Monterey, CA

This past weekend, Matilda enjoyed the famous Monterey Aquarium and dinner with Andy, Ashleigh, and Olivia.  At the aquarium, Matilda got to see lots of fish and play with all the exhibits.  Unfortunately, we didn't get to see any of the sea otters at the aquarium, but we did see some wild otters in the bay when we ate at Bubba Gump's.  It was a quick trip, but we were happy we made it down to hang out with our friends one more time before they went back across the pond.  We will really miss them and hope we get to see them again soon.  Check out all the pictures of our time in Monterey on the post page.

Random Fun

Here's a collection of some random and fun photos from August.  Enjoy!

Sidewalk Chalk

Matilda has really been enjoying her coloring time with mama.  Because her drawing skills are limited, she will ask for all the Gabba characters and of course Elmo.  Leia is really good at drawing them all now, and Tilly loves to help finish them.  Check out some photos from chalk time!

Sacramento Zoo

Today Tilly went to the zoo with her buddy Olivia (and mommy Ashleigh).  We had a lot of fun even though the girls didn't get a chance to feed the giraffes.  They did spend alot of time with the monkey's and chimpanzees.  Then we somehow escaped the gift shop without buying any new animals.  After the zoo, we went to Cafeteria 15L for a really yummy lunch.  Check out all the photos on the post page.

Yolo County Fair

A couple weeks ago we went to the big CA state fair.  Today we went to our little Yolo county fair.  We went with one of Tilly's best buddies, Olivia, and her parents.  We got there too early, so we went for a walk through Burlington Coat Factory, where Tilly found a singing Elmo!  Once the fair opened up, we went through the exhibits and got pupusa's.  Then we found a kid area were the girls made bracelets and rattle shakers.  Check out all of the photos of Tilly at the fair.

Pigtails!

After Matilda's hair fell out by 5 months, we didn't know when it would ever be long enough for pigtails.  Well at 17 months it is finally long enough!  They aren't the longest pigtails, but they'll do okay for now.  Check out a few more photos of Tilly's first pigtails.

Climbing Ladder

Like every other baby her age, Matilda has started climbing everything.  Here's a couple videos of her climbing the ladder and step-stool.  Go Tilly Go!

Puzzle Pro

Matilda is starting to get pretty good at her puzzles.  Here are some pictures and a video of puzzle time.  The video is a couple minutes long and not super exciting, but you can see the wheels in her head turning as she figures out where they go.  At 16 months, she's really figuring out her colors and shapes.  She even throws in a high five at the end!

Random Cuteness

Here's a few random pictures of Tilly.  Check the post page for more photos.

California State Fair

This was Matilda's second time at the California state fair.  She started out by helping mommy at the Bohart entomology exhibit.  Then we walked through all the exhibits and spent alot of time looking at animals.  Matilda also spent a really long time at the petting zoo with the goats and pigs!  See the full post for more pictures.

Movie in the Park

We live really close to a big park in our neighborhood, and they are doing "movies in the park" during the summer.  We decided it would be fun to head out and watch a movie with Tilly.  We loaded up the wagon with blankets and pillows and even brought some popcorn.  They even had a Jamba Juice stand!  The only problem was that they advertised it starting at 7:30, but it didn't get dark enough to see the movie until after 9pm.  We stayed for the first little bit of Cars and then went home for bed time.  Check out more photos of the movie in the park!

Sickies

Today Matilda had her first real sick bug.  She's had some runny noses and normal little colds, but this was a steady high fever with vomiting of anything she tried to eat or drink.  As such she didn't get to eat or drink much all day.  Once she started keeping the water down she moved on to crackers.   Despite being miserable, she did enjoy watching a Yo Gabba marathon.  It took a few days for her to get back to her normal self.  "Read on" for more photos of Tilly during her first real sick day.

Rocking Dog

Awhile back, our awesome neighbors (Chris and Sarah) gave Matilda a rocking dog to use.  It's basically a rocking horse, but in the form of a fluffy dog.   As soon as she could climb up she started riding and yelling "puppy dog, puppy dog!"  Now that she's more coordinated, she's started standing on his back.  Check out this recent video of daredevil Tilly enjoying the rocking dog!

Fourth of July!

This year we entered the Davis Fourth of July Bike Parade.  Matilda helped set up her patriotic wagon and waved flags to everyone watching.  It's a really short parade, lasting 3 blocks and ending up at the downtown city park.  We got there too late to enter the best decorations contest, but Tilly had a great time.  Afterward, we met up with Vivienne and Olivia and Tilly shared her wagon.  It was a very happy independence day!  "Read more" for the rest of the photos.

Bathtime

Matilda loves to take baths and showers.  And of course, she usually doesn't want to get out.  One thing that helps is her hooded Sharky and Kitty towels.  I think she looks forward to wrapping up and running around the house wearing only the hoods.  "Read more" for a video and some photos of bath time.