Life with a dog...

Well Yvette came home on Monday from Canine Companions. She was bred (successfully we think!) and is expecting her 1st litter of puppies on October 9. Things are going great-- the kids love her-- Dylan sometimes a little bit too much! I think Dylan is actually beginning to believe he is a dog too. Case in point below...

and he thinks he is OH SO FUNNY!

She is such a sweet dog & we are so excited that she has become part of our family. We truly can't thank Jacquelyn enough for letting us be a part of her life. How could you not love this pup??

My Birthday Weekend!

This last weekend I turned the big 3-2 & we celebrated with a weekend away with good friends! We ventured to the biggest little city-- AKA Reno-- and had a fabulous time with Julia, Chris, Colleen & Steve!

Mitch & Colleen

Kandice & Steve

I discovered a new favorite drink-- a very dirty martini with extra olives. YUMMY!

Chris, Julia, Kandice & Mitch

Julia & Kandice

Girls' Weekend

Savannah and I went on our 1st "Girls' Weekend" trip this last weekend. We flew down to Southern California and spent 3 days with friends and family. We had a blast and I can't wait to take a special trip with her again. There were too many pictures to share in one post, so below is a series of posts sharing on all our adventures...

Hangin' with the Coyes

Savannah and I stayed with Auntie KK, Uncle Kevin & Coco this trip. Savannah adores Coco & cried at the airport when we went home because she "already missed Coco so really much!" It was really fun to be able to spend so much time with my brother and his family the last few days.

Savannah squeezing Coco-- probably a little too tight!

Silly Uncle Kevin & his sweet baby girl

I love Auntie KK!!

Playing at the Adventureplex

Coco LOVED the slide!

Beach Day!

A visit to Southern California wouldn't be complete with a day at the beach. Especially since Auntie KK & Uncle Kevin live a few blocks away!

Pushing Coco while Mommy & Auntie KK carry everything else!

No fear of the water!

Kody & Savannah

Beach Baby!

Buried!!!

Learning to Boogie Board

Kody was so sweet & not only shared his boogie board with Savannah, but he also taught her how to use it. She loved it!!

Attempt #1 ended in a bit of a wipe-out...

But she got right back on that board again...

Meeting Baby Tj!

One of the reasons for our girls' weekend was to meet Amber & Jake's newest addition-- baby TJ! He is so precious & we enjoyed every minute holding him. AND if you were wondering, it totally made we want a 3rd baby even more-- much to Mitch's dismay!

Savannah was so proud that she got to hold TJ & help feed him a bottle!

She was even more excited that she got to go swimming in Auntie Amber's pool!

A Tribute to MJ...

Every night I look forward to going to tuck in Savannah one last time for lots of reasons.... she looks so peaceful & sweet, one last kiss good night, one last snuggle--but mostly because I NEVER know what I will find. The other night was no exception....

Since the untimely passing of the King of Pop, we have been playing lots of MJ around our house. Savannah loves it-- especially the dancing. Can you really blame her?? He was an AMAZING performer (if you were curious, her favorite song is "Smooth Criminal"). So the other night, I sneak in her room to check on her and find this...

At first I couldn't figure it out, then it hit me! She was totally sporting the one glove (which I have no idea where she got) as an homage to Michael Jackson--gotta love it!!

Meet the Newest Member of our Family....

Today we welcomed a new member to our family... Yvette, a beautiful black lab! Auntie Jacquelyn raised Yvette for Canine Companions and we always said that if she didn't pass her tests that we would love to have her. Well, Yvette passed her tests! With flying colors in fact--- and she was chosen to become a breeder. This means that she will have about 4 litters of puppies over the next 3 years and she gets to live with us. She will be with us all the time, except when she is in heat and from about 2 weeks before the puppies are born until they are weened-- during which time she will be with Canine Companions. Once she is done breeding we will officially adopt her. She is such a sweet dog & we are thrilled to have her as part of our family AND so honored that Jacquelyn asked us to be a part of her life! As you can see below, the kids are ecstatic!!!

Savannah and Yvette

Dylan welcoming Yvette home!

Time for T-Ball!

This morning Savannah had her first t-ball practice! It was set up so well & she had a blast. They had 4 stations-- throwing, running the bases, catching and hitting. After spending time at each station they had a mini-game against one of the other groups.

Practicing throwing

Running the bases

Playing catch

Learning to hit

Let's Play Ball... well sort of!

Dylan wanted to play too! We turned around and

found him playing at the tees while nobody was using them :)

My Sweet Boy

NeverLand

On the way home from vacation we had planned to stop at Mitch's parents' house in Nipomo to drop Savannah off for a fun-filled week with Pommy & Papa. Since we were driving right by it anyway, we decided to make a quick stop at NeverLand.... really not very exciting, but at least we can say we saw it and the 100+ other people that were camped there that just needed to "BEAT-IT".

Summer Vacation

We recently took the kids down to Southern California and spent 10 fun-filled days! We spent the first few days in Hermosa Beach with Karin & Coco. Kevin was working in Mexico unfortunately, but we had a great time with Karin and Savannah LOVED playing big sister to Coco. Dylan on the other hand wanted to beat Coco up--- we are hoping that is just a passing phase :) We also got to see the rest of my family which is always nice. Savannah and Dylan spent the 4th of July with my parents, while Mitch and I went to a wedding in San Diego. Then on Sunday we picked the kids up and headed out to the Lawrence Welk Resort for the week. We went to the Wild Animal Park & Lego Land, then spent the rest of the time by the pool. We had lots of visitors (Gigi, Papa, Kody, Karin, Coco, Amber and the Forrest Family) throughout the week and we enjoyed our time with everyone. We all had a great time and can't wait for the next vacation!!!

Savannah's Dance Recital

Savannah had her dance recital today. She has been in a tap/ballet combo since last August and today was their big chance to show their stuff. The whole class did a great job and were just adorable. See for yourself...

Here is the 1st part of the dance...

And the 2nd half...

After the show Savannah said, "Mommy, I am really proud of myself" :) Can't you tell by looking at her?!

My New Screen door!

I have been wanting a screen door since we moved in to our house almost 5 years ago.... I finally got Mitch to install one today & I LOVE it!!!!

Dylan on the other hand is EXTREMELY frustrated by the new apparatus that is keeping him from getting out front--- he doesn't quite understand why he can see the front yard, but can't get out there :)

LET ME OUT!!!!

Playing in the Vineyards

On Saturday we went to a release party at one of the wineries that Mitch works on. The kids had a great time running around and listening to the music, while Mommy & Daddy enjoyed some wine :) Of course the scenery was beautiful & I couldn't miss the opportunity to snap some pics of the kids in the vineyards.

Dylan really wanted to enjoy some wine too... or at least pretend too!

So sweet when they are playing and laughing together!

I love this picture

My sweet girl!

He was determined to play in the dirt!

What??? Oh, I forgot I am not allowed to play on your computer...

Train Town

We took the kids to Train Town on Sunday morning. Dylan was beside himself with all the animals & the "choo-choos". Like most little boys, Dylan is definitely discovering his love for trains! Savannah had fun going on the rides & showing her little brother all Train Town has to offer.

Dylan feeding the goats-- he also tried to kiss them multiple times! I know yuck, but what do you do?? Lots of hand sanitizer!!!

Savannah riding the carousel

Dylan was completely focused on taking in everything while we rode the train.

The whole family getting ready for a train ride

Lots of Updates....

We have had a busy week.... lots of fun pics & other things to share-- or maybe I am just in blogging mood?! Either way, lots of updates below-- enjoy!

Dylan in the Shark Tank...

The sharks were the first "attraction" we went to see at Discovery Kingdom. Dylan was pretty excited to see some real "feesh"...