One of the best inventions!

Thank you Babies R Us for putting this in the bathroom -- wow. I had such a lovely time washing my hands. She was a little unsure at first, but I loved it!

June and July

We began summer activities at Liberty Park -- we love this area! This was our first time, and the girls were in heaven!

This baby LOVES to eat apples this way:

Sadly, we only got video of Budgie's first birthday, so here's a picture of her as a one year old, doing what she loves -- taking steps with assistance (she did take her first real steps a week later in Woodside):

After her birthday, we headed to beautiful Woodside, CA to celebrate my Mom's birthday -- here we are waiting to surprise her. She was definitely surprised! It was a magical time for all the siblings to be together in such an amazing place:

Eating s'mores in the outside fireplace:

Nakey time with a cousin and rocks -- does it get any better?

Pool time -- the wagon was our preferred mode of transportation as the pool was quite a distance for little legs from where we were staying:

Stanford campus -- this is a very cool display at the GSB, near Grandpa's office:

Top of Hoover Tower -- you can see Aunt Peelo's future dorm in this pic:

Time at the Claw fountain (outside the bookstore) -- Rainey and her cousin are playing with the water, and Budgie is going as fast as she can to get there before I can catch her:

After a marvelous 12 days in Woodside, we saw Grandma and Papa in southern California for a few days -- these bubbles were a hit with the girls and their cousin:

They always love time in the swings:


We actually got a day at the beach, even though the weather wasn't great and we didn't bring our suits -- this was their first time to really be able to play in the sand and the waves:

After playing in the waves -- one of them caught us off guard and soaked us both. She loved the waves, but was pretty cold after:

The only 2 shots from the 4th of July

I found her like this in her room -- I often find her asleep on the floor when I check on her after her "rest/quiet time" is up. Notice the pink scarf, which is her Rapunzel hair.

This is after our BBQ -- she had the time of her life, crawling all around outside, playing in the dirt and rocks. What a face -- this picture doesn't quite capture the filth:

Kevin and I are off on our trip in a few days. We will be without the girls -- our first one, just us. There are no words to describe our excitement! Thanks to Kevin's parents who are going to hold down the fort for a week.

Best Buds

These two girls have such a good time together. This morning, Rainey took Budgie into the playroom and shut the door -- they just wanted to be together. I loved it -- I was able to clean the kitchen without any interruptions.

This is the preferred mode of transportation (surprisingly Budgie tolerates it):

Rainey loves to drink side by side -- this happens almost on a daily basis:

They both are CRAZY about their Dad:

Matching outfits -- always a favorite:

Playground time -- I love these happy faces:

Swings -- Rainey loves to give her "underdogs":

The "Tower" -- the blue scarf is Rapunzel's hair, of course. And Pascal is in green, naturally:

I love this sequence -- they make each other laugh:

Pushing in a baby stroller:

I love these two sweet and very busy girls! Their friendship is so fun to watch.