Family Photos

This year we met up with our friend Ian for some impromptu family photos. It was a gorgeous day, the sun was out and Hannah was all smiles.  :)

playing in the leaves :)

So excited that our break is finally here!!! We're ready for relaxation and fun times with family and friends.

Pretty dresses little curls, Oh thank heaven for little girls!

Josh, Hannah and I were excited to find out last Monday that we're having another sweet little GIRL!





Hannah enjoying a hot chocolate while waiting with mom and
 dad to go in for the ultrasound



Both Josh and I predicted another daughter (even though many were saying boy) and Hannah knew from day one that she not only wanted a baby sister, but that it WAS baby sister. :)  I can't tell you how lucky I feel to be having a little sister and (future) best friend for Hannah. I know I've mentioned this many times before, but there's no relationship like the one between sisters. My sister is my best friend and as much as I wanted (at times) a brother growing up, I can't even imagine relating to a brother like I do my sister. It makes both Josh and I so happy to know Hannah will have this too some day. I also think back to all the boxes and boxes of ADORABLE girl clothes that we've saved from Hannah & can't wait to see them on another daughter. (Girl clothes are hands down the cutest!!!) I recently saw this Irish saying online & it brought a smile to my face.

 "A son is a son till he takes him a wife, a daughter is a daughter all of her life."

Pink frosted cupcakes...the way I told my 6th graders that we're having a girl. I made enough for Hannah to also take to daycare and to put out for my staff in the staff room. They were tasty!

 

We don't have a middle name picked out yet, however her first name was decided before we even knew she was a girl. :) Jordyn will be our daughter's name. When pregnant with Hannah we debated between Hannah and Jordyn & ended up going with Hannah. We both loved the name Jordyn as well & Josh was adamant that if we had another girl her name would be Jordyn.  :)  I can't wait to see what her little personality will be like, I often wonder what she'll look like. Will she look similar to Hannah or have completely different look of her own? She's been quite active the past few weeks and Hannah has loved kissing my belly and talking to her sister. We can't wait to meet Jordyn....her arrival is going to be here before

we know it!

As a mother I know the following quote is so true and it makes my heart happy :)

Daughters are little girls that grow up to be your best friend.

Birthday Weekend & swim lessons

This year I turned 32 on December 3rd. As I get older I honestly lose track of how old I am...does that make me sound old or what? :)  Turning 32 didn't feel much different that turning 31, except this year we weren't able to do my annual birthday charter bus ride to various breweries over Sonoma County due to the fact that I'm pregnant (a good reason to give up drinking on my birthday).  :)  Next year we'll be able to resume my birthday tradition! My birthday actually started on Wednesday with my gift from Hannah and Josh. Josh had wanted to surprise me on Saturday with an IPhone 4S, however when he went down to the apple store to buy it, they wouldn't let him leave the store without activating it...well that is unless he paid full price for it.  (His plan was to give it to me Saturday and then we'd go activate it together....this plan would cost $500, the original price of the phone, so he went with Plan B and activated the phone right then and to my dismay :)  had to give me my phone Wednesday night.

Friday morning my amazing coworkers brought in all my favorite treats to work. :) I enjoyed white powdered donuts, dill pickles, olive spread & cream cheese on crackers, cheese, jumbo black olives, veggies, monkey bread and mashed potatoes! :) YUM! My students enjoyed singing me Happy Birthday (multiple times).



putting the first ornament on the tree

                                    
That night we did everything on my "wish list". We got our tree, decorated it while listening to Christmas music, baked holiday cookies and read Christmas stories. I love starting off the Christmas season this way! (Josh put up lights on the house the next day). I have so many fun memories of decorating our tree every year and getting the house ready for Christmas. I look forward to creating memories like those with our children.

admiring the decorations

putting the star on the tree



ready to enjoy a cookie with dad



happy girl



 



blowing my candles out

On my actual birthday (Saturday) we had a full day. It started off with Josh running in a 5K race and placing 12th out of over 1,000 runners (good job babe!). The afternoon was filled with taking to Hannah to two birthday parties, then coming home for a her nap and heading out to dinner for my birthday. We were joined by 26 of our friends at Mi Pueblo and enjoyed a delicious dinner and lots of laughs in our own private banquet room. My (virgin) peach Margarita was quite tasty.  :)  Following dinner some came back to our house for the evening. All and all it was a fun night, spent with some of my closest friends.

Hannah has been doing so well with swim lessons. She started out day 1 not wanting to get off the steps. She was perfectly content watching her instructor Hailey take all the other kids out into the water, but didn't want to have anything to do with it. She started off lesson #2 acting the same way, so Josh and I told Hailey to just take her out whether she wanted to or not. She cried until she got to the other end pool and by the time Hailey had her there she was smiling. Lessons have gone so well ever since. Since lesson 2, she's participated in everything and has done it all with a big smile on her face. Her last lesson for this session is tomorrow and we've already decided to sign her up for the next session in January. Her being a strong swimmer is so important to us.

With her friends Tyler and Kenzie showing Hailey their "ice cream scoopers"

fun at the end of lessons

big hugs for Kenzie after lessons

Thanksgiving Break Part 2

Thanksgiving day started out with Nicole and Sean arriving from Humboldt. Because they both had to work Wednesday night and didn't want to drive in the icky weather, they got up early Thursday morning to head to Rohnert Park. We were all very excited for their arrival. It wasn't long before the guys began setting up their turkey deep frying area (Josh takes jobs like this very seriously...if he has a project in mind, he makes sure to do it just right).  Due to the possibility of rain, a pop up tent was set up after our front yard cleared of Hannah's play structure, etc..., next a layer of plastic was laid, followed by a sheet of plywood and then topped with sand (to soak up any extra grease). The turkey was strung up through a ladder by a pulley system. The night before Josh cleaned the turkey, injected it with a recipe he got online and then put a rub on it. After all this preparation the actual deep frying process

was only 35 min. =)

The guys hanging out while the turkey cooks...Hannah took a break
from blowing bubbles to join the picture

Our dinner consisted of the turkey (which turned out great!!) I would totally recommend trying it...this was our second time (the first was about 5 years ago). This was the first time Josh tried an injection and it made the flavor of the turkey so good! I made the mashed potatoes (my favorite part of the meal), we had sweet potatoes, ham, stuffing, green bean casserole, homemade biscuits and fruit salad. My mother-in-law made a delicious pumpkin pie, berry pie and pumpkin pecan pie.

Nicole and I finally got some pregnancy pictures together (now that we're both starting to show).  I'll be 20 weeks tomorrow (half way there) and she's 25 1/2 weeks.  The time is flying by and it's crazy to think next year we'll have two little babies crawling around at Thanksgiving.

Love you mom!

Couldn't ask for a better mother-in-law

Pictured below are the turkey and some homemade french fries,

 just before entering the deep fryer.

Family picture

Love my sweet girl (with her mischievous looking smile)

Posing for a pic with her Auntie and Uncle....another silly smile from Hannah

The loves of my life

Hannah was sooo excited to decorate her first gingerbread house with her Nonnie the day after Thanksgiving. She was very careful while spreading the frosting and meticulous with where she placed each piece of candy. Afterwards she was very proud of her house and since building it has admired it every day, yet has not wanted to eat any of it.  =)



Hannah and her Nonnie



 Hannah got to make Monkey Bread for the first time with her Auntie. She enjoyed her job of rolling the dough in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. She was careful to make sure each piece was completely covered before placing in the pan.

Following a breakfast casserole and monkey bread, we all showered and headed out the door to the Petaulma Outlets. Once arriving we split off into groups...Josh and Sean to the Nike Outlet (of course!) Nicole & my mom to Motherhood Maternity (for some new clothes for my sis) and my dad and I to find shoes to go with Hannah's New Years Eve dress for Sarah's wedding. We were all successful! :) After multiple stores we met up for a mid-shopping break at the coffee shop and over the course of a couple hours Hannah got to play not once, but twice at the playground. After the Outlets the girls headed home to put Hannah down for a nap & the guys went off to disc golf. Our weekend also consisted of celebrating my parents anniversary by going out to dinner at the Little New Yorker (such great Italian food!); organizing Hannah's room with the help of my mom and sis and the guys heading up to Booneville for some Frisbee golf and lunch. It was hard to see my family go Sunday knowing we'll be in Rohnert Park for Christmas this year. However, I know the days will fly by until we'll up there to celebrate a late Christmas together and ring in the New Year.

Below is a pic of Hannah waiting to begin her first swim lesson on her own. I'll share more pics and stories soon!

Thanksgiving Break Part 1

         I love that this year BOTH Josh and I have the entire week of Thanksgiving off (the past two years I've had the whole week, while Josh has worked Mon. & Tues.) We began our vacation with a drive to Humboldt Friday afternoon to see family and friends for the weekend. Saturday morning after enjoying my sister's homemade apple bread and my mom's fritata (yum!) the guys headed out early to go fishing. Hannah stayed with my parents, while Nicole and I headed into Eureka for a little shopping and lunch (so nice to have time just the two of us...which of course meant lots of baby talk). Later that afternoon, my mom, Sis and I went to Sarah Renner's bridal shower. It was a lot of fun getting together with my girls. After the shower the guys and kids joined all of us at the Scotia Inn pub for food and drinks. Hannah enjoyed dancing in front of the jukebox with her buddy Nico. :)
         Sunday morning I had yet another fun gathering with my high school girlfriends for Michele's baby shower...delicious brunch, more fun chats with the girls and lots of adorable baby girl gifts. (Little girl stuff is the best!) That afternoon we started my sister's baby registry, which I was so excited to do (I love baby registries!) For dinner that night the guys made homemade guacamole, cilantro & lime chicken tacos, etc... We had a relaxing Monday morning at my parents before heading home to Rohnert Park. We made it home just in time to unload the car and head to Pump It Up for some fun and jumping with the Myers family, followed by dinner at Cafe Salsa. Tuesday was a productive day...it started off with phase 1 of cleaning the house (of course with Hannah's help...she loves to clean!), Josh insulating Tuck's dog house...which he built the summer before last, (it's carpeted, painted to match our house, has a shingled roof and now is ready for the cold weather). Josh has done a great job!! Next on the day's agenda was errands, a play date with Kenzie, nap for Hannah while Josh and I caught up on some T.V. shows, then a trip to Costco before I had dinner with the girls and went to see Breaking Dawn (which unfortunately wasn't as good as I had hoped it would be).
             Today we went to sign Hannah up for swim lessons (they start next week). This will be her first swim session without either Josh or me in the pool, so I'm curious to see how it goes. At this point Hannah is very excited! After signing Hannah up for swim and a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond, we picked up deli sandwiches and took Hannah to her first movie on the big screen (Happy Feet 2). Overall she did pretty well, she's just over 2 1/2 years old (so she may be a little young still). She's watched short shows here and there, but never a full length kids movie. At some point we'll definitely take her again, most likely to a princess movie because that's what she really wants to see. :) While she napped after the movie, Josh and I finished cleaning the rest of the house just before my parents arrived in the late afternoon. Nicole and Sean will be here in the morning and Josh's parents will come over a little after that to spend the rest of the day with us as well. I can't tell you how much I love the tradition Josh and I started 7 years ago  (Thanksgiving at our house with our parents traveling to us). We love having everyone to our home and look forward to a day filled with delicious food, laughs, games and family.

Thanksgiving Break to be continued...

could barely contain her excitement before heading into the movie :)

Relaxation with the girls

            The 2nd weekend of November brought a much needed girls getaway to Pajaro Dunes (near Monterey). This is the second time I've been to my friend's condo (right on the beach) in gorgeous Pajaro. Our girl's getaways are perfect! The drive is just 2 hours and we are literally right on the beach. Our weekend consisted of multiple walks on the beach, 2 chick flicks, loungin' around chatting, playing games, eating, eating and more eating!!! (delicious homemade dips, chicken curry, pork tamales, etc...)  It's always hard for me to leave Josh and Hannah during the weekend after working all week, however every once in awhile a weekend with just the girls is a must!

            My 2nd trimester is going SO MUCH better than my first. With the nausea gone and some of my energy back I finally feel like I'm able to enjoy things again. Yesterday was a check up. Everything is going well. Our little one is 16 1/2 weeks old, approx. 4 1/2 in. long and weighs approx. 3 1/2 oz. It's heart beat sounded good at the appointment and (surprisingly) I've only gained 5 lbs so far (feels like so much more! Prob. because I was not at the starting weight I wanted to be at when I got pregnant).  I've been trying to get exercise as much as possible and am keeping my fingers crossed I don't retain water with this baby like I did with Hannah (toward the end with Hannah I was SO swollen!) We are anxiously awaiting our Dec. 5th appointment, when we get to find out the baby's sex. Of course Hannah's preference is a baby sister. :)  In my head I picture another daughter (most likely because we already have a girl so that's just what I envision). I honestly would be thrilled either way, having a sister (who is my best friend) makes me wish that Hannah will be able to have that as well, however I'd also love to experience having a son. As most know, Josh is very athletic, loves coaching and is an all around guys' guy, so of course he would love to have a son....not that there won't many opportunites for him to coach his daughter(s). :)  He has however, already picked out our potential daughter's name and thinks that maybe we'll shoot for #3 if #2 is a girl....I on the other hand plan to be DONE with two kiddos. :)  I've always pictured a family of 4, the perfect size for me! So we'll see come Dec. 5th. boy or girl, as long as it's healthy is what matters the most to us.

                                                                   

morning sun peeking through over Monterey in the distance

view from our condo

morning walk on the beach

so beautiful

Little Ladybug

This year Hannah was very excited to be a lady bug for Halloween (Thanks Angela for letting us borrow the costume!) Back in September Hannah started saying she wanted to be a pink tiger for Halloween....I had no idea how I was going to pull that one off. She was pretty determined on being a pink tiger for quite a few weeks and then around the beginning of Oct. she announced (to my pleasure) that she wanted to be a lady bug. :)  Halloween was so much more fun with Hannah this year! She really understood the concept of trick-or-treating. Was very into the Halloween songs, and decorating the house, enjoyed helping me make toasted pumpkin seeds, enjoyed two Halloween parties with friends and filled up her ENTIRE Halloween bag. I enjoyed having another year of her not obsessing over the candy. We let her eat two pieces that night, then hid her bucket after she went to bed and she didn't care to ask for it again. Score for mom and dad! (and Hannah's teeth!!)  I'm sure this is the last year, we'll be able to get away with this. :)

The weekend before Halloween Hannah and I headed up to Fortuna to spend some time with one of my best friends Angelica and her family (visiting from Georgia) and of course see all my family. (It was just Hannah and myself because Josh traveled to Reno to help his parents move to Santa Rosa.) I took off both Thursday and Friday, and enjoyed the long weekend with my family and friends. Ang and I decided a couple months back to put on a Halloween party for all our friend's kids, as an excuse for the adults to get together and the kids to have some Halloween fun. The party was a hit! The kids enjoyed decorating cookies, making picture frames (which we filled with a group picture we took and printed while at the party), playing games and eating lots of treats!

Most of the kiddos from the party (our best attempt at a group photo)

decorating cookies with Braylon

Jaiden really wanted to pose for a pic with Hannah, however Hannah
 was very focused on decorating her Halloween picture frame :)

Helping mom wash pumpkin seeds before toasting them in the oven...yum!!

Ready to trick-or-treat with her buddy Chase

BFFs Hannah and Kenzie

The whole trick-or-treating crew

Hannah and Carter

really getting the hang of the whole trick-or-treat thing :)

Last stop of the night...her house :)