Easter

I know, I know...you're thinking "Diana, you used to be so good at blogging and keeping everyone updated"

I'm sorry...I've just been so busy with the kids and working and the pregnancy and life in general.  I guess it's part because I made a pact with myself to spend more time with the kids and do more around the house...and of all the things that got cut back in the process, blogging was put at the bottom of the list.

But fear not...I am trying to find the balance for everything, and I have huge dreams that someday I will be able to do it all, kinda like Supermom but without the spandex outfit and knee-high boots.

Easter was wonderful around here....we spent time with our families over the weekend and then got Easter at home.  I had to be at church early to direct the choir, but Greg did a great job getting the kids ready for church in their new Easter outfits and even taking some spectacular photos which I will share below.

Yes, that's right, we do in fact have the cutest kids you've ever seen...it's true.  Oh, and I put Karyl's hair in curlers that morning with a little water to try and curl her hair, but with it being as straight as it is, by the time they got to church (about 30 minutes later) it was totally straight again...I guess I need to invest in some hairspray for my straight haired offspring.

Seriously...Freddie looks like a little man and Karyl looks so stinking cute!!! Hope you enjoy the pictures and I will really try to update more and go back into our picture stash for cuteness overload.  With the baby coming in like 7-1/2 weeks I am slowly running out of time and we have been super busy with getting the house ready.  We painted Karyl's current room (going to be Freddie's room soon) and will be painting the other room soon too so we can get them decorated and switch the kids.  Freddie will be in a regular bed so this should be interesting!! Wish us luck!!!

The Discovery Science Center

The Discovery Science Center...every little kid's dream playground!!! We decided to go so that the kids could see it again and while we had extended family in town.  It was CROWDED, but the kids had a blast touching everything and playing around.  The theme at the time was the body, with Sesame Street and Elmo as the hosts.  The kids got to play with lots of machines that made noise and showed what different body parts do...

This organ looking machine talked about different parts of the body...

This wheel turned a mixer of sorts above that had green balls in it and was to show how digestion worked...

This was the door and steps to the Sesame Street set...the kids recognized it and of course wanted to check it out!!

They had these neat toys that allowed the kids to pedal or row or even roll a wheelchair in a race to the finish line on a screen above them.  The only problem was that other parents weren't watching their little monsters and they kept hitting the reset button so that none of these poor kids could make it to the end to see the lights go off.  At least they had fun trying!!

They also had a replica of "Elmo's World" and Freddie loved it...he loved the kid size bean bags and looking at all the stuff!!

And of course, Karyl wanted a chance in front of the Sesame Street door too!!! Such a cutie!! 

The kids had fun, but it was almost too crowded to really let them enjoy it.  The worst part was the so many parents don't watch their kids or teach them any manners, so our kids would be playing with one toy and another kid would just walk up and literally push them out of the way....and the parents wouldn't do anything.  I would definitely try and go another time when it's quiet and school is in session so we eliminate the unruly children from the equation.  Our kids were so good, they waited their turns and were so patient, but it was hard when they noticed what all the other kids were doing and then wondered why they had to wait.  Sometimes you just want to knock some sense into other parents, but let's face it, it wouldn't do much good!!

San Diego Zoo

This week was filled with fun outings for the kids, and they did great!!! The day before this Karyl went to Disneyland with Greg's family and she was ready and willing to spend the day at the zoo!! She LOVED seeing all the animals, but I think her favorite part was finding the face painter...she loves getting her face painted!!



Then Freddie saw Karyl and of course wanted to do the same thing...I was skeptical and didn't think he'd sit there, but he did and let the lady draw a dolphin on his face!! It looked so stinking cute, especially with his blue eyes.  He sat perfectly still and let her draw the whole thing!!

Then, after the face painting we had gone to collect our stroller (we had just finished the bus ride around the zoo) and we saw this feathered friend wandering.  The kids thought it was the coolest thing EVER.  After a few minutes, the peacock fanned its tail and we got to see that in all it's glory.  The kids LOVED it!!

Did you know that you have to wait in line to see the Pandas?? Well, it's true...so while in line Karyl and Daddy took advantage of the surroundings and got a little silly in the bamboo!!

The kids had a blast, and surprisingly I made it through the whole day without passing out or having to slow down.  That's not to say I wasn't limping by the time we walked to the car...being 8 months pregnant doesn't exactly make roaming around the zoo an easy task, but I was really proud of myself that I did it and I didn't hold anyone back!! Of course that night I couldn't sleep in bed I was so sore, but it was gone the next day and we have some great memories from the zoo with the kids and family!!! Thanks again to Greg's family for agreeing to share this experience with the kids....they loved it!!

Who doesn't love cupcakes??

So who doesn't love a good cupcake with TONS of frosting?? I make these for Jaxson's 2nd birthday party and I still love looking at the pictures!! I also made Cake Pops, but those don't look as pretty in pictures!! A huge thanks to Claire and Sterling for inviting and and for letting me have some fun with frosting...making the cupcakes was a lot of fun!! The party was awesome, even with the cold weather and slight drizzle the sun came out right at the perfect time and the kids had a blast playing at the park all together!

Happy Birthday Jaxson!!! We had a blast!!!



Happy 2nd Birthday Freddie!!!

See...I told you I'd be back.  I'll have to work on catching up, but as for current events Freddie celebrated his 2nd Birthday on Sunday...and in turn, so did we...here is his 2nd Birthday, in pictures!!!

It started out with a bath, because EVERYONE needs to be clean on their birthday...we even let them draw with the bath crayons and they both had a blast!!! And surprisingly, cleaning up wasn't as bad as I had imagined!

We gave Freddie this neat "pop up" Cars tent for his birthday and he and Karyl quickly found spots right in front, grabbed a few snacks, and sat down to watch...wait for it...CARS....

Amazingly, this year Freddie picked up on the idea of anything wrapped was his to tear open...unfortunately for him, his 4-year-old sister already knew this all too well and just assumed he needed her help with every single present.  Needless to say, the presents were opened in half the time because she was opening them too....

Freddie's dreams came true...he got lots and lots of cars...he was in HEAVEN!!!!

Then, when all the presents were open we let Freddie and his buddy Jaxson play with the bubble gun....why is it that kids LOVE chasing bubbles??

Here's Freddie and Jaxson...they are only 6 weeks apart and had such a fun time playing together!! A huge thanks to Claire and Sterling for coming by and "partying" with us.

This was Freddie's cake...it was my first time trying to make a cake from a shaped pan and it worked pretty well.  I've learned for the next time though, so I can't wait to try again with another shaped pan!!

And here's our happy little family....Freddie already had frosting on his face from sticking his finger in the cake.  He'd been bugging me to eat the cake since seeing me decorating it the night before.  I'm only posting this picture because we don't get many "family" pictures...but I didn't bother to think about the fact that I was standing sideways, which of course makes me and my 6 month baby belly look like two people...ugh....

Freddie LOVED eating his cake...luckily he wanted a spoon to eat it with, for some reason he wasn't into digging his hands in...thank you!!!

Greg got Freddie these balloons...he was SOOO excited when he saw them....the big one is in his room and whenever he sees it he gets all excited, says "Ka-Chow!!" and then starts naming off all the characters "May-May (Mater), Shally (Sally)" we giggle every time.

Of course, it's like he KNOWS his mom is deathly afraid of balloons...he tried to jump on that thing more times than I could count.  Luckily it never popped....

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY FREDRICK!!!!

I can't believe 2 years ago this was you...all tiny and quiet....

And now we have this big boy....from almost 8 pounds to over 35 pounds in 2 years...you toughed your way through your skull surgery and even have an awesome scar to show for it!!!  Look at you now..beautiful blue eyes, gorgeous blond hair...and a face that melts even your mom's worst moods.  What would we do without you?

Just in the past few weeks he has really done some growing up...he recognizes almost all of the capital letters and gets REALLY excited when he sees them...he talks in sentences (although sometimes I'm the only one who can understand them)...he tells me "poo-poo out"....he LOVES any toy with wheels....he loves to mimic Karyl and whatever she does (which isn't always helpful)...he gives me a big hug every morning when I get him out of his crib, and then he asks where his cars are....he finally can count to 10 (we worked and worked!!)...

But most importantly, he is healthy, almost always smiling, and growing faster than we can keep track of.  We wouldn't have him any other way!!!

Sorry, we're still here!!!

Well, for those who haven't figured it out yet we are still alive and here...I just honestly have not had the time or energy to update the blog.  I guess I just needed a break.

However, that does not mean that I don't have months and months of pictures and witty comments and general obnoxiousness to share!! Heck, we had that roadtrip in November that needs to be documented, and Karyl's 4th birthday party...and the holidays....and everything else up until now.

I am finally at a point where I feel like I can spare the time to do it, so be on the lookout for backdated posts (after October 15th) of our life.  I will try and remember to post a new post with links to each of the back-dated posts to make it easier to see the ones you want (if any!!). 

Just in case you can't wait, I will say that our roadtrip in November was AWESOME!! We took a week and travelled from here to the Grand Canyon, to Four Corners, to Utah and back down through Vegas.  That's right....the 4.25 of us, in a minivan, for about 1500 miles....I'm not going to lie, it was cold and it was before I had discovered the wonder of Zofran for my morning sickness, but we survived.  And more importantly, we can't wait to do it again.  Although, by the time that happens we will need a carrier for the top of the van because we're gonna need that third row seat for that other car seat!!

Alrighty...I'll be back to post...until then leave me a comment to let me know that at least 1 person cares about the past 4 months of our lives.  If you don't I might cry...and then I'll post a picture of that...and nobody wants to see that....

Happy 5th Anniversary....to US!!!

It's been 5 years since we got married....

Since then we've:

Had 2 children, with a third on the way...which means that 3 of our 5 anniversaries has seen me in a different trimester of pregnancy....

Discovered that you can't wash and dry a bluetooth headset and expect it to work again...

Discovered that kids will eat just about anything if you tell them Spongebob/Minnie Mouse/Elmo eats it too...

Moved somewhere completely new to us where we knew no one....and LOVED it!!

Learned that marriage is not easy by any means....but COMPLETELY worth it!!

Visited Hawaii, New York, Utah and Minnesota...

Laughed, cried, laughed again a little louder....over and over for an infinite number of reasons...

Bought a house....and completely renovated the outside...

Given in and bought a minivan....and sworn to never own another type of vehicle until our kids are grown...

Learned that we're both a little crazier than we first thought...and decided that we don't mind at all...



Exactly 5 years ago we walked out of the Temple, hand in hand while I hyperventilated, smiling so big that it hurt....because we knew that we were starting the first day of the rest of our lives. 

And 5 years later I still feel the same smile coming when I see him!!

It's been an amazing 5 years - and I'm looking forward to the many, many more anniversaries we will spend together in the future.  Let's see how many more crazy adventures we can create together!!

How time flies...

Yes, I'm aware it has been an entire month since I posted anything on this blog.  I think that's a record for me as far as the longest time inbetween posts.  I wish I had a good excuse, but the best I can give is that I just haven't had the time to sit, upload pictures and then write about them.  Now, I wish I suddenly had the energy and willpower to want to do it, but I don't....at least not at this very moment.

I will start later on today and try to catch up from September all the way to the book signing I went to yesterday for Bakerella's Cake Pops book.  She is the sweetest, most down to earth lady you will ever meet!!

I should say that while I haven't posted anything in a while, that doesn't mean I haven't been blog stalking all of you...or that I wasn't sneaky in changing a few things on the blog.

Next time you check, make sure to go back to the beginning of September, I will be back-dating the posts so that when we print out the book everything is labeled correctly!

Until then =)

Family fun

Today we headed over to Downtown Disney to meet up with some extended family (Greg's dad's brother and his family).  This little girl in the pink is named Chloe and once she and Karyl met, they were inseperable!! Don't they look like they could be twins?? Proof yet again that the Baun gene is strong in our kids!!

The girls sat together at dinner and even though Freddie was screaming. They ate Mac and Cheese together...

They even danced together and then had some lollipops.  It was great, the whole night people kept getting them confused!!

Lowe's and the Fire Department

Today was the Kid's Clinic at Lowe's and they also had the Firemen there with their trucks and lots of other fun stuff.  The kids loved the Fire Trucks!!



JumpNJammin

JumpNJammin

We had been planning for weeks to head to Wild Rivers today with Claire, Sterling and Jaxson....

Unfortunately, we woke up and it was a little wet and a little too cold for toddlers to be running around in a waterpark.

So, we put our heads together and Claire told us about this great little place in the Kaleidescope Mall in Mission Viejo that is a giant indoor playground for kids...and she pointed out that they even had guns that shoot balls (I think that was so the men would be willing to come and play).

So we decided to head on over...and look at all the fun we had for $15 (that was it for the four of us in our family!!)

Even Freddie was having a blast...and he had gotten shots just a few hours prior at his 18-month checkup!!
What a stud!  I'll post the stats below....

Also, Freddie insists on proving to us that he is all male...I swear this kid has NO FEAR when it comes to trying to climb and being curious!! Luckily this little play area was all soft...that made things a lot less stressful!!

Poor Greg, these kids apparently felt it was totally appropriate to pelt him with those foam balls...they were chucking those balls like they were major league pitchers!! Yeah, it was fun and Greg was throwing them back...but he had to keep reminding them to be careful of the little kids.  It's all fun and games until you pelt a grown man's child with a ball...then you're asking to die.  I'm just saying...

Greg finally got a bag to hold all his ammunition in....there were two punk kids and only one of him...he needed something to swing things in his favor!!

This ball area was so much fun...Freddie couldn't get enough of chasing the balls, picking them up and putting them into the different tubes and buckets - and Karyl stood up there shooting those air powered guns forever!!

Freddie absolutely LOVED this bounce house!! He couldn't do much jumping, but he would constantly try to stand up, stay upright for about 3-4 seconds and then fall back down and squeal with excitement!!

Oh, and we have no idea what it was about this game, but the boys couldn't stay away from it!!  Every chance they got they were both climbing all over it.  Maybe it was the lights??

My question is who thought it was smart to put just the men in there with the kids...that's like asking for a trip to the emergency room!!!

Now...as I mentioned earlier, Fredrick had his 18-month checkup this morning...here are the stats:

Height: 34.5 inches

Weight: 30 lbs. 6 oz.

Ah, yeah....he was pretty much off the charts as far as weight and height...

But luckily Dr. Tang praised us for having such healthy kids and reassured us that despite his size, he is proportionate - so he's just fine!! He's just not going to be a skinny kid when he gets older - we have a future football player folks!!