Surrounded by shoe boxes

Destructo girl!

Cecilia's first snow angel!

She wasn't thrilled about lying in the snow, but she made this "snow angel!"

Some crazy/awesome things we saw in Iowa

Erin's Birthday Party

Had a lovely time at Erin's birthday party tonight. Great food (prosciutto pizza and Santa cookie cupcakes!) and great friends.

And this outtake was too cute to not post

Draining her bath

Lately Cecilia's been draining her bath right as she gets into it. She grabs the stopper and pulls it out. She doesn't seem to mind being in there without water though... or the chill of wet skin exposed to the air.

Santa Cookie Cupcakes!

These cupcakes taste exactly like my mom's santa cookies!

She's eating meat...

Cecilia is having chicken for the first time today. She is eating
puréed chicken in chicken gravy mixed into rice. She seems to enjoy
it, but is falling asleep in the high chair.

Cecilia came to bed this morning

This is probably a bad habit but it feels nice. :)

Pulling herself up!

Cecilia has started pulling herself up to kneeling recently. Also, on
a separate note, the outfit Cecilia is wearing is adorable!! Thanks
to the Otanis for all of the hand-me-downs!!

Shopping with Mommy!

Cecilia got to sit in the child seat of the cart for the first time
today at Target. She seemed to enjoy herself, although she may still
be a little small for the seat.

Black beans

Cecilia tried black beans for the first time today. They were a big
hit! Mommy cut them in half, and Cecilia picked them up all by
herself!

Playing at the park!

Cecilia and I went to the park to meet up with our playgroup today.
Cecilia played on the slide, rode a bouncy horse, and sat in the
swing. She loved getting outside and playing with the other kids. It
is hard to believe that it is in the 60s in late January!

Having fun with her ball!

Cecilia enjoys playing with her purple ball. She also had a good time
cheering on the Packers and Steelers on Sunday! Go Steelers in 2
weeks!!

Coffee Jello!

Capstone to a great day of football. :)

Peek-a-boo!

Most mornings, this is the first view we have of Cecilia. She loves
peeking through the slats of the crib at Mommy and Daddy and starts to
smile and babble.

Packing Cecilia

Headed back to California tomorrow...

Cecilia wearing her shirt on her head

I don't know which toy to play with!

Cecilia has just a few toys here. She can't seem to decide which to
play with right now though.

Cecilia's first carousel ride

Today Grammy and Cecilia rode the carousel at Coral Ridge Mall for the
first time. Cecilia seemed to enjoy it and apparently started jumping
midway through the ride. Thanks to Grammy for taking her on!

Sweet Office

Doing some work from Manors' new lakeside house. Wish I could have this office in California. :)

Puppy Puppy Puppy (Ding Dong)

Cecilia Eats Kiwi

We fed Cecilia some kiwi for the first time... it turns out that was a bad idea. The acidity and seeds gave her really terrible diaper rash, so we'll probably hold off on tart foods for a bit.

Ce-"silly"-a

Cecilia has earned the nickname "silly". She's really become a character as of late.

Cecilia Improves at Peekaboo

Where's Cecilia? (Anna is better at peekaboo)

Jumping Like a Lunatic (Bobble Head Cecilia)

Cecilia has started letting herself go a little crazy in the jumper. She's learned this since she's come to Iowa.

Ding Dong

Grandma Austin found a way to make Cecilia laugh: pretending she's a bell.

Cecilia Loves Paper and Her New Towel

Austins Opening Presents

Clearly a Duck

Another Christmas video. Alan and Gaoder are being silly.

Pop Pop Boat from my childhood

Twenty years ago or so, my grandfather Mazak helped me make a pop pop boat out of some copper tubing and balsa wood. The copper tubing is heated by a flame from a tea light, which flashes the water into steam, propelling the boat forward. Then the steam cools back into water, forming a vacuum, which sucks water back into the tube, starting the process over. I pulled the boat out of storage, stuck it in the bathtub, and gave it a go...