More Pictures

Sorry, my laptop decided to konk out while I was upload, so I broke it up into two posts. :) Enjoy!

Nathan having a blast. Totally love the reaction!

Checking out the petting zoo in Norco, Natty hiding behind Mommy - the safest place. :)

Decorating her FIRST gingerbread house.

Daddy working on the tree with Natty.

Daddy and Nathan at Olive Garden for Grandma's birthday

Natty in Norco with Grandma, not liking Santa.

Enjoying a carriage ride

Chilling with Daddy and loving brother to death. :)

Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!

Wow, I'm usually pretty good about posting. Needlessto say, chasing after 2 kiddos has forced me to divert my attention elsewhere.  However, I'm loving every minute of it.  Not much time for myself anymore, but then, I knew that going in when we got pregnant with Nathan.  Both of our kids are doing great! 

Natty is growing into such a wonderful young lady.  She knows all her alphabets with a few exceptions - W is hard, she wants to call it M.  She can put so many words together now.  She great at saying Thank you Mama, Dada, or whoever else it is who is giving her something.  :)  Some new words she's picked up - elephant, porcupine, Christmas, and even some Mandarin from Ni-Hao Kailan! 

Nathan is growing into a handsome boy.  He is only about 5 pounds lighter than his big sister.  He is also sporting 3 teeth now, and another one about to break through the gums.  He is NOT enjoying the process at all, but he is still our happy boy, and love him dearly.

I thought I'd post some pictures of what we've been up to the past couple weeks.  Enjoy!  Merry Christmas Eve-Eve!

Nathan being his happy-self

The Kiddos enjoying their new double stroller.

Nathan enjoying his thumb.

Natty baking cookies with Nana.

Mommy and Natty at Olive Garden

for Grandma's Birthday

Ducks vs. Hurricanes

Well, Wednesday was a pretty exciting day for us. I was unexpectedly blessed with two hockey tickets for the Ducks vs. Hurricanes Wednesday night. Total spur of the moment, so of course, we took Nathan and Natty. I was kind of hesitatant, but seeing we don't really get the chance to go to hockey games much, I figured, why not, bring the kids!

I must say, Natty and Nathan did FANTASTIC! I know I brag about my kids alot, but really, they did AWESOME! Natty sat in my lap, and Nathan sat in Tim's lap for the majority of the game. So the kiddos got to go to their FIRST Hockey game. We are a DUCKS Family!

My death grip on Natty.

We were up pretty high. The thought that kept going through my mind was " NO ONE LUNGE FORWARD!" But we all - and kuddos to the kiddos - did great!

The Perfect Family Night!

And, of course, a PERFECT family snapshot (only took us two tries to get us all in the frame).

DUCKS being introduced.

The game was pretty low key, no fights!!! Yes, I am a little disappointed. What's a hockey game with no fights?!? BUT, we can say that each game that Tim and I have been to, the DUCKS have won, and they did Wednesday night, 3-2. Woop! Woop!

The Birthday Weekend!

It's official! Our Princess is two. I can no longer say I am a Mommy of 2 under 2. :)

Well, this past weekend sure kept us busy! Natty's birthday celebration ended up being her Birthday Weekend celebration! Not on purpose, of course, but we wanted to make her feel super special!

It all started Friday. We took the kids into JCP for their first pictures together. They came out really cute. I can't wait to pick them up tomorrow. After pictures, we took our Princess into Build A Bear. This has become sort of a tradition now for us. Each time a birthday or special occassion comes around, we've taken Natty into Build a Bear to pick something out to make. She isn't into the clothes and accessories yet, so that, along with my coupon, the cost wasn't bad.


On Saturday, Natty got to get all dolled up for a Princess Party at Chick Fil-A. They were one of the collection sites for Operation Christmas Child. So they threw a Princess party and awarded everyone with a free Spicy Chicken Sandwich for turning in their shoeboxes. Natty had a blast, and earned a free ice-cream (which Mommy ate) for dressing up as a Princess. :)

Sunday was, of course, her birthday party. We went with a Curious George theme, our Princess's favorite monkey. Everything came together really well, and it looked like everyone had a great time, most importantly Natty. I really appreciated my mom helping with getting together all the decorations, and her friend & coworker for making Natty's cake. It made everything so special and just perfect for our Princess.

Here are some pictures from our Baby Girl's special birthday weekend!

I wonder what is in this one!

Laughing hysterically when we call sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

Absolutly lovin' her Curious George PJ's from Cousin Candie and Kevin

First Dentist Visit

Well, our BIG girl sure is growing up fast.  I finally took Natty in for her first dentist visit.  Our pediatrician had been encouraging me to take her in by her first birthday.  However, I couldn't find a pediatric dentist that took my dental insurance last year.  So I waiting until open-enrollment to upgrade it.  I took her to Corona Kids Dental.  They are off of Ontario in S. Corona, and I absolutely love 'em!  I checked out their site and called before taking her in.  I thought their pictures on their site would be misleading, but the office actually looks EXACTLY like this!  If you are looking for a pediatric dentist and live in Corona or don't mind driving into Corona, I HIGHLY recommend this place.  

The first thing I liked was that everyone there (Dr., receptionist, and about 3 dental hygienist) all welcomed Natty personally when we got there.  Everyone was super friendly to her and made her feel so welcomed.  When you book an appointment, they allow oodles of time for the child to get used to the office.  There is an awesome play area in front, and they turn on your child's favorite movie (if they have it), while they get accustomed to the office.

The next thing I liked was that they allowed Natty to check out the dental equipment (those that didn't need to be sterilized).  Sometimes I feel when I go in I can't touch anything.  But they knew she was apprehensive about being there, so they let her check out the dentist chair and how it operated (going up and down).  Even though Natty doesn't talk in complete sentences, they took the time to explain what the equipment was and what it did.

The third I liked about the office was that they didn't try to rush Natty into anything.  Of course I ended up having to hold her while they brushed her teeth and put on the sealant, but they didn't force her into anything she wasn't ready for.

Overall, it was a very good trip.  Natty responded a lot better than I thought she would.  I figured if I start her now, she will not put up a fight when she is older. Even though she cried a bit, the dentist assured me that it was normal.  I'm sure at the next visit, she'll understand more, and do even better!


I think Natty's favorite thing was her goody bag she got at the end, which included a toothbrush, paste, floss, and TWO JUMBO stickers - she really loved those.

A Year and Two Days Ago

A year and two days ago, we found out about our precious Nathan. :) I still remember that day and how excited I was. I was recovering from a root canal the day before (yes, on Halloween), and had class that morning. Boo... Finding out about Nathan was very different than with Natty. With Natty, it was hard to see so many pregnant women around me. I was always so anxious and it was a constant struggle to wait on God's timing. This time around, with Nathan, I felt like I was more calm. That day, Nov. 1, 2008, Nathan came simply as a wonderful surprise. I didn't know anyone else that was pregnant at the time. I didn't know how long it would take, and I did not know when exactly we'd get pregnant again. I just knew I had destined in my heart that I'd try my best to be patient. Needless to say, it didn't take that long, but I wasn't so crazy about it this time around either. I remmeber not being able to get over the shock and amazement. I couldn't wait to tell Tim, and had to wait until he got from work - which almost killed me!

As Natty and Nathan get older - Natty turns two in about a week and a half - I try as hard as I can to remember all those special moments. Natty is growing so fast, her mind is just so amazing. She knows 2 colors - yellow (lellow) and blue (boooo). She's also been working on purple. Nathan keeps growing at lightening speed (at 3 1/2 months and inching into 12 mts. clothes).

As I think back at where we were at last year around this time, I cannot help but praise the Lord that we have such an awesome family. Our children love each other and love us. They are so wonderful, and we would never change any of it for anything. I cannot wait until Natty and Nathan learn to love Jesus.

Family Fun

Well, I've been off track for about a week now. Wednesday was our first real day off together as a family though. Not wanting to put the kids in daycare, Tim and I purposedly have our work scheduled so that only family is watching the kids. However, when I'm off track, Tim's still having to work - usually in the afternoon/evenings and all day Saturday - which is the pits. BUT, on Wednesday we had a lot of fun getting ready for Halloween. Here are some pictures from our fun evening of trying on costumes and carving pumpkins.

Happy Birthday Chrissy

So, yesterday was my Baby Sister's birthday. Boy! Does time sure fly the older you get! Here are some pictures from last night. We went to eat at Applebee's (Tim had to work - boo... ). We all had a great time getting together. It doesn't happen that often anymore. Natty definitely love icing, and did warm up to Uncle Joe in the end. He just needs to visit more. Dad and Chrissy got their ribs - of course. And I enjoyed a very yummy trio of quesadilla towers, spicy shrimp, and artichoke/spinach dip. Yummo! Nathan was a very good boy - slept through pretty much the entire dinner. Even when he did wake up towards the end, he didn't even fuss. It was a great evening!

HAPPY 15TH BIRTHDAY CHRISSY!

SUV vs. Minivan

Well, I've been a mommy of two for a little over 3 months now.  One thing I have discovered for sure is that we need a bigger vehicle.  Whenever we go somewhere now, especially with all the kids' stuff, I feel clostrophobic.  I've been researching different vehicles and would like YOUR opinion/input.  Below are the vehicles I'm interested in.  What do you find most useful/efficient for your family?  I'm trying to think years down the road too, as I know we will want at least one more child.  I'm also thinking of when we take the kids to amusement parks, go on vacation, beach trips, etc.  Which do you think is the most family-friendly vehicle?

Saturn Outlook

Mitsubishi Endeavor

Honda Odyssy

Toyota Sequoia

Toyota Highlander

What do you guys think?  Any others to take into consideration?  Ideally, I'd like a 3-row seater.  Minivans just haven't warmed up on me yet.  Got any to recommend?

I Love My Kids!

Empty Bowls

This past Saturday my mom, Natty, Nathan, and I all went to the 3rd Annual Settlement House Empty Bowl Event. Local restaurants donated food (soup), bread, drinks, and desserts for the event. We all had a great time. NOt only was it for a great cause, but we each (except Nathan :( ) got to take home a bowl decorated by our fellow CNUSD students. Check out the two Natty and I picked out. I cannot believe Upper Elementary/Junior High students did this!

All in a Day's Work

Scene of the Crime...

The Damage...

Right Knee

These two are of my beautiful (purple and blue) left thigh.

RECAP...

Ok, so Thurday (last week) I had detention duty.  Off I go walking up to the detention room.  Now, detention is held in a classroom off of a stage.  I see the stage in front of me.  I lift my leg up to step onto the stage to unlock the door.  I guess, apparently, I stepped on air.  The next think I knew, my right hand was in front of me breaking my fall (my left was clenching onto the detention slips).  Good thing I didn't hit my head!  This whole ordeal happened so fast that I didn't even feel the pain.  Then, as I was checking the students in and marking off the attendance, my leg starts twitching from the pain.  GREAT.  I get home to the lovely sight you all see above.  :)  I do have detention duty againt tomorrow.  Pray I don't fall on my head this time!

The Kiddos

Nathan's personality is really starting to show this month. We're so excited he is growing so fast! (Oh, and the romper he is in...well, is a 9mts. size.

Nathan has discovered his hands and LOVES to look at them, gum them, and wave them around.

According to Natty, this is THE only way to watch Curious George.

Nathan's very beautiful smile

Lately when Nattaya is put down for her nap, she will say "rock." We'll later discover that she has rocked herself to sleep with one of her many favorite books.

The Weekend is Here!

Hi everyone. Well, it's been a stressful week to say the least. I, for one, am so very thankful for the weekend!!!

Earlier this week, we had one of our fellow staff member's life threatened by one of our 8th graders. Thinking back, it still sends chills down my spine. There are a note entailing who, when, and where. Our entire staff was debriefed by the deputy-sherrif and another important individual (I can't remmeber the rank) from Corona PD. I think we are all pretty much still shaked, and a bit on edge still. Don't make for a very happy staff.

I'm asking that you continue to pray for our campus. A lot of teachers are feeling unsafe, and it makes teaching hard. We don't want to treat each student like a suspect. Also, please pray for that student and their family. They are all going to be going through a very rough time for a long while. It is hard to believe that as an 8th grader, this student will already have a juvenile record. That is just so hard for me to process.

Monday's Here

Well, I've been back to work from maternity leave for about 3 weeks now. For the most part, I think I've started to fall into a rhythm of how the week goes. I'm happy to be back, but at the same time, I'd rather much stay home with the kids. Especially if you have Mondays like mine. Sometimes I just get so discouraged that most of my students really do not care about their future, education, or career. I just feel bad because at times I feel like the students' behaviors reflect who I am as a teacher. I sometimes wish I could just "fix" everyone - their homelife, their disability, their outlook, etc. I know it's not my job to fix people, but I can't help it sometimes.

I've haven't blogged in about 2+ weeks. Needless to say, the kids keep me very busy - in a VERY good way. I would not change it for anything. The kids are really doing great. Natty's language continues to develop at a very fast pace. She says quite a few 2-word sentences now. It is awesome to see how she processes information. Nathan continues to grow by leaps and bounds. He is in 6 months clothing, and he is 2 1/2 months old. Our Pediatrician says he is very solid and very healthy - definitely going to take after Daddy.

Well, Tim and I would sure appreciate you guys keeping us in prayer. We have just been hit with quite a few trials. It's all been quite discouraging, but we rest in the truth that they are momentary, they will strengthen our faith, and that God knows what He's doing. While we're not glad with all the trials, we gladly accept what the Lord would have us learn.

Happy Monday Everyone!

My Beautiful Babies