Knotts Berry Farm 2008

We took the kids to Knotts Berry Farm last week, and I am just now getting around to blogging about it. We got there about 2pm and the weather could not have been more perfect!! It was about 70 degrees and breezy! It was cold and rainy at our house so both the kids were in long sleeves! I ended up letting Brynne wear her onesie so she wouldn't be too hot (I HATE doing that!) Not only perfect weather, but apparently we picked the best day to go also. There weren't many people there and we only had to wait in line for one of the rides. We went mainly to take Landon to 'Camp Snoopy.' It's an area of the park designed for kids aged 2 through 8 or so. The rides are all sized perfectly for toddlers, if riding with their parents. We have never taken Landon to an amusement park so we were not sure how he would do. He did GREAT!! He had the best time and was not afraid on any of the rides. This was amazing considering he had not had a nap that day. We really lucked out, and had a very fun time. We will definitely be going back to Knotts Berry Farm!

Riding the trucks with Mama! He LOVED this ride!

Sweet baby girl spent most of the time in the stroller while brother had all the fun! She was a good girl though!
(yep, you noticed! Brynne's first scratch! She scratched her face in the car that morning!)


Giving some hugs to his new friends~

Having SO much fun on the fast cars with Daddy!

Daddy and Landon on the trucks...his FAVORITE ride of the day...we went more than once!

...still being a good girl, just taking it allllll in!

Landon and Daddy waiting in (the only) line

Fun in the bounce house!

This was 2 hours after we got there, lol. We called it a day and headed home! Well worth the drive though...the 2 hours that they were awake, SO fun! They look a lot alike when they sleep!

As the kids get older we are able to do so much more with them. This day was one of the best days we have had as a family of 4. Such great memories!

FFF-Thankful!

The Favorite Foto Friday theme this week is Thankful! Here are a couple pictures from Thanksgiving day...

Having fun before bed~

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!~

...always hugging Brynne~

Playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house~

Hi Mama~

Good times with Uncle Nate on the way home~

Such a fun day with the family filled with warmth and YUMMY food! My parents are such GOOD cooks!! Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving with your loved ones!

To see even more FFF posts visit Sarah's blog and join in on the fun!

So Thankful!

This Thanksgiving it seems I have more to be thankful for than ever before. I am definitely a blessed person and have a life full of laughter and love! I am thankful for my sister Amy, who continues to be my best friend and partner in crime. I would spend time with Amy every day if we both didn't have busy lives...and husbands, who think we spend enough time together already, lol. I feel so lucky to have my sister in my life and, especially in the lives of my kids. They sure love Auntie Amy!

I am also thankful for my wonderful parents. I am lucky enough to see them often (maybe too often if you ask them, HA!) and my kids are lucky enough to have such a close relationship with them. I am truly a blessed daughter and it is a huge comfort to have people in our lives who love us very much and care about my family like you wouldn't believe!

I am SO thankful to be called Mama by this sweet faced little boy. Travis and I were blessed in July 2006 when our first child Landon was born. What a blessing he has been in my life. I honestly can't imagine my life without him. He is active, curious, smart, loving, sweet, mischievous, kind, funny, messy, and crazy all wrapped into one absolutely adorable two year old boy! He definitely keeps this Mama on her toes, but this boy has the sweetest heart and makes his Mama melt with just a smile or a laugh. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this little man and thank God for his miracle every single day!

Aw, speaking of thankful this little beauty here has made my job as a Mama complete. Hard to believe Brynne will be 1 in a little over a month! She is so sweet and cuddly, curious and determined, reserved and playful, tough and tiny! I LOVE this little baby girl, and know that God had a plan for my life. Brynne was definitely worth the wait, and makes 'Mamahood' that much sweeter! I am VERY thankful for my baby girl!

Travis and I met in April 2001, 6 months later..to the day, we married. I am so thankful that God put this man in my life. We have a wonderful, strong marriage that we both know will stand the tests of time. Travis is an amazing husband and an excellent Daddy! I feel so blessed to spend my life with him and know that we were meant to be together! Love you honey!! Thank you for being such a great husband and daddy! I am so thankful for you!

I am also thankful for all the wonderful friends I have made through blogging. I love to follow all of your lives and stories and laugh and cry along with you! Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Have a wonderful, safe time with your loved ones!

Biggest Loser contestant 2012

Is it wrong of me to enjoy eating oatmeal chocolate chip cookies while watching the contestants sweat their buts off on the Biggest Loser? My sincerest apologies!

Hard times for this Mama!

Brynne at 3 weeks old~

I am saddened to report that I am officially a Mama to 2 toddlers! Yep...my infant daughter has made the transition to toddler. Brynne is officially a full blown walker, no more crawling! If she stumbles and falls while walking she stands right back up and keeps on going. It's bittersweet because I know she is our last baby, and these milestones seem to fly by. In the last few months I have for the last time swaddled my baby girl, put my baby to bed on her back, given my baby a bath in the sink, fed my baby her (last) first taste of baby food, witnessed my baby roll over for the first time, watched the crawling phase disappear before my eyes, seen my last toothless grin from my baby girl...and on and on I could go. I have been feeling so sad lately about the rate at which Brynne is growing. I remember when Landon was a baby. Travis and I welcomed every new stage with excitement and awe. I couldn't wait for Landon to walk, to talk, to run. With Brynne it is the opposite for me. I love seeing these new stages and feel extremely blessed that my baby girl is healthy and so happy, but with every new phase a bit of her sweet baby stages slips away. I think it is harder because she is my second baby (or maybe just because she is a girl..it's just sweeter, somehow). I learned how time does fly by and how quickly they change through my experiences with Landon. It is hard to believe that in a little over a year Brynne will be Landon's age!! That is crazy to me! For now, I will hold her just a little closer in the mornings, cuddle just a little bit longer before her naps, carry her around just a little more than I need to, and breathe in her sweet baby girl scent for as long as I possibly can!

18.5 hours until Daddy is home!!

Further proof that Brynne can't go five minutes without a hug from brother!

We had a fun day today. My friend Brandy and her girls left last night so today it was back to me and the kids. We started our day off by decorating the house for Christmas. I thought it would be a nice surprise for Travis to come back to a Holiday filled home. Landon did a great job helping Mama decorate the tree and Brynne was excellent at watching us, lol. This afternoon, after their MUCH needed naps, we headed to Target and shopped for awhile. Later when we got back home we played, did puzzles, and watched Stuart Little (Landon's favorite movie..this week). Our evening is just winding down and tonight I will go to bed thankful that our Daddy will be home tomorrow! We missed him SO much, and I have to be honest...I can't wait to have the extra set of hands back!!

In front of the tree tonight~

A cute shot of Brynna...Love my sweet girl!! (excuse her bed head, lol)~


We LOVE you so much Daddy and are SO happy that you will be home tomorrow!! YAY

Time for Oprah and Ice Cream!

Daddy is gone!! For the next four days I am a single mom! Yep, our darling daddy has gone off on a 'Manventure' and will not return until late Sunday. 4 days in Baja, with dirt bikes, race cars, and NO kids...am I jealous? NO! Why you ask? Today one of my closest friends Brandy will come for a visit with her 3 sweet girls. Kailyn is 8, Brooklyn is almost 5 and her sweet baby Ashlyn is 18 months. I am so excited to have the house full of squealing girls. Tonight we are planning on baking and decorating sugar cookies (one of my favorite things to do!!) and tomorrow we will hit up the mall and have lunch at Chuck E. Cheese's. Sadly she will have to leave Friday evening and then my kids and I will be lonely once more! Perhaps a trip to see Grandma and Grandpa will be necessary.

Not 5 minutes after Daddy left Landon took EVERY single wipe out of the container this morning, loaded up his dump truck and took it for a ride! LOL

This boy will put anything in the back of his truck and push it allll over the house~
Looks like Landon has been teaching Brynne some of his bad habits. I love how she is on her tippy-toes~

Now that Brynne is walking Landon follows her around all day hanging on her trying to give her hugs. He in constantly causing her to fall to the ground and then she cries instantly, until she stands back up. Give me a few minutes of quiet, and then it starts all over again. It is so cute, but also driving me CRAZY!!

This was right before she fell down...and cried!~

Apparantly I am a bitch!?

Although I am home with the kids all day, every day, I also work 3 or 4 nights a week for a few hours at a restaurant. Generally I really love my job and appreciate the fact that I am able to work, and contribute to the house, without having to leave my children in the care of somebody outside the home. Travis stays home with the kids the nights that I work, and this has always worked out great for us. I am a very social person and I get to talk to all sorts of people every night that I work. I have wonderful coworkers, some of them are my closest friends. Last night was a VERY bad night at work for me though. It was towards the end of my shift, and myself and a fellow server were given a party of 12 people to take care of. The party of 12 were there to celebrate a teenage boys birthday and they were all in good spirits. Somehow, some time during their dining experience with us, one of the girls in the party (she was about 22 or so) decided that she did not like me and she wanted everyone to know about it! Not just everyone in her group, but everyone in the entire restaurant. It all started, so I think, when she ordered a drink from the bar. I brought her the drink, next thing I know she was yelling at my manager about the fact that I brought her a watered-down drink. Not only was she yelling at the top of her voice, but she was cussing about it too!! My manager tried to explain to her that we, as servers, have nothing to do with the bar...or the drinks that come out of the bar. He took the drink back, had the bartender remake it (the exact same way...it was not watered down) and took it back out to her table. I walked out to the table a few moments later to check on everyone and this girl stood up and pointed her finger at me and called me a Fu*&ing bitch!! Yep, she did! She then continued to yell at me and say that she owns a shop and one of these days I will come into her shop and she will remember me and she will get revenge. WTH!? Revenge? FOR WHAT??? I seriously stood there, trying not to cry, just wondering what the hell her problem with me was. I turned, and walked away back into the kitchen and stayed there until her party left. I felt so sad, and wanted so badly to go tell her that she doesn't even know me! I am not a bitch! I heard bits and pieces from my coworkers about the things she was saying about me, and these words were not nice at all. I could not believe that someone who I had never met, and had been nothing but nice to, would find it necessary to call me a bitch in the middle of a restaurant at the top of her lungs. I gave her and her family wonderful service. I LOVE my job and am very good at it. I have a general respect for people, and my family and I eat out also, so I know what a difference it can make to your meal to have great service. I don't recall ever being called a bitch to my face before, or a damn moron either, but it really hurt my feelings. I try not to take something like this personally, but how can you not? I still have no idea what set her off, I just know that she must have some serious problems in her life and she must not think twice about the way she treats people.

Most days my job is wonderful. Even when people order the wrong thing, and then blame the server when their plate is served. Even when I run my ass off getting a table everything from extra ketchup to another spoon, only to be left a $2 tip. Even when a person's steak is not cooked exactly how they ordered it, and I get blamed...even though we have chef's who cook the food. Even when people let their toddler make a MESS all over the table and floor and don't take 2 seconds to clean up after their child. Even when people decide that they want to sit somewhere other than where the hostess was seating them. Even when people complain that their coffee is cold only after they have added 4 packs of chilled creamer to it. Even when people eat all but 2 bites and say they didn't 'like' the meal and want it taken off their bill. Even when people don't have a enough money to pay their bill and want something for free. Even when people walk in and want to be served 2 minutes before we close.

As servers we make our living off of our tips, similar to hairstylists, or manicurists. If people can't afford to leave a tip, or don't agree with leaving a tip, then they shouldn't eat out! Last time I checked Jack in the Box is open 24 hours!

Oh, and as a side note I should just say that the party of 12 left us a $60 tip on a $300 check. 20% usually means excellent service...so apparantly the girl with the attitude and potty mouth was the only one who had a problem that night (:

Family Photo's 2008

A nice shot of my sister and I. Amy came along to help coax smiles and laughter from the kids, and Phil was kind enough to take a few of Amy and I

Daddy and Landon share a quiet moment~

Mama and her baby girl. Brynne looks like a doll in this picture I think~

I LOVE this picture! One of my favorites ever of my sister and I. We were laughing very hard because Phil kept asking us to get closer and closer. SO cute!

Perhaps my favorite shot of the entire day! I LOVE it!~

This picture captures perfectly the love that Landon has for Brynne. You can see the happiness in his face and the kindness in how he is holding her hand~

Here we have just a few of the choices we have for our 2008 Holiday Cards. I already know which one is our favorite...Which one(s) do you like???~
Option 1

Option 2

Option 3

Option 4

Option 5

Option 6

Option 7

Option 8

We had a great day with Phil, as usual, and have some AMAZING pictures to look back on forever. Our family pictures are always the perfect way for our family to start the Holiday season. As he sends me more I will continue to post them. But, so far, I think I have a definite favorite for our cards.

What we did on Saturday...

A very funny sneak peak at our family photo shoot today~

This is not PhotoShopped, Travis was tossing Landon in the air and Phil captured this crazy shot! Almost doesn't look real!

More to follow (:

A letter to my son

Dear Landon,

As your Mama I feel it is my duty to pass on a few lessons. First off, it is not ok to walk around with your hands down your pants all day. Not only is it weird and slightly gross, but it is socially unacceptable. Please stop playing with your wiener and play with one of the 1300 toys that lay all over our house. And, while you're at it, keep your fingers out of your nose! Your nostrils are, believe it or not, not a playground for your fingers!

It is also not ok that you yell at the top of your lungs, announcing to everyone in the store, or Target, or the restaurant that "Daddy farted!!", every time you smell anything slightly stinky. On most occasions Daddy is not even with us and the possibility of you smelling him 3 cities away is not likely...not impossible, just not likely!

Picking up every single bug you see, each and every day, with no fear and carrying it to me is not necessary! Mama is not a huge fan of bugs, and the fact that her sweet baby boy picks up bugs larger than my big toe is slightly nauseating. It is hard for Mama to remain calm and say, "Oh ok, I see, now put the bug down...over there." without shoving your hand out of my face and screaming like a baby. There is honestly no reason for you to pick up bugs! Well, unless Mama finds a bug and needs said bug removed from the area immediately, and Daddy is at work...then, and only then, is it ok for you to ever pick up a bug, ick!

I would also appreciate it if you would stop thinking that just because you are potty trained you are able to point and pee on your own! It takes MANY years for a boy to learn how not to pee all over the toilet seat, and the few months you've got under your belt are no match for years and years of pointing practice. It has been said that there are men out there, who after 20 or 30 years, can't even aim straight. So please, slow down, and let Mama or Daddy help you to perfect your aim.

Eating 3 square meals a day is part of every boys healthy growth and development. Fruit snacks, granola bars, and graham crackers are not acceptable choices for lunch or dinner, and certainly not breakfast. So please stop asking Mama for these items when snack time has clearly passed and you need some nutrition in that tummy of yours!

And finally, I demand that you stop growing up so darn fast! You are not allowed to dress yourself, brush your own teeth, attempt to wash your hair, buckle yourself into the carseat, get your own snacks, have an opinion for yourself, tell Mama exactly what you want for lunch, tell Daddy exactly what you want to watch on T.V., help change Brynne's diaper, wash your own hands, talk on the phone, request songs in the car, choose which shoes you want to wear, or anything thing else that even remotely resembles your ever increasing independence! You are breaking your Mama's heart and although I am SO proud of the big boy you are becoming, you are still only 2! Stop rushing it!

How I love this sweet boy..even with that twinkle of mischief in his eye!

Apple Country Visit, 2008

Apples, apples everywhere! The weather was perfect, and so was the company! We had a GREAT time in Oak Glen, CA with my parents. Here are a few photos from our lovely day~

We started the day at the petting zoo for Landon, who has really become an animal lover. We visited his first petting zoo at the Pumpkin Patch just a few short weeks ago. Ever since that day he is very aware of all animals, and loves to watch them and be as close as he can.

Here he is making friends with a goat!


He loved this carved bear, and gave it lots of hugs!

Brynne was 'chillin' and hangin' out in her seat while we wandered around the petting zoo~

My sweet dad took 8 pictures of the four of us...I liked Brynne's sweet, happy smile in this one...

...but thought this one was the best overall...

We waited about 45 minutes in a loooong line to eat lunch at my dad's favorite Oak Glen restaurant. Landon killed time by running around and playing~

After lunch Daddy got himself a little treat!

My sweet babies are both very scheduled. They nap every morning at 10 or 10:30. I think this picture was taken about 2pm and Landon had not yet had a nap. Brynne had a pretty good nap asleep in Grandma's arms throughout most of our lunch, lol. They were both VERY tired, just look at those sleepy faces~

These apples smelled absolutely amazing! And they were beautiful to look at, with so many different types and colors. I just LOVE this green, so bright and pretty~

Perhaps Landon's most exciting moment of the whole day! Yep, a good Ol fashioned tractor beats a petting zoo and an outing with 'Myna' and 'PopPop' any day! This kid is all boy, inside and out! He LOVES trucks, planes, trains, and especially tractors! I happen to think this is one of his cutest, most natural pictures ever! You can just see how excited he was~

I wanted to post this picture of sweet Brynne because if you look closely you can see teeth!!

Finally!!

We had so much fun, but by the end of the day we were drained! Exhausted and ready for a nap! BUT, you didn't think we would leave without saying bye to the BIG bear, did ya?

Giving one last hug...

My parents helped us create wonderful memories by taking us to Oak Glen. I just hope I can do the same for Landon and Brynne.
I already can't wait to go back in 2009! For now, I officially feel like it is fall! The weather lately is crisp and cool and breezy. Only 6 weeks until Christmas people!! That is absolutely crazy to me...how is that possible? Where did 2008 go?