First day of School!

Today was a happy day and a sad day for us. Audrey started preschool and she was so excited to go! Since I have heard many parents share stories of their kids first day of school with me, I wasn't sure what to expect. Many of those kids cried and didn't want their parent to go. I had the opposite experience with Audrey and after the drop off, I was the one in tears; go figure. When we were leaving, she just looked back and said, "bye, Mom." I was OK, till I got to the car, then I cried for a few minutes. I was happy that she was excited, but a little sad to see her start a new phase. The first day was long for me and I couldn't wait to go and pick her up. When Scott met me at the house, I had the car half way down the driveway geared up and ready to go. It's true that the time goes by so fast and I don't want to miss a second of it! Here are some fun pics from her first day.

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Audrey's 3rd Birthday with a trip to the magical Kingdom, otherwise known as the happiest place on Earth. We had such a great time, who wouldn't have fun at Disneyland? I feel like a kid again every time I step foot onto into Main Street. This time we stayed at The Grand Californian resort, totally worth it. It's great to just walk to Disneyland and take a break in the middle of the day to rest and head back for more fun. We stayed till the end of the firework show, which we really loved. Audrey wore her Birthday button that was given to her by the hotel and everyone who passed us wished her a "Happy Birthday." It was really cool and made her feel so special. The next day we enjoyed breakfast with a few characters that Audrey loves; Pluto, Goofy and Chip and Dale. It truly was a magical Birthday that she will never forget.

My little ballerina

I have been excited to get into a Mommy and me activity with Audrey. She has been expressing an interest in ballet and wearing ballet shoes. She loved going to the store to try them on so I thought it would be fun to try a class and see how it goes. I found a great local place in Mission Hills. The teacher is great and Audrey loved her! When class began, she asked us all to take a seat and Audrey went right over to her and sat in her lap. It was so much fun and such great exercise. Audrey learned a few ballet moves and a few French terms too. Miss Michelle teaches her students about the language used in Ballet and the importance of stretching and just having fun. Audrey was so tired when we left, and she really didn't want to leave. All of the students said "Merci" to Miss Michelle when they left and Audrey wasn't interested in doing so. When she woke up from her nap, she said to me, "Mommy, I didn't say Merci to Miss Michelle, I have to go back.

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What's with the attitude?

We had a princess party to attend last Saturday and Audrey was thrilled about it, that is, until we arrived. At home she was happy about her princess themed attire, which included an adorable pink and cheetah detailed tutu, magic wand, and her beloved pink converse. I was delighted to get a second wear out of the tutu which was her Halloween costume last year. Audrey can never resist a nap in the car when she's sleepy and the ride was not long enough to get a decent nap, so when we arrived she was a little grouchy. She needs a little time after she wakes up till she's ready to be social and tolerant of others. I can be a little like that, so I've heard :) We were the first to arrive and Snow White was the guest of honor, happily painting faces and doing her ‘Snow White’ thing. “Do you want to get your face painted sweetie?" I asked. She wanted no part of anything that seemed fun, in fact she was a little dramatic and snotty, which, I can't like! Every time someone would ask her if she wanted to have her face painted, arm painted or a tattoo, she just replied with, "uh uh." Seriously? We are at a kid-party with Snow White, there are treats EVERYWHERE within her reach and she still wouldn't snap out of it! Eventually Snow White won her over with a balloon animal…the girl has a weakness for balloon animals. The rest of the party was great, except for the fact that she refused to eat anything that wasn't covered in frosting. I'm sure you can guess how the rest of the day went.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Where has the time gone?

January flew by! Audrey was sick for a little over a week. It's tough to stay indoors with a little ball of energy. We took a few neighborhood walks and trips to the carousel. Just tried to keep her away from other kids. I have been going back to Pilates weekly and it feels great! Such a great way for me to relax, get healthy and have fun. I have met some great Women in my class too. Audrey keeps me active, but it's not quite the same. When you are inside for a solid week, you get creative. I made a quick trip to Target to get some essentials. There was a tree tent around Christmas that Scott found. It looked cute, but didn't think we needed it. When I saw it on clearance and a week of not seeing friends or going on play dates flashed before my eyes, I decided that we did in fact need the tree tent. It's awesome and Audrey's face lighting up as I walked through the door with it, shouting " you bought this for me? Thank you, Mom!" Totally worth it :)

A Very Happy Holiday!

Christmas was so much fun this year! Audrey saw Santa and we looked forward to his arrival before Christmas morning. Audrey really enjoyed Christmas eve with family and Christmas morning with just the 3 of us. We had dinner and appetizers with Grandpa Johnny, my brother and his family. On Christmas morning we opened presents, enjoyed some pancakes and headed over to the Hotel Del Coronado for some Christmas fun. It was such a beautiful day. We walked over to the hotel and admired the beautiful decorations. Later that night we enjoyed another delicious dinner with my brother, Christi and Mila. It was great to celebrate with family! Audrey loved singing Christmas songs and spending time with everyone. Here are a few photos from our holiday celebrations. Hope everyone had a great holiday season!

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Yesterday had to have been one of Audrey's best days. We started our morning at the Hard Rock Cafe to have breakfast with Santa. We enjoyed music by Hullabaloo, one of Audrey's favorite bands, and got a chance to sit with Santa. It was awesome! She has never wanted to see Santa up close, but she did great! She also got a butterfly painted on her face. We all had a blast! Later that night we went to the hot cocoa stand on Garrison Street, enjoyed the amazing holiday lights and saw a few friends. A special guest arrived to say "hi" to all of the kids...yep, it was Santa! Two Santa sightings in one day, it was so much fun! We look forward to having breakfast with Santa again next year! Audrey loved visiting with Santa and she asked him for 3 special toys, a dollhouse, a fire truck and a puzzle. Looks like Santa has some shopping to do.

Vacation time!

We just got back from our first big vacation with Audrey; a trip to Maui for 5 days. We have heard so many dreadful stories about kids on airplanes, but our little one was a trooper. She was very excited to go to Hawaii and we told her all about the fun on the beach we could enjoy every day and the airplane ride we would take to get there. She was so thrilled and asked every day if she could go. We stayed in Napili at the Napili Kai Resort. It was very beautiful and low key, just our style. The weather was amazing and we played at the beach and enjoyed the sunshine. We met some great people and a cat too. Mama Cat was a resident at Napili Kai who slept out side our door every night. She welcomed us in the morning with an adorable meow :) Could have been the salmon food we gave her. Audrey loved having a sweet animal around and it made our trip really special. We look forward to another trip to Maui and many more fun memories.

Happy Halloween!

We celebrated Halloween a little early this year with a few close friends. The Pearson family had a party for the kids and Eric dressed up as Buzz Lightyear. The kids were all over him. It was hilarious! He was the celebrity hit of the night. We enjoyed treats, did a little Trick-or Treating and enjoyed some time with friends. Audrey dressed up as a kitty cat and loved going door to door getting candy. It was so cute to watch her. We had a fun night and Audrey was so excited that she could barely sleep. She didn't eat much, had candy and cookies for dinner and that could have kept her up too? On Halloween night, we went to Trick-or-Treating to a couple of houses in the neighborhood and then went home to pass out candy to kids at our house. I was so excited when a big group of kids actually showed up because we have not had any kids come to our house in a few years. I buy candy every year and then we end up eating it. Audrey loved seeing all of the kids in costume come too! The weird thing was someone stole the pumpkins we had out front but it was a great Halloween weekend overall!

10/3/10

Our family headed to Big Bear on October 2nd to see Audrey's Aunt Sandi and cousin Naomi. We had never been to Big Bear as a family. We had a fun visit, took long walks, laughed and played. It was a great trip! This all changed on our way home. We stopped in Murrieta for a bite to eat and a potty break. It was a hot day and we needed to let Ivory, our dog get some water too. We ate and decided to get back on the road and head home. After a few minutes on the freeway, a large SUV came into our lane swerving out of control. Scott tried hard to get us away from them, but it was impossible. They hit us and sent us over the side of the freeway. We rolled at high speed and landed upside down. When we stopped, the car was quiet and I immediately looked back at Audrey. She was just sitting quietly in her seat, albeit upside down. I got out of my seat belt and went to her. I couldn't believe she was ok. She started to cry and I did too. I was so happy she was unharmed. I called for Scott to help us out of the car and to look for Ivory. He found Ivory, but she had already passed. She was not belted in and she ended up underneath our car. It was so horrible and sad. She was always protective of us and it saddened us that we couldn't protect her.

It was a tragic event and we lost an amazing dog who truly was the sweetest one I have ever known. The rest of us were able to walk away. Scott and I had some injuries but we are so thankful that we all survived. We are doing our best to move on and stay positive for Audrey. She still asks about Ivory daily and she says she misses her. We were happy that Ivory got a chance to run around, chase squirrels and be a dog. She will be remembered as part of our family.

Disneyland!!!

We celebrated our 4 year anniversary with a trip to ‘the happiest place on earth’. Audrey had never been and we couldn't wait any longer. We arrived on Friday and it was awesome! There were short lines, very few people and it was a great day to go. Audrey was so excited! She had heard us talk about Disneyland but never knew what it was. She saw the carousel and wanted to go there first. We enjoyed a few rides, met Mickey and Pluto, then decided to head to the hotel and rest for a bit and go back for some nighttime rides and maybe even watch the fireworks show. We stayed at the Disneyland hotel and it was nice to be close by and enjoy the full Disney experience. Audrey was so excited and couldn't wait to ride the monorail back for more rides and see the fireworks.

We returned later to a much more crowded scene and after a bit decided that it was too much. We enjoyed the show from just outside our hotel and stayed up later than usual. Audrey was tired and almost too excited to sleep. We can't wait to go back and see Mickey again.

Monday funday!

We started our week with a play date at the New Children's Museum downtown. It's a great place for kids and we love all of the fun things they have there; except for the jumpy. Audrey is not a big fan of those. As a matter of fact, the first thing she said to me when I told her that we were going to meet Lilly at the museum was, "I can't like the jumpy, Mom." I can't like is her way of saying I don't like. I would correct her, but it's so cute :) We had fun playing in the rain house, painting and listening to a story.

Audrey had a surprise visit from her Dad and we had lunch with him too. Scott works a few blocks away and it was great for him to see her and play for a bit. We look forward to our next visit. It was a great way to start off our week.

Summer fun with friends!

We had a busy weekend filled with fun. Since we don't have many resources for childcare, I am trying to get a good support network amongst our friends. It's crucial to have friends with kids close in age and it's a wonderful thing when we all love hanging out together. On Friday, Audrey's friend Brody came over for a play date and it was great for her to have a friend at our house. It's a pretty cozy (small) home and we don't entertain much here. It was so much fun, they play really well together and it was great to help out a friend.

On Saturday we celebrated a friend's second birthday and then went over to see the Pearson's for a BBQ. Blossom, Brian and Brody were there too. The kids all played together the entire time and we actually enjoyed some adult conversation and great food. It was a perfect evening and we all had so much fun. It's great to see Audrey enjoy time with her friends and they are all so cute!

Weekend fun!

We had a great weekend, but once again it flew by. I love it when we are all home together, laughing and just having fun. On Saturday we went to a friends house to celebrate a first and a third birthday for their two adorable daughters. We met them almost a year ago at a photo shoot. They are all so nice and we enjoy hanging with them. The party was so much fun and they have the perfect backyard for a kid party. Audrey made herself right at home and started playing with all of the toys. We met some nice people and enjoyed some good conversation and best of all, cake! They live in a small house which is beautifully re-done and it's a great, cozy space…it makes me realize how much I want a yard to enjoy with my family. It's great to just sit outside and play.

Here are some photos from the party. Audrey and Isla are enjoying cake together and Malia is enjoying her cake too.

On Sunday we enjoyed a lazy day at home, my favorite way to spend a day with my family.

Who's the boss?

Our little one is going through a big stage now and she is constantly bossing us around; well at least she tries to. When she wants something she just says that. "I WANT music." We have to stop her and re-direct her from demanding her needs to asking for them. It has been challenging but we are getting through it. I just hope it doesn't get too ugly. We went out for pizza last night with Grandpa Jim and Grandma Lynda and it was not as successful as we had hoped for. We were the ones with the screaming kid in the restaurant. It's never fun to be those people, but it seems like everyone has one of those moments and last night it was our turn.

Home Sweet Home

It has been almost a year since I left my corporate job and became a stay at home Mom. There have been compromises, adjustments, long days and amazing days. It has been an incredible journey for our family and I am very thankful that I have had this time with Audrey. Today was one of those amazing days where we just played, laughed and danced to Lady Gaga in her room. She actually did her first somersault by accident. She looked up at me, a little scared about what she did, but I just said "yeah, you did it!" All it took was a little encouragement and she was ready to do it again; then it was my turn of course :) I just love watching her have fun and smile. I realize what really matters in life and I owe it all to her. She shows us how simple life can be and more importantly, she continues to remind me of that, I just need to pay attention more. Here is a photo of her in her room today, so fun!

Fun on the 4th!

We spent our 4th over at an old friend's house in Point Loma. These are friends that I grew up with and they are really more like an extended family. We were always at each other's houses, well, we were usually at theirs; they had a tree house :) We played hide and seek, had water fights, rode bikes and skateboards together. This was back when kids spent more time playing outside, that is, until the street lights came on. It is so fun to reunite, catch up and have our kids play together. We spent time there last year too and although another year went by, it felt like no time had passed when we reconnected. Audrey had a blast and made herself right at home. She played with toys and chased bubbles with her friend, Lilly. Mary and Eric were a big part of our childhood and memories of our life in PL. Eric and I are close in age and we walked to school together daily. Mary, (Eric's sister) and my brother are the same age and now we all have kids the same age, so cool! We had such a great time reminiscing about the good ole days and we look forward to seeing them again. Below are photos of Mary with Audrey and Lilly and the girls having fun together.

Where did June go?

Last month was a busy month for us, hence the serious lack of blog entries. My husband left an old job, started a new one. Audrey shot a commercial for Target and we took a mini-vacation to Palm Springs. Audrey has become so much more independent and she wants to do everything herself, except for using the potty. That one is going to take a little longer. I can't believe it's been a month since my last entry, where does the time go? Having a little person makes it a little challenging to stay on top of some things, but it's totally worth it. Looking forward to some sunny weather and fun times with Audrey.

I have included some photos from our trip to Palm Springs. We stayed at Rancho Las Palmas and it rocked! Very kid-friendly, great food and there's a lazy river. We had fun, relaxed, took naps and enjoyed some family time. Can't wait for our next vacation.