Our new addition

And no, Carie, I'm not pregnant. We got a puppy! His name is Maddux, he's a Cairn Terrier, 10 weeks old, and only 3 lbs. Sooo adorable & the kids LOVE him!

Not my baby anymore

Bryce got his first haircut. We finally had to cut his gorgeous blond locks because they were getting in his eyes and too tough to comb through each day. I am totally regretting it. While his new haircut is very handsome, he just doesn't look like my baby anymore.

Good-bye, baby curls.


Hello big boy.

We Will Sham-Rock You!

Ally is playing t-ball on the Green Clovers this year. They are so adorable in their uniforms and are actually starting to get the concept of the game. I wish I had video of a few classic moments, like when she hit the ball and ran to third, or turned her back on the ball just as it was thrown to her so she could cover her base. It's too cute to watch the action, but a couple pictures will have to suffice.

2009 Redux

I'm an awful blogger. Here's some events from the end of 2008 that we forgot to blaaagh about...

Ally lost a tooth.















Bryce's incredible climbing skills take him to new heights.




Bryce turns two years old.




Disneyland.




Caught in the act.



Halloween was 'killer' this year; the kids are learning the value of candy!



Bryce demonstrates proper dragon etiquette.




Jalama in November, so nice...






Cyndi walked in the breast cancer 3-day.



Here's Cyndi at the finish. I nearly choked due to the high amount estrogen in the air. Seriously though, walking 60 miles is no easy task. You go girl!




Thanksgiving '08 and our first time cooking the turkey 'East County' style. The bird tasted exellent and no one suffered 3rd degree burns.




We didn't take many Christmas pictures (going to have to check with the grandparents), but here's one.


That's it for 2008! Belated new years resolution: blahhg more! -Will

Traffic Jam at the Fuller House

This is the state of my livingroom today.  Bryce will spend hours just driving and lining up his cars.  And he freaks if you mess them up.  Maybe some of my OCD tendencies have rubbed off...

Ever wonder what the inside of a Wii looks like?

Yeah, well neither did I. But unfortunately we had to find out when Bryce stuck a plastic coin in ours. After a very involved surgery, Will located and extracted the foreign object. Lucky for Bryce the procedure was successful and we are up and running again. I'm not sure what would have happened to him if there was permanent damage. Anyway, here are pictures of the endeavor that we truly thought was going to be fatal.

Happy Birthday, Ally!

Last week my big girl turned 6.  It's hard to believe that we've only had her for 6 years, but it's even harder to believe that I have a 6-year-old!  We celebrated throughout the entire week with donuts at school, cupcakes at daisies and a family celebration at her favorite restaurant, Souplantation.  The only reason I have to list the celebrations, is that I have no proof.  I am a horrible mom and didn't take a single birthday picture!  

We are so lucky to have been blessed with such an amazing daughter.  She's affectionate, brilliant, and pretty much perfect.  She is such a wonderful big sister to her pest of a little brother and a huge help.  I love you, my Ally girl!

More pictures to follow since I am promising to be better at using my camera from here on out...

Family Pictures

Okay- so we FINALLY got our family picture taken.  We haven't done this in over 2 years so this is a momentous occasion.  I just had to post em.

Labor Day 2008 - Big Sur

Labor Day weekend, and our last camping trip of the summer, was spent at Kirk Creek campground in Big Sur. We got an early start Friday morning and reached San Luis Obispo in time for breakfast at Frank's and lunch at Firestone, mmmmmmm. It was my first time back in SLO since graduating from Cal Poly. Time certainly flies. We arrived at the campground in full white-out fog, which lasted till the late morning.

Storytime

The S.F. Crew (aka Franco, Kristen, Tyler, and Plevy) drove down from the Bay. It made for great times with both family and friends. Plus, we had an additional 4 sets of eyes to monitor Bryce! Special thanks goes to Kristen, Ally had a great time with you.

Pastoral Bryce (very rare!)

This kid is such a handful! He definitely has more energy than Cyndi and I put together. Hopefully he makes it to kindergarten and the 'System' can figure him out. We sure can't! Seriously though, we love him a whole bunch and wouldn't trade him for the world. I kind of wished for a wild child, so I guess I got what I asked for.

Shark Bait...

We got out for a surf at Sand Dollar beach. Aside from big waves, there's nothing like cold slate grey water, bull kelp, and cloudy skies to get the 'were not in San Diego anymore' vibe going. I saw several large dolphins while I was out. My session got cut short when I had a late take off and snapped the sting of my leash plug. Though I did manage to get a few good ones beforehand, I wasn't ready to give it up and bobbed in the lineup trying to re-tie the string. No dice, floating like a lure would eventually compel me to call it quits.


Overall it was a unbelievable trip. When people speak about Big Sur they always mention raw energy and beauty. I agree with these descriptions wholeheartedly. Upon arrival, you can't help but be awestruck by the 'bigness' of Big Sur and the strength and wildness of everything around. It makes me feel very small, which I like. Nature has a way of showing you your place in the grand scheme of things. There's nothing like being alive in Big Sur.

First post acomplished. Hope everyone is doing well. Over and out - Will

The second day of school

We are already in the second week of school and every day has been a fashion show.  Ally is loving kindergarten.  She likes her teacher and all of the friends that she has made.  Her favorite part of the day is recess when she loves to go on the swings.  

Ally's School

The school is brand new so it's all really nice.  I posted some pictures mostly for the Grandmas, but it doesn't even do the school (or Ally) justice :)  

This is looking back at the main office building from inside the school.  Below is the kindergarten playground.  They haven't finished the big playground yet.  

First Day of School!

Ally loved her first day of school.  She came home boasting, "it was the best day ever and I get to go back again tomorrow!" 

Another trip to the ER

We made it home Sunday with only minor scrapes and bruises.  Apparently that was too good to remain because while in the bath, Bryce fell and split open his chin and had to get stitches.  He was really tough and didn't even cry until they were actually stitching him up.  Of couse, I was crying too, especially because I had to hold him down.  I am sure this is just the beginning of our adventures in the ER.  

Our Vacation

Lake Powell

We had a blast at Lake Powell swimming, tubing, hiking...

hunting for treasure...

fishing...

and most importantly, relaxing...

The funniest part was trying to convince Ally to go tubing or down the waterslide while Bryce was throwing a fit because we wouldn't let him.  No wonder he finished off the trip with stitches!  

Sedona

We camped in Flagstaff on our way to Lake Powell and in Sedona on our way home.  Both places were absolutely beautiful.  We checked out some ruins, a lava flow, swam in a stream, and Will did some mountain bike riding.  We set up our tent in Sedona minutes before a huge down-pour and the kids slept through the loudest thunder I have ever heard- it shook the ground! 

You're So Vain...You Probably Think This Blog is About You

I thought this was a fun game and decided to play along... here are the rules: 1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together.  It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!  2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you.  It's actually pretty funny to see the responses.  If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you (and if this isn't there... I'll assume you're a procrastinator like me and will check back later!)

Disneyland

We had a blast at Disneyland on Monday, July 14th.

The new 3-D Toy Story Ride was the favorite of this trip! I don't know what we loved more: the ride or the glasses?