our visit to grandma's & grandpa's

we flew out to texas for a week and a half to visit grandma and grandpa. it was so much fun spending time with them as well as auntie and uncle. despite the rain,heat and humidity, we were able to visit the aquarium and the zoo. We swam in the pool and went shopping at the mall. and ate lots and lots of yummy bbq. we miss them dearly and cant wait til we can go back again or perhaps they can all come over here and visit us (hint hint!).

hangin' out poolside

stingrays at the aquarium

the mall playground - love it!

at the zoo in my cowgirl hat

us with grandma, grandpa, auntie and uncle

rice cereal - yum

this morning (actually last night, but that didnt work) eli tried rice cereal for the first time... he did really well and almost ate the whole thing. I guess its time to pick up some baby bibs!
"what is this thing on me and what is that you're trying to feed me?"

"mmm...kinda tasty."

"I kinda like it, can I have more, please?"

trying out a bike

jenalyn had a grand time trying out a "bike" at a birthday party last week. perhaps she'll learn how to ride one earlier than I did - (ha ha yeah, I learned in 5th grade -I just hate things with wheels!)
"outta my way, I see something!"

"lets see, is this sturdy?"

"hey, look at me, Im crankin' the key!"

"so mom, can I get one of these?"

"I think I'll stick with a stroller for now."

credits for blog title

Ive been toying with PS for a while and am still a newbie at it but I wanted to take a crack at it with my blog title. so there it is.
credits for paper and elements:amy sumrall, Lil Bits and Berries
the actual title itself (in case you are wondering how I came up with that) is a song from sesame street's "do the alphabet" dvd. its one of those kiddie songs you just cant get out of your head..."J-joe, wearing jeans, got himself and pocketful of jellybeans - J-joe jeans and his jellybeans, hey - let's sing a song about "J"!"

our first family vacation

because it takes so long to get ready to go anywhere - the departure time for sea world was at least 3 hrs. later. we didnt leave until 11am but since the park was open late we figured it'll be ok. luckily both kiddies took a nice long nap on the drive over, so by the time we got there no one was grumpy.
our first sight - sesame street's bay of play - jenalyn was so excited to run around in the play area. we were hoping that she got to see elmo, but he wasnt around, but all the big dolls of him and big bird did the job. her and daddy even climb up the nets and bridges! eli and I just hung out in the shade watching all the fun!
next stop - the dolphin show. lets just say we'll try that again a little later in life. jenalyn did not like it, maybe it was too much noise from the crowd.
we walked around some of the exhibits and ended with shamu - jenalyn LOVED it! she kept saying wow and clapping her hands! perhaps shes more a whale lover than a dolphin lover, who knows?
we of course didnt get to see a lot of the park, but thats what to expect when we've got little ones. plus the passes allow us to go back a second time for free. we're thinking sometime in the spring. it wont be so hot and perhaps I could avoid getting sunburned! even jenalyn got a little mary jane crocs tan (oops, i guess not enough sunblock on those feetsies!)
"look at me, Im pretty high up!"

"that was sooo fun up there!"

"Im glad we're down here where its safe!"

"Oooo shamu and baby!"



we stayed over at the sheraton, walked around seaport village in the morning, went to mass, then spent the rest of the time in la jolla.
in la jolla there was a nice little concert on the grass area and jenalyn did a lot of dancing and "visiting" with people. I wanted to go down to the beach area but only daddy and jenalyn went since it wasnt stroller accessible. again, eli and I stayed cool in the shade while the two of them headed to the beach. the verdict - jenalyn loves the water, but hates the sand. I wish I couldve seen it all but thats ok, theres always a next time.
so excited to see the ocean

hanging out in the shade

the double well-visit

yesterday was the kiddies well visit (jenalyn's 15 mo. and eli's 4 mo). all was well. they both got shots (jenalyn - 2, eli - 4) and were fine with it except for the initial prick. as always, shots never seem to phase jenalyn, she went about her day like normal. eli, on the other hand, was very fussy and cranky all day.
today both kiddies are doing well - no side affects from the shots - so the plan for our very first family vacation this weekend is still on. sea world here we come!

so w/out further ado, here's their stats:
jenalyn: 22.4 lbs and 31.5 inches
eli: 12.14 lbs and 24 inches

oh and did I mention - eli rolled over! yay! he doesnt do it consistantly yet, but we're still practicing.