San Elijo Day 2

On Day 2 we woke up, had breakfast and Jason headed off to the main gate to try to switch our campsite to an ocean front site. After waiting for Jason for a while Ash and I decided to head off on our own adventure. We went down to the beach looking for shells and rocks and Ashley had so much fun playing in the water. At one point she was knocked over by a wave and fell into the water, that had her frozen in her tracks for a minute and then she got over it and kept playing.

After moving to a different campsite, having lunch and taking naps all three of us headed back down to the beach and our crazy daughter wanted to play in the water again. Ash and I tried running from the waves and we ended the evening collecting some more rocks.

I'm a slacker

I've been pulling up the blog page for about a week now with intentions of getting some camping pictures up and I get distracted checking out everyone's blog updates and then decide I'm over it. Well, today I have no excuse, we have been lazy this weekend and I need to feel slightly productive so the pictures are being posted, FINALLY!

This is day 1 of our camping trip. We started the afternoon setting up camp and then headed down to the beach. Ashley really wanted to surf with Jason, after trying to explain to her that the air was cold and the water was cold she still just wanted to surf. So, surfing she went. If you notice my husband and daughter are the only people in the water without a wetsuit. People that were heading up and down the stairs would stop and watch Jas and Ashley for a few minutes, I'm not sure if it's because she was so young or they thought they were both crazy going in the water without a wetsuit. After surfing we went back to camp and changed into warm clothes, Ashley wanted to wear her mittens but then decided it might be better to take them off while trying to eat string cheese. My brother, Ian, came down to have dinner with us. After dinner Ashley had her first s'more. It wasn't quite what she hoped for, she only had about 2 bites and then was over it. I couldn't tell if she didn't like the taste or if the mess was just too much for her to be able to enjoy it. We had some music playing and Ashley was dancing for us and then asked me to dance with her, so we capped the night off with a dance together.

Doctor Appointment

We're back from the doctor and everything looks great. My blood pressure was lower than it's been through the entire pregnancy which made her REALLY happy (me too). Colin's legs, belly, brain, etc. are measuring exactly to the day of his due date. We finally were able to get a cuter picture of him today, he was sitting in my sideways with his face up so it's a head on shot (not my favorite, I'm been dying to see his profile) but he did give a BIG smile for us and you can already see chubby cheeks starting to form. His ultrasounds seem so different from Ashley's. Ash was always putting on a show for us, waving, spinning around, letting her long hair flow in the amniotic fluid LOL. No sign of hair on Colin yet but I think it's still a little early. He is about 2.5 pounds right now and the ultrasound tech confirmed for us again that he is a HE. One of the highlights for me (I'm so vain) is that I only gained .2 pounds this last month!!!! YAY! I feel HUGE so I was thinking I might have gained another 5 pounds like last month, I guess this month cancels out last month right?? :-)

I have my glucose test next Tuesday and I'll be back to see the doctor in three weeks and we'll visit every two weeks from there on out! I'm so excited because it feels like this pregnancy is finally getting close to the end!!

I'm finally going to scan the ultrasound pics I have when Ash takes a nap and I'll post those once they're done.

Memorial Weekend

We didn't have any big BBQ's or family gatherings this weekend but it was a time for our little family to gather and spend some free time together. I love having free weekends to be together. It seems so rare that we have weekends that aren't booked with parties, traveling, holidays, etc. It's so nice to have some quiet time with the ones you love so you can just be with each other and remember exactly why you love them so much. When I look back at this weekend there wasn't anything very exciting or magnificent but it was extraordinary because it was filled with extra laughs, lots of hugs, so many smiles and kiss after kiss. We spent most of Saturday at home just being lazy together which I think we all needed. On Sunday we went to see a possible dog to adopt, she wasn't the perfect fit for us but we had fun visiting with friends. We had a nice family lunch while we mulled over our doggy options and then headed to a furniture sale that was super lame but we still had fun walking around and laughing about it all. We had a nice dinner together and followed that up by a trip to Blockbuster and headed home for a couch date. This morning Jason woke up to go surfing and Ash and I cuddled in bed watching cartoons (I LOVE those times). After breakfast and some more lazy time Jas and I headed to the garage to unpack the last boxes, purge things that should have never made it here from the old house and to organize all the stuff in our pretty blue Rubbermaid bins. We ended the night with what I call "Hodge podge dinner". Here's the recipe: 1.) open the pantry 2.) pick out any odds and ends you like 3.) eat them. Ashley kept asking about getting married during dinner so we showed her our wedding video for the first time. She was pretty much only interested in the kiss and dancing. After we kissed she was concerned that we didn't wait for all the other people to have a turn to kiss. So, like I said, there was nothing spectacular about our weekend but as our long weekend is coming to a close I find myself feeling closer to my husband and my little girl. I feel like my heart grew with love for them over these three days and I was reminded how lucky I am to have them both, I am so grateful.

Tomorrow will be a spectacular way to start the week because we'll be heading to the "baby doctor". We'll get to start the week off with a reminder of the newest family member and I'm sure my heart will grow with love all over again tomorrow. I'll let you know how it goes.

Camping in Style

I'm posting from the picnic table at our campsite and it's amazing! We pulled up to the park gate at 2pm and started to set up right away. We are so lucky to have Uncle David's camper because I think it's as "rustic" as Ashley could handle. Once we had everything in its place we all relaxed and read books and magazines until around 5pm when Jason and Ashley decided it was time to go surfing. We made our way down the huge wooden staircase and Ashley was so excited she was hopping across the beach with excitement. All I can say is my daughter is BRAVE! First off, it was overcast this evening and the water and air were both about 65 degrees with a little bit of a breeze, I said BRRRRR just looking at the water. Ash of course hopped on the board and was ready to go with no hesitation. The waves were perfect for teaching Ashley today, Jason was able to paddle into a wave, hop on his knees and then help Ashley stand up while they rode the waves all the way to the shore. Ashley was all smiles standing up on the surf board. After about 30 minutes Ashley looked pretty cold so Jason said one more wave and then it was time to go in and she quickly snapped back saying, "I'm fine! I'm fine!" After a few more waves Ash came in and I warmed her up with a towel while we watched Daddy catch some tiny waves.

After a hot shower Ash was bundled up and ready for marshmallows (I feel like that's all she has talked about for the last week). I convinced her to have a banana instead and then my brother, Ian, joined us for hot dogs and s'mores. Ash took one bite of her s'more and once she realized she had sticky marshmallows on her hands and face she was done and opted for plain, uncooked marshmallows instead. Ash and I burned off some sugar playing freeze dance in the light of the lanterns until Colin said it was time to stop. It's been a great day and we're all really excited for tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed that we get some sunshine because that would make for a perfect day and some fun pictures.

Here are a few pictures from today. Ugh, forget the pictures for tonight. I've tried loading them to the site 4 times and it's taking forever and my eyeballs are trying to go to sleep, I'll try again in the morning.

It's all in a name

I've been meaning to post this for a few days and keep forgetting...

Every time we tell someone we're going to name this baby Colin, they ask why or if it has any meaning. I guess there isn't really meaning but there's a little story from about 2 years ago that I forgot about until the other day. So, here it goes...

Jason and I have always thrown around boy names after having Ashley because we were over our boy name the second we found out we were having a girl. We never seemed to agree and I always ended up getting cold feet on the more creative names after a few months. One day we were packing up to go to San Onofre for the day and I noticed Jason's surfboard was signed by Colin Mc Phillips. I said, "Colin, hmm. I like that name for a boy!". I think Jason responded with, "Yeah, me too." That's where Colin came from and it seemed to stick with us until we actually got pregnant. We had forgotten about the name until about two weeks before we found out the sex when we were having a "serious talk" about the issue. Then Jason said, "Whatever happened to Colin?" I said, "I don't know, I forgot about that name. I love it." He agreed and the conversation was done.

Packing up

We spent today shopping at Costco and the grocery store. Jas and I left Costco vowing never to attempt a Costco trip on the weekends from now on. It seemed like an entire city showed up to eat the samples, I've never seen lines so long to taste 1/2 a pot sticker or a tiny square of toast with butter on it! I wanted to look at these people that looked like rabid dogs and say, "Really? All this for a 1"x1" square of toast?" It's not like they were giving away diamond rings or free massages, they were squares of toast and shots of vitamin drinks. GEEZ!

I have 2 theories for the people running over other shoppers with carts and making nasty faces:

1.Either everyone there had low blood sugar levels because they were all finishing a long fast and were dying to get their tasters.

OR

2.It was all a result of Costco running out of hot dogs at the snack stand which seemed to cause great chaos outside of the store. Trust me, I LOVE Costco hot dogs (with lots of Deli Mustard) but I would ever act like that even in the middle of a pregnant hot flash.

The grocery store was much better (probably because everyone was still at Costco).

When we got home I made some pasta salad for our trip and Jason went to his Uncle's house to pick up the camper (We're upgrading from our tents to the camper fort his trip. I think my prego body will be more than appreciative to sleep on a "bed" instead of the cold ground.)

We're going to spend the rest of the night packing clothes and all the other goodies we need for a fun trip. We'll have the computer on our trip so I'll try to post some pictures while we're gone.

Double Digits

First off, sorry I've kind of abandoned my blog, I've been figuring out everything on facebook. I also think I'm subconsciously avoiding the blog so it will magically skip to week 30 so I feel like I've made some progress- I feel like my countdown has been in the 20 week range for eons and it's starting to bug me. However, I did log in to the blog today and notice that the countdown days have hit an exciting milestone- we have left the triple digits and are now in the double digits! WOOOHOOO! I'm starting to get very anxious and just want to meet this little boy. I want to see what he looks like and I want to watch his big sister lay eyes on him, I know once she does she'll never want to let go of him. It's funny because Jason and I aren't going to take on new titles with the birth of Colin we'll just have one more mouth yelling out our name but it's very exciting that Ashley will get to be the BIG SISTER. I'm already so proud of the sister she has been to him while he has been in my tummy and I love seeing how excited she gets when I tell her she can help me feed, burp, swaddle and dress him. She says she's excited about trying to change diapers but I know my little neat freak will quickly change her mind once she sees what that really entails.

Proud Mama

Well, I haven't had the time to get the pictures from Mother's Day off the camera and on the computer but there's a good reason for that. This afternoon I was having a pregnant moment and feeling REALLY hot. Jason walked in the door and asked what was wrong with me because I was all red and sweaty (such a cute way to say hi when you're husband gets home from work LOL). So, I told Jason we needed to go to the pool, you had to know I was hot if I was willing to be in a baithing suit at a public pool feeling quite pregnant and large.

We got to the pool and Ashley was excited to get in but had no clue Jason and I wanted to do a refresher course on her swim lessons from last year. We brought out the kickboard and Jason started her off on her kicking which went from flaling legs in and out of the water to a nice steady beat under the surface. He took her under water a few times and she seemed to like it. Then we brought her over to the wall to have her practice jumping in the water. She seriously hesitated for the first three jumps. I think we counted to 3 about 50 times during those first three attempts until she finally jumped in and then she was hooked. After lots of jumping I took her down to the deep end and my belly really came in handy. I was on my back and had her roll on her back and rest on my belly while I kicked us to the deep end. We practiced floating on her back and she reminded me of Jason because she said it was boring and wanted to jump in the pool instead.

I brought her to the side of the pool and that's when my little fishy blossomed. She asked me to step back away from the wall even more and I convinced her it was time to try to jump in, kick herself to the surface and then kick all the way to the wall. She had no problem doing it and was so proud of herself after she pulled herself out of the pool all by herself. I think she repeated this for 30 minutes and the only reason she stopped was because she had a side ache. We swam back to the shallow end and I barely held my hand under her belly and she was paddling and kicking away. I was so proud that she was able to get back to where she was at the end of her swimming lessons last year and I can't wait to see where she ends up after this summer's lessons. I have to say my heart smiled when we got out of the pool and Ashley started to wimper because she wanted to keep swimming "all night long".

We've heard the local swim team practicing when we've gone on walks and I miss the noises you hear at the pool, the coach cheering on the swimmers, the splashing from each flip turn and the panting after a hard set. I'm hoping, REALLY hoping that Ashley will want to swim so I can be surrounded by the smell of chlorine all over again- this time as a proud parent cheering for her girl.

Happy Mother's Day

We're heading into a busy weekend so I figured I would wish you all a Happy Mother's Day now and I'll share stories and pictures on Sunday or Monday.

Moms- Enjoy your day, RELAX, allow yourself to be pampered without feeling guilty and smother your loved ones with hugs and kisses.

Dads- Remember to let your wife know how much you appreciate her, give her extra kisses and don't forget to tell her she's beautiful.

Kids- NO FIGHTING! NO TEMPER TANTRUMS! TAKE YOUR NAPS! LOVE your mommy and pull out one of those tender moments that makes us moms melt.

Have a great weekend!

Sweet Serenade

This morning I woke up and was really achy and sore. As I walked around a little Colin moved and has decided to take residence in the lowest part of my belly possible. Getting dressed was really fun with the added pressure and size of him hanging out right where my jeans sit. So, after a mini moment of feeling sorry for my chubby self and shedding some hormonal tears I figured out how to get in my jeans without greasing myself up in butter first. After breakfast, making beds, getting Ash dressed, playing with Dylan and Ashley and putting Dylan down for his nap I plopped down on the area rug downstairs to play catch with Ashley. I felt like I could hardly keep my eyes open (did I mention I have this annoying cold/cough that I think has now turned into a sinus infection?). Ashley offered to sing me a song to help me go to sleep (such a nice offer and I SO wished I could just fall asleep), I said that would be great so she asked for a song request and I chose Twinkle Twinkle Little Star. Little did I know what kind of treat I was in for... Ashley changed the lyrics just for me and it went something like this:

Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
You are my Mommy and I love you
You are my best friend and we love to play
We can play in the park or in the pool
and now you can sleep because I love you.

The song was followed up with a curtsy and a huge hug and kiss- oh how I love my girl!

Taste of Ladera Pictures

Ashley dancing at the concert





Day 2













For some reason it has taken Ash a while to figure this thing out and when she did this weekend she was so proud of herself.