The Järvs

Shad's 1st Giants game

2010-09-25T21:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took Shad to his 1st Giants game! We left Kaihla with my mom, and spent a great day, just the three of us. The game happened to fall on my birthday, and what better way to spend it than with my two favorite guys!! Sean and Shad in front of Willie McCovey's statue

Checking out batting practice =)

The look on Shad's face as he watched batting practice was priceless..such a big field and they can hit the ball so far!!!

3 of the 4 Jarvs in our seats at AT&T Park....Go Giants!!

Shad showing off his ticket..he held on to it like it was gold!

After the game they allowed children to run the bases!!! I'm not sure who was more excited, Sean or Shad!! There was a long line, but it went quickly

Walking on the right field warning track...he was so excited, and said he was going to run really fast!!

There he goes!!!--I took video too, but they kinda pushed me out of there so the video is a little too shaky. After the game we stopped at Mel's Diner for dinner...mmmmmm! Perfect day! Now, when Shad watches the Giants play, he feels a bit more connected...and asks a lot more questions! (how many homeruns does this guy have, how many strikes on this batter, how many outs...or he just tells us everything he knows throughout the game...LOL!)

Baking Cookies

2010-03-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

The kids LOVE to bake, and we haven't been doing much of it lately because, honestly, I don't want it in the house!! I'll eat it! I finally caved, and we baked cookies yesterday! The kids got to use their new aprons!! Shad's was made by Aunt Colleen, and Kaihla's by Anutie Kimberly!

They each had their own measuring cups and spatulas..they were such a big help..and took turns very well

Shad and Kaihla's first trip to the Dentist!

2010-03-07T19:38:00.000-08:00

We tried to take Shad to the Dentist about a year ago, when I was working at the dental office, and it did not go well. This time I went with a Pediatric Dentist here in Windsor, Dr. Oliver. Kaihla was stoked to go, and Shad, well, he was apprehensive... Until he found out they had video games!!! (This is in the waiting room)

Kaihla playing games in the waiting room

First they put a monster on the chair, and showed the kids what they would be doing, let them touch the instruments, and showed them how they needed to open their mouth. Kaihla was very interested....Shad was hiding behind my legs at this point!

Guess who went first?? Kaihla had no fear, or apprehension about hopping up on the chair and letting the Dentist look in her mouth!

Then she got her teeth cleaned! It even looks like she's smiling :-)

AND we got Shad up in the chair!!! Thanks to the handy-dandy, DS. I swear we could have pulled his teeth, as long as he had that, he was fine!!

They finally got him to put it down, and guess what?!? It wasn't THAT bad!! Shad actually enjoyed it

They were even able to take X-rays! It was cool, they have a saddle that the kids sit on to take the x-ray's. I was so proud of them. They got to pick out a toy, they have them each a shirt with a red-eye tree frog on it (and Dr. Oliver's name & # of course!)..then we had a nice 'I'm proud of you lunch' at McDonalds!!

Thanksgiving 2009

2010-01-08T23:22:00.001-08:00

We started off Thanksgiving 2009 like we always do, with a Fab dinner at my Grandma's house the Saturday before. It's always such a great feeling, it's the first 'holiday' gathering, delicious turkey, family and Pictionary! For the Thanksgiving holiday, we head up to Sean's mom's house! We had such a fun trip! The kids absolutely LOVE it up there! And they love their Nana to pieces! Here's some pictures from that trip. (I forgot my camera for Grandma's Thanksgiving!) These are not in order...Every year, the day after Thanksgiving, we go hunting for Vickie's Christmas Tree. After awhile, Kaihla decided to stay in the truck, I think she had just as much fun!

She's crazy...it was snowing and she insisted on driving with the windows down, and her head out the window (Don't worry, I was right there, and it was on a back, back road, going about 7 MPH)

Vickie, Kaihla and Shad going night quadding!!

Our Thanksgiving turkey!!

Shad and Kaihla helping Daddy around Nana's house

He loves to help! (I'm talking about both of them) Sean raked up most, if not all of Vickie's pine needles and put them in the burn pile

Baby it's cold outside...bundle up!

So what do you do once you have tons of pine needles...burn them!! The kids enjoyed watching the huge fire

What do they say...'The family that gets dirty together, stays together!"

We went quadding, I had Kaihla with me, and I was freezing. We were on our way back home and there were some huge puddles...Sean went right thru them, getting completely muddy, I gracefully tried to go around...and as you can tell by the looks of us, that didn't work!! Next in store for us was a HOT bath!!

Kaihla quadding with her Nana (Obviously before the mud!)

Shad and Kai Kai on our quads

Saaawwwinngg batter!

2009-10-18T21:26:00.000-07:00

The kids love their T-ball set, Shad has been doing really well hitting when pitched to him. Well, jealous Kaihla wanted to get into the action, and boy is she a natural! Kaihla getting ready to hit the ball!

These are backwards, the one below should be first...he's concentrated , and pretty good form!

Video's of the kids hitting the ball..

Roller Skating!!

2009-10-18T21:18:00.000-07:00

We took the kids roller skating for the first time!!! 2-days a week Cal-Skate has "tot-skate" where they allow the parents to walk with the kids without skates. Shad and Kaihla were SO SO excited!!! Kaihla's got her skate, and she's ready to go! Now we just have to put them on...

Shad was really, really excited to skate

...until he got his skates on....

Kaihla and whale were ready to go..that's my girl...always ready for a new adventure!

...until she decided it wasn't all it was cracked up to be, and crawling on the floor got you there faster!

Kaihla got a little help from the instructor, and actually did pretty good!

Shad and Kaihla said they want to do it again...it's probably just one of those things where they need more practice and they'll enjoy it more!

My 30th!!!

2009-10-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm 30...crazy!! For my birthday, Sean planned out our entire day...WITHOUT kids!!! We dropped them off early at my mom's house, and headed for Muir Woods. We were able to go on 2 long hikes..one in the morning, then we had lunch, then went on another long hike in the afternoon! Muir Woods is amazing, the trees are huge!!! After that we went to an amazing dinner! Happy Bday to me :-)

3-0

See..the trees are HUGE!!!!

Most of them were hollow inside..this one even had a little bench! It's so strange to sit inside a tree!

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-09-18T07:03:00.001-07:00

Sean surprised me about a month ago with a trip to Disneyland. He got the tickets, booked the hotel..did everything!!! We went Labor Day weekend..our first day at the park being Labor Day. We got the 3-day park-hopper and went on a Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The crowds were minimal..we were able to walk on a lot of rides!! We used the rider-swap, so Sean and I were able to ride all the cool rides that the kids couldn't go on! The kids had a GREAT time, and we did too. Yes there were melt-downs, but what do you expect with a 2-year old and almost 4-year old! Kaihla took naps in the stroller, and Shad didn't even come close to napping..WAY too much to see. Kaihla toted her elephant around the park, and it has become her new best friend..try to spot a picture where she's NOT holding it..that thing is attached to her hip!!! We had around 150 pictures, so it was hard to pick some to share, so I added a bunch!! First day in Disneyland (notice there are NO people around)

The Järv's battle Captain Hook!!!

Tam, Kai and Shad doing the Ladybug disco at California Adventure

Our first ride, DUMBO!! The kids could barley take their eyes off the ride to take a picture

Hands up makes it more fun!!

The Disney-Pixar Parade was great, we ALL loved it..Kaihla waved at EVERYONE that went past her...a lot of the characters came up to her and said "hi"..Shad got into the action a little, but spend most of the time on Sean's head..the parade involved water, and he didn't want to get wet LOL!!

Sean and Shad getting ready to ride the Winnie The Pooh ride..Shadders was pretty excited

Waiting in line can make you do silly things!! I LOVE this picture of them..she kept saying "squeezer-squeezers" and squishing her cheeks like that..adorable!

Sean, Shad, Walt and Mickey

Waiting in line for Autotopia..they were holding their licenses, and they loved driving...Shad was SUPER focused, and had to 'beat' everyone around him!

Teacups!!! Hands up!!!

Kai was really excited to ride the teacups, and they ended up being her 3rd favorite ride (The Monorail, and the Carousal being 1st and 2nd)

Sean and Shad right after going on the Matterhorn. He was SO scared to go on this ride, but in the end he loved it!! Kaihla was tall enough to go on it too, she wasn't scared, and did love it..Kaihla is not scared of anything though..LOL!

The rocket ships in Tomorrowland were another favorite. Shad and Kaihla loved them!

Stuck in jail at Toontown!!

Kaihla in Minnie Mouse's chair..they really enjoyed going thru Minnie and Mickey's house

Another favorite ride was the roller coaster in Toontown. Again, Shad was terrified to go on it, and Kaihla was super excited. They both ended up LOVING it, and I think we went on it 2 or 3 times in a row..they wanted to go on it more, but we ran out of time! Kai kept her hands up for a good portion of the ride!!

Apple Blossom Fair

2009-08-25T15:23:00.001-07:00

Last weekend was Sebastopol's Gravenstein Apple Fair. It turned out to be a beautiful day! The kids had a blast, and there were lots of yummy apple treats! By far their favorite thing there was the hay maze. I think they did it about 7 or 8 times...but would have done more if we let them!!! Shad and Kaihla racing thru the maze

Don't I have the most handsome men in my life?!?!

Shad LOVES corndogs...well...the outside crust is what he likes..the hot dog just gets in the way

They also really loved the train ride. They were able to ride it by themselves this year...but I didn't feel comfortable having them out of my sight in a crowded place like that, so Sean and I walked behind the train the whole way!

They really loved it :-)

Shad was very excited holding his ticket for the train ride. There's something about a kid being able to give someone a ticket to ride something that just makes it more fun!

The 4 Järvs waiting at the train station!

Visit to Shingletown

2009-08-11T07:25:00.000-07:00

We went up to Sean's mom's house a few weeks ago. Our visit was wonderful, and we were able to meet Sean's Uncle John and Aunt Ellen! Sean had not seen John for a very long time, and they were down from Washington visiting! They are such wonderful people, who instantly felt like family, and made me feel like family. The first day Sean, John and I climbed up to the top of Mt.Lassen...Ellen had a bum foot and wasn't able to hike :-( so I headed out with the guys! We had great conversations, views and stories! Sean and Uncle John about half way up

Sean, Tam and John..getting closer to the top..great views!

The trail was pretty steep in some parts..very rocky

On our way down, Sean and Uncle John..it's amazing how similar they are. From their looks, attitude, interests..lots of fun..

Heading down..

Kaihla getting ready for her quad ride...well she was ready from the moment we got there..but now she get's to go!

Sean taught Shad how to press the accelerator..he kept revving the engine..it was time to GO

My cute kids stopping in a field of flowers on our quad ride

Have I mentioned that Kaihla is fearless..well she rides the quads with her feet up...ya...guess it's not stimulating enough for her!! HA!

Ellen, John, Vickie, Kaihla, Sean and Shad (ya, he's crying...)

Ellen, John, Vickie and Sean

4th of July

2009-08-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Some more pics from our 4th of July weekend. They're a little out of order..
Here's Shad and Ashlee watching fireworks and eating popcorn! Kaihla was REALLY tired by the time it was dark enough for fireworks. She was a trooper though! She just hung out on my lap, or Sean's lap and watched the show! Not scared at all..(not a big surprise there!)

Ashlee, Kimberly, Haidyn, Shadwic, Sean, Kaihla, and Nolan hanging out on the driveway while the fireworks light up!

Sean, as usual, with all the kids around him.

Shad really had fun this year! The first year we've been able to light off our own fireworks! He liked the sparklers too. Fireworks are illegal where we live, but not in Sacramento :-)

More sparkler fun

The little girls had the same 4th of July dress! Can you tell which one is Kaihla and Which one is Haidyn??

Shad and his newest cousin, baby Kendyl

Shad and Kaihla meet Kendyl for the first time!

She's so cute! They love her already..

Funderland

2009-07-26T15:09:00.001-07:00

4th of July weekend we spent in Sacramento with my Dad and Carolyn. The day before the 4th, they took us to Funderland. It's a little kids amusement park in Sac..pretty cool, a little old, but that didn't matter one bit to the kids! They had a ton of fun, and were toally wiped out by the time we left! My dad and Kaihla walking to Funderland

Oh no! Our kids turned into Rattlesnakes!!

Shad AND Kaihla were big enough to ride the rides without us!! This was their first ride, the airplanes. Shad chose one that was broken, it didn't go up and down, but they had fun still!

Kaihla wanted to ride the dragon roller coaster. Shad wanted to also, until he saw it go..then he chickened out...not my girl though!! She was raring to go! AND had SO much fun!!

Kaihla on the carousel..waiting for it to go, she looks a little bored..but once it started she was all smiles! This one went SO fast..Sean and I were really surprised, but Miss Daredevil sure didn't mind!

I think this was the kids' favorite! A little Octopus with fish tentacles! It just went up and down while going around in a circle, but both were laughing the entire time!

They had a train that went around the whole park..another ride the kids did together without us!! Geez, they're growing up so fast!

And they each got to drive their own car!! You can click on the picture to make it a bit bigger, but again, they loved it! Thanks for the great time Grandma and Papa!!!

Summer nights

2009-07-26T15:08:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we had a heat spell. So that meant warm nights...ahhh..I love it!! These were taken around 7:00, it was still about 80 outside..L-O-V-E IT!! The kids enjoyed their first taste of fudgsicle's! They weren't too thrilled with them after about 3 minutes, but they loved them for 3 minutes!!

Shad noticed Kaihla's tongue was brown, and concluded his was also brown, therefore they kept showing each other their tongues..this was more interesting to them then actually eating the fudgsicles!

UP

2009-07-26T15:06:00.000-07:00

Shad's first movie!!!! For Father's Day this year, Sean wanted to take Shad to see a movie. He was so excited to go, not only to see a movie, but he got to skip his nap!! Shad was so good during the movie..watched the whole thing, and loved it!!! He still talks about how he went to the movies and didn't have to nap! Watching the movie with his popcorn!

He drank that whole ICEE!!! and ate a bunch of popcorn..

Mmmmm..movie popcorn!!

Shad's suprise

2009-07-26T15:05:00.001-07:00

Shad had a problem of getting into the DVD's whenever he wanted. This has now become Kaihla's problem, but that's another story. Well, he decided (on his own) that he wanted to watch Monsters Inc. He got it out and started to take the DVD out of the case..well apparently it was in there a little more than he thought, and he broke the DVD right in half. He was devastated. Not only was he in trouble for getting the movie by himself and taking it out (which he knows he's not suppose to do) But he was SO sad that he wouldn't be able to watch the movie. Later that night when Sean got home, I had Shad tell him the whole story. Shad wasn't happy about re-living it, but he finally told Sean the story of what happened, and said that we could use his money from his piggy bank to buy a new one!! I thought that was the sweetest gesture ever! The next day Sean was talking to his mom, and told her the story...She also thought that was the sweetest thing ever and surprised Shad by sending him not one, but 2 movies in the mail. A new Monsters Inc. and a cool Thomas movie where he get's lost in the forrest! Shad was SO,SO,SO excited when he opened his package!! I had to take some pictures! Checkin' them out...

YAY! New movies!! (Oh, ya, and she also sent Kaihla a movie..Balto..she is in love with her Nana's dog, Skye ( a Huskie)!! So she wasn't left out either :-)

Laughing so hard because he was so excited!!

Rolling on the ground with movies in hand, laughing his head off!!! Thanks Nana..awesome surprise!!

Spa Day

2009-07-26T15:03:00.001-07:00

I won a free spa day at the Sonoma Fairmont a couple months ago! It included brunch, a 1-hour massage, $75 food and beverage credit at the poolside grill, and use of all the facilities. I took 2 of my friends and we had an awesome day at the spa!! The brunch was amazing..always nice to stuff your face, then spend the rest of the day in a bathing suit! HA!

Tasha, Lisa and me in our cute robes getting ready to try and find a spot by the pool!

Thanks girls for making it such a great day! You're the best!!

Kelli's Bday

2009-07-26T15:01:00.000-07:00

A night on the town!! Woo Hoo!!! My friend Kelli celebrated her birthday with wine tasting and a night out in Sonoma! I had so much fun!!! We went wine tasting at Cornerstone Gardens in Sonoma, then had dinner & drinks. I was able to meet some of her friends who I loved! and it was a much needed night out! Thanks for having a birthday Kelli!!!

This huge chair was at the entrance to Cornerstone Gardens...fun picture spot!

Father's Day

2009-06-28T13:35:00.001-07:00

Father's Day 2009 was really nice! Sean took Shad to his first movie, UP. I'll post pictures of that later. Then we went to my grandma's house for dinner! Sean is the best Dad I ever could have imagined. Our kids are so lucky to have a father like him..and I'm lucky to have a great husband! Happy Father's Day!! Daddy with his kiddos

What every father should be doing on Father's Day, right?!

Opening his present that Shad made for him at school.

We loved the wrapping paper, a little saw with his hand print, and it said "you're the best dad I ever saw"

Morning hugs from Kai Kai

Kaihla turnes 2!!

2009-06-28T13:22:00.000-07:00

Kaihla had her 2nd birthday on June 7th. We celebrated her birthday the day before. I let her choose her theme this year too! We went to Partytime and I narrowed it down to a few she showed interest in..she choose Hello Kitty!! My friend Kirstin made her the most amazing cake! A huge Hello Kitty! The ears were rice crispy treats, and the head was chocolate! SO YUMMY! and looked AMAZING! We rented a huge jumpy house with a slide because Kaihla loves jumpy houses, got a bunch of bubbles, and had wonderful weather, friends and family! Thank you to everyone who helped make her day so special! Kaihla blowing out the candles!

Kaihla and mommy at the end of the party...she had SO much fun!

This cake is all for me??!?!?! Oh and Kirstin also made little mini-cupcakes for the kids :-)

Kaihla loves the "Happy Birthday" song!

Present time! She wore that crown almost the whole day! I was really surprised!

My mom and Kaihla going down the slide

Sean, Haidyn and Conrad going down the slide..Sean had just as much fun as the kids in the jumpy/slide!

Bubbles!!

Poor Shad got sick the day of her party. Earlier in the day he had a temp of 103! After his nap that day it went down to 99-100, so we decided to take him..otherwise one of us would have to stay home with him and miss the party! He was fine until about 1 hr into the party..he crashed. This picture was taken in the middle of presents..I can't believe he tried to fall asleep while there was SO much going on!!

Poor baby! Luckily it only lasted a day, and he was pretty much back to normal within a day or so! I feel so bad that he missed on a lot of the fun though.

One of those 'Father-Son' moments

2009-05-31T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sean was going to put new mud flaps on our new car today, and Shadwic couldn't wait to help out! He loves doing car stuff with his daddy! He was involved with everything..he read the directions, lifted the car with the car-jack, got Sean the correct tools. It was pretty adorable!
Sean and Shad putting the tire back on

Tightening the lug nuts

Umm..my hands are all dirty!

"Hey MOM my hands are all dirty...COOL"

Shad using the impact wrench, with the assistance of Sean, to loosen the lug nuts!! Check out the video below..

Hiking!

2009-05-31T13:35:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite things to do is to go hiking! Lately, well, since kids...we really haven't had much opportunity to. Yesterday my grandma watched the kids all day for us so we could go hike! We went to Sugarloaf State Park, and climbed Hood Mountain. Once we got to the summit it was pretty much socked in with fog. We continued a bit further to Gunsling rock...it was suppose to have great views. Again, it was pretty foggy, but the sun was coming thru and it was so quiet and relaxing. As we finished lunch the fog started burning off a little more, and you could see some of the view. I think it was like 2600 feet up, or something like that. The hike was a little over 7 miles..and a LOT of that was uphill!! Surprisingly today neither of us are that sore! YAY! It was a great time..I hope we get to do it more often!! Thanks grandma for watching the kiddos all day!!

At the top, over the fog!

Sean at Gunsling rock

This is where we had lunch..it was so nice and sunny, private, quite..SO what we both needed!!!

Academy Of Science

2009-05-04T20:16:00.000-07:00

My grandma bought our family a season pass to the Academy of Sciences this year!!! Thank you SO much GG!!! We took the kids a couple weeks ago and they had such a great time..(we did too) We can't wait to go back. They have a living rain forest that is amazing, and the butterfly's fly around freely, one kept landing on Sean..( I think she had a crush on him..or his cologne!) Me and the kids looking at some bugs in the living rain forest

They also have a few areas outside to play..Shad and Sean climbed this really cool tree!

Apparently Kaihla knows ALL about the fish, and shows Shad what they're all about.. " See brubbie, fish! big fish"

Shad see's them! They really re-modeled the aquarium nicely. Lots of big fish to see

Not sure if Shad knew this Zebra was not real...didn't matter to him though

Shad and Kai riding a big 'ol turtle

They had a few ladies dressed up like "trees" , walking around on stilts, faces painted etc. Well, Shad was terrified, and wanted nothing to do with this 'thing'..Kaihla on the other hand, made a new friend. While we were in one of the stores, she grabbed everything she wanted ( like 6 things) and shared them with the 'tree' lady. She talked to her, laughed, not scared in the least (not like I should be surprised, she doesn't have much fear at all....for anything!)

Not too sure about a butterfly getting that close..cool picture though!

Our trip to Arizona

2009-04-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

About a month ago we took a trip to Arizona for Sean's best friend, Patrick's, wedding. It's taken me forever to sort thru the pictures, but I finally did it! We had a really fun time. We stayed in a place called 'The Legacy Resort' which was amazing!!! We had a full kitchen, fully stocked with anything we needed for cooking, a washer/dryer, jacuzzi tub, patio, dining room, and we didn't have to share a room with the kids! On site they had an amazing pool, kids park, walking/running trails..it was great.

Shad and Kiahla at the pool:
I took the kids to the Phoenix Zoo one day while Sean was spending some time with Patrick. We originally were just going to a park, but I got lost and found myself in the parking lot of the Zoo...So we decided just to go! It was fun, and the weather was perfect..not too hot or cold. They had a really cool, interactive Monkey room, where you could walk inside with the monkeys, kinda like a butterfly exhibit. But they warned us not to touch anything because apparently, monkeys pee on EVERYTHING...eeewww..we had a through hand-washing when we got out.

We took this exact picture of the kids last year..this is at the rehearsal for Patrick and Rachel's wedding (they're at the altar) . It's crazy to see how much they're grown in 1 year!!

For the rehearsal dinner we went to this cool, rustic place called Rustlers Roost. It had a metal slide, live music, a killer view, and a huge bull at the entrance...very 'meat and 'taters' kind of place..very unique and cool. Here is where we discovered that Kaihla loves corn on the cob.

Groom and Best Man, and the rehearsal dinner..

Here's Daddy with his kids on the day of the wedding! You can click on it to make it bigger..they're the cutest things on the planet!! All 3 of them!

My handsome husband and son. They both look irresistible when they're dressed up like this!

Here's the Fam before the wedding. They were married at a beautiful place called the Secret Garden..really cool, with awesome mountains (rocks!) behind it.

Patrick and Rachel exchanging vows!!

Me and my babies!! ..not really babies anymore!

The wedding party..they all looked so beautiful!

Shad practicing his model pose..he actually stood like that on his own..too GQ!

Kaihla LOVES TO PARTY!!!! Once the music started..she was on fire!! (although it was late, and she didn't want to give up her blankie or her binkey) but still wanted to be right in the middle of everything. She danced, and danced..she was loving all the attention she was getting. Patrick's sisters, Jenny and Shannon were her main dance partners, but she shared the love too...

Me and Jenny taking a break outside :-)

Sean, Rachel and Patrick. She looked so beautiful!!! ...don't you just love weddings?? I do :-)

Kaihla, dancing again with Jenny

The day after the wedding, we all went to a Spring training game! It was our first spring training game, and it was very cool. Shad liked it..Kaihla could care less..I actually don't think she even knew there was a game going on!!! HA! Shad had his first taste of cotton candy...

he loved it!!!

Shadwic and Daddy at their first baseball game together!

Sean, Shad, and Patrick..(notice how Shad's face is blue..ya, he loved that cotton candy!)

After the game was over, they allowed kids to run the bases. Shad said he wanted to, so we stood in line, forever. Once we were allowed to get on the field, we realized that adults weren't allowed, just kids. To our surprise, Shad still wanted to run the bases, so he stood in line like a big kid, and waited until it was his turn to run....(he's in the brown shirt, and plaid shorts..the smallest one by far out there)

Off he went!! He ran around all the bases! We were so proud of him..I got a little teary seeing my little guy being such a big kid out there..and seeing how well he did! He touched all the bases!

Rounding second, heading into third base..

He made it home!!

Fun trip..hope to do another one soon :-)

Shadwic...

2009-03-10T18:16:00.000-07:00

Photo session with Auntie Kimberly...

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The Diva-Kaihla

2009-02-23T20:38:00.000-08:00

I think the picture, and video below kinda explain this one..of course once I brought out the camera the singing died down a bit, but still funny.

Brown pals

2009-02-23T20:35:00.000-08:00

After dinner the other night, I noticed that Sean, Shad and Kaihla were all matching! So I grabbed the camera and took some pictures! Family photo (minus me!)

Trying to get Shad and Kaihla to both look at the camera is SO difficult! Kaihla doesn't sit still for more than a few seconds anyway, so trying to snag a picture of her is a challenge!

I told them to put their hands on the wall, it was the only way to keep Kaihla next to Shad, but Shad always yells 'Cheese' really loud, and it gives him a goofy face!

Eating his grilled cheese sandwich, and posing. Such a sweet guy. A self-proclaimed 'fixer-guy', loves to help with things, cooking, cleaning etc. all in all, a delight to be around. I love my little man!!!

Kaihla...my crazy girl. Bursting with personality, laughter and fun. This girl knows what she wants, and is not afraid to tell you! It's not often that you see her without a smile. AND she loves it when her Daddy runs around upside down with her!!

Random

2009-01-28T19:19:00.000-08:00

The kids have been absolutely amazing lately. Their interaction with each other is so cool to watch. They do everything together, they say 'please' and 'thank-you' to each other. It's so fun to watch them interact. I joined a new mom's group, and have gone to a few play dates recently, and Shad and Kaihla play together the whole time...which is really cute! Not exactly what I wanted them to do at a playgroup..but still cute! Shad helping Kaihla scoot down stairs

They really do love each other. Every night before bed, they give each other a hug and kiss..and tell the other they love them. It's funny, because they actually get excited to give hugs and kisses.

Talkin' to each other....

The Peters

2009-01-28T19:16:00.001-08:00

We spent some time with The Peters Clan (My step-dad's family) a couple weeks ago. We had a wonderful dinner, and good time catching up with everyone! Baby Payton wanted to play with Shad..apparently he was too busy posing!

Geoff and Mike taking a pause from cooking!

I have no idea what they were doing, but apparently Mike and Rene have a very cool, clean foyer.

My happy guy. He's seriously the coolest kid ever..I just love him to pieces.

Stacie and Payton relaxing after dinner

Grandma Kim, Donna and Kaihla

So big

2009-01-28T19:15:00.000-08:00

Our baby is getting so big! Her favorite 2 foods are yogurt and any kind of pasta. She is really good at using a spoon, doesn't even spill. Until, that is, she decides spoons are overrated and uses her hands for the rest!

Such a big girl!!

X-mas at Dad's

2009-01-28T19:05:00.000-08:00

I know, I'm a little late with these. We had Christmas with my Dad on New Year's Day! We had a great weekend! Kaihla takes her doggies everywhere..so cute

Shad playing the Wii Snowboard game we got my dad..he was pretty good :-)

Gettin it all set up...Shad is in position!

Kaihla was such a good helper...she really got the hang of opening presents! We got Seinfeld Scene It..awesome game..anyone want to test your Seinfeld trivia?!?!

Kaihla decorating herself....and eating!

Miami Game!

2009-01-28T19:01:00.001-08:00

Sean's Christmas present this year was tickets to see his favorite team (Miami Hurricanes) play in the Emerald Bowl Vs. Cal. Since Miami is obviously in Florida, he has never been to a game before, and now they were playing at AT&T park! We got great tickets on the 50 yard line..Sean was like a little kid..so excited to see 'his' team!

Us watching warm-up's

View from our seats at the 50 yard line

The "U"

Xmas Day

2009-01-10T15:47:00.000-08:00

Shad and I made peanut butter cookies for Santa. Shad thought 3 cookies was appropiate for Santa Clause. He was pretty facinated at the fact that Santa would be coming down our chimney that night!

Shad and Daddy writing a letter to Santa

The kids on Christmas morning..so exciting!

Christmas morning, my mom, step-dad and sister came over to open presents and have breakfast with us. It's so fun to have them there with us. They brought all their presents to us and eachother, so there was tons to open. So fun!

Shad and Kaihla playing with their new puppies from Matt and Kiley. The LOVE those puppies!

Sean and his Mama on Christmas day!

Kaihla playing with her present from Nana. A Sky dog! Nana has a dog named Sky, and Kaihla is OBSESSED with this dog..she loves her to pieces. Sky is a Huskey, and Huskeys 'Woo-woo-woo' instead of bark. Now Kaihla 'Woo-woo's'. She thinks her Sky doggie is pretty comperable to the real Sky dog..and 'Woo-woo's" to her all the time!

New stuff to play with..

2009-01-10T15:43:00.000-08:00

Shad and Kaihla both got raincoats and boots for Christmas from GG. So the first rainy day, shad insisted on going out in the rain..since he now could without getting wet! He had the best time..It was really hard to get him back inside! And his raincoat is green, his favorite color!

Splashing in the rain is so fun!

Froggy and Ladybug

My little lovebugs!

Shad also got a Doctor's kit. He enjoyed checking out Sean..apparently he was in need of some help!

"Daddy, are you alive?"

Christmas at Grams

2009-01-10T13:43:00.001-08:00

Christmas at my grandma's was awesome, as usual. We always have Christmas the Saturday before! We had a great time, the food was fabulous, and the kids had so much fun! Sean and I in front of Grandma's tree

The Jarvs 2008!

My mom and Kaihla...she was over-distracted..there was so much going on, getting her to look at the camera was almost impossible!

Shad, relaxing after opening presents. He had such rosy cheeks that night!

I love Kai's eyes in this picture!

Little model pose!

Me and my Mama!

Kaihla and GG. Kaihla LOVES GG..talks about her all the time..they're so cute together!

Preschool Christmas Show

2009-01-10T13:40:00.001-08:00

Shad's preschool had a recital, and it was the cutest thing ever. All the kids got dressed as either a Santa or a Reindeer. They got in front of everyone and sang, probably like 5 songs. Shad loved it!

Kaihla was waiting very patiently for the show to begin.....

Shad does not have a problem getting up in front of a lot of people..he really, really enjoyed himself!

Thankful

2008-12-18T21:39:00.000-08:00

A dedication to the 2 people that care for our kids:
To say that I am lucky to have my family is an understatement. I truly have the best, most wonderful, supportive, caring family I could ever ask for. My mom, and my grandma are what make my family, my family. My mom: She's the one I can call literally 15 times a day and it doesn't seem to bother her. I can tell her anything and she will give me her best shot at an un-biased opinion, she'll bring me soup when I'm sick, go our of her way to help me when I really need it Oh, and did I mention, she watches Shad and Kaihla every week. I am so, so thankful to have such a great caring mom, who spreads her good-ness to my kids every week. They love their Grandma so much!
Kaihla, Grandma, and Shad

Shad and Grandma have a very special bond. It's pretty obvious in this picture.

Kai loves her grandma too. Such lucky Kiddos.

My Grandma..where could I possibly begin. I don't think that I have ever known, nor will I ever meet someone that is as self-less and giving as my grandma. My grandma always has an answer for everything, or an opinion if I'm looking for one. She continuously goes out of her way for people with out ever looking for what she get's back. She inspires me to be a better person, to be a thoughtful person, a giving person, and a loving person. She inspires me to be like that, because she is like that. She's tough when she needs to be, and loving when she needs to be. Oh, and did I mention that she watches Shad and Kaihla also!! Grandma (or as the kids call her "GG") comes to my house every Tuesday and every other Thursday to pick the kids up..drops Shad off at preschool, picks him up and brings them back to her house. AND she's the one that offered to do it. I'm so glad that my kids get a chance to be with her, learn from her and be spoiled by her! How cool to have your Great-grandma watch you!?

Papa Ron, GG, Shad and Kai

Shad loves GG

Kaihla and GG (or as she now calls her Geeg)!

I am so thankful that my mom and grandma are able to watch the kids while Sean and I work. I don't think they will every really understand how much it means to us. So Thank you Mom and Grandma for being great!

Christmas pictures with Santa

2008-12-12T12:53:00.000-08:00

We took the kids last weekend to see Santa! Shad was SO excited. Especially because he knew he would get a treat after! Kaihla was pretty indifferent to the whole thing. They both waited patiently for Santa to arrive...once Shad knew that if he asked Santa for something he might get it..he was stoked. As you can tell in the picture below...he enjoyed the Santa visit...

Now our precious little girl...well, she didn't quite agree with her brother. Santa is an OK guy...from a distance. In fact she was great until she realized we wanted her to sit on this guy's lap. And as you can tell by the below picture...well doesn't that say all you need to know!?

I love how Shad is oblivious to Kaihla's screaming and proceeds to sit still, looking at the camera with a very calm, posed grin!
I love my kids!!!

Thanksgiving Holiday!

2008-12-01T20:41:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving we went up Shingletown to spend time with Sean's mom. We've been going up there for Thanksgiving for years, and a 5 years ago or so, we started a tradition. The day after Thanksgiving we load up the truck with our left-over turkey and a saw... We go get our permit to cut down a Christmas tree, we find our tree, cut it down, put our turkey on a stump, eat left-over turkey sandwiches and hope we see a bear coming to get the turkey we left! It all started when one year we did that, but we dropped off the turkey first..we found our tree, and while driving back, we saw a huge bear, right in the middle of the road! Ever since that, we swear the bear was there because he ate our turkey!....
So here's a TON of pictures from our long weekend..we had the BEST time, the kids loved spending time with their Nana, being in the Forrest, quadding, and exploring around her property! Thanks for the wonderful, relaxing, fun time! Kai Kai was all bundled up and ready to go!

Kaihla fell in love with Vickie's dog, Sky. I swear every 10 minutes she would ask " where's sky?" It was pretty damn cute. Sky was so great with Kaihla too. Kaihla is our little animal lover!

Shad, Vickie, Me and Kaihla ready to look for our tree!

Here's a family shot while we were looking for the "perfect" tree. I absolutely h-a-t-e this picture of me, but love if of Sean and the kids...so I put it up anyway..just ignore me!

While Sean went back to the truck to get the saw, Shad thought he would save us some time and cut the tree down himself. Too bad he was using a stick. Nice try buddy!

There's Sean cutting down the Christmas Tree! and look how much fun he's having! Thankfully this tree was a lot easier to cut then it had been in previous years!

Mr. Serious looking cute

Sean and Shad getting ready to go for a Quad ride..matching jackets and all..

Daddy had great little helpers while he was trying to set up the tree

Turns out the box the lights were in was much more fun.

Seriously, Kaihla has NO FEAR when it comes to these quads. She's borderline obsessed. Well, actually, she's fine until she hears one start up...she gets upset if she isn't the one riding.

We all went on a Quad ride, and along one of the trails was a Christmas tree farm. Not the kind -where people can come and pay for their tree..the kind where Sierra-Pacific owns it, they sell it to private party's, where they come and get them and sell them somewhere else. Anyway, there were a bazillion trees, and Mt. Lassen is in the background (I don't know if you can see it in this picture) But it was so beautiful!!

Shad and Nana stopping to look at all the trees!

Kaihla waiting patiently for Daddy to get back on and ride!!

Didn't I tell you she loves this. It was the cutest thing to see, ever...

Kaihla having so much fun!!

At the end of the ride, this is how she was sitting with Daddy...she's crazy! I guess quad rides are fun and relaxing!

Kaihla loves to Quad

2008-12-01T20:24:00.000-08:00

I love the fall

2008-11-15T13:57:00.000-08:00

I love fall in Sonoma County. I love how the vinyards change color...it's so pretty! This is just up the street from our house.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-10T14:24:00.001-08:00

The kids had so much fun at Halloween this year...well Shad did at least...Kaihla didn't really get what was going on. She was excited in the beginning, then just couldn't make up her mind what she wanted to do! I don't remember seeing Shad so excited! fun night! Shad, a.k.a Mickey Mouse!

Goof ball...

Mickey and Minnie Mouse, waiting outside our house, getting ready to go trick or treating!

Kaihla is all dressed up and ready to go!

Mickey and Minnie mouse

Kaihla looked SO cute! Grandma Sharon made both kids costumes..didn't she do a GREAT job!!! Thanks Grandma!!

After a while, Kaihla got tired of walking, we forgot the stroller, so Daddy's shoulders were the next best thing!...until that got old, then we borrowed our friends stroller for her..that was a lifesaver..taking a 16month old out without a stroller just doesn't work

By this time, Shad was really getting the hang of this whole 'trick-or-treating' . The first house we went to, he asked me to say 'trick-or-treat' after a few houses he was saying 'trick-or-treat', 'thank-you', 'happy halloween', 'next house!'

Kaihla really did enjoy herself for a while!

Rick and Colleen's Wedding

2008-11-10T14:15:00.000-08:00

My Uncle Rick recently got married! The wedding was at their home, and everything about it was beautiful!! Here are some pictures from that day! Grandma and Shad dancing...Shad discovered that he loves to dance!

Sean thinks he's pretty cool to have a cute chick like my sister on his arm!

My grandma, Uncle Rick and Papa Ron!

The newlyweds! Uncle Rick and Aunt Colleen! She had the most beautiful dress, and looked so gorgeous!

Shad and Kaihla love it at Uncle Ricks, there's SO much to do there...throughout the ceremony Shad kept asking when he could go feed the goats! Anyway, Shad was showing Kaihla there was a kitty over here that LOVED all the attention he was getting.

Me and my mama!

Me and my Kai Kai

Daddy with his little girl (and her little girl!)

Grandma with her grand kids!

Me and my sister..crazy how grown up she looks!...almost 13 already!

Shad's new scooter

2008-10-14T20:55:00.000-07:00

Grandma Kim bought Shad is very first Scooter for his birthday! He just loves it! We took a walk to the park, and he rode it the entire way!! Good job buddy!
Is that not the cutest thing you've ever seen?!?!

Sorry for the crooked video..stretch your neck first, then watch!!

Birthday Day with Daddy

2008-10-14T20:46:00.001-07:00

Shad's actual birthday was on Monday. Sean took the day off work so he could spend it with him!

They started the morning off with blueberry waffles for breakfast!
Next stop was Scandia for some Pee-Wee golfing! Apparently Shad did not need/want ANY instructions on how to golf, and proceeded to 'hockey' hit the ball.
Shad with Daddy. They had so much fun!!
Stopping for a bite to eat!
Once they finished 2 rounds of golf, they went inside and played games, Shad won enough tickets to buy a toy! Then they went and rode the race track! After that they went to Toys R Us to where Shad got to pick out a toy for his birthday! then the went to Costco and shared a frozen yogurt!

Here is some video of Shad's putting!!! Enjoy!

My little guy is 3 years old!!

2008-10-14T20:30:00.001-07:00

Our Family

Where has 3 years gone? It seems like yesterday I took the pregnancy test finding out I was pregnant with Shad. I can still feel the emotions of that day, like they just took place this morning. These past 3 years have been amazing. Watching him grow, and our family grow has been incredible. Shadwic is the best little guy I could ever ask for. Before I got pregnant with him, I always dreamed of having a little blonde boy...and here he is! He is so smart, patient and sweet. He loves to pretend and use his imagination. He can communicate very well and is very expressive of his feelings. His eating is still a work in progress, I just hope, eventually, he will grow out of this! He is doing great in preschool. His teacher said he is very outgoing and social. He plays well with all the kids, and listens well. We're so proud of him! Happy Birthday to my best buddy!!
Shad and Mama, at his birthday party!

The theme for his party was Firetrucks..he had his first Pinata! A firetruck pinata!
Daddy with Fireman Shad
And Fireman Kaihla (Firewoman?)
Blowing out his Birthday cupcake!
Kaihla eating the birthday cupcake...apparently she enjoyed it!

Miss Personality

2008-10-09T21:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is my daughter..look closely, double click on it to enlarge...ya, one shoe on, one off, crayon in her mouth...this is very typical
She thinks she's pretty cute though
I'm not really sure when this all started, but she takes a crayon out of the drawer, and puts it in her mouth...walks around with it like this for a while, kinda like a cigar or something...and if I put my hand under her mouth...she drops it..like it's a game
Notice the crayon that fell past my hand (it's red)
Oh, but you gotta love her! She has the best personality, her vocabulary is exploding, she's just our curious little girl!

Shad's 1st day of Preschool

2008-10-09T20:56:00.000-07:00

Shad had his first day of preschool this week! We enrolled him in a school here in Windsor called Sweet Peas Preschool. Sean and I both really like this school. It has a pretty small class size (about 10 kids) and is very creative/imaginative based. They serve a snack and lunch, and all the food is very healthy. I'm anxious to see if this helps our little guy get more into eating once he sees all the other kids eating! On Thursday, their lunch was BBQ Chicken, garlic mashed potato's and broccoli! Sounds good to me! Shad didn't touch it though. He's doing great so far. The teacher said he is very outgoing, talkative, friendly, and communicative. He plays very well with all the other kids, and is very well behaved! We're so proud of our little guy! Shad and Daddy, 1st day of school
In front of his new school!
He loves that his backpack has wheels! This is the play area at Shad's school..
2nd day of school in front of our house!

Sean's 30th

2008-10-09T20:53:00.000-07:00

My handsome hubby turned 30 last weekend! Amazing! I threw him a little party with our close family and friends. It was great, good food, good people.. The highlight of the evening was when Sean's mom showed up as she was October 4, 1978..pregnant and with long hair! His sister showed up in pig tails with a huge lollypop! It didn't take long for Vickie's "pregnant" belly to dissapear, apparently being pregnant makes you too hot. I hope you had a wonderful birthday sweetie..you're the greatest! Sean and his Mom (pregnant with him!)
Sean opening his Playboy from 1978! I think he looks a little red?!

Our new addition.....maybe

2008-09-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

On the morning of my birthday, Sean and I went on a long run. Something we have not done at Vickie's house before. It was a beautiful morning , so we went on a 45 minute run in the Forrest around her house. On our way back a dog came running up to us, soaking wet. We both waited for it's owner to come after it, but that never happened. We continued our run, not realizing we were being followed. This dog crossed Hwy 44 to follow us home. He ran along side of us until we got back home to Vickies. Once we were there, he stood outside the gate playing with the dogs thru the fence, and whining. After 20 minutes or so, we let him in. We figure he's around 6 months old or so. He did not have any tags or anything. He loves to play, and is a chewer. He's great with the kids, and very light-footed. We decided to take him home. ..see if he's micro-chipped, and possibly keep him. If it didn' t work out, Vickie would take him back to her place and find a home for him. We love him, he is such a great dog..SO sweet. The only problem is that he's a puppy...and puppy's are a lot of work...Something we're just not sure we're ready for right now. Already having to look after 2 little ones, and adding a puppy that needs constant supervision...we'll have to see how it goes...we named him Trax (because he followed our tracks home!)

My Bday Weekend-The big 2-9

2008-09-22T14:42:00.000-07:00

My birthday was this past Friday...

We decided to head up to Sean's moms' house for an extended weekend (Wed night until Saturday) ..once we left Vickies, we headed to Sacramento for my brother-in-law's 40th Bday party and stayed there until Sunday! We had a really great time up in the mountains! Shad and Kaihla had a great time too...On my Birthday, Sean and I went out on a quad ride. The paths were so beautiful, and the weather was really nice too. After that we drove into town to have dinner and ice cream! This is me on my quad going thru a stream, thankfully it wasn't that deep!
Sean and I on our quads

My birthday dinner, we went to Red Robin (had a super yummy burger with onion fries on the bottom!...mmmmm fattening ...Kaihla had fun, and was SO well behaved in the restaurant!
Shad had his first taste of soda! Of course he loved it..let's just not make this a habit!
Sean and his mom went on a quad ride the first day we were there....the end of summer= really dusty trails!! They got SO dirty, I had to take a picture! It looks like Sean has a beard, and Vickie's hair...well it just speaks for itself!
It looked like so much fun, Sean and I went for a ride...and again, thru the dust, came back pretty dirty!
Happy Birthday to me! So glamorous!

These got a little out of order, but after we left Vickies we went to my Dad's house to celebrate my brother-in-law's 40th Birthday. Kaihla and Papa had fun, but Shad, as usual, had the best time making pancakes in the morning with Papa..
Kaihla on Nana's quad! She loved, loved the quads. When you turned it on she would run up to you and say up, go. Once she got used to the quad I would try holding on to her, but she kept pushing my arm away, she didn't want to hold on at all...totally fearless this kid! Shad also loved them..we made many, many laps around her property!
Kaihla and her Nana cuddling before bed
Shad loved being around Nana so much! We had a great time, and a wonderful, relaxing Birthday weekend!

San Deigo

2008-08-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

I'm finally posting some pictures from our trip to San Deigo. It's been so hard to go thru the 400+ pictures that we took, and narrow them down enough to share them without posting a ridiculous amount of pictures. It was really hard though! We got some great pictures while we were there and had a great, great time. It was so nice to vacation as a family! It was great bonding time for all of us, and the kids really enjoyed having Sean around for 9 straight days!! (me too!) Our first day there we got flew into SanDiego, picked up our rental car, checked into our hotel, and headed straight for the beach! I LOVE THE BEACH!!! I swear, if we lived in San Diego, I would be a TOTAL beach bum! Anyway, we went to the coolest place, it's called Mission Beach. It's a wonderful huge beach, and right next to it is a little carnival, almost like the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz. Such a cool vibe. Kaihla loved going in the ocean and giggled every time a wave would come and splash us! Shad preferred to gather shells and make sandcastles!
The next day it was on to Sea World. We got there right when it opened 9:00 and stayed until they closed at 9:00. Quite a long day for a 1 and 2 year old, but they were having so much fun. Kaihla napped in the stroller, and Shad was just on a high all day, seeing all the cool animals and going on the rides they had there!

Mama and her little twin in front of the Beluga Whales
SHAMU!!!!!
He just had to pose in front of the Flamingo's!
Sean and Shad in front of a huge starfish. Right next to this was a giant tide pool with starfish that you could hold. Shad got to hold and touch one, he was pretty excited
A little out of order, but we are watching SHAMU at the whale show..he totally loved it..so did Kaihla, they both clapped the entire time!

Next was on to Legoland! Again we had another open-close day...10-8. Sean and Shad thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Kaihla wasn't able to do too much, there were a few rides for her, but lots for Shad's age and above. We think Shad's favorite ride was the Jousting Pony ride. The sign said you had to be 4 to go on it, but they didn't even ask, and let him ride it by himself!! This is the first time he's been able to do a ride without one of us going! AND this from a kid that used to never go on rides at all! Very proud and happy boy!
Shad and Kaihla also rode their first ride together. A train ride. Their faces were priceless when they got on and we went off to the side to watch them. Kaihla screamed when it ended because she had to get off. She probably would have stayed for hours on that train!
Pictures got screwed up in order..oh well...we also went to Balboa Park, then visited the USS Midway. That's the big ship behind Sean and Shad! Pretty awesome, and HUGE!
OK, this was us at SeaWorld again...
Kaihla riding the Elmo fish!

OK, back at Legoland. They had a junior driving school where the kids got to drive their own car..using the gas and steering alone! This one you had to be 3, so we told Shad to tell them he was 3. After much coaxing, he finally said he was 3, and they allowed him on the ride (they asked every kid before getting on the car how old they were) I was SO SO impressed at how well he drove this car. Stayed in his lane the whole time, handled the gas so well..what a big guy!
After, they gave the kids their own license. He was so proud of himself. We later got his picture taken and they have him a laminated license. He still wears it!
One of the rides Kaihla loved was the boat ride. It took us past all these fairy tale stories all designed in Lego's.
Sean and Shad with Darth Vader!
Kaihla really, really wanted to go on the horse ride...she stood and shook the fence posts to try to get in. Maybe next time girl!

Hope it wasn't too boring to look thru...I left out about 380 pictures, so if you ever want to see more, let me know, they'll be up on shutterfly soon!

Night out with the In-laws

2008-08-14T14:34:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago I went out with my sister-in-law, and mom-in-law. We had SO much fun! We went to our local pub, where they proceeded to order me drinks....lots of them... I had no idea what to order, since I'm such a drinker, so we told our lovely waitress that I like 'fruity' drinks, and she came up with the rest....I have to say..she did a good job! It was really nice to spend some quality one on one time with them. I'm SO glad we had the opportunity to do this :-) Sharon, Vickie and Me...I think this was a bit into the evening already..that's when I remembered I had my camera with me!!
Me and Vickie...I think she was saying "cheese" for a little too long!
Me and Sharon, getting ready to leave..they actually kicked us out at 12 (or 12:30...can't remember) But the evening didn't end there.....
We capped the evening off with karaoke!!! Always entertaining. Especially watching Sharon dance!!! (Thank god I was the one with the camera!) Got to bed at the insane hour of 2:30, and was awoken the next morning by my wonderful son...at 6:00am...ugh.... We had a blast though!

Train Town

2008-08-14T14:27:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm super late on my blogging...we've been extremely busy lately. Anyway, about a month ago we went to train town with my mom, sister and grandma! The kids loved it :-) Here are some pics from the day! Shad is such a loving big brother...seriously, he loves his sister so much!
Me and Kaihla on the Merry-go-round. She loved it...really, really didn't want to get off. Every time it would go around and she would see my mom or grandma she would smile and wave...every time
I just love being a mom! It's the best thing ever. I love this picture. It was taken when Shad and Kaihla realized they were both on the ride together! They just looked at each other and laughed! So cute!

Shad getting ready to go on the train ride. He had fallen asleep on the drive there, so when we woke him up he was a bit groggy. Until he found out we were going to ride on a train...that seemed to wake him up pretty quickly!
Shad, going thru a tunnel on the train ride...he thought it was pretty cool...
Here's Kaihla going thru the same tunnel...I'm not sure she had the same feelings about it as Shad did!
Kaihla and her "GG"
Shad and Grandma!

Too Cool...

2008-07-28T14:51:00.000-07:00

When she's in the mood to wear her sunglasses...there's no taking them off. Most of the time they're on the top of her head, or around her neck. But with a little help from Mommy..we were able to find the correct location! But what else goes with sunglasses..well a phone of course!
Hello??? I'm trying to reach Mr. Pitt...I know he's a little older than me..just tell him I am available.. Only cool chicks wear glasses inside

Summer Days

2008-07-28T14:36:00.001-07:00

Lounging in the pool, eating popsicles....it doesn't get much better than that! Our cheap little pool is one of the best summer investments we've made. They both love to play in it! We bring our little slide over, and they make a water slide into the pool. Or Shad will drive his cars down it...or under it. Here's to summer, it's going by too fast though!
Both kids are enjoying their popsicles....and even better, when eaten in a pool=less cleanup time!
Kaihla's face kills me in this picture...I can't look at if without cracking up!

It's oficial...

2008-07-24T14:58:00.001-07:00

Kaihla is walking!!! In fact, she hasn't crawled for like 3 days. Now she can wear all her cute dresses without getting caught in them!

Camping

2008-07-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

Our first camping trip as a family was this last weekend. We went to Lake Mendocino with Kimberly, Ryan, Ashlee, Nolan and Haidyn. The weather was perfect..a little smokey, but not too bad. The kids had a great time, and were dirtier than I had ever seen them. When we got home it was so great to see them clean again. Shad thouht camping was the best, and the "pee-pee house" (aka bathroom) was pretty cool too. I think Kaihla had a good time..she was just kinda limited to where she could go, she LOVED the water though! Shad has his first taste of smores.

Shad, building sandcastles on the beach with Daddy and Haidyn
More sandcastles with Ashlee...loves the beach and sand..but the water, he's not thrilled with..

Shad was so ready to go before we even left the garage!
Here is how Kaihla ate while we were camping..it was so nice to feed her someplace that was clean!
Throwing rocks in the water is fun, especially with Haidyn
It looked so inviting that everyone had to try. Sean was trying to teach Ashlee and Nolan how to skip rocks
Even Kaihla wanted to get into the action!

Our artist/baseball player

2008-07-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

I was pretty impressed when I saw the circle Shad drew today...Ususally he draws by making several lines randomly. But today he told me he wanted to draw a circle, and I was impressed at how 'circular' his circle was!

The circles kept gettin bigger!
On to the next talent! We're working on the form, but he sure loves it!

Kaihla's Walking!

2008-07-14T14:38:00.000-07:00

So right now it's about 50/50....but she's working on it. For awhile now she's been taking steps here and there, but just recently she started walking places on her own. Last night she walked from our front door all the way into the kitchen!! She can also fall, and stand back up by herself! She's so proud of herself too...

San Francisco Anniversary weekend

2008-07-14T14:20:00.000-07:00

Sean and I celebrated our 6-year anniversary this past Saturday. To celebrate, we went to San Francisco overnight. We spent 2 days and 1 night! We stayed in the Villa Florence, an awesome hotel in the heart of Union Square. It's an old hotel that they renovated, but still kept that old feel. It was really great to do things with just the two of us, we had a GREAT time. Sean planned every detail of the trip, and did an awesome job. We went to dinner at Alfred's Steakhouse to celebrate, yummy!
The Jarv's on Lombard Street
We took a Trolly every where we went, it was so much fun! I never realized how many hills the trolly went on until we rode it this weekend...you have to hold on tight sometimes!!

We also went on a Bay Cruise! We went under the Golden Gate Bridge and around Alcatraz! It was so pretty, and SUPER windy out on the bay!
Sean with a view of the Bridge behind him
Then we rented these Go-Cars. They were so cool. It's a GPS guided tour of San Francisco. Lots of things we had never seen before, and the GPS told us a little about each place also. We got a lot of people looking at us, taking pictures, and asking us where we got them. We had a blast doing this.
Sean's ready to race...too bad they don't go much faster than 30MPH!
A little out of order, but a pic of us getting ready to go out to dinner :-)

2008-07-14T13:21:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July 2008. We watched the fireworks in Windsor this year, and while driving around, we ran into some friends that had the best spot ever to watch fireworks. We invited some other friends to come watch with us, and we had a great time. There were lots of kids, and they all had so much fun. We watched them right behind where they were being shot off.
Kaihla watching the fireworks with Daddy

What a big girl in that big chair!
Shad has a new girlfriend, Gracie. We caught them kissing. I guess that's what the 4th of July is all about right?!
Shad watching fireworks with friends
After each one went off they would all yell, scream and point at the fireworks. At some point there must have been a purple one, because they were shouting "purple" after almost each firework!

New Haircut

2008-07-08T10:48:00.000-07:00

I decided to cut my hair..each time I get my hair done I want something 'different'. And it usually ends up looking the same. So I decided to go short. I think it's a nice change, and I think I like it! Took a couple shots of myself at work...

Almost 6 years ago

2008-06-19T15:23:00.001-07:00

On July12th, Sean and I will be celebrating our 6-year wedding anniversary! This might be a little premature in posting, but oh well..I actually have some free time! So here are just a few of my favorite photos from our awesome wedding! (you can click on them to make them larger) You've gotta love being a sandwich between 3 groomsmen! One of my favorite pictures of all time!
Umm....I think our cake tasted good?!?
We had a little fun with our wedding cake. Such a fun day! I love my hubby more and more each day!

Reno, NV

2008-06-19T14:58:00.000-07:00

Last week Sean's company sent him up to Reno NV to work. We tagged along for the week! It was a pretty good trip! I got to spend a lot of 1 on 1 time with the kids, and Sean was off work by like 3:30 each day, so we got some good family time in too! The only thing that was hard were naps. They usually nap at the same time, but seeing as we were out a lot, Kaihla often fell asleep in the stroller..so by the time we got home, she would only stay asleep for another 1/2 hr or so..and trying to get Shad to sleep when Kaihla was awake..was pretty much impossible. One day he took a great nap though, so Kaihla and I played in the hallway. She went back and forth millions of times..each time stopping to give her signature pose, like the picture below! The pool was freezing and small..so most of our time spent at the pool was either putting our feet in, or watching the water..
We also went to Circus Circus....and Shad LOVED it. We let him play whatever game he wanted. His favorite game was trying to throw this wiffle ball in a certian color cup. He didn't win that one, but had a lot of fun trying...
Another fun one..with ping pong balls this time...

He actually won a stuffed dog, and a stuffed bear. He also won enough tickets that he was able to trade them in for a bear. He chose a green bear, and when we told him he was able to buy this with his tickets because he did such a great job at the games, he said " I'm so proud" Priceless!!

Ya, we were told this was not OK right after the picture was taken. We knew that, but it made a cute picture right?!

One year ago....

2008-06-16T14:28:00.001-07:00

So this is a little late, but we've been out of town for a week...more on that later...

Our little girl has turned One. Time sure has flown by. What a year it's been. She has brought more joy to our home than I thought was ever possible. What a BIG personality she has!

I thought I would offer a little information on her birth.

The day before my due date, I had a doctor appointment. At that visit, we determined I was about 4-4.5 centimeters dilated..we were ready..just needed something to push us over the top. I had been at 3cm for a couple weeks. We walked, and walked did everything we thought would help us along. Finally about 10:00pm on June 6th, I started getting contractions..they weren't really painful, but pretty consist ant. I tried to sleep in between them, until about 12:00. Then they started to hurt a little. I was very hesitant to go to the hospital, because we had Shad, and my grandma was going to come watch him. The last thing I wanted was her to come in the middle of the night for nothing. So I think it was around 1:30am, I decided we should go to the hospital..they were starting to hurt pretty good. By the time we got there..I was in A LOT of pain. By this time it was about 2:30am. They admitted me and said I could go walk around. I really wanted them to check me to see where I was..reluctantly they did..and I was at 6! Yay! We walked a bit, and then took a shower..that felt nice. Sat on the big bouncy ball. They checked me again at like 4:00 and I was at 8. Now it really hurt. Luckily my contractions were not that long..they probably lasted about 30sec. So the nurses thought that they probably weren't doing that much since they weren't lasting that long. She checked me again, and I was at a 9. I immediately got scared..now I REALLY wasn't doing this with any drugs! She asked me if they could break my water, since it didn't on it's own. They did...I stayed at 9 for what seemed like forever..although it probably wasn't that long. I finally got the urge to push..I was almost 10..and they wanted me to wait until I was a 'complete' 10. I told them that wasn't going to happen..I needed to push. So push I did..then they said to stop again. The Midwife got there and explained that I could probably get her out in 1 or 2 pushes, but she didn't want me to tear (I tore REALLY bad with Shad) I was only allowed to push a little bit, then breathe thru the rest. That was extremely hard. Everything in my body wanted this baby OUT...NOW...I made lots of grunting, panting and lovely noises at the Midwifes request so I wouldn't push her with as much force. When she finally came out..it was total relief...no more pain at all. Just a beautiful baby girl with tons of black hair laid upon my chest. By far, the proudest moment in my life. Natural childbirth is something that is so special, I could never fully explain. The birth of Shadwic was amazing in on a different level. I had an epidural with him..pushing seemed so, so, so different. With Kaihla, I was just doing what my body wanted to do.

Happy Birthday to my baby girl. I love you more each and every day!

Kaihla's 1st Birthday Party

2008-06-08T21:01:00.000-07:00

Kaihla's party was this past Saturday! She had a great time and a lot of friends and family came to help us celebrate. We can't believe our baby girl is ONE!

AND...today she took her first steps!

Cake faced princess!

Look at me and my presents!

My new princess ride!

Mommy and Me

'Kaihla Kisses' for grandma

Smoochies for our baby girl!

Our Family

The Cake! Isn't it amazing??? And it tasted as great as it looked!

WE LOVE YOU KAIHLA!

Pure Joy

2008-06-02T14:46:00.000-07:00

Don't you wish sometimes that the simple act of being pushed on a swing could make you euphorically happy...I know I do

Discovery Kingdom

2008-06-02T14:39:00.000-07:00

Last week my friend Lisa and I took the kids to Discovery Kingdom (aka Marine World). There was a special going, and if you got to the park before 9:00 it was only $9.73 to get in (normally $50) So we jumped on that, got up early and took the kids to the park! All three did great, and had a really good time. Next time we'll have to take more adults so we can go on some grown-up rides! Thanks Lisa, we had a great time :-)Kaihla on her first ride! She went on Harold the Helicoptor with her brother...
Shad actually held a fish to fead the seals. I was shocked..and anyone who knows Shad, knows he's really weird with texture and gross stuff...I was so proud of him!!

Discovery Kingdom

2008-06-02T14:24:00.000-07:00

The Kiddos entering Discovery Museum..
Shad and Domonic had a lot of fun together...this is what they did while we waited in line
I can't remember what they're saying, but it looks like it's the same thing..I think "all abord"
We went to Thomas the Train Town, and got to ride in Thomas (well actually his two passenger cars, Clairabelle and..umm..I can't remember the other car's name..but Shad was SO SO excited!!)
And riding Harold the helicoptor was way too much fun too..we rode it like 3 times in a row....

Forgot to add...

2008-06-02T14:21:00.000-07:00

I forgot to add this one to the pictures from when we went to my Dad's house. I love seeing Shad and Haidyn together. They are only 3 weeks apart, and they get along so great together. It's almost like having little blonde twins!

Hike to Foothill Park

2008-05-31T09:03:00.000-07:00

We have an awesome hiking park right near our house..about 2 minutes away actually. We have never hiked there before though because of the kids, and the fact that we only have one backpack. We decided to attempt it with the jogging stroller. We went to the top of the hill, the 'alta vista' trail. The views at the top were amazing! But what a hike to get there. I think if I wasn't pushing the stroller, it wouldn't be so hard, but there were some times that Sean and I both were pushing it up the steep, steep hill. It was a perfect day, and the kids loved it. We were even able to stop and let Shad look at a lizard that was basking in the sun! It was a great day :-)

2008-05-30T16:06:00.000-07:00

We recently took a trip to my Dad's house. Here some pictures from that visit. Shad and Nolan have really been bonding lately. Shad even slept in Nolan's room with him (In Nolan's trundle) It was pretty cute. When they woke up in the morning, they were already playing together.

4 of the 5 cousins wearing their new shades from Grandma Pricilla.

I know I already did a spaghetti picture, but it's even better to get messy with your cousin!!

Kaihla and Daddy watching Nolan's T-ball game in the 104 degree heat...still having a good time though!

Old McDonald

2008-05-30T15:36:00.000-07:00

Every night, Sean puts Shad to bed by reading him a book. Lately, Kaihla has been joining them. She really enjoys her nighttime book, as does Shad. In this video, they're reading-or I guess you could say singing- the book 'Old McDonald had a Barn'.

What did you have for dinner?

2008-05-15T17:10:00.000-07:00

Can you tell what I had????
Ya, Happy girl, lovin' her some Spaghetti
Oh, no!! I'm so messy!
She loves, loves Pasta....can you tell?!?! Any kind of pasta, she eats like she hasn't eaten all day, but Spaghetti is by far her favorite. She enjoys getting messy, spreading it around, then eating some of it. SO different from her brother huh?!

4 Generations

2008-05-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

Great Grandma Arlene, Grandma Kim, Mommy Tammi, Baby Kaihla. 4 Generations of girls together :-)

The Human Race 10k

2008-05-12T13:25:00.000-07:00

This Saturday, Sean and I ran in our first 10K (6.25mi) race. I was pretty nervous because I knew the course, and it's kinda hilly..plus 6 miles is a lot for me! I have to say, it was really fun! We finished in 1 hr 6 minutes. We ran the whole time, and I felt really good! Sean was SO proud of me, and that made me feel SO SO great. To me, I felt like all my hard work was paying off. That I actually HAVE become more fit, gained endurance, and become healthier. I am very proud of my accomplishment, But I couldn't have done it without my awesome husband. We make a pretty great team. We're excited to do more races in the future!!!

Pics from the Zoo

2008-05-12T12:36:00.001-07:00

I love how Shad has his hand in his pocket, glasses on, hat on...he's ready to go!

Peek-a-boo, out of the prarie dog hole!

San Francisco Zoo

2008-05-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we took a trip to the SF Zoo. Shad has not been to the Zoo before, and he loved it. It was a pretty great trip. The kids both slept the way there, and back! Shad went on the Merry-go-round for the first time (he ususally kinda freaks out at those things!) It was a great day in the city too, we were there from about 10:30 until about 5:00.

Hi Mama!

Kaihla staring down the Leemur

Everything happens in 3's

2008-05-02T15:17:00.001-07:00

My mom and I have always had the philosophy that all bad things happen in three's. Throughout my life, this has been proven to be true, over and over again. The latest example clustered itself on Sean's side of the family.
1. Sean's step-brother -in-law, Ben, totally healthy, had a seizure a few weeks ago..they took him to the hospital and found he had a brain tumor. Luckily this turned out to not be cancer, but still needed to be removed. So he had brain surgery last week to remove the tumor. He is a husband, and father of 4 little ones. It's been a very scary time, we are so glad to hear that he is now on the road to physical therapy and recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ben, Denise and their family.
2. Sean's Uncle Ken, his Dad's brother, passed away last week, a day or two before Ben's surgery was scheduled.
3. Sean's Grandmother Winnie, his Mom's mother, passed away this week as well. I'm so glad that Sean's mom Vickie, and sister Sharon were able to visit her last month. I'm sure that meant the world to her and eased her passing.
It's a sad time when things like this happen, and to have so many happen at once is overwhelming. I can only wish everyone good health for a long time to come!

The best compliment

2008-04-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today at work, I got the best compliment from a patient, and I don't even think he knew it. As I walked out from the Dr.'s office, he said.."Didn't you have 2 kids?" and I said "Ya! I have a 2 year old and a 10 month old". He said, "boy you don't look like it" And that's all. This was not a pick up..just an observation by this guy. I was beaming to hear this! So I took a few pics of myself to post just what he was looking at! HA! I've been working hard on losing weight, and I can actually see a difference lately. I feel tighter, and I have more muscle definition. But to have a stranger say that to me...THAT is the compliment I've been working for.

Life

2008-04-29T11:58:00.000-07:00

The joys of being sick together

I was informed that I need to update my blog. So here we have it.
Life has been weird the last week. Sean and I were getting Shad ready for bed last week, and we noticed that his legs-from his knee to his foot-was angled really weirdly. His knees, super knobby, and his legs looked almost broken. We have both noticed this before, but just thought he was skinny, so we paid no attention. For some reason, it struck us both in a bad way, so off to the Doctor we went. It turns out, he has flat feet. That's what makes his legs look that way..BUT he is also SUPER skinny. The doctor was concerned because he's gained like 1lb in a year or so...he's growing in height, but not weight. So although he hasn't dropped off the curve..he's hovering around the 7-10%. So she ordered blood work to see if there was something wrong with him that was preventing him from gaining weight. A child that is deemed 'failure to thrive' is in the 5% or under, so he's not there yet, but because he's tall (80%) it kinda pushes him lower on the curve. Oh, and during the visit, she checked his ears, and he has an ear-infection, along with the cold he has...she also checked Kaihla's ears..ya..ear infection too (and cold) No wonder our house hasn't been sleeping this week!
The blood work was horrible. We had to pin him down, screaming, so they could take his blood from his arm. He didn't understand what was going on...he was in a crappy mood to begin with...needless to say this made things worse. I just held him and told him he was doing a great job...then they had to do the other arm because the needle slipped out! Ugh, another poke. By this time, everyone in the lab at Kaiser was with us..I think there was 5 or 6 people with us. Anyway, they tested him for tons of stuff..from Leukemia to Lead Poison, Thyroid, some blood disorders...Sean and I were really worried. I was talking to my mom later that night, she asked how I handled it..I said I really didn't feel like I had a choice..I was calm, positive, and tried to make it fun. Then it hit me..I kinda lost it for a minute. I knew they had to test for everything..but when your baby gets tested for Leukemia..it's scary. Good news is that everything came back normal...and I got the results the next morning!! SO now we're just trying to figure out why he's so darn skinny! My doctor is talking with some other Pediatricians and will hopefully get back with us shortly
So that's been our life the last week...oh, and Kaihla got thrush from the antibiotics she was taking for her ear-infection...but she's OK :-)

Our Arizona trip

2008-04-22T21:59:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm just getting used to this blogging thing..I HAD the pictures in order, then I screwed it up..anyway..We went on a trip to Arizona to visit Sean's friend Patrick. They have been friends forever..Patrick was the best man in our wedding, and now Sean is the best man in Patrick's wedding. He is getting married next March, and we wanted to visit him, and get to know his fiance! We had a great time! The kids loved it and were SO well behaved, the weather was great, and we had wonderful company. We went out to eat...a lot...have I mentioned that Kaihla can EAT...good lord...from the moment we get there and put her in her high chair, until we leave and take her out..she's eating. Guess she feels like she has to make up for her brother! We are really blessed with some great, adaptable kids..they made traveling fun :) So here are some pictures from our trip. We took so many it was hard to choose a few. But here they are!
Me and the hubby..finally a picture with just the 2 of us! This was in front of one of the places we ate lunch
The fam. This was taken where Patrick and Rachel are going to be exchanging vows. The kids are actually sitting at the table where the unity candle will be.
Shad says the trip was a success! Thumbs up dude!

Here is Shad, very excited about our take-off
The kids at the pool
Daddy and his little girl
At Field of Dreams park, they're miniature big league parks..it was very cool
Me and my girl

Oh, and there's a few different pictures on my myspace page if you want to check that out too!

100 things you may or may not know about me

2008-04-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

So apparently I didn't know what 'tagging' really was, and I have now been 'tagged' to do this by Marni, and by Kiley. So here we go...
1. I have no idea what my 'real' hair color is anymore
2.I have a mark on my nose that isn't a birthmark, it came as a result from a really bad ear infection when I was a baby..weird..
3. I played competitive softball until the year 2000.
4. Those are some of my BEST memories growing up
5. I was a pitcher and short stop
6. I made all-league 3 of 4 years in high school, my junior league I was MVP of the league, and made the All-Empire team
7. My Senior year, I got tendinitis in my elbow and I couldn't pitch, I was only able to be a DH.
8. I got All-league as a DH
9. I met my husband in Agriculture class in college
10. I was dating someone at the time, but fell in love with Sean right away
11. He loves me more than anyone ever could
12. I was 19 when we met and 22 when we got married
13. I am forgetful
14. and I hate that about myself
15. I try to write things down, but...forget to...!
16. I gained almost 50lbs when I was pregnant with Shadwic
17. and lost all plus 5 by the time he was 9 months old
18. Gained 25lbs with Kaihla
19. and just lost it all and she's 10 months old
20. I work out 6-7 days a week
21. I do it to try to lose this baby weight, but I actually have learned to enjoy and love it.
22. By work out, I mean we run about 40-45 minutes a day
23.When I was little, my Dad and I were a part of Indian Princess..it's a father/daughter thing thru the YMCA, kinda like Girl Scouts, but the Dad's are more involved.
24. My name was Rainbow Butterfly, and my Dad's was Laughing Larry.
25. My Dad and I have always been very close, this brought us even closer, and he also coached me in softball until I stopped playing.
26.I went to a private school until 8th grade
27.My wedding day was perfect, perfect
28. We went on our honeymoon in Maui
29. I was in labor with Shad for 13 hours
30. and Kaihla for 5 hours
31.I think I look much better when I'm tan
32.I love sweets, they are my downfall for sure.
33. Actually, I just really enjoy eating..
34.My first car was a black 1990 Nissan Sentra
35.My sister is 12 years old in the 6th grade
36.I was 16 when she was born
37.I love the water, and anything that involves the water
38.I surfed in Hawaii, but only once. I'd love to do it again
39. My husband is terrified of large bodies of water, dirty water, doesn't like swimming but loves to go river rafting
40.I want to bungee jump one of these days
41. If I do, I will probably pee my pants, because I get scared easily
42.I really, want to take a ride in a hot air balloon
43.I love to be outside
44.I had a hyper-thyroid that was out of control, so the Doctors had me take this radioactive iodine that dissolved my thyroid
45. I was 'radioactive' for a week after that, I couldn't use the same utensils as anyone else, or pee in the same toilet. And I had to sign something saying I wouldn't get pregnant for 1-2 years.
46. Now since I do not have a thyroid, I have to take thyroid supplements everyday.
47. I forget to take them pretty much every day
48.Without the pills I get sleepy, it's hard to lose weight, and everything slows down a lot.
49.I had an epidural with Shadwic
50.I had NO medication at all with Kaihla
51.Kaihla's birth was the most amazing thing I have ever gone thru
52.I would like to have another baby, but I'm not sure if we will or not
53.I love to take baths
54.I enjoy feeling clean
55.I hate Chickens or Roosters..they completely freak me out
56.It makes me gag when I cook a Turkey, and there are still some feathers in it, and I have to pluck them out...eeewww!
57.I hate spiders
58.I like people who can make me laugh
59.I don't drink coffee..I've tried several times, and it just doesn't taste good to me
60.Beer tastes gross to me too
61.I love the smell of sunscreen
62.Summer is my favorite season because I love being warm and having long days!
63.I would like to lose another 10-15lbs
64.Losing weight is very hard for me
65.My husband is my biggest supporter and motivator
66.I'm a pretty even-tempered/easy-going person
67.I have never broken a bone
68.We're trying to plan a family vacation to Mexico this year!
69.I feel naked without my cell phone
70.It's very hard for me to express my emotions
71.Or to tell people what I think...I need to grow a pair
72.I love the color Yellow, and Green
73.I love looking at pictures
74.I look at mine over, and over again..even people I don't know..I still like looking at their pictures!
75.My kids are the greatest..they are the best kids I could ever ask for
76.I want to plant a vegetable garden this year
77.I think that if I had 'it', I would flaunt 'it'
78.I am very ticklish
79.I love babies and pregnancy.
80.I would love to get into a field where I could deal with that
81. Sometimes, I get really tired of working
82.My parents divorced when I was 12
83.I think I handled it very well
84.I am the only child of my mom and dad
85.I have one half-sister (my mom and step-dad), 3step-sisters and 1 step-brother from my Dad's marriage
86. My step-sister is my best friend
87.My second toe is longer than my big toe
88.I love to sing, a lot
89.I am NOT a good singer
90.I went on a cruise with my dad and step-mom for their honeymoon, and sang karaoke to Madonna's "Like a Virgin" with my step-sis Kimberly
91.My grandpa had Cancer and died when I was 6
92.I am very close to my grandma
93.I can only hope that when I am her age, I'm just like her.
94.I am addicted to Days of Our lives
95.I DVR it every day
96.I enjoy when the kids take naps....A LOT!
97.I wish I was a better cook
98.I never can come up with things to make
99.I want to run a 1/2 marathon this year, or at least a 10k.
100.I am very happy with my life
I made it! Yay!!
OK so I TAG Kimberly to do this now!!!
Have fun!

Cuteness

2008-04-09T09:24:00.000-07:00

So Kaihla is really evolving into a little girl with a BIG personality. She is 10 months old already..geez. She's saying Mama, Dada, Baba, Uh-oh, and A-boo (Peek-a-boo). BUT her cutest and newest word is bye-bye. She has the highest-pitched, softest sounding little voice. She waves her hand at the wrist and says bye-bye...frickin' adorable. She eats anything and everything. As long as she can feed herself, she'll eat it. You try to feed her...it might just end up on the floor, or in her hair..or all over your face. Miss independent. Anytime she's not where I left her she's doing 1 of things. 1. Going up the stairs. 2. Getting into the Tupperware drawer. 3. Splashing around in the dog water.
Shad's latest is that.....he pooped in the potty!!!! Yay!! We were so excited. He got "that look" so Sean rushed him onto the toilet..he cried..then plop! He was super excited, and got 2 chocolate chips! He loved that. He hasn't done it since, but at least he knows he can. He has also really gotten into puzzles. We bought him a 32-piece Diego puzzle, and he did it by himself (well almost..we prompted-but he put everything together) He's talking up a storm, and singing..he knows the whole ABC's song, twinkle-twinkle, I'm a little teapot, Pop goes the weasel, Little Einsteins song, and he tries to sing along with about everything else. Kaihla dances to the music, while Shad sings. She LOVES music.
We're getting ready to leave for Arizona on Saturday to visit Patrick and his fiance Rachel. This will be Kaihla's first plane trip. We're pretty excited to go, it should be a lot of fun. Well, I'll post some pics when we get back :-)

Potty Training

2008-04-04T21:57:00.000-07:00

We're doing it. Potty training Shadwic. It started last week with a diaper rash. I thought he should go without a diaper for a little bit. Once I did that, I thought..you know what?? Let's go cold turkey and see how it goes. So no diaper..just underwear. He had a couple accidents the first few days..but now I think we're going on day 3 or 4 of NO pee accidents!!! He even held it thru the night the other night!!! Woke up and peed right away. I'm impressed to say the least. Poop...now that's another story. After a few accidents, I guess he decided pooping in general was not a good idea. He's really, really scared to poop on the potty, and he doesn't want to make a mess in his pants ( he hates that!) SO finally, last night he said he needed us to change him..and there was nothing. This went on until we told him it was OK to poop in his diaper. He promptly did. So I guess we're half way there. We're going to keep on trying, but it seems like he's got half down great!!! We're so proud :-)

My Girl

2008-04-04T21:46:00.000-07:00

I thought I would dedicate a blog to Kiley. Kiley is someone I met right after Sean and I got married, so that would be 2002. I was scared to meet her, because Matt (our friend-Sean went to High School with) talked her up so much..I was intimidated. From the minute we met..we just clicked. Kiley is one of the most loyal, giving,happy,optomisic people I think I know. Not to mention she has the best laugh EVER! So here's to you Kiley..I love you..I miss you lots, and I wish we could see eachother more, but I think about you all the time!!

Discovery Museum

2008-04-04T21:24:00.000-07:00

So it's better late than never. About a month ago we all went to the Bay Area Discovery Museum. We had a great time..the kids loved it, and the weather was perfect! Here are some pictures from that day. Next time we go back, hopefully Kaihla will be able to run around and play with her brother!

Weigh-In time...

2008-03-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

So a follow up to my last post..today is Sunday, weigh-in day...a little scary after as much as I ate at Easter..BUT I lost 3 lbs..yay me! It's really great to see some results after as hard as I've been working. What did we do to celebrate?? Went on a run at Spring Lake. I was pretty impressed with myself actually. We did the run, 3.5 miles, in 40minutes..not too bad with all the hills, stroller etc. So I've lost 5 total..which puts me 1lb above my pre-pregnancy weight. My goal is to lose another 12. That will actually put me under the weight I was when I got married, but as I've noticed..the weight you are after kids, means nothing to before kids. I can be 150 before kids and look kick ass..flat tummy..after kids..i still look chunky..ugh...So I think as long as I keep working my ass off..it should go ok. Speaking of ass...I started tanning..it's been since well before Shad was born since I had tanned last. All I can say is I am one WHITE girl...6 minutes to start, I did OK..then uped it to 8..I'm a lobster...I'm taking a day off today, but damnit..I'll get back in the saddle..I need some color on my white-ness...it's pretty scary!

On losing weight

2008-03-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

I have been working my ass of trying to lose weight/get in shape. Sean and I (and the kids) have been going on runs EVERY day, for the last 3 weeks. We started out doing like 25-30 minutes, and about 2.5 miles. Now we're up to like 40-45 minutes, and 3.5 or more miles..plus hills...plus pushing 2 kids in a jogging stroller. It's been tough..thank god for my husband. He'll put in 14 hour days, and still go on a run with me after work..what a guy! I just hope like hell that I'm actually losing weight. We do weekly weigh-in's (Sean and I) It gives me the pressure to show off my hard work(or lack there of), kinda like weight watchers. Anyway, the first week I lost 2lbs, then last week we didn't do because we were at my Dad's for Easter, so I'm anxious/scared to see what this week will tell. I feel like my body is getting a little tighter, I did go down a notch in my belt, so that must mean something right? I wish this was something I never had to worry about, that I was just born naturally skinny, and after each kid could bounce back right away looking like I did before..but no, not me..I get to struggle with each pound. Oh well, It actually has been pretty fun going out as a family..the kids do so great on our runs..Shad is my little supporter. The other day I went on a run with just the kids (Sean had to work late) and when we were done he said, "Good running mommy!" Ah, he's the greatest. So wish me luck, my weigh in is Sunday morning, hopefully I'll have some good news to post!

Easter

2008-03-25T14:38:00.001-07:00

This Easter we went to my Dad's house in Sacramento. It was a lot of fun. Shad was able to play with his cousins: Ashlee, Nolan and Haidyn! They all played so well together, it's so fun to watch them grow closer together! The kids hunted for eggs, dyed eggs, and played all weekend. The weather was great too, so that was a bonus! Here are some pics of the kids from the weekend!

How do you spell Adorable??

2008-03-25T14:32:00.000-07:00

KAIHLA...my little princess! She's such a character! I really hope that she keeps her little baby curls, I just love them. Can you believe someone thought she as 18months old the other day!! She's still my little baby! Not a toddler! I know she's big, and has lots of hair, but she's only 9 months old....

A boy and his dog

2008-03-17T15:46:00.000-07:00

It's a beautiful day in March! Shad loving is Lakeha!

Trouble

2008-03-17T15:44:00.000-07:00

Caught! Kaihla's second favorite thing to do (First being getting into the dog water) Cords under the desk are very interesting!

Where it all started

2008-03-17T15:05:00.001-07:00

June 2001

-Sean proposed at the Crushers Stadium, on the pitchers mound :-)

We're here

2008-03-17T14:35:00.000-07:00

So after several of my friends introduced me to this blog thing, I thought I might give it a try. So where to begin. What do I have to say that people might want to hear? What a strange question. Well here it goes..
This year Sean and I will be celebrating our 6-year wedding anniversary. It's so hard to believe that it's been that long, yet it seems like ages ago at the same time. It's amazing that I still love him more each day. We are always learning more about each other, and life...together. That's always been our 'thing'. We do EVERYTHING together. And it's not like we can't function by ourselves...It's that we truly enjoy each other that much! What a great feeling. I really do feel blessed to have found him.
Our fisrt born, Shadwic, will be 2 1/2 next month. I don't see how that's even possible..but I did the math..he is.. This kid is a WIZ at puzzles! Any puzzle I've given him..he can put together. It's crazy how focused he gets. Still loves trains and cars, and he has since he was like 9 months old. He'll talk your ear off if you let him. I swear he has the vocabulary of a 5-year old. He loves his sister to death and is the sweetest little boy around.
Our precious little girl, Kaihla is 9 months now. She is trouble. Into everything! Her hobbies include: eating, clapping, pulling on any type of cord around the house, climbing up on anything possible, chewing on dog toys, opening and closing doors, chasing the doggie, getting into dog water, chewing on her brothers toys,kicking,laughing,and being quite possibly the cutest thing in the universe. She is SO happy..all the time. Just love her..
Lakeha is our doggie. She's been a bit lonely since her buddy left us in June. She is still happy and the best dog we could ask for. She doesn't seem to mind Kaihla chasing her around too much. Lakeha loves to play ball, and run around the house!
Oh, and ME!
I'm going to be 29 this year! WOW! I can honestly say that I love my life. I have a great husband and family, and wonderful friends. My goal for this year, 2008 is to make create some hobbies for myself. It's been hard the last 2 1/2 years,..I've had babies the whole time. And now that they're older, I think it's time I do something I like. I used to play softball..but I don't think that's really what I need. So my challenge is to find something I enjoy! Sean and I have been running a lot lately, and we're thinking of doing a half marathon sometime soon.