San Antonio!

This year, we did not plan a big summer vacation. It was just too hot, I had a ton of projects to do, and Ro was busy at work. However, we did end up plan a long weekend in San Antonio...just the three of us...and we had a blast!
We flew down, just because we found GREAT deals on tickets and it was more convenient. So...of course we had to stop and eat in the airport! Laela was such a good helper with the bags and she did great at the check point, so she was able to talk daddy into getting her a KitKat bar. (Funny thing is...I was in the bathroom while this purchase was made. hmmmmm.)After getting in and check-in, we looked around the resort. (We stayed here . Oh man! We would recommend this place to anyone!) Then we headed to the Riverwalk in downtown San Antonio. The first thing Laela saw were the tour boats going through the canal and she had to go on them! It was pretty warm out, but we had a blast! She was all smiles the entire ride. Then off for mexican food where she was starting to go coocoo!The next day we did a little shopping and then hung out at the resort pools. It was fantastic! All of the pools were kid friendly, but there were also plenty of adults. There were intertubes to go down the lazy river and Ro even went on the big "adult" slide. He said he was a little scared, but he made it out alive!Of course we made it to Sea World too! We got there when they opened and it lasted a good four hours. I thought that was pretty good time for the three of us. We got to see the Shamu and sea lion show, as well as ride several rides...like the Shamu roller coaster! (Oh...Laela did not like that one too much.) It was an awesome day and the girls got a nap during the car ride back. :)The rest of our time there was spent at the pool relaxing. We all enjoyed it so much! Laela even took my picture one afternoon. I looked like a beached whale, but oh well. No one cared. We were on vacation. Oh! I almost forgot! The resort made smores every night at 7:00. Seriously. You would just get in line to get your marshmallows, roast them in the fire pit, and then go back to get your graham crackers and chocolate. YUMMMMM-O. I will tell you that we enjoyed those two out of our three nights! Excellent summer, family trip. We WILL go back!

A few of my favorite iPhone pics...

Sometimes I just snap random pictures with my phone, but I don't ever do anything with them. Well, I was just thinking that I would post them...with no explanations...and you can come up with your own stories. :) Here are a few of my favorites from this summer! Happy Wednesday!

Changing diapers!

Laela has been talking a lot about being a good helper and changing diapers, so I was not surprised the other morning to find her...changing one of her babies' diapers on the changing table. Then, as I watched for a minute longer, she even gave the baby a paci to calm him during the changing process. (she found a stash of new paci's in a drawer and has now taken over them!) Oh man...she is going to be a WONDERFUL BIG SISTER!

Circus time!

It is so amazing to see how Laela changes each year that we go to the circus. The circus has just been something fun that Ro and I have done and now we have gone the last 3 years with Laela. I love this tradition!This year's circus was not the best that I had seen, but it was definately fun for Laela! She sat and enjoyed almost the entire show. Of course she was very interested in every animal, but she really noticed the clowns this year. Funny part was...she was very bothered by the "big, tall people"...AKA clowns on stilts. I don't know why, but she did not like them and she continues to tell me that she does not like them! Oh well. We made it through. We were so proud of Laela for not asking for anything while we were at the circus. Some kids will want everthying they see and throw a fit if they don't get it. Well, Laela play with and checked out every toy they had to offer, but she did not demand to have any of them. I love that about her! Just after intermission, we did ask if she would like to go look and pick out something and she said sure! Her and daddy came back with a cool elephant snowcone cup. She enjoyed the many colors!Overall, great experience and we will be there again next year!

Barbie's hair!

Ro and I have a running joke that Laela is going to be a hair stylist when she grows up. Nothing wrong with that, we will support her in her journey through life. She is just so serious when she "plays" with her doll's hair (or even mine). Well, last night she said, "Look mom!" Then in about 5 seconds flat, she put Barbie's hair in a ponytail. WOW! I was impressed and she was so proud of herself!

Soccer!

This has been a long awaited experience for me. I used to love playing soccer and I wanted Laela to try it. She has been practicing at home with Ro and does fairly well, so we enrolled her in this little 4 week summer class. Well, the first class was on Saturday. It is nice because it is located indoors and we didn't have to worry about the heat (even at 9:00 on a Saturday morning!). We get there and Laela seemed to be enjoying herself. The dads were all out helping, so of course Ro went too. The coach was working with one at a time just to get a feel for each kiddo. When he first set up Laela to make a kick, he planted her left foot so she could kick with the right. HA! Not Laela. She kicked with her left foot!!! Coach was shocked and Daddy was very proud! :) Me...I don't really care as long as it is what she is comfortable with and we are not pressuring one way or the other. It was amazing to see what they practiced in 45 minutes and we quickly learned that 30 minutes was Laela's "okay are we done yet" breaking point. She did well. She toughed it out and got a little upset during the "game" time. (There was one little girl who is going to be a track star. She just ran up and down the field with the soccer ball in-tow. Crazy how good and fast she was for a 3 year old.) Laela and daddy are continuing to practice and she is going again on Saturday morning.
If soccer is not her love, then we will find something that is. I just want her to be involved and feel like she is a part of a team or group. I feel very strongly about getting kids involved in team sports (that may be the teacher side of me.) HA!Oh yes! She scored a couple of goals too!
She was so excited with anything good that she did. Laela would run over and give Ro a high-five EVERY time. We will have to work on saving the high-five for the end! (Blurry picture, but love it anyway.)

Bed is finished!

The trundle to Laela's daybed came today! I am actually glad she was home when it got delivered. The men took all of 3 minutes from the time they knocked on the door until I signed for it. They must have places to be and people to see!Anyway, after they left, we checked it out. I showed her that it can hold a mattress or it can hold other special goodies. I was about to shut it and she said wait! Dog, Tinkerbell, stamps, mommy's necklace and my purple slippers need to go in there. Now they are safe!We closed it up, walked out of her room and she said, "WOW Mom. That is awesome!"

3 year old Wellness Check...

Monday, July 11th, Laela went for her 3 year old wellness visit. I just like to blog the stats on these so I can look back and see weight/height/etc for each year. Laela was not a happy camper at this visit. I don't know what happens when I take her to the doctor, but I have now deemed Ro "PARENT TO REPORT TO ALL DOCTOR/DENTIST APPOINTMENTS". I don't know if he liked that or not, but that is just how it will need to be so I do not go insane. Let me note that she did okay about 80% of the time the doctor was there. It was the female nurses that she did not like! (She is weird like that.)Either way...here are her stats:
Weight: 36 lbs (90%)
Height: 3' 2" (70%)
Blood Pressure: 124/66 (Not bad considering that she was screaming like crazy!)Laela has gained 4 lbs over the last year and grown an inch and a half. It is funny because I thought that she maybe gained one or two pounds this year. She seemed to be thinning out and growing up. I would have guessed that she was at least another inch or two taller. So many people comment on her height and size compared to other three year olds, so obviously she has not taken after her daddy yet! Maybe the nurse did not get the correct measurement because Laela was screaming! The doctor also checked her vision and said that it looks good so far. (Thank goodness because Ro and I have horrible eyes.)

Movin' on up....to Night-Night Gowns!

Oh man...my little baby girl is growing up. Today we went shopping at Kohl's and Laela informed me that she needed another Tinkerbell night-night outfit. (Thanks to Aunt Karri, Uncle Mike, Mikaila and Makenzi who got her a Tinkerbell pants set for her birthday.) Of course we found several Tinkerbell night-night outfits...It is a gown! I told her that she only wears the gown (or big shirt). She does not have to wear pants or shorts to bed. Of course she said "YES!" very enthusiastically. Last night, she took a bath and put on her gown (and matching purple slippers too!). Then she picked out Tinkerbell panties! HA! I love it! This girl cracks me up.

Bike!

Laela is officially a bike rider! We forgot to tell everyone that we got Laela a bike for her birthday.
It was a tough decision, but we did it anyway. She sees the kids in the neighborhood riding and wants to ride. Then we go to the store to pick one out and she did not want to get on. And over and over. That same thing happened three times. I knew she would love it once she tried it on her own turf, so I picked one up, Ro assembled it, and poof! Birthday present for Laela. :)After two nights going up and down the sidewalk, Laela can ride her bike!!! We are so proud of her. (Oh by the way...it is a red Cars 2 bike. She is a little bummed that Tow Mater is not on it; otherwise, she likes it.)