My first attempt at a Slideshow!

Yep, I've never done one before, so this is a first. And free :)

Make a Smilebox collage

Enjoy

Christmas 2009

This year we decided to stay home for Christmas. Our first Christmas in our own home! We flew my brother, Miguel, out from Utah for Christmas, and it was a great to see him. Besides, he was very helpful around the house!

We put him right to work! My lawn sure needed to be mowed!

The boys and Camilla went to the Lindsay Wildlife Museum in Walnut Creek. Camilla loved all the animals, but especially the guinea pigs!

We continued our family tradition of getting in the car and driving around town looking for the best lit house! Camilla had a great time and was so excited to see so many lights!

I know she looks like she's crying, or upset, but she was actually having the time of her life!

My wonderful husband being silly :)

Christmas morning

Camilla was so excited about Santa this year. It was the first time we could tell her to go to sleep "otherwise Santa won't come." She sure didn't make a peep after that! Santa gave her a baby doll toy set: crib, car seat, bouncer, baby Bjorn, and high chair. She was SOOO excited :)

The binky is hiding her beautiful smile!

After Camilla had seen her "big" gift, we decided to have a spiritual thought to help us remember what this season is about. We read from The Living Christ and had a family prayer. We then moved on to opening our gifts and seeing what Santa had left in our stockings.

Stocking gifts

Clothes from Ito and Ita (Grandma and Grandpa Rojas)

Mr. Potato Head from Uncle Miguel. She loves that thing!

I played "Santa" this year so I was the one distributing gifts to everyone so we could all have a turn opening them. So... I did not take any pictures of me nor Hunter opening our gifts! We did get wonderful gifts. I got a handbag, crock pot, and other small things; and Hunter got a couple of shirts and ties, tons of candy, and a work bench. Camilla also got a Little People set from Grandma and Grandpa Young. And last but not least, we got a new printer! We're so thankful for family members who love us so much!

Christmas Day

On Christmas morning we went out for a drive since most places were closed. It was great to relax and enjoy a nice sunny day. That evening we had a Young specialty for dinner: pot roast cooked in the crock pot for 8 hours! Also served with potatoes, onions, carrots, homemade rolls (thanks Vanessa for such a delicious recipe) and homemade apple pie for dessert.

Yum Yum

This picture best describes Miguel's stay with regards to Camilla. My daughter was so happy to have her uncle around! She wanted to play with him ALL day long (left us off the hook!) Those two would laugh at nothing, and you know how precious a child's laugh is. She had such a wonderful time.

Thank you Miguel for coming and spending Christmas with us!

And hope you all had a wonderful Christmas time!

I must be obsessed...

With my sewing machine. That's the only conclusion I can come up with. I guess I should explain:

My brother Miguel is here for the holidays, for which I am very grateful. Of course, I took it upon myself to take him to different stores to buy new clothes and stuff. No biggie there, although they sure were crowded. Anyhow, one of the things we bought were pants. Now, if you know how tall I am, you can guess my brother may have some difficulty finding pants that are short enough. So once again, I took it upon myself to hem those pants. In case you didn't know:

Jeans are bad for sewing machines!

At least for my senior citizen, freecycled, sort of machine. The needle broke, and I had to replace it. Of course, me, not knowing how to replace the needle, installed it wrong the first few times. After much trying, and frustration, I gave up. I started thinking of all the projects I wanted to do but would not get to now, and then tears started flowing (I blame those on the pregnancy hormones!).

Anyhow, you get the picture. I sent the boys and Camilla away so I could take a break, and work on the machine a bit more. And then, I got the best gift for this Christmas :)

Yep, I got it right and the machine started working... and it'll hopefully continue working for a while. I know what you're thinking: I could have easily gone and gotten a cheap machine, and Hunter even suggested it. But I wasn't comfortable with that. Not after I feel we've gone over our Christmas budget by quiet a margin :)

So, here's my conclusion:

You must be obsessed with something when you cry if it doesn't work!

At least there was a happy ending. Though I do wish I had been able to stay a bit more calm. Next time :) I hope.

Christmas Letter 2009

Hi everyone! I meant to mail of these ones out, but then I figured that I could do it online for my computer savvy (and expert) friends :) We hope you have a merry merry christmas, and that 2010 is full of blessings for you family. We love you all!

We're having a...

Yep, that's right, we're having a baby boy! Everything looks great on the ultrasound, and since the baby is measuring a bit big for my due date (April 27), my doctor might change my due date (Or I may just have a big baby... sigh)

We're very excited! It'll be all blue and cars... and tons of wrestling I guess (Camilla will love to have a wrestling buddy).

Whata would you do if your husband was away???

I guess there could be a lot of answers to such question, a good chunk of them probably involving watching chick flicks for an extended period of time... right?

Not in this household!

Hunter was gone most of last week due to work (ditto for next week, but that should be all for 2009). So instead of watching TV like crazy (I don't think I even watched my usual 10 o'clock news!), I decided to work on small projects to keep me entertaines. Here's what I've been doing:

Mr. Potato Head made of felt (quiet toy for church... beautiful)


Felt board and accesories



Diapers for Camilla's bunny

Dolly diapers... These are so tiny and cute.

I didn't take a picture of it, but I also made a fleece hat for Camilla, just in time since it's been cold and rainy this week.

So, yeah, no chick flicks around here... though I may just watch one or two next week! Then again, I have other projects to get started on (crayon roll for Camilla, baby quilt, sheets, etc) :) Happy sewing, and crafting everyone!

Thanksgiving in Valencia!

This year we drove to Valencia for Thanksgiving. It was great to be able to catch up with family and spend time together. The occasion was not only Thanksgiving but also a Young family reunion so all of Hunter's siblings and their families were in attendance. These are some family pictures taken before eating the big bird!

The whole party

Terry and Janelle


Children and spouses



Our family

On Friday we went on a hike as a family. The weather was just perfect. That afternoon the kids had fun at the park with a pinata. Camilla quickly learned how to grab as much candy as possible. She also mastered the art of unwrapping candy by herself... So needless to say she got her fair share of candy!

Hunter and his twin brother Travis

We had such a great time. Thank you to the Penrods and Browns for coming and spending Thanksgiving with us. Also thanks to each of Hunter's siblings for being there. And finally, special thanks to Terry and Janelle for hosting such a wonderful and fun family reunion. Camilla (and us of course) loved spending time with both of you. Here are some precious moments caught on camera.

Camilla and Grandma

Camilla and Grandpa

Sometimes I wish I were my husband...

... If I knew THIS was waiting for me after work:

Hearty chicken noodle soup

(It looks better in a bowl, but I had already done the dishes and I was not about to wash anything else!)

And these:

Warm homemade rolls

AND this:

Freshly baked apple pie

Well, wouldn't you want to go to work too????

And then I realize that I would probably not enjoy the 50 min commutte each way, nor the long hours, nor the fact that Hunter has driven about 800 miles between yesterday and today, getting up at 4.00 a.m. both days (I mean, last time I checked most people enjoy sleeping--myself included) because of work.

So I think I'll just continue to be happy to be able to stay here at home, and cook meals like the above :)

Halloween 2009!

This year Hunter's parents (Terry and Janelle) came for Halloween weekend. It was a lot of fun spending time with them, and Camilla sure loved the extra hugs and kisses. She would get so excited when I'd tell her we were going to go see Grandpa and Grandma.

On Friday night we carved pumpkins. We didn't do that last year so this was a first for Camilla. She loved her "happy" pumpkin (a very simple and happy jack-o-lantern), and had fun watching daddy taking out all of the seeds. Grandma helped too!

On Saturday morning we went to the zoo for a nice family outing. We met Hunter's sister Jennifer (and her family) and Grandpa and Grandma not long after the zoo opened, and the parking lot was already full! I guess the zoo is a popular place on Halloween. We had no idea! Tons of kids (and adults) were dressed up; it was very cute to watch the little ones in their costumes.

Here are some pics taken at the zoo:

Lemurs

Petting goats...

For dinner, we drove to Livermore to have a nice get-together with Jennifer and her family, Terry and Janelle, and Hunter's aunt Leanne and her roommate Marne. It was fun! After that we took pictures with the kids all dressed up. Camilla was a fairy again... and this time she didn't throw such a big fit when I put the tutu on her (candy was still needed as a bribe though:) Then we were off to trick-or-treat in the neighborhood.

Janelle, Camilla, Terry, Megan, Nathan and Kate Daily

We had such a great time! Thanks to Terry and Janelle for driving up this way and spending Halloween with us (also Leanne and Marne!). And extra thanks to Jen for opening her doors and being the perfect hostess :) Gotta love family!

The latest

I've been meaning to blog for a couple of days now... you know the drill. Anyhow, here's the latest news around here.

Hunter took his exam last week! Yipeee!!! The exam consisted of three separate tests, and we don't know how many of those he actually passed, but right now, we really don't care. We're very happy that he's done studying... at least for a couple of months. We won't find out the results until three months from now, and then he'll have to sign uo to retake the one(s) he did not pass. Who knows? Maybe he won't even have to take one! (Which would be nice since the next time these tests are offered is a week before baby number two is due!).

So no more studying for the P.E. at night... now it's just preparing classes for Seminary. Hunter tells me that this kind of studying is more enjoyable, and I totally agree. At least he gets his scripture reading in everyday! So, while he's prepping classes, I'm working on my little projects.

I just finished one project... not so little, but cute nonetheless.

(Quilt is folded in half here... to big to fit in the picture!)

This is a 65x65 inch quilt made of flannel. It was meant to be a lap size quilt (so it should have been more like 65x75), but did not have enough material and was too cheap to buy some. Regardless, it is very cute and comfy. The most difficult part was to piece together the batting and do the math just right to get back right. I'm just glad it's done! I don't do well with unfinished projects... They're always haunting me! It's been three years since last time I made a quilt this big, and it might just be another couple of years till I make another one.

Now on to bibs and a BABY quilt for Camilla.

On a more "spooky" note, we went to our ward's Trunk or Treat last weekend. It was fun. Camilla was dressed as a fairy, I was a cat, and Hunter was an engineer (Go figure!). He had just finished his tests a couple of hours before, so I'm just glad he was willing to go! Camilla had fun eating tons of candy, and playing with all the other little ones.

Some good friends from the ward. My mouth was still full with chili when Hunter took this picture... that's why I look funny!

To My Girl

Whenever I'm writing on a birthday card, I find myself listing all the nice qualities the birthday person has. Well, giving Camilla a birthday card may not work too well. She'd probably break it in less than a minute... and then I'd be forced to tape it all together. So instead I decided to write those qualities here, since I know that at some point this blog will be printed and bound.

So this one is to my girl.

Happy Birthday beautiful baby! I guess you're not a baby anymore. Your dad keeps telling me to stop calling you a baby, but it's hard. I'm sure that as your brother or sister arrives, the transition will be easier.

Here a few of the things I like the best about you:

You are sweet: Camilla, you are the first to give out kisses and hugs, and to share with those that need some comfort. You are always wanting to help, and although mommy sometimes doesn't appreciate it, I want you to know I love the fact you try to help as much as you can.

You have spirit in you: You are one of the most active kids I have ever seen. When you started walking, you moved on to running within days... and you've been running ever since. And although at times I wish you slowed down, you kee0 me on my toes, and I love it.

You are persistent: I guess you could also call it being stubborn. Whatever you call it, it's a trait you'll need in this world. You'll have to fight for what you want, and being persistent will help you in life.

Finally, my sweet girl, you are my friend: You've seen me cry and you've cried with me. You've seen me laugh, sometimes for no reason, and you've laughed with me. You came at a time when you dad and I did not even know if we could afford having a baby with us. We had faith it would work out, and so it did. You are the little angel I had longed for so long, and I am so grateful to have you in my life. I love spending my day with you, and although I also want some "me" time, I cherish the time we spend together.

Happy Birthday to you, my beautiful girl.

Camilla's Birthday Celebration

This past Sunday we had a family dinner here in our home to celebrate Camilla's birthday. Aunt Jennifer Daily and her family came up to spend time with us. We all loved seeing them and being able to catch up. And Camilla loved the attention and playing with her cousins.

I made her a very SIMPLE cake (the typical yellow cake and chocolate frosting... a staple in our house) and put some Elmo toys on top of it for decoration. By the way, we also decorated the living room with red streamers, red balloons, Elmo decor, and the usual Happy Birthday sign. It looked like Elmo town! We even had Elmo birthday cake plates :)

Here's Camilla blowing out her candle (and she actually blew the thing out... I was impressed).

And, I must admit, this little one was spoiled. Grandma and Grandpa Young got her this cute toy organizer, which she loves. And Hunter and I got her a play kitchen, which she plays with ALL day long. Her imagination is growing by leaps and bounds.

And, since every two year old needs pretty clothes, Ito and Ita Rojas bought clothes for the little one. So now she can dress in style.