Happy New Year!!!

Hello all!

I am approaching this evening with the best intentions to update our blog (scroll down to see the posts...from halloween to present) but first, I wanted to send all of our loved ones the best wishes for a bright and prosperous New Year. I truly can't believe it is almost 2009! I can't believe that I graduated from high school almost 16 years ago, that Eddie and I have been together for 14 years and married for 7 1/2 of those! I can't believe 2009 will be blessing us with another beautiful baby making us the parents of THREE kids!!!

Eddie is working tonight. He is a manager-on-duty at the hotel which promises to bring many interesting stories. So, I am sitting here with hot chocolate and a wish that my son would stop getting out of bed with those 'very important' questions.

I wish I was one of those people who could express myself well with the written word. I tend to ramble and use a lot of random punctuation in an attempt to get my point across. Never-the-less, I will face this obstacle and attempt to give my thanks as eloquently as possible.

My 'thanks'..all of which are too important to rank so I will just list. My husband: An unexpected, beautiful surprise. He snuck under the radar and I fell in love. He has surpassed all of my expectations and defined for me the term unconditional love. He is an amazing father and a true friend to all who need him. His promise to me is unquestionable and my life with him has been doubt-free. How could I ask for more? My kids: They are constant reminders of God's miracles. They teach me more than I have learned in all of my education...not only about the world but about myself.They are healthy, strong, hilarious, infuriating, adorable, loving, generous, slow, warm,...they are my home. My bump: My dreams and fears all wrapped up in an adorable package. The microphone my husband uses to share his day. I am counting the days till I meet this very loved baby. My mom & sister: They are where I came from and where I always return. They are stubborn, fun, brave, weak, loving, fallible, precious. Bill: He loves my goofy family and gives my mother the companionship she has always deserved. He is funny, smart, frustrating, and caring. My family: They knew Mandy...braces, unplucked brows, lanky limbs, singing, precocious, Mandy...and they loved me for it. They are my go-to people. They are my past and my legacy. They are creators of who I am today. My girls: They are my relief from baby-talk and wiping butts. They laugh, support, sigh, cry and stay silent at all of the appropriate times. They scrapbook, watch movies, drink coffee (or whatever) and make time in their lives to ensure my sanity. Our friends: Priceless, beautiful, goofy people who fill the weird holes in our lives with meaning. We rejoice in their joy and pain in their sorrow. We will continue to extend our arms to them for whatever they may need. My health: I am overweight but I am healthy. My heart, lungs, brain, etc are all strong. I am nurturing a baby and am more beautiful for it. My home: I know that whatever happens in my life, I will always have a home. That may not mean that I will always carry a set of keys that unlocks a door I own. My home is with my family and I have faith that the relationships we cherish in our lives will always provide a home. My faith: It isn't something that requires proclamation. It is a sweet, gentle companion. It is private and unique and written only for my relationship with God. It nudges and guides but doesn't wrap me in certain doom for the faults I am working on. It is warm, safe, challenging and mine. My future: Something we are all blessed with but tend to forget exists. I have great hopes for it but I have been reminded this year that it is unpredictable. It may be home to great joys or great horrors. No matter what though...it is limitless. The choices I make are mine and can not me blamed on anyone. Every moment I am choosing this life and if I don't like it..it's my own damn fault for not choosing something else in the next moment. My future is every opportunity to make my life or someone else's better. It is the challenge to live up to that.

I don't know why the New Year brings it out in people. Why don't we make great promises to ourselves on any other day of the year? Wasn't today just as new as tomorrow will be? I hope I don't forget that. Happy 2009 people!!

Our visit to Sunnyvale

To Sunnyvale!

Over the weekend of December 5th, we traveled up to Sunnyvale to join Eddie's parents, brother, aunt and cousin in saying farewell to Eddie's granda, Marge. The little family service that they put together was perfect and sweet. So many nice, funny things were shared about Marge. It was something I will always remember.

The visit was a lot of fun for the boys, too! They got to visit with some of their favorite people!! Click on the picture about to see some of the pictures from the trip. Don't forget to click "slideshow"

Thanksgiving!!!

We were so lucky to have my mom and dad (aka. Baba and Papi) come out for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. We cooked a traditional Turkey Day meal (with shortcuts from Costco) and enjoyed the day immensely. I can't even tell you how much the kids enjoyed having them here. On the Friday after Thanksgiving, we braved the crowds and went to Sea World for the day. Baba and Sawyer are both madly in love with the Shamu show so it was almost a requirement. We also went to the Clyde and Seymour show. Last time we went there, Sawyer hid behind me the whole time because he was a little scared. This time though, he loved it!! So did mom and Bill. ;)

Fall Festival at Sawyer's School

I can't even tell you how excited I was to attend Sawyer's first school party!!! I am totally going to one of those mom's who attends everything!! I love it!

As I said before, the parent's in Sawyer's class are all amazing! They are creative, devoted and have so much fun making the classroom great for thier kids! The "Fall Festival" --because we have to be politically correct and not say Happy Thanksgiving-- was perfect. One mom made these adorable little vests for the kids to wear and we all sat and stapled together little ribbon head dress things. They sang songs and did some adorable crafts (the little turkey is my new favorite Thanksgiving decoration). Then, we ventured outside to play games, take pictures and serve a yummy potluck to the kids. We had a great time!






This is Soy and his favorite teacher. She is laughing because Soy picked up her finger so he could see where to put the turkey's feather!

Just some cute pics.

Sawyer winding down after a long day of preschool.


Owen waiting patiently for Dada to come home from work.

First day of school....again.

Sawyer attended his old school for a few weeks and then we were told he couldn't return because of problems with paperwork. I was so ticked!!! We then went on a hunt for programs that met our criteria and had openings. The district was less than helpful, unfortunately. Finally, after phonecalls, tears and lots of mother-complaining, he got into a program at Adams Elementary! It is 5 days a week for 3 hours each day and he LOVES it! His teachers are wonderful and the moms are all so actively involved that it makes for a very fun learning environment. Now, on weekends, he asks to go back to school. Every mother's dream, right?

Here are some pictures from his first day at the new school.

Our Washington DC trip!!!

Washington DC

From September 27th to October 4th, our family made the trek across country to visit Eddie's brother Andre who was temporarily stationed in Washington DC. Eddie's parents also made the journey! Click on the picture above to see the Picasa album with all of our favorite pics and explanations from the trip!!

La Jolla for pictures??? Maybe??? Please???

We decided to use some free time to make a trip up to La Jolla Cove. We were hoping to get our family picture for the Christmas cards. Of course, kids being what they are...it was interesting. It didn't help that I forgot the tripod and had to balance my camera on the stroller. We did have some good fun though!

October review

A lot happened in October...at least, I think a lot did considering I remember bing busy. Other than that, not a lot of details are coming to mind. So sad. :) Here are some of my favorite pictures from the month. I will probably add some videos in a few other posts as well.

Here is my wonderfully adorable Owen doing nothing spectacular but looking delicious in the process. These were taken 10-8.




Sawyer fell asleep on the little table he does crafts on. It was so funny!! Also, to quote my step-dad "Welcome to the Gun Show!!!" Here are my boys showing off their muscles! Finally there is a cute pic of the kids in the tub!






Owen not wanting his photo taken in such a state (10/11)-




Cutypies in a diaper box. I think my mom has a few pictures of Sarah and I in one of these as well!! Do I hear a new Huggies ad campaign??

Happy Halloween!

We had a great, busy, hot day!! The boys and I went to Pumpkin Station in El Cajon on Halloween morning to play and snag some pictures with some pumpkins. The boys had a great time although soon they were begging for liquid as it was about 92 degrees!!!

After naps we loaded up the car and headed over to the Jones's place for trick or treating and baby snuggles (their son is 1 month old and delicious). As you can see, while the temperature did cool off a bit, poor Owen was still roasting. Unfortunately, the poor boy inherited my ability to imitate a beet when I am hot.

Never-the-less, we had a great time. It was truly hilarious when Owen finally realized people were putting candy into his bag. He had a shocked look on his face and planted his booty right there on the sidewalk in hopes of devouring his collection. We were able to make it to the end of our trek by luring him with M&Ms. :)

Tea House and Beach with the Fam

On the 16th, we all piled into cars and went to Balboa park to spent some time at the Japanese Friendship Garden. It was beautiful outside and the food at the tea house was amazing!!! After that, we were determined to go sea shell hunting on the beach so I looked up the best beach and the best time and off we went. We arrived at 4:30 on the dot (low tide) and made our way to the shore but not a single shell was found. No one really cared though.:) Lukas wasn't a big fan of the sand but Owen, Sawyer and Coleman went crazy in the water!!! We were there for about 2 hours before we had to drag their tired, shivering, wet bodies back to the cars. It was such an amazing afternoon watching the pure joy on their faces. Check out Owen covered head to toe in sand after a little face-first spill!

Sea World with Baba, Sarah & the Boys!

We were so lucky to have Baba (my mom), Sarah (my sis), Coleman & Lukas (nephews) visit us in early September. It was a blast!!!! Our first big outing was on Monday the 15th when we all went to Sea World together! We saw the dolphin show and played in the Sesame Street Land. We saw the Shamu show, of course, and Baba and I both cried during the salute to the armed forces and during the rest of the show. We are both big emotional babies. :) We also had a great time feeding the bat rays!! if you have a chance to do that...I totally recommend it! The only one that didn't really have a great day was Lukas...EVEN when the promised cotton candy arrived! After Sea World we all went to Ruby's Diner for dinner and enjoyed some much needed time sitting! It was a beautiful day. :)

The Dog

...on the couch he is NOT supposed to be on...out cold.

Our beautiful Sawyer

I will NEVER get over those eyes!!!!! I am the first to admit I am biased but heck, these are amazing!!

Cute little runner

Yes...he is getting faster and faster!!!!!

Just in case you forgot Owen's cheeks

Sawyer's First Day of School

Sawyer attends preschool at Johnson Elementary now 5 days a week for 3 hours a day! We love it! He loves it!! His teacher, Miss Ruby, is very sweet and he talks about her all of the time. It is the best thing in the world to watch your child LOVE school even if you are scared to death to leave him there...in this giant school...full of big kids...and surrounded by lots of streets. He was far braver than either Eddie or I were.

***UPDATE*** Sawyer no longer attends this school because the wonderful school district messed up the paperwork! Grrrrrrr. Say some prayers that we get him back into another great school soon!

Playdates with Grammy & Grampa

We were lucky enough to have a wonderful visit from Grammy & Grampa (Eddie's parents) last week. I can't begin to tell you how much the boys enjoyed it! The first words out of Sawyer's mouth each morning were, "Are Grammy & Grampa coming to play with me!?? On this day???"