Hannah Nicole 4 Years 3 Months

We are having such a fun summer with our fabulous four year old! Hannah has always been and continues to be such an amazing little girl. I love that she's at the age where we want to take her on errands with us because she's so fun to hang out with and is well behaved. She often makes trips to Lowes with dad for household projects dad is working on or new soil, plants, etc...for the garden that she and her dad started this spring. She loves helping me in the grocery store and is super at entertaining her little sis. Most people think she's 5, partly because of her height but also because she is mature for her age. She's loved all of our trips so far this summer and sets a great example to her little sis on how to travel in the car for long road trips. We are lucky that we haven't had to rely on tv to survive long car rides. Hannah loves reading books (to herself and Jordyn), doing art, playing with toys and quite often she just sits there and stares out the window watching the scenery go by.  :) 

 Here is the latest on our fabulous four year old:

** Favorites**

~ bike riding (she loves going on family bike rides)

 ~wake surfing (the last 2 summers we had to coax her into the water and on the surf board, this summer she jumps right in and immediately asks to go for another wake surf run as soon as she's done)

  ~ camping (has always been and continues to be her favorite activity...she is super excited we have another 5 day camping trip this week and a weekend camping trip in Sept with her dad, uncle Dustin and cousin Mazzy)

 ~ art projects (she loves pulling out her art tub that we put together for her this past Christmas and creating pictures for family and friends or working on new projects that we have in there for her to do)

 ~obstacle courses while being timed  :)  (this is something her dad and I both do with her, typically out in the yard & occasionally at the park, an obstacle course is created and then each family member is timed...she loves doing it over and over trying to constantly better her time) 

~ asparagus, artichokes, ice cream, chicken tacos, pickles & black olives (just to name a few!) She is still a great eater, however recently has decided she's not a huge fan of cheese...kinda strange... she is super into making homemade ice cream with dad in our new ice cream maker...& it tastes AMAZING!

 ~reading to herself...she will sit and read books aloud to herself for 30 min- 1 hr. daily...her current favorite is a fairy chapter book series that we started checking out from the library

~dancing... if we are home she dances an average of 3 times a day (after pretty much every meal in the kitchen with her family, and/or on her own in her bedroom on top of her toy box)...she loves to put on dance shows for mom, dad, sis & any friends that may be over

~singing (loves listening to and attempting to sing along to "princess songs"  

she gets very animated with her expressions and gestures...it's hilarious!

~swimming (the growth she has made over the past 6 months is incredible) private swim lessons this summer have helped to continue her growth, her confidence in the lake is so high compared to last summer...a new favorite is jumping off the side of the boat

~popcorn and movie nights with mom and dad (due to it being summer we've had a lot more of these, she loves it when I hide surprise candy treats in her popcorn & we love that her staying up til 9:30 means she'll sleep til 8:30/9)

We are so proud of the accomplishments Hannah has made and the great example she sets for her little sis. She is becoming so independent (she can now completely shower/bathe herself..hair and all!) and makes us smile & laugh constantly. We look forward to watching her play in her first soccer league this fall, go to her dance recitals and hear all the stories she has to share about her day at pre-K. We also can't wait for our next "date" with her to see the Barnum and Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus mid August.  :)

summer hair cut

before and after....looking way too old!

playing school...she is so excited to start pre-K in a few weeks

I often catch her doing this in her room...solo dance party  :)

building a castle for her fairies

working on her back stroke with Kelly

reading out front with Nonne

Our super shopper in Costco

excited to have her BFF over for a summer sleepover

Jordyn Elizabeth 1 year 3 months

So many changes with our sweet youngest daughter over the past few months. I had forgotten how quickly they grow and change at this age. Jordyn is the most outgoing, happy, strong (both physically strong and strong willed) little girl. She is hilarious...she constantly cracks herself up (I can't tell you how often she laughs at herself throughout the day!) and as a result is constantly cracking us up as well.  :) A big change for Jordyn was at 14 months we eliminated dairy from her diet. She's always been a spitty-uppy kid, but as she started moving into the solid food phase, she became more of a pukey kid. It never seemed to phase her, she'd quite often gag or choke during a meal & then throw up (sometimes an entire meal), but always with a smile on her face. It wasn't fun to deal with, but we just figured she had a high gag reflex. As she got older however and it didn't seem to subside, we knew something else had to be going on and decided to have some allergy tests done.  The tests revealed that she has a slight (not severe) allergy to dairy. After switching her from cow to rice milk and eliminating yogurt, cheese, etc...we immediately noticed a huge difference. In the past 6 weeks she's thrown up only 3 times, no longer coughs during meals or easily gags on her food. We are so relieved!!! Both Josh and I were allergic to milk as children, however we eventually grew out of it. We're hoping that if we're strict enough, she'll grow out of this allergy some day as well. Below are some current stats on our beautiful brown eyed girl....

~ LOVES to eat...like seriously LOVES it, will eat anything (literally doesn't not turn away any type of food presented to her), we actually have to cut her off at meals....I don't know how she isn't chubbier!?!!

~ still is an amazing sleeper!! (I don't know how we got so lucky having 2 great sleepers!?!) currently during the summer she goes down between 8 & 9 and sleeps until 8:30/9:00 am...during the school year we get her to bed earlier cause obviously this girl loves her sleep! She also naps twice a day (morning 2-3 hr nap & afternoon 1-2 hr nap).... she has been a consistent night sleeper since 7 weeks old, we've only had to occasionally get up with her when she's been sick (congested) or a handful of times for teething....we are so lucky!!! I can't even imagine doing the whole newborn/sleep deprivation thing again after being so spoiled with our 2nd

~finally started walking at 14 months, had no interest prior to that and was an incredibly fast crawler....we are super happy (especially since it's summer and we're outdoors all the time, along with the fact that her fingers are always in her mouth) 

~as I mentioned above, she SUPER oral (Hannah was never like this),  LOVES to put anything and everything in her mouth!! She walks around with something in her mouth 90% of the time...fingers, her shoes, toys, socks, anything she can get her hands on!

~She has 16 teeth (2 top molars and 2 bottom just broke through over the past week)

~She LOVES the water...bath water, lake water, swimming pool water, sprinklers, water spouts...if it has ANYTHING to do with water she is in heaven!

~She's one tough cookie! and is freakishly strong for her age....when she bumps, falls, etc...she either isn't phased by it at all, or cries for literally a few seconds and then is over it....she has an iron steel grip & I swear must be developing little toddler biceps because she can muscle things away from kids twice her size 

~she ADORES her sister...laughs at Hannah, watches Hannah, copies Hannah and loves being anywhere her sister is...oh and loves pulling her sister's hair

~She loves her pets and is soooo gentle with them. We are amazed when she pets the cats (no typical tail pulling or grabbing) she just softly strokes her hand on their backs...it's super sweet. She loves visiting with Tuck (our Doberman) through the fence,she sticks her hand through and laughs uncontrollably as he licks it.

~Jordyn is SO active!!! Hannah was our chill, mellow baby, toddler and little girl....Jordyn goes non-stop! It's no wonder she sleeps so much & is able to eat the amount of food that she does, she is constantly burning energy. She entertains herself easily and really only gets fussy when she is hungry or tired.

~She's very outgoing! No stranger-danger with this girl (which kinda scares me!)....Hannah has always been our cautious, shy one....Jordyn will go into anyone's arms with smile on her face and her arm's stretched out reaching for them...she really only wants me if she's super tired, other than that she'll just chill with whomever. 

We love our brown-eyed beauty and are having so much fun watching her grow and change from a baby into a toddler. It's kind of bitter-sweet knowing she's our last, so we make sure to enjoy every moment of every stage....yet at the same time we also look forward to the adventures we'll have as she grows older and becomes even more independent.  She has definitely made our family of four complete!!

her favorite place in the car

 happy girl!

everything in her mouth!! :)

giving love to Tuck

walking!!

taking a break from naked water playing for a drink

A true Italian...enjoying her pasta and meatballs

checking out her cowgirl boots before rodeo weekend :)

Love this precious face

June Travels Part 1: Humboldt visit, ziplining and LakeTrinity

June was a month filled with many travels for vacation, lots of time with family and friends, boating, swimming....and of course it went by way too fast!!! Total we logged in 40 hours in the car during June....the girls did amazing! The first weekend of the month the girls and I headed up to Humboldt to celebrate my mom's birthday and Father's Day early. Josh worked that weekend, so the girls and I enjoyed some family time. They enjoyed their stop at Confusion Hill on our way up. It had been 2 years since Hannah had been. I have many fond memories of visits to Confusion Hill as a kid and want my girls to have fun memories as well.

painting a bird house for herself and her sister

cousin play time...Jordyn laughing (she is always such a happy girl)

Enjoying some play time with her cousin Brody at Nonni and Nonne's house

enjoying a girls night at Las Caz with Nicole and Sarah...yum!!

Hangin' with her Nonne

such wonderful grandparents!!

 For part of Josh's Father's Day gift I booked us a canopy tour at Sonoma Canopy Tours (known to be one of the longest and highest canopy tours ever created). It's something we've always wanted to do. Josh's mom came up for the day to stay with the girls and we headed out early to enjoy breakfast together at Howard Station Cafe in Occidental. Delicious Food!!! (highly recommend this place if you are in the area).  Alliance Redwoods (where I took my 6th graders to Outdoor Ed for 3 years) is the location of Sonoma Canopy Tours. Once arriving and checking in, Josh and I rode up the hillside to the top of the tour with 3 other couples. We had such a fun group! They told us not to take cell phones on the tour, since we wore gloves the entire time using an IPhone would be impossible and also because of the possibility of dropping it.  Of course we didn't bring a camera with a strap, so we left our phones behind. I wish we had brought them because now looking back I could have totally made it work.  :)  Oh well! We got 1 picture before and 1 after. :) Check out the website on the link above for photos and video clips.  It really was such an amazing experience. During our 2 1/2 hour tour we did seven ziplines (one of which was over 800 ft long), two beautiful skybridges, a spiral staircase up into the redwoods, and rappelled to the forest floor at the end of the tour. The views of the redwoods were absolutely breathtaking! I'm so glad we were able to do this together.  :)

before :)

after

Looking up into the redwoods after our tour...you can see one of the ziplines to the left and high above to the right

~ Lake Trinity ~

This year we decided to do our annual Sonoma County friends camping trip at Lake Trinity. Almost every year we've gone to Lake Philsbury (one of our all time personal favorites), however we decided on Trinity this year because one of our friends Kara grew up in Weaverville (just outside of Trinity) & we had talked for years about getting our boat on this lake. A couple downfalls we were aware of before heading to Trinity...1. the drive 2. the red clay (neither of which are fun when you are a boat owner). We booked one of the group campsites and began our trip on Friday night of Father's Day weekend. The group campsite was booked for Sat-Wed, however we decided to take our time driving and head up Friday and stay in Weaverville. We had a great dinner at Kara's parent's house, Hannah enjoyed some swim time in the hotel pool before bed and we were able to check out and enjoy a couple local bars that evening (Josh and I rotated staying with the girls). We were so glad we broke up the drive! It was nice to be able to get up Saturday morning, enjoy breakfast, the girls did a little window shopping in tiny downtown Weaverville, while the boys disc golfed and then we all headed to the lake getting there at 1:00. Overall we were happy with our campsite except for the fact that there was no beach to hang out at during the day when we were not out on the boats. The shore was rocky, however we were able to anchor both of the boats (our friend Greg brought his as well), near our campsite with no problem. While at camp the kids had fun biking, going on Scavenger Hunts, doing art projects, swinging in 1 of the 2 swings Josh set up and of course exploring. As much as I love hotels, cabins, etc...there's something about tent camping (especially as a kid) that is SO much fun!  Hannah loves getting our tent all set up. We love our huge Costco 2 room (10 person tent). It has enough room for Hannah's single air mattress, our Queen, my camping nightstand, Jordyn's pack-n-play, a toy area and all of our luggage. The front door is also hinged (enabling it to swing open and shut like a real door)...my personal favorite feature!  :)  On the lake we mostly enjoyed wake surfing, we also got in some morning wake board runs, but overall the lake definitely wasn't one of the top ski lakes we've been on. The water temp was a little on the cool side (I'm sure it's better in July). All in all we had a fun trip, however I don't know if the lake will be worth another visit again in the future.

chairs set up around the campfire...just beyond the chairs is everyone sitting down for dinner

watching some wake surfing action

her absolute favorite spot on the boat  :)

Happy girl  :)

tired girl ready for bed

so excited to roast her first marshmallow of the summer

wake surfing with dad...she could spend all day on the boat (makes owning a boat so worth it!)

Our family  :)

getting directions for their scavenger hunt

 During one of the afternoons we headed over to the Trinity Alps Resort for some playtime and ice cream. The kids had a so much fun playing, crossing the bridge and of course eating ice cream.  :)

enjoying a break for ice cream

BFF's

Hannah, Tyler and Kenzie crossing the bridge

love my little munchkin!

was mesmerized by the river

fishing adventure with dad

Mother's Day 2013

When I posted about May I hadn't uploaded any Mother's Day pics. Here are the photos from our relaxing, beautiful Mother's Day at Benbow Inn. Going to Benbow Inn is a tradition my family started when mom was pregnant with me 34 years ago and has continued throughout the years. The weather was perfect...I honestly have a hard time remembering a Mother's Day when it wasn't gorgeous there. It's amazing how you can drive such a short distance from Fortuna/Eureka and immediately find weather that is soooo much nicer! Visits to Humboldt (80% of the year) make me appreciate the great (season appropriate) weather we are accustomed to in Sonoma County. :)

Jordyn chatting with Nonni

Hannah excited for Nonni to read the "singing" card she picked out

enjoying the sun with my girls

Jordyn tasting the grass :)

she loves her Auntie

 The following are a series of attempts at a picture of the 3 girls, none of which resulted in all three of them looking at the camera smiling, however I love the sweet expressions these photos captured.  I just love these three girls!!

Hannah admiring her flower  :)

the little ones escaping as Hannah shows off her flower

Like father like daughter :)

Nonni and her girls

Love my sweet 4 year old

Hannah smelling the flowers

Jordyn tasting the flowers

 Words cannot describe how much I love my mom. She is such a nurturing Nonni to our girls & a supportive and loving mother to Nicole and me. Our girls adore her! Her playfulness, the way she makes the smallest task seem adventurous to them, her creativity, generosity, gentle ways and never ending love. She has always been there for Nicole and I, always making sure that our happiness is her utmost priority. She is so selfless....I strive to be as great of a mother and (someday) grandmother as she is!