Merry Christmas

Well Christmas came & went fast didn't it? Once Halloween hits, it seems like the holidays fly by. Riley is finally getting old enough to get into the holidays. We had our Elf on a Shelf, Buddy. He made sure she was being a good girl, or Santa might not bring the pillow pet she was hoping for. The girls loved everything they opened on Christmas. About mid-day on Christmas, Eddie decided it would be fun to drive up to Big Bear Mountain to see the snow. We booked a room, packed up, and 45 minutes later we were on our way. Riley loved the snow & couldn't wait to play in it! Gotta love San Diego. You can be at the beach, drive 2 hours north & be on the slopes!

I hope your holiday was great & have a happy new year!

Happy Halloween

Happy belated Halloween! We had a great time trick-or-treating last night. Riley ran around from door to door at lightening speed. Zoe just had fun taking it all in from the comforts of her stroller. Riley ended up being a butterfly princess & Zoe was the cutest garden gnome I have ever seen. I also included a few pictures from Riley's preschool halloween party.
Enjoy!

Happy Birthday Zoe!

Well, it finally happened. My baby turned 1. Hard to believe isn't it? I decided to throw her a birthday party at the park by our house. I have been planning for a few months, since I wanted to be able to make most of the things myself. The theme was cupcakes with a light pink & fuschia color scheme. I made cupcake pops for the favors, a pin the candle on the cupcake game, her cupcakes, cupcake toppers, and the cupcake smash cake, plus all the food besides the pizza. It was a lot of work, but so worth it. Everything turned out great! We missed all our friends & family back home, but we still had a great time celebrating with our new neighbors & friends!
Happy Birthday Zoe Bean! We love you :) XOXOXO

Helllloooooo Florida

September was the month of traveling. It started with a trip to Tucson for Eddie's cousin's wedding. The girls did better than I thought on the 7+ hour drive each way. I am not a fan of long car rides, so I can only imagine what it felt like for Zoe being strapped in her seat facing backwards. We all survived though. Eddie's parents followed us back to San Diego to visit for the week. They enjoyed the weather, good food, and even got the pleasure of walking Riley to school one morning.
Back in May I decided to plan a trip home sometime later in the year. My dad turned the big 6-0 this year, so I thought it would be fun to surprise him. Eddie's parents ended up flying home with the girls & me which was nice. We surprised my dad the following day at one of their favorite restaurants. He had no idea! When I told Kathy I was flying home to surprise him, she decided to throw him a surprise birthday party that weekend as well. The party was great & again my dad said he had no idea.
The rest of the 2 weeks I spent in FL were great. I got to spend some time with my best friend, Nicki, her new baby, and Riley's BFF, Marley. Riley also got out on the wakeboard with me when we went to visit our old neighbors on the lake. I was quickly reminded how much I hated the weather in FL though. Nothing beats 70 degrees & sunny everyday. Plus, there aren't any mosquitos here which is heaven.
I miss everyone already, but we are glad to be home. Now it is everyone's turn to come visit us!!

Riley had her first day of swimming classes today. She was by far the youngest, but did great with the bigger kids. She loved showing off how she could jump in, go under to grab the rings, and kick her feet. It was so fun to watch her run off with her class like a big kid. She is growing up so fast. Zoe had a good time just watching. Pretty soon she will be swimming like her sister.
And just because I think my girls are the cutest things ever, here are a few pictures from the park the other day....

Been a long time...

So much for weekly updates. Things have been pretty busy in the Quigley household the past few months. We finally moved into our house the beginning of June. The house buying process was pretty frustrating, but it was worth it in the end. We love the neighborhood. We are right in the town center & can literally walk downstairs to the shops, restaurants, Starbucks, and grocery store. Riley's preschool she will be attending in September is a 5 minute walk away & the same goes for the elementary & middle school. Our neighbors are great & Riley loves playing with the little boy next door. Best thing of all is the weather. Most days are 70 & sunny. I can take the girls to the park for a few hours & not sweat a drop!
About 2 weeks after we moved in, my sister flew out to visit. We had a lot of fun shopping, taking the girls to the beach, and relaxing. I wish she would move out here already! A month after she left, my parents & step-sister, Jenny, flew out. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate for them & they got to experience June gloom in early July. They didn't seem to mind since being able to wear a sweatshirt outside was far better than the heat they had back home. My dad seemed to enjoy the daily trip to Starbucks. It was great to see them. It is hard to imagine the last time they saw Zoe she was barely 3 months old. We miss them a ton, but hopefully it won't be long before we see them again. We are looking forward to having Eddie's parents out in September now.
The girls are getting so big. Zoe is starting to crawl. She can army crawl across the room in no time. If she sees something she wants, there is no stopping her. She is such a sweet baby. I still get comments everyday about her beautiful eyes & how easy going she is. We all just love her to pieces, Riley included. Riley is growing by the second. She loves playing with Zoe & making her laugh. She rides her big girl bike very well now & loves to spin around in her dresses. She enjoys showing off her dance moves and has no problems asking anyone at the park if they want to play with her. She will be going to some swim classes soon & will hopefully get a spot in the preschool by the house starting in early September. Where did my baby go? It will be very bittersweet, but I know she will absolutely love going to school.
Work is going great for Eddie. He really likes his new job. Most days are busy & crazy, but it keeps him going. I am still doing a lot of photography & sewing when I can. I am hoping to get the girls out soon for a little shoot. I will post the pics when I do. Lately, we have been meeting after work at the beach to surf & have dinner. The girls love playing in the sand & it is a nice way to end a busy day.
So that is it for now. Now that things have settled down just a tad, I will hopefully be able to update more frequently now. Until next time....... :)

New pics & new house!

First off, here are some new pictures I took of the girls while Eddie was at his conference in FL a few weeks ago. I have been meaning to get some nice ones of them together. It only took about 3,000 shutter clicks to get the few you see here ;) Either Riley was refusing to look at the camera, Zoe was crying, both were crying, I was crying, you get the idea. At least I got a few good ones out of the sessions.
I also have some other great news on the Quigley front....we finally have our house!! We closed last week & have been slowly moving boxes over & getting all the painting done this week. It is starting to come together. It has been a crazy ride & what seemed like an endlessly frustratating journey, but we made it. I think we are really going to like it in our new community. Between the great parks, cute town center right in front of our house, and the Starbucks that is a 2 second walk from our front door, you can't go wrong. Plus, the community seems to be a mecca for younger families with at least 2 kids & a dog. We are bound to find some CA friends I hope.
House pictures to come soon!

Strawberry Picking

Sorry I have slacked on updating the blog this month. It has been a crazy one. Between the house fiasco, all the sewing I have been doing, & just the day to day craziness that comes with raising 2 kids, I have not updated as much as I would have liked. Riley is still the same crazy little girl & Zoe is learning new tricks all the time. She is starting to sit a little bit. We are also just starting to give her a little food. I will save those pictures for another day though.
Today we decided to venture out to go strawberry picking. Riley is obsessed with picking flowers or anything the resembles them. It doesn't matter if it should be picked or not. Someones beautiful flower bush in their yard is fair game to her along with her daddy's nice lavender plant. Totally shredded. If she doesn't get to pick the flower, watch out. A meltdown begins. She does like to share her stolen goods though. She loves to give her picked flowers to random people at the park. I haven't figured out if she is doing it to be a sweet little girl, or she wants to pin the blame on someone else when the cops come looking for the mysterious Solana Beach plant shredder.
Anyway, here are some pics from the strawberry fields this morning. We had a nice time despite the crazy wind & the fact that the picture you see in the middle of Riley is the very last picture from my smaller point & shoot camera. It died immediately after that shot. Not the batteries....the entire camera. Ugh. I also threw one in there of Zoe's new trick :) Enjoy!

My Easter Bunnies

Happy Easter from 2 special Easter bunnies!

Got Peeps?

My craftiness has been almost in full swing lately. If it weren't for the fact that I am getting tired of sewing on the floor & having all of my supplies in bags & boxes I would probably be a full-on crafting/sewing fool lately. I cannot wait to move into our new place & have my very own organized sewing/craft room! I have big plans for that space. I whipped this Peep shirt up last night for Riley. I love how it turned out & now Zoe is definitely getting one of her own. Move over Martha!

Friday Cuteness

Happy Friday! Here is some cuteness to get your weekend started off right. I swear, I could just eat her up!

Birthday weekend

It was party time this past weekend in the Quigley household. My birthday was Friday, followed by Riley's yesterday. Since we weren't able to have our usual party for Riley this year :***( we took her to Sea World on Sunday. It was a lot of fun. We saw the Shamu show...or as Riley would say "SHAMPOO!!!" We also got to pet some dolphins & rays. Riley loved the Sesame Street play area with the kiddie rides. She decided to play a trick on her Daddy though & scared us half to death. She went missing for about 5 minutes when they were up in the rope bridges. Turns out the little stinker went down the slide & decided instead of coming out, she was going to crawl back up. Luckily, she turned up. It is amazing how 5 minutes can seem like a lifetime. The day was great & the weather was perfect. We ended the day by giving Riley her new big girl bike & helmet.
We spent her birthday taking it easy at home, doing crafts, and going to the park. She played with a boatload of balloons that our friends & family have sent. The weather this week is supposed to be perfect, so tonight we are planning on having a picnic dinner with Eddie at La Jolla beach & tomorrow I am going to take the girls to the beach for the day. Great ending to a fun birthday week!

Happy Birthday Riley!!!

I cannot believe I have a 3 year old. So exciting, scary, and a little sad at the same time. Sure she has her moments...ok maybe more than a few, but she is just the greatest kid. I love her to pieces. The funny things she says, her hugs & cuddles, her craziness, just everything. I wish I could just bottle her up & keep her little forever. Unfortunately, she will grow up whether I like it or not, so I am just going to sit back & enjoy it. I saw this quote somewhere about growing up & although it is a little sad, it makes me cherish every moment even more...
"It will be gone before you know it. The fingerprints on the wall appear higher and higher, then suddenly they disappear."
Happy birthday Riley! You will always be my little punkin. We love you so much :)

Snow in San Diego?!?

Yes, you read that right. Snow in San Diego. That is probably one of the best things about this place. You can be at the beach in the morning & a hour drive later you can be building snowmen with your kids. Eddie was dying to take Riley up to the mountain near us to play in the snow. The weather here was rainy all weekend, so luckily there was some snow up in one of the nearby mountains. We headed out Sunday afternoon. After realizing we needed tire chains to go up the mountain & then also realizing there were no auto parts stores open to buy chains, we ended up heading almost halfway home to find a Walmart. Much to Eddie's delight, they had chains & he got to throw snowballs at Riley. Riley loved the snow & lasted a good amount of time before getting too cold. The best part was being able to leave the snow behind, drive an hour home, & be at the beach!

Happy Anniversary!

Four years ago today I was getting ready to get married! 2 kids and a cross country move later, it seems like just yesterday & ages ago all at the same time. I will never forget the moment I first saw Eddie. Something in my heart just knew as much as I tried to ignore it. He is the other half that makes me whole. He laughs at my jokes, gives awesome backscratches, is a great dad, and he is such a hard worker. I am so proud of him. He would do anything to make sure his family is safe & happy. I could go on & on, but you get the idea. So Eddie, if you are reading this, I love you with all my heart & soul. I am so happy I am your wife & I am looking forward to watching our family grow hand in hand with you. Happy anniversary Sweetheart.
Love you billions!

Who needs a nap?

I came to the conclusion a while ago that Riley has decided that she no longer needs a nap. Since we all need some quiet/downtime in this house, we still keep a daily quite time. Luckily, she cooperates most days & spends the time in her room either 1: pulling out every.single.article of clothing out of her drawers, 2. playing with her Leapfrog Tag books, 3. cooking in her kitchen, or 4. just making a mess. She called me earlier for a drink and the picture above is what I found when I walked in. I had no words.....just a few giggles.

Where did my babies go?

The girls seem to be getting bigger everyday. It is exciting & sad at the same time. This morning I was getting ready to leave & I look over to see Zoe pushing up on her arms, just taking it all in. Luckily, I had my camera right there to catch it. Even though she is a tummy sleeper, she does not enjoy tummy time very much. She usually fusses soon after you put her there & rolls herself over.
Riley is getting so big too. It is amazing to see the explosion in her verbal skills in the last 6 months. One of my favorite things to do is just listen to her interact with other kids at the park. She cracks me up!

3 months old already

I can't believe Zoe is 3 months old already. She is such a little love. She is pretty laid back & the girl loves her sleep. The only time she really fusses is when she is hungry or tired & she will definitely let you know. She loves to coo & gets the funniest wide-eyed, surprised look on her face when you blow raspberries at her. She has gorgeous, ice blue eyes like Riley. They look a lot a like already. She loves her sister & I can tell they will be the best of friends one day.

Good Morning!

Lately, Riley is up & ready to go by 7am these days. It used to be 7:30-7:45, but those days seem to be gone. Zoe, on the other hand, likes her sleep. Sometimes I have to wake her at 8:30 so we can get out the door. Zoe had a nice wake up call this morning. It was Riley yelling "Zoe wake up!" followed by a bunch of kisses. Awww.....sisterly love!

We miss you AyYa!

A few days after the girls & I arrived in San Diego, my awesome sister, Ali, flew in from Baltimore for a week long visit. Ali had never been to CA, & she was very excited. There was lots of fun to be had. Shopping, good mexican food, margaritas, more shopping, a few more margaritas, and plenty of beach time. We took Riley to her beach park a lot & hung out on the beach a few times. We had a lot of fun shopping & Ali even treated herself to a really nice ring from one of the cute boutiques near the house. I can't forget about our daily trips to Starbucks. The baristas knew her by name by the end of the week. We also went to the San Diego Zoo one day. Luckily, Ali bears a striking resemblance to Eddie & she was able to get in the zoo for free with his pass. It probably helped that the man at the gate was about 107 & Ali was wearing a low cut shirt ;)
The week ended up going by way too quickly, and before we knew it she had to go home. I am trying to convince her she need to move out to CA with us. Little does she know, she has no choice! She is coming whether she likes it or not. It shouldn't be too hard of a sell. She loved it! We miss you tons Ali aka Aunt AyYa! Come back soon. I'll make sure to make your favorite dinner when you come....flap meat with a side of onion wine!! Ha!

Riley's 1st haircut!!

I finally decided it was time. Actually, it was on a whim. I have been trying so hard to let Riley's hair grow out, but the poor girl is not blessed with long flowing locks like you see on a lot of kid's heads. She rocks the wispy, fine, half straight half curly do. Most days if she doesn't have it in a ponytail, she looks like a feral child. I saw all these little girls at the playground with cute little bobs & decided it was finally time to throw in the towel on the long hair for now. My sister, the enabler that she is, egged me on. I did my research & found the best kids salon around. You can have any old hack cutting my daughter's hair for the first time! It was the cutest little place near the beach in La Jolla. The front of the store was a specialty toy store & the back was the salon. TVs, cute themed chairs like a fighter jet & a motorcycle. I was soooo nervous & was so worried I would regret it. I was just waiting for Riley to throw a complete fit when the lady came at her. Luckily, they also came stocked with lollipops & she was thrilled just to sit there, watch a movie, & eat her lollipop. She didn't even look away from the tv the entire time! In the end, she looked beyond adorable. It is so much fuller now & has some shape to it. Hopefully, it will grow out more evenly & she will wake up one day with long flowing locks. Who knows though. Her haircut is spunky, just like her. It might just have to stay that way!

Pictures from a rainy day

And my favorite....melts my heart...

Riley's 1st night in her big girl bed!

Where did our baby go? Riley spent her first night in her new big girl bed last night. She was falling out of her toddler bed crib conversion even with the rails, so we figured it would be better to have the twin bed with a longer rail. I would wake up in the middle of the night & find her on the floor with her head under the crib, so we figured it was time to find a better option. She slept great & loves to jump on it. What a monkey!

Big changes for the Quigley family!

First off, welcome to our new blog. I am really going to try & keep up with this one better, especially since we live so far from our family & friends now.

What a whirlwind these past few months have been. Back in September, Eddie parted ways with Shriners & began his nationwide job search. With only 7 weeks until my due date with Zoe, you can imagine how it could be just a tad stressful. He was contacted by Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego & had an amazing phone interview. They flew him out 2 weeks later & officially offered him the job about 15 minutes after Zoe was born. We were actually still in the delivery room when the email came in on his Blackberry.

Zoe decided to make a slightly early appearance, just one day shy of 38 weeks. She came out screaming & was a healthy 5lb 90z. She is getting so big already. She is a very easy baby for the most part. She LOVES to sleep & falls asleep easily on her own. She also started sleeping though the night at about 2 months. She usually only wakes once to eat, mostly around 4-5am & then back to sleep. I usually have to end up waking her by 8:30 if we need to get out for errands. The girl loves her sleep. I hope it lasts! She also loves bathtime. She splashes like a maniac. Looks like she will be a great swimmer like her sister.

It is hard to believe Riley will be 3 in March. She is over 3 feet tall now & is full of energy. She loves to swing like a monkey all over the playground. She is great with her little sister. She loves to give her hugs, help with diaper changes, and make sure she never loses her paci. I am sure there will be many battles over toys in the future, but I can see what great friends they will become too. I can’t imagine what has been going on in her little head with all the crazy changes in such a short period of time. New baby, Eddie was gone, new home, etc. She has taken it as well as can be expected with some rough patches here & there. She has done great overall & is settling in to her new big girl room out here in CA.

It was very hard to say goodbye to FL. I am a native there & my dad is under an hour away. His parents lived 4 miles from us. My best friend just moved back to FL & we were planning on raising our girls together. We had great neighbors & a wonderful house. We planted our dream backyard by hand & designed the pool ourselves. It was a sad day when we had to leave. Fortunately, we always said of anywhere in the US that we would want to live, San Diego was the #1 spot.

So far we are loving it out here. The weather is ideal. We love being outdoors. No worrying ab0ut mosquitos, heat, or even that crazy cold front that just passed though FL. We are renting a place less than a mile from the beach. Hopefully, our house will sell soon so we can begin the great house hunt. Riley loves playing at the park by the beach. I am loving all the shops, good waves, great weather. Eddie is really enjoying his new job at Rady. He is also pretty excited about getting to visit his old favorite places to eat out here…..donuts, carne asada burritos, & great fish tacos. Stormy loves visiting the local dog beach & she loves playing frisbee in the park that is right next door to the house.

Needless to say, we have been super busy & life has changed pretty drastically. Besides missing everyone, it is a good change. Riley & Zoe will grow up to be little California surfer girls. Make sure to stay tuned to the blog & change your bookmarks to this new address as well. I am hoping to update at least once a week! Wish us luck as we start our new adventure out here.

-Tristan, Eddie, Riley, Zoe, & Stormy