The Pope and Santa

We were watching TV when a commerical came on advertising midnight mass. The clip showed the Pope walking as someone tried to attack him. Then out of the blue G. got really excited and shouted as she was running towards the TV. Oh, noooo Santa Claus! Santa Claus! Santa Claus! Who knew Santa and the Pope looked a like. G. thought so. At least both of them give and are kind.

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No one will know

I woke up early Saturday morning tired and nervous. I went to G.'s room covered her, walked over to B.'s bed and looked at her, and then I kissed A. good-bye. When I opened the front door I felt the cold crisp morning air. I thought to myself I don't have to go no one will know. But I knew I had to leave and just do it. As I drove away thoughts in my head kept telling me "no one will know just turn back" but I kept telling myself I would know and I would regret missing it. As I parked my car the thoughts came back "no one will know just turn back" but I ignored them. As I tied my shoe and walked towards the check-in area the thoughts came back "no one will know just turn back" but I continued. As I stood in the sun looking at everyone talking, laughing, relaxing, reading, stretching and waiting the feeling of loneliness came over me, and again I thought to myself, "no one will know just turn back". Then I heard the announcer say that it was time to head over to the starting area. As I stood there with the crowd the feeling of loneliness came back with the same thought. I said a little a prayer in my heart and started thinking of all the positive reasons why I was there. As I waited two gentlemen and I sparked a conversation. We laughed and talked about ourselves and then to our surprise the gun went off. We started to run the race! I looked ahead and never looked back. My goal was to run,run,run and not stop even to walk. During the race I noticed people were running with groups and/or loved ones. I ran the race alone but not by myself. Why?
During the race I saw one of the gentlemen who I had met at an earlier stop. As I ran towards him I said "get up and finish the race"! He quickly got up and ran past me. Along the side there were patches of spectators cheering for their loved ones. Around the halfway point of the race I said a little prayer asking H.F for strength and to not feel alone during my weak points. A few moments later a lady running in front of me turned towards me and said "just two kids ahead" my eyes got big with a smile. I replied "how did you know I had two kids"? She laughed and said "just to 2k ahead let's do it"! Even though she didn't say kids it made me think of my family. Then as I was running harder to pass each rabbit in front of me I started thinking of my family. Then a few minutes later I started to feel lonely but then I heard, "go mommy go"! I turned and saw two little girls in their pajamas waving at me or someone but it was a sweet reminder I wasn't alone.
Then as I was heading towards the finish line I could hear people shouting Go! Go! Go! Finish the race! As I past the finish line I thought to myself no one will know but I finished my race.

Even though I didn't run the fastest time, or come in first. I DID IT. I finished MY race and that was my goal to get up and finish the race.

This experience kind of reminds me of the gospel and life. Sometimes we are too scared to change or try something new because of the thought in the back of our minds that tells us "no one will know".

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Andy's birthday

I made A. his favorite cake...yellow poppy seed. Actually, it was either his favorite pie (coconut cream) or a cake. I begged for the cake and he was fine trying something new.
A few weeks ago we went to Sea World. G. saw the other kids around her looking into the glass and she thought it was funny. She kept kissing the glass and of course I was grossing out.
Later that evening the whales seemed to love her because they would swim towards her and stay there. I tried to get a picture of G. and the whale staring at her but the flash ruined the picture :((
We ate lunch at the Shamu restaurant. It was lovely but nothing compared to the Blue Bayou at Disneyland.

Overall, it was a great day. Walking, talking, eating, sleeping (that would be B.), and watching our girls laugh at each other. We still can't believe we have girls...well A. can't. He's a great dad.

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Thanksgiving

This year I have much to be grateful for. In no particular order:
A bed
Cars that run
Living parents
Living in-laws
My brother finding a job
Health
Loyal friends
Trader Joe's
Healthy daughters
A.'s support
The Atonement
Freedom
Gospel of Jesus Christ
Food on our table
Clothes that fit
Latter-day Prophets
My calling
The internet
Goldfish crackers
Windex
Funny people
Education
Cellphones
Testimonies
Yoku Yoku
Sesame Street
Good books
Temples
Make-up
Good friends
Nice family members

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G. is growing up

If you don't like crap then don't click.
During general conference weekend our prayers were answered...for a few minutes. After saying the prayer we sat down to eat our waffles and watch conference. Out of the blue G. kept saying "poop in toilet", which my mom had been encouraging her to do. She said it over and over and this time she wasn't playing. We quickly took her out of her high chair and rushed her onto the toilet. To our surprise she DID IT. She went poop in the toilet!! G. recieved stickers for her reward we're still working on the potty training.
I was in the other room feeding B. when I came back I noticed G. was playing with her ears. As I got closer this is what I found. I guess she thought by putting peas in her ears she would get the nutrients without having to eat them.
Once in a while G. insists on wearing her snow white shoes to bed and by the time she wakes up the morning they're back on again. Height and image are important to her.

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2009 Halloween

Our good friend A. was dressed up as a monster chef. We had him hold B. because we felt his costume went better with her's then ours.(you'll see below)
Why did I dress B. as a Hot Dog? Simple. We couldn't find a costume that could fit her and it was the only one that wasn't a lion, a flower, a ladybug, or a bee. Plus, we liked it because we just want to eat her because she's so dang cute!
This year G. wanted to be Snow White AGAIN. I wasn't about to buy her another snow white costume. So I thought I would pull out last year's costume to see if it would fit her. Funny thing, it did fit. G. was a chunky girl and has thinned out over the year.
This year A. and I dressed up as hippies. However, we wanted to go with the theme of snow white but we couldn't find a prince costume that was over 5ft, or an evil queen costume that was under 5'5'', or an apple for B. Maybe next time...

A. favorite holiday is Halloween. Since we didn't have a spooky party this year we did other fun things instead. We ding dong ditched...we didn't leave treats instead we decorated people's doors with spider webs. Another thing we did to keep the halloween spirit going we had people over to carve pumpkins. I forgot to take pictures of the finished pumpkins. Last, on Halloween we attended a tri-ward trunk-o-treat. Why a trunk-o-treat? Well, since we live in a BIG city going door to door isn't much fun when you have to be buzzed into a complex. So if you live in UT, NY, CO, NV, AZ, NM, FL or out of LA kudos to you!

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Flashback

We have been forced to be apart and at times it can be difficult wishing we lived closer together. We go through our normal routines but never forget each other.
Yeah, I know this posting has nothing to do with my family. But if I had an opportunity in heaven to pick sisters I'd pick...which means you are family.



Remember 2005?
I'm sure you're happy I'm not posting the other pictures...yeah, you know the ones you don't like.
Remember 2008?
I miss you guys!!!

I can't wait for 2010 picture!!!

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Pumpkin Patch

I love this picture of G. She looks so beautiful.
Last weekend we went with some friends to the famous pumpkin patch festival in Moorpark. It was so HOT in the high 90's. You would think since it's fall it would be cool but it wasn't.

While we were there we took pictures as a family. I couldn't believe G. & B. were smiling for this photo


G. sweaty by the wooden train
G. wanted to go see the farm animals. What's cool about this farm you get to go inside their play area to pet the animals. G. loved it...especially the chickens. The worker was kind enough to pick up the chicken for G. to touch. She went nuts!
Also, at this farm they have a HUGE corn maze. You'll notice behind us this is just 3/4 of the maze. If you make it to the end (which you will after 10mins of running around getting lost) you get to stand on top of the hay stack to see the surroundings and to hear people screaming of frustration.
Overall, it was a great HOT day with lots of fun memories. We took home 2 big pumpkins whick we'll carve I think on Monday for FHE with friends. Maybe you should come over.

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G. 2nd B-day

Last month we celebrated G. 2nd b-day. We went to her favorite park in SM and then later after her nap we had an Elmo party for her. Why Elmo? She watches Sesame Street almost everyday and when we go shopping she can spot Elmo anywhere as if he's the target of every trip.

Here is A. & G. playing on the seesaw at the park. She loves playing with her dad. They are like peas and carrot.


G. and I decided to take a break from the sun and chill on the grass.

A. wanted to surprise her after her nap. This is what she looked like when she saw everything decorated in Elmo colors and decor. Not much of a reaction huh...we expected from her to go crazy but knowing her it took her a few minutes to realize this wasn't a dream it was real. She ended up loving it.

Since Elmo's favorite food is pizza, we had pizza. Then I decided to go with colors of Elmo for the food. We had homemade lemonade, artichoke dip with TJ's veggie chips, watermelon, cantaloupe, strawberry salad, and of course Elmo cake which I'm proud I made. However, I think I added too much food dye because after we ate the cake I noticed some of our guest had pink or grey teeth. Sorry.


Also, since Elmo loves to dance we had EVERYONE dance the Margarina dance. However, we started off dancing really slow and then we speed up the music to make it fun. It was funny seeing everyone trying to keep up with the music.

Now where was B. with all this fun...sleeping.

Overall, it was a great time. I just can't believe G. is 2 years old!

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Family photo

If we were to send out a family Christmas photo. This is what it would probably look like but we'd never send it A. trying to make G. smile, B. trying to figure out if sucking her dress is better than sucking her thumb, and me telling everyone how to pose.

This photo was taken at my friend's wedding in Newport this past August. It was a beautiful wedding. I was a bridesmaid and I got to dance down the aisle (w/the other bridesmaids/grooms) during the ring ceremony. The dancing part was a surprise for everyone, even A. didn't know about it. Boy, was he shocked when the music came on and I started showing off my moves. One of the highlights for me was I was tossed in the air...however I hope the wedding video never shows up on u-tube.

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Hot Dada!

I know I haven't posted in along time but I had to post what happened to me the other day. The girls and I were at Costco doing our regular shopping. While I was looking at some items I kept hearing G. saying something over and over. Then I heard her giggling and repeating what she said before. I then turned around to see what was the matter and I saw nothing. But she started getting really excited as if she saw Elmo and said "Dada! Dada! Dada diapers!" I looked around and saw no diapers or a man that resembled A. I told G. there were no diapers and Dada was not here. She giggled and said loudly as she pointed towards the direction she wanted me to look at. "Dada! Dada diapers!" When I looked to what she was pointing to I couldn't help it but laugh so HARD. She was pointing to a picture that had a male model posing in white Calvin Klein briefs. See picture below. When I told A. what happened he said "G. knows when she sees a six pack it's her dada. Funny!

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Really? Who reads this blog?

Months have gone by since I've posted. I keep telling myself I'll post but I never do. Then I thought "who really reads our blog"? Is it our family, our friends, or people who blog hop or people who I don't want reading our blog or am I just writing to myself?

For the month of March it was MADNESS. Why? Reason #1-for months we've been looking for a place to buy before we have baby number two. But as time got closer to my due date I didn't want to be in escrow, or unpacking or fixing up our new place with just a few weeks to my due date.
To make the long story short we moved into our new place the 1st of April thanks to our dear friend M. who was persistent. We love our place. However, at the beginning it was hard for me to face reality. Why? I thought our prayers would be answered a certain way because I thought since we were doing everything right by saving, staying out of debt, praying and asking for the doors to open, fasting (I couldn't but A. did), attending the temple, serving the Lord, doing our homework, searching, being patience, not being too picky, and making other sacrifices, etc.

Looking back H.F. did answer our prayers. He did open the doors for us because He gave us another option instead of buying to rent. He did send us warnings by not feeling good about certain places. He did make sure we moved into a big enough place for our family to grow. He also made sure we were close to our friends and family. He did everything, He knew what was best for our family. I could write more about our experience above but I feel it's too long and personal.

Reason #2- after finding our place the hard part was packing. G. helped me by unpacking what I finished packing. I felt so bad because while I was packing I neglected her but she got my attention my getting into things. (see pictures)
She got into my make-up. When I caught her she was about to put mascara on her eyes. I thought I caught her in time before she made a mess but when I went into the room I noticed she already practiced the skill on her doll but in the wrong spot.

Another day I walked into the kitchen and found G. with my step stool and strawberries in her mouth. Look at her face as I caught her in the act! G. took the step stool and grabbed the towel that was drying the strawberries on top of the counter and pulled it towards her.

I hurried grabbed the camera and then asked G. "Are you eating strawberries"? She smiled and said no. (see below) She made me laugh!


Reason #3-friends come and go but memories last a life time. I had a friend move back east and a friend come back and visit. The hard part was saying good-bye to both of them after they left.
Memory lane. Each family has grown and what's amazing we're still friends with all the craziness that goes on when we have our reunions.

Our last days at the happiest place on earth. We had so much fun!

Reason #4- Birthdays. I'll post pictures later and details. We kidnapped our girlfriends who had b-days in March and we did some fun things. See next posting.

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Sweets, Love, and a Whale

Last week I was surprised when A. came home on Thursday and told me he was coming home early on Friday. I got worried because I didn't know if that was bad or not but then he told me he made plans for us to head south to San Diego to spend Valentine's Day weekend with the whales. I started to laugh because I thought it was a joke. Well, it wasn't a joke we really did spend time with the whales at Sea World and what's funny it was my first time there. You would think all these years I've lived in CA I would have gone at least once.

We stayed in a very nice hotel but it was hunted to my surprise (it's a good thing I found out when we were checking out because I wouldn't be able to sleep). We also got to know downtown SD pretty well in a funny way. We drove around and around looking for free parking because I refused to pay $24 for valet parking plus tip at our hotel.

Here are a few pictures of our weekend trip.
We covered G. up with a plastic rain cover that someone gave us there. However, G. only lasted a short time in it. We'll keep it for our next trip.

A. took this great photo of Shamu but couldn't take the after shot b/c we had a slight problem...water.

A. & G. standing next to the stinky flamingo exhibit.

That same week I was in a baking phase because I was craving chocolate and sweets. As I was baking I realized Valentine's Day was near and I thought giving away sweets to loved ones was a great idea. I made sugar cookie heart lollipops and divine chocolate cups. I bought white boxes that you would normally find at a bakery and decorated the box with a simple bow. I wish I took a picture of the sugar heart lollipops that I made because they didn't look like the picture below.

So if you got a Valentine's heart lollipop cookie that looked out of shape it's because I didn't know what I was doing.

I recommend to make cupcakes and write a message on top to someone you care about. They will love the treat and the sweet message.

When A. came home and saw what I was doing he thought these treats would be a great gift for the families we HT and VT. So I hurried up and started baking another patch again. After I was done baking, mailing and delivering the treats A. realized we didn't have any for ourselves. So what did I do? I started to bake again and made treats for him. Now I'm all baked out for a while.

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You know when you have a friend

A. came home one night after visiting a less-active sister in our ward. He told me that this sister needed help and offered to help. He said that she needed baby girl clothes and a blanket for her daughter who is not in the best situation. Then he said that he told the sister that I could make a baby's blanket. I about died because I don't know how to sew. He thought that I knew how to make a blanket b/c one night I went over to N. house but he didn't know I made bows while N. made a blanket. Some how A. thought we made blankets the whole night. Funny.
So the next day I called my friend N. and told her my situation. She happened to be in AZ visiting B. for a couple of days. When I told them why I needed to make a blanket soon N. and B. totally took charge. When I saw the blanket I knew the sister was going to love it. (see photo above)
A. delivered the items to the sister and when A. pulled out the blanket he told her that two angels (not me) made the blanket. With tears in her eyes she said that the blanket was a symbol of Heavenly Father's love and that he does answer prayers.
When A. told me what she said I knew how she felt because in the past when I needed help He sent me angels to comfort and to support me.
Thank you again N. & B. for being my angels and angels to the sister you never met.

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Her 1st time visiting Disneyland

We took G. to Disneyland for the first time a couple of weeks ago. Originally I thought I would take her when she was much older but our good friend J. had tickets and we thought why not...it's free. G. loved Disneyland. She loved it so much she wouldn't even take nap and we were surprise she was GOOD the whole time. She had fun running around in front of the castle and while she was running around people were trying to take pictures with her. I didn't feel comfortable and either did G. When people would get close to take a picture of her she'd either run away, give them a dirty look, or wave her arm with a loud grunt.

Yes, we had G. wear her Snow White costume. A. was opposed to it at first but J. convinced him she'd look cute. Plus, we wanted to take a picture with her with Snow White.

Let me tell you what happen to us. We decided to wait in the Princess line at Disneyland thinking it would only be a 20min wait. After being in line for 20mins I told J & A to go ride some rides b/c I thought by the time they'd get back we'd be at the front. Well, that didn't happen. When they got back G.& I were still in line. Then after waiting more than an hour we finally got in and I told the lady at the front we only want to see Snow White. She said that Snow White was at the end but in order to see her we had to see the other 3 princesses first. We agreed and took pictures with them. When it was our turn to see Snow White they were SWITCHING Snow White for Jasmine! We couldn't...or I couldn't believe it! I asked if we could just take one picture with Snow White. They (the Disneyland workers) said "sorry Snow White has to go now, she has to take a break". I couldn't believe they said that. So I picked up G and told J & A I needed to leave b/c I was very bothered. I was bothered I waited for over an hour and I clearly communicated with the workers we only wanted to see Snow White but they made us go see all the other princesses first. I thought to myself if we didn't see the other princesses we could have seen Snow White. After walking out I told A. I needed a Churro b/c that's the only thing that would lift my spirit and it did.
Here is J & A riding a ride. They look funny.
Look closely. Who do you think is having more fun A. or G.?
J & I took a cute picture with Mickey. There is something about Disneyland that makes you feel like a kid again.


Here are a few cute pictures of G. Some how J. got G. to smile at the camera which rarely happens.

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Chinese New Year & Wonder Fortune Cookies

We celebrated Chinese New Year by going downtown to watch the dragon parade with a group of friends. Driving there was horrible and so was parking but it was all worth it when we got there. It was fun watching the dragon dances and seeing the kids faces light up when the dragons came up close to them.

Here is A. & G. standing on the sidewalk watching the parade. I tried to get G. to look at me but she wouldn't take her eyes off the dragons.

I was able to take one still photo of a dragon sitting down.

We actually started celebrating Chinese New Year earlier with my family and some of our close friends. We wanted to do something special for them. So A. & I decided to make Chocolate dipped Fortune Cookies and wrap them up nicely.
We ended up calling them Wonder Fortune cookies, you may ask why... because we typed silly fortunes and then placed them into the cookies. When our family and friends opened the cookies they'd find two fortunes inside, they'd have to wonder which fortune would come true.
Here are a few examples of what we had them read, "Success and happiness will come your way when you know how to get dress fast", "Soon you will see a family member pee their pants", "You will have great fortune come your way but your wallet will be a little lighter", "In a couple of months you will lose a lot of sleep but not a lot of weight", and "Soon the Lakers and your future grandchild will be in the same room"
It was funny and fun hearing every ones reaction when they finally caught on that each fortune had to deal with pregnancy.
Just in case you haven't caught on we are expecting another little princess in a few months.

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