OC Fair

On Wednesdays the OC Fair has deals where you can get in for free. Last Wed was canned food day - just bring 5 cans of food and you get free admission between 12-4, including a free carnival ride. We went with my mom and had a wonderful time! I don't know if it's just having a kid that makes it more fun, or if the Fair really is that much better this year, but we LOVED it!

Libby was in animal-petting heaven! Soft little chicks...
snotty baby calfs...

hugely pregnant pigs (this one was due in 2 days!)...

(a quick ride on a pumpkin to spice things up a bit)

a surprisingly soft turkey...

a nice rump and tail of a cow...

goats galore (though they received a mixed review from Libby - sometimes they were a bit too much!)...

and a crazy-eyed llama!

Libby was as entertained by the architecture as Mom and I were with the amazing Peking Acrobats and comedic hypnotist shows we saw.

A quick ride on the knock-off Dumbo

and a really loooong ride on the wiggle-worm finished off a great day. Can't wait till next Wed to go back with Grandma (she's coming tomorrow - hooray!). ;)

Visitor from Germany!

Our friend Brigitte from Germany came to visit us a couple Saturdays ago. She was the German teacher 2 years ago when I coordinated and taught the German Exchange Student program over the summer. She's doing it again this summer, but up in San Gabriel. She drove down for the day and we had a GREAT time with her! She was so excited to meet Libby! Last time we saw her I was 4 1/2 months pregnant when we visited her at her house in Germany, so a lot has happened since then! She loved Libby and even brought her a cute little German doll!
It was quite a feat trying to get the two of them to smile at the same time. Not Brigitte's best, but I think it's so cute of Libby, I just had to post it!

It was so fun to see her again! We spent a wonderful day together - lunch at PeiWei, brief stop at a birthday party, afternoon at the beach (perfect weather and huge waves!), and then dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings. Reuniting with friends is the best!

Libby's Take on Some Daily Activities

It's so fun to see a baby's interpretation of the world. Here are just two cute examples...

Anything electronic (phone, remote control, iPod, etc.) is an automatic phone to Libby. She holds it up to her face (often upside down), smiles, and then begins babbling. So adorable!
This was what I had in mind when I asked Libby if she wanted to go feed Piggy (our turtle).

This was her interpretation. What can you do?!?

Angel Game - Take 2

We went to another Angel game less than a week later and the difference in the experiences was remarkable! On a great note, we actually won this time (5-1 vs our 5-0 loss last game) which always makes it more fun! On a funny note, we always joke that we're the ruffians of the crowd and sit in the nosebleeds whenever we go. Last game we went to was a fluke - field level is unheard of in our world. Well, to really hit home the point, we ended up in the very highest seats in the stadium. Yep, back to the wall and everything! Right at home! ;)

The Changs met up with us when we got there and Ian got to experience his first game the right way - slummin' it! ;)
In case you didn't believe me...that is indeed the back wall! What a cute group of dedicated fans!

Libby loved it all the same!

Are those Stewarts cute, or what?!? So glad they came for the week!

We cleared out the place (as usual) and had a great time. Those silly Changs left early and missed two of our runs - booooo!!! Fans to the bitter (or in this case, happy) end! Go Angels!

4th of July

We had a great 4th of July this year! We started off the morning right with a Pancake Breakfast at the park boasting a flag ceremony, great food, and lots of patriotic songs. Then we rode our bikes to the beach and had perfect weather and water temperature! Thrifty's ice cream on the ride home, a BBQ at my parents for dinner, and then we were off to see the fireworks.

We went to the Lake and had almost the exact same seats as last year. Libby was a wild woman inside my belly last year and proved to like the fireworks just as much this year from outside of the womb! ;)
Libby and Syd, the BCF's (Best Cousins Forever!)

Some of the gang: Mom, Jen, Britt, Mike, and Brad

The Stewarts (minus Jason who had to stay home and work...boooo!) came to town for the week and it was so fun getting to hang out with them!

My cute, patriotic parents

Libby and her daddy loved the show!

The most memorable part of the night: while the city's official firework show was going on, some people lit off some illegal fireworks from the houses on the hill. It wasn't long before Mike noticed that the hill below had caught on fire! We stood there and watched it burn from a safe distance on the other side of the lake for over an hour. Then Satan Ranger, as well lovingly refer to her, came and kicked us out. What a night!

A Serious Case of Bed-Head

This is what we see most mornings (minus the bow, of course). Wiiiild!

Poof!

Crazy hair or not, she sure is cute!

Annie's Wedding

Last Sunday Annie and Eric tied the knot. It was an incredible wedding and we had a great time!

Libby got invited at the last minute when Annie had a few no-shows and invited my parents to come and bring Libby. It worked out great and she was the hit of the party!
It was an all-day affair for me. I arrived at noon to start all the bride and bridesmaids stuff - hair, make-up, etc. Here I am in the master bathroom that overlooks the entire backyard. Yeah, I could definitely make this work!

It's amazing what 5 bridesmaids, one bride, and two moms can do to a bathroom in just a few short hours!

Annie looked AMAZING (unfortunately, this is not her best picture)! I got the job of lacing up the back of her dress which was really quite fun.

New best buds! It's crazy how close you can become with people you've never met before! These are two of Annie's cousins and I totally feel like a part of the family now. So fun!

We were up in the master bedroom while the guests were arriving. What a backdrop!

Brad brought Libby right before it started and I finally got to see my girl!

Here we are right after the ceremony.

Libby and I taking some time out to play during dinner. All in all, it was quite the event. Congrats to Annie and Eric! May marriage be as good to them as it has been to us! :)

Rehearsal BBQ in Paradise

My friend Annie asked me to be one of her bridesmaids in her wedding, and boy does she know how to party! We had so many fun festivities in preparation for the big day - it was great! The day before the big event we had a Rehearsal BBQ at the location. I thought it was funny that a house in Nellie Gail had its own title - "Las Palmas Mansion", but once I saw it, I changed my tune. It was INCREDIBLE!

This is the yard from halfway out on the grass. Talk about resort-style living! WOW!
They own a ton of land behind the house and have a great pathway that curves through the yard. The floor guys were sweating like champs as they set up the dance floor on the tennis court. What an event this is going to be!

As if the rest of the yard wasn't enough, they have this gorgeous gazebo on the upper path that looks down on the rest of it.

After the rehearsal, it was swimming time. Libby had a blast in her floaty and was the star of the show, as always!

She sure loves the water!

She even got to enjoy some quality time with the bride-to-be. Thanks for a great party, Annie!

The towel is just too ridiculously cute to pass up!

Angel Game

Last Friday we got to go to an Angel game with our friends Matt and Rachel Easton. They have great seats right behind 1st base on the field level and we were loving it! They were playing the Dodgers, so you can imagine it was a packed house - freeway rivalries are the best!

Living it up in our AMAZING seats! Yeah, a little different than the nosebleed seats we usually get!
Why is it that this little 18.5 lb baby thinks she owns the world wherever we go?!
(Maybe because it's true!...at least according to us.)

It was Big Bang Friday, so we stayed for the fireworks after the game and were the last ones to get cleared out of our seats. It was a blast and we hope Matt and Rachel keep us on the short list for the next time they get tickets! (I have a hunch they will since Rachel said we were the funnest people to take to a game EVER. Turns out we really know how to cheer on our boys! Keeping our fingers crossed for much better results next time, though. Losing stinks!)