Mommy time, beach baby!

Ok, getting caught up on blogging, just a week behind!

Last Friday night and most of Saturday, we had Mommy and Sienna time! It was opening day for hunting season on Saturday, so we dropped Daddy off Friday evening to hang out with the guys and crash at his parent's house for an early morning wakeup. It was the first time as parents that both of us were not there for the night. But wasn't a problem as Sienna keeps to a good routine. I am sure Daddy had fun having beers and being out past 8:00, and hunting with family and friends. I rented chick flicks (He's just not that into you and bride wars) and caught up on Sienna snuggle time. And I took lots of pictures. Sienna also had fun moving all over the living room. After running to the bathroom, I came out to see her not there! And not where she usually rolls to. I looked to the side and she was over checking out Daddy's xbox!









Sunday I woke up early to take care of 2 weeks of laundry from being out of town the weekend before, cleaning and grocery shopping. Then we had a family afternoon and headed down to the coast. It was going to be 99 in Paso, so we figured the beach would be a nice option for the afternoon. I packed a picnic lunch and we drove the scenic route... Heading through Cayucos and Morro Bay it was overcast and windy, so we kept going to Avila Beach. It was also overcast there, but not that cold. We set up a blanket and relaxed on the beach for a bit. Sienna enjoyed rolling around, standing in the sand, and walking around in the baby bjorn.









Then we went to check out the Avila Valley Barn. Russell made fun of me and how excited I got with the animals. I forgot the camera in the car, but Sienna was very interested in the animals. She was also very interested in watching the older kids running around! We saw goats, emus, mini donkeys (my fav and future pet), pigs, cows, ponies, sheep, peacocks, ducks and chickens. I can't wait to go back when Sienna is older. You can buy veggies to feed the animals. There is also a ton of produce to buy, but we have our own source for that!

Weekend Trip!

Ok well this was 2 weeks ago now! I took Friday off work for a family roadtrip. I figured it would be the last chance to go out of town before harvest comes along and takes away all my weekends! We left Friday morning and headed south. The drive down was pretty uneventful (always a good thing with a baby on board). We made it to Chico Hills with just a couple stops. We were thrilled to see Aunt Moni, Uncle Marcel and cousins Dean and Ani! They just had moved back from Puerto Rico, and we are so so glad to have them back in Cali!! We had a yummy sushi lunch (everything was $2.50 at this neat restaurant- the sizes of rolls just varied). The Raudas were housesitting for a friend, but have found a really nice apartment in the area where Dean will go to the same school as his best friend Katelyn. First grade next year! Wow!! Sienna had fun watching her cousins play and loved watching the fish in their aquarium.



Then we headed out to Aunt Sara and Uncle Mark's in Huntington Beach. It was great to kick back and catch up Friday night.



Saturday was going to be a day at the beach! We got everything together and headed down (just a mile from their house).





Unfortunately it was too late of a start and it was already PACKED. No luck finding a free parking spot, or maybe if we drove around for a couple hours. So we headed towards the huge $10 parking lot, but it was backed up for an insane distance because the lot was full and closed off! Bummer! So we headed back to Sara's and went to the pool instead. Aunt Carrie came up from San Diego and Auntie Marcey came down from Redondo. We had a fun afternoon of chatting, playing with the munchkin and eating. Sienna had fun with everyone, showed off her rolling and scooting abilities. She also started "walking" with Daddy holding onto her hands. Like taking huge steps forward on her own! Later we played Wii and drank margaritas!



Sunday we went back to Chino Hills to meet the Raudas for lunch at Russell's fav Buffalo Wild Wings. We polished off some wings! Marcel and Russell played the trivia game and Sienna admired her cousins... She was especially interested in everything Ani was doing, it will be exciting to see them grow up together!



Then we headed home and Sienna slept like 2 hours straight. Then we entertained each other with silly noises, singing and toys. She started getting fussy so we stopped for a diaper change at a Jack in the Box. Russell got out to stretch and very luckily noticed a nail sticking straight out of the front tire! It wasn't flat yet. So baby and I hung out while Daddy changed the tire. Must have been a lovely site since we had all of our luggage out on the side in order to get to the spare tire. And it was only like 100 out... So we very carefully drove the hour and a half home and got in safely. We figure Sienna was letting us know there was something wrong, because it could have been a real real disaster!

To finish the story, Monday morning I went to try and get the tire fixed but the nail was in the sidewall (right at the border) so we had to buy a new one!

Other than that we had a fabulous trip and look forward to the next once I get through the endless weeks of harvest!!!

BUSY mama!

So I am over a week behind and have lots to write about! But its 9:00 pm Sunday an I just finished cleaning like a mad woman and still have to put away like 8 loads of laundry... so I will try again tomorrow!!

We had a wonderful trip down south last weekend, lots of time with family, a busy work week and lots of mommy and baby time this weekend. We had a fun family day today down in Avila Beach...

Sienna is doing wonderful. I just love my girl so much, and she seriously gets cuter every day (if that's possible!) Her personality is developing more and more and she is pretty darn hilarious and such a sweetheart. And we can't turn our back, she is manuevering all over the place, she will roll across the whole living room or somewhat army crawl (all lower body pushing herself forward).

Stay tuned...

Sophia Grace!

A bit late in posting this...


Sienna's new friend and future volleyball partner was born on July 24th! Sophia Grace Kepins is a healthy and beautiful baby girl, and we are so happy for Jake and Theresa!!

We went to visit her when she was 4 days old. It was so shocking to see the size difference of the two girls! Sophia was born at 7 lbs 6 oz, so Sienna was never quite that small, but still was an indication of how much Sienna has grown and changed in a few short months! In no time the girls will be running around with each other! Sophia has a FULL head of hair, and is just precious!!

Four Months Old, Fun at the Fair!

Sienna is now four months (and four days) old!! It really is incredible how much she changes and grows, I can't say that enough these days! She now wears size 2 diapers, and wears mostly 3-6 months. However, she is now wearing 6 months, and 6-9 months in some stuff like footie jammies and some onesies due to her length! According to our measurements, she is 16 pounds and 27 1/2 inches long! We have a doctors appointment in a couple weeks so stay tuned for official numbers.

Here she is on Lolly's produce scale for the weigh-in, she was thrilled!


She also has grown vocally. Some sounds that come out of her are pretty darn cute and hilarious! Our favorites are the underwater gurgle, rolling rrrrrr, high pitch screech of excitement, and the deep belly laugh! She is quite the talker and loves being engaged in a "conversation" with anyone!

This last week especially she has really started to show affection which completely melts my heart. She is my little cuddle bug! And she reaches out to us now, when Daddy is holding her she will reach her arms and body out to me. When we hold her, she will look at us intently and reach our face and grab, you can tell she is trying to be gentle and lovey (keyword trying). Usually its your nose, cheek or lips she gets a hold of.

And she continues to become stronger physically and better at moving around. We can't leave her for long, she will roll over and over until she is in the middle of the room (or wedged up against the couch). She also can sit up for a few seconds if she leans on her arms out in front as support. And she "explores" her crib nightly! Bedtime has been much easier, I think me going back to work threw her off a bit, but we are back in the routine and she usually puts herself to sleep pretty easily.

Other news- She has continued eating rice cereal once a day in the evening and seems to like it most days. She LOVES the pool, kicks her legs, and tries to go face first into the water (and it barely phases her). She is also more of a fan of her jumperoo these days, her feet reach the floor much better and she kinda has the bouncing thing down. She is just all around a joy, I can't get enough of her!!!



Last Friday we went to the Mid State Fair. We had a fun time! The weather was perfect (its usually WAY to hot) and it was the right time to go- early evening, before it gets too crowded for the concerts. We walked around, ate corndogs, watched the 4H dog show and got our pictures taken in a photo booth. Most animals weren't there yet. Sienna enjoyed strolling around, napping, and watching the dogs.

One year ago today...

Was the day we found out I was pregnant! Wow, how much can happen and change in one year's time! It was a Monday and I had decided at work to buy a test on my way home. All day I was wondering "could this really be?" I was so anxious to just get home and find out. My sister assured me that yes, we are fertile, and I just had the feeling that I was indeed pregnant. I rushed home, took the test (in a hurry, we were meeting our realtor to look at a house). Almost immediately it showed two lines! We were going to be parents! I can't describe that feeling! Russell and I looked at each other, hugged each other so tight, what an incredible moment to share with my love. Then we were out the door. My thoughts were racing, already planning out the next steps. We saw the house, really liked it, decided that night it was meant to be, and put in an offer the very next morning, and the next day it was accepted. What a week! I will never forget the feeling of seeing that plastic stick indicate our lives will be forever changed as we began the rewarding and love-filled journey of parenthood.

Sienna's first camping trip and first food!

We did it! Had a great time at Lake San Antonio this weekend!! This is an annual event for Uncle Tommy's birthday. It's always a fun time with lots of family, yummy food, beer, and usually most of the day is spent in the lake (floaties, jetskis, boats). This year was a huge turnout, about 50 people!

We got there Saturday around noon and it was already HOT! Most people were down at the lake so we walked down, didn't stay too long because of the heat. It was well over 100 degrees, so Sienna and I spent most of the day in the air conditioned trailer! The campsite was complete with a pool! It was very nice once it cooled down, lots of fun with all the family and a big BBQ of course. Sienna had fun with everyone and meeting some new people. We all slept in our tent, Russell and I on our camping pads, Sienna in her pack 'n play. Next year will be even more fun with a bigger Sienna running around!

Last night Sienna had her first feeding of solid food! We figured she was ready since she her appetite has been growing and its been harder to keep up! I mixed rice cereal with breast milk, got her in her highchair with a bib and she was very excited! She did really well! Of course made a bit of a mess, but I think she managed to swallow a decent amount. We fed her some more today when I got home from work, and she was so happy to get in the chair and seemed to eat quite a bit! we will keep feeding the rice cereal once a day. And then I will start a new venture- making baby food!