Kyra & Daddy

I love taking pictures of Kyra and her Daddy when we're out and about. I should probably have Geoff get me in a few more photos here and there, but I enjoy taking and looking at pictures on my cell phone. And Kyra and Geoff are so cute together! Last night, we took Kyra for a ride on the "neigh neighs" at South Coast Plaza. We discovered a new ride there that's been there all along: the escalators! Last night, Kyra realized that she LOVES going up and down on escalators! And we didn't have to buy a ticket for that ride!

Today, the three of us had a lot of fun strolling around Fashion Island. I love having so many places to go that are fun and easy to get to! And free parking isn't bad either! Those are definitely some advantages to life in Orange County, versus our traffic-filled/expensive parking life in LA. 

 South Coast Plaza merry-go-round

 Kyra now LOVES going up and down on escalators!

 Checking out the koi pond at Fashion Island today.

 Kyra LOVES playing on/near fountains!

 Playing with a light pole. Easy entertainment!

 Playing near yet another fountain!

Mommy-Daughter Day!

I had the day off from work on Friday, so Kyra and I went out for a fun Mommy-Daughter trip to the Irvine Spectrum!  We did our usual tour around Target, then we were off to the "neigh neighs," followed by lunch at Ruby's Diner. For a change of pace, Kyra decided that she wanted to get soaked in the splash pad! Luckily it was warm enough! She and I had a great time!

 Enjoying another car trip while facing forward!

 Doing what she calls her "hand dance" while listening to Madonna

For this ride on the "neigh neighs," Kyra wanted to ride on a panda bear 

 Waiting for the ride to start

 What a sweetheart!

 Self-portrait of us...not bad, considering that I couldn't see what image I was capturing

Another cute self-portrait 

 Enjoying one of the fountains

 Lunch at Ruby's...Kyra is still addicted to Grilled Cheese!

 Kyra loves to wave at me and say "Hi Mommy!"

Kicking a basketball back-and-forth with a Harlem Globetroller, the first female they've had on the team in 19 years!

 Maybe Kyra will play basketball when she grows up?

 She finally asked to wear her sunglasses!

 She happily wore her Paul Frank/Julius monkey sunglasses for a long walk around the Spectrum!

 Maybe she'll finally want to wear her sunglasses without constantly yanking them off her face!

 Such a little California girl! Short sleeves and boots in February! Even though the weather was fairly warm for February, I put the boots on her so that she gets some more use out of them before she grows out of them.

 Ready for the splash pad!

 Venturing out into the water

 Her hands stayed in that raised/cautious position for quite a while!

 Kyra decided she liked the center of the circular splash pad the best! 

 It didn't take long for her entire lower body to be soaking wet!

 Such a happy girl! She LOVED it!

 

 

 She was squealing and bouncing and giggling a lot!

 

 I think she's ready for a water-filled summer in the sun!

 On the way home, playing with her sunglasses while once again listening to Madonna (upon her request)

Two-Year Check Up

Kyra had her two-year well check at the doctor yesterday. She's now 34.5 inches tall (just under 3 feet tall), putting her in the 86th percentile for height! She's still definitely tall for her age! As for her weight...well, we have to sort of estimate that one, since you-know-who was a bit too scared (to say the least) to get on the big scale at the doctor's office! We tried, but after multiple scream-filled attempts, we decided it wasn't necessary. Kyra loves to play on our bathroom scale at home, which has been measuring her weight at around 26.5 pounds this week. With doctors office scales usually being higher by a pound or two, we're guessing that her weight is around 27.5 pounds. The doctor seemed to think that was about right. That weight would put Kyra at around the 70th percentile. She's got all of her teeth except for her final 2-year molars. Those probably won't be fun when they eventually begin breaking through...

Other than getting on the scale (or, should I say, NOT getting on the scale), Kyra did pretty well at her appointment and actually had a full conversation with the doctor, telling her all about the toys she was playing with, the fact that she has just turned 2 years old, and that she had a big Birthday party with monkeys and cupcakes, and that she made a wish before blowing out her candle! And she even pretended to blow out a candle! We were pretty impressed and surprised, since Kyra hasn't usually been so bubbly and talkative with people she's not too familiar with. So that must be a good sign that she at least likes her doctor...Well, she likes her...except when it comes time for the doctor's physical examination and teeth inspection! That part wasn't so great, but it was over quickly. Surprisingly, Kyra didn't mind it when the doctor looked inside her ears.

Kyra's big treat this week has been her new forward-facing car seat position! We turned her car seats around, and it's suddenly like a whole new world out there for her! She gets so excited to ride in the car, each time mentioning that she gets to be "facin' foe-wad." It's pretty cute! Over the last couple days, she's been requesting (well, demanding, really) to listen to Madonna in Mommy's car. Lucky for her (and me), I just happened to have a Madonna CD in the car already, so she's been bopping around in her seat to the music. It's really fun to watch her in my rear-view mirror when we're stopped at a stoplight. Yesterday she told me, "Madonna is good music. I like this song!" There was more to what she said, but I was driving and had a hard time remembering it all word-for-word. But she just kept going on and on about her love for Madonna music...and I couldn't have been more proud!

Ice cream on Valentine's Day! Ben & Jerry's was giving out free ice cream, so we figured it would be a great opportunity to take Kyra!

Can you tell that she liked it?!

Playing on one of the docks on Balboa Island...One of Kyra's favorite weekly activities!

Checking out the scenery from her new forward-facing car seat position! She LOVES it!

A quiet, snuggled moment!