Friends, beach, family and fun!

 Trying out new things is the theme for this summer, and we had a great time with Angela at the OC Zoo, checking out the types of animals you can find here in California! And of course we enjoyed the petting zoo too!

 Stella and her curls…i could take pictures of her all day! Such a little model baby. Even when she's covered in Hudson's firefighter jacket!

 A couple weeks ago we FaceTimed with Lina, our former care giver. What a wonderful person she was to our family - we were lucky to have her teach/love/care for our kids while we were in Denver!

 Beach days are my favorite…not sure what we'll do with our time this winter!!

 Last month one of my very best friends, Chiraphone, left to live in Cambodia. She is doing great work, fighting to end sex trafficking, but I will miss her so much. It was great to be 12 minutes apart for a few months anyway!! I'm glad Shino is still here, and we'll get those fun visits in when we can!

 My boy. FOUR years old now. I can't believe it. What an infectious smile, and he has the loving spirit to go with it. This kid will change lives - watch out world!

 I am finally picking tomatoes from my plants - by the dozens!! i can't keep up with them actually! So a few folks have gotten bags full to try not to let them go to waste! Pretty awesome though to be growing my own veggies for the first time. :)

 A couple weeks ago Andy got free last minute tickets to the Dodgers game (through work), so we took the opportunity for a little date night! It was fun to do something different together, and continue exploring new things to do out here. I'm thankful for my husband - he's pretty darn awesome, even though I am not always great at telling or showing him I think that. Ultimately though, i probably got the better end of the deal in this marriage. :) Love you Darling. 

 The same weekend we had the baseball tickets we also had our block party AND Beyonce tickets (my early birthday present from Andy). It was a FUN weekend to say the least!!! Hudson was on this inflatable water slide for approximately 6 hours that day, not even kidding. He was in heaven!! Lots of people AND water - two of his absolute favorites for sure!

 To top it off they had a fire truck come toward the end of the day for the kids to check out. Both kids loved it of course! We are really happy on our street and in this town so far - great neighbors, beautiful trees, good schools. If we could get the freeway out of our backyard we'd be in this house forever i think!

 Andy got theses tickets for me months ago, after we talked about my regrets in not getting to see Michael Jackson in concert before he passed. I am still a huge fan of his, but expressed that Beyonce is another performer i would love to see live. Anyway, he got these for me and we had a fun time! It rained, and we weren't too big on the Jay-Z part of the concert, but overall it was a great gift, and a good memory!

 We love our visits with Auntie Susie and Uncle Rick!

 After 5 months of pulling my hair up in a ponytail and not wearing makeup hardly at all, i was able to get to the salon for a little cut! It was nice to take a little time for myself, and i'm loving the way my hair feels with those dead ends cut off!!

 Since we've had the kids, this blog of mine has largely become about them. I'm fine with that, but it's still worth writing about Andy and I of course! At least every now and then. :) I have to say we have really enjoyed our time together out here in California so far. Being more intentional about spending time together, going on dates, and working on our marriage has been a refreshing, fun part of our new adventure out here. I'd say our marriage is certainly not perfect, but we are a pretty good team, and I know that through thick or thin, we will be there for each other with all the love we can muster (which can look different when fatigue and stress set in, but that's the beauty of it!)

 Hudson rediscovered this cape from Sarah Inks Jones a couple weeks ago…and has since become "SUPER HUDSON!!" He's my hero for sure <3 p="">

18 months!

Stella turned 18 months last week, and we had her check up - this girl is GROWING!!

She has gained over 4 pounds in the last six months, which is not normal for that time period since they usually start walking then!

Height: 32 1/2 inches (75% holding strong)
Weight: 22 lb 10 oz!!! (50%!!!!) Last check she was 15%, so she has GAINED! Of course we changed doctors and you never know about the differences in scales, but nonetheless she is growing and healthy!

We do have to take her to a  specialist to have her back looked at - she has a vertebrae that seems to be going in, and the doctor was a bit concerned. So a specialist we shall see! I just need to make that appointment…

Stella is doing great though, and saying more and more every day! Today she looked at the dog and said, "Ew, she go poo poo" - of course the average ear may have only understood "ew" and "poo poo" but i got it!! :) She is talking a lot, singing her ABCs, will count with you if you start counting, and she loves to run! She is very happy, content, and calm - until brother comes around! Hudson keeps her pushing herself (to the point of pain, quite often), but when it's just her she is mellow. She still has that sweet demeanor, and the dimple when she smiles totally melts my heart.

Still true to size, she is transitioning to 18-24 month clothes, some 2T shirts if they aren't long enough  - but she's still thin so they can't be too wide in the waste! She's almost ready for the size 6 shoe, and still wears size 3 diaper. Her hair is growing and gorgeous, curling up in the back and swooping to the side in the front. We often have strangers tell us how beautiful she is…and we always agree with them. :)

And next week we celebrate Hudson turning FOUR. How did THAT happen???

my dear friend...

day to day

 Things have been pretty low key around here since the 4th, so we're sticking to routines and doing things around the house and neighborhood more. Hudson's still going to school twice a week, and we're at the gym three times a week so i can work out and have a little alone time (much needed!!). The kids love the club, and the teachers are great. Hudson has made friends there as well, and looks forward to going! Sometimes the days are very long, and i look forward to andy getting home to break up the 11-12 hours i have with these kids each day. But I can't ignore the blessing it is to be with them, so on the harder days Andy gives me a break or i go to dinner with friends, and try to wake up with a better outlook the next day. :) hey, I'm not perfect. But i'm glad i'm not doing this alone. 

growing up

In less than a month, Stella will be 1 1/2 and Hudson will be turning 4. It's hard to believe my 1st baby is turning 4. What a weird thing to feel. Anyway, it seems only necessary to talk about who they are right now, cause they are totally amazing people.

Hudson has been going through a bit of a challenging phase, pushing limits and testing me whenever possible. He's been practicing saying the word "no", and i would say he's gotten pretty darn good at it. We had a couple rough weeks, and he now seems to be coming out the other side a bit. Thanks to some great advice from some good moms who've been there before, I changed my tactic (as did Andy - we are a team, after all) and Hudson has responded pretty well. He did have a few rough time outs, but there's been a noticeable change so that is a victory! Otherwise he is such a phenomenal person. He loves to play, and his imagination is the highlight of all. Everything he does and/or plays with takes on a life of it's own, and he loves making up stories and characters. He's also begun to love playing with Stella, which is fun for me! He's still learning how strong he is (especially compared to her), but he wants her to join him often during play time, and certainly keeps track of where she is if she's not near him! When I pick he and Stella up from the daycare at our gym (we are lucky enough to go to a nice gym/club) the ladies watching them are always telling me how nice the kids are, how sweet hudson is with Stella, and how great they both are in general. So i guess he's just always going to be great when i'm not around! No, he is a good kid around me as well. Very sweet, sensitive, considerate, kind and gentle (when he wants to be). He does have a lot of energy, but hey, HE'S THREE. :) His vocabulary is astounding, and he loves being around people very much. Very social, outgoing, happy, and boy does the kid get tan in that sun!! We have been spending a lot of time outside, and he has the gorgeous tan to prove it (even with the 50 sunscreen he ALWAYS wears). He's wearing mostly size 4T or 5T, size 12 shoes, and sleeps from about 7:30 - 6/6:30, plus a nap in the afternoon. There are definitely days i need a break from him, but there is never a day i don't want to be without him. He's my guy, and I Love him to the moon and back, over and over.

Stella is changing almost every day it seems, and is our beautiful, sweet princess. She has such beauty both inside and out (just like her brother), and her demeanor leaves you wanting to hug and kiss her all the time. OK maybe i'm her mom and that's why i feel that way, but I just love this girl. She and her brother could not be more opposite in some ways, but they are alike in others for sure. The last couple weeks she seems to be changing into a toddler - acting more like a terrible two in some ways, but different than what we saw with Hudson. She copies him a lot, and it's hard to ask Hudson not to do something because then Stella does it. So we're navigating that, and will continue to see how she changes in the coming months. She is pretty much running now, and wants to do all the big boy stuff she watches. Just the other day Hudson was diving into the pool (more like sliding into the kiddie pool, but don't tell him that), and Stella tried to do it as well. Only she stepped into the pool, put her face in the water (just a little), then stood up, looked at me and clapped for herself. Yea, it was cute. And yes, i clapped too. She is continuing to expand her vocabulary, and is saying more things clearly. She now says please and thank you, and you can hear her copy many words once big brother says them. There is never a question of what she wants, and that has been the case since the beginning. She somehow has a way of letting you know exactly what she does or doesn't want. Right now she's sleeping from about 7pm to 5:30 or 6am (yes, i know, I'm exhausted just writing that), and she'll take about a 1 1/2 hour nap in the afternoon, and maybe a cat nap in the morning. She is eating more these days, and loves things like avocado, goldfish, watermelon, and cheese. She's true to her size, wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 5 shoe, size 3 diaper. I have to say she looks adorable in everything we dress her in, and has a saunter about the way she walks that just makes you smile. She's a doll, despite the toddler behavior i see coming out more every day. :)

4th of july

 Red and Blue mustaches made an appearance at the 4th this year with our family. Hudson held on to these for weeks so we could wear them with the family (i just found them for a dollar and thought they'd be fun). Hudson certainly got a kick out of everyone wearing them! We enjoyed a fun evening with Great Grandpa and Gigi, and Uncle Josh and Auntie Jen. Hudson was playing with Lisa for a little bit and Stella got to be the center of attention - man did she love it! she sat on Jen's lap for probably 30 minutes or more, just soaking up all the attention. I guess we second children can be like that! :) 

 Even stella got in on the mustache fun...