lew and lou

At the girls' birthday party, our Lou Lou got a little overwhelmed. You see, she'd open a present, get so excited, and then we'd take it away so she could open another. She didn't get it, and it made her mad. The poor girl just wanted to play with a toy! By the end of the present opening, she was hysterical. I knew she was suffering from a case of overload mixed with a dash of frustration, so I got her blanket and her binky and tried to settle her down. Suddenly, she motioned to Pop's chair.

Pop passed away when Lou was in my belly. He went by Lew, and that's how our girl got her name. I've always thought Grandpa Lew would've got a kick out of baby Lou, and in truth, I think he does. Just from afar.

Lew used to spend his evenings on this lounger, watching the sunset colors on the mountains and relaxing. If he wasn't inside, he was out on the patio, on his lounger. After he passed, Gram told me that she once dragged that "old broken chair" to the garbage. Only to go out a few hours later to retrieve it. She just couldn't get rid of the place her Lew loved so much.

And so when Lou motioned for Pop's chair, I took her over and laid her down. We visit Gram fairly frequently, and they're no stranger to the patio or Pop's chair. And she settled down immediately and spent the remainder of the party there, by herself, snuggling in the comfort of Pop's lounger.

We miss that Pop. But I'm pretty sure he didn't miss our party. I'm pretty sure Lew was with our Lou, and I'm so grateful. 

Many thanks to my sister for sneaking a few pictures of this. They're priceless to us.

a lalaloopsy party!

So, about that party. For about six months, I preached on and on about how I was just going to have everyone over for dinner for the girls' birthdays this year. I wasn't going to go crazy. I wasn't going to bust out the lists and the spreadsheets and the Pinteresting. I stuck to my guns for a while. Until one day Annabelle said, "Hey, we should have a Lalaloopsy party!"

And then my brain exploded.

I mostly went with the theme because it was pretty easy and cheap. (Plus, I'm a sucker for these dolls too.) I used all their toys (and borrowed a few) and decorated them with supplies I had on hand. Balloons and crepe paper cost me just a few bucks. We had the party in Gram's backyard, and it was perfectly magical. We got a little wind and rain, but the kids couldn't have cared less. They ran and played and loved every minute.

You might notice there is no food on the table with the Lala Land. Gram wouldn't let me put food there so as to not obscure the great work I did with the dolls. We got in a small fight, but Gram won because, hi, she's eighty-something. No brainer there. The food went inside so everyone could enjoy Lala Birthday Land, and Gram was a happy lady.

And now I shall inundate you with photos. (Thank you DC Photography.)

NOTE: For those not in the know about these dolls, click here. We've been in the Lalaloopsy business since Belle's tininess when she spotted one in the Walmart Christmas circular a few years ago. She wasn't even two yet, but the love began there. And hasn't ended. Both girls love these little dolls to bits, to the point of giant ownership arguments. And both girls know every doll's name. When Grandma came to visit, Annabelle was highly annoyed that Grandma was taking so long to learn the names. Ha ha.

back to cali

Okay, so I last left you sweating profusely in Joshua Tree National Park. Now let's wipe the sweat off our every inch and move back to the beautiful, just perfect, a little bit humid air of San Diego. 

We met up with the entire Cheney clan on the Fourth of July to hit up the best firework show we've ever seen. (San Diego's Big Bay Boom show. Please, please go here and watch last year's epic fail. It will make your day.) Before we left, I got my OCD on and researched the stuffins out of San Diego. I discovered that you could watch said fireworks from the deck of the USS Midway (pictured above), so we scooped those tickets up lickety split. It was pretty epic to say the least. 

The fireworks were truly spectacular. They motor four barges out in front of the Midway and shoot fireworks from each one (coordinated - so each barge has the same sequence). It's twenty minutes of awesome set to patriotic tunes. We were all duly impressed, and our little family has vowed to go again next year. (Any takers?)

Jess is a bit of a war historian, so it was no surprise that he made a new best friend out of Clint, a Korean War veteran, and long time volunteer on the USS Midway. 

We also did a day at Sea World and a day at Lego Land. The official consensus is that the kids were probably still a little too young for parks. THAT SAID, our kids really did have an awesome time. Annabelle went bananas for the sea lion show and they both loved the GIANT WHALES. 

They also really loved the penguins, and they made us visit the starfish pool six billion times (you can touch and pick them up). 

I really really loved the beluga whales. They're so mysterious and magical. Also, their habitat has the a/c cranked, so you better believe I lingered there.

Annabelle (and perhaps her mother) were dying to pet a dolphin. We paid our requisite dues and waited at their training pool for 45 minutes in the blazing sun (a redhead named Daddy FRIED in the name of getting his girl what she wanted). We hung our arms into their water as they played and trained, and narrowly missed petting one time and time again (below is just such a miss). At the very last minute, one of the trainers took pity on us and "coaxed" (pushed) the dolphin over to us so Belle could have her turn. That man deserves a trophy in our girl's eyes.

At Legoland, we mostly stuck to the tiny kid rides (most rides ARE kid rides, which makes the tiny kid rides as epic as you can imagine), which luckily, didn't have as long of lines as the others. Our only real complaint about Lego Land is that they have the worst lines. Like no efficiency at all. Drove us batty.

If you've been around either of the girls lately, you know that we're big on fairy tales right now. They know a handful inside out, and we've even taken to re-telling them, "silly fairy tales," as Belle calls them. This ride is the Fairytale Brook. We rode it no less than twelve times. No lie. Belle became the tour guide, as pictured below, and Lou about flipped her lid every time she saw those three little pigs.

 

For any Lego enthusiasts (my husband), Lego Land is pretty legit. Giant creations made entirely out of Lego. I think Mini World was our favorite. They've re-created famous or major cities made entirely out of Lego. It's seriously incredible.

All in all, we really did have the best time. (Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Cheney!) Jess and I got a little nostalgic on our flight home (a flight we almost missed, mind you, thank you dear husband who got a little carried away touring the USS Midway when he should've been checking in at the airport) when we realized it would be the last time we flied as a family of three tickets. The next time we fly (and there aren't any plans, believe it or not!), we'll have to split up - two and two - which will be so weird.

That said, I'm going to be just fine with having my personal space back and not fighting with a giant "lap baby." :) Until next time, my friends!