First Time to the Beach

On Sunday, we decided to head to the beach. Even though we were pretty close to the beach in TX, we never took Lily, so this was her first time to the beach. I'm really happy her first beach experience was the Pacific, because it is so pretty!

Now before we get to the pictures... I know we are at the beach and wearing jeans and long sleeves, but it was seriously cold outside. I think the high was around 55 or so.

As soon as we got to Pismo, we grabbed a bite to eat. Then we headed out to the beach.

Lily and David playing in the sand.

Love this one :)

LOVE THIS ONE!!! So sweet!

Lily's first step into the Pacific

Coming back to tell me about it Then Lily thought it would be really fun to rub sand all over her face! crazy kid. She loved it!

Then her feet were given a sand scrub.

Erin, Lily and I at the water

I love this family picture.

Erin and me!

Beautiful view as we were driving home

LA!!

Last week, Erin came out to visit. I was so excited! She flew into LAX, so after we picked her up we showed her around the city. While driving to Rodeo Dr., we passed the Beverly Hills hotel.
Then we headed to Hollywood and Highland, to see the Hollywood sign....here it is...

Here's David and Lily in front of the sign.

And Erin and me.

Next, we went to go eat, but there was a little wait at Hard Rock, so we headed over to Grauman's Chinese Theatre to look at the signatures and hand prints.

Lily really enjoyed Bob Hope's hand prints.

Our last stop was a bakery that has the best cream puffs ever! We all really enjoyed them.

We had a good time in LA. It is such a neat place to visit, but it is so chaotic, I can only take it in small doses. It was a great day 1 of Erin's visit.

Mani & Pedi / Afternoon Snack

Lily found one of my Expo markers the other day. This is the result.

Lily gave herself a pedicure

And a manicure....I guess she is wanting me to paint her nails more often :)

Later that afternoon, I heard Lily messing around in the kitchen. This is what I found when I walked in -- Lily sitting on her kitchen counter with a spoon and a box of nesquick. Thankfully the box was almost empty, so she didn't get to eat too much or make too big of a mess!

Mother's Day 2011

As with Easter, it was only the 3 of us for Mother's Day. It was strange not having my mom or grandmother's around us on Mother's Day, but it was fun for me to get to enjoy being the "mom". David had planned most of the day out, which sounded wonderful, but unfortunately plans had to be changed. Even with the changes, we had a fantastic, relaxed day with our family.

My day started out with David making us breakfast: waffles, eggs, and bacon...yum! They were so yummy! Then we headed out to the mall to do a bit of shopping. We found out there was a Red Robin at the mall (we didn't think one was out here), so we decided to have lunch. After lunch we headed to our outdoor shopping area/movie theater to play for a bit. We wanted to take Lily to the movies, but we weren't sure how she would be, she's never been before, AND it was her nap time. I really wanted to take her, so we decided to go and see how it went. We went to see Rio, and Lily couldn't have been better! She snuggled on my lap the entire time, and she really seemed to enjoy the movie and the sour patch kids we got :) After the movie we headed next door to Baskin Robbins for a treat! We all enjoyed that.

I had such a wonderful day with my family. I am so blessed to have such a sweet little girl, and a wonderful hubby who definitely spoiled me on my day :)

Here is a picture of my and my little nugget in front of the fountain.
Here is the beautiful ring David and Lily got me! I love it! It's Lily's birthstone.

More fun in the Toddler Bed!

Here are a few more pictures of Lily and Gracie playing in Lily's bed.

Time for night nights!

Downtown Disney!

After car shopping in LA most of the day, we decided to meet up with some of our friends for dinner. They suggested Downtown Disney, which sounded great to us! While we waited for a table to open up for dinner, we headed to the shops to look around. We went to the Disney store, and Lily had a blast! The very first display was of Toy Story items, and I don't think she would have left there if we didn't force her to. We walked around the whole store looking for something for Lily. Finally she found an item she wanted, another Dalmatian puppy! This one had a cute blanket with it. She loved it! Then it was time to eat.

After dinner, we headed back towards the shops. It was right when the fireworks from Disneyland went off, so we stopped to watch them. Lily loved them! Here she is watching the fireworks.

We walked toward the entrance of Disneyland. Lily walked straight toward Mickey, and talked to him for a while! silly girl.

Then she saw the fireworks again...I love her pointing at them.

We walked around a bit more, and found the Lego store. She really liked looking at the large designs they had. Then we turned the corner and saw Woody! She was in awe!

I can't wait to take her to Disneyland! Looks like we are probably going to go in July when my family comes out to visit! I can't wait. Lily is newly obsessed with Mickey and his friends, so it should be so much fun!

Putting Gracie to Bed

Since Lily has been in her toddler bed, nothing makes her happier than having Gracie jump in bed with her. One night before bedtime, G jumped in the bed. Lily thought it would be fun to put her blanket on G. She thought this was hilarious! I just love these pictures of my girls.

My little hider

I was sitting in the living room, and I couldn't hear Lily playing. I got up and headed to the back of the house. I looked for her in her play room, her room, and our bedroom, and I couldn't find her anywhere! I walked back into the living room to recheck the kitchen, when I spotted her...
No, she wasn't sleeping. she was just hiding VERY quietly. She started giggling once I started telling her I found her. Love her!

Easter Sunday

We had such a wonderful Easter together as a family. This was our first holiday together with just the 3 of us. While we certainly missed being with our family, it was very nice to have a completely relaxing day doing whatever we wanted to do. It was the first time we didn't have to run from place to place, making sure we were at the right place at the right time.

We started our day by heading to the early service at church. It was a lovely service and the best way to start out Easter! After the service they had quite a few activities for the kids. There was an egg hunt, a bouncy castle, a train, and other little games.

Lily hunting eggs
riding the train with Daddy

jumping in the bouncy castle

Family picture at church

After we got home from church we relaxed for a bit, and then started getting everything ready for lunch. David grilled hamburgers, and I made potato salad, cole slaw, and baked beans. I also made my first bunny cake, and Lily helped me decorate it. It was so much fun working with her in the kitchen!

completed bunny cake

Lily with the bunny

stealing a jelly bean!

Later that evening Lily found the grass from her Easter bag at church. I think she had more fun with the grass than the eggs.

We had such a wonderful Easter. I love getting to spend such a wonderful, special holiday with my family.