Finally

So I'm not super computer savvy, so it took a few months to figure out how to download pictures on the iPad and blog using it too. Apparently google and apple are not friends so switching everything saved on google from the iPad took some effort.

This is my first attempt at blogging with the iPad, so...........

Testing.......testing, 123 testing!

We'll start a few months back.







Emma loves beans and cheese. Full fists them into her mouth like she hasn't eaten in weeks. Honestly, she eats every 30 minutes or so. Not sure where she puts it all!








They both love to paint. Avila was actually singing with joy that Uncle Stephen and Auntie Megan sent Emma paint for her birthday.







The beloved playhouse. Avila spends most of her day here talking to her imaginary friends, her babies, the dog and Emma. She is the mom...always. Emma is pretty much Avila's shadow. If Avila's baby needs a nap, so does Emma's, if Avila's baby goes for a walk so does Emma's. They are quite the pair.






We do A LOT of dancing in the house. It's one of the first things Avila wants to do when she wakes up.
6:40am Eat.... Check
6:45am Call Nana to say good morning... Check
6:50am Get dressed up..... Check
7:00am Music on.... Check
7:01am "mommy, come dance with me."








Camping in Carpinteria..... Spur of the moment camping. Park next-door was awesome.


















Camping/hiking in the Sequoia National Park. One of my favorite places in the world. This year we had a hike-in campsite right next to an amazing waterfall. Beautiful. Lots of hikes. Saw 4 deer (Bambi), 4 bears (2 of which were babies), and more other forest animals than I can name. Last time I got to wear my baby backpack...baby #3 seemed to have a growth Sputnik after this trip. (barely 6 months pregnant here)


More pics and stories to come.

Piglet #2

Piglet #2

Emma eats every meal as if it might be her last.

She prefers "real food" over most baby foods. Chili beans, bananas, and chicken are on her top favorite list.

She is a constant delight. Loves her sister. Smiles all the time.

So thankful for our girls.

Avila turns 2

More pictures and fun stories to come........

Happy Halloween

This was Avila's first time trick-or-treating. We practiced all afternoon saying three things, "trick-or-treat".........."Go Army" (she was a Westpoint Army Cheerleader).....and "thank you". Well, I'm not sure how many times she said any of the phrases we practiced, but I do know she said "CANDY" over and over! She didn't notice any of the scary costumes or frightful music; nothing phased her. She was a girl on a mission. Avila would run to doors dragging her "candy purse", smile at the person holding a bowl of candy, say thank you, and run to the next door. Didn't take long for her to become a pro. At a number of houses she stood at the door waiting for 2 or 3 more pieces of candy, she was working it for as much as she could get. How could you resist a little cheerleader looking at you with those pleading eyes saying "candy......tank-too (thank you)"

Emma was content to be moms costume, taking in the whole event. Next year Blair and I will have double the candy to raid when the girls go to bed. Oh how I love eating candy I didn't have to work for.

Hawaii

These pictures are a little late, but better late than never! :o)

We had a lot of fun visiting my brother and sister-in-law who are stationed there.

Hoorah, go Army!

The pictures say it all. If we weren't swimming at the pool we were playing at the beach.

Go Army - Beat Navy

Yes, I was a cheerleader in high school. Proud of it. And yes, I have high hopes that my daughter will at least not mock them as much as her daddy does. And yes, to the horror of many I would be happy if she wanted to be a cheerleader in high school.

....................I'll pause a moment for the shock and awe.................

This Halloween Avila will be dressed as an Army Knight cheerleader. This is as close to Westpoint as she will ever get if she got her mommy's brains or her mommy's lack of desire to "play guns". This Halloween she will cheer for uncle Stephen and the men and women fighting for our freedom. She will cheer for Army with all her spirit although Navy continues to beat them. She will cheer for her uncle Stephen who "plays war" every day in Hawaii living the hard life.

Let's go Army .....clap, clap, clap.......Let's go Army........clap, clap, clap....... Let's go!!!!

We love you Uncle Stephen and Auntie Megan!!!!

Beach Baby

Beach days with Avila get more and more fun as the time goes on. This is a picture one year ago today. 7 months old and ready to leave for Hawaii.

Here she is today. 4 days until we leave to visit Uncle Stephen and Auntie Megan in Hawaii again. Ready to play in the sand and splash in the wa-wa as Avila would say.

She LOVES playing in holes in the sand. She found this one while looking for sea shells. I'm not sure what she was pretending the hole was. One minute I thought she was pretending to swim in a pool and another minute she was pretending to sleep in it.

We went to our secret beach today. We were the only ones there for most of the time. I felt like we lived on a deserted island.........well at least until I looked behind me to see the road, cars, and the train in the distance.