Happy Anniversary!

Happy 7th Anniversary to my wonderful husband. It just keeps getting better.

Bammie and Pa Come to Long Beach

Mark and I were talking and thought his parents should come up to see us again before the summer ended. We were running out of weekends so Mark called them up and said "How about this weekend?" Without hesitation, they said "Sure!" They arrived five days later and we had a great beach weekend. We spent two full days relaxing on the beach, swimming in the ocean and collecting sea shells. Dina, Rich and the boys joined us both days and as an extra special treat, my mom even made an appearance. In the ten years we have been together, Mark has never seen my mom and the beach. She loves boasting about how great the beach and boardwalk are, but doesn't actually like to go to the beach herself. But, she loves the Murphys and wanted to spend time with them so she found her best sun hat and made the trip. Dina and I were a little stunned, so we followed her around with our cameras documenting her every move because we can't predict when we will see her at the beach again. While we were following my mom around like the paparazzi, Lyla was taking a nice two hour nap on Bammie. Doesn't Bammie look just plain miserable "stuck" with Lyla on her? Both families went out to dinner on Sunday night at Jordan's, a casual yet pricey lobster bar where you order from a takeout window and eat at picnic tables. It was a beautiful night and we all had a great time. Lyla doing her best "deer in headlights" impression. BTW, how pretty is the sunset behind them? Lyla showed us how she can hold her own bottle. And then passed out from working so hard.

Lyla Loves Oatmeal

Lyla started eating oatmeal recently and boy does she love it. Other than her very first bite, after which she looked totally perplexed, she savors each and every spoonful. When she watches me make it, she starts to shake in delight and squeals in anticipation. She opens her mouth so wide, slurps it up, and immediately starts to look for the next bite. If I don't get it to her fast enough, she starts to reach for the spoon or the bowl. If she feels this way about oatmeal, how is she going to feel about chocolate? Come on mom, you can go faster than that. OK, I'm ready for more.

American Idols Live

I'm a little behind on my blogging because (a) I'm trying to pack as much fun in as I can before I go back to work and (b) I was in Long Beach all of last week without my computer. So, I'll back up a bit and start with the American Idol concert. Yes, I went to the American Idol concert. And, yes, it was awesome. My mom treated me and Dina to tickets and we tagged along with my mom and her friends. It was a big night out for me and Dina. We got dressed at her house (I blew dry my hair for the 3rd time since Lyla has been born) and changed at the very last minute to avoid getting spit up, poop, or any other bodily fluids on our "going out" clothes. Cecilia, her daughter and Nana watched the kids. Dina and I snuck out without even saying goodbye. At the concert our favorites were Matt Giraud and, of course, Adam Lambert. Matt was really bluesy and did a great version of the Black Crowes' Hard to Handle. He just seemed really comfortable with the huge crowd. Adam was more flamboyant than ever and looked like he was having a great time. His Zeppelin song was great as was Mad World. After that, he had on a tight, sleeveless black tank top and tight black pants. He was hip thrusting all over the place and letting out anything he held back on the show. It was great. Kris was also great but his style is a little to mellow to captivate an entire arena. I can see him being great in a small venue. But he looked adorable and I love his version of Heartless. Here's a clip and I apologize if I am breaking any laws by posting it here. Probably the best part of the show was just seeing how much fun my mom had. She bopped and swayed and clapped and boogied the entire time. Here is a little sample of me watching the back of her head for most of the show. She also opened up her cell phone as a lighter and swayed to the music. Meanwhile, back at home, we arrived to three sleeping babies. When I asked how Lyla was, Cecilia said "I think she missed her mommy", which is code for "She cried a lot." Oh well, momma had a good night out.

A Very Merry Half Birthday to Lyla Grace

Lyla Grace is six months old today. She is growing so much each day and it is amazing to watch. She is sitting up completely unassisted and can play with all her toys in a sitting position. She is also scooting around on the ground -- mostly backwards or in a circle. She absolutely loves her exersaucer and can sit in that thing forever. Lyla continues to make us laugh with her giggles and huge smiles. She loves being lifted up in the air, kissed on her belly, and "booped" on her nose by Nicolas. She has really found her voice. She loves to hear herself and wants to make sure everyone else hears her -- especially when we are out in public. Although she is still smitten with her feet, she has developed a new fascination with her hands. She loves watching herself as she does the Queen's wave. Lyla loves her oatmeal and opens wide for every bite. She grabs the spoon from me if I don't feed her fast enough. The love affair between her and her bottle continues and she can hold it by herself for short stretches. What a great six months it has been. Thank you, Lyla Grace, for being the sweetest, most lovable little girl any parent could ask for.

Just Another Day at the Beach

Nicolas Gets a Haircut

Nicolas has the cutest, most beautiful curls (and you should see how adorable he is in pigtails) but he was starting to look a little like a shaggy dog, so Dina took him for a haircut. Vincent, his "stylist", gave him a very special cape with animals and Nicolas was such a good boy. He played with a bulldozer the whole time while Dina fed him an Elmo cookie. What a prince. The big reveal. After his haircut, Nicolas ran right over to choose some "product" to complete the look. He chose American Crew Citrus Mint Gel. Not really. He just used it to pretend it was a rocket ship (Imagine rocket sound effects with these pictures...it's much more effective). Meanwhile, Lyla and Christopher sat quietly waiting for the prince to finish. Alas, there is no haircut in my cute little baldy's future anytime soon. After the haircut, we went to meet my mom in Pier 1, which is a very dangerous place for a 2-year old and two strollers. We kept Nicolas occupied on the "rafts", or as you may know them, the papasan chairs.

Too Big for the Tub

I think Lyla has outgrown the infant tub. What do you think? I'm not sure what to do her with now. She's too big for the baby tub but still too small for our big soaking tub. Any suggestions?

Talkin'

Sitting Up!

Kind of. When you place her just right. And she is holding onto a toy. We're still working on it :)

Pool Time

Lyla went in the pool for the first time last week. She didn't smile or frown, laugh or cry. She was totally unphased by it, just like she was with the ocean. Eventually, she did crack a smile and the next day she did laugh a little, so we think she kind of liked it. Maybe. I'm telling you, this kid has the best poker face. My parents had a couple of baby floats from when Nicolas was a baby which I put Lyla in. Nicolas of course wanted to sit in all the baby floats instead of wearing his "muscles" (water wings). He eventually popped one of them so now we have to protect the other one from him. A very serious little girl Is that a smile? Kind of? Nicolas in the baby float with Grandma Cooling off on a hot day