or my life with. Love that crazy, independent, sweet two year old of mine.
We have been computer less for the last little while, so I haven't had a chance to blog lately-which I suppose is fine in the long run bc we've been busy actually DOING things that we can now blog about!
Last year we were able to get together with some friends and go to a pumpkin patch in half moon bay. It was great, but it seemed like everyone always talked about a place called Lemos Farm for pumpkins and holiday fun, so we decided to check it out.
While ridiculously overcrowded, I can see what the hype is for if you have kids. They had everything from train rides, petting zoo, pony rides, hay rides, jumpy houses, haunted houses, and lots more. We opted for a day pass and decided to let Addy get her fill of fall fun, especially since Lester was w us that day which is somewhat rare with his current schedule. We spent several hours there, and thoroughly enjoyed every second. And with that, I will now let a million pictures do the talking.
Last year we were able to get together with some friends and go to a pumpkin patch in half moon bay. It was great, but it seemed like everyone always talked about a place called Lemos Farm for pumpkins and holiday fun, so we decided to check it out.
While ridiculously overcrowded, I can see what the hype is for if you have kids. They had everything from train rides, petting zoo, pony rides, hay rides, jumpy houses, haunted houses, and lots more. We opted for a day pass and decided to let Addy get her fill of fall fun, especially since Lester was w us that day which is somewhat rare with his current schedule. We spent several hours there, and thoroughly enjoyed every second. And with that, I will now let a million pictures do the talking.
[feeding the goats]
[picking out pumpkins]
[when there were lines, they had things to keep the kids occupied like this, which was great.]
[Daddy & Isla on the train]
[Mommy & Addy on the train]
[she finally started getting tired on the hay ride]
[she kept trying to eat the hay..we stopped that real quick! haha!]
[she loved feeding the goats]
[she begged us over and over again to ride the ponies and then was SO serious the whole time haha..]
[but still, adorable]
[Even Isla had a good time, and was sleeping or smiling the whole day..what a trooper!]
[I love her!]
So overall, we will consider this a success! Love these family outings...and in a few days I will be able to blog about Addy's 2nd birthday and her party with all her little friends. Life is good!
Obviously, I am more then a little behind on keeping this updated on our letter adventures [see this post] which is probably bc we've been so busy actually DOING the associated activities. So I will just catch it all up right now.
As you may remember, for letter A we ate apples and had fresh squeezed apple juice at the aquarium. We also watched Ariel and talked about Addy's name and how that starts with the letter A.
For letter B, we baked banana bread, explored and learned about the beach, took a bath, read lots of books, and of course played with Baby sister.
For letter C, we visited a castle on the cliffs, ate croissants at a cafe, colored and watched some Curious George and cooked cookies.
For letter D, we got donuts, did lots of dancing with family, hung out with Daddy and visited and learned about ducks-and of course watched some Donald Duck. We also read about dinosaurs and did some drawing.
For letter E, we visited the Exploratorium [which is like a hands on museum-kids LOVE it], learned about and colored elephants, played with Eskimo puppets and learned about ears. For this part, my family got involved and tried on different animal ears and sang do your ears hang low. We also watched Emperor's New Groove.
For letter F, we went to Pacifica's annual Fog Fest, where we got Addy's face painted and played in the jumpy fun houses, visited friends and ate french fries. We also learned about flowers and farms and the animals they have there. We also watched read/watched Fantastic Mr. Fox.
Apart from alphabet related activities, life has kept at a steadily busy pace. Lots of balancing with work and school for Lester, and me with the two kiddos. But luckily we've been able to throw some fun in here and there, with things like beach walks at sunset, zoo trips and other fun times. These are the things that make all the mundane ones worth it. We have lots of wonderful memories to look back on, and lots of wonderful things to look forward to. So that is life right now!
As you may remember, for letter A we ate apples and had fresh squeezed apple juice at the aquarium. We also watched Ariel and talked about Addy's name and how that starts with the letter A.
I find myself these days feeling like there are not enough hours in the day or limbs for me to use to keep up with these two girls of mine. That said, I am also feeling how fleeting these days are with my babies as I watch them sprout so quickly right before my eyes. Isla is now two months, and she is still such a sweet, sensitive little girl. She has extremely good head control and leg strength and these big wide open blue brown eyes. She does a lot of baby talk & attempts at communication, & is gracing us with her smiles more and more every day now-I defy you to find a more heart melting sight. She loves to be held and bounced and kissed and cuddled and has such a sweet, sincere sense about her. She likes to be wrapped up as often as possible, or at very least, have something to hold onto with her dainty little hands. She loves to watch her sister play, and gets to even participate sometimes. She doesn't cry to terribly often, but when she does she goes from 0, with fluttery adorable little whimpers to 10, with full on screams I-demand-you-hold-me-this-instance cries fairly quickly. Even so, there is no part of me that misses the days before her. She was meant for this family, and she has added an essential ingredient to it-our family feels so much more complete with her here now.
Addy is doing wonderfully. She has quite the extensive vocabulary, and is very active. She loves to run, climb, dance and play. But at the same time she loves books and reading, learning, and cuddling. She loves to be outside, will eat just about anything, but loves juice the most. She is friendly and over all just such a happy kid.
She is also a very attentive sister. True, there are moments of pacifier stealing or the occasional lap jealousy, but they are rare, and she handles it like a champ. I can't get over how easily she has accepted this role. She loves to come up to her anywhere, anytime and say 'hug' and 'kiss' and then follow it up with exactly that. She still likes to hold her when we let her, and she loves to tell us when she is crying [regardless of whether or not we are right there haha]. She switches between calling her Sister or Isla and often wants to talk to just her, and then she will say a bunch of words and laugh hysterically, like they are sharing a joke. A day or two ago, we were learning about the letter D so we were all dancing while Isla watched wide eyed in the Bumbo chair. Suddenly Addy stopped and ran over, got on her knees and said 'Sister-Isla dance!' and took her by the hands and started helping her dance in the seat, rolling their shoulders moving her arms. It was such a little thing, but it made me feel SO so good about our choice to have them so close together. They are already developing such a wonderful relationship and both of them are growing as a result of it. Apart from how fast its happening I am loving every second of it.
I guess this is just all on my mind because of today. Lester has been pretty busy lately, putting that hard work ethic to good use, and so while he's putting more hours in work and school, I am putting more hours in on the home front. This of course leads to an almost constant need for Mommy sharing [thank goodness for my family and all the help they give me!]. But today while Lester was at work we went to an engagement party for my cousin and there were so many people willing and wanting to hold/play with my babies, I actually got to have one on one time with each of my girls. The best part was I didn't have to worry that one of them wasn't being attended to, bc I knew they were in good hands! I got to play with Addy in the pool for a good while, and then I got some one on one time with Isla later. It made me realize how much they are growing and how blessed I am to have a front row seat while they do so.
I guess I just felt the need to document once again where we're at right now and who my girls are at this age. I'm so glad my Mom did that for me, and I want to be sure I am able to give that to them as well. Being there Mom is a precious gift, and I hope they know how much I love them-and how grateful I am to be a part of their story.
Addy is doing wonderfully. She has quite the extensive vocabulary, and is very active. She loves to run, climb, dance and play. But at the same time she loves books and reading, learning, and cuddling. She loves to be outside, will eat just about anything, but loves juice the most. She is friendly and over all just such a happy kid.
She is also a very attentive sister. True, there are moments of pacifier stealing or the occasional lap jealousy, but they are rare, and she handles it like a champ. I can't get over how easily she has accepted this role. She loves to come up to her anywhere, anytime and say 'hug' and 'kiss' and then follow it up with exactly that. She still likes to hold her when we let her, and she loves to tell us when she is crying [regardless of whether or not we are right there haha]. She switches between calling her Sister or Isla and often wants to talk to just her, and then she will say a bunch of words and laugh hysterically, like they are sharing a joke. A day or two ago, we were learning about the letter D so we were all dancing while Isla watched wide eyed in the Bumbo chair. Suddenly Addy stopped and ran over, got on her knees and said 'Sister-Isla dance!' and took her by the hands and started helping her dance in the seat, rolling their shoulders moving her arms. It was such a little thing, but it made me feel SO so good about our choice to have them so close together. They are already developing such a wonderful relationship and both of them are growing as a result of it. Apart from how fast its happening I am loving every second of it.
[above two are when she was helping Isla 'dance.']
I guess this is just all on my mind because of today. Lester has been pretty busy lately, putting that hard work ethic to good use, and so while he's putting more hours in work and school, I am putting more hours in on the home front. This of course leads to an almost constant need for Mommy sharing [thank goodness for my family and all the help they give me!]. But today while Lester was at work we went to an engagement party for my cousin and there were so many people willing and wanting to hold/play with my babies, I actually got to have one on one time with each of my girls. The best part was I didn't have to worry that one of them wasn't being attended to, bc I knew they were in good hands! I got to play with Addy in the pool for a good while, and then I got some one on one time with Isla later. It made me realize how much they are growing and how blessed I am to have a front row seat while they do so.
I guess I just felt the need to document once again where we're at right now and who my girls are at this age. I'm so glad my Mom did that for me, and I want to be sure I am able to give that to them as well. Being there Mom is a precious gift, and I hope they know how much I love them-and how grateful I am to be a part of their story.
