The Bakers

Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T22:27:00.000-08:00

We have had a fun-filled Valentines day. It started last week with the girls coloring each flower valentine for each of their classmates (30 in each class).

Then I decided it would be nice to make a Valentine for all the Primary children

This morning, Jason had surprised all of us. The kids got a card and a special balloon...while I got....

Homemade lemon raspberry sweet rolls...he worked so hard on making them the night before. I love him for that

Noah was so excited for his "Monkey" Balloon

I love this picture. Audrey tries to act so cool with us, but I know she loves our kisses

Audrey helped Addison read the bigger words

She was showing Jason her favorite parts of the card

My not-so little girls ready for school on this fun Valentines day

I bought "fancy" valentines glasses for the kids to use during dinner. They kept wanting to "cheers" each other

Here is Noah trying to "cheers" Jason

Lately...

2012-02-13T17:13:00.000-08:00

I know I have been really bad at updating my blog, and I intend to be better. Here is an update on the kids

Audrey got braces temporarily to help with the spacer she has in her mouth. This is to make room for the adult teeth to come in. She had such a small mouth, the adult teeth were too crowded to come down. In a few months, she will have plenty of room for her teeth.

Addison is getting so grown up. She is a great reader at school and loves to help out. She also joined Girls scouts a few months as a Daisy. She enjoys going to the meetings with her friends, and she really liked selling the cookies.

Noah is the funniest little boy ever! He plays all the time, and is always happy. In this picture he is waiting for the girls to get out of school. He misses them during the day.

The weather here has been amazing. So each Saturday that is nice, we head to the beach to hang out and paddle board. Not much is going on with us, except school and now Softball season has started. More pictures to come

I love my family

2012-02-13T15:46:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to post how much I love my parents, sisters, and brothers!!!

I am really lucky

Holiday lights at Gilroy Gardens

2011-12-30T23:19:00.000-08:00

We took the kids to Gilroy Gardens for the first time ever. We have been wanting to check it out, but never found the inspiration. Well, today is the last day of the holiday lights there, and it was the perfect ending to our winter vacation (we usually go to Tahoe, but since there is no snow, we decided to stay home and have a "stay-cation" :) We met up with my sister Tanya and her family, as well as my mom.
We had such a fun time, we bought a family membership for the year.

At the entrance

Love the smiles

They had fake snow...look at Noah trying to hold the flakes

Addison and Hannah spinning

Noah wants to do everything his dad is doing

The cousins

The lights were beautiful

Oma and the grand kids :)

Christmas morning 2011

2011-12-26T22:50:00.000-08:00

We had a fun Christmas morning, which flew by with presents, breakfast and then Church. It was a busy and very fun Christmas with our family :)

I love Noah's expression in this picture

Audrey's Ipod

Addison's Ipod

I loved having the girls get excited about Noah opening the presents they bought....it was so sweet

Decorating Gingerbread cookies

2011-12-26T22:40:00.000-08:00

The holidays came by so fast. We had a great time hosting parties, play dates, and enjoying the break from school. We had our good friends Nora, Phoebe, and Jill over for lunch and cookie decorating. It was so much fun.

The beauty of where we live

2011-11-30T20:28:00.000-08:00

Lately I have been capturing moments of beauty when I see them. These are from my iPhone, because it is always with me.

View from the Harbor

West Cliff

San Francisco

West Cliff

Monterey

Pebble Beach

Henry Cowell

La Selva Beach

Addison is 5 now!!

2011-11-02T15:04:00.000-07:00

Addison turned 5 during a very busy Halloween weekend. With class Halloween parties, trunk or treat, a neighborhood block party, Halloween night, and her birthday party, I was pretty exhausted by the end of the weekend.

But it was awesome to celebrate Addison!! She is so cute!

My 5 year old

My cute girls

Fairy Party

10 girls total...crazy but fun

Pin the wings on the fairy

Cake time

Fairy movie...they loved the popcorn

Sneaky Noah made his way to the movie

Pumpkin patch 2011

2011-10-16T22:50:00.000-07:00

We have 2 pirates and 1 cowgirl....This year we will be a divided family. I am dressing up as a pirate, and Jason will join ranks with Audrey and be a cowboy.

This is Addison saying "no more pictures mom"

Cute sisters

2011 Family Pictures

2011-10-06T14:19:00.000-07:00

My grandma passed away a month ago, and while we were in S. California for the funeral, we were able to get our family pictures taken by my cousin who is an awesome photographer. Unfortunately the weather was crazy hot (close to 100) and Addison was feeling sick with a fever. But, we endured and I think they turned out great considering the weather conditions, Addison fever and Noah's need to run everywhere and not look at the camera.
Thank you Chelsea (http://www.chelseabiggsphotography.com/)....you are awesome!!!

Reading

2011-09-17T22:41:00.000-07:00

The other day I could not find Audrey. I checked upstairs in her room, my room and then I glanced outside. I saw her on the swing set, reading her chapter book out loud. It was so cute. She never saw me notice her, or take the picture. But was such a cute moment. I guess the toddler seat gives some back support :)

Major change for Noah (and me)

2011-09-13T22:32:00.000-07:00

I have been in total denial about Noah growing up. I am aware of how big he is getting and how much he talks, but I still want him to be my baby (typical for last child...I know). Well, this past weekend when we were out of town, he discovered how to get out of his port-a-crib. And today, he did the same thing in his home crib. So, I had no choice but to convert his crib to a toddler bed. He was a little nervous about the change, and would cry if I walked out of the room. Then Jason goes in, tells him he is a big boy now and that he has a "big boy bed" and then tells sweetly to go to bed. 5 min later he was out. Jason is so proud of himself.

Jason making the last minute adjustments

Audrey thought she would help him brush his teeth

He was happy to oblige

Read him his book....

And once daddy tucked him in, he was out. I love my baby!!!!

No more training wheels for Addison

2011-09-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

Addison has been asking for her training wheels to be taken off for a while. We finally did it, and she did great. Although she is not very confident with making turns....so she is awesome at biking in a straight line :)

Just look at her excitement

Noah is pretty confident already with his "pedal-less" bike

We took her to the elementary school that the girls attend. Best place for flat riding

She was off within a minute. We were very excited

We ended the evening with a little playground time

Family trip to Disneyland

2011-09-13T22:14:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Disneyland and had a fantastic time.We spent the entire day there, and did 20+ rides, which is great for taking 3 young kids.

We left around 11:30, which is of course WAY past their bedtime. But it was worth it

First day of school~Kindergarten and 2nd grade

2011-08-24T13:17:00.000-07:00

Both girls are in school now. They had a great first day and we are so happy with the teachers they got.

Turning 31....Celebrating with Heather and friends

2011-08-18T13:23:00.000-07:00

Audrey turned 7

2011-08-06T21:07:00.000-07:00

My first baby is 7!! She is growing up so fast.

We took her bowling on her birthday for our family celebration

This was what kept Noah off the lanes...you can see his neighbor is checking out the entertaiment

Me and my first born baby!

"Horse" themed party at Oma's house

horse shoe decorating

horse cookies

Noah was happy to play on the swings while the girls did decorating

Hi Addison!

The girls waiting for the horses to come

Each girls got to ride the horses twice. It was so much fun

Audrey put her tiara on Jason while she rode the horse

Brownies and ice cream

Presents!!

And swimming

Mommies just sitting in the shade, watching the girls play

We saw the horses riding home, the girls shouted their hello's

Boardwalk fun

2011-08-03T00:09:00.000-07:00

We went to the boardwalk with Grandma and Papa to celebrate Audrey's birthday (coming up in a few days). We had a great time. I was surprised at how many rides we went on. We didn't leave until 10:00, but it was worth it.

Pirate ship (her favorite)

Addison's first time, she loved it too

Hot dogs for dinner

Audrey LOVED bumping into dad and papa

My favorite ride...the swings

We all went on the log ride

Noah wanted to go faster

This was Audrey trying to dry off after getting soaked on the log ride

Santa Cruz sunset

View from the Farris Wheel

Sticky cotton candy

Audrey took her grandparents on this ride, they loved it.

Roller coaster

I loved all our different expressions, especially Addison's

All boy

2011-07-28T18:59:00.000-07:00

Noah found this hat this morning and has worn it all day. I have never been able to get him to wear hats in the past, but I think once his dad told him how "big" he looked, Noah had his mind made up.
He just looks so adorable

He really wanted me to take a picture of his motercycles

He LOVES to give kisses and hugs

He is also loves to look at books and names everything he sees

Playing in the river

2011-07-24T22:17:00.000-07:00

Last week some friends invited us to play in the river near their home. The kids had such a great time, and Noah has a new obsession with boogie boards (which he calls his skateboard or surfboard).

I think he was pretending to fish

by the time we left he could stand on the board by himself in the water

4th of July weekend

2011-07-15T13:39:00.000-07:00

We are finally home from our vacations and trying to just enjoy our relaxing summer at home. I need to catch up on posting pictures from our camping trip/Tahoe trip.

My dad taking a siesta

"Howard girls"

Noah eating his breakfast.

Playing in the lake

Relaxing

Jason got to fish

Lake Tahoe 4th of July

Audrey

Me and Addison

Noah and Papa

Audrey chillin with Grandma

Family on the lake

One more day of our trip

2011-06-24T14:11:00.001-07:00

This morning we got on our flight in perfect time. We knew we had only an hour layover in Madrid, but we figured we would have enough time to transition. It would have been plenty of time, had our airplane not been 30 minutes late to take off. We were stressed, but felt that if we ran fast enough, we could make our connecting flight. Well, not only did we run, we sprinted through the longest airport I have ever seen, and we were on opposite terminals. Once we made it to our next gate (completely out of breath) they said we barely made it...but our luggage did not. We were fine with that, as long as we could just get home. Apparently the new rule is that you cannot board a plane without your luggage. So, we were sent away to figure out other flight plans.
We were told by the customer service lady that we had to stay over night here in Madrid and fly out tomorrow. I cant lie, I was so deflated. I wanted to go home and see the kids and I could not hold back silent tears. Once I got over the fact that I had no control over this issue, I was better. The airlines set us up in a really hotel with food included. We decided to take advantage of our only time to be in Madrid. I am so glad we did. It was amazing to see the architecture of these old buildings!!

Banco de Espana

Gates to some palace built in 1777

Palace grounds

We both love all the detail work in the buildings

All the apartments off the main road look like this, I love the balcony's

Just some beautiful building I think would be stunning to live in... that's all

Spain day 7

2011-06-23T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is our last day here. We leave at 4:00am tomorrow to fly home. I am getting really excited to see our kids, but a little apprehensive of the crazy long flight we have. It is about 22 hours of flying, not including the layover time. I hope our adjustment to the time is quick.
Today we went to Siam water park. It is a super popular attraction here. We went on all the rides. They were pretty hard core if you ask me. I screamed a lot, but it was fun. If we had brought the kids, we could have never gone on these rides.

This slide goes through a shark tank. It was so fast I didnt have time to scream

I screamed a lot on this one

This afternoon we are just relaxing and enjoying our last day of vacation. It has been such a great trip. Everyone recognizes our "American" accent and wants to know where we are from. They are so excited to hear we are from California. I love hearing the British accents.
This trip has been perfect. I feel like we are on our honeymoon, and it is awesome!!!
Back to reality soon :)

Spain day 6

2011-06-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

Today we went on a boat excursion to see dolphins. It was beautiful. Then later in the day, we went to a beach called Las Terracitas. There are palm trees that line the sand. It was nice, but it was the most crowded beach I have seen her so far. We didn't stay too long. We ended up having dinner and shopping is the town of Santa Cruz. Then ending the night with one last visit with the family that Jason baptized. We stayed till 12:00. Every time we said we had to leave, they would bring out more food and want us to stay. They were so sweet.

Jason trying to take a nap on the catamaran, and me sneaking in a picture

So many dolphins!

Las Terracitas beach. Too many people and topless woman!

Spain day 5

2011-06-21T14:18:00.000-07:00

Today we spent the morning relaxing by the pool and resting our sore legs from yesterday's hike. We finally made it out to town. First we went go-carting (Jason's wishes), and then we went shopping (my wishes) and out to dinner at this beautiful beach front town. It was lovely!

the track

Jason's best time was 1:17, mine was 1:40. He really enjoyed lapping me twice

Jason found some swimming shorts that are popular here...funny!

These are the small shopping carts they have at the market. If we had these in the states, I could have my kids help me out more

Walking do dinner

Sunset after dinner

Spain day 4

2011-06-20T14:45:00.000-07:00

Today we went up to Masca, which is small town where this massive hike starts and takes you through these giant cliffs (aka Los Gigantes). It was a 13 mile hike round trip with a 2000 each way elevation change as we hiked down to the ocean and back right up. It was a great trip on the way down, but since we underestimated the 90 degree heat and difficulty of the hike/rock climbing, we did not have enough water. We ran out after our start going up! We were already tired from the hike down, and the lack of water affected us pretty fast. With 2.5 hour left to hike uphill, we were feeling pretty scared. If we did not drink water from some running streams, we would not have made it. As it was, when we arrived to the top, we were more dyhydrated than we have ever been. We had stopped talking about 30 min from the top. When we finally got to a bar in town, I could hardly ask for water. We finally hydrated after 20 minutes of letting the water get in our systems, We feel so much better now, but it was a very crazy experience. Jason had done the hike when he was 20, and proably had lots of water. We should have had at least 2 liters of water each, instead of 1 liter to share for the entire day. Lesson learned.

At the top in Masca

In the begining of our hike

At the bottom of this gorge, you follow the empty river bed down to the ocean

This was Jason trying to get water. He eventually took off his shirt to soak it in water and put it back on

One of our many resting spots on the way up

Spain, Day 3

2011-06-19T13:31:00.000-07:00

We went to church today up in Santa Cruz (funny because that is where we attend church at home). The church building was small, but the members were wonderful. There is a family of 7 that Jason converted 14 years ago that was there. He mailed them a letter before we left, hoping they would still be living in the same place. The mother and two of her children were there. They were expecting us, and had us over for lunch/dinner after church. For those of you who know Jason, you know that he is pretty shy. Apparently when he is speaking Spanish with old friends, he is anything but shy. I loved watching him get all animated while conversing in Spanish. Of course, I had to sit there and wait to get the delayed translation, but the mother spoke perfect English, so I had her and Jason to talk with. It was a great day, watching Jason catch up with this family who has never forgotten him for being one of the missionaries to bring the gospel to their lives.

The picture of their baptism is framed on their wall.

This is the picture, Jason is the skinny guy second from the left on the back row

The mom and two of her 5 kids who live with her (and a grand-son). The dad passed away a few years ago

Jason and Rosario

Spain, Day 2

2011-06-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

Today we woke up kind of late (due to jet lag) and went up north to La Oratava and Puerto de la Cruz. It is so green and tropical...which is opposite of the South part of Tenerife. Funny how an island can have two very different climates. Anyways, we had a great time walking around, eating, shopping, going to the beach, and just seeing the area where Jason served his Mission

La Oratava. Sand paintings on the ground

The detail work was amazing. You can see all the different colors in each bowl that is out.

The Streets in La Oratava were amazing. Cobble stones, flowers everywhere and all the buildings had so much character

When Jason was a missionary here in Puerto de la Cruz, he passed by this restaurant under the bridge and always wanted to return some day with his wife...so that is where we went!!

One of the roads in Puerto de la Cruz

black sand beaches in Puero de la Cruz

Hello from Tenerife, Spain

2011-06-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

We finally made it to the Canary Islands!! It was 22 long hours of flying (with no sleeping), but we are hear and loving it.

Our condo

Taking a walk around the pool

Driving to the beach

our Volvo S40

Playa los Americanas

dinner over-looking the beach

Heaven!

We went to the grocery store to get some food, and Jason was thrilled to find Coke Zero

Horse back riding and other adventures at Aunt Adele's Farm

2011-06-12T20:56:00.000-07:00

One of Jason's aunts has a horse ranch in Oakdale, near where his grandma lives. We decided to take a family day trip out to visit with them, as well as ride the horses and check out her beautiful country home.

Grandma and Grandpa Bender with Jason and Audrey

Entrance to Adele's kitchen...so cute

Noah loved all the tractors

And the girls rode for most of the day

Noah checked out the ranch

Adele and Noah

Audrey was going pretty fast on the horse, she cant wait to go again

Adele's kitchen oven

It was a beautiful day

big boy hair cut

2011-06-09T22:23:00.000-07:00

Noah's hair has been growing a lot lately. And as much as I adore his beautiful curls, they were starting to make him really hot when he would run around outside.

This pictures was proof of how much hair he has started to grow (after ongoing trims by me). In this picture, he had been getting hot from running around, so I started playing with his hair....

And soon he looked like Krusty the Clown

So I reluctantly let Jason take him for his first big-boy hair cut..he was an angel.

Look at all that hair she took off

Now he looks so much older...and after 1 week, his curls are back in full growth. This kid is like a chia-pet

Farewell to 1st grade

2011-06-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Today was the last day of school for Audrey. She had a fun ice cream party to end the year, so I came with Addison to see Audrey at her last day of class.

Addison loved being a part of her class for the day

Report card and good-bye hugs

I have loved Audrey's 1st grade teacher Mr. Rice. We were very lucky to have such a positive and fun-loving teacher. You cant see in the picture, but he had already started crying at this point. The love that he has for his students is unreal!!

I wanted to make the day special for the girls to celebrate the beginning of summer. I left Noah at home with a babysitter so we could have a "girls lunch" with our friends Jill, Phoebe, and Nora.

Addison and Nora

Audrey and Phoebe

Me and Jill

Paddle boarding with the kids

2011-05-28T14:47:00.000-07:00

So,
I have picked up a new hobby....Stand Up Paddle boarding ..aka..SUP.
It is so much fun. I have been renting for the past few weeks, but ended up buying my own board. Today we went to Vasona Lake in Los Gatos so Jason and the kids could try it out. It was really fun...although I didnt know you had to use the lakes "approved" boards, so I couldn't take my own out. Oh well, there is plenty of ocean in Santa Cruz can take it on.
Here are some pix of me and the kids. Addison and Jason are not shown, but they were out on the water as well.

Noah looks like he is imitating the girl from "Titanic"

I was surprised at his ability to stay still

Addison is now a preschool graduate...on to Kindergarten

2011-05-27T21:24:00.000-07:00

I dont want to ever forget this day. It was so much fun. Addison's preschool teacher knows how to throw a great "farewell to preschool" type party. I have loved every minute of this year.

The day started out with playing at the park with her classmates while we set up

She has a wonderful friendship with her buddy, McKay.

I have loved spending a day each week with her at her school.

These are the cookies my friend Marina made....they got a lot of attention, not only because of how they look, but how good they tasted

We started the fun with a Spring Sing concert

My little performer

Then they "graduated"

Its official

Then the carnival began..ring toss

cookie walk

donut on a string

Prizes from her tickets

Then onto swimming....I love this picture.

Saying good-bye to her classroom

And of course, leaving with two new pets for the girls to care for..."Goldie" and "Spotty"

Just hanging out

2011-05-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

I feel so blessed to be home with my kids and see them grow up. I get over-whelmed by them at times, but overall, the joy they bring to my life is far more than the stress motherhood can bring.

With Addison starting Kindergarten in the fall, I want to cherish these special days where we get to just hang out and enjoy being home together. Once school starts, it is a whole new world. So for now, I will enjoy my little Addison and how she plays with Noah. He will miss his pal in the fall when she at school.

Here is Addison and Noah hangout out together while eating their snack. Noah is already wet from playing with water, hence is shirt is off.

horse back riding

2011-05-15T16:56:00.000-07:00

Audrey is really into horses at the moment, so Jason took her on a date to have a horse riding lesson. She had a great time and said the best part was that she got to clean out the horses feet, and that made her back a little sore. I guess hard work can be fun!!

Going all by herself :)

Spring Sing concert

2011-05-08T22:43:00.000-07:00

Audrey had her Spring Sing Concert last week where her teacher invited the parents to hear the songs he has taught the kids this year. It was really fun and the kids loved it.

Half way through the concert, Noah started walking very slowly to the empty chair.

I thought he was going to sit down, but he was on to bigger and better things

First, the 1 foot step

Then on to the 3 foot ledge...all the parents thought he was hilarious

Audrey loves her teacher and the first grade!!

Addison at Preschool

2011-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

I have been really bad at taking pictures of Addison at her preschool. Each week, a child is picked to be the "Special Explorer", and this past week was Addison's turn. She was really excited because you bring baby and family pictures to display. And at the end of the week, you get to come up and talk about all the things you like.

Addison and Mrs. Hardwick

Circle time

Sharing her book she picked out from the library

Talking about her favorite things

Her favorite shape is a heart

She has had such a wonderful year at preschool, I cant believe she will be in Kindergarten in the fall. I love you Addison!!

Easter 2011

2011-04-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

When the kids woke up on Easter morning, it was pretty wet and rainy. But to their surprise, they saw that the easter bunny had left them eggs all over the family room to find. It was fun to watch Noah in this process because he was too young last year. They were dressed for church, already breaking into their Easter goodies before 8:30 in the morning....pretty impressive :)

This is Noah's "CHEESE" face when you ask him to smile

Me and the girls

Daddy making egg shaped pancakes

Jason riding at the Sea Otter Classic in Monterey

2011-04-26T11:16:00.000-07:00

This is Jason's second year doing the Sea Otter Classic ride in Monterey. He has participated in 4 "rides" this year and has two more in the end of the summer. One is going to be a Century (100 miles) which was a goal of his when he started bike riding last year. The other will be a race around Tahoe which will be the most challenging ride thus far. It is great to watch him develop in a sport that he enjoys.

Go Jason!!!

This is him at the end of the 50 miles...concluding with a very large hill :)

Creative little kids

2011-04-18T15:18:00.000-07:00

The other day I was cleaning in the house and the kids were bored and bugging me. So I told them that they either had to play outside or clean with me. They of course chose to stay outside, and just look at what they came up with.....The progression was all in a matter of an hour

Hanging out...dressed and dry

Someone had the bright idea to add water to the plastic table cloth
and make a slip and slide..without cloths of course

Noah was up for the fun

Then I turned on the hose

And they changed into bathing suits for real water play

Then Audrey found more plastic to extend the slip and slide

And Addison pulled out the water table

Then Noah got serious about the water and learned a new trick...

Thank you for the shower Noah!

It is clear that my kids are very eager for summer to come

2011 Spring pictures

2011-04-16T13:49:00.000-07:00

The girls are really into horses lately, and Noah is mesmerized by them. The way he says "horsie" is so cute. Anyways, I decided to take them to this really pretty spot by a horse pasture for their spring pictures. It was not very easy taking pictures alone, but I think they turned out cute.

At this point, Noah was already checking out the horses

I love spring, I love my kids and family, I love where I live, and I love seeing all the blessings that fill my life!

Multi-tasking

2011-04-16T13:27:00.000-07:00

Sometimes Audrey and Addison will push Noah on his swing....but lately they have come up with a way to push him, while getting some "swing time" in themselves. He loves it, and this keeps all the kids happy for much longer.

Then there is the "fake kick" that will get Noah hysterically laughing. Audrey acts like Noah kicked her as he comes closer, and when she falls to the ground, he laughs so hard he can hardly breath. It is super cute to see them play!!

Loving our pet Cupcake

2011-04-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Noah is very fascinated with our cat who is mostly outdoors. He sees her outside all the time and runs up to anyone who will listen, and he will shout with excitement...CUPCAKE!!!
Here is Cupcake enjoying the kids attention

Picnic at a ball game

2011-04-02T19:47:00.000-07:00

Hi-5 for a great hit

More wedding pictures

2011-04-02T19:07:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Jann and the girls

Me and the girls

Helping out his younger cousin

Here is your passy, Caleb

Twins

I gave a toast

They take my breath away

Kids room

Watching the bride and groom dance

View from the outside

My sisters wedding

2011-03-13T19:58:00.000-07:00

My sister, Heather, got married yesterday in a small ceremony. Audrey and Addison were the flower girls, and Noah was just the most handsome boy in his 3-piece suit.

Here comes the bride!

This was how Noah stayed amazingly quiet throughout the ceremony

He loved eating at the adult table and drinking from glass cups

Addison was having a blast with Opa

While Audrey was showing her moves on the dance floor

Noah was happy to be surrounded by single ladies who gave him sooo much attention

Although he was really there for the brownie I think

I {heart} naps

2011-03-11T13:13:00.000-08:00

Especially when they happen when you least expect it. Like when you walk past your sofa and see your child has put themselves down for a nap. And I love when they look so beautiful it takes your breath away

T-ball season has begun

2011-03-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

Audrey has started her second year of T-ball. She has a great team with wonderful coaches and I cant wait for her to develop her skills in softball. The only down side to all the practice and games is that they are usually during dinner time so the kids get hungry, and I cant keep up with Mr. 2-year old who wants to explore everywhere while trying to watch Audrey hit the ball and remember which friend Addison is playing with and where they are located.

Go Audrey!!!

He found a helmet and started walking to the batting plate, as if it was clearly his turn to play

Which lead to a full-blown meltdown

It must be so hard to be little with all these adults keeping you from all the fun stuff

My baby boy turns 2!!!

2011-03-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

I cant believe how fast he is growing up. I just want to say how much I love my little guy. He is so sweet and funny. He loves to play with his sisters, shadow is dad (especially in the garage), play outside, and continue to wear whoever shoes are laying around. I love that his vocabulary is growing each day, he is able to understand and communicate so much more. He loves to laugh and play and we feel so blessed to have him in our family. We love you so much Noah!

Birthday breakfast...the girls are trying to smile with him, but he just wants to eat his food

Car cake

He loved it

He really does look older to me now

We love you sweet boy!

His ultimate gift from his grandparents...he can drive it all over the house

Beauty sleep

2011-02-25T15:00:00.000-08:00

Audrey has been wanting an "eye cover" for sleeping, ever since she discovered that her oma has one. Well, I came across some at the dollar store, so I got one for Audrey and Addison. Audrey uses hers, and Addison is still figuring out if she likes it, or if it makes everything "too dark"

Here is Audrey in the middle of the night...what a cute little diva!

Roller Skating

2011-02-23T14:38:00.000-08:00

We went rollerskating the other day, and it was awesome to see how quickly Noah took to skating. He seems more confident in it that Addison. He was so funny. He didn't really want to hold our hands, just cruz along by himself.

Valentine's Day Family night activity

2011-02-15T11:53:00.000-08:00

I dont usually document our weekly "family nights", but I loved the one we had on Valentines day. It was the perfect opportunity to talk about LOVE and what it means to truly love someone. We read from the scriptures that Charity is the Pure Love of Christ, and if we can posses that, we will be well with God. After talking about that with the kids, we did a fun activity where everyone had their own heart, and we each got say one thing we loved about that person and it was written on that person's heart. I LOVE my family and the moments where we see them LOVING one another.

Noah was already in bed, so Daddy did his

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

Popcorn popping in my neighborhood trees

2011-02-11T15:07:00.000-08:00

Car racing at bedtime

2011-02-01T16:43:00.000-08:00

Noah seems to get super excited about racing his car (actually his sisters barbie car) all over the house. These pictures show his pure joy in speeding across our floor.

On your mark, get set, GO!!!

Stopping only for a quick tire repair

And he is off again

You are too Cute Noah!

Room Rules by a 6 year old girl

2011-01-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

I found this today in the girls room...Audrey has taken the liberty to make rules, and post them on top of the dresser.

1. most importantly (I agree) is no boys...lets remember this at age 16 please!
2. no screaming
3. no crying
4. no fighting
5. no whining...although she spelled it very creatively as Y-in-ing
6. no punching

As you can imagine, none of this ever occurs in our home. I am sure she was just making these rules as a way of preventing this to ever happen. Especially the whining and screaming....that never happens (please note my heavy sarcasm) :)

Beach day in January

2011-01-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

This week has been amazing weather, so when the weekend came and it was still super warm, we decided to go to the beach. The girls are always asking when they can put their feet in the water, and I knew Noah would be in heaven with the constant water moving....and unlimited sand to play with.
It was a perfect family day!!!

His cute little tongue sticks out when he is focused

Trying to avoid getting too wet from the waves while taking out picture

Second try

Noah just loved chasing the water, then running away

Addison was way more into playing with the sand than getting splashed by waves

Noah stayed in this spot with his shovel/pail for at least a half hour...he was so serious about it

If you look close, you can see his tongue sticking out

One of the many reasons why I LOVE where I live

2011-01-17T21:03:00.000-08:00

Today we took a family hike at Point Lobos, south of Monterey. We have always heard great things about it, but have never been. I cant believe today was my first time to this place, since I have lived in Santa Cruz my whole life. It was an amazing little hike, with spectacular views of the ocean. It was one of those perfectly warm January days. I feel so blessed to live in such a beautiful part of California.

View from where we parked the car....nice start

This is what the trail looked like most of the 2 miles we walked

Fun stops along the way

I loved this spot...cypress tress and ocean

Me and Addison

This picture does not do it justice, but I was trying to capture the glittering light off the water, it looked like something out of a fairytale

My little hikers

Me at one of the stops

Did I mention it was a gorgeous day?

Although a little windy

The trees varied in color from green to this beautiful orange

Then a deer came to say hello

They must be used to humans, because this guy didn't mind at all that we were snapping his picture

Nice nature lesson for the girls...here is Audrey and the deer making eye contact

I think I just fell in love with N. Cal all over again!!!!

My creative little babysitter

2011-01-10T13:56:00.000-08:00

Me: Hey Audrey, will you go check on your brother. He is crying in his crib (nap was over)...can you just say hi to him until I finish the dishes
Audrey: OK mom

this is what I came upstairs to.....

Of course, what little boy would not want his tent arranged in his crib

He has the perfect set-up....equipped with his toys, and privacy

"Hey, what happened to my cool tent"?

What little boys do

2010-12-23T11:17:00.000-08:00

I have been fascinated at my son's new interests in regards to toys and imagination. I am used to my girls at this age pretending to brush hair, or feed their stuffed animals food, or put a baby doll to sleep.
Watching Noah play last night was such a delight. I can actually see him figuring things out and to watch his joy when he accomplishes his goal is so sweet.

I love you my little man!

Gingerbread cookie decoration

2010-12-21T22:07:00.000-08:00

Yesterday my friend came over with her girls (who are the same age as my girls) to decorate gingerbread men cookies. It was really fun, especially since Noah was taking his nap, so I was able to sit back, drink apple cider, and chat with my friend while our girls were eagerly making edible masterpieces

Audrey really enjoyed setting the table

Greeting Santa at our Church party

2010-12-17T21:48:00.000-08:00

Santa asked if Audrey was a good girl...

Of course she said "yes"

My little Addison was happy to see Santa even though she is recovering from having her tonsils removed 2 days ago

I am pretty sure Santa could not hear her quiet "recovery" voice when she whispered what she wanted for Christmas

And then there was Noah....I have never had a child react this way to Santa. He was not thrilled to have me put him on Santa's lap...you can see I am trying to bribe him with a candy cane...but he is having none of it!

But of course, he was excited to get his hands on my brownie

The girls were part of the nativity play, but Addison just helped behind the scenes with me because she wans't feeling very good and could not sing. Audrey is in the back of the "Angel Choir"

There is my little Addison...I cant wait for her to eat more than milk, yogurt and ice cream

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-27T14:28:00.000-08:00

This is how the kids worked off their meal in time for dessert

Noah learning how to drive the car....notice Audrey's face as the car suddenly stops :)

At first, Audrey had Noah on her lap....

Until he realized it was way more fun riding in the back, with the danger of falling off

My 3 little turkeys

Watching the fire

2010-11-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

The other evening it was raining outside, and Jason decided to make a fire. It was the first one of the year, and you could tell by the way it grabbed my kids attention. They grabbed the chairs and placed them right in front of the fire, just so they could sit and watch.They got all excited when the wood made the cracking sound. It was better than TV!!

Trunk or Treat

2010-11-01T15:31:00.000-07:00

This weekend for Halloween, we went to our church Trunk or Treat party. It was so much fun. The kids got just enough candy to last them (and me) for a little while.

Noah was my little helper for passing out candy...next year he can get his own

He didnt mind helping because he has his lollipop

Addison turned 4!

2010-11-01T15:23:00.000-07:00

Addison has been waiting to turn 4 for a while now. She is so happy to be the same age as all of her friends. On her birthday we took her to Chuck E. Cheese to eat and play with her family (Oma, Opa, aunts, uncles and cousins). Everyone had a blast.

Noah loved this ride...he was on it most of the evening

Singing to Addison

Noah worked up a thirst with all his running around

Jason and Tanya played Guitar Hero for a few rounds. It was funny to see them compete

Later that week, Addison had a few friends from school over for a princess party . It has been a busy week, but worth it for my little girl

If I could freeze time.....

2010-10-19T13:06:00.000-07:00

I would choose to freeze my kids at this age. I have been thinking about this a lot. I know I cant actually keep them from getting older, but I want to pause for a moment to note just how much I love my kids at this age.

Audrey is in 1st grade and she loves school. So much, that she thinks her 100% on spelling tests each week are ordinary and never seems to catch why I am so incredibly proud of her. She still plays with her younger siblings, and enjoys time at the park (I know this is a silly thing to notice, but I know one day she will rather do other "mature" things than play at a park). I see how excited she gets when I help out in her class, and she is not embarrassed to say "I love you" when I drop her off at school.

She also still wants my help in picking out her outfits, which is great because I am dreading the mother/daughter arguments that will come later over clothing...they are pretty much unavoidable.

Addison is in her last year of preschool, and I know how fast life goes once they start Kindergarten. Which is why I could keep her at this age forever. She is easy-going, sweet and pretty much loves everyone. I love watching her learn new things at school...especially the concepts of reading.

I get to be with her once a week in her class, and I find my time with her priceless. Next year she starts a new journey in Elementary School, so this is my last chance to observe her with her friends, play with her, teach her and connect with her in her school setting. Maybe it is the teacher part of me, but I truly love being a part of my children's preschool experience.

Noah...my little monster. He is so sweet, happy, lively, and full of curiosity.

He wants to do whatever his sisters or parents are doing. He puts his trash away in the garbage can, puts his sippy cup (sometimes not empty) in the dishwasher for us to find later, and takes our shoes out and walks around the house with them about 100 times a day (I am not exaggerating).

He is so sweet and randomly comes up to kiss or hug me and Jason. I love his joy and laughter and the simplest things. Each day he proves that he is no longer my baby....but there are those moments (few and far between) where I pick him up and he lays his head on my shoulder and doesn't move for about 5 minutes. He just wants to be there, and I cherish each time I get that opportunity.

So, I know this time in my life is crazy busy and the kids are not always easy to deal with (especially that horrible time frame from 3-5pm)...but I don't want it to change too soon. When they are teenagers, and want nothing to do with their parents, I will want these memories. I know I will wish for these young years.....so today, I will do my best to appreciate what I have and live each day with the hope that they take their time growing up.

Addison's field trip to the pumpkin patch

2010-10-15T14:54:00.000-07:00

Addison's school took took a field trip to this great pumpkin patch off hwy 1...where there is an amazing panoramic view of the ocean. I love being a part of her preschool experience and sharing these moments with her

Can you see how excited he is to explore this great place?

This was the view I saw most of Noah...running all over the patch

Trying to find the right pumpkin to take home

painting our pumpkins

2010-10-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

The girls wanted to pick out their pumpkins early this year (first weekend in October)....I explained to them that if they get them now, they can paint them but not carve them. I was happy when they agreed to this, because I am not a fan of being left to take out the guts of a pumpkin. And this year, Noah was a full participant. They had a blast

Exploring Henry Cowell

2010-10-03T22:09:00.000-07:00

Today we wanted to go on a family outing to new places. We love Henry Cowell redwoods, and decided to go on a adventure to places we had never seen.

The girls decided to cross the bridge to the other side of the river

We found a "local" secret spot called the garden of eden

I had been here years before, but would never have found my way back...had we not been hiking in this direction

what kid doesn't love finding cool rocks and shells?

This was our scenic view for most of our hike....gotta love how beautiful it is here

Addison sudden operation

2010-10-03T21:45:00.000-07:00

On Friday, Addison was complaining of a sore throat and ear pain, so I took her to the doctor on Saturday morning for what I thought would be a simple ear infection = anti-biotic prescription.The doctor found that her ears were fine, but was very suspicious about a large lump in the back of her throat. She sent me straight to the ER to get checked out.....after being seen multiple times by multiple doctors, they confirmed my pediatricians theory. Addison had an abscess in her throat that was growing pretty quickly and needed to be surgically removed immediately. They prepped her for operation, and sent us down to the OR.

She was so brave for most of it...but then started to get scared. The first video is before the drugs....the seconds is after

The surgery went great, and the doctor was very glad we took her in that day. We have our happy Addison back with no more pain (infection) in her throat!!!

Walk on Westcliff

2010-10-03T21:31:00.000-07:00

Addison got too "tired" to ride her bike, so this is how Jason pushed them for the whole trip back

Took a few minutes to check out the surfers

Sunset

Dinner outside

2010-10-03T21:23:00.000-07:00

As long as the weather is nice....we will eat outside

Cheering at the half-time show

2010-09-19T22:15:00.000-07:00

Audrey participated in a cheer camp for girls her age, run by the high school cheerleaders. It was 3 days of learning cheers and a dance, and then the opportunity to perform at the Varsity football game half-time. Audrey had a good time...although you will see in the photos, that she is like her mom (realizing that football is super boring) and she started to get pretty tired. But overall she had a really fun experience

Audrey and her friend, Ella

She noticed me taking her picture from the crowd

Go Falcons, Go...something like that

And this was about the time she started loosing stamina..she really didn't like standing for so long

The half-time dance...she is in the center

And being escorted to the car by her dad when she was finished....she was too tired to walk