Kayla's 1st Birthday Party

Hmmm. I wonder what theme Kayla's party was...

BUTTERFLIES!!! Of course! This cupcake design looked pretty simple when I saw it on the internet, but it seemed to take me forever to make it (I spent too much time perfecting the sprinkles). I'm happy with how it turned out though. I think it's beautiful!

Showing off my masterpiece just before we sang "Happy Birthday."

Yummy!!! Kayla was literally up to her elbows in frosting! What a mess. But at least she didn't get her butterfly dress dirty. Good thing we have a dog to eat up all the cupcake pieces that fell on the floor.

My friend Valerie and her son Roman (who turns 2 later this month) enjoying cupcakes.

This was all we had for decorations. I was going to go get balloons just before the party started, but ran out of time. Oh well, I saved money and Kayla didn't even know the difference.

Here's Connor helping Kayla read the cards.

It's funny how she hesitated to open the presents. She normally LOVES to tear up paper.

Silly girl had more fun playing with the ribbons and bows!

Saturday morning playdates

Here's Kayla all ready for our Saturday morning walk in the park.

Since the Starbucks we used to go to after our walks closed, we started picking up bagels and coffee and meeting at Michele's house so that the kids (and dogs) can play while we enjoy breakfast.

Even though Connor is walking now, we still put them both in walkers so that they can chase each other and play bumper cars. I was hoping that Kayla would be walking by her first birthday, but since that's only in two weeks, I don't think it's going to happen. She's still on her tippy toes and prefers to just get down on her knees and crawl.

Connor: "Nah, nah. You can't get me!"

Kayla: "Oh, yes I can!"

Connor: "Hey, let go of MY chair!"

Connor: "Follow me, Kayla! I'll get us out of here!"

Kayla: "Connor look! If you bang on this thing, it makes noise!"

Awe, look at those sweet and innocent faces!

Girls' beach trip 2009

My friend Michele and I try to go camping at the beach at least once a year (except last year when I was pregnant). Our favorite place is Thornehill Broome, just north of Malibu near Point Mugu because it's the only campground in Southern California literally right on the beach. Talk about an ocean view! Pookie may be gone, but I have a new camping buddy! Kayla had a blast. She only attempted to put sand in her mouth once. After that, she just enjoyed watching the grains of sand fall through her fingers. Aah, It was sure nice to get away from the desert heat for a few days!

Kayla's first stroll on the beach.

Kayla spent alot of time in her pack-n-play under the shade tent. Luckily she didn't seem to mind. She's such a good girl!

Discovering the hard way that sand doesn't taste good.

Catching some morning rays before it got too hot.

Surprisingly, she loved sitting in her new beach chair!

Michele and her new puppy Reba.

Kayla enjoyed crawling around on the air bed inside our tent. She also liked looking out the tent windows.

After I got sunburned on the first day, I learned to keep us covered up during the hottest part of the day. I also wisened up and put Kayla in the front pack instead of carrying her.

In Loving Memory: 10/??/1994-07/10/2009

Once upon a time, long, long ago when I was 19 years old living in Las Vegas struggling to make it on my own, a little puppy came into my life and made it all better. My neighbor at the time was a maintenance worker for another apartment complex when he discovered two puppies in an abandoned apartment. He already had a dog and couldn't keep them. He found a home for one puppy and was going to take the other one to the pound. He knocked on my door and asked me one last time, "are you sure you don't want a free puppy?" I had said no numerous times, but once I saw the little brown fluff ball, I couldn't resist. I named her Pookie after Garfield the cat's teddy bear. I thought she was a mutt, probably a Golden Retriever and Springer/Brittany Spaniel mix. It wasn't until she was 7 years old that I discovered she was a pure breed Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever. We experienced a lot together these past 14 1/2 years. But unfortunately, the time came for me to say goodbye to my dear Pookie. I couldn't stand to watch her suffer of old age anymore and put her down last week. I find comfort in knowing that she is in heaven with her good friend Zoey the Boxer (my friend Michele recently lost her dog too).

We enjoyed many adventures together, including hiking & camping.

Pookie playing at the dog park with her friends Zoey and Dottie

Pookie and her stepsister Roxy got along great

My two babies horsing around together

Our last family photo with all 5 of us


On our way to the vet's office, we stopped by the park for one last stroll. We love you Pookie and we're going to miss you very much!

4th of July

Kayla is too young to pay attention to fireworks so we didn't do much this 4th of July. She was sound asleep long before it was dark outside. Next year will be more fun. But at least I got some pictures of her in her one and only red, white, and blue outfit!

Father's Day Picnic

We celebrated Father's Day by packing a cooler and taking a drive up Hwy 74 to our favorite trail and had lunch on top of Santa Rosa Mountain. This was our first time taking Kayla off-road. It was also her first time sitting in her new Recaro convertible car seat and she really enjoyed the ride!

Happy first Father's Day Devin!

Kayla - 9 months, 15 1/2 lbs, 27 1/2 in