loads more pictures...

Yesterday Xaris Sofia turned 8 weeks old!  

Of course that means a ton more pictures.  We went to the Arboretum again yesterday (it's the best place for pretty pictures, plus we still haven't seen it all yet--I think that's partially due to the 100+ degree weather that keeps us outdoors for VERY small increments of time these days).

Here are some highlights--but it's probably going to end up being several pictures, there are just too many cute ones to choose from!

First time in the stroller without her carseat--she was able to see everything, and I'm pretty sure she loved it!

She was pretty interested in everything!

Hello Gorgeous!

Ricardo did some great artistic shots!

Ric being artistic again...me hiding from the sun!

We like this walkway.

Anne Shirley would have a wonderful name for it.

Posing for daddy and the camera!

Trying on her sunglasses...still a little too big, but cute!

Too cool...

She was pretty focused on the water fountains.

Maybe because they come streaming out of giant frog's mouths?

In the Arboretum "test pots"

Not quite Anne Geddes...

She looked right at daddy and the camera! Forgot to smile though...

She has grown so much!  She smiles and laughs socially now, not just as a result of gas bubbles or accidents.  She's just starting to discover her voice and make all sorts of new sounds every day.  She can pretty consistently find her left fist with her mouth (we're hoping it doesn't turn into thumb-sucking).  Ricardo's theory is that she'll be left-handed because that's the only hand she does this with.  I'll buy that. She loves to be "standing" and will spend a LOT of time playing at pushing up into a standing position while being held and helped.  We're going to have to focus a little more on tummy time, I think, to encourage crawling first!  She's overall, a delight to have in our lives!  Here are a few more random pictures from this week:

Fed, Bathed, Changed, Pajama'd, and ready for bed!  Crazyfun hair after a bath, no?

Chillaxin' with mama...

Her hair does curl some when wet (after a bath, or if it's rained or if she's a bit warm and sweaty).  

That's all for now!! Thanks for catching up with us! Love!

We survived!

Mission Trip week was great!

Xaris did wonderfully, and so did all the youth (and adults).  

I had 500+ pictures, so here's a smattering, some highlights.

Quality daddy-time.  He was a work team leader, plus he slept in the "boys' rooms", so he didn't get to see her as much as usual.

She had her very own name tag too...

60's night.  We wore matching tie-dye.

She just blended right in to my tummy!

For the mystery dinner I made Bat-Chickens.  Pretty cute, huh?

Anadarko, the town we went to for mission trip, experienced a tornado a few weeks before we left.  Here's some of the damage we drove past every day.

Slip and slide pile up...

We went and visited all the work teams...of course they all wanted a picture with Xaris.

We also brought cookies--calories and sugar to keep them working hard all afternoon!

Playing around--they started some trust falls one afternoon.

This is Ricardo trusting his team...

One of the youth sporting his f0-hawk...so we did Xaris' the same.  She wasn't too happy about the picture, but she loved matching him.

Such a smiley, happy girl!

Yep...she knows she's cute!

One team at lunch

Hawaiian night...she's wearing her outfit Aunt Karyn brought her from Hawaii.  I'm wearing my kid-sized plastic Hawaii outfit from Walmart.

Mara and I at skit-night, making fun of our husbands who were co-work team leaders.

Momma B and I at skit night, making fun of our tool belts (mine just had cookies, hers had baby gear)

Group Picture on the last day!

Gramamma doing her mission trip work!

Dallas Arboretum

I have finally experienced the Dallas Arboretum.

It took me forever to visit the arboretum (roughly 3 years?) here because at first I refused on principle: the Seattle Arboretum is free (and bigger) and the Dallas Arboretum charges $5 to park, and $10 per person entrance fee.  So...I never went.

However, a week ago a friend invited Xaris and I to walk with her and her baby boy, and we got in on her family pass (only had to pay parking).  We enjoyed it, and Ricardo ran at the lake which is right next to the Arboretum while we walked and talked.  Ric and I decided to go ahead and purchase the family pass, so we have something fun to do when some of his family comes into town and for picnics with friends, etc.  The family pass means we get to park for free, and have entrance for up to 6 people per visit...and in 3 visits it will have paid for itself.  Our first visit was this morning!

Xaris and I sat on a bench and knitted.  Well, I knitted while she slept, and we waited for Ricardo to do his run at the lake and come find us.  After he found us, we walked through the Arboretum, trying to get to know our way around, and enjoying the photo opportunities.  

We also saw 3 brides and 2 quinceañearas getting their photos taken.  We're pretty happy with the decision to buy a membership and know we'll use it...although I still think Seattle has the right idea.

Ricardo was the photographer for this trip--he gets the photo credits!

Waterfall wall

Chilling with mama...

Hello beautiful eyes!

A closer shot...unfortunately the camera focused on me instead of her.

Practicing our sad faces.

And tongue skills...

And when we came home (after a stop at the Bagel shop for breakfast of course!) she conked out.  Here she is relaxing, 

Pirate-Belly style.  

Can't believe she's 5 weeks old today!

Happy One Month!

One Monthiversary events:

Bath time.  We've found that she won't scream as much with a pacifier to distract her.

Looking cute at 1 month old!

Graduated!  One month old and big enough to try her cloth diapers!  

They are still a little big, but they closed around her legs and stayed on--good enough!

Happy One-Monthiversary Gift: A bouncy chair!

(probably more of a gift for mom and dad though...she's been pretty fussy during her waking hours these days.  Today I finally got the dishwasher loaded in three shifts--and that was after it took me about the same amount of time to empty the clean dishes from it yesterday!)  

I suggested some sort of swing or bouncy chair to Ricardo, and after he read some reviews online, including one that said it put their babies right to sleep, he got up, went to Babies R Us, and came back with this!

We did try her in it, and while she did fuss just a bit, most of the time she enjoyed the vibration, and was distracted (and then maybe overwhelmed) by the toys (so we took them off).  We bounced her occasionally, while eating our dinner sitting on the floor beside her.  

And then she fell asleep.  So I got the laundry folded! We didn't remember to take a picture of her in it, and right now she's asleep in her Moses basket, and there's no way I'm waking her up to get a picture of her in her bouncy chair!

My friend Shannon Gracey Rush took monthiversary pictures of her daughter with cupcakes...and I'm shamelessly stealing the idea.  However, because the mood of my daughter required that I get absolutely nothing done (except feeding and holding and feeding her) today, I found myself making cupcakes at 10:30pm after she was asleep.  Again...I'm not waking her up for a picture, so she'll never know she was this close to something delicious that she cannot eat yet...

Happy One Month Xaris--you are loved!