Swimming

Kids love to swim and mine are no different than yours, or yours, or even yours!  Maybe yours - your kids don't like to swim?  Oh sorry - anyway the kids went swimming for the first time over Memorial Day Weekend - because that is what that weekend is for, well that and eating BBQ :o) and the girls had a great time.  Summer is a little water monster and Pepper seemed to enjoy herself.  She started to get a little cranky but that is because she needed a nap and as soon as we took her out and laid her down she immediately fell asleep!

In The Closet

We have a nice big 2500 square foot house, but when I became pregnant with Pepper it was apparent that we really didn't have any room for her :o( so instead of giving her away we decided we would keep her and just make do with what we have.  For the first six months of her little short life we had her sleeping in a co sleeper next to my side of the bed.  Two nights ago I decided it was time to put her in the closet.  See for yourself.

Why is she sleeping in the closet, well because that's where her crib is silly!  Oh, why is her crib in the closet?  Because the closet is big and roomy, its quiet in there, and can be very dark.  Plus we don't have room anywhere else.  Sure we could make room, but we really weren't using the closet anyway, just to store a few things, and she slept there just fine.  Look, the closet is so big there is also a dresser in there!

The first night I put her in there (two nights ago) she woke up once at 11:45 to have her pacifier inserted into her mouth, I rolled her over and she slept the rest of the night, until around 6:30.  Last night, her second night, was not nearly as great, she woke up around 10:50, and three other random times, but after inserting her pacifier she goes right back to sleep.  I remember doing this same routine with Summer a few years ago, and when we finally moved her into her room at 12 months we let her cry it out.  It took about 5 minutes and that was that.  I guess I could try it with Pepper but I am not ready just yet.  Why, I don't know.  

I have an evil aunt who thinks it is cruel to have a child sleep in a closet.  What do you think?

Strawberry?

Do you want a big red ripe juicy strawberry?

So yummy, and a bit messy too!

But so worth the mess!

How Is Summer?

It's been too long since I talked about my oldest daughter Summer.  She is doing really well, considering she is almost 5 and has found her attitude.  It was bound to happen, at least she gave me four years of pure happiness, now I get a bit of the real her to add to it :o) of course I wouldn't change it for the world, I am glad she is growing up and coming into herself.  She is a busy little girl but doesn't seem to mind, she has dance (ballet/tap) on Saturdays, Mondays she takes a Spanish class, on Tuesday and Thursday she has swimming lessons, on Tuesday after swimming we go to story time at the library, and on Wednesday night she goes to church with Papa.  Actually there is only one Spanish and swimming class left, then what are we going to do?!?  We have a few fun things coming up this summer, like a trip to the beach and Disneyland with several cousins, I am really excited about that, and in August we are headed to Oklahoma to visit that side of the family - the other cousins!  We have a few birthday parties coming up, not to mention hers that I am planning now.  Somehow we will manage to stay busy, we always do.

Here are a few pictures of Summer doing some modeling, the skirt she is wearing is a scrappy skirt, cute isn't it?

She is needy

Seriously it has taken me over six months to realize my newest daughter is "needy" and nothing like my other child.  All this time I have been questioning WHY she does certain things, like WHY does she always cry when I put her down, WHY does she always want to be held, WHY does she act like she can't entertain herself, WHY WHY WHY, and then it finally hit me - because she is NEEDY.  I have heard people say that if they had had their second child first they would not have had a second child and now I understand exactly what that means because Pepper is NEEDY.  In a way I feel like we have made it this far, six months, and yes it has been a challenge.  Doing anything around the house takes a certain finess, making sure she is fed, not tired, and somehow entertained.  When we are out it is a LOT easier, she is happier, distracted, not as NEEDY as when we are at home.  I do have a mommy and me video that I use to eat dinner, I can put it on and it is about 30 minutes of babies and mommies singing and dancing - and she likes it so I can eat in peace.  She also likes her Papa and her Sister and her Daddy most of the time.  She isn't really a BAD baby as much as she is just so NEEDY sometimes.  And let's not discuss how horrible she sleeps, constantly waking through the night these days.  She still has one bottle at night and she probably doesn't need it but she just wakes up so much I really can't tell!  Normally she wakes about 30 minutes after she is put down, I put the pacifier in her mouth and she generally falls right back asleep.  The rest of the night is just a vicious cycle, waking every 2 ish hours to be readjusted and have a pacifier inserted in her mouth.  Around 5 or 6 I put her in bed with me and we sleep together until 7 or so.  Somehow I am not tired ... luckily.  But hey, at least she is cute?

We Hiked

Our first hike of 2012 and Pepper's first hike ever!  We did an easy trail, not quite a mile round trip.  The weather was hot, lower 90's, the sun was shining.  We saw lizards, lizards, and some more lizards, and bridge guarding bees or wasps - very large black ones.  We made it to the end of the trail, saw the waterfall, or the little bit of water dripping from what was left of the waterfall, and sat in the shade and had some water.  It was fun, Pepper seemed to enjoy herself, Summer didn't complain about walking until we were almost back to the car!

We will probably go again real soon but since it is already getting so warm, and since it takes us forever to get ready now (thanks to Pepper) we might just head to Mt. Charleston!

Ties and Bows

Ties and Bows are cute together, this is another modeling job for Pepper, she was so cute but mostly wanted to put the tie in her mouth and chew on it.  I guess she is still teething.  

Pepper had her 6 month appointment this past Wednesday.  She weighed 19 pounds 1 ounce and is 28 inches long, her head is 44 cm.  She is 99% height, 93% weight, for a nice 50% average BMI.  She is fat but she is also tall!  She got her shots :o( and she cried, and I cried, and now her little thighs are bruised, but other than that she had no reaction - and was in a pretty decent mood considering.  She won't need anymore shots until she is 12 months (happy dance!).

And here are two photos of Summer.  She started swimming lessons two weeks ago.  We only have two weeks left and I don't think she will be swimming on her own but she isn't scared of the water, she will jump in, get her face wet, so it is only a matter of practicing more.

Super Moon

It is actually the super cinco de mayo moon!  Kris spend a few minutes out side last night while I slept peacefully and captured some shots of the super moon.  In honor of his most awesome photos I will make an 8 layer dip today.  Yep I am a day late but we still gotta eat and it sounds good :o)

Cake ?

Today a few friends are coming over to hang out and I decided to make a cake.  I love cake, it is truly one of my favorite deserts but I like my cake moist, which many times causes me to undercook my cakes or cupcakes.  When you take a cake out of the oven too early, then try to put it back in the oven, twice, often times you end up with something that looks like a cake but tends to fall apart.  It is still very moist - at least from my own experience anyway ... and even if it still taste yummy, it becomes impossible to keep its form and frost.  I didn't want to just throw out this yummy delicious cake thing so I came up with a new idea - cake in a bowl!  I dumped the very moist and crumbly cake into a big bowl, mashed it down, and frosted it, added the other very crumbly but moist layer, pushed it down and frosted it too.  It looks - interesting and I already tasted some of it and it was delicious and very moist!  Not the best looking but hey at least I saved it right???

Now bring on the spoons!

6 Months

Who is who?  This was an attempt to recreate a cute photo I took of Summer when she was almost 6 months old.  The top photo is a photo of Summer, the bottom picture is Pepper.  

Today Pepper is 6 months old.  She is 19 pounds and 28 inches long.  Guess how much Summer weighed and how long she was at 6 months - exactly the same as Pepper, isn't that crazy!

I saw this photo on Pinterest and thought I would try to recreate it too - I think it came out really cute!

Pepper :o) 1/2 a year today.