San Diego: days 3 and 4

On Monday we decided to just hang out around the resort. Originally it was supposed to be a beach day but we knew the weather was supposed to be better the next day so we changed our plans. So in the morning we played basketball and checked out what the rec center had to offer (Wii, xbox, pool, foosball, etc). It was around this time that I also decided it was time for some medication to make my earache go away. Let me tell you, have a PA for a sister definitely has it's perks. :) Then in the afternoon we braved the pool. The kids loved it, of course, but most of the adults agreed that it was far too cold. The hot tub felt good though. :)

Tatum all decked out.

 Jade and Tatum dipping their feet in the hot tub.

 Nathan on the water slide.

 Caden and Libbie even convinced grandma to brave the ice cold slide.

 Mara was harder to convince so Caden and Ben tried to just carry her.

 Brennan, Tatum, Gavin, Mallory and Henry.

 I love this picture for two reasons. The way Claire is looking at Grandma is great and the fact that Tatum has Claire's hair in her hand is just too perfect.

 They thought riding in the back would help them dry off.

Jaren and Wyatt enjoyed some horsey rides from Papa that evening.

 Jade and Tatum definitely thought bathing together was a highlight of the trip.

 After we got the girls dressed in their matching pajamas (yes, we are cool) we headed back to the rec center for some fun and games that night.

 This is quite possibly my favorite picture ever.

Tuesday morning we headed down to San Diego to look at the USS Midway and take a little stroll.

Brennan likes to hang out with the cool kids, Caden and Libbie, and do awesome things like what you are about to see. :)

After our walk we headed to a taco place and then a park to eat. Then it was finally beach time! We are such rookies and came completely unprepared. I didn't put Tatum in her swimsuit because when we were at the beach on Saturday she cried as soon as she touched the water and wanted us to carry her the rest of the time. By Tuesday she had changed her mind though. So she got wet and sandy in her clothes. Oh well. Live and learn, right?

She loved the sand.

 Mara and Ella enjoying the sunshine.

 The wet sand was even better!

 Another favorite picture.

 Jaren the mermaid.

 Cute cousins playing in the sand.

 Eating the sand. Totally good for her, right?

 Claire needed a good hosing off by the end.

 She's on a mission.

 So beautiful. Ahhh. I miss it.

 TV!!!! These two were a little too mesmerized apparently. But it makes for a cute picture, especially in the footies.

Two more great days of vacation. And still more to come. :)

San Diego: days 1 and 2

Two weeks ago we headed out to San Diego to surprise my mom.  Why would we go across the country to surprise my mom when she lives just a half hour away? Well because she is turning the big 6-0 this year and she told my dad she didn't want any surprise parties, she just wanted to be with all of her kids. So we half listened to her. :) We all got together (just what she wanted) but we surprised tried to surprise her. For Christmas my dad gave her tickets to go to California, just the two of them. He was pretty vague about the plans so I am sure she was a little suspicious. But I think we all did a pretty good job of acting naturally and not raising her suspicion even more. So they went to California a few days before the rest of us and spent some time with Mario, a former foreign exchange student. Most of the rest of us gathered at the resort a few days later and dad was going to bring her there for the big surprise. Unfortunately, dad accidentally said something that mostly gave the surprise away just hours before they came to the resort. That combined with the less than smooth check-in process which left dad with the wrong room key and left us with no choice but to leave the door propped open made it impossible for mom to be genuinely surprised, but it was still a lot of fun!

In order to get to California before the surprise we had to take a flight out of Des Moines rather than the nearest airport. This meant driving two hours at 3 a.m. so we could catch a 6:30 flight. Crystal and Rich couldn't come until a few days later so Caden opted to travel with us to optimize his time in sunny California with cousins. It was real nice to have his help with Tatum during the travelling.

Despite some serious ear pain during the flight, we managed to make it to CA in one piece. But our car seat didn't. Eventually we were able to actually leave the airport (with a loaner seat) and begin our fun. As luck would have it Brennan's mom is living in Coronado right now, just minutes from the San Diego airport. His step-dad, Lester, was just finishing up a visit so we were able to spend Saturday with the two of them. We ate at a really delicious restaurant for lunch (Caden is still talking about how good this place was) and then headed to the beautiful beach.

 It got a bit chilly and we weren't very prepared. Luckily Caden was willing to share his jacket with Tatum.

After spending the day with them it was time to head north to Escondido, where we would be staying for the week, for the big surprise. (A huge THANK YOU to Melanie and Lester for loaning us their jeep so we didn't have to rent a car.)

Here is the surprise. It's just black until 1:24 or so. We waited in the dark (with 13 kids!) for a long time. I love how excited all the kids are to see grandma. She is definitely loved.

The rest of Saturday night we just spent time together eating pizza, explaining how we pulled off the surprise, and getting settled in.

On Sunday we headed to Church in the morning. However, the meeting times for that particular building had yet to be updated with the new year's schedule. We found ourselves sitting in the middle of a chapel full of hispanics.  We had come to the Spanish ward.  We stayed and even did our best to sing the hymns. But aside from Nathan and Dad, none of understood a thing. It gave us something to laugh about though.

After Church we drove to the San Diego temple to walk around and then to a nearby park to eat our lunch.

This picture of mom and lots of the kids is actually at the resort that morning.

 Papa with lots of his grandkids at the temple.

 Tatum and Claire are pretty good buds.

 "Where is it?" I have no idea what she was looking for.

Our final activity before heading back to the resort was a stop at the Mormon Battalion Museum. It was a fun tour, and great for the kids with lots of activities.

Papa watching the movie at the museum with two of us youngest granddaughters.

 Hugs! These two loved to give each other hugs. It was the first time Tatum has really been into that.

 Gavin was the lucky one to dress up as a soldier. His face in this picture is pretty funny when you zoom up close.

 Panning for gold.

 Pumping water.

 Trying to get a taste of the water.

After the museum we went back to the resort for dinner and just hung out. It was a great start to our trip!

12 months

It's totally old news that Tatum had a birthday, but this week she finally had her check up so now we have
stats.

Weight: 17 pounds 6 oz (3rd percentile)
Height: 29.5 inches (56th percentile)
Head circumference: 45 cm (around 50th percentile)

The poor girl had to get three shots and a finger prick yesterday. Not fun. Plus she pooped right before they came in to give her the shots so I had to change her after when all she wanted was to be held. It was sad. :(

The 12th month of life was a big one for Tatum, full of lots of changes.

-We said good-bye to the binky this month, not necessarily by choice.  We were planning on getting rid of it soon so when my mom and sister lost our last one while babysitting her we decided there was no time like the present. The first few days weren't bad. But then she started crying for over an hour at nap time before I would give up and she just wouldn't nap. It took about a week a half for her to finally adjust.

-She still says "hi". Usually when she pretends to talk on the phone or when she hears Skype on the computer.

-She says "ah-ah" for dog and absolutely loves to see Duke at my parents' house.

-I started the weaning process this month and she has made the full switch to whole milk.  It all went relatively smoothly. But she did not like drinking milk from a cup. She had been drinking one bottle of formula a day just to supplement.  We changed it over to whole milk and she did just fine. But when we decided to get rid of the bottle too she refused to drink milk from a cup.  She probably went about a week where the only milk she got was when she nursed before bed. And then a day or so where she wasn't getting anything because I stopped nursing completely. Then she suddenly decided milk from a cup wasn't so bad afterall.  Whew! It was stressing me out and  I was about ready to go back to bottles. I'm glad she figured it out! But what a lot of adjusting for a little girl in a short amount of time- no binky, no bottle, no nursing- all in a matter of a couple of weeks.

-Just recently she has started to say "mmmmmm" when she wants what you are eating. She is a moocher, that is for sure.

-She loves to sing 5 Little Ducks, especially when she is getting her diaper changed. She even tries to copy some of the actions.

-She still only has 2 teeth! I'm ready for her to get a few more so that it will be easier for her to eat more real food.

Tatum is so fun and I love spending my days with her and watching her grow and learn. How lucky am I?!