Cienna - 3 Years, 7 Months... Kaylee - 1 Year, 2 Months!

Great times together started at the zoo with the Geithman's.  Then headed to San Diego to help Uncle Joe with a very successful electrical lighting upgrade before we headed back home to Isla's Garden Birthday Bash!  We got to spend even more time together when we met at Livingson Park.  While watering the neighbors lawn as they were away on vacation the girls enjoyed getting soaked in their sprinklers each day before bath time!  The next weekend Mommy had a fantastic night away to San Francisco with her girlfriends and was also very happy to get back home to the family!  Thanks again to neighbor Mark we were joined by Brandon and Sandra and got to head to our second Angels game!  We tried to get fancy with a batch of IPA which we'll see how it turns out next month.  Then after all is said and done we lucked out with a new addition to our family.  Porter is a 75% Black Lab, 25% Australian Sheppard mix, and is very calm (for a puppy) and smart.  Although it happened so fast that we aren't sure exactly how we ended up with a puppy, he is a great compliment to the family so far!  He is great with the girls and visa versa!

Cienna was excited to go back to Pre-School for summer session (August) after taking the month of July off.  She taught herself how to swing side to side and is working hard on mastering hopscotch.  She also had 4 more weeks of swim lessons in and has greatly improved, definitely in comfort and starting to grasp the concept for sure.  Her drawings are getting much more detailed and she loves to play games,do puzzles, and she would say she loves princesses, fairies, flowers, and stars... oh yeah and unicorns too.

Kaylee is running now and loves to climb and maneuver herself with any obstacle she finds!  She loves to communicate (especially when she gets what she wants) using both her signs and her words including "Thank You" which is adorable.  She loves to blow bubbles, I think because she loves to say bubble!  She has also finally discovered the fun of the sand box! She did have a rough patch this month which started with Roseola, in the middle of which she got an MMR shot, then an allergic reaction consisting of a rash on her face, neck, and arms from a new sunscreen, in the middle of which she got a bee sting on the tip of her finger!  The diagnostic part of the pattern was the worst, except for a few days with the Roseola she was happy Kaylee!

Click on the picture below for some snapshots!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/n63zsJXLzzEFR7We9

Cienna - 3 Years, 6 Months... Kaylee - 1 Year, 1 Month!

We welcomed a visit with Kai to start the month and then headed for an amazing long weekend camping with great friends to Lake Casitas!  The girls couldn't have been better campers, sleeping in the same tent for naps and regular bed times, playing like mad which included a water park day (integrated into the campground), and just enjoying the entire experience!  We also headed to Carpenteria one of the days with a trip to Island Brewery and some beach time.  We had an always awesome 4th weekend with the neighbors starting on the 3rd with a party hosted by the Douglas's and visits by Joe and Dana!  On the fourth we went back for some pool time and Smores!  The next weekend Joe and Dana got to come back for Uncle Joe's paddling race which included his first solo!

The peaches were seriously in abundance for a few weeks and we did what we could with margaritas and peach cobbler.  Mark has enjoyed his electric griddle for pancakes while camping and some weekend mornings!  Plenty of veggies have been eaten from the garden including raw squash carried around by Kaylee for a good hour or so.  We've finished laying stone pavers (gravel still to come) in the side yard and got all the moulding and casing finally completed on the house as well!

Cienna really enjoyed her first smores (deluxe with peanut butter and everything!)  Both her height and hair has grown an inch or more in the last month!  She continues to sound out her words and can write every upper case and many lower case letters in the alphabet!  Her concentration is incredible which shows as she enjoys threading her own beads to make bracelets for friends.  Now counts beyond 100!

It's amazing to recall how remarkably fast the learning process goes!  Kaylee has mastered walking and now gets to explore her new horizon.  She loves to listen and really try to understand what we are saying.... although she is too smart sometimes testing for a reaction that she knows isn't quite a good one!  Lucky for us she doesn't push too far.  She is truly trying to sound out words and is very interested in communication.  She is using some of her signs (ones we remember to use) and says understandable words at least to us.  Mommy (mamamama), Daddy (dada) , Cienna (snenna), book (boooph), dog (bog), and what does a dog say.. (wooo),  shoes (soooz), poop (pooof, poof poof... and will point to her bottom) to name a few.  Meal times are a bit easier as she eats all foods doable with fingers by herself and has began to experiment quite well with her spoon.  She has taken to the water both at the beach and pool for the first time this month!

I bet you'll enjoy the photos!  Click on the picture below:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/TNsvV1T4ugKxZwqJA

Cienna - 3 Years, 5 Months... Kaylee - 1 Year Old!

Daddy took a solo drive for the opportunity to hang out with Poppa, Nana, and the Marty's as well as meet Charley and see her parents.  Meanwhile the girls went to a Summer party at the Geithmans and headed to farmville with the Ordonez's.  That week we took time to visit our animal friends at the zoo with Kristi, Kai, and Isla.  Uncle Joe brought his friend Dana over that weekend and Mommy played a six game soccer tourney on Sunday.  We then prepared for (we can't believe it) a first birthday party, which attracted family visitors!

Auntie Carrie stopped by for a night toward the end of her 3000+ mile motorcycle trip around the Western US!  Grammy and Grandpa came to play for a while and introduced us to little Bella, better known as "chicken dog!"  Many more friends came to celebrate Kaylee turning 1 with some backyard fun.  Following a week of being spoiled by Grammy and Grandpa (presents each day for the girls including more beautiful cards and Hawaiian outfits from Grandma Betty, and a gate for Mommy and Daddy) the Natal's showed up!  RJ and Megan got some time alone as they headed to Catalina for a night (morning to sleep in).  But we got the joy of playing with the amazing little June!  The three little girls had such a great time together!  We all got to celebrate Father's day and Megan's Birthday with alot of relaxing, Kan Jam, and a spicy rib dinner!

Cienna has proven to be the hula hoop champion of 3 year olds at many of parties this month.  She is still loving her swim lessons at the Y and loves to count to 100... and beyond.  She has also began to sound out her words as well as write all letters of the alphabet.  We've done many crafts in attempts to challenge her.  We just can't believe that she is becoming (OK, is) a kid and no longer a toddler.

We couldn't have imagined a more perfect addition to our family when we imagined what a new baby would bring!  We wouldn't have thought it possible, but Kaylee has made all of us better.  It's unbelievable that the first year has come and gone, yet we did enjoy every minute and try and make the best opportunities for us all.  Again we are lucky to have a good listener (although she gives a second try when told something isn't a good idea after an adorable smirk of a smile, but usually not a third).
Crawling is a thing of the past now that walking seems to be the preferred transportation, especially following a weekend trying to keep up with June!  She has mastered the sippy cup and now that the water has been replaced with milk, loves it even more!  The words and communication are becoming very apparent and she has taken a greater interest in books as well.  She even gets to pick the bedtime story at least once a week now!

We are all looking forward to even more summer fun beginning with a camping trip next weekend, details to come next month!

Here's the proof of all that happened!

Click below for more photos:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/PjPXi3LYFBCCsyoH6

Cienna - 3 Years, 4 Months... Kaylee - 11 Months!

Preparation for the Easter bunny led to a fun filled Easter with a visit from Uncle Joe and the Easter Bunny, a morning egg hunt, fantastic breakfast made by Daddy, showered with love from the neighbors including, a thanks to the Hanafords got amazing tickets to an Anaheim Angels game (Cienna's and Kaylee's first baseball game) .

Daddy got to enjoy his "birthday" brewfest, and got to actually contribute with a keg (good use of an early birthday gift) of our own which was a big hit amongst friends!  Daddy got a lemon meringue pie with a joyful "Happy Birthday" and candles at home to celebrate.  We continued the birthday/mother's day celebration with BBQ ribs that weekend along with a traditional trip to the hardware store and working on the house for Mother's day.

The girls Spring Break  took some altering of work hours and luckily co-insided with a family Graph trip to Southern California.  They let us join them in their Legoland festivities which Cienna is still talking about!  It was great to be able to make that work!  Shannon, Georgia, and Gracie got a chance to come over and play, and we got to hang out with the Geithmans a couple times to ask about their Ireland trip and watch Cienna bowl for the first time!
The garden is continuing to thrive thanks to help from the girls and we are talking about how to preserve all the extras.  We started swimming lessons at the local Y which has worked out great!

Cienna had her first dentist visit which couldn't have gone better, after a quite a few discussions and rehersals at home she was a perfect patient for Dr. Worden.  When it was her turn she sat right down and opened her mouth as wide as possible until the hygienist said she did great and was all done.  The hula hoop was introduced at school and while on a trip for a birthday present for a friend at school we decided they should both get one.  Not so much at first, but not before long she was keeping going with her wiggle!  Pony tales are finally an option and sometimes opted for, very cute as well.  She has really excelled every swim lesson thanks to Daddy's help, and starting next month is signed up to go with just friends and a teacher!

Kaylee has adapted an Elvis dance and a real rhythmn for music.  She now has 3 full teeth and looks like she'll be getting 20 (exagerating) more in the near future.  This helps when large strawberries need to be eaten!  She is turning everything that she can into a "walker"  and has taken as many as 8 steps on her own.  Now that she is more mobile and loving to open and investigate cuboards etc. we have been able to see how well she understands and listens!  She has also amazed us with her helpfullness when asked to put her toys back when we are done with them!

Family is amazing and we are lucky to have such a great support system, we are always thinking of and wishing the best for ours and our friends!

These girls are just so darn cute, take a look!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/87GAbgnARmgQUwSm9

Cienna - 3 Years, 3 Months... Kaylee - 10 Months!

The month was off to a good start with Ryan's Birthday at U-Bounce (after some coercing until Cienna was comfortable).  Nana and Poppa came to enjoy the rest of the month with us which was quite eventful.  Auntie Kimmie celebrated her birthday in Vegas and Mommy had her favorite brownie cake specially made and decorated for hers!  Mommy and Cienna got a special play date at a local Library story time and lunch with the Geithmans while Poppa and Nana stayed with Kaylee.  Since Kaylee wanted to see them also they came by the next week for a while so we could all play before they headed to their Ireland vacation!  Brian, Erin, and Alexa stopped by and had dinner.  The girls all had fun playing together.

We fit in some play time at the park and a baby shower for the Shiroma's for Brandon who should be here any day! We got to share our local Farmer's Market with Nana who loved all the delicatessens.  Although there were some unfortunate circumstances with Poppa we still enjoyed having them around and were also able to hang out with Uncle Mike for a day!  Mommy's office mate and good friend from work decided to move on to a new company, we wish him good luck.

At the end of the month Cienna, Mommy, and Kaylee went to see Darcie at her Regionals gymnastics meet in Anaheim.  It was the girls first time watching a meet and they both had a great time!  It was nice hanging out with Jason and getting to see Darcie in action!  That day, Daddy got to enjoy a VIP event at the Long Beach Grand Prix!  Cienna had a doctors appointment. which was smooth sailing especially since we had lots of pretend doctor play time with Dora!  She was telling Dr. Sherman what she should check next!

We got a few projects completed including fixing up Nana and Poppa's motor home with a new flat screen!  Mark also worked hard and finished Kaylee's letters to put on her wall which turned out beautiful, glitter and all.  We took advantage of some good weather and got the garden in tip top shape and finally started some planting!  We also made a dent in configuring the garage to fit a perfectly timed donated Refrigerator from the Snow's.  The frig will hold Daddy's new keg that he got as an early birthday present from his girls and boys for our home brew!

The greatest event of the month was the birth of Charlotte Marie Payne weighing in at 7lbs 9oz born on April 19th with both parents overjoyed and healthy!  We welcome her with hugs and kisses from a far!

Cienna now at 34.5 pounds and 38 inches tall has excelled in reading/sounds this month, actually sounding out words she does not recognize and remembering the ones that she has seen.  She also loves to trace letters and has made numerous cards for friends!  Most of the cards now include stapled on bracelets since that is a new craft we enjoy together.  We still all continue to enjoy the new outfits that she puts together!  A great quote while we were at the gymnastics meet was "Mommy they are all wearing shirts that are attached to their underwear!"  (Leotards)!  Check out the video below for our first attempt at blowing up a balloon!

Now waving, giving high/low fives and kisses (the cute open mouth baby kisses) are her new and safest accomplishments.  Kaylee has also mastered climbing up the stairs (which she is only allowed to do when Mommy and Daddy are there), not so much going down although she'd love to just go for it.  She is also walking while holding just one hand and cruising like a champ along any item she can find.  She is a go and get um type which has earned her first black eye and forehead bump all in the same week!  She is luckily following in Cienna's footsteps listening to what we ask of her for the most part (she may try to push buttons a bit).  She even helps in the garden without putting dirt or rocks into her mouth too many times. 

They both are growing to quickly as might have been stated before but we are truly enjoying our family and are lucky for all that we have.  It is great to be able to create these blogs each month although they are lengthy you get to realize time isn't just flying by but we are enjoying each minute!

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HHjxuiTQ7REPtCnH9

Cienna - 3 Years, 2 Months... Kaylee - 9 Months!

Amazing how much you can fit in a month but yet time still seems to go by WAY too fast!
More Birthday Cheer for Kai's 3rd Birthday at the Geithmans, then on to Stone's 4th with another Jumpy!  Mommy and Cienna ventured to the Farmer's Market within a mile from the house with tons of local grown and crafts galore.  We followed with a PERFECT weekend vacation for the four of us in a small cabin in Wrightwood.  A very welcomed vacation for just the family in the perfect snow weather.  Snowed just before we got there and then 60's the whole weekend.  Thanks to Carter and Logan for the Sled and Kai who lent Cienna his snowboard and boots for the best learning opportunity!  We came back and got to celebrate Jake's (new friend from school) 4th Birthday at the park!  Soon after we had our first parent/teacher conference!  We can say that we are off to a good start!  Cienna got rave reviews (of course as we expected)!!  Auntie Kimmie watched the girls while we met with Miss DeAnna.  Toward the end of the last month Poppa and Nana pulled up in the RV and we got to celebrate St. Patty's day all in green!

Cienna is on her way to snowboarding with Mommy and Daddy, we've also found that she has a lot of friends with birthdays in the beginning of the year!  She is really working on her lowercase e's but has mastered the upper case with the goal of writing her name perfectly!  She is excelling on sounding out her letters and has started understanding reading with the sounds.  Her favorite songs include the 7 Continents, 12 Months, and 7 days of the week which she gets to sing at school each morning and all day long at home!

Kaylee is growing beyond our belief and too fast for any of us to comprehend!  She is very vocal and most definitely knows her name and all of us around her.  We believe she is directing her mama and dada, and baba for Cienna (at least Cienna likes to think she is Baba since it'll be a while till Cienna actually happens).  She pulls to a stand on everything that she can after crawling over to it and has now learned to get back down as well!  She also loves the slide that she can crawl up the ladder side all by herself and then get her slide reward on the flip side!  We had a doc appt and all is perfect!  16 1/2 pounds and 26 inches "tall".

Cienna is in transition with Kaylee getting "close" to playtime yet still unstable on her feet!  There is a lot of "careful" statements but she's 3 and a great listener so we're good to go!  They can both make each other laugh at any moment by being loud or silly in any way!  Wish I knew this love would last at all times forever!  I know it will for our whole family!

Hope all is well and happy Spring!

Check out the pictures and video below:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/997h6bYQ2SnNReNc7

Cienna - 3 Years, 1 Month... Kaylee - 8 Months!

Never quite realized how many people were born in the beginning of the year!  We had so much fun with Birthdays and have even more over the next couple of weekends.  Of course one of these includes our very own Cienna!!

Cienna was as excited and thankful as a 3 year old could possibly be!  She had such a great time with, and felt the love of, all of her friends and family for her 3rd Birthday.  She ran her own party... when we should eat, do cake, and open presents, it was all on her timeline.  Also suggested by Cienna, there was a princess castle cake and a Dora jumpy.  She was the perfect host!

The following weekend we headed to Newport Beach for Jocelyn's 1st birthday.  They went all out with the "must have" jumpy and also a real live Elmo!  During the next week, we got to spend time with the Geithmans and see how big Isla is getting.

The next weekend we all had a great time at a wine tasting birthday for Kristin (no wine for the kids of course... but plenty of fun).  We followed with hosting a perfectly small Super Bowl party which was a hit like always thanks to our friends, good food and drinks.

Then we headed out to the Ordonez's to a double birthday for Georgia's 3rd and Gracie's 1st Birthday party!  The day was filled with run away chickens, bunnies, goats, sheep, 4 wheelers, fantastic food and friends, of course the "must have" jumpy, and a water balloon toss to boot!

As mentioned Cienna had such a great birthday and thanks again to all of you sharing!  She really got a lot of practice with, and has gotten quite good at, writing her own name with signing her thank you cards and filling out her valentines cards for pre-school!  She has began to excel at sounding out her letters and has been recognizing them / pointing them out all over the place (clouds, bushes, etc.).  We still get plenty of dance recitals all the time with the new moves shown each Monday after dance class.  She has also begun music class at pre-school every other week alternating with Yoga class.  Each time we look at her in disbelief that she is now a kid and no longer a baby!

Kaylee continues to melt our hearts with her growing personality.  She is now VERY mobile and even pulling to a stand.  The crib had to most definitely drop down a notch, probably a little later than it should since we watched her in the monitor just about to get to her feet as soon as we ran up there!  She now has the two full blown bottom teeth which has helped guide her into finger foods.  She took all to quickly to the pincer grab when food was the object!  She is quick and likes to go after and reach anything that is around, especially if she hasn't gotten the chance to hold it before.  This is why she has adapted many nick names such as Miss Velcro. 

Some how we have also managed to finish our 9 interior door jam/casings (install, filling, sanding, painting).  On to window casing, and someday floor moulding.  We are all looking forward to a first "immediate family" vacation to the Southern California snow in a couple of weeks!

Stay tuned for next month and enjoy the pictures for now.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/HcR8YMmTtrMNEGp89


For those interested in pictures from a "new perspective," Cienna has now begun her own album with her very own camera.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/FamjoERfEkaYBfRe7