Christmas Day

Christmas was so much fun this year! There's nothing like watching a child open gifts on Christmas morning. Nicky learned about Santa this year and asked Santa for a blue car and a green car, which of course he got. He left chocolate chip cookies and a cupcake for Santa and was so excited to get his cars just as he had asked for. While all the gifts were exciting, we had such a wonderful time as a family and have so many beautiful memories. Here are a few pics of our day...

Merry Christmas!

Well, it has been a busy Christmas season and I think we are finally ready for Christmas. Although I didn't get around to Christmas cards this year (mainly because I didn't get around to insisting on a family picture and the last one I have is from Easter), we finally did get around to taking that picture. Merry Christmas!!!

Playing Catch-up...Again

Okay, so I don't update as often as I should. Perhaps I should just get used to waiting a few months and then doing really long entries :). Anyway, here's what we've been up to...

Nicky was a monkey for Halloween and he had a blast at our church's fall festival. He loved the games and the bounce houses and all the excitement of seeing all the other kids dressed up.

Back in November, Mimi & Gramps took Nicky to SeaWorld for Cookie Monster's Birthday. Unfortunately, it was sprinkling so Cookie Monster couldn't come to his own b-day party (what is up with that?) but Oscar the Grouch did come. Nicky loved meeting him and still tells me how he got to give Oscar a high-five and that Cookie Monster didn't come. Perhaps next time...

Just last week we got back from our trip to Oklahoma. Nicky got 2 weeks with Nannie & Grandpa and was spoiled rotten :). He had a great time and asks me all the time when we get to go back.

Last but not least, we found out right before our trip that Baby #2 will be a GIRL!!! We are very excited and I'm antsy to get her room in order. There's a lot to be done before that happens and my mom will be here in January to help me do it. Well, that about covers it for now...

Exciting News!!!

Okay, so I'm not very good at keeping this blog updated...what can I say. I haven't felt like doing much of anything lately as I have been so tired and not feeling myself. The reason you ask? Well, we are expecting Baby #2! I have made it through the 1st trimester and am starting to feel a bit better. My due date is March 25, 2009 and we are very excited. I had my first doctor's appt a couple of weeks ago and the baby looks good. Anyway, just wanted to share the good news...better head off to bed.

Like Father, Like Son

Two Year Pictures

Wow, how time flies. I can't believe it's been so long since I posted but we have been very busy around here. Between Nicky's swim lessons, gym classes, play dates & work, I haven't had much time to do anything else! It's been good though and I certainly can't complain. I thought I'd take a few moments and post some of Nicky's Two Year Pictures. We had them taken while we were in OK back in June by my high school algebra teacher (who has turned photographer, too), Mr. Olinske and he did a great job. Here are a few of my favorites...

Nick's New Favorite Sport

One of Nicky's favorite things to do is play basketball out front in the courtyard while I'm making dinner. As of yesterday though, he has discovered a new sport...baseball. Thanks to our friends Ellie & Nicole (who bought him a t-ball set for his b-day), Nicky is working on his swing. And yesterday, Daddy & G pulled out their baseball gloves and Nicky was sure not to be left out of the fun.

Oh, and we have a new favorite snack too...peanut butter! Spoonfuls and spoonfuls of peanut butter...ah, to be a kid again :).

Look Who's 2!!!

Nicky turned 2 on Wednesday (June 18th) and it has been a busy week! We all called in sick to work on Wednesday and headed down to San Diego to Sea World for the day. It was a perfect day for Sea World and Nick got to do a lot of things he hadn't done at Sea World before. His new favorite animal is the turtle (and when he says that word, it is super cute!). Here are a couple of pics from the day...

Waiting to see Shamu...

Checking out the turtles with Mimi & G.

Feeding the dolphins with Daddy...

Taking a break with Mommy...

We made it home in time for dinner and had some good ol' Chicago hot dogs for dinner followed by chocolate cupcakes with white chocolate frosting...Yummy! Nick tried a cupcake but wasn't very interested...

Yummy Cupcakes!

Playing with his new remote control bus...without the remote control.


What a day! We are so blessed to have Nicky in our lives. We are so proud of him and look forward to celebrating many birthdays to come!

Oklahoma - June 2008

I finally got the chance to download the pictures we took while we were in Oklahoma. My mom was kind enough to throw Nicky a party at Chuck E Cheese so we got to see some old friends and have a great time with the kids too. I of course enjoyed being pampered by my parents for a week (my mom gets Nick in the morning while I sleep in)...not to mention the home cooked meals of fresh corn on the cob, burgers, beans and cornbread, and of course, her wonderful desserts. I came back a few pounds heavier but we had a great time. Here are a few pics...

Grandpa & Nick enjoying a little time together at "the pool".

Old friends still making great memories. (Props to Aunt Michelle for the super-cool remote control car she gave Nick for his b-day! He loved it!)

Blowing out the candles on his cupcakes. You can tell I was so surprised he did it all by himself :).

And last but certainly not least, Uncle Jon brought his Sherriff's car to Nicky's party so Nick could sit in it and turn on the sirens and lights. Nicky loved it and had such a great time!

Swim Lessons

We just got back from a week-long trip to Oklahoma and I have a lot of catching up to do. Here are some pictures of Nicky at his swim lessons. He loves it and has so much fun every week jumping into the pool, blowing bubbles and learning to kick and paddle.

Lake Tahoe

Well, we survived our first time away from Nick. Last Thursday Grant and I set out up to Lake Tahoe for a weekend away. We missed Nicolas terribly but we had a great time. It was a beautiful place filled with lots of stuff to do. We stopped at REI on the way up to get me a few things so I could join Grant hiking. We had 2 great hikes. The first was up Mt. Tallac to Cathedral Lake. We made it about 2/3 of the way there when we encountered a bear and quickly turned around and made our way down the mountain. It snowed most of the day but it was a great hike nonetheless...

Our second hike started at Lily Lake and was a beautiful hike along several waterfalls. Again, it snowed but it was well worth it.

All in all, Grant and I decided we would definitely go back. Although next time, we'd like to bring Nicky along. It just isn't the same without him :).

Daddy's Helper

Yesterday we shipped out 62 boxes and Nick was ready to help. Here are some pictures of him helping Daddy...

Trying on Mommy's Shoes for Size

It has been so much fun to watch Nick grow up over the last 23 months. Here is one of my favorite recent pics of him. Lately he wants to try on everyone's shoes so here he is trying on my flip flops for size. Anymore, he will always turn away if he knows you want to take a picture so getting pics of him is a matter of absolute surprise :).

A lot to catch up on...

After a few requests to start blogging again, I figured I better get everyone caught up since the last post back in January. So...here goes.

In mid-January, we got Nick a kitchen set which he absolutely loves. One of his favorite things is to put water in the sink and play in it. Whether he's washing dishes or rocks, he's always playing in the water.

Then in February, we visited the Wild Animal Park with our friends, Nicole & Ellie, and we had so much fun!
And then there was Valentine's Day. What a cutie!

Oh yeah, and we can't forget our trip to SeaWorld with Ellie & Nicole. What a blast!

Easter was so much fun this year. Nick was totally into finding the eggs. Since I didn't want to give him candy in his eggs, I filled them with stones (which he collects) and he loved it. He did get an Easter basket with goodies in it but he was more interested in the rock filled eggs than anything else. Also, he had an adorable Easter outfit which he promptly got dirty so all of the Easter pics are in an outfit he totally picked out. Here ya go...

In April, we took a trip back to Oklahoma to visit my parents. We had a great time and Nicky picked up on saying "Nannie" & "Pa" (short for Grandpa) very quickly. Here are a couple of pics from our trip.

So, that about does it. Life is always exciting around here with an almost 2 year old and we wouldn't want it any other way. Until next time...

Fun at Chuck E. Cheese

We have recently re-discovered Chuck E. Cheese. Grant and I went there as kids and loved it and now, Nicky loves it too. The first time he went, he went with Grandma & Gramps. The second and third time, we went with our friends Nicole & Ellie. Here's are some of the highlights...

His all time favorite...Bob the Builder.

Checking Barney out...

Playing with Ellie...

Nicky Was Here

There's nothing like entering a room and discovering that for the 30 seconds you were changing out the laundry, your child was dismantling the place. Nicky knows what is off limits but sometimes I think those forbidden drawers and rooms are way too tempting. So, here's my list of ways I know Nicky has been where he shouldn't be.

1. There are 5 water bottles laying around in disarray.
2. My chapstick is on the floor and there's a gaping finger-shaped hole in the center. Yes, I've thrown away about 4 tubes of chapstick by now. You'd think I would find a better hiding place :). 3. There's a puddle of water on the floor.
4. The drawer is empty and the contents are not just pulled out but are flung around the room.
5. The remote to the TV is MIA. Usually to be found behind the rocking chair in his room.
6. The look on his face tells me everything I need to know...except where he hid my cell phone.