SoCalHumes

2011-11-26T09:17:00.000-08:00

CASTRO VALLEY, CA - I'm back, did you miss me? Happy Thanksgiving! Had a great time at Grandma & Grandpa's house. I ate some turkey, mashed potatoes, and orange fluff, but didn't try the yam casserole.

The day after Thanksgiving we went to a Wildlife Center and saw lots of birds, some snakes and some bears that were holding very still. My dad says they used to be alive, but now they're not. I learned that the black bear is the only kind of bear left in California, and all black bears aren't black!

Later that night I got to have a sleepover at my cousin's house! I really like Thanksgiving break - how long until Christmas??

2011-04-17T08:34:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - I'm 7! We celebrated my birthday this weekend. Mommy did a fab job of decorating our house to make it look like a Parisian spa - I hope I get to go to Paris someday!

I had a few friends over and got pampered by mommy and Aunt Julie. Jake had a "beepover" at his cousins house, so it was just girls at our place (except for dad).

We made bath salts and got our nails painted. Then we watched Beauty and the Beast and slept in the Living Room. Great party!

The next morning I had my #7 pancake, mmmmmmm. Thanks everyone!!

2010-11-23T13:11:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - So my dad wanted me to write about something so he could get some free stuff. He says that Shutterfly is having a promo and if I write something nice about them, then mom and dad get free holiday-picture cards that they can send to their friends.

I'm happy to help - especially if we get those cards that have the big "H" in the middle. Pretty sure those would work good for our family. He takes so many pictures anyways, might as well put some of them to good use. Every time I turn around he's saying, "Jenna, look at me and smile." It's hard work being so cute...

I wonder if he'll use these photo cards instead of writing that Christmas letter that he writes every year. He spends a lot of time on that letter. He thinks he's a pretty funny writer - sometimes he even laughs at his own jokes. I don't know if he's funny or not, but maybe these cards will help him get over that "writer's block" that he's always complaining about...

If you're interested in seeing Shutterfly's collection of holiday stuff, you can click here. Hmmm, I wonder which cards my dad will choose...

PS - Jake took this picture of me...I think he's got a future as a photographer.

2010-10-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

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2010-09-12T21:57:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was my first soccer game. I had a lot of fun, and even scored a goal! I was pretty tired at the end, but it was fun to play a game instead of just practicing with my own team. I think my favorite part of my uniform is my soccer ball hair accessories.

2010-03-30T09:40:00.001-07:00

LONG BEACH, CA - Yesterday mommy surprised us with an after-school trip to the aquarium! I hadn't been in a long time, even though I'd been asking nicely, so it was nice to get to go. When daddy asked me what my favorite part was, I said, "Everything!"

There weren't too many kids there today, so Jake was able to get out of his stroller and run around a bit. We saw all the fish, got lots of stamps in our brochure, went to the touch pools, visited the sharks and played by the fountain. It was SO much fun!

After we were done there, daddy met us for dinner at a restaurant that was right next to the aquarium. I had pizza. Mommy had chicken and daddy had a sandwich. Jake had a little of everything - he's not very picky.

Thanks for taking us, mommy!

2010-03-19T21:49:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today I got to go on my first real Kindergarten field trip! We rode the bus to Fullerton College. It was great to see all the different kinds of things I can study when I get to college. I even asked mommy if I could go straight to college after kindergarten - it looked like that much fun.

We wrote our names and future careers on our nametags that we wore for the day. I want to be a teacher, just like mommy and Mrs. Collar.

At Fullerton College we got to go to lots of different stations. I "drove" a police car, played the trombone, got my face painted, made funny faces, looked at a map of the world, styled some hair and lots of other fun things.

I really liked this field trip - our next one is to a farm, so that should be fun too.

2010-03-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

TEMPE/PHOENIX/GLENDALE, AZ - Just got back from the annual trek out to Arizona for Spring Training. It was extra fun this year because LOTS of people came along for the ride.

Our group included our family, Morgan, Lindsay, baby John, Aunt Julie & Uncle Dave, Grandpa & Grandma H, Nana & Tata, Auntie 'Manda AND Grammy & Papa Little. There was never a dull moment, that's for sure.

We visited the Angels on Friday, the A's on Saturday and Uncle Dave's Dodgers on Sunday. After the Dodgers game I got to run the bases with Morgan - that was fun. (VIDEO BELOW!!!)

I really like the hotel we stay at - they have a nice place to eat breakfast and a swimming pool...what else could a girl want?

Hopefully the Angels play better once the REAL season starts - they didn't look so good when we saw them...

Go Angels! (and A's...and Dodgers, I guess)

2010-02-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy Valentine's Day! I love this day because there are hearts everywhere. Plus you get candy. Nothing wrong with that combo!

2010-01-01T09:27:00.000-08:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Happy New Year! We went over to Dave & Julie's house to ring in 2010. Morgan, Lindsay, Zoe, Leah, Judah and Micah were all there and so was baby John. The kids all played together while the adults ate and talked about how quick 2009 went by.

I hope your New Year's Eve celebration was as fun as mine, and I hope you have a great 2010 - Happy New Year!!

2009-12-29T22:35:00.000-08:00

CASTRO VALLEY, CA - Today we got to go to the park with Grandma and Auntie 'Manda. It was a little cool outside, but still fun. Jake had a good time too. I'm going to be sad when we have to go back home tomorrow, but I had fun today!

2009-12-26T22:26:00.000-08:00

CASTRO VALLEY, CA - Merry Christmas again! We made it to Grandma & Grandpa's in record time. I got to hang out with my cousin Isabella for a bit, and then we got down to business - more stockings and presents!

I got lots of nice things...thanks, everyone :-)

I'm even looking forward to using the ice cream sundae set that my mommy and daddy got for one of their presents, mmmmmm.

It's also nice to have lots of people to read to us. Uncle Brian read to Jake and Gianna, and lots of people took turns reading to me. My dad's a good reader and all, but it's kind of boring to have the same old voice every night. I got a new set of Fancy Nancy books that will make great bedtime reading.

I love Christmas :-)

2009-12-25T22:16:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Merry Christmas! What a great day so far - I left cookies for Santa last night and he brought me a Barbie Glamour Camper...I think we can all see who got the better end of that deal. After we opened a few presents at my house, we headed over to Morgan & Lindsay's for brunch and another round of stockings and presents. Aunt Julie and Uncle Dave got me my very own luggage set - pink, of course! I'm all ready to go on a trip now, which is a good thing since we're headed north first thing in the morning to see Grandpa & Grandma. I'm pretty sure there will even be a few more presents with my name on it once we make it up there...good times!!

2009-11-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

OAKLAND, CA - Today we went to the zoo with Grandma. We saw lots of animals that normally live in Africa. There were lions, zebras, elephants, snakes, a really ugly hyena, a really cute meerkat and other assorted insects and reptiles.

There was a petting zoo, a sandbox, and a really fun little pond that had lillypads for us to hop on. It was a really nice day at the zoo...

2009-11-15T22:26:00.000-08:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - We had a party today for the baby that's in Aunt Julie's tummy. Lots of people came with presents for the new baby - and to have some good food. It was a baseball theme, so the cupcakes that mommy made had baseballs and gloves and grass on them. The grass was coconut - mmmmmmm! They opened lots of nice presents, but my favorite was the jacket and blanket set that Uncle David had when he was a little boy - Jake made a perfect little model.

I can't wait until the baby gets here - it's going to be so fun to have another cousin!

2009-11-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy Halloween! It's been a busy Halloween "season" around here. Last weekend, we got to go to my school carnival and carve pumpkins. For the carnival I was a 50's girl and Jake was a cowboy. Then we went to a party with mommy & daddy's sunday school class where we ALL dressed up like we were from the 50's - it was a lot of fun. This week I got to have a parade at school, get dressed up again and go trick-or-treating last night. I'm exhausted. It was worth it, though, because I got a fair amount of candy. I like candy.

All of a sudden, it's November - almost time for Thanksgiving!

2009-08-31T14:46:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was my first day of Kindergarten! Daddy took me to school and stayed with me for the morning. We did some crafts, listened to some stories and I met some new friends. My favorite part of the day was when we did the Hokey-Pokey. Tomorrow I get to go to school ALL day, and daddy won't be staying this time. I think that's better anyways, he was a bit emotional this morning and I can't let my new friends see that - not cool.

It was a fun day - I'm looking forward to a great year!!

2009-08-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

NORTHERN CA - Here are some pics from our summer vacation. Enjoy!

2009-07-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - My apologies for the lack of blog posts lately, but we've been pretty busy around these parts. Here are a few of the things we've been up to so far this summer.

Mommy had a birthday:

We've been spending a lot of time at Splash:

Daddy had a birthday too:

Our Fourth of July was fabulous:

I just finished two weeks of swim lessons. Can't wait for Tahoe!

2009-06-09T22:29:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - I graduated from Pre-School today. My cap and gown was pink (of course). We sang our "Zoophonics" song and then got our "diplomas." It was really fun, but I thought there might be a bit more to it. The whole thing was over in 28 minutes.

After graduation we all went for gelato at Frati. Then, after nap, we all went out to Soup Plantation for dinner. It really was a fun day...

2009-06-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was Donuts with Dad at my school. Daddy brought Jake and had donuts and juice with me. I picked out a sugar donut for him. Jake didn't get any donuts, but he did have some animal crackers and cheerios. That's OK little buddy, it won't be long before you get to bring dad to YOUR donuts with daddy day at pre-school.

2009-05-29T19:31:00.000-07:00

YORBA LINDA, CA - Today I got to go to dance with my friend, Mikaela. We go to a place called, "Freckled Frog."

We get to do ballet and tap - my favorite is ballet. We have special dances that we do with streamers, blankies and pretend lollipops. I have a lot of fun when I go to Freckled Frog.

2009-05-16T21:26:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was Jake's birthday party. We decorated the backyard, got a bounce house, grilled some burgers & dogs, and had a few friends over.

Jake was OK with it, but seemed rather unimpressed with most of the details. He didn't even want to eat his cake! He took a couple bites of frosting and then pushed it away. That's OK, more for me!

He got lots of nice presents from everyone - some things even look pretty fun for me. I think that dad was happy to see lots of trucks and building blocks, and not as many pink, princess tea party sets. C'mon, dad - what do you have against pink?!?

Happy birthday, lil' buddy. You throw quite a party...

2009-05-14T22:42:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA, CA - My little buddy boy, Jake, is 1-year old today. Daddy says it seems like it was just yesterday that we brought him home, but to me it seems like a LONG time ago. When will he start talking and stop grunting? When will he be able to chase me and ride bikes with me? Will he ever stop pulling my hair?

To celebrate, we met the girls at El Cholo, which seems to be becoming a bit of a tradition around here. He even got to wear the sombrero, just like I did when we went for my birthday last year.

Happy Birthday, Jake - I can't wait for your party on Saturday!!!

2009-05-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

TUCSON, AZ - We came out here to Arizona to go to a beautiful wedding. One of Mommy's cousins got married and we were invited! The ceremony was OK, I got to sit with Morgan & Lindsay, but the real fun was at the reception. There was mexican food, dancing, singing and all the diet 7up I could drink - talk about a good time! Even Nana & Tata got out on the dance floor to move it, move it.

Congratulations Dominic & Jennifer - and thanks for inviting us...we had a great time at your wedding.

2009-05-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Tonight was my big performance at PreSchool. Daddy, mommy & Jake came to watch me sing two songs: "Happy Day Express" and "Little Red Caboose." Daddy helped with my box/train car...I was the "S" in J-E-S-U-S.

It was a lot of fun - I love singing and dancing...especially on stage!

2009-04-16T21:24:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today is my birthday! I've been waiting a long time for this day - I finally turned 5! Daddy made me a special pancake in the shape of the number 5 (although I think it kind of looked like an "S") and then I was off to school. I took treats with me to share with the whole class.

For dinner, we all went out to Ruby's. I got to pick since it was my birthday. The kids & Nana sat at one table and the adults sat at another one - I had Mac & Cheese for my birthday dinner, and a shake to go!

Then we went back to my house and opened presents and had some yummy ice cream-cake from the Pink Spoon Store. Deeeeee-lish! Everyone gave me lots of nice presents, I especially enjoyed my new loving family furniture that my little brother picked out for me - thanks Jakey-pooh :-)

I love birthdays!

2009-04-12T22:09:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Okay, one last egg hunt! We came over to Dave and Julie's for an extra-special, super-yummy dinner. We had ham, rolls, jello salad, some potatoes, green beans, olives and some people had broccoli salad - I chose not to. There were lots of yummy desserts too. After we were stuffed to the gills, they let us run around outside to find more Easter eggs - yippee!

Aiden, Eli & Ava were there and so were Zoe, Leah, Judah and Micah. We had lots of fun playing together. It was the perfect way to finish off celebrating Easter.

Thanks, everyone!

2009-04-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy Easter! The Easter bunny came and dropped off baskets for me and for Jake too! There were lots of fun things in those baskets. Grandma & Grandpa sent me a little purse filled with goodies.

After that we got to go to church and hear about why we have Easter - it's not for the baskets or the bunnies. It's because Jesus was put on a cross in between two thieves. He died, but on Easter morning he rose again. The grave was empty. Isn't that good news?

After church we came back to my house for brunch. Brunch is what you get when you have breakfast and lunch together - I just learned that.

Happy Easter!

2009-04-11T21:42:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - This morning we went over to have breakfast with some friends of mommy and daddy and then hunt for eggs. Since I'm starting to figure this egg hunting thing out pretty good, I decided to go along so I could help Jake.

After a yummy breakfast we sang some songs (thanks to Mr. Orr & Jacob B.) and got ready to find those eggs. They let the little kids go first, and then the big kids got their chance. I found lots of eggs - enough for both Jake and I to share. After we were done finding all the eggs, my friend Bekah's mommy & daddy opened these magic trunks and pretty white birds flew out and up into the sky - it was so cool!

2009-04-10T21:40:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Tonight was a big "Pre-Easter" party at Dave & Julie's house. We did crafts, had pizza. decorated cookies, and, of course, hunted for eggs! Morgan & Lindsay were there, and so were Zoe & Leah. It was really fun searching all over the backyard for the hidden eggs.

Thanks for hosting us, Dave & Julie - I had a lot of fun!

2009-04-09T15:35:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - I decorated cupcakes at Aunt Julie's house tonight. They're for the party tomorrow night that's here at Dave & Julie's house.

Pretty fancy cupcakes, huh?

2009-04-07T11:44:00.000-07:00

CORONA DEL MAR, CA - Mommy has been on Spring Break this week...it's been nice to have her home. We were invited to the beach yesterday afternoon by Maddy, Matt and Mikaela. We took them up on the offer (shocking, isn't it?). It was a beautiful Southern California afternoon - perfect for the beach.

After digging in the sand, sharing some snacks, dipping our toes in the chilly water and watching Jake eat sand, we headed over to Pei Wei for dinner. We even brought some home for dad since he'd been wanting to try it.

And I just thought it was going to be another boring Monday afternoon...

2009-03-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Aunt Julie & Uncle Dave came over and helped us plant some new plants & flowers in front of our house. Mommy was bored with our dirtpatch. I think it looks real nice, how about you?

2009-03-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy St. Patrick's Day! Okay, I admit that I don't know the actual purpose of this "holiday," but I'm all for any special day where we get to wear green clothes, eat green eggs and make green crafts.

Mommy made us green eggs for dinner (don't worry, they tasted just like yellow eggs). At the library we listened to stories, frosted cookies and got our faces painted.

All in all a pretty fun day. Hope your St. Patrick's Day was as festive as mine :-)

2009-03-16T20:08:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - My cousins Isabella and Gianna came over for dinner tonight! Their daddy had a work something-or-other in Burbank, so they got to swing by for the evening. It was great! Isabella and I shared our little dinner table, played dress-up, did a dance or two and chased each other around outside a bit. It was great to see them. Come back soon!

2009-03-10T20:02:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Tonight was my "Open House" at PreSchool. Mommy and Julie came to see what I've been up to this year. I had a fun time showing them around my classroom. Jake came too - I think that he thinks he's ready for PreSchool now!

After we were all done I got a tasty treat (vanilla cone from McD's). I can't believe that I'm almost done with PreSchool - Kindergarten here I come!!!

2009-03-09T20:46:00.000-07:00

PHOENIX, AZ - We just got back from our Spring Training trip. This was Jake's first trip out there - I think he had a pretty good time.

We saw my Angels on Friday, the Dodgers on Saturday (for Uncle Dave) and Nana's A's on Sunday.

My favorite part was staying in the condo - and swimming. I wanted to go swimming every day, but it was too cold. Plus we HAD to go to a baseball game every day. I voted for swimming instead of baseball one day, but was outnumbered. I did get to go in the hot tub once, which was nice, but not quite the same...

I had my very own room in the condo, which was nice in case I wanted to go take a nap or read some books.

Thanks for planning the trip, Aunt Julie! I think we all had a pretty good time...

2009-03-02T08:34:00.000-08:00

BREA, CA - My very good friend 'Bekah had her FIFTH birthday party on Sunday. She always has fun parties, so I was excited to go. You may remember that last year she threw a tea party for her friends - this year she invited us to Color Me Mine.

This is a really fun place where we get to paint something very special. I got to decorate a heart-shaped jewelry box. I painted it pink...I know, shocking. It was SO fun! I got her a "Fairy Cookbook" and some mixing bowls with a pink apron. I hope she'll enjoy them ;-)

Happy Birthday, 'Bekah - thanks for inviting me to your party!!!

2009-02-28T09:10:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - My brother Jake is 9 months old already. He's 22 lbs. and 29 inches long. He has 6 teeth in and several more on the way. He still makes goo-goo eyes at all the pretty ladies.

2009-02-25T20:53:00.000-08:00

ANAHEIM HILLS, CA - All of my friends are turning 5 - it's so exciting! Today was my friend Chelsea's birthday. She had her party at Pump it Up, just like last year.

There were LOTS of nice kids there. We all played on the different bouncy things and then got to have pizza and cupcakes. It was a very fun party - thanks for inviting me, Chelsea. Happy Birthday!

2009-02-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy Valentine's Day! I really like this day because there's lots of red and pink everywhere.

Yesterday I went with daddy to pick out some flowers for mommy. He wanted to get some red ones and some white ones. I thought that sounded OK, but we definitely needed some pink ones too. Good thing for him that he listened to my advice, because mommy l-o-v-e-d her flowers!

We opened some more cards today, and we all got a little something sweet. Plus I got a couple of Valentine's Day books and a cool new "Madeline" movie. Later tonight I'm going over to a friend's house so that mommy and daddy can go on a date. I hope they have fun - I know I will!

2009-02-13T22:26:00.000-08:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - We got to go to Morgan & Lindsay's house tonight for an early Valetnine's dinner. The kids got heart-shaped pizzas, and the grown-ups had some pasta and salad. After dinner, we got to open presents (yay) and then we had chocolate fondue for dessert.

I got lots of nice things for Valentine's day, even Grandpa & Grandma, and Nana & Tata sent some things down for me (thanks guys!!). I think my favorite thing was this little white bear that sings and dances when you press his foot - he even wiggles his ears! I also really like the matching "purse-dogs" that all the girls got.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

2009-01-31T14:27:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - I've been helping feed Jake lately. It's kind of like feeding my Baby Alive doll, except the doll doesn't sneeze with a mouth full of food.

2009-01-30T14:17:00.000-08:00

CORONA DEL MAR, CA - Nothing like a beach day in January. Aiden called to see if we wanted to go to the beach today - so I twisted my mom's arm and we loaded up.

It was a beautiful day! We had it mostly to ourselves, since most people were at work or school. Jake got to come too, and he even ate a little sand (just to see what it tasted like). I ran around with Aiden and Eli - we splashed in the waves and dug in the sand. Fun day!

2009-01-20T09:25:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Since we didn't get to go to the snow this year, it was nice that my school brought the snow to us! Today was snow day, which means I got to get out my boots and gloves that I keep in the "winter" bin in my closet. It's not exactly winter weather here in the OC, so it was nice to experience just a little taste of this season.

It was a fun morning! I made a snow angel, rolled down the hill, threw snowballs at my teacher (she threw at me first!) and snuck a couple of bites of snow in when no one was looking.

2009-01-05T15:23:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy New Year!! I rang in 2009 at Uncle Dave & Aunt Julie's house. We had some good food, played the Wii, watched a movie and counted down to the big moment. Yes, I stayed up until midnight - just like last year - but, this time I had company, since Jake didn't want to miss a minute of the action either! After the clock struck 12 and we enjoyed some fizzy apple juice, we ran outside so I could shout, "Happy New Year's Day!" I finally sacked out about 1:00 or so...but don't worry, I let my parents sleep in until 7:45 the next morning.

Happy 2009!!

Oh, and here's a quick picture of what I look like when I'm updating this blog - in case any of you were thinking it wasn't actually ME doing all the work...

2008-12-25T21:11:00.000-08:00

SANTA ROSA, CA - Merry Christmas, part 2! After a quick snooze in the car, we got to Nana & Tata's in time for a great dinner - prime rib. Then we got to open presents. I got lots of nice things and so did Jake...although he had a hard time staying awake until the end - there were a lot of presents to open. It was really nice to see Gran again, even though we just saw her in Texas. Uncle Dave & Aunt Julie were there, and so was Nana's friend, Mary - it was a very nice group of people to share Christmas night with.

Tata got me my very own set of golf clubs, which I'm looking forward to using very soon! Thanks for all of the nice things, everyone - Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

CASTRO VALLEY, CA - Merry Christmas! I got up this morning to check if Santa came and ate the cookies that we left out for him. Sure enough, he did! He also left some things in my stocking and a couple presents under the tree for me. Isabella came over and then we got to look in our stockings and open presents. Yay, presents! Santa brought me Pixos to play with, and I also got Baby Ally from Grandma, a Giselle doll from the Enchanted movie, lots of clothes, some more Polly Pockets and lots of other neat stuff! Then we had a yummy breakfast and packed our car so we could race up to Santa Rosa for MORE PRESENTS!! Thanks for everything, Grandma, Grandpa, Auntie 'Manda, Uncle Brian and Aunt Rebekah - what a great morning!!!!!

2008-12-22T21:15:00.000-08:00

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Today we took BART into "The City" to look at all the pretty Christmas decorations. Our first stop was Macy*s, where they had beautiful things in all their windows - some of them even had real live kittens in them! Then we went over to Union Square to watch the ice skaters and check out the HUGE Christmas tree. After that, we found a beautiful hotel that had lots of decorations and a big house made of nothing but sugar - yummy! Before we headed back, grandma wanted to show me the Christmas village that was all set up in another hotel - it was really cool!

I had a fun time in San Francisco - thanks for taking me, Grandpa, Grandma & Auntie 'Manda.

2008-12-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - So I've been a little busy around here - sorry for that lack of updates. Here are just a few of the things I've been up to:

-- Christmas program at school
-- 3 Christmas parties/dinners
-- Picking out and decorating a Christmas Tree
-- Decorating our house
-- Baking, baking, baking!
-- Aunt Julie's birthday party
-- Opening presents & stockings

Wow! That's quite a list...here's a slide show with just some of the things we've done this month:

2008-12-06T20:06:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today we celebrated my very good friend Aiden's birthday. He's turning 5. Turning 5 is a VERY big deal. It basically means that you're not a little kid anymore. It also means you get to go to KINDERGARTEN! I'm so ready for that. I heard something about 5-year-old shots, but I'm choosing to ignore that information for now.

His party was a "Star Wars" theme. I'll be honest. I don't know much it. My parents have chosen to ignore science fiction as a genre in it's entirety - I just hope it doesn't impact my future development. I didn't wear a costume for the party, but mommy did make my hair look like a character called, "Princess Leia." I'm all for dressing up like princesses! I liked the double-bun look...I ran around the house saying, "Check out my buns, check our my buns!"

At Aiden's house we played outside, ate pizza, played pop-the-balloon-by-sitting-on-it, and had cake with ice cream. Yummmmmmy.

Thanks for inviting me to your party, Aiden - Happy Birthday!!!

2008-12-02T21:13:00.000-08:00

LONGVIEW, TX - My mommy's grandma - we call her, Gran - is celebrating her 90th birthday in December. Wow! To celebrate the big event, we all hopped on a plane the day after Thanksgiving and headed to Texas.

Lindsay and Morgan met us there, and I met several new friends. One of them was named Chloe, and she was just about my age - we enjoyed doing puzzles together, playing dollies and swinging in the backyard at Uncle Tom and Aunt Linda's house.

Saturday morning was the party at church, and there were lots of family members there - from all over! There were people there from Florida, Oklahoma, Illinois, Texas and, of course, California. They had some yummy snacks, a cool game room for the kids, and a big room where all the old people, errrr, adults could mingle and chat.

On Sunday, I got to go to Sunday School with Chloe and her sister Claire at Uncle Tom's church (he's the pastor).

On Monday, we took Gran out to lunch, went to the mall and then headed to the airport for our trip home. It was quite an adventure, and boy is it c-o-l-d in Texas!

Here are some more pictures...

2008-11-27T22:42:00.000-08:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Happy Thanksgiving! My daddy asked me earlier this week what I was thankful for. I knew what kind of answer he wanted, so I just said, "My family and my friends." That seemed to satisfy him. Next he'll probably ask me what the real meaning of Christmas is. What, does he think I was born yesterday??

So today we went over to Morgan and Lindsay's house today for a Thanksgiving feast! Aunt Julie had everything decorated all fall-ish...the table was beautiful. I saw lots of kids there - even Aiden and Eli got to come!

We had the usual Thanksgiving fare, but I limited myself to turkey, olives, jello, bread and a taste of some marshmallow yam delight.

After dinner we all went for a nice long walk - it felt good to get out and stretch my legs. Then Morgan & Lindsay's Grammy helped us make a craft...cool! Finally, it was time for dessert. There were lots of pies to choose from, plus a scoop or two of ice cream, then a pumpkin chip cookie to top it off. Mmmmmm, just right.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2008-11-23T15:42:00.000-08:00

FULLERTON, CA - I read to Jake this morning before church. Look how big he is, sitting up all by himself!

2008-11-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

PLACENTIA, CA - My friend, Keira, had her 5th birthday party today. It was at Chuck E. Cheese. I can't wait to turn 5, because then I get to go to kindergarten.

I saw lots of my friends there like Keira, Mikayla, Aiden, Chelsea, Rebekah and even baby Ava. We played games, ate pizza and had cupcakes for dessert. It was a lot of fun! She got so many presents that she didn't even have time to open them. Dad says it's okay, that she'll get to open them at home. I hope so...

Dad was a little concerned with my skee-ball form. I guess most people roll the ball along the ramp - I decided it would be better just to toss the ball straight into the scoring rings on the fly. Seemed to work just fine, dad...calm down, no one got hurt.

Thanks for inviting me to your party, Keira! I had fun - I hope you did too!

2008-11-20T22:42:00.000-08:00

LA HABRA, CA - Happy Birthday, Uncle Dave! Tonight we got to celebrate Uncle Dave's big day with lots of family and friends.

We started with dinner at El Cholo, which is a bit of a tradition with their family. I'm happy to help carry on any tradition that involves eating good food - just doing my part. After that we went over to "Grammy & Papa's" house (Morgan & Lindsay's grandparents) for cake, ice cream and presents.

The cake was delicious (thanks to Aunt Julie - yummy!) and the company was fun. I played with Leah and her daddy a lot. We played "Roll the mini-pumpkin," "Sleepy Girls," and "The Who-Can-Be-Quiet Game." That last one seemed like a bit of a trick, but I went along with it this time...

Oh, we got Uncle Dave a drill, in case you were wondering. I guess he's got some projects to work on around his house.

Happy Birthday, Dave! Thanks for inviting us to your party...

2008-11-08T21:43:00.000-08:00

LONG BEACH, CA - Grandpa and Grandma are down visiting us this weekend, so I decided it would be fun to head down to the Aquarium in Long Beach.

We loaded up two cars and headed down the 710 to Shoreline Dr. There were lots of people at the aquarium today, but not so many that it felt super-crowded. I got to see lots of fish, be in a parade, touch a stingray, help grandma find all the program-stamping machines and visit some birds. Oh, then we got to go see a really big ship and a lighthouse. We couldn't go IN the lighthouse, though, which was kind of a bummer.

It was a beautiful day - I'm glad I got to spend it with my family!

2008-11-07T21:36:00.000-08:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Morgan turned 9 years old today! I got invited to her birthday party tonight. First we had a very good dinner, and then we got to be detectives and solve the mystery of the missing kittens. Finally we got to watch her open presents and have some birthday cake! I got her a "Baby Ally." I hope she likes it!

Grandpa and Grandma H. are down visiting, so they got to come to the party too.

Thanks for inviting me to your party, Morgan - Happy Birthday!!

2008-11-02T09:39:00.000-08:00

WALNUT CREEK, CA - I got a new cousin today! Isabella's mommy FINALLY had a baby, and it was a beautiful little girl. They named her Gianna, which I think is a beautiful name. I can't wait to meet her this Christmas.

Congratulations, Isabella! Oh, and Uncle Brian and Auntie 'Bekah too ;-)

2008-10-31T22:50:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Happy Halloween! Tonight I put my purple fairy costume on and took Jake around town to shout things at strangers and have them give us candy.

We started at the church Harvest Party. I got to play games, decorate a pumpkin, pet some animals, jump in a bounce house and run around with friends. Jake got to sit in his stroller. Be patient, little fella.

After that we headed over to Aiden's house for some pizza - and then it was out into the night to see about some sugar. Morgan and Lindsay met us a little later so we could finish up trick-or-treating with them.

Once we got back to Aiden's house, we got to frost and decorate some cookies - it really was quite a night! I hope you all had as much fun as I did...

2008-10-29T22:13:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA, CA - Sean and Anna invited us over for "pizza and pumpkins" tonight. We met lots of friends there, had dinner, and then carved pumpkins. Actually, I'll be honest, the daddies did most of the carving. I lifted the pumpkin onto the table and chose the design (a kitty-cat), but left the grunt work to dad. I was too busy playing with my friend Isabelle to worry about scooping the pumpkin seeds out.

After the pumpkins were done, we had some celebratory cupcakes and then lit all the candles. Thanks for carving my pumpkin, dad! It looks pretty good, even if you did do it backwards...

2008-10-28T22:07:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Tonight at the library they had a special edition of "Bedtime Bears." We got to come in our costumes, hear spooky stories, sing songs, decorate Halloween cookies and pick out some books to take home. I had a lot of fun! I went as Belle - I'm saving my Fairy costume for Friday night - and met some other princesses that I got to hang out with.

I had a great time. Thanks for taking me, mommy!

2008-10-26T09:31:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Mommy and daddy's Sunday School class has a costume party EVERY year. Last night was the big event, and I'm always up for a party, so we went. The theme was "Get Your Game On," which meant you could be dressed as any kind of game - sports game, board game or whatever else you could think of.

We went as Angels - even little Jake had a red jersey on. There were lots of kids there and we even got to play a BIG game of duck-duck-goose in the gym after we were done eating.

It was a really fun party! Thanks for setting it up, Mrs. Bridgeford & Mrs. Orr!

2008-10-25T16:25:00.000-07:00

CARLSBAD, CA - My friend, Aiden, invited us down to LegoLand today! I had never been, so I was excited. They had so many fun things to do there - there were lots of fun rides, cool legos (of course) a water park to cool off, and even some cars to drive that were just my size. We had a great day there - maybe we'll get to go back soon!

2008-10-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - We went to a carnival at my friend Maddy's school tonight. She's pretty old - I think she's a 2nd grader or something. Anyways, it was a fun little thing to go to. I got to look at and touch some cool bugs, have some good food and play with friends. I even saw Emma there from MY class!

Maddy's little sister, Mikaela was there - she loves my brother, Jake. It was a fun night, thanks for taking me, mom!

2008-10-18T21:09:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Blast from the past! That's me in the above picture taking my first bites of "solid" food waaaaaaaaayyyyy back in the day. I pulled that one out of the archives since it was Jake's turn to try rice cereal - oh, those were the days. He did pretty good, but seemed more interested in the spoon and bowl that was delivering the cereal, than the cereal itself. Oh, and he liked rubbing it in his hair. Jake, it's not shampoo, little buddy!

2008-10-17T14:07:00.000-07:00

Here's a little slideshow of a photo shoot that I took Jake to last week. We got to try our Halloween costumes on for part of it. Enjoy!

2008-10-11T22:17:00.000-07:00

OAK GLEN, CA - Well fall is FINALLY here! It has been so warm down here recently, that it's easy to forget that it's a season other than summer. Since it cooled off a bit this weekend, we decided to tag along with Aiden and his family to go apple picking. We hopped in our cars and drove up the hill to Riley's Farm near Yucaipa.

For our first stop, we visited the pumpkin patch they had there. I saw lots of pumpkins - all shapes and sizes. Some of them were even bigger than me! After that, we headed over to the orchard to pick some apples. I'd picked apples once before, but I was smaller back then - I couldn't reach any of the apples. This time, daddy lifted me up super-high so I could grab some out of the trees. We filled our basket to the brim and then went to see if we could track down some lunch. They make a mean hot dog at Riley's Farm, and daddy said the BBQ Beef sandwich was pretty good too.

After a lot of running around in the grass and visiting the goats at the petting zoo, it was time to head home. Thanks for inviting us, Aiden! I can't wait to eat all my yummy apples...

2008-10-06T20:52:00.000-07:00

BREA, CA - Well, little Jake is cute and all, but he hadn't had a haircut since, well, birth...so it was time for a trim. We went to see Vanessa at her new salon - very nice - so that we could both get cleaned up a bit. I got my hair washed and a quick bang trim. Jake sat in mommy's lap while Vanessa took a little off the sides and back. He did really good - didn't even cry once!

Thanks for setting up our appointment, Aunt Julie! I'm getting pretty spoiled with this whole salon thing - does everybody get to do this???

2008-10-06T08:15:00.001-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - My Angels are in the playoffs! Well, daddy says they're almost OUT of the playoffs already - wow, that was quick. Maybe they can put a couple of wins together and beat those nasty Red Sox. Hopefully the Angels win some more games so that they can play the Dodgers later. It would be Aunt Julie vs. Uncle Dave....what fun that would be!!!

2008-10-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - My little brother, Jake, is almost 5 months old. He's turning into such a handsome little man...

2008-09-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Tonight was the Ice Cream Social at my preschool. I've never been to one of these before, but I figured if there was going to be yummy frozen goodness, it had to be worth a shot. I had the chocolate ice cream, then I colored, then I got to go on the playground with some friends from school. Yup, I was right - I love these Ice Cream Socials...can we have another one soon??

2008-09-21T22:08:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Morgan and Lindsay invited us all over for dinner tonight. It was quite a large group since Nana & Tata are down here - they were helping mommy while daddy was pretending to travel on business. I also got to play with Zoe, Leah, Judah, and Micah! The kids got to have dinner in the playhouse - so fun. If you look closely, you can see the shirt that daddy brought me from New York...it sounds like a fun place.

In the last picture, you can see that Jake found a cozy place for a nap, although it appears someone else was sleeping on the job too...

2008-09-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - This was my "Exer-Saucer" when I was a baby - now it's Jake's territory. Such a big boy...

2008-09-14T23:09:00.000-07:00

DIAMOND BAR, CA - Tonight I got to go to my friend James' house for dinner. My other friend 'Bekah (and her sister Anna) was there too.

James' daddy made some yummy looking ribs on the grill - but those were just for the grown ups. Us kids got hot dogs, cheese and grapes, which was certainly A-O-K with me...those are three of my favorite things. I got to run and play in James' backyard, and his daddy even took us all for a wagon ride - I just wish he went faster!

'Bekah's mommy made a really good dessert with chocolate cake, whipped cream, toffee bar and caramel sauce - mmmmm good. After that we played for a little bit longer and the grown ups got to play a pretend-guitar video game. It looked pretty fun, so 'Bekah found a kiddie drum to play and I joined in with the tambourine. We sounded pretty good, if I do say so.

It was a very fun night - thanks for having us over, Jeff, Valerie & James!

2008-09-09T09:38:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - This is my brother, Jake. He'll be 4 months old next week. I think he's quite handsome. He's starting to squeak and coo and giggle and laugh at me. I think he's ready to sit up by himself, but daddy says, "not yet."

Here are some pictures of my brother from the last couple of weeks...

2008-09-04T08:54:00.001-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was the big day! I got to go back to school! I feel like I'm ready for kindergarten, like some of my friends, but I still have one year of pre-school left. That's OK...I think I'll have a lot of fun in Ms. Julia's class.

I went easy on mom & dad by sleeping in this morning. Sometimes on a big day I like to get up extra early, but I knew I needed my rest for today, so I slept all the way until 7:15. I got myself dressed, had a quick bowl of Kix, posed for a couple pictures, and we were off! We got there just in time for me to play for a few minutes before circle time started. I even got to sit next to my very good friend, Arabella.

I'm looking forward to a fun year :-)

2008-09-02T10:56:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today I got to go meet my new teacher for this year. I actually already knew her from last year, but I wasn't in her class. She's two doors down from my old teacher (Mrs. Karen). My teacher's name is Ms. Julia, and she's very nice. I think I'll have a lot of fun in her class. I found out that my friends Arabella and Kelsey, who were in my class last year, are in my class again! I even saw Kelsey this morning and played with her a little bit.

After we visited my classroom, we went and saw Mrs. Karen (who said, "You must have spent a little time in the sun this summer - you're very tanned!"). Then we walked over to the science room and saw Mrs. Vicki. She had lots of fun things out for us to play with - like plastic bugs and magnifying glasses. Then we checked out the new Art room - it had lots of paints, stamps and stickers out. We couldn't actually use them today, they were just examples of what we'll be using this year once school starts.

Then it was time to go - it all went by so fast. I can't wait to start on Thursday!

2008-08-29T18:12:00.000-07:00

LA MIRADA, CA - We had such a good time at Splash! last week that we decided to go again today. We met some friends from church this time. Jackson was there, along with Aiden, Eli, Ava and several other friends.

Since I'd been there before, I got to show everyone how to go down the slide and have a splash landing at the bottom. We all had a great day - I can't believe summer is over!

2008-08-21T20:41:00.000-07:00

LA MIRADA, CA - Today mommy took me to Splash! with some friends. Splash! is a water park that is over by where Aunt Julie used to work. We met Morgan, Lindsay, Sean & Anna there and had a great time!

There is a whole playground that is surrounded by water, a lazy river that you can float down and lots of other cool stuff. I got to wear a green life jacket so that I could float beside the other kids - I could have stayed there all day. Well, I basically did. We even got to have some Hawaiian Shave ice. I chose red & green (strawberry/lime), just like Lindsay & Anna.

Thanks for setting it up, Aunt Julie...that was real fun!!

2008-08-20T20:29:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - My daddy brought home this new bookcase from Costco today. I guess mommy had seen it the other day and thought I might like it. Like it? Um, that's a pretty good guess! What girl wouldn't want a "dollhouse" bookcase? It's perfect!!

Aunt Julie came over to help me clean and rearrange my room so that I now have my very own little reading nook. Thanks, Aunt Julie!!!

In other news, Jake has gone mobile. He has figured out how to move around by pushing off with his legs and feet while lying on his back. Mom & Dad have taken to calling him, "Scooter." There was one time that we left him on his back for a bit, so he just scooted all the way across he living room. The cute part is that sometimes, while he's scooting, he closes his eyes and grunts like a Russian weightlifter snapping off the clean and jerk. "Ahhyahh!" Maybe I'll call him Boris.

2008-08-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - Today we went to my friend Eli's birthday party. There were lots of kids there, like Tyler, Mollie, James, Abby, Megan, Lauren, and, of course, Aiden and Ava. We started at Build-A-Bear at Fashionable Island. You might remember that I had my birthday party there just over a year ago. That being the case, I was well prepared for the routine.

First you pick a squishy, stuff-less animal. Then you grab a little, red heart to put inside, and then you get to stuff it. After stuffing it, you can pick out some clothes and accessories for it. This is by far my favorite part. I chose a princess top and skirt with some high heeled shoes. Then I picked out a set of Hello Kitty PJ's for my pink and white teddy bear that I named, Fancy.

For lunch, we headed upstairs to McDonald's where we ate and opened presents. Eli really liked the Spiderman flashlight I got him - he wouldn't let it out of his sight once he opened it.

Then we got to play in the fountain - it was another beautiful day!

Happy Birthday, Eli!!

2008-08-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here's Jake in his bumbo seat. He likes watching the Olympics on TV in his bumbo, especially the swimmers.

2008-08-15T18:02:00.000-07:00

CORONA DEL MAR, CA - Today was a beach day. We met some friends down at a new beach. I hadn't been to this one before - it was very nice! My friends Edward, Jackson, Hannah, and Aiden were all there. Oh, and Ava too. We ran and splashed and dug in the sand. Actually, Edward's daddy did most of the digging for us - but we sure enjoyed the big hole he made!

It was a beautiful day to be outside. Thanks for the ride, Mina! I had a great time!

2008-08-11T10:27:00.000-07:00

I'm back from vacation! We got back home last night, and while it's good to finally be home, I was having such fun on vacation that wanted to stay there. Permanent Vacation. Sound good? Here is what I was up to over the past 2 weeks:

SANTA ROSA, CA - We made our first stop in Santa Rosa, CA, which is where Nana & Tata live. Lindsay and Morgan even came to visit too, and we got to sleep in the same room! Some highlights from that portion of the trip were:

-- Playing in the water at the park with Katrina & Leyna
-- Riding the Train, Merry-Go-Round and a pony at the same park
-- Visiting the Sonoma County Fair (and getting free ice cream)
-- Going to the "Sticker Factory"
-- Cooking with Nana

CASTRO VALLEY, CA - My cousin Isabella was celebrating her 3rd birthday, so I wanted to make sure I didn't miss the big event. The party was at a park with lots of trees and shade and we had a great time. Making the event even more special was a visit from Big Grandpa Humes (Daddy's grandpa) and Grandma Jewell. They came all the way our from Kansas to see us. It was great to see them too. Jake even met a little boy who was born just two days after he was.

I really liked seeing Grandpa, Grandma, Auntie 'Manda, Uncle Brian, Aunt Rebekah and Isabella, of course! We had fun playing at Grandpa & Grandma's house. Grandpa played games with me & Isabella and Uncle Brian showed Daddy how to play Wii Golf. Good times!

BEAUTIFUL LAKE TAHOE, CA - Our last destination was the cabin at Lake Tahoe. I really like visiting the cabin because I get to pick where I want to swim each day. Will it be the pool or the lake? We went swimming in the lake 3 days and took a dip in the pool on the other 3 days. I also got to go for a ride on a big boat called the "Tahoe Gal" that took us for a ride along the north shore.

It was great to have lots of people with us in the cabin. Nana and Tata came, and so did Aunt Julie, Uncle Dave and Morgan and Lindsay. We had a great time. One of my favorite things that we did was "breaking in" to Sand Harbor on our last day there. The parking lot was full so we had to park on the street and slide under the fence to get in. That was fun!

2008-07-27T20:55:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Well, we're headed out on our trip first thing in the morning! I'm not sure how much I'll be able to post over the next couple of weeks - I'll be keeping mommy and daddy very busy.

First we'll go to Santa Rosa, then Castro Valley and finally Lake Tahoe! Should be quite a ride...pics and stories comin' soon!!!

2008-07-24T23:24:00.000-07:00

COSTA MESA, CA - Today daddy took the day off work and we all went to the Orange County Fair. I know that I've been before, but I don't remember having this much fun!

Right after we got there I got to go on a couple rides - I LOVED the little roller coaster they had set up for us. Then I got to go meet some animals (and milk a cow, kind of), get my face painted, do a puzzle, visit a petting zoo and, finally, I got to watch a pig race! There was even a pig wearing a pink vest with #5 on it. Her name was "Strawberry." She was very fast, but the other pigs were faster. That's ok - she's still #1 in my book!

After another trip down the super big slide, it was time to leave. Awwww, man. I had a really good time at the Fair today - can't wait 'til we come back next summer!

2008-07-23T09:11:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - The best things in life...

I took daddy and Jake for a little walk last night - we like to walk after dinner sometimes. As we rounded the corner of our street we saw this cute little house. I guess the little girl around the corner was all done playing with it, so I asked daddy if we could buy it. He said he knew we could afford it, he just wasn't sure how to get it home.

Well, I guess he figured it out, because look what was in our backyard this morning! Thanks, daddy - I'll have you over to my house for a little tea sometime soon, ok?

2008-07-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Baby Jake got some tummy-time today. He still can't play tea party with me, though.

For those who are curious about such things, we got his stats back from his 2-month appointment at the Doctor:

13 lbs 6oz (50th %)

24 inches long (90th %)

2008-07-17T21:38:00.000-07:00

LONG BEACH, CA - Today we were more than happy to join Aiden, Eli and Ava for a trip to the Aquarium. They had lots of things for us to see and do there. I saw lots of fish, of course, worked on some crafts, climbed on some things and was part of a mini-musical they put on (I played the part of the sea urchin).

I think my favorite part was the section where we could touch things that were underwater. I got to touch stingrays, starfish and lots of other cool things.

I can't wait to go back - and this time I'll even let my dad come. Maybe.

2008-07-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Morgan and Lindsay FINALLY got back from their camping trip today. It seemed like they were gone for a loooooong time. To celebrate we went the the Arboretum. We took our lunch in with us and enjoyed looking at all the birds, flowers and turtles. Morgan loves turtles - I can't believe I've never shown her this cool place before!

We had a great time outside and then I got to go over to their house this afternoon and play some more. I'm so glad they're back - what a great day!

2008-07-15T20:31:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Here I am practicing my snorkeling for when we go to Lake Tahoe. Mommy got me a new mask, snorkel and fin set to take on vacation. I had to give them a test run in the bathtub, just to make sure they worked. Aunt Julie got me a cool new Barbie "Mermaid" doll today (not pictured). Thanks! I love it!

I'm looking forward to some serious snorkel action later this summer...should be fun!

2008-07-13T10:45:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Aunt Julie and Uncle Dave invited us over for dinner last night. They wanted to show us their new patio furniture - it looks great! My mommy says it's like they added two rooms onto the back of their house. Needless to say we ate dinner outside and then headed out to the corral for a rousing game of horseshoes.

It looked like a fun game, but I thought we were going to be WEARING the horseshoes instead of throwing them. Oh well, it was still fun. After that we had a super-yummy dessert: pound cake with fresh raspberries, raspberry sauce and vanilla ice cream. It was very, very, very, very good!

Thanks for having us over, guys - I had a great night!!

The new "Living Room"...

and the "Dining Room"...

Wow, this is harder than it looks..

Uncle Dave, demonstrating that perfect form...

2008-07-12T20:38:00.000-07:00

I think we caught Jake's first smile! He's getting so big already...

2008-07-10T23:09:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was the last day of swim lessons for this year. I got to jump off of the diving board - wheeeeeee!!! I can't wait to go swimming at Lake Tahoe and show everyone what I learned.

We got yummy treats after we were all done swimming. My dad says mine was something called a "Ho-Ho." Kind of a funny name, but it sure tasted good!

Here's a video that I made - hope you like it...

2008-07-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

LA HABRA HEIGHTS, CA - Happy 4th of July! We went to Morgan & Lindsay's house after nap today. Judah and Micah were there too, and so were Zoe and Leah. We all splashed in the pool and played together until dinner (Carne Asada, of course) and then got to do glow-stix and sparklers in the front yard before heading off in search of BIG fireworks.

We tried to watch some from the front yard, but couldn't see very well (small tree obstruction problem - photo evidence below) so some of us jumped in cars and raced to the top of a hill to see if we could see them better. We got there just in time! Nana held me up so I could see them - thanks Nana!

Mommy, daddy and Jake stayed back at the house and watched (through the trees) them there.

Then I got to spend the night at Morgan and Lindsay's house - woo-hoo!!

Happy 4th - I hope yours was as fun as mine :-)

2008-07-03T21:19:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Today was my daddy's birthday (Mommy says it's also Tom Cruise's birthday, but I'm not sure what that has to do with us).

Anyways, after daddy took me to swim lessons I got to come home and help make the apple crisp. He voted for apple crisp instead of cake - not sure why, but it's his day, he can do what he wants, right? So mommy bought this cool apple corer/peeler/slicer tool from Williams-Sonoma and I got to try it. It took a little muscle, but I got an apple peeled and sliced and ready for mommy to bake.

Nana, Tata, Uncle Dave, Aunt Julie, Morgan & Lindsay all came over - we had a really good dinner and then he opened his presents. I got him the shirt he's wearing in the picture, do you like it? Mommy framed his Maui map for him that had been rolled up in a tube and sitting under his bed since they went to Maui (without me) in December of '03. Maui sounds fun - I'm ready for my turn now, OK mommy and daddy?

It was a pretty big day - I hope daddy liked it. Happy Birthday, daddy!!!

2008-06-30T21:50:00.000-07:00

FULLERTON, CA - Summer means swimming lessons - yay for me. You may recall that last year's swim lessons did not start out on a good note for me personally - yes, there were tears. I'm happy to report that this year started much smoother. I jumped in the pool as soon as I got there, and did everything the teachers asked me too. I remembered to bring my pink goggles as no swim lesson would be complete without them.

It was soooooo fun. My friend Aiden was there - he's a good swimmer too. We floated and kicked and jumped in off the side. I can't wait to go back tomorrow, I love swim lessons!!

2008-06-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

BREA,CA - My mommy took me and baby Jake to a store at the mall to get our pictures taken a couple weeks ago (right about the time Jake turned 1-month old).

Here is the result of that photo shoot. As you can see, I'm starting to warm up to the camera...

(Sorry about the "Zazzle" watermark on all the pics - hope you can still enjoy them)