Birthday Fun!

I know I'm a bit delayed, but I do want to share my wonderful Spring Break/Birthday vacation. My mom and I did a quick little cruise down to Mexico and had a great time! Our first stop was Catalina Island, where I got to scuba dive! I absolutely loved it, but must do it again in warm waters without a rough tide! It was really an amazing experience. Our next stop was Ensenada, where we visited the "Blow Hole" and drank wine. And, it was my birthday! I heard there was green beer available at the bar on the ship, but I stuck with Long Islands from our cute Serbian bartender. The last day was spent at sea. It was a little cold and foggy, but I got sunburned nonetheless. I have never laid out in my bikini in the foggy, cold weather, just to be able to go home with a tan!! Seriously, this was my best birthday since my 21st in Vegas. Thanks mom for a great trip and priceless memories.

The blow hole
Casino

Ship

Mommy & me

BOAT!!!

Yes, 'boat' is Nathan's new favorite word. Last weekend, we went to the lake with a good friend from work and her family. Nathan was quite impressed with the boat that was pulled behind their truck until we were in it and pushed off into the lake. He had a few moments of panic, but quickly adapted to boating on Canyon Lake. He loved the 'bumps' even though I had a death grip on his life jacket! And, of course, as we passed every neighboring boat, he yelled, "Boat, Boat, Boat!!" That's alot of BOATS! :-)
Anyhow, we had a wonderful day on the water with special friends, amazing weather, and outstanding scenery. Thanks Deanne and Phil!

Photo Session

Taking a toddler to get pictures done is probably one of my least favorite things in the whole wide world. And, Nathan has been exceptionally awful in said situation since birth. Yes, his 2 week pics were a nightmare and it's been a blast ever since! I have been pretty loyal to JCPenneys and, given what they have to work with, they always seem to come through with a few good shots of my handsome boy.
Now that my best friend, Aja, is a mommy, we decided to get Nathan and Jada together for some pics. And, I figured Nathan and I would get a few together as well. Of course, Jada decided it was lunch time right when they were ready for us, so Nathan and I went first. We got some great ones together through lots of promises of lollipops and french fries. When it was Nathan and Jada's turn, he was done! We could not get one of them together! Jada was all smiles, adorable as usual. We got one adorable shot of Nathan kissing Jada, but that was it! We'll try again in a few months.

The Zoo

Baba, Pop, Nathan and I went to the Phoenix Zoo. Besides Zoo Lights, I haven't been to the zoo for a very long time. What a great time we had! And, the 85 degree weather didn't hurt either! We saw monkeys, ducks, turtles, goats, giraffes, zebra (almost x-rated!), elephants, and so much more. Nathan did great and seemed to really enjoy himself. Here are a few quick pics from our day.

It's a Surprise!!

Amy had her baby!!! Are you ready...it's...a....BOY!!! Brody Joseph made his appearance at 2:46 am on February 26th weighing in at 7 pounds 1 ounce and measuring 19 inches. Mom and Dad are doing great and loving up their new son. I know I say it every time, but this baby is gorgeous...or, I mean, handsome! Nathan is super excited to finally have a little boy to play with (not that he doesn't love all his 'lady' friends). Congrats to Amy & Joe and welcome Brody!

Our Nights

Between work and school, I don't get nearly the amount of time I would like to have with my lil man. So, I cherish every moment and hope I'm not causing irreparable emotional problems for my child. The countdown has begun, and in 10 short weeks, this craziness will subside. Meanwhile, I try to maximize my sleep, brainpower, and toddlertime!

At the moment, my dear friend is pushing McBaby out, I will keep you all posted. Yes, another baby. This one's a surprise, so I can't wait to hear! Every one send her happy pushing vibes :-)

And, of course a quick photo of us during our too-few evenings together.

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SUPERbowl!!

As you know by now, the Cardinals made their first appearance in the Superbowl this past weekend. Coincidently, my brother Casey had made a trip out to my brother Greg's house in Portland that same weekend. Since we all grew up in Phoenix, we are loyal to the Cardinals and my brothers have spent many difficult years supporting our hometeam from cities far and wide. Finally they were able to be proud Cardinal fans and the cherry on top...they were going to be watching the game together!
Fast forward to Friday evening...I get a call from Greg asking if I had baby coverage on Sunday...yes, yes I did. Then he asked if I would like to fly out to Portland to watch the game with two of my most favorite guys in the world! Oh my gosh, I was psyched!!! It was a spontaneous, whirlwind trip, but I had the time of my life. I boarded a plane in Phoenix at 8 am Sunday morning and landed back in Phoenix the next morning at 10 am. I was completely exhausted but was glowing from spending a few hours with my bros and sister-in-law. Yes, it was a heartbreaking game, but Superbowl XLIII will always be a precious memory for me.

Indy showing spirit!

VooDoo Doughnuts in Portland was representing!!! Booya!

Greg, Judy, Casey & I

Gotta love a self-portrait!

A Gratuitous Smile of the Day

Bad Blogger

Yes, I know I'm a bad blogger. And yes, I have just begun my last semester of nursing school, so my posts may become sparse. But, I will do my best to keep up. And, I'm buying a new camera so that should encourage me to take more photos.
Things are well on our end. Nathan is growing like crazy (as usual) and talking a bit more. You know how every kid has 'that' movie that they watch over and over and over and over again. For instance, my older brother...TRON. I remember parts of that movie as I saw it as a three-year-old. A 'high-tech' raquetball scene comes to mind, can anyone clarify that for me? Anyway, Nathan's movie is WALL-E. He's obsessed with it. If I say 'Baba', he says 'WALL-E', if I say 'Pop', he says 'WALL-E', if I say 'bedtime', he says 'WALL-E', you get the picture? At night, his favorite thing is for me to sing made-up songs about WALL-E. I bet you didn't realize yours truly was a songwriter! haha Anyhow, on the annoying scale, WALL-E isn't too bad, so I'm counting my blessings. I do have to admit, the scenes with WALL-E and Eve's budding romance are really adorable.
And, for your viewing pleasure, more pics!

Dental hygiene is always a challenge

Two of my great friends, Katie (with McKinlee) and Amy (with McBaby)

This has got to be one of my most favorite pics...it's hard to capture his true smile on camera these days! (with Alexis)

Playing at the park