Fun in the San Clemente Sun

Andrew decided to take his mommy and daddy camping at the San Clemente State Beach. It was amazing...to say the least!! Perfect weather, gorgeous sunrises and sunsets, good food, and a fabulous group of people (they don't call themselves the Social Club for no reason!) We took the 'Tude to the beach and after some careful planning on Daddy's part, we were able to drop the back to overlook the stunningly, beautiful bluffs of San Clemente beach. Not a bad way to start and end your day!

Our view that we were forced to endure every morning and all day out of the back of the Tude! I know, it's pretty harsh on the eyes!

Some of the highlights included:

• Andrew took every nap on the beach (I know, it's a pretty rough life!). Since he tends to wake up before most people, especially the Social Club, mommy took Andrew for a walk on the beach every morning. It usually ended with the scene shown below! He fell asleep for his afternoon nap down on the beach as well! 

Coleen was usually the only one awake with Andrew and I in the morning! We solved all the problems of the world on our morning walks!

He had to get his beauty rest for his lifeguard lady love...read below!

• Andrew put it his feet in the ocean water and the beach sand for the first time. He loved the sand but hated the water. It was a little too cold for his liking.

• In an effort to get him comfortable with the ocean water, Kyle tried to sit with him in the sand and watch the upcoming waves. Andrew was not having it. He had a little minor panic attack until...cue Baywatch music...until, a VERY voluptuous lifeguard went running by. Seriously, the way this Pam Anderson wannabe ran by, it looked like she was running in slow-mo! And man oh man, did she ever catch his attention! He stopped crying, batted those baby blues up at her and literally, dropped his jaw and watched her run by. The moment she was out of sight, he went back to hating the water. What a little ladies man! What has Kyle been teaching him while I am at work? Nevermind...I don't want to know!

• We spent our days on the beach! It was GORGEOUS weather! But the hill to walk back up to camp was quite the hike! Either I am out of shape or that hill was brutal! (I am going to go with that the hill was brutal!)

• Blinkie light night was awesome!! It is the tradition of this crazy crew to have "Blinkie Light Night" where Rich plays songs on his guitar and while he sings everyone wears blinking light glasses. They made me dizzy but Andrew seemed to be mesmerized by them. The sea of blinking lights from the glasses certainly had Andrew's attention!

• A surprise visit from one of my volleyball families. It sure was great to see Coreen and Britney. Little did I know, they lived right across the street from the campgrounds. Andrew loved meeting them...but we all know he can't resist pretty girls!! I am in so much trouble!

• Our last night was somewhat terrifying! I was putting Andrew to bed and I thought I had heard Kyle go outside. I looked around, saw that the door was open. I heard scraping and scratching noises. I went out to the door and there, to my surprise, was Peppy Le'Pew trying to raid our trash can. Panic overcame me because all I could think about was Kyle coming around the corner and getting sprayed by our night time friend! I couldn't yell to warn him or I was afraid that I would be sprayed. Talk about an adrenaline rush! And alas, the whole time I was contemplating a game plan, Kyle came out from the front of the trailer. All this time I was worrying for nothing. I alerted Kyle of our visitor and imagine that...such a boy! He grabbed a flashlight and went out and terrorized the little critter away. Geez!

We had so much fun on our first trip to San Clemente! The Social Club certainly knows how to camp and we look forward to the many more years to come and memories. Thanks for the fun! 

Father's Day Fun!!

Father's Day this year had an extra special meaning to the Wallace Family since it was Kyle's first Father's Day! It was especially meaningful since the day almost didn't happen! For any of you that know how the Fire Department works, you can relate to trips that are forced to be postponed or cancelled due to shift changes. Fortunately, all the stars aligned and Kyle was able to enjoy his first Father's Day with his little boy!

 Just like Daddy indeed!! 

Andrew helped make Kyle's Father's Day extra special with a camping trip out to Vail Lake! Ever since we bought the 'Tude, we have tried to visit as many campsites as possible to break it in and to establish a routine that works for our family. Like Lake Skinner, Vail was close enough to home but just far enough to feel like a getaway. The campgrounds were gorgeous!! To top it off, we were the only ones camping! In acres of oak trees, you can see that the 'Tude sat all by her lonesome! And we didn't mind at all!! We enjoyed fun in the sun and Andrew LOVED playing in the pool. Despite lubing him up in all the sunscreen he can handle, I think he is tanner than me!! How is that fair?? Andrew also loved taking strolls throughout the campground in his wagon! (Let me just preface that this wagon was supposed to be Andrew's first birthday present...guess who couldn't wait to give it to his little boy??!!)

Don't mess with Andrew and his puffs!!

The lone 'Tude!! It was great having the whole place to ourselves!

Andrew also enjoyed meeting his cousins Christy and Chad who came for a visit from Texas. They came out with Gma Danelle for the day and spent time swimming in the pool. Christy is 13 weeks pregnant and Andrew enjoyed snuggling with Christy and letting Baby Dempsey know that he will be a great 2nd cousin. We can't wait for him/her to arrive!!

Father's Day was a relaxing and a fun-filled event for our little family! We can't wait to shower Daddy with lots of love in the many more Father's Days to come!

Happy Father's Day!!

Bumps n Bruises: 10 months

I can't believe it! My sweet lil man is 10 months old already! It seems like just yesterday he smiled that gummy grin for the first time or made his first coo! And now, Andrew is a fearless, adrenaline junkie, crawling machine that is pulling himself up onto anything and everything! With that, come bumps to the noggin and bruises to show! You will notice that in every picture, Andrew is rockin' some kind of goose egg or bruise! It doesn't matter how much padding is on the tables or how much I follow him around, this kid will find any surface and manage to smack his head on it! He's a rough and tough little boy I tell you!

These pics are getting VERY hard to take. Andrew doesn't sit still much these days as he is quite fond of his sense of mobility! It is amazing that I got these shots. But this one definitely depicts him saying "LET'S MOVE!!!"

Clearly, you can see he cracks himself up! He is such a delightful and lovable little boy! I am SOOOO in love!

This month has been amazing! I am FINALLY on summer vacation and reaping the rewards of spending the days with him. I am so thankful to have these moments with him. I am hoping that he will take his first steps while I am on summer vacation so that I can witness this milestone for myself, rather than from a video from Kyle. It seems like Kyle has been the one to witness Andrew hit all the major milestones, which is funny because we both thought it would be the other way around with Kyle working 72 hour shifts! Nope!! He seems to save all the action for Daddy!

I am thoroughly enjoying taking our morning walks together, eating breakfast together, and our family trips. Here are some of Andrew's favorite things this month:

• Puffs!! This little boy eats the heck out of these things and is quite territorial over them!! He loves the maple wagon wheels!
• He has a mouth full of chompers. Two on the top and two on the bottom. I think more are on the way because the hands are back in the mouth, tugging on the ears and is a drooly disaster (but a cute one of course!)
• Toast and Eggs, his new favorite morning meal!
• Watermelon: I am not surprised since watermelon is my favorite fruit and I ate so much of it when I was pregnant with him!
• Bravo TV's "superstar" commercial jingle. I admit it, I am addicted to the Real Housewives! Now that I am on summer vacation, it is time to catch up on the ole Tivo! But of course, every other commercial has the summer time jingle that causes Andrew to stop whatever he is doing and focus on the TV.  Kyle is not happy that Andrew is watching Bravo TV or the Real Housewives for that matter! 
• He is a crawling machine and constantly in 5th gear! He loves the hardwood floors and seems to get quite the momentum while cruising on them.
• He is pulling himself up onto EVERYTHING!! Thus, the bumps and bruises! I know, I know, he is a boy and this will be the first of many!
• He has belly laughs that are quite contagious!
• He babbles many words but seems to like "Ma Ma." I am not sure if he is saying this with purpose. I like to think so...Kyle is desperately trying to get him to say "Da Da!" What can I say, he is a Momma's Boy!!
• He loves the pool and water! He has learned that splashing is VERY entertaining and cracks himself at the wonder of water!
• Andrew loves paper! He loves to rip it, tear it, and crinkle it!
• He loves rides in his wagon and our daily walks in the stroller! He rides with his feet up...he must like the wind between his toes! 

Happy 10 month birthday my little man!! Mommy loves you so much!!

Memorial Day Memories

This year, Memorial Day was a splash...literally! Andrew fully enjoyed the Memorial Day festivities, particularly his very first swim in the pool! This kid loves bath time but man oh man, I can't even begin to tell you how much he LOVED swimming and playing in the water. Splish splash, splish splash!! He thought the water was the greatest thing ever! He laughed so hard and enjoyed every moment of the Memorial Day shindigs!! He was not very happy though, when mommy said that it was time to get out. The little man's toes were quite the prunes. If I had let him have his way, he would still be in the pool! He is a fish I tell you!

Okay...don't judge me!! This picture serves many purposes: 
1) I have to capture these cute little feet before they turn into "man" feet (have you seen his father's feet yet?) 2) I wanted to capture his cute little piggies looking like prunes signifying his splash fest in the hot tub and 3) LOOK AT THOSE LIL TOES!!!

Andrew helped welcome home several of our servicemen at one of the many neighborhood barbecues we attended over the holiday weekend! Our neighborhood sure knows how to party! We are so thankful for their service and appreciate the sacrifices they have made. We are honored to have spent the day with you!

Thank you friends for such a memorable Memorial Day and for sharing in such a special milestone for my little man! But more importantly, thank you to all of you that have served our country or are still serving so that we can enjoy our freedoms in life!

In and Out...in 9 months

Today marks Andrew's 9 month birthday, or as Grandma Danelle says, his "In and Out" birthday since he has spent the same amount of time out of the womb as he has had while I was carrying him. This last month has been such a remarkable month for my little guy! He started crawling shortly after he turned 8 months old and hasn't stopped since! He is on the go 24/7 and enjoys his new found mobility. He absolutely melted my heart when I had returned home from a not-so pleasant day at work and upon hearing my voice and catching a glimpse of me from around the corner, came crawling in full force to greet me! It was so amazing and moved me to tears. I can vividly recall the look on his face and the big toothy grin as he kicked it into 5th gear to make his way over to me! I will remember that moment forever!

Andrew also helped me celebrate my very first Mother's Day! Daddy was very sad that he was forced onto work and couldn't spend my special day with us but Andrew did a great job of filling in! He sure knows how to find the places in my heart with his sweet snuggles and grins! How I ever survived life prior to Andrew is beyond me! It is mind-boggling to me how much I love him! He just makes everything better and the hard times disappear!

Andrew is also well on his way to having both of his top front teeth. Last week, his upper right top tooth cut through! The other top toofer is budding through! Thank goodness summer time is around the corner because with chompers and crawling, I am surely going to be one busy momma!! I know all you mommy's remember these days!

Andrew spent his 9 month birthday at the Getty Villa in the Pacific Palisades. He had so much fun and we were both in awe of the beauty and the magnificence of this museum. If you haven't been there before, you really need to go! It was amazingly beautiful and took my breathe away! After, we stopped for lunch at Gladstone's restaurant overlooking the beautiful Pacific Coastline on PCH. The food was great and Andrew sat like a big boy in high chair and enjoyed all the attention he received from passer-byers! He especially enjoyed his interactions with our very animated waiter! With his over the top personality, red rimmed sun glasses and melodic songs, Andrew wasn't quite sure what to think of this guy! The only part we could have done without on this spectacular day was the lovely LA traffic. It took over 3 hours to get home but thanks to the efforts of Auntie Jocelyn, Elena, and Lindsay, Andrew had some deep belly laughs and some snacks!! I have never heard such laughter out of him!!

Andrew is definitely a little boy!! And with that comes lots of bumps and bruises. It is hard to snap a photo these days without seeing some type of goose egg or bruise on his forehead. He loves moving about and of course, manages to run into everything! But of course, this comes with the territory!!

These 9 months have come and gone in the blink of an eye! You are mommy's blessing Andrew!! I love you so much!!

Rockin' and ROLLIN' like an 8 month old

Andrew has been a very busy little boy this month. While he has been rolling for awhile, he is officially the little Houdini. I set him down on his tummy and next thing I know, he is clear across the room. He is quite the little acrobat. If he isn't rolling all over, he is army crawling from one place to the next. It is only a matter of time before mommy will have a crawler on her hands.

This month, Andrew has definitely discovered his voice. He is talking SO much! Lots of baby babble of course but certainly knows how to make his presence known. He loves making the "Oh" sound. We went to Lowe's to help Daddy do a little shopping and while we were 3 aisles away from Daddy, I could hear Kyle laughing because he could hear Andrew saying "Oh." Wonder where he learned how to be so chatty??? Certainly, not from his verbose mommy!

Mommy has had to work A LOT this month. I am supposed to be able to work from home on Tuesdays and Thursdays but have been called in to meetings. Fortunately, my boss loves Andrew (what's not to love?) and will let me bring him on occasion. We are busy preparing for the upcoming STAR exams so while Mommy is busy collaborating with Andrew's aunties, Andrew is busy socializing with the students! He already has the love for school in his system! He also has no problem taking over my bosses office or her computer. Taking charge...atta boy!!

Andrew also helped welcome his cousin Penny! She was born on Friday, April 20th at 2:10am. A beautiful, healthy baby girl at 7lbs, 4 oz and 18 inches long. Pictures coming soon in a new post..I promise! While he hasn't had the opportunity to meet her yet, we can't wait for the two of them to grow up together! Andrew will definitely show her the ropes and Mommy and Daddy are happy to become an Auntie and Uncle. It has been a very busy year for the Wallace Family!

I crack myself up!!

This kid has the biggest smile in the world! Where he learned to be so animated is beyond me?? (Hopefully you can hear the sarcasm oozing out of that statement!)

OH!

Happy 8th month birthday little man! You are growing way too fast! It is scary to think that mommy is already starting to plan your 1st birthday...YIKES!!

Love at First Site

It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon! Andrew was snuggling in his mommy's arms when a beautiful, little brown eyed cutie reached out to be held in my other arm. She stared at Andrew, he stared back at her. She reached both her hands out and grabbed his little face and gave Andrew his very first smooch! My kind of girl, knew what he wanted and went for it and man oh man, did she ever plant one on him! Hubba hubba!!

It was the seriously the cutest thing I have ever seen. Miss Zoey Lynn is and will always be Andrew's first kiss. If only words could describe the look on Andrew's face when she invaded his snuggle time and then out of no where was all of sudden locking lips with this beautiful little Miss. His eyes were massive! Those little blue peepers were certainly taking it all in. It was truly a scene from a movie! Cupid and hearts with wings were definitely circling about the two of them!

Not sure how I feel about Andrew sharing smooches with other women already but I guess I can make an exception! Andrew and Zoey sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes marriage.....and we will stop right there! We will enjoy this puppy love for what it is! Mommy better start preparing herself!

Thank you Zoey Lynn for sharing such a special moment with my little man!! XOXO