Yard Work

For now, it's someone else doing the work!

We're finally making real progress on the landscaping. The guys have been "planting" boulders today; we'll have a lovely dry creek bed here, and a soft green lawn in the back. I'm so excited! 

Play Date

Liv and her friend, K, got together to play today

(and Mom had a lovely visit and some adult conversation!)

a fabulous snack. mmm, mmm, mmm!

negotiating terms of play (taking turns)

silly, silly little girls!

Toddler Days

Liv is embracing all things toddler -

...except for being the world's fussiest eater, as some toddlers can be. Liv is actually pretty good about trying new things, she doesn't freak out if her food "touches," or eat nothing but french fries for a week. She of course has her favorites (and meatballs are def. on the list!).  

But I get this face with some frequency:

...and she pouts, and giggles, and jumps, and runs, and imagines climbing a ladder to paint the clouds pink at sunset, or to go visit the cresent moon. "It's right there. It's all alone. I'll climb up there and sit." ... from a recent bedtime conversation that utterly melted my heart.

and every once in a while, if I'm lucky, she wears herself right out:

Camila Luna at 3 Months

Nearly three months old, and so much more engaged with her world,

Luna brings a great deal of joy to my days.

She rolled over for the first time today. I thought it was perhaps a fluke, but she repeated the stunt two more times - and with witnesses. :)

This beautiful sweater is a lovely gift, handmade by Mrs. O. Thank you so much!

No, I don't always dress her in this much pink - even if she does look pretty cute in it!

Ring Around the Rosie

This isn't Liv's best version, but the best I have on video.

She also does a very cute "itsy bitsy spider"!

I'll try to capture that to share with you.

We have not fallen off the face of the earth

So I've gotten a few comments... we're still here. All is well. I just haven't been taking pictures - sorry!

Here's Liv working on what she calls her "(s)ticker project"

is that a hint of the "mayberry tongue"?  :)

Little Luna is starting to reach and grasp and play with toys.

Liv was such an incredibly "mellow" baby; I'm still surprised by how fast Luna is to laugh or cry.

It's fun to watch this relationship develop.

love to all.

Update - sorry no pics

Hello, sorry it's been a while.
We are all doing well.

Here's the big news first:

Jeff has a new job with Covanta. he is now the Plant Manager at the Waste-to-Energy facility here in Stanislaus County! It's a big change and big challenge - but we're happy with the opportunity (and especially the lack of travel! - woo-hoo!)

As I mentioned last time, the girls had their well-child checkups last week. They are both doing well- but we knew that!

Camila Luna is 2 months (well 2-1/2, now) she weighs 13 lbs (90-95 percentile) and measures 23-1/2 inches (75-90 percentile). She got a pile of vaccinations and cried and cried and cried, poor thing.

Liv is 2 years, she weighs 25 lbs (25th percentile) and is 34 inches tall (50th percentile). She had only one vaccine due and didn't even flinch. What a trooper! She is developmentally "advanced" in her speech, vocabulary, colors, numbers. Physically she's right on track: kicking the ball, throwing overhand, walking up steps, jumping with 2 feet together.

Easter Egg Hunt

Happy Easter, Everyone!

So we tried to explain Easter to Liv (we're saving the resurection for another time) and told Liv about the giant rabbit, the colored eggs, and treats... she was all for it! (And I thought it was going to be a tough sell... LOL)

We practiced "hunting" on Friday and Saturday - "Want to play egg game again, Mommy?" She'd color in her Easter Bunny coloring book while I'd hide the eggs in the living room (again)! Then she'd race around finding eggs - what a hoot!

Today there was an Easter Egg Hunt for the Diablo Grande kids at the driving range, it was kinda cold (52 degrees, damp and windy) so all the girls had big jackets on over their sundresses - reminded me of Easters of my own childhood.

Liv knew just what to do!

Liv's buddy Klaudia brought her parents.

This big girl had technique and speed! Impressive!

But we did pretty well!  

We all got a big Easter Bunny Hug.

This little egg slept through most of the festivities.

Buddies!

Liv and Klaudia play together sevel times a week,

and even better, Klaudia is going to be a big sister in a few weeks!

we had a picnic at the park last week.

(turns out K does not think olives are delicious)

:)

A few Luna pictures:

strong enough to sit (stuffed into the cushions, lol)

and cuddling

Two Years Old

Wow! Another big milestone for Liv!

With Jeff's travel schedule and our friends' busy lives we had a hard time pulling together a single birthday celebration... so, we had several!

We have a two-year dr's appointment next week. Liv will get her last round of vaccinations and boosters until kindergarten and will get her physical and cognative development measured, I suppose. I'll share her height and weight stats with you then.

As for my two year observations, forgive me if I'm not terribly thoughtful or insightful... She is the light of my days and my biggest challenge! Liv continues to learn about her world, her place in it, and how things work at an incredible pace. She has become a very good talker - though there is still a certain amount of Liv speak that needs translating! :) for example, she doesn't say any begining "s" sounds. She plays well with other children - though I'm afraid she's becomming a bit "bossy." (I would love any thoughts on abating that particular toddler tendency!) there's more... but I have to run!

Cheers and Happy Birthday to my little Liv.