buttafly's spot

More life on deck...

2010-11-14T13:24:00.000-08:00

Seriously there is so much to do on the ship, it really is it's own little city! The crew that works on the ship is amazing! I can't believe how much they pull off in one week and can't even fathom doing it day after day with new people every single week!

Daddy & Ashlyn at the dining room.

Mommy & Gabe at the dining room.

Ashlyn & Daddy all dressed up for formal night.

Our family at formal night.

The kids at Club Hal. It was water splash day.

Ship Life

2010-11-14T13:07:00.000-08:00

Here are some various photos of Brian and the kids around the ship. They had little adventures while mommy napped, read, and showered. Aahhhhh! :)

Gabe & Daddy chillin on a bench.

Looking very deep in thought.

Posing like a statue with a statue.

Brian played shuffleboard with the kids. Yes. Shuffleboard.

The kids loved it!

Mazatlan

2010-11-12T18:10:00.000-08:00

So I wasn't really impressed with Mazatlan. To be honest, it really just reminded me of Tijuana. It seemed kinda run down and I was surprised that anyone would even want to stay at a "resort" in such a place. We didn't stay very long and went back to the ship fairly early. We didn't book any excursions there and maybe that's why we didn't see anything really impressive.

The beach was nice. There were a couple of people

walking around selling their things but they took

no for an answer the first time and left us alone.

Of course the water was beautiful.

We ate at this outdoor restaurant and they had this

map of the US (and one of Europe) up.

They let you put a pin in the location you came from.

Southern California was totally full so I decided to stick

one in Salt Lake and pay homage to my hometown.

Brian & the kids pose with Senior Frog.

Back on the ship...

Brian took this pic of Mazatlan from the ship.

Mexican Riviera Cruise 2010

2010-11-12T17:55:00.000-08:00

The whole family went on a cruise to Mexico Oct 30-Nov 6 and we all had such a great time! We sailed on Holland America's Oosterdam, which was a really nice boat. It was definitely different cruising with kids. We had to sort of follow their schedule a little bit, but it wasn't too bad. They had the time of their lives in Club Hal. The club was open every day from 9-11:30am, 1-4pm, and 7-10pm. So plenty of time for mommy & daddy to be kid-free! Our cruise was 7 days and went to Mazatlan, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. We'd never been to any of those places and in the interest of saving a little moolah by avoiding the need to fly somewhere, we figured why not? Brian & I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in August (wow, really???) and now that the kids are old enough to be more independant, a cruise was a great vacation for us. We did a lot of fun things and took lots of pics so I'll break this up into a few posts to cover it all. This first one is the first couple of days on the ship.

We spent Halloween on the cruise so the kids got all

dressed up for a party at Club Hal. Ashlyn was an evil

faerie. Gabe is a pirate (fitting, we thought!)

Waiting for the door to the club to open...

This was the result most nights on the ship.
We kept nudging him and saying his name but
he was seriously out!!!

Me & Brian. Another passenger was walking
by and saw us taking pics of each other. She
offered to take one of the two of us.
I'm glad she did because it turned out well.

MMMM.... dessert bar!!! (I'll be working off many of
those come New Years!)

Update?

2010-10-15T16:18:00.001-07:00

So everyone has been wanting an update apparently...
There really just isn't a whole lotta new going on in our house! Nothing unusual at least.
Both kids are back in school, Ashlyn in 4th grade and Gabe in Kindergarten. Ashlyn was also accepted into the GATE program this year so that should be interesting.
Gabe is loving Kindergarten, although he told me last Friday that he was done because they learned all about "Z" that day. :)
I'm a room parent for his class, which actually keeps me pretty busy! I help run the centers in the classroom on Mondays and Tuesdays and then on all the other various occasions (Teddy Bear picnic, class parties, scarecrow making!).
I also signed up on the PTA and got suckered into chairing the Santa's Breakfast for this year. This school is busy!!!
Brian and I recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary which is pretty exciting. We planned a family trip to celebrate and will be going on a cruise in a few weeks. We're heading to the Mexican Riviera (no flights and we've never been). We are all pretty excited about it.
Small home improvements continue. My craft room/guest room is completed with the exception of new baseboards and the front yard is looking really great. It finally feels like a home!
I think that's pretty much it... we're just living the life!

Boot Camp?

2010-03-10T07:41:00.000-08:00

Has anyone ever done a boot camp workout? A company here is offering 10 classes for $35 (a $250 value) which seems like it's probably a great deal, but I'm having a hard time finding out the schedule. If you've done one, how often do they meet? Once a week? 3x a week?

I hate cancer.

2010-03-04T09:37:00.000-08:00

I recently found out that my childhood friend, Danere, has stage IV mestastic breast cancer. She is 27 years old and is undergoing aggressive chemo therapy. I just keep thinking to myself how unfair it is for her to be going through this. She is young and happy and I guess I just don't understand why she got it. Really I don't understand why anyone gets cancer. It just seems like we have enough in our lives without it, so why is it neccessary?
If you pray, please pray for her. If you don't pray, any positive thoughts you can send her way would be well appreciated right now.

Ouch!

2010-02-24T17:54:00.000-08:00

So yes, it has been a while since I purposefully exercised. I used to be at the gym 4-5 days a week for 1.5 to 2 hours working out but since we moved so far away from ANY gym and I've been working on making this house a home, I haven't found the time or energy to go workout. I eat pretty well, healthy and all that and have lost a decent amount of weight thanks to just watching what I eat but it's really time to get my body back into some kind of shape! Brian and I bought a treadmill last month and I have finally found the motivation to get my butt on it! We have this "iFit" program where you can download different workouts to use to guide you to reach your goals. We downloaded some Jillian Michaels programs and wow, she is annoying! Cutting in every 30 to 60 seconds to push you more. I did just the weight loss program today and it had me sweating and sore in just 30 minutes! Here's to 800mg Ibuprofen and hopes for a strong back tomorrow!
What is your workout regimen?

Wild Animal Park

2010-02-13T20:38:00.000-08:00

I took Gabriel to a meetup playdate at the WAP on Monday and it was such a gorgeous day!! I took some great pics of him and we had fun with our friends.

Leaping on Lily Pads

Riding on the carousel.

Feeding the lorikeets. We didn't get pooped on!
(Believe me, that in itself is a huge victory!)

Gabe had two land on him for some

time and one was nibbling on his ear.

Gabe's portrait. I LOVE taking my own

pictures of the kids to send to our families

and then printing them at Costco.

I got all the pictures I needed for less than $5!

More snow!

2010-02-13T20:22:00.000-08:00

Grandpa Don hooked a sled up to his 4-wheeler and pulled the kids around the horse property. They were out there for about 2 hours!!!

Lilly was trying to catch the sled. I promise she wasn't

trying to bite the kids!

Ashlyn's turn!

My brother Jared with his
monster-sized dog, Ash and Gabe.

Fun in Utah

2010-02-13T20:11:00.000-08:00

The kids had such a great time in Utah in December playing in all the snow. These pics are were taken at my Dad's house the day after Christmas. He has 7 acres and a perfect hill right behind the house for sledding!

Buddy & Jezzy romping around together.

Jezzy loved playing in the snow but didn't like it

when she was put out by herself for potty time.

My Dad and me.

Ashlyn

Weee!!!

Preschool Christmas Program

2010-02-13T20:06:00.000-08:00

You could say that I'm a bit behind, but I'll just tell you better late than never!
Check out Gabe in his preschool's Christmas program. They sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and Dreidel Dreidel. I think there was one more song but can't find the video from the program. They look so cute with the red cheeks and noses!

Gabriel with Miss Nichelle. We miss her!

The Evils of FaceBook

2010-01-29T17:42:00.001-08:00

Okay I admit it. FaceBook has really taken over my internet use and I almost never blog anymore. I've been trying to do it at least once a month. Why does it take so dang long to load pics and then when I do, they come up in a strange order?? I really wish that blogger.com would fix this or just make it more user-friendly so that I would not be so confused.
Anyway, I put up a few blogs to sort of catch up. I know I didn't blog about Christmas, it's just WAY too busy a time for me.

We celebrated with my Dad and his wife. They came out and were here for about a week before Christmas. Then Brian and I got a wild idea and we decided to act on it... his family (parents and 9 siblings, plus spouses and kids!) get together at Christmastime to celebrate as a family and do a gift exchange. We've missed it the past few years. This year it was scheduled for Dec 26. It was almost too perfect (wringing hands together sneakily). We talked my dad into celebrating Christmas one day early, contacted Santa to request he come on the eve of the 23rd and packed our bags! We left our house EARLY Christmas morning and drove all the way to Salt Lake. Then we just simply showed up at the family Christmas party with NO ONE expecting us there!! It was SO MUCH FUN! I love surprising people and this time it worked so perfectly, it was just meant to be.
I have to say we were so glad to be home a few days later. Utah is freaking COLD!!!

The boy who loves LegoLand

2010-01-29T17:33:00.000-08:00

Seriously. He LOVES this place. He would rather be at LegoLand than DisneyLand. What have I done?? We went a couple weeks ago with our friends and he asks to go again on nearly a daily basis. Check out these pics of him. I can never get a normal smile out of him when he knows I am taking a picture. It's always a little head cocked to the side with squinted eyes and as wide a smile showing as many teeth as possible.

I asked him to try to keep his head up and his eyes open for

just one picture. Below is the result.

His very favorite: driving the Lego cars.

He could do this for hours and doesn't

even mind standing in line for it!

2010-01-29T17:26:00.000-08:00

We so love DisneyLand. My birthday came and I could not imagine a better way to spend it than going to DisneyLand with my kids and our friends! I got a gift card from Disney in the amount of a one day admission which I easily spent on two new watches (one TinkerBell and one Mickey) and a new coffee travel mug! I also got each of the kids a little something. ;)

Miss my friend!

2010-01-29T17:24:00.000-08:00

This is my friend Cassandra who moved FAR away and so I never get to see her anymore. She came into town in October and we met up for dinner one night. I miss her! I really wish all my friends would stop moving away!

Way past due

2010-01-18T15:39:00.000-08:00

I know I am way past due for a blog but things have been so busy lately! I will blog again once I can access my pics... my laptop is not doing so hot and Brian's moved all of them to an external hard drive... I just don't know how to access it!
I will be back!

Per Tanyetta's Request...

2009-12-07T20:31:00.000-08:00

Here is an update on my blog!!! It has been far too long (about 6 weeks!) and mostly I have Facebook to blame. It's just so easy to quickly post on there.

At the end of October our search for a new 4 legged friend finally came to an end when we found Jezebel (Brian's pick) at a local shelter. She's a (almost) 2-year-old German Shepherd/Sharpei mix and she is seriously the BEST dog for our family! She's great with the kids, loves to run with Brian and so well-behaved. We love her!

My mom, stepdad, and stepbrother came out to visit for Thanksgiving. We had a great time together and dinner turned out pretty much perfect!

We took the two dogs to the dog beach (they brought their lab, Lilly with them). The dogs had a blast! It was really fun to watch them frolic and play in the water.

We went to Ruby's Diner at the end of the Oceanside Pier one night for dinner. Seriously, good 50's style food!

Mom and I also got in plenty of girly fun together, which is my favorite part. We went and saw "New Moon" and had a great time shopping on Black Friday - in the evening of course!

We also finally conformed to our practical sides and traded in our Jeep Wrangler for a minivan. Yup, I said it. I never EVER thought I would but I now drive in a fashionable Town & Country. I actually do really love it. It's extremely convenient and very comfortable.

Halloween 2009

2009-11-03T19:04:00.000-08:00

We had a great Halloween! My friend from Utah, Nicole was in town on vacation and brought her two girls over to go Trick or Treating with us. Our kids get along so well! When Gabe woke up the next morning, he came into our bedroom and asked where the girls went. He told me that he wanted them to sleep over and stay to play with him.

Sierra looks for the good candy while Ashlyn holds the bowl.

Ready to go!

Gabe dressed as a Dragon

Ashlyn was a High School Musical cheerleader

This is Gabe's signature pose.

The kids got lots of candy (that they aren't even very interested in eating!) and had a great time TOTing. Our neighbors across the street made a fantastic spook ally in their garage and Gabe went through it twice! When the costumed kids jumped out at him, he laughed every time. Ashlyn thought it was scary, but fun and Nicole's girls were a little scared. I carried Sierra through so she and I are now bonded! ;) Somehow my camera missed Madi, but she was here too, in her TinkerBell costume. Sierra was dressed as Silvermist.

Lavender Hill Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Lavender Hill Pumpkin Patch this past weekend to pick out our pumpkins for Halloween. The patch is a local, small organic farm and we had gone there last year. The kids picked 4 pumpkins and then also recieved tiny pumpkins as a gift from the farm. When you buy your pumpkins, they give them names. I'm trying to remember the names ours got... one was "Prize Winner" and another was "Orange Smoothie". I think it's funny that they name all of their pumpkins. The big ones had pretty funny names.

New Living Room Floors

2009-10-13T09:58:00.000-07:00

Just about 2 weeks ago, while Brian's parents were visiting, we put new flooring in the living room. With the help of Brian's dad, brother Dan, and BIL Dan (yes, there are two) it was done in less than a day from start to finish! This is the same flooring we put in the dining room about 6 months ago. It feels so nice to cross another room off the "To Do" list!

This is the living room before we moved in.

It was actually designed as a formal living/dining room

but as we have no use for either, we decided to make it our

main living/family room. The chandelier in this pic

was replace with a ceiling fan/light.

Our living room now. I have two more pieces of furniture

coming. One is a console/sofa table that will go

under the window to the right and we'll use it as a sort of

charging station for phones, etc. The other is an

end table to go under the clock. Both are white.

One day, we'd like to add a piano.

Here's another view of the room.

The front door is there on the left.

The fixture on the couch is Ashlyn. ;)

Texas... Yeehaw!

2009-09-16T11:49:00.000-07:00

I just got home from Texas Monday night after visiting my best friend. She just had her adorable baby Dylan and I was so glad that I was able to go and meet him and spend a few days with her family.
I had a really great time, totally relaxing and fun. I met some really nice people and saw a few I'd met before. And best of all, I got lots of time to hold and snuggle sweet Dylan. I know I should have taken pics and posted them but I really didn't take any... I was busy loving on that cute baby boy!
Thank you so much to Stacy & Jamie for letting me come out and hang with them for a few days!!

Back to School

2009-09-04T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn headed back to school on Monday... this time as a 3rd grader! She is very excited at the prospect of learning to write cursive! She was also excited that our neighborhood got a bus (as was I, considering the school is just over 5 miles away!).

Here is Ashlyn, waiting at the bus stop.

Gabe & I walked her to the bus stop.

The bus is here!!

She's had a great week so far. She really likes her teacher. I hope the excitement is still there when she starts getting homework next week!

This busy life!

2009-08-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been staying on top of my blog lately, but I've been busy, really!!
Because we tend to host so much company (it's been someone every month since March!) and we still have our busy lives to live, we haven't been able to get a lot done on the house. We start a lot of projects that don't always get finished. We are attempting to get 2-3 months to ourselves to catch up and get some projects done. I am currently working on Gabe's room, which has waited a long time. We're putting up bead board in the lower half of his room and hoping to get that all done this weekend, but of course it's so much more than just that... it's chair rail and baseboards too!
Meanwhile, Brian has been very busy at work, getting home late and working plenty of weekend hours as well.
Gabriel goes back to preschool tomorrow (Yay!) and Ashlyn is enjoying her visit with her grandparents in Utah. She left Wednesday and is spending one week with my mom & Don and one with my dad & Jennie. Summer has gone by pretty quickly!
Hopefully my next update will include Gabe's finished bedroom!!

Ashlyn's 8th Birthday

2009-08-09T18:20:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Ashlyn's 8th birthday today (two days early) and went to CB's Cupcakes at the mall. This place is so cute! Ashlyn invited 5 of her friends and they decorated cupcakes together. The theme was Harry Potter (what else?) so the cupcakes were red velvet with yellow (gold) buttercream frosting. The girls had a lot of fun putting all kinds of toppings on their individual cupcakes. Ashlyn included red and yellow gummy bears on hers.

I love the decor!

Ashlyn in her special chair. I want to make one

for my scrapbook room! It has chiffon ruffles

all around the bottom, like a tutu!

Blowing out her candle.

Opening gifts at home.

This is an inside family joke... we got Ashlyn a Snuggie!

She thinks it's totally great and plans on using

it tonight while she reads.

She was so excited to get her very own

(PINK!!) iPod! We pre-loaded it

with all of her favorite music from The Beatles

to Gwen Stefani.

Listening to "Dani California"

Wearing her Snuggie. Haha!! (And little

brother being silly)

We feel so lucky to have such an amazing daughter. She's intelligent, funny, beautiful, and caring. Ashlyn has a very important role in our family and she fits it perfectly. We love you so much Ashlyn!!! Happy Birthday.

Petting Zoo fun

2009-07-24T17:22:00.000-07:00

We went up to Orange County last week to pick up Ashlyn's friend and take her to our house for a sleepover. We stopped at this little petting zoo before going home and stayed for a couple of hours visiting the animals.

Ashlyn pretended to take care of all the bunnies

Gabriel loved the guinea pigs.

This is the first animal he's picked up that

didn't squirm and try to get away. I'm pretty

sure guinea pigs have very small brains.

Don't let them fool you. These goats appear to
be sweet and gentle, but they are ruthless!

Look how cautious Ashlyn is. This is of course, after

a couple of them jumped on her, trying to get at food.

We love DisneyLand!

2009-07-24T17:09:00.000-07:00

Okay so these pics are actually from the middle of June... but I just found them! We met up with our friends, Jean Claude and Elena, for an evening of fun at DisneyLand and California Adventure. We had a great time with them. We let the kids choose every ride. :)

Just the girls.

On Triton's carousel.

Look at our pretty princess.

We waited SO LONG to go on Toy Story Mania.

It was worth it though!

Waiting in line...

Gabe would not pose with me. Little stinker.

What's a "Sprayground"?

2009-07-24T16:56:00.000-07:00

Whenever I post on my FaceBook page that we are going or have just been to the sprayground, I get at least a couple of comments asking me what a sprayground is. Hopefully this helps explain it a little better. I should have taken a picture of the entire structure but I didn't even think of it at the time. Next time, I'll get the whole thing in the shot!

The sprayground is a play area based around waterworks. There are several different sprinkler set ups. Basically, it's just a big wet zone with a bunch of different ways to get soaked! The kids were hanging around this small sprayer, filling up their buckets and then throwing the full buckets of water onto each other. There are bigger sprayers that you can run through and stand under as well. This sprayground is in the East County at Santee Lakes.

Help!

2009-07-14T10:43:00.001-07:00

My computer got wiped and I lost all of my links to all of my friend's blogs. If I am a reader of your blog, please post a comment so I can link and save your blog.
Thanks!!

4th of July

2009-07-10T20:48:00.000-07:00

While we girls stayed and played in San Diego, Brian and Gabe headed to Mt. Pleasant, Utah to spend the 4th of July with Grandma & Grandpa Healey and the rest of the Healey clan. They had a really good trip (I'm glad they had the time alone together) and had a lot of fun with the family.

Gabe getting candy at the parade

Right here! Throw me some candy!

I'm so glad he is big enough to fend for himself.

Brian tells me that Gabriel and his cousin, Kelsey were

inseparable the entire time. They are very close in age

and really enjoyed each other's company.

Brian decided to stop in Las Vegas on his way to Utah

for the night. He had booked a room online for the

Excalibur for just $40. When he got there, he asked

if they had any upgrades available and the desk clerk

put them in a SUITE in one of the towers!!

A living room, two bathrooms and this giant tub in the bedroom.

The tub was really deep, well above Gabe's head.

Gabe enjoyed his swim!

Girly Fun!

2009-07-08T18:06:00.000-07:00

A very pregnant Jamie and her daughter, Ayda came all the way from Texas for a great visit!! For the whole weekend, it was just us 4 girls and we had such a great girly time together!! We all went to DisneyLand together the very first day and the girls had a BLAST! It was Ayda's first time so we got her a "1st Time" button and the girls also got "Honorary Citizen" buttons. I took them on the rough rides while Jamie (and baby Dylan!) waited for us then we all went on the best Disney has to offer together.

Ashlyn & Ayda at Sleeping Beauty's Castle

Ashlyn & I in the teacup

In our car at Autopia

BFFs waiting for Nemo's Submarine

Ashlyn & TinkerBell

The girls with Fawn

Waiting to meet Fairies

New dining room!

2009-06-27T22:44:00.000-07:00

Last weekend Brian and I ripped up the carpet in the dining room (yes, carpet. What were they thinking??) and we began putting in wood laminate flooring. When you put in new flooring, you also have to put in trim and baseboards. We definitely learned A LOT putting in the new floor so next time (planning on doing the living room too) it will go much smoother and a lot quicker! I learned how to use the nail gun, which I totally enjoyed. ;) I can't believe what a difference it makes. The new room looks SO MUCH better!

New floor!!

The dining room before we moved in.

Next up is to touch up the paint on the baseboards (over where the nails went in) and then paint the fireplace mantle. We'll move the dining furniture back in tomorrow!

Thank you Brian for putting in so many hours to make our home look and feel so nice and comfortable!! Even the kids love it.

He didn't... he DID!!!

2009-06-17T10:37:00.000-07:00

So I walk into the dining room and see a red marker lid on the floor. Hmm... that's strange. Gabe's never drawn on anything other than paper so I'm sure he hasn't done anything with it. I call him downstairs to see he's covered in red marker lines. I ask him if he's drawn on anything else and of course he says "No Mommy". Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and check for myself. Here's what I found:

My scrapbook room door

His bedroom door

And he also got the dining room wall and
a wall in the loft.
Here is Gabe cleaning all of the marker up.

He says he will never do it again. I sure hope not!

School's Out!!!

2009-06-17T10:25:00.000-07:00

School is out for summer and Ashlyn is happy to be "free". Her last week at school was SO busy! Mostly fun stuff, and also a little musical production called "Bugz". She was the HoneyBee. The best part was when all the girls sang a song called "Be a Lady". It was funny to see her up there with all her sass. She was swinging her hips and being so girly, believe me when I say she really stood out!

We also had a closing ceremony for Girl Scouts (same day as the play) and Ashlyn got all of her try-it patches as well as her official Girl Scout pins. You can see how excited she was! She LOVES being a Girl Scout, I think we've finally found her niche.

My Lovely Friend!

2009-05-26T20:02:00.001-07:00

Danielle and her cute little boy, Anthony came to visit us for a week. We had so much fun, I miss Danielle A LOT!! We shopped, we played at DisneyLand and the beach, she even colored my hair for me!! It was so fun to get to spend that time with her. She's such a great mother to her little boy and it's fun to see her in that role. Thanks for coming Danielle & Anthony. We miss you guys already!!!

Ace

2009-05-09T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is my new nephew Ace Striker. He is the cutest little thing! I don't know how Dan & Christine got such an easygoing baby, but they did! It's so fun to hold a newborn baby again (no, I do not want another one!). I'm really glad that they will be here in So Cal for a few more years so that I can watch Ace grow into a little boy. Ashlyn is plotting her revenge on Dan (teaching Ace a few things) for all of the teasing Dan's done to her the past few years.

4 Years Old!

2009-05-09T19:56:00.000-07:00

Gabe has turned 4! It's true, they grow up fast. He is quickly becoming his own little person with his own opinions and thoughts. His interests are XBOX (I am not a fan of this), anything that has to do with cars or trains, Legos, and his bike.

We celebrated his birthday with a combined party for him and his buddy (they are a week apart and have the same friends) last weekend. We had a luau! The kids all had lots of fun.

Then on his actual birthday, he and I went up to DisneyLand and met up with my cousin Katie and her two little ones. We got there right when they opened at 10am and we actually got on 8 rides before leaving at 1:30. Not bad! Gabe got a "Happy Birthday" button and a birthday phone call from Goofy.

It's hard to think that he will be 5 years old in just a year and headed to Kindergarten. I'll definitely be cherishing this next year as it will be the last for us to spend all day together.

Playing at DisneyLand

2009-04-29T23:03:00.000-07:00

Well, we just had to go back. We love DisneyLand and now that Gabe is a bit taller, we can go on so many more rides together as a family. Last week we all got to go on Splash Mountain together for the first time and the kids and I went on Star Tours (which he and Ashlyn both love!). We also went on Soarin' Over California, which was a really cool ride.

Our whole family went to Disney & California Adventure together on Sunday but we only spent a few hours there... it was so HOT! We were lucky enough to catch the High School Musical performance and sat in the front row. Ashlyn has just recently gotten into HSM and when it came time for the performers to choose kids from the audience to dance with them, one of them invited Ashlyn. She was so excited! She had fun dancing in front of everyone.

We ended up going to the hotel and swimming for a few hours to cool off and Brian had to go home to be at work Monday morning. But the kids and I went back over to DisneyLand that evening when it finally cooled off. We watched the fireworks show and went on the newly remodeled Small World ride.

The next day we met up with friends of ours from Utah and spent the day with them at the parks. It was another hot one!!! Thanks Mars, Mel, Avery, and Gracyn for letting us follow you around the parks for the day.

The Pixar Play Parade was so cool.

The Cars were awesome!

Mater!!!

This is Gabe as he watched Lightning McQueen coming
down the road. He was in total awe.

Crush the turtle from Finding Nemo

Gabe & Gracyn

A pic of the kids on the tram.

Brian & Ashlyn went on Indiana Jones together

but the ride broke down in the middle of it so they decided

to take some pics of themselves.

(The ride was fixed quickly and they got to go again)

This water sprayground is such a relief on

a hot day!

Ashlyn all cooled off!

Gabe on the take out food ride in Bug's Land.

Melanie, can you please come back??? Somehow I didn't get a pic of you and I together and I really wish I had!!

Girl Scout "camp"

2009-04-11T19:08:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn & I had SO MUCH FUN at the Girl Scouts campout. Okay it wasn't "real" camping but I didn't get to shower for 2 days! That has to count for something, right? Oh and I slept ON THE FLOOR too. Ashlyn had a blast! She LOVES being a Brownie. I think we may have found her niche. She was busy from sun up to sun down with activities and work. They had to prepare meals, wash dishes, really take care of themselves and the adults basically just supervised. They made tons of crafts and she really loved that. They made t-shirts, dolls, pony-bead animals, and more. We went on a nature hike where they really took the time to notice the birds and the plants. It was pretty cold all weekend and it rained quite a bit so we did most of our activities inside (fine by me, I was freezing!). But in the end, Ashlyn said how much she loves being a girl scout and she can't wait for the next campout.

Ashlyn making her yarn doll.

On the nature walk.

The girls looked for living things in the creek.

The first morning, the girls had to follow clues to find their

breakfast. This was called a "Monkey Breakfast".

All tucked in and ready to sleep.

We really had a great time and Ashlyn got to know more of the girls.

Easter Celebration

2009-04-11T18:58:00.000-07:00

Our HOA had an Easter celebration last weekend for the kids in the neighborhood. They saw the Easter Bunny (not a very good one, but Gabe didn't notice), hunted for eggs, had treats, jumped in a bouncy and played games. It was a nice (hot) day and the kids enjoyed it.

Gabe eating his cupcake. He doesn't like to get his

hands dirty.

Ashlyn with her cupcake.

We brought Ashlyn's friend Taylor with us.
The 3 of them did this on their own and we thought it was so sweet.

Ashlyn was so sweet. She had her basket FULL of eggs but

when she saw a bunch of smaller kids who didn't have any

or very few, she walked around and filled their baskets.

She kept just 4! I was very proud of her selflessness.

Gabe with his basket of eggs.

City girl hangs with the Girl Scouts

2009-04-09T08:26:00.000-07:00

Well Ashlyn has joined the Girl Scouts. We had our first meeting with them on Monday and today we (as in Ashlyn & I) are headed to our first Girl Scout camping trip. I shouldn't really call it camping, since we're staying in a sort of lodge. We are sleeping on mattresses on the floor, does that count? This is just the first campout to sort of get the girls ready to go on a "real" campout outdoors.
We'll be hiking and working on earning patches for her sash.
Be ready for pics early next week!

Daddy-Daughter Dance

2009-03-30T10:58:00.001-07:00

These two had a ball! You never know what to expect at these things the school PTA puts on, but from what Brian & Ashlyn say, it was very nice! Ashlyn & I had gone shopping for just the right dress and then of course shoes and she was so excited for her date with Daddy. The dance was at the Vista Country Club and they had a sundae station, made crowns and danced all night! Brian thinks that Ashlyn will be spending a lot of time at dance clubs when she gets older, she's really good at shakin' what she's got!

Ready to go! Ashlyn has the invitation in her hand.

Ashlyn & Daddy. Awe!

When the Grandmas Come to Town...

2009-03-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

all the rules go out the window. The kids stay up late, they get as many treats as Grandma can sneak to them, and they all have the times of their lives! We all had a great time really. I miss my mom so much and when we are able to get together, it's hard to do much else but have fun! Mom helped me paint my entire master bedroom (this is no small feat!) and she also helped me arrange and hang pictures on my walls. (They'd been bare this whole time!) We bargain shopped and found an awesome huge wall clock and some cool metal stuff. We hung all those, along with several pictures I already had and my house is really starting to come together.
Mom also got to go along with Ashlyn and her class on a field trip to see Cats at our local small town theatre. (It was G rated, don't worry!) She also got to go with Gabe to see the Thomas & Friends show.
One night we met up with Dan & Christine at the Oceanside Pier to eat at Ruby's Diner on the end of the pier. Yum! Good burgers!! Thanks for coming out Mom & Grandma! And thanks for all your help around the house... now move here! ;)

Brian, Me & Gabe on the pier at dusk

Ashlyn, Mom, & I at sunset. We took another pic since

Ashlyn had her book up, but it didn't turn out. :(

The day they went to see the show, the sidewalk was
very crowded so we went back to get a nice picture!

Grandma posed with Ashlyn and Gabe jumped in.

After hitting up the candy store we went to

The Firehouse Grill for lunch. Gabe loves this

restaurant because the kids can go up and

ring the alarm (loud!) and of course, who

doesn't like sitting on a saddle to eat?

Going Medieval

2009-03-12T11:05:00.000-07:00

Sunday evening, we went to Medieval Times with some friends of ours. It's about an hour away, in Orange County and every time we go to OC, Brian says he really wants to go there sometime. We kept putting it off because it's a little pricey but when our friends asked if we wanted to go with them, we figured why not? So we booked the tickets and went! We got great seats. We sat in the Green Knight's section. These people take it serious too. They will point you out in the crowd and make you feel stupid for NOT wearing the paper crown.
They make you eat with your hands. You'd think that the kids might think that's fun. Well no. Little kids don't really want to pick their chicken off the bone with their hands. I had to debone all of Gabe's chicken and then he was cool with eating it. All in all, we had a good time. It was fun to watch and Brian kept saying lines from "The Cable Guy" so I had my own personal entertainment right there at my table. The kids really got into it. Gabe loved it. He cheered for the Green Knight every time he came out. He loved the horses and the battles. Ashlyn was happy to have her friend Marisa there with her. She enjoyed the show too, particularly when she got a flower from the knight.

Brian & Gabe

Ashlyn & Marisa

Check out Gabe cheering for the Green Knight!

Dr. Seuss' Birthday

2009-03-09T20:18:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn's school had a fun morning the other day... "donuts for Dads and muffins for Moms". Yes, I dragged myself out of bed early and drove to her school to be there at 7am! We spent about half an hour sharing breakfast (donuts, muffins, fruit) and reading stories.

Ashlyn felt The Cat in the Hat was appropriate

for Dr. Seuss' birthday celebration.

And since I took a pic of Ashlyn, Gabe needed one too!
Here he is trying to imitate the same smile.

And after the breakfast, Gabe & I went to play

with our friends at PlayTown!

Ashlyn's Big Step

2009-03-02T19:49:00.001-08:00

Ashlyn got a hair cut this weekend! Not just a little trim... She cut about 6 inches! She wanted it to be like her American Girl doll's hair and she was very brave. She says she misses her long hair a little but likes that she can brush it herself and is glad she cut it.

Ashlyn in December. Her hair was pretty long!

Ashlyn after her cut. She had to stand

to have it cut.

Cute!!

How Time Flies

2009-02-23T16:18:00.000-08:00

It goes by so fast, no matter what I am doing! Even if I'm doing nothing, I don't get very long to do it in!
Last weekend (the long one, the one with the holiday) my cousin, Katie and her family drove down from Orange County to pay us a visit. I've never had any of my CA family over to our home since we moved to CA 3.5 years ago. Not because I didn't want them to come over, just because the opportunity hadn't come up. Being a mom is a very different life from not being a mom and a lot of the time, I find it hard to connect with other women who aren't moms. I'm not trying to be elite or anything like that, it just seems that other moms understand why I am so busy, even though I don't have a 9 to 5.
Way off topic but anyway, Katie is a mom and since she became a mother 2 years ago, we have really found a lot in common (yes, even other than just being mommies) and I try to talk to her and get together with her more often. She's a genuine person and so is her husband. We get along very well as do our kids, despite the years between them. She just had her second baby and it was so fun to hold that warm, cuddly sleepy bundle. I don't want any more children but I do wish that stage would have lasted a bit longer with my own kids. I will post some pics of our visit once I get them from her.

I've been working hard on getting this house put together. In all honesty, I think when you own a home, it's never really done. But I'm getting closer. I got the entire loft painted and I'm so happy with the way it turned out. It might actually be the first room to be totally put together. That's my problem. I flutter. I don't focus on one room, I do something here then something there. I just have to get some wall art up and a new futon cover and that room's good to go! We went shopping for a new sectional for our living room and bought what we thought was a great leather set. Well, I'm not really sure that the leather is even leather at all! The quality was just horrible. So, after sending 3 sets of furniture back to the store, we went in yesterday and picked out a completely different couch set. Unfortunately, we're stuck with the old stuff a bit longer as we had to special order the new set to get it in the fabric and color we wanted. So the living room will take just a bit longer to get together.

I have also taken on a little project with Elena Etcheverry of Scrapbook Royalty (SBR). SBR is a charitable organization that raises money for different charities (Cancer Coping Center, Boys & Girls Club, Autism Speaks, to name a few) and they hold scrapbooking events in order to raise the money. I've participated in a couple of events and these things are crazy awesome! So I am now keeping the raffle/auction blog updated. You can check it out here: http://sbrauctions.blogspot.com/. Anyone can buy the raffle tickets, no matter where you live. You just have to arrange pick up or pay for the shipping on your prize if you win. And (those sweet, sweet words) your donations are tax deductible!

So that's pretty much what I've been busy with... more later... and pics too!

Tagged... now you're it!

2009-02-04T11:09:00.000-08:00

So Tiffany tagged me and in this tag game, you are supposed to post the 4th picture in the 4th album on your computer (or the 4th pic you have downloaded if you don't have albums). So here's my 4th pic from my 4th folder. Mind you my folders aren't in great order and many of them have been moved off my computer and onto another hard drive.

This pic was taken at the carousel at Balboa Park.

I have it in my September 2007 folder but I'm not even

sure that's the right date! Maybe this tag has brought

my attention to the fact that it's time to reorganize!

Where I've Been

2009-02-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

In Utah!! We had a great time celebrating with my mom for her 50th birthday this past weekend. We were trying to surprise her with our visit, but it just didn't work out. JetBlue had us delayed for 2 1/2 hours. Gabe really enjoyed flying though. We got to fly with Jared, we saw Hotel for Dogs, ate lots of good food and visited with Danielle and Anthony.

Mom and I saw Revolutionary Road... the movie was done well but it was kind of depressing.

Gabe & Anthony playing together

This is Gabe in the back of the Cessna.

I promise he wasn't as scared as he looks in the pic!

Taken from my seat in the plane

Me and Jared... captain and well yeah

Pic taken from in the sky.

Mom & Gabe in front of the plane

Mom & Me

Mom & Jared

Getting Gabe ready to go down

Ashlyn loved going down on the saucer

Mom & Ashlyn going down together

Grandpa with Gabe

Me & Don

Happy Birthday Mom!!

Gabe just had to taste one of those delicious purple flowers!

Ashlyn's Bedroom

2009-01-25T18:20:00.001-08:00

So, since I posted Gabe's room, I thought I better give Ashlyn's a little face time. So first are the "before" pictures. They are pretty bad. The walls were horrible!

A hole in the wall. I can only imagine how this happened!

The closet before. The walls were really marked up.

And a view from the doorway into her room.

So here's the after. Let me just warn you... it is very PINK! Ashlyn picked the colors herself and she really loves her room. I feel like I've walked into the middle of a Pepto Bismol bottle every time I go in there, but if she's happy, then it works!

Here's an after. This one is from the doorway.

This is the view to her door. All of her trim is painted

in a Raspberry color. You'll notice a big square of raspberry to the left.

This is an unfinished project of mine that I plan to finish

soon. This is where that big hole was. Brian patched it up

and I decided to make it into a magnetic wall in that area.

The raspberry paint took so many layers to cover the black

magnetic paint that it's not magnetic anymore! So, I've got to

go back over it in the magnet paint, then I'll paint with the Pepto

color. Then I'm making a frame and I'll paint the frame in raspberry.

This girl is set... look at the size of her closet!

It's huge, perfect for a girl growing into a teenager!!

Gabe's Big Boy Bed

2009-01-22T16:49:00.000-08:00

Gabriel is now the proud owner of his very own big boy bed! He picked it out himself. (I showed him the bed I wanted and he could choose blue or red). He slept in it for the first time last night and as you can see in his picture, he is quite happy about it. I'm sure the Cars bedding helped. (Not MY favorite, but it is HIS bed).

We also painted his room on Tuesday and I love the color!! But his room is very blue now. I'm sure it will be better when I put some pictures up on the wall but that won't be for a little while. I want to let the paint fully "cure" before I hang anything. I think maybe some red curtains will help too!

Ashlyn went to SeaWorld yesterday for a class field trip! Wow, this is why I love living in Southern California!! Where else do you get exciting field trips like that? Sure blows the Hansen Planetarium out of the water. (For those of you that actually remember the planetarium way back in the day). I guess they go to DisneyLand when they're in high school too. I wonder if these kids even realize how good they've got it?

Just Beachy

2009-01-14T22:58:00.001-08:00

Yesterday Gabe & I headed to Pacific Beach with some playgroup friends to spend some time in the sunshine. I cannot believe how warm it was! We got there at about 10:30am and I immediately regretted that I had worn jeans! We played for a couple of hours and really enjoyed the fabulous beach weather. Gabe even put his toes in the water but ended up with wet shorts when a wave rolled in while he was standing there.

One of the dads was there and dug

holes for Gabe and his friends. They all

jumped in and asked to be covered!
Gabe stayed in there for 20 min!!

Playing at the Clubhouse

2009-01-12T19:37:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday while Cassandra was here, it was so rainy and we really needed to get out and do something with the kids. We thought about Chuck E. Cheese for like 2 seconds and quickly decided no way on CEC. Then I remembered this kid's indoor play place in Escondido and sent a quick text to my friend who lived down that way. We found out that it closed for good at the end of December. Bummer. So we decided to make the drive and go to My Kid's Clubhouse, where Gabe & I frequent about once a month. They have an area for babies, a pretend play area and a giant indoor play structure. We spent a couple hours there (and another 20 min in the car waiting for AAA when I realized I left my headlights on and the battery was dead!) and then discovered a great thai restaurant for dinner. The kids had a great time and slept really well that night!

Alexis & Devin

Ashlyn & Gabe going down the fast slides.

Look close... they are actually holding hands!!!

My kids play so well together when we're away from home.
Gabe loaded up his groceries while Ashlyn ran the register.

Devin is at that cute age where he's just discovering

so many new things. He had a blast with this

play construction helmet.

Peek-a-boo!

Finally, a new post!

2009-01-12T19:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am back! It has been a looong 3 weeks but we're still here! It all started on Dec 18 (my birthday) when my Dad and his wife, Jennie came to visit over the Christmas holiday. They were planning on getting here on the 17th but had to stay overnight in Las Vegas because there was so much snow, I15 was shut down!!! Snow! In Vegas! They finally made it to San Diego and babysat the kids so that Brian and I could attend his work Christmas party. Since he just began working for this company in August, this was the first company party we were attending. It was SO NICE!! It was downtown at a hotel (the Sheraton, I think?) and the company paid for rooms for any employees that wanted to stay overnight. A whole night without the responsibilities of parenthood?? Sign me up! The dinner was delicious, filet mignon and chicken, a yummy salad, and all the sides... let's not forget dessert... oh and open bar! We had a great time.

This is the view from our room. You can see

Point Loma jutting out in the background.

Brian wants to print this photo into a jigsaw puzzle.

Can you imagine with all those boats??

And then of course came Christmas morning. The kids were up pretty early, around 6:30, which is normal in our house. They couldn't wait to open their gifts. They pretty much got everything they asked for (thanks to grandparents!!) Ashlyn specifically asked for a siamese kitten Webkinz and Spa Factory. We've already made some perfume and lip gloss! She also got her own digital video camera from Santa so she can record her performances. She's writing lots of secrets in her password journal while listening to her iCarly boombox!

Gabe had a lot of fun opening presents this year. He didn't try to stop at every one to play with them like he has in years past. He LOVES his Leapster 2 (if you get one, go for the recharging station!) and he is really good at the games. He also got a remote control airplane and remote control truck. Oh, and don't let me forget about the Indiana Jones lego playset or the Screamin' Banshee. I still have to go through all of his "baby" toys and clear some things out to make room to put some of these things away!

Brian and I didn't exchange gifts this year... well we kind of did... we're living in it! My mom Don got us a beautiful pub height dining table that seats 8! They brought it out at Thanksgiving and I was in total shock. The table we had been using is one that my mom handed down to us like 6 or 7 years ago! We moved that one into the kitchen and put the new one in the formal dining area where it totally makes the room. My Dad & Jennie bought us (much needed) paint! Dad bought a 5 gallon bucket while they were here and get this... actually started painting my house himself! I just finished all of the areas planned for that paint and the house looks 10 times better already!

Dad & Jennie went home in the late afternoon on Christmas Day and Brian's parents came in the very next day! See, I told you... company! It was great to see them during the holidays though. They stayed a little longer than usual and we were able to go to the Wild Animal Park to see the Festival of Lights. It's the last year they are doing it at the WAP, next year it's moving to the Zoo and it will be a little different. Bob & Sylvia left early in the morning on New Year's Eve and then... did you guess it? Cassandra and her two kids came (from Utah) to visit on New Year's Day. We seriously had guests every single day from Dec 18 to Jan 4!! We love having company though so it's all good!

Look what I made!

2008-12-12T22:31:00.001-08:00

I know, many of you have probably made one of these tie blankets before but this is the first one I've made and it turned out so cute! It is a Christmas gift for my Grandma but I love the pattern and these colors so much, I really want to keep it for myself! I won't though, I think Grandma will really like it.

Christmas Program

2008-12-12T22:24:00.000-08:00

Ashlyn had a little Christmas Program this morning at her school. Gabe and I went to watch her little performance and she did a great job! She sang 3 songs along with the 2nd grade classes and it was really cute.

Here she is just waiting for the program to begin.

You can tell she spotted us. The kids weren't

allowed to wave at their parents.

The choir teacher is really weird!

Wild Animal Park

2008-12-10T19:35:00.001-08:00

We went to the Wild Animal Park today for a playdate and had a lot of fun with our friends!

Gabe curled up in the egg. I think he was trying to sleep.

We got some nectar and went into Lorikeet Landing.

Oh my! These birds go nuts when people walk in with nectar.

I had one on my head, one on my shoulder, and three on my arm.

Here's Gabe holding the nectar for one while another

rests on his shoulder. He didn't freak out at all.

This mama lion was right up at the glass.
She kept stretching up on her hind legs
and pawing at the glass.

And, since our last ones came out blurry,
I decided to try to get a good head shot of Gabe
to print in 8x10s. I think this one will work!

Santa Sighting

2008-12-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

We went to Ashlyn's school on Saturday for a fundraiser breakfast with Santa. The food was actuallly really good (catered by a local cafe) and the kids got to talk to Santa and pose for a picture with him. Gabe told Santa that he would really like cars, airplanes, and trains for Christmas this year. (This was the first time he has asked Santa for anything.)
Ashlyn asked for just one more Webkinz.

The Santa wasn't all that great, but he rode in on a firetruck so I suppose that makes up for his crappy costume.

Gabe's Portraits

2008-12-06T11:24:00.001-08:00

Ashlyn just got her portraits done at school and I like to have Gabe's done around the same time. So Gabe and I went on a playdate at Quail Botanical Gardens and we took a few pics there. Here they are:

I'm not even sure what he was laughing at!

This is Gabe's fake smile.

This would have been a great shot if I had
checked the camera first and noticed that it was
set to the "landscape" setting.

Cute shot in front of the tropical waterfall

A Great Thanksgiving

2008-12-02T19:43:00.000-08:00

So my parents and grandma drove to So Cal to see us and share Thanksgiving. We had SO MUCH fun with them while they were all here. The visit was so much fun that they were easily persuaded to stay just one more day.

Mom, Grandma, & I went to see Twilight on Sunday and we loved it. Grandma wasn't exactly sure what was going on, but she enjoyed going out to a movie anyway. We also visited an antique store, walked up and down Main Street in Fallbrook, and visited a nursery where Mom & Don picked up a couple of Hibiscus plants for our front yard. (Thanks guys!!)

We made Thanksgiving dinner together on Thursday (everything turned out great!) and enjoyed it at the brand new dining set that my parents gave us as an early Christmas gift. (We LOVE it!!!)

On Friday we all went to the zoo and had a great time seeing all of the animals. We lucked out with the weather and Grandma really enjoyed the scooter that we rented. After the zoo, we went to dinner at On the Border and then Mom and I went shopping! Yes... we sure did a lot of shopping. I got all of my Christmas shopping done for the kids!

We really had a fun visit with them all and we are so grateful to have been able to have family here to spend the holiday with us. Thanks Mom, Don, and Grandma for making this Thanksgiving memorable for us!! We love you and miss you already!

Gabe actually dug a lot of this hole himself.

Good job, buddy!

Ashlyn was so excited to help

plant the Hibiscus plants.

Grandpa got the plant out of the pot...

and Ashlyn put it in the ground.

Ahh, finally time to relax.

Gabe showed Grandpa his favorite Xbox game,

Lego Indiana Jones.

Here is Grandma in her scooter at the zoo.

Look at the smile on her face!

She really enjoyed driving it around!

There were 2 baby tigers in the enclosure.

There goes Grandma... still smiling!

I think Don liked the Polar Bears! ;)

Ashlyn playing with a Polar Bear statue.

Ashlyn & Gabe hugging a Panda Bear.

Gabe, Grandma, Grandpa, & Ashlyn

Why is it that you can never get everyone

looking at the camera at the same time?

Cute Koala!

Spider & Fly

I love this picture of Gabe with his Grandpa.

Me, Brian, Grandma, & Ashlyn at the restaurant.

I'm so proud!

2008-11-17T16:14:00.000-08:00

Of my little brother Jared! He has his private pilot's license and he can fly!! He and a friend of his rented a Cessna 182 and flew it down to our little airport here in Fallbrook. They are busy logging more hours and Jared is working on getting his Instrument certification (?). Apparently Fallbrook's airport has a very short landing strip (2000 feet) and Jared was a little nervous, but he landed it! He spent the night with us last night and then I took him to the French Valley Airport (only about 17 miles away) so that he could meet up with his friend and head home today. That airport's strip is 6000 feet long so I think he'll be flying into there next time! ;) We didn't have time to go up for a ride, but definitely will next time. The kids had fun checking out the cockpit though!

Ashlyn, Gabe, & Brian playing in the cockpit.

Jared in front of the plane.

Gabe & Jared pose for a pic in front of the plane.
Gabriel is very excited to have a pilot Uncle!

We're very proud of you Jared! Thanks for flying out to visit us and please come back again soon!

A First...

2008-11-17T16:02:00.000-08:00

So this morning at 4:35 am, Brian and I were awakened by... an earthquake! It was so weird. I actually woke up just before the shaking by a loud noise, kind of like a buzzing. The whole thing was over before I knew it and none of my friends even knew there was a quake! I guess I am a light sleeper. It was a good shake though at 4.1. My brother had flown in yesterday and spent the night last night and I ran down right after the quake to see what he thought of the whole thing. He didn't feel the shaking, just heard the loud noise. He thought the kids were up making the noise. That was the first earthquake I've ever felt! Am I a real Californian now?

DisneyLand... again

2008-11-11T19:30:00.000-08:00

Yes, we just love DisneyLand! Our passes are going to expire in December so we're trying to get more trips in while we've got them! Ashlyn had Monday and today off school for Veteran's Day so we went up yesterday morning and spent the day running around the parks. They were crowded, which surprised me a little. Usually when it starts to cool off, people don't go as much. We started at California Adventure and saw the Playhouse Disney show. We saw Mickey and his friends, Handy Manny, Little Einstein's and Tigger & Pooh and friends. Gabe really enjoyed it. We got in line for the Toy Story Mania ride (an hour line) but after only about 20 min, we found out the ride's power went out and it would be a few hours before they got it back up and running. Too bad, hope we get to see it soon! We hit up the Monsters, Inc ride and saw the Muppet 3D show before heading to DisneyLand.

Ashlyn & Gabe in front of a Christmas tree

in Toon Town

We waited in line and saw Mickey!

He signed our book and we got a pic.

Gabe wouldn't smile. :(

Ashlyn enjoyed it though and Mickey

kissed her on the hand before we left.

The kids in front of the Haunted Mansion.

This was a long line!

Between Halloween & Christmas the

Haunted Mansion is completely

redecorated inside and out with

Nightmare Before Christmas.

If you've never seen it, you really should!

Jack Skellington, as Sandy Claws

It was fun to spend the day with the kids but by the time we left (11pm), I was completely exhausted! Gabe was out and I had to carry him a lot of the way. Ashlyn was just about ready to drop! Both the kids were troopers throughout the day and we got to ride a lot of rides!

Potty Training

2008-11-08T22:21:00.000-08:00

We have been really focused on potty-training with Gabe for the past two weeks and finally, some progress!! We've tried so many times before but he has been so resistant. It's obvious that he just really has to do things on his own terms. We have had a few power struggles but for the most part, he is staying pretty dry and every day he seems to do a little better. I can't tell you how happy this makes me!! My diaper changing days are over!

Bella & Jasmine

2008-11-03T12:43:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to get some pictures of the new kitties up but just didn't do it! I took these today while they were napping together. I woke them up. :) Bella is the gray tabby and Jasmine is the siamese. We adopted them about a month ago (part of a promise to Ashlyn when we moved) and we've really been enjoying them! They are a lot of fun to watch. Bella's quite a bit bigger than Jasmine, but we were told they were from the same litter. So Jasmine is either a runt or not from the same litter and a month younger than Bella. We don't really care either way, we just love them!

Happy Halloween!

2008-11-01T19:33:00.001-07:00

Halloween this year was so great! We found out that we live in the BEST neighborhood for Trick-or-Treating!! I had bought 10 bags of candy and it was gone so fast. We were waiting for our sister-in-law and her friend to arrive to go TOTing and while we were waiting, Gabe's friend and his mom came over to go out with us too. Then Ashlyn's friend showed up with her family and they invited her to go along with them. So I actually didn't get a picture of the two kids together! But it all worked out and here are a couple pics of the kids in their costumes. (Please pay no attention to my messy house and the cardboard boxes!)

Here's Gabe... err, uh I mean Indiana Jones

Corpse Brides do not smile!

I just have to add that seriously, I could not believe all the cars in our neighborhood last night! They were pouring in... I think A LOT of people come to our neighborhood for Halloween. Our neighbors across the street also had an awesome Haunted House maze in their garage. It was so cool... Gabe went in 4 times!

Apple Picking in Julian

2008-10-10T10:32:00.001-07:00

I took Gabe to Julian last week to meet our playgroup friends for apple picking at one of the local orchards. Julian is famous for their apples and more importantly, apple pie!

After filling our bag with apples, we all went to lunch together and then to the Julian Pie Co. to get a pie to take home. I got a Carmel Apple Crumb pie. It was SOOO good!!

Gabe picking his apples

Gabe eating his apples.

At one point he was eating three

all at once!

My sweet boy!

Brian's Bike

2008-10-05T20:28:00.001-07:00

Brian has quite a commute to get to work from our new place and let's face it, gas is expensive these days! He's wanted a motorcycle for a very long time and although I am not all that excited about him riding this thing to work everyday, he is. So here it is... the kids helped him wash it today. Now he just needs his motorcycle license! :)

Pic of the house

2008-10-05T20:18:00.000-07:00

Here's a quick picture of our new house right before Brian and the kids power washed it. This weekend, I've been working on painting Ashlyn's room. Brian and I got the whole room painted today but I will have to do the trim tomorrow. I will put up some before and after pics once it's done. Ashlyn chose a pink color named "Glamour". Now when you walk into her room, it feels like you're walking into a tunnel of cotton candy!

We just bought

2008-09-23T11:24:00.001-07:00

A HOUSE!!! I didn't want to say anything too early (and jinx it) so I waited until we closed and got the keys. We found the house at the very beginning of August and put our offer in right away. It was accepted the very next day. It was a foreclosed property so we really got a sweet deal. The house is further away from Brian's job though so unfortunately, he will have to commute. It's in Fallbrook, which is still technically in San Diego County, but barely! We are closer to Brian's brother's home so that is nice. The house is 5 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms... yay, I get my own scrap room!!! =) We have A LOT of work to be done on the house, paint and flooring in pretty much every room, but it is all cosmetic and it will all come in time... we are doing a little at a time. Anyway, I will be sure to get a pic up ASAP, but it may take some time. We are moving in this weekend and I am actually sitting here while the cleaning ladies finish up. (I found an open network to get online!!) I still have lots of packing to finish up!

Palm Springs... here I come!!!

2008-09-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

I have had a horribly stressful week but tomorrow morning, I am headed for a trip with girlfriends to Palm Springs!!! We'll be there all weekend on a scrapbooking getaway. I'm hoping to get lots of scrapping done as well as just kick back and relax for a couple of days. I can't wait!!!

1st Day of 2nd Grade

2008-09-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn started her first day of 2nd grade on Tuesday. Last year, her school was housed in a temporary site while the middle school was being remodeled for the elementary school to move into (they built a brand new middle school for the area). The new school is closer to our house and really nice. They spent 4 million on the remodel and the building was only 10 years old to begin with!

Ashlyn in front of the new school sign.

Ashlyn and her very good friend.

We were so excited to find out they

were in the same class again.

After dropping Ashlyn off at school, Gabe and I went to "Pump It Up", an indoor inflatable play place for a playdate with some of our friends. Gabe had a great time, actually both of us did. We got quite the workout and we both especially liked the obstacle course inflatable.

Gabe going up the ladder stairs for the BIG slide.

Coming down the slide at the end of the obstacle course.

Gabe is a great climber and got really fast on this hill.

Ashlyn has had a great first week of school and really likes her class and her teacher. Gabe's been a little bored and doesn't want to take Ashlyn to school in the mornings because he wants her to stay and play with him. I've been keeping him busy though... Pump It Up and the mall on Tuesday, the Science Center and Kid City at Balboa Park on Wednesday, and McDonald's Playplace and a playdate with his buddy at our house yesterday.

Summer Nights at San Diego Zoo

2008-09-01T13:51:00.001-07:00

Every summer the San Diego Zoo stays open late for Summer Nights. They have great entertainment and you can see the nocturnal animals up and about. They also have a really awesome show with acrobatics at the end of the night and we're always impressed. Auntie Christine joined us for a family night at the zoo.

Gabe and his churro.
Christine in front of the polar bear.

I love the polar bears! They are so playful.

Gabe standing on a hippo while Ashlyn does

an art project in the background.
That is one frightening butterfly.
My little bugs.

DisneyLand

2008-09-01T13:39:00.000-07:00

This past week has be a very busy one as we tried to squeeze every last bit of fun out of the end of our summer. We headed up to Newport Beach and stayed with Cassandra and spent a day at DisneyLand!

Goofy was leaving but saw Gabe and grabbed him for a quick hug.

Too bad that little Snow White got in my picture.

Ashlyn and Gabe always like to play

with this little door right outside the Alice in Wonderland ride.

Alexis & Ashlyn... like sisters.

We had a great time at DisneyLand. Ashlyn went on Splash Mountain for the very first (and last) time. She says it was too scary. But she also went on Indiana Jones for the first time and she LOVED it!! She wanted to go again! I was so proud that she finally tried some of the bigger rides.

Fun at SeaWorld

2008-09-01T13:08:00.001-07:00

Last weekend my girlfriend from Orange County came down with her two kids and they took Ashlyn to SeaWorld with them. The girls are very close in age, just 6 weeks apart and they had a great time together. They also helped Cassandra with baby Devin, who is one of the cutest babies ever!

Alexis, Devin, & Ashlyn
Alexis & Ashlyn and a manatee
Oh my! A shark!
Holding a starfish

Thanks Auntie Cassandra, Alexis, Devin & Gary for taking Ashlyn with you to SeaWorld. She had a great time!!

Corporal Healey

2008-08-22T12:46:00.000-07:00

Dan & Brian being cheesy together

Brian's youngest sibling Daniel (who resides here in Oceanside with his wife, Christine) will be shipping out for a 7 month deployment in Iraq this weekend. While we will miss him, we are really proud to support him while he is protecting our country. We love you Dan and we will miss you!!

Slumber Party

2008-08-22T06:30:00.000-07:00

Ashlyn with her Uncle Dan. Thanks for my princess presents!!!
Designing her pillowcase.
Gabe is trying to talk Christine into opening one of Ashlyn's new toys.
Per Ashlyn's request, I made a cake with

girls in sleeping bags. I'm no gourmet cake decorater,

but she loved it! Each of the girls were represented.

Well we celebrated Ashlyn's 7th birthday last weekend and it was a lot of fun! She insisted on having a Slumber Party but at her age, not a lot of kids are quite doing sleepovers yet. So we went with the theme of a Slumber Party without actually having everyone sleep over. Uncle Dan & Aunt Christine joined us for the festivities too!

We invited 3 girls and first went bowling. Then we headed home where Ashlyn opened her gifts and then decorated pillow cases with fabric markers and paints. Next up was a pizza dinner and of course cake and ice cream. The girls then polished each other nails (I love that they are old enough to do this on their own!) and then gave each other makeovers with Ashlyn's makeup kit. They all had a great time and one of Ashlyn's friends spent the night.

Gabe-isms

2008-08-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

As I was tucking Gabe into bed tonight, he asked for some cars to drive in bed. This is a pretty normal thing for him, as he is obsessed with cars! I gave him a couple and then he told me he wanted his "new" cars. Not knowing where they were, I told him maybe next time. He asked for them again and I told him I didn't know where they were and maybe if he was lucky, I would be able to find them soon and he could have them as soon as I did. His quick reply was "I'm lucky! I'm lucky!"

My kid is 7!?

2008-08-12T11:11:00.001-07:00

Hard to believe that Ashlyn is now 7 years old. I don't feel like it's been 7 years already. But it has and we are very proud of the beautiful girl she is becoming. She's so smart and full of imagination. It's amazing how quickly she learns and becomes a pro at the things she enjoys doing. Her party won't be until this coming Saturday but I wanted to put up a quick blog and tell her how much her Daddy, Gabe and I love her!!

Happy Birthday Ashlyn!!!!

Annabelle

2008-07-30T20:46:00.000-07:00

Brian's sister Jenelle and her family came to stay with us for a weekend and we all had so much fun together. Somehow, I managed to NOT get any pictures of Jenelle and her husband, but I did get some of their baby girl Annabelle. Perhaps I was just distracted? Ashlyn just loves her baby cousin and was with her pretty much every minute.

Annabelle's first time at the beach!
Gabriel playing Rock Band... at about 1am!
Dan & Christine (Ashlyn is behind with the bunny ears)
Baby Annabelle.

2008-07-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

The last stop on our trip was to my Dad's house in Hoytsville. We only got to spend one afternoon and night with him but Jennie made a yummy steak dinner for us and we got to see the new home that Dad & Jennie recently bought before they do their huge remodel. Dad also got Gabriel to ride on the 4wheeler with him, a feat we attempted and failed every day while we were in Mt. Pleasant. He was really afraid but then once Papa got him on it and going, he loved it and didn't want to stop!

This was a cool shot of Gabe throwing a ball into the toy chest.
Daddy & Gabe got to ride on the 4wheeler together.
Papa & Gabe enjoying the ride. Ashlyn's on the back.
Now you see her!
This was before they went for the ride. We talked him

into sitting on it first, then started it up, then revved it.

Catching up

2008-07-30T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm starting to get a handle on my blogging again, or at least making an effort! I found some more pics left on my camera from our Utah trip so I thought I'd throw them in.

Too tired to fight, or do they really like each other?
This is a great photo of our family. I only wish Gabe had smiled!
Me and the kids with my Grandma, their Great-Grandma. We love you!
I stopped for a pose with Don and my mom jumped in behind.

Great pic with my parents! I love you both!

Utah visit part 2

2008-07-24T16:45:00.000-07:00

Ahh, so obviously I should have blogged this a couple weeks ago, but summer has kept me quite busy! So the second leg of our trip took us to the Salt Lake Valley. Brian and I stayed one night with our dear friends, the Loumis's while the kids stayed at my mom's. Grandma Shelly, Grandpa Don, and Great Grandma Virginia took the kids to the Dinosaur Museum in Provo (I'm not sure of the exact name). Brian and I were trying to think of something to do (sans children) when the door bell rang. Ryan and Danielle had dropped by while on their way to a western stampede in West Jordan. So we jumped in their car and went with them. Then we went out to dinner (mexican, yum!) and to see "Hancock".

Sunday we met up with my old (but very near and dear!) friends, Laura (with Kennedy) and Melanie (with Mars, Avery, and Gracyn) and had lunch. Afterward, we headed over to feed the ducks together. The kids enjoyed that a lot. We really miss living close to these families!!
After lunch and ducks, we went to the DeLuca's (great family friends!) so that Larry could show Gabriel & Ashlyn his cool trucks. Wow... that was probably the highlight of the entire trip for Gabe! He is SO into trucks and machines, I think he had more fun there than he ever has at DisneyLand!
After all that (like that wasn't a busy enough day!) we went back to mom's house and had a great family BBQ. Jared and Sondra (married a whole year now!) came over to grill with us and it was just really nice to hang out with my family. I really miss being able to do that so often.

Ashlyn & Gabe at the museum. My mom took this picture... I'm pretty sure they are NOT supposed to be on the exhibit.
Brian & Gabe feeding the ducks.
Brian and Ashlyn feeding the ducks.
Avery, Gracyn, Ashlyn, Kennedy
Gabe in one of DeLuca's machines.
Ashlyn got in it too!
Ashlyn really enjoyed "driving".
This was so much fun for Gabe!
Gabe in the CAT. Ryan is behind him.

Ashlyn learned to ride Zoey completely by herself (no one pulling her!)
Gabe's a cowboy!!
Uncle Jared and Gabriel.
Me and Danielle. I love you girl!

Utah visit part 1

2008-07-13T22:51:00.000-07:00

We left on Wednesday night around 7 and drove a lot of the night. We ended up staying overnight in Mesquite because we were both too tired to continue any further. Gabe fell asleep in the car easily but it was too hard for Ashlyn to sleep in the car.
Thursday we jumped back into the car and made it to Mt. Pleasant in the afternoon.
We got to see ALL of Brian's family with the exception of Dan & Christine who went to MI for a family reunion. We had a great time staying up way to late playing word games and laughing about movie lines (most of which I didn't get).
As is the tradition, 6am brings air raid sirens and an old time cannon driven down Main St shooting cannonballs every 2 min. Then everyone gets up and has breakfast at the park. (The proceeds benefit a local hospital, I believe). Ashlyn and I stayed behind and slept in a bit longer. Once everyone returns, we go to Main Street for the parade. This year was really exciting because Brian's dad got to drive the Parade's Grand Marshall in an old fashioned car. The grandkids were excited to see him in the parade. They also brought home A LOT of candy!
We had a big BBQ that evening and then headed to the fields where the city has a BIG fireworks show. It was a great show, but Gabriel still managed to fall asleep. (It was 10:30, after all!)

These first few pics are actually after the parade, but I just haven't figured out all the mechanics of blogger.com just yet!

Gabe reloading on water balloons
Bombs away!
Definitely a fun way to cool off on a hot afternoon!
Gabriel found a playmate in his cousin, Kelsey. They are just about 6 weeks apart in age.
Kelsey likes cars, so she is definitely in good with Gabe!
Grandpa driving the Grand Marshall in the parade.
Brian, Gabe, & Ashlyn trying to flag down some candy.
There were all sorts of service vehicles in the parade, which the kids really enjoyed.

It was great to see everyone in Mt. Pleasant. We can't wait to host each of you here soon!

Tagged... again!

2008-07-13T18:26:00.001-07:00

Laura tagged me with a "5 Things" theme so here goes:

5 Things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. Working at a mortgage company
2. Driving my Camaro (freedom days!)
3. Definitely sleeping in when I could!
4. Living in my dad's house in Wanship and taking care of his pigs.
5. Lots of partying.

5 Things on my "To Do" List:
1. Plan Ashlyn's birthday party.
2. Get Gabe potty-trained.
3. Finish my book club project.
4. Clean up the house (as always!)
5. Give myself a pedicure.

5 Places I've Lived:
1. Big Bear, CA
2. West Jordan, UT
3. Sugarhouse, UT
4. Wanship, UT
5. San Diego, CA

5 Bad Habits:
1. Not sticking to diets.
2. Playing on the computer when I should be doing other things.
3. Not completing scrapbook projects.
4. Driving too fast.
5. Spending too much money.

5 Things I would do if I were a Billionaire:
1. Travel... everywhere!!
2. Pay off all of my debt and never have it again.
3. Pay off all of my family's debts.
4. Buy myself a Range Rover Sport.
5. Plastic Surgery.

5 Favorite Foods/Snacks:
1. Anything sweet.
2. REAL chocolate, not waxy Hershey's
3. Frozen yogurt
4. mexican food
5. chinese food

5 People I am Tagging:
1. Tiffany
2. Amber
3. Jamie
4. Sandy
5. Heather

So now you 5 have to do this on your blog!!! Have fun! ;)

DisneyLand

2008-06-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

So we decided to make an attempt at opening day of the new ride at California Adventure, Toy Story Mania. It was a Tuesday and pretty early in the summer so we thought maybe we'd have a chance... NOPE!! It was SO crowded! We got there about 1pm and the line was over 2.5 hours wait and in full sun. Brian and Gabe decided to go on the big ferris wheel while Ashlyn and I went to the bathroom and got a stroller. An hour later, Brian and Gabe finally met up with us and we decided to try DisneyLand.
We had gotten Ashlyn to (finally) agree to go on Splash Mountain with mommy and Indiana Jones with daddy. This was a huge deal. She is so afraid of fast rides and has never been on either of these. So we headed over to Splash Mountain only to find a 2 hour line there. We tried to get fast passes but the return time was 10:30 pm!! Forget it! Meanwhile, Gabe had fallen asleep in his stroller and so we walked around the (air-conditioned) shops and then left when he finally woke up. Neither Ashlyn or I got on ANY rides! It was just too crazy busy!

Ouch!

2008-06-26T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well I went into the dermatoligist's office on Tuesday to have the skin around the cancer growth removed. It took about 45 min and I had a local anesthetic to numb the area, so I was awake and all but I didn't feel any pain. She took a pretty good chunk out... it was in the shape of a diamond but about the size of a quarter. She removed every layer of skin, all the way to the fat. Then she stitched the skin together so it's really tight. I can't use my left arm (because it's on my shoulder-blade) much at all. I can't lift anything or push anything for 2 weeks! I've already pushed myself a little too far, I can tell because when I reach out, it really hurts! It itches and stings a lot but I'm hoping that will stop soon. I'll have the stitches removed in about two weeks, after we return from Utah. So I just wanted to update and let you all know that I had it taken care of and I should be "normal" again soon!

An Important Reminder

2008-06-12T20:59:00.001-07:00

Well since this is a blog, which is sort of an online journal, I guess this is a good place to post these kinds of things and I also think it serves as a good reminder for everyone!

A few weeks ago I noticed a weird bump on my back right under my bra line. It felt really dry and I thought it was a mole so I had my dermatologist check it while I was there for my Accutane checkup. She removed it and sent it to the lab for a biopsy. Well, I got a call from her office yesterday with the lab results. The "bump" was cancer. It's called Squamous Cell Carcinoma (sp?) and it is very treatable and not threatening. I will have to go in on the 24th to have a patch of skin removed around where the growth was to be sure that she got it all but other than that, everything should be totally fine.

It was such a wake up call. I always use sunscreen when I go out and usually sit in the shade while I'm outside anyway. But I wasn't that cautious as a teen. I used tanning beds, but really not that much, certainly not enough that I ever thought it could cause a problem. Anyway, I just want to tell all of you to be safe in the sun, always use sunscreen on yourself and your kids, and be sure to have any strange growths or changing moles checked by your dermatologist!!

La Jolla Shores

2008-06-12T20:48:00.001-07:00

There is this really cool little beach tucked away in a cove at La Jolla Shores. It even has it's own little cave! Gabe and I met a couple of our friends there last week and the weather was perfect!

Gabe with his bucket

Posing for mommy
Again with the bucket
In the little cave... we found some little

crabs walking around on the rocks.
Great view! The walkway was really nice.

Strawberry Fields Forever

2008-05-28T20:54:00.000-07:00

Tuesday morning Gabe & I went with our plalygroup to the Strawberry Fields in Carlsbad. I can't believe how many rows and rows of strawberries were growing there!! It was so neat, you just buy a little (or big) bucket and they let you loose to pick your own strawberries. Gabe picked them all himself and I must say, he did a great job because all of his berries were shiny, red, and sweet!! It didn't take us long to eat them!

Gabe in a row of strawberries.
Filling up his bucket.
Check out this one, Mom!

I definitely recommend doing this, whether it's strawberries, apples, whatever... picking your own is really fun for the kids and the rewards are almost instant!

2 Kids and a Baby

2008-05-28T20:40:00.000-07:00

Our great friends Ryan & Danielle came to visit us this month and baby Anthony was such a big hit with my kids! They both love him so much! Ashlyn told me that she missed him 5 minutes after they left and Gabriel just asked me tonight (out of the blue) if we could go see Baby Anthony tomorrow. I have never seen my kids take such a huge interest in a baby before. It was really cute... they even fought over who got to feed him!

Gabe with Baby Anthony
Ashlyn feeding Baby Anthony

We went to dinner at Fred's Cafe in Old Town (YUM!) and of course, there just had to be a balloon guy there! Do your kids sucker you into these things? They get us every time! Gabe got an alien guy and Ashlyn got a pink unicorn. I thought I had a pic of her with her balloon, but apparently it didn't turn out. :(

Gabe's alien guy

The group (minus me) toasting.

Thank you so much for coming to visit us Ryan, Dani, & Anthony!!! We miss you so much!! It was so great to get to know Ryan better... we love him! Can't wait to see how big Anthony is in July!!

Legoland

2008-05-28T20:06:00.000-07:00

Gabe and I went to LegoLand a couple of weeks ago with some of our playgroup friends. We had a lot of fun! I can't wait until Ashlyn gets out of school... I really miss her being with us when we go out for these activities.

Dig those dinos! Actually, Gabe didn't really enjoy this activity all that much.
Look how mad he is that I was trying to help him. My friend caught this pic as I was laughing at his sheer resistance to my assistance.
Gabe is finally old enough to drive his own car around the track!! He was so excited and actually did pretty well considering he is only 3 and had never done this before. Oh, and before you comment about the hair... long hair is making a comeback!! Hello 1970s! ;)

New post for May

2008-05-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted much this month, so I thought I'd stop in while I have a little time and actually blog something!
We've been keeping pretty busy with our normal activities and with the weather warming up, we've been even busier with more playdates! And since Gabe got his bike and scooter for his birthday, we spend a lot of time outside!!
School is nearing an end. This week was Ashlyn's last official week of homework although she doesn't get out for the summer until June 16th. I enrolled Gabriel into a gymnastics class and he's been doing that for about 2 months now. He really enjoys it. He's really good at walking the balance beams without any help and of course he loves the climbing!
We are excited to make our way to Utah for the 4th of July this summer and spend the holiday with the Healeys. Ashlyn is excited because she gets to stay in Utah for 10 days after we go home and spend time with all of her grandparents!

Our good friends Danielle and Ryan are flying in tonight with their little baby boy and spending the weekend with us before meeting up with their family in Laguna Beach. Then we'll meet up with them again to go to DisneyLand next week! I just love it when friends and family come to visit us!!

Gabe's Birthday Celebration

2008-05-03T17:30:00.001-07:00

That's right! Gabriel is turning 3!!! We had a great party at our swimming pool today with some of Gabe's friends. (I didn't ask permission to post the other kids' pics so I just put up pics with my kids). We spent about 3 hours playing and splashing and the weather was just perfect for it!

Here's a good pic of Gabe between the hot tub and pool. He likes to go back and forth.

Here is a shot of Ashlyn playing with her fun noodle.
Blowing out birthday candles! Gabe's little friend's birthday is just a week before his so for the past two years, we have shared a party with him. It works out well because they have the same little friends!
These are the cupcakes that Amy and I made. We made the dolphins and starfish with some cute molds and white chocolate.
Gabe really really enjoyed the frosting!

We had such a great day and Gabriel got some really nice gifts. We gave him a new bike this morning, Papa and Nana gave him a scooter (he loves it!), Ashlyn gave him a neat Diego toy that he can use in the tub, and Grandpa & Grandma Pead gave him a "Cars" racing set. His friends gave him some great new toys to play with too! One thing is for sure, when that sugar high comes crashing down, this kid will be sleeping like a log!!

Happy Birthday, Gabriel!!!!

Sprayground!!

2008-04-25T13:37:00.001-07:00

The Sprayground is finally open!!! It's a big play area with waterworks and we LOVE it there!! Gabe and I went just last week and he finally likes it. Last year, he would only walk around the water, avoiding getting wet, but this year, he is totally into it and it's so much fun to watch!!

2008-04-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

Grandma & Grandpa came for a visit mid April and we all had a really good time with them. We spent some time on Coronado Island (on the beach) on Friday then early Saturday morning Brian and Don went on a fishing excursion from San Diego Bay. They brought home 18 fish! They really had a great time!

Don with his fishing pole
Seals on the buoy

Sunday we relaxed at the pool. It was really hot that day, in the 90s!

We had planned to leave for DisneyLand Monday morning and spend the day there. Both of my kids are usually up between 6:30 and 7:00 am and NEVER sleep in when I really need/want them to. Well this particular morning they both slept until about 8:30!! I even went into Ashlyn's room and first whispered "DisneyLand", then said it at a normal volume, then finally yelled it. She slept through my entire attempt.

Gabe had wandered into our bedroom around 6am and started on the bed but I guess he thought the floor was more comfortable. He slept really well down there!

Ashlyn snoozing away.

We had a great time and can't wait to see Grandma & Grandpa again in July when we visit Utah.

Butterflies!!

2008-04-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Gabe and I went with some of our mommy friends to the Wild Animal Park early this month to see the butterflies!! They are only there for a few weeks and if you know me at all (or you actually look at my blog) it's pretty obvious that I love butterflies! There were lots of different types of butterflies in the exhibit and it was really cool to see so many all at once.

These orchids were temporarily on display at the WAP. They were so beautiful.

This butterfly is so beautiful on the inside. It's electric blue with black trim. My camera battery died before I could get a pic of the inside of him. You have to wait quite a while for them to open their wings and move on. My friend got a good shot so I'll try to upload her pic.

Who Needs Sleep?

2008-04-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

So Gabe has been waking up in the middle of the night a lot the past couple of weeks and usually wanders into our room crying, and all he needs is to be tucked back in most of the time. I have been telling him different things, trying to get him to stop waking me up in the middle of the night, because I don't do very well without my sleep. Tuesday night I told him that if he wakes up and it's still dark outside, he needs to just go back to sleep. I asked him to please not come and wake up mommy and daddy when we are sleeping because we are tired and we don't like it when he wakes us up at night.
I wake up at around 3 am and I hear Gabe downstairs saying "Ashlyn! Ashlyn, wake up!". He is standing outside her bedroom door yelling to her. All I could do was laugh, I guess that is what I get for not being more specific!

Fire Station!!

2008-03-30T16:25:00.001-07:00

Gabe and I got to visit the Pacific Beach Fire Station last Tuesday and it was awesome!! We got a tour of the entire station, including where the firemen hang out, make their meals, and sleep. Then came the fun part... the trucks and engines!!! Gabe was in heaven. He got to touch the trucks and climb inside. He even got to sit in the driver's seat!

Fireman Mike dressed in his full firefighter gear. He showed the kids what a firefighter will look like if he comes in to help them and told them not to be afraid of him.
Gabe driving the truck. It was hard to get him out of it.
They even closed the door so he felt like he was really in charge.
Gabe's fireman helmet!

If you have never toured your local fire station, I highly reccomend it. The firemen love being visited by the kids and of course the kids have a great time too!

Easter Celebration

2008-03-22T18:05:00.001-07:00

This morning we joined our friends in one of our playgroups (yes, I am in two!) at the park for an Easter Celebration. We enjoyed a potluck brunch (YUM!) and then the kids went on an Easter egg hunt. Guess who they found at the end? That's right, the Easter Bunny! He hand-delivered an egg to each child, which of course they all thought was very special! Gabriel said "Thank you Mister Easter Bunny!". Ashlyn wasn't very impressed by our bunny and quickly informed me that it was just a man in a bunny suit. I'm a little sad to see her suspicious at only 6 years old, but she says she is excited for the real Easter Bunny to visit us tonight.

Checking out their loot!

Gabe would have spent all day with the Easter Bunny if he could have.