Casual dining

I just LOVE how Maddy eats in her highchair. She is so kicked back and comfy!

I LOVE baby feet!

Maddy's Feet

Ellie's Baby Feet

So when do feet go from being so adorable and kissable, to stinky, nasty old things??

Sweet Sisters

Just some of my favorite pics of the girls.

Shark Attack

This past Saturday, we came one step closer to becoming true San Diegans. Armed with a borrowed pair of goggles, we swam 100+ yards off the La Jolla Shores beach in search of sharks. We swam around for awhile before we started to see signs of life in the ocean...first we saw a couple small sting rays, schools of fish, and then SHARKS!

In total, we probably saw 10+ sharks in an hour of swimming. Most of the sharks were 3-4 feet, but near the end we saw one that was probably closer to 5-6 feet. We had been told that swimming with the Leopard Sharks was a must do activity in San Diego...we agree.

Senora Ellie

Ellie is obsessed with eating at Rubio's fish tacos. I think it started about a year ago when Mark first took her there for a daddy/daughter date. They ate right in front of the fish tank and Ellie was just in awe watching the fish swim. We now have to eat there at least once a week (Tuesday IS $1 fish taco night!) and Ellie makes all of our out-of-town guests eat there too--it's on her "top 5 things to experience in San Diego" list. Every Sunday, as we pass Rubio's on our way to church, after she asks if we can stop in for a bite to eat, she yells "Rube-rube-RUBIOS!!! PLEASE??!!!" I think we could make a killing if Ellie were the spokeswoman for Rubio's. "Come and eat at Rube-rube-Rubios!! It's the best in town and the fish tank is real cool!" Anyways-- I was dying watching her eat her black beans one day after we had gone to Sea World. With her black bean mustache and her sunburned raccoon eyes she was really a sight to behold! Ole!!

Top 10 ways you can tell Maddy is our second child...

10--There are about 2,000 (yes--that is supposed to be 2,000!) fewer pictures of Maddy than there were of Ellie at her age
9-- We allow her to eat things off of the floor--even after the 10 second rule has come and long surpassed
8-- She sometimes doesn't get a daily bath--(or sometimes an every-other-day bath for that matter!)
7-- She has had to learn how to do much more on her own (i.e. rolling over, sitting up, playing, crawling and now standing)
6-- We allow her to wear clothes with "mystery stains" on them
5-- She owns two bracelets--instead of a matching one for each outfit --and never wears either one
4-- At nine months, we have yet to have a professional portrait taken of her (Ellie was every 3 months) and never sent out a birth announcement!
3-- She goes out in public with "oatmeal or squash face"
2-- We sometimes forget to brush her hair and do the "finger comb" on the way to church
AND THE NUMBER ONE WAY YOU CAN TELL MADDY IS OUR SECOND CHILD IS....
1-- All the bruises she has all over her body from all the "loves" her older sister Ellie gives her

We love you dearly Maddy! Even if our parenting has become way more negligent than it was with Ellie...

Creepy TV

Cartoons and kid's shows these days can be really fun and very educational. Ellie enjoys watching Between The Lions, Danger Rangers, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and a few others occasionally. But just for every cute kid's show out there, there is an equally creepy one. Have you ever seen Oobi? It's this show about a human hand that they put these bug eyes on and make it talk. Oobi has a sister Uma and his grandpa--Grand-poo. Interesting. But Noggin is coming out with this new show (August 20 if you're interested...) that looks like it will take the grand prize. It's called Yo Gabba Gabba. Take a look, if you dare.

Can you say--"CREEPY"?? But the problem is, ever since we saw this short skit for the show, the song "There's a party in my tummy. so yummy... so yummy..." has been playing over and over in my head at the most random times... AHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! Get it out!!

We are sooooo popular!!

SeaPort Village

Poway Train Park

Cresent Bay Beach Park

We LOVE having visitors!! In the past week, we got to visit with my little brother Tommy, my sister Mandy and her friend, and my mom and some of her family. We went to the beach a number of times, swimming, out to dinner too many times to count, shopping, Sea Port Village, rode a train, rode a carousel, went to OC, visited Sea World, finished up some projects I've been wanting to do for years, and fit in a couple late night movies.

The hard thing about being surrounded by family for a week and a half is when they all leave to go home, I always get a bit homesick. As I was driving back home from the airport after dropping off my mom, I was torn inside. The weather outside was a perfect 74 and the beach was to our right. The sun was shining and the sky was a beautiful shade of blue. I thought to myself--which is better--"To live in this beautiful paradise without family nearby (as in the same city), or to have my girls know their relatives better and live somewhere where I don't enjoy the weather about 80% of the time?" This is the million dollar question...... But, for the meantime, I'll just enjoy the beach and perfect weather and open our house to all visitors.

Wish they all could be California Girls...

Ellie is such a little beach bum! She loves to catch sand crabs in her little pink bucket. (Look closely and you'll see one in her hands--she's so brave!)

Eating sand

Maddy--the sand monster. She loves eating it just as much as she loves playing in it--makes for some nice diapers... but what a cutie!