This week...

was a stressful one! I'm glad it's over! There was some drama at work and it was just yucky and I'm happy it's in the past! Yesterday I went with 16 of our GEMS (Girls Everywhere Meeting the Savior) girls from church to Sea World. It was a really fun time and a beautiful day but I SURE missed Ella (and Eric too!)! They had a great day together but it was the longest I've been away from my baby since she's been born...a little pathetic, yes! Anyway, we had a great time! I got home about 7:45...played with an overly sleepy little girl for about 10 minutes, put her to bed, changed my clothes, freshened up my face and then the babysitter came and Eric and I went to Casino Night! You pay an admission fee and then get a certain amount of fake money to play with. It is SUCH a fun night and we had a great time! At the end, you cash in your chips for tickets and try to win prizes. We didn't win anything this year although Carmen gave us one of the FOUR she won so we still walked away with a prize! Today we have just been relaxing and enjoying the day! I can't believe another week starts tomorrow! However, this week brings some excitement as my friend Kristen flies in from Seattle for the weekend and for her first baby shower! I'm SO excited to see her growing belly and feel that baby kick! What fun it will be to celebrate with her! Have a great week and for those of you counting down...7 weeks 'til summer! :)

Finally...

OK....it had been quite a while so be sure to scroll down for the multiple posts I finally did tonight! I know you all have been dying to hear what's going on in our exciting lives! :)

Our Funny Girl

Ella gets more and more fun every day! She turned 11 months yesterday and I cannot believe she is almost one! I really wonder where time goes! She is walking at full speed! She's a little wobbly especially on the grass but she is doing so good at walking! She just kind of tottles around after me and I'm actually quite thankful for my little house these days! Today we realized she really understands what we say...Eric and I both went her room to get her out of crib after a nap. She was standing in her crib and we were just playing/talking to her and her paci was in her mouth. I said, "Ella, give me your paci." and she pulled it out of her mouth and gave it to me! Then I asked for her blanky which was in her hand and again, she gave it to me. Then I said, "Ella, give me floppy dog" which is her stuffed doggy and it was just setting in her crib. She looked right at floppy dog, sat down, and gave it to me! What the heck....she understands me and that's SO crazy! She's also starting to show that she knows what she wants and doesn't want...especially when it comes to eating! I think she's going to have quite the stubborn personality! Anyway, here are some pictures to share of our sweet little girl!

Spring Break

Last week was my Spring Break and this week was Eric's. It was a bummer to not be off together but we both enjoyed our time off! Eric had off on Good Friday so we made a day of it and went down to South Coast for a bit and then to the Centennial Farm by the OC Fairgrounds. It was such a neat farm and I will definitely be back! Ella loved seeing all the animals and it will only get more exciting for her!

This week, I had Thursday and Friday off. Yesterday we went the El Dorado Park Nature Center. It was a really neat place with a nice trail to walk on. We saw turtles, squirrels, ducks and rabbits! It was just fun to walk around and do something different! I will definitely be back to both of these places...feel free to join me!

Easter!

We had a fun & busy Easter with my family this year! Eric & I headed out to Redlands on Saturday morning. I had a shower in Redlands for my friend Emily who was in town from Texas that morning. It was so fun to see her and see some other friends I hadn't seen in a while! Saturday evening we had DeBlauw family pictures! It was a little chilly that day but the whole process was a much less painful than I thought it would be! We are eager to see the pictures and I'm certain we got a good one for my parents 40th Anniversary which is coming up in June! Sunday we went to church and had lunch and an Easter egg hunt. We were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL day so we were outside all afternoon! We got home Sunday night ready to crash and I had to work on Monday! Yuck! It was super hard to be back but it was a pretty quick week and once open house is over next week, I will feel so relieved!

Me with sweet Tessa

Relaxing on the porch!

The four big cousins...Billy, Anneke, Grant, Nate
Nate liked pushing Ella on the swing and Ella loved it too!

Isn't this shot just priceless!!

Ella with the big cousins

Ella in her "My First Easter" onesie from Miss Judy
Maria and Ella

Happy 30th Birthday, Kelly!!

So, today is Kelly's 30th birthday and it marks the 17th birthday we've celebrated together!! SEVENTEEN YEARS!!!! That's super crazy to me! Kelly & I met in the 7th grade at ACA. We actually met at a little girls' get together at Chalet's house in the summer before 7th grade. I will never forget that she wore an all green outfit the first day of school! We had a get to know you thing to fill out and one of the signatures you had to get was of someone wearing green...I got her signature! Kelly tells us now that she REALLY wanted to be friends with Chalet & I (who wouldn't :) ) and so she tried to make conversation with us! It obviously worked & Kelly became and still is one of my best friends! We have really seen eachother through every stage of life....the awkward jr. high years, highschool, first cars, college, first boyfriends, crushes, break-ups, marriages, and now kids! I even spied on her first kiss with Chris back in college! That's probably the only time she really got mad at me! Ooops...but it still makes a good story! :) It really is awesome staying friends with someone for so long! I feel blessed to have Kelly in my life and I am confident we will remain friends until we're old and gray!

Me, Chalet, & Kelly ready to celebrate Chalet's 13th birthday at Black Angus! Now can't you tell why she wanted to be friends with us....my braces were SO cool & I think I still have that outfit at my parents house...it was AWESOME!

Here we are a little more mature, the day before my wedding.

Thank You George!!!!!

A few weeks ago we got a knock at our door and there was our friend George with this AMAZING horse for Ella. He MADE it!!!!! It's SO incredible and I still am in awe every time I look at it! The detail on the horse is unbelievable...the different types of wood for different parts of the horse, the curve of the tail and mane and saddle! Just plain awesome! Thank you George for this amazing heirloom....this will be used by all our kids and grand kids and hopefully many generations after that!