Happy 4th of July!

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday week. We had a pretty low key 4th of July since Leah was a little on the fussy side.  This morning she woke up with a fever. :(

We spent the morning of our 4th eating my favorite blueberry ricotta pancakes at Little Dom's, then let Leah play with her water table and baby pool. These two items are the best purchases we've made this summer! After her nap, we treated ourselves to some ice cream sundaes and picked up some food to BBQ at home. Matt grilled up some Porterhouse, corn, and brussel sprouts. Yum!

Our rose bushes are going crazy!

Smokey skies

After we put Leah to bed, we watched all the different fireworks from our deck. This picture doesn't do the view justice, but it's so fun to watch 20+ different firework displays!

Happy Birthday, America! 

Have a great weekend and, hopefully, you get to carry on the celebrations! 

Summer Days

Popsicle from Zoku Quick Pop Maker

Summer has officially been welcomed here. This past weekend we had crazy hot weather in LA, and to cool off, we enjoyed popsicles, baby pools, water tables, and besties. 

Leah has been a little on the fussy side with two teeth coming in, but once we got that water table, we had 2 hours of pure happiness! Here's to many more days looking like this! 

P.S. The water table is on sale in stores at Toys R Us! 

19 Months!

Leah is 19 months! This little human being has been playing, running, singing and talking non-stop. She's been resisting naps and bedtime recently, because she just wants to play and hang out with us. While it's cute that she loves us so much, it's been exhausting for this mama keeping up with her! Here are some updates:

• While some new words she says we understand right away, there are others that take us a day or two to figure out. It's been fun deciphering them like "guck"=stuck and "yolio"=cherrios. Then out of the blue when I least expect it, she'll bust out "What is this?" or "I want more of this." 
• Now that she runs everywhere, she has plenty of tumbles. She's become very aware of her boo boos and tries to milk sympathy. Already a little actress. 
• She's become an expert iPad gamer! :) She knows exactly how to get to her apps, and it's amazing watching her complete games and levels. 

Leah: Just when I think I couldn't possibly love you more, I do. Sometimes I wish you would sit still for a couple minutes so we could just cuddle. These days, you are often wiggling out of my arms so you could run off and play; however, you still always need to make sure mommy is close by. My favorite times have been after dinner when we're all hanging out in the living room. You go back and forth between mommy and daddy tickling us, climbing into our laps, and playing games with us. You like to tease us by withholding kisses when we ask you for them, and you think that's hilarious. All these little moments warm my heart. Love you so much little one! Happy 19 months!

*photo by Bob Cho, moccasins by Freshly Picked and leggings by House of Mia

Some Favorite Things...

These are currently some of Leah's favorite toys or items I'm putting on Leah's wish list:

1. B. Zany Zoo Activity Cube: Leah has the bigger version of this from One Step Ahead, but that website is currently down. It's probably the most consistent toy she plays with. As she gets older, she's been discovering new features and interacting with it in new ways. Unfortunately, one of those new ways is climbing on top of it!

2. AquaDoodle Jumbo Deluxe Mat: Leah loves to draw. While she's normally good staying on the paper, I am still super paranoid about her marking on the walls. We don't have this yet, but it's on my wish list. She's played with the smaller version and sometimes gets frustrated when she goes off the mat and doesn't see her drawing. This jumbo one seems perfect!

3. Mommy & Me My First Doll Stroller: This is another daily activity in our house. The stroller is light, folds, and has a movable canopy. Leah's really into babies, and she loves to put her baby in the stroller and push it around. The other thing she loves - sitting in it and making mommy and daddy push her. Now if only she liked sitting in her real stroller...

4. Sophie & Lili Custom Dolls: Of course to go with your stroller, you need a doll. Leah has a doll she got from her grandparents, but I've been eyeing these custom dolls. How cute would it be to get one that looked like Leah!?!

5. Melissa & Doug Cooking Set: This is another toy I've been eyeing. Leah's had a few play dates now where her little friends had a kitchen or cooking set. She immediately started putting items in the pans and used the spoon to stir them. It's really cute to watch, and hopefully will foster her love for cooking!

6. Cuddle Plush Elephant Chair: I love this chair just as much as Leah does. It's so soft and comfortable. I kind of wish they came in adult sizes.  :)

What are some of your LO's favorite toys?

Growing Up

Crossing her legs like a big girl

Leah moved up to the next "level" at day care this week. They've been slowly transitioning her for the past month, and she took it like a champ. I was nervous about this, because she was really attached to the caretakers in the nursery. On the other hand, I was looking forward to it, because she was now the oldest in the nursery, and while she loves hugging babies, she couldn't really interact or play with them. On her first official day Monday, the kids all greeted her with a "Hi, Leah!!" It was seriously one of the cutest and sweetest things ever. Kids can just be so loving. She has now become attached to her new teacher, and when I spied on her at the playground this morning, she was hanging out, chit chatting with the ladies like a grown up. I'm hoping as she gets more comfortable with her new class, she will interact and bond with the kids more. 

Another major grown up step she took was weaning off her binky! We were fortunate that she weaned herself from using the binky for bedtime a couple months ago, but I was unsuccessful when I tried to not give it to her for naps. We also used it for the car or during fussy times. Last week, we got a little paranoid about it when a friend mentioned their pediatric dentist recommended they stop ASAP.  Also on Monday, when the teacher saw her binky in her cubby, she told me none of the other kids in the class use one {talk about guilt trip!}. So Tuesday before her nap, I cut the tip off, and told her it was broken. She agreed to throw it in the trash can, and after 5 minutes of crying, she was asleep. Wednesday, she was napping after 1 minute of whining! Although she asked for  it a couple times during car rides, once we got her distracted, she forgot all about it. Woohoo! I'm so proud of you, Leah!

It's been a slightly emotional week seeing our baby girl mature. Can't we keep them this age forever?

Over the Weekend (in iPhone Pics and a Couple Videos)

Joy threw Bob an amazing surprise birthday party!

Made Speculoos popsicles using my Zoku maker. So easy and delicious!

Heading to the Hollywood Farmers Market after church, and hanging out at her favorite spot.

After being out of town for the past 2 weekends, it was nice to be back home spending time with friends and family. We had a low-key Father's Day going to church, hanging out at the Hollywood Farmer's Market, and having a dance party at my brother's.

I'm cracking up at how similar Leah's dancing and golf swing look.

Daddy's Girl

Leah is becoming more and more of a daddy's girl as she gets older. She comes to me for cuddles and comfort, but she goes to "da-da" when she wants to play. A few times she has brought Matt his shoes and will point towards the door to go outside. Of course Matt eats up every second of it. :)

We're looking forward to celebrating another Father's Day over here, and Happy Father's Day to all the daddies out there! 

Have a great weekend!