Fall Fun

This morning we enjoyed some family time on a sunny and breezy trip to the pumpkin farm. This is also that place that features the world's supposedly largest corn maze (Dave will take his youth group to that in a few weeks). Today we just enjoyed all the free activities for kids.

Ella met firemen, saw firetrucks up close and even got to go inside one...

She and Dave climbed the "big, giant tire!" mountain...

We all took a bumpy ride through the corn on the tractor pulled train (it lulled Delia right to sleep)...

Ella loved seeing her barnyard buddies in the petting zoo...

And we posed for some pictures in the pumpkin patch (check out the blue sky and mountains!)

What We've Been Doing

As previously stated, I am finding a hard time one, fitting blogging into my busier mom schedule and two, finding interesting things to write about when our life is pretty routine. Time when the kids are sleeping suddenly becomes great nap time for me too; and now that I am addicted to Dancing With the Stars, my nights (and why must they entice me with 3 nights in a row?!) are spent glued to the TV (Go Helio Castroneves!). This week has had a few blog-worthy moments, though, so here is a quick recap.

MONDAY: We began potty training Ella. Being 5 days into it, I can say it is not going so great. We appear to have a stubborn daughter who views this as an opportunity to test her will. While the potty has previously been a fascinating and exciting experience, now that Mommy and Daddy want her to use it, it's torture. We've been trying all sorts of tricks, but nothing has convinced her yet.

TUESDAY: Ladies Night Out. I have a group of about 10 girlfriends who get together once a season to celebrate all the birthdays. This is a fantastic night full of laughs, funny stories about husbands, kids and getting older, great Mexican food and drinks and usually annoyed waiters (we always end up closing the restaurant!). It was the first and longest time I've even been away from Delia. She did great. I ate holding onto my cell phone.

WEDNESDAY: Ella got reintroduced to Dave's world of YPS. After having been a leader for 2 years in Dave's high school youth group, I completely took last year off-- to get Ella to bed at normal times and keep my schedule simpler. This year Delia's sleep is flexible and Ella is more capable of meaningful interaction with the high schoolers (making a later bed time worth it). I'm not committing to being a leader again, but we did show up for the first 45 minutes of the first Faith Night. Ella had SO MUCH fun seeing her student buddies and playing the running games. I think it's good for her to see her Daddy at work, so we might make this a regular Wednesday night activity.

THURSDAY: Play date with Jonathan. Check out his blog for more details. What was especially fun on this day was watching how the two of them totally play off one another. Whatever one did, the other had to copy, from making goofy noises to sliding down the stairs.

FRIDAY: Dave did a very special wedding. This year two single friends from our Young Adult group found each other and they got married tonight. It was a beautiful outdoor ceremony and a fun reception with lots of church friends, dancing and tri-tip for dinner. Delia was our date and she did great once again. I think I can safely relabel her a "Happy Baby"-- the fussy phase appears to have ended!

Best of the Birthday

A couple of you have commented on my lack of birthday blogging. Honestly, I just hadn't gotten around to it. Dave needed the computer last night to work on his sermon and today I've been doctoring Ella, who threw up right before we were going to leave for church-- don't worry I've determined it was some fluke thing. She is acting and eating fine. My 30th birthday was a special day (and week!) and I thought I'd quick share some of the highlights:

• Good meals (pecan french toast, special sandwiches from my favorite local deli and a fun burger at Red Robin-- the Dutch gal in me signed us up for the "Birthday Club" where you get a FREE meal on your birthday!)
  
• The first rain and really cool day of the season. I love this first rain and ironically I planned a "Fall Day" for us where we would visit pumpkin farms or pick apples. The weather was just a little too fall for us to get out and do these things.
  
• Spoiled by my great hubby. Dave took extra care of the girls allowing me luxuries like a long bath or a few hours of shopping.
  
• GREAT presents! From jammies, to books, to generous gift cards...you were all so thoughtful!
  
• GREAT cards! The sentiments some of you shared even made me cry!
  
• Ella singing "Happy Birthday" to me. Her sweet version was way better than the crazy, embarrassing restaurant act that they forgot to sing to me (which is fine with me, but a huge let-down for Ella.)
  
• The delivery of flowers-- 15 peach tulips! I never get flowers delivered, thanks Karen, Chris and boys!
  
• Lots of family time. It was just a nice day of relaxing and cuddling up with those I love most, once again, thanks to the rain!
  

Mouth Watering and Heart Warming

When I realized how busy Dave would be this week with Classis and the kick-off of his youth group, I decided it would be a good opportunity for a road trip down south to spend time with friends. The three of us ladies stopped first at Dorina and Meilani's house yesterday where we were welcomed with open arms and Dorina's trademark hospitality. Before my departure, she emailed me this incredible menu from which I was to pick out my birthday dinner (I'll be 30 on Saturday). So Ella and I feasted like we never have before. Lunch was whole wheat quesadillas and tortilla soup. Dinner was the stuffed manicotti shells, fresh baked bread and Dorina's famous meatballs and sauce. Breakfast was quiche, fresh fruit and homemade granola in organic yogurt (Ella couldn't get enough of this). Good thing we took an almost 3 mile hike around the neighborhood with the kids in strollers! Dorina's gift is cooking and she loves to share this as her gift to others. And another gift to me was a homemade cookbook filled with Dorina's secret recipes.

I always enjoy watchining Ella play with her friends-- and she loves Meilani-- but the best part of my trip to Dorina's was the time I got to spend with my friend. We stayed up late eating my birthday tiramisu in our jammies, "spying" on our college friends on Facebook and having involved conversations about YA literature and our favorite authors (Dorina is 60 pages into the novel she is writing). It was a perfect visit.

Poolside Posing

She may be only 2 months old, but Delia figured out an important life lesson in Dorina's pool. It's not as much about actually swimming as it is about lounging next to the pool looking cute in your swim suit! I put just her little toes in for a dip and she totally screamed. She loves baths, but I guess is not an official "Water Baby."

After getting hosed down by water enthusiast, Meilani, Ella enjoyed splashing in the makeshift "hot tub" with her pal.

Worn Out from Fun

Today we spent the day with our good buddies the Girards (who live relatively close to Dorina, we usually make simultaneous trips). Time with Teri is always valuable. She reveled in cuddling my youngest daughter, while my oldest daughter reveled in the abundance of trains, planes and truck toys. This is Ella's latest obsession-- she alerted me to EVERY SINGLE truck and tractor we passed on the 2 hour highway drive...

And one last picture before hitting the road. An indication that your little girl has played herself out and is ready to go-- she's too tired to even sit up and say cheese for a quick picture!

Happy Hikers

This morning when we pulled out the hiking backpack, Ella saw it and exclaimed, "I go notion!" (ocean). I love that we are raising a California girl...backpack equals cool hiking along the coast to her. The fact is, though, that we headed the other direction today-- to the foothills of the Sierras to hike around one of our favorite Giant Sequoia forests. In Chicago you strain your neck and trip on things while walking around looking up at skyscrapers. Today we did kind of the same thing except we were examining humongous, thousands-of-years-old trees.

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day (which is what prompted us to take off on this excursion). We actually saw a sign broadcasting the temperature to be 63 degrees! We also saw some leaves changing-- a VERY awesome sight when you live in the season-less Central Valley.

And no trip to see the Giant Trees would be complete without a lunch stop at Giant Burger.

We told Ella she could take a little rest on the way home. After listening to many protests, ("Ella NO rest in car, Ella take nap at home! Ella take nap in bed!") we both laughed when we turned around after only 2 minutes of silence to see this...

Wild Things

Last night when I was putting Ella to bed, I asked her what she wanted to do tomorrow. She answered, "Go picnic at park." So, today we woke up to another beautiful breezy day and decided to do just that. I got the girls dressed in their matching zebra-stripe outfits from Auntie Karen and we headed out to the cool park in the next town over. Ella got a kick out of sitting on the blankie to nibble cheese, crackers and grapes while Delia grinned at all the trees and sunshine. Besides snacks, we also enjoyed swings, climbing, seeing lots of trains, a "bucket truck," a police man (who waved at us!) and lots of noisy geese honking. The everyday things in life are totally enhanced when you see them through the eyes of a two-year-old!

My Girls

Today Delia had her 2 month doctor appointment. In learning her weight and being asked questions about her development, I feel prompted to write a blog describing some of the recent landmarks my big and bright girls have been hitting lately. I'll warn you that these descriptions may come off as bragging, but I'm entitled to that, right? :) We feel so blessed to have daughters that are strong and healthy and growing just as they should be (maybe a little advanced, even!)

Delia weighed in at 12 pounds, almost 6 ounces today, putting her in the 90th percentile for weight! She is 23 inches long-- almost 2 feet!-- putting her in the 75th percentile for height. Besides growing out of clothes and diapers at a rapid rate, we also notice a lot of growth in other areas. She is strong-- she can hold her head up on her own and stand on straight legs when held. She is alert-- paying close attention to what we, especially Ella, are doing and bopping and grabbing at toys held in her reach. She is sweet-- her personality shows more and more with her regular smiles and coos and mimicking of our faces (especially tongue sticking out and "O" mouth).



It's strange how Ella's landmarks are measured so differently. We don't even know her weight and except for recently mastering how to ride her scooter, she has no new physical "tricks." She amazes us constantly with her cognitive development. She is starting to show interest in spelling words. We started Bible memory work with her (just 1 verse for now) and she seems to get it. She always answers questions in a complete sentence ("What are your little ponies doing, Ella?" "My little ponies are bouncing on the big ball, Daddy") On her own, she is showing a lot more creativity and imagination in her play, like pretending to be an airplane by zooming around making noises with her arms out or pretending to make lunch in the sandbox. And with that, she is finding it a lot easier to play independently. Dave and I can just watch her for long periods and be completely entertained!

Happy Monday

Monday morning blues? Not in the VM house! We had a happy day, even though it contained mostly normal activities. Here's a little photo recap...

Ella is in her heart jammies showing off her room's newest decoration. Dan and Heather gave us these very cool name signs. Dan's dad carved them out of metal and we painted them to match the girls' room.

After her bath, Ella wanted her towel to be a hat like Mommy's. She reminds me of this one I Love Lucy episode. Lucy wants to be in a movie and has to wear a ridiculously large head dress as a costume. It keeps tipping off and knocking her over.

A little play time in the crib. Doesn't Delia look like she's Ella's doll?

A lunch date with Jonathan. They are being Fancy Firefighters.

Da Dum

The school that Dave and I went to 1st-12th grade is also the school our nephew, Calvin, just started (kindergarten). They do a summer reading contest called "Get Caught Reading" where you submit pictures of yourself reading in wacky places. I'm sure you could have guessed it from one glance at this hilarious picture of Calvin-- he won! He will hopefully be featured in the school's publication (fellow Timothy Alumni be on the lookout). Our expressive nephew and his crazy Auntie Kris (who helped stage this photo)-- a dangerous comedic duo!

An Awesome Gift (Thanks Heather!)

My sneaky sister gave us the best gift this week. Two years ago when Ella was born our good friend Jeremy Cloud offered to take portraits of our newborn and family as his baby gift to us. He does photography for a hobby and he is amazing! During Heather's recent visit, she was disappointed to learn that plans to have Jeremy take Delia's portraits were not in place. On her own, she found his number, called him and set up an "appointment" for our family to take beautiful pictures, which we did this morning.

Besides loving every picture Jeremy takes, here are some other perks to having a good friend take your kids' pictures in his own studio at home: we can be there for four hours, Delia can take a nap between shoots, Delia can eat as often as she needs, we can change clothes, Ella can play with all the toys in Jeremy's daughter's room, we can see the pictures on his computer immediately and can come home with a DVD of all 250 pictures the day we take them! This really is a pretty sweet deal! Thank you, thank you, thank you Heather! And by the way, as wonderful as these pictures are, they are not even my VERY favorites-- those we are saving for Christmas cards and special gifts for the Fam. :)

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Though it is not technically still his birthday in Chicago, here in California it is, so I'm going to squeeze in this birthday blog before I head to bed. Happy Birthday, Dad!

Dad got two presents worth writing about for his birthday this year. The first is more silly. Dad knows random information about EVERYTHING, so when he heard a call-in contest to answer some trivia on Moody (Chicago's Christian radio) this morning, he called, he answered and he won! The 4 questions were connected because they were about 4 people who all had birthdays on this day. Of course, the host of the show loved it that Dad also had a birthday today. Isn't that fun?

The other present Dad got was good news given to him (and our whole family) yesterday. A short while ago we found out Dad had prostate cancer. After undergoing surgery exactly a week ago, Dad got the pathology report that all the cancer was removed and the doctors are optimistic. His recovery from this major surgery is going well, too. We are so thankful for the gift of this answered prayer!

So, while this birthday was spent a little differently than most (no major plans to go out or enjoy fancy meals--resting and recovering are the priorities) it was still a happy one. If only we could have celebrated together. If only the Cubs could have won...

GOOD MORNING!

One Ball, So Many Functions

This afternoon Dave was able to come on a little outing to the mall with us. We had a nice time window shopping, sharing a pretzel, introducing Ella to the escalator and checking out some possible future purchases with all the generous gift cards we've been getting lately (think I'll wait and buy the girls winter clothes when they go on sale). We came home with something fun too-- one of those giant exercise balls...

Delia is in love with the ball-- her fussiness stops immediately when she starts bouncing. I just finished bouncing her to sleep for the night.

I can feel it in my abs when I bounce for a long time and we've been hearing more and more about "core strength." Hopefully this can help my tummy get back into pre-Delia shape! :)

So, there is the calming of a fussy baby, the exercise element, the additional piece of furniture the ball makes (sounds weird, but it's a really comfy chair!) and then there are the laughs. Ella thinks the ball is fascinating and right away had to fetch her ball and baby. She's been mimicking us all night!

Goodbye Family

According to this picture, Delia is the only happy one in our family right now. This was taken on the way to the airport to drop off Anna. While Delia was all smiles, we are very sad that our family is leaving. Dan and Heather take off early tomorrow morning. Like every time we have visitors, we cherish the time we do get to spend together and love making new memories, but hate saying goodbye. This visit was an especially great one-- full of Dirty Jobs, Old Navy, Starbucks, intense game playing, good food, silly play time with the girls and lots of laughs.

Say Cheese!

Yesterday we spent a sunny Sunday enjoying the beautiful landscaping and trying to get the perfect family photo at the nearby cheese plant I've written about before. We snapped all different groups in all different poses with all different backgrounds. Here are just a few of my favorites.

Besides repeatedly saying "Cheese!" we also enjoyed some cheese and came home with a 2 lb. wheel of their famous Smoked Gouda.

And, of course, Ella wouldn't let us leave until we took a little time to feed our furry friends.