Surprise Parties!

Cali and I went to 2 surprise parties today!  

The first was a wedding shower for Eric and Allison (the same couple who had a shower yesterday).  Only this one was a surprise.  Somehow the entire church was in on it and no one said anything!  It was great when they made the announcement at church and Eric and Allison had no idea!  How we kept that secret I will never know!

Our second party was a surprise 80th Birthday for Nick's Grannie!  She is an amazingly sweet woman who raised 5 wonderful children, the oldest of which is Nick's mom.  This is Grannie once she walked in the door, she didn't know what to say, it was so precious!

Cali had fun showing off for everyone.  She got to meet lots of extended family for the first time.  It was great to show her off to all the people that came to our baby shower 18 months ago!  Cali also had fun playing with her toddler cousins.  I can't wait till Christmas - it will be pure chaos!

Here she is with Uncle Andy.

Aunt Jen-Jen and Cousin Leigha

Once Uncle Andy showed her the balloons it was over. 

She bribed her Great-Aunt Pam to give her one.   She then ran all over the room with it.  

We unfortunately lost it on the way to the car.  You can imagine Cali's reaction, it wasn't pretty.

After Cali concluded her social appearances, we came home to rest and play.

Centerpieces

Cali and I went to a wedding shower today for our friends Eric and Allison.  Nick will be a groomsman in their wedding in September.  There were a bunch of people there so they had a TON of presents to open.

Cali showed off for everyone the whole time!  She kept walking in front of the crowd and smiling at everyone.  I did get her slowed down long enough to have a snack.  

After snack she stole a centerpiece.  Here she is running off with her prize!

She loved the balloons. 

17 Months Old!

Cali is 17 months old today.  She is so full of life these days!  She has such a sweet personality.  It is such a blessing to be a part of her life and watch as she learns new things and experiences life.

17 Month Stats:

• Walks, runs, climbs
• Loves to twirl and dance
• Loves to walk backwards
• Loves to play outside - she will point on the door and say "Go!"  if you aren't paying attention she will bring you your shoes and say "Go!"
• Favorite foods: MILK! pasta, cheese, peas, green beans, carrots, cookies, fruit, ground beef
• Sleeps from 7:30pm - 8:30am, takes a 1.5-2 hour nap
• Has figured out how to make her toys work instead of just playing with them.  Example:  put the block in the square hole rather than just play with the shapes.
• Wears size 5 shoe, 18 month clothes and size 3 diapers
• Likes to pet Harley & Jack
• Will blow you a kiss 
• Is playing with other kids instead playing next to other kids, solo play
• Loves to read books
• Words: Mama, Dada, go, dog, bye-bye, no

Family Portraits

Last week we got my whole side of the family together for some family portraits.  It was very entertaining with 2 toddlers and a 6 year old!

Here are some of my favorites.

Cali 16.5 months

The Vitkus, Tomczak and Jordan Family

The Jordan Family

Trying to get the 3 kids together - it didn't work

Michael's face is so cute, he was tired of getting his picture taken.  

New Toys

We have neighbors that used to run a daycare out of there home.  Their kids have grown up making the toys in their yard lonely.   They were nice enough to give Cali a police car and wagon.  She loves them!

The police car

The wagon

Cali and I like to walk around our block with the wagon.  As we walk Cali moves from the back seat to...

The middle seat to ...

The front seat

I try to stop when she moves but sometimes she is too fast!

She mostly likes to get in and out of the police car.  We are working on her driving skills!

Tim's Birthday

We celebrated Tim's birthday this past week.  It seems like everyone in our family has a birthday from June to August! 

While Tim opened presents the toddlers played.  I don't know why Cali was lying on the floor.

Grandma went in for a closer look.

Grandpa and Michael playing with a toy together.

Kimmie and Cali dancing!  It was adorable.

Slide

Cali has been loving trips to our local park.  It is only a .5 mile walk from our house so we go a couple times a week.  Cali's favorite part are the slides!

I just love the black and white photos of her!  They just capture her so well!

On this particular day my parents camp to play too!  They were able to see Cali in action.  She is fearless and just starting to dive head first down the slide!

 The family at the park.

** I forgot to post earlier, but we head back from the Dr. and Cali's heart is just fine!  The Heart Echo came back normal.   God is good!

Pool Fun

Last weekend Cali got to play in a pool with her cousin Leigha!  They had a great time splashing and going down the slide.

The bucket was a big hit.

Cali loved to run between the pool and the car.

Adorable

Tips for taking a baby to Disney

Here are a few tips that we learned from taking our 10 month old to Disney in January 2010.

• Stroller: Take a good stroller with you. The baby will spend a lot of time in it. Make sure it has storage bins so you don't have to carry the diaper bag around. It is also helpful to carry all your souveniers too!
• Baby Care Centers: All the 4 major parks have Baby Care Centers. Use them! They provide a quiet place to nurse, feed, nap and change diapers.
• Layers: It may be Florida but inside the attractions can get cold. We went in January and it snowed!
• Parades not Fireworks: Make sure you time your day so you can see the parades. Disney does a great job with these. Our daughter loved them! Skip the fireworks and put the baby to bed. The fireworks are loud, late in the evening and it is worth having a well rested baby for tomorrow.
• Naps: Make time for your baby to nap. Whether it is in the stroller, in the Baby Center or under a tree in Dad's arms. There is no ride worth a cranky baby.
• Fast Passes: Decide what 3-4 rides are the most important to you and get fast passes for them. This drastically reduces your wait time. A 45 minute wait can be cut down to 10 minutes and with a baby that is a BIG difference!
• Hotel: Stay on the property. What you may save per night on the room you will loose in travel time and parking fees. All the on property resorts have buses that will take you wherever you want to go. *Be prepared that you will have to fold the stroller for the bus ride. We stayed at the Shades of Green Resort - awesome!
• Snacks: Bring lots of snacks to entertain the baby while you are walking around, shopping or waiting in lines. Cali's favorites were Cheerios and Puffs.
• Food: It is expensive to eat in Disney. We budgeted $50 a day for the 3 of us and it wasn't enough. Eat breakfast at your hotel to save money and bring food and snacks with you. We brought pop tarts with us.
• Pace: Do not spend the extra money for the Park Hopper tickets. One park a day is enough when carting around young children. Expect to only have time to hit 3-5 rides per day. When you figure in naps, eating, walking, travel to the park, and waiting in line 3-5 rides is about all you can fit in.
• Sleeping: Sleeping in hotel rooms can be difficult. Bring whatever comforts of home will help baby sleep: mobile, soother, radio, fan, blanket, etc. Also call the hotel ahead of time to get a crib put in your room. Our little one had a horrible time sleeping and ended up sleeping in the bed with me.

Cali's New Trick

Nick and Cali have gone to the park a couple days this week.  Friday Cali learned that she could go down the slide all by herself!

I love her face at the end.  She is so proud of herself!

Happy 4th of July!!!

Cali in her 4th of July outfit!  She looked so cute at church today!