Why buy toys?

My kid is thrifty. She'd rather us spend money on something more important than toys.

Leila has what she needs.

Empty water jug = days of fun
Box = a great place to hang out
Hanger in pants = ?????

Any guesses?

I'll give you one hint: It was not my idea.

Father's Day

I realize Father's Day was last week, but it's been a busy week!

We celebrated Father's day, I wrapped up the end of the school year, cleaned and laundered every inch of our apartment, got acupuncture and a pedicure, all while making time to hang out with my parents while they are in town.

I didn't want to ignore the fact that it was Jeff's first Father's Day. So I figured I'd post about what a great dad he has become.

Look! He lets Leila live the dangerous life.


He lets her poke his eye out.


And laughs about it!


Jeff totally gets Leila and Leila gets him too. She wouldn't be the same without him.

Leila loves you Jeff! Happy Father's Day! xoxox

Discipline

I read once about babies and discipline, but remember very little about what I read.

(I start out too many sentences with "I read..." and end too many with shit I made up.)

What I do remember is that babies can learn the word "NO" pretty early on. They may not stop what they are doing, but they can understand your tone and the word associated with it. As long as you redirect your child after saying "NO" he/she can learn to listen to you.

(Okay, so I made up a little bit of the last sentence. I swear that is pretty close to what I read.)

Anyways, we have started trying this with Leila. She tends to want the things in our family room that she cannot have. Like the stereo, DVD player, cable box, and speakers. Instead of fencing off the area she can't play with (Duh! That would totally block the TV!) we have been telling her "NO" followed by redirection.

And what do you know...she gets it! If crying after we tell her "NO" (for the third time) tells you anything, then she's got it!

We pick our battles...a little dirt never hurt.

Dodge ball

I read in a parenting magazine that there are few true gender differences. Boys and girls are not so much born to be different as they are raised to be different.

I also read about some good ways to help your child build skills in areas typically "owned" by the other gender. When I finished reading the article I thought it would be a good idea to share the one idea that stuck with me with Jeff.

Stupid, stupid me.

I paraphrased to him what I got from the article.

Girls tend to fall behind in math because boys are born with a small advantage in spacial perception that magnifies as they play with blocks, vehicles, and balls.

So now my husband throws balls at my kid. Yep, even when she's not looking.

Nice.

Photo shoot with Minnie

I started doing monthly Minnie and Leila shots the first week Leila was home. I was really good about keeping up with it the first few months.



Now she's 8 1/2 months and it just seems like a pain in the ass.



Seems like a pain in the ass?!? It is a pain in the ass.



This little girl will NOT STOP MOVING.
Love her!

Uncle Jay in da house

Well...he was here, last weekend.

Uncle Jay moved to Scottsdale a few months ago which makes him way closer to his favorite (and only) niece.



He drove the 5 1/2 hours in his noisy Jeep all the way to San Diego with his poor cat Slick in the car. Slick + desert heat = foaming at the mouth from dehydration. Now THAT'S a good uncle!

I am not trying to make light of the fact that his cat got sick on the way here. I am a cat lover. Jeff is a cat liker. And Leila, well, she is a cat obsesser.

Once she sets her eyes on the prize, Otis, our cat, she is OFF to catch him. She crawls at her top speed towards him making this strange but happy panting noise the entire way.

Otis has learned that Leila's top speed is no match for him. He used to bolt the minute he heard her coming. Now he casually waits around until she is one body length away and then runs from her.

Is it possible that my cat is smarter than my baby?

Smarter...maybe. Cuter? Not.a.chance.

Hello blue eyes!

Someone tried to tell me she had my eyes. I think they were just trying to be nice. These are daddy's eyes all the way. Big 'ole blueberries!

The Wet Spot

Summer is officially here! Alright, so not officially, but it is always summer in SD.

We kicked off the summer season with old and new friends, a BBQ, and some SUN.

Leila took her first dip into a swimming pool with Jeff. She was not a huge fan, but she hardly hates anything so even the freezing water wasn't so bad.



She did look super cute though. Oh, and so did Betsy, of course!


But really all Leila wanted to do was crawl around and get into trouble. And by trouble I mean, she took a dive into the dogs' water dish, face planted on the brick deck when her good crawling arm gave out, and managed to mop up every piece of dirt onto herself.

Hmmmmmm, did she just lick that door?


Cutest baby ever! I can say that because I'm the mom. Or wait, am I not suppose to say that because I am the mom?

Either way, it's my blog so I can say what I want!

Memorial Day Weekend

Memorial Day weekend was the official kick-off to summer!

(I have 12 days and counting until I am on summer break. Hopefully it will just be a break. But...by the looks of things, I will be unemployed this next school year. Boooooooooooooooooo!)

This year, (and just about every year) Colin celebrated his birthday over Memorial Day weekend. This year was extra special because he got to share it with his baby girl. Kennady Sage turned one month old on Saturday!

Surprise, surprise...I only took pictures of Leila.



Leila did make a new friends this weekend. Mckenna made her San Diego debut (Well, at least it was the first time we met her!)

At first Leila went for Mckenna's eye. Maybe it hasn't been such a good idea to let her grab at our faces. I noticed she pulled the same stunt on Kennady just two days earlier.

Mckenna at a safe distance


Feeling brave again. Mckenna has a hold of Leila's arm this time.


I am soooo wondering what they are thinking here!



Thank you to all the heroes that bravely fight for our country.
I love the U.S.A!

Swinging in the Sunshine

Leila LOVES the swings at the park. Her Poppy says she can hang out in the swing for about thirty minutes!

I guess she's not really good at taking turns yet.

Yoga anyone?

I've been doing yoga each Tuesday and it seems Leila is catching on!

A little cobra pose


Downward-facing dog (modified, of course)


Side plank pose