Life...According to Kaitlyn

Salt Lake

2011-04-24T21:59:00.001-07:00

My Grandma moved to Salt Lake last summer. This was our first visit. We went with my sister Emily, her boys, and my mom. We stopped in Vegas for a night at Circus Circus. I love this pic cuz it's kinda funky.
They rode this train ride because it was 1 of 2 that Kaitlyn didn't cry at. This picture is awesome because it looks like Kaitlyn just slapped Carter. Love it.
This is what happens when it's snowing outside and you have 3 kids that haven't really played outside for a few days. They get a little bit crazy.
Love this one too. That's the Salt Lake Temple in the back. It's such a beautiful building.

We got to go up the observation deck of the church office building. The view was amazing and it was a little warmer up there. The kids loved the elevator ride too.
The temple from the observation deck.
We went bowling with my cousin Geoff and his wife Jess and their daughter Katelyn. The kids loved it.
The mountains were covered in snow. It was beautiful.
Love this picture of Kaitlyn. What a beautiful girl.

Easter

2011-04-24T21:44:00.000-07:00

Kaitlyn and Braden making cookies and eggs.

Our family!

Kaitlyn and Emma with their cutesy Easter dresses!

Look at all the eggs. Good thing she likes hard boiled eggs and candy.

My Baby!

Easter egg hunt #2 with cousins. Love the Tiana costume.

Look at this group. So cute! Thanks for a fun Easter everyone.

Zoo with the Chins

2011-04-04T17:13:00.001-07:00

We went to the zoo today with my friend Wendy and her kids. They had so much fun and all fell asleep on the way home. Yeah! Must have been fun. Love this picture. So stinkin cute.

Birthday #33

2010-04-17T22:40:00.001-07:00

The weekend before my birthday Em and Buzz were here to bless Austin. This is Emma(6 months old) and Austin(1.5 months old). Pretty funny.

This year Jessica planned this fun little dinner for me and a few of my close friends. We went to El Cholo in Pasadena. It was so fun. So nice not to have kids and to just be out with the girls. I had spent that day at the spa too which was fantastic. It was a great day!

They got the "band" to come and sing me Happy Birthday. It was pretty sweet.

A visit with the Chin's

2010-04-17T21:58:00.001-07:00

This is in 9th grade. At a football game. Wendy and I met in 5th grade at Monte Vista. A lot of time between 5th grade and 11th grade we spent together. We lost touch and then reconnected and then lost touch again. Now Wendy lives in Alaska with her husband who is in the Air Force. We got to see each other last Christmas when she was here visiting her Dad. It was so fun to see her. It had been about 13 years since we had seen each other. It's always nice to remember why you were friends with certain people. There are some people that you can just pick up where you left off 13 years later. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to see Wendy again and to have our kids play together.

These are the kiddos. Kaitlyn, Abey, and Ellie. They had so much fun. Luckily we were sitting outside by ourselves most of the time so other people didn't have to hear how much fun they were having.

This is Abey. Kaitlyn took this one. Pretty cute.

This is Ellie. Sitting so quietly. Her kids were so cute. We had such a good time.

Phoenix Children's Museum

2010-04-17T21:32:00.000-07:00

I love this one because Colin was so mad that Kaitlyn got in the car with him. It was hilarious.

This is the only pic we got of Devin. Kaitlyn loved this part of the store. You could measure and weigh the lentils.

They had bags and carts and the kids could go shopping and then checkout and pay for everything. It was so funny to watch the kids pretend.

Kaitlyn loved riding this bike with Colin. Luckily, Colin can go super fast on the bikes, so Kaitlyn got to enjoy the ride.

Colin loved it too. They had so much fun. Thanks Amy for taking us. It was a blast.

Our stop in Phoenix AKA visiting my friend Amy

2010-04-17T20:52:00.000-07:00

This is my friend Amy and her son Colin. I met Amy when she lived in La Crescenta before she married Brian and moved to San Diego. They moved to Phoenix last year right before they had their baby Devin. So, it worked out perfect for Kaitlyn and I to stop there for a few days on the way home from my brother's house. Thanks for having us guys. We had a blast.

This is Kaitlyn and Colin back in November when they came out to visit. So Silly!

We had so much fun. We went to Amy's mom's house. She was super nice for letting us hang out and ride bikes. Kaitlyn was in heaven. She practiced riding bikes with pedals.

We went to this super fun park in Phoenix that has. It has a train that goes all around the park and a carousel too. It also had a fun playground.

This carousel was a little bit crazy. I don't usually get motion sickness but this one made me a little light headed.

Misc Pics from Las Cruces

2010-04-17T20:31:00.000-07:00

The morning we left Mike's house it was 30 degrees. Freezing. It was only in the 40's most days that we were there. Still Kaitlyn liked to hang out outside with the dog with no pants on. Till she got caught, then she'd come back in until she could figure out a way to get her pants off again. So funny.

This is the play thing at the Outlet mall in El Paso.

So Cool!

Guess who did that?!

I love these pics. She always plays with my camera so I have a lot of pics like this.

White Sands

2010-04-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

The Farm and Agriculture Museum in Las Cruces

2010-04-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

So they have this cool museum about 10 minutes from my brothers house. We decided to take a trip there since we haven't gone before.This thing was a teeter totter with a saddle at each end. Pretty fun.

They had different kinds of sheep. This one was my favorite because his name was CHURRO. So funny!

Cool tractor.

Sheep and a baby one.

They had puzzles. Kaitlyn was so excited!

And Cows with horns

And a horsey...yeah

I guess that we were walking too slow.

She loved this bridge too. She ran back and forth a bunch of times.

Our exciting drive to New Mexico

2010-04-04T22:04:00.000-07:00

So in January we drove to New Mexico via California and Arizona. On the way there we drove straight through. Luckily, you can take the 10 the whole way, so at least we couldn't get lost. It took all day. I think about 14 hours. Forever when you have a 3 year old in the back seat. So, we packed Kaitlyn in the backseat with lots of stuff to entertain and feed her.

It's not every day that you see a huge dinosaur in the back of a truck driving down the 10 freeway...Awesome!

Kaitlyn read lots of books during the trip.

We saw this car fire right after the California and Arizona border. It was an SUV and it was gone.

Finally, she went to sleep, right before it got dark. She was such a good girl.

Christmas Pics continued...

2010-04-04T21:54:00.001-07:00

Kaitlyn made this gingerbread house with Elbert. Looks pretty good.

Kaitlyn's letter from SANTA. Pretty cool! This is funny because everytime you asked Kaitlyn what she wanted for Christmas she said "A Toy".

Aunt Naomi, Kaitlyn and Emma.

Grandpa playing with Kaitlyn's Disney Princess Castle

Kaitlyn and her new show The Tale of Despereaux

Put on the Brakes!

2010-03-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

So, this week my brakes started groaning and then started sounding like sandpaper rubbing. Pretty scary. Today my dad and I took the tire off and took it apart to find this...maybe part of the problem. Both are old, but the top one is completely worn down to the metal plate. Whoops. No wonder it was groaning.

The Diet Coke Place!

2010-03-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

So, as many of you know, 7-11 is a special place for our family. We used to go there once a week with my dad for "Treat Night". We were all very excited when my sister's baby, Emma, was born on 7/11/09. Who else can get a free slurpee on their birthday every year. My cousin's daughter, Emma, used to always go to 7-11 with her Grandpa and she called it "Slurpee's house" which we always thought was the greatest name ever. Until now...Kaitlyn told me yesterday she wanted to go to "The Diet Coke Place" to get a blue icee. Gotta love her.

Lights at the Los Angeles Temple

2010-02-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

Christmas with the Bradley's

2010-02-15T15:52:00.001-08:00

It's Potty Time! Whoa o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!

Carter was nice and shared his awesome toolbelt with Kaitlyn.

He looks ready to fix something big...

A puzzle... cool

Apparently, not the happiest place on earth!

2010-02-15T15:45:00.000-08:00

Gymnastics Christmas Party

2009-12-20T15:17:00.000-08:00

Disneyland...Just Mommy and Kaitlyn

2009-12-19T23:02:00.001-08:00

Love the churros. This was number 2.

The Autopia

She loves driving.

DUMBO

The Carousel

The Teacups

Pluto, she actually gave him a hug, which is huge for her. She usually cries when she sees the characters. She's getting so big.

Santa too...She actually sat in his lap and took a candy cane. When I opened it for her she licked it once and told me it was disgusting. So funny.

One of my new favorite pics of her. So beautiful with the sun...

Small world at Christmas...whats better than that (Sorry that was totally an Ina Garten quote).

Beautiful Baby...I love her so much.

The castle at night after the lighting ceremony...

This was before I got on the freeway...she was wiped out.
This was the best trip ever... just me and my girl.

Christmas Pictures!

2009-12-19T20:51:00.000-08:00

Baby Austin!

2009-12-13T20:50:00.001-08:00

My sister Emily just had a baby. His name is Austin. He's super cute!

Here they are that night.

He was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and 20 inches long

Kaitlyn loved her little cousin.

Santa Pics

2009-12-13T20:36:00.000-08:00

This was Santa in 2007. It was one of the greatest santa pics ever. This year went a little better...

...But only a little. They weren't too sure. And neither was santa.

The computer broke so they shut down the line, but they let us sneak in and take a quick pic, which pissed off Santa I guess because he was not super happy about it. The kids could tell. Maybe we'll try again this week.

Once there was a snowman

2009-12-13T20:28:00.000-08:00

Kaitlyn loved the snowman at Emily's house. She loved that it flattens out in the morning and grows tall at night.

This is her new Roxy sweatshirt. Fancy, I know. But it was really cheap.

She loves to sing the snowman song in nursery. Ask her sometime. She'll sing it for you. It's pretty entertaining.

YUM YUM

2009-12-13T20:24:00.000-08:00

The Animals at the zoo

2009-12-13T19:35:00.000-08:00

This chimp smiled big at us. It was so funny. His teeth were orange.

This Rhino was missing his horn. So Sad.

The hippo was laying in the dirt. Then it got in the pool.

This was a mccaw I think. It was pretty.

And this one is...ready for it...Santa's reindeer. So cool.

Our Friends The Sheen's

2009-12-13T19:11:00.000-08:00

This is Kaitlyn's new friend Zach. She loves him. They have so much fun together.

This is Zach and his brothers, Jacob and Matthew. Kaitlyn can't tell them apart and so she calls them "the brothers".

We went to the LA zoo with them. They had Christmas decorations up so we took a few shots. They think that Kaitlyn is hilarious. That's why they are both laughing in this picture.

We found this awesome playground at the zoo and they had all of these concrete animals, so we took a few pics.

Kaitlyn's First Gymnastics Class at the YMCA

2009-12-06T16:41:00.001-08:00

Kaitlyn started a new gymnastics class last Wednesday. She was so excited! Then it came time to start and she got scared. She cried almost the whole time. So, we're gonna try again next week. But the important thing is that she looked really cute!

Life with 3 kids

2009-12-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

This is what my life would look like if I had 3 kids under 4. A little bit squishy.

Montrose Park with the Black's and the Barnes'

2009-11-29T19:22:00.000-08:00

Griffin and Emma

Playing in the leaves...

Throwing the leaves...

Carter actually climbed all the way up the HUGE slide. He has some awesome climbing skills.

Kaitlyn's first pony tails

2009-11-29T19:13:00.000-08:00

From the front

And the back

Em's Birthday

2009-11-29T19:02:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Emily. We went to BJ's for dinner. It was tasty.

Emily's favorite chocolate cake. The kids were so excited!

Em and Carter

Grandpa and Kaitlyn and Carter

Carter and the sugar

2009-11-29T18:56:00.001-08:00

So, first of all...Keep it classy San Diego...there ya go em. Just for you. The ONLY benefit of being 20 days away from giving birth.

Carter figured out that he could pour a sugar packet into a sushi bowl and then lick it out. It started with the chopsticks too, but ended up just being the tongue and the bowl. It was pretty awesome and also very entertaining.

Elmo Live

2009-11-29T18:54:00.001-08:00

Apparently Elmo was talking too much and needed some quiet time!

Thanksgiving Pics of Kaitlyn and Carter

2009-11-29T18:46:00.001-08:00

Watchin a show with some goggles on...always a good time...

...Gettin ready for bed with our binkies...

...And playing at the park...so much fun to have Carter around to play with...Yeah for that. We'll see you in a little over a week.

Goodbye Black Family!

2009-11-29T16:48:00.001-08:00

We will miss you dearly. Come back soon and visit often!

Kaitlyn's First Play Date with Cami

2009-11-20T16:52:00.000-08:00

This was the first official play date for Kaitlyn and Cami. They had so much fun and Gina and I had fun too. Here they are playing with the dollhouse...

...and riding bikes. Kaitlyn loved the helmet. Thanks Gina for having us over.

Kaitlyn and Holly,,,then and now

2009-11-19T22:27:00.001-08:00

Kaitlyn and Holly September 2006

Kaitlyn and Holly June 2009

Visit from the Malone's

2009-11-19T19:59:00.001-08:00

Left to right: Devin, Kaitlyn, Michelle and Emma, and Colin.

My great friend Amy moved a few months ago from San Diego to Phoenix. I never really saw her when she lived in San Diego, but now it's worse.

She was out for a few days and it was so fun to catch up and see her new baby. He's super cute! Kaitlyn loved him, but he wasn't feeling it so much.

Best trip ever to the grocery store!

2009-11-19T19:56:00.001-08:00

So sweet. They had so much fun sitting in that car cart. And they actually both stayed in the cart for most of the time that we were there. Yeah for car carts and the people that invented them.

Happy Halloween!

2009-11-03T21:04:00.001-08:00

This pretty much sums up the night. This was Kaitlyn at 9:00. She had been asleep since about 6:30. We went to Indianola in La Canada. We went about 5 and it was empty when we got there. We ran into Dena, Becky, Jenn, Claire, Marilyn, and their families. Kaitlyn was excited to see the other kids and they kindof showed her what to do. Later we ran into the Ostler's too. We left about 6 and it was just starting to get crowded.

Gettin some candy! The woman at this house used to be the classroom assistant when I did my student teaching. Small world!

Of course Kaitlyn decided to go to the house with the dog after she had refused to go to 5 other houses right before that.

Her little tail was so funny when she ran up the driveways. Super cute.

This was after the 8th house. We didn't make it too far. But she got enough candy(which she hasn't even touched since Halloween). Hopefully next year she will like it better.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-11-01T22:44:00.000-08:00

This is the final product. It was pretty fun.

This is Kaitlyn saying "Barf...punkin".

She actually WANTED to wear the costume at this point.

Disneyland at Halloween!

2009-11-01T22:16:00.001-08:00

Disneyland always has awesome decorations for holidays. Disneyland is no exception. Kaitlyn actually liked this huge pumpkin in the front of Main Street. Can't wait to go back. This trip was Emma's first time to Disneyland. Yeah for Emma. We also got Emily and Carter to come along. So Fun.

Kaitlyn loved the autopia cars. She screamed everytime we hit a bump. It was so funny. Can't wait to go again.

Kaitlyn and Carter!

2009-10-31T21:14:00.000-07:00

Here they are...updated from a few months ago. Super cute!

The Wild Animal Park

2009-10-29T14:39:00.001-07:00

Our second day of adventures took us to the Wild Animal Park. It was so hot, but super fun. We got to see the lion super close, which Kaitlyn loved. We took the little tram around to see the other animals, which was fun too. But the best part was the playground on the way out. The kids played there for almost 45 minutes.

The San Diego Zoo

2009-10-28T21:12:00.001-07:00

We took a trip to visit my sister Emily in sunny San Diego. We did the zoo one day and the Wild Animal Park the next day. It was 97 degrees when we were done at the Wild Animal Park. I haven't been to the zoo since 1998 and it was fun to take Kaitlyn there.