We decided, on a whim, to go to the zoo today. But not the Dallas or Ft. Worth zoo that are actually local, we decided to trek out to Tyler, TX's Caldwell Zoo. My mom had been there once before and said it was a really good one. And we figured it wouldn't be as crowded on a Saturday as the ones close by. I was able to borrow a friend's Expedition so that we could all go in one car. It ended up being such a lifesaver. Not only was it extremely comfortable and such a smooth ride, but we were able to utilize the DVD player and the kids watched Wizard of Oz! It took us about 1 1/2 hrs to get there and after sitting for so long, we were ready to see the sights!
CeCe usually takes a nap between 11am and 1pm but today she made it all the way until 4pm when we left the zoo. As soon as we got in the car, she was out. It was such a perfect day! The weather was gorgeous, it wasn't crowded, and the kids did great!
Wow...time is just going by way too fast! Some things we are seeing now in this beautiful girl are:
Talking - Her vocabulary is growing slowly but surely. She has now mastered momma and dada. Other words she loves to say are light, flower, ball, bird, and duck. She is very curious about learning words and sounds so she'll watch our mouths closely as we talk. She continues to experiment with new words all of the time. It won't be long before she's talking back to us...eeek!
Sounds - She is really good with learning sounds animals make. She picks up on them really easily. Her favorites are for a pig, dog, and lion.
Songs - She understands 'Ring around the Rosie,' 'Itsy Bitsy Spider,' and 'Patty Cake' and can do the movements for them.
Fits - She has started to get more easily frustrated when something isn't going the 'right' way, pouting and whining for no apparent reason, and when she doesn't get what she wants, a crying fit ensues. Oh Lord, not already!!
Toys - She hasn't been as interested in her toys lately. She still plays with her dolls and reads her books but mostly these days she stays entertained by climbing on everything in sight.
Utensils - She is starting to get a little more familiar with using a fork and spoon. She's better with the fork because she doesn't quite have the proper holding technique down yet so everything usually falls out of the spoon before it hits her mouth. Her first solo spoon experience is captured below!
Car Rides - Such a BIG change over the last few months. She was the worst in the car as a baby and at times she still has her moments but they are very few and far between. We haven't for a while now but we no longer sit in the back with her if we go somewhere as a family. She will usually keep herself entertained with a book, a snack or a shoe in her mouth!
Sleep - With the time change, she is going to bed a little later and sleeping in a little longer. And she is now down to only one nap during the day, sometime between 11am and 1pm, and will usually sleep on average 2 hrs.
Helper - She has become quite the little helper. She will take her dirty diapers and put them in the trash, puts her dirty clothes in the hamper, will bring dishes to the kitchen, helps put clothes in the dryer, and has made it a daily routine to pick up all of her toys at night before she goes to bed!
She is growing up so big and so fast! We are so proud of our little angel!
Our flight was at 1:45pm so I spent most of the morning just making sure everything was packed and ready to go. To pass some time, we decided to get out for breakfast and one last shopping stop before we left. We headed out to Fashion Valley Mall! We ended up eating at Denny's because we couldn't find any local restaurants and didn't have a lot of time to drive around. It was a quick trip and we got back home just in time to load up and head to the airport.
Once again, we had a stop on the way in San Antonio but didn't have to change planes. The first leg was a little longer this time so I was a bit worried about how I could keep CeCe entertained the entire time. But lucky for me (and the passengers sitting next to us) she was so tired that she slept most of the way. We landed in San Antonio and finally had the luxury of the flight not being full. So we had the entire back row to ourselves! CeCe sat in the window seat looking outside, opening and closing the shade, and reading the safety material! It ended up working out perfectly. We finally arrived in Dallas and were both anxiously waiting to see Josh! We finally made it around to baggage claim and, once again, the emotions came. I was so relieved the flight went well and we were both ready to see our favorite man! It had been too long being a part.
Overall, the trip was so fun and we left with lots of memories! Erin, we can't thank you enough for making this trip happen for us! We had such a great time seeing the sights with you and Reagan and can't wait until summer time when we get together again! Next time, we need to go on a girls trip with no babies and plenty of time to shop and do girl things! We miss you girls :)
This was our last full day in San Diego so Erin wanted to take us out to La Jolla. Darrin was due back home around noon but had troubles with some connecting flights so he didn't make it in until 4:30pm. So we just hung around and waited for him before heading out. We picked Darrin up at the airport and headed to La Jolla to check out the sights and eat dinner! Down by the water was an area for picnicking, walking the dogs, cooking out, etc. so we let the girls play around for a bit. We walked along the sidewalk closer to the water to see the sea lions and dolphins as they laid around and swam along the rocks. For dinner, we stopped at Su Casa, voted best mexican restaurant in La Jolla! It was a great way to spend our last day!
We attempted the beach again! This time it was later in the day so the girls were rested up. It was a bit colder and windier but was still really nice. We parked closer to Coronado Hotel so the walk down to the water was really short! Reagan wasn't as adventurous so she stayed close to Erin and played with the beach toys. But after the one day of 'getting her feet wet,' CeCe was ready to go! She was walking all over the place and making friends. She met one little boy with a dump truck who was picking up rocks and sea shells. She thought she would just join in on the fun and help him out. A couple of times, she felt like he wasn't exactly in the right spot so she moved the truck herself! She was so playful and just had a great time!
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