Bye Bye Babbas

It's time. Bottles no more. It may surprise many of you that Shelby still even uses the bottle....it was time, however to pull the plug, or should I say nipple. The good news is, I think this has been hardest on me. You see, Shelby has used some sort of a sippy cup for months and months at school. I feel like she was 8 or 9 months (maybe younger) when they asked me to bring a soft-top cup. I still continued to give her a bottle for her warm milk however in the morning and at bed time. It was our quiet time. I would rock her, sing to her and for the longest time, she would just drift off to sleep in my arms. It was the one quiet, sweet 1-on-1 part of my day that I had with my sweet girl.

It was time though. I feared Shelby would go crazy, screaming for her bottle, refusing bedtime. Nope, not at all. She certainly isn't as keen to drink a cup of milk in my lap, but this is not the traumatic transition that I had envisioned, so for that I am grateful.

I will certainly miss my quiet milk moments - crazy to think they are gone forever:( The good news is, she really likes me to read to her books (the same ones over and over) so I am fairly certain those snuggles are mine to keep!

On With the Adventure!

I had the opportunity and honor to go to my Dad's retirement party this past weekend.  Jack agreed to stay with Shelby for my quick, 25 hour trip while I went to Placerville so I could honor my Dad.  His career  not only supported our family, but also inspired my own career path and touched many others. After 42 years in the Forest Service, during which he help the same position for more than 3 decades - it was fantastic to see all the family, friends and co-workers who came out to honor him.  A very fond memory indeed.

A Little Treasure From Shelby's School

These little things mean so much to me. Please don't mind the hair....I swear, I do it each morning. She just also takes it down each afternoon. Growing right before my eyes!

Adios 2013

Another one in the books. 2014 is here. Since this blog is pretty much one big Shelby highlight, I thought I would do a less Shelby-centric recap of 2013. Of course from the start to the finish of 2013. Shelby has blossomed from a baby to a toddler, but Jack and I have had some fun along the way too!

Highlights:

• Summer vacation in Destin
• Shelby's first birthday party
• Starting my job at IGT
• Hosting a wonderful Thanksgiving
• Finally finding furniture for our dining room
• Finishing our bedroom!
• Jack's new giant smoker
• Seeing the Broadway version of Wizard of Oz
• Attending the Cirque Michael Jackson grand opening and whooping it up like the pre-Shelby days

 Lowlights:

• Getting Hand Foot & Mouth - holy smokes that was bad
• The tons of repairs required on my semi-new car

Work Trips:

• Reno x2
• Seattle, Washington
• Hartford, Connecticut
• San Diego, California

Small things in the house that add up to awesomeness:

• Rack for the inside of our pantry
• Baby proofing all our cupboards
• Built-in organizers for our Tupperwards
• Jack's thriving plant (I can't expand, I don't want to jinx it
• Jack's amazing Craig's Listing skills
• Staining the cement out front

On with the adventure! 

Benham Park

I grew up going to Benham Park. Not only was it extremely close to my house, but I went to pre-school at an adjacent little building and spent countless hours at the near by City pool. We took Shelby there over the holidays and she was quite the photogenic little muffin.

Muir Woods

After a night with Howard and Maia, we traveled across the Bay to stay with Brent, Carli and Shelby's new best friend - Mowgli. It was so awesome to see their new place and spend some time with the two of them. In the afternoon we went to Muir Woods National Park to see the California Redwoods. Just stunning. I had not been since middle school and Jack had never seen these. The Redwoods only grow in two places on Earth and are the world's tallest tress. Shelby passed up her nap that day, so she slept through much of the visit.

Fairytale Town

Once we landed in Oakland and grabbed lunch, the first outting of our holiday vacation was to an attraction called Fairtale Town. It is a children's destination that covers a lot of land and brings a bevy of smiles to young kids. It was a little run down, but a 20 month toddler does not notice that - she just wants to run. I found it so thoughtful that my brother planned this excursion in advance for his niece.  Shelby had her first "hot" (aka very mildly warm) chocolate at the park and experiences a machine-induced snow flurry! Jack was behind the camera this day, so he didn't make it in any of these photos. We had a really nice time and Shelby got in he much-loved time outside.