Almost

No, your eyes aren't deceiving you! Presley pulled herself up to a stand & tried walking!! It's only a matter of time!

Always Thinking

If only I knew what she was thinking. 

In a few weeks she'll turn 3, but it seems like she

is wise beyond her years already! 

Newest Addition

This is the newest addition of matching dresses I have made for the girls! However, I can't take all the credit! Daddy-O was up till 1 am with me using the serger to gather!



I feel so thankful that the girls and I have such an awesome daddy & hubby who takes interest in everything we do! We are very lucky!

Sisters

They are our girls!

They love each other!

They are sisters! 

  

From Teething to Standing

Presley's teething like a mad woman. 

She is full of drool, snotty noses, and cranky faces. 

She is constantly chewing on herself or something else, and 

making ridiculously funny faces! 

And, she is pulling herself up to a stand on EVERYTHING.

The side of the bathtub, my leg, her toys, the kitchen table chairs,

shopping carts, and anything else she can find! 

Her First Boo Boo

It's sad to say, but Presley got her first bloody Boo Boo yesterday.

I'm not quite sure how it happened. She was crawling along the floor, 

a heard a little whimper, and then there was a puddle of blood. I

instantly picked her up, searched her entire body, but couldn't find where

it was coming from. So, I started asking G if she was cut somewhere. Nope. 

Sure enough, Presley's heal had a little gash on it. 

I hurried her into the bathroom,  ran water over it, dabbed some Neosporin

on it, and gave my baby her first Band-Aide. She is definitely a tough cookie, 

who hasn't whimpered since. 

Cart Surfing

We are shopping for some new fabric, I place the bolts in the back of the cart, and immediately this little kidlet is turned around STANDING!!

Are you kidding me? What happened to my baby?


By the way, there were no straps on this cart, and I didn't think I needed them! Yikes! Guess I do now!

Long Day

Yesterday was a long day for the girls, especially Presley.

We went out to visit Aunt Laura, do some shopping, and eat lunch

in Camarillo. The girls' schedules were off, but they were super troopers! 

Sweet Pea finally gave up on the ride home from dinner! 

Oh the places she sleeps!!

I'm not sure if she fell asleep this way, slid out of bed, or what! I had to do a double take when peeking in on her, then I gave a little chuckle, snapped some shots, and tucked her safely back in bed!!

Little Fingers

Sweet Pea's little fingers move really fast these days, especially when she seas something she wants!

Tonight her long little fingers got to her sisters breadstick before I did! And, it quickly made contact to her mouth!




Needless to say, she loved it, and it kept her busy in the booster! Yes...you read that right! They would only allow a booster at our table, so she had to sit like a big girl!

Dress Maker

I'm trying to sew. 

And..it's pretty much for my girls. So, they

can look cute, different, and special. 

And..I think Presley looks just that. Watch out for G in her matching 

dress coming soon. Maybe tomorrow...if I'm lucky! 

8 Months...Count them...8

Presley is 8 months young!

She is full of vibrancy, life, and smiles.

She is crawling, almost pulling herself to stand, and constantly on the move.

She has discovered biting, and her teeth marks can be found on everything.

She finds the smallest pieces of anything, and they go directly into her mouth.

She is mesmerized by her older sister, but still enjoys pulling her long hair.

She can wave, repeat sounds, and boy does she babble on and on.

She still enjoys being rocked to sleep by Momma all nestled in my arms.

She plays with toys on her own, but prefers when someone is doing it with her.

She can suck out of a straw, and is constantly going for our Sodas.

She is a picky eater, but will eat just about any "real" food you give her.

She loves paper, plastic, or anything she isn't supposed to have that makes noise.

She finds water fun, and loves splishing & splashing!

She laughs when we laugh, and smiles ALL the time! 

She is our WILD CHILD! 

Full Tummy

Tonight, the four of us took a family walk around the neighborhood. As we

were walking down our street, I pointed up into the sky and said, "Look G, it's

a full moon." Her innocence melted my heart when her response was, "Did it

eat all it's dinner Mama?" 

Oh..the Faces she makes!

I just love when babies have two little teeth down in their swollen bottom

gums. In fact, I probably treasure the pictures of G with just her two little teeth

 more then most. 

So, in an effort to capture Presley's two little teeth, and the cuteness

of almost 8 months. I snapped a few shots tonight. And, what I found

is that my little Pella girl (my little nickname for her, Presley + Ella), is

quite the little Ham!

Enjoy her many faces!!

Hi!

Did you really just do that?

I have a double chin, but I'm proud! 

I'm getting two teeth on top, and it's killing me, but I'll smile for you Momma!

HEEELLLOOOO!

I'm a goofy girl! 

Boots, Leggings, and Chocolate

"G picked out her own clothes," is the explanation I 

was given from Ryan this afternoon while I was cooking dinner.

 Pink Cowgirl Boots

 Elephant Leggings

And, Chocolate adorned on her perfect pink lips!

No explanation is needed here; 

Giulietta is Gorgeous! 

A lot of Pictures

My camera seems to have made itself a permanent residence

in my right hand. Just like my cell phone, I take it 

everywhere with me. Sometimes it is to capture what

special happening we are doing, but other times it is just for

fun. The girls never to seem to be bothered by having the 

black box pointed at their noggins, and Giulietta often

begs to see what the picture I took looks like. 

The pictures that follow are some of my favorites that I 

took of the girls while we were out and about doing our everyday thing.

The first four pictures were taken at Cypress College, and the last four

were taken at the Eldorado Nature Reserve. 

Thursday Morning Play Dates

This morning Presley had the pleasure of enjoying a play date with her cousin Owen! They did a lot of sharing toys, talking, and touching! Only a little bit of hair pulling, and biting happened...promise!!






We can't wait for our next visit!!

Perfect Timing

Nope, we aren't at the zoo! We are actually in the parking lot of the Honda Center. 

You see, we went to buy tickets for the Circus this Sunday, and they were just 

opening up their pre-show for today. So, being the cool Mama I am, I snuck 

the girls over to see the animals. You better bet there will be way more pictures on Sunday!

Baby in Training

Maybe in years to come Presley will be our little athlete, but for today

she is our baby who is almost on the move. 

She can now be found up on all fours rocking back and forth, as well 

as putting herself in a convenient sitting position. She gets herself

where she wants to go by rolling or slithering, but it is only a matter

of days and she will be crawling all over our house. Today we even saw her

attempting to pull herself to standing position. 

Chomp Chomp Chomp

Presley is biting down on anything and everything she can get her

hands on these days. Dirty fingers, Giulietta's shoes, and table tops

are among her favorites. So, I usually keep a baggie of Graham Crackers

around to keep her hands and mouth busy. 

As you can see, she has added another pearly white to her collection, 

for a grand total of 2! 

Goodbye Paci

Being a parent requires one to make decisions that are often times 

rather difficult such as when to move the baby to their crib, when to

switch from breast milk to cows milk, when to take away the bottle, or

when to say goodbye to the paci. It is my belief that the easiest way to 

make these parenting decisions is to listen to your young, rather 

inexperienced child, and yourself. After all, it is the parents who know

their own child better then anyone else. 

However, for a parent, making these decisions are difficult because it requires

 change, which is not always welcomed on the part of the child. And, it is an 

outward sign of growth by the child, which signals the need for a parent to let 

their baby go a tad bit more. 

Last night, Ryan and I watched Giulietta say goodbye to her last paci!

It was bittersweet to watch as Ryan and her sat down at the 

table to make an envelope perfect for the last piece of her infancy.

She picked up her beloved paci off of the table, and gave it a few last 

sucks before tossing it into the homemade envelope. 

Then, Daddy and Giulietta closed up the envelope real tight, and tossed it

 into the mailbox for the paci fairy.  

I stood in the threshold of my home with tears brimming my eyes 

as I looked at my daughter in a new light. 

It suddenly hit me that Giulietta is no longer a baby. Every remnant 

of her infancy has either been given up, passed down to her sister 

Presley, or packed away. Although her growth is natural, expected,

 and amazing to watch, it is never easy to accept that she is quickly becoming 

more and more independent, intelligent, and beautiful with each passing day. 

The transition from paci to no paci seems to be going as smooth as all G's other 

transitions from infancy to toddlerhood. She whined a bit, asked for it

back, but finally acknowledged that she was a big girl and ready to move on. Now, 

when she is resting peacefully in bed she has her arms wrapped around her new

Cinderella baby that the paci fairy brought.