Little Fish, Big Fish, I'm not a Fish... I'm a Mermaid

And so the conversation went between Violet and myself during our two day stay in beautiful Monterey... Daddy hooked it up at the Intercontinental a mere block (walking) to the Monterey Aquarium. Grammy & Grampy came in tow to help with us rugrats and to enjoy the ocean air with M&D. The highlights of our aquarium visit were the petting tanks (we got to actually touch stingrays-- minus their stingers, of course... starfish and kelp), the friendly penguins, finding Nemo (or a fish that looked a lot like him), the jellyfish, watching the giant tuna swim by us as if we were not even there, and of course, scouring the tanks for the great white (baby, but still HUGE) shark. Afterwards, we napped, hit the hotel pool, stopped by a ginormous candy store, ate a lovely dinner at Monterey's Fish House and paraded down the street to Ghiradelli's for some much needed ice cream. It was a fantastic trip. Thanks Daddy for footing the bill! xoxo Stella & Violet

Dress Up Days

Stella used to parade around the house by herself in full princess attire, but as of late, I've decided to join her in this masquerade. Sure, my style might be a bit eclectic... I like to pair cowboy scarves with Fancy Nancy sunglasses and Princess Belle tiaras... BUT Mommy and Daddy think I look divine. Stella tends to agree, too. :) Happy Tuesday!


Love-- V-V xoxo

Mommy's a slacker... or maybe she's just pregnant?

Sorry for the delay in Mommy's riveting posts, people. She's been a bit busy lately. You know, taking care of my sister, Violet. I, well, I'm Ms. Independent and quite capable of "doing it myself" in every possible activity. Mommy is encroaching upon her 6th month of pregnancy and baby boy is growing like a weed and kicking like a quarterback. Mommy's fear of giving birth to a large son is becoming a closer reality. Daddy is a big boy after all ;)

In preparation for Baby B's arrival, M&D decided it was time to move sweet, naughty V-V to a big girl bed... in my room. While the anticipation of this move was frightening for my parents, it turned out to be less traumatic than expected. Sissy climbed right into that big girl bed like she was conquering a mountain and proceeded to refer to her "big beeeed" any time a new face entered the house. She is very proud of her new dwelling. Mommy feared she would miss her crib and long for it in the wee hours of the night, but nay... her reaction was one of disgust rather when passing the "infant room." With a firm grip on her "dee dee" otherwise known as her pacifier, she would say... "not my crib." While some might say this transition is coming too early (V-V is not even 2), Mommy & Daddy wanted to get a move on and start decorating Baby B's room. It was also crucial to avoid late night rendezvous in our joint room once Baby B arrives. All in all, the transition has gone well. Me, well, I like to climb into bed with V early mornings and tickle her. The giggling, while sometimes annoying at 5:45am, brings a smile to M&D's face every time. Naps have been easier than expected, too. We actually enjoy each other's company and find solace in the warm body sleeping in the twin bed across from us. That's not to say that Sissy's trick of throwing "dee dee" and "lamby" out of her bed and then demanding, "Sella, peeease get me dee dee! peeease get me lamby!" isn't quite disruptive at 3am when I'm sawing logs, but I love her and well, what are big sisters for if not retrieving their little sister's "lovies?"

Mommy has yet to take pictures of us in bed. I guess she worried the flash would wake us from our slumbers. She will post one soon enough. In the meantime, enjoy some shots of us with Daddy as he returned from his latest work trip in Dubai. And some more of us with Grampy, our tried and true resident "Go Diego Go!" watcher. :)

Love to all!
Stella (and V-V)
xoxo

UPDATED PHOTOS OF BEDTIME :)

When Daddy's Away...

The girls will play... Mommy, Sis and I have been left to our own devices to entertain ourselves while Daddy travels the world for work. We miss him dearly, but have kept quite busy with baking, dressing up, haircuts, and all things GIRL. Here are some shots of our recent adventures. Mommy did take a short jaunt to Los Angeles for her best friend Lisa's engagement party. Daddy was weathered by his first overnight with us EVER. He survived, however, and is a stronger man because of it. Love you, Daddy! Happy weekend everyone! XOXO Stella & Violet

Thanks, Daddy, for Making Mommy a Baby Boy!

M&D went to have Mommy's 20 week ultrasound done this morning and low and behold... there were some boy parts showing there! We are so excited to welcome the newest addition to our big, girlie family :) Yay for us!

Give me a Best Friend Hug, Sissy.

V-V and I have taken to chasing eachother around the house, yelling, "Give me a best friend hug, Sissy!" It is charming and sweet until we turn it into a WWF match that ends with someone crying ;) The love is there, though, friends. Here are some shots of us this past weekend. Our adorable matching dresses are courtesy of Ms. Brooke Govenar. Aren't they fantastically chic?! WE THINK SO. If you want to get some for yourself, send us a note and we'll get you in touch with the talented dress maker. :)

Love,
Stella & V-V

My Mama is Old

Sis, M&D, my Sacramento aunts and uncles, Papa Paul, Brenda, Grammy, Grampy, and the Govenar Family joined us for a Tahoe vacay in celebration of Mommy's 31st birthday and of course, Independence Day. We stayed in South Shore and went to the beach everyday. The weather was amazing and the water, well... like taking a dip in an ice bucket, but we didn't care. The Govenars brought their babysitter so M&D could go out to eat two nights in a row sans kids! We stayed back, watching Mary Poppins, eating pizza and destroying all in sight. Mommy didn't care as long as she didn't have to clean it up ;)

Hope everyone had a fabulous Fourth of July weekend. We certainly did. Our tired little eyes couldn't hide our exhaustion from the weekend's festivities. Here are some pics of our big trip.

Happy Fourth!
Stell & V