Simon Says...Stop Growing Up!

OK, so I've been pretty remiss in updating this Blog. No excuses. Now more than ever I feel as if I should be capturing SO many of life's little happenings. New words, conversations, discoveries and adventures. It's hard to keep up with it all.

In the last couple of months we've done a lot of celebrating and a lot of maturing. Mother's Day was perfect in every way. Peanut and I spent a good deal of time snuggling in bed together and Daddy served us Challah French Toast. DEEElicios! We read books and ate our breakfast together and Mommy opened the most wonderful gifts.

It had started out as Peanut and Daddy making breakfast for Mommy but when she heard about actually having the chance to eat breakfast IN BED, that was it! Although, we did have a bit of a struggle with whose bed we were eating in. She wanted Mommy to get into HER bed and eat. After the explanation about how Mommy is too big to fit in your bed and how Mommy would break your bed, la, la, la, it all worked out. Sweet, wonderful and a memory that will last a lifetime to say the least.

In other news, Uncle Adam and Aunt Danielle became engaged in April and we are very happy for them. We had gone to visit them the week before and stayed with them in their lovely Las Vegas apartment. They are happy and doing great. We are thrilled for them. No date has been set so stay tuned for more news from the Dr. Milman Camp.

Mira is still enjoying her Saturdays with Gymbo at Gymboree. She is now in Level 6, The Creative Thinker. And oh what a thinker she is. Brilliant of course to us, and to everyone she comes in contact with. Since this is our Blog, I can gloat. If not here, where? She is loving pretend play, her baby dolls, making tea and soup for everyone and notices every single thing in her world. Nothing slips by her. She is kind and sensitive and also loves the Wiggles, Playing Simon Says (when she is Simon), Elmo, strawberries, blueberries, salsa and chips, and miso soup. We eat out a lot on the weekends and Peanut is quite adventurous with her tastes. Loves spicy, sweet, sour and everything in between.

Nona and Auntie Cimber came to visit in May and we all had a great time. Nona appreciated some one on one time with Peanut and they will both be back in July.

Great Aunt Janice and Uncle Paul stayed with us over Memorial Day weekend. They live in Philly and had never been out to CA. They fell in love with the area, got to see Napa and Fisherman's Wharf via BART. Mira was lucky enough to be able to go to Target to choose any gift she desired. What did she pick you ask? Well, twin baby dolls of course! Aunt J and Uncle P loved indulging her and she has not let the babies out of her site since.

This summer Mommy and Daddy have lots of things going on. Mommy has a bunch of travel through August for work so Daddy will be on Super Daddy Duty. We have planned a family weekend in Monterey in July and that should be a blast. Last year we tried Santa Cruz which ended up to be a bust unfortunately. Hoping this year will be better. We have a 2 room suite so Peanut will have her own room and Mommy and Daddy won't have to go to bed at 7:30 with her! We hope to get to the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium to see the Crazy About Otters exhibit. Since Mira loves all kinds of animals, we are really looking forward to it.

Mommy and Daddy are heading to Bodega Bay in Napa for our 5 year anniversary in September. It's a beautiful resort and spa right on the water. We hope to get some R & R while Mira gets to experience her first real sleepover at Bubbie and Pop Pop's house. Yippee!

The garden Mira and Daddy planted in April is really starting to pop! We are all looking forward to being able to pick cayots, brocci, beans, patoes, yettuce and punkins very soon, among other yummy things! A wonderfule experience so far.

The weather here has been lovely and we are looking forward to it becoming warmer by the week. Yes, we are spoiled now. If it's in the 70s, that's chilly to us! Funny how things change!

Hugs to all.

At last, Mira's 2nd birthday update!

OK, so it took me a little longer than I thought to post. SO SORRY everyone!! The Flower Fairy Tea Party was spectacular! The house looked beautiful with a little help from several little fairy helpers, Auntie C, Aunt Danielle, Bubbie, Nona and Pop Pop. We had amazing tea sandwiches, hibiscus tea punch, caprese salad and cheese and crackers for the grown ups and tea sandwiches and fruit for the kiddies. And all enjoyed Tony's DEEEEElicios cup cakes! (Tony is a co-worker of Kevin's.) The house had fairies all over and a "tea pot" and "tea cup" theme throughout. Lovely.

The weather was amazing too! In the high 60s I believe and sunny.

Mira loved opening her presents and received some terrific things. Books, clothes, an art smock, a little table and chairs for the kitchen to draw, paint or eat at, a new pink and animal print suitcase with her name on it, and furniture for her little baby dolls. Thank you everyone!!

Mira's dress was fairy-like too and she was the prettiest fairy we have ever seen! She had a blast playing with her little friends. Check out all the photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/Kevindahlstrom

Now that she is 2 it's amazing how her language skills have just blossomed even more than a month ago! She is now having complete conversations with all of us and it is truly spectacular to be a part of.

Great Grandmom, Uncle Adam, Aunt Danielle, Nona and Auntie "C" came to stay with us during her birthday weekend too. We are truly blessed to have so many people willing to come visit during this special time for Peanut.

Since the party the weather has been in the 70s and 80s and we are really enjoying it! Bubbie and Pop Pop gave Mira a new red wagon (they are plastic now by the way) and we are taking lots of walks to the park and around the block. All of her babies in tow :)

Kevin and I have been doing some traveling and taking turns being the solo parent at times. It's hard work but well worth it! We have such a brilliant daughter, and beautiful I might add! No bias here!!

Happy spring everyone, happy Passover and Easter too if I don't post again until April!

Jan-Feb Update

Oh, how the month of January flew by! My apologies for now posting in a while. I guess the laundry can wait longer...

Well, I guess being on the road 2 of the 4 weeks in Jan. helped the month go pretty fast. Cabo ended and back to work we went...never easy coming back from a wonderful vacation. It always feels like you never even left!

Peanut is saying more and more these days. Lots of sentences and phrases. Whole conversations now! Unbelievable to be honest. Kevin looked at me once and said, "Um, I don't know if you realized this but our daughter just had a whole conversation with me." it is crazy. Let's see if I can list some of the good ones...What doin MaMa? DaDa/MaMa Aypane, MaMa hayer wet, shower...Moe beans DaDa! Too freakin funny.

Mira is also now entering...yes, you guessed it! The TERRIBLE TWOS!!!!! They certainly call it that for a reason, don't they? I like to call it the Battle Of Wills. Everything is a battle. Hair brushing, PJs, going to bed, diaper changes (yes, still here and there. Not fully potty-learned yet and too small for Pull Ups.) Time outs are getting more frequent. It's OK though. She is a wonderful, brilliant, amazing baby. We are so blessed. She loves to have tea parties with her animal friends, read books, play with stickers, color, finger paint and play with play dough. Very artistic like her Bubbie!

We are continuing on with swim lessons on Sundays and Gymboree on Saturdays. We've bumped up to the Level 5 class and it is going well. Can't believe Peanut's 2nd birthday is right around the corner...

We are planning a Flower Fairy Tea Party. If you know the illustrations of Cicely Mary Barker, you get the gist. Uncle Adam, Aunt Danielle, Aunt Cimber, Nona and Great Grandmom Fran will all be here this year. Yippee!! Hurry Everyone!!

Kevin's travel has picked up a bit as he is highly in demand in the field. Over the past several months he has gotten responsibility for developing and rolling out national sales training for the Account Execs and leadership. He was in Houston this week delivering a couple of the classes. Everyone loves him, of course. Those of you that know him know that for Kevin, being in the classroom is bliss. Brilliant I might add.

As for me, after the 2 week pilot in Atlanta, my Feb travel schedule was cleared so that I could work on curriculum development. A good thing and I am grateful to be home. I am doing more and more writing of curriculum in my position and also managing vendor relationships and training programs developed with vendors. I continue to love my position, team and company. Also a good thing.

We are planning a trip to Philly in April to visit with family and friends. The flight may be a little challenging but hopefully not too bad.

The weather here has been anywhere from frigid to mild over the last several weeks. This week is rainy but near 60. Not too bad considering what I grew up with during many a February. Oh, let's see, 10, or 15! Burrr! don't miss it.

We are talking about re-doing our living room and making it a playroom. Oh boy! It overwhelms me at times!

Well, Happy Valentines Day everyone! If you have not seen it, click on the below link to some video of Peanut from January.

http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=a245c720fa6363714010723b5ee25693.1663497

Happy New Year! The fun in Cabo continues

Yesterday was New Year's Eve and Mommy was sick as a dog. Not the kind of sick that may come to mind when you think of Mexico. Just achy all over and a little feverish. Gone today though, thank goodness! New Year's Eve itself was pretty uneventful given my being under the weather. Although the hotel had a multitude of festivities. Including closing all of the restaurants and only offering the big bash starting at 7:00 PM. We had fish tacos and quesadillas at the pool bar and headed in for the night. Such the partiers! The fireworks were about 100 yards from our patio and it sounded like a war zone at midnight. The room was shaking! The DJ was loud and right down the hall from our room. All in all we decided we would not be coming back for New Year's Eve again!

Today has been a really good day. We have been at the pool since 9:30 or so "shwimming" and playing. Mira met a couple of little friends and did well sharing her toys. The pool is busy and there are lots of kiddies.

Peanut is saying so many sentences now. I see Da Da, I go Shwimming, I shwim, Get me a ball, Toast and egg...too funny.

Mommy and Daddy are really feeling relaxed today and we are having such a fun time with Peanut. She is impressing everyone with her "ready downs" and such. She is having a blast. We are also snuggling a lot, more than ever and I am enjoying every minute. it is so beautiful here. We are lucky to be able to come here. The property is gorgeous and the room is wonderful. We got the best room ever this year. It's big and Mira loves her little bed. "Pack and Play".

Despite the little health snafus, the trip have been everything we hoped it would be. The only things missing are Pop Pop, Bubbie and Nona. Next year perhaps...

More later. Hasta Luego Amigos.