Getting into trouble...

How could such a sweet face get into so much trouble in just one day?
Katelynn cleaned out the drawer...

Just so she could climb into it!

Katelynn climbed into the corner between the couches and got stuck.

She then found her way into the playroom and climbed into the middle of the Lego table.

Here are a few photos of one day in the life of my monkey-climbing toddler. The event that started it all, was not captured in a photograph. Katelynn was being quiet and I found her sitting ON TOP of the table in the kitchen with the remainder of her brother's yogurt on her arms, face and hands. She looked pretty comfortable and proud on the table, but I didn't trust her long enough to grab the camera. I took her down and cleaned her up, just in time for her to make her way to the drawer.

Auntie Shannie's Graduation.

It was a beautiful day for a USC graduation!

Congratulations, Auntie Shannie!!! Fight On!

Katelynn took some of her "first steps" at the Historic Alumni House.

Carson practicing his graduation from USC.


Auntie Shannie has done it again and graduated.
We are so proud of her getting her Master's at USC.
She is now a part of the Trojan family.

Happy Mother's Day!

Mommy's New Camera...

For Mother's Day I got a new camera. I love it!!!

It is a little bulkier than my other one, but it snaps pictures much faster,

so I don't miss those great moments.

I walk around the house and photograph everything in my sight.

Thank you Paul, Carson and Katelynn!

Sleeping Carson.
Katelynn chewing on anything she can find.

Toys that need to be picked up in the backyard.

My favorite bunch of lemons on our tree.

Mother's Day at the San Diego Zoo.

Shhhhh! We had to be very quiet when looking at the sleeping Panda.
We got to see a baby giraffe that was only 3 weeks old.

Katelynn's first time at a petting zoo.

Carson and Katelynn posing with the gorilla.

The Mitchell Family at the San Diego Zoo.

We went to the zoo for Mother's Day and had a great time. Katelynn hadn't been there before and we had not been since Carson's first birthday.

We had a fun day, spending time as a family and looking at all of the animals.

Disneyland for Grandpa Tom's Birthday.

The Boys on the Teacups. Carson with Grandpa Tom and Uncle Jason.

Wheeee! Carson and Katelynn having fun on the Casey Jr. Train Coaster.
Carson walking down mainstreet with Grandpa Tom.

Carson had a fun day showing everyone around Disneyland & taking them on his favorite rides.

We had a great day at Disneyland, celebrating Grandpa Tom's Birthday. We rode many rides and saw Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto!

Fun at Legoland!

We went to Legoland at the beginning of May.

Carson had a lot of fun with his friend, Lucy.

It is fun to go back every year and watch the kids enjoy it more every time.

Spring break at The River was full of "firsts"!

First-time swimming without anyone's help! Just "floaties" on his arms.
First-time making his own peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
(If you look closely, you can see that he is using Reggie as a seat)

First taste of sand and rocks...didn't seem to mind much.

First-time flying a kite.

First-time walking the dog. (obviously it's not Reggie, whom I have trouble keeping under control) Bronco, Grandpa Tom's dog, walked along and Grandpa would tell him to "Heel, slow, wait" and Carson held the leash...all by himself.

Paul went to NYC on a business trip the week after easter, so the kids and I took a mini-vacation. (It was well-deserved after the previous week with Carson's illness) We had a great time and Carson showed that he is growing into a boy quickly with all of the things that he did for The First Time...All By Himself.

Easter eggs+easter baskets+easter brunch=Fun!!!

Finding easter eggs in the living room.
Carson had so much fun running around the yard,
grabbing up his eggs and finding the prizes hidden inside.

Katelynn enjoyed just chewing on the the plastic eggs.

Easter brunch was yummy!

The Mitchell Family on Easter Sunday.

We woke up early Easter and had a busy morning planned. We ate a bit of breakfast and then the kids discovered the treats that the Easter Bunny left in their baskets. We did a "mini" egg hunt in the living room and then rushed off to church. We had a small brunch at our home with family and then Carson and Katelynn had fun finding eggs in the backyard. It was really nice to have a holiday that we could share with family.

Hangin' in the Hospital...

First of all, I have to say...he's all better! But, if anyone had told me a year ago when I started this blog to share our families stories, that I would have TWO entries about kids in the hospital, I would not have believed it! Our life sure has been full of many adventures in the past year! Carson came down with a "stomach bug" last Sunday. He was pretty sick and had a high fever for a few days. His symptoms subsided, but he remained exhausted and uninterested in eating and drinking. So, we went to the doctor this morning and they confirmed that he was dehydrated and had lost a couple of pounds. So, they send us over to Children's Hospital Orange County. He got some IV fluids and some medicines for nausea and stomach cramps. He was such a great boy and sat calmly while they took care of him. It worked!!! He came home and was a new kid. He wanted to "play cars" again (anyone who knows him would know that he was really sick when he didn't even want to play with Lightning McQueen) He ate more for dinner than he had in the entire week! We are so blessed that our family is happy and healthy!

A boy and his dog.

I walked outside to find Carson and Reggie just "hanging out" together in the backyard. I had to take a photo and share it because it was just too cute!

Third time's the charm, right?!?

After three trips to Disneyland in less than a month...I finally remembered to bring my camera.

Here are a few photos of us at "the happiest place on earth". Carson has such a great time walking around and looking at all of the charachters. His favorite ride is Dumbo (Katelynn likes it too) We are so lucky to live only 30 minutes away! We even met Daddy there on his way home from work one night, had dinner and stayed to watch fireworks!

Daddy and Katelynn on "pink Dumbo" (Carson gets to pick everyone's color)

Carson, Katelynn and Mommy on the teacups. (Carson picked yellow and brown)

Wheee! Yes, Carson throws his arms in the air and hollars as soon as the ride begins.

On our way home after a fun-filled day. Carson fell asleep reading his map. He likes to take a map home and study it to decide which rides we will go on next visit.

Cheese!!! Silly smiling siblings.

I'm not sure who they got the "cheesy smile" from, but both of them make the same scrunched up silly face when you take their picture.

You are probably wondering what's going on in the photo. Carson was pushing "Sissy" around in his ball cart. They both had a blast running around from room to room. They have a lot of fun together now that Katelynn is getting old enough to play too.

What happened to my baby boy?!?

I walked by Carson's room last week and thought exactly that...Where did this big kid come from and where is my baby boy?!? It seems like he is growing so quickly now into a real boy (I may be watching too much Pinnochio lately) I am so lucky that he is so sweet and kind-hearted. Yes, he is growing bigger, but I guess it just means he will be able to give bigger hugs.

Katelynn's 12 Month Appointment

Having a snack while waiting for the doctor to come in.
Boo Hoo! Three shots in the legs...no fair!

First of all, I can't believe that Katelynn is already 12 months old. Actually, she just turned 13 months this past week! Where has the time gone?!?
Katelynn had her 12 month appointment and did a great job. She let the doctor check her mouth, eyes, ears and tummy. She showed off that she has great vision and fine motor skills (by finding a tiny piece of trash on the floor and quickly shoving it in her mouth...gross!) She is growing well, and is tall, just like Carson. She didn't even cry with the first two shots, but was "over it" by the time they poked her a third time. She is a happy, healthy, growing girl.
We are so blessed!

Ready to go!

Last week I was trying to get the car packed to head down to San Diego. Katelynn had falled asleep in the car, so I had the door open to the garage with the windows down in the car. I heard Reggie in the garage and looked out to find that he had jumped in the driver's seat window and was waiting to go! As soon as I walked out he climbed in the backseat, between the two carseats and took his place, all ready to go!

Swinging in the sun.

By the way, this is what happens when I tell Carson to get dressed.

Good thing I still pick out his clothes, right?

Katelynn got a new swing for the backyard. She loves relaxing in the sun while her brother plays and runs wild below her.

Pick your battles, right?!?

For those of you who have not had a toddler in your house yet, or your toddler has grown, I would like to remind you of "the good ol' days" in which everything involves a bargain. I asked Carson to come and put on his jacket today so that we could go to the store. He told me "I don't like it." (Speaking of his brand new jacket that I just took the tags off of) He is smart enough to know that he needed to wear something outside, so he quickly ran and grabbed his "Cars" sleeping bag and wrapped up in it. Thankfully, mommy won this round, and he did not wear a sleeping bag to Target.

RIP... Little Mermaid.

The problem with technology is that things keep getting smaller. I doubt there were many places to lose an vinyl record, or VHS tape. Even an audio tape was large enough that it couldn't be hid many places. We are now blessed/cursed with the DVD and CD age. They are small and convenient and can be taken anywhere. Unfortunately, they are also slim enough to fit in a heating vent or other skinny slit. Which explains where "The Little Mermaid" DVD met it's final resting place. It will be truly missed...

My life just feels so...Out of focus!

Well, it took me a couple of weeks of thinking that my camera was broken to realize today...there was a gross smudge on the lens from a little kid finger. I'm not even sure which one of them globbed it up, but I had checked the settings numerous times over the past couple of weeks and had come to the conclusion that I needed to just buy a new one. Thankfully, I didn't make the mistake of taking it to a camera shop to have it fixed or waste money on a new one...I just cleaned it. I can see clearly now the goo is gone!

By the way, the "out of focus" photo above is of Katelynn shopping in the pantry. She has figured out how to open it up and she helps herself to all of the snacks that are within reach. She usually goes for the cheeze-its or wheat thins, and quickly figured out to open the box and pull out the bag. She also shares her snack with Reggie, how thoughtful. The two rarely make a mess because he helps out by gobbling up any of the crumbs that fall.

Katelynn's Big Day!

Birthday breakfast of pancakes and bacon...yummy!
Having lunch at The American Girl Cafe with her bitty baby.
Katelynn shared her tasty cake with Gran, Nana, Brother and Mommy.
Daddy's home! Time for dinner and then off to bed.

We celebrated Katelynn's 1st birthday with a trip to the American Girl Store in LA. Our first experience to an American Girl Place was in New York City when Joanna and Nancy went and picked out a doll for Katelynn before she was even born! We had a great four-course lunch and celebrated with a beautiful pink and white cake with pink peppermint ice cream. After lunch we shopped the store and Katelynn got a new crib for her bitty baby. It was a really great day and we had a fun time.