Twice As Nice!

Grandpa Julio

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 22:13:00 +0000

Grandpa Julio came out to Florida to meet his newest granddaughter and to spend time with us. It was a fun visit!

Auntie Mariposa did this! Luckily, she thought it was hilarious!

Cool pic taken at sunset

A fire in the firepit we got for our wedding! Four years later, we finally inauguarated the thing!

Grandpa and Auntie hanging out

Grandpa and his girls!

This is a really great picture of Juan and Scarlett in the river. If you click on it you can see them.

Scarlett trying her hand at the bike pump

Grandpa on the bike ride!

Family from Florida!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:47:00 +0000

Auntie Mariposa and Uncle Sandro came out to visit. While they were here, Noni came by to see everyone!

Auntie Mariposa

Noni

Uncle Sandro

Sundays

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:43:00 +0000

Sundays are the best days to get pictures of our family in our finery!

So, so, so smiley all the time!

I just love these two pictures of the girls. Best friends, indeed!

Mommy and girls

Daddy and girls (Daddy was the only one not finished getting ready!!)

Growing every day!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 21:22:00 +0000

Well... it's the middle of September now, so summer's over and we are back to work and back to a normal, vacation-free existence. (I know, shucks!!) Juan went back to work a few weeks ago, and I was actually back in the middle of August. My job is really easy this year, a wonderful class with great students. I'm only working two days a week (for about four hours a time) which is perfect because I get to spend the rest of the time home with the girls. We've had no nursing or attachment issues from Savannah while I've been gone, too, which is great because I really worried about that.

Scarlett and Savannah are just two wonderful girls! Scarlett is speaking in long, full sentences now. So many that sometimes I get taken aback. I don't remember teaching her words that suddenly she'll have. On Friday she said, "Mommy, where is Daddy?" then she crinkled her nose and said, "No. Mommy, where are daddy?" So she has her "to be" verb pretty mixed up but I can't believe she can even recognize the difference between the forms! I guess the daughter of two english teachers has no choice but to be verbal. She's also starting to express her emotions-- "I'm really, really, really happy," she'll say. (Lots of "Reallys". All the time! For everything! Really!!) Or, "I'm really really mad!" I'm glad that she can recognize her moods and put words to them, hopefully the ability to express herself will curb some of her (ahem) natural tendency to act out physically. ("lovetaps" are Scarlett's specialty.) She, of course, still loves her sister to pieces. "I like her!" Scarlett will scream enthusiastically when I walk into the room with Savannah. She also gets very upset when the baby has to go down for a nap. "Wake baby up!"

Savannah is growing and changing so much. Still just as sweet as you could imagine. She's smiley, patient and talkative. I kept waiting for her fuss to kick in, but it never has. She just has a mellow, sweet personality. She can play in her exersaucer forever! She sits up really well now and eats rice cereal well. Tomorrow she's turning six months (aaaaawwww, it's gone by so fast!!) so we will start her on "solids." Only the green stuff for awhile. I went too fast on the fruits for Scarlett, and now she has a no-green policy. I think she'll army crawl soon too. She kicks her feet on the floor in the proper position, there's just no moving forward yet.

Here are some pictures of our lives this past August:

Hanging out in the rocker!

So excited to be in her car seat! I wish it was always like this!

Scarlett loves to hang out in her room and read her books! And we love it when she does!

Sweet Savs before she could sit up all the way. No more tripod for her now!

She is very excited about her rice cereal!

Hawaii (Maui week)

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 20:13:00 +0000

After Ko'Olina on Oahu we moved on to Kaanapali on Maui...

Ahh!! Marriott's Maui Ocean Club... our home away from home!

Every night on Kaanapali Beach has an amazing sunset!

Dinner in Lahaina

Scarlett had fun exploring the island... (Savannah was there too! She just didn't get to hike and climb as much!)

Hawaii (Oahu week)

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:36:00 +0000

Well, we took our annual trip to Hawaii! This time we went for two weeks (we squeezed into a studio for one of those weeks!) and it was fabulous! Hawaii is such a great place to go if you have little kids-- awesome pools and lots of family friendly entertainment. Scarlett had a great time and Savannah was just happy to be surrounded by her family at all times!

On the plane, ready to go! The plane ride was pretty easy. Savannah slept for a lot of it and Scarlett had her Dora and Kai-Lan DVD's to keep her entertained! This was Scarlett's seventh plane ride... I didn't go anywhere on a plane until I was nine and she's not even three!

On the shuttle bus to the rental car agency... happy to finally be in hawaii, even if it's on a shuttle bus!

What do you do as soon as you get into your hotel?? Head to the pool/beach!

One of the cool beach lagoons that front the resort we stayed at

Hiking the Manoa Falls trail... one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever been on! Juan had Scarlett on his shoulders, Savannah bjorned on his chest. we didn't quite make it to the falls because it started to rain... big big big buckets of rain. We had no rain gear and tried to run the mile or so back to the car, Juan protecting Savannah's head while Scarlett squealed in absolute glee.

We spent most of our days being lazy at the pool and beach... we kept Savannah kind of wrapped up but she didn't seem to mind!

We met up with maja and Susan while we were there...

And, of course, lots of hanging out in the room!

Isn't my baby just adorable?

On our last night we went to Waikiki to enjoy the views and have dinner.

Chloe's 3!!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 19:10:00 +0000

Well, this is old news now, but last month Chloe had her third birthday party and we were very excited to go! Scarlett was so excited that the night before she didn't want to go to bed, she wanted to go to the party! I tried to explain to her that the party was the next day and she said "no, party NOW" and cried. So we had a "mini" party, where I wrapped up one of her toys, sang her happy birthday and gave her a brownie. Needless to say, the actual party was a lot of fun. I love taht Scarlett can look forward to things now! Savannah had fun too, mostly just being passed around to lots and lots of people who want to give her loves!

Busy pool!

Mom and Alyssa with the twins

Juan holding a sleeping Savannah... tough job!

Shana makes the best cakes! I keep telling her she should turn it into a profession!

Uh oh... who let this happen?

Scarlett found some pretty cool sunglasses to wear!

Chloe and Scarlett love to hold hands!! They're so sweet (when they're not fighting over a toy!) We haven't hung out much lately because of vacations, but Scarlett really misses her. She says, "Where Coey go?" all the time!

June 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:48:00 +0000

Here are some updates:
Savannah is now 3 1/2 months old. She is still sleeping through the night!!! She falls asleep around ten and wakes up again around six to eat, and then falls back asleep until around nine or so. I don't know when this gravy train is going to end, since she's had this routine for about two months now. She's eating very well, and is generally a super content, smiley baby. She has a few more moments of crabbiness than she used to, but still, not that much! She likes to sit in her bumbo and on her play mat, but not for too long. This is a baby who wants to be HELD all the time!!

Scarlett will be 2 1/2 in August. She is feisty, funny and sometimes a little bit bratty. (But we love her anyway) She's talking up a storm and says the funniest things: yesterday I was taking her to timeout and she said, "No way, Mommy!" Very hard not to laugh! She could use some help on her pronunciation, though. For example, "Mac n cheese" comes out "applecheese" and pillow is "pittow". Savannah is "shashanna." We took her to the dentist for the first time and she has a little bit of an overbite from her pacifier, but the dentist said that it will shift back once the paci is gone. So... yes, we pulled the plug. (Haha) I'm not so heartless that she can't have it at nighttime, but we are on a strict no daytime plug policy. Scarlett is NOT liking this change of events and we've had quite a few time outs while we wait for her to get used to the idea. She finished three rounds of gymnastics and we've moved on to swim lessons. Her teacher is very impressed and has already graduated her to the next class. When we get back from hawaii next month, her teacher wants to bump her up even higher. Right now she can swim five feet underwater by herself. She's quite the little fish! The only problem is that she gets so excited underwater that she opens up her mouth to smile and ends up swallowing a lot of the water.

Juan is off work for the summer, and doesn't go back until the day after labor day. So far we've been doing projects around the house and entertaining the kids, with a quick trip to San Francisco thrown in. Right now we're busy getting ready for our two weeks in Hawaii. I go back to work August 17th (I think, I should probably clarify that :) ) but only Tues/Thurs for around four hours a day. I'm glad that my schedule is light because I will miss being home.

So that's what's going on with us! Sorry for the random order of the pictures, organizing is my least favorite thing to do!! :) This is basically how our June has been-- hanging out at the house and enjoying Savannah's smiles and Scarlett's silliness!!

Movin' and Shakin'

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:21:00 +0000

Scarlett's a hula girl!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 21:01:00 +0000

My parents brought Scarlett a hula outfit home from Hawaii... she wears it ALL the time!!

mommy' s makeup is awesome!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:49:00 +0000

One of Scarlett's favorite pasttimes is to play with my makeup. Usually I keep it out of her reach, but one morning I forgot... This is what I found... she's crying because she saw herself in the mirror, not because I punished her!

Scarlett and Savannah

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:42:00 +0000

I'm constantly trying to get a good picture of these two together!
px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_7P7odoI3XXA/ShmyD20I0vI/AAAAAAAABrA/ojjlg7QIrJI/s320/020.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339494612547982066" />
Savannah had just farted here, which Scarlett thinks is hilarious!!

I tried to get Scarlett to pose next to Savannah in her bumbo-- Scarlett wasn't into it until I said "go sit in your princess chair!" But, by the time she'd dragged it over, Savannah was over it!

Whole Earth Festival

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:37:00 +0000

The Whole Earth Festival is a hippie festival in Davis that Juan and I try to go to every year. There's free music and lots of stuff to do and see, but we mostly like to people watch the hippies!! Scarlett loves it, especially the kid's area. Savannah was there too, but she slept in her stroller most of the day!!

She's already pretty Savvy!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:31:00 +0000

Some various Savannah facts (at 9 weeks old):
1. She loves to smile, but you have to work for it a little bit.
2. She sleeps the WHOLE NIGHT THROUGH, but has to be swaddled tight. She eats around five and would fall back asleep but usally her big sister's waking up right around then!
3. She kicks her legs and arms when she sees something that excites her.
4. Her whole family loves her very, very, very much!!!

Scarlett and Chloe

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sun, 24 May 2009 20:27:00 +0000

A few weeks ago, I watched Chloe while Shana did her half marathon. The girls had a great time playing together (and destroying the house!) They love each other so much! I can't wait until they're older and they can look at all the pictures they have together and realize that they've been best friends since they were babies!

Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:12:00 +0000

Savannah's starting to hold her head up a little! When she's on her tummy, she can make it ninety degrees!

Siblings

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:10:00 +0000

Scarlett can no longer claim only child status... but I don't think she minds!

Our Silly Scarlett

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sat, 02 May 2009 22:06:00 +0000

Being a 2 yr old is all about having fun...

Scarlett put this outfit together herself!! She came out of her room wearing it and we just thought it was hilarious... she looks like a little Cuban boy!

Our sweet Savannah

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:57:00 +0000

I know I need to stop bragging about this... (because I may be jinxing myself!) but Savannah is still a wonderful, easy peasy baby. She's awake a lot more these days, but her fuss level hasn't gone up. She likes to look around and loves the monkeys above her swing. She's starting to smile, but way to infrequently for me to be able to get a picture. Hopefully that will come soon! Some days are hard, but for the most part, everything just feels so right and perfect now!

Helping Daddy Cook!

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Sat, 02 May 2009 21:54:00 +0000

With a dad like Juan, Scarlett's going to be a master chef in no time! She loves to drag her chair over and grab her plastic knife whenever Juan heads into the kitchen. And it's all so much more fun when you're wearing a princess skirt!

Just some pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:05:00 +0000

Both girls sleeping in the car... oh, if it was only always this peaceful!

I love these two pictures of Scarlett. She is my pretty, pretty girl!!!

Gymnastics

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:01:00 +0000

if you've already seen Shana's blog, then you've seen Chloe's gymnastics pictures. Scarlett's in the same class (but on a different day) and she loves it, loves it, loves it! She's pretty good at it, too!! Juan's had to take her lately because I've been home with the baby, and I actually miss seeing her there! Hopefully I can pick up soon!

Easter Egg Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:55:00 +0000

On Easter, we had an easter egg hunt at my parent's house. Scarlett thought it was pretty awesome, especially since the eggs at m and m's inside!! She was COVERED in chocolate and we had to seriously brush her teeth before bed. It was a beautiful spring day and the easter dresses next to the green grass just turned out beautiful! I usually don't like spring (allergies, too hot to hang outside, too cold to go swimming, etc) but this one I am enjoying! Probably because I've been cooped up for so long!

Update... and Savannah pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 14:42:00 +0000

Here's an update on the newest Valdes (who turned 4 weeks old on Saturday): Savannah is a wonderful, wonderful baby!! We thought we had gotten lucky with Scarlett (who was very easy) but so far Savannah is even better than she was. She does not fuss very much, only when she's hungry, and who can blame her for that? She nurses extremely well and doesn't mind when her big sister goes investigating her. But the most important question... how does she sleep? So far very, very well! I'm probably averaging 7-8 hrs a night total, which isn't bad for a newborn! If only Scarlett weren't such an early riser (6:30 AM is sleeping in for her) then I'd probably get around nine hours every night! Oh, I know this can all change in the blink of an eye, but I'm happy at where we are so far.
As for the big sister, Scarlett loves Savannah so much. We just got a new car and the two carseats ended up next to eachother. (I like having Savannah's car seat in the middle rather than on the side.) Scarlett always has to hold "Sissy's" hand when we're driving. And just now, she ran up to me with a very concerned expression and said, "Where baby?" because Savannah's sleeping in her baby seat and not in her swing where she usually sleeps. She definitely pushed the limits when we first came back from the hospital--- did lots of stuff she knows she's not supposed to do with a "what are you going to do about it?" look on her face. But that has pretty much faded, and now we're finally achieving a routine. Scarlett's still two-- there's no perfect child here, but she loves her sister and that's the most important thing!

some pictures

noreply@blogger.com (Cari) — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 20:39:00 +0000

Our other memory card has better pictures... but in the meantime, I thought I'd post some from Savannah's first two weeks. She's getting so big already and is such a GOOD BABY. She's sleeping awesome and nursing like a pro. She doesn't seem to fuss that much yet, but I know she's new, so I can't count on anything!! Scarlett is just so in love with her. She always asks "where the baby go?" when she doesn't see her. Of course, there's a little bit of aggression directed at US, but at least she's sweet and loving with the baby! Things are looking UP around here for sure! The first two weeks were a little rough, trying to get Scarlett acclimated and nursing down. But I think we're on a good streak and that it will only continue!!