Goodbye, My Friend!

The last Saturday in June we had the privilege of joining our good friend, Lisa, on her going-away-wine-tasting-extravaganza. Lisa just landed her dream job and I am so happy for her! The only hitch is that it's in San Antonio, TX which takes her far away from us. We are sad that she is leaving, but happy for her and her new adventure!

Lisa generously booked a Cadillac Escalade Limo for about 15 of us which we took out to the vineyards in Temecula. It was a fun ride out filled with Mimosas and appetizers and special memories and gifts for Lisa as she heads out on her Texan adventure.

We arrived at the Meritage Winery in time for lunch on the beautiful covered patio that overlooks the rolling hills of the vineyard. Lunch was great!

Then we headed over to one of Lisa's favorite wineries for a round of wine tasting. Another beautiful vineyard with a wonderful patio full of Italian ambiance. We had a lovely day! I sure am gonna miss this girl when she leaves in July, but plan on visiting her in TX. Texas is a state I've never been to (except the airport) and I now have a great reason to add it to my list!

The Bergs/Weibes Visit

In mid-June, Mark, Suzanne, and the kids came to visit with us for a few days and explore CA a little. This, unfortunately, was the only picture I took over the whole 5 days! We had a lot of fun just hanging out together, sharing meals, and playing cards. We spent Father's Day BBQing at my parents' house which was nice and relaxing. We went to Newport Beach one afternoon, followed by The Spaghetti Factory for dinner (fun!) and shopping that night. We also got to spend a day at Disneyland with them. I think they had a really great time, especially being that this was Suzanne & the boys' first time visiting a Disney park!

Charles and Kristin Get Married!

Our little family was able to spend the first week in June in Baldwin City, KS to celebrate the marriage of Gabe's brother, Charles, to Kristin! The wedding was held at the Messer Ranch (Kristin's parents) and was absolutely beautiful! The weather and the grounds were simply perfect for this sweet country wedding. Aria was the flower girl and Gabe was a groomsman, so we were quite busy during our time here, but also got to spend some good time visiting with family from KS, CO and SD.

Aria and Riley playing in the water fountain before the rehearsal dinner. They had so much fun!

Grandma Berg helping Aria blow bubbles at the reception.

The 3.5 of us with the Messer's woods in the background. Such a beautiful place!

Aria loves her daddy!

All the pretty ladies

Aria with her Auntie Michelle

The Brent/Berg/Weibe Family

Aria rockin' out with her baby doll at the reception!

Happy Memorial Day!

From Aria, her pirate purse, and Nikki the dog  :)

Finally Photogenic Again!

You may have noticed that we don't have many pictures posted between January and June. No, I did not stop taking pictures of this sweet little cutie, but she did decide for those few months that she was NOT into having her picture taken. Pretty much every picture of her between that time is of her screaming and grabbing for the camera, so honestly, there's not much to post that isn't blurry, of a hand, or a very upset little girl. I am, however, happy to report that our smiley and now "posey" little girl is back! YAY!

17 Months Old

Dear Aria,

Wow. Just wow. I cannot believe that you are a whole 17 months old already! It seems like just the other week that we were celebrating your first birthday, and now you are almost 1 and a half! You are growing and changing so fast and the time just seems to be flying by. I've already had to put away some of your size 18 month clothes because you have already grown out of them! Sometimes when I'm holding you and get a glimpse of us either in a mirror or in a picture, I think, "Wow! She is half my size already!" I don't know where you got your big girl genes from, but it certainly wasn't me! Perhaps you will be tall like Daddy's Mom's side of the family. Or, perhaps you're just getting your growth early like Daddy. Either way, we are loving watching you grow up into a sweet, curious, friendly toddler!

You are a brave and adventurous little girl! You love going on walks where you can push your trike to the park. You love playing on the playground - swinging, climbing, and sliding! So much so, that Mommy has to follow you around and keep you away from the biggest obstacles and slides! You'd love to go down one of those tall, twisty, tube slides, but I won't let you go by yourself - at least not yet - and I'm sure I just won't fit inside to go down with you.

You have learned so much in the past couple of months, especially in regards to language. It's so fun to see and hear all your new words! So far you can sign: thank you, please, dog, bird, potty, all done, more, eat/food, drink, milk, hat, shoes, and go. You can say: hi, bye bye, cheese, more, no, yeah, ball, bath, baby, and hat. You have also learned how to open doors, take the caps off your markers and put them back on, get your clothes out of the dresser, take your diaper off when you want, and you are trying really hard to put on your own socks! You know where your ears, eyes, nose, mouth, toes, and belly button are. You also give the best kisses! Bbbwwwwaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh!!!! (That's the sound you make with your kisses)!

You are still the pickiest eater I've ever met, which drives me nuts much of the time, but hey, at least you're still a hefty little girl. You're healthy, too, which makes me happy. I have to say, I will be the most thrilled Mommy when you finally decide that you would like to eat "people food". Sigh....maybe when you're two...

You are still a HUGE baby doll lover! You are such a sweet little mama when you carry your babies around, pat them on the back, push them in the stroller, and make sure they get their pacis back in their mouths when they fall out. :) I have no doubt that you will be an excellent big sister someday!

Ari, I want you to know that your Daddy and I love you so, so much! We are so proud of the little girl you're becoming and the person God has made you to be. You are such a sweet, sweet blessing to us!

Great Grandma's Birthday

On January 22nd this year, we celebrated my grandma's (Aria's great-grandma) 90th birthday!

Man, I love my grandma, and I miss her a lot too. Alzheimer's is such a horrible thief! I hate that it has slowly stolen her away from us and that our holidays and celebrations have become bittersweet in this regard. She is still my grandma and is sweet and happy and I am thankful for that. This year we celebrated with her best friend, Marge, and most of the family. Tyler really liked his great-grandma and she was really interested in the babies, which was fun! Aria was a little unsure/afraid of great-grandma and kind of kept her distance. I wish that weren't the case, but oh well. Hopefully she'll warm up to her soon.

Grandma and Marge

Grandma and Tyler having a nice little convo