Happy Halloween!

Alaina was Blue from Blue's Clues for Halloween this year and had a wonderful time Trick-or-Treating.

Trip to the West Coast

My co-worker (Amanda) and I went to California this past week for the Internet Librarians Conference in Monterey. We took one day for sightseeing and had a wonderful time trapsing up and down the Pacific Coast Highway. We toured the Heart Castle in San Simeon and also 17-Mile Drive in Monterey. We also drove through Carmel but didn't spot Clint Eastwood.

We stayed at the Portoloa Hotel & Spa which was attached to the Convention Center. The Portola is located at Old Fisherman's Wharf so we got to see lots of sea lions, seals, and even one sea otter while we were there. They were very cute and the sea lions had an unmistakable "bark" that we could hear from the hotel. Here are some pictures from our trip:

At dinner our first night in Monterey

The front of the Hearst Castle in San Simeon

At the Neptune Pool at the Hearst Castle

On the beach at the Pacific Ocean

On the beach at the Pacific Ocean

The Lone Cypress at Pebble Beach

Lots of words

Alaina is now 22 months old and is talking up a storm! Here are some of the words she has learned to say:

• Hi
• Bye
• Laina (Alaina)
• Daddy / Dada
• Mommy / Mama
• BawBaw
• MeMe
• Me
• You
• Keisha (her babysitter)
• Latte (her babysitter’s dog)
• Tuckatoo (chocolate)
• Shoe
• Uh huh
• Yeesh (yes)
• No
• Cheese
• Peese (please)
• Ish ew (Bless You)
• Tees hew (Thank You)
• Nana (banana)
• Bucket
• Casey
• Kitty
• Puppy
• The End
• Ihmahn (Amen)
• One, Two, One, Two (she hasn’t learned to count to 3 yet)
• Juice
• PeePee
• PooPoo
• Potty
• Done Done
• Wawa (water)
• Got You (as in “Got You Mama” or “Got You Daddy”)
• Hee it come (“Here it comes” – as in the waves at the ocean)
• Boo (Blue – as in Blue’s Clues)
• Puhl (pool)

ANIMAL SOUNDS
• Moo (cow)
• Meow (cat)
• Woof (dog)
• Baaaa (lamb)
• Cheep Cheep (chick)

OTHER
• When we ask her to say “I love you” she gives kisses. She also makes the “mmmmmwah” kissing sound when we ask her to give you a kiss
• When she hugs you, she lays her head on your should and gently pats your back
• She LOVES to dance to “I Like It” by Enrique Iglesias

Happy News!

I am very happy to announce that Baby #2 is due on March 24, 2011! Rob and I are so excited to welcome another child to our growing family. We have no idea what we're having yet but Rob is guessing a girl and I'm guessing a boy. Only time will tell! :) My 20 week sonogram is scheduled for November 5th so we'll find out then... well, not really. We're going to take a notecard and envelope along to the appointment and have the technician write down the sex of the baby and then seal it in the envelope. We then plan to open it on Christmas morning with Alaina so all three of us can find out at the same time. The hardest part will be waiting those additional 7 weeks for Christmas morning to arrive.

Here a few pictures of the baby taken on September 10th at my 12 week sonogram:

Blue's Clues

Alaina's new favorite thing these days is anything and everything "Blue's Clues." She is always coming up to Rob & me and asking for "Blue?" As soon as we turn Blue's Clues on, she starts dancing to the music and when the program is over, she covers her mouth with her hand and in the most pitiful voice says, "Ohhh Noooo!"

End of Summer

It's hard to believe that Labor Day is coming up later this week and the Summer of 2010 is coming to a sad end. It was a wonderfully busy summer filled with lots of traveling, swimming, trips to the park, and visits with family and friends. The summer always seems to end too quickly and now September will be here in less than 2 days. Here are some pictures from Summer 2010:

Myrtle Beach

We took a family vacation to Myrtle Beach a few weeks ago and everyone had a wonderful time. I could get used to the life where the hardest decision was, "Should we go to the pool first or head straight to the beach?" Tough life!

Rob, Alaina, and I spent August 14th at Kiawah and then left on August 15th for 6 days in Myrtle Beach with my parents. Alaina LOVED spending so much time with MeMe and BawBaw who just fawned over her and made her the center of attention. She was in Heaven.

We spent every morning and afternoon at the beach and then went out to dinner each evening. Alaina did quite well at the restaurants and we learned that crays are our best friend when going out to eat! We gave Alaina crayons and paper while we waited for our meals to arrive and she was a happy camper, which in turn, made for an enjoyable meal for the adults.

It's quite a different experience vacationing with a child. Gone are the wild and crazy nights of bar hopping and clubbing and here to stay are quiet nights in the hotel room. Rob and I hung out in the hotel with Alaina each evening, except for Thursday, when my parents babysat so that Rob and I could have a date. It was so NICE to head out on the town just the two of us. Ahhh the B.C. days! :)

We made such good memories on vacation this year and were sad to come home. We're looking forward to going back to the beach in two years. Summer 2012 can't come soon enough for me!