this little family of three

The Big 29

2011-10-16T17:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, you read the title right.
The last birthday I will ever celebrate in my 20's. I'm slowly letting go of my youth. It is now hanging on by a thread.
I really am not looking forward to my next birthday. In fact, I am dreading it.

Numbers aside, I had a great last year in my 20's birthday. Dan took me on an all-day shopping extravaganza. We shopped, ate, shopped & ate until we could stand on our feet no more. Thanks to my mom, we were child free. A shopping trip child free? The best day ever!

My birthday fell on a Sunday this year, so we actually did the shopping trip on Saturday and then had a little family party on Sunday. It was the best last youthful birthday an almost 30 year old could ask for.

We opened presents...

Penny helping momma...

Watched last year's corn-maze video (it has become a classic)... I should probably post it sometime. p.s My favorite news headline of the month? The couple who got stuck/lost in a corn maze and called 911. I kind of wish that could have been me.

Playing with my new avocado cuber. She loves that thing.

My cute little husband picked out this cute little cake. He lit all 29 candles and then pushed my face into them. No, not really but I might ask him to do that next year. And that really tall random candle? It was a singing candle and it definitely sang it's little heart out.

Here's to 29- the age I will most likely use for the rest of my life.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2011-09-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

Penny's first Disneyland trip! The first trip always calls for the classic Dland shot.

In line for Small World, Penny's first ride. She loved it. No smiles, just completely silent and in awe. Definitely a very over-stimulating ride. I hadn't been on that ride since I was like 10. Never liked it much. Still don't. But I'm sure I'll be going on it many more times in the near future.

Alice in Wonderland. After this one was over, she said "gagain? weeee!" (translation: "again? that was fun!")

These were her little nervous hands on every ride.

Still mad we didn't buy them. She wasn't crazy about them so we figured we'd wait. Still mad about it.

She was such a good girl. No crying, no whining, nothing (then again, she's not big on crying anyway). But at the end of the day, she just couldn't hold on any longer...

It was a great day to be at Disneyland- a perfect 75 degrees and very short lines... and the best part? We showed up at 3 and left by 8:30 and hit tons of rides- it was perfect. Until next time, Disneyland!

and the fun continues...

2011-07-26T14:55:00.000-07:00

Watch out... don't mess.

Fun with Mama...

Watching Josh surf.

Hi Josh!!

Oh wow Caitlin. Quite a catch.

Big ups boy.

Wonder who the genius was that invented bunny ears.

Really not sure what's going on here. I'm pretty sure we were trying to pull off the 90's back to back pose...

Not sure how Penny knew there was a picture being taken with that blindfold over her eyes.

Perfect form Pensty!

We love the beach... especially in good company!

(Kelly & Steve, come visit us next.)

incognito

2011-07-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

y left. Totally threw them off.

Pretty good, right? (yes, and gross)
It seemed to fool a lot of the youth in our church at the "pick out the leaders at the mall" activity... especially with the presence of my unknown co-conspirator, Stacey, on my left. Totally threw them off.

hould do this for a living.

I don't think I'll be cutting my hair short anytime soon after seeing those pics.

And don't worry... I'll never post another large picture of my face ever again.

Visitors

2011-07-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Josh and Caitlin decided to surprise everyone and come down to visit last weekend! So we decided to hit up the go-carts and laser tag...

Boys vs. Girls. Not even going to say who won. Both times. Even when Dan's gun went out on him for one of the games. Oh well. We could kick their butts on a shopping trip any time.

Brooke was in charge of our "plan of attack". She totally looks like the "plan of attack" type of girl, right?

Hmm, not sure what this is...

Not sure about this either...

And still not sure...

But one thing I am sure of...

sure wished they lived closer!

Maybe someday.

I didn't forget about you

2011-06-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

It's so easy to remember documenting all the events and places we go, yet so easy to overlook and forget all the little moments along the way...

So here's to remembering the little moments of the past month or so that I might have overlooked had I not taken a meager minute to snap a photo...
(I have actually taken a photo a day for a few months now so I can remember something small- significant or insignificant- each day; a little proof of our existence each day or else I would likely forget everything about the day before yesterday, everyday.)

(if you know Winston, then you're probably laughing at this pic like I did)

(7th anniversary dinner on May 8th)

Grandma Holly!

Just a boring day... (apparently Grandma Holly wasn't there!)

Another boring day...
Wouldn't you just love for Winston to roll all over your couch right now? The shedding is unreal.
I wish I had an ear that I could wear as a beauty mask when I sleep.

Picked up this little plastic beaut at a garage sale for $10. Couldn't just drive by that one! I used to LOVE riding these as a kid.

Oh, and Dan- you think maybe you could just move your arm out of the pic for a sec? It's blocking the whole picture. Thanks.

In heaven. And of course she's wearing her favorite "dat". She won't go ANYwhere without it these days, whether it matches an outfit or not. She wouldn't even take a bath without it on yesterday. Oh well, at least it's a cute "dat".

And there's LOTS more where that came from! I just need to transfer them from my phone to the computer! There's only about 3329847 (just an estimate) pics sitting stagnant in my phone right now.

I saved this blog post unfinished and came across this video in the meanwhile...thought it was fitting to add to this entry!

Picking

2011-06-21T22:31:00.000-07:00

Mmmm mmm..... good! Nothin' like fresh picked blueberries!

But nothing's sweeter than this little helpful picker.

there's no place like utah

2011-06-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

A quick but very eventful weekend in the lovely Provo, Utah documented by our trusty iphones.

It starts out with a heavenly breakfast of Magleby's french toast.

...and then a nice little joyride on the brap brap ("motorcycle")

...followed by an eclectic variety of activities

... and ending with our favorite activity of the weekend

...the one...the only... Mr. (steamy) Bruno Mars

What's that you say? He's singing to us? No, it couldn't be...

Oh Bruno, really... you should sing to someone else once in a while too...

You don't want to? Fine, I won't be mad about it...

Really... you may as well just put on a private concert just for Cait and I... seriously though.

Then amidst the Bruno trance, I looked over and forgot whether we were at the opera or at a Bruno Mars show.

Then as he clutched his heart (while singing my name into the mic) I instantly remembered where we were...

And then it was over. Just like that.

The greatest part was that the Utahns at the concert obviously weren't familiar with bands doing an encore and everyone started leaving RIGHT after his last song. It was horrible. So we had to start the "encore" stomp. He eventually came back out and said to the naive Utah walk-awayers, "you guys leaving already? You gonna come back?" I bet that was the first time that's ever happened to him. I really do love Utah though. It was a great crowd (that wasn't sarcastic- I really mean it).

And then he ended our trip with this song (one of my top 3 faves)...

(the camera is shaky for the first 30 seconds or so as I quickly handed Dan my camera to film- I kind of had more important things to do ; )

One more thing, for anyone wondering- he never hit a flat (or sharp) key. The whole time. The video sounds a little off at times but I can assure you with my extensive musical knowledge that he hit every note with perfect precision.

a typical day

2011-06-03T22:35:00.000-07:00

... in the life of Pensters.

When she's not outdoors, you will most likely find her:

stacking...

starting new fashion trends...

checking her new hat out in the mirror when no one is watching (or so she thinks)...

burying her head between mom's legs (a new little thing she picked up over the last few days)...

pulling every single diaper out of the diaper cupboard (just for kicks) with a bow strategically placed on the back of her head. and don't worry about the ball in her free hand. this is plan B for when plan A gets old.

showing off some crack...

and we're back to the tupperware hat... but this time it's hilarious to put it on mom's head.

and we're recharging for round 2 (with a ball in hand)...

bath time = disneyland...

more stacking practice...

and blank stares...

and more hats...

and more crack...

and more faces that make mama want to eat her up...

...and we're back to square 1.

take me out...

2011-05-25T12:08:00.000-07:00

...to the ball game!

Especially when it's my little bro's ball game!

Can I just take a second to brag a little?
I feel like it's okay because he's my brother and not my child.
Plus, my mom has never been one to brag about her kids (ever.) so someone has to do it!
And most of all, he deserves it.

My little brother started playing baseball for the first time last year.
After one season of playing baseball, he was drafted onto the majors... at the age of 10.
His team is full of 12 year olds that are twice his size. But Jon still kicks butt! He switches between 3rd and shortstop but my favorite is when he pitches. All that concentration in one little tiny body kills me.
He made allstars last year, and doesn't know it yet but has made it again this year! (He's not supposed to know until they put the sign up in the lawn, so shhhh... don't tell!)

He's pretty awesome.

I have a sister's right to brag. Sorry mom.

Penny sure loves her daddy.

This is Jack, Stacey's new son. He stayed like this the entire game. Good boy, Jack!

We love our baseball games!

Example.

2011-05-01T14:21:00.000-07:00

Wow. What an amazing young man and example to all of us.

A Yellowish Easter

2011-04-28T12:03:00.001-07:00

One thing I love about Dan? He's a flower guy. He is so good at bringing home flowers. And pretty frequently, I might add.

These were well needed for a lovely Easter morn'.

The matching yellow was surprisingly not planned.

And then of course, there was the Easter Egg Hunt at Grandma Leslie's. Penny loved her Elmo Easter basket. It is still being used daily for gentle placement of balls that are not being used at that moment.
Baaaaahhhhhhllllllllllssssss.
Mmmm... a life where the only thing that matters is balls. I'm okay with that.

She was such a pro at the Easter Egg Hunt, or as she called it, the "ball" hunt. After all, why the heck would anyone hide eggs around in a backyard?
She spotted the "balls" we never thought she would find. Then she would carefully kneel and place them into her Elmo basket.
She's going to be a professional Easter Egg Hunter for sure.

Blah blah blah

2011-04-11T21:35:00.000-07:00

I wrote a blog post exactly a month ago today that I never posted.

It was (of course) about Penny at 15 months (even though she is now 16 months).
But lets pretend (for the sake of my memory of Penny at 15 months) that it's still her 15 month birthday...

And everything about her in this post was a characteristic of her at 15 months. We won't include any of her new 16 month "tricks".

I (being an over zealous mother) compiled a list of all the words she says on a daily basis. These words are her life.

Of course, I had to document the animal noises too. She can't look at any of these animals (or hear the names of them) without making the noises to go with them within a split second. She never gets stuck on a single one. It's the cutest thing in the world.

I love this picture of Penny. The dirty knee sums it up.
(thank you Emma for my cute top!)

Just give her a ball and/or a book and she's set for the day. And I mean that.

I love this little girl.

Remember when...

2011-04-04T10:34:00.000-07:00

... remember when I posted my New Years resolutions a while back? I actually had 2 that I posted:

1) to SIMPLIFY & declutter my life and 2) to blog EVERY Sunday. (originally, I had said that I wanted to blog EVERY day- I'm kind of embarrassed I ever wrote that... I must have been in that mood where I felt like I could do everything.)

Well, # 2 has been somewhat of a dud but only because #1 has been controlling my life (along with a wedding which is now over! Definitely worth all the work- it was a blast!)

My house is slowly coming along with an organizational system developing in every room. Really, you can't function in a home if there isn't some kind of organizational system in every single room. Slowly, I am getting rid of unimportant things and creating homes for every single item that will remain in my home!

Dan finally finished my office desk (it's the replica of the pottery barn bedford desk except way better!). Just need to add hardware and we're set! It's seriously awesome.

So, yes, I admit, my blog has been lacking and I really do regret it because I feel like I have nothing to show for March (except for what I have written in my mommy one line a day book- I really wish it gave me more space to write). It almost makes me feel uneasy knowing that months or years from now, when I look back at my blog, I'll come to March 2011 and wonder what the heck I did that month... it kind of stresses me out. Like I may as well have not existed in March.

But I did exist in March and am alive and well! I missed my blog last month and hope I find the time to pay more attention to it this month!

Now please excuse me while I get back to my spring cleaning! I've got a house to organize!

Cait, Elmo, and a Dress

2011-03-08T20:04:00.000-08:00

Yes. Caitlin's bridals. Done and done. I don't want to post them here because I already posted them on my other blog.
Click HERE to see the rest (and to meet our boy Elmo!)

Josh... if you have wandered to my blog out of boredom, do NOT click on the link above (and don't look below)! You cannot see Cait in her dress until wedding day! It's bad luck!

Showered with Love

2011-03-06T20:44:00.000-08:00

Cait's bridal shower was definitely worth the trip to Utah.

Got to hang out with so many friends and family members, I didn't even know what to do with myself! It definitely made me miss Utah.

(sister, sister, cousin, and cousin)

(mom and the new mom-in-law)

Cait opened some fantastic gifts. Too fantastic to even show.

Watching a video of Josh being interviewed about his bride-to-be. Definitely entertaining.

The lovely Casey.

And the great Aunt Stacey!

Tiff helping with the delicious Zupas sandwiches.

Tashy.

The lovely bride-to-be in all her cheesy-smiledness.

Not too much longer to go!

One.

2011-02-20T22:41:00.000-08:00

Penny's first birthday is finally posted (just a couple months late- no big deal).

I back-posted so when she gets older she will think I posted on her actual birthday.

Click here to join the party!

SickBook

2011-02-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

Poor little thing got sick on New Years Eve with a high fever.
It was very sad.
It's always sad when kids get sick...

but do we have to facebook it?

Now, I'm not a regular "facebook statuser" so maybe I have no room to speak, but
has anyone else noticed that "facebook" has turned into "sickbook" where everyone statuses about how sick they (or a child) are?
I feel your pain, sickbookers, but isn't there anything else exciting to status about? Like maybe what color shoes you are wearing? Because that would make for a better read than how sick you were last night. Plus I feel like I might catch whatever you have just from reading about it.
Just a thought.

Fake n' Bake

2011-02-02T20:11:00.000-08:00

oh dear.

p.s I just want to let it be known that I do not watch Jersey Shore.

cannibalistic desires

2011-01-30T23:02:00.000-08:00

We are just loving this beautiful January weather... not too cool, not too hot. Just right.

And perfect for a little picnic in the park.

I just want to bite right into that happy little face. Pour a little sugar on it, then just eat it right up.
Is there such thing as mommy cannibalism?

Do you believe in the Big Bang Theory?

2011-01-20T21:33:00.000-08:00

I do.

You never know what the morning may bring when it comes to bangs.

It's okay Penny. We still love you.

I Simply Remember My favorite Things...

2011-01-09T18:33:00.000-08:00

As of the beginning of 2011, these are a few of our favorite things...

P's favorites:

Banana slices. They may as well be little slices of heaven.

Cantaloupe and honeydew. Candy.

Bath time. I can barely keep her little naked body in my arms once she sees/hears that faucet go on.

So what. Judge me.

Balls. She can chase these fuzzy suckers all day long. Laughing the whole time. Not even kidding. Roll. Chase. Roll again. Chase. This will go on until mommy gets tired.
Side note: Don't ever google "balls". Learn from my mistake.

Books.
Books.

And more books.
Books definitely take the #1 spot.
She will sit in her corner (where the book bin is) and flip through the pages of every one of her books in complete silence while mom works on the computer.
(and yes, I am actually working at these times!)

Oh, and of course, Elmo.

Dan's Favorites:

The AR 15 gun. And all other forms of gun life.

The military channel.

And of course, his first true love.

Tracy's Favorites:

My new Dirt Devil EXTREME! (it really is as hardcore as it sounds)
Thank you Kelly for saving my sanity.
How did I not own one? Well, I did have one but the charger didn't work. It is stationed in a convenient, easy to grab location and I use it on a daily basis (after P's meals). SO much easier than pulling out the vac or broom.
(find it on amazon)

Currently my favorite read. I feel like we're BFF's now. Seriously.
(find it on amazon)

And thank you, Mom, for this little pink gift from heaven.
The le Angelique curling wand.
Have had it for a few weeks now and love it.
Thick barrel (so my curls aren't too curly) and no taper. Not a fan of the tapered barrels.
Love it.
(find it on amazon)

I've owned this little book now since last August and am still writing my "one line a day" even though there's really room for more than one line. Still wish there was a little more room but still one of my favorite things nonetheless.

Each page has five entry spots with blank dates to fill in. You are supposed to use the same date on a page for 5 years in a row. This way, I can see all in one page what Penny did on January 9 2011, Jan 9 2012, 2013 and so on. Pretty fun.

(find it on amazon)

Which leads me to ...
the one ...
the only ...

Amazon.
You are my best friend forever. Perhaps for life.
Thank you to Kelly (and Kathleen) for sharing your Prime.
I couldn't have done it without you.

Hank and Winston's Favorites:

Their new custom doggy beds custom made by my dad and Dan to fit perfectly in their houses. They are LOVING them.

As they always say...

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feeeeeeeel so bad~

(name that tune. if you don't know it, i want to speak to your mother)

1.1.11

2011-01-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

Really? A whole month since I blogged last? Makes me a little stressed to think I missed so much... even missed blogging Penny's first birthday.

I don't really feel like blogging anything more than nothing today.
Just wanted to be able to come back later and see a blog on 1.1.11.
I was alive and blogging on 1.1.11.

So here's to 1.1.11 and the year to come.

(and may 2011 be the year of simplifying everything in my life. sold a nightstand today that was cluttering the garage. looks like we're off to a good start.)

One.

2010-12-04T22:02:00.000-08:00

They really do grow up fast.

I can't even remember what life was like before December 4, 2009.
I'm sure it was convenient.
But you are worth all the inconvenience and extra work that this past year brought...

Happy Birthday Pensty.

Penny and Great Grandma (above) and Grandma Holly (below). She sure loves her grandmas!

Pin the "rock on" on Penny.

Of course, Dad is the winner. Spot on.

Before the cake.

Those nostrils are flared with chocolaty joy.

After the cake.

Pin the "rock on" on Brooke.

Presents!

War paint.

THANK YOU TO ALL WHO CAME!
(and even those who couldn't come- as long as you had a legitimate note signed by your mother)
(and a thank you to Jon for helping with the pictures- you are so good!)

Announcing....

2010-12-03T00:20:00.000-08:00

The engagement of my sister!

Cait came down to visit over Thanksgiving break (when Josh surprised her with an adorable proposal) so we thought we'd get the engagement pictures out of the way while they were in town...

Here's a sneak peak...

CLICK HERE for the rest of the collection!

Should Have But Didn't

2010-11-28T21:12:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I was sitting around explaining to family members an idea I wanted to patent and create. It was an idea that would only be aimed at a certain niche of individuals... the germaphobes. My besties.

My idea was a little rubber/silicone-type material device that would hang from your keychain and fit around your pointer finger for use on ATM and debit/credit card machines/crosswalk buttons etc. I always get a little grossed out (understatement) using those things when I think of all the fingers of unknown individuals who also use them on a daily basis. Especially when it's not rare to see people in their cars and even public places trying to be discreet (or not) while picking their noses. Or watching a bum at a crosswalk pulling the snot rocket maneuver while attempting to pull the snot out with one hand and proceeding to hit the crosswalk button. With the same hand. It happens all too often. The only thing I hadn't thought far enough was how to store this little device on the keychain. Would it just hang there? I just hadn't put much thought into that part.

Well, come to find out, someone was on to me. I have an evil twin out there who picked my brain and stole my idea. Except they took the idea and ran with it. And it's awesome. And I may or may not have already added it to my Christmas list.

Here is the description: ( I especially love the first line/question)

Why didn't I think of that? If you'd rather not touch public door handles, ATM pads or other less-than-sanitary surfaces with your bare hands, use the Safety Touch. The silicone cover slips out of its chrome-plated case and over your finger. Attach it to your key chain so it's always close at hand.

Well, there you have it. Thank you to whoever was brave/smart enough to take the necessary steps to make my idea come to life.

If you are at all interested, these can be purchased at the Container Store.

And When We Weren't

2010-11-17T18:58:00.000-08:00

Driving to Utah is always a blast.

When we weren't in the car driving to Utah, we could be found taking pictures of the St. Garge Temple.
(Yes, Garge. That's the way they say it here).

And when we weren't still driving to Utah, we could be found in our little lovely hotel room sleeping.

In the morning (when it wasn't Magleby's french toast for breakfast), it was doughnuts.
Little daddy-daughter doughnut runs.

Just doesn't get more peanutish than this little peanut.

When we weren't eating doughnuts, we were eating something else just as fattening and unhealthy... and acting like numskulls all at the same time.

And when Penny wasn't watching us act like numskulls, she could be found dreaming with Elmo.

And when Penny wasn't dreaming with Elmo, she could be found somewhere, but not in this picture. Apparently the photography at Tucano's isn't awesome.

And when we weren't eating greasy fatty foods, we were hanging out with non-greasy, not fatty, good friends.
Good enough friends that Dan and Tamio felt the need to "cover up" while all standing next to each other.

And when the boys weren't wishing they had StaBrent's 'stache, they could be found taking pics of their wives.

And when we weren't trying to figure out how to get one of the whole group, we were getting one of the whole group.

And when we weren't with old-time friends, we were hanging out with Josh and Caitlin. Talking about Indie-ness. Which leads me to a funny quote via Dan.

(Let me set the scenario)

Dan and I walk into Magleby's and there's a table full of male Indies. A couple of the Indies are looking at us and definitely saying things that most likely weren't positive. Was it because Dan wasn't wearing his wife's jeans like they all were? Maybe it was because he didn't have a thick scarf so perfectly wrapped around his neck. Who knows. Anywho, I wasn't about to tell Dan because I didn't want any words or looks exchanged.

Later on when they left, I told Dan. I explained that I didn't say anything because I didn't want him saying anything to them. My reasoning was (quote) "there were 10 of them and only one of Dan".
His exact response was, "10 indies and one of me? Ya, I'll take my chances."
HAHAHAHAHAHAH
The line of the year. Thank you Dan.

Back to Caitlin and Josh. And our fun conversations over ironing.

And when we weren't watching conference, we decided we also weren't going to look at the camera.

And while we weren't talking about indies, ironing, and conference, we could be found at Nie Nie's devotional on "Inner Beauty". Pretty awesome.

When we weren't somewhere among this sea of chaos...

We were driving back home.

And that was our Utah extravaganza in a nutshell.

Oh, and speaking of nutshells...

Tis the Season...

2010-11-02T17:37:00.000-07:00

Halloween season, that is...
'cuz it ain't over til the bat lady sings (yes, bat lady... the first time you've ever heard me be politically correct, I know).

Events leading up to the big day...

Creepy faces. Brooke could totally play a creepy child actor...

This is a classic example of what happens when a child's parents are out of town and can walk out the door wearing whatever he wants. Awesome. Good thing he's cute.

A little awkward, but still cute nonetheless...

My favorite face ever... she does this while breathing in and out of her nose at lightning speed.

The classic mom looking at the baby, baby not looking at camera, dad not sure what's going on pose. Doesn't get better.

Dan's creation. Mine wasn't cool enough to get a picture of. Dan and I are kind of HUGE werewolves and vampires fans...and NOT from Twilight. More like Vampire Diaries. Best show EVER.

And the transformations take place... thanks to Ryan for taking these.

Ya, ya, so you thought those were cool.

Not even.

The WINNER (of just plain life altogether) goes to...

drumroll....

and

Told you it got better. Everyone can just throw in the towel when Ryan and Kelly are around.

But one more of our weak attempt just for kicks. And no, Penny is not a pirate gypsy. She is an Afghan child. A ragamuffin.

A ragamuffin watching TV.

The Halloween season treated us well. But if you want to see someone who had an even better Halloween season, visit my prettypeople blog. Doesn't get better than this. Thrilled that I could be a part of it.

Jealous. Jealous. Jealous.

2010-10-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

I want one.
And bless this woman's heart for rescuing this little grateful guy.
(if it doesn't play when you click the play button, refresh your screen)

An Unintentional Testimonial

2010-10-21T21:50:00.000-07:00

... that my three grandmas love me.

Dear Great Grandma Alice,

Thank you so much for my cute dresses that you sewed for me. They fit perfect and are so comfortable to play in. As you can see, I'm playing in one of the dresses right now. I hope I get lots more in the future!

Love, Penny

Dear Gramma Holly,

Thank you so much for the fun box that my Winston twin came in. I love it. And I happen to like the dog too.

Love, Penny

Dear Grandma Leslie,

Thank you so much for this cute beanie you crocheted me. It is so cute and so warm. It's also so much fun to pull off my head because I like to watch my mom roll her eyes.

Love, Penny

This & That. At a Cabin on the Beach.

2010-10-08T11:05:00.001-07:00

A little bit of this...

And a little bit of that...

Lots and lots of this...

And a whole lot of that...

A little slice of this...

And a little slice of that... (and I mean little. as in sliver. this is quite a rarity)

A whole lot of this...

A whole lot of that...

And quite a bit of this...

And quite a bit of that...

Doesn't get better than this...

Or manlier than that...

And lots of time put into this...

And lots of time put into that... (downtown shopping)

And ALWAYS lots of this...

And no more of that.

THE END

p.s. Stacey was there too. She just wouldn't let me take any pictures of her because she thought she looked like a tourist with her unmatching get ups and hat. At least it wasn't her M-Signs shirt.

P & B

2010-10-04T22:01:00.001-07:00

Penny and Berkeley. Which one is which?

Penny apparently wants her headband back.

And now she wants her dress back.

Geez, they may as well have moms that have been friends for 349 years! Oh wait, they do!

Not sure about this one.

We love our Berkeley visits!

9 1/2

2010-09-24T11:47:00.001-07:00

Penny has only known her daddy for 4 months (out of her long 9 1/2 month life) but if I didn't know any better, I would think they've been best friends for life...

Right around her 9 month birthday, she decided to say her first word. Would anyone like to take a wild guess?
"Dog". Surprise, right?
In a really high pitched voice. And it's rarely ever just "dog". It's usually "a dog" to be more precise. And it sounds more like "a dod!!" with a very strong emphasis on dod to be exact.
She fits right in to our little doggy-crazy family.
Her second word (which was just the other day)? "Cat". Not very happy about that one. She definitely learned it from Baby Einsteins because we never taught her "cat". She actually said it while she was watching Einsteins and Dan and I both looked at each other in disbelief. We went back to the part with the cat and sure enough, she confirmed any questioning. So there you have it. Dog. And cat.

The rest of Penny's wide spectrum of talents and interests include:

Kisses (as in the picture above with daddy). She comes in so slow and gentle with her little lips pursed and ready. It makes me want to eat her.

Standing up (while holding on to objects).

Besides saying "Dog" when she sees a dog, she pants and makes "rffff rffff" noises. Lovely.

And of course typical "mamama" and "Dadada" stuff. Not quite sure she's 100% sure those are our names yet though.

"Five Five Five" -(high fives)

Still LOVES books and LOVES turning the pages. I don't remember when I've ever been able to turn the page since she's been the designated page turner for several months now.

Lays still when I change her diaper! She went through a 2 week faze where she did NOT want to lay still but I was able to train her back to her old ways of laying patiently. If she attempts to flip over, I say "not yet" and she gives up and lays real still. The second I say "okay!" she flops over. Too cute.

Loves chicken pieces.
Loves quesadillas.
Loves cheese.
Loves fruit. Namely cantelope and honey dew.
Loves cooked carrots.
Basically loves all realms of "big people" food.

Takes mini steps when her hands are held.

Loves to sing strange notes in really high pitch voices. Especially when mom chimes in. Then she sings even higher and can hold a note for a good 10 seconds. Not even kidding. The best part is her face when she's doing it. It's like she knows she is being silly.

Loves to play on the floor with mom's measuring cups and spoons. Even more fun? A sock in each hand. Oh to be a baby where everything is a hoot.

Loves to be a copy-cat.

Loves to wrinkle her nose and breathe in and out of her teeny nostrils real fast (like a dog).

Loves to point at things with her little finger. If there is a dog in a book, she will point at it with her little finger (while gently tapping it) and say " a dog!!".

Would play in her crib after naps all day long if I let her. It's a whole other world in her crib.

Loves cuddling/stroking/petting/patting her lamb in her crib. They're best buds.

Geez, you would think this was my first kid or something... oh wait, it is! Winston and Hank don't even count.

So excited to see what else is in store... does it get any better than this?

An Officer and a Gentleman: Navy Dental Ball 2010

2010-09-09T21:51:00.000-07:00

Just gonna go ahead and catch myself a nice little date with this young chap. It's not everyday you get to go on a date with an Officer in uniform...

I'm also gonna go ahead and make sure that I barely take any pictures... what the heck! Oh well... next year I'll be sure to take more!

Soooooooo Boring.

2010-09-02T10:23:00.000-07:00

I actually used to enjoy reading In Touch, People, US Weekly- all the celebrity gossip mags.

How?

How did I ever enjoy those?

They have become so boring to me. I was trying to read a few last night (I had a stack of unread magazines left over from our beach cabin trip that the group had compiled) and I found myself just turning one page after the next without wanting to read a thing.

The only thing that does catch my eye on each page is the fashion (go figure). I don't even like 75% of what the celebs wear! My friends are better dressers (not to mention a gazillion times better looking) than these yucky celebs. They all look like they would reek of nasty day-old perfume and smelly face powder seeped into the crevices of deep wrinkles. Wrinkles from all the tanning, drug & nicotine usage, and stress (stressing from trying to look beautiful, stressing over surgeries, stress from not wanting to get caught in their extramarital relationships, stress from having to starve themselves etc). I know because I've seen PLENTY of celebs in person. It's NEVER been a pretty sight. One even held a bag up to her face while walking to her car because she didn't want people to see her nasty face. Gee, that's a smart way not to draw attention to an ugly face. Another (who I have actually seen TWICE in person and whose name rhymes with Schmangelina) has skin that will make very evident how AMAZING photo editing software and airbrushing actually is. (disclaimer: I justify my cruel remarks about celebrities 1)because they ask for it by being famous 2)99.9% of them are filthy people involved with dirty & immoral things while receiving extra fame & attention for doing those things 3) Their politics are obsurd and ridiculous 4)I honestly wouldn't want to touch one with a 10 foot pole. Heaven only knows what lurks on the body of a celebrity.)

Let me just go back to my magazine. Join me.

I don't want to read about the Kardashifugs. Boring. Why are they even in a celeb mag? (flip page)

I don't want to hear about Lindsey Bore-han. (can't flip page fast enough)

I don't even want to LOOK at Heidi's Double Ds. Ever. She is pathetic. Not even human. (gag & flip page)

I don't care about J-Lo & her hideous outdated wardrobe. Definitely wins for the most horrible style award. Oh, and Madonna. Grow up already. SOOOOOO boring. (yawn. flip page)

Lada Gag. Heinous. Flip.

Riyawna. Yawn yawn YAWN. (my incessant yawning flips the page)

Britney. Doesn't get more boring. (wipe the cheeto off my finger onto her face, then flip page)

Jessica Gimpson. How is she even still a celebrity? (think to self, "wow her weight really fluctuates. but I don't even care. flip.)

Oh, and Trashley Simpson. Are they sisters? I guess it is kind of hard to tell when you only have artificial features to compare. Flip.

Michelle Nobama. (there's a couple of flips involved with this one... flip her face, flip the bird (okay, i didn't really do that- but quite tempting), then flip the page... I'm sorry- was that inappropriate? well, then I guess we're even because what her and her husband are trying to do to the U.S is inappropriate)
Rachel Bilson. I will read because she is adorable. Not a fame seeker. And her sense of style is worth noting.

Paris Skankton. Old news. Way old news. (think to self, "why does she always have the exact same creepy smile in every picture? oh well. i'm bored"- flip)

Tom and Katie Cruise. We'll go ahead and "cruise" right over this article. One of the WORLD's most boring couples.

Oh and look who might even top Tom & Boring. Brangelina and her 2342 kids. (think to self, "i don't even know if all those kids in the picture are her children... but I don't even care to read and find out. is brad supposed to be hot?" FLIP.)

Mischa Farton. The only interesting thing about her is how much she has let herself go. I'm kind of impressed. (pause and stare in awe. okay flip.)

Tiger & Elin. Poor Elin. But I'm bored. FLIP.

Kate Bosworth. Worth looking at her outfit. That's about it.

Olsen Idiots. Double the boredom. (think to self, "do they even have teeth? maybe they don't have teeth." crinkle and flip. )

Nicole Bags Under Eyes Ritchie. I think I developed a cataract just looking at her. (I have to flip quick before I develop double cataracts)

Jamie Lyn Spears. Who is that? Is she related to Britney or something? (think to self, "oh. another smart wannabe celeb bringing children into this world out of wedlock. more little idiots to degrade the human race."

Throw magazine into trash and grab my Better Homes and Gardens magazine. Ahhhh. A breath of fresh air.

What It's About...

2010-08-31T23:00:00.000-07:00

She sure loves her dad.

And he sure knows how to make her laugh.

Race

2010-08-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

Don't pretend like my title didn't make you think I was signing up for some marathon/ragnar relay/mudrun/5k or whatever everyone is doing these days (serious props to them)... My race is against the clock and trying to post these 8-month bday pics of Penny before she turns 9 months in a few days... That's the only race I'm running these days. Here is a little teaser of the girl...

If you really care to see more, then click HERE!

P.S. My new goal... to post on my blog EVERY day. Okay, maybe not everyday, but at least 5 times a week. It may become even more boring than it already is because I am going to start writing 5 things I have done each day no matter how mundane and boring they are. This is as close as I will get to keeping a journal. Got this idea from a friend of mine from BYU (Brinn- if you're reading this, thanks for the idea!) and I thought it was a great way to keep track of all the many days of our lives. Ha, Days of Our Lives... does anyone remember when Joey from Friends was on the "Days of Our Lives"? He was so dang funny. Anyway, click HERE to see more Penny pics!

One of the Greatest

2010-08-18T23:33:00.000-07:00

Ronald Reagan will always be one of the greatest Presidents of all time.
Why?

He created an unprecedented period of economic prosperity (wish he were here to give Obama some tips right about now... oh and let's go ahead and not blame Bush for this one)
He rebuilt our military after his predecessor had practically destroyed it through neglect
It was Reagan's policies that weakened our greatest enemy of that time (the good ol' Soviet Union) to the point where it fell apart shortly after
He stopped the threat of communism in Latin America. Why does that even matter? Consider the problems we have right now with illegal immigrants from Mexico, and then try to imagine how it would be if these illegal immigrants were Communists intent on bringing Communism with them into our country. Yikes.
It was Reagan who made America strong again, after the previous administration saw America weakened and humiliated.

After the humiliating Carter years, Reagan made us again feel proud to be Americans, and confident in our nation's future.

He would surely roll over in his grave if he knew what was going on right now in our country.

For Dan's father's birthday, it was decided that we take a trip to the Ronald Reagan library in Simi Valley. Highly recommended.

(I guess the man we asked to take the pic didn't think Penny was part of the family)

Replica of the White House rooms when Reagan was in office. Amazing.

I love this.

Air Force One.

Taking a break to feed Pennerkins.

Does anyone else find it just a little weird that Penny is smiling for the camera in the pic below? It's almost like she's trained or something... ; )

A Pretty People

2010-08-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

2010 is totally the year of cameras and photography... everyone's trying to become a photographer and take better pictures, and for good reason. Cameras these days are better than ever and with Internet journaling-blogging (a more up to date version of scrapbooking) people are wanting better photos to remember their lives and children's lives.

I have been having so much fun photographing different family members (including my own baby of course) and decided to start another blog organizing all these photos in one place. The reason I am sharing is because I want to introduce everyone to my adorable nieces I photographed yesterday. I don't know how much cuter it can get than these girls... and I am not being biased because I'm their aunt. Don't believe me? Click HERE.

Beach Beach Beach

2010-08-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

Some of life's greatest ingredients will always include:

family + beach...

+ good & hard mommy-penny snuggling...

+ men who wear pink (they say only real men wear pink)...

+ Father-Son competitions...

+ Stacey not wearing her M Signs shirt...

+ Caitlin making fun of girls who do ridiculous poses at the beach...
I think my favorite has to be the classic "catching air" pic.

and especially
+ Penny loving her dad...

It just doesn't get better than this.

Daddy Meets Penny for the First Time

2010-07-24T17:42:00.000-07:00

I know, I already posted this to my facebook account (thank you all for all the wonderful comments left on there), but for those family and friends who have yet to convert to the FB planet...(come on guys, get with the times ; ) ) I thought I would post it here too...

Thanks to the amazing Ryan Southwell Films, we will have this moment to treasure forever. I can't say ENOUGH about Ryan and I'm so glad he was able to be with us documenting one of the most precious moments of our life. Thank you Ryan for the greatest gift anyone could ask for.

If for some reason the video image isn't showing up, refresh the page or just go HERE.

Lieutenant Dan has been deployed in Afghanistan since last October and is on his way home. But what makes it special is that he has a new baby daughter waiting to meet him for the first time. Watch as this journey unfolds throughout the day as the tension builds and the family reunites for the first time as three. It's a crusher. You can't help but feel some of the patriotism when he arrives home. As I said in a prequel to this post, this is the stuff life is all about.

I chose this song because it starts soft and subtle, with a little bit of mystery. But the end has a huge payoff that I love. Lifehouse - "Everything".

Beach Babe Penny

2010-07-23T18:19:00.000-07:00

This wasn't Penny's first time at the beach but it was the first time we actually took her down to the water... looks like we've got a little beach babe on our hands!

She would just stare at her feet like they were alien feet.

Always looking down at the sand...

Again, staring intently at the sand with furrowed eyebrows... its such a serious thing.

Looks like summer might be her favorite season...

Would this stress anyone else out.. or is it just Me?

2010-07-21T11:26:00.001-07:00

Let me start out by saying that I am not shy when it comes to telling people to wash their hands or purell before handling my 7 month old baby. I don't know where people's hands have been but I do know that whatever touches Penny's hands will go straight into her mouth as she is an avid finger sucker.

Well, yesterday was her check up/vaccinations appt. I hate taking a perfectly healthy child to a Dr. office where, in my world, they will come out having been exposed to every disease on the planet.

The doctor enters our room by (obviously) opening the door (with his hands- and we're talking the same doorknobs that all the sick peeps touch) and is typing on his laptop (that of course he takes into every appt). I don't even want to know what kind of germs are lurking all over his laptop. It's not that big of a deal though because doctors are supposed to wash their hands before they start handling the patient, right? Then he turns around toward the sink and I sigh with relief as I am convinced he is about to wash his hands. But no. He reaches for a tongue compressor. He then starts to fidget with it- touching both ends as he twirls it around in his fingers. Of course, I panic. What if he just finished up with a TB patient before? But seriously... I don't know what he has dealt with that day! So now I am thinking about what I should say... how should I ask him politely to wash...But the whole time, the doctor is talking and talking all the meanwhile not allowing for a non-awkward moment for me to ask him to wash his hands. You know when you are on the phone with someone and they are talking and talking and talking and you are getting a call on the other line but the person you are talking to doesn't allow a moment for you to tell them you are getting another call without it being awkward? Well, this was that kind of a moment. Oh but it gets worse. So he sticks the compressor in her mouth after fiddling with it with his bare hands and then sets it down on the patient bed. Then when I thought it couldn't get worse, he takes his BARE dirty doctor hands and proceeds to stick them INTO HER MOUTH!! A dentist would NEVER do that! And people EXPECT the dentist to go into their mouth!

WHY DID I NOT SAY ANYTHING? At this point I am thinking of all the viruses on this doctor's hands that he has now just exposed my innocent baby to. I am thoroughly angry at this point. He ends the visit and walks out. I am convinced my baby is going to catch everything that was going around in that office that day.

I tried to convince myself that maybe he washed them before he came into the room. But I doubt that because he didn't wash them before he left our room after touching Penny's mouth. And he typed on his laptop after being in Penny's mouth. Gross! SO even if he DID wash his hands before coming in the room, he touched doorknobs and his laptop (which he obviously doesn't keep clean) before touching Penny's face and mouth.

I am more angry with myself then I am at the doctor. Why did I not say anything? If he went toward my mouth with those hands, I would have said something, so why not say anything when it's my daughter?

Dan was also appalled by this. He said that, as a dentist, a profession where people expect him to go into their mouths, he would NEVER go in someone's mouth a)without gloves on and b)without washing his hands BEFORE even putting the gloves on. We will definitely be writing a letter.

Moral of the story: Just because the doctor is "a doctor" doesn't mean we can't speak up. We are the patients and WE are paying for the health insurance and are allowing the doctor the privilege of treating us. I will definitely be taking my business elsewhere!

What do you think? Am I over reacting?? Or would you feel the same way if it were your baby..?

Alive

2010-06-13T23:45:00.000-07:00

I hate being so far behind in my blogging... I feel like I need to catch up on the months I have missed because this blog acts as my journal (stripped of the personal thoughts and moments)...
I used to keep a journal but it ended up being nothing more than a record of my daily to do list deprived of pictures.

Here I am, back again... except I come back with my better half...finally home. 7 months. Videos and pictures to come soon... I promise they will be worth the wait.

We took a little trip out to Julian yesterday all in the name of pie. Good ol' fashioned pie.

But first, a quick stop at the antique shop.

Dan decided he'd better wait outside.

But they didn't wait outside for this...

White picket fences...my favorite.

I LOVE this girl...

Beautiful drive + beautiful weather + better half + the bug above= The perfect Saturday!

Daddy Loves...

2010-04-24T16:24:00.000-07:00

...his little bug

...and little bug loves Daddy!

And Mommy loves that she finally took pictures of Penny's nursery! To see them, go here!

Perks of Spring Time

2010-04-17T21:34:00.000-07:00

Spring has sprung and you all know what that means...

Baseball season is here! Well, it's been here for a little while now, but my blog doesn't know that.. shh don't tell it.

Does anyone else think it's funny that it is Jon's first season ever playing baseball and
1) he made Triple A having never played before and
2) he's pitching for the team....
???
All I can say is my little bro is a stud.

Dad thinks so too...

Aunt Sty Sty holding Pensters

Oh, hi Mom!

Mmmmm... the smell of baseball is in the air!

Rock On

2010-04-12T18:34:00.000-07:00

4 Months and still rockin' hard...

Penny's new favorite thing is flashing everyone the "rock on" sign. At least it's not the peace sign. I'm so tired of that dang peace sign whether it's flashed hippy or Kobe style. I hope that trend ends soon. But for now, it's the rock on sign for Penny. And I'll never get tired of that.

Her headband is creepin pretty low... just seconds away from turning into an eye blinder... as sad as it is, it has to be one of my favorite things because she just sits there with the headband over her eyes (the flowers perfectly fitting over one eye) and patiently waits for someone to save her from her blindness. Mommy hasn't been mean enough to make her wait while I take a picture, but maybe I should... one time wouldn't hurt, right?

Our Poor Children...

2010-04-07T11:30:00.000-07:00

For those of you who may have come across my blog and have buried their heads in the sand to what has been happening to our country in the past year and three months, then don't bother reading this blog entry. Instead, go here and continue living in your fantasy land while ignoring the mess being created around you and more importantly, your children.

For those of you who are rooted in reality and actually care about our country, then you might be interested in the following article written below which appeared in the English edition of the Pravda, a Russian Newspaper in April of 09... BEFORE our Socialized Obamacare passed.

Why can a Russian newspaper print the following yet the American media won't? Frightening that the Russians can see our future but many of our own people cannot (or will not believe)...What kind of America are we leaving to our children and grandchildren?

Here's the article.... at least skim through it because I'm sure QUITE a few things will stop and catch your attention....have fun.

American Capitalism Gone With A Whimper

It must be said, that like the breaking of a great dam, the American descent into Marxism is happening with breath taking speed, against the back drop of a passive, hapless sheeple, excuse me dear reader, I meant people.

True, the situation has been well prepared on and off for the past century, especially the past twenty years... The initial testing grounds was conducted upon our Holy Russia and a bloody test it was. But we Russians would not just roll over and give up our freedoms and our souls, no matter how much money Wall Street poured into the fists of the Marxists.

Those lessons were taken and used to properly prepare the American populace for the surrender of their freedoms and souls, to the whims of their elites and betters.

First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather than the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas than the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a Burger King burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish.

Then their faith in God was destroyed, until their churches, all tens of thousands of different "branches and denominations" were for the most part little more than Sunday circuses and their televangelists and top protestant mega preachers were more than happy to sell out their souls and flocks to be on the "winning" side of one pseudo Marxist politician or another. Their flocks may complain, but when explained that they would be on the "winning" side, their flocks were ever so quick to reject Christ in hopes for earthly power. Even our Holy Orthodox churches are scandalously liberalized in America .

The final collapse has come with the election of Barack Obama. His speed in the past three months has been truly impressive. His spending and money printing has been a record setting, not just in America 's short history but in the world. If this keeps up for more than another year, and there is no sign that it will not, America at best will resemble the Weimar Republic and at worst Zimbabwe.

These past two weeks have been the most breath taking of all. First came the announcement of a planned redesign of the American Byzantine tax system, by the very thieves who used it to bankroll their thefts, losses, and swindles of hundreds of billions of dollars. These make our Russian oligarchs look little more than ordinary street thugs, in comparison. Yes, the Americans have beat our own thieves in the shear volumes. Should we congratulate them?

These men, of course, are not an elected panel but made up of appointees picked from the very financial oligarchs and their henchmen who are now gorging themselves on trillions of American dollars, in one bailout after another. They are also usurping the rights, duties, and powers of the American congress (parliament). Again, congress has put up little more than a whimper to their masters.

Then came Barack Obama's command that GM's (General Motors) president step down from leadership of his company. That is correct, dear reader, in the land of "pure" free markets, the American president now has the power, the self-given power, to fire CEOs and we can assume other employees of private companies, at will. Come hither, go dither, the centurion commands his minions.

So it should be no surprise, that the American president has followed this up with a "bold" move of declaring that he and another group of unelected, chosen stooges will now redesign the entire automotive industry and will even be the guarantee of automobile policies. I am sure that if given the chance, they would happily try and redesign it for the whole of the world, too. Prime Minister Putin, less than two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.

Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "free man" whimper.

So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance, and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Frank, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort.. He stresses that this only affects companies that receive government monies, but it is retroactive and taken to a logical extreme, this would include any company or industry that has ever received a tax break or incentive.

The Russian owners of American companies and industries should look thoughtfully at this and the option of closing their facilities down and fleeing the land of the Red as fast as possible.. In other words, divest while there is still value left.

The proud American will go down into his slavery without a fight, beating his chest, and proclaiming to the world, how free he really is.. The world will only snicker.

END ARTICLE.

Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!

2010-03-29T20:58:00.001-07:00

Ricky Martin announces online he is gay

Just never wanted to believe it.
Not that I used to have a huge crush on him 10 years ago or anything.
I just was in love with his beautiful voice.
So, I guess it doesn't really matter.

Moms with Talent

2010-03-18T11:15:00.000-07:00

Boy it's great having a talented mom...
I get to benefit in all sorts of ways!

Click here to see one of her many creations....

P.S She actually did this right before Penny was born and I am just now blogging it. Sad, I know.

Catch Up

2010-03-14T10:21:00.000-07:00

Well, since I'm not the best mommy blogger out there, I figure I would take a moment to catch up on what I should have been blogging regularly...

Penny @ 2 months
Oh so squishable...

Penny @ 3 months

Personality shining through...

Penny is now just about 3 1/2 months.
She is laughing, smiling tons and feeding time has finally cut down at least by half! She is so fun to cuddle and is quite the conversationalist.

Activities that Penny lives for:
- Bath time with Mom
- Walks in the stroller
- Hanging out in the Bjorn while Mom vacuums
- Anything outside
- Being in a moving car
- EATING (oh man does she get excited)
- Being in any really noisy environment. This puts her right to sleep.
- Watching Jon and Brooke around their house
- Sitting upright on the couch and "people watching" (she gets the "people watching" from her mom and dad)
- Watching any DVD of herself. I have a 2 1/2 hour DVD full of Penny videos and she will watch it from beginning to end without a peep. It's a lifesaver.

-
We just love our Penny May!

Do you know who else we also love?

His name is Papa- ya his name is Papa- ya his name is wha- wha- wha- what- a what what what what what? .. PAPA!
(just a little shout out to the greatest Pops ever)

HAPPY 80th PAPA! Pics from Papa's surprise party to come!

Where Do You Fall??

2010-02-26T16:23:00.000-08:00

I just took the Nolan Chart quiz which is an accurate quiz stating where you fall politically.
My results were Libertarian. No surprise.
Where do you fall?
Click below to find out!

Nolan Chart Quiz

This quiz was announced on Beck today, so there are probably millions of people taking it which is why it might take a minute to load. If you can't get it to load, try again later! It's a great quiz.

My New Besties

2010-02-23T21:08:00.000-08:00

I will admit one of my newest guilty pleasures since the arrival of baby Penny is having the TV in my bedroom and family room on ALL day long. I rarely sit and watch unless I'm feeding Penny, but I always hear what is going on while working around the house and I am constantly standing and peeking at what's going on.
I used to HATE having the TV on ANY time during the day. It grossed me out. Ask Dan. On days that he didn't go in to work, he would occasionally turn the TV on and it would make me feel weird, don't ask me why... so I would simply tell him I felt gross and if he wasn't going to watch it to turn it off.

WELL apparently things have changed and I love to have the TV on. I feel like I have friends with me all day long! And I'd be happy to tell you who my new best friends are:

I feel like I know each of them... like I could call them up and say "hey whats up Sabrina". Pathetic, I know. Never thought it would come to this. And, sadly, I only posted about 50% of my new best friends. And no, I don't have crushes on my handsome best friends. They are just nice to look at. Oh, AND they have great shows. If Dan had a show, he would be in the picture quad too.

And yes, the picture in the right hand top corner is some of the QVC cast. I said it. QVC. So what. I've only ordered a FEW things. No biggy.

Just Me and the Bug... and Lori Hull

2010-02-12T19:04:00.001-08:00

Penny and I were due for a picture or two since mommies rarely ever get to be in the pictures with their little bugs... so through my window with her superhero cape flies no other than Lori Hull Photography to the rescue... right in time for Valentine's Day! (shhh don't tell Dan)

I can't say enough about her.
I will go ahead and let the pictures do the talking...

I told you she's amazing.

Lori lives in California but also travels to Utah and Oregon for group photo sessions!
She also shoots in the comfort of your own home (as in my session)!

Although you won't need any ideas with her extensive and impressive creativity, she is always open to your ideas.

Her use of color, editing, and skill is absolutely amazing.

And best of all... if you mention my name and book a session with her before the end of March you will receive $100 off your portrait package!

Thank you, Lori, for capturing Penny and I together in one of the most precious stages of our lives.

Oh, and yes, I am wearing 2 different outfits in the pics because bug decided to go potty on me during one of the nakey pics. Thank you P.

Lakers Champions

2010-02-12T10:59:00.000-08:00

Okay, Caitlin showed me this video months ago and I am just now getting around to blogging it because it is still my favorite... definitely blog worthy...

Park

2010-02-05T15:54:00.000-08:00

Can you believe Brooke is going to be 12 this July? I wanted to capture her eleven-ness before it was too late.

Where did this little girl go?

Granted, she is wearing my sunglasses which probably makes her look a little bit older...

When we got back from the park, I looked in the jogger to find this:

Sweet little bug.

P.S. Regarding the blog below.. I was trying to find the image of Winnie the Pooh stuck in Rabbit's hole because Caitlin's friend's dog's bottom reminded me of Pooh's bottom sticking out of Rabbit's hole... anyway.. the picture below came up in the search. I was a little disturbed and didn't want to feel alone in the disturbedness.

?

2010-02-03T21:20:00.000-08:00

I'm scared.

Playing Catch Up

2010-01-27T13:21:00.000-08:00

I am so behind on blogging I don't even know where to start. It's like I lost the desire because I got so far behind! But I am going to be better now because I have Penny's life to document! I don't want her to wonder one day why I stopped blogging when she was born... so here's to you Miss Penny May...
She will be 8 weeks on Friday. I can hardly believe it.

I will attempt to catch up the past 8 weeks of our lives beginning with the first 2 weeks!

Penny's Debut:

Fresh out of the oven!

About 1 hour old...

Grandma Holly with 2 cameras... you can never be too prepared!
Aunt Brooke and Grandma Leslie.

Uncle Jon. Yes, UNCLE Jon.

First time in a car seat coming home from the hospital.
Home from the hospital. Please disregard the heinous woman in the picture.

2 days old...

Penny and Grandma Holly

The nakie pics- 1 1/2 weeks old

Mommy and Bug

Bug's Second Bath

Bug in a Blanket

Daddy sent Penny flowers with a note that said, "I wanted to be the first boy in your life to send you flowers.." Penny looks happy about that.
Penny @ 1 1/2 weeks.

See, I'm really not that horrible of a mother. I really did take like thousands of pictures... just was behind on the blogging!

Weeks 3-7 coming soon!

Dear Hank

2010-01-21T19:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Hank,

I hate you.

Love, Tracy

P.S. - Rain, I hate you too. You did this to me. Please go away so my dogs can live a normal dog life outside. I would appreciate that.

P.P.S- Yes, I did have a baby. Yes, she does exist. Yes, I have 23748923742398 pictures of her but found this poop picture more entertaining than my baby. Just kidding... pictures of Penny to come soon!

P.P.P.S- Sorry if you felt this post was inappropriate and made you feel angry or sick inside. At least you didn't have to clean it.

Finally Here!

2009-12-07T21:22:00.000-08:00

She's finally here!

Penny May
December 4, 2009

We're in love.

Christmas again? Really??

2009-12-03T13:33:00.000-08:00

I feel like I JUST took down the Christmas decorations. Does anyone else feel this way?
Well, regardless, it is Christmas again and it's time to decorate and think of creative and new gift ideas (here)...

And NOOOOO... no baby yet... I'm relieved but anxious all at the same time. Just enjoying being able to get things done before I have to spend all my time spoiling a newborn. Hopefully a few more days to go.. but that's all I'm giving her before I decide I don't like her anymore. Yep. You heard me.

This Month's Haps...

2009-11-21T12:25:00.000-08:00

Sick of the You Tube videos yet? I've been getting quite a few emails wondering where I stand with this pregnancy since I don't seem to blog about it much... questions like "what does the nursery look like?...are you ready for the baby?...what have you been doing lately?... where are your "preggo" pics (seems to be the most popular question- and yes, "preggo" is on the same hate-word list as "panties", "cream", and "belly". I hate it.)... when exactly is your due date?.." Well, hang on tight because I will answer right now!

First off, my official due date is December 5th, so a little less than 2 weeks away.

Nursery? Almost finished. Just deciding what to put on the walls and for my mom to finish sewing the dust ruffle for the crib... THEN I will post the finished results. For now, these will have to suffice. These were taken before we put all the furniture in (duh). Dan the handyman did all the painting and bead boarding. He did such an amazing job. No, the lamp is not the nursery lamp- just a junker we weren't afraid to get paint on.

Dan putting together the crib...

What have I been up to lately? Well besides getting ready for baby, a lot of Young Women's activities and events... (The signs were drying from the spray glue and I'm pretty sure the one I was holding stuck to my hand for a good 5 minutes).

Caving in daily to my hot chocolate addiction (even though it's not quite cold outside yet)...

Catching Hank in numerous illegal acts... (Here he has been caught red-handed with the stupid plant in his mouth)

Family and friend baby showers. This pic doesn't even do justice to all the delicious food that was served. Soups.. salads... breads... cupcakes... chocolates... fudges...toffee... you name it.

Visiting with Shana at the baby shower last week! I predict many more Shana sightings in the future...
AND more pics to come from the other wonderful baby shower some wonderful ladies and friends in my church threw for me!

AND, yes, maternity photos... because I really didn't have ANY pictures of me pregnant (besides the one from my baby shower above)!
I'm not the belly-measurer picture taker.. you know.. those pics where you stand to the side and show how big you are getting..? Well, I don't do those, so my mom was kind enough to hook me up with Alicia Hammond at the last minute to do a few maternity shots. She's awesome. She took tons and tons but I'm not about to post them all ; ) Here is a little taste of her photography and my huge 9 month pregnant pooch.

I had her come over to my house because I wanted the "lifestyle" type shots since I pretty much spend all of my time here... (a lot of naps on this couch I'll tell ya)...

The classic brick wall shot...

And a nice little backyard "belly" (yes I said it- one of my hatewords) shot... I've spent a lot of time on this swing just watching the knuckleheads be knuckly with each other...

THERE you have it. My "preggo" pics. That's it- that's all you get... now stop asking! : ) I didn't know that "preggo" pics were so important and would be so highly requested! Sorry I didn't do a better job throughout the 9 months, geeze.

Oh... and Jon's new gun. His manhood is now complete.

Please forgive me for the lack of communication lately... phone calls, emails, blogging, facebook messages etc... I am lagging in that department but I promise I will get better at it in the weeks to come. I had a minute to blog today because I'm not feeling so well (fighting a cold I think) so I'm stuck at home. I'm too scared to go out anymore these days for fear of the dreaded swine. I hear its pretty intense when you're pregnant.

ANYway, hope I was able to recap my November in a nutshell. More pics to eventually come. I just bought the new Canon Rebel the other day so I'm excited to start taking tons more pictures. Stay tuned... not that anyone is really that into my life but at least some of you pretend to be ; )

Singing 5 Octaves

2009-11-09T13:53:00.000-08:00

Sorry for posting another video but this one left me with no other option...

Simply amazing.

4 Weeks Left...

2009-11-01T18:13:00.000-08:00

And we can't decide on a name.. but we have narrowed the list down to our favorite 60...
And the final 60 are:

What was your favorite?

Biting Your Tongue

2009-10-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

I decided to take my camera to Jon's last soccer game.
Although the pictures didn't turn out great because I had my
camera on the wrong setting, I was still able to capture something
in every single shot...

wanna take a guess?

Oh boy... something needs to be done about this before someone finds a squirming tongue flopping around on the field...

He Had me at 21 Jump Street

2009-10-09T11:02:00.000-07:00

Johnny Depp. Always been my favorite. Yes, he's very easy on the eyes, but this is only an added bonus.

Why do I like Johnny Depp?

1) He's very picky about his movie roles... he's always in roles only Johnny can do best.
My Favorite? What's Eating Gilbert Grape and Edward Scizzorhands.

2) His careless style.

3) Never in the limelight. Doesn't seek for star power. Rarely in the cameras. (lives in France to avoid it)

4) His homely wife. Would you even put them together? Who is she anyway? I love that.

and the winner:

5) While all the other celebrities are out prancing around their children in their $1000 & up fancy high tech strollers, my down to earth man is pushing his daughter in a humble Graco.

I knew I loved that man. And I wouldn't be surprised if Dan had a little man-crush on him too.

Word of the Day.

2009-09-29T10:15:00.000-07:00

If the word of the day is "Love", then which of the following images does not belong?

1) Divine banana pancake breakfasts.

2) Beautifully decorated Christmas Trees in September= Christmas is just around the corner= baby girl will already be appx 1 month old.

3) Best buds.

4) Dan being attacked by a clown.

4) Jon and Dad wiping their hands with antibacterial hand wipes.

5) A delicious Chipotle dinner with 2 good friends.

FINALLY

2009-09-21T15:18:00.001-07:00

FINALLY someone has started this website! I have always given thought to it, but always felt a little guilty following through... so cheers to the man who also knew it was needed!!

www.peopleofwalmart.com

Without these people, Walmart just wouldn't be Walmart.

SO the next time you go to Walmart, don't forget to bring your cell phone cameras so you, too, can contribute to this exceptional website!

I am Scared...

2009-09-17T15:18:00.000-07:00

...that a place like this really exists. It's called "Island of the Dolls". Wow. Here's a little background:
Mexico’s Island of the Dolls is one of the World’s strangest tourist destinations. Many years ago a doll was first placed on the island to appease the spirit of a young girl who had drowned there. It was from this starting point that today we find the island is literally covered with 1000’s of dolls, each doll showing varying levels of decay.

Ya.
You couldn't pay me to go there.

If you're not creeped out then I think there might be something wrong with you.

Our Chubby Little Pig Alien

2009-09-09T20:36:00.000-07:00

I'm sure we'll grow to love our little Pig Alien...

Aliens wouldn't have 5 fingers though, right?

Now that I am 7 months along, I figure I should start a little bit of the baby shopping- you know, stroller/car seat, crib etc etc... so this weekend Dan and I are off to LA to have a little bit of baby fun...

BUT, before we go...

Any advice of products you love/hate/wish you would have/wouldn't have purchased?

Anyone who knows me well knows that I take after my father in that I have this obsessive compulsion to research EVERYthing I want before I buy it... I just have to know I am getting a great product that rates high with the consumers! I already bought the Consumer Reports Baby 2009 Product Book (thanks to Kel and Steve) and have read it along with all the reviews of the best but I would still love your input!

Saved by Rit

2009-09-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

"Rit" saved my life today. I really owe it to you Rit. How did Rit save my life? Well, I decided to be lazy yesterday and wash a load of laundry (which included 75% of all my new maternity clothing along with several other items of clothing)... usually I am very good at separating colors, but I thought "aw, nothing bad will happen..."... well, thanks to the jinx ghost some nasty evil item of clothing decided to dye ALL of my clothing a purplish tint basically giving all of my load a beautiful vintage tye-dye affect. Tye-dye is cool and all, but not when it's your new Pea in the Pod maternity clothing. I only have a couple months left to go and I really didn't want to buy a new maternity wardrobe when I just spent a small fortune a few weeks ago. SO, I decided to do a little research and found a beautiful product called "Rit Dye Remover". It's been around forever (they obviously haven't updated their very 70's looking packaging) and so I thought "what the heck- it can't get any worse" and picked up a box. (You can find it in the bleach aisle.) Thank you Rit for saving my fat lady pinstripe capris. WARNING: it will lighten the fabric but in the case of my pinstripe capris, I didn't care because it was a blue and white before and now its just light blue and white... not something to cry about. I will go and try to perform the Rit operation on the rest of the load.. one at a time...

Catch Up...

2009-08-31T21:28:00.001-07:00

Update on the last post "My Boys"... I forgot to add the most important boy in the picture!
Here are all my boys...

Dodgers vs. Cubs game with Dan's family.

Grandma Holly with 3 month old Hunter.

The very happy family...

Holly and Don.

Dodger favorite Manny...

Us.

Peanut Head.

Knuckleheads.

Always up for a little live jazz.

How I feel right about now...

I Love My Boys...

2009-08-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

...even when they like to sneak their beastly little pink friends into the pictures...

Another Day at the Beach

2009-08-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

Consisting of...

Steve and Dan. Faces= Having Fun.

Planting doritos around the perimeter of Caitlin's head. She has a small bird phobia.

One candid shot of husband and niece.

Going for a ride with Aunt Stacey. Great Aunt Stacey. Digging.

Two sunkissed little girls...

One sleepy little girl...

Dad wiping out.

One brother with side parted hair.

One little girl who will someday catch one of those seagulls...

Family Photo.

Fresh Pedicures.
The END.

Ahhhh, the Nostalgia...

2009-08-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

Missing my childhood...
Bring back memories?

Glo-Worm, Strawberry Shortcake and Friends, Troll Dolls, and My Little Pony...

Bongo shorts (from Mervyns), slinkys, trapper keepers, and Simon...

Mc Donald's Moon Man (singing the Big Mac Song), Cabbage Patch and Garbage Pail Kids, Ghostbusters...

Secret Keepers, Barbie and the Rockers, Gummy Bears, and Speak and Spell...

Good Ol' PeeWee, Ernest, He-Man, and the Full House clan...

LA Gear (don't forget the light ups), British Knights, Converse, and Jellies... (I owned all of these shoes in these colors...)

Original Nintendo, Sega, Pac Man, and Battleship...

Wuzzles, Care Bears, The California Raisins, and Hugga Bunch...

4 of my biggest childhood 80's crushes (I would rotate each of them playing the role of my husband when I would play "house" with my friends)... Kevin Costner, Jimmy from Saturday's Warrior HAHAH, Michael Jackson, and Kirk Cameron...

Punky Brewster (remember the one when she got locked in the refrigerator?), Rainbow Brite, She-Ra, and Jem...

Little Critter books, Teddy Ruxpin, Pogs (was that more 90's? I can't remember), and didn't mean to do the Moon Man twice...

Pound Puppies, Monchichi (this is actually what everyone used to call me when I was a baby because I had so much dark hair.. I pretty much looked like one of the monchichi's), Popples, and of course Gumbi and Pokie...

Pop Rocks, Chiclets, Splashers (was this early 90's??), and didn't mean to do Pogs twice...

A taste of the scariness that kept me awake at night...
Large Marge from PeeWee's Big Adventure, Freddy Kruger, and Mr. Boogedy...

I know there are so many more things I am missing... I could spend hours...but hopefully for all of my fellow 80's children out there, I brought back a few nostalgic memories...

Let's put a Smile on that Face...

2009-08-06T07:05:00.000-07:00

This beautiful piece of artwork was first discovered by my aunt while driving down the L.A Freeway. Love it. Especially because she saw it in L.A... would have never thought...

Little Did I Know...

2009-07-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

...that this particular beach day would be my last day of freedom for a long time...

...because I would be spending the next 10 days in and out of the hospital.

The only good thing about the past 10 days of my miserable and painful life is the man in the hospital chair pictured above. He was there for me every second of the way. He took off work to take care of me and by far exceeded my expectations of any hired nurse.

Thank you Dan:

-for making all the meals and SPOON feeding me every bite... good practice for the baby I guess..
-for carrying me to the bathroom no matter what time of day or night
-for holding my hand in my most painful moments
-being the responsible one about all my medications and for sticking them in my mouth
-for sleeping on the floor next to the bed and waking up throughout the night to give me water/narcotics/to carry me to the bathroom/adjust the heating pad/or just hold my hand
-for helping me adjust myself in a seating position and holding my head up so I could swallow my pills
-for keeping the house stocked with good food
-for keeping the house spotless
-for answering all my phone calls, setting and rescheduling appointments, and setting your alarm early just so you could call the doctor's office right when they opened
-for sitting in the uncomfortable hospital chairs for 5-10 hours at a time even if it meant sleeping upright at 4 in the morning
-reading to me everyday
-renting me movies and setting up the projector in our bedroom

Today was a very sad day for me because Dan went into work. I was so used to having him around and remembered what it felt like to feel lonely while he's gone all day.
However, when I woke up today...
- I found both my cell phone and home phone laying next to me in bed
-Hobbled to the kitchen to find a bowl with a spoon in it along with my favorite box of cereal standing behind it on the counter
-The dogs had been fed
-a ziplock bag full of Hank's food for lunch on the counter so I wouldn't have to bend over to scoop it
-in the fridge was a big ziplock bag with a yummy roast beef, tomato, lettuce, and cheese sandwich and a peach sitting right next to it.

Does it get any cuter? I love you Dan and thank you so much for all that you do for me.

***4 more months to go until I get this creature out of me!

Happy 4th of July!

2009-07-08T17:23:00.000-07:00

"Another visit to Mesa?" you may be asking... well, yes. How can we not when we have these little munchkins so far away?

This is the cape Mom made for Lissa. Addi got one too- you can see her wearing it in the video. Now, Lissa can save her stuffed animals in proper uniform.

Little patriotic bugs...

This pic was moments before we were exposed to the 100 degree heat while watching the fireworks at 9:00 at night. I could have baked a cookie on my head.

The cute little Nelson family.

Lis and Uncle Dan.

Watching the fireworks so intently...

"Ooooohhhhh... Ahhhhhhh"

I love that Kelly is looking at her watch.

Nothing beats the last picture in the quadrant. Yes, I said quadrant.

The couples...

When we weren't baking ourselves, we were playing fun games like Hulabaloo and Horton Hears a Who...

During one of the games, Kelly tried to get all fancy and stand on her head. Things didn't turn out as planned when she tried to get up and pulled out a huge chunk of hair with her knee.

My favorite "I am so excited I can't contain myself" pose.

Lissa was devastated when we had to leave...

Not even a pep talk from Dan could help...

I think I see a half smile in this pic...

August can't come soon enough!!

Faces

2009-07-01T16:12:00.000-07:00

Face I am excited to see this weekend....

Face I'm not excited to see this weekend....

Face I am DYING to see this weekend...

Face I might die if I see this weekend...

Face I can't wait to squeeze this weekend...

Face I will squeeze really hard if I see this weekend...

Face I am kind of excited to see this weekend...

Face I would not be excited to see this weekend...

Faces I will try to put up with if I have to see this weekend....

Faces I will not put up with if I see this weekend...

Faces I would like to see this weekend... or whenever....

Faces I never want to see this weekend.. or any weekend.. ever.

Cactus and heat... here we come!

Happy Father's Day to a Father who has made me very Happy

2009-06-21T23:30:00.000-07:00

To the Greatest Dad I've ever had-
Why are you the greatest dad you might ask? Well...

1. You are the best listener that I know.
2. You taught us how to work hard ("work first, then play"- the infamous motto)
3. You have always provided for your large family and all of our (esp. Caitlin's) random expenses
4. You know EVERYTHING there is to know about the gospel.
5. You make a mean pancake. AND you sport a very mean mustache.
6. You are very, very, VERY clean.
7. You are the best movie watcher I know and I have yet to catch you falling asleep even in the worst of movies.
8. You love dogs just as much as I do.
9. You can shake that index finger and leg to music like no other.
10. You are the most honest person I know. You wouldn't lie if it meant your life (or any of your children for that matter).
11. You are one of the most humble men I know.
12. I don't know anyone who is better at creating puns or play-on words than you.
13. You are 55 and still have a six pack and large biceps. And a mustache.
14. You can kick anyone's butt with your mad fighting skills. Don't mess. Seriously though.
15. Not even nature can defeat you.
16. You have the best reaction out of anyone I know when someone spins your lampshades.
17. You are always willing to help.
18. You've taught me how to lock every door and window 2 times before leaving my house or going to bed.
19. You've taught me how to research EVERYTHING that I am interested in purchasing for months before I purchase it.
20. Even my own husband has told me on several occasions that you are one of the greatest men he knows...

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO ONE OF THE GREATEST MEN EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY DAD!

Pink. Purple. Ponytail. Pearls. Pom Poms. Pedal Pushers. Pierced Ears. Painted Phalanges. Pretty. Princess. Precious. Perfect.

2009-06-18T08:39:00.000-07:00

Okay.. okay.... did I blow it with "phalanges"?

I'll make it a little easier.

Roses are red
violets are blue
I have ovaries and my baby does too... ;)

My Year Has Been Made...

2009-06-15T10:23:00.001-07:00

..thanks to the Lakers!! WaaahHHOOOOO!!! You would have thought there was a riot last night with all the crazy fans in this joint (including the dogs howling along).. I don't know if anything will top the Laker's Champion this year...? Thank you Kobe, Fisher, Ariza, Gasol, and Odom for making it happen... and no thanks to Luke Walton who always seemed to screw things up and for making me have to listen to Dan yell at you through the TV screen. And a very special thank you to Phil Jackson for being the most chill coach to ever coach in the NBA. He is the reason for the season.

15 Titles.

Way to go Lakers!!

This pic would be my favorite if Luke Walton weren't in it.

Had to post this pic as this was Gasol's expression throughout the entire season.

Until next season... your biggest fans will be waiting..

New Addition to the Family

2009-05-29T18:32:00.001-07:00

We just thought we would add 2 new babies to the family this year... (the other one just has to wait until the end of the year)

Meet Hank. Our American Bulldog.

What is an American Bulldog? (many people have asked us this question... perhaps getting the breed confused with an English Bulldog or Pitbull)... Have you ever seen Little Rascals? Peetie is an American Bulldog.

Have you ever seen Homeward Bound?

Chance (left) is an American Bulldog.

So there you have it.. just thought I would educate those who really care. Anyone still reading this? ? ?

We slept out in the family room the first few nights of his arrival just to make sure he felt comfortable in his new home... (and maybe because I wanted to cuddle... so what.)

Sorry, I know my nasty chin totally ruins the picture.
Hank loves me.. even when I wear teal, black, and red- together.
And we love Hank, even when he prefers to chew on flesh rather than his chew toys.
Welcome Hank!

(yes, we still love Winston... the original baby)

Winston + Hank = Team of Knuckleheads.
Welcome to the family Hank!