Overview of October

You know, I never thought I would be one of those people who was always trying to play catch up on their blogs. I liked that I was never more than a week behind on the blog. But this pregnancy has thrown me for a loop and I can't seem to catch back up. I'm 18 weeks and still feel sick so either I'm having a boy (because I was done being sick by now with Kamryn) or I'm having another girl who loves to play mean tricks on me. I'll find out next Tuesday so I'll keep you all posted.

Anyway, being that I was feeling crappy in October, I didn't take a lot of pictures when I was able to get out of the house so I figured I could do the month of October in one post. That'll catch me up quicker.

RILEY'S FARM

We did take our traditional trip to Rileys Farm to pick out our pumpkins. We went with our friends, the Hartmans and the Silagyis. Here are some pictures of some of the kids.
















Colin and Kamryn walking together, holding hands. Seriously Cute!















HANGIN' WITH FRIENDS AT DON JOSE!!!!















MY BROTHER, HUSBAND, and BROTHER IN LAW.....MODELS FOR OLD NAVY!















PUMPKIN CARVING TIME!















You may be wondering where her costume pictures are....she's 2. Wonder no more. Her? Wear a costume? However, when Jason gets back from San Diego I'll have him post the video we have of her in her puppy costume...she only wore it at home for us once and never again.

LA County Fair

Yes, it was soo long ago, but I still want to record it for journalistic integrity. It did happen and I have pictures to prove it. That was the first week of my long journey through pregnancy sickness. We had received free tickets from our wonderful friends and even though I felt like crap, I was determined to not let those tickets go to waste. I didn't want to deprive my family of a fun evening out either. So, we went and really had a great time. We enjoyed walking around, watching the mini parade, going to see all the animals and enjoying a funnel cake to end the evening.
















I always wanted to be a chicken. (Anyone ever see "Return to Oz") :-)
















Our very last stop was to visit ZOLTAR!! We even forked over our precious quarters (laundry money) to get our fortune told by this wise piece of almost real-like machinery. Was it worth it? I'm still asking myself that question.....

Re-living my 30th!

Now that I'm feeling a tad bit better, I thought I'd slowly start catching up on the last couple of months events. The first beginning with my 30th birthday celebrations. My wonderful husband planned two surprise events: one with friends from my ward and the other with some family at Claim Jumper.

It was awesome to have some of my good friends around to celebrate my special day. Thanks Teresa, for letting us party at your house.



























































Thanks Karissa for making such fabulous cupcakes and taking the time to decorate them all so wonderfully. If you guys look closely, you'll see a Disney cupcake, a music cupcake, a "Wicked" cupcake, and a Lakers and Angels cupcake! She knows all my favorite things! It was awesome. Thanks Jason for getting my friends together, buying everyone pizza and making this such a special night.

















And thanks to my family for also celebrating with me. A special thanks goes out to Aaron and Whitney, who took time out of their day at Disneyland to celebrate with me. That meant a lot guys! Love you all and thanks to everyone who made my birthday rock!

Let's just get it out there!

So, since most everyone knows now I'll just get it out there so then everyone really knows and so that everyone understands why I hate blogging right now. I'm pregnant....about 14 weeks pregnant and I heard the strong heartbeat last week. :-) I'm also sick. SOOOOOOOO grateful to be pregnant after a year of trying and I wouldn't trade being sick for anything if it means I get to have another child. However, this blogging thing is really the last thing on my agenda. It's all I can do to just sit here and type this right now. I'm hoping that the sickness will end soon and my enthusiasm for my old way of life will return. I'm sure Jason and Kamryn are hoping to get their wife and Mommy back.
Anyhow, my due date is May 6th and I'll find out what I am having in about 5-6 weeks so I'll be sure to let everyone know. I do promise to catch up eventually with events in our lives but it will come slowly. Unless Jason becomes more of a blogging enthusiast and he takes over (but he is already doing more than he usually does around here so that may not happen). I should be getting over this sickness hump soon.

So, you're sick of the cookie monster huh???

Well, quite frankly, I'm sick of the entry too....So many things have happened since then....like me turning 30, going to the LA County Fair, picking pumpkins at the Riley Farm Pumpkin Patch and other such events. And being the avid blogger that I once was, it seems unusual to many of you that it has taken me sooooo long to post anything new. Right? I guess it's just a phase....that will end shortly. Just let me take one more week off and then I promise you will get so many new entries you will be sick of looking at my blog. We are taking a little vacation this week that I'm trying to get ready for. After we get back from that, I PROMISE to get to being the dedicated blogger I once was. Until then....go outside! Especially if you live in California. It's a great day to go to the beach (yes, even in October).

Cookie Monster!

This is what happens when you leave a bag of cookies in your purse. Kamryn knows that Mommy tends to put snacks in her purse, so whenever I leave a bag lying around she goes through it to see what goodies she can find. Well, I can't keep tabs on her at all times at home and I forget that I have snacks in my bag. So, when she walked out with this cute face, I couldn't get mad. My bad for leaving the cookies in such an accesible spot.

Bring out the Rally Monkey!

Last night, our little family headed out to attend an Angels Game. I'm trying to make it a point that we attend at least one Angels game each season...I guess I would like it to become a tradition of sorts. Anyhow, Jason and I were a bit nervous about bringing Kamryn to a game. The last time we went, Kamryn was a year old and was pretty content to sit on our lap and look around. Plus, she didn't talk quite as much. So, we worried this night would be challenging...but I'm happy to report that she did great. And she was enthralled with all that was going on around her. I mean, just look at this happy face! :-)
















Kamryn is clinging to Jason in this picture. They let off some fireworks in the beginning of the game and obviously, the noise doesn't thrill her.















Kamryn got really happy by the end of the night when they brought out the RALLY MONKEY!!! She loved seeing the monkey on the big screen and watching everyone wave their own rally monkeys. She kept saying "Go Monkey!" (We had her saying "Go Angels" earlier, so she improvised).















Jason and I just enjoying a night out with our family. Oh, and we enjoyed watching the Angels come back from a 3 run deficit in the eighth inning to win the game, 7-5. GO ANGELS! (and go rally monkey....he works like a charm every time).

Two reasons why I loved the Olympics!

It couldn't have ended any better! Go Team USA!!! You make me proud to be an American. Until 2012 then.....

Finger lickin' good!

Aaron McCargo, Jr. of BIG DADDY'S HOUSE!!


Okay, I'm far from being a great cook. Probably far from being a good cook. However, last night I somehow turned into, at least, a great cook for one night. I'm a big fan of the show, "The Next Food Network star" and the winner now has a show called "Big Daddy's House." He makes some yummy food and makes it look easy. I have watched many a Food Network Chef make fried chicken, but I never once was inspired to try it myself until Big Daddy. He made it look easy. He didn't need his own deep fryer or a special oil thermometer. No, he just used a big frying pan and the back of a wooden spoon to tell the temperature and voila, fried chicken. So, I tried it and if I don't mind myself saying, it really was finger lickin' good. I attempted to take a picture, but my camera is suspiciously dead (kamryn) and sadly, I don't know how to charge it...or at least, I have no idea which cord, out of the 5 million we have, charge it. So you just have to trust me and Jason when we say it was good. (The chicken looked pretty similar to this but without all the pretty green stuff on the plate).



So thanks Big Daddy...for making me feel like a great cook for at least one night.

My Three Favorite Things of the Week!

1. Swimming- We have gone swimming quite a bit the last couple weeks. This week we went swimming two days in a row and Kamryn has made improvements. She's gone from clinging to Mommy and Daddy in the pool to now hanging out in a special "Fish flotation device" that she borrowed from our friends, the Livingstons. Now we just need to get her to try putting her head in the water and we're on our way to the Olympics.





























Just taking a break!
















2. Build-A-Bear- I have been wanting to go to this store for many years now, but always felt silly going for myself being a twenty-something adult. But thanks to Karissa and her son, Blake, turning two, we got to go to a Build-A-Bear Party with a bunch of our friends. This store is awesome and we had a great time with everyone and seeing how excited Kamryn was to build a...puppy. I hoped she might choose a bear (since she already has lots of puppies) but it wasn't to be. I can't believe how many outfits they have to choose for these stuffed animals. We tried to convince Kamryn that her puppy, named "Trusty" (greatest cartoon dog in movie history) should wear an "Anaheim Angels" outfit, but she refused to let puppy wear anything. So, we got her a stroller instead. !
















Her favorite thing was the "condo." She loved it so much she had to hold it in her car seat...and fell asleep with it basically on top of her. These are the moments I love! Happy Birthday Blake and thanks for the awesome party!
















3. Michael Phelps- Usually, I'm someone who likes to root for the underdog. I'm not one for those who dominate a sport and leave no room for others to thrive (ie....Tiger Woods, Tiger Woods and Tiger Woods). Okay, so obviously I'm not a big fan of Tiger Woods. Something about him rubs me the wrong way and yes, him winning the US Open was pretty amazing with a hurt knee and all (so dramatic) but I was rooting for Rocco to win his first major at over 40 years old. I like to see other athletes get a chance to be great. I make the exception with Michael Phelps. I enjoy seeing him crush the competition one race at a time. I love watching him make history. Reason I like him and not Tiger??? Hard to say, but it seems that Phelps is friendlier, a little goofy and he wears a little less. Go Michael! Way to get the 8 golds! Tiger Woods has nothing on you! :-)

August Happenings

So far, August has been a good month. There was the Concert in the Park, where our friends, the Hartmans, joined us. We had a great time and the music was awesome. "The Answer" never disappoints.

Kamryn is struggling to stay put for a picture.


I took Kamryn to the park last week, and she actually requested to get off the swing to go play on other toys. That's a rare happening for my little girl. Of course, she ended up right back on the swings to end the little excursion but at least she made some improvement.



Here's Jason and I waiting for Ron and Karissa. They were nice enough to invite us to go to The House of Blues to go see a U2 Tribute Band called "Under a Blood Red Sky." The band was awesome and I was extremely impressed. We wished we could have stayed longer, but they had an opening band, who did Pearl Jam covers, play for an hour and then a half hour break. So the U2 band didn't even get up there until 9:30. So, we could only stay for the first hour, where they played a bunch of songs from "War" and some other oldies. Our friends, the Livingstons, were letting Kamryn crash in their kids room while we were gone so we needed to get back. If anything, this concert just made me all the more determined that when the time comes, I will be at the next U2 concert no matter what.

Owen's Baby Blessing

Even though this happened a few weeks ago now, I still wanted to post the pictures we took. These aren't great shots of baby Owen, but I posted them anyway. It was nice that my brother was able to bless Owen at my sister's house. It was a very special moment for both my family and Mary's family.

Those who can...come join us tomorrow night!

Our little family plans on going to the Concert in the Park in Claremont tomorrow night to listen to "The Answer." They are a great classic rock band and are one of the most popular bands to come see at these concerts. So I'm inviting anyone to come join us. It really is a good time to hang out, chat, and listen to good music. Hope to see some familiar faces tomorrow night.

My own little Picasso

Here is Kamryn's first time water painting. Very exciting. :-)

Enjoyin' the Ride!

So, I'm thinking that since everyone else in Southern California blogged about their earthquake experience, I might as well throw mine in for good measure. Kamryn and I were enjoying a tasty lunch with our friend Karissa at a fabulous hole-in-the-wall mexican place called Patty's. Then the earthquake hits. At first, there was that loud rumbling noise and then came the swaying. Usually, whenever I've been in an earthquake before, the earth feels like its jolting and shaking. But yesterday, I felt like I was swaying. So, everyone in the restaurant just stood in place and looked around as we all swayed with the earth. There was one young girl in there who screamed and then cried for a long time afterward, poor girl. My friend Karissa is not a California native, so she hasn't been through one quite so intense so she was shaken up. And don't get me wrong, my heart was pounding...but I wasn't quite as freaked out as I have been known to get when one hits. I think it actually helped that it was during the day and that I was in public and not alone. I was so calm, that I didn't even grab Kamryn in a panic like I think I normally would have done. She just sat on the chair next to me and we both enjoyed the ride. :-)

So, to all of my dear friends who haven't lived in California that long... Welcome! Let's just hope we've all moved before the dreaded "Big One" hits.

Isn't my Mother beautiful??

My Mom was in town during the family reunion and Kamryn's birthday celebration a couple weeks ago and I just wanted to share a couple of pictures I took of her. Kamryn loves her Grandma and loves spending time with her. So, I'm excited to get whatever time I can with my Mom to hang out, visit and for her to continue to develop a close relationship with Kamryn.


While she was here, we also stopped and visited the grave site of my Dad. He passed away 7 years ago. I miss him terribly and it hurts to know that Kamryn will grow up never being able to meet her Grandpa Johnson, but she will know that her Grandpa was a great man. I'll make sure of that. How grateful I am to know that I will get to see my Dad again and that after this life, Kamryn will get to meet her Grandpa face to face and give him a hug. I hope I'm there when that happens. :-)

Finishin' up the Birthday events!

Since we pretty much celebrated Kamryn's birthday last Saturday, we didn't do too much on her actual birthday, but we did do something. We ran some errands and at Target we let her pick a toy...which ended up being a stuffed animal of Blue from Blue's Clues. Then we took her for a special dinner to McDonalds. We haven't been there for a long time, so it was a special treat for her. She even got more daring on the toys and actually crawled through some of the tunnels, instead of just sitting in the entrance, blocking everyones path. First, here she is in her birthday outfit that her Grandma Johnson gave her. She looks extremely adorable in my own biased opinion. :-) Unfortunately, I couldn't quite get the full outfit shout. But it's cute!


This is a first!!!


Enjoying her birthday dinner! Obviously, she is too busy to bother with my bothersome questions.

Happy Birthday Pooka!

So, my baby girl just turned 2 today. So, I guess that means she is really not a baby anymore. She is a little person who can talk, sing, spin, and give her Mommy and Daddy lots of kisses. Everytime I look at her, it reminds me of my Savior's love for me. I know that my Heavenly Father wants me to be happy and I know that they have blessed my life immensely. I am so grateful to have been blessed with a wonderful husband and that we were able to have our beautiful red head. She loves me unconditionally even when I lose my patience or get angry....she just asks me "what's wrong Mommy?' and gives me kisses. I love how passionate she is....even if it does make for some intense tantrums when I try to remove her from one of those passions (ie: swing, puppies and the caputer(computer)). She is a driven little girl and she knows what she wants and I hope she carries that passion with her her whole life. :-)

On Saturday, we spent some time at the Johnson Family Reunion where we ate good food, went swimming and reacquainted ourselves with my Dad's side of the family. Here is my sister, Suzanne, my sister-in-law Mary with baby Owen and my cousin, Candy.


I asked my brothers to just stand by the BBQ and do their thing....so Jeremy made it look so natural.
After the reunion, we headed back to my house where we celebrated Kamryn's birthday. Most of my family (not all) were in town that weekend for the reunion so I thought we'd celebrate. Thanks for all the wonderful gifts. Kamryn can't stop playing with them. :-)




So Happy Birthday pooka! Your Mommy and Daddy love you so much. You are our sunshine and we thank HeavenlyFather every night for letting us be your parents. Thanks for making our lives more complete!