Petticoat Lane

I just want to give a shout-out to my favorite little store, Petticoat Lane. It is a consignment store for women that carries clothing sizes 0-14. They also have shoes, purses, jewelry and other accessories. For those of you who aren't familiar with consignment stores, they are stores where people can bring in their items and receive a percentage of what it will sell for. They are really picky about what they accept from people, so everything is like new. I love it! Most of my clothing comes from there. I usually go on the last Saturday of every month because that's the clearance sale! They've got stuff marked down to $2, $4, and $6! I've found some really fun deals there. This Saturday is the sale, so stop on by!

Petticoat Lane

15051 Edwards St.

Huntington Beach, CA

Walking

So Kelsey's been taking a few random steps here and there but wasn't really into it, but now she's taken off! This is mostly for the grandparents, but hey I think she's kinda cute. Enjoy!

Kelsey's Party

Last weekend we celebrated Kelsey's 1st birthday. It was a huge party with about 60 people! We had so much fun! We went with a strawberry theme. The night before the party, we got all the food ready. Daddy dipped about 60 of the biggest, most beautiful strawberries you've ever seen in chocolate. The day dawned bright and beautiful for our birthday girl. We had her party at the Splash Pad, a really fun water park in our area.Our friends and family came from near and far. Jeremy had a lot of fun at his sister's party. This little guy had the most fun of all! We had lots of cousins. And lots of friends from church. Even the adults got in on the fun! Daddy with his birthday princess. We had pasta salad, chips and lemonade.Red, white, and blue shishkabobs with strawberries, marshmallows and blueberries. Kelsey thought they were very tasty. We moved into the park for dessert. Our party guests had strawberry shortcake with lots of whipped cream and one of those luscious chocolate-dipped strawberries on the side. Kelsey had her very own chocolate brownie cake with chocolate frosting, strawberry peanut butter M&Ms and a big 1 candle. She thought that was very tasty as well! Yay for the birthday girl! We love our precious Kelsey. We bribed Great-Grandpa with chocolate cake so he'd come to the party. I made David dance with me to the music playing at the neighborhood church across the street. After Kelsey had a nap we opened presents at Grandma's house. My friends C and K made these fabulous bows for Kelsey so I put them all on her for a picture. They're so cute! Thanks ladies! Kelsey was a lucky lucky girl and got so many fun things. We had so much fun sharing her birthday with all of you who came. Thanks for celebrating with us and making such fun memories!

4th of July

So for the 4th of July weekend we were lucky enough to tag along with my sister and their family to their family cabin up by Lake Arrowhead. We had lots of fun taking hikes, going to the Lake Arrowhead village to watch fireworks over the lake and just relaxing. We also got to go to church at my favorite building ever! It's so pretty. They have all these beautiful windows and is surrounded by pine trees. The mother's room has a window! How novel. I would love our building to have a window considering all the stinky bodily fluids coming out in that room. LOL Anyway, it was a great time and I'm so glad we got to go! This felled tree stretches across a gorge. Our family at the beautiful church building. I wish you could see more of it. Happy 4th of July! My sister bought these yummy caramel apples at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. The core on a stick was perfect for Kelsey. My sister and her three youngest children. Waiting for fireworks! It was a great show! The boys by another felled tree. My nephew by the beautiful irises that grow in the forest. Kelsey was nice and light to carry in the backpack. But she really preferred getting out to sample the forest on her own.

Jeremy

So Wednesday was a big day for Jeremy. It started with his math. He uses little cubes to visually help him do his addition. That was the first day that he did all his math problems with no cubes! He's become confident enough with the equations to trust himself and let go of the visuals. Great job Jeremy!

The second thing is that he learned how to swim! Granted, it's just a little ways, but this is huge! At the beginning of swimming lessons last week, he wouldn't even put his head under the water and now he's jumping in, swimming with form, and getting rings from the bottom of the pool. I can't tell you how happy this makes me! For the first time I actually have to watch him in the pool. He was so cautious and fearful before that there was no way he would let himself go under the water. Now, he's jumping in and trying to swim everywhere. Go Jeremy!

My Babies

Kelsey is almost a year old. One more week and my baby will be one. Unbelievable. People always say she's growing up way too fast, but I've never been sad to see my babies grow up because I've been lucky enough to be there for every day of their lives. I feel ready for each new stage that comes. So far. Sometimes I look back on Kelsey's newborn pictures and I think, wow, do I really think I'm done having these sweet things come into our home? But then reality hits and I think, if I had more babies I would treasure each one, but the sickness I experience till the very end of each pregnancy really limits the quality of life I can give to my family. I want to experience each day fully with them without that debilitating sickness to hold us back from our adventures. As always, I try to put my life into God's hands and know that no matter what I decide, he will give me exactly what I'm supposed to have to learn and grow and live with Him someday with my eternal family. That is the goal and I'm so thankful to have the opportunity to reach it!

Dumb Dumb Dumb Dumb

Warning: This post contains a disturbing picture of my skin.

Okay, so I'm white. I know I'm white. I've always been white. I'll always be white. So why do I try to tan every summer? One of these years I'll just accept the fact that I have a farmer tan, and that I'll never be a swimsuit model. This time was especially bad. I've never been this burned. I've got blisters which means second degree burns. David's been lathering on the Aloe and Vitamin E lotion while I scream in pain. Getting dressed and going to church today was painful, but as I told David, I couldn't stay home just because I was stupid. At least I have the good sense to sunblock my children. I only abuse my own body. Maybe next year I'll get smart and put sunblock on before that first token sunburn of the summer. But I'm not counting on it. After all, this is the 34th summer of my life and I haven't learned yet. Today is the first day of the rest of summer however and I vow to embrace the sunblock, embrace my white skin, and enjoy the rest of my summers burn-free! Wish me luck!

Swim Lessons

So I signed up the kids for swim lessons this summer. I went to one lesson with Kelsey and called to get my money back. It was unstructured and nothing I couldn't do for free in a pool. I'd wanted to sign up Jeremy last summer but with Kelsey being brand new it just didn't happen. Jeremy loves the water but has always been timid in the pool. I wanted him to become a strong swimmer and confident in the water. He is loving it! I'm so glad. He's going under the water by himself over and over and trying to follow what the instructor tells him to do. He's not the most confident kid in the pool but he's not the scared screaming kid either, (and trust me there is one.) He's progressed by leaps and bounds and it's only been one week. He's doing things I have never been able to get him to do. I'm so proud of you baby! Warm-ups Ready? Jump! Thumbs-up! He swam to the bottom and got the ring! He was so proud of himself and couldn't wait to tell Daddy.

Beach Day

Yesterday we went to the beach with some mommies from church. It was a perfect day. Sunny, warm, nice breeze. We are so lucky to live here. The kids loved playing in the sand. I brought a tent for Kelsey and it was a big hit with all the kids. The water was cold for Kelsey and I, but Jeremy thought it was warm and played in it with the other kids.

Daddy

So I was checking out some other blogs and saw many nice tributes to fathers last Sunday. In appreciation for my wonderful husband, I thought I would write something nice as well. When I was dating I always wanted to marry a man who would be a good daddy, and that's one of the reasons I married David. I know he's not perfect, but he's always happy to spend time with his children and wants the best for them. I love to be in another room and hear the squeals and laughter from my children as Daddy plays with them. I loved watching David at Jeremy's t-ball games, giving him tips, and encouraging him to do his best. I love hearing him try to teach Kelsey to say Hi Daddy. David's the one who taught her to fold her arms for the prayer, although briefly, and he always gets the most kisses from her. Jeremy believes Daddy knows everything. Whenever I don't know an answer to his question, he says, "Maybe we can ask Daddy." I love that David loves and adores both his children equally. He is just as delighted in one as the other. Jeremy is his favorite boy and they have lots of fun together. David adores his baby girl Kelsey and loves to snuggle her to sleep at night. Parenting is such a balance and David is so good at having fun with our children and gently guiding them in the right way. I appreciate so much all he does for our family. Happy Father's Day!