The Green Family

Beach Time

2010-08-19T22:22:00.003-04:00

Sorry I have been so behind in posting but I have been debating changing my blog. I don't like that people can download my pictures from Flickr so I am considering using a different website for blogging. I would still like to be able to share pictures with family and friends but it has come to my attention that people have been downloading and using my pictures so I want to take them off my blog and Flickr site. My new site will allow everyone to see my pictures but my previous posts will be deleted. I will save some of my previous posts and put them up and also have a gallery of pictures for people to see. So anyway, I haven't been posting much because I have been deciding what to do with my blog. Now that I have decided to change over it will take a little bit to get it up and running. In the meantime here are some cute pictures of the family at the beach awhile ago. :)

Boston

2010-07-15T23:49:00.002-04:00

My mom, Anna, the kids and I went to Boston to pick Tommy up from school in May. We left in the afternoon but didn't get there until VERY late...or VERY early. They all took naps in the car so when we got there and saw Tommy they all got a second wind...at 4 am...and they started watching Tropic Thunder. :)

iPhoto photo by Sue Morris

Up at the crack of 11 am.

iPhoto photo by Sue Morris

The next morning we loaded them up with nutritious food. Dunkin' Donuts!!! I think there was a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner. Layla had the most, of course.

iPhoto photo by Sue Morris

After we got up and got ready it was well into the afternoon so we decided to walk around Boston a little and see the sites. Of course our little walk turned into about 5 miles but who's counting.

Photo by Sue Morris

It was raining and cold but we still had fun.

Photo by Sue Morris

Who knew it was going to be cold...I only brought shorts, T-shirts and flip flops for my kids. I guess I didn't look at the weather before I left.

At least one child is dressed properly.

We even went to Cheers!

Afterwards we walked through the Boston Public Garden.

Tommy climbed trees...

...and Layla watched.

So cute!! I love this one.

My little Anna Banana.

At least I remembered to bring their jackets...

Awww, we missed our Tommy.

After our walking tour of Boston, Tommy and I went to pack up his room while Mom watched the kiddos...I guess Layla was being too quiet.

iPhoto photo by Sue Morris

On the way home we stopped by Mystic Aquarium in Connecticut.

The kiddos love aquariums...they are little fish themselves. Jourdan is fascinated with sharks...he was able to pet some. :)

See the big shark?

Photo by Sue Morris

Oh no!

Photo by Sue Morris

This quickly became Jourdan's favorite animal. The Beluga whale.

Photo by Sue Morris

Photo by Sue Morris

Next came feeding the birds.

We were wondering how she got so close...she is stepping on the bird's tail.

Photo by Sue Morris

Photo by Sue Morris

Ahhh! Jourdan's grabbing the bird.

Photo by Sue Morris

Tommy's home for the summer!!

Turk

2010-06-30T17:57:00.003-04:00

Photo by my mom.

I finally have gotten around to posting pictures of our little puppy Turk. He was born March 1st and we got him when he was almost eight weeks old. It is hard to believe that he is already four months old.

These first two were taken with my cell phone on the way home from picking Turk up.

The next couple are from his first night at home.

The next day my mom took a whole bunch of pictures.

Photo by my mom.

Carlsbad Strawberries

2010-06-24T22:41:00.003-04:00

Picking strawberries with Jessica, Abby and Layla in San Diego!

More Flowers...

2010-06-16T00:00:00.002-04:00

We all know I have an obsession with taking photos of flowers...so here are the latest pictures. :)

Flower Fields

2010-06-15T23:35:00.003-04:00

When I was in California, Jessica and I took the girls to the Carlsbad Flower Fields. It was beautiful!

My Abbylicous!

Layla wasn't very happy.

Best picture of her all day. :) She was not being cooperative.

There's a little smile.

Jessica's Birthday

2010-06-05T00:27:00.004-04:00

While Layla and I were out in San Diego it was my friend, Jessica's birthday. We took over the restaurant with our crazy kids. We had tons of fun. Love you Jessica!

Jessica and I

Tyler

Dylan

Shannon, Melissa and I

We love each other. :)

Layla loved Allyson's baby car seat...

...and she loves heels.

Awww, I want one! Layla loves little babies too!

Love you Jess!

Oh and I am pretty sure Jessica's husband took most of these pictures.
He pretty much stole my camera.

Trip To Phoenix

2010-05-26T21:55:00.004-04:00

In April, Layla and I took a trip to Phoenix and San Diego. We only had a couple days in each place but we had tons of fun. Jourdan and Eaan took us to the airport as you can see in the picture above they were really excited about the trip. I don't know if Jourdan knew he wasn't coming but he did great with Daddy and Gaga. I was worried about the plane ride with Layla. She can be a little crazy sometimes but she was surprisingly good. She colored and feed her baby. She was good for almost the entire plane trip.

When we got to Phoenix we had a BBQ with the family. It was great to see everyone. The next day we went to our cousin's house to let the kids play in the pool. They had tons of fun.

The little stinker kept sticking his tongue out at me.

Love them!

Food time!

Raya doing Layla's hair.

So cute! I love these little babies!

Their mama, also named Amanda, was about 11 months pregnant. :) I was hoping to see the little baby before I left. But little Levi decided to make his appearance just 6 hours after I left. Hopefully I will get to see the little one soon. Congratulations to Sture and Amanda, we love you guys and miss you so much.

Photo by Levi Matthew

On The Boat

2010-05-24T21:30:00.002-04:00

Our cousin Kit came to visit and we decided it would be fun to go out on the boat.

While we were waiting for the boat to be launched we played on the beach.

Jourdan got in the driver's seat right away.

Layla wasn't sure what to think.

Photo by Kit

Starting to see a smile...

There's that smile.

Mike trying to look tough.

"LT"

Diver in!

Photo by Kit

The bay was pretty rough so Kit and I went to the front of the boat to lay down.

Then we just started eating pretzels and making the sick face.

Photo by Kit

Here the kids are playing with Jeff's expensive equipment.

Doing what I do.

It was a long day for all of us. Jourdan and Layla lost the battle and fell asleep.

Photo by Kit

My mama took some of these pictures too. It was a joint effort. When you have three cameras going around no one remembers who took which picture. Or I am just too lazy to figure it out. :)

Tutu

2010-05-23T22:35:00.003-04:00

Layla loves playing dress up.

She would wear a tutu everyday if I let her.

She carries around purses and helps mommy put on make up.

She can also beat up her brother if necessary.

She loves chocolate.

How else do you think I get pictures of her. Or why she lets her brother hug her.

Just kidding. She loves getting hugs from her brother. She also gives the best hugs.

I have always said she is going to be the girl with skinned knees, playing football in a tutu.
We love you Layleigh.

Playground

2010-05-20T23:06:00.003-04:00

A few weeks ago my mom and I took the kiddos to the playground and I actually got a good picture of Anna and Jourdan.

And a good one of just Anna! Amazing, I know. In between their sweet smiles they were acting crazy and making faces at me.

Bubbles

2010-05-10T22:29:00.002-04:00

When the kids are being crazy and making me want to pull out my hair I can always pull out the bubble machine and set them lose in the front yard. Our friends Halimeda and Hayden came over to play the other day. We were all inside but once all the kids started jumping the couches in the living room I decided it was time for them to go outside. Most of these shots are of Layla because no one else was letting me take their picture but I did get a few of the other kiddos.

I wonder what she is thinking...

Halimeda

I love this one.

Shhhhhh.....

2010-04-28T19:00:00.001-04:00

Sleeping babies

Easter Part Two

2010-04-27T00:18:00.003-04:00

Sorry I didn't post the rest of the Easter pictures sooner. I went on vacation and then after I got back we got a new puppy so my life has been crazy! Here are the rest of the Easter pictures. We had Easter dinner with our Aunt and Uncle and let the kids eat all their candy!

Easter Part One

2010-04-13T22:45:00.005-04:00

We celebrated Easter with friends and family this year. The morning was just us and it started with finding out what the Easter Bunny brought!

Layla was only interested in the eggs "hidden" around the house.

She ate all the chocolate in each egg as she found them.

Jourdan searched high and low for all of his Easter eggs. After he found them all, he lined up his eggs and only then did he start opening them. He opened all the eggs before he even ate a piece of chocolate! Once he had eaten some chocolate he wanted to go outside and try out his present. A T-ball set. He was so excited.

After the kids played with their toys and ate their treats we went to the neighbors house for breakfast and an Easter Egg hunt. It was surprisingly hot but that didn't stop the kids, red cheeks and all.

The egg hunt was color-coded. We thought this might be a little hard for Layla but soon enough she was going after all her purple eggs. The kids had a great time. Thank you Gail and Dawn! We have great neighbors.

After the hunt we walked down to the river.

I guess Layla got tired walking back because she decided she would rather hang then walk. Although she isn't hanging in this picture, she kept jumping up.

We went home to hydrate (Eaan that one is for you) and take a nap before we headed over to our Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. But first, bubbles!

Easter Pictures Coming Soon...

2010-04-11T09:43:00.002-04:00

Nana & Pop Visit Part 2

2010-04-02T00:43:00.002-04:00

When Nana and Pop visited we went hiking at Calvert Cliffs and went up to DC for a little site seeing. We loved having them here. We had so much fun!

Visit with Nana and Pop

2010-03-22T23:49:00.002-04:00

Nana and Pop came to visit a week ago and we had so much fun! We hung out, went to the beach and went to museums in DC. Here are just a few pictures from the visit.

We miss you guys terribly and can't wait to see you again. Thank you so much for taking the time to come see us. We appreciate it more than you know. We love you. Your mini me even says Nana now. Hopefully we will see you soon. I would put up heat to see you and maybe even a she devil on a plane. We will see. Love you guys!

Random Snow Pictures

2010-03-17T01:25:00.004-04:00

The last of the snow! It's almost Spring!

Jourdan's Ink

2010-02-21T22:30:00.002-05:00

During football season Tommy gave Jourdan a little ink to show his support for the Eagles. Jourdan sat patiently while Tommy "tattooed" him. My mom took pictures of the process. Tommy also added a little something for himself.

McNabb #5

Love you Tommy! Jourdan misses you too!

The Blizzard :: The Cleanup

2010-02-17T22:29:00.005-05:00

After the blizzard was over we had to shovel, plow, cut down trees and play in the snow.

Getting the fallen trees off Jeff's boat.

He is definitely following all safety procedures.

Yay! The driveway is being plowed!

I think...

...that she might...

...like the snow.

Yup, I think they both do.

Finally, a clear driveway.

So we went for a little walk.

Cutting back the fallen trees.

Anna and Layla

That about wraps up the blizzard photos. I am sure I have more snow pictures from the previous eleventeen snowstorms but I am all snowed out. I have some good pictures of Tommy and Jourdan that I will post next.

And I must add that my wonderful mama took some of these pictures of the blizzard from her camera.

The Blizzard :: How Many Trucks Can We Get Stuck?

2010-02-12T07:00:00.002-05:00

The above picture was what Eaan's truck looked like when I started digging it out. And this is what it looked like when I finished. Yay! I did it all by myself.

So when our friend, Josh, got his truck stuck trying to come down our driveway to help us cut down some trees the boys thought they would go and get him out. They took the chainsaw because they figured they could cut down the trees too.

These are the trees they were going to cut down. Josh got stuck while trying to go around them.

Looks like more trees fell. That is stuck truck #1.

There goes Eaan and my brother, Chris to help.

And there they are five minutes later just as stuck as Josh. Stuck truck #2.

So they figured while they were waiting for someone to come to help them out they would cut down the trees.

Oh no.

There they are cutting the trees.

Us girls were standing around watching and taking pictures. I know, we were being SO productive. Anyway, I looked up at the tree right above us and said, "That tree looks like it's about to fall." About a minute later what happens? The damn tree falls. We all had to run to get out of the way. It is hard running in two feet of snow! It almost fell on Josh's truck. I don't know what was holding it up but I am glad it did not crush us or the truck. No one was hurt but it definitely scared the #@*# out of us.

They had to use the four wheeler to pull the tree away from the truck so that when they cut it, it would not fall on the truck.

Oh look! Someone is coming to pull the trucks out. Oh...wait. Oh no. Truck #3 is stuck too. That is 3 stuck trucks.

Around ten that night the other trucks were able to get out. Eaan left his truck for the next morning.

Clear skies, lots of trees and lots of snow. Look at all the carnage.

A plow truck tried to plow our driveway and ended up getting stuck and had to be pulled out. (That is truck #4 in case anyone was counting) A tractor with a bucket on the front and a plow on the back ended up having to clear the snow. He also pulled Eaan out. The tractor almost got stuck too. In the end everyone was able to get unstuck, the trees were all cut and out of the way, the driveway was cleared and no one was struck by a falling tree. A very successful day in my eyes.

We still had a lot more work to do. More snow blowing, shoveling and cutting down trees but the kids were also able to come outside and play. I actually got some cute pictures of Layla enjoying the snow! I will put up the last post on the blizzard tomorrow. Happy Friday everyone!!

The Blizzard :: Day Two

2010-02-11T22:13:00.004-05:00

The second day of the blizzard was worse than the first day. There were high winds so playing outside was not any fun. Layla did get out for a bit though. She really wanted to check it out. We actually found her like this on the front porch. She had slipped out without us knowing. (She can now open my mom's front door) She was not even acting like she was cold. Crazy little baby. After she went down for a nap we got down to business. My mom started snow blowing the driveway and I started shoveling out Eaan's truck and a walkway to the house. (We have a big front yard.) Jourdan played outside for a bit then decided Wii would be a lot better...and warmer. Otis was even having fun.

Layla finally came out for a little (properly dressed) but with the wind and snow she really did not like it.

The snow did make for some pretty pictures.

Mom hard at work.

That is a whole lot of snow.

Oh no! A tree fell on the house. We do not think it did any damage though.

Oh no! Another one on Jeff's boat...the trees were dropping like flies. Wait until you see where the next tree fell.

The Blizzard

2010-02-10T23:32:00.003-05:00

It has been snowing like crazy and last Friday and Saturday we were hit with a blizzard here in Maryland. We still had about 6 inches on the ground from the last snow and we were supposed to get 20 - 30 inches more. We decided to get snowed in at my mom's house for the weekend. My step dad was out of town so we wanted to be there to help my mom dig herself out when the snowstorm was over. We didn't know just how interesting our weekend would be.

Layla has never liked the snow but she was excited to put on her snow boots (she loves her shoes) and go outside. She never seems to get cold. She ran outside without her coat on. I had to run out and get her before she froze!

She would not touch the "white stuff" but she was definitely interested in it.

We made it to my mom's fine. I did not even know Eaan had unloaded the car! I could not see him with his camouflage on. :)

That night Eaan, my brother and I walked to the neighbor's house. When I left the snowstorm was going full force. Trees were already down and I had to pretty much wade home while fighting the wind. It was crazy but awesome at the same time. :) The next morning we woke up to A LOT of snow, wind and some downed trees. This one fell on our zip line.

Then a second tree fell on the zip line...we were afraid the zip line was going to snap.

This could be bad...Eaan can figure it out...when he wakes up.

The trees had almost hit the house.

Trees just kept falling.

One almost fell on Jeff's boat.

The wind made it hard to see.

The common driveway.

Trees down here too. No one can get out now.

Mom thought she might be able to move the tree on her own. She gave it a good effort.

The main road...

All this and it was only eleven in the morning. The rest of the day was even better. It involved stuck vehicles, chainsaws, lots of snow blowing, shoveling and more downed trees.

The Snowstorm Part II

2010-02-07T22:50:00.007-05:00

I know I am behind but I do have good reason to be. I was without my computer for a week (again) and with this recent snowstorm we have been shoveling fools around here. So while I don't have pictures from this snowstorm downloaded and organized yet I do have the rest of the photos from the one in December. I know, I know...there have been three other snowstorms since then but what can I say. I am ridiculously behind. Anyway, we had seen Santa the night before on the fire truck and now it was time to play in all the snow that had fallen since then. This was Layla's first time out in the snow and lets just say it didn't go well. When we started getting ready to go outside she knew something was up.

When we finally got outside things did not get better.

She didn't know what to think. Poor baby.

Anna was having fun...

but Layla was not.

Jourdan was having fun...

but Layla was not.

The snow came up to Jourdan's knees so he was having a little trouble walking in it.

Soon enough a snowball fight began...

but I had taken Layla in for a nap so I was nice and warm inside. The next day we went to my mom's house to see what the snow looked like there. Turns out it was the same. :) Otis enjoyed playing out in the snow.

Eaan helped my mom out by snow blowing the driveway.

Jourdan kicked some snow.

And then got a picture with Tommy. We miss you Tommy!

Then he got his foot stuck. Oops.

That's one long driveway. I am glad Eaan is doing it.

Then Anna, Jourdan and I tried sledding.

I knew this wouldn't turn out good. Jourdan didn't want to go again.

So we kept walking. Jourdan climbed up a mountain of snow and showed me his snow covered gloves.

Then he wanted to show off his muscles.

Our day ended with a snowball fight.

I won. Ha!
I am working on getting the pictures from the past couple days. There are a lot of them. A lot of craziness occurred. I can't wait to post about it.

Peaceful

2010-01-26T11:11:00.001-05:00

I love snow...for the first day, then I'm over it.

The Snowstorm

2010-01-25T13:42:00.001-05:00

In December we had a pretty big snowstorm here in Maryland. Usually we don't get snow until late January and we don't always get a lot of snow. So for us this was a big deal! The night started out normal. We knew a snowstorm was coming so we had Anna spend the night. She wanted to get snowed in with us. We were playing around waiting for the snow to start when we heard sirens outside. We all ran out in our PJ's to see what was happening. Santa had come on a fire truck! The kids were so excited! As we waited outside for Santa it started to snow. Perfect timing!

Santa and Mrs. Clause

Layla wasn't too sure about all of this. She didn't know what was going on. This was also the first time she had seen snow. Turns out...she hates it. :)

My crazy monkeys, runny noses and all.

Jourdan loved the snow. He was having so much fun. And the snow had only just begun.

Christmas at the Wessel's

2010-01-24T13:24:00.000-05:00

I am finally blogging again. Christmas time was crazy busy and we drove my little brother up to college in Boston. We are finally getting back into a schedule and getting cleaned up after the holidays. So now I can get caught up on posting blogs. Right before our big snowstorm in December we went to a friend's house for a Christmas party. Santa even made an appearance!

Her hair is finally long enough for pigtails!

Up next...the snowstorm!

Christmas Tree Lights

2010-01-23T13:21:00.002-05:00

Jourdan's idea of putting lights on the Christmas tree. All in the same spot!

Berklee College of Music

2010-01-22T09:43:00.001-05:00

My younger brother Tommy just started his first semester at Berklee in Boston. Jourdan and Layla miss their Uncle Tommy a lot. Today we had a little photo shoot so we could send him some pictures. Layla wasn't listening very much but I still got some cute pictures.

The kids are so sad Tommy is gone!

Awww, they love each other!

Layla saying cheese!

Layla doesn't look to thrilled about this one.

Tommy we miss you and we are so proud of you! Hope you are having fun at school!

Family Pictures

2010-01-21T18:18:00.000-05:00

Last month we took some family pictures for Christmas. We also wanted to get some of everyone before Tommy went away to college and Anna became to cool to be seen with us. Even in photos. These pictures are the outcome.

We even took some jersey photos. Too bad both of our teams are out of the playoffs.

We even got a good family picture.

And here some the bloopers...

Chris needed a little help getting up.

We have two other pictures like this. One from before Anna was born and one from when Anna was about 2. If I find them I will put them up sometime. I think this is the last time Chris will be able to do this. I think we are getting too heavy for him.

I love Jourdan's face here...

...and here.

Not sure what is happening here...

Tommy and I got dog poop on our legs! Ha!

We support the Eagles...even if they lose...against Dallas...and are knocked out of the playoffs...Next year!

Having some fun...see the poop on my leg?

That about wraps up the family pictures! Hope everyone is having a great week!

As Hannah says...LL & Cool J

2010-01-20T16:05:00.002-05:00

Thanksgiving

2009-12-19T23:09:00.003-05:00

It's snowing like crazy here and I have some good pictures to post but I haven't gotten them together yet. So I am going to post my Thanksgiving pictures for now. We had our first Thanksgiving in our new house. It was wonderful. We had Mommy, Jeff, Tommy and Anna over for dinner. The little ones were so excited when they got to our house.

Next up, FOOTBALL!

Anna Banana

Layla and Lena

We lost Lena about a week ago. Keep your fingers crossed that she comes home soon!

Layla sneaking food before dinner.

Layla enjoyed the toast.

After she finished eating she finished off Jourdan's food. Her belly makes a nice shelf.

Sitting with Papa and rubbing her full belly after dinner.

Tommy and Jourdan enjoying some toons.

The family minus one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Her Yellow Shirt

2009-12-11T13:40:00.004-05:00

She loves watching the rain,

blowing bubbles,

and getting hugs from her brother.

My baby Layleigh.

The Moon and The Sunset

2009-12-10T19:34:00.000-05:00

Family

2009-12-09T17:28:00.000-05:00

Photos by Gaga.

Jet Skis

2009-12-08T19:12:00.000-05:00

My mommy and Jeff.

Before it got too cold we took the jet skis out one last time. We had the boat and sailboat tied together out in the river. It was our "party platform". :) I love jet skis!

Layla had fun in the tube.

Jourdan took his turn on the jet ski.

Then Halimeda.

Anna looks so happy.

Sweetie Pies!

Baltimore Aquarium

2009-12-07T23:55:00.003-05:00

In October, Tommy and I took Anna, Jourdan and Layla to the Baltimore Aquarium. It rained the whole time but we had a lot of fun. Jourdan's favorite part was looking at the sharks. Here they are checking them out.

My little ones. (I wish Layla had her bangs here. :))

Like I said, it rained the whole time we were there so on the way back to the car all the kids splashed in the puddles...including Tommy. It was a soggy ride home.

I love the rain.

Road Trip :: And We Are Finally Home

2009-12-02T19:07:00.001-05:00

Almost done with the road trip and than maybe I can actually catch up with posting current events happening in our lives. :) For Jourdan's birthday we were in Florida visiting Eaan's grandparents. We had tons of fun and it was great to see his grandparents.

On our way up the east coast we stopped by our friend's, Justin and Leah, house. This is what Eaan did most of the time...sleep. Can you see him in there? We are going back to see them in May for their wedding. We can't wait to see you guys again!

We decided to drive all the way to Maryland from Florida but we made sure to stop at South of the Border on the way. Everyone needs plenty of fireworks.

I think we finally pulled into my mom's house at about 4 or 5 in the morning. We were so glad to be off the road. In all, we traveled for three weeks and visited family in Phoenix, Amarillo, Orlando, Vero Beach, Palatka and Jacksonville. Whoa! We didn't want to get in a car for awhile after that. We miss all the family we saw coming across country and can't wait to see everyone again! We just aren't driving to see you! :)

Road Trip :: Navy UDT-SEAL Museum

2009-12-01T22:17:00.006-05:00

While we were visiting my Grandad we went to the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum. The life boat where the three pirates held the Captain of the Maersk Alabama hostage was temporarily on display at the museum.

The museum had lots of old, interesting pictures...

...and lots of guns. Jourdan's favorite. Why do all little boys like guns?

It was very hot outside that day. Jourdan took shelter under a helicopter. This is the same place I was bit by a fire ant. Those bits hurt!

After the museum we all went back to my Grandad's house to celebrate Jourdan's birthday. He thinks he is hott stuff now that he has some money.

After dinner we took a walk on the boardwalk.

Jourdan found a lizard and named him Bob.

Then it started to downpour but Grandad rescued us with an umbrella.

Grandad, we love you and miss you and hope to see you soon!

Road Trip :: Vero Beach

2009-11-29T19:42:00.004-05:00

While we were traveling across country we visited my Grandad in Vero Beach, Florida. It was great to see my Grandad and have him meet Layla. I love Florida. It's so beautiful there. This rainbow was outside my Grandad's house after a downpour.

The next day we went to a beach were there was a surf competition going on.

And no, we didn't get struck by lightning.

Watching the surfers.

Next up in Vero Beach, the Navy UDT-SEAL Museum.

Road Trip :: GG's House

2009-11-23T22:51:00.005-05:00

Don't worry my road trip posts are almost over. I told you it was a three week road trip. :) We were at GG's house in Florida on Layla's 1st birthday. We hung out with GG, played at the pool and had birthday cake! We miss you so much GG and love you even more.

Road Trip :: Texas to Florida

2009-11-14T23:55:00.005-05:00

And back to the road trip. The DVD player in the car saved our lives! Jourdan loved watching DVDs the whole trip. He was so funny to watch because he made faces the whole time. Between Texas and Florida there wasn't much to do except watch DVDs and take pictures of course.

Broken Table

2009-11-13T16:33:00.003-05:00

Oops. The table broke. It was pretty windy. The umbrella didn't want to stay attached to the table.

We decided, well Tommy decided, to use the umbrella for another purpose. Don't worry...he lived.

Road Trip :: Jourdan and His Cars

2009-11-12T18:46:00.003-05:00

While we were in Amarillo Uncle Teddy made Jourdan a car track for the car ride. And Aunt Gayle painted it for him. Jourdan loved it.

There was a helicopter pad and a dinosaur mud pit.

Blue Puppy was even on there.

Everything Jourdan loves was on there. No wonder he loved it!

Thank you Uncle Teddy and Aunt Gayle and thank you so much for letting us stay with you while we were in Amarillo.

Next up, Florida!!!

Road Trip :: Layla in Amarillo

2009-11-11T21:25:00.004-05:00

I wanted to finish posting pictures from our road trip and what better way to start back up then with pictures of Layla.

Layla likes her belly button

and laughing with Daddy.

While we packed to leave Amarillo we stuck Layla in the bed of the truck. It made a good playpen for her. :)

Halloween

2009-11-09T19:39:00.001-05:00

Finally I am posting the Halloween pictures. I had to get ya'll in the mood with pumpkin hunting and fall pictures first. We started off October 31st like any other day but I knew something was different when I saw this driving down the road:

I think he just needs a hug. At the house Jourdan and Layla actually let me take some pictures of them. I know I posted this one already but it's my favorite right now.

This one makes me laugh. Layla is pretending she has a lollipop like Jourdan.

Halloween was a busy day for us. We went to a friend's birthday party in the morning, Anna's cheer game in the afternoon, then carved pumpkins with Anna when we got home and changed into our costumes for trick-or-treating.

We had a pirate,

a bumblebee

and a vampire. (I have someone to love Twilight with)

We brought the wagon along for easy transportation of children and beer.

Layla was all about the candy. Do you like her new bangs!?! Her hair is always in her face so we decided to just cut it. As you can see it's still in her face but a lot better than before. (We didn't miss any pieces. The hair is supposed to be behind her bangs. See what I mean about her hair always being in her face?)

I think she could pass for a real vampire.

My mom was...well, she had horns and a cape so you decide. Eaan was a beer drinker and Tommy had green on. :)

Hummm....

Jourdan was so excited this year. He loved saying trick-or-treat and getting candy. I had a great time taking them around and we were really lucky because the rain stopped for a couple of hours so we could go trick-or-treating. It had been raining off and on all day. Then when it was time to go out the clouds cleared and the moon came out. Right as we were finishing it started to pour!

That was ok because everyone was tired and ready to go in and check out their loot. (I was a bumblebee too, in case you were wondering.) That's when things started getting rowdy.

We had an impromptu Halloween party for adults after trick-or-treating with some family and friends. If you look closely you will notice that, yes, that is Eaan's underwear by his shoulder blades and yes, that is my mom pulling them up. I told you we get rowdy sometimes. You should have seen Tommy and Corey wrestle.

Happy Halloween!!!

Fall in Southern Maryland

2009-11-08T21:04:00.002-05:00

I can't decide which I like better. This one...

...or this one?

This one...

...or this one?

This one...

...or this one?

I just can't decide.

Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-06T22:28:00.003-05:00

So I was going to just post Halloween pictures but I figured I would have to start with pumpkin hunting and the corn maze before Halloween pictures. So here are some pictures from the corn maze we went to the weekend before Halloween. It was a great day, clear and not too cold. We were lucky we went when we did because it has been raining since then. It even rained, no poured, on Halloween.

I love this picture for some reason. It makes me happy.

He is starting to run more like a boy and less like a girl...no offense girls. And I know he has a Cardinals jersey on. We will not talk about that.

After the corn maze the kids went flying into a straw pit...literally.

I tried to get a group picture of the kiddos. It didn't work.

It really didn't work. Sigh. I would have been so cute.

Enough of that. Off to the pumpkin patch.

Layla found hers.

Jourdan found his.

Than it was time to go. It was Sunday. We couldn't miss the football games!

Coming Soon :: Halloween Pictures!

2009-11-01T23:02:00.001-05:00

Drew

2009-11-01T22:07:00.002-05:00

This is Drew.

She is Eaan's niece (kind of). And cute as a button. While we were in Amarillo she showed me her dance moves.

I was trying to get her to smile but instead I got a Hannah Montana pose. Or as Jourdan says, "Hannie Tannie".

Oh, look! I think I see a smile coming on!

There it is!

Hey Ginny...can I steal her?

Road Trip :: Sprinklers and Ice Cream

2009-10-25T00:51:00.004-04:00

The first day we were in Amarillo we had a rain storm. So Uncle Teddy turned on the sprinklers and let the kids play in the rain!

The next day we waited for the ice cream truck.

Finally! Ice Cream!

Road Trip :: SD to Phoenix to Amarillo

2009-10-19T20:00:00.001-04:00

I wanted to post pictures from our trip across country. We took our time and stopped and saw family along the way. All together we took three weeks for our trip. This is going to take a couple posts because we saw lots of family and I took a lot of pictures. We started in San Diego at the Corvette Diner. We had a good-bye dinner with our friends.

Jourdan was able to say good-bye to his best friends, Abby and Emily. We really miss everyone in San Diego.

We left that night around 9 pm. We wanted to leave late because Eaan's Toyota doesn't have air conditioning. It was August and we were driving through the desert. Do you know how hot it gets? Very hot. We wanted it as cool as possible. My friend Jessica held a sippy cup hostage in San Diego hoping we would come back for it. :) We didn't. She was sad. When we got to El Centro (about 2 hours into the trip) Eaan's truck broke down. We had to tow it the rest of the way to Phoenix, another 4 hours. I think when all was said and done we pulled into Phoenix at around 5 am.

I actually didn't take any pictures in Phoenix. Astonishing I know. But I don't have any. We stayed in Phoenix for a couple days and then we were on our way to Amarillo to visit Eaan's aunt and uncle. I had never met them so I was looking forward to getting to know them.

While we drove from Phoenix to Amarillo we started to encounter some weather. A first since San Diego has no weather. The clouds, the sky, the coloring...it all looked amazing.

Next post...hanging with the family in Amarillo!

The Mustang

2009-10-18T23:43:00.002-04:00

Not much needs to be said about these pictures. I think they speak for themselves.

Our First House

2009-10-15T22:12:00.003-04:00

So in case you haven't heard we are first time homeowners. We bought our first house two weeks ago. That and along with the move have been the reason I have been so behind in my blogging. We moved to Maryland around the first of September and planned on staying with my mom until we got into military housing. While we were waiting we started looking for houses to buy. About a month later we closed on our first house! It all happened so fast and we have been extremely busy, first looking for a house and now getting settled. We are so happy to be in our own home and I am sure my step dad is glad we are out of his house! When we first moved in I went around and took some pictures. As you can imagine a lot has changed. For one, the place is full of STUFF! I have a huge pile of things to go to the dump and a huge pile of things to go to goodwill. And we haven't even organized the bedrooms yet!

Here is the living room. We have painted it and we took down the curtains that were left.

We want to eventually put hardwood floors down in the living room and down the hallway.

Jourdan and Layla share a room. This one is theirs. Layla is now in a toddler bed and Jourdan has a bunk bed! (Thanks Jess!)

It's a three bedroom, two bath. All the bedrooms look pretty much the same. Our master bath is awesome though! This is why we bought the house...well at least why I wanted to.

This is the kitchen and the laundry is to the right. We took down those vertical blinds and did some painting. We eventually want to tile the floor.

This is the kitchen. We want to replace the counter tops whenever we are able but all the appliances are working good and we have plenty of room.

Our back deck. We have a small yard. That is ok with us. We didn't want to do lots of yard work with our first house.

The backyard and shed.

We made Jourdan is own house with the boxes from our new washer and dryer.

We also have a big two car garage but I didn't take any pictures of it and now...well, lets just say that there is a mountain of boxes in it. We can't fit one car, much less two in it right now. The mess aside, we are all settling in nicely in our new house. We still have lots of cleaning and organizing to do but we are making progress. Hope you enjoyed the mini tour!

Best Friends

2009-09-30T19:20:00.000-04:00

Jessica and Jourdan

We miss you guys!

Moving Day

2009-09-29T20:30:00.000-04:00

On August 7th a huge 18 wheeler showed up to take away all of our stuff.

The move was uneventful but while the movers were packing everything up there was an accident on the road right by our house.

Apparently someone hit a fire hydrant.

All that water being wasted. :(

Jourdan Loves to Scooter!

2009-09-28T19:02:00.000-04:00

Thanks Nana!

He Likes Ice Cream...Alot

2009-09-27T23:37:00.000-04:00

Jourdan and Layla's Birthday

2009-09-26T23:28:00.000-04:00

We started off August with a big birthday bash for the little kiddos. Their birthdays are 4 days apart at the end of August but since we were moving August 10th we had a San Diego birthday party on the 1st. Jourdan turned 3 and Layla turned 1. All of our San Diego family came. It was sad because we knew this was one of the last times we would all be together. When you are in the military it is always hard to make close friends because you know you are going to get re-stationed and have to leave everyone. But the best way to leave is to have a big party! We decided to do a beach party for the kids.

Our friend, Jessica, made a phenomenal cake for the kids. They each had their own personal cake and then a palm tree for the main cake.

Birthday Girl

Tyler, one of the twin babies I will eventually steal.

Layla eating off the boy's plates. This was after she already had her lunch.

Bubble time!

Birthday Boy (He is trying to eat the bubbles)

My Abby-licious / Jourdan's future wife. :)

And a beach party would not be complete without sand!

Present time!

Jourdan looks so excited for his cake, doesn't he? Don't worry he dug in as soon as we were done singing Happy Birthday.

Ok now get ready for all the group shots!

This is my love, Amber. I miss her bunches. And she loves my kids bunches. I think she kinda likes me too. :)

My soul mate, Jessica, and cake baker extraordinaire! We have the same thumbs. :)

My bestie, Melissa.

My good friend Shannon, the nicest person you will ever meet.

Brofriends...they love each other.

The Eaans or Ians.

Eaan and his Abby.

An outtake. Their mean faces.

The Cutrers
Melissa, Baby Allison (in the belly), Emily, Dylan, Wes and Tyler

Shannon and Ian

Jessica and Abby

Thank you everyone for coming to the birthday party. We had lots of fun and miss all of you so much. I hope we get to see everyone soon. We love yall!

Standing and Walking

2009-09-21T19:45:00.000-04:00

I know I have posted a video of Layla walking but here are some pictures from when she first started to walk. She had just figured out how to stand well and was taking a few steps. She was a 11 months old in these pictures.

Jourdan giving Layla a hug.

Monsters In The Grass

2009-09-20T22:30:00.002-04:00

Awhile back before we left San Diego our Nana came to visit. While she was visiting, the boys went to Dana Point to go finishing. We tagged along with some friends to eat dinner and walk along the docks. Jourdan and Abby had such a fun time.

They picked cattails.

They were constantly running ahead of us.

They became monsters and hid in the grass with the cattails.

And finally they became transformers and changed right before our eyes on the sidewalk.

It was amazing. :)

Five minutes after getting in the car the kids were out...as well as the adults. Don't worry I didn't sleep and drive. I took one for the team.

SeaWorld

2009-09-16T23:30:00.000-04:00

I am back after being sick for a couple days. I think I had the black plague. I almost died. In fact the whole family was sick. But we are all better now. I have some posting to get back to. Before we left San Diego Eaan's squadron had their picnic at SeaWorld.

My flower obsession again.

We saw the Shamu show...

The kiddos were so excited! And so cute!

We also saw sharks and dolphins.

And the kids pet the stingrays!

Tyler and Dylan's 1st Birthday

2009-09-09T23:35:00.000-04:00

Tyler and Dylan's first birthday was in the beginning of July so I am catching up! Only two months behind in posting. My good friend Melissa had these little guys around the same time I had Layla. I was so excited to see them turn one. Melissa had a first birthday dinner and party for the twins. You only turn 1 once so we had to do it right!

This is Dylan. I just can't stand his cuteness!

And this is Tyler. He is pretty darn cute too.

After dinner and popsicles its time for the cake! Do you think they want some?

I think he likes it.

Mommy and Dylan

After cake it was definitely time to take a bath...in the sink!

A couple days later it was time for the twin's birthday party. Good times, good friends and good food.

Mommy and big sister Emily.

My Abby-licious was there. Jourdan's girlfriend. ;)

Of course there was more birthday cake.

Which the boys loved.

Presents were last. Always a great way to end a party.

Jourdan misses his Lissa and Emmy so much. And I am sure Layla misses the boys stealing her binky and chasing her around. (I just told her they were flirting) We will be sure to visit them soon because Melissa is pregnant with number four so there is still another first birthday to celebrate! We can't wait until that little one is born. We miss you guys so much!

Eaan's Truck

2009-09-08T23:49:00.003-04:00

He loves his truck.

SAR Jumps

2009-09-07T20:53:00.000-04:00

Before we left San Diego I went to see the guys do SAR jumps on Coronado. Eaan does these to keep qualified. They basically just jump out of the helicopter and than one of the other guys jumps in and "saves" the first guy.

Jumping in.

Coming back up.

Flying off into the sunset.
(Check out the airplane in the lower right hand corner)

Baby Legs

2009-09-06T21:49:00.002-04:00

I just think these are ridiculously cute.

Bethany Comes to SD!

2009-09-06T00:26:00.001-04:00

Bethy I will send you these pictures. I promise! I know it has been months since you were here...but I will get them to you. :)
Anyway when Bethy was here we took her and Justin to Coronado for some yummy Mexican food and a walk on the beach.

Jourdan played in the sand...

...and Bethy played in the water!

Then Jourdan showed us his awesome break dancing skills.

The next day we went to La Jolla Shores to play in the tide pools.

I made Bethy stand as close to the water as she could so the waves would splash her. I like to make my cousins risk their lives for pictures.

We found the world's largest piece of seaweed.

The waves were huge by the seal beach.

I almost got hit by this wave. That was a close one.

The last night Bethy was here we went to the Stone Brewery for a tour and some yummy dinner.

Layla and Jourdan had lots of fun!

The brewery was awesome and Eaan loved the beer. (Of course) I am so glad Bethy and Justin came to visit. We had a lot of fun and can't wait to see them again!

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers

2009-09-04T22:31:00.000-04:00

I have been kinda obsessed with taking pictures of flowers lately so I thought I would put them all in one post. These are all my favorite ones from the Zoo, Wild Animal Park and all around San Diego.

Photo by Kit

Layla Walking

2009-09-03T23:15:00.000-04:00

She is really getting the hang of walking. The little daredevil is into everything now!

Just Layla

2009-09-03T18:26:00.000-04:00

West Fork Trail, Sedona

2009-09-02T22:31:00.000-04:00

Months ago when I went to Phoenix for a visit we drove up to Sedona with Nana and our cousins to hike and enjoy the scenery. Lots of fun was had by all. We hiked and goofed around. The area was beautiful and the kids loved being outdoors (and in a cooler climate).

Amanda is awesome! Two kids in backpacks. I didn't have to carry anything! Just kidding. She was holding Layla while I was laying on the ground trying to take pictures. She understands my craziness.

The kids loved the hike.

So cute!

The water looked so tempting we had to get in. Well...actually Jourdan fell in and Amanda jumped in and pulled him out. So since she was already wet she decided to have some fun!

And swim!

Beautiful babies

Maryland

2009-09-01T00:26:00.000-04:00

My blog has been neglected. I am months behind in posting. I will make it up to everyone I promise. As for right now I am finally in Maryland. The drive across country was long but fun. We visited family from Phoenix to Florida. Thank you so much to everyone we stayed with and everyone who treated us to a good time. We had so much fun with everyone! We don't have a place yet here in Maryland but hopefully we will have one soon. We have been very busy doing everything that needs to be done while still having fun. I am going to try and post a blog post a day. I find I do better when I have a goal. We will see how this works out...:)

Ice Cream for the Kids

2009-07-31T16:00:00.000-04:00

One of the sweetest babies I know.

Another one of the sweetest babies I know.

Layla and Jourdan

2009-07-29T23:00:00.000-04:00

These photos were taken two months ago. Layla was 9 months old. I can't believe I am that far behind in posting! It's been busy around here to say the least. Lots of things to do before we leave.

Layla is starting to walk now. In these pictures I don't think she was even standing on her own yet. Wow, time passes fast. She still loves to eat. I think Jourdan has something tasty in his cup. And she wants it.

And I would like to know when her hair got this blond? What happened to having dark hair like her mama? She didn't even ask me if she could go and change her hair color.

We can't forget this little one. Not sure what I did to deserve this face.

Flowers In The Rain

2009-07-28T21:26:00.000-04:00

Some Exciting News!

2009-07-27T14:29:00.000-04:00

I have been neglecting my blog lately. My computer had to be fixed again...hopefully for the last time but now I have it back. There are also some other things that have been going on. The kids birthday party is coming up and Eaan finally got his orders last week. We are going to be moving back to Maryland. This is great news for us because we can be near my family. The sad news is that we will miss everyone here in San Diego and our family in Phoenix. The only problem is the Navy wants us to move in 2 weeks! So we have the movers scheduled and everything in motion. We are leaving August 10th and we are going to take 2 or 3 weeks to drive cross country, visiting family along the way. Things have been crazy here in prepration for the move so I probably will not be blogging much. Look back for normal blogging in the beginning of Septemeber. I will be posting our updates as we are going cross country I just don't know if I will have pictures.

So...here we come Maryland!

Helicopters

2009-07-14T02:26:00.001-04:00

This is the last post from Kit's visit. I promise. We took her to see the helicopters at Eaan's squadron and we got in a few family pictures too!

Kit and I took these pictures with her point and shoot. They (the Navy) wouldn't let me take my camera in. Fine. These pictures are still great. Thanks for bringing your camera Kit!

The Dangers of La Jolla Cove

2009-07-10T17:50:00.000-04:00

So I am still blogging about Kit's visit...we took way too many pictures. I took Kit to La Jolla Cove when she was here during the June gloom. We saw the seals and watched the waves...without kids! It was great. Apparently it's pretty dangerous there. I mean, the seals could have eaten us and we could have fallen off a cliff. There are lots of warning signs. We did not really pay any attention to those though.

This little guy kept looking at me. So I took his picture.

Photo by Kit

Photo by Kit

We encountered some sea life. I guess this crab could have eaten us too.

Photo by Kit

I made her sit as close as she could, without getting wet. I think she was splashed a little though. Again we are putting ourselves in harm's way. All for the shot.

My turn!

Photo by Kit

Photo by Kit

Photo by Kit

Footprints in the sand.

We like to live on the edge...

I'm just a little more daring...

Photo by Kit

Photo by Kit

Who knew La Jolla Cove could be so dangerous? :)

This is happening...

2009-07-09T18:59:00.000-04:00

...right now.

Vote for Layla

2009-07-05T15:54:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow could everyone please go to this website:

Beautiful Babies

and vote for Layla in the Beautiful Babies contest. Thanks!

Happiness is...

2009-06-30T03:31:00.000-04:00

...the freedom from kids (if only for a little while).

...freedom from school.

...having a favorite pillow and puppy.

...taking the perfect picture, no matter how many it takes.

...laughing.

...waiting for the perfect wave.

...enjoying the moment.

...living on the edge.

Happiness is family and friends.

And of course photo credit...all pictures of me were taken by Kit.

San Diego Zoo

2009-06-29T03:46:00.000-04:00

I am back. My computer had to be sent away to be fixed again. But now it is back and brand new. Hopefully never to break again. Jourdan is sick. Poor little boy. He is a tough little nugget so he should be better soon. I also almost broke my finger the other day. It has been hard to type. The x-ray says it's not broken but man does it hurt like a broken bone. How did I do this? Eaan and I were Kung Fu fighting. Things got dicey for awhile but I won. Anyway, now on to the post. I am so far behind but I am really going to try and catch up this week. Try. Hard.

My cousin Kit came to visit a little while back. She stayed for a week and we had a blast. Of course one day was spent at the San Diego Zoo.

Photo by Kit

Jourdan loves the elephants.

Taking a ride on the Sky Ride.

Photo by Kit

Hanging around like a monkey.

Love these two pictures that Kit took. Jourdan and the monkey were having a conversation. I wonder what they were talking about.

Photo by Kit

You will notice that Kit isn't in any of the pictures. She likes to take pictures like me so it's hard to get her in a lot of pictures. Plus Jourdan is usually the center of attention. We had a great time at the zoo and there are plenty more pictures to come from the rest of the week. And Kit is in some of them...and so am I! Amazing! We miss you so much Kit.

Bay Bridge Run/Walk 2009

2009-06-22T15:44:00.000-04:00

Last month Eaan, Jourdan, Layla and I participated in the Bay Bridge Run/Walk. It's a 4 mile run/walk that goes over the Coronado Bay Bridge. It starts in downtown San Diego and ends on Coronado. There were 8,000 people running that day. That's a lot of people. Unfortunately it was cloudy. I was hoping to get great pictures on top of the bridge. I still was able to take great pictures of Jourdan and Eaan.

The starting line.

Here we go!

These signs are all over the bridge.

Up the bridge we go!

I ran all the way up the bridge pushing the stroller with Jourdan and Layla in it.

At the top of the bridge Jourdan got out and wanted to run too. So did Puppy.

That little boy can run.

You can't see puppy. But don't worry, he is there, running the bridge with Jourdan.

Obviously I didn't dress him for a run. I didn't think he would want to run.

Here we are at mile three. Jourdan had been running for half of a mile already.

Waving to the cars on Coronado.

Starting to lose steam.

Second wind!

I can't believe we just ran over that!

The finish line! We completed the run in an hour and sixteen minutes! Not bad. Jourdan ran the last mile and a half by himself. He was pretty darn proud of himself. I was pretty darn proud of him too.

Happy as a clam.

Time for a drink!

Layla finished the race too.

My two boys after a great day.

Mother's Day

2009-06-20T14:36:00.000-04:00

I am trying to catch up on my blogging. Mother's Day was about a month ago so I seem to be losing the battle. I will catch up eventually. For Mother's Day I was able to hang out with my hubby and little ones. We went to the park and out to dinner. It was a fabulous day.

I love the colors in this picture.

Always running ahead. I hardly ever see his face!

I had an awesome Mother's Day. It feels good being a mommy.

Red Bull Airshow

2009-06-20T02:15:00.000-04:00

In the beginning of May we went to the Red Bull Airshow. Don't ask me to tell you who won or what was going on. All I know is that the planes were cool and Jourdan liked watching it. In the beginning of the show the Cost Guard and Navy put on a little show. That guy in the helicopter is where Eaan usually is. He is in the back of the helicopter running all the systems and at times he likes to jump out.

These kids were cute.

Fun times were had by all!

My Babies

2009-06-17T19:45:00.000-04:00

San Diego Wild Animal Park

2009-06-12T19:02:00.000-04:00

The Wild Animal Park is awesome. I love standing right next to animals that could possibly eat me if there wasn't a fence. Love it. Our first stop was the flamingos. I wasn't too worried about these guys eating us.

Don't know what kind of frog this was but it looked pretty cool. It's probably poisonous.

Watching the gorilla.

Then we were able to feed the lorikeet.

Eaan feeding the birds.

And Jourdan...I fed them too but one scared me by jumping on my back. I jumped up and screamed like a girl. Sorry there are unfortunately no pictures of that.

Rhinos!

Taking a break from the wild animals.

Then on to the giraffes.

Now these guys can eat you. If they really wanted to I bet they could break free from their cages.

Last but not least were the elephants. These are Eaan's favorite animals. I took a bunch of pictures for him.

The babies were so cute!

Crawfish Boil

2009-06-07T17:45:00.000-04:00

Our good friends are from Louisiana and love crawfish. They decided to have a crawfish boil so we could all experience Louisiana crawfish. I don't eat seafood but Eaan and Jourdan sure enjoyed those little guys. It was a lot of fun. We had beautiful weather, hung out with friends and relaxed by the pool.

Tommy Graduates!

2009-06-05T20:53:00.000-04:00

My brother graduated from high school the other day! I am so excited for him. He played the National Anthem on his guitar at the graduation ceremony. Here is the link to the video my mom took. It is a little shaky because she is zoomed in but he sounds awesome! Enjoy!

Tommy playing National Anthem

Thanks for the video mom, I wish I could have been there.

I love you little brother and CONGRATS!