Tag: Ellie

Ellie’s 2nd Birthday Party!

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While Ellie’s official birthday isn’t until tomorrow, today we celebrated her second birthday with family and friends. Since Minnie Mouse is one of Ellie’s favorite characters these days, we had a fun Minnie Mouse themed party. The day was pretty relaxed and low key. Abby and Ellie had the chance to play with Harrison and just enjoy being kids while the adults mingled, talked and caught up with one another. This year it was wonderful to have my parents and sister here to celebrate. I know its hard on them when they have to miss birthdays, so it was extra special to have them here.
Ellie had a great time and enjoyed eating her birthday ice cream cake. She was a little unsure of all the people surrounding her and singing to her and became very shy when it came time to blow out her candles, so mommy had to do that for her. We had two cakes this year (I think this will become tradition) one was an ice cream cake from Baskin Robins the other was made by hand by yours truley from scratch. For those who might be wondering, the ice cream cake tradition started last year on Ellie’s first birthday when the cake I was baking from scratch turned into complete chaos. In the end we ordered and ice cream cake instead and I only make a simple small cake for Ellie to smash her hands into. This year my cake was a success and I think a hit with those who chose to have a piece from it.
Nothing but smiles from the birthday girl.

Both of Ellie’s beautiful birthday cakes.
 
Ellie’s birthday cake that was made from scratch by mommy. Lots lof love went into that cake!

After cake and a bit of playtime it was on to presents! Ellie was definitely more involved with opening them this year but still wanted to play with everything as it was unwrapped. Eventually she lost interest and I did a lot of it, but that’s ok. Her distraction came from toys she loved the minute she opened them. Who am I to complain about that?

Blowing out candles but a little overwhelmed by all of the attention.

Kisses from mommy for the birthday girl.

MMMMMM… CAKE!

Opening presents with reckless abandon!

When all was said and done we were surrounded by lots of presents, food and two happy but tired children. The afternoon was a success and it was obvious to us that Ellie is very much loved by everyone she knows. What a wonderful day. Happy Birthday Ellie!

Disneyland with The Taylor Crew

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Take two excited Grandparents, One Auntie, a Fantastic Friend, a Cheerful Mommy and two very Happy Kiddos and what do you get? A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND! Yup, when the Taylor crew is in town its pretty much inevitable that we will end up at Disneyland. How can you resist? SO this year we found ourselves at Disneyland with the same Motley Crew as last year but we also tweaked a few things.

This time around we stayed the night at a hotel in Anaheim the night before. Best idea ever. This allowed us to sleep in a bit the morning of instead of waking up at 4am so that we could get to Disneyland and not deal with a three hour drive in morning traffic. It was completely worth it. We were up by 6:30 am and arrived at Disneyland only thirty minutes after the park opened. This allowed us to go to Cars Land (which had just opened a week and a half earlier) over in California Adventure. We had hoped to get on some of the rides but even by 9am, everything had a line no less then ninety minutes. Its ok, we still enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Flo’s Cafe and then enjoyed a few more rides before heading over to Disneyland for the rest of the day.

On the tram and ready for a day at Disneyland!
The whole gang, minus Grandpa Jerry who is behind the camera as usual. 🙂

Grandma Denise and Ellie waiting for the gang to finish up on the ladybug spinners.

Abby was just a little excited to see Pluto… just a little.

For this trip I decided to roll with the punches and let whatever happens, happen. For the most part, I stuck with that decision. I let Abby and Ellie decide what they wanted to do and Jillian and Drisana were great sports about that. The only snag of the day came with riding the Matterhorn. Abby has been on it once and loved it. Since then the ride format has changed. You can no longer sit in each others laps, instead you sit in your own seat. This meant the height requirement had changed and Abby just missed it by about half an inch. Grandpa Jerry had to leave the line with her and I felt so guilty going on without her. When we got off of the ride, I could tell Abby had been crying. It broke my heart. Its tough being at that point in life where you are still little but you also want to conquer the world on your own all at the same time. She cheered up pretty quickly and we were on to the next ride, but I have to admit there was a twinge in my heart that took a bit to go away.

Ready for her first ride on the Jungle Cruise.

All set to see Winnie the Pooh!

Happy Ellie waiting to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. As she kept saying the rest of the day… “That was so fun!”

I did eventually get over it and I made sure it didn’t ruin my day with family, friends and my beautiful girls. Instead the girls enjoyed rides like Winnie the Pooh (two times to be exact), Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch and duck feeding at the Hungry Bear and their first time on the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise was a big hit and I am sure we will be riding on it again soon! Abby also had the chance to use her brand new autograph book and was able to get the autographs of quite a few characters, one of which being Minnie!

As a treat for the girls and the June birthdays, we had dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. Abby had a blast and loved taking pictures with all of the characters. Well, all but Aladdin. Abby wanted nothing to do with him. Ellie was a bit leery at first but when Minnie came around, she was star struck. She was so excited and in awe that Minnie Mouse was right there in front of her. It was pretty cute if you ask me. Abby also met Cinderella which was another hit, so much so that Abby kept holding her hand.

Pictures with Minnie Mouse at Goofy’s Kitchen. Not sure you can feel the excitement here.

Ellie meeting Minnie Mouse. So start struck.

After dinner we headed back to Disneyland for another spin on Winnie the Pooh and then Drisana, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Jerry and myself took on Splash Mountain. Yeah, Splash Mountain In June at 9:30 at night meant very soaked. Luckily it has been a hot dry day so my pants and shirt dried off quickly, but my shoe was another story. The rest of the evening was pretty lazy. The girls fell asleep so we watched the fireworks and then hit a few of our favorites. Auntie Jillian, Drisana and I rode Big Thunder and then it was Grandma Denise and Grandpa Jerry’s turn. From there we shopped while Auntie Jillian and Drisana went on a few more rides of their own. When all was said and done we stuck it out at Disneyland and nearly closing time.

At Auntie Jillian’s insistence we rode Splash Mountain. While you can tell we were hit with water, this picture does not  show just how wet we were. Soaked, completely soaked.

It was a long drive home that night, but so worth it. We made lots of memories and enjoyed our time together. Drisana is now an honorary member of the Taylor family after surviving a Disneyland trip with us for the second summer in a row. I know I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow that night but it was all for good reasons. Yet another fun day in the memory books. Until next time!

Ellie Can Handle It On Her Own…

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After Abby’s haircut we promised the girls we would take them to the mall playground. I dont generally like going there because its always so busy and full of rude little children and their equally rude parents, but a promise is a promise. After playing for a bit Abby made a friend, whom she said was named Rapunzel but I am thinking has a different name. This little girl wasn’t too fond of Ellie hanging out with them and started to tell her to go away. Typical girls and to me its obvious she has siblings as well.

This little girl started to get a little aggressive with Ellie and just as I started to intervene Ellie took charge. Ellie followed her around with her little finger out, pointing at her. She then started speaking to her in a loud voice, not yelling but firm. It was mostly gibberish but you could tell that Ellie meant business. This went on for a good two or three minutes, Ellie waving her finger at the little girl telling her what for in her own little language. Shaun and I laughed hysterically. Whatever she said worked because finally the little girl gave in and let Ellie play with them. From that point on they played happily for a good half hour before it was time to go. Its really good to know that Ellie can handle it on her own and be so cute while doing so!

Mother’s Day 2012

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Today we celebrated Mother’s Day. It was a pretty quiet day to be honest and I will admit I liked it. I got a lot of cleaning done, we had dinner with Grandma Zoe and she had some time with Abby and Ellie, and then we relaxed in the evening. I didnt even think to pick up the camera and take pictures of the flowers Shaun gave me, which were beautiful! The moments we did catch were of Abby helping me frost the cake I made. She was so excited to do it too. The minute the cake came out of the oven she was asking me when. I had to tell her that the cake needed time to cool and then we could put the frosting on. From that point I think she asked me every 10 minutes or so. “Mommy is the cake cool yet?” So cute. Glad I caught those moments with our camera though. It’s Abby and Ellie and these moments, after all, that make me a mom. Happy Mothers Day!

 

A Bit of Weekend Gardening

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After a very busy say yesterday, Shaun and I decided to play it low key. Our garden on the front porch had pretty much died, due to the heat of last summer and some pretty bad neglect after that.  SO we headed on over to Lowe’s and bought some new plants.  This year we decided to plant some strawberries, more basil, thyme, cilantro, mint, and we were able to save and replant our chives.  We also put four pots of lavender out as well.  After a nap, which allowed me to clean down the porch, the girls helped us pot our new plants. It wasn’t much but it was the perfect end to another wonderful weekend.

A Busy But Fun Saturday!

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Yesterday was a very busy Saturday. Don’t get me wrong, when I say busy it was a good type of busy. Not wanting to be stuck in the house on such a beautiful day, we decided to head up to Santa Barbara and go to the zoo! Sure we have been to the Santa Barbara Zoo a lot but it is such a great place to take the kids and it doesn’t require an entire day or weekend to do it! The girls had a great time and we had a few firsts. On this visit, both snow leopards were out in their enclosure for all to see. I dont think in all of my time at the zoo I have seen both of them at the same time.  One of them was evening making “funny noises” as Abby said. To me he sounded like my old cat Harley when he wanted something. I have a feeling it was time to eat.
We also had hoped to see the new Otter couple but they were still getting used to their new home, which meant they only were allowed to come out and visit for small amounts of time. Bob and Jillian, the zoos last couple, now call the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Their family of 13 grew quickly and the Santa Barbara Zoo no longer had the space to take care of them.  For those of you who didn’t know, the Otters are named based on pop culture at the time they come to the zoo. Bob and Jillian arrived during a time when the “Biggest Loser” was very popular especially among the zoo staff. The new couple has been named Katniss and Peeta, after the popular books and movie, The Hunger Games. Hopefully the next time we visit we can meet the new additions to the zoo!
All smiles and ready to head to the zoo!

The new Otter couple at the zoo! I have to admit, I love their new names!

Abby didnt believe me when I told her that these Capybaras are big rats.

The Snow Leopard that seemed to be very hungry.

Shaun walking with his girls up to see the elephants.

A young Flamingo that has yet to get his pink feathers.

Where I go, Blankie Goes.

Stopping to see the Giraffes. Ellie wanted to be one!

Hitching a ride with Daddy.

Cardboard + AstroTurf = A Really Fun Ride!

Ellie needed a little help from her Daddy.

A new friend and time spent at the zoo means a nice sleep on the way home.

While we were at the zoo, I received we text from Erika to see if the girls wanted to meet up at Bright Child to play with Harrison. Since we were close to wrapping up our day we accepted! Not only was it an opportunity for the girls to play with their friend, it was also another chance for us to let the girls run until they couldn’t run anymore! With a nap in the car on the way, they were ready to play when we arrived. Abby, Ellie and Harrison played basketball together, ran, jumped and took on the slides without any problems.

Taking a time out, especially after that personal foul. 🙂

Taking on the slide. Abby jumped up the minute she hit the bottom, just at the opening and flew out just so she could go again. It was quite a site to see.

Harrison prefered the feet first approach!

Ellie used those strong legs and ab muscles to stop herself. Yet another impressive site to see. We certainly have strong kids.

After a long day of animals, walking, playing and running we headed home. Luckily we were smart enough to bring PJ’s for the girls, so when they passed out on the ride home, all we had to do was move them from the car to their beds. They passed out before we even reached the freeway.  As I have said before, passed out kiddos are a sure sign of a very fun day!

A Perfect Day for the Beach

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Today was the perfect day for the beach so we headed out to Point Mugu State Beach to enjoy the sun and some cool ocean breezes. With a few new buckets, sand toys and umbrellas in tow we set up camp in a great spot and had a great day. The girls made sand castles and mud pies, chased away the seagulls and dipped their toes in the water. Abby had a blast as the waves crashed in hitting her legs and then quickly pulling out. She LOVED the feeling as the water receded and the sand moved under her feet. Ellie, on the other hand, was a bit more wary of all this water and stuck with mommy.
We didn’t do too much in particular but we still had a wonderful time. When we weren’t playing in the sand or the water we were watching seal lions and birds playing in the surf. Out of nowhere, two young California Grey Whales appeared in the first crest of waves from the beach. We watched as they spouted water from their blowholes, rolled in the waves and one even attempted to breech. It was amazing to watch. In all of my life living in Southern California and hanging out at the beach I don’t think I have ever seen two whales that close to shore. Truly amazing! It was the most perfect day at the beach and I am so blessed that we could share it all with our children!

A Day Out with Thomas…

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What is better then watching Thomas the Tank Engine? Riding him! Every year Thomas the Tank Engine travels around the country, stopping at train depots everywhere for all children to see and enjoy. So we braved the pending ninety degree weather and head out to Fillmore for a Day Out with Thomas. We weren’t braving this day alone though, the Guerreros’s were coming too! 
The day was a surprise to Harrison, but when they arrived it was a tad underwhelming. I think this happens to every parent. Just when you think your child is going to have a coronary over something you know they love, they act like its no biggie or want nothing to do with it. Abby was that way when she finally met Rapunzel at Disneyland.
We had a great time despite the heat, but I think its something we can say we did and not have to do it again. We paid for tickets to do the Thomas train ride, but there was also a little “fair”. They had bouncy castles, food, train tables, coloring and of course a gift shop. Everything, except for the train ride, was open to the public at no charge which I think took away from the event. In the end Harrison and Abby wanted to spend more time in the bouncy castles then the train. They did ride Thomas though and had fun but if they could eat snow cones and bonce around all say, they would have. 
 Ready for some fun in the sun!

Catching a ride with Daddy and getting a  quick peek of Thomas.

“WE ARE READY FOR SOME FUN!”

Best mode of transportation… EVER!

Shaun and the girls playing with trains. I think daddy had as much fun as the girls.

Abby insisted on sitting with Byron during the train ride. Poor Byron had two hot and sweaty kids sitting on his lap in ninety degree weather.  What a trooper!

Shaun, Ellie and a rare picture of mommy thanks to Erika! Ellie was so excited to ride the train!

Enjoying the ride.  Such a sweet little face.

I asked her to show me her red tongue created  by the shave ice. She was happy to do so!

Cutest Little Engineer on the railroad!

Thomas the Tank Engine. Imagine seeing this as you randomly drive by and have no idea whats going on.

Despite all of the issues the adults had with the day, the kids had fun and that’s all that matters. After the day was done, we headed back home taking the route through Ventura and along the coast instead of through Grimes Canyon. The girls fell fast asleep which was a sure sign of a good time. We had fun and now have more memories to share not just with out family but with the Guerrero’s as well.

Let’s Go Fly A Kite!

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Today was spent running errands and catching up before the weekend, which we were dreading.  Then again, does anyone really like ending the weekend and going back to work? The girls were pretty good and patient during our trips to Target and Costco, so when we finished we decided to take them to the park to play and hopefully fly their new kites.
It was a busy afternoon at the park. When we arrived it took driving around for about 15 minutes before we found a parking space. The girls were antsy by the time we piled out of the car, but they now had a chance to play and run it out. Boy did they! Abby and Ellie were up and down the slides, climbing everywhere they could and hanging around on the monkey bars which Shaun and I have realized they are really good at!

Before we knew it an hour had passed and much to our surprise the wind started to pick up. So we said goodbye to the playground and headed out into the field to try our luck at getting the kites into the air. Several weekends ago Shaun bought kites for the girls. Abby, being on a Star Wars kick chose one with Yoda on it and Ellie chose one with Winnie the Pooh. They were happy to help us get ready, although sometimes helping leads to more frustration but we understood the excitement.

Pretty soon the kites were up in the air and the girls took control. Ellie took over like she was a pro and even did a great job keeping the kite in the air on several occasions when the wind become a bit inconsistent. Abby did amazing as well but I think she liked watching Shaun do all of the work rather then do it herself. That’s okay… whatever made her happy.

Pretty soon the sun was setting, the wind was beginning to blow a bit too hard and the girls were hungry so we headed home. Abby couldn’t stop talking about her afternoon in the park and flying kites high up in the sky. She talked about it up until the moment she fell asleep, which after a busy afternoon was pretty fast. I love having moments with the girls that are special, all moments with them are special, but its the ones that they talk about for weeks after that stick with you a bit more.

A Little Spring Snow

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April certainly has brought us some wet weather and cooler temperatures. It rained and rained and rained all day yesterday and into the evening. It was very chilly at night but not cold enough to snow here in Porter Ranch.  It was however, cold enough to snow up in the mountains in the surrounding areas. So this afternoon we decided to head up to Frazier Park and see if there was enough snow for the girls to play in. After a little diving and a bit of searching, we found lots of snow and a perfect place to stop.

Frazier Park had some snow but it took driving up towards Mt. Pinos before we found enough to play in. Once we found it, there was plenty of it. Our perfect spot already had a snowman too! The girls had a great time. Ellie was in awe of the cold white stuff that surrounded her and Abby jumped right in, trying to add to the snowman!

Our time in the snow was short lived as the clouds darkened, snow began to fall again and we started to lose daylight. Both of the girls were not happy to leave but did willingly head back to the car when they realized just how cold they were. The cool air and time in the snow gave us some peace and quiet on the ride home though, leaving the girls to sleep on the ride back. Another wonderful and very spontaneous Saturday for the Whartons.

 

Easter Egg Decorating Time!

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Its the night before Easter and its time to dye some eggs! Just like many other families this was a tradition in our house when I was a little girl and its something I know I want my girls to enjoy as well. So tonight I pulled out the egg dying kit, hard boiled some eggs and let the girls have some fun. And they did!

 

Ellie seemed to enjoy using blue and green on most of her eggs, while Abby stuck with purple, orange and yellow and pink. At least they covered all of the colors so that none of them felt left out! Abby was very much intrigued by the wax crayon as well. To her it was amazing that she could draw all over the egg and not see a thing but when she placed it into the dye she could see all of her art.

After eggs were done Daddy, despite not feeling up to his, decided to make something that he remembers enjoying as a kid. Matzo Brei! Shaun did a great job with it and while Abby turned her nose up Ellie jumped right in. Go figure! Who would have thought my picky little eater would love it so much.

After dying some eggs and enjoying some food in honor of Passover for our Jewish friends, we all headed to bed to wait for the Easter Bunny to come.  Ellie gets excited at the mention of the Easter Bunny just like Abby, but I cant honestly say she understands it all yet.  I guess we will see in the morning!

Easter at Underwood Family Farms

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Today the girls and I spent the day with Erika and Harrison. Abby was so excited to see him and I think its because she calls him her boyfriend. Yup, you read that correctly… her BOYFRIEND.  Its a good thing we love Harrison lots and think he is quite the catch for Abby, otherwise Shaun might have his work cut out for him. Listen to me… you would think they were 25! Nope, just two.
When we first arrived, it seemed like it would be crowded but we lucked out. It was the perfect day. The kiddos climbed haystacks, explored through the wheat field labyrinth, went on an Easter Egg hunt, said hello to the Easter Bunny, ate some lunch, picked strawberries, visited the horses, went down the tractor slide and played on the big train. What a busy day.  Abby talked very seriously with the Easter Bunny too; telling him about the Strawberry Shortcake DVD that she really wanted. Ellie loved riding in the wagon and even got Abby and Harrison to pull her along. She really enjoyed trying to keep up with the bigger kids and was so proud of herself when she picked her first strawberry on her own.

 

 

  

 
  
 

 

 

 

 
 

The kids ran themselves out over a course of about 4 hours. I am amazed they stayed awake long enough to drive to the bank! But eventually everyone gave in and passed out on the way home. The day was wonderful. The one and only downside to it? The sunburns. We discovered the hard way that our sun block was well past its expiration date. Luckily the girls just had red noses but mommy didn’t fair quite as well. You live and you learn. At least I know what I will be buying tomorrow!