going back to 2012....legoland

my bff laura had free tickets to legoland so we hooked up with other bff, natalie, and our kids the weekend before thanksgiving.  this place is hands down the best for little ones.  we all had so much fun, especially jake who was so excited about EVERYTHING.  his favorites were the lego animals of course.  sophie was a trooper who just chilled in the stroller the whole time.

 looking for gold

 excuse the red lips...he had just finished a sucker.

when he saw this lion, he was so excited to run up and jump on it!

 of course we find the animals!

 pooped!  we stayed at natalie's house since she lives 5 minutes from legoland.  laura left back the next day for san jose after a long night of catching up with the sj bffs of over 25+ years.  still can't believe we kids the same age.  i love it!

going back to 2012...sophie at 6 months

my darling sophie.  she's growing so fast and catching up to her supposed weight/height.  she doesn't have a hearty appetite when it comes to formula so i'm excited to see how she does on baby food.  she's just starting try and sit up but falls over after a few seconds.  she loves attention and to be held which can be difficult for a second child.  she's definitely a mommy's girl and looks for me every time she hears my voice.  you are so beautiful and daddy tells you that every day.  he always tells me, "we have the most beautiful daughter."  i love shopping for her and really need to stop but hey...she's my last one so that's how i justify it.  jake's not too interested in her yet but i know as she starts moving and talking he will be.  

going back to 2012...morning runs

 just a quick picture of how we roll on saturday mornings and during vacation time.  jake and i have shared our running/stroller time now for almost three years and now sophie gets in on it, too.  it's one of my favorite times and the kids love it.  running joke...it was probably 70 degrees outside on this day but mommy don't play when it comes to keeping warm.

i know my time is limited with them in the stroller and i can't put into words how much i'll miss this time together.

happy anniversary

matt and i got married 4 years ago today.  a simple ceremony in santa barbara.  just us two.  the most wonderful day.  the beginning of all of what we have.

we celebrated it today with dinner and dancing the kids.  

us back in the day before kiddos.

happy new year

happy new year.

i'm not a resolution type girl mainly because every day i'm striving to be better.  a better mother.  a better wife.  a better person.  so 2013 is no different.  i hope to do many things better this year with being a great wife and mom at the top of the list.  new year's eve was a regular night for us.  sophie was down at 7, jake asleep by 9ish, matt asleep by 10 and me up catching up on my TV shows while the house is quiet.  didn't make it for the countdown but we usually don't.  its been an amazing year, with the best day being sophie's birth and the rest of the days marveling at the family we created.  i cannot be more thankful for what we have.  i hope to remember this during the times i'm ready to pull my hair out dealing with the kids.  they are my greatest joy in life and my greatest challenge.

more later about the last ACTIVITY FILLED two months when we get back from celebrating today at my family's house.

building a lego farm with daddy on new year's eve

 "scarf" = old samoan remedy. rub on some vicks and then wrap a cloth tightly around the neck.  cough goes away.  i have to say i laughed at first when matt did it but it worked.