Swim Lessons

Connor is finishing up his first session of swim lessons! He's enjoyed being a Starfish and seems to really like his teacher Tyler. It's fun to have Sophia there too. She is taking the Parent and Me class in the same pool. Connor keeps his eyes out for them and will shout across the pool, "Hi Danielle! Hi Sophia!" It's so sweet how much he loves them! Connor seems very comfortable in the water and he's getting more comfortable going under water each day. He enjoys blowing bubbles and kicking too! He looks forward to swim lessons and is bummed on the days we don't have them. I think he'll be a strong swimmer in no time!

FOOD!

On Monday, June 18th, we offered rice cereal to Madeline. She's been eyeing our food lately and reaching for food, so we thought she was ready. At first, we thought she liked it, as she grabbed the spoon and held it in her mouth. But after a few bites, Maddie would spit out any cereal that was on the spoon. We'll keep trying! We're excited to introduce new foods to her and Connor is excited to feed her. We are all so in love with this little girl!

Clearlake Camping Trip

We had another great trip to Clearlake for the Mallory/Mitchell reunion. We played lots, swam, boated, barbecued, roasting marshmallows, enjoyed time with family, and celebrated Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

An Interview About Daddy... By Connor Louis

My dad's name is... Daddy.
My dad is... Thirty-one.
His hair is... blonde.
His eyes are... blue and black.
He likes to wear... Giants stuff.
He love to eat... with me.
He is smart because he knows... Me.
My dad works hard at... Cintas.
Daddy always tells me... not to yell down from bed and not to put toothpaste on the floor. And that I'm a good baseballer.
If he could go on a trip, he would go to....John's Incredible Pizza.
He would take... Me. C-O-N-N-O-R.
I really love it when my dad... doesn't go to work and stays here with me all day long.
If I could give my daddy anything, it would be... Me.
My favorite thing about daddy is... when he gives me hugs.
My dad likes... The Giants, I would say, but I don't know for sure.
My daddy's favorite color is... blue like me!
Daddy likes to... play baseball with me.

Happy Father's Day Michael. You are such an amazing father to our children! Thank you for providing for our family, bringing laughter and happiness into our home everyday, and loving us all with your whole heart. You are an amazing man and I am so blessed to share this life with you. I love you!

Megan

Birthday Celebration in SF

We had a great weekend celebrating Grandma Jill and Pops Dave! We went to SF and watched the Giants win an exciting game and then spent the night in the city and enjoyed the SF Zoo on Sunday. A great way to celebrate their birthdays! Connor had a blast cheering for the Giants and enjoyed seeing the animals at the zoo. We got to take Maddie on her first train ride at the zoo too. It was a great weekend! Thanks Dave and Jill for coming with us! Happy Birthday!

5 Months!

Happy 5 Months to our Maddie Girl!

She is changing and growing each and every day! Maddie is very vocal, making lots of different sounds and melting our hearts with her laughs. Connor is still the one who can make her smile and laugh the most. Maddie is now turning over from back to front and front to back. She tolerates tummy time much more and is becoming more interested and interactive with toys. She's starting to look at pictures when we read to her and enjoys us singing to her. She is starting to sit up more independently and often is stable with the tripod sit. She's still in our room at night as she sleeps best in her cradle. She takes 3-4 short naps a day, and usually takes one of her naps in her crib. She usually goes to bed around 7:30-8pm and sleeps until 5:30am! I'm very thankful for that! She is still nursing well and will also take a bottle on the occasion that mommy has an appointment. She is such a sweet, joyful baby. We love you Madeline Emma!

Pictures from the last few weeks...

May continued to be a busy month, filled with more memories and fun time with family and friends. We continue to feel so blessed!

Michael took Connor to a Giants games with our friends Josh and Ben

Connor at his 2nd dentist appointment. He did great during his teeth cleaning and x-rays. He made friends with all the dentists and hygenists!

Showing off his beautiful pearly whites!

We took a weekend trip to Tahoe and Mallory came too so she could watch the kiddos at night.

Mallory and Connor building sandcastles at Camp Richardson.

Grandma Jill brought her girlfriends, Pat and Sherry, to meet Madeline and see Connor. It was great to see these lovely ladies and Connor really enjoyed showing them around our home.

We got to attend Sophia's 2nd Birthday. It was a "Milk and Cookies" theme and Connor LOVED decorating (and eating) all the yummy cookies.

Celebrating Poppy's birthday! Happy Birthday to the World's Best Dad and Poppy!

We had a blast going to the Sacramento County Fair with my parents. Connor loved petting the goats!

Connor petting the largest rabbit I've ever seen! We liked the animals, but this year, he seemed more interested in the rides! He has no fear... he enjoyed all the rides, even the kiddy roller coaster!

Sweet Maddie, laughing for the camera!

She LOVES bathtime. She often giggles, coos, and tries to suck on her toes during bath.          

My precious girl... still in awe of her beauty and perfection!

We had a busy weekend celebrating Mother’s Day. On Saturday, Michael planned an outing to Color Me Mine where we got to paint pottery together. Connor painted a bowl for me for Mother’s Day, I painted a plate with the kids' footprints on it, and Michael painted a baseball piggy bank for Connor. We then went out to lunch and got Pinkberry for dessert! That night, Dave and Jill came up and we went to the River Cats game. We had a great time with them and the River Cats won! We stayed late to see the fireworks show. Taking a baby to a baseball game has it’s challenges, but it was fun to take Maddie to her first baseball game. The next morning, Michael and Connor made a Starbucks run  to bring me a mocha on my special day. We then got ready and headed to church for Cayden’s dedication. It was emotional to see him be dedicated to the Lord since he is such a little miracle and has overcome so much already. I was glad I could see my mom there, since we’re celebrating Mother’s Day later by taking her to tea time at a tea shop in Sacramento. Tea time is something we used to do often with my nana, so it’s a fun way to remember her during Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there. I certainly am blessed with an amazing mom and mother-in law. They have taught me how to be a good mom. To me, being a mom is the best job in the world!

I'm 30!

I had to blog about my birthday, just so I could remember all the great details of my 30th! We first celebrated with a weekend away in Monterey and Santa Cruz, which is how I requested to celebrate my birthday. I wanted some family time away with quality time with Michael away from work! On my actual birthday, I woke up to flowers from Michael and another bouquet from my mom and dad. I had a training for NUSD and my sweet girlfriends brought this delicious cake and threw me a mini birthday party during the break. My mom watched Maddie during the training and also long enough for me to go get a pedicure! That night, my dad joined us and we went to Paesano's for dinner. Later that week, my girlfriends planned a happy hour at Ella's downtown. Jill so graciously watched the kiddos so both Mallory and I could go. We had a great time visiting and enjoying delicious drinks and appetizers. A few of us stayed out and had dinner at Esquire Grill. I came home that night feeling very blessed and content with turning 30! Little did I know, Michael still had something up his sleeve! The next morning I woke up and Michael asked if I'd like to go out to breakfast. We drove across town to what Michael said was a new spot he wanted to try. I wasn't suspicious in the least... just looking forward to a breakfast date with my hubby! We arrived at a day spa where five of my closest girlfriends were waiting to surprise me with balloons and flowers! I was so shocked and surprised!! Michael had arranged for us all to have a day of beauty and we each got to choose 3 services to have done. I had a massage, pedicure and facial. It was delightful! We then went out to lunch at Piatti's and enjoyed more girl talk. Michael won the best husband award by far! He spoils me beyond belief and makes me feel so loved and appreciated all the time. I am so very blessed to have a wonderful husband and amazing friends. My 30th couldn't have been better! 

Enjoying the warm weather!

We had a play date this last week with our friends Lilliana, Mallory, and Sophia. We're so lucky to have close friends to create memories like this with!

Michael and Connor have been playing lots of baseball in the park. It's so special to see Michael "coaching" Connor. Connor listens intently to Michael and seems very interested in batting and pitching. Melts my heart o see them spend time together like this!

We continue to be blessed with Auntie Mallory. She is such a big help and my babies just adore her. Maddie loves to snuggle with Mal and Connor enjoys climbing on her, chasing her, teasing her, etc. He treats her more like a sister than an aunt. Most recently, they've been doing yoga together which is hilarious to watch and usually ends with Connor attacking Mal and using her as a human jungle gym. Connor calls it "yoga poos" instead of a "yoga pose." He'll ask Mallory "lets do some yoga poos!" Cracks me up every time. Thank you Mal for helping so much!

Madeline is 4 Months Old!

Where does the time go? I can hardly believe our baby girl is already 4 months old. It seems like she is still so new, and yet it's hard to remember a time without her. She has so totally consumed our hearts already. Connor is in love with his baby sister. He loves to hold her, play "tummy time" with her and sing to her. Often if she's fussy in the car, he'll sing to her or talk to her to calm her down. She's stolen his heart already. Maddie changes every day. Most notable this month has been her growth. She seemed so skinny and petite up until her third month, but now she's developing that adorable chunky baby look. Maddie's eyes seem to be getting a darker blue and her hair is lightening. She hasn't lost much hair, but the longer parts seem to be curling more. Looks like she might have curls like her mama. She's happy all the time... smiling, cooing, and laughing. Her giggle is hilarious! Connor is often the one to get the best giggles from her. She's still nursing like a champ and consistently sleeps from around 8pm to 5:30am in a cradle next to our bed. She wakes up with the biggest smile- so energetic to start the day. We're starting to talk about transitioning her to her crib, but we're hesitant to mess with something that's working so well!  Napping is not completely consistent yet- she sometimes sleeps 20 minutes at a time, but then will surprise me with a 90 minute nap every now and then. She enjoys watching Connor play, being sang to, and playing on her play mat. She's at the stage of sucking and chewing on everything within her grasp and she drools a ton. She likes to go on walks and be out and about during the day, but is also content when we're at home. Lately, she's enjoyed sitting in her bouncy seat outside while watching Connor play in the pool. She's experienced her first cold throughout this past month. She woke up Easter weekend with a cough and congestion and it's slowly lingered throughout this month. I took her in to Dr. Jain's just to make sure everything was okay, and she said her ears looked great and her lungs sounded great. Just a lingering cough from the cold. I'm beginning to wonder if it's allergies, because she often sneezes when we're outside. Even with a cold, she has been her happy, glowing self! We are just completely blessed with her... I think we're all head over heels in love and enjoy every minute with her. Maddie Girl, thank you for blessing our family so much!