Thank You

When I decided to do a blog, I did it more for everyone else than myself.  I really struggled at first...trying to find things to write about, remembering to take pictures in order to make the blog interesting, and just getting motivated to sit down and write.  I also did it because my friend, Becky's, blog is awesome and I was thinking if I was half the blogger she is, maybe someone would want to read mine.  Click here if you want to see what I am talking about when I say Becky is awesome.
Now, over a year later, I am really enjoying blogging.  I have discovered that I love documenting our lives online, allowing you to read about our family adventures.  I also have learned I love taking pictures.  Maybe I love taking them because I have an adorable daughter who just happens to be photogenic like her daddy, have a fancy camera, or live in a city that begs to be photographed, it doesn't much matter.  I love taking pictures. I have also learned I love reading blogs, whether they be about strangers, photography, or cooking.  I just love being part of what I would call a "blogging community."
However, the most fulfilling thing about blogging are the comments I get from those of you who read.  I LOVE hearing that you enjoy the blog and I love that our family and friends from far away can keep in touch with us in one more way.  So, I wanted to say THANK YOU to all of you who read, who have told me you read, and those of you who have left comments over the last year!!  You are what has kept me blogging.
Lots of love, Alana

I don't want to forget (part 2)...

*If you want to see part 1, click here.

how cute Addy is when she crawls.  She crawls perfectly and it was totally worth the wait.

how much Addy loves to "sing" and "dance".  It makes my heart smile.

Please excuse my singing in the background...

and yes, my daughter will know her nursery rhythms thanks to a present from Shannon Fuson.

 how cute Addy's cloth diapered booty looks in her jeans. 

 (Is it weird I think my daughters big booty is cute?)

how much Addy loves books.

(and without pictures)

how much Addy loves blueberries, 

lights up when her daddy gets home, 

and how she looks when she is trying to learn something new and gets really this concentrated look on her face.

Decorations Down

Christmas is over, has been over for over a month, and guess who finally took her decorations down last weekend?  Yup, that would be me.  I guess taking my beloved tree and decorations was just not on the top of my list.  And which person in my house suddenly had an interest in the decorations once they were going down, yup, that would be the love bug.

Mmmmm...what is in this box?  Looks fun.

Wow, these somehow look different now they are in a box.

 This horn (from the fun box) is awesome!

The tree looks fun too...

Okay, Mommy, enough pictures.

While Addy was not super into the decorations while they were up, it was fun to see how interested she was when I was putting them away.  It makes me that much more excited for next year!

My Momma's Birthday

If you have ever met me, you have probably heard me talk about my mom.  She is an amazing lady who has lived a life full of trials and tribulations but has never let that stop her from living life.  Not only did she raise my sisters and I as best as she could, but she also set a great example for us of how to be kind, help others, and enjoy life.  Now that I am a mom, I appreciate mine all that much more.  May I be as good of a mom as she was to me.
This weekend was my momma's birthday.  In our family we celebrate everything, but especially birthdays.  So, Saturday we went shopping at the outlets and had G-ma, Alana, & Addy bonding time. Sunday, Mom went to breakfast with some of our family, the movies with my aunt & sister (Thanks Aunt Nancy & Alison!), and then Mom & Alison headed to the coast to meet up with Tim, Addy, me, & Alison's boyfriend, Brad.   We went to the beautiful Beach House restaurant in Cardiff by the Sea and enjoyed a sunset dinner by the ocean.  Fabulous way to celebrate a birthday, end a weekend, and take some pictures. 

*Disclaimer, I did not want to hurt my new camera at dinner, so the following pictures were taken with my old, not as fancy, camera.

 And we must not forget, the beautiful sunset.

Happy Birthday, Momma! 

We hope you had a great day and we love you very much!

Crawling

I didn't realize I hadn't posted a video of Addy crawling yet until my mother-in-law, Carolyn, told me they hadn't see Addy crawl until we did Facetime the other night.  I have been trying to take a video since then and this is finally what I got today.

 Pretty cute, right?  Now time to work on fully pulling ourselves up and WALKING!

First Round

As I have written many times, I love cupcakes.  So, when Tim and I were talking about themes for Addy's birthday party, we decided cupcakes were fitting.  I thought about ordering cupcakes from Babycakes, but to save some money  Tim convinced me to make cupcakes instead.  Of course, just normal cupcakes out of a box won't suffice for my little girl.  I need want to make fancy cupcakes.  So, I have started experimenting with different cupcakes.  I have two cookbooks I am using for inspiration, first one is Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski and the second Cupcakes! by Elinor Kilvans. And a big thank you to my coworkers who are willing to eat what I make and give me their opinions.  :-)

First up: Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze

 Every momma needs her coffee while making cupcakes, so I definitely recommend Coffee Bean prior to baking.

So, these were pretty good.  I am still kind of on the fence about them, but the more I ate, the more I liked them.  So, they may be present at the party.  If not, I have already had a request to make them again. :-)  Tim thought they needed actual frosting, not just a glaze.

Second up: Vanilla Cheesecake Crumble Cupcakes

I just shared one of these with Tim and they are kind of bland.  Definitely have some lemon flavor, which is nice and subtle, but I am not sure about these either.  Maybe I need to just stick to the basics? 

The cupcake adventure is to be continued...

Wake-Up!

Addy is a morning person.  Almost every morning she wakes up with a smile on her face and a song in her heart.  In fact, she will sing and talk to herself for a good hour before she wants to get up.  Good for mommies and daddies who need to get a grip on what is going on before they rise. 
Today, she was awake at 4:30.  I just left her in there, playing away, fell back asleep, and woke up again 2 hours later to the same playful sounds. I don't think she played for two hours, but maybe?   Anyways, here is what my wake-up call this morning sounded like this early morning.

Family Day

Tim currently has Mondays and Tuesdays off. Not only does this work out well for Addy, who gets to have two Daddy days every week, but it works well for me when I have a holiday fall on a Monday.  So, this Monday (Martin Luther King Jr. Day), we were able to hang out as a family. Lucky for us, it was also an unseasonably warm day.
We started off at the beautiful Birch Aquarium. We bought a Groupon a couple of months for a BOGO free admission and wanted to use them.  Addy was definitely more into the fish than the animals at the zoo. 

There were some really cool sea animals.  I, too, was in enthralled walking through the aquarium.

Outside there are "tide pools" where you can touch starfish, sea anemones, try to pet fish and have a good time exploring.  I tried to get Addy to put her hand in the water, but I was unsuccessful.

Not a super flattering picture of me, but we are being real here, right?

There is also an AWESOME view outside.  A perfect background for some pictures.

  Addy was getting fussy (hence the binky in this photo) and needed a nap.  Tim and I had planned to go to a nice dinner in Del Mar on a our way home, but 3 pm was a little early for us.  So we decided to drive around.  We ended up getting a burger in La Jolla, sitting at the cove and sharing it, driving through the Bird Rock part of La Jolla, trying a sample at a not-so-fabulous cupcakery called Cupcake Squared in Point Loma and by the time Addy was fully awake we were at one of our favorite places, Babycakes in Hillcrest.

Perfect time for a banana & puffs for Addy and cupcakes & cocktails for Tim & I.

These were taken with my phone's camera...so we have graininess.  

Overall a great family day!

Park Time

Today was beautiful and I have wanted to go to the park for a long time.  So, today we went. Addy swung while I took some pictures (have to practice taking them outside).

She loved watching the other kids...I got lots of pictures of her looking elsewhere.

 Then we moved onto the grass, where there were some very exciting leaves.

Overall a successful trip.  Addy got to play outside and I got to play with my camera. :-)

Black & White

My mom has always said I see things in black and white, that there are always a right and a wrong and no "color" in between.  She is probably right. But maybe it has to do something with me really liking black and white? Black is a large portion of my wardrobe and in college we sort of had a black and white room.  Shoot, my wedding colors were black and white. So, imagine my excitement when I learned I could take black and white pictures with my camera?!?  Ummm...yeah...so here are a few.

 Don't judge me cause I still have my Christmas stuff up.

Wired

Since she has become a full-blown crawler Addy has decided to get into everything.  I am not complaining, I am the one who wanted her to crawl.  I actually think it is funny she finds such enjoyment with things like wires.  So, here she is, playing with the wires that connect our speakers to the surround sound.

Flying By

Time has been flying by and while I have had good intentions about blogging, life has gotten in the way.  So, here are some quick snapshots of what we have been up to.

Laundry...and lots of it. Had to catch up once the washer was fixed. 

When there is laundry, there are empty laundry baskets...where I like to throw the dogs' toy to keep them occupied for awhile.  Except this time, Adelyn decided to help them get it.

I also love cupcakes and evidently I am willing to wait about 2 hours for 2 free cupcakes.  Of course, I was in good company with Lauren, Micah, & Addy AND we got to meet Candace Nelson, the owner of Sprinkles.  And may I add, Micah and Addy were great, even though it was pretty cold and they were stuck in their strollers for most of it.

 

We have also been celebrating.  First my birthday and then Alison's.  My mom's is next, followed by Addy's!!  

New Camera

I have wanted a new, fancy camera for a long time now.  I would guess almost a year.  My wait is now over as I have become the proud new owner of a Canon Rebel.  I am super excited and of course, I started taking pictures right away.  Here are a couple of the first.