A Grand Weekend

This weekend was grand indeed, as Vita's Grandpa Vito and Grandma Marianne came up from LA for a visit. It didn't take long at all for Vita to warm right up. After about 5 minutes of being just a little bit shy, Vita was talking to her grandparents, sharing her toys, and climbing up on their laps. Of course they came bearing gifts... including practical things (like diapers) and toys. This stuffed dog from a good family friend was a big hit. Vita loves doggies! After a few hours with lots of extra attention (and a little bit of a cold), Vita started to get soooo sleeeeepy. Vita went to bed early, but didn't end up staying asleep very long, and was up a lot that night. Nevertheless, Vita was ready and rearing to go early the next morning. We decided to take a walk to a really nice neighborhood that has beautiful Victorian homes with incredible gardens, and a nice park at the end of the street. The walk was lovely, and for a while Vita was content either being held, or holding her grandparents hands as she walked down the street. Pretty soon, Vita tried to make a break for it, and we had to scoop her back up and hold on to her until we got to the park. She was quite a handful! Once at the park, Vita ran and ran and ran and ran... I don't know where she gets the energy. After a good run in the grassy field, we headed over to the playground for some time in swings, and the slides. This never gets old. Then we stopped and posed for a family shot and a mother-daughter shot. Darn... we forgot to take a mother daughter grand-daughter shot. With all the pictures we took I can't believe we forgot that one.

Back at home we had a nice time doing absolutely nothing... other than lounging in the backyard, playing in the sandbox, eating dinner, and reading books. We had a wonderful visit, and Vita seemed really sad to have to say goodbye on Sunday.

Sunday on the Lake

Today was a beautiful sunny Sunday, with no errands to run and no particular plans... so we made the best of it by heading down to Monterey's "Dennis the Menace Park". The park has a hedge maze, a train, an impressive playground, and a lake with lots of ducks, geese and seagulls. We took Vita out on one of those peddle boats. Here's Vita, all set for the boat ride. Vita loved getting a closer look at all the ducks, geese and birds. She also helped us pedal and steer the boat. After the boat ride we sat under a big tree and had a snack before heading back into town. I'm really looking forward to this summer. There are so many things that Vita will enjoy more now that's she's a little older (like the beach). I can't believe it's practically May. Vita's second year is flying by!

Easter, part 2

As you've already seen from the previous post, Vita woke up on Easter morning... put on a pretty dress, and discovered an Easter basket on the floor in the living room! The Easter basket was comprised entirely of things given to Vita last Easter (that she had since forgotten about) and things we had to get Vita anyway, like new shoes. Yet, it was a huge success and was greeted with shrieks of joy and excited giggles. I love this shot of Vita surrounded by her Easter things, with the sunlight on her curls and the nape of her neck. So pretty. Then, Vita staged her own little Easter parade, walking in circles through the living room and dining room with her Easter basket. Next, Vita changed into another pretty dress and we headed down to the Boardwalk to take Vita on the merry go round for the first time. When we're out and about on the town, Vita likes to walk on her own (rather than be carried) but when we are in a crowd or near a street, Vita allows us to hold her hand. In line for the ride, Vita checks out all the horses. She enjoyed the ride, although she maintained a look of concern on her face.

Back out on the Boardwalk, Vita was quite insistent about walking on her own. There were so many people and rides, and dogs, and the beach, and other kids to see... she was on information overload and she tried to make a break for it a couple of times.

After a nice long nap at home, we went out into the backyard to find that the Easter Bunny had hidden some eggs on the lawn.

Here's another one!

And there's more over there!

Go get it Vita!

Vita found all the eggs, but not before some blue jays had taken the organic treats out of some of them. Finally, when Vita sat in my lap to examine some of the eggs, this was what I saw when I looked down, and I really love the look of the dress, the eyelet, the shiny red shoes, and the green grass.

It wasn't until bedtime (my normal blogging time) that Ernie and Vita both weren't feeling well. Anyway, everyone is fine now, and a great Easter was had by all.

Easter, part 1

I have a sick husband and baby to take care of... so here is just one Easter photo, as a placeholder, to tide you over until I can post the rest of it. More to come perhaps tomorrow night?

a Day on the Bay

The other day we headed up past San Francisco to a place called the Bay Area Children's Discovery Museum. We stopped on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge for pictures. The museum was a lot of fun, and had so many things that were perfect for toddlers. Naturally, the battery on my camera died, so we had to rely on Ernie's cell phone for pictures and we didn't end up taking nearly as many as we should have. Here's Vita on a little water bed type thing, with walls of bubbles and real fish swimming around up on top. Vita was really into the fish, as you can see. But she also had a lot of fun trying to balance and walk on the squishy water mat. There was a play stream outside with play frogs and fish and things, and a whole bunch of little kids splashing around making a huge mess, with big smiles on their faces. This fish moves around if you turn a wheel. Vita also got a good look at some beautiful California Poppy's.

In other news, we had a big milestone this weekend. Ernie and I went out to a party... and Vita stayed home with a babysitter! It's amazing to me that it has taken us so long to do this. But Vita gets plenty of time with other care providers at daycare, and after she was so sick as a baby we decided we wanted to wait until she was a year old because we just weren't ready. So we started looking for a sitter back in December, and met or corresponded with a bunch of complete flakes! Anyway, we finally found someone who is a licensed child care provider, has been through all the background checks, and that Vita loves. What a relief!