Look Who's 2!!!

Dear Sweet Baby Girl,

Yes, I know you are no longer a baby, but to me you will always be my baby...how are you 2? Where has the time gone? You are the cutest two year old I know...the way you call your doggie, "come tuckee, come here right now, good boy"...I love all the words you are putting together. You love telling us that you're happy...the conversation goes like this, "Mommy happy, Daddy happy, AE (that's how you say your name) happy, Tuckee happy". Whenever we are talking about our family and going anywhere you have to name all of us...it's the sweetest thing. You are obsessed with my hair, like really obsessed, you hold it when you're tired, hurt, or startled, and you try to wrap your body in it while falling asleep, if you can't have my hair then your holding your own. You love to be outside, playing with chalk, bubbles, or simply throwing the ball for your dog. We go to Sea World and you love to pet the starfish and see the turtles, in fact you watch documentaries on turtles and ask to see them all the time. You love to fake cough so I will pat your back and once I do you say, "there mommy all better". You understand all that mommy and daddy talk about, it's a little scary and you can now count to twenty and love to count everything. In the car you say "one car, two car, three car", etc. Also in the car you are in love with Adele. The second we start going somewhere you say "mommy Del please" and then once it's on you say "mommy loud song", cause you already love rocking out to loud music in the car. We have awesome dance parties together and you love to hold your daddy's hand and run all around the house. You have changed our lives and we are better people because of you. We are blessed to be your parents and look forward to your third year of life!!

Love,

Your Mommy

30!!

Tomorrow I turn 30...I'm not sure how that's possible, but it's the truth and somehow I've got to accept it!! I've been reflecting on my 20's and wanted to write down a few things that I either experienced or learned each year...so here's my list...

20~I was a sophomore in college and met my future husband(we were chemistry lab partners and I had a HUGE crush)...when I think back about life, I feel like this is where mine began.

21~I moved out of my parents house to England...just a little move...across the pond (aka ocean)...I called my dad the minute I landed and asked him if I could come back home...of course he said yes but only after a week of trying it and well I didn't come home, instead I had the most amazing time. Met new friends who would be life long, experienced culture in many different countries, enjoyed going to classes (especially my American Studies class, that was always a good time), and backpacked across Europe with a friend. I learned independence at the age of 21 and knew that I could do anything...

22~I graduated college and began the teaching credential program...I worked hard at school and just enjoyed being young and in love...

23~I finished the credential program and began the process of finding a job. I actually began to believe that I was an adult who had to make a living...I moved to Oceanside, right by the beach(oh how I miss our old beach house) with my love and learned how to live with another person!! Such fun things you learn about people when you live with them!!

24~I got my first teaching job...2nd grade!! I loved it...and I began my masters program!! I was very motivated in my twenties...mmm maybe I need to get back into school!!

25~I graduated with a Masters in Education and we celebrated 5 years of being together with a puppy!!

26~I got engaged and started planning my wedding!!!

27~My niece passed away unexpectedly and it shook our family to the core...I learned about grieving, but it was followed by our wedding, honeymoon, and baby...we were married and traveled Europe for a month and came home with the best souvenir ever...I was soon to be a mommy!!

28~I experienced more love then I knew existed in one's heart...my little girl made me a mommy and that was and still is the most amazing thing ever!!

29~wow...what a year...I've had more emotions this year then one should ever have...I've watched my baby turn into a girl, my dad's health deplete and then his passing, and witnessed my family suffer. It hasn't been easy, in fact this has been the worst year of my life, however I've learned from it...I'm trying to be in the now, the past can be sad and the future scary, but the now is often good and breathing helps too...

I'm hoping for a wonderful first year of my 30's and we are off to play and live in the now!!

Love Day

This year was my favorite Valentine's Day ever!! Avery and I got all the goodies for dinner and cut out hearts to decorate for daddy...while she colored I made these yummy cookies from my awesome friend Jessica...I replaced the Hershey kiss for dove hearts since it was love day and oh my goodness, they were amazing. This picture makes me want to make some right now. We may or may not of eaten all of them in two days!!

While Avery napped, I was able to prep dinner and hang balloons around the house. The hubs gets home right before nap time is over and we both had the delight of watching her face glow. She was so excited and so was the dog...the two of them played for hours together. It was the cheapest toy I've bought the two of them and I still have left overs for another time. We spent the evening eating and being together as a family...truly counting our blessings!!

Thanksgiving

I'm not quite sure how to explain our thanksgiving this year. So many emotions, sadness, emptyness, anixety, overwhelmed, happy, and of course thankful. Sadness and emptiness of missing my dad. I've spent all but one thanksgiving with him, that's a total of 27 and i'm sure to have more thanksgivings without him and that leaves an empty spot in my heart. I miss him, plain and simple, I'm thinking Christmas will be harder and I'm looking forward to it being over in a way, but also looking forward to watching Avery enjoy it. Anixety and overwhelmed began the morning of Thanksgiving...everyones feelings were a little shattered with my niece and dad missing, plus we were at my sister and bro in law (who is a cop and lost a best bud the week before in the line of fire) and people were calling to wish us a happy day. My nephew called to tell us that my brother, who lives in Panama, was seriously injured the week before and had been laying in a coma all week...um seriously are you kidding me? Just what we need!! So long story short, the guy with the information leaves us with no contact info and says he will call again that night...so we wait...and wait...and eat...and wait...and finally I get sick of waiting and start calling hospitals in Panama City (all 15 of them) and they tell me they either can't speak English, don't have my bro, or just polietly hang up on me...I email his company and a few more hosptials and go to bed, hoping that the next day would be a fresh start...the next morning I'm finally able to get a hold of his boss and find out that he was run over by a dump truck and is alive, but injured badly...I also was able to talk to him on Sunday for the first time. The happy emotions were that it was thanksgiving and I was at my sisters. Avery and her cousing James were in love with each other and I have the best husband and cutest little girl ever!! I hope your Thanksgiving was a little better then mine and with only happiness as your feelings!!

Us Lately...

Here's a few things that we've been up to lately...




Pumpkin Patches..I love them!! There's something about the color orange and little girls in pumpkins!! I can't believe the difference a year can make...we love to go to Bates Nut Farm for our pumpkins, but this year it was crazy packed....thinking of finding a smaller one next year!!



Pool Time in October....I love living in San Diego and enjoying summer a little longer!! Avery loves her kiddy pool and Tucker loves the hose...they are a great pair together!!




Charger Time!! We love going to the games...we've been to two so far and hopefully three after tomorrow!! Avery's went to one and was wonderful. She loved watching the cheerleaders and pom poms. Now if you ask her what you do at games she will tell you that you dance, wave pom poms, give high fives, fist pumps, and clap...its super cute!! Also if we are anywhere and she sees a bolt she will yell football...all she wanted to be for Halloween was a charger cheerleader..silly girl!!

Hiking...we love it and don't do it enough!! These three are cooling off and having fun!!

My Dad

I've been wanting to write about my dad for the past few weeks, but haven't had the strength to actually do it...I don't want to accept that he is gone, cause I'm not ready for my dad to be in heaven. Last month, my dad lost the battle to cancer and passed away in his sleep. I'm so thankful that he is no longer hurting or in pain, but I miss him terribly. I'm only 29 years old and feel like I'm too young to loose a dad and had so much more to learn from him.

Dad,

Thank you for everything you taught me. I was and will always be your little girl. Dads and girls have a special bond and you showed me how to love and find a man who would love me and my daughter. I'm so very thankful that our love will continue through memories as I watch Avery and Dana play and grow together. Loosing you has been the toughest thing I've ever had to deal with, but I'm trying to focus on all the good times we had together. The day you "taught" me how to buy a car and said that I couldn't have one until we wheeled and dealed multiple car lots, however I left the first place with a car, cause your little girl couldn't drive down the hill in an unsafe car. Or the day you walked me down the aisle and told me how lucky you were to be getting a wonderful son in law. The day I had Avery and you were there and how her second word was papa. She has been calling you on the phone everyday since you left us and now she kisses your pictures non stop...she won't kiss anyone elses picture, only you...I think she misses you too!! I'm going to miss our lunch dates and phone calls and the way you introduced me to others as your baby, even as I grew up. I love you dad and I hope you and Sandra are having fun together. I miss you so much...

Love, Your little girl

June!!

So glad the month of May is over...it's a hard month for our family and it seems to get worse every year!! My dad is not doing well and we've had a lot of emotional stress in our family...but now that I got that out of the way let's focus on this girl...she is walking...oh my goodness how different our lives are now. She doesn't want to be held (unless she's sleepy and of course I love the snuggle time when I get it) she wants to run...everywhere...its fun and exhuasting at the same time!!

We went to Bates Nut Farm for a play date and Avery loved feeding all the animals. This place is so packed in the fall, however in the spring no one is there...it's lovely!!

Oh how she loves watermelon and being a big girl...she is talking and adding new words everyday...she loves her dog and throwing his ball for him...they are great friends!!

We went to the Wild Animal Park on Sunday...we love it there and I love having passes and going for a few hours each time...we also were able to squeeze in a few dates without the baby the last couple weeks and it was heavenly...Monday is our anniversary and we are spending the whole day away from her...it's going to be wonderful...a day with just me and my hubby!! I love being a mommy, but we all need our breaks!!

Lack of Blogging...

Someone told me last weekend that they read my blog and I thought wow how boring is that when I never post...I've concluded that I'm not a good blogger, but I'm hoping to change that...I've had a hard time finding time to sit in front of the computer and write. The babes was refusing her crib for a few months and only taking naps in my arms, however I'm happy to write that she is back in her bed for naps and I'm a free mama for a couple hours each day. What a difference that makes!!! So on that note it's time for some catching up!!! Avery turned 1 in March and seemed to grow independence over night...she isn't walking on her own yet and I'm in no hurry for that, i'm loving that she is still my little baby. She is saying mama and dada and signs please, thank you, eat, more, and drink. I think she's learning that when she signs please she gets pretty much anything cause she looks so cute doing it!! She also blows kisses and waves hi and bye and growls like a lion, sticks her tongue out for a lizard and makes a ssss sound for a snake. She melts our heart everyday and we are loving watching her learn!! We had a wonderful birthday party for her with family and friends and she got tons of toys (I'm still trying to figure out where to put them all). She's getting over her clingyness to me and more willing to play with other people especially kids. We went to a child's play place in Temecula a few weeks ago and she had a blast with the kids. We've also been going on playdates and she loves them. She's becoming a beach girl which makes her daddy very happy. She loves the water and I'm sure the hubs will have her on a surfboard as soon as he can. I will be happy watching them from the shore!! We are hoping for a vacation soon, but not sure where to go, but we want to take advantage of free flying until she's 2. Any suggestions?

1 Years Old

WOW...what a difference a year can make!!!

What we've been up to...

We have had some wonderful family time...we love the weekends and try to get out and do something every chance we get...this month we have been going to the Wild Animal Park, hiking in Mt. Laguna, going to Fiesta Island with our doggie and hanging out at home...being together is so fun and we are soaking up this baby time cause we know that soon she will be a toddler and we will never have the baby time again!! Here are a few pics from our adventures!!

Our doggie at Fiesta Island for a Corgi meetup...so fun about 50 Corgis all playing together!!

Wild Animal Park

Box Riding is so fun!!

Hanging out with my daddy!!

This Girl!!

She melts my heart everyday!!! I fall more in love every morning during our snuggles and she's getting more and more fun all the time...she loves me to chase her around the house and she crawls faster and faster, but then has to stop cause she's laughing so hard....oh so fun!!!

Avery's 1st Christmas!!

Going through my stocking!!
Yummy, wrapping paper tastes good!!

Our little family on Christmas!!

Christmas was wonderful...we spent the morning just as a little family of 4 (our doggie included) and opened presents and made a great breakfast...Avery loved opening her gifts and eating wrapping paper...by the end she was a pro...in the afternoon we headed over to Dana's sisters house and spent a few hours with family there and then went to Dana's moms where my parents were at and had a quiet dinner with the grandparents. Avery had an adorable dress that my mom made and she couldn't have been any cuter!!

Charger Game

Last Sunday we woke thinking this will be a relaxing day at home watching the game with our family....then it all changed! Our friend has amazing season tickets and texted us at 10 asking if we could come cause they had two extra tickets...normally this is a no brainer, but seeing as how we had no sitter, family coming over, and the time, we kinda stressed out and then decided we had to take the offer and so we rushed to get ready and head out the door...when we usually go to games the car is packed the night before, we are at the stadium by 10, and we've never had the baby with us!! We headed down only to get stuck in crazy traffic, so bad that people were out of their cars selling shirts on the freeway (we learned they closed the parking lot early because it was a raider/charger game and they didn't want people getting too crazy)...we ended up getting off and taking the trolley over cause we would have missed half the game if we stayed waiting on the freeway...Avery did amazing...she watched everything and even fell asleep for a bit on daddy...the game was different having a baby, but still super fun except for the loosing part!! Our seats were club level, normally costing 180 each and parking is 25, however since we parked at the trolley station our entire day cost 10 bucks instead of 385...amazing and we feel so blessed that our friend thought of us to bring...they have two more tickets for this weekend so we get to do it all over again...we are so blessed!! Alot of people thought we were crazy for bringing a baby to the Raider game, but really who's going to mess with you when you have a baby in a little jersey!!

December Nights!!

We went to December Nights last weekend at Balboa Park (along with everyone else from San Diego)...we had never heard of it and our friends invited us! It was quite the experience...so many people...I'm so glad we didn't bring the stroller...we had just ordered this new backpack (the same one we borrowed for Hawaii and fell in love with it) and it came the day before so it was perfect. The night was pretty cold and Avery looked adorable all bundled up!! It was different then what we thought...I was expecting more Christmas lights and less street fair feeling, but still it was fun...we loved the international part of it and of course spending time with our wonderful friends!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

We got our Christmas tree the weekend after Thanksgiving...I love having a tree in the house, the smell and the lights are fantastic, I wish I could have one all year long!! It was fun to see Avery's face with all the trees and we enjoyed our first tree hunting with our little one!!

By the time we got home, it was passed her bedtime (considering she goes down at 6:30) so she was a little annoyed with the picture taking, but enjoyed the lights on the tree!! We love how early her bedtime is when we are at home cause we get time for just us, but it can be a downer when we are out and about!! So we put her to bed and enjoyed decorating the tree with a glass of wine just us!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!! We hope you all have tons to be thankful for, we feel blessed to have this little munchkin in our lives!!!

8 Months Old!!

Our little bug is 8 months old...I've always heard that time flies once you have kids and man does it ever...it's crazy!! We celebrated her 8 months of life with a trip to the zoo...she also cut her first tooth...I totally cried thinking that she's not my little baby anymore with smooth gums, but already a big girl...soon she will be asking for the keys to the car and be off on her own!! She is such a fun baby with tons of smiles for everyone...it takes us so long to go places cause people always want to talk to her, but I love every minute of it...she loves to give kisses and high fives, especially to the doggie, he loves the kisses too and yes he gives high fives as well!! The hubs said no decorating until Thanksgiving is over, but he caved and all our decorations are up except for the tree, which we will be getting this weekend!! I love having the house all warm and fuzzy with lights and stockings...we are really missing our old place lately cause it had a fireplace and our new place doesn't....we've even thought about moving just for one!!

We hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and an awesome four day weekend....only three more hours until ours starts and we get our favorite man home with us for four whole days!!