It's our BLOG...

Newest edition

2012-01-23T15:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, It has almost been 3 months since my last post, but we've been dealing with more important issues around here...

We welcomed our sweet new baby boy into the world on November 14th at around 10:00pm. He has been the sweetest, most easy going baby known to man. We sure love him to bits!!

Happy 5th!

2011-10-22T21:08:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl turned 5 this past Thursday! I did the typical "mom" thing and got sentimental at 12 noon (the exact time she was born), thinking how crazy it is that 5 years ago at that very moment I was welcoming her into this world. She has changed every aspect of our lives, from the constant thought of how we're going to pay for her college tuition, which I'm sure will be up to $250,000 when she's ready to go; to the slight obsession of checking her windows every night, making sure they are locked tight. It's amazing how something so small can occupy so much of our daily thoughts. She definitely has her moments when we're pretty sure she's a full blow teenager, but her sweetness always shines through and when she flashes a smile like the one in the picture, she melts every bit of my heart.

I love you sweet little girl, I pray we can always keep you safe and happy.

Thanks to Uncle Ben for this great moment (and smile) captured on film

I love this quilt

2011-10-05T17:20:00.001-07:00

This my most favorite quilt to date! I just wish I had made it on a larger scale, a baby sized quilt doesn't go so great on the back of one's couch.

No wonder they were so quiet

2011-10-03T17:45:00.000-07:00

(2nd) First day of kindergarten

2011-09-08T16:52:00.001-07:00

Yup, that's right, my little girl is now a big kindergartner! I can't believe it. The poor thing had to have 2 first days of school because she didn't get accepted into our school of choice until 2 days after school had started. She had to leave her sweet teacher and few Friends behind that she made at her first school, but she did remarkably well considering the uprooting. And as luck would have it, a little girl from her dance camp was in her class. We are so excited about her new school and she seams to be pretty excited too.

Oh, and this is what little brother was caught doing while sister was at school. He can now open up the freezer and get out all the goodies. little stinker!

Dance camp

2011-09-01T16:43:00.001-07:00

Our sweet girl has really taken a liking to dance and ballet so we decided to put her in a 2 week dance camp from 8:30-3:00 this summer (a big reason I did it is to see if she would take to all day kindergarten ok). She did great! They did jazz, ballet, tap, yoga, belly dancing (??), art, cooking.. and just about every day she came home with cool new moves. At the end of the week she had a preformance that allowed her to show off her stuff to cool songs like "Beat It" and "It's A Hard Knock Life". I thought she was adorable and dad got emotional (sorry, I outed you!), but it's just so fun to see our little girl start to do big girl things.

We took a lot of videos and not many pictures so these are the only ones that turned out decent. But at least they will remind us how small she once was (and how darn cute).

BEST-HUSBAND-EVER! (really)

2011-09-01T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last week my gloriously wonderful husband gave me the best gift a mom could ever ask for... 5.5 days all to herself!! He voluntarily took the kids to St Louis and left me at home. I cant begin to explain how amazing it is to wake up 5 days in a row to a quiet and peaceful home and then to have the freedom to do whatever I wanted all day long. I had breakfast with my friend Kimber, lunch with Jennie, dinner and a movie with Natalie and Yuka, I went to the temple and spent the day in Santa Monica, I spent hours in the fabric district in downtown LA, watched movies in the evening stretched out on my own couch, walked around IKEA, cleaned out many closets, ate out by myself... it was truly the most relaxing time I've had in awhile. But the best part of it all was knowing my family was having a great time in St Louis and would be coming home to me at the end of their vacation.

While I was having a relaxing time here at home, they were out on a mission to conquer MO.

Here at the Magic House

at the best museum EVER, the City Museum with aunts, uncles and cousins

at Grandma and Grandpa's house
at the train museum having a BLAST with cousins

They were officially wiped out and mom was officially rejuvenated!

Thanks dad, you are no doubt the best!

Tired

2011-08-16T15:19:00.001-07:00

I have been very lucky with this little girl, she LOVES to sleep. She was a great sleeper (pretty much) from the beginning. I remember putting her in her crib when she was little and she would giggle because she was happy to be lying there with a few animals and a blanket. She would never complain about being put to bed so bedtime was never torture. And just until very recently (a few months ago) she took a nap every single day. Unfortunately this little girl isn't so little anymore and she is getting ready to go to kindergarten in a few weeks so I've had to start the "no nap" transition. She loves the idea of being a big girl and not taking a nap but I also think her little body just gets tuckered out sometimes.

Today I put little brother down for his nap and got her going on an art project then started my "chores". After going about my business for a little while I realized she was really quiet. This is the sweet little face I discovered when going in to check on her.

Sans training wheels

2011-07-31T20:17:00.000-07:00

I can now declare sister as a free wheeling bike rider. She can start (uphill and down), stop and ring her bell. The only thing that needs refining is her turning ability (and at times her attitude).

Welcome to the wonderful world of childhood freedom! Well, at least the freedom to ride up the street... with mom watching.

4th of July 2011

2011-07-31T20:01:00.000-07:00

Our 4th of July was pretty jam packed with excitement!

First and foremost we started off at the day at Corner Bakery with friends.

Played with those friends at a cute little parade in a nearby town.

The unintentional red, white and blue pairing of my cute family. I'm sure if dad knew he was the perfect patriotic match he would have changed before we left.

Entering the Rose Bowl for a very festive and exciting fireworks display. Little brother got pretty scared but all in all it was a WONDERFUL day.

Happy 235th birthday to the good ol' U S of A!!

Birthday boy

2011-07-20T09:35:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd birthday to our sweet and funny little boy! It's been said before and I'll say it again, I cant believe how quickly the time goes when little ones are growing up; 2 years have flown by with lightening speed. I'm so happy I get to see this little boy when he wakes up from bed time and nap time, kiss him all day (even when he's filthy) and put him to bed at night. He brings so much joy to our little family.

Some facts to remember this amazing and short period of time in his life...

This little boy is F-U-N to be around! He is the ultimate boy: he loves to play in anything that will get him dirty, he is a magnetic to rocks, LOVES dogs (even ones that are 2x his size), he loves: trains, trucks/cars, balls and sticks... really anything that a boy should love. He will also throw any of the said items above when he determines he has no more use for them. A few weeks ago I heard a loud banging coming from outside and ran out to see him hitting the car with a shovel (we are working on this!!). Every time you catch him doing one of these semi-destructive activities, he always has the biggest, sweetest smile on his face. Too bad he still gets in trouble.

But even considering the trouble he gets in occasionally he is by far the sweetest and loving little guy. We all get multiple kisses and hugs from him all day long. He is quick to give sister a love when he thinks she is hurt or sad. He is soft and gentle with any baby, always wanting to kiss their toes or pat their head. He wakes up earlier than sister and will always snuggle for a long time in bed with dad and I until he decides it's time to play under the covers.

All in all, this kid makes us happier than we ever thought possible and we can't imagine what our lives would be without him.

Happy birthday little Bubbie!!

Uncanny resemblance?

2011-06-17T15:03:00.000-07:00

Before we welcomed our little brother into the world Grandma M bought sister a Bitty Baby Boy thinking that it would be fun for the both her and I to carry around little boys. Who would have thought that 2 years later the doll and the little boy would resemble each other so closely (sans clothes)??

Weekend hiking

2011-05-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

Now that dad isn't constantly working on the house we've had some spare family time on the weekend, and it's been GREAT!! Many of the past few weekends we've hiked to a little spot about a 5 minute drive from our house. It's a short hike but we get away from all the houses and most of the people. Best of all we've found a simi private spot that we can play on the edge of a steam and let the kids get dirty.

Here is little brother doing what he does best, throwing rocks...

Sister finding a big one to contribute
And of course dad doing what he does best, keeping himself busy (building a rock dam)
I'm so grateful to live in a beautiful place where we are able to be in the city and so close to nature at the same time, and great weather that allows us to be outside year round . Pretty perfect if you ask me.

Little brother's first Dodger game

2011-05-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is the only picture we got to remember the moment. He lasted longer than we thought he would but there definitely came a point where the seats were just too close together for a little boy.

A silly girl for a silly party

2011-05-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Big sister was invited to an April Fools party a few months back. They were asked to dress silly.

It doesn't get more silly than this

My new favorite pictures

2011-05-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

A few more great pictures from Grandpa's camera

This might be my favorite picture of little brother of all time
Oh, the power of a good camera (and a good photographer)!!

Family

2011-05-20T10:14:00.000-07:00

Sadly, the only time we get a picture of all of us together is when the Munson family comes into town or we go visit them.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa for a fun visit and a fun picture! We should do this more often

First beach trip 2011

2011-04-15T15:08:00.001-07:00

It was the PERFECT morning to spend at the beach with friends!

Thanks to good friends who are a joy be around

These little fellas are pretty much the exact same age and hilarious to watch

Right at the end our friend decided to body slam little brother. He just wanted to wrestle and thought he had found a good mate, but not so much. Little brother just laid there and whined.

He was having none of it.

We'll have to work on that one. I figured he might as well get his aggression out on willing participants and not big sister.

So organized

2011-03-22T17:47:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back we took a little vacation down to San Diego to play at Lego Land. When we got to the hotel Big Sis decided she wanted to unpack a few of her things and get them ready for the morning.Apparently that means hanging up her shirts, socks and underwear.

Travel Town 2011

2011-03-22T17:17:00.001-07:00

Travel town is pretty sleepy these days. You cant go on 90% of the trains and the ones you can go on are severely dilapidated. As big sister pointed out, "this place is boring". I guess that's what happens when something is funded by the city of Los Angeles. Maybe they have better places to invest their money. Oh, I love you L.A., even with all your flaws!! But I did hear a few days ago that the crime is down to the levels of the 1950's. Well done Mr Bratton.

Luckily the train ride is still up and running

Do you see the little guy's elbow in the air? Well, that's his own sign for train. Just about anytime we see one he does a little dance and throws up his elbow.

I'm telling you, this kids loves trains! I tried taking him away a dozen times and as soon as I set him down he calmly walked back to the window to watch the miniature trains going by.

I would say, "see you soon Travel Town", but I highly doubt it.

Kick me?

2011-03-22T17:10:00.001-07:00

The other day I spotted little brother walking around with this "sign" on his back.

hmmmm...

2011-03-04T09:25:00.001-08:00

I was in the office for a total of maybe 7 1/2 minutes when I noticed the kids were being suspiciously quiet

Yes, that is little brother dipping his toothbrush into the "bath" water and then brushing his teeth... awesome!

Happy Friday monring to you all!

*Please excuse the lovely details of our bathroom, it/they is/are on our "to remodel" list for the year

Just the right amount of leg

2011-02-10T17:20:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-10T15:10:00.001-08:00

I was never a huge fan of Valentine's day until I had little ones, now I can't get enough. I love making crafts, treats, decorations and anything else we can think of. And I love the color scheme, but who doesn't love purple, pink and red (together). I found this idea for Valentine's day cards last year and couldn't wait to put it to good use.

Sister had a great time posing for the picture and helping me make them, and she had a great time handing them out to her class.

Her first theater experience

2011-02-09T14:33:00.001-08:00

A friend of mine found a cute little local theatre that puts on interactive plays for young kids. We decided to take advantage and go on a "mommy/daughter date" to the performance of Cinderella. The cast was great and often gave the children a chance to be a part of the play. Sister was a little shy so she didn't take advantage of dancing with the prince and helping Cinderella get ready for the ball, but it was fun to watch all the other little girls do it.

Here she is with the Fairy-god-mother. She has mouse ears on because she had to help out with all the mouse duties during the performance
After the play the kids had the chance to meet all the characters and have them sign their programs. Cinderella's autograph was a must

One of the ugly step sisters. These guys stole the show

We hope to go to Treasure Island in the next few months

Merry belated Christmas

2011-02-09T14:06:00.000-08:00

Better late than never...

This year we stayed home again for Christmas and it was wonderful. Yes, it's fun to visit family for the holidays, but it's also nice to not worry about traveling and wake up to our own Christmas.

We started a new tradition this year with the sprinkling of "reindeer food"

We set out some cookies and milk and a few carrots for those reindeer

Christmas morning with light up hats that we bought from a guy on a street corner the night before

Sister putting her star on the tree that she made at school. It was perfect and it will go on our tree next year too.

As always, the kids got a lot of great presents, mainly because they have very generous Grandparents.

Merry Christmas my little tiger! Cant wait until next year

Snow bunny

2011-01-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

Dad took big sister skiing a few times this winter. I thought she was a little too young, but she loved it! Dad kept yelling, "pizza, pizza!!" as she flew down the hill, and she yelled, "french fries, french fries!!" Pizza = slower, french fries = faster.

Of course they had to have a little fun between runs

The sad thing is dad bought all the gear in "gender neutral" colors so we can pass it down to little brother. The whole day people called her a boy. Maybe next year we'll get her something pink.

Sundays are hard

2011-01-04T14:47:00.000-08:00

but when they look this cute it's hard to not be glad there's at least one day to dress them up

A milk mishap

2011-01-04T14:35:00.000-08:00

Poor guy was about to enjoy his afternoon milk when it exploded

I'll be sure to secure the lid next time

2nd annual Christmas run in Santa Monica

2010-12-12T20:59:00.000-08:00

In 2009 I got a small group of girls together to run "LA's Largest Holiday Running Event"; sadly the night before the big day Nate come home and announced he thought he had swine flu! We had a 5 month old at the time and I couldn't leave him with dad knowing how contagious it was. Sadly I couldn't run with the girls in Santa Monica, but I took advantage of nap time and ran the 6 miles by myself while my little guy slept. So, I officially still ran it, right? Well at least that's what my shirt says.

Fast forward to year 2... this year was awesome!! There is nothing like an organised race to get your heart pumping. The energy is so much fun.

It helps to be running with friends, who also love to run. (that's the Santa Monica Pier in the back ground)

I'm pretty sure we're the coolest in our matching socks
After race shots. My quads are screaming right now!

My step-sister from up north was in the race too, she was way more festive in her elf costume

The best part of races, the goodies...

Thanks for such a fun morning ladies. See you next year

I'm so glad they are mine

2010-11-27T10:08:00.001-08:00

Pasadena Mud Run 2010

2010-11-16T11:12:00.001-08:00

It was a beautiful day, a fun course to run and good friends to do it with.

Happy 4th Birthday

2010-11-11T15:13:00.000-08:00

A little belated, but not forgotten. My little girl turned 4 on October 20th and I still can't believe it. Here are some facts...

She now goes to preschool and LOVES it!

Is such a caring and kind big sister. Often times helping without being asked

Always sleeps with "Lamby" (actually a bear she named Lamby)

Enjoys cooking and baking with mom

Still at 50% for her weight and height (it's been that way since birth)

Really likes being a Sunbeam

At times she is pretty dramatic

Favorite ice-cream flavor is Rainbow Sherbet

Can write out her name

And all around a fantastic kid!

We are very lucky to have you in our life little one.

The Naked Chef

2010-11-11T14:56:00.000-08:00

Loving every second of it

A trip to St Louie

2010-11-11T14:36:00.001-08:00

We just got back from a 2 week vacation in St Louis. We all had a great time going trick or treating, finding fun places to play, and hanging out with family! And we got some wonderful pictures out of the trip too.

Thanks to all for being such wonderful hosts! We miss you already.

so pretty

2010-11-11T14:21:00.000-08:00

A few months ago the kids and I took a little trip down to Orange County so dad could work on the house for the weekend. The nights were pretty difficult trying to get little brother down and keep sister entertained in the bathroom of the hotel. So out came the make-up...

I know she loved having it put on and the way she looked but I secretly hated it. When I look at her with all that makeup it makes me realize how quickly she is growing up and how soon she will be putting it on herself.

Happy early b-day

2010-10-18T09:32:00.001-07:00

This weekend big sister got an early birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. From the moment we unveiled it one or both of the kids have been playing with it constantly. It has been lovely for everyone involved. I even got to sit down and read a magazine for 20 mins, a true rarity.

Oh, and little brother fits quite nicely in the freezer.

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!! We've all enjoyed the present thoroughly

One of my favorite things

2010-10-14T18:59:00.000-07:00

When we can't find our little brother anywhere we can assume that he is in his bedroom reading books. It kills me every time.

the perfect model

2010-10-07T16:27:00.001-07:00

I'm in the process of making a dress for a friend's little one. I was pretty sure it would fit her but I had to make sure.

I think he could pull off damask

1st day of preschool

2010-09-16T09:37:00.000-07:00

My sweet little girl is now officially a big kid. Today was her first day of preschool and she isn't looking back. She walked right into her classroom without an ounce of hesitation. I'm not sad about it either. I'm so excited for her to have this experience. She's ready for school and so am I.

After we took a few pretty pictures she felt it was necessary to get in some silly ones as well.

We tired to get little brother on board but he was having NONE of it.

Good luck on your big girl adventure!!

His cool new trick

2010-09-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

even cooler...

A good distraction

2010-09-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Tree trimming

Labor day 2010

2010-09-09T14:56:00.000-07:00

It's been a GREAT summer. Lots of beach days and pool days. Labor day was just another excuse to live it up by the water!!

Such a devoted little mama

2010-08-28T22:31:00.000-07:00

Kids in a box

2010-08-18T16:55:00.001-07:00

I love how little things can provide entertainment for a few precious moments. Dad put them in the box and they both thought it was the greatest thing for a good 5 minutes.

Poor kid

2010-08-18T16:51:00.001-07:00

Surrounded by pink, girly things

1 year old

2010-07-20T20:43:00.000-07:00

Dirty, but so happy!

Happy birthday my sweet little boy

The first of many, I'm sure

2010-07-14T08:31:00.001-07:00

His first little shiner

Swagger Wagon part 2 (the last video didn't work)

2010-06-08T15:53:00.000-07:00

I had absolutely NO intention to blog about the fact that we just got a car, But some of you have given us a hard time about buying a minivan. Some have snickered, a few made snide comments, and one of you even laughed out loud (you know who you are K.N.)

This video was just brought to my attention. I hope it will show the world the Munsons are as cool as ever. Word!!

WATCH THIS VIDEO

For all of you who want a ride in the Swagger Wagon... get in line!

And it's root, root, root for the Dodgers!

2010-06-08T14:35:00.000-07:00

Dad got great tickets for the Dodger's game so we decided to take Curly out on a date. She was more than excited.. dancing around in the aisles, yelling, "GO!!, GO!!", and doing the wave.

We were right behind home plate, about 20 rows back... nice!
But aparently someone still needed to get a better look. She noticed that many of the players had dirty pants and said they needed to take them home and have their mom wash them.

home run jubilation

ahhh, cute!

I like my family

And I like the Dodgers.

Oh and by the way, they killed the Cardinals by A LOT, sorry St Louis family :)

Happy day to me

2010-05-10T15:11:00.000-07:00

It was a fine Mother's day indeed. Orange tulips, a book, and a first time Sacrament performance! It couldn't get much better.

I'm one lucky Mama

Love these 3

2010-05-03T19:58:00.000-07:00

9 month update

2010-05-03T19:17:00.000-07:00

75th percentile for weight, 75th percentile for height and 90th for head size... hmmmm, interesting.

Has slept through the night for the past 6 days, but a few times has gotten up at 5ish and refused to go back to sleep. I don't know which is worse.

Started eating solids a few weeks ago and can't stop.

Always has his mouth open.

LOVES his Mama. I have to say I love that he loves me. In a selfish way it feels good to have him only want me at times. Big sister was never that way. Of course there are times when I can't put him down because he'll scream until I pick him up. I just have to remind myself that there will come a day that he wont want me near him, so I soak it up.

Just started clapping.

Dad doesn't believe me but I think he's already signing.

Says, DADA, MAMA and NANA but not to anyone in specific.

His 2 bottom teeth popped trough about a month ago, and he uses them to bite.

Has mastered cruising and "walks" from one object to another all over the house. Sadly, he tends to grab objects that topple over easily, causing many spills.

And is pretty much the cutest little guy I have ever laid eyes on.

So tired

2010-04-01T15:55:00.000-07:00

Couldn't even finish her banana

This is a real picture, I swear. I had just given her a "Flattened Banana" (smashed and dried bananas from Trader Joe's), 2 minutes later I turned around to see if she wanted more... nope!

Taking notes

2010-03-30T10:18:00.000-07:00

Watching dad work in the yard

He was watching until dad jumped up and scared him

We're famous!

2010-03-30T09:38:00.000-07:00

Some time ago I blogged about the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball here in LA.

Well, someone at the Skirball liked my post so much that they added it to their website. Find our contribution here. Click on "It's our BLOG".

So we're pretty much famous if you ask me.

Tomorrow my little family and a few friends are going again with all the free passes they gave me.

THANKS Skirball!!

It's a tradition

2010-03-13T14:59:00.001-08:00

Some might remember this post.

A new season and a new wee babe

Blue eyes

2010-03-13T14:55:00.000-08:00

I'm still so amazed that both of our children have such blue eyes!

morning ritual

2010-03-02T21:56:00.001-08:00

Just about every morning I rush like mad to get myself and the kids ready to walk dad to the train and then follow with a run. It's hectic and crazy but it's worth the motivation to get out of the house early and exercise. Otherwise I don't think I would do it. Luckily little brother is just now starting to enjoy the ride. I love our stroller but it's pretty ridiculous that it takes up 84% of the sidewalk. Yes, it is HUGE.

I just love their cute little faces in that big ol stroller.

Cheerios

2010-03-02T21:36:00.000-08:00

I thought for sure this kid would be really into food. He is in the 90 percentile after all. But he doesn't want much to do with solids. He will actually purse his lips anytime he see a spoon heading towards his mouth. The only thing he does like is cheerios

which he eats in large quantities

On the move

2010-03-02T21:21:00.000-08:00

Well, he's up and running (well, attempting to crawl) and I have to say, it's not as bad as I thought it would be. I was dreading him being able to get into all of Curly's small little trinket-y things, which of course he does, but at least he can get himself around, albeit slowly. He has definitely mastered the army crawl/inch worm maneuver.

start position

end position
In the words of big sister, "I could just eat on him all day long".

New wheels

2010-02-17T18:14:00.000-08:00

Awesome new wheels for riding around the block

Why does he look so old here?? STOP growing!!

6 months today

2010-01-20T13:42:00.000-08:00

I can't believe how quickly the time has passed, it truly feels like just yesterday that I was in the hospital holding you for the first time.

Those first few months were quite a shock, and you were a pretty difficult little fella. But in a few short months you turned into a joy to have around. Yes, it's true you still wake up 3 and 4 times a night and you don't go down for naps all that easy, but you have a smile for everyone and a giggle that melts my heart.

Thank you for blessing us with your sweet little spirit.

Food

2010-01-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

We finally got the OK from our Doctor to start solids...

YUMMY!

She loves Santa, she loves him not

2009-12-22T09:39:00.000-08:00

It's been all things Santa in our house the past few weeks. Curly has been so excited about Christmas this year and has been looking forward to seeing Santa at our ward party. But when Santa came out and sat on the stage Curly froze; she no longer wanted ANYTHING to do with him.

Of course dad and I tried everything we could to get her to go up and sit on Santa's lap, knowing she would be really disappointed if she didn't. Nothing we said would change her mind. Luckily a friend from the ward was gracious enough to encourage her up there. He was so patient with her, slowly walking her closer and closer to Santa.

Definitely very apprehensive

When she finally got up there she was still VERY freaked out
A little a little worried, but better.
TA DA, happy as can be!!!

I'm glad she got up the nerve to do it. She was so proud of herself and I have wonderful pics to remember the fun moment of the two of them together.

5 years and counting!!

2009-12-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

This past Friday was our 5th anniversary. The years have definitely FLOWN by!!

I loved Nate so very much when we were first married; I would never have guessed I would grow to love him more and more with every passing year.

Thanks for being a great (and patient) husband, a truly amazing dad, the hardest worker I have ever met, a goof that I can laugh with and at, the cleanest male I know :)... and my best and dearest Friend!!

I don't know how we would do it without you!

Cute girl

2009-12-03T17:45:00.000-08:00

This evening I was sitting on Curly's bed responding to some e-mails while she was in the room playing with her toys. She was really quiet for about 15 minutes then walked over to me and said, "prayer" and pointed to her Christmas figurines. This is what I found...

A baby blessing!!

I guess she's seen more than a few of these over the past few months. It's amazing what she picks up.
I love her!!!

Halloween 2009

2009-11-08T20:51:00.001-08:00

Started out the day at dad's work.

His shirt says it all!!
A much needed sucker rest

Trick or treating

One cute bumblebee

The way the night ended

Underwood Farms

2009-10-30T21:16:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's already been over a year since we were here last.

Big pumpkins

My little pumpkin

We'll be back next year!

The world through Curly's eyes

2009-10-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Curly loves to take the camera and snap away. I usually delete all the pictures she takes but this time I thought I would post a few.

She told me to stand in line and say cheese!

She cracks me up!

Hide and seek

2009-10-30T20:55:00.001-07:00

Just about every night Dad gets Curly ready for bed and then calls me into the room to say prayers. I usually have to look around for a bit to find them. Sometimes they are behind the door but most of the time they are hidden under blankets on the bed. Tonight they couldn't be found...

Until I looked in the little man's crib. Clever, very clever!!

I can't get enough of this little guy

2009-10-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Just about everyone thinks he looks a lot like Curly, I couldn't agree more!

happy day

2009-10-20T12:47:00.001-07:00

3 years old today

3 months old today

It's a happy day indeed!

Someone loves me!

2009-10-04T18:58:00.000-07:00

I found these cute little (non-dairy) apple pies on my front porch this evening

What would I do without you Jennie Doezie? I LOVE YOU!!!

Hair

2009-09-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

This is some serious hair

a blessing

2009-09-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we blessed our new little friend. It was a wonderful time with family. I wish we could find reasons to see them more often, we're always very sad to see them go.

Uncle Ben/Aunt Becca and Grandpa are true masters when it comes to capturing these fun moments together. Here are only two of the many pics BandB took while they were here.

Thanks for being willing to travel such long distances to spend time with us!!

Chubby

2009-08-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

Where did this kid come from?? 12 pounds to date

We sure love all 12 pounds of him!

House

2009-08-19T18:47:00.001-07:00

Our house has been through a lot over the past year

This is what it looked like when we bought it...

After some serious weeding...

And now, after a great paint job and new windows...

We still need to do a LOT of landscaping, but that will come next year.

Thanks dad for all your hard work.

little helper

2009-08-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

Yes, it is much more difficult with two, but thankfully I have a 2nd momma around to help out

I don't know what I would do without this little girl...

I came into the bedroom and found her reading to the baby, awww cute!

And sadly, he hasn't really taken to the swing yet so he often gets frustrated when he's in it. A few days ago I found Curly holding the pacifier in his mouth to keep him from crying.
Thanks for being a great big sister!

life feels good

2009-07-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

SO cute!!

2009-06-22T11:35:00.001-07:00

This weekend my little curly was invited to a "photo shoot" for my dear friend Dana's blog. It was amazing to see Dana in action; she is truly one of the most talented people I know. The skirts pictured below are for a giveaway she's having to jump start summer. Go HERE to enter to win one of them. Also, go HERE to see her shop where she makes and sells the cutest baby stuff on the planet.

Leading up to the shoot we were trying to prep Curly by having her smile and pose around the house and she was totally getting into it. Of course on the day of she had no emotion what-s0-ever.

Even with no emotion she's still the cutest little girl I know :)

it's going to be a good year!

2009-06-19T20:53:00.000-07:00

Our back yard is brimming with yummy things we'll soon be able to eat...

Figs, figs, glorious figs.

This year I have to figure out what's eating all of them before I get a chance to.

One of about 5 avocados. This tree is not in our backyard, but the neighbors have kindly allowed us to consume anything that is on our side of the fence.

And my dear, glorious lemons are going to be plentiful this year. There are tons of these little guys popping up on just about every branch.

I sure wish I had smell-a-blog, you really have not smelled anything until you've smelled a citrus tree in full bloom. If they bottled this stuff I'd buy it by the gallon.

I am madly in love with all things in bloom!

One lucky mama!!

2009-06-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

I am so lucky to have some of the best girlfriends on the face of the planet!! Last week they threw little boy Munson and I quite the baby shower.

Natalie graciously allowed us to tear apart her house for the evening. She and the other gals did such an amazing job at getting it all together.

The food was insanely good!! popcorn, sausage sandwiches, strawberries, beautiful veggies...

delish drinks, and...

the best toasted ravioli EVER!! I ate about 10 of these little cups. And I can't get over the cute little details of the evening; ribbon around the paper cups, cute!! Oh, and I can't forget the yummy ice-cream sandwiches for dessert. I can declare I was officially stuffed when I went home.

Party crew: Natalie, Erin, Jocelyn and Krissy

Party crew in action

Cheers to good friends and a wonderful night (that was totally cheesy, I know)

Pregnant ladies are everywhere these days!

Laura, due 2 days after me

Marianna, Brittany, Brandy (due this week), and Jocelyn

The 3 ladies in the background, pregnant!!Kimber, due 1 week before me.

The whole gang (minus a few)

I feel so blessed to have such wonderful, caring and devotional friends! I don't know what I would do without you all!! Thanks to everyone for making the night so wonderful.

Mother's day 2009

2009-05-27T14:22:00.000-07:00

We decided to make Mother's day a special one this year and headed to one of my favorite places, The Huntington Gardens. It was a beautiful day and well worth the crowds.

Sadly, this is one of the very few pictures I have of myself this pregnancy. I guess the second kid is already getting jipped.
I sure love these two!! And you can tell Nate was trying to make it a good mother's day for me because he actually smiled in a picture!

Not only did we get to spend the day at the gardens, Nate and Curly presented me with a BEAUTIFUL pair of pearl earings; a perfect mother's day present if you ask me. Thanks for making me feel so special. LOVE YOU GUYS!!

FUN

2009-05-15T17:12:00.001-07:00

Go here to Obama ize yourself!

Backyard camping

2009-05-15T15:40:00.000-07:00

Dad has been craving some good camping adventures these days. Although I'm sure it was nothing like his days of scaling Mt. Whitney or his long nights in Death Valley, my guess is that spending the evening with his little girl in a tent in the backyard was a close second.

Yes, there are only 2 sleeping bags in the tent, one for Curly and one for dad. No way was I going to spend a night outside in a tent with this pregnant body. I did that once before when I was 8 months pregnant in Yosemite and I don't think I'll be doing that again.

Luckily Curly had all the comforts and necessities of home: books, blankets, her baby Ella, and milk.
It was a fun night for everyone.
Curly has a fine dad indeed!

New capris from old pants

2009-05-15T15:16:00.000-07:00

Sadly these super cute jeans couldn't withstand a recent growth spurt. I hated the idea of retiring them after only a few months so I consulted my amazingly creative friend Dana who suggested I make them into little capris.

Please excuse the dirty pant leg, I couldn't wait an entire hour to wash them, I wanted to start the refashion ASAP.

I really like the way they turned out... and I really, really like that I don't have to buy another pair of shorts for the warmer months!

Thanks Dana for being so inspiring in the creative department!!

American Idol!!

2009-05-15T14:58:00.000-07:00

American Idol was AWESOME!!! We waited in line for a very long time but in the end it was all worth it. While waiting outside Ryan Seacrest pulled up right next to us in his fancy car and said hi. Of course he was eating up all the attention and we were loving the star sighting.
Luckily being prego paid off, I got the last 2 tickets for sitting down and guess what... they were in the front row!!! We sat about 10 feet away from Simon and all the judges. It was a blast! My friends and I were on TV around 10 times, COOL!

These are the ladies I spent the evening with. I couldn't have gone with bigger AI fans.
Thanks Jocelyn for passing on your extra ticket!

American Idol

2009-05-06T07:36:00.000-07:00

Look for me tonight on American Idol!!!!! I'll be easy to spot... the chubby pregnant lady surrounded by all the cute little teenage girls.

Too bad Matt is no longer. But pretty excited about seeing No Doubt live. Should be a fun night.

Pictures will follow...

1st birthday party

2009-04-22T20:54:00.000-07:00

Curly went to her first official b-day party today for one of her closest friends. She's so grown up! I really like her and all her cuteness.

FYI, my little one will only be referred to as Curly from now on. I'm torn between making our BLOG private or giving her a nickname. We'll see how it goes.

I WANT THIS!!

2009-04-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

The KINDLE 2

I can not justify $360.00 right now, but someday I will have one!!

Forget about nesting how about crafting!!!

2009-04-21T14:04:00.000-07:00

Over the past month I've been doing a lot of sewing. My guess is that I'm subconsciously getting it in while I can :)

A friend of mine had a cute little banner hanging up in her house for a recent baby shower. She got hers at ETSY. I couldn't justify $35.00, so...

My very own Hooter Hider. Hey, I didn't name it, I just made it. A cute little Easter dress. Pretty much a glorified pillow case dress. One for the big girl and one for her doll.
Here it is in action. Yes, this picture was in my last post, I couldn't resist posting it again.

He's got to look respectable at church, right? I have to say, I LOVE wonder-under!

This is my most recent quilt top. It's my favorite so far, but I'm having a difficult time finding the right fabric for the backing.

The flower fabric is a vintage score from EBay. I'm madly in love with it. I'm pretty sure there has to be a limit on how many quilts you need in one home. I need to start giving them away, but it's just too hard.

I'll be going now, the crafting must go on.

A whole lot of Easter!

2009-04-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

We had a Easter week full of fun...

Dying eggs with some cute girls

Then of course we had to hide and seek the eggs
And then finally eat the eggs!
Saturday morning we played with dad at a local "egg" hunt. The only hunting was for little plastic tokens, lame. Actually, it was a lot of fun and totally understandable that the organizers didn't want to hide 100,000 eggs.
Jack pot!!!
Cute little bunny!

We could not get this child away from the petting zoo, she loves anything that she can mother.

Fire woman

Easter morning with her basket

Score!!! Thanks Easter bunny

Matching dresses for the girls

For Easter dinner we invited 3 family-less couples over to eat a delicious spread. Funny, we all have one child and they are all girls. It was such a blast to have all those little girls running around. Curly was enamored by the babies. Luckily the feeling was mutual.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter

Mission accomplished

2009-04-10T09:01:00.000-07:00

The potty training was a bit difficult for a few days, but Curly was a champ and is now "cured" of diapers!!

The end results aren't too bad, I get to see this running around all day. WAY cuter than diaper bum!!

Pool time

2009-04-10T08:52:00.001-07:00

On Monday the weather was so lovely we decided to fill up the pool. Both my girls had a fantastic time. (Yes, we consider baby Ella to be the 4th member of our family)!

I love spring time in Pasadena!!

Potty Training

2009-03-22T07:41:00.000-07:00

This just about sums up our potty training experience so far...

We're not giving up!!!

Samoas

2009-03-13T15:16:00.000-07:00

My goal was to not eat any desserts for the month of March, and then these showed up on my door step...

Darn those Girl Scouts and their charitable goodness!

First Mani (by mom)

2009-03-13T11:30:00.001-07:00

I'm very much looking forward to the time that we can go to the salon together on a special day and get a mani and pedi together!

Teeth

2009-03-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to inform the world that Curly now has (almost) all of her teeth. Yes, I know it took 2 1/2 years, but that's not the point, the point is she has them.

Quilt #2

2009-03-02T22:23:00.001-08:00

I'm not as excited about #2 as I was #1 but hopefully it will get well used by a cute little boy who loves it anyway.

And yes, I know the quilting is VERY crooked in some parts but I had to make it look home-made, right? I considered taking it all out and starting over, but I would rather get started on the next one.