Mini Tipdawg Blog

One More Week Of One!

2012-02-03T21:37:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow morning (Saturday) will mark just one week left until our little monkey turns 2 years old! This last year has brought such incredible growth and change for Kyra - she's an entirely different girl now than she was only 1 short year ago. She's constantly amazing us with everything she knows, and we're continually astonished at how she manages to learn and absorb so much!

Kyra is speaking some full sentences now. For example, she recently told me during her bath that "taking a bath in the bath is lots of fun!" That's definitely her biggest sentence so far, but there have been plenty of other 3-4 word sentences. She's also counting up through 12 now all by herself, and she knows some of the other numbers up through 20 but she mainly likes to count up to 12 and then jump back to 6 and start counting up from there again. She entertains herself by counting! Maybe she'll follow in her Daddy's math footsteps!

She also loves hearing the alphabet song ("A B C D E F G..."), but she refers to it as "B C D." When she sees letters written on tags or shirts or paper or things like that, she announces "B C D on it!" So maybe she'll follow in her Mommy's spelling footsteps! If we can raise a child that enjoys both math and spelling, I think we'll have accomplished the impossible dream!

She's also making funny faces now to mimic certain emotions - when you say "show me your sad face," she puts on the most adorable sad face you've ever seen! She also does it for "mad," "happy," and "surprised." It's utterly hilarious and adorable! She loves her weekly toddler music and movement class on Thursdays, and is great about listening to the teacher and following directions!

I could go on for days about how impressed we are and how much she amazes us, but I'm sure you don't want to read all that! ...What can I say? We're just madly in love with our almost-2-year-old!

Kyra recently requested her mittens and monkey hat to wear while playing! She loves wearing mittens around the house!

Castle Park in Northwood

2012-02-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

Earlier this week, Mommy and Grandma Carol (aka "Maka") took Kyra to Irvine's Castle Park in Northwood. It was her first trip. This is a really fun park that Geoff and I used to go to a lot as kids, but it's been totally revamped. It used to be made up of a big castle that you could play in, and then a few other typical old-fashioned play structures. Well, now it's full of exciting and brightly colored play structures, along with a somewhat smaller castle. There were so many different play structures that Kyra didn't even manage to get to all of them even in the hour or so that were there. We'll just have to go back for more fun playtime!

A collage of some images of what Castle Park looks like now.

I was looking for old photos of what it looked like when Geoff and I were kids, but haven't come across any yet.

Happily playing with some new sand toys!

Tunnel fun

Checking out the castle

Riding a neigh neigh

Another play area

Her first ride on a tire swing!

She loved it and was even trying to spin it around all by herself!

Digging with "Maka"

She loves slides!

Weeeeeee!!!!!

A Very Busy Girl!

2012-01-26T14:03:00.000-08:00

Kyra's been a very busy girl lately! Here are some recent cell phone pictures of some of her activities.

Checking out the desks in Daddy's classroom

Digging at the park with her "Dig Digs"

Exploring the picnic table

Climbing through the tunnel

Kyra loves to go on the slide!

More slide!

"I did it!"

Dancing and playing with instruments at Pretend City

Exploring the foam play mat and play structure at Pretend City

Kyra loves to give "huggies" to us before getting into the car

This is how she chose to watch Yo Gabba Gabba recently - sitting sideways on her rocking horse, facing the TV, for the entire show!

Standing up on the slide

Playing peekaboo with her bicycle

Exploring the trees

Excited about having her very first juice box!

Enjoying one of her favorite benches on Balboa Island
Kyra's friend "Plex," from Yo Gabba Gabba, joined her for a bench break
More sliding

Santa at the Irvine Park Railroad

2012-01-16T22:54:00.000-08:00

Before heading up to Beverly Hills to see Santa, we took Kyra for a ride on the Irvine Park Railroad to meet Santa. Kyra had a great time looking at all of the lights and riding on the train! Unfortunately though, it was extremely cold (really, seriously, crazy cold for southern California) and we had to wait in a long line outside in the cold before we finally got up to Santa. By the time it was our turn to see Santa, Kyra was "all done and finished," as she likes to say after she finishes her meal. She was tired, cold, cranky, and ready to head home, and wasn't the happiest little elf for Santa. But at least she enjoyed most of her evening.

Another cute Christmas outfit...that instantly gets covered up by multiple jackets because it was so freezing cold!

Mrs. Claus amongst the lights

Checking out the lights with Mommy

Our little elf

3 generations

Happy family enjoying the lights

Waiting for the Christmas train with one of the train engineers

With "Maca & Papa," as Kyra calls them

She LOVES the train at Irvine Park, and was thrilled with all the Christmas lights

So happy on the train that the extreme cold didn't even bother her...yet

Fun with Daddy

Giving kisses to Grandma Linda

Kisses for Grandma Carol

Kisses for Daddy

Playing in the sleigh, trying to pass the time while we waited in line for Santa

By the time we got to Santa, after at least 20 minutes of waiting, Kyra had had enough of the freezing cold and it was way passed her bedtime...

She was exhausted and cold and didn't love Santa, but she enjoyed the rest of the evening

Riding the train back to the car

Kyra, Her Matching Dollie, & Santa Claus!

2012-01-16T22:27:00.000-08:00

Back in December, we took Kyra for what is becoming our annual visit to the Beverly Hills Trolley and Santa Claus at the Paley Center. She loved it last year, so we knew we wanted to do it again this year. She had an absolutely great time, and looked pretty darn adorable in her Christmas dress (with a matching dress for her Cinderella doll). Kyra was definitely a hit in Beverly Hills, getting comments from lots of people walking by who admired her and her cute dress and pig tails! As soon as I put that little dress on her, I wanted Christmas to last forever and for her to wear that dress everyday!

Pushing her stroller through Rodeo Drive

Kyra & Mrs. Claus

Boarding the trolley

Singing Christmas carols, excitedly anticipating her meeting with Santa!

Santa, Santa! Ho Ho Ho!

I just love her face so much, it's ridiculous!

A happy Mommy with her elf!

Too adorable!

Having fun at lunch after meeting Santa

Playing with her toy Christmas train in front of a Rodeo Drive shop window

Gobble Gobble!

2011-11-30T22:45:00.000-08:00

Reading books with Great-Grandma Lady (or "YaYee," as Kyra calls her).

Kyra wore her turkey Thanksgiving shirt, and happily said "gobble gobble" when asked what sound a turkey makes!

Entertaining Great-Grandma Rene

Playing with cousin Peyton (Granddaughter of Geoff's cousin Tammy)

Cuddling during a viewing of "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse," Kyra's current favorite show (she is completely addicted!).

Our second Thanksgiving celebration, on Saturday at Jay & Jen's house

Playing in her cousins' playhouse

Playing with cousin Izzy

It's not easy to get all 4 of these cuties to smile for the camera at the same time

Playing with a hula hoop

Kyra and Izzy had so much fun playing together!

Mia was showing off her "stick on nails" (no longer known as "press on nails" apparently, according to Mia).

Jason attempting to copy Maddie's dance moves

Kyra loves dancing and happily participated in the dance party with Maddie!

Multi-tasking while dancing

Izzy and Santa

Playing with a box of beans - fun fun fun!

Once again, an attempt at a nice photo with all the granddaughters proves fruitless...but still fun!

Two cuties...too cute!

Having fun is one of her many specialties!

Halloween - Meow!!

2011-11-30T22:21:00.000-08:00

Our little "Hello Kitty" on Halloween wearing a handmade skirt by Grandma Carol (with Halloween Hello Kitty fabric), Hello Kitty Halloween t-shirt, Hello Kitty crochet hat, and a Hello Kitty hair clip, with a Hello Kitty candy basket.

For our first outing of the day, we went trick-or-treating at the UCI Marketplace

Kyra was having so much fun looking around at all the exciting activity that she barely noticed that she was wearing a hat (they normally get yanked off immediately!)

Mommy wore a Hello Kitty shirt in solidarity

Kyra held on tight to her Hello Kitty candy basket ALL afternoon, even after it got heavy from all the candy she collected!

Most of the stores in the shopping center were giving out candy, and Kyra quietly enjoyed every minute of it

Once she finally let us put her down, she was off and running, candy basket firmly in hand!

Dancing on the grass

Investigating her haul

A lollipop! Maybe next year we'll actually let her eat a lollipop...

"What else did I get?"

The Asia Noodle Cafe was giving out fortune cookies!

Once her hat came off, her Hello Kitty hair clip was proudly on display

Kyra's Hello Kitty necklace (or "necko", as she calls it), which she wore for exactly 3 seconds

"Look at all the stuff I got!"

Family shot!

Trick-or-Treating around the neighborhood

Kyra loved walking around the neighborhood and going door-to-door. We were prepared to go to only 1 or 2 houses, but she surprised us with wanting to keep going for an hour or more. We finally had to bring her home when she was getting tired.

Kyra discovering the deliciousness of a Kit Kat bar!

She loved it!

By the end of the day, she had an overflowing candy basket!

Irvine's Great Park Pumpkin Harvest

2011-10-22T22:12:00.000-07:00

Kyra loves riding on Daddy's shoulders

Kyra loves the "big orange balloon," which is currently decorated for Halloween. Kyra says it's "happy."

Arts & crafts, carnival games, a pumpkin patch, trick or treating, a train, & a petting zoo! There was definitely a lot to see!

Taking it all in.

"Mommy, look at what I found!"

Testing out pieces of her Hello Kitty Halloween costume, with a custom-made skirt by Grandma Carol. That Hello Kitty mummy Halloween fabric is so cute!

"C'mon Mommy, keep up with us!"

Posing with my little Halloween cutie!

We took Kyra to the 1st annual pumpkin harvest at Irvine's Great Park. It all looked like a lot of fun, but it was honestly so insanely crowded that we really couldn't enjoy ourselves. I'm sure it'll be more fun in the years ahead when Kyra is old enough to patiently wait in lines to partake in the various activities. Kyra's favorite part of the outing was our shuttle rides to and from the parking area! She was on the bus saying "wee wee" over and over again! It would've been great to participate in the trick or treating, petting zoo, pumpkin patch, arts and crafts, and everything else, but the lines were just too long! For some reason, the city of Irvine planned this big event to only be on one Saturday afternoon from 10am-3pm, when really it should take place all day, every Saturday and Sunday, for at least the entire month of October! Hopefully they'll wise up next year!

In other news...Kyra has been surprising us so much lately with all that she's learning and doing! This week, colors are her new thing. She's suddenly identifying colors and already knows red, pink, blue, purple, orange, yellow, and white (and I think she knows green too, but can't say the word "green"). For the most part, she's correctly pointing out or identifying the correct color when asked, although she sometimes mixes up pink and red.

Kyra is talking so much these days and it's so much fun to hear what she has to say. She's so full of energy and is so genuinely happy! She's definitely loving life, and we love being her parents! She's gotten a bit clingy lately, wanting to hold on to Mommy and Daddy (mostly Mommy), and she likes to hold our hands and lead us around. All the hugging is just so sweet! I know there will certainly come a day when she doesn't want to be held, so I'm taking advantage of it now while I can!

We're looking forward to Halloween and the official start of the holiday season! Is it too soon to start dressing Kyra in Christmas shirts as soon as Halloween is over?

Girls Just Want To Have Fun!

2011-10-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

AND WE'RE BACK!!!!

Dear blog-o-sphere, we've missed you!

Kyra & Natasha at Zoomar's, a children's petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano

Goats!

"Kyra, someone wants to be friends!"

(or maybe he's just looking for some food!)

Enjoying the animals!

That's a big turkey!

"Quick, take the picture before the goats get us!"

...And here come the goats...

"Look Mommy, a big pumpkin!"

(or "puncky-o," as Kyra calls pumpkins)

Playing in the play structure

"Look Mommy! A choo-choo train!"

Riding on the "choo choo"

Yes, she loved it!

Checking out the "ZeDonks" (zebra-donkeys)

Playing in the corn kernel pit

Sitting on the toy tractor, pretty proud of herself!

Contemplating the big-kid swings...

Giving it a try!

When did she get so grown up?

Goofing off during lunch at Ruby's Diner

"Tickle, tickle Tasha!"

(or "ticka ticka," as Kyra says it)

"Talk to the hand"

Such giggly girls!

No, I didn't quit blogging! Just been a bit busy these days...I went back to work last month, so making time to blog has been a bit tough, but I'm hoping to be better about it.

Natasha and her Mommy invited Kyra and I out for a fun morning at Zoomar's, a children's petting zoo in San Juan Capistrano. The girls had so much fun looking at all the different animals (they have bunnies, guinea pigs, goats, sheep, donkeys, ponies, llamas, and "zedonks" (zebra-donkeys). You can feed and pet the animals, although Kyra was more interested in just looking at them. They also have a fun little train, so Kyra was thrilled about that! There's even a play pit filled with corn kernels to play in.

After a fun time at Zoomar's, we went out for lunch at the nearby Ruby's Diner, and the girls continued to entertain each other in their high chairs. Those two have so much fun together!

Thank you Shaunna and Natasha for a fun morning!

Cute Little Monkeys At The Water Park!

2011-08-24T15:43:00.000-07:00

Little monkeys in matching swim suits!

These girls are constantly on the go!

These two cuties have been having such a fun summer together! This morning, they wore matching swim suits to the water park and had a blast playing together! Squeals of delight were ever present, and the girls were constantly in motion!

Kyra Got A Boo Boo...

2011-08-24T15:42:00.000-07:00

OUCH!
...a few hours after the incident

...It was actually a pretty big boo boo.

Last Saturday, we were looking forward to a fun outing up to Camarillo with the Balice Family - we had planned to bring a picnic dinner and enjoy a free Steve Tyrell concert in the park. Well, that all changed when Kyra decided to accidentally scare the living daylights out of us! She was playing on a chair that she's played on countless times before. But this time, she somehow slipped and her face went right into the corner of Grandpa's desk - HARD! Poor girl! She was instantly wailing and her forehead swelled up quickly, turning a deep shade of purple with a line indented on her face above her eyebrow! Thank God our eyes are set back in our heads a little bit, or else she might have seriously hurt her eye. Trying to put ice on a toddler's face is essentially impossible, so we quickly realized that our efforts to ice her were useless and the swelling was just going to have to be there for a while. Thank goodness for Yo Gabba Gabba because our poor baby wasn't going to calm down otherwise! After some Yo Gabba Gabba and Tylenol, she was pretty exhausted from the traumatic events, so she went down for a long nap. We contemplated still taking her up north for our original evening plans, but decided we'd be better off observing her and just letting her rest. She didn't show any signs of concussion or other serious head injury, but it seemed like she had been through enough and a long car ride might not have been the most relaxing thing for her. So we were sorry to miss out on our plans, but were happy to see Kyra playful and calm!

She's already healing up and the line down her face has significantly diminished. Babies are such quick healers!

Getting To Know The Potty Chair!

2011-08-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

"Look Mommy, this is my very own potty chair! This is how you lift the lid."

"And here's how you sit on the potty."

"I think I'll set down my milk sippy, since I probably shouldn't have that with me when I use the potty!"

"Here's what I look like during a 'dry run.'"

"All done! Time to close the lid."

Yesterday (Saturday), Kyra woke up in the morning to find that she suddenly had a fancy new potty chair (actually, she found out that she has two: one for each bathroom downstairs). We're not really "officially" potty training yet, but we want to start familiarizing Kyra with the idea of it. We'll keep the potty chairs around and let her get used to the concept of using them.

Upon her first inspection of her potty chairs, she seemed to instantly know exactly what to do with them. We let her practice as much as she wanted to throughout the day with her clothes and diaper on. In the evening, just before bath time, we took off her diaper and she sat down on the potty chair and actually used it!

Such an amazing little girl! We know she's talented and we obviously think she's a total genius (probably the smartest 18-month old little girl ever!), but we honestly had no expectation that she'd ever use the potty chair on the first day of having it (let alone the first month!). So she definitely surprised us, much to our delight!

Our 18-Month Old!

2011-08-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Our little girl turned 18 months old on Thursday. It wasn't exactly a celebration when we drove her up to LA for a check-up with her pediatrician, Dr. Huang. Since we've moved down to Orange County and will be starting up with new doctors soon, this was her last visit with the doctor who has cared for her since the day she was born. Hopefully we'll find a new doctor that we like just as much as Dr. Huang!

Kyra didn't much like this check-up although, by all accounts, it should've been easier than many of her previous visits. The standard weighing and measuring and checks, and only one shot. Should've been easy! Nope! She put up well with most of it, but really did NOT want to have her height measured! And she definitely did NOT want that shot! She's much more aware now of everything going on around her (as opposed to when she was a bit younger for earlier doctor visits), and just did NOT want to be messed with.

But she passed all of her development tests with flying colors, and Dr. Huang said she's pretty much a perfect little girl (and we certainly agree with that assessment!).

Height: 33 inches (2 feet 9 inches) (somewhere between 75-90th percentile)

Weight: 24 pounds 12 ounces (somewhere between 50-75th percentile)

Head Circumference: ??? I didn't quite catch that measurement (the nurse did) since Kyra was more than a bit unhappy at that point! Her head is a bit on the smaller side - I think the doctor said around the 10th percentile, if I remember correctly.

The toughest part of our day was still yet to come...Dr. Huang said Kyra needed to have a standard lead level blood test done. Since we were only in LA for a few hours, we needed to head over to the lab and take care of that while we could...Of course, Kyra fell asleep instantly when we got in the car, and stayed asleep in the stroller after parking and walking over to the lab. The lab was still closed for lunch when we got there, so she managed to get a little nap in (about 45 minutes total for the day, when she's used to somewhere between 2-3 hours!). Once the office opened back up, I was forced to wake her up, and essentially brace her against me in a chair, with her right armed pinned under mine and her left arm securely extended so that the lab technician could find Kyra's vein and take her blood. Needless to say, it was completely horrible and traumatic for Mom and Kyra both. But we got through it, got out of there, and calmed down quickly! Hopefully we don't have to do that again for a very, very long time!

Our nearly 25 pound 18-month old has come a long way since her 7 pound newborn days! She's said a ton of new words and done a lot more new signs just since my recent post on signing and talking! And she even had another exciting first tonight, which I'll post about soon!

Blissfully napping while the medical lab office was closed for lunch...

...little did she know that trauma was waiting just inside the door, poor girl!

A couple days later, a much happier evening.

Kicking back in her chair, relaxing with her feet up on her ottoman, drinking some cool milk, and enjoying a little Baby Signing Time!

More Water Park Fun!

2011-08-13T21:57:00.000-07:00

Yet another cute bathing suit!

Charging ahead to the "wawa"

"Hi Mommy!"

Two water "babies"!

Kiki and Tasha having fun!

...And she's off!

This was one of the first times they've really PLAYED together and entertained eachother

Checking out Natasha's stroller

"What up, girlfriend!"

"What's this pacifier thingy you've got?"

"Hey, come back here! I'm not done looking at that pacifier!"

"Tickle, tickle, Natasha!"

Kyra and Natasha thought it was hilarious to tap and tickle each other, both in and out of the water!

Kyra Attends A Wedding!

2011-08-13T16:22:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of attending the wedding of Nicole Parker and Seth Redford last night in San Juan Capistrano, and Kyra did great! Nicole and her family are longtime friends of Geoff and his family, so it was definitely a joyous event for everyone! Geoff and I went to high school with Nicole and her friend Katie Redford and, after all these years, Nicole married Katie's brother Seth. Seth is a trained Marine and World Champion ballroom dancer, and he certainly takes pride in his military background. Nicole is a talented actress, singer, and comedienne. You may have seen her on MadTV or as the green witch, Elphaba, in Wicked on Broadway.

It was a beautiful wedding with so many personal touches. The Bride and Groom's dog, Roxy, was even a flower girl! So cute! Kyra stayed happily occupied by her books and snacks during the brief ceremony, and then she absolutely LOVED picking up rose petals from the aisle after the wedding. The only problem came when the staff needed to sweep up the petals to get the reception tables set up. Kyra was NOT a happy girl when the petal collecting ended, but she perked back up pretty quickly. She was pretty distracted by everything going on around her, so she wasn't too interested in eating. But she had so much fun running around, dancing with the other kids, and just generally taking it all in. She did amazingly well staying up late (we didn't get home and put her in bed until around 10pm), but it would've been nice if she could've at least held out until cake time! Oh well...Maybe we're owed a delicious dessert one of these days!

The Tipper family really doesn't go anywhere without a camera, so here are more than a few photos for your viewing pleasure!

She was adored by many of the wedding guests, including the one who took this cell phone picture of her and kindly emailed it to me!

Cuddles with Grandma & Grandpa

Keeping Kyra occupied before (and during) the ceremony! She did great throughout the ceremony!

Collecting flower petals from the aisle after the ceremony

Kyra LOVED collecting petals, and didn't want to stop, even though the staff was trying their best to sweep it all up and set up the reception tables...

This is one of Mommy's favorite pictures!

She'd collect a few petals, and then excitedly run to Mommy to hand them over

"Mommy, Mommy! Look! I got flower petals!"

"Here you go, Mommy. Pretty flower petals for you!"

And then the fun flower petal collecting finally had to end...and she was less than thrilled!

But she was back to happy pretty quickly!

Seth Redford, the Groom

All the guys (and Roxy, the flower girl/dog), looking very official!

The Bride, Nicole Parker

Here comes the Bride!

Sealed with a kiss!

Presenting: Mr. & Mrs. Redford!

Kyra & Nicole

Hugs

Dessert anyone? The table looked amazing! Filled with various flavors of "cake pops" and other treats! Too bad we had to leave before they cut the cake...

A gift for the newlyweds. Nicole starred as "Elphaba" (the green witch) on Broadway.

Seth is not only a trained Marine, but also a World Champion ballroom dancer! Such a talented couple!

Our Wordy Girl!

2011-08-06T22:26:00.000-07:00

Kyra loves to dig!

She says "deeg, deeg, deeg!"

Kyra has been quite the little talker lately! But she's been signing even longer than she's been talking. Her vocabulary seems to be expanding daily! I've been trying to keep track of all of her words and signs, and hopefully have them all down here. Here are lists of her words and signs so far.

SIGNS:

All Done

Apple

Baby

Ball
Balloon

Bird

Book

Cat

Cereal

Cheese

Cracker

Dog

Eat

Fish

Flower

Frog

Grass

Hat

Leaf

Mama

Milk

Outside

Play

Please

Rain

Sign

Telephone

Thank You

Tree

Where (she made up her own sign for "where," a bit different from the actual sign)

WORDS:

"Ay" (for "yes")

"Bah" (for "sheep")

Ball

Block

Boat

Book

"Bot" (for "robot")

Brush Teeth (2-word phrase)

Buckle

Bus

Bye Bye

Cheese

Dad

Dada

Dig

Dog

Down

Duck

Eat

Izzy (Kyra's cousin)

Mmmm (for "milk")

"Maaaad" (for Kyra's cousin Maddie)

Mama

"Meow" (she makes kitty cat meow noises with her mouth closed)

Mia (Kyra's cousin)

Mom

Moo (for "cow")

Moon

"More Book" (2-word phrase)

Muffin

"Neigh" (for "horse")

Off

Out

Night Night

"Wawa" (for "water")

"Woof Woof" (she makes doggy woof woof noises with her mouth closed)

"Yeesh" (for "yes")

Hangin' With Tasha: Ladera Ranch Water Park!

2011-07-28T23:07:00.000-07:00

Happy little swimmers!

"Daddy! Let's go and play up there!"

Shaunna and her little bathing beauty, Natasha

Kyra loves the water, just like her Daddy!

The water is the perfect height - just right for the girls to walk around in it

"Look Kyra, the water bucket is about to tip over!"

"Here comes the water!"

Big splash!

Natasha and Kyra loved playing in the water!

Are these two cute, or what?!

BFF's at play!

Splish, splash!

Another view of the water bucket as it tips over

Natasha, hangin' with her Mommy!

Climbing around the wet play structure

On Wednesday, Shaunna and Natasha graciously invited us over to check out their local Ladera Ranch Water Park. This place is amazing! Kyra had a great time and loved being able to walk around and play in the water. It was a little cloudy and cool while we were there, but I'm sure Natasha loves playing in the water when it's really hot outside. Kyra had so much fun leading her Daddy all over the big play structure, and she didn't mind at all that she was constantly getting splashed! She has always been a little water baby (or, I guess now she's a water toddler). The water is the perfect depth - the kids can walk right into the water and it slowly slopes downward, getting only waist-high on Kyra and Natasha. So they are easily able to walk around in there (although we still held Kyra's hand a bit while she was getting used to it all). Shaunna brings Natasha to the water park every week, and it looks like we might join in on the fun during the rest of the summer.

Thanks so much for having us! It's so great to be closer to you guys and be able to get together more frequently now!

Hangin' With Tasha: The Aquarium of the Pacific!

2011-07-28T21:13:00.000-07:00

BFF's at the Aquarium!

Kyra was so excited to introduce Natasha to the Aquarium of the Pacific!

Seals & Sea Lions!

Look Tasha! There are seals & sea lions in here!

See! There's one right there!

"Hi!"

Cooling off at a touch pool

Getting a little wet, and loving it!

"Wa wa!"

Well, hello there Miss Cutie Patootie Natasha!

Keeping cool!

Checking out the sting rays

One of the gigantic crabs

"Looking Mommy, there's a fishy on my shirt!"

A girl on the go!

...Still going...

Kyra and a boat...or a "bo," as Kyra calls it

A last little bit of playing before heading home

Last Sunday, we had the pleasure of introducing the Larson family to the Aquarium of the Pacific. Amazingly for a summer morning, it wasn't crowded at all so Kyra and Natasha were able to get up close and see all the fishies and fun stuff. They had so much fun running around and playing together. They especially enjoyed a small touch pool area where they were tall enough to reach their hands in and cool off (it was a rather warm day). After a fun morning, we had a delicious lunch at the nearby Bubba Gump Shrimp restaurant (it doesn't seem fair that we almost always eat seafood when we visit the Aquarium - maybe we should rethink that, but shrimp is just so good!). Thank you Larsons for a fantastic Aquarium trip, a yummy lunch, and some good Forrest Gump movie trivia!

Kyra has really been enjoying her new life in Orange County! This was just one of the many exciting days we've had recently. And we love knowing that there are many, many more great days to come!

Kyra's First Carousel Ride!

2011-07-16T21:01:00.001-07:00

Kyra got so excited when she saw the horses on the carousel! She kept saying "neigh neigh" over and over again!

Cute summer sandals! Gotta love super-cheap clearance sales at Target!

Riding on the carousel with Mommy!

She absolutely LOVED riding on the horsey!

Having fun with Mommy!

"Look Daddy, I'm on a horsey! Neigh, neigh, neigh!"

"I could do this all day. This ride goes on all day, right?"

...then, 3 seconds later...

"Wait, what? What do you mean the ride ended? What do you mean I can't ride the horsey all day long? More, more, more! Noooooooooooo, I don't want to get off!!!!!! I will NOT get off of this horsey!!!! You can't make me get off this horsey!!!!"

"Seriously Mommy, I don't want to get off the horsey! You're going to have to pry my little fingers off of this thing to get me off of here!"

"I REFUSE to get off of my horsey!!!!!!...and, by the way, I don't appreciate the way you and Daddy are laughing at me hysterically!"

We took Kyra on her first carousel ride today at the Irvine Spectrum. She had walked by the carousel on our way to lunch, and she very excitedly kept saying, "neigh, neigh, neigh" (she already knows a bunch of animal sounds, including the sound for "horse."). So, after lunch, we walked back to the carousel and she was instantly captivated. Mommy had the pleasure of taking her on the carousel while Daddy dutifully manned the camera. Kyra absolutely LOVED riding on the horsey! She again kept saying "neigh, neigh" over and over again. She instinctively knew to hold her hands on the bar in front of the horse, and happily rode up and down as the carousel turned. She was happy as a clam and probably would've kept riding all day long if we had let her...

Unfortunately, it's not a very long ride, and it did eventually slow and come to a stop. As it began slowing down, Kyra's smiles turned to confusion and she (somewhat heatedly) began saying "more, more, more." When the carousel came to a full stop, well, pretty much all hell broke loose! Kyra was screaming, crying, holding on to that horse for dear life!!!! Moms were walking by us, taking their kids off the ride, asking if Kyra was upset because they thought maybe she had been scared on the ride. Nope, we explained. Just the opposite: she freakin' loved it and was traumatized over the idea of it ending! Our poor baby girl! It was so sad to see her so upset...but it was also so surprising, and (I'm forced to admit) it sent Mom and Dad into a ridiculous fit of laughter. We'll be prepared to keep our laughter fully under control next time, but we just couldn't hold back this time.

Kyra has obviously cried and gotten upset before, but she hasn't really thrown huge, monumental tantrums...UNTIL TODAY! Wow, this one was memorable!

Definitely a day we'll remember forever!

Some videos below (hit "pause" on the music player at the bottom of the blog first, so that you can hear the sound on the videos). The first, Kyra tells us what a horsey says. The second, Kyra enjoys her carousel ride. And three, hell begins to break loose.

Horses say "neigh"

Enjoying the carousel ride!

The ride comes to an end, and Kyra wants "more, more!" She begins to become irate...

A Swimming Birthday Party

2011-06-26T23:37:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, Kyra had the pleasure of attending her friend Milan's 4th Birthday party. It was a Tinkerbell princess swimming party at Grandma and Grandpa's community pool in Irvine. Kyra had a lot of fun swimming, and she even got to swim with her friends Natasha and Sophia. We unfortunately didn't get photos with Natasha this time around, but there are some cute ones with Sophia below. It was Sophia's very first time in a pool ever, and she did amazingly well! The girls had a great time, and we can't wait to go swimming again now that the weather is finally heating up! Check out the video below for some cuteness from Kyra and her Daddy. You'll want to silence the music player at the bottom of the blog, and make sure your sound is turned up!

Swimming with Sophia and her Mommy, Irini

(Jackie's old high school friend)

Tuckered out from a fun afternoon of swimming...

She refused to let go of that balloon, but couldn't keep her eyes open!

Those little piggy toes couldn't be any cuter!

Our sleepy little swimmer

An absolutely adorable video of Kyra swimming with Daddy:

First Swim Of The Summer!

2011-06-23T17:02:00.001-07:00

Having fun with Daddy!

That 18-month size swim suit isn't going to fit her for long!

Kyra still LOVES her little floating raft!

Wrapped up in one of her Paul Frank monkey towels!

Mommy & Kyra love Julius the Monkey!

We had our first swim of the summer today, and Kyra did great! She took a few minutes to get used to the water, but she was all smiles as soon as she got into her floating raft! She was giggling and smiling and talking and saying "more" the entire time! She even practiced kicking - Daddy will be teaching her to swim, but she definitely loves her raft! I think it's safe to say that Kyra will be spending a lot of time in the pool this summer!

Kyra's 1st Trip To Santa Barbara

2011-06-19T22:46:00.000-07:00

Last month, we took Kyra on her first trip to Santa Barbara. Well, her first trip since being born - she went there once before, in Mommy's tummy, just before Christmas in 2009. On her first real trip, we all had a great time! Kyra got to see the sights, including Bitterman's Deli, UCSB's campus, downtown, Stearn's Wharf, the rose garden at the Mission, and even the Zoo! But her favorite activity was simply playing in the hotel room. She loved sitting on the couch, playing on the bed, and even just fooling around in her Pack 'n Play.

Kyra loved the hotel room! It was a fancy room at the Best Western by the beach!

Playtime with Mommy

Playing on the bed!

Look Mommy, it's a shoe!

Tickles and giggles with Daddy!

Look Daddy, there's a ceiling fan up there! This room really is fancy!

Ring, ring. Who is it?

Strolling around UCSB

Kyra was very excited about her new UCSB ball!

Storke Tower at UCSB

Too worn out to eat Woodstock's!

Kyra's lucky to have such a cozy Daddy to nap on!

Seriously, she did NOT want to wake up!

Back at the hotel after a fun day! A little playtime before bed.

After breakfast, on Stearn's Wharf

Running all over the rose garden at the Mission

Checking out the fountain

Smelling the roses with Daddy

Lunch at Bitterman's Deli

The red Specials sign in the background was featuring a sandwich called "The Kiki." They must've known we were coming.

A quick trip to the Zoo

Signing "birdie" with Daddy

More animals!

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T22:18:00.001-07:00

Dear Daddy,

Happy Father's Day to the best Daddy ever! I'm so lucky to have you as my Daddy! As my shirt says, "My Dad is totally awesome." I love you so much. Thank you for holding my hand and keeping me safe. You're so good at making me smile. I love it when you chase me and when you make me giggle. I also love when you help me do somersaults. I'm so glad you're my Daddy. Happy Father's Day, Daddy. Thanks for being my Daddy.

Love,

Kyra (aka, your Kiki Bear)

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'!

2011-05-16T12:01:00.000-07:00

Walking with my Daddy is pretty fun. And walking around in my cute boots is fun too!

Our 2nd Mother's Day!

2011-05-09T14:30:00.000-07:00

Just when I think I couldn't love this little girl any more than I already do...

...my heart somehow grows and makes room for even more love!

She is my whole world!

Her sweetness keeps me going!

My little angel!

My favorite thing!

I feel so lucky to be her Mommy!

Geoff pulling all 4 girls on a towel - quite a workout!

(from left: Maddie, Izzy, Mia, Kyra)

That's definitely a "girl party!"

On Saturday night, Kyra went down to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a "girl party" with her cousins, who were being babysat by Carol and Phil while their parents went out on a date night. Kyra absolutely LOVES playing with her 3 beautiful cousins! She and Isabella (Izzy) chased each other around the house, and Mia and Maddie took turns playing with Kyra and pushing her around the house in her new pink car! And Kyra's Daddy even pulled all 4 girls on a towel, which has long been a favorite activity for Mia and Maddie, something they ask Geoff to do every single time they see him! I assume it's getting a bit more difficult now that Mia and Maddie are getting so big, and 2 more little girls have been added to the mix! But Geoff is always a good sport! During the "girl party," Kyra enjoyed watching part of Disney's "Tangled," a really adorable Rapunzel story! She has yet to sit and watch an entire movie, but we have a little Disney DVD collection waiting for her when she's ready for it.

We had a fantastic 2nd Mother's Day yesterday! Kyra got more playtime with her cousins, and I got to celebrate being a Mommy to the most beautiful, sweetest little girl in the world (as far as I'm concerned!). Kyra enjoyed playing at the "big park" or "bi-pa", as her cousin Izzy calls it. Although Kyra explored much of the park and even went down the little slide a few times, her favorite activity was definitely the swings, as usual! She wanted to be pushed on the swings 4 separate times, and she was bouncing with delight each time!

It's amazing to think that an entire year has already gone by since my 1st Mother's Day as a Mommy! And what a great year it's been! It's difficult for me to describe just how much I enjoy being Kyra's Mommy and how much I love her. She makes each day such a joy, and I love watching her learn and try new things every day. She's been babbling a lot more lately, although she's still a bit shy with her voice in front of strangers. She's easily the best part of my day, and I miss her as soon as she goes to bed for the night. Her smile brightens my world, and even her tears are cute (although I never want her to cry or be unhappy, and I try my best to soothe her when she's sad or upset). I love hearing her voice and all the new sounds she's trying out, and I can't wait to actually have real conversations with her someday! I'm sure she'll have some pretty amazing things to say!

My first full year of motherhood was an absolute gem, and I love knowing that it's only getting better and better with each passing day! I love my little girl with all of my heart, and it feels so good to know that she trusts me, counts on me, and loves me unconditionally. I still can't believe that I actually created this amazing little person! I try my best everyday to thank my wonderful husband, Kyra's brilliant Daddy, for giving me such a special gift. She's the most amazing gift I could ever be given, and I'm so grateful for her!

I love you my little Kyra, my sweet Kiki Bear! Thank you for bringing such special purpose to my life!

Aquarium Fun With The Balice's!

2011-04-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

Riding on Daddy

Checking out the fishies

Having fun with "Auntie Amanda"

Climbing around outside

Trying to get two toddlers to pose for photos...

...is not too easy.

"C'mon guys, just one photo!"

"But we MUST keep moving!"

"Let us go right NOW!!!!"

"FREEDOM!"

Not quite playing together, but interacting

"Done with that, now on to the next thing."

"Ah yes, my stroller buckles! What an amazing invention!"

Climbing on to the stroller to get a closer look

We finally got them sitting still for a minute!

We had such a fun playdate with the Balice family today! We went to the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, and then out to dinner at Chili's. Although it was crowded at the Aquarium, the kids had a good time looking at all the fishies. Jake was very excitedly pointed at the fish and saying "fishies! fishies!" Kyra and Jake also enjoyed the Lorikeet bird area, and Kyra started signing "bird" and "fish" to us today! Trying to get two toddlers to sit still and pose for pictures is basically impossible, especially in a new environment where they want to explore and roam around. Someday we'll manage to get some pictures of these two kiddos happily playing together! But in the meantime, we at least have photographic evidence that they were together and having fun! "Auntie Amanda" loved holding Kyra (and Kyra enjoyed it too!), but Jake wasn't too thrilled about seeing his Mommy holding another child! Don't worry Jake - you're still Mommy's favorite!

Balice Family: thanks for a fun afternoon! We can't wait to get together again soon!

New Ball!!!

2011-04-28T17:31:00.000-07:00

"I LOVE my new ball!!! Now I'm all set for the park!"

And just like that, Kyra's got her very own ball to play with!

A Swinging Good Time!

2011-04-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

Can you tell that she likes the swings?

"Higher Mommy, higher!"

Such a little sweetie!

Wow, she looks like her Mommy in the photo above!

Such a happy little girl!

The spitting image of her Mommy when Mommy was little!

"My Mommy loves me SOOOOOO much!!!!"

Kyra LOVES walking all over the playground...

...and climbing on the play structures

She's a very good climber, and can even climb backwards/down!

A new playground recently opened near us called Playa Vista Court Park, and Kyra absolutely LOVES it!!! She can walk (a fast walk, nearly a run!) all over the place, and climb on the structures. There's a big kid area, a little kid area, little kid swings, grass, and picnic benches, and she loves to explore everything. The park at the end of our street doesn't have swings, which I've always been bummed about, so it was a really nice perk to discover this brand new park with swings! Kyra really likes to swing, as you can see from today's photos! We've had a few warm, sunny days this week, so she and I have been making great use of this new park! We're definitely keeping the sunscreen industry in business right now!

Today we brought a picnic lunch with us, and Kyra happily played for a couple hours...and then almost instantly fell fast asleep within a minute or two of starting our stroller walk back home! Kyra really enjoys interacting with the other kids at the playground, but she could improve a bit when it comes to sharing toys! Today, I learned that I apparently need to go buy her a big, plastic ball! She discovered a little boy's gigantic "Batman" ball, and that was it! She had to have it! And when it came time to share, forgetaboutit! So, needless to say, we may be heading for Target this afternoon when she wakes up from her nap in order to buy her a cheapo plastic ball for future park trips! I'll really miss this new park when we move down south in a couple months, but luckily there's a really great, similar-style playground near Grandma and Grandpa's house, where I'm sure we'll be spending a lot of time!

What's up next for us? Well, Kyra has her Friday playdate with Grandma and Grandpa tomorrow. Then, on Saturday, we're excited to head to the Aquarium of the Pacific with the Balice's (including Kyra's "boyfriend" Jake!). It'll be so much fun to watch the two of them run around and explore! With all this sunny, warm weather, I think the first pool day of the season may also be heading our way soon. It's a good thing Kyra's got a basket full of new swimsuits to wear! She's going to get pretty sick of Mommy slathering her in sunscreen! I think we might have to try the spray-on sunscreen just to make the process a little faster for her. But I think her baby-soft/baby-white skin may be a thing of the past soon...I think I can handle it, just as long as she doesn't get sunburned ever!

Summer, here we come!

Playing At The Park*

2011-04-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

*Don't let these photos of Kyra sitting down fool you - she's usually walking briskly all over the place! I just happened to catch a few brief moments while she was seated.

Kyra LOVES going to the park to play! And we've been lucky enough to have a few sunny, warm days lately. She moves pretty quickly these days, but I managed to snap a few cute photos while she was sitting down to play today. She's getting really good at walking, and has definitely been picking up speed. It's getting pretty tough to stay in front of her, but I try to be ready with my hands out in case she starts to stumble or if she needs help to get up or down a cement step. It's so sweet when she looks for me with her hand out, ready to take my hand for help getting up a step! She's finally figured out how to stand up on her own, without the help of furniture or Mommy's leg to pull herself up. It's pretty fun to watch her put her hands out and point her little bottom up in the air while she gets her balance and pushes up to a stand.

She absolutely LOVES watching and interacting with other little kids at the park. Yesterday, she met a little boy named Joey, who was 3 1/2 years old and was quite taken with her! Older boys already. We're going to be in a lot of trouble in the years ahead! Joey kept calling Kyra's name and showing off his various tricks and jungle-gym skills. She was pretty impressed, smiling and giggling at him when he'd go down the slide or climb up and down the play equipment. Kyra LOVES going down the slides (with our help, of course).

It's so much fun watching her grow into a toddler! I thought I would really miss our little baby, but our little toddler is pretty fun, and each new day just gets better than the last!

I Love School!

2011-03-26T20:48:00.001-07:00

"Look Mommy! Look at all these desks!"

"It's so much fun to walk up and down the aisles in Daddy's classroom!"

Getting a closer look at the chair

"All this walking around is making me thirsty. Good thing I have my milk!"

"I love playing in Daddy's classroom!"

"Adios! Gotta go check out this part of the room!"

"And...here I come again, walking down another aisle of desks! Daddy sure has lots of desks in his classroom! The state of California must have done away with the 20-to-1 student-to-teacher ratio in Math classes, because Daddy has 43 desks!"

"I LOVE WALKING!!!! Make way, Mommy, because here I come!"

"Peek-a-boo!..."

"...I see you!"

"I even figured out how to wiggle my way in between desks to cut through the aisles!"

"Hi Mommy!"

"Peek-a-boo!"

"I got to sit in Daddy's big chair!"

"It was really fun! It even swiveled!"

"Gotta stay hydrated and get my calcium!"

My Daddy wanted to do some cleaning in his classroom today, so Mommy and I tagged along. I had so much fun walking up and down the aisles of desks, and checking out all the fun stuff in Daddy's classroom! I've been to Daddy's school before, but this was the first time I had been there since I started walking. Did you know that my Daddy teaches Math, and that he has TONS of desk in his class? Mommy and I had fun drawing on the white board in the front of the room - Mommy drew me a pictures of a sun and of a kitty! I smiled and giggled when she drew the kitty because I LOVE my 2 kitties at home! I carried my sippy cup of milk all over the room and, by the time we left, I had almost finished all of my milk! I happily got to walk around and play for about an hour, and I was totally tired out by the time we got home.

By the way, I'm nearly off of the bottle! I love my sippy cup and am only drinking one bottle at bedtime now. I'm probably ready to stop the bottle altogether, but Mommy really likes to cuddle and hold me while I drink my bottle before bedtime. She's going to have to get over it and switch that bottle to a sippy at some point! But, for now, I don't mind. I love my milk, but I should probably be drinking more water. Water is pretty boring though, so my Mommy might have to add a little juice for flavor if she's going to get me more interested in it...More milk please!

Adios, Baby Formula!

2011-03-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

Thanks for being there for us, baby formula...but Kyra's moved on!

Hello new friend, MILK! Kyra loves you!

Now, if we could just bid a full farewell to these bottles...

And fully embrace the sippy cup!

Down On The Farm!

2011-03-10T07:57:00.001-08:00

Kyra loved riding around in all the wagons at the farm!

"Daddy, Daddy! Pull me! Pull the wagon Daddy!"

"What's up, boyfriend?"

Kyra loved the horse-drawn carriage, and looking around at everything on the farm.

"Wow, that animal is WAY bigger than my kitty cats!"

A rare moment of Kyra letting Mommy hold her - since she started walking, she basically never sits still!

Enjoying the petting zoo!

Kyra and Jake, hanging out in the petting zoo.

"Okay Daddy, you can hold me for a second, but then I need to get down and walk!"

She looks like such a a big girl now! She's our pretty little toddler.

Big Kyra (the Birthday girl, left) and Little Kyra (right), checking out a chicken.

Kyra in the middle, with the Birthday kids, Dylan and Kyra Roodsari (left and right).

"Down, down, down! Put me down so I can walk!"

The goats have their own raised ramp system.

More wagon time...with Jake!

Riding the train with Mommy, Auntie Amanda, and Jakey.

The Birthday kiddos, Dylan and Kyra. Happy 2nd Birthday D&K!

Cupcake time!!!!!!

She's finally discovered the goodness of sugar!

"Get in my mouth!"

Jake gets a ride from Dylan and Kyra R.

One last wagon ride before heading home

"Bye bye boyfriend. See you next time!"

Last Sunday, Kyra had the pleasure of attending the 2nd Birthday party for her friends, Kyra and Dylan Roodsari. She went to their 1st Birthday party last year, but she was only 3 weeks old at that time. Now, at nearly 13 months, she really got to enjoy herself! The party was held at Underwood Family Farm in Moorpark, and there were lots of fun things to do. We started the party off with a horse-drawn carriage ride around the nearby area, checked out the animals in the petting zoo, rode a train, and Kyra discovered her new favorite thing - riding in a wagon! She also chowed down on a mini cupcake, and loved it! Finally! She didn't really know what to do with her own Birthday cake last month, but she absolutely LOVED her cupcake on Sunday!

Happy 2nd Birthday to Dylan and Kyra Roodsari! Up next: Birthday parties for Kyra's cousins - Mia, Maddie, and Izzy - next weekend, and also Natasha Larson early next month. I think Kyra will know exactly what to do with cake and cupcakes at those parties!

Date Night With Mommy & Daddy

2011-03-04T21:23:00.000-08:00

Having fun with the mirror at the Croc's store

Could they be any cuter?

"Usually I have a playdate with my Grandma and Grandpa on Friday nights while my Mommy and Daddy go out for date night...But tonight, my Mommy and Daddy took me out on a date with them! I got to eat dinner at Buca di Beppo, one of my favorite places! I even got to walk around the restaurant a little bit! And then Daddy carried me while we walked up the 3rd Street Promenade to the gelato store for dessert! My Mommy and Daddy each offered me some gelato, but I didn't want it. I was way more interested in walking all around the sidewalk patio in front of the store. There were fancy lights and balloons and table umbrellas to look at. It was amazing! While I was walking around, I got to listen to a bunch of Hare Krishna's, who were dancing and playing music nearby. I had so much fun looking around at everything! I had so much fun going out with my Mommy and Daddy! I got to stay up late, and maybe I'll even sleep in tomorrow!

Have a great weekend!"

Ladies & Gentlemen, We Have A Walker!

2011-03-03T21:44:00.000-08:00

"That's right, I'm 1!"

"And I'm pretty excited to be 1!"

"And guess what? I figured out how to walk!"

"I've been walking while holding on to things for a while now, but I'm making big progress at walking on my own!"

"Today, I was pretty proud of myself! And I was pretty smiley because I was so happy about walking all over the Punctuation Station!"

"That's right, I'm walking! All by myself!"

"Look at me go!"

"Mommy thinks I look pretty cute in my little jeans."

"I'm seriously cute! My Mommy says I'm like a real person, but mini."

"Here's a video of me walking all by myself, taking around 20 Kyra-sized steps. Enjoy!"

Kyra has been taking steps for a while now, but suddenly today she showed some amazing progress on the walking front. I think we can officially say that she's walking now! Today, walking was definitely her preferred method of transportation, as opposed to crawling. She had so much fun walking all over the Punctuation Station at the mall, and then did a bunch more walking to show off for her Daddy! We were so busy being captivated by her walking that we had to push back her bath and put her to bed a little late tonight. She was just having too much fun walking and playing in her room, and we didn't want to say goodnight! She's so excited to be walking and she gets so happy when she reaches her destination. She's been communicating her excitement with some extra, previously unheard vocalization! She's definitely going to be keeping us on our toes now!

12-Month Stats...and SHOTS!

2011-02-27T22:08:00.000-08:00

Kyra loves walking with her push toys!

Taking a couple of her little "baby steps"

Kyra had her 12-month check up back on Valentine's Day, and here are her latest stats:

Weight: 22lbs.

Height: 30.5 inches

Head Circumference: 44.5cm

We ended up splitting her shots over 2 visits, so she tearfully suffered through 2 shots and a needle TB test at the first visit, and 3 more shots on the second visit. Luckily, she won't have to get another shot for another few months. Kyra, her Mommy, and her Daddy, have all been fighting off colds over the last week or so (Kyra's luckily only had a few minor cold symptoms that only lasted a brief time). Kyra's also been gradually transitioning to milk recently (later this week, she'll be at half milk/half formula combinations). Tomorrow we'll try switching her morning bottle to a sippy cup. Assuming it goes smoothly, there will be only the bedtime bottle left to switch to a cup. Wish us luck!

Kyra's also been working hard at trying to walk lately! She's not walking officially yet, but she's taking more and more series of steps at a time - I think the current record is 7 tiny baby steps one after another. I have no idea when she'll decide to take on walking as a her primary method of transportation, but it could be soon! She absolutely loves walking around with a hand on furniture or while holding Mommy or Daddy's hand. I'm selfishly not ready for her to be an official toddler, but I'd better hurry up and adjust to that change! Where did my little tiny baby go?

It's been a busy and exciting February, and we're looking forward to many fun things ahead in March! First up, Kyra will be attending the 2nd Birthday party for her friends Kyra and Dylan Roodsari (we had fun going to their 1st Birthday party last year when our Kyra was just 3 weeks old!), followed by a bumble bee-themed Birthday party for her cousins Izzy (turning 2) and Mia and Maddie (turning 6!!). Later in March, Kyra's BFF Natasha will turn 1, and we'll be celebrating at her party in early April! All these little ones are growing up so fast! We're also excited to be celebrating Kyra's "Auntie Joliene," who recently got engaged to Ron Anavim! Congratulations to Joliene and Ron! We couldn't be happier for you!

Have a wonderful March...is it Spring yet? We could use a little warmth and sunshine after all this cold and rainy weather!

Kyra's 1st Birthday Party!

2011-02-27T20:15:00.000-08:00

Our sweet little Birthday girl!

Grandma Linda & cousin Izzy

Kyra Roodsari, looking as cute as ever

The adorable Balice family

Erik, Geoff, & Zac

The absolutely precious Sophia Connerton & her Mommy Irini

The beautiful Miss Milan Mott!

Contemplating her cake...

Having fun

Trying her very first cake!

Learning about the wonderful world of SUGAR!

Kyra's BFF, Natasha Larson

The Larson Family

"Touchdown!" (one of Kyra's favorite hand gestures)

What a sweetie!

Dennis Kempke & his beautiful Granddaughter Hallie Ralston

Kyra playing with her friends

The adorable Roodsari Family

Braulio Bermudez & his little Lucas

Jake pushes Kyra's toy

The Birthday girl in her sweet Birthday dress, hand-sewn by Grandma Carol

Kyra playing with Grandma Linda, modeling her Mommy's 1st Birthday present for her Grandparents (the gold bracelet) that Grandma saved & gave to Kyra for her 1st Birthday

Kyra playing with her new friend, Sophia

Cuddling with Great-Grandma Lady

Kyra making her Great-Grandma Rene very happy!

Hallie Ralston playing with one of the party favors, a Valentine puppy

Kyra managed to share Grandpa's lap with cousin Peyton for some storytime

Playing with Grandma Carol & Great-Grandma Lady

Checking out "The Lady" with Peyton

Just over 2 weeks ago, Kyra had an amazing 1st Birthday party! It was filled with tons of friends and family, food, decorations, toys, and PRESENTS! Oh my goodness, you all brought so many fantastic presents! Although Kyra doesn't realize (and ssshhhh, don't tell her!), there are a few toys still packed away and waiting for her, since she's still a little small for certain items.

It was definitely Mommy and Daddy's first time throwing a kid's Birthday party - there was so much going on that we forgot to put Kyra's "1" candle on her Birthday cake, Mommy never got around to taking photos of the adorable decor and all the delicious Buca di Beppo food, and we didn't end up taking any specific family pictures. Oh well, we'll do much better in the future!

We had such a great time. Kyra was a little overwhelmed with all the people, so she was surprisingly clingy and tearful at times as opposed to her normally smiley, happy self. At first, she wasn't too thrilled about trying cake for the first time, but we managed to get a few bites in her and I think she ended up enjoying it. Kyra had a lot of fun playing with her friends, and was exhausted by the end of the day. So were her parents!

It's amazing to think that our baby girl is already 1 year old! We truly enjoyed her Birthday, and we can't wait to see what the future holds!

Thank you all for everything!

Kyra's 1st Birthday Dinner!

2011-02-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

"I'm 1 year old today!"

The Birthday girl has a fun night out at the Spaghetti Factory

Playing around with Mommy & Grandma Linda

Giving Grandma a "head bump"

She couldn't be any sweeter!

Mommy's little angel

Daddy's little girl!

All smiles for her Daddy

Thanks Rosemary Olson for this adorable Birthday party hat!

Kyra actually liked wearing the hat...briefly!

Trying ice cream for the first time...cold!

Her official 1st Birthday outfit...worn a couple days after her Birthday, due to a minor Birthday throw-up issue!

Kyra had a very exciting 1st Birthday dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Newport Beach! She was lucky enough to dine with her Mommy and Daddy, Grandma Carol, Grandpa Phil, and Grandma Linda. She had a very special outfit picked out and wore it throughout the day. Unfortunately, we were stuck in some stop-and-go traffic on the way to Orange County and Kyra must've been sucking on her finger...because she accidentally threw up a little during one of the sudden stop moments. Poor baby! On her Birthday! In her adorable "My First Birthday" onesie and pretty pink and black tutu! Fortunately, Kyra's Aunt Jen gave her a "Birthday Girl" onesie for Christmas and I had packed a spare pretty skirt, so Kyra still managed to have a cute Birthday outfit to wear out to dinner. We washed the original outfit and she was able to wear it later on during her Birthday weekend during a date with her Daddy.

Kyra loved her Birthday dinner - she was so playful and happy at the table, full of smiles and excited "touchdown" hand gestures (where she thrusts her hands up in the air like a referee verifying a touchdown in football). She got her first balloon animal, a butterfly, and loved watching the balloon lady form and shape the butterfly. For dessert, Kyra tried some vanilla ice cream for the first time. It was very cold and hard (it must've been straight out of the freezer, and it was taking forever to thaw and soften up), and she's not used to having anything nearly that cold, so she wasn't too interested in it. I think she liked the flavor but was a bit turned off by the cold.

The Spaghetti Factory is definitely one of our favorite places, so it was so much fun to take Kyra there for the first time. The first of many trips and the first of many Birthday dinners!

Kyra's 1st Birthday!

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Kyra wasn't too sure about the candle in her English muffin

Our beautiful little Kyra turned 1 year old last week! She started off her Birthday with an old Smith-family tradition - an English muffin with a Birthday candle in it! She didn't seem too sure about the whole idea, although she enjoyed her English muffin after the candle was blown out and removed. I'm really glad that I did the candle thing on the morning of her Birthday, seeing as how we got so busy with everything during her Birthday party that we actually forgot to put her Birthday candle into her cake! Oops! Well, at least we'll be a bit more prepared for her 2nd Birthday next year!

Reflecting On Kyra's 1st Year

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We can't believe it's already been a year since our beautiful little girl was born. Tomorrow (Friday, February 11th) at exactly 7:04am, she will turn 1 year old! This has been the most amazing experience of our lives, and we've spent a year being constantly fascinated by every new skill she picks up. We have learned so much in just a year, and there are still so many exciting times ahead of us.

The sleepless nights are over (thankfully), but we'll still cherish our memories of those early days. Kyra sure has kept us on our toes, between teething, trying new foods, learning to crawl and stand, and now, as she contemplates this whole walking thing...But it sure is fun trying to keep up with her. There is nothing better in life than the smile on her face or the giggles she gives us! We've played countless games of peek-a-boo (both with us hiding and, Kyra's personal favorite, Kyra hiding behind her blankie - the blankie she has become absolutely obsessed with and drags all over the house!), "this little piggy went to market," "I'm going to get you" (aka, The Chasing Game), and her new favorites, "Touchdown" (where Kyra throws her hands up in the air) and "Where's Your Beep?" (where she points at her belly button and we say "Beep!"). We know that there are hundreds of new games right around the corner. She's become a very attentive listener when it's time to read a bedtime story, and her favorite book for the last few months has been "What Floats?" Kyra enjoys "Yo Gabba Gabba" in the morning, and goes crazy for "Baby Signing Time" in the evening. She has even started signing a little bit - most recently, to ask for "milk."

We didn't fully understand how much love we would get from our little girl, and we still struggle to quantify the ever-growing amount of love we have for her. The best part of Daddy's day is when he gets to come home to a giddy, happy, smiley, bouncing Kyra who just wants to hug her Daddy. The best part of Mommy's day is, well, just about all of it! How do you narrow it down? Snuggling on the couch to watch "Yo Gabba Gabba" in the morning is pretty nice! Getting sweet little nose kisses from Kyra isn't bad either. One of Kyra's favorite daily activities is to go out for a stroller walk, and she also loves looking at her kitty cats! She loves her visits with Grandma Carol, Grandpa Phil, and Grandma Linda.

Our little girl has become quite accustomed to her Friday trips to our local mall, and she has made friends with various clerks and food service workers throughout the shops and restaurants. Kyra loves playing at the "Punctuation Station" and is getting very good at cruising around the equipment all by herself. We think her favorite restaurant is Qdoba, a Mexican place where she has enjoyed many cheese quesadillas. But she's also a big fan of Italian food, notably Buca di Beppo. She also tends to sneeze in three's, just like her Mommy (Kyra and Mommy both have a tendency to sneeze throughout the day for no reason, while Daddy rarely sneezes at all).

Last summer, Kyra really enjoyed her pool time with Daddy, and she already has a few bathing suits ready and waiting for the coming spring and summer months! Daddy really wanted to dunk Kyra last summer, but Mommy vetoed that idea. Daddy will more than likely accomplish his dunking goal this time around. Kyra has also enjoyed a few picnics around Marina Del Rey and at various parks around Los Angeles. This summer, we hope to introduce her to all the parks that Irvine has to offer. We have a big move ahead of us, and we're looking forward to Kyra growing up in such a wonderful area, and near so many friends and family.

Overall, we are boiling over with ever-growing love for our little girl and parenthood has been so much more fulfilling in this first year than we ever thought possible. Sure, we've had our challenges over the last 12 months. But now it's time to celebrate what a great year it's been and how much fun we're going to have with all that the future has in store for us. We love Kyra so much, and we are excited for everything that lies ahead!

Happy 1st Birthday to our baby girl!