hip hip hooray!

gavin turns
three today!

it's time to celebrate!

as i've mentioned before, little o just recently turned one. we celebrated the actual day at the happiest place on earth... eating hot dogs & churros, spending time with winnie the pooh & buzz lightyear, & getting the boys' faces painted. however, we waited until halloween to open presents, blow out the candles & eat cake. nothing beats the sight of a little guy digging in & chowing down on birthday cake!

a year in review.

break out the birthday candles & wrap the presents because owen turns ONE today! crazy! he is definitely a little kid now. i may still call him my baby, but he really is a little boy. when i look back i'm amazed at how much he has grown & all the things we've done in just one year. o has been to hawaii twice, turkey, greece & france, utah half a dozen times & disneyland more times than i can count. heavens! what a busy little guy! as i watch him, i realize that in so many ways he is exactly like his big brother gavin, but at the same time, they are totally & completely different. little o just likes to sit quietly and take everything in. don't get me wrong, he can get very, very loud, but he just seems to be really aware & intrigued by his surroundings. he loves to follow gavin around... no matter what tortures gav bestowed upon him, owen is always quick to follow gavin again & again. at one, he almost has four teeth. i say almost, because his two front top & bottom teeth have begun to make an appearance. o seems to be on the verge of walking. he's at this kinda funny stage... he knows he can walk, he's done it before, but he's just not quite sure he wants to... he seems to realize he can actually keep up with gavin when he crawls, as opposed to walking. although, jeff thinks he walks when no one is looking - we're always finding him standing up, just chilling in the middle of the room. when owsers smiles it's like watching a cartoon character, his cheeks get all big & puff out to the sides like the are full of marbles. he LOVES to eat. he'll eat everything in sight, & most nights he would win an eating contest between him & gavin. i love my little guy... i can't wait to see what this next year brings! i'm so grateful to have him in my life.

30 years...

happy anniversary mom... wow! 30 years. that's a long time. oh dear, if you folks have been married for 30 years, that means in just over 9 months i too will be 30. yikes! i don't want to think about it.

maybe dad will make it back from his "business trip" in time to celebrate. probably not though, he is a dedicated employee. at the very least i hope he buys you some nice jewelry, you deserve it!

now on a more serious note... thank you for always being such an incredible example of love, commitment & absolute devotion. i am so glad you married the "bad boy" all because of the cute kids he promised you would have. (you can read about in my mom's own words HERE.) now you have four wonderful children (the eldest being extremely beautiful & the others are also fairly good looking), three grandchildren & a lifetime of memories. i love you!

wedded bliss.

six years ago today i made the best decision ever... i married my best friend. sometimes i look back and can't believe it's only been six years, i can't imagine my life without jeff. together we've done it all... feed the sharks in bora bora, saw britney spears in concert, survived the wilds of austrailia, had two darling little boys & a pup named gigi, sailed the spanish coast, remodeled our entire house - ourselves, got lost in italy, went to the winter olympics, surfed in hawaii, cheered for the angels more times than i can count, snowboarded beneath the shadows of the matterhorn, made it out of canada alive, practically lived at disneyland - we've been so many times, graduated law school, kissed the blarney stone, finished my MBA program, scootered around greece.

we are living proof that you can find a happy ending anywhere...
even a crummy job at sundance.

happy birthday kerry june!

i can't believe the baby of the family is turning 18,
has graduated high school & is going off the college!
happy happy birthday!

happy birthday wilbur!

you're a great brother, every girl should be so lucky... hope you have a wonderful day. wish we were with you to celebrate.

happy birthday jeffy!

happy happy birthday, it's your special day!



thanks for being my best friend, a great husband & a wonderful dad. you're the greatest!

happy birthday little brother!

graduation day.

congratulations kerry!while tackling life, always remember the words of abe lincoln:

whatever you are, be a good one.

happy birthday kelly...

I hope you had a wonderful day... we missed being able to celebrate with you!

this is my wish for you: comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you are in doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, love to complete your life.
-anonymous

happy birthday mama jo!

Someone once said: "life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away." As you look back on the past 50 years, I'm sure you will remember many such moments. To celebrate this exciting day your friends and family have compiled a book filled with their fondest memories and photos. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who was able to participate. If you would like to view an on-line version click HERE!

I'd also like to take this opportunity to tell the world, or at least who ever is reading, how incredibly lucky I am... I have the the best mom in the entire world. Each and everyday she continues to impress and inspire me. You are the most:
Thanks for EVERYTHING!
i love you!

happy birthday alison!

I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed having you as a sister! This year is the beginning of new and exciting things to come! Today on your birthday, I wish that all your "days here and after, may they be filled with fond memories, happiness and laughter!"

happy birthday to you... abby

You've always been the older sister I never had! You may not realize it, but I have always been so impressed by you, and have looked up to you my entire life. Here are some of my favorite memories:
1. disneyland
2. playing hide & go seek in grandma's big house
3. ice skating on the TINY pond in grandma's backyard
4. roller skating in grandma's downstairs playroom
5. making crank calls from the yellow pages in grandma's study
6. sleeping outside at grandma's (at the new house)
7. the year you came to "baby-sit"
8. going line dancing
9. hearing about all your adventures in HS
10.and most recently, quilting with you

thanks for all the fun memories, I look forward to even more!