First Snow

Well at least first real snow. In October it snowed for about an hour and then went back to raining. This whole time I've been here the weather man has kept on telling me that it is warm outside and that it is usually a lot colder this time of year. I didn't believe this so called weather man. I mean it has been in the 40's and 50's with a dip here and there in the 30's, how much colder can it get? Well, we have found out and I have a feeling that this is only the beginning. On Saturday night it snowed all night and we woke to everything covered in white and this morning we woke up to a lot more snow. I have come to the conclusion that I like the rain and I like the snow but I don't like it when they are together. It gets really messy and nasty outside. I know for a lot of you this isn't a big deal but when you put two Southern Californians in the snow it becomes a bigger deal.

Nick and Andrew in front of our place before church. Our house is on the side of the street with more sun so by the time we got outside a lot of the snow had already melted.


This is the parking lot at church so you can get a better idea of the snow.

Thanksgiving

I am finally getting around to doing a post on our Thanksgiving. This year we have a lot to be thankful for and I love that there is a day set aside to ponder over our many blessings. But I discovered this year that there isn't a whole lot of pondering going on when you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 18 people. We had two families from the ward over and a few people from Nicks school. Needless to say they made me feel like our little apartment was indeed very little especially when you have 6 kids running around, but I loved it. I loved the noise and chaos.



Here is about half of our party trying to work off dinner by playing a game of Bang. I don't think it helped very much.

Egg Nog anyone?

Double-click on the video to see the full un-cropped version!

It's a GIRL!!!!!!!!

A couple of days ago we found out that we are having a baby girl. We couldn't be more excited! I had no idea what we were having but I couldn't be happier. This is my second ultra sound this pregnancy (the first was when I was 7 weeks) and I am so happy I got it done. Since I haven't been to the doctor very often it didn't seem real but being able to see her little hands and feet and her little heart beating was truly awesome! They said that she is right on target and we should still expect her around the first week of April.

I usually think 3d ultra sound pictures are scary and wrong but I think my little girl is very photogenic. She is snuggling in the first picture and the second is a good profile shot.

Andrew loves:

-To look at himself in the mirror. If he is ever cranky or in a bad mood just take him to a mirror and he gets a huge grin on his face. I think he knows just how cute he is.

-Fake sneezing. He just started this the other day, he thinks this is really funny

-His life size toy aka: Nick. He especially loves putting things in Nicks mouth just to watch Nick project them to the other side of the room.

-Bananas. If I would let him he would eat a whole banana in one bite. (this could really go for any food)

-His Elmo and Abby book. I got this at my shower and I wish I could remember who gave it to him. He loves it! It is one of the only things that will distract him on our long plane rides.

-Big kids, especially his cousins who can always make him laugh.

-Playing in the front seat of the car. He thinks he is so cool when he does this.

-Sippy cups. He is officially off the bottle

I saw this quote on my friend Liz's blog today and I started crying (emotional much??) because I truly found the man that Present Hinkley spoke of and I couldn't be more thankful or more happy than I am today.

"Girls, Aim high, but do not aim so high that you totally miss the target. What really matters is that he will love you, that he will respect you, that he will honor you, that he will be absolutely true to you, that he will give you the freedom of expression and let you fly in the development of your own talents. He is not going to be perfect, but if he is kind and thoughtful, if he knows how to work and earn a living, if he is honest and full of faith, the chances are you will not go wrong, that you will be immensely happy...True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion."

- Gordon B. Hinckley

Happy Halloween

This year Andrew had two great costumes, Yoda and Dumbo. We had a trunk or treat at church on Friday night and decided that Yoda would be the best choice because Andrew could move/walk around in it more freely. It took him awhile to get used to my black hair but once he did he started having the best time. I was so surprised that he kept his little ears on the whole night, he must have forgotten about them. He was so happy the whole night chasing after the bigger kids. I think he thinks that he is really 3 or 4 because he would just get right in with the older kids and follow them around. It was the cutest thing. There was an older boy (around 5) who was also Yoda, and the boy told Nick that he just wanted to hug the other Yoda so much! (how cute is that)

On Saturday Nick had to go into school in the morning, so Andrew and I met him at school and we walked to Newbury St (for those of you who don't know it is a street with lots of fun shops and restaurants) We grabbed a bit to eat and got stopped constantly with people telling us that we have the cutest kid. (like we didn't know) For Saturday we dressed Andrew in his Dumbo outfit.

Beautiful fall leaves on Mass. Ave a couple of streets up from Nicks school.

Dumbo after a long but fun Halloween

Jamie, have you put on a few lbs?

Well, yes I have because... I'm pregnant! I'm due April 4th and we are so excited. I wasn't going to announce it for a few weeks, but I know when I see some of you next week in California it will be hard to keep it a secret.

One of the reasons that I haven't told anyone is that I haven't even been to the doctor here yet. I just got approved for our insurance and so I now have an appointment for the week I get back into town. So hopefully if everything is going as it should I should know the sex in the next couple of weeks.

I feel good, pretty much exactly how I felt with Andrew with just a little less morning sickness. My belly is growing and my back hurts so I take that as a good sign. :)

Cranberry Festival

So, this weekend we went to a cranberry festival in Wareham, Ma which is about a 45 min drive from us. We heard about it from Debi and Martin who were in town visiting last week. (We did a ton of fun things with them but unfortunately don't have much pictures to prove it) They took one day and went down to Cape Cod and the surrounding areas and heard about these festivals while they were checking out a cranberry bog.

There were a couple of cranberry festivals going on and we choose this one mainly because it was only $2 to get in. There was a bus that took you around to see some cranberry bogs and explain how they get picked etc. There was also a music circle that Andrew loved! He was so cute, banging drums and shaking maracas. It was cold, but thanks to his Nana he was suited up perfectly with his cute hat and sweater. The only way we could get him to keep his hat on was to have Nick have his hood on. It is so cute that Andrew already wants to be just like his Daddy.

For me the highlight was the food. We couldn't decide between fried dough and a fried snickers bar, so of course we got both. They were both amazing, although I think I prefer my fried dough with just cinnamon and sugar instead of the powdered sugar the dude that was making it poured on without even asking.

I came home with 6 lbs of cranberries and so I just made this yummy cranberry orange bread. I know I'm going to use some for Thanksgiving cranberry sauce but if you guys have any other yummy cranberry suggestions or recipes please throw them my way.

My two handsome boys

Our little drummer boy

Scarfing down our fried dough. We didn't give this to him, he just launched at it. (who could blame him?)

Below is a video of me trying a fried snickers for the first time. It was pretty amazing.

Birthday Boy

Well, my baby turned one on Monday and he is still just about the cutest thing I have ever seen. On Saturday we had a small party for him with some people from the ward that we have met. At first he was a little overwhelmed by having all those people over but as you can see in the pictures below he soon warmed up to the idea.

Unfortunately we have yet to get the walking on video. But I love this picture because it shows him walking and how excited he is when he does it.

What we've been up to...

Sorry, no house pictures yet. I have been just so lazy about blogging that I thought I'd do an easy one to start out with. Here are a few things that have been keeping us occupied.

Here is Andrew at a beach near our house. I could only handle it for about an hour before I had to leave. Andrew would not stop eating the sand, and it was disgusting. The next day he cried every time he went poop because it was so sandy.

View of Boston from a park near our home

Waiting for Nick to find his geo cache (why do you think we went to that park?)

A couple of times we have met Nick at the Frog Pond at the Common after he got out of school. It is about a 15 min walk from his school.

The inside of Nick's school

This is the main thing that has been keeping us so busy. I have been soooooo spoiled this last year having Nick around so much. He is so good with Andrew and such a team player when it comes to the house that I've been a little lost trying to get by without him. Andrew has been teething now for a while (it seems just as one tooth comes out another one starts to hurt him) so he has been more needy than usual, so I start something and it never seems to get finished. Thankfully my husband is understanding and loves me even if our house is a disaster.

Random tidbits

Nick had his first day of school on Wednesday. But my favorite part was when he came home. Andrew got so excited! He started dancing and didn't want to let Nick out of sight. I loved it and I teared up a little bit.But if you want details about the school day that will have to wait for when Nick has time to post.

Today we are going to a BBQ for Nick's school, Andrew and I are going to head out to the city a little early with another wife and baby of a student at NECO to do some sight seeing.

Our stuff is arriving on Sunday anytime from 4-8 pm, so we should be able to upload some pictures early next week. And I have my first hair appointment on Saturday, hopefully she'll help me rein in all the ladies form the ward.

The move...

So, today is my 6th day in Quincy (suburb of Boston) and my second day with internet so I thought I should get blogging.

Last Monday Nick set out on his 4 day road trip across the country. He didn't do much but drive and he only got one geo cashe, if you can believe it. He said that he was on a schedule and needed to stick to it. I feel bad for him because I thought that geo cashing would at least make his ride easier or more fun. But, he definitely stayed on schedule, he got into town Thursday night and stayed with some friends. Friday was the day that he came and saw our place (pictures to come in another post) and was supposed to have signed the lease but we still haven't done that yet. He also picked Andrew and I up at the airport on Friday afternoon. Andrew did great on the flight except for when he had dirty diapers (which was when we were taking off and landing when I couldn't change him)

We moved into a duplex with neighbors on the top floor and us on the bottom. We are very lucky because we have had some instant friends. Our neighbors are in our ward and have a one year old and Nick had known a couple from his school who also have a baby and are in our ward. It's been fun and a lot of help.

Our stuff isn't here yet and they have until September 11th to get it to us, but I am praying that it doesn't take that long because I need something to sit on other than this blow up mattress and I feel bad for Andrew, I know his play pin isn't very comfy. We went into the city yesterday to explore a bit. Nick took me to his school and I got to learn the subway, we also walked around Boston common. When I am able to up load pictures that will be my next post. I have noticed two things about this place, #1 a lot of people smoke, coming from L.A. where there are a ton of smoking regulations it is quite annoying, #2 it is beautiful, there are huge trees and it is green everywhere and the architecture in the city is amazing.

So, overall we really like it here, but I'm sure that come winter I will be singing a different tune. Keep your eye out for some picture posts, hopefully they will be up soon.

I'm Fat

I am and I'm annoyed by it.

Tonight I ate an apple with peanut butter for dessert, not because I was hungry but because I NEED something yummy (preferably sweet) in the evenings and that is all I had in my house. And now I'm sitting here with a stuffed belly looking like I'm 5 months pregnant again. Ever since I went on vacation earlier in the month I feel like I'm eating everything in sight, and because I am no longer nursing I have gained a few lbs. :(

So, now what? I've put it out there and so hopefully I will get my butt into shape. My goal is to lose 10 lbs in ...oh, what's a good amount of time? I want to say "My goal is to lose 10 lbs in 2 weeks" because that is what I wish was possible. I guess I'll settle for realistic and say September 15th. That gives me time. So please cross your figures for me and help keep me motivated!

Texas

Last week we took a tip to Texas to visit my sister in Dallas and go to a family reunion in Austin with the Onken's (well, really Debi's side). We had so much fun being with family all week. The only down fall was the heat it was over 100 everyday we were there, but at Alyssa's we were either inside or in her pool and when we got to the ranch for the reunion Nick's grandma Corrine surprised everyone with a pool that just got done being built the week before. Needless to say that is where we spent most of our time. Nicks Aunt Ellie just moved a few miles from his grandmas ranch to a beautiful house on 5 acres full of oak tress, it was great to be able to see, and we are so happy for her!

Andrews first plane ride went great! He did so well that people were coming up to us afterward and telling us how much they enjoyed having him on the plane. He was making friends left and right with his big smile, he really enjoyed hanging upside down in the aisle to see what everyone was doing and he spent the other part of the flight trying to squeeze his head in-between the seats to see the lady behind us that was making him laugh.

Lucy, Samuel, Andrew and Nick.

We had so much fun with the kids. They are so good and adored their baby cousin (hopefully they will feel the same about their new brother in October)

Aunt Alyssa got Andrew a floaty so he would be left out in the pool. He mostly liked it but we found that he wanted to drink all the water that collected inside.

At these family reunions there always seems to be a big puzzle going. This year we got two done.

Andrew and his two year old cousin Juan.

One of the horses. I didn't ride this year (mostly because I was lazy) but Trent overcame his fear and got on.

Nick's eight year old cousin Ian put together a football game for the boys. Nick was very proud because he scored two out his teams four touchdowns, but the game ended up being a tie.

Nana and Andrew

Some of us went to the these cool caves (see below). We were so excited because it said that the temp in the caves was 75 degrees but what we didn't know was that the humidity down there was 80 percent or more! Oh, well it was fun anyway.

Andrew LOVES the pool. He got dunked under the water for the first time by his Aunt Chelsea and loved it.

This is just outside the ranch, I couldn't get closer but just behind the deer in the back round there were about 5 other deer. So cute!

Happy Fathers Day!

Nick, thank you for being the kind of father that Andrew can look up to and admire. We love you!

I am so blessed to have had such a great example of what a Father is and should be. Dad, thanks for always making me laugh and showing me what to look for in a husband and father for my kids, I love you!

I couldn't resist

I apologize in advance for my voice on the videos. I don't know why but I hate hearing myself, it makes me feel sorry for nick and those of you who have to hear me talk on a semi-regular basis.

This morning I got up when I heard Drew start to whine but since he has been weaning himself this last week I made a bottle for him before going in his room to get him. This is what I found when I went in, he had fallen back asleep but siting up. It was pretty funny.

My mom got us this umbrella stroller for the many plane/car trips this summer, I can't believe Andrew is big enough to be in it!

Andrew and his bff Tanner

This is his new thing. He likes to lift his hands over his head like he just won a race and have us all cheer for him.

Great Day!

I woke up excited to go to work today. I hadn't been to the salon for almost 2 weeks and was looking forward to being artistic and making some money. When I got home the baby was taking a nap so Nick and I had some good one on one time which was nice sense Andrew has become a mamas boy the last few days and wants me to hold him all the time (which half of me loves and the other half hates)

We then went to Best Buy to get a GPS for our car. One of the first things Nick said when he he got home from his trip this week was "We have to get a GPS". He says that the streets in Boston are crazy and we will be getting lost 24/7 if we don't have one. So, that made Nicks day. Thankfully he had his leatherman (pocket knife) in his pocket, so as soon as we got in the car the package was open and the GPS was on the windshield. Anytime he gets a new gadget to play with he is happy.

We then get home and decide to go to the annual Art Walk in L.A. Lucky for us it is on Wilshire and La Brea so we just had to cross the street. All the galleries were open and all the museums were free for the day. They even had displays up at the Tar Pits of Bamboo DNA and some other fun stuff. Unfortunately we didn't have our camera and were to lazy to walk home and get it, so we don't have any pictures for you to see. I also found this great jewelry maker with super unique things called La Petite Puce Jewelry . I didn't buy anything but I have my eye on a couple of different things that I want.

We then finished the day with Kogi BBQ . They had the truck right at the Tar Pits and we were one of the first in line. You can't beat that!

Nick must have been living under a rock

Last night Nick and I were trying to decide on a movie to watch when I find out that he has never seen "She's All That" or "Can't Hardly Wait". As you know these are two classic teen movies from the 90's. I didn't believe it was possible for someone having been in high school in the late 90's to not have seen these. Wasn't it required to graduate? Unbelievable! So I made him pick and She's all That was chosen. I hadn't seen this in probably about 9 or 10 years but I remembered quite a bit.

Who could forget these great lines:

"My soul is an island, my car is a Ford" -midget in the art show

"You're totally wiggin"- this was even funny/lame back then because no one ever used that word that I know of.

Or that NASTY pub scene in the cafeteria. "Those are his pub's man" I almost threw up just thinking about it.

And the awesome dance sequence at the prom.

We also saw that Usher and Lil' Kim are in it!

Now I need to talk him into watching Can't Hardly Wait.

Congratulations Lindsey!

I am so proud of my sister. Today is her last day of student teaching and after a long road she is finally done with school, good job Lindsey! Its been rough at times but you stuck it out. I know you'll be the best teacher! I love you!

The not so world wide web

Unfortunately, Raul Castro is once again taking away more freedom (if that is possible) from the Cuban people. The already limited access to the internet has been scaled back even further. They can now no longer buy "internet time" at the hotels. It is only for the tourists. And our President wants to open communication with this kind of government? I'm all for helping the Cuban people but I think the way to do it is to make more people aware of the life (or lack there of) that people have there.

A few days ago she posted this on her blog:

I have gone a couple of days without connecting to the Internet, because a new complication has appeared in the road of alternative bloggers. Several hotels in the country demand, in order to connect to the web, that you prove a life in a place outside the Cuban archipelago. The desk clerks tell me—even though they are just as native as I am—that that blue card will not allow me to dive into the vast World Wide Web. “It’s a decision that comes from above,” a woman says to me, as if a decision of this type could be taken at a level other than the offices of the government.
I see it will be hard to change myself into a foreigner overnight. So the only thing left is to protest against such a ban and to make public the existence of a new apartheid. I will have to go back in the guise of a tourist, although this time I will have to learn a language as complicated as Hungarian to fool those who sell the access cards. Maybe I can prowl around the hotels, ready to ask the foreigners to buy—for me—this forbidden entrance key, this safe conduct I need “to not be Cuban.”

Her and her husband went to see for themselves if they could get on the internet. If you click on the link there is a video on Yoani's blog that will explain way better than I can what I am talking about. It is the second post.

and its only wednessday...

Wow, I don't even know where to begin. Nick thinks I should tell you guys our week thus far in 24 talk, aka: at 0 200 hours such and such happened. Sorry Nick but it is just not in me today!

First- I have been sick for a week with the flu. It sucks. I am getting better but I can still "smell the sickness". That is the only way I know how to explain it. Nick said he understood what I meant (which is rare) so I figure some of you might also.

Second- My grandma is in the hospital (went in on Monday night). :( I feel so bad for her. She'll be ok, but is just very weak. I don't want to get old. My sister Jessica explained it best, "shoot me at 75 if this is what 80 is". I know that sounds bad but it is amazing the change that has happened with my grandma in just the last 2 years. It has again made me realize how important it is to take good care of yourself when you're young because much of my grandmas issues could have been somewhat preventable.

Third- Tuesday night we found the tenant that lives in #119 dead. It was pretty sad. We're not sure how long it had been. The last time anyone had seen/heard from her was last Thursday night. It was pretty horrible.

Forth- I'm tired.

Fifth- Andrew exploded from his butt today. Literally. He was in his jumper and he just exploded, poor guy. It got all over the carpet. Nick cleaned it up.

Sixth- It started smelling like death downstairs in the hallway of 119. What are we suppose to do??? They took her body last night. I don't know what the protocol is for this stuff. We are taking out the carpet where she was laying tomorrow.

Seventh- The oven in #310 caught on fire today, filled the third floor with smoke. I don't know how it happened and I don't care. Nick put out the fire.

Eighth- I put Andrew to bed an hour ago and he just woke up screaming.

Did I mention that I'm tired????

Joe, my love...

As a few of you know I've been having an affair with Joe. He is one of a kind, and is so good to me. There is no need to hind it from Nick, in fact I don't know how I could keep this love a secret from anyone. Nick has come to terms with it, especially because Joe always sends me home with something to put a smile on Nicks face. Like the other day when he gave me a guacamole kit for Nick. Anyway, when we decided to move to Boston we considered our family and friends and the awesome living situation we have here but ultimately decided that Boston was the right place for us. It was only a couple of weeks ago that I realized that I would also have to leave Joe behind. Nick tried to be supportive by telling me that I'd find someone that I liked just as well, but nothing could console me. But the other day I heard that Joe not only has one place in Boston but three or four places. I was so happy I almost cried!(seriously) I know what you may be thinking, I try not to show that kind of emotion for Joe in front of Nick but I couldn't help it. I am even narrowing our apartment search to where Joe is.
I love you Joe!

Zoolander's evil twin

Girls night with...Joss Stone

I am finally getting time to do some blogging while Andrew is napping.
Well, the other day my friend Whitney called me up to see if I was up for going to a concert. She and our friend Kinohi had gotten free tickets off of Twitter for Joss Stone that night. I was excited because I knew who Joss Stone was, but I couldn't think of any of her music but I remembered liking it.
Well, she turned out being way better in person than I would've thought. Lots of energy, and she was pretty sassy with the crowd. I am a little sad that I didn't get a picture of the creppy guy in front of us but he kind of scared me. Everytime she would turn her head to our side of the stage he would throw his arms up and yell her name until he thought she heard/saw him (I don't see how she could've missed it) I think because of this she favored the other side a bit but who could blame her? I was a little creeped out for her. Although he did make me wonder for a split second if that is how BBMAK felt about Marisa and I (if you don't know what I am referring to, believe me its better that way.or if you really want to know come over and if you're luckly you'll see the album) But then I remembered that we were two super cute 18 year olds and not a nasty 40-something crazy with a wedding ring on.
But I have to say that the best part were her back up singers. There were three of them and they were great! The one farthest from us was the quintessential back up girl. Cool, good voice and not to showy. The guy in the middle was just brusting at the seems for not being center stage, all his moves were exagerated and you could tell he wasn't content being the one in the backround. The one closest to us was the best! She had serious attitude in everything she did, her dancing had attitude and her facial expesions were classic, she was by far my favorite. Check out the video to see what I'm talking about.
All and all we had a great night, it's always good to get out for some girl time.

We had a great Easter! Unfortunately these are the only pictures I got. But aren't they cute???
Don't they look like they got caught doing something wrong?