Los Torrance

Family Disney trip 2012

2012-01-23T12:35:00.000-08:00

We had our first Disney trip of 2012!

It was awesome, the weather was great and no crowd!

The kids, Grandma, Papa and Mickey mouse

The girls with their matching minnie outfits, they looked so cute!

The whole clan, it was so much fun!

Abby and Jake loved riding on Dumbo

Sunday afternoon we had lunch with grandpa, the kids were so tired, some of them were asleep and some were cranky, so we didn't get a great picture

Abby was really tired so she wasn't too happy, but she loves her grandpa Allison, and she keeps talking about him and says "grandpa is soooo nice! he is Grandma's daddy!"

BANGING in the New Year

2012-01-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

We had a great time celebrating New Year's with Lidia's family...

little did we know the real fun was only just starting!

We got home about 12:30 am and everyone was in bed by 12:45 am. At about 1:30 am Lidia and I both jumped out of bed when we heard banging and thudding on our front door. We had family staying with us and thought maybe someone went out to the car and somehow got locked out. I went downstairs to check it out. When I looked out the peephole on the door I didn't see anybody there so I turned on the porch light. There was a guitar leaning up on our porch, and I could see the shoulder of someone leaning up against the house next to the door. I could also hear them moving on the corner of the house and on the side wall. I told Lidia to call the police and kept watching him. I flashed the porch light a few times and he didn't respond. He came in front of the door and tried to get in again (with me on the other side!) . I could see he had some kind of wire in his hand (I thought to use to break in or pick the lock or something). Then he turned, picked up his guitar, and stumbled off the porch. I realized he was obviously drunk and could barely stand up. He was banging his guitar on the walls and ground as he stumbled down the driveway. All this time Lidia is on the phone with the police and they are on their way. I went upstairs to Jake's room to look out the front window and see where he went. I could hear him, but didn't see him anywhere in the street.

The police showed up...

and we told them what happened and went outside to check that there was no damage to the car in the driveway or anything like that. We found a house key (not to our house) on the porch and figured he was too drunk to know which house was his (this meant he was most likely our neighbor!). As we walked around the car we spotted this over by the back gate!

He couldn't get in the front door, so he was heading to the back gate to try the back door when he passed out. He was totally incoherent and covered in vomit and other bodily fluids! (Not to mention the smell of alcohol that went from our front door all the way across the front of our house to the back gate!) The police tried to figure out who he was, he only had a high school id in his wallet and no cell phone.

Then the fire truck showed up...

and they checked out his vitals and made sure he was alright. About that time the police called the school police to get his address and found out he lives 2 doors down from us. So they go over to wake up his parents and let them know what is going on. (oh yeah, he is 16!) His mom came and talked to the police and firemen and seemed more concerned about where his bike was than anything else!

Then the ambulance came...

and they dragged him to the street (literally) and put him onto the stretcher and loaded him up. The police told us that the amount of alcohol in his body had slowed his heart rate so much that he probably would have frozen to death on the side of our house! (Imagine finding that in the morning!)

After everyone left and the action was all over we went back inside and back to bed around 3 am. Lidia was still pretty shaken up and couldn't sleep, so we left some lights on and ended up watching a movie for a while.

He left his pick, along with his stomach and bladder contents on the side of our house. Oh yeah, remember the wire I thought he had in his hand when he tried to get in? Turns out while he was leaning up against the side of the door he got tangled in our Christmas lights hanging around our door and ripped them off!

2012 is off to a great start!

December party animals!

2012-01-09T22:46:00.000-08:00

Abby's Birthday Party!

We had a super cute princess party for our little "Sleeping Beauty." We invited her friends from church and girl cousins. They had fun playing, dancing, decorating ginger bread houses and eating lots of yummy treats. We had her older cousins do face and nail painting; the little ones loved it!

Christmas 2011!

Christmas Eve we had a brunch with Steve's family and a visit from Santa.

At night we went to Virginia's house and had dinner with Lidia's family.

Christmas morning we woke up early to open presents!

We had breakfast and got ready to go to church.

That day we had dinner with the Torrance's and did a live nativity, Abby loved being the angel, Jake was a donkey and Steve was Joseph.

On the 26th we had a surprise b-day party for Steve, he is getting old... but we still love him.

Birthday Girl

2011-12-13T07:32:00.000-08:00

Today is Abby's 3rd birthday! It is amazing how fast those 3 years have gone by! She is turning into such a fun and lively person! She has an enormous personality for her little frame, and is just the sweetest girl you've ever met. She loves to play with her brother and cousins. She LOVES Disneyland! She loves animals and is especially into horses right now. She is a huge fan of Shamu and talks about getting splashed last year EVERY day! She has the sweetest smile and the biggest brown eyes. We are so blessed to have her in our family and love her so much!

Happy Birthday Abby!!

Holiday Gymnastics Presentation

2011-12-10T21:47:00.000-08:00

Abby has been taking gymnastics for the last 6 months or so and today was her Holiday Presentation. She was so excited for it!

Santa was there for it and took a picture with all her cousins that performed too.

She got a little shy towards the end of her performance, but she did a great job for it being her first public performance!

We are so proud of our little gymnast!

Enchanted Forest

2011-12-10T21:41:00.000-08:00

We went to the Enchanted forest with Lidia's family. It was really cold, but we had lots of fun.

Jake was really warm!

The kids all loved seeing Santa and telling him what they wanted for Christmas!

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-10T21:06:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we drove up to Utah to cut down Christmas trees. We had a fun time and the kids loved playing in the snow!

We found a pretty good tree and cut it down to bring home and start decorating!

This is the first time we have ever had a real tree. Abby really liked to decorate it and had a hard time not putting all the ornaments together on the same branch.

And to top it all off...

... The Star!

Thanksgiving

2011-12-10T20:59:00.000-08:00

We had a great Thanksgiving this year... or should we say Thanksgivings!

We had Thanksgiving dinner with both families this year and had so much fun and food!

Jake's Party

2011-12-10T20:51:00.000-08:00

Party Time Mateys!

Jake's first birthday party was pirate themed.

We had so much fun hanging out, eating, and playing with all our family and friends.

Abby and Papa fell asleep, but luckily woke up in time for the sword fight!

We had such a great time... thanks to everyone who came!

Happy Birthday!

2011-11-22T15:44:00.000-08:00

Today is Jake's birthday, I can't believe our little monster is ONE!

We are so happy to have you in our family, we love your big eyes and your cute smile, Happy birthday buddy!

Halloween

2011-11-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

I know we're a little late, but here are some halloween pictures!

Jake was a skeleton!

Abby was a cute little bee, this is the first time she goes trick or treating to actual houses and she loved it!

She loved saying "trick or treat" and "thank you!"

We carved pumpkins

We had such a fun halloween!

Kids Pics

2011-10-17T22:47:00.001-07:00

While we were in Idaho we took advantage of our favorite park in St. Anthony to take some pictures of the kids! (Caution: There are a lot!)

This picture is from Colton's blessing. I had the camera on the wrong setting so it came out all old looking... but that's ok! He is such a stud!

We stopped in norther Idaho and drove around the backroads and found a few spots to take some more pictures.

Friends!

2011-10-17T22:24:00.001-07:00

Our favorite part of our trip up north was seeing all of our friends and family along the way! (Although not all pictured!) We had so much fun with the Bairds, Plasters, Bucks, Munks, and the Coxs!

We went to the biggest corn maze in Idaho! We only did the childrens maze though, the real one was way to big to try to do with so many kids and babies! We loved finally meeting Annie, and the kids had so much fun playing with her!

Annie, Jake, and Abby

I'm not going to lie, the tractor ride was actually pretty fun! Abby loved it even though I think she was expecting it to be more like Disneyland!

This is Kaylee and Annie, Tyler and Brinley, and Jake and me in our barrels on the tractor ride.

We spent so much time in the park just playing and enjoying the weather and the company! The kids had such a fun time!

Jake and Colton

Abby, Brinley, and Hadley

"When did you have so many kids?!?!" (inside joke!)

The boys (big and little)

We have missed the Plasters so much!

Ok, maybe we spent too much time in the park! Jake was playing with Abby, Cassie, and Hannah in Washington and he totally fell asleep in the swing!

Jake and Hannah were so cute together! He just loved having all these cute girls to be around him to flirt with! These pictures got messed up because I had the camera on the wrong setting, but they actually came out kind of antiqued and I kind of like it!

Yes, he has his hand on her knee! So cute!

A Long Drive!

2011-10-17T21:59:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we went on a drive up through Utah, Idaho, Montana, and into Washington. We went for our friends baby blessing, and were able to stop and visit friends and family every step of the way!

We were in the car for such a long time! The kids did great but were always really excited to get out and stretch. This was Jake's favorite break activity! We literally had to pry his hands off the steering wheel to get him back into his car seat!

We were able to visit the Coxs and actually forgot to take pictures, but we do have some from Carter's football game (he is #5 black) and Cami's soccer game.

(Erin and Cassie are in this one too!)

Going up north was such a great escape from the Vegas heat! The weather was really nice and we had so much fun driving through such pretty scenery. We couldn't help but stop and take some shots!

We came around a bend in the country road and saw this house. I don't know why, but it just reminded me so much of a horror movie!

First Article of Faith

2011-09-15T22:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we decided to start teaching Abby the Articles of Faith. She has loved practicing them with us and today she finally said the first one with no help from us at all! We are so proud of her!

(The only problem is that she relates the Holy Ghost to the Haunted Mansion at Disneyland! Oh well, we will work on that later!)

Abby's Heart

2011-09-14T10:09:00.001-07:00

Yesterday Abby was carrying around and playing with this little blue plastic heart sticker that she found somewhere. Well after a little while it disappeared and she informed us that she had stuck it up her nose! She was home alone with Dad and Jake and no car! She has never done anything like this and always plays with little toys and things she finds with no problems... I guess she was just curious!

It took about 10 minutes, flashlights, and tweezers to get it out. When told to blow her nose, she kept sniffing, causing it to go farther in! A few sneezes helped though! She did really good through the whole thing and never panicked or cried. She did complain that the tweezers in her nose tickled.

She is a really good kid and is so cute! Last night after dinner she sat down at the piano by herself and started singing and playing.

Labor Day Picnic

2011-09-11T15:26:00.000-07:00

For Labor Day we went up to Mt. Charleston for a picnic. It was cold and dark and rainy.

It was great!

Jake and Virginia

Lidia, Ceci, and Mica

James and Abby

Jake snuggled up keeping warm

Abby and Lizzie

Disneyland

2011-08-25T14:39:00.001-07:00

Over the last couple weeks we have made a few family trips down to Disneyland. We had so much fun with everyone!

Shastravaganza

2011-07-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

SHASTRAVAGANZA 2011

This last week we had a week-long family campout at Shasta Lake in northern California.

This was pretty much how most days ended... asleep in a chair totally exhausted!

The kids all loved cliff diving, even Abby

Realizing I'm not as young as I used to be!

The cousins all had fun playing together and with Grandma

Abby saw Cami on the little kid ski, and when she finished she said, "Abby's turn!" We didn't think she would really do it, but she did and loved it!

Family rides

What family trip at the lake would be complete without mechanical problems! We sucked up a piece of metal but were able to fix it.

Abby loved all the animals and bugs! She was so sad when this grasshopper escaped out of her hand that she didn't even realize he left two of his legs between her fingers! She loved watching the deer that would come to our camp too.

Just being lazy

Chris doing some therapy on Dad... over the fence is a cliff down to the water!

We got eaten alive by mosquitos! Lidia had about 35-40 bites on her back and arms after only a few days!

Alexis and Jake had fun playing in their own little carpeted area

Papa's girls

4th of July!

2011-07-17T16:47:00.001-07:00

Monday morning we woke up super early and went to the summerlin parade with the Torrance clan.

Lexi and Jake played together until the fire truck went by and they both started to cry.

At nighttime we went to Virginia's, had a great bbq and did some awesome fireworks, Abby loved her sparklers.

Family pic!

My two little monsters.

"New" Piano

2011-07-09T19:34:00.001-07:00

We got a "new" piano a few weeks ago. It is a 1923 Kimball piano. It was in pretty bad cosmetic shape and in need of some serious tlc. I spent this last week restoring it while Lidia was with the kids in Washington.

(She took the camera, so pics are from my cell... sorry!)

These are the after and before

Before

Sanded

Stained

Varnished

Moved in! (Lidia and I did it by ourselves!)

Our original plan was to keep it in our downstairs bedroom, but we quickly realized it didn't fit around the corner into the hallway, so for now it has to stay in the family room. Abby loves to sing and 'play' it.

San Diego

2011-06-23T20:16:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went to San Diego for 5 days. We went to Sea World, the Safari Animal Park, and the San Diego Zoo. We had so much fun and Abby loved seeing all the animals and learning about them.

We sat in the fourth row of the Shamu show and obviously... ended up getting SOAKED!

Abby loved the fish and especially the turtles.

We were able to feed and touch the dolphins.

Abby is fascinated with Shamu and one of her favorite parts of Sea World was the observation tank. The whales even came and played with the kids through the glass! It was so much fun!

We spent an afternoon at Coronado on the beach and had a picnic and played in the sand and water.

This was Jakes first time at the beach! He loved to lay and play in the sand.

Elephants and Lions are two of Abby's favorites.

Trying to touch the Dolphins... Don't lean in too far Abby!

It was so cool to watch when the whales passed by Abby to compare their size and see just how big they really are!

Abby loved the Starfish in the tide pools and even though the water was 65 degrees she couldn't keep her hands out of it! She loved to hold them and learn about them. We saw a little Starfish that was missing a leg... Abby was so sad and hasn't stopped talking about the "broken baby Starfish."

Memorial Day Swim & BBQ

2011-06-02T17:57:00.000-07:00

"Nimnastics"

2011-05-26T23:18:00.000-07:00

Today Abby had her first gymnastics class... or "nimnastics", as she calls it. She has been talking about it for days and was so excited to finally go!

She was able to get into the 3 year old class, which is good because the younger class is 'mommy and me'!

She did so good and had such a fun time with her "friends" and her teacher!

Can't wait until next week when she can go back!

Weekend Update...

2011-05-26T13:23:00.000-07:00

We went to Disneyland last weekend, it was a blast and the weather was perfect!

We love the happiest place on earth!

Having fun learning the princess dance with papa!

Arms up! let's get dizzy...

Abby went bowling for the first time

Don't forget to clean the bowling balls!

swimming at home

and reading some books

she loves her baby!

Da-Da

2011-05-22T08:31:00.000-07:00

Great Kids

2011-04-30T07:57:00.000-07:00

We just love these two!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-30T07:46:00.000-07:00

4/21/07

2011-04-21T07:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary!

I love you so much!

My Prophet

2011-04-14T16:35:00.001-07:00

Last week we were at Deseret Book and Abby was holding a card-sized picture of President Monson. We have been teaching her that he is a prophet. When we left I put the picture back on the shelf. As we walked through the store Abby started crying and screaming, "My prophet!! My prophet!! I need my prophet!!" (We ended up buying it for her.)

We were cleaning and organizing our house yesterday and this is what we found in the toy room...

President Monson all tucked away in Abby's doll craddle!! She is such a sweet and funny little girl who loves her prophet!

Disney with the Deans

2011-03-14T23:50:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we went on a last minute trip to Disneyland with Lidias sister. It was so much fun!

3 Months

2011-03-14T23:47:00.001-07:00

Fun Family Vacation!

2011-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

We spent president's day weekend at Brianhead with the fam...

The love birds...

Jake and papa snuggling... and Tommy picking his nose!

Jake went outside for about 10 minutes but he loved it!

It was Lexi's first "snow experience" too, she looked so CUTE in her cozy snow suit.

Papa showed the kids how he had fun in the snow in the "old days"

The kids had a great time sledding with their "cool grandma" that was determined to have a blast with them!

Joint-Ownership

2011-02-14T22:43:00.000-08:00

As of yesterday afternoon Lidia and I are official joint-owners of our children! We finally finished paying off their births... they are all ours now!!!

We are very pleased with our purchases and so happy to have them!

First Haircut

2011-02-02T23:42:00.000-08:00

Last night Jake got his first haircut! He was getting quite a mullet in the back, so we shaved his head. Here are the before and after pics.

Before:

After:

2 Months

2011-02-02T23:25:00.001-08:00

Jake is 2 months old and is getting so big! He is 9 lbs and 22 inches long. He smiles when you talk to him and loves to be held and played with by his sister. He also loves watching his bear mobile and complains when the music stops!

Park

2011-02-02T23:19:00.000-08:00

We went to the park last weekend for David's baseball game and hung out with the McKeehans. We had fun enjoying the warm sun while it was out!

Abby and Tommy kept escaping into the park! It's so much fun to have a cousin to get into trouble with!

Massive Post!

2011-02-02T23:00:00.000-08:00

We are back!!

We lost our cable to upload pictures to our computer over the holidays and have recently gotten it back, so here is our attempt at updating our blog after a month!

Girl cousins in matching dresses.

Meeting Great-Grandpa.

Cooking with Daddy.

Christmas and presents!

Jake and Alexis were blessed on the same day. It was really special.

Lidia's family gathered for blessing.

Jake's first time at Disneyland!

Loving Princesses! (Ariel)

Jake got his room finished and ready to move into soon! Thanks Tia Cuca (Virginia) and Aunt Erin!

Olivia and Abby discover tea parties!

Ready for church.

Love these kids!!

2010-12-22T20:25:00.000-08:00

We have added the "Watch Me Grow" to our blog again, be sure to check monthly and watch Jake as he grows!

Family Pictures 2010

2010-12-15T07:27:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Abby!

2010-12-13T21:18:00.001-08:00

Today is Abby's 2nd birthday! We had a little family party tonight and had so much fun celebrating the birth of our sweet little girl!!

Abby is fascinated with Barbie and Disney Princesses... she was really excited for these!

My Dad made Abby a cradle for her dolls. When she went to bed she put her baby into the cradle and rocked it and sang to her.

Happy Birthday Abby!! We love you!!!

Cousins!

2010-12-13T21:13:00.000-08:00

This weekend we went and visited Allison and Bryan and Alexis. She was so much bigger than Jacob! We had so much fun hanging out with them and getting to know "little" Lexi.

Picture Update

2010-12-11T10:18:00.000-08:00

Abby and Jake

Abby climbed inside her potty and got stuck!!!

Home for Thankgiving

2010-11-26T17:20:00.000-08:00

On Wednesday afternoon Lidia and Jacob came home! It is great to have them home and we are enjoying every minute! Abby loves being with him, holding, and kissing him. We have so much to be thankful for!

Family of Four

2010-11-23T13:28:00.001-08:00

Abby came to the hospital today to meet Jake. She was so excited to see her Mom and Dad and meet her new baby brother!

Baby Jake

2010-11-23T08:35:00.000-08:00

Both Jake and Lidia had a great night and are doing awesome!!

Jacob Steven

2010-11-23T00:08:00.001-08:00

WE HAD A BABY TODAY!

5 lbs. 5 oz. 18 inches

Monday morning Lidia had a doctor appointment before being induced Tuesday morning. The doctor checked her and she was already dialated to 2 cm. Good news because hopefully induction would go quickly! This afternoon she started having really bad contractions that made her double over and even cry from the pain and discomfort. At 3pm, after about almost 2 hours of these contractions every 2 minutes, we went to the hospital where they checked her and found she was dialated to 4 cm and gave her an epidural. They broke her water and checked her again around 5pm and said she was at 6/7 cm. About 15 minutes later she started feeling pressure and called the nurse. He was already starting to come out!! They called her doctor who was half an hour away! The nurse ended up delivering Jake at 6pm and everything was great!! It was a fast and great delivery! Mother and baby are both doing so great and hopefully we will all be home in time for Thanksgiving!!

More pictures will follow!

A Brother Like Mine

2010-11-15T22:50:00.000-08:00

I was looking for a file tonight and found this:

Erin Torrance

English

Period 5

September 26, 1990

My little brother was born on Christmas. He was the best present we got, and sometimes the worst. I can still remember all the crazy things he's done, and he's only 5!!!

Stevie came home from the hospital in a stocking. He looked so sweet and innocent. Boy, has he changed!!! He gets this look in his eyes. You can always tell when he's up to something. Stevie is full of trouble and mischief. You never know what he'll do next.

One time he got lost at Disneyland at 10:00 at night!! We were with some friends who had gone with us. My mom was watching my brother and the baby. Stevie wanted a drink of water. He walked halfway across the park before anyone noticed he was gone. Finally after about 45 minutes we found him. When he realized he was lost, he was so scared. But that never stopped him from getting lost again!!!

Stevie has also had many trips to the emergency room. Once he got his foot shut in the car door. The door latched with his foot in it. He had to get stitches. He couldn't walk for about two weeks.

But on the other hand, Stevie can also be a big help and a lot of fun. He always tries to help everyone. He also likes to make cookies with me. We put in lots of chocolate chips and decorate them with candy, frosting, and spreckles. Usually most of the dough is eaten before the cookies can even be put in the oven.

When he was little we went to the mall with my mom. We always parked on the second floor. Stevie walked right into the mall and stuck his head between the bars of the railing. He couldn't get his head out!!! After about 10 minutes of pulling and squeezing we finally managed to get his head out. But the next time we went to the mall he did it again!!!

Life is never dull with a little brother like mine!!!

Must be great to have a brother like me!!

One More Week!

2010-11-15T10:17:00.000-08:00

This is a pic of Lidia at 35 weeks.

We are having a baby next week!

They are going to induce Lidia on Tuesday, 11/23 at 37 weeks.

Secured

2010-11-15T07:02:00.000-08:00

This would be why it is important to secure heavy furniture to the wall when you have a toddler running around!

We were in Abby's room hanging some stuff this weekend and she was standing in front of her dresser. The next thing we know it is tipping over on top of her! I turned around and grabbed the actual dresser and kept it from falling over too, but the drawers and everything on top of it went flying. Abby was pulling on the top drawer and pulled it over on top of herself. I don't know how, but somehow she ended up laying on the other side of the room, completely untouched!

We were really lucky and so thankful that she was not injured!

Note to parents: ANCHOR FURNITURE TO THE WALL!

Ironically this is the only piece of furniture in our house that was not anchored/secured to a wall! (It is now!)

Halloween

2010-10-29T23:11:00.000-07:00

This is how Abby ended up after a night of trick or treating and candy!

We went to Trunk Or Treat tonight. Lidia and I were Zombies and Abby was a witch.

Beware the undead!!!

Jake was our "little devil baby"... as you can see by his horns!

... No comment...

Sent to the Hospital

2010-10-28T21:55:00.001-07:00

Lidia has been sent to a high-risk doctor because of some blood issues... nothing to worry too much about though. They were also concerned that the baby is measuring a little small. They decided to put her on monitoring twice a week. She goes in and gets hooked up and they just monitor the heart beat and her contractions. On Monday she went in and they noticed that the baby's heart rate dropped when she had contractions. After an ultrasound they sent her to the hospital for at least 12 hours of monitoring and a possibility of early delivery!!

We met at the hospital and spent the night there. Abby spent the night with my parents and Erin and Cassie. (Thanks guys!) She had a great time and can't wait to do it again! While at the hospital she started contracting a lot and really frequently. They gave her shots to stop the contractions and also some steroids to help the baby develop faster... just in case! We stayed there the night and were able to go home in the morning after seeing her doctor. She is on some meds to stop her ever-present contractions for at least a few more weeks until her and the baby are more ready to deliver.

It was good practice for the real thing, and really showed us how unprepared we are for this delivery!!! Let's see if we can't keep him in there a little longer like he should be!!

Daddy Daughter Days

2010-10-19T19:54:00.000-07:00

Lidia went to Utah this weekend and Abby and I stayed in Vegas alone. We had so much fun together! We spent the stormy Sunday afternoon on the couch with a blanket snuggling (pictured above, ignore the looks of boredom and disinterest!) watching Toy Story 1 & 2, Princess and the Frog, and The Little Mermaid. We made homemade pizza and just hung out and played. On Monday Lidia's sister watched her while I went to work. Afterwards we had dinner, went for a walk, and colored Lidia a picture. She even stayed up late until Lidia came back home. We had such a fun time together but missed Mommy so much!

"Cute Dress"

2010-10-15T20:41:00.001-07:00

This morning when Abby woke up she knocked on her door to be let out of her room. When Lidia opened the door this is what she found! Abby said, "Cute dress!" and was so proud that she had put her dress from yesterday on (partially) over her pajamas and was ready to start her day!

Baby Update

2010-09-28T22:11:00.000-07:00

We had an ultrasound and doctor appointment today. They wanted to do an ultrasound because Lidia was measuring small. However, the measurements from the ultrasound showed that he should be 29 weeks, which he is. Everything is right on track and looks great. He kept yawning and sticking out his tongue and licking the placenta during the ultrasound.

We are getting really excited as we start getting closer to having him here. They told us at the that after 6 more weeks (at 35 weeks) they won't stop Lidia from going into labor, so technically we could have a baby in 6 weeks!

We finally decided on a name and are going to go with

Jacob Steven

Labor Day Weekend Disneyland

2010-09-10T17:22:00.001-07:00

25 Weeks

2010-08-31T20:36:00.000-07:00

Week 25: So far so good.

Kidneys have been pretty good since going to the hospital last week. Still trying to decide on a name. We don't know if Abby realizes what is going on or what she is in store for, but she knows how to say 'baby brother' and loves kissing Lidia's belly!

California Girl

2010-08-31T17:25:00.000-07:00

This is Abby's new favorite song that she dances to everytime it comes on the radio in the car. We played it today to see her dance and had to record it!

Here We Go Again...

2010-08-26T22:26:00.000-07:00

Back in 2008...

Anyone who has followed our blog might recognize this above picture from Lidia's pregnancy with Abby at week 24 in Labor and Delivery...

2010...

I present to you the 2010 version...

This is a familiar experience(link) for us at week 24 in pregnancy, apparently. The other day we found ourselves at the hospital in Labor and Delivery. Lidia had been having an all too familiar back pain on her right side again. After calling the Dr. we were told to go to the hospital. We spent about 6 hours there doing tests and ultrasounds of her kidneys. It is not to the point that it was with Abby, but is inflamed and that is what is causing the pain. At least this time we saw it coming and knew what it was! We felt kind of silly being in Labor and Delivery with extremely pregnant women and people not being able to tell that Lidia was even pregnant and thinking we were there to visit!

What's In A Name?

2010-08-12T23:23:00.000-07:00

We have been trying to figure out what our baby boy's name will be... we are having a difficult time deciding, so we decided to see what you guys think! Any suggestions? Let us know which of our favorites you like...

Jacob Steven
Tyler (Ty) Steven

Hawaii

2010-08-12T22:58:00.001-07:00

This last week we went to Hawaii with Lidia's family. We had WAY too much fun and took WAY too many pictures. Here are just a few of the pictures of what we did. Lidia has more pictures posted on her facebook if you are interested in seeing more.

While we were in Hawaii...

... we visited the temple...

... drove up to North Shore and around the island...

... played on the beach almost everyday...

... took a dinner cruise around Honolulu...

... visited the zoo, Abby loved all the fish and hippos...

We were so sad to come home and get on with life!!!

It's A Boy!

2010-07-19T13:24:00.001-07:00

We went to the doctor today and found out we are having a boy!! We are so excited and can't wait to get him!! He is right on schedule and everything looks great!

Profile

Little foot

... Boy!

Take Our Baby Poll

2010-07-16T23:22:00.000-07:00

Hurry and take our poll (over there -->) and let us know what you think our baby is! We find out Monday morning, so hurry and vote soon!!

Leave a comment on this post telling your choice!

4th of July Weekend

2010-07-16T23:10:00.001-07:00

Our 4th of July weekend was so much fun! It started on Friday night. All our family spent the night at my parents house, and once the kids went to bed the adults all watched a movie in the pool/spa with a projector on the side of the house.

On Saturday morning we all went to the Summerlin 4th of July parade.

After the parade it was back to the pool and time for a BBQ!

On the 4th we ate with Lidia's family and did fireworks. Then on Monday we went to Lake Mojave.

It was such a great weekend!

Everything Since

2010-06-27T20:42:00.001-07:00

This post is an update on what we have been up to since our last post!

On Memorial Day Lidia and Abby went to Argentina with Lidia's sister and nephew for 3 weeks! They were able to be there for our newest nephew's baby blessing!

They also loved being there for the beginning of the World Cup!

While they were in Argentina, I went to the lake with my family and we hit a rock and almost sank the boat!!!

I also went on a roadtrip up to Washington and saw my sister and her family. I competed in the Sage and Sun Fun Run and placed second in my age group! I got a silver medal and everything! (While I was there I picked up a new boat and brought it home!)

I surprised Lidia and Abby with a real "big-girl" bed for Abby when they came home. They loved it!

We had so much fun today with Lidia's family cheering on Argentina in their victory over Mexico!!!

VAMOS VAMOS ARGENTINA!

VAMOS VAMOS A GANAR!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-05-31T13:03:00.001-07:00

We had a swim and BBQ at my parents house on Saturday. Abby had so much fun playing with her cousins and swimming. She loved jumping in and going underwater. She did really good swimming and holding her breath.

This ice cream is almost all Abby ate on Saturday. On the way home from my parents house Abby threw up all over herself and her carseat. She threw up six more times that night and finally at 2 am we took her into the ER and were there until 6 am. They gave her some anti-nausea meds and sent us on our way. We made it home just in time to go to back to bed!

What a great start to a long weekend!

Singing With Abby

2010-05-24T16:16:00.000-07:00

Receipts

2010-05-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today has been a day of reception. In addition to having our first ultrasound and hearing the baby's heart beat today, here are some other things we have received today...

I got my diploma in the mail! I was planning on calling tomorrow just to make sure I actually graduated, so that was a relief!

As we were leaving to go to the store today we noticed this Pottery Barn- Anywhere chair in our neighbors trash!! Being the dumpster-diver I am, naturally I circled the block a few times and pulled back into the driveway and ran over and took it! It is a little dirty, but is still really sturdy and in really new condition! One man's trash...

Big Sister!

2010-05-20T16:41:00.000-07:00

Abby loves playing and taking care of her 'baby'....

... lucky 'baby' will get a break soon...

... because Abby is going to be a BIG SISTER!!

We went today and had our first ultrasound. Everything looked great and we are so excited for baby #2!

Day of Fasting or Feasting?

2010-05-16T21:27:00.001-07:00

So I forget... is Sunday supposed to be a day of fasting, or feasting?! We had a Sunday of feasting today! Lidia made ham and cheese empanadas for lunch, we had home-made spinach dip for a snack, chicken-lasagna for dinner, and to top it all off we made Grandma Jane's carrot cake for dessert. Sunday is the one day a week we really eat, and have the time and energy to put effort into our meals. Today was no exception.

This is how our kitchen sink looked after our day of feasting... we'll probably leave it until Monday... after all, today is Sunday!

Disneyland!!

2010-05-12T17:32:00.000-07:00

Well we have finally returned to our blog! For the last few weeks we have been trying to get our house put together and have totally neglected our blog, sorry. Last weekend we went to Disneyland with my parents and had a great time. Abby loved the carousels!

My dad went on the Screamin' roller coaster in California Adventures when it first opened. He almost died and practically had to be carried off and around for the next few hours. I guess he forgot about that because I convinced him to go on it with me! I figured it would be funny, so I recorded it.

Las Vegas

2010-04-11T20:59:00.000-07:00

We did it!! We have finally made it to Las Vegas! Our moving truck didn't go over 70, and at uphill climbs we got as slow as 40 mph!! We finally got to see our house and unloaded the truck. Pictures will follow as everything starts taking shape.

Videos

2010-03-27T01:13:00.000-07:00

Moving On

2010-03-20T09:36:00.000-07:00

These last few weeks we have been getting everything worked out and squared away. Steve is going to be graduating in April, and we are moving to Vegas right after. We are going to be renting a house in Mountains Edge and Steve is going to work with his Dad's company. We are so excited to move on to this next part of our life and be back in Vegas with our families.

We are going to be moving the day after school gets out, so we really don't have any time to pack. We decided to start packing now and just do it slowly until it is time to go. We started yesterday... Now I remember why I don't like moving!!!

Home Again

2010-03-08T15:33:00.000-08:00

This last weekend Lidia and Abby came back from Texas. They went in the beginning of February to visit Lidia's sister in Houston for 2 weeks. 4 weeks later they came home!!

They had so much fun playing and hanging out with everyone.

Name Change

2010-03-04T20:29:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to let you all know that today we decided that we are going to change the spelling of Abbey's name to Abby.

Spring Bling

2010-02-20T11:17:00.000-08:00

A girl can never have too many accessories!

Check out the new selection and products at

Prettyolivia.com

When The Cat's Away...The Mice Will Play!

2010-02-13T17:05:00.001-08:00

Little Old Lady

2010-02-05T09:20:00.000-08:00

Abbey got these sunglasses for her birthday and she loves them!! She wears them all day long around the house. She also has a little purse that she carries around with her. I can't help but laugh because I think she looks just like a little old lady!

Snow Fest 2010

2010-02-05T09:18:00.001-08:00

We went to Snow Fest this year at Smith Park last week. It was really fun. There were wagon rides, snow bowling, sledding, and a polar bear swim! Abbey was asleep in the stroller the whole time we were there though!

Shake It

2010-01-27T09:17:00.000-08:00

Last Week

2010-01-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

This last week...

...We finally got around to taking Abbey's 12 month pictures. Check out the newly completed 'Watch Me Grow' section of our blog on the right...

...After almost a week of trying, WE RESCUED THE PRINCESS!!...

... Abbey got a new toy shelf which she 'helped' put together...

...We watched Hadley for two and a half days while her little sister was born. We had a great time with her and are totally ready for twins!! (We were even asked if they were twins when we went out! Haha)... All in all a pretty good week!

Monster Post

2010-01-06T21:34:00.001-08:00

Below there are several new posts catching up from all that has been going on in the last few weeks! Enjoy!

Disneyland, New Years, Birthdays

2010-01-06T21:12:00.000-08:00

We took Abbey and 4 of our nieces and nephews to Disneyland for 2 days for New Year's. We had such a good time!!

It was so crowded, but we still had a great time. The first day it rained all day.

They were exhausted after the first day!! Everyone fell asleep within seconds of returning to the hotel.

The second day was sunny, and actually got really warm as the day went on. I love this picture of David and Juli mapping out where we go next!

Small World... Abbey's second favorite ride!

I'm gonna puke!!

Abbey had a great time "talking" on the phone while waiting for her cousins to go on big rides.

It was so crowded and all of main street was standing room only! There were people that came in when the park opened and spent all day saving a spot on the curb in front of the castle. We got a table early at a restaurant in front of the castle and were able to see everything great from there, without the crowd. It was great!

The kids were so exhausted! They all fell asleep at the table waiting for midnight!!

Happy New Year's!!!!

After we got back from California we had Abbey's birthday party with our families in Las Vegas.

She had fun playing with her cousins that were there.

Christmas

2010-01-06T21:01:00.000-08:00

Black Out

2010-01-05T21:26:00.000-08:00

While we were packing everything to leave to Vegas for Christmas in the morning, there was a HUGE blackout that lasted for 3 hours. With clothes everywhere and dinner in the oven and freezing temperatures outside, it was just what we needed!

The top picture is with no flash, the bottom picture is with flash

(notice our mess as we were trying to pack! I like the one with no flash better!)

Don't Leave Me!!

2010-01-05T21:20:00.000-08:00

This is Abbey's reaction to me going to school

Classic Family Pictures

2009-12-26T12:23:00.001-08:00

I found these pictures on Mom's computer, I couldn't help but post them, some of them are hilarious! Haha!

Happy Birthday

2009-12-26T12:03:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Steve!

One Whole Year!!

2009-12-12T23:21:00.000-08:00

Guess who's ONE!!!

It is so hard to believe that Abbey is already one year old today! This last year has gone by so fast. We love this little girl so much!

She used to be so little and sweet... most of the time!

She has grown up so much in this last year! It is so fun to watch her progress every day and see her personality develop. She is such a little character!

She is still so sweet... most of the time!

Happy Birthday Abigail!

We love you so much and are so grateful to have you in our family!

Family Pictures

2009-12-10T22:38:00.001-08:00

This last weekend we went to a park in St. Anthony and took some family pictures. It was SOOOO COOOOOLD!!! Seriously, by the time we were done, we couldn't feel our feet, hands, or faces! We had to hold our breath while the pictures were getting taken, that way there wasn't a cloud in front of our faces! It was so cold that as the icy water went over this little waterfall, it was steaming! Icy water= steaming!! Way too cold to be outside!

Poor Abbey's nose turned bright red by the time we were done! She behaved so good for the whole experience though... I think it is because she was too cold to misbehave though!

Overall we had a great time and ended up with really good pictures that we love, if only it was a little warmer though, that way Abbey would have smiled!

Birthdays

2009-12-03T15:53:00.000-08:00

Abbey got a head start on her birthday by opening up some presents she got from my parents early! She loves her new clothes and toys!

I love Lidia so much! For her birthday dinner yesterday she asked for ice cream!!

I found a recipe online for making waffle cones and made waffle cone bowls to have with our ice cream dinner! It took me a few to get them to turn out right, but in the end they were really good and turned out great.

Little Helper

2009-12-03T15:43:00.001-08:00

Abbey loves to help out! The other day I was feeding her (in the living room where I'm not supposed to - added by Lidia) and she hit the bowl out of my hand and it flew through the air and from the pictures you can guess where it landed!

Have you ever picked up angel hair pasta cut up real small from a shag carpet? It's tough! (I guess that's why I'm not supposed to feed here there!)

She loves to 'help' with the dishes as well.

Putting away the groceries is definitely her favorite though!

Now if she was only big enough to take out the trash!!

Thanksgiving Break

2009-11-28T19:31:00.001-08:00

For Thanksgiving we had the last week off and went up to Washington and visited Erin and Chris. We had such a good time with them and the kids, and loved meeting little Cassidy. Abbey had the greatest time playing with everyone. We had so much fun... at least until Abbey got the stomach flu!

After we came home we put our Christmas tree up... It looks tall here, but it's not... it's just on top of a coffee table! Our 5 foot tree touches the ceiling!

Abbey was so curious about Cassidy! She has never really been around a baby littler than her. She looked so big and grown up next to Cassidy.

Haha, I think Cade and Carter played with Abbey's toys more than she did! They came up with some pretty challenging and creative games with them. I think in this picture they are trying to throw the rings on the cone, later they put it all the way down the hallway and threw at it!

Abbey loves looking at books and turning the pages, Cami loved 'reading' them to her!

Thanks Cox family, we had so much fun hanging out with you guys!!

Man Trip 2009

2009-11-14T20:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend Tyler and I had our annual 'Man's Trip' and went camping. We wanted to do it much earlier, when the weather was nicer, but due to busy schedules we had to do it this weekend. We went out to Horseshoe Lake, and found the lake almost completely frozen! It was already snowing when we got out there, and snowed almost non-stop until we left this morning. Despite all the snow, we stayed pretty warm all night. We had a great time hanging out on what will probably be one of our last camping trips for a while!

Favorite Places

2009-11-10T16:49:00.000-08:00

Here are a few of Abbey's new favorite places...

We got a gate to keep her out of the bedrooms and bathroom and everytime we are there, she is here waiting for us to come back!

If we can't find her anywhere... we just look in her new playground... under the kitchen table!

She loves playing under the table, and standing up and pushing the chairs around the kitchen. When she finishes it looks like a tornado came through our kitchen!