Sunday, June 28, 2009

water soaked weekend

On Saturday we headed over to the Jodoins for a bbq. The Chouns also joined us. It was a lovely 102 out when we drove over after nap time at 4:00 in the afternoon. There were discussions of hiding out inside, but we sucked it up and got into the pool. It was absolutely gorgeous once you got in all the way. Jarrod fired up the grill and we barely made a dent in the massive mountain of kabobs Jenn had prepared. It was a nice and relaxing way to end the day. The boys headed off to the movies to see machines attack each other while Jenn and I stayed back to put the kids down. We ended up vicariously gaining weight while we watched the Food Network. I felt full all over again.

Then today Molly and I headed up to Grandma Lucille's so we could check out the new Aqua Adventure Waterpark that opened up down the street. We got there a few minutes before they opened and there was already a line. There was a great "Li'l Squirts" area that we set up camp nearby. Molly LOVED it. She played with the water, got soaked, and did plenty of laps. We went into the Roundabout River and she clung to me, but seemed to really enjoy it. Then we tried out the bigger kid area called Bucket Bay. It was basically a playground in the middle of a pool that had this big bucket up top. Once the bucket was filled with water it would tip over and send a tidal wave over the playground. Older kids loved it. Molly did not. To be fair if I wasn't holding her it would have easily knocked her over and dragged her down. We only got hit with some of the spray, but it was enough to know that we needed to leave.

N was off flying airplanes this morning and unfortunately he arrived just as Molly was done. We're seriously talking totally fine to "LEAVE NOW" in a matter of minutes and this just happened to coincide with his arrival (which also happened to coincide with her regular nap time). Lucille and I packed Molly up and headed back to her place while N stayed with Jim so he could check out the park since he already bought his admission. Molly was a bit overly tired, but she finally went down around 2:00 and slept until 5:00. All that water and sun sure took it out of her. I don't blame her. I'm exhausted too!

Thursday, June 25, 2009

First swim class of the season

Yesterday Molly had her first swim class of the season. She loved being in the water again, but wasn't so thrilled with me handing her off to the instructor towards the end of class. She had already gone willingly a few times, but she was getting tired and was having nothing to do with this new person.

Molly still tends to do froggy kicks rather than the straight leg ones we were working on, but the point is she would do them on her own. However, "big arms" (that's what they call it) was just a game to her. She cracked up when I made her do it, but had no desire to do it on her own. However, she was totally fine reaching for whatever toy she could spot. To the point that she almost completely let go of me to get it. No fear that one.

The best part about swim class is the serious mellow mood Molly is in afterwards. It was still a little bit before nap time so we hit Trader Joe's on the way home. I don't think Molly made a sound the entire drive or errand. Total chill mode. LOVE it!

Monday, June 22, 2009

Father's Day weekend - pictures

N uploaded the pictures he took from our walk to the Rose Garden along with our trip down to the Capitola City Beach. They can be found in the April, May, June - 2009 gallery in reverse chronological order (newest is first). Here are some of my favorites:

Fabulous!


Getting her determined walk on:


Fish lips!


Grandpa teaching her some new tricks:


Base camp:


Molly's chair (and she would push out anyone else that dared to sit in it):


And she's out...

Sunday, June 21, 2009

Father's Day weekend

Aunt Tracey came into town Saturday evening. We bbq'd some delicious filet mignon and ahi tuna steaks (N's specialty) along with some asparagus and grape tomatoes (also grilled), corn on the cob, and our favorite summer salad of spinach and fresh strawberries. It's our staple meal for family get-togethers and we've perfected it over the years. After dinner we went on our evening walk to the Rose Garden with Molly in the lead. I took Sadie on leash so we had to stick to doing laps around the perimeter. It was a gorgeous evening out and N took lots of pics. He's currently tweaking them in his bat cave, but hopefully they will be posted soon.

Today we headed down to the Capitola City Beach. We weren't sure what Molly's reaction to the sand was going to be. There have been times she absolutely refuses to go near it and then there's the rare occasion where she dives right on in. I knew if there was any chance of us lasting we needed to bring shade. So I had N pack up his huge industrial canopy and we set that up as soon as we got there. It worked out perfectly. My parents brought an old queen size quilt that we put the canopy over. We had several camping chairs set up around the perimeter and then we put their beach umbrella up on the side so Molly could play in the sand (and not just dump it all over the quilt) while being in the shade. She dug right in. Phew!

As the day wore on more and more people set up camp on the beach and while everyone else was in their bathing suits we were all bundled up in sweatshirts under the canopy. There was a constant breeze coming in from the ocean and if you weren't in the direct sun it was a bit chilly. I had left Molly in her pajamas for the ride down and we left her socks on in case she wandered a bit so we wouldn't have to worry about her burning her feet in the hot sand. She pretty much stuck to our camp except for the few times when she realized someone had wandered off (usually Auntie or Grandpa, they're always disappearing without saying anything). I had brought a little sun dome (mini beach tent) that I was hoping Molly would nap in. She was fine playing in it, but had no interest in laying down. I then bundled her up in fleece pants and a hoodie over her pjs in the hopes that the extra warmth, plus cool breeze, plus bottle would do the trick. No dice.

A little after 2:00 pm (Molly usually naps at 1:00) I decided to load Molly up in the Bob stroller while her Auntie and I did laps around town. Molly was not fussing at all, but I knew she was tired and I didn't want her to get too overly tired. We went up a few side streets and got away from the hustle and bustle of town. A couple laps up and down a shady street and she was out. We rolled her right out onto the beach in her stroller and she proceeded to sleep for a little over an hour and a half. In fact she probably would have slept longer, but we decided to pack up and go around 4:00. Molly woke up when we got to the car and loaded her into her car seat. She didn't fall back asleep on the ride home, but she didn't make a peep either.

When we got home N immediately put her in the bath tub, but she really wasn't all that dirty. She had rubbed a little bit of sand in one eye and it's a little red, but really nothing other than that. I was expecting to find sand in all sorts of places, but apparently she was too bundled up to get it anywhere. This is a good thing. All in all I'd say it was a successful day.

Happy Father's Day

I got Molly to say, "Happy Father's Day!" this morning. Well, it was more along the lines of, "Ah-pee dah-dah dae", but it'll work. Now, if she'll just say it to N when he gets up... *fingers crossed*

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

The Buckle Bandit was here.

A row of unattended strollers with buckles? Score!

attack of the snot monster

Monday night when Molly and I went on our evening walk she got pretty winded about halfway through. When I picked her up I noticed she was super snotty (and it wasn't clear). I figure it was probably teething related, but it got progressively worse as the night wore on. N put her down just before 8:00, but she was up 20 minutes later screaming her head off. I rocked with her and she fell asleep on me and I put her back down. Then 20 minutes later she'd be screaming again. This continued for the next few hours and around midnight it escalated to the point that not only did she want to be held, she did NOT want us to sit down. That wasn't going to work. Put her down around 12:45 and let her cry it out. She was finally quiet just before 1:00 am. I woke up a few more times to some coughing fits, but she stayed down until just before 7:00 am. Yesterday was a quiet day at home, but even though I know she was super tired she didn't nap all that long.

When N got home from work I was pretty exhausted. For some strange reason 6 hours of interrupted sleep wasn't enough. As soon as Molly saw N she wanted him to pick her up. She would freak out if he tried to put her down, but was completely chill and quiet in his arms. He took over and I proceeded to shut down for the next two hours or so. When I woke up a little after 8:00 pm I found them on the couch. Molly was leaning back into N recliner style and concentrating more on her blanket than the tv. Apparently she went down ok, but started screaming a few minutes later. We both hoped this wasn't going to be another long night. N tried putting her down again, but she started screaming as soon as he got near her bed. So we just let her fall asleep on N as we watched a show. She did sleep through the night which was nice, but is still quite snotty this morning and is coughing quite a bit. It looks like we're going to miss her first swim lesson this morning.

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Crayola


Crayons, they're not just for breakfast any more.

Molly and I were coloring when I look over and see that she's chewing. Sure enough she bit the tip off and was munching away. I have to at least give her credit for eating her greens.

Monday, June 15, 2009

A beautiful sight



Molly and I went to Target today and about halfway through she was done wearing her shoes. I took them off and put them in the cart. However, she kept trying to reach for them so I put them down below. At checkout I think to myself that I need to put her shoes in one of the bags so I don't forget them. I don't actually do this though. We continue to run some more errands and when we get home I go to put Molly's shoes back on and I get an immediate mental image of the picture above. I check the car and all the bags, but I know they aren't there. We head back to Target with fingers crossed and pull up a little over an hour after we left. Thankfully our cart and Molly's shoes are in the exact same spot we left them. Phew! These are the only pair of shoes Molly has. That would have made our evening walk a little tricky.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Elmo, Elmo, Elmo



Molly saw Elmo today.

Jealous?

We got together with the Chouns and the Jodoins to see Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb. (Unfortunately the Connally/Shipmans couldn't join us as they were in San Diego for the weekend.)

Molly LOVED it!

I was wondering how long she was going to last, but she made it through the entire performance. Although at the very end they shot off one of those explosions that result in confetti falling from the sky. After the first crack her eyes got very big and she simply said, "Uh-oh". Then her face began to fall. She barely got out the first sob before the second loud crack went off and then she just dove head first into my neck. She got over it pretty quick, but one has to wonder whose bright idea it was to have a loud firecracker go off at a show aimed at very young kids?!?!

I think the main reason Molly lasted the entire show (about 90 minutes total) was the fact that she likes to shake her booty. During the first section she pretty much sat in N's lap and took everything in. Then after a quick intermission she started out back in N's lap, but quickly stood up and started to shake her booty. She went back n' forth between N and I dancing her little heart out. It was super adorable!

Friday, June 5, 2009

Another gallery update...

More pics have been added to the K - April, May, June 2009 gallery. Here are some of my favorites:

Note her hands ALL the way around Michael and holding on tight. Who knew he was such a good cat?



Some pics from the last time Robert was over for a play date.



Chores start early in the Hickson household.



Click here for more.

potty training update

Molly has gone potty in her potty about once a day for the last few days. She will start saying "Potty! Potty!" and then runs into her bathroom and starts to get undressed. She will sit on her potty for a bit while we read books and then she's gone. Just #1, but still a victory if you ask me. She's starting to realize when she has to go and not only asks to go, but also does so in enough time to go on the potty. Huge step forward if you ask me.

The one drawback is she has absolutely no interest in the pull up diapers I got for her. She will NOT let you put those on her. She's totally fine chilling on her potty while you grab another diaper, but does not want you to go anywhere near her with the pull ups. Good thing I didn't order those in bulk!

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Happy Birthday to me!

N surprised me by taking Monday off of work so he could be on Molly duty while I did whatever I felt like. So, first thing on my agenda was to sleep in (yay!). Then we headed to Poor House Bistro for lunch with some friends. After that I left a napping Molly (and N) and ran some errands before catching a movie (Angels & Demons). It was a nice and relaxing day.

Yesterday the birthday celebration continued when I dropped Molly off at Granny and Grandpa Marsh's for the night and went up to the city with N to see Wicked.



N had no idea what Wicked was about. Speculation ran from vampires on ice (someone should really do that) to some sort of play thingy (his words, not mine). We walked past The Orpheum Theatre on our way to dinner and N saw the poster above and figured it had something to do with The Wizard of Oz (although it took him waaay to long to actually remember the name). We had dinner at Canto do Brasil a few blocks away. N was a little nervous since the place was empty, but Yelp confirmed it was a good place to eat so we settled in. Had a very yummy rum concoction of sorts along with this chicken dish served in a pumpkin that was a LOT food. We walked back to the theatre and settled in for a great show.

Monday, June 1, 2009

Busy weekend.

First we went to Chris and Carina's baby-BBQ:


Saturday evening, I went to Maker Faire:

More details: http://makerfaire.com/

Sunday, we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium:



...be sure to check out the video in HD here...