The last month or so...

Well, it's been awhile so I have a lot to catch up on. I know I still haven't even blogged about Liv's birthday... I will, I promise! But, here's some of the fun stuff we've done over the past month.

Our good friend, Jason Vasquez, was in town from Washington DC so we had a fun high school reunion lunch at the Filling Station one day. It was fun to see him and some other friends I hadn't seen forever! Jason & I have been friends since kindergarten... I can't believe we're "adults" now!
Liv & I have really been enjoying our morning walks lately. We've made a point to walk through the campus of Chapman University because it is so beautiful and peaceful. Liv loves the fountains and especially loves staring at the students riding their skateboards to class! I think the students like seeing a smiley baby too!


It was so fun to be back in Old Towne for the Street Fair. We used to live right above the circle so we'd always have people over to enjoy the festivities. We are a little farther away now but still had fun walking over with some good friends!


This is my inherited friend, Carol Ann and her boyfriend Brett. Missy's been good friends with Carol Ann for quite awhile and now I'm in their Bunco group so we've become friends too! She is hilarious and Brett is such a nice guy. It was fun to hang out with them a bit!

Liv cruised around on Kurt's back for a bit... she kept trying to touch all the people we squeezed by! This was so much easier than trying to maneuver a stroller through the crowds! I love Sara and Carol Ann enjoying their grub in the background... so street fair!


Miss took a turn holding Liv and she loved it!


Our builder gave us some Metrolink passes so we took the train down to San Juan Capistrano for breakfast one morning. Liv loves trains and waves to them even when we're just at home and she can only hear their horns!



Kurt's mom was in town for a week so Liv got some good grandma time in...


Liv got this super fun bouncy pony from the Kennedys and Mellemas for her birthday. She thoroughly enjoys it! I love this shot of her!


We've had this toy for awhile now but Liv finally figured out how to make the little doors open on her own... so fun!

The Metrolink passes were good for awhile so Meg and I took the kids down to SJC again. We had an adventure that day with a bunch of delayed trains and whatnot but it was fun... kind of. :) We are so lucky to have pretty easy going kids who were happy for the most part with lots of cheerios and book reading! Wallace is walking now... I think Liv's a little jealous of his increased mobility and freedom!


Last week we went to the Santa Ana Zoo with Erin & Eilee and Rebecca & Logan. Liv really liked the monkeys and it was fun to be with these friends!


Kurt gave me this awesome bike for my birthday back in March. I've been wanting to ride it more but we didn't have a seat for Liv (and I usually don't leave her at home by herself! :) We finally got the right seat and Kurt installed it for me last weekend. Liv & I have been enjoying our little rides! The other day we rode over to JDW to say hi to our friends!


That's it for now... are you happy? I still have to work on Liv's bday post and I need to write about my Westmont girls weekend away AND tomorrow morning I leave for Napa with the 7 girls. Man, I have a lot to do today!

First "Sentence"

Yesterday Liv verbalized a complete thought for the first time. There's this cat that thinks we are its family. We are NOT this cat's family, nor are we willing to pretend that we like having it on our front patio loudly meowing in our windows every time it sees us. So, we've been pretty vocal about it leaving the premises when it comes around. Liv, on the other hand, has been pretty captivated by this creature that sits on the ledge just a screen away from her. She has been pressing her face up against the screen and talking to the cat who loudly meows back at her. So, this past week Liv has finally learned that cats do not bark, they in fact meow. Liv's meow is more like "mmmmowwwwww" (think meow without the e sound). Yesterday I was holding Liv and the cat came to the window. I shook my finger (granny style!) at the cat and said "Go away, kitty!" Or something to that effect. Liv looked at me, looked at the cat and then shook her fist at the cat and said "No, no mmmmmowwwww!" :)

Toddler

To me, that word sounds so much older than newborn, infant and baby. But, I am realizing that my baby is now venturing into toddlerhood. My email updates about her development now say "Your Toddler This Week" instead of "Your Baby This Week." Her super cute pink jacket from BabyGap, sized 12-18 months, also says Toddler right there on the tag. There's no escaping it.

She's also exhibiting some toddler behavior... wanting a little more independence and freedom, racing to try to get up the stairs when we're not watching even though she knows she's not supposed to go up without us, saying "no" - even though I think it's more of a mimic at this point, getting frustrated with "rules," talking, engaging with other little kids and exploring like crazy. Sometimes Kurt and I look at her and shake our heads... where is our little baby and where did this toddler come from?

And then there are times when she snuggles for a minute, or lays her head on my chest, or just needs to be held (even though that's usually followed quickly by squirming to get down!), or reaches up to touch my face while I give her a bottle and I realize that even though she's getting bigger and learning more and more each day, she's still my baby.

Happy Birthday Liv!

Today Liv is 1 year old! How can it be that this year is already gone? We had a party and all sorts of fun. I will post pictures of that soon but here's a shot of our little muffin on her birthday morning.