Bakerland

One of Those Days...

2012-01-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday!

2012-01-18T18:54:00.000-08:00

My little Momma Hen to the Rescue.

2012-01-17T13:17:00.000-08:00

Our Week in Big Bear

2012-01-09T10:57:00.000-08:00

The week before Christmas we got to spend a week with some of my In-laws in Big Bear. It was right after all that snow they got, so it was perfect for the kids to go sledding and boarding.

Jackson got to snowboard for the first time, which Dan and I have been really ~~nervous~~ excited to do. He did awesome! His very first try he went down the hill all by himself!!! It was terrifying for me. I kept telling him wait for me and Daddy and he kept saying I can do this! I can do this! I was like no! While Dan and I were putting our bindings on he got up and went down like a champ! He didn't know how to stop and he was going so fast, but he made it all the way down to the bottom where he eat it, and busted his lip. It didn't even phase him. He got right back up and started again. Dan and I got to go down with him a couple of times and then his 4 hour class started. They pretty much worked on getting them to fall right and how to stop. It was freezing and icy and by the end of the day Jackson was exhausted.

The place where we stayed was perfect. Right out side the back door was a huge hill for sledding and the ~~adults~~ kids took full advantage of it.

It was my Mom's birthday on the 21st of Dec so she came up and spent the day with us. The kids had a blast sledding with her. She is a big kid herself. Happy Birthday Mom!

While we were up there we decorated ginger bread houses. Boys vs. Girls. Of course the girls one!

Thank you Mike and Andrea! We all had a blast especially the kids! :)

Christmas 2011

2012-01-09T10:14:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was really special because it was the first year that both Jack and Elle really understood the meaning of Christmas. The were able to genuinely get excited at the thought of Santa leaving presents under the tree for them and so it was exciting for Dan and I to see that. After all isn't it the best part of Christmas to see your kids faces light up on Christmas morning?!

Elle was a excited about Santa, but a little apprehensive about him being in the house while she slept. Haha! One time when she was asking about Santa, I told her, " Santa can't come until you go to sleep then he will come! " She replied with, " He isn't coming in my room!? right?" haha!

All Jackson wanted was Nerfguns! It was all he talked about!! Next year I am going to have to step up my hiding skills. Jackson found a couple nerf guns in our closet ( he had to be snooping, they were covered with a blanket) and asked me about them. I told him that those were for Andy and the look on his face was pure disappointment. Pure disappointment then turned to anger. He could not understan how he could ask Santa for Nerfguns then I would by them for some one else. I felt horrible! I thought for sure he was traumatized. Now he tells me that he can't trust me! O'great my 4 year can't trust me!

This was my favorite Christmas morning picture. It was Elle opening her gift that Jackson picked out for her at his Christmas boutique...It was the Cutest book! Thank Goodness for Little Girls was the name of it. He was beyond excited for her to open it and you could how much it meant to him that she liked it. :)

Both of our Moms spent the night and got to spend Christmas morning with us, we love having them over and being a apart of those memories. They both have not missed a morning with us since Jackson first Christmas!

Jackson's favorite gift was this bug habitat, but not for real bugs they are these weird electronic bugs that move like 100 miles an hour. So much for the Nerf guns! haha! He loves the Nerf guns too though we have family nerf gun wars weekly! And can I say, " I am so over finding bullets, everywear!" I even found one in the fridge the other day and my undies draw! These kids!

Baby's favorite gift was her new very own princess bike and her princess umbrella. She has wanted an umbrella for quite some time now and she finally got it!

The last picture is of my hubby and Bailey. Bailey is going to be 9 years old this year!!

Christmas night we had both sides of our family over for a prime rib dinner, that came out amazing! Wish I had more pictures of Christmas night, but I just didn't have time.

We hope you had an amazing Christmas this year! Merry Christmas!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

celebrating New Years eve at our house for the kids. Instead of counting down to midnight we counted down to noon. Much better!

Wordless Wednesday!

2011-12-28T13:31:00.000-08:00

...I hope they don't stay that way! ; / haha!

My Baby is 3!!

2011-10-30T11:22:00.000-07:00

My Precious little girl turns 3 today!!!!

She has grown into such a sweetheart. She adores her older brother and follows him every where.

She loves to have tea parties, play with barbies and princess, and she loves her sleep. When she wakes up in the morning, she needs minutes to just lay there until she is ready to get out of bed... She takes after her Momma;)

She is in her first year of Pre-School and they all call her "Baby" even the teachers. That because if you ask her what her name is..well her reply is always "Baby".

Happy Birthday to my sweet Baby Elle!

2011 Halloween Parade

2011-10-28T13:04:00.000-07:00

This was Jackson's THIRD Halloween Parade! Crazy huh? He wanted to be a storm trooper from Star Wars, even though he has never seen the movie. He must just really like the costume. He also thinks he is one of the good guys..:/ I didn't have the heart to tell him!

This was Elle's first Halloween parade at her pre-school and she was such ham for the camera. She was so excited that we there to cheer her on. She just wanted to be a pink princess for halloween, she didn't care who it was just as long as it was PINK.

Jackson class picture.

Newport Sailing

2011-07-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

I think this is funny how we all match..haha! I swear nobody coordinated this.

Summer School!

2011-05-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

This was a very exciting day for us, because Elle got to join Jackson at Pre-school! She was beyond excited about starting Pre-school. Jackson and Elle were in the same class over the summer and the teachers told me he was very protective over her. Which just warms my heart.

Happy 32nd Birthday Daddy!

2010-11-26T22:48:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Love!!

Wow! 32? Haha! Your like fine wine baby you better with age;)

We love and cherish you more than any cards or gifts could show you. (Doesn't mean you still wont get one though, don't worry;) You are an amazing father who works really hard and who always puts his family first.

I hoped you enjoyed your day golfing with the boys and the ~~Stone Brewery tour~~ Tapps. I am looking forward to a great birthday weekend with you!

*The boys had an early tee time and unfortunately they were in a pretty big accident that totalled our friends car. We are so thankful that our boys Ryan, Nick, Adam, and Dan are all OK..other than shaken up and really sore. Some elderly women slammed into them from behind hitting them and another car. Thankfully no one was hurt only the cars. I flew down to OC with my mom behind me and dropped off our car and then drove home with my mom. So the day was salvaged just really behind schedule.

We have a fun weekend ahead! I just pray you don't wake up and can't move your neck. We have a Christmas tree to go cut down..haha!

Here is to another great year filled with love, laughter, friendship, and great memories.

We love you!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:49:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

This year we have so much to be thankful for. We have a loving marriage, healthy and happy children, great moms, a roof over our heads, food in our pantry, and so much more! I hope everyone had a great day spent with the people who you love and a yummy dinner.

Pictures from our Day...

Grammy Diana

Cousin Britt being silly with us.

A favorite past time of ours...Bug finding.

After the kids got stir crazy in the house Dan wrestled and played with them, while I obsessively took pictures. My brother-in-law and his family were on vacation for the holiday so Jack and Elle were the only kids. Jacks was sad he didn't get to see his cousins and it made for a lot of work trying to keep them entertained. Until later in the evening when Jackson became our entertainment. He loves to put on a show and he loves to be the center of attention. He makes these faces and they are hysterical! I don't know where he gets them from.

Can you say " Class Clown" ?

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Veterans Day!

2010-11-11T23:19:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all to all the Veterans out there for your service, especially our Hero! We are so proud of our Veteran and try to make it a special day every year. Thank you Daniel for your service in the Navy during 9/11, thank you for your loyalty to your country and family.

This is our Hero at Sea while on deployment during his time in the United States Navy.

Thank you also to Daniels best friend, aka Uncle Ryan. Dan and Ryan went into the Navy on a buddy system, so they were never apart. They made some of the greatest memories while traveling the world. They have been through so much together and still remain the best of friends.

It is insane how young they look! Dan you look pretty sexy I might add..haha!

Today Ryan's wife and I planned a special little night for our boys and Navy buddies. We let them enjoy the Laker game "ALL" by themselves with hot wings, beer, chips and dip, and cookies. Haha! Can't forget the cookies. I made the kids shirts that said " My Daddy is a Navy Veteran" Jack thought it was pretty cool. We took the kids to Jumping Jacks and absolutely exhausted ourselves and the kids for the evening.

Elle saying our Veteran is #1! We hoped all you Veterans felt loved and appreciated today.

God Bless!

Birthday Dinner

2010-11-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

Last Friday a group of some of my closest friends got together and we all went out to Pasadena for a night out on the town. It was my first time hanging out in Pasadena and what a fun city it was! I can't wait to go back for a girls night out and shopping.

We started out with a yummy dinner at Villa Sorreso it had a really cool atmosphere. They had old movies playing in this courtyard on a big screen. Later that night they had dancing and a ton of people were there. The food was excellent the service well it slacked..haha! I felt so blessed to have these people there to celebrate my birthday.

Then after dinner we went to Red, White and Blues. It was this neat trendy Jazz club with a really laid back atmosphere. Then all the ladies voted it was dancing time! The boys were reluctant..haha! We all had a blast. It was a night to remember that's for sure.

Thank you to all my special friends who joined us and an even bigger thanks for my wonderful hubby who planned all of it. Love you guys!

This 2 This

2010-11-06T21:28:00.000-07:00

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Any change from his last year's school picture? In the first picture he was 2.5 and a little goofier and in the second picture he is 3.5 and loosing some of his baby fat..:( I love his baby fat! He just looks a little older and wiser I think. Don't mind the wet spots all over his shirt..:/ He got cream cheese all over his shirt and as we pull up to school I realized it, wiped it off real quick and as soon as he walked into class it was picture time. What ever! I tried.

Season of Change

2010-11-06T21:18:00.000-07:00

There have been so many huge decisions made this past year and we have been through a lot of ups and downs. Through everything I have come to truly realize one very important thing...God is in control and what a wonderful thing it is. I am excited to share all these life changes, but need to learn patience and wait to see how everything is going to work out. We still have a long road ahead of us and still don't know how to digest all that's been going on....Until then I will leave you with these amazing, hysterical, loving, beautiful mugs.

This picture deserves a caption. This is what happens when I let my niece Victoria babysit. They played in my make up, as you can see. It seems as though they were also fed sour cream for dinner. My kids would take a spoon to it if I would let then, which I don't, just in case you were wondering. All though we come home to dirty faces and tummies full of sour cream it brings me so much joy to see my kids faces light up when they see Victoria because they have so so so much fun with her.

..and this kid! Well he is just to cool.

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we carved pumpkins with the Alarcons. While Jackson did awesome scooping out the yucky insides, Elle tried really hard but couldn't really get the hang of it. She most definitely tried eating it! Elle will eat anything, I mean EVERYTHING! It's an on going joke between everyone in our family, but luckily she is just the tiniest little thing still. Our pumpkins where definitely one of a kind. We laughed so hard at how they turned out. The Alarcons pumpkin looked like a gangster and ours I don't even know what it looked like..haha!

We celebrated birthdays with a fancy bottle of champagne. We laughed exceptionally hard that night, had so much fun, and played all evening. I love Halloween, birthdays (probably because it's mine ;) and fun times spent with great friends.

Then on Halloween we went over to the Alarcons house and went trick or treating, ordered pizza, and eat all the kids candy and pumpkin pie. :/ Elle was as usual very feisty and independent all night.

These are one of a kind kids that crack me up. They are growing so fast and it is amazing to see there personalities blossom.

Spider Man wouldn't take his mask off because no one could see his face. It was a very serious thing!

We were almost at our last house for the night and after every house we would say, "What do you say, Elle" and the whole time she said, "Dank wuu" well almost to the end Dan said the same thing thinking she would respond the same way she had all night, but this time she responded with, "I wannnmmorre" ( she says it as one word) Pretty clever! haha! The picture above was at our last house and man this little lady has some hard looks. FYI you don't cross her! Dan and I have talked about her strong willed personality and although she is difficult at times, we are so thankful our daughter is going to be one that stands up for something, works hard, and is determined. I pray on a daily bases that God would equip me with the best way to Mother her. We had a great Halloween weekend and we hope you guys had just as great a weekend.

This Friday we are going out to Pasadena to celebrate my 25th birthday with some friends. I am excited to go out for a night on the town. I feels like it has been way to long!

Wordless Wednesday!!

2010-11-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

Baby=2

2010-10-30T22:38:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday

To You..Happy Birthday

To My Precious Baby...

Happy Birthday to Youuuuuuuuuuu!

I love you!

Flashback Friday!

2010-10-29T16:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my "Baby" is going to be 2!!

Halloween Parade!

2010-10-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

This morning Jackson had his costume parade at his school. He has been looking forward to wearing his costume to school all week, so he was more than thrilled when I told him to go put it on this morning. Elle on the other hand has been sick all week and in addition to that seemed to have woken up on the wrong side of the bed. She so nicely dumped a whole bowl of cocoa ~~puffs~~ sharks cereal into the bathtub which started my morning off quite nicely. They happen to still be in the bath tub as I write this..Don't judge me.haha! Considering all that I am so so happy Jackson had a great morning at school!

My beautiful Mom came to cheer ~~Jackson~~ Spider Man on as well....Bearing ~~gifts~~ Starbucks in hand. My fav! I'm a caffeine junkie! You can also tell by Elle's face what kind of a morning it was.

Elle is almost ready for preschool too! We just have to wait exactly six more months and work on mastering the potty thing. Now when we take Jackson to school she cries because she wants to stay and learn. When we pick him up she runs over to sit next to Jackson and waits for the teacher to excuse her as well. She is one smart cookie! Today was no exception of course. We were able to hang out in Jackson's class a little longer than normal and she had a blast, but of course when it was time to leave she threw a stage 5 temper tantrum! Ugh! She cried the whole way home and then threw herself on the floor when we went in side. She went in time out for not behaving and then I played school with her. After the ~~reality check~~ time out, attention, and playing school she had a whole new lease on life. Completely a different child, amazing!

Picture over load, I know! I hope you all have a great Halloween weekend! I know we will because we will be celebrating Elle's 2nd birthday and my big 25 birthday this weekend! Man I'm old..haha! Much love!

Baby Broughton Bliss

2010-10-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Beautiful

Perfectly Made

Content

Precious & Peaceful

....

Just plain done taking pictures!

Congratulations Adam and Amy on your new adventure as parents. I had so much fun taking photos of "E".

MNO

2010-10-28T13:13:00.000-07:00

I love my MOPS girls! They are inspiring, loving, amazing mothers, and awesome friends. Our table of girls got together at my house for coffee and dessert. I had so much fun hanging out with these girls they didn't end up leaving till midnight on a week day! My poor husband probably couldn't sleep because we were laughing so hard or maybe it was because he was at the top of the staircase probably listening to our juicy conversation...haha! Love you girls!!

Does Spiderman clean your floors?

2010-10-28T12:59:00.000-07:00

Wordless Wednesday!!

2010-10-06T12:53:00.000-07:00

Guess Who's a Swimmin!!

2010-08-27T12:29:00.000-07:00

Yep Jackson!!!

My sister's dog Lola got a hold of his floaties earlier this summer and from there on out he pretty much has been swimming on his own. He wasn't that great in the beginning, swimming no more than a couple of feet at a time with his head above water. Now with the summer coming to an end he is a full blown swimmer with not a trace of a floatation device. One less child to worry sick about when we are out by the pool. Now if only I could get Elle swimming on her own I could lay out and watch from a distance. One day!

Sea World

2010-08-27T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last Friday while spending the week at the beach we took the kids down to Sea World for some much needed fun. We didn't tell the kids where we were going, because, well that would be just stupid. We would never here the end of it. So They were both super surprised and we enjoyed seeing their faces light up once we arrived.

The last couple of months Jackson has been really into sharks. He says and I quote," Sharks? I beat Sharks up!" I think it's the funniest thing because when he says it he is so animated and even tosses his head and body around as if he is actually beating a shark up right then. One of those..I guess you need to see it in person.;) While at Sea World we bought a pack of little toy sharks with one of every different kind of shark in it. He as been obsessed with them. He can name like 8 different species of sharks. I say, "Jack whats kind of shark is this?" he looks at it and says, " Um that's a reef shark" or " That's a pokadot whale shark" He adds the pokadot all on his own.

Elle enjoyed herself too. She just looked at amazement at all the cool sea animals and took it all in, and would copy everything Jackson would say.

This is the Beluga Whale! Amazing and unreal to see up close. I hadn't been to Sea World since I was probably around 5 years old and it just turns you into a little kid again.

Inside the Polar Bear exhibit the kids got to climb inside of a cave where a Polar Bear was sleeping! (not a real one..haha!) It had sounds of snoring bears and then out of now were it would grawl really load..hence the nervous faces.

Jackson's face cracks me up....AAAaaaaahhDddddduuuhhhh! haha!

At the tide pools the kids got to enjoy touching all the little sea creatures. Jackson has no fear and without even thinking about it his hands were exploring all around. Elle on the other hand needing a little guidance and wasn't quite sure why were touching these things, one touch was enough for her.

After spending the entire day at Sea World we were tuckered out!!! Seeing These happy smiles at the end of the day makes everything we do as parents so worth it.

Wordless Wednesday!!

2010-08-25T22:03:00.000-07:00

Belated Birthdays on my Blog!

2009-11-30T10:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 31st Birthday Dan!! Well happy belated birthday here on the blog because his birthday was actually November 26Th, Thanksgiving. I had planned a special day for him which included going rock climbing and then Disneyland with friends (adults only) , but he was up all night with the flu so our special day consisted of him resting all day..blah! On Thanksgiving day we celebrated it with his family down in Whittier and had an amazing dinner. We hope you had a great birthday Babe!! You may be getting pretty old, but at least you have a super young wife!;) We love You!!

Our "Baby" girl Elle turned ONE!! I had her on the 30Th of October at 11pm just an hour away from my birthday. On Halloween we had a birthday party for her and I (mostly her) I made entirely to many sweets, but then again isn't that what Halloween is for? She was a perfect lil princess and wore her costume for most of the day.

I just can't get over how fast time fly by..I hate it! She is just growing way to fast for me...I feel like just yesterday I was nursing her most of the day and now she is walking all around, climbing the stairs, and my least favorite which is throwing little tantrums when she doesn't get what she wants. She is my blue eyed baby doll who is super feisty and even more snugly. I am so blessed to be her Mommy and I feel so grateful that I get to watch her grow up.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY DADDY AND ELLE!!!

My Future Firefighter

2009-10-28T20:22:00.001-07:00

Jackson is going to be a little firefighting stud muffin for Halloween. He has been so excited to wear his costume. This week I surprised him with a trip to a near by fire station to check out the fire truck up close and meet some super nice real life firefighters. They all were so sweet to Jackson! They let him hop inside the truck and play with all the buttons and even took us for a drive. I think Jackson really thought he was a firefighter or was a little in shock...ha ha! He took it so seriously, only saying, "Thank you firefighters" the whole time. It pretty much made his week and he hasn't stop talking about it.

If you can tell in all the pictures..Jack really doesn't want his hat to fall off. Ha ha! He held onto his hat the entire time we were there.

The tire was taller than Jackson!

And did you know the name of the siren is called the growler? Well now you know!

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-10-21T19:50:00.000-07:00

Busy time of Year!

2009-10-19T11:08:00.000-07:00

This time a year is always fun...because it's my birthday on Halloween, but when we had Elle at 11:30pm on October 30Th it has just put a big fat cherry on top. I can't believe my Baby is going to be ONE!!! Things have been so hectic and super busy around the Baker household lately.
Jackson has been doing so amazing at school. He loves it to say the least! I'm not going to lie it has been a little bit hard for me having him in pre-school. I stay home with the kids so when Jack would sing a song or count it was because I taught him and I would get the wonderful privilege of being able to see him do most everything for the first time, but now he comes home and has learned so much ( Don't get me wrong that is a wonderful thing) and I didn't teach him it and sometimes I don't even know what he is singing or saying. Sometimes I hear him singing like "I am a Child of God" in his sweet little boy voice, barely able to recognize the words and then I will start singing it with him and Jack says, "No Mommy! Teacher does!" I'm like bahaahha! Wa wa wa! I know woe is me. I just breaks my heart to see him growing way to fast. I want him to just slow down already!

We have been Making costumes and getting ready for our Birthday party on Halloween...I'm so excited for Elle's costume. It came out so freakin adorable! I can't wait to post pictures of it so everyone can see it.

Here are some pictures from this last week.

Elle got busted! She has this thing about riping everything into a million little pieces and just thinks its the funnest thing. I heard her squawking in the bathroom and this is the face I found. How can you be mad at a face like that..you just can't. Dan and I are going to have our hands full with her when she gets older.

Our little nephew, Luke turned one this last week too! They will have so much fun growing up together and being so close in age. This is Luke sharing his birthday cupcake with Elle. Elle is a pro at cupcake eating. She had to break him in and show him the ropes.

Being a little more in the festive mood.. Here was Jackson's first Halloween. He was a chicken..haha. He is definitely not a chicken he is fearless. In fact he has a huge bruise on his face from flying like a plane off the edge of the couch only to do a face plant straight into the hardwood floors.

And last year I was giving birth to this amazing little girl. She has sweetened up my life in so many ways. She has this sweet soft voice and is such a love bunny. I could be sitting on the floor playing with Jack or play wrestling with Daddy (which we do often) and she will just crawl over to me, climb up into my lap and just shower me with kisses and big hugs not prompted by anything. She is a little petite thing, but man can this girl eat! She always eats her plate and the leftovers of Jacks every night. She could have just ate a huge meal and if she sees you with something she has got to have a bite. She makes me smile all day with her messy hair and most ofter dirty face, but man she melts my heart with her stunning crystal blue eyes. You can say I heart her.

Rub-A-Dub-Dub!

2009-09-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

Rub-A-Dub-Dub! Three lil Baker's in the Tub!

Flashback Friday!

2009-07-17T11:17:00.000-07:00

When Dan and I got married we had agreed on waiting like two years before starting our family, little did we know that God had much different plans for us. A couple months before we got married I started taking birth control. Four months after our wedding date I found out I was already four week pregnant! I weeped in fear to say the least. I was with my Mom and I remember when I saw the test I starting crying obnoxiously saying, " I can't be pregnant! I can't be pregnant!" I really didn't think It could be possible because I really was on birth control. Two weeks prior to getting pregnant I had tonsillitis and was given a Z-PAC of antibiotics...well as it turns out antibiotics make you fertile and null in void your birth control. So here I am pregnant, shocked, and devastated because I had know clue what the heck I was going to do. I knew first things first I had to tell Dan. Yikes! I went out and bought a bunch of books on pregnancy and fatherhood and left them out for him to see around the house. I think he saw one of them and didn't think anything of it and then he saw another one and he was like Ummmm! Should I know something?

Here is me 6 months pregnant with Jackson!

Our Lil Man's 4d sonogram @ 30 weeks.

Jackson 3 months old in his Laker get up:) with his proud Daddy.

My Lil chunky chubbster who was 29 lbs @ 8 months old.

Jackson learning to pull himself up at 6 months old.

Loving those chunky rolls on his thighs:)

I love Flashback Friday! It's crazy how your circumstances are always changing and how you learn and grow so much over just a couple of years time.

"Not me!" Monday

2009-07-06T10:32:00.000-07:00

This week I had my cousin Britt over to visit. While we were shopping I did not completely forget my purse and everything I bought in the shopping cart. Later that day at another store I did not park half on the curb and only half way up into the parking spot, and then leave it. Nope, "Not me!" That would be so silly of me, right?

On Sunday while outside with our neighbors I did not let, no encourage my two year son to play with sparklers. They were like small torches. So "Not me!" That would be so irresponsible of me.

Today I did not yell, no scream at my husband because he was late coming home when I had a hair appointment..Only to find out that I actually was an hour early to the hair appointment. Whoops! Nope not me! ...Sorry Sweetheart:)

Go see http://mycharmingkids.net and take a look at all the other "Real" moms out there and their "Not me!" Mondays:)

Flashback Friday!

2009-07-03T11:11:00.001-07:00

This was me at age 4! I was such a cute little girl! Not quite sure what happened as I got older;) Ha ha!

I remember always having super long hair.

Anyone think my kids look like me? Everyone is always saying how much my kids look like my husband...Well I beg to differ. I think Jackson really looks like me as a toddler and Elle looks like my baby picture. Let me know if I'm wrong:)

My Blue Eyed Baby Doll

2009-07-02T22:30:00.000-07:00

My good friend Ashley stopped by the house yesterday to drop off something. She was literally at my house for like 10-15 minutes tops and got some gorgeous shots of Elle. She really has been blessed with this amazing talent. If you would like to get in touch with her to take some photos of your family, she created a web-site, so go check it out! http://ashleyalysonphotography.shutterfly.com/ ! Until then enjoy some photographs of my Blue Eyed baby doll and a one of my crazy haired luv bug.

Venting...

2009-07-02T21:52:00.000-07:00

Warning! If you don't want to hear a Mother complaining about a day when everything seemed to go wong then don't read on, cause you'll be annoyed.

Do you ever have days where everything seems to go wrong and you can't help but think back to the days when you had no one else to take care of but yourself?...Well that was me on Tuesday, for sure! I longed for the days when I could just meet up with a friend for Coffee at the drop of a hat. When I could run errands with no naughty children and do WHAT ever I wanted, WHEN ever I wanted. Well I traded in all those privileges when I became a mother. Though by nights end I wouldn't have it any other way, It's therapeutic to vent about the bad days.

Today started off crappy. I was tired and sluggish. Did not want to get up. I would have done anything to sleep in. ANYTHING!! The doors at our restaurant have to be unlocked for the clean-up crew be 8 am, and my dogs needed to be at the groomers by 8am. Dilemma! Restaurants in La Verne. Dog groomer in Chino Hills. Dilemma! So I woke up extra early, got the kids dressed and feed. I did get some help from my hubby....Very very little! I think he might of helped Jackson brush his teeth. Anyways...We were off to the restaurant ahead of schedule with all major catastrophes avoided thus far. All good! La-de-da! La-de-da! I'm going over all the things I have to do...I even call the dog groomer to tell her that I might be a little late. DOGS!!! SH**!! I forgot the Bailey and Baxter. Seriously? So now after I open the restaurant I have to drive all the way back home, way out of the way, to pick up the dogs. On my way home I try and call my husband to give him a heads up to have the dogs ready for me. Our phone keeps ringing and ringing..no answering machine picks up...Odd! I'm way behind schedule now. So I run into the house and Dan tells me the phones are broke. Broke, Seriously? Geezzz. I finally get to the groomers, only a smidgen over an hour late. I'm so apologetic. She is super nice about it. I'm flustered for sure,, but still have avoided anything really worth fretting over. Off to meet up with a friend from High School for Coffee. Jackson was getting really restless in his car seat by this point. His bottom probably hurt. Poor little guy. I made the mistake of telling Jack were going to see Ashley (my friend), well silly me. Ashlyn is also a girl friend of Jacks who he is absolutely smitten for. Now he thinks Ashlyn in meeting us at Starbucks and he keeps asking. "Wen Asshhyn commin, Wen Ashhyn commin?" Over and over! And I keep breaking his little heart when I tell him she isn't coming. Jackson just didn't understand. I felt bad. I'm in a long line at Starbucks. I have Peanut in one arm and my purse in the other. I'm making Jackson hold on to my dress. Jackson realizes my dress has some stretch to it (ya stretch. It makes everything better) so he takes advantage of pulling it as far as he can go. I kinda get a kick out of this and let out a little chuckle. Bad Idea. Now he wont stop doing it. We get our goodies and go find a comfy seat outside next to the little water thingy. I turn my head for one second and Jackson has taken off his shoes and is knee deep in the water fountain. He is literally holding on to the sign that says do not let children play in fountain. Everyone is looking at me. I realize they have no high chairs. So I set Elle on the floor. I'm trying everything to get Jackson out of this water fountain. He is not budging. I'm saying,"Jack look a monsters gonna get you, better get out!" "Ill give you a hundred dollars!" nothing would work. Every one is staring at me. I have to jump in to this fountain. Mind you it's no small fountain and it actually looks like a small volcano with an incline. Jackson is perched up at the top of this incline..I just keep telling my self I'm gonna spank his little bottom when I get him! I don't care if anyone sees me! Everyone is watching and I'm getting the "O' he is so cute" comment, when in the back of their heads they are thinking put a leash on your kid already. After the hundredth time running after Jackson I had, had it! I think I said, " Your going in time out, RIGHT NOW MISTER!" about a thousand times. ( I have an exaggerating problem) I realize Where the heck is Ashley? I got stood up. We waited for about a half hour. I though she probably tried calling my broken house phone. I tell Jackson we have to go and he is pissed to say the least cause he still thinks "Asshyn" is coming. Jack is screaming. I get a phone call. I have to go back to restaurant. I'm about to cry. Elle is literally slipping out of my arms. I am trying to hold two drinks, two pastry bags, my purse, and dragging Jackson across the parking lot. "Everyone is watching, judging. Look at the baby, look at the baby" I put everything in the car except the kids and took, I mean dragged Jackson back across the parking lot to make him at least try and go potty. I didn't want any accidents.So I'm in the bathroom I look in the mirror and what image is staring back at me? A dress that has coffee droppings on one side and throw up on the other. Yes in the mist of dragging my son across the parking lot. My precious Elle vomited on my. I can't even begin to imagine what was going through all those Coffee drinking patrons. I'm on the way back to the restaurant. I get a call from my sister. I need to pick up my nephew from his Dads. Wonderful! I go pick him up. I go to the restaurant. It's time for the dogs to be picked up now. My gas light is on. I stop by the gas station. I'm missing my debit card. It's Arco, so only cash or debit. I only have seven dollars in cash. It all goes into getting gas..realize I don't have my debit card so I cant get money out of the ATM to pay the dog groomer. Sh**! ( Normally I don't cuss, but..) I go back to the groomer explain my problem and I tell her I'll mail a check as soon as I get home. Elle is crying so I take her out of her car seat and change her diaper. No! No! No! She didn't just have a poopy diaper she had a blow-out. I reach into the diaper bag to find the wipes. No wipes! I'm a mess at this point and so are the kids. It's hot out and I know the kids have got to be hungry. I start to head home. (Don't forget I have my nephew in the car still.) Elle is still crying so I tell Dillon to crawl into the back and try and spoon feed her some applesauce. He looks at me like, are you for real right now! He can't find the food or the spoon in the diaper bag. I have to pull over on the 71fwy to look for it. I find it. Elle is happy:) Mama is happy. Dillon tells me he is being traumatized. I look back at him and say good! Do you know what abstinence means? ( He will be in high school next year) We finally get back to our neck of the woods. I drop Dillon off at his house, get the kids out to stretch their little legs and nurse Elle. We finally get home and I have this overwhelming relief that my horrible day is finally coming to an end, and I cried:( .....My husband looked at me and said, "Wanna go up stairs and try for baby number 3?" I could have punched him in the throat!!!

So thankful that Day is behind us.

Wordless Wednesday!

2009-07-01T11:05:00.001-07:00

Happy 8 Months Miss Peanuts!!!

2009-06-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

Happy as can be:)

2009-06-30T21:35:00.001-07:00

Our family has grown by two fins

2009-06-29T16:23:00.000-07:00

As if I don't have enough butts to wipe, dog crap to pick up, and things to do throughout my day; I now have a new mouth to feed and bowl to clean after my husband brought Jackson his very own Nemo. My hubby walked in from work today with a bright colored fish and all his belongings (bowl, fish flakes, little rocks, and a tree thing) in tow. Anything to put a smile on your sons face, right? I could tell my hubby was really excited to give it to him and if I said Jackson was excited it would be an understatement. He just wanted to hold the fish and look at the fish non stop. You could just see what he was thinking by the expressions on his face. He looked like, " What the heck is that thing!" We asked him what he wanted to name his very own pet fish and his response was, "Kobe". Kobe, really? After a couple hours had past and all the hype of this stupid fish simmered down, I heard him talking to the fish and he kept calling it Memo (Nemo)...Memo it was! Several hours later and right before he was getting ready to go to bed he was sitting on the counter feeding "Memo" and we asked Jack again what his fishes name was and he said with a very confident sternness, "Memo-Kobe" So as I right this post I can't help but think just how long will Memo-Kobe be apart of our family. I give him a week:) Then Ill probably have to sneak out of the house to replace him, just so I don't see a sad face on Jackson, but till that day he is one happy camper.

The fish came with a pamphlet....They are strange fish.

Betta - Traits & Behavior:

Carnivores - they eat other fish or fish particles.

Temperament - Male Betta's (which we have) are aggressive toward each other. Therefore, house only one make with smaller, peaceful fish, or keep him alone. Females are not aggressive and can live together peacefully. ( naturally!)

Air Breathers - Betta's gulp air from the waters surface to help them breathe.

A New Way....

2009-06-29T12:12:00.000-07:00

Where ever you are is exactly where you should be...

The head of a company survived
9/11 because his son started kindergarten.

Another man is alive because it was
His turn to bring donuts.

One woman was late because her
Alarm clock didn't go off in time.

One was late because of being stuck on the NJ Turnpike
Because of an auto accident.

One of them
Missed his bus.

One spilled food on her clothes and had to take
Time to change.

One's
Car wouldn't start.

One couldn't
Get a taxi.

One who put on a new pair of shoes on that morning,
Took the various means to get to work
But before he got there, he developed
a blister on his foot..

He stopped at a drugstore to buy a Band-Aid.
That is why he is alive today..

Now when I am
Stuck in traffic ,
Miss an elevator,
Turn back to answer a ringing telephone ...
All the little things that annoy me.
I think to myself,
This is exactly where
This is where i should be
At this very moment..

Next time your morning seems to be
Going wrong ,

The children are slow getting dressed,
You can't seem to find the car keys,
You hit every traffic light,
Don't get mad or frustrated;
It May be just that
God is at work watching over you.

May you continue to be blessed
With all those annoying little things !
And may you remember their possible purpose.

A new way.... to look at all the little annoyances

in our everyday life...Thanks Ann!

"Not me!" Monday

2009-06-29T10:22:00.000-07:00

This week I did not tell my Mom I wanted her to spend the night just so she would wake up earlier then me to make the coffee. That would be kinda mean of me, or at least lazy, right?

This weekend It was 190 degrees outside so I did not choose this weekend to clean out our cluttered garage. And I was not to lazy to get Jackson dressed all weekend so I did not let him outside in only his "chonies" for 2 days, when cleaning the garage.

I did not loose Jackson yesterday and I did not find him in front hosing down cars as they drove passed our house, in his underwear. That's " Not Me" I always know what my kids are doing at every given moment.

This morning, Elle did not wake up at 3am and wanna play. She also did not pee on the couch and I did not just take the cushion off the couch and throw in on our front porch only to wait a couple of hours to clean it off. That's definitely "Not me" because I always clean every mess up immediately..Ya right!!

It's only 11:30 in the morning....So lets see what else I'm going to do that's "Not Me". I'm sure there will be plenty more.:) Hope every one has a wonderful Monday!

You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Updated Playroom

2009-06-27T21:17:00.001-07:00

Our game room went

from this...

To this:)

One room at a time....and maybe, just maybe Ill be organized some day.

Flashback Friday!!

2009-06-26T12:38:00.000-07:00

My dogs, Bailey and Baxter, are super crazy neurotic. Baxter is a lazy, and has no self esteem. He is a fantastic snuggler and hates to actually walk. He enjoys to go for walks, but only if he is being held or in my purse. Bailey thinks hes a pit bull, and he quickly realizes when he actually attacks other dogs, weighing in at an astounding 4 pounds. I really have had to pull a boxer and a bull dog off of Bailey. He is a punk with an eating disorder, but he is so loyal. (Seriously he bulimic or in dog language... pancreatitis)

Cupcake Monster!!!

2009-06-25T11:18:00.000-07:00

Seriously Elle!!!

3 Whole Cupcakes?

Elle demolished her first tastes

of an ever so amazing

Cupcake!

2009-06-25T11:16:00.001-07:00

Dedication

2009-06-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

We finally had both our kids dedicated to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This was a big day for us as a Family.

We are truly blessed we were able to do this for our children. It truly is a gift to them much like our children were a gift from God. Jesus said. " Let the little children come to me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven"

I had a friend ask me what a dedication was...

As parents we have a huge responsibility for the lives of our children. That responsibility starts at conception. When I got pregnant I started taking prenatal vitamins, folic acid, and iron to give my children the best nutrients inside the womb. When my kids were born I nursed them, I read to them, I try and do everything that I think will make them as smart as possible and prepare them intellectually and physically.....What about spiritually? By Dedicating our children to our Lord, I'm saying I am going to do everything in my power to make sure my children are brought up in the ways of the Lord. Dan and I made a vow to raise our children in God's ways and not our own. We need to do all that we can to "set apart" our children to God until our children can make their own decisions regarding their individual and personal relationships with Jesus Christ. Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. -Proverbs 22:6
A dedication is also for our immediate family so that we would be lifted up in prayer by others so that we will be empowered to keep our responsibilities as christian parents.
The story of Hannah in the Bible shows us an example of a child being dedicated. Unable to have children, Hannah wept before the Lord because of her infertility. As she was weeping, she made a vow to God and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the afflicition of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life." (1 Samuel 1:11,26-28) Hannah had a son, named Samuel and dedicated him to the Lord just as she had vowed to do.

Lord, I pray that you would give Dan and I the strength and wisdom to do what is right for our kids in your eyes. I pray that we would be diligent prayers for our children. I pray that we would be disciplined in reading the words of You Lord. Amen

I would also like to thank Mike and Andrea for sharing with us our special dedication day by dedicating Mr. Little Luke as well. For everyone who came to be a part of our special day and for all the wonderful gifts. THANK YOU!!!!!

Fathers Day Festivities

2009-06-23T11:50:00.000-07:00

We had a a wonderful Fathers day this year. The kids and I started off with art projects with our favorite neighbor's on Thursday to make a couple hand made gifts. Cement and a two year old=disaster..don't try-it! Then on Saturday we had my "Rock Star" Brother-in-Law, Mark's surprise 40Th birthday party! We had a lot of fun..Jack had so many kids to terrorize and tackle. On Sunday we woke up, had a small breakfast, Big Daddy opened his gifts (Which consist of a cement garden stone complete with hand prints and "We love you Daddy" writing, a handmade painting that was framed and a new pair of sunglasses.)Then we went to church and met up with both my Brother-in-laws and their families for lunch at Roscoe's in Chino Hills. Then it was off to our annual Seafood extravaganza with many wonderful friends and family...consisting of lobster, crab-legs, scallop & shrimp scampi, cheesy potatoes, and much more..I think there were fire string beans and corn, but I was definitely not going to waste any space on veggies. :P We lounged by the pool with cocktails and waited on the Dads every whim.

To my husband.....When I first met you I immediately knew you were the one, in part because I knew what a wonderful Father you would someday be. When I told you I was pregnant with Jackson I know it was such a shock, for both of us. We were so scared and excited of the days ahead and now look at us. We have two healthy, beautiful, smart children and hopefully another one in the next year to come.(maybe, if you play your cards right:) You are such a great Dad. You always put us first no matter what. You are such a great communicator, much better than I am and I am so thankful for that. You are involved in every aspect of your kids life, such a hands on Dad. I feel We have grown so much as a couple and even more as parents. We have done something right to be blessed with this wonderful life God has given us. We want you to know always, not just on Fathers Day, that we love you so much and are truly better people because of you. Happy Fathers Day:)

Father--ly Situation

2009-06-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

What
Happens
When
You
Give a
Dad a
Hungry
Baby?

...

Flashback Friday!!!

2009-06-19T22:56:00.000-07:00

Large and In charge..ha ha!! 8 months pregnant with my doll, Elle! Jackson loved his Lil sister even while she was in the belly.

This picture was taken at Joey and Kristin Waltmans wedding when I was 7 months preggos with Elle.

LA Zoo

2009-05-31T20:58:00.000-07:00

I have come to the conclusion I was deprived as a child. (Sorry Mom:) I have never been to the Zoo! So on Saturday off too the LA Zoo we were. It was such a last minute decision. I put the kids down for a nap and sat on the couch with my husband, he looked at me and said,"Want to go to the Zoo when the kids wake up?" I was so excited! (for the Zoo..I know, I'm strange) When Jackson woke up from his nap...I told him we were going to see some really cool animals. Then he said in that cute lispy little boy voice "Ma-meal-moless". Priceless! I kept asking him where we were going so that I could just hear him say it. I know this is so off the topic, but this is really funny. On Friday I put Jackson in time-out, ( I don't even remember why) As soon as he gets in time-out he says over and over..."Sorry, Mommy!" If I don't respond to him right away he starts screaming "Mommy!!!" Well I went Super Nanny on his little bottom and I tried ignoring him...Jackson turned the corner into the kitchen where I was standing, looked straight into my eyes, and screamed at the top of his little lungs," Ambbbbuuurrr!!" I just about died. I didn't even know he knew my real name. Back to the Zoo...My favorite "Ma-meal-moless" was definitely the Meer Kats..Here is just a few photos I captured during our little family outing

Jack&Elle<3

2009-05-30T21:24:00.000-07:00

Jack and Elle, well they just adore each other:) It makes me smile so much. Isn't it crazy just how much you love your children.

Photoshoot

2009-05-27T21:02:00.000-07:00

Elle had her first photoshoot! It was so much fun:) A friend of mine from High School, Ashley Brewer, came over and took some really adorable pictures of my Lil Peanuts. She is really talented with the camera and so patient with kids. Elle was just haming it up. She wasnt fussy at all and kept doing this funny little pose while she was laying down. Too cute she is! I hate going to places like JC Penny because I always feel so rushed and then the kids are always so cranky and not wanting to sit still. Ashley is starting her own photography business. I know she will do fantastic! As soon as she gets her website up and running I will post a link to it. Until then here are some of my favorite shots!

Potty Training Update

2009-05-08T17:31:00.001-07:00

He is 99% potty trained! He goes pee and poop all day in the toilet...He still wares a diaper at night though:( He wakes up with a full diaper so I'm kinda afraid to even try. We are so proud of him!
We were letting him pick out of a surprise bag filled with toy cars, but that kinda got expensive. We switch it up to Jelly Beans and that works just as well. He gets 1 for pee and 2 for poop:) We use it as a little teaching tool too. We ask Him what color jelly bean he would like ( usually red, blue, or orange) and then we grab a handful of them and he has to pick out the color that he said he wanted.
I don't think it was the reward system that helped potty train Jack him though. I really believe it was because I showed Jack how to clean up after himself. (Jack uses one of those little toilets) I let him dump all of the cacas (that's what he calls it) into the big toilet, then he flushes the toilet. He then puts the little insert that comes out to be cleaned in the sink. He turns on the sink and cleans it out and puts it back on his little toilet then he gets back on his stool and washes his hands and dries them on the hand towel. He does it just like I taught him:) He really likes to be independent so he must do it "ALL BY HIMSELF" or he has a meltdown..He does a really good job. I do observe him from a few feet away, but I try to give him his space. He definitely keeps an eye on me to make sure I don't get to close to him. Ha ha! Boys are so gross;/
When we are out and about he likes to stand on the toilet...it gets a little messy! I'm going to start putting Cheerios in the toilet and have him try and aim at the target.
If anyone has any other ideas to help Lil boys keep a straight aim in the toilet, I would love to hear from you....

Clay Balls

2009-05-08T16:04:00.000-07:00

I received this e-mail from a friend today and I thought what a wonderful way to look at people. We all have our flaws and everyone of us are sinners, but in each of our friends their is a wonderful person who could inspire and teach. We all come from different walks of life, that's what makes us so unique! So may you see the special treasures in your friends and that you would know and use your gifts that God blessed you with.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Mothers Day weekend

We are not worthy of all HE GIVES US - HE DOES GIVE US ALL THINGS I pray that we will use them to His Glory.

A man was exploring caves by the Seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn't look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could.
He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock . Inside was a beautiful, precious stone!
Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left.
Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away!
It's like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn't look like much from the outside. It isn't always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it.
We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.
There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth.
May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them. I am so blessed by the gems of friendship I have with you. Thank you for looking beyond my clay vessel.
APPRECIATE EVERY SINGLE
THING YOU HAVE, ESPECIALLY YOUR FRIENDS!
LIFE IS TOO SHORT AND FRIENDS ARE TOO FEW!

Do not ask the Lord to Guide your Footsteps if you are not willing to MOVE your Feet'

Lovin the Summer weather!

2009-05-08T12:59:00.000-07:00

I have been on a little computer hiatis...Dan and I have been trying our hardest to make all the time we have in the day and dedicate it to our kids. I find myself constintly on the computer, checking myspace, facebook, blogs, twitter! (there is just to many!)..Jackson came up to me and said,"Mommy! No more puter..Daddy's puter!" I said," Your right Jackson! No more puter"..haha! I felt bad..I don't want him to think that this computer is at all more important than the time that I spend with him. So long story short I am cutting drastically back on computer, and tv time....except The View and The Hills my guilty pleasures...haha!

It is going to be a super duper hot Summer! Im kinda scared to tell you the truth..I can only imagine our electic bill..ahhh! I just keep thinking if it is this hot this early then what the heck is July and August going to be like. Thank God for ghetto blow up pools and Aunts and Uncles with clean pools. We are going to be so tan this summer...Jack is already like a little spanish kid..It's the portugese he gets from me:) Poor Elle she is blessed with Dan's fair skin. She is like a little Nicole Kidman...red hair, blue eyes, and white porclain skin. She is band to sun hats and 60spf for the rest of her life.

Here is a couple of pictures of the Lil Bakers enjoying our Southern California weather..

Happy Belated Easter!!!

2009-04-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

As you can see I'm a little behind schedule. I have been super busy and one thing happens after the next and before you know it, it's been almost a week since I have even been on the computer. (Well that's not true I heart facebook)

We all had a wonderful Easter with tons of chocolate!! First we went to my Aunts house, then we came home let the kids nap, then off to my Sister-in-laws.

I have a love hate relationship with the holidays. I love Easter, Christmas, and Thanksgiving because of the season and the meaning of each holiday but, being married during the holidays is super stressful for me. Trying to see everybody makes me crazy to say the least. If only there were more time in each Holiday.....Day! That would solve my problem.

Just a few cute pics from this week!

2009-04-09T11:00:00.000-07:00

And I am happy to announce that Jackson went potty on the toilet all by himself...he didn't even let me know. He just went in and did his thing:) I have never been so happy in my whole life..I called everybody I knew and Jack got a new toy. Thank you Jesus...haha!!

What did you say?

2009-04-09T09:46:00.000-07:00

If you know me then you would know that I tend to have my share of blonde moments. My cousins swore they were going to keep a journal and put all my stupid comments, questions, and sayings in there so they would never forget them. My husband always makes fun of me about the things that I say and he would never pass on an opportunity to tell a story about me saying something stupid. So this is just a few of the silly things that have ever come out of my mouth. The things that I will never live down, nor will ever be allowed to live down.

1. Fourth of July:
Me: When is the Fourth of July?
Shawnna: On the Fourth of July.
Me: No! I know that. I mean what is the date of Fourth of July.
Shawnna: On the Fourth of July!
Me: Like what's the date? You know, Christmas is on December 25th. When is the Fourth of July?
Shawnna: ON JULY FOURTH!

2. 2o Questions with Dan:
Dan: Is this person a male?
Me: yes
Dan: Is this person famous?
Me: yes
Dan: Is this person an actor?
Me: no
Dan: Is this person a musician?
Me: yes
Dan: Is this person black?
Me: no
Dan: Is this person still alive?
Me: yes
Dan: Was this musician from the 5o's genre?
Me: yes
Dan: 50's? Wow! OK, he's a white musician from the 50's who is still alive....thinking....don't know you stumped me. Who is it?
Me: "Let's get it on".....Marvin Gaye! Duh

3. Vacation
Dan: It would be really cool to take a European vacation someday. We could go to Italy and Greece.
Me: ...and Paris or maybe even France!

4. History 101
Me: Where were you when 911 happened?
Dan: At home, on leave from the Navy. You?
Me: Asleep..I remember being called and being told to turn on the news and I kept hanging up on the person. Then I finally turned on the news and watched the rest of it unfold. It was awful.
Me: ... What about Pearl Harbor? Where were you when that happened?
Dan: (shakes head)

5. Microwave + Metal = Fire
Me: I'm just gonna heat this up in the microwave (begin sparks and fire)
Dan: What the hell is going on? Turn it off!
Me: (Pull bowl from microwave) ... Wonder why that happened?
Dan: Amber, that's a freakin' metal bowl!
Me: So!
Dan: So? You can't put metal in the microwave!
Me: Yes you can!
Dan: Are you serious right now?!?!

I'll stop embarrassing myself for now. I know this is going to look bad, but don't act like you haven't had your blonde moments too.

Flashback Friday!!

2009-04-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

It's crazy how fast time goes by!!!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-04-01T07:11:00.001-07:00

"NOT ME!" Monday

2009-03-30T20:42:00.000-07:00

Normally I love Monday's. It's my get in order, go grocery shopping, and clean house day. Don't get me wrong, I HATE cleaning! But normally my Monday's seem relaxing and on schedule. This Monday however, ahhhh!! I feel the need to say, "What the Hell!!"

I did not go to Costco to buy a lifetime supply of condoms and Jackson did not keep pushing them out of basket and the grocery loader (Whatever they are called..ha ha) did not keep picking them up and looking at me and laughing.
I did not have to kill a huge black Widow on the back porch that looked about 1,000 years old. ( In size at least) EEEwwww!
I did not wait on hold for over 20 Min's with the trash company who did not forget to pick up our trash and then I did not accidentally hang up on them..AHHHH!! What the Hell!
I did not send Jack to the neighbor's and forget to put a diaper on...Again. He did not pee all over their rug. This is not the second time this has happened and I'm sure they don't think I'm insane:)
I did not have a big fluffy dirty white dog come paw at my front door, named Lucky Charm and then he did not sit and rest on my bench and even better I did not open the door to let the strange Dog come into my home and then that dog did not trample all over my son and my furniture. Jackson did not befriend the dog and he didn't scream and cry when the owners of the dog took it home.

I did not have to take Elle to get her 4 months shot on her 5 month birthday. She did not scream like hell from the moment the Doctor came in to 20 Min's after her shots were done with. I did not cry like a fool :(
I did not have to wake her from her nap because my mother in law had to leave and wanted to see her and even better I did not have to take my mother-in-law in Elle's closet to show her that Elle is wearing the outfits that she bought her and she (my M.I.L) does not swear up and down that Elle is missing an outfit with ruffles on the butt. AAhhhh!!

I think I feel better:) ha ha

Problem!!!

2009-03-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

We have a big problem!

Jackson is

Obsessed
with

sour

Cream!

He just can't get enough. What is a mother to do?

The Red Envelope Project

2009-03-29T13:36:00.000-07:00

"For you formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise you, for I am fearfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well."

Pslams 139:13,14

I want to start off by saying how blessed our family is by our place of worship and fellowship. I attend Calvary Chapel in Chino Hills with the wonderful Pastor Jack. He does a wonderful job of guiding the congregation where the Holy Spirit would lead them, but also keeping us informed of what is happening in our community and nation. He makes it easy for us to get involved and make a difference whether it be large or small.

We were recently informed of The Red Envelope Project, which is not only a great idea, but also something we can all participate in. It all started when a faithful follower spent time silently with God. He writes:
Dear Friends,
This afternoon I was praying about a number of things and my mind began to wander. I
was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his
presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception. I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 2o years and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal.
As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape (where people have stood silent praying in front of abortion clinics with red tape across their mouth's with the word "LIFE" written on it), an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear. Here is what I would like you to do. Get a red envelope.

On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Ave. N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20500

On the back, write the following message:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion.

It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything

to the world. Responsibility begins with

CONCEPTION!

I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

Warmly,

Christ Otto

http://www.RedEnvelopeProject.org

I wrote a couple of them out today and it brought tears to my eyes. I'm a busy mom of two who does'nt spend as much time as I should praying for issues that I strongly believe in. Thanks to a friend Bridget and her awesome blog (check it out! http://Blogginbridget@blogspot.com) it has opened my eyes that being busy or shy isn't an excuse. She has five kids and If she has time to stand up for what she believes in. Whats my excuse? So I encourage you to send this simple red envelope though it may be a small gesture maybe it to will spark a fire in your heart to do more. Looking forward to doing more on my part.

Las Vegas- Summed Up!

2009-03-12T19:47:00.000-07:00

Were home!! Back to reality, the real world where our martinis turned into spit up. I love the manotany of our life but O was it so nice to get away. We enjoyed some much needed R&R at the Venetian Spa were Dan surprised me with a deep tissue massage.

The Massage itself was amazing, the young girl who gave it is another story. Our small talk walking to the room went much like this.

Masseuse: When was your last massage?

Amber: I was 7 months pregnant...so like almost a year ago.

Masseuse: Wow..you have to be very careful getting a massage while you are pregnant, especially around the feet.

Amber: O'ya I know that pressure point very well. I would rub it all the time cause I was sick of being pregnant but it didn't work.

Masseuse: Was this your first baby?

Amber: No...I have a 2 yr old as well.

Masseuse: Did you have them natural?

Amber: O'ya...you mean as oppose to having a c-section?

Masseuse: No i mean without any epidural or pain relief.

Amber: O'helllls no. Do you have any children?

Masseuse: No, but my husband is very against me having an epidural.

Amber: Well I would say until the day he pushes a baby out of his... (you know what)... he can go "all natural"

Masseuse: Well my husband has very valid points. My mom had 5 children natural.

Amber: Wonderful for her.

Masseuse: Do you know how harmful those drugs are to your baby?

Amber: Actually on the contrary...I believe by getting the epidural with my first it saved me from having a c-section. Labor and delivery is different for everybody. I was in labor for almost 20 hours if I didn't get the epidural I would have been to exhausted to push the baby out on my own.

Awkward silence the remainder of the massage.

Mind you Miss lil Thing had zero children. I will just pray that she has pain free child labor and doesn't have to do the unthinkable...the epidural.

On to better things.. Dan and I had dinner at The Cut. Hands down the best food ever!! We sat next to Robin Leach, you know the guy who says, "Lives of the Rich and Famous". Next we met up with our friends Ryan and Jackie. The boys promised us a night of dancing and somehow just us girls found ourselves at the war table for far to long. The war table is awesome. I'm not a gambler, but this game had no thinking involved at all. My card is higher than your card, I win. Just my game. I had 100$ to play with, but only used 20$ all night and won 30$. I was so excited! t. At around 2am we went to Lavo night club were we got to hang out and tried the Hookah thingy and after a long long night we went to bed around 5am:(...Dan and I are very much home bodies so going out like this is very out of character, but we had a blast.

When we got home our Mom's looked like they had both been put through the ringer. My kids never get sick! Both were sick with Brohncitis, Jack refused to eat or sleep the whole time we were gone and to be brutally honest I think our moms kinda butted heads a little. Anyways I owe a huge thanks to my mom and mother in law for whatching Jackson and Elle. I am glad to be home:)

I love my husband!!

2009-03-04T11:37:00.000-08:00

Our 3 year wedding anniversary is right around the corner and I can't help but notice how extra wonderful my husband has been lately. Last week I was sick with some womanly problems..not fun! Dan helped out with the kids so much last week, he took Jack to work one day and then to his Moms one night. Fabulous!! Jackson loves it at my Mother-in-laws because there is no time out and he gets her undivided attention at all times. Which is really heard for me to do when you have a nursing infant and you don't feel your best. Then yesterday when he was at work he called a couple of times just to check in and see what I was doing..he does that normally, but it usually goes unnoticed. When he got home we had dinner, did out nightly routine with the kidlets. Jack went to bed Elle nursed then Dan said, "Hey I want to take you somewhere?..I was like "What, go somewere?" I thought very out of the ordinary. I told my Mom I thought he wanted to buy my an anniversary gift, but wanted to make sure I liked it first. Instead he took me to this place called Crepes de Paris for some dessert and hot chocolate. It was a perfect night, the weather was great. We sat outside and talked for like an hour about everything. Our life, our children, how far we have come as a couple in the 5 years we have been together. I felt that little love tingle in my stomach like when we were dateing as we walked away holding hands and kissing. ( I am so lucky I have my mom a couple of days to help out with the house and the kids..very thankful for her.. so we could just leave like that. I did'nt want anybody to think that we just leave our kids home alone:)

I got Dan a really nice whatch for our anniversary. I gave it to him yesterday and he really liked. I set the bar high and give it to him early so he feels like he has to trump me..haha j/k

Our anniversary is next wednesday and we are off to Las Vegas for a couple of days with our friends Ryan and Jackie. So excited!

Wordless Wednesday!!!

2009-02-25T13:08:00.000-08:00

This is how we potty train..Just leave them on the toilet all day, he is bound to use it at some point. I'm just joking that would be cruel.
1. Check out the chocolate around his lips.
2. He is smiling at the camera and saying cheese.
3. That is a thumbs up.
4. And a coloring book on the TV tray.
5. Baxter, our dog is like just go to the bathroom and you can get down.

* all that just for him to use the bathroom.....Did it work you ask...Nope! This child of mine is bound to make me change his crappy diapers till he is 6..I wont do it! Luckily my precious Elle only poops once a week..crazy huh? Doctor said it is perfectly normal for a breast feed baby and she is a perfectly happy content baby who never cries..and I mean never!

I know it was wordless Wednesday, but O'well.

Birthday Festivities!

2009-02-24T20:17:00.001-08:00

We kicked off Jackson turning 2 with a wonderful birthday dinner with the Grammies. He got some wonderful gifts, one being a super cool train table that lights up and makes all kinds a sounds. It has little people and stop lights. He is obsessed with little cars and trains so this was right up his alley. The only bad thing is that he wants us to play with him non-stop. I find myself playing trains a whole lot...I'm not going to lie..It's not that fun..but to see how excited Jackson gets from these silly little cars is all worth it. He wakes up saying, "My cars, my cars, my cars". I'm like wait a second.....Dan coffee pronto!

* The Oscars were on that night...I know its so 2 years ago...but I'm so team Aniston still. I still wont watch a movie with Angelina in it. How awkward for her to stand there on that stage and present right in front of her ex-husband and the other woman. Kudos Jennifer!

Monday the 23rd was Jackson's actually birthday and we went to D-land. The weather was perfect! Prayers work...It was suppose to rain and it turned out to be kinda hot. All in all we had a blast. Jackson loved every moment and I may not be able to get him to say he is two, but he can definitely say Den-lee-land!

Tuesday we took Jackson and a couple of his friends to Pump-it-up and

then to MC Donald's. Pump-it-up always equals long naps. I love it and they love it. All the festivities wore me and Dan out. We were so exhausted. Sad that my baby boy is already 2 but thankful we could provide a wonderful birthday weekend for our son.

Dan and I want to thank everyone that was a part of Jackson birthday. Ashlyn and Jackie, Jason and Alexa, Grammies Diana and Karen, Bit-ney and Lindsey , and everyone else.

"Is he two?"

2009-02-24T19:12:00.000-08:00

A wonderful age..haha! We have officially hit the terrible twos:( We all went on Friday to get pictures taken and it was a disaster. Earlier that week Jackson had the dreaded nose run that would not stop running and the morning of pictures Elle came down with the same cold. Getting are pictures done always really stresses me out. I have to make sure everybody matches and looks cute, Jack stays clean, Elle's been nursed and pray she doesn't have a blow-out. (I will have to write about later) Hardest thing of all to do is get myself ready hair, make-up, it's a task to say the least. Dan just thinks I can get ready in like 10 mins...(ya right! Maybe to go to the gym..who am I kidding? I meant the grocery store.) The studio was running behind and Jack grew more impatient by the second. By the time we finally started Jack wanted nothing to do with anything. He was running from us every chance he got and you know that makes for perfect pictures when your trying to force you child to stay in one place. The Young girl who was taking our pictures sees me trying to make sure Jack is staying put, Elle's bow is staying put, wipe the drool from her face, fix her dress, make sure my tummy rolls are hidden, get Jack back..during all this I am profusely sweating. The young girl looks at me and says, " Is he two? I'm like why, because he is a demon child?

I can't help but think...

2009-02-21T21:35:00.000-08:00

My little guy Jackson has the biggest heart! He loves to snuggle, give eskimo kisses, butterfly kisses, and just sloppy wet kisses only a mother can adore. We fockerize him here at the Baker household...haha! Seriously though Im scared to death for him to grow up. When I look at pictures like this one above I can't help but think of Jackson bringing home his first love to meet the family. I don't know how I can possible be nice to her, even remotely civilized. It remindes me of when I was in highschool and dating. I met a couple mothers of boyfriends and they were always so wonderful to me. I don't understand how. Jackson is my lil man..He is the love of my life. ( Aside from my wonderful husband, who is amazing. ) All I can do is pray that God puts a wonderful Godly woman in my son's life, and then cry myself to sleep. Right now though I can thank God that my little man is only two, well he will be two on Monday..yaaa!

Oppsie!

2009-01-23T23:58:00.001-08:00

Here are those pics..:)

Santa Monica!

2009-01-23T22:35:00.000-08:00

This week, Dan's company sent him to Santa Monica for a financial advisers conference. To my surprise, his boss footed the bill for a 5 star hotel and said he should take the family... I was stoked! Granted, it's only Santa Monica, but between the kids and owning a business, opportunities to get away as a family don't come around often, so I was excited. That excitement however, quickly faded! I had good intentions and it started out great, nice hotel, beautiful view, great outing to the pier and the Promenade, but that all changed super fast. First came the rain, then came Jack's inability to relax while Dan and I tried to enjoy our dinner at a ritzy restaurant (stupid idea, instantly regretted), then came our 1am wake up call courtesy of Jack's need for a "baba of milk" (which cost $10.34 and took 30 mins. btw)... Needless to say, come morning I was both dejected and exhausted.

The new morning brought more of the same bad luck and I quickly realized that our little outing would not go as planned. Keeping the kids cooped up in the hotel room all day while Dan was out was not an option, so I made a game time decision, though a tough one, to bring Jack home. After he was situated with my mom and feeling better (his mac n' cheese didn't sit well and I was wearing it) I turned back around to meet Dan as he was getting out of the seminar. I put my game face back on and we, including Elle, finished the night strong with much need R&R.

All in all, we had a good time. Sure, it didn't go picture perfect like I planned, but when does it ever?

BTW...I know room service is usually overpriced, but this hotel was unprecedented. Milk over $10 dollars for like 6 oz., a lg cup of coffee was $14, ridiculous.

I did manage to get a couple cute pictures...

Welcome to my life

2009-01-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

Im so excited to share my new blog with you. I hope you find joy in my family, faith, and everyday excitments with two young children.