Memorial Weekend

We love our long weekends with the kiddies and it was so beautiful out this Memorial weekend. We started off the weekend doing our weekly ritual of hitting the Farmer's Market and going out to a family dinner. Sophia loves taste testing all the different fruit at the Farmer's Market and going in the bouncy castle! We had Frank, Sarah, and Emily out on Sunday and we hit the Cajun Festival. We ate lots of glutenous food like funnel cakes and Daddy and Uncle Frank at alligator!! The girls did pretty well on the long wagon ride to and from the festival. We really cherish our weekends staying close to home and exploring all our little town has to offer. This weekend was no different! Just perfect:)
The first time cousin Everett and Preston "played' together:)

Uncle Frank playing "ring around the rosie" with the tiniest Tees girls

The 2 Tees princesses in their wagon

This little guy is literally happy doing anything!!! During their first bath together he was perfectly happy sucking on the washcloth while Miss Sophia splashed about.



Daddy's "mini-me"

Sophia loves her hummus...on her mouth, on her hands, and generally all over her face. The water bath above took place directly after this hummus bath!

Another attempt at a family picture...we'll get a perfect one some day!

Nonno does the best bbq! He made veggie burgers, chicken skewers, and hamburgers. They had a huge spread of appetizers and Nana made homemade stuffed mushrooms that Sophia LOVED. We never leave their house house hungry that's for sure!

We blew up the pool so Sophia could splash around...she loved it and tried out her goggles for the first time. She didn't take a nap all day and was asleep when we pulled out of their neighborhood.

After swimming we took a short walk to the park.

Nana loves her lil' grandbaby boy:)

While swinging Sophia usually says "back and forth" or "front and back" but she ALWAYS says "mommy/daddy sit down" and points to the swing next to her. She doesn't want us to push anymore...she wants us to swing with her. Makes us feel like kids again. We love our swinging time with Sophia:)

Preston's first day of school and Grandpa visits!

Mommy was very nervous for Preston's first day of school but for the first few days he had 2.5 hour naps so we think he's having a blast! The teachers sing lots of songs to him and they say he loves watching all the other babies. At the end of his first week we had a special visit from Grandpa Tees! He even came to Sophia's swim lesson with us on Saturday morning. We ate some yummy mexican food and spent the rest of the afternoon in the backyard watching Sophia water the plants.
Preston was excited for his first day of school!

Proud Grandpa Tees:)

Sophia walking Grandpa to the car. She LOVED his visit and wants him to come back soon!!

Our precious monkey turned 5 months this week!! We think he looks so dapper in his diapey:)




Hey at least they're both sitting still...

Our sweet pea Sophia turns 22 months this week! She is a constant source of laughter and joy for mommy and daddy:)

Road trip to Santa Barbara and Solvang

We decided to hit the road for a few days before mama had to go back to work. We left early on Thursday morning for a short drive to the Santa Barbara zoo. Sophia LOVED the penguins and fishies which they don't have at the LA Zoo:) After the zoo we had lunch at Playa Azul(mommy and daddy's favorite mexican spot in SB). We got back in the car in time for Sophia's nap and we were off to Solvang. First thing we did when we got there was hit Sunny Fields Park. We called it the "castle" park. Pretty much heaven on Earth for Sophia. She loved the gingerbread house and the tire swing and climbing through all the tunnels. Brian research this park ahead of time so we knew she'd love it. Our hotel was beautiful and Sophia slept like an angel in her pack n play. A trip to Solvang is not complete without HUGE danish pancakes so we of course stuffed our faces with them in the morning. We spent the afternoon eating aebleskievers and made one last stop to the castle park before getting back on the road. One of our favorite road trips yet. We've learned a key to a good road trip with kids is to plan the trip around the kids and of course time their naps just right:)

SB Zoo!!



Amazing Sunny Fields Park in Solvang...




Our beautiful room at the Hadsten House...

Mmmm blueberry pancakes!

Sophia enjoying some OJ




BT joked that this was Sophia's first "vacation" friend. Sophia played with this little girl in the gingerbread house for an hour. So cute:)


Preston was pooped from all the Solvang excitement!

Mother's Day 2010

We spent Mother's Day enjoying brunch at Lost Canyon's Golf Course. It was a perfect way to spend my last day before starting work! Mommy's favorite part of the day was making crafts with Sophia at the craft table they had set up:)

A few more from the week just 'cuz:)

"Hi Buster B" is what Sophia is saying.

Going in for the kiss...

She loves to give him kisses. Loves to tickle his cheeks. Loves to "hold" him when she sits on the couch. Pretty much loves everything abt him except when he takes too much of mommy and daddy's time.

We have a beautiful outdoor mall near our house and a visit is never complete without a ride on the train! Sophia picks the train car according to color and today said "thank you lady" to the conductor. The "lady" got a kick out of it!

Our happy boy. This week he discovered the joy of putting things in his mouth. He currently loves to suck on blankets:)

The thing mommy will miss most about being home with Preston is our daily naps. He is such a little cuddle bug and is most comfty on mommy's tummy:)

Sophia's first swim lesson as maternity leave winds down...

Swim lesson #1 was a HUGE hit!! Sophia loved the water and talked about it for days after to anyone who would listen. She was very proud of herself blowing bubbles and "kick kick kicking". We are amazed and shocked on a daily basis with the things that come out of her mouth. On any given day she'll greet us with a "hi mommy/daddy, how are you?". She loves to say "Mommy/Daddy...what are you doing?" If you ask her what she dreamt about the night before she'll say "butterflies, birdies, rainbows"(in that order). She will say a very excited "hi" to literally anyone who crosses her path. Sophia definitely has a big ole' personality and we tend to think she puts a smile on the faces of those around her(whether they want to smile or not!!). We started this maternity leave with a baby Sophia and ended it with a toddler. Brian and I both agree that THIS is our favorite age by FAR!! Hearing Sophia's sweet voice pronouncing words and strining sentences together makes us melt. Nothing compares to these months I've shared with her. Watching her develop her speech before my eyes was priceless. She wasn't able to climb stairs in December and now she goes up and down by herself. She plays alone, "nurses" her babies, changes their diapers, and has quite the vivid imagination. She LOVES to sing and dance. Loves Lady Gaga and requests the songs by name; her current favorite is "Telephone". I will forever cherish my mornings at Starbuck's with Sophia where she'd say "mommy, coffee?" and she'd pretend with her little cup to drink her own coffee. Sophia and mommy discovered so many new parks in Simi!! That is one of the BEST things about suburb living...there are parks around every corner packed with kiddos during the week and lots of SAHM's! We had a blast at Gymboree(although we always felt she was a wee bit advanced for the classes as we watched her spin circles around the other kiddos). Just this week she discovered her shadow and while they were NOT friends at first...she's warming up to it. She'll say "hi shadow" and wave but once she sees him following her around it's all over ha! Here are some swim pictures following by Sophia being Sophia:
Very excited Sophia ready to hit the pool!

Learning to blow bubbles

Kick kick kicking with the noodle



Sophia loves the field in our neighborhood. This day she picked flowers and wanted them in her hair:)




Sophia and mommy split an ice blended(no coffee but lots of sugar!)

She enjoys Church this much

Fishy face is a current fav of Sophia's

Sophia LOVES running and usually saying "Sophia's running" while doing it just in case we weren't sure ha! We chased her around the field before her swim lesson and per usual...she had a BLAST