Yes, I am that Parent...

Who runs to get the camera when their child says, "I stuck!"

(I know I'm not the only one who's done this)

San Diego

We took a little time off to visit family, friends and animals in San Diego. My wonderful Aunt Vicki and Uncle Rich welcomed us into their home for a few days and spoiled us rotten, especially Hannah. She had so much fun playing with and/or entertaining them. Aunt Vicki even picked out Dora the Explorer, Sesame Street and Thomas the Tank Engine videos for Hannah. They even watched Hannah for an evening so Chris and I could go out for dinner.
In between our time with Aunt Vicki and Uncle Rich, we went to the Wild Animal Park and the Zoo. Both were great! Before going to WAP we got to have breakfast with our good friends from college, Melissa, Alex, and their 2 boys. For days after our visit Hannah kept asking to play at AJ's house and "Where's baby Miles?" Here are some highlights

Hannah and AJ eagerly anticipating the safari tram ride at the WAP

The one day old baby elephant

Hannah loved feeding the deer in the petting zoo

A highlight for Chris was seeing this red deer (not in the petting zoo)

Her favorite thing at the zoo...climbing on the life size elephant statues

Chowder Time!

At the end of January we made the annual trek to Soledad for the clam chowder feed. I explained the whole thing in my post last year, you can read about it here.

On the way up we saw a beautiful sunset from the 154 highway

Hannah got to cruise in Stellan's sweet ride.

Hannah loved playing with Stellan and Jenna

Preston is a little outnumbered

Fun with Nono

Isn't Preston a cutie?

Five

On January 15th Chris and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary. Five years flew by, and I can only imagine that next five will do the same. Chris and I got a date night to celebrate, thanks to my wonderful grandmother and cousin Andrea. They came over to entertain Hannah while we got a night out. Then we spent a few days up in Cayucos as a mini vacation. My mother-in-law drove down for a day with Hannah's cousin Stellan. The girls got to play while Chris and I got some more date time. We went to San Luis Obispo and had lunch at the Apple Farm, where we had our first date. I am so thankful for my amazing husband and we praise and thank God for our marriage. We are truly blessed.

A little replica I made of our wedding cake for an anniversary dessert

The Big Girl Bed

Over the weekend we moved the crib out of Hannah's room and moved in the twin bed. Hannah was so excited to have the big girl bed. We hyped it up and put on the new butterfly sheets. The first night she was up 5 times within a half hour of putting her to bed. Then she walked in to our room at 1 am and again at 6 am. Night #2 was great! I even had to put her to bed early because she was so tired and we didn't hear a peep out of her until 7 the next morning. What a trooper!

Daddy taking apart the crib

I love my bed!

(Yes, her walls are still unfinished, we'll get to it eventually)

The Stockings Were Hung by the Chimney With Care

My amazing husband has been working so hard on finishing off the interior of our house. He finished the fireplace wall and mounted the mantle before Christmas so we could hang our stockings. What a guy. Here are before and after pictures.

Before:

After:

We had an extended Christmas celebration. Chris' parents drove down Christmas morning to spend the day with us. Hannah was so excited to see them, as were we. We had dinner with them and my grandmother Mimi and her husband Tommy. The next day my dad, stepmom, and sister Colleen drove down with their dog Kodi and spent the day with us. Again, lots more attention and present opening for Hannah. She very much enjoyed opening presents. She would rip off the paper and toss the box aside to go to the next gift without seeing what's inside. Kodi helped too.

The fun will continue tomorrow when my mom, stepdad, brother and sister-in-law all come to town for a visit.

House Update

So here is the long awaited post of the "move-in" condition of our house. Chris has been working so hard, and we are blessed to have many handy friends who have helped us with projects. We have had our share of surprises after moving in, like the downstairs toilet overflowing because of tree roots in the pipes, the pilot on the water heater not staying lit, and the kitchen sink backing up with water. Praise God for our home warranty! Two out of the three issues have been taken care of and hopefully the sink will be fixed today or tomorrow. But my dishwasher works! It's quite the luxury after almost 5 years without one. All the floors have been replaced, except for the tile in front of the fireplace. The kitchen cabinets have their first coat of paint and just need a stain finish. Hannah's room still needs a door. Hannah has adjusted well and is enjoying her new house and all the space to play in. Her favorite spot is to be on the step stool in front of the pantry. Since the door is off she has easy access to snacks. Enjoy the slideshow. Below it is an updated picture of the fireplace. Chris plastered the wall last night and it looks great! The dark spots are where it is still drying. We plan to have a mantle up by Christmas for our stockings.