Birthday MAN!

Joseph turned the big 2-6 today!!! It was so funny when we were in the car taking him to work, he said, "I can't believe I'm 26!!! 26?!?!" Then he told me all about how he remembers when his dad was in his 30's and how that's not very far away for him! It's true- we've felt more and more lately that time is just FLYING by way too quickly! We're trying to enjoy and soak up every moment that we can- the good, the bad, the fun, the hard- we love it all and wish it would just slow down a little bit! Here are some pictures of the very festive decorations (and Joseph on the phone with family who called throughout the day to wish him a happy birthday). Yes the wrapping job on that present is superb, right? :) We had to put all the presents in one big box and use the left over crepe paper to wrap it up. So here are pictures of Joseph opening his presents- Alyssa was quite the helper. :) I love getting pictures like this of the two of them- she definately loves her daddy and he (as you can probably tell) is wrapped around her little finger. We won't have too many more pics. as a family of 3! (you'll note me and my tummy are behind the present)

I know all of those pictures are QUITE similar, but they're just different enough that I had to post them all. So there you have it! I'm married to a 26-year-old! We're just growing right up! :) (And a little love note for Joseph- HAPPY B-DAY! I love you so much and can't wait to celebrate many more birthdays with you! Love, me) :)

The Sabbath

You gotta love Sundays, right? :) This particular Sunday was one where I actually took pictures to document what we did- it was that exciting! The Shields were kind enough to invite us over for dinner and we got to see their new dog! It was love at first sight for Alyssa! She LOVES dogs- and so does Joseph. I love other peoples' dogs. :) I just don't one want in my house. I grew up with two labs, and I did love them, but they were outside dogs. We'll see what happens- but for now, we'll just visit the Shields a lot. :) Alyssa followed her around all night patting her back until she'd finally lay down for Alyssa to pet her. One time though, the dog actually got up on the couch where Alyssa couldn't reach her anymore. :) Smart pup! Thank you Shields for a fun dinner and for entertaining Alyssa! :) (PS- Jen, sorry I don't know her name and sorry her eyes are glowing- I know you hate that, but she really is so cute and so sweet and I had to post the pic. of Alyssa giving her "pats" on the back.) :)We also made some cookies today (to spread some cheer) and they turned out rather cute if I do say so myself. :) I was definately feelin' the Spring Spirit and wanted to make these cookies as festive as possible! The plates help with the happy colors- and they were only $1! (The cookies are cake cookies- 1 cake mix (I like funfetti), 2 eggs, and 1/3 cup oil! Frost whatever color you like and I put Peanut M&M's on top as little eggs. VERY easy!)

Sweet Tomatoes

We did lots of celebrating of Joseph's birthday before his actual birthday. So after celebrating with my family by eating cake and ice cream and blowing out candles, we decided to celebrate tonight by going to Sweet Tomatoes! We were going to go on his actual birthday for dinner, but, we had a coupon, I didn't want to cook, and so the decision was pretty easy. We decided to go out for his birthday dinner tonight. :) We didn't take any pictures while we were inside, but we remembered to snap a few before we left.

The birthday boy with his little woman...

And the girls... We FINALLY got a picture of her without her binkie and smiling! :)

Random- There was something special about the moon tonight- it was the brightest it's been in... well a really long time. Our camera didn't do the best job of capturing it, but you get the idea.

Popsicles!

One of Alyssa's most favorite things (possible her MOST favorite thing) is going outside. So it's worked out perfectly (thus far) that we live in Arizona because the weather is incredible and we can go outside every single day (minus the couple days it's rained since we've been here). :) So on this particular day, Alyssa really wanted to go outside, so we took the garbage out and went to get the mail. Usually she loves to walk around, enjoy the fresh air, stop to look at rocks and leaves and bushes, etc. But today, after going about 10 yards, she stopped and held her arms up to me for me to carry her. I quickly realized that she was just too hot to walk around (and we haven't even gone above 100 degrees yet! YIKES!) So i carried her the rest of the way to dump the garbage and get the mail. I then made an executive decision for her and I- we walked back to the car, got the stroller out of the trunk, walked over to the grocery store (yes, it's that close) and got POPSICLES!!! The second we walked inside, we took one out of the box and enjoyed it together. My job was just to clean up the drips and prevent a major mess from happening. Alyssa leaned on the pillow (one of her new favorite positions) and enjoyed every lick of her popsicle! Eventually, this thing started poking out of the popsicle and it did not taste like the popsicle! So what's a girl to do??- Just lick the side of the popsicle! Until Mom gets smart enough to push the melting popsicle up the stick so you can eat it a little bit easier. But even that came to an end... And the popsicle was gone... But the frown eventually turned to a smile and I was very happy there was hardly any mess. (We're saving the red and purple ones for later on when she's not wearing a white shirt.) :) I think we'll be eating LOTS of popsicles this summer!

Wonderful Wednesday

My family's flight left earlier tonight, so we still had a little bit of time to enjoy the last day together! Joseph had to go to work this morning, so he had to say bye to my family before he left. We decided to go to Railroad Park and had a very fun time! First stop- the big grassy area to throw the frisbee and football! Alyssa tried to learn how to throw a football- not bad for a one-year-old! Next up: ride the train!

And last but not least- the carousel! Alyssa loved it and cried and cried when it was time to get off.

Alyssa crashed as soon as we got in the car to head home. Grandpa carried her inside (making sure to shield her eyes from the sun.) :)

Luckily her nap wasn't too long and she got to spend a little bit more bonding time with Uncle Brad while he played our Nintendo 64. :) She just sat down next to him with her crackers and kept him company.

Sadly the time did come when the fun Spring Break Trip had to end... It was time to leave and we drove the rental car back and then headed to the airport. It was sad to see my family leave, but there were no tears shed! They are coming back in a month and we'll all drive to St. George for Mitch and Amber's wedding!!! THANK YOU Mom and Dad and Brad for coming to visit us and for such a fun week! We can't wait to see you again soon!

Terrific Tuesday

Today was another very fun day with the fam! Joseph got the day off from work, so it was even better that we could all be together! He didn't even know he had it off until Monday morning, but it was a great surprise to find out his request had been approved! This morning, we all went swimming! I forgot to take my camera so I didn't get any pictures, but it was a lot of fun! Alyssa and I discovered what our daily routine will be this summer. Wake up, eat breakfast, make a lunch for Joseph, take Joseph to work, come home, put on swimsuits, walk to the pool and go swimming, walk back to our apartment, eat lunch, take a nap (well- Alyssa will take one- I'll shower and get ready), run any errands, make dinner, pick up Joseph from work, eat dinner, enjoy the evening, go to bed, then do it all over again the next day! :) Gramz and Grandpa got Alyssa the cutest swimsuit and a perfect little innertube to sit in in the pool. The water was a little cool, but despite the shivering, Alyssa wanted to stay in it all morning! I'm sure we'll have plenty of pictures from the pool in the near future! So back to our eventful day- lucky for us, it's Spring Training for all the Major League Baseball Teams right now and we got to go to a San Diego Padres game! One of the players is from Georgetown and his in-laws are in my parents' stake. When my dad mentioned they were coming to visit us, he offered to get us tickets! It was a bright, sunny day and would have been VERY hot sitting in the sun, but we had the perfect seats- in the shade! :) When we got there, we were able to see the player we went to see in outfield, then when we were walking to our seats, he went up to bat- and hit a homerun! We didn't see him the rest of the game, but it was still very fun to watch- and we were MUCH cooler in the shade!

Alyssa got a little restless sitting in my lap, but we quickly learned she just needed her own seat and a graham cracker.

Me and Dad (and Alyssa) :)

Brad, Joseph, and Mom-

Our little family...

Alyssa decided she needed the sunglasses on her head for a picture-

She gives me hugs a LOT- and sometimes won't let go- even for a picture. Brad thought it was pretty funny. He says it's like she has to have full-body contact all the time. She definately loves giving hugs and snuggling!

After the game, we came home, relaxed, then made homemade pizza (one pepperoni and one BBQ Chicken- Joseph's favorite) and celebrated Joseph's birthday! It was a week early, but we always have to celebrate with family when we're together within the same month of a birthday! My parents gave Joseph another month of cable- PERFECT timing for March Madness. :) Seriously, when you don't have cable, it's such a great present! We've been enjoying watching the games! The Birthday Man!

LOTS of candles to blow out this year! Luckily they still all fit on the cake! :)

It was another great day and we're sad that we'll have to say bye to my family tomorrow. :(