She Dwells by the Seashore

Where have we been??

2011-11-05T10:41:00.001-07:00

The girls and I are on our second cold of the month. Add in a stomach bug for all 4 of us, and you can see part of why I have been missing. I am always so excited for summer to be over and winter to arrive until we start getting sick. Yes, we only get summer, an Indian summer and rainy winter here in the Bay Area. I miss my East Coast seasons! Fall and winter are my absolutely favorite times of the year. My birthday, college football, cozy fires, Thanksgiving and Christmas...what more could a girl ask for? That is until we start getting sick, and a very, very small part inside me longs for summer to be back where we are outside in the sunshine with no worries of sickness.

Despite yucky colds and bugs, we have been very busy. Ballet resumes for the little ballaweena. She's actually learning quite a lot and is constantly singing "Tendu and first. Tendu and first." while moving her feet into the correct positions and doing passes, plies, and leaps all over the house. She is so proud of herself, and B and I just love to watch. We are all taking a gymnastics class on Monday mornings now too. Campbell and I are in a mommy and me class, which I will blog more in depth about in the future (Let me just say I'm not sure what goes through some parent's minds sometimes.), and Kayleigh is in the 3 year old independent class. They both love it because to be honest it is really like a ginormous play room. They jump down the trampoline, do rolls, hang on the rings, climb ladders, and do all sorts of other fun things. Campbell's class even does parachute time at the end with bubbles. Does anyone remember those awesome parachutes from elementary school? They were so fun, and the little 2 year olds love it just as much.

In other news, I'm finally pursuing photography, which has taken all the time and energy I've had lately. I am wrapping up all the legal stuff and already have a few sessions booked this month. For now, I just have a page on Facebook. Maybe it is just California, but I had NO idea there were so many hoops to jump through to start a business. It's fun learning all these new things though. Feel free to check out my page, "like" me and even book a session if you are in CA! In case I've never mentioned it, I'm more of a team player kinda girl, not so much the solo, put myself out there kinda girl. I was a ball of nerves taking the first leap, but I survived. ;)

Last but not least, a few pictures from our fun weekend forever ago. Fleet week was here and though we missed out on most of the events, we did make it to the parade of ships and a delicious lunch in Sausalito.


USS Carl Vinson...a navy supercarrier that came through. It was HUGE and so awesome to see coming under the GGB. A sidenote, it was named after a congressman from Georgia. :)

Click to make this bigger and you can see the whole crew lined up around the sides of the ship. So awesome to see and gave me chills! So proud of these men and women.

A fireboat that was saluting each of the ships.

One of the 47' boats from Brett's station headed out to do security. Pretty proud of my husband and his shipmates too.

The delicious burgers in Sausalito. The place is so tiny and the line goes out the door, but they were SO YUMMY!

Trying to teach little Miss to do a thumbs up for some delicious burgers.

Burgers? On my thumb?

I love fountains. So do they. <3 Daddy was waiting on the burgers, so I was all alone in getting them to cooperate for pictures. You can imagine who cooperated and who didn't. ;)

When did she get so big??

Last but not least, the awesome swing Daddy built. We live such a blessed life. <3

I promise...

2011-10-12T22:47:00.001-07:00

I promise I will blog again...when I'm not so tired or cranky or busy. I was looking forward to blogging about the fabulous weekend we had planned last weekend (free zoo, Fleet Week festivities, oh my!), but it was all a bust. I did get a few cute pictures of the girls though. I will post them, but I must gather enough energy to upload them from the memory card and sort through them first. Maybe tomorrow...

In other news, I finally got photoshop and lightroom, so I am a happy girl. Though I am so tired and ~~busy~~ tired, that I haven't even played with it. Not even once. And...preschool is going so much better (and ballet for that matter.) I have gotten more creative in my delivery and we are adjusting (aka mommy is learning how to teach). I'm just excited they are learning. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some energy and take pictures of our school projects. Maybe...

Going Bear Crazy

2011-10-04T23:29:00.000-07:00

So I mentioned a report of a bear (approximately 350 lb bear to be exact) here in housing last week in the post about losing my keys. Well, apparently I'm losing my mind as well. We have found what the boys think is bear poop right in our back yard. Two times. Obviously that freaks me out to no end, and I respond by looking around frantically constantly on watch for a bear while we are outside playing in the yard. My wonderful husband on the other hand responds by going to the store to buy molasses to lure the bear. He poured it on the trees and left the half full jar in the tree. He's hoping to find evidence tomorrow. It makes me laugh just thinking about a raccoon eating that yumminess and knocking it over while Brett is convinced the bear got it. LOL

It does not make me laugh thinking about attracting this bear to my yard though. I didn't realize how freaked out I was until tonight when everyone was already asleep. I'm the only night owl in the house...thankfully. It's so quiet at night...and scary. I went to get a lifesaver out of the kitchen when I decided to make sure the side door was locked. I peeked down the basement stairs and it was open (the screen door was shut, but the actual door was open). I wasn't surprised as my husband has never been big on locking door, cars, anything. He laughs when he gets locked out and calls it Fort Knox. I am the worrier and the safety freak of course, so I run down the stairs to shut and deadbolt the door when I panic. The thought that the bear was inside the basement overtook me and I ran as fast as I could back into the kitchen and slammed the kitchen door. I'm surprised I didn't fall up the stairs. Lord knows I've fallen down those awful stairs more than my fair share.

When I got back in the living room, I laughed a bit at myself and went back to watching my show (Parenthood. The best show EVER.) when I noticed the front door behind me was rattling. A lot. I was immediately frozen with fear and convinced that there was a bear at the front door trying to get in. I gathered a little courage and went to the door and peeked out the little window in the door. Thankfully, nothing was there and the door was locked. I again laughed at myself for being convinced it was a bear versus the crazy wind outside making the door rattle. Definitely losing my mind 'round here.

This may or may not be the bear in my yard. ;)

On a more parental note, we have been sick, so we skipped ballet this morning. I figured the other mommies might give me a nasty look when my little ballaweena comes in hacking and blowing snot bubbles. I did have a few errands I had to run though, so I gathered up all my energy and got us loaded in the car. About 5 minutes down the road, I'm feeling very productive so I decide to head up to the Petaluma outlets about 30 minutes away and return something* to the Gap. I figure this will be a quick in and out trip before hitting up the post office and grocery store, leaving us plenty of time to get home before lunch and naptime. I'm sure this is all too familiar to other moms, but a quick return at Gap turned into TWO potty breaks, a few rides on the... Well, what are those things called? It was a train and a boat that you put fifty cents into and it shakes and moves. They aren't really rides as in Six Flag rides, but I guess that's the closest thing. Anyway, two potty breaks, a few rides, a run around Gap and a diaper change later, we finally made it out of there. For those of you without kids, any "quick" errand that should take less than 5 minutes will automatically take at least 30 45 minutes. Due to said sickness, they passed out on me before we even got to the second stop. I got lunch and sat in the car waiting for them to stir so we could go into the post office. (They were literally unwakeable. Trust me. I tried.) I don't know about where you live, but our post office is always a nightmare. To make matters worse, they have now added an entire card display which only makes juggling boxes and keeping 2 toddlers in line even more difficult. Staring at Scooby Doo, mermaids and Cat in the Hat is just too much for my girls. They have to touch. Everything. We managed to make it out of there and gave up on the rest of the errands. I still felt productive as I managed to check a few things off the "to do" list, which is more than I can say for most days. Gotta celebrate the small things, right? It keeps me sane, even if I am losing my mind.

School!

2011-10-03T15:55:00.000-07:00

Our "classroom"

Today was our first day of school. We are just doing preschool at home, but we are all so excited. I bought the Horizons Preschool curriculum because I am a Type A perfectionist, and I need a plan and lots of organization. I knew I would stress myself to no end if I tried to wing it. I would spend countless hours researching and planning, so I saved myself a little time and a lot of future grey hair and bought a complete curriculum. On a side note, if you homeschool or even if you don't, you should look around the Rainbow Resources website. There is so much awesome stuff on there. It is actually a little overwhelming.

I actually got the curriculum in the mail a week or two ago, but then I realized we needed quite a few things for the crafts, lessons, etc. It took me a week or so and a few trips to the dollar store and walmart, but we have most of the stuff we need for the year. I'm planning a trip to this place in the East Bay for a few more teacher like things, but I'm honestly scared for my wallet, so I've been putting it off. So far, I LOVE this curriculum. It starts off with a Bible verse which they base the rest of the lesson around (social studies, crafts, math, writing, etc.) Today we read Genesis 1:1 and talked about how God created the world for us. We talked about how He is our father and then talked about Daddy and how God is like Daddy, providing for us, loving us, etc. We colored a picture of the world, cut pictures that reminded us of Daddy out of a magazine, read books, practiced writing the letter A, talked about the number 1, worked on name recognition and picked out things in the house that were red, green and blue. Thankfully, Kayleigh's ahead of the game and she was already familiar with the letter A including writing it both upper and lowercase, the number 1 and her colors. We breezed right through all the activities in an hour to an hour and a half, which was perfect for her attention span. Campbell participated in everything and I think she'll pick up a lot even though she's a little young just from watching Kayleigh learn.

Kayleigh has been extremely excited about "doing school," but we definitely have some things to work on. She is quite strong-willed* and thought she was the Principal of our little school. She decided to scream "NO" when she didn't want to do something like sing her ABC's. Thank goodness she's at home versus being THAT kid at preschool.

Here's a few pics of our morning. It was VERY hard to be teacher and photographer. Ha!

She colored the world that God created for us.

Sister got in on the fun.

Drawing a picture of Daddy.

*How in the world did both of my kids turn out so strong-willed? Oh yeah, they got a double dose! Lord help us!!

Interviews with my Loves

2011-10-01T09:32:00.000-07:00

I saw this on a friend's blog, and I couldn't wait to do it with the girls.

Kayleigh at 3 1/2 years old...

I first asked her to recite her name: Kayleigh Bonner

How old are you? She held up 3 fingers and gave me a look that she wasn't feeling this quiz. ;)

What is your favorite color? Pink

Who is your best friend? Kelsey

Favorite Animal: the monkey...no the elephants

What do you want to be when you're all grown up? a big elephant

What is your favorite movie? Beauty and the Beast

What is your favorite book? Itsy Bitsy Spider book

What makes you happy? Kelsey <3

What makes you sad? After saying I don't know like 5 times and me pushing for an answer, she finally shouted "You make me sad!!!" LOL

What is your most favorite food to eat? chocolate cookies

What is your favorite song to sing? Twinkle Twinkle

What games do you like to play? Candyland

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Campbell at 2 years 1 month...

I only got a few answers before her attention span ran out. I filled in for the rest.

I first asked her to recite her name: Camel Bonners (She also frequently refers to herself as Sissy Bonners, especially when answering the phone. <3 <3 <3)

How old are you? She held up a one then a five and said "I don't know" with exasperation.

What is your favorite color? Chocolate LOL One thing on the mind!

Who is your best friend? Sissy

Favorite Animal: Doggy (She is our little animal whisperer. She definitely takes after her Daddy and Papa Jack.)

What do you want to be when you're all grown up? This really perplexed her. LOL Maybe next year.

What is your favorite movie? Ponyo

What is your favorite book? She loves just about any book, especially Curious George. She will happily sit as long as someone is reading to her. It is quite the miracle that anything keeps her sitting still.

What makes you happy? "CDFG" (ABC song) and Sunshine (her elephant that sings You are My Sunshine)

What makes you sad? She didn't answer, but I think it is safe to assume getting put in time out all.day.long probably bums her out a little. Oh my little troublemaker. Good thing I love her!

What is your most favorite food to eat? cookie (can you tell we made chocolate chip cookies the other day?)

What is your favorite song to sing? Twinkle Twinkle This girl loves to sing. We sing a million songs before bed each night.

What games do you like to play? Again no answer, but she LOVES to play the "I'm going to do something I shouldn't and then run" game and anything Big Sister is playing of course.

Contentment

2011-10-01T00:18:00.000-07:00

I just started an amazing Beth Moore Bible study at my church two weeks ago. I LOVE it. Along with the class, people have been emailing their thoughts, questions, struggles, etc. Now to be honest, this study is so intense that I'm not sure I can even connect and put into words all the thoughts and feelings rolling around in my heart and mind from the first week. I just keep praying that God will take all the thoughts He has laid on my heart and piece them together for me...eventually. My heart and mind are so full, after just two weeks! Some women taking the study with me have emailed some amazing, insightful thoughts on the study, and one lady spoke some truth that hit home with me. This very wise woman, Deana, noted that we as women often lack self grace. Beth Moore said in this week's video to "Side with the Lord on your own self evaluation." Now I am the first to admit that I am so hard on myself in every possible way, but I never looked at it from the perspective that I am denying myself of the grace of God. This woman noted that we are constantly comparing ourselves, to other women who "do it all," to the Biblical description of what a woman should be, and to the perfect woman/wife/mother we think we should be in our own twisted minds. This either leads to wanting to be like another woman who is just as imperfect and sinful as the rest of us instead of striving to be like Christ or feeling so defeated that we wallow in despair and defeat. We lose sight of God's grace and that through His grace I can be the woman I was called to be. This wise woman goes on to point out our struggles with believing the lies of this world, specifically as a SAHM that we aren't doing enough, that we aren't important enough or that we are just changing diapers and cleaning messes all day instead of using our degrees/intelligence/talents. This leads to a perpetual search to be more, to do more, to be better. Instead we should be seeking peace and contentment. Only sharing these struggles with the Lord will calm your mind and fill your heart. Releasing them to Him allows us to be happy in the moment, to be content with our calling right now and leaving your calling for tomorrow in His hands. Isn't that all we want to do anyway? To be in the moment and enjoy every second? Discontent only leads to distraction and endless searching, which in turn keeps us from being in the moment, which of course inevitably leads to self-loathing that we aren't doing this whole mommy thing right/good enough.

I'm going to stop, seek peace and contentment daily, and in turn, enjoy every moment in this fleeting life allowing my heart to be full of the thankfulness, joy and love that my blessed life certainly deserves.

Today was my 28th birthday. I honestly loved everything about my day. It was probably mundane compared to the day in the life of many others I know, but to me it was perfect. I woke up to a Mr. Potato head for my birthday just for me because I like big pink noses. LOL The girls climbed in bed with me and snuggled while we watched cartoons on my phone. I did some chores, gave my girls not one but two baths*, and watched them play in this beautiful fall weather. My new tripod and camera remote came in the mail from my dear husband. They were exactly what I wanted. Wonder how he knew??? Oh yeah, after 5 years of marriage, I've learned to tell him exactly what I want. Men don't do subtle hints very well. Brett also came home early, which in itself would be enough, but he came home with SusieCakes cupcakes from the city, and they.were.delicious. We drove up to RP for some Olive Garden that I was craving and even a little shopping at the outlets for winter clothes for Kayleigh bug. It is amazing how such every day things can bring such happiness. I just feel so blessed. I'm starting to think we should get to celebrate our birthday at least 4 times throughout the year. Aren't birthdays the best? Wonder if I can get my husband on board with that? ;)

Kayleigh took this from behind the screen door with my new tripod.

The most delicious Red Velvet cupcake from Susie Cakes. <3

As you can tell, the girls and I dug right in. These were the only two left by the time B took a picture.

*Yes, I am an OCD clean freak. Snot in the hair is almost enough to send me over the edge. I resisted the urge to do bath #3, for which I am proud.

Right in Our Backyard

2011-09-27T23:01:00.001-07:00

So I started this post with the intention of telling you about the revelation I've had about all the awesome things and places we have right in our backyard here in San Fran, but, ironically, it also relates to a funny little story about our night, so I'll start there. How's that for a compound sentence?? I think I'm Queen of ridiculously long sentences...and stories. So there's a theme I suppose. Yes, I've also been told, more than once...or twice, that I could talk to a brick wall. But that's neither here nor there.

Anyway, our night was wrapping up around here and I realized that I forgot to return the movie that I rented on Sunday. I take great pride in renting from the box only when it is free and can't stand being late and actually having to pay. This is normally my wonderful hubby's fault, and I can give him lots of grief (yes, I am the cheap one). The fact that it was my fault just made paying $1.08 sting a little more. Yes, I'm THAT cheap. I grab my purse and try to escape out the door before being caught by my two little loves when I realize that I have no keys. Kayleigh comes bounding around the corner and sees my purse in hand. "Where are you going Mommy? I want to come." Ugh. I was caught and still had no keys. I go on a mad hunt for my keys with no luck. I have a very, very, VERY bad habit of losing things. I also lack patience and get very frustrated looking for them very quickly. I usually have to try to calm myself while calling my dear husband to come find the lost item for me. I have even tried to convince him that a lost remote was in fact a good enough reason for him to leave work and come home immediately to help me. See. I do seriously lack patience. Instead of helping me on my search, he grabs the movie and decides to just run to the store to return it. Literally. Run. That was unimaginable to me. I don't run, but he has been running every day, so off he went with Kayleigh protesting because she wanted to go TOO! Don't bother attempting to explain to a toddler why she can't run to the store with Daddy. She will only tell you that she will just hold his hand and make your heart melt, and trust me. She will not understand any more than when you started.

Though I lack patience, God gave me a whole heap of tenacity. So, I continue on my search when I remember that after ballet (which went ok...better but not great for those of you wondering...all three of you) we went straight from the car to the back patio. I did my Bible study homework while the girls played. While studying, Campbell, of course, got into my purse. I quickly checked that all my medicine was there and went back to studying. I was deep in thought in my study, so I continued on after taking my purse out of her dirty, mischievous fingers. Now that I realized I had no keys, the ONLY set of keys, to my car, I remember her quest through my purse. I ask Kayleigh who is honest to a fault if she or Campbell had my keys. Campbell is totally unreliable as she will answer yes to anything. ANYTHING. Well, unless it is me telling her to do something. So Kayleigh tells me that Campbell had the keys outside under the tree. So me and the little munchkins head outside with a flashlight at 8 o'clock at night looking for my keys. I searched for a few minutes until I remember the bear sighting in our neighborhood and totally freaked myself out, so I called my neighbor, who happens to be Brett's boss's wife, to see if she would just stand outside with me. You know... in case of a bear attack. A few minutes later, Brett's boss comes trudging outside to help me look. I would be mortified at this point, except that they know me and in fact they have helped me search for keys in the grass before. We all search for almost an hour. In case you are wondering, Brett did not take that long to run to the store. He came home to a scene in the backyard and he may be embarrassed, but he joined in on the search. I decide to look in the car for the third time, and what do I find? Yes...the keys...in Campbell's carseat...where I put them when I unbuckled her. Talk about embarrassing. I would like to say that I learned my lesson, but I'm sure it will happen again. Probably soon. It has only reinforced my belief that I should just give up immediately and let me husband do the searching. He would have found it the first time he looked.

So on the the real story of the day...I got an email about local discounts for military during Fleet Week next week. It reminded me of all the places and things that we've been wanting to see and do but haven't. I thought about the short year and half we have left here, and all the things we MUST start doing. It being my birthday week and all, I think I am going to use that to convince Brett to knock a few things off our list. I am dying to go here, here and here and I really want to go to Golden Gate park a million more times before we leave. After reading my newest Sunset magazine, I am also dying to take a quick trip to Chico to let the girls play at Bidwell Park and more importantly take a few pictures at this AMAZING bridge. I think I might have gasped and squealed when I saw it in the magazine. I immediately showed it to Brett and for some reason, he lacked the same enthusiasm. I think it sounds like a perfect plan for this Saturday. Unfortunately, my husband never reads my blog. If he did, I would tell him that I need a tripod and a remote for my camera to take a family pic or two. This one and this one would be just fine. Thanks.

I am now on a mission to explore and enjoy this amazing area before our short time left here is gone. Lord knows I will be over the moon when we leave this station, but I do want to enjoy it this awesome city while we are here. Get out and enjoy the place you live along with me, even if you've lived there forever. I'll try not to be jealous of your roots.

P.S. If you so feel inclined, you are certainly welcome to share this blog with anyone you like, especially if his name is Brett and he should be planning a fabulous birthday for his amazing wife.

Pumpkin Painting

2011-09-24T23:55:00.000-07:00

First of all, I can't believe it's fall, that it's almost Halloween, and even crazier that some places even have Christmas stuff out already! I took a quick trip to Walmart the other day. Well, nothing about it was quick considering it is 30-40 minutes away and I left during the evening commute, but while there, I saw these adorable pumpkins and thought about how fun it would be to paint some with the girls. What was I thinking by the way? Never mind the fact that I forgot a few of the basic essentials that I actually went to Walmart for. We now have zero trash bags and I am out of my barkeepers friend, which is pathetic that that is a big concern, but seriously, it is magic when you are doing dishes...BUT we do have mini pumpkins.

So I was feeling rather Mom of the Year the other morning and decided that we would put on old clothes and paint! Thankfully, grandma bought washable paint, so I wasn't too concerned (read: compulsive) about not making a mess. And thankfully we were outside. And got in the bath immediately after. Wow. I sound like a crazy person.

We started with such cute little pumpkins

That were just dying to be blue and white and all sorts of fun colors.

Of course Campbell got messy...

And ended up in timeout...

And was mad about being in timeout.

(Notice she has moved down a step because she is never going to do what I want her to do...strong willed much?)

And we DEFINITELY needed more paint to make a big mess for Daddy.

Mommy was just glad the mess was outside (Daddy's dept) and not inside (Mommy's.)

Bet you can't guess who painted each one??? :)

My Ballaweena

2011-09-23T00:15:00.000-07:00

Before she realized this was not just another dress-up outfit...

So Kayleigh started ballet classes last week, but I failed to discuss or blog about this event because it.was.catastrophic! You know when there is THAT kid at a restaurant, or at the park, or in class... She was THAT kid. She had been so excited to be a ballaweena and just about died when I told her that she couldn't wear her leotards, tights and ballet slippers around the house every day, so the first day of class comes and I'm expecting all smiles and squeals...and it was a nightmare. The class is kinda early, well, early for us non-morning people. You see the best thing about being a SAHM mom is getting to sleep in. Oh, I mean spending every second with your darling children is the best and sleeping in is just a close, close second. ;) And to those of you with babies still or non-sleeping children, my sympathies. Anyway, Kayleigh just so happens to be like her momma and is so not a morning person. Class at 9 am was just too much I suppose. ;) We all wake up about 8:15 thanks to a power outage and a dead iphone and therefore, no alarm. I'm just thankful my little darlings woke me up, as I could have probably slept until 10. So we rush around to get ready and breakfast in our bellies and rush out the door to ballet. Thankfully, it is *right* down the street, so we hurried in right at 9.

This is where the catastrophe began.

Kayleigh does not like to be left behind, and I mean even one step behind...literally. My hands were a little full with Campbell (literally and figuratively), a diaper bag, my purse and the camera of course, so when Kayleigh stopped in the doorway as I proceeded to walk in and find a seat, and the melt down began. I drop everything and go grab her hand to coax her in. Her screams just got louder and I may or may not have actually dragged her by her arm into the building. Thankfully her teacher, Ms. Lanie, is fabulous and terribly understanding, so she told me and Campbell to come join them in class and Kayleigh could join in when she wanted to. So we all plop down in the corner to watch as the other girls stretch and giggle and sing fun songs. I start out with the gentle prodding. "Don't you want to go have fun with your new friends?" I ask her. She clung to me harder, burying her face in my arm. After a few minutes the girls get up and each stand on a dot to start practicing first position. Ms. Lanie asks if Kayleigh would like to stand on her dot. She didn't even look up and I'm pretty sure at this point she may have been cutting off the circulation in my arm she was clinging to me so hard. After a bit longer and a lot more coaxing, I start to turn into "Not So Nice Mommy." No one likes Not So Nice Mommy, including Mommy. She's very not nice and quite impatient. I start threatening every threat I could think of. No tv. No playing with her friends...for a week! We are going to call Daddy. Literally, everything I could think of. She finally let go of me only to flail herself onto the floor and cry. Embarrassed, I tell her to stop crying because she is disrupting class and attempt to bribe her. "Don't you want a treat after class? We'll go get chicken nuggets if you go stand on your dot. Don't you want to play with those tambourines? Only ballerinas get to play with those. Don't you want to be a ballerina?" Needless to say bribery doesn't work either. Then I try to get up and join in myself, which she just thought was funny and was still having no part in actually participating. So finally, I just hung my head in shame and just sat and watched. She did get up and try to mimic the girls, but only a foot away from me in the corner. As soon as someone would look at her, she would throw herself back on the floor.

Thankfully, the end of class finally came after a very, very long 50 minutes. We ran, maybe sprinted, out the door in shame, and I truly considered never returning. I then remember how much we had paid for the class, the leotards, the shoes...and called Brett to tell him that he MUST take off next week to deal with this situation. Later that day, after a little time to breath, it became very clear that Kayleigh had in fact taught me a lesson in ballet class. Not So Nice Mommy isn't very effective. Neither is bribery. She was absolutely terrified (though she had done swim lessons just fine and loves church nursery), and all she wanted was the comfort of her mommy. A little comfort and confidence building might have gone a long way. Did I mention I'm not much of a morning person myself? ;) Wouldn't it be nice if mommies got a magic maintain your composure potion when they gave birth?

So of course, Brett's schedule did not allow him to take off, so I spent the next week going on and on and on about how fun ballet class was and practicing first position with her. We talked about what she was going to tell them her favorite color was (pink of course) and her favorite pizza toppiing while they stretched. We even talked about how fun Ms. Lanie was.

The next ballet class rolls around, and I was so apprehensive. We woke up earlier this week, made sure we got there a little early, and I promised donuts after class if she behaved. Ok...so bribery does work but maybe just before the fear strikes. She was definitely not thrilled about going in, but Ms. Lanie held her hand and though she wasn't happy about it, she walked into class with just one sad look back at Mommy. Campbell on the other hand was devastated she couldn't join them. I had my hands full the week before trying to keep her from joining the class and standing on a dot. Class finally wrapped up and Kayleigh literally leaped in my lap. Ms. Lanie said she only started to cry a few times and she just told her that ballerinas don't cry. Why didn't I think of that???

So we headed out the door for donuts for being a good ballerina and Mommy said a few prayers that next week is even better. I also thanked God for teaching me a few lessons before my kids are old enough to remember Not So Nice Mommy and hold me to some of my bribes. :P

Needless to say, I didn't manage to get a single picture of my little ballaweena except this one through the outside window. Maybe next time will go so great that I can snap a few decent pics.

She is in the black and pink right next to Ms. Lanie.

Trying to entertain little Miss

Meatless Monday & Care Bears

2011-09-20T16:24:00.000-07:00

So I may or may not have mentioned that we have been drastically changing our eating habits. Thanks to this, this, and this, we are a changed family. Well, mama is changed, which basically means everyone else has to join along. :P Thankfully, I married a super health conscious hippy (well, in a totally suburban sense of the word), and he is happy to oblige. I'll have to take a picture of our pantry, freezer and fridge in the next month or so. You probably won't believe your eyes. Anyway, we are slowly eating what we have and buying almost exclusively real food (AKA unprocessed). Can't do without my ketchup and mayo though. It really has been great and surprisingly a cost saver. They say that processed food is cheaper and that's why American is obese, but when you buy a bunch of junk, you eat all day and we actually spent more on groceries before. I mean who can't sit and demolish a bag of chips or a package of Oreos in the blink of an eye, but I bet you won't each a bowl full of fruit for a snack...well, unless it is in a juice, but that's beside the point. ;)

So as apart of our diet change, we've been eating far less meat and more veggies. This is HUGE for my meat and potatoes man, but he hasn't complained...too much anyway. My goal is 1 or 2 nights of meat, 2 nights of fish and the rest veggie dinners. So for Meatless Monday, I made a favorite, eggplant parm. To incorporate my new homemade, unprocessed approach to cooking, I even made my own spaghetti sauce from fresh tomatoes. It was DELISH! Don't fret. I haven't lost my mind by making my own noodles...yet. ;) It was a hit. I must say it was delicious, and the somewhat picky toddlers and my carnivorous husband gobbled it up.

I dropped the fresh, delicious tomatoes (some from Whole Foods and some were home grown by one of Brett's friend/co-worker) in boiling water for about 60 seconds and stuck them in cold water, so I could peel off the skin. I even had help.

She LOVES to be in the kitchen. She's still not sure why she can't use the knives. ;) I love her help...most of the time. Especially when it doesn't involve flour and a mixer. ;)

We added a few seasonings. She has quite a heavy hand, so it was VERY seasoned! :)

Added a little egg and flour to the eggplant. Dropped it in a little oil and topped with parmesan, tomato sauce and mozzarella. And if you ever make this, make sure you slice and salt the eggplant and let it sit for a bit before you cook it. It pulls out the bitterness. I learned this the hard way. My cookbook failed to mention this, so I'll save you the hard lesson.

And on an entirely different note, I have two little Care Bear obsessed toddlers, thanks to replacing Nick Jr with Netflix. Did I mention we cancelled Dish too? Woah, we are headed back a century. Watch out! Wait, they didn't have Netflix back then. Oh. Anyway, I was playing with Kayleigh and pretended to fall asleep. I was curious what she was going to do if she couldn't wake me. Doesn't every SAHM with little kids wonder what would happen if the worst happens (pass out, have a seizure, or whatever other crazy scenario we dream up while we sit at home eating bon-bons)? ;) Brett was in the basement, so I thought maybe she'd freak out and go find him. Ummm...no. She leaned over me and chanted "We care. We care. We CARE!!!" It was so hilarious that I couldn't maintain composure and stay in character. I'm the worst actress ever. Ask my husband. She was thrilled when Mommy woke up. I'm not sure whether she was more happy that I was ok or that the Care Bear chant actually worked. Oh the good times of a SAHM.

Hello God...now I am listening.

2011-09-18T22:16:00.000-07:00

Do you ever have those moments that something God is trying to tell you hits you square in the face? Like apparently I wasn't listening hard enough and He had to smack me square in the forehead to get my attention. I'm not a good listener by the way. I really try very hard to listen, but I'm just awful at it. I interrupt a lot. I'm rude, and I'm sorry to every single person I've ever spoken to because I'm positive I've interrupted you. Apparently I also have listening problems when it comes to God too. Our pastor spoke on Mark 11. To start off he read Mark 11:12-25. I'll save you trouble of looking it up yourself...

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

¹² The next day as they were leaving Bethany, Jesus was hungry. ¹³ Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to find out if it had any fruit. When he reached it, he found nothing but leaves, because it was not the season for figs. ¹⁴ Then he said to the tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard him say it. ¹⁵ On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶ and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’^[c]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’^[d]”
¹⁸ The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
¹⁹ When evening came, Jesus and his disciples^[e] went out of the city.
²⁰ In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”
²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[f] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” ^[26] ^[g]

His message, which was great by the way, centered more around verses 12-21, but when he read verses 22-25, it was almost as if God yelled the words in my ear. Weird, but I listened. Now I've always known this, but when I heard it this morning, I saw it in a new light and it completely applied to something I had been stressing over this week. Isn't He amazing? I got a lot out of his actual message too because I listened to that too...well most of it. ;) Sometimes I wish it was Sunday every day.

Who Am I?

2011-09-18T00:02:00.000-07:00

I'm certain other SAHM mommies (stay-at-home moms for those of you who aren't up on your cyber lingo. ;) ) feel this way, but in a quest to be the perfect wife and the perfect mom, I get so wrapped up in life and yet lost. I'm sure it is partly due to my totally Type A, perfectionist personality, but I'm also convinced it is part of the territory. I have all these new hobbies spawned from life as a stay-at-home mommy...photography, sewing, cooking, couponing. All are completely essential to being the best SAHM. What great mommy doesn't document every monumental moment of their child's life with perfect pictures or make their Halloween costume's and dresses for family pictures or heaven forbid not provide delicious, healthy meals totally from scratch all while saving as much as possible to make up for a lack of income? Ok, obviously not most, but I guess in my pursuit of perfection, I think I must do it all. Did I mention that a clean house is absolutely required? Who cares that you have two little tornadoes undoing all your hard work...every.single.day. Somewhere along the way, the lines between what I enjoy and what I feel is required have been blurred and the to-do list seems never-ending. Someone please tell me I'm not the only one that feels overwhelmed yet compelled to try to "do it all"...

I think it is our innate need to provide the perfect home for our hunnies and babes and we forget to stop and think what is important to us. I mean seriously there isn't enough time in the day to do it all, yet I can't help but feel like I failed when I didn't get a workout in or I stopped for fast food instead of cooking. Maybe the problem is that what is important to me is providing the perfect home, but I had a bit of an epiphany in Joann's today when I realized I just couldn't make elaborate costumes for the girls this year. Thanks to my mom. Have I ever mentioned how amazing my mom is? If not, she is really is amazing and I really love her. She gives pretty good advice too...most of the time. She should never go on vacation though. Heaven forbid she be unavailable when I need her. ;) Anyway, I realized right then and there as I was mourning the loss of hand-crafted costumes that the perfect home we should be providing is the one with lots of laughs and love, not necessarily homemade costumes, gourmet meals, and award winning photography. You win some, you lose some, right? I mean I may or may not have even remotely finished their baby books. Will they care one day? Maybe, but at least they won't feel discriminated against since both are completely incomplete.

So from this day forward, I have committed myself to enjoy each day making my little bugs happy, showing B how much I love him, spending some time in the word "centering" myself and carving out a little time for myself, which will probably involve photography most days and hopefully workouts some days. I will reserve sewing projects for the really important stuff, and I may never coupon again. Who knows, maybe I'll drink a rockstar every once and again and do it all, but I am going to learn to walk across the crumbs on the floor as we head out the door to enjoy life. If you can relate, you should join me.

Tomorrow, I will edit these for a little "me time", but I think they are pretty darn good straight out of the camera.

Dave Ramsey

2011-09-12T10:20:00.000-07:00

I've had a list of things to write about, and as usual, there is never enough time in the day and I remember just as my head hits the pillow. But...this is absolutely worthy of a post.

Last fall, another Coast Guard wife posted about a sale on Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University online class. It was just too good of a deal to pass up, and let's be honest, stretching one military income isn't very easy, so I was happy for any help making a budget work. Now I have a finance degree, so I always thought we were doing a decent job with what we had to work with. I couldn't have been more wrong. I cannot be more thankful that we took the FPU class and totally changed our lives.

So Brett came home from work one day and I informed him that we were going to do FPU. He is always interested if it involves working on the budget to free up more golfing money, but I can tell you he was less than thrilled that we would be spending almost every night watching videos online. ;) He is usually of the mind that I should watch it and give him the cliffnotes, but I was determined that we were going to do this. Together. I cannot tell you enough how much this changed our lives. Not only did it help us budget, but it helped our marriage, lowered our stress, and I'm certain it changed our future. Who doesn't argue about money? I'm pretty sure it is the number one reason for divorce. In FPU, we learned to manage money together despite our totally opposite personalities. It got us on the same page about our money and our future.

If you think you are not in debt and financially stable, I'm telling you that you still need to take it. Every single person could learn something from his class. Well, maybe not Bill Gates or Warren Buffet, but unless you have a million in the bank to blow, I'm sure you could learn a thing or two.

Now if you have debt, even just a car loan or two, I'm here to tell you that this process isn't fun. But as my mom reminded me the other day, the pain in the process is what makes sure you never go back to that way of life again. I can tell you that other than a possible mortgage, Brett and I will never borrow money again.

So...if you haven't already, take Financial Peace University. Single or married, rich or poor. Just take it. I promise you'll be happy you did.

So we are officially living like no one else, so later we can live like no one else. Come join us!

Productive Sunday

2011-09-11T20:20:00.001-07:00

Two loaves of wheat bread and homemade chicken noodle soup ready for the freezer and a little crafting that I've been working on for the last year or so. How's that for a productive Sunday? The soup will be for lunches throughout the week. Easy for Brett to take to work and easy for me to warm up for the girls. MUCH healthier and tastier than out of a can too! The girls have been devouring the bread.

These recipes were just from my Better Homes and Garden cookbook which I use for everything. I'm sure everybody and their mother has this cookbook. You'd be surprised how easy you can make just about anything from scratch!

Real Food

2011-09-11T16:05:00.001-07:00

Whole Wheat Bread ready to go in the oven

I've been on a quest to eat real food and cut out most or all processed foods. A friend referred me to The 100 Days of Real Food blog. It was exactly what I was looking for. I've had the ingredients to make my own wheat bread for a while, but I'm finally checking it off the To-Do list today! This is right before they go into the oven. Kayleigh and Campbell even got to help. I wish I would have gotten a few pictures, but I was busy referring and protecting the dough. ;) I'm sure some of you can relate. I'll post another picture once the are baked. Brett and I want to get back to a simple life with homemade (and eventually home grown/raised) food and simple pleasures like front porch sittin'. As tough as that is with the Coast Guard life (I don't think housing would be thrilled with a chicken coup, do you?), we are doing what we can now and looking forward to Brett's "retirement" when we can really live the life we want.

Ummm...has it really been that long?

2011-08-24T08:33:00.000-07:00

Wow. I've had blogging on my to-do list for...well apparently a really long time. Has it really been since November? Well...I've been busy...having fun and well, procrastinating. ;) The girls are getting so big that I just stare at them in disbelief at least once a day.

Kayleigh is the most Type A, bossy britches, tattle-telling, loving big sister ever. She is talking up a storm and always has me laughing with her sass. She has been really enjoying swim lessons, can not wait to start ballet in a few weeks so she can be a "balaweena," and is obsessed with the Care Bears thanks to Netflix. She informed me the other day that she has a belly badge (like the Care Bears for those of you who are missing out on all this Care Bear fun). When I asked her what her belly badge was, she looked at me like I had two heads and said, "A butterfwy." Duh...she had a big butterfly on her shirt. When I asked her what she could do with her butterfly, she said it made her fly. Another duh Mommy moment. ;) She then informed me that Campbell and Mommy had butterfly belly badges too, so of course, I asked if Daddy had one. She whispers to me (I guess in case somehow Daddy could hear from work. LOL) that Daddy had rain clouds because he was grumpy bear. HAHA! I couldn't wait to tell Brett when he got home from work. In all fairness, he is practically the best, funnest Daddy ever, and since then, he's been upgraded to happy bear. ;) She is so fun...and stubborn...and SUCH a drama queen. I really think she might be my little mini-me. She has my personality to a T. But mostly, she just fun and the most loving little thing ever.

Miss Campbell has grown up so much. Every day she says 20 new words and finds another way to make a mess. I was telling my mom a few months back how much she was talking and that she would repeat anything and everything. Brett was in the background saying, "Not everything." He is always calling me out on exaggerating...usually rightfully so. ;) So to prove me wrong, he tells Campbell to say butterscotch. Clear as day she repeats him. Strike one up for Mommy! Ha! She loves to play with her big sister and wants to do everything her sister can, though she's not quite the dare devil big sister is. She also will argue with you till the sun comes up that her name is not Campbell but in fact Sissy Bonners. She picks up any phone and says, "Sissy Bonners...ummm...ummmm...ummmm." Cutest thing ever. Apparently, I say "um" a lot on the phone?? LOL She is catching up in size with her big sister, so we get asked even more if they are twins. There is a definite 4" or so height difference though. They are even fitting into some of the same size clothes. I think we'll get asked if they are twins even more as they get older. She is such a happy little thing...and did I mention messy? She definitely drives Kayleigh and my type A personalities a little crazy sometimes. Did I mention she is JUST like her daddy? Well, except she talks as much as her mommy unlike Kayleigh. Does that mean #3 would be a perfect mix of us...or a hot mess? We'll have to see.

The Daddy and I have just been enjoying life here in Cali and watching our girls grow up WAY too fast. We had big plans for our summer vaca until he tore the ligaments in his ankle and chipped a little bone off, but we still managed a quick trip to Monterrey and a few museums and parks in the city. Mostly, we did lots of resting around the house and doctors appointments, but I guess that makes up for all the times I've dragged him to my doctor appointments and to the hospital/ER. :P I can't believe we've lived here for so long, but we are already anxiously looking at our options for our transfer in less than 2 years. It feels so far away, but I know we'll blink and it will be time to move.

I actually have a list of things I want to write about, so hopefully I'll not wait so long before another update...but I am a procrastinator through and through, so don't hold your breath. I wouldn't want to be responsible for anyone passing out. ;) Love and miss y'all!

New Christmas List. :)

2010-11-15T21:00:00.000-08:00

Ok...so as Christmas gets closer my list is getting revised. :) Out with the white watch and in with a new purse. Well, a camera purse. I never bring my camera because I don't have anything big enough to carry it in, especially where it will be protected. I don't have much need for a big diaper bag anymore (with one potty trained and the other not really a baby anymore. Sniffle.), so this would be perfect for a camera/diaper bag purse. I LOVE it. I think I'll just show it to the hubby every day until Christmas to make sure he gets the hint. ;) To be clear, go here and order this bag. :)

I really want some sort of photography software too. I'm still looking at photoshop versus elements. Feel free to give your opinion on this. I'm looking for all the advice I can get. To be clear, I'm interested in some photo editing but mostly card/logo design.

And lastly,well for tonight anyway, I would love more of these and these. We have some from a wedding gift that are almost 5 years old, and they still look great, and they are just far superior in every way. I know it is probably totally lame to be passionate about a dishtowel, but we all know I'm about as practical as you can be. And anything from Williams-Sonoma is drool worthy. In fact, while you are there, feel free to pick up anything else for me. I'll take anything in the store, specifically anything Le Creuset, All Clad or these adorable Zoku Quick Pop Makers. Kayleigh would totally love you if you bought those popsicle (or icecream as she calls it) makers.

And since we are talking about Christmas shopping, I am already scoping the Black Friday ads, and I CAN.NOT.WAIT!!! I think I may not even go to sleep this year. I can already feel the shopping high. :) Hope you score some awesome Black Friday deals...or enjoy your peace and quiet a home away from the crowds.

Do you love or loathe Black Friday???

Officially potty trained...phew!

2010-11-15T14:25:00.001-08:00

YAY!!!! This is a monumental moment for a mom, and I am so proud. We tried it a few times before, but my stubborn little girl wasn't quite ready. I decided to give it another go at the end of October, and she's done great. We haven't even had one accident out and about. Now if we could get her to understand that you don't get a popsicle every time you pee pee once you are potty trained...oh and to maybe hold it past 6:30 in the morning. It is really cutting into my beauty sleep! Ha! :)

Girly Fun!

2010-10-24T18:43:00.000-07:00

This fabulous photographer who did pictures for Jared & Nicole has used some absolutely adorable accessories in her photos. Dressing up is one of the things that makes having little girls so much fun. Good thing I was blessed with two because I love all things girly! Check out these Etsy shops, Paislee Lane and Les Minis Jujus. I am going to order from both for Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers for the girls. Good thing they are young enough that I can get them what I want. :P Lord knows they have enough toys but what girl could ever have enough accessories??? :)

Wait...what?

2010-10-23T22:42:00.001-07:00

So THIS got signed into law on October 15th by President Obama. Honestly, the only part I really care about is:

"This Act strengthens the Coast Guard as a military service and branch of the Armed Forces in the Department of Homeland Security by providing organizational flexibility for the Coast Guard and allowing for improvements to its military housing. "

I love our house. It has charm...but let's be honest...it is beyond in need of an upgrade. It was built in the early 1930's and basically nothing has been updated since. We have old school radiators, windows that leak every time it rains because they don't shut anymore. We live with creosote and mold, so much so that they are closing houses left and right. We have a dishwasher on wheels that you have to hook up to the sink. I didn't even know those existed until we moved here. We have no vent above our stove, so our fire alarms go off frequently...and I'm a good cook! :) Some houses even have a separate faucets for the hot and cold water in the bathroom. So...to wash your face, you have to try to splash them together to make warm water. We have one bathroom, which isn't ideal but it really isn't so bad for us, but we have friends who share one bathroom with 5, 6 or even 7 people. So this would be huge if they actually follow through and improve our housing. If you've seen other military housing (Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force), our housing is a joke. Our budget is minuscule compared to the other branches, and the President was actually cutting it more until the oil spill. I guess that's probably the only good that's come from the oil spill. So...here's to hoping the government actually follows through. ;) I'd be thrilled if I didn't have to put towels in the windows all winter, and I'd be down right over the moon if I had a real dishwasher.

Christmas List

2010-10-20T13:38:00.001-07:00

Here are the things I've been drooling over lately. Perhaps my husband will check this out and get some clues for Christmas. ;) Who am I kidding? He never reads the blog, but maybe I will just email him the link. ;) Obvious much? Now in all fairness, he's very good at gift giving on his own. He made me a whole craft area for my birthday with a new desk and bookshelves. He cleaned the entire basement to make room for me too (which was no small task.) But...he couldn't even begin to come up with the girly things on this list. Maybe someone on your Christmas list would like these too...or you could just buy them for me. ;) I'll be sure to send a nice thank-you note for your generosity. :)

I love, love, love the Pioneer Woman. I love her recipes even more. I have made quite a number of recipes from her website and not one of them failed me. I even made some for the first time for guests...which is dangerous. I mean if goes wrong and tastes down right terrible...what do you do? Tell them dinner will be ready in 45 minutes when the pizza man arrives? EMBARRASSING! Anyway, her cookbook has pictures of each step as well, which is completely ideal for rule-following, perfectionists like me. I want to follow the directions to a T, unlike my husband who wings everything. And somehow still gets it to come out just right. Pft. Whatev. I like following the recipe. :) I have wanted this since it hit the bookshelf, but just couldn't ever bring myself to buy it for myself. This would probably not be in the best interest of my husband to purchase this for me considering her recipes probably aren't so much what he'd call healthy, but shhh...just don't tell him that.Now I really fell in love with a Michael Kors white watch, but let's be real. I'm a stay at home mom, so anything Michael Kors is not really in the cards. But I like this one too. Problem is that I am style clueless, so I emailed the best friend for style advice. Are white watches still in style? Can you wear them after Labor Day? I really should probably stick with my mom style, but I really, really, really like this. Still waiting on a response on the stylishness of the white watch. I also feel like this watch will only look good on the left hand. I've always worn my watch on my right hand despite the fact that I am right handed and it always got in the way. I think if I get this watch, I'll make the transition.

Wait...did I really just reference mom style? Mom style is evil and should not exist. It consists of plain shirts with stains, pony tails, and blue jeans (though thankfully not mom jeans...they really should be banned). My dear husband hates mom style, so I try to make an effort. Some days. But usually it just gets peanut butter or milk or even worse...poop...on it and it's back to the mom style. Perhaps one day I'll be able to wear cute clothes and not have to worry about what nasty, nasty thing will end up on it. Maybe then I won't have to vacuum and mop every day too. That would be fabulous.

Anyway...back to the list. This next item is really more of a necessity.

I have this Vera Bradley wallet, in a different pattern of course considering it is a couple of years old. For those who are not Vera obsessed, they come out with new patterns all the time and "retire" old ones, so basically none of your stuff every matches unless you buy everything imaginable all at once. And they have everything imaginable...trust me. Well, I love my wallet, but it's had some abuse. You see while camping in Oregon for 2 weeks, it rained every single day. It was cold and wet, and being my first time in the PacNW, I was completely unaware that the end of May could be anything other than warm and sunny. I packed nowhere near enough warm clothes of all of us compounded by the fact that two toddlers don't stay clean long, especially in muddy rain puddles. Therefore, I found myself at laundromats more than I would have liked being on vacation and all. While at somewhere in Newport, Oregon doing the umpteenth load of laundry, someone snatched my wallet. I realized this about 20 minutes later when the loads were done in the wash and I had no quarters for the dryer. Ugh. I spent the next few hours doing the obvious card canceling and check replacing phone calls. Fast forward a few days after we left Newport and Brett gets at call from work saying they have my beloved wallet at the Newport Police Station. Yes, they somehow figured out Brett worked at CG Station Golden Gate and called them. Weird, huh? We finally got in touch with the police station and found out that an employee of Taco Bell found my wallet in the trash can in the ladies bathroom. They mailed it back, without the cards and cash of course, and despite better judgment I've been using it ever since. Needless to say, I'm cheap because what sort of person would continue to use a purse that was in the Taco Bell bathroom trashcan? Oh my goodness, I better stop before I gross myself out and have to go wallet-less until Christmas.

And last but not least, I want to put this above our fireplace. It's wall art that just sticks right on the wall. Don't you love it? When you live in military housing and you know you are only there for just a short time, you have to make it homey any way you can. They have a ton of different sayings and you can even make your own at this website. You can customize the color and everything. You should check it out. I'm sure someone on your Christmas list would love it! http://uppercaseliving.com/

I'm sure I'll think of many more ideas between now and Christmas, but that will give my husband a good start. ;)

So what's on your Christmas list???

Photog Workshop - Do it. Do it.

2010-10-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

So Amy is an AH-MAZING photographer in Kodiak. She took incredible pictures of Jared, Nicole and Ava while they were stationed in there, and she is doing a photography workshop for beginners like me in Sacramento and lots of other places across the country. You should check it out, especially if you are like me and still have your fancy camera set on Auto. :)

I'm hoping to work it out to go and learn with her, so I can take more pictures of my little beauties. I promise I'd post more pictures if I could learn to take decent ones. ;)

Anyway, check it out and if she's in your area or you can meet her in one of these amazing places, you totally should. Hello...VEGAS in February. Sounds perfect to me!

http://simplybphotos.com/basics-of-photography-class/

Brought to you by the numbers 1, 2, 3...

2010-10-03T14:49:00.000-07:00

Kayleigh is so smart...and so stubborn. She is counting everything these days, but she only likes the numbers 1, 2 and 3, so she just counts everything in sets of 3's. :) She used to count to 10 (missing a number or two along the way), but now she has decided that 1, 2 and 3 are where's it at. If you mention the numbers that follow 1, 2 and 3, you will get a very not nice look. ;) Ah, I love my stubborn, strong willed child. She knows what she likes. She is as cute as ever and very polite. She says please and thank you all day long, and it. is. precious. Despite her stubborness, she is my easy child and is so, so sweet to her sister. She makes sure Campbell is always taken care of and loves to love on her all day long. She is also a eye spy freak. She LOVES her look and find books and literally has them memorized in a day. She is just too smart.

Campbell is a hot mess! She is my screamer. She is my tantrum pitcher, and she is so darn cute pitching them. That one little dimple that she flashes mid scream just melts your heart. She is also stubborn but in a totally different way. If you tell Campbell no, she will promptly turn to smile at you and go right back to it. :) She is so smart though. She is saying quite a few things. Her favorites are "mama", "sissy" and "what's that?" She is just as inquisitive as her mommy. She asks "what's that?" ALL. DAY. LONG. It doesn't phase me a bit and Brett is pretty good about humoring her and answering over and over and over... :) She is getting her molars to add to her 8 front teeth, and she is an eater. Cheerios are like candy and she loves fruit, but she's not so big on her sister's favorites like hot dogs and chicken. Despite her excellent eating, she is a tiny, little peanut! She is just barely 19 lbs now. She is getting tired of the rear facing car seat, especially since her big sister faces the front, but she's stuck rear facing for a while it seems.

I've been busy doing projects around the house. We finished up painting the downstairs and the bedrooms (mom and dad helped paint while there were here too), and I love our painted house. For those of you non-military readers, sometimes it's not worth your time to paint when you just have to repaint when you move. Not to mention, you have to get permission to even paint, so it is a bit of a luxury. It makes it feel so much more homey, though we dream of the day we will have a place of our own to fix and paint just how we want. I've been crafting and sewing too. I'm working on canvases for Kayleigh's room to match her bedding. So far, they are super cute. I'm also in the middle of sewing her Halloween costume. Campbell's ladybug costume came from Costco because it was a really good deal, but I am making a mermaid costume for Kayleigh and it is coming out pretty good, especially for my first try at a costume. Watch out Martha! :) Brett made me the perfect craft/sewing area downstairs with a new desk and shelving for my birthday, so I'm all set to get creative.

We are also getting in shape! Brett and I have started working out after the girls go to bed, and it feels great. I have a bit of a cholesterol problem (thanks Dad!), so I'm trying to get in tip top shape to see if that helps. I've been doing about a hour a night for 5 or 6 nights a week. If you know me, I don't do exercise, so I'm really proud of myself for sticking with it...past the first night. It helps to have a huge motivator for a husband. He loves to work out and be healthy. He could work out for hours every day (and actually does most days), so he's keeping me motivated. My ultimate motivation is the beautiful, new, very expensive purse I'm going to buy myself when I get to my goal with absolutely no guilt or buyers remorse! :) I am the returning queen. I'm actually afraid Target is going to call me out and not let me make any more returns, but after all the sweat I am putting in, I will not feel one bit guilty once I earn that purse. I have my eye on a Marc Jacobs bag, but I'm sure I'll do lots of drooling and window shopping between now and then.

Other than that, we are just enjoying fall, watching our favorite sports teams (minus the Bulldogs which just makes me a grumpy to watch), and enjoying our girls. I really wish the weather would get a clue and cool off, but in the mean time, I'm enjoying having calm seas and Brett home.

Hope everyone is well. We miss all our friends and family far away. Planning a trip to GA/NC/FL/SC June/July 2011, so mark your calendars. We should be out 3 or 4 weeks for a couple of weddings and family time. YAY!!

Campbell May

2010-09-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Campbell playing in the toy basket. She looks just like Kayleigh here!
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She's a Coupon Freak! Coupon Freak!

2010-08-26T09:11:00.000-07:00

So I've really gotten into the couponing thing and saved a ton of money! Its actually fun especially when I find deals like these! $1.98 for new shoes for mommy! Can't feel guilty for buying things for myself when you practically stole them! I got clothes for the girls for an extra 50% off at Baby Gap! I <3 Baby Gap! Yay for good deal!
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Patty Cake and Walking...oh my!

2010-07-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

Just a few videos this week of the girls. Campbell is walking like a champ! She is just shy of 11 months. Her pediatrician predicted she would be an early walker because she wants to do everything Kayleigh can do. :)

Kayleigh loves singing patty cake to her little sister and was all about doing in on camera. I turned the screen so she could watch herself while she did it, hence the obsession with the camera. She loved watching herself. Ha!

Hope everyone is doing well!

Summer time fun!

2010-07-16T23:31:00.000-07:00

Oh my...I have been terrible at updating! What else is new? The girls are growing like weeds, and we are busy enjoying summer. Kayleigh is picking up new words and sayings every day and Campbell is *gasp* almost walking. We are up to 5 steps in a row! My girls are just growing too darn fast! Campbell will be 1 next month! Time for another...just kidding...for now. :) Baby girl is up to 6 teeth and loves to eat anything we are eating. Her personality is shining through even more these days. I'm quite sure she will be just as feisty as her sister. Oh my! Everyone comments on her big blue eyes and her dimpley grin that she gives everyone! I think she may be the smiliest baby ever! Big sister is doing great too and is making lots of neighborhood friends. She can't walk to the park without stopping by Madelyn's house to see if she can come too. She rings the doorbell and everything. Too cute!

We have had a slam packed summer. We started off with a bang in May with our two week camping trip in Northern California and Oregon. We saw some beautiful places and rain. Lots. Of. Rain. I got a true taste for the North coast of California and coastal Oregon! We stopped to see the 8 surf stations along the way and get a feel for where we wouldn't mind putting on our next dream sheet (if we don't get anywhere back East that is ;) ) and where we would definitely not encourage the detailer to send us! We actually realized how thankful we are for where we live and wouldn't mind staying in the area if we can't head back East. Our options here would be Bodega Bay, which is the station just north of Golden Gate (about 45 minutes from where we live), and Morro Bay, which is about 2 hours north of LA. We got to do a little hiking, saw some Elk, drove through the redwoods, went to the most awesome wildlife park where we got to hold baby lions and tigers, and even did a little shopping. I do take after my mother after all. ;) I must say that coastal Oregon is gorgeous! The crashing waves and even the constant mist made the ocean just mesmerizing. But man is it cold. I missed the memo that Oregon is down right cold even at the end of May! Thus, further justifying my need to shop. Ok...let's be real. I don't need an excuse. We even happened to be in Florence, Oregon for their Rhododendron Festival. It was really neat to see this small town go all out, and it is a big deal. They even have a Rhody Queen and of course being the Rhody Festival, all the bikers West of the Rockies were there. At least it seemed like it. Oregon has the most beautiful campgrounds, which are free to active duty on leave might I add. California really could take a few tips! We ended our trip Memorial Day weekend back in Cali camping at Butt Lake (I really think they could have come up with a better name by the way) with the IL's (better known as Lesa & Randy) and Brett's uncle, aunt and cousin (Lee, Renee & Sydney). It was so nice to be back in sunshine though we could see snow from the campground!?! Brett caught the first and only fish, so he was happy to end on a good note. We loved breaking in the camper and are hoping to get back out there for at least one more week of camping before fall gets here and the surf kicks up.

The best family picture we could get. <3

Cape Blanco is the furthest point West in the contiguous United States.Beautiful Oregon Coastline

Lion cubs. They were ADORABLE!
Our camper!!

June brought a few hiccups for the Bonner household. I started having a few medical issues and basically couldn't eat much of anything for a week. Thankfully Lesa and Sydney came and helped with the girls and the house while I got on enough medicine to help me eat again. We still don't have much in the line of answers. I was diagnosed with IBS, but we are still working on what caused the major issues: extreme nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, and obviously weight loss due to the inability to eat. I had an endoscopy in July, and the doctor took a few samples for biopsy. We are still waiting on those results. Basically, they have me on enough meds to get me through until we figure out the issues.

When I was back on the mend, we ventured out to the Sonoma-Marin County Fair and entered our fiesty little crawler in the Diaper Derby. And...SHE WON! We have the fastest baby in Sonoma and Marin counties...well that entered anyway. ;) She actually beat 16 other babies in 3 rounds. The first round, she went to visit the other boys before crawling to the finish line, but after that, she got the hang of it and bolted for the finish in the semi-finals and finals. She even got a trophy! :) Unfortunately, all we have are a few blurry pictures, but that's ok! We had lots of fun at the fair, which had unlimited rides. Fair rides happen to be one of my favorite things in the whole world. Never mind the fact that one of the workers had his leg severed off the day before by one of the rides. Didn't stop this die hard. Kayleigh loved the rides, especially the worm roller coaster. That kid is fearless!

Crossing the finish line!! Notice all the bribery. The CHAMPION!!!

July brought well...July Fourth of course! We had a great day celebrating. We started off with lots of Coast Guard friends at the parade in Novato. There were some very neat floats, including one of Pearl Harbor survivors, and of course the always exciting Coast Guard helicopter fly over. I am so proud that my husband serves our country and am forever grateful to all who serve and sacrifice for our freedom! <3 We all went home and took naps and ended the evening with fried chicken and a boat ride on the 47' to watch the Sausalito fireworks. Kayleigh said "oooohhhh" and "ahhhhhh" after each and every firework. It was precious. Campbell slept, except for the 30 seconds she woke up to puke all over me, my coat and her carrier. :( It was cold but I think she somehow got hot in her carrier underneath Brett's survival jacket. We had the perfect view since we were on the 47' and got to be in front of all the boats and right next to the fireworks barge.

July also brought two wonderful additions to our family. Noah Brent Wike, our very first nephew, arrived in Puerto Rico on 7/6. He surprised mommy and daddy and decided to arrive a day before his schedule c-section. He is a little cutie, and I can't wait to get my hands on him! Ryan Olivia Swaney, my newest little cousin, arrived shortly after on 7/11. She is just precious too, and in pictures Noah and Ryan actually look alike, but then again, don't all brand spankin' new babies look pretty similar? I always especially miss home and all our far away family during big events like these. :(

Not much else going on around these parts other than trying to enjoy as much time with Brett before his crazy fall/winter surf work schedule is back. We are enjoying our house and yard and spending as much time outside as possible in our little pool. I've picked up a few new hobbies to keep me busy in between raising two little ones, keeping the house clean and the husband happy, and being chef extraordinaire! ;) I'm not sure couponing can be called a hobby, but as much time as I've spent at it, it surely must be! I've also been busy honing my sewing skills. I've been making baby gifts up a storm as we have even more new babies to welcome in the next few months and even made new pillows for our couch. I may just get this whole stay at home mommy thing down by the time the girls head off to school. ;)

Getting the Sillies Out

2010-04-23T23:52:00.000-07:00

And one more tonight for kicks. :) I love her.

OMGoodness...why do videos take forever to upload???

2010-04-23T12:03:00.000-07:00

So I have been procrastinating (what else is new?) and now I know why. Could videos take any longer to upload?? But...they are just so precious that I had to share with everyone. Especially those of you who don't get to see my adorable littles very often. We miss all of you. :(

On another note, the girls are a growin'! Kayleigh is almost 2! Yikes! Where did that two years go? She is talking a lot more and her favorite word is mama! Oh my heart melts all 500 times she says it each day. She made me wait long enough! She goes in 2 weeks for her first dental appointment. Say a pray for me May 4th at 12 pm PST. :) Her big jump house Dora party is the 1st. I know she is going to have so much fun.

Campbell is getting so big. She is crawling like a champ and pulling up on everything. She wants to walk so bad. She has gotten good at standing, so I don't think it will be too much longer. She is getting more teeth. She has her bottom two, but the ones coming in are on the sides on the top and bottom. She definitely has to do things her own way. Who knows when the top two will decide to come in. She also said her first word around 6 months....MAMA!!! I cannot tell you how excited I was. Kayleigh only said Dada forever, so I was relieved that one of my children would say mama first. :P That is what actually inspired Kayleigh to start saying Mama.

So here are a few videos of the girls. Enjoy!

So much hair!

2010-03-28T20:03:00.001-07:00

Her hair is getting so long. It all fits (and stays) in a ponytail...which is exciting for a mom. I love my girls!
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My musician

2010-03-28T19:59:00.000-07:00

She loves music, and she loves to dance. I'm thinking she may be our ballerina and musician. Then again she likes to hang from the bars, so maybe she will want to do gymnastics. She likes the water too... Whatever she decides to do will be fun, but for now, she is my favorite little harmonica player. :) I love her!
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How can they be 21 months and 6 months already?!?

2010-02-27T14:10:00.001-08:00

So we are back and settled in from our wonderful visit to GA. We miss everyone but are enjoying time with Daddy again. The girls are growing so fast and changing every day. Kayleigh is picking up new words every day. Lately she has been telling sister to roll, making a cat sound "ow" which she says with such enthusiasm, asking "what's that" (a lot! wonder where she gets the inquisitiveness from?), saying "there it is" when she finds something, and momma every now and then (FINALLY!). She has been a late talker so we get excited about every new word. She loves to "read" to us and lets us know if we aren't paying attention. :) She is still the most wonderful big sister. She loves to take care of Campbell by bringing her toys, her paci, blankets and of course swinging her and kissing her all day. If she hears Campbell crying in another part of the house, she takes off to find her and make her happy. :) I love having them so close in age. Campbell just loves her sister and looks at her and smiles and laughs all day. I hope they are always so close. Kayleigh is also getting to be less picky again and has started eating veggies a little better. She loves anything dairy and fish, but she even chowed down on the carrots and green beans from dinner the other night. She also totally tattle tells on herself. If she is into something she shouldn't be, she says hey and waves to get your attention and then cleans it up as soon as you tell her. If only she will behave so well when she's a teenager! We went to a friend's wedding last weekend and she had a blast. She loves to dance so she took over the dance floor. She is just so much fun.

Campbell is growing like a weed. She is 15 1/2 lbs and so long that she is outgrowing her 6 month clothes in the legs. She has her two bottom teeth all the way in now, but as much as she chews and drools, I wouldn't be surprised if the top two pop in soon. She is still pretty easy, but she is getting a little feisty. :) She is sleeping great (about 10 hours at night) but during the day she has no problem letting you know what she wants or more accurately what she doesn't! She hasn't been a fan of the exersaucer lately, but I think it is because she is working on crawling and likes to be down on the ground and free to move. She is close to crawling, but for now, she gets around by scooting backwards or going in circles. We just started her on solids and so far she does not like the rice cereal. She tolerated the carrots. One minute she would eats them (reluctantly) and the next minute she would gag and try to spit them out. I think she knows we are holding out on her and there is yummy stuff like fruit. :)

There are a few videos I want to post but I need to run for now. Brett has been on surf duty since yesterday morning so we are going to take him dinner and chocolate cupcakes. :) I miss him when he stays at work.

I hope everyone is doing well! Love to all!!

My first real meal!

2010-02-26T18:48:00.000-08:00

Mommy gave me carrots since I refused to eat rice cereal. I think she is holding out on me. There has to be better tasting stuff than this!
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Rain, rain go away!

2010-02-26T10:32:00.001-08:00

Eating breakfast and watching the yucky wind and rain. So much for running errands today! Spring can't get here any sooner! At least we don't live in the northeast where they are snowed in! Hope everyone is enjoying their Friday. I'll work on getting that video upload. Obviously it didn't work by emailing...
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Campbell is sitting up like a big girl!

2010-02-25T11:26:00.000-08:00

And Kayleigh is working on sharing...
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Kayleigh teaching Campbell to roll over

2010-02-25T11:22:00.000-08:00

Campbell has been rolling over from front to back for months now but has no interest is going from back to her belly so Kayleigh and I were trying to help her. You can hear Kayleigh saying roll. Ha! She is already the bossy big sister. :)
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Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T10:37:00.000-08:00

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Campbell Dirt

2010-02-02T13:49:00.001-08:00

Smiling in Grandmommie's wig. :)

P.S. As in Joe Dirt for those who were confused.

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the next American idol

2010-02-02T13:49:00.000-08:00

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Can't wait to see everyone in GA!

2010-01-30T11:00:00.000-08:00

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Storytime with JB

2010-01-02T12:21:00.000-08:00

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So fresh and so clean clean!

2009-12-30T09:49:00.000-08:00

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More pictures to come.

2009-12-22T23:35:00.000-08:00

So I thought I would get a lot more pictures posted but blogger was not cooperating and I had to add them one at a time. As if 5 at a time wasn't torture enough? Not to mention I actually had to get my house clean tonight. Yes, at 11 pm I was vacuuming, mopping, doing laundry and all that fun stuff. When else can I have a couple of hours totally uninterrupted to do fun things like clean especially now that winter is here and Brett is having to stay at the station a lot more often? Oh and did I mention the girls have been sick and Kayleigh has an ear infection. It seems they both want mommy a lot more than normal so that makes for a busy me. So stay tuned for pictures of just a regular day around here, Christmas cookies (er Valentines but I'll tell that story later), gingerbread house decorating/eating, and decorating the tree, well it was actually decorated, then undecorated and then redecorated but again, I'll have to save that for later. I'm hoping I'll have time tomorrow or the next day since I will have help starting tomorrow! Yeah for grandparents!!

In fact, a huge thank you to Lesa, Randy, and Sydney for watching the girls for Brett's work Christmas party last weekend. We had so much fun but sadly, I have no pictures to show.

Speaking of having help, Randy and Lesa are coming down tomorrow and we have a busy few days ahead filled with a Christmas light tour with some neighbors, a Christmas Eve service at one of the admiral's house, and a trip to see Santa! Not to mention wrapping up my Christmas shopping. Somehow I started really early this year, yet I still have plenty of last minute shopping to do.

Mom and Dad fly in Christmas day and our Christmas celebrations are going to be the day after. Uncle Lee, Aunt Renee, and Sydney are even coming down! Mom and Dad will be here until after New Year's and then we are off to Hawaii to meet up with our favorite brother, sister and neice!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a blessed new year!

Pictures finally...Papa Jack's farm

2009-12-22T21:37:00.001-08:00

I finally got it together and downloaded pictures from my camera. Can you tell Kayleigh loves animals, especially the cat? She chased that poor car around all over the yard. She is not scared of anything, well except for the doctor but that's a whole 'nother post. :)

Must see! This is just precious!

2009-12-22T16:51:00.001-08:00

I love Darby's blog. Thanks to Morgan, I have been reading her blog for a while now and have been so inspired. This is so precious and I will definitely do this with the girls when they are a little older.

http://www.flythroughourwindow.com/2009/12/the-girls-have-something-to-say/

On another note, I will try to upload pictures tonight. I have been lazy about downloading them off the camera. I figure I better get them off before Christmas when I will have A LOT more!

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and we all remember that the birth of Jesus is the real meaning of the season.

just as talkative as her sister

2009-12-17T14:50:00.000-08:00

Brett is never going to get a word in. :)
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Papa Jack's backyard farm and Thanksgiving!

2009-12-11T13:32:00.000-08:00

I think Brett got his love of animals from his Papa Jack. Apparently Kayleigh did too. :) When we were in Red Bluff for Thanksgiving, Kayleigh got to pet and feed all the animals. She was in love with the cat.

We had a great Thanksgiving. It is really nice to be so close to family. The food was delicious. I'm still dreaming of some of it and I even got a delicious recipe from Lesa for the black bottom pie she made. So delicous! Brett, Campbell and I got up at 3:45 to Black Friday shop with Renee. It was so much fun and we got a lot of great deals. Thanks Renee for going with us! Randy, Lesa, Lee, Syndey and Kayleigh met us a little later and we did some more shopping.

We've been busy celebrating the holidays and decorating the house. We've only had a few broken ornaments. :) Our neighbors, Lyndsay and her little girl Maddy, came over this week and we made some delicious cookies. Kayleigh did great helping me cut the cookies and frost them though I think she ate more frosting than she put on the cookies. The girls are growing so fast and keeping me busy!

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying the holidays!

Apparently coloring was not fun enough...

2009-11-30T18:39:00.000-08:00

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Having trouble keeping someone out of the gifts!

2009-11-30T09:29:00.000-08:00

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2009-11-29T23:19:00.000-08:00

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Campbell

2009-11-23T13:06:00.000-08:00

Holding her head up like a big girl for a long time too! Oh no she's growing up too fast!!
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Halloween Pictures and Brett's half marathon...finally

2009-11-18T11:08:00.001-08:00

Miss Campbell after her bath

Miss Kitty :)

Trying to bribe her with M&M's for a picture...it didn't work.

Trick or treating at 1 of the 3 houses we made it to.

One tired Kitty at the end of the night!

And last but not least Brett finishing up his half marathon. He is towards the right of the picture running hard because he is trying to beat his XPO...who he beat by a millisecond! :) Way to go babe! I'm so proud. He did awesome, was recovering from H1N1 and didn't even train! He did say that he has no desire to run one again though. Once was enough!

Growing, growing, growing

2009-11-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

The girls are growing so fast! Too fast! Kayleigh had her 18 month checkup. How is she already a year and a half old?!? She is 25 1/2 lbs and 32 1/2 inches tall. She's around the 70th percentile for all her measurements. I've heard that if you double their height at 18 months, that's about how tall they will be as adults so that would make her 6' 5". That sounds about right. I'm around 5'4" and Brett is tall. I'm about an inch taller than my mom. Now Campbell on the other hand seems like she'll get lots of height from her Daddy. She has the longest fingers, toes, arms, and legs. Both girls are doing well. Kayleigh is talking a little more, pointing to her body parts, and is such a big help with Campbell. She is also really into baby dolls, dollhouses, and Dora the Explorer. She likes to take her baby and put a diaper on, give the baby gas drops, and put a paci in. :) She also likes to put her baby in the swing or carseat. She is so much fun these days. We've been using timeout for a couple of months when she doesn't listen and she's even started putting herself in timeout when she gets in trouble. It takes everything in me not to laugh. Who am I kidding? Of course I laugh but at least I try to turn away before I do. The only problem with timeout is that she really doesn't mind it. If I tell her to go to timeout, she goes to her spot, faces the wall and just sits there totally content. Oh my...what am I going to do with her? Even the pediatrician said yesterday that she's quite a character. :)

Campbell is doing great. She is such a great sleeper. She is sleeping 10 hours each night!! Can I tell you how thankful I am? I do not function well on little sleep. She's smiling all the time and we've even gotten a few laughs out of her. When she gets in the laughing mood, she laughs for like 10 minutes. I can't believe how quickly she is growing! Before I know it, she's going to be walking and talking like K!

We got family pictures last week. Here is a sneak peek on the photographer's blog. I will get all the pictures in a couple of weeks. Enjoy!

http://jeneanne.blogspot.com/2009/11/b-family-sonoma-county-newborn.html

Love from the Bonner's!

Play time!

2009-10-28T14:52:00.001-07:00

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Seriously!

2009-10-22T13:31:00.000-07:00

The girls have way to many clothes!! Crazy enough we lack in winter clothes so despite these massive piles, I am going shopping next week. Craziness! In case no one has told you, girls are expensive or maybe it is just babies...I'm thinking both.
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My fav picture of K

2009-10-19T20:48:00.001-07:00

Another picture of Kayleigh at the fair. I love it! It is one of my favorite pictures of her.

GASP pictures!

2009-10-19T19:56:00.000-07:00

I actually took pictures, edited them and posted them in the same night! Shocking, I know! I am on a roll. Now if I can just keep it up and upload them to order prints! :) I ordered pictures of Kayleigh's entire first year the week before her birthday. That was not fun! We took A LOT of pictures. Anyway, here are pictures of us at the Tehama County fair in Red Bluff, the Blue Angels at Fleet Week 2009, Gameday pictures, playground pictures, and Halloween. Enjoy!

Riding the tractor at the fair

Campbell is her gameday outfit from Grandmommie!

Kayleigh in her gameday outfit. Thanks Mom & Dad!

Blue Angels at Fleet Week 2009

Kayleigh riding Sierra (Golden Gate's station dog)

Our UGA flag from Mom & Dad!! Thanks!!

She LOVES to swing.

Trying to blow out the candles in the pumpkins! Imagine that!?!

My pumpkin! It says Happy Halloween!

Brett's pirate pumpkin! Argh!!

Kisses for her sister!

Who needs the pumpkin patch...

2009-10-19T12:51:00.000-07:00

We have been planning a trip to the pumpkin patch for a few weeks now trying to figure out when we actually had time to go. We were so excited to find a new pumpkin patch with the world's largest corn maze. It is 43 acres, and Brett and I couldn't wait! We were planning on heading there yesterday after church until we discovered online that the recent storm ruined the corn maze and it was closed for the season. So we decided on church, naptime and then a local pumpkin patch. Apparently, we were not meant to visit the pumpkin patch this year. About 20 minutes down the road, Kayleigh throws up...everywhere. No worries though. She just gets a little car sick every now and then. She was laughing 5 minutes later covered in puke. ;) We
made a U-turn and decided our pumpkins would come from Safeway this year. :)

Brett and I had fun carving them last night while we chased Kayleigh around. She was not interested in the pumpkins other than trying to get the carving tools she couldn't have (imagine that!), and she did NOT like the pumpkin guts touching her hands. Is she my child or what? I thought she would love playing with it and getting it everywhere because after all making messes is her expertise, but I actually had to put her hand in the bowl. She promptly pulled them back and tried getting it all off her hands with a disgusted look on her face. I will post pictures later but trust me, my pumpkin is better than Brett's. :)

Other than failed pumpkin patch visit and a couple of weeks of a runny nose for Kayleigh and I, we are all doing well. Campbell is so easy! She is so laid-back, and I am so thankful! Even the pediatrician told me that I deserved an easy child. Don't get me wrong, Kayleigh is wonderful...in a defiant, strong-willed, loves to make messes sort of way. :) She is definitely teaching me patience. She is so fun even when she wears me out. So a quick update on the girls...

Kayleigh is a typical 17 month old...into EVERYTHING preferably anything she shouldn't have like Mommy's wallet. She is destructive in ways that only toddlers could imagine. I found my keys stuck in the carbon monoxide monitor, her new book is ripped apart and my laundry ends up from one end of the house to the other if it is not folded immediately (which it never is!). But... she gives she best kisses, is so sweet to her sister, and is a downright pro at adorable looks that can manipulate you into doing almost anything like say letting her have fruit snacks for breakfast. :) I mean who can turn down an adorable little face holding out fruit snacks (which will now be put on the top shelf) while saying and signing "more" and smiling? Not this Mom! She has picked up a few new words. Her new favorite is "bath time" and it is precious! We are working on signing please and thank-you. She does please every now and then. She would still rather throw a tantrum than use her words, but we are working on that. ;) She loves clothes and LOVES her boots! She wants to wear them all day long. Sounds like her Uncle Jared, huh? She loves to be outside and is already eyeing the boys in the neighborhood. :) The other day our neighbors were over and they have an older daughter (who is great with Kayleigh) and two boys (5 and 3). Kayleigh kept trying to give them love (hugs and kisses) and the boys were running away from her which of course made her chase them harder. Brett asked the oldest if he had a job. :) She is not allowed to be boy crazy yet! She also loves music and dancing. I need to have the video camera ready to catch her dancing. It is so cute! All in all, she is doing well and has been great with her new sister.

Campbell is doing great. She is up to 10 lbs 4 ozs at her appointment last week and 23 inches long. She is still in the 90th percentile for height and around the 50's for weight. She is starting to smile a lot and has just found her voice. I love listening to her little noises! She is sleeping great. We've had a few nights of 6-7 hour stretches but mostly 4 hours at a time. She hardly ever cries. When she does it is either A: she's hungry or B: she has a dirty diaper. Like I said...she is SO EASY! She is totally opposite of Kayleigh. She hates to be swaddled and she loves being on her tummy. It is so funny because you think you have a leg up on this parenting thing after the first one and then your second is totally opposite. Flexibility is definitely the name of the game. I'm going to be taking some pictures of the girls tonight (when Brett is home to help me wrangle one of them. I'll let you guess which one I might need help with!) and hopefully I can get a picture of her smiling with that adorable dimple!

Sorry that is has been forever and I've been totally slack on posting and sending out pictures. I'd like to say I don't have time (which would be totally believable considering I have two little ones to keep me busy), but I do. I've just been slacking.

Anyway, we hope everyone is doing well and enjoying fall, football season, and all the upcoming holiday festivities!

Love from the Bonner's!

Kayleigh's 1st pony tail

2009-09-18T18:37:00.000-07:00

Finally enough hair for a pony tail! Now if only I can keep her from pulling it out!
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Little Miss

2009-09-16T17:13:00.000-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Miss Priss

2009-09-05T14:59:00.000-07:00

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Campbell May

2009-08-31T23:43:00.000-07:00

Campbell May arrived August 29th at 5:10 am weighing in at 7 lbs 4 ozs and 20 3/4 inches long. It was an easy, quick induction and thanks to Roger (my anathesiologist) pretty pain free! Brett and I got a little sleep and thought we had a little longer but by the time the doctor checked me she was literally almost out! He called our moms but about 10 minutes later after about 15 seconds of pushing she was born! It definitely convinced me we should have 1 or 2 more! :) I think we will give it a few years though!

We are all doing well and are so in love with both of our girls! Brett and I are so thankful and feel so blessed! Kayleigh is doing well and adjusting to her new sister. She is actually already becoming protective of her. So cute! I will post pictures soon! In the meantime I am resting up and preparing for our move this week! So many exciting things going on in the Bonner house and we are so thankful!
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Skater Girl

2009-08-21T11:51:00.000-07:00

Mommy's Helper

2009-08-13T15:15:00.000-07:00

Such a big help putting Campbell's swing together! She is going to be a great big sister!
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Waiting for Daddy to come home...

2009-08-13T12:06:00.000-07:00

My little musician!

2009-08-13T11:59:00.000-07:00

Giants Game!

2009-08-13T11:43:00.001-07:00

Brett is a big Giants fan. Although I'll always be a Braves fan, the Giants can be my #2. :) We love going to games and it really is an awesome stadium. We got to go to a game with some friends from the station on Sunday. We had such a good time and you can tell from the pictures that Kayleigh really enjoyed it...especially the ballpark food! :)

Family picture

Yummy garlic fries!!

Really focused on the game! :)

The view from our awesome seats!

Catch up time...

2009-08-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

So I haven't been the best about keeping everyone up to date lately on things here in California but now that I am finished with work...that's right...FINISHED, I have a little time to catch everyone up.

First up...Kayleigh! She is 15 months and growing up so fast! Here is a super cute picture thanks to Lesa. I really am trying to get better about taking pictures but I did just break one of my lenses in my preggo clumsiness. Wait...what am I talking about? I'm ALWAYS clumsy! I'll get to that in a minute though. Back to K...she just had her 15 month checkup and she is 23 lbs 6 ozs and 31 1/2 inches tall! She's in the 60th percentile for weight and 80th for height. We'll see if she gets some height from her Daddy. I'm sure hoping so. She's got a mouth full of teeth and is working on even more. She's got her two middle ones (as you can see in the picture) and her 15 month molers on the bottom. The two beside her middle ones are working their way in. On the top she's got the top four in the middle and her molars. She is even ahead of the game on top with her canines coming in. Needless to say, we go through some fussy days but usually after a little tylenol or orajel, we are good to go. She is Miss Personality too. She loves attention and loves playing with anyone who will play with her. Not an ounce of shyness in this one! She loves to wave, will sometimes give or blow kisses and has quite the expressions. She is such an easy baby and so much fun! We've started coloring but for some reason it is more fun to eat the crayons than color. In fact, she really only eats the blue one. I'm thinking she hears me say blue and thinks blueberries...which are one of her favorite. In fact, she loves fruit in general. Fresh, dried, frozen...she's not picky. Veggies are another story, but we manage to sneak those in too. The doctor got a dose of her strong willed personality at her appointment when she informed me she did not want to look at the book by throwing it clear across the room at the doctor. :) That''s my girl! She is very strong willed, stubborn, has NO patience, and is very definite in what she wants or doesn't or will do and won't. The doctor laughed and explained that is just the way she is hardwired. I told her I totally understood because she is JUST LIKE ME! Dad and uh-oh are still her favorite words, but she's got more, milk, stay (while bossing Lily around and waiving her finger), dog and hello down too. I'm still waiting to hear Mama consistently, but I'm sure I will hear it a lot over the years so I am being patient. She is very smart and understands a lot of what we say. She will get her shoes and bring them to us when we are getting ready or run to the right room for diaper changes, baths and meals when we mention one of those. She loves to play in my shoes, purses and most of all my makeup! She loves to use the brushes and play in the blush. :) She has been in her big girl bed and been sans paci for over a month now! She has done great and doesn't even try to get out of bed. She is such a joy and we are enjoying every moment with her! I can't wait to see her with her new sister. Though I'm sure she'll be a little jealous at first, I know she will love her! She loves babies and other kids so I know she'll do great.

On to #2...we are anxiously awaiting her arrival and I'm definitely hoping she comes soon. In fact, today would be great! :) I've started having contractions but after my 3 week experience last time, I'm not getting my hopes up. We've got her bed ready in our room, teeny tiny diapers bought, and our hospital bags mostly packed. We can't wait to meet her and I'm really excited to see what she looks like! I'm sure word will travel fast when she arrives, but I'll post pictures as soon as I can after her arrival. Please pray for a safe, QUICK delivery and that baby girl is healthy and happy!

I am doing well and honestly not feeling as big and pregnant as I am. I think Kayleigh has kept me in shape this time. Speaking of my clumsiness which resulted in a broken camera lens, I also almost ended up with a broken foot too! Monday night I tripped on Kayleigh's toys and sprained my foot. I had to call a neighbor (THANKS Chris and Crissy!!!) for help! Chris watched Kayleigh while Crissy took me to the ER. Brett met us there and of course had good laugh. Thankfully it wasn't broken but I spent a few days on crutches before I got frustrated with them and decided to just walk on it. It is still very sore, bruised and a little swollen. Thankfully Lesa was able to come down to help us out while I recovered. Kayleigh definitely enjoyed time with Grandma too! We got to take Lesa to the pool with us and she got to see how much Kayleigh LOVES the water! She has no fear and loves going under with Daddy!

We are still waiting to hear more about the move. They are saying that we should be able to move soon so we are hoping for September. We will be moving just down the street into a 3 bedroom duplex. We can't wait to have more room and a yard! I think Lily will really enjoy the yard and having some room to run...not to mention get a break from Kayleigh pulling on her tail and taking over her dog bed! :)

Brett is doing well. He is still enjoying his Harley and staying busy at work. He is now the training officer so that is keeping him even more busy but I know he enjoys working with the younger guys (and girls) and teaching them. He is an awesome teacher and has a lot of patience!
I'll try not to wait so long to post next time so it isn't so much at once, though I'm not sure how much time I'll have with two little ones! We hope everyone is doing well and we love and miss all of you!

Preggo Dreams

2009-08-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been pregnant, you know that crazy dreams become a regular occurance. If you've never been pregnant, trust me...they are CRAZY! Between the two pregnancies, I've dreamed about people cheating, dying, having a baby that looked like Benjamin Button (which freaked me out for days!!)... really, you name it! Most of them are not happy or maybe it is just that I only remember the traumatic ones. Either way, I've gotten used to it. Well, last week I had a dream that I knew I had to write about. It was the most amazing, spectacular dream and really impacted me, and I've been unable to get it out of my head since. Ok, so enough build up. Here's my dream...

I was in a bible study with a lot of people from back home at this mountain house. We were all in the living room and it was a beautiful house with huge windows and views of the mountains. Anyway, we were deep in discussions when all of a sudden we all noticed that it was getting lighter outside. We all began asking if everyone else noticed and what was going on. Seconds later it was so bright and we all knew at once, but we couldn't speak. Now it is really hard to describe how I felt in my dream but it was the most amazing feeling I have ever felt in all my life. All I could think was "Praise the Lord," but I couldn't even speak to get the words out. It was the most joyous, at peace feeling I have ever felt. I could feel my spirit being lifted and I was so consumed with praising God that I couldn't even move or speak. It was honestly the most amazing dream. I woke at this point and cannot even describe to you how I felt. I was just so amazing knowing that I know I cannot even begin to fathom what it would really be like to experience that moment when Jesus returns, and I know it would/will be even better than in my dreams. I cannot even wrap my head around it being better than in my dream because it was so awesome but I know it will. Anyway, I keep reflecting on that feeling and that moment in my dream and I just get excited.

So for once, I was thankful for my preggo dreams and I just had to share. Anyone else have a similar dream?

Giants game

2009-07-11T20:29:00.000-07:00

Cheering on the giants for Zonsius's birthday!

My first pigtails!

2009-07-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

Mommy had to bribe me with raisins but ain't I cute?

Ava Claire

2009-07-06T21:34:00.000-07:00

Isn't my neice the cutest? I miss her!!

Pictures of June

2009-07-06T11:12:00.000-07:00

I'm back! We have been super busy, so blogging as been on the backburner. We have had company four weekends and the one weekend we didn't have guests, we took an anniversary trip to Monterey! This pregnant momma is EXHAUSTED! We are definitely lying low in July and resting up for #2's arrival. It was so nice to have everyone visit and unfortunately we were so busy enjoying their company that I didn't take a single picture!

Grandmommie came first and Kayleigh loved every second with her Great-Grandmommie. We took her to our church, the local farmer's market and to the playground. It was so nice to just relax and enjoy her visit.

The next weekend we took off to Monterey, CA for our anniversary trip. I can't believe we have been married 3 years...well with #2 on the way maybe it seems like it has been longer than 3! :) We had such an awesome time. We drove the 17 Mile Drive through Pebble Beach which was beautiful! We walked all over Monterey, visited the aquarium, Cannery Row, saw the CG station, had some awesome Clam Chowder and really enjoyed the weekend!

The next weekend Lesa came to visit and get her Kayleigh fix. Brett had to work part of the weekend but we got lots done around the house.

The next week (on our anniversary in fact) my mom came! I was so glad to spend some time with her and we got so much done! We did some crafting and got Kayleigh's room all ready for the new baby. We washed 4 loads of laundry and got the newborn clothes hung up and put into the dresser. This little girl will definitely have no shortage of baby clothes! We could only fit the clothes from 0 to 3 months! The rest we had to keep in storage containers. She has a whole drawer full of onsies!! I feel much better now that we are pretty much ready for #2 to arrive. Brett had to work the weekend again so it was really nice to have mom here. Kayleigh s usual was attached to mom's hip. She loves her Nana and it is so funny how alike they are. I keep telling mom to send a picture of herself at that age because they look a lot alike. She definitely takes after Brett but the older she gets, the more she looks like Mom. We were sad taking Mom to the airport and Kayleigh even cried as she got out of the car and walked into the airport. It was heartbreaking, but I know she'll be back soon for the arrival with #2 and Dad will be coming too! Brett and I can't wait! Brett and Dad are already talking smack about the tennis competitions and motorcycle riding. :)

Our last visitors were Brett's cousin Damien, his wife Monica and their son Ethan. Damien is in the marines and stationed in San Diego. They came up to see the city, so we did the touristy things in the city on Friday and went to the Giant's game on Saturday during the day. We were so exhausted that we stayed home and skipped fireworks that night. Kayleigh went two days in a row with no nap so we all needed a break. Yesterday after church, we spent the whole day relaxing! It was so nice, but now I'm back to the grind...cleaning house, working from home and keeping up with Kayleigh.

The last picture is at 33 weeks. I can't believe I only have a little more than 6 weeks until my due date! I'm ready to meet her but definitely not ready to go back to the newborn routine. I will definitely try to enjoy sleeping for the next few weeks.

Well, we hope everyone is doing well! We miss you and love you all!

The new ride

2009-06-02T23:09:00.001-07:00

So I had a crazy moment of impulse and decided to sell my car. Yes my wonderful black beautiful 4runner. Man, I miss that car already! :) Anyway, I told Brett that I wanted to sell my car and get a motorcycle or an old car for him to drive to work which would be PAID FOR! My car was close to being paid off but was already getting a little small for our quickly growing family so...I listed it on craigslist. Well, it sold 2 days later! I couldn't believe it and I'm actually really thankful because if you know me, you know how indecisive I am. It drives my husband crazy. I'm pretty sure if it hadn't sold so soon, I would have changed my mind and we'd still have my car...which I'm thankful I do not by the way. So anyway, we set out to look for Brett's new ride. He, of course, set out to find his motorcycle. He's been wanting a motorcycle for a while so I finally gave in. Anyway, he found a 2009 Harley Dyna Super Glide that was only 3 months old through a friend at the station. After a week of going back and forth (I told you I was indecisive), I finally gave in. And...he. is. in. love. I think I may never see my husband during daylight hours again. He has lived in the garage since he got it. :) Well...here she is. By the way, I don't think he's named her yet. And speaking of names...Big Sexy (the Tundra) needs a new name too since that's mine now. ;) By the way, Big Sexy was named because a friend asked what he named his new truck and that's the first thing that popped into his mind. Me personally... I would have said, "Well I haven't come up with one yet" and gave it a little thought. But hey...I'm indecisive right? At least he can go with something and not have second thoughts. ;) I'm so glad we are such opposites because together we work pretty well. :)

Kayleigh is doing well. She cut two new teeth on the top and she is a fruit eating machine. This kid LOVES fruit....and eating off Mommy & Daddy's plate. I've recently figured out that she'll eat anything if it comes off our plate...so that's usually how we get her to eat anything other than fruit, cheerios, snap pea crisps, oatmeal or yogurt. Oh...and of course sweets are no problem. ;) She must take after her mom. She is so fun to play with and loves going to the playground now. She loves the slide. The swings...she's not so sure about. Brett and I enjoy taking for rides in her wagon to the playground.

Campbell is doing well too. My belly is definitely growing and she's a wiggle worm in there! I love feeling her move around. Kayleigh doesn't understand the baby or my belly of course, but she loves to kiss my belly. :) It is so cute. I'm getting anxious for her to come, but I am enjoying my last 11 weeks or so. This pregnancy has definitely flown by.

We've had Grandmommie here for a week and we have definitely enjoyed having her. Kayleigh loves her Grandmommie! They have laughed and played the whole time. Kayleigh has especially enjoyed the icecream Grandmommie shares with her. I am so sad she's leaving tomorrow as she's been a HUGE help for me. I have been able to get work done and RELAX! I've been pretty lazy this week and enjoyed every moment! Thanks Grandmommie! We love you!!

I think that's about all for now...

Hope everyone is doing well!! Love from the Bonner's!

Farm Fresh

2009-05-25T20:31:00.000-07:00

Some pics of one of our Farm Fresh deliveries. We get a new box tomorrow. I can't wait! How awesome is it that I get a box of delicious food delivered straight to my front door?

Military Times on Station Golden Gate

2009-05-23T09:24:00.000-07:00

Military Times did came to Station Golden Gate and Brett was interviewed. Check out the video.

Woobie World??

2009-05-19T16:22:00.000-07:00

So Kayleigh loves Ellie the pink elephant that she sleeps with. I mean she LOVES Ellie. Our friend Cristi bought it for her so I asked her where she got it and she says Target. I think oh perfect. I'll go grab another one "just in case." Well, Target discontinued it! Of course! So I decide to look online for another Ellie. What do I find? Store after store named things such as Woobie World, Land of Lost Toys, Things Treasured and so on. It's ingenius if you ask me. They are charging much more for these things than Target and they know that the parents will pay it. And yes, I will be ordering and paying a ridiculous price for another Ellie because if you've seen K with her Ellie, you would too. :)

So my advice to parents to be...make sure you buy more than one of whatever blanket, stuffed animal or "lovey" you decide to give to your child. Don't put it off because I pretty sure it's one big conspiracy and they discontinue them quite frequently just to make a ridiculous profit when you are desperate and need a replacement. And while you are at it, buy one you can wash. Ellie has a nice music box inside her so when you pull her tail, it plays Brahms Lullaby. Now this definitely came in handy when she was younger and now she's even figured out how to pull it and play it herself (so cute ;) ). HOWEVER, music box inside Ellie is NOT handy or cute when she pukes on Ellie. So there it is...buy multiple ones and pick something washable. Trust me...you will be thankful!

You know you want to!!

2009-05-16T21:33:00.000-07:00

So our friends Christanne and Charley were visiting last weekend, and I was telling them that they should have a blog. Christanne is starting her ER medicine residency in San Diego this summer and Charley, her fiance, is finishing up his residency in Charleston. I am always facinated by their stories and the places Christanne has visited, so I told her she should have a blog. She is setting off soon to visit India for a few weeks, so I was trying to convince her to start a blog so she can share the stories and pictures. Well...it got me thinking of everyone else I wish would start a blog. So here it is.

My Mom: I miss my family and would love to see updates, pictures and just hear about everyday things...the stuff we miss out on when we talk on the phone.

The In-Laws: They just got internet at their house...yes they live in the boonies. What better reason to start a blog?!? Might as well get addicted to everything the internet has to offer at once. :) And I would love to see some funny pictures of Randy every now and then.

Natalia: I miss her too and I love living vicariously through her. I'm especially jealous that she lives in Charleston. :)

Liz: One of the funniest/craziest people I know and I miss her!

Elizabeth: She lives in New Orleans and is always out and about. She's going to be a busy lawyer, so I need a way to catch up on her life! And...I miss her too!

Jordan & Jessie: Who doesn't want to know what goes on in those teenager minds? And...I totally miss them too!

Aunt Katie: Oh wait...you already have one. So update already! :) I miss seeing Jack's newest, cutest pictures! In fact, let that crazy uncle of mine post on there too. He's pretty funny every now and then.

Speaking of funny...my cousins Sam & John would have some funny blogs too. I missed the funny gene, but I would love to read their blog and laugh. Maybe it would rub off on me.

I'm sure I'm forgetting lots of people who I know would have fascinating blogs and let's face it, I read the blogs of complete strangers who are sometimes pretty boring so I would be especially happy if I actually knew the person. Bottomline...I need more blogging friends! And for those of you who already have one and never update...GET ON IT!

She has a name!

2009-05-13T21:31:00.000-07:00

After debating forever and looking through thousands of names...we have finally named Baby #2! Speaking of baby...I am feeling pregnant lately. I stand up and everything stretches and pulls and my back aches. I feel like I'm 100! My belly is definitely growing too. I can't believe I'm almost 2/3 through this pregnancy. It has flown by. I can't wait to meet her, but I am enjoying the time I have left with just Kayleigh. Hope everyone is having a great week! I'll try to update more soon!

Love from the Bonner's!

Oh...and in case you are wondering, we decided on Campbell Mae.

Kayleigh Lane

2009-05-08T11:53:00.001-07:00

So Kayleigh is growing up...and fast! We just celebrated her 1 year birthday, but I'm not so sure that she didn't just jump straight to two! Brett asked the other day if she is like this at one then what are we going to do at two? :) So lately I have caught myself using her first and middle name. Now middle-naming is serious business and not to be used lightly, but this kid has already got a little attitude and a lot of stubborn! I don't know why I'm surprised, but I must say she's a handful. Her pediatrician was discussing her verbal skills with us and ways we could encourage her speech. She said we should read to her and point things out (both of which we already do), but what I couldn't quite explain to her was the attitude we are working with...already! I'm honestly quite positive that Kayleigh can in fact say "mama" but I think she knows she is torturing me by rarely, well basically never, saying it. In fact, when I try to encourage her to say "mama" she responds with "dada." Gee...thanks kid! :) I also was not able to explain to her that reading a book entails her taking the book out of my hand and flipping the pages as fast as she can while talking, no yelling, over me. In fact, today she even grabbed my hand and flung it out of her way before proceeding to flip through the pages as fast as she could. Oh my...have we got a long road ahead. :)

Well, today I ~~held her down~~ insisted that I turn the pages after reading the page and pointing to things. After a few minutes she finally gave up and let me actually leave the book on a page long enough to point things out. We went to the next page and I asked her to point to certain things...and she did! I was honestly shocked and definitely relieved that she really is comprehending even if she's just too darn stubborn to show us most of the time. :)

So back to the middle-naming. Not only do we have a stubborn child on our hands (you know the kind who can totally wave or high-five but when you are in front of someone and tell her to do it, she looks at you like no way just to make you look crazy), we also have a devious little one. She completely understands the meaning of "no-no" (by the way, what's with parents saying everything twice? wouldn't a simple "no" suffice?). Anyway, she will start to touch something she knows is off limits and looks at you to wait for you to say "no-no" before giving you the biggest grin ever (like maybe if I smile you'll let me get away with it) and proceeds to touch/open/play with something she knows she's not supposed to. She then waits for you to get up and go towards her before scurrying off. :) I have a feeling that these things which we think are funny now may not be so funny down the road. Oh say when the "no-no" is in reference to her baby sister? Yeah little sister might have to toughen up a little early on with Kayleigh around.

Well, I honestly can't say I don't deserve her (my parents did say the dreaded "I hope you have one just like you.") or that I'd want her any other way, but if you see me in a few years with patches of hair missing walking around like a crazy person, you'll know why. Let's just all pray that #2 (still haven't completely decided on Campbell by the way) is a little more mellow.

Oh the flipside, she's giving kisses now! It is so absolutely adorable that I forget all those stubborn, devious moments of the day and my heart just downright melts. :) I'm going to try to get it on video as soon as she wakes up from her nap. Oh...and I promise to upload the videos tonight because I'm actually charging it right now.

So about Campbell, I am terribly indecisive in general, but with the pressure of deciding on a name she's going to have to live with her whole life (Brett picked Kayleigh so it made it easier last time) and pregnancy hormones on top, I'm having trouble deciding for sure. Maybe by the time she gets here, I'll make peace with a decision. :)

Easter Pictures...long overdue

2009-05-05T23:54:00.000-07:00

So I'm FINALLY getting around to posting a few pictures of Easter and our trip to the Zoo. I must say I was really disappointed with the SF zoo. I'd much rather be at an aquarium than a zoo anyway, and this just convinced me further. I am looking forward to visiting Christanne and hitting up the San Diego Zoo however. I've heard it's really awesome. But if you are visiting SF, skip the zoo.

We had Kayleigh's birthday celebrations last weekend. We had so much fun. I can't believe my baby is one! Where did the last year go? Today we had to take my mom and dad back to the airport. I miss them already! Kayleigh and I just hung out the rest of the day and went to the farmers market with some friends. She is so much fun these days and walking like a champ! She does have a few battle wounds (bruises) where she lost against the furniture, but all in all I think she's doing great. She's almost completely quit crawling. I'll try to get her birthday pictures/videos up soon and get some video of her walking too.

#2 and I are doing great! She's been kicking quite a bit and Brett and Mom finally got to feel her. I'm starting to get a belly and I must say I've noticed it in the way more now, especially trying to keep up with Kayleigh. Sometimes I think I bend over to get Kayleigh and squish her because I forget about my belly!. :0 It is definitely going to be a challenge when I get even bigger! We are still working on a name, but right now I'm thinking she's going to be Campbell. I know everyone says they will call her chicken noodle or some other silly nickname, but that's ok. We all get nicknames, and I could think of a lot worse. Besides, everyone who knows me knows that if you tell me I shouldn't do something, it's probably a done deal that I will. Call me stubborn. ;) In fact, you can call Kayleigh stubborn too. We get it honest. She may look like Brett, but she gets her personality from her Mommy. Stubborn, loves to sleep, talkative, and she loves her some candy. :) She's been spoiled with candy with Dad in town! In fact, so have I! I can't wait to see what #2's personality and looks are like!! I can't wait to meet her!

Well, I will try to update soon...until then enjoy some pictures. Love from the Bonner's!

Life with Brett!

2009-04-12T22:43:00.000-07:00

So now that Brett has been dayworking, we have been having so much fun! I do think he works more, but having him home at night and weekends has been wonderful! I think having every weekend to do fun things has made the biggest difference. We went from having only 2 weekends or so a month together to every weekend! It has been wonderful!

Last weekend we headed into the city to go to the farmers market. It was awesome and overwhelming! I, of course, wanted to walk through the whole market and compare prices before buying. Brett was pretty patient, but before long, he took the shopping into his own hands. We got some delicious food (which I was going to post a picture of, but we ate it as soon as we got it!) but the real purpose for the trip was to check out two farms that I was considering joining. Joining a CSA (or Coop) is a big thing out here and they do grow some yummy stuff all year long out here! I love the idea of getting fresh produce, so I found the one for us and signed up! Even better is this one delivers directly to our door! I can't wait to get our first box. I'll definitely post pictures. For those of you in the Bay Area, check out www.farmfreshtoyou.com. I'm looking forward to my yummy, organic fruits and veggies this week! By the way, we scored some broccoli, lettuce, avocados, artichokes, and the most yummy tomatoes. They tasted just like ones from Dad's garden! I had BLT's all week long!

We also bought some plants for the back deck. Brett planted some tomatoes and peppers. I got some herbs to add to our huge herb pot and some flowers for the planters. It looks so pretty out there! I'll have to post pictures soon! Let's just say some prayers I can keep my flowers alive though. I'm the worst about remembering to water, but I'm really going to try!

And last but not least, we bought bikes and a seat for Kayleigh. Brett has been begging for a bike for...well probably since we got married. I finally gave in, and we've really enjoyed them. We even took them to Red Bluff this weekend and went for a ride up there. Kayleigh loves riding on the back of Brett's bike, but unfortunately, it didn't slow him down a bit. I was hoping the extra weight would allow me to keep up with him, but no such luck! But hey...I'm pregnant! :) That's been my excuse for everything lately. :)

Speaking of pregnant, I've been feeling great lately. The 2nd trimester is the best! You finally feel "normal" again, but you aren't big and totally uncomfortable yet. She is kicking all the time and the doctor said she looks great. We are still working on a name though. Brett is being extra stubborn. :)

This weekend we headed up to Red Bluff to pick up Lily. We got to hide eggs for Syndey to find. I was really impressed how well she did finding them with only a little help, well except for the one Lee threw up into the tree. :) I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have found that one either. Brett and I can't wait until next year to hide eggs for Kayleigh! Lily is so excited to be home. Kayleigh loves having her around again. Me...well, I love Lily even with all her hair all over the house. :)

Today, we had an afternoon bar-b-que in the neighborhood. It was so fun to visit and eat with friends. It definitely made it easier that we are so far from family and missing out on Easter at Aunt Janet's. We had a poker game at the end of the night and...I got 2nd place! I was shocked and excited.

Ok...so enough rambling. I promise I'll upload pictures and videos that have been on my camera forever and get them posted...soon! For now, I need to get back to work.

Love everyone and Happy Easter! He has risen!

It's a...

2009-04-07T15:45:00.000-07:00

We had the big ultrasound yesterday. Both the sonographer and the doctor think we have another baby GIRL on the way. We are very excited, and as Brett noted having another girl will be very recession friendly. :) We definitely have lots of girl stuff we can reuse. I am very excited for Kayleigh to have a sister, especially one so close in age. Brett might need a little extra man time with all this pink in the house though! I will get the ultrasound pictures up soon. Now we just have to agree on a name. Any suggestions?

Brett on FoxNews

2009-04-07T15:38:00.000-07:00

FoxNews reporter Adam Housley came to Brett's station yesterday and went out with them for surf drills. Today they reported live from the station during this morning's America's Newsroom. Here is the raw video from Adam Housley's blog on FoxNews.com. I'll try to find the video from America's Newsroom this morning. They showed an interview of Brett's CO and XO (Commanding Officer and Executive Officer for all the non-military).

http://onthescene.blogs.foxnews.com/2009/04/07/high-surf-with-the-coast-guard/

A few pictures...

2009-04-06T12:38:00.001-07:00

So, I have much updating to do, but in the meantime, I thought I'd share these pictures. Such a personality...wonder where she gets it?? By the way, the BIG ultrasound is today. I'm going to guess boy and Brett is guessing girl. He thinks I had a secret ultrasound he doesn't know about, but I really am just guessing. Hope we get to find out!!

Baby Bonner #2

2009-02-26T22:16:00.000-08:00

So I had an ultrasound two weeks ago but forgot to put the pictures on here. Anyway, we were surprised how much of our little bean we could see. We had an ultrasound at 8 weeks with Kayleigh, and we were actually worried because she looked like a fish. She definitely did not resemble a person. This time I was 12 1/2 weeks, and we could see the baby's whole face and body. We got to watch for about 45 minutes! It was so fun to see him/her wiggle around. The sonographer put it in 4d to try to tell us the sex, but no such luck! We can't wait to see him/her again in a few weeks. Hopefully then we'll get the big news! We can't wait. Neither one of us are big on surprises, so we are dying to know. Anyway, enjoy the pictures!

Someday...

2009-02-26T22:12:00.000-08:00

So I took this quiz which tells you your decorating style. It was dead on for me.

I am 50% Nantucket Style and 50% Cottage Chic.

Unfortunately, my home doesn't quite reflect this because A. I live in military housing. B. My husband is just as opinionated as I am. C. I actually have a budget which does not include designer home decor. :)

Sigh. One day I will have my beach house. Until then I can dream. :)

Zzzzzz's

2009-02-19T20:46:00.000-08:00

I just want to brag that I have the best baby ever. How could anyone even know that? Ok...well then I think my kid is pretty awesome. She is the best little sleeper and when Mommy's sick, that's crucial. Naps and bedtime consist of putting in the paci and laying her down. Oh thank goodness! Now everyone has told me...oh wait until #2 comes. Well, I'm just going to be thankful #1 is so great and pray that #2 follows suit. If #2 is anything like his/her mommy and daddy, then they are going to love to sleep too. Now Brett isn't so big on naptimes, but don't let that fool you. He loves his sleep and is totally jealous that I can sleep anytime day or night.

Speaking of sick, I HATE colds! I especially, whole-heartedly hate colds when I am pregnant! Colds without cold medicine is torture. Unfortunately, Brett passed this cold not only to me but to Kayleigh as well, who also cannot take cold medicines. She's been a trooper though. Well, except when I have to use the sucker on her nose. She hates that thing. Who can blame her? Anyway, being sick makes me especially thankful for my awesome kid.

Congrats!!

2009-02-17T20:40:00.000-08:00

So Valentine's Day our good friend Brian Duffy got married! Brett and I are so happy for Duffy and Krystyna and wish them many happy years together! Also, I found out my KD big sister Christanne got engaged! Charley proposed a little before Valentine's day in Vail, but they finally got to share the news on Valentine's after telling their family in person. We are so excited for them and can't wait to hear all about the plans for the big day! So I call Brett to tell him all the exciting news and I say "Can you believe it all it one day?" He says, "Jenna, it IS Valentine's Day!" :) I totally forgot. I even called a few friends and totally forgot it was Valentine's. I'm sure they were probably out celebrating with their own Valentine. Mine was at work, hence my total disregard for the day. :)

We did get to celebrate on Monday though. Kayleigh and I made cards for Brett, and we took him to Joe's Taco Lounge. Dad saw a Rachael Ray episode where she said Joe's was a great place to eat, so we tried it. It was pretty good, but we both agreed Mama Kwan's in Nag's Head is still the best! For dinner, I made him one of his favorites, Shrimp Bisque. He was in heaven. Brett got Kayleigh a balloon and me some candy. I love candy...unfortunately! :)

Anyway, whenever or however you celebrated, I hope you enjoyed your Valentine's Day!!

And congrats again to Duffy & Krystyna and Christanne & Charley! We couldn't be happier for y'all!!

Things to Ponder

2009-02-09T13:43:00.001-08:00

First, Brett and I watched the Grammy's last night. I don't normally watch because I really coudl care less, but Brett likes to watch, so we watched. (Again proof who really wears the pants.) If you watched, did you think MIA's performance was disturbing? I mean first the fact that she was due that very day is a little disturbing. Can you imagine if her water broke mid-performance. Gross and probably hazardous to others on stage! Can you imagine slipping in that stuff? Ewww. And even worse was that really disturbing outfit they had her in. I can't imagine how everyone who had anything to do with deciding what she would wear thought that outfit was a good choice. Being pregnant was a beautiful thing (well, maybe not those last few weeks when you are swollen and miserable ), but that outfit was horrible and well...disturbing.

Secondly, why is it that doctor's offices close for a 2 hour lunch break? Seriously, do they not understand they are already impossible to get ahold of and people don't have all day trying to get in touch with the office just to make an appointment. Can you imagine if the rest of the world got 2 hour lunches? Granted, I'm sure they don't actually get a 2 hour lunch break, but come on...turn on the phones so I can actually get through to make an appointment.

And lastly, why does teething take so long? It seriously seems like it is neverending and we are only on the first two, which came in together (lucky us!) We have to go through how many more? Why can't they just come in in a day or overnight while they peacefully sleep? That would be even better. That would be much easier to deal with instead of taking a month or more! God, please consider my request and have all of Kayleigh's remaining teeth come in overnight while she peacefully sleeps. Thanks!

So if you have any things that just don't make sense, feel free to add to my list. I mean why can't everything just be logical? Life would make much more sense that way. :)

Surfman Bonner

2009-02-05T13:45:00.000-08:00

First of all, can you believe Brett posted something?!? You can tell he's much more straightforward and to the point than I am. I'm a bit of a rambler. I get it honest though. My G.G. is the queen of rabbit trails. :) By the way, Fireproof was an awesome movie. If you haven't seen it, you should!

Anyway, Station Golden Gate has a website and Brett made the news! :) Check it out!

http://www.uscg.mil/d11/staGoldenGate/news.asp

Hope everyone is doing well!

If you are a man, you've watched Fireproof

2009-02-03T21:11:00.000-08:00

Life changing...even for big boys like me. Jenna and I watched this movie tonight, and it put me in my place. If you are having any trouble in your marriage or even if you think everything is fine, try it. It will do you good. Nothing to lose.

-Brett

Surfman

2009-01-31T22:54:00.001-08:00

Brett made surfman! He is officially Surfman #421 in the Coast Guard. Of those 421 who have ever made surfman, there are only about 160 active duty surfman. I am so proud of him! This has been his dream since he joined the CG and he did it! I got invited to the station for his pinning by the Chief. Kayleigh and I got to see his Commanding Officer pin him with his surfman pin and hear him read the Surfman Creed aloud. Below are some pictures.

Surfman Creed

I will to the best of my ability, pursue each mission with the commitment, compassion, and courage inherent in the title Surfman. I will endeavor to reinforce the worldwide reputation of our forefathers in the lifeboat community. I will maintain a guardian's eye on my crew at all times and keep a cool, yet deliberate hand on the throttle. I will give myself and my knowledge as those who gave to me; so as the line of Coast Guard Surfman will live forever. I will ensure that my supervisors rest easy with the knowledge that I am at the helm, no matter what the conditions. I will never unnecessarily jeopardize myself, my boat or my crew; but will do so freely to rescue those in peril. I will strive with dedication and determination to bring credit upon Coast Guard Surfman past and future.

I'm an Aunt!

2009-01-23T11:51:00.000-08:00

My first little neice, Ava Claire Wike, arrived January 17th at 6 PM Alaska time...and she is ADORABLE!! She was 8 pounds 12 ounces and 21 1/2 inches! This is rather exciting for Brett and I because we are an Aunt and Uncle for the first time. Brett is an only child, and I of course only have a brother. That makes Jared and Nicole our favorite brother & sister...and Ava our favorite, most beautiful neice! :) She is one lucky girl too. She's got awesome parents who love her so much! And most importantly, the coolest Aunt & Uncle. :)

So, welcome to the world Ava Claire! We are so excited you are here and we love you so much. I can't wait to hold you and snuggle. And I'm sure Uncle Brett and Kayleigh can't wait to play with you.

This last one is my favorite. It looks likes she's dancing in her sleep. :)

These days...

2009-01-12T22:32:00.001-08:00

Kayleigh is changing so much every day. She's crawling...everywhere! She's pulling up on everything. I'm pretty sure she's dying to walk though that will probably be a while away. She does great when she's holding on to someone though. She's "talking" like crazy and even got out Dada...though I'm sure she's not quite sure that means something. Nonetheless, it's so sweet to hear! She's finally getting her first tooth and actually I think we are getting two for one! Her bottom two seem to have just cut through. As you probably know, she loves food and is enjoying feeding herself now. She's definitely a fan of the Gerber puffs.

And the other big family news is that Kayleigh's going to a big sister! That's right, we've got another little one on the way! We are so excited and are headed to the doctor this week. I'm feeling ok. A lot sicker than I was with Kayleigh. I'm so glad they will be so close in age, and we are hoping they will be close little friends!

Another important update...Cason had his kidney transplant and is doing fabulous!! It is such a blessing for their family that both B.G.'s mom, who donated her kidney, and Cason are recovering so well. He's even eating! That's a huge improvement! Continue praying from him and his family!

We hope everyone is doing well! We love and miss you all!

Love from the Bonner's!

Catch-up

2009-01-12T20:56:00.001-08:00

I'm finally getting around to putting up Christmas pictures. There are a ton. It was a long trip and we got to visit a lot of people, hence a lot of pictures. :) Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!! Kayleigh had a blast her first Christmas!

We finally arrived in Georgia! I think Kayleigh was excited to see Nana!

Kayleigh's first experience was Santa. She's not quite sure who he is supposed to be. She's quite the skeptic. :)

All the young cousins. Notice Kayleigh is not happy at this point.

"what are you people doing to me?"

We dressed her up in Jessie's Halloween wig.

Kayleigh helping Nana decorate her first Christmas tree.

Spending time with JB.

Packing up Uncle Jared & Aunt Nicole's package.

We even got to go see Tricia, B.G., Jackson & Cason! It was so great to see them!

Visiting Nanny!

Out to dinner in Charleston with Natalia! We had such a good time, but our time was way too short!

Kayleigh visiting with Bob & Hadley. She was just a month old at their wedding for her first vacation.

The view from their awesome place in Bluffton, SC.

Hadley, me & Dare

Best buds.

Grandmommie with her two newest

Kayleigh & Papa

Kayleigh & Linda

My crazy cousins! They are hilarious!! It was so great to see them. It had definitely been way too long.

We even got to go to dinner with high school friends! It was so great to catch up with everyone!

"Wait...you look kinda familar. Haven't I seen you before?"

She's such an observer.

This was an awesome Santa!! K even smiled!

Snuggling with my peanut :)

Kayleigh & G.G. She was so sick. Her first cold & ear infection at Christmas! :(

My crazy dad!

And my really crazy husband.

I love my family!!!!!!

Home for the Holidays!

2008-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

Staying up late to pack - check
No sleep from continously remembering things I forgot to pack - check
Finally falling asleep and then oversleeping - check
Weighing my bag, removing things I don't need (according to Brett), reweighing, removing, reweighing... - check
Rushing to the airport because of course I'm late - check
Getting a baby, diaperbag, carryon, stroller, and carseat through security (with a little help from the friendly pilot) - check
Getting through a 4 1/2 hour plan ride alone with a 7 month old - check
Hauling all of the above items through the enormous Atlanta airport - check
Making it home for Christmas - PRICELESS!

Well...actually it cost a small fortune for plane tickets, but it's so nice to be home for the holidays and spending time with family and friends! Being so far away makes it so much nicer to be home. Now we are just waiting on Brett to join us! Kayleigh and I miss him already! For everyone in Georgia, we are here until the 27th. Call us, drop by or kidnap us if you have to, but make sure you see us before we head back to the wrong I mean west coast.

Am I the only one?

2008-12-11T17:14:00.000-08:00

So I was reading a favorite blog (You should totally check her out. She's hilarious! )and she posted about Esperanto. I never even knew this existed. Where do you even learn it? They certainly aren't advertising Rosetta Stone in Esperanto. I just thought I was pretty educated...at least on the basics, but never once have I ever heard of this. Or Chisanbop? Really? Do people use this? Well, I'm not sure if I'll ever use it, but officially know how to count in Chisanbop (if that's even how you use the word). So I just thought I'd share. If you didn't know, now you do. :)

Tahoe

2008-12-11T16:51:00.000-08:00

Here are Mom's pictures from Tahoe...that I'm finally getting around to posting. These first pictures are from our tour of the Bay on the 47' Motorlife Boat. We got a sunset tour of the Bay including a trip under the Golden Gate, into Pier 39 to check out the seals, right alongside Alcatraz and closeups of the city and Angel Island! It was lots of fun and Mom even got to drive!

This is Emerald Bay in Tahoe. It is absolutely gorgeous! There's a huge waterfall and lots of trails to hike. We hiked up to Eagle Lake which was straight uphill to get up there, but totally worth it! It was beautiful!

I made it!!

And last but not least, Brett and Dad's snowboarding adventure! I know Brett enjoyed getting back on his board and I think Dad did pretty well. We'll see if he comes back for another try! :)

Pictures!!

2008-11-22T09:11:00.000-08:00

I figured I should finally download the pictures from my camera. I was getting way behind, so these are from the last month or so. I'm still waiting on Mom to upload her pictures from Tahoe. Of course, my camera was dead. Big surprise. We got some really amazing pictures with her camera though! It was beautiful and we had so much fun! Anyway, enjoy!

Kayleigh & Ava (Kylee's little girl who is 2 already!!!) Ava loved playing with Kayleigh and even put up with the hair pulling and scratching. It was so cute! I think she was just so excited to have a real baby doll. :) As you can see if the pictures, Kayleigh was not so sure she liked being a baby doll. :) Not to mention she totally missed her nap, so she was a little tired.Kayleigh & I were playing when I decided I had to take a picture of her crazy hair. Her facial expression is even funnier. She has quite the personality and the looks to match.

I promised a while back that I would post pictures of her in her cloth diapers. I totally forgot until now. So here are a couple. Notice the cute little leg and back rolls. In the first picture she was just jabbering away at me. Probably telling me to stop with the flash. :)

These are the few I have from Tahoe. This is when we went to pick up Dad and Brett from their day of snowboarding. Hopefully we'll be back up there when there's more snow, but it was perfect for Dad getting some practice in.
This last one is Brett and Kayleigh playing. She sure does love her Daddy. Definitely a Daddy's girl!

We hope everyone is doing well! Enjoy the holidays! I hope everyone is able to celebrate with family! We are having Thanksgiving on Saturday since Brett works, but it will be so nice to celebrate with Brett's whole family! We may also get to take advantage of the Grandparents (yeah for babysitters!) and hang out with some of Brett's friends from high school. I will try to post more pictures of Tahoe soon! Oh and keep Grandmommie and Cason in your prayers. Grandmommie had her first round of chemo. Her second round is the first week of December (the 4th maybe?). And Cason is getting started in the transplant process. Say some prayers that his grandmother is a perfect match! Enjoy your turkey and dressing...oh and pumpkin pie too!!

Love from the Bonner's!

She Dwells by the Seashore

Where have we been??

I promise...

Going Bear Crazy

School!

Interviews with my Loves

Contentment

Right in Our Backyard

Pumpkin Painting

My Ballaweena

Meatless Monday & Care Bears

Hello God...now I am listening.

Jesus Curses a Fig Tree and Clears the Temple Courts

Who Am I?

Dave Ramsey

Productive Sunday

Real Food

Ummm...has it really been that long?

New Christmas List. :)

Officially potty trained...phew!

Girly Fun!

Wait...what?

Christmas List

Photog Workshop - Do it. Do it.

Brought to you by the numbers 1, 2, 3...

Campbell May

She's a Coupon Freak! Coupon Freak!

Patty Cake and Walking...oh my!

Summer time fun!

Getting the Sillies Out

OMGoodness...why do videos take forever to upload???

So much hair!

My musician

How can they be 21 months and 6 months already?!?

My first real meal!

Rain, rain go away!

Campbell is sitting up like a big girl!

Kayleigh teaching Campbell to roll over

Happy Valentine's Day!

Campbell Dirt

the next American idol

Can't wait to see everyone in GA!

Storytime with JB

So fresh and so clean clean!

More pictures to come.

Pictures finally...Papa Jack's farm

Must see! This is just precious!

just as talkative as her sister

Papa Jack's backyard farm and Thanksgiving!

Apparently coloring was not fun enough...

Having trouble keeping someone out of the gifts!

Campbell

Halloween Pictures and Brett's half marathon...finally

Growing, growing, growing

Play time!

Seriously!

My fav picture of K

*GASP* pictures!

Who needs the pumpkin patch...

Kayleigh's 1st pony tail

Little Miss

Miss Priss

Campbell May

Skater Girl

Mommy's Helper

Waiting for Daddy to come home...

My little musician!

Giants Game!

Catch up time...

Preggo Dreams

Giants game

My first pigtails!

Ava Claire

Pictures of June

The new ride

Farm Fresh

Military Times on Station Golden Gate

Woobie World??

You know you want to!!

She has a name!

GASP pictures!