Mother's Day 2015

This year I enjoyed such a wonderful Mother's Day.

I splurged on a Vitamix (on HUGE sale at Costco!) a few weeks before, so I told Chad that should be my gift for Mother's Day.  I really meant it.  He didn't listen....good for him.

Celebrations began the night before, with a delicious steak dinner cooked by my sweetie.  On Sunday morning I slept in, and woke up to coffee and presents in bed with my precious family.  Then we joined Chad's parents (Barbara and Paul) for a lovely church service.  Afterwards was a delicious brunch at the local Starving Artist Bistro, outside on the patio enjoying the perfect weather.  Then we came home and the entire family napped for a solid 2 hours.  Just glorious!

Easter 2015

We sure had a lovely Easter celebration this year!  We had an enjoyable morning at home with breakfast and Easter baskets for the girls. After attending church with Chad's parents (Barbara and Paul), we hosted Easter dinner at our house for the first time.  We had Barbara and Paul and their friend Zhiling (visiting from China), Cliff and Melody, Dick and Debbie and their friend Billie, and our friend Rupee.  Our meal was complemented with homemade samosas from Rupee and homemade egg rolls from Zhiling.  After Tess's big Easter egg hunt, we had strawberry pizza and lemon cupcakes for dessert -- yum!

Sweet sleeping bunny...

Earlier in the week, New Harvest Childcare Center (where the girls attend part-time) put together a special live Easter performance where all of the kids acted out parts of the Easter story.  Below is some video I took of the performances, showing the scene along the streets of Jerusalem, the "last supper," and Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Tess makes her debut in the 3rd scene; she is one of the crowd who shouts "Crucify him!"  She gave quite the convincing performance!  

Kate's First Birthday

Birthday poster at NHCC

This past year has flown by like no other! It's so hard to believe our sweet "Baby Kate" is a year old.  What a joy and privilege it has been to watch her develop a darling little personality to go along with her beautiful face. This precious girl makes having babies such a wonderful experience.  We continually marvel that she is very much Tess's sister but also her own, unique little person.  

We had an extended birthday celebration since we had family coming in from out of town (Grandma Meg and Uncle Dan).  On Thursday (the day before her birthday), her teachers at New Harvest Childcare celebrated Kate by making her a special birthday poster (adorable pic below).  Miss Erika knows that Kate loves kitties so she drew a poster of Duchess just for Kate.

Birthday Nap & Snuggles

On Friday (her actual birthday), I took the day off work to spend with my baby girl and Grandma Meg.  We went out to breakfast and then I spent a glorious hour on the couch with Kate napping on me.  Later in the day we visited NHCC so that her teachers and friends could wish her a "happy birthday."  The rest of the day was spent in final preparations for her "Berry Sweet" first birthday party.

On Sunday we had all of our immediate family and grandparents (plus a few close friends) over to the house for Kate's party.  We served lunch and had a wonderful time talking and celebrating.  My dear friend Laura came just to take pictures so that I didn't have to worry about it.  My wonderful grandparents (Kate's great grandparents) performed a beautiful and touching dedication prayer for our sweet girl. We had delicious strawberry cake from Barb's Cakery in Fresno and spent the last hour or so opening thoughtful and generous birthday presents.  It was a perfect and exhausting day!  

While Tess was walking about 3 weeks before her first birthday, little Kate is taking her time.  She's just perfected a normal crawl and has started pulling up a bit.  We don't feel any need to rush her!  She's working on a few more teeth and enjoying more table food.  She is still "deliciously petite" -- around 18 pounds, and in the 10-15th percentile for both height and weight.  Her eyes are still a beautiful shade of blue and we believe they'll stay that way.  We love our little "Sprout" so much!

Below are all of the pics from her "Berry Sweet Celebration."

Everlee's 4th Birthday

Last Saturday we drove up to Modesto to help celebrate our niece Everlee's 4th birthday.  What a party!  Our sister-in-law went all out with a mermaid theme, complete with mermaid tails for all the party guests.  Princess Ariel even made a visit!  

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day from our little loves!

Our Holiday Celebrations

As usual, we had a very busy holiday season spending time with our many (many, many, many) loved ones.  We were so busy we only got one family picture!  We enjoyed watching Tess thoroughly immersed in all things Christmas, including Santa and the story of Baby Jesus, and it was so wonderful celebrating this year as a family of four with our precious Kate.  

Our festivities began on Monday the 23rd with a day trip to Hollister, to visit with the Dryden family.  Santa even made an appearance and handed out presents to all the littles!  

On Christmas Eve we attended a candle light service at The Southgate Church, where my Aunt and Uncle are pastors, and then hosted Grandpa Cliff, Grandma Melody, Uncle Dick, Aunt Debbie, and "Auntie" Valerie at our house for dinner and stocking stuffers.

We had a leisurely Christmas morning at home as a family, and then headed to Reedley for an afternoon of presents and dinner with the Unruhs (including Great Grandma Fern and Great Grandpa Quentin), as well as Chad's mom and stepdad.  

The day after Christmas we celebrated with Grandma Barbara and Grandpa Paul, along with Uncle Chris, Aunt Kristi, and cousins Elise and Everlee.  On Saturday we celebrated with Grandpa Geoff and Nana Toni.

Can you believe that's not all?!

On New Year's Day, we continued with our annual tradition of celebrating with the extended Unruh family at Uncle Jim and Aunt Debbie's.  It was wonderful to see everyone and exchange gifts!  The following day we had a special weekend visit from Grandma Meg and Great Uncle Dan so that we could have a belated Christmas celebration with them, too.

It was a whirlwind, like always, but full of love and fun and great memories.  Now, on to 2015!

Pre-Christmas Fun!

We've had lots of fun leading up to Christmas...it's felt full but not too busy this year! Below are some pics of our pre-Christmas activities: "Birthday Party for Jesus" at Riverpark Bible Church -- a fun kids' celebration complete with a pancake breakfast, crafts, carols, bounce houses, cookie decorating, a living nativity, and miniature horse rides! PrideStaff's annual holiday part at Fort Washington Country Club -- always a wonderful night with our work friends (and some family, since my cousin Maribeth also works with me!). Quarterly "team building" with my department at work -- we joined up after hours for a fun night of making appetizers and dessert at Young Chefs Academy. Picking out and decorating our Christmas tree! Thank you, Bella Fruta, for the most beautiful tree we've ever had. Baking peppernuts and making/decorating sugar cookies with Grandma Melody, Aunt Debbie, "Auntie" Valerie, and Grandma Barbara. Visiting Santa Claus and making the formal request for the "Magiclip Collection" (the number one item on Tess's Christmas list!). Holiday sleepover with our friend Lily, complete with makeup, pedicures, holiday movies, and Christmas crafts! 

 

Thanksgiving At Tahoe

We spent Thanksgiving week enjoying our family home at Northstar in Lake Tahoe.  Now that we have two kiddos, our gratitude for this wonderful place to make memories (and vacation affordably and conveniently) continues to grow.

The week was pretty low-key with lots of quiet down time for all of us, but here are some highlights:

--Quality time with my Mom & Uncle
--Walks along the golf course
--Tess's first time ice skating (video below)
--Preparing our first Thanksgiving meal, which was delicious
--Taking outdoor family photos
--Shopping and coffee in downtown Truckee
--A wonderful "date night" at Pianeta in downtown Truckee
--A light snowstorm
--Tess's first time sledding (video below)

I took along a few projects and was thrilled to complete most of them during our time there, too.  We drank lots of coffee, sat by the fire morning and night, watched TV and movies, I read a book, and enjoyed lots of home-cooked food.  It was great!  On to Christmas and New Year's!

 

Birthday & Kate Video

Birthday celebrations with my little love --
the one who made me a mother,
the best version of myself.

Birthday celebrations this year were simple and meaningful, and I thoroughly enjoyed time with my family this week.  We had dinner with my parents on Monday night (see adorable video of bouncing Kate, below!), and Chad and I were able to have a date night at Ruth's Chris on Friday.  On my actual birthday (Tuesday), Tess had her ballet showcase and we enjoyed our monthly "cousins playdate" afterward.  

Despite some extra pounds and wrinkles, I am choosing to embrace my age and my accomplishments with confidence and grace!  I can officially say that I am "in my prime," after having celebrated my 37th birthday.  This is a shockingly high number to me, waaay too close to 40 for comfort, but in spite of that my heart is full.  I am blessed beyond measure, have more than I need and there is very little that I want -- none of which is beyond reach.  The only thing I feel I am missing, which I am determined to obtain in this "prime" year, is a feeling of vitality (possibly due to the little ones who consume my days?).  I am not one for making pronouncements or sweeping life changes, but in the quiet recesses of my heart I am asking God to help me make healthy choices on a daily basis.  Nutrition, moderation, water, vitamins, exercise, rest, mindfulness, and prayer.  More than anything I want to set a positive example for my girls, life a healthy and disciplined life (physically, mentally, and spiritually), and have the energy and strength to actively participate in all that their childhood has to offer.  So, having put that in writing, it is time to get busy.  Or should I wait until January 1st like the rest of the world?  I mean, we do have Thanksgiving and Christmas to endure...

Riverpark Ladies' Tea - "Bountiful Blessings"

No real reason for this post other than to share these pics of my ADORABLE little "Baby Kate" in a beautiful dress and hat that her Aunt Kristi bought for her when she was born.  We attended the "Ladies Tea" at Riverpark Bible Church with my mother-in-law, and it was the perfect occasion for this outfit.  I am glad I stumbled across it in her closet, or we might have missed the chance to wear it altogether!  

As a side note, the tea itself was lovely, with the theme of "God's Bountiful Blessings"....my mom, aunt, and friend attended with us, I made a new friend, and the guest speaker was an old friend from high school.  Kate's appearance was short; she started to get fussy as we began to eat, so Grandpa came to the rescue and babysat while we finished at the party.  (It takes a village!)

Tess's 3rd Birthday

We celebrated Tess's 3rd birthday with a small get together of just immediate family and a few close friends.  We had about 20 people join us for swimming, a delicious Mexican feast, cake, and presents in the backyard of our wonderful Aunt Debbie and Uncle Dick.  We thoroughly enjoyed having everyone together to celebrate our sweet girl.  Below are some pics of the day, and a video of Tess taking her first successful bike ride. 

Tess seemed to have a lot of fun playing on the trampoline and swimming with her cousins and best friends.  Baby Kate was the star of the party, though, making her first "swimsuit debut" and taking her first dip in the pool.

We had Tess's cake made by Barb's Cakery in Fresno -- they make delicious cakes and are becoming a family favorite for us!  I sent them a picture of the party invite and they were able to match the colors and décor, no problem.  Of course Tess managed to get her finger in the side of the cake before I could even take a picture of it....but it was her cake, so that's okay!

 

 

 

 

It's Potty Time!

She's SO gonna hate me someday for sharing this, but I couldn't resist!  We are well on our way to being potty trained!  Last week Tess finally (FINALLY!) went peepee on the potty at home, after MONTHS of talking about it and having occasional successes at preschool.  We are now in full pee-on-the-potty mode, and wearing big girl panties during the day.  Our next big objective is figuring out how to make #2 happen on the potty...then after that, staying dry during nighttime.  Meanwhile, we are celebrating the small successes in a BIG way and having fun with the adventure!

 

Another Year Older...& An Overnight Getaway

Well, it happened....I turned 36.  I'm really not a huge fan of this number, or the changes I am feeling (and seeing!) that go along with aging, but I would be lying if I said I have ANY legitimate complaints about my life!  I am so beyond blessed.  I find I want much less "fanfare" for my birthday as the years go by, and I do not want or expect extravagant gifts, so it allows me to truly delight in the small pleasures.  I had the day off work, and got to spend it with my precious girl at our monthly play date with our cousins.  Later in the week we enjoyed a simple family dinner in Reedley, and the gift giving continued with the gals from my Bible Study, various girlfriends, and the other side of the family over Thanksgiving weekend.  Like I said, nothing extravagant was opened, as least not as far as monetary value....but each gift given was something a dear friend or family member picked out with me in mind, and was something I would not have bought for myself. I guess I can't think of a better way to get older, than surrounded by people who love and cherish me and delight to give me thoughtful treats! 

 

On a more vain note....a new skin care regimen starts on January 1st.  I have every intention of returning the "gifts" of age spots and fine lines (and crows feet, it seems)!  And thank God for hair color.  I'm just sayin'.

 

The weekend after my birthday, Chad and I ventured up to San Francisco for an absolutely fabulous day/evening in the city with our dear friends the McDonalds.  Theresa's birthday is also in November, and the guys planned a fantastic getaway for us!  We couldn't have picked a more beautiful day in the city.  We spent the afternoon shopping at the Ferry Building and Union Square, had a delicious picnic on the wharf next to the Bay Bridge, and had an amazing Italian dinner in North Beach at Trattoria Contadina.  It felt SO GOOD to do something completely grown up!  I felt spoiled...but was ready to get home to my sweet girl after breakfast on Sunday morning.  Another HUGE thank you to our parents (this time Paul & Barbara) for keeping Tess overnight, and our super trustworthy (and Tess's favorite) babysitter Emma for making the little getaway possible for us!

Tess's Turns Two...Again, And Again!

Tess celebrated her second birthday with many festivities up and down the state!  An early celebration with the Suich family in Fullerton...a birthday playdate with her cousins Wesley, Annabelle, and Colette...a special birthday dinner with our dear friends the McDonalds...an intimate family celebration with her Reedley family (and our friend from Germany Kurt Klaiber)...and finally a semi-big party with all of the grandparents, some great grandparents, some honorary grandparents, and our dear friends from Germany Susi and Arne.  Below are pictures of all the activity!  This girl is truly loved -- AND so incredibly lovable!  Happy birthday, baby girl!

So-Cal Mini Vacay

Last weekend we took a mini-vacay down to Southern California to see a variety of family, and have a little early birthday celebration for our Tess. 

We arrived at the Suich home late Friday night and had a very low-key day on Saturday, starting with a long walk around the CSU Fullerton campus and its Arboretum.  In the afternoon we attended a church picnic and stopped to play at a gorgeous park in the area, while capturing some really adorable pictures of Tess.  Chad and I also got to sneak in a great dinner date (sushi) thanks to Grandma & Grandpa's willingness to babysit! 

Sunday we took Tess for a stroll around our favorite mall (we spent lots of time hanging out there when we were young and kid-free!), and spent the afternoon getting ready for a big family dinner/early birthday party for Tess.  Grandma Meg coordinated all the decorations and cake for a Bubble Guppies-themed evening, which Tess just loved! 

On Monday we had a nice family outing to the Santa Ana Zoo.  Since we are Fresno zoo members, our admission was just $5.00!  We had a light lunch, played in their park area, and then looked at the small selection of animals (mostly monkeys) and visited the petting zoo. 

We headed out from Fullerton on Tuesday morning...our destination was Oxnard, where our other parental unit (the Unruhs) were at Channel Islands Harbor with their 24-foot sailboat.  The goal was to take Tess on her first sail, which didn't pan out like we thought it would.  She was all smiles when we got to the boat, and enjoyed investigating the cabin and cockpit, but once we put the lifejacket on her, things got dicey....and then she went into meltdown.  This resulted in some "time out" with Mommy down below, after which we FINALLY got under way, only to have Tess pass out from exhaustion in the cabin.  We had a WONDERFUL sail (complete with a dolphin escort as we returned to the harbor),  but she slept through the entire thing.  She woke up as we were docked and tidying up from the outing, in time to have a light lunch before we hit the road for Fresno.  Oh well!  She had a good sleep, and I know from personal experience that boat naps are some of the best. 

Below are some pictures of our fun weekend, complete with birthday, zoo, and sailing adventures.  Enjoy!

Mother's Day 2013

We had a very busy Mother's Day this year...not much pampering for this Mama, but that's okay! I did get to sleep in and enjoy a delicious breakfast made by my sweetie. We skipped church to spend time together as a family clean house, wrap gifts and prep for the day's festivities. We spent the afternoon in Reedley celebrating with my parents, aunt/uncle and some friends, and then in the evening we hosted Chad's parents for dinner. We had a very special, last-minute surprise guest -- my Mom drove up from Fullerton for a few days and was able to join us for dinner. Tess got to see three of her grandmas in the same day! We ate lots of great food, had wonderful conversation, and even exchanged gifts. Chad got me a beautiful glassybaby votive to add to my collection. And I got some adorable pictures of Tess, although none of us together...woops!

 

The first pic below is of a gift that Tess made for me at daycare.  The teachers there planned a wonderful "Muffins With Mom" event on May 8th where us moms got to have breakfast and spend quality time with the little ones in the morning.  We each received a photo album of pictures of our kids (engaged in various fun daycare activities -- painting, playing, etc.), a jar of homemade hand scrub, and a little potted plant painted by our respective child.  It was really fun and special!  We continue to be so blessed by New Harvest Childcare Center and full of gratitude for how well they nurture our most precious little treasure. 

Happy St. Pat's!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! We celebrated the weekend of my most favorite holiday with an Irish-themed dinner party with friends, complete with a Guinness roast, corned beef and cabbage, roasted potatoes and carrots, and lots of Irish liquir (car bombs included!. On Sunday, we had a family gathering in honor of Grandma Vida's 92nd birthday. Chris and Kristi came down with their girls for the day and Grandma was able to really enjoy her celebration. It was a fun-filled weekend and a great start to an adventurous week!

Tahoe Weekend

Last weekend we spent 3 days and 3 nights up at Chad's family's home in Lake Tahoe.  We invited our dear friends The Cutlips (Troy, Carrie, Caden and Ryder) and The Stricklands (Kelly, Monica, Brandt and Reed) to join us and had a wonderful time!  With 6 adults and 5 kids (all 8 and under) there was plenty of activity, yet for me the time was thoroughly relaxing.  The boys played outside or did crafts indoors, Tess got lots of lap time and attention, and the ladies got in all the girl talk we wanted.  We watched the snow melt, ventured out into the rain, shopped the Village at Northstar, read magazines, watched HGTV and movies, and ate delicious food.  While we were there, I celebrated my 35th birthday just the way I wanted -- a quiet day surrounded by loved ones and delicious meals, with 2 naps included! We are grateful to have such a beautiful place available to us and we are blessed to have such great friends (and their kiddos) to share it with. 

Below are some of the pics I took ~ enjoy!

Fall Weekend Getaway

This past weekend we enjoyed a wonderful getaway.  The excuse was for our annual holiday get-together with Chad's extended family, the Drydens, which was hosted in Hollister on Saturday by his Uncle Dave and Auntie Kim.  We decided to extend the trip, with the help of "Grandma" (Chad's mom), who volunteered to watch Tess for us.  So on Friday, Chad and I were able to get away to the Monterey Plaza Hotel & Spa for a relaxing night and morning to ourselves.  We had a fun time sleeping in, having a leisurely breakfast, and walking Cannery Row.  I bought a copy of Steinbeck's book Cannery Row from the souvenir shop that was the original "Lee Chong's Market" in the book and have been enjoying reading it.  From there we traveled to Hollister for our family celebration, which included pumpkin carving, trick-or-treating for the kiddos, and a delicious meal.  On Sunday we (Chad, his mom, and myself) took Tess to Gilroy Gardens (her second trip there!) so that we could see what all their Halloween decorations and festivities were about. 

 

We came home late Sunday night, tired from a busy weekend but feeling mentally refreshed from our short trip!  Click on the photo below to link to our album of pictures. 

The Big ONE!

We had a wonderful time with friends and family celebrating our little Tess turning ONE!  Her party was on August 18th at the home of my amazingly generous and hospitable Aunt Debbie and Uncle Dick.  They have a gorgeous backyard and pool, as you'll see in the pics below!  It was HOT but not totally unbearable, and our guests enjoyed a light lunch, cake, swimming, and watching Tess open her presents.  We are so grateful to everyone who helped us with the party, from the planning and setup and hosting and serving to the tearing down and cleaning up! 

Some time ago we had the idea to incorporate a dedication ceremony into her first birthday party.  We wanted to do this because it's important to us that everyone who's important to us (and who we are important to) know how we intend to raise our child(ren): to have a personal relationship with God and an understanding of their eternal purpose, and to be a blessing to everyone they meet in word and deed.  Since we do not attend a typical/traditional church, we didn't have an automatic venue for this type of event.  We realized that all the people we'd want at her dedication were the same people we wanted at her party, so we combined the two.  While it was a short ceremony -- just 10 minutes or so at the beginning of the party -- it was packed with meaning.  We were so blessed to have my cousin Andy (who is also a pastor) lead, and the three of us prayed over Tess and also invited anyone in the audience to pray for her and/or speak a blessing over her.  Although she was squirmy and a little loud, we believe the words spoken over Tess made a mark on her and will play an important part in her upbringing!

I was so glad that the party turned out exactly like I'd planned, although it was pretty much exhausting!  It kinda felt like throwing a small-to-medium sized wedding, with the 80+ people who attended.  Needless to say I will not be hosting such a huge shindig every birthday, but it was a fun and memorable way to celebrate Tess's first year.

 

A special "thank you" goes to my dear friend Tiffany for taking all of the party pics!