More notes...

Oct. 19th-- Today we are going to visit with Daddy's team at the bowling alley. We will then head to school with them for lunch. Tonight we will go to the drama cabaret and a star party with Nicholas from Daddy's team.

Oct. 18th-- Grammy and Grampy came over last night. Libs figured out how to turn on her train to make it sing. She also stood up on her own for the first time-- pushing herself up on the hearth. We went to Tierra Rejada with MOPS and had a really nice time. On the way home we stopped at Nana and Pop's since we didn't go yesterday. Libs showed them how she's moving all over the place.

Oct. 17th-- We were supposed to go to Nana's and Bridget's today but Nana canceled due to Bridget's party in the evening and Bridget canceled because she got sick. Mommy took Daddy lunch at the Sport's Center where he was doing a training and Daddy got to show Libs off. Libs and Mommy went to Walmart and walked around. LouLou got a new piano toy which she really likes playing with.

Oct. 16th-- MOPS today. Libs spent most of the day in the daycare making new friends. Every time I checked on her she was chewing on a new toy and watching the other kids. That evening we all hopped over to La Mesa to see the Canyon High School Choir Cabaret show. Libs loved meeting Wally and seeing all of the numbers. She really wanted to sing along but we would only let her clap along.

Oct. 15th-- We had a quiet morning. In the afternoon Mommy and Daddy both had meetings-- Daddy's was in Industry and Mommy's was at St. Stephens Church. Libs went with Mommy to discuss the church fundraisers.

Oct. 14th-- Lombardi times two. Libs went with Mommy (along with Jammy, Granpa, and Daddy) to drop off Mommy's baked goods to the MOPS bake sale. We spent a little time taking pictures at the patch and then returned home so Daddy could mow the lawn for the first time. At about 11:45 Jammy and Granpa left for home, but they took Mommy back to the patch so she could work her 12-2 shift. At around 2 p.m. the whole Ippolito clan came over to the patch so we could do more pictures. Libs wasn't in the best frame of mind so we didn't stay too long. We all went to Don Cuco's for lunch then Aunt Andrea and Grammy came over to watch Libs while Mommy and Daddy ran a few errands.

Oct. 13th-- What a crazy day-- there was a major accident on the 5 freeway so traffic in and out of our valley was a mess. Granpa went to a stamp show near LAX so he got stuck in it-- Daddy took the car to be serviced so he got stuck in it-- Mommy, Jammy and Libs went to take Daddy out to lunch so we got stuck in it. After lunch at Black Angus, a shopping stop at Target and the Disney outlet we returned home to hop back in one car and go to dinner at Nana and Pop's. We had a ton of traffic both ways, but Libs and Tobee both behaved really well!

Oct. 12th-- Today was a baking day for Mommy-- she made bread, witches brooms, marshmallow mummies and 8 dozen cupcakes for the MOPS bake sale. Dolly came over to help entertain Libs while I worked in the morning. Jammy and Granpa came down in the evening and loved spending time with their girl.

Oct. 11th-- We had a MOPS park play date today. Libs enjoyed feeling the grass and watching the big kids play. In the evening Mommy went to a PTA meeting and Daddy and Libs hung out at home.

Oct. 10th-- We spent the day at home since Nana and Pop canceled on us.

Oct. 9th-- Mommy started the gym today. Daddy and Libs hung out at home while Mommy was on the treadmill and the bike.

Caught up...

Oct. 8th-- Mommy and Libs are taking it easy today. Libs is wearing her cute bunny overalls and the stuffed animal in the pocket is giving her hours of enjoyment. Mommy is trying to re-organize the kitchen and other downstairs areas, but with such a wiggly girl it is difficult. Tonight we will try peas for new food Monday and see how we do.

Oct. 7th-- Day at home with Daddy. Aunt Andrea and Grampy came over for a tapas dinner-- Grammy was sick. Libs is really mobile so we re-did the family room to be more kid friendly!

Oct. 6th-- This morning Libs got her first real boo-boo. While crawling around on the floor she made her way over to the entertainment center. She managed to pull the bottom drawer out and Daddy jokingly said, "Now push it back in." Libi did what she was told and pushed it in on her right thumb. Boy were we all sad that she did this.
Later in the afternoon, we ran out to do some shopping at Smart and Final, Sam's Club, Office Max and Mommy went to Albertson's. Libs enjoyed being a big girl and sitting in the cart at all those places. Mommy is cooking again-- she made Ina's Lemon Chicken Picatta and it was very good! Grampy came over for a short visit to get a Libi fix.

Oct. 5th-- Mommy and Libs went to Disneyland (trip #9) with the Strassners. Emma, Ben, Libi, Amy and I all piled into our car (yes you can fit 2 car seats and a booster in the Saturn Vue) and drove to the park. We went to Toontown, saw the Princess coronation in Fantasyland (Mommy saw it Libs was napping), went on Alice in Wonderland, Tea Cups, Dumbo, we saw the Woody show again and ate lunch at Hungry Bear. Mommy and Libs drove home alone because Howard came down to spend the evening with his family.

October 4th-- We took Libs to Lombardi Ranch for the first time today. We did a photo shoot all over the farm you can see the photos on Picasa.

Oct. 3rd-- Nana and Pop's house for lunch. It took us over an hour to get there due to an accident but Libs took her first two crawls (forward) here today!

Oct. 1st-- New food Monday-- butternut squash. Libs really liked it!

Sept. 30th-- Grammy and Grampy came over for dinner tonight.

Sept. 29th-- Daddy had an Area E Conference in La Mirada so Mommy and Libi went to Disneyland for the first time alone. We went into the park early and had a character breakfast-- Libs met many characters for the first time: Minnie, Chip and Dale, Max from Goof Troop, Eeyore, the Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland, Rafiki, the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. Libs napped on the train and rode Pirates of the Carribean for the first time. We also went on Pooh, Peter Pan and saw the Woody's Halloween show in Big Thunder Ranch. That evening Grammy and Grampy came over for dinner.

Sept. 28th-- We went to Nana and Pop's today since Nana wasn't feeling good on Wednesday. Jammy came with us and we all had lunch. We left kinda early because Jammy needed to drive home. Later that evening the family went to Hart High School to have a family portrait taken. We dressed up in our Halloween costumes-- Libi was Roo, Mommy was Eeyore and Daddy was Pooh-- and had them take our picture. We got lots of laughs and everyone thought Libs was cute! Afterwards we went to the Valencia Football game. Daddy had fun showing off his girl to all of his former students. Libs enjoyed her first football game: the bright lights, the loud band, the cheerleaders jumping, and all of the new people to meet. Grammy and Grampy came over for a short visit afterwards.

Sept. 27th-- 7th trip to Disneyland / 4th tooth broke through
Jammy and Mommy took Libs to Disneyland again today. We had lunch at the Blue Bayou. I got to wear a pirate hat and eat a roll like Mommy. I went on Haunted Mansion Holiday for the first time. It was a little scary, but I liked all the bright colors. Afterwards we went to DCA and I got to see all of the Halloween decorations.
Libs got her first eye teeth today. It is the upper left tooth and it came in before her top front one.

Sept. 26th-- At the mall with Jammy we found a cute Thanksgiving outfit and two new toys.
The girls went to lunch at Pei Wei

Sept. 25th-- MOPS and dinner at the Lynch's. Libs and Mommy went to their first MOPS meeting. We had a really good time with the girls at the Chicago table. Libs was passed around to nearly everyone and she spent about a half hour in the nursery playing with new friends.
That evening we went to dinner with Denny and Linda Lynch. It was really fun catching up with them and having them get to know Libi. Linda cooked a wonderful meal and Libs enjoyed their toys and crawling around on their floor.

Another catch up...

September 11 - MOPS Breakfast. This morning Libs and I woke up and drove over to Valencia to meet our MOPS table members. It was nice to meet the girls. We have lots of mom's with multiple kids-- Libs was the only "only child" at the meeting.
Afterwards, Mommy and Libs played for a bit until Daddy came home. He got to come home early and hang out with us before he returned to school for Back to School Night. It was a very late night for him, so we were on our own until after 10 p.m.

September 12- Lunch at Nana and Pop's. It was another fun lunch at the great-grandparents house. We went grocery shopping as a family in the evening which was really fun! Mommy and Daddy used to really enjoy our shopping trips before Libs and it's fun now to go the three of us.

September 13 - Stay at home day. Libs and I did nothing today but play and scrapbook. It was really sweet-- she played so hard that while I was scrapbooking, I turned around and found her fast asleep on the floor of the retreat. Mommy made dinner tonight and the family hung out.

September 14-- WW in the a.m. Dinner with Ippolito's. Mommy is now over 16 pounds lighter! She and Dolly went to Weight Watchers in the morning. Libi was the hit of the meeting-- everyone thought she was adorable! We came home to play and rest before the Ippolito's came over for dinner.
Aunt Andrea came over really early to play with Libs. Mommy used this time to make a last minute trip to the store. I don't think Aunt Andrea really minded the alone time with her niece. The rest of the Ippolito's came over later for Mommy's rolled Italian steak. We all enjoyed the time together!

September 15-- We have a lawn!!! To our surprise Juan from Daddy's school showed up this morning with his crew to re-sod our lawn (we thought it wouldn't be done for another few weeks.) It looks so good out back-- we can start entertaining again!! Yippee!!! Sadly, we had to spend the whole day cooped up in two rooms with poor Tobee barking at all the strange men in our yard. Hopefully tomorrow we will get out of the house :)

Sept. 19th-- Lunch at Nana and Pop's and Mommy gave blood at St. Stephen's. Went to visit with the Gideon family and you had lots of fun playing with Sarah and Marissa, not to mention their dog Murphy.

Sept. 20th-- First park play date with MOPS girls. Libs ate her first leaf. Mommy and Daddy did the movie night at Mint Canyon. We set up the big screen and watched Home on the Range. The Strassner's and Emily Lopez joined us. It was also Granpa's Birthday today. We called and sang to him.

Sept. 23rd-- TDS 568 reunion at Club 33. It was really fun to see everyone there! Libs and Daddy went to the Club for the first time. Libs behaved really well. We got to visit Mickey and Pluto in the Club-- it was Libs first time meeting Pluto. Libs got to meet lots of Mommy's old friends in front of the castle when we all met up with our families. We didn't do any rides today, but we still had fun!

Sept. 24th-- Jammy came down and found another tooth, upper right came in. We ate dinner at Chili's because their proceeds went to St. Jude's where Cooper got his pace maker. Libs really enjoyed coloring and talking loudly in the restaurant.

Give me a 10 for Funniest Baby Photo

Give me a 10 for Funniest Baby Photo

Re-cap of the last many days...

Wednesday August 29-- We went to Nana and Pop's again and had a really nice lunch. Libs and Pop took naps towards the end of the visit.

Friday August 31-- Jammy and Granpa came into town. It was really nice to have them staying at our house for this short visit.

Saturday Sept. 1 - We spent the morning at home and the afternoon at Nana and Pop's house. We went to dinner at Claim Jumper and Mommy accidentally forgot Libi's fruit. We tried to substitute sweet potato and applesauce from the restaurant but it was no good-- the look on her face was priceless.

Sunday Sept. 2 -- The Harrigan clan came for a visit. It was nice for Libs to meet her great aunt Lisa and cousins Morgan and Elizabeth. We hung out at the house and then went to Mimi's for brunch. Our neighbors Mark and Unis came over once we got home for a visit. Jammy and Granpa left in the early afternoon.

Monday Sept. 3-- Labor Day-- Libs got to hang out with Mommy and Daddy all day today. We ran to the mall and tried Pinkberry yogurt (Mommy is not a fan.)

Tuesday Sept. 4 - Libs and Mommy stayed close to home until the evening when we went to Daddy's Team Yukon family night. Miss Libs got passed around the room to lots of parents and everyone had a good time.

Wednesday Sept. 5-- Another visit to Nana and Pop's house. On the way home Mommy got stuck in a huge traffic jam-- luckily Libs just slept.

Thursday Sept. 6-- Libs had her first play date. Preston from next door came over in the afternoon to play for a few hours. He was really funny when Libs just reached out to touch him. They did really well playing and sharing toys. Preston really likes to stand-- so he was modeling for Libs.
That evening Grampy came over to watch Libi until Daddy got home. Mommy went to her Disney scrapbooking club. A good time was had by all!

Friday Sept. 7-- Grandmalito and Grampy came over for dinner tonight. Libi learned how to clap in the middle of the day (catch the video on Picasa.) Mommy also went to La Mesa to see her 6th graders (now 7th graders) at their first dance of the year.

Saturday Sept. 8-- Mommy and Libs went to Cooper's first birthday while Daddy went to the Constitution day conference. It was great seeing Stacy, Dustin, Cooper, and the rest of the Connelly/Jones clan. Libs and Cooper did an adorable photo shoot together-- again check out Picasa.

Sunday Sept. 9-- We met the Strassner's at Gentle Barn which is an animal rescue up Sierra Highway. They allow you to feed carrots to the horses, brush the cows, rub the pigs bellies, and pet the turkey. Libs really enjoyed getting up close and personal with all these new animals.
In the evening we went to the Ippolito's for dinner. Libs spread good wishes on this her first Grandparents' Day.

Monday Sept. 10-- Wow, I'm now caught up! Today we woke up, got dressed in our moose outfits and went to Rio Norte for Moose Madness. Libs enjoyed watching Daddy at work-- especially seeing the colorful water balloons fly. We then went to lunch with the Yukon teachers and Libs was a dream! Tonight Daddy is at a meeting so Libs and I are on our own.
I entered Libs in a cutest baby contest-- she is currently in first place. Please check it out and vote for her-- I have posted the link in the message before this.

Tuesday at home...

This morning Mommy's friend Dolly came over to play with Libs and Tobee. It was really fun chatting and eating love cake while Lou Lou chatted away. I enjoy hearing about all of the adventures of Lucas, one of my all-time favorite students-- he is now in junior high school.

We also finally got the Olds donated to a charity. It took a great deal of phone time this morning, but it was sent to a better place around 10:30.

This afternoon we just played, read, and sang-- no traveling about. Libs also let me take photos of her two front teeth, which can be seen on Picasa. When Daddy got home we all played together. Tonight we showed Libs how to play penguin bowling-- I think Tobee enjoyed it more than Libs. Libi is enjoying making all kinds of sounds-- ttt-ttt-ttt, ma-ma-ma, da-da-da, ba-ba-ba and zrbtts fill the house.

Daddy fed Libs and took a shift after bath time so Mommy could scrapbook. I got several pages done for my Disney Club next week. Mommy also heard today from her MOPS table leader, Lorri. She seemed very nice and Mommy looks forward to meeting her on Sept. 11th.

A great Sunday and Monday...

Sunday - It was an early morning for members at the LA Zoo yesterday. We got there at 8:30 and had the zoo pretty much to ourselves until 10 a.m. The animals were all very active-- the lion and the lioness were awake and roaring, the koalas were walking and climbing everywhere, and the bear and tiger were both out. We left at about 10:30 when the park began to get busy and hot!
On the way home we stopped at IKEA to do some shopping and BJ's in Burbank for lunch. Libs enjoyed all of the excitement at both locations, but she especially enjoyed her lunch at BJ's (don't fret she just had cereal and fruit.)
Grandmalito came over for a short visit in the evening after the whole family took a nice long nap. Mommy made a quick dinner and we hung out. When we were trying to get Libs to fall asleep this evening, we had her on our bed and she crawled forward. True, she had to stick her rear up in the air and her face in the bed, but she was really moving forward. Pretty soon she will figure out how to do it on her arms, not her face.

Monday - Today we are going to run over to Mint Canyon for their book fair, then we're going to Uncle John Krinkle's farewell party at Rio Norte. We'll let you know how things went later.

We ran up to Mint Canyon for a short visit. Libs got to see Dung, Amy, Betsy, and many other of Mommy's school friends. After that we went to the district office to see Kathy and Mandy. We scheduled a date for lunch next week. Mommy and Libi then went on a quest to find Mimi. We went to Saugus, no Bonnie-- then to Canyon, no Bonnie. We never got to see Mimi but at Canyon we did see Mrs. Purdy and Peggy. While in the choir room Libs got to play the piano for the first time.

Libs and I then went to Rio Norte for Uncle John's farewell. Libi got to see lots of Rio Norte staff and was once again passed around for all to hold. She even got to go on-stage with Daddy to help him do his master of ceremony duties. We are now home and preparing for dinner.

Saturday at home...

It was a nice day for sleeping in today. We spent much of the day hanging out as a family. Grandmalito came over for a short visit this morning. Mommy cooked breakfast, lunch and dinner-- a very rare thing in this house. Libs is having so much fun playing with her toys. She really spends a great deal of time studying them and seeing what she can do with them. It is really fun to watch her move them from hand to hand, bang them on each other, and talk to them.
Daddy went to school this afternoon and Mommy and Libs took a few pictures, here's one of the best:
Tonight we are spending more family time together. Tomorrow we will go to the zoo for early member mornings to see all of the animals when they are most active.

Catching up!

Sunday- Today was Grampy's birthday! We spent the morning preparing the house for the party and then Daddy, Grampy, Grandmalito and Aunt Andrea when to see the Simpson Movie. Mommy and Libi spent the afternoon playing and cooking. Libi is getting to enjoy her time in the kitchen-- she talks nonstop while we're in there! She is also having fun playing with her new tooth. She can spend hours taking her tongue and flicking her new tooth-- she's making lots of new funny faces.
After the movie everyone came here and Aunt Violet came over to enjoy dinner. Mommy's meal of fried zucchini, garlic bread, lasagna, and salad went over well, but the chocolate trifle was the big hit!! Grampy liked his presents and the time he got to spend with Libs-- it was a fun night.

Monday - We ran all over town today. Mommy and Libs ran errands-- the grocery store, the video store, the butcher-- we were all over town. When we got home we spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen. We had chocolate chip oatmeal cookies waiting for Daddy when he got home from his first day with students. Note: he also took a home-made lunch to school.
We spent the evening eating dinner and playing together. It was a new food Monday for Libs and she ate sweet potatoes for the first time today. She really didn't make any faces at all and ate them all up!

Tuesday - Libs and I went to the mall today. We walked the entire mall and went into several shops just to look around. We made dinner for Daddy and then Grandmalito and Grampy came over for a short visit.

Wednesday - We went to Nana and Pop's for lunch today. Libs did all of her tricks for them-- she "read" them books, rolled over, and crawled backwards. She enjoyed eating her lunch with her great-grandparents and Mommy enjoyed Nana's stellar potato salad (Daddy enjoyed the cupcakes she sent home.) Grandmalito came over for a short visit this evening to show Daddy the food she ordered for John's farewell. Today Libs also figured out how to make her animal train play music. She is really getting good at exploring her toys-- she has figured out things about them that Mommy and Daddy didn't even know!

Thursday - Mommy and Libs decided to stay home today and play. We spent the day in the kitchen and scrapbook room playing and singing. Daddy took the evening shift so that Mommy could have a little alone time. He fed Libs, played with her, comforted her when she was fussy, and tried to teach her how to do fishy kisses.. Sometime during the day, Libs second tooth broke through-- it wasn't there when Mommy checked in the morning but it was there when she checked at about 8 p.m. Libs decided to stay up until nearly 2 a.m. so Mommy was very tired by the time that she crashed.

Friday - We slept in today-- thank goodness! When Libs finally woke up happy at about 10 a.m. we ate breakfast, got dressed and headed out to the grocery store. While we were at the grocery store Libs sat in the cart for the first time. As we were walking through the aisles I noticed that she was doing fishy kisses like Daddy showed her last night-- boy is she a quick learner!! We will be entertaining again tonight when Grampy, Grandmalito and Aunt Andrea come for dinner. This afternoon we have been playing and Libs took a very short nap.

Dinner was fun! Everyone enjoyed the meatloaf, potatoes and brownies. It was nice to have everyone back at the house. Libs especially enjoyed her time with her Aunt Andrea. Auntie has a special gift for making Libi laugh and smile. You can see the photos on Picasa.

Movin' and Shakin'

Thursday-- Mommy woke up at the same time as Daddy-- wow it's early! It was fun going back to Mint Canyon for the first day. Miss Emma looked adorable on her first day of Kindergarten-- it was so fun to take Amy's class for a few minutes so she could walk her over.
When I got home we all loaded into the car for a visit to Nana and Pop's. We had a nice visit, Libi showed off all of her new tricks. While we were eating lunch Libs got to experience her first earthquake. She was sitting in her highchair, playing with her toys when the ground started to shake. She didn't seem to mind, but it did freak Mommy out a little bit.
We came home and Mommy made dinner. Afterwards Jammy and Mommy ran some errands and Daddy was on Libi patrol.

Friday-- Jammy left early in the morning and Libs and Mommy spent the day at home. Libs is getting to be such a good helper-- she helped Mommy clean the kitchen, do laundry, and cook dinner. OK, so all she did was sit near Mommy, talk to me and keep me company while I did all these things.
Mommy made dinner, Grandmalito came for a short visit, and we watched High School Musical 2. It was a nice family evening!

Saturday-- Daddy woke up early and went to work to finish up his classroom. Mommy and Libs have spent the morning playing and eating breakfast.

Sunday - Daddy made it his mission today to get his car into the garage. Grandmalito came over to watch Libs for a few hours so that Mommy and Daddy could focus all their attention on that daunting task. By the late afternoon, we had both cars in (unfortunately, we have a bunch of stuff inside the house that used to be in the garage.)

That evening we went to dinner at Don Cuco's. There Libi sat in a restaurant high chair for the first time. She ate her meal with us-- although she did not have Mexican food. Mommy also ran into an old friend from high school, Christy Nixon-- well at least that was her name back then. She is now married with two sons-- one of which is in third grade. It was nice for her to get to meet Libs.

Monday - Daddy went to work registration today and Mommy and Libs hung out at the house. At about 1 p.m. we went to Rio Norte to help Patti finish out the day. Mommy really likes counting up the checks and making sure that everything balances.

Afterwards we went to Sam's Club and did some shopping. Mommy let Daddy take Libs home and then she went to Albertson's for more shopping. When she finally got home, she made dinner, and the family all ate together at our little butcher block table.

Tuesday - We went to Disneyland for the 4th time today-- one final family outing before Daddy returns to work. It was a late start, we didn't get to the park until 12:30, but it was perfect! We went to Toontown to see Mickey, went on the Jungle Cruise for the first time, went back to the Tiki Room and Libs saw her first parade! We left about 4:15 and made it home by about 5:30. We spent the evening relaxing, Daddy made dinner, and Libs nearly crawled backwards under the sofa.

Wednesday- Mommy and Libs got back into our old routine today as Daddy headed back to work. It was quite a shock to Mommy's system to be all on her own for the day--- she really missed Daddy. Libs is all over the place-- crawling backward, playing with all her toys, and drum roll please........ today we found her very first tooth!!!!!

Jammy came into town at about 3:30. Mommy went upstairs to take a shower and the two girls played. During their play, Libs began gnawing on Jams and she made the discovery. When Mommy came downstairs Jammy said, "You didn't tell me Libi had her first tooth."

Mommy replied, "No she doesn't!" Then Jammy proceeded to show her-- sure enough the lower right tooth is poking out.

We spent the rest of the evening calling everyone we could think of to tell them about our tooth. Mommy made dinner for everyone and Grampy and Grandmalito came over for a visit. Daddy spent several more hours tonight in his room trying to get his stuff ready for Monday.

Tomorrow Mommy will go to Mint Canyon to cover Amy's class for a few moments while she takes Emma to kindergarten for the first time, Jammy will babysit before we go to Nana and Pop's for lunch and Daddy will be back at work.

Behind again.

Wednesday -- We woke up and drove into the valley to pick-up Grandmalito at Hugo and Ann-Marie's. We then went to Valley Pres. to see Great-Grandpa Limon. He has been in the hospital for several days for dehydration treatment. It was nice to see him, despite the fact that he wasn't awake for the visit.
After we dropped Grandma Cris off we went to Nana and Pop's house to see everyone there. Nana is still wearing her brace, which fascinated Libs. While Nana couldn't hold her, Libs sat next to her and touched and studied the contraption. It was a really nice visit-- Libs did all of her "tricks" for them.
In the evening Grampy came over for dinner. He fed Libs her meal of cereal and green beans while Daddy cooked dinner-- how nice for Mommy to not have to do anything!! Mommy was pulled away from the table to have a nice long talk with Aunt Linda, but Daddy and Grampy kept Libs entertained. Grampy even stayed for Libi's bath time and then he walked her to sleep before he left-- a good time was had by all.

Thursday-- Libs and Mommy went to the Strassner's house for swimming and lunch today. While we were having fun, Daddy was working at school trying to get his room put together. Libi loved watching Emma and Ben jump off the side of the pool and swim around. We had a really nice lunch and visit with our good friends.

Friday-- We took Libi to her first country fair today. After getting the house re-sprayed for ants we loaded into the car and headed to Ventura. It was a really nice day at the fair-- the weather was beautiful, the grounds were clean and the food was good. Libi loved looking at all the people and animals. She especially liked the big bubbles in the kids area-- you can see pictures on Picasa.

Saturday-- Today Mommy and Libs hung out at the house while Daddy ran some errands. We had quite an adventure while he was gone, but I won't trouble you with the messy details.
This afternoon Grampy and Grandmalito came over for a visit. Libs loves riding on Grampy's head and showing Grandmalito all her toys.
This evening we headed to Santa Paula for Nick's birthday party-- he's the science teacher on Daddy's team. Libs was the hit of the party, being passed around to anyone who had a hand out. It was nice to meet Nick's girlfriend and to see some friends from Rio Norte. It is now late and Mommy is tired. Tomorrow we will be cleaning the garage, trying to make room for Daddy's car.

Wow am I behind!!!

Thursday - Jammy, I need you help-- my memories fail me as to what we did for much of Thursday and Friday.

Friday - We had dinner at Bob's-- of course we did! If it's a Friday and you're in Stockton you go eat a burger at Bob's at the Marina cooked by the highly talkative chef, Guy. Libs was so funny with her Zwieback all over the place-- she really likes those little toasts! Aunt Renia also made Libs do her big belly laugh with the basked monster. You really have to see the video to understand it-- it's on Picasa.

Saturday - Mommy ran out this morning to weigh in and grab some movies at Blockbuster so Libs stayed with Jammy and Granpa. The nights have been pretty rough lately as Libs won't stay the whole night in her travel crib. At some point very early in the morning, or very late at night depending on your view, Lou Lou wakes up and needs consolation and to hog much of Mommy's bed. This makes Mommy very tired and cranky these days :(
We kept things very low key today-- watching movies, watching Libs roll all over the floor, and being home-bodies. Unfortunately we got word this evening the Ron's grandfather was taken to the hospital with severe dehydration. Grandmalito said that they believe that he is going to be fine, but it will be nice to get home to see him.

Sunday - Daddy came home this afternoon! We spent much of the day waiting for him and hanging out with Jammy and Granpa. Daddy, Mommy and Granpa took Libs to the pool for a final swim-- the little fish had a great time! We had a nice family dinner and watched a few movies on TBS-- all in all a really good day!

Monday- Jammy was on Libi duty for the afternoon so that Mommy and Daddy could go to the movies. We finally got a chance to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and we weren't going to miss it! It was a wonderful flick-- very much foreshadowing of things to come :) (Can you tell that Mommy finished book 7?) On the way home we stopped at two wineries, but struck out on the things we were looking for.
For dinner we met Bob and Renia at Lodi Beer Company. Libs was great entertainment there. She ate green beans for the first time today. It was a bit awkward having her in the stroller, but Mommy and Daddy are becoming pros and improvising!

Tuesday - We made the long drive home from Stockton today. Everyone did well on the drive and it seemed to just fly by-- most likely because we were excited to get back to our own house and bed. It is wonderful visiting Jammy and Granpa, but 10 days is a long time to be away from home.
This evening Aunt Andrea and Aunt Violet came over for a Libi fix. It was great timing for me because while we were gone Miss Libs outgrew a great deal of the clothes in her closet. She is now in 9 month clothes almost completely. In no time at all we will have to move into the 12 month simply due to her length.
Libs fell asleep in Mommy's arms and is resting comfortably in her own bed. Mommy will be doing the same soon.

August first...

Libs, Jammy and I all went to get our nails done this morning-- actually, Mommy did Libi's nails before we left the house. Afterwards we went to Mr. Pickle, a sandwich shop, for lunch. Libs slept through the meal, but Jammy and I enjoyed our sandwiches.
We then ran over to Granpa's office for a visit. Libs got passed around to everyone and had a good time until she needed a change.
Daddy came home this afternoon. We all took a nap together-- all four of us in the little bed. We had a nice family dinner-- we ate tri-tip and Libs had cereal and peaches. Tonight we went for another night swim, but this time Daddy came with us. Once we got back we watched a Food Network princess cake challenge from Walt Disney World and Mommy began to again long for her beloved theme park. I can't wait to take Libs there!
Tomorrow Daddy returns for the last camp and Libs and I will wrap up our visit with Jammy and Granpa.

Lots of firsts...

Monday - Libi ate peaches for the first time this morning. She really didn't make too many faces during her first few bites. We met Renia for lunch and shopping. While at CPK Libs drank through a straw for the first time. Shopping with Renia is always and adventure and Libs experienced it first hand-- see the cute hat she made Libs wear. We then came home for dinner and Libs ate Zwieback for the first time. It was really funny to see her getting the biscuit gooey and getting it everywhere. Unbeknown to Libi she also had another first-- she got her first silent football penalty point. Ask Daddy exactly how she got it because Mommy's not really clear on that point.

Tuesday - Libs carried on the family tradition today-- she wore a pair of overalls that were worn by her Granpa Eric and her Momma. She looked so cute in her little red overalls-- you'll have to see the pictures on Picasa. We drove to Stanford to see Daddy and his CADA friends today. It was nice to see all of the CADA friends again. Libs was the hit of the BBQ and staff meeting. On the way home we stopped at the outlets-- Libs first trip to the outlets. Everything went well until Libs and I spilled a huge iced tea all over the floor of the Gap outlet. Once we got home Libs had some kicky time and then she ate dinner. She went for her first night swim, but it didn't last very long due to the chilly wind. Libs is now in her crib and I'm watching movies.

Weekend in Stockton...

Saturday -
We had a reasonably quiet day today. Jammy, Libi and I ran to a scrapbook yard sale in the morning and made a stop by Memories for the Making. Granpa made lunch for us, then we hit the pool. Once we got to the pool Libs began kicking away as if to say "Let me in, let me in!" She really is quite a fish. We had a nice family dinner and played in the evening.

Sunday -
It was a full day at the house today. Libs spent some time in the morning with Jammy and Granpa while Mommy slept in (she woke up around 3:30 a.m. and Mommy was on duty.) We had a fend for yourself lunch and Mommy did some scrapbooking. We went swimming again and this time Libi saw a big orange ball that she loved. Granpa promised her that we would get her a ball like that, so I think Jammy and I will grab one on Monday. Libs went to bed early and stayed down, which was a blessing for Mommy!

Full day in Stockton...

Daddy woke up this morning, repacked and headed out to Stanford. He had to make it into town to go yachting with the gang and "team-build". He left Libs and I to hang out with Jammy and Granpa.
We met Chris and Leslie for lunch at Da Vinci's Italian restaurant. Libs was fabulous during lunch and she met some babies who were also dining there. It was nice to sit and chat with the girls. Everything was great until I cleared the table and spilled ranch dressing all over the floor and my pants and shoes.
Afterwards we ran to Babies R Us to get an activity center for Libs. Mommy assembled it in no time flat-- she is becoming quite a pro at assembly. Lib loved playing in it and bouncing around-- you can see the videos on Picasa.
We met Bob and Renia at Bob's for dinner. Guy enjoyed chatting with us and dancing for Libi. We are now sitting around talking and the adults are drinking wine.

Update...

Sunday - Daddy left this morning for UCSB again and Libi and I headed to the zoo. We met up with Aunt Andrea and walked the entire zoo. They were doing a special promotion in conjunction with Arctic Tale so they gave certain animals snow and ice. We got to watch the brown bears play in their snow covered enclosure and eat fruit in ice chunks. It was really nice to spend the morning with Aunt Andrea. We enjoyed lunch and ice cream and then headed out of there before it got too hot.
On the way home we stopped at Nana and Pop's to see how they were. Nana hasn't been feeling well so we haven't been seeing too much of them. It was nice to spend an hour with them-- Libi showed them all of her tricks.
We came home and Mommy took a nap and read more of Harry Potter.

Monday - We picked up Grandmalito and drove down to the Nanny School in L.A. We attended the 11 a.m. Mommy and Me class that was very small. It was only Libs and an 8 week old girl who came, everyone else didn't show. Libs spent the hour playing on the floor and talking to her Grandma and Great Aunt.
After class we went to El Pollo Loco with the girls then went to see Uncle Hugo and Cousin Bridget. Bridget was so cute with Libi. She really wanted to show her everything-- her toys, her books, her DVD's. Bridget showered Libs with attention and loved giving her hugs and squeezes.
We went home for more Potter and a quiet evening at home. Libi did get to eat pears for the first time today for dinner.

Tuesday - Libi went with Mommy to get her hair cut. Cassie, Mom's trusty hair dresser, loved the little girl. She was so good during the whole appointment-- she sat on my lap while I was shampooed and sat in her chair and chatted away while I was cut and styled.
Afterwards Libs and I ran a few errands around town, but due to the heat we weren't out long. Libs slept most of the time, so I didn't feel too badly about having to make a few stops.
Grandmalito and Grampy came over in the evening for a visit. Poor Tobee accidentally launched the Boppy that Libs was napping on causing both Libi and Grandmalito to yell. Other than that unfortunate accident, the visit was nice.

Wednesday - I stayed up until 1:30 this morning to finish Harry Potter #7 and I must say I'm happy with the ending-- for the most part. Libi and I didn't go anywhere in preparation for Daddy's valiant return this afternoon. He finally got home at 5:30 and spent the evening lavishing attention on all of his girls.
Grandmalito brought dinner over and the whole family ate a nice meal of chicken and rice. We were able to get some packing and cleaning done with Libs played with her grandparents.

Thursday - Off to Stockton again, but not until Mommy weighed in at Weight Watchers. I was down 3.2 pounds today which more than makes up for last weeks gain. The drive was uneventful and quick which was nice considering we didn't leave the SCV until nearly 1 p.m.
Once we arrived in town we unloaded the car and headed to Bob's at Ron's request. We met Granpa there and had a nice dinner. After dinner Granpa showed Libi the boats and all the birds on the delta. We dropped Libs off at the house with Jammy and Granpa and we ran to Office Depot, Target and Walgreens to grab some odds and ends.
Tomorrow Daddy leaves again-- this time for Stanford and Libi and I begin our adventures in Stockton.

Daddy came home!!!

Today we woke up and went to Weight Watchers for Mommy to weigh in. Considering that I haven't been doing program for over two weeks, I was only over 1.4 pounds. I am now back on track and should continue on the downward path soon.
When we arrived home there was a nice surprise for us-- Grampy and Spunky were waiting for us. Libs got time to play with Grampy while Tobee and Spunky ran in the yard. Mommy was able to do laundry and straighten up the kitchen during this time, so everyone won! Grampy also fed Libs for the first time and he did a really nice job.
After they left we played for a bit, took a nap, and then began to get ready for Daddy's return. He didn't get home until after 5 p.m., but it was great to have him back!!! He brought the new Harry Potter for Mommy-- which she immediately began to read-- and he took his girl. The two of them fell asleep on the sofa for a good hour nap while Mommy read.
We had a fend for yourself dinner and then Grandmalito and Grampy came back over. They gave Libs her applesauce and played with her while Daddy and I worked on the computers.
Libi has taken a huge interest in what we eat and drink since she began eating cereal. A few days ago she watched me intently while I drank water out of my 32 ounce Weight Watcher cup. I decided to put it to her lips and see what she did-- she actually took a sip. Since then whenever she's seen me drink from my cup, she's taken a sip too. Daddy finally got to experience this tonight and he thought it was pretty cute.
Libs took an evening bath followed by story-time with Daddy. Mommy finally got into the shower and had a few moments to blog. I have to say that Daddy was very sweet reading the four books Mommy chose tonight, my favorite was "Bear of My Heart." I sat in the retreat crying as he read this sweet book to our sweet girl.

I don't want to be a single mother...

Thursday - I'm still on my own while Ron is doing CADA and I have to say that doing this alone is difficult. Even when Ron was working I had an extra set of hands in the evening and on weekends and now I don't have that. I have a new found respect for single mothers and I must say, I don't want to be one!!!!
We really didn't do much today except for having a short visit from Grandmalito, Emmy, and Angie. They all went out to lunch and on their way home they stopped in to see Miss Libs. She was right in the middle of a nap when they arrived so she wasn't her normal cheery self. They did enjoy their visit, even with Miss Cranky-pants.
Libs took an hour and half nap on the floor at about 8 p.m. then she decided to be up until after midnight. This meant that I was up until after midnight-- so I was really tired.

Friday -- Due to her late bedtime, Libs didn't wake up until almost 8:30. This was great for me-- 7 hours of sleep and I took a shower and dressed before she woke up. I got Libs dressed and gave her some applesauce and then we were off for a day full of adventures....
Frist, we surprised Grandmalito on her last day of summer school. We dropped by her classroom at Hart High School and spent brunch meeting her colleagues and her students. She was genuinely surprised that we came, which was really fun!!
Then we hit the road for UCSB to see Daddy. We also surprised him-- he knew we were coming but didn't know what time. We got there early for the beach BBQ so we were able to see all of the staff during their staff meeting (Daddy enjoyed the extra time with his little girl.)
Not only did Libs meet many of the CADA staff for the first time, but she also saw the ocean and the beach for the first time today. We got some cute videos of her sticking her feet in the really cold water for the first time-- you can check them out on Picasa.
All too quickly it was time to leave and head home. Libi did great on the hour and a half drive there and back. She slept most of the time and when she wasn't sleeping she was looking out the window and talking to everything she saw.
Once we got home she had a lot of kicky time to make up for the time in the car seat. Libs is rolling all the time but she gets really frustrated when she gets stuck on her belly-- sometimes she forgets how to roll back over. So now when she's looking like a beached whale she yells "ma, ma, ma." I have convinced myself that she knows my name and she's calling to me, but I think that's a little premature. She simply babbles and cries until someone flips her over.
This evening we had a brief visit from Grandmalito to drop off something for Daddy and then Aunt Andrea came over for about a half an hour. It was perfect timing because I got to eat my dinner with two hands while Andrea entertained both Libs and Tobee. Libs was in a great mood and smiled and laughed for her aunt-- it was great for everyone!!
Libs just fell asleep-- thank God it's earlier tonight than last night-- and I'm heading off to bed. Thank goodness Ron is back tomorrow, even if it's for less than 24 hours :)

Libi is 6 months old...

Tuesday was Libi's 6 month birthday. We spent the day prepping the house for our little get together to celebrate the occasion. I made cupcakes-- both chocolate and vanilla for the guests. Libi even helped in the kitchen-- well she sat in her high chair and watched Mommy make them. I suppose you could say she was on quality control.

It was a small party with Grandpalito, Grandmalito, Aunt Andrea, Aunt Violet, the Strassners and the Lopez family. We all sat around and talked, ate cupcakes and the kids played with Libi and Tobee's toys. You can see everyone's picture with the half birthday girl on the picasa page.

As soon as the party ended Daddy drove up to UCSB. Mommy and Libi spent their night in Mommy's bed watching Grey's Anatomy. Mommy has not been sleeping well lately which makes her tired and cranky the next day. Tobee enjoyed laying in Daddy's spot until Libi rolled into her space, so she finished the night on the floor.

Wednesday -- We had to get up early today due to the exterminator coming to spray the kitchen. One of the bad things about the summer is that the ants want to get out of the sun and into our house. It was very lucky that he came today because we had a scorpion in the kitchen-- yep, a live baby scorpion. I actually saw it right next to my foot when I was assembling Libi's first bottle but I thought it was one of those little pincher bugs that run away when they see you coming. He took it away, but now I'm on alert everywhere in the house.

Libs and I have spent the day playing, scrapbooking, napping, and nearly crawling. She is getting so close to really going on the floor. She is scooting everywhere but she's starting to get her knees underneath her and push up on her arms.

Tonight we are planning to go to bed early 'cause Mommy's really tired.

Post Script--- Tonight as I sat on the computer in the retreat Libs rolled all the way across the floor to me. She has found her mobility and she was all smiles when she realized she could get to mama!

6 month check up...

This morning we went to see Dr. Vashishta again for Libi's 6 month check up. We waited for awhile the doctor because he was all alone in his office-- none of his office staff showed up. Once we got in Libi was weighed-- 19 lbs 8 oz-- and measured-- a whopping 28 inches!!!

The doctor inspected her, told us she was perfect, and then gave her shots (only 3 this time plus the sweet oral one.) On the way home Libs was a bit unhappy, but a bottle put her out of her misery. She is currently asleep on the sofa while I blog and Daddy cleans up the kitchen.

Libs did really well-- still no reactions to her shots. We had a pretty uneventful day except for getting ready for Libs little 6 month party tomorrow.

Friday - Jammy, Libi and Mommy went to Babies R Us to pick up somethings for the girl. While we were there we ran into a girl who was a year ahead of me at St. Martin's. We have known her family forever-- her mother was a teacher there. She has a two year old son and twins who were born the same day as Libi. It was really interesting to see Libi's size compared to kids who shared the same uterus.
We came home and I spent the afternoon assembling Libi's activity center. All the reviews said that the product was difficult to assemble, and the folks didn't lie. It took awhile, but when it was all done Libi loved it! She spent much of the afternoon exploring how to make the different activities work.
It took Daddy a long time to get home, Grandmalito and Aunt Andrea hit some traffic on the way to get him. When he finally got home he didn't want to let Libs out of his grasp. He did let her go long enough to run to In N Out with Mommy to get dinner.
We did nothing eventful in the evening, just enjoy each others company.

Saturday - Granpa came into town this morning. We met him at the Saturn Dealership where we were looking for a used car for Daddy. Jammy, Granpa, Libi and I walked the lot looking at cars while Daddy was getting the Olds washed so we could get more on the trade-in. It took him over an hour to get to the dealership and by the time he arrived we had the paperwork done on his brand-new Saturn Ion. Boy was he surprised when he got there and we had him test drive this pretty new car.
After lunch at Applebee's and finishing up the paperwork at the dealership, Jammy and Granpa went down to the valley to see Nana and Pop. Nana wasn't feeling well so we stayed at home and relaxed.
We got ChiChi's for dinner and hung out at the house in the evening. Libi is still eating her bananas and enjoying them-- we are enjoying watching her eat and seeing what colors come out the other end.

Sunday - Libs woke up at 6 and after Daddy changed her Granpa intercepted her and took her into their room. It was really nice to sleep in and now that Libs was taken care of. Jammy and Granpa left around 10 a.m. to make the drive back to Stockton.

Uncle John came over to drop off a gift for Libi from New Zealand. It was so cute that he was so excited to give it to her. We can't wait until she's big enough to fit into her green sheep shirt.

Grandmalito and Grandpalito came over for a visit around noon. It was nice for Libi to get a big chunk of time with her local grandparents. Even better for Mommy and Daddy was that we got to move some furniture throughout the house. We moved Mommy's scrapbook room from the bonus room to the retreat. This will make room for an eventual playroom for Miss Libs in the bonus room and Mommy can do some scrapbooking in her own little place.

Mommy made a turkey medallion dinner while Daddy gave Libs her cereal. We spent the evening giving the girl a bath, watching the Next Food Network Star, and other Food Network shows-- I don't know what I'd do without that channel.

Tomorrow morning Miss Libs goes to Dr. V for her 6 month check up. We'll update everyone on her new height and weight as soon as we get back.

Tuesday - Libs was much better today than she was yesterday. Jammy had a hair appointment so Libs and Mommy stayed home and rested. We gave Libs more bananas and she did much better with them-- less puckering!

Jammy and Granpa watched Libs tonight so I could attend a scrapbooking class at Memories for the Making. It was all about the Cricut-- I found some nice new techniques-- and I got to make a Minnie Mouse page. Since Miss Libs has yet to meet Minnie, I called the page Channeling Minnie and put pictures of LouLou in big bows and headbands. It came out really well! I really enjoyed having an evening "on the town" on my own :)

Wednesday - Jammy, Mommy and Libs went out to do some shopping and to have lunch. We got a mattress for Libi's travel crib so she won't roll into the side and wake up with net face. We were going to go to the pool one last time, but the breeze was so cool that we decided not to.

Thursday - We woke up this morning, packed up the whole kit and caboodle, and returned to So. Cal. It was a relatively uneventful drive-- Libs slept, played or ate, Tobee barked at motorcycles, watched the cars go by, and rested in the back and Mommy and Jammy drove.

This evening we will rest up from the drive and hopefully have an early night.

Return to Stockton...

Thursday -We woke up early and made the drive back up north. Daddy needs to be in Woodland tonight so he can get up really early to pack the track for CADA. We got to Jammy and Granpa's house around 4:30, had dinner, then Mommy drove Daddy up to Woodland. It is a really cute little town that we would like to spend more time in.

Friday - While Daddy loaded the truck an hour away, Libs, Jammy and Mommy went to lunch in Lodi with Chris. We had a very nice time at Strings Italian restaurant visiting with Chris. Libi and Mommy then spent time at home while Jammy got her nails done. Mommy was actually able to work on some scrapbook pages today-- she is so excited to get going on Libi's book.

Daddy made it home by about 2 p.m. and we headed to the pool. Miss Libs is becoming quite a fish (unfortunately she is also getting really nice coloring and Dr. V told us to keep her out of the sun until after 6 months.)

We did the traditional Friday night dinner of Bob's at the Marina with Bob and Renia. Guy, the cook, was in rare form and we got to meet his wife and the owner of the place-- Bob himself! Afterwards we hung out at the house and Mommy did more scrapbooking-- she finished 12 pages today!!!

Saturday - We went swimming in the morning and on this particular pool day Mommy decided that Libs should go under for the first time. Mommy blew in her face and dunked her under for a second. She cried a bit from the shock, but overall seemed to like it. Mommy did it twice and Daddy did it once and then Miss Libs continued to swim. The lifeguard who does lessons was quite impressed that Libs swimming day wasn't over after her dunking.

Ron and I left Libs in the capable hands of her grandparents and we went on a date to see Ratatouille. It was a cute movie and nice to get away for a few hours.

We had dinner at the Cheese steak place in Lodi which serves authentic sandwiches-- they even have Tastycakes! We spent the evening relaxing and playing with Libs.

Sunday - Mommy and Daddy weren't feeling well today, so we didn't do much in the morning. When we finally did get everyone up and moving, we went to the pool for a swim before Renia and Bob came over for dinner. Libs got dunked twice more today, but she didn't like it quite as much as yesterday.

Jammy made a really nice pork dinner and we all had fun eating at the big table-- Libs included! After dinner we sat around and watched Libs and the Next Food Network Star before Bob and Renia went home.

Monday - We got up early to wait for Jack to drive the big truck down from Woodland. This morning Libs had bananas for the first time. We gave them to her in the morning as opposed to her normal evening time so that Daddy could see her reaction, which was priceless. I will be posting the pictures tonight, but she really puckered up after every spoonful. We'll see if she does the same thing tomorrow.

He stopped by and got a tour of Jammy's house before he and Daddy hit the road for UCSB. Jammy, Mommy and Libi are getting ready to go out for a bit this afternoon.

We went out to a nice seafood restaurant for lunch. Libi was admired by all of the old folks who were eating there. Libi got to eat her cereal at the table like a big girl. Jammy fed her some rice cereal and she (both Jammy and Libi) did really well not making a huge mess.

After lunch we stopped by the mall to check out sales at Baby Gap and Gymboree. We managed to find a "few" cute things for Libs in 9 month size. It's amazing how quickly Libs huge closet has been whittled down as she has grown.

Granpa took us swimming after work-- he even got into the pool today! We had a really good time showing Libs how to kick and splash, but she likes to keep her hand in her mouth which makes swimming very difficult. She did go under two more times today and she was still shocked that Mommy would do such a thing.

After dinner we took a tubby and did another photo shoot. I will be posting soon, so be sure to see our Picasa site.

Independence Day...

Today Libs was in a much better mood. We spent the morning at home playing and relaxing after yesterdays stressful day.

We went to Nana and Pop's house for dinner. They really enjoyed seeing how much their girl has grown over the past week. We had a great cheeseburger dinner with all the trimmings and chocolate chip pie for dessert.

When we got home Grandma and Grandpa Ippolito came over to watch the fireworks. We saw lots and lots of fireworks from the backyard and Libs enjoyed spending time with her grandparents. You can see our pics on Picasa-- we had a nice photo shoot!

Tomorrow we will head back up to Stockton so that Daddy can drive the CADA truck down to UCSB.

The end of the Stockton trip...

Friday - While Daddy was at his class Mommy, Jammy and Libs met Granpa for lunch at the bowling alley. It was a cute little place with good food-- Libs loved all the TVs and the stained glass ceiling. After lunch we went back to Granpa's office to spend more time with his office buddies.
Jammy and Mommy stopped by Katie's world to go scrapbook shopping. Libs was entertained by Jammy while Mommy looked through all of the piles of stuff. We went home to relax before going to Bob's at the Marina for dinner.
Daddy got home and the family went to Bob's to meet Uncle Bob. Guy, the cook, enjoyed seeing Libs in something other than a picture. We took some good pictures which you can see on Picasa.
Mommy and Daddy ran out on a little "date" to Borders while Libs stayed behind. We drove all over Stockton looking for frozen yogurt, but we had no luck :(

Saturday - Daddy had his last day of class today and Mommy, Libi, Jammy and Granpa all ran some errands. We helped Granpa pick out a new sport coat and Mommy got some 4th of July flip flops.
When Daddy got home we played, Mommy and Daddy ran to Katie's World and we rested for our big outing in the evening-- we went on a delta cruise! It was an hour and a half ride up the river. We saw lots of people fishing, beautiful houses, and lots of folks on the river. After the boat ride we ordered Dominos pizza for dinner.

Sunday- Mommy and Daddy slept in and Libs spent time with her grandparents. Once we all got up we went swimming-- Granpa even put his legs into the pool.
Bob and Renia came over in the afternoon-- Renia had just gotten back from Seattle on Saturday. We spent lots of time watching Miss Libs do all of her tricks and Renia took lots of pictures.
We all went to Yan Du for dinner. It was really fun sampling all of their different food. Sherry, the owner, really took a shine to Libs-- you can see the pics on Picasa.
The Next Food Network star was on, so we had to stop everything to watch! Mommy and Daddy are really hooked on this show right now-- it fills the American Idol void. Mommy called it and figured out who was going to be sent home. Daddy and Granpa ran out to grab Dairy Queen as an extra special treat.

Monday- We woke up and packed up the car-- which is no small feat with two people, a baby and a dog. Daddy, being the master packer that he is, got everything to fit. We stopped at Target to buy formula and Sonic to grab lunch before hitting the I-5.
It was a nice ride home, Libs slept most of the way. Tobee only had one melt-down when she saw a dog, poor Libs looked like she was going to cry when she heard all Tobee's commotion.
When we got home we all relaxed and had spaghetti dinner. Libs has been really unhappy since the end of the trip. We're not sure if she's teething or slightly sick, but she is not easily calmed.

Tuesday- Libi was really fussy all day long. She was only happy when she was in motion and in some one's arms. It was a long day for Mommy and Daddy. In the evening, Grandmalito came over and fed Libs cereal. Grandpalito came over briefly to see his girl.

Wednesday and Thursday...

Wednesday was a busy day... In the morning, Jammy and Mommy ran a few errands while Daddy and Libs stayed home. Mommy went to Weight Watchers and lost 1.6 pounds-- not bad while she's on vacation.

Libi spent the day with Jammy while Mommy and Daddy went on an adventure. First we found the Squeeze Inn restaurant that we saw on Food Network. It was a little dive with the best cheeseburgers with a fringe of fried cheese around it-- you can see the pics on-line.

We then made the drive up to Sutter's Mill, the site where gold was discovered in California. Neither Ron nor I had ever been there and it's not that far away, so we had to check it out! The whole day was really fun, we got to spend a lot of quality time together.

On the way home we tasted some of the wine in Lodi at Jewel winery. We had some good wine, chatted with the nice girl in the shop, and bought some gifts.

Jammy and Libs were supposed to meet some girls from Granpa's office for lunch, but they decided not to go and to just spend the day at home. Libs put her toes in her mouth for the very first time in the afternoon-- another thing to suck on!

Thursday - Daddy began his class today in Sacramento, so Mommy, Jammy and Libi went on a little adventure. We kept Tobee company much of the morning and then went to have our nails done. After nails we went to lunch at a little restaurant called Denis' Country Kitchen. It was a cute little place with good food. Then we hit two scrapbook stores and Mommy found some fun stuff!

We came home to relax and wait for Daddy and Granpa. When they got home we ran over to the pool for a dip. Libs loved the water and is still splashing around. It was quite breezy outside of the pool so when we got out it was really cold.

Uncle Bob came over for dinner and Granpa cooked steaks. It was a really nice dinner, but afterwards Miss Libs was quite cranky. She had only taken a few short naps during the day, but she wanted to be part of the action this evening so she is not a very happy camper.

Tomorrow Dad heads back to class and we will do something else fun in Stockton.

Stockton

Monday in Stockton we went to Micke's Grove Zoo. It was a cute little zoo with lots of birds, primates, and interesting plants. They had a few large animals-- two sea lions and a snow leopard-- but other than that only really small animals. We walked the whole zoo and saw everything in a little over an hour.

Libs was far more aware this trip to the zoo. She watched the animals walking around and loved the leaves blowing in the breeze. It was a nice day-- a little warm in the sunlight, but nice in the shade.

We came home for lunch and a nap. In the afternoon we had two exciting firsts:

First, Libs rolled over from her back to her tummy for the very first time. You can see the exciting video on our Picasa site. She was so proud of herself after she accomplished this and we were all proud of her for doing it!

Next, Libs went to the pool for the first time. She was a bit shocked that the water was so much colder than her tubby, but once she got over that she seemed to enjoy herself. It was a very short trip, but Mommy and Daddy both enjoyed their dip with their little one.

Tuesday morning Daddy took the car to be serviced and Mommy and Libs slept in. When he got home we all went back to the pool for swim #2. We were the first and only folks in the pool, which was nice but it was VERY cold! Daddy decided that getting in quickly was the best way to ignore the cold and he tried this with Libi.... she did not concur! Mommy and Libs sat on the steps and got wet gradually which was much better!

Once everyone was in we all swam and splashed around. Daddy showed Libs how to squeeze water through your hand and Mommy showed her how to hit the water and make a splash. Libs found the splashing to be quite fun and so she spent the rest of the time in the pool splashing everyone, including herself (again you can see videos and pics on Picasa.)

We dried off and Jammy and Mommy took Libi to see Granpa at his office-- Daddy stayed home with Tobee. Granpa enjoyed showing LouLou off to all of his work friends-- he even interrupted a meeting so Libs could see Uncle Bob.

Jammy and Mommy then took Libi shopping at Babies R Us and Target-- she slept through most of the visit, but that made it easier on Mommy and Jams. We came home to spend some time with Daddy before dinner.

Dinner tonight was a Lodi Beer Company, a really neat old place in downtown Lodi. The ribs were fantastic and the fried mac and cheese was interesting. Libi had another first while we were there-- she ate oatmeal for the first time. She seemed to like it much more than her rice cereal and ate the whole tablespoon. We will see if she still likes it tomorrow. Everyone oohed and aahed over Libs, we even had to talk to a couple on the patio for several moments who were admiring our little one.

This evening we have been relaxing at the house, taking turns with Miss Libs. She is overly tired due to only taking two short naps today so she was a bit fussy.

Travel Day to Stockton...

Today we packed the whole crew up and drove to Stockton. Tobee, Libi, Daddy and I all did the five hour trip up to Jammy and Granpa's house. The drive was really good-- Libi was far more alert and awake on this trip. She only took two short naps, she spent the rest of the drive talking, playing with her toys, and smiling at Tobee.

We got up to Stockton a little before 5 p.m. We unpacked while Libs got reacquainted with Granpa. Jammy made a really good tri-tip dinner and while we ate Libs slept. After dinner Libs slept some more on Jammy while Granpa, Daddy, Mommy and Tobee went for a walk.

Libs has been especially chatty and happy since she woke up. We will put her in her travel crib for the first time tonight. Tomorrow I think we are heading to Mickey's Grove to go to the zoo.

Friday - Grandmalito did not come over last night, we just spent the night in. Today it was a quiet day at the house. Our big outing was to go to Emma Strassner's Preschool Celebration (aka Graduation). It was a really nice ceremony full of songs and stories. Libi slept through a great deal of it, but it was over an hour long! Afterwards we hung out with Amy, Howard, Emma, and Ben-- got some photos, watched Emma open her gifts, and saw Dorothy Wolf-- one of Mommy's friends mother. After the service we grabbed dinner at In 'N Out and came home to eat and be with Toots.


Saturday - The morning was a busy one-- full of laundry and packing. Mommy did a serious overhaul in Libi's closet-- she is outgrowing her clothes quickly. Libi was very fun today-- lots of smiles and giggles. Grandmalito came over for a bit in the afternoon so Mommy and Daddy could pack and hang laundry.

This evening Aunt Andrea and Aunt Violet came over to watch Libs so Mommy and Daddy could go to the Police concert at Dodger Stadium. It was a fun concert--- the Foo Fighters opened the show and we saw some very interesting sights both on the way to and at the concert. Sting was amazing as always and Daddy sang along to every song (Mommy loves it when he sings!)

We got home very late to find the girls and Grandmalito watching TV. Everyone said that Libs and Tobee behaved themselves. Grandpalito even came over for a time to be with LouLou. Tomorrow we head to Stockton for a week with Jammy and Granpa-- more when we get there!

Thursday at home...

Libi slept in today. She and Daddy went to Starbuck's to meet up with Shonna-- one of Daddy's ASB director friends. Libs was a good girl, but Daddy had a bit of a challenge changing her without a diaper changing thing in the restroom. He was quite resourceful and he changed her in mid-air. It lead to an interesting fit with the diaper, but Daddy gets points for his attempt.

Daddy dropped her off at home and went to run some errands. Libs took a nice long nap and Mommy played on the computer.

We spent the evening watching movies, Mommy cooked dinner, and relaxing. Grandmalito will be coming over tonight for a visit.

Libi met her great-grandfather...

Today we visited lots of great-grandparents. We went to see Nana and Pop for lunch-- it was nice to have Daddy with us this time. We all sat and talked and Miss Libs was especially chatty. She wore a darling outfit from Aunt Lisa and Uncle Ed. For the first time she really felt her clothes-- she spent a great deal of time stroking the lace and feeling the silk ribbons.

After our visit we went to see Great Grandpa Limon at the nursing home. We met up with Uncle Hugo, Bridget, Grandmalito, Grandpalito, and Aunt Andrea there. Mommy took some very nice family photos, which she will post later on tonight. It was nice to meet up with everyone for a bit-- Libi did OK, but she got a little unhappy toward the end of the visit.

It was a long car-ride home in rush hour traffic with Libs talking the whole way-- we took some video of her screeching away. She is also doing a great deal of examining her hands-- I also got some good video of that. She is becoming more aware of her surroundings every day.

Tonight Mommy went to Weight Watchers-- she lost another 0.8 pounds, amazing after a week and a half of not being on program. Daddy made dinner and we are all hanging out.

First feeding...

Yesterday, the family officially kicked off summer! Everyone was home for the day-- with the exception of Mommy and Libi who spent 2 1/2 hours at the Strassner house. We had a really nice visit with Amy, Ben and Emma. Libi really wanted to join in with their sand play and playing with all of their cool toys.

We watched more movies, took more pictures, and tonight Mommy cooked! Libs also ate rice cereal for the first time-- we got some really cute video and pics of the event. I'm not sure if she liked it or not, but she ate almost the whole tablespoon and we only lost a bit on her bib.

Today, Daddy will run to school to drop off some things and pick up the fridge for Grandmalito. Mommy is planning on doing some serious laundry which she did not do last week when she was at work.

It was a rather uneventful day at our home. Mommy watched Grey's Anatomy and did laundry. Daddy spent the morning at school and the afternoon on Libi patrol. We gave Libs more cereal and she did well with it.

Father's Day weekend...

Friday was a pretty crazy day for Mommy, as she had to return to work for one last day. She woke up early and left the house before Libs even woke up for her first feeding. Mommy had some nice time in her room with her 6th graders before they went into the ceremony-- she read them "Yay You" and gave them Disney graduation pins like she did with her last 6th grade class.

Jammy and Daddy came to school for the ceremony and Miss Libs was so good... she didn't make a sound during the whole hour and a half ceremony. Afterwards everyone wanted to see my girl-- she was in all my pics with my kids.

Mommy had to stay at school to watch her 5th graders, but Jammy, Daddy and Libi went home. While Mommy was on duty she got the rest of her room packed up and Daddy joined her at 1 p.m. to load it all into the car. Mommy was a bit sad when she turned in her key, but she is very glad that she gets to be a full time Mom.

We had Chinese food for dinner and then Jammy, Mommy and Libi went to Nana and Pop's for a short visit. Libi wore a cute little red outfit, complete with a hat-- you can see the pictures on Picasa. It was a nice visit. Libi enjoyed watching the fountain, despite the fact that it was broken in half (a naughty squirrel jumped on it and knocked it over.)

Saturday morning Libi slept in. When she finally woke up, Daddy dressed her in her pretty pink outfit for Joyce's funeral. Jammy, Mommy, Daddy, and Libi went to Eternal Valley to say Goodbye to our friend Joyce Plonk. It was a very nice service and Libi was the hit of the day-- everyone wanted to hold her. We got to see Steven and Janice and Mommy's old friend Marsha. Afterwards we went to ChiChi's for a quick lunch before Jammy had to get on the road.

After Jammy left we rested for a few hours and then went down to the valley to Aunt Andrea's house. Daddy and Aunt Andrea played Wii while we waited for Grandmalito and Grandpalito. Once everyone was there, we drove to Sherman Oaks to the Cheesecake Factory. While we waited for a table we listened to a jazz band that was playing on the promenade.

We had a nice dinner, Libs slept through most of it. Afterwards we went back to Aunt Andrea's for cake and gifts. Grandpalito liked his frame and Grandmalito liked all of her pictures. Daddy got a bunch of gifts of things to do with his little girl-- a CareBear, lotion, a teether, and a frame.

This morning Mommy got Libs for her first change and feeding so Daddy could sleep in. Libs has been very happy all morning, especially when Daddy woke up. We gave Daddy his gifts and Libi helped him open them. We will spend the day resting at home and doing whatever Daddy wants to do.

It was a nice relaxing day-- we watched movies, at take-out, and took lots of pictures. Daddy said it was a perfect day!

Time with Jammy..

Wednesday Jammy came into town for a visit. Libi and Mommy went to Burbank airport to pick her up then we went to Nana and Pop's house. We had a nice lunch and visit-- Mommy got quite a break with three folks fighting to hold Libs.

Daddy spent the day clearing out his classroom. When he got home we all watched as Miss Libs nearly rolled over. We got some good video of her getting close, but she never got all the way over.

Jammy went to St. Martin's graduation, Daddy went to finish cleaning his room, and Mommy and Libs hung out. It was a long and tiring day.

Thursday Mommy had to go back to school to spend some time with her 6th graders. She went to the pool party, the yearbook signing party and then worked in her classroom. Daddy was with her half of the day, so Libs stayed with Jammy.

Mommy now knows that she can't work full time and be the kind of Mommy she wants to be. It was very hard being away from Libs all day and I was exhausted when I got home. While I am sad to leave Mint Canyon, I am thankful that I get to be a stay at home Mom.

We went to IHOP for dinner and Libi was a perfect angel. Jammy and Mommy gave Libs a bath tonight. She is getting to really enjoy her time in the tub. Today Mommy held a toy that sprinkled water on Libs tummy and she loved it.

Tomorrow Mommy has to go back to work for the day-- I hope I survive.

Another day of packing....

Today Mommy left Libs with Daddy in the morning so she could help out with promotion practice. It was much easier to keep the kids in line without toting Libs in the Bjorn. Daddy and Libs came up after recess to help Mommy begin the long process of packing up her classroom. This is the year for packing-- both Mommy and Daddy have to move their rooms. Libi was really a good sport while we tried to get everything done, but with Mommy's 32 kids in the room it didn't work very well.

We all had some nice at home time this afternoon after Daddy got the light on Jammy's car fixed. Mommy is having a much harder time with all this transition then she thought she would, but she'll survive.

Tonight we talked to Grandmalito and Grandpalito to wish them a happy anniversary and Daddy took our card down to their house on his way to get dinner. We will hang out tonight and relax before Libs spends another night in her crib.

Our Weekend....

Saturday - Libs and I had a lazy day at home while Daddy was at school. Mommy and her friends Dolly, Betsy and Mary stuffed the 6th grade gift bags-- they are receiving a junior high survival kit. It took less than an hour to stuff all 85 bags all due to Mommy's fabulous organizational system. It was nice to see Mommy's work friends and Libi was entertained by her friend, Emily. Daddy came home in time for dinner and the family spent the evening together.

Sunday - Mommy got a major cleaning bug today, so Daddy was on Libi duty. We went to Nana and Pop's for dinner. It was a nice visit-- Daddy got to show off his yearbook, Libs was in good spirits, Tobee got to run in the yard, and Mommy got to eat pizza and Nana's cupcakes. On the way home we stopped at the Ippolito's to see Grandmalito, Grandpalito, and Aunt Andrea. We had a short visit with the family, but it was nice to see them all.

Monday - Libi slept last night in her crib for the first time. She slept through the night-- waking up at 6:30 for her bottle and a diaper change. It was very strange not having my girl next to me, but we all survived the night.
Mommy and Libi spent the day at Mint Canyon. Libs was in the Baby Bjorn for promotion practice while Mommy reprimanded the kids. We then sorted yearbooks with Dolly and began to organize Mommy's classroom.
Daddy got home very late and we had dinner, watched a little TV and then are preparing to go to bed.