Washington DC

We had a fabulous opportunity to travel with Chris to DC for 4 days. Rylee once again did fabulous on the trip. We were very lucky because we had enough miles to fly first class. I was joking with Chris that Rylee's poor future husband is going to have very big shoes to fill!:) Rylee did very well on the flight and everyone just adored her. We stopped in Seattle on our way there and she enjoyed stretching her legs and checking out the airport. Once we arrived in DC, we were off running. Because Chris had work obligation for most of the days we were there we only had one day to see everything. Lucky for us we have an early alarm clock that lives with us :) So we got up early, jumped on the metro (yes Rylee got to ride on the metro) and went to see all of the sites. We started at the white house then headed to the Washington Monument, Lincoln memorial, World war II memorial, the capitol, the supreme court and then the city. It was a crazy day of walking, hiding from the rain, surviving the humidity but we did it. Rylee loved the monuments and walking around. This was the first time she was in her big girl stroller and she loved it. She loved being able to see everything. I know she wont remember this trip but at least we know she is starting early with her history lessons. After a very long day and a good happy hour we tucked in for the night. We are always worried about the first night in the hotel and wether Rylee will sleep- thankfully she slept awsome- she even slept in until 7:30am the following morning. It was a great treat for mommy and daddy :)
The second day Chris was busy with his conference so Rylee and I chilled in the morning so she could get a good morning nap in. Then we met Chris for lunch and headed to Georgetown to do some shopping. I have to admit I was a little disappointed in Georgetown's shopping. I was expecting more boutiques but instead saw most of the same stores we have here. But nonetheless, we enjoyed our girls afternoon. We then met up with daddy and had dinner and went to bed.
On our third day Chris was busy again so the girls walked around Dupont circle and the neighborhood shops. It was really humid and hot so we headed back to the hotel where Rylee was the hit with the staff and was able to feed the koi in their pond. We waited for Chris and then headed out for our last dinner in DC. I have to say that DC really impressed me. I liked how clean the city was, how polite the people were, and how kid friendly the stores were. If I had to live in a big city I would choose there!
The next morning we headed to the amtrak station and we boarded our train for NYC. Now that is a whole different adventure.

Here are pics of our trip to DC (sorry they are in backwards order)

On the train to NYC


Hanging out with daddy on the train


Riding on the metro for the first time


Chris and Kelly in front of the supreme court


Rylee in front of the supreme court


Rylee in front of the capitol


Chris and Rylee in front of the Lincoln memorial


The fam


Rylee sleeping through the Washington monument


Chris and Kelly at the Washington monument


Chris and Rylee at Rylee's future home


getting ready to board the metro


all ready to start our siteseeing adventure


First stop seattle


Look at all those white things floating around out there...

And we are off!!!

Yes, we are off again. After seeing how well Rylee did on her first flight we decided to take another trip. This time we are headed to the nation's capitol and to NYC to see Jen, Mike and Cooper. We are so excited. So stay tuned to hear about many more "firsts" and pics to come. It should be a very interesting adventure and you wont want to miss the updates. See you in a week!

Maui 2009

What an amazing trip we had to Maui. It was so much fun spending 10 days in the sun and surf with our family. First off, Rylee rocked the plane rides. I have to admit I was very nervous about the 5 hour flight. But when it cam down to it Rylee did awesome. She was never "one of those babies". She ate, slept and played the whole time. That really helped set the tone of the trip. She was such a good sport about being in a different place and a different schedule. We are very lucky because it took only 1 night to get her on aloha time. We got to experience so many firsts- Rylee's first time flying, touching sand, and her first dip in the pacific ocean. She absolutely loved the ocean- she giggled and smiled every time we went in. She loved lounging by the pool, swimming with daddy and playing with her cousins. She went to the Hula grill and Cheeseburger in Paradise for the first time (even though she slept through Cheeseburger) and enjoyed it. She even got a little tan :)
I have to admit that traveling with a baby is much different that traveling with just your husband- and boy do babies have a lot of stuff!! Chris did awsome with the changes. We took turns spending nap time with Rylee while the other laid out or went snorkeling. It was a great system that worked out perfectly. Plus, we were lucky to have MeMa with us who would watch Rylee so we could do things together. We were able to go on the best date night ever. Chris surprised me with dinner at Lahina Grill ( the restaurant we celebrated me 30th birthday at). it was so good but the company was even better!
It was so great spending so much time with the family. We feel so lucky to have such a close family. to see Rylee with her Mema is such an amazing gift- they love each other so much. Plus, she loves hanging with her cousins. I cant wait until she is old enough to keep up with them- she is going to love it! Since we had so much fun we are already counting down to our next family trip.

A few of our favorites- in no order :)

Chris and Rylee at the beach




Swimming in the pool


Chilling at the pool


Almost every morning we started the day with a rainbow


The group at dinner


Me and Nat- my most favorite niece!!!


The family after Rylee's first dip in the pacific ocean


Rylee's first dip


Rylee and MeMa


Chilling on the beach


my "cool" girl


hanging with dad


her first flight- nothing too it!


Maui here we come!!


Until next time....

our 4th of July sparkler!!

Happy 4th of July!! We had an amazing fourth with our family and friends. We spent the day swimming, BBQing and hanging out. Rylee did amazingly well. She loves having lots of people around her and watching everyone. Here are just a few pics but I will post more when we get back from Hawaii. Yup, thats right we are headed to Hawaii so the blog will be on vacation too. but check back soon for lots of updates.

Happy 5 months Rylee

Our little "boo" is 5 months and is the cutest girl ever. Her personality is growing everyday. From the moment she wakes up in the morning until she puts her head down at night she is so happy and full of life. We are enjoying every moment of this journey.
At 5 months:
- she weighs 16lbs!!
- wears a size 2 diaper
- has started the teething process-poor thing can't get enough in her mouth and is a drooling machine. But thankfully, is still STTN.
- sleeps about 11 hours at night (yeah!!)
- Loves to roll and roll. She can go from her back to her stomach to her back without any problems. There is no more leaving her on the bed or couch.
- loves tummy time. She enjoys spending time on her stomach playing, especially when she does her push ups to see what is going on around her.
- Sleeps on her tummy. She prefers to push herself all the way up the crib to the left hand corner and tuck her head right against the crib ( I have had many sleepless hours checking to make sure she is not stuck!)
-Gives us the biggest smile when we walk into her room when she wakes up. She loves to push herself up and look towards the door as we call her name. The smile is the most priceless thing ever!!
- Thinks the greatest toy ever is her toes. She prefers her right foot but will grab both and put them in her mouth. She really loves to do this on the changing table while we are attempting to change her.
-Loves her Sophie (chewing toy). This is the one item I do not leave home without.
- loves to blow bubbles and make raspberries with her lips.
- "flaps her arms and kicks her legs when she gets really excited.
- Loves to laugh out loud when her daddy talks to her in their special language.
- loves her jumperoo...especially the hanging banana. She also loves her play mat and will spend hours tugging on the animals legs
- loves to join us at the family table for meals and is obsessed with our food and drinks. She will stare us down through every bite and drink.
- loves to talk and babble- I think I have heard a "momma" or two :)
- no longer likes to be in her car seat at restaurants- she prefers to be in our lap and watching everyone and grabbing for anything in her sight.
- is the best daughter ever, I love you!!

Father's Day 2009

We had an amazing Father's Day!!! The day started with an early wake up call by Rylee (I think she wanted to be the first one to wish Chris happy daddy's day), we then had a yummy breakfast of fresh blueberry pancakes and then Chris and Rylee watched the Formula 1 race together before we headed out for a day by the pool.
Rylee surprised Chris with a very sweet and memorable gift. I had her picture taken with Chris' racing helmet- it is priceless. We then did molds of her handprint and footprint. Chris loved them and are already hanging in his office. He also got a Wii. I figured that since we now spend so many nights at home what a great way to do it. We can have bowling night, tennis mario cart. So if anyone is interested in joining us come on over!
THe afternoon by the pool was fabulous- the weather was warm, the pool felt great and Rylee went swimming for the first time. She really enjoyed floating in her lily pad and was trying to lick the water the whole time. We are so glad she is a water baby!! She even managed to take a nap during the day while all of the kids were playing. Speaking of the kids, it was big W's 4th birthday on Father's day and he went down the waterslide for the first time and LOVED it. As the day came to an end we enjoyed some great burgers, homemade ice cream and cake and of course presents! I think it was a very successful first father's day!
And to my sweet baby daddy- babe, I love you very much. You are an AMAZING daddy. I love seeing you and Rylee hanging out and talking. When she gives you that huge smile it just melts my heart! Thank you for being such a huge support during this transition to parenthood. There is no one else I would want to share it with. Rylee and I are the two luckiest girls in the world. We love you XOXO!!

Here are some pics:

Chris and Rylee enjoying opening presents


Breakfast


I "heart" daddy


First dip in the pool


Birthday boy


Grandma M


too much fun in the sun


loving the slide


4 years old=time to slide


Perfect first daddy's day

Bouncing, bouncing and more bouncing

To celebrate Rylee turning four months Chris and I got her a jumperoo. We were hoping that she would love it because she loves standing on our laps and jumping. So one night after Rylee went to bed Chris put the toy together and when Rylee woke up the next morning there it was waiting for her. We put her in it and she didnt cry-good thing. She looked at all of the toys in front of her and then gave us the biggest smile. At first she didnt understand that she could jump in it and just focused on grabbing at all of the toys. But now she loves to move around in that thing. She has learned that she can turn the seat in a full 360 and play with all the toys. This weekend she spent over an hour in it outside playing and watching Nat and Westin swim. I love watching her crack up at the music, lights and toys. However, I do think it should have an Ipod option so we can change the music. I dont think I can listen to it much longer :)