Kevin, Heather & Dakota

Preschool update...

2010-03-11T20:34:00.001-08:00

Actually, there's not a whole lot to report, but just thought I would include a few pictures. I will say that Dakota still loves going to class and continues to learn new things. She's pretty good about sharing (especially when I ask her to), putting toys away when it's time to clean up, and following directions. She has her days when nothing seems to click, and other days where I'm wondering if aliens took over her body because she's doing everything "right." Today was an exceptional day at preschool, she got along great with the other kids, she was polite to the teacher, and she listened to e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g I told her to do - and without skipping a beat. We're looking forward to next session, especially because her buddy Kylan will be attending. Ok, now for the pictures....

Making some sort of craft...

Making her Valentine's Day bag...

Enjoying some Valentine's Day goodies at snacktime...

Passing out & receiving Valentine's Day cards...

Spring is in the air....

2010-03-08T12:28:00.000-08:00

...and we couldn't be any more HAPPY!!!

Unfortunately, we'll get a day or two of warm temperatures and then get hit by a nasty storm. Once again, we'll take what we can get. I just wish Mother Nature would make up her mind and at least give us a 4 or 5 day stretch of sunshine. Not sucker punch us with a horrendous rainstorm after giving us one measly day of beautiful blue skies and temps in the mid-70s!! @#&$%!!!!

Dakota has definitely been lovin' the warm weather. We've spent the past few weeks living it up at the local parks, as well as the backyard! We've just been cooped up way too long, and us Californians don't fair too well when we can't get outside after about 2 days. So, when the weather's nice, we hightail it outdoors!

The best part of all, we've discovered that Dakota loves soccer. If you give her a ball, she'll kick it to the moon and back. It's not just a kick here, and a kick there; she'll kick and kick and kick AND KICK!! It's like she actually knows how to dribble. I'm only impressed with this because this is the same kid that pretty much refused to kick a ball last summer. So, it was a lot of fun watching her run all over the field as she aggressively attacked the ball. I really want a swimmer in the family, but I'll be happy with any sport. This mom loves wearing baseball caps and screaming at the top of her lungs at games! =)

She was all over the field with the ball!

Not sure why she wanted to kick the bigger ball...

She's been going down the twisty slide since she was about 18 months old
I can't tell you how much she loves them...

The other weekend, Dakota and daddy had so much fun hanging out with each other in the garage. Once again, it was a beautiful day!!! Kevin found the bubbles that Dakota got for her birthday, and those two had a total blast blowing bubbles and making a mess all over the driveway and mommy's car. Gee thanks guys! Then, while daddy wasn't looking, Dakota got ahold of the bubble solution and dumped it all over her head. Good job dad! Needless to say, bubble time was O-V-E-R!! She was super bummed that she couldn't make any more bubbles, but daddy quickly distracted her with a ride on her tricycle, as well as a game of tag. It was so fun to watch them together!!

I think she looks JUST LIKE Kevin here....

Daddy is SO cool!! LOL

Enjoying a game of tag...

Just being a ham...

Gosh, I LOVE this weather!!!

Family Photos...

2010-03-05T23:28:00.000-08:00

I have one word for my friend, Drew. Amazing! You're simply A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! What this friend did for me and my familly means more to me than I could ever express in words. I know some might think, "they're just photos," but they're so much more to me than that.

Ever since I met Drew I've admired her photography. How can you not?! Have you seen her pictures. They're phenomenal. SHE'S phenomenal! When she first told me she was a photographer, I figured she was just someone that liked to take lots of pictures of her adorable son with her fancy camera. Boy was I wrong! Drew, I'm so sorry I didn't give you more credit than that!!

Let me back up a little bit. I met Drew in August of 2008. We actually met at Gymboree when both Dakota and Brayden (yes, the same Brayden that I always rave about) were six months old. They were barely sitting, and I'm almost certain they weren't crawling. Something just clicked with us and we became friends, along with our other good friend Kathy (Kylan's mommy). Both Drew and Kathy have become really good friends of mine and we've shared some awesome times, and A LOT of crazy times! Watching our kids go from blobs to high-enery, rambunctious two year olds has created some incredible memories. And, some memories that I probably wouldn't have made it through without them!!

As I mentioned in a prior post, it was hard to say 'goodbye' to Gymboree a few months ago. Fortuntaly, we still make it a point to get the kids together several times a month. Brayden and Dakota are actually in the same preschool class, and Kylan will be joining the fun in April for the next session.

Drew, thank you again for these amazing pictures. The appreciation and gratitude that I have can never be summed up in words. But, just know that it was a HUGE honor to be the subject of one of your photo sessions. I kinda feel like a celebrity now, haha! And thank you for the much needed direction of picking out my clothes!! For those of you who don't know, I'm fashion retarded. I can totally dress my kid, and I'm pretty good at making Kevin look good, but I can't dress myself to save my life. I was so happy that she picked out the tanktop and sweater for me because it made me feel like a million bucks!

Stay tuned for more pictures from this photo session. I'll be getting the rest in a few weeks, which I CANNOT wait for!!! There are also a few more pictures in a slideshow that Drew was so nice to make for us. Check them out...slideshow!!!

Sushi...

2010-03-05T22:37:00.001-08:00

Most people I know cringe at the thought of eating raw fish. Those who know me, know that I LOOOOOVE it! My dad turned me onto it when I was about 13 yrs old and I've been hooked ever since. I'm not a picky eater by any means, and I'll try anything once. Fortunately, I haven't found many things that I don't like. Except peas and cooked carrots. BARF!

When Dakota started eating solids she seemed to like most things we gave her. Sure, she went through phases of sticking her nose up to certain foods, but she'd eventually eat it and usually like it. Now that she's T-W-O, she's one of the pickiest kids I know. It's actually quite frustrating. I'm starting to think the stork dropped off the wrong kid. But then I remind myself that that's not possible, because Dakota LOVES sushi. Therefore, she must be my child!

I can't describe how much this kid loves the stuff. She wigs out at the site of it, and will literally lean out of her highchair with her mouth wide open, saying, "bite, bite!" Her favorites are the California Roll, Salmon, and scallops. She'll eat everything, but those are her favorites!

Sushi has now become our fallback food for Dakota. When she goes through one of her infamous food strikes, all we need to do is order her a California roll and we'll have an eating machine! I swear it's like the girl instantly grows a second stomach and just mentioning the word sushi sends her into a mad dash for the dining room table. When we were out for sushi with Grandpa, we actually had to stop her from eating anymore because she had already devoured the equivalent of eight rolls. The girl looked like a pot belly pig.

All I have to say about my little sushi lover is that I couldn't be more proud. To have such a picky eater actually love sushi baffles me, but you'll never hear me complain. Fish is one of the healthiest things one could eat! And for those of you concerned about the mercury content, there's no need to worry! The fish that have the highest amounts of mercury (shark, swordfish, mackerel and tilefish) are ones that I haven't even tried. Our favorites (salmon, shrimp and tuna) actually have the least amount. And of course, we always go to restaurants that we know handles and prepares fish correctly, and that are popular and have high turnover!

Mmmmmmmmm!!!

Who lives at Disneyland??

2010-03-05T22:29:00.000-08:00

If you ask Dakota this question she'll quickly tell you, "Mickey Mousch, Dol-Duck, Goo-pee (Goofy), and To-po (Pluto)." LOL. It's pretty darn cute if you ask me. But I'm also a little worried that my daughter might be a tad dyslexic. I mean, "to-po"????? Haha! I'm sure she'll grow out of her backwards talk, but it's still a little odd.

Anyway, we've been to Disneyland several times since the last time I posted about one of our trips, but I just wanted to share some fun pictures that we've taken over the past month or so. =)

Ringing the door bell...excessively!

On the phone with the po-po...

The carousel, always a fave!

On the carousel with her friend Natalie...

Can you tell she's Natalie's biggest fan??

Chugga-Chugga, Chugga-Chugga...

2010-03-05T22:23:00.000-08:00

...Choo-Choo!!!

I know I do a lot of posts on our trips to the train station, but I couldn't resist this visit. I got some super cute photos of Dakota and Daddy hanging out by the tracks. We always have so much fun there, and love that we can grab lunch or dinner at the cafe while we wait for the choo-choos!!

Waving to mommy...

Uh oh, here comes daddy!!

Gotcha!!!

I love this one, she was running away from daddy who was trying to get her booty

Good friends...

2010-03-05T22:21:00.000-08:00

...good times!

Our friends Elizabeth and Chris are our very bestest friends! I've known Elizabeth since I was about 10 yrs old. I think she was 8. I was a total tomboy and she was a girly-girl. We couldn't have been more opposite, but yet we were still good friends. I thought she was a total sweetheart, even if she ratted me out every chance she got. I'm sure I deserved it though. I know I wasn't always that nice to her. I think I roughed her up a few times, so I certainly deserved to get tattled on. LOL. We actually lost touch during those tumultuous teen years, but we were always in each others thoughts.

Fortunately, we reconnected about four years ago and we've been inseperable ever since. Before our daughters were born, the four of us spent so many awesome nights hanging out, BBQing, drinking, playing Apples to Apples, and kicking plastic flamingos off the front lawn, haha!! We had our occasional "girls night" sleep over (yes, sleepovers at 27...haha), and even took a fun trip out to Vegas one weekend, just the two of us. We had a blast!

I think the best time was when we all took a camping trip out to Los Padres. Man, that was a good time and a VERY memorable one (wink wink). I think Liz and Chris are the only ones that know why this trip was so memorable for Kevin and I. =)

In June of 2007, I found out I was pregnant with Dakota. Liz was the second person I told and she was so excited for me. We had both talked about having kids one day and hoped that they would be close in age. Fast forward a year and Liz called me up with the news that she was pregnant! Dakota was only a couple months old, so I was ecstatic to receive the news that Dakota's future BFF, Katie, was on the way!!

Dakota & Katie are so sweet together. They love each others company and they're at the age where they actually play together. It has been so much fun to watch them over the past year, and I can't wait to see all that the future has in store for us. If they're anything like us, they're gonna be wreaking all sorts of havoc.

A few weekends ago, Liz, Chris and Katie came over for some good times! We BBQ'd on Saturday night, watched the girls play together, sent them to bed, then enjoyed the night playing charades. Oh man, did we have some good laughs. Let's put it this way, Kevin acting out contractions will forever be burned into our memory!!! Sunday was just as fun. We spent the day hiking a local trail, and hanging out at the train station. Dakota even helped Katie to walk. It was so much fun!
Here are some photos from that weekend....

Taking an afternoon walk...

It was such a beautiful day!

Hanging out at the train station....

Is she not the sweetest thing ever?! Katie-bug, we love you!

Waitin' for the choo-choos!!!

This was so sweet. Dakota took Katie's hand to help her walk...

Happy Belated Birthday, Miss Dakota...

2010-03-04T15:46:00.001-08:00

My dearest daughter Dakota,

I am sooo sorry that I missed posting a blog on your actual birthday, but I hope you had a wonderful day celebrating your second year of life!!

There are no words I could say in this letter that would be able to express what you are and mean to me. Meeting you for the first time was, hands down, the BEST day of my life. Nothing ever prepared me for the overwhelming love that I have for you. When I first cuddled you in my arms, I knew I had fallen in love for the rest of my life. You are everything to me Dakota. You are my sunshine, my beautiful flower, the light of my life, my everything!

And even though you are only two, you have taught me so much. And I want to thank you for that! Thank you for being my inspiration. For making me want to do good things; even great things! But most importantly you make me want to be good. Because of you I want to be a better person and make the right choices, no matter how hard, and that means being a strong person and a good mother. Every day I give thanks and am grateful for the life that I have with you and Daddy. At this very moment, I am happier than I have ever been in my entire life!

Dakota there are so many things that I hope to teach you, and that you will embrace as your own. Here are just a handful of those things...

“FORGIVENESS” It’s not always easy to forgive when someone has hurt you, but anger and resentment should not be carried. It will make you bitter and cause damage to your physical and emotional health. At worst, it will kill your spirit. Please do not misunderstand, I do not wish for you to be walked on or taken advantage of but I am sure you will be able to recognize and find a balance. Most importantly, you must always forgive yourself. It’s all right to make mistakes, in fact, it is how we learn and grow. And lastly, never EVER burn a bridge, or hold a grudge. Nothing ever good comes of it, and you will ultimately only hurt yourself. Strive to always be the better person and you'll come out on top every time. I promise!

“BELIEVE, BELIEVE, BELIEVE!" There is a whole universe out there and anything is possible. Believe in God, believe in prayer, believe in love, and even magic. I do believe that words have power and even greater power when spoken out loud. It’s making a wish and believing in it with everything in you. Believe in yourself. That means you should always trust your intuition; your fist instincts are usually right. Believing in yourself means that you can do anything you set your mind to. With commitment and hard work you will get where ever it is you want to be and know that nothing great and worth anything is ever easy. Persistence, commitment and perseverance will take you far in life and you can conquer and overcome anything with those three things!

“FAMILY” Family is the very essence of our identity. Family is the most important and should always be put first. Always be proud of your family, if for no other reason, because they are a part of you. They love you unconditionally and support you. They are your “rock “. They are the one’s you can lean on in life.

"RESPECT FOR SELF" First and for most, stay clear of the nay-sayers. Secondly, don’t follow the pack. In other words, be a leader not a follower. Thirdly, have your own ideas and your own mind. Be careful not to get caught up in other’s gossip and misery. Gossip is ugly and empty. Fill yourself up with joy and surround yourself with positive people. I am sure you will get caught up in gossip and drama at some point in your life, the same as I have, but recognize it and run. It too is draining and toxic to your soul. People who don’t care about or respect themselves cannot possibly care for or respect you. Respect the privacy of others. Don’t worry so much about the way other people live their lives, so long as it doesn't affect you. Put that energy into yourself and the things you want out of life. Be positive! Negativity will close more doors, destroy more relationships, and burn more bridges than you'll ever realize.
I hope that you will not need to compete with others. It is a waste of time and energy. In my opinion, it is not a loving or healthy way to be. I believe jealousy to be one of the weakest character traits, so, LOVE YOURSELF! And have the ability to recognize, accept and even admire the beauty in others.
Stand by your convictions. That means I want you to stand up for what you believe in. Also know that everyone is different and others beliefs might be different from yours. Try to have an open mind and always try to put yourself in someone else’s shoes before judging them. Don’t have the need to be perfect (none of us are). Otherwise, it will be hard for you to see your faults and you will hurt people in the process.

“LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE” "Never ever, shrink or downplay yourself so that others around you will not feel insecure or inferior." You are deserving!

"FRIENDSHIP” As a friend it is our job to listen and support, whether we agree or not. It is not our place to judge the choices that other’s make, even if we love them. Others need to learn on their own so that they can grow and find out who they are inside and what it is that will make them happy. People change because life is a constant process and I don’t think it’s ever good to stay at a stand still for too long. Although it can definitely be scary, change is good! Our friends will need us to stand by them, not “kick them when they’re down” or make them second- guess themselves when they are already confused. Also, remember that not everyone has had a loving and supportive family to guide them. So, be a kind, loyal, respectful, honest, forgiving and compassionate friend.

“LITTLE-BIG THINGS” Give thanks, keep your promises, daydream, sing out loud, dance the night away, surround yourself with beauty, use the saying “And this too shall pass”, laugh hysterically! Help the meek, pick your battles, communicate effectively, see things through, set boundaries, and treat people how you want to be treated. Don’t Smoke and never EVER do drugs. Take responsibility for your actions, make a list of things you want to do in life and work toward them! When people are cruel, “kill them with kindness." Fall in love but never with a married man. Know that when we lose someone we love, they become our protectors, our guardian angel.

There are so many more things that I hope to teach you in life, and I will do my best to show you those things and, most importantly, lead by example! But, whether you become everything that I just described or the complete opposite, I will always be proud of you. The fact remain, your life will be what you make of it. And, no matter which life choices you make, I will love you. You are MY DAUGHTER and I will love you forever!!

Dakota I love you with everything that I am. Happy Birthday sweet girl!!

Love, Mommy

Home SWEET home..

2010-03-03T21:19:00.001-08:00

That's right, Dakota is a new homeowner!! Escrow (aka "project backyard transformation") was probably more than a two year old could handle, especially because the disasembled playhouse sat in the garage taunting her everyday to come play inside. I'm happy to report that the stress never got to her (LOL), beccause once the concrete was poured and the playhouse was fully assmbled, we had a very happy and PROUD homeowner!

And of course no homeowner can go without a housewarming party. Not sure when we'll throw her one, but it will definitely include her two best buds, Kylan & Brayden.

She's SO sassy!! lol

She was so excited to finally have the "keys" to her new home.

She kept doing this and saying, "Yay, whoooaaa, Yay-Yay, WHOA"

So proud of her new diggs...

Project COMPLETED...

2010-03-03T20:31:00.000-08:00

Yep, our backyard is OFFICIALLY finished. YAY! I am so ridiculously excited to start enjoying the great outdoor, backyard life. Yes, it still might be small compared to most backyards, but we'll take what we can get. I've said it once and I'll say it again, it doesn't take much to make this family happy. Dakota still has a ton of room to run around, and I've already mapped out where everything will go...BBQ, playhouse, play climber, patio set and all!!! Anyway, I took lots of pictures throughout the whole process. Talk about a total transformation, huh??

Before...

During...

After...

I'm a little bummed about the gap between the cement and the fence. No thanks to the builder. They left a TON of dirt in the backyard, so when the fence "guys" came in to install the fence they had no choice but to build on top of all the dirt. Fast forward four years, it has now become our problem. It's not a huge deal since the guy that did our concrete will install some cement blocks to hide the gap, which will also serve as a little sitting area for Dakota. Problem solved! =)

Did you miss us?!

2010-03-03T20:17:00.001-08:00

I want to apologize for not blogging these past few weeks. Life got a little busy for us, so blogging ultimately got put on hold. I'll try my best to update all that has happened these past few weeks, which means I have my work cut out for me!! A lot has happened since the last time I posted, including someone's SECOND birthday. I'm so ashamed that I didn't take the time to at least give Dakota a little shout out on her big day. But, to be honest with you, I think she was probably happy that I spent the entire day with her instead of being glued to the computer. So here we go. Stay tuned for lots of posts!!!

Picture of the week...

2010-02-05T10:20:00.000-08:00

I took this picture while we waited for choo-choos at the train station. I have more pictures to share of that day, but I'll limit this post to just one ;)

It still amazes me how grown up she is starting to look in some of her pictures. And, I don't mean grown up like she's resembling a three of four year old. I feel like I'm seeing into the future with some of the pictures I take. I swear her face shows so much maturity at times. It's scary!

Under Construction...

2010-01-29T16:06:00.000-08:00

Ok, well here they are. Here are the "before" pictures of our itty-bitty backyard.

It might not be all that big, but I know Dakota will still have a blast back there. We don't need much, especially since we find a lot of fun outside of the home. But, it'll certainly be nice for Dakota to have a little play area when we're having one of those nice relaxing days at home, or a place to hang out when we're BBQing. =)

We're still waiting on the weather to cooperate, but hopefully it will be done within the next few weeks. As long as it's done by Springtime, I'll be happy!

I'm also SUPER excited with how the playhouse turned out. I know I said it was in great shape, but after spending about 4 hours scrubbing it down this past weekend, it looks brand new!! I was also able to order some parts that were missing and/or in major need of replacing. When we bought it from the previous "owners," we discovered the skylight cover was missing. I was bummed when I found that out, but luckily Step2.com has them available for replacement since they still sell that model of playhouse. And would you believe the skylight was only $4. FOUR DOLLARS!!!! Omigosh, I wanted to order 10. I don't know why, but I just felt like I should. LOL I'll probably order one more, just in case something happens with the one we have. I also ordered new stickers, since the ones it came with were either missing or nasty! How much were those you ask? $1.25!!!! It felt great to not only find replacement parts, but to find replacement parts at a reasonable price! Anyway, here are some pictures....

A much cleaner playhouse & new skylight cover...

The NEW stickers. Doesn't it look great?!?!

I can't wait to take pictures of Dakota enjoying the playhouse once it's fully assembled. She tries so hard to get in there and play around, but we try our best to keep her away so that it's even more special once it's all put together! We'll definitely be having a "house warming party" once we have it up. I know two little boys that she's gonna love having over to play =)

Picture of the week...

2010-01-29T10:46:00.001-08:00

....a little late, but better late than never. I'll have another one posted in a few days (for this week). =)

~Dakota and her new ride, courtesy of Craigslist~

Home away from home...

2010-01-23T20:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks to good ole Craigslist, this is Dakota's new crib (figuratively speaking)...

Ya, it might be five years old and slightly faded, but it was 1/2 the price of a new one. I really didn't want a brand new playhouse for two reasons. One, I didn't want to shell out that much money. Two, it's gonna get ridiculously faded in our backyard and I'll be less depressed when this one does, simply because I didn't fork out mad cash for it.

I got really lucky finding this one on Craigslist. It has always been kept in the shade, which is why it still looks great. Now we just gotta wait for the concrete to be poured so we can assemble it. We got the green light through our association, now we just have to wait for the weather to cooperate!

Forecast calls for partly cloudy skies...

2010-01-22T21:58:00.000-08:00

How cute are those cloudy skies? I know it's a little cheesy, and probably a little silly that I'm so enthusiastic about it, but I've always looked forward to hanging Dakota's school crafts on our refrigerator. I admit the crafts will be overtaking our refrigerator a lot sooner than I once predicted, but give me a break, she's my first kid! LOL

Well, I'm not gonna go too much into her 2nd day of preschool, but she did have a lot of fun. She is doing really well with directions and listening to what I tell or ask of her while we're in class. She's also very good at doing what other kids do and/or what the teacher asks her to do (helping to clean up, placing her hands in her lap during storytime, waiting her turn, and sharing).

On this particular day, the kids made clouds to go along with the theme of the day. I must say, Dakota did really well making the clouds on her own. I gave her minimal verbal direction and she did the rest. Ok, maybe I put those last two cotton balls on as she frantically scrubbed her hands with a wipe to get all the glue and fuzz off her hands.

Last week it was the kitchen, this week she was all about the cars...

In the car...

Valentine's Day Sneak Peek...

2010-01-22T17:17:00.001-08:00

Ok, I guess it's not really a sneak peek, since I pretty much just gave away what we'll be sending out for Valentine's Day. But whatever! I mainly just wanted to share the pictures that were taken during our fun little dress up/photo session the other day. I'm obviously no professional photographer, nor will these pictures be winning any awards, but that's not what I'm going for. Enjoy! ;)

Taken out front...

Taken out back...

Oh, and I betcha didn't know that I've had those babylegs and headband since she was a newborn, and the skirt since she was 9 months old. The shirt and shoes are the only new things. I guess it's a good thing my child insists on staying skinny.

Picture of the week...

2010-01-21T22:12:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this comes as no surprise. I took this picture a few days ago. We had a little break in our stormy weather, and jumped on the opportunity to let Dakota run around outside, while I took some pictures. As you can see, she had a blast stretching those little legs of her!

I have quite a few more pictures from this day, but I'll share those on a different post. So stay tuned!

Dakota meets Isabella...

2010-01-18T16:19:00.000-08:00

In this modern day, technological world it's really comes as no surprise that two toddlers can be long distance friends. Hehe. Ok, it's really two mommies that met over the internet that made their friendship possible.

Yep, I got to meet another one of my whattoexpect.com mommy friends this past weekend. Niki is from Ohio and her daughter Isabella is a week older than Dakota. She actually has two other daughters, but they weren't able to make it out with her this time. Niki was only in town for four days, but I was lucky enough to get penciled into her busy schedule while she was out here. She actually called me up on Thursday to see if she could borrow Dakota's pack n play. So I got a sneak peek that night when I dropped it off to her. Unfortunately, both girls were asleep and it was FREEZING outside, so it was a very brief visit.

Luckily, the very next day we all got to spend a few hours at Downtown Disney. The girls had a blast running around, splashing in the fountain, holding hands, eating snacks, licking dum-dums, and completely ignoring anything me or Niki told them NOT to do. It's like they've known each other their entire lives because everything one did the other did, and almost right on cue. I guess that's just a two year old for ya.

Anyway, we all had a great time. I just wish we would have had more time to spend with each other. Enjoy the pictures!

They started off at Build-A-Bear....

But apparently the fountain was calling their names...

I can't tell you how much fun they had playing in the water.

They walked away SOAKED!

They loved holding hands!!

These next three are my favorite.

The girls wanted to play ring around the rosies, and Niki was sweet enough to do so =)

They enjoyed their snacks and dum-dums...

The girls standing in front of the "I" at California Adventure...

And of course, we had to get a picture of all four of us!!

I love the deer-in-the-head-light look our daughters are giving. LOL

Niki, thank you SO very much for making time to meet with Dakota and me. You are such a sweet, genuine person and I just love your personality and sense of humor. Seriously though, why do you have to live so far away?!?! As for Isabella, OMG, what a character that girl is. She is such a happy child and her facial expressions crack me up. I'm amazed at how much postive energy pours out of that child, which can only be attributed to one thing...GREAT parents! You and Tom have done a wonderful job. I can only imagine how wonderful Carly and Abby are in person. And Niki, thank you so much for the super cute T-Shirt and postcard you bought for Dakota. That was so thoughtful and sweet of you. I had Dakota all decked out in her shirt so I could take a picture, but the batteries were completely dead, so I'll add the picture to this post as soon as I take it. We miss you guys already!! =(

Bye Bye Gymboree...

2010-01-17T20:28:00.000-08:00

Hello Preschool...

I can't tell you how hard it was to walk into Gymboree a few weeks ago and cancel our membership. I actually cried! I think it was hard for me because it made me face the realization that my baby is growing up. You see, Gymboree was the very first "Mommy & Me" class I ever did with Dakota. I can still remember her very first Gymboree class like it was yesterday. She was only 6 months old, and barely knew how to crawl. We sat down on the mat not knowing what to expect, but just as soon as the teacher started to sing, Dakota let out the loudest shrills I had ever heard. All the other moms burst out laughing, and the teacher replied with, "Well someone's happy to be here." That's when I knew that Gymboree was for Dakota!

These past 18 months have taught Dakota so much! She really got a lot out of the classes, and I am so thankful and happy Dakota enjoyed it as much as she did. And if it wasn't for Gymboree, I wouldn't have met three of my most favorite mommies, Drew, Kathy and Julie. Knowing that I still have their friendship made it a little easier to quit, and Dakota has found her lifelong BFFs who she still hangs out with at least three or four times a month. I was telling Drew and Kathy a few weeks ago that I really hope they always stay good friends. Even if they grow up to be completely different people, I hope their history will always keep them close! Afterall, how many people can say they've known their friend since they were 6 months old??

Anyway, back on track with this post. You're probably wondering why we said goodbye to Gymboree. Well, I happened to hear about a free pre-preschool class through my friend Kathy. Yep, the same Kathy from Gymboree. I was so ecstatic to find out the local college offers a free class for toddlers. Turns out it's a class that requires parent participation, which is kinda neat. So, after many frustating hours of trying to figure out the whole registration process, Dakota was registered!

But wait, it gets better! Brayden is actually in the same class as Dakota. Unfortunately, Kylan isn't doing this session. His mom, Kathy, is a little preoccupied with his new baby sister, but she's hoping to join the fun in April.

As for the actual class...it's AWESOME!! It's all I hoped it would be, and more! It was a little unorganized, but the instructor assured us it was because it was the first day. That's understandable, and it seems like most first days are like that with any kind of class. There were 25 kids in the class, and I guess there's a wait list of 20 people. So apparently it's very popular!

I could tell Dakota really liked the class. There is so much for them to do and I was amazed at all that was offered, including activity tables and LOTS of toys. The teacher brought the kids together a couple of times to sing songs and read books. Dakota did relatively well sitting and listening, but I could tell she wanted to beeline it for the play kitchen. Anyway, I'll stop with the rambling. Here are the pictures from her very first day of preschool...

Mommy snappin' a few pictures before we head off to school...

Waiting for class to start...

All the kids running around like goofballs...

Once inside, Dakota bee-lined it for the toys...

"Oh, hi Mommy, you're still here?!?!"

Dakota LOVES to color...

Playing some more...

Lunchtime!!! I was amazed at how well she did by herself...

Enjoying a little storytime!

And lastly, can't forget about getting your hand stamped!!

This was also a Gymboree favorite. When I told her it was a stamp, she sat down. LOL

Disneyland....

2010-01-13T23:46:00.001-08:00

This is why I absolutely LOVE Disneyland!

I was so lucky to capture this on video. Dakota and I went to Disneyland the other day, and we stopped to say hello to all of her Disney friends on Main Street. When it was her turn to say hi to Goofy, she some how tripped on another kid's shoe. She quickly got back up to her feet, brushed off her hands, and threw herself into Goofy's arms. He let her sit on his lap as he rocked her for almost a minute. It's one of the sweetest things I've ever seen.

Kevin and I took Dakota back to Disneyland a week later, and I was able to capture more magical moments on video. If it was up to Dakota, she would probably just insist on hanging out with the Disney characters all day, as opposed to doing anything else at the park. Here are a few more videos of Dakota visiting with her Disney friends....

Picture of the week!

2010-01-13T23:14:00.001-08:00

I stole this idea from my friend Tanya. I thought it was a great idea, and it's something I can do once a week that doesn't require much writing. So, thank you Tanya!! =)

Happy 23rd month Birthday, Dakota...

2010-01-13T00:24:00.000-08:00

Dakota!!! I can't believe you're almost two. WOW!!! I know I say this all the time, but seriously, where did my baby go? As someone else put it, this is the last of your monthdays. You'll no longer be 24 months, or 28 months, you'll be two, then three, then eighteen and off to college. Oh how I wish you would stay young forever. But at the same time I look forward to watching you grow up to be the amazing, confident, compassionate, successful, young woman I KNOW you will become. Your Grandpa has told me from day one that if I have high expectations for you, YOU will rise to the occasion. Dakota, you have a mommy and daddy that believe in you, and will always stand behind you 100%. There is nothing in this world you can't do if you believe in yourself.

Here is what's new in your world:

You have started to speak in 3 word sentences, and occasionally four. Usually I have to translate for others because there's a whole lot of jibber jabber in between.

You are SO polite and say "thank you" ALL the time. If we don't reply with "you're welcome" you repeat yourself until we do.

You say bless you when someone sneezes.

You always cover your mouth when you cough, even when you don't know I'm watching.

If someone asks you how old you are, you reply with "two" and do your best peace sign, or what looks like a gang sign. LOL

Ever since our Hawaii trip, you tell us "ni-night" when you want to take a nap or go to bed. I never thought I would hear that from a toddler.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, you are one sociable kid!! Even though you don't talk much, you seem to make friends wherever you go.

You love the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you sing "yo-ho, yo-ho, yo-ho" over and over and over and over, until mommy can't take it anymore. Haha

You can draw circles. Ok, they're a little lopsided, but we can make 'em out. =)

You HATE commercials. Ok, maybe it's me that hates commercials, because you now seem to mistaken some commercials as actual TV shows. When the commercial ends, you glare at me with accusatory eyes just before screaming at me to turn it back. HAHA!! I love it, but I hate it!

You can do the hokey pokey

You absolutely hate having crooked socks. You pitch the biggest fit, and scream "sooooock" until it's fixed.

Things you like....

Mommy's Carebears and Smurfs that were save all these years just for you!

Collecting rocks

Your toy cars and trucks

Sushi (Grandpa's proud)

Trains...you are now familiar with downtown Fullerton, and will scream "choo-choos" even when we're about a mile away from the train station. How you do this rear-facing is a mystery to me!

Disneyland

Coloring

Watching TV in between mommy and daddy

Merry-go-rounds, even if they do make you super dizzy

Goofy, and Mickey, and Pluto, and Donald, and all of the Disney characters at Disneyland

Fast rides and rollercoasters

My iTouch. You love the apps! You're favorite is to draw on "Doodle Pro" and flip through the flash cards in "Smart Baby"

Things you hate...

My Meatloaf

Not getting your way

Being told "No"

Shopping

Vegas Trip...

2010-01-08T16:44:00.001-08:00

Well, it was another successful trip to Vegas. Dakota has really formed a special bond with her Grandpa, and it melts my heart to watch them together. You can really see the love they have for each other in the pictures I take.

To give you an example of how much this girl loves her Grandpa, every morning at his house she would wake up in her pack n' play and scream "ga-pa." I'd pick her up out of it and she would run to the door, point at it, say his name over and over until I opened it for her, then run to find him.

Anyway, I won't go too much into everything we did during our visit, but we did have a great time visiting a playground with a super cool merry-go-round and maze, watching planes fly over, taking a boat ride in Grandpa's boat, visiting the strip with daddy (he came out a few days later), walking around the village, and just hanging out with good ole Grandpa!

Although, I should mention that we rang in the New Year at Grandpa's house. Dakota went down at about 9:30pm. The rest of us stayed up, since the village by my dad's house would be setting off fireworks. I didn't really expect too much, but I swear it was like we were at Disneyland. The fireworks display was incredible and it lasted at least 5 minutes. Dakota woke up completely petrified and was in hysterics by the time I ran downstairs to get her. She calmed down right away, so I took her back up to my dad's office to watch the rest of the show. She loved it and just sat there in my arms with her mouth wide open. =)

Grandpa let her drive the boat...

Enjoying the ride...

Grandpa's house

Took a few shots out in Grandpa's backyard. These are my favorite...

Dakota wanted so badly to jump into Grandpa's pool, even after feeling the cold water

So I let her skim the pool as a compromise...

Lovin' the merry-go-round at a local playground...

She had the greatest time running through this maze for 15 minutes straight!

Granpda had a blast watching her go down the slides...

My two loves!!

At the village. Dakota doing her kissy face. LOL

Walking to the village.

Dakota though she'd be a real evil knieval and walk on the fairway. Rebel!

We took a trip to the Adventuredome at Circus Circus.

What a DUMP!! lol

And when were doing a whole lotta nothing,

this is what these two did most of the time...

And here are a few videos taken on our trip...

The place along the Cajon Pass where I take Dakota to watch the trains.

Please excuse the lighter. I didn't realize she picked that nasty thing up until after the video...

Dakota enjoying the merry-go-round, just before she got dizzy and almost fell off. Oops!

Grandpa & Dakota watching the airplanes fly over.

This is what I used to do with my dad as a kid =)

Thank you dad for being the most wonderful Grandpa to your other little girl. When I found out I was having a girl, I really hoped she would be close to you! I could tell from very early on that she loved you unmeasurably. It makes my day to hear her say your name out of the blue or point out your picture and scream, "Ga-pa." I think the greatest thing about your relationship with Dakota is that you "get" her, and I know that's why she loves you so very much.

MERRY CHRISTMAS...

2009-12-31T14:21:00.002-08:00

What a wonderful Christmas we had this year!! Dakota still didn't have much clue as to what was going on, but I don't think you'll hear her complaining about all the presents that magically appeared Christmas morning...lol.

I had a pretty awesome Christmas myself. My two favorite presents were these...

Flip video!!

I absolutely LOOOOOOOOVE this thing

iTouch!!!

I still can't justify an iPhone, so this

was the next best thing. LOL

I'd say Dakota had a pretty gosh darn good Christmas too. Like I mentioned before, I'm pretty sure Dakota would agree that any day that gives out free presents is A-Okay in her book. HA! You'll get a pretty good idea what she got when you look through all the pictures, but here's what Santa brought her...

Two Zhu Zhu pets
An ATV Quad, which she loved on Christmas, but now seems to hate.
Cars
A super cool dollhouse, fully furnished
A racetrack for her cars
More Cars
Some bouncy balls
A train racetrack
Playdoh
Vacuum
A barrel of monkeys, because EVERY child should have them. hehe
Tinkerbell from Gigi
More cars (you'll see what I mean when I post our Vegas trip)
A kids' laptop, since she's obsessed with pounding on ours
Hexbugs, because the girl is still obsessed with bugs. lol

And, a very special book that I remember reading as a kid. It was, and still is, my favorite childhood book, which I actually still have. However, the thing is ridiculously worn out and the binding is coming undone, so I bought her her own copy. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone with kids!!

Anyway, here's how our Christmas day went. We woke up around 7am and opened presents. Dakota bee-lined it for the dollhouse and could really careless about anything going on around her. At some point, she decided to peel herself away from the house to open the rest of her presents. I really didn't think she would be into opening her own presents, but she did. She didn't tear into them like a typical toddler does, but rather opened them very carefully as to not rip the wrapping paper. LOL. I think she gets this from my brother. Weirdo!

Soooo happy that it's Christmas!!

Finding goodies in her stocking...

She LOOOOVES her dollhouse!

Enjoying some M&Ms that was part of mommies present.

Betcha didn't know Kev has a creative side to him too. He buried my iTouch in that swamp of M&Ms.

Lovin' her Quad. Too bad she's not a fan of it at the moment.

Around 10am, Gigi (Grandma Keyworth) and Granny made their appearance. Dakota was so stoked to see them, and Kevin and I were stoked she brought Cinnabon. YUM! They only stayed for about an hour or so, since my mother-in-law had Christmas dinner to make, which we were lucky enough to enjoy later that day!

Opening one of her presents from Grandma...

The cat wondering where his presents are...

Several people have asked me what we got Dakota for Christmas, and I quickly replied with, "A whole lotta cars," before going into much else. A few of those people were kind of shocked and then asked if I got her any girl toys. Which of course we did, because I do believe every little girl should have a dollhouse. However, even if I didn't, I don't think it's all that shocking to give my daughter what she loves most for Christmas or her birthday. If she likes cars, choo-choos, balls, dinosaurs and bugs, then that's what we're gonna get her. I'm not big on gender specific toys because I think it really limits a childs' imagination, and frankly, you're not doing you child any favors. Plus, at this age, do they really know the difference between boy toys and girl toys? Probably not. I'm all about introducing all sorts of toys to Dakota, which is one of the reasons why we got her a bunch of "boy" toys (cars, balls, dinosaurs) in addition to a dollhouse. But, you know what she does with her dollhouse? She stores her balls and cars in there. LMAO!

Anyways, after we picked up the house a little bit, we got ready and headed down to Newport Beach so we could spend the day with Gigi, Granny, Uncle Matt and Dakota's two cousins. We had a great afternoon over there, and the dinner that my mother-in-law prepared us was just perfect. She did a wonderful job! Dakota of course loved spending time with Granny and her two cousins!

Having a blast with Granny...

Doing something silly...

She saw Granny blow it up, so she wanted to try too...

She loves her olives...

Oh wait, another "girl" toy!! lol

Christmas Eve...

2009-12-31T14:21:00.001-08:00

The Hampton Family tradition for the past 10+ years has been to spend Christmas Eve at my brother's house for their annual seafood feast. I can't tell you how amazing this dinner is, and my brother and sister-in-law always do a wonderful job. Their feast always consists of Alaskan king crab legs, shrimp scampi, and some sort of yummy salad. It's always a wonderful treat to spend Christmas Eve at their house, enjoying everyone's company while scarfing down awesome food.

Dakota and I were the first to arrive. Unfortunately, Kevin couldn't make it until later because he had to work, so it was just me and my girl. Dakota got the typical greeting from their dog, Roxy, which consisted of a 1,000 licks to the face. Haha. Poor girl.

We hung out in the backyard for the first hour, so Dakota could get her koi pond fix. Aunt Boo even let her feed them! A little later, I let Dakota play over at the park with her cousin Danette and her three friends. I can't tell you how amazing my youngest niece is with Dakota. I can tell Danette really loves her, especially since she let Dakota hang out with her and her friends. This totally made Dakota's day. I can't tell you how much Dakota loves older girls. To my surprise, she was on her very best behavior and shared the nerf toys that she found littered all over the grass. I think she knew that Mommy would end all the fun she was having if she didn't behave.

The BEST cousin in the world!!

This is the ONLY thing Dakota wanted to do the entire day...hang out with the big girls!

They even let her play with the nerf guns. How cool is that?!

Eventually, the girls made there way back inside, with Dakota just a few steps behind. To her surprise, "Ga-ma" had arrived, and before I knew it they were out in the backyard looking at the fishies together. Another nice break for mommy!

Around 4 o'clock dinner was ready, so we all made our way inside to enjoy the feast. This was also the first year Dakota really got to enjoy all the good food, and she seemed to like the crab. Although, I think the dinner rolls were her favorite.

After dinner, most of us found ourselves a comfy spot to sit down and let our full tummies settle. Dakota, on the other hand, found herself a candy cane and was on cloud 9 for a good thirty minutes. Unfortunately, those thirty minutes of pure bliss came to a screeching halt as soon as Roxy came in for a lick. Then it was adios candy cane!! YUCK!

Kevin finally made it, and was able to enjoy a plate full of food that my brother was nice enough to save for him. Dakota was certainly happy to see her Daddy! Later that evening, we exchanged gifts and Dakota got to open her GIGANTIC present. It was the biggest present in the house, but that didn't intimidate her the least bit because she ran right up to it and peeled the wrapping paper right off. And boy, what a lucky girl to find this under all that wrapping paper...

I was actually kinda shocked that she was so excited since, in her eyes, it was just a gigantic box with a huge sticker of a slide slapped on the side of it. But all she kept saying as she pointed at the picture was "ba-ball, ba-ball," (aka, basketball). I can't tell you how lucky Dakota is to have such a generous Aunt and Uncle!! She absolutely LOVES this thing and repeats "gawage" several times throughout the day, so she can go play on it. What a fantastic way to end a wonderful day!!!

Christmas with the in-laws..

2009-12-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

"The best of all gifts around any Christmas tree: the presence of a happy family all wrapped up in each other."

Kevin's dad and stepmom were in town from Montana, so we all decided to get together at our house for an early Christmas gathering. I know it meant a lot to Kevin's dad to have the three families all together for Christmas. It was such a perfect evening and I had the BEST time.

We kinda went round and round with what to do for dinner, but finally decided on a pot roast. I love a good roast, and it's perfect around this time of year. So, that morning I threw my concoction of meat, potatoes, onions, and various spices into the crockpot and let it do it's job. I didn't have much else to do, since the night before I was busy making sugar cookies, fudge, and english toffee, as well as spinach dip. So, all that was left to do was whip up some guacamole, and open some cans of corn. How easy is that?! Haha

My first time making Fudge...

English Toffee

Once everyone was over, we had a great time catching up while digging into the dips. I eventually made my way into the kitchen to prepare dinner. It took me all of 15 minutes to pull all the goodies out of the crock pot, warm up the corn, and make the gravy. I just looooove gravy made from the drippings too. I was very happy with how everything turned out!

So, we all gathered around the table and enjoyed the meal. Dakota and Alyssa sat at the kid's table and had their chicken nuggets. Although, Dakota was more interested in what Alyssa had on her plate than she did with her own, so she didn't end up eating much. What's new, right?

Told ya she insists on eating her chicken nuggets with a fork. LOL

After we all stuffed ourselves to the gills, we made our way into the living room and opened presents. It was a really fun evening and it was so nice to get everyone together to celebrate Christmas (a few days early), especially since it had been about four years. And I can't tell you how much I LOVE seeing the cousins together.

These three just make my heart melt!!!

The boys spending time with their dad...

And this has to be my favorite picture of the night. LOL

Christmas Crafts...

2009-12-23T20:34:00.000-08:00

Dakota and I had so much fun making Christmas crafts this year. Dakota loves having her hands painted and making handprints on paper, which is actually quite odd considering she's not fond of having anything on them. I mean, the girl pitches a fit when a piece of lint or speck of sand affixes itself to her skin. What about finger foods do you ask? Let's just put it this way, I now know why she learned how to use a fork at such a young age; it was to avoid touching food at all costs. There was a method to her madness. You'll rarely ever see Dakota using her hands to eat. Instead, you'll find her eating PB&J, chicken nuggets, grapes, cheese and all other sorts of finger foods with a fork. It's really quite bizarre, but that's my OCD little girl. LOL. Anyway, it's always so much fun to do these fun crafts with Dakota, and now I know she loves doing them too since she's willing to let me put paint all over her hands =)

Santa's 9 reindeer....

Christmas Card

2009-12-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

I'm going to begin this post with an apology, because unfortunately I had a major brain fart when ordering Christmas cards this year. I didn't order enough of our main Christmas card to send to everyone, and by the time I realized my mistake it was too late to order more. Ooops!! Luckily, I ordered plenty of the "Santa Letter" card to send to everyone, so I hope no one is offended that they didn't get both. I love how both turned out, even if I did have to slap an extra 17-cent stamp on the envelope because the cardstock was too heavy. Another thing to keep in mind next year. lol

Under the weather...

2009-12-15T16:53:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how miserable this past weekend was for the three of us. Yep, we ALL came down with a stomach virus. It all started Friday night, when out of the blue Dakota started throwing up. And every 30 minutes I might add. I don't think she fell asleep until midnight, and she still woke up twice after that to empty out whatever still remained in her little tummy. Poor thing. She stayed in bed with us, since I was worried a fever might make an appearance. It never did, but she still woke up Saturday morning sick as a dog.

She couldn't keep anything down, and I started to really worry. Why? Because I had no clue what to do. Surprisingly, Dakota has never been this sick. She has only ever had the common cold, and has never had a temperature over 101.4 degrees. So, I put in a call to the nurse advice line and they advised me (along with several of my mommy friends) to give her a couple teaspoons of water every 2o minutes. So, that's what we did, and she kept it down!! Later that day, I gave Dakota a pedialyte popsicle thinking she would have no problem keeping that down. Nope! Thirty minutes later, it was all over her PJs....UGH! So I added that pair of pajamas to the huge, soiled pile of sleepwear, sheets, blankets, and other clothes. There was not much else we could do, but just cuddle, rock and lightly tickle/caress our poor sick little girl. All she wanted was to sleep on our chest or snuggle under the blankets, so we catered to anything and everything she wanted that day. Here are some pictures of our poor little sicky, sleeping and cuddling in various spots and positions throughout the day...

Cuddling with mommy...

Cuddling with daddy & enjoying a popsicle 30 minutes before it came back up =(

My poor, sick little girl...

Sleeping it off...

Resting in her crib...

That night, she slept pretty good. She spent the first 1/2 of the night in our bed, but started to thrash around at about 4 o'clock, so I tucked her into her own bed. She slept in til about 9am, which I thought was great. She reaaaaally needed the rest. However, at about that time, Kevin started to feel quite sick, and I wasn't feeling too hot myself. A few hours later, we were glued to the toilet. Without going into much detail, our Sunday was completely and utterly miserable!!! Thankfully, Dakota was feeling much better, but still lacked a lot of energy. I guess that was good because Kevin and I were in no shape to do much for her. She was such a good little girl and just hung out with us in the living room as we moaned and groaned through our misery. I wish I would've taken a picture, but it looked like a bomb went off downstairs. All of the pillows were completely off the couch, blankets were strewn all about, half empty 7up cans were scattered all over the coffee table, and don't get me started on the saltine crackers. Let's just put it this way, I'm still vacuuming up crumbs a week later.

Later that evening, Kevin started to feel a tad better. I, on the other hand, felt worse than ever. It was a pretty rough night for me, but by morning I was feeling much better. Kevin was able to go to work, so it was just Dakota and me. We spent the entire day in bed, watching cartoons, taking sips of gatorade and water, and cuddling. Despite the circumstances, it was a wonderful mother-daughter day. Here are some fun pictures I took of our lazy day in bed. Notice the smile on her face is back!!! Sadly, she is back down to 21.5 lbs. She lost an entire pound that weekend =(

Dakota meets Santa Claus...

2009-12-15T00:33:00.000-08:00

I was a little disappointed that Dakota didn't smile, but I should be happy that she didn't kick, scream, flail, and cry like some of the other kids I saw with Santa. I was warned that most kids her age lose their mind on Santa's lap, so I guess I should be thankful there were no tears. And although she had the "who-is-this-guy, why-am-I-sitting-on-his-lap" look the entire time she sat there, she gave him a HUGE hug and wave goodbye as we left to pay for the pictures. Oh well, that's just the way it goes sometimes.

Christmas Portraits...

2009-12-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

I'm sure most of you who follow me on Facebook have already seen these pictures, but I thought I would share them on our blog for those who don't. I just love how these came out, especially since I didn't have high expectations going into this photo shoot. Dakota is a mover, and isn't always fond of someone else taking pictures of her. So, needless to say, the odds were stacked against me. But my mindset was, "Expect the worst, hope for the best." Lo and behold, I was pleasantly surprised with surprisingly pleasant pictures...hehe.

I just love her Christmas dress, and I know Dakota does too. Everytime I put it on her, she dances and twirls around. I found it at Nordstroms Rack for an insanely good price. Yay for great deals!!

And here are last years pictures. I can't believe how chubby she looks in a few of these photos. And here I was worried that she was underweight (thanks to her doctors). I love these pictures so much because she was such a happy little fuzzhead..

Gingerbread Party...

2009-12-12T15:10:00.000-08:00

Oh my goodness, I can't tell you how much fun we had at Dakota's playdate Gingerbread party!! My friend Kathy came up with the idea and was sweet enough to host the sugar event at her house. She built the gingerbread houses (aka gram cracker squares) prior to our arrival. I have to say, she did a great job. Kevin and I tried to do the Gingerbread house thing several years ago and FAILED. Miserably, might I add. So I wasn't too optimistic, but thought it would be fun nonetheless. It's always fun when Dakota gets to meet up with her buds. Unfortunately, her girlfriend Natalie wasn't able to attend, so she was the only girl. But that's okay, I love that she loves to run with the boys. Reminds me of a certain someone. lol.

Anyway, Dakota was thrilled to see her buddies Brayden, Kylan, Sean and Enzo. They were running wild through the house. Dakota had soooo much fun riding on Kylan's super cool Thomas the Train ride-on toy. That girl would not stop choo-chooing around. It was so cute. And, I was happy to see her share the fun with her friends when I told her to give someone else a turn. I thought for sure she would throw a fit, but she didn't. She is so good about sharing!!

After the kids played together for awhile, we brought them all into the living room to start the Gingerbread decorating madness. Of course, the kids were more interested in eating the candy rather than decorating. I guess that was a big, DUH! I think we all knew that would be the case, so us mom's had a blast doing it for them. Kylan did end up decorating his own house, after taking a bite out of every single piece of candy of course. It was hysterical to watch, and I really wish I would have taken a picture of his masterpiece!

After about 30 minutes of decorating and candy consumption, we decided to clean everything up before our kids went into sugar comas. Our kids were on a pure sugar high and totally amped, so we let them run around the house for a good hour or so. I swear they ran up and down the stairs 20+ times. I was exhausted just watching them, but I'm glad Dakota expended most of her energy before we headed home. Oh, and the funniest part of the playdate was when Drew (Brayden's mom) came downstairs to tell us she caught Dakota and Kylan in bed together. Doing what crazy toddlers do best of course...jumping on the bed like silly little monkeys. hehe ;)

The finished product (aka, mommy's gingerbread house)...

Oh CHRISTmas tree...

2009-12-08T19:08:00.000-08:00

...oh Christmas tree...

~Can you tell they're proud of this tree?~

As you can see, we got ourselves a perty little Christmas tree. We set out to find the perfect tree this past weekend, and found this one. It stood about 5 feet tall until we brought it into the house and placed it on an end table in our living room. Now it's about 8 1/2 feet tall. LOL. We do this every year due to a lack of space. It works for us though, since we save a little money by buying a shorter tree. Win, win!!

Looking for "the" one!!!

Anyway, when we got home Daddy took the tree into the garage to prep it for life indoors (tree stand), and I set off inside with Dakota to get the decorations out. Within a few hours, our ordinary Christmas tree was now decorated and looking quite beautiful. I thought for sure Dakota would dig having a tree inside, but she was completely indifferent about it. The cat on the other hand did everything in his power to become "one" with the tree. Go figure. Even though, Dakota wasn't as enthusiastic over the tree as I thought she would be, she certainly enjoyed helping me decorate it with all the pretty ornaments...

Two of my favorite ornaments. Our kindergarten pictures...

After we decorated the tree, as well as the rest of the house, I still had a little bit of energy left in me to make some sugar cookies. My favorite!! I don't know why, but I just love making these cookies and decorating them with frosting and sprinkles. I'm sure I'll be making a few more batches before the holidays are over because these only last about 2-3 days. I also promised Dakota to make some for her beloved UPS man. It's the least we could do considering all the sweet things he does for Dakota. I know I mentioned this on Facebook, but for those of you who don't follow me on that site, our UPS man did the sweetest thing a few weeks ago. Dakota and I were outside waiting for him to drive by like we always do. He passed our house, but didn't notice us and kept driving. That's totally not like him, but I figured he must not have seen us because it was dark out. So, we headed inside. The next thing we know, our doorbell rings and it's our UPS man telling us that he was sorry that he didn't see us, but wanted to say hi to Dakota. Seriously? What an amazing guy!! The next day, I stopped him so I could thank him, as well as get his name so I could put in a good word to his company and hopefully get him some kind of commendation. Just before he drove off, he told me that he would be on vacation the following week. So, when that week rolled around, we didn't bother going out to see the UPS man (Ya, I was feeling a tad lazy...lol). But to our surprise, every day we got a honk from whoever was filling in for him. Can you believe it? Now that's customer service! Anyway, here are the yummy cookies...

And, what does Dakota do while I bake cookies do you ask? Well, if she's not taking a nap, I give her an all access pass to the one kitchen cabinet that is not off limits to her. This girl could play in this cupboard for hours. Daddy hates it because she usually opts to bang on the only three things in that cabinet that make the most racket, the mixing bowls. LOL

"Girls" Day...

2009-12-06T14:42:00.001-08:00

Dakota and I had a super fun girls-day-out this past Friday. I have to say, we definitely have to do these mother-daughter days more often. It was SO much fun spending the day with my little girl. I decided the night before that I wanted to spend the day with her, but had no idea what I wanted to do. A park? Nah, that's not an all day affair. Disneyland? Not feeling up to dealing with the crowds on a Friday. Train station? Hmmm, maybe. Then I got to thinkin'! Why not hit up the train station and actually catch a train somewhere! So, I spent about a good hour looking up the train schedules and stations, and finally decided on San Juan Capistrano. It's not too far, and the town is absolutely beautiful. So, it was set!

We woke up a little earlier than usual that morning. Eight o'clock to be exact. Yes, we tyically sleep in til 9:ooam in this household. Anyway, I made us some banana pancakes before we headed out, since Dakota has decided she likes them now. I can't tell you how happy this makes me. I packed some snacks, an extra pair of clothes (you never know), some apple juice, and we were off to the train station!!

Once there, I was so happy to discover that parking was free, and that there were actually spots available! We headed to the ticket counter inside the train station and bought our roundtrip tickets. Okay, technically I bought mine ($22), since Dakota is still free. Our train wasn't due for another 30 minutes, so we just walked around and watched a couple freight trains pass through. Too bad you can't take a ride on those...legally. LOL. Anyway, I took this opportunity to take a bunch of pictures, since Dakota was in a happy, smiley mood...

After the photo shoot, we headed over to track 3 and sat down on the bench to wait for the train. Usually, Dakota loves to run around, but she was content just sitting there on the bench...

Finally, the train arrived and she let out a squeal. I don't think she was prepared for me to tell her, "Ok, let's go on the train now Dakota," because she looked at me for a split second and then screamed, "UP, UP, Choo-Choo, Mommy UP!" It was so cute. So I picked Dakota up, boarded the train, and searched for a seat. I didn't realize how hard it would be to find a darn seat. Sure, single seats are a dime a dozen, but I wanted two seats to ourselves. So, three train cars later, I finally found two.

Once seated, Dakota was literally glued to the window for the first 20 minutes. She wouldn't even look at me. It was so sweet and I loved that she loved being on a train. It warmed my heart to know that this trip probably made her day.

After 45 minutes of continous smiles, we finally arrived at our destination. YAY! I was starving, so we headed about a mile down the road to a little bagel bistro. I was willing to bet money on Dakota not wanting anything to do with a bagel, so I ordered her an apple fritter thingy. She loved it and practically ate the whole thing by herself. I had to get in a few bites for myself because it just looked so yummy. Although, I got a nice glare from Miss Stingy.

After breakfast, we headed over to the Los Rios District, which is where the Zoomar's Petting Zoo is located. I had never heard of the place before, but happened to stumble across their website the night before as I looked for things to do. It looked really neat from what I read on their site, and they certainly didn't disappoint. It was the coolest petting zoo that I have ever been to, but then again, most petting zoo's in Orange County are pretty lame.

Running over to the Petting Zoo...

I liked the fact that this place had a wide variety of animals and things to do. They actually had a few different animal pens, but Dakota's favorite was the one with all the rabbits and guinea pigs. They were the sweetest animals that I have ever come across. They were so loving, and not the least bit skittish. Most of them flocked to us, but not to the point where we were trying to peel them off of us. There were a few rabbits that were about the size of our cat. No joke! Dakota had a great time petting all of them, as well as feeding them broccoli, carrots, cabbage, and apples.

Once Dakota was through feeding all of her new friends, we headed over to see the goats. I didn't buy any food for them, since I wasn't in the mood to defend my daughter from the obnoxious beggers. To my surprise, they didn't budge when we entered the gate. They were the tamest, most lazy goats. Haha! So, we stayed in there longer that I originally anticipated.

After our visit with the goats, I treated Dakota to a pony ride. It was fun, and she seemed to enjoy herself like she always does when she rides the ponies...

And, because a ride aboard Amtrak just isn't enough, we took a ride on the little choo-choo at the petting zoo. Dakota thought it was great and waved every single time we passed the ride operator. I'm pretty sure he catered to her display of pleasure because I think we were on that ride for 5 minutes.

This smile (and several waves) got her a few extra minutes on the choo-choo...

Oh the power of manipulation!! lol

After all the fun we had at the petting zoo, we decided to head over to a nearby park. Dakota wanted nothing to do with the stroller and insisted on running the entire way over there. Works for me. Just calls for a longer nap later! Hehe. She had a great time running all over the place, and going down all the slides. I love this age, because I don't have to be 2 feet behind her as she climbs all over the playground. Although, I still watch her like a hawk.

It was eventually time to head back to the train station to catch the Amtrak back home. And even though we had a blast in San Juan Capistrano, we were exhausted, and of course missing daddy!! As we waited for the train, Dakota acted like a clown and put on her typical production of funny faces and parading around like a silly goose. She is so animated and fun to watch...

Once our train arrived, we hopped on and actually found our seats before the train left the station this time. I could tell Dakota was tired because she just sat there in her seat, drinking her juice with this dazed look. It was a fun day, and we'll definitely be doing more of these "girls" days!

~These are the days I cherish MOST with my daughter!!~

Here kitty-kitty....

2009-12-02T14:21:00.000-08:00

...is what you'll hear Dakota screeching at the top of her lungs every single time this cat walks into the room.

You'd think the novelty of having a cat would have worn off by now. I mean, sheesh, we've had him for almost 9 months. But no, it's like Christmas morning every day at our house. You gotta love her enthusiasm! And I certainly love the fact that this cat puts up with all of her love, or what I consider abuse. Dakota has never once pulled his hair, pinched his skin, or pulled his tail, but the girl is literally leeched to his side anytime they're in the same room together. And yet, he takes it. I know that he knows he can run upstairs and seek refuge in our bedroom, but he doesn't. He some how is able to put up with this....

I have to say, I was very leary of this cat at first. I mean, I knew nothing about him, he looked like a train wreck, and I had a kid that had no self-control over her emotions and lacked some serious restraint when it came to showing affection. All turned out well though. He has never clawed or attempted to bite her, and if she goes too far with her "love," he just leaves the room. Surprisingly, Dakota has learned to control her excitement and affection, and gently pets and hugs him now. She can get a little carried away from time to time, but we quickly remind her, and she's back to her gentle ways. We also find her using him as a pillow ALL the time, but he doesn't seem to mind too much. We definitely show him lots of love and affection after we put the love monster to bed though. I am amazed and so fortunate to have found such a great cat! And actually, he found us!!

This is seriously Dakota's very bestfriend. And from what I've seen, I think Dakota is his bestfriend too. Sometimes I'll find him sitting by her when she's in time-out, or laying by her closed bedroom door when she's crying. It's like he knows when she's upset and wants to be near her as a way to comfort her. It is the sweetest thing I have ever seen and it melts my heart to watch them together.

And no, we have never named him. Kitty just seemed to stick and it's what Dakota has always called him. So Kitty it is! Oh, and Kitty doesn't meow either. Why? I have no idea. I've read that some cats just don't meow, but it still strikes me as a little odd. What's funny is that Dakota does know that kitties say meow, but the poor girl has never heard her kitty say it. LOL

Disneyland...

2009-12-02T13:59:00.000-08:00

~Sprinting up to see Mickey!~

I know, I know, I promised not to do a post everytime we went to Disneyland, and to be fair I haven't!!! However, I wanted to share one of our last trips to Disneyland because the characters were dressed in their holiday attire. Dakota loved seeing Mickey and Pluto, and sprinted up to them when it was her turn. I have to say, Dakota's patience has really improved and stands right by me without pulling on my arm or whining.

We only stayed for a few hours, but we still hit up a few rides. Dakota seems to really love the rockets and since it's one of the first rides we pass as we walk through the park, she'll point and yell, "rocket," until I give in to her demands and just take her on the darn ride...

Oh boy, oh boy!!!

Knott's Berry Farm...

2009-11-28T15:55:00.001-08:00

...or as my dad always called it, Knotts Ferry Barn. Hehe!

Last week, we decided to make a trip to Knott's Berry Farm, since all veterans and their families get in free for the month of November!! I was so excited, since I just love Knotts. It's certainly no Disneyland, but to be fair, you really can't compare the two. They're just different!

Anyway, we had a pretty good time. Camp Snoopy was our first stop, which didn't go over too well. Dakota was out of sorts for whatever reason and flipped out when I put her on the airplane ride. It wasn't a ride that I could go on with her, so after I placed her in the cockpit and walked away, she completely lost her mind. I wanted to go back in to get her, but Daddy insisted that we leave her on the ride. He knew, as did I, that once the ride started she would be fine. Of course, she was and you could see her laughing the entire time. However, once the ride stopped, she went into total meltdown mode again. That's obviously not like her since she always has a great time on the rides at Disneyland. She was just having a bad day. So, we hit up a few other rides, but made sure they were ones we could go on with her.

Ummm, ya...NOT a happy camper!!

Feeling MUCH better now that the ride is moving!

After Camp Snoopy, we walked around a bit and checked out the craft booths they had set up for the holidays. We bought Dakota a tiny pink leather bracelet and had her name engraved in it. She actually saw them as we were walking by the booth and pointed at them. I think they reminded her of the bracelets she wore in Hawaii. So, I got her one. She LOVES it and insists on wearing it everyday. I love that it's tiny enough to stay on her little wrist.

Before we left, we made sure to take a ride on the train since she spotted it earlier in the day and cried when it didn't bother stopping for her as it passed by. lol. We also went on the log ride, which see seemed to like. The steep drop at the end had her clenching my thighs for dear life. I thought for sure I would be missing skin. It was a great day at Knotts and it's always a great place to spend the day with the family.

As we walked out to our car at the end of the day, we passed by some chickens. Yes, chickens!! Dakota started screaming and pointing like she always does, so we stopped and let her out of the stroller so she could start the harrassing. The chickens weren't too pleased, but whatev! We found some gram crackers in my purse, so we fed them a little bit. Dakota thought that was the greatest thing in the world. But then again, it doesn't take much to make her happy. She is one easy-going, happy kid!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!

2009-11-26T00:56:00.001-08:00

I have so much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving! I don't think one post could possibly sum it all up, but here are a few things that I am MOST thankful for:

-I am so VERY thankful for my amazing daughter. She is beautiful, smart, funny, and healthy. What more could I ask for? I am blessed to have her in my life and I just couldn't imagine my life without her. I am also thankful for all the things Dakota has taught me in her short 21 months of life; things that I seemed to have forgotten and started to take for granted. She has taught me the importance of patience, understanding, and sincerity, as well as to always keep an open mind, to live spontaneously, and when things go awry, to laugh and move on! Who knew someone so small could change my life for the better, and turn me into a much improved person. Because of her, I am a better person!

-I am thankful for the love of my life, my bestfriend, and the best Daddy to my little girl. I am so lucky to have found such a wonderful, caring man that loves, supports, and encourages me the way he does. He is sensitive, witty, hard-working and warm-hearted. We have gone through our share of ups and downs, but that has only made our relationship stronger. The challenges we have faced together have made us appreciate the good times and value each other that much more.

-I am thankful for my Dad! He has always been my rock. He's the one that knows how to lift me up with the chips are down, encourage me when I've started to lose hope, advise me on tough decisions and love me unconditionally.

-And, I am thankful for my Mom, my brother, and the rest of my family, as well as my in-laws, and wonderful friends. I am SO incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful support system that is always there for me. It's hard to find people that will actually be there when you truly need them, and lately I have found that most of these people live up to their words.

There are soooo many other things that I am so very thankful for, but I want to keep this post relatively short. Ok, who am I kidding, that's impossible for me! Haha

Anyway, our Thanksgiving was great! We didn't really plan on doing much, since my side of the family went out of town for the holiday. Gee thanks guys! So, earlier this week we decided to spend the day with Kevin's mom and grandma. I admit, we took the stress free route and ordered take-out for our Thanksgiving feast. Yes, we picked up our dinner from Marie Callenders. When I woke up this morning, I felt slightly embarrassed and ashamed for not taking on Thanksgiving the traditional way. But all those feelings went away after we scarfed down all the yumminess and found ourselves with loads of leftovers and minimal cleanup!!! Sheesh, we should do this every year! Hehe.

Enjoying her olives...

Her first taste of sparkling apple cider. Gotta love her enthusiasm! lol

Oh, and I must share these next several photos of Dakota with olives on her fingers. I fully realize that some might think it's a little weird, but this is like a rite of passage in our family. Yep, most of the Hampton family have the famous olive-on-the-finger picture, so it was just a matter of time that we would carry out this ceremonial tradition with Dakota...

Mmmmmm!!!

As you can see, she loved the olives on her fingers. She was quick to learn how to put them on her fingers too. Unfortunately, this was pretty much the only thing she ate all day. I had such high hopes that she would eat well today too. Oh well, we have plenty of leftovers.

The day was so much fun and it was totally relaxing. Dakota thoroughly enjoyed having her Grandma and Granny over to play with, and that was evident when she went down for a three hour nap. They wore her OUT!!!

Oh, and we also made some Thanksgiving crafts the other day. Here's a little something we made for Grandpa Keyworth and Grandma Kathy....

~Shhhhh! They haven't received it in the mail yet.~

Paint Day...

2009-11-24T22:32:00.000-08:00

I try to do some sort of craft day once a week, since Dakota LOVES to color and paint. Obviously, craft day is a complete mess, but I love seeing the little picasso in her come out. I encourage it, so I don't mind the clean up.

The other day, I was busy cleaning the house for Thanksgiving. Ok, I'll be honest, the house was in desperate need of a cleaning and the impending holiday lit a fire under my butt! It had been neglected WAY too long. Anyway, I looked over at Dakota to find her sitting quietly, playing with her farm and barn animals. Something about the way she looked at that moment made me feel so bad for not giving her much attention that morning. So, I put down the windex and paper towels, and asked her if she wanted to go out to the garage to color. Boy, you should have heard that girl scream and scramble to her feet. I know she's an enthusiastic kid, but I have never seen her react the way she did that morning. It melted my heart!

So, out we went to the garage. I grabbed her desk from the play area and put it in the middle of the garage, knowing darn well how unbelievably messy this was gonna be. I got all the paint supplies out and let her have at it. The rest is history. The pictures tell their own story....

Puzzles...

2009-11-24T16:27:00.000-08:00

Dakota has several wood peg puzzles that we bought her a few months ago from Target. The suggested age is 2+ years, but I thought we could start working on them together. A few days ago she started taking more of an interest in them and has learned where all the pieces go. As you will see below, with a little praise and persistence, she eventually gets 'em all in!! She is one that finds pleasure in a job well done and loves praise, so she's a pretty quick learner! I'm very proud...

Mommy Survey...

2009-11-20T18:20:00.001-08:00

As you can see, I was a little bored tonight, so I thought I would do this little survey about one of the happiest times in my life.

What was your reaction when you found out you were pregnant? Shocked, followed by extreme excitement!

Was abortion an option for you? No way!!

How old were you? 28

How did you find out you were pregnant? Home pregnancy test, followed by a trip to the doctor!

Who did you tell first? Kevin

Did you want to find out the sex? Absolutely!! We couldn't wait to find out.

What was your child's sex? Girl

Did you wish were you were having the opposite sex of what you were getting? Nope, I just wanted a healthy baby!!

What was the due date? Feb 11, 2008

Did you have morning sickness? I had a case of the queasies for about 2 weeks, but that's it. I lucked out!

What did you crave? I never really craved anything. Just an aversion to chicken for about 2 months.

Who/What irritated you the most? Co-workers asking me if I was really pregnant because I took forever to show. I can't tell you how much this irritated me because I always wanted a belly to show off, which I finally got at like 36 weeks =(

What was your favorite part about being pregnant? Definitely feeling Dakota move, and the fact that those 40 weeks never kicked my butt! I was blessed with a very easy pregnancy!

How many pounds did you gain throughout your pregnancy? 16 lbs

Did you have a baby shower? Yes, I had two. My mother-in-law threw my baby shower for family and friends, and my co-workers threw me another one at work.

Was it a surprise or did you know? I knew about the first one, the work one was a surprise!

Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Nope, it was smooth sailing until I was 39 weeks. A week before Dakota's birth, I didn't feel her move for an entire day and started to stress out after orange juice and candy didn't get her to budge. So off I went to L&D only to find out that Dakota had put herself in a position where she couldn't move. They also found that she had an erratic heartbeat, but it stabilized after a few hours and an ultrasound discovered she was pushing up against the umbilical cord. I was SO freaked out!

How did you know you were in labor? My contractions came on all of a sudden, and were 3-4 minutes apart for about an hour.

Where did you give birth? Orange Coast Memorial Hospital in Fountain Valley, CA

Who drove you to the hospital? Kevin. Unfortunately, CHP closed down the freeway for 20 minutes to clear an accident, while we sat there wondering if Dakota would be born in the car. HAHA

What happened once you arrived? They monitored me and the baby, and asked if I wanted an epidural after seeing how uncomfortable I was. That was a definite YES! I was only 3 cm, but they decided to break my water an hour after I got the epidural. Two hours later, I was at 10cm!!

How many hours were you in labor? 4 hours!

Who watched you give birth? Kevin and my mom

Was it natural or c-section? Natural

Did you take medicine to ease the pain? I had an epidural, which wore off after 3 hours. Of course, at that point I was 10 cm and anesthesiologist was in surgery. FABULOUS!! Unfortunately, I felt everything, which is probably why I got her out in 8 minutes!

How much did your child weigh? 6 lbs 6 oz

When was your child actually born? Feb 13, 2008 at 4:40 am...2 days late

What did you name him/her? Dakota Dean

Is he/she named after anyone? We chose Dakota because we like the name and the actress. Dean is after my dad, which was also my Grandma's middle name and my Great-Grandma's first name.

Did he/she have any complications? Nope, she was healthy as can be and we were free to go home the very next day!

How old is your first born today? 21 months

Dakota Fanning...

2009-11-17T15:54:00.000-08:00

Yep, this is the girl we named Dakota after. Kevin and I have always loved this young actress and thought it would be a perfect name for a girl! We went back and forth with boys names, but always knew if we had a girl, it would be Dakota. Thankfully, she is not your typical Hollywood twit...yet. LOL. Something tells me she probably never will be, since she comes off as a pretty grounded kid. I suppose only time will tell. If and when that does happen, I'll just have to change my story to having a fondness towards North Dakota, hence the nickname Baby North. ;)

Anyway, there is no real point to this post. I just thought I would share how we came to name Dakota. I also thought it was cool that she stars in the New Moon movie, which we'll definitely have to see on one of our date nights!

If any of you have a story behind your little one's name, I would LOVE to hear it. Actually, my niece Clarissa who is now 17, was named after the show Clarissa Explains it All.

Trains...

2009-11-13T15:55:00.001-08:00

...go "CHOO-CHOOOO!" - says, Dakota!

I think most kids have a fascination with trains at this age, and Dakota is certainly no different. I actually find it really cool that she likes them so much because my late Grandpa, as well as my Uncle David, used to work for the railroad. And, of course because I love them too!!

The best place to watch trains is at the famous Cajon Pass, which we always pass on our way to and from Vegas or Laughlin. I've been stopping at this spot way before Dakota's time, but now make it a special point to stop there so she can enjoy the trains too. The first time I took Dakota there was when she was 7 months old. To my surprise, she liked them and displayed her excitement in typical 7 month old baby fashion....stared at it for literally a minute, then squirmed, flailed, and kicked, and then stared some more. Haha! These next couple of pictures were taken on our way back from Grandpa's new house. It was just me and my girl...

The cool thing about this little turnout is that you won't find any commuter trains passing through. Because let's face it, those just aren't as loud, boisterous or cool as freight trains.

The other day, I took Dakota to the Fullerton train station so that we could look at some "choo-choos," which she repeated over and over the entire drive over. I guess if I want to save my sanity, I should wait until we're about 2-3 minutes away before telling her what we're going to do.

Once there, we sat on a bench and waited about 10 minutes before seeing our first train, which was the Metrolink. Dakota got a little excited when I told her a train was coming, but when she saw that it was a measly seven car commuter train, she didn't show much emotion. Don't get me wrong, she still waved as it passed, but clearly missing were her flailing arms, screams and squeals, and lots of stomping and parading around. I was a little bummed and thought the novelty of watching trains go by had worn off. We waited around another 20 minutes or so, and finally got to see a freight train. Once she caught a glimpse of it in the distance she was over the moon! Here are a few pictures of us at the train station. Sorry, there aren't any pictures with a train in the background, but since we were about 20 feet from the tracks, it was a no brainer to put the camera down and have a firm grip on one of her limbs!!

She the light from a freight train engine about 3/4 miles away and started waving...

By the way, a lot of the things that I do with Dakota are things my dad did with me as a kid. There were so many fun things that me and my dad did together, and things that some people might consider a little boring. Looking back, it wasn't always about doing things that were cool and exciting though, but rather things that we could do together. It was about the quality time between a little girl and her Daddy! Of course, that quality time turned ordinary activities into extraordinary experiences and ventures. Some of the things we did together included watching airplanes fly over at LAX, watching surfers ride the waves as we watched from the HB pier, collecting pennies and other coins (you should see our collection), going to air shows, car shows, and yes, even coin shows. LOL. The things we did together meant the world to me, and are some of my fondest memories, which is exactly why I love doing ordinary things with Dakota. Even if she is a little too young to appreciate and fully understand everything I show her, it's about the time we spend together. And one of these days she'll have her first memory, and maybe, just maybe, it will be of me and her watching the trains =)

Bye-Bye Binky...

2009-11-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

Yep, Dakota is officially off the pacifier!! I have to say, it went a lot smoother than I thought it would. Thank goodness. I'm not sure if I just got lucky with the whole weaning process, or if she just wasn't as attached to it as some kids are at her age. Whatever the case may be, Dakota didn't shed any tears and only asked for it one night.

On the night we decided to follow through with the last step of her intervention, we neutured (cut the nubby part off) one of the pacificers and gave it to her. She was a bit confused and went into a frenzy trying to find the suction from her beloved binky. She finally gave up and handed it back to us. We shut off the lights, closed the door and waited for the meltdown to commence, but it never happened. She whined a little bit on that night, then chattered up a storm for 20+ minutes, but eventually fell asleep with no problems. We're on day (night) FIVE and she has been just fine without it. This mommy is jumping for joy!!

I'm definitely very fortunate to have had a lot of weaning success, first with the bottle and now with the pacifiers! Dakota, YOU ROCK!!!

Happy 21 month birthday....

2009-11-13T00:14:00.000-08:00

Dear Dakota,

I can't tell you how proud and amazed I am at how much you know and continue to learn!! You seem so wise beyond your years, and I have been told by two people recently that you have an "old soul." I love how close you and I have become, and I cherish every minute that we spend together. I love how you say, "I love you" out of the blue, and run to give me a hug just because. I can't tell you how happy it makes me when you come up to me, take my hand and pull me to your room so we can play. I love when you bring me a book and sit in my lap so we can read together! And it brings me so much joy to see the happy-go-lucky, animated, upbeat and cheerful personality that pours out of you on a daily basis. I am so proud to be your mommy! And I know Daddy is just as proud!

Here's what is new in YOUR world:

You are still my skinny minnie, weighing in at just 21.5 lbs, and standing approximately 34" tall (just a guess with your height). We'll find out in a week just how much you've grown at your wellcheck appt.

You are such a sociable kid!! You love playing with others and no longer parallel play. You love to share toys and talk (jibber-jabber) with your friends. I can already tell that you're a natural born leader.

You still love the water, and have learned to twirl in your pool ring.

You mimic e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g that we do. And I mean everything!!! If we blow our nose, you blow your nose. If we cough, you cough. If we laugh a certain way, you do your best to laugh the same way. If we're talking on the phone, you have to talk on your phone. If we do a silly expression, you try so hard to do that same expression. If we whisper, you whisper, and if we scream, you scream. I think you get the point.

When you see a picture of yourself and we ask you who it is, you point to yourself and reply with, "Me!"

You love snacks, as long as they're not purple...lol

You are officially weaned off the binky!

You love to balance, and will find things that give you a challenge and a thrill (walking along curbs and lawn edgers, standing on a ball while holding onto something).

You have the most amazing personality, and your care-free spirit seems to capture an audience wherever we go.

You have the Hampton facial expressions, which can tell a story all on their own without you ever having to say a word.

You're always smiling!

You have really started to learn about your emotions and will pout, or sit by yourself and look down if your feelings get hurt.

You can repeat all of the ABC's with me (except for "W," you think I'm saying "I love you" and will say that instead).

Your favorite word at the moment is "up." Oh how I wish I could trade this word with "Yes!"

You just learned to throw a ball overhand, and can kick a ball several times across a field.

You know the difference between hot and cold, and can verbally tell us "hot" or "cold" when you feel it.

You can point to 90% of the things in this book when I call it by name...http://www.amazon.com/Board-First-Words-Bright-Baby/dp/0312495412

Can walk up and down stairs with no assistance, but you know that you can't go up or down by yourself and always wait until someone is with you.

You'll sing to a song on tv or the radio, which is mostly just "la la la la laaaa, la la lalala laaaaa"

You love bugs and point them out ALL the time. If you had it your way, you'd pick them up and love them as if they were your babies. Y-U-C-K-!

You enjoy helping around the house (taking laundry out of the dryer and handing it to mommy, dusting book shelves, cleaning up your toys when I ask you to).

Can name all of your body parts.

You can wipe your hands and face with a napkin when they're dirty.

Can stack 5+ blocks, place objects in a row, and categorize certain toys.

You finally like pancakes and french toast. Ya!

You have finally learned that if you stop crying while in time-out, you can come out of it! After you make your best attempt at saying "sorry" of course!

You will tell us "I love you" and give us hugs out of the blue. OH HOW THIS MELTS MOMMY'S HEART!!! =)

You are definitely a mommy's girl right now, and are currently still on a daddy strike, especially if I'm in the same room.

Here are the things that you are fascinated with:

Waterfalls and fountains

Bugs

Airplanes

Freight Trains (apparently Metrolink and Amtrak just aren't as cool)

Firetrucks

Our UPS man

The moon and stars

Imagination Movers

Your kitty

Mimicking everything we do

The Disney characters at Disneyland

Plain ole Cheerios

Feeding birds

Screaming at the top of your lungs. Such a girl!

Coloring

Pushing buttons (including doorbells and practically every button in an elevator)

Standing on your toys, which I wish you wouldn't do!

And the things you could live without, if you had it your way..

Sand, although you are able to tolerate it now

Anything stuck to your hands. Nothing new there!

Loud motorcycles

Being told "No"

Daddy making scary bear noises

Food in general, lol. Although, you must be going through a growth spurt, because your appetite has definitely picked up!

Fortunately, there aren't many things you don't like. You were blessed with happy genes, and are a pretty upbeat, energetic, and happy kid!!

Our Laughlin Trip...

2009-11-10T15:25:00.001-08:00

We spent four days in Laughlin to celebrate Kevin's birthday, and we had such a WONDERFUL time. I'm not going to go nuts with a day-by-day journal, but I will share a bunch of fun pictures that we took while out there. I know a lot of you wonder what we do out there without a boat and jetskis, but lets just say we don't need those things to have a good time. We're a pretty simple family and we find fun in just about anything. We just enjoy spending time as a family, and for us, that's where all the fun is!

So, for those of you wondering what we do out there for fun, we typically go swimming in the pool/jacuzzi, take Dakota to the nearby playgrounds, ride the choo-choo at the Tropicana, eat our hearts out at the buffet and other super yummy restaurants, gamble a little, ride the water taxi along the Colorado river, and walk around the different casinos. That might sound boring to some, but that's what we find fun! It also helps that Kevin gets great deals through the hotel, as well as credit points to put towards meals at the restaurants and such.

Anyway, here's how our weekend went...

Dakota had a great time going down the spiral slide at a local playground...

Going down another one of the many slides at this park...

We had a blast riding the choo-choo at the Tropicana Hotel.

Dakota is train-a-holic!!!

We let Dakota swim in the pool

Although, I think she was expecting warmer weather and some waterslides

We made sure Dakota got her daily arcade fix

She even learned to feed the quarters into the coin slot....

We had fun visiting Oatman again, where Dakota fed the burros all by herself...

And we made sure to enjoy some yummy ice cream...

We had a great time on our post-Hawaii vacation, vacation. Grandma Debbie was also nice enough to come out for one night and watch Dakota while Kevin and I went out for his birthday. We had a rack of ribs at Outback, along with some drinks, then Kevin hit the craps tables. He got lucky and walked away with some winnings. Way to go Kev!!

Posing with mama in Oatman...

Pretend City...

2009-11-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

~Life on the beat~

What an a-ma-zing place for kids! This was definitely the best Children's Museum I have ever been to. I love the one located just down the street from us, especially because I remember going to it as a kid, but Pretend City is just on a whole other level.

This past Thursday, Dakota and I met her friends there at 10am for a playdate. Dakota was sooo happy to see her bestest Gymboree buddies, especially since it had been so long since we had seen them. Plans for playdates kept falling through, and we've actually missed about 5 weeks of Gymboree. We didn't go the two weeks prior to our Hawaii trip because we wanted to avoid Dakota getting sick. And of course we missed the two weeks that we were actually in Hawaii. Now we're wondering if she's even gonna go the rest of the year because of swine flu.

Anyway, once we paid for our tickets, we were handed a time card and instructed on what to do with it. Basically, there are 7 areas within the city that all the little workers can report for duty at. At the end of their shift, they can take their time card to get stamped at the "clock-out" station. Once the time card is filled up with a stamp from each area, they can take it to the ATM to cash it. Pretty neat concept if you ask me!

When we first walked into the "city," all three kids ran straight for the cars. Unfortunately, there were only two there at the time, so Dakota had to wait her turn. She tried her best to squeeze her tiny booty in the seat, but it just wasn't happening!!

After the joyriding, the kids were off to farmville. Don't get excited my fellow facebookers. LOL. Dakota had a great time digging in the dirt (foamies) and planting carrots. She also loved picking the tomatoes, apples, and strawberries, then placing them in a basket.

Our little farmer...

After Dakota was through with all her hard labor at the farm, she headed over to the police station to offer up her dispatching skills. She loved sitting there in the dispatch tower answering all the calls and pressing all the buttons. I think the whole police thing is in her blood because after her shift was over at dispatch, she signed up for an overtime shift at the PD and hit the mean streets of Pretend City. I swear the girl SOOO looked the part. It's like she sat there on the corner monitoring traffic. LOL. I have to say, this made me so proud to see.

Working dispatch...

Watch out, it's the Five-O!!!

Once Dakota's shift ended at the PD and she met her "quoto" of tickets (5 jaywalking, 10 stop sign violations, and 4 speeding...one of which was given to Brayden!), it was time to head home. And I don't mean "our" home. This one was much cooler, and just the right size! She had a great time playing in the kitchen and bedrooms. It was so funny to see her run into one of the bedrooms and lay down on the bed like she was truly beat after a hard days work. It amazes me how much personality this kid has in her! She is so dramatic in the first picture. haha!

After a little rest at "home," it was time to do a little clean up at the beach. Dakota loved this concept and had a great time picking up the trash and throwing it away in the trash can. I mean, she went into a total OCD frenzy with the whole litter pickup. Although, I think it more had to do with picking up the balls (aka, trash) and throwing them into the trash can. Cleaning up her toys at home has become a fun activity thanks to Gymboree, so I'm guessing this was fun too...

After beach cleanup, we headed over to the water tables where the kids had fun splashing around and playing with all the water toys. It was cute to see them all together in their little smocks. Although, Dakota still walked away soaked!! Oh well...

It was eventually time to report back to work, this time at the post office. Dakota did a great job sorting mail, and whatever else postal workers do. She even mailed off some of her own letters Luckily, she had a great time and didn't go postal (or in her case, have a meltdown). Yes, I realize that was cheesy. =)

Mailing off some letters...

It was eventually time to do a little shopping at the local grocery store to stock up on groceries. Dakota walked around a bit, then found a basket and hit the produce aisle. There was so much to choose from, but Dakota was content with the strawberries. She put about 20 of them in her basket before heading to the cash register.

After the grocery store, Dakota wanted to go back to the farm to do some more farming. I guess picking the strawberries at the store reminded her of the ones she saw on the farm earlier, because that's what she ran to first, and began picking. Good memory!!

Dakota then wanted to show off her mad cooking skills at the local restaurant. I threw on her cooking hat and before I knew it, she was whipping us up something good!! What it was, I don't know, but she had a great time stirring, pour, mixing, shaking and sprinkling everything that was there in front of her. This place held nothing back when it came to the details and props needed for the different areas. I was really impressed. So, here's our little chef hard at work...

The very last thing Dakota did was go in for a checkup at the health center. She's no stranger to this place! Although, this time, she was actually allowed to touch things and get into whatever she wanted. And she didn't even need to get shots!! Of all the fun things at the doctor's office, I think she really liked the stethoscope. You should have seen her face when I put it up to her chest. She also really liked the giant too brush and enormous mouth. She picked that brush up and started scrubbing away...

Dakota's SOOO big!

At the end of our visit, it was finally time to cash in that hard earned paycheck! We headed over to the ATM and pulled out all the money she had earned. Apparently, Dakota is the breadwinner of the family because she made more money in one day than mommy and daddy do put together. Hehe.

Halloween Carnival...

2009-10-31T22:04:00.003-07:00

This post should have actully been posted before the Halloween post, but I got a little mixed up and so now it comes after.

The day before Halloween, the La Habra Children's Museum was hosting a Halloween carnival and called all kids to come attend with their costumes for some fun. This was actually the day after we returned from our trip, so I was a little tired. However, I was determined to make it. We actually got in from the airport at about 11pm the night before, so I was lacking some serious sleep. Oh well, it was something I was looking forward to do with Dakota and was hoping that it would sorta get back me back to reality. Kevin was just a little too tired to make it, so it was just me and the squirt.

When we arrived, Dakota ran straight for the carousel, just like she always does. So, I had to re-direct her to the arts and crafts room where all the REAL fun was taking place. Our first crafting activity was making a spider out of an Oreo, M&Ms and pretzels. Dakota tried her best to stick those pretzels into the Oreo, but for some reason they kept making a detour to her mouth, LOL. So, mommy had to finish the project. Of course, those M&Ms just couldn't stay glued onto that Oreo and had to be eaten by the hungry giraffe...

The next activity was putting a bat hat together. I let Dakota apply the glue, which I have to say she did a great job with...for about 2 seconds. Then she attempted to glue the whole table. As I took the gluestick away from her and turned my head for one second to put it back in it's bin, Dakota proceeded to peel one of the bat's eyeballs off and eat it. My guess is that she thought it was an M&M. DOH!

So, that was the end of the activity tables for awhile. I steered Dakota towards the game booths, which she really liked...a little too much! She started off great and did what she was suppose to do, but when it was the end of her turn, she ran to the back of the display and picked up all the sand bags to start over again. Um ya, talk about a nice little meltdown that ensued after I pried those things out of her hand. UGH!!

Suddently, those activity tables were sounding a lot more appealing!! Although, I now knew I had to watch her like a hawk, especiallly with the foam embellishments at the spooky house craft table. She did great, and didn't try consuming anything this time! YES!

These next couple of pictures were purely for Mommy's enjoyment, since it was a picture perfect opportunity to snap a few shots. Surprisingly, Dakota smiled for the very first picture. And that was the end of that!!

It was finally time to head outside to participate in the Halloween parade. I'll be honest with you, I thought this was going to be a complete disaster. I thought for sure Dakota would have her own agenda and want nothing to do with walking in the parade, especially since no parents walked with their kids. I just didn't think she would grasp the whole concept of follow-the-leader, if you will, and would just stand there staring off into space. I mean, geez, I still do that. Why would she be any different? Ha! Anyway, she did great and followed right along with the others. I was so proud!

Dakota had a lot of fun at the Halloween carnival, and I'm so glad I conjured up the energy to get ourselves dressed and go!! It was also a great way to see how Dakota would do in her costume. Thankfully, she didn't mind having it on. As long as there wasn't a lei hanging from her neck, she was fine!

Dakota's bat hat, scrunching down her ears...hehe!

She went a little nuts with the glue, which is why the wings are glued down...

Happy Halloween!!!

2009-10-31T22:04:00.001-07:00

Ok, this was by far the best halloween ever!!! I don't remember much from my trick-or-treating days as a kid, but I really don't think anything tops this one. I can't tell you how much fun it was to take Dakota door-to-door and witness the excitement, joy, happiness, wonder, and just pure pleasure in that kid's face! It's like she had been doing the whole trick-or-treating thing for years. There was no practice or rehearsing that when into this holiday, other than telling her to say "trick-or-treat" the day before. Ok, I'll admit, "treat-treat" is not how you technically say it, but it sounded just like it coming from her little Tinkerbell voice.

Anyway, we hit the streets around 6:00pm. And yes, it was still light out, but we didn't start the harrassing at that time. We just figured we would let her run around in her costume and pumpkin so I could take some cute pictures. Because let's face it, pictures when it's dark just don't come out as good.

She was in such a good mood and so happy...

This is the face I got to see all night.

So many emotions projected on that little face of hers!

She's ready to start knocking...

Darkness finally filled the sky, so we gave Dakota the green light to start the candy harrassing madness. She ran up to every single door yelling out "knock-knock" the whole way up the the walkway. I think she was more excited that she got to knock on someone's door than she was about what was acutally waiting for her behind every door. Obviously. We all know that she doesn't really know what's going on, and just goes along with whatever we tell her to do. I love this age for this very reason though. lol.

Anyway, whenever someone opened their door, she would either let out a "Hiiii,"or a "WHOA" if the door startled her a bit. LOL. It was hilarious. I swear I was entertained the whole night by what she said and did. As the people started to grab a handful of candy, or a bag of pretzels (rolling my eyes..lol) we made sure Dakota said what she needed to say, which she did about 95% of the time. The other 5% of the time, Dakota was usually distracted by something...someone's pet dog or cat, spooky halloween decorations, or a bug. Yes a bug. She's a nut when it comes to bugs. More on that later though. After she received the goods, she said thank you, which now sounds like "a-you." She's getting lazy with her manners. She was really good about saying goodbye to every person though. The video below is so cute and shows exactly what I just described.

We spent almost two hours trick-or-treating. I honestly didn't think Dakota would last that long, but she was like the energizer bunny and just kept going and going and going. Although, as we walked along the sidewalk, she would get distracted with all the candy in her pumpkin. She would stop right in her tracks as she rummaged through her bucket. We finally had to dump the candy out every few houses, otherwise she would just dig through it all. Plus, if it got to heavy, she couldn't carry it. At one point, she dragged the pumpkin up to a house. That's when we knew it was time to dump it out, as well as call it a night after a few more houses. By the way, I have a tip for all you people looking to get lots of extra candy on halloween. Dump out the candy every couple of houses like we did. I think people felt sorry for Dakota when they saw nothing in her pumpking because they started dumping handfuls of candy into her bucket. LOL. It was hysterical.

As for Dakota's favorite candy, she absolutely loves lollipops!!! Sometimes people would let her pick out a piece of candy and every time she would go for the suckers. We never give her candy so anything that wasn't a lollipop probably looked weird and foreign to her. She definitely knows what a sucker is though. She'll occasionally get one at the doctor's office or if someone gives one to her, but we're not big on letting her have too many of them. I know, mean mommy!! It was neat to see Dakota go for something that she liked though.

"Hey daddy, can you help me locate a lollipop?!"

Dakota's trick-or-treating video...

I have to say, Dakota has been enjoying her lollipops!! She also loves to share them. She'll run up to me and Daddy to give us a lick or two. She even thought she would share with the cat. Now before you feel bad for the cat, just realize he's a VERY furry cat and he didn't even know this happened to him. I just remember seeing Dakota run up to me as she yelled, "ewwww, ucky!" I see all the fur on her lollipop and look over at the cat to find him still curled up in a ball, sleeping. So my guess is that she went over to give him a lick and brushed the lollipop up against his fur. The only tragedy was having to throw the super gross lollipop away. Oh, but we have SOOOO many more!!

Hawaii, Day 10...

2009-10-30T13:30:00.007-07:00

~It's hard to say goodbye!~

On our tenth, and final day, we had our very last breakfast at the buffet. We got a great seat again, and enjoyed all the wonderful food. Dakota was on her famous food strike and I think had one bite of cheese. Oh, and a few licks of whatever is on that spoon....

My 20 month year old looking like she's 20 YEARS old...

After breakfast, we took a walk around the hotel one last time. As we walked by the pool, Dakota ran over to the towel counter thinking it was time to check in to get our towels and another wristband. Even though we weren't going for a swim, I figured why not get her another one. It made her day, so I'm glad I did. We then walked over the bridges, through the cave, and up the stairs to the swinging bridge. After Dakota paced the bridge a gazillion times, we made our way up the garden path. Dakota said goodbye to the fishies, then saw Daddy on our balcony and screeched for him.

And off she goes...

Looking SO happy to leave!!

After we made our rounds, had all the luggage by the door, and checked every inch of our room for personal belongings, off we went to load up the rental car and head to the airport. It was hard shutting that door for the last time, but talk about great memories!!

Oh, and I just had to take a picture of our rental car. It was pretty nice, and very roomy! Of course, we kept Dakota rear-facing. I started to think that even if there wasn't this push to keep kids rear-facing longer, I would probably still opt to keep her that way considering how tiny she is. I mean the girl is almost two and still only 21 lbs. The law obviously states rear-facing til 20 lbs (and a year old), but geez one pound isn't that big of a difference. I gotta protect my pint-sized, precious cargo!

Our awesome rental car. No really, it was pretty cool!

Can't take a vacation from rear-facing!

Enjoying the iPod on the plane. She loved her shows!!!

Chillin' with Daddy...

I'm sure some of you are wondering where I got all this time to do these postings. Well, a lot of the journal entries were done in Hawaii. As Kevin layed in bed watching tv at night, and Dakota slept, I sat there typing away all that we did so I wouldn't forget later. The pictures are fast and easy to upload on photobucket.com, so it was relatively quick and easy to copy and paste eveything onto here. I hope you enjoyed following along, even if you mostly just looked through the pictures. I wouldn't blame you. LOL =D

Hawaii, Day 9...

2009-10-30T13:30:00.005-07:00

Well sadly, day nine was our last full day in Hawaii! We were preparing ourselves for our departure and "thought" we were ready to come home, but as I sit here typing this I realize we never really ready to come home. Oh well, you can't stay there forever. Unless you lived on a resort, didn't have to work, could bring your favorite friends and relatives to come live with you, and had constant cashflow coming in, it just wouldn't be the same. Plus, not living there makes you appreciate the times you do go for a visit. I tend to think we'd take a place like that for granted if we lived there. Can you tell I'm trying to make myself feel better?? lol

Anyway, we headed to the pool for the very last time. We spent a good six hours at the pool doing all the things we enjoyed doing during our entire stay. We went down all the slides, played in the waterfalls, ate shaved ice, enjoyed a yummy lunch, and played out at the beach.

At one point, I found a lady braiding kid's hair by the towel counter and asked if she could do someone as young as Dakota. She said that if I could get her to sit relatively still, she could do it. PERFECT!! Dakota is great at staying still as long as you give her plenty of things to play with. It took her about 20 minutes to do all four braids, and they came out so cute! Actually, Dakota still has them in her hair, and it's almost Tuesday.

After she got her hair braided, we headed down to the beach to play in the sand one last time. It's like Dakota knew we were leaving because I swear she just stood there at times, staring out at the ocean.

Pure sassiness! We've got it coming when she hits her teens alright!

She kept staring out at the ocean...

Dakota finally had enough of the beach and started walking back to the pool. She darted over to baby beach and stomped around there for awhile. She then started pointing out towards the bigger pool and yelled out, "waterfall!" So in the pool we went...

Dakota stomping in the water...she's so dramatic!

One of her most favorite things to do in the water...

Just floatin' around...

Last walk through the cave...

Last rides of the day...

The last thing we did at the pool was ride the water elevator. The thing is actually pretty cool. Kevin and I didn't go on it the last time we stayed there, so it was a first for all of us. Apparently, this is the only water elevator in the world. I guess there isn't much need for them, but it was cool to at least ride in it. You board the contraption from ground level, then the operator takes you up as you sit on this seat. It slowly spins around as you go up. I thought it was pretty neat, and I think Dakota liked it too.

Dakota getting twirled in her floaty as she's taken through the waterfall

It was finally time to pack it all up and call it a day. It was hard leaving the pool knowing that we wouldn't be back the next day. Once in our room, we put Dakota down for a nap, and I headed to the Spa to enjoy an hour long massage. This may sound pathetic, but it was my second one ever. Where was the first one you ask? At the Grand Wailea back in 2005. LOL. Ya, I should probably pamper myself a little more, but unfortunately I never seem to make that time. Oh well.

It was a great massage, and it was nice enjoying the jacuzzis and different relaxation baths and massaging showers. The place is massive and I really wish I would have stayed a little longer.

After my massage, I came back to the room feeling like a wet noodle and starving for some food! We got dressed and headed to Tommy Bahamas Cafe for dinner. It was a wonderful last meal, especially since I got to enjoy their shrimp and scallops and key lime pie one last time. Unfortunately, Dakota is a scallop fan too, so Momma had to share.

Picture in front of some statue at the hotel, taken before dinner...

Hawaii, Day 8...

2009-10-30T13:30:00.003-07:00

Well, day eight just wasn't the same without "pa-pa" there!! Dakota kept calling for her Grandpa, which was so sad to see. It's so sweet to see her have so much love for her Grandpas though!

Anyway, we headed to the pool, once again, for a FULL day of swimming. At this point in our trip, Dakota knew exactly where to go once outside of our hotel room. She ran down the hall to the elevator and hit the button to go down. Everytime the elevator doors opened, Dakota let out a "whoa," then darted in. She wasn't at the right height to hit any of the floor buttons, but that dang fire alarm was certainly within reach. Luckily she never pushed it. Once out of the elevator, Dakota was leading us down the garden path. She'd stop for a split second to say hi to the fishies, then continued on towards the pool...

~I can't believe how skinny she looks in these pictures.~

Sittin' at one of HER favorite spots...

Once at the towel counter, Dakota held out her arm to get banded again. I think they must have thought I was crazy to let her have all those wristbands on her little arms, but she liked them! We found our favorite spot to be vacant and this time there were no jackhammers or other construction equipment around. Too bad, it was nice getting those free drinks!

We took Dakota over to baby beach since she had such a great time the day before. She was running in and out of the pool like a mad woman. Total turn around from just a few days prior.

Daddy decided to relax under the umbrella for awhile, so I decided to take Dakota down to the beach seeing as how the sand at baby beach no longer bothered her. This time I didn't carry her out there, since I thought it would be better if she just followed me. A smooth transition is better than just setting her down in the middle of a giant sandbox, which was what we did before. Anway, it worked! Daddy must have been watching us awhile because I looked up to find him carrying out a mesh bag of sand toys. Those two had the BEST time building sand castles together. Ok, well dad did the building and Dakota did the wrecking.

Having a great time playing in the sand and making sandcastles with daddy...

Chasing Daddy out to the water...

After all the fun we had out at the beach, it was time to get all that yucky sand off. And I'm not talking about Dakota. I was covered in it and I wanted it OFF!!!! We tried to get most of it off in the shower, but it seemed as though most of it was embedded in our skin. So in the pool we went! The baby beach is perfect because it makes you feel less guilty about bringing sand in the pool. lol.

Floating through the river...

A video of Dakota getting twirled around in her floaty...

On our way through the cave to start the waterslide madness...

The madness....

Going down the slide, again...

Ok, I know I'm going to get picked on for this, but YES, I bought Dakota another bathing suit. Cut me some slack though because in my defense, it is a size 2T and it's big on her. So she'll definitely be wearing it next summer. Plus, we still had the $500 resort credit that we still needed to use up. So there! Oh, and as for how many bathing suits, she has SIX!!!! Not 50. LOL. A few were birthday presents, and another couple were hand-me-downs.

New bathing suit...

Just the two of us...

After another successful day out at the pool and beach, we headed to our room for a nap. We woke up refreshed and ready to eat. I wanted to take some pictures before heading to dinner at Cheeseburger in Paradise, so I made everyone walk to the beach for a family photo. I thought they turned out pretty good.

Dakota and momma...

Dinner was great and Dakota was on her best behavior. We decided to walk around the shops and pick up some souveniers, since we would busy packing the next night. So sad that our trip was already almost over.

Hawaii, Day 7...

2009-10-30T13:30:00.001-07:00

Day seven was a very busy day!! I think we spent about a 1/2 hour at our pool before we left to take Grandpa back to the airport. Is was so hard say goodbye after all the fun we had with him. It was also sad to hear Dakota call out for him when we were in the room or out by the pool during our last few days. She even "knock knock'd" on his door. Oh well, we'll be seeing him again soon. And hopefully we can all go do Disneyland with him in the future. Hint hint! lol

Dakota checkin' out the fountains before taking Grandpa to the airport...

After we dropped Grandpa off, it was off to one of the local malls to meet one of my internet friends. Yes, I have internet friends. For most of you that are reading this or who have been following my blog the entire time, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who don't, I use to frequent the Whattoexpect.com website during my pregnancy, as well as after Dakota was born. I made so many friends on that site, and all these mom's have kids that were born during the same month as Dakota. Anyway, my internet friend, Laura, lives in Maui and we thought it would be great to meet up so our kids could play together. Her son's name is Ethan and he is just the cutest, most kickback kid I've ever met. He totally has the Hawaiian personality of being so chill. And, Laura was so sweet to buy Dakota this cute little Hawaiian doll, which she really likes!

Anyway, the two of them ran around the little play area in the mall for about an hour, which was exhausting because they were EVERYWHERE! Laura eventually had to leave to pick up her other kids, but she came back so we could go to this little shaved ice stand, then over to the park so they could play some more. The park over there had the coolest playground I've ever seen. There was so much to do, I just wish we would have had more time to stay and play!

Riding the dolphin together...awww...

Super cool swings...

Dakota & Ethan on the swings at the park...

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to our friends!! It was such a nice visit and I hope we can get together again someday! After we left the park, we headed over to the Westin to meet Grandpa and Grandma one more time. We decided to check out their pool and try their waterslides. The Westin doesn't have quite as many pools and slides, but they did have a really neat tube slide that Dakota was able to go on her own. She always had a great time on the slides at our hotel, but something about this one made Dakota all giddy and squealy. Grandpa and Daddy really enjoyed watching her come out the end. You have to check out the video below. It's so funny!

Ready for the tube slide...

Dakota going down the Westin waterslide all by herself.

This is a hilarious video, and probably one of our favorites...

The tube slide...

Kevin and Grandpa catching up...

Grandma Kathy and Dakota...

After an hour or so in the pool, we headed back up to Grandma and Grandpa's room to change for dinner. We dressed Dakota in this pretty white dress and put a pretty lei atop her head. She looked just like an Angel, and we got so many comments at dinner and as we walked along the beach walk. Such a wonderful compliment. This momma was beaming with pride!

Our sweet Angel...

After dinner, we said our last goodbyes!! It was so great to meet up with them, and what better place to do it than Hawaii!! Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for the great time, wonderful memories, and awesome dinner!!

As we headed back to our hotel, we decided to stop in Lahaina one last time to see the Banyan tree. I knew Dakota loved it, and figured she could run around a little bit while we ate shaved ice. Unfortunately, I ordered the worst combination ever...banana and pineapple. The banana 1/2 was great, but the pineapple part was just gross!! Maybe I was expecting something different, but none of us liked it. Oh well, lesson learned.

At the Banyan Tree again...

After our long day, I thought for sure Dakota would be out for the count, but she wasn't! So, we decided to go down to the pool once again. It was a lot of fun and this time Daddy and Dakota went down one of the slides. Such rebels I tell ya! lol

Hawaii, Day 6...

2009-10-30T13:29:00.006-07:00

Day six was another beautiful day in paradise!! We were excited to hang out at the pool for a good chunk of the day, and then head to Ka'anapali a little later in the afternoon for a luau.

After our exciting breakfast of cereal and yogurt, we headed to the pool and found a great shady spot by the baby beach. I just had this feeling that Dakota would make a breakthrough with the whole sand thing, so I figured we should set up camp close to it! We were also close to the tiny little kiddie pool, which Dakota thought was the neatest thing. It was perfect for us because we could just stand out on the deck and watch her. The fountain made it a hit!

Having a good ole time in the kiddie pool...

I swear her face makes her look 10. No more baby face!

Just as I suspected, Dakota really warmed up to the baby beach!! She found some other kids toys, which their parents were so nice to let her play with, and soon forgot about the grainy sand beneathe her feet. And yet, she wasn't even barefoot. I still can't believed she hated sand even with shoes on. Oh well, it was just nice to see her enjoying herself!!

Just chillin on baby beach...

Getting more and more comfortable with the whole sand thing...

So, once again, we frolicked in the pools and Dakota had a fun time just floating around. She actually made a friend that she just adored. She was 10 years old and whatever she did, Dakota did. I tell ya, Dakota just LOVES older girls.

Having a great time in her floaty...

Another favorite video of Dakota mimicking a older girl...

It was eventually time to head to Ka'napali Beach for the luau. We actually left a little early so that I could shop around Whaler's Village. I found a great surf shop called Honulua Co Wahine, which is basically like the stores, PacSun and Roxy. I bought a couple shirts and a cute dress. We also bought a few cute things for Dakota.

On Ka'napali Beach, in front of Whaler's Village...

Around 5 o'clock, we headed over to the Royal Lahaina Resort so we could check in. Grandpa upgraded us so that we could go in a little early and enjoy drinks, as well as reserve prime seating for the show. It was a great move on Grandpa's part because not only did we get to enjoy free drinks, but we also got front row seats. It was so cute to see a highchair right there smack dab in the front of the stage.

Being silly as we wait to be seated...

Always a comedian...

He molested this same hula girl back in 2005

Hamming it up before the show...

This place is perfect for a great picture!

After we took a few sunset pictures, we took our seats and waited for the green light to go load up a plate with lots of food. But before they opened the flood gates, they called up all the little "keikis" to the stage, so they could learn the hula dance. Of course, Dakota had no idea what was going on, so I sorta helped her out. She's a typical white girl with two left feet, because as soon as I started helping her, she stiffened up and made these robotic moves. LOL

Dakota up on stage, learning to hula dance...

Attempting to help her with the moves...

We finally got the okay to hit the buffet! There was SO much food to choose from and all of it was so good. I really didn't expect the food to be that good, but it was. And Dakota actually ate some chicken!! Can you believe it?!

Not too long after everyone ate, they dimmed the lights and started the show. Dakota was a little frightened when they turned off the lights and started beating on the drums and playing the music. I let her sit in my lap so she could feel secure and still be able to see everything. She eventually moved onto Daddy, since he had a much better seat! The show lasted just under an hour and I swear that girl was mesmerized on all that took place in front of her. I was so happy that she liked it, because it was the one excursion that I thought/hoped she would get the biggest kick out of.

Watching the show from mommy's lap...

She had a much better view sitting with daddy...

Dakota found herself a little friend...

After the show, we headed back to our hotel, which was about a 45 minute drive. Dakota passed out 5 minutes into it. When we got her up to the room, we made her milk, but she had about 2 sips of it before doing this...

She was SOOO tired after a long day...

Hawaii, Day 5...

2009-10-30T13:29:00.005-07:00

Day five actually started a little later this day! I think we started to finally adjust to the Hawaii time and found ourselves awake at 7:00am. This time we had donuts and chocolate covered macadamia nuts for breakfast. Breakfast of champions I tell ya! HA!

This day was no different than any other! We threw our bathing suits on and headed down to the pool. We took the long way down so that I could get a picture inside the Grand Wailea lobby. Why? I don't know. I just thought it would be cool. Kevin thought it was uncool and grumbled the whole way down. Party pooper! Whatever, I got my picture and that's all that matters.

We eventually made it to the pool. Of course, I dragged the family out to the beach so we could make another attempt at"warming" Dakota up to the sand. She clung to us like a koala bear, so it was a fairly short trip!

And although we held her the entire time, she felt as though she needed a shower to rinse off any speck of sand that might have landed on her. I think she spent a total of 20 minutes in that shower. She is definitely not a "green" child after wasting all that water! We're working on it though.

I swear these pictures give me a glimpse at what she's going to look like as a teenager.

Once again, we spent several hours in the pool. Thinking back to our trip, it baffles me to think that we spent 5-6 hours by the pool on some days. Seriously, what did we do?? LOL. Well, I guess between eating, swimming, and doing absolutely nothing, it all somehow adds up to six hours. We were lucky that Dakota was content playing with her cars and just being a silly goose when we wanted to relax on the chairs...

The girl LOVES her cars!!

And I know I've already mentioned the silly little dragon located in the lagoon, but I thought I would include a picture this time. Dakota roared everytime she saw this thing. One would think she would be scared of it, but noooo, she just had to give it a kiss every time we passed by it.

Anyway, on this day, Dakota was adamant about hitting one particular waterslide over and over again. It was basically the only one she could pull herself up to and go down on her very own. At one point, we let her do it four times. After that, we made her continue on down the last one on our lap. Boy was she mad!! Unfortunately, we couldn't let her do the last one on her own because it was to steep and windy. Try telling that to an independent, yet stubborn toddler!

Forced to go down the slide on our laps! lol

Here's a GREAT video of Dakota going down the slide on her very own...

Enjoying the Hawaiian sun!!

Grandpa eventually made his way down to the pool, so we decided to take Dakota down to the ocean again. This time, we we had Grandpa hold her as Kevin and I played in the ocean in attempt to show her how much "fun" it can be. Apparently it worked, because she was having a great time floating around in her little ring. Daddy held onto her as a swell of waves came through. Unfortunately, one wave nailed Daddy and Dakota right in the face. I thought for sure Dakota would cry, but she didn't. Daddy on the other hand, lost his glasses. We searched and searched for those darn glasses, but they were nowhere to be found. They're living the good life in the Hawaiian ocean now. hehe!

Finally enjoying the ocean...

Of course, after all the fun we had at the pool, it was eventually time to head back up to the room to get ready for dinner. This time, we had dinner at the Tommy Bahamas Cafe, and with both Grandpas!! What a treat for Dakota! We had such a great dinner. Mommy had the shrimp and scallops and daddy had the steak. Both were really good, and Dakota seemed to prefer Mommy's scallops!

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel and headed out to the pool for another late night swim. Dakota wasn't fond of the jacuzzi, which was fine since it was SUPER hot. She had a great time swimming around with daddy in the pool, and of course going down the "closed" waterslides!! So bad!

Another cute (short) video of Dakota going down the waterslide...

Hawaii, Day 4...

2009-10-30T13:29:00.003-07:00

Day four started off at the Grand Wailea's breakfast buffet. We decided we wanted to try it at least once. I have to say, it was pretty darn good!! We also got an excellent spot overlooking the beautiful grounds and water fountains. We have been so lucky on this trip on where we are seated at restaurants. But, I have noticed that there isn't quite as many people vacationing in Maui this year. The kids are back in school (one of the main reasons why we go in October), and the economy stinks!! Lucky for us, we got a great deal through Costco, and we've been saving up since our last trip, back in 2005. LOL. Yep, we had a Maui fund going. We were actually suppose to go back in 2007, but I found out I was pregnant and wanted to save that time for my maternity leave. Anyway, enough of that!

After breakfast, we walked around the hotel a bit. It's such a large, beautiful hotel. It's a must to walk around and admire it all at some point during the trip. There is one spot that I absolutely love for photographs, which is located smack dab in the middle of the property. It's in front of this huge fountain and you can see all the palm trees and ocean just behind it. It's just perfect and I always love taking pictures there.

Our favorite spot...

After all the picture taking, we headed back to our rooms to suit up for another day at the pool. There wasn't a cloud in the sky, so I knew it was gonna be a GREAT day. Dakota added another band to her collection of wristbands, which she thought was the greatest thing!! We actually found a shady spot under an umbrella on this morning. We were so happy, since we weren't willing to shell out more $$$ for a cabana. Unfortunately, we picked the one spot that was near a small construction site. I noticed the jackhammer come out, so I politely asked one of the workers how long they would be. They said it would only be a 1/2 hour, which was perfect, since we'd be out in the pool for awhile anyways. Some other people weren't so happy and pitched a huge fit. They ended up moving, but since we grinned and beared it they gave us free drinks. How cool is that?!

Anyway, we had a great time in the pool once again!! Daddy wanted to do a little relaxing under the shade so I decided to take Dakota down the beach path to do some exploring. She loved walking along the sidewalk, through the sand, and all over the grass. I was actually shocked she walked on the sand by herself. I started to think she was actually tolerating it. We found some flowers along the way, which Dakota smelled and picked. We then came back and harrassed Daddy to go back in the pool.

Smelling and picking the flowers...

Walking along the path...

It got to be such a hot day, so I opted to buy some "zinka" for Dakota on top of all the other sunscreen I slapped on her baby skin. I'm proud to say that the girl has never burned, but I want to keep it that way. So, I rubbed some of the blue stuff on her nose, which for me was always the first thing to get scorched! It didn't stay on all that long, since Dakota is always rubbing her nose for some reason. Weirdo!

Waving hi to daddy before heading down the slide...

After, lots and lots of swimming and runs down the waterslidse, we ordered lunch and got the usual (nachos and an ahi sandwich). What can I say, we're boring people! lol. I couldn't bring myself to buy a $13 hotdog though. I kept thinking of the $1.50 polish dogs at Costco, and that comes with a drink!!! Some how I thought $12 nachos were worth getting. Then again, we had a $500 resort credit that we needed to blow through during our stay, which was included in our travel package. At least we got more for our money with the nachos than we would have with a measly hotdog.

And of course, mommy had to get her shaved ice. I found the perfect combo too...strawberry, banana, and blue vanilla. It was so good, and it looked cool too. I have to have a nice presentation when it comes to my food! HAHA, totally kidding!! I made the mistake of taking Dakota with me. Of course she walked over with me, but as soon as I got that shaved ice in my hand, she acted like her legs were broken. So there I was, walking back to our spot trying to keep my daughter, who is suddenly acting like I've starved her for weeks, from consuming the whole thing. And, of course I've never seen her use a spoon so well. LOL. I finally made it back to base and plopped my dramatic/starving child on the lounge chair so I could get some for myself.

The shave ice hog...

After our meal, we just hung out on our lounge chairs. Dakota eventually went down for a little nap, which made for some peace and quiet! After she woke up, we went in the pool one last time, then took a walk along the beach....Kevin's favorite (sarcasm)! We took a dip in the water too, since it was SO warm. It actually felt warmer than the pool. Too bad the ocean isn't fresh water! Of course, after we got back from the ocean, Dakota had to get all that yucky sand off her body. I swear she was obsesssed with the showers. She would play in it for hours if we would have let her.

She loved the showers!!

After we spent the entire day at the pool, we headed back upstairs and got ready for dinner. Nothing too exciting this night. We decided to head to Outback for some BBQ ribs. We then headed back to the room and went, as Dakota calls it, "ni-ni."

And here's a video of Dakota going down the slide by herself.

This was probably her 15th run of the day...

Hawaii, Day 3...

2009-10-30T13:29:00.001-07:00

Day three didn't start quite as early this time. We were all up at about 6:30am though. Once again, we had breakfast on the lanai. Some birds discovered we were out there, so they hung out on the railing hoping for a hand out. That was the end of breakfast for Dakota, since any distraction pretty much means mealtime is over.

Once again, we were out by the pool at 8:30am. We checked in and got our towels and wristbands for the morning. Dakota was now sportin' three different wristbands, which she was quite proud of. She watched Daddy and I get ours, and then, without skipping a beat, put her arm out there so the the girl could put one on her. Most people take their wristbands off at the end of the day, but kids tend to leave theirs on because it's the "cool" thing to do. I figured why not leave Dakota's on. She might have a problem with things hanging around her neck, but she doesn't mind bracelets. Anyway, we hung out around the pool for a few hours, and of course hit the waterslides with a vengeance!!

Playing in the kiddie pool...

I can't describe the pure joy this kid gets when tossed in the air...

Lovin' the slide...

Can't forget the waterfalls...

Unfortunately, we couldn't hang out at the pool all day, since we were meeting Grandpa Keyworth and Grandma Kathy in Lahaina for lunch!! What a great place to meet up, huh? They were staying at the Westin on Ka'anapali Beach, which is about 45 minutes from where we were staying. Lahaina is a great little town, and has lots of shops. I was definitely looking forward to a little shopping on top of meeting them for lunch!

So, we got to Lahaina around noon and met them at Kimo's for lunch. Dakota was very happy to see them and certainly enjoyed all the love and attention she got from Grandpa and Grandma! Lunch was really good, and so were our drinks. Once again we got to sit right by the water.

We walked around a bit after lunch and took some pictures at the famous Banyan tree. This thing is HUGE!! I can't even begin to describe it's size, but it takes up an entire block. There are wooden supports that hold up these huge branches that look like they've become actual trunks. I actually remember this tree from my very first visit to Hawaii. I was about 7 or 8, and I thought the thing was something out of a storybook. It was neat to see Dakota run around under the branches. She seemed to really like it!!

As we all walked through town, we came across a little photography stand, which had a family of parrots perched up on these stands. Dakota was fascinated with the colorful birds, and I was fascinated with wanting a family picture with them. So, that's exactly what we did. The birds were super friendly with us, but not so much with each other. The guy had to separate two of the birds before they pecked each other to death. As you can see from the picture above, the little green one was so sweet and layed in my hand calm as can be. Dakota held him for a few seconds, but then decided she wanted nothing to do with him and dropped her hands. Luckily, Daddy's hands were right there, so he didn't drop straight to the ground.

After lots of shopping, we had a few drinks at another restaurant. Dakota had a great time playing with grandpa and the drink umbrellas. She also insisted on having everyone's lime. If I haven't mentioned this before, Dakota is a lime fiend!!! The first time she tried one, I thought for sure she'd give us a sourface, but nope, she loved it and just kept on lickin'! So anyway, both the lime and Grandpa kept her happy-as-a-clam while we all enjoyed a few drinks.

Happy-as-a-clam!

After lots of shopping, catching up, and drinks, we decided to call it a day. Before we left Lahaina, Dakota ran into the Bubba Gump Shrimp. You should have seen her eyes light up. The girl must have thought she was at Disneyland again, because she ran right up to him and gave a huge hug. Silly girl!

Once back at our hotel, we met up with the other Grandpa and went downstairs to order some dinner from the cafe. We ordered it to go, then brought it up to the room so we could enjoy it on the balcony. It was a good meal, and it was nice to enjoy the warm night outside.

After dinner, Grandpa called it a night, but we decided to throw our bathing suits on and head down to the pool for a little night swimming. Unfortunately, the slides were closed, but we were free to use the pool and jacuzzi. Dakota hung out in the spa for about 3 minutes before wanting in the pool. So in she went with Daddy!!

A beautiful sunny day in Lahaina!

Hawaii, Day 2...

2009-10-30T13:28:00.002-07:00

Day two started very early for mommy and daddy!! We both woke up at 3:00am, which is actually 6:00am back home. We layed there for about a 1/2 hour, but eventually fell back asleep. I thought for sure Dakota would be waking up around 4 or 5am, but she actually slept in til 6:45am. Not bad considering the time difference!!

We ate breakfast in our room, which consisted of cereal and yogurt. Of course, we forgot spoons, so Dakota and I went to the cafe downstairs and "borrowed" some plasticware...

The "borrowed" spoons. Her cute hawaiian PJs came from Grandma Debbie!

Dakota and Daddy hanging out on the Lanai...

Having breakfast on the lanai...

Ready to head to the pool!!

By 8:00am, the four of us were in our bathing suits and ready for some pool time!! Grandpa rented us a cabana, since we knew we'd be at the pool all day. It was so nice to have a lot of shade, especially since they didn't have any other umbrellas out that day. The cabana rental came with bottled water, a fruit plate and frozen grapes. It was nice considering the price!

She was definitely ready to go in!!

So, we pretty much swam around all day. We'd come back to the cabana here and there to lather up our pasty skin and just lounge around. We had our first meal out at the pool. I got their famous seared ahi sandwich, which I had been craving since 2005. Kevin got their nachos and grandpa got the same thing I did. Dakota had a sample of everything, but ultimately went for daddy's nachos. Great for me though! lol.

Just lounging around...

Enjoying another shaved ice...

Dakota helping Daddy apply some MUCH needed sunscreen! lol

Daddy showing his appreciation!!!

Dakota was always so excited to go down the waterslides and started figuring out that every time we got to a certain part of the big pool, we were heading towards the slides. This was also the first day she tried one of the slides by herself. I was all for it, since I knew she could handle it. Grandpa was on board too. It was dad that was a little worried. She did great and had the biggest grin on her face after such a huge accomplishment.

We also had a great time floating around the winding river, which had a pretty strong current! Dakota enjoyed it, since she could just hang out in her floaty as the current propelled her down the river. We also took her through the waterfalls. I didn't think she would be a big fan of it, but she actually enjoyed it!! She'd point and squeal, "waterfall," every time she got near one. Inside every waterfall was a grotto, which was pretty neat! There was also a winding lagoon, which was located at the bottom of the last waterfall. There was also this carved statue set in stone that you passed in the lagoon. It looked like a dragon and everytime we passed by it, Dakota just had to give it a kiss.

We had so much fun being propelled through the winding river by the current...

Dakota having fun with Grandpa...

Splashing her way through the lagoon...

Grandpa loved taking her through the waterfalls...

Rapids slide...

More waterfall fun...

Can you tell how much we liked the pool??

After all the fun we had in the pool, Dakota was insistent on walking around the pool to check everything out. She literally grabbed my hand and started pulling me to walk with her. She got a kick out of walking over all of the bridges, which she just had to do by herself. If I attempted to carry her, she would say "down, walk." She also liked walking up the dark cave, which takes you up to the connecting pools and series of waterslides.

Walking around the pool, checking out the scenery...

We tried warming Dakota up to the baby beach and ocean. Still wasn't having much of it, but we were determined to get our little water lover to at least tolerate the sand. On this day, the best we could get her to do was walk on the grass "near" the beach. LOL. Baby steps, right? Anyway, she loved being by the beach and would stare out at the ocean to watch all that was going on. I got her to sit on my lap while I sat in the sand, but she only lasted about 5 minutes. Again, it was my attempt at warming her up to it. Later on, you'll see my attempts actually paid off!

I just love this picture!

Pruned feet = LOTS of fun in the water!

Dakota eventually zonked out under the cabana and slept for almost 2 hours. Grandpa watched her during that time so Kevin and I could get ready for dinner. Once Dakota woke up, we all headed down to the Humuhumunukunukukuapua restaurant. Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?? lol. It's such a nice restaurant and it's set in these bungalows that sit above a large pond. We got a seat right on the water, which was perfect for Dakota. She got to stare down at the fish and feed them cheerios with Grandpa. Dinner was just awesome. Kevin and I got the Mahi Mahi, and Grandpa got the salmon.

Ready for dinner in her Hawaiian dress!

At dinner...

Dakota & Grandpa feeding the fishies!

This is a hilarious video of Dakota playing in the shower...