A few quick pics

We have been so busy enjoying having Peter home, that I have forgotten to take pictures.  During his deployment I took lots of photos everyday so I could send them to him.   But now the picture taking pressure is off, and I've been pretty lazy with it.   I thought I would share the ones that I did manage to snap this week though.  

We signed Susannah up for a soccer class.   She starts in two weeks so she has been doing some practice drills to prepare.

So happy!   She is wearing her bathing suit because we had just returned from dog beach, where we had a breakthrough.....Susannah likes the beach now!!   She wanted to run into the water.  So much so that we had to stop her because the waves were so big.   Swim lessons must have done the trick because she is officially a California beach girl now. 

2 happy girls after a beach day with Daddy.

At the park in our Sunday dress.

The shade was a nice respite from the horrible heat.   (Which by the way has finally broken.   Thank you Lord!   We were pretty close to buying an AC unit.  It was at least 90 in our living room everyday for 2 weeks)

But the shade always felt nice, especially at Spreckles Park.

I know this picture is dark, but I had to include it because Susannah's newest obsession is wearing our shoes.   So hilarious.

I think she likes Daddy's the best.

We take family walks every afternoon and it is so wonderful.   Susannah has been asserting her authority as a big girl though, and often insists on walking instead of riding in her stroller.   It is truly crazy to me how fast she is growing and changing.   

 

 

Daddy's Home!!! And for good this time!

Well, after 6 months of missing Daddy, he is officially home for good!   And we are so happy to be back together again.   He arrived home on Tuesday, so Susannah and I spent the week before preparing and trying to keep ourselves distracted.  

Susannah made sure that all of her animals had cleans hands and feet.

She tried to pass the time with some reading.

And dancing at storytime.

And comfort food always makes the time go by faster.

Monkey was by her side all the time as she awaited Daddy's return.

 And then, before we knew it, Tuesday arrived and Daddy was here!!!

Susannah was so happy to see him.

She wanted to show him the ice cream cone on her shirt right away.

We didn't waste anytime and headed to the park that afternoon.

"Look at how I can slide all by myself Daddy!"

So much fun having Daddy home!

Walking in the shade together.

Taking refuge from the heat at the library.   Susannah showed Daddy her favorite place to read.

And all the neat animals that are on top of the shelves.

We've been spending lots of time out in the yard too.  (Outside is actually cooler than inside our house these days.)

"Look at the lemons!"

Let's pick one!

 

 

 

 

Swinging.

Posing in front of Daddy's welcome home signs.

Pointing to the helicopter that's flying over.  

Thanks to all of you who prayed for us and supported us during these last 6 months.   We are so lucky to have such great friends and family.   Miss and love you all!

Random Summer Happenings and a Visit from Grammy

This post is going to be a random hodge-podge of photos from our summer activities.   From swimming lessons to celebrity sightings with a little potty training thrown in, it has been a fun and busy summer.   Here are some of the highlights........

We did a mommy and me swimming class at the community center.  It was so fun and Susannah loved it.   Especially the water toy time at the end of each session. 

Her best friend Leyton was in the same class, so they had lots of fun sharing their cheerios and kisses.   And germs. 

Mommy enjoyed the time in the pool every morning too.   It was a really fun two weeks. 

This summer we had a breakfast development.....we now eat "big girl cereal."   AKA we are finally drinking milk!

     

And LOVING it!!

We have spent lots of time at the park.   

So much time, that Mommy decided it was time for new playground shoes that kept the little mulch pieces out. 

We also spent some time at the library, watching the train display, which Susannah adores.

This summer has also marked a significantly increased dependence on blankie.  

When our friend Leah came to visit, we took the train north to LA to visit another friend.   Susannah was so excited that we brought her car-seat along.

And she loved being at her new friend Brooklyn's house.   Brooklyn had so many fun toys, including this chair that Susannah loved.

Brooklyn's Mommy, Becky, took us sightseeing.   Here we are in front of the famous Hollywood sign.

And the El Capitan Theatre.

Here are a couple of the famous stars.

We had lunch at Villa Blanca in Beverly Hills.   It turned out to be quite the celebrity sighting spot, as we saw a whole host of b-list reality tv stars.   This, embarrassingly enough, was super fun and exciting for us.

Here are two of the celebs we saw....Rob Dyrdick and Dwayne Wade (who, please notice, is wearing a t-shirt with himself on the front.)   Dwayne Wade walked over to Dyrdick's table and introduced himself as a fan.   They took a pic together and TMZ was there.....it was so fun to watch.

Here we are on Rodeo Drive.

Leah and Becky on Rodeo.

After lunch we decided to decompress from all the celebrity excitement with a bike ride along the coast.    We parked on the famous Santa Monica pier and headed south to Venice Beach.

We rode inland from Venice Beach a couple of blocks to check out the cutest neighborhood that they call the Canals.   All the houses are so charming and right on the water.   I guess it is supposed to be like the real Venice?

The bike ride was definitely the perfect end to the day.

And the best part was that Susannah and Brooklyn had a blast with their baby-sitters.  

The sitters texted us this pic.   She was clearly missing her Mommy so much, right?

She even ate peas!

After we got home, the girls were ready for bath and bedtime.   Thanks Becky, Joe, and Brooklyn for being such gracious hosts!  

Back in San Diego, we decided to take Leah for a bike ride around Coronado.   We didn't have a sitter this time though, so Susannah got to come along in her trailer.   She wore her helmet and had a great time. 

We also took Leah to the zoo where we met this character who Susannah wasn't too fond of.   

She did like looking at the elephants though. 

So did Leah.

Leah and Brittany helped Susannah play on the toy bulldozer.

We had a great morning and saw almost the entire zoo.

As soon as Leah left, we tried the 3 day potty training method.   Without going into too many details, lets just call it a disaster and keep moving to the next photo.   (Notice that while I was concentrating on training Susannah, she was concentrating on training Monkey.)

She loves sitting on the potty, but sitting is all she will do.   We are going to try again next month.   Prayers are appreciated.   ;)

We had a fun afternoon last week at a friend's house.   I thought Susannah would be intimidated by the bigger kids splashing in the pool, but she wanted to get in as soon as we arrived.   She is getting so big so fast. 

She has been really into her kitchen lately.   She loves to make me coffee.

Here she is having some for herself. 

Last week was a special week because Grammy came to visit!!  

Susannah was so happy to see her.   We took her to story time at the library and showed her the train.

Susannah loved having Grammy read to her.

Grammy went to church with us the Sunday she was here, and since I couldn't find a bow to match Susannah's new dress, I put her hair in pigtails. 

She was unsure of them at first, but in the end they were a big hit. 

Such a big girl.

Giving Grammy kisses.

We took Grammy to the zoo too.   Here they are checking out the elephants.

And Susannah had to show Grammy her favorite goats of course.

We took great beach walks after dinner most nights.   It was a wonderful visit.   Thanks Grammy!   We love you!!

Well, now you are all caught up on the Mallory Family Summer 2012.   Almost time for College Football!!!   Love and miss you all!