Tag: Ellie

In Touch with my Danish Roots. An Afternoon in Solvang

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Shaun and I decided that over the Labor Day weekend we would get away at least once and do something as a family without thinking about work, house work, laundry, cell phones and the usual stresses of life. So today we headed up to Solvang for the afternoon.

The drive up brought back a lot of childhood memories. We listened to Kenny Loggins (yes, I am 30 and I listen to Kenny Loggins) and drove the coast, over San Marcos Pass, past Cachuma to Solvang. This was a drive I did often with my parents and my sister when we were kids. Its something I think of often.

The day was beautiful and Abby loved all of the buildings. She thought they all looked like castles and of course she was immediately hooked. After visiting some of my favorite shops, like the Christmas All Year Round shop (yes Mom I admit, I am just like you in so many ways) we needed to eat. Because the favorite I remember no longer exists we headed to the Little Mermaid Restaurant. It was an excellent choice and Abby had her first Danish Meatballs! SHe liked them a lot and her independence decided to shine through, as she wanted to cut them on her own.




After dinner we walked a bit to help with our full tummies and then stopped at a cute little bakery before heading home. Yes, a bakery. You cant leave a Danish village without buying well, a Danish or some yummy pastry! Despite trying to be good about eating and my diet, I indulged and it was worth every minute. I think Abby and Ellie would agree since the cookie they shared kept them quiet for a while.




After our pastry fix we headed home. This time we took the coast the entire way. The sun was starting to set and it was unusually clear. Wow, it was beautiful. Every time we saw water Abby would get excited, always looking for mermaids, sharks and of course Nemo. It was a great family outing with very little stress. This is something we need to do more often. Until next time!

14 Months and a Day at the Park to Celebrate…

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Ellie is 14 months old today! Its very hard to believe but she is. Two months really have passed since her first birthday! Ellie is growing by leaps and bounds and we are really starting to see her personaility. Ellie loves to be with her sister; following her, playing with her and mimicking her. At the same time Ellie is becoming very independent. Abby is going to have to watch out because Ellie is learning to stand up for herself and hold her ground. I see a lot of time outs and separation in our future.

Ellie has four of her bottom teeth now and it looks as though her top front teeth are trying to make their way out of those very red and swollen gums. It makes for a grumpy girl at times, but usually she is happy and usually wears a smile. Ellie is really starting to talk, more then just her babbling. So far we have heard her say the following things (or so we think)…

Uh Oh
Mama
Dada
Nana
Bubble
Gog aka Dog
Guck aka Duck

The rest of the time she talks in words we cant understand, but we still have long funny conversations with her. Ellie is also singing. While she doesn’t have the words she is pretty good with the tune. Its hard to believe how fast she is growing.

A Day at the Park

As a little celebration, I decided to head to the park with the girls. The weather was finally cool (less then 85 degrees out) and a nice cool breeze was blowing. Of course, Abby was excited about this. We packed snacks for a picnic and headed out.


The girls stayed for nearly 3 and a half hours, spending most of their time in the grass and in the sandbox. Abby made several new friends in the sandbox and worked very hard to make a sandcastle. She used some rocks to decorate the sides as well as a cap from my water and then put a stick and a leaf at the top to act as a flag. She was very proud of it and protective too. Ellie, who used to hate the feeling of sand on her, got used to it and once she did she dig right in. She sat there forever using her shovel to put sand in her bucket.







Abby and Ellie played well together too, which always makes me happy. Abby tried to show Ellie how to make a sandcastle, but Ellie was content with shoveling sand. The girls really did not want to leave but it was obvious that they needed a rest. Abby fought me tooth and nail but once we were on the road, heading home, Abby and Ellie quickly passed out. Once again, it was a great day at the park. Happy 14 Months Ellie!

Happy 3rd Birthday Harrison!

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Today we celebrated at the Grape Arbor Park in Calabasas with Harrison! What did we celebrate? His 3rd birthday of course! I cant believe our babies are turning three! It means that Abby is not more then a month away from this milestone. Yikes!

As it seems to always happen for the Guerrero Family, the day was one of the hottest of the year. The mercury reached 106 degrees and it was a bit humid to boot. Luckily the park has a lot of shade trees and all of the picnic tables sat underneath the arbors. Erika made Harrison’s cake again this year and it turned out great! The theme was Thomas and Friends and the cake certainly reflected that. I love that she even made a train tunnel. Very talented!

The kids played to their hearts content and didn’t seem to be affected at all by the heat; its great to be a kid! Abby had the chance to make a few new friends and play until she was actually asking us to go home and take a nap. Now that was a great party! Unfortunately Harrison and Abby are at that age where they don’t want people taking pictures of them, so I only have a few. Ellie, on the other hand, didnt have an issue with it. We love spending time with the Guerrero family and of course, celebrating birthdays with them!

The beautiful and very yummy cake, made by Erika! It turned out great!

Ellie had the right idea and found a great way to stay cool on a hot day.

Mmmmm, ice! Not only was it refreshing, it also felt good on her gums. She is finally starting to cut one of her top teeth!

I wanted a picture with Abby. Abby thought otherwise.

Singing “Happy Birthday” and cutting the cake. Notice the three large white spots on the front bottom portion of the cake. Yeah, that is where Abby decided to stick her fingers. Gotta love that girl.

Little Ellie girl attempting to climb the steps on the jungle gym. She had no problem with it while mommy, on the other hand, nearly had a heart attack when she saw how far up she went. What an adventurous little cutie!

A Saturday at the Park

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Today was another lazy Saturday at the park. We got there early to beat the heat, but luckily there is always a nice cool breeze blowing here. Abby and Ellie had a blast and of course they were tuckered out by the time we left. I love lazy days at the park, although sometimes I wish when I said lazy days at the park it meant the same thing it does to my parents… Yellowstone! Oh well, I wouldn’t trade in these moments for anything. And, for once I don’t have a lot to say. Just enjoy the pictures!

Sunday Reading

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Today we stopped by Grandpa and Nana’s for a bit, to say hello. It was warm out and everyone was relaxing. The girls went straight for the books! Daddy read a few books to the girls and Nana read to Ellie. Abby was even given an old copy of The Wizard of Oz to look at. She was very gentle and seemed genuinely interested in it. I cannot wait to read those stories to both she and Ellie when they get older! Sometimes a good day is just reading books with family. It also makes me so happy to see that our girls love to read! Its a good start!

All In A Saturday!

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This Saturday started like any other Saturday would. The girls stayed up late Friday night, so we had the chance to sleep in a bit. When we did get up, the girls hung out in our room for a bit, playing and snuggling and then we headed downstairs for some breakfast. After breakfast and a few hours of playing, dancing singing and helping mommy do chores (I say that with a wink because the help usually unfolds the laundry I just folded) it was time for a nap. The nap would be a much needed one because, unlike most Saturday afternoons, ours was about to get a bit busy.

When nap-time was over I walked into the room and this is what I found…

Ellie had the best case of bedhead that I have seen from either of the girls so far. She must have sweat a bit in her sleep or something because her hair was out of control and glued that way. I had to use some of Abby’s detangling spray to make it look somewhat normal again! She didn’t care though. The sleep that created that bedhead must have been good, because Ellie woke up happy as a lark.

After fixing the crazy hair and getting dressed, we headed on over to the Escobar’s house to celebrate Emily’s 3rd Birthday! Wow, I cant believe Emily is 3 and the scary part to that is that means there is only a month and a half until its Abby’s turn. Where does all the time go! For her birthday Emily had a Dragon Castle Bounce House, boy oh boy did Abby have fun. She jumped and hopped and slid all over the place with Emily. Its fun to be a kid and play that hard.

Emily’s birthday was Jessie themed. For those that do not know, Jessie is the cowgirl from Toy Story and one of Abby’s favorite characters. Jackie made Emily’s dresses for the big day and she looked ADORABLE! I might have to convince Jackie to make one for Abby one day!

Inside the house, Ellie was having a blast with all the balloons hanging from the ceiling. One red balloon, in particular, became her friend and she carried it all over. I have to say, being that she is only 13 months old, she did a pretty good job of holding onto that balloon. They were helium filled, so if she let go they went up up and away, well to the ceiling. Luckily someone was around to grab that red balloon down for Ellie.

As our time at Emily’s party ran out, we thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of Emily and the girls. Jackie put Abby up in the chair for me and the fun began. Trying to take a picture of three children who are three and under is a tough task. This is the best picture I could get. At least they are all looking in the same direction!

After we left the party, we headed to the Ventura County Fair. We got there a bit late in the evening, so we didnt spend a lot of time there, but we had a blast. Abby and Ellie were completely engrossed with all of the lights, the sights and the sounds. Abby was so into it that she even had her first big accident since potty training. UH OH! Actually it wasn’t a big deal at all, nothing a change of clothes cant fix!

When at the fair, you must indulge in some fair type food… grilled corn on the cob, funnel cake, chicken, popcorn. Or how about the largest corn dog I think I have ever seen?! No Abby didn’t eat it all, it actually started off as Daddy’s but of course, it ended up in someone elses hands. Abby and Daddy thoroughly enjoyed it and even had to toss some of it away! It was huge!

After a snack we headed over to play some games. Shaun and I played the ring and bottle toss game but to no avail. That one was harder then it looked. We then headed over to the water hose game, using high pressure water to race Curious George to the finish line. We played twice and I almost won, but not quite. What a bummer too because the prize was a mini pillow pet! Our last game of the night, Shaun played the plate game, breaking plates with baseballs. This time, he won! Shaun was able to win a stuffed giraffe for Abby and a dolphin for Ellie. Unfortunately Ellie dropped her dolphin and before I could retrace my steps it was gone. Some people are so mean sometimes.

After games, Shaun took Abby on a few rides and through the fun house. Abby had a blast the entire time. In order to get out of the fun house you had to go down a big twisty slide. It certainly was fun seeing a grown man come down that thing with his little girl in his lap. After the fun house, they took off and rode on the dump truck coaster, the hot air balloons and then Abby and I rode on the spinning bears. I had a great time with the girls!

After rides, snacks and games the girls were tired and it was time to go. As we started to load the car up with strollers and of course, the girls, the fireworks started. Boy were they close! With every boom another car alarm went off. The sudden start to the fireworks scared the girls, so they had to enjoy them from inside the car but I was able to snap a few pictures. It was the perfect end to a perfectly wonderful day! Yup, its all in a Saturday with the Wharton Family!

Park Time!

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Yesterday we finally had a cool enough day to head to the park. FINALLY! It was a gorgeous day too. We headed to one of our favorite parks. The day was sunny but warm with a beautiful breeze. It was wonderful! Our day went a little something like this…

Abby gave me her face to say, please mom… can we go? I said yes of course!

When we got to the park, we set our stuff down and headed for the sandbox. I took Ellie’s shoes off and as usual, she did not like the feel of the sand on her feet.

Abby, who didnt want me to take pictures, headed to play in the sandbox with a small group of kids and help build sandcastles. Abby was hard at work. Making sandcastles can be serious business!

Ellie was content playing on the foam floor and the small toddler jungle gym. Its easy to stay entertained when you are 13 months old.

After the sandbox, Abby wanted to hop onto the swings for a bit. Ellie wasn’t too sure about them but that’s OK, Abby had a blast and even worked on pumping her legs so that she could move the swing herself.!

After the swings we headed to our spot under the tree and had a lovely little picnic, complete with blueberries, bananas, grapes, pretzels, tangerines and nectarines. Yummy!

As we sat for lunch, Ellie started to chase the birds. Boy did she love those birds, but they always ran away from her!

After our little picnic it was back to playing! Now for a bit of time on the perfectly sized play area for toddlers and preschoolers!

With a lot of time spent running around the play area, we headed to the swings. This time Ellie got into her swing without a moments hesitation. Once we got swinging, she loved it! I think she loves the swings even more then Abby does, if that’s even possible. This time in, Abby got the hang of it and was able to pump her legs and swing on her own! Although, she still wanted mommy to push her.

After a long time spent on the swings we called it a day. We packed up our items and headed home. The fun of the park continued at home and even kept the girls from napping. I thought all the fun and fresh air would have made them nap even longer but alas, I was wrong.

It was such a wonderful day at the park! I hope the heat stays away so we can go every day!

Something in the Water, or the Air…

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What is with my girls lately? During the last week its been non-stop drama! Ellie gets herself into crying fits that take more then forty-five minutes to calm down and Abby cries if you look at her sideways. Usually these things might occur if either girl is overly tired, but this can happen even first thing getting out of bed in the morning. Is there such thing as toddler and preschooler PMS? I am starting to think so. While Abby is still in that stage of “terrible twos” and Ellie is learning a lot of things from Abby (some good, some not so good) this is so not like them. Today I wanted to plop them both in their cribs, shut the door and go into my room and just veg. But alas, the good mom in me said just hang in there until they are ready for a nap of their own. I have heard from my other mommy friends that its been non-stop drama in their homes as well. Is there something in the water or the air that is, perhaps, making our kids act like this? Boy do I wish I knew that answer because I would really like to put an end to all the nonsense in my house!

Kenzi and Jeff’s Wedding Weekend

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Wow what a weekend! It was a whirlwind but absolutely wonderful.

On Saturday morning Shaun and I packed up the girls and all of our needed wedding items and headed up to San Luis Obispo for Kenzi and Jeff’s wedding weekend. We made it into town just in time to meet up with the girls to get our nails and toes done. It was nice to relax and get together with so many lovely ladies.

After nails and a bit of lunch, we checked into the hotel. Shaun and I tried to get the girls to nap but that failed miserably so we got ready for rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. After a small meeting and a quick rehearsal it was off to dinner. Because of the lack of nap, Shaun spent most of the rehearsal dinner driving around as the girls napped. We missed them very much! However, I enjoyed dinner very much!




Rehearsal dinner was at McClintock’s Steakhouse in Shell Beach. During many trips up the 101 to Northern California, I have passed McClintock’s and I have always wanted to stop and eat there. I finally had the chance and it was fantastic! The fun part of the evening was watching as the “turkey balls” were passed around. Yes I mean a part of a turkey’s anatomy that would be part of making him a boy. Several people gave them a try, including Melissa and Betty. I stayed away but it was certainly fun to watch. Shaun, Abby and Ellie did eventually join us once nap time was over and fun was had by all!

The following morning all of the bridal party, met in Kenzi suite to get beautified for the big day, which was finally here! We had a great time getting ready, having a few drinks and champagne to celebrate the day. Kenzi, of course looked beautiful and once the bride was ready we headed off to Santa Margarita Ranch.



Santa Margarita Ranch was perfect. I had only seen it through a few pictures that Kenzi sent, but it was great! It fit Kenzi and Jeff perfectly. The ranch is extremely eclectic, but is also still a working ranch and winery. As we came in there was a marquis, an old theater marquis that announced Kenzi and Jeff’s wedding. It was very cute!


The girls got ready in a small old building near the ceremony site. After talking with Kenzi and two of the secuirty staff I learned the the building we got ready in was the old Wells Fargo building which was built in the 1800s. It was originally a trading post. The road that runs behind it was, at one time, the old El Camino Real. And all traffic from San Luis Obispo to Paso Robles passed by on that road. Its doorways were very low, which in the past served a purpose to keep people from riding in on their horses.

After quiikcly getting ready and helping Kenzi get into her dress and all laced up, it was time to go. Emotions were running hugh, but in a good way. It was finally time for Kenzi and Jeff to get hitched! Abby looked adorable as a flower girl and watching her walk down the aisle with Sophia and Grady, who were too cute for words, was a treat.

Kenzi looked stunning as she walked down the aisle with her dad. The ceremony was performed by Jeff’s cousin Bobby and he did a wonderful job. He kept things lite and had us laughing all the while honoring the wonderful couple. The vows were so special and I think had many of us tearing up by the end. What a wonderful ceremony! I couldn’t have been happier then I was at that moment.


After the ceremony and pictures with Kenzi and Jeff we headed over to the barn to start the party. I could tell you every detail of the reception, but I think the pictures speak for themselves. Abby and Ellie danced, ate and enjoyed thier gifts. Shaun and I danced a bit and enjoyed watching the girls have fun. Unfortunately, Ellie hit her limit and we had to go before the party ended. So we went back to the Wells Fargo building, changed clothes and hopped back into the car and headed home. It was a wonderful evening and I am so happy for Kenzi and Jeff. Love you guys and Congratulations!











*Keep your eye out for more pictures from the wedding on the blog. Because of my involvement we didn’t have the opportunity to take as many pictures as I would have liked but Kenzi has set up a site to share pictures. As I find them I will post them!*

Doctor Check-Ups and Growing Up

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Turning a year old comes with a lot of perks. Cake, presents, lots of hugs and kisses from family and friends. And then, there is the one year check up at the doctors office. We woke up early and headed in to see Susie, the wonderful office PA. After a good check, Ellie looked great! We only had one issue regarding her tummy, but Susie felt it was because she had just had something to eat. We will go back in 2 weeks just to make sure. As for how Ellie is growing, here are her stats.

Ellie’s 1 Year Stats
Weight: 22 Pounds 12 Ounces
Height: 31 Inches

Ellie gained some weight but dropped to the 50th percentile, I am not shocked though because she has been growing and eating like a bottomless pit. In height, however, she has grown nearly 3 inches since her 9 month appointment. She is now in the 98th percentile for her height. I think we are going to have a tall and skinny girl on our hands. I guess we will see what happens as time goes on!

Ellie keeps growing and growing! The changes she has made in the last few months have been incredible. She is walking like a pro now and more and more of her personality is coming through. She is a big cuddle bug who loves her time with mommy… and daddy too. Ellie loves to talk and sing. At times I can hear her trying to sing the Alphabet song as well as Old McDonald. She may not know the words yet, but she certainly has the melody. As for words, she has said a few things…

Gog = Dog
Raff = Giraffe
Guck = Duck
Uh Oh

All stages in life are fun, but I do enjoy watching and listening as words and sentences are spoken. Finally breaking some communication barriers. I look forward to the next few months and cannot wait to share all of those moments.

A Day with the Mouse

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You travel to California to visit family and there is a college graduation to celebrate, so where do you go? Disneyland of course! My parents planned a surprise trip to Disneyland for Jillian’s graduation present which included a friend. Luckily she was able to twist Drisana’s arm to join her on a fun filled day. But the best part… we were invited to come along too! Because of the surprise, Shaun could not come with us and we missed him very much. Im sure he missed being with us as well.

The day had a few unexpected surprises. The first was the heat. Yes, we knew it would be a day in the low 80’s in Anaheim which wasn’t a problem but it was the humidity that nearly melted all of us. By the time we arrived at 9am the heat was intense. Oh, well… it didn’t stop our day.

Our first stop was California Adventure and The Little Mermaid. Lucky for us the park had just opened so we walked right on. Abby loved it so much that she asked to ride it again! And of course mommy couldn’t say no, so we did! Next on the list was Toy Story Midway Mania. On our way to ride Toy Story , we ran into none other then the mouse himself! Abby was super excited to see Mickey Mouse and wanted a picture with him, so much so that she tried to cut in front of everyone. Luckily we were able to hold Abby back and get her to wait her turn.


After our photo session with Mickey Mouse, we headed to Toy Story. Abby was already starting to lose steam and it was only 11am! Luckily Auntie Jillian was there to cuddle and rest up with before getting onto Toy Story. After a fun filled, 3D experience and a fun water mister/fan that Grandpa bought, Abby perked right up.


Sitting down with our water misters and fans, Jillian and Drisana took off to ride California Screamin’. As we waited two of Abby’s favorite characters made an appearance… Buzz and Woody. Buzz had to leave but Abby did get him to give her a high five. Woody stuck around though and she had the chance to take a picture with him as well as talk to Woody. Im not sure what she talked about, but she was certainly cute about it.


After the excitement of Woody we left California Adventure and headed over to Disneyland. Jillian’s one request for the day was lunch at Blue Bayou and lucky for her they had a reservation available for a large party. Everyone seemed very happy to be inside, in the dark where it was nice and cool with endless glasses of water. Both of the girls enjoyed their yummy Mac N Cheese and Ellie loved her hat. Argh Matey!


Once our bellies were stuffed with yummy food we thought it would be a good idea to go on Pirates of the Caribbean. I mean, we were right there and its a great ride that allows you to just sit, relax and let your food digest a bit. Abby has been on Pirates a few times but does not remember and obviously this was Ellie’s first time. Both of them enjoyed it. Ellie even fell asleep in Grandpa’s arms. Abby loved the drops and even tried to put her hands up for both of them. Sometimes its hard to tell if she likes something while its going on, but once we were off the ride she couldn’t stop talking about it.


After Pirates we headed over to the Haunted Mansion. Ellie stayed behind with Grandma and Grandpa Taylor after falling back to sleep in her stroller. Abby was excited to go on, but you could tell there was a bit of hesitation. The section of the ride in the elevator bothered her a bit, mostly because people were screaming but she survived and enjoyed the rest of the ride. After the Mansion it was off to Winnie the Pooh and then Jillian and Drisana decided they wanted to ride Splash Mountain. While they waited in line, we headed over to Big Thunder Ranch to see all the barnyard animals. Abby got to meet all of the goats, a cow and a donkey! What excitement. All the while Ellie slept.



Once the ranch started to close up we found a nice shady spot to enjoy and decided it was time for Abby to take a much needed nap. It took some effort but she finally passed out. When Jillian and Drisana finished at Splash Mountain, they met up with us and we took advantage of the fact that both girls were sleeping soundly. So Jillian, Drisana, Grandpa and myself headed over to Big Thunder. The wait was quick and we were on in no time. It has been years since I have been on a ride at Disneyland with my dad, so it was certainly special to sit next to him on Big Thunder. We had a blast and we could even see Grandma sitting with Abby and Ellie on one of the last big turns. Luckily she saw us too!

After our spin on Big Thunder, we made the decision to head over to Matterhorn and ride that while the girls were still asleep. On our way were trapped in the usual parade crowd. Luckily we found a decent spot to stop and watch, since we were stuck and Abby woke up just in time to see some of her favorite characters like Mickey, Minnie, Tiana, Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel, Rapunzel and last but certainly not least, Mary Poppins. It was worth the delay, especially to watch Abby’s little face.


After the parade we hopped onto Matterhorn and then headed for a bite to eat. With full tummies we made our way back to our lockers to change shoes and clothes for the night. On our way back into the park we were able to find ourselves a nice place to watch the fireworks right on Main Street. Abby enjoyed them, when she wasn’t dazed and resting her head on Grandpa’s shoulder. She did perk up when she saw Tinker Bell and Dumbo flying. After the fireworks we took off to ride the Finding Nemo Submarines. This time Grandpa stayed behind with Ellie, who had fallen asleep again and Grandma rode with us. I think this, out of all the rides, was by far Abby’s favorite. When we got off the ride Abby couldn’t stop talking about Nemo and Dory and all of their friends.

When we were done with Nemo, we decided to throw in the towel and while Jillian and Drisana headed over to Indiana Jones and a few others, we wandered through the stores and made our way to the end of Main Street. We couldn’t leave without a few souvenirs! Once all of the shopping was done and we had literally closed up with the park, we made our way to our cars and headed home. We were tired and weary travelers, but I know we had all had fun. It is, after all, Disneyland.