Memorial Monday...

Monday was Memorial Day and we spent the majority of the day in Preston with Yaya, Poppa and Auntie Chelsea. Then Yaya let us borrow her car so we could get home the next morning and we had a vehicle since both cars were in the shop!! THANKS Yaya!
We contemplated staying in Fillmore county for a few days and ride up with Grandma Bena, but Mommy had to work Tuesday night, and re-bid for her position on Wednesday morning. Here is Aurelia on Tuesday...happy that we made it back up to the Cities!!
Wednesday was a rough and tense day, but in the end Mommy got her hours back, just not the days we wanted...but we should just be happy with what we got. Here is Aurelia in her exersaucer (which she really seems to like!) and Daddy working behind her...
Like I said in the previous post, Aurelia has really taken to her napping schedule, so much that she really enjoys her afternoon nap and is not very happy when we have to wake her up...
Friday, we were informed that Mommy's car was ready in Rochester and that we could come down and get it. Here is Ari; looking very happy to sit in her carseat...
Aside from getting Mommy's car back and returning Yaya's car, we did get a chance to see both Grandmas! We met Yaya for a quick dinner and while we were shopping with Auntie Chelsea, Grandma Bena swung in for a quick hug from her Baby Ari before having to head home to Harmony.
Saturday and Sunday, Mommy worked so Daddy and his Ari Vail spent most of the weekend together. She enjoyed some of her time on her new tummy mat...thanks Yaya!

4 Months...

We had a busy week last week...Aurelia is now moving! She is rolling from her back to her belly! She's kind of like a turtle...she can roll on to her tummy really well and then gets super angry because she can't roll back over on to her back!
Here is Ari on Monday after one of her naps. I do have to say that her napping routine has gotten really great! She is in such a good mood and super smiley!

Mommy worked Monday thru Wednesday and Aurelia seems to be getting along with our routine quite well. Tuesday, she napped in her crib, here she is just waking up... and practicing her karate!
Wednesday was a rough day for Mommy since we were informed that we had to "rebid" for our positions in our department. It's a nice way of saying that we all have to reapply for our jobs but with some stipulations, budget cuts, and hour cuts! They say that no one is getting laid off in our department, but you also may not get the shift that you currently work or want...we'll keep our fingers crossed and don't find out for a week...moving forward...here is a pretty blurry picture of Aurelia...like I said she's always on the move!

Thursday morning we got to play with our friends Jaime and her adorable little one, Aston! It was really cute to watch the two of them stare at eachother. Aston is over 8 months and is crawling everywhere, so that was fun for Ari to watch. Then he would hollor something at her (in only their language!) and at first she was a little startled, but then she started to respond to him. Aston really liked Aurlia's feet and wanted to try out his two brand new bottom teeth, luckily her feet don't stay still for too long! After our visit with Jaime and Aston, we met Grandma Bena for a lunch with Grandma Bena's sisters, Tia Tina and Tia Fina! Ari was so wiped from playing with Aston that she slept through lunch...which was okay, gave Mommy a chance to eat! Here she is, wide awake after we got home from our lunch...
We spent Friday getting ready for our big weekend in Harmony! Uncle JonJon graduated from FCHS!! Plus Tio Ramon was going to be flying in from Fort Worth and we're excited to see him in town! Ari and Mommy went to the Farmer's Market in the morning and then spent the rest of the day packing. Here is Aurelia getting cleaned up for the exciting weekend...
We had a bit of car trouble on Friday...we had planned on taking Daddy's truck, since it was a long ride, but due to brake issues, that was out. So we took Mommy's car (which we just paid off...yay!!), but it decided to die at the top of the hill in Preston! Luckily Yaya and Poppa live down the hill and we coasted right into their driveway! Uncle JonJon picked us up and took us all (Tia Bria rode down with us!) to Harmony.
Saturday was the big party! AND Aurelia turned 4 months old!!! The day started out a little rainy and windy, but by the time we were ready for our guests, the sun was shining and it was perfect! Here we are just before the party began...
"Jon's Crew" (Tia Fina and Whitney made aprons!) was in full force and made the party a success! Here is Grandma Bena and Ari...just wiped at the end of the day...

Sunday, Aurelia attended her first graduation ceremony and we got to see Uncle JonJon march.
We are soooo proud of him! Congrats again!
Here is Grandma Bena with her Baby Aurelia after the graduation ceremony...
And here is Ari with her Tio Ramon...just chillaxing in Tio Ramon's arms and enjoying the people! It was a really nice weekend...

Abuelo's Visit...

Aurelia has found her voice! She LOVES to "talk"! She just sits and makes her little noises and lets out her little squeals; weather it's addressed to Mommy/Daddy or her little "friends" in her crib/bouncer. It is just so cute to watch/listen! She's also gotten good at rolling over to her side and sleeping that way! It is so adorable when she curls up on her side and has her hand up to her mouth to sooth herself to sleep...
Last week, Mommy only had to work Monday and Tuesday and our free time was spent getting ready for Abuelo from Texas to come up and visit!!!
Here is Aurelia on Monday waiting to go grocery shopping...
She's getting so big that the size 0/1 shoes are finally starting to fit!!! I'm so excited that she is finally going to get to wear some of her shoes...she has soooo many!
Along with getting bigger, Ari has decided to have her own mind! And letting us know it too! On Tuesday, she had made up her mind that she didn't want to take a nap...We read stories, rocked in the rocking chair, cried, ate, cleaned her diaper, and sang songs. She just wanted to be awake, not so much held but just awake! Here she is being stubborn...Finally, Mommy had to go to work and she got to sit in her swing with her Lambie...I think she was a little nervous that I was giving in to the swing...
In getting ready for Abuelo's visit, we had to get Frida's nails trimmed. Here is Ari, waiting to take Frida to Petsmart! She was in such a good mood and has been so smiley!
Thursday, we ran errands all ove the place and Aurelia slept through each and every one of them!! What a little trooper! I think she just really wanted to be rested up for Abuelo, who arrived on Thursday evening. Here she is wiped out with her Lambie again! She just loves that thing!
We had a great time! Friday, we chillaxed at home in the morning and then we all went shopping in the afternoon. Abuelo took us out to eat for dinner. Then on Saturday morning we went to the Farmer's Market. Not so much because the weather was so great, but because it was open!! It was actually really windy and cold, but we enjoyed a good brat and grilled corn on the cob...yum! Then Daddy grilled Saturday night. We were sad to see that Abuelo had to leave early Sunday morning. The days just flew by and wished he could have stayed longer! It just means that he'll have to come up and visit more often!
Sunday, after Abuelo left, we had a really lazy day, staying in bed until noon! Mommy and Ari took her morning nap in bed together. Then we got dressed and enjoyed the outdoors and visited with the neighbors on their deck.
It was a great ending to a perfect week!

1st Mother's Day...

We had a nice week, last week. The weather is really getting to be that great Spring weather that we Minnesotans can't wait to enjoy!
Here is Aurelia on Monday, just after getting dressed for the day...
Some of you may wonder why and how we have so many pictures of Ari (other than the fact that we just love to take her picture!), her Tio Ramon in Fort Worth and her Abuelo in Houston look forward to a picture of her every day...that's right, every day. So that also explains why some are really nice pictures (Daddy takes) and others are more kodak-ish pictures off of Mommy's phone! Here is a picture of Aurelia after a reminder from the South that we hadn't sent one for the day yet......"Uh oh, we almost forgot!"

Mommy worked on Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday we were really looking forward to a chillaxing day...so here is Ari playing in her crib. When she kicks the barn board it makes animal noises and sings songs...I think she likes it!

We decided to get ready and I had some time to play around with Ari's hair...here is a picture of her 1st pigtails!Thursday was such a beautiful day out that we spent some time outside with Frida and watched Daddy mow the lawn...back and forth, back and forth! It was so nice out we went out barefoot and let her little tootsies touch the grass...she didn't seem to notice! Here is Aurelia after being outside...
We mainly took it easy on Friday and picked up the house a bit...here's Ari chilling on the couch on a Day's of Our Lives break!
Mommy had to work on Saturday, so Ari and Daddy had some time to themselves in the afternoon.
Sunday...My 1st Mother's Day! Aurelia must have gotten the memo that it was Mommy's Day because she was sooooo well behaved! She normally is a great baby, but that day she was EXTRA good! She didn't wake up for the 2/3am feeding, instead she woke up at 6 for a feeding and then went right back to sleep and let us sleep in until 9!! Then we got ready and met Grandma Bena, Grandpa Steve, Uncle Jonjon, Tia Bria and Nick at Stella's in Uptown for lunch. She slept right through lunch and got up (well I woke her up) to be social at the end of our meal. I got some nice cards and Daddy and Aurelia gave Mommy a gift certificate for a facial and a massage! Then Daddy took us to Sabastian Joe's for ice cream. Later that afternoon, Mommy and Ari fell asleep, playing on the floor and watching some tv. It was a nice Mother's Day. Here's a picture of us, Aurelia, myself, and Grandma Bena...three generations. Here is Ari and Mommy at lunch...

Last Week of April...

Well, last week was a busy one...Mommy worked Monday and Tuesday, so Aurelia had Daddy to herself on those evenings. Here she is on Monday, playing in her swing...she LOVES to watch the little animals on her mobile! Tuesday, I spent part of the day putting away some of Aurelia's clothes that no longer fit her! Yes, she has outgrown a LOT of clothes already! Some outfits she only got to wear one or two times! Here she is watching me in her bouncer as I work on her clothes...

She just couldn't take it anymore and fell asleep in her crib. I think she's protecting her paci from that duck!! On Wednesday we had a Dr's visit at the Fridley Clinic for Ari's DTaP shot. Here is Aurelia, playing in her pack'n play before our appointment...Unfortunately our normal clinic didn't carry the brand that we wanted, but we had a pleasant experience with the "new" clinic. Aurelia weighed in at 11 pounds 7 ounces and measured at a little over 23 inches long. She is about average for her age.
Aurelia got a Bumbo from Yaya and it's great for her to work on sitting on her own. It's really soft and squishy and molds her just right! It actually feels pretty comfy...Auntie Chels wishes she had one! Here she is in her Bumbo...you can see she's working really hard on sitting up; just look at her toes!!!
Friday, we cleaned up the house a bit and packed up for our weekend in Preston/Harmony...Here she is after eating...she looks a little surprised...I think she's filling her diaper!!
We had to wait for Daddy before we could leave. He had a last-minute press check and here is Ari trying to stay awake! She just couldn't keep her eyes open...
We spent the night in Preston with Yaya and Papa and even got to visit some with Auntie Chels. Then on Saturday we spent the day in Harmony and went on a nice walk with Grandma Bena. Saturday night was Uncle JonJon's last Big Band Bash and Aurelia stayed the evening with Yaya and Papa and kept them on their toes (literally!). The band was excellent and was a lot of fun to listen to! We were sad that it was the last time Jonathon and Zach would be playing together (except for Graduation day!). Sunday we had a nice lunch in Preston and Ari had a nice nap in Harmony. We stopped and said Happy Birthday to G-Uncle Troy on our way out of town and headed back to the Cities. It was a busy weekend, as you can see Aurelia was just wiped on the way home!