getting out of the house...

At work, I'm generally hesitant to take Asher and Braedon anywhere besides the park since I only have two hands and I'm not too courageous. Hence, the boys and I have been feeling a little cooped up being in the house all day. This leads the boys to find silly things to do with their time. Case in point:Climbing into baskets!

Well, today we had a good opportunity to get out of the house and do something fun. Kelsey, a friend from the ward, invited us to go to the Irvine Spectrum (an outdoor mall) to get some cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory (each slice was only $1.50 in celebration of their anniversary!). Since that mall has some fun water fountains for the kids to play in, I decided it would be fun to take Asher and Braedon. Camille (another friend from the ward, who also watches the boys) was gracious enough to offer some help on our little crusade. So, we piled all the kids in the car and off we went!
Braedon, Sydney (Camille's daughter), and half of Asher. As you can see, Braedon has mastered waving! It was cute seeing all three of them in the backseat together!
The kids waiting patiently in the very hot sun for us to get our cheesecake. They were surprisingly well behaved! I love how Braedon is leaning back with his leg up like that. I think he was trying to be cool in front of Sydney. :)

He's really showing off now! Trying to get her attention by flexing his muscles.

"Watch, Sydney. I can yell really loud! Cool, huh?"

Sydney isn't impressed easily.

But Braedon wouldn't take no for an answer. "Hey Sydney, over here! Look at me!"

"I'm gonna getcha!"

"Argh. I give up."

Oh, but wait! It looks like persistence paid off! Aww, young love.

"Please, no more pictures!"

Home at last and ready for a nap...

It was so fun to get out and do something new. Thanks for inviting us Kelsey! And it wasn't as difficult as I expected it to be (thanks to Camille's help!). I think I'm going to try and get out more often!

earthquakes are SCARY!

I just experienced my first BIG California earthquake. (I felt one a few years back but it was tiny.) The whole apartment started shaking and I was freaking out. I didn't know what to do! I remember learning in elementary school to get in a door jam but that just seemed silly at the time. How the heck would a door jam help if two stories came down on top of me?! Luckily that didn't happen and everything is fine. We all came out alive. Whew. I don't ever want to go through that again.

Here's the story...

Strong quake shakes Southern California

P.S. Dear Family,

If this happens again, and we're not so lucky - I just want you to know that I love you.

dreams are a wish your heart makes...

I have many dreams, most of which are unrealistic (which was made quite clear by the hubbs), but a couple of them might actually be attainable...

One of my dreams: be a photographer. Nothing fancy, just as a hobby... I LOVE taking pictures, mostly of babies and children, and I think it would be really fun to buy a professional digital camera and take a few classes. Just for kicks and giggles. Maybe it could actually turn into something more. You never know. Although, I do think I have a keen eye for cuteness...

Wouldn't you agree? (Look at those cute bums!)

Another dream: open up a baby boutique. It all started when Emery (my niece) was born. For a baby gift, I made her a few things - a blanket, onsies, burp cloths, pacifier clips, bracelets, etc. (to see pictures click here.) Last week I made her some more onsies (she grew out of the first ones), a few hair clips and a hooded towel. Adri was nice enough to send me some pictures.

Emery is the perfect model, she makes all the stuff look so much cuter! And I love all of her facial expressions... "My mommy calls me this. She's very smart."

"It's true. I've got him wrapped right around my little pinkie."

"Seriously, mom. How many more of these do I have to try on?"

"Ok... I guess I kind of like this one!"

"My silly daddy calls me this. But I let it slide since I am a daddy's girl."

e is for... emery!

"We're done now, right mom?"

Making all this baby stuff is so fun! And there are quite a few girls in my ward who do it too. (That's who I learned it from - thanks Megan!) And I think it would be really fun to put all of our things together and open up a boutique. Maybe one day it will happen. I can only dream...

twilight comedy!

For those of you who have read the Twilight books, I have something hilarious for you to read:

The Twilight Series for Dummies (And Totally Desperate Mormon Guys)

Trust me, you won't regret reading it!

Also, in celebration of the upcoming release, he's doing a spoof on Breaking Dawn which is equally funny. Here's the first one:

Breaking Dawn: The Spoof - Part I

Enjoy! (And, you're welcome!)

P.S. Stephenie Meyer will be on Good Morning America this Thursday. Just thought I'd let you know in case you're like me and totally obsessed with anything involving twilight and/or Stephenie Meyer. Jeremy keeps pressuring me to write a book that will make millions. HA! I wish!

SYTYCD Top 8

Surprisingly, I enjoyed almost all of the dances this week. All but this one:It's painful to watch Comfort attempt any style other than hip hop. I'm so glad she's finally gone. And I wasn't heartbroken when Will left either. But next elimination is going to be hard. I don't want to see any of these people leave:Can't wait for Wednesday!