"Careless Whisper"...

...a reliving of a 1986 PROM.

First of all, I have to say that I have the coolest friends...ever! A friend of ours was turning 40 this last weekend and so his wife threw him a birthday BASH to say the least. Yes, we relived his prom. Of course, 80's dress was strictly enforced. So Ty and I went shopping...Salvation Army served us quite well. But I will let you be the judge.

Can you believe I got my hair like that? I'd like to give myself credit, especially since I am certain my mom was still doing these do's for me through the 80's. Ty's style only took about 10 minutes of blowing dry!

We watched "Footloose" the night before so that we would be ready for the dance and apparently it did the job. We had a dance off, the winners be none other than yours truly! Ty was a dancing machine. He busted out moves that surprised even him. At one point he even found himself spinning on the floor after a few break dancing moves. But what won us the contest? Well, I danced half way down the line, stopped lifted my dress and Ty slid right on through my legs. It really was quite the sight! What a cool husband I have! We really had one of the funnest times ever!

The beautiful Kaari and birthday boy Lance, and of course PROM King and Queen.

These our friends Tiff and Steve with their OOPS, high school baby :)

Tracy and Jeff...and the wonderful backdrop...seriously?!

I stole a couple pics from Tracy since I didn't have my camera there. Thanks Trace

Our Boy had a Birthday!

So my little guy turned one...wipe tear. I think Ava was probably the most excited. We decorated with a banner and balloons and I made a fire truck cake (that I am very proud of by the way, especially for my first cake done this way). Ava would accept that it was Christian's birthday, but still thought all the presents were hers. We had a fun day. We went out to lunch, then came home and ate LOTS of cake! Here are the highlights...

My masterpiece

They were both ready to pounce.

BEFORE
DURING
AFTER
He really scarfed the cake. I remember Ava eating the frosting, but not getting too much cake. We had to take away the last little bit of his cake because he was downing it and we thought his little body would go into sugar shock...he was quite wired the rest of the night!

The cutest SUPERMAN I've ever seen...thanks Ken!

This sweet boy...

...walked 5 Steps the other day...and now he is letting go of whatever he is holding on to to take the plunge toward what he wants. He usually lasts about 3 steps then he is down, but unfortunately I know this means it is not long...he will be walking in no time :( Ava didn't move from her pretty little sitting position earlier than 10 months, so walking came to her around 14 months. But oh, not my boy. Maybe he will be walking by Saturday...it is his birthday after all.

On a different note...this kid slept from 7pm to 9am the other night! Seriously?! 14 hours? I could live like that! Too bad it didn't last, I guess I can settle with 12.

DAY 14:

I LOVE mY tY

I know, I know, duh! I won't be too sappy, but what a great guy to have around :)

-kisses

DAY 13:

I LOVE mY kIddOs :)



Oh Man, oh man, I must admit that I have the greatest, cutest kids in the world...of course, every parent SHOULD think that! I am absolutely amazed at how much love you can have in your heart for to little munchkins!


First of all, Ava. Sometimes I think it is hard to deal with a 2, almost "3 for my birthday" year old, then she just opens her mouth and says the funniest things and I forget all about it. The girl pretends to be shy for about 2 minutes then can't contain her bubbly personality any longer and is instantly friends with everyone...I don't know where she got this odd trait;) She loves her daddy so much and waits at the window for him each night. His arrival is then met with screams, hugs and kisses. I can't believe the little girl she is turning into. I LOVE her and just want to enjoy every minute.



My little chubby love. Christian is so much fun right now. Almost one, almost walking and the sweetest thing in the world. Ty and I tell each other every night how stinkin cute he is. We have called him happy feet pretty much since day 1, because when he is excited he kicks his feet like crazy, which seems to be quite frequent. He loves to give kisses, which has just started to include a little pucker followed by open mouth. My climber is all boy, getting into everything and always wanting a car or truck in his hand. I remember being excited for Ava to turn one, but I don't think Christian should be that old yet :( I love the little bug though!


P.S. The picture of Ava and the picture of Christian on the bottom were taken by my talented friend Alie.

DAY 12:

I LOVE sisters!

So I should know all about sisters, I do have 4 of them. I am fascinated by the wonderful relationships that sisters can have. Girls have so much emotion that goes into relationships that it makes them all the stronger. I love that I have a sister 12 years older than me, that technically grew up babysitting me, who now are great friends. We share our experiences with each other and learn from each other. I find great examples from each of my sisters. Juli is patient and tender, Lisa is service oriented and go-go-go (energizer bunny) , Amanda is always up for a good time and thoughtful, Amber is organized and has amazing strength. I could list things about my wonderful sisters all day. I really enjoy my relationship with each of my sisters Thanks girls :)

P.S. My brother is pretty cool too, just for dealing with all of us...among other reasons.

DAY 11:

I LOVE jamma's and papa's



Oh grandma's and grandpa's are the best! As a mom it is so fun to see your kids LOVE their grandparents, and likewise see grandparents LOVE your kids. I am so grateful to have parents and in-laws who are both willing (and anxious) to come and visit their grandchildren. Ava looks forward to those visits for a long time. I find so much joy in watching my kids gain a relationship with the people who have meant so much to me and Tyler.
I have such great memories of my grandparents and want my children to have them same. I feel like we are in the stage of making traditions with parents and it is so much fun. So both jamma's and both papa's...Ava and Christian love you so much and we are all so grateful to have you around. We are anticipating the visits :) Thanks for all you do.

DAY 10:

I LOVE DISNEYLAND.

So if there is anyone who is doubting the "happiest place on earth" we need to have a talking. I love Disneyland. Maybe it is because I grew up going all the time. I think it is the magic that captures my childlike heart. I honestly can't help but smile as I walk, or perhaps run from land to land. The thrill of bringing to life that which is only in movies is captivating, although I remember the year that "Pirates" suddenly looked fake and I thought, "when did they change this?" Maybe I love it so much because I can feel like a kid again. I am already so excited to go in September :)

These pics are from Disneyland when I was a little girl, that is me in the stroller because I am not in the first one, it is of my siblings but way too funny to not post. Get a load of those clothes!

The rest of the pics are of our new families adventures at Disneyland.

DAY 9:

I LOVE MUSIC.

Music is the greatest. I am so far from being musically talented it is comical, BUT I am extremely talented at listening to music, just ask my IPOD :) I am amazed at how much music can do. I enjoy how music can change moods or at least enhance them. There is nothing like belting out music at the top of your lungs in a car by yourself (or not by yourself- I knew it was love when Ty and I could do this together while dating :)) Music can teach wonderful things. I am in awe watching Ava learn things twice as fast when put to music. It can also make you more patient, loving, and happy. Sometimes music conveys emotions in a way that otherwise wouldn't be heard. So for today, I love music!

DAY 8:

I LOVE my INDEX finger...



I am telling this "LOVE" with a new increased knowledge. Living without an index finger might be hard to do, especially when you have lived your life with a healthy, plump pointer up to this time. How would I know you might ask?



Well last night I was visiting at a friend's house, cutting a baguette with her gin-su knives. Well, needless to say I cut about as much baguette as I did finger. So thank goodness for good friends to run me to the Urgent care. I am sure we looked so funny walking in with one girl holding my bloody finger and the other tagging along as the driver. Then another friend went to my house to watch my kids so that Tyler could come to the hospital. The first thing Ty said when he came was, "What's wrong with your right hand?" wondering why I wasn't holding my own finger. Anyway, Ty waited with me until the doctor sewed me up with 5 stitches and then I headed back to the girls at 11:00pm. I am so glad that I had good friends to drop everything for me without even a question. Love you girls.

So back to my point, why do I LOVE mr. index...
well, I already felt like I needed a third hand, now I realize how much I could really do with two...typing for starters, also doing dishes (didn't miss this), doing any of those "creating" things I mentioned in an earlier post, playing games with my kiddos, pretty much all my daily activities. Overall, life is easier without your index finger in a straight splint...go figure, but hey, it is intact! :)

warning: pictures to come :)

DAY 7:

I LOVE morning time

I absolutely love to wake up early and get my day going. Whether I get up and shower (which just might not happen if I don't sometimes), read, clean, work. You name it, I am happier when I am doing it first thing in the morning. I am amazed at what I can accomplish between 6-9. Maybe it is because my kids are still asleep for some of the time. Either wayI love it. I wish I would do it everyday, but sometimes I love sleep too :)

DAY 6:

I LOVE CAliFoRniA

So there are a few negatives to this place I call home, but today we are only focusing on the positives and they are numerous! So I have had a few reality checks this week as I spoke to my mom in Utah and my friend in NY, both telling me about their freezing temperature, including being snowed in for church. Now there may have been a day when I loved that stuff we call snow and hypothermia, but I don't care for it all that much anymore. Sure it is beautiful out the window, while sipping hot chocolate, but that is not my life at this point. So instead I took my cute kiddos to the park to swing and slide the afternoon away. We were in jackets and pants of course, but no mittens, hats, or bright red noses. Tyler always jokes, "is the price of California really worth the weather." Today, my love, it is! I remember when I first came to the San Jose area (that I remember) in Jr high or high school. I distinctly remember thinking what a beautiful place it would be to live. It is so green and there are trees everywhere, lining all the streets or in the median of the street. I love it. I love that people are "green friendly" here. Ty and I have adopted a few of these "green" habbits. There is so much diversity. Were eat wonderful Indian and Malasian food all the time. There are authetic Asian and Indian markets all over. Anyway, California is a great place to live...or visit...COME SEE US!

These pics are from our fun times out in the backyard.

14 Days of LOVE!!!

So I am behind, but my cute friend Tracy is doing this and I love the idea...can that be number one? Just kidding. So here is my catch up...

Day 1:

I LOVE Pictures.

I am so glad that we have pictures to keep our memories. I absolutely adore going through old pictures. While I was in Utah I went through a box of what I thought were my high school pictures but when I had all the negatives put onto CD's I found old pictures of my whole family. I found over 100 pictures from my dad's mission. How cool is that...he was a stud, check it out.

So now it is my goal to go through all my parents boxes and get all our family pictures on smugmug. SO FUN!

DAY 2:

I LOVE Learning.

I miss the days of college when all your stresses were about learning new, cool stuff. I am trying to recreate this situation in my life. First, I think you can learn so much from books, whether it be fiction, historic, whatever it is your mind is learning. So I am trying to find more time to read...very fun. Also, I am taking classes on subjects I don't know much about, but would like to. Right now I am enrolled in a Photoshop class that I am loving, mostly because of my fasination with pictures. It is just fun to learn, I guess that is why my degree is in teaching.

DAY 3:

I LOVE Creating.

So my house the last few weeks has been craft central. This is much to Ty's dismay because my office is "under construction" and therefore my kitchen has adopted my sewing machine, glue gun, ribbon bin (which is massive) and all sorts of materials. I have found so much joy in coming up with new ideas. I get so excited. So maybe I will post my new creations when I finish.

DAY 4:

I LOVE Buttons.

So along with this creating kick I am on, I am using buttons on everything. My most fav of all are the make-it-yourself fabric covered buttons...lalalove them. Buttons are just cool.

DAY 5:

I LOVE Cuddles.

Tyler mentioned last night as we got into bed that he wanted to "regain his half of the bed." What can I say, I like to to cuddle. By my favorite cuddle at the moment comes from my sweet little boy. He loves his mama and wears that fact on his sleeve. When I get him out of bed he just lays his head on my shoulder. Then while I am holding him he opens his slobbery mouth and leans in for kisses, completely unsolicited...priceless.

Motto of the Month...

My friend mentioned this quote and I think about it all the time. So in a pursuit to make myself a better person, I am making a monthly motto that I can think about and work on. We'll see how it goes. It is always better to tell someone so that you have "pressure" to fulfill your goals. So here we go, you can all keep me in check.

From the book I Am a Mother

"If you can control your behavior when everything around you is out of control, you can model for your children a valuable lesson in patience and understanding...and snatch an opportunity to shape character." pg. 81

I love this and hope that I can show this example to my children, especially when my buttons are being pushed. Wish me luck!