Weekend in Monterey

Brian decided to take a couple of days off from work, so we headed down to Monterey/Carmel and had the BEST weekend!! We went to the aquarium, which was a big hit with Jake (and us). On Saturday we went to Point Lobos to go tidepooling....turns out that there wasn't much to see, but Jake had plenty of fun anyhow....as far as he is concerned, seaweed is exciting sea life! We also went to the beach in Carmel and could not have asked for better weather! Jake loved the guys surfing in the ocean and he of course "surfed" as well....this consisted of him jumping in and out of a sand hole for about 30 minutes yelling "woohoo" each time. We realized that almost ALL of the pics from our weekend are of Jake...poor Mia.....but she was literally in her carseat or the stroller the entire weekend....or living it up in the Baby Bjorn :) She was a trooper! Such a fun family weekend!!

Jake's first day of preschool

Jake started off his day with a good breakfast and his "you are special today" red plate. He was excited for school and marched right into the classroom with his backpack on, handed our forms to the teacher, and headed off to play. Ahh, just when I thought I was in the clear, I heard the cry of one two year old in the room.....and then they ALL started! The teachers were blocking the door and "catching" kids who were trying to escape, as the mothers (who are also crying), try to squeeze through the door while prying their child's hands from their legs. I'm fairly certain that Jake stopped crying by the time I reached the car.....of course I still had a few sobs left in me, but I know it's good for him and he'll do great in the end. Mia and I enjoyed our morning together and I arrived back at preschool 15 minutes early, to make sure I was there RIGHT when the door opened (shocking, I know). Only 7 out of 16 kids actually made it through the class....the others didn't stop crying after awhile and had to be picked up. So, I guess the day was a success.....I'm proud of Jake....such a big boy!

3 months old!

Already?!! Bear with me as I wipe a tear away.....where does the time go?! Mia is 3 months old and I truly can't believe it.....I feel like I'm going to wake up one day soon and she'll be getting her drivers license! She is getting more smiley each day and is a great sleeper....she's been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now....I know it sounds crazy, but I miss our middle of the night time together a little bit. She's starting to giggle and continues to get cuter and chubbier each day! I truly am enjoying every minute with her. And Jake is at such a fun age too.....almost 2 1/2 and seeming like such a little boy! She is still so sweet with Mia....though "gentle" is still a term he's becoming acquainted with! He holds her hand in her carseat in the backseat and gets her binkie for her if she is crying. Brian and I are feeling awfully lucky these days with our sweet family!

Cute Kiddos!

Took some pics the other day and thought these few were pretty cute!

Lake Tulloch 2009

We had a great time with Grammie, Gramps, Auntie Julie and Uncle Tim up at Lake Tulloch this week! Jake wasn't sure what to make of watching us all innertube, waterski, and "surf" behind the boat...when I was tossed off of the innertube (err...I mean THROWN off so hard that my bathing suit came off....thanks Uncle Tim), Jake said "is Mommy okay?". So sweet. Mia was bundled in her life vest and you could just see her little head poking out of it. Luckily, the boat was like on giant bouncy/vibrating chair for her and she was lulled to sleep both days we were out on the water. I bet many of you didn't know that Sunday was National Smores Day.....Gramps discovered this and you know you can always count on our crew to celebrate all things food, so we had fun making smores too. Uncle Tim improvised with adding Oreo cookies and peanut butter to his. I think I'll stick with the original "recipe". Brian was thrilled to finally witness a trick that I've only ever seen performed by my Mom.....waterskiing without getting your hair wet (see proof in the picture below). Oh, and the girls DOMINATED in Cranium.....as usual! THANKS Grammie and Gramps for another great family mini-vacation :)

Cabin visit

We had a great time visiting Papa and Tutu up at the cabin. Brian and Papa took Jake on his first fishing trip.....we didn't know if it would hold his attention for 10 minutes or all day, but he did really well! They caught a "big one fish" and Jake proudly showed it off. I was really sad to miss the photo opportunity, but Brian did a GREAT job....see the adorable pic below :) We enjoyed some pool time, where we had to bribe Jake out of the water with an ice cream....he would stay in there ALL day! Thank goodness Tutu likes the water and didn't mind getting splashed while he jumped to her! Mia was just sitting around looking cute while we were all playing....she's good at that :)

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2 months!

Mia is already 2 months old! She is doing great....just had her Dr. appt and she weighs 11lbs, 10 oz and is 22.75 inches long. Jake was 12 pounds and 23 inches long at 2 months. She has slept through the night for the last 2 nights (though she is restless during the night, so I didn't sleep the whole time!)....going to bed around 9:30 and waking around 5am. She seems to be getting more content and less gassy during the day, which is nice.....she still fusses in the evening time.....it is loud, but short lived! She's smiling a lot now and just getting cuter by the day. Jake has still been great with her.

A trip to the fair

We made our annual trip to the fair with the Braga Bunch and had lots of fun! Jake loved the rides.....and Daddy realized that his stomach can't quite take what it used to when it comes to carnival rides! As you can see by the first picture, Jake did not like it when the ride ENDED!

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

We celebrated Brian's birthday this week....Jake helped to bake the cake and made a card for Daddy. Funny to think that at this time last year he had only a few words and now he's singing Happy Birthday with us! And by next year, Mia will be toddling around and enjoying a piece of cake with the rest of us! How time flies...

Pics

Here are a few pics from this week.....Mia is 7 weeks old today. She is still a good sleeper and the sweetest little girl! She's got a set of lungs that she practices with in the evenings, but is otherwise a pretty content baby. She seems to be getting used to her carseat a little bit and is weighing about 10.5 pounds right now....starting to get cute chubby legs....i love it! Brian filled up the hot tub again now that I'm allowed to use it, but I think Jake will be his new tub buddy! He's also getting Jake to make friends with Ellie, which is good....I hope he does not end up afraid of her like I am. However, when he is close to her, I start sweating!! That bird better keep her beak away from my boy!!

Relay For Life 2009

This is our 4th year participating in the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life event in Dublin. Team Super Jake raised over $5000, so THANK YOU for your donations and support! The weather was a little strange.....we had sun, wind, rain, thunder and lightning.....yes, all in a 24 hour period! Not the norm for a July day in California....little did I know, I would have to pull out the baby bunting for Mia this time of year! But we had lots of fun and raised money for a good cause! Our team has continued to grow each year.....now we have quite a few team members under 3 feet tall who keep us entertained. I had no idea that a hammock could occupy a group of children for so long! Instead of manning the cotton candy machine, this year Brian barbecued 60 pounds of tri-tip for all of the walkers.....he gives new meaning to the term" Lean Mean Grilling Machine"....I think that will be his new nickname :) We're a little worn out this weekend, but it is always worth it!

Visit with Wallace/Darlington Crew!

We had a very special treat last week.....a visit from the Darlingtons/Wallaces! Though we only got to hang out for a short time, it was SO great to see them. We had a blast watching the kids play together....they adore each other and we only wish their play dates could happen more often! They also got the chance to meet Mia....needless to say, she got plenty of snuggle time! Seriously guys, when are you moving back to CA??!!