Summer Vacation!

I can't believe summer is almost over!  School starts in a week and mommy is getting anxious to go back to work.  Rest assured, Harper will be in the loving arms of her grandmas when she can't be with her mama.

This summer has been pretty amazing.  While we haven't seen the sun as much as we usually do, we were able to enjoy a week off at our annual vacation spot, Lake Almanor, with the Siegel Family.  Once again, Harper was a great traveller and slept the entire way to Chico where we stopped off to pick up her uncle Chris before making the final trek up the Feather River Canyon to our favorite Lake.  Lake Almanor holds so many special memories for our family, including our engagement back in 2001.  It was so fitting that our first family vacation with our daughter, Harper, was at this magical place.

1st Dress (the one mom and dad opened on Christmas Day)

Harper spent most mornings hanging in her lamb chair which she really enjoys.  She is such a happy baby in the mornings (mom's favorite time with her) and loved to coo and smile with us before taking her first nap of the day, which was inevitably always on someone's chest.

The boys would wakeboard and airchair first thing every morning while the water was flat, a past time mom used to enjoy before baby.  One afternoon they attempted to paddle board which was quite entertaining for the rest of us on shore, as Chris was the only one out of the three of them that was successful.

The afternoons were spent playing games on the deck and looking at the lake.  Harper wanted to be apart of the group and was very entertained by our game of cards.  She also enjoyed afternoon naps outside under the shade of the pine trees.



Despite the fact that we had a few rough nights (she kept mommy and daddy up from 2-5AM one night!), we had a great time at Lake Almanor and Harper made the memories that much richer.  We are already looking forward to next year's trip and can't wait to see how Harper will react to this gorgeous place when she is of an age to walk around and explore the surroundings in all its beauty!

Harper's 4 Month Birthday!

Mommy and Harper

Harper is ready for her celebration in her cupcake dress!

Harper is 4 months today!  She's getting so big and weighs 12 pounds now.  She has recently started cooing which is so much fun to watch as a parent.  She spent the day trying so hard to talk to mommy, playing on her mat with her great grandma, Mimi, and napping in "Glamma's" arms.  Below is a short video of Harper chatting with mommy and enjoying her morning time in her massage chair.

Harper Coos

Papa turns 80!

This past weekend we had a big family reunion to celebrate Papa's 80th birthday.  Mimi outdid herself with a gorgeous spread of delicious home-cooked food, the perfect party decorations and a huge chocolate cake for the amazing event. It was a lot of fun reconnecting with family and sharing Harper with everyone.

Once again, Harper was the star of the event (sorry Papa) and loved every minute of every hug as we played "musical baby" with all the guests.  Harper was very excited she got to stay up late to wish her great grandpa a Happy Birthday!

God Bless America!

Harper celebrated her first 4th of July in Chico this year.  She was such a trooper on the long drive, sleeping the entire way up and back!  Saturday morning we took a trip downtown to the farmer's market where we picked up fresh fruits and veggies for our 4th of July BBQ.  Bella (our friend's 5 lb Chuwawa) enjoyed the free stroller ride with Harper.




 We spent most of Saturday poolside.  While Harper didn't care much for the cool water, she loved lounging by the pool in style.

On the morning of the 4th we rocked the morning away on the outdoor swing with Harper's best friend, Sienna, and Auntie Cailin. Later we took a walk through Bidwell park and ended the evening in American fashion with a backyard BBQ.

Smiles for Father's Day

This past weekend we celebrated Ryan's first Father's Day.  Harper was so good to her daddy and slept for 8 hours straight!  Sleeping in until 8AM never felt so good.  Harper has grown so much in the past few weeks and is now over 10 lbs!   She has been sleeping and eating a lot more lately and has recently started to smile.

We spent the morning at Chow, our favorite brunch spot in Lafayette and then headed into downtown Danville so dad could enjoy a massage on his special day.  Harper and mom made their first trip to the mall and she did great!  Later that afternoon Harper napped and mom and dad soaked up the sun poolside.  We ended the evening with a trip to "Glamma's" house for a BBQ and some root beer floats with the grandpas.  It was a truly fantastic day.

Click on the links below to see Harper smile.

Harper Smiles for Daddy

Harper Smiles for Milk

Ryane's 30th Birthday Surprise

On June 10th Ryane turned 30!  It was an exciting birthday for mommy as she was able to enjoy a wonderful date night with daddy at Esin, a great restaurant in Danville.  The weekend just kept getting better when she got the full treatment at the Nail Shop with all her local girls Saturday morning and then an afternoon surprise party with all her college girls back at the house.  It was a truly memorable birthday and Harper's presence was the icing on the cake!

Harper's Big Weekend

This weekend marked the beginning of summer for the Siegel Family and many exciting adventures to come.  Friday morning dad had to fly to Southern California for business leaving Harper and mom with the house to themselves... Ladies Night!!  Mom's good girlfriends came over for dinner, girl talk and to celebrate Harper who soothed herself to sleep for the first time!

On Saturday, mom got to lay out by the pool and enjoy the last of her "girl" time, working out, doing her nails, and spending quality time with Harper when she wasn't napping.  When dad came home, we all got ready for our first real outing to our monthly supper club.  Harper was a great new addition to the group and everyone enjoyed having her there.

Sunday morning Harper got a chance to go to mom and dad's favorite brunch spot.  We thought she'd like the blueberry muffins, but she ended up napping the entire time.  She was so good at brunch we decided to take her to the Walnut Creek Art and Wine Festival.  We enjoyed the beautiful afternoon people watching and listening to the band.

When we got home it was all about Harper!  She loves her play mat and is beginning to track the different lights, colors and sounds.  After we played Harper and Laney enjoyed another nap outside in the shade while mom and dad went swimming.  It was the perfect end to a wonderful weekend!