March Happenings

Alisha says: As usual we were on the go in March doing a lot of fun things. 

We like to try out different parks around the valley. This month we tried out Tumbleweed Park which has a huge covered farm themed play structure and Freestone Park that has a few little rides. She got to ride a carousel and a little train.

Dave got to see a little desert turtle on his bike ride. The snakes are definitely out not but luckily neither of us has seen any of those yet.

Since we have a membership to the Children's Museum we usually try to go once a week or so. They had a special toddler water activity that she had a lot of fun playing at. 

Falcon Field had a community event where they had a lot of planes, helicopters and other aviation things to go look at. Skye know what an airplane is. We get a lot of airplanes that fly over our house and so whenever she hears one she looks up in the sky and will point to it if she can see it. 

We spent a few Saturday afternoons at the Val Vista beach pool. It is perfect for the little ones. It is shallow and they can play in the sand.

Dave and I both got to go to a Cubs spring training baseball game (although not at the same time). Dave went with his dad and grandparents and then I got to go with Christine and her grandparents.

Love is in the Air

Alisha says: We all had a wonderful time at Lindsay and Kyle's wedding. Lindsay is David's cousin. The wedding took place in Florence with an outdoor ceremony followed by dinner in an amazing old barn. After dinner there was dancing and many family members were busting some moves that we didn't know they had. Dave and I even tried dancing for a few songs which was both fun and a little embarrassing. The bride and groom looked stunning and it was so fun to get to share their special day with them.

 Christine's girls were the Flower Girls

Spring Break

Dave says: For spring break we headed west with our recently purchased trailer for our first big camping trip in it. We spent two nights in the mountains outside of San Diego near the town of Julian where we did a bit of hiking and had some pie.

Then, it was on to San Diego where the adventure continued. The weather was overcast and a little chilly in Julian but the sun was out in San Diego and the weather was perfect. We stayed at Campland which is right on Mission Bay and had bike paths in both directions going out of the campground. We did lots of fun loops around Mission Bay and to the beach. Our little girl has a good time riding along and looking around. She's got her little helmet and sun glasses and sometimes gives me a little squeeze with her feet when she wants me to go faster.

She played for a long time on the beach. She enjoyed not only the sand but also the old disgusting seaweed and little pieces of junk.

The trailer was a nice little home for us. We even got a tv wired up and figured out how to plug in the tablet to watch movies. The fun new movie for this trip was Moana. The top bunk is the perfect place for the whole family to have a rest after a big day. Skye mostly slept in her pack and play although she was up pretty early and ready to see mom and dad.

The campground had heated pools and spas. Skye loves the water and so we visited the pool every day.

At La Jolla Cove, we saw some nice beach cliff views and also some sea lions up close and personal on the rocks. Skye loves the wildlife including the sea lions and birds. At the aquarium, she really liked looking at all the fish. There was one room with a huge tank that she ran around in for a long time.

We also checked out the flower gardens to the north side of San Diego. Only part of the field was blooming but the fields were still really pretty. There was also a nice big playground for a picnic lunch and to let Skye play with (near) other little kids.

We also went to Balboa Park which is one of my favorite city parks anywhere. Somehow this is the only picture from that visit that made it into the blog. It was a warm afternoon and we had some ice cream on the grass.

We were back on the bikes for more adventure on the last day. We covered a lot of ground and stopped every once in awhile to let Skye out to play. We also visited a doughnut shop on this ride for some extra energy. This was a great spring trip and we only scratched the surface of all the things to do in this area. No doubt we'll be back again very soon.

16 Months - Officially a Walker

Alisha says: We officially have a walker on our hands! I am going to put down March 2nd as her official walking day. She had been taking a few steps for a while before that but this is when she really started going much longer distances by herself and without being bribed with some type of food. She figured it out on her own timetable and was even a bit stubborn at times. 

She also is getting really good at signing a few words (not speaking them though, again with the whole her own timetable thing). She signs "more" "drink" and "finished" regularly.

One of the things she does the very best though is going down for a nap or to bed at night. Her routine is pajama time, teeth brushing (she's not a big fan), story time, bottle and then she's still awake when we put her in her crib but she lays down and falls asleep without crying. She usually will sleep from 7 until 6 and then she likes to wake up and we bring her into our bed for some morning snuggle time. Her comfort items are still her thumb and pinching the soft skin of either her own neck or my neck if I'm holding her. She is a lot of fun and we love her lots!

 Caught with her finger up her nose, at one point she had a finger up both nostrils.

As her hair is getting longer she is getting some great after nap/bed hair.

Prime Time Hiking in Arizona

Dave says: February is a great time for hiking in Arizona. Usually I bike Pass Mountain but we got out with a big group for a Sunday morning hike that was a lot of fun. The day was slightly overcast and the temperature was perfect. We went around the back side to where you get some good views of the Goldfield mountains. Skye was a good hiker and is pictured below playing with her pine cone that I've attached to the pack with a shoelace.

On my birthday, we did a morning hike up Lone Mountain. It is one of the lesser known hikes in the area but the 360 views from the top are great. Carrying our little girl up this trail is always a workout.

Finally, we tried out a new hike in the Superstitions on the massacre grounds trail. It's a beautiful trail with an ominous history that is just over five miles total and ends in this nice small waterfall. The wildflowers were just starting to come out when we did this hike. This one had great views as well.

Making Progress

Alisha says: We are not quite there but we are making progress in the walking department. She will take about three steps on her own before she sits or falls down. Dave has her practicing a few times a day and once again will try to bribe her with little treats placed on the other side of the room.