A Double Treat

Today we were treated to two very special things. One is that my good friend and first cousin, Anna, arrived from LA. She manipulated her schedule to visit us the same weekend as Heather. Anna and Heather are my family and I love that we all get to be together for a little while-- it doesn't happen often. The best thing about Anna is her wonderful, infectious laugh and great sense of humor. Since her arrival this morning, our house has been filled with energy, noise and roars of laughter.

The other special treat was that our Starbucks opened yesterday. This may sound like no big deal to most of you, but to us small-towners this is huge. Keep in mind that we are a town of 4 traffic lights total and no brand-name gas stations, yet now we have the all-important Starbucks! To celebrate their grand opening we took a trip over and enjoyed free drinks because of their ordering mistakes. (They have only had one day of experience, so "no judgement!") This meant Ella got her own, which we only let her have a small part of-- and it was enough, after just a few sips she was ready to do cartwheels across the floor and was putting on the quite the production of being "BURR COLD!!!" Oh well, it was fun... cheers!

Happy Birthday, Heather!

Yesterday was my sister's birthday. With all the excitement of the State Fair, I didn't get to post a birthday blog about her. We are so happy that her visit fell over her birthday so that we could celebrate with her. We had a special breakfast yesterday morning and then let her open her present (a big bag full of Old Navy outfits and shoes-- Ella opened most of it). At night we made a delicious dinner of Chicken Picatta, rice, salad from the garden and Skor cake. I warned Heather that her birthday would be more about Ella than her, and sure enough we sang "Happy Birthday" about 100 times last night and not just to Heather, we all got to be celebrated!

For my entire life my sister has been my best friend. She is my only sibling and the reason I was thrilled when we found out Ella would have a sister too. Heather and I love a lot of the same things-- shopping, "I Love Lucy," animals and hiking, to name just a few. But, we are very different also. She is a nurse in the ICU, a job I would never have the strength to do. One of the best things Heather did was marry Dan. He is a great man and we love having him in our family. What a fun week we have to look forward to! I love my sister and every time she visits we end up having so much fun.

Tri-Tip, Teets, and Trams: California State Fair!

Today we had an awesome day at the California State Fair. Since it was packed with so much cool stuff, I've uploaded lots of pictures and will tell the story of our day using them...

My sister, daughter and myself are all crazy animal lovers which meant there was tons for us to get excited about at the fair. Not only were there the livestock pavilions to wander around, there were many opportunities to actually interact with the animals. This was the best petting zoo we've ever been in-- full of fawns, kangaroos, and llamas as well as your typical barn animals.

The UC Davis Ag. division hosts lots of "Discovery Zones" for the kids (and adults too), with everything from rope wrangling to butter churning. In this one we were invited to milk a cow and a goat. Heather chose the goat, Ella and Dan did the cow (I've already milked both, thanks to Jetta). Here they are in action (above) and holding their certificates (below). In this particular center, Dave suggested I feed Delia and be part of the "Milking" exhibit-- ha ha.


One of our favorite parts of the day was visiting the Livestock Nursery. This was a special place where the ready-to-deliver-any-minute animals were kept. Having just gone through the birthing process, I was a little appalled to find that they put the animals on an actual stage and people could sit in bleachers to watch cows, pigs, goats, sheep, etc. be born! I got over this quickly, though, when we saw the newly born calf, lambs and piglets up close. They're just animals-- they don't care. Seeing these adorable little minis was just amazing!

We thought nothing could top the baby animals, but then we found the California Wildlife exhibit. This was full of tanks of turtles, catfish, frogs and tadpoles. This big "bathtub" (as Ella called it) was full of Sturgeon out of the Sacramento River. These huge fish are docile and toothless so we were encouraged to pet them!

We ended a fantastic, but hot and tiring day with an open air tram/monorail ride around the whole fair grounds.

There were so many other great parts of the day that I just didn't get or post pictures of. For example, we all picked out fun lunches (tri-tip, fried artichoke hearts, stuffed pitas...). We also found a total oasis of cool, calm and classy in the middle of the fair grounds-- a wine tasting area. We all enjoyed samples of wine slushies. We learned about fire safety, saw exotic bugs and in general got to experience a little bit of everything that is California!

Public Humiliation

Well we did it. We broke Heather's 27 year record of never having "Happy Birthday" embarrassingly sung to her in a restaurant. Tomorrow is her birthday and so we took her to Chevy's where they really know how to do birthdays-- big sombrero and everything! Ella was thrilled by this whole display and once again enjoyed her free ice cream, this time with some new head gear.

Uncle Dan and Auntie Heather Here!

This afternoon my sister, Heather, and her husband, Dan arrived in their cool purple rental car. Ella is showing some confusion about all her Aunties and keeps calling Heather the wrong name (Uncle Dan has only been called "Auntie Kyle" a few times), but otherwise is super happy that she has a new audience to show off for. Delia seems smitten with her Auntie, also, and spent a good amount of time happily cuddling and waving those chubby limbs with a big smile on her face. Maybe because my sister and I supposedly look and sound so much alike? Anyway we are looking forward to a fun visit with lots of special activities planned. Stay tuned!

Broccoli, Celery, Gotta Be...VeggieTales!

Quote of the night: "Bob and Lerny come out of movie and play baseball!"

Translation: Bob and Larry must not be in my Veggie Tales movies, because they are right here for me to hug and high five!

Explanation: Tonight our family went to Faith Night at the Modesto Nuts game (a minor league ball club). Faith night included a concert by Hawk Nelson, a bunch of church groups (way different audience than the last time Dave and I went...it was $1 beer night!), rockin' Christian music between the innings and, of course, BOB and LARRY from Veggie Tales.

Ella made us laugh and smile a lot tonight. She fell in love at first sight with her buddies, hugging them, talking to them and asking the rest of the night, "Where Bob and Lerny go?" On a walk around the park, we spotted Larry again and she took off running yelling, "I get you!!" and then flew into his unsuspecting arms for a hug. She was desperate to find Bob back, too. I warned her about becoming a stalker fan.

Both girls did good with the actual game. Ella was most interested in climbing her chair and finding ways to sneak down the row or up the flight of stairs. Delia beamed at everyone who looked at her and pumped her chubby legs with happiness.

Happy Girl

Church Picnic: Let the Games Begin!

Tonight we had our annual church picnic at our town's "big" park. It is a super fun night featuring pot-luck style eats with grilled burgers and dogs, fellowship, games for the kids and goofy golf at the next-door golf course. In the past we've golfed, but tonight Dave was in charge of games for the kids so we just stayed at the park. I must say that watching Ella enjoy herself was probably the highlight of my night, as having your own little ones to supervise cuts back on fellowship and food savoring! The funniest thing about Ella is that she is the Queen Bee of all girls 6th grade and under. A huge flock of them just follow her around trying to pick her up and touch her. Fortunately she doesn't seem to be too overwhelmed by this insane and extremely physical attention.

Delia napped through the first part of the picnic, then woke up crabby for the rest. Good thing there were lots of willing arms around to hold her.

Dave's games were a hit. Here is Ella just dying to get in on the big kids' "Licorice Slurping Contest."

Ella was very helpful to Carla (her favorite babysitter) for the "Find Marbles In Ice With Your Toes" game.

And finally a game designed for kids her age-- the "Hamster Game" (dig through a pool of sawdust for glow bracelets, stuffed bears and play dough). She enjoyed it, but I think her girl "entourage" found all the goodies for her!

Settling Into Routine

Ah, the joy of the everyday mundane. We here in the "New and Improved" VM household are finally finding our stride. Delia has had about a week straight of great days. She has been blessedly content, putting that semi-constant wail of a cry of hers away and trading it for smiles, coos and happy kicking. She's had a number of good nights too-- 2 nights ago she slept for 6 hours straight! Ella smothers her with kisses and "I love you, Deal-na"s and is actually pretty helpful. Today Ella retrieved Delia's blankie and pacifier for her while I was making lunch. The start of fussiness subsided when big sister stepped in-- all on her own too! I'm noticing some routine in Delia also. With Ella it took a long time to reach any sort of sleep schedule, but I guess because one is pretty well established already, Delia's just goes along with it. The girls take afternoon naps at the same time and both go to bed around the same time. Could this be any nicer for us?

And sure, not all is perfectly rosy, Ella's been testing more lately and has been spending enough time with her new "friend"-- The Settle Down Couch (a place for her to sit until her hysterics and tantrums are "ALL DONE!"). Delia still has to just deal when I am busy with something Ella needs, but these are just the stages of life, I guess.

The one drawback to our normal, getting-more-settled lives is the lack of exciting activities. I am aware that I haven't blogged in a while...sorry. I realized my addiction when I pulled out my camera during play time the other day just to capture something-- anything to write about! So, for now enjoy this happy picture of me and my daughters...I'm a mother of two; I can actually do this! :)

Summer Reading List

In an attempt to make our blog more interactive, I am going to try something new.

This week our students go back to school, signaling the end of what seems like a short summer. So, my question is, "What did you read this summer?" Did you find time to laze around with a great book? If so, would you share it? Leave us a comment about your favorite summer
read(s)-- including author and a brief description-- and we'll post it on the list to the left. The next time you are wondering what book to dive into, take a look at our blog and get some recommendations from our family and friends. Happy reading!

For Grandpa

Here's a video featuring two of Grandpa's great loves: his granddaughter Ella and Bobby Darin. Sorry, couldn't find a way to work in old cars or the Cubbies...

Hello and Goodbye

Today we said, "HELLO" to some good friends we haven't seen in a while. Due to company and busy schedules, it's been about 4 weeks since we've gotten to spend time with Amy and Jonathan. Today we took a stroll to their house and had fun playing in their playroom, eating fishy crackers and, of course, swinging. Delia discovered the bliss of bouncing on the exercise ball-- Mom will have to look into this!

Yesterday we sadly said, "GOODBYE" to our favorite summer tradition. School starts next week, so Swim Days are done. To mark the last Swim Day of this season, all the VMs came out, making it a huge party. We had a wonderful spaghetti supper together (that in typical VM fashion took place at about 8:00 pm!) We knew it was time to go when we saw Ella showing off, dancing and yelling "Hi-Ya!" karate style, in the middle of a group of people socializing. Aside from the late night, the day was great and perfectly "summer"-- full of fun in the pool, grandmas passing Delia around, tasty food and good friends.

Sprinkles for Ella and A Break for Mommy

The past few mornings have been a little rough for my new baby sister (and my Mommy). Delia seems to do most of her crying shortly after waking up and Mommy has a hard time comforting her while getting all of us ready. Our average teeth-brushed, clothes on, breakfast eaten, done getting ready time has been 11:30! (Don't tell anyone, though.) So, today my Daddy stepped in. Here is a recap of our super fun morning together...

Daddy got me out of bed when I woke up this morning, took me into the shower, got me dressed and took me and my roller skates out for a special treat. We stopped at the donut shop where I got to pick out my own donut. Of course, I chose the one with the pretty sprinkles. Then he took me to church. Here we are arriving in his office...

Daddy set up a little table where we sat down to eat our breakfast together. I drank my "box juice" while he had his coffee. You can see that I really liked eating just the sprinkles on my donut...



After breakfast, Daddy helped me put on my roller skates and pads and we skated in all the open areas of the church (there are a lot more spaces there than at home). The church staff was excited that I had come to roller skate and they all took turns with me. Heidi (the worship coordinator) took me outside to the mail box and Pastor Bruce took me around and to his office. In this picture, I look grumpy, but I am really happy (I think I'm saying "Cheese")...



After a wonderful, sprinkle-donut and roller skate filled morning it was time to head back home to Mommy and Delia. Daddy does have a job to do after all. When I got home, I saw that Mommy was able to get showered, dressed (her and Delia), eat breakfast and make the bed and it was way before the "Average Getting Ready Time!" Thanks for a great morning, Daddy!

Traveling Luau

Today my good friend and college roommate, Dorina, made the 2 hour drive up from Fresno to meet Delia and make us a delicious Hawaiian lunch. We feasted on decorative plates, drank pineapple juice and enjoyed salad, bread and pie. (She even brought fun leis and straws for the kids!) This festive lunch was followed with lots of time to visit and observe our wild girls play together. Her daughter, Meilani, taught Ella how to wrestle and "Dance Party on the Table II" ensued (this time the dancing was more bootie shakin'/hip wrigglin' hula dancing-- complete with grass skirt). Together we read stories, comforted crying, hauled out every single toy, and enjoyed sharing stories and catching up. I'm grateful for my willing-to-drive, excellent chef, understanding-mother of a friend.

Happy 1 Month Birthday, Delia!

Today is the 13th, marking Delia's one month birthday. Can you believe we've done this "Family of Four" thing for one whole month already? I thought I'd post a quick update on Delia and how much she has quickly changed!

Her most obvious development is in size. Unlike our little peanut Ella, Delia is a butterball. We don't know for sure, but think she could be about half of Ella's weight, sporting numerous rolls and dimples! Another way she is growing up is in how alert she is. Instead of sleeping the entire day away, she goes long stretches being awake and looking around at her world with those huge blue eyes. Of course, we think she is going to be brilliant because she follows action with her eyes, seems to recognize us and responds to sounds and goofy faces. And (one of my favorite milestones) she has started smiling on her own! Another change we see in her is in temperament and this we are still trying to figure out. We previously bragged about how rarely she cries, and we'll retract that here. She was not crying because she was not conscious! When our Delia is awake she likes to be fed or held-- and to hold her happily, she must be getting walked and bounced. (Watch for my daughter and my muscles to grow in future pictures!) Trying to figure out how to meet this need of hers, while still tending to Ella has been a little challenging, but we've found a few tricks. Thank goodness, one place she is peaceful and happy is in her car seat, making errands relatively easy. She has actually had several good days and nights in a row, giving us confidence and encouragement. I love how neat it is that God creates us all so different and I appreciate my second daughter's individuality, but am a little confused about why I got the "fussy" baby second when I am already so busy! :)

All in all, we are still full of the joy and wonder that a newborn brings into life. To watch how much Delia has already grown and developed in just a few short weeks time is really amazing.

Sisters Are for Synchronized Stylin'

Ice Cream from 1,856 Miles Away

Look at this delicious Banana Split! Would you believe it came to Ella all the way from Chicago? Auntie Kris (aka "Wonder Woman of the USPS") was sad that she can't ever take her niece for ice cream, so she sent Ella a card and some cash with instructions to treat herself. On this lovely Friday night we took a walk to a local summer spot-- a drive-thru type restaurant called Hula's, featuring rocking oldies, a classic car show and a menu of ice cream delights. With 3 spoons we all dug into our Banana Split courtesy of Auntie Kris while listening to "Chantilly Lace" and watching the old cars cruise and park nearby.

Driving and Diving

Today was Swim Day.

Ella showed off her new baby sister...

and did her very first driving in Jared's new Jeep...

and contemplated diving.