5 Months!!! (and Frida's 2nd Birthday!)

Daddy comes home today(Monday)!!! WE are soooo excited! It's been a long time (about 6 years) since Zac and I have been apart for more than a day, and even then I was able to at least talk to him! We slicked up the house in the morning and got a walk in...here is Aurelia, waiting for her Daddy....
It sounded like the guys had a good time in Canada! They all came back looking like they got some sun, and in desperate need of a shower! But we were glad to see them home!
Aurelia turned 5 months old on Tuesday! And she has found a new sound...it's very girly and high-pitched and absolutely adorable! Here she is, just singing away...
Wednesday, we branched out of the baby cereal and tried a new food! Sweet potatos!! Abuelo bought us a baby food maker and we had fun making and freezing sweet potato and pears... I think she had a good time with it too! She had it almost in her eye!!!!
We decided to have some Girl Time and headed to Rochester to visit with Grandma Bena. Here is Aurelia waiting, patiently, to go... We had a nice lunch/snack in Rochester and did a little shopping and then headed to Harmony to spend some time there.
Friday morning we got up...Aurelia having her breakfast...and then we headed to Lanesboro to do the trail. Ari LOVED it, she just sang and sang for most of it, she did get in a little catnap, but enjoyed most of it awake! Then we met Grandpa Steve for lunch in Lanesboro, followed by some shopping. GG and Great Grandpa Cremer came over for a nice dinner and then we enjoyed the beautiful weather out on the deck until the sun almost went completely down.
We left back to the Cities about mid-day on Saturday and we're greeted by a very excited Frida and Daddy! We sure missed them while we were gone for a couple of nights but it was nice to see them. Ari and Daddy get their time for the next 5 nights, since Mommy has to work...
This weekend we also celebrated Frida's 2nd Birthday! That little pup sure makes us smile! Little stinker! We can't wait for Frida and Ari to be best friends!! Here are some pictures from our little celebration......I think she's embarrassed with ALL the candles on her "cake"!!

Ari thought Frida looked tasty!!
Frida just wasn't sure about her "cake"! I think she thought we were going to take it away, because as soon as she got it in her mouth, she ran away with it to her "safe spot" at the bottom of the stairs!

Just the Girls...

Monday, Aurelia and I ran some errands before Mommy had to go to work. Here's Ari...looking like we might spend too much money! Shhh...don't tell Daddy..ha ha!
This was the end of our 1st week on baby cereal and Aurelia really seemed to like it...mmmmm....cereal!
This was a short work week for Mommy, since Daddy was leaving for Canada with the guys on Wednesday. We had to take our daily picture earlier in the day, Tio Ramon was asking for his Ari-fix early since he was also leaving for Canada! So please excuse the hair...
We dropped Daddy off with Great Grandpa Cremer, G-Uncle Chris, and Grandpa Steve, as they were coming through the Cities. It was a little sad to see them off, but it looked like they were going to have a great time! We had a few things on our agenda as well! As soon as we said our good-bye's we took Frida to get her nails trimmed and did a little shopping at Petsmart.
Thursday was our first official day, just the girls! We didn't make it to Stroller Strides in the morning, but we did get in a morning walk and spent a good portion of the day outside....
We DID make it to Stroller Strides on Friday and then enjoyed a nice lunch with our neighbor Clara. It was so nice to catch up with her! Friday night, we picked up Grandma Bena from the airport and she stayed the night with us. It was so fun to just hang out with the girls!
Grandma Bena left early on Saturday morning and we were really missing Daddy by then. It was really hot outside, so we decided to stay in for the day...here is Ari playing with her toys...
Sunday was pretty quiet, we called Abuelo in Texas and Pappa at the Lake to wish them a Happy Father's Day. We did go out and get balloons for Daddy and set out all of his Father's Day cards so that he would see them all when he got back from his fishing trip.
I feel so fortunate that I was able to stay home with Aurelia and just hang out while Zac was gone. As much as we missed him, we girls had a nice time!

New Things This Week...

Monday, Ari and Mommy spent the day relaxing and chatting...Aurelia was in such a chatty mood that I even took a picture of her while she was "talking" and she didn't even notice!
Tuesday, was Daddy's birthday! Mommy and Ari had to run last minute errands to make his birthday dessert, here is Aurelia all ready to go... Daddy was so lucky to spend his evening with his baby girl! Mommy had to work, but it all worked out. Auntie Chels and Trevor were also in town for the day and stopped by for a bit, it was nice to see them!
We decided to celebrate Daddy's birthday on Wednesday! Auntie Chels came over before heading down to Rochester and helped Mommy make cream-filled chocolate cupcakes for our dessert...yummy! Speaking of yummy, today was Aurelia's very first day on her baby rice cereal!!!! Here she is ready to get into her highchair And here is her very first bite, not quite sure of the taste! I think she liked it!! Most of it ended up on her face...okay ALL of it!! But she seemed to like the taste; kicking and panting for the next bite! Even Frida wanted in on the excitement... We gave Ari a spoon to keep her occupied, and she just seemed to look at it, as if to say, "what's this for?" Also today, Aurelia officially moved up a size in her diapers!!! It was a big day of firsts!!!
I think that on Thursday, she was excited to sit in her highchair and get to "eat" some more of that yummy rice cereal!
Friday, was another day of a first for us...Mommy and Daddy actually went out...without Ari!!! We had decided to actually go out and celebrate Daddy's birthday with dinner and a movie. Here is Aurelia about to go down for her nap in preparation for her big night... Tia Bria and Charlie came over to brave the first official babysitting! The Grandma's had bets going to see if we actually made it to both dinner AND a movie, or if we'd just hurry home to our baby!! We had to laugh because they were almost right! Not that we didn't trust our excellent sitters, we just missed our little Ari Vail!! We ended up skipping an actual restaurant and eating at the theater! We saw it as a nice little stepping stone...Tia Bria and Charlie said that it went very well and that she was a little angel...they even said they'd watch her anytime again...so that's gotta be a good sign!!
Saturday was a big day for our family, but an even bigger day for Tia Bria and soon-to-be-Uncle Charlie!! Charlie had invited us all to his parents house to surprise Bria in a proposal! Boy was it hard to keep it a secret, Mommy almost slipped a couple of times! We all got there before Bria finished work, hid in the backyard, and she walked out to Charlie on his knee and all of us watching in the shadows!! She was VERY surprised and extremely happy!! We are all so happy for the newly-engaged couple and look forward to a great year of planning!!!
We celebrated Father's Day on Sunday. It was early for our family for a couple of reasons...one everyone was already up in the Cities due to Saturday night's events and two because all the guys are leaving for Canada, fishing on Wednesday and won't be back until Monday afternoon. It was Daddy's first Father's Day and we couldn't be happier for Ari Vail to have such a great Daddy!!!
It was a busy, but very exciting week!

1st Week in June

Monday seemed to fly by, doing some last minute errands that didn't get done over the weekend. Aurelia woke up and had Duckie sitting on her chest. The funny part is that the minute we lay her down on her back she immediately flips onto her stomach, but Mommy placed Duckie on her belly and she just froze! She just laid there and stared at him...it was just so funny!After lunch, Ari had some tummy time on her mat and just rolled around on it. Frida wanted to get in on the fun so she would drop her toy on the mat and wait for Aurelia to throw it...Ari just sat and stared at Frida...those two!Monday evening, we all went to work...Mommy went to the hospital, and Daddy and his Ari Vail went to pick up/drop off a job that was completed!
Tuesday was Uncle Cheech's Birthday! Unfortunately Aurelia spent it at the clinic for her 4 month check up and 2nd round of shots! Poor little thing. Here she is as we are heading to the clinic...I believe she's thinking..."we're going where!?"...Ari's check up went very well. She took her shots like a champ again, even giving the nurse a smile through tears before leaving! She now weighs 13 pounds and is 24 inches long...a whole 2 feet! She is around the 30th percentile right now. The Dr. also gave us the green light to start her on rice cereal!
Also, today, (while Mommy was at work!) Aurelia rolled from her belly to her back! So hopefully no more "turtle" moments of being stuck on her belly!
Before Mommy left for work, we were able to get a couple of "rolling" pictures in...here is Ari on her back
and now on her belly!!
Here we are on Thursday, getting ready to run some errands with Mommy...sorry it's a little blury; she just doesn't sit still for too long!
Friday morning, Aurelia and Mommy got up early and went to our first Stroller Strides class. It's a workout class for mommies and their babies! We originally thought it was a nice way to get in a walk and meet new mommies, but we were quickly corrected!! Either Mommy hasn't worked out in a looooong time and we are REALLY out of shape OR the class was really hard; I'm guessing it's not the latter of the two! Ha ha! It was a very well spent hour! Each class is different and at a different location per day of the week, but all at the same time of day. All of the classes include pushing your baby in the stroller while you walk/jog/and run with little "stations" in between to work on lunges, squats, arms, abs, etc.! It was great! Needless to say Mommy was moving very slowly the next couple of days!!
Daddy traveled down to Harmony for the evening to discuss details with the guys of his up-coming Canada trip! And Aurelia and Mommy had a "girl's night" with our friends Adie and Belle! Here's Ari, in her crib, waiting for our guests...
Belle has gotten to be quite the little lady, she's now 4 years old. It was so nice to see them again! Frida loved the extra attention she got from Belle too!
Saturday, we met Auntie D at Tia Bria's apartment. They were having a Mary Kay Open House to help Tia Bria kick off her new adventure! And Aurelia spent that time with her Daddy at the mall.
It was really nice to get to spend some time with Auntie D while she was here. We missed Tio Ramon! We had a chance to go to the MOA for a short time and ride the Whacky roller coaster and had dinner at Bubba Gump's. We were sad to see Auntie D leave on Sunday morning...here's Aurelia, as we were getting ready to head to the airport... she's really trying to work on those gums!!
We spent the rest of Sunday just relaxing and trying to stay warm! This summer weather has turned chilly and damp! Yuck! But it was a nice end to our week...

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!