Happy Anniversary!

Kyle and I celebrated our 4th anniversary last week...and to celebrate, we headed up to Monterey for the weekend. Grandpa and Grandma Gillette came over and spent the weekend with Annaliese. 

I know they had a good time...I just don't have the pictures to prove it! They went to the Avila Barn to feed the goats and eat grapes:) They took a walk on the boardwalk at the beach...and apparently Annaliese found a little friend. His name was Tate and they walked together, holding hands, for quite some time! 

 Yep, those are Grandpa's socks!

Meanwhile, Kyle and I enjoyed the Monterey Bay Aquariarm, walking around on Cannery Row, hiking in the hills, and dinners out without the little munchkin. I have lots of pictures of these things! 

 The sea horses were absolutely amazing...definitely the highlight of the aquarium!

 The weedy sea dragon

 jelly fish

 more jelly fish

 sardines...there were 15,000 of them!

 We took a little break and stepped outside for a great view and some fresh air!

 sand dollars

 I forget what this is...but can you find it?

 Penguins

Snack time...yes please!

We went on this hike at Jacks Park...just a few minutes away from our hotel, but it felt so far away from the business of the aquarium and Cannery Row! It was so peaceful, and a rather easy trail, which was nice!

 (One of the first pictures with a belly...14 weeks)

Overlooking Monterey Bay

It's always nice coming home...especially when Annaliese is there to great us! While we were gone, she learned how to say Grandpa, although it really sounds more like 'Ga-Ca' or something like that! She was also excited about all of the pictures of the goats, and when she was hungry, she would go to the fridge and pull out the bag of grapes! (If I knew how to get pictures off my phone, I would have some of those...but alas, I can never figure that out!)

My little helper

Over the past few weeks, Annaliese has become more and more helpful. She is always eager to throw anything in the trash (whether it's actually trash or not,) put her toys away, bring my shoes back to the closet, and most recently, to help me in the kitchen. 

Last week, we decided to plant some flowers in one of my flower pots that has sat empty for months. She was eager to help at first, but then she spilled some dirt onto her shoes and that was the end of that...until they needed water. Annaliese loves water! She made so many trips back and forth from Brodie's water spicket to my pot of flowers...most of the water never made it, but it was so precious to watch!

As I mentioned earlier, Annaliese has also become a fan of helping in the kitchen. We decided to try making English Muffin Bread, and it turned out delicious!

 Taste test time!

 I think she likes it!

Summer Days

I had great plans to go to a summer swim day with ladies from my church last week. I had even envisioned the cute pictures of Annaliese swimming that I would be able to get and the blog post that would follow. But then we didn't go. I was tired. We were running late. Annaliese was a bit fussy. So there aren't going to be any cute pictures of Annaliese swimming.

I have, however, tried to capture some of our activities. I know I will be glad to look back some day and remember the everyday cuteness of my daughter!

 We decided to let her sit at the table with us for a snack. She thought it was the best thing ever! And

we thought it was pretty nice to have her with us too. I don't think it will be too long before I get her a booster seat and get rid of the high chair!

I'm not sure if this qualifies as a good laundry helper, but Annaliese is definitely an entertaining helper! I guess it doesn't matter if I have to refold everything twice!

 Trying on Daddy's shorts...she's sitting on the fireplace hearth. It seems to be her favorite place to sit these days.

 And now she has on my pajama shorts.

One night last weekend, Kyle decided that he wanted to make cinnamon rolls. From scratch. So we searched a few cookbooks, and finally found a recipe online that sounded good and relatively quick.

 I usually let Annaliese sit on one of the kitchen chairs and help me when I bake...but she was a little skeptical this time around!

 She decided she should probably taste-test this concoction Daddy was putting in the cinnamon rolls!

After Annaliese went to bed, Kyle and I sat outside, watched the sunset, and ate cinnamon rolls! They were delicious!

 Feeding Brodie a snack