Pugs & Kisses

Happy Birthday Suri!

2012-01-26T15:40:00.000-08:00

Happy 1st Birthday Suri!

January 5, 2012

Suri celebrated her 1st birthday on January 5, 2012! But she had a lot of parties before this actual date! She was able to celebrate in Bakersfield, CA with family there & had lots of fun playing with her toys & cousins; then she had two birthdays in VA & a special 1st birthday photo shoot @ JCPenney! It was wonderful to be able to share the big day with both sides of our families & to see our little girl have a wonderful time & enjoy her special day! She's growing so fast & is such a joy and blessing in our lives - each and every day! Happy birthday princess! Mommy & Daddy love you - to the moon and back <3 xoxo

Auntie Amanda bought Suri her first ever balloons & Suri loved them, so did Sam :)

birthday girl * getting love from Papa & Nana

finger paints from Auntie April & fam * Sam helping her open gifts * shopping cart from the grands

When it came time for her birthday cake, she was a little cautious because no one else had any cake & we were all sitting around staring at her! Quickly though, she got into it and enjoyed the yummy oreo goodness! She attempted to smash her face into it a few times, but stopped herself once we all started laughing. She did pick up the whole plate & take a big bite! Lots of messy fun!

Special treat for our sweet!

In Virginia, we had a nice little celebration with my side of the family. Suri had on her special 'Birthday Princess' outfit & a special corsage sent from Great Auntie Pat & Uncle Jack in Chicago! Suri had fun opening her gifts & definitely enjoyed another taste of some yummy cake! It really never gets old watching a baby smear frosting all over themselves! Too cute! (until you have to clean it up). We had a wonderful time & truly enjoyed everyone helping us share in her special 1st birthday!

wanting to tear open her gift * happy girl * reading her card!

Dr. Seuss books! YAY! * Splash art! * Suri loving her presents :)

Suri's special cake * bday girl w/ her balloons * making a wish!!

first bite * yummy frosting! * look at that face! * Suri loves cake!

She also got a little birthday party on her actual birthday - just a cookie cake & some family time! She is such a ham & had such a fun time! Our little girlie is growing up & it's an amazing journey to watch unfold right before our eyes!

Happy Birthday cookie! * Root Beer love - like Mama & Dada!

playing w/ Gma Anne's phone * hanging out w/ Uncle Abbott

Looking forward to the next wild year...

Santa Claus is coming to town...

2012-01-10T20:21:00.000-08:00

And so are we! To Virginia that is...or was. We arrived Christmas Eve night, after a loooong flight & were greeted at the airport by my mom and my brothers (while pop was at home making my favorite meal!). To their surprise, Suri was wearing this special shirt...

This little monkey has a secret.... I'm going to be a big sister!

And that's our exciting news! A new bundle of joy will be arriving this July 2012! Everyone (both families) is really happy & can't wait to hear the news if it's a boy or girl, which we should find out around Valentine's day...so you better come back if you want to know too!!!

On to our trip - Christmas day - we woke up around 8 or 9 am and opened presents w/ my mom & pop - Suri actually got into ripping the paper off this time. And she received lots of fun things! An Elefun ball popper, a super soft Elmo shirt, The Lion King dvd...and much much more! We also got dvd players for the car to keep Suri entertained on our trips! YAY! After Christmas at my mom's house, we went to my Auntie Lynne & Uncle Neil's to celebrate with them, my Nana & my dad. Upon arrival, the boys decided to play some basketball & Suri even got in on the action! We had a wonderful spread of lasagna, gnocchi, meatballs & seafood! It was all soooo delicious! Great food, great conversation, great company. Doesn't get any better (well, unless you add dessert!).

opening presents Christmas morning!

presents, presents, presents * monkeying around w/ Daddy

hanging out w/ Uncle Elliott & Uncle Abbott

boys having fun * first time ever seeing Seth play basketball

Suri's turn! Such a big girl!

photo ops w/ Mommy, Uncle Elmo & Great Nana Rose

bouncing on Daddy's legs * Elmo shirt & dried yogurt face :) * loves Uncle Elmo's phone

took entire bag of Cheerios out of box & poured on ground * her New Year's pjs

We had a great visit in Virginia & were sad to say goodbye! Can't wait for them to visit us here in San Diego in July!! ;) <3 Sc

Christmas Time

2012-01-10T15:42:00.000-08:00

This Christmas was very special with it being Suri's 1st & her receiving lots of gifts & getting to spend time with all our family! Suri's 1st Christmas gift arrived around Dec. 10th from Great Auntie Pat & Great Uncle Jack! Although she wasn't too excited to rip off the wrapping paper, once she saw the gift she was sooo excited & could hardly wait for Daddy to get it out of the box! Baby Abby - Suri's 1st baby doll :)

Suri also discovered a love for Mommy's baking tools! Daddy got some cute shots & I ended up putting them on an apron for Grandma Anne. She's gonna be a lil baker like her mama!! YAY!

After Seth was done with finals, we headed up to Bakersfield to celebrate the holiday with his side of the family. Suri got to see her puppy dogs, Ares & Luna, and actually played with them outside. She went for a bike ride with both Mommy and Daddy & had tons of fun playing with all her Aunties & Uncles, her cousins & her Nana & Papa! She got lots of new toys & clothes, but most importantly got to spend time with & love on her family! It was a wonderful visit & we can't wait to see everyone again soon!

playing w/ Daddy & Ares * riding bikes w/ Mommy & Daddy

Daddy love * helping Nana make yummy food* playing w/ Jake & Auntie Ashley

opening gifts w/ the help of Sammy & Auntie April * so happy!

pj time w/ the girls, Andrea & Meredith * little drummer girl * running from the pups

playing w/ cousins Jude & Sam - the boys thought it was so fun to climb in the bucket! lol

When we returned home to San Diego, we decided to have our own little Christmas & have Suri open her gifts from "Santa" & gifts that arrived from Gramma Denise & Granpa Rich and kids.

Suri got a baby doll, toothbrush, blocks, pjs, a cell phone & car keys!

After our Christmas in Bakersfield and back home in San Diego, we jetted off to Virginia on Christmas Eve....

New Year's Resolution

2012-01-09T19:56:00.001-08:00

Although I'm sure there are many resolutions I need to make, one on the top of my list is: Update the blog on a regular basis! Yes, I'm sorry - it's been quite some time since I've caught everyone up on our daily life & what Suri's been up to - in fact, last time I did, she was 8 months old - and well, as most of you know, now she's 1 yr! Crazy how time flies!! But yes, I will make much more of an effort to keep this blog up to date. So let's see, where did we leave off?

In October, Suri reached her 9 month mark and gave us quite a surprise as she took her first steps! Not fully walking, but she would take a few steps, then tumble. She loved reading books & still enjoyed her shows: Sesame Street, Blues Clues and Curious George! She slept pretty well around this time - from about 7:30 to 3, then eat, then sleep til about 7! Unless she was teething, and that's a whole different schedule :( She also started smiling & laughing a lot more & making lots of new faces! And loved to play with the camera/have her picture taken! And as seen in previous posts, she enjoyed her first Halloween and pumpkin patch & had lots of fun adventures!

Suri on her 9 month bday

In November, she turned 10 months old & was walking without a problem! TROUBLE for Mommy & Daddy!! She started trying more foods: pasta, applesauce, cake (Daddy's influence), chicken, beef, hummus - almost anything we would eat, so did she. She loved to play outside with her friends & especially loved picking grass!! Such a curious little girl, she must get into everything! We celebrated Suri's 1st Thanksgiving in Frazier Mountain with Seth's family - times 10 - for a family reunion too. Suri met her Auntie Tristan, Uncle TJ and cousins Zaylee & Wyatt for the first time! She loved playing with them & getting loves! While there, Suri also got to experience snow for the first time - and well, I don't think she was too impressed. She's definitely spoiled by the San Diego weather (and now so are her parents)! Seth took Suri for her 1st ride on a sled & she seemed to enjoy it. There was lots of crazy fun going on for that trip & we had a wonderful time with all our family <3

Pushing her walker across the house

Playing outside with her friend

Gorgeous girl

Seth & I @ the cabin * Suri's 1st snow * Sock monkey!

Auntie Tristan * Cousin Wyatt * Nana, Zaylee, Meredith & Suri

Papa & Suri

Some of the Sisters xoxo

(minus Helen & Meredith, & Ashley)

Walking, talking, dancing, clapping, waving, climbing.

2011-11-13T18:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T08:59:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

Suri celebrated her first Halloween last night! She dressed up as an adorable bumble bee (while I attempted a poorly 'homemade' ladybug) & had lots of fun trick-or-treating! She actually was quite the trooper- never made a fuss! In fact, she even took the candy out of the bowls all by herself sometimes! We went trick-or-treating with our friends that live upstairs, who had awesome costumes! The boy was Cat in the Hat, his sisters were Thing 1 & Thing 2, and then his mom and dad dressed up as the kids! It was super cute! We all had lots of fun & it was nice for Suri to experience trick-or-treating with other kids! Suri got lots of candy (which she can't eat!), so it will go to Mommy & Daddy! lol. Seth came home and said alright let's check out what we got! lol. The man who didn't care for any Halloween festivities was the first to pick at the loot! Gotta love him :) Seems the popular candy around here to hand out is Reese's and Butterfinger. Suri really seemed to enjoy it & I think she mostly enjoyed seeing all the people. One house had an adorable black pug named Frankie, and I was in love! lol. We went around the neighborhood for an hour before calling it quits and scored a fair amount of candy - enough for us at least. I may try out a candy bar chocolate chip cookie recipe, if I get the time, or motivation! lol. Here are our pics from last night:

our family

ladybug & bumble bee w/ her pail

making our way down the street

first house: Suri picking out her own candy!

the whole gang trick-or-treating

As for our other Halloween festivities, during the week Suri wore some Halloween inspired outfits and our apartment complex played a cute game of Boo-ing each other! One person starts the game by leaving a surprise gift (candy, stickers, anything Halloween inspired) on two door steps with a note that says, 'You've been Boo-ed!' and a cute little poem, telling those people to post their 'We've been Boo-ed!' sign on their door/window & to continue the cycle until every house/apartment has been hit! It was fun to wake up & open the door to see our cute little pirate bag waiting for us! And it was even more fun to BOO others by sneaking their bags on their door step at night when no one could see who did it! Fun times :)

Suri & Daddy at Balboa Park

Suri playing on the lawn at Balboa Park

Just BOO-tiful!

But not digging the headband :(

our little ballerina :)

the princess w/ her daddy

in her pumpkin shirt & funky baby legs

I love baby legs!

our surprise BOO bag!

our BOO goodies & sign

Hope everyone had a fun, safe and Happy Halloween!!! xoxo, SC 3

Suri's a Rock Star!

2011-10-25T13:27:00.000-07:00

Suri attended her first concert yesterday at Anthology in San Diego. Performing were American Idol winner, David Cook along with musician, Gavin Degraw. Upon arriving at the concert venue, Mike from Sophie 103.7 approached and asked if this was Suri's 1st concert, (yes!) and asked if we would like to commemorate the occasion by coming up on stage and having our picture taken with David Cook! Well,um, OF COURSE! So as the concert began, Mike pointed out Suri in the crowd & invited us on stage, where we took our pic with David Cook & everyone in the audience was in awe of little Miss Suri! During the mini break, we went to make a diaper change and everyone that saw Suri gushed & said what a great photo it will be for her album! My little superstar!! She had such a fun time bouncing to the music! It was an amazing concert & we had a blast! Thanks to our friend, Jaimie, from PLNU for inviting us!

Fall Festival

2011-10-25T11:22:00.000-07:00

This past weekend Point Loma Nazarene University had their annual Fall Festival! It was our first, and we had a great time. Suri looked super cute in her overalls & had fun seeing all the people! We got to pick a pumpkin & Suri liked to explore the pumpkin patch! We also got to taste some food from L&L Hawaiian, and Suri had her first taste of rice - which she loved! There was warm apple cider, music, karate demonstrations, soccer games, bounce houses, pony rides & more! It was a nice family outing & a great way to celebrate the autumn season & the upcoming Halloween festivities!

mommy & daddy with their little pumpkin

checking out all the pumpkins

curious, playful & happy

yummy, yummy rice for Miss Suri

Can't wait for our Halloween fun this week & weekend to come! Stay tuned :)

3 day weekend!

2011-10-25T08:54:00.000-07:00

Since we hadn't been to Bakersfield in a while to visit the family, Seth decided to take off of class and we went up for a 3 day weekend, October 14-16 . Suri was so happy to see her Nana & Papa and was giving love to everyone!

Papa, Je t'aime (I love you!) * playing with the exersaucer

having fun w/ Papa * all smiles :)

We finally got to meet our niece, Meredith Ann. She is so precious & so pretty just like her mama! Suri was very interested in Meredith, but will have to wait a little while til they can play together.

Seth & Suri, Adam & Meredith

Ashley bought some skulls to paint for Halloween, and wanted to decorate them with inspiration from "Dios de los Muertos," the Mexican holiday, Day of the Dead. She painted hers white with lots of funky designs & I went for teal w/ a rose, peacock feather & heart eyes! These took us a long time because we kept changing our minds! But it was a nice way to relax :)

our Halloween skulls

We got to see our lovely puppies again, which always makes me happy! We miss them so much! Suri liked to look at them from the window, but when they came inside she was quite afraid! One day though, I'm sure she'll love having them to play with & chase around!

looking at the dogs from the window

Hi Ares, Luna & Chloe!

Then we had a family dinner night, with Nana & Papa, Grandma T, Aunt Ashley & Uncle Jake, Aunt April & Uncle Josh and cousins: Caleb, Jude & Sam. Suri had a BLAST with her cousins! She was laughing the whole time & just couldn't get enough! It was fun to see her interact with other kids & we're so happy she had some time to see her cousins & play with them!

hanging w/ Jude in Uncle Josh's lap * Sam about to give her a kiss * surrounded by boys

Nana & Sam playing * Sam is a superstar! * Aunt April & Sammy

We had a great visit & were so happy to spend time with family! We can't wait for the next visit in November for our Thanksgiving camping trip, where we will get to see even more family & make more wonderful memories!

Xoxo, Sc x 3

8 months...here & gone

2011-10-10T12:32:00.000-07:00

September 5, 2011 - Suri's 8 month birthday!

At 8 months, Suri:

said 'Da-da', and Seth was over the moon excited!
Burned her hand on the oven door (poor girl...worst night of our lives!)

Daddy wrapped her hand up really well & took great care of her. The blisters healed up & she is doing great!

Tested out her potty seat w/ a few successful tinkles!

Loves to ride on daddy's shoulders & pull hair & bang on his head

Watches Sesame Street

Favorite book: Sesame Street Beginnings - At the Zoo (laughs the whole time!)
Eats/Tasted: Hummus, Bread, Yogurt, Spinach pasta, banana chunks, sweet potato chunks & oatmeal

Makes a funny noise when she laughs
Clapped once! (after she saw mommy do it)
Makes clicking noise with tongue
Drinks from a sippy cup (still getting the hang of holding it on her own)
Got her first tooth!!! (those were fun nights :P )

(you'll have to click the pic & zoom to see the tooth on bottom)

Still in size 3 diapers
about 20 lbs
Goes on play dates/story time @ the library
Got over a bad cold that lasted a week & a half
Loves her picture taken!
Loves anything that's not a baby toy: camera, cell phone, computer, remote control, sandwich bags, anything & everything that's not hers! lol

swinging in daddy's legs

playing on her high chair

Suri loves to open up the pantry door & investigate its contents

our little family <3 * hanging with da-da

These were all taken on my birthday (25!!) I had a wonderful day with my two loves & made myself birthday cupcakes in my new KitchenAid mixer!!

xoxo <3 Sc

Suri's Baptism

2011-10-10T11:27:00.000-07:00

'Before you were born... I dreamed of you, prayed for you. Now that you're here, I love you, I thank God for you.'

While we were in Virginia, we decided to have Suri's baptism in the church where Seth & I were married. We thought it would be special to do it there, since we do not have a home church here in San Diego. Suri's Great Aunt Pat bought her a beautiful, handmade white dress from Greece! And bought her all the little accessories to go along with the outfit! (Warning right now: Suri wasn't in the mood for pictures & we did not have a good camera...sorry!)

Pastor Smith with our family

It was a truly special day & a beautiful moment for us! We are truly blessed to have an amazing, beautiful, loving & happy baby girl and we want to raise her to be a strong, beautiful and intelligent Christian woman!

our family who were here to help us celebrate

with the uncles: Elliott & Abbott

the grandparents: Anne & Kevin

We are sorry that we were not able to include all family members, but we hope that everyone will understand & hope that we have your love & support in raising Suri in the Christian faith.

We love you all! xoxo <3 SC x 3

Oops! I forgot...

2011-09-27T21:34:00.000-07:00

In the previous post, our summer journey, I forgot to post Suri's 7 month shot. She turned 7 months while we were in Virginia...
...which also means, I forgot to mention that we left Virginia in August & the pictures from California at the end are from the month of August! So the title at the top of the post should say, July & August 2011! oops! oh well...you all still love me! (it's the mommy brain, quite forgetful).

So at 7 months, Suri was pulling herself up to standing, crawling like a pro, climbing stairs, sleeping through the night when we were back in San Diego, and just continuing to grow & smile & bring pure joy to our lives! xoxo

All About the B's

2011-09-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

July 2011

Our summer began with a trip to the beach for Seth's 26th birthday! We had a nice time hanging out with Adam & Helen, her brother Jordan, his wife Mandy & a couple of their friends. Suri loved playing in the sand & hiding the frisbee! This is a few days before she turns 6 months, at which time she's grabbing at things, sitting up on her own, still trying to master the crawl & growing so fast!

She went to the doctor on July 7th, for her 6 month check up, and this was the first appointment Daddy was able to make it to. She did so well & the doctor was really impressed, saying Suri is 2 months advanced on her motor skills! She got her shots and hardly cried this time (staying tough for Daddy). She weighed in at 17.5 lbs, and measured 28 inches tall! The doctor said at this rate she could grow to be 5 ft 10!! Don't know where that height is coming from!? That same day, Suri & I made our journey to Virginia Beach...

This was Suri's first flight! and oh boy, was she a trooper! After just having her shots, she managed to survive a 7 hour trip...sleeping the majority of the flights & if not sleeping, peeking at others over the seats, or eating! She is such a great traveler - and for that we are thankful!

In Virginia, Suri got to meet a lot of family members for the first time! She met her Poppa Ralph, her Great Nana Rose, her Great Uncle Neil & her Great Auntie Lynne!

Suri got to use a brand new bath tub in Virginia Beach - an inflatable ducky! And she had lots of bath toys that she loved to play with too!

By the time Daddy arrived, Suri had mastered her crawl & could even climb stairs!!

Suri also met her Auntie Carla & Uncle Robby (one of the main reasons we traveled to VA was for their wedding!) & her Great Auntie Pat came from Chicago to visit as a surprise!

I got to see my awesome tennis girls from high school (waiting on the group shot from Ryan! lol), but this is the gorgeous Kate w/ lil Miss Suri. * Then we had dinner with our friends, Alex & Ashley @ Romano's Macaroni Grill

In Virginia, we took a family vacation to Natural Bridge, VA to see 'the natural bridge' (duh!) and for a super special experience....oh, you'll see....

This was Suri's very first trip to the zoo! On the way there in our rented Sienna swagger wagon, then at the gift shop with Daddy!

Suri stood on the back of an alligator, got up close with monkeys & we took a picture with a giant bear!

Suri got some love from a baby camel, talked with a macaw & checked out the giraffes

And the super special experience (a dream of mine to finally come true).....

We rode an elephant!! Her name was Beautiful & we had such a fun time! Seth rode an elephant before, so it was Suri, me and my brother Abbott along for the ride.

Next, Suri took her first swim at the hotel pool & wore her itty bitty yellow polka dot bathing suit! She absolutely loved the water (she gets it from her Daddy)!

Next, the family all went to see the Natural Bridge. These are a few pictures of us goofing off!

Seth having fun with the big bear * Suri was just over 2 ft tall when we visited Natural Bridge * Abbott's got that bear right where he wants him! * Elliott, now that's a gun a real man uses! :)

We visited the Butterfly house & got to see a butterfly come out of its cocoon. Then we made our way down the 137(?) steps to the natural bridge, "The immensity is startling...the majesty is striking. 20 stories of solid rock, carved by the fingers of nature --- Virginia's Natural Bridge." It was beautiful and peaceful (except for the field trip of 30 1st graders right behind us on the trail). But all in all, we had a lovely time and Mom even had to save Kevin from a snake attack! ;)

the giant scary snake!

Uncle Elliott & Grandma Anne w/ baby Suri * me & the love of my life

We had a wonderful stay with our family & visiting friends in VA & we can't wait to go back to make more awesome memories! We have so many pictures from our visit, but here are just a few more random shots...

hanging w/ the grands * this was what they did 95% of the time * she loves grandpa!

sleeping cuties * bella girl w/ her binky* hangin w/ Uncle Abbott * Princess

pool fun

Bye-Bye Virginia!

Hello, California!! We arrived home in San Diego, and spent one night at our place before heading up to Bakersfield. We spent a night in Bakersfield, then made the journey up to Benicia! In Benicia, we visited with Gramma Denise & Granpa Rich, Auntie Kelsey, and uncles Brock, Caleb & Garrett! And of course, Cody the dog, who Suri loved to play with!

we visited Mama Denise @ her work, Honeysuckle Rose, during the Peddler's Fair weekend

Suri got lots of girl time w/ Auntie Kelsey & her friend Rosie * and lots of love from Gpa Rich

Seth entertained Rich, Gma B & Suri w/ some sweet songs on the guitar

the group traveled to San Francisco to check out Fisherman's Wharf

pretty in pink in her new jacket * family photo op * holding her hat on while drinking her milk

Suri in the garden * sitting in Gpa Rich's boat * playing with Cody!

We went for a day trip to Napa Valley (it's gorgeous & I want to live there!) & stopped by the Hass winery & then went and got some grub & the guys got some beer

After a week in Benicia, we made our way back down to Bakersfield to relax a little & spend time with the rest of the clan!

Suri loved riding the rocking horse * playing with Papa on the floor

having a blast with Daddy as she rides the scooter!

We went to visit cousin Ryan, his wife Rebecka and baby Reese (who is one month older than Suri) and Suri ended up teaching Reese how to pull herself up to standing & Seth helped Reese take some steps while holding her hands! They were so adorable playing together! <3

Finally, we made our way back home a week before Seth had to start classes for the fall semester at PLNU. We had an amazing summer & we are so blessed to have such wonderful family & friends in our lives! We love you all & can't wait to see you again! xoxo

~The 'S' Family~

Lots of "Firsts"

2011-09-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a loooooooooooooooong time since we've updated our blog, and a lot has been going on since May! lol. I will update to our current situation, but for now, let's backtrack....

June 5, 2011 * Suri turned 5 months * sporting her stars & stripes & her new thing: sucking her bottom lip * silly girl

Since our last post in May, Seth attended summer school from mid-May until the end of July. He took Spanish 1 & 2 over 10 weeks (5 weeks for each class) & then decided to do a crazy 4 week class in Calculus! He was busy with homework from the moment he got home from school until about 9 pm, bedtime!!! He was super stressed, but in the end he made great grades & was happy to knock the classes out! As for Suri and me, we hung out at home - playing with toys, going for walks, reading books, watching movies - having our girl time!

Seth & I also went out on our first date (since Suri was born) in June! Our good friend Regina came to babysit Suri & we headed out for a nice dinner. We ate at The Brigantine (yummy seafood!) & looked at each other and said, "What did we use to talk about on dates?", "I don't know, starting a family.", "Well, I guess we should just enjoy the silence." Lol, we had totally forgotten how to be on a date. So we enjoyed our meal, enjoyed each other's company, and about an hour later, we were ready to go home! lol. It was a nice trial run :P

At 5 months, Suri got her first taste of food! We started out with sweet potatoes made at home & brown rice cereal, then gradually added bananas, squash, apples, carrots & peas to the mix! She had a little difficulty grasping the concept of the spoon at first, but now she's mastered it!

We celebrated Seth's first Father's day by making him some yummy cookies & getting him a book called, "Daddy's Girl", that he could read to Suri at bed time. After reading it, he says, "Did you look at this first?" Umm...sort of, why? His favorite line of the book: 'Of all the babies you're the fattest one, You big-leg women are a load of fun!'

Also for Father's day, Seth's parents came down for a visit and we took a trail hike at Torrey Pines. We went to Gordon Biersch for brunch, and Suri enjoyed her first time in a high chair! It was a beautiful day & a nice time spent with loved ones!

Another first, Suri tried out her jumper! Didn't quite get the hang of it, but we'll try it out again soon!

This was the beginning of our amazing summer....

she's also developed a shoe fetish :) such a girl!

she keeps growing, and growing...

2011-05-05T19:14:00.000-07:00

...and GROWING!! Today Suri is 4 months old! She went to the doctor this morning and the doctor said she looks perfect! and she's hitting all her milestones :) Suri weighs 14 lbs 14.5 oz, in the 79% range; her head measures 16.5", the 76% range; and here's the shocker - she is 66 cm = 2 feet, 2 inches, which is the 96% range!!! She must've got the tall gene from her grandpas cause Mommy & Daddy aren't tall by any means!

This past month, we went to Bakersfield for Easter break and had a nice time with the family, hanging out with the puppies & just relaxing for once! Seth has finals this week and is super busy studying & stressing!! But I know he'll do an amazing job, because he always does :) I've been busy keeping the house in order (as orderly as possible with a baby that occupies most of my time - which I love!) Seth and I are planning on running a 5k in June, and we both got some super sweet new kicks! He got the Merrell Trail Gloves in yellow and I got the Merrell Pace Gloves in lavender! They are minimalist shoes - very thin Vibram sole - much better for your feet and extremely comfortable! And we've been walking barefoot whenever/wherever possible :) Hippie chic...lol. Just enjoying our time together & trying to be as healthy as possible.

taking a bath in Nana & Papa's sink

Papa helping Suri walk

Suri having fun with Chloe, Ares & Luna

getting "kisses" from cousin Sam * Uncle Seth playing with Jude

getting & giving love to/from Papa

Great Grandma B stopped by to see us on Easter

Suri's back in the saddle again * hanging with her Uncle Adam

What's Miss Suri been up to?

* rolling from her back to her tummy (video to come)
* sleeping anywhere from 3 to 6 hours at night, love when it's 6 hours :)
* hanging out in her exersaucer

* holding on to her pacifier

* playing with her stuffed animals

* being a chatterbox: "aaah" "ooo" "uuuh" "ha" along with high pitched squeals & sighs, the occasional giggle ;)
* finding her feet, plays with her toes
* grabbing at toys/blankets/hair!/skin! (ouch!)
* loves being read to before bed
* still loves to be held
* loves to watch her mobile & fans
* smiles all the time (well when she's not crying cause she's hungry) - and smiles at herself in the mirror!
* still eating every 2 to 3 hours, only breast milk - she'll start solids at 5.5 months
* falls asleep better in our arms/on the floor/in the big bed than in her crib

She's a healthy girl & such a joy in our lives! God has truly blessed our family, xoxo

3 months old!! YAY!

2011-04-06T10:11:00.000-07:00

Suri turned 3 months old yesterday! unbelievable. She's growing SOOO fast! At her last doctor's appointment, on March 17, she weighed in at 12 lbs 6 oz, which is in the 75% range for her age, measured 59.7 cm = 1'11.5" which is in the 78% range, and had a head circumference of 39.4 cm = 15.51", which is in the 55% range. On that visit she had her first set of shots, which for me was absolutely heartbreaking! She cried & turned the reddest I have ever seen! But afterward, she pretty much slept the entire day. Next time we go back for more immunizations is in May, when Suri will be 4 months. We weighed her at home yesterday and she is 13.6 lbs! She is smiling all the time now & making the cutest noises! She enjoys sitting in her swing now & also likes to sit up in her Bumbo. She still loves to be held though! She sleeps mainly in her crib now, but some mornings, like when Seth leaves for class, we will put her in bed with me, or just when she's having a really fussy night. But she sleeps anywhere from 4-7 hours at night, then wakes up to eat & will go back down for another 3 hours. She falls asleep with her teddy bear noise machine playing rain sounds. She is still in size 1 diapers, and has had several blowouts, but the size 2 are a little too big and fall off, but I'm sure she'll be moving up soon. She is pretty much out of 0-3 month clothes, though some still fit her. We've moved on to mainly 3m clothes. She is doing a great job with breastfeeding & we've finally moved on from using the shield! YAY!! Suri is discovering her hands & loves to put them in her mouth or to grab hold of our fingers and put them in her mouth :) Her hair is growing out some & Seth says she's starting to look more like me, but I still see her daddy in her. Suri loves to take showers with Daddy. She gets tummy time & is so so close to rolling over! She actually sleeps on her side most of the time & loves to have the blanket over her face (which we uncover after she's asleep). All around things are great! Suri is doing amazing, Seth & I are loving every minute with her & we're just one happy little family <3 xoxo

Beach fun!

2011-04-02T09:47:00.000-07:00

Suri went to the beach for the first time last week! She got to feel the sand in her toes and put her feet in the freezing cold pacific! But she's a true California girl, cause she didn't cry one bit! She loved the sand, sun & water! (for the most part...she did get tired & want to go home). But it was such a beautiful day in San Diego and the beach was packed! Seth & Kyle threw around the football, while I tried to work on my tan (not even close to having one yet... lol). We had a great time & can't wait for more fun in the sun this summer!

first beach trip! soaking up the sun w/ mom :)

Daddy put my feet in the water & sand got between my toes!
also, my hat was a little big, so mommy bobby pinned it :)

Picnic in the Park

2011-03-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

This weekend we decided to get out of the house & go down to Liberty Station for a picnic! It was a nice, sunny day in the 70's, and the park was filled with families and children playing everywhere! Seth made our lunches, waters, a blanket & then we were off! Of course, Suri fell asleep in the car, but it was nice to just relax in the sun with my wonderful hubby! He played music on his Droid X (which we are addicted to playing with) & we ate our lunch & chatted & watched all the kids playing baseball! Then we had a mini photo shoot - Seth's mom wanted some b&w pics for her wall! Suri woke up just before we left and we took some great shots with her! And she got to feel the grass on her toes for the first time :) It was a wonderful day & Seth and I agree, it's one of the best days we've enjoyed together in a long time! xoxo

~me and my love~

~our precious girl~

~such a beauty~

~goofin' with mom~

~grazin' in the grass~

~ridin' on daddy's shoulders~

~hello!~

~the family~

little girl on the go

2011-03-15T08:58:00.000-07:00

Suri has been quite the busy two month old! First a trip to Vegas, now recently, she went on her first nature walk with Mommy & Daddy @ Torrey Pines! She did a fantastic job and it was nice to get out in the fresh air & enjoy the beautiful, natural surroundings :)

Our next adventure led us to Bakersfield, CA and Taft, CA for Spring Break, where Suri finally got to meet the rest of her aunts, uncles, cousins, etc!! It was such a fun time seeing everyone & being together as a family! Seth & I got sick on our vacation - so that was a downer, but Suri was completely fine, so we are thankful for that! On our vacation: we went to Grandma B's for lundin (lunch/dinner), ate at Papa & Nana's with the whole family, went to an inspiring YFC Banquet, I got a Mary Kay makeover thanks to my wonderful sis-in-law April, went shopping @ Target (lol!), got brand new phones, laid in bed (unfortunately), had a picnic in the park, saw our adorable puppies!, and ate breakfast with Mom & Dad before heading back home! Suri always does an amazing job on the car rides & only wakes up the last 15 mins before we're home. She's such a precious gift & we are so blessed to have her in our life! More exciting journeys to come! <3

the family @ Gma's in Taft, CA ~~~~~ The ladies & their babies

(Rebecka & Reese (3 mths), Ashley & Grace (5 mths), Me & Suri (2mths))

Aunt Kelsey ~~~ Granpa Rich ~~~ Uncle Garrett

Kels & Seth goofing off ~~ Suri & me being silly ~~ Seth riding a scooter w/ Kels on his shoulders (scary!)

Suri & Aunt April ~~~ cousin Sam wants to play! ~~~ Suri having tummy time :)

Suri & cousin Sam ~~~ Uncle Seth & Sammy

what happens in vegas...

2011-02-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

...gets posted for everyone to see!

For President's Day weekend, we decided to take a mini-vacation to Las Vegas to meet up with our wonderful friends, Nick and Shay, and their adorable daughter, Reagan! The drive to Vegas was about 6 hours, cause we hit a TON of traffic! (The ride home was much better & took about 5.5 hours). We arrived in Vegas around 7 pm @ the Las Vegas Hilton and Suri got to meet Aunt Shay, Uncle Nick and her bff Reagan for the first time! It was sooo cute to see the babies (Reag is 9 1/2 months, Suri - 6 weeks) together! Although we spent a lot of the time in the hotel room - it's tough traveling with youngins - we had such an amazing time! It was awesome to see our best friends & to just get away for the weekend! Suri did wonderfully on her first vacation - sleeping most of the time while we were out and most of the time on the car rides to/from Vegas. We can't wait to see our friends again & plan another fun adventure! Love you guys!

P.s. - videos to come, when I figure out how to post them from our camcorder ;)

Suri in front of the Vegas sign - - - Viva Las Vegas! - - - Reagan & Suri

The Hansens w/ baby Suri - - - - - Reag in her strawberry jammies

Shay and I @ the Miracle Mile Mall where the ceiling looks like the sky outside!

The Paris Hotel - - - Nick & Shay <3 them - - - Reag @ the Eiffel Tower - - - Seth & I in Paris (I wish!) maybe one day :)

Reagan & Suri bonding ;) - - - the amazing Dads w/ their precious girls

Shay & Reag @ the Aquarium in Ceasars Palace

Daddy & me with Suri Jean

Reagan & Suri BFFs! --- Love this pic - Reag's giving this look like, 'This is my baby, don't touch!' --- Suri smiling while Reag checks out her outfit :)

Uncle Seth w/ Reagan. She is soo adorable & starting to talk & walk & makes the cutest faces & noises! We love her <3

the bffs

Our family

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T15:12:00.001-08:00

It's Suri's first Valentine's Day! She has an adorable little dress for this special day & she got all dolled up! We plan on making crepes tonight for Daddy as a special treat! Strawberries, nutella & powdered sugar! YUM!

Also, here are some pics from the visit this weekend with Aunt Ashley & Jake.

Daddy thought we should test out the Bumbo too! She was not very happy with it yet. She has a really strong neck though - since birth she's been able to hold it up for short periods of time - and when she finally masters it - then she'll be ready for her Bumbo!

In the mean time, some of Suri's quirks at one month old:

*She LOVES her butt to be patted! It calms her down & puts her to sleep... usually.
*After she was born, she made a noise EXACTLY like a monkey! Oooh oooh aah aah! No lie.
*She's starting to coo & makes lots of noise! Even in her sleep.
*When sleeping, she loves to have her hands in the air - it looks like she's praising the Lord. And if you try to put them down, they spring back up! :)
*She sleeps about four to five hours through the night - most nights. Usually when she's in Mommy & Daddy's bed.
*She's starting to be mesmerized by her mobile in her crib & loves lights.
*She is now outgrowing her newborn clothes and wearing 0-3 months. She doesn't have a lot, so she's also started on her 3m clothes.
*She's in size 1 diapers - only because what we thought were newborn diapers turned out to be size 1's. oops. So she was only in newborn size diapers for about 3 weeks.
*She'll be smiling soon. Mostly now she does it when she sleeps or toots, but the 6 week mark (Wednesday) is when she's supposed to start returning smiles at people.
*Daddy calls her his lil Peanut.

That's about all I can think of at the moment. She's getting bigger every day & every day we grow more in love with her. She's our lil sweetheart! Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Visiting the Princess

2011-02-13T12:30:00.000-08:00

Everyone wants to meet baby Suri! Here she is with some of her visitors:

Her first visitor was Aunt Regina in the L&D room.

Then Grandma Anne & Grandpa Kevin came by to see their first grandbaby!

Uncle Abbott holding his little niece

Uncle Elliott with baby Suri

Nana & Papa came to visit the weekend after Suri was born

Gramma Denise came to stay & help out with baby Suri

She still has a lot more people to meet! Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jake came to visit this weekend - pics to come. She met Uncle Kyle last weekend - no pics, sorry. This coming weekend, she takes her first trip - to VEGAS! - to meet her Aunt Shay, Uncle Nick and best friend Reagan! Then in March, she will meet the rest of her aunts & uncles, great aunts, great great grandmas, etc. And most importantly her brother & sister, Ares & Luna!!!! Then she meets the rest of my side in July & also all of our friends in VA! She's going to be Little Miss Popular this year! :)

Welcome to the world Suri Jean!

2011-02-13T11:47:00.000-08:00

On January 5th at 4:47 pm, Suri Jean was born! She weighed in at 8 lbs exactly and was 20.5 inches long!

The semi- short version of the labor story: Seth and I decided to go on one last date night on January 4, since my family would be coming in the next day and it would be the last time it would ever be just the two of us. So we went out to Truluck's in La Jolla, a steak and seafood restaurant (with amazing chocolate cake!). During the dinner, I was feeling a lot of pressure but didn't think anything of it. Thought it was just cramps basically. Then on the car ride, they were getting a bit more intense. When we got home, I was pacing back and forth across the room as the "cramps" seemed to get more intense and more frequent. Seth started timing the contractions (duh sarah!) and said, "um, yeah I think we need to go to the hospital!" me: "are you serious?" haha...I was in disbelief that this was really about to happen. LABOR. We got to the hospital around 9:30 pm and I was at 3.5 cm - so we were instructed to stay at the hospital, but to walk around for two hours! So we did and when we returned, I had progressed to 4.5 cm. The contractions were getting way more intense and when I was admitted to a Labor & Delivery room, I asked for an epidural and received one at around 5 cm.

Then we hit a wall. No progress for quite some time. So they decided to help it along with pitocin. Eventually I made it to 8 cm and the doctor came into break my water. So from that point on, there was LOTS of pressure & it was getting close to pushing time! At 10 cm, the nurse had me do some "practice pushes" & with those baby's head was already visible. The nurse called the doctor who was over at her other office and stuck in the parking garage!! lovely. I could feel tons of pressure and said to the nurse, "um...I think I need to push!" Suri was definitely ready to come out, but the hospital staff was not. The nurse told me to breathe to keep the baby in! Ok now. Really? I wait 9+ months and take a freaking childbirth class to learn how to push her out & you want me to hold her in?! Thanks a lot. At this point, it's getting much harder to hold her in and they call the in house OB. He comes and suits up and as soon as he's about to tell me to push - my doctor comes in. Now we wait for her to suit up - and just as she puts her glove on and says push - which I do - there is beautiful baby Suri! The cord was wrapped around her a bit, but they quickly fixed it. Daddy cut the cord, and then they placed our beautiful little baby girl on my chest!

It was the most amazing experience ever! Seth was the most wonderful labor coach in the world!

Now we are a happy little family & we are enjoying every minute with our precious girl! She is absolutely beautiful & we are so in love <3

Suri's Room

2011-01-04T17:50:00.000-08:00

We have just about finished Suri's room. The only other thing we have left to do is hang some pictures on one of the walls. We are anxiously awaiting her arrival.

maternity photos...

2010-12-08T20:53:00.000-08:00

just a few shots my wonderful hubby took the other day. hoping to maybe do a few more, but we shall see if we have the time... or desire to do them. but i LOVE these ones! seth is such a wonderful husband! 5 years of marriage & a baby girl on the way! we are so blessed <3

the bump grows...

2010-11-13T11:25:00.001-08:00

it's been quite some time since i posted a new blog... so here's a look at my growing bump that you've been missing! it goes from june 26 - august 7 - sept 15 - sept 29 - oct 8 - and today, nov 13!!! sorry the one from today is a bit dark and the bottom of my bump is kinda hard to distinguish - but it's definitely getting BIG!!! and little Suri is moving SOOOO much! This week I will be 33 weeks - on friday is how it goes by the doctor (Seth and I go by thursdays). That means in about 7-8 weeks - she will be here!! we are soooo excited & can't wait to meet her & see what she looks like!

what you've been waiting for...

2010-08-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

A PIC OF MY BUMP!

sorry I look like such a bum...we were headed to the old apartment to clean it...haha. oh well! too bad I don't have photoshop to touch up my imperfections :)

and well, here are some pics of the new place.... it's amazing how messy it looks in the pictures, but in real life - it seems pretty clean! except for the bedroom :/

these are pictures of the living room and dining area... the kitchen is to the left of the dining area, and I did upload a pic, but it mysteriously vanished... hmmm.

this is our "messy" bedroom/office

this is the guest bed/ Suri Jean's room

it obviously needs a lot more styling :)

and a quick shot of the bathroom - mainly cause I love my shower curtain

So I'm hoping for a lot of changes in the nursery - obviously. but besides all the baby stuff, I want to get a new bedding set for the guest bed that will coordinate much better. sorry nate berkus... ya gotta go bye-bye for now :( [speaking of which, I cannot wait for his new show to start this fall!!] So I'm thinking a more muted bedding, definitely creams and browns, nothing to overpower the room or the baby's stuff, and to make it more relaxing than the bold orange :) my hopes & dreams - too bad they require $$$

xoxo <3>

Baby Suri's Nursery

2010-08-24T09:41:00.000-07:00

Well, after long deliberation...I have finally figured out what Suri Jean's nursery will look like... hopefully.

where to start: the crib - is from Target, and Seth's mom is getting it. We love it because it converts from a crib to a toddler bed, to a daybed to a full bed. And the attached changing table will save room in our tiny apartment :)

Next - bedding: We were going to stick with neutrals, so we could keep stuff for Baby #2, but we started looking at girl bedding & my mom said she would take care of it. So we have neutrals on our registry & secretly...(not so much now)... mom's going to get the girly bedding.

and with that bedding are the decor accessories: the lamp, musical mobile & diaper stacker.

then gifts from my sis-in-law, ashley & BFF carla mae - very talented ladies!

Ashley is making Suri a quilt with this fabric:

and Carla Mae found fabric from the same collection and made this adorable stuffed elephant:

I can't wait to get everything and put it together!

It's A Girl!

2010-08-24T09:23:00.000-07:00

We found out we are having a baby girl!! YAY! We are sooooo excited! Seth got teary eyed in the ultrasound room when the tech said it was a girl :)

As soon as we got out, I called my mom & she was super excited! Seth's dad shouted, "WOOHOO!" and then we sent mass text messages to everyone we knew! Everyone is thrilled for a little girl!

Then we came home and talked about names....for about 2 straight hours!! And finally came to a decision... Suri Jean! A beautiful name for a beautiful little girl! :)

And then came questions like, "Did you pick that name cause of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes?" Umm...absolutely NOT!! Suri is actually a nickname for Sarah, and Jean - we just liked it from the beginning with Suri. Seth likes it cause it gives her a bit of a tomboy edge!

She was so adorable to watch during the ultrasound because she made little sucking motions with her mouth, her little heart was beating so fast, she flexed her little muscle (to show daddy she's strong), and then she was reclined and kicking like she was relaxing at the beach & playing in the water! What a California girl! :)

We cannot wait for her arrival on (or around) January 7th! She's gonna have Daddy wrapped around her little finger...

nursery idea...

2010-07-28T19:36:00.000-07:00

my mom sent me this adorable stuffed elephant for the baby... and i thought maybe i could design the room around it... so this is my "idea board"....

here is the elephant she got me....

...and here are some ideas for the room....

seth says it's girly - but right now it's just an idea. who knows what we'll end up with!

we're also thinking about greens, browns and tans... to keep it more neutral - that way we can use the stuff for future babies! :)

but anyway, the ultrasound is scheduled for august 20th!! so that's when we will find out if it's a boy or girl! .... then designing the room will hopefully be much easier :p

beach fun

2010-07-28T18:21:00.000-07:00

we took the dogs to the beach earlier this week... and although they hate the water, they love running in the sand & Luna especially love chasing other dogs! Here are some pics & a little video. The video is adorable with the little dachshund that kept running around and digging holes everywhere :)

furry friends...food...& family

2010-07-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

luna relaxing at the dog park
luna loves her daddy
ares stepped in sap! poor baby
on our trail hike
stopping for water!

There is so much stuff to do in San Diego... and before we found jobs & got pregnant... we would go on hikes with the pups! Or take them to dog parks, or the dog beach. They love running around & playing with other furry friends! And at the dog beach - they HATED the water! But we did find out they can swim! It was so cute to watch them doggie paddle! Wish i had the camera then, but oh well...you can see they love the outdoors! (they get it from their daddy).

Also... since being prego, all i want is chocolate! (haha, sure I blame the pregnancy). But really, I just LOVE baking! These cookies are seriously the BEST ones I have EVER made! And I've attempted to make them again twice...and they never turned out like they did this first time...which makes me extremely sad :(

Whenever we travel up to Bakersfield with the pups... they cannot be in their kennels because Ares SCREAMS the entire trip! Three and a half hours of that - no fun. So Seth being the creative handy man he is.... made them seat belts! They are so adorable when riding in the back seat all strapped in. They may not like it very much...but it keeps them safe & quiet! Which keeps us happy :)

Chloe, me, Seth

sisters: Kelsey & Tristan

group picture: Grandma B (middle), with Garrett & Zaylee, (left of her) TJ & Wyatt, (top row) Ryan & Rebecca (who is due January 2nd!), Ashley (due soon), Uncle Mark & Auntie, Tristan, Caleb, Seth, me (due Jan 7th), Kelsey, mama Denise & Rich

We were pretty busy visiting with family recently. We had Seth's little brother Caleb stay the night with us, and head up to Bakersfield with us to visit Seth's sister, Tristan, who was in town with her family from Texas. So we ended up seeing them & Seth's mom, Denise & the rest of her clan, plus Grandma B, aunts, uncles & cousins!

at PLNU overlooking the ocean :)

Seth & I @ Shogun w/ Mom & Dad

making a heart out of rice YUM!

Then for the 4th of July....and Seth's 25th birthday - his parents came down, Ed & Terri! The 4th is also their anniversary!! So their was much to celebrate! We took them to Point Loma, to see our soon-to-be new apartment & Seth's school. They treated us to a nice dinner out at Shogun - where we had filet mignon, shrimp, fried rice and lobster! Also, Seth & I had rainbow sorbet... and some sushi! Don't worry - it was cooked! Then we went home & had some Coconut creme pie for dessert! YUMMY! And for Seth's birthday... as a gift from my family, he received an Amazon Kindle! Which he is absolutely in LOVE with!

It's been pretty nice the past couple months...& soon we'll be moving into a new place & I'll be getting a BIG bump.....oh boy................................................or girl! ;)

p.s. - and one of my besties is ENGAGED!! YAY! Congratulations Carla & Robby! xoxo

it's been awhile...

2010-06-10T11:59:00.000-07:00

but nothing too exciting has happened.... except that I'm PREGNANT! ha :)

we are very happy & excited about this new journey in our lives! we kept it a secret for about 7 weeks (from my family) - and we told Seth's family around 4 weeks. everyone is very happy and truly didn't believe us at first when we told them! pretty much everyone knows now - close friends & family - and we will let everyone else know around 12 weeks, when we feel more comfortable. right now...as of today, in fact... I am 10 weeks!

it has been a rather rocky first trimester - I developed a nasty rash (shingles!) - which is commonly an old person's disease - lovely. and I've been nauseous and exhausted, and all those other wonderful feelings that go along with pregnancy! Seth would of course name mood swings as my first symptom! although I feel that I've been quite the angel :)

Seth and I are excited to hear the heartbeat - and keep wondering whether or not there are two little peanuts inside! Twins run in both sides of my family, and in his dad's side...so we will see. That would be quite an adventure! but we have to wait about two or three more weeks before we go to the doctor again.... so there will be much to update about in the near future!

San Diego Spring Break 2010

2010-04-09T10:57:00.000-07:00

ares & luna with their easter basket from grandma

seth getting ready to eat his crab pot @ joe's

taking in the sweet smells of the crab pot

seth & i @ seaport village

this guy is crazy-- he stacks rocks on top of each other

no glue, no magnets....just plain skill...it's nuts

seth & i @ la jolla on the trees
pelican wall in la jolla

seth & i inside the la jolla cave

the la jolla cave

We had a lovely, busy spring break! We were very sad to see it come to an end, but that just means school is almost over for the semester! Which will be quite a relief. Our spring break adventures consisted of: the day hike @ cowles mountain (as mentioned in the previous post), 2 jaunts to seaport village, sister ashley & her boyfriend, jake, coming to visit for a couple days, eating yummy seafood @ joe's crab shack, exploring la jolla & the cave, and mama & papa capehart visiting for the weekend! we also received awesome easter baskets from my mom, one for us and one for the "grandpups"!!

And returning back to school wasn't very fun. in fact, i'm down to two classes now, because calculus is just a nightmare! there was no way i would come out of that class with a good grade, so i had to do what was best. yesterday, my wine group & i completed our paper & presentation & did an awesome job! i am so relieved it is over & done with, some drama ensued but i did make some new friends (which is nice) & also found a fave wine! seth is doing awesome in all his classes & i'm really proud of him! he's so great at studying & keeping up with everything, i really admire him for that.we only have 6 weeks left. i cannot wait for this semester to be done! it's been difficult dealing with school, moving & settling in, and being away from my family. I am adjusting and love it here; however, i did endure my first earthquake, which was CRAZY & the aftershocks keep on coming! ha. what an experience!

SPRING BREAK!!!

2010-03-28T11:56:00.000-07:00

seth making crepes! Seth at the top of Cowles Mountain
Me at the top of the mountain

Seth and I

Finally we have time off from school...and get to enjoy San Diego during our spring break! so for our first adventure, yesterday, we went to Cowles Mountain for a day hike! It was 3 miles total up and back and we accomplished it in about an hour and twenty minutes - due to my falling & being attacked by bugs!

Seth's favorite quote of the whole adventure: Sarah:"why are there so many bugs?", Seth: "we're outside, in nature." ha ha. yeah, that was my blonde moment. but seriously i was getting ATTACKED!!

Rule # 1: do not put on floral fragrance deodorant when going on a hike. all in all, we had a great time! it was awesome to see the view of the whole city from the top of the mountain, and it was so great to spend some alone time together.

Afterwards we went to Chevy's and got some yummy Mexican enchiladas! and of course a nice lil pick me up: margarita for Seth & raspberry rum kiss for me! then we headed home and ended up taking a nice hour long nap! it felt so good to relax & fall asleep on the floor with the patio door open and the breeze blowing through!

For breakfast yesterday, we made yummy crepes with Nutella & bananas! thanks to a goodie box from my mama with a Costco sized Nutella jar inside! Then for breakfast this morning, I made drop biscuits & some eggs. I love cooking & baking!! I read through two of my cooking light magazines this morning & cannot wait to try some of the delicious recipes!

Hopefully there will be more exciting adventures this spring break! Seth's sister, Ashley and her boyfriend, Jake, are coming down Tuesday through Thursday, then the in-laws will be coming Thursday through Sunday! fun fun!

(I just really want to go shopping & to the zoo - but it's hard to convince the hubby) Anyway.....stay tuned! xoxoxo

Congratulations...

2010-03-10T20:03:00.000-08:00

.... seth and i have received our acceptance letters! we both got into point loma nazarene & i also got into cal poly and san diego state. not sure where i will go at this point. cal poly is out cause it is so far away, so it's down to PLNU vs SDSU. both great schools, one is private with a small student body, one is obviously a state school and has TONS of people. it would be awesome to go to school with seth though. major difference is tuition cost. MAJOR difference. so we shall see how it all plays out. that's the biggest decision going on for me at the moment. seth also has some decisions he is facing at the moment, and we are just taking things one day at a time.

as for school currently, seth is almost done with one class & trucking along in his others. soon he'll only be attending one class on campus & the other two are online - lucky duck! my classes are going well, calculus is getting tougher, but I think I can get through it. Hospitality is going well - doing a group project where we get to do research at wine bars - so that's kinda neat. geography is pretty good. the teacher is hilarious and always says the funniest things you would never imagine a 70 year old man saying. (conserve water, shower with a friend!) but his tests are crazy hard! bummer :(

what else?!? ares got attacked at the dog park, but handled it nicely. this dog is three times his size and he did not back down. that's why his middle name is "killer"! haha. but he did survive & has no battle wounds. Luna Marie (one day I called her this and it just stuck...must be from shay) is doing well. always barking at other dogs - so she doesn't make many friends. but we do have a good little group that meets at the park & all the doggies get along! it's basically a pug pack (4 pugs: Ares, Luna, Hank & Ernie) + a frenchie (Dukes) & a boxer (Summer).... and the occassional visit from Cassius, the old english bulldog. i'll have to bring the camera one day to capture the mayhem! it's quite adorable actually :)

i am also going to donate my hair to locks of love. it's something i've always wanted to do & i've finally fought the urge to snip my hair off so that i can get to that point. so in the next few months it should be over ten inches in a ponytail and i will CHOP it off! the working out has been going pretty well too. seth wrote up this awesome workout for us alternating days between swimming & running. it gets pretty tough, but hopefully i'll be bikini ready by june :) or sooner since we live in cali...haha.

sorry there are no pics with this post... i need to upload them to the computer.. maybe next time :) arrivederci!

2010-02-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

I woke up this morning and wanted to do something nice for my husband. I decided to bake him his favorite muffins! Which as I type are in the oven right now. The yummy smell of gooey, warm blueberry muffins fills the apartment :)

When I went to the store this morning, I also wanted to buy a card to tell him how much I love him, but when I picked the one I liked, I looked at the price and it was FIVE DOLLARS! for a piece of paper with words written by someone else. not the best way to share your love.

So to my loving husband, Seth:

I love you. You are an amazing man and I am so blessed to have you in my life. I am extremely happy that you chose me to have by your side and be your wife. (haha smart guy's a rhymer!) You have given me so much joy and happiness, & turned my world upside down. Without you, I would be lost. You are the sweetest, most loving, giving and passionate man I know. I appreciate everything you do for us & everything you do each day to bring a smile to my face. I love who you are and what you believe. I love your passion and determination to do what you want with life. I love your adventurous spirit, but mostly I love the side of you that no one sees but me. I could have never imagined meeting someone who loves me as much as you do and who takes care of me like you do. God has given me the greatest husband and my best friend. You are the love of my life and I love every minute of our life together. Happy Valentine's Day Sweetheart!

Love, your Firefly

A note from Seth

2010-02-01T16:18:00.000-08:00

Blogging...hmmm. It seems that no matter what I do or how I try to adapt, I am always falling behind the times. Got a cell phone years after everyone else was using them, got a smart phone years after everyone was using them, learned how to text years late, finally got a Facebook account and now we are all moving to blogging. Ahhhh... Whatever. So school started and I am already fed-up with it. Not so much it as the people who go there. At our community college there are about 22,000 students that attend there (literaly). Its so busy in the morning that we have police directing traffic on campus, just so that you can get to the parking lot where you will find exactly 0 spaces to park. Once you arrive in class it is filled with a bunch of snot-nosed little punks with 0 life experience and loud mouths full of exactly 0 knowledge or wisdom. The things that comes out of these kids mouths makes me doubt humanity as a whole. I spoke with my friend Jeremy Bishop to day who said something very interesting and I quote, " America, the land of the spoiled brats who think they already know averything." Thanks Jeremy, How true it is. I sit in class and wonder... 'what am I doing here?' I am forced to take the lamest classes, due to CA's flawed school system. On that note, CA has by far the stupidest most unreasonable laws out of any state or country for that matter. I cant get a job here because I wasnt certified in CA, they wont take my credits because they are this or that accreditation, wow. Now we are looking for jobs and I am waiting on the VA to start paying me my education money, which so are like a million other people out there. So the bank account continues to dwindle with each days passing.
Ok well aside from all that... Life is great.
No really, it is. Things are going great in the household. Sarah and I are adapting to the constant presence of each other and actually handling it very well;) She has handled the whole move so well and has truely impressed me with her mature attitude toward it all. We have a great roommate, seems to be working out very well so far. The dogs are healthy and loving SD as am I. I have yet to go surfing, since I have had such a full plate as of late, but plan to get out there asap.
We went to a dueling piano bar the other night with my brother Adam, his wife Helen and my cousins Lacey and Brandon. It was spectacular. We loved it. Sarah is amazing, she downed a shot of whiskey before anyone else at the table. What a trooper, what a wife. She continues to impress me each day with her little quips also.
I have been hitting the gym about 4 times a week with Kyle (roommate) and it seems to be going well. Sarah has been working out at the apartment gym and seems to like it ok. Sarah and I played raquetball the other day... it was a lot of fun. Sarah is a natural. She tends to shy away if the ball is hit real hard, but she will catch on soon enough.
Sarah has a possible job offer as a nanny. She has an interview this week with the people, so hopefully all goes well and we can stop worrying about money quite so much. I keep sending in applications, to no avail, but I will press on.
We truely miss all our friends in VA and UT. We hope to see them all so soon. They all seem to be doing very well and everyone seems to be getting pregnant these days, must be the weather out there. Good thing we are safe in CA.
Well, till next time. Take care and stay safe.

job hunting & slaving over school

2010-01-31T20:22:00.000-08:00

this is us visiting point loma university which is right on the sunset cliffs! gorgeous views all over campus!

here we are at seaport village in san diego, right at the harbor!

well... we started school last week, and needless to say, we both are hating it. the campus is ridiculously crowded all the time... and it feels like we're back in high school. but it's only for one semester. for me at least. but seth is not as bothered by it as I guess I am. i have classes M-Th: calculus, geography, intro to hospitality & computers (online). seth has class TuTh: speech & philosophy, and he's taking two online: music & art history. calculus & computers are kicking my booty, & well seth just can't stand music and art. I told him I would switch with him, I'll do his art & music, if he does my computers. no go. oh well.
anyway, other than school, we are pretty much occupied with finding jobs. We've both applied online to many places, but no luck yet. I received emails asking for more info, so I'm just waiting to hear back. Those were for being a nanny! ha. It's pretty much the only job I am qualified for. So that's where I applied and also for a Gymboree Party Instructor, and another job as a Cupcake Associate! ha. Do you know which one I'd prefer?? lol. Seth is looking into jobs for security and hopefully he hears something soon.
I am struggling yet AGAIN, with figuring out what I want to do with my life. Hospitality and Tourism or Interior Design or something totally different! I have no idea! And it drives me crazy every minute of the day! But I have to stick with something so I can be done with school!
Pups are doing great! Cute as ever! Enjoying the California sun.. they get to go on walks much more often! And Ares actually SURVIVES!! :P
Well off to dream land soon... class tomorrow :/
<3 sc

more pictures of the apartment

2010-01-21T10:09:00.000-08:00

so here are some more pictures of our apartment. another open shot of the living room from the kitchen. then there is a picture of our bedroom. the next shot is taken from the dining room - looking into the kitchen & living room. then is the dining room, which still needs some work - so there will be more pictures to come once we complete that space. and the last picture is our kitchen with the island where we eat most mornings on our bar stools. there is also a separate desk in the kitchen where the wicker baskets are above the cabinets. it kills me to live with all white walls, but we're trying to add some color with fabrics and pottery and what not. so as we get time... and money... hopefully there will be vast improvements & new photos to share!

welcome home

2010-01-20T13:10:00.000-08:00

well this is our lovely living room.... the computer is acting up & will not allow me to upload any more pictures for some reason. but i will continue to try. unfortunately, it seems i may have to do multiple blogs of just a few pictures - which will be really annoying. ha. but let's see... so far there is the living room with a view from the kitchen, then there is one section of the living room which shows off the fireplace (with the fancy iron work above - from southern living!) and the entertainment stand/bookshelf from ikea. took about two hours to build that sucker! and of course i must add, the mirror placed on the wall to see the front of the door. somewhere i read that for feng shui in your house, you should have the couch facing the entrance of your home, otherwise have a mirror hanging to be able to see the front door. interesting. seth probably thinks i'm a whacko - but i thought it was neat. and anything to keep good spirits in the house is a plus for me! we have that empty space behind the couch which we are trying to come up with some idea for. we've been thinking maybe three square frames wrapped in a patterned fabric, or three pictures of the three roommates. not sure. any suggestions?? <3>

here we are....

2010-01-12T17:26:00.001-08:00

We finally made it to our adorable apartment in sunny San Diego! We left on December 27th and arrived on January 2nd. The trip was so long & the whole situation was stressful, but we made it through! It was hard to say goodbye to all our family & friends. I miss everyone so much! I miss my Virginia. But not its weather. I do prefer the San Diego sun & the sweet breezes coming through the open windows.

It's still so surreal being here. It feels like we are on vacation. I'm sure that feeling will change when we start back at school in a week. Which I am quite nervous about cause I'm used to my little TCC. But somehow I've got to work my way through 4 classes & the wonders of calculus and not get distracted by the sand & sun. haha. We'll see how long that lasts :)

... And since it is a new year, new surroundings, new lifestyle...Seth & I have decided to embark on a new adventure (our new year's resolution) - to get in the absolute best shape of our lives! Seth goes to the gym with our roomie, Kyle and I am hitting up our apartment gym with my killer trainer Jillian Michaels - in a box! Her insane "Hot Bod in a Box" deck of training cards, that seriously kick your butt! It is going well so far, well it's only been a couple days, but I miss my chocolate already! Guess you just have to sacrifice :(

Will post some pics of the apartment soon. We picked out some great things at Ikea to decorate & add to our space, so it is coming along nicely.

Stay tuned for more. pugs & kisses xoxo

the capeharts

2009-12-03T12:04:00.000-08:00

today is our four year anniversary. we can't believe how quickly the time has gone by. but we have had such an amazing journey so far and look forward to what God has in store for us in the future! speaking of which.... in just a few weeks, we'll be moving across the country, from my home of Virginia to his home state of California! He is very excited, as well as I am, but I will miss my family so much! And all our friends who are here. We have made amazing friends along the way & hope to keep them in our lives forever! As this is our first blog, here's to a new adventure, full of new experiences & stories to share... stay tuned...