The Happiest Place on Earth

A few weeks ago we headed down to Disneyland for my birthday and Ada's 1st trip. It was so fun! Jon's parents and sisters all came, and Ruth and Eric and the girls joined us for one of the days as well. Fun was certainly had by all.

Hanging out at Sleeping Beauty's house...


Going on our 1st ride...


Hanging out with Mimi and Farfar...


Taking a ride on an elephant...


Going on the (scary) Ferris Wheel with Auntie Chelle...


Becoming a Space Ranger...


Entertaining herself when necessary...


Getting her 1st pair of ears with Auntie Kiki...


And ADORING the fireworks...


She was a pro and did so great. We had so much fun with her. Ada, thanks for all the fun memories! We love you little girl.

She's a Hoot...

I feel almost overwhelmed by blog material, which means only one thing. Nothing gets blogged about. However, Farah requested some pictures of the Doodle in her Halloween costume. So apparently, my blog has become TRL, and I'm fine with that because it means I may actually blog. Without further ado...Halloween 2009.

Our Small Group traditionally has a party thrown by the ever fabulous Shaw Family. This year's theme? Famous Couples. And as you can see, they were not only famous, but epic!

The Shaws as Alice and that Oh-So-Mad Hatter!


The Patterson's as Nomar Garciaparra and Mia Hamm.


The Baldizon's as Ketchup, Mustard and a Hot Dog!


And us as, ha ha, The Shaws! And the Doodle as an owl. A super cute owl.


It was a wonderful evening of food, friends, and fall themed games. But the fun couldn't end there, no. The next night (actual Halloween) we headed over to the Harvest Festival with the Baldizon's and the Grindy's. While it was a little 'old' for our kids, we all had fun hanging out, and heck, I'm all for any excuse to see Ada as a sweet little owl.

The Baldizon's ditching the condiment costumes, and opting for some subtler ones. Gotta love that cute Darth Vader!


The Grindy's, aka 'The Jedi Clan'.


We figured no one would appreciate our Michael and Farah costumes since no one here knew Michael and Farah, so we went for Karate Master and Starbucks Barista (aka, stuff we had in our closet.)




It's almost too cute, right? Right.

Yum?

We're rocking food over here. Rice cereal and applesauce. Actually, we're not rocking the applesauce so much. We're kinda hitting a wall.

'Mama, what is this?'


"I don't like it!"


"Why this torture???"


Ahhh, this makes feeding time SO entertaining and fun. You'd think we were feeding her lemon juice, honestly! I also find it pretty funny that she's so offended by apples when I ate my weight in them during the pregnancy. What a hoot. Being a parent is truly a blast!

Six months, and could someone get me a tissue please?

Today our sweet girl turns six months. I think it's the fastest time has ever gone by, and while I'm sad it's gone, I've loved and cherished all of it and can't wait for what's to come. Adelaide is such a sweet, happy baby. She smiles (almost) unconditionally. She loves the outdoors. She loves laying under trees and watching the leaves rustle. She loves bath time, but not necessarily any cold lakes. She loves 'Flying Baby'. She loves music, especially anything with a beat. She rolls her heart out. She loves people, but she loves Mama and Daddy best. Especially Daddy. Her eyes light up everytime she sees him (and his tend to do the same thing). We feel so blessed, truly, that God entrusted her to us. We pray that everyday we'll be the best parents we can be. That we'll love her and guide her to the one true source of love, God. We're so thankful for all she teaches us. I only hope I could be as joyful as her. Adelaide, we love you!

Days old...


One month, and comfy as can be...


Two months old. Peace ya'll.


Three months and already a Dodger fan.


Four months old and having fun with the best Daddy ever.


Five months old..and finding out all water isn't necessarily warm.


Six months old and happy as a clam. As are we.

Raindrops on roses...

Hi everyone! Did you miss me? I'm glad to return to the world of blogging. Apparently, I took a bit of a sabbatical, but I'm back. For today at least. And really, today is an excellent day. Why you ask?

Because this book just came out. Woo hoo! It's the sequel to Hunger Games, which I just read last week after Brittany highly recommended it. I am now totally obsessed. This is such a great series. So, if you haven't read it, do yourself a favor and pick up a copy today. (End public service announcement.)

Other things I'm loving lately? This paper.
Darn you Martha Stewart for having so much lovely stuff I'd like to purchase. Honestly, bandana paper? That just makes me giddy.

I'm newly obsessed with this blog, the Old Red Barn Co. She's delightful, and she has this wonderful Quilt-A-Long that is so great and helpful I am now fully inspired and plan to make a quilt. It's wonderful and completly user friendly. The quilt I'm going to make? This one. From the ever excellent Posie Gets Cozy blog. What is it with all these wonderful crafty women inspiring the world at large? Someone buy them a Starbucks, honestly, they're too great.

And last buy certainly not least, an ever present favorite: Fall. Autumn. Not Summer. September 1st it is, and although there's no Fall Equinox, let's just face it...it's here. There are Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Starbucks and they're selling Christmas stuff in stores. Ahhh, I love it. Now for some cooler weather, and we'll be right as rain.

And in other wonderful-ness, the Doodle is now rolling and sitting up and happens to be a super fun and happy baby. I feel so lucky that I'm her mama and get to hang out with her everyday. She's seriously the best.

I love those two.

So, what are you loving these days?

Grand Adventures at the Grand Canyon

Drove. A lot...

Enjoyed the peace of sleeping outdoors...

Had some good 'ole family time...

Enjoyed a sunset...

And even a sunrise...

Celebrated a happy day of independence...

Hiked along the canyon...

And all along the watchtower...

Contemplated ancient homesteads...

And were generally shocked at the wonder of God's awesome creation.

Travel Plans

A trip to New York City needs to spring into action, because this girl is obviously ready for the Subway.

So, while we're speaking of travels, what are your summer plans? It seems this is the year for adventure. Amy's in Rhwanda as we speak (as I write?), Britt and Hannah are headed to Haiti again. Michael and Farah are going to, wait for it, ROME! And my dear friend Emmani is crossing the States and playing shows. And seriously, check out this blog of his, I laughed so hard.


Jon and I are headed with his fam to the Grand Canyon very soon indeed. I've been there 3 times, but combine all the time I've spent there and it's less than 24 hours. Quick trips. It'll be nice to chill there awhile. (Anyone out there remember the Epic Adventure of the Secret Valentines Day Road Trip back at CBU? Good times.)

Then, later we're headed up to Mammoth with ALL of Jon's family and my mom, plus 3 or 4 other families. It's a tradition that dates back to Jon's grandma and her sorority sisters. They headed up there in the summer with their families, and it's kept going, slowly trickling down through the generations until, here we are. I find it pretty amazing. Last time they went (it's every three years) we were in the Carribean, so we missed out. But we're ready to embrace the fun this year!

So, what are your fun summer plans?

The Journey 2008

My wonderful photo-takin' husband is re-living the fun of 'The Journey', our road trip last year. Go check it out on his blog over the next few weeks.



Let the insanity begin!

My Weekend

First Dodger game, complete with a win in the 12th. (And only one mass freak out moment from the air horn...)


Dinner at an amazing Chinese Middle Eastern restaurants with friends.


Picking about 25 pounds of blueberries to be enjoyed among us all. (And a bee sting. Boof. And yes, I still want to live on a farm.)


Naptime, but certainly not enough of it.

Add in Chinatown, El Toro, Boba/Cupcake/Fro-Yo, Mario Kart, and a photo shoot. A weekend that will go down in history. What about you?

Mama's Girl

I just wanted ya'll to see what an adorable, funny baby we have. Enjoy your Wednesday!

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...

...how does your garden grow? Well, no silverbells, or cockleshells, or whatever it is that's supposed to be lined up in a row. But we've got herbs. And lovely tomatoes. And look! My 1st tiny crookneck squash, just waiting to be eaten.

Also growing leaps and bounds? This cutie. Weighing in at almost 16 lbs., she's breaking my back...and my heart daily. She's way too much fun. I could just eat her up. (And I'm sure she's sweeter than that squash.)