My baby and her hair are growing sooooo fast!

It seems like just yesterday we brought our little baby home from the hospital and she fit perfectly into her little bouncer! Look at Cade being so sweet with her! (June 2006)

Little did we know that he was devising a plan to get in that bouncer as soon as she was out! Better than with her still being in it, right!? Well, he may have been a little big, but after all, it was his in the first place! (June 2006)

The other day, I cleaned off all the stuff that I had on top of this bouncer in my room and I found Ambree on it, as happy as could be! She isn't as quite as big as Cade was a year ago, but definitely a little too big for the bouncer! Don't you think?! I can't believe she is one!

Oh, and did I mention that she has Crazy hair?! Well, she does! Her hair is growing right along with her . . . funny how that happens! LOL! We call her "Crazy Hair Lady."This is what she usually looks like when she wakes up . . .


And this is what she looks like when she doesn't have a clip or rubber band in her hair! It doesn't seem to faze her at all when her hair is in her eyes like this, but I try to keep it up as much as possible. . . lately she has been pulling out the clips and rubber bands though! What am I going to do with this girl?!

Ambree loves to walk along furniture and to walk while pushing her little shopping cart, but still isn't walking on her own. She does however, stand alone for quite a while, until she realizes what she is doing . . . I haven't got a good pic. of her doing it yet, but I will try to get one soon and post it! Here is one of her on her knees throwing a little tantrum (yes she does do this every once in a while) . . . don't we all!?

Ambree at Huntington Beach, California

More Beach Pictures from Lindsay!!

Why do I need a really nice camera when I have a friend who has one!? I'll tell you why . . . because in three months she is going to be moving to Arizona and I will be moving to Utah! Maybe someday . . . huh. Thanks again, Lindsay, for the pics! They turned out very cute.

Gotta love the baby "beach bum" with the diaper hanging out!

Yummy . . . SAND!!

"Check out those surfers, DUDES!"

Nothin' like "off roading" at the beach!

I was just curious!

Ok, so my cousin did these "celebrity look alikes" on her blog, and it made me curious to see what people came up for us . . . even the kids! So, apparently Angelina Jolie is a long lost relative of ours and Cade looks like a girl! Who knew!? Oh, and I always knew I had black ancestry some where, with Williams as a maiden name, naturally curly hair and the booty! LOL! It does, however, look like Craig does too, so who knows where Cade gets it from . . . probably both sides! Anyway, it's kind of silly but fun too . . . you all should try it too, I'd like to see!

Cade's Celebrity Look Alikes!

http://www.myheritage.com

Ambree's Celebrity Look Alikes!

http://www.myheritage.com

Craig's Celebrity Look Alikes!

http://www.myheritage.com

Trenda's Celebrity Look Alikes!

http://www.myheritage.com

Just Another Day at the Beach . . . and the Park!!

Yesterday was my first beach trip with my two kiddos and no hubby, and I survived!! I did go with some girlfriends (Lindsay Palmer and Michelle Larson) and their kiddos, so I wasn't completely alone! Thanks girls for your help!

On this outing, I learned lots of things along the way . . . you know me . . . always learning! Here are some pics. and some of the things I learned . . .

-It takes way longer to pack for a beach trip than I thought . . . give yourself A LOT of time!

-Don't attempt to find free parking, just pay the $2.00 at the parking meter and get on with it!

-When you have just gotten to the beach, don't expect your kids or anyone else's kids to look at you when you want to take their picture!

(Cade playing in the sand with Blake and Gavin Palmer)

-Surf boards that you find, just sticking out of the sand, make great props for pictures, but are probably not the best idea for rolling toy cars down!

-The hat, and sunglasses are cute and all, but only last for 5 minutes (on Cade at least), so really what is the point . . . it's just more to pack and remember to take back home!



-No matter how much of your own food you pack for the kids, other people's food will always look better! (Ambree mooching almost all of Dylan Larson's food from his mommy, Michelle)



-I think I now understand why they are called, "SANDwiches!"

-Sand in her food doesn't seem to faze Ambree at all, but it drives Cade crazy!

-It is impossible to keep sand off kids hands at the beach and therefore off of their food!



-Ambree loves the beach, and she loved the water . . .



-after she got used to it! This was her first time in the water at the beach!

-Cade loved the water . . .



-and the sand . . .



-as long as he wasn't eating, he was perfectly fine with it all over his body!



-If you don't hold onto Cade's hand while out in the waves, they may knock him over.

-It is very difficult to help him up if you have a baby in one hand and a camera in the other, but it is possible!

-Cade hates to get bath water in his eyes, but the "falling completely under the water at the beach incident" didn't seem to faze him in the least!

-Cade would play with me in the waves all day if I let him!

-There is no point in taking a magazine to read at the beach anymore!

-Going to the beach is a completely different experience now than it was when I was a teenager!

-It is best to leave the beach before your kids get tired and whiny . . . otherwise, Cade will cry hysterically during the whole walk back to the car, saying that he wants you to hold him . . . as if I had a spare arm to do that!

-Extra arms would be very helpful when carrying a baby, towels, a backpack, bag of trash, and sand toys from the shore to your car!

-Don't give the bag of trash to your crying toddler to carry or they will most likely dump it all out and cry even more! This whole scene is especially embarrassing/funny in a way, when you are right next to two young, single girls (wearing very skimpy bikinis) laying out trying to have a nice relaxing day . . . I am sure I solidified their decision never to have children! LOL!

-After all the drama getting to the car, your kiddos will fall asleep in the car and you will have a very peaceful drive home and think about the FUN time you just had . . . for the most part!


After we got home and had naps and baths, we headed over to the park for our ward's Pioneer Day celebration . . . It was fun seeing everyone and just letting the kids play! Of course I took a picture with my "blog buddies" that were there . . .



Lindsay Palmer, Sara Warren, Me, and Michelle Larson . . . where was Leslie Sanders? We'll have to get another one with her later!?



Cute little Ambree in her "Rainbow Bright" shorts! She is learning how to walk . . . kind of . . .



Ambree and Abby Warren (bloggers in training) have fun playing together . . .



Looks like Craig found himself a comfy spot at the park!



All in all, it was a fun day with family and friends . . . I'm sure it was quite different than the pioneers would have done it though . . . I guess times have changed!!

Just Because . . .

Two nights ago, Craig went to work and when he came back home he gave me these beautiful flowers! When I asked him what the occasion was he said, "Just because . . . your cute!" Wow, 5 years and he still thinks I'm cute! The love potion I have been putting in his food must be working . . . either that, or his eye sight is worse than we suspected! LOL! What a great husband I have . . . I am so grateful for him and all he does for me and our little family . . . he works soooooo hard for us!! We love him.

Brad Paisley - Online Music Video

Ok, maybe this song has been around for a while and I am completely out of the loop, but I heard it on the radio for the first time the other day! I thought it was pretty funny! It is just so true and so typical for our time. I mean, who knows, maybe I am making up everything I post on this here blog! I guess you'll never know. . . LOL! Have any of you heard it yet? Check it out!

Happy 54th Birthday Dad/Grandpa!!

July 19th was my dad's 54th birthday! To celebrate, I took my kids to surprise him at work! All the employees there love it when we show up. . . they adore the kids! We took him a gift and some balloons and then went out to lunch with him. It was a lot of fun! The pics. didn't turn out that great, but here are a few from the visit. . .

I found this frame at Hall mark and thought it was beautiful and very fitting for my dad! The pic. doesn't do it much justice (It's made out of some sort of stone, and the lettering is carved in).

A tribute of pictures to my dad and 54 things about him! You know how I love lists!

1. He was born in Rupert, Idaho.
2. His parents are Shirley and Howard Williams.
3. He is the oldest of 5 children.
4. He weighed 30 lbs. when he was one year old!
5. He was raised on a farm in Idaho.
6. One of his homes growing up was right on the snake river.
7. He had a big black shaggy dog named Max!
8. He caught skunks and rabbits for fun!
9. He built a gun when he was just a kid!
10. He has been building things ever since!
11. He is a peace maker.
12. He was king of one of the dances his senior year in high school.
13. He went to Minico High School.
14. He was a wrestling champion in high school.
15. He went on an LDS mission to Japan.
16. He went to BYU-Provo.
17. He graduated with a degree in construction.
18. He was on the Ballroom Dance Team at BYU.
19. He met my mom (Joy Andreason, at the time) in a social dance class at BYU.
20. He married Joy in the LA Temple.
21. They were married on May 4,1978.
22. They lived in MANY places the first 10 or so years of their marriage.
23. Some of those places were Provo, UT; Declo, ID; Burley, ID; Twin Falls, ID; Bakersfield, CA; Seattle, WA: Tustin, CA. . . to name a few!
24. They finally settled in Riverside, California, which is where they have been for the last 18 years . . . in the same house!
25. He has 6 children and 3 grandchildren.
26. He is a very caring, loving, and patient father and grandfather!
27. He is great with children.
28. He is full of charity and faith.
29. He works for Shea Homes.
30. He is the customer service manager.
31. His office is in Brea, CA, which is about 5 miles from my apartment!
32. He visits us every once in a while on his lunch break.
33. Cade calls him Grandpa Dennis and loooooves him!!
34. He likes watching old TV shows and movies.
35. He likes watching the History Chanel and the Discovery Chanel.
36. He is an Eagle Scout.
37. He loves camping, hiking, and fishing.
38. He is very easy going and patient!
39. He has always had an unwavering testimony of the gospel.
40. He is a very hard worker and has always been a great provider for our family.
41. His is easy to talk to and a great listener.
42. He just got released after 7 years of being bishop.
43. He is quite the "handy man!"
44. He has built many things in his home: the table and chairs, the mantle, the kitchen counter, the shelf in the living room, shelves in the bedroom, put in the floor tile, and the wood floors in three rooms, just to name a few!
45. He loves watermelon.
46. He is very healthy and very determined to stay that way.
47. He has great will power and is a great leader.
48. He loves his family very much.
49. He loves trying new food and is not picky at all.
50. He is a great story teller.
51. He knows lots of silly and fun songs that he learned from his dad.
52. He loves visiting historical sights.
53. He loves to read. . . when he has the time!
54. He is the best dad in the world!

Ohh, the things you do. . .

When you don't have a yard and therefore don't have a swing set!

When you don't have a high chair because you just don't have the space for it!

Oh well, Ambree still seems happy, and I guess that's all that really matters. . . RIGHT!? (I'm trying to convince myself).

Gotta Love Sesame Street!!

A while back we went on a family outing to the Discovery Science Children's Museum. Part of the museum was Sesame Street, which Cade loved!

Cade is having fun with all of "his guys!" They weren't actually his but that's what he called them!

Gotta love Elmo's World. . . it is definitely one of Cade's favorite shows!

Where's Oscar?! When ever we pass garbage cans similar to this at the park or where ever, Cade always has to talk to Oscar, and he usually wants to give him some trash to eat!

Ambree was hoping that some character would answer the door but no one did!
There was an exhibit on the human body which was very informative! I guess it's ok to pick a nose as long as it's not your own and it's made of plastic! By the look on Cade's face I think he found something up there!
This exhibit made me laugh quite a bit, but I guess it's a fact of life!


I guess it's ok to pose next to someone, or should I say something going poo, as long as it's not you who's doin' the pooin'!

There was also a Pirate exhibit outside, which Cade loved! This pirate was dancing and Cade decided to join in!
Havin' fun with daddy. . . learning how to be a pilot!

One of THOSE days!!

I think this picture pretty much sums up how my day was today!!

Ugh, just what I needed was one more thing to clean up!! Word of advice: Don't put watermelon rhines into a paper bag and then let the bag sit on your counter for a few hours before you pick the bag up!

Today was just one of THOSE days where you feel like things just keep going wrong and you can't wait for it to end, and hope that the next day will be better! The highlight, or should I say low light, of the day was when I heard a shrill scream from Cade and went into his room to find him standing in the closet with the sharp corner of the sliding door on his toe and blood gushing all over! Yeah. . . lots of fun! I got the door off his toe and discovered a pretty deep cut! I rushed him to the bathroom and put pressure on it with tissue. In the mean time, Ambree had pulled herself up to my leg and was crying louder than Cade was! I couldn't even think! After everyone calmed down, I assessed Cade's toe again and thought neosporin and a band aid would be fine. At this point, he just kept saying, "I want a nap!" over and over again and I was more than happy to oblige! When Craig got home around 5:30, the rest of the day was a lot better. . . Cade woke up from his nap in a great mood and said his toe was all better, Craig read Cade stories while I finished dinner, which was very yummy (I highly reccomend the bruchetta sauce from Trader Joes. . . it's great with pasta, feta cheese, chicken, and basil), Craig then suggested that I go get some frozen yogurt and a movie while he put the kids to bed! Once again, I was more than happy to oblige!

Happy Fourth of July!!

Ok-I know it's almost a week late, but it's never too late to celebrate this wonderful country. . . right! Since I never got any pics of Ambree in her "patriotic wear" I just had to dress her up again and take some pics. . . that's part of the fun of dressing kids up anyway, isn't it!?Well, these are the best shots I could get of both of them. The one above isn't actually what I had in mind, but it is a pretty cute action shot! Ambree looks pretty distraught in the one below, but it really shows the relationship my kids have with one another. . . Cade always trying to hold Ambree down, and Ambree always trying to escape. . . ahhh, brotherly love!!The kids playing around, and not cooperating with mommy!
Ohh, what a little angel. . . most of the time!?
I just love this little outfit. . . two dollars at a thrift store, Old Navy brand, with tags still attached. . . you can't beat that! Oh, and aren't the matching bows adorable!? I made them myself. I haven't scrap booked since Ambree was born (bad mommy), it's just such a process because I have to take out all my rubber made bins and search for everything and make a huge mess of the kitchen table, and then have to clean the whole thing off if I want to use the table again! Ohh, maybe someday I'll have a craft room, that would be nice!! I do, however, keep a journal for my kids, and I have been having fun making Ambree's bows! I am thinking about making and selling them. . . would anyone be interested? We'll see!!