A Whole Year!!

Jared turned 1 the end of July and I'm still amazed at how fast that first year flew by. Having kids makes watching the years fly by more fun. We realized recently that when we first moved to L.A., Lana was the age that Jared is right now. And then I remembered her wobbling around the park that she now dominates.

So, what is Jared up to these days? EVERYTHING! He's such a cute, curious and happy little guy. We love having him in our family and he brings out the best in all of us. It's so interesting to observe the differences in raising a boy vs. a girl. Without persuasion,(or as much as you would think) Jared LOVES balls. All sizes, all colors, all kinds. One of Mat's proudest moments is watching Jared dunk his first basketball. Now it's a daily routine for him! Here are a few things he's been up to...

Jared's checklist:
ball fetish- check
unroll all the toilet paper in the bathroom- check
while in the bathroom throw things in the toilet- check
splash in mud puddles- check
head for the big waves at the beach- check
eat sand- check
climb in laundry basket whenever mom's folding clothes- check
pull out pots and pans in kitchen every day- check
dance to fun music- check
laugh hysterically at Lana's jokes- check
play ball with Daddy- check
go from wobbly to running- (almost there)
make everyone fall in love you- CHECK!


*the picture of him with the volleyball at the park: that was another family's blanket, ball and there was a pizza on that plate but Jared ate it and took their ball!

The Move

Last month I found a great little place on....(wait for it)...craigslist! It was just down the street and in a quieter part of town. So, we decided to move! The apartment-living was wearing me out: up and down the stairs (with groceries), loud neighbors, busy street, parking that was far away...etc. Every other time we moved we had a moving company so this time was a whole different ballgame. We had friends donate boxes and help watch the kids here and there which really helped get some packing done. Lana and Jared "helped" a lot. Lana got a kick out of labeling the boxes and even left me a cute note on the box. I still can't figure out how much junk we had in our house that I didn't even realize. I tossed out a lot of stuff but now that we're in the new place and unpacking it still seems like there was a lot that snuck in here!

Our landlord is really nice and they live in the main house. They have gone above and beyond in making us feel at home and so far it's been a great experience. At the moment we still have a few boxes here and there and I'm trying to figure out where to put everything, but it's nice to be here. I keep telling everyone that to give an example of the difference in the peace of mind I have is that in our old place we woke up to the sound of fire engines, ambulances, street noises etc, but now I wake up and I hear the birds chirping outside. LOVE IT! Hopefully I'll get things cleaned up soon and have you guys over! I need to take pictures too so I can show you our new place...

There's just something hilarious about it...

Lana was jumping off the bed and fooling around while Jared was just laughing hysterically. There's just something hilarious about jumping off the bed I guess. I love how Lana entertains him and hearing the two of them have a good time.

1st Pool Day

We had our first pool day of many to come this summer. It was Jared's first time hanging out in the pool and he loved it! He was pretty good about me dunking him in the water too. Lana loves the pool as well but she's still a "clinger," I have to work on getting her more confident about swimming. Alyssa, Davina, Starlet and Shawn joined the kids for a swim. At home Jared got stuck in the stroller. (a few times)

My kids...

(that's strawberries all over Jared)

Here and There

Here are some pictures of things here and there for the last week or so. Mom was here, we met up with my beautiful and talented cousin Jacosa (it was way too long since we've seen each other)and lots of trips to the park. Mat, Jared and I went to a Lakers game (they lost)and we didn't really take any good pictures except for this one of Jared. Hopefully I'll be better with pictures in the future. Sometimes I wish I could hire a photographer 24/7 to document our life. I'm looking forward to the summer: Barkers are coming, trips to the beach, Family Reunion, Census will be over, Jared's 1st birthday. Oh boy.

Happy 4th Birthday, Lana!

Lana has some great friends who helped to make her special day really wonderful. First of all, "Grandma from Kansas" came to visit and I don't know who was more thrilled about that- me or Lana! I love my mom so much and had a fun time with her. (She just left today and that stinks.)

Shana and her mom had a little birthday playdate at Gummi the Bear and made Lana feel like a princess for sure. Thanks Maiko!!! You're the best! Jared had a fun time too- he got to crawl around a little to get his wiggles out and took a nap with Grandma.

For Lana's birthday she wanted a "Princess and the Frog" birthday which turned out more like a pink and green theme in the end. haha. The Princess and the Frog cake kinda saved the day and made her happy. It was a crazy day for mommy but Lana enjoyed it and had fun with her friends (minus a pinata meltdown which is to be expected I guess). I have another whole year to forget the stress and sweat that went into this and fool myself into doing another one of these parties. It WAS fun to do something that Lana had anticipated for such a long time and for her to be old enough to brainstorm about some things and help to prep for the party.

I can't imagine life without my little firecracker of a daughter and love her so much. She brings more meaning and happiness in my life and I hope that I can just enjoy every moment that I can with her. Happy 4th Birthday Lana!