Quick update and new camera!

Today has been a hot and busy day! I made a veggie pot pie, two platters of enchiladas, Mexican rice, and a blackberry cobbler. It was 100+ degrees outside today, and baking all day didn't help with the heat, but I'm excited to have a few days of dinner already cooked :)

For my birthday Michael bought me the nicest Canon DSLR and I have been going picture crazy! Speaking of my birthday, Michael took the day off and took Michelle and me up to Oregon where we played in Ashland at Lithia Park, shopped in Medford, and got ice cream. We got dinner in Yreka, and ended the night with cake at home. He is so sweet.

Of course I have to post some of the pictures I've taken with my camera ;-) Here they are below.

Michelle's Birthday Elmo Party!

Michelle's party was on the 7th and she had so much fun! She wore the rag skirt I made, along with her elmo shoe bows and a cute ruffle shirt. She wore it for about 30-40 minutes before all the kids changed into their bathing suits and ran through the sprinkers ;-)

^^ What on earth is this face?! Hahaha! Mish has been making this face lately when I ask her to smile for the camera. So funny!

The bows up close :)

We filled up the tugboat with sand and the kids had a blast! Totally worth finding sand all over the house the next day.

When we sang with Happy Birthday song Mish sang along, cheered, and blew out the candle! It was so cute, and so funny. I'm glad she didn't cry or hide!

Some of MY friends came to the party! It was so nice to catch up with them <3

My friend Jessica made the cookies and they were to die for! So good!!!

My ghetto elmo cupcakes ;-) The party theme was Elmo, but all of the colors were pink and white. They weren't the prettiest, but the kids and adults seemed to like them!

A banner I made. Says "Hooray Michelle!"

My little family <3

When everyone left Michelle was pretty bummed. But I was secretly happy because it meant I could eat the last hidden elmo cookie from my secret hiding place! Mmm. Did I mention these cookies were AMAZING!?

Michelle had SO much fun, and we were so thankful for everyone who came out to celebrate with us. <3

Birthday Zoo Trip

For the actual day of Michelle's birthday we took her to the zoo! Mish loves animals (especially monkeys, giraffes, and elephants), so the Oakland Zoo was a no-brainer! We debated the San Francisco Zoo, but they don't have elephants (boo, but understandable since it's smaller and on the edge of the city in Golden Gate Park). Mish had so much fun the whole day!

She kept calling to the giraffes, but alas, they were too walking around and chatting with their other giraffe friends ;-)

When we saw the elephants she kept yelling "No sticks! Strawberries!" lol! She was snacking on some strawberries at the time and must have felt sad that her snack was so much tastier.

She wasn't as into the tigers though; not flashy enough I guess  :-)

Yeehaw froggy!

Hi, Goat!! 

Mish was really into the goats and kept calling them dogs when we first got to the petting zoo. Lol! After a while, she called them all "mommy goat" and "baby goat" depending on which size it was. It was so adorable!

How's it going, goat?

All in all, I know she had a great day! We had a picnic in the grass, road the little train, and left the zoo with two stuffed animals! Then she got her very own ice cream cone! Lucky girl <3
When we got home she couldn't stop talking about how fun the zoo was!

TWO

My baby is two! My sweet, strong-willed, adventurous, smart, crazy little girl is two. Where did the time go? I look into her beautiful face and I feel like no time has passed since I first laid eyes on her. How have two years passed?

I've been avoiding my blog because I knew writing this post would make me feel all sad and nostalgic. My little bean isn't a bean - she's not an infant, a baby, or even all that little. She's a sharp, witty toddler with likes, dislikes, and a voice. She knows what she wants and she's determined to get it. She amazes me. I wish I could be more like her every single day.

Michelle, at two years and 0 months old, is inquisitive, spunky, funny, so sweet, and fierce. She loves to read, has amazing manners (please, thank you, and bless you!), shows compassion for others, absorbs everything and is eager to learn (especially about animals, numbers, and songs), loves to give and receive kisses, tells jokes, sings, and dances for others, and isn't afraid to give a stern "no!" when she's unhappy.
She's a complex, interesting, amazing little girl, and I'm constantly surprised by how awesome she is.
She likes being naked, hanging out in the dog kennel, climbing things, Mickey Mouse, giving people checkups and watching Doc McStuffins, and monkeys (well, after visiting the zoo on her birthday yesterday, all animals!).

Right now she's decided she's done playing with her toys and that she wants to read a book in bed. I know that means I have about 10 minutes before she is demanding me to turn off the lights and go to bed. Haha! She likes her naps and she likes bedtime. Maybe because those are the only times of day that I let her nurse anymore. YES, we're still nursing (with no end in sight because this kid is strong-willed).

We love you SO much, Monkey. And we can't wait to see what you'll do next.

Choo Choo

One Michael's birthday weekend we drove home from Y to spend time at our house in the Bay Area. Michael loves Zachary's pizza in Oakland/Berkeley, so his parents and sisters met us out there for a evening of family time and good food.

Before we went to the restaurant with the family, we went to Oscar's in Berkeley for lunch, and then met at Tilden Park to ride the train, and then shop at some of our favorite secondhand shops.
Michelle loved riding the trains and kept saying "choo choo" to anyone who walked by. We cannot wait to go back! Hopefully when we do go back, the little farm and carousel will be open for business (they were closed due to a pipe leak and decoration for xmas).

Sitting with Mama in the caboose area.

The wait for our pizza was TWO HOURS, which was longer than normal and they tossed in a free pizza for the mishap. Of course we didn't mind, because the pizza is worth the wait!
While we waited, Michelle played with her aunts and drove a motorcycle on her own. Lol, no, she wishes. Really, she does - she's just too hardcore.

Ready to ride

At Zachary's, the whole restaraunt sang "happy birthday" to Michael. He said he has never been embarassed by the singing of his birthday until that moment. The whole  place sang; it was hilarious and awesome.  

As I typed this, Michelle saw the pictures of herself on the train and started laughing and cheering. Looks like she can't wait to go back too!

Riding again, this time in an open car

Sitting with Aunt Rachael :)

July in Review

As much as I love July, is as horrible I am at updating my blog! I swear, the moment life gets too busy or too quiet, I just forget to update and spend my time frolicking around like a loon.

Fourth of July

The 4th was a super fun day with my family! Michael, Michelle and I went to American Canyon for their local 4th of July celebrations. My dad usually drives a firetruck in the parade, but this year he was on call with the city.

We watched the parade, then hung out at my parents' house before going to the town's small fair. It was really nice! I ate two pieces of delicious roasted corn, while my nieces helped roll up the giant flag with the fire station. It was so cool! If you look hard enough you can see Mish in the background watching her cousins :)

In the evening we went down the street to a local park to watch the fireworks. We got an amazing view of the fireworks - it was like they were going off just for us! Michelle slept through the first 3/4 of the show, and sleepily watched the rest from my arms. That's TWO years of 4th of July fireworks shows that she's been to without crying :)

SoCal Trip

We went to Southern California for a little vacation with my in-laws at the end of the month. We flew down there, and Michelle did amazingly! She is definitely a kid who likes to go, go, go!

We stayed in a hotel and went to beaches, swam in the pool, and did lots of shopping. It was so fun :) Michelle loved the ocean and the pool. She's a mermaid like her mama!

The day before we were to fly home, Michael got notice that his job was sending him on a 1-year job rotation (transfer) to Yreka California. In case you're like me and wondered where the heck Yreka is, it is right below the border of Oregon and California (and FOUR hours away from our house). It's 1 1/2 hours past Redding and 45 minutes away from Ashland Oregon. We're here now, but I'll write about that another day.

Birthday

And lastly, the month ended with me turning 27. I'm an old woman, blog. I'm old. My day was actually really nice! Michael and I went thrift store hunting all day, then had a BBQ with my family at my parents' house. A great day!