HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAILEY!

Hailey and Matthew's Birthday Extravaganza!

AKA More pictures than you've ever wanted to see of the kids.
My kids birthdays are 4 days apart. So for now combined parties are their lot in life. That may change someday, but for now (while they still won't complain) it's what they get. This year Grandma Y, Grandpa Y, and Alex's brother's family all came down to celebrate with us. They arrived on Wednesday, we went to Disneyland on Thursday, the LA zoo on Friday, had the kids party on Saturday, and then died from exhaustion on Sunday. ;)
So without out further ado, here are some pictures of our adventures.
Hailey LOVES carousels!

I think they kind of freak Matthew out though.

Hailey and her cousin Kenna were SO cute together!

Do you know how hard it is to get two 2 year olds to look at the camera and smile? I do.

I was quite surprised to find that Hailey loved the tea cups!

I love this picture! These kids make me so happy!

Hailey and Kenna in the cute matchy shirts Grandma bought for them.

I love this kid!

ALMOST got two smiles! At least they are both looking.

Matthew using his mad pointing skills to show me the elephants. He was quite impressed by them.

Hailey like to make funny faces with daddy. I took about a dozen of these. I'll only post two. :)

Hailey spent the whole day doing, "like Damara does." 

This is my cute nephew, Tyson. Look at his beautiful eyes! Such a cutie!

Have I ever told you how much I love this kid!?!

There's more, but I'll save them for another post.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATTHEW!

Fancy Nancy!

The library had a Fancy Nancy Tea Party today. Hailey had SO much fun! They read stories, played games, did a craft, had a parade, learned some french, and had some goodies. I took the camera but the battery was dead. (I've had a bad habit of that lately) When we got home I tried to take some pictures because she looked so cute in the dress she wore to be "fancy," but she wouldn't hold still. So this is what you get.
My tiny girl is SO pretty!
And GOOFY!

No Longer the Black Sheep

If you've ever been to our house, you've probably noticed the Lord of the Rings decor subtly placed around. If you've ever looked at our books shelves you've probably noticed the large amount of books that either were written by Tolkien, inspired by Tolkien, or inspiring to Tolkien's writing. If you've ever looked at our games, you've probably noticed that we have every LOTR themed game ever made. If you've ever looked at my dad's music, you've probably noticed that he has a whole genre dedicated to Tolkien songs.

I was raised on this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XSHLGnexe-w

and this:


Both of which still creep me out.

I thought it was normal for a family to bust out with this song:

(how I love Leonard Nimoy)


When the new movies came out, my parents took us to the midnight showings.

My dad once decided that reading The Silmarillion out loud would be a great family bonding activity. (We all had very nice naps, while he read)

Despite my dad's obsession. I always refused to read the books.

Until now.

I don't really know what changed my mind. After 27 years of being the odd one in the family, I guess I just decided it was time. I started in secret. I worried I would crush my dad's poor heart if I didn't like the books. On the now historic date of February 14, 2011, I finished. AND I loved it. I think I made my dad proud.

11 Months!

It's several days late, but the actual day Matthew hit 11 months was the same day Hailey had her first stomach flu. Which also happened to be one of the worst days ever.
Matthew eats like a champ. Seriously, I think he could win some sort of eating contest. He now carries his favorite book, Where is Baby's Belly Button?, all over the house. He takes a few steps at a time and then decides crawling is easier. He doesn't fall. He then gets down on his knees and crawls. He like to sleep, cuddle, and play. He is finally starting to branch out and likes my parents and not just Alex and I. I think he likes Stemanda alright too. He's still very picky about who he will go to. He has started to try and talk. He has been saying, "mama,' for a while. He doesn't say much else though. I think Hailey says more than enough for both of them. ;) He is still all smiles and giggles and we adore him.
The tiny girl will be three next month. I can hardly believe it!
Now you can enjoy some cuteness.
Match-y Valentines day skirts!

 11 month pictures!

 Banana Cream Pie!

 Hailey LOVES her Valentines gift from Mommy and Daddy!

 Matthew LOVES the Valentines cookies that one of my visiting teachers brought me.

Because I'm not a Woman Anymore, I'm a MOM!