To AZ- Part 1 in Mesa

After our visit to Tucson, we trucked up I-10 to Mesa to visit the Altendorf side of the family.

The kids enjoyed the cool mornings outside on Grandma & Papa Jim's patio.
Addison is already giving Fiona fashion tips. :) Good thing as Fiona mostly wears Addison's hand me downs.

Most afternoons we'd make it over to see Great Grandma & Great Grandpa. Here are a few shots of Fiona with the elders of our clan.

To AZ- Part 1 in Tucson

In late May, we took a trip to Arizona to introduce Fiona to the family. Here are a few shots from our days in Tucson.

Kai watching cartoons in Nana & Grandpa's bed.


Kai saying, "Mommy, I hold you?" which translates to, "pick me up Mommy".
Fiona & Aunt Jennie

Cousin Calley, next to Travis while Kai & Kaylee pounce on him.

The Kids Table

Remember the kids table? This one actually looks like fun. With the DeDes and the Styles over, Kai was in the thick of it with all his lady friends. :)

And then he was 2

Here are some photos from Kai's 2nd birthday party. We kept it small because we knew we'd have a new little baby. It was a fun day.

A Train Treat

Happy Birthday to Kai! My Thomas The Tank Engine-loving boy was thrilled to go on the trolley on his birthday. It was raining outside but he was so happy to get on the train, ride 20 minutes to Mission Valley and then come home. Now when he sees the trolley he says, "Kai ride trolley?".

Hair

People are always astonished at the sheer blondness of Kai's hair and how dark and curly Fiona's is. Here is Kai after a haircut. You'll note his blue mouth. Giving him a lollypop is the only way we can convince him to sit still and let someone mess with his hair. :)
Here is a photo of Fiona's curly hair just after a bath. Sadly it has thinned out since these photos were taken. It will be interesting to see how it grows back!

Amusement Park Fun- Sea World

We've been to Sea World a few times this summer. Here are a few photos from a visit in April.

Brave Nana

We took a little trip to Balboa Park one warm Tuesday and Nana was brave enough to venture feeding Kai a Hawaiian Ice while wearing such a pristine white outfit! She's clearly a master! She came out clean.

Happy Easter

So this goes back a long way, but here are some photos from Easter. I'll start unearthing the 4 month old photos and posting them, time willing. :)
Here is Kai playing with Grandma Vi and Papou The Wilson/Gideons in our Easter Best.

A 4 month blink of an eye

On Thursday, I go back to work after 18 weeks of leave. It's been a blast, including our recent trip to Ohio and West Virgina last week. Here was one of many joyful moments from this glorious spring and summer.

Sleeping Beauty

We brought Fiona home on Friday. She got the ok from the pediatrician and I got the ok from the OB, so we happily left the hospital for the more comfortable confines of our own home.

Kai is an excellent big brother. He loves to hold her on his lap, hug and kiss her.

We went for our first appointment to the pediatrician today. She's only down 3 oz from her birth weight and Dr. Chu says that she looks great.

Here is a photo of our little lady dozing.

The "Hat"

Kai thinks it is hilarious to turn his shirt, pants, whatever extraneous clothing into a "hat" and then run around the house. With entertainment like this, who needs a TV?

It's not easy being Green!

Here is Kai in his PJs and the hat he wanted to wear around the house and outside to play this a.m. Very in the spirit for this 30% or so Irish child.

Early this morning our friends Sam & James welcomed their daughter Emily into the world. Hooray for St. Patty's Day babies!

Hope you are having a great St. Patty's day!

I scream, you scream!

Sunday was a lovely day here in La Mesa. Made all the better by the sound of a simple tune lofting on the air that draws children of all ages out into the street. The ice cream man came by our house and we all indulged in a cool and tasty treat.


Don't push me! Push a Push Pop!

36 Weeks!

Woo hoo! We've made it to the milestone of 36 weeks. Every day at this point is a bonus, allowing our little girl to gain a little extra weight and develop more. Yesterday I worked my last day for 4-5 months, depending on when she is born. Time to watch Oprah and eat bon-bons.

Ha! If you know me, you know that is unlikely. I am hoping to get a few things done, rest up, and prepare ourselves (mentally and otherwise) for the arrival of our little girl.

Here is a pic of Addison and Kai sharing a little dinner.

Katie, Addison, and Katie's friend Jen are here this weekend and so are a few of Esther's family members, so we're staying busy and enjoying having the abundance around. Looks like the next month or so will be very similar with lots of visitors coming and going. Can't wait!

Welcome Little One!

This evening at 7:44 p.m., we welcomed Fiona Teresa Gideon to the world.

She measures 19.5 inches and weighs 6 lbs 13 oz.

Both mom & baby are healthy and the family is enjoying getting acquainted with our newest member.

Photos and more to come soon!

A little light reading

Kai loves books. Always has. When things are quiet around the house and most parents would be scared that their child was up to no good, Kai is most often sitting looking at books.

Last night he went to a bookshelf in our guest room that is filled with grown up books. We both had to laugh that he sat “reading” Primary Colors for 5-10 minutes. Who knows what we’re in for next, perhaps War & Peace in kindergarten?

Windansea

Last weekend we made it out to one of our favorite gems of San Diego, Windansea. It is a secluded little surf spot that has a local reputation for having great waves that surfers are very territorial for. We like it because the rocks are a beautiful place to sit and enjoy a picnic and enjoy a sunset.

We wanted to capture a few family photos and this belly o'mine with a great photographer that just moved to San Diego named Arika Reed. Arika was awesome and in just one short hour, she captured photos that show her amazing artistry. We're thrilled with how they turned out. Check out the link at her name above to see her other photos. If you click on this link, you can see a few more of our photos. Thank you Arika!

Say What?

Kai’s language is growing leaps and bounds these days. Every time we turn around he surprises us with words that we’re not even sure where he learned them like minivan, Mickey Mouse, snake or Jeep. He’s ever the parrot, so we watching what we say especially closely. Funnier than his mimicking is the words he gets slightly wrong. They’re adorable and endearing and gone impossibly fast as he masters the words the way they should be pronounced. Here are some of our favorites:

Pronounced: Sear-see-yal
Actual word: Cereal

Pronounced: Other 4 letter f word,
Actual word:Frog

Pronounced: Butt,
Actual word: Button (as in belly button- imagine the confusion)

Pronounced: Melmo,
Actual word: Elmo, Shamu or Nemo, only context clues can define this one

Pronounced: Hooch/Fooch,
Actual word: Soup(Especially funny when referring to soup that Yiayia or Grandma made)

Pronounced: Eh eh,
Actual word: Monkey (animals are often the sounds they make)

Pronounced: Noo-nuls,
Actual word: Noodles

Pronounced: Cuk-cuk,
Actual word: Cookie (dessert or monster)

Pronounced: Oooooh, Whas daaaaat?,
Actual word: Oooooh, What’s that?

Pronounced: Another word for rooster,
Actual word: Clock

Pronounced: Mik Mik,
Actual word: Mickey Mouse

Pronounced: Pea-cool,
Actual word:Pickle

The chase is on!

Kai loves to run around after his bathtime. Not exacty the relaxing bedtime ritual we hope for, but it is pretty funny! Put some wings on him and he'd look like cupid! Happy Valentine's Day!