The Stephens Family

Emma's 3 year pictures

2012-02-17T21:05:00.000-08:00

Last week we had Anjuli take Emma's 3 year pictures at Jack's Pond Park in San Marcos.

We had to wait until February because Anjuli was on maternity leave with her sweet little baby girl Noelle.

It was well worth the wait! As always Anjuli did an amazing job and we love them.

Those pink boots are by far Emma's favorite shoes right now.

She got them for her Birthday and they are still too big, but this little girl would wear them everyday if she could. They were a must in Emma's eyes for her pictures.

Love them all... absolutely love them!

Emma's field trip to the aquarium

2012-02-11T07:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning Emma's pre school went on a field trip to the Birch Aquarium.

I am lucky enough to have Fridays off so I was able to go as well.

It was such a beautiful day!

We had lots of fun learning about all of the sea life.

Emma really liked the sharks, the jellyfish and the pink & purple fish.

Emma's big girl "mastics" class

2012-02-11T07:09:00.000-08:00

Emma took her first gymnastics class last spring and loved it.

Ever since then she has asked us about going again.

We decided it was time to sign her up again this week and now that she is 3 she is in the big girl class all by herself. No more mommy and me, and to tell you the truth I am kinda glad because this belly galloping around would be ridiculous.

She did so well and remembered lots of her favorite activities from before.

She can't wait until next week so she can go again!

20 Week appointment

2012-02-06T19:53:00.000-08:00

Today we went in for our 20 week ultrasound.

Emma and Abuelita joined us.

Emma figured out what the stirrups were for and was cracking us up.

It is a bit hard to see but in this 4D picture you can see our sweet baby girl's face.

And here is her little arm and hand. So fun to see all of her development.

I am actually 21 weeks now and feeling great.

I have been trying so hard not to give in to my cravings all of the time. I have a real sweet tooth with this pregnancy. And my will power paid off because I didn't gain any weight this month. Woohoo! For the pregnancy as a whole I have gained 6 pounds so far.

Our sweet little girl is doing great.

Dr. Langford took all of her measurements and said everything looks good.

She is measuring in the 30th percentile right now.

I am going back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound. Not because anything was wrong but because he would like a better view of her heart. The position she was in made it really hard to get a complete view, so he wants me to come back in to take a better look. He said from what he could see of her heart it looks great but he wants to be able to see more.

Doug and I still haven't finalized a name yet. We have a favorite but haven't decided 100% just yet.

We do know that her middle name will be Elizabeth, for my sister and it is also Doug's mom's middle name.

This little girl is getting so big and I am loving watching her grow!

Our weekend at the desert

2012-02-05T17:57:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a wonderful weekend at the desert.

Notice Emma's yucky nose...

You want to know how to clear up a little girls runny nose?

Take her to the desert and all of the yucky stuff will come out.

As always, Wendy was Emma's favorite person to play with.

I think the fact that Wendy brought ice cream to the desert might have helped.

It was just windy enough to fly a kite with Wendy.

Emma learned how to make Margaritas with Wendy and AJ.

And she learned how to make peach cobbler with Bill.

Since I couldn't taste test her margaritas, I made sure to taste her cobbler. It was delicious!

This was our first trip out since Christmas, so we made sure to bring our trees out to burn.

Sounds weird, but it is kind of a tradition.

And lucky Wendy got to take Emma on lots of rock hunts.

Such a great trip! We can't wait for our next one.

Emma's 3 year check up

2012-01-30T20:20:00.000-08:00

This afternoon we had Emma's annual check up.

It couldn't have come at a better time because this little kiddo started feeling yucky last night.

The doctor says that it is just a little virus and nothing to worry about. We just need to keep an eye on her fevers and make sure that they don't get too high.

Here are her 3 year old stats:

Height - 38 1/2 inches - 76%

Weight - 30 pounds - 41%

Emma was such a big girl and even did her hearing and vision test.
She passed with flying colors.
I am so proud of how good she was even for feeling so yucky.

Other than the little virus she got a clean bill of health.

Her doctor says that she is healthy and progressing just as she should.

Happy 4th Birthday Ethan!

2012-01-29T14:09:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Ethan's Birthday and went to his mustache bash.

Of course everything was adorable and hand crafted by Ron and Sarah.

They always throw the best parties!

Our little girl partied her self out again.

Happy Birthday Ethan!

Soccer and Happy 40th Travis!

2012-01-29T10:24:00.000-08:00

Good job teams!

Bad job mama... didn't get any pictures during the game.

After afternoon naps and a little play time we headed off to Travis and Wendy's for Travis' 40th Birthday!

Lots of fun playing Wii.

Bri made beautiful cupcakes.

Then it was time for some poker.

The Birthday Boy even got dressed up in his beer drinking outfit (lederhosen) with his German Stein.

Emma had such a great time and partied her little self out.

Four from Friday

2012-01-22T16:24:00.000-08:00

Friday morning Emma and I went for a long walk around Lakeview Park.

After our walk we went and fed the ducks. They were so happy to see us.

Emma noticed that ducks shake their back feathers when they walk.

She decided to imitate them and shake her tushy as well.

Friday night we went to dinner with Papa, Abuelita, JuJu and Aunt Lizzy.

These two little cuties shared a shake and looked absolutely adorable.

Safari Park

2012-01-15T08:30:00.000-08:00

After Emma's soccer game we headed to the Safari Park (Wild Animal Park).

Emma was in charge of the map and made sure we headed straight to the Gorillas.

Emma's 1st soccer game

2012-01-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning Emma played her first soccer game.

She had such a great time meeting new friends.

Her best friend on the team is Coach Campbell. Emma loves her.

Emma started out the game great and had lots of fun. Then she took a little spill and came off the field in tears. She calmed down and got back on the field, but was attached to coach Campbell the rest of the game. Despite her fall she had a great time and enjoyed playing and said she can't wait for her next game.

It is so much fun to watch these little guys play. They are so darn funny at this age.

Boy or Girl?

2012-01-09T16:31:00.000-08:00

This morning we had our 16+ week appointment.

Since our doctor does ultrasounds at each appointment we were able to find out if our baby is a boy or a girl?

We decided we weren't going to share the news with anyone until we told Emma.

This afternoon Emma opened a special box.

Inside the box are either blue or pink balloons.

It's a GIRL!

We would have been excited either way, but we are really excited for Emma.

She has been telling us that it is a girl since we told her about the baby.

We even had a discussion on the way home today...

Mama: What color balloons do you think will be in the box?

Emma: Pink for a girl

Mama: But what if it's a boy?

Emma: Then I cry and tell the boy to go home.

So glad she wasn't disappointed!

Emma is going to be the best big sister!

We can't wait to meet this little girl in June!

Funny thing... during our appointment the song 'Uptown Girl' came on just as our doctor scanned down to that area. Doug said, "it would be funny if this is a girl."
Then our doctor said "well it is funny that this song came on because it is a girl."

Grandma Cherie's Birthday

2012-01-08T09:28:00.000-08:00

Our final Birthday celebration last night was back at our house for Grandma Cherie's early birthday.

She won't be in town on her actual birthday so we celebrated a little early with Uncle Andy and Tami.

Happy early Birthday!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

2012-01-08T09:22:00.000-08:00

After Emma's party Douggie and I stopped by Ashley's Birthday dinner at Filippi's.

She shares the same birthday as Emma. January 7th must be a day that all the sweet girls have for a Birthday.

Happy Birthday sweet Ashley!

Emma's Birthday

2012-01-07T22:32:00.001-08:00

Our Birthday Girl turned 3 today and we celebrated and celebrated and then celebrated some more.

She had a wonderful day!

We started out with presents from Mama and Daddy in the morning.

Soccer shoes!

A Cabbage Patch Kid with the very same Birthday as Emma.

Then presents from Grandma and Grandpa Stephens.

A special Birthday doughnut with lots of sprinkles.

Then after nap time it was time for Emma's Tea Party!

We had lots of friends and family come and celebrate with us and we all had so much fun.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!

We had such a great time celebrating with you!

3

2012-01-07T07:21:00.000-08:00

Today our little girl is 3!

Just plain crazy... how in the world can she already be 3?

She makes us so happy and proud.

She makes us laugh and has at times made us cry.

Emma has such a fun personality and sense of humor.

She is one of the most caring people I know. Even at the age of 3, she is always concerned for others feelings and hates when people are sad or hurt.

This little girl has an incredible memory. The things she can remember shock me. Things most kids her age would never remember in detail, she can.

She loves her friends and loves making new ones.

She loves to be a fancy lady and play dress up.

Her dollhouse is her favorite.

She has such long pretty hair.

She loves JuJu more than anything. She calls him her brother. When we try and correct her and explain that he is her cousin she says "no, he my brother, not my cousin."

Anything Disney Princess and this little girl is in heaven.

She loves to snuggle and we love to snuggle with her.

She is so darn tall and skinny. Pants are often too short with waistbands that are too big.

Emma loves to dance and loves watching 'Shake it up' so she can dance along.

She says 'I love you' so sweetly and so often. We are very lucky.

Cinnamint gum is her favorite.
She truly enjoys going to school and if she had it her way, she would go everyday.

Every morning she has chocolate milk and apple juice while watching t.v.

She adores big girls and wants to be one so badly.

She gives the baby in my belly kisses all the time. She is going to be a great big sister.

We love this little girl so much!

We love every moment of the past 3 years with her blessing our lives.

We can't wait to watch her continue to grow.

Happy 3rd Birthday Emma!

I can't wait to share pictures from her Tea Party today.

An early Birthday dinner

2012-01-06T22:15:00.001-08:00

Tonight we went out to dinner at Sublime Ale House.

Emma loves their smiley face pizzas.

They brought Emma this huge chocolate cake.

JuJu and Emma ate almost the entire thing.

Happy early Birthday Emma!

Welcome Grandpa Bob & Grandma Cherie

2012-01-06T22:14:00.001-08:00

Every year for Emma's Birthday her Grandma and Grandpa Cherie have come to visit her.

She is one lucky little girl.

Today we went to Jack's Pond park for a little play time.

We took a little walk down to feed the ducks.

This weekend is going to be filled with lots of Grandma and Grandpa playtime.

New Year's Eve

2012-01-02T15:44:00.000-08:00

We spent New Year's Eve at Connie and Richard's house.

We spent the entire night eating lots, laughing lots and playing lots of games. It was the perfect way to celebrate the New Year.

And our little Emma made it up until midnight like a trooper. She was having so much fun playing with all of the kids, there was no way she was going to miss out on any of the action.

Christmas dinner

2011-12-25T20:59:00.001-08:00

The afternoon wouldn't have been complete without the boys taking their naps.

Since my parents hosted, I volunteered to do a lot of the cooking. I even tried a friend's bacon wrapped turkey recipe and it was so good... thanks for the idea Brigitte!

The kids had a great time during their gift exchange.

Then it was time for the adult gift exchange.

It was a day with amazingly sunny weather, great food, lots of family and altogether perfect.

Christmas morning

2011-12-25T20:58:00.000-08:00

All Emma has been talking about is that she wants Santa to bring her a doll house. Well Santa is a smart guy and knew that she already had a doll house but she needed all of the furniture and dolls. Lucky for her that is exactly what he brought her, along with a bag of some other fun toys. This little girl was in heaven and loves her doll house.

After presents at our house we headed over to Papa and Abuelita's house for more presents and breakfast.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T20:51:00.001-08:00

We started our morning out with a special treat and let Emma open a present early.

Surprise... Emma is going to be a big sister! She is very excited!
We are now 15 weeks and doing great! My belly officially popped out over night during my 14th week and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect gift. I love that I am able to watch this little baby of ours grow and we can't wait to find out if this is a little guy or gal in just a few weeks.

We all headed to church in the evening and then came back to our house for dinner. Uncle Andy joined us and we had a great time.

Emma got all ready in her jammies and gave Lulu a big hug since we won't see her until next year. Then we made sure to leave out cookies and milk for Santa. And then Daddy read 'The Night Before Christmas' and we headed off to sleep.

Tamale Day

2011-12-19T06:55:00.001-08:00

Tamale Day is always a favorite family tradition. It brings back so many happy childhood memories of all of us getting together before Christmas with my Grandma B.
I love that we brought this tradition back and I love that we have put our own little spin on it. We started with a little champagne and sparkling cider toast, personalized aprons and lots of laughs. It was a perfect way to spend time with family.

More Christmas lights

2011-12-19T06:54:00.001-08:00

Friday evening we bundled up and went for a drive to look at Christmas lights. We made a stop at the house on the corner of Richland and Wasatch. Douggie found it last year and we loved it enough to make a trip back this year.

Emma was lucky enough to see Santa. He even gave her a stuffed mouse, bubbles and a candy cane.

Jacob's 1st grade Christmas program

2011-12-18T09:26:00.001-08:00

Friday afternoon we went to see JuJu's 1st grade Christmas program. These kids were pretty darn cute. They told a story and sang lots of songs. Emma loved it and even got up in the aisle to sing and dance along.

Emma's pre-school Christmas Party

2011-12-18T09:22:00.001-08:00

Friday morning was Emma's pre-school Christmas party. Emma and I had a fun time and played all morning with her school friends. It was a pajama party so all of the kids came in their cute jammies.

They sang songs, made pizzas, decorated cookies, made gingerbread houses, colored candy cane ornaments and played outside. It was a fun time and I am so lucky I was off of work so that I could go with Emma.

Then it was time to eat their yummy pizzas they made.

Emma's pre-school Christmas Program

2011-12-15T20:14:00.001-08:00

This morning we went to Emma's pre-school Christmas Program at church.

The kids were so darn cute all dressed up.

Of course our little Emma was sitting next to Luca (the little guy to the right with the red bow tie).

We think she has a bit of a crush on him because she talks about him all the time.

Our conversation at dinner tonight was a little something like this...

Emma: Luca wear a tuxedo today and we get married.

Mama and Daddy: You got married?

Emma: Yeah!

Emma is on the left in the back with the red hair bow.

It turns out that it was pretty impossible to get a picture during their performance.

There were way too many parents not obeying the "no standing" rule.

We did get some video so we will have to post that soon.

Emma and her other boyfriend Ethan.

This is the boyfriend her parents approve of.

We know him and we know that he comes from a good family.

He was also a gentleman and put his arm around Emma.

Thank you to Abuelita and Papa for coming and watching the performance.

We are proud of our little girl and we look forward to many more school performances in the future.

Our 1st desert trip of the season

2011-12-12T07:01:00.000-08:00

We took a little weekend trip to the desert with our fun desert family.

Emma played in the sand the entire weekend.

Our friend Lulu even came along for the trip.

She had to keep an eye on Emma and make sure she was a good girl.

Emma's favorite part of the day was always taking a walk with Wendy and the dogs to go on a rock hunt.

Emma also loved the ride to the Blue Inn to get ice cream.

So helpful cleaning off daddy's dusty nose when he got back from his ride.

She was so tired that she fell asleep before we even got off the dirt and on to the highway.

And she was still so tired that she fell asleep while watching tv last night.

This little girl loves the desert.

We had a great time this weekend.

It was the perfect (late) start to our season.

Harper's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-12-04T20:26:00.001-08:00

We had a busy weekend full of Birthday Parties.

Today we went to our friend Harper's party at the park.

Emma played lots of fun games and loved the bouncy house.

But I think her favorite part of the party was the candy from the piñata.

I think she picked out about 10 lollipops because they are her favorite.

Happy 3rd Birthday Harper!

We had a great time at your party.

Meet our friend Lulu

2011-12-04T20:25:00.004-08:00

Lulu is our Elf on the shelf.

We bought him last year after Christmas and then this year Emma found a pretty little skirt so now he is a she.

Emma named her all by herself and she loves her.

We explained Lulu's important job to report back to Santa every night so Emma knows that she needs to be on her best behavior.

She did have one question... "where is Lulu's car?"

Douggie explained that Lulu is a magic elf and she doesn't drive a car, she can fly to the North Pole.

Here was Lulu's first hiding place.

Emma found her pretty quickly this morning.

Lulu might have to get a little more tricky when it comes to hiding.

Jillian's 3rd Birthday Party

2011-12-04T20:25:00.003-08:00

Yesterday morning we headed to Chuck E Cheese to celebrate Jillian's Birthday!

Emma had a great time with all of her friends and playing all of the games.

Happy Birthday Jillian!

Our Christmas Tree!

2011-12-04T20:25:00.001-08:00

Friday evening we headed to the Pinery Christmas Tree Farm.

Abuelita and Papa came along for the Holiday fun.

Then on Saturday we decorated our tree and house.

Emma loved helping Daddy with the lights.

A tiny bit blury, but Emma says "our house is so beautiful!"

Finally

2011-11-28T18:14:00.001-08:00

I have worked at the same place for 14 years.

I have been lucky enough to have friends and family sign up their kids to play soccer there.

I have enjoyed watching all of them play, but I have always wondered when will I get to watch my own kiddo play there.

Well today was the big day I have been waiting for.

Today we registered Emma for her very 1st soccer season.

We even got a little practice time in on the field playing around.

I can't tell you how excited I am to know that our little girl will be playing soccer at my work.

Blessed

2011-11-28T17:44:00.001-08:00

This year Doug and I decided we wanted to do a little something different with family at Thanksgiving. We wanted the family to give to others that aren't as blessed as we are this Holiday Season.

We put together these bags with everyday necessities. We passed them out to all of our family so that they can pass them out to those in need.

We will be sure to always have a bag in our car so that we can give a little something special next time we see a homeless person in need.

Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday!

Emma showing off her pre-school artwork.

After dinner we headed over to the house on Knob Hill to see the opening night of their Christmas lights.

We are Thankful for...

Our wonderful family and getting to spend time with them

Our beautiful little Emma Rose

Uncle Ruben and Aunt Kelleen for hosting dinner

Uncle Andy coming to spend the day with us

Tía Lizzy for going shopping with me at 12 am

and the man on Knob Hill for his beautiful lights.

We gave Santa another try.

2011-11-23T18:37:00.000-08:00

Not sure if you remember, but Emma has not been a fan of Santa.

Here she was at her very first visit in 2009.

And in 2010 we didn't even get a picture with Santa at the mall because she wouldn't have it.

Well tonight we gave the guy another shot...

woohoo, it was a success!

She sat on his lap like a champ.

She was so excited to tell him that she wants a doll house.

As we were walking to our car she told us, "I love Santa!"

Thanks to Papa and Abuelita for joining us.

Day before Thanksgiving breakfast

2011-11-23T18:28:00.001-08:00

This morning we went for our annual day before Thanksgiving breakfast at the Golden Egg Omelet House.

We had a great breakfast and a good time with family.

I love this tradition.

Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Callahan!

2011-11-20T07:56:00.001-08:00

Saturday November 19

Yesterday evening Doug and I attended the wedding of Chad & Chantel at Wiens Family Cellars in Temecula.

It was a beautiful wedding and lucky for them the rain held off until we were on our way home.

We got there a little early so we did some tasting with Gary and Bev.

The beautiful ceremony site.

Chantel's father passed away when she was just 3 years old so his father walked her down the aisle.

It was a very sweet moment for grandpa and his grand daughter.

We couldn't let the night go by without a picture of all of us old ladies. :)

Rhonda - Miss Esco 1995, Me - Miss Esco 2001, Chantel G.- Miss Esco 2003, her sweet husband Chad and Chantel H.- Miss Escondido 1996.

I love that after all of these years we can all still be such great friends.

It was such a fun wedding and so beautiful.

We wish Chad and Chantel a lifetime of happiness!

Thank you to Abuelita for watching our little Emma!

Celebrating with Uncle Andy!

2011-11-14T20:30:00.001-08:00

Tonight Doug and Emma went to dinner with Andy and Tami.

They went to celebrate Andy's Birthday (his actual Birthday is tomorrow).

I am so so sad I missed it!

We wish you a very Happy Birthday!

Have fun at Sea World tomorrow!

AJ's Kids Crane

2011-11-06T07:45:00.001-08:00

On our drive home from Julian we stopped at Ikea in Mission Valley for the annual AJ's Kids Crane. We go and take toys every year.

This is AJ's 10th year! He is staying up in the crane until he raises 100,000 toys for Rady Children's Hospital.

We waited in long lines, but it was worth it because we all got Legoland tickets.

Emma made a special trip to the store with me to pick out all of the toys this year.

She picked out babies, barbies and cars.

Emma was so proud for helping, she said "I take toys for the sick kids and they feel all better."

Julian

2011-11-06T07:27:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning we took a little drive with Abuelita to Julian.

Uncle Omar, Tía Lizzy and JuJu had a trip planned and they invited us along.

With all of the rain and cold weather from the day before we were even lucky enough to have a little snow on the ground.

We picked up some yummy pies to take home.

And of course some cider.

We drove out through Lake Cuyamaca and it was beautiful.

Thanks to Uncle Omar, Tía Lizzy and JuJu for inviting us.

And thanks to Abuelita for coming with us.

We had a great time.

Trick or Treating

2011-10-31T20:52:00.001-07:00

We had a fun time trick or treating tonight.

Rachel, Tim, Heather, JuJu, Tía Lizzy, Abuelita and Papa all came over for a pizza party before we went out.

Our little Snow White!

Such sweet little friends!

We had such a fun surprise from "the scary witch" (my boss Peter).

Emma has been talking about Peter dressing up as a scary witch for months.

He didn't want to disappoint her so he surprised us all.

He took his costume seriously and he was hilarious and even brought an apple for Emma.

Thanks to everyone who joined us tonight!

Carving pumpkins

2011-10-31T06:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening we carved our pumpkins.

Emma loved helping and playing with the gooey guts.

Emma has 2 pumpkins that we carved, an E for Emma and she requested a sad face on her little pumpkin. Douggie's scary face pumpkin is on the right.

Family pictures

2011-10-30T20:24:00.000-07:00

We had a busy weekend, but somehow still found time to work in a quick session with Anjuli for our Christmas card pictures at Lakeview Park.

She offered 15 minute sessions and then had our CD with all of our edited pictures ready for us in another 15 minutes. It was so fast, and it was perfect.

We have even already ordered our Christmas cards.

One of our pictures.

While we were waiting for the pictures to be edited, we played on the playground and went down to feed the ducks.

Disneyland!

2011-10-29T21:51:00.000-07:00

The other evening after work we drove up to Anaheim.

We met up with Uncle Andy and Tami for dinner and some ice cream.

After dinner we went back to the hotel to get lots of rest for our big day.

We didn't tell Emma where we were going until we got to the gates.

"SURPRISE we are going to Disneyland!"

We didn't get the big smile we were expecting, but at least we got a little one.

We also surprised Emma and told her that we were meeting up with Jillian, Jason, Kristyn, Ron and Joy.

They had been planning a trip for months and months. I thought it would be great to meet up, but never thought it would be possible with everyone's busy schedules. We were so happy that it did end up working out.

They had already been to Disneyland for 2 days and stayed at the Grand Californian for 2 nights. I thought for sure that they would be so tired of Disneyland and wouldn't be up for joining us. Lucky for us they were having such a great time and still wanted to see more!

On the Toon Town roller coaster.

Emma hated it and said it was too fast.

Everyone wanted to go on the Haunted Mansion ride, so I took the girls on the train while the big kids went on their ride.

We had lunch at Ariel's Grotto and the girls loved it.

They got to see so many princesses and each one of them said hello and posed for a picture with the girls.

Emma loved Snow White.

She made sure to tell her that she was going to be Snow White for Halloween.

The yummy dessert tray.

We even sang an early Happy Birthday to Jillian.

We had such a great time!

Emma's weekend away.

2011-10-29T21:34:00.001-07:00

While we were away for the wedding, Emma took a little road trip to Arizona.

She went with Papa, Abuelita, Tía Lizzy, and JuJu.

They went to visit lots of family, play with lots of cousins, celebrate GG Margaret's birthday and she had a blast.

She talked about all of her fun adventures for days after.

Here are a couple of the phone pictures that were shared with me.

Taking a nap on GG Bob's lap.

And this is our classy lady barefoot and going pee pee on the side of the road.

A huge thank you to everyone who helped take care of our little lady.

We were so sad that we missed the trip and it sounds like you guys all had a great time.

AJ and Melissa's wedding weekend

2011-10-29T20:21:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to the wedding of our good friends AJ and Melissa in San Clemente.

We decided to make a weekend out of it with all of our desert friends and we all rented a beach house for the weekend.

It was a weekend full of poker games, good food, baking and then baking some more, some drinking and so much fun with great friends.

The view from the balcony was pretty spectacular.

Bri baked all of the cupcakes for the wedding so all of us ladies were her baking assistants.

Bri's cupcakes looked wonderful and were so yummy.

We had such a great time with so many great friends.

Congratulations AJ and Mel!

Emma's school field trip

2011-10-24T18:01:00.001-07:00

This morning Emma's pre-school took a field trip to the Pinery pumpkin patch.

I took the morning off so that I could join in on the fun.

We went on a super fun hay ride.

We also went in the corn maze.

Then we picked our pumpkin.

Emma had such a great time and I loved that I got to come along for her very first field trip.

What a weekend!

2011-10-23T17:52:00.000-07:00

We are resting up after our weekend away for AJ and Mel's wedding.

It was beautiful and so much fun.

More to come from the wedding soon.

While we were away our little Emma was in Arizona with my parents.

We can't wait until they get home!

Halloween Party

2011-10-16T20:42:00.000-07:00

This evening Emma had a Halloween party for some of her closest little girl friends.

There were 8 of them and they were all between the ages of 18 months and 4 years old.

They were an adorable group of girls. They were also so well behaved and played well together.

Emma was a big helper and put all of the sprinkles on for me.

Emma also helped us make the yarn balls.

Pin the nose on the pumpkin.

The girls also played "freeze dance" and they were pretty hilarious.

Then we headed out back to the pumpkin patch.

We tried for a group picture, but no luck.

That is our classy daughter naked and eating her dinner.

We had such a fun time with all of the girls and their parents.

A great big thanks to: Reese, Corinne, Rachel, Kendra, Jillian, Aubrey and Harper for being so fun. We loved playing with you all.

Thank you to Papa and Abuelita for stopping by to see all of the girls.

And a big thanks to Douggie for putting up with all of my project ideas. He is such a trooper!

Go Ricardo!

2011-10-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday afternoon we went to cheer on Ricardo at his football game.

Their team was undefeated and yesterday they did not disappoint.

They won again making their record 8 - 0.

This whole season they have only had 3 touchdowns scored against them.

We are very proud of Ricardo and his team.

Looking forward to those playoff games!

Douggie dressed Emma in her WSU cheer leading outfit.

She saw the cheerleaders and said to us "I be a cheerleader too."

She went over and danced while watching them. She is pretty darn cute!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-14T20:59:00.000-07:00

Someone realized that her pumpkin was heavy.

We all picked out our perfect pumpkins.

And we also enjoyed some sweet treats from the store.

Bates Nut Farm... we go every year for our pumpkins and I love it!

Projects... finally finished

2011-10-14T20:45:00.001-07:00

We have been working on projects around here for a while.

Our first one was a mantle make over.

BEFORE...

AFTER...

We decided that since it isn't just the 2 of us, we shouldn't have just a wedding picture up.

We wanted something that we could change up and include lots of family pictures.

We finished this project weeks ago but I kept moving things around trying to make it perfect.

The best part is that it will never be perfect and we can always change it... that is the whole point.

Project #2

Since we had an extra pallet we decided to make an outside table for Emma.

Here is the finished table and benches.

I love them!

Some of you are probably thinking "Is she crazy?"

I love that nothing is perfect. I love that they look rustic and I love that everything was made from re-purposed wood.

Thank you Douggie for all of your help and patience.

1st school performance

2011-10-10T19:24:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was our annual church fiesta.

Since Emma's pre-school is at our church, her class sang for the school performance.

She only went to school for two days before this, so we weren't expecting much of a performance on her part. She did smile pretty and stand still on the stage.

Showing me her pretty pose while getting ready.

A little pre performance popcorn got her in a great mood.

You can barely see her in the back row.

Our big girl stood still, smiled pretty and didn't cry.

Most of the other kids in her class did cry at some point.

Emma's friend Ethan is in the 3 year old class, so he was on stage with her.

Ethan was a star performer and did a great job singing.

I did take some video for Douggie.

He was at a bachelor party all weekend so he had to miss the big performance.

Hopefully I can post a video soon.

Pre-School!

2011-10-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

Our little girl is not so little anymore.

Today was her very first day of pre-school.

The rest of the class started about a month ago, but Emma was on the waiting list and a spot just opened up for her.

She looks absolutely adorable in her uniform!

Something about her in her preppy little jumper... it is so precious.

I drove Emma to school today and she couldn't stop telling me about all of the fun things she wanted to do at school.

When we walked in the classroom we put her stuff away in her cubbie and went straight for the potty. After she washed her hands she ran off and went to play with the kids.

No hug, no goodbye, no kiss.

I was already getting misty eyed so I knew it was best that Emma was ready to be independent and excited for school.

After I chased her down for a hug and a kiss, I said goodbye and I was off but she could have cared less.

After school I asked her to tell me all about her day...

these are all of the highlights.

Emma is so excited to go to school where Abuelita also went to school.

When Abuelita and I went to pick her up, Emma came running with excitement.

She gave me a huge hug, a kiss and said the sweetest thing.

"Mama you came back. I lost you and I cried."

Turns out she did cry this morning when she was transitioning from one activity to the next. She realized I wasn't there and got sad, but her teacher says she cheered up quickly.

Douggie and I couldn't be more proud of our big girl!

We know she is going to have such a great time, meet new friends and learn so many new things.

Park of the week #14

2011-09-30T21:23:00.001-07:00

This evening we headed to our last park of the week for the year.

We wanted to make sure our last park was a special one and it was!

Double Peak Park has one of the best views in north county. Breathtaking!

After we ate our dinner and took in the sights we walked down to the rock play structure.

Pros: The views!

Lots of hiking trails

Not well known, so it is quiet and peaceful

Cons: The excessive pda couple in their 50's... yuck. They made out the entire time we were eating our dinner

Only a small play structure. More of a hiking and exploring park

Lots of steep hills, not really a con but you have to be careful with little ones

This is a park that everyone should take the time and visit.

Even if you don't want to go hiking, there are some amazing views from the parking lots.

We had a wonderful time visiting all of the parks this summer.

Double Peak park was the perfect park to end our adventure with.

Happy Birthday Tía Lizzy!

2011-09-26T08:02:00.000-07:00

We are pretty darn lucky to have you as our sister, Aunt and sister in law.

We love you lots!

Park of the week #13

2011-09-25T19:27:00.000-07:00

This evening we headed to Knob Hill Park in San Marcos.

I never knew this little park existed until today.

It is right by Costco and Walmart on Nordahl.

When heading to Costco on Center Dr. you turn Right on to Avenida Ricardo between the apartments and the retirement home.

Douggie is always a good sport.

Funny that it was so much easier for Emma to climb in and out.

Pros: Such a quiet little park

Within walking distance from our house

Lots of things to play with for such a small park

Cons: No real bathrooms... only a port a potty

A popular park to walk dogs to. All were well behaved, but none were on leashes

Visiting this little park made me realize exactly why we started doing our park of the week trips.

It was such a fun little park, so close to our home and we never even knew about it.

Going to all of these parks has been so much fun these past two summers.

We have been to some old favorites and found some brand new favorites as well.

Looking forward to our last park of the week coming up.

JuJu and Emma had a sleepover.

2011-09-25T19:12:00.001-07:00

Last night JuJu spent the night.

Ebit's birthday is coming up, so we watched their kiddo so that they could go shopping and out to dinner to celebrate.

When JuJu first got dropped off Emma was taking a nap.

Uncle Douggie thought of the perfect idea to keep JuJu entertained.

They took a little walk down the street to get the quad worked on.

Since riding it wouldn't have been the safest idea, Douggie pushed JuJu all the way there.

JuJu said he had a great time.

Then we watched a little tv, played and had Papa and Abuelita over for dinner.

And then got ready for bed.

This morning we got ready and met up with everyone at church.

Then came back to the house for a special birthday lunch for Ebit.

A visit with Brian and Matt

2011-09-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

Friday night two of Doug's oldest friends flew in for a visit.

After Emma was asleep (and after a few beers) the guys decided to take the rhino for a ride around the neighborhood.

Then Saturday afternoon we went tail-gating for the WSU vs. SDSU game and met up with more cougar fans.

Anne, Douggie, Brix, Probst, then ? and ? followed by Matt way in the back, then Hiro and ? in the grey and finally Brian.

The ? guys I only met briefly so forgive me.

The first half of the game was great, but unfortunately the 2nd half was not so great.

Despite the disappointing loss, we still had a great time.

Today we headed to the Safari park (formerly the Wild Animal Park) with Brian and Harvey.

Then back to the house for nap time.

Emma wanted to make sure that Harvey was nice and cozy with her tiny doll blanket and her teddy bear. She is so thoughtful.

Brian just caught his flight home, but Harvey will be sticking around for a couple more days.

We have had a fun weekend with some really good friends.

A big thank you to Tía Lizzy, Tío Omar and JuJu for letting Emma stay the night with them while we were at the game.

Park of the week #12

2011-09-14T19:52:00.000-07:00

This evening we went to Mountain View Park in Escondido.

I hadn't been there in years, so it was fun to explore it with Doug and Emma.

Picnic time!

Pros: Newer playground equipment

Big kid and little kid play structures

Lots of open space and lots of shade

Cons: Not many picnic tables or benches

One slide was broken and boarded off

The bathrooms are way across the park from the playground

Overall we really liked this park and had a great evening out.

In the works.

2011-09-14T19:45:00.000-07:00

I have had Douggie hard at work on some new projects around here.

Two fun things made from...

these lovely rustic pallets.

Douggie working on our new shelf.

I can't wait for you to see it when it is all done.

Here is part of Emma's outdoor kid table.

Still looking for the perfect legs to go with the pallet table top.

I am trying to re-use/recycle things to use for the legs.

I have a few ideas up my sleeve but haven't found the perfect fit just yet.

Shout out to Omar for getting us the pallets!

Keep you posted as we finish the projects.

Park of the week #11

2011-09-09T21:12:00.001-07:00

Our park this week was Buelow Park in San Marcos.

It was a fun little park, but at times the play area was a bit crowded.

It has a a sprayground, but it was already turned off for the evening by the time we got there.

Finally... there was nobody on the big structure, so Emma made a run for it.

She tried it with all of the big kids on it earlier, but they were a bit too aggressive for her liking.

She was so brave and went down the really long slide.

Papa and Abuelita joined us for our park trip and picnic dinner.

Pros: The ice cream truck stops right in front of the park

A fun assortment of big and small play structures

It had bathrooms and a spray ground, we didn't use either, but nice to know they have them

Cons: It was kind of noisy with the Sprinter right behind it

Lots of picnic tables but only a couple covered with a shade structure

More of a neighborhood park. A couple neighborhood kids were a bit territorial

Celebrating Nate!

2011-09-05T22:13:00.001-07:00

We have a lot to celebrate with Nate, (my cousin Richard's oldest son).

He just turned 21, was just married and just enlisted in the Army Reserves.

Sunday afternoon the guys took Nate on a brewery tour at Stone.

They had a great time from what I hear.

After the tour we all met up at Connie and Richard's house.

The boys played Texas Hold 'em all night.

And of course drank beers they bought on the tour.

And they had a request, they wanted breakfast for dinner. A little drinking makes you have the funniest cravings.

French toast, hash browns, bacon and yummy blueberry pancakes.

We had such a fun time and we are so proud of Nathan!

Happy Birthday JuJu!

2011-09-05T10:26:00.001-07:00

Today our little JuJu is 6!

We went to his super fun birthday party on Saturday night.

Emma decorated his gift with Super Mario Brothers stickers.

He is pretty obsessed with everything Super Mario.

I can't believe this little guy is 6 years old.

He has the funniest personality, asks the most random questions, likes his routines, hates store brand chocolate in his chocolate milk, only like waffles the way his mommy makes them and loves to read.

We love every little bit of this kid!

We hope you have a great Birthday today!!!

Daddy is so proud!

2011-09-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

Cougar football Saturdays have started.

First thing this morning Douggie turned on ESPN and looked for the Cougar flag.

Then he pulled out Emma's WSU cheer leading dress and her pom poms.

Then came the photo shoot.

Daddy sure is proud of his little WSU fan!

Park of the week #10

2011-09-02T21:18:00.001-07:00

Our park of the week was Civic Center park in San Marcos.

It is a tiny park, but we made our visit there an adventure.

We rode the train (Sprinter) there.

Emma loved walking through the tunnel to and from the park.

Pros: We had the whole park to ourselves

They have a sand volleyball court and a half basketball court

The play ground was perfect for Emma's age

It was a fun little walk from the sprinter station

Lots of benches and tables for such a small park

Cons: There aren't any bathrooms. You have to walk to the community center to go potty.

Only 1 small play structure. Was fine for us since we were the only ones there.

There wasn't a ton of shade during the evening. The play ground was covered, but the surrounding tables were in the sun.

We had a lot of fun on our park adventure this week. We loved riding the train there and enjoyed the walk to and from the station.

This little park would be fun to go and visit again. Maybe next time a trip to the library on site might be fun to add in.

Happy Birthday Abuelita Rose

2011-08-29T07:15:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day... it is Abulita Rose's Birthday!

We had a Birthday lunch for her at our house yesterday.

Topless eating for the kiddos is a must with messy lasagna.

Happy Birthday!

We hope you have a great day.

We love you lots!

Park of the week #9

2011-08-27T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening after dinner we headed to Hollandia Park in San Marcos.

We didn't take a picnic because it was such a hot day. We waited until it cooled down before going.

We invited Abuelita to join us.

Emma is getting more daring and climbed "up high" on everything...

Pros: a great playground

fun rock wall

lots of sand, Emma loves sand

Cons: it has lots of skaters. Don't get me wrong, I like skaters, I am around them nearly everyday. They weren't terrible, but I did hear yucky words now and then.

Our back backyard

2011-08-24T19:55:00.000-07:00

We have backyard and we also have a back backyard beyond our fence.

It is pretty much ignored.

Well today I payed attention to it and kinda fell in love with the wispy weeds.

I am sure you can see why I fell in love with the weeds... that little Emma can make everything a little more beautiful.

BBQ with friends

2011-08-24T19:07:00.001-07:00

Sunday evening we had the Hodgson and Lewko families over for a BBQ.

It is so much fun to watch the girls play together.

Rachel

Jillian

and a ketchup faced Emma.

Such a fun evening with great friends.

Thanks to Douggie for smoking the yummy tri tip.

Andrew's Birthday Party

2011-08-20T20:37:00.000-07:00

After Ava's baptism, we all celebrated Andrew's birthday.

It was held at the YMCA at the Kaboom playground.

What a fun place for a party! It stinks that the Y didn't do everything that they were supposed to for the party, but it still turned out super fun.

The playground there is so much fun!

Baby Ava's Baptism

2011-08-20T20:31:00.001-07:00

This morning we attended baby Ava's baptism at St. Mary.

Sweet Ava and Caubbie

The Prieto family

There was lots of family there to celebrate such a special day for little Ava.

She is loved by so many.

May God always bless you Ava.

Someone is pretty darn independent.

2011-08-19T20:47:00.001-07:00

A while back I made a Mama's turn/Daddy's turn chart for Emma.

It worked like a charm until the other day.

It was Daddy's turn to take her to Abuelita's.

Emma wasn't thrilled with that choice so she decided to do something about it.

Daddy politely moved the chart higher, moved the arrow back to his picture and then drove her to Abuelita's house.

This little girl has a mind of her own. She always has but we are seeing it more and more.

It makes things difficult but I love that she says what is on her mind.

Emma and her BFF

2011-08-19T20:40:00.000-07:00

Earlier this week Douggie was in Portland for work.

While he was away Emma and I spent lots of fun time together.

During one of our shopping outings she says to me "mama you my best friend."

Man she melted my heart.

Then the next morning I caught this...

along with her saying "Corona you my best friend."

Oh snap... looks like I was traded in.

Maybe if we go shopping again she will re-name me her best friend.

Park of the week #8

2011-08-19T20:04:00.000-07:00

This evening we went to Sunset Park in San Marcos.

I have heard lots about this park from family and friends so we decided it was time for us to check it out.

Abuelita, JuJu and Tía Lizzy joined us.

They have an amazing playground.

They also have a spray ground.

Emma was so excited with the playground she didn't even want to play in the water.

JuJu played for just a few minutes, but then he decided to go back to the playground himself.

Pros: Such a fun park.

It has a little bit of everything.

Cons: It was pretty crowded even for a weekday.

There isn't much shade because it is a newer park with small trees. The playground does have a big shade structure though.

Park of the week #7

2011-08-15T18:36:00.000-07:00

We had a really busy week last week so we didn't get a chance to go to a park.

We made up for it this evening.

We headed to Webb Park in Rancho Bernardo.

It is a private little park that has a cute little lake full of ducks and turtles.

We packed a picnic dinner and ate surrounded by all of the ducks.

Then it was time to go and feed them.

The only place they don't like you to feed the ducks at this little lake is right in front of the Pearl restaurant.

Turns out turtles like bread and tortillas as well as the ducks.

Emma is all about posing for pictures. She cracks us up!

The pros: fun place to feed ducks and see water turtles.

The cons: no playground or bathrooms.

Happy 2nd Birthday Andrew!

2011-08-15T18:32:00.001-07:00

Yesterday evening we wished Andrew a very Happy 2nd Birthday.

He looked a little worried when we all started to sing...

and then lost it!

I guess he is not a huge fan of attention.

I hope he enjoys it a little more at his big birthday party this weekend.

Bate's Nut Farm

2011-08-12T19:01:00.000-07:00

Once we got home from OC this afternoon Emma, Abuelita and I went to Bate's Nut Farm.

They had really cute 9 week old piglets, so cute!

We fed the animals and then headed inside for some goodies for ourselves.

I love Bate's, and I am getting so excited for the pumpkins that will be there soon.

A little getaway

2011-08-12T18:41:00.001-07:00

I have had a really busy past few weeks at work, so Emma and I decided we needed a fun little getaway.

We decided to tag along on Doug's work trip to Orange County.

Yesterday morning Abuelita dropped us off at the train station.

Emma was so excited to ride the train again.

She even had her very own ticket.

Doug picked us up at the station near the office and we headed to lunch and then checked in to our hotel.

We stayed at the Anabella again. We love it there.

While Douggie went back to the office, Emma and I went to the pool for a bit.

Then we walked over to Downtown Disney and did a little shopping.

And a little stuffing our faces.

After Douggie got off work we headed to visit some old friends and have Dinner.

The Amin family recently moved to OC and we were so excited to see them.

Tried for a good shot of the 4 adorable kids, but no luck.

Emma is kind of obsessed with making funny faces.

Then this morning on the way home we stopped and visited Uncle Andy at his office.

It was great to see him.

This little getaway is exactly what we needed.

Emma and I had so much fun together and we were happy that Douggie could join us some of the time.

Some projects around here.

2011-08-09T19:10:00.000-07:00

Emma picked out a sun catcher from her potty prize box recently.

Emma had such a great time painting it.

And look how beautiful it turned out.

She had a little help, but she felt like such a big girl while doing our art project.

A few weeks back the iron, Douggie and Emma's table got in a fight.

The poor table lost.

We wanted a new table for Emma, with lots of fun colors like her old one.

I had the hardest time finding the perfect one but I did find this plain jane from ikea.

With 3 crazy colors, chalkboard paint and some love from daddy and mama, it became this...

Park of the week #6

2011-08-05T20:20:00.000-07:00

This evening we headed to Jack's Pond Park in San Marcos.

This was our first time there and we really liked it. I am sure we will be back there again sometime soon.

This is a fun little park that has a nature center, playground, trails and a pond.

It was such a quiet park and we practically had the whole park to ourselves.

Park of the week #5

2011-07-31T20:00:00.000-07:00

While we were on our camping trip, we went to Eastview park next to the campground.

This park was perfect... is was just a short walk away and it had both a play ground and a splash ground.

The funniest thing about the park was Raven's little friend (a complete stranger).

He was pretty smitten with her and kept coming over to her and grabbing her hand to take her to the slides.

He even took off running after her when it was time for us to go.

We had so much fun at the park, and I would gladly go back if we are ever in the area.

Our weekend camping trip.

2011-07-31T19:17:00.001-07:00

This weekend we went on a fun camping trip with the Cervantes, Prieto, Covarrubias and Prentice families.

We went to Sweetwater Summit campground in Bonita.

This was everyone's first time there and we had a great time.

The kids helped decorate cupcakes to celebrate Douggie's Birthday.

What a messy face and crazy hair camping girl!

Emma crashed hard after a fun afternoon with cousins.

After breakfast on Saturday we took a hike up to the top of the summit.

Anyssa was hilarious... " I can't believe we are climbing a mountain. This is he best day of my life, I love camping!"

This little girl played hard all weekend and she was exhausted!

Dave won the cleanest camper award.

He was constantly cleaning their tent.

Emma had her first s'more

We all had such a fun time on our camping weekend.

And we were all worn out when we got home this morning.

Dinner for Douggie

2011-07-28T21:11:00.001-07:00

To celebrate Douggie's Birthday, we went to one of his favorite restaurants, Phil's BBQ.

What a yummy way to celebrate a birthday!

Happy 34th Birthday Douggie!

A play date with Jillian and Rachel

2011-07-28T20:55:00.002-07:00

On Tuesday afternoon we went to Jillain's house for a play

date with the girls.

Rachel and her mama Heather came as well.

Our sweet hostess Jillian.

The girls had so much fun playing outside on the climber.

Emma said this was a pirate ship and I love that she is pretending to look out of a telescope.

We had a great time with the ladies.

Thanks to Jillian and Kristyn for hosting, and thanks to Rachel and Heather for picking up dinner.