Before our weekend started, we were excited to wish my niece, Kierce, a very happy 7th birthday on Wednesday.  Eva and I dropped by her place unannounced to sing happy birthday and present to her a "Birthday Coupon".  She was hard at work, in the kitchen with mom, when we showed up in song.  Kierce, Rowan, Merrick, and Aunt Heather were all happy to see us and get a quick visit with Eva.

Eva spent the rest of the week trying to explore new territories.  The girl has a HUGE interest in the bathroom.  Whenever she knows I've turned my back for a moment she darts right towards the bathroom--and when she's feeling really mischievious, she will go all the way to our master bathroom.  What is she looking for?  The toilet, of course.  We are getting better about it, but many times we forget to put the lid down, and then we get this...

The other day I was making my bed and all of a sudden heard nothing...Well, many of us know that no noise with a little one couldn't possibly be a good thing.  I searched the house for her only to come back to the bathroom (which I already checked) and heard a little rustling of the shower curtain.  And when I opened it, I found this...

How she got inside without bonking her head or making a peep is beyond me...but she sure looked proud of herself and was having a great time in there.  And, of course, Daddy just took a shower half hour before this, so she was wet all over.

We couldn't let her get away with this behavior, so Dana and I sat down to discuss her punishment and decided she would iron Daddy's shirts for work every morning for a week...

I think she might've actually enjoyed it.  ;)

Over the weekend, we wanted to get out of the house for a bit, so we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  We took pictures by the pumpkins...

Introduced Eva to a few animals...

Went on a hay ride (certainly not like the hay rides I remember taking with grandpa, but it sure brought back some very happy memories)

Walked through a corn maze (Which way do we go?)

But what was Daddy's favorite part?  Sitting back and enjoying some kettle corn with his baby girl...

Hmm, or was it when he substituted the kettle corn for his baby girl?  Hahaha

The rest of the weekend was spent at home catching up with house stuff.  Newest addition to Dana's Orchard?  Dragonfruit...

We had a nice and relaxing weekend catching up with house chores and hanging at the house...On Saturday, we walked to our local park, layed a blanket out, and relaxed under a shade tree with the kids.  While we were laying there, Eva kept standing up on her own, and then would fall seconds later.  But she kept doing it over and over and over again, each time gaining more standing time.  Then, she even attempted a step forward, and I kid you not, Dana got a picture of the action!

This baby girl is going to be walking very soon!

Another thing Eva's been doing alot of is climbing.  She wants to climb on anything and everything!  It was a good thing we took her to the park because there was plenty for her to climb there.  Daddy took her over to the little slide and rather than try to slide down, she kept insisting on climbing up instead.  I was very impressed with how well she did.  Daddy only kept his hands near to catch her if she fell, but she made it up all by herself!

Seperate from our weekend, I have a couple other pictures that I thought were too cute to not share.  This one is Eva resting with her favorite pillow.  She loves this thing.  She lays her head on it when she gets tired, she sits on it on my lap while I read to her, she wrestles with it, and tries to throw it to Rocky to play (that doesn't go over very well).  She just loves her Bumble Bee Pillow.  Grandma knew what she was doing when she got it for Eva..

And here's another picture of her clapping proudly on her knees...

Until next time...

Last week we were blessed with a very special guest, my cousin Gwenda.  She was here for a convention and treated us to a couple extra days to hang out and catch up with life.  It was such a wonderful visit!!  On her first free night, Dana and I took advantage and asked her to babysit so we could go on a solo date night (that was our charge for staying at our house ;)--to any future guests, keep that in mind).  It was the very first time that we were going out and leaving someone else in charge of feeding Eva and putting her to bed...

And, then I got very spoiled, because the next night, Dana put Eva to bed so that Gwenda and I could have a much anticipated girls night.  We captured this photo right before we headed out the door (sidenote: Rocky became Gwen's cuddle buddy while she was away from her husband)

Gwen and I had so much fun together.  We went out for Mexican food, margaritas, and had lots of good story telling time.  I drank 2 whole margaritas, which is way more than I have drank in a couple years, so needless to say, we left the restaurant very giggley.

The next day, we planned a shopping day by the beach.  We all got ready, then headed out the door

We had a delicious lunch, a nice walk along the boardwalk, and super fun day of shopping on Garnet Ave.

It was so fun to shop with a girl and talk about girlie things and help each other find new things to buy.

Unfortunately, that night was the last night we would spend together so before Eva went to bed, Gwen was sure to get in one more little snuggle...

And soon Gwen was back on her plane flying home to Minnesota.  It was sad to see her go, but we built some great memories and we are so thankful that we got to spend quality time together.  As usual, we shared some funny moments that we will carry with us forever...Here's to you, Gwen:

Happy Hanukah!

Eva turned 10 months old this last Sunday.  I can barely believe it, but it's true.  She is weighing in at about 20 lbs and 29".  She is so much fun these days and really lights up our home.  She is constantly on the move, making us laugh, and making Rocky growl.  She continues to make more sounds and tries forming words.  If I listen well enough, I can notice her copying alot of the words that I say, or at least trying to form the sounds and put it together to make a word. 

She continues to get closer and closer to walking.  She will now pull her hands away when in a standing position and manage to stand for a few seconds before falling on her butt (but she now falls very gracefully).  She also balances on her knees quite a bit and can do it for a long time...

Knowing she'll be walking soon and since Fall is here, I wanted to get her some shoes that would keep her feet warm and have a rubber sole to walk on.  I couldn't resist these adorable baby Sauconys, for I too wear this brand.  We thought it would be fun to try them out, even if they are a little big on her...

Along with gearing up to walk, Eva has also learned how to climb stairs.  She actually mastered this skill about a month ago, but now we really have to keep our eye on her when we are outside because we have concrete stairs in both the front and the back of our house and she will bolt right to them and climb them as fast as possible if we can't get to her in time.  If she does get away with it, we are focusing on trying to show her how to get down the stairs safely.  Until she understands that, stairs will be off limits.

For fun, Eva is really enjoying things that we can do together.  She LOVES balls. We have one small ball at the house and we roll it back and forth to each other.  Its lots of fun...she hasn't quite mastered the rolling part yet, for she doesn't understand letting go of the ball, but somehow it always manages to roll back to me.  And, with all the her energy, if the ball doesn't make it to me, she loves chasing it, so less work for me!

Lastly, since the Chargers lost last weekend, Eva decided to change it up and rock out some GB Packer gear this last Sunday...have to share the pic of her Wisconsin pride

And it worked because both Green Bay and San Diego won!!

Dana, Eva, Rocky, and myself had a nice weekend at home.  We took a couple walks, caught up on chores, and welcomed a few visitors.  On Saturday, Dalina came to catch up, tell me about her honeymoon and give Eva some adorable new clothes...

Sunday, it was time for Eva to put on her Chargers dress and cheer on her favorite football team with Paulette, Bo, and Kyle, who joined us in watching the game...(Yes, she is grabbing for that Heineken--she is a quarter Gazdik, you know)

But, better than what we did for the weekend, Eva would like to share with you that she got her 3rd tooth!  Yes indeed, that little bugger finally came through.  Its been bugging her since we were visiting in Michigan and it finally made its appearance last Thursday...And, I even managed to get a pic (Maybe not the most picture worthy face, but at least you can see her teeth)!

Now-a-days, Eva's favorite toy is not a rattle, or the monkey that does tricks, or books that make noises, or the jumperoo, or the entertainment set, or her puzzles, no, no, its the tupperware cabinet...

She will scurry away to this cabinet as fast as she can at every chance she can get.  She loves opening the door, checking out what's inside, then pulling it all out and scattering it all over the floor.  I debated for a quick minute about whether I would set boundaries and not let her do this, but this cabinet gives me soooo much time to do other things.  And, not to mention that it is very cheap entertainment for Eva.

Along with playing with the tupperware, she is also really starting to understand me and communicating with me.  It amazes me!  She definetly understands the word "no", and depending on her mood, she'll either laugh at me and do it anyway, or calmly stop what she's doing and move on to something else.  She is also spending much more time watching my facial expressions and copying sounds that I make.  She'll watch my mouth as I make a sound, then start doing it herself.  We have lots of fun doing this together.  As I mentioned last week, she will clap whenever I ask her to clap, and now it seems that she is listening to every word I say in hopes that I say "Clap".  She just loves clapping those hands and looks for every reason to do so.

Playing with Rocky has progressed a little.  She gets very excited to go say hi to him when he is laying on the couch.  He still doesn't like it, but she still doesn't care that he doesn't like it.  She laughs so hard when he growls at her.  You know the saying "Kill him with kindness"?  Well, I'm pretty sure that is her approach with him.  He's got to give in some day! (Pic below says it all, haha)

  Anyway, she is trying very hard to interact with him and play with his toys.  She will take his toy and reach out to him in hopes that he will play tug of war.

Every once in a while he'll give in and play, and when he does, It is just so cute to watch!

And, while we are busy playing in our house, Dana's bees have been busy in theirs as well.  I'm sure you've been wondering how things are going, and here is the answer...

Fresh honey and honeycomb is on its way :)

Last weekend's weather was perfect, so we made sure to take advantage of it.  On Thursday, my friends were visiting for the weekend, so Eva and I drove up to see them, which also meant Eva got to spend some time with Mia (they are 2 weeks apart).  It was fun watching them interact with each other.  Their personalities are so different, yet they are both very happy, healthy little girls. This was the best pic I could get of both of them sitting, for they were on the go most of the time (And, yes, Eva is WAY bigger than Mia...what can I say?  She's got a very big daddy).

Saturday morning, Dana and I wanted to try out the new backpack carrier we got to carry Eva.  What better way to do that than to go hiking.  We went to the Wilderness Gardens Preserve in Fallbrook for a 4 mile hike.  Eva loved riding in the pack.  She was very happy and seemed very comfortable...

In fact, she was so comfortable she could barely stay awake.  The poor girl just couldn't keep her eyes open and couldn't find a place to rest her head, so the rest of the hike became a little difficult.  Then, to top it off, Rocky was with us and decided he was getting too hot, so he kept stopping in the shade until I finally carried him.  Poor little guy, he doesn't do that very often, so I know when he does he has really had enough.  But, we did get a picture together while we were still happy...

On Sunday, Eva geared up to watch the Chargers play the Vikings and kick their butts...

On Sunday night, our friends, Elisa and Ryan, had us over for a WAY OVERDUE dinner date at their place.  It was so nice.  Elisa prepared personal sized pizza doughs, roasted veggies, meats, and cheese to make our own personal pizzas. Then she topped us off with delicious strawberry rhubarb crumb cake.  The best part yet was that they went through great lengths to babyproof their house so that Eva could move around a little without us having to control her every move.  They even double mopped their floor!!  The night went wonderfully, but of course, short lived, for Eva was ready for bed.  Thank you, Ryan and Elisa for putting on such a wonderful night.  We know how much time had to go in to cleaning, preparing, babyproofing, and entertaining for us.  You guys did an amazing job and we really appreciate it!

On Monday, Eva had her 9 month appointment.  We had her weighed and measured.  She is growing to be a very big girl, as we already knew.  She is 19 lbs 10.5 oz, at about 60% and measuring about 29", which is 75%  She not only claps her hands when she is happy or sees you do it, but without even showing her how, I can say "Eva can you clap your hands?" and she starts doing it immediately.  She showed the doctor how well she listens :)  She is also showing a huge interest in dogs.  She just LOVES them.  I do notice she gets more excited about big dogs, but every time she sees them, she start squealing and clapping and jumping in her seat.  Our walks have become much more entertaining.

What will she surprise us with this week?

This last weekend was by far one of the most relaxing weekends that we have spent as a family.  Since we just got back from our trip to Michigan, we decided that we just needed to hang low and do whatever we wanted at our own pace.  It was just what we all needed.  On Saturday, Felipe called to let us know he was in town for the week, and he stopped by to catch up and see how much Eva has grown and changed since the last time.  Eva was a little shy at first, but it didn't take her long to warm up to Felipe.

On Sunday, Dana spent much of the early day out in the yard.  Of course he has a million and one different projects going on back there, and I stopped wondering what they were long ago.  But, when I saw him put on this suit (pic below), I had to wonder what was going on...

Yes, my friends, thats what you call a Bee Suit.  Why, you might ask?  Well, its because Dana found it very necessary to become a Bee Keeper.  He ordered a nest a few weeks back, and just recently put it together.  He looks like a pretty big goofball, if you ask me.

And, while he was playing with bees, Eva, Rocky, and myself were playing in our patio area.  We just got some foam flooring to lay out for Eva, and they had alphabet cutouts, so we had a little fun with them...

And, we certainly didn't forget Rocky

On Monday morning, we went for a walk and got breakfast.  On our way home we heard some thunder (in San Diego?  I know!!) and by the time we got home, it started pouring out.  It was crazy because rain in the summer is a rarity here.  And, best yet, it was still really warm out.  So, we went outside and sat on the swing on our patio and watched as the rain came down.  While Dana and I tried not to get wet, Eva couldn't wait to check it out.  She was so interested in the rain dropping down, she just couldn't resist touching it.  She was crawling to every puddle and drip she could find.  She was clapping so hard and for so long with the biggest smile on her face.

And, speaking of clapping, she just started clapping a few hours before this picture.  Now that she's figured it out, she just doesn't want to stop.  I just love watching her clapping and smiling and so, so happy.

Clapping wasn't the only thing she was witnessed doing for the first time.  Monday night, she started sharing with me.  She had a pacifier in her mouth and I took it from her and put it in my mouth.  She thought it was so funny, she came over to me, grabbed it from my mouth and then put it in her mouth.  Then, she took it out of her mouth and put it back in my mouth and started laughing.  She kept doing it a few more times, it was so fun.  She sure is getting smart fast.  I mean, I always knew she was a smart girl, but to see the things she catches on to all amazes me.

Until next weekend, enjoy!

Dana, Eva, and myself were finally able to make a trip to Michigan so Eva could meet more of her family.  The last time we saw everyone was at our wedding, so we were really excited for the visit, and really excited to introduce everyone to our new addition.  Since we were there for a week, there were many people to visit with and much time to relax with the ones we love.

Right when we got to town, we settled in to Mom and Dad's house and got to see the addition to their house.  As soon as we were settled, Eva got to meet her Aunt Kelly and Uncle Chris for the very first time...

And, along with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Chris came four cousins that she hadn't seen.  They were so excited to get their hands on Eva, and she just loved the attention.

Trinity and Eva (below)

Reese and Eva (below)

Brett and Aunt Kelly showing Eva how to play with the Sesame Street toy

Brynn helping in whatever way she could (feeding, changing diapers, changing Eva's clothes--whatever she could do, she did it!)

A very important visit we had was with Grandma Rose.  Dana was very excited to introduce her to her 43rd Great-Grandchild.  She just loved Eva and they even happened to be matching!

A very special moment for Dana and myself was to introduce Cliff to our baby girl, for if you remember, he was the one who married us two short years ago.  So, showing him how much our life has grown since that very special day meant alot to both of us.

Aside from family, we also had a few friends that we were anxious to see.  Darik has been working for Dana for the past couple years, still living in the midwest, but they have so many phone conversations that they have become great friends.  Darik and wife Robyn have four kids and always share their parenthood experiences with us, so we couldn't wait to get together and introduce our children to one another.  Here is our group shot:

One night, Dad got our his 1959 Corvette to take for a spin...and then he gave Dana the honors to drive it himself and take me for a ride around town.  They watched Eva as Dana and I took a tour of his homeland and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

One of my favorite shots was Eva and Buddy.  Eva just LOVED Buddy.  She would start flapping her arms, jumping up and down, and squealing every time she would see him.  He, on the other hand, didn't want to have anything to do with her.  Everytime she would crawl towards him, he would get up and move...but when it came to watching outside, he just stood next to her while the two of them watched the passersby outside.

Our last time to see Chris, Kelly, and the kids was an outing at their local ice cream shop.  I set the camera up and managed to get a pretty good group shot...if only Eva was looking

We had a great time in Michigan, got to spend some much needed quality time with family, Mom and Dad threw us a "meet the baby" party so all the extended family and friends got to meet Eva, we had beautiful weather, a few nights out to dinner, time in the hot tub, rest and relaxation, ate tons of good food, and just had so much fun overall.  It was a much needed visit, and we are so happy that we made it happen.  Thank you to all who came out to meet Eva, we love you and miss you already!

I don't think this blog post requires any description...

Time is moving pretty quickly, and as you can see below, Eva is no longer the delicate little baby she once was,  she is just steps away from entering the toddler world.  During Eva's 9 month birthday, we were visiting Dana's family in Michigan...so I thought, how cute would it be to use Dana's old baby blanket and have Eva sitting in a chair that Dana once sat in when he was young.  I loved the idea and think it turned out perfectly.

At 9 months old, Eva is weighing in at 19 1/2 lbs and measures about 29".  I can see a tremendous growth spurt in her last couple weeks because she went from fitting her 9 month clothing comfortably to all of a sudden being too long.  That means more new cute clothes for her to wear :)

Eva has many new things happening lately, and most of them were noticed when we were in Michigan, so others were able to witness them as well.  First, she has been going through a growling phase, which consists of using her lowest voice possible to growl at everyone around her.  I'm not sure, but we're thinking she got it from her brother, Rocky.  Its been pretty funny to listen to her when she is in "growl" mode. 

We've also been trying to work with her to learn how to wave bye-bye.  She's starting to get the hang of it, for you can see her fingers start moving whenever we wave.  And, she even raised her hand and started waving right at Daddy once.  It was so cute.  She was sitting so straight and smiling so big while she looked across the table at Dana with her hand in the air and fingers moving.

Grandma taught her how to play peek-a-boo, which she absolutely loves.  They played it almost every day that they had together, it was the cutest thing to watch.  Grandma would really get her going, and she would giggle so much.  It was the perfect bonding experience for both of them.

Eva has started spinning  around in a cirlce.  When her Aunt Kelly noticed her doing it on Grandma's kitchen floor, she told us that Reese (Eva's cousin) also use to do it at that age, so they nicknamed him Taz.  Now Eva is taking over the Taz moves.

She has been daring enough to try and stand on her own.  We have witnessed her stand while holding something and then just let go a few times now.  Its scary for us, feeling like we need to jump in and grab her, but we know this is just part of her process in moving forward with walking and standing on her own. 

She has begun eating finger foods, which she seems to really enjoy, but boy does it make a mess for mommy.  I am now sweeping and mopping 3x a day, and eating a meal has become much much longer.  Her favorites have been Cherrios and banana.

Lastly, Eva is now starting to become a bit bashful and not as easy for anyone to grab her.  She needs a little warming up before she is comfortable in a strangers arms and has now started crying for mommy if she is unsure of who she is with.  But, rest assured, it is still extremely easy to get a smile out of her.  Eva is always smiling and laughing and happy-go-lucky. 

I love spending my days with Eva, she is just so much fun and happy to be around.  She loves to get me to chase her around the house, likes to walk while I hold her hands (boy is my back getting a work out), and tries to play with Rocky whenever she gets close to him...she is just a joy, I can't get enough of her.