Silly Little Boy!

This post is just basically some pictures of our silly little guy. He loves to give kisses now, especially to himself! He looks at himself in the mirrow, then leans in to plant a big wet one on himself! So cute!


Here are just a few other pictures of this silly little guy!

Big Boy Chair

We bought Liam a new car seat since he has out-grown his infant car seat. He looks so cute in his new chair. He actually looks small in it, which I didn't think was possible. He looks so proud when he sits in it and he just smiles while we drive around.

There is ALWAYS a Reason...

After some news that was received today regarding some members of our family, the following scripture is what has been running through my mind.

*Everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by His power, and everything is for his glory.
Romans 11:36

*The Lord has made everything for his own purposes.
Proverbs 16:4

Sometimes there really is not a good explanation for why something happens, other than it is all part of God’s plan. It can be very frustrating when something happens in life that causes lots of joy, and then in an instant, that joy disappears, and all that is left is sadness and anger. All the advice that I can give, is that everything happens for a reason. That reason may not be visible at that very moment in time, but there is ALWAYS a reason. God loves each and every one of us, and would never give us something we cannot handle. The trials and tribulations that we are put through can sometimes seem impossible to complete and unnecessary, but if we put all of our trust in Him, He will help us through them. My heart breaks with the news that we received today, but I understand that it is God’s will, and we have to accept that. It may take time, but we will get through it all, especially with God by our sides.

A while ago, my sister Lisa gave me a little book written by Max Lucado and it is one of my favorite books. I just wanted to share it with all of you.

God Thinks You’re Wonderful!
God is fond of you…
If He had a wallet, your photo would be in it.
If He had a refrigerator, your picture would be on it.
He sends you flowers every spring, and a sunrise every morning.
Whenever you want to talk, He’ll listen.
He can live anywhere in the universe, and He chooses your heart.
Face it friend, He’s crazy about you.
By the way, it may be difficult for you to believe that God knows your name…
but He does.
Written on His hand.
Spoken by His mouth.
Whispered by His lips.
Your name.
Our hearts are not large enough to contain the blessings that God wants to give us.
So try this.
The next time a sunrise steals your breath…
or a meadow of flowers leaves you speechless…
remain that way.
Say nothing and listen as heaven whispers, “Do you like it? I did it just for you.”
If we give gifts to show our love, how much more would He?
He could have left the world flat and gray…
but He didn’t
He splashed orange in the sunrise…
and cast the sky in blue.
And if you love to see geese as they gather, chances are you’ll see that too.
Did He have to make the squirrel’s tail fluffy?
Was He obliged to make the birds sing?
And the funny way that chickens scurry…
or the majesty of the thunder when it rings?
Why give a flower fragrance?
Why give food its taste?
Could it be He loves to see that look upon your face?
So promise me you’ll never forget…
that you aren’t an accident or an incident…
you are a gift to the world, a divine work of art, signed by God.
You were knit together.
You weren’t mass-produced.
You aren’t an assembly-line product.
You were deliberately planned, specifically gifted, and lovingly positioned on this earth…
by the Master Crafts-man.
He thinks you are the best thing to come down the pike in quite a while.
Turn to the sidelines; that’s God cheering your run.
Look past the finish line; that’s God applauding your steps.
God is for you.
Had He a calendar, your birthday would be circled.
If He drove a car, your name would be on his bumper.
If there’s a tree in heave, He’s carved your name in the bark.
Maybe you don’t want to trouble God with your hurts.
But… “He cares about you” (1Peter 5:7)
He is waiting for you, to embrace you whether you succeed or fail.
Your heavenly Father is very fond of you and only wants to share his love with you.
Untethered by time, God sees us all.
Vagabonds and ragamuffins all, he saw us before we were born.
And he loves what he sees.
Flooded by emotion, overcome by pride, the Starmaker turns to us, one by one, and says,
“You are my child. I Love you dearly. I’m aware that someday you’ll turn from me and walk away. But I want you to know, I’ve already provided a way back.”
You captured the heart of God.
He cannot bear to live without you.
God’s dream is to make you right with him.
And the path to the cross tells us exactly how far God will go to call us back.
“Can anything make me stop loving you?” God asks.
“You wonder how long my love will last?
Watch me speak your language, sleep on your earth, and feel your hurts.
Find your answer on a splintered cross, on a craggy hill.
That’s how much I love you.”
God does more than forgive our mistakes; he removes them!
We simply have to take them to him.
You can talk to God because he listens.
Let a tear appear on your cheek, and he is there to wipe it.
He has sent his angels to care for you, his Holy Spirit to dwell in you…
his church to encourage you, and his word to guide you.
As much as you want to see him, he wants to see you more.
If you want to touch God’s heart, use the name he loves to hear.
Call Him “Father.”
He thinks you’re wonderful!

We love you Sarah & Eric!

Adios Paco!

Well our cat Paco was put to sleep yesterday. The vet called back to give my family the results from the blood test, and it showed that Paco's kidneys were not working. They said that a blood transfusion would have to be done, but then there is no guarantee that the transfusion would fix everything. So, he is no longer suffering. It is just so sad that all of our pets are gone within a matter of months. The house just feels different. We have had all of those animals for a very long time, and it just feels strange to not have them there anymore.

For Free?!?!

Liam & I went to Babies R Us today to exchange a car seat, and we were stopped by an associate that works in the Kandid Kiddies section. She said that we could get pictures for free. I said, "Excuse me. Did you say free?" and she said yes. I was so excited because we have not taken Liam to get portrait pictures done yet. I didn't have him in an outfit that was portrait studio ready, but for free pictures, I didn't care. Liam was so good. Laughing at all the girls and he was so happy. He was definitely flirting with the girls that worked there. They took two pictures and let me pick the one that I wanted in a 5 x 7 for free. I added on a few more sheets because they turned out so well. They also e-mail you the pictures so now I have them on the computer. So, here they are....

Another Year Closer to 30!

So....today I turned 28. I really can't believe it. I do not feel like I should be this old. Where did all the time go? In a lot of the birthday cards that I received for my birthday, my age was written in them. This usually is not the norm. But actually seeing the number made it more real. Ahhhhhh! It was a good birthday. Saturday afternoon my family took us to the Spaghetti Factory. We were going to go to Ruby Tuesdays, but they didn't open until 4pm, and we were too hungry. The Spaghetti Factory was fantastic.

Liam didn't care for the plastic bib!




Then on Sunday, Leanne, Laura, Christine and I went to Color Me Mine and painted! That was a blast. I felt like such a kid. Then we had a yummy dinner at the Cheesecake Factory.



Today, we met my Grandma & Grandpa at The Kopper Kettle in Yucaipa for some breakfast. It was very good! Unfortunately, my parents were not able to come because there was something wrong with our cat this morning. He was really sick and not moving. They took him to the vet today, and apparently, there is something wrong with his liver. My sister Brittany found a eaten mouse the other day in the house, and the vet thinks that the cat had eaten a mouse that had eaten some poison. We are supposed to find out more tomorrow. This kinda put a cloud over the day, but that is just life I suppose. Liam and I spent the rest of the day together. We went to Target, then came home and just relaxed. It was a great birthday, except the aging part, and I had a lot of fun.

And the Vacation Starts Now!

Yeah! The day is over! After a late shift at work today, I am officially on vacation until the 23rd. And it is a much needed vacation. Especially after this very strange week. Where do I begin... My parents dog had a seizure on Monday, so my Mom took her to the vet, and they couldn't find anything wrong with her. They just got her a few weeks ago, and she was an abandoned dog, so they don't really know much about her. But she seems to be doing well, and nothing has shown in any of her tests why she would have had a seizure. Then, on Wednesday I got a call from my Mom saying that my Dad was in the hospital and that something may be going on with his heart. Of course, I get off the phone and just started crying. Bad thing was, I was sitting in the front office at work where all the customers and associates could see me. So I had to close the door for a few minutes so I could compose myself. My Dad stayed in the hospital until today. They are not really sure what is happening with him, but they sent him home with a heart monitor. Also on Wednesday, my nephew Aidan went to the ER as well. I guess somehow the dogs collar got stuck on the chair that he was sitting on and when the dog moved, the chair went to, causing Aidan to fall out and he hit his chin on something. He had to get it stitched back together, and he was such a trooper. He was laughing and flirting with the nurses and didn't even cry when they were working on him. What a big boy.
I am ready for some time off. After that really long and wonderful maternity leave, it has seemed like forever since I have been on a vacation. My sister Lisa and her husband Matt flew in from Georgia yesterday and will be staying here until Wednesday. It's so nice to see them. We are all going to go out to eat tomorrow for my birthday at Ruby Tuesdays. One just opened up out here in San Bernardino and I have been wanting to try it!I hope that this coming week is a much better and more relaxed week. I am really looking forward to spending some quality time with the family.

Our First Beach Trip

On Sunday, Liam & I went down to visit my friend Natalie at Camp Pendleton. She had flown in from North Carolina to do some camping with her family. So we decided to go visit her. This was the first time that Natalie & Liam have met. And he loved her! He was laughing at her all day. This was also the first time that Liam has been to the beach. I took him down and put his feet in the water and he loved it. He would just stare out at the water. I put him down to stand on the sand and he started to do his little jumping thing that he does when he is in his jumper. It was cute! We also put to use our beach tent that we got for our wedding. That thing was great. Liam took a little nap in it and it kept the sun off of him all day. It was a nice relaxing day and it was nice to see Natalie again.

Finally! Some Relief!

I went to fill up the suv today and only had to pay $3.99 a gallon. I knew that gas was going down, but I didn't realize that it had finally gone below $4.00! Normally I put in between $58-$69 in my car to fill it up. Today I only put in $55.82! It may only be a few dollars in different, but it's a few dollars that we could use!

Yes, We are still here!

It's been a while, I know! I am usually fairly diligent about posting new blogs, but really, there hasn't been much too write about. We've kind of had a boring week. Liam is definitely trying to crawl. He pushes his legs up underneath him and kind of rocks back and forth. He will be very mobile very soon. And I thought he was already mobile enough! He is wearing size 9-12 months clothes now. And in fact, some of his 9 months jammies are getting too short in the legs, so we are having to go with 12 months for the most part. He is growing like a weed. This week he also said "MaMa" for the "first" time clearly. I have heard him say Mamamamama, but never really directed at me. On Wednesday when I was picking him up from my parents, I walked into the kitchen and he got a little upset and yelled "mama!" Since that day, he has been saying it everyday. Mostly when he is hungry or tired and cranky. When he is hungry, he usually pairs mama with baba and says, "Mama! Babababa." In fact, that is usually what I hear through the intercom when he wakes up.

I took a couple of picture today when we went to Red Robin. Liam used a high chair for the first time at a restaurant. He did ok for the most part. I think he had a little bit of a hard time since he is not used to sitting on his own for so long. He would lean forward and rest his chin on the table, or try to lean back, and his neck and head would just keep going. He also gently bumped his head on the table. So, after that, I took him out. I was glad, however, that I invested in a high chair cover, because the one that I was given was very sticky and gross!



The other day, Liam was laying on our bed playing while I was putting laundry away. When I turned around, I noticed that he had found something that didn't belong to him, and when I took the picture, he gave me this look like, Mom! you caught me!


Just a picture that I took today at church of Liam wearing Mom's sunglasses