A month of Fun

Now that Zane is gone, the house just feels too empty without him and with the holidays coming up I decided to head up to CO and stay with family. With my parents and two younger brothers there, I knew that Cally and I would always be entertained and have something to do to help pass the time. I did the same thing last year while Zane was deployed and we had a blast there so I couldn't wait to go back. However, this time around I did things a little bit differently. First, I decided to fly the dogs out to TN instead of driving them all the way out there. So for the first time in their lives, I put them in crates and shipped them out. I was really nervous about their flight and was afraid that they would be terrified and traumatized with the whole experience but they did great!  They are now enjoying their freedom in TN and having a blast.

                   Stafford                                                                                                 Layla

The other thing I did differently this year was that I decided that having my own vehicle while in CO was essential, so I drove the 18 hour drive from California. I was a bit nervous about driving so far with Cally by myself so Mary was kind enough to fly out and help me do the drive. A day and a half later, we finally arrived, I dropped Mary off at the airport and Cally and I got settled into our new home.

We have now been here a month already and it's been great. Honestly, time has flown by and I'm so glad. Cally is constantly entertained, always has someone to play with and talk to, and because she is around so many people she has picked up so many new things. Everyone here just loves her so much and she shares a very special relationship with each and every one of them. Her vocabulary has grown immensely since we've been here and everday I discover something new she has learned. Some of her favorite words include:

"mutt" (milk), "pease" (please), up, no, "foot" (fruit), "agua" (water), butt, "teedee" (TV), bubbles, purse, duck, "dog-dog" (dog), teeth (teeth and toothbrush), apple, walk, "but" (jump...not sure how she came up with that one), elmo, baby, yes, "sha" (sure), "and" (hand), fall, knee, eye, nose, "moth" (mouth), toes, "ed" (head), "ut" (hurt), ball, "boo-boo" (book), boy (referring to Stafford), "lala" (Layla), "ug" (hug), "osh-ah" (lotion) and many more.

She also calls everyone by name:

Me-mama, mom, ma
Zane-daddy
Raul- "papa" (grandpa)
My mom- "nona" or  "nancy"
Danny- "danny"
Mike- "mite"
Carlos-"cau-os"
And ofcourse herself- "ally" (cally) or "me"

Over the past month we have done many things to keep us busy and entertained. From snowboarding, to children's museums, swimming, shopping, eating out, working out, and much more, life has been busy and fun. It's been great being around family and it's helped out tremendously. Here are a some pictures of our fun outings.

                                                               Swimming with grandpa

                                                                     Out and About

                                                         Playing with "baby" and the fish

                                                            Trying out her new winter gear

                                                             Waiting on "The Parade of Lights" Show

                                                                        Thanksgiving

                                                                          "Cheese!"

                                                                   Carlos and Mikey

                                                                 Thanksgiving leftovers, yum!

       

     This is how Cally likes to drink her milk...she must have Elmo, "daddy" and "baby" next to her: