Update!

Before I get to the many many things I have to talk about, I need to brief myself on what has been going on in the past 2 months! So since August, life has been pretty well, good-BUT I was not feeling great up until September due to my pregnancy-which is such an exciting time for me (except for that whole lack of motivation and energy part of it!) I seriously had no desire to come onto my own blog and write about the experience! I guess a part of me was scared to become attached to a pregnancy because of the fact that I have miscarried before. So it took me much longer just to get on here and really start embracing the whole experience!

So here I am 22 weeks along...and it's another BOY! If you asked me a few years ago what I thought I'd have and wanted, I would have told you that I wanted THREE boys! LOL...so I'm at number two! BUT quite honestly I did not know what this one was going to be the way I knew with Matthew. So a part of me in the beginning thought a girl, too. When I found out I was truly surprised. It took a few days to process it all in my head. Yes, I will miss out on those ridiculously big tutus and bows-you know, the kind that take up an entire head-but I do love "all things boy" too! And Matthew-he has been so sweet and excited about "little brother in mommy's tummy" that I can't help but feel excited for him to have a brother. I know that I have NO control over what relationship they will have in life, but my hope and prayer is for these two is to truly have a friend in each other. I really hope that our little guy will have a brother he can look up to overall. The type of relationship and bond that I never got to experience being an only child myself.

So to update (PS Shannon, I'm taking ideas from your current blogs on pregnancy) here is where I'm at now:

• Weight gain to date: 9lbs or so
• Cravings-normal now, beginning-lots of fruit and absolutely not a speck of meat! I think I went vegetarian for 2 months
• Maternity clothes-since about 16 weeks but more for comfort/pants mostly
• Sleep-mostly so tired I pass out, but achy in my hips from only laying on my sides only!
• Symptoms-First trimester-severe nausea. Second so far-very little nausea, gets tired more easily and back aches from time to time
• What I am looking forward to: getting the new nursery set up and doing a new theme (hey, I have to plan something!) which will be firetrucks!

Anyway, will update will ultrasound pics-our scanner is out as our nursery is being done now in the former loft. I also need to talk about my favorite time of the year-October, aka, "Funtober!" :)

Summertime!

Okay, okay, I'm WAY behind on my blog. That's because I'm not a real blogger. :) A true blogger would be on the ball! But hey, later than never right? Either way it's nice to have this to reflect back on and have an idea of what the heck was going on in my life. So far this summer has flown by! After my last post about Father's Day, we took a mini family trip to Las Vegas-for recreation and to visit Sean's dad's side of the family who have a vacation home out there. It was much more fun than last year mostly because Matthew as a 2 year old is much easier than Matthew as an 18 month old for traveling. He had a blast and was pretty easy going the whole trip....whew!!! It was nice to get away for a bit and have a change of scenery!

Next up was the 4th of July. I definitely want to remember this one! What I love about our "hometown" (which I consider both San Dimas AND La Verne) is that it is extremely family oriented and the 4th is a BIG holiday out here. They have an annual parade which features military, lots of local organizations and city council. Everyone comes out and lines up along Bonita Ave and sets up chairs, Easy-ups and even the neighborhood residents have parties on their lawns. It was so fun to have Matthew sit in his little chair the whole time and watch a full parade this year! We also came back later to watch fireworks from Bonita High School and again, Matthew was great and sat and watched all the fireworks-he even knew all the colors which just amazed me how much he has learned in the last few months!

Other than that, our summer has been continuing Gymboree classes (which he LOVES), swim classes at the Claremont Club (which he does NOT love, only sometimes he has a good day...he he) and occasionally getting together with a few of my friends who have little boys about Matthew's age and taking them on little trips to children's museums and parks. I'm just really trying to enjoy the rest of the summer and hopefully continue to get Matthew in the pool a little more...because before you know it, it's going to be FALL! (And yes, I've already been peeking online to see what new toddler Halloween costumes are out there! :) Until next time...

Here's my favorite photo from this summer so far...

Father's Day Weekend!

To the two most amazing father's I know...my dad and my husband...

I am sincerely grateful for these two men in my life. I am the woman I am today because of how loved I am-first by my father. Growing up, I was more of a "mommy's girl." But over the years, my dad and I became closer-I realize how much alike we are, I realize how much of the same heart we have. I am so proud of my dad even though it's something I don't say often. I am just so lucky he's the type to tell me how proud he is of me and how much he loves not just me, but Sean like his own son. And of course, Matthew! Matthew is extremely attached to his "Pa." :)

And Sean, to see him evolve into an incredibly affectionate and hands-on dad, I just could not be prouder to be his wife. And I know as young as Matthew is, he loves his Daddy SO much!

Here is a picture of Matthew with his "Father's Day" gift on...I love this shirt-"Daddy's Caddy." Hopefully in the near future he'll want to hit the links with his dad and play some golf. We had a great  Father's Day spending it at a friend of the family's house-the Colca's. They just happen to live right above our home in San Dimas-it could not have been a more gorgeous day-we even got some pool time, too!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day this year! I am really looking forward to some summer fun now!

Oh, how could I forget, the recital! (This is why I need to blog more!) It went really well...I think. Ok, it was all a blur once I was out on stage this year-I was a little nervous for some reason. But I loved the entire experience and I adore the group of ladies whom I dance with-most of us are moms and are close in age. Below is a picture right before performing-myself, Marisa, Jessica and Casey. Our costumes came together great and I think we rocked it!!!

Exhausted!

This is going to be short and sweet...why? Because I'm exhausted! It's been a busy week and a half since my last post...I've had three dance rehearsals last week (to some that's no biggie, right?), costume hunting for recital, Gymboree classes, Continuing Education hours to complete (for my insurance license), and a fun but busy weekend with friends and family. Sean and I had a blast seeing our friends Natalie and Brian down in Huntington Beach on Saturday evening. I'm almost embarrassed to say how long it's been since we've left our "home area" and headed out someplace fun and lively! But it was a BLAST-dinner at the Aloha grill + 2 STONG mai tais = some silly behavior from Sean! Sunday was spent doing our usual routine of cleaning up, doing laundry and going to the market. Later on we had a family graduation dinner for Sean's youngest sister Alicia-it's always great coming together with the family and seeing Matthew have fun with my sweet niece Mackenzie!

Pictures to come next week! This week, I've got THREE newborn babies to visit, MORE rehearsals and on Friday, my actual recital at Citrus College. I hope I'm ready for this...!

The Challenge...

So, I have a dance recital coming up in about two weeks...yikes! We are performing the Cell Block Tango from the play/movie "Chicago." I love it! It's very theatrical and sophisticated compared to last year's disco routine. When I first (re) watched the routine on YouTube to get costume ideas I almost fell out of my seat-they are wearing next to nothing! And of course those women have amazing dancer bodies! Hmmm...well, I'm not going to get too worked up-I think I can find a way to catch the theme but make it a little more, um...covered up. :)

In the meantime here is my two week challenge: to do sit ups. Yup, just DO THEM PERIOD! Whether it be 20, 50 or 200 (ha ha), I am going to do them at night while I watch TV. I'm not expecting any miracles but hey, you gotta start somewhere and now I've got a little motivation.

I am trying to eat well but I swear if I think about not eating this or that, it makes it just more tempting to indulge. And then I feel guilty and that gets me nowhere. So I'm going to continue to eat normally, avoid fast food and just eat sweets in much smaller amounts. (My iced coffee drinks, that's another story! I have not worked on that addiction quite yet!). So, in two weeks I'll be posting recital pics and hopefully some improvement in the ab department. :)

In completely unrelated news, here is what my silly husband did tonight...cut out his face and put it over P.Diddy in this ad...I have been cracking up all night-I'm pretty sure laughter like this counts as a workout!

A Great Weekend

Today is Memorial Day and what a beautiful-and finally warm-day it is! I always try to keep in mind all the soldiers who have served our country over the years in the name of freedom-we enjoy so many liberties and the least I can do is to honor them in memory-today and everyday.

Well, this weekend so far has just flown by! Sean and I kicked off the weekend by having a date night (and let me add, FINALLY!)-we went to the movies to see the Hangover 2. I enjoyed it and found it funny even though it's EXACTLY like the first one. On Saturday I took Matthew to his favorite store, which is called the Blue Chair, to play with his friends Rowan and Kayden. But Saturday night was MY night-I went to see one of my favorite artists of all time-PRINCE!!!

I have to elaborate here for a minute. I went to see PRINCE...!!!! He was everything I'd hope he'd be. I'm talking about walking out in a sparkly jacket, wearing his high heels and "guy-liner,"and putting on a show that was just incredible! I have to say that he is one of the first artists I really remember listening to as a child. I tried out for my dance team to his music-and even our wedding entrance song was to "Let's Go Crazy." What I loved about his concert is that he pleased the crowd and didn't skip over his hits (lots of artists seem to get sick of their biggest hits and don't play them or wait until the very end). He started out with a medley of hits-starting with "When Doves Cry." I have to say, at 52 years old he looks pretty darn good and still dances so well-his voice is still strong, too. I've been to many concerts but this will go down as one of my favorites. :)

The rest of the weekend has been more relaxing-we got to spend time with family and today we decided just to take it easy and go to Heritage Park in La Verne. And now everyone is napping in the house (notice that's when I jump on here to write! )...I could not have asked for a better weekend! :)

My Annie

Today my best friend Anne is moving to New York. There is a big part of me that actually does not want to even face this reality. Even though we are far from seeing each other every day I just hate that I can't just drive down to her old place and maybe run out for some coffee (or boba!). Anne and her husband are both doctors and her husband got placed for his next residency in Long Island-and Anne will be having her first baby-a boy named Aidan James-this July! What a crazy time for them, but I know they will manage to get through it all just fine! The good news is since Anne will be taking time off and so we'll have much more time to chat on the phone and maybe if I get with the current times, Skype each other as well! :)

I have to say that I've been very blessed with amazing friendships and people around me. What I do lack in life are siblings, but God was incredibly redeeming in giving me friendships to make up for it. Annie is one of those people who filled a very big void in my life. She is one of the kindest people I know. I thank God that I met her right when I started high school. Who knew that a girl who grew up in the Philippines-a girl who started off by helping me with math homework-and myself would have so much in common?! But we did-we always bonded over A LOT of laughter, spending full days of school and weekends together doing our pageantry competitions, and so many deep conversations about anything or any stage we were going through in life. And now we are both going to be mothers-yet somehow when we get together I know we still act like silly and giddy fourteen year old girls. That's incredibly special!

I'm going to miss my girl so much but I'm taking this one year at a time! Now I have an excuse to finally visit New York! :)

"Firsts"

As a mother, nothing is more exciting than the first time your child does...well, anything! What I don't understand is why companies only make books or journals for a child's first year! I mean, don't get me wrong-I guess it is good to record first taste of food, first smile, first trip and all those first holidays! Since Matthew was born in February I got to experience almost a whole year of first holidays starting with Valentine's Day. Of course I had to have a onesie AND a bib for each holiday-and take a ton of pictures of him in it all. :) But once a year went by I started to slow down significantly with pictures (at the rate I was snapping pics, it would have been WAY to expensive to keep printing them anyway!). But what I have been realizing today is how many "firsts" Matthew is still going through-and how many more "firsts" are yet to come.

To me, the best "firsts" come after the age of one. Yes, first steps are super exciting-it's truly the start of their independence. But now that Matthew has turned into a toddler, there are so many more "firsts" that  have really touched my heart and I'm sure any other mother who has a child this age and on can relate to. Like the first time your child gives you a kiss. Pure heaven! My favorite first for me is the time that Matthew said "I love you" on his very own and put his head on my lap (around 2 years old). I just couldn't believe he seemed to understand the concept of love-that really blew my mind. I also loved the first time I could feel Matthew's arms reach all around my neck to give me a truly good hug-I could even feel his tiny fingers gripping the back of my neck. I never want to forget that moment. I guess I'm kind of selfish (hey, I am an only child) but I love the age where your child gives back and a true bond and relationship begin. He is just my little buddy and parenting just keeps getting better. Isn't that great?! There is always something to look forward too-I love that about life and sometimes when things aren't going well or seem perfect I remind myself of this-there is ALWAYS something to look forward to and plenty of things to be grateful for in the meantime.

So, happy Sunday to anyone who catches this-I hope its a great day with family or friends and lots of rest before the week starts. I am posting of picture of Matthew taking his first nap with Daddy on the couch. It's been great to get this out while the house is nice and quiet. And looking at the two of them sleeping peacefully has really brought about some much needed happiness in my heart. :)

May Madness

It's about time! I have been meaning for a long time to finally get around to having a blog, or for me, more of an online journal. I'm hoping that I can at least write something on a weekly basis-so I have a place to come to write down my thoughts and maybe even share them with friends-and also just to keep track of my family life and all the memories that are being made every day. (I have to make a note that it took three hours to figure out how to set this up again-thank goodness for my friends Shannon and Vinny who had to figure out some technical issues for me!)

So here I am, a mother of a now two year old son who is just nothing short of miracle in my life. Matthew is growing so fast before my eyes and suddenly I want things to come to a screeching halt and keep him this cute and fun forever! He has been talking up a storm these days, and it's just amazing to literally wake up every morning and see how one day makes all the difference in his ability to learn and speak. As much as he is my little firecracker, which at times makes him a little more difficult to deal with-he is that much more expressive and full of life and has such a funny personality-and I would not change that for anything!

Anyway, getting back to May-what a busy month! Two baby showers down and one to go! Not to mention I actually HELD the first two mini baby showers at my home for two of my closest friends. It was an honor to have done this-even though our home isn't large we do have a nice sized patio and the weather was perfect for hosting outdoors. It was also fun that one was for a boy (a Paul Frank monkey theme) and the other a girl (pretty in pink)! I just love seeing my friends become the wonderful mothers that I knew they'd become!

We also got to take our third trip to Disneyland! About that-I never thought I'd enjoy Disneyland so much-I never understood why people bought annual passes and here I am, a Disney convert and even contemplating passes for this season! Matthew is just old enough (in my eyes) to fully enjoy it as he can ride a good number of attractions and knows almost all the characters by name. But the highlight of being anywhere near anything Disney is to hear his squeal when he finds a "Cars" display of merchandise. OMG!!! I can't wait until this summer when California Adventure opens up their "Cars" attraction and he can ride his favorite character-Lightning McQueen!

Mother's Day was very special this year. We have been really cutting down on spending lately and Sean gave me the option of either doing a nice brunch or a gift. I actually preferred just doing breakfast and being with my family. My how things have changed-I never thought the day would come where I'd turn down a gift! But I have everything I need and I enjoy doing things that make my son smile. But here's the funny thing that happened the day before-Sean won a bet in the Kentucky Derby-and let's just say that it's enough to cover the expenses of a family vacation in Maui! The timing could not have been better! So Maui here we come this October! We are very excited! So there it is-the month of May and it's just a little over half way done! Still to come up-Tiffany's baby shower, our favorite church carnival and  a Prince concert. I'm a lucky girl. :)

Below is a picture of Matthew and the winnings!