Mrs PRD

New Faucet!

2011-03-08T14:38:00.000-08:00

Justin and I got a new faucet!! We have not installed it yet but we are so excited.

This is going to make doing the dishes extra fun! I love that the sprayer pulls out to reach the whole sink. We are currently lacking the convenience of one of those.

We have a few things we want to fix around our house. We've been thinking of redoing some stuff in our bathroom including the bathroom faucet and bath tub. We have a pretty big bathroom with a storage closet, but I would rather tear down the closet wall and put in a claw foot tub. I want to replace the storage with a small armoire. Actually I can't wait to be able to tile the floor or walls in there. I know I could do a rad mosaic. So many ideas- So little time. I'll keep you updated on our kitchen and bathroom projects! I may even introduce a new blog that's just about Home Design stuff!

Top Cell Phone Pics of 2010

2011-01-07T00:14:00.000-08:00

2010 was a fun year and you can tell by the pictures I have on my cell phone.

This was last year's post 2009 cell pics.

I used to have one of those cell phones that would only hold 30 low res pics at a time. Photos are my favorite so I am super happy that my iPhone holds almost unlimited amounts. It's just hard to narrow down my faves, but here they are:

Cute Titus. 5 months.

Love this!

Bro in law. Wounded.

Little Bear.

Choco smile.

You know I love seeing this whenever I can!

They love to relax.

Sleep. The best kind.

Pretty.

Tuft of hair.

A little TV.

Stuck in the crack.

Love that yellow sweater!

Cousin hugs.

Cream cheese for breakfast.

Cute baby profile.

Learning to walk with daddy.

My birthday with my boy.

Riverside.

Awwww. Snugs.

Anniversary at Dland.

The climbing begins.

Popeye the sailor man!

Holding a mannequin's hand

Cappuccino. Recharge moment.

Love that face.

Sleep eating.

Can you hear this picture?

Wearing the jacket of a puppet. McGruff the crime dog.

Some days go like this.

Kellie and Tidy :)

On our way to Club 33. Love my fam. So much fun!

Snugs with Cece.

Riverside. Gorgeous.

My summer chalk boy.

Childrens <3

Baby monkey... baby monkey....

My little farm boy.

Cutest sock monkey I ever saw!

Guilty choco face.

Perfect bed head. 16 months.

One last cell pic from my sister. Piggy face Titus.

Christmas with The PRDZ

2011-01-01T23:47:00.000-08:00

For the Prdz, Christmas begins on the 23rd.

We meet up with my Gpa & Gma Saunders and family for dinner

at the Mission Inn. It is always a treat and we love catching up with

everyone. Titus was not afraid of Santa this year. Go Titus.

This is a cute pic of the Prd family. I love Tidy's heart booty

which was probably cuter than his face at the time because

he was definitely tired and grumpy :)

Christmas Eve was delightfully busy. We spent time with Justin's family

and went to the Sandals Church Christmas Eve service. We had so much

fun having a traditional tortilla soup dinner. After the awesome church service

we had a midnight breakfast with Justin's parents and spent good

time with Titus' auntie and uncle visiting from Chicago.

Justin and I love watching Titus have fun with them.

Christmas Morn part 1: The Prd home. Titus had a great early

morning face. He enjoyed opening his gifts and he was pretty

good with ripping paper and emptying bags.

Justin got me a vintage yellow chair which I absolutely love!

We got Titus his first red wagon.

Christmas Morn part 2: The Saunders Home. We love spending time with my

parents and fam. One of the best gifts was given to my mom. My dad took

a piece of wood from my mom's childhood house and made it into a growth

stick for their grandkids. I painted an orange with blossoms on the top to

symbolize the orange grove my mom grew up on. My mom cried.

My dad gets the award for the most heart warming gift :)

My Gma and Gpa Ricker. My Gma just recovered from hip surgery.

Go Gma! So glad she's doing better!

Jojo enjoying the day.

We spent a relaxing Christmas afternoon with my Gma & Gpa Shoe.

We got to have some quality time with our aunts, uncles & cousins.

Here is one of my cousins, Grace. Love this girl!

Justin and I feel so blessed to have had such a great Christmas.

Spending time with all our family and church is such a joy!

Jesus has truly blessed us all by coming to this earth. It would be a

sad thing to only remember and reflect on Jesus' birth at Christmas

time. It's a story of amazing Hope and we should remember it often :)

My Black Friday Technique

2010-11-27T00:21:00.000-08:00

I am no expert on Black Friday techniques. I've only attempted to get deals on this day a few times.

However, from my experiences (and long stretches of time thinking to myself as I waited in lines) I have deduced a few helpful tips for Black Friday shopping. By the way, I am not a hardcore, camp outside before it opens kind of girl. I'm a wake up around 5 or 6am and slip in to catch some deals person. That should give you some perspective on my tips.

1. Look at the ads in the paper and online and choose the main items you want before you go. You don't have time to browse if you have a lot of stores to go to. It's best to get in and get out. (clothing stores do require some browsing however)

2. Map out what stores you want to hit up in order of importance. Variables include Store open times, favorite items, items you know will go fast, sale ending times & location of stores.

3. Go with a friend. Lines can be long. To save time it's best to grab your main items and hop in line. Take turns with your partner standing in line as the other one shops to find their final deals.

4. Bring snacks & drink. If you are in a mall area where you can go from store to store quickly, you might be racing the clock as sales are ending. You may not have time to wait in the 30 min long Starbucks line for nourishment.

5. Stores like Target and Home depot seem to check you out pretty swiftly. I have found that clothing stores are super slow and backed up such as Gap, Old Navy, Express & Macy's. Be prepared.

6. Bring your iPhone or smart phone. There is plenty of time to check your FB status or read blogs while you wait to purchase your items.

7. Don't bring your kids. I don't mind watching YOUR kid lay on the floor and sob because they can't run around and pull stuff off the shelves. I just don't want MY kid to do the wet noodle and scream in my ear while I wait in line. Leave them with their toys and a guardian. You'll be happy you did.

8. When a clothing store has a sale like- 40% or 50% off Everything- and they don't have your size. Just buy any size and come back a week later when the shelves are restocked and exchange for your size. Worst case scenario is you have to return the item- No loss to you.

I think that's all I got. Did I miss anything? I hope this info only adds to the technique YOU have developed for Black Friday! Today, I only went to Gap, Baby Gap, and Macy's. I feel pretty satisfied. A salesclerk at Baby Gap said she has worked there 12 years and this is the first time Gap has offered 50% off everything. It made me feel good that I made the effort to get there because who knows when that deal will come again.

Also, The picture up top is not actually random. It's the 4th store I went black friday shopping at. It's a window of an antique store. Although there were no Doorbusters or even any sale prices, there was a lot of lovely things there and I had a great time collecting a few beautiful items. Antique stores are just my favorite :) Look how beautiful that handmade curtain is as the sun passes through it. It's like stained glass. Gorgeous.

When I see this picture I think of...

2010-11-12T15:27:00.000-08:00

When I see this picture I think of my family.

Although I am not very good at keeping up with the laundry and housework, I really enjoy accomplishing things like this that help take care of my family. I have found that drying our jeans on the hearth of our fireplace is easy, uses less electricity, and keeps the color from fading.

As I continually walk past all these drying jeans, different things come to mind. Sometimes it's the thought of, "Geez, I should really fold those up and get them in the drawers." Other times I look at these drying jeans and think of them as art. I think, "Wow, that is so pretty." The contrasting Blue jean on Orange brick pleases my eye and the representation of our family members in the clothing laid out makes my artistic mind get excited. I used my camera to capture this mundane- spectacular scene.

Another thought I have is one of thankfulness and love. I love what God has given my family. He has given us each other and provided for our needs. I also think of the fact that as being a wife and mama, part of my role is to serve my family. I am reminded of the best servant of all, Jesus.

"... The son of man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many". Matthew 20:28.

I fall short all the time at being the amazing servant He was. He serves us all the time in His Love, Grace, and Provision. I have the opportunity to be like Him and to serve like Him. Serving like Him in the Pardee home is not what always comes natural, but it's my goal.

Titus' Last Cutesy Halloween

2010-11-10T15:09:00.000-08:00

This Halloween my plan was to purchase a costume for Titus to wear, saving myself time and energy. However, a few days before Halloween, I didn't have a costume and I realized my heart was set on making Titus be a sock monkey. I decided that this would be the last year that I could make Titus a CUTESY costume! This is the last year that he won't have an opinion and I'm going to take advantage of that! :)

At that point a ready made sock monkey costume would not get shipped on time and it was pretty expensive anyway. I told myself, if I go to Joann's Fabric and there is no sock monkey material, then I will just forget it. Well, I did find some awesome fabric so I just dove in. I used every spare moment of time (usually between the hours of 9pm and 4am) and I sewed away. I used online tutorials for making a hoodie sweater and Pj pants. It all came together and I was so happy to see the finished product. I felt like I graduated into that classic "crafty mom" role. Yay!

Titus with his sock monkey. Not only a pal, but also an inspiration ;)

I love this cute little pose. He seems so happy to be a sock monkey.

This is his determined sock monkey look.

Awww It's fall!

Sock Monkey with his awesome cousins, Ariel and Optimus Prime.

Justin went as a young boy with his favorite toy!

We went to the Sandals Church Trunk 'n Treat along with about 5,000 other friends and new people from the neighborhood! It was our first sunday at our own building so it was exciting :)

Easter & Titus' Blue Basket

2010-04-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

Our celebration of Easter was great this year. We had family time and worship time.

Titus had fun with his great grandpa Ricker. I love both of their expressions :) Titus has a little cabbage patch kid smile.

It was my mom's birthday this Easter so we got to celebrate that as well. Here are my cute parents.

Then the Easter egg hunt began for all the little kidlets. Here's a Titus and blue basket montage...

Haha, I love that Caleb is holding Tidy's face that way. Look @ those cute kids who wouldn't look at the camera all at the same time! :)

Titus in the blue basket with daddy

and Tidy in the bucket with Gma Cece

What a great day! So thankful for our loving family and most especially for Christ and the sacrifice of his life for us. He is deserving of our praise! :)

Pots and Pans

2010-03-18T17:13:00.000-07:00

Titus loves pots and pans. Check out this video. Titus is with his grandma Cece and Great Gma.

His Seventh Month

2010-03-12T22:33:00.000-08:00

Titus is now in his 7th month being in the outside world.

He is constantly changing- It's so exciting to see him developing thoughts and skills before my eyes. One day he will have a handful of certain skills and the next day a new skill will instantly emerge.

Recently he started shaking his head as if he was saying "No". He also says the word "Bwa" really well. All the sudden he went from sleeping in the middle of the crib, always- to sleeping all over the bed and spin himself 360 degrees.

He's been trying solid food for a few months now, but he's not that into it. We will keep trying. He just likes his breast milk I guess.

We are so thankful to be given a unique, healthy, curious, wide-eyed boy. We are blessed, blessed, blessed!

Jumping Titus

2010-02-27T11:59:00.000-08:00

Titus has a few baby contraptions he enjoys while I get stuff done around the house. He loves this exersaucer. He usually will enjoy this toy for about 15-20 mins before he decides he's finished.

Check him out getting crazy in the exersaucer. This video cracks me up.

Funny Boy

2010-02-21T23:27:00.000-08:00

Here are some update pics from my cell phone. I just love this cute boy.

That New... Old Theater

2010-02-03T23:06:00.000-08:00

I got to swoop in on my brother in law's Christmas gift and take his ticket to see sheryl Crow with the fam. Josh was not back in town from his work trip that day so got to go to a great concert! Thanks Josh!

So, I was equally excited to see the new FOX Theater that night. I had never been inside it in my life. It was condemned by the time I payed attention to it and was intrigued by it. I'm so glad it is restored. It is such a city treasure.

The Sheryl Crow concert was it's Grand Opening besides the Gala a few weeks ago. Sheryl is the first musician that's been on that stage in many years.

This is a pic of my wonderful parents waiting for the show to begin. During the opening act, the people behind us were talking louder than the singer onstage. It was unbelievable for a while, but they seemed to keep it down for Sheryl. The guy next to me didn't have a problem "Shhhhhhh- ing" and telling them that they were rude. It was kind of entertaining in itself.

I just like Sheryl. She's a girl with a guitar.

I knew 95% of the songs she played just because they have been on the radio over the past 10 years. I don't own any of her cds, but I know her hits.

The crowd didn't start standing and noticeably rocking out to her music till the last few songs. Here is my fam getting into it and catching a groove.

The Cabin

2010-01-29T19:22:00.001-08:00

Justin's Parents have a cabin in Idyllwild. We went up there for a little get-away.We stayed there Sunday evening till Tuesday afternoon. During that time we watched Lord of the Rings 2 and 3, Played Scrabble and Banana Grams, cooked/ ate/cleaned up after 6 meals, attempted to make brownies, had a few discussions, took a Titus photo shoot, did 2 loads of laundry and stood in the falling snow. We had fun. We want to go back soon. It's nice to have a little time away from the city life.

Titus looks like a little bug

Me and T by the fire

Playing with dad

A brisk morning on the deck

T and daddy going on a little exploration

Titus Bear's bare bottom on bear skin

The snow fell on us the few hours before we left. It was gorgeous.

Titus Tasting

2010-01-25T22:13:00.001-08:00

Justin and I decided to see if Titus would like a little solid food. I mixed some brown rice cereal with breast milk. He definitely leaned toward the food and opened his mouth a little bit the first few spoonfuls. He then just wanted to touch and explore the substance rather than eat it. He preferred to just Taste it.

Over the next few days we repeated this process, but he still tightened up his lips so I could just barely slip the spoon in with a little food residue on it. I began to pull his chin open and put a spoonful in, which produced a few confused expressions. So, we decided to wait a while to try it again. Maybe in a week or two.

My Top Cell Phone Pictures of 2009

2010-01-01T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here are my top 25 pictures from my cell phone of 2009! I love taking pictures with my phone. That's why I have about 1500 pictures on my phone right now. I narrowed it down to show you my 25 favorite. Goodbye 2009! Enjoy.

My nephew's haircut

Preggo DQ

Justin in birthing class

Preggo silhouette

My crazy hubster

Fortune one month before Titus' birth

Me and my Jo

First cell pic of my baby

His sleep smile at church

My precious bug

New haircut

Cute pose

Titus snugging with his friend Asher

Caleb with his weapon of choice

Snugging with daddy

First baseball game

How I do laundry

Bath time

Peed on the couch

My beautiful boy

Trans Siberian Orchestra

First time in the cart

First scarf on Christmas day

Cracking up

Loving my baby

Titus Likes To Skype

2009-12-11T09:40:00.001-08:00

On Thanksgiving we were at Justin's parents house. We skyped with Heather and Cambry because they live in Connecticut. Titus really enjoyed skyping with his aunt and uncle. He kept reaching out to touch their faces.

It's cold so we're bringing out T's hats. I love this one. It used to be Justin's.

Titus got to hang out with his great Godmother, Claudia, all Thanksgiving weekend. He loved her so much he would just fall asleep on her a bunch.

Another Thanksgiving highlight was the time that Titus spent with Gramps. Gramps has had Alzheimer's for many years now. His words are limited and sometimes confused. When Titus hangs out with him his face gets bright and joyful. Gramps' agenda then becomes to entertain his great grand boy. He makes faces at Titus and funny noises. He says cute and funny phrases to him. Gramps just loves this boy. This picture shows one of the funny faces he would make.

Justin and I got to got see the Festival of Lights downtown at the Mission Inn. It was fun and cold. Most of Riverside goes to see the lights that night. I think there was like 20,000 peeps there that night. At least that is the rumor. Doesn't my husband have great eyebrows?

Photo Booth

2009-11-21T13:58:00.000-08:00

Yeah, sometimes me and T ty have some down time together. We like to look at ourselves on photo booth...

Took A Stroll

2009-11-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

I took Titus on a walk to my mom's house which is about a 15 min walk away. On the way there, I walked down Palm Ave with no sidewalk. Although it is the shortest distance... It is not fun to push a stroller in the gutter and have cars driving pretty close to you. When I got to my mom's house, I called the city and requested a side walk be put in on that street. They took my request and told me to call them back in 10 or 15 days to see the progress on it. I was happy they seemed like they cared even though I know a sidewalk isn't going to appear there overnight. (If anyone else cares to request a sidewalk on Palm between the streets of Beechwood Pl and Maplewood Pl approximately, you can call 951-826-5311). Palm does have room for a sidewalk and I am only requesting for it to be on at least one side of the road.

On the way back to my house I walked the longer way and took Brockton which is parallel to Palm, but it has a sidewalk. It was a lovely walk and the weather was perfect.

Here is Titus' view.

Love that silhouette.

And it's as if the walk was meant to end where we live. The sidewalk disappears after you pass our house. You can ignore the dead grass. That's not so lovely.

Disneyland and Raccoons

2009-11-02T08:58:00.000-08:00

There were Raccoons in the street when we got home from D land. It's always exciting to see raccoons around the neighborhood. Usually they are running along the gutter, climbing a tree, or running for cover in a storm drain. Wood Streets are home to many raccoons and you can tell by the official "Raccoon Crossing" sign that is displayed a few streets away at a blind turn.

Justin and I thought it was cool to see the raccoons. There were four of them which is crazy. We parked on the street in front of our house because our driveway is being repaired by the city. The raccoons were close so justin tried to shoo them away before I got out. The raccoons wouldn't shoo so I stayed in the car. Justin got a flashlight and tried to scare them, but he resorted to the hose. Meanwhile the raccoons were hanging out by the car with me inside. They were right outside the door and we even have their muddy paw prints on the bumper of the car. The hose seemed to work, but not as well as you would expect. They still were trying to get past the spraying water to get close to us. Weird. So, two trips later with the baby and baby gear, we were inside safe from the determined raccoons.

It was actually funny to see the shock on Justin's face as the raccoons tried to charge past the shooting water

Here are two bad picture of the raccoons. There were four of them. You can see some glowing eyes. The blurry one has 3 sets of glowing eyes. Has anyone else had a raccoon experience like this?

Although the raccoons got crazy that night, we sure had a great time at D land! Here are some pic of us hanging out.

Titus hung out in the Moby.

Justin and Titus just wouldn't look at the camera!

The Wild Things

2009-11-01T12:18:00.001-08:00

Halloween began with my nephew's Halloween parade. He does it every year at his preschool. Casey and I used to be in these parades when we were at this preschool too. So, Caleb is Luke Skywalker. He is just so cute!

Titus decided to dress up for the parade too. Too bad this October has been mostly 90 degrees. It was a little hot for his fuzzy Max costume. We stayed in the shade.

Later that night we went to Sandals Church Trunk n Treat. Justin made sure to go all out on him and Titus' costumes. He wanted them to be Carol and Max from Where the Wild Things Are.

The Costumes turned out soo cute. Justin's mom is awesome because she made it happen! Look how little Titus looks next to the big monster.

Here I am with them. I just dressed up like Max's mom from the movie.... or I kinda didn't have a costume. I was ok with that. My first year without a costume. It was actually nice to not have to worry about getting ready. I just got my boys ready.

Our friends, The Kowalski's, have a little boy too. Here are the dad's and their coordinating babies.

Titus had fun at Trunk n Treat. He didn't get much candy... I think it's because he can't say "Trick or Treat" yet.

Here is grandma CeCe. She is the amazing costume maker.

Papa Ron got to hold a sleeping Max during his nap.

Halloween was fun!

The Three Little Bears

2009-10-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

The three little bears go to Oak Glen.

We decided to show Titus all the great things about Fall. Oak Glen has got to be the most iconic place to celebrate Fall if you live in the Riverside/ San Bernardino county areas. Titus also became a fan of this place.

Titus had his bear jacket on and we made sure he got to hang out with all the bears that happened to be there.

We went to the petting zoo. There was a whole group of piglets. These piglets were so cute I couldn't believe it. I let them sniff my fingers. Their noses felt like little dirty suction cups.

What adorable little pig faces. I love their eyelashes.

As much a I love piglets... they don't stay piglets. They get big and fat and scary. I was glad these pigs were asleep. There was no fence between these pigs and us. If they were awake, I'm not sure if I would have been in that area. Someone's feeding these pigs too much corn!!

Another precious moment was seeing these little baby goats. Mmmmm. Sweet little snugglers.

Here is our own little bear with the pumpkins and hay. The cutest bear I've ever seen.

They are just very cautious of any bear at Oak Glen.

Papa bear and baby bear.

We stopped by the restaurant for an apple dumpling and hot cider. That's one big dumpling!! It's pretty much a whole peeled and cored apple filled with spices and baked in pastry dough. Tastey.

We took care of it.

How can you say no to...

2009-10-26T15:05:00.000-07:00

How can you say no to this double chin? Seriously. It's precious.

And if just his second chin is this cute... His eyes and cheeks have got to be even cuter. Yep. They pretty much are.

I'm not even going to mention his smile, his hair styles, his laugh, his squishy belly, and his butt cheeks. I will not expand on those incredibly cute topics.

I think it's obvious by the cuteness of just his chin that you can't ever be mad at a little face like this. It's impossible.

Project in the Third Bedroom!

2009-10-24T11:24:00.000-07:00

Justin and I have a third bedroom. It looks like this.

Another angle.

So, we have an excuse. We moved into our house 2 weeks before Titus came. If our house was going to look functional and clean at all we would have to put everything that didn't have a place yet in this room. It has been a lifesaver these past few months, but now it's time to move on. Justin needs an office and I need to find a few things that are currently "Lost". I think I'm going to have to start out little by little. I'm still learning how to accomplish household goals with Titus and his needs and all.

There are a few things I'm hoping to find in this room. I have a cork bulletin board and some pretty beach towels that I haven't seen since the move in January 2009. Also, most importantly, I can't find our Canon Rebel camera and it's power cord. That has been the most disappointing thing to not have. I am a picture person and I can't even take quality pictures of our own adorable kid.

My goal is to find my lost items and make that room cozy and organized for my husband. I'll let you know when it's done. Hopefully soon.

The Point and Shoot Shoot

2009-10-23T09:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend we went to the wedding of Hilary and Josh Dildine. Hilary is our sister-in-law's sister. The wedding was completely adorable. It had a very vintage feeling. I loved discovering all their great ideas for this very wildflower wedding. Many things were handmade and the atmosphere reminded me of the sweet wedding in the movie The Village... minus the dancing scenes. It also had a couple of thrills. One of the bridesmaids passed out in the heat. Soon after followed a couple Ranger vehicles, Fire truck and Ambulance all arriving during the vows. Memorable.

Justin's brother, Cambry, got to have some bonding time with his nephew. What a cute picture. Also, notice the lapel flower. These are handmade yarn flowers made by Hilary. What a great idea, huh?

Uncle Cambry and Aunt Heather with the baby. This was right before her Maid of Honor speech... Which she Nailed.

These are the collection of wildflowers in mason jars from all the tables. Gorgeous.

Look at this sweet cake. It is Precious. The quilt in the background is handmade by her grandmother.

Our awesome friends Rob and Leah working hard on getting those amazing shots. They are truly talented and their pictures blow me away! They are true artists with the camera. They took our wedding photos too. Love these guys. Leah's photo blog speaks for itself. www.visphotography.com/blog

So, Now it's my turn for a Point 'n Shoot Shoot. My Canon PowerShot is not too shabby. I usually get some pretty good shots with it. The wedding was at Paramount Ranch which is used for filming movies and TV. There were so many cool backgrounds to take pictures of. I decided to do an impromptu shoot with my boys.

Father and son. They love the dressy casual look... Jeans and a button down.

Justin looking cute as always.

He's a nice Sheriff.

Under a big Oak Tree.

Look at his cute Cabbage Patch smile. Titus seems to be very aware of cameras and frequently looks directly at the lens for a good shot. Thanks baby, you make it easy for mom.

Catch Up With Titus

2009-10-14T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here are pictures of Titus over the past month. I haven't updated frequently enough so I will catch you up and hope to post more often so you can be updated in live time.

This pic shows Titus' sweet face

At D land

Me and my boy

T's first Angel's game

Having fun with dad at the game

Grandma Ce Ce hanging out with T

Love this funny expression

Love his smiles

Snugging with his cousin Caleb

Out in the yard with Grandmar

So, There is a quick picture update. Titus is in his 2nd month of life outside the womb. He is doing very well and is such a joy to Justin and I.

Titus Goes to Disneyland

2009-09-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

We took Titus to Disneyland. He is now 6 weeks old so he is ready for some action.

This is Justin and Titus waiting for the tram. You can see the anticipation in Titus' face. He's ready to see what Disneyland is all about.

We got the traditional family picture in front of the landscaped mickey head.

We strapped Titus into his stroller and took a ride down Main St. He was wide eyed and loved seeing all of the movement and action. He wore his Winnie the Pooh pajamas to get into the spirit of things. He also snuggled with his Winnie the Pooh blanket later in the evening.

Titus had to try getting the sword out of the stone. He gave it his best shot.

We tried to show Titus The Storybook Ride (Justin's favorite), but it was closed. So, we just got our picture in front of it.

Titus tried on a few Mickey ears, but he didn't find one that fit quite right.

We found some people Titus' size at the Castle. We got their picture together.

Justin loves showing Titus the world. As they are looking at the sky and trees, Justin tells Titus in his ear that God made all this for him because He loves him. I hope Titus grows up to think about God as he enjoys the outdoors.

We had so much fun showing Titus Disneyland. We can't wait to go back. The weather is hopefully getting cooler so it's more comfortable to go. Also the seasons will be changing soon and that is always fun to see at D Land.

He's A Little Guy

2009-08-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

I know Titus won't stay tiny for long so I am trying to get a lot of pics of him at this small stage.

He was born at 6 lbs 12oz and it took him to weeks to get back up to his birth weight.

He's got

great expressions

awesome hair

blue eyes

big feet

sweet personality

squeaky cry

skinny thighs

He likes

his hands in his mouth

snugging on my chest

sneezing

observing the world

sleep smiling

pursing his lips for kisses

I love his tiny body and sweet eyes. He is a very good boy.

Uncle Cambry and Aunt Heather

2009-08-20T20:15:00.000-07:00

Titus got to hang out with his aunt Heather and uncle Cambry. They live in Connecticut and got to come out and visit for a week. Titus loved hanging out with them and even gave them lessons on how to change diapers.

Titus loves snugging with his auntie

Heather even brought with her Titus' first watercolor portrait. Seriously, I knew she was crafty, but I didn't even know she did paintings. She painted a portrait of Titus' face and it is really accurate. It looks great. Sorry don't have a pic of it, but it's cool.

Look at this bonding moment. They will have to spend a lot of Quality time together since they won't have a lot of Quantity time with each other. Too bad Cambry and Heather don't live close by.

Titus' First Bath

2009-08-16T16:50:00.000-07:00

This is Titus' first bath.

He was born on a Sunday and we didn't get around to bathing him till Friday. He didn't even get a bath at the hospital so he pretty much was fresh from the womb all week. He didn't care.

Look at his sad little face.

This was a sponge bath because his umbilical cord was still healing. I kept a blanket on the parts of him that I was not washing so he could stay a bit warmer. He had some flakey skin so I spent some time scrubbing him with a wash cloth.

These are some typical cry faces he makes. I see these expressions every day (and night) when he is hungry.

Seriously, even his crying faces are cute. I just want to kiss his face when he looks like this.

Little Bundle

2009-08-13T16:51:00.000-07:00

This is Titus' first trip to the pediatrician.

He got to spend some time with one of his faves, Blythe. She wrapped him up nice and tight so he was all snug. She even held him up like The Lion King. I think Titus' face describes his feelings about the situation. He's either a little unsure about being held up on display or a bit nervous to get his inspection by the Doctor.

Look at that little baby bundle

Daddy and Titus

2009-08-11T17:18:00.000-07:00

Here's some pics of Justin and Titus

A Big Sloppy daddy kiss

Some snug time on the Love Sac beanbag

The father & son pose

Justin loves being a daddy. He just stares at Titus and can't believe he is here. He really is the proudest dad and wants to show Titus off to the world. Titus went to church with us for the first time on sunday and Justin could not help taking him around to show everybody and sneaking him into the worship service to praise God with him. Even right now, Justin came home from work and is literally smelling Titus' head having missed him all day.

Aside from recovering and adjusting to the new schedule, we are the happiest parents ever :)

Here He is!

2009-08-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

Titus Bear Pardee

First Photos:

The Proudest Daddy

Baby Face

I love my baby boy

Sorry it took a while to get some pics up. I know how fun it is to see new babies and get updated. I have attempted to post for the past 4 or 5 days. Obviously, it didn't happen. I have so many cute pics to share with you so hopefully I can do some quick fun posts and it won't take to much time.

This first week has been the longest and shortest week of our lives. Titus is doing really good. He is pretty much the cutest thing ever. My labor was a little tumultuous. He was actually born in an ambulance. I will post about that another day.

This week has been awesome and challenging. We would love your prayers for the continued healing of my body and for Titus' breast feeding. My body has been doing better everyday, but my pelvis is still messed up. Titus is having trouble breast feeding so it has been frustrating for both of us.

Thanks for your love and prayers!

Some Preggo Photos

2009-07-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

So, My friend Jessica wanted to practice her pregnancy photography skills on me. She did an awesome job capturing my round belly! She was really creative and wanted to try new things. The shoot was so fun. She has a natural eye and made me feel really comfortable in front of the camera. She has a sample selection of pictures she took of me on her site. check it out.

jessicawhite.wordpress.com

Fireworks Bonanza

2009-07-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Our fourth of July celebration was great.

Justin got to try out his new water gun on the kids. He's a tough uncle.

I decided to have my mom take another belly update shot of me under the trees. This is 36 weeks. Titus is getting bigger by the day and he likes to let me mess with his foot when he pokes it out on my side.

A nice family picture.

Justin and I went over to our new house to see if we had a good view of the fireworks. The view was a little cut off by our neighbor's tree so too bad. Unfortunately we won't be putting lawn chairs in our front yard to watch the fireworks next year. The neighbor's tree was tall so justin sat up on the roof to see the fireworks better. Boys like climbing, you can see the smile on this boy's face :)

My family obtained some small explosives. We definitely enjoy the one day a year that it's acceptable to light things on fire in your front yard.

A spark on a stick.

Fire is gorgeous isn't it!?

Aunt Joanie and her ring of fire.

Frame around the belly.

What Titus Is Up To This Week

2009-06-26T20:02:00.000-07:00

34 Weeks.

This week Titus is doing good. He moves a lot and changes positions often. His butt and foot switch sides a lot. I am pretty sure he stays head down at least. He just flips from side to side. He finds these little soft spots on my side to poke his sharp foot into. It's fun because I try to poke and tickle it and he usually slides it around on my hand.

I try to somehow communicate to him that there is someone on the outside that is intentional about getting his attention. I try to interact with him as much as possible. I can tell he wants to stretch out his arms and legs fully like Justin does when he wakes up in the morning. I can't wait to see him stretch out right when he comes out because I know it will feel so good.

I am still having a good amount of contractions. A few weeks ago it was too frequent so I laid around for a weekend. Since then I majorly toned down my activity, which I am still doing. We even had to miss a our family trip to Cancun this week because of it. Disappointing, but I can't do anything about it. It Ok though, I am just taking it easy and eating healthy here at home :)

The Shower for Titus

2009-06-25T09:32:00.001-07:00

By the way, our baby boy's name is Titus Bear. I will have another post on the significance of his name later.

My Showers were great. I had two showers for friends and family on the same day. It was a fun day. I am so glad I got to see everyone.

Some of the decor at my shower included a clothesline of Justin's old clothes. Justin's mom did a great job of saving his clothes so Titus is going to have some authentic 80's style for the first couple years.

We also did some block painting. We got some natural wood blocks and everyone had a chance to paint their own design on them for Titus. Everyone did a great job making them look awesome! Later I will varnish them and Titus will have them as his personalized toy blocks.

Blythe did an awesome job reading a section of the book "Horton Hears A Who" By Dr. Suess. She cried both times she read it because this book is so great and meaningful. I cried too and had some mascara under my eyes the rest of the day. The book is special because Justin likes to read it to Titus. The story is awesome because there is this little guy that doesn't think his contribution would make a difference, but with convincing he helps save his little world. The book was passed around and everyone signed it with a special message to our little family.

We got some great gifts! Everyone was so generous to us. Titus got some awesome stuff that was handmade, super cute, and/ or off our registry. Titus has some good supplies now to start him off. We are so thankful for these sweet gifts.

At the end of the day I finally got a picture of my baby bump. This was about 33 weeks.

Thanks to everyone who helped put my showers together! I feel so loved and am so thankful to have friends and family that love us.

Yeah, We're gonna be Parents

2009-06-09T12:05:00.000-07:00

So, this week I am 32 weeks along... that's apparently 8 months.

Wow, it's been a while since that positive pregnancy test. Sometimes it seems like the baby takes a long time to develop and get big, but since the process is constantly moving forward, it nears the end before you know it.

Justin and I are so ready for this new part of our lives. We love talking to others and learning everything we can about each part of the process. Over the pregnancy we've gone through some emotions like: How are we going to afford a baby?... Is the baby healthy and doing good?... What is the best plan of action for our new family?

We have survived on prayer and trusting the Lord. When Justin didn't know how he was going to support his family, he prayed and trusted that God would give him what we needed. Now Justin has a new job that makes him happy and a consistent paycheck that allows us to make a budget and stick to it. We also have the ability to afford our own home. When I was worried not knowing if the baby was doing good, I just had to trust and relax. Then at 11 weeks we got the joy of seeing our healthy baby jumping around on the ultrasound. I couldn't feel the baby so I had no idea how good he was doing. At 16 weeks I began to feel the baby move which was another gift. At 20 weeks we saw not only that our baby was healthy and fine, but that he was a boy.

The Lord gave us chances to trust and even though it was hard and scary, we were able to do it. We feel so blessed and we are so excited to have a new member in our family. Even now we have other fears about certain things, but we try to do the same thing and ask for prayer.

We feel like the best way to for us to feel prepared for this baby is to learn as much as we can about pregnancy, labor, and newborns. We are half way through a Bradley Method birthing class. Look forward to more posts on this subject! :)

Overall, We love this whole process and we're gonna be parents soon!! Yeah!

A Visit To Connecticut

2009-06-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

A month ago we went to New Haven Connecticut to visit Justin's brother and his wife, Cambry & Heather. It was a fun trip and seemed too short.

Here we are posing on the beautiful Connecticut shoreline. That's the 7 month belly.

Heather and Cambry look nice against that classic Lighthouse background.

Sometimes when Justin and Cambry eat the same salad with the same hand you can tell they are brothers :)

We went on a harbor tour of the Thimble Islands. There were many gorgeous little houses (or Mansions) on almost all the islands. It was a beautiful foggy trip.

We love the timer feature on our cameras. The best way to get everyone in the shot.

Too bad Connecticut isn't just a little bit closer. We don't get to see C & H enough and Connecticut is a really beautiful historic place.

2009-06-06T17:46:00.000-07:00

Justin and I had our 2nd Anniversary on May 19th. The following weekend Justin took me on a trip to Scottsdale Arizona. We had a great time hanging out at our hotel. Really, we just relaxed and did... not much. We like doing that.

This is the view from our balcony. It was pretty much overcast and rainy the whole time. We actually liked it, but it was weird to experience sunny Arizona like that. It almost felt tropical which was cool.

Here I am on the balcony with Justin. We ate two delicious breakfasts out there (Thanks to a $200 food credit at the hotel including room service!!) and we played a fun game out there called Banana Grams. I won that game to Justin's great disappointment.

We spent an afternoon at the pool. Even slathering ourselves with sunscreen to lay out under the clouds. Look how cute Justin is in the pool. We went swimming for a while. It was pretty warm (That's saying a lot if I think a pool is warm enough).

Here are my white legs and big belly hanging out by the pool. It was fun although I was disappointed to not get a satisfactory tan.

We found a random hammock. We made sure we tried it out before we left.

Actually the last 30 minutes we were there, the sun came out. It just works that way sometimes.

We had fun and are glad to be married for two years now.

My First Mama's Day

2009-05-15T13:46:00.000-07:00

Yep, That's my belly. I can barely see my feet these days.

Just kidding, I am 7 months pregnant and people are just noticing the bump. I feel like I have changed a lot, but I have 3 more months of change to go. I feel pressurized, especially after a big dinner.

Here is my self portrait. At 28 weeks, our baby is 2 1/4 pounds and around 14 inches tall. He is moving a lot. A special few have been at the right place at the right time to feel him punching around.

The Mother's Day family photo. It's my first Mother's Day even though I haven't formally met my child yet. It was great and my husband really made me feel special. We were traveling back from Connecticut for most of Mother's Day, but we got to spend time with both of our families when we got back.

The night before Mother's Day, while we were still in CT, Justin surprised me with a card and a gift. Justin actually spelled my name wrong in the card which was very endearing. It pretty much looked like this "LindDy". Then I open the gift which was a Ultra HD Flip video camera. Obviously I wasn't expecting that. I was so excited. Now I can conveniently shoot little videos of our baby throughout the day and put them on the internet.

Here is our Flip in action. Thanks, babe. I had a great Mother's Day.

Gorgeous Goat

2009-04-24T10:00:00.000-07:00

This goat needed her own post because she was so cute.

There was definitely a goat at the Hillbilly Hoe Down. This goat was sweet and inquisitive. She had an awesome looking barn with chicken friends.

Love this picture. Look at that face.

My friends Alina and Cristine feeding the goat hay.

I am so glad our Hoe Down had a great atmosphere like this.

The Hillbilly Hoe Down

2009-04-22T13:45:00.000-07:00

Last friday night Sandals college group and career singles decided to gang up and have a Hoe Down. We all dug deep in our closets and found our treasured hillbilly items.

We all had a darn toot' in good time. Everyone came and enjoyed the hot dogs and root beer floats.

Justin and I all gussied up.

Look at this gorgeous arrangement of boots.

Some of our buddies, Andrea and Matt, even brushed their teeth for the event.

I caught Justin mid- line dance. Just kidd' in, Justin doesn't know how to line dance, but he sure knows how to kick up some dust with those boots of his.

Giving a kiss to my hunky hillbilly.

Justin swinging his partner round 'n round.

Baby Bump

2009-04-19T15:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the baby bump.

This was taken on Easter at 24 weeks. I am about 6 months and baby is just now sticking out in a noticeable way. Tight shirts show it off the best. Loose shirts just make people uncertain.

Here is a nice pre- baby family shot.

Here I am modestly defining the curvature.

Here it is in all it's glory as well as Justin in comparison. We both seem to be at the same stage.

I am enjoying being pregnant. It is weird to adjust to my changing shape and not being able to do things like I used to, but it is fun! Every week is different. Something is changing all the time and it is so exciting because it's all leading to something amazing. My life and body are adjusting in preparation for a great day when Justin and I can hold our very own son! I wouldn't trade my current situation for anything.

I do have a few of the typical pregnancy ailments at this point which makes it interesting. My newest issues are sore legs from standing, lower back pain, and limited sleeping positions. Other than that I really feel pretty good.

I want to throw belly update pictures on the blog every few weeks so stay tuned. Since my belly is changing in more dramatic ways, the pictures are getting more interesting.

Couple Shots From Easter

2009-04-13T17:03:00.000-07:00

HAPPY EASTER!

I think that title goes well with the above picture.

My nephew Caleb and my cousin's boy Sequoia were having a blast in the bounce house on Easter day. Joelle was enjoying the bouncing. She always wants to be where the action is.

Joelle explores the inflated slide. She learned to crawl a few weeks ago and she's taking advantage of her skills.

Look at these gorgeous Easter cookies. They tasted as good as they look. Soft, buttery, and sweet. Mmmm. I should have took one to go. My aunt Joanie and Krysta are responsible for these creations.

Easter is great for many reasons! One of the most awesome things about Easter is that we can be so grateful to God for making a way for our sins to be forgiven. Jesus sacrificed and suffered with us in mind. That is an amazing reality and I am thankful.

Baby PRD

2009-03-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

So the results of our poll were quite interesting.

The votes actually came out exactly equal. 12 votes for Girl and 12 votes for Boy. Thank you all for being a part of this. It was so fun!

Justin and I got the final result at the Doctors office on Thursday. We are having a BOY!!!

Justin has his eyes glued to the ultrasound monitor. When the technician said that it was a boy, Justin just said, "Whoa...". He actually said it a few times. We are both so excited. We are shifting our mind into boy gear and beginning our planning.

Here is a sweet profile shot of our boy.

Our son is already communicating with us. In this photo he was signaling to us that he is already excited to be one of the PRDz. He is saying, "We're number one!".

Here is the proof. His little booty and other things.

Justin and I are just so excited to be getting ready for a boy. I can't wait to see who he looks like the most. He could be a little Justin. I am about 21 weeks now so we are half done.

We not only feel blessed, but also thankful that the Lord has given us a healthy baby. That is really what we wanted most.

Boy or Girl?

2009-03-16T10:00:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, March 19th, we will find out if our baby is a boy or a girl! This is very exciting to us. It will narrow down my broad thoughts of of our child and what to expect. I am excited to prepare accordingly.

In the meantime, Justin and I have an interesting wager going on: I am pulling for the girls team and he is on the boys side.

If we find that we are having a girl, then Justin has to learn how to french braid hair. We will have a lesson and a judge.

If we are having a boy, then I have to learn to do some boy type pyro experiments out of this book called Backyard Balistics (Justin's brother gave him this book). I must learn to do the same experiments that Justin wants to do with his son one day.

These activities must be carried out sometime before the baby's born. This is going to add even more spice to our exciting day coming up.

We want you to be a part of this wager as well. Use your intuition or guessing skills to vote on what sex you think our baby is. Even if you have no idea, have fun with us and make a guess.

Justin and I truly don't have a preference. A baby boy or girl will be equally as exciting. We just like to make an interesting thing even more interesting.

Here is a quick pic my baby belly at 19 weeks. Not much I know, but it is definitely noticeable especially if you know what I looked like before.

Take a guess! :)

Balboa Park

2009-03-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

Justin and I made a small vacation out of being in San Diego for the concert. We had the whole next day to hang around and have fun.

First we had breakfast at this little cafe called Saint- Tropez. The scrambled egg croissant sandwich was awesome and the coffee was impressive (seriously- I wish all coffee was like that... not even Starbucks equalled it)

Next we went to Balboa Park. We walked around and checked out museums. Here we are at the science museum. We built towers with blocks.

We pulled random words out of a barrel and made a sentence. We also saw an I Max movie called 'Wild Ocean'. They advertised it like it was about sharks and weird sea creatures, but it was really about sardines. More specifically, the plight of the East African sardines. We were a little disappointed.

Here's a nice picture of us at the Organ Theater. It's an old and gorgeous outdoor structure.

Later in the evening we had dinner and dessert with our friends Roberto and Mary Jo. They are getting married in August. They are great! We are so excited for them!

Here we are with our Italian cream sodas and cake. It was a lovely end to our evening. We had so much fun this past weekend and are so glad to get in some pre- baby vacation time. I am sure we wouldn't have been able to sleep in like we did if we had a newborn with us :)

Jimmy Eat World

2009-03-08T17:21:00.000-07:00

Back on December 25th 2008, Justin gave me concert tickets in a large stocking. The tickets were for one of my favorite bands... Jimmy Eat World.

They were playing at the House of Blues in downtown San Diego.

We decided to make a weekend of it. Justin booked us a hotel a few blocks from the concert. The hotel was called The Sofia.

Our view. Yeah, it's all brick, but it was authentic cozy city. I loved it.

Here is a view from our seats at the House of Blues. We snagged some rad seats on the balcony. I appreciated not being down in the crowd so much because I can't stand for hours (preggo), it's hot & sweaty, and sometimes the crowd gets wild and pushy. I am lovingly accepting the fact that I am old and I don't need to be with the "cool kids" in the crazy crowd. I cozied up to Justin in our cushy seats and sipped a cold water while I watched the concert and I saw some pushy people in the crowd get taken out by the bouncer. It was interesting.

This is baby PRD's first concert. I was a little worried that our baby would be startled and confused by all the loud sounds and vibrations, but he/she handled it very well. I still put a coat over my belly to make a sound barrier.

This concert was awesome! Jimmy Eat World has been around for a while... about 10 years actually. Their first cd is called Clarity. This is their 10 year anniversary tour where they play the whole Clarity album in it's entirety. It was Great! If you haven't heard them... you would probably like them. You might want to check them out.

Found Funny Things

2009-02-28T14:11:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Justin and I went to Alin Party Supply to kill a few minutes before we had to be somewhere. Justin always has these random fun ideas. So he said we each have 6 minutes to search around the store and find the funniest thing and then meet up in the back corner.

I went off and was feverishly searching for something that would make him laugh. I found this nerdy looking cat that would sing some oldies song when you squeezed his foot. Funny qualities of this cat included the fact that it's theme was random. It had a masculine bow tie and either a bow or a beret on his head, he had pink and purple colored feet which is more feminine, and a seemingly random song would play. I just marveled at the person who invented this and how they felt about society's need for this item.

My husband found a very funny item. This is very much my sense of humour. He found celebration sashes. One sash was for "Bride to Be" and the other was "Mom to be". They seem to be normal sashes until you look closer.

The same woman is pictured on both packages. Same girl, same hair, same shirt, same sash position. The difference is that somehow one of this woman's identical photos is of her pregnant and the other is flat belly. Wow, the amazement of Photoshop! Now days, you don't have to go out a find a pregnant model or even take more than one photo to meet your advertisement needs. Technology just blew me away right there! I know the makers of the sash thought if they just changed the color of the sash no one would be able to tell it was the same girl. Tricky.

So, Congratulations to my husband for a fine game and for being the ultimate Funny Thing winner!

The Queen Of Relax

2009-02-23T16:00:00.000-08:00

Our little niece, Joelle, is busy all day long.

Sometimes she needs to relax. She takes advantage of every opportunity to do so. The other night she found a great place to kick back and forget about her cares.

Joelle was really rejuvenated after taking time to relax on her uncle Justin. Tomorrow is another busy day, but she knows how to handle it.

Ultrasound Number Two

2009-02-21T18:33:00.000-08:00

Last week we had another Dr.'s Visit. We heard our baby's heartbeat on the doppler which is always great to hear! Since our Doc has an ultrasound machine right outside the exam room door I always harass him to bring it out and show us the baby again. Maybe harass is a strong word. I ask him as sweetly as I can to show us the baby again and he graciously obliges.

Last week I was 15 and a half weeks. We got 5 pictures and this was the best one. This shows the baby's face looking at us and the arm is in the front, bent at the elbow. The baby was moving a lot. One picture would be the baby's face and the next would be the back and spine.

This picture looks so different from last month's. Our baby is twice the size it was before. The head is big and the arms are way long. It looks like the baby's climbing around in there.

It is so nice to know the baby is doing well. I like getting a peak at what's going on. The baby's supposed to have a growth spirt this month. I'm looking forward to it. Next month we get a professional ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. Yay!

Before Valentine's Day

2009-02-18T16:51:00.003-08:00

These picture are not from Valentine's Day. They are from the days preceding it. It is always fun to anticipate a fun Holiday. Here are some of my favorite pictures leading up to the big day.

Here is Caleb after being picked up from preschool and going through his bag of Valentines and Candy.

He even shared a sucker with me. Then he took my picture with great skill.

Here is Justin and Jo Jo at my aunt Joanie's house for a big feast with lots of family.

Here is the decorated table at the feast.

On Valentine's Eve Justin and I went to my parents house for dinner, babysitting and cookie baking. Here is my dad and Jo Jo.

Justin taking a big bite of a heart sugar cookie we made.

Look at all those crazy cookies

I have no pictures of actual Valentine's Day, but here is how the day went...

Justin and I slept in

Pancake breakfast at home

Watched old tv shows

Lunch at Islands

Browsed at Borders

Watched more old tv shows

Dinner and icecream

Bedtime

Justin barfing all night long

Yes, Justin finished the day off barfing and being sick. It was so sad.

How We Found Out

2009-02-07T14:09:00.000-08:00

Here's the little story about how I found out I was pregnant and how I told Justin.

The background information is that this is our second pregnancy. We lost the first pregnancy at 7 weeks and had been waiting 3 months to try again. We, apparently, didn't try hard enough to wait because we got pregnant again about 2.5 months into our waiting period. So, that made our new pregnancy a little surprise... a very happy and welcome surprise.

Justin had no idea what was coming, but I suspected just a little. The day my period was supposed to come, I felt like my period was not on it's way. I nervously got out the 99 cent store preggo test I bought and tried it out. The results confused me even more. Below is a pic of the test that confused me (It's a typical i phone blurry close up pic). The line was so light, I was sure that it was a mistake. I honestly thought it was a water mark where the results normally show up. I called Blythe, my pro pregnancy friend, to help me clear up the matter. I emailed it to her and she was sure it was positive.

I didn't want to get my hopes up until I tried a test that was expensive. I got out my brand name EPT and tried it when I got home from work. Waiting for preggo results kills me. It is so nerve wracking. So, the expensive test gave me the same result... a faint line. I immediately started thinking of cool ways I could tell Justin since he had no idea. He would be home from work soon so I ran around the house trying to figure out how to present him with the news. I got out our little piglet from D-land that I got right after my miscarriage and tied the preggo test in his arms. I stuffed it in a bag. When justin got home, I told him I got him a gift and he willingly accepted it. He opened it up and looked at me with a confused face and said "Really?". He was excited and shocked at the same time.

So, that's the story. I love hearing people's stories of how they found out and all the cool ways you can tell a dad. Right now I am 14 weeks and counting. I am so happy that it has gone well so far. Currently Justin calls our baby 'Lemon' since thats just about our baby's size.

How To Eat an Orange

2009-02-05T17:00:00.000-08:00

This is how justin eats an orange.

He said he was going to have an orange. I was proud that he made a healthy choice. I walked past later and this is what I saw... Oranges on a plate covered in powdered sugar.

I am not really sure how to convince Justin that this is a bad idea other than putting my hands on my hips, shaking my head and maybe explaining how the glycemic index works. Some day he will get it.

Baby's First Pillow

2009-02-04T17:00:00.000-08:00

My sweet friend Blythe gave our baby this pillow for Christmas. Not only is it the cutest pillow ever, but she hand made it herself. She sewed and embroidered it with our little baby in mind. It is so beautiful and special. Blythe said that the image on the pillow came from some believing that they can see a crouched bunny shape on the surface of the moon.

I can't wait for our baby to sleep with this pillow.

Becca's Cookie Decorating Birthday

2009-02-03T18:00:00.000-08:00

My friend Becca had a birthday party the other night. Her party included a cookie decorating contest. This brought out the competitive artist in everyone.

Justin and Andrew, Becca's Husband, were the judges. They came up with creative awards for everyone.

Here were all of the incredible cookie participants. The entries ranged from mini professional b-day cake, Dharma initiative hatch, turtle beach scene, and Sandals church building.

I made the bird. My award was "Best use of a plate". Hmmm, I think that award could have been used for any contestant since they all used plates...

This volcano entry got "Best use of time". This was appropriate because he put this together in 5 minutes while the rest of us worked on ours for more than an hour.

This is Becca and her "Best in Show" cookie creation. I am very impressed with her creative caterpillar.

CBU Art Show: The People

2009-02-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

Here are some more pictures from the art show. I had many wonderful family members attend to check out my art.

Below is a picture of my dad, uncle and grandma as they deeply contemplate this piece.

Grace and Ian are pictured here discussing the configuration of the photo frames.

Here is Jo Jo giving me a thumbs up for a successful show (thumbs up not in frame)

Caleb got his nerd glasses out so he could fit in with the rest of the art nerds at the show.

Grace was so excited to be at the show that she forgot there was a cup of water in her hand and she splashed some water on these pieces of ceramic art.

She tried wiping it with her hand, but brought out some napkins to finish the job right.

These are some of the people that made the art show special.

CBU Alumni Art Show

2009-02-01T15:20:00.001-08:00

I had the opportunity to be a part of the Alumni Art Show for CBU. I knew about it about 3 months ago. I intended to make the most of this opportunity and paint new paintings for this show and make it special. That would have been nice, but I have been busy and I practically forgot about it over the Christmas season. I forgot about it until about 2 weeks ago and I decided I would just submit some of the art I already had that I have painted since my graduation. It turned out to be fine. I submitted 5 paintings and it was nice to see them displayed in a gallery (It's different than seeing them hanging on the wall of my garage).

The opening was last wednesday and it was a pretty good turn out (mostly thanks to my loving family).

"The Lily". This is a detail painting of a lily I painted on the larger Jesus painting I did at Sandals Church. (Sorry if that explanation is confusing).

"Love Without Love". This painting is about God loving all of us, but only some respond to him with love.

"Unveiled". I used my friend Amy Chapman as a model. This exemplifies everyone having a veil over their eyes that only God can remove.

"Fall Of Man". At the art show I was asked to speak impromptu about this painting to some of the current art students and other people attending the show. Speaking is not my talent so I was hoping to avoid it, but it ended up being fun and working out well. I explained the symbolism, which I have a whole blog dedicated to... you can check it out here. The basic explanation of this painting is showing the broken relationship between God and man because man decided to worship created things instead of the creator.

I submitted one more painting, but I forgot to take a picture of it. The show was quaint and fun. I am glad I was part of it and am thankful to my family for hanging out with me and supporting me.

If you would like to see the show, it will be open until February 21st in the Metcalf Gallery which is upstairs in the Wallace Theater on CBU campus.

My Dad, The Senior Citizen

2009-01-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

We had a birthday party for my dad at my aunt Joanie's house. He turned 55 on January 21st.

My dad has many distinctive qualities. His hair sticks up straight. He is never seen without a Starbucks cup full of iced tea. Also, my dad loves BBQ. Here is a picture of him enjoying BBQ spare ribs.

My aunt got everyone Starbucks cups and iced tea so we could all be like him for the evening.

Here is my dad and his brother. My uncle Jimmy tried to fro his hair and wave the cup around acting like my dad. Imitation is the best compliment.

Here is Casey and Gracie chowing down on the delicious dinner.

My dad blew on his two candles, but he did not manage to extinguish them. It's tough being a senior citizen.

The Sweetest Heartbeat

2009-01-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Justin and I are officially announcing our pregnancy online. We got to hear a strong heartbeat with the Doppler and got to see the coolest moving images of our baby kicking and jumping around. It is so relieving too know that our baby is alive and well. Although I can't feel our baby kicking around, I know that there is life happening in secret.

I think about how this baby lives in it's own world that is hidden from all, but God. The Lord creates many incredible things on this earth that man has never and will never lay eyes on. This shows how He saves some things for his own enjoyment. I can see the Lord peeking in on our baby and smiling as those little legs test kicking and stretching for the first time. He can see the baby curl it's hands and fingers up to it's face to touch it. He can look at the baby's little round, pudgy belly and see how precious it is. Justin and I only got to take a peek into this secret life. We can't wait to see more, but we are satisfied to know the baby is strong and healthy. We can patiently wait and let God have his personal time enjoying our little baby.

This is the best profile view we got. Just imagine those legs kicking up a storm.

I believe this is a view of the top of the baby's head with the legs folded in front.

So, I am currently 12 weeks and the baby should be about 2 inches tall. I am due at the very beginning of August. My nausea is mild and mainly consists of food pickiness and aversions. I am feeling pretty good overall.

Mark

2009-01-19T18:10:00.000-08:00

This week has been difficult. Mark's family and close friends would consider that an understatement. Mark left tragically, but not without the Lord faithfully moving and standing by Mark's side. God has freely given his love, comfort, strength, and hope during this hardship.

When I think of Mark, I think of someone who truly cares about others. He had a humble and kind spirit and was so easy to talk to. He was a hard worker and a servant. His love for God was strong and you saw it in his actions.

Mark will be intensely missed by many. His absence leaves a large gaping hole. The Lord, however, gives us powerful promises to hold onto. God deeply loves Mark and those who hurt for Mark. He hears us and is a provider. The Lord is good and does good things.

My heart cries for Angie and all who deeply loved Mark. Heaven is much closer and desirable now. Keep praying for this family. They have a long road and they need continuous Courage, Peace and Hope. You can leave comments on the blog to encourage Angie, Nolan and the family. There is also a memorial fund that will help Angie in her time of need. www.prayforthelamberths.com

Thank you so much for being involved. I am so thankful for all your prayers and your kind hearts!

Here are a few sweet pictures of Mark, Angie and Nolan from the Flickr page on the website.

This location is beautiful, but I know Mark is seeing more incredible views today.

Prayer Needed Today!

2009-01-07T09:48:00.000-08:00

Mark is not doing well. His brain is bleeding and the Doctors don't think there is anything that can be done.

Please check the update on the blog and be praying for this heartbreaking news that Mark's family must endure today.

www.prayforthelamberths.com

We Are Moving

2009-01-01T11:00:00.000-08:00

Justin and I have lived at The Presidential Townhomes together for a little over a year and half. We think we made a good choice to move there because it is super quiet, safe, and friendly.

Although this apartment is great we have been looking at houses and we found a special house that we are waiting for. Meanwhile we decided it is best to move in with Justin's parents as we wait for this house to go through.

We are happy and thankful to live with Justin's parent's for these next few months and are glad to be back at our old stomping grounds... the Woodstreet area!

Justin decided to make it easy for us to move. He ordered a crazy amount of matching boxes and helpful moving tools... Thanks Babe!!

Justin kept telling me how cool the warehouse was where he picked this stuff up and all the manly machines that were there.

We got them all in our house.

The house destroying begins! It's going good so far.

Mark's Story In The Newspaper

2008-12-31T08:17:00.001-08:00

Check out Mark's blog and there's a link to the Press Enterprise story about him.

There are also new and specific ways to pray for Mark and a post from my sister about how to remind yourself to pray for him when the journey seems long.

A Special Shout Out To Caleb For His Birthday

2008-12-29T13:00:00.000-08:00

My Precious Caleb turned 4 this Chirstmas Day. So,while we celebrated Christmas Day we also made it special for Caleb as well.

Before breakfast Caleb played with a blow up rat toy. I took a chance buying this cheap, ugly balloon rat, but it ended up being a hit with Caleb.

Caleb got his favorite kind of pancakes. The Mickey Mouse kind. He carefully ate the ears off and left the rest.

We gave him the Eva toy for his birthday. He jumped for this one. He loves his Wall E stuff!

Look at this sweet picture of him in the rain with no shoes on. He didn't care. He just shook of the ocassional leaf that got stuck to his foot.

He got a Wall E themed cake and loved it!

We wore Wall E Goggles to get into the spirit.

Justin fought the little cowboys at our party!

Close call for Justin. This cowboy almost took him out!

Finally the cowboys were safely subdued!

The Best Of Christmas Day

2008-12-28T15:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning began with Justin and I opening gifts.

I caught Justin's excitement as he opened up the electric blanket I got him.

(Despite what it may look like, Justin was pleased to get this gift)

Next we moved on to my parents house for our traditional Christmas breakfast. We always have eggs with ham and coffee cake.

Here is my G and G Ricker with Jo Jo.

Caleb had many different reactions to the 3 Wall E toys we got him. This one was the "No Way!" face. For the other 2 toys he had a delayed scream and a little jump.

These boys love their cut off gloves for the office (Their cold office)

Yes, The guys did somehow unwrap their potato guns and they shot them out in the street. They had a good time.

We went over to Gma Shoe's for lunch.

Everyone exchanged handmade gifts which was really fun! Some of the gifts were crocheted scarfs/ beanie/ blanket/clutch purse, painted brush holder, collaged box full of guitar picks, painting, mini photo album, salad making kit, and more. This picture is of Justin opening up his gift of new black Converse with painted embellishments on them.

Around dinner time we headed to Justin's parent's house. We got to hang out with Heather and Cambry who are visiting from CT. Heather is opening a purse I sewed for her.

Justin's dad and brother checking out their new guns.

Cambry skillfully mastering the nose harp. He serenaded the family with many songs and even played for part of dinner.

Christmas Day was great for us! We are so blessed to have most of our family living in the same town so we can see many people we love on the same day. I am thankful that God provided for Justin and I this season and enabled us to have a great time making a lot of our gifts.

The Best from Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T13:00:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas Eve was nice. We started off at Justin's grandparent's house for some tasty tortilla soup.

Here we are hanging out with Gramps.

We headed off to the Mission Inn for dinner with my Grandpa Saunders and family. It is always good to see everyone and catch up.

Justin giving Jo Jo some love.

A cousin photo moment after the meal.

Here is our classic Christmas pose in front of the tree.

Another adorable picture of us.

So, Santa came to my grandpa's house. The children were shocked, elated, excited, suspicious, and terrified.

Look at the terror on Jo Jo's face. I have never seen her cry like that.

Caleb even came to comfort her. He stroked her face and then resorted to covering her mouth. What a concerned brother.

Justin and I had a great time this Christmas Eve. We are so thankful for Jesus' birth and the sacrifices He made for us. We are also thankful that He gives us sweet joys of being together with family.

Justin's Gift Giving Style

2008-12-26T21:17:00.000-08:00

Justin handmade a few gifts this year.

He went to his dad's garage and so delicately put together a few mini potato guns for some special men in his life. Here he is spraying them all black.

Justin continued in his manly ways and wrapped the potato guns up in red rosin paper. That kind of paper is used to protect the ground from paint splatters and the like on construction sites.

I thought he was done with everything, but then he got out the duct tape. He added his finishing touches by wrapping the gifts from top to bottom with this tape. I told him he was crazy, but I guess it's just a guy thing.

Showing Off My Babies

2008-12-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

These little babies bring so much joy to my life that I can't hold back from sharing some of my favorite pictures with you.

Joelle enjoying a Christmas candy cane (with the wrapper on of course).

Look at my sweet Jo Jo's face

Caleb enjoying a Christmas cupcake. Yes, auntie let him eat that and other terrible things.

Caleb loving time with his uncle Justin

Caleb sleeping on uncle Justin after a long evening of celebrating Christmas.

This is my other baby. This is how he dresses to go climbing in the snow. Silly boy.

I thank God for all my babies!

Fasting For Mark And Angie This FRIDAY!

2008-12-18T12:16:00.000-08:00

Mark is still in bad condition at Mission Hospital. This hospital is one of the best places he could be which is great, but Mark is still not doing well with his injuries.

Friends and family have set up an opportunity to fast and pray together for Mark this Friday. Please join us! Even if you don't know him personally I would love for you to be a part of praying for him. I am so thankful for those of you who have already been praying. Thank You!

Please go to this website and read more about it.

www.prayforthelamberths.com

Also check out my sister, Casey's blog (Called "Neighbs"). She tells the story of how she met Mark and Angie. Casey and Josh are best friends with Mark and Angie so this is extremely hard on them too.

Going to Connecticut

2008-12-16T20:33:00.000-08:00

Justin and I are flying to New Haven, Connecticut on Thursday night. We are visiting Justin's brother, Cambry and his wife, Heather. We haven't seen them since their wedding in July.

I have never been to CT. We are looking forward to a good time hanging out. I hope to get a few crocheted Christmas gifts done on the flight over :)

These are a few family pics of us last winter. It was fun to take these pictures besides the fact that it was around 50 degrees outside when we did it. Between locations we would throw our fat jackets on.

We are hearing that it is really cold in CT now. I will prepare for the worst.

Please Pray For Mark!

2008-12-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

Our friend Mark has been in a terrible accident and needs your prayers!

He fell off a dirt bike and is in very bad condition. The Doctor's are not very hopeful. My heart breaks for this sweet family. His wife's name is Angie and they have a 6 year old son named Nolan. I have known them for a long time and they are my sister and Josh's dearest friends.

There has been a blog set up so we can see current updates on his condition.

www.prayforthelamberths.com

Please pray with me that Mark will be healed and the family will have the Lord's comfort.

Product Of My Recent Hobby

2008-12-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

So I have been crocheting a lot lately. I bring it almost anywhere with me if I think I will have a minute to continue a project.

I am mainly making Christmas gifts for people. I have been wanting to show some of the project I've completed, but I can't show them till after I give the gifts (Don't want to spoil any surprizes!) :)

So, here is a picture of one of the little items I have made for a gift. I gave it to my friend for her birthday.

I learned basic crochet then I have been slowly growing in my ability to read patterns. That's how I am starting to do some more unusual crochet items. I google the patterns online and print out anything that I want to try.

Crochet is awesome because it is so relaxing. You can be involved in conversation, traveling or watching a movie and be producing something.

Another cool thing is that as I have been talking about it to my friends, all these secret crocheters have been coming out of the wood works. I have been having so much fun crocheting with others. I love it.

One Man's Trash Is My Treasure

2008-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

I got this vase for free at a yard sale. I thought it was ok when I first saw it. Then I fell in love with it.

It's curves and facets have a vintage feel. It just makes me happy.

I walked past it on my counter one afternoon and it was glowing. The sunset light was passing through this vase and made it look like there was a fire burning inside.

Mmmm, I loved it even more then.

Man Vs. Tree

2008-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

The Christmas tree farm must begin with the candy cane. I had to ask Santa for this one because he didn't willingly offer it to me.

We spent some time scouting out our tree. We went deep inside the small forest. We found our tree, walked away from it, got lost, and came back to it. Then we cut it down.

Notice Justin's relaxed face with his furiously blurry sawing arm.

Here I am posing like I am going to cut it down. Nope not this year, that was last year.

Look how cute we are. This is our second married Christmas together.

Here's the Real Deal. Man vs. Tree.

The tree Lovingly Conquered.

On The Edge

2008-12-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

I walked out of our apartment and saw this.

That is Justin having strapped himself to the pillar with some truck tie-downs and hanging over the edge to reach the corner of the roof.

Well, he reached it... and every other corner of our porch and yard.

Here is what Justin has artistically created for us. The canvas... our porch. The medium... mini light bulbs

Feasting with the Family

2008-11-29T15:11:00.000-08:00

This is how our Thanksgiving Feast Day went. Justin and I are so thankful for our family and we love to hang out with them. We went to my mom and dad's house for the main part of the day and we got to hang out with family that we don't get to see often enough, which was fun.

Here is Jo Jo slapping Justin's face before the feast.

Mmmm. Love this girl.

I caught the paparazzi in action. They all happen to be siblings.

Our cousin Andy with grandma and grandpa Ricker. Andy just finished his tours in Iraq recently and now he's going to school. Very thankful that he is safe and doing Great!

Our cousin's Amy and Kai with their cutey kids! It was great to catch up with them. Wish we lived closer to each other.

Josh and Krysta on the phone... taking away from family bonding time. They happen to be siblings too.

Oh yes, and I messed up dessert for the family this year. I forgot and botched a couple things.

So, I made a special trip to get dessert plates and napkins. Forgot them at home.

Casey told me to bring vanilla icecream. Forgot to buy it.

See these lovely steaming pies... they turned out to be a bust!

These are Apple Tarte Tatin pies. They are supposed to be French upside down caramel apple pies. When I flipped them, caleb said, "It looks like apple sauce". Yes, and it tasted like apple sauce too. Last year these pies turned out great, so I was very sad to botch them this year.

Dessert was still had by all, but no thanks to me.

So, The end of the day was great at Justin's parents house. We ate leftovers and toasted with some great wine. Here is Justin's Thanksgiving snack. Chips dipped in fudge. Didn't try it myself, but he sure enjoyed it.

What Happened at Art Fusion

2008-11-17T14:00:00.000-08:00

Art Fusion was Great!

It was at Back to the Grind Coffee shop in Downtown Riverside. There was live music while Abe and I painted on both sides of the stage. It was a fun, casual atmosphere with lots of friends coming to hang out.

This was one of the more relaxing live painting events I have done. I could walk away and examine my work at anytime while chating with people and enjoying a delicious latte. Painting in front of Sandals church a few years ago was fun, but also nerve racking because thousands of eyes were silently watching me and I was on what seemed like a little island separated from the audience. I enjoyed that whole experience, however it is nice to be free to saunter away from painting, talk to people, and not have so much attention on me.

Justin Kowalski did a great job putting this event together. He was the director of the show and kept things running smoothly. He also made many... many references to purchasing great coffee from this fine community coffee shop :)

This is Abe painting on the other side of the stage. We were both interpreting the concept of "The Fall of Man". His painting was beautifully detailed with black/ white and colored sections.

These are some of my awesome friends who came to check out the scene.

This is the finished product. I troweled purple up and cream down into the purple. Troweling is my favorite. It is so beautiful.

I was inspired by Romans 1:25. "For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the creator..." To me, the fall of man means a broken relationship with God. I used the contrast of the cream and purple to show the separation between God and man.

The image of the wings comes from another section in Romans 1:22 that says, "Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things." The bird wings symbolize us worshiping the things on earth rather than the one who created those things on earth. All of us know what it's like to put God in the background while placing his creation in high position in our lives. It's seems so silly that we do this because all things on earth are temporary and God is forever. This verse is a great reminder that we need to put the right things in first priority in our lives.

This is a detail shot of the lower half. I added the curve of the earth and a dead twiggy tree coming up from it. This symbolizes how the things of the earth have no life when it is separated from God.

I usually don't write words on my paintings that give away all of it's metaphorical secrets, but I decided to add the words "Broken Relationship" to the side. The word "Broken" sits on the purple side of the world. This shows that the broken part of our relationship with God is because of us and something that we caused. The word "Relationship" sits on God's side, which shows that God invented and is a master of relationship.

This painting makes me very happy and I am glad I was able to be a part of this cool event.

The Spud Buster

2008-11-16T21:40:00.000-08:00

Like I said in my previous blog, I wasn't the only one being crafty at the cabin. Justin also spent most of the evening creating his masterpiece.

He sawed, he cemented, he drilled. He was very serious.

The following photos show all the work he put in

These are videos of Justin trying out his creation. The first video is at 7:30 in the morning because he couldn't wait any longer to see if it worked. I love his reaction. The other video shows how far it goes. By the way, Aquanet hairspray is the fuel of this operation and a potato is what is being launched.

Art Fusion

2008-11-13T08:32:00.000-08:00

If you are in the area on Saturday night, come over to Back to the Grind in Downtown Riverside for some live Music and Painting!

Sandals church is putting on a event that is cool and unusual and I get to be a part of it. As live music plays I will be one of two artists painting live. You and your friends can hangout, listen to great music and get coffee while you watch two paintings come to life before your eyes. It's going to be fun!

Us artists have a theme we are trying to embrace which is "Fall of Man". This has a spiritual and seasonal reference. I am excited to interpret this idea into my art.

So, Bring a friend and join us around 8:00 pm this Saturday night @ Back to the Grind. It is located near the 91 fwy on University Ave.

Hope to see you there!

Getting Crafty At The Cabin

2008-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

Justin and I went to his parents cabin for the weekend.

We both got some crafting done. I only have pictures of one of the crafts that happened there this weekend. One craft deserves it's own post which will come shortly (with a video too) and the other is a gift for someone who could read this post and see their gift before Christmas.

I can't wait to post pictures of all the gifts I have made and will make this Christmas. I will have an after Christmas posting of all my creations!

So, here is my green jacket. It's nice and it's warm... it just has a few problems. The sleeve buttons keep falling off and they are a bit ugly anyway so I left them off.

Joanns was having a sale. 50% off buttons and I took advantage. I bought some new buttons for this jacket and put them on at the cabin. It took me about an hour and the jacket looked like new. And much more hip.

Detail shot of the nice buttons on the sleeves.

When I see this, I laugh

2008-11-07T12:50:00.000-08:00

This is Caleb and Bartholomew.

Bartholomew is a blue marrionette that Justin has owned since he was 14 years old. Justin was ok with selling him at our recent yard sale, but he had to play with him one more time.

Caleb saw Bartholomew and had to hang out with him a bit too.

Bart is hard to control sometimes. I can't look at this picture without cracking up!

Caleb back to his charming self.

Best Buds on a Warm November Night

2008-11-02T12:51:00.000-08:00

Justin and I hung out with some of our best buds on Saturday night.

We went to Case and Josh's house. Blythe and Kirby got dropped off to have a little seasonal November hangout time. Blythe and I had plans to stoke the fire and have everyone get snuggly warm with the spiced cider.

It turned out to be a bit warm for that especially after eating Casey's delicious chicken soup. We were all fanning ourselves and sweating a bit in our attempt to celebrate the change of season. We had a great time though! We had great conversation and hung out with the kids and babies. It was fun!

Blythe on her way to the trash can. (You can read her blog on the link)

Caleb and Hero playing. Hero has a classic Hensley smile in this picture. She just looks like her grandpa!

Blythe and I taking a picture in the bathroom doorway.

Blythe and Hero changing the toilet paper for Case and Josh.

Beijing for Halloween!!!

2008-11-02T11:34:00.000-08:00

We went to Beijing for Halloween!

Sandals had a big Trunk or Treat thing in the church office parking lot. And we went all out! Justin became the famous olympic althelete... Michael Phelps. I couldn't help, but become a Michael Phelps super fan.

Justin got out the Gorilla tape and my dad's painter plastic and transformed the back of his truck into an Olympic swimming pool. He filled it with water and showed off his swimming skills for the trick o' treaters, all while passing out candy.

I also got out the shoe polish and went crazy on the truck (The sides looked pretty cool too, but I didn't get a pic)

This is me getting a picture with Michael Phelps!!

A couple other Michael Phelps Phans showed up. I was nice to them even though Michael only has one real fan... Me! I even wear my homemade shirt so much it's fading (actually the iron-ons failed in their duty to transfer his face)

Here is Michael swimming for the kids.

Here he is appreciating some of his many metals from the Olympics.

Baking...or Making Some Diaper Cakes

2008-10-28T10:23:00.001-07:00

Last night me and a few friends made some diaper cakes for the Pregnancy Counseling Center (Riverside Life Services).

So, Jamie and Natalie came over and we spent two hours making 10 of these little cake guys.

RLS gives free pregnancy tests. When a women gets a positive on her test, they give her a diaper cake. This is a fun way to help her get excited about her pregnancy. We put lots of little things in the cakes like baby lotions and shampoo, bottles, pacifiers, bibs, and little toys. We are creative with the composition and ribbons. We wrap it all up in some tulle so it stays together and looks pretty.

Us girls decided that it is actually pretty relaxing and fun to sit and put these little gifts together. We felt calm and chill when we we're done.

Here are a few close ups. These are Jamie and Natalie's creations.

We will probably try to make more every few weeks or once a month. I guess we will make them whenever the supply is low.

Let me know if anyone sees a good sale on small size baby shampoo, lotion, or powder, diapers, bottles or pacifiers. Tell me were the good deals are or cut some good coupons. You can also purchase a couple things here and there and send them my way for the cakes, if you want :)

Oh Yes, We Went To The Pumpkin Patch Too!!

2008-10-22T14:40:00.000-07:00

Justin and I decided to have our own trip to the Pumpkin Patch. We have no babies at the moment, but we want to start our family traditions early.

So, we walked into the Pumpkin Patch and this is basically the first thing we see. This crazy Pumpkin in the middle of the road. This Pumpkin can hardly blend in to the rest of the orange circles and then it just sat directly in the path. Needless to say Justin and I noticed it and complemented it and petted it. We also walked past it.

We went to see what else the Patch has to offer.

We considered many options and chose three. I am holding our initial selection.

After much more consideration, we still chose three pumpkins, but we switched one out for our favorite and most loved pumpkin. We got the incredible pumpkin that we loved at first sight.

I must say that this is the coolest pumpkin I have ever seen and I don't think any other pumpkin comes close to being this charming and mesmerizing.

What a fun family trip. Now we have officially celebrated Fall!

The Walk for Life

2008-10-21T20:54:00.001-07:00

The Walk for Life was this past sunday. This is the main fundraiser of Riverside Life Services for the whole year. I haven't been in years. I used to go when I was in elementary and Jr. high. It is awesome that it has continued as an annual event all these years. This Walk for Life was different this year than I remember in the past, for some pretty obvious reasons. My role was different and the people there were different.

In years past I would grab a fast food lunch and make it to the park in time to walk. This year I came early to set up and to be involved.

Years ago there were multiple hundreds of people, maybe closer to a thousand. There were many faces that I recognized, especially from my church. This year there was around two hundred people who came to walk and I recognized few.

Coming to the Walk for Life this year was really fun, but just as discouraging at the same time. I couldn't believe the numbers of supporters this year. I couldn't believe the opportunity that was missed to support. Of course it is not the only way to support the cause, but it was definitely missed. Seeing the response to this fundraiser and walk gave me an updated an accurate view of how much community support Riverside Life Services has. This is actually a good thing. I was reawakened to the needs of RLS just over a month ago. Knowing that their support is not where it should be makes me want to be involved even more.

Even if the Walk was small, doesn't mean that the support of individuals throughout the year has to be small. My goal is to make the need known and let everyone know how easy it is to be involved, even if they have no time.

I will post again on what Riverside Life Services is and stands for and give easy ways for anyone to help.

For now enjoy these few pics of the walk. I meant to get better ones from my sister, but these are from my camera.

This is a good picture of the walkers.

We walked with Griffin and Erika from Sandals college group.

I Made a Scarf!!!!

2008-10-20T09:16:00.000-07:00

I have dreamed of Making and, more importantly, Finishing a crochet or knitted project for many years. I never really knew how to do it right and I would always get discouraged and put it away. With the help of a store called Knit n' Stitch and a book called "Happy Hooker", I learned how to crochet myself a lovely autumn red scarf.

This is my attempt at an Antropologie style photo shoot :)

This is a photo right before I finished. I cut off tassels or fringe for the bottom of my scarf and It was so fun and easy to attach them. I wrapped the yarn around a DVD to get the right length and cut one side. All the pieces were about the same size.

This scarf took two balls of 3.5 oz chunky yarn at 121 yards and a size "I" hook. I chose to do a stitch called Triple Crochet. I am so excited to make more, just ask my husband! With any free time I have a crochet project in my hand... during movies, in the car, at friend's houses, etc...

I Have a Crush on a Brush

2008-10-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, I was teaching my cousin Grace art again.

We were learning how to do lettering. She did a great job! She wrote her name with a paint brush and it looked good... like computer good. I don't have a pic of that (maybe next time :), but I did want to brag about a brush I used for my lettering.

This is a brush I have had in my arsenal for years and was ignoring because I was intimidated by it. It's HUGE. What the heck do you paint with a brush this big? I got it from "The Brush Man" at RCC. The brush is $70 bucks, but I got it for about $17. Maybe I should have not bought it if I felt that way about it, but the brush tip looked so tight and well made that I thought it could have a really awesome stroke.

Well, It did once I had the guts to try it. When I do lettering on walls, I typically use a 1/4 flat sable brush. This looks great, but limits you to calligraphy style letters. During art lessons I wanted to do a style of lettering that could not be accomplished with a flat brush. I really don't have a good collection of round brushes so I was bummed for a minute until I remembered the BIG one on display in my garage (On display because it's looks impressive, yet I never used it).

Once I dipped it in paint and did a practice stroke, I knew it was a Golden brush!

So I chose the word "Peace" and had my reference letters at hand. I was in love with the brush as it was going along. It made the letter strokes easy and there was never a struggle to get it to do what I wanted. That is priceless when it comes to having fun and working quickly with letters. So anyways, I have a crush on a brush right now and I am so glad it's already mine! :)

For those who are curious, the brush is from Princeton Art & Brush Co. It's a size 30 Round and style 4050R

Someone Digging in My Purse

2008-10-20T08:18:00.001-07:00

This is what I find on my camera when Caleb digs around in my purse.

Notice my gum in his mouth as well.

He's three. Sometimes I have to hide my purse when I hang out with him because he sees it as a bag of toys that I always carry around :)

Fun at Disneyland

2008-10-17T12:50:00.001-07:00

Here are some quick pics from my trip to disneyland on monday afternoon and evening.

By the way Disneyland is not crowded on Columbus Day!

Joelle's face says it all!

Caleb seems to be enjoying rubbing Purell on his hands a little too much.

Here is Jamie Van Houghten and I waiting for the "We are Family" Parade to start.

I was a great parade and a great day!

Grandma's Birthday

2008-10-15T13:36:00.001-07:00

On Saturday Justin and I went to my Grandma Shoe's house for her birthday.

It started off with conversation about crocheting and then it became a mini crochet extravaganza. We had a bunch of us on the couch crocheting or knitting. There are a lot of artists and creative people in my family so it's not surprising.

We even decided that as a family our gift exchange this year would be handmade gifts only!! This is a first for our family and there is about 20 adults involved in this (not including kids)! There are a few people in the family who are a little apprehensive about this, but I think it will work out well and be fun :)

My cousin Andie and her little girl Charlotte visited from Northern California. We miss their family, but it's always fun to hang out when we can. This is Charlotte's camera smile!

Charlotte is such a cutey and it so charming and sweet! She is having fun with Grace.

Justin loves to hold and hang out with Joelle. She even fell asleep on him later in the evening.

Happy Birthday Grandma! She is blowing out candles on a pie that my cousin Skye made. It was Chocolate Espresso Pecan.

One of my favorite pictures of the night is of Sequoia and Caleb! They are so cute together!

Justin. Justin. Stripes. Stripes.

2008-10-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

Here is a picture I took the other day of Justin and Justin. The
Justin on the right's last name is Kolwalski. These guys are buddies.
They share a love for God, Rap and Tattoos. Even their Political views
parallel eachother. However, maybe the most obvious love they share is
a love for Stripes!

I am glad they understand eachother.

Crochet Class

2008-10-07T22:31:00.001-07:00

My sister and I took a crochet class last night. We went to a place called Knit and Stitch in the Brockton Arcade. It cost us $15 each for two lessons. We will go back this next monday night to finish our instruction.

Here is Casey having a great time learning to crochet. She picked out and awesome pink and orange yarn to make a scarf with.

Here is my practice piece. I learned to single crochet, double crochet, triple crochet, and how to weave in a new role of yarn. Pretty good for the first night. Now all I need to do is practice.

If anyone wants to come with us or practice with me, that would be awesome! I might even be able to teach it once I've practiced a bit :)

S&P Shaker

2008-10-06T13:24:00.001-07:00

These are salt and pepper shakers that reminded me of Justin and I. If
we had to be S&P shakers we would be these ones. Everytime we go to
Millie's for dinner I pick a shaker set out for us... I don't buy it I
just choose it :)

This post is also for the purpose of checking to see if I can post a
blog from my phone. If you see this, then it worked!