I'd Love a Dull Moment

Earth Day Tree Planting!!

2011-06-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

The kids got some free seedlings from Lowes for Earth Day.

We took them home and Daddy helped them with the planting.....

Now we get to watch them grow!!

Reading Glasses

2011-05-06T22:41:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to the Dollar Store the other day and told them they could each pick out one thing. Anything they wanted.

Mayhem ensued. First Ryan wanted a balloon, then he wanted a puzzle, then he wanted a book, then he wanted a spatula.....

Jenna wanted a luau party sign, then she wanted some bubbles, then she wanted a pretend cell phone, then she wanted a ceramic figurine.....

finally....

Ryan settled on a toy truck and Jenna settled on a pair of reading glasses.

I said the glasses were fine but I would have to pop the lenses out cause I didn't want her to hurt her eyes. She was puzzled and asked me why they would hurt her eyes. I explained that they were "reading glasses" and had special lenses in them....for people who had trouble reading.

She looked at me with this confused look on her face and said....

"But I have trouble reading mom!"

LOVE this kid!

...and God Bless Madonna....

2011-05-05T20:33:00.000-07:00

Both of the kids say their prayers every night. It starts off the same with the typical "Now I lay me down to sleep..." routine but Ryan likes to change it up with his "God Bless..." routine every night as he lists all the people in his life that he loves and wants to make sure God blesses. I usually lead him through most of it but tonight I decided to just let him run with it. Most of the people he lists are either friends at school or his teachers. When I lead him we also make sure to include his cousins, grandparents, aunts uncles, etc.... but this time I thought I'd just mostly see what he said on his own.

Did you get all that??? If not...I will (try to) interpret to the best of my ability....

Ryan: "Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep. The angels watch me through the night, until I wake in morning light. God bless Ashton and Bella and Miss Charome, and Madonna (Miss Donna), and Miss Annie, and Adam, and Bella (think maybe someone has a little crush on Bella??), and Mommy's car is broken (well yes.....it is...), and my door's broken (huh??), and Mimi and Boppa, and Kylie....Kylie wasn't there...."

Mommy: "And who else?? Kye Kye and Poppy??"

Ryan: "Kylie is sick. Adam is sick too." (well lets stay away from them then...)

Mommy: "...and who else? God bless Poppy?"

Ryan: "Poppy and Kye Kye, and Nana Mary (all of a sudden he sounds like Forrest Gump), and Uncle Jim, and Grandma Elena, and Madison, and Mackenzie, and green, and purple, and red, and brown...." (the boy loves his colors!)

Mommy: "and Grandpa Jim?"

Ryan: "...and Grandpa Jim..."

Mommy: "and Mommy?" (shameless plug for Mommy!)

Ryan: "....and Mommy and....??? (no clue what he said here)...."

Mommy: "and Daddy and Jenna and everybody...Amen. Can you say Amen?"

Ryan: "Amen!"

....my sunshine!!!

2011-05-04T18:55:00.000-07:00

This was the song I used to sing to her when she was a little baby....

Her FIRST music video!!!

....someday when she's rich and famous she'll thank me for this!!

Trip to Utah!

2011-01-06T22:46:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we headed to Salt Lake City to spend some time with Jim's sister Elaine and her family. It was an insanely long drive (12 hours +/- each way) but the kids were TROOPERS!!! On the way there we stopped to stay the night in Las Vegas but on the way home (New Years Eve) we drove straight through since we knew staying over in Vegas would be extremely expensive and not really worth it with two little ones (it's not like Jim and I could go out and party!!).

Here are some random pictures from the trip!

Ryan is TWO!!!

2010-12-21T22:45:00.000-08:00

We had Ryan's 2nd Birthday Bash at Bounce U. He LOVES this place and he (and everyone else) had a BLAST!!!

Here are some pictures of the fun that was had!

Here comes the Birthday Boy!!!!

Goofy Bradley!

Silly Brayden!

Sisters Delaney and Macie
Addison!

The Birthday Boy getting ready to slide down again with a group of friends and Bradley's Daddy Greg!

Cousin Elizabeth!

Cousin Marisa!

Ryan playing a little basketball...

Dave and Paul climbing up the big slide!

Madelyn!

Brayden and Addison doing some bouncing!

Macie attempting the spiderweb!

Julia just trying to figure things out...

Silly Mr. BradleyMadelyn with her daddy Randy (also Addison and Brayden's Daddy!)

Nana Mary and Mommy enjoying all the bouncing kiddos!

Mommy and Sara her BFF from Elementary School! Sara watched Ryan 3 days a week from the time he was 8 weeks old till he was almost 2!!

One of my other best friends Catherine and I.

We had no clue DJ was behind us...lurking...

DJ and Melissa

DJ and Jim. I can't even begin to tell you WHAT they were doing....

Cousin Mackenzie says "Socks? I don't need no stinkin socks!"

Poppy and Kye Kye had fun!

Another shot of Madelyn!
Let's get this party started! Brayden and Mackenzie sit with Birthday Boy Ryan waiting for some cupcakes and ice cream!

the cupcakes!

Lighting the candle!!

Everyone was singing to him...

Going after that cupcake!! Love the expression on Jenna's face.

mmmmm!!

Our family!

Mackenzie enjoying her cupcake!

His first taste of soda. That was a special birthday treat....won't be happening again for awhile buddy!

Silly man Brayden!

Darn crooked crown!

Bradley and Paul. Bradley is Sara's little boy and Ryan and he became very close during the years they were babysitting for us!

Jenna's pal Addison!

Cousins Madison and Jenna (can you see part of the sign I made in the background? It was a train that said "Happy 2nd Birthday Ryan")
Time for presents!!

A SLINKY DOG? NO WAY!!

And then Mommy had to go at it solo for a bit after Ryan lost interest in the gifts...

I might have gone a bit overboard in my role...

The big gift from Mommy and Daddy...a new bike!!

he would NOT sit still for a picture!

Poppy and Kye Kye with the Birthday Boy

Grandpa Jim with the Birthday Boy...

Nana Mary and the (fidgety) Birthday Boy...

The older girls eventually lost interest in the "baby stuff" and started playing with the iphones.

I take it as a sign of things to come.....*sigh*

My friend for over 30 years, her husband Keith and their little boy Chase...

Chase and Ryan checking out some of his new presents...

Brayden apparently found some cake on Ryan's cheek....

My attempt to get a quick picture of the Birthday Boy on the Birthday Throne.

He wasn't at all happy when I took his blankie away...

From this picture you can tell it was in site because he has his thumb in his mouth...

It was a FABULOUS DAY!!!

Happy 2nd Birthday RYAN!!!

Professional Photo Shoot

2010-12-10T21:27:00.000-08:00

We had a FABULOUS professional photo shoot done a few weeks ago and the pictures came out FANTASTIC! I was more than a bit surprised. Jenna had been up all night with a horrible ear infection that landed us in the walk-in clinic at 7 am that morning. She and I were both sleep deprived. And Ryan had the snottiest nose in the history of snotty noses. It was runny and red and crusty and I just didn't see how, between my baggy eyes and Ryan's nasty nose, we would have even one shot turn out....let alone all of these beauties......

My hats off to our photographer, Mark Janzen. He's Amazing. Dude's got some vicious Photoshopping skills too. I see now why he makes the big bucks! I have SOOO much to learn.

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-01T21:34:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Thanksgiving with Jim's family and mine this year. It was great seeing so many family! We had a blast and we. are. stuffed!!!

Jim's cousins Julie and Marisa (they are sisters)

Nana Mara, Marisa, Julie and Elaine

Elizabeth, Jenna and Ryan playing with Marisa's IPad

Ryan getting a look at all the yummy food. Why did I not even notice...until looking at these pictures...that my husband wore a Mickey Mouse T-shirt????

Ty making mashed potatoes

Jim (in the Mickey shirt) and I
Family chit chat and eating...

Jenna now wants an IPad of course

Newlyweds Elaine and Ty

Love it when these two play so nicely together. She's really pulling for that Ipad!

Jenna and Ryan with Auntie Elaine

Cousin David and Ryan

Jim (in the Mickey shirt), Uncle Al, Ryan and David. Seriously....EVERYONE else was dressed so nice...

later....at Poppy and Kye Kye's house....

Cousin Alivia in the kitchen

Alivia and her mom Aunt Kathy

Alivia and me

Ryan enjoying his olives

Kristin (Matt's wife) and Alivia

LOVE these two together. Oh look....Jim's still got the Mickey shirt on! Yay.

My mom and I

Cousin Matt with his new dog, "MJ". This picture is hilarious to me cause this guy is a true blood Cowboy. He has big dogs, horses and cattle. He is NOT a little dog kinda guy....

...especially little dogs who wear rhinestone collars...

and saddles....

My mom, Alivia, Kristin, me and Kathy

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Determination!

2010-11-29T21:31:00.000-08:00

She's getting pretty good on those monkey bars....

Yep....pretty sure she's part monkey.

Fun with Friends!

2010-11-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I had the pleasure of having Brayden and Madelyn over to play for a little while today while their mommy, Catherine, was at a hair appt. Ryan and Brayden are such good buddies and Madelyn is a little sweetheart so it was a LOT of fun!

The threesome eating some mac-n-cheese

Making silly faces for the camera

Hope we get to play with these kids (and their big sister Addison) again soon!!

Owl Cupcakes!

2010-11-16T20:56:00.000-08:00

As an early Thanksgiving treat, Jenna and I decided to make cute owl cupcakes! They turned out SOOO cute and were surprisingly easy to make.

Most important of all...they were SUPER yummy!!!

Downtown Kids

2010-11-15T23:37:00.000-08:00

I took the kids downtown to take some pictures. Ryan wore his tuxedo and Jenna wore her flowergirl dress from Auntie Elaine and Uncle Ty's wedding. I thought they turned out pretty cute!

With models as adorable as these....how can you go wrong?

Playdate with Addison!

2010-11-12T21:24:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to be invited for a playdate today with Addie, Brayden and Madelyn.

Jenna and Addie ALWAYS manage to have SO much fun together!! And their mom, Catherine, and I always have a great time chatting while the kids play. The time always seems to fly by!!

S-P-U-N-K

2010-11-09T17:25:00.000-08:00

Jenna's choice in clothing yesterday was full of SASS and SPUNK!!

I helped her put it together but she chose the shoes on her own and, might I add, she totally ROCKED the whole outfit!

It's all about the attitude!!

Happy Halloween!!

2010-11-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

This year for Halloween we decided to go with a Wizard of Oz theme. I figure it won't be long before the kids have VERY definite ideas about what they want to dress up as, so my days (or years) are numbered for these "themes".

Jenna was excited to dress up as Dorothy. She loves the movie "The Wizard of Oz" and she has the perfect hair for the long braids! Ryan wasn't exactly THRILLED with his costume...but he was willing to put it on if it meant he got candy!

The first house we went to was Kye Kye and Poppy's!

Kye Kye had special treats for the kids....they were very excited!

We managed to get a quick family picture too!

We then stopped by Mimi and Boppa's for a quick hello.... (sorry...I didn't get any good pictures here!)

we then went back to our neighborhood for some quick trick or treating at the neighbors houses...

It was a school night, so we didn't stay out very late. But the kids had fun and got MORE than enough candy!!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Crazy Sock Day!

2010-11-02T21:17:00.000-07:00

Today was "Crazy Sock Day" at Jenna's school.

She was MORE than happy to oblige!

Pumpkin Carving Kitties!

2010-10-31T20:40:00.000-07:00

So Halloween just kind snuck up on us and we realized we better hurry up and do some pumpkin carving!! Mommy thought it would be cute to dress the kids up as kitties for it. I know....I'll admit it.....we tend to walk on the weird side of life!! But we do have fun!!!

Jenna did a GREAT job drawing her face on her pumpkin and then carving it out...

It was hard work....requiring a lot of thought and concentration...

Smile guys!!

This little kitty wasn't really interested in carving...he just wanted to play...

The kids with all of our pumpkins!
It's gonna be a GREAT Halloween!!
and....we're done!

Party Girl!

2010-10-29T21:12:00.000-07:00

Sometimes a picture (or two) speaks a thousand words...

Safe to say....

2010-10-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

...he's quickly on his way to being much more techno-savy than Mom!!

Fieldtrip to the Pumpkin Patch!!

2010-10-26T21:36:00.000-07:00

I had the awesome opportunity to join Jenna and her Kindergarten class on a trip to the Pumpkin Patch! Here are all the little munchins arriving.....can you feel the excitement??

Well, a certain someone was VERY excited. Can you tell??

In line, these girls were just buzzing with anticipation....and they LOVED it when I pulled out the camera and started taking pictures...they just kept posing and posing! This is Aryana, Jessica/Jeanette (not sure which twin...I'll have to ask Jenna), Jenna, and her good friend Alessandra. You'll see much more of Alessandra in the rest of the post.

Naturals!

Our guide started things off with some info on pumpkins and do's and don'ts for the day.

He asked lots of questions and was pretty funny...so he kept the kids interested.

but not so interested that we didn't have time for a few more pictures!

....and then...they were off on an adventure....

There were animals to feed and pet....

a hay/wagon ride to partake in...

and...last but NOT least....PUMPKINS!!!

Alessandra and her pumpkin

Jenna and hers...

Jenna and Mommy....

Good pals having F-U-N!!
The whole class with their teacher, Miss Boyle!

HAPPY (almost) HALLOWEEN!!!!!

Fall Festival!

2010-10-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Jenna's School had a "Fall Festival" the other night and it was a lot of fun! The kids got to wear their Halloween costumes (well...Ryan wasn't interested in wearing his) and hang out with their friends, play games, win prizes, eat pizza, and decorate pumpkins!! Here are just a few pictures from the evening's festivities!

Jenna (dressed as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz) and her good friend Alessandra. Jenna says they are twins because they have the same hair.

Jenna and her other good friend Angela decorating pumpkins...

Ryan decorated himself with a third eye. Silly kid!!

Mommy's pumpkin

Ryan's pumpkin (this is his abstract phase I guess!!)....

It was a very fun night!!

Madison's 5th Birthday Party!!

2010-10-25T22:45:00.000-07:00

We couldn't miss Maddie's 5th Birthday Party!! It was a costume/bee theme and Jim and Jenna had so much fun dressing up! Ryan refused to wear his lion costume....and I didn't even have a costume! No matter....it was fun regardless!

The most adorable Bee cake made by Kim...

Jenna and Kye Kye

Ryan enjoying his cupcake...

Madison's friend Peyton enjoying a cupcake...

The Birthday Bumble Bee......

....um...let's try it again....

ok...either you are tired....or just take after your Grandma Kye Kye....she can never keep her eyes open in a picture!

ummm......one more....

Just smile REAL BIG Maddie.....no one will notice you are sleeping...

Frosting a cookie....

...oblivious to the fact that Mr. Sneaky Pants himself is stealing the good sprinkles!

Not to mention all the ice...

Jim dressed as one of his clients. I think the black eye (see post from Elaine's wedding) adds a nice touch don't you?

I'm so proud....

Ladybug Mackenzie...

We attempted to get one cute shot of all 4 cousins together.....here's what they thought of that idea....

This one coulda been cute if it wasn't for Dorothy going all exorcist on us....

Ok...that's more like it. Love the cell phone Ryan! I think he was trying to pull off a costume as a successful young entrepeneur on his day off. Maybe he's Mark Zuckerman (Facebook inventor)????

Madison's Cousin Antonio had the GREATEST Nerd outfit. If you look close, you can see that he even spiked his hair up like Alfalfa.....

Can you see it???

Antonio and his mom (Kim's sister) Katie.

In the end...it all boils down to the babies....

Maddie's grandmas! Kim's mom Vickie (Nonnie) and Kye Kye!

Happy Birthday Madison!!

Elaine and Ty got MARRIED!!!

2010-10-23T23:43:00.000-07:00

Jim's sister Elaine got married last weekend and we all went to Sacramento for the festivities!! Here are some pictures of the rehearsal dinner held at the Embassy Suites on the Riverwalk.

The beautiful Embassy Suites lobby. This is our home away from home when we go to Sacramento. I've stayed here for lots of conferences...etc. Very nice and you can't beat the free breakfast!!

The happy couple getting the evening underway! Giving some last minute directions and just sharing their excitement with us for the upcoming fun and festivities!

Jim and Elaines Aunt Jane is a judge and she officiated the ceremony. Here they are doing some practice runs at the rehearsal dinner.

Ring Bearer Ryan says..."This is gonna be a snap people!"

Now gimme some candy! ;)

Cute cousins (to be) Marisa, Elizabeth and Ana (Ty's youngest daughter)

Cousin India and her fiance Damon...

Uncle Al and Aunt Blanca

Aunt Jane and Uncle Art

Brother-in-Law's to be Ty and Jim acting silly

yeah....really silly

finally...one normal one

giving the bride a lift!

Ana (Ty's youngest), Marisa, Elizabeth, Gabby (Ty's oldest), Jenna and Mateo (Elaine's Godson)

Jenna and Mateo
Bride and Mother-of-the-Bride

not the best picture of me but I needed to throw one in for good measure!

Maid of Honor Carrie was such a sweetheart and Jenna just adored her all weekend!

my husband the princess...

Someone has a drinking problem....

I have no words.....let's hope this isn't a problem when he runs for President...

Jenna helping Carrie with her dress.

Jim's dad and half sister Jennifer....

Ty and his mom!

Jim gave an odd early wedding gift the bride and groom....a dinner bell...

then he and the kids found other uses for it....

Jenna and Marisa (with Mateo looking on)

Ryan took a liking to Mateo's baseball gear....

Jim explaining how the bat works to Ryan...

like I said...he really liked that bat and ball!

Mateo and Ryan with Auntie Elaine and Marissa (Mateo's Mommy) who was also one of the bridesmaids....

Elaine with Mateo (her Godson) and Ryan

Congratulations Elaine and Ty!

I plan to dedicate a whole separate post to the wedding day itself!!

Elaine and Ty's Big Day!!!

2010-10-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Elaine and Ty got married on October 16th in a BEAUTIFUL ceremony in Sacramento! Jenna was the flower girl and Ryan was the Ring Bearer and they had so much fun. Elaine was a B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L Bride and everything was perfect!

Here are just a sample of the MANY pictures I took that day. It's a sample...but it's a LARGE sample!

The girls all got their hair done starting fairly early in the morning....

Someone REALLY enjoyed all the pampering and attention....

Gabby (daughter of the groom) and Elizabeth in their rollers...

The bride and her good friend Carrie doing some primping....

Look who else was hanging around...

Not the best picture of me....but just wanted to prove I WAS there too!

Ryan hitching a ride on cousin India's shoulders....

Gabby, Elizabeth and Jenna....being silly in the hallway...

....well HELLO there Mr. Ryan!

Marisa wasn't feeling too hot at first.....

But she perked up and got in the spirit of things quickly!

Elizabeth's hair...all done!

Jenna and Gabby...looking cute!

Ana (Ty's youngest daughter) getting her do done!

India being helpful (as usual)....taking Gabby's rollers out..

Ana!

Too much hairspray there Gabby?

The wedding took place at the Historic (and GORGEOUS) Grand Island Mansion

The place was huge with enough rooms for the whole family to stay on site with room to spare! It was incredible!

Ana, Marisa, Gabby and Jenna....all dolled up and looking gorgeous!

Elizabeth too!!
Poppy feeding Jenna some french fries (mommy wouldn't let her touch them - afraid of the grease getting on the dress!!)

We thought she looked like a little bird "peeping" for her food!!

Ty's mom and Elaine (and Jim's) Dad chatting before the ceremony
Jim giving Ryan a pep talk about his Ring Bearer responsibilities...

So handsome!!

Grandpa Jim gave him a quarter...he was THRILLED!!

Ryan and Daddy chatting with the guests...

My mom and dad
Ryan getting some pre-wedding love from his cousins...

Ryan and Poppy...

The flower girl was READY!

...and VERY excited!
Cousins Elizabeth, Jenna and Marisa

The guests arriving...

More guests....yep...it's Uncle Scott, Aunt Kimmie, Madison and Mackenzie!!

Someone was VERY excited to have her cousin Madison there!

....here comes the groom and his mom!

Jim walking the Mother of the Bride down the aisle!

The Ring Bearer and his cousins. HE DID AWESOME!!!

The Flower Girl and her cousins. She did SUCH a great job! All smiles...threw the petals....it was perfect!

The ceremony. Aunt Jane officiated...it was very special and emotional.

Madison and Kim
My brother Scott and Kim

My family!
Madison, Jenna and Gabby!

Silly girls!

After dinner...there was DANCING!

and we found out that this kid has MOVES!!

it was hilarious!

This one is my favorite!

Blanca, Elizabeth and Al cuttin a rug!

The father of the bride dancing with his two daughters

the beautiful bride with two of her biggest fans!

Uncle Art and Julie

Ty and Ana...so sweet!

Cutting the cake (it was BEAUTIFUL!)

Elaine's friend and bridesmaid's daughter sang a beautiful song.
Marisa caught the bouquet!!

Father-Daughter Dance (sorry...kinda dark)

So much love....such a beautiful couple!

the party carried on into the pool room where the men enjoyed some games...

and others just relaxed....

...and enjoyed an AWESOME candy bar!!

we had a hard time keeping this kid out of all the yumminess!!

we found out he is especially fond of red licorice!!

he was getting sleepy...but not too sleepy for more licorice!

meanwhile...the dancing continued WELL into the night...

India teaching the girls to ROCK ON!

Nana Mary and a very tired little ring bearer...

who eventually PASSED OUT!

and his goofy daddy decided to ....well.....

.....um.....
....yeah....ok

then...the late night party portion of the evening continued...in a private den room on the estate....

we hung out and ate pizza and drank in our PJ's....it was so much fun!

....well...MOST OF US hung out....but one guy passed out in bed...

and at some point during the night...he fell OUT of bed, hit the nightstand...and woke up with an unforgettable reminder of the fun he had the night before...

All joking (and black eyes) aside it was a BEAUTIFUL wedding and I know that Ty and Elaine will be happy together for MANY MANY MANY years to come!

Family Reunion!

2010-10-19T00:22:00.000-07:00

My mom and a handful of her cousins decided to arrange a family reunion for my grandmother's side of the family. We hadn't seen most of these people in probably over 15 years (at least). We met at a park in Modesto (which was kind of midway for everyone) and had fun catching up with extended family, playing on the playground, driving the golf cart that Poppy rented, and mostly just hanging out with cousins.

Ryan enjoying a brownie on the golf cart....

Peek-a-boo Maddie!

Madison, Jenna and a "new" cousin....

Mackenzie on the golf cart

Third? cousin Jacob and his dog relaxing in the shade. His mom is my mom's cousin Heidi. His grandpa and Mimi (my grandma) are brother and sister.

Scott and Mackenzie

Mimi with her two living brothers

Ryan's FAVORITE snack....black OLIVES!

Madison playing on the playground

Maddie and Jenna swinging...

I can do it myself!

(pay no attention to the couple in the background. They weren't with us.)

Ok...maybe it WOULD be more fun if I catch a ride with Daddy....

OH YEAH!
Mackenzie preferred the slide...

CUTE COUSINS!

Family group shots....

Our part of the family.

L-R: Me, Jim, Ryan, Uncle Jim, Ted, Kristin, Boppa, Jenna, Matt, Mimi, Madison, Poppy, Kye Kye, Kim, Scott and Mackenzie

The WHOLE group!

Any guesses WHO likes to be the center of attention among the cousins? Seriously Kye Kye...get down! What kind of example are you setting for your grandchildren anyway?

Fun times!!! Hope we can do it again in a few years!

Cute Girlies!

2010-10-12T00:19:00.000-07:00

Love these three girlies!!!

Brother and Sister Love!

2010-10-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

Jenna just loves her brother and the feeling is mutual. On this particular day she decided to look after him in her room. She made him a bed on the floor....where he was more than happy to lay down and just let her dote on him. She even let him sleep with her beloved "Zachary" doll (the one he "gave" her when he was born).

Jenna's not really in any of these pics...because she was busy arranging Ryan's bed, covering him and just being a really sweet big sister.....

Sure...they have their moments of fighting, hitting, pinching and biting....but it sure is nice to see their loving sides as often as we do!!

Dance Class

2010-10-07T23:20:00.000-07:00

We signed Jenna up for a Jazz/Tap Combo Dance Class this year and it's safe to say....she LOVES IT....

....it's simply amazing how closely she pays attention when she really enjoys something....

it's been great for her and we can't wait to see her recital in June!!

SING IT!

2010-09-18T23:02:00.000-07:00

We Will We Will....ROCK YOU!

Three Generations

2010-09-16T20:28:00.000-07:00

of beautiful women!

Playdate with Cole!

2010-09-10T23:10:00.000-07:00

Ryan had his first "official" playdate with Cole at the park!

Here are a few pictures from the day....

Looking at and feeding the ducks...

Eating a well balanced lunch (ha ha...)

Getting crud outta our shoes...

Discussing current events....and favorite snacks...

Being embarrassed by our silly mothers ;)

Playing in the dirt...

and having TONS of fun!

Can't wait to do it again soon!!

A Playdoh Kinda Day

2010-08-29T22:35:00.000-07:00

Sometimes it's just a Playdoh kinda day....ya know??

Happiness is....

2010-08-28T22:49:00.000-07:00

Swimming with dad...

....discovering new things...

....catching air...

...watering the plants....

...being helpful and spending quality time with Nana Mary....

these kids are having one helluva summer!

First Week of School

2010-08-20T22:30:00.000-07:00

A few randoms from Jenna's first week of school....

Chatting with neighbor Ann as she drives to work.

Showing off her outfit of choice for the day. Is this kid 5 or 15?? Really??

With her after (and before) school care teacher, Ms. Elizabeth....Jenna LOVES her...

Elaine & Ty's Sacramento Shower

2010-08-19T21:37:00.000-07:00

Elaine and Ty are getting married in less than 2 month. A few weeks ago, we were lucky enough to attend a beautiful shower Elaine's friends threw for them at her friends Marisa and Mario's house.

The theme was Black and White, which meant that we all had to wear black and white clothing. Her friends said that, when they think of Elaine....they think of these colors because she is almost always wearing black and white. Hey....when looking in my closet I see a lot of black and white too....so it wasn't hard for me to throw an outfit together.

Here are a few pictures I took of the beautiful evening. Elaine and Ty are lucky to have such wonderful and supportive friends in their lives and we are lucky to have Elaine and Ty in ours!

On our way up to Sacramento for the shower...(Nana Mary went with us)

The dinner table before we sat down...

The crew enjoying some appetizers and good company...

Ryan...
Ryan and Marisa's son, Mateo, were the bartenders....

....until Ryan found this....then he lost interest in the beer....

Cutie pie Ryan and Mateo going for a ride...

Pretty marshmallows with the couple's initials on them...so creative!

Gabby strikes a pose...

Favors...
Sitting down to eat...

Elaine and Ty and their friends all said some very nice words and gave some toasts...

Elaine, Ty, Ana and Gabby with the hostess Marisa (in the middle)...

Dancing....

More dancing (they were pretending to be in Jr. High)

Opening gifts....Ty was particularly excited about this one! However I think Gabby and Ana were horrified! ;)

....oh...got one of me and my kids!! (red eye or not...I love it!)

The bride to be and ME!

Elaine, Mary and I...

Elaine with her gal-pals...

Lastly....I leave you with this little snippet of Jenna performing a little song and dance for you. It wasn't her best show...but it's all I got on camera!

Congrats again to Elaine and Ty....can't wait for the wedding!

Did someone say KINDERGARTEN???

2010-08-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

Well, it was a stressful first day of school....not really what I had envisioned (complete with a slightly sick toddler)....but it was wonderful anyway and Jenna is so excited to be a Kindergartner!!

By the tree in our front yard....ready to go!

Just realized I took the same picture of her last year before she headed off to her first day of preschool...
MAN how time flies!

With her good friend (from preschool) Ashley. Unfortunately they aren't in the same class....but they will be going to Extended Day (daycare) together each day! Plus...there's always lunch and recess!

Putting her backpack and lunchbox away...

.....then Mrs. Boyle gave her speech......f0r about an hour or so....

but we made our own fun....(while listening of course)

After about an hour and a half....we all (kids and parents) headed into the cafeteria to listen to the Principal give other important school info....

After that, the parents were excused (so the kids could eat lunch) and all the moms and dads congregated in the outdoor patio area for "Tissues and Tea". It was mostly a lot of smiles and not many tissues were really needed....

The kids lining up outside the cafeteria (Jenna is in the pink stripes)

After school, Daddy, Ryan and I met Jenna and walked with her to her Extended Day program to see how it all worked....

Daddy and Jenna
Mommy and Jenna

Holding hands and walking with Ashley to Extended Day

Being silly with her friends Matt (Matty) and Ashley at Extended Day

Jenna and Ashley....having fun together

A little blurry...but too cute!

I just can't believe my little girl is now a Kindergartner! I'm so proud! I know she's going to love school!!

Kindergarten???

2010-08-15T21:51:00.000-07:00

How did this happen? My little five-year-old is starting Kindergarten tomorrow. I just can't believe this!

In honor of the occasion (and because I know there is no way we'd be able to swing it tomorrow morning) we made chocolate chip pancakes to commemorate her last day before officially starting school.

Ryan enjoyed them too!Messy Messy....but sooooo YUMMY!

I can't believe my baby is so grown up....

but I know she's gonna do great!

Cousin's Visit Spectacular!

2010-08-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned in an earlier post that Jenna and her cousin Madison got to spend an extended amount of time together this summer. Not only did they get to go to Disneyland and the beach together....and spend time at Jenna and Mackenzie's Birthday Parties together.....but they also got to spend the night at each other's houses for SIX NIGHTS IN A ROW!!!

It started when Scott, Kim, Maddie and Kenzie arrived in town for Mackenzie's 1st 1st Birthday Party (yeah....you read that right...she had TWO). On the following morning, when they left town, they took a VERY excited extra kid with them.....Jenna.

She spent Monday through Thursday having the time of her life with her Aunt, Uncle and cousins. They went shopping, went to the water park, ate turkey burgers ( a big deal for Jenna), attended swimming lessons, ate lots of ice cream....and so...much...more!

On Thursday, I headed up their way for a board meeting and picked up Jenna and Madison and brought them back home with me for 2 1/2 more days of fun which included Bounce U (a local bounce house place), a birthday party for Jenna's friend Addison, and lots more ice cream! It ended with us driving back up to Scott and Kim's house for Mackenzie's 2nd 1st Birthday Party where we said goodbye to Madison.

I have a feeling this is the start of an annual summertime tradition for these two!

Here are some pics of their time together with us....

Jenna coming down the big slide at Bounce U

and Madison on her way down...

Jenna again...

Followed by Mr. Ryan who went up with the girl who worked there.... (after one time...we just couldn't keep him off the thing!)

He climbed up and up (by himself) over and over....

....and over

....and over again....

A shot of Ryan and Jenna before they headed down the slide together....

Then he did some bouncing....

The girls...on their way up the "spider web" to an even BIGGER slide.....

Little brother wanted to go too....but it was a little too big!

after all that bouncing we needed ....SMOOTHIES!

CHEERS!

and here we are on day 7 of the girls extravaganza as we headed up to take Madison home. They were worn out but had a great time.

Can't wait to do it again soon!!

Ahoy Mateys!

2010-08-15T20:06:00.000-07:00

We had a great day yesterday with our friend Rich (The Don) and his daughters Alexa (9) and Ella (6 1/2) at the lake on their boat....

Jenna and Alexa....getting ready to board the boat!

Mommy and Ryan...

Someone was rather excited!

Jenna, Alexa and Ella enjoying a little lunch on the lake...

all suited up and ready to swim!

Ryan....getting the hang of floating....

as expected...he LOVED it!

Rich and Jenna swimming

What I saw every time he climbed out of the water....tounge out...

and a HUGE SMILE!

Ella putting her lifejacket on "diaper style"...

Ella, Rich and Jenna

Peek a boo!
Ryan's lifejacket had a handy little handle on the back...

Daddy and Jenna just floating on a lazy Saturday...

Jenna even drove the boat!

...as did Ella...

and even RYAN got to drive! (sort of....we were actually not moving at the time but he had no clue)

Mommy and Jenna (making a goofy face!)
Mommy and her babies.... (hard to get them to sit still for a quick picture)

TALL Ella and Jenna

Self portrait time!

Jim and Rich have been good friends since law school. Rich was one of Jim's groomsmen!

Jenna driving again....poor Daddy!

Rich and his girls....

Ryan also enjoyed opening and closing the clasps on the lifevests...

Wow...a rare family portrait (and we're ALMOST all looking at the camera!)
It was a great way to spend the day!

Best Cousins...Best Buddies!!

2010-08-14T22:05:00.000-07:00

Just came across this picture on my hard drive and thought it deserved a post of it's own....

This is Jenna and her cousin Madison. These two have such a special bond. They are four months apart in age and although they don't live in the same city (it's about a 3 hour drive) we make sure they see each other as often as possible and spend as much time together as we can manage with our busy schedules. This summer we were even lucky enough to send Jenna up to stay with her cousin for 4 days...and then Madison came to stay with us for 3 more...which meant that these two were together NON-STOP for a whole week. (More about that adventure in another post!)

I'm just so happy and proud of the love these two have for each other and the bond that has been forming between them since Madison's birth. In fact...here's a few pictures of their first meeting....

You've come a long way babies!!!

I LOVE Cheese!

2010-08-12T22:26:00.000-07:00

I typically give the kids a little cheese with their breakfast in the morning. We love cheese! The other day....Jenna was so excited because her cheese was in the shape of a heart....and she asked me to take a picture....

Sometimes it's the little things in life that make you smile the biggest. :)

David Graduates from Davis!

2010-08-08T22:33:00.000-07:00

Jim's younger cousin (who I used to babysit WAYYYYYYY back when I was in Jr. High) graduated from UC Davis and we made the trek up to be there for the celebration!!

Night #1 (Friday) we spent the evening with family at Joe's Crab Shack. The food was delish and the company was entertaining as usual!

Jim and David with their bibs....
The lovebirds....Elaine and Ty...
(I believe he gave her that rose....such a romantic guy! LOL)

Ryan and Mommy...
Jim and me

Ty and his youngest, Ana

Gabby (Ty's oldest) and Ryan

Some of the group...

The whole group....Ryan getting some attention and love from his cousins.....

Then....the dancing started...

Of course we couldn't leave without a quick stop in the Joe's Crabshack Shop....

Here's Ryan, surrounded by all the ladies....again... (in the shirt that Aunt Jane bought him)

Later that night....we decided to take a dip in the hotel pool...

Ryan and Elizabeth

Ryan and Daddy..

Ryan and Gabby...
Jenna and Daddy...

Ready to jump in....

Daddy and Ryan again....

That pool didn't know what hit it....

ALL the kids....

LOVE this shot!!

The next day was the "big day". After watching him graduate via satellite (cause there weren't enough tickets for everyone to actually go to graduation!) we headed to Buca di Bepo for a celebration!

David (the graduate) with Grandma Elena and Aunt Mary (Jim's mom)

Jenna and Jim with the graduate....

and then we headed out to do some shopping in Old Town Sac....

We visited a hat shop....

Where Jenna and Elizabeth had fun trying on different silly hats...

We had ice cream....

...and we took some silly pictures...

and, because Ryan L-O-V-E-S trains.....we watched the trains go by...

The next day....we checked out of the hotel.....

and headed to San Francisco!

Where we pretended to be locals....

enjoyed sourdough bread shaped like animals (this is a turtle)

Visited Pier 39....

and had a fabulous lunch

....we rode the cable cars....

Jenna and "American Girl" on the cable car....

after the cable car....we grabbed a taxi back to our car..... (the kids thought it was crazy that they didn't have carseats....Mommy was kinda spooked by the idea too)

...we also stopped to play at the beach for a little while...

it's no secret that Jenna loves the beach....

we have now confirmed that her brother does as well....

These pics are my favorites from that day....

The end.....

well almost....I had to share what I saw when I looked in the backseat on our drive home....

....couldn't you just melt???

Summer Fun with Friends

2010-08-07T22:47:00.000-07:00

Swimming with friends Macie and Delaney!

Fun with friends is the BEST kind of fun there is!!!

John Got Married!!??

2010-07-19T22:26:00.000-07:00

I can hardly believe that my cousin John is now a married man. He and his new wife Stephanie had a beautiful ceremony and reception in gorgeous Santa Barbara and the Four Seasons Biltmore Hotel. It was flawless.

The ceremony site (John built the canopy out of bamboo)

The happy couple

My parents...

Kim and me at the cocktail hour

The cousins with the newlyweds

Some of our "significant others"

Cousins (L-R): Scott (my brother), Janelle, Laura (front/center), John (groom), me and Krysti

My brother and me

My brother making out with....my husband?? FUNNY guys!...

Scott and I again.

Scott and Darrin (my cousin Laura's fiance)

My Aunt Jo-el trying to take a nice picture with my crazy husband...

Siblings (L-R): My Uncle Bob, Aunt Kathy and my dad Rick

My mom...after A glass of wine... (just one)

...and then she and my aunt Jo-el started in with the making out. WHAT is WITH my family?

Siblings and their spouses (L-R): Uncle Bob, Aunt Jo-el, Uncle Ron, Aunt Kathy, Mom and Dad...
While the adults partied...the little ones were up in Kye Kye and Poppy's room (my parents) having a little party of their own. The adults took shifts and spent time juggling parenting duties while the other adults got to party at the reception.

Maddie and me getting cheesy..

Maddie and Jenna....having so much fun together!

Mackenzie and me

Living in up at the Biltmore!

Cheers!
I'd say SOMEONE partied a little TOO hard!

Even Silly Baby (aka "Sarah Palin") was pooped!

We had a great time! Congrats to John and Stephanie!

Five Days of FUN!!!

2010-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

Jenna attended 2 weeks of 5 Daze of Fun (Vacation Bible School) this year at the same church where her preschool was held. She had a fabulous time!

The idea at 5 Daze of Fun is that all the kids were matching shirts for the entire week...however this kid typically had other plans and fought us just about every morning...wanting to wear something different.

On the Friday of the first week of "Daze" it was her birthday and she got her wish....I let her wear whatever she wanted. THIS is what she chose....

I didn't fight it. However, that night there was a presentation and a big party at the church for all the "Daze" kids and she gave in and wore the shirt...although she still insisted on the flower crown.

Here she is with Silly Baby (aka Sarah Palin) before the big show....

Standing with her teacher and class...getting ready to go up on stage...

All the kids on stage doing their thing!

Do you see her? The crown makes her a bit easier to spot at least...

The songs were so much fun that she memorized them almost instantly and constantly asks to play the CD in the car. It's great music!!

Ryan watching the show....

and then doing some dancing....

after the production....it was time to let loose in the bounce-house!! Always a welcome activity!

5 Daze of Fun was a GREAT experience and she can't wait to do it again next summer!!

She's our "American Girl"....well...sorta...

2010-07-08T22:23:00.000-07:00

So....ALL Jenna really wanted for her birthday was an "American Girl" doll. Luckily for us (since the real dolls are way too expensive for a girl her age) she has no idea about the difference between a REAL American Girl and the generic version you can buy at Target.

Now...not only did she really really R-E-A-L-L-Y want an American Girl for her birthday but, for some reason, she wanted her Auntie Elaine, (soon to be Uncle) Ty, and (soon to be cousins) Gabby and Ana to get it for her. Luckily for everyone...they obliged.

The name on the dolls box was Sadie. However....she now goes by either "Kailyn", "Bella" or simply "American Girl". I'm so glad I took these pictures to remember what "American Girl" looked like when she arrived because Lord knows she doesn't look like this anymore. The poor doll has had her clothes changed repeatedly and had her hair "did" so many times that I'm surprised it hasn't fallen out yet.

No question about it....she L-O-V-E-S this baby to pieces.

Thank you Thank you THANK YOU to Auntie Elaine, Uncle Ty and Gabby and Ana!! You guys are the best!

Happy Fourth of July!

2010-07-08T00:46:00.000-07:00

This year, for the Fourth, Ryan was sick (as in barfing) so Daddy and he stayed home and Mommy and Jenna headed to our friends house for food and fireworks!

We had a great time with Melissa, DJ, Macie, Delaney and their friends and family.

Here are some fun picks (some were my attempts to just be artistic) from the evening.... Enjoy!

Don't mess with Delaney!

It was a BIG deal to get Macie to try those sparklers....

Jenna...on the other hand...LOVES to play with fire! YIKES!

Glow bracelets are tons of fun too!

...and they look cool when you get creative and turn the flash off on your camera...

Card tricks....
Loud fireworks in the distance...

Good times!

Jenna's Fifth Birthday!

2010-07-01T23:40:00.000-07:00

We had Jenna's Fifth Birthday Party at a local Storybook Themed amusement park. The theme was "Fairies" and everyone seemed to have a really great time....including (and most importantly) the big FIVE-YEAR-OLD herself!

Getting ready for some grub! We had her favorite (PIZZA) along with fruit and all kinds of chips and dips and other goodies!

Miss Madison was there of course...

Jenna and her two best buddies from preschool, Kalia (left) and Ashley (right). Ashley will be going to Jenna's school next year for Kindergarten too!

A shot of some of the party pixies....

Of course there had to be a few boys in the mix....little brother Ryan was there of course....

and he invited Mattie's little brother Cole to help him fend of the kisses and cheek pinches he knew he was sure to get from all the ladies...

Ryan and his little cousin Mackenzie....

What a doll she is!Jenna and her pal Ashley again...

more party-goers

Jenna and Kalia. These two were inseparable in preschool which drove their teachers bonkers. I got calls from the school director on a few occasions about these two showing their panties to each other on the playground.....and whatnot. Probably a good thing they will be separated in Kindergarten I guess!

of course there were plenty of Aunts and Uncles there to help celebrate...

Nana Mary enjoyed herself too!

As well as Grandpa Jim (left), Uncle Art (center) and Poppy (right)

The super-awesome fairy cake made by a legal secretary in Jim's office. Couldn't get over how cute it turned out! Tasted good too!!

Jenna L-O-V-E-D her special cake!

After the candles were all blown out, we all headed out to take a train ride around the park....

everyone waited very patiently.....

waited...and waited....

....and waited some more....

until it FINALLY showed up! CHOO CHOO!!

Ryan and Mommy on the train (with Grandpa Jim behind us)....

in the FRONT SEAT we had Macie (left) along with Jenna and Madison and friends Kalia and Mattie right behind them.... The rest of the seats were pretty much filled with our group as well!

Here we go!!!

Ryan L-O-V-E-D the train ride!

Uncle Scott acting goofy at the pit stop...

After the train ride, we headed back to clean up. Auntie Kim was kind enough to take most of these pictures and got this great shot of Jenna and all of the cousins who joined her on her special day....(l - r) Mackenzie (in the back), Jenna, "White Rabbit" (a distant relative), Madison, Elizabeth and Marisa. Couldn't get Ryan to stand still long enough for the picture.

Then Mackenzie started crawling around....

so...of course...cousin Ryan had to join her.....

afterward....we headed over to Kye Kye and Poppy's house to open gifts and go for a swim....

Jenna's most favorite gift was from Mommy and Daddy....a complete Barbie Princess Set! Good call on that one Daddy!

Happy Birthday to our little princess! We love you more than words can say!

Eighteen Months of Pure Adorable Cuteness!

2010-06-30T21:29:00.000-07:00

Is he cute or WHAT?

I just can't resist that face!!