Tagged

Alright... I finally have time to do this. Here goes.....

A- Attached or single?  Attached for almost 8 1/2 years 

B- Best Friend? Mark- he is the best friend ever! 

C- Cake or Pie? Cake hands down- no competition.

D- Day of Choice? Saturday- Mark is home & we get to be together as a family (even if we're busy doing chores)

E- Essential Item? Fingernail clippers & chapstick 

F- Favorite Color? Hard to say- very into bright springy colors right now..... pink, yellow, green

G- Gummy bears or worms? Bears, but I don't really like either

H- Hometown? Moreno Valley

I- Favorite Indulgence? Freshed baked chocolate chip cookie, long hot shower (uninterrupted), getting a pedicure or my hair done

J- January of July? January- July is too hot!

K- Kids?  2 girls: Paige- 3 and Claire- 10 months

L- Life isn't complete without? My Family 

M- Marriage Date? November 20, 1999

N- Number of Brothers and sisters? 4- 3 brothers & 1 sister

O- Oranges or Apples? Love both... but I do eat an apple almost every day.

P- Phobias and Fears? Not always being with my family

Q- Quotes? The one I say a lot right now is "because I'm the Mom and I said so". 

R- Reason to Smile? Mark, the girls, family & friends, finishing a hard workout, Glen Ivy, Chocolate, fitting into "skinny clothes", having a good hair day, sleeping in (even if just for a few extra minutes).

S- Season of Choice? Spring- Love to see fruit trees with their blossoms and for the weather to get warmer, but not hot yet.

T- Tag Someone? Laura, Mark,  Ashley & Renee

U- Unknown Facts about me? Not really... I'll try to think of some

V- Vegetable? Tomato- they taste good on just about everything

W- Worst habit? Procrastinating & being too hard on myself

X- Xray or Ultrasound? Ultrasound- love to see a sweet baby for the first time & how miraculous it is that they are so tiny, but totally perfect. 

Y- Your favorite food? Does dessert count? Any type of baked good is always delicious, but Italian food is probably my favorite. Pasta always sounds good. 

Z- Zodiac Sign? Aquarius

Spring Training

We are feeling adventurous this year (or totally crazy). Mark thought it would be fun to go to Arizona to see a few Angels games during spring training. We thought it would be a good idea to take Paige with us. Grammy volunteered to watch Claire for us (thanks Grammy! She wouldn't have had fun at the game). Arizona was very fun & VERY hot, which Mark and I enjoyed- but Paige did not. We had great seats, but the game was right around her nap time & did I mention it was hot? It was at least 90... Mark and I loved spending time outside & didn't mind getting a little color. Paige was miserable almost the entire game & she let us know...... over and over again..... the game was fun, but Paige might've been too young this year. She did like staying in a hotel and loved swimming with her best buddy (dad). All in all, it was a good trip, but we might have been a little  spoiled from out previous trip. Paige fell asleep on our way back to the hotel. She was exhausted. We had dinner at Texas Roadhouse (similiar to the Roadhouse Grill out here). The food was delicious! Love a good steak! Paige said she felt sick & threw up in a peanut bucket.... don't worry we threw it away. It just added to the excitment of our trip. The next day we stopped by a new Cabellas in Glendale, AZ. It is SO huge... Paige loved the giant aquariums and animals on display. She found this giant moose & we couldn't resist  a picture. On our way to the game the next day, we discovered we had tickets for the wrong day.... OOoooooppps! We ending up leaving a little early, which I think worked out best for everyone. Our sunburns probably didn't need anymore sun, Paige needed a nap & we were all missing Claire. 

Easter Morning

Kidless in Seattle

Happy Easter!

Easter morning was so much fun! Paige could've cared less about the hidden easter eggs.... we finally had to say "Let's look for the eggs". The Easter Bunny was VERY generous this year. Paige was was very excited about her basket & loved everything. She especially loved having candy first thing in the morning! She got a new harmonica in her basket (which may have been a bad idea). When she finally started looking for the eggs, she used her harmonica to "call for the eggs" so she could find them. When she accidentally dropped one of the eggs on the tile it cracked all over. She picked it up & said "oh no... the egg is hatching". She was so cute! Claire loved shaking the candy filled eggs & when one hit the floor- so did all the jelly beans inside. She went crazy & grabbed a jelly bean as fast as she could. She apparently likes jelly beans.... but don't worry, we only let her have one. We took more pictures than usual... I guess I was excited to post them on our blog :0)

We tried to get a family picture- taken by ourselves and at least one of the girls in their matching Easter dresses. As you can see, we REALLY tried. 

The picture of Paige with her sunglasses & dog was taken right before we left for church. We thought they really complemented her dress!

'Twas the night before Easter

I thought it would be a good idea for Paige to dye eggs this year for Easter... she might have been too young this year, but we had a good time. She was very excited for the Easter Bunny to bring her candy. We had Easter dinner on Saturday because we were leaving Sunday after church for Angels Spring Training in Arizona. Uncle Matt came for dinner & stayed for the egg dying. I love the picture of Paige looking into the cup! 

Easter Bunnies???

The other day I noticed something in our planters & assumed it was a bird. I took a closer look & it was the cutest baby bunny! Then , I noticed another little bunny hopping around. They are so small & hard to see, but they have been fun to watch. Paige gets a kick out them. They've been in our yard for about a week so I'm not sure if they're here to stay or just hanging around to make sure the Easter Bunny finds his way :0)

Kidless in Seattle

Mark was going to Seattle to check out a dog show for work. He asked if I'd want to come along since it would just be a weekend trip. We have the most AMAZING parents that made it possible  for us to have a weekend away without kids. We split up the girls- each one went to a different grandparent's house. I think everyone had fun with having one-on-one time, but I think the girls missed each other. Unfortunately, Paige got sick over the weekend. I'm thankful she was with loving grandparents who took such good care of her. 

We had SO much fun! We went out to eat, to the Space Needle, the Seattle Museum of the Arts, and of course the dog show. Mark had bought tickets for a Matchbox 20 concert Saturday night- that was cool! I didn't realize how many good songs they have- great concert. It was nice to have "quality" time together. We kept commenting on how quiet it was in the car (those with little kids will understand). Mark got to drive the Infiniti G35 all weekend. Mark loved it! It was nice, but not a family car. The weather was good (especially for Seattle). It only rained Friday night a little. It was cloudy & drizzly in the morning, but Saturday ended being a beautiful day. If you ever go to Seattle, be prepared to pay for parking everywhere you go downtown- its crazy. And you have to check out the ENORMOUS R.E.I. store. It's pretty cool- and has it's own parking garage. I'm working on a slide show... I actually took pictures!

We missed our girls & were glad to come home. The time change was rough on us- we got back late from the concert & had to be up early to catch our flight. Paige talked the WHOLE way back to our house. Sounds like she had a blast with Gramma & Grampa. I'm sure if Claire would talk she would tell us how much fun she had too. The girls were very excited to see other! Thanks again to wonderful grandparents- We love and appreciate you! 

*** I finally figured out the slideshow, but can't figure out how to move it??? 

Things I love......

Aside from my two girls and sweet husband, there are a few things that I love. It is obvious that I have a serious SWEET tooth. Chocolate (in all varieties), Chocolate Chip cookies, chocolate covered strawberries and cake are among my top favorites. I also love Red Velvet Cake. For those of you who watch the Ellen show, you may have heard her talk about red velvet cake too. There's a place in LA call Doughboys that is world famous for their red velvet cake. We decided to be adventurous & drive out to LA to get some red velvet cake for my birthday (we also had a party with Mark's family). We drove out to LA on Saturday. That night were tired and teasing Paige that she'd have to tuck us in. She was going to sing to us & say prayers with us. She then started off with the sweetest prayer. Right before she wrapped it up, she started in with the Pledge of Allegiance (that she knows by heart from preschool- thanks MOM). She was so serious and then finished off with a traditional "AMEN". We were trying not to crack up, but it was hard not to. She was so sweet and sincere, but it was too funny. 

The next morning, I woke up with the stomach flu. All I could think of was my red velvet cake I wouldn't be able to eat! Everyone said it was delicious & I felt okay enough that night to have a few bites. It was good! I would recommend it to anyone who likes Red Velvet cake. FYI- the next morning I felt much better & had a rather large piece for breakfast... MMMMMmmmmm

9 months & learning to walk

Claire is already nine months old. She is almost walking already! Her record is 20 steps, but she'll usually take 3 or 4 and then fall backwards. She's pretty resilient & will get right back up & do it again. These pictures tell it perfectly. Claire is pushing the hippo (that is supposed to help her walk) and Paige is getting a ride out of it. They were both having fun! 

Slow to blog... but better than no blog????

My family knows all too well that I'm not good with remembering to take pictures, bring my camera, etc.... and if I actually do take pictures, good luck ever seeing them! They are happily sitting on my computer at home or in the Costco folder waiting to be sent. I have TONS of pictures to develop & scrapbook.... my poor girls. Blogging has so far gone much better than I expected. It only March & I already have several entries! Be patient with me.... if you really need to see pictures or stay updated, you can always link to my sister, sister in-law & mom's blogs (thanks for being so on top of it)- they are kicking in my butt in the blog world & staying much more current than me.