Oh so busy...

Man, this week is flying by and kicking my butt! We've been out shopping every day and are ALMOST done...I'm heading to the mall again tonight because it closes at 10 and I have just a couple more things to do! Yikes! I thought I was a little more on my game then this. Anyway, we are heading to my parents' tomorrow and I can't wait to celebrate Ella's first Christmas! I have so many pictures and stories to share of Kristen's surprise visit out here but they will have to wait until we arrive back home! We went to see the lights in Naples tonight and Ella loved it! It's so fun to watch her experience new things. Seeing the lights is a great tradition for us (we went there on our 2nd date and that's where Eric held my hand for the first time...awwwww) and we are excited to keep doing it as she grows up! So, Merry Christmas! I hope you all enjoy your time with family and friends and are able to celebrate the true reason of this season. This year the gift of Jesus is so much more real to me with Ella here...I imagine Mary with her baby Jesus, knowing he was going to be the Savior of the World. What a gift to us! Merry Christmas!

I've been had!!!

OK...so the post below this one is the one I started last night while my husband was helping our friend Keith fix his leaky toilet...but he wasn't helping him do that...he was picking up Kristen from the airport!!!!! What the heck?!?!?! I was SO surprised! Let's backtrack...at 9:45 last night the phone rings and it's Keith, he tells me his toilet is leaking, wondering if Eric could come help him, etc...I pass the phone to Eric. I then proceed to look up Home Depot & Lowe's to see if they were open until 10 to get the wax ring they supposedly needed...they weren't but Keith said his father-in-law maybe had one if that was the problem! So, Eric leaves. He was gone a long time and finally calls at 11:30pm and says it's taking a lot longer than they thought. This was the FIRST time I was suspicious! I couldn't figure out what in the heck he was up to but I knew it was something. So, he got home at 12:05 told me to come out and there in the front seat of the car was a hooded person...I opened the door and who's there??? KRISTEN!!!! I couldn't believe it! Anyway, we're hanging out today and tomorrow and she flies home tomorrow night! WOW...what an awesome surprise and huge husband points! Thanks, babe! That's all, I'll tell you about our time later! Must get ready for the day!!!

A New Decade

I'm 30 today. That's SO weird to me. 30 has always seemed so old and here I am feeling like I just turned 20! It's neat to look back over the last 10 years and see how much has happened in my life. Graduating college, getting married, having Ella and SO much more...the 20's were good to me! I found some pictures celebrating my 20th Birthday back in 1998. Some friends from college came with me to my parents' house and we had a slumber party. By the way, I had just gotten the WORST haircut a couple months before these pictures. I remember crying after the haircut and Cheryl, Emily, and Kelly trying to help me make it look decent! There's even a video of trying to fix it!

Fun on the ATC

After dinner, we got into the closet with all the old bridesmaid dresses and put them on...I know what you guys are all thinking, and yes, we were THAT wild in our college days!

If only I could remember what movie we watched that night!

Now, fast-forward 10 years...see if you can pick out these girls from 10 years ago!

Emily, me, Kelly, Cheryl

So, here's to a new decade! What do the 30's have in store for me?

If you're wondering what I'm doing today...relaxing this morning as I just came off a FOUR day work week, whew! and then Eric has a half-day and I've been told to keep my afternoon free! Tonight we're leaving Ella with a friend and going to dinner at a undisclosed location! I LOVE surprises and I'm so thankful I have a hubby who will fill my day with them!

Oh, Christmas Tree; Oh, Christmas Tree

Last Sunday we went to pick out our tree! Due to the recent "take-over" of space by baby items, our cozy little home did not have room anymore for a "normal" size tree. So, we picked out a little one that fits in a corner on a table but still brings the lights, smell, and beauty of Christmas into our home! Eric hung the Christmas lights on our house and with the cool weather upon us, it's definitely starting to feel more and more like Christmas!

Jani & I recently made a Christmas tree of our own...an advent Christmas tree. My VERY creative friend Krista posted pictures of her Advent calendar and we copied that, along with the one for $70 in Pottery Barn...these pictures are of it almost completed. It was a fun project and we had a lot of fun thinking of different things to put on each pocket!

Sunday Night Dinner

Every Sunday night, Eric & I have a meal of grilled cheese & tomato soup. We started this tradition when we were first married but then it was just grilled cheese. I think it was about a year ago, I mentioned we used to have it with tomato soup when I was a kid and it stuck! Now that we have Ella, we wait until she's in bed so we can thoroughly enjoy this delightful meal! We "plate" it the same way every week too...

Not only is this meal super yummy, but it's SO nice to know what we're having for dinner and we don't have to ask the question, "What do you want for dinner?" We are excited to get Ella into this tradition when she's big enough to enjoy it!

it's been a while...

I haven't posted in a while and I'm not sure why...just not in the mood, I guess! But, I do have some fun pictures to share! Ella has been sick the last week with cold and I had it too...now Eric's feeling sick! It hasn't been aweful but there have been a few times we've cursed the cough that's woken up Ella and we really wish we could teach her to spit up the yucky stuff she coughs up! Thanks to the humidifier in her room, she's getting better quickly and I'll be VERY happy to have my normal little girl back!

This is from a while ago but we went to the park with Keith & Carmen and Lucas so the kids could "play"! She LOVED the swing! We then went over to their house and gave the kiddos a bath and hung out for a while...here are the pics!

Nothing really new going on...this week was my first 3 day week in a month and it was BRUTAL! I know, it sounds pathetic and those of you that work that many days or more are scoffing at me but it kicked my butt! I'm SO tired and I am SO excited to be home tomorrow with Ella. I'm SO thankful to be working part-time. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Eric's sisters and the 3 kids slept through the whole dinner...we didn't even plan for that to happen! It was very relaxing and a very nice day. Of course I hit up the stores on Friday and I was out the door a little before 5...crazy, yes, but it's been a tradition with my mom & sisters and even though I wasn't with them, I still went! I got some AMAZING deals and I was home to feed Ella when she woke up at 6:30! Nothing better!

I'll leave you with a sweet picture of my little pumpkin at 6 months! Kristen took this while she was out here and it's my "teaser" picture to the ones to come...thanks, Kristen!

6 Months

Our little girl is 6 months old today! I cannot believe how quickly time has gone and that she has already been in our arms a whole half a year! I love her more everyday and I feel so lucky to be her mommy! A friend of mine did this about her son and I thought it was a cute idea so I'm stealing it! Here are a few of the things I know about Ella in the 6 months I've been her mommy:

• She loves music. At any given time when she's fussing, you can start singing Jesus Loves Me and she almost immediately stops...it's true, ask Kristen!
• She CONSTANTLY has her arms sticking straight out when you hold her. She doesn't like to cuddle and she looks like she's trying to fly!
• When she's excited, she does this thing when she breathes in and out really hard, like she's anticipating whatever you are going to do to get her to giggle.
• If she wakes up and we're trying to get her to sleep, she'll go more easily if we wind up her lamb or play her music worm...sometimes she's quiet until it stops and then we have to go in there and start it again.
• When she doesn't get her naps, she is CRANKY! It happened today...not a fun Ella.
• Also, when she's tired, she'll give you some smiles and giggles & then turn to crying in about 2.5 seconds...volatile, this little girl!
• She LOVES her brown blanky and cannot sleep without it. If we're out, I just give it to her, cover up her stroller so she's not distracted by whatever is going on, and she'll sleep.
• She likes to put anything she can into her mouth.
• She finds the tag on any toy and will suck on it until it's sopping wet.
• She loves to look at our fish.
• She loves to be outside and if she's fussy, she'll usually calm down if we walk her out there.
• She loves books...Her favorite is "Tails" and daddy's favorite is "My Daddy & I." She really seems to be listening when we read them to her!
• When she smiles, she melts her mommy & daddy's hearts and she is immediately forgiven for any past grievances!

Happy 6 Month Birthday, Ella! We're SO thankful for you!

P.S. 6 month pictures will follow...Kristen took some this weekend and they are AWESOME!

Scary...

The sky is FILLED with smoke right now and there are fires burning to the north and the south of us. It looks like a war-zone in the sky, ash is falling and the smell of smoke is thick. The pictures on the news are terrible. I know so many people in the Yorba Linda area and I just hope they are all ok and their homes make it! Fire is scary...whenever there's a big one, I find myself making a mental list of what I would take if there were fires by me...pictures ALWAYS top the list!

On another note, I said good-bye to Kristen this morning. We had such a fun time the last 2 days...Disneyland on Thursday and the beach for a while yesterday. It was SO much fun and it was great having her stay with us! I'll post some pictures and give you a rundown of our time sometime soon!

Trip Change

Ella & I were going to fly up to Seattle to visit Kristen this Thursday but there's been a change in plans (yes, this is the second time but it's really working out QUITE nicely!)! Because they are still in the middle of remodeling their home and not moved in as they thought, Kristen thought it would be better (and I agree) for her to come down here and me go up there with Ella in February! SO....I get to see Kristen Wednesday night and FINALLY get to introduce her to my little munchkin! AND, this means that I get to see her again in 3 months and possibly be the first overnight guest in their new and beautiful home! I can't wait!

In other news, I LOVE November! Last week, I worked Monday and had an in-service Tuesday (no kids) and it was my short week so I was done. This week, I worked today, off tomorrow (Veteran's Day), work Wednesday. Then, the next 2 weeks, I only work Monday & Tuesday and then there's Thanksgiving break! It's SO awesome. Then, only 3 weeks until Christmas Break! I love the holidays! Time is going by so quickly though and while I love work to go fast, I don't like how fast time seems to be going with my little girl! Too fast, she's getting too big!

Halloween

I'm finally getting this post up! For Halloween, we headed to Redlands so Ella could be a part of the cousin themed costumes...Cowpokes & Indians! Getting a group picture proved to be quite a challenge but this was the best Jani got! Nice work, Jani!

The VG Indians! Tessa was SO adorable with her little feather headband!

Tessa & Ella

The Cowpokes

And now the cutest little cowgirl in the Wild West...

After the photo shoot, we headed to Halloween Happening and got to hang out with Chris, Kelly & Cameron. It was SO fun to hang out with them since we don't get to very often! We walked around and then enjoyed dinner. We hit up the magic show but Ella was pretty much done by then so we headed home and put her to bed! The night wouldn't have been complete without some good rounds of Dominos with my parents! It was a fun time and I was so glad Eric was game for going out to Redlands for the festivities! Hopefully the cousin themed Halloweens will live on in the years to come!

Wicked

Last night, Eric & I went to see Wicked! Eric had his last football game & then a pizza party after so we were a bit crunched to get out the door. We got to our friends' house where Ella was staying and realized we had left the diaper bag at home!!! It had a fresh bottle, pj's, diapers, you know...EVERYTHING she would need! So, Eric jetted home and got back and we left (putting us 20 minutes behind schedule!). Of course there was traffic and we were SO anxious the whole way...Eric was a stress case. But, we made it there and in our seats with 2 minutes to spare! Whew! Thank the Lord! And, it was SOOOOO good! I can't believe we hadn't seen it until now! The talent and work those performers put in every night is so amazing. What was really cool about our night was our seats! We had heard of this educators discount for 45% off orchestra seating that expires today! Anyway, Saturday we decided to go Thursday night and I went online Sunday to get the tickets and they were sold out. I was SO sad! At the same time I checked Tues and Wed...all sold out! On Monday, I looked again and Wed & Thurs were still sold out but Tues had opened up with REALLY good seats! So, I thought they must open some up as the show nears. So, Tues night I looked again and sure enough, tickets were available for Thursday night...8th row, center! It was awesome and such a great deal! We would NEVER pay for that great of tickets but they were only $55! That's what you would pay for balcony seats! Anyway, that made the experience all the better...what an amazing show!

AND, to just brag about a friend for a minute...Alli (the one who was in Cry Baby and performed on Regis & Kelly), just got the role of Glinda in New York! I'm so excited for her and I REALLY want to go out to see her do it. Isn't that awesome?!? She's so famous! Anyway, if you haven't gotten a chance to see it, I (along with the rest of the world), highly recommend it!

Pumpkin Patch #2

This Saturday, we went to the Irvine Regional Park with our friends Keith & Carmen and their son, Lucas. Lucas is exactly 6 weeks older than Ella and they are already best buds! :) It was a warm day but we still had lots of fun going through the hay maze, the haunted house, riding the train, and taking LOTS of pictures! We got some good shots though and definitely started a tradition!

Ella & Mommy all ready to go in the new off-road stroller from Auntie Jill!

The good witch with her little cat!

SCARY!!! Carmen, Keith, Eric, Me

I LOVE this picture!

I think this is my favorite from the day! They are just such sweeties!

Thanks Witts for making such great memories with us!

This Week...

Ella tried rice cereal! She did NOT like it one little bit! We were going to wait until 6 months but decided to just try rice cereal now because sometimes she seems SO hungry. I think it was just a couple day growth spurt but we'll keep trying it every once in a while to get her used to the taste...she seems to be doing well with just milk so no need to really enforce it! It was fun though and made for some cute pictures! Here's the order of events...

Step 1: The pre-rice smile

Step 2: Baffled

Step 3: Ewwwww!

Step 4: NEVER AGAIN!!!! Where's my milk?

Earlier in the week, Cheryl & her mom stopped by to hang out for a while! It was so fun to catch up and we had some fun watching some old college videos! Man, we were dorks! But those were SUCH fun times! Anyway, here's a picture of our little girls about 3 1/2 months apart...

Aubrie & Ella

Pumpkin Patch #1

Last Saturday, we went to a pumpkin patch with Eric's sister, Karen, and her family. The pumpkin patch itself was a little disappointing but we all had a fun time...especially Kaitlin because she got to ride the helicopter ride with her daddy! She was VERY excited about it! We did manage to get some very cute pictures of our little pumpkin admist the pumpkins!

John, Kaitlin, Karen

I like this family pic!

Our sweet girl sitting up so big!

My favorite pumpkin is the one in the middle!

What's this pokey stuff I'm sitting in?

It was a fun, spontaneous evening and I'm glad we went!

This & That

It's a been a while so here's a summary of what's been going on in our lives! Last week I had a 3 day work week and my parents came out to watch Ella on Wednesday. Our FABULOUS babysitter, Judy, just has Ella Monday and Tuesday and now each of our parents' are taking Ella once a month on the Wednesdays I work...it's usually just 2 a month! It's so awesome of both of our parents to be willing to do this! Thanks! So far, each set has had her once and it's been smooth sailing! On Thursday, the 7th Grade team of teachers had to dress up like The Wizard of Oz, so Eric was Scarecrow. We copied Grant's Halloween costume from last year and it turned out pretty good! Those teachers seem to have so much fun...those students don't know how lucky they are to have such fun teachers!

Ella is getting SO close to sitting up! I can put the boppy behind her and she pretty much just sits there with hardly any support from it, just there in case she falls backwards! She was 5 months on Thursday and I just can't believe how quickly it goes! She is truly more fun every day and I'm so extremely thankful for her! Everyday I feel like I am so incredibly lucky to be her mommy! Her latest favorites are sucking on her toes, sleeping on her side (and now even sometimes her stomach!), sitting in her bumbo, playing in her excersaucer, having daddy bounce her up and down, and putting anything and everything in her mouth! She also smiles and giggles so much now! Here are some pictures from the last week...

When Ella was 11 weeks, we took her to do her hand and footprints in ceramics. I got to pick it up this week and I absolutely LOVE it!

On another note, I would like to recommend a grocery store! There's a Fresh & Easy by our house and I go there sometimes to just pick up a few random things I need. It's kind of a different store, doesn't have EVERYTHING a Stater Brothers or Albertsons might have but they have really good prices overall. Not only that but they ALWAYS have $5 off coupons of a purchase over $20. Their milk is the rBST free kind and is definitely better priced than in the grocery store. Things like Campbell's Tomato Soup is only $.71 a can and pumpkins were only $3! All the checkouts are self-checkout and self-bagging but I don't mind that too much, the prices are worth it! So, if there's one near you, check it out!

3 years!

Today is our 3rd Anniversary! In a completely good way, it seems like we've been married way more than 3 years! I LOVE that I get to spend every day with Eric and I am SO lucky to be his wife! There is no one else I can be completely myself with, in every single way. There are often moments one of us does something completely off the wall and we look at each other and say, "I wouldn't act like this with ANYONE else!" That's how it's supposed to be though and I am so lucky to have that in my marriage! In case you don't know, Eric and I met on a blind date, were engaged 4 months later and married 6 months after that. We just clicked right away and we still click today! He is my perfect match and I thank God every day for giving him to me! It's been so fun to see him now as a dad! Seeing him with Ella melts my heart! Anyway, here's a snapshot of some of our adventures throughout these 3 years.

Wedding Day

Honeymoon in Jamaica

Disneyland

The Central California Coast

Europe

4 Corners...we're each in 2 states

Last Christmas

Wedding up in Arroyo Grande

Thanks for a wonderful 3 years, Babe! I'm so excited to spend the rest of my life with you...I couldn't have asked for a better partner to go through it with! I love you (and thanks for the flowers!)!!