Jill Wears Shoes

Sorting through pictures recently, I realized I have a lot of pictures of Jill wearing other people's shoes. I know this is common toddler practice but I just had to gather them all and laugh...

Sometimes she even has a partner in shoe stealing...

Pumpkin's are coming!

Just when we were getting used to the regular swims and constant sunshine...fall arrived! It's been gray and rainy for days here in sunny Southern California. And I was worried we would miss the change of seasons! We've even been to a pumpkin patch (ok, it was in the grocery store parking lot but the kids loved it!)

Peek-a-boo!

They even got a ride on the merry-go-round (it cost me an entire quarter!)

Our princess appropriately rode side saddle.We didn't buy this pumpkin but will hopefully go to a real pumpkin patch and pick our own pumpkins soon!

Happy Fall everyone!

July in North Carolina

Now I'm back-tracking even further! I did some summer catch-up blogging that covered most of June but I never got around to reporting all that happened in July, oh my! So here's a quick look...We spent most of July living with our cousins in North Carolina, both the Burns (with bonus visits from the Virginia Skellys) and the Longs.In case you haven't heard, this summer in the southeast was hot! It's always hot but this one was particularly hot! So what do you do with all these kids in the heat? Well, here's what we did - Play video games...And then use said video games to illuminate a card game during a storm-caused power outage...Wrestle Uncle Alan...Go to the mall and pretend to ride the kiddie rides...Try on your cousin's clothes...Lounge around with family...Play dress-up...Did I mention play video games (that happened A LOT)...Eat popsicles...And on the rare days that it was tolerable...hit the pool!Or if you're a Georgia Peach like our Jill, you sit on the porch in the overwhelming humidity and enjoy an afternoon storm.

We also went to some museums...I'll post those stories next.

Our first days back in California

I'm back-tracking...it's August, we just drove across the country and now we're moving into our new rented condo. First day here in our new home and what did we do... We really, really needed to unpack but our friend Dawn was here with us until Saturday (it's Thursday morning). Remember, she drove across country with us, and we could not have done it without her! Well, she hadn't been to California since she was a kid. I had to show her around so unpacking could wait! First, we went to the beach so we could show her the Pacific Ocean. It was actually a pretty cool and cloudy day for August but the kids were so excited to be at the beach that it didn't matter!That evening we had dinner with good friends (remember, we still haven't unpacked our disaster of a home) and walked around Newport Dunes. There's Dawn and Jill...Well ok, we didn't walk. We rode a golf cart...Jill's a good driver :)We then sent the kids home with Andrew, and I took Dawn to Fashion Island so we could go shopping Newport Beach style :) She found some cute clothes for her daughter, and I got nostalgic looking at all the familiar stores and fountains.

On Friday, we took her to Wahoo's for fish tacos (good California eats!) and then Downtown Disney so she could see Disneyland and do some necessary shopping. As much as I was eager to unpack, these two days were great. The kids got to see some favorite spots and get out of the house (remember, house is boxes, boxes, and more boxes!) And we all got to have a little more time with our last piece of Georgia. Thank you, Dawn! We miss you and our entire CBC family soooooo much! Come back and visit, you hear!

Beth's crooked smile

I don't want to admit it but Beth had...ummm...cavities at her last dentist appointment. Her 5 year old molars have been coming in and I guess the gums can hurt and brushing hurts more so she didn't brush well (keep brushing your kid's teeth!) Anyway, she was a fabulous patient. Her only comments on the whole experience were regarding the Barbie movie she got to watch. And her only complaint of the day - her numb mouth!

It's only because I know that feeling all too well that I'm allowed to find this amusing...

Jill's Birthday Weekend Part 3 - The Actual Day

After a weekend of fun with family and friends we could have gotten away with doing nothing on Jill's actual birthday but we decided a nice evening out with just the family would be good. We took her to Fashion Island for dinner and a trip to Build-a-Bear.
She picked a bunny and placed a heart inside...

She then proudly brushed and fluffed her bunny and... Ta Da! Meet Jill's new bunny: Bunny Mine! We then went to the pet store and pet real bunnies :)We went to Red Robin for dinner, an old family favorite.The boysand the girls...and don't forget the presents! We gave her a princess play phone so she would stop taking Beth's :)We also enjoyed walking around Fashion Island and seeing all the stores and water fountains.Well maybe Jill didn't like this water fountain. She didn't want to get wet!

It was a fun conclusion to Jill's birthday weekend. And it's official...I have a two year old! More on that to come...

Jill's Birthday Weekend Part 2 - Family

Day two of Jill's birthday weekend and we headed to Thousand Oaks to celebrate at Grandma and Grandpa's house. The party had an Elmo theme that pleased Jill greatly.Grandma made a yummy strawberry Elmo cake.

And there were presents! Jill now knows what presents are and she was excited!

She got an Elmo phone, a feather boa,and clothes for her baby (she was super excited about that!)And Great Grandma Mae gave Jill one of her necklaces. Jill loved the necklace and just kept looking at the beautiful heart charm.

Lots of family to help us celebrate - Cousin Rob, Great Grandma Mae, Cousin Sara,Cousin Tori (can you see her there in the middle of our gang?) Aunt Edie and Grandma!It was a great day swimming and relaxing with family. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for having us!