Happy Halloween!!

The girls had so much fun this year! We went trick or treating in a historical area which closes down the streets for all the festivities. There was a New Orleans style marching band walking around. All the houses had laser shows, dance floors, amazing decorations, music and tons of kids! It was the coolest Halloween for all of us. Malaina was really into trick or treating this year. Maren wasn't sure what was going on at first, but she liked it. Once she realized she was getting candy in her bag she caught on quickly saying "tik teet" and "tank du" after receiving her candy. They were so cute to watch walking around together. It was an awesome Halloween!


Fairy Princesses

Trick or Treat

Oohh..there's candy in this bag!! I love Halloween!

Fearless! Maren loved everything, and was afraid of nothing!

Half full

It has been such a busy month!! The girls are growing like wild fire. Maren talks and walks now. She thinks she is a very big girl now that she can keep up with big sister. Malaina has been loving the big changes with her sister. They are able to play more and more together. Malaina starts school in a few weeks and is still loving gymnastics. We had a visit from Auntie Meg this month and have been swimming and playing at the park a lot. We are really loving CA! I can't seem to stop taking pictures of my beautiful girls....thought I'd share my favs of the last couple of weeks:)

Maren's new favorite face to make to get people to laugh and smile at her. Little ham!

Went for a picnic at one of the wineries here in Sonoma....just beautiful with a lake and lots of beautiful grounds for the kids to run around on.

I had to put this one in.....my sis and I laughed when we saw this...it looks like some kind of fake background in a studio, but it is real and so very beautiful!

Maren walking in her new shoes

No more gummy smile...

4th of July week

This week seems like it has just flown by. Malaina and I went to a paint your pottery place and had a blast! She was so into painting, and was very detailed and deliberate. We went to lunch afterward at our favorite Mexican restaurant. A fun Mommy/Malaina day :) We get to pick up our pieces tomorrow. Can't wait to see how they came out!

We celebrated the 4th by first going to a 4th of July festival in Windsor, then played at the park there. It was full of kids and a little dog Maren just fell in love with. She is following her big sister in her love and obsession of dogs. Maren just shouts out "DAOU", points excitedly and begins to follow the dog around. (though I'm not sure if she is more excited about seeing a dog or that she can say the word and have people understand her :) We then went to my brothers house for a big BBQ. We spent the day swimming in the pool, enjoying friends & family, feasted on American fare, and a homemade special 4th of July cake for the occasion. Later Malaina and I ventured out to watch the fireworks. We got lucky and found a primo spot with an excellent view. It was the best and most amazing firework shows I've seen! The crowd was amazed and went wild afterward. We had a fun night! Today we had a mellow park day and Grandpa took out all his girls for ice cream. (well sorbet really :)

Malaina has been blossoming at gymnastics! She is usually a bit on the timid side, but she is just going for it in class! Jumping on and off BIG jumps, tumbling, & tricks on the balance beam, she is doing it all, on her own. After her last class she came running out all red faced and sweaty saying "whew....that was hard!!" but just smiling ear to ear. She has also been enjoying being a big sister lately. She and Maren have come up with some games they play together, and Mal is just loving teaching Maren new words and helping her walk everywhere. They are just amazing together!

Maren's vocabulary is just impressive! It seems like just one day she started talking and has so many words that she knows. Her very favorites at the moment are "up, dog, hot, juice, MayMay (for Malaina) and Uhh Ohh" for anything that falls on the floor. She is still content to have help to walk, although when she is preoccupied she takes steps without realizing it. She is ready, she just doesn't want to yet. Those 4 teeth she has painstakingly been working on are finally though. No more gummy smile just a big toothy one now. In the pictures you can only clearly see one but they are all there. She is a constant source of laughter for us all.

Finding our way :)

We have been feeling more settled this week. Malaina started a gymnastics class that she just LOVES! It is a fun gym. They apparently do very well with their team placing at Nationals most years. It will be fun to see Malaina learn so much. Maren has just started to take steps. Just one or two when she isn't paying attention to what she is doing. She says quite a few words now and signs when she feels like it. She has been having fun just pointing at things she wants. :)

The summer so far has been mild with a hot day here and there, so we have been enjoying going to the park and playing out back. This week we found a new story time to go to. Malaina loves listening and Maren loves to visit all the babies and any girls wearing pink and accessories (trying to pull off their necklaces), walk, crawl and climb on everything in the room. No sitting for me :) Maren has also been teething like crazy this last week! She is working on 4 teeth on the top. Poor baby, has been miserable :(

I have been getting out and making friends, and finding new things to explore. (see FB)

The girls just love living with Grandpa and Grandma. We are so fortunate to have such a supportive and loving family to help us get through this. They have been so kind and thoughtful and have really done a lot to make us feel at home. Thank you Mom & Dad!! We love you!

Maren is so inquisitive. She is always pointing to things and says "dat", wanting to know what it is.

Such a big girl now!! Standing by herself all the time.

Having fun and feeling good at the park.

Malaina and Maren have been spending lots of time playing in the sand box, pool and swings together.

Went with Grandpa and Grandma on a beautiful coastal cliff hike for Father's Day (It was a bit colder than we expected and very windy. We still had a good time though.), followed by a backyard BBQ and a visit from Uncle Stephen and family. A very nice day!!!

Beautiful girl, beautiful wildflowers, beautiful day!

Beautiful views all along the cliffs!

Enjoying the scenery.

Great Day!

We had such a nice day today! I got to start my day out on the most amazing run through Annadel State Park!! It was 8 miles of beautiful! I saw wild turkeys and deer, ran through meadows, oak forests, around a lake, streams, amazing views, and down through a forest of redwoods. Does it get any better than this?? I'll hike it some time so I can take pics to post. I just love how beautiful it is here! The rest of the day the girls & I played in the sand box, went to the park to play with friends and cousins in Windsor (a really cute little town, with a park in the middle of the downtown area), and when Maren was napping, helped Malaina ride her bike with no training wheels! She is improving fast and getting more comfortable. We are still working on balancing, but I think she will get the hang of it soon. Maren is free standing all the time now and wants to walk SOOOO bad. She tries to say new words everyday. I think she will be quite the chatter box when she figures it all out! :) Another beautiful day!

Happy Birthday Maren!!

Today we went to the beach to celebrate Maren's 1st Birthday. It was windy and a little chilly, but we had a great time anyway. Playing in the sand and tide pools, crawling and walking on the beach, and a picnic lunch completed the day for little Maren.

The girls had fun playing together with their new sand toys.

Mommy kisses- I still can't believe my little baby has just turned one today. Although her first year of life is not at all what I expected for her, I am continually amazed at what a bright and shinning spirit she has. She is literally a ray of sunshine in our lives. Every day I am awed by her and struck with such a sense of gratitude for this little being in my life. I am so thankful I have been blessed not once but twice with the most amazing daughter. Both of the girls are amazing spirits and touch my heart constantly. Happy Birthday my sweet Maren, I love you!!!

Make it stop!!!! No more Maren's Birthday!! :)

Eating Birthday blueberry muffins for dessert, another of my favorites.