Rob, Felicity, Gracey & Beckham

2011-11-30T21:24:00.001-08:00

So, when you live in San Luis Obispo these are the kinds of activities that you do for your ward playgroup. Pretty awesome right??

Gracey loved this little pony "Pixi"
Mindy Smith from Equine Freedom Farm was so generous to host riding lessons at her Ranch all day today. Gracey and Beckham said it was the "best day ever" They literally rode for hours and still didn't want to leave.

2011-11-26T16:26:00.001-08:00

I am in love with Gracey's Preschool picture. She is growing up WAY too fast!

2011-11-25T22:03:00.001-08:00

{Thankful}

We have a "Thankful" Banner that has been hanging in our dining room this last month. I have cherished the sweet conversations that have taken place between our family, as we have reflected on all the many things that we are thankful for. We are feeling especially grateful for our good health, as we have watched our sweet Lexi battle Leukemia.
This Thanksgiving was spent with my family. It felt extra special this year, since we no longer live close to them. I am so grateful that all my siblings and their families were able to join us for our "Feast"

Grammy brought turkey treats for the kiddo's

The girls did a lot of dressing up

We had a very special guest join us. My grandma. The kids call her GG for Great Grandma. I promise you, she is just as sassy as that red hair!! Loved having her in our home and watching her love on our babies.

Listening to a story

At the end of the story Gracey proceeds to ask GG.... "GG, why do you have one tooth going this way and another tooth going a different way?" I interrupted the conversation when she began asking if it was because she didn't brush her teeth enough... oh goodness, she is a brutally honest daughter of a hygienist.

The table

Post Feast lounging

My dad will be in Africa working during Christmas this year, so the kids got to do a little celebrating with their Papa. They lined up and anxiously awaited their "Papa gift". The kids were so quiet, I think Beckham thought we were going to pray. His little arms are all ready!!

Papa handing out his gifts

Some really excited boys!

Their very own Sleeping Bags!

The day after Thanksgiving was especially gorgeous and we spent the day at Avila Beach. The kids played for hours, just happy to be together.

Beckham found one of my brothers old toy swords one day, while playing at my moms house. Well, this sword goes where ever Beckham goes!! He has even perfected doing everything one handed, as to insure no one takes his powerful sword.

Tiffany, Harmony and my baby brother Justin

Happy cousins

And of course we finished our outing with some locally made ice cream.

Grandkids! [there are 2 more joining the family next year!]

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

November 2011

2011-11-21T14:12:00.001-08:00

Avila Beach Park Play date

Puss and Boots 3D

Apple Farm with Grammy and Papa

2011-11-21T12:33:00.001-08:00

I love hosting Thanksgiving every year! I get really excited to spend time with my Family and I love every minute of planning the menu and cooking. Growing up my mom was vegetarian. So over the years, I try to have creative dishes for her to enjoy. Our friend Chris made this dish last year during the holidays as his take on stuffing. It was divine. It reminds me of a souffle you would find in New Orleans. You must try it!!! Here is Chris' recipe:

Cornbread Pudding

4 eggs

1 cup course or medium grind corn meal

2 small cans green chili

2 cups cheddar cheese

2 cups heavy cream

4 cups 1 inch cubed bread

1 onion chopped fine

2 tablespoon butter

2 teaspoon baking powder

Salt/pepper to taste

Cook onions in butter until translucent. Beat eggs add allthe ingredients together except the corn meal, baking powder, and bread. Mixthe cornmeal and baking powder together add to mixture then add the bread andmix again. Let it sit for a few minutes so the bread gets soggy then puteverything into a baking vessel of your choice make sure to grease it or sprayit. The shallower dishes work best like a glass 9x13 as long as it is not toshallow . You can also use a cast iron frying pan if its big enough.

Takes about an hour to cook @ 350. You want the knife tocome out mostly clean but totally dry is no good it should jiggle a bit but notbe wavy. It should be nice and golden on top. Let it rest for 20 minutes. Eatit up.

I prefer croissants they taste the best and make the puddingmore fluffy the original recipe calls for French bread. You can also add adiced jalapeño or two if you want it mores spicy. Also this recipe is very adaptable to anytaste, this recipe is my own take on Alton Browns recipe from good eats.

This is my favorite salad right now and it will definitely be included in my Thanksgiving spread.

Salad:
8 oz cleaned baby spinach
1 ripe, but firm, Fuyu persimmon
8 oz fresh whole beets, roasted
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
Toasted Hazelnut Vinaigrette (recipe below)
Toasted Hazelnut Vinaigrette
1/4 cup hazelnuts (1 oz weight), toasted and chopped
1/2 shallot, sliced
3 oz extra virgin olive oil
1 oz champagne or white wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
If prepping in advance Steps 1 and 2 can be done the day before.
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the beet/s until done. Let cool. For further instruction on how to roast beets go here.
2. After the beets are done, or at the same time if you have a big oven, toast the hazelnuts. If the nuts still have their dark skin on them this will need to be rubbed off and is easily done after toasting.

http://www.formerchef.com/2010/11/22/spinach-salad-with-persimmons-roasted-beets-goat-cheese-and-a-toasted-hazelnut-vinaigrette/

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-03T19:43:00.000-07:00

Rob has been out of town all week, so I took a break from the kitchen and had a dinner date with Gracey. I suggested Chipotle (quick and delicious) and her response was "mom, I'm thinking sushi sounds good." Sushi sounded awesome!
Gracey made all her favorite requests:
"I really love the eel, the tuna with those crunchy fish eggs on top and octopus salad"
This girl loves to dine and was so excited to have a date with me. We topped off the night with frozen yogurt...it was perfect. And I made my girl really happy! We talked about how she played Rapunzel on the playground with her friends that day, why Jesus has to live in heaven and what outfit would be perfect for her school pictures. Love her.

2011-11-02T01:47:00.000-07:00

If this isn't Heaven for a little boy, I don't know what is!!!!!! Trenches, lots of dirt and a tractor....I Can Not keep him away! Today was the start of a big landscaping project. Can't wait for the end result. But in the mean time, this boy is Happy!

2011-11-02T01:29:00.000-07:00

Trick-R-Treat!!

We started Halloween off with a Bang!!....with Beckham chucking all my beautiful pumpkins and squashes off the dining room table in every direction. I am pretty sure god gave Beckham those cute dimples for a reason!!

We went trick-r-treating with the Harris' and the Salter's. The kids had a blast. This was the first year that Gracey wasn't terrified to knock on strangers doors and speak to them. She followed the lead of Abby and Charlie and was pretty excited about all of her treats.

Beckham decided that his dinosaur costume is really fun to wear at home but, did not want to leave the house in it. So, he wore his super cool "B" cape. Beckham managed to make friends with every homeowner he got candy from and weaseled his way into their homes to pet their dogs.

2011-11-02T00:26:00.001-07:00

October Excitement

I turned 32. I'm not sure how I got this old... but I celebrated anyways with my family and a giant slice of heavenly Mud Pie. To Gracey's disappointment, there was no themed party, goodie bags or pinata. However, we did spend the day in Santa Barbara and came home with my kind of goodies!!

Beckham graduated from his Super Roo's gymnastics class for the 3rd time and currently working on #4. He loves his teacher Nicole, swinging on the bars and playing in the ball pit. We are working on following instructions, staying with our class and most importantly not double bouncing kids off the trampoline. I am glad he isn't old enough to realize that he hasn't moved on to the next class 3 different times! Maybe next time Beckham!!! Until then....we are having fun!

Do you take pictures of your kids sleeping? I do a lot! Rob travels often, sometimes the kids are wild and I feel tired and old. I look at these sweet faces and I quickly forget that Gracey tormented Beckham for hours on end and that Beckham dumped buckets of pine needles and sand throughout the house. Their peaceful faces remind me of how much I adore these two and how much fun we have together.

We spent a couple days in Oceanside this month. I loved seeing my family and watching the cousins play together. How I have missed them all! Here are some of the highlights of our quick trip.

Seeing Uncle J.

Watching toons with cousin Skye.

Special time with Papa

Fun with cousins

Kisses with Aunt Tiff

TRex "Roars" with cousin Kaden

PreSchool Fun

A fire truck and Smokey came to visit Gracey's Preschool. They got to spray the fire hose and learn stop, drop, cover your face and roll.

Gracey's class is darling and we adore Miss Brittany. Gracey's favorite part of school is painting, puzzles and playing Rapunzel on the playground with her friends.

On the Home Front...

Our closet is finished!! I designed the closet with our contractor. I love that even my workout clothes have a home.

2011-11-02T00:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to our dear friend Abby. Gracey and Beckham adore Abby. She teaches Gracey to be imaginative and creative. She is so sweet to Beckham when he smashes her caterpillar or eats all her cookies. We love you Abby.

Charlie excited to party!!

LOVE

My beautiful friend and the cutest "babies bump"

Anxiously awaiting.....

The Loot!!

The delicious masterpiece

The party guests

2011-10-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Meet our sweet cousin Lexi

Three-year-old Lexi Krasnoff was just one week away from her second birthday when she was diagnosed with leukemia. After six months of intense chemotherapy, she was declared in remission, only to relapse again this summer. She started her third chomo treatment this summer and their family and community scoured the central coast for the perfect bone marrow donor. Unfortunately, last week we found out that the chemo treatment did not put her into remission and she is not able to do her bone marrow transplant at this time.
This week Lexi started her fourth round of chemotherapy. Our family prays for this little angel every night in hopes that some day Lexi and Gracey can run around the Santa Barbara zoo together.

Before Lexi had her fourth treatment, we celebrated her 3rd birthday "Shrek Style" She was in love with the awesome cake that her mom made her, and frankly so was I. Lexi is full of smiles and has the sweetest voice you have ever heard! Happy Birthday Lexi!! We hope all your wishes come true!

2011-10-04T17:27:00.000-07:00

Grammy and Papa from Utah come to visit!

We had a wonderful week with Rob's parents. Gracey and Beckham loved the constant attention and all of our fun outings. We enjoyed some gorgeous, hot weather. We played for hours outside, visited many parks, walking trails and had some fabulous outside dining.

Grammy and Papa playing Tee-ball with Beckham

This is one of our favorite Saturday lunch Deli's. It is enclosed with lemon tree's growing out of wine barrels with fragrant jasmine. The gourmet sandwiches are all unique and always way too large to finish!!

Beckham picking flowers for Uncle Cam.

This is how Beckham spends most of his time at home. Exploring in the nude. It's a good life!

Mama May cooking up some roasted salsa.

Our little artist!

Happiest Place on Earth 2011

2011-10-03T23:00:00.000-07:00

We joined our long time friends The Kennedy's for a fun filled day at Disney Land and California Adventure last month. Amelia and Gracey were so happy to reunite at their favorite place. I couldn't help but smile all day, as I watched these two girls walk from ride to ride holding hands and planning the next ride!

Gracey's favorite ride was "The Little Mermaid" We rode it twice and she can hardly wait to ride it again.

Our sweet Grammy was in town and joined us for our fun day. Thank goodness for her help. Beckham had a 4:1 ratio, {Adults:Beckham} and it was much needed. He tried to escape from every line and even left me running from a bathroom stall with my skirt half up.

Thank You Kennedy's for a fantastic day!

Huntington Lake

2011-10-02T23:35:00.000-07:00

This is Huntington Lake. A place that holds many of my childhood memories. My parents have a cabin that is tucked away above this gorgeous lake. As kids, we would spend hours down by the water catching water spiders, boating and swimming. I was so excited to take Gracey and Beckham to a place that I have such beautiful childhood memories of.

TA DA!!!!

Tiffany's Family spent the weekend with us up at the cabin. The kids had so much fun together.

Rob and Becks at the top of our waterfall hike.

Gracey and Maddy

Beckham ran all the way down our hike and talked daddy into letting him rehydrate with root beer

We took a paddle board up for the weekend. It was a perfect way to check out the cove. Beckham kept saying "Daddy....we're surfing, we're surfing!!!"

Who says you have to fish with a line and hook???

Tiffany and the kids

Loved our sister time!!!

2011-09-04T22:18:00.000-07:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Beckham!

That is one cute Birthday Boy.

Our Boxer Koda is Beckham's best buddy. He feeds him everyday and rushes outside after breakfast to hang out. They look for lizards, dig and snuggle in the grass together. I love the way Beckham's face lit up when he saw the Koda cake I made him.

Checking him out

Getting a little closer...

...and kisses him. Love this boy!

Chocolate lips and Koda outside waiting to play!

2011-09-04T20:57:00.000-07:00

Gracey's 4th Birthday!

This little girl had her heart set on celebrating her 4th Birthday " Tangled" style. Gracey must have lots of people who love her, because both our families traveled very far distances to help celebrate and make this day extra special!

They loved painting their works of art, just like Rapunzel.

Cousins and Gracey's friend Scarlett.

They busted open a treat filled pinata

They all wanted to dress up as princesses before they released the
"shining golden lanterns"

And of course ate lots of cake and ice cream!

Gracey trying on her Rapunzel extensions

To finish off the day, our babysitter watched all the kids while we had a super fun date night.
Rob and I took the May's to walk our favorite running trail and we enjoyed dinner together. I will forever be grateful that I married into such a wonderful family that I adore.

Gracey also got to celebrate turning "4" at her pre school. She could hardly wait to share her princess cup cakes with her class. Happy Birthday Gracey Girl!

2011-05-31T23:27:00.000-07:00

Gymnastics

Excited for their first day of gymnastics.

"the awesome possum"

Gracey and Beckham look forward to every Friday, when they get to jump, swing, climb and tumble.
... and I look forward to their darling, energetic smiles.

This is Beckham's highlight of the hour.
(Iphone pics won't go down as my best photography on this blog!!!!)

2011-05-31T23:05:00.000-07:00

Easter

2011-05-31T22:31:00.000-07:00

Early Easter with Grammy

My mom couldn't bare the thought of missing out on Easter while she was vacationing with my dad in south east Asia and Australia. So, she brought Easter to us in March. The kids loved her toy filled eggs and fun goodies!

2011-05-31T22:25:00.000-07:00

Hooray for Beckham! Potty trained just in time to turn 2!!

2011-05-15T18:01:00.000-07:00

THE SLO LIFE

San Luis Obispo is starting to feel more and more like home. We have had so much fun exploring all of the bike and running trails and eating our way through all the fun restaurants here. San Luis is so much more than a college town. It is filled with family owned businesses, farmers markets and caters to an active, healthy lifestyle.

One of our favorite trails with the kids, is a beautiful paved bike path called The Bob Jones Trail. It winds you through the hills of Avila Beach, a golf course and takes you almost to the sand of Avila. It is a charming little oceanfront town that I can't get enough of. The trail is 5 miles round trip. A perfect ride with the kids and one of our favorite runs for date night!

This is our other favorite date night run. Johnson Ranch Trail. This trail is unreal. The first time we ran it, I literally thought I was going to start crying, I was so excited. The lush green rolling hills are breathtaking, the old oak trees, the creeks and grazing cows. I am in love!!!! These trails take me back to junior high when I used to run jungle trails in Malaysia with my dad....but with leaches, right dad???

Another thing about SLO is, there are festivals, carnivals activities.... every weekend. There is always something going on. Generally, these are the types of places we would avoid, but we joined the Salter Family at the Apple Festival and had a great time.

Gracey painting a strawberry pot with Scarlett.

Beckham and I doing a cupcake walk

My favorite part of our new life here is our home. I love watching the kids exploring the outdoors. There are no neighbors or cars to worry about. We chase gophers and ride bikes all day. Sometimes, I feel like I am a kid again.

Beckham watching the chickens

Bike riding cuteness

Rob and Beckham after moshing the Range Rover all over our muddy property.

Beckham loving on Koda. Notice he is in his jammies. That is because it is 6:30 am and I notice him from our bedroom window outside. Apparently, they were eating peanut butter pretzels together. He loves Koda. He feeds him first thing, drags him around with him and is his best friend. Easter and Birthday parties are coming....

2011-04-27T01:04:00.000-07:00

Does your Grammy do this?????

So, I am driving home from the gym Valentines morning and I get a phone call from my mom. Her and my dad are on their way over, with a day of treats planned for the kids! It started with...

Heart Jello Jigglers

Homemade pizza's

Frosting brownies with lots and lots of sprinkles!

Valentine's gift's

What a fun surprise! Grammy and Papa's are the BEST!

2011-04-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

CELEBRATE!

A few weeks after we moved to SLO, the Harris', Waldron's and Alexander's came to visit. We had such a fun weekend together and even got to celebrate Charlie's Birthday.
I still remember the day Charlie was born. I couldn't wait for my work day to be over so Rob and I could go visit Ryan, Leanne and Charlie in the hospital. The nurse was so sweet and let us stay after hours because we were so excited to be there. It has been so much fun watching Charlie grow up into an incredibly funny and talented little girl. So glad we got to celebrate with her!

Girls on a walk

Our little artists

In true Leanne fashion, she just whipped together an amazing cake at our house.

Girls hot tubing

Watching a gopher peep it's head out and squealing with excitement/fear each time. Loved this great friends weekend. Thanks for visiting!

2011-04-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

2011-04-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

First things FIRST!

One of the first things I did when we moved was to find Jazzercise. Well, here it is! It's held in a hall, filled with about 10 ladies all over the age of 60 and 2 die hards, that are my age. It is definitely a different vibe than our Oceanside Center, but it is growing on me. The older ladies are super cute shaking it to Shakira! Hey, maybe I'll even get invited to a Bingo game!

Jeri came with me for my first SLO jazz

2011-02-21T15:18:00.000-08:00

Welcome to San Luis Obispo!
Jan 2011

Grammy May loved on these cute kids for a week, while I frantically tried to make our new house feel like home. They spent countless hours riding bikes, exploring our property and making friends with the chickens next door. Grammy's are the best.

Gracey and Beckham are loving the ranch life. They are obsessed with the chickens, horses, cows, rabbits and sheep that surround us. The Central Coast is absolutely breath taking; from the stunning green rolling hills to the rocky, uninhabited coastline.
We miss our family and friends in Oceanside, but have really enjoyed exploring our new home town. Can't wait to share the fun we are having!

Oceanside....you have been good to us

Cute sunset pose on our balcony, the evening before we moved.

Miss this view!!!

May Family Christmas

I think this was Gracey's favorite part of Christmas...having all of her May family together, especially Linny from Utah.

Christmas Smiles and New Rides!

Santa didn't disappoint! What princess obsessed girl wouldn't love this sparkly pink bike? Gracey had been talking about this bike since it surfaced at Costco last summer.

Beckham's new ride from Grammy and Papa

The mini Kick. I love this scooter. (Secretly wish I had one)

Linny loves her stuffed animals.

Gracey and Eliot watching a morning show together

Proud Grandparents

Christmas 2011

Firm Christmas Party

We changed it up this year and had our Firm Christmas Dinner catered at our house. We loved being able to laugh as loud as we wanted and play silly games with some of our favorite people.

The wives... and my best friends

Dance Party

Gracey has been dancing at Ariel's Studio for 2 years. We looked forward to every Wednesday and especially loved it when Skye joined the class.

Our Wednesday's usually went something like this-
Met our friends at Jazzercise to work out, watched these darling girls twirl in their tutu's and then made our way to Chick-fil-A. Thanks to our frequent Chick-fil-A visits, my sweet little boy always says "my pleasure" just like they do at the Chick counter. Love it!!!

2011-02-18T16:24:00.000-08:00

This little boy is on the run and loving it!

2011-01-17T23:57:00.000-08:00

This is our last week in Oceanside and it has been filled with one beach day after another! We can't get enough of this warm weather and blue skies. I am especially grateful for packers coming on Thursday. I love that I am out playing with the kids, instead of stuffing boxes every spare moment.
We sold our Oceanside home this week (Yahoo!!!) and are moving to San Luis Obsipo on Friday. I found out that we are going to be in the same ward we were in as newly weds, in our college days! It will be a lot of fun catching up with some old friends.

Tubbing after a day in the sun and Beckham not loving the group hug.

Next post will be from SLO.
To my friends: COME VISIT! PLEASE......

2010-12-12T16:06:00.000-08:00

MAY FAMILY 2010
Merry Christmas to our loved ones! I knew this year I was going to have to get creative with our family portraits. Beckham is curious and active and Gracey doesn't like smiling for the camera. Dominique did a wonderful job of capturing our family and even won over our sweet Gracey girl.

To check out more of Dominique's photography: dlphotos.net

2010-12-05T20:40:00.000-08:00

THANKSGIVING IN UTAH

Gracey could hardly wait to see "Grammy and Papa from Utah" She waited patiently for hours.
Unfortunately, we got stuck most of the day in the airport waiting for our plane. The best part was once we boarded, the pilot couldn't remember where he had just flown from because it had been " a long day". Awesome.

Beckham made some friends in the airport

All smiles. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. We love getting spoiled, eating yummy food and spending time together.

We got to see a lot of this little lady. We love her sweet voice and Gracey wanted Linny there every moment of the day.

Darling Linny

Gearing up for the frigid outside.

Despite the cold temps, we still ate some delicious gelato at Costco.

Linny loves stuffed animals.

We spent Sunday with our good friends The Kennedy's. Gracey and Amelia loved playing dress up together and sneaking caramels. We are always grateful to catch up with some of our favorite people.

2010-11-17T23:41:00.000-08:00

San Luis Obispo Law Firm sign was hung today. We are now official!

Rob has been in San Luis Obispo the last few days. We are missing him, but these two are keeping me entertained. Gracey puts on her Tiana costume daily, loves to practice writing her letters and numbers and looks forward to playing with cousins and Abby and Charlie. She will stop intermittently throughout her day to give me a kiss and say " I love you mom"
She picked out Tropical Carrot juice from Trader Joes for her preschools' Thanksgiving feast tomorrow. Yes, I love this girl. She will do anything for a treat and going to the gas station with dad is still at the top of her list of favorite things to do.
I have pretty much accepted the fact that Gracey doesn't like breakfast foods. Common breakfast requests are curry, fish, ravioli's. It's pretty crazy, but I'm done being a pancake pusher. When Gracey grows up, she wants to be a "runner" and a "painter" just like her mom and is going to marry Beckham when he is "taller" than her.

This little boy is talking. I forgot how fun this stage of exploring vocabulary can be. Beckham can count to five, will tell me he is "happy" and loves to read books about animals. He plays make believe with Gracey and likes to be outside. He thinks that when Rob goes to "work" he is going surfing. (Because he always has surfboards in his truck.) As Rob is leaving he will say "Daddy, work, urfing, urfboard" Love it. This boy doesn't sleep much and is always into something, breaking/destroying something, dangerously climbing and jumping.
Some how, come bed time, all that energy turns off. He snuggles up close, sings to me in the sweetest voice, leans in for kisses and bats his dark long lashes at me. Every night I feel myself cherishing these sweet, quiet moments and falling deeper in love with this boy.

2010-11-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

I snapped these pics the other evening with my iphone. While Leanne went to watch Ryan in trial, we got to spend an evening with Abby and Charlie. We had such a fun evening running in the waves and watching the sky light up in amazing shades of pinks. The girls loved their bubble bath followed by pizza and ice cream. Thankfully, the girls Izuzu pet has come back to life after Beckham decided it needed a bubble bath as well.

This is one of the many reasons I love living in Oceanside... a warm beach evening in November.

2010-11-09T22:28:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-Treat

Princess Tiana and "Koda"

Trunk-r-Treat

Cousins

Sweetness

Love that tail

Halloween Party
Garrett and Whitney invited us to their annual family Halloween Party. Whitney made a fabulous dinner and my personal favorite, Pumpkin cookies.

Beckham's new book

Our sweet Aunt Whitney made the kids special Halloween bags filled with all kinds of goodies.

Brothers' focused on football

Goodbyes

Central Coast

Beckham loves his Papa. He follows my dad everywhere and when he can't see him, he starts yelling "papa, papa". On this trip, he also gave my mom the name "meme". I think Grammy likes that Beckham has his own name for her.

I Love my running trails here. There are deer amidst the trees and we even made a few fox sightings.

Cure for a rainy day

2010-10-24T22:07:00.000-07:00

{Love}

I captured this sweet moment today at church.
Gracey took Beckham's hand and led him to the nursery for the first time.

Gracey gave me the play by play. It went something like this...
-We rode on the train together
-We colored pictures of happy people
-I helped Beckham sit in his big boy chair.
-I let him dip his fishies in my water.
-I helped him hold his cup so he wouldn't spill.
-I borrowed some of Beckham's marshmallows from the Lucky charms at snack time.
-We chased bubbles and sang songs.
Over the last few weeks Gracey has decided she wants to be a "big sister". I couldn't be happier that the sibling drama has subsided.

We have been home maybe 2 weeks total in the last 3 months. My sweet Beckham happened to be in my parents ward for his first nursery experience. I am grateful Gracey was such a loving sister today and showed Beckham the ropes, even in an unfamiliar nursery.

2010-10-19T22:14:00.000-07:00

It's true! These 2 hard working boys have expanded to The Central Coast!
Harris May Injury Lawyers - a premier personal injury firm - is based in San Luis Obispo with an office in Santa Maria.

Changes are coming to our family in the upcoming months. We will be moving from our beloved Oceanside to San Luis Obispo. We have found a house that we have fallen in love with and I have spent many hours mapping out my new life. I have located all things of importance.... the local Jazzercise and Gym, Costco, Trader Joes and thank goodness a Target is coming soon.

As college students, Rob and I were so busy with school and work that we didn't get to enjoy this gem of a town as much as we should have. I am excited to explore the running and bike trails of this beautiful area, shop at the organic markets and surf at one of my favorite spots, the reefs of Silver Shole's.

I couldn't be more excited for Rob and this amazing opportunity. Here's to new adventures!

Check out the new website!

http://www.harrismay.com

2010-10-14T19:07:00.000-07:00

Daddy-Daughter Night at Preschool

These two are having a special date at school. Gracey was so excited to introduce her new friend Zoey, to her daddy.

I'm not sure how it never crossed my mind, that this special evening could be Gracey's worst nightmare; A classroom full of strange men (daddy's) .
Gracey was much happier at the after party. (the gas station run) Although, even Sugarbabies and Icee's couldn't take her mind off how "scary and mean" all the dad's were.
I can remember Gracey being 6 months old, and bursting into tears as a male checker at Costco tried to make her laugh. Now that Gracey is a little girl, I can appreciate her awareness for strangers. I think the next Daddy-Daughter date will be with just Gracey and Rob :)

2010-10-10T17:22:00.000-07:00

EL SALVADOR

Las Flores is our favorite get-a-way spot. We come every year and it always lives up to our expectations. The grounds are gorgeous and the weather is perfect. We always eat well, surf, read, do yoga and beach runs, drink diet coke by the pool and my personal favorite... get out of bed when ever I please!!!

Our guys bringing in the surf boat.

Serenaded by a mariachi band our first evening. This guy was sweeet!

Coco Loco night. The guys decided to stick with their Diet Coke :)

Sarge, Phil and Derek. The 3 Amigo's.
Unfortunately the lovely ladies that belong to these studs were unable to make the trip this year. Girls...don't you know we plan babies around vacations??? We missed you!

Delicious Seafood.

It is always a treat to have some quiet time together.

We love these two. We have been taking trips together for the last 7 years.

Surf check from our room. Loved surfing in warm water and wished I could rip like the little local boys.

Here's to another fun vacation!

2010-10-08T21:27:00.000-07:00

In addition to attending my brother's wedding reception, Rob and Ryan searched every square mile of the Central Coast in search of the perfect location for their new Law Firm. One of the stops we made was at "The Rock" in Morro Bay. (A popular surf location)

Abby loves to carry Beckham around.

Our solution to unruly children.

We stayed at The Cliffs, in a quaint beach town called Shell Beach. It is lined with rugged cliffs, sea lions and views of uninhabited coast line.

This was the view from our hotel room. While Rob and Ryan were in appointments and looking at real estate, Leanne and I enjoyed watching the kids eat mountains of whip cream on their waffles, swim and play make believe in the pool and do creative projects at the hotel's kids club. This turned into a busy weekend for both of our families and the start of many central coast trips in the coming months.

2010-09-14T23:11:00.000-07:00

{Justin and Erin}

Congrats to my little bro and his new wife Erin, who where married in the San Diego Temple last month.

It's pretty unbelievable to think that we were married in the exact place 11 years ago.

Gracey and cousin Kaden wrestling on the lawn.

Justin and Erin's reception was in our home town of Santa Maria. It was held in Erin's parents scenic backyard, framed with rolling hills and the starry night. The kids danced all evening and waited patiently for the candy table to be unveiled, so they could fill their treat bags.

My mom and her boy

Dancing with Leanne and her sweet girls.

Gracey and Grammy

My beautiful sisters. I am so fortunate to have these lovely ladies as my sisters.

Sugar lips and some serious bling!

Playing around with my camera; produced a pretty legit ring shot.

Kiddie table

Beckham in his dancing shoes

Bryce and Rob with Erinn's dad, who we have known since we were teenagers.

Ready to retire those dancin' shoes

My sweet boys

2010-08-27T20:54:00.000-07:00

Lately, you can find us...

At the Beach, covered head to toe in sand with happy faces.

Charlie and Gracey

Abby really likes Beckham. He lets her carry him around and loves the attention.

The girls thought Beckham's budda belly was hilarious and took turns rubbing it. It is pretty darn cute!

Beckham trying to escape.

Beckham makes me melt. I love his sweet dimples when he smiles and his excitement for even the simplest of things. He is 16 months and weighs 18lbs, putting him in the 4th percentile. Beckham adores our boxer Koda. He chants Koda's name the moment he wakes up in the morning and is outside before I can even get breakfast going. Beckham loves food and will eat anything he can get his hands on. This includes non-food items as well, such as chalk,rocks,dirt,bugs. He guzzles soy milk, loves his blankie and is so psyched when Gracey lets him watch the Backyardagins theme song.
Beckham never stops moving for one moment and is always looking for trouble. He would rather play with cleaning supplies (broom,duster,vacuum...) over toys and is always climbing, pulling or damaging something. I cling to the tender moments of my day when I get a hug or a snuggle, because this little guy is always on the run!

We have a special playdate with Skye and Sydney once a week, while their mommy sleeps after a long shift at the hospital. Gracey and Skye are best friends and always look forward to spending their days together.

Sydney

The other day I laughed out loud when Charlie showed me a picture that she had drawn of my kids. In the picture, Gracey was wearing some crazy glasses and Beckham had druel hanging from his chin. Charlie captured them perfectly :)

Latest creations:

A baby gift for a sweet friend.

An internet order. I had a lot of fun doing this one.

A snuggle with Uncle J after a nap.

Gracey's World

Love this family portrait Gracey drew the other day while I was putting Beckham to sleep.

My little artist

This was my attempt at getting Gracey to go to bed at night. After a month of working on this chart I think we have finally narrowed bed time to a half hour instead 2 hours. :\ Yaaa for sticker bribes!

Harm knows all the EMT's in town from working in the ER. We ran into some at Trader Joes and couldn't pass up an opportunity to check out their truck. Skye is obsessed with Fire Trucks and Trash trucks. Gracey was at summer camp and missed out. Although, she did tell me that the Fire Truck would look way better pink! I totally agree Gracey. :)

If you follow our blog, you know that Rob and I love good food. For our Saturday adventure we drove into San Diego to eat some Naples stamp of approval pizza (who know that existed???) Bruno's did not disappoint and we have been back many times since.

Summer Lovin'

Loving the free mini cones from McDonald's!!!

Loving all of our fresh veggies from our garden.

Fresh carrot's, green beans and snap pea's= the ultimate nutritious snack

Love having my friend home

2010-08-02T14:12:00.000-07:00

Summer Camp!

Gracey is so excited for summer camp this week. She had such a fun first day. She made a necklace, fishing pole and fish, played at the park and had a picnic. So excited for cooking day tomorrow!
Beckham and I had some special time together playing farm animals, feeding Koda treats, snuggling and I got a treadmill run in during nap time.

2010-07-25T22:58:00.000-07:00

2010-07-25T22:56:00.001-07:00

As our Grammy from Utah went from The Smith's home to ours, we met up at Fashion Island for some yummy lunch and Gracey entertainment.

I will forever be grateful to Rob's mom for being at our home that week. She loved on our babies, so that we could be there for our best friends. I can't thank you enough Mama May.

Making a Wish

Singing and Dancing. There was no stopping her!

Love that sweet face!

2010-07-25T22:14:00.000-07:00

Dining Room Makeover

Before we even bought this house I had a vision for this dining room. In my mind, this was a waste of a room. We might eat in here maybe 4 times a year. So, while Rob was in Indo and we were all in Utah, this back wall was torn open and the carpet ripped out. This is the best pre construction picture I have.
#1- because we never used this room!!!
#2- forgot to snap a pic before we left town.

Doors and Slate in

The doors turned out amazing! They fold up and open this entire wall. Love my new sun room! Now for some furniture!

From my Garden

2010-07-23T22:20:00.000-07:00

Eclipse

Along with every teen in North County we anxiously awaited the premiere of Eclipse. I look forward to any night I can get out with some of my favorite people.

We made ice cream runs, played trivia, drank an insane amount of diet coke and even made some new friends!

2010-07-18T00:13:00.000-07:00

Blessing Eliot

After Granny's 100th Birthday party, we made our way south to LA for the blessing of baby Eliot Smith. Erinn and Andrew are sweet parents and have such an angel baby. I loved getting some snuggle time with this little guy.

Beautiful Mama

My kids love their Uncle Garrett!

...on the run...

The girls. Sydnee,Gracey, Aunt Whitney

Ha ha. This is our baby cage. Beckham was destroying our hotel room and this was my solution.

2010-07-14T23:30:00.000-07:00

100 YEARS

Rob's great grandma turned "100" last month. We drove up to Santa Barbara to celebrate!

Papa and baby Eliot

Gracey loved playing with her little cousin Lexy.

Admiring Eliot.

Grammy can't say "no"!!!

Best buddies!

2010-06-26T00:31:00.000-07:00

Gracey's First Dance Recital!

Gracey has loved her dance class. Her teacher Miss Olivia is adorable and she has made some cute little friends.

Gracey remembered her whole dance and their performance was darling. Gracey is shy around strangers and is not a performer, so this was definitely out of her comfort zone. I am proud of her for being so brave and more than anything, I am glad she had such a fun experience.

2010-06-13T00:41:00.000-07:00

IPad and Skull Candy... Life is good!

2010-06-13T00:37:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day

Memorial Day= The perfect day
Loved having Rob home on a Monday
Fun pool day with the Harris' and Garrett.
Yummy Mexican Food

Beach Fun!

We can never get enough beach days! I am so very excited for summer!

Beckham is obsessed with pulling and pushing things. This is what kept him entertained today!

I have actually found time for some projects lately. My sweet friend Mariah had a little boy this month and I painted this for his nursery. I also did some pretty fun art work on a few of Rob's surfboards that accompanied him to Indonesia this year.

2010-06-12T23:14:00.000-07:00

While this boy is getting barreled in Indonesia, we decided to have some fun of our own! I packed up the kids and flew to Utah to visit Grammy and Papa May. Luckily the flight is short because my Beckham is a busy boy! Here are some of the fun things we did:
Gracey ate her very first "smores"
Chilren's Museum in Salt Lake
Came home with some lovelies from J Crew
Some great runs up Slate Canyon
A day with the Kennedy Family
The Aquarium
Sleepovers with Linny
Lots of special family time!!!

Beckham loves Max. I'm not convinced the feelings are mutual.

Lots of park fun!

While in Utah we had the opportunity to attend Amelia's Princess and the Frog Dance Recital. The costumes were adorable and the girls had so much fun together.

Cute fire fly costumes! Amelia did such a great job!!!

Monkey's jumping on the bed!

Amelia playing with her Birthday present.

Yummy Snow cones!

Pink Frosting and Sprinkles. What more could a girl want?

Uncle Barrett

Aquarium

Giant Lobster

Checking out the fish

Some tired legs

Linny carrying a penguin almost as big as she is!

Beckham polishing off some Pahd Thai at Pei Wei.

We had such a wonderful week in Utah, and we all loved getting spoiled!

2010-05-12T16:05:00.000-07:00

The Month of May...

Has brought us a new Nephew! Eliot David Smith. Erinn and Andrew are sweet parents and we couldn't be more excited that he has finally arrived!

Gracey and Cam watching a little Dora.
May has also brought us a new roomie. Rob's brother Cameron is staying with us for the summer. We are excited he is here and love that he is getting a chance to know our kids.

.
Lots of play dates with Skye

Sweet cheeks

Happy Grandparents

Grandsons!

Baby Eliot- 3 days old

Jeanine and Linny came for Eliot's arrival. We sure love this little girl. Beckham couldn't keep his hands off her!

Gracey turned "3" this month. Pictures to come:)
I adore this girl. She is charming, artistic, social and really funny.

She has been practicing for her Dance recital

...and making time to feed her babies. (in this case a bunny) :)

2010-05-05T08:20:00.000-07:00

Dinner and shopping at Irvine Spectrum. Erinn is a darling pregnant mama.

Andrew, Rob and Garrett.

On Monday we drove up to LA and spent the day with Erinn. Beckham loved Erinn's truck collection.

Playing in Eliot's soon to be Nursery.

My gift to baby E.

We also got to celebrate Gracey's 3rd Birthday with Sprinkles Cupcakes!!!

Lunch with Auntie Erinn.

This was my garden 2 weeks ago and ...

this was last night! We are loving the delicious strawberries and the lettuce is ready! Gracey and I have had so much fun taking care of this cute garden.

2010-04-29T14:33:00.000-07:00

TODAY OUR SWEET LITTLE BOY WAS BORN.

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY BECKHAM!

2010-04-27T16:52:00.000-07:00

Chicago Getaway

I had a wonderful time in Chicago with some good friends and of course, my man. Our hotel was on the Miracle Mile of Shopping and connected to a Nordstroms. HEAVEN! The trip was relaxing and so much fun.

Handsome boys: Rob, Ryan and Derek

A walk down Navy Pier.

We took a fantastic boat tour down the Chicago river and into Lake Michigan.

The bridges were beautiful and check out the parking structure. Yikes!

And of course with all the amazing meals we got our workouts in everyday. Leanne and I took the boys out on a run down the lake. There might have been some whining on the way back!

The city was lined with blooming tulips and cherry blossom trees. It was absolutely gorgeous.

My girls: Leanne and Katie

This was our "girls day". It started with a morning run, makeup at the Mac counter and shop til we drop down the Miracle Mile. The best part was the boys kept getting phone calls from the banks and credit card companies reporting and verifying our spending.
It was such a relaxing day and I loved my bags of "lovely's" I came home with. Love the latest spring collection at J Crew!

Warning: The rest of this post is all food. You can stop now unless you are a foodie like me!
I don't pretend to be a food critic but, I have watched my share of Food Network :)

First night at L 2O.
If you don't already know, Rob and I love good food. We are attracted to recipes with fresh ingredients, healthy and creative. Rob did many hours of research and booked our dinner reservations far in advance.
L2O was featured on Anthony Bourdain's show and is one of his favorite dining experience's in Chicago. It did not disappoint.
L2O is a modern seafood restaurant in an historic building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. This restaurant reveals a fresh perspective of elegant dining. The four course meal included chef's tastes of the day, a raw appetizer, a warm appetizer and main course followed by desert. {of course}

Tastes of Spring. 10 ways to create with vegetables. A few were frozen with Nitrogen. Amazing!

Salmon

Scallops with passion fruit.

Crab and avo

To finish off the wonderful evening, we were given a tour of the Kitchen. We were able to see where they churned their own butter, prepared meals and my favorite... the Chefs spices.

I wish my pantry looked like this.
The whole experience was an amazing production.

Back down to real life... you can't go to Chicago without eating Pizza right? Pizza Uno was the spot! You order and then return in 30 minutes because it takes 45 minutes to bake this baby! I am a NY style myself {love the thin crust}. Although, this pie had everything you could ask for, including a crust that tasted like a biscuit.

The Second Night we went to The Famous Joe's. A night of Alaskan King crab, the best Halibut I have ever had and too many empty desert dishes to count.

Bone in Halibut

Biggest Crab legs I have ever seen!

MK's. An Italian and French cuisine for the 3rd night. Known for their fresh ingredients and modern flare.

Yep! That's BBQ octopus. It was so tender, it was like biting into lobster

Madagascar Prawns on a bed of minted peas.

Halibut in curry sauce.

Chicken, lentils and veggies

Are these deserts adorable or what?

....served with a malted shake!

Homemade donuts, dulce de leche homemade ice cream and hot chocolate.

This number was for the Rhubarb lover!

Special thanks to my Mom for loving my kiddos while we were away! We are so lucky she is always available when we head off to another adventure!

2010-04-06T16:56:00.000-07:00

Childs Play
Today grammy took us to a great play place in Temecula called Childs Play. Here are highlights from the day.

Dress up clothes

"Silly caterpillar"

We had such a fun day together.

He's on the move!

2010-04-04T23:18:00.000-07:00

Spring Boxes

Strawberries

My mom has a beautiful "Martha Stewart" garden back home. I was so excited she was in town to help us plant! Gracey loved placing the seeds in the soil.

2010-04-04T22:28:00.000-07:00

Dates....

Last week Gracey and Uncle Garrett had a special date.
Chick-fil-A, treats, Tiana doll and forever memories. You are too sweet Garrett!

Play date with Charlie

2010-04-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

{EASTER}

While Gracey was fast asleep she had a special visitor...

We had such a wonderful Easter Sunday. It began with homemade cinnamon rolls and omelets, an egg hunt and enjoyed the beautiful warm weather. Followed by fish taco's with mango salsa (I know, very traditional) and homemade pies of every kind. I enjoyed watching conference that evening with my mom while my loves slept. It left me uplifted and inspired to be a better wife, mom and servant to our Savior.

t
Running for the eggs!

Collecting the loot

Maddy

Kaden

Skye

Grammy and all her grand babies

Aunt Whitney and Beckham. Whitney put together the sweetest Easter basket for my kids.
I Love having Garrett and Whitney in Oceanside!

Gracey and Skye enjoying our beautiful Easter Sunday....in the dirt.

Here is our new look for the next few years.

Sydney- 1 month

I did a mini photo shoot for my adorable niece Sydney today

2010-03-28T18:50:00.000-07:00

{Purple Flowers, Red Lips and Jewel Shoes}

2010-03-26T17:18:00.000-07:00

A highlight from March was seeing this little lady. Berlin is absolutely darling and we sure wish the Johnson Family didn't live so far away!

Little buddies

The May Grand kids. Baby E will join them soon!

We love Linny

Erinn trying out her "pee pee tee pee".
While the May's were here we got to shower Erinn with gifts for Eliot. She is stunning pregnant! We can't wait to meet Baby E!

Erinn's Nautical Baby Shower. Whitney put together adorable anchor cookie cutters for favors and we had a burrito bar and fresh fruit salad for lunch.

Our fabulously talented friend Rhonda made the delicious cake.

Gracey and lovely Erinn

Grammy enjoying Beckham's cuteness

Steve surprised us with a box of Sprinkles. The coconut lemon was my personal favorite. But lets be honest... I tried and loved them all.

News Worthy...

With a break from the rain came... our backyard. Yaaaa for grass!
We had a stamped concrete patio put in and lots of beautiful green sod. The kids have been in heaven; Riding bikes, playing with the hose and having picnics.

Linny testing out the patio.

-Gracey got glasses last week to help correct one of her eyes. Trying to get a 3 year old to keep glasses on has been nothing short of a nightmare. Within the first weekend, we had a broken pair, a lost pair, and then another broken. We have another 2 pair on order. Wish us luck!

-Gracey also got a big girl bed. We held out as long as possible. I am all about the crib, aka "the kid cage". This has also been a challenge. Lets just say there have been many bribes and threats this last month. Suggestions on keeping a child in bed are welcomed!!!

- We had some glorious beach days this month. Beckham is having so much fun exploring in the sand and playing with sand toys. It has been quite a joy to sit back and watch my little loves play together. It usually goes something like this: Gracey tries to teach Beckham how to build a sandcastle, meanwhile Beckham can only focus on destroying her creations. That's playing right?

Looking forward to April:

Listening to our sweet prophet speak next Sunday and celebrating the resurrection of our Savior. (and watching my cute kids find Easter eggs in the backyard!)

A new Baby!!! Eliot is due April 28th

Beckhams FIRST Birthday April 29th
According to Gracey he is having a surfboard Birthday Party.

Vacation with friends to Chicago.
We are going to: Sleep in (top of my list), go to a Cubs game, do some serious shopping down the Miracle Mile, Eat some amazing food (Rob has taken on our eating Agenda:) ) Spa time and sight seeing. Can't wait!

Preschool Registration.
Holy cow, my little girl is growing up

And hopefully more beach days!

2010-03-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

My sister Harmony gave birth to a healthy girl early this morning! We are so excited to meet Sydney. Congrats to The Cottrell Family!

2010-02-28T19:33:00.000-08:00

We stopped by the Strawberry Farm on Friday and we didn't waist any time digging in!
I made angel food cake to eat with them. It turned out delicious. I added coconut and coconut extract to the recipe below. It was a hit!

Heavenly Angel Food Cake

Rated:

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ready In: 50 Minutes

Servings: 20

Ingredients:

12 eggs

1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup sugar

Directions:

Separate eggs; discard yolks or refrigerate for another use. Measure egg whites, adding or removing whites as needed to equal 1-1/2 cups. Place in a mixing bowl; let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, sift confectioners' sugar and flour together three times; set aside. Add cream of tartar, extracts and salt to egg whites; beat on high speed. Gradually add sugar, beating until sugar is dissolved and stiff peaks form. Fold in flour mixture, 1/4 cup at a time. Gently spoon into an ungreased 10-in. tube pan. Cut through batter with a knife to remove air pockets. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes or until cake springs back when lightly touched. Immediately invert pan; cool completely before removing cake from pan.

Rob and I always have our date night on Saturday's. This week while we were out, Gracey had fun making animal sugar cookies with princess sprinkles. What a lucky girl!

We enjoyed a Sunday evening watching the surfers ride some big waves

Beckham is 10 months and on his way to walking. He is incredibility dangerous right now and I can't let him out of my sight. I sweep multiple times a day because, he loves to eat Gracey's leftovers that have fallen on the floor. He smacks his lips when he sees food and wants to try everything. He's a tiny little guy weighing in at the 5th percentile. He takes a cat nap around 1pm and other than that he is on the move and well, so am I. His smile is absolutely charming. He loves to nestle his face into my shoulder for love and gives some pretty slobbery kisses.

Beckham has 1 tooth and 3 on the way. (hence the constant drool)

Our "man cub"

2010-02-22T21:35:00.000-08:00

{Baby Shower} a day for Harmony

Love my girls

I should have added a tub of toothbrushes to go along with these goodies. Yikes

Thank you to all of Harmony's friends who brought such generous, thoughtful gifts. So glad that you could all be part of this fun morning! Harmony deserved to be spoiled. She is such a positive, kind and selfless person and is a really sweet mommy.

Beckham made a little friend.

Mama May's famous carrot cake recipe never disappoints.

Thanks Leanne for making our favorite granola for party favors

Couldn't have a better friend than you.

Just a little bath time cuteness!

2010-02-17T22:12:00.000-08:00

Just a few of my Favorite things

I won't reveal how many carton's I go through in the next few months. Yaaa for Limited Editions!!!

Absolutely love their workout gear. So comfortable, love the built in, could stay in them all day.

I look forward to class every morning. I am not a dancer but I love to workout, sweat and see my girls!

Bosc Pears- I eat at least one every day. I buy the giant bag from Costco. So delicious!

Beach weather in Feb. I don't want this week to end!

2010-02-12T16:59:00.001-08:00

I just adore this little guy. When I was going through my pictures, I barely had any that he wasn't smiling in. Beckham is such a sweet boy. He loves his food and is catching up to Gracey's appetite. I stay very busy keeping these two full. I have made a ton of baby food over the last few months and have been getting very creative lately. So far Beckham's favorite of my concoctions is: steamed butternut squash, green beans and pears with tofu. Gracey even thought it was pretty good!

Beckham stands all by himself and is walking along anything he can. We have had a few weeks of sleeping through the night! YAY for mom! He also says "mama" and "dada" and when we say Gracey's name, he looks at her. He wants to clap so bad but for now he just smashes his knuckles together. Beckham's first tooth just broke through this week too.

This is pretty much what I have to "monitor" during my day. Beckham playing like a sweet boy and Gracey grabbing everything away because it is ALL hers. Hmmmm.

Cute dance hair

Beckham LOVES to push. Who needs toy cars when you have Tupperware? Remotes and phones work pretty well too!

Pushing along

Gracey LOVES hearts. This was our family night activity. Gracey polished off all but 2 of them! YIKES! Everyday this month we have done a "heart" project. I will be pretty sad when Feb. ends because I am absolutely loving all the Valentines stuff.

Beckham and Gracey LOVE to play house.

Gracey LOVES to do everything herself. I am welcoming her independence but, at the same time it takes forever to go anywhere or do anything. Gracey recognizes her letters and can tell you a persons name or thing that starts with that letter. This is her favorite game in the car. "Mom, what does stop sign start with?" She could care less about her numbers right now, it's all about the letters.

"Look, all by myself!!!"

Gracey LOVES her dance class every week at Ariel's Dance Studio. They do 1/2 hour of ballet and 1/2 hour of tap. She has mastered her "Cleay's" and her jumps and it has been a fun way to learn how to listen to instructions. Miss Olivia brings out the tumbling mat and they do somersaults, act like different animals and even pretend to make a PBJ sandwich. All so cute and entertaining to watch. Gracey is having her first dance recital in June. I have a hard time believing that she will actually preform in front of strangers but....we are going for it! I figure if anything, it will make for some cute pictures.

We LOVE our Daddy. Rob is all about the Fun! Gracey loves to go on "trips" with dad, get treats and play. I am so grateful that Rob has a wonderful job that allows me to be home with the kids. Sometimes he has realy long days and often is driving to Orange County or SD. We always look forward to when he is home! Rob and I look forward to Sat nights when our beloved Ashlea comes over to watch the kids, so we can have our date nights. We are going Trail running tomorrow together and I can hardly wait!

We have play dates every week with Skye. Her Mommy sleeps after working a long night shift and we play! Gracey always looks forward to playing with her cousin. Now that Skye can talk I am entertained by the funniest conversations between these two.

Making Valentines in her princess costume and drinking hot chocolate with marshmallows.

Gracey loves her "Projects". We usually do one everyday. Her favorites usually include glue, paint and anything that sparkles. I love her creativity and am so excited that we can share this interest together.

We LOVE this little peanut. Skye turned "2" recently and had a fun Tinkerbell party at the park. We get to see Harmony and Skye almost everyday. So glad to have sisters close by!

NERDS???? YUM

I made Skye's cake. The top layer was the May's famous carrot cake and the bottom was chocolate cake with homemade fudge peanut butter cup icing. The real feat was that most of it was done while holding Beckham.

Gracey LOVES Amelia and talks about her all the time. The Kennedy's and Moss's visited us from Utah. Ashlea watched all the kids while we enjoyed a relaxing Birthday dinner at West Steak House. The girls had a great time together and we can't wait for their visit in March!

My mom came for a glorious week. Rob and I got to have more date nights than normal and it was so nice to have her around to chat with during the day.

We LOVE our Grammy!!! and yes Gracey still LOVES her "Lewis" the alligator. He comes with us everywhere. Best 5$ I ever spent.

2010-01-12T21:58:00.000-08:00

Beach day with Skye and Harmony

The weather has been amazing the last few weeks so today the kids and I decided that we need to go out and enjoy it. We met up with Harmony and Skye for a great day of sun, sand and a picnic lunch!

Becks first experience with sand

Beckham is now 8 months old. He is our sweet little boy and his little face lights up with those dimples every time he smiles. He is very active and his constant mission is to keep up with Gracey. He doesn't have any teeth yet but is starting to enjoy all of mommy's favorites---plain Greek yogurt, tofu and eggs and apparently ate a Snickerdoodle with Rob on Sunday when I was at church meetings. (My mom was horrified)

After an hour or so, Beckham was digging the sand. This was the first of what is sure to be many beach days.

SKYE, our newest 2 year old!

We are heading back tomorrow for some more fun!

2010-01-06T22:42:00.000-08:00

May Family Update:
We had a wonderful December filled with Christmas parties, lots of fun family time and tons of yummy treats... followed by never ending runny noses and me in bed with pneumonia. Bring on 2010!

Heading to The Firm Christmas Party

We have had some amazing sunsets from our balcony, this was one of my favorite nights. Our bedroom was filled with pink light. Gracey commented "it's magical mommy"

My Christmas gift for Gracey: paint, sparkles and sequins

Playing together.

We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas on the Central Coast with my family. Rob and J got to go for a freezing early morning surf.

My mom put together a darling program for the kids. Gracey was Mary, Kaden was Joseph, Maddy and Skye were the Inn keepers. We finished the evening with Christmas carols accompanied by the kids with tambourines and horns.

Beckhams monogrammed bath towel from Grammy

Santa brought Gracey a doll house.

Studly May Men.

Bringing in the New Year at the Harris home

2009-12-14T22:22:00.000-08:00

The kids and I had a cozy little weekend. Rob was on a "mancation" with Ryan and Max. They flew to Dallas, caught a Mavericks game, a Charger game, ate some really good food and stayed at The W.
We had a lot of rain, drank A LOT of hot chocolate and Gracey and I made giant snow flakes. She is so in love with them and thinks it is hilarious that it is snowing in the house.

Man cub just smiled and giggled all weekend and followed Gracey around the toy room.

...and we might have made brownies.

For family night we made our very own gingerbread house. We were lucky there was any candy left to decorate the house with.

...so excited!

2009-12-11T14:39:00.000-08:00

We are taking Gracey on a date to go see this movie tonight. She has been looking forward to this day for months. She has memorized the book and knows all the characters. She is so excited to have a BIG bag of popcorn and a drink to set in "the hole" It's going to be a FUN, FUN night!

2009-12-09T22:43:00.000-08:00

All ready for Church

2009-12-08T23:21:00.000-08:00

2009 has been such a great year. These are pictures from Christmas last year. I am blown away by how much has changed. Gracey has really grown up this year and it has been so much fun watching her turn into a little girl. We are so grateful that Beckham came to us healthy and has been such a sweet boy and a perfect addition to our family.

MUST HAVE

2009-12-02T15:00:00.000-08:00

http://www.ellaskitchen.co.uk

THIS COMPANY IS BRILLIANT. I RAN ACROSS THESE AT BABIES-R-US THE OTHER DAY AND THEY ARE AMAZING. I KEEP A FEW IN MY PURSE AND CARS. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN LITTLE MAN CUB WILL BE HUNGRY. HE SUCKS THE BABY FOOD RIGHT FROM THE POUCH, ELIMINATING SPOON, BOWLS & MESS. PLUS, IT IS ALL ORGANIC AND THE FLAVORS ARE SO FUN. LOVE IT!!! YOU GOTTA CHECK IT OUT IF YOU HAVE A BABY FOOD EATER. MY PANTRY IS STOCKED.

2009-11-29T16:35:00.000-08:00

We had family pics this weekend. Love that I got one with Rob, now a days we rarely are in a picture together.

This might be my favorite of the day. Love that girl. Most of our pictures are with Gracey holding her personal progress book. Now that I am Young Woman pres, she is working on it early:)
No seriously, it's called her temple book and they are inseparable. I got her to hide it under her skirt in this picture!

Gracey putting dad to sleep. (reading him personal progress)

Rob and I took some of the youth to do temple work a few weeks ago. These are a few of my girls.

2009-11-18T16:09:00.000-08:00

Ariel's Dance Studio