Life goes by so fast...

Here is a picture my dad took of us when we were engaged. It was Aaron's Birthday the other day. I love this man. He makes me so happy. Tonight he was helping me feed Jill. She keeps her mouth so tight when I try to feed her, its been a challenge. He showed me how he does it and it worked: first of all he added a little cinnamon to the rice cereal along with carrots and apples. He pretended like he was eating it and then Jillie started to just stare at him wanting some, so he would give her a bite. He repeated this and she began to eat it. She loves having cinnamon in it, is that ok? I hope so. I love him for being silly with her. He makes her laugh all the time. He was gone over his birthday up in Seattle coaching a high school and at the University of Washington for a week and a half and he just missed her so much. I love him for wanting to go up to the city for walks and a good bite to eat. I love him for thinking of packing everything in her diaper bag along with back ups of blankets, jackets, and hats in the car as well as the stroller. I love him for helping me put her to bed tonight. I love him for giving me head massages and back rubs, I love that one of his ring tones on his phone is of Elbow, with a line in the song that says, "holy cow I love your eyes" because that makes me think of how he loves my eyes. I told him before we were engaged on the way to the beach one night for a ward bonfire that if a guy sang green eyes by Coldplay to me I would marry him. I was joking even though I love that song and that night he pulled out his guitar and started playing it and singing it directly to me. Noone else knew he was singing it to me but me. It didn't scare me, it actually made me feel like this could be the beginning of something really cool....



and I was right.

Waving and Jumping

First time at the Beach

We went to Santa Cruz today for awhile and hung out at the beach. It was Jillie's first time to feel the sand and touch the water with her toes. She loved it. Especially grabbing hand fulls of sand. I had to be careful she wouldn't put it in her mouth.

I love her hat...

And her doctor Seuss onesie...

Someone actually had a pet bunny on a leash, it was adorable...

We walked down to the shore and Jillie just stared at the water...

She's a people watcher just like her daddy...

Before we left, I had to ask the guy with the bunny if I could get a picture of both of them. We had a great day. Aaron leaves for Seattle this Sunday for a week and a half . It will be so sad to have him gone, especially since he will be gone over his birthday. I love when we can all be together.

Grandpa and Thomas

I took this with my cell phone last year in November at John and Laura's after eating Mexican food. I don't think they new I took it. I love that they are just sitting there talking away probably about airplanes or something. (just a guess).

Sleeping Beauty

Here is Aaron's mother holding Jill while she sleeps. She fed her a bottle and then she fell asleep on her. I love the expression on my mother in law's face. She looks like she is in heaven having Jillie lay on her.

She was so tired at this restaraunt we went to awhile ago with Marylin, one of Aaron's sisters. She must have been so tired, even with the bright lights and loud noise she slept in the high chair .

This is how I found her sleeping at my mom's house. It didn't look very comfortable. She was just discovering that she could sleep on her stomache. Now that is the only way she wants to sleep.

My Father and Family

I went to my parents house this weekend for Father's Day and because they were babysitting Jillian on Saturday while I worked. So after work I drove out there. I had so much fun looking thru old photos from as old as when my father and mother were little to as old as about 6 years ago. I wanted to post this yesterday for Fathers Day but I had trouble with the scanner. Finally I got it to work so I emailed the pictures to myself so I could do it today. Here is my dad and my grandpa Jack somewhere on the coast in Southern California. Dad looks terrified of the starfish my grandpa is showing him. I love how my grandpa is cracking up.

Here is my cute dad when he was a little boy in Pasadena, Ca.

The whole family around 1979 or 1980. I love this photo especially dads mustache.

We always went hiking and camping as a family. Here we are in the Tetons I think in the early 80's. I love Cheryl's long socks.

Here is another great family photo with Corneilia. Cornelia lived with us for awhile in Poway, CA. She is from Sweden. I called her "Why-yah". I couldn't say her name so that is what I called her.

My dad and I at Disneyland in line for the submarine ride (now where the Nemo ride is). I loved going to Disneyland, what am I saying, I still do.

Mom and dad with 9 out of the 14 grandchildren they have. from Left: Paulie, Tayli, Thomas on my father, Faith, Beau, Livia on my mom, Jessie, Tess and Sarah.

I love my family. Thanks dad for always being there for us and loving us. You are a great father and Grandfather. Everyone that knows my father knows that he is always so positive and happy all the time. Thank you for that.

Various Cellphone photos

This one was taken today in the BabysRus bathroom. I love it that they have a little seat so mommy's can go to the bathroom too. There have been times where I have had to go to the bathroom after I change her diaper on the changing table but I have to first go back outside and give her to Aaron then go back inside the bathroom to go. So great! So convenient BabysRus! I love that she is all happy sitting there, like she is going on a rollercoaster.

This one is one of my favorites. Guess who took it? Thats not that hard of a question, I know. This is what Jillie does all day at CityBeach with Aaron. Well, not quite.

She is always so happy in the tubba tub tub!

3 month old Jillie smiling away!

Max looking very prestigious or shall I say king of the forest.

Ah yes, let us never forget how close we were to Coldplay. Thank you Barb and Steve!

My LIttle 6 Month Old

Today was a beautiful day spent with my little ones. I can't foget about her big brother Max. We drove up to Foothills park which is a park strictly for Palo Alto residents. I know, that sounds kindof rude but I heard that they asked some other cities to buy the land with them but no other city wanted to so Palo Alto bought it on its own so that is why it is a strictly for us "Palo Altoins". Guests are aloud too of course. It is a 1,300 acre preserve with lots of deer and other wild animals. There is a lake and many hikes. Aaron and I go there on occasion. I love that it is only about a 20 minute drive or less and you are totally out in the wilderness.
This was Jillie's first time here and she seemed to love it. She is always so peaceful and amuzed outside. She kept trying to grab the wildflowers. She fell over a couple of times onto the grass but she didn't even cry. Probably cause it was cushiony. We saw a couple of deer but they were too far from us to get a good picture, except when we were walking back to the car, there was this doe that was so close to us in the bushes trying to keep still that I spotted. I wish I had my camera handy then. There were some other people around walking there dogs and just relaxing. It was such a gorgeous day today.

When we got home, Jillie downed 5 oz. and took a nap. Then when she got up she was all smiles again. When Aaron got home from work, she got so excited to see him that she screamed and kept shaking. She loves her daddy.

(Scroll down some more, I have another post that I did today!)

Look at my 6 month old cutiepie!

Every DAy is sO FuN witH JilLiE. TodaY sHe is 6 mOntHs! ShE iS verY inTerEsteD iN thE cAmEra. ShE ALwayS wAntS tO PuT iT In HeR MouTh.

WE haVE a MirroR hOOked to tHe baCK sEat sO we caN sEE heR wHIle we driVe. I Had to taKe THis piCTure of her, How could i resist! LOOk aT hEr liTTle FacE!

CaN You See hEr TwO fRonT tEEth?

hER SmiLE iS ConTAgiOUs.

Austin and Jill

I love when we get together at Aaron's parents house for dinner with everyone. It is so fun to see Austin and Jillian interact. These were taken about a month ago so when she was 5 months and Austin was 8 months. Right now they are still at the stage of just figuring each other out.

What are they thinking in this photo? It is so cute seeing them look at each other like this.

"Okay we can be friends, let's hold hands!"

A Miracle Happened

I started to write this last Saturday but didn't finish and it has taken me a couple more days to decide to post this or not but now I think I should so you can all read about what almost happened to me. I know some of you have heard me tell this story but most of you haven't heard it. I think this was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me...

Last Thursday I decided to drive out to my mom and dad's to spend the day and night there. When I got off the exit, it shortly become a dead stop in my direction. Knowing that I still had about 20-30 minutes of driving I wasn't sure what to do and after seeing a fire truck, ambulance, and police car drive by I knew it wasn't good. After talking to my parents on the phone, I quickly did a U-turn to go a different way to their house. Right after I started to go the other way, I found out on the traffic report that there was a head on collision and both ways were blocked. I started to feel so bad for those people involved in that accident and especially for the families involved. As I was carrying on my way, I got back onto the freeway and as I continued to pick up speed I noticed a long line of semi-trucks that were stopped on an exit to get onto the scales, but I had noticed seconds earlier that the sign said they were closed, so I thought it was strange that there were so many lined up for that exit. Right after I thought that, I had only a few delicate seconds to make the right decision over life and death. That may sound a little exaggerated to you, but these few seconds which I am about to tell you, almost took the life of my daughter and me. I have never in my life been this close to death.

As I was going about 60 mph in the slow lane one of the semi-trucks that was in the line off the exit started to get over into my lane. The first thing I did was slame on my breaks, which made Max go flying to the dashboard. I continued to break and I as I was looking into the rearview mirror and over my left shoulder to get over to the left, there was another semitruck in that lane just about to fly by me. To my surprise, I actually stayed calm which helped me do the only right thing in this situation to stay alive, I kept the car straight driving on the middle of the dotted lane (in between both semi's) feeling the vibration of both semi's on both sides of me inches away from my car and the screeching of the semi on the left was unbearable. I tried to then proceed to go and the car would not go, then I realized that Max thru the car into neutral when he went flying. At this time, I was only a few feet in front of the semi on the right, I quickly put the car into drive and continued driving. I honestly don't know how we made it. If I would have gone all the way into the second lane and tried to gun it, the car would have been in neutral without me knowing and then for sure I would have been rear-ended by the semi with Jill in the back seat. It just makes me sick to even think about that and all the unknowns. All I know is that I was not alone. I know that I was being protected. Sweet little Jill slept thru the whole ordeal. I would hate for anything bad to ever happen to her or anyone in my family including all of you that will read this. Life is so fragile.

"Life is but a day; a fragile dew-drop on its perilous way from a tree's summit."
(John Keats 1795-1821)

"Life is fragile, handle it with prayer." - -- Arthur christopher benson

nike lovers

This picture was taken almost 4 years ago! This was a river rafting trip we took with the young adults in the singles ward we were attending. Good old Monta Vista Ward!

Tug a War

Jill just learned how to sit up on May 4th! So I have been taking some videos of her sitting and look what happened.. her first tug a war with Max. I'm sure there will be many more of these. I thought this was so cute. I can't wait for you all to meet her.

Family Photos

Hi Maxy boy!!

I had to put this one on, were such bad parents neglecting our daughter. Poor Jillie doesn't like it when we kiss.

Wait there's more....