Ho Ho Ho Whaddya Want!

We almost decided not to visit Santa again this year based on how the two previous years went, but Alannah kept saying she wanted to see him so we gave it another try.  I got her pumped up for a couple weeks prior and she seemed very excited.  She kept telling me “I’m not gonna cry, I’m a big girl now!”.  We pretended to be Santa so she could practice.  According to Alannah, Santa says, “Ho ho ho whaddya want?!” when you sit on his lap.

  So the morning of, I was getting her ready and a little while before we left, she tells me that Santa is not at his house today because he had to go to the doctor and get a shot.  I assured her that he was there.  On the way there she kept saying she wanted to go to Target or Costco (yes, she knows those stores by name) and not the mall.  We told her we would go shopping after Santa and she could ride the choo choo after she sat on Santa’s lap.  She finally caved.  She was fine in line until we got up to the door and saw him sitting there.  Then I got the death grip and she was clinging to me like no other.  As we walked in, Santa started talking to her and she freaked out! We finally calmed her down and Santa gave her a lollipop to assure her that he really is a nice guy and not some weirdo dressed in a red suit.  She talked to him and told him what she wants for Christmas (a scooter and a baby doll) but would NOT sit on his lap.  There was no way that was happening so the poor ladies (and Santa) who have to deal with difficult children all day, came up with a solution.  Daddy knelt next to Santa’s chair and Alannah sat on Daddy’s knee with Santa behind her.  She kept turning around to make sure Santa was not getting to close to her.  She’s a cautious girl just like her Mama :) You can see Josh’s hands and a little girl looking in the window in the background but at least we got a smiling one this year!

Happy Holidays!

 

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My Baby Can Read!

One of my favorite times of the day is story time before bed. Alannah picks a book for everyone to read and we take turns. She's become pretty good at "reading" her stories!

Chuck-e-Treating

Halloween was so much fun this year! Josh had to work, but they let the guys with kids go in late so they could go trick-or-treating.  So he got to go with us and stayed for a little bit after before he had to go.  Alannah was very excited to go “chuck-e-treating” as she kept calling it.  I had to wake her up from a late nap to get her ready so she was a bit cranky at first.  Once her costume was on though, her mood instantly changed.  She loved her costume! We put some spray glitter in her shoes and put on her sparkly shoes and she was set!

We headed to my dad’s a little early to get some pics of the kiddos.  Evangeline was Ariel from The Little Mermaid and looked super cute with her bright red hair.  Sharon, Alyssa and Collin met us right before we started through the neighborhood.  Evangeline and Alannah held hands the entire time…it was too cute.  I was worried that Alannah would be scared, but I think her cousin made her brave :) The kids all got a good stash of candy and then acted like wild animals once we were back at the house.  It was a great night! Already thinking of next year’s costume…hmmm. 

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Pumpkin Patch 2010

We took a trip to Live Oak Canyon Pumpkin Patch last Sunday.  It had been raining on and off pretty much the whole week prior, so I was nervous about the weather.  But I decided we would go rain or shine, since it was pretty much the only day we would be able to go. 

We just love that pumpkin patch! The first time we went was when we got Alannah’s pictures done for her first Halloween.  We have gone back every year since, so this was our 3rd trip.  They have all kinds of fun stuff.  A petting zoo, hay rides, a giant pumpkin bouncer, etc.  We spent a lot of time in the petting zoo.  Alannah loves animals and was having a blast petting the goats. 

We spent some time walking around and then picked our pumpkins.  We got one HUGE one and a smaller green/yellow one that I liked for the front porch.  After the pumpkin patch we headed to Jose’s for some mexican food and then enjoyed a lazy Sunday!

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Apple Picking

 

Last Sunday, we took a little trip to Oak Glen to go apple picking.  I mentioned to Josh that I wanted to go and then Sharon invited us to go.  It worked out perfect since we had been thinking of going anyways.  So, we had planned to meet Sharon and her family, and Jaime and Bryan up there on Sunday morning.  There was just a slight glitch in our plan.  Once we got up there, we had NO cell service.  We didn’t end up hanging out with any of them because we couldn’t find them :(  We saw Sharon and family as we were leaving, but we had already been there for a while.  Alannah was hot and tired and in major need of a nap, so we just chatted with them for a few minutes and were on our way. 

Even though we didn’t get to meet up with our friends, we still had fun.  We will definitely need to plan better next year! I was very excited to take Alannah because my dad used to take us every year growing up.  It’s a fun little community with a lot of stuff to do.  This year we only went to one of the apple farms…but I think next time we’ll take make our way to the village as well.  Next time I think we’ll also try and go during the week (it was pretty crowded and hot this time). 

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Another Summer Come and Gone!

Wow! I can’t believe another summer is over! We did SO much fun stuff this summer, and I’ve been so busy, that it has been very hard to keep up with this blog.  Plus, I haven’t had as much time as I’d like to organize and edit my photos so it’s taken me a while to get them all on the computer. 

We are finally settled in our house.  We got our patio done this week.  Now we just need to accessorize it with furniture, plants, etc.  We are getting the downstairs painted next week.  And hopefully soon we’ll be getting the upstairs done.  I’ll post more pictures once everything is complete :)

Like I said, we had a great summer and did some very fun stuff.  Here are just some of the highlights:

4th of July
We spent the 4th on Hillcrest like we normally do.  Swimming, BBQ’ing, eating, drinking, fireworks.  So much fun.  Alannah was very scared of the fireworks this year, so we watched from inside with Sharon, Alyssa, and Collin.  Daddy decided to drink a few too many Vodka and Rockstar Lemonades on an empty and missed the fireworks.  He spent some quality time with the toilet instead ;)

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Day at the Beach
We had a fun day at the beach this year.  It was cold and overcast when we got there, but warmed up soon enough.  Alannah wasn’t too sure about the water - I have a very cautious toddler on my hands…don’t know where she gets that :)  She LOVED the sand though.  She spent a couple hours contently playing in the sand.  It was a fun day!  

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My Birthday
I had a small birthday celebration this year.  We had our family over for pizza and cake.  My cake said “Happy Dirtday” because at that point that’s how Alannah was saying it…so cute! We mainly did the cake thing for Alannah.  She loves singing happy birthday and celebrating.  After pizza and cake, Alannah went to Grandma’s and we went out for drinks and dancing.  It was a very fun night…from what I remember :)

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Vegas
Josh and I headed to Vegas for our 5th wedding anniversary.  Alannah spent some time with Nana and her very first overnight stay with Grandpa (who spoiled the heck out of her).  It was a much needed break from everyday life.  As much as we love that little girl, it was nice to have a break from the terrific two’s for a couple of nights.  Not many photos…just a couple from my iphone…

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Fair
We’ve made it a tradition to go to the LA County Fair every year.  We got lucky this year as they were having “Heroes Day” where all military, fire, and police and their guests got in for $1.  So we made it in for $2 since Alannah is still free.  I won’t tell you how much we spend on food and drinks, but at least we got a break getting in. 

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San Diego
In September I went to San Diego for work for an annual conference that we usually participate in.  Since it was so close, I decided to extend my stay after the conference and we made it a mini-vacation.  Josh and Alannah met me there after the conference was over.  We spent some time in Gaslamp and we to the SD zoo the next day.  Alannah absolutely love the zoo.  She is definitely an animal lover!

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Those were our major events of the summer.  We also did some other fun stuff.  We rode to San Marcos with Shelley to watch Guwene’s (Evangeline) first soccer game.  Alannah loves her cousin and they are becoming the best of friends :)  Can’t wait until Lily gets a little older so they can play together too.  We went to the water park with Grandma, did some arts and crafts, and of course went to the park several times. 

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What else is new?  We celebrated Josh’s birthday a few weeks ago.  Mainly celebrated with family.  Alannah and I baked some brownies and sent some cookies to work since he had to work on his birthday.  Alannah is finally showing a little interest in potty training.  She’ll tell me once or twice a day that she wants to sit on the potty (the big one surprisingly).  We’ll sit there for a few minutes and then she’ll tell me “Mommy it’s not working”.  She has yet to pee-pee on the potty, but we’re making progress. 

I can’t believe Christmas is around the corner! I’ve already started shopping and have gotten a few things for Alannah.  We’re also getting ready for Halloween.  She’s pretty excited this year.  She’s going to be Tinkerbelle.  Unfortunately, Daddy will probably have to work. 

Well, that was a very long breakdown of our summer.  Stay tuned for more updates!

Too Busy to Think!

We have been SO busy lately! Besides getting ready to move, it seems like we have had something to do every single weekend for the last month and a half or so.  All fun stuff, but I am worn out! 

It started in May with Josh having a Saturday off.  Alannah went to Grandma’s and we went out to a local bar and bet up with Nick and Vanessa.  Val ended up coming later in the evening also.  We did a lot of drinking and a LOT of dancing.  My husband is a dancing machine and loves it even more when he’s drinking :)

The next weekend I went out for a bachelorette party.  Good times with the girls!  We took a limo down to Universal City Walk.  We ate at Saddle Ranch and then went to a really fun Piano Bar.  Josh ended up picking me up on his way home from work because I couldn’t hang anymore and the girls were still planning to be there for hours.

The following weekend was memorial day.  We spent the day on Hillcrest like we normally do for the Summer BBQ’s.  Alannah and Josh did a little bit of swimming.  There will be plenty more of that this summer after we move :)

On June 5th, we celebrated Evangeline’s 4th birthday with a luau at Shelley’s house.  I can’t believe that little girl is 4 already! Unfortunately, Josh had to work and couldn’t make it. It was a very hot day, but a great party!

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Later that evening I went with Val to the Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw concert.  It was a great show! We met up with some friends from high school.  Good friends and good music!

Last weekend we went to Jaime and Brian’s beautiful wedding in Fallbrook.  Everything was gorgeous and we had such a good time!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alannah enjoyed one of the favors from the candy bar the next day :)

Finally, this past weekend we celebrated Father’s day.  We had a BBQ at the house and just relaxed.  I only took a few pics of Josh and Alannah earlier in the day, but haven’t downloaded them yet. 

Besides all the fun festivities, we have been getting ready to move and shopping, shopping, shopping…which has done a number to our bank account.  Alannah has been a trooper (for the most part) during our numerous shopping trips…

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We will hopefully be closing escrow today or tomorrow and will be getting our keys Wednesday or Thursday….if all goes as planned.  Our big move will be Saturday! We are very stressed and excited at the same time!  I mainly hope it goes smooth for Alannah.  I know she will miss “Crappa”, but he’ll be right down the street so she can visit any time.  Then we’ll spend the rest of the summer unpacking, organizing, painting, shopping, and swimming! And maybe we’ll take a trip or two if our bank account allows :) Wish us a happy moving day!

PS~ Happy Birthday to my DBF Valerie!!

Sunday Funday

A few weeks ago we took Alannah to La Habra Children’s Museum.  I wanted to go because the website said they had a live animal exhibit.  Alannah loves animals so I thought it would be something fun to do.  Well their live animal exhibit consisted of two chickens, two goats, and some baby chicks.  Oh and I can’t forget the plastic pig and plastic cow! I was hoping for more of a petting zoo type thing, but it was still fun! They had all kinds of neat stuff and it was only $7 each to get in.  Good, cheap fun! They had a little grocery store type thing, a dress-up area, a craft area where we made a kite, a dead animal exhibit (which creeped me out), a cool train outside….lots of fun stuff!

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Mom’s Day 2010

This year was my third Mother’s Day!  Hard to believe! Here’s a comparison between my first Mother’s Day and this year…

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apparently I like to wear green on Mother’s Day :) I couldn’t find a picture from 2009 which makes me sad.  We didn’t do much last year because I think Josh was working, but I wish I would have taken a picture. 

We kept it low-key this year.  We went to lunch at Panera with my mom, Shelley, Nick, Vanessa and Evangeline, Kristen and Lily, and my dad.  Of course we had to do a photoshoot with Alannah before we left for lunch :)  She’s such a silly girl!

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We were lucky that Panera wasn’t crowded and we were able to snag some tables to fit us all.  I didn’t take any pictures, but Shelley got a few. 

 

I wish I would’ve taken some more…but eating out with Alannah tends to keep my attention elsewhere :)

We spent the rest of the day doing usual Sunday things.  We drove by the new place and were able to break sneak in to see the progress.  All of the drywall is up and the cabinets are in! I didn’t have my camera on me to take pictures but it’s starting to come together!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day! I did!

Little Lily

My sister and her husband welcomed Liliana to the world on April 20th at 8:12pm.  I was able to go to the hospital and see her shortly after she was born for a few minutes.  Josh and Alannah had to stay home because kids aren’t allowed in the hospital.  So on Sunday we headed over to my mom’s house for a visit so Alannah could meet her new cousin.  When we first got there, Lilly was eating so we had to wait a bit.  By the time they came out, Alannah was in full playing mode so she didn’t really care much about the baby.  She went over and looked at her for a minute and then went back to playing with her toys.  After a while she came back to see her and seemed more interested in her.  She kept petting her hair and seemed very concerned every time Lilly cried.  I was afraid she would be jealous but that wasn’t the case at all.  We look forward to many more visits with Lilly!

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Alannah’s New House

At the beginning of the year we started the process of buying a new townhome.  After a TON of paperwork (and still more to come) we’re a little less than two months away from our closing date (scary!).  The new house is a block away from Alannah’s daycare so we drive by it at least 3x’s a week.  We usually drive by on the weekends as well to take pics of the progress.  We’re trying to get Alannah as excited and prepared as possible because it is going to be a huge adjustment for her when we move.  Whenever we drive by she screams, “Alannah’s new house!” from the back seat.  We’ve looked at the model a few several times and she loves to run up and down the stairs.  So whenever we talk about the new house she talks about the stairs and her new room.  We’ve been trying to explain to her that Grandpa is staying at Grandpa’s house; which I think she sort of gets. 

The builders are making progress and we had our first walk-through a couple of weeks ago.  Here’s some of the progress over the months and our design choices:

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And the first official picture of Josh and Alannah in the new house:

I cannot tell you how excited I am to decorate.  I think about it a little too much and tend to overwhelm my self, but I know it will all come together eventually.  I have a ton of fun ideas for Alannah’s room.  June 22nd we’ll be here before we know it and we’ll be signing our lives away!

I think she's pretty cute...

Check out some pics from our recent session with Angel :)

Easter

Easter was a lot of fun this year now that Alannah is more aware of what's going on. She was excited for the Easter Bunny to come and to find eggs! We colored eggs on Tuesday night because we though daddy would be working until Sunday morning....but he ended up getting Saturday off. We spend Saturday morning at VG riding the choo choo (one of her favorite things to do) and had lunch. After nap time we headed over to Josh's aunt's for "Mexican Easter" :) I forgot my camera so I have no pictures of that, but it was a ton of fun as always.


Easter morning we found what the Easter bunny left. She got lots of goodies! I think she got a total of 5 baskets from everyone! Nana came over for a visit and later Grandma, Auntie and Uncle came over. We had a fun weekend!


And now we are all sick! Boo! I just hope we're all feeling better by the weekend because we have family pictures to take.

I'm Back!

It's been almost a year since I last blogged. I got a little sidetracked...but things are back on track and I'm ready to try this out again (and learn some more about it)! Even if nobody reads it, that's ok because I'm using it as a tool to help me keep track of memories. We've been busy this last year! Alannah turned 2 and we took our first family trip to Disneyland. So much fun! Alannah loved it and we can't wait to go back. We also bought a new townhome! We're still in the process, but on track to move late June or early July. It's a little stressful...but we are very excited! I promise I'll be back soon with updated pictures and fun stuff. It won't be a year again!