Calls

Overdue London Update

2012-01-25T17:07:00.000-08:00

I haven't done an update on London is a LONG time! And I know I'll be sad if I don't write some of this down for me to remember. I know I'll forget most of what I love about her age right now, but at least this will get me started. Most of it is just silly little stuff, but she changes so much so fast that I want to remember some of the small silly stuff that doesn't last long. I usually don't have the patience to write long blog posts, but this one is worth my time and patience! But just a warning that it might not be worth your time and patience to take the time to read :)

She is almost 21 months
Weighs about 22lbs

*She still has her pacifier at night, but never asks for it during the day and knows its for babies when they are sad, or just for night night time. I haven't even begun the thought process of weening her from it at night.
*She has a play set of spoons and little pink bowls that she carries EVERYWHERE with her. In the car, on walks, in her crib.. everywhere.
*She says please and thank you
*When I lay down on the couch she goes to her crib and gets her favorite "ga" (blankie) and puts it by my face.
*kisses my stomach and says "bebe"
*Still loves drinking milk from a bottle.. even though she drinks every other liquid out of a sippy cup.
* She has a shoe obsession, just like her dad. She plays in my closet of shoes for a while every single day without fail. She likes to have them on even around the house.
*She still loves people. Says hi to everybody in the elevator and in all the stores.. and says it until they acknowledge her and say hi back.
*When Jeremy changes her stinky diaper, he fake dry-heaves... so now every time she has stinkers on she comes to me with a diaper and dry-heaves.
*Her favorite book is "That's What a Friend Is", and all of the Dr Seuss books.
* She does all the actions to: popcorn popping, itsy bitsy spider, if your happy and you know it, once there was a snowman, patty cake.
* We sing her I am a Child of God every night when she goes to bed, so she associates it with bedtime, and actually loves it at night, but if we sing it during the day or if she hears it during church or somewhere else, she bursts out in tears and cries until its over and then she is completely fine.
* She loves going to the daycare a the gym while i work out. When she sees me in my work out gear, she runs to the door and says "toys".
* loves having her fingernails painted. She'll sit on my lap and let me paint them and help me blow on them while they dry.
* She LOVES going to nursery at church (I don't know if her or i love it more!).. she sometimes cries when i go to pick her up to leave.
* She has picked up hitting a little bit. Slapped me in the face in church last Sunday actually. So time outs are a close acquaintance these days :) She knows that shes not suppose to hit because she'll come up after and rub my face really soft and pull my face to hers so i'll kiss her.
* LOVES swimming in the ocean. The water is FREEZING right now, but she doesn't seem to mind. Her lips will turn purple and start shivering uncontrollably before acting like she wants to get out.
*She loves grapes and oranges, and thats about it as far as food goes. Stinker! But we are working on it and she is doing better and better at trying and liking new things.
*Her favorite show is Curious George, and makes his monkey sound all the time.
*She knows when kids are younger than her or around her same age, and loves to boss them around "no no no, mine!".. so naughty. But she doesn't do that with kids older/bigger.
*Jeremy and I love to put on music and try to get her to dance, she has no rhythm and its hilarious. She sure gives it a go though.
*She has started biting her fingernails, makes me insane.
*She has 8 front teeth, 4 molars, and 1 canine just coming in (and hates getting her teeth brushed!)
*When she wants to leave the house she'll go get her shoes, and a pair of my shoes for me.
*Loves having her swimsuit on, even just around the house.
*She loves her baby doll and will wrap her up, sing to her, pat her back, and say "shhhhh, seepy".

I love learning her lingo. She says way more words than this.. pretty much tries to say everything we say.. but here are a few I want to remember.

Hocka = Socks

How = More

Ga = Blanket

toe toe = toes

tur tur = turtle

peeeese = please

tain tu = thank you

esus = Jesus

paa = pacifier

shish = fish

coooo = cookie

banana = nana

Goer = George (Curious George)

I know every parent feels this way... but she really is just the greatest thing in the world. Don't get me wrong, she makes me insane some days, but those moments never last long. I love having a "friend" with me all the time (except when i'm shopping, she's become a horrid shopping partner!) Jeremy and I are a broken record.. its ridiculous how many times we look at each other and say how great she is and how lucky we are. I know that makes me sound like i'm trying to say our life is bliss and our child is perfect. its not. but its close, and we are so lucky to have each other :) I can't imagine loving anyone else as much as I love D and Germ, but people say it happens.. so this baby girl on her way may have some hope. I'm kidding, I know I'll feel the same way about her as I do London, and I just can't wait.

we just love you "bubba es d"... obsessed really.

the beach

2012-01-16T21:13:00.000-08:00

i can't count how many times a week jeremy and i say

"i can't believe we live HERE!"

and i really can't

the beach is my favorite place.. ever.

there is NOTHING like it.

here are some pictures from over the last couple of months.. some before Christmas, and some after, but i wanted to share.

these are some i look right before we were announcing to our families that we were expecting again :)

we are just way too excited for another girlfriend.

the other day, i heard someone say that living in La Jolla was living at the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.. and that anywhere you go from here won't compare.

i believe it.

christmas

2012-01-16T20:53:00.000-08:00

christmas has always been my favorite, but i can see its going to become an over the top favorite the older london and our "future friends" get.

i love watching her LOVE christmas time with both our families!

my niece, Morgan, was so sweet with London.. she even babysat her for us while we went to a movie one night!

if we lived closer she would be our full time babysitter for sure!

look at the complete focus on that face of mine... i don't take playing the annual "up on the house top" duet lightly. its serious business.

my family has started a talent show tradition on christmas eve for all the grandkids to show off their tricks and treasures. but nat and i can't let this opportunity slip through our tickling the ivory fingers!!

(its in a level 1 beginners song book! ... and we still have to start over a dozen times to get it right. mostly because we can't stop laughing!)

Lincoln

Morgan

Christmas Morning

this was her favorite present by far

we had another "christmas eve" at the Calls, and it was fabulous! London LOVES her cousins!

this was the first time ever on santa's lap.. she was a little leery, but didn't loose her mind like i thought she might.

Hunter and his gorgeous eyes

ady and kam... two sassy girlfriends

i wasn't great about taking pictures over Christmas..

we were just having too much fun to take time to bust out the camera i guess :)

it really was SO SO great.

i usually am pretty ready for Christmas to be over.. not that i don't like it, but i just like to get back into a routine, but not this year.

i was sad to see it end.

so grateful for my Savior. his birth, life, and perfect example.

i love the feeling of a NEW BEGINNING, SO excited for this year! and i know this year is going to bring an overwhelming amount of excitement and happiness!

we are so blessed.

and we are SO THANKFUL.

:)

2011-11-27T17:38:00.001-08:00

grateful

2011-11-24T19:24:00.001-08:00

gosh,

i wish i could express in words how grateful i am for ALL i have been, and continue to be blessed with.

i'm a lucky lady.

to say the least.

happy thanksgiving friends.

pictures, pictures, pictures

2011-10-18T19:16:00.000-07:00

the last time my parents came i think i only took 1 or 2 pictures.

no worries, i made up for it big time this go 'round :)

they are very out of order.

oh, i just love it when they are here, and hate to see them go.

london was in HEAVEN! and showed off the entire time they were here!

we went to Julian, a little town that is known for its apple orchards about an hour away.

this cute guy had a birthday!

birthday boy just waking up. (my favorite is london's hair in this picture below.. i love seeing her rats nest every morning!)

my mom made jeremy a coconut cream pie. his favorite

the Montgomery's came to celebrate germs bday with us, brought homemade ice cream, and best of all..

wrote and sang a song to jeremy.

i have it recorded on my phone, but can't figure out how to get the darn thing on my blog from my phone! oh but don't worry, i'll be finding a way! its hilarious, and must be shared.

wow, i guess my leopard print cardigan is making me feel like posing a little frisky for this picture. rarrr

my mom and dad watched london while jeremy and i went and watched the red tide down at the beach the night of this birthday. it makes the waves GLOW a blue/green. one of the coolest things i've ever seen. just one of those things you have to see, i could never explain how amazing it is.

we took my parents to Balboa Park.

the buildings totally remind me of how a lot of Europe would look.

not that i would know.. just what i have pictured the architecture would look like.

maybe my favorite picture of all time, so cute of both these cute friends.

my mom is so cute with my little girlfriend. i hope london and i have the kind of relationship my mom and i have always had.

the next couple of pictures are in a museum at Balboa Park.

my mom and i got a mani/pedi. it was amazing. more amazing than even the quality of the picture below!

we went to DISNEY ON ICE.

jeremy has a hard time not buying out the whole concession table at any event.

Snow White

Aladdin

my mom bought her this light up toy that spins, and she is STILL obsessed with it! she has the trigger pushed non stop. i was a huge fan myself until she got my hair all wadded up in it, and i could have thrown it across the room.. but i haven't.. yet.

headed to the airport :(

(this pictures is obviously way out of order, don't want to move it!)

we went to SEAPORT VILLAGE

saying goodbye. oh my word, i can't even explain how much this little girl LOVES her grandma and grandpa.

i don't blame her, i'm their biggest fan also!

half

2011-09-19T21:43:00.000-07:00

my good friend, Erin, and I ran the

Camp Pendleton Heart Break Ridge Half Marathon

13.1 miles

(actually according to my mine and my cousins gps, it was 13.6 miles)

every STEP is worth documenting in my book!

we carb'd up the night before

It was pretty humbling running next to these guys during the race. They wore ALL of their gear: gas masks, heavy backpacks, big boots, and some even carried a flag while running! I couldn't help but get a little teary eyed when I passed a couple of them and I patted one of them on the back and the sweat just gushed off of him where I touched him. It was so symbolic of what these men and all of those who fight for us do everyday in our behalf. Incredibly humbling.

Pre-race with our good friend Brett

my cousin who has ran a marathon recommended trying jolly ranchers throughout the race.

GREAT recommendation.

finish line. this feeling doesn't get much better.

Erin was such a great partner in crime.

COULDN'T have done it without her.

Krystle's dad ran with Brett, and Krystle came to support the crew

I passed out 6 feet before the finish line and this is how I finished.. in the arms of my Prince triumphantly carrying me across.

Okay, that's not true, but would have been a pretty awesome story to tell, right?

fiesta

2011-09-15T10:25:00.000-07:00

we had a fiesta going away party for our sweet friends, the CLAWSONS

so sad to see them go, but feel SO blessed to have gotten to spend so much time with them over the last year.

they really are salt of the earth kind of people that we will never forget.

dax came dressed the part.

just look at that cute little thug. kills me.

like father like son

i know what you're thinking.. she absolutely gorgeous.. it's true.

and whats even better is that she is even more gorgeous on the inside.

one of the classiest women i will ever meet.

theres no playing around with jeremy..

broke the pinata AND the broom. punk.

i have LOVED having DAXTON so close in age with London (they are about a week and a half apart), they are so cute when they play together.. oh i just love that little boy.

oh, we'll miss you Alice, Corbin, and Daxton!

Congratulations on the job, and GOOD LUCK with the next phase of life!

so exciting for you guys!

the dryer

2011-09-12T12:13:00.000-07:00

she's in there for about 23 hours of the day.

well, she would be if i would let her.

i don't think i need to say much more, the pictures pretty much tell the story.

a new day.. but same ole story..

(yes, those are piggies.. can you even believe it? she looks 13 years old in this pictures to me.)

..and i'm sure history will repeat itself today as well.

london.. london, and more london

2011-08-24T21:46:00.000-07:00

sorry if some of you have already seen some of these on facebook.

okay, i'm not that sorry. they are worth looking at again! :)

i wanted to write some things down about London before i forget some of them. nothing too monumental, just small things that i want to record or i'll forget them even a month from now.

She is starting to say more and more words:

HOT, ball, shoe, aw-oh, yum, ouch, mama, dada, baba

she will point to her nose, ear, and eyes

she blows kisses and gives kisses a MILLION times a day, and she's starting to just randomly do it by herself without me asking. NOTHING better.

one short story to go along with that.

i was at Trader Joes, a grocery store, the other day and london was just sitting in the cart like she usually does, i was going about my grocery gathering business and she keep reaching for me, so i finally stopped and looked at her and she put both her hands on my cheeks and pulled me in and kissed me.. I watered up right there. kinda like i am right now just talking about it. ha! times like that are what make those other moments where you want to strangle them much more bearable. she really is such a happy, sweet little girl. how did we ever get so lucky. i'll never know!

i know it sounds so silly to describe a 16 month old this way.. but she seriously is so ridiculously outgoing that its not even funny. she loves everyone, and would give anything for just a little attention from anyone she comes in contact with. she has started blowing kisses to random people to try to get their attention if they aren't looking at her. oh, squeeze her cheeks off. okay, i'll stop gritting my teeth now.

she is still a stinker about eating. if she didn't like mashed potatoes, yogurt, and watermelon we might have a 8lb toddler on our hands. oh, and how could i forget mickey mouse clubhouse, that show was inspired by the heavens. it distracts her enough to feed her new things and pump any extra calories in her on any given day.

at any given moment, if you come a'knockin at our door.. you'll probably see a scene similar to this.
no pants, and her sunglasses on. she LOVES wearing them around, but she usually has two wrists full of bracelets on at the same time. what a toad.

this big fella was quite the missionary! we loved having him in our ward, and had him in our home NUMEROUS times for dinner. and let me tell you.. he was an EATER.. he could put it down like no other. when ever i thought i might be cooking too much, i always threw in a couple more chicken breasts because i knew he would polish off every last bite. he was in our ward for almost a year! which is VERY rare. we miss him already

how jumbled is this post?! holy.

i don't know why i uploaded my pictures so out of order.

oh well.. too lazy to switch them around.. so instead i'll sit here and talk about how jumbled they are instead of taking the time to fix them.

this is one of her newest tricks that i have her do a bazillion times a day

"fish face"

folding her arms

fold arms, bow head, close eyes... getting ready to pray.

this is by far my favorite thing she does. and she'll actually sit there very patiently for about a minute (okay maybe 30 seconds, but i'm trying to make sure sound super advanced, is it working?)

she loves the beach.

i wish i could say i love taking her to the beach

okay, don't get me wrong...

i love that she loves it and loves the water.

but she is a maniac.. she is not one to be content playing in the sand with a sand bucket and toys..

she high tails it for the water every chance she can and would dive in head first if i would let her.

but the worst thing about taking her is she has an obsession with laying her head/face right in the sand. eyes covered in sand, gagging from a mouth full of it, and the sand GLUED to her scalp.

i know how bad you feel for me right now. i can just taste your sympathy.

but in all reality.. if jeremy and i are both there to take turns chasing this crazy lady around, its pretty fun to see her love it so much. she doesn't seem to mind cold water, which she absolutely did NOT inherit from her mama.

this little escapade was pretty against my will. against my will so much that i grabbed my camera and ran to get full coverage of it :). Jeremy took her out (super shallow water, he's actually on his knees) on the surf board, and she was squealing the whole time.. loving life.

do you love that jeremy is in a full on wet suit and our tiny girlfriend is just bare skin'n it in the freezing water. such good parents. she was shaking and shivering to death the whole time she was in the water, but SCREAMED when we would take her out. mad woman

brett (london's 2nd dad)

sweet baby OLIVER.

this little guy is the sweetest baby ever.

oh, is there anything more delicious than a new born?

sydney, tim, oliver

brett & krystle

london likes them more than us. and i know i usually exaggerate MOST things i say, but this is not an exaggeration.

she just gets sick of the same old mom and dad.. she likes to switch it up.

i work one day a week, which happens to be the only day jeremy doesn't have school.. how perfect did that work out, right?

anyway, not the point.

while i was at work last week, jeremy put a ponytail in london's hair for the first time all by himself. he has watched me do it a million times, but i never thought he would attempt it himself since he has never even done it in a doll's hair or anything before.

i don't know why i thought this was so cute.. but i couldn't get over it. i laugh out loud when i think about his hands trying to work that elastic around her hair... i would have got it on video if i were home while he was doing it.

cute guy. the cutest dad in the world. and london is crazy about him. and so am i.

this picture below looks like an innocent, sweet picture of london at the beach..

but it's her sprinting as fast as she can to get as deep in that water as she can before we catch her. don't start sweating yet.. we don't let her any closer to the water by herself than this picture shows. except for that one time we strapped the boogie board to her with duck tape and let her play in the ocean for hours by herself.

can you tell i'm bored? jeremy is at a meeting and london is sleeping, and there are only so many things i can look at on craigslist, ebay, facebook, and pinterest, before my head starts spinning out of control.

its time to start a project. like, right now. maybe i'll get back on pinterest and get ideas for a project.

ha.

night friends.

not always happy..

2011-08-01T16:26:00.000-07:00

bugged...

about to blow...

distorted face, high pitched squeal... she's lost all control.

i posted pictures of her a while back of her getting progressively happier and happier..

but this is to prove she's not always her chipper self.

And her little fits make me laugh..

(sometimes they make me laugh, other times i want to throw her outside and lock the door. and i've only done that once.

come on, i'm kidding about actually doing it, not about wanting to! don't report me.)

california spice girls

2011-07-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

about a year ago i totally copied my friends from Idaho and started a RECIPE GROUP,

and it has been so fun meeting up once a month to learn and try new recipes.

we named ourselves

THE SPICE GIRLS

(tell me what cha want what cha really really want!)

we have a blog that we put the recipes on so we can refer to them any time we need a quick idea

(i'll share that blog with y'all when i get it updated and put all the new recipes on!! it needs a face lift before i start sharing it with my e-friends)

a different girl hosts recipe group every month, and then 3-4 girls contribute a recipe for the night. and we all eat til we are moaning sick.

rachel hosted this last night, and i must say... no offense to past recipe nights...

THIS one was my FAVORITE so far..

prolly has to do with the fact that i could LIVE on pizza alone.

homemade pizza was the theme,

and these girls worked their magic with fancy pantcy pizzas

we had about 5 different kinds of pizzas, and a fruit pizza for dessert, but i only got a few pictures before they were demolished :)

greek style pizza

veggie style

and... this is what i contributed to the night.

i'm safer... ok, lets be honest.. everyone is safer if i just stick to bringing items unrelated to cooking

(but i am trying to cook more and be more domestic, don't give up on me just yet! poor germ)

this is rachel, the host from last night.

she supplied the crust and cheese for all the pizzas, and then had these amazing Italian sodas for us to make ourselves. lip smack'n good, i tell ya what.

since i've been back from my month vacay in idaho,

i must admit, i've been in a bit of a homesick rut..

haven't really felt myself, and have missed family terribly.

BUT....

i'm back!

back on the california band wagon, full force.

and these girls are to blame for it. life savers.

AND its helps that we have been to the beach and/or the pool daily.. and like i said in my previous post.. there is just something about being at the beach that is truly therapeutic.

thanks spice girls.. for spice'n up my life.

JUST what i needed!

the view from my world..

2011-07-19T23:45:00.000-07:00

is addicting.

wow.

i mean, come on guy.

gorgeous.

and this view.. there is just something about it that is good for the soul.

and my favorite of the week.

she just might be a girl after my own heart. she will play in my jewelry forever

feeling pretty overwhelmed with gratitude lately.

belly button

2011-07-15T10:04:00.000-07:00

She's completely obsessed with belly buttons these days.

Tries to lift my shirt up all day to see mine, and does it to all our friends also.. some are pretty willing to show her.. others are a bit hesitant. can't say i blame them :)

but i love that EVERY time i ask her where hers is... she gladly shows me.. its about the only time i can get her to look at the camera.

oh.. i just want to bite her stomach off. love this girl

she has also become obsessed with books, she brings me books ALL throughout the day and then backs up into me to have me read them to her.. and then she lasts for about 1 minute into the story before she's got bigger and better things to be doing.

jeremy took london to coronado island on a date last night while i was at a relief society activity. he sent me this picture.

where do i start?!

2011-07-12T22:13:00.000-07:00

i don't even know where to start.

i feel like we have a whole year to cram into this post.. so thats pretty much what i've done.

we were in idaho for a month.. well, i was.. jeremy had 4 business trips, so he was back and forth.

it was amazing. i love my family, i love "home", and i just love summer.

i had my 10 year class reunion, we celebrated the 4th with family, went 4 wheeling, swimming, boating, camping, had 2 family reunions, hung out with old friends, and just enjoyed the PERFECT summer nights in IDAHO!! there really is NO PLACE like Idaho in the summer... i'll be singing a whole different tune come winter!! :)

so here is our last month and a half in pictures..

VERY out of order!

these lovely ladies threw one heck of a baby shower for our sweet friend, SYDNEY, who is due with her first baby boy in 3 weeks! we can't wait to meet the little guy!

rachel, sydney, krystle, alice

there must be something in the air.. lots o' pregnant gals around these parts!

the girls asked me to take pictures of the shower for them.. hence the million pictures of the event (who am i kidding, i would have this many regardless if i was asked to take them or not!)

we made these blocks for syd's baby boy while we were at the party.

the cutest idea ever.

our own little wheat grass pots to take as party favors. love it.

lettuce wraps.

my mom said she has been begging and pleading with my dad SINCE they got married to let her put mascara on him because his eyelashes are RIDICULOUS!!! so long, and SO thick!

and guess who FINALLY got him to crack. his favorite daughter of course! :)

how much do i love these girls? gosh, makes me miss them just looking at these pictures!

we went swimming at ross park in pocatello.

cousins.

macy & london

maya & london

london's first boat ride and trip to the lake!

she LOVED it!

p.s. the water was NOT one tiny bit warm.. she was quite the sport just floating in her little life jacket. she kills me.

getting ready to skinny dip in the lake. must have got that urge from her dad.

beautiful kam.

germ & i on the tube. im pretty sure there is NOTHING i like better than being on the lake/boat... i could spend hours, days, weeks doing nothing but this...

is there a better holiday than the 4th? i love all the fun traditions.

parade, bbq's, fireworks, the colors, family... can't get enough of it... and this year didn't disappoint!

my mom, natalie, and i made these outfits for our girls for the 4th..

okay, mostly it was my mom and natalie.. but i was there to rant and rave :)

maya.. you're cute.

some of the grandkids watching the parade

this girl is absolutely obsessed with my dad. but... i don't blame her.

running through the sprinkler at gma/gpa calls! do you think she liked it?!

i love her expression.. she would scream when she thought we were done.

jeremy's mom watched london for a whole day while jeremy and i took a LONG ride on the 4 wheelers up in the mountains.

so great to just be with my friend.

we celebrated our 4 year anniversary last month and i honestly feel like i couldn't be luckier to have found someone so suited for me. i'm so "at home" when i'm with him, no matter where we are.

we went to my 10 year reunion a few weeks ago, and we both said it feels like we have known each other forever, its hard to believe we didn't know each other back then. just seems like its always been this way. so glad i have him for a long, long time.

he's the greatest of all good ones for sure.. even though sometimes i want to poke his eyes out because he works too hard and is on the phone entirely too much. its a good thing he's so darn cute, and sweet, and patient, and funny, or i'd have to give him and that phone the boot.

i have the right to get mushy at least once a year.. don't judge me :)

10 year reunion

me & maunarae

one of my friends from elementary and all through high school!

and of course me and holl. bff since 1st grade

i saw cole at the fireworks on the 4th and we had to strike a few of our famous poses.

our favorite.. the polygamist ladies.

when i pulled this face for the picture, she didn't even look at me and said "i already know what your face looks like without even looking at you because of the way you are all tensed up" i love that she knows me that well. ha! cole, come see me!

spent the day with holl and her kids at he beautiful home. love that girl and all our YEARS and YEARS of memories!

d loves her gpa call! how could she not?!

family reunion at downata hotsprings

can't get more beautiful than an idaho summer night.

happy fathers day to the cutest man in the world.

tyler.

we found a robin egg.

gma huls turned 90!!!

call siblings with their dad on fathers day

i guessed the right amount of candy in these 3 jars at the huls family reunion.. all those years of candy and cavities are finally paying off!

cheeseball contest.

i think we tied. either that or people got too disgusted with us to keep counting.

when i want to remind jeremy of how lucky he got when he married such a catch..

i show him this picture.

lace MADE me.. (pulled hair, head lock, kick in the shin) MADE me crop her out of this next picture bc she had a canker sore so big that she couldn't even smile normal..

your loss lace, i guess you can't claim helping make these 106 delish cake pops we made!

i love summer!

mumbo jumbo

2011-06-05T19:23:00.000-07:00

i know i've been posting a lot of picture with my girlfriends lately..

and i promise i don't neglect my little family to fend for themselves to "live the dream" with my girls

but they are pretty fantastic.. and our girls nights are so refreshing..

literally refreshing this last week!

We had a spa night, gave each other facials, meditated, and of course ATE :)

i know, don't be jealous, you've never seen me look better.

what do you think.. is green my color?

germ, d, and i went for a hike yesterday and weren't a bit disappointed in our hard work for this view...

not to mention this view.. this little guy flew RIGHT over my head.. probably only about 10-15 feet above me.

why do hikes make you feel like you NEED to strike a yoga pose? okay, maybe thats just me.

London on Memorial Day at the beach.

cute bday party

2011-05-29T19:01:00.001-07:00

One of London's best boyfriends..

DAXTON,

turned 1 !!!

And his parents threw THEE CUTEST party for him.

COPS & ROBBERS theme.

(this is dax eating a pig in a blanket.. aka.." an undercover cop")

we ate hamBURGLARS, ball and chains, and much more..

WANTED posters of all the kids that went to the party

finger printing station for the kids

things got crazy and pregnant robbers were running wild!

if london had to choose between Krystle or me being her mom...

well, i don't even want to think about who she would choose!

LOVES her, to say the least.

Corbin (dax's dad), painting this robber/cop picture... hilarious

Corbin (daxton's dad)

Call Cop Family

(keaton, dax, london)

all three of them eating dax birthday cake

(look at keaton.. he came as the joker, i couldn't get over it)

i'm afraid london tries to steal the show everywhere she goes..

i think she ate more of his cake than he did.

Christian might have had the best costume there.. or at these the "most daring costume"..

courtney's spandex look amazing on you christian.

we had so much fun celebrating his birthday. what a sweet boy, and what sweet parents his has!

And of course...

here are just a few random pictures from the last few weeks

Have a great Memorial Day tomorrow friends.

P.S. Most of my family is coming a week from tomorrow.. don't everyone scream at once with excitement!! OHHHH, i can't wait!

28

2011-05-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

how can i be this old?

but if birthdays are like this year... keep bringing them on!

my girlfriends had a surprise party for me a few days before my birthday and we all went to dinner and they spoiled me rotten.

(they made me do a bday dance after dinner outside of the restaurant)

sydney, courtney, me, katie, krystle, erin

personalized menu. cute.

jeremy took this picture of all the girls surprising me. super fuzzy picture.

but so sweet of these friends of mine!

i spent my actual birthday with germ and d, and it was a perfect day.

life is good.

mothers day.

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

Jeremy's parents came to visit over Mother's Day weekend.

So fun to have them.

London was in HEAVEN.

She just loves her gma/gpa Call!

Lance's beast of a burger.

before church on mothers day

Thanks for coming. It's always fun to have you guys :)

London is officially WALKING.

its crazy, and actually really exciting (i know.. i'll be eating my words eventually with the "exciting" talk, but for now, the newness of it is super fun)

I thought I would do a little update on her since it's been a while, and I want to remember what she was doing at her 1 year old mark!

*she says "what's that" to just about everything.

*she is starting to point to everything when i ask her where something is..

her nose, light, mom, dad, Jesus (points to the picture of him)

*she is quite possibly the WORST eater EVER. pretty much hates everything, and throws a not so tiny fit every time i put her in her high chair

*has been LOVIN whole milk (thank goodness or she might be starving to death)

*barks like a dog when she sees a dog... or any animal for that matter

*she has 3 new teeth coming in (that will make a total of 7!)

*loves drinking out of a straw

*sleeps 12 hours at night, and still takes 2 naps

*loves to go to any and everyone.. not even the slightest bit shy

*loves to be read to and LOVES when i make animal noises

so, to sum it up.. she's pretty much the greatest thing ever.

even though i want to pinch her tiny bottom every time i have to put her in her high chair to attempt to feed her. :)

can't believe summer is here, just saying those words make me SMILE!!!

girls night

2011-05-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

is there anything better?

i think NOT!

erin's cousin owns a restaurant/lounge in Pacific Beach and he was SO NICE, and hooked us up with a rooftop-ocean view table, not to mention a free meal for all of us.

we laughed way too hard. nothing more therapeutic.

why do you automatically turn into the 18 year old version of yourself when your with your girls? i love it.

thanks for making this happen Erin.

so fun.

It's SWEET to be 1

2011-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:00

She's 1!!!!!!

Can't believe it.

and we had a sweet time celebrating..

There are a few bare spots on the table because I got these pictures before the cupcakes and

fruit shish kabobs were out! darn it.

big thanks to shelley from howdoesshe.com for the inspiration!!

We had a yogurt/fruit/granola bar to try to offset the sweet overload.

ginormous THANKS to Courtney for helping me pull this off. she kept me sane and organized :)

Like most kids, London's FAVORITE thing in the world is to be outside just playing..

so we took her to the beach and played on the grass for a couple of hours with her and she was in heaven. She taking TONS of steps on her own.. pretty much walking these days.

I just can't believe how in love with her I am. It almost hurts :)

We couldn't be more lucky to have the friends that we have. They really are our family here.. and treat London like she is their own. We love them all, and feel so blessed to call EACH of them our friends.

We played "london bridges falling down".. aka.. Limbo to a little Fergie music :)

I also took a picture of everyone who was at the party and had them write a note to London and I'm going to print their picture and put it next to their note so she can look back and know who was at her party and know how much she was loved.

Jeremy and I were talking the other night and decided that, hands down, this has been the best year of our lives. Incredible how such a small person can bring such an enormous amount of joy and happiness into our lives. She is the happiest little girl (besides her newly found fit throwing she has decided to pick up lately). I love her more everyday, and just can't believe she's OURS.

Happy Birthday sweet little friend.

We love you London!

Easter

2011-04-24T21:35:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful day it's been.

1st Easter!!

our combined family easter basket

easter morning with dad

heading out the door for church

D with her new cell phone

we had Easter dinner with our cute friends.. the Pena's

it was AMAZINGLY delish.. and gorgeous

the settings were off on my camera.. but she had the table set so cute.

we couldn't be more blessed to have such wonderful friends.

(FUZZY Easter family picture.. and the only one i got)

An amazing day to reflect on the birth, life, and resurrection of our brother and Savior, Jesus Christ. Is it possible to even think.. let alone talk about this topic without it bringing tears to yours eyes? Not for me. It sounds way too simple to say how grateful I am for my Savior, and to know that he does LIVE, and because he gave his life we will be with him again. There is not a greater thought in my mind than being in his presence again. Until that time does come, I hope to live my life in a way that will show him the gratitude I feel with my whole heart for his ultimate gift of eternal life, eternal families and happiness he has made possible for me, my family, and each of you.

Happy Easter.

for the grandmas...

2011-04-04T21:01:00.000-07:00

happy...

happier

ecstatic

we miss all you back home.

just one of those days.

hurry and come see us :)

Conference

2011-04-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

what a great weekend.

totally feel rejuvenated.

if you missed it, check it out.

lds.org

fun in the sun

2011-04-01T10:03:00.000-07:00

D and I couldn't be loving the sun more the last couple of days.

Sunny, gorgeous days really are therapeutic, aren't they?!

Have a great weekend :)

weddings. utah. idaho. pictures & more pictures.

2011-03-30T09:31:00.000-07:00

What a week!

Pretty sure we jam packed Jeremy's spring break to the hilt!

It just so happened that Jeremy's best friend was getting married in SLC last weekend, And his cousin was also getting married in SLC 2 days later. AND it was the beginning of Jeremy's spring break... it couldn't have worked out more perfect!

... and after spending a few days in Utah for the weddings, we headed to Idaho to chill with family.

CHILL is just what we did too! FREEZING.

I'm seriously considering San Diego as my home town as of late :)

It was GREAT to be home for a while though, sure miss our sweet families.

Blair, Clayton, Jeremy @ Claytons wedding.

Best friends from WAY back when.

These 3 are hilarious together.. hopefully someday we'll all live close because they just LOVE each other and laugh like school girls every time they are together.

The GORGEOUS newlyweds!

(she won Ms. Utah last year, beautiful!)

And Jeremy's cousin... well i guess i should say OUR cousin, Kayla, also got married that same weekend.

She was a stunning bride!

I swear bangs were invented just because of this girl..

no one can rock them like she can!

so happy for kayla and jordan!

London got plenty 0 kiss from her cousin Ady.

I love it

... and of course loves being with gma/gpa call!

look at her face in this picture below. my favorite. she can't even contain herself. ha!

outside the SLC temple

i'm trying to do the one eye crossed look... still trying to master it

me and my sister in law! love you lanae.

work it girl, work it

While in Idaho we got together with some more of Jeremy's high school friends for dinner.. one of his best friends from high school married one of my roommates from college (on the far right)... we set them up.. and now they have us to thank for their adorable baby, Samantha :)

It was so fun to catch up.. not many people as good as these 2 couples.

(jessie, Halle, Lonny, london, jeremy,kate,hayley, jc)

come on aaron, you know you love it.

call girls

...i've been DYING to get these 2 little girlies together.

so fun to see Macy. i love how close in age they are.

muner!

(keaton)

love this kid, even though he is a toad! :)

sweet miss maya

the Huls girls, and their girls! my best friends.

So fun to be home for a while.

but i can't say i'm too said to be back back to the 75 degree weather.

heading out to the kiddie pool with D

happy green day!

2011-03-17T17:09:00.000-07:00

she's feeling much better FINALLY!

happy st. patty's day!

...and

happy birthday to the cutest woman i know!!!

happy birthday MOM!!!!

so sad

2011-03-07T16:37:00.000-08:00

my best friend has been SO sick.

throwing up, coughing, congested, you name it.

the saddest thing ever.

wouldn't you just take it all from them if you could?!

(looks like she is wearing a toupee! ha!)

i'm so in love with you girlfriend.

Happy Love Day

2011-02-22T22:42:00.000-08:00

And it was a happy day with my two favorite Valentines.

Hope yours was too!

p.s. i got the job :)

hired?

2011-02-17T09:31:00.000-08:00

i had an interview for a dental hygiene position today.

i've been battling whether or not i should work..

but this job seemed too good to be true

1 day a week, 8-3, a salary i could pay rent for the month only working 1 day a week, 6 miles away from home, jeremy could watch London for all but 2 hours of my shift.

perfect.

oh, how did it go, you ask?

i NAILED it!

felt great about it...

conversation flowed, me and the dentist's views on patient care and treatment seemed to be completely compatible!

booyah!

firmly and confident, i shook the dentist hand and went to grab my purse that was placed on the floor between Dr. Woods and I.

we both looked down at my purse at the same time.

this is what i/we saw as i went to grab my purse

(this picture is NOT an exaggeration!)

i could have crawled under a bush full of ticks and died.

nothing was said.

but i'm about 0.5% sure she didn't see it.

i felt like i was in slow motion as i tried to snag the dang thong and conceal it in someway.

why would i have this at the top of my purse???..

correction: why, not only at the TOP of my purse, but ON TOP and OUTSIDE of my purse??

because the other side had all my interview information on it.

address, time, phone number, etc.

some people use a sticky note..

nope, not me, i use my homemade pg-13 valentines.

screams professionalism.

ALSO, i was looking over my resume after the interview and noticed that i forgot to delete the

"part-time exotic dancer" section that i recently added for another competitive job position i was applying for.

ok, that's not true.. but it might as well be.

cheeser..

2011-02-14T10:12:00.000-08:00

in every sense of the word.

i think these pictures speak for themselves.

happiest girl i know.

jeremy couldn't resist getting her a new backpack, and she was loving it.

kept it on while she crawled everywhere.

gum'n it.

this last picture is her CLASSIC.

off to the side cheese smile.

Happy Valentines Day!

Cake Pops

2011-02-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

My friend, Courtney and I made CAKE POPS for a Valentine-making party we were going to..

they turned out pretty delish, and kinda cute if I do say so myself.

Time consuming, but so fun to make.

HERE is a tutorial and recipe for them!

just getting done making valentines/cards

.. and this is what i spent my evening making.

classy, eh?! surprised? shouldn't be.

i actually copied this idea from Howdoesshe.com, they made cookies like this instead of Valentines and called them PG-13 cookies..

too cute of an idea not to mimic.

ok, so we took a few pictures of our Cake Pops. pretty proud of ourselves.

She's got curls. A LOT of them.

I LOVE VALENTINES DAY!!

... and i remind Jeremy multiple times a day around this time of year just how much i love this holiday. no pressure germ. :)

Sea World

2011-02-03T17:03:00.000-08:00

My mom and dad just celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary.. and as a gift to themselves, they took a 2 week road trip, and we got lucky enough to have them here for the last week of their road trip!!

We went to Sea World while they were here, and that is the only time I took pictures the whole time they were here!

dolphin show

london COULD NOT get enough of riding on my dad's shoulders.

she would squeal and laugh the whole time.

.. and she was pretty glued to my mom this trip..

she would go to her rather than me most of the time.

i don't blame her. she's pretty darn great.

Shamu show

this was the cutest thing i have ever seen in my life

i don't know if it was how bright red Elmo was..

or if it was how soft and cuddly he was, but London was

LOVING him.

i wish more than anything i would have gotten this on video.

she was laughing out loud and throwing herself in to him.

completely lost her head (in a good way)

she is completely full of it these days!

9 moths old!

blows my mind.

she is...

crawling all over like a mad woman for the last couple of weeks

pulling herself up on any and everything

walking along the couch and ottoman

she fake coughs and laughs

dances when i sing to her (which is most of the day, poor girl)

goes to sleep without being swaddled, FINALLY

sleeps all through the night

LOVES squash and sweet potatoes

HATES green beans and garden vegetables

her first word was MAMAMA, then DADADA

but pretty much just says mama all day long

carries her bottle in her mouth everywhere she goes, even while crawling

she LOVES strangers.. light up around anybody new

smiling MOST of the day, such a happy baby.

this little friend will have no self confidence issues..

every small thing she does we celebrate and think is so very GREAT!

hopefully we think the rest of our kids are this great. ha!

Tomato, Tomatoe, Potato, Potatoe

2011-01-29T21:15:00.000-08:00

Crochet..Croquet

all the same, right?

so, i'm no stranger to occasionally updating the world on what i am currently doing on my Facebook status.

and unfortunately, i'm no stranger to occasionally sharing with the world that sometimes my spelling needs to be double/triple checked, darn it.

today, we were invited by some friends to a CROQUET tournament,

and obviously, i felt like this was "status update worthy" .. i mean COME ON..

how many croquet tournaments have you been invited to?

see. i thought so!

so about an hour before heading to the big tourney, i get on facebook and write the following:

"so sad i just dropped my mom off at the airport, but i've got to pull it together for my CROCHET tourney in a few hours"

CROCHET tourney???

yup, i had the facebook world a-buzzin about that one i'm sure. what have you all been missing out on? how can i be cool enough to be invited to one of those bad boys? how good of a crocheter must kate be to be invited to a tournament?"

... all questions i'm sure that were swimming around in your minds...

well, the truth is, probably only 1-3 people cared enough to even read my update.. don't worry, i am not conceded enough to think the "facebook world would be a-buzzin" about my update no matter what it said.

BUT

no matter who read it.. even if it was only my sister

(who i KNEW would pounce on my OOPS as soon as she realized it!)

i felt like a moron.. and rightfully so.

pretty sure jeremy won't let me live that one down for a while.

"that's what you get for updating that silly thing anyway"

... that's the comfort i got from that guy i call my sweet friend. :) ... but i have to admit..

he's right!

as soon as i realized what i had done, and could pull myself together after laughing so hard i was crying.. and in-between texts from my sister.. i erased the status as quick as my speedy crocheting fingers would allow me.

anyway..the tournament was so fun!

i did awesome.. i came in LAST place.

but jeremy, on the other hand, swooped the nation!

won the grand prize!

d was a good sport during the intense tourney

Alice & Corbin (and Daxton)

were the cute friends that put this fun night together.

and they made us a delicious panini dinner after the stressful event!

and Rachel made creme brulee

words cannot describe.

Corbin awarding Jeremy with his grand prize!

their cheesehead grins are priceless. what goobs

even after my facebook mishap, and dropping my mom off at the airport..

it was such a great night!

thanks Clawsons!

happiest place on earth

2011-01-19T21:22:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, Jeremy's parents gave us all a trip to Disneyland for Christmas..

so this last weekend we had a blast with the Call crew at the

happiest place on earth.

London loved it.. to say the least.

Pretty sure she didn't stop smiling for 3 days

(until we tried to put her to bed)

and we didn't skim on pictures either :)

the next 2 pictures are phone uploads...

hence the blurriness

scary i know.. i get a little carried away from time to time..

we missed our little JAX man..

but it was way too hot and

crazy for this little friend.

he was much happier at home partying with his grandma williams!!

oh.. how i love this perfect guy.

Thanks so much Lance and Nancy.

You totally spoiled us rotten, and we appreciate it SO much!!

We love you!

happy anniversary

2011-01-19T20:48:00.000-08:00

40 years!!!

how much do i love this picture??

my absolute favorite.

(coming out of the temple on their wedding day 40 years ago.)

we all celebrated with them for dinner at Jakers..

the two cutest people i know.

i love you mom & dad.

happy anniversary!

D's First Christmas..

2011-01-06T21:06:00.000-08:00

(i've been on a posting marathon.. 3 posts in 1 day! i didn't wanted to miss documenting anything!)

..and the best Christmas we've ever had because of D.

This little girl is the greatest thing in the world.

sick of hearing me say that?

you better stop reading my blog then.. because this obsession seems to be getting worse.. not better

(we are debating changing her name on her birth certificate from London to D.. because that is all she is ever called.)

..okay maybe not.. but she may never know her name really is london

first family christmas morning picture

i got a little carried away with pictures of her..

and i couldn't decide which ones to share and not share..

so here's a load of them for you.

(prepare to grit you're teeth until you get a migraine)

grandma shared her apple with d... and yes, i had to go fishing out the chunks so she didn't choke. but she was lovin it.

i know a lot of these are a lot the same..

but i couldn't deprive you of even one.

another picture of christmas morning..

Christmas is always the very best time of year

it's always a perfect reminder of the incredible blessings we enjoy because of our Savior's birth, life, and ultimate sacrifice.

My heart truly could burst into a million pieces because of the gratitude and love I have for my Heavenly Father and Savior,

and for entrusting jeremy and i with this perfect person

and for allowing me to be the imperfect person i am everyday and have the opportunity and blessing to repent, to be forgiven, and become stronger through Jesus Christ's atonement.

So grateful. SO blessed.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all my friends.

Our life is full of love and joy because of those we are constantly surrounded by and because of the amazing examples we have to pattern our lives after.

Christmas Part II: The Huls

2011-01-06T20:28:00.000-08:00

even though i have to twist MOST of my siblings arms clear behind their backs and make them say uncle before they give in and pose for family pictures..

i know they will thank me someday..

i mean how priceless and classy is this picture?!?!

all of us and our spouses

my oldest bro Christopher

again.. classy.

but my favorite out of em all.

the bro's and bro-in-laws in their new sweaters

i don't know whose idea this pose was... but i'm going to go ahead and claim it.. hilarious.

sisters & sister-in-laws in our new robes

Katelyn modeling her new dress from grandma.

this sweet girl is ALL GIRL!! loves everything frilly and princess-y

all 16 grandkids!

yes.. its a ZOO around these parts when we're all together.

jeremy's gift to london..

i mean, what 8 month old DOESN'T need Nike Shocks, right?!
yes, she still is in LOVE with my dad.
..and my mom for that matter..

i love this picture SO MUCH.. look how my mom has london's head in both hands kissing her so hard.. now you see where i get my issues with almost having to be violent with how much i love my child.

dancing on the WII

any time i can get jeremy to get jiggy with it.. i MUST capture it.

to put it lightly, he isn't the next justin timberlake (and he'd be the first to admit it)

we got way too good of a laugh.. WITH him, not at him, of course.

same expression. love these two girls

muner is in love with his car he got for christmas

grandpa playin with his girlies

i love how logan, and all my nieces and nephews tote london around.

she LOVES kids and babies.. and i love that she does.. makes my job easier when they are around. she is content for hours on end with them around.

macy.

cutest face ever.

i wish i had the energy and time to describe, in detail, how idiotic me, jeremy, jared, and lacie's decision was to venture out and eat at the ONLY place open on Christmas day.

Chinese Buffet

lets just say i'm 100% convinced it wouldn't pass even 1 inspection or code even in a 3rd world country.

and pretty sure its not a coincidence that jeremy didn't leave the bathroom for 3 days after we ate there because of a tornado a-brew'n in his stomach.

why did we stay and eat after knowing the condition of the place you ask?

i wish i had an answer.

maybe the worst decision i made in 2010.

words of wisdom for 2011..

don't eat anywhere that is open on christmas day.

ever.

Christmas Part One: The Calls

2011-01-06T09:40:00.000-08:00

as usual..

we had a fabulous time with the Calls for christmas.

and as usual..

they spoiled us.

this is us opening our gift from them.

They are taking us all to Disneyland next week!

We can't wait!

the call girls be'n rebels with the hard stuff..

sparkling cider.

yeah we're hardcore

am i drinking or trying out for american idol in this picture? hard to tell.

ady.. love this girl

we got to kiss, squeeze and take lots of pictures of our newest nephew, HUNTER. edible.

london was LOV'n uncle aaron!

this is how much jeremy loves me taking pictures of him..

strike a pose beautiful kam

loves grandma call!

hugs for her cousin hunter

millions of kisses from ady

i don't blame her.. he's so cute, i wanted to eat him up too!

WARMEST Holiday wishes from the Calls..

2010-12-22T08:04:00.000-08:00

we headed to the beach a few days before we came to Idaho in a rushed attempt to get a picture to use for our Christmas card...

... just heading out the door to Idaho for a month of holiday madness ...

thanksgiving

2010-11-29T12:52:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was unique this year..

but maybe one of my favorites..

This is the first year EVER that I haven't been "home" for Thanksgiving.

but we got super lucky and spoiled and my parents came to spend it with us!

so it was just the 5 of us...

also.. this year my heart has NEVER be

en as close to bursting with gratitude as it was this year. for so many different reasons..

but the main one is my little family.

My sweet, healthy, perfect, tiniest friend, London.

I knew I would love her, but NO ONE can explain just how much until you meet them..

it's almost painful to even try to put the feelings I have for her into words.

A joy i have never experienced until her. An overwhelming feeling of gratitude to my Father in Heaven for trusting us/blessing us with such a perfect person to be part of our family.

I have said this a million times to Jeremy, and also to my parents..

"this mothering thing is what i amhere, and what i was made to do"

so grateful.

and of coarse for her sweet dad. my best friend.

i really am the luckiest girl in the world.

i should be the first to GIVE.. because i have been GIVEN and been blessed with so much!

this perfect face.. is what i LIVE for..

true happiness.. has a whole new meaning

since my girlfriend came around.

oh, and her first 2 teeth starting poking through this weekend.

can you see them?!

stop growing up! i've had it.

we took my dad to the marine corp air station museum..

and this is SUCH a typical picture of him.

i LOVE it.

with his head up the tail pipe! ha!

ok, i know its not actually the tail pipe.. but it sounds the funniest to say it that way, right?

we knew he would love it.

and i think my mom and i enjoyed it more than we thought we would.

while jeremy was at school,

we went on a tour through the mormon battalion museum.

panning for gold

we actually were planning on going out to dinner for thanksgiving just because there was only a few of us.. but my mom and dad decided last minute to pull whip up the full on turkey sha-bang.

and while dinner was a-brewin, we hit the beach and went surfing.

so cute to see my dad having so much fun in the water. he had way more energy than me in the ginormous waves that day.

and my mom took care of D while we played in the water. Thanks mom :)

my favorite picture of the weekend.

sweet kisses from grandpa

we went and ate on Coronado

and d tried her first lemon, and loved it

Bob Hope Statue..

La Jolla Cove

London loves my mom and dad so much.. lights up around them.

but just might be completely obsessed with my dad..

its the sweetest thing in the world.

she open-mouth grins every time he talks to her.

like mother, like daughter.

oh mom and dad..

it was so fun.

thanks for spending it with us..

we love you.

hope you ALL had such a wonderful Thanksgiving.

6 months

2010-11-14T16:45:00.000-08:00

It's no mystery that Jeremy and I are completely obsessed with London, but it's one of the greatest things ever to see other people love her.

We have made some of the most ridiculously fun friends here.. that's another post in and of itself..

For a cute little story about London and our cute friends, the Montgomery's,

click HERE.

OH her face. It's the most edible thing in this world.

I could straight out ball my eyes out thinking that she is already 6 1/2 months old!

but at the same time.. she is getting more and more fun everyday.

bitter sweet.

(this is her at the beach last week)

Just a few things about London..

**she LOVES other babies and kids.. makes a high pitched SQUEAL when she see's them OR when i show her herself in the mirror (i'll post a video of that soon)

**she loves sweet potatoes..

**she needs some serious yoga/pilates training.. her core is not the strongest. not quite sitting up yet

**still has the strongest legs and can stand on her own if she just holds our fingers

**stands up on jeremys hand while he balances her

**doesn't have any teeth yet

**going on walks, and being in her baby bjorn are her favorite things EVER

**she smiles at EVERYONE, especially at church

**rolls over occasionally, but isn't real real interested still

**her favorite toy is her tiny doll, she squeals at it like its a real baby. hilarious.

**she falls asleep almost every time we get in the car (HUGE milestone if you have read past posts!)

**she will try to put her binki in our mouth if we open our mouth

.. nothing catastrophically exciting, but every small thing she does seems like christmas to us..its a little out of control. i can't get over how much i love being with her all day, and i know most of you can relate completely.

She loves being at the beach.. the sound of the waves must be calming or something because she will lay there and smile forever! and its a good thing, because its our favorite place.

... this is after an afternoon of surfing with some good friends

the Chesleys & Lindsays..

(it was 90 degrees that day.. in NOVEMBER! crazy talk)

ok, lets talk about how much i LOVE this girl!

i went to a baby shower for one of my favorite people i have met here in San Diego, ok.. one of my favorite people i have ever met.

Courtney.

we are just.. in her words.. "kindreds"

how cute are all these girls? its sickening! and whats even more sickening is how sweet they are!
salt of the earth.

can't believe the holidays are HERE!
NOTHING like this time of year.
bring it on!

halloween festivities

2010-11-01T19:17:00.000-07:00

London's first Halloween!

She dressed up 2 nights in a row as a ladybug.. that's why there are so many pictures of her in her costume.

oh.. and because she is delicious.

just a few of our fav costumes at the party..

brett and krystle as..

"thinking outside the box"

alice in wonderland

the crew from "UP"

the dog, the scout, the bird, and the old man

i spent HOURS on end making our costume..

OR i got it the day of the party at old navy for $2.50

some of our good friends had a

homemade doughnut halloween party..

the doughnuts where OUT of this world.. and the company was even betta.

ok.. so this little boy.. KEATON.. is probably one of the cutest little boys i have ever seen.

and his mom and i decided today that an arranged marriage is perfectly ethical in this case.

that's right london, be aggressive.. don't let a good thing pass you by...

i almost did with your dad. :) ha.

go ahead.. salivate

on our way to the party

pick'n our pumpkin at the pumpkin patch

Hope your Halloween was Spooktacular.

bff

2010-10-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

COLE CAME TO VISIT!

(one of my bff's from high school)

there is just something about your best friends from high school.

they know a part of you that no one else really knows.

they are the people who saw you experience a lot of the things that will shape the person you will become.

just seems routine to burst into tears from laughter every time your with them

no matter how old you get, when you are with them, you revert back to a 15 years old.

i love cole, she is just a sweet person, she will always be one of my favorite people.

how about the LAME-O weather we had while she was in "sunny" california!

we didn't hit the beach much.. but hit the shopping hardcore.

cole made out with a whole new wardrobe.

and just like 3rd graders.. we bought twinner outfits as you will see in our bff pictures below.

oh my, the countless times nicole and i have been asked to model.

its just unreal.

since high school.. and now late into our 20's.. its really getting out of hand

when pictures similar to these below got into the hands of some big wigs.. we couldn't get them off our perky tails.

but i'll tell you what i told them, and continue to tell them..

i am perfectly content being a low key, stay at home mom.

don't call us, we'll call you.

.. just a few head shots we thought we would tease you with..

(if you look closely, you can see cole's face glistening with tears. haven't laughed this hard in.. um.. i don't even remember)

oh, and all you girlies out there that went to

sears, jc penney, etc.,

to get your BFF pictures taken in high school..

these are for you!

you've got nothin on Cole and I's in house photo shoot

at age 27.

twinner outfits and all!

*even though its a battle to choose,

the bottom right has to be my fav.. OR the creepy black/white sister-wife pose.*

now, don't sit there and let the green eyed monster of jealousy take over..

grab your best friend, and copy cat why don't-cha?!

M.A.S.H anyone?

as in

MANSION, APARTMENT, SHACK, HOUSE

i just feel really good about Cole's future now that we have left it in the trusting hands of our old friend MASH. i'm itching at the bit to meet your purple unicorn, and see you flourish as a professional cheerleader, and meet your underwear model husband.

i love you cole.

thanks for coming.

thanks for the laughs.

come again next month?

ok!

gma/gpa call

2010-10-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Germ's parents came to see us this weekend!

We had a ball!

we packed a TON in with the little time we had.

SD ZOO

Swap Meet

Coronado Beach/Island

Ruth's Chris (so divine, can't be put into words!)

Indio

YogurtLand

Took them to see the SD temple and Jeremy's NEW law school they are about finished with in Downtown San Diego!

.... and of course...

GERM's 28th BIRTHDAY

Happy Birthday Cute Person

I love you.

Thanks for coming Lance & Nancy!!

And thank you for all you did, and always do for us.

We miss you already.

Love you.

surfing..

2010-09-30T12:58:00.000-07:00

well. i don't know if you call what we've been doing surfing..

but we're givin it a go for sure

i got germ a surf board for an early bday present

and we are both already addicted!

even though we are horrid

and we've both gotten up on SMALL waves quite a few times

germ

and kristen and i went for a 5:30A.M surf lesson from michele

she's AMAZING!!

and kristen helped me a ton too

(don't act like our boards give away who the rookies are,

i know you can't tell!)

michele, me, kristen

and this blue-eyed girlfriend goes with germ and i, and we just take turns watching her while the other surfs..

and this is how she rolls while i clean the house.. she lOVES her bouncer

random pictures below.. but the scenery is so different here than anything i'm use to..

so i have to capture some of the goods and share of course.

bare with me.. still no photoshop...

i'm working on it :)

my favorite flower!! birds of paradise.

and there is NOTHING she loves more than a good long walk in her baby bjorn..

perma grin

and...

grandma and grandpa call are on their way as we speak!!

yah!

have a superb weekend :)

so blessed

2010-09-20T20:31:00.000-07:00

one of those days where i just can't get enough of these two.

can't hold either one of them long enough.

can't help but tear up just thinking about them and how blessed I am.

i have been following a couple that lost their little girl, Preslee, in a drowning accident this summer.

complete strangers, but I feel like i know them personally.

i could only hope i would have half the strength, courage, hope, and faith they have had throughout this unimaginable trial.

once you have a child, you are connected to all those who also have children because of that bond you share as mother/father/child. its indescribable, but doesn't have to be described because you FEEL it more than you have ever felt anything. it's so not "of this world".

my heart aches, my soul aches for them.

i pray for them so often.

http://www.patrickandashley.blogspot.com/

and i'm so incredibly grateful that this life is not the end.

i can't think of a sadder thought than only having a lifetime with my sweet friends.

i couldn't put london down today

even when she was sleeping i had to go get her,

to kiss her, squeeze her, stare at her.. take it all in. every SECOND is a gift.

squeeze you're little friends..

and you're big friends a little tighter.

i know i will.

there is NOTHING more important than the sweet relationships and bonds we have with each other... those bonds will last far long than we can even comprehend.

4 months & Idaho

2010-09-12T19:51:00.001-07:00

We just got back from IDAHO.

yes yes.. we JUST moved from there 1 MONTH ago,

but who could miss the IDAHO STATE FAIR?!

not us!!! no way, no how.

ok, please tell me you didn't believe we went home for the carnies?!

Germ actually had to go to Utah and Idaho for a few days for business,

so D and I tagged along.

I don't know why my family and I ever have sad, blistering red eye tear good-byes .. because its never that long between re-unitings with us, no matter where we go/live.

As always, it was fun seeing our families, and just a little cherry on top that we got to hit up some good ole fair.

we got to meet our newest and sweetest nephew,

HUNTER CHASE CALL

congrats guys, he's edible.

stopped in for a little visit to see gma huls.

she's always so so SO very excited to see London.

and London is equally as excited to see her, she didn't stop smiling the whole time gma was holding her.

London was pretty naughty with the Calls this weekend,

and that's an understatement.

But, fun to see them.. and we can't wait to see them when they come visit at the end of this month!!

and of coarse had to kiss these cheeks lots

SIM! love my squirrel

love nat. miss her and lace terribly (and i miss rub "stoone")

this picture gives you a glimpse into these babes personalities.

london trying desperately to escape, while macy is snug as a bug.

Macy

probably one of the sweetest faces there has ever been.

good to see you chels! can't wait to play here in CA this weekend :)

fair food = delicious = rotten stomach from grease = worth it

i have NO IDEA how to use my camera, haven't taken the time to learn really.

don't have photoshop.

this little girl NEEDS some updated professional pictures

help?!

these will have to do for now, until one of you want to come to CA and capture this little girls delicious-ness.

4 months!!!!

i could go on and on about how yummy D is, but i'll spare you for now.

all i know is this whole motherhood thing is

WHAT I AM, and ALL I WANT TO DO.

for sure my "calling" in life in every sense of the word.

LOVE my durl.

hope you all had a great labor day.

9-11 always brings a flood of emotions.

WARNING: be prepared to bawl your eyes out

a HUGE thanks to our troops and their families.

and always a prayer to keep them safe.

homemade raspberry jam

2010-08-28T08:52:00.000-07:00

doesn't this give me two giant steps toward full blown motherhood?