Home again, home again, jiggity-jig

It's been awhile since updating this blog...and for good reason...we spent most of the month of August traveling for work, family, weddings, and such. God was so gracious with our travels. Noey transitioned GREAT, we found safety whereever we went, and we come home feeling full of life from all of our visits with friends and family.

Here are a few highlights from the first leg of our trip in Colorado:

Time with Auntie Amy in Colorado. Noey had her first real-live laugh watching Amy jump on the trampoline.

Visiting with Uncle Paul for the very first time. I think she was digging his new haircut!

Cousin Vivian was so beautiful and so much fun! Noey wants to be just like her! We did a "twinsies" photo shoot. It started out okay...
And ended up in tears...

I had a lunch with some of my best friends and their kiddos. What a great looking bunch!

Let's Go Dodgers, Let's Go

Thanks to our good friend, Mike, who treated us to Saturday night's Dodger game. Noey's first major league appearance! After our successful night at a minor league baseball game, we were pretty confident Noey would do just fine and wondered if she might even make the big screen in her cute pink Dodger's cap.

After one MAJOR diaper blowout (we had to throw the outfit away!) and fighting LA traffic, we arrived at the game. Ahhhh...the smell of hotdogs and garlic fries, excited kids running around, the thump of the latest 'Jock Jams' cd, the abundance of Dodger apparel, and seeing people from every neighborhood in the greater LA area coming together...what fun!

Mike had purchased us tickets in the infamous "bleacher" area. Fans here have the True Blue. Cheers are started here. Fights are picked with any opposing team's fan. Every now and then cheers with obscenities are shouted towards the opposing team (to which my mommy-glare always came out!) These "bleacher" fans pride themselves on being the loudest and most vigilant. We had a underestimated just how loud the cheering would be. After a few startling moments for sweet Noey, she seemed to be adjusting just fine. That ended with the home run hit by LA's new sweetheart, Manny Ramirez. The stadium erupted and as I watched all the children seated around us putting their hands to their ears. I also watched Noey's lower lip pop out, her face scrunch up, and her lungs fill. She had had enough. Poor baby, she cried into my neck as I tried to reason with her that this was simply a glorious moment and this is what good fans do. Maybe that will sink in next time. :)

But we, like every new parent, were learning the art of improvising. I tucked Noey on my lap in such a way that a burp cloth was snuggled up against one of her ears, and my hands covered her other ear whenever the cheering voices rose. She loved it! She could watch the crowd with none of the noise. Noey and I smiled our way through the rest of the game! I think she is an LA fan at heart...

kinda corny

The Redlands Farmers Market is no ordinary place... Booths line the streets, overflowing with fresh produce, nuts, salsas, honey, bread, flowers, lotions, makeups, tupperware, and tube socks. Yes, tube socks. We found booths for every political party, social cause, and religious ideal. Musicians performed, kittens and puppies were sold, and Gothic teenagers lined the streets.

Mom, Amy, Kristin, Noelle, and I hadn't walked around long before we spotted the treat we had to have... fresh roasted giant corn on the cob smothered in whatever spices suited your tastes.

Yummy! So we ate our cobs as gracefully as we could, bought some delicious produce, and attempted to keep cool in the sweltering heat.

We are the Champions, my friends....

I knew my baby sister was talented, I knew she took being the keeper for her club team quite seriously, I knew she had skillz... but I still was anxious as she and her team headed into the championship game this last Monday. The two teams were neck and neck the entire game, but when the whistle blew, Amy's team WON 1-0. Amy's team, United Mayhem, traveled from Colorado this past weekend to compete in an invitational tournament here in San Diego, California. Her entire team played well, and Amy delivered three shutout games...allowing only one goal during the entire tournament. What can I say...she got game!

Splish Splash

Well...it's official. We've got a future Olympic swimmer on our hands! Noelle was made for the water! She's been enjoying the pool most every day during these "dog days" of summer. She loves her sweet shades, her new swim top, and watching her diaper grow to unbelievable sizes as it fills up with water. But I must say...she mostly loves that Grandma and Grandpa got in with her!

Cute Baby = Free Stuff

Ahhhh....the Inland Empire Sixty-Sixers! Joe, Noey, and I joined the locals in cheering on the Dodger's A Team last night. They played the Modesto Nuts (yes, Nuts) and what a game it was. The players were young, the country music was blasting, and the mascot Bernie was the star of the show.

Joe and I practiced the art of bartering for goods with your baby. As the mascot looked for the most enthusiastic fan to win a free pizza, we simply lifted Noey high above our heads. Two winks and a slobbery smile later, we were gripping the esteemed prize. We enjoyed every bite of that cheesy reward, despite complaints for our neighboring fans that Noey hadn't let out one good cheer.

Later, when game balls were being tossed to fans, we stood and swayed with Noey once again. A player pointed us out and gently lobbed a ball our way. I could get used to these perks!

Balmy breeze, baseball, free stuff, and a night out with my girl and my man. Who could ask for more??

I love my man...

Two years... who knew so much could happen in such a small window of time? I married the man of my dreams, our fairy-tale wedding took place in a castle (which happened to be where we met!), we've traveled to three countries, lived in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and now the Inland Empire, we've traveled the northeast coast and driven the north-western coast of CA. We've spent the night in sketchy roadside inns, deluxe bed and breakfasts, many a friend's spare bedroom, 3-4-and 5-star hotels (we prefer the nice 3's...free breakfast!!), and even a yurt! We've led a summer training program together with students from all over the world, we've been blessed to work alongside each other in the Sunland region among the nation's finest. And now we've started our greatest adventure of all....parenthood! Through it all, I've fallen more deeply in love, and more deeply in awe of this man I've married. He draws me closer to my God and King, he challenges me, cares for me, protects and platforms me. We began the daunting task of dating and growing more and more vulnerable with each other three years ago...all the while clinging to and believing the truths in Ecclesiastes 3. "God makes everything beautiful in his time" and "whatever God does lasts forever, nothing can be taken from it or anything added to it". God's done it, I couldn't have dreamed up or created anything more grand. My life truly has become more beautiful with each passing day. Thank you God, for my wonderful husband.


Here we are...our 2nd anniversary and our first big date away from Noey! We felt like kids on the last day of school! We visited the gorgeous Mission Inn in our new hometown. It was, of course, VERY hot that day, so we've got the IE (Inland Empire) gleam!