We're Home...

And I have piles of laundry to do, a huge stack of bills to pay and over 300 pictures to edit. Needless to say, here is one of my favorites to hold you over until I can get the rest uploaded to the blog.
We had a fantastic time and I can't wait to share the memories with all of you.

Overnight Delivery

Dear Dallen,

Even though we bought you a brand new, expensive, cute, comfortable car seat you still hate being in the car. So instead of taking you on the long drive to San Diego, we are gonna ship you to Mimi and Grandpa’s house. Have fun, see you when we get there!!


Just kidding!! We are driving through the night so you can sleep the whole time ;) Your welcome. Love, Momma and Daddy

California…here we come!!

When life hands you lemons...

Earlier this week our TV decided to crap out on us just one month after the warranty expired!! How does a TV only last one year?!?! As if that wasn't enough, the air conditioning in my car crapped out yesterday, in the heat of the summer!! But, when life hands you lemons...count your blessings!!

LAZY DAYS

{Camera phone picture}I am so grateful to be a stay-at-home mom. The last few weeks I have been really lazy, not going anywhere (cause its too darn HOT), just lounging around the house with little D. For a while I was feeling kinda guilty about not getting anything accomplished, but then I thought about it and decided, I am spending time with Dallen that I will never get back if I don’t. So bring on the LAZY DAYS before they pass me by!!

Big Ones. Small Ones.

Some as big as your head.
Dallen is ALL boy!! Most of the time I love it but sometimes it totally wears me out!! Big D loves to play with a ball, be it a basketball, football, musical ball, squishy ball, you get the point...he loves it!! Here are some super cute videos of Dallen playing with some of his favorite toys :)

BIG BOY BASKETBALL

SQUISHY DALLEN SIZE BASKETBALL

FOOTBALL (don't worry, its very soft!!)


And a few more pictures...

Big D is getting Bigger

Today Dallen is 10 months old!! Time is flying faster than I ever thought it could and Dallen is growing bigger than I ever imagined. Today we bought Dallen a new car seat because he has completely outgrown his baby one. He used to barely fit in that thing, it drawfed him, remember this...


And now, look at this big kid!! I swear, if I blink my eyes he is going to be taller than me. I just love this little kid so much and wish he would stop growing so darn fast! Happy 10 month birthday Dallen :) We love you!

Another year...

This anniversary was...DELICIOUS!!! Mark and I have spent the last 3 anniversaries in Scottsdale, that's where all the nice restaurants are. This year was my favorite meal yet. For those of you who have never been to Ruth's Chris Steak House, I am sad for you. It is by far, the best steak you will ever eat in your life. It is well worth every shiny penny!! The restaurant is really fancy and when you call ahead and say its your anniversary, they decorate your table, treat you like VIP's and give you free dessert!! Mark and I both ordered the exact same thing...we must be married! A delicious, melt in your mouth (literally) filet mignon. Dad, I know you are drooling right now, sorry!! Anyway, we owe a huge thank you to Mom and Dad for your generous gift and a HUGE thank you to Aunt Connie for watching Dallen. Little D told me all about your super fun time and wants to know when he can come back!?!?! Thank you to everyone who posted their well wishes. And a big thank you to my husband for a wonderful dinner and a blissful year. I love you and look forward to next year!!
You can tell in our eyes these pictures were taken after a way too big yet perfectly satisfying meal :) Yum!!

4 years of marriage has brought:

The most beautiful day:

Three years of law school:

Nine months of this:

The cutest kid ever:

A happy little family:

Ups and downs, happy and sad days, tears and smiles, trials and blessings, and through it all LOVE:
Thank you for everything!! Happy Anniversary!!

*The Valley of the Sun*

It is HOT and it is BRIGHT and in case you were wondering, we had THE HOTTEST July on record!! It has been on average 115 degrees every day!! Being a CA girl myself I have never known the feeling of dreading summer, but now that we are AZ residents...bring on the winter :)

Impossible Balance

There is this impossible balance that comes with being a mommy. When your baby is little you want them to stay little forever but at the same time you want to watch them grow. Before Dallen could crawl I would think, “I can’t wait until he can crawl, it will be so fun” and it is, however there are times when I think “I wish he were still too small to crawl and I could just hold him”. Luckily, although I haven't found the balance between wanting him to grow and keeping him small forever, it is still a win-win situation!! Here are some photos to demonstrate how quickly things change:

I remember when Dallen was 3 months old and would just lay in his jungle gym and look up at the hanging animals. I was so excited that he was interested and would reach up to play:

When Dallen was 4 months, he could just barely stand hanging on to the tree branches of the jungle:

Now, Dallen climbs all over this thing. He is way taller than the jungle, and stronger too. Just a few months later and this thing hardly holds his interest anymore!!

::seriously sweet::

My friend from college, Alexia, recently decided to become a professional photographer and I am so glad she did because I am reaping the benefits!! While on our last vacation to California, Alexia drove down to take pictures of Dallen at my parents gorgeous home and in their amazing backyard. Unfortunately, I didn't time it so well and we had to pull Dallen out of his nap and he was not so happy about it. Although he wouldn't smile for a single picture, Alexia got some incredible pictures if I do say so myself. It's a good thing Dallen has such a sweet serious face. I know I will cherish these pictures forever.


I was so worried I was gonna have to jump in after Dallen, but he stayed in the basket for a few pictures and I'm so glad he did because these turned out so cute!!
His little tiny hand on the rock and even his grumpy face in this picture just melt my heart.


Hey Grandpa, is this how you get a hole in one?





This is probably one of my favorite ones. This is how I see Dallen most of the day...crawling around with his concentration face on!! This picture will always bring back great memories of my baby Dallen.


My precious baby boy!! I love him soooo much :)
She converted a few to black and white, and they look priceless...




If you live in the Southern California area and are in need of an amazing child photographer, visit Alexia's website: http://www.tybebe.com/ or blog: http://www.tybebe.blogspot.com/ for more information!! Thanks again Alexia :)