October 2009

I'm so glad that the fall weather is kicking in. I can't stand the heat & was dying to turn on my oven again. We had lots of fun pumpkin events & here are the highlights:
Vaughn & Kaden at another Dodgers game before it cooled down. Kaden's painful smile shows it was 100 degrees that day. They still loved it of course...especially the playoffs.

My children are precious & I will always remember these as the craziest, busiest & funnest days. They are truly only this small once & it's flying by.

Scarlet is such a light sleeper but this time she's passed out after a jog with her daddy. She kind of looks like a lush the way she's gripping that water bottle.

What can I say about this crazy girl. At 8 months: she is a climber; crawler; stands up very well; loves to shred & eat paper; she has jaws of steel and can tear through almost any packaging with one attempt; she loves to laugh, shriek & scream with delight; she says "dada", "uh oh", "did it" but only says "my mamama" when she's crying or mad; gives kisses when asked; cuddles when we say "ah"; tries to sing when we sing; hates to sleep; and has to be where the action is.

Kaden scored his 1st goal of the season. We were excited & he was jumping up and down.

Kind of ridiculous but none of my kids will walk. They'd rather be all squashed in the stroller than stand on their own 2 feet. Lazy but cute.

The kids made me laugh with all the pumpkin stuff this year. I told Ashlyn that we were going to cut open the top of the pumpkin, take the yucky stuff out & bake the seeds. She pointed to the pumpkin and asked me if there was broccoli or milk inside? Yucky stuff to Ashlyn is Broccoli & Milk. Where does she come up with this stuff?

Pumpkin patch. Scarlet enjoyed the pumpkins but was not overly impressed. The older ones just wanted to enjoy the rides. Could they be outgrowing the simplicity of it already?

Gee, can anyone guess what my kids dressed up as? Scarlet didn't have a choice but you think Ashlyn could have picked anything other than a Star Wars character.

I love trying to get pictures of all 3 of them...this is about as good as it gets. I love the facial expressions, pink sneakers, and the fact that Scarlet actually wore the ears.

Star Wars fans you have to use your imagination for this one but apparently Father & Daughter are the ones that battle in this scene.

Little Yoda. Scarlet was so darn cute but I think people only knew who she was because of her siblings. We had someone think she was Shrek which I thought was pretty funny.

Princess Leia or "Yaya" as Ashlyn calls her. We tried to get her to dress as Padame but she really insisted on this one. The shooter gun didn't make it out of the house because before we left Ashlyn hid it in one of her "dark places" as she calls them. She hid it so well that we were a half hour late to our party while looking for it. Too bad I didn't think of looking on the sugar canister in the pantry. She simply amazes me...and confuses me too.

Nothing other than Anakin Skywalker would do. He dresses daily as either a Jedi or Anakin. He specifically asked to wear this particular costume, with his hair a certain way, a braid attached and no glove. It's funny how he has in mind which particular scene he is dressed as. I laughed when his school asked what he wants to be when he grows up and he said "A Jedi".

These definitely are the days.

September 2009

So I did it. I'm caught up to the month just before this one. Let's see if I can manage to post October in a timely manner.

September happened to be busier than August. Kaden started Kindergarten, Ashlyn started preschool, soccer games started, ballet started & Scarlet started crawling everywhere and getting into everything.

On top of it all Vaughn & I went out of town for one of his work conferences. He had meetings during the day while I slept & played. It was fun & much needed. My poor sister watched all 3 kids while we were gone. It's funny being on the other end of the phone listening to the stories that usually take place in my life.Kaden's first day of school was a success. I love his teacher & he just really enjoys going. He is so proud of everything he gets to do and appreciates all the little responsiblilities he has. He even enjoys doing his homework. It's a breeze this year. I just wish he didn't have afternoon kinder because it screws up the napping schedule. My girls now nap at 12:30 which is way too early for me.

Ashlyn is doing an amazing job in preschool. I can't believe how eager she is to learn. She is actually starting to master her alphabet which I thought would never happen. She loves her teacher, chapel, the playground, and her friend Kylie. She was so proud on her first day that she had her own school and that it was no longer Kaden's. She beamed with excitement when she got home.
Napa was fun. Vaughn had a lot of down time & most of the events we could attend together.

We actually went in a hot air balloon too. I'm not one for adventures but it was worth it.

We visited several wineries & this night we went to a fancy dinner.
Kaden is doing really well in soccer. He's very cooperative & really getting in there. He is on the All American Jedi...could you imagine anything other than something Star Wars?

My kids can not stay out of the crib. They love to go get Scarlet when she wakes up.
Ashlyn showing off her Yellow Day project. Each month they have a different color theme, shape, letters, bible curriculum, bible verse, and character quality. I love the school so much & all of their fun filled activities. It makes it really hard to go to a public school after having such an incredible experience at this preschool. Thank God I really like Kaden's teacher this year. Do you know that Kaden's school says the Pledge of Allegiance every day & sang America the Beautiful at one of their assemblies?...I thought that stuff was long out of the public schools. Hopefully nobody complains about it or it will be gone before Ashlyn gets there.

Ashlyn at her tap/ballet dance class. She likes it okay. She doesn't complain about going but she says it's too long. I bribe her with a sucker to dance the entire time.

And now last but not least, our little Scarlet. She had a very busy month...actually, a very busy week. She decided in the couple of days we were gone to completely crawl all over the house, go from her belly to a sitting position & pull herself to a standing position. I couldn't believe it all happened so fast. We got back a few days before she turned 7 months. Then the rest of the month she perfected her stair climbing (with me behind her of course). I just hope she perfects climbing down soon too because it makes me nervous.

August 2009

August is always a busy month for us as we finish out the summer. We went to Disneyland on Kaden & Ashlyn's actual birthdays, went on an overnight beach trip, had family in town, soccer started and we were getting ready for school to start.
Glad we bought the extra long wagon way back when Kaden turned one. Who knew we would be hauling this much stuff around for a day out on the beach.Kaden spent a lot of the summer out on the shoreline & in the water. It's funny because he hates the sun but would spend forever out on the beach. He never gets enough.

Everywhere we go people comment on how good of a baby Scarlet is. She really is an easy baby...well at least about as easy as they get. She finally lifted her body off the ground. She was scooting around and could get everywhere she needed to go. She turned 6 months mid August & it's really going by too fast for me.

All Kaden wanted to do for his birthday was go bowling. He turned 5 this year & is becoming such a big boy. He's a great big brother, a wonderful son & we are really proud of all of his efforts. Kaden learned how to read & ride a bike this summer. We worked on shoe tying but I really think his strengths are in other areas...maybe next summer;-) Ashlyn turned 3 a couple of weeks later & she still amazes me. We got her this doll house for her birthday because she has such a big imagination. She is really starting to blossom into a little girl. Her speech is becoming very clear, she loves playing with her big brother & little sister, she is very eager to learn, and has the most love and passion for everybody & every little thing in her life. I'm really going to miss her toddler years.

July 2009

July was fun. It's crazy to look back at these pictures & realize how fast time goes by. It's just zooming after having the 3rd one. Here's a quick recap of July...
Went to a friend's house for the 4th. The kids swam & played like crazy. It was fun with the exception of me totally eating it while holding Scarlet. I slipped on some water & hit the ground so hard. Fortunately I broke most of the fall before she made it down. It was the first time I've fallen with one of my kids & so incredibly scary. I was so thankful that she was okay & it was only me that got stuck with a very nasty bruise. FYI - I fell twice that night...I'm such a klutz.

It's been a while since I've posted one of these lovely shots. Ashlyn was so mad she couldn't get her other ugg on. She's happy, silly and goofy most of the time but don't make her mad.

We got Scarlet a Jumper because she loves to bounce on our laps. She jumped so much the first couple of days that she got a blister on her big toe. Her milestones in July were: sitting alone for a few seconds, getting her 1st tooth, waiving & rolling all over the place. Her favorite thing to do this month besides jumping was eating paper...she's a human paper shredder.

June 2009

June consisted of lots of fun activities. Here are some of the highlights...

Lots & lots of backyard baseball. They play it for so many hours that Ashlyn had to learn how to enjoy it too so she could be part of the action. It's really funny to watch her run bases. It's also hilarious to see how serious Kaden is when he pitches. He makes up the game play by play & directs everyone how they're supposed to hit & how many bases they can run.

Kaden's swim lessons have actually paid off. He really swims & is learning technique now.

Did you know Ashlyn can fly? She is so crazy in the water. Anyone who has watched her comments on how funny she is to watch in the pool. She LOVES the water & is learning to swim pretty well.

Scarlet mastered rolling over consistently. We had to move her to the crib so she wouldn't strangle herself in the bassinet. She loves to smile, laugh & baths are her favorite pastime. She's content wherever I set her as long as there's some sort of action in the room.

Kaden was fortunate enough to get chosen to fight Darth Vader at Disneyland. He was way beyond excited.

Kaden walked the Angels field with his Little League buddies. He watched most of the game and had a really great time. If you ask Kaden he likes the Dodgers first & the Angels second. He has shirts for both teams!

May 2009

Okay, so I fell behind again. My focus is obviously on raising my family & not updating everyone on our life's adventures. Until I can balance it all I guess people will just have to wait until I get around to things. Here's another fun filled month...
Scarlet was almost 4 months old in this picture & was working on holding her head up. This month she gave lots of smiles, laughs, rolled over a couple of times & started solids.

1 posing, 1 screaming & the other 1 doesn't have a choice. It's so funny having 3 kids sometimes.

Daddy started taking the kids out to surf.

The 3 Amigos.

Of course another Dodgers game. Kaden is obsessed with baseball. Real games, wii games, backyard games.

April 2009

This month was busy. Lots of LL games, birthdays, Easter. These are my favorite pics from the month…

Kaden is so darn cute playing ball. The 4 year olds are hilarious.

Ashlyn gets a little bored on the field & has a hard time understanding she can't stand out there with her brother. She's a good little cheer leader though...and a snack bar veteran.

Scarlet literally hangs out...she's more like a team mascot.

Kaden started to get really good towards the end of the season. He's now hitting a pitch & not just off the tee.

Sometimes it was still a little boring in the outfield. I'm sure the league loved cleaning up this mess. Boys will be boys!

Of all the things my kids have been exposed to they had never been bowling until my friend Danelle's party. They LOVED it and Kaden's requesting it for his birthday this year. Ashlyn cried the whole time she held the balls because they were so heavy but she insisted on doing it herself.

This is the alphabet, A-Z. Kaden one day decided to get creative with his cars...where does Kaden's creativity lead him, to the alphabet of course. I think he's going to be an engineer or something similar. Ashlyn talks with her cars. She may be an actress. Don't let her fool you though, she's a smart cookie.

Guess we need a bigger bed. I love when everyone gets up in the mornings and we all end up in our bed.

Easter is always one of my favorite "holidays". It's such a wonderful reminder of our purpose in life. I hope my children have many wonderful memories of their holidays together.

We still matter too. Can't believe it's been 7 years since we got married. It's even crazier that we've known each other for 12 years.

Can you be an American & not have an Easter egg hunt? Do other countries do this or just ours? What a bazaar way to celebrate the day but the kids love it.

Poor thing looked so cute but hated the dress. She was a good sport but she apparently doesn't have a desire to wear silk.

This is one of my absolute favorite pictures of Ashlyn. She looks like a little precious moments doll. Too bad my corner guard is almost centered in the shot.

This picture reminds me of the innocence of a child. Kaden, enjoy it while it lasts Buddy because it's gone very quickly.

March 2009

This was a fun month. Kaden started his tball games. The kids started bonding with their new sister & also worked on finding their new position in the family. Things really seemed to get back to “normal” for us. I love & can't get enough of the new pictures from the first few weeks of life.Vaughn is amazing & can handle all 3 from the get go. They sure do love their daddy.

They feel so important helping out. Sometimes it makes more work for me but I love that they want to be involved.

The kids were thrilled when I introduced bottle feeding. They thought it was so great that they could feed her too. Ashlyn had about a 5 minute attention span. Her strengths are being charming, silly, creative, learing by observation & a real go getter...not holding still for long.

Kaden I think has gotten the most out of the bonding experience with her. He is so incredibly patient with Scarlet & loves to just get in her face & giggle. She's so tiny, cute & has a great demeanor. She is so calm & observant...a very happy baby.

Ashlyn is my most spiritual child only because she is so deep, emotional & sensitive...she really feels it. Kaden is spiritual but has more of a factual, logical approach to religion & is good at memorizing verses & asking questions, etc. I've been going to a MOPS group & Ashlyn has a class there where it reinforces what she learns at home & church. Here she's showing off the rocks that she made...I think it was David & Goliath day if I remember correctly.

Kaden is really taking to sports & the outdoors. He's really into bikes, learning to skateboard & falling off of things lately. Ashlyn's always been into that stuff so she's excited to have her brother accompany her.

These are the Never Ending Tattoos. I told the kids when we put these on not to get attached to them because they were going to come off at bath time. I took this picture right before because I didn't want to hear the tears as to where they went. We scrubbed, & scrubbed...for weeks. Finally I took some baby oil to them but they seriously didn't come off with soap & water...not even a little bit. I think they lasted close to 4 weeks.

February 2009

This was obviously one of my favorite months this year, as we welcomed our baby Scarlet into the world. We decided for sure on her name in the hospital after she was born. We had gone back & forth but once we positively decided her middle name it really narrowed it down for us. Her middle name is Rozell, named after her late grandmother. We can only hope that she’s half as sweet.We've been trying harder to get pictures of our entire family at events instead of just the kids. It seems like for years one of us was always behind the camera. So unfortunately, you'll probably see a lot more of Vaughn and I than you'd prefer.

Well this is it. I think this is one of the last belly shots before she was born. This is 5 days before the big day. It was a brutal pregnancy but so very worth it.

Even though I can't stand messes I insist on my kids making one on just about every holiday. They really enjoy it & I truly enjoy watching them having fun. Sometimes the cookies just don't look edible...I make my own.More Star Wars at our house. I don't know why I had the camera in the garage but they were dressed (or not dressed) as Jedi's who lost their hands in battle.
Finally, our sweet little princess. Scarlet was born on February 19th & she has been a real blessing. We love her so much & she makes our family feel complete.

The 5 of us. It's amazing how quickly our family has grown. We look forward to many new adventures.

Unfortunately one of our new adventures included one to a children's hospital for a few days. Scarlet went home as scheduled only to be returned to Hoag Hospital because she momentarily stopped breathing. They transmitted her by ambulance to CHOC where she went through many tests & an IV that nobody could get in. You can see the IV that they finally put in her head after trying for probably about 6 hours at 2 hospitals with maybe 10+ people & each person doing multiple attempts. Her arm in this picture tells part of the story. She was a trooper & a strong little soul. Nothing ended up being wrong with her other than what we think was a "reflux episode" as we call them. We went through them with Ashlyn so it seemed somewhat familiar. One thing's for sure is they don't take any chances with a 2 day old.

We were so happy to bring her home. And this is what we came home to. Fortunately they are clean. Leave it to Ashlyn to brighten things up & put a smile on your face. The kids were in a bit of a funk after us being gone & then back & then gone again. I don't think they trusted that we weren't leaving again.

This is our little girl who slept quite a bit after we got back. We hadn't seen her crazy hair for days since she was all bandaged up. She has the most amazing head of hair out of all of our kids.

And what did we do a week after we got back from the hospital?...started Little League. It wasn't even 10 days after Scarlet was born that we had all 3 kids at the field & we started our volunteer efforts including me being Team Mom. It was pretty crazy. Kaden was so proud to be in uniform on Opening Day.

January 2009

It has been so much fun going back through the months looking at all that we’ve been up to. So this is not just for everyone else but me too. I love to look back & see my favorite moments & pictures…especially since I’m not good about printing them from my computer. That’s one of my projects this year.

Ashlyn is really starting to draw recognizable figures. Unfortunately, she chose to do one of her best on something we couldn't keep...so I took a picture. Maybe it's just because I'm her mother but I see eyes, a mouth, kind of sort of a head & limbs.

Kaden & me on my birthday. Can you see #3 child? At this point she still didn't have a name. We had narrowed it down to 5 names, then switched those again and again in the last weeks.

Ashlyn started a Mommy & Me ballet class. Fortunately they accepted Grandma's too because I'm not too swift on my feet even when I'm not pregnant.

This probably looks like a bizzar picture to most but it is so precious to me. I have a picture of me wearing my dad's shoes when I was little. It's amazing how big kids feel when they wear their parents shoes. The face is precious too. This is called "Anakin Skywalker when he's turning to the dark side", acording to Kaden. He calls them "mean eyebrows" & sometimes has me draw them on with eyeliner. He walks around with these arched eye brows swinging a light saber around. At this point he hadn't even seen Star Wars yet. He has been obsessed with it since he turned 4 last August & one of his grandparents bought him Lego Star Wars for his wii.

The rest of 2008

I can't believe it's been a year since my last post. I got pregnant with our long awaited 3rd child & the blog updates halted immediately. Lots has happened in our lives since then so this post is just to close out the year from May - December 2008. Then I'll work on the 1st half of 2009 highllights. Hopefully I'll be able to update monthly from here on out.
Strawberry picking at Tanaka Farms in Irvine.

My kids being creative.

Kite flying at the beach.

Kaden's love for "computer time". He discovered soda "Shirley Temple"...is it a wonder that Ashlyn discovered it at the same time?

An accident...split the corner of her eye open & went to ER just to be safe. No stitches.

Our 6th anniversary, celebrated at Balboa Island. You can see where my little munchkins were born in the background. Today happens to be our 7th anniversary.

One of many beach days.

One of many Disneyland trips. We're renewing our passes in August if anyone wants to join us.

Many birthdays & celebrations...

More accidents...she's just our accident prone child.

Kaden did so well in preschool last year. He learned so much & we were so proud of him. He still talks about his teacher a year later.

4th of July

Our kids at our old place. We sold our condo the 1st week it was listed. In this market you're just thankful, take it & find a place as fast as you can in 30 days. We are renting a house till we buy again.

Kaden & Vaughn with killer seats...they got them from Alyssa Milano.

Notice anyone special in the background? Good old Tommy.

This is crazy. We celebrated Kaden's 4th & Ashlyn's 2nd birthday the weekend after we moved into our new place. We decided to have the party that morning. There were boxes everywhere. We had to send someone to the store because we couldn't find the box with the candles in it.

Ashlyn loves animals. We live a bikeride away from a pond with ducks.

Vaughn rides with the kids all the time. He's very involved in their lives.My kids help me in the kitchen all the time...here it's stuffing shells.
Apple Picking at Oak Glenn. We also went to Utah around this time but the camera was on the blink. Kaden & Ashlyn around Christmas time. This one didn't make our holiday card but it's one of my favorites with Kaden practically strangling her.

That's it...if it wasn't for scanning through pictures for this post I don't know if I would have remembered much of last year. I was so out of it with this pregnancy & had absolutely no energy. 2009 has been much better for me.

The Wedding Day

I'm excited to announce that my sister & new brother-in-law got married this weekend at a beautiful place called Eucalyptus Lane in Ventura, CA. It was a gorgeous day & the event was wonderful. I'm very happy for them to start their new life & have our families merged together.

Kaden waiting for us girls to get ready.
He made a very precious ring bearer & flower girl I might add. Ashlyn refused to carry the basket so he carried both.
Dan's son Donovan & his brother Jesse. I'm very blessed to have Donovan as my first nephew on my side of the family. He is very kind & a true sweetheart. My children adore him & he's an awesome kid.
Walking the bride down the isle to an instrumental version of "Someday My Prince Will Come". April has long awaited her fairytale wedding & she got it prince & all.
Their wedding vows were beautiful & the ceremony was officiated by a friend.
Me as the Matron of Honor & my children & husband in the background. April & Dan set the bench in the back for the kids but they wouldn't sit there without Vaughn.
Ashlyn, Me & Vaughn. Kaden was playing in the bushes & dirtying his tux as little boys should.
The mother of the bride (my mom) & her other son-in-law (my hubby vaughn).

Flower girl eating a cookie.
Kaden & his favorite drink...lemonade.
Kaden & Jason having a good time. Jason is a long time friend to Vaughn & I, a great friend of the family & was one of the best men in our wedding. As usual he came to the rescue & was a lifesaver at my sister's wedding. Ashlyn playing with a barrel. She still has pneumonia so she wasn't quite herself. Not that it would have changed much but it was sad to see her so ill.

Maybe it's because the cake was so beautiful that I couldn't screw up the photo but don't you think I should be a photographer.
The happy & beautiful bride. I must apologize for the few pics of the bride & groom but wrangling kids & trying to take photos is a tough task. I left the important shots for the photographer & just took a bunch of candids.
My mom's best friend Darlene, me & crying Ashlyn. I've known Darlene my entire life & she's credited with arriving at the hospital before my mom when either my sister or myself was born (I can't remember which). She's been a wonderful friend to the family & a great support system for my mom.
Jason, April & Vaughn...like the good old days!
The newly weds off in their chariot...or shall I say "Tina". Dan is obsessed with his car so in fear of my life, I didn't make any plans on decorating it.

More wedding events...The Rehearsal & Dinner

Yay...we finally made it to this long awaited weekend. I'm sure over the next few weeks I'll have more wedding pics than you would really like to see. These are just from my camera.

April & Dan, the happy couple at the rehearsal.
Sisters at the rehearsal.
Our family at the rehearsal dinner.
Last dinner together before the big day.
Buddies Kaden & Donovan ready to be official cousins. Me, my Mom & Sis. Do we look alike?
Ok, so I'm a Daddy's Girl.
My immediate Step-Fam...Mike, me, Dad, April, Crystal & Nick.
Me & Uncle John...we are only 7 years apart in age & almost like siblings.

Little Ashlyn

So as many of you know, Ashlyn is our child that keeps us hopping. She can be the sweetest little thing & then moments later turn on a total attitude. She brings a lot of love & excitement into our home and we adore her to pieces. The poor thing has a touch of pneumonia so please keep her in your prayers.

Here are a couple of pics that I couldn't help but share because they are so true to her personality...

Because apparently in Ashlyn's world, french fries need to be cut.


I'd like to say she was kidding but she wasn't. She ate lunch just like this.

















The following are a sequence of pictures showing Ashlyn's sudden change in expression. Please note that all 4 of these were taken over a span of 30 seconds. Her mood can switch very quickly.

Happy face.






















Silly and sweet face.






















The look (I must have said something she didn't like).





















Little stinker face saying "I'm not going to give you the satisfaction of looking at you".

Vacation in the Florida Keys

Here are a few pics from our vacation. Looks like we had a lot of fun. I'll tell the detailed story at the bottom of this post.

Daddy & Ashlyn at Hawks Cay resort in Duck Key.

My sweeties actually fell asleep side by side. Never thought I'd ever get a picture like this one.

Kaden loved the pool & was swimming everywhere.

Ashlyn was a freak in the water. She kept diving off the steps into the deeper water & didn't care if I was ready to catch her or not.

Ashlyn & daddy in the pool.

Kaden was so excited to paddle. This is the only event he truly wanted to do.

Long story made short. Kaden wanted to go in the "boat". Daddy couldn't keep the kayak from tipping over. So mommy ends up paddling the kids around the lagoon. Not my idea but somehow I got stuck with the exercise.

Ashlyn getting a kick out of feeding the sea gulls.

She was running around smiling & squealing with delight. Looks like some scary movie.

For some reason only known to Ashlyn, she decided to run around chasing the birds with forks. Too bad I didn't think of it earlier. The aggressive birds were freaked out & left. She is truly our wild & crazy girl.

Kaden & Ashlyn spraying daddy in the pirate ship.

So the "real" story is that Vaughn had a 3 day work conference at the resort. We left our place on Sunday at 8:30am and arrived in Miami, FL around 10:00pm. To get to our resort it was a 2 hour drive turned into a 3 hour drive due to a driver that was going about 1 mile per hour under the speed limit, didn't know about the back road & got a little lost. So around 1:00 am we arrived at the resort & Kaden puked all over the car seat as we pulled up. We get checked in, arrive at our hotel room only to find the bed in the middle of the room. We go to clean Kaden off in the tub & discovered there's only a shower. We got situated & went to sleep waking up Monday to Kaden not feeling well. We thought it was motion sickness until it kept going through Tuesday. Tuesday night I brought him to the emergency room while Vaughn was on a boat ride with his work. Scrambling by myself to find a ride to a little hospital south of where we were staying we finally got there & his temp read 102.9. Found out he had a double ear infection from the plane & they gave him a shot of antibiotics. Wednesday Kaden felt a lot better & we went swimming & to a little water park. I got a massage, Vaughn went fishing & then had his last work function. Thursday we laid low, swam a little, had dinner & Kaden continued vomiting. I was calling the Dr's in California because he started throwing up a little blood & hadn't held anything down for over 4 days. They said take him to emergency again. I was there till 4 am getting him an IV of fluids, antibiotics, blood tests & xrays. Turns out he had a UTI and the antibiotics weren't strong enough to kick all 3 infections. Finally on Friday we were able to vacation at the beautiful resort. We had a blast & made the best of our time together. All in all it was great to get away. Vaughn had a great conference & enjoyed his time with the kids. We are extremely happy to be home.

April's Bachelorette Party in Santa Ynez

It was a beautiful day & a fun one just before the big event! Lots & lots of driving but it was worth it for my lil sis. I can't believe she's getting married in 2 weeks.

April are you pouting or flirting?...I can't tell.

Sisters having fun at a winery

The best part was ordering too many sweets at a bakery.

Updated pictures

Nothing super exciting, just busy as usual at the Chase House. Here are some pictures that actually remind me of what I've been running around doing in the last month.

Kids swim lessons are going great. Kaden's turning into a little fish & Ashlyn can float on her back all by herself for a few minutes.

Kaden & Ashlyn pretending to be like daddy going on a trip.
Kaden getting the chip on his front tooth fixed. Fortunately he didn't need any shots. They gave him a little grape smelling "laughing gas" to ease the anxiety.
Kaden at the park with one of his best buddies Sonja. Their birthdays are only 10 days apart.
Ashlyn's new hobby includes an underwear fetish. They're on all wrong but she did it herself & was very proud. I guess I shouldn't hang my delicates out to dry anymore.
These are Kaden's underwear. She got them on okay then decided she wanted to try and use the potty.


Spiderman lives at our house.
My most exhausting effort this month has been towards my sister's upcoming wedding. Here's a pic from her shower which went really well but I'm so glad it's over.
April sent me a yummy edible arrangement basket & the only evidence that this was a chocolate covered strawberry is the piece on Kaden's shirt & mess around his mouth.
After Ashlyn ate the chocolate off of each strawberry she'd happily pick another one and do the same again.

Cheryl, Kelly, Me, Kim & Stephanie at Shakey's surprise party. Sorry, didn't get a pic of the guys or the kids...maybe on Kim or Kelly's blog. Us at Kristi & Ryan's wedding. The guys look so handsome in their tuxedos.

Very Late Easter Pictures

Our Easter was great...came a little too early for us but it was wonderful & fun filled. We started it off with going to my sister's soon to be in-laws the day before. They have a huge lot with horses, chickens, dogs & turtles. We had an egg hunt followed by another one at my parent's house. The next day Church, Easter day at our place with my mom & then Easter baskets for the kids at the Chase Grandparents.

Kaden had a much better understanding this year about that Jesus died on the cross, that the tomb is empty & that He rose from the dead. In fact, I got corrected one night when Kaden was scared of the dark & I told him Jesus was with him. He yelled out "No He's not He's in heaven!".

The kids loved feeding the tortoises.

Do you think Kaden's excited?

Picking fresh eggs from the hens.

Easter egg hunting took forever in that huge backyard.
Ashlyn wanting to open candy.
Kaden helping Ashlyn with her basket.

At the Grandparents, more eggs & more candy.
What I came down to on Easter morning.

I know it's kind of a big Easter gift but we couldn't wait till their birthdays.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Shamrock cookies in the making, with the help of my eighth to a quarter Irish Leprechauns.















Kaden wanted to decorate with rainbow sprinkles & Ashlyn dumped about 3 tablespoons of green sprinkles on hers.



















The best part...showing all of us while eating them.

Big Friday

Friday was a big day for Ashlyn & Charlie...


Ashlyn had her first swim lesson which was rather successful considering she cried "mama" during most of the lesson. She was so mad at me when the lesson was done that she held her hand over her face & wouldn't look at me. Later when I asked her if she went swimming all she said was "ya".

We got Charlie "fixed", microchipped and her dewclaws removed all in one shot. She hates the cone & runs into everything. It's going to be a long two weeks for this girl.