Once again we had cousins in town!

Yay! Uncle Tom, Aunt Jill, Eric, Becky and Katy were in town and we got to go to Cheesecake Factory for dinner. It was delicious, of course, and after about a half hour Joe warmed up to everyone and even asked Katy to take him to the bathroom. Thanks Katy for helping out since I was feeding Lynden!
Here is Katy, Becky and Lynden! I love it when Steve's family comes into town, which is sometimes often since they live in freezing Canada. It makes me almost like Arizona. Tell Kenny we missed him!

Lynden 2 & 3 months

I didn't start a blog until Joe was almost a year so I probably will never be to date with the monthly stats. We had Lynden's 2 month appt. right before we went to California and here were her stats: 22 3/4 in long (75th percentile), head 15 (25th percentile), and 10 lbs 11 oz (50th percentile). I could have the height and weight percentiles mixed up because it was a month ago, but I think I'm right.
Lynden really started smiling around 6 weeks. She has the sweetest little smile and will crinkle her nose and open her mouth up super wide if she's really happy. She has been a pretty good little baby, unless I eat chocolate or if her routine gets thrown out for the day she loses it, but sometimes when you are the 2nd child it happens!
Here she is at 3 months and her brother is starting to be pretty good with her. He isn't ignoring her as much and loves when she comes to get him airplane style. I'm sure she has grown, but we aren't going to the doctor until her 4 month appt because of flu season etc. Plus the doctor thinks that since she is my 2nd I aready know what I'm doing. :) I don't think I will ever know what I'm doing. I still have dumb little questions and concerns, but I'm trying!
Lynden LOVES taking baths in her little tub and has recently been introduced to some rain which she really liked. I thought she was swallowing so much air/water as we were running out from Wal Mart, but as I was buckling her in, she was as happy as could be. She still adores her brother and is always smiling at him. She is a mama's girl. I could be holding her on my hip with her back against me doing stuff around the house and she's fine and content. I give her to anyone else who tries to entertain her and she wants me. It makes me feel good and wanted, but I bet it won't last for long! We love you little girl!

Happy 3rd Birthday Joe!

I can't believe I have a 3 year old! Happy Birthday Joe! We absolutely love having you in our family. We have loved watching you develop into a sweet, caring, sensitive little boy. I can't believe how smart you are and am amazed at how much you know. You are such a good big brother and Lynden loves everything you do! You have quite the sense of humor and I wonder sometimes where you learned to act the way you do. You are the perfect mix of your dad and me, having a little bit of stubborness and sassiness in the mix. You LOVE being around family and are always entertained by your wonderful cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. From a young age you knew everyone by name and look forward to vacations to see family. I love that you love reading and being read to. You love the park, dancing around, shooting, playing with light sabers, trains, cars, and singing sweet little primary songs. Hopefully one day you won't be so shy and be more social, but as of right now you run to us when kids get too close that you don't know very well. It takes 5 minutes for you to warm up to people. As much as you love your mommy and let her know it often, daddy is your best friend and you can't wait for him to get home from work. You enjoy playing hide and go seek with him, baseball, tennis, and soccer. You are the light of my life and I am so lucky to be your mom. I thought you were the hardest baby ever, but now that I have another one, I'm thinking I had no idea what I was doing so I probably brought on the difficulty myself. I think you are a pretty easy toddler. You can sit in a car ride for 7 hours and watch movies and I don't feel like pulling my hair out by the end of it. Airplane rides are the same, you only ask for more peanuts or pretzels. Laughing is what you do best. It isn't very hard to make you laugh and you think I'm a pretty funny lady. Lately you have had a mind of your own. You tell me what you want to wear, what radio station to listen to, what you want to eat, and if you don't want to eat it you tell me Grandma Sue is coming to pick you up. You adore your Aunt Chelsea (your snoopsy poopsy, Chelsea Belsea) and think that you are going to go to school with her one day, which the day will come very soon that you will get to start preschool. You think you need to check your email once a day, you can call family by yourself, and you take pictures with my camera by yourself. I love that you sleep fabulously even though it took awhile to get to that point. It is fun for you to go shopping with mom even when it's a rainstorm outside and you have recently discovered that you like the snow. I hope that you love us for a long time and stay sweet! Today you looked at me and said, "Mom, here is my pinky and my pointer finger, and they are saying I love you!" All you were missing was the thumb (sign language I love you), but it was the sweetest thing. You got more calls for your birthday today than anyone else I know and they were all from your family and a bunch from my friends. You are loved by everyone to infinity and beyond! Happy Birthday Joe Bo bear! We love you the mostest!

Erin and Michael's wedding

My good friend, Erin, married her high school sweetheart of 10 years when I was in Valencia. I was so excited to get to be there. Here are Amber and I with Erin, love these girls!
If I was to marry Steve again, I would lose 30 pounds and ask to borrow Erin's dress. I LOVED her dress. It was absolutely gorgeous and her hair was beautiful and the fact that she has no hips or stomach did awesome for the dress too.
Here they were for their first dance...Her colors were really pretty also
Here she is with her sweet dad
I caught a sweet moment of them watching Michael dance with his mom...Dayna (her sister) with her husband, Hadyn (her brother), Steph (her mom) and her dad.
Since Steve had to work Lynden got to be my date and we tagged along with Grandma and Grandpa while Joe got to hang out with Uncle Ben and Aunt Chels. It was such a nice wedding, thanks for babysitting guys! Yes, I do dress my child at the beginning of the day. By afternoon one item is off and by night time underwear will be the only thing on!

Hanging out after Christmas

The boys did some golfing...my husband beat everyone! Good job babe, I knew there was a reason we lived in Arizona, it was to make your golf game better!
Joe was disappointed he didn't get to go to the New Year's Eve dance with his rockin' uncles!
We went to the park and had races down the slides
While this little angel enjoyed swinging
Joe actually tried the swings for the first time, he has always screamed when I put him in
Loving his sister
Loving his grandma
And he got the hang of it and was able to be pushed higher and higher
My cute friends came to visit...Pax and Meag
Meag and Linds
Heather, Brooke, Gidget and Zoey
Lynden got ridiculous amounts of attention
As did this cutie...Here is the story on his nose. I was playing tennis with Steve against Chelsea and Ben. JK and Ben were watching our kids waiting for their turn. They got sick of waiting so they helped Joe get in his stroller and tip it over! JUST KIDDING! Joe got in and said, "Look mom, I'm being a baby!" Within the next couple minutes he tipped it over, fell flat on his face and JK and Ben got their turn to play. :) His nose was bleeding, mouth was bleeding, and I was a nervous wreck. Luckily no teeth were knocked out and nothing was broken, said Dr. Dad. So we just had to look at a sad swollen nosed boy for a while.
Uncle Ben made him an awesome fort to play in that was injury free
We went bowling for a good family friend's birthday. I love this couple! They are so cute and they have always been so nice to our family!
Will the ball ever get there?
Grandpa trying to calm down Lynden who was totally off her routine
I am hair challenged. Chelsea on the other hand has no challenges, no weight challenges, no style challenges, no hair or make up challenges and wanted to do my hair like Marilyn Monroe. My hair actually looks just like a picture we found of her and Chels did an awesome job. Steve loved it, I thought it made my face look even fatter, but thanks Chels! It was great to feel pampered!
We ate at Macaroni Grill, delicious. I love my family!
JK helped Joe shoot in the backyard. He likes to hunt stuff like rabbits since they poop so much and it kills our grass or birds with his friends and Joe was sad he couldn't go with the big boys! One day buddy!

Lucky girls

I was spoiled this year. I don't usually do the whole blog how "wonderfully perfect life is," but I always like to spoil and surprise Steve and this year he blew me out of the water. I loved the feeling for about 2 seconds, but next big occasion I would like to be the giver again. Right before I left for California, Steve bought me a CAR! We have had 1 car for the past year. I was almost to my wits end and we found an awesome deal. We went back and forth between car and suv and decided on car for right now. We got a black passat and I absolutely LOVE it! So I tell him nothing for Christmas, but I get a purse and jacket from my favorite store AND an overnight to the Ritz Carlton in Marina del Rey with none other than my lovely sister and her husband. I was a little stressed about my kids, mainly Lynden and was pumping like a mad woman, but she was great, Joe was great, and my parents still loved them when we got back...so it was the first of hopefully more trips with my honey. Thanks mom, dad, JK, Ben, and Steve!
I had to post this picture for my friend Kathryn whose husband will hopefully make it on the PGA Tour. One day Kathryn, keep up the sassiness and patience and I bet Jake will get you one!
The beautiful lobby right before dinner
C N O Trattoria was delicious! Thanks Dan for the recommendation! Do you like the pool of marinara sauce for dipping garlic rolls? They don't rip you off! We only needed about an eighth of it!
The cute couple celebrating their 2nd anniversary with us
Hanging out getting dessert without children! It felt a little weird to just sit and talk uninterrupted
Breakfast the next morning was yummy and almost put us into a food-coma. I loved having a full night's sleep and didn't really know what to do with myself. Thanks so much for the fun getaway and for making it be so close to my parents just in case we were needed by our kids. I love you!
Happy Anniversary you cuties! December 28, 2007 was one of the most fun days of my life! Love you!

Christmas 2009

Christmas is so much more fun with kids! Lynden loved her bumbo from Santa...
We tried to teach Joe that if you're really really good Santa might bring you what you ask for, but he was insistent that he was getting a bike and a guitar...
And that is exactly what he got...So he wasn't very surprised! Opening presents was a little overwhelming for him, but he was thrilled with movies, clothes, baseball bats, balls, and firetrucks.
Here I am, the proud mother with my kids before the Christmas day festivities begin
Luckily, we were able to steal Steve away from FIFA with Ben for a family picture.
I love this little sweetie
Joe with his favorite auntie Chelsea Belsey
Lynden and Chelsea
Sista Sista
Us with our mom and dad
Thought this was a cute picture of Chelsea with her poppyseed
My mom's side of the family comes over for lunch and my aunt Ilene brings this yummy sandwich and her husband's delicious salsa. Of course there are lots of delicious treats.
Mom and her brother Lorin
Grandpa and Joe worn out taking a nap before the next group of family arrives.
This year Maddie had Steve...love the shirt
Emily had me...love the necklace
Grace had Joe...loves the caterpillar and Steve had Grace but I can't find that picture right this second
We played cards
Entertained baby Lynden
Joe got spoiled some more and thinks Uncle Dan is awesome! Uncle Dan got him a drum and told him to come in to our room right when he woke up the next morning and play the drum for us and at 8:30 that is exactly what he did along with demanding for spoons to be his drumsticks. Thanks Dan!
Joe was loving his drum and loving his guitar so him and grandma did a little show for us. He was actually marching around playing his drum. It was pretty entertaining. We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you did too!