Stake Pioneer Activity

Here are a few photos from the Pioneer activity that our Stake put on. It was a lot of fun, and a great family activity.

This is before we left for the activity, but Brooke just looks so cute in this picture.

Brooke and I making her a pioneer doll, she liked playing with the stuffing.
Brooke with her doll after we finished it.
Jason playing a pioneer game. Check out those skills!
Me panning for gold, and yes I think I was the only adult who did this:). Hey who can pass on free gold??
Our little family by the water wheel.

There are horses and a wagon behind us, you can't see them that well but they were beautiful. They were giving wagon rides, but we didn't have the patience to stand in line to go on one.

Hole in the Wall

On Monday Jason, Eric, Lana and I all went to the taping of Hole in the wall, which is the American Version of this Japanese game show. It wasn't nearly as funny as the real Japanese game show is, but we still had a lot of fun. Only one person made it through the wall during the almost 3 hours that we were watching them tape it. The Japanese are awesome and super funny to watch because they actually train for the game show! After the show we went to The Yard House for a very delicious dinner. Our friend Trisha Draney watched Brooke for us, and it was the longest we had ever been apart from each other!:(. She did great though, and had a great time with Trisha! (Thanks Trisha!!!)

Hole in the wall Japanese game show video

Lake Arrowhead

Today we went to Lake Arrowhead with my mom. We drove around, and I got to see the hospital I was born at, my old house, and my Grandpa's old house. We walked around the village and ate frozen bananas. It was really fun, although I didn't bring sunscreen or the stroller so it was kind of hard with Brooke. We had a really fun day and finished it off with a movie and Applebee's! (Thanks for the fun day Mom.)

Jason also got back from a business trip. Okay, so he was only gone for one night but it seemed like a week! We missed him and we are glad he is home safe.

My Mom, Brooke and I at Lake Arrowhead

Poor Brooke was so tired when we were walking around, but she kept her eyes just slightly open so she could still see everything. She is a very active and social baby!

This is my first house that I lived at when we lived in Lake Arrowhead.

Brooke's shots

Brooke's 4 month update

Brooke's 4 month update and shots

Brooke turned 4 month on the 12th of this month. I can't believe how quickly the time goes by. My dad use to tell me about how he would have nightmares about me getting older each time he would blink his eyes, and it would seem like I grew up so fast and my life would pass him by. I now understand the real fear of this dream because it seems like just yesterday that Brooke came into our lives. We sure do love her!

She is developing such a cute personality. She is a very happy, alert, and active baby. It seems as though she never stops moving or looking around at her new world. She can laugh but she prefers to squeal and scream with excitement instead. She loves any toys and everything goes into her mouth now. She rolls over, but doesn't do it very often. She talks a ton, and thinks it is hilarious to look at herself in the mirror.

Today she had her first set of shots. (I put her on a delayed vaccination schedule, so that's why she hasn't had any so far.) Lana went with me for emotional support, because Jason couldn't go. She was awesome (thanks Lana!). Brooke did very good, the shots were quick, and she only cried for a few seconds. She also had her regular 4 month check up and she now weighs 14 lbs 5.5 oz. She is 25 inches long, and her head is 16.5 inches around.

To sum it up she is doing great, and she is so much more than I ever imagined a baby could be!

No more cable

Jason and I decided that we would try to live without the TV for a while. One to save money, two to save time, three to not watch all the junk on TV. So these past few nights have been interesting because normally we just relax and watch TV together. So we had to replace it with something. I decided to get out our memory book from our whole relationship together and read it. (Jason likes this stuff too, so it is fun for us to do.) It was so cool, because we have a ton of emails and letters that we wrote to each other when we were dating. I found a poem that I love that I thought I would share.

Jason wrote this to me 2 months after we started dating. I was still living in Oceanside during the week, because I was finishing up High School. Jason was in college in Palm Springs, so I would only see him on the weekends.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich vs My Natalie

Peanut Butter comes both smooth and chunky,
Your favorite stuffed animal is a monkey.
Peanut Butter's best friend is jelly,
My favorite position is when I lay with my head on your belly.
Jelly is sweet and doesn't cost much money.
Just like you but you are much more funny.
These two ingredients fit perfectly in bread,
just as the two of us do spooning in bed.
You put them together and you have quite a treat,
A sandwich and a girlfriend that can't be beat.
I prefer my P&J's fresh and cold not cooked,
I'm afraid to admit that I think I am hooked.
I can't get enough of this dessert slash meal,
And I can't get enough of the way you make me feel.
Now I vaguely remember my first bite and its bliss,
But I can never forget the night of our first kiss.
I guess what I'm saying is that jelly is good red or blue,
But in the end I will ALWAYS choose you!

I know, he was a great boyfriend, and it's only gotten better since then. It is always fun to take a trip down memory lane. I just can't believe that we have been together and super happy since 2002! That's not supposed to happen in this world, right? I just feel like I am the luckiest girl in the world to have a hubby like him.

By the way, the no cable thing, is harder than I thought it would be. I say for any stay at home mom, keep your cable!

This is one of the first pics. Jason and I took when we were dating. Yes, I was 16!

We both got a job at Mimi's Cafe. I know how cute! I was a hostess and he was a server so I made sure he got all the good tippers!

A few months after we started dating we took some pics down by the beach. I love this one because of our eyes.

Fourth of July Slide Show!

Fourth of July Fun

Brooke's first Fourth of July was a lot of fun. We started off our day by waking up at 6 am, and getting to the Stake Center at 7 am for a pancake breakfast and Fourth of July celebration. However it really didn't start until 8 am (I was really confused about what was going on) so we sat in the car and hung out until we decided to get some seats. We heard from The Mayor, an Assembly man, and The Stake President. It was followed by pancakes, eggs, and Sausage (Yum!). It was a great way to start off our day.

We then headed to the park, where we decorated the stroller, and walked down a little path and had a parade for some of the little kids in the ward. They also did an egg toss, water balloon toss, and more. We didn't get to join in on any of that fun, because Brooke hadn't slept at all. So we came home, and she slept for almost 3 hours. For dinner we had BBQ pulled chicken sandwiches and potato salad. After that we just hung out until the fireworks. When it was time to go watch the fireworks, Brooke was totally asleep, however being the great mom that I am I woke her from her sleep to watch them. When she did pay attention to the fireworks, she would talk and laugh at and to them, but it was hard to direct her attention to the sky. Jason and I had a great day with our baby girl and it was perfect!

Hope you all had a great Fourth of July too! -