Christmas!

It feels like christmas went by so fast this year, well, maybe it feels like that every year. Anyways, kiera got to put up her own little tree in her room this year. She was so excited about it. She got to pick out her decorations and all. She even decorated it herself. (notice all the balls on the bottom half of the tree) She got to meet with santa. Totally excited when she saw him... then totally silent while with him... then totally excited after we walked away. At least she didn't cry, right?
So, christmas eve, we had family over for dinner, gifts & games. It was so much fun! Before bed, kiera put some cookies out for santa... Then, on christmas morning kiera slept in til about 10... what kid does that, especially on christmas morning... then we did stockings & gifts. The rest of the day was pretty ordinary. My mom came over, we went grocery shopping & took kiera to urgent care (but it was closed...go figure...) She'd had a cough & congestion for over a week but all day she'd been complaining her ear hurt. The rest of the day we stayed home & just relaxed. It was a great christmas.

Gingerbread

Each year, kiera gets together with her cousins to make a gingerbread house. The kids love it! We get together, have lunch, the kids get to play, & then make their house. This year the only one eating the candies was kiera. The boys did the trees & the girls did the house. It came out so cute! And it's amazing how well they did.

Vegas Baby!

For our anniversary (nov 22) we decided to go to vegas. It was our Pond Thanksgiving year so we thought it'd be nice to break up the drive and have a special time to celebrate our 4 years of marriage. We stayed at the Palms... total let down. I wasn't impressed at all. The only good thing ryan says was the breakfast buffet they had. I agree but i have such little room in my belly these days, i get full too fast.

Halloweenie!

This year for halloween we went to Mickey's Trick or Treat Party! It was awesome! They had a special halloween parade, special shows, all the characters were out (including the villains), and we got to trick or treat around disneyland! They gave out SOOO much candy! Kiera was alice, i was the queen of hearts, and ryan was tweedle dee. I can't wait to go again! For our church halloween party, kiera dressed up as a monarch butterfly. She loved that costume! They had food, games, & a trunk or treat. Best time ever!

Baby

So, in mid october we went in for an ultrasound! Yes, for those that don't or didn't know, we're expecting baby #2! We didn't blog it, facebook it, or shout it from the rooftops like most people do... but we are no less than excited. Our beautiful baby girl is scheduled to arrive feb 15th & we are anxiously awaiting her arrival! Kiera can't wait to be a big sister!

Kiera's Birthday!

October 2nd Kiera turned 2 years old! We had a Golden Birthday for her (2 on the 2nd). It was so much fun decorating. We went towards the theme of pirates gold. Her cake was awesome! Bought by my friend Stacy. I wish i'd taken more pictures but honestly... being the parent & being in charge of throwing and hosting a party is hard work! Next year i will hire a photographer! haha, just kidding, but i will for sure put someone in charge of taking pictures. My little girl is growing up!
Her birthday breakfast!
Her gift from daddy!
Her birthday dessert from TGIFridays!

Dad got a motorcycle. He loves it. I'm supportive. And i pray more diligently each morning... as i hear him start it up to leave for work.

Big Girl Bed

In september, we decided to switch kiera to a big girl bed. She was starting to be too big for her crib (she sleeps big if you know what i mean) annd her birthday was coming up so we thought, best time, might as well! She and her grandpa built it & painted it! She had so much fun! She was so excited, it was all she could talk about.. "my new bed, my new bed, my new bed"... So, we brought it in, set it up... that night we got her all ready for bed annnd when it was time to lay down, what did she say.. "where's my crib...?" Then she cried. She cried nightly for a while. Absolutely loved it, during the day, and would invite anyone & everyone that came over to see this wonderful new bed that her & grandpa made... but when it came time for bed.... nope. She'd need someone to stay with her til she fell asleep & would get up once, maybe twice a night for some comfort. It was rough. She loves it now, thank goodness! Her pink princess big girl bed!

Abuelita

Every year around the end of august, we have what i like to call the 'annual gathering at the avocado tree'. Kinda like the marching of the bulls, or the releasing of the doves or... you know, something monumental like that... It's to celebrate my abuelitas birthday. We all come to the nursing home she lives at, bring our chairs, bring food, & hang out... for like 8 hours...seriously. I love it. This last august, my grandma turned 92. And honestly, you wouldn't know it. She comes from some strong & awesome genes! Hopefully, we've got many years of 'the gathering' to come!

Disneyland!

So, having disneyland passes is pretty much awesome. We can go whenever, stay for however long we want, & it's a totally free activity at times we just wanna get out of the house without spending any money! *catches breath* Another great thing is kiera's still free for the time being. Some of kiera's favorite things right now are autopia, the parades, the characters (she loves to give them hugs), the teacups & small world. Hey look! We finally found someone BIGGER than daddy!

Summer Vacation!

For summer vacation this year we went to San Diego. It was so much fun! We stayed at Humphrey's Half Moon Inn & Suites. It was a great week, and we did so many fun activities! Let's see, we went to Sea World, the San Diego Zoo, the beach, & hung around the hotel. Ryan & kiera got in a swim. The hotel is Hawaiian themed so it felt like we were somewhere far from home.

It's been forever since i've blogged, and i've got tons i can add on here so... we'll see what we get. and just so you know, i'm not going back and adding dates or anything so deal with it. Anyways... here we go!

My BaBy DaDDy

He's so hott. He's so caring. He's so funny. He's so smart. He's so fresh.

I love you.
Happy Father's Day.

so proud of my corn

♫ cAliif0rniia giiRls, wE'rE unf0RgettAblE... ♫ ♪ ♫ I've had this s0ng stuck In my head Alll week.

d0ra

kiera's really into watching dora right now, and we aren't totally sick of it yet, so... we're good (for now). she's so fun to watch cuz she gets all into it. thought you guys would love to see this.

Kiera will probably kill me over this when she's older but... she woke up with a runny nose this morning... when i make the bed, she likes to hide under the blankets & we play for a little bit... when she came out, this is how she looked... it totally reminded me of the movie There's Something About Mary... Too funny!

SuMMA L0viN!

we are sooooo ready for summer! one of kiera's most favorite places to be is in her sandbox! she plays in it everyday! the weather has been VERY generous to us!

MaMa's DAy

Mothers day is always such a beautiful day. I mean, i'm treated like a queen every day, but on mothers day, i feel like i deserve it. I started the day by eating cinnamon rolls (from scratch made by my wonderful husband , barty crockett). They were so good!! I got tons of kisses from my beautiful little girl, that always makes my heart smile. We went to church & then to my tia's house for food & to hang out. I'm so thankful my mom is here with me. She's always so giving of herself & always makes time for kiera & i. She's a wonderful mom & she's become such an amazing grandma. She's taught me that it's ok to let kiera down in a store, & let her run around... she's taught me that it's ok when things don't happen as i want, life is meant to be lived. The world doesn't end when perfection goes out the window. I love my mom so much & she will always be one of my closest friends. Being a mom now, i've grown so much & learned so much about myself. It's helped me grow in love & strength. I love being a mom! There aren't words i could use to describe how it feels... kiera's smile, laugh, scent, etc... it just does something to my heart... it's the best feeling in the world. I'm still as crazy as i've always been, now i just have a mini-me by my side, along for the ride.

yes! yes! no...

ronald graced our McDonalds with his presence this week! we put the flyer up on the fridge & we talked about it ALL week. we were totally excited (don't know if you're all aware of my love for mcdonalds... that's a different story..entirely). the day arrived & i kept asking kiera all day long... "you wanna go see ronald?!" to which she'd reply "YES!!" as we were getting ready to go over there "ready to see ronald?" "YES!" as we were walking over there.. (we live like right across the street.) "you excited to see ronald?" "YES!" as were waiting for him to make his grand entrance, "ronald's almost here, you wanna see him?!" "YES, YES!" annd... as ronald stands in front of us, a couple feet away... greeting all his guests "there he is! should we go say hi to ronald?!?!" kiera quietly responded, as she shook her head, not for one second removing here eyes from this odd stranger, "nnoooo..." haha! i about died laughing. she did good though, he came over & she held out her hand to shake his when he made the reach. he asked her if she's a daddy's girl to which she nodded yes. then she waved & said 'bye' & 'see ya' about 50 times. lol. that was her hint she was ready to go. she said it the whole walk home.