Noni and Grandpa's New House!!!

When we moved up here 2 years ago, it was only a distant dream that our families would follow us.  We made the decision to move here out of necessity for our family unit, but it was not one that was easily made.  We knew we were taking a risk by moving away from family.  Then 4 months ago, one of our favorite things happened!!! Noni and Grandpa Dayton moved 7 minutes away from us!!! And I guess I should mention the spectacular place they chose... 10.5 acres, giant pond, theater room, and great lawn for a soccer field :0) It really is a piece of property that I can see our boys growing up in! They already love it!!! And Jacob could not be happier that Noni is as close as she is! He says "Now I can see Noni everyday!" Now his second dream will come true when he can see Everett everyday! Hint Hint Kiki!!

The boys favorite place is the lake! There are fish, turtles, polliwogs, frogs, crawdads, and the most recent addition... Otters!!! It's crazy to see the amount of nature just in their backyard!! As mentioned in a prior blog, the boys are getting so much more comfortable in the water (obviously by Brayden being full in the water with clothes on!) There is a little row boat that we take the kids out on and fish.  One of the best things is seeing Matt and Mike teach the boys fishing.  Granted Matt and Mike took me fishing once and it was hands down the most sketchy thing I have done in my life (lightning and a metal boat and we didn't catch anything), but I will say they have stepped up their safety skills in teaching the boys how to fish.

The lake has a huge sand area to build sand castles and dig with the boys trucks.  We also are in no short supply of squirt guns!! The water play at their house is off the charts!!

Hands down my mom's favorite part is to go exploring the property and seeing all the neighbor's animals. The boys were slightly nervous near the horses, which I don't blame them, but they do love watching them from a distance!

The neighbors seem so far away, but it's so nice to see their animals up close!!

There is tons of pavement space for the boys to ride pretty much every toy in the world there! And there are two fire pits as you can see in the background... we have had a few s'mores nights this summer!

And the grass area is just insane!!! If any of these boys grow up to be professional soccer players, it will all be in thanks to the space they grew up with!! Obviously I'm starting them young!! :0)

We seriously could not be more excited to have Noni and Grandpa so close to us!! Oh and we can't forget Great Papa!!!  The boys have loved getting to know Great Papa, and it is priceless to hear Brayden yell "Papa!!!" every time he comes through the door.

Updated Photos!!!

Thanks to my dear friend Ashlee... we got some much needed photos done of our family.  I realized that we hadn't gotten any done since Brayden's newborn photos!!! Crazy!! So this blog is just a gallery of my favorite photos from our shoot. Already I look at these and see how Brayden has changed... and he actually looked a little chunky, whereas now he is a total bean pole!

 

It's funny because these pictures were done without me getting to do my hair because the power went out that morning and Mike ended up getting sick in the middle of it and threw up! LOL So all things considered, they turned out really well!!

 These are some of my favorite... our boys are such cuddle bugs, when they want to be!

So hands down the above photos are my absolute favorite!!! Brayden's face is priceless!!

I feel like Brayden's face has changed so much since these photos, but there is one thing that has stayed true.  He still makes the same goofy faces!! I swear this kid is the next Jim Carey!

And of course mister serious Jacob.  He looks about five in these pictures!!! CRAZY!!

Thanks Ash for all the amazing pictures!!

DISNEYLAND!!!!

I have been delaying this post for a while because I know it is going to take forever to write!! But, we made it to Disneyland this spring!!! It was so much fun, completely exhausting, and worth every penny we spent!!! I can't wait to take the kids back again!! We were able to sneak away from jobs and all go to Disneyland for 3 days!!! I realize now that I honestly didn't take enough pictures, and I am not exaggerating, shockingly.  I think the boys were in shock almost the entire time, but I know they had a blast because to this day Jacob asks to go back.  It was a few days of eating junk, riding rides, and sleeping in strollers, but we would not have wanted it another way.  Seeing as I was pregnant, I couldn't do many of the rides, so I was often used as the guarder of kids or strollers.

Speaking f junk food, the boys had dessert a few times a day, I think.  This photo collage demonstrates a few things.  Number one, how badly Brayden wants to be bigger.  He still struggle with that. And the next thing is, Brayden's love of food that isn't his. He makes it seem like he didn't get dessert, but I promise you he did.

This is one of my favorite pictures from the trip.  We got all the kids Mickey ears, seeing as that has to become a tradition! Although Jacob wouldn't wear them at Disneyland, he has become extremely fond of them since we returned home.  I think he is reliving the memories when wears it.

Brayden barely wore the hat too... and I wish I could say he wears it all the time after we returned home, but no that is an epic fail.  He only wears his Niners hat or a beanie... he is kind of a "too cool for school" kid.

Some of the favorite rides by the kids in ranking order; 1. the trolley in California Adventure.  It came as a nice reprieve too because it was hot and it was nice to sit for 20 minutes LOL. 2. Nemo!!! There were a lot of adults in our group that hate that ride (cough cough Kimmy), but the kids absolutely LOVED it!! 3. Autotopia... I couldn't go on this one because I was pregnant, but the boys had a blast!! Brayden spent the time napping while the two older boys drove.

4. The train that went around Disneyland... the boys absolutely LOVED!!! There were some tunnels that made them a little nervous, but other than that they had a blast!

This picture is from the train ride

Overall it was an amazing trip!! The boys did great...I may be looking back with rose colored glasses on, but I think it went pretty dang smoothly for having a 1, 2, 3 year old, and a pregnant lady.  As you may have noticed, Mike is not pictured in many photos, well... since Disneyland is located outside the Tri-Valley, he got sick.

The boys had a great time with the fireworks... well mostly. Jacob was a little nervous, and I think Brayden honestly had the best time! LOL  And yes, this was the best picture we could get of the three of them!

 

When going to Disneyland, everyone has input on the characters or always wants to know how you think your kids will do with the characters... Well, Brayden hated them when they got close, but didn't mind saying hi if they walked by.  Everett liked them from afar also... and liked to show them his little characters of the actual character he was seeing.  Jacob did the best, but still not great.  The best he did was the first day with Dale (which of course he would because Dale is my favorite). But then it went downhill from there LOL. 

A Not so Snowy Winter

For those of you who live in California know that this was one of the driest winters in our history, which makes me sad on multiple fronts. However, the biggest disappointment for this winter was that we live just over an hour from the mountains and we only went 3 times!!! As mentioned in prior blogs, Jacob absolutely LOVES the snow!!!The picture above is a great representation of this winter... totally adorable boys in their snow clothes, without much snow around them! However, the snow may have been limited but the fun definitely was not!!! Jacob learned how to ski!!! Brayden and Jacob both ice skated (very loose term there) and Everett liked to slide down the snow.

So Jacob is more of the skier (LOL obviously by the above photo). Brayden loved it once he got his giant helmet off, LOL. Which made this PICU nurse slightly nervous! The boys had a blast and the adults backs all started killing them!!! Thank goodness we had almost all their aunties and uncles there to rotate through!!

All these photos weren't from the same trip, which is noticeable by the amount of snow. The best snow was Jacob's birthday weekend, which was a total surprise!! We lucked out so much that weekend!!! That morning Jacob woke up and said "Look mommy!! It snowed just for my birthday!!" Gotta love the ego centrism of a 3 year old!

Here are some videos of Jacob skiing... I could not be more proud of this kid!! He normally acts so scared to try new things, but when it came to skiing he just jumped on and went for it!! He only decided to stop when he said "Mommy my legs hurt!" LOL which in the video you'll see why, because he is so stiff! LOL

I can't wait for next winter already!! I mean beyond the fact of having green grass again and water on our lakes... but the skiing next year is going to be so fun with both Brayden and Jacob!!!

Some of My Favorite's Birthdays!!!

So during my little break from blogging, I missed a few birthdays of people who are very near and dear to me!! And they just both happen to be born in June...my lovely nephew Everett and the best Grandma/Great Grandma in the whole world Tutu!! Both celebrated very significant birthdays this past June... Everett turned 2 and Tutu turned 90!

We'll start with Mr. Everett!!! I cannot believe this little man is 2!!! I swear it wasn't that long ago that I cut his finger clipping his nails as a tiny infant, thus becoming his favorite auntie! LOL Oh, the good times we have had Everett! Everett you have brought so much joy to our lives, especially Jacobs! He loves you so much and talks about you ALL the time!! He calls you his favorite cousin...although you are his only cousin right now, he means it very sincerely.  I must say, Everett celebrated his birthday in true toddler fashion...with Elmo and friends!! Kiki planned an awesome party in Oakland at a beautiful park! We had so much fun eating Cuban sandwiches that Matt made (totally appropriate toddler food, duh!) and Elmo cake pops that Noni made!

Next up is my favorite 90 year old on the planet...Tutu!!! Tutu is seriously one of the greatest women I know. She has always been there to support me whenever I have needed her, and she has always been able to tell me the truth, or put me in my place when I needed it. I have always said that of anyone in my family, I am the most like Tutu. I think from my personality to my toes (yes you read that right), Tutu and I are very similar... and I am so grateful for that! So for Tutu's 90th, she wanted to do a small get together at her house with just family...it's amazing how your family grows after 90 years!! It was such a wonderful party!! Seeing the entire Jacob family, and meeting Tutu's friends, or my mom's friends that she grew up with, was just so much fun! Tutu was always an amazing grandma, and to see her as a great grandma, is something more special than any words I could express.

My boys love their Tutu so much!!! Happy 90th Birthday Tutu!!

Family Full of Boys

This past weekend was Papa's 89th Birthday!!! He is officially 89 years young!!We decided to make a quick trip to see him and have brunch.  It was of course a great brunch with tons of yummy food... complete with homemade cinnamon rolls!! Which we are still enjoying (Thank you Dayton!!). It was so great to get this picture of Papa and all his boys!! It's crazy to look at this photo and see how things have changed just since Papa's 86th birthday!! Our family has grown so much and I could not be happier! If Kim or I ever get a girl, then they are going to have to be one tough cookie to keep up with this lot!

Some Short Stories...

I feel like I only blog about huge events or stories and our everyday lives become a little dismissed. So that is what this post is all about... the fun times we have had without going anywhere but the park really. LOL

I think about a month ago now (wow, that seems way too long!) Jaybee and Tori came up to visit for a night. The boys loved it!! I think both Jaybee and Tori bought the entire children's section at Target, so naturally the weekend got off to a great start for Jacob! He loves his Aunties so much!! He always talks about Auntie Beeze and Auntie Tori. In fact he calls Dori on Nemo, Tori...lol. Anyways that weekend we had a blast just hanging out and not doing much! LOL

I haven't laughed that hard in a while than seeing Jaybee on a swing!! Pure comedy!!

Continuing on our park theme... Mike and I started running again. Yes, you did not misread that last sentence.  We are trying to get healthier and I figured why not start with my 12 minute miles!! Oh how the mighty have fallen! Anyways, we have been running down to the park and back with the jogging stroller... that is two miles total!!! I have even ran to the grocery store to get dinner!! What can I say, food motivates me!

We stuck Brayden in the swing for the first time. He really liked it because he started to fall asleep! It also worked out nicely because he was in his snow suit, so he didn't fall out! Always a bonus!

 We've taken a few short trips down to the bay area over the last month for various reasons, but the best reason is to get these two knuckleheads together! Their relationship has truly blossomed over the last couple months! Jacob constantly talks about Everett and always wants to see him. I love watching cousin love!!

 

The above picture represents our nightly routine with Jacob.  Lately after his bath he has been going crazy!! The only thing I can compare it to, is it's like after a dog gets a bath and they need to run around on everything! In this photo we were able to diaper him, but that is not always the case.  He just cracks me up!!

Dunking it with Tutu

We all know how much Jacob likes to dunk basketballs, but Tutu may have showed him his favorite thing to dunk...cookies in milk!!! Big surprise that he loved it! LOL! He not only loved dipping the cookie and sucking the milk off; he also enjoyed shifting the milk from glass to bowl and making cookie soup!  He made quite the mess... who knew 2 year olds weren't very good at pouring milk?!?! But he had a lot of fun!!

He was a very happy boy!!!

It may be hard to believe, but we didn't just go to Tutu's house to eat cookies and milk!! We went to hang out have fun for both boys. Jacob loved running around the deck in the backyard; jumping up and down the steps, and pretending everything was a pirate ship! His imagination is really starting to take shape... it's so fun to watch!!

Brayden had fun too with his Tutu and Aunt Jeannie!

I love this photo of Tutu and Brayden! I feel like they are giving the same looks... There is nothing like seeing your grandma with her great grandchildren!

He's 30 People!!!

My absolute favorite person (grown-up) in the whole wide world turns 30 years old today!! In true Mike birthday fashion, we didn't really plan anything. However, both kids got sick last night which in turn caused Mike to call in sick today. So, by default we got to spend the day together as a family!! I think Mike had the best quote ever about turning thirty today, "At four this morning I had throw up in my hands that wasn't mine and wasn't caused by drinking too much. I guess I am really thirty today!" LOL!!! In all seriousness though, him turning thirty has put a little perspective on our life...we have been together for almost half of our lives!!!  It's crazy to think that when we were 15 and 16 years old and talking about our future, that it would actually come true!!  I knew back then that he was The One I wanted to marry, have kids with, and grow old with. I can say 14 years later that I was a very smart 15 year old!! He is the perfect husband and absolute perfect daddy.  There's a quote that says, "Don't marry a man unless you'd be proud to have a son exactly like him." Well, there is a reason I have two boys... I can only hope that they grow up and treat their wife exactly how he treats me. 

 I really do love this guy!!! He makes me laugh ALL the time and lets face it, 14 years of my shinanigans he kind of deserves a medal! LOL

My favorite quality about this birthday boy is how he is as a father.  I have never met a person who after a day (a long 13 hour day) of a crying baby refusing the bottle or three days by themselves with a 3 month old, still say they want to be a stay at home parent!! He is truly an amazing dad! Our boys love him so much!!

HAPPY 30TH BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST DADDY AND HUSBAND IN THE WORLD!!

Super Bowl Weekend!!!

Every year I look forward to one of my favorite sporting events of all time... I enjoy the yelling, the betting, the food, and the all around hanging out with family. Some years I have had to work, which makes for somewhat comedy watching the game. We turn it on in an empty room (hopefully we have one), then we call into the room from the phone our work station, then we place our work station phone on speaker,and thus we have sound!!! We are rather creative!!! Anyways, I was really excited for this year because I was on maternity leave and I was guaranteed it off!!! Well, it turns out that this year was the worst year to actually watch the football game!! Since the game sucked (and the wrong team won), I am glad we watched it in good company.So there will be no more mentioning of football from hear on out...until next season that is!

Originally, we were going to have Super Bowl Sunday at our house, but a basketball tournament and a torn ACL (Shaniko) changed all that. We were happy to come and visit Pleasanton...I even drove the boys down by myself!! I think that makes me a true mother of two! We had a great weekend playing at the park, eating great food, and Mike and I actually went on a date!!!

Shaniko and Brayden had a great time hanging out...especially since they both can't move very well!

We spent a long time at Emerald Glenn Park. It was great discovering a new park with the boys...they had the best time running up and down a hill. 

I love this photo because it shows Jacob as such a kid! The best part of this picture is the memory we have of Jacob and Everett high fiving each other.  It was so funny...I hope to catch it on video one day.

Some funny things happened while Mike and I were on our date.. Jacob turned into a dog.  This is what we walked into...

It's funny because Jacob never wants to be near a dog with a cone on...he is truly terrified, so maybe he got over his fear?