We've come a long way!

Ryley swimming and playing with her toys.

Ryley has gotten really comfortable in the water. She is actually swimming on her own (well...maybe as good as a 4 yeard old can)!! We think she may finally understand the basic technique of swimming...take a deep breath, move your hands and feet at the SAME time! She LOVES LOVES LOVES the water. She swims in the morning (if she's not in summer school), in the afternoon, and in the evening. Ryley is no longer taking swim lessons at the Y (at least until the summer crowd goes back to school), she has decided to trade it in for ballet and tap combo which starts July 7th. This class is for 4-8 year olds. She will be one of the smaller ones in the class, we'll see how she does. She is so excited, it's tooooo cute!

We also signed her up for the reading club at our local library. We just read her first book for the club...Little Brown Bear Won't Take a Nap, by Jane Dyer! This is such a great way to get kids excited about reading but also a great way to teach them more about the library.

At the library Ryley was given a bug tag with her name to place on the wall, they gave her a picture to color and bring back (which she did as soon as we came home) and the best part is that they will earn a prize for reading books. Check your local library, because ours gave her a free ticket to Legoland which doesn't expire until 4/30/09 just for signing up!

Hope you all have a great summer!

Update on...It's just a matter of time!

Even her dress under her knees didn't stop her from reaching her beloved nasal aspirator.

So many HUGE milestones for such a small person. Kai is officially crawling!! She is doing so much and getting into everything! Kai also had her first tooth come through. She's still in a lot of pain because her second tooth is ready to pop through anyday. She is starting to eat more table food. She can't keep her eyes and hands off our food. She loves fruit, toast, and anything you give her. She had chicken, couscous (which she loved), carrots and broccoli for dinner.

TAGGED

Hey Jen! My purse is kind of boring! Don't ask me what I have in my diaper bag :) The only reason I even have anything in my purse is because I had it with me on vacation. Otherwise, I use my cell phone holder as my wallet (I'm such a SHAME!) and I throw it inside the diaper bag. My i-pod, money, a love note that my husband placed in my purse when I left for vacation, (it smells like he sprayed it with his cologne LOL) my wallet...aka cell phone holder.
What's in my wallet...Debit card, DL, credit card, AAA card, and of course my COSTCO card!

I TAG PATTY...show us what's in your diaper bag...aka purse ;)

I TAG COURTNI...show us what's in your diaper bag...aka purse :)

Cherries, Cherries, and more Cherries!!

We took the girls to a cherry farm in the city of Cherry Valley which is about 10 minutes from us. We had such a good time...who knew picking your own cherries could be so much fun? The organic orchard is approximately 5.5 acres of delicious fruits. They offer 7 different types of cherries but also have a variety of other fruits and fresh herbs. They had a picnic area, play area for the kids and hay rides pulled by a 1939 Ford F9 Tractor. They also had a petting zoo where you could feed some of the animals (Ryley got a kick out of the Rooster and the goat). We must say, these cherries ARE the BEST we've ever had! Patty you were right...it must be because they are ripe, sweet and it certainly can't hurt your picking them yourself!! Even Kai enjoyed some cherries right off the branches.

http://www.providencecherryfarm.com/

Look at all those RED cherries!

Dad-Doh picking some cherries for his girls.

Kai working diligently to pick the cherry.

The Williams trademark...concentrating so hard she has her tongue out!

Ryley picking, pulling, and plucking!

Ryley eating as she picked.

Dropping her cherries into the bucket.

That was some hard work, look at those ROSIE cheeks! Both girls were flushed.

Bucket full of cherries. Seven different kinds! Yummo!

Got Golf?

For a while now, Ryley's been asking Dad to take her golfing. Not just to the driving range or to play miniature golf, but to an actual golf course. We bought her this plastic golf set, but she wants some like her Daddy's...so we're going to buy her some Jr. clubs and look into some lessons. What we find so fascinating is that Ryley does not have patience (with anything, anyone, or anywhere). She tends to give up (especially if she's not enjoying it) and say she can't do it as she whines. To our surprise, she hasn't done that with golf (she has been the one to show interest in the sport). We told her that golf is a hard game and requires lots of patience. Who knows...maybe the game will teach her some traits she can use later in life.

Ryley looking to see if she bogies.

Ryley looking for her wedge.

Ryley driving.

Ryley practices her short game.

Arroz y Frijoles

Ryley has been on a rice and bean kick for quite some time. Arroz y frijoles is her breakfast of choice. She will eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The funny thing is that she won't eat a burrito...Go figure. Baby Kai has taken a liking to arroz y frijoles as well. She wants whatever were eating. Even though she has to gum it, it hasn't stopped her!! Ryley & Kai are two of the cutest Mexi girls!

PRICELESS

Waking up to another FiRsT...look what I learned to do today!

We were eating breakfast this morning and I was talking to the girls, I'm always saying Hi to Kai (I just want to hear her say it...it's so cute) when all of a sudden Kai moved her fingers to say HI!!! I also got her to wave bye bye, but it's kind of the same video. It's so cute how she looks at her fingers and is so amazed with herself, you can literally see the wheels turning, her brain telling her hand to move, the excitement in her face...PRICELESS!

It's just a matter of time!

We can't believe our little chicken is already at this stage!

Non-Stop...PLaY

Our friends...The Ready's came out to visit for the weekend. It was so much fun having them here. We hope they come back soon:) Ryley and Caleb had so much fun too! They played from the time they arrived until it was time to go (only taking breaks to eat and sleep). These two have been friends since they were born. They get along so well. Kai was excited as well. She has two new friends. Garrett and Grant. We hope that they will also get to know one another as they get older. Aaron and Winona you are very special to us! Thanks!

Ryley and Caleb dancing at the ball (I think Ryley finally got Caleb to agree to be her Prince). It was really cute, Ryley would run away before the clock struck midnight.

Silly Faces :)))))

What? Am I seeing double???? Kai couldn't make up her mind on who to touch.

Caleb and Ryley being resourceful to get into the pool.

My buddy and me!

Hugs and Kisses!

Happy Dad...Doh Day!

Happy Father's Day!!!!

F is for being so FUNNY

A is for the AMAZING father you are

T is for being so THOUGHTFUL of us

H is for being our HERO
E is for the ENERGY you have for family

R is for being so RIGHT for us

Ryley and Dad...Doh
Kai and Da Da Da

David you are such an amazing and wonderful person. We LOVE YOU and cherish you deeply. You are the greatest Father anyone could ever ask for. WE are truly blessed to have you in our life. We hope you had a great day. WE did! Your the best.

A Husband, A Father, My Best Friend

Back from Vac!

FIRST and for most...THANK YOU DAVID! You are such a wonderful husband to have taken vacation time from work to stay home and take care of our girls. It was absolutely appreciated! I owe you BIG TIME! You scored a ton of points with...your one and only!! The minute I told you about our getaway...You said, "YES!!" without hesitation...You didn't think about it or even bat an eye at the idea. I love you more today then I did the first day I met you! I can't wait for our family vacation and OUR vacation!!!

The first couple of days were hard. I missed David and my two girls!!! This is how is went down...They all dropped me off at Ontario Airport. Ryley started crying, she kept asking me not to go. She started getting more dramatic and kept going back and forth between asking me not to go and if she could come with me. By the time I had to say goodbye, my voice was shaking, I was holding back my own tears as she was grabbing my hands pleading and begging me not to go. The other sad part was that Kai fell asleep on our way. I gave her a hug and kiss and said goodbye as she slept away. Your heart breaks when you kids pull this sort of stuff on you! This being said...once I started sleeping in, worrying only about ME:), laying out at the pool, reading books, and just RELAXING...it was time to come home!! Cactus...the plant of choice.

Scottsdale, AZ!
http://www.kierlandresort.com/

The Kierland Commons...who knew palm trees and cactus could look so nice?

My sister Isabel golfing...this was taken from our patio area. What a view!

Ducks came into our patio every morning, noon, and whenever they heard you...

My two sisters...Isabel and Angela.

Heathy and Me!

The first thing Ryley said, "Mommy I don't want you to go on any more trips...Annnymore!"

While on vacation I was able to read an entire book and I am recommending it to all of you. It is called, "Last Lecture" by Randy Pausch. It was such an inspirational book!!! It really makes you take a look at your own life and how your living it. My thoughts and prayers are with Randy and his family. May your faith help you find comfort and strength.

While reading this book I felt such a sick feeling in the pit of my stomach. Randy shows such courage. He is such a great example not only to his own family and friends but to anyone who reads his book. The book is certainly a tear jerker but worth it.

Go Green!

Just another reason for us to Go Green and teach our children about our environment. On Monday I went to The LA Arboretum (located in Arcadia...this is the city I grew up in) with our girls and their Grammy. It was such a wonderful experience!! We started out by taking a 40 minute guided tour, then we went back on our own and explored some of our favorite sites (like the rainforest). This botanical garden is composed of 126 lush acres and is historical. I remember visiting when I was younger. Being able to bring my own daughters made it very special. I was able to teach and show Ryley what nature has to offer. The Arboretum has five botanical gardens from Africa, Australia, The Americas, The Asiatic, and the historical circle. The living creatures were the icing on the cake. We saw Canadian geese, ducks, turtles, and peacocks. This is also a bird watchers paradise. I think the best part of my day was when Ryley said, "I had a lot of fun Mommy, can we come back?" The water fountain!

Grammy and Kai...

Ryley tripped and fell on the grass.

Bamboo!!!!!!!! COOL

Ryley teasing the geese. She also got to feed them.

Environmental Artist Patrick Dougherty creates an exquisite piece!

'Catawampus' This was absolutely spectacular! Amazing how this piece was weaved together.

Ryley and her obsession of smelling EVERYTHING!

My love of Orchids!

Spectacular Waterfall...

Ryley feeding the residents of the Arboretum.

The resident...peacock not afraid to walk up to people. We were able to touch their feathers.

Vibrant Plumage!

10 Ways to Go Green and Save

http://www.worldwatch.org/node/3915

Hummingbird Nest

We've seen a birds nest before but we've never seen a Hummingbird nest. We tried to get a picture of the Hummingbird sitting on top of it's nest but it flies away every time. This is so extremely cool. The quality of this nest is amazing! It looks store bought! LOL!!!! It's simply amazing how birds can make such a thing. Is it normal for birds to make their nest so low? This isn't even on a tree. It's a branch. These are branches that hang over the fence from our neighbors house. The branches are low, not up high. We didn't show Ryley where the nest is for fear that she will go pull it down. Look how low the branches are. The egg...the little ity bity baby bird.

Look at the quality of the nest!

Anyone want to sleep in?

This isn't the first, second, third, fourth, fifth, HMMM get the drift? We simply wanted to sleep in, so when Ryley came into our bedroom we told her to go play quietly. I guess she thinks that this is quietly playing... snipping her hair all over the place!!! We've learned not to trust her with ANY scissors, not even child safety scissors. We hide every pair but some how she finds something that will help her get the job done! She has also cut her clothes, brand new clothes! Her teacher told us that her scissors skills are really good. YOU THINK?

Ryley's haircut. She even gave herself some new bangs.

The culprit. What kind of scissors are these? How does she find them?

How does this happen? Not ONE but TWO?

So this is what happens when you think your child is simply playing on the stairs with all of her dolls as she loves to do. Ryley generally talks to herself and to her dolls. So when we heard her talking, making sounds and all sorts of special effects (like the dolls are race cars) on the stairs, we had no idea she was throwing her dolls into the glass chandelier. We never heard clinking sounds from the glass. This light fixture is not low. We asked her how she did it. She said stood on the stairs and threw them in.The dolls inside the glass bowl.

Look how high it its!

This is where she stood and threw.