Notes About Santa Cruz II

- Every Sunday morning, on our way to church, we pass a group of about 25 people at a park. They are practicing Michael Jackson's Thriller dance.

- Walking down Pacific Street with Ada, I passed by an old man with long white hair and a long white beard. He said, "Hello sweetheart! How are you?" I made a loop around going to stores, so fifteen minutes later when we passed him for the second time, I said, "Hi again!" He looked at me like I was the crazy one, and then said, "Hello sweetheart! Do you have toes?!" to Ada.

- While in Salvation Army, I was looking at the vases and dishes. A guy walks up next to me with a look on his face like he is holding in the most hilarious joke you've ever heard! I look at him and he points to a bowl and says, "Is it a pinata?" Then proceeds to die laughing. The guy is beside himself! This made me crack up and all I can say in between laughs is, "You never know!" 
- I was at the park pushing Ada in the swing. She loves to swing. A teen mom came up and put her boy in the swing next to Ada. She called out to her friend Lightning. Then she said, "Hey Skittles, will you come push him while I go get some water?" Skittles was a nice boy with spiky green hair and a dog collar around his neck.

- While in Costco, a man was quacking at Ada with a Donald Duck voice. I wish I had a picture of her face! It was one of, "What are you doing/I don't know you/please move away from the shopping cart!"

Since I don't have a picture of that face, here's a pretty cute one :)

Ada is 9 Months Old!

(two weeks late)

Cracking herself up!

She is doing more and more each day and I am constantly amazed! She is either cracking us up with her funny Adaisms or noticing something. One of our new neighbors said, "She is very studious, look at her watching me so carefully!" She is a very observant little one and is hard to trick...she knows when I take something away that it is still in my hand or wherever I put it :)

Love those rosy cheeks & rolls with the tan lines!

Tonight she was watching the birds fly out front and going, "Ooh! Ooh!"

When you ask her what sound an (insert animal here) makes, she does that. "Ooh! Ooh!" She is blabbering more and more, and making more sounds that sound like actual words. She says ma-ma but I'm still waiting for the moment when she says it to get my attention or uses it directly to me.

She sits on her bottom and spins in a circle

Claps her hands (done this morning when Elmo's World came on)

Puts her hand over her mouth and goes blah-blah-blah

Pretends to brush her hair with the comb

Loves other children and babies

Likes to sing along with us

Is getting her two bottom teeth in! (thus the excess drool & rash on her chin) We had a few rough nights and she's not as easygoing right now...but I know it will pass, right?!

Loves her solid foods and mooches off Matt & I

If you zoom on this, you can barely see her two little teeth breaking through!

Cruises around on everything and is getting better balance while walking. She's taken a step or two here and there on her own but then realizes she's not holding onto anything or anyone and sits down. I am okay with this because I don't think I'm ready for a walker! Ahhh!!

Munching on her toes

Moved to Santa Cruz!

We packed up the important stuff...

And made it to Santa Cruz in one piece! 

Ada loves her new home, this picture is of her the first morning here.

We are almost out of boxes and I'm looking forward to hanging pictures on the walls. It's such a crazy process, moving. The day after we arrived, I put some books on my dresser. Just having them lined up and in some sort of order amidst the boxes and chaos made me feel better.

We live right on this lagoon. Ada likes watching the ducks land on it in the evening.

Having fun watching the guys from our ward help Papa unload our truck. 

I was so impressed with how many guys showed up. They didn't know us before we moved here. Not only did they give of their time, but many brought their young sons along. It was so neat to see these good fathers teaching their sons about service and the true essence of charity by their own examples.

I was thinking what I would say if anyone asked us who helped us move in. I would have told them that they were my brothers! That's what we truly are, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Some notes about Santa Cruz:

- I have seen more beards and dreadlocks in my one week living here than in the rest of my 26 years on this planet!

- Everyone in our ward has been so welcoming and sweet. They have gone out of their way to help us, include us, and make us feel important. The next two years are going to be wonderful because of them.

- We are so close to the ocean that the difference in temperature is staggering. It will be 72 during the day and then 50 at night. Brr!

- We saw a Mystery Machine today, it looked exactly like the one from Scooby Doo! Although Matt said that the guy needed to repaint it, it was looking a little "Shaggy" har-har! 

- I also have seen more people dancing and talking to themselves in the grocery store than anywhere else I've been before!