Going Back to Cali . . . .

Two months ago, Knight asked that I attend a conference where they needed representation at.  With Caroline being so young I wasn’t necessarily interested in attending something that I wasn’t “required” to be part of.   So I went online to research the conference, when and where it was.   Week before Memorial Day, okay . . . .San Diego, California?  SOLD!!!!!!!! 

What’s so wonderful about San Diego . . . ummm, everything!!!   California will always be near and dear to my heart, having lived in both the East Bay Area San Francisco and San Diego.  What made this opportunity so perfect was that I could fly in a day early and spend time with two of my closest friends (my Maid and Matron of Honor’s no less), thank you Dave for making this possible!  AND I got to meet Lucia Grace, Kara’s little girl who was born February 17^th of this year.  Just a beautiful, loveable, bundle . . . so grateful that they drove down from the OC to spend time with me!   Love you girls, till next year!!!!!!

I can't believe it's been 17 years . .we've come a long way since Arizona State University, PV West, Seventh Floor and La Mirage! 

Kara and her Lucia

If you have to work, this isn't such a bad station to do so!!!

Primrose Spring Fling

As anyone reading this blog knows, I wish that I could spend every day, all day with my girls!  It's gotten easier with time, but in the end I would love to be with them daily and  because of that covet the time we spend together as a family.

With that being said, I very much like their daycare, Primrose, and love their teachers.  I love them, because they love my girls, pure and simple.  Besides this Katie is now old enough to have friends in class, children that she's been with since the beginning and it makes me happy to see how much she enjoys seeing them!

Katie with Jackson and Aidan on the train!  Thanks to their teachers they were able to go around again and again . . ."more train, more please" was not a problem this past Friday evening!

One day we're going to look back on this picture and remember when they were this small!



I was in charge of the Infant, Young Infant and Toddler room Silent Auction Basket for the Spring Fling!   Ours brought in the most money, no kidding look at the scope of our donated items - a great basket to raise funds for charity!

Strawberry Picking at Chesterfield Berry Farm

We headed off today, despite the threat of rain, to the Chesterfield Berry Farm to celebrate Hailey Ragland's 3rd Birthday!  It was our first time at the farm for strawberry picking and you'll see by the pictures below that we came away with about a billion strawberries.

On our way to the strawberry fields!  I now realize that it'll be years before I obtain a family shot of all four of us smiling at once . . unless of course the stars, sun, and moon come together in some cosmic alignment!  I'll have to google and see when that'll be :).

It took Katie about 15 seconds to reach down, pluck off a ripe stawberry and take a big ole bite . . .

. . as you can see the results for favorable, she loved it!  Our basket wielded lots of strawberries with one bite taken out, curtsey of our little taste tester.

Caroline checking out what all the fuss was about.

Katie and Hailey, doing way more eatting then picking!

The girls may not be smiling, but I still think we have a great looking family :)

K & C Seven Month Comparison

Katie (above) and Caroline (below)

Caroline Mackenzie at Seven Months

What I've noticed about you lately:

• Your first two teeth are coming in, right on the bottom peaking thru.
• You can almost sit up on your own, another week or two you'll be steady as a rock!
• Your sissy better watch out!  You've turned into a grabber, everything interests you and you're always twisting, turning over and reaching for something.  Most people think you're subdued . . . Daddy and I think you're going to be a busy little bee as time goes on and we can't wait to see.  I told Katie it's going to be game on once you start crawling!  For the meantime however, Katie loves the new interaction and really enjoys the beginning stages of you playing with one another.
• You can find your passy all by yourself!
• You're now in your "big girl" bath seat and loving it!  Splash, splash, splash in the tub.
• You're a complete trooper (as can be seen below in the bath time picture). 
• You steadily chant ba, ba, ba, baba

Ten Things I Learned While At Disney

10 - "Bob" is worth every penny, turns on a dime, easy for Katie to get into, has pockets to hold everything . . .however, it did not come with a "Disney Tram Disclaimer."  Man, that stroller was the biggest pain in the &$$ to load onto the parking tram.

9 - My girls look FABULOUS in their matching outfits!

8 - Just because one sister isn't "a fan" doesn't mean the other has to follow suit!

Katie (2010) versus Caroline (2011) with Pooh Bear!

7 - Our eldest can be fearless (when she wants to be)!

6 - Katie learned that "Mouse" means a fun-filled adventure - where the characters become your friends.  So much so that you need to give them a hug or kiss upon seeing them.  Isn't that what Disney's all about?

5 - Caroline's starting to interact with Katie, they love it . . and we love it as well!

4 - There's no other way to put it . . . .Caroline is a trooper, simply amazing.  She never faltered and coasted through plane rides, 90 degree heat, little to no naps and park hopping with ease.  Thank you for being you sissy!!!!

3 - What a difference a year makes! 

Katie with Belle April 2010 (above), with Belle again May 2011 (below)

2 - When I think about the times I spent at Disney as a girl, I always remember the wonderful vacations I had with my maternal Grandparents.  Knowing that my girls are starting on the same tradition is amazing! 



1 - Spending time with my family, my reason for everything!



Happy Mother's Day

To all the mothers that make our lives special!!!

My mother inspires me as a role model every day to become a better mom for my girls and person in general.  I've recently had friends lose parents which makes realize even more that we need to hold dear the ones that we love and never let them forget how much we appreciate them!

So thank you mom, for all that you do for Dave, Katie, Caroline, Raleigh and myself!  We love you!

Caroline also wanted me to pay tribute to another mother in her life . . her own Fairy Godmother, Heather (can you tell I just got back from a week at Disney?)!  When I met Heather Newberry in 1994 we both were sophomores at Arizona State, little did I know what an amazing friend she would become, the crazy memories we'd have and how we would remain close for the next 17 years.   She's another fabulous role-model for both myself and for my girls and I wish weekly that she lived closer to our family.