Christmas

It's a week later, but here is my Christmas pictures post. Christmas Eve we spent at Brennen's parents. Haiden had a really high fever, 103.6, so he was asleep in the guest bedroom most of the night. Poor thing, he didn't get to open any of his presents and I really wanted his grandparents to see his happy little face as he opened up his gifts. Christmas morning is probably going to be my favorite family tradition. I love being cozy in our pajamas, just enjoying our little family. I found this awesome vintage rocking horse from the goodwill for Haiden and it was only $5! It was fun to see his excitement when he saw it in the living room Christmas morning. We spent Christmas day at my aunt's house. He was doing better there. He was still a bit irritable and didn't have much of an appetite, but was still able to run around and enjoy his new toys.

Christmas Party

I haven't posted in a while and we've enjoyed a lot of Christmas festivities since, so I'll probably be posting a lot about that this week. We had a Christmas party this past weekend, the first of what I hope to be an annual tradition. It was fun, we had about 15 guests and everyone got the chance to talk with each other. I was really happy that my friends from different aspects of my life got along well. We had a white elephant exchange, which was hilarious. Some people got ridiculous gifts and others got things they actually needed. In one of the pictures you can see a key hook that I used as my gift. Zach, who ended up with the gift, had just moved into his new apartment that day and said he could really use it.
I attempted to cook all the food for the party, but messed up a few things, including the fudge. Oh well, I'm learning.

Audrey Hepburn Print

Ikea has had a large Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's print at their stores for a while now. I love this print, because it's pretty affordable ($50), large enough, and so versatile. I wanted to buy it and put it somewhere in my living or dining room, but then I saw a picture of it over a bed and would like to do that in our spare bedroom. I don't have any furniture in that room now, including a bed, but once I've taken care of other home projects I'll be keeping my eye out for stuff at the thrift stores.
Here are some examples of how other people used the print.

My Happy Place

I love going to Disneyland. Haiden and I go all the time and once in a while I'll have the opportunity to go with just my husband on a date.
Here are some recent pictures from Disneyland

Tressa's Baby Shower

Yesterday we had Tressa's Baby Shower at my home. She got a lot of adorable things and Bailey really did a great job on the little center pieces and other decorations.
Every time I see an adorable little girls outfit when Bren and I are shopping I'll hold it up and say something like "AAAW, how cute is this? Should I buy it and save it for when we have a girl?". He always says no.
I really don't know what I'll do if I have all boys. I think I'll have to live vicariously through Autumn, Tressa's baby due in February. I asked Tressa yesterday how she would feel if I offered to baby sit Autumn one day and she came home in a different outfit. She said that would be okay, I will defiantly be taking Autumn shopping!


Some pictures I snapped during the baby shower

Home Redo

I've been doing mini make overs around my house. When we first moved in it was such a large space to decorate that I just had all the walls painted a neutral brown. Now that we've gotten all our furniture and have settled into our home I really hate all the brown. I want to paint but my living room, office nook,dining room and kitchen are all one very long connected space.
I have soo many ideas on exactly what I want to do with Haidens room and my bedroom, but feel so overwhelmed with how to decorate this large space with so many different elements to it!

Our living room now



Our dining room now, tried some paint looked like toothpaste

Here are some ideas:

Dramatic paint color, not sure if it would work in dining room though


Really want this chandelier over dining table


White shag rug under coffee table



The space is really much bigger than it seems to be in the pictures. There are still a lot of empty space on each side of the couches.

College, the Best 4 Years of Your Life

Am I ever going to graduate?
I've technically been going to college since the fall of 2004, when I was 16 years old. That was when I started taking night and summer classes at the local community college while in high school. Then I left to UC Santa Barbara for school 3 years ago and have only really taken a break from school for 1 semester after Haiden was born. Since then, Ive taken Saturday classes, online classes, night classes, classes when my mother-in-law happened to be free and I still have 3 years to go!!! I've taken wrong classes, had to go part-time and changed my major 3 times.
It can be a little frustrating knowing that all your high school friends who went to college will be graduating this upcoming Spring and I'll still have 2 years after that to go, plus who knows how many years I'll be in graduate school!!

Don't get me wrong I feel very blessed to even be able to continue school after being a teenage mother ( it feels so strange saying that). I don't have to work, I've never had to put Haiden in daycare and I will eventually graduate.

I just have to keep my eyes on the prize, my diploma and that awesome celebratory vacation I'll make sure we go once I'm, finally done!

Halloween

Well it's far past Halloween, but I don't post enough and wanted to put up some pictures of our costumes. We had originally planned to be Wendy, John, and Micheal, but we couldn't find a good Wendy nightgown. Last minute I went to the Halloween store and spotted a cute toddler pirate costume. Then it struck me... Captain Hook and Peter Pan! I kind of just threw my costume together and made a hat out of felt. We weren't sure where to find a crocodile costume for Brennen, so we made it.

New Pup

The night before last a we heard a dog crying all night.We just assumed it was one of our neighbor's many dogs, but in the morning my husband saw a dog in our backyard. We gave her some food and water, she was trembling with fear and spent the entire day hidden in a corner. By last night she began to sniff my hand and let me pet her. Today she is running around our backyard, licking Haiden and laying in my lap. She is just the sweetest little dog, and if no one claims her she might be OURS!!!

I want to keep her so badly, but my Bren is still on the fence. The conversation we had was very much like one between a 7 year-old and her father.
"I promise I'll take care of her. I'll feed her and clean-up after her. You have to let me keep her because I already feel in love with her and named her!"

We'll see.

San Francisco

Continuing my vacation blog, San Francisco
and Santa Cruz.

San Fran was fun, but I defiantly did not have enough time to see everything. I really wanted to visit some cool decor stores I read about in Lucky like Swallowtail and Bell Jar. As my husband knows all too well, I will probably be in the process of redecorating at least one room in our house for the rest of our life. I can't help it, I'll get inspired by something and have an idea for a whole new scheme for the room. I am currently redecorating Haiden's room into something more modern chic. Back to San Fran, I am hoping to visit a friend up there within the next couple of months. I will definitely skip the long drive and fly up the next time.
Some pics of our trip

Vacations

We've been a few mini-trips this past July and I haven't blogged about any of them. I haven't blogged at all in fact, because I just don't have time. I have 4 chapters to read for school at this moment. I'm running full-speed with my only opportunity to read during Haiden's naps and in 20 second intervals at the park, playground, etc. It will be a nice break next year when Haiden starts preschool.

Well first about Yosemite
It was hot
It was fun
Haiden was a handful to say the least
I saved a squirrel's life (seriously, I did), he never thanked me

Beach Day

Today we went to the beach for our Friday play group play date. It was soo much fun! When Haiden is around Jeremiah he seems to become so much more courageous and since chelle totally lets Jer go crazy and have messy boy fun I usually let Haiden go crazy too. I mean this child had sand up his nose, went through two sets of clothes, and ate sand-covered gummies he threw on the floor.














And this about summed up our day. Me running after Haiden making sure he doesnt run into the ocean and Haiden bolting from me at light speed.

Please Stop Baking

Today was Haiden's "Mommy and Me" Easter egg hunt/picnic at the park. Everyone had signed up for candy to fill the eggs, stickers, or baked goods. For some reason I decided to be take on a baked-goods item, cookies. So I make some peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies from those packages where you add eggs, butter, water, etc. I followed the instructions with the dough, but must have left them baking too long. Well, anyway so Haiden's teacher announces that we can eat the snacks now and everyone dives for Antionette's beautiful and delicious cupcakes with hand-made frosting. Then I see one mom open the lid to my Tupperware and take out a cookie, the moment of truth. She takes a bite, makes a face and checks her tooth! Seriously, as if my cookie was hard enough to chip her tooth! So I walk over and casually look at my Tupperware. I gave a kind of "Hmm, wonder what's in here" kind of look. I take a cookie and nearly chip a tooth. How could my cookies be so bad? I probably should have tasted them the night before, thrown them out and bought store cookies like one mom. The store cookies were actually pretty good.