Bring on the Pink!

Yep, it's a baby girl! We are super excited to have a healthy baby girl on the way. We actually have to go back in 2 weeks for another ultrasound because our little girl wouldn't hold still enough for the tech to get a good photo of her heart. And then, she wouldn't move positions so they could see her entire spine...but that's ok, just one more chance that we get to see her!


Baby girl sucking her thumb

A Yummy Christmas Tradition!

So making tamales has been a tradition in Brandon's family for a long time, and I found a place to make them here in AZ! My friend from work, Paula, makes them every year and invited a group of us over to help. What a process! But thanks to many hands, we were able to make about 20 dozen in a few hours (that was after all of the prep had pretty much been done), and they are so tasty!

It's beginning to smell alot like Christmas...

So my mom and I started a new Christmas tradition this year-making gingerbread men! We had a blast! Our little men (and women) had pants and aprons, hats, ties, jewelry and even golf clubs. We even made a pilot for my brother Jeff! We'll have to get super creative to outdo our men next year!

Must take a belly picture everytime I do something new (according to my mom)! :)

One of our golfers for my dad and Brandon.

One of our plate of gingerbread men...what to do next year?

School's Out...Time to Party!

After we got back from Flagstaff, we had a bonfire and dessert party for Brandon. Thanks to all our family and friends who came out to help us celebrate!

A little guitar hero to get the party started...currently Brandon's favorite thing in the world! :)

Daddy Graduated!!!

So after years of hard work, no summer and no weekends, Brandon finished his Masters in Educational Leadership from Northern Arizona University. We had so much fun going up to Flagstaff for the ceremony. The ceremony took place in the middle of a snow storm, so when we came out of the dome, it was so pretty! We stayed at a great hotel with my parents, brother and Brandon's parents and brother and spent the evening playing card games and relaxing. We are all so proud of the hard work that he put into this, and it was so rewarding to see him walk across the stage, get hooded and get his diploma!


Baby saying congrats to Daddy.


The grad in the dome at NAU


He's in the back row somewhere! It was really cool...at the end of the ceremony all of the NAU staff stand on the side of the chairs and shoot out streamers over all of the graduates.

Brandon opening his graduation present from his mom...he was a little shocked (to say the least) to find a trip and round of golf at Pebble Beach in the package! For all you non-golfers out there...this is the dream golf course to play. Off to Monterey, CA we go in January!

Outside in the snow after the ceremony.

Family Christmas Pictures

So it is definitely that time of year again...the family Christmas card photos! My parents haven't done one in a few years, but they were excited to tell the news of the upcoming baby so that was the theme of the photos.




I just want to say how blessed I feel that my brother and husband are such good friends...I couldn't ask for anything greater!


Grandma to be!

Our "growing" family!

Baby loves Disneyland!!!

Well, if you know Brandon and I, you know we love Disneyland. It seems only fitting that our baby has been to the Happiest Place on Earth 4 times so far! We hope there are many more visits to come in the future with our newest member of the family!


Visit #1


Visit #2 with Grandma Juarez


Visit #3 with Grandma Juarez and Grandma Larson

Visit #4 (Mom's personal favorite so far due to the fact that it's Christmas at Disneyland and I was finally feeling good!)

Oh Baby!!

Yep, that's right! We are adding to our little family and having a baby! Our little one is due May 10th (Happy 30th Birthday, Uncle Brian!) and we are super excited (Well, I have to say that I am getting more excited now that I feel human again)! I had a rough first trimester with alot of sickness, but it has gotten alot better now.

We broke the news to my parents on my birthday at Olive Garden. We gave them a frame that talked about grandchildren and where the photo space was it said "Baby's picture coming May 10, 2009". As you can tell, my mom got it right away and my dad was still trying to figure it out. We then drove to California and surprised Brandon's mom one night. After getting over her shock of us being at her front door, we gave her a gift as well. It was a grandma's brag book and she started crying and then jumping up and down screaming. It was a great reaction and made our drive completely 100% worth it!

Our little peanut (as our doctor calls it) at 8 weeks.

Baby at 12 weeks

Baby at 14 weeks

Baby at 17 weeks (and no, I'm not having twins, as I have already been asked!) We have our next ultrasound on December 21st, so hopefully Baby will cooperate and we can find out if our little peanut is a boy or a girl!

Apples and Pumpkins Galore!

We drove to Willcox this weekend to go apple picking and to a pumpkin patch. There turned out to be even more to do and we had a blast! My aunt Laurie, cousin's Amy and Tatum, and my mom came with us. Besides the heat, it was a very fun Fall thing to do and hopefully, we will do it again next year.


Picking peppers. We actually picked tomatos, jalepenos, all colors of peppers and chilis.


Our pumpkin in the pumpkin patch



Brandon and Tatum picking apples

The group

Eating our pancake breakfast in a peach orchard

Girl's Weekend

My Mom joined us on Sunday to continue our girl's weekend. We drove to Palm Springs to go to the great outlet malls and shopped til' we dropped! The next day, we had a relaxing morning in the great California weather and then headed back to Disneyland (I know, I may be slightly obsessed!). It was my mom's birthday, so she got in free! It was an awesome weekend with my 2 moms!


Shopping, shopping, and more shopping!


It's Halloween Time at Disneyland and all the decorations are super cute!


My mom's favorite ride since she was a little girl.

Another Fun Fall Day at Disneyland

Brandon and my brother went on a backpacking trip this past weekend, so I headed out to California for a girls weekend with my mother-in-law. On Saturday, we spent the morning getting pedicures and then then we headed to Disneyland, where we met up with my brother-in-law, Brian and his girlfriend, Sheila. They took us to a great restaurant in California Adventure called Ariel's Grotto. Let me just say that if you are ever at Disneyland with a little girl, this is the place to go! All of the princesses wander around to all of the tables to talk to you and take pictures, and the food was really good! I can now mark that restaurant off my list of places that I haven't been in Disneyland yet (and let me say that with annual passes for 2 years, that list is getting very short)!


With Belle (my personal favorite)!


We even got Brian to do the princess hands!

Helen and I at California Adventure

The amazing dessert tray at our dinner (you can't tell but the conch shell is pure white chocolate)!

Catching Up

So I apoligize, I have been very lazy with the blog lately. We really have been up to a lot, I just never got the time to put it up here! So here is a quick look into our lives over the past couple of months.

At the Cardinals/Green Bay preseason game. It's still a little weird to go to a sold out Cardinals game...especially when it's only preseason! Times have sure changed!

Wrigley and her sister Cherokee doing what the love - hanging out and playing. Oh to have the life of a dog!

A pretty sunset over Saguaro Lake.

We went to the lake with our good friends, Jesse and Kristi, and it was certainly an adventure! Let's just say that there are some truck keys sitting at the bottom of the lake somewhere...unless the random skunk found them first! Big thanks to my parents for providing us with the spare set!

The way I often find Wrigley in the morning.

We had a fun day of babysitting Brandon's cousin, Carson, and we thought we would invite Tatum over to go swimming with us.


We also took Tatum to an ASU football game...she caught on pretty quick to the "Fork'em Devils" sign!

Future ASU Cheerleader!


Listening to the game with Brandon. Love the look on her face!