Wow! Has it been a month already?!?! Time just flies when you're busy. There is a lot to catch-up on and I better get it done before Christmas, so I can keep up!

This is Hayden and his penguin. He insisted on getting this penguin and treats him like he's his little buddy. It's fun to watch him be so thoughtful and make sure that his little buddy is comfortable.

Hayden loves his backpack. It's usually stuffed full with diapers, toys and treats. We laugh when he walks around with it on because he sways from side to side because he can't keep his balance.

Here is the house we are living in. It really doesn't look like it belongs in San Diego and it is the only house of it's kind. The original house was a little one bedroom cottage that was moved from the property on the hill behind it. The previous owners built around and made it into a mountain lodge. My favorite part is the master bedroom with ceiling to floor windows, an open beamed ceiling and beautiful brick fire place. It reminds me of staying in a log cabin. If only we could get rid of the skunks for good...

This is another picture from our Disneyland trip. There were plenty of little Fall photo ops around and I was happy that Hayden was willing to stay still for a few seconds!

Disneyland!!!!!!

This past weekend was so nice. We spent Sunday evening with my family out at my grandma's house in Coronado. The boat docks run in between the complex and her living room overlooks all of the pretty boats. It was my cousin's birthday and we all got together to celebrate. Kevin cooked up some hamburgers that my grandma prepared and we had potato salad and baked beans. She had the place all decorated with Halloween black and orange. It looked great, but somehow I didn't get any pictures of the Halloween decorations, I'm bummed about that! It was so nice. Hayden especially enjoyed the black cat climbing on the pumpkins that my grandma had in her perfectly manicured garden in the front. It is so relaxing and fun to be at her place and she does so much work to make us all comfortable. We are so lucky. It was really nice to spend time with her and with the rest of the family. Hayden loved walking along the boat docks and watching all the little fishies in the water!

Summer of fun!

Okay, so there's lots more where these came from, but I need to play catch-up since it's been over a month since I last blogged. We've actually had quite an eventful Summer, it's just hard to sum it all up in one post, so this is just the beginning of a series. (If I actually stay consisitent with blogging regularly!)

Disneyland with Uncle Jeff!

Faux-hawk!

Catastrophic bike-rides with Mom and Grams!

(Mom broke the breaks 5 minutes into the ride and we had to walk the bike

all the way back to the rental station. Luckily, it wasn't the first time

it had happened and they let us off the hook!)

Playing on Kurt and Jen's boat at the river!

(Can't wait to have a little buddy to play with there in a few months!)

Flying kites with cousin Jack!

Some more headshots

My 16 year-old brother Jeff took this for his photography class...

I love it Jeff!

Snowcones at Alex Meservy's birthday party.

Gotta love that personality!

Such a sweet boy!

Ready...Set...Doh!!!!!

Favorite Pics of Hayden

Nana's couch watching "Nemo"- July 2008



Easter 2008



Thomas' Birthday Party- April 2008



Fresh & Easy- March 2008



Sea World- June 2007

I know this is more like a Hayden blog, instead of a family blog, but I have to include some of my favorite pictures from the past two years. I'll include more of a variety once I get this whole blog thing down.

My Birthday!!!!!

If you didn't already know... today is my birthday! As Neil put it, I am celebrating the 7th anniversary of my 21st birthday. I received several phone calls throughout the day wishing me a happy birthday. Kevin's grandma, Lou, even sang "Happy Birthday" to me on the phone!

My co-workers took me out to Fudrucker's for an extended lunch and I even got a 2008 Summer Olympics hat from Beijing.

When I got home, Kevin suggested that we go out to Coronado and enjoy beach for an hour or two. Although he was apprehensive at first, Hayden even adjusted to the sand and dipped his toes in the water a few times. He forgot about being scared for a little while. It didn't last very long though, because he got close to the water and remembered that he didn't know if he liked it or not. When the tide came in, he ran away screaming and we couldn't get him back on the sand for the rest of the time we were there.

After the beach, we drove home and Kevin BBQ'd some yummy steaks. What a great birthday!

Coronado 07/08

Here we are in Coronado. We had a fun time with Todd, Emily and the boys. We ate at a little pizzaria and enjoyed the beautiful Summer sunset on San Diego Bay where we watched the ferry land and played on the shore. Kristi and Nana were there too! It is so much fun taking advantage of the long days while we still have them.

As you can tell, Hayden did not want his feet to touch the sand. He has no problem running in dirt, but sand is a whole different story. Jack and Drew were jumping in the water with all of their clothes on and Hayden was perfectly fine hanging from our hands.

Padre's Game 07/08

Can you tell how much he loves baseball? We took Hayden to watch the Padres back in July. We knew he would love it because all he ever talks about is "ball". He could watch baseball on t.v. forever and watches every move. When someone hits, pitches or catches the ball he says "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" At the real game he was a little disappointed because he held his glove out for a while but the players weren't throwing the ball all the way up to the top of the old Western Metal building so he could catch it.

It really was a great evening. Kevin and I enjoyed ourselves too! My work sponsored the whole evening for us and my co-workers complete with a hamburger and hot dog buffet, cracker jacks and raffle prizes. We didn't win anything, but watching Hayden's face light up when he saw the real thing was priceless. Kevin's friend Vanessa was there with her twin girls. Her husband is Mike Jacobs, the first baseman for the Marlin's who were playing the Padres that night. I'm kind of bummed I didn't get a picture of the twin girls, they are adorable! Maybe Mike can give Hayden some pro pointers someday...

Okay, so I am finally doing it

. I am terrible at scrapbooking and journaling, so I think blogging will help me to keep up with documenting our family life and be better at sharing pictures of Hayden with family and friends. I figure that if everyone else can find time to blog, so can I!

To start our blog off, I've included this recent picture of our son Hayden. I don't know what's cheesier, the macaroni or his grin. This picture was taken last week when my sister-in-law Kristi picked him up early from the Rico's house and she, Scott and Shawnna took him to Chili's. He is going through a phase right now where he refuses to eat vegetables and meat and will only eat Macaroni and Cheese, fishies, toaster waffles, milk, fruit snacks, fruit and Saltine crackers. I hope this phase will pass because I know that he needs to eat more nutritiously. We continue to place several options in front of him, but they seem to just end up on the floor, instead of his tummy. Every day is an adventure with Hayden, but at least he is growing and has been very healthy. He is growing up way too fast!