Long lost cousins

The Housley family is in town unexpectedly, so we went to visit them at grandma and grandpa's house. So good to see them, after so long! Keira loved Rebekah's dog, Bella. It would be great if they could visit more often, or for longer.

Grandma gave Keira a cute dress with a tutu. I forgot to get the story of where the dress came from -perhaps it was one of mine, or one of my cousin's dresses? I think grandma had it in mind for a Halloween costume for Keira, but Keira really loved it so I think she would like to wear it for regular occasions. She tried it on as soon as we got home. It's a bit too big for her right now, but still super adorable!

Baby yoga and library

Yesterday, Keira and I met our friends Lina and Carli for a baby yoga class at the Kensington library. It was so much fun! The yoga class was held outside on the lawn, and Keira actually (to my surprise) followed along with the class. I (selfishly) hope that it is the beginning of a love for yoga for her.

After the yoga class, we went in to the library and the girls sat right down at the kid's table and started looking at books. I signed up for a library card, and they found me in their system from when I used to live in Sam Diego. Turns out I had a 25 cent fine from 2003! We paid the fine and checked out some books for Keira -- I'm going to try to make it a regular thing for us.

We played at the park for a while, and then walked home for nap time - so glad our friends told us about the baby yoga class!

The "putting to bed" game

Keira's game of putting her baby dolls to bed has expanded to me and Matt -- she thinks it's really fun to make us lie down and put us to bed. She carefully folds and refolds the blankets till they are just right, and then lays them on us, usually over our faces. She gets mad when we try to stand up!

Play date with Lina

Today Keira had a play date with her friend Lina. Lina's mom and I got to chat while the girls played. The nice thing is that they live just around the corner from us! In the afternoon Keira and I hung around the house and took a walk to the store to buy ingredients for dinner. We seem to have the most fun on days that we stick close to home and don't have to drive too much.

Keira has started to say the word "hug" and she will come up to me randomly throughout the day to ask for a hug -- I am in heaven! So happy with this phase that she is going through!

Tomorrow it's back to pre-school for Keira and back to work for mom!

Sunday BBQ at the Avery's

We went to our friends' house to christen their new grill - food was great and it was nice to eat outside after a 100+ degree day! Keira and her buddy Lily played together all night - alternating between fighting over toys (especially the toy baby stroller) and hugging each other!

Hardy Family beach party

James & Camber invited us all to their vacation house for a beach party. It was great to see everyone and spend some time in Mission Beach. We recorded some birthday messages for Aunt Kathy's 80 th birthday, and ate lots of good food (and cake). Keira was enthralled with Kelsey and pretty much thought she was the coolest cousin ever. She also loved their dog Bear, but Bear didn't like Keira very much!

We missed having Grandma Janet with us, but we will see her in January which isn't too far off!

Decorating cookies with play group

We had a cookie decorating party for play group this week. Keira didn't quite understand the concept of "decorating" the cookies -- instead she alternately ate the cookies, frosting, and sprinkles! I'll have to give her the opportunity to decorate more cookies as training before Christmas rolls around!

Convoy

Matt, Keira and I tried a new Chinese restaurant on Convoy called Dumpling Inn. It was delicious! Almost like being in Beijing ... I was excited to see a fruit store next to it that carries jackfruit, dragon fruit, longans, lychees, and all my other favorite fruits from my time in China.

Weekend with Mekayla and Greg

Last weekend we had our friends Mekayla and Greg come to visit. It was a lot of fun! Unfortunately, it was one of the hottest weekends of the year ( 100+ degrees and a low of 75!) and we don't have air conditioning. They were troopers. We took them to Cabrillo National Monument, the tide pools, and to Old Town. Great to see old friends!

Keira's big girl bed!

Keira still sleeps in a crib, but I found this darling single bed at a second hand store and couldn't resist! Let's just say the price was right.

Keira is going to love this bed....eventually!

What Keira learned at preschool

Keira has become really interested in her baby dolls. She has two: one from grandma Marti (with a binky) and one from grandma Yeckel (this one smells like strawberries). She likes to cover the babies with blankets and pat them. She only started doing this since starting preschool, so we think she picked it up there. I also notice her school buddy, Ella, playing the same game.