Disneyland!

My lovely husband has turned into a Scout fanatic! Who knew?! He went to Woodbadge a couple of weekends ago and has University of Scouting today as well as another weekend of Woodbadge soon and Little Philmont camping trip. So between work and scouts I haven't seen him much. A few weeks ago I saw this good deal for Disneyland and we decided it was a good time to get away for a little bit. Ella had never been and she is finally old enough to enjoy it.

Here is Ella in the car on our way to SoCal. She did pretty well in the car. This was the longest road trip we have ever done with her.

We invited Steve's family to come along. Here is Ella with her cousins, Blake and Brock, and Porter!

Ella loved all the characters. She even got a kiss from Mickey but I didn't have time to pull out my camera! She followed the characters whenever she saw one. I was surprised she wasn't more scared.


She even loved the tea cups! I can't even ride those. They make me so sick!



She was chowing on those chips! I guess it is okay at Disneyland. She loved the Tiki Room show with the talking birds!


We had a wonderful time. A bit short but all we could fit in right now with our schedules. We did 2 days at Disneyland and California Adventure. Ella's favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean! She keeps talking about the rides and the boat. I was surprised how many rides she can go on. We didn't even have time to do them all. Can't wait to go back!

Anniversary, Art Show, RSV, Sista!

Okay...where to begin....Ella had RSV all last week. It was the sickest she has ever been. She couldn't sleep or eat and she was always coughing! It was rough. Now we are trying to break that tantrums and fits since she doesn't get whatever she wants anymore. Super fun time at the Jones'!



Last thursday was our 4 year anniversary. Can't believe it! Unfortunately we hadn't had any sleep the whole week from Ella being sick so we went to bed early! Super Exciting. But I did surprise Steve at work and took him out to lunch at this fun asian restaurant called Zang's. It was a much needed break. My friend watched Ella even though she was sick. Super nice!





Every year Scottsdale hosts a 3 month Art show off Scottsdale Rd. and the 101 in the White Tents. My sister is at this show as she is a fabulous artist! Check her out at www.jensart.com. The picture up top is of one of her new paintings! The show started last weekend so her husband was in town to help her get set up and organized so we all went to Mastro's City Hall Steakhouse for dinner on Friday. We go every year when they are in town but apparently they recently changed ownership and you can tell! The food and service are not nearly as good as it has been in the past. Super disappointing. Oh well, with such great company we had a fabulous time! They also attended church with us and watched the Cardinals spank the Philly's! Not that I follow much football.

It was a super busy week, but aren't they all!

Got this from my SIL...Kind of fun to think of stuff you have done over the years and stuff I still want to do! I tag everyone.

Copy and paste the list. Bold the things you have done...then add one on to the end that is not already there, & tag your friends!

1. Started your own blog 2. Slept under the stars 3. Played in a band 4. Visited Hawaii 5. Watched a meteor shower 6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland 8. Climbed a mountain 9. Held a praying mantis 10. Sang a solo 11. Bungee jumped 12. Visited Paris 13. Watched a lightning storm at sea 14.Taught yourself an art from scratch 15. Adopted a child 16. Had food poisoning 17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty 18. Grown your own vegetables 19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France 20. Slept on an overnight train 21. Had a pillow fight 22. hitch hiked 23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill 24. Built a snow fort 25. Held a lamb 26. Gone skinny dipping 27. Run a 1/2 Marathon 28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice 29. Seen a total eclipse 30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. hit a home run 32.been on a cruise 33. Seen Niagara Falls in person 34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors 35. Seen an Amish community 36. Taught yourself a new language 37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied 38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person 39. Gone rock climbing 40. Seen Michelangelo’s David 41. Sung karaoke 42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt 43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant 44. Visited Africa 45. Walked on a beach by moonlight 46. Been transported in an ambulance 47. Had your portrait painted 48. Gone deep sea fishing 49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person 50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris 51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling 52. Kissed in the rain 53. Played in the mud 54. Gone to a drive-in theater 55. Been in a movie 56. Visited the Great Wall of China 57. Started a business 58. Taken a martial arts class 59. Visited Russia 60. Served at a soup kitchen 61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies 62. Gone whale watching 63. Got flowers for no reason 64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma 65. Gone sky diving 66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp 67. Bounced a check 68. Flown in a helicopter 69. Saved a favorite childhood toy 70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial 71. Eaten Caviar 72. Pieced a quilt 73. Stood in Times Square 74. Toured the Everglades 75. Been fired from a job 76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London 77. Broken a bone. 78.Been on a speeding motorcycle 79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person 80. Published a book 81. Visited the Vatican 82. Bought a brand new car 83. Walked in Jerusalem 84. Had your picture in the newspaper 85. Read the entire Bible 86. Visited the White House 87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating 88. Had chickenpox 89. Saved someone’s life 90. Sat on a jury 91. Met someone famous 92. Joined a book club 93. Lost a loved one 94. Had a baby 95. Seen the Alamo in person 96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake 97. Been involved in a law suit 98. Owned a cell phone 99. Been stung by a bee 100.Made amends with someone who offended you 101. Flew in a small Cessna plane with just you and the pilot 102. Ran out of gas 103. Eaten fried okra 104. Swam in the Caribbean Sea 105. Peed in a swimming pool 106. Stayed in a beach house 107. Hosted an exchange student 108. Been a Secret Santa to a family in need 109. Worked on a political campaign 110. Coached a sports team 111. Baked bread from scratch 112. Driven from coast to coast 113. Paid off all of your debt 114. Roast marshmallows over a campfire 115. Cut up a credit card 116. Drove a car through a flood 117. Been on t.v 118. Had braces 119. Been to the top of the twin towers in NY. 120. Have played in both the Atlantic & Pacific Oceans 121. Been to ground zero 122. Bitten your fingernails 123. Scrapbooked 124. Visited Mexico 125. Seen a Tornado in person 126. Been lost at sea 127. Kissed a frog. 128. Given birth to twins. 129. Received 2 moving violation tickets in 1 day. 130. Taught English in a foreign country 131. Gone rappelling 132. Been to the top of the Empire State Building 133. Had a serious surgery 134. Donated your hair 135. Gave someone scriptures 136. Witnessed someone else's baby being born 137. Ran from the police

My Birth Week!

This kind of rambles...feel free to skip or skim read!
Yes, I have a whole week dedicated to my birth. I highly suggest it...it is much more fun. Last monday on the 29th I officially turned 25! As my dad put it, I am a quarter of a century old. Everyone always asks me if I liked having a birthday right after Christmas. Well, I have never known any different so I don't know if another way is better but I have never minded. My mom was always very good about keeping them separate. She never gave me an extra present at Christmas and counted that. I always got my presents on my birthday in birthday wrapping paper, not Christmas! I always kind of liked it because I got just as much as everyone else for Christmas and then more. So I thought I was pretty cool. Plus, after Christmas there is always so many sales I could go shopping and get a lot. And lastly I was brought home from the hospital in a christmas stocking! I have a picture and it is super cute. The only thing I can think of that I hated was not going to school on my birthday so my friends could decorate my locker and have parties in class and stuff. I am over that now!
I believe I had a total of 5 events last week for my birthday. I have some awesome family and friends who kept wanting to take me out...and I was happy to oblige them. I was definitely surprised by how many people cared enough to call or make plans with me or something for my birthday. I received calls from people I have known all my life but live far away and from newer friends who wanted to take me to lunch or dinner. I also received an IPod from my familia which I played with all day on New Years and put on a total of 825 songs. I don't leave home without it.
I think birthdays are very special and I want my children to feel the same way. That for one day out of the year the world revolves around them and they are important and can do anything.
I have never minded growing older and this year was no different. Can't wait to party again next year!

Christmas has arrived!

Yesterday was one of the best days of the year! When Steve got home he said that there were packages on the doorstep. I brought them in and they were our presents from my Mom and Dad! So excited. I opened the boxes because me mom wraps all the presents individually in the boxes. It always makes me so happy to open their presents on Christmas when we don't get to see much of my family! So I get very giddy! My mom also sent me my birthday present since it is on the 29th (big 25!). So it was a happy night. It has made me excited for Christmas and actually makes me want to do my Christmas shopping since I haven't started yet and have not been wanting to with a crazy 2 year old. But now I am getting all organized!
I am also sending out Christmas cards this week. If I don't have your address, send it to me on here or at blondelola1331@hotmail.com and I will send you one. Now the presents are sitting under the tree and have managed to stay wrapped this far! I am not one to cheat and Ella so far hasn't realized what they are. As you can see in the picture she was more excited about the box and packing stuff then the presents.
The other pictures are of Ella with her cousins Blake and Brock from a couple of weeks ago. Merry Christmas!

Family Pictures

Last month we got some family pictures done. We really hadn't had any done since Ella was born so it was about time. They turned out so nice. Steve's sister-in-law did them and it is so exciting. I haven't decided which ones to use for our family picture and our Christmas cards but I definitely need to get on that!
So here are a couple that we really like. The one with me and Steve cracks me up because if you know my husband.....he will not take a cute normal picture. He will make fun of the situation somehow so this is what he was doing. I absolutely love the one where Ella is giving me a kiss. I can rarely get her to give me one but she is so cute.
We had a very nice thanksgiving at Steve's parents house. Some family couldn't be there so it was pretty small but we all had a good time. I made rolls for the first time and they were pretty good. We ate a ton!

The day has come....

I know I haven't updated in a while. I don't have any pictures to post. Oh well I can still give an update. I feel like October flew by and I don't know where it went. I think my head still thinks it is the middle of October. Where to begin...First off...Halloween. It didn't quite go as I expected. Ella decided not to wear her costume. When I tried to put it on for our Trunk or Treat she threw a massive fit! I bought her a pirate costume complete with a badana and hat and belt and boots. The only thing that made it on her was the dress. I settled for that and went. I didn't feel like a battle on Halloween so I didn't even try. So, no pictures of her in her cute costume. Maybe next year!
Besides that Ella continues to be very busy and very funny. Although she has started this new thing that drives me insane. She says "no" to everything! Not only does she say "no," she accompanies that with a shake of her head and then runs away. My little diva!
As my post is titled "The day has come" here is my story. This morning I checked on Ella at 8am and she was still sleeping. So I went back to bed to lay down as I have not been sleeping the best lately. At 8:15 I hear a loud thump followed by a top of the lungs scream! I run in her bedroom and she is laying on the floor in front of her crib. She climbed/fell out! I am not ready for this at all. So we removed her bumper pad so hopefully if she doesn't have that to help boost her she won't be able to get out. We shall see! She has a very nice bruise on her forehead though.

Lastly...a little shout out to my dad who won his 3rd election 70% to 30%. He may be the last remaining republican in Oregon! Congrats Dad!