No More Crib!

The past three weeks have been so hard at night! Since taking Derek's binkie away, he refuses to go to bed on his own. He wants to lay in our bed and fall asleep to a movie. We have let this go on for a few weeks, but it had to end now. I found a toddler bed on Craigslist for $40... can't beat that. So we went to pick it up last night. It's perfect and even matches his bedroom furniture! I thought it was going to be hours of fighting with a 2 1/2 year old, but it was so easy! He cried at first when I told him we weren't going to mom and dads room. I read to him for about 30 minutes (but what seemed like hours!) and then told him it's time to go night night like a big boy. He stayed in his bed, never made a sound, and fell right to sleep. AWESOME! I hope tonight is just the same!

My Big Brother Says 'I Do'

This is the beginning of a TON of pictures! A tribute to my brother's wedding to Alyssa this past weekend. It started out with a casual rehearsal dinner at my parents house on Friday night. Lots of yummy food and a lot of laughs!

They got married on a yacht in Newport Beach Saturday afternoon. They couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day! Gorgeous weather and beautiful views along the harbor. I really think everything turned out perfect for them. We are happy to welcome Alyssa into our crazy family!

So here are a whole bunch of pictures! Mainly for the newlyweds since they haven't seen any pictures yet. They are in no particular order, just a hodge podge of pictures from Friday and Saturday... and no captions either, sorry! Uploading all these pics is taking long enough... Hope you enjoy!




























THE END!

Mickey's Treat or Treat Party!

Last night we went to Disneyland for the Trick or Treat Party. Saying that Derek had a good time would be an understatement! When we pulled up he could hardly contain himself. Even on the tram he was so excited... seeing all the decorations and lights. It was so cute! I remember being just like that when I was little. It was a great night for him! Very crowded, but I expected that. I only wish I had worn shorts and not jeans. It was still so warm out at 10:30 pm. We even had to take Derek's costume off after getting there because he was so hot.

We have a monkey backpack 'leash' that we got about a year ago specifically for a Disneyland trip, but never really used it. I knew Derek wouldn't stay in the stroller last night... he HATES strollers! And he also hates holding our hands! So that leash came in handy! And it was great! He loved having a monkey back pack and it kept him close to us.

I was also surprised at the amount of candy they give out at each 'trick or treat station'. HUGE handfuls! We came home with 3 bags full... just great! My kid was on a total sugar high today! But he won't stop talking about his Mickey sword and seeing lots of pirates! We didn't get the greatest pictures, but here are a few from the evening.




Getting very attached to his Micky Mouse sword

Halloween Party

I love this time of year... when the weather gets cooler and the evenings get dark earlier, but I am not a big fan of Halloween. I love it for Derek and seeing little kids dressed up and so excited for candy, but I hate dressing up myself. Especially when your husband tells you Saturday morning of a Halloween party that evening. Oh really? How nice! Jason's good friend Ron was having a Halloween party last Saturday night. It was one that included the kids, which was nice. But what the heck is a pregnant girl going to be when she only has a few hours to come up with something? Also, a pregnant girl who already hates dressing up. So off we go to the costume store. I found a Greek God costume that I turned into a Greek Goddess.. although my dad thought he was pretty funny saying I was the Goddess of Fertility... HA HA dad! Jason couldn't find anything so he decided to match Derek and be a pirate. I told him to try on the costume, but he insisted it would fit because it said 'one size fits most'. When he put it on I was dying of laughter! The shirt was SO short and tight and the pant too. He ended up making it work, but it was pretty hilarious! Here's a few pictures from the night.

Our little family


Being arrested by 'Dog The Bounty Hunter'

Twins Update

Today I had another ultrasound. One every four weeks now, along with a doctor appointment every 2 weeks.. yuck! I'm already so sick of going to the doctor and getting ultrasounds! Anyway, the babies are looking great. Measuring over a foot long each and both about 1 1/2 pounds. It's weird to think that I have two feet of baby in me! But I now know why my ribs are killing me... the boy's little tushee is pushed up right against my right rib cage. He's not even here yet and this little boy is already acting up!

I also got a really good profile shot of each of them. The boy has a big head and big nose... totally looks like a boy. And the girl is so dainty with a cute little button nose. It's so neat how you can already tell these things.

The radiologist also pushed my due date up a week to February 7th. But he agreed with my doctor and thinks at the rate they're growing, they will be here in January. YEAH! Get them out of me!

The Dreadful 'Baby Bump' Pictures

I've had some family and friends ask me to post a baby bump picture... which I can't stand. But I thought I would oblige.

Almost 24 weeks


And little D wanted in on the baby action too.. but of course he won't look at the camera

More of Derek (Of Course)

Just a few pictures from the week...

Derek and his cousin Aiden at Chick-fil-A




Derek walked into the office saying, "Look, I'm mom!"

The Pumpkin Factory

Saturday afternoon we went to a great pumpkin patch called the Pumpkin Factory. What a perfect fall day to choose a pumpkin! Little did we know a pumpkin patch would end up costing so much money. In my day pumpkin patches consisted of pumpkins and hay, that's it. Now they have pony rides, bounce houses, giant slides, hay rides on an ATV, and carnival food. So of course Derek wants to do it all. He loves horses and went on his pony ride first.



Then came the Nemo bounce house with the slide.. which he couldn't get enough of!


Before getting to the pumpkin patch he told us he wanted a BIG pumpkin. But when he saw the 'baby pumpkins' he chose one of those instead. I'm sure we'll be back before Halloween for some more fun and a bigger pumpkin!

I'm a Big Boy Now

Derek loves to shave with his dad. Only he uses kitchen utensils instead of a razor.

Mean Dog!

About a week ago Jason and I went to dinner and Derek stayed home with grandpa. Derek and grandpa were playing in the front yard with our dog Bella. My parent' neighbor has a MEAN lab mix... yea I know, a mean lab, whoever heard of that?! It must be mixed with something else. Anyways, it managed to jump over the block wall and it was going after Derek and Bella. Bella ran away so fast and my dad got Derek and put him in the house. My dad tried to corner the dog and it wanted nothing to do with him. My parent's lazy and overweight dachshund thought he would offer his assistance by jumping through the window screen. The mean lab then came over and attacked Tommy. The owner finally came to get his dog and we didn't even know Tommy had been bit. The next day we see the bite mark and it was getting swollen and gross. So he goes to the vet and ends up having to have surgery to remove an abscess that the bite caused. The cutest part of the whole incident is when Jason and I got home from dinner and Derek was so worked up about what had happened. He explained how the mean dog came and tried to get Bella, how 'gampa' said go home, etc... all so animated. I couldn't stop laughing. MEAN DOG!!

The drain tube after the surgery... SICK!


So sad...

Binkies Are For Babies!

We, actually I, finally did it! The pacifier, also known as Derek's binky, is now gone for good! Derek is almost 2 1/2 and has become even more attached to the binky. It used to only be given to him at nap time and bedtime, and occasionally in the car, but lately he wants it constantly. With the encouragement of his daycare teacher, I just took all the binkies away cold turkey. We tell him that we gave them to the babies. He then lifts up my shirt and looks for them. We didn't even have to go buy a toy to 'replace' the pacifier... how great! He went to bed last night perfectly fine without and it and didn't even ask for it... I was amazed! I thought it would be the first thing he asked for this morning, but he has been up almost 2 hours and hasn't even mentioned the word binky! I should have done this a long time ago. So far it's been easy.. let's hope that continues and he doesn't find any that he lost around the house!

Chick-fil-a Rocks!

I just have to talk about Chick-fil-a. I always knew it was a fast food chain that just serves chicken, but until I went a few weeks ago with some girlfriends, I had no idea it's such a great family oriented place! Now I take Derek every week. First off they are the cleanest restaurant EVER! Second, they have baskets on the walls called 'Mother's Baskets'. These baskets include complimentary diapers, wipes, Cheerios, band aids, and hand sanitizing wipes. Are you kidding me? How great is that! They also provide your child with a disposable place mat... these disposable place mats aren't cheap either; if you buy them at the store they're about $6 for only 10 of them. They have the cleanest play area too... indoors, climate controlled, and air sanitizers so it smells nice.

So getting to my story... Every Tuesday night they have what they call Family Night. From 5:00-8:00 pm they have some type of activity going on, and with the purchase of a combo meal, you get a free kids meal! AND, something I learned tonight is if you turn your toy back in from the kids meal, you get a free ice cream cone. Nice! Tonight's activity was a Reptile Show. They had a reptile guy and lots of reptiles outside on the patio. Derek loved it! The kids were able to touch and hold the snakes, turtles, lizards and all kinds of other reptiles. It was great. This guy does birthday parties too. I'm already thinking it would be great for Derek's 3rd birthday in May. I only wish I brought the camera!

Anyway, that's my rave about Chick-fil-a... What a great place to entertain your child for an hour! But the best part of all is this... I was drying Derek off after his bath tonight and he said, "Tank you for chick-fil-a momma, and tank you for snake!" That made my night! He is putting together sentences so well! I'm one proud mom!

Our Lives These Past few Days

Just a few random pictures from last week. Saturday was my mom's birthday and she wanted a cake from Costco. It's pretty much a tradition... she only likes Costco cake. Well, not even the cake, just the frosting. But anyway, we had this huge cake for 4 people. Why can't Costco make a cake a little smaller? Anyway, I picked it up the night before her birthday and this is what it looked like by the time we sang Happy Birthday. Notice the mix match of candles too! (Sorry mom, but we all know you didn't just turn 50!)



Derek wanting to help with the dishes.. Oh what a GREAT help! HA, HA! And still with his 49ers jersey on from watching the game with dad. He won't take it off until Daddy takes his off.


Sound asleep after a long day. I love sleeping pictures!


My dad is remodeling one of the bathrooms in the house and Derek is always ready to help. Here he is measuring and marking on the wall. He calls this step ladder a 'baby ladder' since it's just his size.


And last but not least (no picture for this one, just a story)... I was trying to make dinner tonight and Derek was all over me. Wanting me to play, to give him ice cream, to go outside, etc. I said, "Oh my gosh, you're irritating me!' He then replied with, "No mom, you errrtate ME!". I was laughing so hard! TODDLERS!