6 months

Lily turned six months on the 20th and can't believe my baby is growing so fast. I wanted to note some of Lily traits as a memento:
-She loves to watch me cook dinner while hanging out in her Bumbo chair
-Loves to crawl around the living room and stick whatever she can find in her mouth
-She prefers a pitch black room while sleeping
-Loves her binky, no LOVES her binky
-When she is sitting down, you can count 5 rolls on her cute belly
-Hates the baby swing
-Loves to hold on to something while sleeping (toy, blanket, rail of the crib, or whatever she can get her hands on)
-Thinks her brother is the funniest person alive.
-Loves the beach!

At night (the only time I can actually think) I'm so amazed to think I have a daughter. I feel like I'm a better person having her. I want to show her a good example of how to be a daughter of God, humble and loving.

She is such an easy baby and is just so happy to be part of the family. Aaron and I marvel at what a sweet child she is and how well the dynamic between Garrett and her has been. Garrett today said that Lily was his best friend. I hope they will continue to be close and always look to each other for support and guidance. They are my light and my life and our greatest blessing!

Ice Blocking

For our Young Women/Young Men's activity at church the youth did ice blocking tonight at one of the elementary schools in town. The kids had so much fun sliding down the hillside on a big block of ice. They had a rope frozen into the ice block and would put a towel on it and take off. It was so funny to watch, I have never seen such a sport. You can tell the kids had a great time from all their smiles!

First Beach Day of the Year

The Rat Pack

Mr. G

Mermaid Julian

Silhouette of friends

Baby Lils

Mommy and Me

I fleeted off to San Simeon State Beach today to get out of the 98 degrees heat of No. County, and it was 85 degrees at the beach! It was so hot I had to take several dunks in the ocean just to cool off. Devin and her kids came with us, all five of the kids had a BLAST. The boys dug holes and chased sea gulls for over three hours. It was a beautiful day and needless to say Garrett and Lily crashed at 7 p.m. tonight (early for my kids).

It is days like this that remind me why I live here in the Central Coast. I love the weather and recreational opportunities. The natural beauty the resides in this country is hard to match. I truly feel blessed to be here. Now if I just could get some family in the area, it would be perfect! April and Jacob need to come back too!

San Simeon State Beach

Beach Silhouette

God's Hand
look in the clouds

Baby Bird

While I was cooking dinner, Aaron and Garrett found a little lost baby sparrow by the lilac tree in the backyard. We found his nest on our roof, but it was way too high for us to reach up and put him back. So, we put him in a little birdie basket and set him up in the lilac tree and his mommy came and got him and put him back in the nest! We were so worried that he wouldn't find his momma, I even was Google-ing "how to take care of a baby bird".

Garrett was so sad, he really wanted to keep him and take care of him. He was so gentle and sweet with the little bird. He petted him and told him that he would find his momma. Garrett has such a big heart for animals...and reptiles....and rodents too! Oh dear!

Easter Blessings

We were pretty sick on Easter (that is why there are NO pictures of me...I looked pretty scary), but my brother and wife Michelle and my niece Claire came down with my mom to celebrate the holiday. We had a yummy Easter dinner on Saturday and was able to have a little hunt for the kids in the backyard. Aaron went to church to represent the family while we all stayed home and kept our germs to ourselves.

We are thankful for our Savior and for his sacrifice, so that we too can live with our Father in Heaven again.

Happy Easter to all!

Sick

The kids and I are sick, so today has consisted of a whole box of Kleenex, half-gallon of OJ, and lots of cartoons. Thank goodness for TV on days like these!

Loaded Potatoes

I had to share this recipe with you, it is truly amazing. Coupled with the BBQ Chicken and big butter leaf Italian salad, I just can't get it out of my mind.

Loaded Potatoes

4 Large Baker Potatoes
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup softened butter (the real stuff)
1/4 cup chopped green onion
2 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup whole milk or half-and-half
1/2 cup crumbled bacon (cooked)-optional
salt and pepper to taste

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Bake potatoes for 1 hour in oven, then remove and cut in half, long ways. Scoop out inside of potato leaving the skins to form a bowl for later. In a large mixing mash potatoes with milk. Then in the same mixing bowl combine sour cream, butter green onion 1 1/2 cups of the shredded cheese, bacon, salt and pepper. Scoop the contents back into the potato skin halves. Top with remainder of shredded cheese and place in oven for 15 minutes. Then turn oven on to broil and cook for 5 minutes until golden.

You can sprinkle chopped green onion on the top for presentation. This is a dish you will not forget!

Serves 6-8

My New BFF

Little Miss Sunshine

Girls Weekend

These are a few of my best friends from college Alison and Anna. They're the best friends you could ask for. Alison and I quickly become friends when we were set-up to be roommates in college. We had so much in common including: matching Civics, crazy cats, a love for shopping and cooking. Anna and I met while we were hostesses at a restaurant in downtown SLO and instantly became friends. We've all been through a lot together and there still my favorite home skillets.

Alison and Anna live in Santa Cruz now and I don't get to see them as often as I'd like, but when we all get together it is like we're 19 again. This last weekend the girls, and Alison's baby Caden, came down and we stayed up until 2 a.m. talking, watching Twilight, shopping downtown SLO and cooked some amazing meals. We had a fun girls weekend, and I can't wait until the next!

Thanks friend of a friend of a friend!

Wormy

The last two weekends we have been hard at work landscaping our backyard. Aaron brought in three truck loads of mulch and I planted various bushes and vines. We even built a vegetable garden and stocked it with tomato plants, bell peepers, basil, mint and parsley. I can't believe how much more time we are spending in our backyard since the improvements. It is finally a place we can enjoy. We are making plans to build patio covers next month, since our back yard is south facing and it gets extremely hot and sunny. Kids that come over even say "it's too sunny back there, I want inside". We have also justified the expense by how much the patio covers will cool the house in the summer. Since the cover will block out the sun it should reduce energy associated costs.

While we were planting Garrett found this worm and said he wanted to keep it as a pet. He put in the vegetable garden for safe keeping. That was the compromise, since he wanted to keep it in the house.

Alison and Caden

I took these pictures of one of my best friends Alison and her son Caden in my backyard. These are the first portraits Alison has taken of her and her son who is now 10 months old. He has the fullest lips and big olive colored eyes, defiantly a cutie.

Crop Overlay

Photoshop 101. The first shot is the angle I took it with my camera, with some color enhancements. Then I used the crop overlay in Photoshop and angled the picture to create more interest in the photo. I like the second photo, I think it captures the moment to the finest.

Park Day

Cool breeze, bright sun, sand in my shoes, hair and pants.
Picnic lunch, chocolate milk.
Riding my tricycle.
Running round and round.
Water fountain, waterfall.
Ready or not here I come.
Fall asleep in car, sweet dreams of play.

by:sarah