Christmas!

We had such a lovely Christmas this year.  The girls are at such a fun age.  Since Cali didn't grace us with her presence until after Christmas, this was her first Christmas!  Whereas Ceci was only 8 months old for hers, Cali was nearly 1 and walking, so she was able to participate in quite a bit.  And being 2.5, Ceci was totally tuned into what was going on and super excited about everything!

The girls both loved decorating the Christmas to start off the festive season.  I think Cali took as many ornaments off as she put on, but Ceci totally had the hang of it and especially enjoyed putting the star on top of the tree.  After that, every time we saw a Christmas tree anywhere Ceci would yell "a Christmas tree - just like our one!".  Too cute.

11 Months!

Our little Cali Cat is 11 months old!  Hard to believe that in less than a month she'll be 1!!

This past month Cali has...

Jetsetting Girls!

We made our second trip to America as a family of 4.  This time for Cali's first Thanksgiving!

Here's a picture summary of our trip...

Halloween & 2.5

At the end of October, Miss Cecilia turned 2.5 and also celebrated her 3rd Halloween.  2.5 is such a fun age - she really understands everything that's going on and Halloween was no exception.  For the first time, she was super into the festivities.  When I asked her what she wanted to be, her reply was "A dinosaur! Raaarrrrr!!!" - which totally took me by surprise because she's really into Frozen and princesses at the moment; I have no idea where the dinosaur idea came from.  I asked a few more times over a week or two and every time her answer was the same.  As I was shopping around for dinosaur costumes online I found a really cute one along with a purple dragon.  I showed her both and she got really excited about the purple dragon (she's a big Room on the Broom fan, and loves the dragon).  When the costume came in the mail she couldn't wait to put it on, and she looked at her calendar every day to see if it was Halloween (or time for a Halloween party) yet.  We also had fun painting and carving pumpkins to get in the spirit!

 

10 Months!

Calista Diane is 10 Months old!

We're a bit overdue for this one (the picture is actually a week late!)  Unfortunately I came down with what I thought was a stomach bug at the end of October, was sick at home the day Cali turned 10 months, wound up in the hospital the next day and then had an emergency appendectomy the day after that.  Oof. I'm now home and recovering, slowly but surely.  It was not a fun week for any of us, but we're finally starting to get back to normal around here.

This month, Cali has been...

Big Girl Rooms

I finally got around to finishing Cali's room and getting it clean enough to take a couple pictures (since Cali wasn't sleeping in there when we first moved, her room became a bit of a dumping ground!).  She's been in there for 3 months now, and though it's been mostly done for a while, the final piece of "artwork" went up today so it's now officially complete - hooray!

Since I made all of the decor for Ceci's room myself, I wanted to do the same for Cali.  Not only is it cheaper, and personalized, but it felt nice to do something just for her - so much of her stuff is hand-me-downs!  I decided to use a similar theme and color-scheme to Ceci's room in case we decide to put them in the same room eventually (the jury is still out on this one!).

Without further ado, here's a little peek at Cali's room.

9 Months

Little miss Cali Cat is 9 months old!

This past month Cali has been...

8 Months!

Miss Calista Diane is 8 months old!

It's hard to believe it's only been a month since our last update, because Cali has grown so much!  In the last month, Cali has been...

2 and 1/4

In the midst of these monthly posts on Cali, I feel like Ceci deserves her own special post.  She turned 2 and 1/4 last month and is really growing by leaps and bounds.  In the last few months she's grown so fast - both physically and mentally!

 

Here's what Ceci's been up to in the last few months...

7 Months!

Our little Cali is 7 months old!

This past month Cali has been...

Nan and Gramps Visit & Starting Solid Foods!

For two and half weeks my parents, aka Nan & Gramps, came to stay with us here in London.  It was awesome!  Ceci loved the extra company and attention, Cali loved hanging with her Gramps and going on walks with Nan, and I LOVED having the extra sets of hands with laundry, cooking, and the girls.  And of course, I loved the company too.

Here's a few pictures of some of the highlights of their visit:

6 Months!

Cali is 6 months old!

Even she's a little surprised...

6 months already?!

This past month Cali has been...

America!

As I mentioned in my last post, we took a family trip to America over Memorial Day.  It was Cali's first trip to America, and Ceci's first trip in nearly a year.  Travelling with two kids, one of whom is now in their own seat on the plane, is quite a change - and a challenge.  Thankfully, flying from London is MUCH simpler than flying from Gibraltar.  So all in all, not too bad (minus the jet lag coming home - oof!)

Here's a little picture journal of our trip:

5 Months!

Our little Cali Cat is 5 months old!

This past month Cali has...

4 Months!

Cali is 4 months old!

At 4 months Cali is...

2 Years Old!

On April 22, Ceci celebrated her 2nd birthday!

3 Months!

Our little Cali is 3 months old!

This past month Cali has...

2 Months!

Cali is 2 months old!

This month Cali has been...

1 Month!

Our little Cali is 1 month old!

Two Weeks Old!

Our little Cali is two weeks old!

1 Week Old!

Cali is already one week old!

Baby Sister is Here!

After what felt like an interminable wait, 

Calista Diane Clarke 

has finally joined our family!