Hattie LOVED Ashley. I've never seen her take to anyone so quickly. Every time they were in the same room Hattie wanted Ashley to hold her, much to the consternation of Gus. Ole was ok with it though! After a couple days he decided I was pretty cool and would let me hold him. He would just snuggle right in! It was so fun- Hattie's not a cuddler!
The boys loved Lili's shoes! So much so that they were causing problems and the shoes had to disappear.
Waiting to head out to Disneyland! I love this first picture of me, Hattie, and Jane. Aren't the little girls so cute in their tutus Moppy made?
You can see Olivia's tutu in this one- she's the only girl who kept it on all day!
The hotel lobby was decked out for Christmas. There were 5 or 6 trees, tons of lights, even an Eiffel Tower (covered in lights of course).
Charlotte's such a goofball!
We tried to get one with all the kids in their Christmas pajamas...it didn't go too well. I love Olivia in this picture though! From left to right: Ole, Gus (or Gus, Ole- sorry guys!), Ashley, Hattie, Charlotte, Eva, Jane, Asher, Olivia.
And here are all the kids with their moms! We got Christmas PJs too!
I can't express how wonderful it was to see everyone! This was Hattie's first time meeting the Pollocks and the Franks. We hadn't seen Gus and Ole since they were 4 months old! They've grown a ton (they'll be 2 in February). Hopefully we can all get together again soon!
Season 4 of Downton Abbey starts tonight! This time last year I was watching the 2nd episode of season 3 in my hospital room. Hattie has literally been watching the show since the day she was born.
In anticipation for tonight I've taken a couple quizzes online. The first being "Which Downton character are you?" It's a very scientific process and my result was Anna. Then I took one titled "which Downton Abbey couple are you most similar to?" the result of which correlated with my first quiz- Kurt and I are most similar to Anna and Mr. Bates! Then I had Kurt take the first quiz and can you guess the result? He got Mr. Bates!!! How awesome and hilarious.
So, since Kurt and I are apparently Anna and Mr. Bates in real life, I predict they will be having a baby girl this season. Wahoo!
In case you don't watch the show, here are Anna and Bates:
This was my first time at the San Diego Zoo and I loved it! There were tons of animals and most of them were out and about so you could actually see them. Plus, it was also way less crowded than Disneyland.
Hattie loved the flamingos!
Also, I got Adobe Photoshop Elements for Christmas! I'm rather proud of this photo (although I'm definitely still learning!) because I lightened Hattie (but not the background), brightened her eyes, and got rid of a weird shadow on her forehead. (I didn't edit all of the following photos, but I noted most of the ones I did)
Olivia liked the 'mingos' too! I used a warming filter on this one.
I saw a rhinoceros for the first time!
There were lots of giraffes! The little one in the back is baby Penelope. She's was born in May 2013- so she's younger than Hattie! The giraffes were super dark in this photo because the sun is behind them so I lightened them up and upped the contrast.
Did the same on this one and added a warming filter.
I have never seen an elephant with such giant tusks before! I thought he was fake at first.
I love this picture for some reason. He looks like an old, happy elephant. Although I do worry about his sunk-in skull.
I'm proud of this edit as well. The 'before' is below. I think the colors are a lot better.
This poor guy only has one good ear!
The only reason the elephants were in the cages was to get pedicures. Otherwise they are free to roam their habitat. They are so well trained! They just stuck their feet out and let the zoo keepers do their thing:
The below elephant is a new acquisition to the San Diego Zoo from New Zealand. He hasn't seen another elephant in 35 years!!!!! I didn't hear why, buy I think it's because he was the only elephant at his old zoo. So after his quarantine (all new animals go through this) they will slowly reintroduce him to his own kind. How sad!
All the elephants we saw in the cages were 30-50 years old. In captivity elephants live for up to 70 years! The longest lifespan on record is 71. In the wild their lives are much shorter 30-40 years.
Lili loved the elephant statue :)
Can you tell what I liked best? I've always been partial to elephants!
Livi was a little scared of sitting on this crazy cat.
We saw some maned 'wolves'. They're actually closer to a canine. The zookeeper was in with the wolves and told interesting facts about them. What makes them extremely unique is the way they walk. They move both legs on the same side together like a giraffe does- no other wolf/canine does this:
I thought these deer/antelope things were beautiful! Those stripes are so cool!
And here's a blurry picture of Hattie in her souvenir t-shirt. It says "pawsitively precious" and "San Diego Zoo" on the back.
We saw tons more animals including camels, koala bears, wallabies, pelicans, lions, a polar bear, zebras, antelope, giant rodents, birds, meerkats, horses, jaguars, and more! I also loved that we saw and talked with zoo keepers on a few different occasions. It was fascinating hearing what they had to say about the animals!
I kept forgetting it was December while in California. The weather was so nice! We went to the beach our second day there and it was amazing- mid seventies and super sunny! Even though it was warm and beautiful, Hattie wasn't too sure. The waves were quite loud, the water cold, and sand unfamiliar. Here are some pictures from my mom and Ashley's iPhones- thanks for the pictures!
After a while she was ok with sitting on a towel on the sand. Initially she only wanted to be held!
Here's the whole group minus Adam.
We saw dolphins!
Our next evening at the beach Hattie decided the sand was ok. She loved grabbing a handful and letting it run through her fingers. She also thought it tasted delicious :)
Last week my mom and siblings all gathered in Southern California. It was an amazing week! It's the first time we've all been together since having a bunch of babies. It was so great seeing everyone and makes me wish we all lived closer.
On Monday and Wednesday we went to Disneyland and California Adventure! I did not take many pictures as it's difficult to maneuver a stroller/carry a child and take pictures at the same time. Disneyland is a much different experience with a baby. You can't ride as many rides, but it was still fun. I think Hattie's first trip to the happiest place on Earth was a success.
The giant (fake) Christmas tree!
Meeting Tinker Bell! Charlotte was so excited (but also a bit shy).
Hattie's first ride! Casey Jr.
She loved the baby carrier!
This picture from the Tower of Terror cracks me up. Kurt and I have very similar expressions and for some reason we're both only raising our right hands. Also, there's a hand in front of Clarence's face.
Olivia loved the parade! She was so fun to watch.
Cousins! Aren't these two adorable? Until Livi sits on Hattie's back like she's riding a horse...then it all falls apart.
