Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Davis...

The blushing bride and the handsome groom
My hubby & I

Amazing view from the Orange Hill...Love that place!

The girls having a yummy glass of wine before the reception...Note my plastic bottle of iced tea. CLASSY!

The bride & I

The bride and her daddy

Annie's Bachelorette Weekend...

Amazing "Bride-to-be"
Amazing food

Amazing friends

Amazing wine tour...We love you Lloyd!

Amazing winery

Amzing time

Amazing winery again...We loved Bianchi

Amazing view...

In honor of one of the most amazing "Brides-to-be", instead of having a Bachelorette Party, we decided to have a Bachelorette Weekend. Celebrating such an amazing woman just could not be done in one evening. So, the bridal party and the bride-to-be headed up north to Paso Robles. I have been up north a million times. The Central Coast, to me, is God's country. It is perhaps one of my most favorite places to travel. But, I must say, I had never atually been to Paso Robles. Needless to say, the place is amazing. I love the "small town" feel. Everyone is so friendly and "down to earth". It's not crowded. We were shocked to go to a club downtown, and actually park right in front. We did not even have to pay to park or valet our car. We just parked and walked in. Strange. The rolling hills and the wineries are also amazing. Just as good, if not better than Napa, without the snootiness and crowds. And, the food....Amazing! I know I'm pregnant and everything tastes good. But, wow! We had so much fun relaxing, enjoying fine dining, and wine tasting. I was definitely reminded that wine tasting is not a "spectator sport". I would much rather taste the wine than observe. Putting a pregnant lady who loves wine in a winery and telling her she can't drink is like taking a kid to Chuck E. Cheese and telling them they're in "time out". It's not cool! But, I did actually "taste" some of my favorite types of wines, which was very nice. I would have much rather indulged, but hey, it was fun to watch my friends have fun, and that's really all that matters.

Thank you Annie, for an amazing time. I cannot wait to see you on your wedding day! I love you!

19 Weeks...

Well, I am still enjoying my "second trimester" bliss. I feel great and often wonder/wait for the ball to drop. I feel too good! I have a ton of energy and my hormones, this week, have been making me feel super happy and grateful. I find myself wanting/being very busy, and have had some great times the past couple of weeks with great friends and my family.

My belly is growing and growing, and I'm thankful the rest of me, as of yet, has not. With Matthew I craved a daily cheeseburger and was scared to be too active. With this baby, I crave salads and fruits/veggies. Meat disgusts me and dessert/sweets really don't do it for me either. And, whether I want to be active or not, I don't have a choice. Matthew and I go...go...go!!! He does not let me sit down for a minute. Oops, scratch that. A second!

I did however, have a scare last week. My days at work have been more than taxing. We are short-staffed and over-worked. Not a new scene at work, but it has become worse than usual. After a few LOOOOOONG work days, I had developed an incredibly uncomfortable feeling in my pelvis. Kind of like cramping, but more like a dull, painful ache. I called Dr. A's office and told them my symptoms. I was basically ordered to leave work immediately and come to their office. Dr. A did a complete exam and ultrasound. Everything looked great, thank God! He was able to perform most of my "20 week anatomy screen". The baby looks perfect. But, what Dr. A did say is that my baby is "large, low, and transverse". Great combo. However, I was relieved to know that nothing was wrong and that I basically just needed to "cool it". Dr. A got a cute ultrasound pic of the baby waving. He wrote "mom, chill out". So, I have been taking his advice and have been trying to put my feet up more than usual. It does seem to help.

Beach House...

My boys
My baby

My girls

My belly

My crazy sandy Mattie

My precious angel

Tina, one of my besties, and her family, has rented the same beach house in Newport every Father's Day week/weekend for years. I have fond memories of that place from years past. Way, way before kids and husbands. Because the busy days of our lives get in the way, I find visits with my girlfriends are few and far between. But, I must say, I do make it a point to visit Tina and her family every year at the beach house.

Matthew had a great time. He made a new friend. One of Tina's best friends has a son the same age as Matthew. In fact, two years ago, we were both "huge" pregnant, wondering when our little ones were going to be born. It was fun to laugh at that visit, and then smile at how cute/big our sons both are.

We had such a great time playing on the beach all day. And, Mikey even got to come in the evening for dinner. We all had a great time. Can't wait to do it again next year!!!

Second Trimester Bliss...

I am really enjoying the "second trimester" of my pregnancy. The "first trimester" was another story, hence, no blog posts about it. I was in "survival mode", literally, for the first three months. I felt like absoulte "dog pooh". It was all I could do to work, take care of my family, and maybe conjure up the energy to take a quick shower. I do not miss those days and am so happy to feel like myself again.

I started to feel the baby move at 16 weeks, which is, of course, the most amazing thing ever. It brings a smile to my face everytime I feel the little "butterfly kisses" inside.

We had our 16 week appointment with Dr. A last week. Everything is going well. He did not do an ultrasound this time. But, my funal height is measuring around 19 centimeters, which is, once again, telling us all that this bebita or bebito is gonna be on the larger side again. The baby's heartrate was also on the faster side. Dr. A. knows we do not wish to know the gender of our baby. He was cute and guessed we are having a girl, based upon the faster heartrate. I don't really have any inklings either way, as far as gender is concered. I do feel completely different with this pregnancy, but, from what I've been told, every pregnancy is different. I don't want to read into things, so I'm gonna pull the "I don't know" card. Although, I knew for sure Matthew was a boy. Go figure! I guess I'll just have to wait until "Turkey Day", or whenever this little bun decides it's time.

Belly at 15 weeks

Disneyland, again...

Matthew and I went to Disneyland again with some friends. We had so much fun. And, like I mentioned in my last post, getting a new Mickey Mouse balloon was not an option. We had a great time, as always. Unfortunately, our day was cut short early. Matthew lost his shoe on Mickey's Fun Wheel, which was definitely not fun. We never found the shoe, but had a blast anyway!!!

Shannon & Kevin

Toon Town

Such a HAPPY boy!

On our way home with "Mickey Balloon" in hand

Tuckered out!

Disneyland...

Kara & Kaylee

Naptime!!!

First time eating cotton candy...Sticky!

Patiently waiting in line

Mickey's Fun Wheel

My angel

Matthew and I went to Disneyland a few weeks ago with some friends. We had so much fun. I took him when he was 16 months, and it was not a whole lot of fun. He wasn't into the whole "Mikey thing" yet. Well, this time was a different story. We had a blast. Matthew was so into it. And of course, I had fun watching him have fun. Although, I have to make an announcement....I am "loser mom of the year"! Matthew wanted a Mickey balloon so bad, but I passed. "Seven dollars"!!! WHAT! I get suckered into getting a balloon everytime we go to the grocery store, so I didn't think he would notice or care. Well, I heard about the Mickey balloon for weeks to come. Luckily, Kaylee had gotten a Mickey balloon, so after visiting her a few days later, Matthew inherited the balloon. And, we went to Disneyland again on Wednesday, so, more balloon/Disneyland pics to come...

Riding the fishies...And so serious about it!