VACATION!!!

So, we have returned from a wonderful, much deserved weeklong vacation that took us all over California. We went from here to Livermore to Redding to Lake Shasta to stay on a Houseboat for 4 days, then to Yosemite (affectionately now pronounced in the family as Yo-sehm-ite) and after a few days there, home again! While out and about we visited the Jelly Belly Factory (Greg's favorite stop!!) and that was something to see...did you know that Jelly Belly makes Costco's fruit snacks? We had an awesome time and of course I have lots of pictures and videos...but only the fun and appropriate ones get posted here =)

Here are some pictures for you to enjoy from our vacation!!

Karyl relaxing after our first long stretch of driving...watching the DVD below...

Ah, our buddy Diego....without him, we wouldn't have had such wonderful bedtime success!
She is seriously the best traveling toddler EVER!!! And, that little doodle pad saved our lives!
Daddy and baby at Daddy's favorite place...the Jelly Belly Factory!!
What kid doesn't love a GIANT Jelly Bean??

This was our home away from home for 4 days =) Beautiful isn't it??

Karyl driving the houseboat...I don't think she passed the training though.

Mommy and Karyl on the speedboat...watching everyone else waterski.

Shh...don't tell my doctor I was on the speedboat...apparently it's frowned upon for pregnant women!!

Hey...you....are you takin' my picture??

Karyl and daddy waiting for the rest of us to empty our bladders =)

Our little family at Tunnel View in Yosemite with Half Dome behind us...the best view in the park!

Where's Karyl? There she is!!

All I can say is obviously I didn't take this picture...At least I don't look pregnant from this angle!

After all that travel time, still smiling!!

Disney Fun

Well, as with most Saturdays, this past Saturday night was spent at Disneyland. Unfortunately they have their Winter hours back so there is no Electrical Parade and the Character Parade seems to change times and we can't keep track! Regardless, we went and ran through Toon Town and rode the Merry Go Round. We even got a picture of Karyl on Julie Andrew's horse (it's all pretty with bells and colors). Here are a few pictures...

Karyl was trying to call Minnie from Mickey's House...what number was she on the speed dial again??

Karyl riding the Merry-Go-Round, her favortie ride!!

Thanks to Grandma's suggestion, we snuck Karyl on the Julie Andrews horse while getting off the ride...she's ridden on it a few times, but we never have the camera when she does!!

O'Neill Park and foil dinners

Last night we went to O'Neill Park and had some foil dinners, baked apples and s'mores. Greg has been wanting to do it for a long time and it finally happened!! I was kind of a party pooper since it just hadn't been a good day (I wasn't feeling good and I'm starting to grow again so I was really sore!!), but luckily that didn't stop Karyl and Greg's family from having some good fun!

Karyl enjoyed playing in the dirt and flicking it up with sticks and a badminton racquet! She found lots of large leaves and even got to see a little creek that was up behind our campsite. I was having a hard time but I was trying to keep my mouth shut and let her touch and experience nature, but it's so hard when all you can picture in your mind is what's on her hands goes directly in her mouth...but I guess a little dirt never hurt anyone!

I learned that Greg is a an AWESOME wood splitter and he did a great job cutting up all the wood. Our foil dinners, while experimental, were actually pretty good and the apples and s'mores were a big hit. We had a fun time and finally left a little while after it got dark...next time we know to bring lanterns because MagLites aren't quite the same!!

So, Karyl got her first "campfire" experience and she seemed to like it. Greg's sisters keep saying that she is a dirt girl, and as much as I hate to say it, I think they're right. Give her a good pile of dirt or mud and she'll be all in it before you can tell her no. At least she's not afraid to get dirty!!

Fun phrases...

I seems like every day Karyl is coming up with something new to say that catches us off guard and makes us smile =) This morning was a reminder of how precious little minds are and a reminder that we have a bright little girl in our care!!

I went into her room this morning to get her out of bed and she was standing there waiting for me....so we did the usual routine, she asks me to put the side rail down and then she tells me we need some clothes...well, I walked to the clothes and started looking through, after a few seconds it came...

"Mommy, what you're looking for?"

I had to stop and giggle for a sec, and then acted like I didn't hear her and asked "what?" and she repeated it loud and clear....so I answered her and we headed out to get dressed. I just love hearing her talk, it's almost like talking to another adult...no baby talk around here =)

On to finish work, but had to share that!!

Long week.....

So I know I haven't posted in a week...here's what you missed....

Not much!! We all worked this week and were tired!!

Saturday I decided to try a class at JoAnn's from the other end...I was the student instead of the teacher and it was fun. I took a jewlery making class and we made a tennis bracelet. I know, you're asking "why don't you have a pic of it on here"...well, because I ended up taking it apart and I'm trying again.

Saturday night we headed to where else but Disneyland....and funny enough Disneyland was having an off night, how you wonder, well, let's see...
1. As we were coming down the escalator from the top level it came to a screeching halt, almost sending all of us head over heels...and since we were only about 3/4 of the way down we had to hike the rest of the way down since we weren't the only people on there...and it stopped so suddenly that it scared Karyl and I had to carry her, not easy =)
2. We boarded the tram and as it was getting ready to take off it started moving...backwards...!!! They fixed it and we were on our way, but still slightly unsettling.
3. Apparently the Jungle Cruise has made the old "standard jokes" optional....Our "tour guide" changed the "back side of water" joke to some stupid comment about holding our breaths because we were about to go under water...BOOO!!!!! Apparently the jokes are written freelance now....
4. We were sitting in our usual spot for the Electrical Parade at the very end of the route (where all the floats go into the gate) and as the first float came up it stopped right in front of us...and subsequently so did every other float behind it. We sat there for about 10 minutes just watching the girl on our float try to keep smiling and waving and watching Goofy honk his horn and keep trying to entertain everyone. The parade finally started moving again but it was moving at like twice the speed to get caught up...very interesting!!

So, very interesting night at Disneyland....when I have the energy I'll put a few pics, there are some cute ones with Karyl in pigtails!!

Oh, and Saturday we accepted an offer on my mom's place!! And this one looks much more promising than the last one!! So in 10 days we'll know for sure if it will be official!! Wish us luck!!

Big Girl!!

Alrighty, we've been working on this for about 4 months and the hard work paid off....

Karyl went to Nursery ALL BY HERSELF yesterday, and for the first time didn't cry for mommy or daddy!! She was so good, she listened to the lesson, sat down when she was supposed to and had a great time!!

Now mommy can go to class on Sunday...for another 6 months...then we start all over again!!!!

Yay for our big girl!! Now onto the potty training..... =)

34 months together!!

I know, random month count, right?? But Greg thought it was a good reason to get me some roses and I can't complain!! These are some of the most beautiful roses I've seen in a long time so I thought I'd share them with you!! Isn't Greg the best?!?! It's the best feeling to know that someone you care about so much is thinking about even the littlest things =)

Disneyland

So, we love going to Disneyland and watching Karyl's reactions to everything there!! We went to Disneyland yet again on Saturday night and here are a few pictures.....In case you were wondering, her favorite thing to do there is ride the horses on the Merry-Go-Round, and if you ask her she'll tell you! Her second favorite thing to do...ride the tram =)

We love the Merry Go Round....and Daddy!!!

They have perfect size water bottles for little hands and mouths there!!

Maybe we'll see you at Disneyland sometime??

Week 9

Wednesday I went for another Dr.'s appointment to check on the peanut and make sure HE is doing OK. I was able to breathe a sigh of relief....everything looks great and he's already practically doubled in size since the last appointment 2-1/2 weeks ago! He has a great little heartbeat and is moving and kicking like a champ, even though I can't feel it yet.

You'll notice that we refer to the baby as "HE"....until we see otherwise (tune it at 20 weeks for the official call) we will continue to refer to the baby as he. We're hoping that subliminal messaging works this time!!

So...everything is well on the "baby in the belly" front and we'll keep you posted as we find out more!!

OC Fair 2008

On Saturday we headed to the OC Fair, the theme this year was "Say Cheese"....and we learned that next year we will hit the Fair scene earlier in the season! It was REALLY crowded, but Karyl had fun nonetheless looking at what animals were left and seeing the different displays. Here are a few cute moments with Karyl at the Fair!!

Here's Karyl eyeing up the goats...this one in particular decided to come up and check her out.

Look, the Easter Bunny!!

Daddy and Karyl checking out the only cows left at the Fair....MOOO!!!!

And Karyl's FAVORITE thing at the Fair...the GIANT Dora book!! There was a booth there handing out books to kids to encourage reading and they gave her a Dora Book...that was exciting enough, then they pointed out the abnormally large version of her book and she ran to see it!

SAY CHEESE!!

Welcome!!

I know we're a little late starting our "family" blog, but I figured better late than never right?? Since we have a new little one on the way, I thought it would be fun to start now and document the journey for friends and family to see, and to keep everyone up to date on Karyl's accomplishments and our family's antics!! So....check back often and HERE WE GO!!!

Bear with me for a while, I need to figure out the creative aspect of the blog so it's not all one boring color, but with time we will surprise you...welcome to our life.