Mattie Grace and Cameron Luke

Oops, it's been a while!

2011-03-30T14:10:00.000-07:00

I'm a total slacker for the blog now, since posting on Facebook just seems so much easier... but for any followers who are not on facebook, here ya go!

Persian New Year Celebration... complete with belly dancing lessons from cousin Talayeh!

Cameron is 7 months old!!!

Although I wish I could get more sleep at night, and I wish we could solve Cameron's tummy troubles, I really wish time would slow down and my baby could stay a baby a bit longer....

Cameron is just about crawling, watch out big sister!

Cam is 5 months old!

2011-02-01T15:15:00.000-08:00

Cam spent his 5 month birthday at Pump It Up for Tatum's birthday!

Mattie and her BFF Tay Tay

Our first attempt at a sleepover... about 9pm.... the next morning did not look like this... and the sleepover was only a sleepover in the sense that we were in the same house ;)

Cam is 4 months old!

2011-01-01T12:40:00.000-08:00

How is my baby already 4 months old?! I cannot believe how fast he is growing up...I am really trying to enjoy him being little, because he is my last baby, I just need him to slow down a bit!

Christmas and next couple of days!

2011-01-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Mattie just what she asked for- a razor! It was so cute, she came in our room Christmas morning saying "Santa came! He brought me a razor! Come look, Santa came!" Oh the joys of being a child again :)
We celebrated the next day with the Baker clan. Here is grandma with Mattie and Ryan.

The Monday after Christmas, we went to Knotts with grandma and the Melaras. It was packed, but the kids loved it! Here is Jason with Samantha, and Daddy with Cameron. Sam is almost 7 months older than Cam, but they are almost the same size!

Aunt Amy with Ryan and Mattie!

The week before Christmas

2011-01-01T12:04:00.000-08:00

South Coast Plaza with friends!

Olwyn street in Tustin for the amazing lights again

The Holidays are Here!

2010-12-17T16:51:00.000-08:00

Early December FLEW by, luckily I managed to get some good pics to remember the blur...
This shirt pretty much sums up Cam, "always jolly"... he hates the car seat, otherwise he is a happy baby!

South Coast Plaza (Crystal Court) train ride for Mattie!

Santa came to Mattie's preschool! Luckily Cam was there for the holiday party, so he got to meet the big man as well! Mattie sat on Santa's lap this year, and told him that she wanted a razor for Christmas, much better than last year, when she barely spoke a word and would not get close to him!

A December can't go by without a visit to Olwyn street in Tustin... the whole neighborhood is decked out with AMAZING lights!

My growing kiddos!

2010-12-03T19:16:00.000-08:00

I just LOVE this pic of my happy kids here! Cam is about 12 weeks old now!

And look at this happiness!

Thanksgiving after party... Mattie followed Cam's lead and decided to rest....

All refreshed, ready to party some more!

My, how time flies!

2010-11-09T16:26:00.000-08:00

Cam is already 10 weeks old! I'm sad to say I let 5 weeks go by in between posting blog updates, but hey, I update on FB a little more often!
I didn't get a pic of the kids in their costumes together, but here they are Halloween Day in their festive "regular" clothes!

Our first family photo (since Cam arrived) was taken at the Irvine Great Park Pumpkin Harvest. I can't believe it took us 8 weeks to get somebody to take a picture of the 4 of us!

Mattie still asks to hold her baby brother every chance she gets... here Cam is almost 8 weeks old and Mattie is 3 1/2!

Cameron is 5 weeks old!

2010-10-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Mattie still loves being big sis, and asks to hold her little brother often!

My, what big eyes you have little boy!

Cam gives us practice smiles... and I was able to get one on camera!

Tummy time... doesn't last for long, he usually rolls onto his back pretty quickly ;)

Is this the same baby?

2010-09-14T21:46:00.000-07:00

No, it is not... the top is a photo of Mattie when she was just a week old... and the bottom photo is Cameron around the same age... crazy how much they look alike!

Newborn days...

2010-09-14T21:25:00.000-07:00

Cameron decided to take a nap without his shirt because it was quite warm during his second week home ;)

2 weeks old today! Cam went to watch football with Daddy...

And Mattie got some much needed alone time with Mommy at Pretend City

Doctor visit at 16 days old, and Cam already weighed 8 lbs, 11ounces! I can't believe how quickly this kid is putting on weight! No wonder I feel like he is always eating, and my life revolves around his eating!

Cameron's first week at home

2010-09-08T15:30:00.000-07:00

Mattie LOVES being a big sister and asks to hold Cameron all the time!

Cam's first bath... he seems to be sleeping through it....

All cleaned up, ready to poop some more!

Mattie was napping, so mommy went a little paparrazi crazy with Cameron...

Here are a couple of my fave shots!

Cameron is here!

2010-09-05T15:32:00.000-07:00

He is finally here! After being uncomfortable and in early labor for weeks, I finally stopped waiting around for Cam to show up... then he decided it was time... he really decided... just over an hour of active labor and bam, he was here (so yes, just like with Mattie, I showed up to the hospital fully dilated and did not get an epidural!) Cameron was born at 3:39am weighing in at 7 1/2 pounds, and was about 19 1/2 inches long.

So relieved to be done with labor! Yes, it was painful, but it was FAST!

Sunday afternoon in the hospital

Mattie was thrilled to come meet her baby brother... we had been saying he would come "at the end of summer" for months, so she certainly was ready to meet him. We are blessed to have two healthy children and cannot wait to have lots of fun as our kiddos grow up!

Lately....

2010-07-28T13:45:00.000-07:00

My little gymnast... Mattie takes a class every week while I get to sit upstairs and take a break for an hour... first she is getting ready for a forward roll, and next she is practicing her beam skills...

Curious George baked carrot muffins, so Mattie just had to do the same... luckily, grandma was brave enough turn her oven on so Mattie could bake, as I have been in no mood to heat up my kitchen, being 8 months preggers....

We headed to Balboa on one of the hot weekend days, where Mattie was recruited to clean the firetruck with some other kids who were out and about staying cool near the ocean...

Have you ever seen child labor produce such a happy face?

Isaac turns 2!

2010-07-27T15:40:00.000-07:00

Mattie's good friend, Isaac turned 2 years old! He invited us to Irvine Park to celebrate his big day...

Mattie and the birthday boy at the petting zoo

Mattie and Tatum decorating cupcakes

Irvine Park wouldn't be complete without a ride on the train!

Some BFF time...

2010-07-27T15:29:00.000-07:00

Mattie just loves her BFF Tatum... recently, we met up in Oceanside for a playdate at the beach!

Mattie was also very excited to show Tatum around Pretend City.... they played dress-up and performed on stage...

And here they took turns playing doctor/patient in the "doctor's office"

4th of July fun!

2010-07-12T14:24:00.000-07:00

Mattie had a great time on the 4th this year! Two parties, each with lots of kids, BBQ and water balloons....

And we ended the day watching fireworks close to home with Grandma and Papa!

Ladies Road Trip to Arizona!

2010-06-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Apparently I forgot how much I despise the summer heat of Phoenix, b/c my mom and I planned to take one more trip out before baby Cameron makes his appearance.... I was very quickly reminded that I would not like to own a big house, if the cost was living with long summer temps of over 100 degrees...Needless to say, we spent a lot of time indoors visiting and playing....Mattie loved catching up w/ her newest cousin Samantha...

Of course we hit up the Kids Museum, where Mattie did her Marilyn Monroe pose again....

And Mattie and Ryan even played outside for a bit.... kids see water and they don't care if it is 109 degrees!

The best part of the trip was getting to hang with the Melaras, in fact, that was the ONLY reason I would ever go to AZ in the summer.... Poor Jason had to deal w/ a house full of ladies for 3 days, he already has 3 in his own life, and 3 more showed up... what ran through my head most of the trip while we were inside playing was "welcome to crazytown!" But so glad we got to see our favorite people!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-25T14:12:00.000-07:00

Mattie and I snuck off for a quick and easy photo session at Target to surprise daddy for Father's Day this year.... here are a few of the great shots we got!

Apparently a studio session is much easier with a 3 year old than I imagined... Mattie fully cooperated and we ended up with a lot to choose from!

Doesn't my little girl look so grown up?!

A "belly shot" for Cameron's baby book... 7 months preggers here!

Week of Summer Fun!

2010-06-17T16:15:00.000-07:00

We had two bathing suit play dates this week due to the fabulous weather! Denise and Wes came over to see our "new" condo on Tuesday and Joy is visiting from SD, so she brought Tatum and Ty along to play too!

Sylvie invited Mattie and Tatum over (well we sort of invited ourselves!) to play on Thursday in her fabulous backyard... not only was there a giraffe pool to cool off in....

... there was also a sandbox, that Mattie played in with Ty for a little while...

... and there were homemade yogurt pops, compliments of Nadine and Sylvie!

Thanks for a fun week of playing friends!

Summer is here!

2010-05-31T14:02:00.000-07:00

First pool day of the season in Woodbridge for us was on Saturday! Mattie and Aaron had a great time in the water with their daddies....

Mattie's 3rd Birthday Party!

2010-05-16T15:55:00.000-07:00

Wow, my little girl is 3 years old! She has 'grown-up' so much since last year and it is true what everyone says "they grow up so fast".... Mattie is very opinionated about everything, including what she wears... she LOVES dress-up, including the tu-tus she has received from Aunt Holly and Cousins Afrouz and Arezo... here she is modeling one for everyone to see just how big and puffy they need to be!

Now on to her party! The bounce house was the best investment we have ever made... I barely saw my kid at her party, she spent almost 4 hours jumping... pure joy and excitement, I think it was the highlite of the day for her... if only we had a yard big enough to buy one, I totally would!

As soon as we got to the park, she was going in... I managed to get one photo of her looking put-together before the jumping mania began!

Mattie stopped jumping for about 10 minutes to enjoy hearing the Happy Birthday Song, and eat 1/2 a piece of cake, then she was back to bouncing with friends!

And wow, does Mattie have a lot of little friends! I guess it is our age, but I never realized just how many kids we would be inviting to her birthday party! The kids all seemed to have a great time, and the adults got to chat while their kids jumped and played at the park... Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate with us and helped make Mattie's day super special! When the bounce house people came to take down the house, Mattie started bawling inside while still jumping... it was torture to take her out and watch it get deflated ;( I guess that means she had a great time, and couldn't have asked for a better party ;)

Visit from the Melaras!

2010-05-09T19:14:00.000-07:00

A little behind in blogging... but here are some shots from the April visit we had with the Melaras!
Grandma with all her "grandgirls".....Uncle Sadri meets Samantha for the first time, and she slept like a log in his arms each time he held her!

Disney Fun! Seistors and cousins...

Cool beach day on Mattie's birthday!

Mattie's birthday celebration on April 27th!

Four days is never enough time... But we had a blast playing!

Easter 2010!

2010-04-04T20:36:00.000-07:00

The annual "Easter in the park" turned in to Easter at my Aunt and Uncle's house because of the cool weather... the kids played outside anyways! Mattie and Kate played princess baseball...

The egg hunt was the most exciting part of the day for most of the kids!

Mattie really got into it this year and collected a bunch of eggs all on her own... here she shows off her prized collection of sugar!

My cousin organized an "egg drop" this year as well, and Mattie won the first round (b/c she climbed highest up the latter and her egg did not break when she dropped it!)

We ended the party with a little swing in the tire, with cousin Daniel hanging on top and Mattie lounging inside ;)

What a fun and exhausting day! Can't wait till next year!

Persian New Year at Mason Park

2010-04-04T20:33:00.000-07:00

We started our Easter festivities at the park, celebrating the Persian New Year with some family.

Mattie just loves cousin Helia, and soon-to-be cousin Maggie!

Persian New Year!

2010-03-28T21:28:00.000-07:00

Mattie and Tati goof-off before dinner time...

Group shot!

It's only March...

2010-03-20T14:17:00.000-07:00

But it already feels like summer....Mid 80's means get to water fun... and fast!

Luckily, Aaron was able to join Mattie at the Spectrum fountains for some cool-off play time! I think it's gonna be a long, hot summer....

Zoomars with Bible Study Friends!

2010-03-11T21:03:00.000-08:00

LOTS of bunnies and guinea pigs in the "petting zoo" area!

Mattie takes a train ride with her younger, male counterpart, Nikhil.

A car ride with Jon-David, while Nikhil waits his turn. We finished our outing with lunch at Ruby's, and then we ALL needed a nap!

San Diego Wild Animal Park

2010-02-16T14:00:00.000-08:00

Joy, Tatum, and Ty invited Mattie and I to the WAP on Monday, and we were thrilled to go! Mattie got to see lots of cool animals up-close, like giraffes, monkeys, elephants, and lions!

We had a lot of fun, but notice the red cheeks on Tatum and Ty?... it was HOT!

The BFFs

A fantastic carousel! Mattie wanted to ride the giraffe, but it did not go up and down, so she chose the gorilla instead ;)

Road Trip to AZ!

2010-02-09T16:43:00.000-08:00

We got the call early Friday morning that Auntie Amy was finally heading to the hospital to have that baby we had been waiting on for weeks! Ryan and Mattie had fun playing around the house while we waited to meet little Samantha...And she came home Saturday night, just before bedtime, so the girls got to meet her when she was just 24 hours old! Look at that precious little girl!

Mattie was jealous of all the baby attention, so she coerced Uncle Jason into holding her like a baby....

Mattie got quite a few opportunities to hold baby Samantha, and she did a very good job being gentle. But each time, the baby had to go back to mommy or daddy, Mattie sobbed very sad tears because she did not want to give her back! Looks like someone wants to be a big sister!

For now, cousin Ryan gets to hold that title.... but hopefully it will happen for Mattie soon enough :)

Big Bear Getaway!

2010-01-11T19:56:00.000-08:00

We had so much fun in Big Bear last weekend! There was lots of eating, playing, and sledding with a bunch of our good friends!We shared a cabin with the Silveris, Lee and Isaac, and Shauna...

And our good friends, the Orliczkys, have a cabin, so they came up to play with us!

Mattie LOVED sledding!

Very happy to meet Frosty...

Good Ol' Tire Swing Fun!

What a great getaway!

Fire Station Visit!!!

2009-12-31T14:06:00.001-08:00

We finally got to go visit our friend Mike at his fire station! The kids had a great time and got to do so much fun stuff! Here is firefighter Zack helping Mattie try on his fire clothes!The kids got to take turns using and holding the huge fire hose!

Sylvie's dad was able to come along and help, good thing, that hose was heavy!

The top of the fire truck had a huge latter that Mattie balanced her way across a couple of times...

Driving the back of the truck w/ Mike!

Thanks firefighter Mike, for a great field trip!

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-26T15:04:00.000-08:00

Santa brought Mattie the scooter she asked for... she was quite thrilled...

Too bad Santa didn't assemble it, before he left it... Mattie waited patiently while daddy used the "mouse-ka-tools" to put it together...

Then she rode at our place and again at Grandma and Papa's later...

She also got a harmonica and had fun showing off for Papa....
Her other grandparents came over for dinner, but I did not get any good pics.... but I have a cute video that I will put on FB if anyone wants to check it out...
So sad Christmas is already over!

Christmas Eve 2009

2009-12-26T14:56:00.000-08:00

Mattie and I started the day with a visit to Spectrum to watch ice skating, watch Santa at Nordstroms, and ride the carousel....

Then we headed to the Family Holiday Party when daddy got home from work... there was some running around outside...

Some pool table fun....

And some dress-up, which is Mattie's favorite thing to do... what a fantastic party!

The Week Before Christmas...

2009-12-23T21:07:00.001-08:00

We have been way too busy, but we just can't turn down fun!
We hit up D-land on Sunday night w/ the Gordys, and Mattie had fun w/ Aaron, despite the long lines and holiday crowds...

Then we hit up D-land again on Monday b/c grandma got in for free on her B-day... the lines and crowds were way worse, and we only stayed for a couple of hours... but Mattie was happy to show grandma around...

We had a BC reunion brunch on Wednesday at our house b/c there are so many kids now... a restaurant probably would have kicked us out ;) Another good time, of course, including some friends that we rarely get to play with... Here is the kids table, w/ Mattie, Mollie, Aaron, and Sylvie, and Will in the background... Wes is too small to sit at a table this year and AJ was sleeping....

We also got to play w/ Cousin Helia, who is going to Law School in Montana, and we only see about once a year lately! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, more pics to come!

Mattie loves....

2009-12-19T21:15:00.000-08:00

Eating at and visiting Rainforest Cafe....REALLY LOOOOVVVEEESSSS Dress-up/fancy dresses.....

Watching bears at the Irvine Park Zoo with Grandma...

And talking about Santa... but when it comes to visiting him, this is the best we could do- Mommy holding Mattie near him, and her giving the shy/scared stare- at least she didn't cry like last year ;)

Good thing Mommy told Santa what Mattie wants for Christmas.... which is just 5 days away!

December has been busy!

2009-12-19T21:03:00.000-08:00

Lots of pics to sort through over the last month... here is a recap of December thus far....We visited Olwyn street again on a cold night to see the fanstastic Christmas decorations....

Mattie was thrilled that Tatum got to come along this year!

We met my cousins at Disneyland and Mattie loved playing w/ cousin Emma, who she has not seen since last February!

The castle at night was really cool...

Saying hi to Minnie in her Christmas get-up

The Main Street Tree

The "Fam" Holiday Reunion party.... the kids are starting to outnumber us!

Thanksgiving in Phoenix!

2009-11-29T15:43:00.001-08:00

After a 5 hour drive to see the Melaras, the cousins were reunited at last!

Daddy's first time in The Pit at gymnastics!

Mattie loves dress-up, and Ryan had quite a few choices, so Mattie spent A LOT of time in fancy clothes!

Nice park weather before the big feast...

"The kids table" at Thanksgiving dinner.

We went to The Children's Museum of Phoenix again, and it was just as much fun as last time!

We saw a commercial for a Christmas parade in Tempe, so we went to check it out!

Lots of play time, including a Father-daughter dance!
We came home Saturday, thinking traffic would be awful Sunday... it took 6 hours to get home instead of 5, still better than if we would have waited until Sunday... But the trip was well worth the drive... We LOVE playing with the Melaras!

Lately...

2009-11-19T16:35:00.000-08:00

Mattie has been testing out her new helmet (that goes along with her Christmas present) while learning how to ride her tricycle. Her legs could still use another inch before pedaling gets easier...

Mattie's friend Aaron is apparently very comfortable in his manlihood, seeing as how he picked out the princess Minnie ears to wear at a recent play date... too cute... ;)

Happy Halloween 2009

2009-10-31T21:53:00.000-07:00

Minnie Mouse Cousins... totally unplanned... but how perfect that they got to trick or treat together!

Fall Fun!

2009-10-18T16:58:00.000-07:00

Tanaka Farms Pumpkin Patch!
The giant corn maze is always fun...

Soooo many pumpkins to choose from, but Mattie seemed more interested in just tromping around the farm and exploring...

Mattie and Tatum give us a quick pose by the scarecrow

We BBQ'd later in the evening so the adults, and the kids, could play some more... the bed jumping is becoming a classic pose around here ;)

You know it's Fall when...

2009-10-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

You drive around and see 2 carnival-like pumpkin patches within 1 mile of each other!

So of course, we went to one... Mattie chose the mini merry-go-round as her ride-on toy....
And she thoroughly enjoyed watching the animals in the "petting zoo."
Mattie has not ridden a pony since Easter so that is why we initially stopped, but the ponies apparently didn't start offering rides until 1pm, and we were there at 11am! Maybe next time!

Boating with Baby Christine

2009-09-20T14:49:00.000-07:00

Mattie got all dressed up to go boating on Saturday... apparently she is already posing like a model... it must be all the ANTM I watched while pregnant with her!

Cheesing with daddy!

Melissa and Christine try to figure out the ginormous life vest....

Mattie and Mama enjoy the breeze on Lake Mission Viejo!

Caleb's 3rd Birthday!

2009-09-20T14:42:00.000-07:00

Mattie had a blast at Caleb's Bday party on Sunday! There was lots of shade and grass to play in....

And a super fun bounce house... Mattie literally jumped for like 30 minutes straight before she got tired enough to stop for lunch...

The birthday boy with his parents and sisters! Thanks for a great party Frys!

Happy Labor Day!

2009-09-07T15:37:00.000-07:00

I think I just decided that Labor Day is one of my favorite holidays... It is always nice weather and perfect for being outdoors at the beach... so of course we went to the Long Beach Bay, which I think we did last year too!

Mattie (and I) really love the shallow water, as it is perfect for playing, whether you are a toddler or a grown-up.... We had a blast with the Orliczkys and a bunch of their friends with kids! The only downside--- coming home for a nap... Mattie just gets too whiney/cranky if we stay too long, so we had to hit the road around 2pm... wish we could have stayed all day!

What a lovely Saturday!

2009-09-05T21:51:00.000-07:00

We headed to Balboa to get some relief from the inland heat that has continued for way too long... The water was pretty nasty around the peninsula, but Mattie didn't mind, and even insisted that we take off her bathing suit so she could really enjoy the cool water...

Lots of planes flew overhead, here is a cute shot of Mattie and Dada looking up at a jet full of passengers going to Hawaii or somewhere fabulous....

After nap the Gordys came over and the Mamas took the kids to the pool, then we all headed out to dinner across the street and dined Al fresco, as the weather became quite lovely!

Last trip to aquarium... for now....

2009-08-26T14:34:00.000-07:00

I think I already posted a last trip to the aquarium a couple of weeks ago, but this time it is official, the passes expire tomorrow! Mattie was thrilled to be able to go ONE more time on Mama's day off work this week and have some fun with Sylvie. We even added to the adventure by going out to lunch after... then Mattie decided to pull Sylvie and Nadine back to the parking lot and it became a fun game (as you can see by everyone's smiles!)

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2009-08-26T14:28:00.000-07:00

We couldn't NOT go to Disneyland on Sadri's Bday! As a season pass holder, they will give you Disney dollars to spend worth a ticket if you go on your Bday, so we just HAD to go (I know, a real stretch for us, huh ;)

And Mattie ended up with her Halloween costume for this year! Thanks Daddy for spending your Disney dollars on me!
I have a feeling this Minnie dress will get lots of use, Mattie has already asked to wear it every day since she got it!

Late-night-Date-night With Mama

2009-08-21T21:31:00.000-07:00

Mattie and I were finally able to make it to Disneyland (Cali Adventure) for the Electrical Parade. It was our 3rd attempt at seeing the show, and thank goodness we finally did it, as it ends in a few days! We got there early and hung out in A Bug's Land and had dinner before lining up to see the parade... The floats were awesome and everything I remembered from when I was younger... I was thrilled to share the experience with my little Mattie Bug!

Another new baby friend for Mattie!

2009-08-16T15:33:00.000-07:00

Mattie finally got to meet Tatum's new baby brother, baby Ty. He is such a sweet little baby and was definitely worth the day trip to SD!

Of course, Mattie also fit in some fun dress up time with Tatum...

And there was lots of "oh, look at the baby" moments... can't wait to see him (them) again!

LB aquarium is coming to a close...

2009-07-31T14:38:00.000-07:00

For us anyways... our passes expire soon so we had to fit in at least one more trip...

The girls seemed to have more fun playing outside by the docks... playing chase and climbing all over the benches... then they thought it would be fun to lay on the ground....

They are so stinkin' cute together!

Our last night with the Melaras! (boo hoo)

2009-07-25T15:47:00.000-07:00

Friday night was our last chance to see cousin Ryan, so we headed to Dland after dinner... after one ride in the park we went to Downtown Disney to meet my parents and my Aunt Wendy, Uncle Randy and Cousin Laura. It was 9:30pm here and Mattie got a second wind when she saw gramma and papa!

Yes, Ryan really is chewing on Mickey's tail and saying cheese at the same time :)

Seistors and cousins....
Mattie stayed up till after 11pm (which was a miracle in my opinion) and woke up at 8am asking for La La. She has continued to ask for her all day :( So sad they had to leave!

Opinions about clothing...

2009-07-25T15:39:00.000-07:00

This is what happens when your toddler gets an opinion about what to wear... Hmmm, how about a dress with some polka dot capris underneath? Sounds great!

Or how about a new PJ shirt that shrunk in the wash and is now a belly shirt, with some too small pants and sneakers? Perfect!

Just too cute to not post!

2009-07-25T15:35:00.001-07:00

I'm sure most of you mommys have a little "mini me" like I do. But this was the best "mini me" moment yet... I started straightening my hair again, since I finally got it cut and Mattie wanted in on the action. She dug around in the bathroom until she found this old "crimper" that looks sorta like the straightener I was using. She wanted to do her hair just like me, and even brought her comfy chair into the bathroom so she could sit and relax while doing her hair!

Pool party!

2009-07-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

We celebrated cousin Ryan's Bday with a pool party on Saturday. Here are a couple of great shots, compliments of my uncle Larry.

Mattie and her cousin Ryan and cousin Kate, really were 3 peas in a pod... so cute together and all about the same age ;) Kate almost kept up with Mattie's screaming... almost.... :)

2 Days of Dland in the heat!

2009-07-21T15:21:00.000-07:00

On Monday, the men attracted Minnie at Cali Adventure, where we tried to stay cool in the shows....

On Tuesday, it was even hotter, so we hit up Small World to be in the air conditioning, and a few more rides, then went home...

Can you tell that Mattie LOVES Small World???

The beginning of a whole week with Cousin Ryan!

2009-07-18T14:47:00.000-07:00

We play hard! We have already been to the mall, the spectrum, and the zoo and it is only Saturday afternoon!

Hard work deserves a treat! How 'bout some cold stone ice cream cones?!

Cheese!.... More to come.....

Two new baby friends!

2009-07-10T21:00:00.000-07:00

Mattie is so excited that she has two new baby friends! She got to visit baby Wes and his parents in the hospital the day after he was born and has been saying "Wes, baby" ever since....

Mattie took dada to meet her new friend after he came home from the hospital and baby Wes saved his first big "explosive poop" just for the visit!

Mattie also got to meet baby Christine, 10 days after she was born at her mommy and daddy's house. She loved playing with all of her stuffed animals and she wanted very badly to help Steve while he changed a dirty diaper! Mattie can't wait for her new friends to get old enough so they can play with her!

Fourth of July 2009!

2009-07-05T14:28:00.000-07:00

We started the day with a walk in a parade with the Silveris!

The middle of the day was spent at the Woodbridge Lagoon, where the kids had blast in the sand and the water....

And we ended the day back at the Silveri's where we BBQ'd and headed to the field by IHS to watch fireworks! Mattie didn't even fall asleep on the way home and stayed up till past 10pm!

Cousin La La comes to town!

2009-07-05T14:20:00.000-07:00

Cousin Ryan had to make a last minute trip to Cali for a very unfortunate funeral of one of her mommy's friends.... but Mattie seized the opportunity to bond with her cous and snuck in some play time while she was here... They went to the pool together...

And they went to Wahoos together... twice....

And they had ice cream cones together... twice! They already miss each other immensely!

Concert in the Park

2009-07-02T13:44:00.000-07:00

You know it is officially summer, when the concerts in the park start! Mattie was very excited to have dinner at the park, with Tatum, while listening to live music.

She even boogied while laying on the blanket with daddy... what fun!

Another super play date!

2009-06-30T15:50:00.000-07:00

Tatum and Sylvie came over to play in the pool on Monday...

Then we all had a picnic on the living room floor...

By almost 2pm, Tatum and Mattie were ready to go night night... so cute!

Saturday, one week after move-in...

2009-06-30T15:40:00.000-07:00

We did not waste any time getting back to D-land... it was super hot, so Mattie was thrilled to play in the water area at Cali Adventure....

And this is the happiest my child has ever been... during the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Playhouse stage show... she seriously went berserk, with squealing, screeching, jumping, dancing, and clapping! We have been watching the cartoon in the AM so she knows the characters and loves the music!

As if D-land wasn't enough excitement for one day, we decided to BBQ by the pool w/ some friends Saturday evening... I didn't get pics of the pool since I was in the water w/ Mattie most of the time, but we all came back to the house after and watched Sylvie and Mattie go berserk some more... I have never seen mellow Sylvie act like a wild animal, until now... it was sooo funny to see them run around, and throw stuffed animals at everyone and everything... by almost 9PM, they were both soooo wiped out and collapsed on the floor! What a fantastic day!

Last week...

2009-06-30T15:34:00.000-07:00

Wow, I'm gettin' a little slow on the blog updates! Last week, Mattie had fun with her friends (as usual!) She hit up the park at Woodbury with Alyssa and Gavin, where she and Alyssa did their usual bit of racing up to the top of the slide and squealing on the way down....

And she had a super fun time in Aaron's backyard in the broken pool... the water held long enough for the two of them to get soaked and worn out before dinner! It appears that Mattie is still the "big winner" and Aaron is doing some baby yoga moves... ;)

Mattie's New Crib....

2009-06-23T20:02:00.000-07:00

New crib, as in, new home... We have enjoyed quite a few meals outside on our new patio since Saturday...

And we are slowly but surely getting unpacked and organizing the apartment.... Here's a belated father's day photo... More pics to come as we get more organized....

If you want to get dizzy, watch Mattie dance!

2009-06-09T14:46:00.000-07:00

A regular occurrence with Mattie is dizzy dancing... at our house, and both grandparent's houses, she just loves to dance! I walked in on her this morning to a dance party with Barney on TV and had to grab the camera!

Sylvie's 2nd Bday party!

2009-06-08T14:24:00.000-07:00

Mattie was also invited to Sylvie's party, just 4 hours after Cora's... she got in a quick snooze on the drive to LB... the party started with a lovely tea party.. Mattie and Logan became quick best buds and drenched each other with the "tea" (water)...

Frozen yogurt pops were served... a sure hit with the kids AND adults!

Sylvie had lots of flower pots for her friends to decorate... Nadine showed Mattie and Alyssa the ropes...

But Mattie preferred to decorate herself, instead of her flower pot... then she joined Logan in the kitchen for some more "tea"

Mattie also enjoyed some serious giggle time with Aaron and Logan, while they all cracked up at Aaron's dada, Jeff... what a fantastic party!

Pool party!

2009-06-08T14:17:00.000-07:00

Mattie was invited to Cora's 1st Bday party on Sunday... she had a blast eating cupcake cones with daddy....

And playing in the kiddie pool and the "big kid" pool....

Monterey Family Vacation!

2009-05-30T14:43:00.000-07:00

How does one narrow down over 100 pictures from a family vacation into a blog post? Here's the best I could do....
Here are Sadri and Mattie at the 18th hole of Pebble Beach Golf Course.... I have never seen Sadri so excited in my life! We drove to the golf course twice to look around and he wanted to go a 3rd time to look again.... I must admit it was very beautiful....We spent the afternoon at the white sand beach in Carmel, and walked to the end where it meets up with Pebble Beach golf course.... of course.... Mattie was on to Daddy's sneaky ways ;)

The famous "Lone Cypress" which just happens to be the logo for Pebble Beach...

We also stopped by Poppy Hills and Spyglass and Spanish Bay golf courses... here is a picture of Sadri and Mattie reluctantly leaving Spanish Bay

The Monterey Bay Aquarium was pretty cool and pretty big... we spent the whole morning there... and look, in the back you can spot some seals lounging on the rocks...

This is Lovers Point Beach.... more seals and squirrels.... lots of squirrels that Mattie wanted to feed and pet...

More Lovers Point Beach... cool rock formations...

My family vacationed to Monterey a lot when I was a kid... and we always played at this park... so we had to take Mattie to check it out!

The Fisherman's Wharf... where we sampled "the best clam chowder" at about 5 different locations... I don't want to see any clam chowder for at least 6 months!

Hiking at Point Lobos.... another spot my family always went when I was a kid... so beautiful... really, everywhere along the coast is beautiful....

Pismo Beach and Solvang didn't make it to my favorite pics pile, but we had some fun there too, on the way up to Monterey and on the way back down.... now I need a vacation from that vacation!

More Disneyland!

2009-05-15T13:40:00.000-07:00

We headed back to Dland on Thursday... Mattie was so brave to give the big chipmunk a hug!

Then Mattie's BFF Tatum finally arrived after being stuck in traffic... The first stop was the carousel and boy were they happy!

The cuties held hands and were very excited to go on rides together!

The jungle cruise is always a hit... lots of fun animals to see! Mattie can't wait to go to Dland again with Tatum!

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-11T15:13:00.000-07:00

Mattie woke me up on Mother's Day morning to show me what she and daddy had created with her favorite blocks.... how cute!

After church we headed off to brunch with Sadri's parents, where the moms enjoyed some champagne with breakfast...

And Mattie took a moment to stop and pose with mommy by the fountain... wow, has time flown, I can't believe this was my 3rd mothers day! Each year just keeps getting better!

Mattie's 1st Trip to Disneyland!

2009-05-09T13:21:00.000-07:00

We finally got season passes to D-land! Mattie was really excited when we got there, even the tram ride to the entrance was fun....

However, our first ride was Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Mattie was not so fond of it... she kept saying no and all done.... so we quickly headed to the carousel which cheered her up....

But this was the look on her face for most of the rides, even the "calm" rides like Small World and Jungle Cruise.... we'll have to gradually introduce new rides to her, my wild child has finally met her match... more posts to come, I'm sure we'll be going back at least once a month for the next year and hopefully Mattie will grow to love the kid rides ;)

Hot Park Day

2009-05-08T21:15:00.000-07:00

We needed a park with water since it has been hot the last few days... Mattie and Alyssa started the day scooping and pouring water and sand very nicely....

Which quickly turned in to Mattie climbing into the water table to have the best access to the refreshing fun...

Sitting got boring after a while and climbing all over the water table seemed more up Mattie's "monkey" alley....

Sylvie sold Mattie on a rest in the wet sand, but it didn't last too long, Mattie headed back to the water table until she had to go home.... Too bad there wasn't an adult sized water table, I would have climbed in too!

Kiddie Gym

2009-05-05T21:31:00.000-07:00

Mattie has been going to "Kiddie Gym" since last fall on Tuesday mornings. I decided to finally bring the camera to document for daddy what she has been doing. I got some cute pics so they are ending up on the blog....
Mattie's newest thing is hanging from the swinging bars like a monkey, and she is even trying to hang upside down by her knees, but she hasn't mastered it enough yet for me to let go and take a picture....

She walks the balance beam with little help from mommy....

And her favorite part of class (and of the week) is the trampoline. Whenever we even drive near the site where kiddie gym is held she points and says jump. I just call it "jumping class" now since she has gotten so good at her trampoline moves... she is even doing pretty well at waiting her turn while we go around the circle and give each kid a turn. Last fall, she would have tantrums while waiting her turn, now she cheers on her classmates!

Make-over moment...

2009-05-05T21:27:00.000-07:00

How does Mattie go from this....

to this.... in the span of one hour?

I guess a little bath and a little hair brushing goes a long way ;)

Mattie's version of water play...

2009-05-01T20:30:00.000-07:00

So I really like Alma's idea of a cheap water table (see Sydney's blog), and thought, hey, Mattie loves playing with water, I'll just get a small storage container, fill it up, give her some measuring cups, and she'll have fun on the patio.... I started mopping the kitchen floor in peace and peaked out to see Mattie playing nicely with her new water toy... then I peaked out again, and she was in it.... she went from standing in it, to sitting in it, to drenching herself in it...... yowsers, the shoes are still drying two days later! Well, that was a fun 20 minutes and at least I got to mop the kitchen floor ;)

MORE CAKE!

2009-04-28T14:04:00.000-07:00

Uncle Dan's B-day party was on Sunday evening... Mattie and Tati were thrilled to have some cousin bonding time... Hugs....

Stacking blocks and finding the animals I asked for...

And of course, there was cake.... Mattie's new favorite word...

Alyssa's 3rd Birthday Party!

2009-04-26T15:54:00.000-07:00

Mattie seems to want a toddler bed... she spent a good 30 minutes playing in Alyssa's bed. Alyssa enjoyed "tucking her in" and they did lots of screaming as well, Mattie still wins for loudest scream....

Mattie finally left the bed for some bubble time out back...

Does this face say "I love cake" or what? After Mattie's was gone, she even tried to steal some of Sylvie's! Happy B-day Alyssa, we all had fun at your party!

Tanaka Farms Strawberry Tour!

2009-04-26T15:45:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to take a strawberry tour at Tanaka Farms on Saturday. Here are some "before" photos on the tractor....

Here's a "during the tractor ride" photo... tasting some fresh picked produce... lettuce, snap peas, carrots, etc.... yum yum....

We had 15 minutes to pick strawberries and eat as many as we could during that time... Mattie ate while mommy and daddy filled their containers.... we ate them right off the plant!

YUMMY!

The LB Aquarium again!

2009-04-26T15:39:00.000-07:00

Mattie takes a time out to hide in the sticks fortress from the crowds on Thursday... really.... it was soooo crowded!

Sylvie gives Mattie BIG hugs!

Some baby yoga and chase outside by the docks was super fun, especially because there was room to move ;)

Mattie's 2nd Birthday Party!

2009-04-19T12:09:00.000-07:00

Mattie celebrated her 2nd B-day on Saturday with most of her closest friends and family members :) She was especially excited when Tatum arrived and gave her lots of hugs.... Sylvie sort of wanted in on the action, see her in the corner?The highlight of the party had to be the cake. Mattie knows Bday parties involve cake and we had been talking about it all week!

When we first handed Mattie her cake without a fork she wasn't quite sure if she was supposed to just pick it up.... I gave her a fork and she was very happy to eat her cake like a big girl this year!

Fuzzy the dog even came to Mattie's party... here is a shot with cousins Afrouz, Arezo, and Aunt Mahshid...

Mattie didn't open many gifts at the park but she really loved the singing Dora card grandma gave her!

What a super fun 2nd Birthday Party! Thanks to all who came to celebrate with us!

Father-daughter bonding...

2009-04-19T12:04:00.000-07:00

While I was making dinner Friday night, I heard some music coming from the bedroom. Apparently Sadri tried to learn some of Mattie's fave songs to play on the guitar for her, including "Old McDonald" and "Apples and Bananas".... sooo cute!

Easter (part 2)

2009-04-12T20:34:00.001-07:00

He is Risen! We started Easter Sunday with a celebration at church of the resurrection of Jesus. Then after nap, it was time for more kid fun... We met my relatives at the park and Mattie played with my cousins and their kids, as well as, my aunt and uncle, and her grandma and grandpa.Audrey showed Mattie how to make a "wood-chip cake" and they even included candles of bigger sticks. Mattie enjoyed playing with the "older" girls and is hoping to have a wild imagination when she gets to be their age as well.

There was an easter egg hunt, of course... Mattie seemed to really enjoy collecting the eggs and she couldn't wait to see what was inside each one!

The attempt at the group shot... it is nearly impossible to get that many kids to cooperate for a photo shoot, but it helped that we (the adults) started singing songs ("happy and you know it," "thumbkin") to get their attention.

After a lot of playing at the park and with the other kids, Mattie ended the afternoon by playing ball with daddy. Look at this cute action shot of her cheering him on (click the photo to make it bigger)! Happy Easter everyone!

Easter Eggstravaganza (part 1)

2009-04-11T13:50:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning started the Easter weekend fun with a trip to grandma and grandpa's house. Our friends met us there, and we all headed over to the park for all kinds of activities....

There was a super fun bounce house... Mattie loves jumping.... on beds, couches, trampolines, and of course the bounce house...

There were pony rides! This was Mattie's first time riding a pony, and she loved it!

There was a giant inflatable bunny... of course.....

Mattie and Tatum got sheep tatoos on their hands...

There was a petting zoo, and of course, Mattie wanted to feed the goats.... there was no food, so she had to settle for petting them....

The Easter Bunny made an appearance, and what do ya' know, Mattie sat on his lap! Apparently the scary lap experience with Santa of 3 months ago, is long gone.... Tatum wasn't digging the bunny, you can see her lunging from the bunny's lap even though Mattie was trying to sit next to her....

There was an egg hunt, although, there were no eggs, it was just candy all over the grass....

Mattie didn't mind at all, in fact, she moved from spot to spot, took a seat and collected handfuls of candy.... and then when it was over, she decided to pilfer some candy from Tatum's basket.... what are friends for?! What a super fun, egghausting day!

Santa Ana Zoo

2009-04-09T21:10:00.000-07:00

Mattie took an early enough nap today that we were able to meet some friends at the zoo in the afternoon. These friends moved back to CA from Michigan recently, and they are lovin' the California weather! The first stop was to feed the goats, ever since Mattie fed the goats at the Irvine Park zoo a few weeks ago, she has been wanting to do it again! She gets nervous, and needs a little coaxing, but when all three of her older friends encouraged her, she gave it a shot

It was impossible to get a group shot of all 4 kids looking at the camera, but here's the best I got. Mattie was so excited to drive the safari jeep while Phoebe (6yrs) hung out in the back, and Ava and Vivian (4yrs) (twins) attempted to share the passenger seat. What a fun trip to the zoo! Thanks for inviting us Lisa!

Another Park Day!

2009-04-08T15:27:00.000-07:00

Whoever said sand play involved buckets and shovels, has not met Mattie. Our sand play involves Mattie sitting in the sand sink full of water, then mommy dumps sand in it, so Mattie isn't sitting in the water. Mattie then proceeds to throw handfuls of wet sand at mommy while mommy takes pictures of said event.....

Mattie enjoyed some girl bonding time with her older friend Calista after the sand fiasco :)

Fun times with BFF Tatum!

2009-04-04T15:18:00.000-07:00

Mattie and Tatum spent a lot of time together this past week! They played at the park and modeled their sunglasses....

They visited the petting zoo at Irvine Park....

Where Mattie got up close and personal with the goats.... Tatum was not interested in touching them.....

Mattie even wanted to follow a goat up the tree!

The girls also attended Sierra's 1st Bday party and enjoyed playing in the drink buckets full of ice.... Well, it was more Mattie who played in the ice, Tatum just observed and didn't much feel like getting her hands all cold and wet.... smart girl ;)

This past week....

2009-03-27T15:47:00.000-07:00

We played at the park with a bunch of friends...

Here Mattie is taking Tatum into the tunnel at Northwood Park..

We also played at Irvine Park and Mattie got to slide with Aaron...

And Sylvie actually rode the train with us!

Some story time with cousins Arezo and Afrouz....

And Mattie has been battling a cough since last Friday night... she has enjoyed playing with the humidifier box all week long, kids are so silly!

Mama's Spring Break!

2009-03-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

Mattie and mama enjoyed spring break last week! Mattie helped Mama babysit baby Isaac on Tuesday while his mommy worked. We played at the house and went to the park, and Mattie was sad to see him leave... she has been saying Isaac every day since his departure :)

Mattie also got to spend a fun day with grandma and grandpa. Grandpa drove us all to the beach and took us out to lunch, but first we had to play at the cold beach.... Mattie rode the swings with grandpa...

She climbed way up high all by herself (little monkey!), while grandpa supervised from behind....

And grandpa even took her on the carousel at the "fun zone"... and yes, it was fun!

Another fun part of our spring break was a BBQ at the Gordy's house (again)! Mattie and Aaron played in the yard during food prep since it stays light so late out now!

Cousin Tati's 2nd Birthday Party!

2009-03-16T19:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Bday cousin Tati! Mattie had a blast playing with cousin Tati's new toys, including a pink piano, that they played together shown here :)

Picnic Dinner at the Park

2009-03-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

Before I tell you about our picnic, I just had to share this picture.... There is a reason why I put Mattie in pink and ponytails every day... apparently she looks like a little trucker boy out of the bath with just her jeans on.....

Now for our fun picnic dinner... Mattie is not really into sitting in high chairs these days, so we had dinner at the park on Saturday evening on the park benches.... Mattie loved getting to play in between bites and she loved that we were already at play central when the eating was done... We played "chase the Dora ball" in the grassy field....

And of course, we had many trips down the slides and on the swings....

A perfect toddler style dinner date! Thanks Cedar Grove Park!

Road Trip to Arizona!

2009-03-01T21:25:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the long post, I couldn't narrow it down any more than I did! We headed out to AZ on Thursday to stay with the Melaras for a long weekend... Mattie wanted to bring daddy and grandma this time, so it was a full house, but we all had a blast! Here the girls are rocking out on the Elmo drum set after getting a lesson from Uncle Jason.Here Mattie and Ryan pose in front of the carosel at the Railroad park. Don't ya just dig Ryan's sunglasses?!

Seistors stop for a quick pose with our little love bugs :)

Mattie and Ryan had a blast playing in the princess tent at the house...

And they thoroughly enjoyed riding to the park in Ryan's wagon....

Mattie's new thing at the park is hanging from the bars.. good thing daddy was there to help her!

Ryan couldn't wait to take Mattie to the Children's Museum of Phoenix! Here they get a physics lesson from Sadri...

Mattie practicing her "Marilyn Monroe" dress pose on top of the air vent

There was even a slide at the museum!

And there was painting... of course Mattie had to taste it first... then she attempted to paint the house...

The girls also spent lots of time going for horsey rides on grandma's knees... they practiced taking turns until Sadri volunteered his knees so they could ride at the same time....

And a trip to AZ wouldn't be complete without our "bathing beauties" bathing together, every night we were there!

Thanks for putting up with us Amy and Jason! Mattie misses La La already!

Slides and friends...

2009-02-22T14:30:00.000-08:00

Slides seem to be all the rave right now.... Mattie and Aaron attempted to slide together at the Gordy's on Friday night....

Mattie and Alyssa shared some slide moments on Friday as well....

And Mattie and Tatum went down the slide together on Thursday and on Saturday.... wow, what fun!

Return to the LB Aquarium!

2009-02-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

We haven't been to the aquarium since December, Oh my gosh! Nadine and Mattie discuss the long hiatus and how they are so happy we returned to see the ocean animals! They also discussed how we miss the cold weather from two days ago and we are not happy about wearing short sleeves already again!

In the last section (tropical regions) it is nearing nap time... Sylvie decided to go night-night on the floor, while Mattie kicked back on the big fish tank. It almost looks like she is sitting on the big sea turtle :)

Bowers Kids Museum

2009-02-18T13:48:00.001-08:00

Mattie and I checked out Bowers Kids Museum in Santa Ana on Tuesday b/c we were able to get in for free (one of the few perks of living in Santa Ana). Mattie loved all the instruments that she was allowed to touch! She even used instruments to play other instruments!

Happy Valentines Day!

2009-02-14T10:55:00.000-08:00

Time to remove the crib bumper!

Gettin' ready to go to great grandpa's 80th B-day party on Valentines day!

Great Grandparents are so fun!

2009-02-13T14:12:00.000-08:00

Mattie was thrilled to spend some time with her great grandparents on Wednesday. It has been a whole year since their last visit from Colorado, so she didn't remember them at first, but she quickly warmed up and had a blast playing with them!

San Diego fun in the rain!

2009-02-09T14:09:00.001-08:00

We headed down to SD on Sat. morning to hit up the zoo with Mattie's BFF, Tatum. Mattie actually preferred Joy this time around (rather than Tatum), and insisted that she hold her often.

The ladies, and look, no umbrellas! The rain behaved itself most of the time we were there!

The little cuties sitting on a polar bear statue...

Sunday morning, Mattie and Tatum decided they were both the big winners during some cartoon viewing...

We ended our time in SD at Logan's 3rd Birthday party. Aaron, Mattie, and Tatum enjoyed playing with Logan's stuff while he opened gifts!

Random pics from last week...

2009-02-09T14:00:00.000-08:00

Mattie got to ride the "giant wheel" at Spectrum last weekend for the first time. She is definitely not afraid of heights....

Super Bowl play date with the Gordys... the kids couldn't get enough of the slide!

Mattie insisted that Emma the cat wear her headband. She followed her around the house for 20 minutes trying to get it to stay on her head!

And Mattie decided that her child fork was not big enough, she wanted to use the serving spoon instead, so we let her!

Some BFF time!

2009-01-31T14:23:00.000-08:00

Mattie loves spending time with her BFF Tatum! She hopped in Tatum's stroller, even though it is built for one....

They rode the seesaw together... with the mamas and on their own...

The rode the slide together....

And they played in the sand together.... until Mattie flung sand at Tatum's face (as per usual!) And yes, it is January, and we are wearing short sleeved shirts again....