Summer Family

Maybe next time...

2011-02-03T13:30:00.002-08:00

I finally have a new computer (the old one died), about 2 free hours (the children are sleeping), and about a million things to write about. BUT my camera is dead so I can't get the pictures that I need and the charger is in my room where one sleeping child is. Maybe next time...

My greatest joys

2010-12-19T02:00:00.000-08:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

They're coming. I promise!

2010-08-31T23:25:00.003-07:00

OK, so I know I have a handful of people really anxious for some new posts. The thing is our computer had about a million viruses & I had to get it fixed. Sooooo...be patient with me & I'll get them up as soon as possible. There is OH SO MUCH to blog about!!! This being on of them...

Finally

2010-07-14T22:22:00.006-07:00

After almost a week of Bowen being in Florida, he is finally home. I missed him so much! I really do love that man! Mason missed his daddy as well. As some of you know quite well, that little monkey does NOT like to snuggle. Well, he wouldn't leave his daddys side this evening and when Bowen sat down on the couch, Mase was right there laying on him. Pretty sure Bowen loved every moment of it! BTW...I'm 35 weeks today. Five and counting...but I wouldn't complain if Kai decided to come in 3 weeks. That would be lovely!

Mason's latelys...

2010-07-12T16:07:00.003-07:00

First of all I'm sooooo excited that the sun has FINALLY decided to come out and play! Not that I've been wanting the heat, but it's definitely nice not to have the dreaded June Gloom hanging over our heads. I've been trying to remember all the new things that Mason has been doing or saying lately. It seems like as soon as he turned 2 he changed from my baby boy to my little boy. I can't believe how fast he's growing! Two years has completely flown by. *He can count to 11 pretty much by himself. Sometimes it goes 1,2,3,4,8,9,10,11 & then we try it again together. *He looooves ketchup aka dippy, on most anything that is meat or potatoes *Twinkle Twinkle, ABC's, and the Sing, Sing song from the primary book are his favorite songs. Although lately he's starting singing songs off the radio. Alejandro by Lady Ga Ga (Alejandro, Alejandro, AleAlejandro, AleAlejandro) and Airplanes by B.o.B feat Hayley Williams (wish right now, wish right now) are his two favorites. He'll usually sing them for you if you ask. *He's still obsessed with any sport that involves a ball. His absolute two favorites right now are: 1. Baseball. He has a mitt, ball, and bat that he has to take everywhere. 2. Golf. He started playing with Bowens golf clubs that were a bit too big for him so we bought him a little "Mason size" club. He loves it! *Since it's summertime now I've started buying Otter Pops. He calls them POPFICLES!!!They were a hit from day one! Both he and i usually enjoy 1 or 2...or 3 a day :) Recently I found 100% juice ones at Costco so I've been buying them. They're a lot bigger so I end up cutting them in half and it makes them the perfect size. *Me or Bowen ask him- "Guess what?" Mase- "what?" Me or Bowen- "I love you!" Mase- "I love you too" *He and Lady have a game where he chases her around the back yard with a wiffle bat. They both think it's the funnest game in the world. Don't worry, the bat is so light that he doesn't hurt her. *His collar bones are his most ticklish spot. Next are his hips, ribs, and ham bones (thighs). *Anytime we walk on grass he says, "ewwww poop!" I guess I've trained him well. *We make smoothies at least a couple times a week and he absolutely loves them! Little does he know that I hide spinach in them...Mwa ha ha ha! *This is his bedtime routine: -Bath -Brush teeth -Pick out 2 books. Bowen & I alternate our nights doing this reading. One time I told him he looks like a little stink bug when he's kneeling down for prayers. Now after we're done reading books he calls out "Stink Bug" and the other parent has to come in to say prayers so we're all together. He always blesses Sienna, Giselle, Jackie, and Kevin. Most of the time he blesses Heidi and Gordon too. When we tell him to bless baby Kai he says "Pop the Balloon" Here's the story behind that... I take Mason to most of my OB appointments. One time the Dr. showed him that you can blow up the latex gloves to make a funny balloon. Well, after one particular visit to the Dr. we were walking out of the office when I asked him to hold my hand in the parking lot. He wouldn't. I told him that if he didn't hold my hand that I would take his balloon away. He still didn't. So I took it away. This resulted in a HUGE meltdown & in the process the balloon popped. I guess he was traumatized from that incident because now instead of saying "bless baby Kai" he says, "Pop the Balloon" -He has to have his Choo Choo blanket, doggy, and a sippy cup of water to sleep. -Now he's in his Big Boy Bed!!! Yay! I don't know where our guests are going to sleep when the come out though. There's probably so much more that I can't remember right now. I'll list them when I do. I love my little boy so stinkin much it's crazy!

4th of July weekend

2010-07-06T15:14:00.010-07:00

It seems like we celebrated this the 4th of July this whole 3 day weekend. Every day we had something going on. SATURDAY- We woke up bright and early to go to the Annual 7th ward pancake breakfast. There is always a great turn out of people and the food is always delicious! Since it's in the parking lot all of the boys bring their skateboards...and Dave & Kari Rich bring their Star Spangles Scooter. He was so nice to take the kids on a little ride around the parking lot. Mase had a blast! The plan was to head to the beach after but the darn clouds just wouldn't go away! So us girls and kids ended up going over to our friend, Chris & Stacy Circuits, house while the guys played a couple hours of softball. The kids all had fun playing, painting, digging in the sandbox, & wearing each other out. We had left our Lady Dog at home and she's such a whiner that we left the back door open so that she could come in the house and wouldn't bug our neighbors. Now, I am 100% against that because who know what critters or animals have ventured into our house. But, until we get a dog door, this is the best solution. So when we got home I walked into the bathroom and out of the corner of my eye I saw a little animal behind the soap on the sink. I called Mason and Bowen to come and look at our newest squatter. Turned out it was a baby bird and Mason thought it was the neatest thing...until I tried to pick it up. The little bird flew right up into Masons face and, scaring him to death! He was screaming and so was the bird. He ran out of the bathroom as fast as he could! -I'm such an evil mom, I was laughing the whole time- After i got the boy and bird under control, I took Mason in the back yard and let him pet the little sparrow. Everything was okay after that until Lady attempted to eat it. With it's life on the line the little bird flew away never to return. After all that excitement it was time for Masons nap! That evening we went to a Padres baseball game with our good friends the Galbasinis. Mason was so excited to go and of course he had to bring his baseball mitt and bat. We had great seats and even better company! Thanks guys for the tickets! SUNDAY- Happy Independence Day!!! I love the 4th of July! It's one of my favorite holidays. Of course we had church as usual...unusual testimonies...poor Utah/Arizona visitors probably think our ward is crazy. Oh well. That afternoon we had a new couple in our ward, Clayton & Kristin Austin, come over for a BBQ. With our bellys full and the evening setting in, we decided to head out to watch the fireworks. In the past we've gone up to Kate Sessions park to watch them. It was fun to see all the fireworks go up at the same time. But since the drinking crowd has shifted there from the beaches we opted out of it this year. Instead we met the Riches & Romneys at La Jolla Cove. I couldn't believe how many people there were! Wow! The fireworks were awesome! It seemed like we were right under them. Mason was a little scared at first and asked to go sit in the car. After a bit of convincing him the fireworks were "so pretty" he laid on the blanket with us. I taught him to "oooooh and ahhhhhh" at the them...which he did unless it was an especially loud one in which he said, "GEEEEEZE!!!" Waiting for the show to begin MONDAY- Bowen woke up bright and early to go surfing with all the guys. Mason and I slept in. Yesss! After breakfast was finished, the house clean, and Mase and I ready for the day, Bowen finally came home. I guess the surf was good!?! My only request for the day was to go to IKEA for some storage ideas. With Malachi on the way I've realized we need another dresser or storage...something...With not too much luck later we headed home. It was nice to get out of the house anyway. We picked up our new friends, the Austins, and headed over to Phil & Mindy Wings house for their annual 4th (but this year the 5th) BBQ/Pool Party. All the kids love going to their house because they have a slushy machine. Mason drank a whole cup and was literally rolling around on the grass from his sugar high. Of course no get-together could be complete without a few games of washers. In fact, there was a whole tournament set up. Mason noticed that all the kids were playing in the hot tub and he wanted to join them. So he ended the night with a good soak and another slushy. Like I said before, I love the 4th of July! I guess it's the spirit of everyone and their patriotism. God Bless America!

Our little helper

2010-07-06T15:02:00.002-07:00

Mason loves to help out around the house. But his favorite person to help is Daddy. Aren't they the best lawn mowers ever?

Rainy day at Kid Ventures

2010-07-04T23:45:00.003-07:00

Last week we met Jackie and her girls at Kid Ventures. It was a little rainy so it was a perfect day to go. All the kids had a blast playing on the castle, pirate ship, and cars. This was our first time going and boy was it exciting! Mason was a bit overwhelmed at first, but soon adjusted to the chaos. We were there for quite a while but Mason was starting to get hungry & tired so we headed home...not before stopping at In N Out though. With a full tummy he was ready for bed. Since he's such a 2 year old big boy now he decided he wanted to sleep in his big boy bed. A few stories and a kiss goodnight later, he was out like a light. I couldn't believe he actually stayed in bed! Bowen arrived home before Mase woke up & I was such a proud mom I had to show him. It was almost time for him to wake up so Bowen laid down and snuggled with him. Fifteen minutes later, and still silent, I walked in to the room to find both of my boys fast asleep. It was so cute (and peaceful)I left them there until Mason woke up. What an exciting and exhausting day. Since then he's been taking his naps and sleeping there at night. Our little boy is growing up so fast I can hardly stand it! Eating his yummy hamburgers & fries! Passed out!

Happy 2nd Birthday Mason!

2010-06-28T15:08:00.007-07:00

Wow! I can't believe another year has gone by. Our precious little boy is growing up so fast! It just so happened that his birthday fell on a Saturday this year, so that was perfect for a party! We decided that since we'd probably be at the beach anyway that we would have his party there. Bowen was such a sweetheart. He got up super early and took the tent and tables down to save our place on the sand. Mase and I followed a couple hours later with all the food and decorations. We got all set up and soon enough people started to trickle in. I'd watched the forecast and it said that it was supposed to be sunny with a few clouds, but it was June Gloom overcast the whole day. That didn't stop us though! All the kids were busy playing in the sand & the adults busy visiting. Actually, Bowen and Jayson kept the kids busy for quite a while by burying their feet in the sand. They thought that was the greatest! Oh the small things that keep 2 & 3 year olds busy! We fired up the grill around noon and BBQ'd up some savory burgers and hotdogs. There was some more playing in the sand, football, & Frisbee throwing. The kids were starting to get pretty worn out so we wrapped up the party with the Happy Birthday song and cake. Mason's expression was so cute as we sang to him. He was grinning from ear to ear! He definitely knew this party was all about him! I guess it's a given that kids like cake...or at least the frosting, so I set the cake down, handed them all a fork and let go at it! At first they were all a bit hesitant looking at the cake, then us, then the cake, at the fork, back at us, wondering "Is this okay? Do you really just want us to dig in and eat this whole cake?" That only lasted a few seconds before they realized it really was ok. Sunburns, full tummies, & a few tired kids later we wrapped up the party and headed home. Mason had sand in every possible crevice so a nice bath was much needed! By then he was so tired he was pretty much begging to have a nap. I'd say it was a successful party for sure! Happy Birthday Mason!!! We love you!!!

San Diego County Fair 2010!

2010-06-28T00:41:00.006-07:00

It's fair time again! This was our 2nd year going to the San Diego Fair, so I guess it's a tradition now. We invited our friends, the Mitchells, to come along with us and we all had a blast! The evening started with Swifty the Swine races. Basically, it's cute,little piglets that run around a short track and whoever wins gets a prized Oreo cookie. Mase was a little unsure about the Swifty Snouts. He would NOT let us put one on him! The cute Mitchell Family Now the theme for the fair this year is Taste the Fun. It is widely known that when you go to the SD fair that pretty much everything you eat there will be fried and not so good for you. The newest additions to this years menu...fried butter and chocolate covered bacon. Ya, I know right??? Between the 6 of us we shared: *Smoked turkey legs-yum! *Fried zucchini-yum! *Corn on the cob-yum! *Icecream cones-yum! *And...chocolate covered bacon-not so great. But at least we can say we tried it! Bowen and Jayson holding up their prized chocolate covered bacon...ugh! Icecream was main choice for Mason and Avery. This is what happened when I "tasted" his icecream. Little did he know that I was just doing it so that it wouldn't drip all over his hands. Of course no fair would be complete without carnival rides!!! The kids running across the bridge to get to the rides. Mason was never one of those babies that liked to be thrown up in the air and even now he does not like to swing at the park. So I thought he wasn't going to like the rides. Boy was I wrong! The first ride he and Avery went on were the swings. I'll never forget the excitement that was on that boys face! Priceless! He had an absolute BLAST! I'm still in awe at how big our boy is getting. He did most of the rides by himself where as last year he was barely walking at this time! The swings were followed by... ...a whale ride ...a canoe ride ...carousel, hot air balloon ride, & and to top it off, the Ferris Wheel. We sent the Dads with the kids on that one partly because we didn't have enough tickets for all of us and they wouldn't let me on the ride because of this giant belly. We all left that night feeling sick and exhausted, but it was completely worth it! I can definitely say there will be no more chocolate covered bacon sampling in this family!

Ladies Man

2010-06-28T00:34:00.002-07:00

Mason decided that he was brave enough to ask his friend Avery out on a date. To where you ask? To see Toy Story 3 of course! Don't worry, he was a complete gentleman. They only held hands, shared a popcorn, and ended the date with a hug. I couldn't get a very good picture due to the fact that their eyes were glued on the screen, but it was so cute to see the excitement on their faces!

Golfing!

2010-06-25T09:58:00.004-07:00

Lately, Mason has been completely intrigued by golf. All he wants to do is "hit the golf ball". I'm just fine with that except he was trying to golf with Bowens clubs...which are a little too big for him. So, Bowen decided that we needed to take a trip to Sport Chalet to find Mason a suitable club; and we did, along with practice wiffle golf balls! Now our sweet little boy has become even more obsessed. He will stay out in the back yard for hours just hitting the golf balls around. He likes when anyone will play with him, but he absolutely loves when Bowen does. Mase is definitely turning into a daddy's boy and I don't hear any complaints from Bowen! As soon as he walks through the door Mason runs to him and asks, "hit dolf (that's how he says it) ball"? Then he'll run and grab Bowen a club and tell him to go outside on the grass. What a little bossy boy! He is actually really good! We took him to the driving range for the first time and he was hitting the ball more accurate than some of the other men out there. Bowen and I were getting such a kick out of watching him!

Keeping a 2 year old busy...

2010-06-19T13:21:00.000-07:00

I decided that my house needed some much needed TLC from being neglected this week. But how do I keep a little Mason from trying to help me bleach the bathroom??? Let him get paint all over himself of course! It's always a treat when he gets to paint and today was no exception!

Hard at work

He was mad that I took his picture, but too bad. Look at that face!

These are his masterpieces. Ta Da!

Maybe we'll mail some out for the grandparents to hang on their refrigerators.

Sea Trials

2010-06-18T18:02:00.002-07:00

This is the ship that Bowen has been working on, The USNS Charles Drew. He had to head out for Sea Trials for the second time this week. The first time they ran into some problems and had to come back in for repairs. Today they headed back out to sea until tomorrow afternoon *hopefully not longer*. My friend Amanda (a fellow NASSCO wife) and her kids met us on Harbor Island so that we could wave goodbye to our husbands and the kids their daddys.

Mason and Avery

I was able to see Bowen (barely) and he us, but try getting a rambunctious 2 year old to "look reeeeally hard" ya, Mase just knew that was daddys BIG BOAT and he was completely content with that :)

Watching him sail out today made me so grateful that he doesn't have a sailing job. It's hard enough having him gone for one night. I know I couldn't do it for weeks/months at a time.

The home stretch...almost.

2010-06-15T20:32:00.000-07:00

It seems up until now that this pregnancy has gone by fairly fast. I think chasing a two year old, maintaining a home + yard (ya, I rock at mowing the lawn), and having a reeeealy part time job (it's only 2 hours a week) has kept me busy and distracted. But now I feel like I'm starting to slow down. Fatigue shows it's face more and more often as each week passes. And now I have to pee every 20 minutes, so that keeps me up at night...along with heartburn and baby hiccups. Don't get me wrong, I love those little movements! But the vicious cycle continues; up all night, up all day.

The good news is that there is only 8 1/2 more weeks *I'm crossing my fingers* until our little Malachi gets here. I know there will be little rest then, but it'll be completely worth it when I'm holding that little baby in my arms.

On a recent trip home to Utah Mason discovered the book The Little Engine That Could. We read that at least once a day. In it the valuable lesson reminds me, every time, loud and clear

I think I can

Kai will be here sooner than we know it and until then....I think I can.

FHE in La Jolla

2010-06-09T17:55:00.001-07:00

Yesterday afternoon Bowen decided to run down to the beach. Mase and I met him there then we headed over to Windnsea to watch the surfers. Afterwards we surprised our friend, Dave, with a little visit. Mason ate a bowl of cereal with Dave then we headed home. I guess you could count that as FHE? We did!

Mason is obsessed with his new "Flippy Floppys" he loves them and wants to wear them everywhere.

Last plane ride of the year

2010-06-09T16:43:00.000-07:00

Every year I take an annual 2 week trip in the summertime to Utah. Well, due to the circumstances of having another baby in August I had to schedule the trip a little earlier this year. It actually turned out great because C.J. was graduating high school. Ya, I know. My littlest brother just graduated! That really makes me feel old! I don't if I'll be able to take it when Chellese graduates. Anyway, Mason and I got in late Saturday evening. Mom and Dad picked us up then we headed to Evelynns house and picked up Chellese. She'd spent the day with all of her favorite cousins while Mom & Dad ran errands.

Funny Story...well, I guess to all who were there it's funny

So on our drive back to Delta, C.J. sent a text message to my mom asking her to get dog food and yellow cheese. Ok? No big deal. Well, she somehow hit a button that made the phone read the text message aloud. So in a robotic...British voice we all heard, "DOG FOOD AND YELLOW CHEESE." I don't know if it was because it was so late, or because it just sounded so funny, or both, but we all started laughing & playing it over and over. All of a sudden we heard from the back seat "YELLOW CHEESE! Ha ha ha ha!!!" Mason caught on to the joke, or at least he thought he had and he believed he was the funniest thing ever...which all made us laugh even harder.

From then on there was never a quite moment because it was fill with the sound of Mason saying, "Dog food yellow cheese! Ha ha ha ha!!!"

Minus Mason screaming for 45 minutes in the car and Dad narrowly avoiding a speeding ticket (just scraped by with a warning) my first day back in the Beehive state was very enjoyable!

Sunday evening C.J. had Seminary graduation. Oh man was I proud (and a little surprised) that he was graduating. I think he was a little surprised he'd graduated too! During all of the talks Mason started getting anxious so we went to do a few loops around the church. We ended up running into one of Bowens mission companions, Clint Nelson, and I chatted with him for a while. It's still so funny to me that Bowen had ties to Delta Utah before he even met me.

When we all got back to the house C.J. made sure I took a picture of him with his Seminary Diploma so that he could send it to Shaun out in the mission field. He must have been proud to actually ask for his picture taken!

That is not his normal smile! He was being such a dork and wouldn't take a normal one.

Mom had made cookies to send Shaun and his companion and there were a few left overs. Mason sure enjoyed his late night snack of milk and cookies before he went to bed that night.

Tuesday was graduation. A lot of family had driven down to see him. As soon as he came walking into the gym we all cheered pretty loud. It was enough to put a big smile on his face and wave to us.

There you have it, the whole Delta High School graduating class of 2010!

Mason absolutely loves his Uncle C.J. (who doesn't?)

He came home for a quick minute that night & I was able to get in my goodbyes, but soon left to go to Grad Night with all his buddies. He had landed a job with the BLM to fight wildfires this season and had to be in Vernon early that next morning to start training and would be there all week.

The rest of the week was filled with hanging out with the family. Blowing bubbles with Pa Pa Kurt and watching Chopper dog try to eat them was sure fun!

So was playing in my old playhouse. I got that for Christmas when I was just 4 years old. Mason loved it too! He made me cookies in the little kitchen that 's in there.

On the last day of school the Res is usually full of kids. The weather was bad enough that day that when we drove by the beach there was nobody there. We wanted to just put our toes in so that's what we did! Mason had fun finding "big rocks" to throw in the water.

Grandma Jill had organized a "Quilting Bee" for all the women that Friday and Saturday at Evelynns house. She taught us all how to make Log Cabin quilts. It was so much fun to be with all the women and kids! That's one thing that I definitely miss is being around family like that. It was an intense 2 day event, but between Mom and I we got Chelleses quilt top done. I don't have a picture, but trust me, it's super cute!

Evelynn and Mandy

Heather, Chellese, & Mom

Grandma Jill, and Kara

Evelynn and Jerolynn

Jer, if your looking at this your lucky I didn't put up those other pictures :)

Our quilting bee came to an end Saturday evening and we headed back to Delta. I wanted to make it in time to take Mason the the Rabbit Rumble Demolition Derby, but we were a little too late. Instead we ended up going to the movies to see The Prince of Persia. Dad, Mom, Chellese, Mason and I loaded up the car and headed to the T&T Twin Theaters of Delta! The movie was great but Mason didn't watch even so much as a second. The movie didn't get out until after 11pm and he was delirious! As we were walking out to the car he exclaimed in an excited voice, "I liked the moooovie!" This had the same effect as the Yellow Cheese incident. We burst out laughing!

This is what he was wearing and so I think it made it funnier than it should've been. He looked like some crazy cat lady in pajamas accented with a blanket wrapped around his shoulders and stuffed dog.

My child is Nuts!

For Family Home Evening the family decided that since they weren't going to be at Mason's birthday party that they would throw a mini one for him. Chellese made, frosted, and decorated a cake with Sesame Street characters, and made a 2 shape out of candles.

Opening presents!

Mase couldn't wait to see what was in the box...

Ta Da! A coaster car! He goes so fast on that little car! We didn't have enough space to take it back with us, but Pa Pa Kurt is going to ship it out soon :)

After playing with that oh-so-fun car all came in for some cake and icecream...aaand then bed.

The last day we were there was so nice. Dad met me, Mase, Mom, and Chellese at the city park for a picnic. Mason had fun running around and playing in the waterfall.

This is his picture taking face about 3/4 of the time.

Bama Stef!

I wanted to make this a good long trip because I knew we weren't going to be out there again until Christmas. Also, this was Masons last "free" airplane ride and the last time out there as the only grandchild to Pa Pa Kurt and Bama Stef. Trust me, he got more than his share of loves from them!

It was such a fun trip and I can't wait to visit again. Although, coming home to my husband and San Diego aren't so bad...ya, it's pretty much the best thing ever!

Go Padres

2010-06-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago Kevin gave us some sweet tickets to go see a Padres game with his family. As soon as I said baseball, Mason had to have his baseball mitt, bat, and hat to take with him. Lately he's been obsessed with baseball and so I was excited to take him to a game. Although we didn't have the All-American hotdog we did enjoy some cotton candy!

And the end result...well, the Padres lost but we all had blue tongues!

New York!

2010-06-06T17:45:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it had been almost 3 years since Bowen and I last set foot in New York. My last memory in NY was driving back to Utah in my little car, away from the hustle and bustle, to get married to my best friend, Bowen, whom I had dated & fell in love with during my short stay there.

A couple of weeks ago we were able to go back and visit. Bowen had his two week annual training for the Navy, & Mason and I just wanted to go along for the ride. Our wonderful New York family, the Weidlers, opened up their home and let us stay there. It was so great to see Ralph & Gerti! We'd missed them tremendously! Chris and Terry (Ralphs son and daughter-in-law) & their kids live at the Weidler home as well so Mason was thoroughly entertained. Even though Bowen had class all day Monday-Friday, Mason and I kept ourselves entertained. We slowly adjusted to the time change. Even though it was a three hour difference I definitely felt jet lag the next day. One sunny day Mase and I walked to downtown Port Jefferson. There is this cute little park next to the Ferry port. Mason had a great time playing on the boat and running around with the other kids. He wouldn't go play in the water area, but he was quite content just watching the other kids soak themselves. Being my forgetful self, I'd forgotten sunscreen, so after a couple of hours it was time to find some shade and lunch. I was dying for some NY pizza & Ralphs Italian Ice, sooo that's what we got!

Yummm!

Double Yum! Mason was a little sunburned and sooo tired, but he managed to eat his entire ice (with, of course, some help from mommy).

After our fun outing he was so tired. I thought he'd fall asleep on the walk home, but he didn't. So as soon as we got back I put he and myself down for a nap.

Bowen was had about a 2 hour commute each day & each way and it was starting to get a bit redundant for him, so after a few days at the Weidlers we decided to go stay at Fort Totten where the rest of the people in his class were staying. It was so much closer to the academy and that left more time to spend with Bowen in the afternoon now that he didn't have that commute. I thought it was going to be like a motel (don't get me wrong, I wasn't expecting much) but it was a little more like army barracks...well that's exactly what they were.

The good thing was that now I had a car to get to where I wanted to go. I was a little too shy to take Mason into The City by myself, so we hit up the Great Neck/ Kings Point area for a couple of days.
One of my favorite parks is Kings Point Park. Mason loved it too! Not only were there slides and swings, but there is also a picnic area that has a lot of trails you can go for walks on.

Of course Mason had to have his football at all times. I cannot separate that kid from it!

I couldn't believe how green it is there!

That day we met up with Bowen and his old coach, Coach Joe Martuci, for lunch. Bowen was excited to show off his little boy and Mason warmed up to Joe fast. He even took his Yankees hat to wear for the afternoon. What a nut! I had never met Coach the whole time Bowen was in school, but I'd heard what a great guy he was. It was great to finally meet him.

Bowen had the weekend off so we got a hold of our friends Jo & Nicole Coughlin. They have a cute little boy a little older than Mason and a brand new baby boy. We had just planned on staying there for the evening, but we ended up spending the weekend with them. On Saturday they watched Mason for the afternoon so Bowen and I headed to the City. I'd had a request for a couple of knock off items from Canal Street in China Town so that's where we headed first. Since it'd been a while since we'd to Time Square we decided to be tourists and head there next. It was so much fun being in the city again! I think I love New York so much because I have such great memories there! Bowen, of course, is the best memory; but I got to take him with me when I left. What a souvenir!

That next week it really cooled off, but that didn't stop Mason and I from finding some more parks to play at. He had so much fun here chasing squirrels and trying to feed the birds his fishy crackers.

Of course he had to try a few of the crackers himself.

Mason had worked up quite an appetite, so we met Bowen for lunch at Deli on the Green. It was blissful! All too soon Bo had to head back for class so Mason and I headed to the library. He loooved it there! We read books, he made me pretend cookies (they were delicious), and played with Legos.

Oh! I forgot this....

Sunday was Mothers Day. Bowen had given me, Nicole, and Ashley (Nicole's friend who was staying there also) flowers. So sweet! We all got ready for the day then headed over to Joey's parents house for a BBQ. The boys were busy playing football while the girls stayed warm inside.

If you look at this picture of Bowen throwing the football & look at the one of Mason at the top of the page, it's exactly the same throw and follow through. Like father like son!

Bowen and Joey

A picture of the group...we couldn't take a normal picture.

Sooooo...back to that next week. I'd called my nanny family, The Seditas, to tell them we were in NY and we wanted to come visit them. There was only that Wednesday evening that the boys didn't have baseball. They're so busy! So me and my boys headed over there. Krissy had fixed a very yummy dinner and we all visited & caught up on what was going on in everyone lives. It was so good to see them! I couldn't believe how grown up the boys were! I guess I had their images from 3 years ago still in my head. Mason had a blast hanging out with the older kids and even left with a couple of presents thanks to Krissy.

The last full day we were there I was a little sad. We'd had so much fun visiting with all of our friends and seeing all the sights. I didn't want to leave! But I knew it was time to go home.

Early that morning I took Bowen to the Academy and Mason and I headed to the bagel shop. I hadn't had my breakfast bagel yet, and I was determined to :) I blame it on my pregnancy cravings...or just the fact that they are absolutely delicious!

Even Mason enjoyed his breakfast!

My plan had been to go feed the ducks at a little pond nearby, but it was raining too much. So I figured we'd head to the library again. Except when we got there it didn't open for another hour. I was exhausted from getting up so early, so I put on a Sesame Street episode on my phone, handed it to Mason, and fell asleep. My intention was to only close my eyes for a minute or two, but Mason fell asleep also & we ended up sleeping 2 1/2 hours in the car, in the library parking lot. I'm sure the people walking by thought we were crazy, but oh well. I woke up just in time to drive over and meet Bowen for lunch. It ended up being a fun day despite all the rain.

We headed back to Jo and Nicoles for our last night there. We wanted to take them out to dinner to say thanks for letting us stay with them, but it would've been a little difficult bringing all the kids. So I ended up making breakfast for dinner. Despite my limited resources, it turned out pretty good! I packed the suitcases and set the alarm to wake up bright and early to catch the flight out.

What a fun trip it was! It was so nice just to able go and see all of our friends, eat yummy NY food, and see a couple of sights. Thanks to all who let us stay with them. We already miss you!

I think this was the highlight of Masons trip...

...feeding the squirrels.

Good morning

2010-04-28T12:46:00.003-07:00

Today is the first day in quite a while that I didn't have anything that I HAD to do. So Mason and I started off our day with an awesome breakfast of french toast with strawberries. This is one of his absolute favorite meals and he always eats a man-sized portion. We just puttered around the house until I called Bowen to see if he wanted to meet us for lunch. Of course he did! Mase and I weren't hungry after that giant breakfast but he just wanted to see his daddy. We treated Bowen to a California Burrito from Chagos. Anytime we go there that is what he gets. Imagine a burrito with everything in it, including french fries. Crazy, I know! lol!

Mason loves his dad so much! He was just hugging him and rubbing his back so softly.

He soon had to get back to work so I dropped him off and Mason and I headed home. I decided about 1/2 way there that the clouds had parted enough to let the sunshine through. So we diverted to the park. Mason looooves this jungle of a playground. It's HUGE! I can just let him run around and wear himself out. Perfect!

Mason has invented a game that he likes to play anytime we go anywhere in the car. It's called, "Take off your shoes and socks before we get to our destination, even if it's only 5 minutes away". He thinks it's just hilarious when I go to get him out of the car and he sticks his little piggy toes in my face showing me his naked feet. This time it didn't matter because the playground is sand and nobody wears shoes anyway. Ha! I won that round.

We were only there for an hour before the wind picked up and it got a bit to chilly to be out. As we were listening to the radio on our way home, I called the station to try and win The Lovely Bones movie that just came out on DVD. And guess what? I WON! Woot woot!

Now Mason is taking a nap and I'm enjoying my 2 hours of bliss. Oh how great it is!

This was taken last night. Bowen wanted to get it on film so that when we have to put together a collection of football videos for Masons scholarship applications, we can put this on there. Ha ha! It's funny how good Mason is actually getting at throwing the football and he's not even 2 yet!

Surprise trip to Bama Stefs and Pa Pa Kurts

2010-04-25T23:08:00.005-07:00

About a month ago I decided it was time to take a trip out to Utah. I hadn't been there since last summer and I guess I was feeling a bit homesick. I wanted to leave right away, but my schedule wouldn't allow it. It's funny how busy a stay at home mom can be :) Anyway, I booked my flight and only told Dad about it. I wanted it to be a surprise for everyone, but mostly Mom. It broke my heart every time I would talk to her and she would tear up telling me how much she missed her grandson. So I made him lie and tell her he had meetings in Fillmore all day when really he drove up to Salt Lake to come and get us.

Dad was waiting at the baggage claim when we arrived. Yay!!! Mason was a bit apprehensive of Grandpa Kurt at first, but Dad soon won him over. I think Mase still gets nervous with Dads facial hair. Ha Ha! We picked up the luggage and got right back on the road headed to Delta.

When we drove in to town Chellese was just getting out of school so we went and picked her up. I didn't see her coming as she flew up to my door. Let's just say she was overly excited to see her big sister and nephew...and we were just as excited to see her!

We finally reached the house (after what seemed like an eternity of traveling) and quietly went inside. We found mom resting on the couch in the computer room. Dad started telling her how his "meetings" went that day when she looked over and saw Mase and I in the room. "AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! OH MY GOSH! ARE YOU REALLY HERE??? AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!", she screamed. I think she was pretty happy to see us too! When she wiped away a few happy tears she looked at Mason and asked, "Is Grandma a little crazy?" "Ya", replied Mase. Lol! It was a great surprise! We enjoyed the rest of the day just visiting and hanging out. We were all out back watching the kids play and get out their wiggles when C.J. got home. Oh that big little brother I have. Every time I'm around him I just laugh. I love that kid!

Our normalness...

Us pretending to be normal

It was just my luck that I started feeling sick a couple of days before I flew out there. The day after I arrived was pretty rough. I couldn't breath, smell, or hear and just was completely drained of energy. I think being sick, pregnant, and not used to elevation anymore just was too much for my body to take. Luckily I had some pretty great babysitters to watch the boy while I slept...like 2 naps 3 hours each. That's not normal for me, I hardly ever nap so I guess I needed it.

Mason was very entertained! Grandma Stef (or Bama Stef as Mason calls her) took him for a four wheeler ride over to the Hendersons for a visit. He also had fun playing with his cousins Gabe and Meagan who are staying at Moms house for the school year.

It was such beautiful weather! We watched the kids play in the back yard all evening, grilled some burgers, and enjoyed the sunset.

Chellese showing me her toe touches.

Sunday was a blur for me. I made it through about 1/2 of sacrament meeting and I had to go home and rest. When I woke up everyone was home and just sitting down for Sunday dinner. Mmmm...turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, and green beans.

Mom took of Monday from work. She called in with "Masonitits" and needed a sick day. Ha ha! The school secretary needed an explanation for that one so mom explained and she fully understood! *Wink, wink*

Mason woke up that morning asking for pizza. What a nut! So when lunchtime came around we met Dad at the Pizza House.

This was the best out of 3 pictures. Dad kept blinking.

Grandma Stef treating her grandson to pizza. Yum!

For Family Home Evening we decided we needed to roast some hot dogs and marshmallows. All the kids were so excited! Chellese and I drove the four wheeler around the ditch finding old wood to burn while the rest of the kids helped get chairs and food ready to go.

Meagan, Mase, and Gabe helping out Aunt/Grandma/Mom get all of the supplies.

Mase and "Aunt Sheese" waiting for the fire to be just perfect before they start their hot dog roasting.

The fire was so hot even from a distance. Usually Mason does a pretty good job roasting his hotdog but he need a little help with that one. Thanks for taking my picture mom. I forget how beautiful I look when I'm pregnant until I see a picture of myself. Ewww...

Mason probably ate 6 or 7 marshmallows. No kidding!

The best thing after playing in dirt and sticky marshmallows...a BATH!!!

It was pretty late and the younger kids had gone to bed, except Mason. He was having so much fun with his Pa Pa Kurt. I was laughing so hard watching them play.

The last day we were there Dad and Mom both had to work, so Mason and I played at the park for a couple hours that morning and went to Chelleses D.A.R.E graduation at the middle school that afternoon. I excused her to come home with me and I took her to get a shake at Delta Freeze. It was nice to visit with my little sister one on one. I dropped her off at dance class and headed over to the school to see if Mom was done working. Luckily she was but she had to show off her grandson to the ladies in the office first.

Later, mom took us to go see How to Train Your Dragon at the movie theater. It was such a cute movie. Mason sat on his Grandmas lap watched the whole movie.

Mase and I waiting for the movie to start

When we got home I put Mason right down for bed. He was so tired! C.J. and I stayed up watching Youtube videos and laughing. He seriously is such a funny kid! It was a good day!

It was such a fast trip but soooo needed. Mom and Chellese took us up to the airport Wednesday morning. We said our goodbyes and hopped on the plane. Mason did very well on the plane rides but the moment we got to San Diego he started screaming. Bowen said he heard him all the way from our terminal. Mason screamed the whole time waiting for the luggage, walking out to the car, and for about 5 minutes in the car. Why? I have no idea. Pretty sure he was just exhausted though. He woke up right as we got home and started screaming again. I put his pajamas on and stuck him in bed. Needless to say he slept very well that night and didn't wake up until 10:3o the next day.

I was so happy to see my Bowen! Even though I had so much fun with my family, it was such a comfort coming home to the man I love!

Warrior Dash

2010-04-10T22:53:00.003-07:00

Today we headed up to Lake Elsinore for The Warrior Dash. A few months back Bowen was peer pressured into signing up for it with all the guys from work. It was dusty, hot, and hilarious. The course was 3 miles and full of obstacles including, but not limited to, jumping through fire and crawling through mud pits. Bowen decided to be a redneck warrior and, somehow, the cut off jean shorts and cut off flannel shirt was quite fitting.

Happy boys! Notice the awesome Johns in the background? Ya, we avoided them like the plague!

This is Chris, aka The Ultimate Warrior. He actually won overall best costume, which he completely deserved! Bowen works with the nut...Mason did NOT like him one bit!

The married men. Bowen, Jayson, and Rick. The wives and kids waited at the finish line for our He-Man Warriors to finish the race.

A victorious run! YEAH!

The whole gang after the race.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T13:23:00.007-07:00

What a great weekend we've had! Saturday I had to work for a couple of hours but as soon as I was done we (Me, Bowen, Mase, & AJ) headed to Liberty Station in Point Loma for the Easter Eggstravaganza.

I guess Mase was kind of having an "off" day because he was pretty grumpy the entire time. As you can see he was thrilled to be in his stroller.We arrived just in time for the egg hunt. Being the pregnant momma that's slowly loosing her brain, I forgot his little easter basket. So he ended up using a 7 11 bag. Awesome!

All the kids patiently waiting for the announcer to say GO!!!

...he finally did, and the eggs were gone in about 30 seconds. Mase was pretty intimidated with the huge crowd. He took about 3 steps and burst into tears. Poor kid! I helped him get a couple of eggs, but he was over it and just wanted to be held.

There was the LONGEST line to see the Easter Bunny. I didn't want to have a repeat Santa experience (a screaming, crying, terrified little boy) so I made sure he wanted to see the bunny before we waited. Mase seemed ok with it but when it was his turn to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap, he was a bit wary. He was okay with me sitting with him and we were able to at least get a picture.

By the end of all the festivities we were all ready to go and Mase even fell asleep on the way home.

EASTER MORNING!!!

We all woke up pretty early to get ready to head over to our friends, the Galbasinis, for breakfast and to watch General Conference. The boys were pleasantly surprised to find little Easter baskets had been laid out for them. Mason wasn't quite fully awake yet and he had extreme bed hair but he was thrilled to see all of his new treasures. Masons favorite thing in his basket was the ball shaped easter eggs. He loves them!

Bowen with his new shirt and goodies

That silly rabbit even found AJ!

We came home and just took it easy for the afternoon. The boys slept and I got dinner ready. We were all outside enjoying our Easter dinner on this sunny Sabbath, telling one other of Easter traditions, when the table started shaking. I thought it was Bowen or AJ at first, but we all looked at each other and realized that it was an earthquake!!! It got to the point where we decided to get up and get out of harms way in case it got any stronger. I could see the power poles and palm trees swaying back and forth. I've never experienced an earthquake and well...it's a little unnerving. The extent of the damage?...only a few pictures fell down. I felt little rumbles for a few minutes after, but it seems everything is okay! Lets's just say I'll never forget this Easter!

Every day days.

2010-04-02T17:23:00.005-07:00

It seems like each week goes by so fast. Maybe now that it's warmer out we just have more things to do...

...anyway....

It finally stays light enough and warm enough to have dinner out on the patio (our dining room). Mason thought it was pretty cool to sit out there and eat his tater tot casserole. It's so peaceful to sit in our back yard and enjoy the peace and beauty of it.

The Young Men and Young Women had a stake activity at Old Town this week. While they were doing their thing we let the kids run around and went through the Mormon Battalion again.

Sittin' in the covered wagon.

Thursday morning we woke up to rain, rain, rain. I love it, but it puts off our day sometimes. San Diego isn't designed for indoor activities...especially for kids. When you have 3 kids running around a 2 bedroom house, they tend to get stir crazy. Luckily that afternoon the rain cleared up enough to go on a walk. We ended up at Weinerschneitzel for some icecream cones and they loved every minute of it!

I told him to smile and this is what I got. What a face!

Easter Party!!!

2010-04-02T16:49:00.005-07:00

Today was the Primary/Nursery Easter party. It was held at one of Masons (and mine) favorite parks, Kate Sessions. Bowen was even able to make it since he had the day off. There were so many fun activities for the kids to participate in. Of them, cookie decorating was at the top of the list for Mase. He was thrilled about the cookie, but top it with with whipped cream and sprinkles...BONUS!

Yummm!!!

Mase and his buddy enjoying their cookies.

Finally it came time for the egg hunt. Mase didn't quite know what to do at first, but when he saw all the other kids running, he took off. He didn't even look back once he saw the treasured eggs that lay ahead.

When Mason saw all of the eggs he's found, he said, "Aaallrrright!!!" I do believe that his first egg hunt was a 100% complete success! What a fun way to spend a sunny Friday afternoon!

Easter FHE

2010-03-29T22:20:00.003-07:00

This evening we had Family Home Evening with our good friends, the Galbasinis. What an adventure it is dyeing Easter eggs with kids. They actually did really well...except for Mason drank a big gulp of the blue dye. I guess it looked appetizing! While the eggs were drying, we built a fire and roasted marshmallows. Bowen even broke out the guitar and serenaded us as we ate our smores. There's nothing better than ending your night like that! Thanks, guys, for a fun night!

Sunburns and minivans

2010-03-28T00:15:00.007-07:00

I know I've mentioned how much I love living here, and today was no exception! Bowen woke up early to go wake boarding with some guys from our ward. I made lunches and got ready for the beach so we could leave as soon as he got back. AJ (Bowens cousin) is in town for a while on his ship so we swung by and picked him and his friend up on our way. We spent most of the day at the beach and actually had quite a few people drop by and hang out at our "camp." It was a little breezy out but the sun was hot! Bowen and I now look like lobsters. I guess I was so busy trying to keep Mase from getting sunburned I forgot about us. Oh well, I need some color anyway. I love our Summer Saturday Beach Days. Anybody and everybody is always invited!

Here's the old Jimmy all loaded up for the beach!

Colten and AJ slowly becoming addicted to San Diego and its greatness :)

Poor Bowen, he's had such a hard day of wake boarding and surfing. He needed a good nap!

Can you guess what this is......?????

...It's Mason! We had only been there a couple hours, but he was exhausted! Luckily Heidi was there to work her baby magic and put him to sleep. What cute little sand baby I have!

I guess the water and wind were a perfect combination for kite surfers today because there were sooooo many! I've never seen this many at the beach before. They fun to watch but I got tired just watching them! What a workout.

After a good 5 hours at the beach we packed up and headed back home to get cleaned up and head out for the evening. The boys headed out for the night and we headed once again to Carmax to see if our van was ready to be picked up.

Yes, that's right, I said van. I know, I can't believe it either! I always said I would never get a van and now that's what I'd rather have over any vehicle right now. It took a little while to convince Bowen that a van would be so much more efficient than a big SUV but after he borrowed a friends Yukon and filled up the gas tank he was in complete agreeance with me.

Our last ride in the beloved BMW. I think I saw a little tear in Bowen eye as he handed over the keys to the salesman. Don't worry, I was sad too. It was a great (fast...luckily no speeding tickets) year and a half!

So now we are the proud owners of a 2007 Honda Odyssey! Yay!

Can you just see the excitement on Bowens sunburned face?!?

Mason was sure excited to have all that room back there!

We decided we needed to celebrate this new exciting chapter in our lives so I took Bowen to his favorite restaurant, Wings N' Things. We were all stuffed by the end but it was sure delicious! It was such fun day. Sometimes I feel like we're on vacation living here. I never want it to end!

Good news and fun times

2010-03-26T22:21:00.005-07:00

What busy/fun/exciting couple of days we've had we've had. I had a Dr's appointment yesterday morning. This one I'd been looking forward to all week because we were able to find out the gender of our baby. I'd woke up at 4AM and couldn't go back to sleep because I was so excited. Luckily the apt was at 9:00 so I didn't have to wait long. Heidi watched Mason and Bowen met me at the hospital. We quickly learned (and it was quite definite) that we're having another BOY!!! I'm so excited! Mason gets a little brother, Bowen is that much closer to having his own personal football team, and I don't have to change the decor of Masons room. Mostly we just excited to have another little person join our family. As soon as we got out of the office we were on our phones calling and texting everyone the good news. We had already decided on a name for our first two boys before we were even married. I had always wanted a Mason and Bowen had always wanted a Malachi (like in the bible). So, that's his name! I can't believe how fast this pregnancy has gone by already. I'll be 20 weeks tomorrow and it seems like just yesterday I found out we were expecting. I think working and chasing a toddler around keeps my mind and body so occupied that each weeks just flies by. We'll see how fast the weeks go by when I get closer to my due date which is August 14...ish.

I had another appointment this morning and Mason came along. He always gets worried when the nurse takes my blood pressure. I tell him that it's just giving my arm a big hug and that calms him down a bit. My midwife said everything looks good from the ultrasound pictures so that's always comforting to hear. Mason sat on my chest while we listened to the baby's heart beat. I tried to explain to him that there was his little brother in mommy's tummy. I think he's still a little to young to get it, but hey, it's worth a shot. He just is obsessed that my belly is poking out. If he sees my belly button he runs up, pushes on it, and says, "Ding dong." What nut!

By the time we got out of there and home it was past Masons nap time and he was delirious. He slept for a couple hours while I got some housework done. When he woke up we headed to the zoo for the afternoon. I met a few girlfriends and their kids there. Most all of our husbands work together so they met us there too. It was nice just to walk around and visit with everyone. The kids wore themselves out, of course, and by the time it was time to go, they were ready!

Mason could've just watched the flamingos all day!

There is a new extension of the polar bear exhibit that includes a helicopter you can go sit in. Mase was so excited! He kept saying, "heltopter, heltopter!!!" There is also "polar bear caves" that you can crawl through but he wanted nothing to do with them.

On to Elephant Odyssey. If you ask Mason what an elephant says he will say, "Moooooo."

We're working on that one.

Now the Lion was pretty awesome! He kept roaring so loud! I can definitely see why he's called the king of the jungle. Mason knows what a lion says but I think he was taken back at how loud it actually is!

What a fun afternoon! We had to rush home so I could go to a baby shower. The boys spent their evening watching basketball and eating Chinese take out. Can you think of a better top to the night? Ha Ha!

Now Mase is in bed, Bowen is passed out on the couch (snuggling with the dog), and here I am writing down my good news and memories. What a day! Tomorrow we're spending the entire day at the beach. I'm going to soak up some sun, build sandcastles with my baby, eat some sweet peanut butter and honey sandwiches, and watch my wonderful husband catch some waves.

2010-03-23T12:00:00.004-07:00

Spring is in the air...okay more like Summer!

The weather has been so nice lately. I love that I don't have to slip on my Uggs every morning to avoid the bite of the cool night on my toes! Just last week was our first official beach day of the year. It was delightful to spend the day on the sand, soaking up the sun, and watch the kids play. I think that little bit of color on my face improved my mood 100%. After living here I know I couldn't move anywhere where it rains all the time. Both of my boys have thoroughly enjoyed the sun as well. All Mase wants to do is go outside, every day, all day. That's fine by me! Bowen went surfing last Saturday with the Young Men from the ward. I know he's excited to start Beach Day! It's full of surfing, sandcastles, boogie boarding, suntanning, and visiting with all of our friends. We set up camp in the morning and don't leave until the sun is setting. Have I ever mentioned that I love living here?!? Ha ha! I do!

Here are some pictures of what's been going on lately.

This is Masons favorite place to go by himself and eat his lunch, or snack. He acts like such an old man sometimes. I know he's had enough when all he asks for is a snack and to go outside. I call this "Mason's Spot."

The Easter Bunny was supposed to bring this to him but the smart little man saw the box, exclaimed, "Basket ball!!!!!", and wouldn't let it go. So, I'm thinking that I'll just put a bow on it Easter morning and have his little basket of goodies by it. He loves basketball (well really any ball) so much. If he's inside, he's shooting the ball. In Mason language he calls it, "shoot ball."

Our good friends daughter had a birthday party last Saturday. My oh my was it filled with fun activities! Mason had so much fun just running around, riding his bike, squirting the girls with squirt guns, playing ring toss, and eating cake. We were only there for about 4 hours but Mase was so worn out he slept for about 3 hours when he got home. Yesss!!!

I love Spring and Summer. It's a happy, memory filled time. I want to make this a fun time for Mason before he grows up and doesn't want to hang out with his mommy and daddy anymore. I know that's a ways away, but I hear it goes by fast.

Breakfast fit for my kings!

2010-03-13T10:06:00.004-08:00

We have a few projects going on today that will require a lot of hard work. So, to prep my boys I made yummy buttermilk pancakes with strawberries and chocolate milk. Yummmmm!

Here's what we have going on today and the before pictures... Tear up the back yard (even more), level it out, put in a shed and pavers, and remove a giant tree stump. Tearing up the ugly linoleum in my kitchen. I'm so excited to see how these projects are going to turn out!

Our projects...dun, dun, dun

2010-03-08T11:41:00.004-08:00

We recently discovered with all the rain that Masons room had sort of well...flooded. Ya, it was a great surprise to pull back the bunk beds and see mold all around the wall baseboards (barf). The carpet was completely a loss too. We found out that the dirt in the back yard was too high against the house and water was slowly leaking through. So my handyman husband started digging away. Once we got that under control it was time to deal with the floors inside. With the help of many friends we put in new wood floors throughout most of the house. It looks soooo good and I love how fast and easy I can clean it! Although the back yard is still in shambles (dang that rain won't stop!), we don't have that stinking leak anymore. One more thing to add to that project is we have to put gutters on the house too. That'll be a project of it's own! Our other project wasn't supposed to be such a project. We recently received a new washer and dryer. Yay! Only when the delivery men came to set them up, the machines didn't fit through the door. Oh no...here we go again. Since part of the door frame needed to be taken off, Bowen decided to tile the floor in the laundry room. With help from his friend, Rick, and all of his tile tools they were able to get the floor done super fast. Once the floor was complete and dry (it looks marvelous by the way) we moved in the machines. It was a sort of trial and error getting them set up and working properly, but now I am in love. I'm still catching up on 2 weeks worth of laundry but to have a washer that actually works is so so worth it!

Before....

After...

Now that Bowen has experienced how "easy" it is to put in tile, he wants to continue it through the patio, kitchen, and bathroom :) At times it's kind of tough having put money into your home...especially when you have no choice... but when you can do what you want and make it your home it's worth the price. I've been pretty careful to watch Mase with all of this construction going on, but yesterday he escaped and this is where we found him.

Help! I need feedback!

2010-03-04T10:56:00.002-08:00

Ok, so Mason has definitely hit the terrible two's! He's cranky, stubborn, aggressive, and there's no compromising with him. What have you other moms done when they reach this crazy age?

Mom and Ethan, the rest of their trip.

2010-03-01T13:46:00.008-08:00

Mom had never been to Ikea so we woke up bright and early Friday morning and headed there. I love Ikea but I must admit, it's a bit overwhelming to shop there with a 1 1/2 year old screaming the whole time. We had gotten a few things, but Mase had had it and we were supposed to meet Bowen for lunch downtown. So I just left our cart sitting there full of stuff and walked out.

This picture is very misleading. He was NOT all smiles the whole time.

After our brief adventure there we met Bowen for lunch. His work is getting super strict about the length of lunch breaks, so all too soon he had to head back to work. It was nice, though, to see him for that short little bit.

It nearing nap time so we headed back home. I'd been watching the Casa Linda Apartments while Heidi and Gordon were on Vacation. It was nice playing manager again :) Anyway, Mom and Ethan were nice enough to stay home with the Mase while I went and got some work done there. Thank again! I was even able to go the the grocery store. It's amazing how fast you can shop when you don't have an extra set of hands grabbing at things as you go down the isle!!!

When Bowen got home from work we got ready and headed out again. I had been wanting to go to the newly redone Mormon Battalion in Old Town so that's where we were headed. But first we stopped by USD to show Mom and Ethan where Bowen is going to school this fall. I'm so excited for him! This is a goal that he's had for such a long time and it's finally starting to become a reality!

This is the building where he will spend the next 4 years of his life

So after we drove around the campus we headed to Old Town. I don't know what it is about this little place, but I love it! Its so historic and there is always something going on. I knew the Mormon Battalion would be closing soon so we went there first. Let me just say, if you haven't been there and you get the opportunity to go, GO. It was so cool! There's a few surprises along the tour but I won't give them away. Plus, it's free so you can't beat that!

I don't even know who this statue is, but we were tourists, so we had to get a picture by it! Our group was pretty small and Ethan was the only young man there. He was quickly volunteered by all of us to be the one that got all dressed up like a soldier from the battalion. I think he thought that was pretty cool, especially when they handed him the gun that was taller than he was! Outside there was a place you could pan for gold, make oven fired adobe bricks, and pump water from a well. Mason loved doing them all!

There is a little restaurant called Cafe Coyote that sells fresh homemade tortillas on the street for super cheap. You dress them with either homemade salsa or butter and sugar. I had been craving them all day and oh my goodness they were good!

Everyone enjoyed their tortillas very much!

This was another restaurant where you could watch them making the tortillas too.

It had been such a long day but we had one more stop to go. We stopped by the Sears outlet center. Our washer and dryer were on it's way out and we desperately needed new ones. Thank you to an angel (well, two angels) we were able to get some machines that I hope will last us a very long time. I can't describe how grateful I am!

We were still all full from our little snack but we all still had room for some Yogurtland. I know, I'm an addict and I don't care. Ethan thought it was the neatest thing that you could dispense your own fro yo and add whatever toppings you wanted. I think he put every flavor and topping that would fit in that cup.

After such a long day we pretty much fell into bed that night. What a day!

Saturday morning was the launch of Bowens ship. It is part of the TAKE Explorer class of cargo ships for the Navy. We woke up early that morning to the wonderful sound of pouring rain. "Oh boy," I thought, "this is going to be interesting." Bowen had to leave earlier and we were going to meet him downtown. I ran outside to pull the car up to the house, but it wouldn't start. It was completely dead. I tried everything I could think of to get it started but nothing worked. Nobody was out and about that early...especially since it was raining so bad. After much distress we got a ride from a guy from church. We had arrived just in time to see the ship back out of port. We'd missed the ceremony, but at least we made it for the best part. I did feel bad mom and Ethan had missed it though. We did get a few pictures and quickly headed back to the car.

This is Bowens boss, Jason.

Here's Ethan sporting his fancy garbage bag poncho. Woot woot!

Outside the shipyard

On our way back to the car

AJ is in SD for the month and Holly had come out to visit him for the weekend. They had showed up for the launch but barely missed it. After a brief hello we all decided that we'd go to breakfast and try to warm up and dry off a bit.

By the time we were done with breakfast the rain had subsided a bit. Thank goodness! We took AJ and Holly back the the hotel and headed home. After resting from our eventful morning we got ready to go to a birthday party for one of Bowens friends kids. I kind of didn't want to go at first and made a stink about it, but I figured what else were we going to do? I'm glad we did go because it turned out to be a fun afternoon.

Sunday was beautiful. I love San Diego after it rains because everything is so beautiful, green, and clean! After church we drove to the top of Mt. Soledad to the lookout. You can see pretty much all of San Diego from there. Mason was just happy to get out and run around on the grass.

Over looking La Jolla Cove Family picture! This is one of Masons newest picture poses. What a ham!

Ethan had asked to see the temple so that's where we headed next. It's always beautiful but it was especially white and beautiful next to the blue, blue sky. We had such a great time with them here! As always the visit was much too short and I wish we could've done a few more things while they were here. We already miss them and can't wait until we see them again! Thank you! Love you!!!

Mom and Ethan Day 1

2010-02-25T14:24:00.004-08:00

Mom and Ethan flew in yesterday. Yay! They were starving when they got of the plane so, of course, we had to stop by Rubios for their famous fish tacos. Yummmm! I knew they were tired so we just took it easy for the afternoon and waited for Bowen to get home. We visited some more and called it an early night.

Unfortunately Bowen still has to work, so he left early this morning. But we woke up, made breakfast, Mom and Ethan cleaned my kitchen (THANK YOU!), and we headed out for the morning. One thing Ethan really wanted to do is go see the seals in La Jolla childrens pool, so that's where we ended up. It's pupping season, so there's little baby seals everywhere. You can't go very close to them, but we got some good pictures. The tide was pretty far out; enough that the tide pools were exposed. We kicked off our shoes, rolled up our pants, and played in the water. I showed Ethan where the sea anemones were and he walked up and down the entire tide pool poking his finger in them letting them swallow it up. Mason had fun splashing and playing in the sand. We even found a baby crab to play with. The boys thought that was pretty cool! By the time we were ready to leave it was already past noon. So we, of course, headed back to Rubios. Ha ha!!! I think we've had our fill of that for now!

I love him

2010-02-23T10:31:00.001-08:00

tenderness...

February fun!

2010-02-16T11:24:00.003-08:00

A couple weeks ago we took our friends, the Galbasinies, to the base in Coronado to go bowling. Its super cheap and a really nice place. Before we got there, their girls fell asleep so Jackie ended up taking them home but Kevin and a kid they were watching stayed. There was a bit of a wait, but soon enough we had our lane and got our game going. All Mason wanted to do is hold the ball. It was so heavy he couldn't even pick it up. He was getting so frustrated. I remembered we had a plastic ball out in the car so Bowen got that. It kept Mase pretty busy for the rest of the time :) Erick and Gibby showed up for the second game. We had so much fun and decided we needed to do go again soon.

Mase "helping" daddy bowl

Kevin and Bowen

I've mentioned before that church basketball season has started. If you've seen the movie Church Ball, then you know what this is all about. Ha ha! The guys are pretty competitive and it is usually pretty fun to watch. The last game Bowen scored two 3 pointers at the very end which helped win the game. Of course all Mase wants to do is "shoot ball". There's usually a few other kids there so they keep him pretty occupied most of the time. They've got a really good team, so I hope they win it all this year!

Bowen giving one of his pep talks

Mason has hit the age where he loooooves the park. We usually do park day on Friday mornings and meet other mommies and kids there. Bowen calls us "The real housewives of Pacific Beach" because we're all stay at home moms and just "do things at our leisure." Ha! If our husbands only knew what it takes to be a stay at home mom...lol! Anyway, the weather has been so nice lately that we'll spend 2 or 3 hours just soaking up the sun. Recently Mase has gotten brave enough to go down the big slide without any help from me. I can't believe how big he is! I know I say that all the time, but really. I love this age he's at and wish it would stay forever.

I watch kids on Tuesday mornings. This is a typical day... notice the primary songs trying to keep the peace? No, they didn't work. Ha ha!

Valentines

2010-02-16T11:09:00.002-08:00

This Valentines my good friend Heidi threw a party. It was so much fun and decorated so cute! We had a great time visiting with friends, playing games, and laughing. Thank you, Heidi, for such a nice evening!

Bowen and I don't usually don't do too much for Valentines. He gave me flowers and a nice card and I made him this candy poster and a card. When he saw it he said, "Thank you so much! That's very Utah."

LOL! I guess it is, but we're on a budget :)

Friday we had a babysitter and, thanks to gift certificates, we went to dinner at applebees and then saw the Valentines Day movie. It was nice not having to pay for any of it! But the best part was that I was with the love of my life! I love you Bowen, so much!

Family updates

2010-02-11T08:52:00.003-08:00

I get so caught up in writing about all the trips we take that I don't take the time to write about things that actually go on at home. So let me get caught up a bit... Bowen * He recently got accepted into the USD Law Program starting in the Fall of this year. He worked sooooo hard and studied for months to get a good score on the LSAT and it paid off! Ever since I've known him he's talked about going to law school and now it's a reality. I'm so proud of him! *He's still the Young Mens President and loves that calling. The boys really respect him and his counselors and look up to them as great examples. *Drum roll please....Church basketball has started AGAIN! This is, by far, the longest season of any sport I have ever watched. It's fun to go watch he and all "the guys" go play their multi stake rivals. So far they've only lost one game...thank goodness. I'll go to the early games but it's too late for Mason to go to the 9:00pm games. I don't know how Bo stays awake at work the next day. Crazy! But he loves it, so I'm supportive of it. *Work at NASSCO is pretty busy! Bowen is getting ready to launch his ship this month so everyone is trying to tie up the loose ends and make it all a huge success. He really enjoys working with all the guys on his team which makes the grind of work more pleasant. Shaelyn *Well, probably the biggest thing for me is that I'm pregnant :) I'm about 13 weeks and already showing. It's so crazy how my body remembered. I did have a bit of morning sickness for a while but now I'm feeling just fine. One thing I've noticed is that I have to have my sleep or else I'm a grouchy bear the next day. Bowen can vouch for that! I already had my first ultrasound and everything looked good. There was a little baby blob with a heartbeat and that's all I needed to see. The Dr. said my due date is August 19th (right when Bowen starts school...aaahhh!) Both he and I are so excited for this little peanut to join our family! I don't care what it is as long as it's healthy and happy! *I'm still working at Nightingale Music School teaching Mommy and Me classes. It's just super part time and that's just how I like it! Sometimes I do birthday parties on the weekends too. It such a fun creative outlet and I don't mind the little paycheck either :) *I recently got called into Young Womens as a beehive teacher. I love those girls! Hopefully I can guide and teach them values and lessons that they'll keep for a long time. It's fun working with the other teachers and presidency too. They're all so cute and I know each of their lessons and activities are inspired for these girls. *One hobby I've dug up is sewing. It's kind of like riding a bike, but harder. I've forgotten a lot of things, but I'm slowly teaching myself again. Thanks to Grandma Jill I still have my basic knowledge so it gets easier every time I sit down to sew. I did get a serger for Christmas and I plan on using it sometime this next week. I'm a little intimidated by it...what a machine! I am excited for all the fun things that I have planned to make! Mason I did just give a pretty detailed update in my previous post but there are a few things that I need to add... *We have a little play group with 3 girls and Mason. He's the only guy, but I think he likes it that way. They get together around three times a week to hang out and get into trouble. It actually works out really nice because whoevers house they are at, the other mommies get a break to go grocery shopping or to the gym kid free! *Mase has been in Nursery for 2 months now. He loves it and doesn't even look back to say goodbye when I take him there. All he's focused on is finding a ball, coloring, and snack time. Such a cute little stinker! *I'm debating on putting him in a preschool when he turns 2. He's been on a waiting list since he was 3 months old for a preschool that I really like and finally got in. But, it's quite expensive...so we may go with other options. I still can't decide if I want him to wait until he's 3 either. I am exploring other options and we'll see where that takes us.

It seems our lives are busy as can be. We're always doing something or going somewhere. I don't mind it as long as I'm with my boys!

More about my little man...

2010-02-05T13:32:00.009-08:00

It seems Mason is growing by the minute. Every time I turn around he's doing or saying something new.

*When I'm in a different room than he is, he'll poke just his head around the corner and say, "I see you!"

*He has 5 favorite books that we usually have to read one or all before nap time and bed time. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Goodnight Baby, Pat the Bunny, I love You, and Old Mac Donald. He got Old Mac Donald for Christmas from Great Grandma Jones. Thanks to this book he's learned the chicken, horse, dog, cat, duck, pig, sheep, donkey, snake, and owl sounds.

* Sometimes when he's playing by himself I'll hear the tune of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star coming from his little voice. If I'm quite enough, I'll go watch him make the little "twinkling" actions with his hands. It's so cute and makes me tear up!

*He also sings the ABC's to the best of his memory.

*He looooves to take a bath! He'll stay in the tub a good 1/2 hour playing with his toys. That is the time I usually take to clean the bathroom, or get ready for the day. It works out perfect!

*He likes to say prayers before we eat. He absolutely does not like to say them before bed because he knows it's night night time after that. I think we need to change up our bedtime routine.

*He know who Jesus is and will point him out of any picture.

*He loves babies (he doesn't realize that he's still kind of one himself) and loves to just watch them. Sometimes he'll touch them really soft and point out where it's eyes, nose, mouth, etc...are. He doesn't get that there is a baby in mommy's tummy but judging by the way he is with other babies, I'm not too worried.

*He is obsessed with choo choo's and trucks. He has a little train set that we set up daily. On Monday Mornings when the garbage truck comes we have to stand by the door and watch.

*His current favorite foods are chicken nuggets, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, tomatoes, apples, craisins/raisins, pears, oranges, and grilled tuna and cheese sandwiches (I've found that if I put peas and carrots in with the tuna he'll still eat it. Anything to get a toddler to eat veggies eh!?!

*We're in the process of potty training. It's still a little early for it, but at least he knows the potty is there. We have had a small number of success stories, and a large number of not so great stories. I'm just excited he wants to sit on his potty!

*He loves to color. If you ask what color he's using, it's blue whether it's green, red, orange, or yellow. He has an obsession with using his teeth to tear off the paper around the crayons. I had to break down and buy the crayons that are in the plastic casing and you twist them up.

*I made play dough the other day and he didn't quite know what to do with it. I think we'll try it again in another couple weeks.

*He's officially out of the highchair. We bought him a little table and chairs from Ikea and he looooves it! I make it a point to sit and eat breakfast with him every morning. We talk about Lady dog, how yummy our breakfast is, if we had a good dreams, and what we're going to do that day.

* I take him to music class every Monday. On our way there we sing the primary song, Sing, Sing, Sing, so our voices are all warmed up for the class. His favorite songs are Tick Tock and Clean up (we sing that when the kids put the instruments away).

I love my little monkey so much! His little light shines so bright and he's such a happy boy! I can't believe how fast he's growing and learning. I thank Heavenly Father every day for such a perfect baby boy. I love you Mason!

Happy Birthday Bowen!

2010-02-04T09:03:00.003-08:00

Happy Birthday to Bowen! It's crazy to think that together we've already celebrated 4 birthdays of his. This birthday was low key with just a couple presents and a yummy birthday cake that I made from scratch. I've never made a actual cake from scratch, just a box. How pathetic is that? Oh well. It was delicious! I'm so grateful for my wonderful husband! He is my best friend and companion. I don't know what I'd do without him! Love you Bowen!!!

I was going to put the camera away when Mason looked up at me, crossed his arms, leaned to the side, and said, "cheese!" He actually posed for this picture all by himself! It was so funny!

Christmas and New Years 2009 Part 2

2010-02-03T09:56:00.005-08:00

Christmas Day Brad and Sara came over. They were headed out of town early the next morning, but were nice enough to stop by and visit for a couple of hours. It's always fun to catch up with friends. Even Chasey, Lyndsay, and Rylee popped in for an hour or two. Mason and Rylee were so cute playing together. He tried to poke her eyes out, but she would just scream (out of excitement) at him, startle him enough that no damage was done :)

The whole group that night

Cousins

The next morning we went to breakfast with Chase and Lynds before they flew back to Utah. Mason stayed home with Grandma Melinda, so that was a nice break. Thanks! We went to this little restaurant on the beach that had unlimited pancakes. They were huge and I barely finished my first plate. Afterwards we walked out by the water and Lynds took some cute pictures of Rylee playing in the sand. All to soon we decided it was time to head back. It was so nice just to visit with them and catch up!

After all that partying and Christmas festivities we all needed to recuperate! But, Bowen was itching to get out on the boat and go fishing. So, that's what we did. It was fun for the adults (Mom, Coach, Bowen and I), but Mason absolutely did NOT want to wear his life jacket. Plus it was pretty cold ( I know. Florida, cold? I didn't know that was possible!) And he was totally exhausted! Finally after fighting it the whole time we were out there, he fell asleep for the last 1/2 hour. What a stinker! Even though we didn't get so much as a bite, the water was glassy and the sunset was beautiful!

Me looking beautiful with my windswept boat hair. Ha ha!

In between Christmas and New Years it was a blur of activities. Popsi had driven down from Alabama. What a treat! It was so good to visit with him. Thank you, dad, for making the long trip to see us! We were able to go out to dinner with him one night. We tried to get in as much time as possible because we don't get to see him all that often. I guess it's time for another trip for him to come out to San Diego...eh? One night we went with Carl and Mariah for sushi. Yummm! It was a good break from the kids too! Another night we went out with them and Popsi which was so much fun. And another evening we went out with them and Margie, Stu, and Marley. I was CRAVING Sweetberries so after dinner Bowen and I headed there. On our way Mike Oneal called Bowen to see what he was up to. It just so happened that he was already at Sweetberries so we told him to wait and we would be there in just a minute. Mikes parents were there and so were a couple of other guys Bowen had grown up with. It was like a mini reunion! We ended up going back to Mikes place to watch to hang out and watch a movie. It was a good night!

I knew there were lizards everywhere, but I hadn't seen any that I could catch. Mason had never seen a lizard up close and I wanted him to experience one first hand. We had already played with it for while before Bowen filmed this, so Mason was pretty much over it.

I think I ruined my chances of him ever trusting me again.

One very important event that we were able to go to while we were there was Carl and Mariah's family being sealed together as a family for all time and eternity in the Orlando temple. What a wonderful day it was! Carson and Amelia were so adorable! It was a beautiful ceremony and I think everyone there shed a tear or two. After we all went out to dinner then headed home. Popsi and Margie had graciously volunteered to watch the other kids while we were in Orlando. Thank you to them for giving us the opportunity to go. When we got home that night Mason was sound asleep. Just the way I like it! Ha ha!

All to soon New Years rolled around. Mariah and Carl had a HUGE party at their house. There were games, toys, even a bouncer for the kids; a giant inflatable screen that people were playing the wii on; and tons and tons of food! Also, whenever Bowens family gets together, there must be a ping pong match. My skills aren't what they used to be, but Bowen put up a pretty good match!

Mason was obsessed with the slide, the choo choo's, and an inflatable chair. It's so funny what catches a kids attention! I made my mango salsa which was pretty much gone by the end of the night (I think Bowen had a lot to do with that) What a night! One of the most important things going on was the football game of course! There was so much going on that Mason would absolutely not go to bed. So he stayed up the entire time. We all got together for the countdown to midnight..3,2,1, a kiss to ring in the New Year, then bed!!! It was a really fun night. Needless to say, I think everyone slept in the next day.

I think it was the day before we left, mom took us out to lunch at Panda then we drove around for a bit and ended up at De Soto National Park. It was nice to learn a bit of history about the area and walk off our lunch. Mason loved just being able to run around! It was pretty chilly and we didn't stay too long, but it was a fun afternoon.

Even though we were there for almost two weeks it seemed like not enough time. We had such a fun time being with all of our family and friends. Thank you to all!!!

Our plane ride home was...well...lets just say Mason and I were in tears a time or two. Bowen didn't know what to do with us. I felt so bad! But we made and recuperated from the flight. Now I want to go back!

Christmas and New Years 2009 Part 1

2010-01-29T18:01:00.002-08:00

This Christmas was our Florida year. Both Bowen and I couldn't wait for a vacation! We finally flew out the morning of the 23rd. Mason was, well, let's just say not the most pleasant to fly with. Next time we fly he'll definitely have his own seat. Mom and Coach welcomed us (especially Mason) with lots of hugs! I think we were all relived to be there and on the ground. We had to hurry back to Bradenton to get to Aunt Jenny's for the annual progressive dinner. It was so good to see everyone and catch up! Aunt Jenny made her amazing cheese soup and it was just delightful! Everyone decided to take a walk outside to see all of the horses. Mason didn't quite know what to think of them but he was definitely intrigued.

After an hour or so we headed to Mariah and Carl's for the salad portion of the meal. Their home is so beautiful. They had done a lot of work on it since the last time we had seen it and it looked amazing. Carson and Amelia were very kind to share all of their toys with Mason and the rest of the kids. Honestly, the back yard was like a country club for kids. Mason did NOT want to leave when it was time to go, but Grandma and Grandpa were waiting for us, so we headed out.

Grandma had prepared so many yummy dishes including her amazing prime rib. It was all so good and by the time it was time to go, you could have rolled everyone out the door!

While we waited to eat, Mason read Grandpa Jones a book. I love this picture!

Oh look and these lovely ladies!

Grandma Bette is such a gracious, lovely hostess. Her home was beautifully decorated for the Christmas season. I definitely felt at home there!

Our last stop was dessert at Moms. Ice cream sundaes to top it all off! I must say, it was a relief to finally be at our last stop. I know everyone was tired, but from traveling all day we were exhausted! Don't worry, of course I had enough room for some ice cream, more visiting, and taking in all of moms decor. I hope that by being married into this family some of her decorating skill will brush off on me. Seriously! Mason had already warmed up to all of his cousins. No surprise here, he's such a little social butterfly. All of the kids kept each other entertained which was sooooo nice!

Little Mi Mi looked so cute in her Christmas outfit.

Ethan, Carson, and Mason playing some sort of game...oh boys!

It was Chasey and Lyndsay's Florida year too. Of course Lynds and I had enough to talk about and I'm sure Bowen and Chasey did too. Their baby, Rylee, was absolutely adorable! She is such a happy baby with cheeks that you just want to squish!

It was such fun night with all of our family and friends. Thank you to all who put it together and prepared all that yummy food. Needless to say, I literally fell into bed that night and didn't wake up until 11 the next morning. Thankfully, neither did Mason.

Christmas Eve day was spent recuperating from the previous night. If I would've posted this blog earlier I would've remembered more, but I have pregnancy brain and can't remember anything anyway, so that's the way it is. Sorry :)

Christmas was a blast! After Downey, Mariah, and Margie's kids had opened their presents at their homes they all came over to Moms for lunch and more presents. Ethan and Jackson brought some of their new toys to play with outside. It was so beautiful out that we all sat out for a while too.

Aunt Margie supervising the kids with their new toys.

I can't believe how grown up Caitlyn and Marley are getting!

After everyone had arrived and settled in it was finally time to open presents. When I say everyone got a lot of presents, I mean EVERYONE got so many presents! You couldn't even see the floor, not from wrapping paper, but from all the gifts everyone received. I was spoiled as well. I had set a spending limit for Bowen and I, but as I expected he went over. Since we've been together he's given me Tiffanys every year for Christmas. I knew he couldn't break that habit, but I'm not complaining in the least! I also got a really nice surger from Mom and Coach. I've been sewing a lot lately and that was on my wish list. Thank you, thank you!!!

After cleaning up a bit, you guessed it, we ate some more. Honestly, I ate more on this trip than I did the previous month. They say the average person gains 10 pounds over the holidays. Now that's a lot! I didn't gain that much, but it definitely felt like it!

What a fun, beautiful day to celebrate the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ!

Surprise!

2009-12-16T11:43:00.003-08:00

This is Bowen as he walked in the house and didn't notice the sign behind him.

This is what it said... This is him after I asked him to shut the door because it was cold. He saw it, paused to read it, turned around laughing and a had big smile on his face and asked, "Are you pregnant???" "Yep," I said. "Alright!!!!!", he said, and gave me a big hug and kiss. We're so excited for this little peanut to join our family! It's still pretty early, we don't know what it is or anything, but it's too good of news not to share! Woohoo!

On a side note, this is how lovely our parenting skill are. This is Mason when he watches the Simpsons. He loves them! I know, it's awful.

Not so HO HO HO

2009-12-06T09:33:00.003-08:00

Last night was our ward Christmas Party. They always have such nice decorations and yummy food. The highlight for the kids is that Santa comes bearing gifts and treats. As you can see, Mason was not impressed at all by Santa. In fact, he was down right terrified! Oh but this picture was so worth it!

All he wanted was his daddy to comfort him after the Santa experience

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-12-03T13:02:00.007-08:00

We were so lucky this year to have my family drive out here from Utah for Thanksgiving! They arrived at our house Wednesday evening and we were sooo excited to see them. From the time they arrived, Mason had all the attention he could get. Everyone was a bit weary from the drive, so we just took it easy for the rest of the day. Mom, Chellese and I did have to make a last minute stop at the grocery store though :) We woke up bright and early Thanksgiving Day to start the cooking. Bowen went and played flag football with some other guys from the ward. I was so excited to "host" my own Thanksgiving dinner! Everything turned out amazing! I was so scared I was going to dry out or burn the turkey, but even it was so delicious and falling off the bone! Yesssss! I moved the table outside because nobody in my family has ever had a warm enough Thanksgiving to eat outside. Needless to say, we were stuffed!

Mason was thrilled to make a complete mess of his dinner. He did eat pretty much everything though

Even Lady was excited for the leftovers Lady popped Masons favorite blue ball. He wasn't very excited about that. I guess Chellese needed a creative outlet so she decided to style Masons hair much against his will. After she was done she asked what I thought. I started laughing because he looked like Kate Gosslin from the John and Kate plus 8 TV show.

That night we went and saw 2012 at the theater. It was pretty good. The graphics were amazing!

The next day we went downtown to Seaport Village. We spent a couple hours there walking around and shopping. It was such a beautiful day. We could've spent all day outside.

Grandpa Kurt with his favorite grandson :)

After that we went to Fashion Valley mall. It was insane! I guess that's what we get for going on Black Friday.

That evening Bowen and I went and bought a fire pit. Mason is such a little pyro. We enjoy some yummy smores. Mmmmmm!It started rain a bit so we put out the fire and headed inside. C.J. had stepped outside a little while later to talk on his phone when he started yelling, "Shaelyn, there's a thing on your fence...a monster." "What?" I yelled back, "a cockroach?" "NO," said C.J. "A POSSUM!"

I forget that there's no possums in Utah. It was pretty funny when the whole family came outside to take a look at it. C.J. being the hunter man he is wanted to kill it, but I wouldn't let him, so he opted for poking it with a stick until it jumped off the other side of the fence.

When we woke up Saturday it was pouring rain. Booo! Thinking it was going to let up we decided to head to the Wild Animal Park for the day. Well, the clouds got darker and the rain fell harder as we got closer, so we ended up not going. We all went to Red Robin to eat then walked around the mall a bit. Good thing too, because I found Bowens Christmas present. Woohoo!

When we got back to the house, Mom wanted to go walk around La Jolla so just she and I went. It was nice to get a break from babies and boys. Poor Chellese, we left her there to fend for herself. We did have fun going into all the little boutiques and stopping at Starbucks to get my new favorite drink, Soy steamer with hazelnut. So good!

Even though we didn't do a whole lot that day, we were exhausted. I felt bad we didn't get into the Wild Animal park so we made arrangements to go the next day.

I had never been there before. It was so much fun! Mom said she liked it better than the SD zoo. We walked around a good portion of the park before we decided to get something to eat.

Mason and Chellese in their "cave"

The view of the park. Another view...if you look hard to the left you can see the giraffes roaming the African Pride lands of the park.This was probably one of my favorite parts. There was a little aviary call Lorakeet Landing. You could buy a little cup of nectar and as soon as you walked inside of the cage all the birds would come and land on you to try and get a drink of the sweet nectar. Mason was a little nervous when the birds would fly over his head, but he looooved it! Daddy helping Mase. I think Bowen had fun in there too!

Another great exhibit was the gorillas. Mason was a bit nervous of them. I don't think it helped that Bowen kept telling him that we were going to let him stay with the gorillas. There was a display where you could push a button and it would sound off all the sounds gorillas make. Mase was nervous of that at first too. He kept looking for whatever was making that sound. I think he figured it out when he was courageous enough to push the buttons himself.

Daddy and Baby Gorilla

Bowen, C.J, and Dad

For the last part of the park we went on a 4D motion ride and the petting zoo. Mason couldn't get enough of the deer. I got some food pellets so he could feed them and he liked that too.

When we were done with the park we said our goodbyes. They headed back to Delta and we headed back home. It was sad that they left and I hope they had a good time while they were here! Thanks for making this such a fun Thanksgiving! Love you!!!

Lately Masons favorites

2009-11-20T08:36:00.002-08:00

Mason's vocabulary has boomed within the past couple of weeks. For example... 1. Owie, owie, owie. These are his favorite words to use when he's in any sort of discomfort which is fine and expected. But he also uses it if, perhaps, he can't get off the couch, he put the ball in the bathtub and can't get it out, or he wants something and it is just out of reach. It's slowly becoming like "The boy who cried wolf." I have to go running even though most of the time he's completely fine. 2. Lolololo. This is slang for tomato. But it's also the first word that comes out of his mouth when the fridge is opened whether he wants a tomato or not. Speaking of tomatoes he eats them like an apple and loves it. Just this morning he had oatmeal, banana, and a tomato for breakfast. Weirdo. 3. Chuck. This is pretty close to the word truck. Mason is obsessed with trucks of all kinds. If the door or window are open when the garbage trucks come by he and Lady are there watching them the whole time.

Mase, you probably shouldn't do that.

2009-11-19T08:52:00.002-08:00

Usually when I do housework Mason just tends to do his own thing and play in his room or make a big mess elswhere in the house. Well, as I was doing the dishes I noticed that it was unusually quiet. All of a sudden I heard, "MOMAAA!" Thinking something was wrong or he was hurt I rushed to find him just to see that he had gotten his hand stuck in a toilet papper role. I don't like to laugh when he's in distress but it was so funny!

A few more things...

2009-11-16T13:10:00.003-08:00

Our dog, Lady, looooves to wrestle and play. That's great because so does Bowen. Last week they were roughhousing in the living room when lady jumped up the same time Bowen was bending down. Her head smacked him right in the eye. Ouch! Now it looks like Bowen has pretty purple eyeshadow on.

Now this one is a little hard to see, but it completely made my day. I walked out of the house on Saturday to see this cute message.

I *heart* Shaelyn Have a great day!

What a great husband I have! I love him so much! He works so hard for our little family :) Thanks babe!

The past two weeks Bowen has been working the 2nd shift at the shipyard. He was going in at 11am and coming home about 10:30pm. Kind of weird hours, but it was really nice to be able spend our mornings together. I think Mason especially liked having his daddy home at that time because when he would wake up Bowen would go get him and they would cuddle on the couch. By the second week Mason was waking up asking for "daddy?" So cute! Now Bowen is back to his regular schedule, but Mase still came into our room today asking for him. I kind of felt a bad because I had to tell him daddy wasn't here, he was at work but he'll be home soon.

I love my boys so much!

Awesome!

2009-11-09T17:50:00.002-08:00

I just have to say how proud I am of my bargain shopping! I just found all these kids books, a couple books for me, some christmas decorations, and a baseball mitt at the thrift store for $14. And the best part is, they were all 60% off. Yesssss! I brought them home and disenfected them before mase could get to them and now he's sitting in the middle of the floor reading them.

Fun in November

2009-11-09T00:18:00.003-08:00

Here are just some random pictures from this month. Mason just loves to play outside and throw the ball to Lady. As soon as he does, though, he cries, "Mommy! Ball!" and wants me to get it back from her. Lately he's been obsessed with bugs. Everything is a bug whether it is or not. Also, Balloons. He can spot a balloon from a mile away and once he sees it, that's all he wants. If there's a full moon he thinks that's a big balloon in the sky. "Boooone, mom, booone!"He loves his Your baby can read dvd's. They're a little long for his attention span, but he's starting to say the words it's teaching. I usually pop one of the movies in if I need to mow the lawn or do the dishes without my little helper by my side. He's definitely turning into a full blown toddler. What were little messes before have turned into whole house messes. Just tonight he found the bag of cotton balls. Needless to say, it looks like it snowed in our house. He had fun showing us how pretty it was when he would throw a handful up and let them fall gently to the ground, so i let him do it. You don't realize it until your a mom how precious those little moments are. I have to write them down because I want to remember them forever. Speaking of toddler, his taste in food changes every day. He absolutely does not like vegetables except tomatoes and peas if they have a bit of salt on them. Carrots are out of the question. He does love fruit though. Also, any meat that he eats has to have either ketchup or bbq sauce for him to even try it. I did discover tonight that he likes quesodillas with taco meat, tomatoes, and cheese. Despite his efforts to malnutrition himself, he's still a healthy, happy little boy and that's all I can ask for. I love my little Mason so much!

Old Town San Diego

2009-11-07T19:59:00.004-08:00

This week I made plans for our little family to go to Seaworld. Since Bowen is in the military we're able to get in free once a year. We hadn't used the pass yet so I wanted to go before it expired. We got all packed up and headed to the park. We parked the car and were about to walk through the gates when we decided to turn around and come back in December for the Christmas celebration. So, instead we headed up to Old Town. It'd been a whil since I'd been and Bowen had never been there so it was a perfect opportunity. We had wanted to go see the Mormon Batallion, but it was closed for renovations until next year. So we just stuck to the state park part of it. It just so happened that there was some sort of Irish festival going on. There was a band playing celtic music and even Irish dancers. It was just fun to sit and listen to the music. Well...I don't know how much sitting I did with Mason running around, but it was fun to chase him and get a couple of pictures. On our way back to the car we stopped on Coyote Cafe to get some homemade, fresh, hot tortillas. Add some melted butter and sugar and it's a treat! Mmmm...even Mason liked it and lately he doesn't like anything! Since we'd saved the money I had budgeted for Seaworld I offered to buy Wings for dinner for my Bowen. He graciously accepted! We made it home in time to watch the end of a couple of football games. Don't worry though, there was another one right after they finished :) Ha ha!

Julian and Halloween

2009-11-07T19:12:00.006-08:00

On Halloween day we took our annual trip to Julian. Our good friends, Heidi and Gordon, came with us. It was nice to have their company! We were far enough in the mountains that the leaves on the trees were starting to change colors. It made me a little homesick to see them but I quickly got over that when I started getting car sick from winding around the curvy roads. I think by the time we got there I was a little green. But the fresh air did wonders! Julian is a little gold mining town that has a apple festival in the fall. When you go you have to get their delicious apple pie and cider, which we did! Since it was Halloween there were kids trick-or-treating at all of the stores and shops. So, Mason got in on the action too and came out with a handful of candy. We were there for only a couple of hours but it was just enough to walk around and see the sights. On our way back Heidi spotted some giant pine cones, so we had to stop and pick up a few. Bowen was a little too sleepy to drive, so I more than willingly offered to drive so I wouldn't get sick again. What a fun little trip!

In front of Mom's Pies. The best! We got an apple boysenberry and it was delicious!

Bowen was anxiously checking football scores throughout the day...

We were wiped out, but that evening we dressed Mason up and took him trick or treating to just a couple houses. One stop was a family in our ward, the Braziers. They give out regular size candy bars, so we HAD to go! LOL! It was fun to visit them for a little bit. Afterwards we went over to our former bishops house for some homemade chili. Every Halloween they make a HUGE pot of chili and invite anyone and everyone over. We stayed there a few hours until Mason was delirious and needed to get to bed. It was such a fun day!

Happy halloween

2009-10-28T17:37:00.002-08:00

Dinosaur

2009-10-27T08:07:00.002-08:00

Mason's halloween costume. He put it on and started roaring at me like a dinosaur! I think he looks like Boo from Monsters Inc.

This past week

2009-10-20T22:08:00.006-07:00

This past week, it seems, flew by!

Bowen got his results back from the LSAT and he just sent in the papers for admission. We're keeping our fingers crossed that he gets into USD!

I started training for my new job at Nightingale music. I'm going to be teaching a few music classes a week to kids around Masons age. I'm excited! It's going to be so much fun. I wish I could just bring Mase along, but since I can't I've arranged a co-op with another mom so that I don't have to pay a babysitter. I'll just watch her daughter a few hours a week instead.

There was a fireside on Friday and the BYU football team put it on. A few of the players and the coach spoke. It was so neat to hear their stories and testimonies. Afterwards, Bowen made me get a picture with Max Hall, the QB, who's supposed to be going pro next year. Pretty cool! It was a little awkward taking a picture with him because 1. I'm married. 2. He's married. 3. His pregnant wife was standing right there next to us. 4. I didn't even know who he was. I guess I need to brush up on my BYU roster eh? Ha Ha!

Saturday started out with, you guessed it, FOOTBALL! Mason says football anytime the TV is on. He's pretty much obsessed. When I finally tore my boys away from the game we headed Bowens boss's daughters birthday party. It was nice to see that group of friends. Mason had fun running around pointing at the balloons and saying, "boone" He eventually got a hold of one and would NOT let it go. There was one of those huge, blow-up jumpers there too which he had fun in as well. Of course there was the football game on and our last 10 minutes there were spent screaming at Florida to get their act together and win the game...which they did. And we were grateful.

About a month ago Bowen was on a committee that arranged a family day at the ship yard. There was over 7,000 people there and it was a huge success. The president of NASSCO, Fred, wanted to thank those people by taking them and their significant others out to dinner. We went to this nice place called Il Fornaio. It's in Coronado overlooking the water and downtown. Lucky us, we were able to sit right by him and his wife. Our whole table was trading stories and laughing. It was a very good night. Bowen and I left that night feeling great about the job that he has. Things at work have been going really well for him and we both feel that right now this is where Bowen is supposed to be working. We picked up Mason from the babysitters and headed home for a good nights rest.

On our way home Mason fell asleep. I noticed that he crosses his legs just like Bowen does when he falls asleep sitting up. It was so funny! He's such a mini Bowen!

Sunday was awesome too. Church as usual. Mason sat on my lap during relief society and ate skittles. I know, I shouldn't be feeding him sugar like that, but he was quiet the whole time and I actually was able to listen to the lesson. Yesssss! That evening we had FHE at the Braziers. Ernie and Julie were so sweet to have all of the people from our "Younger, under 40, married and non married Sunday school class" over. Food was delicious and company was great!

Yesterday for our Monday outing we went to the Pumpkin Station in Mission Valley. Mason picked out his pumpkins, we took a couple of pictures, and headed home. Today I Mase and I carved one of the pumpkins and it didn't really work out the way I'd hoped, but oh well. It's sitting on our porch anyway.

My handsome boys posing with pumpkins

I tried to get a picture, but Mason was interested in the petting zoo animals instead

Picking out the perfect pumpkin.

It's been a good week!

Are you ready for some Auburn Football??

2009-10-14T07:19:00.003-07:00

Every time I put Mason in this outfit he thinks he's the coolest kid to walk the earth. He walks around the house saying "foooot baaaalll" Can you tell he's Bowens son? Ha ha! He decided Lady dog was missing out on the occasion so he dressed her up as well. It was so funny! She didn't want anything to do with it, but was a good sport. I know Popsi and the rest of the Alabama family are proud of these pictures!

Just recently, Mason has understood what "Say Cheese" means. Every time you pull out a camera he's cheesin' it up!

We had to get Lady in the action.

Mase loves his Lady dog!

And she loves him!

What a good dog!

LDS Palooza 09

2009-10-13T20:44:00.007-07:00

Last Saturday we had a multi stake LDS Palooza Battle of the bands. Some of the boys from our ward played and they sounded really good! Bowen was the band manager and they practiced every night the whole week before. I was a little skeptical at the first of the week, but by the end I think they did great! Here's the links to their songs. The first one they played was called Soul to Squeeze by the Red Hot Chile Peppers. The second was an original one they wrote called Take a Stand. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZWgzGP9_U0 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eorku0Jdpr0 We had to get there pretty early, so this is just the guys hanging out waiting. Dave took this awesome picture :) In the end everybody was a winner, but I know these guys would have definitely won. They did the best!Goofing around. They wouldn't take a normal pictureThis is just some of the fans aka. our ward

This was right during Masons nap time. So we struggle for a little bit...

Finally he gave up and decided to be good. Needless to say as soon as he was in his car seat he passed out.

Sienna had a delicious lolly pop and she was so gracious to share it.

They were going back and forth. She would lick it, then it was Masons turn, then hers, then his....you get the picture.

It was a fun day and we all had a good time. Later that evening we had a special treat! One of Bowens good buddies, Adam Franco, stopped by to watch the Florida game with us. He is out here for a couple weeks for training. It was so good to see him and catch up!

It was a long, busy day, but oh so fun!

Happy Birthday to me

2009-09-30T22:47:00.004-07:00

What a fun birthday weekend I had! On Friday I received some very beautiful flowers from Popsi. Lillys are my favorite! On Saturday Bowen arranged for a babysitter then he took me out to dinner and dancing. We went downtown to Voyeur. One of our really good friends, Kari, is the executive chef there and she took real good care of us. The food was amazing! What a fun night!

Us at Voyeur. Not a super good pic, but this was the only one I got before my camera died.

Kari sent out Happy Birthday icecream cones.

Sunday came bright and early. There were a couple birthdays that week in Young Womens so there were lots of treats. Mmmmmm! After church Heidi and Gordon had us over for dinner. Well, she had decorated for a birthday party and it was so cute. What a sweetheart! Gordon cooked up some awesome steaks and we topped off the evening with fruit pizza.

Monday we had a girls night. A bunch of us girls from the ward all met at Basil Thai (YUMMMM!) for dinner. Well, it got out that my birthday was the day before, so everyone pitched in and payed for my dinner. Awww...I have the best friends! We topped off the night with some Yogi Topi and lots of laughs.

I thought about all the celebration and it all involved food. I guess everyone knows me pretty well :) What an awesome birthday!

2009-09-28T14:24:00.001-07:00

This is why our kids are going to private Christian schools. Prepare your gag reflexes........ click on this link http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPMnbyX5C4w

2009-09-24T14:46:00.002-07:00

Here is Masons new pet stick bug. It's name is Two because everything is two right now.

Randomness...

2009-09-22T22:28:00.006-07:00

About month or two ago Mason and I went to Utah to visit family. Sadly, we left Bowen here. He'd asked me what he was going to do with himself while we were gone. So I left a big long list of "honey-do's" so that he wouldn't get bored. One included staining the fence. Well, he sure did. The first go around he stained it the same color it was, but he didn't like it. So he went and bought redwood stain and painted most of the fence that color. I talked to him after he'd done that and he said he didn't really like it but oh well. (This was on a Saturday night. I had told him just to leave it and we'll deal with it when I get back) The next morning I called him before church. I asked him how his day was going and he said, "Not to good." I asked why and he replied, "I hate the fence! It's bright red" Ohhhhh dear. I didn't know why he'd bought redwood stain, I guess he thought it was going to be a dark red wood. Anyway, he ended up painting that dumb fence one more time. This time white. Now when you walk out there in the middle of the day...lets just say you need to wear some sunglasses! It looks good, but it's just soooo bright! Anyway, here are some pictures of the great adventure.

All finished with coat #1I wouldn't let Mason come in until Bowen had washed him off. Mase wasn't to thrilled about that.

Mason absolutely loves being outside. He would stay out all day if he could. He gets really cuddly right around his nap time. This is where I found him after I'd been calling for him. He was all ready for his nap...outside.

Mason loooooves his daddy! He constantly mimics everything Bowen does. I usually start singing, "I’ve been watching you, dad ain’t that cool?I’m your buckaroo, I want to be like you.And eat all my food and grow as tall as you are.We like fixin’ things and holding momma’s hand Yeah, we’re just alike, hey, ain’t we dad?I want to do everything you do; so I’ve been watching you" That puts a smile on both of their faces. #4 Last Thursday Heidi, Jackie, and I threw a baby shower for our friend Holly. It was jungle themed and it turned out super cute!There was great food, great decorations, great games, and great company! I was surprised we all fit so well in our little house. It was so much fun to visit with all the girls! I think everyone had a splendid time! :)

Holly is in the middle left. What a cute mommy she is!!! The food

Call 911!!!!!!

This past Sunday was just like any other. We went to church, came home, ate some lunch, had a nap, woke up to see our neighbors house on fire.....WAIT....WHAT?.... Oh dear! Call 911! Ya, our neighbors, two doors down, house caught fire. There was billowing black smoke pouring out of the top window when we first saw it. Luckily no one was home, but it was still pretty scary. Thank you San Diego Fire Department for your timely response!

This is after the firefighters had put most of it out, but you can kind of see smoke behind this blue house near the top of the one behind it. It's all put out here, but you can see the charcoaled window in the front.

Mason was fascinated with the fire trucks.

This video is probably one of my favorites. I love my baby soooo much and this just amps up his cuteness! We'd been doing this for a while, so towards the end I think his stomach was starting to hurt from laughing so much.

This video is from when we were on our way to watch C.J.'s football game. Mason has inherited some sweet moves from his parents.

Back to Utah for Shaun's farwell

2009-09-22T09:44:00.008-07:00

The weekend of the 12th we headed back to Utah for a very special occasion. My little brother, Shaun, was going on a mission. He is headed to the Mcallen Texas Mission. The talk he gave in church was amazing and even brought me to tears. I'm so proud of my little brother and the decision he's made. What a blessing it will be in his life and the lives of so many others. I've made it a goal to write him at least once a week. Thanks to DearElder.com it makes it super easy to do so (as if it wasn't before...thanks technology). Anyway, tons of family and friends came and it was so good to see everyone! It's always nice to get together with the ones you love and just talk. Shaun reported to the Provo MTC on September 16. Mom said she was bawling and that Dad even shed a tear or two. I think it was then that it really set in he was going to be gone for two whole years! Whoa! Good luck Hobey Chop!!!

Me and my handsome little missionary brother

Ummm.....right

My handsome Bowen

I love my Grandpa Dwayne so much. He is one awesome guy!

Mom, Andi, and Grandma Margaret

Our visit was very relaxing...so needed! We got in super late Thursday night. Everyone was gone for school and work by the time we woke up the next day. My dad came home a little early from work and took Bowen golfing. Thanks dad! You're a gem! That afternoon we headed to South Summit for C.J's football game. I absolutely love going to highschool football games. Not really to watch football, but I guess because of the spirit of it!

It's awesome. C.J. even got a couple of good blocks in. #59 Even though Delta lost it was fun to go. Next time boys!!!

On our way home we stopped at Burger Keen...a fun little burger restaurant in Heber. The food was good, but the best part was all the toy trains they had in there. Mason looooved watching them go around the top of the wall. Each time it would come by he would point and say, "tchain". What a smart little stinker!

Saturday was spent getting ready for the farewell on Sunday. Bowen was able to get a lot of studying in. *Side note* He took a practice test this last Saturday and did pretty good. The test is this Saturday the 26th, cross your fingers and say a little prayer please!!!* That afternoon Bowen, Mason and I went to the City park and played in the creek.

It was so hot so it was nice to put our feet in and cool off a bit.

After, we had to get a shake from Leos. We drove around Delta and I pointed out where all my friends grew up, and the fun memories that were made there. That evening my mom and I went to see Julie & Julia at the movie theater. It was hilarious!!! We laughed the entire time. It's something that I would definitely watch again! What a fun little girls night. Sunday went as I mentioned above. I was still up reading the Sunday Funnies in the paper after almost everyone else had gone to bed that night. Shaun had just gotten home and Jayden (Uncle Lee's grandson) had come upstairs to see what was going on. We just sat around the kitchen table for hours and laughed. Around 2am I decided it was time to go to bed. Early the next morning we packed the car and headed back to the airport. We had a layover in Vegas so Grandma Myrna flew with us to go home. Mason did pretty good. He slept the first half and watched a movie the second. He can hardly watch a movie for 10 minutes at home, but this had his attention the whole hour. Finally we made it. I love living in San Diego!

Everything to me

2009-09-21T23:30:00.002-07:00

I love my Bowen!

There's no place like home

2009-09-08T23:22:00.002-07:00

We decided last minute to go to the beach this evening. I figure we better take advantage of the warm weather and water while it lasts. I absolutely love living in San Diego. Today, Bowen was telling me a story about when he was out at sea he dreamed of living in a place like this. He'd asked someone that lived here at the time what it was like. The person said, "It's like living in a movie." I agree! I couldn't ask for anything better.

The lighting was soooo perfect I had to take some pictures. Here's just a few of the many.

Labor Day weekend 09'

2009-09-07T22:52:00.003-07:00

What a fun weekend! Our day started with calling a tow truck to come and take the Jimmy to the shop. I had replaced the starter, but it still wouldn't start. Sooo we're now waiting for a diagnosis. After that, we put the boards on the car and got it all loaded for the beach, aaaand... it wouldn't start. After some serious prayers and a little luck it did start and we were off. We met up with our good friends, The Galbasinies and the Riches. We had fun surfing and soaking up the sun. The kids had fun playing in the water and eating the sand. I wish I would've taken more pictures but I kind of forgot to. Oh well.

If I get Mase a bucket of water and spread his sand toys out, it'll keep him occupied for quite a while. He's such a busybody!

By midday the babies were exhausted!

I love my precious little boy... ...and my precious big boy!

Tourmaline sunset

That evening we got into the car to head to the Riches for dinner. Aaaand the car wouldn't start. Oh, but that wasn't going to get us down. Dave came and rescued us with a jump and we were off! Kari made an amazing dinner and super yummy frozen yogurt. Thanks KK! As you can imagine, the football game was on. Can I get a BYU!?! That game was amazing. When Dave and Bowen would yell at the TV, Mason would run in the room and just scream back. He didn't know why everyone was yelling but wanted to get involved! After a victorious win this is what Bowen said, "You know the church is true when they [the players] play a game like that." Ha ha! He's so funny! After a fun filled evening we headed home with no car trouble at all.

Then came Sunday.

In our car once more, all ready for church, aaand it wont start. Luckily our sweet neighbor was just pulling up and he gave us a jump.

Fast forward three hours...aaaand our car won't start. Another jump to get us going. On our way this was our conversation. Me, "Honey, can we pleeease just go to Autozone and get a new battery?" Bowen, "Ya, let's go right now!"

I really don't like shopping on Sunday, but this was a must! Too much money later we were all set with a new battery and a smooth starting car.

That evening we had a new couple in our ward, Pete and Maren Leavitt, come over for dinner. They were so sweet and nice. It was good to get to know them a little better. Hopefully they stay in our ward for a while. After they headed home Bowen, Mason, and I topped off the evening with a Redbox movie rental. yesssssss!

This morning we woke up and cleaned the house. One of the many things I love about Bowen is that he's a very clean, organized, everything has it's place kind of guy. Thanks babe! He needed to study for the LSAT so Mason and and I went shopping...well browsing. After a couple hours I picked up Bowen and we headed to a BBQ hosted by some other friends from the ward. We were able to visit for a while, but needed to get back a do a bit of yard work. Well, that didn't happen. We detoured over to SDU and drove around the campus and ended up at the Law building. We walked around, let Mase chase the pigeons, and picked up some information about applying, requirements, loans, all that really important stuff that you don't really want to do but you have to. It's a beautiful campus and I really, really hope Bowen is able to get in there for Law School. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

We topped off the night with a trip back to the beach for a bit of surfing followed by dinner at Hooters. Military Monday with a 20% discount. Mmmm....wings.

I love Labor Day weekend!

Free Tuesday

2009-09-02T10:42:00.005-07:00

I recently learned that on Tuesdays you can get into one of the museums at Balboa Park for free. Yesterday it was the Natural History Museum. I'd been wanting to go for quite a while now because they had the Body Worlds exhibit. Usually it's around $20 to get in the Museum and another $25 or so to see Body Worlds. Well, I was a bargain hunter and found some tickets on Craigslist for only 10 bucks! Free entrance and $10 for a ticket...awesome! Heidi came with us and helped with Mason tremendously! We went right during nap time, so he wasn't to happy. But, he had fun running around and touching everything. There was one part of the museum that had snakes and he looooved watching and making ssssssss noises at them. What a fun morning! We're going to try and do the other free Tuesday museums for the rest of the month so anyone is invited to come along!

Inside the "cave"

He was fascinated by this dinosaur. He kept touching it and pointing at its nose.

For the past couple of days there has been this spider in my backyard. He builds a web at night and then when morning comes he undoes it and crawls away and hides. Every time I see it it's twice as big as the night before. I hate spiders, but this is pretty cool. I'm curious to see how big it actually gets.

It's eating a fly

Handy woman

2009-08-31T14:39:00.003-07:00

About a week and a half ago the starter on Bowens car pooped out. Woopy! He's been so busy he hasn't really had time to work to much on it. He's been taking my car to work and Mase and I have been stuck at home. Talk about stir crazy! So this past Saturday we worked on it. Since the car wasn't jacked up it was a bit of a squeeze for Bowen. He got it about half way then it was my turn to get the cables and such off. I finally got it out! What a pain! I went and bought a new one but by the time I got back it was getting dark and I didn't have enough time to put it back in. Well, today I put that stinkin starter back in! I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of myself! The most work I've ever done on a car is checking the oil, jumping the battery, and helping my dad rotate the tires. This was an accomplishment in my book!

Being this greasy took me back to the days of working on Uncle Lee's farm and dad calling me a Grease Monkey.

Good thing I bought some Orange Clean and shop towels. I feel like a girl again!

Some updates

2009-08-30T22:41:00.006-07:00

I've found that I always write about events that we've done, and never update on what's going on in our day to day lives. I know not everyone wants to know these insignificant things, but this blog is kind of like a journal to me. I feel it's important to write these things down.

Bowen has been the Young Men's President at church for a couple months now. He really enjoys it and I think the boys really look up to and respect him. He's currently studying to take his LSAT and hopefully get into Law School this upcoming year. We both hope that he gets into a School here in San Diego. If not, we'll worry about those details when they arise :o) He's still working at NASSCO in the ship building industry. He's working on his second ship as an Area Manager. It's set to launch in February so the closer it gets to that, the busier he is. He likes the guys he works with so that makes it enjoyable to be there. He balances all that he has going on so well! Bowen is a phenomenal husband and father. He loves his family so much. The other day he and Mason were at the park. There were a couple kids playing soccer, so Mason went right over to them and tried to play. This struck a tender spot in Bowens heart. He can't wait to coach his little boy in sports. It's what he was meant to do!

I recently got called to be a Beehive advisor for the Young Women at church. Heidi is also a teacher with me, so we trade off teaching every other week. I've only taught once so far, but I already love being there. The girls are so sweet. I hope that I'll be able to reach out to them and be an example. Since we moved from the apartments into our house, I had to give up my property management job. So now I'm a full time mommy! I'm still learning all the places to go and things to do in our area. Mason and I are always on an adventure.

Speaking of Mason, he's developing such a sense of humor. He knows when he's being funny and will keep doing whatever he's doing. Such as, putting his hands over his mouth and blowing so that it makes a zurbert noise. He can successfully climb on and off the couch, but can only climb up stairs. He know where his eyes, nose, mouth, piggies (toes), and belly button are. Without teaching him, he's discovered where his little man part is as well. He can say Mom, Dad, dog, no, tree, shoe, yes, and Heidi. He loves bugs, leaves, sticks, balls, trucks, and mud. Can you tell he's a boy?!? He also loves books and singing the ABC's, Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam, and counting to 5. He mimics the tune of the ABC's (ay ay ay dee dee awr awr) and can count to three (duh doo chee), but only when he wants. I love my little boy so much! I only hope that I can be a good mom and teach him to do what's right. I hope that he'll be strong in the church and be a great leader like his daddy.

The other day, Mason put on my shoes and thought it was pretty cool. He walked around in them for as long as he could before they fell off. Then he proceeded to whine at me until I put them back on him.

We went to the beach on Saturday with the Hachtman's and Galbasini's. The kids had fun playing in the water and sand and we had a good time just visiting and soaking up the sun. All the kids tried a bit a surfing. Mason wasn't to thrilled with the idea, but started to enjoy it towards the end.

There are a few couples with kid(s) in our ward that don't have any family here to use as babysitters. It's kind of a stretch to go out on a date then have to come home and pay a babysitter. So, thanks to Jackie putting it together, we've come up with co op babysitting. We and 2 other families take turns watching each others kids on Friday (or whatever day) nights. This allows us about 2 days a month to go out on a date baby free. Woot woot! It seems to work well and it's nice for the kids to get together and play. I'm sure we'll continue this as long as possible.

This was our date night on Friday. We picked up Heidi and Gordon and went bowling at the Navy base on Coronado. I love the benefits of being military! Not only was it super cheap, but there was hardly anyone there! We had a good time just hanging out.

I love our house. It's been so nice to call it home. Even though it's still pretty small, it feels huge compared to our last place. We've definitely felt the pains of paying a mortgage every month though. It's been something that will still take some time to get used to. Clipping coupons and shopping on a strict budget while trying to get our food storage up to where it needs to be is just part of my weekly agenda. One thing that we've been trying to do (now that we have the room) is have a different family from the ward come over each week. It doesn't always work every week, but we do our best. It's nice to be able to get to know each other better and develop relationships with people we may have never gotten to know. I hope that our home can be a place of peace that others would want to be.

We've both been making a conscious effort to get in to better shape. Surfing is a good workout, but I need to do more. Mason thinks it's hilarious when you work out and tries to do what you're doing. The other day he was working out with Bowen attempting to do push ups and stretches.

We decided to cancel our cable so now we have no television channels. We both felt like we needed to be doing other things other than wasting our time watching TV. Even though I didn't watch that much of it anyway, my day seems so much more productive. I'm able to think clearer and accomplish more. I only hope Bowen will be able to survive football season! Our home seems calmer too, so for now, this is what works.

After church activities

2009-08-28T09:18:00.003-07:00

Andrea and Shari out for a visit

2009-08-27T10:37:00.006-07:00

The day after I got back from Utah my Aunt Andrea and her friend, Shari, came out to San Diego for a little vacation before school started again. We were so happy to have them come out and visit! We had so much fun! They got in late Wednesday night and the poor things were starving so I quickly grilled some chicken and threw together some salad for them. They soon got settled in and we all headed to bed. Early the next day we got up, made peanut butter sandwiches and headed to SeaWorld for a day of adventures! We caught most all of the shows, saw all the exhibits and animals, and minus our tickets we only spent about 5 bucks! Woop woop! The girls went on a few of the rides to get wet and cool off a bit. Even though we sat in the soak zone for Shamu, we hardly got wet. It was so much fun! We stayed until closing, so we were able to see the night shows which are pretty awesome as well. We came home to find Bowen asleep on the couch. Awww... The next day was a little bit more relaxed. We met up with Aunt Moreen for some brunch at DZ Akins diner in La Mesa. It was so nice to finally see her! We've lived here this whole time and we'd never met up until then. She was so nice and even bought us our meals. After we took a couple pictures and said our goodbyes we headed back to Pacific Beach. We went to Belmont Park and the Wave House and just walked around a bit. After that we went to the Closet for some SHOPPING! No trip would be complete with out some Yogurtland.

I think they were hooked with the first bite!

Of course Mason devoured most of mine...maybe.

It seemed as soon as we were done there it was time to head back to the house and get ready to go to Annie at the Starlight theater in Balboa Park. Shari had never had In N Out before, so that's what we picked up for dinner. We met up with my friend, Shawnie and her stepdaughter outside the theater. After devouring our scrumptious burgers we headed inside. The play was so cute! It's an outdoor theater, so when the airplanes fly over all the actors stop and as soon as the plane is gone, they resume right back to where thy left off. What a fun day that was!

Saturday morning was, of course, beach day! We kind of got a late start but managed to finally get out the door before noon. We even found a great spot to park which is always a bonus! The girls wanted to try surfing so I took them out. The current was so bad I couldn't even stand up to position the girls in the waves. So Bowen came out and helped them. They were both so close to standing up, but didn't quite get it.

Andrea almost standing up

Switching places

Shari almost got it

It didn't help that the waves weren't to great either though...oh well, I think they had fun anyway. That evening after we'd gotten back and rested a bit, the girls volunteered to babysit Mason while Bowen and I went out on a Date for our 2 year anniversary. Such Sweethearts! We went to see a movie. I think they thought we were pretty lame for just doing that, but it's a very rare occasion that we actually go out, let alone go to a movie. Mason and theaters just don't mix if you know what I mean. ha ha! On our way home we stopped by the Stake Youth Dance just in time to help clean up. By the time we got home Mason was sound asleep and the girls had just finished their second movie. Bowen took them to the Airport early Sunday Morning. It was so fun to have them out here for a few days! I hope they had a good time and weren't to bored with us :) I know Mason sure enjoyed their company and i know Bowen and I did too!