Birthday Celebration

We headed out to the Cheesecake Factory for my birthday dinner. So yummy! This is one of my favorite restaurants. I am a brand new cheesecake lover so it was my first taste of this incredibly yummy dessert. I had the original cheesecake with fresh strawberries and it was worth every calorie!!

Jaron got me this fabulous watch for my big 3-0! I love it!!

A different ending, please!

Do you ever watch movies and wish that you could change the ending? This happens to me a lot and I often find myself watching the movie again in hopes that I can change the ending just this once to see how things could be different.
I absolutely love period movies. Some of my favorites are Little Women, Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Shakespeare in Love, Anne of Green Gables, and today I can add another...Becoming Jane. As I watch, I always wish I could have lived during that time. I can watch these movies over and over again (as Jaron will tell you). I think I have seen both Sense and Sensibility and Little Women well over 25 times each. Thankfully, both of those have wonderful endings.
Anyways, I watched Becoming Jane and was so saddened by the ending. (If you have not seen it and want to, please stop reading!) I so wanted Jane and Tom to end up together! I know it sometimes makes for a "better" movie if the characters do not end up together, but come on...on a rainy day when your kids are both napping and your husband is working a basketball game and tears are starting to fall, you just want that happy ending!

Orergon Travels

On Thursday morning we (all 4 of us, my parents, and my uncle) set off for Hermiston Oregon to visit my grandparents. We met up with my sister in Portland then we drove the 3 hours to Hermiston. We had a lovely time visiting and eating. On Saturday, my aunt and uncle drove over from Lebanon, Oregon to join us for a nice lunch out. Avery and Riley were excellent travelers and had a great time. Avery was so excited about flying in the airplane and staying in the hotel. Here are a few pics. Most of the pictures were taken by my sis and parents so there will be more to come.

On the airplane and ready to go after 5 hours of delays!

We stopped at "Cousins" for dinner on the way out to Hermiston. It was excellent food. Jaron said he had the best chicken fried steak. Now he is going to start his own food network tv show in search of the "best chicken fried steak" in the country.

Riley was such a great traveler. She was smiling all the time, of course!

On Saturday we all went to "Anthonys" for a special anniversary lunch for my grandparents' 55th wedding anniversary! Great food!

On the way back over to Portland to catch our flight we stopped to view Multnomah Falls. It was very beautiful!!

Here is Avery watching Charlotte's Web on Daddy's computer because of course we were delayed again on the flight home. Only 2 1/2 hours this time, though. :)

New Trick

Riley has discovered her tongue and loves to stick it out all the time.

Avery's new trick is mimicking lines from her favorite movies such as, "I hate you" (from Finding Nemo), "stupid dodo" (from Alice in Wonderland), and "you idiots!"(from 101 Dalmations). How nice.

The Beginning

Avery went to a gymboree-like class today at the YMCA. She will be going two to three times a week for some fun. She had so much fun and was sooo sad to leave when it was over. I sat in and watched today since it was the first one. Avery has been out of preschool since June and has the occasional playdate, Mops, and church to play with other kids, but she is still learning how to be social and play with others. I would like to think I am not one of those moms that freaks out when her kid gets pushed or hurt by another kid, but a small bit of that came out in me today. Avery was so excited to be there and be jumping around that she got a little impatient and would put her hands on the other kids in front of her, not to push, but so that she could squeeze on by and she would also cut in front of other kids who were waiting in line. This was her first time so I pulled her aside a couple of times to tell her to wait her turn and be patient. BUT there was this one girl who was not happy with Avery. She kept glaring at her and putting her hands out in front of Avery to get her to wait and slow down. I watched the first few times to see how she would handle it. She just moved back and waited, but again would soon forget and run ahead for another turn. Finally the girl started to push Avery back a bit so I stepped in. I reminded Avery to wait and politely told the girl it was Avery's first time and she was just learning. The little girl, remember she was probably 3-4 yrs old, glared at me and huffed with anger. I was so annoyed and wanted to give the girl a piece of my mind, but I resisted. (I was the bigger person :) The class was soon over so I did not have to deal with it again. I did not know what the best thing was to do. Let it go and let them work it out? Let the teacher and helper, who were overwhelmed because one was out sick, deal with the issue, or continue to step in and be the peacemaker. I know she will get it after a few times and the more exposure she has to playing with other kids will teach her the "rules of fair play", but I had a glimpse into the future as she begins to have to deal with friends and school. I could imagine her running up to me after school and complaining about a friend who pushed her or called her a name or how much she loves/hates her best friend that day; A vision of her teacher telling me how Avery hit and yelled at another kid floated in my mind as well. Yes, this is just the beginning of fun things to come our way.

Pismo, cont.

As previously stated, I took my truck out to the Oceano Dunes SVRA in Pismo. I met up with Steve and some other full size broncos. I was the only non-bronco of the group, but it was fun trying to hang with the V8's. Truck came out in one piece and under its own power (more than I can say for Steve's bronco, LOL).

Baby Ruby

My good friend Sarah, aka the best college roomie ever, is having her first baby. Little Ruby is due in March and I have been working for the last few days on some gifts. The first is a fun monkey bib and burp cloth. I love this fabric. The next is a "hooter hider" as they are called. They are fabulous for breastfeeding in public. Just slip it over your neck and you are completely covered. I made one for myself before our disneyland trip and it is so nice to not have to mess with positioning a blanket and always making sure everything is where it is supposed to be. Mine is not nearly as cute, but does the job all the same. Making these gifts has been so fun. I can't wait to met baby Ruby!

Laughs and Giggles

I absolutely love this picture of Riley. It is such a sweet face and her blue eyes really stand out. She has started laughing and last night I really had her going in a game of Peek-a-boo. A child's laugh is truly one of the greatest sounds. She is getting so big and Jaron is constantly saying how he wants her to stop growing and stay small. As I am sitting here writing she is getting very close to rolling over and we now have to be careful when laying her down on the changing table and ottoman. I am really trying to love every day with her and not try to rush her into growing up.

...and all I got was one lousy picture

No, the picture is not lousy, but it is the only one that was taken on our trip to Arroyo Grande last weekend. We went for a short trip to visit our friends Steve and Kelci and their 2 girls. Jaron and Steve headed to the dunes on Saturday and I stayed with Kelci at the house. We had a great time- Jaron with his truck at the beach and I chatting about everything crafty with Kelci. Avery kept saying how excited she was to see Bella and they had a great time together. When we were in the car to go home, she informed us she did not want to go home, but stay with Bella. Fun times.

6 years of wedded bliss

Jaron and I also celebrated our 6th wedding anniversary today. Avery's big day sort of overshadows our day of love, so we will celebrate with a dinner at La Fondue thanks to my parents on another day!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Avery!!!

We had a pre-birthday celebration on Saturday with my parents and uncle. We opened gifts, had lunch at BJ's, and ate some yummy cupcakes. Avery got some great gifts - a leapfrog learning pad, art supplies, a very cute outfit, Dora memory game, and some great toddler cd's. The pic below is the gift from my parents - new rain boots, umbrella, lunchbox, and sweatshirt. Love it!

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Today, Avery started her day off with opening two gifts from daddy. She told us yesterday that she wanted a crown and a mickey mouse lollipop. So, that is exactly what she got. (Well, the lollipop was plain and we just put a mickey mouse sticker on it. :)

We then made her requested breakfast - mickey mouse pancakes and strawberries.

Grams and Papa came over today and we had yummy steaks, opened some more gifts, and had more yummy pink cupcakes. Grams and Papa are taking Avery to Disney Princesses on Ice in March.

Avery absolutely loves playing games. She got a few for Christmas and even more for her birthday. She got Nemo - "Go Fish" and everyone had fun playing it together today.

Just a fun pic of the girls!

A couple cute pics of Riley

New Wheels

Avery got a new bike for Christmas from her great aunt and uncle. She hasn't mastered it yet, and the weather has been too lousy to practice. I'm sure those streamers will be flowing in the wind soon though.

2 year old daredevil

So, Avery has no fear of rides or rollercoasters. She was more scared of seeing the characters up close than of any thrill ride. Since she is in the 95th percentile for height she was able to go on almost any ride. She was exactly 40" tall with shoes on, which is the minimum height requirement for most rides.

For me, the absolute best part of our trip to Disneyland was riding Thunder Mountain Railroad with Avery. Jenni, Avery and I were able to sit three wide in the car, and Avery sat in the middle. When the ride started I was worried she would get scared. Right off the bat, the ride goes into a dark tunnel with bat eyes and everyone started screaming. That made Avery put a Kung Fu grip on the bar in front of her, but she didn't get scared. Jenni and I spent the whole ride just watching her expression as she laughed, smiled, and giggled. By the end of the ride, when she heard people screaming and hollering, she chimed in and gave a scream or two. Jenni and I were cracking up so hard, we kept looking at each other and laughing. For me that was the highlight of the trip. No pictures of Thunder Mountain Railroad, but here she is on the Teacups...she thought that was pretty fun. She obviously doesn't have the same trouble with motion sickness as her Grandpa.

Coughs and Sneezes

The girls have been sick for the past week and a half with bad coughs. This is the time I dread because both of them cough until they throw up. It is awful. We have been trying to teach Avery to cough into her sleeve and how to blow her nose. She has done pretty well, but today her nose was runny so I told her to go and get a tissue. As the snot was dripping out of her nose and down towards her mouth (another story completely to not have her lick it away) I said, "Avery, go and quickly get a kleenex." She replied saying, "It's okay, mom, I can just smell it back up." She proceeded to sniff while I proceeded to laugh.
So much for the tissue. :)

My New Years Resolution

I'm not one for usually making a New Years Resolution since I often do not stick to them, but this year I made one and I am planning on sticking to it. So, what is this resolution, you ask? No, it is not to lose weight (though after gaining 48lbs in pregnancy I definately need to) but rather to make sure every member of my family and friends receive a hand made birthday card that arrives on time. Sorry Aunt Kathy since yours is the 1st, it will be a day or two behind. :) I am so bad at remembering birthdays. I really feel like it is important to make the person feel loved and thought of on their special day. I know that I love getting messages on the machine and cards in the mail on my birthday so I need to be good about remembering everyone elses. Don't worry, I wont be offended if you do not remember mine (though it is Feb 27th) so do not feel guilty when you receive a beautiful creation in the mail on your day, but have forgotten mine this year. Just kidding :) I am really hoping to continue building friendships, rekindle lost ones, and make new ones this year. I have not always been good at keeping in touch and reaching out to begin new friendships. It has always been a struggle for me as I am an introvert and not a social butterfly. But, as I enter my 30th year, I am realizing more and more that family and friends are one of the most important things in life and I need to devote myself to them.

Thanks Mom!

I'm not passionate about a lot of things, but two things I absolutely love are scrapbooking and sewing. For Christmas this year, I made a few handmade gifts...not as many as I would have liked, but I have a 3 month old and a crazy almost 3 year old. As I was sewing my many gifts, I paused to think what I would do if I did not know how to sew. It is something I love to do and I am always so excited to pick out fabrics and try new patterns. I only learned to sew 2 years ago when my parents came down to visit us in Simi Valley. I wanted to make a diaper bag for Amy, so my mom brought down her old machine and she spent a few hours teaching me the basics. I was hooked! Ever since then I have slowly started to learn more and create fun things for friends and family. I have now selfishly taken over the spare room and turned it into my craft room. My parents bought me a craft table from Ikea and a craft organization center. I love it!! I am an organization freak so it has been so nice to have a place for everything and not have to clean up the dining room table after each day of scrapbooking...I can just leave everything out. So, all this to say I owe all my fun creations to my mom . Thanks mom!

Lifelong dream fulfilled

I fulfilled a lifelong dream during our trip to Disneyland. Well, that might be overstating it a little bit but whenever I visited Disneyland as a kid I always wanted to eat at the restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. So this time I planned ahead and made reservations a couple weeks in advance so that Jenni and I could dine at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. It was a nice time, and we made it halfway through our desert before the cellphone rang...which could only mean one thing, Riley was crying.