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!!