After stalling for 4 years Dana finally got the balls to ask, and she said YES!!!

After dining at one of the best rated restaurants in San Diego (George's on the Cove), we walked down to the ocean to watch the sunset.  The timing and location couldn't have been more perfect.  We were sitting on a bench, overlooking the ocean, watching the sun set.  (See the pic below) We were the only two people there watching as the sun went down.  We kissed, said "I love you" to each other, and then after some nerve-racking moments to follow, Dana got on his knee and said "Brooke, will you be my wife?".  He literally threw the ring in my hand and looked up at me with tears in his eyes (which verified that he was serious!).  I opened my hand and there really was a ring!!!!  Immediately I said "Yes!".  The whole moment couldn't have been any better.

After thinking long and hard about where we would get married, we decided on Ashland, Wi, which is my (Brooke's) hometown. The most important part of our wedding was to have those closest to us attending. Our family is so important to us that we knew the closer we were to them, the easier it would be for everyone. Being that Dana is from Michigan (which is the next state over), we thought it would be a little less stressful trying to plan a trip to Ashland than fly to San Diego. Both Dana and I are really happy with our decision. We have chosen the most beautiful location, it will be at my Aunt Nancy's house, which is right on Lake Superior. For those of you who don't know about Lake Superior, it is the biggest of the 5 Great Lakes. And, if you don't know about the Great Lakes, then you need to freshen up on your U.S. Geography. :) Check out this site to get an idea of what my hometown is all about. www.visitashland.com

Our Wedding Party

My good friend, Miranda and her husband Mike just welcomed their first baby into the world. Her name is Brenna Linn. She's as cute as a button and fits right in with the Foy family.

Yes, it sure does seem to be baby season.  Today, my cousin, Josh and his wife Hallie welcomed their first baby into the world.  Her name is Quinn Rose.  Congratulations to the new parents!!

With the help of my mom, I have pictures of the location of our ceremony.  I am so excited because it is so beautiful here and I keep so many memories of this place.  This is my Aunt Nancy's house, which is just right across the bay from my house.  The first pic is the view of where everyone will be seated during our ceremony, and Dana and I will be close to the lake.  The second pic is a view a little to the left of the ceremony site.  The 3rd pic is standing at the lake and looking back at the house, which is where people will be walking from.  And the last pic is directly to the left of the house.  What do you think?  Isn't it so beautiful?  Ah, I just can't wait.  I can picture it already!

As most of you know, I am a fashion designer, here in San Diego.  So, now that I am getting married, everyone asks if I am going to design my wedding dress.  The answer to that is "yes".  I have not begun yet, but I do have time.  Anyway, now that we are planning our wedding, I talk to my mom on the phone all the time (I sometimes call her more than 3 times a day--haha, no joke).  So, one time she calls me and tells me that her and my Aunt Mary Kay have come across my grandma's dress.  She wanted to know if I would like to use peices of it when I am designing my own wedding dress.  I was so honored and excited to see the dress, I wanted to try it on so bad.  It has arrived, and now I am sharing the pics of me in the dress.  It fit me perfectly.  It was an emotional moment for me and I cherish this dress more than anything else.  I miss my grandma and think about her everyday.  I know she will be with me in spirit, on my wedding day, and having a peice of her in the peices of my dress couldn't be a more meaningful gift.  I hope you enjoy the pics!

Now that I shared pics of me in my grandma's wedding dress, I've decided to also post a picture of my grandpa and grandma's wedding. In this picture, from left to right is: Bill K., Carl G., Tom K., Grandpa John G., Grandma Kay G., Irene G., Sue S., and Betty S. Now you can see where I get my beauty from!

To keep our relationship fun and exciting, Dana and I go out every Tuesday for "date night". It's fun and enjoyable and I recommend every couple to do the same. We always suggest it to our other friends in relationships and many of them listen and try it out. We look forward to it every week. Lately, we've been picking different neighborhoods in San Diego and trying out a new restaurant. This last week, we chose North Park and went to The Linkery (www.thelinkery.com) .  They were offering a special 5 course dinner.  Each course was paired with a different beer.  Since Dana and I consider ourselves Beer connaisseurs, we thought this was the perfect dinner.  It was a great night.  The dinner could have had a little more substance (I left hungry), and the service could have been better (they always add the gratuity on, so you don't decide your tip), but the beer was good, and the company was good as well.  The more beer we drank, the more I wanted to talk and Dana sat and listened to me tell the same stories I've told him before--like how I use to go visit my cousins in Minnesota every summer, how my cousin Jennifer use to babysit us and one time her boyfriend yelled at my brother, Derek, because I told on him for stealing my nail polish and putting it on himself, and how Derek and I use to spend every New Year's Eve with my cousins, Gwenda and Travis (Happy Hanukah!).  We were having a good time, so we proceeded to an Irish Bar right by our house.  Of course, we had to order Guiness.  They pour it perfectly there and they even make a clover symbol in the head of the beer.  And, we surely didn't leave without an Irish Car Bomb.  Yummy!

One of my closest friends from college (a bridesmaid in my wedding) and her husband, Wayne, will be expecting their first baby in May. I am so excited for them and can't wait until the baby arrives!! They are going to make great parents, and all of you will see her with her new born at our wedding. Yay!

We had yet another sunny Sunday this last weekend. While we hear everyone back home talk about how cold the days are getting, we were at the beach with no jackets, complaining how hot the sun was. Well, maybe just laughing about how perfect the weather is and how we are glad we arne't in Michigan or Wisconsin. We met up with our friends, Emily and Kyle in Solana Beach at a little gathering. They are friends who just moved back to the midwest (Chicago) from San Diego. They were sure to soak up as much of the sun as they could before they headed back to the frigid air. Heehee. It was nice to see them and catch up a little.  We realized that the next time we would see them is our wedding day...can't wait!  Pics below are of Rocky and I, sitting the way we always do when riding in Dana's big truck.  Rocky isn't comfortable unless he is in my arms and as close to me as possible.  The other pic is of the group of us overlooking the beach.

Dana and I spent the week in Las Vegas for the annual Sema Show (an automotive car show). Dana has clients that would be there, so he wanted to meet with them and check out all the cars and their parts (yes, every single car part you could ever imagine all in rows and rows and rows under 3 roofs---not the most exciting thing for a girl who has made a career in fashion. Ha!) But, it was Vegas. I know the policy is, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but I'm a ruler breaker. We had a great time checking out all the tourist stuff, like the water show at the Bellagio, the M&M Factory, Elvis standing on the corner of the strip, and Bobby Flay's restaurant, Mesa Grille. We met up with Dana's old boss and friend, Jeff, hung out with our san diego friends, Chris and Megan, and gambled, ate, and did a lot of walking. And, Dana's part of the trip, we went to Hofbrauhaus, which is a replica of the German Octoberfest. We ordered sausages and beer, and ended the night with a couple shots of schnapps. We didn't know how potent the schnapps was, for we were a little tipsy when we were leaving the place. In fact, they didn't let us get out of there without a spanking. The first picture below is of Dana getting spanked by the German waitress, the second pic is of decor that Bellogio had for the Fall season, the next is me getting polished in the M&M Factory, and the last pic is of Dana's new dream ride, along with the guy who designed the truck. And just in case you are curious, here is the link to the German restaurant:  http://www.hofbrauhauslasvegas.com

As we got super excited about the Chargers win today, we realized that Rocky was equally excited, so we wanted to share it with you. Man, I love our little guy. :)

Ok, so as I've explained before, Dana and I go out every Tuesday for our date night. We usually try and check out a new restaurant each week. Most of the time, we will try something that has been recommended by others. This last Tuesday, though, we stumbled upon a great place by our house with really unique decor, not recommended by anyone in particular. We went to Hawthorn's Restaurant Lounge in North Park (www.hawthornssd.com). It use to be a theater and now turned into a restaurant. I included a pic of the place because I thought it was so cool to look at while we were there. Our food was great and, of course, so was our conversation. But, the key to our satisfactory experience is that they hand stuffed Bleau Cheese Olives for Dana's Gin martini. You see, this is his new thing. "Do you hand stuff your olives with bleau cheese?" 1. "Yes we do"..."Then I will take a Saphire Martini dirty with lots of bleau cheese olives" or 2. "No, I'm sorry we don't...but"...."I'll take the darkest beer you have". Ha! Dana has become so picky that he will now only have olives that are hand stuffed with bleu cheese only, none of that jarred stuff and no pimentos. If you are ever trying to impress him, present him with this special martini and watch his heart melt. Men are so easy :) I, on the other hand, like to try some special drinks on the menu. Here, I had some refreshing fruity drink topped with champagne. My favorite, though, was the basil martini....yummy. And, Natalie, yes, our old pics are still in that locket. I think of you every time I wear it.

Rocky made a new friend during our Thanksgiving festivities. Your heart will melt as soon as you see how cute this bulldog is. His name is Crash and he is 10 weeks old. Rocky was a little grouchy and timid at first, but finally loosened up and played.

For the second year in a row, we joined our friends Chris and Megan at their house for thanksgiving. Most of the people who join us are all friends I've worked with at Typhoon Saloon. Since most of us are transplants, and can't always make it home to be with our families, we all get together and have our psuedo-family dinner. Dana made the turkey, which was absolutely delicious. I made pasta salad and my infamous pumkin bars with cream cheese frosting, compliments of my mother (who sends me all the ingredients and directions every year--all I do is mix and bake). I tried taking the time to give thanks and give everyone the opportunity to say what they were thankful for, but nobody contributed to the moment. It's all good, because it was evident that we were all thankful to be together and have great food in front of us. As you can see by the pics, Chris made the gravy and Megan was in charge of dishes. The girls hung out together all night and gossiped while the guys watched some Caveman movie. We hope everyone else had a great thanksgiving!

Last night I came across a new recipe on Eating Well's website. It was seriously the best dish that I think Dana and I have ever come across. I knew right away that I had to share it with you. It is the easiest to prepare and tastes better than anything you will find in a restaurant. And, to top it off, its super healthy! For those of you who have children, I would do everything as follows except the hot sauce....Enjoy!

We couldn't get him to open it himself, but once he saw what it was he wouldn't leave it alone. Rocky got this new toy from Grandma Judy for Christmas and it is his new prize possession.

This year, Dana and I decided we would stay in San Diego for Xmas. Time flew by, and weeks before Christams turned into hours and then we realized we had no plans! Luckily, I did decorate a little, so our house did feel festive. Dana suprised me on Xmas Eve night with cookie dough to make cookies. Dana did the baking and I helped with the frosting and decorating. I think thats all I ate for dinner that night...ha! Rocky and I licked all the left over frosting, too. Then, Christmas morning, we woke up extra early, made coffee, and opened our gifts. Santa was very good to us this year even though Dana and I felt a little bit of disappointment. I really thought I was getting tickets to the John Legend/ Estelle concert and he really thought he was getting the PlayStation 3 (yeah right!)...but we are very happy with how everything turned out and we both agree that the absolute best gift of all was to have each other and spend the entire day together without any work. After gifts, we watched 4 movies (Tropic Thunder, Fred Claus, 88 Minutes, and part of The Women) and then decided last minute to make a Christmas dinner--ham and all. Not a good idea since we had none of the ingredients. It took us a few hours and a lot of driving around to find someone with a ham, and by the time it thawed and was cooked, it was 10:30pm....but who cares! It's Christmas and we can do what we want. heehee. It was a fabulous dinner (Dana cooked) and a day very well spent. As you can tell by one of the pics, Christmas isn't the same without snow--yes, we still have green grass.

The way you treat your dog is reflection of what kind of parents your going to be. Thats what they say, right? Well, if this is true, then I know Dana and I are going to be great parents some day. If I take the time to write a whole blog topic on how much we love Rocky then that should explain enough. :) Today, we took Rocky to the OB Dog Beach. While he wasn't that excited about mingling with other dogs, he loved the freedom of running as far as possible without getting yelled at by mom. It was so cute to watch him run really far and then stop and look back to see if I was ok with his distance...since I didn't yell, he would run forward more and then look back again and he kept doing it until he finally reached the edge of the sand and I had to yell for him. He ran back to me as fast as he possibly could and walked with me right by my side because he likes to make his mommy happy. Oh, how I am so proud of my little boy. And, it doesn't end there. Dana is also so proud of his 5 lb. monster. On the outside it may seem that he is forced by his girlfriend to walk the little guy in public, but for those of you who know Dana well know I don't have to make him do anything when it comes to his son. He walks down the street with his head high, as the proudest owner of our little chihuahua. He even celebrates "Bring your dog to work Day". If you've never heard of it, it's something we celebrate once a week. The pick of Dana and Rocky is by his office, while Dana takes Rocky for a potty break. Ahhh, how cute! :) (You may laugh if you like--I'm not even sure I'm taking myself that seriously right now)

We still argue about when our actual anniversary date is, but I do know that 4 years ago, on Valentine's Day, Dana won over my heart and our relationship was locked in. Before V-day, we were playing the "beginning of the relationship" game, where we weren't sure what our future held as a couple, testing our limits and wondering if it was all going to be worth it in the end. Then came the big day. We planned on spending it together, but I knew nothing more. I remember waking up at my old apartment earlier than the stores were even open and still hadn't planned anything!! I ran to Target, waiting for it to open and quickly ran inside--only to find that there was nothing there, but the leftovers, which was some really cheesy stuffed things, a few cards scattered and unorganized, and some candy. I settled with a stuffed blob thingy that said "I am Wild about you" and some Swoops in every flavor they had (he always talked about them, so I thought he really liked them--only to find out that he always said "Swoops" because they called on of their friends by the name to tease him--hey! I tried..ha!) Anyway, I rushed back home and waited. My roommate, Frank, and I sat there wondering what Dana had up his sleeve. And, then he arrived--and he was excited.

We took off in his 1989 BMW and drove through San Diego. At our final destination, we were at Montgomery Field, which is a smaller airport. I remember thinking we were going on a plane ride, but immediatly Dana said "We are at the airport to throw you for a loop. It really has nothing to do with planes". So, then I was confused. We sat in the little lobby and Dana kept making some phone calls and soon we were walking onto the field. And, suprise! We were going for a Seaplane ride. I was excited, but very nervous. One, I'd never had a guy do anything so special for me and didn't know how to act. And, two, we were going to fly over the ocean!! After the nerves relaxed, we were off. When we got in the air, we put the headphones on and the microphones so we could talk to each other and hear what we were saying. The first thing I heard when I put the headpeice on was music. I was a little thrown off because it was rap (dont' remember what song), which I thought was an unusual song choice for a pilot to choose for a couple on V-day. But, when the second song came on and it was another rap song I realized that Dana had also planned the music!! He knew how much I loved hip hop. The Seaplane was awesome, we got to see parts of San Diego that I never even knew existed. And when the ride was over, I wanted more.

And that was just the beginning. We continued our adventure--it was dinner time.

We drove to Paradise Point (nice resort in SD), where we had dinner at Barefoot Bar and Grille. It was nice and intimate. We took some pictures by the scenery as the sun was setting and Dana said he didn't want it to end there.

Since we were right on the water, he suggested walking on the beach for a while. We walked a ways on the beach and then we were standing in front of some rooms. Dana said, "Look, it doesn't look like anyone is in that room, we should see if its open". I thought he was kidding, but he walked right up to the door. I started getting annoyed, thinking he was acting childish by trying to break into a room--and the door was open. I freaked out saying "What are you doing! Stop!". He then turned the lights on and right through the doorway I could see Champagne on ice and chocolate covered strawberries. I realized he walked into somebody's Valentine Day......It was ours!! It was a wonderful and unexpected Valentine's Day for me.

Now, yes, Dana did put a lot of work into making this such an adventurous day and he went above and beyond to impress me (good work, Dana!), but it was how he made me feel that won me over. Before Dana, I hadn't ever had a real boyfriend. Part of it may have been because I was always way too nervous to allow anyone to get close to me. But, there was something about Dana that made me feel so comfortable and happy. I always use to say I didn't like romantic things, but after spending that Valentine's Day with him, I realized I loved it. There was something about the way he acted, the way he made me feel that had me feeling like all of this romantic stuff came naturally to me. I was never thinking "What should I do now? How should I act? Do I look like a dork?...." no, I was so in the moment and enjoying every bit of it. That is how I knew I couldn't let him go. This is what it is suppose to feel like. And I don't want to share this feeling with anyone else besides him. 

Now, its been 4 years to the day and we are planning our future together. We have all of these memories to share and are so excited to have the rest of our lives to share many more.

I can't believe how much time has gone by since February 16, 1981.  I've lived a wonerful life and have all my friends and family to thank for it.  First pic is me, with my dad, right when I was born.  Second pic is me on my 1st Bday.  How cute :)

Over the last weekend of February, one of my bestest friends ever came to visit Dana and I. Natalie, who is a bridesmaid in the wedding, and her husband Wayne came to San Diego to celebrate their last vacation together before they became parents (also called their babymoon). It was an amazing visit in so many ways and I am so glad they chose the city we live in for a little R&R. They spent some time for themselves close to the ocean, and then with us for a couple of nights. We ate good food, went wine tasting (Natalie was a trooper, while she watched us enjoy it all), and did lots of sightseeing (thanks to the best tour guide ever--Dana). Unfortunetly, Natalie was 6 months pregnant and her little baby was resting herself on Natalie's sciatic nerve, so she was in too much pain to walk. We joked about getting a automatic wheel chair, but she managed to do the best she could, which was more than enough to have a good time together. The first pic is at Orfila Vineyard in Escondido, and the second is of me and Natalie in Ocean Beach on the pier--me with my hand and her soon to be baby.

A week after Natalie and Wayne visited, my Aunt Rhonda came to visit. She had a conference to prepare for over the weekend, but as soon as Monday came around, she was all ours. We had a great visit, with a lot accomplished. While she was here alone, we went antiquing, worked on some sewing projects, and had a few drinks and lots of good conversation. Then, my Uncle Bob joined in the adventures and flew in on Wednesday night. When he came, it was nothing but good food, great company, and lots of beer drinking (yes, we are bloode related--and thats where I get my great beer drinking skills). It was so nice to have them here and to show them where I live and what Dana and I are up to these days. My aunt and uncle have always been a big part of my life and it meant so much to have this time with them.

My cousin Jennifer, and her husband Sean welcomed their new baby boy into the world. His name is Gavin Nickolas Reames. This is the third addition to their family, and quite possibly the last. :) Congratulations to both of you, I can't wait to meet him!

I am so excited because our Orchid is back into full bloom in 8 months!! I love this beautiful plant because it reminds me every day of this journey of engagement and how fun it is. You see, when Dana and I had our engagement celebration in San Diego, a friend of mine, Julia and her fiance, Joe, brought an Orchid as a gift. Now, usually, I kill off any plant I ever get because I have no idea how to take care of them--my idea is wait til its completely dried out, then water it until it drowns, then repeat. Ha! That doesn't work so well. Fortunetly, I am marrying a wonderful man who knows how to do it all. He can cut the grass, build a house, rebuild a bronco, cook, love his chihuahua like its his very own blood related son, and, yes, he can keep a plant alive!!! And, now this plant is in full bloom and takes me back to those days in June when Dana got down on his knee and asked me to marry him. Oh, the memories bring tears to my eyes. I was also really excited because I hadn't seen Julia and Joe since our engagement party until Easter Sunday, isn't that a little ironic? She was happy to hear that it has been well taken care of, and she also mentioned to me that they are using orchids for their own wedding in October. Who said Roses symbolize love....I think its the Orchid.

So I realize that I haven't been keeping my blog as updated as I should and hope I didn't lose all my readers, ha! "Is anybody listening?" But, its only because both Dana and I have been so busy working and have the mentality that we will be taking lots of time off for the wedding, so we need to work extra hard now. I try keeping our businesses out of the blogs because its just not that interesting to the outsider, but in the last few months, that has been our lives. I have been spending all of my time creating my summer line, which I will be launching with a Trunk Show/Fashion Show the weekend before I go home. So I live, breathe, and eat fashion and clothing construction. Dana is working really hard to take the next step with his business, and is always juggling all of his clients and trying his best to make them a success.

Lately, I've been spending more time wedding planning and doing what I can before I go home in May. Some days I am really happy and excited, and other days I get really stressed about all the decisions a bride has to make. I can tell it has taken a toll on me because I slept 15 hours last night!! I was wondering why I've been so irritated lately, but now I realize I was lacking sleep. :)

I'm still working on my wedding gown, but haven't gotten too far. I try to work on it one day a week, but always tend to get distracted with other things. I have made my first sample for the flower girl and it is looking really cute. I will show it to her when I go to Michigan for our wedding shower and see what she thinks. I hope she likes it!!

We've also been spending some good time on our registries. At first it was too overwhelming for me, and I didn't really enjoy it, but then my mother-in-law sent me some recommendations on things that I may need or want and it made it so much easier and actually a bit fun. Its been really nice because needing her help with the registries has allowed us to have more time on the phone together. Much needed time!! I find that the more I talk to her the more we find things in common. Its a very comforting feeling and makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.

I've also been thinking alot of my decorations and my new sister-in-law, Heather, has been a tremendous help. She shares the same vision as me and has so many good ideas. It is going to be beautiful!  I can't wait for our big day!!!  The days are counting down and time is going sooo fast!!!

Every Sunday Dana and I try to do something, no matter what it be. We have to be together and we must get out of the house, even if its just to take a walk. Today was the first Sunday of the month, so we met up with our friends Jen and Carlos. Dana has been wanting to go to Pizza Port, which is a restaurant known for its great beer and great pizza. What more could a man want? Being that there is one so close to Jen and Los's house, we decided to take a drive up there and join them for a few brews, and some relaxation time by the beach. Well, the critics were right, our food was so delicious that Dana and I ate every bit of the medium pizza we shared, washing it down with a great Cask Aged Nut Brown. They served the beer a little too warm, but it was still so very good. After Pizza Port, we met back up at their apartment, and then took a walk down to the beach. The weather was perfect, the ocean was majestic, and the sun was just starting to set. It was nice to get a nice long visit to the ocean before I leave to go home for almost 2 weeks. Now I am sooooo ready to go home and see the family!!! It's been so long and I've missed everyone so much. See you all soon!

My wonderful friend, Natalie and her husband, Wayne, introduced their new baby girl into the world this morning. I got a very unexpected text at 3:00am letting me know the good news. It was a little funny because I just talked to Natalie yesterday and prepared her with my mom's phone number so she could call me when I was visiting in Wisconsin, since my cell phone doesn't work there. She said "I will definetly need the number because I am pretty sure she is coming early", well she wasn't joking....she came just hours later!! When I woke up to the text I was so overly excited with joy that I was crying and felt sooo incredibly happy, so I woke Dana up and said, "Honey?", and he was like "What?" (BTW, he hates getting woken up), I said "I am sooo sorry I have to wake you up, but Natalie just had her baby and I am so excited that I feel like if I tell you about it I can stop crying and go back to sleep." Haha, he was a trooper and rubbed my back, and we both fell back asleep. Congratulations, Natalie and Wayne!! You are going to make the best parents ever and I am looking forward to spending some quality time with Norah. She looks beautiful, good job!

My journey of hitting four states in 2 weeks started on Wednesday, May 6th. I left Dana and Rocky for a long plane ride to Minneopolis. I was so excited to be there that the plane seriously felt like it took 12 hours to get there. My cousin, Gwenda, picked me up from the airport, which was a perfect plan. Since she was graduating with her Masters that Saturday, she was going to miss the bridal shower in Ashland, so this was a great way for us to get a chance to see each other before I came back to San Diego. Our journey together began with a visit to my grandpa at the VA Hospital, close to the airport. He had been there for 5 months, while recovering from a hip replacement and the complications that came along with it. He was so happy to see us and was quite suprised by the visit. (I am happy to report that he has returned to his home and is now rehabiliating with a walker--and doing fantastic!)

Then, Gwenda and I headed to her apartment since I hadn't gotten a chance to see it since she's lived there. She has a beautiful place with her boyfriend, Matt right across from a golf course. She showed me some things she had been working on for her classes, and we got a chance to talk for an hour. It was great because Gwenda and I are best when we can fit in a good conversation with each other. We love to talk about life and all of its meanings and I always walk away feeling refreshed and so happy to have her in my life.

After that, we headed to my cousin Ashley's house where I got to see Max for the first time!!! He is her 1 year old son. All I can say is that it was love at first sight. He was sick, crabby, and had a runny nose and poopy diaper, and none of that mattered at all. I just couldn't get enough of him. Heehee.

I also got a chance to spend quality time with Ashley (who is 5 months preggers). We stayed up until 1am talking about everything you could think of. If we didn't know she would have to get up at 6am for work, we probably would've kept going. I always enjoy listening to Ashley talk about things because she likes to say it how it is, but she manages to use the right words so that it doesn't come across very abrasive. I love you for that, Ashley! She is always so on top of everything, which reminded me that when I need any advice on weddings, marriage, or babies, she's the girl to go to. :)

The first of my wedding festivities started in Ashland, wisconsin where my Maid of Honor, Andrea and my mom put on a wedding shower for me. It was held at the Visitor's Center, which normally would've been a beautiful and scenic place to walk around, but it was cold, windy, and not very pleasant to be outside. That was fine, though, the room the party was in was perfect. We started it off with great food of all kinds, with everything from cold cuts, to Mark's famous coleslaw, to Terri's delicious cake. While everyone was eating, Andrea started off by playing a couple games. The first was a "how well do you know Brooke" game, with about 10 questions from how many kids I plan to have, to what my dog's name is. If I remember right, my cousin Ashley was the leader, with 9 right? And, second came my cousin, Tara. It was no suprise to me at all, since I am very close to both of them. Then, I opened gifts, which there were so many. It was a lot of fun! I got help from a couple of the younger girls, Taylor (Jennifer's daughter) and Addey (Tris's daughter). They did a great job with teamwork. I received many gift cards, which was really nice since I was traveling so much, and some great gifts. I got a 17 peice pyrex bakeset from Auntie Bev, Auntie Pat, and Aunt Josie, some colorful and beautiful drinking glasses from Aunt Nancy, a coffee grinder from Janice (who couldn't make it), a picnic/wine bag--perfect for a picnic date on the beach from Tris and Terri, a margarita set and pizza stone from Aunt Jennie, a woven hamper from Tracie, Megan, and Katie, and martini glasses from Aunt Cindy. Jenny and Alphia, Ashley, Andrea, Tara, and Rhonda, Melva, Cortney, Jennifer and Taylor were all very generous and gave us cash, checks, and gift cards to Target. Thank you to everyone who came, it was so nice to spend time with all of you!

After my bridal shower in Ashland, I had the rest of the week with my mom to get as much wedding planning done as possible. Every day we worked on something new. The first day, Andrea, my mom and I went to the reception site and sat down and absorbed the room. We were all on the same page as far as how the decorations would look and how we would do it all. Thank god they are on board with helping, it is going to look so beautiful! We then bought most of the items we were going to use in making the decorations. The following day, I went to the hair salon and did a practice run on what my hair will look like.  My high school friend, Janelle's sister, Julie is going to do it.  It was great seeing her and exciting to see how much I am going to love seeing my hiar on the big day!  The next day that we put into decorating was going to the ceremony site and putting the tressels into the ground where we thought they looked the best. When I was there looking around, picturing my wedding day, I realized it is going to be the most beautiful site ever. Thanks for Mark for making the tressels and putting them into the ground. Then, the last part of wedding planning we did was the "dirty work" in making the centerpeices for the tables for the reception. There was a lot of spray paint used, along with picking twiggs and rocks, and assembling everything. I can't tell you more because then you won't be suprised! :)

After spending a week in Ashland, I was way too ready to leave for the 14 hour drive to Blissfield, Mi. I wanted to leave as early as possible on Thursday morning, so we would get there are early as possible that Thursday night. But, I was on my mom's schedule, and she was in no hurry to leave. All I wanted is to see Dana again!! And, I couldn't wait to see his family since it had been almost 2 years. With seven nieces and nephews under the age of 10, two years is a long time. They grow and change so much!

So noon came on Thursday, and we were finally preparing for the drive. We left soon after to head through the Upper Peninsula, then cross the Mackinac Bridge and continue heading south. We made a couple stops, but let me tell you, there really wasn't very many places you could stop. Civility, houses, and people were few and far between. But, there was some very beautiful scenic parts where we rode along Lake Michigan...the road was so close to the water I almost thought I could reach and touch it. And, the lake was so big, that it really didn't look much different than the ocean that I am use to seeing.

Mark drove for the first 8 hours, and as it was getting dark, he was getting tired. So, I decided to take over. We pulled at a rest stop and switched spots. I felt freedom and excitement as I got behind the wheel because I knew if I drove, I would drive straight to Dana (where we had maybe considered a hotel to continue the drive the next day). I was just thinking about seeing him waiting outside for me and I would run into his arms and kiss him and not let him go. Then all of a sudden the car just gave out. It didn't make a loud noise or do anything abruptly, so immediatly I didn't realize that there was something wrong...until I put my foot on the gas and my foot went right to the floor. Uh oh, this can't be good. We pulled over and I looked around only to realize that it was midnight and there was not a single building or street light or anything near us. My heart sank, thinking about how just 5 minutes earlier I didn't have cell phone reception, but as I looked down I saw that I had 5 bars! Yay! Immediatly I got on the phone and got road side assistance. We were towed to the nearest Saturn dealership, which was an hour south. We brought the car to the parking lot, got a hotel, and dealt with our problem in the morning.

We had to wait until 2pm to get a rental, for they didn't know how long the car would take to fix because they couldn't find the problem. At this point, I just had to tell myself that this was all a test and keep my patience because it could've been way worse. Everything was taken care of, and I only lost a day in Michigan.

We finally made it and my reunion with my babe was just as I imagined it. He looked as handsome as ever and eager to watch us pull up the driveway. I ran into his arms and kissed him and squeezed him, and, well, I just couldn't let go of him!

My new mother-in-law and sisters-in-law threw a couple's bridal shower for us in Blissfield, Mi on Saturday night. They put a lot of time into making tons of great food, decorating and putting on a fabulous event for us. Along with all of Dana's family, both of my parents and their significant others were there as well. It was the first time all of the parenst met. It was so great to have my parents there with me.

I got to meet all of Dana's family, which I find is a little bigger than my own, and it was so much fun! Dana got to see people he hadn't seen in years, including old friends and people he use to work with. I got to mingle with the family and finally put faces to all the names I hear about. His family is so wonderful that it was hard to think I was just meeting everyone for the first time, they have a way that made me feel so welcoming that I felt like they were already my own family. That has got to mean something good, right? :)

To add to the entertainment, Heather played a few games with the crowd. Dana and I were involved in a couple of them. The first game involved blindfolding Dana and then lining up a bunch of women on chairs, including myself and he had to feel everyone's forearm and pick which one was me. I was nervous for him, but without hesitation, he chose me!! After that, the roles were reversed and I had to feel a bunch of guys calves and figure out which was Dana. I was so nervous because that would be one part of the body I've never paid any attention to. But, to my discovery, I sure knew who my man was....I got it right too! If you could've seen the look on Dana's face. He said "Honey, how did you know?" in complete suprise and excitement. I don't know how to describe it, but I just knew!!! It felt like the best calf in the bunch. heehehe

Overall, it was a great turn out, everyone was very generous and included alot of gift cards and money for us. We appreciate every dollar, every gift, and everyone who came to celebrate!!

Memorial Day weekend was just last week, and it was our first weekend back from our trip home. Since I knew it would be a busy weekend, I picked up some bartending shifts to make extra money. I worked 4 nights in a row, which took a toll on me. By the end, my knees were killing me, my sleep schedule was off, and I was a bit cranky because I hadn't spent much time with Dana. I was so looking forward to Monday because that meant no work for me, and a day spent with the family (Dana and Rocky). In my head, I was picturing me waking up on Monday, packing a picnic lunch, and us leaving in the Bronco to head to Kate Sessions Park to watch Rocky run around, and we would play with the new digital SLR camera we just bought. The day was mapped out perfectly...Until I woke up.

Dana had told me he was going to grab breakfast 3 hours prior, and he still hadn't returned. I tried calling him, and no answer. I painted this picture in my head of him walking around with Collin and not realizing his phone was ringing in his pocket, which sometimes happens, so I called him like, well, um, like 5 times. Yeah, maybe a little psycho, but I was having a hard time grasping the fact that he wasn't there when I woke up because it wasn't the picture I painted in my head of the day.

Soon enough Dana came home and I was mad, because I knew he would need to work for another hour or so since he was gone for a while. And by the time it was all said and done, picnic time at the park did not sound fun anymore. After trying to figure out what we were going to do, we decided to walk around Balboa Park with Rocky and take a bunch of pics, since there is so much to look at. We got ready, tied Rocky's kennel up in the back of the Bronco, I jumped in the passengers seat and Dana can't find his keys! After 10 minutes of frantically searching, he finds them. So he starts up the Bronco and decides he needs to fix something, which takes another 10-15 minutes. I know, he has to be testing me right? How much longer can I wait around? Finally, we get going.

We drive around the park and it took at least 30-45 minutes to park because it was a very busy day there. Luckily, it wasn't Dana's fault, so I couldn't be mad for that. haha. We find a spot, park the Bronco, get Rocky out, put him on the leash and I look at Dana and say "Ok, grab the camera". And he says, "Uh Oh, its not in here". He forgot to put it in the Bronco!! Argh! At this point, I just have to laugh. We still walked around a bit, grabbed some lunch and kept joking about all the photographic moments we passed. We would say "oh, look! That would've made for a great pic!"

After walking around, we decided we would drive back home and grab the camera, then head to some hiking trails, where we could park the Bronco and get some nice pics. So, we swoop by the house, grab the camera and continue our journey to Mission Gorge Trails. We find the perfect spot with the mountains behind us to park. We get out, grab the camera, put the lense on it, and no battery!!! At this point, it was way more funny than anything else. But, Dana did carry the torch as the official "day ruiner" on our memorial day. And, of course we don't have a single picture of our day, and if you read through all of this, then you know why. LOL

In the end of the day, it actually turned out really nice, even though not a single thing went according to plan.  We were together and did things that we don't normally do, and even if it was just to take nice pictures with the new camera, it got us to go there.  Now we know where we want to go when we finally do get it all right :)

Over the last weekend, my cousin, Jennifer and her friend, Cindy came to San Diego for a long weekend visit. Since Jennifer loves it here as much as Dana and I do, she was excited to introduce her friend to the culture, weather, and the ocean. We had a great visit with them. They went and spent time at the beach the first day while I stayed home and got some rest. The next day, we decided to walk around Balboa Park and check out the scene since the weather was perfect and Jennifer had never been there. We saw so many beautiful flowers, interesting people, and great art. After walking around for a while, we went back home to regroup, then went out to dinner in the Gaslamp District that night. We went to Yardhouse to get their infamous "Hawaiian Poke Stack", which Jennifer and I loved the last time she was visiting. Her husband loves it as well, so we were sure to rub it in his face after we ate it. Yummy!! After, we went to check out a "country" bar/club that many of my friends work at--yes, I stepped foot inside a country bar. It was nice to see everyone and have a couple entertaining drinks with the girls, but the music was enough for me to want to make it quick and get out of there...hahaha! On Sunday we went to brunch and then hit up some wineries throughout San Diego County. We had a ton of fun learning about what different wines we liked and left every winery with a bottle of their best bottle. Yay for visitors!!! The first picture is of the three of us sitting at the Rose Gardens in Balboa Park, the second pic is at the first winery we stopped at on Sunday.

At the end of last February, one of my best friends, Natalie came to visit with a bulging belly, and a baby inside! After spending the long weekend with her and feeling her baby kicking inside, i already felt attached. So, as we dropped her off at the airport and was about to say good-bye, I thought, I need to visit her again when her baby arrives. I told Natalie that when I find a really cheap ticket, I will book it and come visit. And, that is just what I did. I flew out last Sunday and got back last night (Wednesday).

Meeting Miss Norah for the first time was such a wonderful experience. She is an absolutely beautiful baby, and looks exactly like both of her parents. Wayne and I would also joke around whenever Norah got fussy and say that is when she looks most like her mom. (Love you, Nat :) ) Anyway, while I was there, Natalie and I got to catch up on everything that we could possibly talk about, and catered to Norah's every little need. It was relaxing to get away from wedding stress for a few days and focus on that precious little baby.

While visiting, Norah seemed to be a little more fussy than usual. We were all a little concerned and didn't know what the problem could be. After talking to the doctor, we realized that she was fussy cuz she was a growing baby and just needed more food!! So, mommy started giving her more formula per feeding--I can't wait to see her in 6 weeks and see what that extra formula does to her size.

(pics below, 1.  Me holding Norah, 2.  Natalie and Norah posing with the stuffed piggy I got for Norah, dedicating it to the pig farm that Natalie grew up on)

Another experience I got to have was waking in the middle of the night to feed Norah. After staying there the first night and listening to Natalie tell me she was up 4 times to feed her, I thought, I have to do it the next 2 nights so Natalie can get some rest. I can't imagine doing that every night. I can suck it up for 2 days and see what it's all about. The first night was interesting. I was so anxious about waking up that I never fully fell asleep. I was so excited when she finally started crying for her bottle. The second night, however, I was so tired from not sleeping the night before that I only woke up to the sound of Norah's cry. I started thinking "No! I was sleeping soooo good." then I would drag my body to the crib, and as soon as I looked down at her, I instantly forgot how tired I really was. I realized she is solely relying on me to make sure she is fed, changed, and can get back to sleep herself. As I rocked with her in the rocker, all I could think about is how my friend, my old roommate, my bridesmaid, it is her (and Wayne, of course), she made this baby, she carried her to term and gave birth to her. It is amazing, it is just, wow! I don't know the words, but when you know someone so well, and love them so much, it is pure joy you feel for happiness in their life. Nothing can show that more than holding that little baby in the middle of the night and rocking her back to sleep.

(pics below, 1.  Zoey their Boston Terrier, 2.  Giving Norah the first bath she ever enjoyed--from what I hear, she usually cries harder than anything else, but seemed quite happy with it this time, I'll take credit for my special touch ;)  just kidding)

Not only did I get to spend time with Natalie and Norah, but I also gained a new best friend, Miss Zoey. She is their Boston Terrier. She followed me wherever I went and waited for me outside my door every morning. I took her for a couple walks, along with Natalie and Norah, and when it got too hot, I would carry her like a baby back to the house because she just didn't want to walk anymore. She was so much fun to be around and did a great job keeping my feet warm. Every time I sat down, there was Zoey, sitting right at my feet, keeping me company. She is so cute!!!

And, I can't end my blog without giving a shout out to Wayne, the big man of the house. I didn't get as much time with him because he was working hard all day when I was there. But, we had enough time together to eat dinner (Natalie and I shared duties in making dinner), and share a couple bottles of wine. I'll be dedicating my next blog to him because he loved my stuffed pork chops so much that I am going to post the recipe to share with all of you.

Ok, usually, once I week I make something that I've never made before for dinner. I like to try new and different ways of cooking and experimenting with things I've never tried before. In most cases, it turns out wonderfully. A few weeks ago, I tried this new recipe of Stuffed Pork Chops, which I got out of the "Southern Living Cookbook" I got from my mother-in-law. It was such a hit that Dana couldn't stop talking about it. While I was in Denver, I talked about it, and Natalie and Wayne suggested I make it for them. Well, I did just that, and got rave reviews from my critic, Wayne. He loved it so much that he asked me for the recipe so he could try to make it himself. I also wanted to share the recipe with all of you, because it was way easier to make than you might think, you just needs the guts to give it a try. I will say, however, that it does take a bit of time. If you are short on time, I would suggest breaking up the recipe by cutting up everything that needs to be cut in one session, make the stuffing and stuff the pork chops in another session, and then cooking it all when you are ready to eat. And, don't be scared of the apples because it only adds flavor and you can't even tell that it actually apples inside. Mmmm, good!

Stuffed Pork Chops

prep time: 30 minutes, cook: 50 minutes, Serves 6

6 bacon slices
2 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
2 shallots, finely chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
1 cup cubed fontina cheese
6 (1 1/2 inch thick) center-cut pork loin chops
1 1/8 tsp salt
1 1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

Cook: Bacon in a large skillet until crisp; remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 2 tbsp drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon; set aside.

Saute: Apple, shallot, and ginger in hot drippings 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat, and stir in sage. (I couldn't find fresh sage, so I mixed in 1 heaping tbsp of dry sage)

Stir: together apple mixture, bacon, and cheese. Cut a horizontal slit through thickest portion of each pork chop, cutting to, cut not through, other side to form a pocket. Sprinkle both sides and pocket of each pork chop with salt and pepper. Spoon apple mixture evenly into pockets; secure with wooden picks.

Cook: chops, in 2 batches, in hot olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat 1-2 minutes on each side or until golden. Place in a lightly greased roasting pan or large shallow baking dish.

Bake: at 425 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done.

Enjoy!!  I promise you won't be disappointed.  And, you can play around with the recipe a little.  I didn't ever follow it exactly the way the recipe calls and it still comes out tasting great.  I used different cheese once--trying out Havarti Dill.  I couldn't find fresh sage, so I used the dry stuff and mixed it together with the shallots and apples right away.  And, for those of you who may not know what shallots are, they are onions.  They look like a mix between a yellow onion and a large version of garlic.  You find them by the onions, and I have typically found them in those little plastic, wire bags at the end of the onion stand.  If you can't find them, you can substituate with one medium sized onion.

Now that the wedding is getting closer (46 days, but who's counting), things are starting to come together nicely. I am checking things of my wedding planning list daily now and it sure feels good. Yesterday, I decided to have an enjoyable wedding day and go shop for my shoes. It was fun, but I did have a bit of a criteria on what I was looking for. Since I am about 9 inches shorter than Dana, the first thing I needed to make sure of is that I have some sort of heel that will give me a little height. And, I also wanted to make sure that they would go with my dress (naturally). I found the perfect pair, but was very dissappointed in the stiletto heal. I walked up and down the aisle of the store, thinking to myself, how am I going to do this? How will I walk in the grass, during the ceremony with a stiletto heel? Every step I take, I will sink into the ground and lose my balance. But, how can I get over these shoes? Argh!

So, I call my dad and said "Hey, can you carry me down the aisle?" and in a bit of confusion, he says "Um, sure. I can do whatever you want." Haha, my poor dad. I laughed a bit and explained that I would have to walk on my tip toes to the end of the aisle, so he would really need to help me keep my balance. And, after getting the A-OK, I immediately bought them. Now, I'm just going to have to practice tip toeing in my new shoes. I hope I don't fall.

Oh, and Rocky is the cutest thing ever, so I had to throw in a picture of him.  Look close, he is sticking his tongue out just slighty.  He's so silly.

The sun is finally shining, and boy is it hot! Dana and I had a great weekend together and spent lots of time outside. We both have really red shoulders to prove it. First, though, we were honored to have our brother-in-law (well, mine, soon to be) in town through the week working with Dana at the big office of Web Design Solutions. They worked hard, ate hard, and Ryan did lots of push ups. :) We also got the opportunity to introduce Ryan to Phil's Barbeque, which is absolutely the best BBQ in town. I still haven't done it, but I swear I could eat a whole rack of baby back ribs, and next time I just might do it!

Anyway, after he left on Saturday, we went to my friend, Isha's wedding. It was so pretty. I know Isha because she is also a fashion designer and we try to get involved with fashion events together. We have built a great connection through the love of art and design, and we were also planning our weddings at the same time. So, it was great to be a witness to her beautiful day. Her and her now husband, Nate, got married on the La Jolla cove, close to the spot where Dana purposed. The day was perfect and she looked absolutely gorgeous wearing the dress that she made herself!

Today, Dana and I spent the day walking and eating way too much. We bought tickets for "The Taste of Adams", which is where we walk up and down Adams Avenue and sample food at each of the 25 restaurants in the area. I think we got to maybe 15 before we threw in the towel. Not only were we more full than I could've ever imagined, but it was the first real hot, sunny day of the summer, and we just weren't use to it, or even prepared for it. Our feet are killing us and I still can't think about food, even 7 hours later.

We ended the day by watching the movie "The Hangover", which is hilarious, and then coming home to take Rocky for a walk, since he was home most of the day by himself. :( If you haven't seen the movie yet and you need a good laugh, I highly recommend it. Of course, now I joke around with Dana about how I won't let him go on his bachelor party. Ha!

The 4th of July weekend is always a big deal in San Diego. The sun starts shining the fullest, the beaches are packed, house parties are abundant, and fireworks are in the air! And, of course, on most of these occasions, Dana is celebrating and I have to work. Boo! Dana woke me early on Saturday to tell me he was leaving to celebrate the festivities for the day...he gave me a kiss and was on his way to having fun in the sun.

Our celebrating together didn't happen until Sunday, which was the first Sunday of the month, and meant we would be hanging out with Jen and Carlos. It was the last day at the fair, so we all decided to get our fill of bad food and entertainment before the fair disappeared. We started the day off with deep fried artichokes, eventually adding crispy creme chicken sandwiches, corn on the cob, a cinnamon roll, a gyro, a beer, australian battered potatoes and ended with a bag of kettlecorn to have later in the evening (its the one snack we like to eat with Rocky--I know, we're naughty). So, needless to say, we got our fill of bad food.   (pictured is Jen and Los ordering Crispy Creme jelly filled Chicken Sandwiches)

We walked through the whole fair and also played a game. Dana and I somehow started a tradition that he wins me a stuffed animal, so he played a game of darts and won me a purple monkey....

And, we also took the sky ride to ride above the whole fair.  Everyone thought it was a good idea, but me, so I thought I would see if I could handle it.  You see, over the past 5 years or so, I have developed a horrible fear of heights.  I don't know where it came from or why, because I never fell from anything high, but I cannot deal with heights even for the least bit.  We bought tickets to go to one end and back, but the whole ride one way was so incredibly freightening for me that I had to get off at the nearest spot possible.  I feel so bad because I was so scared for my life that I yelled at Carlos like 3 times and all he did was move a little.  To pay me back, he said that when him and Jen plan a wedding, they are going to say their vows jumping out of a plane and I would be a bridesmaid!!!  Heck no, thats one wedding I wouldn't be a part of.  Ha! 

Overall, we had a fun day with Jen and Los, and with each other, but Dana and I decided that the fair is not our thing.  We pinky promised that the we will only go if there is a special event going on that we want to be part of, or when we bring our own kids.  Other than that, it just sucks all the money out of your wallet and we left there broke.  :( 

I just got back from a long weekend in Las Vegas for my bachelorette party. I can't begin to tell you how much fun I had with all my girlfriends and how special everyone made me feel. On day one, my friend Megan and I got there before everyone else, so we layed by the pool and enjoyed the relaxation of being in the Vegas and finally on vacation. My maid of honor and her sister (who are also my cousins) arrived later in the night, along with 2 more friends. We went out and danced our butts off.

On day two, we had 6 more girls arrive to carry out the festivities. I wore a white dress and the girls dressed me in a tiara and veil. I fought the idea at first, but gave in after a few saki shots during dinner. It actually turned out to be a really fun idea. I had so many people congratulating me, giving advice, and making me feel so excited about getting married. I also had people yelling "Don't do it!!!", haha, that was kind of funny. And, I had a few married couples who were so excited to share their advice on how to keep the marriage going strong.

Because we had 12 attractive women all together walking around Vegas, we definetly got tons of attention and people in the nightlife industry catered to our every need. We were invited to the hottest clubs with free bottle service and free rein to dance wherever we felt. It was just so much fun to have so many friends together and having so much fun.

One our last day we had 6 more girls who came for the day and we spent the whole day at a pool where we were served the most delicious rasberry mojitos. I'm sure my skin was wrinkled because I didn't leave the water once. The weather was hot and the pool felt so good. Overall, it was the best bachelorette party ever and my friends put in so much effort to make me feel special and excited to be getting married. This was a well needed weekend with all my favorite girls, and I will never forget the memories we all made together.

Now, I am so excited to get married and have this magical day that I have been waiting for for so long to finally happen. The days are coming fast...and soon I will be known only as Mrs. Brooke N. I can't wait!!! Yay!!!

About a month back, Dana asked me if I could take off this Saturday night from work because he had a suprise for me. When Saturday came, I was very anxious and a bit annoyed because he gave me no clue as to what we were doing. All he said is that "Rocky planned it all out". So, in my eyes, I couldn't complain because I knew I would be spending the day with Dana and Rocky. I absolutely hate when we have to leave Rocky behind.

After a few slip ups from people, I began to become suspicious as to the fact that more than just Dana was involved, but I really had no idea. We drove to Kate Sessions Park in PB, which is an absolutely beautiful park that gives you a great view of the water and you are allowed to bring dogs and alcohol (glass-free of course). As we got out and started to walk down to the trails I started to notice how everyone in a particular crowd looked very familiar.

As I got closer, I hear everyone yell "Suprise!" and realize that it was a bunch of Dana and my friends. They were crowded around, grilling and talking. As it turned out, my friend, Liz coordinated a shower for us, since we didn't have one here, and then Dalina jumped on the bandwagon and put all her efforts in helping as well. It was the most perfect day ever. Even with the hot sun, we were in the perfectly shadowed spot that gave us complete comfort. Some friends that I haven't seen in ages came, as well as familiar faces that I never get to spend a relaxing Saturday with.

Rocky had so much fun, getting attention from everyone. He had a friend (a Boston Terrier named Peanut), who he got to play with for the first half. And in the second half, he became curious to what the other crowds of people were doing in their group. He's quite the chick magnet, so he loved getting attention from all the ladies sitting in the other areas.

Overall, it was a very memorable day, which really helped set the mood of excitement for our big day that is only 3 weeks away!!! It really is coming so quickly!

Today Dana has turned 32 years young. We celebrated his big day a couple days earlier by going to an over night getaway in Temecula at South Coast Winery Resort and Spa. I suprised him with a day of wine tasting, relaxing, eating, and time swimming in their pool. We stayed over night in a villa where we were greeted with a bottle of wine, passports to their tasting room, and a wine and cheese pairing tour. We had so much fun together, and we didn't realize how much it was needed! With the stress of wedding planning and business for Dana, our lives were running parallel and barely ever crossed.

We started our adventure with a tour of the winery, where they explained how the wine is made. They finished the tour by sitting us at tables with a wine and cheese pairing to explain what goes well together. Dana and I are very much interested in wine and its whole process, so it was fun to learn what foods to pair it with. We sat at a table with another couple from San Diego who were celebrating their 24th wedding anniversary. The husband suprised the wife with the resort getaway, just as I did to Dana. We shared stories about love, molding our men--haha, and Hawaii (they went for their 10 year anniversary, and we are going for our honeymoon). We also sat with 2 sisters who were as excited as we were to drink the wine and laugh about the slight buzzes we were getting from all the tastings.

I had to post the pic below cuz its just too funny.  That is Dana's expression after we finished the last tasting.  I think he wanted more, he looks a little disappointed.  :)

After the tour, we were brought to the tasting room, where we were invited to taste all the of the wines that they make at the vineyard.  We are more red wine drinkers, so we skipped over most of the white and tried out all the reds that sounded interesting.  In the end, I think we tried about 12 each, and I am sure you can imagine what that amounted to--yes, quite the buzz.  We started acting really goofy and laughing at what seemed like our own funny jokes, but I am sure if anyone else was there they would've thought we were crazy.  We followed a bunny rabbit around and starting calling him Rocky because any animal that looks cute to us automatically gets the name Rocky.  I guess you could say we are two peas in a pod. 

After wine tasting, we checked into our room, which was absolutely beautiful.  It was a king-sized villa, with a living area, fireplace, entrance to our own balcony, which overlooked the vineyards, and huge bathroom with a jacuzzi tub. We really didn't want to leave because it was so nice inside, but we left for dinner soon after, which was also lots of fun. I encouraged Dana to get whatever his heart desired, which he decided was a steak and lobster tail--he was fed like a king!!  And, in the end, the restaurant treated him to cheesecake for dessert.

After dinner, we settled down with a dip in the salt-water pool and hot tub.  It was the perfect way to end a perfect day.  We are now looking so forward to our wedding and all the festivities that come with it.  We are so in love and ready to start the next chapter in our lives.  Hope to see you all in the next 2 weeks!!

I don't have much time to blog today,for we are leaving for Ashland, Wi in an hour, but a few things I wanted to share with you that happened over the weekend. A couple of Dana's groomsmen flew into San Diego to throw him his bachelor party. I didn't ask for details, but it sounded like they had plenty of fun. Here is one of the pics:

After a year and 2 months of planning, Dana and I have finally married. The stress of wedding planning and looking to our future together was finally relieved of the intensity by reciting our vows and legally binding ourselved to one another. Our journey to Ashland, Wi (the wedding spot) was fast paced and overwhelming at times, but in the end, it all paid off.

We flew in a week before the wedding to wrap up all planning that needed to be done. On the Thursday before the wedding, alot of our out-of-town travelers started to make their way in to town. We hosted a small gathering at Deep Water Grill, where many people met with us. Dana wore his tuxedo t-shirt and I was crowned a "soon to be bride" by my mother-in-law. We stayed up late, drank too much, and felt it the next day.

Friday was our rehearsal.  Everyone from the bridal party (minus two groomsmen, who had a heck of a day travelling) participated in what was a very confusing event--thank god for Christine who guided me through all the important things that people should be prepared for, come ceremony time.  After figuring out the layout of the day, we all met at Molly Coopers, which is a restaurant overlooking Lake Superior at Hotel Chequamegon.  We ate a BBQ themed dinner and relaxed a bit before hitting the sack for the morning.  Dana and I parted ways, which I was sad to see him go, but so excited to know that the next time I saw him would be at the ceremony.  From what I hear, he had a fun night of playing in the pool with all his friends.  I, on the other hand, finished up some last minute planning and went to bed with my mom, 4 dogs, and 2 cats.  It was interesting to say the least.  haha.  Rocky doesn't like cats, so everytime one of them moved, Rocky went into attacked mode, jumped off the bed, then I would yell and he would stop, only to realize he couldn't jump back onto the bed, so either my mom or I would have to get up and grab him to put him back on the bed.  And, we repeated this procedure probably 3 or 4 times.  But, luckily, I did get enough sleep.

The pic below is of me and my bridesmaids (left to right: Tris B., Natalie W., Me-Brooke N., Andrea G., Heather J., and Jen P.)

The morning before the ceremony, my bridesmaids all met up and finished decorating the reception site (which they did an absolutely fabulous job) and then picked me up to get our hair done together.  When they picked me up, they were all showing off their new "Bcat Threads" t-shirts that I gave them as a gift the night before.  After hair, we all went to my aunt Nancy's (where the ceremony was) to put on makeup together and put our dresses on.  It was a very fun bonding moment that allowed me to relax a little before the madness began.  My mom met up with me early and put my grandma's pearl necklace on me to perfect the whole wedding look.  It was an emotional moment for me, but something that made me feel so very special. 

So the ceremony began.  As I hid behind the house, I listened to each song that I had patiently picked out and envisioned to make the perfect wedding.  I couldn't believe that all the effort I put into planning these moments were coming to life.  My dreams were flooded in my mind and everything felt so magical.  As the song for me to walk to was at a long pause, I was growing so impatient, I was so ready to walk down that aisle!!!  Finally, the song began.  Where I thought my nerves would take over and I would really screw up, something inside of me grew so calming, it felt natural, it felt real, and it felt like the one moment where I had no reason for nerves to set in.  My eyes caught Dana right away and everything else around me vanished--it was just him and I.  And so the rest of the ceremony went, and Dana and I left as husband and wife...Mr and Mrs Dana P. N.

Our reception followed, with beautiful decor, lots of friends and family--and not enough time.  I am one to get overwhelmed way too easily and felt like there wasn't enough time in the night for anything.  By the time I felt like I could breathe, it had all ended and I was only feeling like it just began.

The next morning we had a small gift opening at my mom's house.  We had a few friends and family show up to watch us open our gifts and cards and to see us off, as we were wrapping up our trip to Wisconsin and heading back to San Diego.  As you can see by the pic, I got lots of help from my new nieces, Brynn, Rowan, and Kierce...and Dana just ate his way through the event and nodded and smiled where he found it appropriate. 

It's been a week and Dana and I have already found our way back to normalcy--kind of. As soon as we got back to San Diego, Dana headed back to the office and I began my duties as a wife. Well, my "duties" haven't changed, its just that I was finally able to get to them now that I don't have the stress of planning the wedding. I've been gathering all our pictures from the wedding, writing out thank yous, updating our website, and now starting to thoroughly clean our house. I'll admit, I completely let go in the last 6 months, and now its time to turn this house around.

Everyone has been asking us if married life has been different,and it really is hard to say. Yes and No. Our daily lives run about the same as they did before, but now we keep trying to find ways to use the words "wife" and "husband" and giggle every time either one of us says it. There is also a bit of a comforting feeling, knowing that we are married and not wondering where our future is as a couple. I, myself, feel a bit less selfish, which might be a big thing to say, but its true and I'm not scared to say it. :) We've always considered each other's opinions before making any decision, but now, its more like "What do we want?", rather than "Would Dana mind if I wanted...". Some people laugh and say we are in our "honeymoon" stage and that good feeling won't last long, but we are here to prove them wrong...hahahaha (yes, Ryan, I'm talking to you!)

Anyway, last night, Dana and I had a good time with our friends, Carrie and Ben, at a pre-season Chargers game.  They treated us to tickets for the game, which was so much fun!!  The Chargers lost, which really made no difference to me, but hanging out with our friends was the best part of it.  We tailgated in the parking lot for a couple hours before the game, along with another couple (Ben and Tina), then hit up the game.  Since I had been going to bed at 9Pm every night, I was started to get pretty tired by the end, but it was nice to get out and finally hang out with them!

For those of you who read our blogs regularly, you might get a little kick out of this. As you might recall, back in May, Dana and I bought a new camera and took it for a test run at the Mission Gorge Trails ( http://danaandbrooke.com/n-900-the-day-ruiner.html), and came home with no pictures. So, this last weekend Dana and I decided that we were going hiking at the same trails. Its something we always talk about, yet never do. Well, we were doing it this time. I knew it would be a beautiful hike, so I wanted to bring the camera. I was thinking about all the beautiful shots of the scenery we would get, on top of pictures of Dana and I to prove that we actually did go hiking.

On the way to the trails, Dana and I got into an arguement about what we would carry with us while hiking.  He said he would carry the camera with the long lense already attached (which is for long distance--scenery from afar).  I wanted to take the camera case with both lenses because I wanted to catch closeups as well.  And, in the case, we also fit 2 water bottles, a phone, and keys.  Dana was being minimal and I was preparing for everything.  Yes, the bag would be a little heavy, but we would have everything we need.  So who's right?  You can decide, its all in the type of person you are.  Needless to say, I won the arguement (Dana has already learned his role as a husband-hahaha).  But, I had to carry the bag, he, the camera.

After hiking for the first mile, we had stopped to shoot a few different spots, change lenses, and admire all the photographic views.  I was thinking carrying the bag was a bit irritating, but knowing what it had to offer kept me content.  And, so came this big tree which overlooked a beautiful pond, with huge branches hovering over the whole trail, creating a great deal of shade, and a perfectly photographic moment.  I asked Dana to take a few of me, and he is snapping away, only to realize that the screen says "No memory card".  What?  NNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Before we left, I took the memory card out to take off all the pics that we already saved to the computer, but I never put the memory card back in!!  Argh!!  All the arguing, carrying the heavy case, and changing lenses, and all for nothing.  And, this time I couldn't be mad at anyone but myself.  Of course, we had to laugh about it because the last time that happened, we were at the exact same place and made just as big of a deal about it as this time.  We joked about how the spirits in the park definetly didn't want us to have any pics of this magical place.  Oh, and the camera bag?  What a waste of time and space.  I was so mad about it that Dana took it from me without any hesitiation and carried it back to the truck so we could continue on with our hike (and that is why I love my husband soooo much).

Of course, he wasn't going to spend the day without teasing me about it a little...so as we were hiking through the most beautiful areas of the park, Dana would take a moment to say "Oh look at that beautiful rock, lets take a picture", or "This is a great photographic moment".  And we both would get a bit of a chuckle out of it.  As you can see below, this is the only picture we got:

 Sky  sky sky sky sky sky sky sky sky sky sky sky

trees                          trees

Dana and Brooke

dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt

This past weekend was hot, sunny, and lots of fun. My college friend, Dana, came to visit for the weekend from Hermosa Beach, Ca. It was so nice to see her and catch up. For the last few times we hung out, it was a bit rushd and we were usually in a big group, so we didn't get to talk much. This time, we had all of Saturday together (just her and I), so we went and had dinner at El Zarape, a new mexican restaurant near my house (and P.S. if you ever come to visit me, make sure we eat there because it is soo good and just slightly different than the usual). After dinner and a few margaritas later, we went down to Rosie O'gradys to share a pitcher of beer and some great conversation. We ended the night with my husband, Dana, picking us up and having one more drink together. Whenever my friend, Dana visits, its always so much fun. Especially since there are 2 Danas--we always get a few laughs out of it.

Sunday morning, we went downtown and had breakfast at Mary Jane's, in the Hard Rock Hotel. My friend, Dana and I both got the Tijuana Eggs Benedict, and yum, yum, it was good. My husband, Dana, had a revelation after he tried Corned Beef Hash for the first time. He absolutely loved it and couldn't stop thinking about all the opportunities in the past where he could've had it, but was too scared to try it. Well, scared no more, he'll be ordering it everytime he sees it on a menu, I'm pretty sure.

We continued our expedition to Intervention on the rooftop of the Hard Rock Hotel for a few drinks, some good music, and mingling with friends. Intervention is an event that takes place every Sunday, where people go to show off their bikinis, listen to good music, and have fun in the sun. Dana and I have been talking about going for the last 2 years, and we were finally able to go check it out this last weekend.

After we got home from Intervention, and Dana left to go back home, we went to our cousin, Lorie's house for the best carne asada I think I've ever had.  Lorie BBqed all the meet, made her own guacamole, and rice and beans.  I ate two plates full, where I probably should've only eaten one.  Where I found the room for that second helping is beyond me.  :)  We got to talk about all kinds of fun things, and recap on the last time we saw each other, which was our wedding.  And, they also gave us our wedding gifts.  Aside from some really nice registry items we asked for, Lorie also framed a peice of paper, which was decorated with the same flowers as our invitations, and wrote out the reading that she read during our ceremony.  It brought us to tears to receive something so sentimental.  It is sooo beautiful!

Dana and I had a great Labor Day weekend together. Dana had been out of town on Thursday and Friday, and I was bartending Friday night, so by the time Saturday came around, we were so excited to spend the day together. We've been talking about buying hiking stuff (shoes, backpack, etc.) before we left for Hawaii, so we decided to take a trip to REI and then go out to grab some dinner afterwards. We both found a pair of hiking shoes, we got a backpack for our camera, a waterproof protector to take pics under water with our digital camera, and a book on hiking in the San Diego County (this isn't something we plan on giving up once we get back from Hawaii). The book we got is: "Afoot & Afield: San Diego County" by Jerry Schad, which came highly recommended by all the REI employees (who, by the way, all seem to really love their job--they are all sooooo very helpful, and don't make you feel stupid if you are a beginner).

Anyway, after shopping, we got so excited to use our new book and find a place to hike the following day, when we realized it was the first Sunday of the month! Its the day we spend with Jen and Carlos...I was hoping they would be up for a good hike on our day together. And, they were!

We chose the Los Penasquitos Canyon--approaching from the East Side. I had hiked the same trail a while back with a friend of mine and remembered really enjoying it. So we all met at the beginning and took off on our 6.4 mile trek. The first half of the trek, we seperated by the sexes. Jen and I scooted ahead of the guys to catch up on girl talk, while the guys did their own thing a few yards behind us.

Our halfway point, was a small waterfall.  Here, we rested a bit, took some pictures, walked around in the crystal clear water and then carried on our way.  The first pic below is Jen and I on one side of the waterfall taking a pic of Dana while Dana takes a pic from the other side.  The second pic, is obviously, the newlyweds hanging out under the big shady rock.  And the third pic is Los, Jen, and I getting ready to start hiking the second half.

Overall, we had a great hike, and ended it with a picnic lunch at the end of the final trail.  What we learned from the picnic is that Carlos loves Ranch Dressing, and Dana is pretty funny (even when he laughs at his own jokes first).

The hike was beautiful, the weather was perfect.  I wouldn't suggest doing it if the temp is over 80 degrees.  It is very easy, and would be a great hike for beginners, or people looking for something that isn't too difficult of terrain, for it is mostly flat the whole way.  You can bring dogs with you, you can mountain bike the same trails, and you can also take your horses there to ride.  If you live in SD and want to try something new, hike these trails!

I'm sitting here with my cup of 100% Kona Coffee, amped with energy and ready to tell you all about our fantastic honeymoon. We spent two weeks in Hawaii, breaking it up with one week on Maui and the next week on Hawaii-the big island. In week one, we broke it up and stayed at 2 different resorts right on the ocean. First, at the Westin, we had a beautiful view, overlooking the resort's pool area, and a beautiful view of the ocean where we could also see the island, Molokai in the distance. We watched the sunrise every morning and the sunset every night.

We were greeted with a bottle of champagne and a card addressed to "Mr. and Mrs. N...".  And, although we were married a month before we left, that had been the first time we had been addressed that way.  Every time I hear my new last name, I get butterflies thinking about how I now carry Dana's name.  And we are a Mr. and Mrs.!

During our stay, we rented a car and decided to venture away from the resort and see some of the beautiful sites that Maui has to offer.  We were given a book from our friends, Marty and Monica called "Maui Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook" by Andrew Doughty, which Dana read from front to back to suck out all the information needed.  One of the neat places we visited was a huge blow hole, and here is a goofy pic of me enjoying it:

In the same spot, we found a rock that had a hole in it the shape of a heart.  I took advantage of the photographic moment and got this pic (which is one of my favorites):

On day 3, we took the infamous road to Hana.  For being such a small distance, it sure took up quite the day.  The road distance to get from one end to the other is about 70 miles, but it took us about 4 hours to make the drive one way!  Yikes!  The scenery was beautiful, for most of the drive was along the edge of the mountain--but it was also very scary, for most of it was only one lane, right on the edge, with oncoming traffic--no joke.  And, it wasn't always paved, so my heart was beating quite fast most of the time.  After such a long drive, we started to get over everything, but knew there would be light at the end of the tunnel.  Once we reached Hana, we went to Haleakala National Park where there was "The Seven Sacred Pools" and a 4 hour hike through Pipiwai Trail, which was a bamboo forest that ended with the Waimoku Falls, a huge waterfall that you could get as close to as you wanted to.  Walking through the bamboo was amazing...there was so much of it, and they were so tall that even though we were walking in the middle of a sunny, hot day, the bamboo covered so much that it was dark and cool.  And, bamboo is so strong that no animals can live to walk through it, so no animals, birds, or anything.  It was so neat and different than anything I've seen before.  One of the pics is of me in the bamboo, holding myself up by the bamboo stalks that were only about 3 inches in diameter.  The other is of the beautiful waterfall that was at the end of the hike.

Aside from the adventures we took away from the resort, we also took part in some of the other activities that the resorts had to offer.  After staying at the Westin, we switched resorts and stayed at the Hyatt, which we were really excited about.  We went to a Luau and a Cirque Show that were both held right at their property.  We really enjoyed our room at the Hyatt and spent most of our time using their pool and hanging around.  We spent one entire day at the pool, which had a Grotto, a water slide, and lots of lounge chairs.  It was a perfect day, except in the end, we didn't realize we were going to spend so much time there and didn't reapply sunscreen.  Dana was burnt to a crisp and I got pretty red, for I was wearing more sunscreen in the beginning, and Dana didn't think to put any on his legs.  He's still paying for it (his legs are still red and peeling--oopsl).  After staying 3 nights at the Hyatt, it was our time to leave Maui and head to "The Big Island".  That will be the next  blog.  To see all our pics from Maui, check them out in our photo gallery: http://danaandbrooke.com/g-1156-maui.html

As soon as we got to Kona, we knew it was going to be a completely different vibe, and it was.  In my eyes, it seemed more livable, and less touristy.  When we were there, we spent less time as the resort during the day, and more time at the beach and checking out the sites that the island had to offer.  We took our first trip to Volcanoes National Park.  We didn't get to see lava flowing, but pretty dang close.  We took a 4 mile hike that partly went around the rim of the crater, and then the other part hiked right across the center of it.  We were so tiny compared to the perimeter of the crater's edge.  Since it had just rained, you could see tons of crevices that were steaming because the lava underneath was still so hot.  You can see in the pic below that Dana's hand it hurting because of the steam being so hot.  While he may be acting a bit, you really couldn't leave your hand there for more than a couple seconds.  The next pic below that is me, standing in a lava tube.  Lava tubes are created by lava flow hardening at the surface while its on its way to the ocean, creating a tube.

Another fun adventure we took was coffee tasting.  Since Kona coffee is the best coffee in the world, and Dana and I are coffee drinkers, we were excited to see the process of coffee growing from the cherries on the tree all the way to roasting the beans.  Here is me, in the rows of coffee trees.

We also took a whole day trip to Hilo, which was on the other side of the island.  We weren't as impressed as we thought we would be, but we both agreed that if we didn't go, we would always wonder if we were missing something.  We checked out a few sites, but had to get really creative with our time.  My only memory of it is the huge Banyan trees along the edge of one of the roads, and the huge desserts we ordered at Coconut Grill, we couldn't decide on something to share, so we both ordered our own--not ever recommended. :)  Below is a Banyan Tree, see if you can find Dana!

Most of the time that we spent in Kona, we went to the beach.  The water was beautiful, the sun was shining, and we just couldn't resist.  We did our research, and went to see the most interesting beaches we read about or were told about by the locals.  One beach was famous for their sea turtle population, but at the time we got there, it wasn't their time to lay out on the beach.  We only saw them swimming in the water.

We went to Mauna Kea beach, which is somewhat exclusive and rated one of the best beaches in the world.

We went to a black sand beach, but only went quickly to see it and take a few pics.

And then we went to a beach close to our resort where snorkeling was good.  Unfortunetly, with the waves being so high most of the week, we only had one good day of snorkeling.  Well, Dana did.  I had fun snorkeling for the first time, until I inhaled a mouthful of water, yuck!  But, it was beautiful!  We were swimming with 4 sea turtles that were so close, we could've easily touched them.  Here are some pics Dana got underwater...so cool!!!

Of course there is so much more that we did and so many things that we didn't get to do...this just touches on how much fun we really had.  To see all of the pictures from our "Big Island" trip, you can go to our photo gallery: http://danaandbrooke.com/g-1157-the-big-island-kona.html

Since we've been back from our honeymoon, we've been living the married life to its fullest. Dana and I have both been working really hard all week long, and look forward to finding something interesting to do on the weekends. Our first weekend back from Hawaii we met Paulette and her husband Bo (Paulette works for Dana) who were visiting from North Carolina. We showed them Dana's office, then we went to check out the end of Octoberfest in La Mesa, which is just east of our house about 8 minutes. We ended the night with Paulette and Bo treating us to dinner for our wedding gift. We had so much fun together and endless conversations from love and life to work and success.

 This last weekend, Dana and I took advantage of some events going on in San Diego and also created a couple of our own.  On Saturday, we were feeling a bit adventurous and decided to go for a new hike from our hiking book.  We chose the Bernardo Mountain Summit.  It was a 7.5 mile trail with a 1000' ascent.  We felt so good when we got to the top, but by the end of it all our legs were starting to get a little stiff.  But, we felt so accomplished when we finished, that we couldn't wait for our next hike :)  . 

On Sunday, we went to Little Italy for their annual Italian Festa.  Before we left, Dana thought of the great idea of taking the Trolley to the event.  We live pretty close to a Trolley station and knew it would be easier since it drops you off right at the event.  We woudln't have to worry about parking.  Well, since we never took the trolley before, we kind of made a whole trip out of it.  We thought it was more fun than most of the carnival rides at the fair.  Our first stop was Italian Festa.  We ate delicious food, drank Italian wine, and walked the streets, absorbing all the festivities.

We left the Festa and took the trolley to downtown.  We got off and walked 5th Ave.  Little did we know, we were walking into an auto show.  Well, since we all know how much Dana loves his automobiles, I knew we'd walked into something enjoyable.  I made Dana pick out his favorite "Mid Life Crisis" car from the bunch....here it is:

We finished the trolley by taking a loop around the edge of San Diego county and back to the truck.  We ended the night with dinner, a Target trip, then some delicious vanilla Beyers ice cream  Yum Yum.  Now, what are we going to do next weekend?  Hmmm...

My cousin, Gwenda, called me today to tell me the terrific news. Matt proposed to her today! I am so happy for the two of them and very excited for their future together. When I think of the two of them, the first thing that always comes to mind is the two of them giggling together. They share the same sense of humor and have supported each other in so many ways...it is so nice to see such a beautiful couple take the next step in their future together. Congrats to both of you, I love you soooo much! Matt I am so happy to have you as a new cousin and I welcome you to our family with open arms :)

As some of you may know, I am always trying new recipes and techniques in cooking. Last night I made Creole Shrimp and Sausage Stew from a recipe I found in a Cooking Light magazine.  It is super easy to make, about 10 minutes preperation and about 15-20 minutes to make.  And, it was soooo good and healthy!  Try and out and let me know what you think:

For as long as I have known Dana, I've always known that he has had the dream to be so self sufficient that we would never need to rely on anything except whatever grows in our own backyard.  Since we don't own our house right now, we aren't able to turn half our yard into a garden, but Dana has done what he can to add a few fruit trees here and there.  After planting a lemon tree and a lime tree, Dana thought he would attempt a banana tree.  He planted it within the first 3 months of moving into this house (we've been here 2 years and 3 months now).  We watched this tree outgrow the house within the first 6 months, it grew so fast!  Over this last summer, we realized it was growing too much and started to take over one side of our house.  Dana decided to trim it down a bit....then, yesterday, he noticed that we have bunches of bananas growing!!  How cool is that?

So, if anyone is in the mood for banana bread, banana cream pie (Megan!), banana pancakes, banana ice cream, peanut butter and banana sandwiches, or anything else that can be made out of bananas, you know where to come!  :)  Our door is always open (and P.S.  we are ready for some visitors to start planning their trips out here).

I know I've been slacking a bit on updating our blogs (I was in a good habit of writing one a week), but I think I have a few good reasons. One is that Dana and I have both been working really hard lately. Dana was gone to Vegas for SEMA for a whole week, I was running around working on some new design ideas. And, after all that hard work, neither of us want to do anything when the weekends are finally here. We have both become such homebodies, it makes me laugh. "Do you want to go hang out with ...?", "Hmm, maybe we should just have them come over to our place." Or, "Want to see what's going on this weekend?", "Well, not really. Let's just stay home." And, my favorite one yet, "Hey Dana, its BEER WEEK, want to go check out the fesitivities?", and he replies with "Nah, I really just want to stay home." Ha! What has gotten into us? Maybe its the weather. Now that its cooling down, we just want to stay warm and cozy in the house. Or, maybe its the honeymoon phase. We just want to be together and don't want to share our time with anyone else. Hmm? I don't know.

Regardless of what it is, we finally got over our slump and decided to get out into the world and see what's been going on around us. This last Wednesday, we made a date with our friend, Ryan. We've been friends with him since the very beginning of our relationship (he lived next door to me), and we always make a point to check in and keep in touch with him. Our friend, Dalina, was hosting a martini tasting in Pacific Beach, so we went to check that out. We ate a scrumptious dinner, which Ryan treated (thank you, Ryan!), then hung out and caught up on life.

It had been a while since we hosted a BBQ at our house, so what better day to do it than when the Chargers planned and succeeded on crushing the Broncos. We invited a bunch of our friends over for a day of hanging out, watching football, and eating good food. We find that the best types of BBQ's are the ones where we ask everyone to contribute. That way,we always end up with so many different and good foods. We had everything from homemade guacamole from our neighbors, Elisa and Ryan to the most delicious brownies with hints of peanut butter tucked inside every bite, made by our good friends, Collin and Liz. Dana grilled the best burgers and brats in town and served them up with all the fixin's and condiments you could imagine. We ate so much food that neither Dana or myself wanted to eat anything today...and to think Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

and of course, we had to share a picture of Rocky in his Charger Jersey, thanks to his Auntie's Steph and Lorie

As the time got closer to Turkey Day, Dana and I were starting to realize that the plans we had weren't going to follow through, and we weren't going to have anything do that day.  Jen and Carlos heard of our lack of plans and decided to adopt us into Carlos's family Thanksgiving.  We took them up on our offer and had a wonderful time.  Our day started with Jen and Los stopping by our house to say hi to Rocky and hang out for a bit.  As you can see in the picture below, Carlos planned his day by dressing in the same colors at Rocky (now that's love!)

We then proceeded to Carlos's Aunt's house where we were welcomed with open arms by everyone.  The house was beautiful, overlooking a canyon.  People were scattered everywhere, talking, drinking wine, watching football, and of course, eating.  Dinner was super scrumptious, with tons of delicious sides, turkey, and ham, and a large array of desserts to finish everything off.  In order to make room for everything, we took a few breaks, where we took advantage of the beautiful view by taking some pictures.

And, once my belt could no longer fit around my waist, it was time for us to head home and recline our chairs in comfy pajamas and talk about how wonderful our Thanksgiving was.  Dana and I are so very thankful for the wonderful life we've been given and all this time that we have had to share with each other.  We are thankful for our loving, healthy families, our supportive, touching friends, and for all the family who welcomed us into their traditional Thanksgiving dinner this year.  We keep you all close to our hearts and love you so much.

With the holidays here, there never seems to be a dull moment, or even enough time to write a blog.  Dana and I have been working all week and trying to keep up with everything thats been going on around us.  Holiday parties, fashion shows, date nights, and work have been our constant juggle, but very enjoyable too.  But, I want to start this off right away with an introduction to the cutest little man that you will ever see dressed up in his holiday best... Mr. Rocky Nevins!!

Just a little FYI about Rocky.  I did this little photo session with him to show off his cuteness, and in the end, it turned him into a part time fashion model.  He has been involved with two different photo shoots with an amazing team of photographer, stylists, model, and designers.  Of course, as soon as I get the pictures, I will have to share them with you.  He has become quite popular, especially with the ladies.  Today, he made a new girlfriend, Maggie, who is another chihuahua (mix). 

Aside from Rocky's new popularity, we also headed to Newport Beach last night to meet up with some of Dana's clients.  One client treated us to dinner at a wonderful restaurant.  The food was so delicious and the company was great.  We shared a couple bottles of wine and great conversation.  We got to know the clients on a more personal level, which was great, especially since we hadn't even met one of them in person ever.  Its always nice putting a name to a face.  Here is a group shot from our night...

How was everyone's Christmas this year?  We sure do hope it was well, for ours was too.  As you can see in the picture above, we have been using the same tiny Christmas tree that we have had for the last 3+ years.  This year we created a whole wall with the Christmas theme.   Plus, after we add some gifts, we can't help but feeling festive. For those who sent us a card, if you look close enough, you may even be able to pick it out on the wall, for we hung them all up to think of you all while being so far away.

Anyway, Dana and I enjoyed a wonderful Christmas morning at our house.  We made Irish Cream Coffee, lit hazelnut candles, turned the TV on to Christmas music and laughed at Rocky for being the goofy little guy that he always is.  We opened some gifts that we got for each other, enjoying our first Christmas as a married couple.  My most exciting gift to Dana was a ceramic beer stein with a pewter lid.  On the stein is a design of two bald eagles.  For those of you who weren't at our wedding, the 2 bald eagles is a great symbolization of our ceremony, for my family told me they saw two bald eagles fly over us as we were getting married. How exciting to find a stein to symbolize our most memorable day together.

Dana's favorite gift to me was a pair of boots.  He knew how bad I wanted a pair of black boots and did everything he could to find the perfect pair for me.  He picked out what he liked best and I absolutely loved them!!  He now prides himself in his ability to pick out my personal style (which I know most men wouldn't even attempt), and he rocked it!!  Below are a couple pics opening gifts.  Rocky is watching over Dana as he opens the gift that he got for his dad.  It is a tin of popcorn because when Dana eats popcorn he always shares a few kernels with Rocky, which, of course, Rocky loves.

After our morning together, we joined forces with Lorie (Dana's cousin) and Steph who invited us over for Lorie's infamous lasagna.  We ate a ton of food, watched the Chargers kick some butt, then wrapped up the night with a game of Mexican Train.  Some neighbor friends and a work friend of Lorie and Steph's all came over and joined us.  We were all introduced to the game for the first time, except Lorie and Steph.  It was so much fun, but it got to be so late, so we ended the game a little early.  Dana was winning (I'd just call that beginner's luck), so he carried the torch out the door.  Now we are so happy that after a couple days of celebrating, we have the whole weekend to relax and do nothing.  (Please take notice to the fact that Dana picked out his clothes just so he could match Rocky--Yup, no joke.  Man, I love him! )

Happy New Year to you all and what a year it will be!  With Dana and I getting married in this last year, we both have great memories of what this last year has offered us and now, with the new year beginning, we are looking forward to creating new memories. 

Even as a new, young married couple, most people have already compared us to their grandparents because we decided to have a low key NYE celebration.  It consisted of us watching TLC til 9:30, where I then decided to call it quits and go to bed.  Dana stayed up, drank a couple beers and watched the countdown with Ryan Seacrest (haha).  And, while some of you may say you did something quite similar, I would have to argue that we don't even have kids yet!! If you ask me, it has been the best NYE celebration yet, because I woke up early New Year's day with plenty of motivation. 

Dana and I decided to go for a new hike in San Diego county.  We chose the San Margarita River Trail in Fallbrook.  We went there because we felt like taking a little bit of a drive to get there, and it was dog friendly.  We'd been curious about how Rocky would be on a hike, so this was the true test.

From the beginning we had been impressed with the hike because it was so green.  Being in San Diego, we are use to everything being dry and more desert-like, but not this day.  Dana and I agreed that it felt, looked, and smelled like home in the midwest.  Unfortunetly, after about an hour of hiking we became a bit discombobulated and spent the next two hours trying to figure out where we were and how to get back to the truck.  During our "lost" part, we walked past this car (picture below) about 3 times.  Of course, Dana's curiousity hit him and he wanted to know what kind it was, hence the picture (Dad Nevins--do you know what it is?)

Where we would've become quite irritate by not knowing where we were going, we were quite the opposite because during the journey, we decided to take Rocky off his leash.  We have never in his life ever seen him as happy as he was running on the trails.  He was running laps around us the entire time, checking out every crevice, cliff, tree, everything!!  I know it might sound a little silly, but we were so happy watching him have so much fun.  It made what could have been a bad hike into one of the best we've been on so far.  Oh how we love our Rocky Boy!!

(Below is the view at one the forks on the trail--Absolutely Gorgeous!)

Then, to wrap up our New Year's weekend, we treated Jen and Carlos to Brunch at the Posideon in Del Mar because they recently became engaged.  Carlos purposed on the beach near their house right before Christmas and we were finally able to get together to show them our congratulatory wishes.  They are a beautiful couple (inside and out), and we are so happy to be friends with them and excited to watch them on their new journey.

Then, rather than having dessert, we wrapped up our date with a round of mini golf.  Dana was the winner, (but, only because I let him win ;) )

Ok, so remember a while back when I told you Rocky was part of a photo shoot?  Well, here it is, the debut of his modeling career.  The photographer is also a dog lover and knew how much it meant to me to get him in a shot, so he worked his magic and sent this photo to me as soon as he could.  My heart melted the second I saw it.  It was such a good way to start my day.  Hope you all enjoy it, too!

With Dana and I finally having some time off to do whatever we wanted, we were lucky to have visitors in town who wanted to see what San Diego was all about.  A friend of mine from high school, Tanya, and her friend Sara were near San Diego for a seminar and had a day to escape.  It had been quite a long time since the last time we saw each other, so I was happy to see Tanya and also very happy to show her what Dana and I call home.  We met for lunch at World Famous, which is right on the beach.  And, after the horrible storms all week long, we were lucky to have a day of sunshine and clear blue skies.  We took a walk on the boardwalk where we spotted a snowman in the sand.  It was real snow!!  We are assuming someone took snow while in the mountains and brought it to the beach because it definetly wasn't cold enough here to have snow.  Of course, we had to take a picture.

After the boardwalk, Dana took them on his infamous guided tour where he was able to lay out all the facts of San Diego.  Since the sky was crystal clear, we went to Mount Soledad where we could see all of San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico, too!  It has been a while since Dana and I took time to see the ocean, even though we live so close, so it was really nice to have visitors so we could make the journey.

Dana and I had a fun filled weekend, and still managed to find time to relax at home.  So, I guess you could say we had the perfect weekend.  The weather was sunny and perfect on Saturday, so we took Rocky for a long walk around the block.  This is usually my favorite part of the day with the family cuz we get a little escape away from reality and just talk about whatever is on our minds.  By the end of this walk, we started brainstorming invention ideas and getting excited about the possibilities of the future.

Anyway, the best part of the weekend was celebrating some newly engaged couples that we are lucky to be great friends with.  About a week ago, Dana's good friend, Collin, took his then-girlfriend to Santa Barbara for what she thought was her birthday weekend-getaway, but after day one of the trip she was a newly engaged woman!  We were excited about their news and took them out to our favorite brunch spot "94th Aero Squadron" to eat some good food and hear the story of the proposal.  It was a great visit with them, and they looked very happy to be taking this next big step in their lives. 

After departing with them, Dana and I had a little bit of down time, before we turned around to do it again.  Another couple of friends of ours, Jeff and Courtney, were celebrating their engagement by having a party downtown.  I was really excited to go to the party because I use to work with Jeff, so we are all in the same circle of friends from Typhoon (where I use to bartend).  I hadn't seen Jeff and Courtney since before we got married, and I haven't seen anyone I worked with since I quit in September.  I got to catch up with so many people, I probably could've closed down the place talking to everyone that night.  The pic below is of the beautiful, engaged couple:

And, of course I have to include the picture with my fave manager, Bryant.  I miss you, B!

For the last 8 days, Dana and I have been hitting up San Diego at full speed with our visitors, my brother Derek and his girlfriend Cortney. It has been a few years since Derek's been here and Cortney's first time, so we wanted to make sure that this would be a memorable trip for them. We did every possible tourist activity we could think of. While Dana worked, we drove up the coast, but only made it to Encinitas before we turned around because we stopped in La Jolla and stayed there for quite a while. We saw seals laying on the beach, we walked into a cave in the La Jolla Cove, and I also showed them where Dana proposed to me.

We spent another day at the beach where we walked on the boardwalk in PB and on the pier, bought souvenirs, rode the roller coaster in Mission Beach, hit up a Farmer's market, and did a little shopping for clothes.

On Friday, we celebrated Derek's 27th birthday by going downtown.  We ate a scrumptious dinner, then went out for a few drinks later on.  We made our way over to Double Deuce, where Cortney rode the mechanical bull (which is tied for first place in the best thing she did while she was here).

The ultimate part of their trip was when we surprised them with a Segway tour throughout San Diego.  We kept telling them we had a fun surprise for them, but wouldn't say what it was.  They had no idea until we were walking up to the building and they saw the sign that said "Segway Tour Here".  When Derek realized what it was, his eyes lit up more than I've ever seen them.  He later told me that was the highlight of his trip.

Once the week had wrapped up, we took a Brunch Cruise around San Diego Bay.  It was a rainy day, but the food was good and the company was fabulous, so none of us were complaining much.

If you click on any of the pictures in this blog, it will take you to the album of all the pictures that we took while they were on the trip.  Check them out!!  We did so much and had so much fun that it would take up too much for one blog, but I think all the pictures will show you just how great it was to finally spend time with my brother and his girlfriend.  We miss them already...and Rocky really misses them, too. 

We just received an email from my MIL that included a picture of our niece, Brynn. She was artist of the month!!! And, she made it in the local newspaper. We couldn't be more proud of her, for we know she is very deserving. She is a very talented girl. Congratulations, Brynn, we love you!

Although it was Easter today, Dana and I were without family and just decided to make it a great Sunday spent together. After having friends over for a BBQ yesterday, we decided to take the day to spend being together. We started our morning off by taking a walk to the local Starbucks and getting our "usual Sunday coffee drinks". We also treated ourselves to a doughnut at a local doughnut shop (I hadn't had one in years!). We drank our coffee and ate our doughnuts, then continued on our way to a walk around the neighborhood (about 3 miles). Of course, Rocky was with us, too. We let him off his leash the entire way today and almost got to the end of our walk when he encountered a cat. He has a huge interest in cats, which can sometimes turn into trouble. Most cats don't really like him. Dana is convinced that one day he is going to lose an eye after a cat scratches it out. I, on the other hand, think the only way he'll learn his lesson is if he gets scratched. Regardless of the fact, Rocky survived his encounter today.

After that, Dana and I drove down to the US Olympic Training Center to check it out. It was just something to do and somewhere to drive. Of course, we were 2 of just a few people there. We walked the path to check out all the different areas. Since we had never been, it was really interesting to see where the actual Olympic Medalists practice. They have a 1 mile path to and from the entire center...so that put our walking total in today to be 5 miles each!

(First Place, just like a true Mrdjenovich ;)  )

First of all, I would like to say Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful mother!  I would also like to say Happy Mother's Day to my wonderful Mother-in-law!  And, to every other mother that is close to my heart, this day is dedicated to you and I hope you felt extra special today.  I, too, got a little Mother's Day celebration today.  Rocky convinced his daddy to get me something special so I didn't feel left out.  After all, I do have a little baby boy that I pamper daily.  So, Rocky gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers.  I love them!!  Its been a little while since I got flowers.  Rocky sure knows how to get to my heart ;)  And, I guess I owe a bit of thanks to my love, Dana, too, for helping Rocky out.

We spent the rest of our Sunday as we usually do, with a nice long walk and Starbucks.  And, now just relaxing at home.  I know my blogs have become fewer and further between, but we really haven't been interesting enough to think we should share our time with everyone.  I do, however, have a particular cousin who likes to crack the whip once its been over a month since my last blog.  :)  I like it because then at least I know someone out there is reading this.  haha.  I love you, Ashley.

And, before I part today, we would like to say a big HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our nephew Reese!  We love you so much, Reese, and hope you have the absolute best birthday ever!!!

As of today, Dana and I just found out that we are expecting our first baby! We could not be more excited. And what a surprise to the two of us. As this blog post is written, I will tell you, it is actually June and I am writing as my memory remembers March 21, the day we had our positive pregnancy test. This is how we found out: Dana and I went hiking this Sunday and had a great day. I remember having more energy than I usually do, leading far ahead of Dana (where we usually keep the same pace, or I'm falling slightly behind).

We weren't ready to end our day after the hike, so we started looking around at open houses. When we got home that night, Dana became determined to start house shopping seriously and find our new home. He eagerly got onto the computer, searching for the best agent to help us start the process of house shopping. He started looking at houses for sale and lined up our first home tour. I decided to take a shower. In the shower I had this huge realization that not only was my period late, but my body was a little different than what I knew to be normal. I am lucky to have a body that is very consistent in its behavior, so I am very in tune when something is different. As I added everything up in my head, I thought, Hmm, I wonder if I could be pregnant.

So, as I got out of the shower, Dana is yelling through the door about houses he has found, and all this stuff, but all I am thinking is "How am I going to get the pregnancy test out of the hallway cupboard without him noticing?" If I was pregnant, I wanted to find a way to surprise Dana with the news. So, I just kept him focused on the website of houses for sale, grabbed the test, hurried and peed on the stick, then rushed it to my sewing room to wait for the results. My heart was beating so fast, but I went and sat next to him on the couch, waiting for the 2 minutes to go by. He's talking about houses, and I can't hear anything he's saying, I'm so excited and nervous and man, those 2 minutes took forever!! I finally run back to the room and see what I think is a plus sign, but it was so faint, I didn't know for sure. Rather than keep it in, I basically ran out into the room and said "Guess what!", He said "Well, you're not pregnant, so what?" and I showed him the pregnancy test. He was shocked and excited, but he too didn't know for sure that it was positive.

So, we thought we better take another one, and this time use the digital ones that either say "pregnant" or "not pregnant", that way we couldn't screw it up. I couldn't go to the bathroom again so I started drinking a ton of water...well, not such a good idea, because I was so diluted that the test said "not pregnant". We decided to wait again until the next morning to take another, and sure enough, it came back positive!!! Now what to we do? Well, I made my first doctor's appointment, which turns out, you can't see them until 8 weeks for that is when they can see the heartbeat to know the pregnancy is viable. 8 weeks!! Such a excruciatingly long time to wait.

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We've made it to 8 weeks with barely any change in our regular routine. Although, I am starting to feel nauseous and a bit lethargic. Still working out as usual, and actually beginning to wonder when the symptoms are going to start? Its my first baby, after all, so I am excited for this whole experience. We finally had our first visit with the doctor. We were nervous and excited all together. We were hoping the doctor only had good things to say and we would finally see the heartbeat that we heard would be noticeable at this time. We wanted to see that there really was something going on inside me. Sure enough, just as we hoped, the doctor said everything looked great. We got to see our first ultrasound, including that little itty bitty heartbeat.  Below is the pic of our first ultrasound.  The pic to the left shows the measurement of the baby, the one on the right just shows the baby.  And, for those of you who can't see it, the baby's head is to the left, torso to the right.

The baby was 1.5 cm long and looking on par in size with when we thought the baby would have been conceived. Having experienced that doctor's appointment made everything very real to Dana and I. We were happy, proud, and so excited. To celebrate, we treated ourselves to Joe's Crab Shack for some yummy crab.  Below is my first pregnant belly picture.  Of course, I'm sure you can't really see much, but the rounding of my belly has begun just a little bit.  Its enough that I notice it, but Dana doesn't see it.

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My mom has wanted to be a grandma for far too long and I think everyone knew about it. So, I knew that when I told her, it would be a huge surprise and something so exciting for her that she wouldn't be able to contain herself. The big reveal turned out perfectly. I took the picture from our ultrasound and framed it in a picture frame that said something like "Grandchildren are the best part of life", I wrapped it in tissue and included a mother's day card. I mailed it to her, but made her promise that she wouldn't open it until Mother's Day and she had to be on the phone with me. She promised, but as it turned out, she was planning on visiting my brother that weekend and he happens to have a web cam. So, I thought it was even more perfect. She brought the gift with her, unopened, then when I got home Saturday night we hooked up the webcams and started talking to each other. Dana, Rocky, and I were on one end and my mom, brother, aunt Mary Kay, and Cortney on the other end. I told her to open her gift. I was so nervous I could barely sit still, my legs were shaking and I couldn't talk, I just froze. The second she opened her gift she knew what it was. She said "oh my god! Really? Are you? Really?" and I started crying and said "Yes, its true, we're having a baby." She was in shock, giggling, squealing and smiling so big she didn't know what to do, and quite frankly, either did I. This was the first time we revealed our big secret and it was almost scary and so surreal.

Dana had planned his mother's surprise a little bit differently. Knowing that this would be his mom's 8th grandchild, he thought he would question her as to how many grandchildren she had, but then we thought that would be too simple. So, we changed it to how many great-grandchildren Dana's grandma had, which would make her think a bit. We thought the family was going to be together all day, so we thought we would be sharing the news with everyone. Nothing really turned out according to plan, but it was still a very joyful experience. We wished Dana's mom a happy mother's day as she was driving over to church to meet with the rest of the family. Dana asks "how many great-grandchildren does grandma have?" and she said "I think 42." Dana says "Are you sure its not 43?" She says "No, I'm not sure. It could be 43"....Oh no! That was not the response we were expecting. So as the conversation went back and forth for a bit, I finally said "How do you know its not going to be 43?" and she says "Well, I don't know. Are you trying to tell me something?" Yes, we are!!! We are having the 43rd great-grandchild!! She was so excited and emotional and so were we. Dana's dad was in the background saying "What? Is Brooke pregnant?" Yay! After our talk, we let them go to church, then called back later to tell the rest of the family.

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I am 3 months along and dying to get that baby bump. Whenever I say that to a family member who has had a baby, they laugh and say, it will come and all at once, so watch out. Ha!! I am feeling a little better these days. I get bouts of energy and less morning sickness. So, I feel like I can function for at least a few hours a day. I still nap almost every day and spend a little time hugging the toilet, but its not nearly as bad as it has been. I've been able to find enough energy to spend a little time in the gym a couple days in the last week. That's been really nice, considering that I haven't been able to step foot in the gym for over a month. I've weighed myself only to see that after losing a few pounds from being so sick, I really haven't gained anything back. I'm finally eating again, though, so it shouldn't take time for the scale to start tippin'.

According to all my baby books, my little peanut has grown to about 3 inches and the size of a peach. I can't imagine...where is it hiding? I mean, my belly does protrude a tad bit, but only Dana and I can notice it, once I put normal clothes on, you can't see anything.

I just went in a few days ago to take blood tests to look for any abnormalities that we should be concerned about. So far, so good. Our next appointment isn't until June 14th, so I have a month before we find out any more news. Right now, we know that our due date is November 26th, which is the day after Thanksgiving. And, ironically, my mom already took her vacation time to visit us for the holiday, far before she realized that she may be able to witness her first grandchild being born. We will find out the sex of the baby on July 7th...a day I can't wait for. We aren't taking bets yet, but I'm feeling a girl. Not sure if its because my mom influenced me to think that way, but I'm going to believe her. Dana thinks its a boy. I guess we'll find out who's right soon enough. I have to admit, if it is a boy and looks anything like Dana, especially when he was a baby, then we will have the cutest darn baby ever. My man might be handsome now, but his baby pictures just make me want to melt. He was such a cutie!

Here is a comparison of this month from last month.  Of course, there isn't much of a difference yet.  I'm sure that will be coming soon enough.  :)

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Since the day I met Dana he has always discussed his strong desire to own his own house.  I'm sure many men (and women) can relate to that.  Being that we live in San Diego, it has been more of a challenge and a far bigger goal to reach than we had ever expected.  But after years of hard work and dedication, we have finally reached that goal.  We are now proud owners of our own house!!  This has been a very exciting adventure for us, and now the time has come.  We met last night with our loan officer to sign all the official documents to receive our funding, then on Monday we close with Escrow and get our keys!!  Here we are signing out papers:

Our loan officer was also kind enough to give us a congratulatory gift of wine and two wine glasses.  They are etched with our names and a message from the loan officer.  What a great idea. 

Now we can tell you a little about our house.  We bought a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in a neighborhood called "Rolando".  Its about 8 miles east of the ocean, in a quiet neighborhood close to San Diego State University.  We have a huge backyard that spans the distance of about 3 "typical" San Diego yards, totaling 1/3-1/2 acres.  We will have plenty of room for a garden, fruit trees, patio furniture, and even a pool, if we ever decide to get one.  If you are interested, take a look at the pictures we took when we went for our inspection.  Pictures are here.  Of course we have some changes we will be making right away, but for the most part, its in great enough shape to move right in.  So, if anyone wants to come and visit, we would love to have you.  :)

And, on a side note, I would like to give a shout out to my old man, for today is his Birthday.  Happy Birthday, Dad!  We love you!

Dana and I officially closed and received our keys on Wednesday of last week.  Wow, I can't even explain the feelings that came across us.  I have been trying so hard to not get my hopes up through the whole process because I didn't want to be let down in the end.  As we got the words to feel free to pick up our keys, it was relief, excitement, and a little bit of overwhelmnet.  We let out all our excitement on the ride over.  We screamed, yelled and high fived...yay!!  It is ours!

So, after getting over the excitement, we dove right in to getting all the things done that we needed to do to move in.  We began cleaning and prepping for painting our bedroom and my Bcat Threads room.  Those are our priorities right now because those are most crucial to get done in order to move in.  The rest will happen over time, and shouldn't be a problem to be living in the house while we are working on the other rooms.  Plus, the only thing we needed to do to these rooms is paint.  So, after spending many hours between Lowe's, Home Depot, and Ikea, we got all our supplies and began our new project.

Dana and I found that we make a pretty good team when it comes time to getting things done.  I would spend all the time painting all the trims with a paint brush while Dana would then follow with the roller to get all the main spots (for anyone wondering, we used Organic Soy-based paint, which has no fumes and is very safe for the environment).  In working so well together, we were able to get both rooms painted in two days, while also moving more and more of our items in and finding places for them throughout the house.  I can't wait to show you the final results as we finish each room to our liking.  Its going to look great!

Along with beginning our moving, cleaning, and painting, we have also had the opportunity to get to know our neighborhood a little.  As it turns out, our street is extremely friendly and safe.  We started by meeting our next door neighbor, Phil, who filled us in on the history of the neighborhood.  As it turns out, his house was the first built on the block and ours was built just two years later.  Both houses have only been lived in by the families who owned them, both being passed on to the children.  Phil seems to keep a good eye on everything going on, so I think he will be a good person to live next door to.  Then there is Frank and Vera.  We have only met Frank, but he was a very genuine and caring guy.  He was very close to the couple that lived in our house, and it seems like he is passing on that warming relationship to us.  He has already taken our garbage cans back to the house for us, and stopped over a couple times to say hello.  On the other side of our house (next door) is Gil and Ed.  We haven't talked to them as much, but Gil seemed to take a liking to Rocky, and they both were super nice and welcoming.  I think we will add a great dynamic to the neighborhood.

And, of course, Rocky has been tagging along and helping with this whole process as well.  When he saw me taking a picture of Dana, he ran over and started crying to me because he wanted his picture taken, too.  I said "sit" and immediately, he sat with his chest as far out as it would go to show just how manly he is, just like his daddy.  :)

What an accomplished week for Dana and I.  After taking a truck load of our belongings from the old house to the new house every day, we have moved enough stuff to start living in the new house.  And, even with cardboard in the windows to take the place of blinds and the super loud chirping bird throughout the entire night, I must say sleeping in the new house just feels soooo good!  It hasn't taken long for us to feel like we are finally home.  We have been absorbing the quiet, serene ambiance of the house.  Every morning and evening, we have been eating our meals outside in our patio area, while looking at how beautiful our new home is.  So much to enjoy and think about!

And while we've been working our butts off, Rocky seems to be taking it easy and just "Hanging Out".  Ha!

Just kidding.  In Rocky's defense, I made him try out this bag I came across that I bought when he was a puppy.  He jumped out of it as soon as he had the opportunity, but the pic had to be shared because it's just too cute and funny. 

And speaking of Rocky, he is starting to adjust to the new house and his new boundaries.  In our old house, we didn't have a front yard, so he was free to roam wherever he liked.  Now we live on a street, so we are teaching him that the front yard is off limits to him, which we had to begin after he ran across the street a few times to meet other dogs or people walking by.  Not a good idea, especially when you are 5 pounds.  He is getting better and has been listening well to our commands to stay in the garage when we are unpacking. 

After painting a couple rooms last week, we have made quite a bit of progress throughout the house.  Our bedroom is pretty well put together now.  We have found a place for all of our clothing and bedroom furniture and now we just need our new windows and blinds and hang pictures on the wall, then the room will be complete.  Of course, I can't show you what it looks like until everything is up.  You need the full effect ;) 

We still have plenty to pack up from the old house, but as you can see, we still have plenty to unpack in the new house.  This is just one side of the garage with all our stuff.

After lifting boxes and furniture all day long, every day these last couple weeks, Dana took a day for the more exciting things to add to the house--Trees!  He has been very excited to add new fruit trees to the backyard and try to become as self sufficient as possible.  We already moved in with 3 fig trees, 3 pomegranite trees, 2 lemon trees, a mulberry tree, a loquat tree, an olive tree, and some others I probably missed, but he also added in 2 orange trees, 2 lime trees, 2 grapefruit trees, 2 avacado trees, 2 blueberry bushes, a mango tree, and more soon to come.  Check them out now, and we'll see how fast they grow.

And, of course, the backyard wouldn't be complete without veggies, Here is Dana working hard to start our vegetable garden:

On the inside of the house, I've been keeping up with the cleaning and finding places for everything.  It has been a tricky process, but I am becoming very impressed with my organization skills.  I am taking my time to make sure that everything has a place in the house.  If it doesn't, then good-bye!  Its been very rewarding to get rid of unneccessary things and find space for the things we keep.  I can't believe some of the stuff that we had been carrying along with us through the years.  Looking through it all was starting to make me feel like I had a hoarding problem.  But, no more hoarding for me!

Here I am cleaning the hardwood floors before I moved all my stuff into the room (I had to show proof that I, too, am working hard) and Rocky right by my side as he has been doing.  He is such a good boy, always making sure his mommy is ok. 

This next week shall be another very accomplished week, for we need to get everything out of our old house and into the new.  Good riddance, old house! 

Work, work, workin' on the house, thats all we've been doing with our time.  All work, no play.  There is so much we want to do, yet not enough hours in the day.  But, we are excited to watch as things really start to come along.  We painted our living room over the weekend, adding one more room to put together.  It's by far the most vivid room, as we took a chance with a very noticeable green.  As we accent it with blacks and grays and just a tinge of pink, I think it is going to look great and like no other.  Of course, we won't be sharing pictures of that until it is finished. 

We recently added a doggie door to the sliding window overlooking the backyard.  We have been wanting to get one ever since we got Rocky, but when you rent, you can't cut holes in doors..  We are training Rocky with it right now but keeping the little flap door off, so he can freely go in and out.  In a week, we will add the flap and hope to have him trained.  (Our cousin, Lorie, gave us that idea).  So far, so good.  Here is my handsome man showing off his new door.

My other handsome man decided to get his Pride and Joy into the new garage as soon as possible.  He spent half the day organizing and unpacking boxes to find the perfect spot for it.  I know he was losing sleep having it over at the other place, knowing the house was empty.  So, right away on Saturday, we went and got it.  Boy did he look happy to be sitting in that front seat.  And, I was happily riding in my car behind him.  :)  Check out that smile, someone sure is happy to have their baby safe and sound.

The new addition that I got to the house was a new washer and dryer set.  The people in this house before us sold the washer and left the dryer, so we were stuck to find something new.  Lucky for us, we came across a great set on Craigslist for uber cheap.  I was actually quite excited to try it out on a few loads of laundry.  It has been very impressive, so we couldn't be happier with our great find.  Here I am with my "Price is Right" model pose:  (Anyone out there with a long name with lots of consanants want to try and guess the price?  ;)  --I suggest going for $1)

I went to my second doctor's visit today.  As you can tell, I'm still not really showing much and haven't even gained a single pound yet.  My stomach has a little bump that I notice, but I'm still fitting in all my clothes.  Still really looking forward to the day my pants aren't fitting anymore.  I want a little buddha belly to rub :)  Anyway, way more exciting than that is that we got to hear the heartbeat today.  It was so neat to listen to the pulsing of our little baby's heart.  It makes it so easy to picture the little bugger hanging out inside my belly.

The pregnancy itself is starting to go really well.  After being horribly sick for 2 straight months, I now only have small moments of nausea and sickness.  I have much more energy and feel very motivated to do things throughout the day.  I still take regular naps, but I feel way better when I am awake.  In fact, I've been feeling so good that it was starting to become hard for me to even believe that I am even pregnant.  So, not only was hearing the heartbeat exciting, but it was very reassuring.

Once Friday is here, I will officially be in my fifth month.  I can't believe how time goes by so fast.  I feel like this journey has just begun.  Aside from buying a really nice rocker off Craigslist, I haven't even started to shop for baby things.  I think buying the house has taken up alot of that shopping time...but, even more so, we don't find out the sex for 3 more weeks, so I think I want to wait for everything until I know what we are having.  We are very excited for that day to be here.  I think Girl all day long, but the only baby dreams I have had so far have been with a baby boy.  What do you think it is?  Hmm.

And, although I haven't begun shopping for baby stuff yet, we have a very excited grandfather who has already begun his baby shopping.  We got our first package in the mail today and it was from my dad who sent his grandson, Rocky, a stuffed toy for his belated birthday, and a whole bunch of baby stuff for the little one in my belly.  We got toys, pajamas, booties, and more.  When we opened the package, we immediately got butterflies in our stomach.  This was for our very own little baby. Even though we haven't begun on the baby's room, we have already started a collection of items for it in the closet.

So thats about it in a nutshell...I'll probably be blogging much more as soon as there are more significant changes.  Hope you enjoy!!

To follow all my pregnancy blogs, click here

What a last 6 days it has been for us.  My brother and mom flew into San Diego last Friday to check out our new house and help with anything they could.  Having 8 hands hard at work REALLY made a huge difference to our house.  We pretty much put Derek and mom to work the second they landed off the plane and didn't stop until literally minutes before heading back to the midwest.  And, even through all the blood and sweat, we all loved every minute of it.  We made a great team! 

When they first got here, we started to dabble into a little bit of everything that needed to be worked on, but the most important thing was to get our old house into really good shape so we could hand over the keys to our landlord in hopes of getting our full deposit back.  The task was bigger than what we once realized, but after working day and night through the weekend, we accomplished our mission and impressed our landlord with a very clean house and left there Monday night without our old keys.  Oh, what a great feeling that was!!

At our house, the guys used their big muscles to move things, fix things, and replace old windows.  My mom and I stripped wallpaper, painted, cleaned, cooked, and made our house look more like home.  Being that our kitchen and bathroom had some very outdated wallpaper, I had been dying to get rid of it as soon as I had the help.  Dana and I have thought that maybe in the future we would like to remodel both of these rooms, so in the meantime, I didn't want to put too much into it.  We just freshened up the rooms with new paint, and boy did it make a difference to the appearance.  Here is the transition from my stripping wallpaper to painting:

For the boys, the process of replacing windows started off a little shaky, but once they got the right tools and rhythm of working together, the pair make a dynamic duo.  It was even enjoyable watching them work together.  And, actually this had been the first time I saw my brother doing what he typically gets paid to do.  He really impressed me with his knowledge and strength...(Dana, too, of course, but I always see him working).  Derek said it was all common sense, but it really is a natural ability that not everyone has.  Being his big sister, I guess I always thought I knew better, but he showed me that there was a lot I didn't know about and he knew it all.  The first pic below was just too cute not to share.  All the boys looking at the window, getting ready to put it into our kitchen, the next pic is of Dana taking out the old window, and the third is putting a window above our kitchen sink.

Of course, there had to be some down times, too.  We couldn't work hard ALL the time.  After all, Derek and mom were on vacation.  Rocky's job these past few days was to make sure everyone had their relaxing time.  His Grandma's favorite kind of downtime was to sit in the sun with a beer and her little grandson close by to cuddle.  I tell you what, those two were a match made in heaven.  They did everything together.  Rocky also really liked his Uncle Derek.  He would run right to the couch in the morning to find Derek and cuddle with him until he got up...and even then, you could find him curled up in Derek's clothes during the day while Derek was working.  As you can tell, Derek liked having him around, too.  At night, we all got onto my mom's new computer and showed her all the cool things she could do with it.  Hopefully she'll remember everything we showed her because she caught on quickly.

After eating breakfast and dinner on a plastic table and chairs for most of the time, my mom surprised us with a special treat.  She allowed us to find new patio furniture to go with our house.  Dana and I were super excited for the great opportunity because we knew that had she not offered, we wouldn't have gotten to the patio furniture for a long time later.  We found the perfect set at Home Depot and also added in cushions for the seats and two reclining chairs to lay in the sun.  And, after putting the furniture together, my mom and I went shopping to find special added touches to spruce up the new parts of our house.  We found placemats, napkins and a center candle for our new table and also some bathroom decor, which we are still waiting to put together.   Thank you, mom, for treating us with everything that you did.  We are incredibly thankful, and love it all! In the first pic, you see my brother and I assembling our new table, and the second pic is of the new furniture with the table set right before we ate dinner.

All in all, we accomplished so much more than we had in the last few weeks that Dana and I had been working together.  We all had fun doing it together, and now Dana and I are cleaning up after the big projects to watch as our house becomes a home, unfolding right in front of our eyes.  It is such a wonderful feeling and we are sooo thankful for the help.

P.S.  After installing the last window today, Derek realized that now we have accomplished more work on our house than he has on his own house.  Ha!  I guess that means we'll have to plan a trip his way to return the favor.  Sorry, Derek.  But if it means anything, you are the best brother that anyone could ask for.  We love you!!

After having a hiatus of pregnancy symptoms, I had quite a reassuring weekend. A few weeks ago, a friend of mine lent me a baby heart beat monitor for reassurance, whenever I needed. I used it once right when I got it, to hear a healthy heartbeat of 150. Then, when my mom and brother were here, I wanted them to hear it, but I had a hard time finding a good one...although, we did hear it a little. But, over the weekend, the store line went a something like this. I wanted to hear the baby's heartbeat again, so I layed down and found it right away. It was very strong and still beating at 150. Soon after that, I started to feel some slight movement. I thought maybe I was making it up, but no, I felt it again the next day. It hasn't happened often, but I do notice it is usually at night when I am lying down. The movements are a little slower and feel like someone has there hand inside of me and are swiping their finger across my lower abs. I can't wait to feel more baby moves!

I have also been back in the gym, where I can weigh myself.  On Friday I got on the scale to see that I gained 2 pounds!  Woohoo!  Hope it wasn't a fluke.  We'll see for sure in another week and half when I go to the doctor again.  Then, on Saturday, I went shopping for clothes and noticed whenever I put on a shirt I could see my belly sticking out a little.  I thought maybe it was just the types of clothes I was trying on, but then yesterday, I got ready to go to the gym and my belly was totally visible.  Yay!  I went to the gym wearing tight clothes and I just couldn't stop looking down at my belly.  It made me smile so big.  Then, just to have some added assurance, I tried wearing a couple different pair of jeans yesterday and they just were not comfortable anymore, a little too tight around the belly area.  I know, I know, I should be posting a picture, but I am working today and didn't have enough time before I left the house...so I will post one with my next pregnancy blog.   Sorry.

In other news, in just a week and a half we will be finding out the sex of the baby.  I can't believe with the baby still being so small they will be able to see those little sex parts :)
We are very excited.  Of course we are happy with whatever the sex may be, but Dana and I have contradicting opinions as to what it really is.  I'm feeling girl and he's feeling boy.  I can't wait to see who's right!  What do you think we are having?  I would love to see what everyone thinks...I have a survey up to see what everyone is feeling, you can take it here.  Please take it.  It requires that you have an account on our website, but the account doesn't do anything except allow you to leave comments or take the surveys on our blog.  It doesn't go to anyone else.  I really want to see what everyone thinks!  Click here to take the survey
As soon as we have seen the ultrasound, we will be sure to tell everyone the exciting results.

We go to the doctor on July 7th for our big ultrasound, making sure the baby is growing healthy and well, and we will be finding out the sex of the baby!  I can't wait to find out, I'm ready to get into the baby room and start painting.  :)  Take our survey and tell us what you think we are having:

Click Here to Take the Survey: Are We Having a Boy or a Girl?

I can't wait to see what everyone thinks :)

Looking forward to the weekends these days mean something totally different than it did before the house.  Now, having the weekend means getting big projects done, not hanging out at the beach with our friends.  And, we are still enjoying our weekends :)  After having my mom and brother here helping with things around the house, Dana just couldn't wait to get back to his yard and perfect it just a big more (he just can't stay away).  Seeing him all dirty with grubby clothes has become far more common than the old Dana who was showered and clean shaven everyday.  But I guess I can't complain, for I haven't been up to par these days either.  ha!  (This picture really doesn't show just how dirty he is)

Along with the yard, we were able to put in two of the three of the last windows we need to replace.  And, we also added some better appearance to the front of the house.  If you remember, we had bars enclosing the whole front porch of the house, see pic below.

But we finally had enough.  So, Dana cut down all the bars, just leaving a railing.  It has made a huge difference.  The house looks so different!  Check it out:

And, now that I had some time, I was finally able to frame our wedding pictures and hang them on the wall.  We put them in the hallway between the bathroom and our bedroom, which needed some sprucing up.  They look really nice up there and add so much detail, I love walking by everyday and being reminded of our beautiful wedding and my wonderful husband.  Here are the before and after pictures.

More updates soon to come :)

What a week it's been.  Same ole' same for Dana and I, as far as spending most of all our time working on the house.  We have finally completed 2 rooms, both the bathroom and my work room.  But, I ran out of time today, so I will have to post pictures later.  And, while Dana wanted more time to spend out in his huge yard, adding more trees, plants, and flowers, I took the time to catch up with some of my greatest girlfriends that I haven't seen in so long.  Last Wednesday, my friend, Megan, and I drove up to LA to meet with my friend Brooke, who was visiting from Washington.  We only had a half day to spend together and let me tell you, the time went by way too fast!!  There just aren't enough hours in the day to catch up with great friends.  Here is a pic of us, hanging out at The Grove, a shopping center in LA. (left to right: me, Brooke, and Megan)

And, as if that wasn't enough girl time for me...I also went up to LA Saturday and stayed the night to visit my friend, Dana, who I went to college with in Minnesota.  My hubbie, Dana, really wanted to spend time working on the house, and I really wanted to celebrate the holiday, so I drove up to spend Sunday with my friend, Dana.  It was so much fun.  We got to catch up on our lives, go out to eat, and best of all, hang out at the beach all day.  The beaches were extremely busy.  There were so many festive people everywhere.  You would've thought with everything going on that I would've grabbed the camera for evidence, but I didn't even think of it once!

Of course, the best part of my 4th of July weekend was when I made an appearance in Wisconsin with my family.  I was only "partly" there, but boy did I get around.  Haha.  In the first picture, I am with my Aunt Rhonda, her friend, Barb, and my cousin, Ashley.  We were hanging out at the local bar close to their lake house.  Fun times! 

In the next pic, I am hanging out with Little Max, my cousin's boy.  We always enjoy blowing bubbles together.  That is how we bond.

These pictures, along with many more, were the highlight of the weekend.  I am always photoshopping my face into pictures with my family, making it look like I was there with them...so this was their way of including me over their weekend.  It is always hard for me to see everyone having a fun time together, I wish I could be with them!  Family gatherings are always the hardest times to be so far away from home.  At least I know that they are always including me in spirit--and in blown up pictures of myself.  Haha, I love you guys, thank you!  I hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July weekend, I can't wait to hear about it!

In other news, this is going to be a busy week for us...one of the most exciting things is that we will be going in to get an ultrasound of our baby on Wednesday.  We are hoping for our baby to be super healthy and doing well in my belly.  And, we will be finding out the sex!  If you haven't already, take our survey and let us know if you think we are having a boy or a girl.  click here for the survey  We will be posting our news as soon as I get back to the computer.

We are finally ready to start sharing some of the rooms that we have completed.  I am excited to show the pictures, but of course it is always hard to get the full grasp of the idea through a picture...I think you'll get the idea though.  Ok, below is the pics we took of our bathroom when we bought the house:

Now, below are the pictures of the new and improved version.  You will notice all the changes in the pictures, but since we worked so hard at making those changes, I'm also going to tell you what we did.  Knowing that we have an entire house to decorate and change, we decided to work with the tile we were given, rather than strip the entire bathroom.   We stripped the gaudy metallic wallpaper and painted it white, added new bathroom lights and knobs for the drawers, new window, shower curtain, and sage colored bathroom rugs and towels to mute the minty green tiles.  Dana added a hanging fern, and my mom and I added the little special touches (wall decor, candles, and vase).

Feel free to stop over for a potty break anytime (heehee)

Turning one of the bedrooms into my Bcat Threads work room was probably one of the least important of all of our rooms, but it still required alot of time to get it put together.  But, I still think it was the easiest to finish.  Here is the only before picture that I got from the when we first bought the house:

In the after picture, you will see that we painted the room a nice eggshell white, got a new window and blinds, and tore out the closet doors and replaced them with purple curtains.  I added a new desk for my computer and office work, added my sewing machines and tables, hiding all my work items behind the curtains and mirrored cupboard.  I wanted it to look simple and clean so I added a 3-piece gray floral canvas to one of the walls and a clock on another wall.  Simple enough and clutter free, so mission accomplished.

As most of you know, Dana's break away from life is spent in the yard.  He just can't get enough of it.  I try my best to pry him away, but boy is it difficult. He took me on a tour to show me what he has going on, and in the end, I must admit I was a bit excited to see all the new fruits and veggies we will have access to by simply walking into our back yard.  You will have to bare with me here, for their are many pictures, but we also wanted to document the beginning of what everything looked like in just week 1 or growth.  I will list the veggie/fruit, then the picture.

Cucumber:

Zucchini:

Watermelon:

Tomatoes:

Butternut Squash:

Yellow Zucchini:

Green Bell Pepper:

Cantaloupe:

Bluberries:

Peach:

Orange:

Pear:

pomegranate:

Apple:

There is many more to come, and hopefully these fruits and veggies will grow big and plentiful.  Now all we need is a pig, cow, and a couple chickens and I think we will be completely self sufficient.  Ha!

After many days and weeks of worrying and waiting, we were finally able to confirm a healthy baby girl.  Dana and I are so happy to be sharing this wonderful experience together and glad that we have so many supportive family and friends in our lives.  As soon as I have the time, I will post some scans from the ultrasound, but until then, help us celebrate our little baby girl on the way.  :)

To hear more about our ultrasound experience and see the ultrasound pic and my belly, click here!

Today was a very special day for Dana and I.  Being that I have been completely worried about my baby and wanting everything to be ok, today was like a god-send,  it was our big ultrasound.  Not only were we excited to see the sex, but most importantly, we really wanted to see that it was really in there and growing like it should be.

The whole process began with the ultrasound tech taking a look at my cervix and all that other stuff that wasn't very exciting...but, as she moved the wand over my lower abdomen, we started seeing baby parts.  The baby was moving so much that the lady could barely get a good shot of anything, but you could make it all out.  You could see the little heart beating, including the little ventricles.  We saw the hands moving, the mouth opening and closing, the brain, and of course, the most exciting part--the sex part.  Ha!  We could see clear as day that we were having ourselves a little baby girl.  The moment was so touching and something that I will never forget.  My heart had always felt like it would be a girl, but to hear the lady say it, it made everything so real.  I think within a minute of hearing the sex, Dana started spitting off like 5 different girl names.  It was so cute and funny.  I could tell he was really excited, too.

I can't express the feelings of relief and joy.  My emotions took over from that point on and I have been on a super high.  To see 10 fingers and toes, its just a joy!!  And speaking of fingers and toes, she already takes after her daddy.  It looks like they have the same feet, heehee.  Now, lets just hope hers don't grow to a size 14 like her daddy. 

Since we didn't have time today, we will be spending time on our date night tomorrow to celebrate our little girl by buying a little something special for her.  I'm thinking a little dress and a baby book.  By the advice from a friend, I will try my best not to get too overwhelmed in the baby store.  But, it feels good to start planning for our precious daughter.  Pink baby room, here we come!!

Below is a pic of our baby's profile and my belly at 20 weeks :)

Check out the progress I've made through the months.  Can't wait to see what the next few months have in store.

Another weekend, another addition to our ever-growing garden of trees, flowers, and vegetables.  While I painted the baby room pink and kept everyone fed and happy, along with hanging out with my friend, Dana, who came from LA to visit, my husband seemed to disappear deep into his other world, our backyard.  He claims it was to finally finish up his ongoing project, but seriously, will he ever be DONE?  Doubt it!  As you can see, Rocky has also been hard at work.  He is the one who looks over everything and makes sure daddy doesn't overdue himself.  Aren't my boys just the cutest ever?  Even with all that dirt and grub, you just gotta love 'em!

Anyway, one of the beautiful additions to our backyard has been the flowers that Dana has been adding.  He has been spending many nights researching the best and most beautiful flowers for us to plant and keeps adding them as the days go by.  I have to admit, I was very impressed, for I love flowers!  And, once he found the perfect placement for the flowers and the other plants and trees, he added mulch to perfect the garden's look.  I think he did an amazing job (but don't tell him I said that, or he will keep spending all his days and nights outside and I will never see him again!).  The first pic below is his section specifically for "Native Southern California flowers that draw hummingbirds".

(and keep in mind, this is just the beginning--I can't wait to show you once they all start to grow and bloom like crazy)

The next pic is of the other side of the garden where I got to help pic out flowers I liked.  They are so colorful and beautiful...and yes, that is a big rose bush with a ton of roses on it!  Gorgeous!)

Dana also added more vegatables to the back.  He made a seperate box to plant onions and a mix of lettuce, making sure the slugs don't get in to ruin our fresh food.  Oh, and exciting veggie update; We ate two zuchinis fresh from the garden for dinner last night.  Boy were they tastey.  :)  Here is our new mixed greens box:

Be on the look out for our next house update, I will be revealing the before and after of our bedroom.  It has finally been completed, now I just need to take the pics.

We finally have pictures of yet another room that we have worked hard to decorate since we have moved in.  We are excited to show you our bedroom!  It was actually the very first room that we painted and started working on, and now it is complete.  Here is the before picture:

Not really much to see....but we did alot.  After painting, we also put in new windows and bllinds.  We tore out the closet doors and replaced them with curtains, new light and outlet plates, then all our furnishings and decor.  And, here is the end result:

Dana and I couldn't be any happier with how everything turned out.  We worked hard together to get it to this point and now we love our new bedroom!  :)

Here is a general picture of what is going on at 21 weeks:  You can see the baby is so close to being fully developed

Today I had a check up with my regular midwife.  We went over the results from the ultrasound, listened to the baby's heartbeat and went over any questions that I had.  First, we did a weigh in.  I have now gained 4 pounds overall, which I am no longer worried about.  The doc said that was very healthy and there is nothing to worry about.  It was good to hear it from her.  She looked over the ultrasound results and everything was normal, normal, normal.  Good, good, good!  She did say, however, that my baby measured to be about 3-4 days different than what we originally thought.  So, she moved my due date from November 26th to November 30th. 

Other than then my doctore check up, we do have other exciting news.  Yesterday morning while we were still laying in bed, I started to feel the baby kick.  While I have been feeling the kicking for a while, I wasn't sure how long I was going to have to wait until Dana could feel it.  But, in the morning, I put my hand on my belly and felt it from the outside.  I immediately grabbed Dana's hand and rested it in the same place.  Sure enough, about a minute later, he felt the kick.  But, nothing more after that.  Then, last night, she was moving around more than I have ever felt before.  I rested Dana's hand on my belly for about 10 mintues and he could feel all the movements and commotion that I could feel.  It was such an amazing moment that we got to share.  I think it made Dana very proud and excited, for it did for me.

So, after weekened upon weekend of working on the house, I was finally able to convince Dana to get away for the day and enjoy the hot summer weather.  Being that we live east a few miles from the beach, the temperature is almost 10 degrees hotter than near the ocean.  This last week was filled with some pretty hot days, reaching the 90's.  So, what better to do than to cool off with the ocean breeze and catch some rays.  We spent the day in Pacific Beach for some much needed fun, together time.

We ran a couple erronds, treated ourselves to some acai bowls, then layed at the beach and people watched.  We ironically sat right next to another couple who were expecting, but it looked like the other girl was further along than I was.  We wanted to find a good way to strike up a pregnancy conversation, but never did...so we just kept to ourselves and played the guessing game "How old do you think they are?  How far along do you think she is?, etc."  You know, all the things you wonder, but you maybe shouldn't ask.  :)

Anyway, since we were in our old stomping grounds, we wanted to take as much advantage of it as we could.  We ate at one of our favorite lunch spots, Cass Street Bar and Grill, where we both got their infamous stuffed baguettes.  We parted ways so that I could meet with my girlfriend, Jennafer of Jennafer Grace Clothing, and we could go shopping.  I've been on a lookout for comfy maxi dresses that my belly will allow me to grow in to this summer.  And, while we were on our shopping adventures, Dana met up with Jennafer's boyfriend, Jack, for a nice cold beer.  We rounded out the day with an ice cream treat at Mr. Frostie's, compliments and Jennafer and Jack.

It was a perfect day, and so much fun!!  After our fun-filled Saturday, though, apparently my body couldn't handle much more so I spent Sunday napping and watching TV, while Dana did...well, what do you think he did?  Yup, thats right, he spent the day outside in his garden, cutting away dead branches, adding more vegetables and trees and building his irrigation system (yes, that means that each and every single thing that he has planted has its own water supply set to the desired amount that it needs daily).  I'm telling you, this guy don't mess around.

After Dana had been teasing me for "taking it easy" for the past couple weeks (I beg to differ), I was swept up with a whirlwind of a weekend...but as you will later read, it wasn't all that bad considering it was a lot of quality time with good friends, even though I didn't see Dana all weekend long (and if you ask him, I'm sure he was quite alright with that, as you will see down below).  On Saturday, I spent the day at my friend, Ruth's, bridal shower.  It was so much fun because I have only seen her once since Dana and I got married and I had never been to the house she has been living in with her fiance, Ben.  We caught up like the good ole days and I got to meet all the women in her family, who were all too much fun to be around.  It was a gorgeous day outside, so it was a perfect day to picnic in the backyard and celebrate the soon-to-be nuptials of Ruth and Ben (They are marrying in October).

On Sunday, I was participating in a fashion show that was held by the students at the fashion school that I graduated from.  Check out my blog post about the event if you are interested by clicking here. Two of my designer friends, Jen and Michelle, and myself set up a trunk show to sell our clothing, which was also used in the fashion show.  What better way to sell your pieces than to show what they look like on a model on the runway.  It was held in this gorgeous garden yard of a couple who allowed us to use it for the fashion show.  It turned out so beautiful and I made many connections and possible clients. 

And, as I was out and about being a social butterfly, Dana was....well, can you guess?  You got it, he was working away in the backyard.  He must almost be done by now you ask?  Hahahahaha, yeah right.  While he is working on one thing he is always brainstorming on the next thing because he just doesn't want it to end.  So, he started off the weekend by getting some bird feeders and hanging them in the backyard.  He was anxious to attract some hummingbirds close to his flower gardens, so he set up a hummingbird feeder on the edge of our patio and it didn't take long at all for the birds to find it.  The whole feeder was empty in one day!  We were lucky to catch a couple pics of a bird feeding while we were eating dinner last night, check it out:

And, his big project of the weekend was building a retaining wall in the very back of our yard where he felt that "it would erode very soon", so he went to get some bricks and away he went to put it together.  One thing I really do admire about Dana is that whenever he does projects like this, he really takes his time to make sure that he does it right the first time.  He leveled all of the bricks and made the wall look just perfect!  Here was the end of day one (yesterday), which he actually finished today.

And, yes, he really does wear that hat all the time.  I can't blame him, for it does cover his back and neck and prevent them from getting burned, but my gosh he sure looks ridiculously silly, wouldn't you say?   He sure is turning into an old man pretty quickly.  hahaha. 

After adjusting the days to get on track with my new due date (Nov 30), I am officially 5 months pregnant tomorrow!  It is crazy to think about it because I am now over the half way point...whoa!  Good thing I still have 4 more months because I don't even feel like I am prepared yet, but are you ever really prepared?  Probably not, from what I hear.  Anyway, the pregnancy right now has been going very smoothly.  I still do get sick and spend some time with the porcelein god in the mornings (about 3 days a week), but once I relieve myself of whatever needs to come up, I tend to start feeling better for the rest of the day.  I still have my energy and am pretty active during the day.  I am at the gym 3 days a week and spend the rest of the days walking 2 1/2 miles through our neighborhood with Rocky.

I was excited because while I was working at my friend's boutique last week, a woman asked me if I was expecting.  I was so excited that she asked.  Turns out she was expecting as well, so I'm sure she had babies on her mind.  Many other people have already begun celebrating our little girl as well.  We have received some fun packages in the mail of little onsies, sleepers, blankets, and other clothes.  I was so excited about them that I have already washed and folded them into drawers, getting ready to dress our little girl.  My mom also surprised me with a box filled with things that she kept from when I was a baby, including the outfit I wore home from the hospital and my baby book.  It was so fun to read through the book and see everything my parents did in preparing for my arrival.  One of my favorite things to read was a peice of paper that my dad was writing my mom's contractions on.  The nurse had asked him to write down the time every time my mom had a contraction and my mom included it in the book.  It made me think about how my parents, too, were doing it all for the first time once, and it was with me!  I could tell their excitement was exactly what Dana and I are feeling.  My dad also sent me a package and included a CD that read "listen and enjoy".  At first I didn't know what it was, but when I popped it into my computer I heard a collaboration of recordings of myself when I was little.  The beginning was my crying as a baby, then talking to my dad, then saying my ABC's and 123's.  It was so cute to hear and brought tears to my eyes instantly.  It is hard to believe that both of my parents have held on to these precious things for the last 30 years.

So, a little more about Baby Nevins.  She has been much more active lately.  I've been feeling her kicks much stronger now and more frequently.  Sometimes I can just sit and watch my belly move around while she moves.  I'm not sure that is a feeling I can ever sick of.  I'm pretty sure she's been having some growth spurts as well.  The other day my lower belly was hurting for quite a while.  It wasn't in a way where I was concerned to go see the doctor, but more a feeling of stretching and stabbing.  I did, however, call one of my cousin's to get affirmation that it was ok and normal.  It was bothering me for so long, though, that I thought for sure I was going to balloon over night.  It's hard to tell if one day made a significant difference, but I definitely know she's in there :)

Anyway, here is a pic of my belly at 5 months:

Happy Birthday to my amazing and loving, strong and caring, super terrific husband!  I am looking forward to spending today with you, hoping it is everything you wish for it to be.  You deserve the best, I love you!!!!!!

If you don't already know, Dana's 33rd birthday was on July 28th (Wednesday).  Rather than buy each other gifts (although I can't resist getting him something), we like to celebrate our birthdays together and try to get away.  Since we planned a whole weekend getaway for our anniversary (next weekend), we didn't want to do anything that involved traveling.  But, Dana left the planning to me.  My planning went well because we had an amazing two days together.  We woke up yesterday started the day off with a family walk and opening gifts.  Rocky gave his daddy his card first, which you can see if you are on facebook  here.  They had a good time opening it together and daddy was quite impressed with Rocky's hard work of finding that card for him.

We then dropped Rocky off at his friend, Frito's house, where Frito's dad, John, watched Rocky for the night.  We took off to go downtown where we had a room at Se Hotel booked for the night.  We dropped our luggage off and took a walk around to get lunch and enjoy the day.  We never go downtown because traffic and parking is always a hassle, so not having to worry about driving made it such a nice adventure, and so relaxing.  We ate lunch at Neighborhood, which is known to have a great beer selection (something Dana was really looking forward to).  Dana got his birthday beer and burger (and I ate, too, of course), then we walked over to Heavenly Cupcake for birthday cupcakes.

Once we got back to the hotel, we unpacked and checked out our room.  Surprisingly, we got a room on the 15th floor, which was amazing!  We were looking over all of downtown and got such a view!  Here we are right when we got there:

(By the way, I'll have to apologize for all the pics, but I was a bit snap happy)

Anyway, we enjoyed the pool for a few hours before the sun went down.  Dana also enjoyed a few poolside cocktails, as you can see. 

We then got ready for dinner, which we had in the restaurant in the hotel named Suite and Tender.  We definitely didn't restrict ourselves from anything, for we had a starter salad, our entrees, and two desserts. 

And, check out the view from our balcony when we got back from dinner!  This really is from my camera.

We then ended the trip by enjoying a walk down 5th Ave this morning, where we had breakfast at Mary Jane's, which Dana was super excited to get their Corned Beef Hash that he said was simply amazing.

It was a fantastic two day adventure that I am so happy that we got to do.  We realize that in just a few months we will have far less opportunities to do things like this together, so we are so glad we get to squeeze them in now.  And, I actually don't think Rocky minded his sleepover very much either.  He seemed very happy and well taken care of while we were away....although, he sure was happy to see us today.

Dana and I had a busy weekend away from the house, but we surely couldn't allow ourselves to leave without doing a little housework.  Dana did the usual plant and tree watering and catering to his garden as I cleaned, cooked, and organized.   On top of that though, we painted the last room in the house that needed our little special touch.  We were sick of looking at the wood paneling in our extra room and decided enough was enough.  Dana set out to find some suitable paint and away we went.  It is hard to believe how much of a difference the paint made, and it turned out really nice painting over the paneling.  Once we get carpet and furniture you'll see what I mean.  Dana and I were very happy with the end result.

So once we finished up with our painting project, we decided to treat ourselves to some fun with friends and family.  We started out on Saturday by attending our friend, Jack's birthday party, hosted by his girlfriend, Jennafer and her wonderful family.  We had a great time hanging out and making friends.  For the occasion, I handed down my favorite lion piece from my lion collection to Jack, who is a Leo and also loved this special piece.  After moving to our new house, I had no place for it and had a hard time parting with it.  But, I knew someone who would appreciate it possibly even more than myself and so I gave it to him as gift.  He was extremely stoked about it and showed much gratitude for it.  It definitely made me feel good and I knew I made the right choice by giving it to him.

We also fell in love with a new band, Little Hurricane, which played a set while we were there.  Celeste and Anthony, of Little Hurricane, met just less than a year ago and already they are a huge hit in San Diego.  After hearing them play, we knew exactly why.  They are a super dynamic duo. (The guy to the left was an addition just for the night.  He was a friend who joined the group just for Jack's party)

On Sunday, we were excited to see many people that we haven't seen in a long time.  We started off by driving up to Oceanside (about 45 min. North) to see Dana's Aunt Jean and cousin, Amy.  They are family who live in New Mexico, but frequent San Diego so I have had the opportunity to become very close to them.  I get so excited every time I hear they are in town.  As soon as Amy and I get together I just can't seem to stop talking.  While blabbing and catching up, the four of us walked on the beach, got some food at the food stands, and took a walk along the pier.

And, lucky for us, we will be blessed with their presence again this week when they come over to see our house and have dinner.  This time Dana's other cousin, Jessica, will be joining us (she doesn't fly in until today).  It will be so great to catch up with Jessica and show them all our new house.  :)

After meeting them on Sunday, we wrapped up our day by driving south just a few miles to visit with our friends, Jen and Carlos.  We checked out their new apartment and got to meet their new dog, Elvis (whom I completely fell in love with--he's adorable!!).  Then we went to Pizza Port, a well-known pizza place that brews their own infamous Microbrews.  Dana fell in love with this place the first time we went there a while back and just couldn't stop thinking about it since then.  So, we finally arranged plans to go there and eat.  And, now I remember why he loved it so much.  Yummy!  Although I couldn't try any of their beers (which Dana can atest to being very delicious), the pizza was also made to perfection.  Here's Dana and Los showing off the menu:

Now comes a busy week of entertaining, working hard, and gearing up for next weekend--Our One Year Anniversary!!!  :)

Dana, Rocky, and I just got back from our one year anniversary vacation at Catalina Island.  It was such a nice and relaxing weekend spent together as a family and for such a great celebration.  I still can't believe one year has already arrived, it seems like it has just begun!  For those of you who aren't familiar with Catalina Island, here is a map to show you where we were.

We drove up to Dana Point on Saturday to catch the noon ferry over to Catalina.  Dana and I sat on top of the boat, outside, thinking we got the best seats in the house, but once we began the journey we quickly realized that while the sight was beautiful, the wind made for a very chilly ride.  Regardless, we were really happy with our seats because we were hoping to see some dolphins or whales, but no such luck (although, we did see dolphins on our way home--so cool!).  Here we are on the boat, just arriving to the island.

Once we got to the island, it was time to unload and check out the town.  Alot of what Catalina has to do is walking around the town and boardwalk, eating good food, and checking out the cute little shops.  Being that we had Rocky with us, we had to be creative in how we would manage our time so that he wasn't couped up in our room the whole time.  The weather was perfect, warm enough for tank tops and shorts, but not too hot to enjoy a nice walk.  We toured the town on foot most of the time.

We also took advantage of all the great food.  They had a great array of different restaurants, considering it was such a small town, and ice cream shops on every corner.  Dana and I thought it would be a good idea to treat ourselves to ice cream after every meal, but we ended up eating too much to even fit any room for the good stuff...so we only had ice cream twice on our trip, and ended it with a couple carmeled apple treats.  Yummy!  You can see below why we didn't have room for dessert on our first night.

Sunday was our official anniversary day, so we planned a whole day of celebration.  We started it off with a long morning walk with our little furry son, Rocky, stopping to squeeze in half a game of mini-golf.  We had to leave after hole 9 for we then had an appointment for a couple's massage at our hotel.  We were pampered with facials and massages which made us both so relaxed and rejuvenated.  Carrying on with our relaxed energy, we went back to our rooms and grabbed the gifts that we got each other and a part of our wedding cake that my mom froze and sent to us for our anniversary.  We were excited to carry on the tradition of eating some of your wedding cake on your one year anniversary to bring us good luck and happiness for all the years to follow.  We all hung out in our hotel's courtyard and dove in to the cake.

The cake was actually in the tupperware bowl you see us eating from (we couldn't get it out)...and the hotel had no utensils, so we have to use our hands.  It made the memory that much more fun.  :)  To our surprise, the cake wasn't bad at all.  Still tasted like it did that day, except the fondant was a little gooey, so we had to work around it.  After getting a few good bites out of the cake, we exchanged gifts, which we decided to keep traditional.  The One Year Anniversary Gift theme is Paper.  Being such a broad theme, it was interesting to see how differently we thought.  I chose to paint a watercolor hummingbird painting for Dana and framed it with a personal message on back of the frame for him.  Dana bought me a blank cookbook which gives me spaces to save all of our favorite recipes.  I love it!

After exchanging our gifts, we really wanted to go on a guided bus tour around the city of Avalon (the main city on the island) to learn more about the history of the town and get a better idea of what it all had to offer.  Not sure we got what we wanted out of the tour, but it was fun to ride around together and see the different sites that we missed on foot.

We ended our night by eating dinner at Steve's Steakhouse, which we both thoroughly enjoyed.  The service was fabulous and we got the best seats in the house, overlooking the water with a window seat.  We both loved our food, we had great conversations, then finished the night off with a walk through town to find the best ice cream around :)

We have so many memories and good pictures to share from our weekend, but I don't want to ramble on in our blog, so feel free to check out the album from our trip to check out all our adventures.  Click here to see all the pictures.

While we left for the weekend for our One Year Wedding Anniversary , we had to leave the house and garden unattended.  You know it had to be driving Dana nuts to know that his trees, veggies, and grass couldn't get watered.  At the same time, I think we were both excited to see what could all grow in the three days that we were gone.  As soon as we got back, we unpacked then headed out to the garden to see what we could find.  Here are all the veggies we were able to harvest, what a collection!

Our pomegranite tree is just about ready for some harvested fruits (we picked one just to check), we had plenty of pickling cucumbers, yellow zucchini, green zucchini, mexican zucchinis, butternut squash, yellow crookneck squash, green peppers, and a few tomatoes.  It was a perfect array of veggies to make an assorted veggie dish for dinner last night (for we really needed to cleanse our bodies of all the naughty food we ate on vacation). 

To see all of our past garden stories, you can go here.

I had my 4 week check up today, which is my opportunity to hear our little girl's heartbeat and make sure that my body is treating her good, giving her everything she needs.  As I am always hoping, everything was good and well.  Blood pressure was good, fetal movement is good, heartbeat is in the 140's...and, After a long weekend of eating tons, I was not surprised to see that I gained 6 lbs from last month.  So, now I am totally a 10 lb weight gain.  Before I went in, Dana said to me that he could see my belly has gotten so big that it has to weigh about 10 lbs...well, I guess he was right :)  I am also feeling stronger movements from our little girl.  Her kicks and jabs are much more obvious and some days I can feel her all day long.  I think Rocky is starting to feel them, too, although, they aren't strong enough to get him to move away.  He still likes sleeping right next to her.  Hopefully that means they will be best friends when she actually arrives :)

It is fun having a noticeable belly now because it has striked up conversations from many mothers.  I enjoy hearing the different experiences that all mothers have through this whole process.  Here is a picture of me and my baby belly over the weekend:

Other than the baby in my belly, I am still anxiously awaiting the arrival of our crib.  We should be getting it at the end of the month.  Once it is here, I will put the rest of her room together.  I am starting to get a little impatient for I have almost everything I plan to use to decorate.  I think once it is put together it is going to look so beautiful!  Our little girl is just going to love it, well, I am going to love it for her.  I realize it really won't make much of a difference to her. 

I am also getting really excited because in less than a month, I will be traveling back to Wisconsin to see my family and celebrate the baby with a baby shower at my mom's house.  The baby will get to hear her grandma and grandpa's voices so she can recognize them when they come to visit when she arrives.  My friend, Elizabeth, is also throwing me a shower here in San Diego two weeks after that to celebrate this little girl with all of my friends.  After sending out the evite, I have been excited to see all the girls that will be showing up...through this whole pregnancy process I haven't seen many of my friends, so it will be so nice to get them all together at once place to hang out for the day.

Lastly, in just two short weeks I will officially be 6 months pregnant and getting in to my third trimester.  Can you believe it?  The time is going by so fast!!  And in just about 3 short months, baby will be here!  Whoa!  I feel like there is so much to do to prepare us for being parents and yet the time is approaching so quickly...

Now that my computer is back on track, I can blog again!  Trying to maneuver Dana's Mac was driving me crazy, so all I managed to do was keep my emails in order.  Oh, how I missed my PC :)  Anyway, our weekends of doing whatever comes up are long gone, for we are booked up all the way until the baby comes.  Not that we are complaining because everything going on is all fun and spending time with friends and family.  Last weekend was no different.  We planned a Saturday with friends, Victor and Rhaylene, who invited us to a fashion show luncheon called "Haute with Heart" which they contributed to.  It was an event put on by St. Madeleine Sophie's Center, which is "a unique organization that helps adults with develop-mental disabilities find a way of life that makes a world of difference".  They had a huge silent auction, opportunity drawings, a delicious lunch (I'm pretty sure dessert was Dana's favorite part), and a fashion show.  The best part of it all was that we finally got to spend some time with friends that we have been trying toget together with for some time.  Among many other conversations, they were filling me in on their life experiences with a 7 year old daughter.  Boy, do we have a lot to look forward to ;)

After our luncheon event, Dana and I finally got the word that our crib was in and we were able to go and pick it up.  I was so excited because that meant I could also work on putting the baby's room together.  Dana assembled the crib (thanks, my love) and I started decorating the walls.  It is coming together exactly how I wanted, but I still have a few more things I need to add to the wall and figure out what type of curtain I want to hang for the closet.  It is so close and looking so good!

Next week I will be leaving my hubby and taking off for Santa Barbara for my friend, Jen's bachelorette party....who can complain about a girl's weekend hanging out by the pool all weekend?  It will be a perfect weekend for Dana to spend in his personal oasis (maybe I'll come home to some newly grown veggies :)

Last week, Dana and I were excited to see our good old friends, Megan and Chris.  Megan is a really good friend of mine who moved from San Diego to Washington the day that Dana and I got married.  So, it had been over a year since we last saw them.  Saying good-bye to close friends is never easy, but reuniting with them is always the best feeling.  We were excited to show them our new house and have them over for dinner, which we combined with celebrating Megan's birthday (since it was going to be the following Saturday).  We started the night off grilling chicken (for me) and steaks for them.  Megan and I made a delicious caprese salad all made from fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden, and we added a baked potato to round out the meal.  To Megan's surprise, we also had her favorite, Banana Cream Pie, which we special ordered for the occasion.  We ate pie, opened a birthday gift, and talked til the bugs started biting (yes, we have been getting bit by the pesky mosquitos).  They spent the night, testing out our new pull out couch and we awoke in the morning eating my special breakfast--pancakes with strawberries, blueberries, bananas, maple syrup and whipped cream.  Yes, it is a bit naughty, but I think our visitors always enjoy it (and if they don't, I know Dana does).

Once the weekend rolled around, I left Dana and was Santa Barbara bound.  Leaving early Friday morning, 2 girls (Jen and Normandy) and myself hopped in a car and headed to SB for my friend, Jen's bachelorette party.  We made a pit stop in LA to pick up one of my closest friend's, Brooke, whose brother let us use his pride and joy, a '73 Cutlass Convertible, to ride in style up the coast to Santa Barbara.  It was a bit chilly on the way there, but we were lucky to have a gorgeous sunny day on the way home to keep the top down and let our hair blow in the wind Thelma and Louise style.  Our weekend away was much needed by all of us and very thoroughly enjoyed.  We lounged by the pool, ate good food, played fun games, and giggled 'til our cheeks couldn't take it any more.  Twelve girls made the trip, traveling everywhere from Washington, to Lodi, to New York, to San Diego.  We all left feeling like we had made great friends and are all looking forward to reunite for the wedding.  We did our best to pamper Jen and make her feel special, and based on the big smile on her face, I think we accomplished our job. 

So it is official, I am now 6 months on the dot, meaning I am now entering into my third trimester.  Can you believe it?  I can't either!!  Whoa!  The days of waiting around are now over and it is preparation time.  Once the crib arrived and was put together, I worked hard at getting the baby decorated exactly the way I wanted. 

The pregnancy itself has been going very well.  On most days it is really even hard for me to believe that I am pregnant because I have been feeling so good and really do almost everything that I did before I got pregnant.  The only daily reminder is feeling the kicks and flutters inside.  I switched to taking my vitamins at night, which seems to have helped in my not getting sick anymore, its been about 2 weeks now that I haven't had to run to the bathroom because I thought i was going to lose it. 

This little baby has already been getting spoiled, especially by all of her grandparents.  She's gotten everything from clothes and toys to all the essentials, including our new stroller (thanks Mom and Dad Nevins for the stroller).  It makes us feel so special to know that although we are so far away, everyone is thinking about us during this special time.  And, in just a week and 2 days I will be headed on a plane ride to Milwaukee to begin the baby festivities, where my mom is throwing me a baby shower.  The time is approaching so quickly and I just am so excited! 

Here is a picture of my 6 month baby bump:

And, as of right now, the baby is suppose to be about 2 1/2 pounds.  It's hard to imagine what that would be like, but I just keep thinking about my little boy when we first got him.  Rocky weighed in at 2 1/2 pounds as a pup....I have a little Rocky in my belly :)

This last Wednesday, Dana had his dreaded appointment to get his top wisdom teeth pulled.  It is an appointment that he kept putting off until his dentist gave him a deadline and said he had to make his appointment before Labor Day (and he said this months ago!).  He was very nervous, thinking about every horrible possibility.  I tried my best to encourage him to get it over with and think about the possibilities of it going reallly well.  I dropped him off at the dentist at 3 where I was told it would take 45 minutes, but received a phone call an hour later only to tell me that they were only able to get the one tooth out and he has to come back to get the other.  Not the news that either of us were hoping for.  I hung out with him while he was in the dentist's chair, waiting for the ok to leave...then we were on our way back home, where Dana filled me in with the torture he endured for the entire hour.  He came home and landed directly on the couch, where Rocky immediately jumped on him and started trying to lick his face (he must've known Dana was in a lot of pain there).  And, Rocky wouldn't leave his side the whole rest of the day.  I think that is just what Dana needed to help him get through this experience.  Here they are together:

I can also report that it has been two whole days now and Dana is still couped up on the couch, trying hard not to take his pain meds.  His cheek is swollen and he is doing whatever he can to get through the day.  I've been trying my best to find different ways to comfort him and keep him fed and hydrated, but he can barely put anything in his mouth...my poor guy!  I hope he's almost at the end of feeling so bad, I miss dinner time with my love.

After a long awaited time, I am finally able to post pictures of our living room.  Here is the before picture, just to remind you what we were working with:

And, here is the after, looking at it from each corner of the room:

I am finally ready to show off the baby's room.  I hope you like it as much as I do because I think it turned out just beautifullly!!  It is the vision I had, reflecting my personal style perfectly.  I don't have a before picture to show, but I don't think you need it so see what I did to the room.  The room is a bit small, so it was hard for me to get full views, but this picture is the angle from the doorway as you walk in:

And, this is the wall opposite of the crib:

I made the framed butterfly pictures myself, along with the butterfly collage on the wall.  I applied gold butterfly decals and then attached other butterflies in between for the 3 dimensional effect.  I combined some gold branches and butterflies together for the valance above the window, which turned out great, then added a vase on the dresser with some fake orchids, butterflies in branches, and a light up cherry blossom that I got for a gift from my friend, Megan.  So, what do you think?

As most of you know, I travelled back to Wisconsin last weekend.  Before I went up to Ashland, I made a pit stop in Appleton to visit my dad and finally see his house.  THe morning after I arrived, we slept in, ate breakfast then had some visitors.  My great college friend, Miranda, her husband, Mike, and daughter, Brenna happened to be visiting her family only a half hour away on the same weekend, so we were able to get together and catch up for a bit.  They came to my dad's house, where Brenna got to wrestle with Bo and Buttons (my dad's dachsunds), and Mir, Mike, and myself talked about the days soon to come, once the baby arrives.

After they left, my dad and I went for a walk on the CE trail that I use to run on when I stayed with my dad for a couple summers during college.  We got in some good conversations and plenty of excersize.  It was just what we needed to jump start the rest of our day.  We later went to the mall, where I was desperately looking for a pair of maternity jeans that would fit (mission accomplished!), then stumbled into Children's Place, where grandpa treated his soon-to-be granddaughter some adorable new clothes.  Since we were enjoying the mall together, we didnt' want to stop there, so we walked the rest of the mall just to check things out.  It might not have been a good idea because my sweet tooth kicked in, we found Target, and then it was all over.  I found candy corn, blow pops, and mini blow pops, which I had to buy all of.  I dove in and got my sugar fix, giving my dad a good chuckle about the whole situation.  Don't worry, I didn't dive into the candy corn like some of you would imagine, and only had 3 blow pops :)  Anyway, we had a great shopping experience together and I told my dad how I forgot that he has always been my favorite shopping partner.  Why?  Well, he carries all my bags for me, and patiently waits for me to check out any store I am interested....what woman wouldn't love that?

After shopping, we met with Tanya and we all went out to Victorias, an old time favorite Italian restaurant that we use to go to when I lived with them.  They hadn't been there since I left about 10 years ago, so we were all excited to see if it was still as good and the old days.  Well, not only was it good, but wow, the portions were huge.  My dad, who always finishes his plate, even left with a doggie bag.  Here we are, leaving with our doggie bags:

What a good time we all had together.  And, before I part, I have to mention my little brother, Bo, and sister, Buttons.  My dad's dogs, who keep him busy during the day, were a complete delight to be around.  Being that I didn't have Rocky to have with me, it was nice to have a couple loving dogs to cuddle up to and play with while I was at my dad's.  Here is Bo, soon after I gave him his new toy from Rocky.

Gotta Love Him :)

After spending a couple days with my dad, we headed up to Ashland for a baby shower/family BBQ that my mom threw at her house.  It turned out to be a beautiful day with wonderful people.  I had a really great time seeing all my family, eating good food, and opening gifts from everyone who attended.  Luckily, everyone kept in mind that I was traveling, so they bought items, shipped them to my house, then included a card to tell me what they sent...how perfect!  Here is my brother, showing how proud he is to be an Uncle to the baby girl in my belly:

My grandpa and I:

Here is my baby shower cake, made by the infamous Terri Stephenson...this cake is so me!  And, boy was it delicious (pretty sure I ate at least 5 big pieces)

Of course, I only have only one person to thank for being so thoughtful and hosting a great party, the soon-to-be Grandma Judy:

And, probably my favorite picture from the night, a pic of all my girl cousins who I love as much as sisters.  They are all amazing and mean so much to me, so to have us all together was the best gift of the entire weekend:

To see the rest of the pictures from the shower, click here.

Now, next weekend, my friend, Elizabeth will be hosting a baby shower in San Diego to celebrate with all the friends I have made over all the years that I have lived here.  I can't wait to see them all and celebrate with food, friends, and baby shower games....woohoo!

After getting back from a weekend in Wisconsin, I started to realize how much my belly had grown in just one week.  I went from looking slightly pregnant, to very pregnant.  Just before I left, I had to tell people I was pregnant before they noticed.  Now, just today, every person that I came in contact with either said "Congratulations", or asked how far along I am.  It's about time I start getting noticed!  Ha!

I had a monthly check up yesterday.  At my check up, I was weighed and gained 9 lbs!!  Wow.  I was a bit surprised, but also know that I have noticed a huge growth spurt as well.  So, I am totaling 19 lbs now.  I can tell that the baby is much bigger, not only for my big belly, but also because I am suffering with a somewhat common pregnancy symptom, Sciatica.  If you aren't familiar, it basically happens when the baby's weight is weighing down on my Sciatic Nerve.  This causes quite a bit of pain in my butt, literally.  And, I sometimes feel slight numbness and charlie horses in my leg, especially at night.  I am hoping that this doesn't interfere completely with working out, for walking is becoming quite unbearable.  I will test it out on the eliptical at the gym and see if that is any different. 

I am also starting to feel very tired, as I was in the first trimester.  I feel like I can't get enough sleep, which may actually be the case, because sleeping at night has become more difficult, too.  I just can't find a comfy spot on the bed.  At this point, I'm sure it's only going to get worse, but it's just part of the process, right?  I've been lucky to have so much energy and feel so good in the last few months, so its just fine with me that I am now starting to wind down.

My doctor measured my belly, listened to the baby's heartbeat and discussed the near future of the baby's arrival.  She told me everything was perfect and going right on track, which is a great thing to hear. 

And, now that it is getting to the countdown, Dana and I have began to start thinking more about what we would like to do to prepare for the baby arrives.  We have signed up for a few baby classes including Lamaze, baby basics, and infant CPR.  We will be starting those in just a few weeks.  I can't believe it, she really is almost here!!

As of today, I am officially 7 months pregnant and boy, do I feel it.  My belly is growing so fast that my body is having a hard time keeping up, and I am feeling tired and BIG, which basically sums it all up.  I feel like my walk has turned into a waddle and my energy has stooped to an all time low.  But, I am still loving every moment of it.  The movements I am now feeling are so intense, I can watch the weight of the baby move from one part of my belly to the other in one big roll.  She is getting the hiccups all the time and loves being active in the mornings.  I've started counting my fetal movements, which the doctors ask you to do, giving you 2 hours to feel 10 kicks or movements.  So far, every morning I feel the baby kick or move 10 times in less than 10 minutes.  So, I guess she is pretty active.  Maybe she'll come out running :)

Check me out at 7 months pregnant:

We are getting so close to the end, Dana and I can't believe it is almost here!

Last Sunday, my close friend, Elizabeth, hosted a Baby Nevins Baby Shower at my house.  It was such a fun day celebrating the baby with all of the great friends I have made over the years since living in San Diego and even had some family there. 

Here is Elizabeth and I:

My other close friends, Dalina, Jen, and Dana came early and helped decorate, contributed to food and mimosas, and made special efforts to help with my day.  I think the team of girls did a great job together....check out the decor!

Elizabeth planned a couple baby shower games.  One was filling in the blanks to nursery rhymes, and the other was to guess how big my belly was by cutting a piece of string for how much it took to go all the way around.  As you can see, some guessed a bit too big:

But, there were a few that got very close...we had 3 winners:

After eating and playing games, we moved the shower into the house because it was in the high 90's and way too exhausting to be outside.  We needed some AC!  I opened gifts in the house, where everyone watched, including Rocky, who wanted to make sure he approved everything for his soon-to-be little sister.

I got so many wonderful and thoughtful gifts from my friends, I just couldn't believe it!  Our little girl is going to be the most stylish little girl ever, for she got many adorable clothes, and of course, some of the great necesseties like diapers, pacifiers, car seat base, and safety kit.  I really couldn't believe how generous everyone was and am sooooo grateful to everyone who came :)

To wrap up the shower, everyone ended with a cupcake made by Jen (white cake and white frosting, yum yum)

The day after the shower, I had a "baby shower hang over".  I was so excited that I got to spend the day with so many wonderful friends that I couldn't sleep that night at all, so I was exhausted come Monday.  I didn't want to do anything but think about how much fun I had the day before.  Thank you so much to all of my wonderful friends and family that made the day so special for me and for this baby girl.  I can't wait for her to arrive so everyone can meet the little girl they were helping celebrate.

Check out all the pictures from the shower here.

Our first weekend in October welcomed the first of three weddings that Dana and I have been invited to for this month. My friend, Ruth, who is one of the first girl's I ever met when I moved to San Diego got married on Saturday. Ruth and I worked together at Typhoon Saloon and have remained friends since both of us went our separate ways from bar tending.

Ruth and Ben had a gorgeous wedding at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla, which was perfectly decorated, and landed on a perfect sunny day (right after many days of rain). The bride looked gorgeous and the groom stood proud and happy to be marrying the love of his life (yes, he looked great, too).  Dana and I enjoyed watching the lovely couple recite their vows and celebrate their special day together.  Here they are at their dinner table:

And, here is a picture of another happy and good-looking couple you might recognize:

This next weekend is our friends, Jen and Carlos's wedding.  With this wedding, we will not only watch the amazing couple marry, but also see great friends that we haven't seen in a very long time.  It will be a reunion of friends, and a union of love...can't wait for the weekend!!

Most of you know my great friend, Jen, who married the man of her dreams, Mr. Carlos Rojas over the weekend.  Dana and I were honored to be a big part of their day and witness them vow to spend the rest of their lives together as Mr. and Mrs. Rojas.  I had the duty of being Jen's assistant the day of her wedding.  My makeup, hair, and clothing all melted off from running around before the wedding even started, but when I saw the result of the running around, I was extremely happy.  The bride was gorgeous and the couple was the happiest I've ever seen them.

We started the festivites with a Friday rehearsal, with lunch to follow.  And, by the way, we took so many pictures that it was hard to decide which ones to share, so there are many included in this blog.  Here is Jen practicing the walk down the aisle with her ever-so-proud dad.

As the stress started to hit them both, Jen and Carlos still managed to keep smiles on their faces...

And, Dana took the opportunity to practice playing with Jen's neice, Leah.  She seemed to take quite a liking to Dana, especially when he was tickling her belly.  I think he's on the way to being the best daddy ever!

Saturday was the day of the wedding, and I don't think the couple could have asked for a more perfect day.  The sun was out, with a gentle breeze, and everything fell in to place perfectly.  Carlos stood proudly awaiting the arrival of his bride, while she pulled up in a vintage Rolls-Royce limo, where her dad greeted her with his arm to walk her down the aisle. 

Introducing, Mr. and Mrs. Carlos Rojas!!

Here is the car Jen pulled up in:

The reception was so much fun, the fantastic foursome were united to once again celebrate another one of our weddings, it was so nice to spend this time together!!

Here is (from left to right): Stephanie, me, Jen, and Brooke

We stayed up quite late with the bride and groom and were able to get a quick pic of the two great couples together :)

We are so happy that this day has finally come and Jen and Carlos are married.  Being such great friends with the couple over the last 5 years means so much, especially when you are there to witness their wedding day.  We wish them both a lifetime of happiness and look forward to creating more memories with them in the years to come.  Cheers to the RojAZZ couple!  ;)  Love you guys!

Today I had a monthly checkup with my midwife.  For the most part, everything went very well.  With about 7 weeks to go, we are now in preparation mode where  I will start to see my midwife more than just once a month, monitoring the baby's movements and position.  The baby itself is about 4-5 lbs now and about the size of a pineapple.  She is moving as she should be and has a healthy heartbeat, so it seems that she is keeping right on track.  My midwife was also able to tell me the position of the baby.  Her head is facing downward (no breech baby for me :)  ), her back is over to my left side, and the feet and hands are over to my right.  This all makes sense to me because I feel all of her movement on my right side.  And speaking of movement, since the baby is so much bigger now, I am able to watch my belly move as she does inside my belly.  It is always such a great feeling!

As for me, I am doing well.  I feel good most of the time, so not much for complaining here.  I am starting to get really bad heartburn, though, which my mom says is because I have a baby with alot of hair.  I have been eating Tums on a regular basis and even waking up in the middle of the night to eat them, just so I can get back to sleep.  Because of the heartburn, I have to watch everything that I eat and make sure that I eat much smaller portions when I do eat.  So, it was no surprise that I have only gained 3 lbs since the last doctor visit.  Not a concern from the doctor since I gained so much in the last couple months, and it is typical to taper weight gain in the end.

My doctor did tell me I need to start taking it a little easier since I had a couple days where I was feeling minor cramping for brief moments.  I'm sure after having a week of visitors and wedding celebrating and everything in between, I took on a little too much.  So, now I have to try and take it easy for the next 7 weeks.  It is hard for me to slow down, especially since I have been feeling so good, but when you hear that your baby needs you to rest, you do what you are told.  And, Rocky is always up for a nap or resting on the couch with me whenever I need it, so how could I refuse some good quality cuddling time with my little boy? 

Yesterday, Dana and I attended our final wedding of the season.  Our friends, Courtney and Jeff got hitched at a beautiful ceremony in Mission Bay, San Diego.  Jeff was the DJ at the bar that I use to work at and through the years I have become good friends with his other half, Courtney.  Going to their wedding was like a big reunion for Dana and I for many of the people I worked with in the last few years were all there to cheer on and congratulate the newly married couple. 

The ceremony was beautiful and colorful.  One of my favorite parts was that after the couple recited their vows, they released a group of butterflies into the sky.  It was so cool, I wish I could've got a good picture.  Anyway, the party that followed was a ton of fun.  The bride and groom were all over the place dancing and having a good time.  Towards the end, I was finally able to sneak in a picture with the Bride and our friend, Megan.

And, of course, a picture of Dana and myself enjoying ourselves during the festivities.

Not only did we get to celebrate our friends' wedding over the weekend, but we also got to celebrate my Aunt Rhonda's 50th birthday with her last Saturday.  Unfortunetly, she has the pictures on her camera, but we had a great time.  We gave her a tour of our house, ate dinner at Marble Room (where the birthday girl and Dana enjoyed gin martinis with bleau cheese stuffed olives), then ended with some ice cream from Ghiradelli. She's been here for work, but come Tuesday, she will be all ours until Friday to hang out and have fun together.  We can't wait to have her here.

By the way, my dear husband is getting his final wisdom tooth pulled today.  Thats right, it means the poor guy is going to stuck on the couch in agony for the next few days, while I try and nurse him back to health.  We are just hoping the procedure goes much better than it did the last time.  Nobody likes seeing their loved ones in pain :(

Well, we are now in the final stretch.  I can't believe it's here!  Its been a wonderful, fun, and exciting journey and now enters probably the longest month of our lives, waiting for baby to be ready to arrive.  I technically have 5 weeks until my due date, so I don't think it will happen any time soon, but 5 weeks is soon enough!  All Dana and I ask for is to have her wait until her daddy gets back from working in Vegas, for he is gone the whole first week of November.  After that, she is welcome to come at any time (sooner rather than later, heehehe).

Dana and I started our Lamaze classes last week.  The first day was just an overview of pregnancy and all the aches and pains that come with it and how to manage them.  We got to meet the other couples in the group, learning what they were having and when they were due.  I am due the soonest in the group, with two other girls right behind me that are due on Dec 2.  The rest around Jan, Feb, and March.  We also got to see that 5 were having girls, 4 were having boys, and 1 is waiting to find out.  So, it was pretty even for the sexes.  That was kind of fun to find out.  Anyway, we have 5 more classes, so I know we'll really be pushing it as far as making it to the last one.  We may have to have our doctor give us an overview just in case we miss the last one.

We went to a Baby Care Basics Class on Monday, where we learned more about bathing and changing diapers.  Since I have more experience in both, we put daddy to the test to see his skills.  As I had already anticipated, Dana was born a pro.  He did great at the diaper changing and even better at swaddling the baby (I think he did it better than me!).  Tonight, we have Infant CPR, which Dana has more experience with, so I will be tested for my abilities.

Anyway, While my Aunt Rhonda was here, we opened the last of the boxes we had in the baby's room to assemble anything that needed it.  We put together the baby swing and bouncy chair, which we have sitting in our living room now.  I look at them every day, feeling like a little kid, just way too excited to try them out.  Come on baby, lets test out the swing!  I just can't wait to see her swinging in it for the first time, I sure hope she likes it!

Oh, and an update on how I am doing...well, lets just say I am feeling really pregnant these days.  The sciatica kicks in way quicker, with just a small walk.  My feet are killing me if I am on them for more than an hour, I have heartburn on most nights, and I can barely get my socks on or tie my shoes.  I'm sure all you mothers out there are laughing at me because you know how much NOT fun the last month becomes.  While I am still loving this pregnancy and can't believe it will be over soon, I understand how it really takes a toll on your body.  I do, however, get the constant reminder of the beautiful little baby inside of me, for I can not only feel the baby's movements and rolls more pronounced, but I can also just sit and watch my belly move around and watch her weight shift from one spot to another.  I love it!

And, now that it is getting to the end, lets see what you all think.  Take my survey to let me know when you think the baby will arrive and how much she will weigh, click here!

As I mentioned in last week's blog, my Aunt Rhonda came to San Diego for work during her 50th birthday, which Dana and I got to spend with her by treating her dinner and dessert.  As soon as work was done last Tuesday, she joined us at our house for the rest of the week.  Unfortunetly, while she was here we got some really crumby, rainy weather.  But, we turned it into good quality time together.  While Dana was layed up on the couch, in pain from getting his wisdom tooth removed, we joined him on the couch to watch a movie and put together the baby swing and bouncy chair. 

Luckily, on days 2 and 3 the sun popped out a few times during the day and Rhonda and I grabbed the opportunity to get out and do something fun.  We started our mornings with a walk with the dogs (Rocky and Elvis who was also staying with us for the week while his parents honeymooned in Cabo).  We then spent a day in Old Town where we ate some great mexican food with margaritas (mine virgin, of course), then walked around to shop.

We also got to spend another day by the water by driving to Pacific Beach and eating lunch, then walking on the boardwalk for a bit to enjoy the view.  We walked on the Pier to watch the surfers for a bit and breathe in the ocean air.

And, while we were home hanging out, Aunt Rhonda got in good with the big man of the house.  He loved cuddling with her and getting all kinds of attention.  Rocky sure loves his Auntie Rhonda.

Thanks for coming to visit us, Rhonda!  We loved having you!

Take our survey to tell us what you think...when will little Baby Nevins Arrive?  And, how much do you think she will weigh?  Click here to take our survey!

Saturday was the last day that Dana and I had together before he left for business in Vegas on Sunday, so we decided to grab some lunch and get out for a bit before we got back to the house so Dana could pack for his trip.  Little did we know, it was the best decision we could've ever made.  As we came back from lunch, we noticed cop cars everywhere in our neighborhood.  Most streets were blocked off, including the streets to get to our house.  We soon found out that it was our street that they were blocking, and they were evacuating people from their houses with large gun shields and 10 cops surrounding them, all armed with guns pointed, ready to shoot.  As it turned out, there were two armed bank robbers who fled from the bank they robbed a few miles away and drove into our neighborhood, where they fled by foot.  They were running through the backyards of all the houses on our street and throughout the neighborhood.  If you want to read more about the story, here is one of the many articles on the internet about it.

I have never in my life witnessed so many cop cars, cops, and guns.  They had SWAT everywhere, snipers on roofs, and guns drawn everywhere.  They caught one guy by 5:45pm, but as the hours went on, Dana and I began to worry for many different reasons.  First, Rocky was left in our house with all the commotion going on in our yard and in the street.  We were worried because he has a doggie door to get to the back door.  All I kept thinking was that if the robber ran into our backyard to hide, Rocky would run outside and bark like crazy at him.  Would the robber shoot Rocky to shut him up?  Also, since Dana was leaving on Sunday, I was worried that if they didn't catch the robber by nighttime, would they then give up?  I couldn't phathom the idea of being home alone with an armed robbers loose in our neighborhood.  Then, how long would this go on?  Would Dana miss his flight?  Would we have to leave Rocky over night?

This whole event started at about 1:45pm, and by 9pm we decided to leave the neighborhood and grab some dinner, then figure out what we were going to do for the rest of the night.  The cops were still blocking our street with their guns drawn at 10:30, so we ended up getting a cheap hotel nearby, just keeping our fingers crossed that they would catch the guy, Rocky would be ok, and Dana could catch his flight in the morning.

By morning, we found that they had caught the second guy, Rocky was safe and sound in our house, and Dana had just enough time to shower and pack to catch his flight on time.  Now that the craziness is over, I feel safe in our house and happy that everything is back to normal, except that my honey-pie is gone for the week.  And, looking back on this whole experience, we did gain some positivity out of it.  During the whole process, we had alot of time to spend with our neighbors.  I think it brought us together to become closer, which reaffirms my strong feelings of family and security on our street.  All of our neighbors care so much about each other and they are always looking out for one another.  I don't think we could ask for a better neighborhood to live in.  Everyone knows that Dana is gone for the week and they all volunteered to be on call if I need them for anything.  Gil, next door, is taking out our garbage for us (since Dana usually does that), and Vera (across the street) has been calling to check up on me to make sure I'm doing alright.

Knowing that Dana was going to be gone for our first Halloween at the new house, I arranged to have my friend, Dalina come over to join me in passing out candy to the Trick-or-Treaters.  I was really excited because this would be the first year that we would be able to participate in passing out candy, since in the years past we lived in a house that was hidden and nobody knew we were there.  I just started building up our Halloween decorations, so we had only a few, but enough to let the kids know that we were ready to give them a treat.  I wasn't able to get a pumpkin, which was disappointing, but the kids still came :)

I have had some major back pain and wasn't able to move around much, so Dalina and I created a system that worked out wonderfully.  As the kids approached the house, Rocky would start to get excited, so Dalina would hand him to me, and Dalina would greet the trick-or-treaters with a big bowl of candy for them to choose what they wanted.  I was surprised at the big turn out.  We polished through two huge bags of candy and started on a third bag before the night wound down.

It was fun having Dalina over to celebrate Halloween together and catch up on some girl time.  And, it was very much appreciated on my part, for I was having such a hard time moving around, that it was nice to have Dalina pass out all the candy to the kiddies.  Thank you, D-Sun, I had a wonderful night with you, thanks for all the help.  :)

Now that Dana is back home, we are checking off our "to-do" list before the baby arrives and it is coming along quite smoothly.  While Dana is trying to play catch-up with work, he is also juggling family time with Rocky and I, and making sure the house is baby-ready.  After I spent the entire week icing my back and laying on the couch, I can happily report that I am feeling good again and am able to walk without being in pain.  We went for a walk today and yesterday morning, and oh my gosh, did it feel so good to finally get out and be back to my normal self!  Now, I am also able to get my "to-do" list done as well.  I've organized the baby room as much as I can right now, began packing our hospital bag, and made some fun baby accessories for our little girl.  Rocky did his share as well, for he helped daddy with all of his chores and then tested out his sister's new crib to make sure it was cozy and safe.

The verdict is that, Yes, it is indeed, comfy and safe and ready for our new bundle to sleep in it.  And, Rocky says that if she is ever scared of being alone in there, he will volunteer his cuddle time to join her in her crib ;)

We are also excited to share some of our maternity pictures from a photo shoot we did a month ago.  We worked with photographer, Anjuli McDowell and took many pictures.  It was a fun day for Dana and I and we are happy with the documentation of this wonderful journey in our lives.  Click on the picture to take you to the photo gallery of all the pictures.

It's been a while since we talked about our yard and all its beauty, so we are excited to tell you all about some of the beautiful flowers that have been blooming.  Before Dana left for his trip last week, he told me he was going to be so disappointed because his rose bush, named "California Dreaming" was going to bloom while he was gone.  But, little did he realize, they knew just how he was feeling and decided to wait until he got back.  While he was working in the yard, mowing, moving plants, and grooming what needed it, I decided to get some pictures of the beautiful bloom of roses.  It does bloom quite a bit normally, but not ever with so many roses at one time.  They are just gorgeous!

I also took some pics of our Bouganvilla.  When we first moved in, it was a huge rats nest of old vines and dead branches.  I really didn't want Dana to cut it because I thought that would be the end of the plant, but he proved me wrong.  He cut it away to the point where it looked like it would never return, in my eyes, but it is already starting to grow back and flourish more beautiful than it was when we first saw it.  In another year, it will be an entire wall of beautiful flowers and wonderful shade.

We have spent another weekend trying to get done whatever we could before baby arrives.  We have the car seat bases in both my car and Dana's truck, cameras fully charged and packed, fully loaded up our freezer with as much food as we could fit in it.  Spent a good hour or two at Costco, filling up our cart so full and high that I could barely see over it.  What else could I possibly do before baby comes?  (Feel free to email me with suggestions, because I need things to do to keep me going....all I want to do is sit and wait, and I'm growing really impatient ;)  haha).

In the meantime, here's a little something for fun.  Dana finally gave me his baby picture so I could see what he looked like as a newborn.  And, then I compared it to my baby picture.  I guess you could say Dana is, and always has been the more photogenic of the two of us...but here you go, check it out and just imagine how cute our baby is going to be!  (I am to the left, Dana to the right, in case you can't tell)

I just can't get over how freakin' adorable my hubby was as a baby, and not much has changed over the years.  Stay away, ladies, he's all mine ;)  Since I've seen the picture, I keep saying to Dana whenever he pokes fun at me and tries to get me riled up "Hold on a second, I have to go look at your baby picture to remind myself why I love you".  haha.  One look at that picture and I can't help but smile and return to him with a big hug and kiss.  If he was smart, he would hide this picture and then pull it out whenever he really upsets me.

Anyway, back to imagination...after the thought of combining both of our baby features, I can't help but think that our little girl is just going to be the most preciously adorable baby ever.  I mean, yes, no matter what, I am going to think she is the most preciously adorable baby ever, but its just fun to imagine her arrival and my very first look at her.  Can you tell I am getting excited?

We made it through the weekend with no baby appearance.  But, its not that we weren't trying :)  We decided to test out all the wivestales that came our way and see if they work.  As you can see, they haven't!  But, we did have a fun weekend together trying it all out.  :)  We went out to dinner Friday night at a fabulous Italian restaurant, where I ordered eggplant parmigiana.  On Saturday, we went and got foot massages where I was hoping the masseuse would really dig into that pressure point I needed him to hit, but of course I got the opposite.  I'm sure they don't want to be liable for causing contractions.  On Sunday, we ate Mexican food, but all the spicy food did was give me horrible heartburn!

Along with the wivestales that we have read about or heard from other people, we have also developed one of our own.  We turned Rocky into a chicken.  Thats right, he has been laying on top of my belly day and night and every opportunity he can get.  We are hoping that if he can warm up this baby long enough, she will finally hatch!  :)  I wish I could get a picture to show you just how great it is, but every time I get the camera out, he moves.  I don't think he wants people to know his secret moves.

I know I'm a little too impatient here, for we technically have one more week until my official due date.  But, I'm still crossing my fingers for a Turkey Day baby, and it would be great if you all crossed your fingers, too.  And, feel free to send more ideas how to get our baby girl to want to come soon.  I'll try just about anything at this point.

As most of you already know, Dana and I didn't eat a Thanksgiving dinner this year.  Instead, I gave birth to our beautiful baby girl, Eva Veronica Nevins.  Obvious contractions started at 8:30pm on Wednesday night, by Thursday morning at 8am we were headed to the hospital.  We arrived to find that I had already dilated 4 cm and this baby was definitely on her way.  At 7:07pm, baby Eva was born, weighing in at 7 lbs 1.2 ounces and was 20 1/4" long.  We heard her first cry just seconds after she was out, I held her on my chest immediately, and of course, proud daddy, Dana, cut the cord.

The joy that came over us in those first moments with her are indescribable.  I have never in my life felt so happy, proud, or astonished at this miracle of life that Dana and I created. 

As for the labor and delivery, we had no major complications and the baby was healthy, so we opted for a short 24 hr stay at the hospital.  Our stay in the hospital went well, and we soon figured out our roles in parenting.  While my main concern was feeding our baby, daddy took on all other duties.  He is an expert at changing diapers, swaddling, and doing whatever he can to make things a little easier for me.  Dana and I have been together for 6 years and I really thought I knew him inside and out.  But, what his daughter has done to him completely amazes me!  He is more amazing than my wildest dreams could have ever imagined.  I always thought I married the world's best man, but now I know FOR SURE that I did :)

Now, a little bit about our baby's name.  Her name is Eva Veronica Nevins.  It is pronounced "Eeeeeva".  We found the name on a baby name website months ago and just hadn't been able to shake it.  We knew right away that it was fitting and that we both loved it.  We tried considering other names, but we always came back to Eva.  Of course, we wanted to meet her first, to be sure that is just what she looked like, which we knew just seconds after seeing her.  The middle name Veronica is a family name.  It has been somewhat of an unspoken tradition in my family to carry on a family name.  My middle name is after my grandma and I wanted to do the same with Eva.  I chose to use my mother's middle name (also after her grandma), which is Veronica, rather than her first because it flowed well with Eva.  And, of course, she is also a little Nevins baby who will proudly carry her family name for at least the next 30 years ;)

(in the hospital, preparing for Eva's first pictures)

Of course, no picture does baby's any justice, for she doesn't usually have this scrunched up face and isn't nearly as big as the camera makes her look.  Regardless, she is still as beautiful as ever. 

To see more pictures from her first week, so far, click here, or on any of the pictures above.

As for now, my blogs are probably going to be a lot less wordy and include more pictures.  One, my hands are full and barely ever get a second to escape.  And, two, we have been taking so many pictures of Eva that it is hard to decide which are better than others. 

Anyway, home life with Eva is wonderful.  No, I'm not sleeping at night, but I'll take it all, good and bad, just to have her here with us and in my arms.  Rocky has been a great help and is adjusting very well to having her around.  He is dying for a walk, but I think he understands how tough it is for me to even get something to eat, let alone leave the house.  He has jealous moments, but I am really proud of him for how well he is understanding the situation.  He has been very curious about her and her baby stuff (especially the bouncy chair).

And, I don't think he minds sharing mommy and daddy either

(Notice pic below, this is one of Dana's most favorite moments.  He could not wait for Eva to be born so that he could lay with her on the couch and watch football together.  This was their first Charger game as Father and Daughter.  How cute!)

Since Eva has been home, we have had many visitors who were dying to meet her.  And, we were dying to introduce her to everyone.  First, Jen and Carlos stopped by:

Then, Collin and Liz:

Our wonderful neighbors, Frank and Vera:

Elizabeth and Sam:

And, Eva's Auntie Lori and Aunt Steph (yes, Lori is Dana's cousin, but I think her and Steph will be great Aunties to Eva)

Anyone else who hasn't got a chance to make it over yet, you are more than welcome to stop over, we would love to see you.  Just be sure you aren't sick and you wash your hands :)  Gotta keep our baby girl healthy and strong.

We will have more visitors traveling from the midwest in the next months to come.  My mom, aka "Granny" is on her way here right now and will be visiting for 10 days.  She is going to be a great help, I can't wait for her arrival!

Oh, and to prepare for her arrival, we thought Eva would enjoy a nice little bath so she could be fresh and clean for her Granny.  Dana took on the role of bathing her and he did a wonderful job.  Not sure she enjoyed it much, but she is as clean as a whistle.

Most of you already know that for the last 10 days my mom came to visit and help us care for Eva.  The days went by fast, but the memories we created will be here for a lifetime.  From the first moment Granny walked through the door, she couldn't take her eyes off her beautiful little granddaughter, and as you can see, Eva couldn't take her eyes off Granny either.

While Granny was here, she assisted in everything from changing diapers to coming along for doctor's appointments, to shopping for the family and buying us Christmas decorations to celebrate our first Christmas in our new house.  We all went out one day to shop for our first real Christmas tree:

Granny decorated most of the tree, and I followed up with a few ornaments we've accumulated over the years.  I love it.  Ever since we bought this house, I couldn't wait to put a real tree in our front window, and now the day has come!

Some other adventures we went on while Granny was here is taking Eva in her first stroller ride to the park so Rocky could get some excersize.

Watched the Chargers lose (Boo!)

Had a lazy day

And, Welcomed Aunt Rhonda for a day to show off Eva, who was in Anaheim for work

Here we are, the 3 generations :)

There is so much more that we did together, but I would be here forever sharing pictures and moments, so this is as good as I could do to sum it up.  My mom taught me so much about patience, motherhood, and best of all, to trust my own instincts and know that I am the best mom for my baby.  Needless to say, it was hard to say good-bye for all of us.  Mom (Granny), thank you for the visit and for sharing so much with us.  You are an amazing grandmother and Eva is so lucky to have you in her life, as am I.  We love you sooooo much!

In other Eva news, we are happy to announce that she lost her umbilical cord this morning and she has an innie :)  Last time we checked her weight, she was just an ounce shy of her birth weight, which I am sure she has surpassed by today.  She has her first pediatrics appointment on Tuesday so we will find out how much she has grown since birth, which I am pretty sure she has grown a bit because she already seems so different than those first few days.  She loves being soothed by her daddy, but only cries when she's hungry (which seems to be a bit more lately).  She has slept through the night a few times, but we aren't expecting it to happen often, at least for a few more weeks.

You can check out more pictures taken while my mom visited here.  If you have already looked through the album, I did just add a few more pictures for the last few days that she was here.  Enjoy!

Today, Eva is 20 days old, where have the days gone, really?  She is still a tiny little peanut, but mommy and daddy are already noticing subtle changes and development.  She is more alert and recognizes our faces and our touch when we are close by and is starting to hold her head up for quite a while when on her belly.  Like I mentioned last week, she lost her umbilical cord, and so she got her first bath in her bathtub.  As you can imagine, she wasn't very pleased...

but, she came out squeaky clean and happy to be wrapped in a towel with daddy

Another first for Eva was her doctor's visit today.  We were able to see how well she is progressing and find ways to keep her development up and on schedule.  She is still pretty tiny, but falls in the "normal" range for babies her age.  Here she is on the doctor's table, getting undressed for her weight and length measurements.

Cheers to a healthy baby!

Now I understand what people mean when they say the time goes by so fast when you have a baby.  I thought I understood, but Whoa!  I had no idea time could really go be THIS fast.  Eva is already 3 weeks old and quickly approaching one month.  As we look at her today we notice so many changes in her behavior, appearance, and even the way she cries. She has become much more alert in this last week and will spend an hour here and an hour there fully alert without crying, where in the past we were use to her just waking up to cry to be fed, then as soon as she got what she wanted, she would quickly fall back asleep.  We are taking this "alert time" as an opportunity to introduce her to some of her toys.  She has an entertainment system that we have been laying her on to give her some tummy time to make her neck stronger...and when she doesn't want that, we just flip her over to see the lights above.  As you can see, daddy really likes the toy, too.

Another thing we have introduced to her in the last week is a bottle.  I was excited about this because it gave daddy an opportunity to feed her and gave me a little time to do whatever I wanted--usually allowing me the simple things like time to shower or eat.  It was a bit of an adjustment for her, but between Dana and herself, I think they have the whole process figured out.  Of course, there was concern on my part that she would have nipple confusion problems, but I am happy to report that she seems to be just fine with both nursing and bottle feeding. 

Since Eva has been born, we have been trying to figure out how we would fit in our date night.  We figured, for the most part, we could just take her with us and go while she is sleeping.  But, the more we were aware of her schedule the more we realized that it would be much more realistic for us to have a "date lunch", for she sleeps much better in the afternoons.  This last weekend, however, we got a little daring and decided to take on a night adventure.  We made a trip to Ikea to get shelving for Eva's room and the trip went so well we thought we would continue on to dinner (we were both way too tired to go home and cook), but there was a 15 min. wait before we got our table and then we finally sat.  We ordered our food and started getting excited about eating and still she slept through the whole process.  Our salads were served, I took one bite, then "Whaaaa!", she awoke with a wet diaper and hungry!  While we were a bit disappointed, we knew we really pushed it by attempting dinner in the first place and looked at the challenge as a way to see if we were prepared (because you know this won't be the last time something like this happens).  I grabbed the diaper bag, headed to the bathroom and changed her diaper all with one hand, for I had to hold her with the other...then I had to whip out the Hooter Hider (thanks, Liz) and feed her, holding her with one hand and eating with the other.  I have to say, I think it was handled really well, but I think we agree that one location per outing is all she can handle, at least for now.

Just to give you an idea of how cute Eva is, even when she is crying, I had to share this picture...Dana says this is what I look like when I'm sad, too.  I'm not going to argue that.  If she looks cute when she's sad, maybe I do too ;)

And, finally a cute picture of her and I.  Its been tough getting pictures of us together because my top is usually off when I have her in my arms, which doesn't make for a very suitable picture to be sharing with all our followers.  ;)  And, now that I think of it, we don't have any pictures of all of us together except our Christmas picture.  We'll have to work on that...

Stay tuned for next week's blog.  Christmas will be here and Grandma and Grandpa Nevins will be visiting.  We are all so excited for them to come meet Eva and see our new house!  This will be our best Christmas to date!  Happy Holidays to everyone.  If you are, by chance, in San Diego you are welcome to join us for Christmas dinner at our house, our door is open...we just might require you to bring a dish :)

The days are flying by and our little girl is growing like a weed.  Eva has turned one month old!  We just love watching her change and grow, we literally can't keep our eyes off her--ever!  She is our little cutie pie :)

Hope you enjoy her cuteness as much as we enjoy sharing her :)

What a wonderful week of holiday celebration.  Grandma and Grandpa Nevins flew in from Michigan to spend Christmas with us this year.  Regardless of the lack of snow in California during this time of year, we were able to really put our minds in the holiday spirit just by sharing these special days with them.  This blog might be long, but it is hard to condense all the things we had going on in the last week with our visitors.  While they were here, we had a helping hand in all of our daily life obstacles.  Grandma immediately took over the kitchen, stocking up our fridge and making sure we were always well fed with her best dishes, including all of Dana's favorites.

And while Grandma was in the kitchen, Grandpa was keeping the little ones happy.  He had a special way with Rocky and the perfect touch to calm Eva if she was fussy.  In fact, he introduced her to her first pacifier and with a little time was able to get her to suck on it and find a little enjoyment out of it (pacifier not pictured).

Eva has really loved having Grandma and Grandpa around, as you can see, they know exactly how to make her feel loved and happy.

And, to make sure they don't forget these special times with her, Eva gave them both coffee mugs with pictures of her on it.  I think they really liked them :)

For Christmas, we had dinner at our house.  We had Aunt Lorie and Aunt Bugg over with Aunt Bugg's mom, as well.  Grandma and Aunt Lori worked hard in the kitchen, while we all enjoyed the aftermath...really yummy food.  And, Lorie was given very strict instructions by the family back home to make sure and hold Eva as long as she possibly could.  She made sure to follow through, giving her lots of hugs and admiring all her silly faces.

Luckily, Dana and I were able to sneak in a little time with our little girl to get a family picture.

When my hands were free of Eva, I had to continue mommy duty with poor little Rocky, whose paw got stung by a bee right before dinner.  Whenever he is in any pain or sick, he wants to be in my arms to be nursed back to health.  The poor guy was really in a lot of pain, and I did all that I could to make him feel comfortable.  I'm happy to report that by the next day he was back to his normal self, although, he is still licking his wound quite a bit.

Sunday was a fun football day at our house, although, getting the whole family together in Chargers gear didn't seem to pay off much.  It was fun to show our San Diego spirit.

And, now we are wrapping up our time with Dana's parents.  They are leaving tomorrow morning.  The week has flown by and we are sad to see them go.  We are so grateful to have had all this time to share with them and for everything they did for our family while they stayed here.  Thank you so much for everything!!!  We love you, Mom and Dad (Grandpa and Grandma).

Side Note:

So, I was talking to my Uncle on Christmas Eve and he brought up a good point that i wanted to share.  He said "Wow, Eva is really an alert little baby!", and it got me thinking.  I realize I only share pictures of her when her eyes are open.  The truth is, she sleeps all day long.  I think I get so excited when her eyes are open so that is when I grab the camera to capture moments.  When she is sleeping, it is either while I am nursing her or I try to take advantage by getting things done around the house.  So, for anyone who knows newborns, she isn't unusually alert.  I will try to capture more of the sleeping moments that she does frequently.  :)

Second, Eva got a super cute little piggy bank in the mail and I am assuming it was for Christmas.  Only problem is, there was no packing slip included and I already threw out the box so I couldn't track it down.  We have no idea where it came from.  So, I have no idea who to thank.  If you know who it is, please let us know.  I feel bad putting it in her room to be used when I have no idea where it came from.

Entering the New Year are new accomplishments for our little Eva.  She's been able to hold her head up when laying on our chest for a while, but now we've got her doing it when laying on her belly on the floor.  I was lucky enough to capture it yesterday.  Look at our strong little girl :)

She also went thru a growth spurt in the last week, which meant she was a very hungry and fussy little girl.  We spent many hours together throughout the night trying to adjust to the changes...

It is amazing what a few days of fussiness and hunger can do...but, she really did grow alot.  Out of nowhere, she was no longer able to fit into newborn things with footsies, nor can she fit into her newborn onesies correctly because she is just too long.  We have upgraded her into her 0-3month clothing.  And, boy does she have a lot to pick from.  You may notice that width-wise, her new size clothing is pretty baggy, but she sure is long!  It's been fun to see her in her new clothes, here are some so far:

Pajamas from Granny

Daddy calls this one her jailbird outfit (from the Foys)

Cuddly Bear Outerwear from Grandpa John and Grandma Tonya

And last, but certainly not least, probably the cutest onesie she will ever own
"My brother is a Chihuahua" (Thanks, Elizabeth and Sam!!)

In other news, we experience one of the dreaded "firsts" last week.  Aunt Kelly asked Dana a while back "Have you had a blow-out yet?".  He wasn't sure what it was, so she explained to him about the poopy diaper that gets everywhere.  He thought the term was so funny and really didnt' quite understand just how messy it could get, so he tried calling almost every poopy diaper after that "a blow-out".  I said, "No no, you just wait.  You haven't seen nothing yet".  Well, one day we were talking while I was holding Eva in my arms.  She became really fussy and then let out some gas, only the gas was not gas, it was poop and lots of it...as I looked down, I watched it seep through her diaper and clothes and all over my shirt.  It came from every direction.  I said "Now, this is a blow out".  Of course, we could've gotten grossed out, but how can you not laugh?  You know this won't be the last time this happens.  For a minute, I thought this was telling me she needed bigger diapers, but when I put a size 1 on her, she was drowning in it, no upgrades in diapers yet.

Another funny thing I was able to capture happened last night.  Eva is always doing funny things with her arms when she sleeps.  I'm pretty sure when I was pregnant with her, her hands were up as if to be covering her ears because she always wants them up along side her cheeks.  So, when she sleeps, she will somewhat get back to the position, only she is too sleepy to get them all the way up.  As she slept last night, she was startled by a noise and her arms jerked up, but only halfway...and they stayed that way for about 5 minutes.  It was just too funny.  Yes, she really is sleeping--out cold.

Since I didn't make the time to blog last week, I have many updates to share about Miss Eva.  She is growing strong and well and soon approaching 2 months!  We had her weighed last week, coming in at 9 lbs 7oz.  So, she is growing wonderfully.  She will see her doctor this Thursday to get another weight, height, and health check up, along with her first immunizations. 

Eva has been making her way through my friends, meeting everyone and showing off her cuteness.  A couple weeks ago, my friend, Carrie, and her son, Cole, came by to meet her.

Cole was actually born last Thanksgiving, so we missed out on his birthday party this year due to our own delivery...so, we gave him his gift when he stopped over.  Just like every 1 year old boy, he liked his toy, but also liked everything else that he could grab on to.  I think he was just showing me all the areas that needed some child proofing.  Thank you for helping me out, Cole :)  The cutest thing, though, was his gentle touch to Eva.  He gently pet her on the head when Carrie was holding her.  It was the cutest thing ever!  I'm pretty sure he was just letting her know that he can't wait for her to grow up a little so he could be her boyfriend ( I wish I could've got a picture of that, wasn't quick with the camera)  ;)

In other Eva news, she is starting to smile quite a bit.  Whenever I look at her while changing her diaper, I say "Eva, Eva, Eva" and most of the time, I can get a little smile out of her. The most guaranteed time to see the smiles is when daddy approaches.  It is the cutest thing ever.  I can almost promise you that he will be the first to make her giggle, too.  There is nothing like daddy with his daughter.  They already have such a special relationship.  In fact, we were out at a birthday party last weekend (I will blog about it next) and one of the women there saw Dana holding Eva and said "Wow, he seems pretty comfortable with her already".  I said, "Of course!  He is the best daddy ever.  He even changed all of her diapers for the first 3 days.  He is amazing with her."  

Here is what one of those smiles looks like:

And, here is when she is really excited:

We've also been having fun with Eva...like playing airplane.

And, trying out a piggy back ride, holding on to Daddy's hair while he works hard.

While we have left the house with Eva a little bit here and there, we hadn't yet brought her to a gathering with other people.  Last weekend, we had our trial run.  Our neighbors, Pedro and Cynthia, threw a surprise birthday party for another neighbor, ET.  We were eager to go so that we could get to know our neighbors and test a night out with Eva.  It actually went quite well.  We dressed Eva up in a cute little dress (finally a reason to dress her up in more than a onesie!), thank you Miranda, she looked adorable!

She got tons of attention from everyone and even met a potential babysitter.  Phaedra is the granddaughter of ET and she just couldn't get her eyes off Eva.  She immediately told me that she is certified in everything and loves babysitting.  I felt bad because I could tell she really wanted to hold her, but Eva was like a ticking time bomb, it took a lot of work to keep her from fussing too much and I just knew once I handed her over, the party would've been over for us.

ET (he says it stands for Even Tempered) was very surprised and excited to meet and all the neighbors and hang out for the night.  I think the party was a great turn out.  We, too, got to meet many neighbors with whom I am hoping we can get to know better.  Our neighborhood is so close knit and amazing, we are so happy to live here. 

Thats right, folks, time is flying by fast...Miss Eva is two months old!! 

She went to the doctor last week for her 2 month check up where we found that she is ranking at 50% in all measurements, so she is right on track!  She now weighs 10 lbs 5 oz and is 22" long.  The doctor was very impressed with her strength and alertness, making mommy and daddy very proud.  She also got her immunizations, which might've been the hardest thing I've had to do with her to date.  I know every mom says it rips your heart out, but I didn't really think it would be anything...until I heard her cry.  It instantly brought tears to my eyes.  :(  But, she survived and is back to being a happy baby.

We had our last visit with the lactation consultant, Rose.  We have settled on a routine that will work best for all of us, which is a tremendous relief.  Nursing had been quite a challenge and took up much of our time, but now that we have found our routine, we have much more time in the day for walks and playtime.  Here is Rose, sending off Eva for her last visit.

Aside from the doctor's visits, we've also been much more comfortable getting out and about.  We now spend more time outside on walks which is probably my favorite thing because I love walking, and now that I know she loves it I can walk all day.  And, of course, it makes Rocky a very happy little boy, too.  I've also started reading to Eva.  In the mornings, after she's done eating, we sit in the rocking chair and read.  I'm not sure she fully understands what's going on yet, but she'll be following along in no time :)

Last week, we had a visitor come over to spend some time with us.  Unfortunetly, Eva slept the whole time, but it was great to catch up with my friend, Elisa. She was actually the very first person to meet Eva, so it was nice to show her just how much Eva has grown since she was born.  :)

Our days don't just consist of walks and visitors, though, for Dana has been really busy with work.  In order to help out, we thought about it long and hard and decided it was time to show Eva the ropes.  She is now the newest Sales Representative who is added to Web Design Solutions team.  If you are interested in any web development or design, she is the new "go to" girl.  

And, last but certainly not least...GOOOOOOOOOOOOOO PACKERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (Sorry, Jennifer...da Bears lose...Booyah!)

Last September, I visited my family in Wisconsin.  During that visit, I stayed with my dad for a couple days.  In the past, he has always wanted to "talk sports" with me, but I would never let him.  It was boring.  But, during this last visit, my dad said "Brooke, I know you don't like talking sports, but I have to say this:  The Packers are going to the Super Bowl this year and they are going to win.  We have a strong team and they have what they need to kick some butt this year."  Well, being that I've been trying to learn more about football and get excited about the games, I kept that conversation in the back of my head and decided I needed to become a Packer fan.  It's in my blood, no matter what I say or do, I am, in fact, a cheesehead.  And, Dana, by marriage is now a cheesehead as well.  So, what do cheeseheads do when their team goes to the Super Bowl?  They throw a Super Bowl party!!  Not only do we throw the party, but thanks to my mom, we had special food shipped in from Wisconsin to enjoy.  My mom sent us cheese curds, beef sticks, and bratwursts (the best bratwursts all of our guests have ever had, might I add).  To complete the menu, we also went out to buy Miller Lite and Leinenkugels Sunset Wheat beer. 

The Nevins family was also decked out in Packer gear to look the part.  I found some t-shirts for Dana and myself, and my mom and grandpa treated Eva and Rocky to Packers t-shirts expecting only a picture of them in it in return.  So, here is what they got before the game for good luck:

Why I didn't think to get a family picture is beyond me, but here I am with my baby girl :)

To make the game more interesting, Lori made a chart of squares for us to bet on, and Eva won in the second quarter!!

Once the Packers won, Dana showed his true spirit by eating plenty of green frosting from some cupcakes just so he could do this ;)  :

When the night ended, Rocky said good-bye to his friends, Frito and John

And Liz rocked Eva to sleep

Congratulations, Packers!!!!  You Rocked!

We don't have any major changes to report about Eva, but she still shows tremendous strength more and more everyday, smiles so much all day long, and makes each day even more of a blessing than the day before. 

We have found a new love for the Baby Bjorn, as long as she is faced outward.  She loves looking around and bouncing from here to there.  And, sometimes she will even fall asleep, how cute is she here?

And, here we are cooking:

We've been reading a book every morning.  Not sure Eva is catching on yet, but we like our mornings together on the rocker.

Who doesn't like looking at a smiley baby?

And, it isn't just mommy and Eva.  She gets her time in with the boys, too.

She dresses like daddy sometimes, too

Boy oh boy, I just can't enough of this little girl.  :)

Happy Valentine's Day to all our family and friends. 

Kisses and Hugs,

Eva

So, last Wednesday was my 30th birthday.  I was super excited to leave the 20's and enter into the 30's.  Usually, Dana and I like to plan a trip to celebrate both Valentine's Day and my birthday, but this year had to be a little different since traveling with Eva wouldn't have been a very relaxing trip.  So, Dana assured me that he had something planned and it would be better than any other year.  Not sure how he thought he could plan something as such, but I trusted he knew what he was doing. 

Tuesday night, Dana came home from work a little later than usual, but it went unnoticed, for I was talking on the phone to the soon-to-be Gwenda Lyn Hill and changing Eva's diaper and trying to get dinner started.  Dana came bursting through the door in such excitement he could barely control himself.  I was thinking he must've had a really good day at work and he wanted to tell me about it.  But then...the doorbell rang.  Who could it be?  He insisted I be the one to answer the door and so I did.  I opened it to see my mom, my brother, and his girlfriend!!!  Thats right, they flew from Wisconsin/Minnesota to surprise me for my 30th birthday!  I couldn't believe my eyes.  What a beautiful surprise!

As I watch Eva grow before my eyes, it is so hard to be far away and try to explain to my family what Eva is doing, how much she is changing, and how big she is getting.  Every time she smiles, cries, kicks her feet, falls asleep in my arms, anything at all, I want to say "Just look at her!".  It was such a great feeling to finally share that with my mom, Derek, and Cortney.  Uncle Derek is a typical guy in that he hasn't held many babies or ever changed a diaper, but as soon as he saw little Eva, he became a natural.  He changed his first diaper ever:

You read it right, folks, little Eva is 3 months old! 

She weighs in at 12 1/2 lbs and 23 3/4" long.  She is growing so fast and is showing more and more personality every day.  She is starting to make more noises and trying to talk to us all the time.  She is doing very well with tummy time and is able to left her head 90 degrees for a few minutes.  She has grown very interested in lights and now really loves her entertainment system, where there are strobe lights as she looks up.  She is kicking her feet quite a bit and loves standing (with our help, of course).  She  never wants to sit, always standing.  Today, we witnessed another new and exciting advancement.  We put a rattle in front of her and she kept grabbing at it and keeping her eye on it.  Soon enough, she'll be picking it up and playing with it :) 

She sure is a delight to have around.  Our little Eva makes us so proud. 

Over the weekend, Eva and I had some wonderful guests.  My close friends from college, Miranda and Natalie met in San Diego for a girls weekend.  They wanted to come meet baby Eva and get away from the cold to spend some long needed time together.  Being that they, too, are mothers of girls (Miranda-Brenna, 2 1/2 yrs, Natalie-Norah, 21months), they were able to come out and share their experiences in motherhood and teach me a little of their already found knowledge.

Miranda flew in from Minnesota on Thursday evening.  She had Eva in her arms before she could even get her suitcase in to her room.  And Eva quickly took a liking to her fingers.  Mmmm, yummy!

Miranda, Eva, and I spent Friday shopping at the mall.  I have way too hard of a time getting out for leisure shopping, so it was so much fun when we went.  Once we exhausted ourselves of shopping, it was time to get home and relax a bit before Natalie flew in that night. She, too, was greeted with little Eva before she even got her suitcase out of the kitchen. 

Once our girls weekend began, we spent all day and night relaxing, chatting and thinking back of the good ole college days. We also got out a little bit.  We went to my friend Jennafer's Spring Trunk Show where we drank a little champagne, ate some snacks, and chit chatted with other shoppers. 

For dinner, we were able to get out for mexican food, which I was so excited about.  I had my first margarita since long before I was pregnant.  They were just as delicious as I remembered them.  Yum!  Yum!  We then followed up with Brunch Sunday morning.  Here is a family pic (we don't get very many of these...)

Natalie, Miranda, Eva, Rocky, and I took a walk around the neighborhood after all the food we had been eating all weekend where I also got to show them our neighborhood.  And, once we got back, it was time to say good-bye.  It wasn't easy by any means, nobody wants to have to say good-bye to someone you just can't get enough of.  But, they both have their own families that I am sure they missed, so it was their time.  Natalie and Miranda, I love you so much, thank you for coming out here.  Taking the time out of your lives to visit me and help me with Eva is the best gift I could have ever asked for.  I miss you terribly already!

Since the day I told her I was expecting, my cousin-sister, Andrea couldn't wait to come out and meet our little baby and help however she could.  The time finally came and we couldn't have asked for a better visit.  As soon as Andrea got here, Rocky and Eva fell in love.

We spent most of our time relaxing at the house and enjoying the great weather outside.  We went for long walks every day, watched a little TV at night, and just lounged.  Talk about a perfect vacation, especially considering the snowy cold weather Andrea left to come here. 

We did get out a couple times to enjoy some delicious food.  We went out for dinner one night at the same mexican restaurant we went to the weekend before (I just couldn't resist those margaritas).  I think I just wanted a reason to straighten my hair and put on a little makeup (something I barely ever do these days) and get a nice family picture...

On Andrea's last day here, we also treated ourselves to Yogurtland for some frozen yogurt (you were with us in spirit, Aunt Rhonda).  Yum!  Yum!

The best part of the whole trip was on the last night that Andrea was here.  We all got to witness Eva's first giggle.  It was such a moment to experience!!!  Andrea was holding Eva as I was making salads and we were talking when all of a sudden I look at Eva and she has this HUGE smile on her face.  I started talking to her and immediately she started to giggle.  Then, she just couldn't stop.  Dana was in the other room overhearing it and quickly grabbed the video camera to luckily catch a good amount of the giggles.  We were all laughing so hard (including Rocky).  It was so great to enjoy that first giggle with everyone there.  It is something I will never forget :)

Although I don't normally blog about our work-life, I find it a bit necessary to let you know about our last week.  While I dove back in to the fashion world last Thursday and collaborated with a few fashion peeps to do a photo shoot, Dana had big things happening for WDS as well.  And, Eva got to be a part of it all.  During the photoshoot I took part in, I thought it would be the perfect time to start getting out with Eva and see how we would do out on the town without daddy to help.  I was hoping for a bubbly smiling little girl who couldn't help but entertain while we were working, but unfortunately she just wasn't having it.  It was nice to get out with her and luckily be working with a team of girls who love babies and didn't mind that she was crying for most of the time.  In fact, my friend, Jennafer even got a quick pic of her before she started to unfold.

After attempting to work for an hour, I finally threw in the towel and listened to Eva.  It was time to go.  But, it wasn't time to head home just yet.  In another part of town, Dana had almost his entire Web Design Solutions team in his office to meet, have lunch, and get some major work done.  Eva and I popped in on the scene so the WDS girls could all get their hands on the little girl that Dana has been talking so much about.

She first got to meet Emily and Kyle, who have just announced that they are expecting.  We got to talk babies, pregnancy, and everything in between.  They both loved on Eva and you could see in their eyes just how excited they were to be parents soon.  (Congrats, Em and Kyle...we are SOOO happy for you guys)

We then continued down the hall to Normandy, who is the newest addition to the team and also a friend of mine who last saw me when I was 7 1/2 months pregnant.

Lastly, but certainly not least, the first woman to make the WDS team, Paulette, got some quality time with Eva.

On Saturday I had a photographer come to the house to attempt to get a few shots of Eva.  The photographer, Ariana Drehsler, was so ambitious and ready for whatever Eva would allow.  She even bought Eva some cute little headbands (she wore one for the shoot).  It was a tough day for Eva, for she was wrapped in tulle and placed in the most uncomfortable positions, but Ariana did manage to get a couple good shots. The plan was to try and capture shots where Ariana could really emphasize just how beautiful Eva's eyes are.  And, well, I think that was accomplished.  I look at this picture of her and just can't believe it is really our baby girl! 

I also got a quick one of her not so happy, but still oh so cute:

On Sunday, I got to see a really good friend of mine, Megan, who was just in San Diego for a few hours.  I was lucky enough to be able to spend a couple of those hours with her.  We grabbed some lunch and spent a little time at our house before she had to take off on the train to LA.  It was so nice to get that little bit of time with her because she also got to meet Eva for the first time.  Here we are hanging out on our back patio:

Lastly, I would like to share a picture of Eva in her latest "new thing".  She has been sucking on her bottom lip like crazy along with making little razzing sounds accompanied with lots of drool.  Here she is in action:

Until next week....Enjoy and have a great day!

Eva Veronica Nevins!! 

Thats right readers, our little girl is 4 months old.  She is weighing in around 13.5 lbs and measuring 24.5" long.  Its unbelievable to see just how much she is changing, we can barely keep up with her transformation.  She is grabbing toys, becoming curious about her brother, Rocky, and making us smile more and more every day.  She is growing very strong, holding her head up very firmly, pushing with her legs at every opportunity, and using all her strength in any way that she can.

Since she has become so "grabby" and wants so bad to use those little legs, we decided to get yet another baby toy which will help with just that (she's still too small for the Johnny Jumpup).  I think she loves the new entertainment gym.  She takes her play time very seriously, analyzing the lights, listening to the music, grabbing at the toys, and bouncing with her legs (no, her legs don't reach yet, as you can see, but we put a pillow under her and away she goes).

She's also starting to fit into her 3-6 month clothing, so she has much more clothes to choose from.  One of my favorites are these overalls.  I think she likes them...(yes, they have pockets and she is using them :)  )

And here is Daddy's favorite.  He treated Eva to a shirt he picked out on his very own.  The shirt definitely speaks the truth.  Eva sure does love her daddy.

Our nice little Saturday was shopping for Rocky treats at Target, then a little Costco action.  Dana couldn't have been more proud than he was when he was walking around with his baby girl attached kangaroo style.

We had a fun week, starting Wednesday, when my great friend Brooke came to visit from Colorado.  She was here for a wedding, but gave me the pleasure of staying a night at our house.  We were very excited to see her, not only because it had been since October, but also because she got to meet Eva for the first time!  As soon as Brooke got the opportunity, she grabbed Eva and gave her some love, and as you can see, Eva accepted :)

While Brooke was here, she managed to share her love with everyone, including...yup, you guessed it, Mr. Rocky.  He showed no restraint in cuddling with her in the morning.

Not only was she giving out love, but Brooke also used her magic powers to get Eva to do another first!!  Ladies and Gentlemen, Eva rolled over!!  Can you believe it?  She tried for so long and was getting so frusterated, and finally she flipped her leg over and gave all her might and finally rolled from her back to her belly.  It was so amazing to watch her accomplish her goal.  The next morning, Brooke sat with her and she did it again!  The sad thing is, I have yet to see her do it again, now that Brooke is gone.  Brooke must be the "baby whisperer".  Ha!  I'm sure she'll be back at it in no time.

Aside from Brooke, Eva also got to meet my friend and old Typhoon manager, Bryant.  Bryant and his wife, Faa, have a daughter, 3, so we have been sharing daughter moments with each other...And now, Bryant and Faa are also expecting twin boys in a few shorts weeks. (Eva was sleeping and opened her eyes right when I took the pic, otherwise Bryant would've been holding her)

On Friday, we took Eva in for her doctor's check up.  We got lots of good news.  One, she is starting to grow very fast lengthwise.  There was no surprise there, but happy to hear she is growing.  Two, she is teething!  Yup, the doctor pointed out that Eva's bottom teeth are starting to grow in.  I haven't seen anything pop up yet, but it would explain why she likes to bite down on everything.  She even leaves marks on my hands when she bites down.

I see so many changes in her demenour every day, I love it all.  She is becoming more of a cuddle-bug, where she use to only want to be held facing out.  She is starting to use her voice for more than crying.  But, one thing has never changed, she still gets the biggest smile on her face every time she sees or hears her daddy.

If you've read our blog long enough, or know us well enough, then you know our friends, Jennifer and Carlos.  Jen was the very first friend I made in San Diego, and soon after became my roommate, and was also a bridesmaid in our wedding.  We've been great friends since before Dana and Carlos, and as we started dating the guys, we became very close as a foursome.  Jen and Carlos mean so much to Dana and I, so its no wonder that we were saddened to hear that they have decided to move to Northern Cali. Its the first step to the beginning of the next chapter in their lives, and we wish them the best, but we hate to see them go.

Being that we love to entertain, the best thing we could do as a parting gift was throw them their going away party.  So, this last Sunday, we did just that.  We had a BBQ where Carlos whipped out his chef hat and flipped the burgers, everyone brought their favorite sides, and I made a signature drink, "The JC Cooler" (JC for Jen and Carlos).  Jen and Los invited their closest friends to have a final celebration. 

To our surprise, almost all their friends came with a baby girl!  Thats right, we had 5 baby girls all hanging out together.  Why I didn't get a picture is beyond me!!  Dana even thought of it.  We were really excited for Eva to meet baby Mia, because she was born just 2 weeks after Eva and Mia's mom, Claudia, is Los's sister, who I seen alot while we were both pregnant.  We couldn't wait to get our little girls together. (Although they don't look interested in each other in this picture, believe me, they loved each other.  They were smiling and cooing and looking at each other any time they got close, it was so cute!)

This day was also special because Brooke was here (we really missed you, Steph) and so was Megan.  We use to all work together and barely ever get a chance to have all of us together at the same place at the same time.  We just had to get a girl's pic...

I had to include a few pics of Eva with her headband and purple feather clip, because it was just too cute.  Her cousins, Rowan, Kierce, and Merrick sent the clip to her for Christmas...we added it to a headband, and viola!  You have yourself the cutest baby alive ;)

And, a final picture of Jen and I getting as many hugs and "I love you"s in as we could before it was time for her to go.  Jen, I am missing you already. 

Over this last weekend, Eva and I hosted a baby shower for my good friend, Elizabeth at our house.  Elizabeth and her husband, Sam, are expecting their first child (a baby boy) this June.  Elizabeth had thrown my baby shower for Eva last year, so I couldn't wait to return the favor when she became pregnant.  Me, along with two other close friends and her sister-in-law coordinated the shower on Sunday, which turned out to be a perfectly beautiful day and well planned overall.  Here is the coordinating group, along with the mommy-to-be (me, Kristen, Elizabeth, Bertha, and Jaime):

The day was lots of fun.  It's always nice getting together with a group of girls to have some fun.  And, it gave Dana the opportunity to get out and have a little guy fun (don't ask me what that entails, all I know is he was out being a guy, doing what guys like to do together).  Anyway, we had a great spread of food, played some fun games, and watched Elizabeth open a great variety of gifts from everyone.  Some of us even got to feel Baby Agia move!  I have to admit, it kind of made me miss pregnancy (don't get any crazy ideas).  Nothing like feeling your baby moving around inside (I know, Ashley, no need to reply, I already know what you're thinking (wink,wink)). Here we are, getting some baby action:

Baby Agia was kind enough to share some of his attention with Eva during the party.  Being that she was the only baby girl there, people couldn't wait to get their hands on her, including Grandma Agia, who is welcoming her first grandchild...she was so good with Eva.  And, she made a prediction that our next baby will be a boy...Hmm

Eva couldn't wait to get into Elizabeth's arms, for she got all dressed up just for her...you can tell she was so happy to be held next to her future friend.

And, of course, a picture of me and my baby girl.

Eva updates for the week:  She has been an extremely happy baby, who has been given several compliments on her calm, happy, smiley demenour.  She is becoming very active and moving around in any way that she can.  She is really focusing on things to grab, and show interest in just about anything that she can get into her mouth, including her feet:

(Despite what the pic may look like, Dana is not helping her by shoving her foot into her mouth, she really is doing all the work.  Quite flexible, I would say)

She is also moving around alot in her crib.  She ends up in the funniest places sometimes, but at the same time, seems to be able to entertain herself more while hanging out in there when waking up from her naps.  Here is a pic of how I found her the other day.  When I set her down, she was perpendicular to what you see here and in the middle of the crib.  How she got to where she is is beyond me.

Well, back to being a mom.  I hear Eva letting me know she is ready for some cuddlin' :)

I know some of you are missing out on Rocky updates, while all the rest of you are assuming since we had a baby, he turned into a dog.  Well, rest assured, he is still our little boy...he just has to share his time with his sister.  There is someone who has a very special place for Rocky who hasn't treated him any different since Eva arrived, and that is his Granny.  Every holiday and times in between, Granny sends a care package for the family...Rocky always knows when the package is from her, always.  And, this is what happens every time:

It might be hard to tell, but Rocky is about a foot off the ground, trying to get to that package.  How he knows its for him is a secret that only he and Granny know and I stopped asking because they won't tell me.  Regardless, Rocky just can't wait to see what it is.  I have to wait until he settles down, then he will patiently sit until the package is opened...if I don't get to it right away, he will sit and stare and whine, whine, whine.  Inside was a new toy and some treats.  Here he is, watching his new toy to make sure it doesn't go anywhere.  Thanks, Granny!

While friends and family back home were experiencing Springtime snow, we were given a blazin' hot Saturday.  Temperatures were hitting the low 90's, it would've been a shame to avoid it.  Dana had yard work he wanted to get done, so the rest of the family joined him outside to enjoy the sun.  Eva spent the day in a diaper, me in a bathing suit, and Rocky decided to keep his winter coat on ;)  We listened to the radio, played with toys on the patio, and took naptime on the swing (well, Rocky and Eva did--I had to stay awake and supervise so nobody fell off while they were snoozin')

While playing on the patio I had to snap a pic of these cute little monkey toes.  And, when I say monkey toes, I mean Monkey Toes!  This girl doesn't even need her hands, her toes do all the grabbing for her. 

When dusk approached, we spread a blanket out and enjoyed laying in the grass because the weather was still warm and we knew the sun wasn't out to get us...I love this picture, me with my babies.

In other Eva news, she has also taken on the rolling over move quite a bit in this last week.  I can't lay her on her back for more than five minutes without her rolling over.  She is getting very desperate and determined to start crawling.  You can see the frusteration in her face when she just can't move!!  I better start baby proofing :)

Lastly, here is a picture of Eva taking it easy, kicking back, watching a little Sesame Street.  I think we are going to have a little Elmo lover on our hands :)

Hoppy Hoppy Easter, Everyone!  While it was just the four of us for Easter this year, we still knew how to celebrate...with lots and lots of chocolate! We started off our morning taking a few pictures with Eva and all her Easter baskets.  Granny sent her a butterfly basket filled with goodies, Grandma and Grandpa sent a basket of plants, Frank and Vera (our neighbors) gave her a little bunny basket, and what did mom and dad do?  We gave her a basket full of chocolate...then helped her by eating it all ;)

I think Eva had more fun grabbing at the colored grass in the baskets then anything else.  Oh, and did you notice her outfit?  Thanks to Granny, she had a special Easter outfit to wear, looking as adorable as ever.  Look at that little butt :)

We managed to get out of the house for a bit, getting brunch at Terra Restaurant,which just opened a few blocks from our house.  We had a great experience and even had a good chat with the owner/chef who said he would love to use our produce for his menu and could treat us to dinner in return.  Talk about a good deal!!  For those who ever plan to visit us, be sure to have us take you here for a wonderful, affordable, delicious experience.

Anyway, on Saturday, Daddy treated Eva to another one-on-one Home Depot trip.  Eva put on her overalls and couldn't wait to get out the door.  They came home with beautiful flowers, which Daddy said Eva picked out all by her self. Here she is showing me just how she picked the flowers. I think she really has a thing for purple...

And, the last picture to share...a picture of Eva with Daddy right when he is done with work.  He just can't wait to get his hands on his little girl as soon as he walks through the door...

The days are flying by and Eva is growing fast.  She has turned 5 months old today!

She is weighing in at about 14 lbs and measuring 25 1/2" long.  She is gaining personality and is often complimented on how easy it is to get a smile out of her.  She loves playing in her jumperoo, petting her brother Rocky, exploring outside, and rolling over and attempting to crawl.  She laughs at her goofy Mommy and Daddy, uses her voice to yell and squeal, and blows bubbles with her spit.  She is our pride and joy, she couldn't make us any happier.

Here's to another month with our beautiful daughter, Eva Veronica.  We love you, baby girl!

Two weekends ago, Dana, Eva, and I flew to Wisconsin to attend my cousin, Gwenda's wedding.  It would be the first time everyone in my family met Eva so we made a week trip out of it to be sure and get time with everyone.  This was our first time flying with Eva, so we weren't sure what to expect...we are happy to say, everything went well. 

Saturday, April 30th, my beautiful cousin, Gwenda walked down the aisle to marry her love, Matt.  We've been so excited for this event to come and are so happy that we got to be a part of their special day.  They were married in a beautiful Catholic Church, followed by a reception on Lake Superior.  I don't know if I've ever seen Gwen as happy as I did on her wedding day.

Congratulations to the beautiful couple !!

For the rest of us, attending a wedding means fun, food, and party time!  It was fun for Dana, Eva, and I to get dressed up and go out together (for times like these are very few and far between)

Rather than try and write about just how much fun we had, check out all the pictures by clicking here.  I think they explain it alll.  We had an amazing time with the family, I wish we had more time together!!!

The Sunday after my cousin's wedding, we headed out to my Uncle Bob and Aunt Rhonda's lake house in Hayward, Wi.  Ever since they've built it, they've been telling us how much they love being there and go every weekend, so we couldn't wait to go and see it for ourselves.  It was the perfect day to lounge around and enjoy their new place.

Eva got lots of play time with her Granny

and with Max and Rory who were so good with her :)

Max and I did a little early birthday celebrating since I was missing his 3rd birthday the following weekend.  Here we are opening his gift and checking it out:

We stayed the night at the house and woke up with some yummy breakfast and what else, but Bloody Mary's

The more brave people also attempted a boat ride.  I passed, for it was 30 degrees outside and my Cali blood just wasn't going to do it.  But, the guys and kids got all bundled up and off they went.  This pic is just to funny not to share, here is Rory ready to head out the door.  The poor girl fell right over the second after this was shot.  Good thing she had all the layers and pads, she didn't feel a thing.

To see the rest of the pics from the lake house click here

While we were visiting in Ashland, we made sure to get as much time in with my grandpa as possible.  He'd really been looking forward to meeting Eva, so the moment just couldn't come soon enough.  The second he had her in his arms she was all giggles and smiles. 

The Sunday after my cousin's wedding, we headed to Grandpa's for Sunday Soup.  Yes, Dana finally got to have Sunday Soup.  What is Sunday Soup, you may ask?  Its a family tradition that has been going on since long before I existed.  Every Sunday, my grandma would make soup and we would all drive to their house to hang out and eat soup and chocolate chip cookies.  This has kept our family very close as we were growing up.  What kind of soup is Sunday Soup?  Well, I think we all answer it the same: "Its Sunday Soup."  Its yummy and thats all that matters. :)

Anyway, while gathering for Sunday Soup, Eva got to meet more family, including my cousin Josh (and Hallie)'s twins, Jude and Boden who couldn't wait to help her play with her toys

She also got to say Congrats and Best Wishes to the newly married couple, Gwenda and Matt

On Wednesdays, Grandpa treats his kids to lunch, and being that we were home this wednesday, we got to join... with my cousin Travis (traveling from Colorado), too!!

pictured from left (Dana, Mom (Judy), Grandpa, me, Travis (Travy-boy), Uncle Tom, Aunt Mary Kary (Trav's mom) and Eva, of course)

On Thursday, Mark treated us all to a fish fry at Grandpa's house.  My Uncle Jack (grandpa's brother) happened to be in town for fishing, along with David, so they too got to meet Eva.  Before Mark started cooking, he got a little Eva time...

And while he was cooking Uncle Jack and Grandpa had a little fun with her.  I love this picture, it just says it all!!

The fish turned out amazing, the company was wonderful...and as we wrapped up the night, we got a 4 generations picture

then headed to the Ino Bar for a quick one ;) 

To see more pics from grandpa's house, click here

When I went home for my baby shower last September, my cousin, Heather, announced that she just found out she was pregnant.  So, it was such a treat when her baby was born just two weeks before we went home to visit.  That meant we got to meet the new little baby.  His name is Marshall Stanley and he is just cute as a button with more hair than Eva and as blonde as can be.

I couldn't believe how tiny he was and couldn't imagine how Eva use to be that size at one time.  After handling Eva so easily as a baby, I thought it would be a no-brainer to have Marshall in my arms, but boy was I nervous.  He was so tiny and looked so delicate and peaceful.  Luckily, he didn't sense my nerves, and layed contently in my arms.

Aunt Sue (Marshall's grandma) and Aunt Nancy (my godmother) stopped over to see Marshall and meet Eva for the first time.  It was so nice to spend time together and watch the babies do their baby things.  Here are the grandmas with their little grandbabies...

Why I didn't get a picture of the mommies with their babies, I don't know.  I so wish I would have!!! 

Anyway, since my cousin Mary missed out on Tuesday's meetup, she stopped over at my mom's house to catch up with me and meet Eva.  My mom has been saying how Eva resembles Mary as a baby, and Mary couldn't have agreed more.  Mary just recently graduated from college and is now a geologist.  It was so cool to listen to all of the things she has already gotten her hands into and all the possibilities ahead of her.  She couldn't make me more proud to be her cousin :)

And, being that the visit with Marshall was a bit short, we just needed to get a little more time in with Aunt Nancy, so we decided to stop in and bug her while she was working.  Something tells me she didn't mind much...

And, as you can tell, Eva didn't mind much either.  :)

I'm just going to start this post out with two of the cutest pictures ever.  I could stare at them all day long because they just make my heartmelt....  This first one just gives me fuzzies all over inside for so many reasons.  One is because Eva is NOT a cuddler.  She doesn't like to be held close and never puts her head on your shoulder, so this moment couldn't mean more.  And, hello!  Look at how happy and content Uncle Derek is to have his baby niece in his arms.  To see the love he has for me is indescribable.  She loves you right back, Uncle Derek!

This next picture is a perfect Father Daughter moment.  If you couldn't see the resemblence before, you will see it now...

and, the follow up to that...

While we were on vacation, we got some great relaxation time at Granny's house.  It was perfect for everyone.  Uncle Derek and Aunt Cortney hung out until Tuesday before saying good-bye

And, while Granny did have to work a couple days, she came home at every break to get in some cuddles and playtime.  Eva loved it!  Here she is getting a laundry basket ride...

Then on the days Granny had off, we enjoyed the beautiful weather.  We spent a day in beautiful Bayfield, Wi...

And went for long walks along the lake.

Our time with Granny was priceless.  There is nothing like spending part of your motherhood with the one person who knows you best, your own mother!  She isn't just a wonderful mother, but an even better grandmother.  The way she smiles when she is with Eva makes me so proud to give her such a gift.  She has so much patience, love, and thoughtfulness for her little granddaughter.

And, yes, you better believe I took advantage of all the love she had to give.  For the whole week, I got to sleep in!!  Can you imagine?  I got to wake up on my own time, with no baby alarm clock to wake me.  Boy, was that nice.  Thank you, Granny, for giving me sleep :)

While the time at home was so perfect, it sure did go by way too fast.  Saturday morning came and it was time to say good-bye.  We waited for Granny's first break before we had to part, so she could get in just one more cuddle with Eva.

Thank you, Mom, for the wonderful hospitality, for all the time we got to spend together, and for just being you!!

To see all the pics from Granny's house and Bayfield, click here

We were wrapping up our vacation with our last weekend before flying home.  We arranged to spend Saturday night with our friends, Mike and Miranda.  Sunday was Mother's Day, so we thought it would be the perfect time to spend together, being that Miranda and I are both moms.  We drove to their house Saturday afternoon and, while we could've been a bit unsure which house it was, Miranda and Brenna made it very easy and welcoming for us.  Their driveway said "Welcome Nevins Family" with big chalk letters...

The guys immediately got to work preparing for dinner, which included a Dairy Queen Mother's Day cake for Miranda and myself for dessert (Yummy!!). 

Brenna, in the meantime, couldn't wait to get her hands on baby Eva.

She was sooo good with Eva.  She helped do everything from putting Eva down for her nap, to changing her diaper, to playing peek-a-boo, to everything else in between.  I think she is getting very excited to be a big sister and she couldn't be more perfectly cut out for the job.

When Brenna wasn't helping with Eva, she was busy getting time in with Dana.  She liked him immediately and loved sitting on his lap (despite what the picture may look like :) ).

Dana wasn't the only one getting in some time with the girls, Mike got his fair share as well...

Sunday morning went wonderfully.  We started it off with a little coffee, while Miranda made waffles and Mike made eggs and bacon that was either maple syrup bacon, or maple bacon (yet to be determined).  There was fresh cut fruit, juice, and yes, a little ice cream cake, too.

We had the most remarkable time with such wonderful friends, it was the perfect Mother's Day ever.  Thank you Mike, Miranda, Brenna, and B#2 for being so incredibly hospitable.  We had a great time with all of you and we are soooo glad that we got to spend our last days back home with you.  See you in SD for Father's Day ;) 

To see more pics from the Foy's, click here

Now that we are back home, we've been quick to get back in to the swing of things.  Since we were away for Mother's Day, Dana wanted to treat me to a night out to dinner once we were back in San Diego.  We chose Joe's Crab Shack, as it's one of our favorite restaurants and very accomodating to small children/babies.  Even though it was a casual dinner, I still wanted to get Eva a little dressed up just for fun.  How cute is she?

And, one with me for my special day :)

This last Saturday, we went to our friends, Dalina and Brad's new place for a BBQ.  To our surprise, we were not the only people there with a baby, in fact, we were the only parents there with only one!  It was a fun time for we got to hang out with other parents, eat really yummy food and, and just relax.  Eva did so good the whole day.  Everyone commented on how smiley and happy she was.  She just loved being held by mom and dad and checking out all the action.

Here is the cute couple getting things ready in the kitchen

And, here is Dalina with our precious little girl

Thank you so much for the delicious food and great party, Brad and Dalina!

It's been a while since I've updated you all on Eva news.  She is getting stronger than ever.  She is very alert and completely aware of all her surroundings.  She wants to see everything and touch anything in her reach.  She grabs whatever she can as quick as possible.  She is throwing toys over her shoulder.  She has started putting her arms out when she wants to be held, and will also show some shyness if she doesn't want you to hold her.  She is very aware of her name and always looks when called (unless she just doesn't want to).  She is not crawling yet, but manages to move around quite a bit.  She rolls over very quickly and I often times find her on her belly when she goes down for her naps.  She smiles and laughs all day long, which brings joy to everyone around her.  I mean, hello, who doesn't feel warm and fuzzy inside when they can make a baby smile?  She is our pride and joy, I love you Eva Veronica!

Over the last week, Heather and Ryan flew out to stay with us so they could begin the process of moving their family out here in the next month.  They were on a mission to find the best school for the kiddos and start apartment shopping in the neighborhood they wanted to live in.  The most exciting part of their stay was that Eva got to meet her Aunt Heather and Uncle Ryan for the first time. (Look at how well Ryan is multi-tasking...Nice work, Ryno!)

By day 3 of their stay, Heather had found the perfect school for the kids to attend and the apartment they wanted in Ocean Beach.  What a relief!  The next few days was getting everything together and ready to make their move as easy as possibly....and, when there was a little down time, Aunt Heather wanted Eva-Bear in her arms as much as possible.  Those two sure did create quite the bond.  :)

While us girls were holding down the fort, the guys were hard at work at WDS.  As soon as they walked through the door after work, though, they couldn't wait to unwind for the day...

This visit to SD was giving us a glimpse of what things will be like when they are finally living so close to us.  Only, when they return, they will have three cousins for Eva to play with and I will have two nieces and one nephew to cuddle, play with, and enjoy.  I can't wait! 

It has been half a year since my baby girl was born, SIX short months, I just can't believe it!

She shows more and more personality everyday, and brings joy to Dana and I at every moment in time.  She has grown to 25 3/4" ,and weighing about 14ish lbs (we'll find out for sure next week at the doc).  We started introducing solids a couple weeks ago.  She is not responding well to rice cereal, but she absolutely loves squash and is starting to like apples and bananas.  When we sit her up, she can stay in the sitting position for quite a while (as long as she isn't distracted)

And, she just doesn't like laying still.  She wants to move!  She is getting closer and closer to crawling.  She is also starting to grow out of her 3-6 month clothes and entering into a whole new wardrobe of cute clothes.  Happy Six Month Birthday to you, my baby girl.  Mommy and Daddy love you so much!

Since Eva's been born, Dana has been wanting to get Eva in the Baby Bjorn and go hiking.  Over the weekend, we finally made the time to do it.  We chose an easy trail that wasn't too long as a "tester" for future family hikes.  We went to Mission Trails and went to a trail that we eyed up a few months back.  Everything started off great....everyone was happy, healthy, and energized.

We hiked to a small "waterfall" where we took a little break, a few pictures, and enjoyed our surroundings...

Rocky even helped himself into the water...and actually liked it.

We turned around after this point and decided to head back.  As we were walking back, Rocky and I decided to take the lead.  Not too much sooner as Rocky was ahead of me, I saw something by my feet rustling in the grass...I looked down and YIKESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!  It was a snake!  I jumped back and screamed and pointed to it to show Dana.  He then proceeds to tell me that it was a Rattlesnake!!!!  I was completely terrified and scared that Rocky was going to get bit because he would have to run past him again....luckily, Rocky mustve realized what was going on and went around the other side of the trail.  But, I watched the snake slither away and saw the rattle at the end of his tail, verifying that it was, in fact, a rattlesnake.  I was so traumitized by the situation (and still am) that I could barely walk the rest of the trail because I was shaking so hard.  I didn't want to move, yet wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, but the only way back was to walk the rest of the trail. 

The crazy ironic thing about all this is that just 2 days before this hike, I was telling my friend that I have never seen a rattlesnake and would never be the same again if I did....then, I see one!  In fact, I even told Dana about that conversation I had with her while we were hiking that day.  What are the chances?  Lets just see how long it takes me to go hiking again. 

On Sunday, our friends Victor and Rhaylene, invited us to a pool party bbq at their house.  Last time we were there was when I was pregnant, so we were excited to go back to hang out and introduce them to Eva.  Rhaylene grabbed Eva out of her carseat as soon as we got there.  I think Eva really liked the attention.

Once we got settled in a little, Victor took his turn to hold Eva.

Since it was a little breezy and chilly out, we didn't take advantage of the pool, but watched the kids from the sidelines.  I think Eva enjoyed her view, but she really wished she could've joined the rest of them.

We had a great time, even without the pool, and ate tons of food and enjoyed relaxing a little as a family (minus poor Rocky, who was holding the house down for us).

Monday was a day of honoring those who fought for our country, and in doing our part, we flew our flag to show everyone our gratitude.  As a day that most people have off from work, I did what I could to get Dana to take the day off too.  He was a little reluctant at first, but I'm so glad that he did because once we got out of the house, it turned out to be one of the best days that we have had together as a family.

We started off with breakfast at Cafe 222, where Dana tried their infamous Peanut Butter and Banana Stuffed French Toast and I tried their Orange-Pecan Pancakes.  Yum yum....Eva had a hard time deciding what she wanted off the menu ;)

After eating, we walked off all the good food by taking a stroll through the Martin Luther King Promenade...

And then made a last minute decision to walk to the Horton Plaza shopping mall.  It's an outside mall, so we were just going to walk through and see if anything caught our eye while enjoying the sunshine.  As we were searching the Nordstrom shoe selection, we ran in to an old friend of ours, who now has an 18 month old son.  It was so nice to see Angie, her husband Jimmy, and son Parker.  We hadn't seen them since before they became pregnant, so it has been a couple years.  It was great to talk about being parents and have our babies meet.

After the mall, we treated ourselves to a couple appetizers at Bub's at the Ballpark (Web Design Solutions designed their website).  It was the perfect way to end our day downtown before we headed back home.  It was an amazing, relaxing, much needed day as family....thank you for taking the day off, Daddy :)

This is a quick blog only to share some cute pictures from the weekend.  Eva's highchair arrived on Friday and I couldn't wait to put it to use...

Eva seemed to like it and get use to the idea of it pretty quickly.  As for the green beans, well, I can't say the same.  She didn't like them and dreaded every spoonful.  She sure had fun spitting it out of her mouth...

Today, Eva got to wear one of her new outfits...and sunglasses to match (thanks, Natalie and Norah for the sunglasses).  This is just too cute

She soon took them off because she couldn't wait to start sunbathing with her brother...I love this picture :)

We hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend...Now let the sun keep shining and the hot summer weather finally arrive :)

This last Saturday, at about 4pm I recieved a text message from my friend, Elizabeth.  She was announcing that baby Oliver George has arrived!!  You'll remember that a couple months ago, I hosted her shower at our house.  We've been very excited for Oliver's arrival with future plans for him and Eva to be very good friends.  On Sunday, I went over to the hospital to meet little Oliver and get a hold of him.

As I was visiting, Oliver's Grandma and Grandpa popped in with huge smiles on their faces.  If you remember from the blog about Elizabeth's shower, I posted a pic of Liz's MIL holding Eva.  You could see on her face that she just couldn't wait to be a grandma.  As soon as she had Oliver in her arms she couldn't stop beaming...

I'm so happy they let me go get my hands on that little guy.  I am so looking forward to spending more time with him and his mommy in the future.  I guess I need to let them settle in a little at home, but I can't wait until him and Eva get to meet  :)

First of all, before I begin to tell you about our weekend, I would like to give a shout out to our son, Rocky.  Happy Birthday my baby boy!!!  You are 4 Years Old Today, you have grown to be such a well behaved young man and an excellent big brother!  Mom and Dad love you so much and are so happy to have you in our lives. 

The above picture is Rocky with his new birthday toy from Granny, which lasted about a good 10 minutes.  I mean, who wouldn't devour a lobster?  Rocky has been pampered today with lots of treats from Granny, myself, and Eva.  We also made sure to take his favorite walk and then when Daddy comes home from work tonight, he will have a little surprise in hand.  Happy Birthday, Rocky!

Ok, so now our weekend.  We had a pretty low key weekend, but did get a chance for a couple different visits.  My friend, Elizabeth, and her husband, Sam, welcomed their new baby boy, Oliver on Saturday afternoon, so I was able to go to the hospital on Sunday to meet him.  Such a cutie!  But, Before we took off for the hospital, our neighbor across the street, Vera, surprised us with a cute little crocheted hat that her friend made for Eva.  We had to try it on her, so I found the perfect outfit to coordinate, and viola!  The cutest girl alive:

And here is a mommy daughter picture

After visiting baby Oliver we had a little time to get home and relax before we went back out to meet Lorie and Steph for dinner at Station Tavern for burgers and beers.  The atmosphere was great.  The Station is a kid-friendly, dog-friendly burger joint with a great beer selection.  It had been a couple months since Eva saw her Aunt Lorie and Aunt Bugg, so they were quite surprised at how much she has grown...and, of course, they couldnt' wait to get cuddle time with her.  Aunt Lorie and Eva:

And Eva and Aunt Bugg messing with each other :)

Overall, we had a nice relaxing family weekend.  Until next time....

Dana and I were looking forward to this last weekend because we planned to get out of the house and try something new.  I found the perfect idea, so on Sunday, we headed to the Quail Botanic Gardens in Encinitas, California.  We walked around for a few hours, checking out all the neat plants, trees, and flowers.  It was beautiful out and the day was very enjoyable.
And Of course, I could see a checklist formulating in Dana's head as to what trees he still wants to get. 

We conquered a big chunk of the gardens, but still had quite a bit left to see and we were getting hungry and tired, so we vowed to go back and finish our adventures...but before that happened, we got to see some really cool bamboo

And a couple really pretty little waterfalls...

There were so many photographic moments and I tried my best to capture them all, you can view all our pictures from the day by clicking here.

Now I can talk to you about little Miss Eva Pie.  Boy is this little girl making changes!  First of all, her hair is starting to get a big longer...I even managed to put it up in a ponytail.  Haha.  I can't wait until the day I get to do her hair.

She is getting big enough and strong enough that we finally upgraded her to a big girl stroller.  We use to put her in the car seat that latched onto the top of the stroller, but now she's in the stroller all by herself, and loves it!  She kicks her feet the whole time (which means she's happy) and looks at all her surroundings.  She would live in that stroller if she could :)

Over the weekend, I also moved the coffee table from our living room off to the side and threw a big blanket on the floor to see what Eva would do.  Well, that girl is a movin' these days!  It took her about 2 minutes total to get from the center of the blanket to wedged between our front stand and speaker...and, how, you may ask?  Well, its because she is crawling backwards!  I'm telling you, this girl wants to crawl and she wants it bad.  She could care less about sitting up or anything else, she just wants to crawl!

And, she wants to be heard!  "Yayayayaya!  Dadadadadada! Mamamamama!" Its non-stop all day long.  Talkin', talkin', talkin'.  It is so cute to listen to her.  Music to my ears :)

We have had so many new and exciting things going on, I can't wait to share it all with you.  To start, Father's Day was last Sunday and it was Dana's very first.  Eva, Rocky, and I wanted him to feel very special so we did everything we could to make his day enjoyable for him.  It started in the morning when we gave Daddy a couple thoughtful gifts...then, we got ready and headed out for Breakfast at Prepkitchen in Del Mar.  We continued our journey back up to the Botanical Gardens that we went to last weekend, for we still had some area that we hadn't covered.  We took our time, just enjoying time with Daddy.

We were even lucky enough to get a family picture :)

On Monday, Eva had her very first swim lessons.  I have been so excited about the lessons because she loves splashing during bathtime, so I thought being in a big pool would give her more room to splash.  And, I found her an adorable little bathing suit so I just couldn't wait to see her in it.  Daddy watched from the sidelines to take pictures and Eva and I took our first dip together.  The second I hit the water with her, her legs started kicking so fast.  I think she really liked it.  We learned how to blow bubbles, kick our feet, chase the rubber ducky, and go underwater.  Eva is one of the youngest in the group, and the lessons are geared more towards the older toddlers, but she really did well and we had a ton of fun together.

Here's Daddy and Eva before we started:

And, Eva and I right after she went underwater:

After swim lessons on Monday, we came home and showered in just enough time to welcome the Janis family to San Diego.  Most of you know already, but Dana's sister, Heather, her husband, Ryan, and three kids, Rowan, Kierce, and Merrick moved to San Diego.  It's been alot of planning and prepping for the last few months and now they have finally arrived!  It was an emotional moment when I first greeted them, and once things calmed down a bit, we all came into our house so everyone could see each other and the kids got to meet their cousin, Eva, for the very first time. 

Merrick and Eva playing:

Rowan and Eva the next morning.  Rowan wanted to hold her the second she woke up :)  If that isn't cousin love, I don't know what is:

And, Kierce did a great job making sure Rocky didn't feel left out.  You can tell he really liked the attention, he was so happy resting in her lap:

I have a few cute pictures of Eva from this last week that I just have to share...

This picture is something I've been waiting for to capture because she is doing it all the time.  Thats right folks, Mom has her trained to do pushups.  Ten every day...no surprise, right?  ;)  In reality, Eva still isn't crawling, but she really really wants to SOOO bad and she manages to get all the way on her fingertips and toes, but just can't seem to figure out how to move forward.  Every day I wonder, will today be the day?

Eva got to swing at the park for the first time this last Monday.  While the Janis family was at their new apartment unloading everything, I got to keep Merrick with me so I could have some extra hands with Eva.  We put her in the swing, and Merrick pushed his baby cousin very gently...Unforunately, she didn't seem to enjoy it very much.  But, I think once she spends enough time with Merrick she will start to get the hang of it.

Lastly, Eva will kill me when she's older for posting this picture, but I just have to...So, I hear that some babies get very runny poop when they are teething.  There's no scientific evidence to back it up, but I think this picture will.  As I was feeding Eva, everything that went in was coming out the backend.  This was already the 4th time in the last hour or two, but this was the most unbelievable.  She had it coming out of every seam of her diaper...And, seemed completely unphased by it.  She just kept on eatin'. 

I'm not sure how long it will take before her teeth appear, but her gums are really swollen and she is ready for those things to cut through.  Poor girl :(

Time is flying by and little Eva is growing into quite the little girl.  She is weighing in at about 16.5 lbs and measuring in at 28.25"

She has accomplished many firsts and just keeps on going.  In the last week, we went to Target and tried out sitting in the shopping cart.  She seemed to enjoy it for a while, especially once she got hold of Elmo bandaids...but as soon as she started getting tired, she had enough.  I did, however, manage to catch a pic while she was still happy.

And, since that went so well, we also decided to try her out in a high chair while we were out to eat.  That, too, went about the same.  She loved it right up until she felt like she needed a nap.

We had to keep going with all these new things for her to try, so we went to the beach and let her play in the sand.  Now this she absolutely loved.  She just couldn't stop running the sand through her hands while smiling and laughing with Aunt Lorie. 

Daddy also took her to touch her toes in the ocean water for the very first time.  She didn't even same phased by how cold it was.  I wonder if we have a mermaid on the way?  Hmm.

And, lastly, a new first accomplishment!  While I have been waiting everyday to see if it will be "The Day" that Eva will finally figure out how to crawl forward, she decided to throw Mommy and Daddy for a loop and try something different.  I've noticed in the last few days that she kept getting into the crawl position and then lift one arm and wave it around.  Then, last night, she took her arm and her leg from the same side and kept trying to flip it over.  Finally, this morning as I started writing this post, she whipped her arm and leg around and shifted herself up into the sitting position.  I even managed to get a quick picture :)

Eva impresses us so much everyday with all of her strength and might.  She is a very determind little girl...what will this next month bring?

Dana, Eva, and myself have had a fun and busy weekend out and about.  One of Dana's programmers, Kyle and his girlfriend, Vanessa, flew into San Diego on their way back to Florida from Hawaii.  He has been working for Dana for quite some time now and they had yet to ever meet in person.  The visit was great because Kyle got to work a day in the office and we also got to hang out on a double date to get to know each other on a personal level.  We had lunch, including a pitcher of Sangria, at The Prado in Balboa Park.  It was great company and so nice to have two extra set of hands to hold Eva...

Here we are as a group:

After lunch, we walked around the park for a little bit and even managed to get a family picture :)

It ended up being a beautiful day with the sun shining, so after leaving the park, we all met up with some of our family down at the beach.  Cousin Lorie's nephew, Kyle, was visiting from Michigan, so a big group of us hung at the beach.  Right when we got there, Aunt Lorie grabbed Eva right out of our arms and started playing with her in the sand.  It's hard to tell who was having more fun, they just loved playing together...

Tyler also took his turn meeting Eva and holding her for a bit.  To try and figure out the relationship is a bit of a challenge.  Tyler's mom is Dana's cousin, so what would that make Eva and Tyler?  3rd cousins? Hmmm....regardless, he was so good with her and she loved having the extra attention on her.

While down by the water, I got a happy family picture...

And, then it was time to go.  We had a long day, but got to spend it with so many special people....and tonight?  Headed to Phil's BBQ with the Janis family and the Palladinos....Yum, yum!!

May Gray and June Gloom no longer, as 4th of July approached over the weekend, the sun and heat hit San Diego.  No better way to celebrate than with family and a pool.  Last Saturday, Heather and Ryan had us over for some delicious BBQed food and fun by the pool.  Dana started the day off jumping in the pool with the kids.  He brought Eva with him in the water for a little bit so she could splash around for a while, but her time in the pool was short-lived and Dana continued with the bigger kids.  He took turns throwing Kierce and Rowan in the air, which I'm sure was a great workout for his arms, and got the girls really excited to be in the pool with their Uncle Dana.

After pool time and eating, Rowan watched Eva while she rolled around the floor playing with the Weebles that they saved for her to have when visiting their house.

Then, we finished the day off with a nice walk around the neighborhood and a little more conversation before heading home.

On the 4th of July, we met back up with Heather, Ryan, and the kids to celebrate Independance Day in Poway at the Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration.  They had a train station with a steam train for everyone to ride, a pretend train robbery/gun fight, arts and crafts (including a quilt show), and good food.  The day was a ton of fun despite the hot weather.  Here I am with Eva before the festivities showing off our Indepedance Day apparel...

Here I am with Rowan and Kierce after we made our Windsocks in the crafts area...

Here is everyone getting ready for their train ride (Eva and I stayed behind since they didn't allow strollers)...

And lastly, a family picture before the day was done...

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July weekend!

The day we've been waiting for has finally arrived?  Well, a couple different things we've all been waiting for has finally arrived.  One, on July 2nd, Eva started crawling.  Eva was across the room from me and saw the toy I had in my hand.  She started to crawl as she had been doing alot, but where where she would usually stop and sit up for a breather, she hesitated and just kept coming at me until she reached the toy.  Yay, Eva!  She didn't even seem too impressed with her own accomplishment, but mommy was!  Here she is in action:

Funny thing is, now that she showed me she can crawl, she wants to walk!  She keeps trying to stand up (and without even holding on to anything) and once she realizes she can't stand yet she thinks "Fine!  I'll just crawl then...boring!", haha.  Thats my girl, determined as ever.  Luckily, she isn't the only one eager to have her walking.  Her cousins are as determined as she is to make it happen.  Here is Kierce, showing her how to take steps.

That other exciting thing we've been waiting for?  Teeth!  Yes, Eva's two lower front teeth have cut through the gums and made an appearance.  July 5th was the first I noticed of her first tooth, and today I noticed the 2nd one.  Yay for teeth, not Yay for teething.  Thank goodness for Aunt Heather and finding a great homeopathic remedy that has been helping. Before then, the family was not sleeping very well.  As soon as I can get a good picture, I'll be sure to share.  In the meantime, here's a cute picture of Eva putting those teeth to some use :)

And, lastly, over the weekend our friend, Elisa gave Eva her first taste of watermelon and she loved it!  In fact, she loved it so much that if you dared to take it away from her she was very vocal about getting back into her mouth. 

Be on the lookout for next weeks blog when I start talking about molars and Eva's first steps...haha, I hope not!

No better way to welcome Heather, Ryan, and the family to San Diego than to throw them a BBQ at the Nevins household.  Dana and I were excited to invite all of our friends and neighbors to our house to introduce them to Dana's sister and her family.  Dana put his grilling skills to work...

I worked on introductions, organization, and keeping everyone happy...

The day turned out perfect.  I think Heather and Ryan were happy to see how welcoming everyone was and enjoyed relaxing with a great group of people....

And, Heather even had a couple friends of her own show up.  She met Sandra through her mom meetup, and Sandra came with her husband and son the two got along great, and I think their boys got along quite well, too!

And, as you can tell by this picture from the end of the day, the kids stayed busy having fun together...and of course, spent as much time with Eva as possible.

We are so happy with the turn out of the bbq, for those of you who came, it was great seeing you!  Thank you for coming and welcoming our family into San Diego with open arms and showing them the great friends that we have made here over the years.

Last Sunday, I was invited to my friend, Dalina's bridal shower in LA.  I was excited to get out of the house and do something girlie, so I planned for the day trip.  Even though things have been getting easier getting out of the house for the day with Eva, I knew that spending so much time in the car might turn into a problem if I was by myself.  Since my niece, Rowan, has been so good with Eva and showed an invested interest in learning how to feed her, change her diaper, and entertain her, I thought it might be the perfect opportunity to ask her to come with us to have some extra hands when it might be needed.  And, I would also get some quality time and an opportunity to get to know her a little better.  What a great idea it turned out to be!

As soon as we showed up, we hung out with all the other guests, ate great food, and enjoyed the perfect day.  The bride to be looked gorgeous!  I luckily got a picture with her before things got too crazy..

We hung out in the grassy area to give Eva a chance to crawl around alittle bit and enjoy her surroundings...and when doing so, she met her friend, Kale, who loved playing with her.  He even brought out some of his old toys from when he was Eva's age so she could play with them.  How thoughtful!

To end the day, we got to play the infamous bridal shower games...and, Rowan won!  Here we are showing off the flowers that she won.  I love this picture of us :)

Dalina, thank you so much for including us in your special day.  We had so much fun and we are so glad we made the trip :)

To Rowan, I couldn't have done it without you.  You are so thoughtful, smart, and beautiful!  I had such a great day with you...thank you, thank you, thank you!

Saying that Eva would be walking by this week wasn't too far from the truth.  She wants it BAD...which means, yes, she is already pulling up and trying to stand.  The other day I watched her try so hard to get around her chair and work her way into getting up to the plants...because they just looked oh so tasty.

Since she has discovered pulling up and standing, she is constantly looking for the next challenge.

On her down time, when she's actually satisfied with "just" crawling, she is having a ton of fun with Rocky.  She chases him all over the house, laughing the whole time.  Rocky?  Not so much.  He isn't running for fun.  He wants to get far far away from her.  Little does he know that jumping through the doggy door to get outside probably isn't going to work for much longer.

And, when Eva has finally given up on Rocky, she now helps herself to her toy box...

Our baby girl isn't so baby anymore.  It seems like just yesterday she was still in my belly.

And speaking of Eva in my belly, as you may remember, Dana and I took Lamaze classes to prepare for the birth.  In our class, we hit it off with another couple, Melinda and Andy, who were expecting a boy just a few days after us.  Thanks to text messaging and Facebook we have been able to stay in touch with them and finally managed a meetup over the weekend. Here is the adorable family...

We met up for Brunch at Karl Strauss (one of our all-time faves) and had a great time together...

Aiden and Eva loved each other!  We agreed that next time we have to get them together somewhere where they can roll around together and play.  Being that they are both super smiley babies, they are just going to have a blast together....

I think it's every first time mom's hopes to meet someone in their birthing class that they can meet and stay in touch with, so I've been really excited that not only were we able to get together, but that we got along so well that we are hoping to make it a much more frequent thing.  The mom's got along, the dad's have began their bromance, and the babies, well, the picture above speaks for itself.  We can't wait for next time!!

With Heather and the kids living so close and the summer weather treating us so good, its no wonder Eva and I are busy galavanting around town.  There is so much to do and so many to see! 

We started the week off at the San Diego Zoo.  Thanks to Grandma Nevins, Eva and her cousins have a year pass, which Heather and I couldn't wait to take advantage of.  So, last Tuesday, we met at the zoo to see all the interesting animals. Knowing we would have plenty of opportunities to come back, we took our time and saw just a few of the many animals...including Lions, Elephants, Meerkats, and monkeys.  Eva was a bit hot, so it was tough to get her out to look around, but she did manage to get a peek at the monkeys with all of us in the shade...

After the zoo, Eva and I had a one-on-one date with Kierce, who spent the night with us.  On Wednesday, we got Eva all ready and fed, then headed out the door to head to the mall.  Since Eva's been growing so fast, I wanted to be sure and get pajamas in the next size so they would be washed and ready when her feet started stretching out of the one's she's wearing now...plus, its just fun to pick out clothes for Eva.  I think Kierce would agree!  Here are the girls before we left...

We headed to some outlet stores with great prices and I'm happy to say our mission was accomplished.  We got new pajamas and, of course, a little bit more.  :)  Thank you, Kierce, for being so much fun and a great help.

After having a busy week and a busy last 8 months, I finally built up the courage to get away for a while and let Daddy take care of Eva.  Heather, too, has been so busy with mommyhood and getting life started here in San Diego, so Ryan took their kids for a little while...and it was time for Heather and I to have a little girl time.  It wasn't an easy thing to do, but I think it was time for me to try and see how I would do.  While I cried all the way to picking up Heather, Dana assured me that Eva was going to be happy and have fun and everything would be ok.  And, once Heather got in the car it was hard for either of us to feel anything but happy to have this one-on-one time together.  We treated ourselves to lunch, pedicures, a long walk on the boardwalk, then ended the day with Acai bowls.  The day was perfect!

We ended the day feeling rejuvenated and excited to get back to motherhood.  I was so happy when I got home to see Rocky, Daddy, and Eva all standing outside the front door to greet me with big smiles...and Eva was squealing in delight.  It was the perfect way to end such a wonderful day. 

But, my weekend didn't end there.

On Sunday, our friend, Dana and her boyfriend were visiting San Diego from LA, so we met with them to grab lunch and catch up.  As we talked, we realized that time had flown by and it had been almost a year since we last saw each other.  And, this was Dana's first time meeting Eva!  It was another perfect day spent at the beach...we had great food, took a nice walk on the boardwalk, and really enjoyed catching up.

Tomorrow is the beginning of another busy week...I'm sure you'll be hearing all about it. :)

I can hardly believe it, but yes, our little Eva is 8 months old today.  She has grown a considerable amount, and as you can tell by the picture, she isn't looking so "baby" anymore.  She has become more and more entertaining for Daddy, Rocky, and myself.  We are all having so much fun together.  Now that she is crawling, Eva is getting into just about everything and exploring new things.  She is also constantly scoping out places where she can pull herself up to stand...

Rocky and her have been working on their "love/hate" relationship also.  Now that she is eating rice puffs, she gets excited about her treat as Rocky does...

When Rocky runs out to go potty, Eva waits by the door for Rocky's return (and Rocky waits outside the door until Eva can't be seen, lol)...

Rocky is finally starting to learn how to play with his toys with Eva, and Eva is starting to learn how to hold on...

Our little Eva is making us proud every day...I love to watch her determination, her smiles, and her little body crawling all over to explore the world around her.  Cheers to 8 happy and healthy months!

Being that this year we had more family to celebrate Dana's 34th birthday, we also had more birthday celebrations (Lucky!!).  It started on Tuesday when Aunt Jean and Amy were visiting.  Since it was Amy's 34th birthday a few weeks ago as well, Heather baked a scrumptious chocolate cake to celebrate both Amy and Dana's birthdays.  She even slipped in a little zuchinni to see if anyone would notice, and to all of our amazement, it was delicious!

On Thursday it was Dana's actual birthday, so he treated himself to a light day of working from home.  Here, Eva, Rocky, and I gave him our Bday cards and a little gift.

Then, that evening Heather and the kids watched Eva at their place while we got dressed up and went on a romantic birthday dinner date at Ruth's Chris (Dana couldn't wait for some surf and turf).

Being that it was our first date alone in 8 months, we took full advantage by taking our time with a couple drinks, appetizers, entrees, and dessert.  We were lucky to have a table overlooking the San Diego Bay which was absolutely beautiful.  We had great conversations, talked a whole lot about how much we love our daughter, how much we love each other, and how lucky we are to have this amazing life together.

Once we were done with our date, we were very anxious to see our baby girl.  When we picked her up, she seemed very happy and it sounded like she had so much fun with Aunt Heather and her cousins. 

And, although Thursday night ended, the birthday celebrations did not.  On Saturday, Heather and Ryan invited us over for a family birthday party for Dana.  Paulette and Bo, Lorie and Steph all joined us for a day by the pool.  Knowing Grandma Long's infamous Red Velvet Cake is Dana's ultimate favorite birthday cake, Heather attempted her first natural red cake using beet juice for coloring.  She did an amazing job, the cake was so Mmm Mmm good!

Eva and I have had a very busy week last week, rather than bore you with words, I am going to go through the days of the week with pictures, and just enough caption to give you an idea of how much fun we were having.

On Monday, we met up with Heather and the kids for a day at the zoo.  Eva surprised Aunt Heather by wearing a onesie that said "My Aunt Is The Best", which Kierce helped us pick out on our day of shopping together.  I think it made Aunt Heather very happy...

Since we went early this time, we were lucky to see many of the animals out and about before hiding from the heat.  The Giraffe gave us a really good view, lol

(picture compliments of Heather Janis photography)

On Tuesday, Aunt Jean and cousin, Amy were visiting from New Mexico.  We had everyone at our house for dinner and lots of catching up.

Eva and I did alot of running around on Wednesday with no pictures to show...so here is one you might enjoy instead.  As soon as daddy babyproofed the house, Eva was bound and determined to get into something that looked off limits.  This is where I found her, trying to get to Rocky's toys (because, of course, they look like so much more fun than all of the toys she has scattered about the house)...

On Thursday, Dana and I celebrated his birthday by going on our first date without Eva.  We got dressed up and enjoyed a lovely, romantic dinner overlooking the San Diego Bay.  Of course, we talked about Eva the whole time, but it was really nice to have a relaxing dinner, just the two of us. (Read more about Dana's birthday here)

On Friday, we spent a little more time with Aunt Jean and Amy before they boarded their flight back home.  Heather was gracious enough to have us over to their place and even made her scrumptious taco salad for lunch...

On Saturday, Heather and the family had us over to their place to have a group gathering to celebrate Dana's birthday.  Ryan grilled delicious burgers, Heather made a very tastey Red Velvet Cake with beet juice coloring, Uncle Dana enjoyed the pool with all the kids, and the rest of us enjoyed each other's company

On Sunday, we relaxed at home...since it was hot out, we also decided to blow up the new kiddie pool we got Eva to see how she liked it.  Pretty sure she had a good time.

Then later that evening, the kids came over for a sleepover!  We had so much fun.  Dana brougth everyone for a Bronco ride, we watched a movie, and Uncle Dana made his infamous popcorn (inspired by Grandpa Nevins--we can't tell you the secret ingrediant, but we can assure you it's pretty darn good).  Rowan And Kierce also spent time cuddling with Rocky and assuring him that they really love him.

And, Merrick spent time showing Eva how to play with her toys.  He was so good with her and explaining how things worked and how much fun they were.  Eva loved looking at her toys from a whole new perspective.

August 8th was our 2 year wedding anniversary.  Since we love to celebrate these special days together, we decided it was time to get out as a family and take a little vacation.  We didn't go far, we just traveled up to Carlsbad (about a half hour drive) and stayed at La Costa Spa and Resort.  This was a family friendly resort with all the accomadations for a perfect "staycation".  As soon as we got there, Eva did all the unpacking...

And then we headed straight to one of the many pools for some water fun.  They had many children's pools, waterslides, splashland, and more!

Below you will see that Eva and I nearly got wiped out by one of the waterslides...but it was fun!

We also tested out a floaty that we bought Eva so she could have a little more freedom in the water.  Her and daddy had a blast together.

And after we were done getting wet, we walked around, lounged, and just enjoyed being together.  We got this lovely family picture in our courtyard.

Since it was our anniversary, we were sure to do a little celebrating as a couple as well.  We left Eva at their on site daycare for a couple hours as Dana and I went to the spa for our couple's massage.  Boy, did that feel good!!  It wasn't easy to leave Eva for those 2 hours (yes, I still cry if I have to leave her), but it sure made me one happy mommy when we picked her up and saw her so happy and playing with their many toys.  They said she loved group time and had a blast crawling everywhere (thats our girl!!).

Just like last year, Dana and I also took on the traditional anniversary gift exchange.  This year's theme: Cotton.  While I didn't get nice pictures (we opened our gifts first thing in the morning while still in bed with bedhead, pjs, and groggy eyes), I will tell you about it.  I, as I did last year, made Dana's gift.  I made him an apron to wear while BBQing.  Dana bought me a beautiful white lace/cotton tank with a metallic gold heart on it representing our love (way to go, Dana!). 

In the end, Dana and I both agree that it was the best time ever.  We wouldn't have changed a single thing.  We had an amazing time as a family and a relaxing time as a couple...unfortunetly, this is the only picture I got of the 2 of us...we were just too busy having fun!

Little time to blog, but many pics to share...For those of you who just like to look at pictures, this post is for you!

Eva finally got to meet Oliver, and I finally got to see my great friend, Elizabeth.  Eva loved seeing a baby smaller than her, she smiled so big and gently rubbed his little head to say hello.

Eva has never been a cuddler, so when she fell asleep on my chest at the pool (during our staycation), I was in heaven....well, until I had to pee, then it got a little uncomfortable.  But, Oh what I would do to have another moment like this :)

Grandma Nevins surprised us with a visit to San Diego.  Eva loved her time with Grandma!

Dana and I attended a wedding for our good friends, Dalina and Brad...we chose the good ole reliable ensemble, black and white.

And, with the lovely Mr. and Mrs. Marlett

Eva's personality is really starting to bloom.  There are so many complexities to her, it is fun to get to know who she really is.  And, yes, she even has a mischievious side (not sure where she learned that, wahahahaha)

Eva was proud to visit daddy at work and show everyone how much she has grown and how quickly she can move around (and how well she can boss everyone around--yes, yes, we know where she gets that from ;)  )  She said "Ok everyone!  Stop talking, its my turn to speak!"

Only Daddy can get her to stay still for enough time to get a picture (and maybe even a few minutes after)...what's his secret?  Truck Shows.  Yup, Daddy's little girl...she can't wait to get her very own Ford Bronco Power Wheel (Uh oh!)

Here's Daddy's version of babysitting...Eva loves watching him work

And yes, Eva's hair is growing!  You know I can't wait to get my hands on that hair :)  Her front hair is growing so fast it's starting to grow over her eyebrows....so barrettes and teeny tiny ponytails will be a common appearance for this little one. 

Taking pictures is becoming harder and harder these days.  The second she sees the camera she turns her head away...So, I can only hope to get a few good ones here and there.  Wish me luck, she's on the move and there's no turning back!

Time is moving pretty quickly, and as you can see below, Eva is no longer the delicate little baby she once was,  she is just steps away from entering the toddler world.  During Eva's 9 month birthday, we were visiting Dana's family in Michigan...so I thought, how cute would it be to use Dana's old baby blanket and have Eva sitting in a chair that Dana once sat in when he was young.  I loved the idea and think it turned out perfectly.

At 9 months old, Eva is weighing in at 19 1/2 lbs and measures about 29".  I can see a tremendous growth spurt in her last couple weeks because she went from fitting her 9 month clothing comfortably to all of a sudden being too long.  That means more new cute clothes for her to wear :)

Eva has many new things happening lately, and most of them were noticed when we were in Michigan, so others were able to witness them as well.  First, she has been going through a growling phase, which consists of using her lowest voice possible to growl at everyone around her.  I'm not sure, but we're thinking she got it from her brother, Rocky.  Its been pretty funny to listen to her when she is in "growl" mode. 

We've also been trying to work with her to learn how to wave bye-bye.  She's starting to get the hang of it, for you can see her fingers start moving whenever we wave.  And, she even raised her hand and started waving right at Daddy once.  It was so cute.  She was sitting so straight and smiling so big while she looked across the table at Dana with her hand in the air and fingers moving.

Grandma taught her how to play peek-a-boo, which she absolutely loves.  They played it almost every day that they had together, it was the cutest thing to watch.  Grandma would really get her going, and she would giggle so much.  It was the perfect bonding experience for both of them.

Eva has started spinning  around in a cirlce.  When her Aunt Kelly noticed her doing it on Grandma's kitchen floor, she told us that Reese (Eva's cousin) also use to do it at that age, so they nicknamed him Taz.  Now Eva is taking over the Taz moves.

She has been daring enough to try and stand on her own.  We have witnessed her stand while holding something and then just let go a few times now.  Its scary for us, feeling like we need to jump in and grab her, but we know this is just part of her process in moving forward with walking and standing on her own. 

She has begun eating finger foods, which she seems to really enjoy, but boy does it make a mess for mommy.  I am now sweeping and mopping 3x a day, and eating a meal has become much much longer.  Her favorites have been Cherrios and banana.

Lastly, Eva is now starting to become a bit bashful and not as easy for anyone to grab her.  She needs a little warming up before she is comfortable in a strangers arms and has now started crying for mommy if she is unsure of who she is with.  But, rest assured, it is still extremely easy to get a smile out of her.  Eva is always smiling and laughing and happy-go-lucky. 

I love spending my days with Eva, she is just so much fun and happy to be around.  She loves to get me to chase her around the house, likes to walk while I hold her hands (boy is my back getting a work out), and tries to play with Rocky whenever she gets close to him...she is just a joy, I can't get enough of her.

I don't think this blog post requires any description...

Dana, Eva, and myself were finally able to make a trip to Michigan so Eva could meet more of her family.  The last time we saw everyone was at our wedding, so we were really excited for the visit, and really excited to introduce everyone to our new addition.  Since we were there for a week, there were many people to visit with and much time to relax with the ones we love.

Right when we got to town, we settled in to Mom and Dad's house and got to see the addition to their house.  As soon as we were settled, Eva got to meet her Aunt Kelly and Uncle Chris for the very first time...

And, along with Aunt Kelly and Uncle Chris came four cousins that she hadn't seen.  They were so excited to get their hands on Eva, and she just loved the attention.

Trinity and Eva (below)

Reese and Eva (below)

Brett and Aunt Kelly showing Eva how to play with the Sesame Street toy

Brynn helping in whatever way she could (feeding, changing diapers, changing Eva's clothes--whatever she could do, she did it!)

A very important visit we had was with Grandma Rose.  Dana was very excited to introduce her to her 43rd Great-Grandchild.  She just loved Eva and they even happened to be matching!

A very special moment for Dana and myself was to introduce Cliff to our baby girl, for if you remember, he was the one who married us two short years ago.  So, showing him how much our life has grown since that very special day meant alot to both of us.

Aside from family, we also had a few friends that we were anxious to see.  Darik has been working for Dana for the past couple years, still living in the midwest, but they have so many phone conversations that they have become great friends.  Darik and wife Robyn have four kids and always share their parenthood experiences with us, so we couldn't wait to get together and introduce our children to one another.  Here is our group shot:

One night, Dad got our his 1959 Corvette to take for a spin...and then he gave Dana the honors to drive it himself and take me for a ride around town.  They watched Eva as Dana and I took a tour of his homeland and enjoyed the beautiful weather.

One of my favorite shots was Eva and Buddy.  Eva just LOVED Buddy.  She would start flapping her arms, jumping up and down, and squealing every time she would see him.  He, on the other hand, didn't want to have anything to do with her.  Everytime she would crawl towards him, he would get up and move...but when it came to watching outside, he just stood next to her while the two of them watched the passersby outside.

Our last time to see Chris, Kelly, and the kids was an outing at their local ice cream shop.  I set the camera up and managed to get a pretty good group shot...if only Eva was looking

We had a great time in Michigan, got to spend some much needed quality time with family, Mom and Dad threw us a "meet the baby" party so all the extended family and friends got to meet Eva, we had beautiful weather, a few nights out to dinner, time in the hot tub, rest and relaxation, ate tons of good food, and just had so much fun overall.  It was a much needed visit, and we are so happy that we made it happen.  Thank you to all who came out to meet Eva, we love you and miss you already!

This last weekend was by far one of the most relaxing weekends that we have spent as a family.  Since we just got back from our trip to Michigan, we decided that we just needed to hang low and do whatever we wanted at our own pace.  It was just what we all needed.  On Saturday, Felipe called to let us know he was in town for the week, and he stopped by to catch up and see how much Eva has grown and changed since the last time.  Eva was a little shy at first, but it didn't take her long to warm up to Felipe.

On Sunday, Dana spent much of the early day out in the yard.  Of course he has a million and one different projects going on back there, and I stopped wondering what they were long ago.  But, when I saw him put on this suit (pic below), I had to wonder what was going on...

Yes, my friends, thats what you call a Bee Suit.  Why, you might ask?  Well, its because Dana found it very necessary to become a Bee Keeper.  He ordered a nest a few weeks back, and just recently put it together.  He looks like a pretty big goofball, if you ask me.

And, while he was playing with bees, Eva, Rocky, and myself were playing in our patio area.  We just got some foam flooring to lay out for Eva, and they had alphabet cutouts, so we had a little fun with them...

And, we certainly didn't forget Rocky

On Monday morning, we went for a walk and got breakfast.  On our way home we heard some thunder (in San Diego?  I know!!) and by the time we got home, it started pouring out.  It was crazy because rain in the summer is a rarity here.  And, best yet, it was still really warm out.  So, we went outside and sat on the swing on our patio and watched as the rain came down.  While Dana and I tried not to get wet, Eva couldn't wait to check it out.  She was so interested in the rain dropping down, she just couldn't resist touching it.  She was crawling to every puddle and drip she could find.  She was clapping so hard and for so long with the biggest smile on her face.

And, speaking of clapping, she just started clapping a few hours before this picture.  Now that she's figured it out, she just doesn't want to stop.  I just love watching her clapping and smiling and so, so happy.

Clapping wasn't the only thing she was witnessed doing for the first time.  Monday night, she started sharing with me.  She had a pacifier in her mouth and I took it from her and put it in my mouth.  She thought it was so funny, she came over to me, grabbed it from my mouth and then put it in her mouth.  Then, she took it out of her mouth and put it back in my mouth and started laughing.  She kept doing it a few more times, it was so fun.  She sure is getting smart fast.  I mean, I always knew she was a smart girl, but to see the things she catches on to all amazes me.

Until next weekend, enjoy!

Last weekend's weather was perfect, so we made sure to take advantage of it.  On Thursday, my friends were visiting for the weekend, so Eva and I drove up to see them, which also meant Eva got to spend some time with Mia (they are 2 weeks apart).  It was fun watching them interact with each other.  Their personalities are so different, yet they are both very happy, healthy little girls. This was the best pic I could get of both of them sitting, for they were on the go most of the time (And, yes, Eva is WAY bigger than Mia...what can I say?  She's got a very big daddy).

Saturday morning, Dana and I wanted to try out the new backpack carrier we got to carry Eva.  What better way to do that than to go hiking.  We went to the Wilderness Gardens Preserve in Fallbrook for a 4 mile hike.  Eva loved riding in the pack.  She was very happy and seemed very comfortable...

In fact, she was so comfortable she could barely stay awake.  The poor girl just couldn't keep her eyes open and couldn't find a place to rest her head, so the rest of the hike became a little difficult.  Then, to top it off, Rocky was with us and decided he was getting too hot, so he kept stopping in the shade until I finally carried him.  Poor little guy, he doesn't do that very often, so I know when he does he has really had enough.  But, we did get a picture together while we were still happy...

On Sunday, Eva geared up to watch the Chargers play the Vikings and kick their butts...

On Sunday night, our friends, Elisa and Ryan, had us over for a WAY OVERDUE dinner date at their place.  It was so nice.  Elisa prepared personal sized pizza doughs, roasted veggies, meats, and cheese to make our own personal pizzas. Then she topped us off with delicious strawberry rhubarb crumb cake.  The best part yet was that they went through great lengths to babyproof their house so that Eva could move around a little without us having to control her every move.  They even double mopped their floor!!  The night went wonderfully, but of course, short lived, for Eva was ready for bed.  Thank you, Ryan and Elisa for putting on such a wonderful night.  We know how much time had to go in to cleaning, preparing, babyproofing, and entertaining for us.  You guys did an amazing job and we really appreciate it!

On Monday, Eva had her 9 month appointment.  We had her weighed and measured.  She is growing to be a very big girl, as we already knew.  She is 19 lbs 10.5 oz, at about 60% and measuring about 29", which is 75%  She not only claps her hands when she is happy or sees you do it, but without even showing her how, I can say "Eva can you clap your hands?" and she starts doing it immediately.  She showed the doctor how well she listens :)  She is also showing a huge interest in dogs.  She just LOVES them.  I do notice she gets more excited about big dogs, but every time she sees them, she start squealing and clapping and jumping in her seat.  Our walks have become much more entertaining.

What will she surprise us with this week?

Dana, Eva, Rocky, and myself had a nice weekend at home.  We took a couple walks, caught up on chores, and welcomed a few visitors.  On Saturday, Dalina came to catch up, tell me about her honeymoon and give Eva some adorable new clothes...

Sunday, it was time for Eva to put on her Chargers dress and cheer on her favorite football team with Paulette, Bo, and Kyle, who joined us in watching the game...(Yes, she is grabbing for that Heineken--she is a quarter Gazdik, you know)

But, better than what we did for the weekend, Eva would like to share with you that she got her 3rd tooth!  Yes indeed, that little bugger finally came through.  Its been bugging her since we were visiting in Michigan and it finally made its appearance last Thursday...And, I even managed to get a pic (Maybe not the most picture worthy face, but at least you can see her teeth)!

Now-a-days, Eva's favorite toy is not a rattle, or the monkey that does tricks, or books that make noises, or the jumperoo, or the entertainment set, or her puzzles, no, no, its the tupperware cabinet...

She will scurry away to this cabinet as fast as she can at every chance she can get.  She loves opening the door, checking out what's inside, then pulling it all out and scattering it all over the floor.  I debated for a quick minute about whether I would set boundaries and not let her do this, but this cabinet gives me soooo much time to do other things.  And, not to mention that it is very cheap entertainment for Eva.

Along with playing with the tupperware, she is also really starting to understand me and communicating with me.  It amazes me!  She definetly understands the word "no", and depending on her mood, she'll either laugh at me and do it anyway, or calmly stop what she's doing and move on to something else.  She is also spending much more time watching my facial expressions and copying sounds that I make.  She'll watch my mouth as I make a sound, then start doing it herself.  We have lots of fun doing this together.  As I mentioned last week, she will clap whenever I ask her to clap, and now it seems that she is listening to every word I say in hopes that I say "Clap".  She just loves clapping those hands and looks for every reason to do so.

Playing with Rocky has progressed a little.  She gets very excited to go say hi to him when he is laying on the couch.  He still doesn't like it, but she still doesn't care that he doesn't like it.  She laughs so hard when he growls at her.  You know the saying "Kill him with kindness"?  Well, I'm pretty sure that is her approach with him.  He's got to give in some day! (Pic below says it all, haha)

  Anyway, she is trying very hard to interact with him and play with his toys.  She will take his toy and reach out to him in hopes that he will play tug of war.

Every once in a while he'll give in and play, and when he does, It is just so cute to watch!

And, while we are busy playing in our house, Dana's bees have been busy in theirs as well.  I'm sure you've been wondering how things are going, and here is the answer...

Fresh honey and honeycomb is on its way :)

Eva turned 10 months old this last Sunday.  I can barely believe it, but it's true.  She is weighing in at about 20 lbs and 29".  She is so much fun these days and really lights up our home.  She is constantly on the move, making us laugh, and making Rocky growl.  She continues to make more sounds and tries forming words.  If I listen well enough, I can notice her copying alot of the words that I say, or at least trying to form the sounds and put it together to make a word. 

She continues to get closer and closer to walking.  She will now pull her hands away when in a standing position and manage to stand for a few seconds before falling on her butt (but she now falls very gracefully).  She also balances on her knees quite a bit and can do it for a long time...

Knowing she'll be walking soon and since Fall is here, I wanted to get her some shoes that would keep her feet warm and have a rubber sole to walk on.  I couldn't resist these adorable baby Sauconys, for I too wear this brand.  We thought it would be fun to try them out, even if they are a little big on her...

Along with gearing up to walk, Eva has also learned how to climb stairs.  She actually mastered this skill about a month ago, but now we really have to keep our eye on her when we are outside because we have concrete stairs in both the front and the back of our house and she will bolt right to them and climb them as fast as possible if we can't get to her in time.  If she does get away with it, we are focusing on trying to show her how to get down the stairs safely.  Until she understands that, stairs will be off limits.

For fun, Eva is really enjoying things that we can do together.  She LOVES balls. We have one small ball at the house and we roll it back and forth to each other.  Its lots of fun...she hasn't quite mastered the rolling part yet, for she doesn't understand letting go of the ball, but somehow it always manages to roll back to me.  And, with all the her energy, if the ball doesn't make it to me, she loves chasing it, so less work for me!

Lastly, since the Chargers lost last weekend, Eva decided to change it up and rock out some GB Packer gear this last Sunday...have to share the pic of her Wisconsin pride

And it worked because both Green Bay and San Diego won!!

Last week we were blessed with a very special guest, my cousin Gwenda.  She was here for a convention and treated us to a couple extra days to hang out and catch up with life.  It was such a wonderful visit!!  On her first free night, Dana and I took advantage and asked her to babysit so we could go on a solo date night (that was our charge for staying at our house ;)--to any future guests, keep that in mind).  It was the very first time that we were going out and leaving someone else in charge of feeding Eva and putting her to bed...

And, then I got very spoiled, because the next night, Dana put Eva to bed so that Gwenda and I could have a much anticipated girls night.  We captured this photo right before we headed out the door (sidenote: Rocky became Gwen's cuddle buddy while she was away from her husband)

Gwen and I had so much fun together.  We went out for Mexican food, margaritas, and had lots of good story telling time.  I drank 2 whole margaritas, which is way more than I have drank in a couple years, so needless to say, we left the restaurant very giggley.

The next day, we planned a shopping day by the beach.  We all got ready, then headed out the door

We had a delicious lunch, a nice walk along the boardwalk, and super fun day of shopping on Garnet Ave.

It was so fun to shop with a girl and talk about girlie things and help each other find new things to buy.

Unfortunately, that night was the last night we would spend together so before Eva went to bed, Gwen was sure to get in one more little snuggle...

And soon Gwen was back on her plane flying home to Minnesota.  It was sad to see her go, but we built some great memories and we are so thankful that we got to spend quality time together.  As usual, we shared some funny moments that we will carry with us forever...Here's to you, Gwen:

Happy Hanukah!

We had a nice and relaxing weekend catching up with house chores and hanging at the house...On Saturday, we walked to our local park, layed a blanket out, and relaxed under a shade tree with the kids.  While we were laying there, Eva kept standing up on her own, and then would fall seconds later.  But she kept doing it over and over and over again, each time gaining more standing time.  Then, she even attempted a step forward, and I kid you not, Dana got a picture of the action!

This baby girl is going to be walking very soon!

Another thing Eva's been doing alot of is climbing.  She wants to climb on anything and everything!  It was a good thing we took her to the park because there was plenty for her to climb there.  Daddy took her over to the little slide and rather than try to slide down, she kept insisting on climbing up instead.  I was very impressed with how well she did.  Daddy only kept his hands near to catch her if she fell, but she made it up all by herself!

Seperate from our weekend, I have a couple other pictures that I thought were too cute to not share.  This one is Eva resting with her favorite pillow.  She loves this thing.  She lays her head on it when she gets tired, she sits on it on my lap while I read to her, she wrestles with it, and tries to throw it to Rocky to play (that doesn't go over very well).  She just loves her Bumble Bee Pillow.  Grandma knew what she was doing when she got it for Eva..

And here's another picture of her clapping proudly on her knees...

Until next time...

Before our weekend started, we were excited to wish my niece, Kierce, a very happy 7th birthday on Wednesday.  Eva and I dropped by her place unannounced to sing happy birthday and present to her a "Birthday Coupon".  She was hard at work, in the kitchen with mom, when we showed up in song.  Kierce, Rowan, Merrick, and Aunt Heather were all happy to see us and get a quick visit with Eva.

Eva spent the rest of the week trying to explore new territories.  The girl has a HUGE interest in the bathroom.  Whenever she knows I've turned my back for a moment she darts right towards the bathroom--and when she's feeling really mischievious, she will go all the way to our master bathroom.  What is she looking for?  The toilet, of course.  We are getting better about it, but many times we forget to put the lid down, and then we get this...

The other day I was making my bed and all of a sudden heard nothing...Well, many of us know that no noise with a little one couldn't possibly be a good thing.  I searched the house for her only to come back to the bathroom (which I already checked) and heard a little rustling of the shower curtain.  And when I opened it, I found this...

How she got inside without bonking her head or making a peep is beyond me...but she sure looked proud of herself and was having a great time in there.  And, of course, Daddy just took a shower half hour before this, so she was wet all over.

We couldn't let her get away with this behavior, so Dana and I sat down to discuss her punishment and decided she would iron Daddy's shirts for work every morning for a week...

I think she might've actually enjoyed it.  ;)

Over the weekend, we wanted to get out of the house for a bit, so we took a trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  We took pictures by the pumpkins...

Introduced Eva to a few animals...

Went on a hay ride (certainly not like the hay rides I remember taking with grandpa, but it sure brought back some very happy memories)

Walked through a corn maze (Which way do we go?)

But what was Daddy's favorite part?  Sitting back and enjoying some kettle corn with his baby girl...

Hmm, or was it when he substituted the kettle corn for his baby girl?  Hahaha

The rest of the weekend was spent at home catching up with house stuff.  Newest addition to Dana's Orchard?  Dragonfruit...

I needed to escape for a couple hours yesterday to finish up Eva's Halloween costume, which required Daddy to have full custody.  This happened to be around dinner time, so it was also Dana's duty to make dinner.  As I was sewing away in my room, I could hear a little fussing from baby girl.  I called Dana on the phone and said, "Not telling you how to do your job, but just in case you weren't sure, Eva's probably fussy because you need to feed her." His response to that was, "You mean I have to make dinner, manage my fantasy football, watch the football game, AND FEED EVA?" Hahaha.  Yes!! That is what I'm saying :)  This is Daddy's way of multitasking...

The face that Eva gave me was to die for!  She had the biggest smile on her face and you could just tell she was thinking, "I love hanging out with Daddy, he lets me do things you would NEVER let me do!!"  Boy. Oh. Boy.  And it begins...

Earlier that morning I already redeemed my cool factor by finding a super awesome deal on Craigslist.  We got a new kitchen and train set and a ton of accessories to go with it for Eva.  She was so excited and overwhelmed with all the stuff she just couldn't figure out how to hold it all and get it all in her mouth at the same time...

...very excited about this (despite the fact that we are running out of room in our house.

But before that even took place, Dana was busy outside planting trees (I know what you're thinking...how many trees does he have? And, where does he have room?), Well I advise you to do what I do.  Stop asking questions, and don't try to figure it out.  haha.  Anyway, he had a hole dug and just couldn't figure out what tree he would plant there.  We decided together to plant Eva instead...

She absolutely LOVES being outside with Daddy.  It's always been where she's the happiest...and who could blame her?  So much dirt to taste test and tree leaves to pull on, and best yet, quality time with her big muscle man...

And here's a cute picture to share as the perfect ending to this post.

We gotta get going, gearing up for Granny and Uncle Derek's arrival!!

Over the last week my mom and brother took to spend time with us, but mainly to see Eva.  It has been almost 6 months since we've all been together, so it was about time to get some quality time again.  They only had 4 full days here, so we had to cram as much time as possible.  On Tuesday, while Dana was hard at work, the rest of us put on our Web Design Solutions Tshirts and paid Dana a visit to have lunch together...

On Wednesday, I took full advantage of having Granny to babysit, for Derek and I spent the day together at the beach, then Dana and I ended the night with a date downtown.  I had so much fun doing both, bonding with my bro and my husband, while Granny and Eva bonded at home.  It was so nice :)

On Thursday, Dana took the day off to spend with all of us, so we spent the day at the zoo.  I think we all agree that it was the best trip to the zoo that any of us has been on and for many different reasons.  First, the weather was perfect, it was cool with the sun just slightly peaking, which meant all the animals were out to play.  Second, summer is gone and it was a week day so there weren't many other people there (you could get up close to animal).  And third, Eva LOVED seeing all the animals, and even got to pet a few herself...

She enjoyed standing next to the glass and getting a really good look at everything...

All in all, it was the perfect day for all of us.

When we weren't out and about, we spent alot of time at home entertaining Eva (or letting Eva entertain us).  Uncle Derek and Granny spent every waking minute that they could keeping that little girl happy.  She absolutely loved the added attention.

Before we had to say our good-byes, Dana arranged a Happy Hour with the Web Design Solutions team and extended the invitations to friends and family.  We all got together for some appetizers and a few drinks.  It was the perfect end to the work week for the team and nice to have all the spouses meet one another...here is some of the group:

And one of my brother and I:

Early Saturday morning it was time for Granny and Uncle Derek to leave.  When we woke up, they were gone and the house was empty.  It was hard to feel their absence, but I will just cherish the wonderful time we all had together and look forward to next time. 

Eva has turned eleven months and has accomplished so much this month.  She is weighing in at 20 lbs and measuring 29 1/2".  She is getting more and more smart as the days go by and we are sure to embrace each new milestone. 

*She has started to point.  This is a great milestone, for now I am teaching her how to "point to baby's nose, eyes, etc." with one of her dolls.

*She is really starting to enjoy music.  As soon as she hears any music, she will start to 'fist pump' her arm in the air.  And, if she's standing, she will start shaking her booty.

*She is attempting her first steps.  One day while my mom was here, she took 3 steps from me to her before grabbing on.  I notice whenever she gets tired she will take a step here and there.  I think she still has some work on her balance before she'll really be walking, but she is excited for that day to come.

*Lastly, Eva has been helping herself to more and more finger foods. She still only has her 4 teeth (and I don't see any new ones on their way yet), but she puts them to good use.  As I was holding her as she sat on the kitchen counter the other day, she turned right around and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket.  I was curious too see what she would do with it and was really impressed when I found this on the ground a little while later...

I can hardly believe it, but I am now starting to think about her 1 year birthday party.  Oh my gosh, the time is just coming way too quickly.  Our little baby girl is almost a toddler!

If you remember a little while ago it was Kierce's Birthday, so Eva and I presented a "Birthday Coupon" for her to redeem.  The coupon was good for a one night sleep over at our house and a shopping trip to pick a gift of her choosing.  She redeemed her coupon this last Saturday.

She had a few choices where she could go to buy her gift, which she thought about long and hard.  In the end, she chose...

We all had fun together looking at all the toys and options.  Uncle Dana was pushing Eva on a bike, while I pushed Kierce in a car, Uncle Dana would take off with the cart, Kierce and I would chase him yelling "Uncle Dana, where are you?".  And, In the end, we found the perfect gift and checked out in one big, happy group.  Kierce chose a Phineas and Ferb game as well as a Magic Eightball.  Of course, she couldn't wait to dig in and try out the new things when we got home, so Uncle Dana played the game with her (while I cleaned and gave Eva a bath).  I knew they were having fun when I saw Uncle Dana spinning around in a circles while his head had to stay on the wall--10 times!

The next morning, we made "surprise" pancakes, which were loaded with more sugar than any of our bellies could handle.  Kierce helped Uncle Dana water his flowers, she played with Eva and her new toys (Thanks, Gwee)

We painted our nails and did Kierce's hair (hairstyle: KB Do)...

We all had a great time with Kierce over and hope she did, too!

Being that Eva isn't walking or allowed to eat candy, we decided to keep Halloween simple.  What was she?

A Flower...

We didn't dress up her up on day of, but instead celebrated last weekend at our neighborhood Boo Parade and Carnival.  Heather, Ryan, and the kids joined us in the celebration...

On Thursday, Dana and I had a pizza/pumpkin carving party in our kitchen.  Eva helped--by eating the pumpkin

And here's Dana with his infamous pumpkin carving face...

Our Pumpkins after they were carved (unfortunately, Rocky's didn't get lit for I only had 3 candles...but it was shaped in a dog bone, compliments of Dad)

Last night, our friend Liz joined us in passing out candy.  Eva and I wore festive pink spider shirts and greeted everyone with a "Happy Halloween!"

Eva in her "1st Halloween" Bib being goofy...

Lastly, Eva helping herself to the candy bowl...Hubba Hubba Bubble Gum

Last week, Eva and I spent the entire week alone.  Daddy was out of town for business, so Eva, Rocky and I entertained each other until he got back.  We managed really well, staying very mellow.  In fact, I didn't use my car even once the entire week.  We had fun at our house, going for walks, and spending time at the local park.  Lately, Eva has been pretty easy to entertain and has really developed her own goofy personality.  She seems to have caught on to the idea of a camera capturing moments, for now when she notices me taking a picture, she starts making really goofy faces...

She has also conquered climbing down stairs.  She loves turning around and going down the stairs so much so that even if she notices a slight decline in the ground, she turns her butt around and starts reaching with her foot to look for the step.  Its pretty funny to watch, yet makes me so proud to see that she recognizes how to safely go down.  With the stair climbing also comes the shelf climbing.  She is constantly looking for something to climb into like a bookshelf, kitchen cabinet, and this table...

Eva is constantly testing her limits and feeling very proud when she believes she got away with something.  Her favorite is to put something from the floor into her mouth.  If I don't notice it, she will come over to me, give me this mouth-closed grin and wait for me to say something.  As soon as I say "What's in your mouth?" She turns around and crawls as fast as she can away from me.  She laughs the whole time, trying her best to not let me get whatever it is that she has.  Whenever it is that I "catch" her doing something wrong, I always get the same mischievious face...here I caught her pulling all the books off her shelf

There is no doubt that this little girl keeps me on my toes, but I have to say it's alot of fun to watch her become so smart and quick.  I know someday this will become my biggest challenge, but in the meantime, I'm going to enjoy every moment.

Eva and I have had a busy, but very fun week.  On Tuesday, we met up with Melinda and Aiden to take a walk through the Zoo.  It had been a while since we got together, so we were excited to catch up and see how much our little babies have grown.  It was so much fun to see Aiden and Eva together.  They loved watching each other, smiling and giggling along side each other as we pushed their stroller.  They are also old enough now that they were becoming quite fascinated with the animals.  Here we are with the giraffes...

On Thursday and Friday, we met up with Heather, Rowan, Kierce, and Merrick for some fun in the sand.  Eva hasn't seen sand in a while, so Rowan showed her all the fun things she could do with it.  They climbed a big sand hill...

And when they reached the top, they threw sand all over.  Eva LOVED it.

Heather also snapped a pic of Eva taking a ride on Rowan's skateboard while eating popcorn (my little multi-tasker)...

After the beach, we took Rowan for the night so she could redeem her birthday sleep over.  We made dinner together, entertained Eva, then tucked in for an early night.  We went to the park the next morning where Rowan helped Eva climb to the top and go down the twisty slide together...

But, that just wasn't enough of a challenge for Miss Eva.  We also taught her how to climb the steps to the mini-playset, turn her butt around, and then go down the slide by herself.  It only took about 3 attempts before she was doing it all herself.  I managed to get it on video, but no pictures of it :(  You just have to believe that my smart little girl figured it all out herself.  Rowan and I were very proud.

But, that just wasn't enough for Eva.  She surprised us with a few more firsts over the weekend.  On Sunday, she started calling Daddy just that, "Daddy".  She knows exactly who he is and as soon as she gets a look of him, she immediately, happily and proudly, says "Daddy!"  She has made the noises before, but now it is so obvious that she says it only to Dana.  It is so cute.  You can see how much she just loves him and loves to call for him :)

And, just hours after that, as Daddy was in the shower, Eva and I were playing in the living room.  As she was standing next to the couch, I called for her and rather than crawling to me, she decided it was time to just walk on over.  She took about 10 steps.  I couldn't believe it and thought maybe it was a fluke, but she, too, was excited about the new moves and got up and kept doing it over and over and over.  Our little girl is going to be taking over our house really soon.  Yikes!

On 11/11/11 my grandpa John left this world, to rise and be in heaven with my Grandma.  It was a day we knew we would be faced with soon, but nobody or no thing can prepare you for the emptiness in your heart when that day comes.  My grandpa is the strongest man I have ever known and he will always remain to be just that.  My grandpa has many remarkable things about him and has left quite the legacy.  I can only say I am so proud to have been his granddaughter and to have had him in my life for so long.  The picture below is of the very last memory I have with my grandpa....

My Grandpa's laugh is one I don't think anyone who knew him will ever forget (Grandpa is to the right, Uncle Jack holding Eva).  I am so glad Eva had the chance to share in laughter with him before it was his time to leave.  :)

Dana, Eva, and myself made it home for Grandpa's funeral last Friday.  It was a wonderful service, leaving us all at peace with our loss.  Later on that evening, a group of us gathered at my Grandpa's infamous fishing hole to release some of his ashes.  We all took a shot of Brandy in Grandpa's honor and took a moment to celebrate his life.  As the ashes were released, we all looked in the sky to see two eagles fly over our heads...It was Grandpa and Grandma letting us know they were finally back together.  Peace and happiness filled all of our hearts at that moment.

I love you, Grandpa!!!

Just two nights before we left for my grandpa's funeral, we were encountered with another terrifying obstacle.  Rocky was attacked my a coyote right at our back steps.  I knew the second I heard him crying and was lucky enough to yell and run and scare the coyote before he could do any more damage to my little boy.  Luckily, the coyote dropped him.  After checking Rocky over and finding puncture wounds, we took him to the ER where he had surgery to get all of his wounds stitched.  Luckily, there were no punctured organs or broken bones, so Rocky will heal very quickly.

It was a very traumatic experience for the whole family, but Rocky has proved to be a tough little guy.  We are incredibly grateful that his life was saved that day, especially knowing all the other possibilites.    Lucky for him, his stitches will be removed on Monday and he should feel as good as new.  Thank you so much to everyone who supported us and sent Rocky special thoughts for a full recovery. 

While we were in Wisconsin, we enjoyed a nice visit with everyone.  Eva got to spend time with lots of her second cousins. Maxwell and Lorelei (my cousin, Ashley's kids) were the first to greet her as soon as we got off the plane.  We slept at their house the first night where they played with toys, took over the living room, ate dinner, then they took a bath together...

This picture was so meaningful to get because I have one from when we were children doing the same thing!

(From left to right: Derek, Andrea, Ashley, me)

Eva got lots of attentions from all the family, but of course I didn't have my camera out the whole time because I was having too much fun with my family, too.  I did manage, however, to get one picture of Eva all bundled up with her fleece winter jacket and boots because she endured her first snow fall!

She was really fascinated with the huge snowflakes falling out of the sky.

When all the visiting was done and the snowfall was over it was time to head back home.  Traveling is never much fun, but with Eva it is so much more of a challenge.  Lucky for us, we had an empty seat on the plane both to and from Wisconsin, which gave us a whole row to ourselves.  That definitely helped keep Eva entertained and happy.  I managed to get a pic of her reading one of her books and super fascinated :)

Now we are all home safe and sound and getting ready to host our first Thanksgiving dinner at the house. And, just one day later...Eva will be 1 year old!!!

She is weighing in at 22 lbs 1.2oz (75%)

Measuring 29.5" (75%)

Tooth Total: 4

After getting her 1 year check up, her doctor posed for a quick picture with her...

I cannot believe the time has come, our baby girl has reached her 1 year mark.  A year ago, it was hard to imagine this point, but now that it's here I just love these moments and looking back to see everything that Eva has accomplished in such a short amount of time. 

As you may have read in the past blogs, Eva started walking a few weeks ago.  She is now walking about 75% of time, crawling just a little bit, and now even attempting to run.  She's still pretty wobbley, but she sure can move quick. 

Eva is also picking up on quite a bit.  She can understand a great deal of what I'm saying to her and has her own way of communicating with me to let me know she understands.  She definitely knows who her daddy is and loves to yell for him.  She says "Daddy" very clearly.  She says "Puppy", and tries to say "Rocky", she can ask for a "Book", she says "Thank you" when I say it to her, she says "Baby" when referring to herself, her dolls, or pictures of other babies.  She has a stuffed monkey and when I ask her where it is, she starts saying "Ah! Ah! Ah! Ah!" to make the monkey noise, then goes over and sits on his lap. She says "Uh Oh" and "Nanana" for banana.

Eva is constantly pushing her limits and purposely does things to get in trouble.  She is always laughing or smiling or being goofy, she is so much fun to be around.  She has given up on eating most fruits and vegetables and isn't too big on sweets...her soft spot is for meat and cheese.  If she catches a glimpse of shredded cheese or cottage cheese and doesn't get any, be prepared for high pitched screaming until she gets some.  There are so many things that I'm sure she does, but I would be here forever if I thought of it all.  Bottom line, this baby girl is happy, smart, determined, and very much loved by Dana and myself.

We celebrated her birthday with a party at our house last Saturday.  It turned out to be a beautiful day, so we hung outside with close friends and family.  We sang happy birthday and presented Eva with her own mini cake (compliments of Granny) and candle.  She didn't quite understand the blowing out part, so I helped her a little...

She immediately stuck her finger in the frosting, but once she got to that point she didn't know what to do. 

After cake we opened gifts.  I think Eva had a fun time with all of it.  I know they say at this age that they like the box and paper more than the gift...but this girl was spoiled and I think she LOVES everything she got...she had fun looking at everything.

At her party, she had a few friends her age that came to see her, so she had a little time to spend with them.  They weren't sure what they made of each other, but it was cute to see them together...below we have Mia, Oliver, and Eva

But most of the time, Eva spent walking around and checking everything out.

It turned out to be the perfect day for Eva.  She was happy and very receptive to everything happening around her...but once 3 o'clock hit, she was out.  She couldn't even keep her eyes open long enough for me to get her into her crib.  I think our mission was accomplished.

Thank you to everyone who made it to celebrate Eva's 1st Birthday.  She is very appreciative, as are we, to have such wonderful friends and family in San Diego.

Over the last week, my mom, cousin Jennifer, and her daughter, Taylor came to visit us for 9 whole days.  We had a blast while they were here, managing to stay very busy and having way too much fun together.  Lucky for them, they were leaving the cold winter weather back in Wisconsin and flew in to have a beautiful sunny summer day on their first day here.  We took advantage by going to the Coronado Beach where Taylor got to see the ocean for the first time.  We played in the sand, ran around in the water, and soaked up the sunny rays before calling it a day.

We spent another day at the infamous San Diego Zoo where we got to see all kinds of fun animals and play in the kids areas...

Here they are at the Polar Bear Plunge...Brrrrr!

Of course, we had to take advantage of Granny coming to town so she could babysit as well.  We went about town shopping, checking out the downtown area, and hitting up a happy hour with friends.  It was nice to enjoy a few beers and not feel rushed to get home at any time (although we were still home by 9pm).

We spent a day at the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla.  Eva loved watching all the fish swim around.  She was pointing at everything and was very amused by the different colors and shapes...

And after we were done with that, we went to check out the seals.  Eva slept in the car with Granny as Jennifer, Taylor, and I went to walk and look around.  Taylor had fun checking out the cliffs overlooking the ocean...

On the last couple days, Taylor helped Dana put up Christmas lights and decorations outside.  (Finale pic will be posted soon)  They had a good time deciding where to put everything to get the optimal view...

Overall, we had a really, really good visit together.  It was sad to see them go.  And now, my favorite picture to end the post...

I have barely begun to even think about Christmas this year, for the last two months have just been crazy busy.  Dana, luckily, has been the exact opposite.  He has always talked about wanting to have crazy amounts of Christmas lights on his house, but never the house to decorate.  This year, as the neighbors started decorating their houses, Dana said "Alas!  I will have the brightest house on the block!"  Haha.  And, for those who know Dana well know he isn't joking.  So, off to Home Depot he goes, and days later, we got this:

But, when you mention how insane all of this is to Dana, his response is: "I'm just getting started, wait until next year."  Haha.  So, for the next two months, I simply refuse to look at our electric bill and try to get into the festive spirit that Dana is spreading to everyone who drives down our street at night.  :)  And, in fact, talk about cars driving down our street.  We are getting many people slowing down, checking things out, and honking their horns at us.  Our neighbor, Joshua, asks his dad every single night to take him for a wagon ride past our house to see the lights.  :)

On the flip side of all of this, we took Eva to meet Santa for the very first time.  I expected that she may be scared of him, but she also always surprises me with who she is scared of and who she likes, so I thought, why not try?  When she first spotted him, she was flirting and smiling and hiding into my shoulder, but didn't seem to mind him much...

We tried to keep her attention to get her to smile while on his lap...

She then wondered what this was all about and got a real good look at the big, white-haired man whose lap she was sitting on...

And decided she DID NOT LIKE HIM AT ALL!

The look of terror on her eyes made me feel so bad that I even attempted to introduce her to the big guy.  :(  And, as if that wasn't enough, I'm pretty sure it traumatized her more than I thought because that night, she woke up in sheer horror and would only sleep in my arms.  She is not a cuddler, so I knew she had to have been scared because she ended up sleeping in bed with us, clung to my arms the whole night.

Something tells me that once she realizes what Santa does for a job, she will begin to like him a little more in the future ;)

Over the weekend, Dana, Eva, and myself had 2 one-year birthday parties to attend.  We started with a party in the park with Mia Lee...

There was a fun playground to play on...

Great food, fun decorations, and wonderful entertainment.  They had a guy come with his guitar and play kids music while the kids all played with their own instruments.  Everyone was having so much fun!

But, we had to cut that party short to make it to the next one.  We made it just in time to sing Happy Birthday and watch Aiden tackle his dinosaur cake...

He didn't quite know what to make of it, but by the end, he managed to have frosting all over his face :)

Eva had alot of fun with everything going on.  They had a jumpy house, dogs running around, and of course, Aiden got a ton of toys that Eva helped herself to.  Luckily, Aiden was very willing to share.  And Before we left, I managed to get a quick shot of mommys with our little people:

While we're out and about, Eva is having a ton of fun exploring her new world on two feet.  She is no longer crawling at all, only walking, running, or falling.  So far, she has managed to catch her falls quite well.  We only have one fat lip to speak of, and she only cried for about 30 seconds for that one.  She has just been loving her little legs and everywhere that they can take her :)

Some other fun new things we've been noticing more of is how much love she has.  She really loves hugging and kissing her dolls.  She now has to sleep with a baby under her arms every night.  It is just too cute to watch.  She got a handmade doll that came with pillows and a blanket for the doll for her birthday (Thanks, Linders!).  I layed the doll on the pillows with blanket on our book shelf, and caught Eva trying to get under the blanket to lay with the baby.  I helped her out a little, and she layed there for a good 5 minutes...

Her dolls aren't the only ones getting the love either.  She now puckers up to give mommy and daddy kisses, too.  Its cute because we tend to want more than what she has to give, so after giving us several kisses (back and forth), she will finally push our faces away from her like "Enough Already!"  We just can't help it, though.  She is too darn adorable!

I think Rocky is starting to want in on some of the action, too.  Eva has conquered his name now and calls for him all day long.  It sounds a little more like "Ya-yee", but it is very obvious that she is saying his name.  If she can't see him walking in front of our stroller on walks, she will yell for him, or if she wakes up from a nap sometimes she will yell for him.  Or, if we are gone for the day, as soon as we walk into the house, she will yell for him.  And, when she is done eating what's on her tray and is ready to share, she looks around yelling "Ya-yee".  He's realizing if he wants any food other than dog food, he must learn to like his sister.

One of Eva's new things is putting things on her head.  Ever since her cousin, Taylor, was wearing a headband while visiting here, she has tried to put new things on her head.  Here are Daddy's sunglasses...

She also wants to sit on everything.  If she spots a blanket, or anything comfy on the ground, she will turn around and back up onto it and plop her butt down.  She also LOVES chairs.  She loves the challenge of trying to get onto it, then turning around and sitting.  Its just as cute to watch it the 20th time as it was the first.

And, lastly...she is getting very smart and understanding how to pick something up and put it into something else.  She has a couple buckets and a bowl that she will put other small toys in and carry it around, then stop, sit, take the small toy out, put it on the ground, then back into the bucket, then walk around with the bucket, and repeat. 

As you can tell, Eva is just too much fun to be around.  She really is always happy and goofy (unless she's tired--then watch out, she's just like her mommy...hahaha).  I just love watching her do everything she does.  She is a smart little girl who knows how to have a good time, and best yet, always knows how to make everyone around her smile.  If you are ever having a bad day, come visit Eva, she has the key to happiness and isn't afraid to share it with everyone around her.  :)

We started celebrating the Holiday season a couple weeks ago with Web Design Solutions very first Christmas party.  One of the company's clients, Rockin' Baja, hosted the team and their significant others.  We were lucky enough to have Aunt Lorie (Dana's cousin) babysit Eva for the night, so we could have fun, relax, and not have to worry about leaving early.  Before we left, Lorie snuck in a few pics for us...

We had a blast and lucky for us, Eva let us sleep until 9am the next morning!

Since Dana contributed to the Christmas spirit this year with lights, we also decided to take a drive and check out the work that other people did.  There are a few different drives you can take where entire neighborhoods go all out with lights, which creates parades of cars through their streets the entire month of December.  Since we recently upgraded Eva's carseat to a forward facing big girl seat, we thought she might enjoy looking out the window and seeing the lights for herself.  And fun she definitely had, she was constantly "oooh"ing and "Ahhhh"ing and pointing.  There was just so much to look at...

Of course, all the drive did for Dana is help him brainstorm his new ideas for next year, haha. 

When we got home that night, Daddy unveiled a hidden surprise for Rocky and Eva to enjoy.  We commited to tortoise-sitting Donnie for a friend of ours while she was away for the holidays.  Daddy took him out to show the kids and gave him his daily 20 minute lettuce feeding.  They were so fascinated, it was fun to watch their faces :)

Christmas morning came just days later and we were all excited to open our gifts and play all morning before the gang came over.  Eva had fun learning how to rip the wrapping paper off her gifts.  But, in the end, all she really wanted was to be with mommy and daddy and be goofy...

Since it was a super sunny and warm day, we took a quick wagon ride before the sun went down.  Eva got her wagon from Granny for her birthday, but it had taken her a little while before she started to like it.  Now she just loves the thing....she could ride around in it all day long.  She yells at Rocky or to the neighbors or at anything that she passes by.  She is constantly smiling and just can't get enough of it...

Soon we had the family over for a delicious Christmas dinner.  Dana made a scrumptious ham, I made roast beef, and everyone else brougt sides, apps, and sweets to round out the meal.  We had all family for a fun day of sun, laughter, and yummy food!  And, when we were all stuffed the kids dove into their gifts....

And, then the adults did a gift exchange where we all showed off our new gift...Here's Matt with his beach lounge blanket, well, until someone stole it ;)

And, after everybody left, Dana and I reflected on how wonderful our christmas together was.  We went to bed exhausted, looking forward to the next day to go shopping for some deals.  But then, just a few hours later, our little girl awoke in loud screams and crying that just didn't want to stop and so the shopping trip never happened.  Eva ended up in bed with us, which means I don't think any of us really got any sleep...and then we discovered that it was because she got a new tooth!  She got a top tooth, which makes it her #5!  I have a feeling there are quite a few that are ready to follow real soon. 

And just a few updates on Eva's vocabulary and smart little brain...she is adding new words on a daily basis now.  She pays special attention to everything you say and tries real hard to repeat back.  Her cousin Rowan taught her how to say "Row Row", Daddy taught her how to ask for her favorite food, cheese, which sounds a little more like "Deee", and she also says "Hi!!" which she learned from me.  She became very fond of Donnie while he was here, so I would say "Do you want to see Donnie?" and she would run over to his aquarium and point at him, sometimes she would even wave at him.  She gets equally as excited to give Rocky his treats as he does recieving them.  Its about the only time he pretends to like her and boy does she take advantage.  She will make him chase her all around the house before she finally hands him that precious little morsel of food.  She has went from a wobbley walk to a run...she is on the move all over the place.  She loves being able to walk and quite frankly, I do too. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and are looking forward to the new year :)

Our New Year's celebrating was pretty nonexistant this year, considering that we made no new resolutions and we didn't even make it until the countdown (we were in bed by 10pm), but we were honored to not-celebrate it with our friends, Joe and Diana, who were visiting through the week.  Joe brought a little bit of Michigan over (Bell's Oberon Beer and mom's homemade Buckeyes) for us to enjoy along with their adorable little puppy, Sheldon, for Eva and Rocky to play with.  Rocky was mostly jealous because he was so cute and getting all the attention, but Eva LOVED him.

And, when Eva wasn't playing with Sheldon, she was busy flirting with Joe, showing Diana just a little bit of competition.

(Yes, she still wears the flower collar from her halloween costume.  I don't know what it is about that thing, but she loves wearing it around the house)

We met for Brunch on New Year's day, which was mighty scrumptious, but I failed to take any pictures of the day :(

Even though Dana and I didn't make any resolutions, it hasn't stopped Eva from doing more new things.  She is so incredibly smart and quick, she is constantly amazing us with what goes on in her brain.  She's been giving kisses and hugs for a while now, but she will now volunteer giving kisses to people much much more.  She will take turns going around the room giving everyone a kiss, including Rocky.  It is so cute to watch and feels so loving when you get one planted on you.

Her new favorite words are "Oh!" and "Wow!", with the cutest face ever...

She understands alot of what you are saying or asking of her.  She is really good at finding a matching pair of shoes or socks in a pile and bringing them to you to put on her feet.  She has one favorite pair of shoes that she gets really excited about putting on, so she's been wearing them pretty much nonstop for the last few days.  Her hair is continuing to grow, but never at the speed that I want because I just can't wait to put it in braids, pigtails, whatever...but I have managed a little pigtail action.

She still loves putting things on her head, but its hard to get her to leave it once it's there.  Finally, the other day, she understood that her sunglasses should stay on her face, so they block the sun.  She really enjoyed wearing them and loved showing them off.

It may be hard to tell with the picture, but Eva got 2 more teeth in the last couple days, so she now has 4 on top and 3 on the bottom.

One of Eva's favorite things to do is give Rocky a treat.  No matter what she's doing, if I say "Do you want to give Rocky a treat?" She immediately stands up and runs over to where his treats are in the kitchen waiting for me to give one to her.  Since she has what Rocky wants, she takes full advantage and makes him chase her around the house for a while laughing the whole time, until she finally fumbles and the treats falls out of her hand and into Rocky's mouth. I might actually feel sorry for Rocky if he wasn't so grouchy with her all the time, haha.

What will Miss Eva do next?

Our little girl is officially down to one nap a day.  She started last Friday and is handling it quite well.  With that, we have been spending more time at the park in the morning (burning energy and keeping her awake longer).  She now acts like she owns the place, literally running the entire city block that encircles it every time we go.  She's made many new friends over the last week and so have I. Despite all the new things for Eva to do, though, she still loves just playing with the sand (which, of course, leads to throwing it over her head, over and over and over).

With her new big girl schedule, she has also been moving up to other big girls things.  I introduced a spoon to her last week, and she has taken to it quite well.  She loves feeding herself, partly because I think she thinks she is doing something wrong and getting away with it.  Regardless, the spoon lands in her mouth and the girl is fed.

Eva enjoyed some company over the weekend when our nephew, Merrick, slept over at our house (redeeming his birthday coupon, finally!).  We made pancakes in the morning, went shopping for his gift, took a walk to the park...

Then ended our big day by going back home to play with his fully charged remote controlled helicopter...

On Sunday, Dana, Eva, and myself went to visit the Botanical Gardens that we have visited a few times in the past.  Now that Eva is walking/running around by herself, this trip was more for her enjoyment.  They have a huge treehouse and kids play area where we spent most of our time.  They had rope ladders to climb up, which Eva had no problems figuring out on her own...

And a Children's garden where Eva got right to work watering the plants...

We ended the day with a scruptious lunch and a nice drive along the coast.  Now that the weekend is over, its time to catch up with some household chores and keep enjoying these sunny days :)

Finally I find the time to blog about last weekend!  As Eva has started to grow and become more indepedant, I thought it was time to muster up the courage and see how I could handle a night away from her.  Its not that its what I wanted to do, but a perfect opportunity came my way that I just couldn't pass up.  My dearest friend, Natalie had a baby girl last November and I just had to get my hands on her.  So, with the support of Dana and my sis, Heather, I was able to make a trip to Colorado to do just that.  I introduce to you Miss Emma Claire:

I got there on a Thursday night and stayed until Sunday.  We had a fun-filled girls weekend.  While mommy and I juggled baby duty, we also got plenty of entertainment from Emma's big sister, Norah (whom I also flew to meet when she was a baby and hadn't seen since!).  She's 2 1/2 now and such a sweetie!  Her and I kept quite busy together...

But, the fun didn't stop there.  Daddy Wayne was gracious enough to  watch both girls one night, so Natalie and I could enjoy a night on the town. 

We enjoyed a delicious dinner and a bottle of wine and TOOK OUR TIME :)

On Saturday, Wayne joined us and we went to the New Belgium Brewery to get a tour.  I was so excited about this because Dana and I love Fat Tire (their most famous beer), but I else felt a little guilty that I was on the tour without him :(  I did bring him a special gift, though, so he knew I was thinking of him.

On the tour, we got to sample many of their beers and see where all the magic happens.  Toward the end, they even taught us how to poor the beer with the proper head.  I immediatly got excited to whip out my old beer pouring skills only to get schooled by Wayne who poured 2 beers at once with the proper head on both.  In the end, we both got to enjoy a delicious tasting beer...

Now I'm sure your wondering just how I did being away from Miss Eva?  Surprisingly well.  I knew she was in good hands, for on Friday she spent the day at school with Merrick and Aunt Heather and the evening with the entire family.  On Saturday and Sunday, she was with Daddy.  I called probably 5 times a day, and each time Daddy and Eva both sounded like they were having fun.  I got to skype and see my little girl twice, and she always had a smile on her face.  Despite the fact that Daddy fed her pizza (which wouldn't be my choice food)...

She was alive, happy, and well, so what more could I ask for, right?

Thank you Natalie and Wayne for being so hospitable, it was SO NICE to get some time together again.  Aunt Heather (and family) and Daddy, thank you for all the support and making this trip happen, I couldn't have done it without you.

Now, if you don't mind, I gotta get back to my ever changing darling little honey-pie!

After a long hard work week, Dana was also faced with an entire Saturday of work.  Since it was pouring rain, Eva, Rocky and I were left alone in the house for the entire day. We were bored silly and poor daddy didn't get home until midnight.  Needless to say, Sunday morning we were really excited to get out of the house and spend the day together.  We went out for breakfast, then headed to Escondido to visit the Wild Animal Park.  It was the perfect day to go, for there weren't many people.  Unfortunately, we forgot our camera...but it gave us an excuse to have fun in the photo booth

We let Eva walk around and guide the way, which was pretty entertaining.  She loved the ducks most of all and even developed her own duck call.  It is hilarious to listen to, for she seriously sounds exactly like a duck.  Every time she saw one, she started making her call.  Maybe this girl is going to be an animal whisperer? 

Since I've been back from my trip to Colorado, we have seen so many new things Eva has been entertaining us with.  Since I don't have the pictures to match the "new things", I am going to interchange between a story and a picture to keep you captivated ;)

1.  Eva has been walking backwards.  I can tell she thinks its super cool that she can do it.  She will create certain routines that require some backwards action and keep repeating it.  And, if she bumps into something she acts like it was part of the plan.  No question this girl is a funny one.

(Helping Mommy Dust while watching Daffy Duck--thats my little multi-tasker!)

2.  Eva enjoys putting her shoes on.  She is starting to understand the concept of putting shoes on to go somewhere.  Its one of the only times she will do what I ask instead of running in the opposite direction.  Most of her shoes all velcro, which she enjoys strapping, then she runs to the back door and waits until it opens to run out to my car.

(very interested in the concept of mittens...I think she thought they were hand puppets)

3.  Eva is very interested in her surroundings and now likes to point at just about everything, saying "Whatisthat?".  Yup, all one word.  Too cute!

("Let me see!")

4.  Since we've been working on 1 nap a day (which isn't as smooth of a transition as the first few days), Eva has been much more fussy.  She has developed this entire act of "throwing a fit", which only makes me laugh.  If she doesn't like what you do, she immediately turns to the ground, sprawls out and "pretend cries".  I usually pay no attention to it, but sometimes it is so obvious that she isn't even upset but trying to get a reaction that I will lay down next to her and cry right back.  She can't help but laugh at that point.

(Rediscovering one of her older toys)

5.  One of favorite new moves is her "pretend eating".  I started noticing in in the bathtub when she would use her pointer finger and thumb and pretend to pick up bubbles and put them in her mouth and smack her lips.  She started doing it when she has an empty snack cup, or even pretend to take something out of my empty hand and eat it.  When she's feeling tricky, she will come to me and pretend she has something already in her mouth, waiting for me to ask what's in her mouth, then she will run away, pretending to keep putting more things in her mouth, hoping I will chase her.  Seriously?  I just can't get enough.

(My favorite "O" face while checking out the washer)

6.  She has finally said "Momma".  Its only been a few times and she stumbles on saying it, so I have to help her...but she can say it!  I can usually get her to say it about twice, but then after that anytime I say "momma", she'll respond by saying "baby".

(Happy Girl)

7.  Lastly, Eva has become quite fond of the garbage.  She loves throwing garbage away, which most times isn't what mommy would consider garbage.  Many times, she will take what's in the recycling and transfer it into the garbage until I catch her doing it.  I've also found books, sippy cups, and socks in there.  I guess its time to buy a hi-tech baby-proof garbage.

(Eva's new 2T chihuahua pajamas.  She sure loves her puppies...and, after only 2 months of wearing her 18 month clothing, Eva has outgrown just about everything and has jumped into 2T...she's our fast growing little girl!)

Our week started off on the right foot when on Monday, we were finally able to go and meet little Ben, my friend Ruth's baby.  If you'll remember, I was very pregnant at her wedding 1 1/2 years ago.  Now it was her turn to welcome a beautiful little baby into this world.  He is about 8 weeks now and spent most of our visit sleeping, but we did manage to get in a little time with him before it was time for Eva's nap.  Eva loved looking at him, she really wanted to touch his eyes and figure out why he was so small!  She actually did very well and was really excited to give him a big kiss (pic #2)

Later in the week, things took a turn for the worse :(  On Wednesday I ended up extremely sick with the flu, causing Dana to have to come home from work to care for Eva.  He, too, ended up sick and so two of us were juggling Eva duties while just trying to stay alive.  On Friday, I started feeling better and made myself get out of the house for a bit and took Eva to the park.  On my way back, I found that my phone had taken a bath in a pool of water, so that no longer works.  On Saturday, Eva is super sick with a high fever and doesn't want to leave my arms.  On Sunday, we layed low, but got out to have lunch at the park, where Eva could get a little fresh air and sunlight...

But even that didn't last very long, for Eva was just not feeling well.  By Sunday night, Eva went to bed, Dana and I watched a movie and things finally started to feel like they were getting back on track.  Never thought I would say thank god for Monday!  We are all feeling good and ready to tackle a new week, hoping for health and happiness.

P.S.  I still don't have a phone, so just in case you have been texting me for the last few days, I haven't received them.  I'm hoping for a new phone tomorrow.

And, just to end with a smile, here's my baby girl...

After everyone in our family got sick, it was nice to start a new week with regained energy, feeling healthy once again.  Thanks to my sis-in-law, Eva and I joined a couple free classes for 12-23 month toddlers.  On Wednesday, we went to an indoor class where we sang songs, read books, played with other kids, met other moms, ran around and burned a ton of energy.  Eva loved the new things she saw and did, and I loved watching her run around experiencing everything.  And, for the next 17 weeks, we will be able to do this every Wednesday.

On Thursday, we went to another class that is very similar except that it meets at a different park every week.  Eva and I are equally excited about it because it will give us a chance to find new places to hang out as well as make new friends and have a new fun activity to look forward to every week.  This last Thursday, we met at Balboa Park - Peppergrove Playground.  Eva played with all the playground equipment, ran around in the open grassy areas, dug up sand, and had a blast with the group activities.

We sang songs, played with a big parachute, and her favorite part...playing with bubbles.

To get a better idea...

We had so much fun with our new adventures, we can't wait for what this weeks activities have in store for us. 

Over the weekend, Dana had a ton of yard work to catch up on, and Eva and I arranged a photo shoot with Ariana Drehsler (who shot her in pink tulle a year ago).  I don't have pictures yet, but I am excited to see them.  Eva wore all clothes designed and made by me and we shot in different areas between my house and my wonderful neighbor, Evonne's place.  Can't wait to share the results with you!

Sunday was family day, and we were all excited to spend the day together, enjoying the beautiful sunshine.  In the early morning, we were lucky enough to join up Sam, Elizabeth, and Oliver for breakfast at Hash House in Hillcrest.  The food was delicious, but better yet, was the company.  It was so nice to get Oliver and Eva together again and wonderful to have the time with friends we don't see often enough.  Oliver is getting so big and just flat out adorable, I wanted to take him home with us...

Even Dana got in on some Oliver action...

After we left them, we headed over to Balboa Park to play at the playground and walk around enjoying the scenery.  Of course, Dana needed to make a trip over to the Botanical Garden to compare his work to what they had going on.  Near the garden, we saw a bunch of turtles and fish swimming around, leisurely enjoying their day...

And, Now that Eva is old enough, Dana was also very excited to ride the little train that goes through a small part of the park.  I'm not sure who had more fun, both Daddy and Eva loved it!...

Cheers to a fun week last week and hoping we have nice weather again this week (although, I hear its suppose to rain :(  )

It seems like just yesterday I was blogging about how everyone in our family was happy and healthy...and yet, AGAIN, another bug made its way back into our house. Eva started off with a little sniffle on Thursday, which turned into a full blown stuffy nose. Thank god it hasn't transpired into anything worse, but it IS NOT FUN to have a stuffy nosed toddler. She can't blow and won't let me use the sucker to get the snot out, so I spend most of my day chasing her around with a kleenex. The poor girl's face is red from irriation and for the times that I couldn't get to her in time I am finding snot marks all over everything in our house. No Fun!

With that being said, though, I did not let that stop us from continuing on with our schedule as planned. Keeping her couped up in the house for a stuffy nose would have been too much of a challenge. Eva and I had many more important things to do. On Wednesday, we headed off to our toddler class looking as adorable as ever...

Eva loves to play with other kids and loves all the fun activities, especially the bubbles and parachutes...

But, at the end of the day, all she wants to do is sit on a big chair and read a book (no joke, she LOVES BOOKS and CHAIRS)...

On Friday, Eva and I were left to our own devices. I went to Target earlier that day to pick up some art supplies with plans to attempt a craft day in the future. I thought, "what better time to try than now? I wasn't sure how Eva would handle paint, markers, stickers, play-doh, or anything of the craft nature, but to my surprise, she did really well. She took her work very seriously, quickly learning how to make brush strokes, handprints, sponge paint, and stick stickers on paper, which made beautiful Valentines for everyone at WDS...

Over the weekend, Daddy was eager to hang out with us, so on Saturday we made our way up to the Sea Life Aquarium at Legoland. We let Eva run around as she wished where she had an absolute blast finding new things to look at...

Here is our attempt at a family shot...

Of course, the exit to the aquarium required us to walk through the gift shop where Daddy couldn't resist letting Eva pick out her favorite thing. She fell in love with a big eyed baby seal, which she named "Baby" (Of course!). She loves it, she kept hugging and kissing it over and over and laughing and smiling...How do you say no to that? Here she is kissing it in action...

And, on Sunday, Heather, Ryan, and the kids invited us over for an early birthday celebration for ME! It was so thoughtful...they all made a huge effort to make me feel very special. Heather made yummy food, all with me in mind...especially with her infamous toffee bars (instead of the traditional birthday cake)...

To burn off a little energy, we went down to the beach to catch the sunset. Look at the great group shot!

Thank you Heather, Ryan, Rowan, Kierce, Merrick, Paulette, Bo, Abigail,nDana, and my precious little Eva for making me feel so loved and special!

Happy Valentine's Day to You!

Eat Your Heart Out!

Sharing just a couple pictures from our photo shoot with Ariana Drehsler a couple weeks back.

Eva and I have had a fun morning celebrating Valentine's Day and spreading our love to everyone.  We started by opening cards and a few little gifts from each other at home.  Eva made Daddy a very special Valentine at her class last week...

We then got dressed and ready for the day, making an appearance at Daddy's office.  We brought cupcakes for everyone, along with the Valentine's cards Eva made last Friday, and a Valentine balloon just for Daddy...

And, before we made it back home, we made a special visit to Aunt Vonnie.  She is a neighbor that Eva and I have become very close to.  Eva and Evonne love spending time together laughing, playing, talking, chasing each other around the house, and I love watching them together.  Its a bond that we both treasure dearly, we couldn't wait to spread our love her way on this special day!

We hope you all have a very special Valentine's Day and know that you are in our hearts today and every day!

Last week was a fun week for all of us since there was so much to celebrate.  Tuesday was Valentine's Day, which we already blogged about (read it here), then Wednesday was Eva's indoor class.  She had tons of fun playing with foam blocks...

Then took a nice, relaxing dip in the ball pool...

Thursday was my birthday, but really, it was just a beautiful day that I got to spend with Eva (what more could a mother really ask for?).  We went to our outdoors class at a nice park.  Eva really enjoyed herself.  One of my favorite pictures from that day is this one here...

"Peek a Boo!"

And speaking of Peek-a-boo, its her new favorite thing.  If she even notices someone slightly covering their face, she immediately takes that opportunity to play a little game of peek-a-boo with them.  Its rather funny, because she also always plays in her high chair when she is done eating.  Its her new way of letting me know she's finished eating.  Its pretty cute, all except the mess is makes from covering her eyes with messy food hands.

Anyway, back to our weekend.  As we use to do before Eva was born, Dana planned a little getaway for the two of us to celebrate my birthday.  Our friends, Paulette and Bo, were kind enough to stay at our house Friday night to watch Eva so we could spend a little time just the two of us.  Dana surprised me with a night at The Lodge Torrey Pines, with a beautiful room with an amazing view. (I realize there is no view in this pic, but you have no idea how hard we tried)

We spoiled ourselves with an amazing dinner and a little bit too much wine, then woke up and got an extremely relaxing couples massage, spending the rest of the day at the spa and grabbing some lunch before we headed home.  We enjoyed one signature drink to end our little trip...

When we got home, we were greeted with a very happy little girl and two wonderful friends who couldn't tell us enough how much they enjoyed Eva's company.  Bo was very impressed with Eva saying "Thank you" every time they handed her something and Paulette couldn't believe all she had to say was "Do you want to go to bed?" and then watch Eva turn and walk right into her bedroom to get tucked in for the night.  That little girl sure makes mommy proud.

Since I'm already on a role boasting about my beautiful Eva, I may as well keep going.  Another new thing that mommy has really enjoyed is how much of a helper Eva has become.  She LOVES helping me put dishes away after they've been washed in the dishwasher.  You can see how happy she is to be a part of the process, and I love that I'll have her trained to do it on her own soon enough ;)

Even though Eva is finally saying Momma, it doesn't change how much she loves her daddy.  She is now starting to sense when Daddy is about to come home from work.  This day, she went to the garage door and stood as high as she could to reach the knob as she was saying "Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!" waiting for him to walk through.  I opened the door for her (which leads to the garage), and she took a box, carried it to the door and sat in it waiting for Daddy to come home.  Too cute for words!

Ok, ok, I think I'm done now. :)

With less words and more pictures, I will try and map out our week and Eva's new things.

On Tuesday, we met with Aiden and mommy, Melinda, for a play date at the park.  Of course Aiden and Eva ran in opposite directions most of the time, so the only time I could document them together was during snacktime.

On Wednesday, our toddler class went to Seaworld.  We invited our friends, Marieva and mommy, Paula for a fun day!  Here are the girls checking out the Turtle Reef.

While it was hard to get Eva to sit still for the ride to start, as soon as we started moving, mommy and Eva had fun flying high and low with Elmo :)

On Thursday, we met at Spanish Landing Park with our toddler class.  My super studious daughter took this time to catch up on her reading...

On Saturday and Sunday, Eva spent lots of time outside helping daddy catch up with his yard work.  After attempting to spray herself so many times with freezing cold water, she has finally mastered watering the trees without getting herself wet!

Sunday, the family spent the day at the San Diego Zoo

Eva really got to connect with the Orangutans

During my last Wal-mart visit, I picked up a chair for Eva to use out back when Mommy and Daddy were sitting in their chairs, but after forgetting how much EVA LOVES CHAIRS I realized that this chair wasn't going anywhere past the house.  It is now her favorite place to sit.  She loves to carry it around and set it in different rooms in the house.  And, if you think you want to try it out and have a seat...WATCH OUT!  That's Eva's chair :)

She still loves playing with Daddy in her car every night before she goes to bed (especially when she is sans clothes and diaper), woohooo!

Eva's vocabulary and communication is really starting to blossom alot.  She is really paying attention to how we say words and what they mean.  She has conquered yes, which is "yeah", with a proper headshake...and "No" while shaking her head to that, too.  She is starting to answer yes or no questions, whether her answer is accurate or not is another thing.  She has been practicing the word "shoe".  In fact, yesterday, while she thought she was alone in the hallway, I peaked around the corner to see what she was up to.  She kept pointing to her shoe and saying "Shoe, shoe, shoe".  It was so cute listening to her practice the word during her alone time.

I'm hoping for a far less busy week this week, momma is starting to slow down a little with all this hustle bustle. :)

Since Eva and I are so busy these days, I have a hard time selecting the pics I want to use in my blog, so this one might be a little picture heavy :)

First of all, I want to wish my Little Brotha Man a very Happy 29th Birthday....Happy Birthday, Derek!  And, in preparing for your big day, Eva was hard at work in her art studio (eating paint is part of the process for drawing her inspiration)...

On Monday, we had Eva's 15 month checkup, which went terrifically.  She is 2' 9" (97% for her age) and a solid 24 lbs (67%).  I knew she grew a ton in the last couple months so I wasn't surprised at the results. 

On Wednesday, we had fun at our toddler class, as we always do.  Eva actually sat down for a while and listened to teacher Michelle read "Brown Bear"...

On Friday, we made another trip to the zoo.  This time we went with our friends, Marieva and Mommy, Paula...Here are the girls having fun with the tractors...

And, you can also see Eva was super interested in the rattlesnake (Of course!  Of all things!)

On Saturday, neither Mommy or Daddy wanted to make dinner, so we went out to Fridays.  Eva discovered lemonade and mozzarella sticks (yummy!)

On Sunday, we went for a morning walk on the water downtown, making a stop at The Cancer Survivors Park (yes, a park for cancer survivors!  It was very inspirational)

And later met up with Lori and Steph for a beer tasting at Stone and a yummy burger at Station Tavern.

While hanging out at home over the weekend, Eva was a big helper.  She was out in Daddy's garden during the day, and helping mommy put away dishes at night.  She LOVES helping me and really is a great helper...

Lets not forget "chair time".  I'm telling you, this was the best purchase I have EVER made since Eva was born.  She loves chairs so much and is just ecstatic to have one of her own that she can carry wherever she wants.  She spends lots of time at night with her "babies" and her purple chair.

Lastly, to end this long picture blog post, I would like to leave with a picture dedicated to you, Miranda ;)

While we are just as busy as ever, I just had to allow myself a one week brake from blogging, hence no blog last week.  And, after taking just one week off, I have so many new things to share (and no time to edit, sorry for the horrible transitions).

Gone are the days where I told everyone about my "really good eater".  It seems Eva has turned into "Miss Picky" overnight.  I can't get her to eat any veggies, barely any fruit, well, nothing seems to be interesting to her except goldfish and macaroni and cheese.  She wouldn't drink her milk, or juice, or whatever....so I finally caved in and tried chocolate syrup in her milk...and what do you know?  Little Eva is a regular milk drinker now.

At the same time, though, Eva is really becoming quite smart and been great at showing us everything she knows.  She baby-babbles ALOT, and she sounds so serious in her conversations.  Daddy and I are just dying trying to figure out what she is saying. 

Shes not just socially smart, but she's book smart, too!  She is now starting to match items.  Like, in a book they have pictures in a column that you are suppose to find throughout the page.  I point at something in the column, then she will point to it on the page.   She is also starting to count to 3.  I will hear her saying "Do, Two, Weeeee!"  And, if I'm counting to her, she will count right along with me.

Another new thing I've noticed is that Eva has shown a bit of a jealous side.  I've always noticed, in the past, that Eva has been very passive when other kids have become territorial over something she has or is interested in and has had no problems just giving whatever it is to them so they stop yelling at her.  But last week I experienced something a little different.  While Eva and I were playing with a toy that had 3 pop-up things on it, 2 other girl became interested in what we were doing.  First, Eva pushed one girl away, then when the other girl reached to push the things down, Eva quickly pushed them all down so the other girl couldn't.  I asked her to share, which she started to do, but them immediately sat on my lap and totally showed so much love to me to let the girls know that I was her mommy and not theirs. 

With that, Eva has become very infatuated with her "babies and puppies", which are her stuffed animals.  She prefers her lamb and penguin to sleep with, and when she wakes up in the morning, they need to come out of the crib first, then Eva, then she will carry them around everywhere.  I won't let her leave the house with them, so sometimes we have to set them up beside the door to say good-bye and be sure they are waiting for us when we get back.  It's actually pretty cute.  Eva really has alot of love to give and she will give it to just about any stuffed animal. 

Once all this cold rain disappears, Eva and I are going to be ready to hit the water.  To get a headstart on the summer season, we met up with some friends at a pool a couple weekends ago, where Eva had a BLAST.

And later that day, Eva had a date with her friend, Cole (these two were SOOO CUTE together)

While it was sunshine and hot days not that long ago, it quickly changed for us over this last weekend.  We were stuck indoors all weekend with tons of rainfall and hail.  Probably the only time ever that the midwest had better weather than us.  Daddy, Eva, Rocky, and I managed to entertain each other enough to not go stir crazy, and right when we couldn't take it anymore, Heather, Ryan, and the kids surprised us with a visit.  What a great way to end the rainy weekend!

As usual, Eva and I had a fun and very eventful week last week.  On Tuesday, we met up with Aiden and mommy Melinda at the Wild Animal Safari Park.  Now that both babies are walking (or shall I say, running), it made for a fun day for all.  The kids loved running around on the paths and checking out the animals.  Of course, Eva was super excited to see the ducks, as she always is, but this time she had a bit of a surprise.  A couple ducks were so close to her they could probably smell her breath...and as Eva started talking to the duck, "Quack!!"...the duck quacked so loud it scared Eva to the point that she jumped back and started crying, not wanting anything to do with the ducks again.  Little did we know that right around the corner you could actually feed the ducks right from your hand.  It took lots of coaxing, but Eva finally joined me...

At the end of the day, we treated the kids to a carousel ride (Aiden's first).  They loved going up and down! 

Being that Eva is Miss Popular on our street, especially with "Auntie Vonnie", she has befriended all of Auntie Vonnie's friends, too.  Lynn was visiting for a while from Canada, so Eva and I would visit with her and Evonne whenever they had some down time.  While Lynn was soaking up the California sun, Eva was keeping her busy running around in the backyard picking plants and reading books. I think Eva really enjoyed the extra attention from Lynn and Evonne :)

Here is Evonne and Eva reading a book (teaching Eva how to count)...

Over the weekend, Dana got his new bee hive and was SUPER excited to put the bees in place...

Eva and I enjoyed watching from a distance...

Lets hope these ones are happy with their home and produce lots of honey for us :)

On Sunday, our neighborhood had its annual street festival, which we were eager to attend.  We went as soon as they opened, knowing it would be raining later in the day.  Eva had a blast running around and checking things out.  Her ultimate favorite was when a guy gave her a balloon.  She was so happy with that thing, she couldn't stop smiling and running around with it...

This morning, Eva got her first big slice of watermelon.  Face speaks for itself...

And the perfect picture to end on. My baby girl all worn out after keeping busy all week long...

What's in store this week?  Gearing up for Easter with all her friends :)

For those of you who read our blogs often, I'm sure you can sense the joy Dana and I get in being parents.  We love our daughter more than any words can describe and I am so happy that she has entered into our world.  I look back and think how just 2 years ago, we found out Eva was growing inside my belly.

And, when she was born, I thought no other day in the world could possibly be as magical as this day...

I became a mother, Dana a father, and Eva a daughter in this new world.

More quick than Dana or I could've imagined, our little baby transformed into a toddler...

She has transformed so much in her short life, growing and learning...

And now she is gaining new recognition in our family as a soon-to-be....

We are happy to announce that we will be welcoming a new baby into this world, due November 8th.

Being that Eva's classes have spring break next week, they celebrated Easter this last week with an egg hunt for each class.  I had a hunch Eva would pick up on the sport pretty quick since she loves to carry buckets, putting small objects into them and carrying them around.  Everyone was to bring a basket and 6 eggs to class for the teacher to hide.  We waited for teacher Michelle to give us the ok, then Eva took off, and boy was I right about my hunch!  She looked high and low to find the best eggs...

And when she found 6 of her favorites, she sat with her friends to see what was inside...

Thursdays class was similar, except since Eva already knew what she was doing she became very attached to her basket with eggs.  Here she was on the way to class...

When the teacher gave the kids the ok, Eva ran right to the eggs and started putting them into her basket like an old pro.  She farly exceeded her 6 egg limit, so after she was done, we helped rehide the extras...

As soon as she was done, we regrouped with Marieva and mommy Paula to check out what was inside.  I think Eva might've liked Marieva's snacks a little more...

Now that I saw how much Eva enjoyed it, I'm really excited for Easter morning when she gets to egg hunt with her cousins at our house :)

On Friday, I needed to make a Target run and decided to buy Eva a potty chair.  No, I'm in no hurry to push her to learn, but lately she's been excited to have me change her when she has a poopy diaper.  And, being that she has a huge love for chairs, I thought why not put a potty in the bathroom for her to be curious about.  Sure enough, everytime she sees mommy going potty, she asks me "Potty chair?" pointing to her chair.  When I say yes, she backs her butt up and sits in her chair...

I'm not counting on miracles here, but it sure is great to see her early curiosity :)

Over the weekend the weather has been pretty cool, so I've been reluctant to spend too much time outside.  Eva STILL has a runny nose and has been showing other cold symptoms off and on.  I desperately want her to get better.  But, on Sunday, Dana and I just wanted to get out for a little while.  It was children's day at the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, so we went to check it out.  We ran around checking out all the beautiful colors of the flowers, munched on kettlecorn (Dana and Eva's favorite snack), and took a wagon ride through the fields.

It was the perfect way to end the weekend!

Now that there is no class this upcoming week, I am focusing on getting my little girl back to great health.  Please, everyone, send healthy vibes to Eva all week.  I REALLY REALLY want her feeling 100% by the time Easter is here.  Eva would appreciate all your vibes :)

I was super excited for this Easter, knowing Eva would enjoy all the festivities.  I went a little overboard on gifts and just couldn't wait to put them out the night before...

When Eva woke in the morning and walked into our living room, she was so excited to see all the new toys and things to look at.  She picked up each individual thing, checked it out, and gave it the stamp of approval...

After her nap, it was time to get ready for Easter dinner at our house with friends and family.  Eva wore her Easter dress, made by yours truly...and looked adorable toting around her little Easter purse so proudly...

Everyone started to show up and get their food items together.  Of course, Eva had to show off her kitchen skills and grabbed her stool, heading right over to Aunt Heather to help her with her salad...

After eating a scrumptious meal, all the kids enjoyed an egg hunt in the back yard.  Eva was a little slow compared to her professional egg-seeking cousins, but she managed to snatch up a couple and get them in her basket.  Here they all are together...

And then Eva enjoying all the goodies inside...

A funny pic of Eva and Rowan wearing the mustaches that were hidden in their eggs...

And a family pic (minus Rocky)...

It was a gorgeous day and we were so happy to share it with so many wonderful people.  Hope yours was great as well!

This last Friday, we had our friends Emily and Kyle in town.  The last time we saw them, Emily was just in the beginning of her pregnancy with son, Max. So, this visit was extra special because we would get to finally meet the little guy (who's now 8 months old). 

He was such a cutie, and so quick to move around.  Eva like checking him out and calling him baby, but when it came time to sharing her toys, it got a little interesting.  See, she understood the idea of sharing, for she would hand Max toys...but, as soon as he reached to actually grab the toy she would push his hand away and take the toy back.  So I guess you could say we'll be working on the sharing thing a little more.  Regardless, it was nice to see them for the short time that we did, thanks for stopping over Emily, Kyle, and Max!

The rest of our weekend, went as it usually does.  Daddy doesn't have to go to the office, so its time to smother him with our love.  While I usually blog about all the adventures Eva and I are on all week, I thought I would give you a glimpse of what a weekend at our house looks like.  Dana usually needs a day at home to get things done.  He wants to spend time in the garden, tinker with the bronco, or relax and watch a little TV.  And while doing all those things, he has a little buddy to help him with it all :)

Picking Broccoli (Dana picks it and Eva adds it to her wagon)...

Fixing a sprinkler head...

Compacting the recycling bin...

They do it all together.  I can't tell who enjoys it more. 

When all the hard work is done, they are finding creative ways to have fun.  Trying to fit a big girl in a small wagon...

Walking around in Daddy's big shoes...

And fist bumpin'....

The relationship between these two is just adorable.  Eva thinks her dad is just plain old goofy and Daddy thinks she is the smartest little girl alive.  If you leave the two of them alone for too long, watch out.  There is usually alot of dancing to House Music, Fist Bumpin', High Fivin', and chasing Rocky around the house.  Something Mommy isn't even going to try and compete with.  :)

On Tuesday, we attended a neighborhood pool party.  There were tons of kids, a big kid pool, a small kid pool, a big trampoline, and lots of warm sunshine...

On Wednesday, we skipped out on the class field trip to take a field trip of our own.  Eva and I spent the morning at Balboa Park, where Eva admired the big water fountain...

And, sat in the shade to talk on her cell phone.  Eva's been mimicking alot of what mommy does these days.  She loves to pick up anything (or nothing at all) and put it to her ear and say "Hewo? Bye!" Then hangs up the phone.  It is just too funny.  I caught her in action here...Hewo?

We then went to the Chidren's Science Center where Grandma Nevins treated mommy to a membership for her birthday.  (Thank you, Mom Nevins!).  Eva had a blast with all the balls scattered everywhere, computers to play with, and of course, counting time...

We received a box in the mail last week which contained many styrofoam peanuts.  Toddler + big box + lots of styrofoam peanuts = many minutes of fun time...

On Friday, our great friends Jen, Carlos, and Elvis came to visit.  They traveled 8 hours from their home in northern California to San Diego for a baby shower with friends and family.  We were lucky to spend an extra day with them at the house before Baby Shower Day...

Saturday was the baby shower.  Jen opened tons of fun gifts...including my very first diaper bike (thanks to Pinterest)...

An up close of my masterpiece...

We sure had a fun and busy week.  Hope yours was, too!

Of course Eva and I are always up to something new, fun, and exciting.  This week there's a couple things that are fun to share.  On Thursday, with our class, Eva and I went to Kid Ventures in Pacific Beach.  It's a big indoor play area for little kids.  I'd heard about it, so I was excited to see what is was all about.  It was great!  They had themed rooms, toys galore, and an adult section in the center where you can go to use your computer and drink coffee while your kids play.  Being that Eva is still pretty young, I had to keep a close eye on her.  And, being the adventurous little girl that she is she was not shy about checking out all the rooms and everything they had to offer.

She found some plastic animals to play with in the library...

She found a ball and a wheelbarrow in the treehouse area (and right after her elastic hair band broke--check out the hair)...

Of course, a slide!  Which I would like to report she is doing great on.  She had been so scared to go down a slide sitting up for so long and has been conquering her fears with even the biggest slides at the park.  She gets up to the top, looks for me at the bottom, then slides down yelling "Weeeeeeee!"

A horsey

Dressing up as a firefighter in the fire department...

Sitting in a chair she found in the doll nursery (This girl loves her chairs, I tell ya!)

And finally relaxing with the big bear before heading home...

If Kid Ventures wasn't so expensive, we would probably frequent there more regularly.  Regardless, it was a super fun day together.  :)

Another fun day we had was Sunday.  Our friends, Andy and Melinda, invited us to their place for a BBQ.  As soon as we got there, Eva took to the water toys in back, which created a naked baby for a while until her clothes dried.  She was having a blast with Aiden while us adults hung out together.  Eventually it was eating time and let me tell you, the food was amazing!  Yum, yum!  (Andy reluctantly modeled the food for us ;)  )...

And while they did that, the kids watched Cars and played with toys.  Eva's toy of choice?  The Cars couch, of course!!  She was having so much fun in just a diaper jumping on the couch.  She couldn't stop herself.  If was pretty entertaining to watch...

Eventually, we dressed the little ones and they started playing together.  They had fun hiding in the couch and finding each other...

And, then it was time to go.  They topped us off with some delicious dessert, then it was time for our trek back to San Diego.  It was the perfect way to wrap up our weekend.  Thanks Andy, Melinda, and Aiden, can't wait to see you again!

Last week I entered my 2nd trimester and almost overnight I got my energy back!  I'll blog more about the pregnancy next week after my doc appointment, but am just so happy that I am awake again!  With that, Eva and I were ready to take on San Diego and all its fun attractions.  We took a visit to the zoo to see what the all the animals have been up to since our last visit.  As usual, we headed right to the flamingo area, which is Eva's favorite spot.  She likes watching them walking around, but even better, she likes their company, the ducks!  She could watch them forever.  (well, for like 20 minutes, which is forever for a 17 monther).  As we were about to leave the ducks we almost ran right into a peacock with its feathers all sprawled out.  It was so pretty.  Surprisingly, Eva was really good about watching it without running up to touch it.  It was so close to us...

Once we made it onto the Monkey Trail, we stopped to pay a visit to the Gorillas.  And while they were all in great view of our spot, Eva found it more interesting to play with the Gorilla statues.  It was actually pretty cute because I explained that she was touching the mommy Gorilla and she went up to it, patting its back and said "Mommy", then turned around and plopped herself right into mommy Gorilla's lap...

Today, we spent the day with mommy Melinda and Mr. Aiden at Seaworld.  The kids had a blast, staying up hours past their naptime.  We played in the Sesame Street Bay of Play area for most of our visit going on rides, running through rope obstacles, and playing with water.  We visited the dolphin encounter, which the kids really enjoyed, and even managed to fit in the Shamu Show.  The weather turned out to be perfect and so did the day!  Here we all are on a ride...

Over the weekend, we spent most of our time at home.  Eva usually doesn't mind as long as she can spend her time out back.  She really knows her way around the yard and helps herself to just about anything.  She knows her limits and only plucks all the flower buds or not-ready-to-eat-yet fruit when she's ready for her nap.  For the most part, she likes to help.  She will carry her trusty little bucket with her everywhere (or her wagon) and helps pick whatever is ready to be harvested.  This last weekend, we picked a bunch of blueberries, which she ate all of pretty quickly...

But was also kind enough to ask me if I wanted some...

Then, we picked all the ready-to-eat strawberries, yum!

And once we were finished eating, Eva helped herself to a sniff of her favorite flower...

While Eva and I spent our time on the ground, Uncle Derek flew into town to reshingle our roof.  Daddy helped all day Sunday as they stripped the old shingles off...

As soon as the roof is done, it will be time to play with Uncle Derek for the rest of the week.  Eva just loves her Uncle!  We are so happy that Derek was able to make the visit out and help us with our roof.  Not only are we saving a bit of money, but we also get to spend time with my brother. 

Until next time, have a good week everyone!