Ya-Ya!

Ya-Ya (aka Aunt Janise) came to visit us July 19-21 and we had a blast!  She came in her usual adorable fashion, bearing warm hugs and nice presents.  While she was here, we toured Reno, hit the big shopping spots, ate yummy food, and had lots of fun play time.  We had such a good visit, she decided come back and see us again with Great Uncle Terry the following weekend!  Below are some pics of us by the lake.

Having two visits with Ya-Ya was wonderful, but we still want more!  Hopefully, we'll get to see each other again soon. 

XO,
Talley & Maverick

Summer Lovin'

It was a looooong winter here in Reno and we are so excited that summer is finally here!  We love getting to play outdoors more and that we don't have to wear 10 layers to keep warm.  Here are some fun summer pics:

Last week at a popsicle park play date:

Today at Sand Harbor:

So glad summer is here to stay a while longer!

- Talley & Maverick

Mav's First Haircut

A couple days ago, Mommy and Grandma Linda took Talley and me over to Snip Its to get hair cuts. I've had loads of awesome hair since I was born.  It was starting to get in my eyes, though, so it was time for a trim.  Since it was my first-ever haircut, I got a certificate keepsake to take home, along with a lock of my cut hair. 

Before Pic

After Pic

Whaddya know, I'm a blonde!  I feel like a new little meatloaf man.

Talley got a trim too.  Below is a pic of her showing off her do.

 O'Neal siblings are lookin' sharp and ready to party!

- Maverick

Late Breaking News! Mav is Sitting Up!

I sat up straight for the first time last Sunday (7/10/2011)! 

I love my new point of view so much I want to sit up all the time.  I won't even stay lying down long enough for a diaper change anymore!

Also, I'd expect news that I'm crawling to break any day now too!  I'm soooo close.  I've been scooting on my hands and knees just a bit and I've been strength training by standing on my hands and feet in a plank position (see below).

Pretty impressive, heh? :)

- Maverick

Johnanna Visit

Uncle John and Aunt Joanna came to visit us last weekend from Arizona.  We had a good time filled with fun, cuddles, and smiles as always.  Here are a couple pics from their visit:

(In these pics, we were standing right outside our new house which we get to move into at the end of the month!  More to come on that later.)

Thanks for coming, Uncle John and Aunt Joanna!  We love you!

- Talley & Maverick

Fourth of July 2011

This year, we spent 4th of July up at Lake Tahoe.  It was Maverick's first-ever 4th of July celebration and it my first-ever time riding a boat!

The weather was gorgeous, the Famous Dave's catered food was delicious (although Mav only got rice cereal and avocados), and we had so much fun hanging with our O'Neal family. 

Aunt Patti holding me out on the boat:

Modeling our 4th of July outfits: 

(I was going for the patriotic princess look.  Mav was going for the startled cowboy.)

Family shots:

 Feast, Feast, Feast!

 Cool panoramic view of the party:

Please click on the link to see an album with more pics from 4th of July weekend: 4th of July Weekend 2011

- Talley

Talley is Two and a Half!

You may wonder what it's like being Talley Leighton O'Neal; in a word, it's awesome. 

In many words, it's a daily festival of singing, dancing, playing, dress-wearing, and milk-drinking where you may find yourself laughing one minute and tantruming the next.  Each day begins with me singing a medley of merry tunes in my crib.  Then I call Mommy and Daddy for pick up and request to be transported to their room where I may play on their bed with brother or request to "see the horsies one more time."  (I love watching re-runs of the Triple Crown horse races!)  From there, the party moves on to the play room while breakfast is prepared for me.  I love pretending to swim in the river illustrated on my play mat.  I also love playing with dolls, Barbies, stuffed animals, cars, trucks, and the alphabet Elmo game on the iPad.  After my morning play time at home and Maverick's morning nap, the rest of the day is a surprise adventure until my afternoon nap.  I may head up to the lake (love the water, HATE the sand), meet up with some friends for a play date, go to dance class, or just kick it at home and play on the back porch with a bucket of water.  Lunch is prepared for me at some point prior to nap time which is preceded by story time.  After my nap is family fun time (or once a week it's swim time!).  Daddy gets home from work, dinner is served, I get to take a bath, and we read more stories before bed time. 

I'm pretty happy with my routine as is; however, apparently, change is a comin' now that I'm two and a half.  I've heard Daddy and Mommy talking about me "giving up my paci" and "getting potty trained" soon.  I like my paci and my diapers, so I don't think I'm going to like this change stuff.  They're going to have to get creative and find a way to make it worth my while if they want to get me on board with their plans.  It's at least going to take some princess undies and a prettier potty for me to even think about ditching the convenience of diapers.

Anyway, I'm not going to worry about that ominous change stuff right now.  I've got a diaper on my bottom and my paci in my mouth and I'm just going to get back to playing and enjoying today!  Hope you all are having a great day too!

- Talley

P.S.  Like my top?  It's from Cousin Missy's Oh Fiddlesticks shop!  Thank you, Missy, Alan, Paisley, and Magnolia!