Roller Skating

I forgot how hard it can be to learn new skills. You watch a baby learn to walk, talk, etc. and it's so exciting. Teaching a kid to roller skate is just plain hard...and a bit comical. Gussie is old enough to grasp the basics and have a decent sense of balance to start with. She's been roller skating a couple times before so she needed just a little help. 

Winky was just crazy. The best way I can describe it is like pushing a wheelbarrel around the room. She couldn't get her feet for more than a few seconds unless we supported her. We would just giggle as we walked around the track.

Winky liked to rest and touch the floor. I'm not sure if she was checking to see if it was moving or what, but it was funny to watch.

Catch-Up time

Wow! Where has the time flown? To be honest, quite a bit of it has flown by on facebook and trying to stay warm during these 5!! months of winter. UGH!! We've had a few big events in the last few months and Winky's birthday was a lot of fun in February.

 

Winky posing at the beginning of the birthday party.

She loved her princess cake. 

The party was at a the gymantics place where the girls take classes and the kids had a lot of fun jumping in the pit, bouncing on the trampolines, and climbing the ropes.

Halloween

We had a very happy Halloween with lots of fun and tons of treats! Gussie was a Hawkeye cheerleader and Winky was Sleeping Beauty for her preschool party and Cinderella for Trick or Treating. With so many princesses to choose from, what's a girl to do??

Gussie with her two best buddies from school.

The girls were very excited to go trick or treating. The weather was beautiful this year and it was the first time when they didn't have to be all bundled up with lots of layers before they went out. The ran from house to house and happily shouted "trick or treat" at everyone.

One of the houses in our neighborhood went all out and decorated their whole front yard for Halloween. The girls had a great time exploring all the ghoulish decorations.

Monday Evenings

There are some Monday evenings that are the loooongest of my life. Paul closes and gets home as the girls are going to bed so we have a long day together. On bad days, it can be really trying, but on good days, we have a lot of fun together. This was one of those days.

My cousin Rachel gave the girls some of her clothes and they absolutely love them! To be honest, they loved everything about Rachel: her room, her bed, her clothes, and just the idea of her. It's cute to listen to them talk about her. The girls wore their dresses and we put on some music and danced around the house. Then we went outside for a walk and found a Walking Stick on a plant on the porch. He just hung out while we watched him and snapped some pictures.

San Diego Zoo

Ahh, the straw that broke the camels back...or should I say ours?? The trip was winding down and we had promised the girls we'd go to the San Diego Zoo. We had fun but everyone was exhausted and pushing ourselves to enjoy it. By lunch time even Winky was complaining, and she's usually my trooper. As we arrived back at Aunt Di's house, Gussie said to Mom, "Grandma, I don't think I can do the Wild Animal Park tomorrow" in a sad and pathetic little voice. We all agreed, a day of rest was needed and Aunt Lynda provided the perfect day for everyone. We spent the next to the last night of our trip at Lynda and Dave's house with a nice family BBQ, and then went to a park near her house for an afternoon picnic. The girls were very happy and it was the perfect end to a wonderful trip.

We stood in line for quite awhile to see the pandas and it was worth it. We had a great view of two of the adults and the baby was sleeping in the tree. I love this picture I got of the Mom munching on her bamboo.

Gussie's's new favorite dog is Willie from Aunt Lynda's house. She could eat our little Panya for a snack if she wanted to. The girls thought it was pretty neat to have a big dog around which is a good sign for the future.... (Is my Mom falling over as she reads that??) ;-)

The Beach and Seaport Village

We had a nice relaxing day on Sunday after the wedding and enjoyed walking around Seaport Village and drove over to Coronado to play on the beach. Here's some pictures of our day.

Both girls loved the hat shop at Seaport Village. Winky tried on everything she could get her little hands on and modeled for me. Gussie ooh'ed and aah'ed over lots of them, but she wouldn't try anything on or pose for the camera. :-(

We took Gussie to the beach when she was very little before we moved, but this is her first time back that she'll remember. Both girls were unhappy about the waves at first but Grandma showed them how to jump the waves and by the end, they were begging to stay longer.

The Wedding Day is Finally Here

The wedding was a lot of fun and just a little stress for us. Getting the girls ready that morning drove me crazy because Winky decided it was a gymnastics day at Aunt Di's and messed up her hair over and over again. Gussie cried every time I tried to put her hair up and I think the emotions of the day were just getting to her. Is this a bad sign of how things will go today?? is what I was thinking.

The girls were invited to get ready with the "big" girls (Kristin and the bridesmaids) and they basically stared in awe as Kristin put on her beautiful dress. I hope dreams of big weddings aren't dancing in their heads. ;-)

We rode to the church in the big limo with the bridal party and Gussie thought that was very exciting. Winky used the opportunity for a much needed nap and doesn't remember much beyond the tvs and the music.

This shot came out a little blurry because I didn't use my flash but it's still cute of everyone waiting for Kristin's arrival. I wish I had a full shot of Kristin in her dress, she was BEAUTIFUL!

Gussie was worn out and needed some Daddy time after the ceremony.

The girls perked up by the reception. They loved all the little details like the crystal trees, the bells on the tables, the Boston Baked Beans (a highlight for them), and the "fancy party" for Kristin and Nick. Both girls said dancing with their Daddy was their favorite part of the day.

Cutting the cake.

Steve, Di, Lynda and Marcy.