Oliver & Company

Off to Hawaii we go

2012-01-21T19:18:00.001-08:00

Wow, what a roller coaster it has been. I can finally in hindsight write about the craziness of the last few months with clear vision of the blessings, challenges, and more blessings that have come out of this. Let's start from the beginning...
Ryan and I had been playing with the idea of finding a job internationally for a few months. You see, I have a hard time settling down and I could feel Orange County working it's magic on me, even tempting me to buy a house, heaven forbid:) I guess you could say I get ancy and need a change of scenery. I'm not sure if this is from growing up as a kid in a new place every few years, which I loved, or maybe some sentimental bug is absent from my dna. Who knows. So anyways we were talking about possible places to move, just for a few years, then we'd return to our beloved south oc neighborhood. One morning back in October, I was at the ymca working it out and felt this impression that Ryan should call this company in Hawaii.

As a side note: Ryan met this company back in Hawaii when he went there for a construction competition while he was a senior at BYU. His group did amazingly well and anyways he ended up making a connection with this company Pankow. Ryan asked them if they were hiring, they basically said if the economy was any different at the time (everything was crashing) they would hire him. He told them thanks anyways, and they said to keep in contact. So over the past 3 years Ryan has kept on their radar every so often by shooting them an email and just talking about recently completed projects. Fast forward 3 years

I left the Y and told called Ryan to tell him I thought he should contact Pankow. He said he would. A few hours later, I got an email from Ryan that said "Whaaaaaaaaat!" Attached was Ryan's email basically asking how the company was doing, if they had any projects going on, and if they needed to bring anybody on...along with the response from Pankow's associate, that yes they were doing very well and had many projects going on and yes he thought that they had a position for Ryan. Somebody would contact him shortly. This was definitely a "whaaaaaaaat" moment. Since I married this man, he talked about Hawaii like it was his second home. When he tells people that he could live there for the rest of his life, they just nod, they don't get it. I know different. Ryan means business about Hawaii. We had warned family and friends for years that eventually we would make the move to Hawaii. Ok so we were excited, to say the least. I'll call this the honeymoon stage.

As Ryan made calls, received calls, and started the interview process it started to feel a little more real. Things were looking promising. Hawaii was sending two guys out from their office there for business in Pasadena (where their headquarters are) and they called Ryan and told him to meet them for dinner. I think this was a few weeks before Thanksgiving. By this time we told a very few people, including our parents, about the prospect. So Ryan met for dinner and it went well. He said he got a great feeling for the company and they had some really important, high profile projects coming up that would be great for him professionally. He also liked that they had mentioned Hawaii business moved a bit slower, and wasn't as cut throat as here. (Ryan didn't know it ever was cut throat but that's because he's a sweetheart). He did like the sound of Hawaii in all aspects. I remember I was in a Relief Society meeting waiting for Ryan's call as he drove home from LA. I ran out of the meeting when my phone rang and immediately heard his excitement. He said that they would write up his offer and he should get it by Christmas. This was my first moment when I realized that yes, this is really happening, if we want it.

So time passed, very slowly. If anyone has ever waited on a job offer, time creeps on and anticipation builds. We had sort of set this number up in our head that would be the number to make Hawaii work. We knew that we would most likely sell all of our stuff and not spend the $3000 plus that it would take to ship it, mostly because everything we owned I got off cragislist for a sweet deal and I wasn't sure it was even worth that much. Plus getting rid of your stuff is pretty liberating. We knew they would fly us over and pay to ship a car. That was pretty much it. So finally the call came we were waiting for and they had basically met all our terms but the salary they gave us was just not going to work. It was a huge disappointment. So we came up with a counter offer and gave that to them. They came back with a better offer, still not what we had anticipated, but good enough and the best they could do. I will say that this period in our Hawaii saga taught me a lot about gratitude. I had to remind myself what was fair and reasonable and that I couldn't expect it all, especially given this crazy economic time. And really what it came down to for us was that our answer didn't come down to money, it came down to prayer and what the Lord wanted for us. Ryan and I both felt from the beginning that Hawaii was something the Lord wanted us to do, for reasons unknown to us. Sure, you can chalk it up to the fact that this is Hawaii, land of perfect weather and waves, but really that was part of the honeymoon phase of excitement and we were way past that. It was about so much more than that. We need to take care of this family and the Lord knows best how we can do that. So in the end, we felt like we got a solid offer, the Lord blessed us by making it happen and we were moving forward.

Now we are in the we have to sell all our stuff, say goodbye to our families, leave our friends and our ward, afford to live in Hawaii, find a good school for the kids, leave behind my business, and make a new life in a far away place. This is pre-nervous breakdown phase (for me). I was actually doing fine but that's just the way I deal with stress. It builds inside me without me addressing it until it just erupts. So we told our family and a few friends that this was likely happening. Then we were thrown a curve ball by Ryan's current employer that they didn't want to lose him and might offer him more to stick around. Gosh. So then we started thinking, if they payed him much more it would be silly not to take that offer. We could save up for a house and just be so much more financially set. I had pretty much decided that if his company was throwing out a number we'd take it. Ryan and I were on total different pages during this phase. I could tell that Ryan had gotten his answer about Hawaii and he was confused at why this was happening. It was a total inner struggle. We have both never been more stressed out than during this time. Ryan even gave himself an ulcer, poor guy. Then the call came from his company with their sweet offer they were going to keep Ryan with...only to say that they couldn't afford to do anything to keep him here. We were so shocked. I mean everyone was so shocked. My dad said, this must be divine intervention because I thought they were for sure going to offer you something. I was in total disbelief because you have to understand at this point I had sort of decided we were staying. When this curve ball came though, it became clear that this move is what the Lord wanted us to do, and he was going to make the stars align to make it happen.

This is when it got really real. We prayed and fasted and knew that this move was the right move. It seriously hit me like a ton of bricks that indeed this was happening and we'd be saying goodbye to all of this. I seriously called my mom crying so hard I couldn't breath and really convinced myself I was having a nervous breakdown. I was worried about leaving my parents, leaving all our family and taking the kids away from it all. We had this amazing, wonderful life, and we were just going to throw it away. I mean that's super dramatic, but that's how it felt at the time. I was seriously not well at this point. I felt bad because I just wanted to be excited, and not take that away from Ryan. But I had to process so much. It took me a few days and lots of prayers to feel like I was in a place to move forward.

And move forward is what I did. We had a big garage sell that went really well (blessings) and sold lots of stuff on craigslist (more blessings) and packed a few boxes each day of things staying at parents houses or going across the Pacific with various Hawaiian travelers. See, we had Austin (Ryan's brother), Austin's fiance Ellen, and Skee (Ryan's cousin) all flying to Hawaii after the holidays. I realized that shipping a 50 pound suitcase for $35 would be a heck of a lot cheaper than shipping stuff so that's what we did. As we speak, we've got two Tupperware boxes, three suitcases and two surfboards there, already awaiting our arrival. At my parents house we have 8 more suitcases and a surf bag...and that's our life folks.

It was weird realizing what 6 years of marriage got us. I learned that we are not people that acquire lots of things. I also learned that I am the sort of person that loves getting rid of things. It's nice to be forced to keep what you can't live without. Life is really very simple. All I needed to bring to Hawaii was this man next to me, and these two little people who fill my life. Another huge blessing was the fact that our landlord was understanding about our move and if we would find renters we wouldn't be penalized on our deposit (we were breaking our lease 3 months early, therefore per our contract we would lose our deposit). Ok this was stressful. I kept thinking what if we can't find anyone and I have to stay behind with the kids for months while I look for a renter.

Until one day we found the perfect renters and things were moving right along. It was such a huge relief. On the day the were supposed to sign the lease, they pulled out. Ugh, I was so worried. But we continued moving out and cleaning up and moving forward, hoping and praying that someone would come along. A week before we were set to move, a very nice couple came through and I just prayed in my heart, let this work out! And work out it did. They literally signed the papers they day we moved out. Heavenly Father takes care of us. So we moved out of our sweet little rental on New Years Eve, with the help of our amazing neighbors.

I burst into tears saying goodbye to that house and all the memories it holds. I think when you've got kids, things just get more emotional. Even now I'm remembering that we drew both their heights with pencil on the wall and that was probably painted over. I was meaning to get a piece of paper out and copy it on, oh well. It was really the first house that Ryan and I were grown ups in. Ryan had a real job, we had two kids, clearly a real life family. And this place just felt like a home. I made it a home for my little family. It will be missed but now I get to look forward to finding a new home to make our own in Hawaii. House hunting is one of my very favorite things to do:)

So we've been at my parents house for the past three weeks, Ryan hasn't had work for the last week which has been amazing, and I've been able to hang out with my mom and dad. They are by far the hardest part of leaving. My mom and I still can't talk about it without crying. We are hanging out now at Ryan's parents house and soaking in some time with Nana and Papa before our cruise tomorrow (booked 6 months ago, before news of Hawaii. We fly out the day we get back, yikes).

One of the things I am most excited for in Hawaii is the visitors that will come (please come!). I can't wait to settle in to our new home and be the hostess with the mostess to our visitors. And I can't wait for the kids faces to light up when their families come and see them. I am so thankful for the tender mercies that have come along the way and the testament that faith is one of the most important things in this life that sustains us. Ryan and I have never had a more stressful time and I can honestly say we felt really disconnected at times. We were not ourselves and I did not like it. But through it, we have grown so much closer to each other and I am absolutely sure that we are just where we need to be, and being with him and putting the Lord first, always remembering our blessings along the way, will always land us in the right.

So off to Hawaii we go, in a week...wish us luck and we'll expect you soon:)

The most wonderful time of the year

2011-12-28T19:47:00.001-08:00

Oliver got his bow and arrow from Santa that he had been asking for 2 months

Amelie and her hula girl flip flops. She wears Ollie's sandals around the house all day so I knew these would be a hit

Opening her sandals

Oliver very pleased with his present

At my parents house my Dad and Chelsea got all the kids dressed up in a manger scene. Ami was our sweet little angel.

Amelie-angel, Ollie-Joseph, Andin-Wiseman, Cam-Mary, Mara-Baby Jesus, Carson-Shepherd

Luke (or Ubi as Carson calls him) celebrating Christmas Eve and his birthday!

My little angel girl

Giving grandpa loves, what a special treat

Grandpa is pretty happy with all these grandbabies to love!

Andrea and Mara-just look at that smile! Love that baby girl

A few night before, we went to the Facers house for Christmas festivities. We attempted a nativity scene but Dane was not having it and so Ollie and Ami were Mary and Joseph. Could there be a sweeter mother Mary? I think not

Giving loves to her baby Jesus

Quite the pair

Cookie decorating and eating!

We went to the park that afternoon and Amelie hadn't gotten her afternoon nap. We noticed she was getting sleepy in the swing so Austin took his sweater and put it in front of her face and soon enough she was dead asleep. She slept for 45 minutes then we woke her up:)

Higher Austin!

I seriously can't get enough of this face. Sometimes I kiss these cheeks so much that Ami finally yells, OK Mama!

Swing buddies

Nana and Amelie playing restaurant. Can't you tell Ami is already quite the business woman, driving a hard bargain?

We went to the Newport Beach temple to see some Christmas lights and then quickly realized there were none! But there was a beautiful nativity scene which is what it's all about anyways. A few lights would have been nice but oh well:) My parents and sisters and Andrea's family came and we all grabbed cocoa before we went. It was soooo freezing and windy but still lots of fun

This year Christmas was very low key which is the way I prefer it. I made a point to tell Oliver and Ami early on that we were not getting lots of presents this year and that we were going to think about Jesus and about serving others and be with our family. One of my favorite things we did this year was making homeless bags at my mom's house that we handed out the week before Christmas. It was so emotional connecting to those in need and hearing so much gratitude for something so small. It will be a tradition we keep for sure. I love this time of year to realize what blessings we are given by our Heavenly Father. I love how happy everyone is and I love the food and music and smells. Our kids are getting old enough to really get excited now about holidays and start making fun traditions of our own. How blessed we are to have the restored gospel on the earth. Let's take advantage of it!

Nellie Gail Ranch Preschool Christmas Party

2011-12-19T12:55:00.001-08:00

Family pic. Christmas is the best

Ollie getting ready to open his present from Santa!Spiderman slippers!!!

Asking Santa for a bow and arrow...

This is what Amelie did the whole time Santa sat and talked with the kids. She was very curious and just watched him eagerly awaiting her turn for a present. I almost cried because I didn't think to bring one for Ami because it was the preschoolers thing. She was so devastated when Santa's bag was empty and still no present for her. Luckily Oliver's teacher knitted him a beanie and we gave it to Ami as a substitute present. She was thrilled.

Santa arrived and everyone's eyes lit up

Nana and Papa came up for the night to hit Ollie's party and visit. Grandma Kelley was also there but I didn't get a chance to get a picture with her and Ollie before she had to leave for work. My mom is becoming the #1 postpartum doula in the area and I couldn't be more proud!

Laura and Chelsea left Provo that morning at 5am just to make it in time for Ollie's party! Can you tell he's pretty excited about that:) What sweet Aunties

Singing Christmas songs

More singing...So funny story. Oliver was so excited about singing all his Christmas songs and then after the kids sang happy birthday to Jesus he got really grumpy. It was like night and day, we couldn't figure it out. I asked him what was wrong and he said "my teacher forgot to sing happy birthday to Ollie". Haha. I love my little preschooler Oliver. I seriously well up with tears every time I think about him becoming a kindergardner next year. What his teachers always say about him is that he's such a good, sweet boy and he is very smart. These are things I know but it's still nice for someone else to acknowledge how amazing your kid is. I love you my sweet 4 3/4 yr old Oliver:)

Thanksgiving with the family

2011-11-29T14:47:00.001-08:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving was perfect beach weather Regan braiding "mermaid's hair" for Noelle. I'm pretty sure Noelle packed it in her suitcase to take home:)

I just love it

Leah with her little Luke who was busy eating sand

Amelie going for a ride

Just because I like to highlight why the back is my favorite part...my husband's hot:)

Noelle showing me her sandcrab. I always get nervous for the sandcrabs

The kids watching intently. It's one of my favorite things to watch a little learning face

My sweet sisters and I. It was so fun to hang out

Cute Luke and his sand eating

I actually got a picture of Carson looking at the camera. This deserves an award. I was trying everything and I think he thought I was crazy so he gave in

Leah with Ami, her little twinner. My mom has been working on putting all our pictures on a zip drive for Christmas and it was so fun seeing pics of Leah that looked just like Amelie. Like I said, Ryan and Leah's love child. Wouldn't that make for a good novella:)

So many projects going on. Ps, I discovered the best way to dig a hole at the beach so it constantly filters water in. It's completely self sufficient. I was proud.

Ollie and Noelle hanging with Grandpa

Ollie and Noelle trying to torure Grandpa.

Steve and Ryan playing Tiger Woods golf. Fortunately this is one of the few times a year my husband plays video games. So grateful for that.

Friends forever

And of course my little preschooler in his Thanksgiving getup. I forgot to put his painted paper bag on but use your imagination. Either way this is one cute kid.

A visit with the Bloods!

2011-11-29T14:39:00.001-08:00

Martha and Ted!

Kristen's baby boys- Jude and Owen

Tim and Monica's little guy Jacob with Ami. Blondies to the max.

Ollie discovered a new pal James. They had fun terrorizing the giant blow up Turkey Martha bought for the front room:)

Kristen and Ted with little Jude

Over Thanksgiving break, one of our favorite families rolled into Orange County and we got to hang out with them for the night. Some of Ryan's and especially my best memories from high school took place at the Blood home. Martha always had something baking, and it was always such a warm, fun environment for us to kids to hang out. When I walked in Ted said, "here's my fourth daughter!". That pretty much sums it up since I basically lived at their house in high school. We love them so much and it's so fun to see their family grow, especially with the addition of Kristen and Donovans baby boy twins!!! I almost died when I saw them, so adorable. I wish they lived closer, we love them.

Chelsea!

2011-11-15T19:10:00.000-08:00

Chelsea came for a visit this past weekend and we had so much fun seeing her and hanging out with her. Chelsea is one of my favorite people, always up for a good time and easy to talk to. I love that I get to re-live some of the college drama through her and am flattered that she calls me for advice. She is one great gal. All my sisters are. The Kelley girls are one of a kind:)

Tiffany's shower

2011-11-10T16:40:00.001-08:00

I just have to say that I LOVE this girl. Tiffany is one of those people you meet and you just hope that she likes you and will want to be your friend. She is having a sweet baby girl next month and we cannot wait to see her cute face. Brooke and I got to throw her a baby shower and it was so fun to celebrate with everyone and hang out in true girly fashion. Have I mentioned how much I love the friends I've made here? It's the truth.

The Zoo with Nana

2011-11-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

Today we got to spend the day with Nana at the L.A. Zoo. It was a perfect day for the zoo. I wasn't sweating bullets which is something that always comes to mind with a zoo trip. Oliver had one thing on the mind today...seeing the tigers. He could not rest until we saw them. I, of course, had to see the elephants. The new exhibit was soo big for the elephants though that it was hard to get a look at them. I am glad they finally have a nicer, bigger space than they used to (Elephants really should never be in captivity). One of the biggest hits for the kids were the little mice that were hiding in the bushes surrounding the exhibits. They were fascinated with them. We probably could have gone to the zoo and fed mice crackers the whole day:) It was so fun to spend time with Nana and get up to La Canada to hang out for a bit. Everytime I get there it seems something new has changed. I also realized driving back from LA that heading south just feels like home. It's surprising how quickly a place can feel like home when you spent so much time somewhere else. What can I say, this is a special place.

Birthday/Halloween Extravaganza!

2011-11-04T16:15:00.000-07:00

Our hunky cowboy, with his trick-or-treaters

And his foxy Native American Princess with her cherubs

Sweet little "Halle bear" living up to her nick name

Our ward trunk-or-treat

Spiderman showing off his moves

Ryan started a little mantra with the kids. He would yell "hip hip" and the kids would all yell "hooray". This is one of those moments caught on camera. LOVE

My parents went out of town so they let Mary and Ryan and the kids stay at their place. We decided to crash there as well to maximize hangout time. We got to see quite a few of these gorgeous sunsets

With a little moon action in the corner

Trick or treat time!

Amelie and Marley loading up on loot

Tinkerbell and her cowboy

Sweet little Mara snuggling her Dad to keep warm:)

The gang. Tinkerbell, the Pirates, Spiderman, Harry Potter, and Hermione. I love these kids

The last day of the Johnson's visit we spent at treasure island beach and had a perfect day. We felt like we were on our own little island, it was awesome. Here's Mary with little Halle.

Ami checking out the ducks. Check out Laguna, could it be any more picturesque? I'll take one of those houses on the hill please:)

The Johnson brigade in full force. I still don't know how they do three kids so amazingly well. We might need to take a few tips from them

Cash and Ollie being rascalions as usual. These boys were both in tears when we had to say goodbye. SO sweet

At the top of their to-do list was fishing. It kept them busy for at least 2 hours.

Back in the day when this spot was still trailer homes, our family used to stay at treasure island for weeks at a time. Those are some of my best memories. We used to wait for the tide to cross these rocks and walk around the point to where the lighthouse is. And if your a Kelley, you know about the initiation spot. I still remember the panic attack I had when I was peer pressured to jump into the reef. Good times. My family is the best.

Their own little cave

Me and my sweets. Seriously, what would life be without this guy. He took such good care of me on my bday. Love him

Wet diaper, sand wedgie. It doesn't get much worse than that:)

"Donde esta tu nariz?" These days Amelie is speaking as much Spanish as English, maybe more. I literally have to address her in Spanish sometimes to get her to listen to what I'm saying. If I say certain things in English, she looks at me like I'm crazy. That girl is crazy smart.

The boys climbing the rocks (and Ami).

So Ryan Johnson and my Ryan had been scheming this bday/halloween surprise for a few months. I had NO idea the Johnson's were coming for a visit. We were actually headed down to the beach on my bday because Ryan took a half day. He was acting a little bit weird and was texting on his phone a lot which is not Ryan at all. So I started suspecting something. I am very hard to surprise. I didn't push the issue too much cause I didn't want to ruin his surprise. I thought maybe my parents were taking the kids for the night while we went away. I had a moment when I thought,what if the Johnson's were coming because 2 years before they had surprised me then, but I was like no way. I didn't actually think they would come! But sure enough, as I'm laying on my towel reading a book, Mary's face pops in front of me. I was SO excited. I seriously love those guys. They are always so sweet to come visit us. Next year it's our turn for sure. It was so fun to see the kids hang out and even more fun to put them to bed and hang out together at night. My sweet hubby always thinks of the best way to surprise me and does everything he can to make it a special day for me. I am one lucky girl. We also went out to dinner with some good friends on my birthday and it was so fun to be surrounded by all these people we have grown to love so much. It was an epic birthday and Halloween weekend!

G&G Smart visit

2011-10-24T14:10:00.000-07:00

What?! Two posts in two days. I must be on a roll or maybe it's the new goal I've made for myself to return to the world of blogging. I have no idea where I've been but I'm back. This last Saturday we drove out to Riverside to hang out with G&G Smart and of course Nana, Papa, Jon, Jill, Dane, Quincy, and Ryan's cousin Stephanie. Ryan's uncle is the mission president out there and they went away for a bit on a trip so G&G came to watch Stephanie while they were gone. I actually brought my camera and remembered to take some pics.

It was a fun visit and it's always special to treasure these moments we have with our "greats". We had a yummy lunch, Nana had crafts for the kids, and we shared our favorite moments from conference.

My Grandpa Coats also came down last week but I didn't take any pictures. We had some fun chatting with him about his 30 years in Hawaii with my grandma and his time serving as the bishop there. He has such a funny sense of humor, I really get a kick out of grandpa.

I AM A CHILD OF GOD

2011-10-23T16:35:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this little beauty when we got back from our trip to Utah. We went for a visit at Temple Square and decided to step in the Tabernacle so Ollie and Amelie could see it. I told Ollie he should sing us a song and then pulled my camera out. He got quite a few comments of how well he did in his song. He is a pretty fearless kid when singing and talking in front of crowds. Definitely not his mama's boy in that aspect; I was always deathly scared of public speaking. We sing this song every night before bed. We sang it every night for bed while Ami was in my tummy. It is a theme around these parts that not only are we children of God, but so is everyone around us.

"I am a child of God, and he has sent me here. Has given me an earthly home, with parents kind and dear. Lead me. Guide me. Walk beside me. Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do to live with him someday."

Ami J!

2011-09-29T07:11:00.000-07:00

I have to post a little something for my Ami J as well.
I can't believe that she is 2 years old! That little girl has been a long time in the making. I remember growing up and wishing that I had a sister to talk to. I finally found my perfect girl in the form of Becky Kelley. We would talk about everything. We saw things in a way that few other people truly relate with.

Luckily I was able to snatch her up and make her mine forever. Anyone who says they shouldn't marry their best friend is absolutely wrong. Oliver was the second product of me being head-over-heels in love and completely committed to Becky (don't worry Ollie, your turn will come on your birthday); and Ami was the third. I remember before we were even pregnant with Ami I would tell people, "I'm so excited for my little girl to arrive" and people would say, "Dont say that! You don't know if you're going to have a girl" and I would reply, "Oh yes I do know!". Me and H.F. had spoken about this years ago (once my sister never arrived in my immediate family).

I could not have dreamed up a more perfect Amelie Jane! She is my perfect girl from start to finish. It's true what Becky wrote about her; she is a show stopper anywhere we go. She is picking up Spanish like a true Latina (which melts my heart). I love to hear her little words and how she puts them together. I love that when we go on walks she runs up to me with her hand stretched out and says, "Mano, mano!" and holds my hand. The 'I love' list could really start to add up. I'll finish with this: I love Amelie so much that I can't stand to be without her. I don't know what I would do if I didn't know that I could be with the people I love the most for always. God be praised for making this possible and for sending me the beautiful blessing of you Amelie. I love you! Saying I'm glad we will always be together would be an understatement. Having you as a daughter and knowing we'll always be together is what makes life beautiful.

Today is your birthday, shout HOORAY!

2011-09-28T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today we got to celebrate our little Amelie's 2nd birthday. The morning started off with an awesome rendition of the happy birthday song by Oliver and I, then Nana and Papa Facer called to sing, then Grandma and Grandpa Kelley called to sing! When I told Ami it was her birthday the first thing she said was "balloons". Of course. So we took Ollie to preschool and then went to the store to get stuff to make a bday cake. Ami wanted a chocolate cake even though Oliver was pushing for a princess cake. He just couldn't understand why a little girl wouldn't want a princess cake! She did pick out some colorful sprinkles and a #2 for her cake. So I let her help me stir and measure and lick everything off every spoon and bowl. We went to get Ollie from school and met Ryan by work to hit Ruby's for a birthday lunch. Ami even got a ice cream sundae with two cherries on top (one to share with Oliver). Then we went home for nap time which totally didn't happen and ended in everyone jumping in my bed to watch Alice in Wonderland. After dinner, we snapped a few pics of Ami with her cake she helped make and then went about eating it. All in all it was a great birthday minus Amelie having a pretty bad cold. But in true Ami Jane fashion, she didn't let it get her down and was still all smiles and full of mischeif today.

Amelie, you are truly such a joy to be around. I love that your such a happy girl. You are the perfect combination of sassy and sweet. I don't think Amelie will ever let anyone push her around:) She has this walk that is so hilarious. She's got swag that girl and she knows it. She was really the happiest baby I had ever seen and so friendly. Her personality has just gotten better and better and it's so much fun watching her turn into this little person. I love her little face and think that I probably smother her with kisses about a hundred times a day until she pushes me away. I just can't help it, she's irresistible. She wins everyone over the minute they meet her and has random strangers smiling in seconds. She's got the charms of her father, what can I say:) I love this little girl of mine so much. Happy birthday sweetheart girl, I love you.

UTAH Sept.3-10

2011-09-15T15:34:00.001-07:00

At Buca Di Beppo where we met everyone for dinner after we flew in.

At Sugar House park with cousin Noelle. Ollie was SO excited to see her.

Water babies

Ollie taking a dip in the cold water.

Amelie is always such an adventurer. She had so much fun getting dirty.

It's true

Liberty park rides

Love this face

Pete and Ryan got on these crazy fast swings. Oliver wanted to go so bad (over my dead body). Amelie cried the whole time watching Ryan, she was so worried. They had a great time though.

We celebrated Chelsea's birthday early with sandwiches and cake at the park. Chelsea who has always been perpetually 7 years old is now 21. Where in the world does the time go?! I'm kinda glad she's grown up now cause she gets to be one of my best friends.

Mountain man

Tan little body

We got to stay at grandma and grandpa Smarts house for a few nights. We always love to stay there and are so well taken care of. Ollie and Ami ran around calling for "grandma" and "grandpa" all day long. They settled right in. There is a special spirit in their home and we're grateful to have them as such great examples.

I LOVE this picture. The Logan temple is so gorgeous.

We stopped off at Poco Loco Swim Shop to see grandpa Kelley. We had a fun time chatting with grandpa and the kids had a blast running like crazies throughout the store. Grandpa even gave Ollie a cool swim toy and Amelie some rubber duckies. I love grandpa Kelley and was so happy to give him a big hug.

Ollie and Ami with grandpa Coats.

It was nice to see where grandpa Coats moved and be able to sit and go over memories of grandma. I can tell he really misses her. I love that grandpa always calls me "Beck". He is such a fun guy to be around. He even let the kids eat his jello stash:)

Gorgeous temple

My little miss walking the temple grounds

Daddy and daughter

My little twinner. Aren't we lucky that families are forever

I have to tell this funny story. When we walked up the windy stairs to go up and see the statue of Christ, Amelie excitedly exclaimed "Wall-E!" She was looking at all the stars and planets painted on the walls. We sat and listened to the missionaries talk about Christ's sacrifice for us. Oliver listened very carefully.

Then we headed to BYU campus to see Laura and Chelsea, our little students.

They had a club fair going on and were giving away all sorts of free stuff like cotton candy and popcorn and licorice. The kids were in heaven.

Riding the ferris wheel with Dad.

Of course we had to bowling while we were on campus. You might not know this but Ryan did get his name on the wall for having one of the highest scores.

Ollie had seriously been asking to bowl for the last six months. He was beyond excited to bowl. He ended up taking my turn and Amelie's turn because let's be honest, we just couldn't beat his enthusiasm.

Ahhh, a family of bowlers. Wouldn't have it any other way.

We stopped off at the Provo house to see grandpa and grandma Facer before they headed off to California. Ryan and I always laugh when we think of the time we lived in the basement when we first got married. Life was so simple then:)

We got to spend a few nights at my best friend Brooke's house and hang out with little Penny girl. Oliver and Amelie had such a blast fussing over a baby, well mostly Oliver. They took us up the canyon on our last night and Luke made some awesome foil dinners.

Is this girl made for the outdoors or what. Ears and all.

Getting the fire going. It had just rained that afternoon so it was a little soggy but the smell was to die for.
Our trip to Utah was so much fun. We loved to see so many friends and family that are so important to us. It was strange to realize that this was our first official classic family trip and that maybe one day Ollie will remember that time we went to Utah. I hold those memories so sacred and it's fun to know we're building those for our kids.

Sept. 11th

2011-09-11T23:00:00.000-07:00

I remember 10 years ago today, I was a freshman at BYU-Idaho. I woke up in the morning same as always, got in the shower, started to blow dry my hair and Kristen came in and said "Bets, a plane just hit the world trade center in New York". I had to register a moment what she was talking about. It didn't sound real. Immediately I remembered a trip I spent with my Dad and sister Regan where we went to the trade center and walked around. I remember how enormous and vast the buildings were, how many people worked there. New York, it couldn't be true. How does that even happen?

So I went to our tv and started watching everything unfold. I just remember climbing onto the couch, curling my legs up and crying. I can remember the gasp that came out when the second plane hit and I thought the world was coming to an end. I seriously felt this heavy panic set in as the newscasters confirmed that this was not accidental. Who could be capable of this? I don't know why but it didn't hit me immediately that the towers could come down. When it happened, it was like the air was being taken from me, like it was for so many people there who's lives were taken.

I sat all day in front of the tv and watched what evil was capable of. I prayed and prayed all day for those who were taken, for their families. I prayed for those who were trying to help, and those who died helping. I remember going on campus that day and looking around for some kind of reaction from others. It seemed strange that people were going on with their day. I don't know what I expected but it felt like we should all just sit and be still. So that's basically what I did for the days following the attack.

I had a few "why God" moments as I digested what had happened. I had some very real spiritual moments as I was reassured God has a plan for each of us and knows all. I was so comforted to know that families can be together forever. That those who lost the ones they loved would be reunited after this life. I had moments of understanding and even forgiveness for the bad decisions of others. I saw love everywhere. Truly, I have never seen so much compassion and love as our country united itself. All the petty inconveniences of life were put away. Everyone understood for a moment what really matters. We were all given a bit of clarity. I'm glad that I got to re-live some of those moments today as I pondered upon this anniversary. I'm glad to sit in church and know that our Heavenly Father loves each of us and wants more than anything for us to love one another.

I hope I can always remember...

A little sunset action

2011-08-29T21:22:00.000-07:00

Ummmm future Christmas card? Possibly

Grandpa with the kiddles

Grandpa and Ollie

More of the sunset

The many faces of Oliver

This one was all him

Karate moves

I told him to show me his lover boy face, haha

I'm not sure what's going on here but it looks a little like excitement

Loving on Amelie as usual. I have to say that I love 4 year old Oliver. There's just something amazing about reasoning with a child. Being able to explain why he can't have something and him saying "oh, ok mom. I see that". I love that Ollie tells me he loves me at least a dozen times a day. My mom asks Oliver why he loves me so much the other day and he said "Cause she's cute". That kid is seriously going to be a heart breaker. I have never seen someone so excited about all the small things in life. I'm so happy I have another year at home with him before he's officially a big boy.

Sand angels

I could seriously kiss this mischievous little face all day long. Ami has gotten to be the funniest little thing. She is talking so much these days I can't believe it. I think she's actually speaking more spanish than english and her favorite word is "vamanos"! She can name all the features on her face in spanish and english. What a little smartie this girl is. If you try and take something she thinks is hers, she yells "mines" at you. It's hilarious. The minute music comes on, no matter when or what kind, she is dancing. The girls got moves.

A lady who was with her teenage daughter stopped me today at the store and I seriously saw them coming cause the minute I saw her daughter I thought she looked just like Ami fast forward 15 years. Well the minute I thought that, her mom gasped and I could see she was being taken back in time to when her little girl was small. She said that her daughter looked just like Ami. It was this funny connection I felt to her in that moment. Like maybe I could ask "how can I make time stop" and she could ask me "can I go back in time please"? I thought we were both going to cry:) It was just one of those moments I wanted to pick up my chubby almost toddler and never let her go.

The Sawdust Festival

2011-08-29T21:10:00.000-07:00

Only can you find a bus stop quite so stylish in Laguna:) I love gallavanting around town with my Laura Linny. She is so much fun, I can't get enough of her. I can't wait for her to finish school and find a sweet job in sunny CA:)

The gorgeous watermill. I'm telling you the ambiance of this place, with the running water, smell of kettlecorn, live band, and glow of lights under a green canopy, it's enough to make me set up my own little corner of bunkbeds to sleep there.
All the little shops set up by each artist, whether it be jewelry, paintings, or pottery. Walking into the sawdust festival is like walking back in time. I love the way it feels and smells, it's really enchanting.

Ryan decided to walk down to the beach while we browsed. We were waiting for the Pageant of the Masters to start and man oh man, was it cool. I was not at all dissapointed this year. The theme was "Only Make Believe" and it was very inspired. I can't wait to take Ollie one day. He would really get a kick out of all of this artsy stuff and the live symphony.

Family Home Evening!

2011-08-26T08:33:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago we did our FHE night with Jon and Jill and the kids and decided to do one of our favorite things, ride the summer trolley in Laguna!

The kids had such a blast. Seriously I think I could probably just keep my kids entertained going on the trolley a few hours every night.

Of course we had to make a stop at Casey's Cupcakes for some goodies too. I feel so blessed that we get to have Jon and Jill close by and Ollie and Amelie will have cousins to grow up next to.

We need to make this a monthly tradition:)

Family in town

2011-08-05T16:21:00.000-07:00

Andrea, this one's for you!

Smore's of course

Marshmallow eating to the max

My Mom, Aunt Jamie, Aunt Julie, Aunt Lisa, and Grandma. It was so fun to see lots of my aunts here and especially Grandma. I think my parents should stay here because then we get to benefit from visitors all the time!

Classic 4 generation picture:)

Thank you family for coming to visit. It's always special to see you and get to hang out, especially when it's on the beach:)

Visit with Brooklyn and Penny!

2011-08-05T16:12:00.000-07:00

We had a few visitors a few weeks ago, my Brooklyn and her newest little chica Penelope. We love them. They should leave Utah forever and move here. B, don't buy a house, you'll never get out. Be sure to tell Luke that:) Love you, thanks for coming to see us!

Independence Day

2011-07-06T14:53:00.000-07:00

Carson and Oliver loving the firepit they picked out with Grandpa. My dad left with the boys and was gone at least 2 hours and we all joked that they probably went to the hardware store:) Well, they did just that and came back with a firepit. So funny.

The marshmallow eating sequence. I think Ami had more than anyone else:)

Our dear friend Jeffrey came for a visit and are so glad he's back from NY in sunny CA. Jeffrey, I hope we see much more of you, we love you!

Grampa and Ollie taking a dip to cool off.

The dad's and the kids.

Happy 4th!

Little Luke giggling. I can't believe what a chubster this guy is since I saw him last.

Flag raising

Dad and Ollie getting ready for the parade.

My patriotic ensemble

My sweet Ollie cakes. We realized that we forgot Ollie's bike for the parade at home (and actually we wouldn't have been able to fit it with all our beach stuff anyways) so he was trying to get happy instead of think about all the other kids with their cool bikes.

We really had the best 4th of July this year! In the morning we went to my parents place where their community was putting on a pancake breakfast, flag ceremony, and a parade. It was so fun to see tons of families out enjoying the beautiful day and defining what it is to be American. After that we went swimming for a bit and then headed down to the beach with tons more family that joined us. Ryan went surfing with his brothers, cousins, and friends while the kids played with each other on the sand. We had tons of people there; the Facer's, Uncle Mark and his family, the Leseurs, Andrea and her family, my parents, and tons of friends! I didn't get any pics at the beach because I was apprehensive to take my camera to the sand but it was lots of fun. After the beach, we went back to my parents for some fire and smores, and of course fireworks later that night. It was a blast, you just gotta love the 4th of July:)

Dad's Birthday!

2011-07-03T21:44:00.000-07:00

We had a dinner for Dad's birthday tonight with some family and celebrated his 60th birthday, can you believe it! 60 never looked so good! Mom and I and Leah picked out a really yummy cake for Dad because he does have a thing for good cake and we had fun watching the kids devour it. I love my dad because he really gets excited about life. I sometimes imagine Ollie as a very miniature version of my dad, they are so similar at times. My dad loves to share his excitment with everyone. Whenever he gets a new car, he can't wait to take you out for a spin or let Ryan and I take it out on a date. He loves to share everything with his family. He is so passionate about art, history, music, and so many other things. He is always so positive and upbeat about life even when things get hard. Have you ever watched the movie "Big Fish"? That movie reminds me so much of my dad. His stories aren't always true and are usually a little embelished, but that's because he sees things being so much more colorful and exciting than reality. What he comes up with is always a better story than the real story:) I don't mind that, I like to see things that way too. He has sacrificed so much to have 7 kids, I mean seriously, it's not an easy thing to do. You can tell that nothing else matters as much to him as his family. I want all the happiness in the world for my dad. He really deserves it.

Beach Day with the Bonners

2011-07-03T21:22:00.000-07:00

This weekend Leah and Steve came down with their kids to celebrate Dad's birthday and the 4th of July. We went to the kids beach in Dana Point and the boys had a blast playing in the water and taking turns pulling each other on the boogie boards. We also rented a paddleboard and it was so much fun to take out, seriously I want one! Carson and Ollie are starting to get along really well and it's fun watching them play together and be mischevious boys. Luke is getting so chubby and round, I love babies at that stage. Oliver and Ami were having fun making faces at Luke getting him laughing and smiling. I love that Leah and Steve are close enough to drive down for the weekend so we get to see them often. One of the many perks of having mom and dad close is that whenever anyone comes to visit them, we get to see them too!

Super craigslist find

2011-07-03T21:11:00.001-07:00

Don't you love when you find a good craigslist hit! So Ami has recently become obsessed with baby dolls and almost steals one from nursery at church every Sunday. I had been searching for a good craigslist deal for a baby doll and emailed this lady about a month ago and never heard back. Well anyways she had been out of town and emailed me when she got back and said I could come pick up all these baby dolls and accessories for free! They were moving and getting rid of tons of stuff, it was so awesome. Amelie and Oliver were SOO excited about these baby and their clothes, highchair, and carseat. I was laughing so hard watching Ami carry her baby around feeding it a bottle and putting it in it's highchair. She even dropped the baby out of it's carseat and picked it up and said "ohhhh" in the sweetest comforting voice and held her close, patting her. I love how little girls just have that natural nurturing ability. Ollie is quite the nurturer too though, I must say. I love watching these two play together.

More family time

2011-07-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

Amelie and Tica are like little twinner girls. Since Amelie is miniature she is pretty much Tica's size, even though they are 6 months apart, which makes watching them play side by side really fun. Everyone would often mistake them from behind. Such cute girls, they will be great friends. Chelsea came home from London for a few days to hang out and we were so excited to see her and hear all about her travels abroad. Family time really is the best time!

Ryan's bday celebration!

2011-07-03T20:51:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky on Ryan's bday weekend to have so much family here! Ryan's brother Jeff was leaving on his mission to Uganda the next week so Aaron and Meg and Tica were there for a visit. We love to spend time with their cute family between all their adventures. We planned a surf/beach day that was glorious weather wise, not so much surf wise:) But the boys still had a blast surfing, all 5 of them!! Then we came to our place for a bbq/pool time/cake and we had so much fun filling our house to the brim with people we love. Ryan's aunt and uncle from Utah were there too for Jeff's farewell so we had about 25 bodies in our house, pretty impressive! We had such a fun time celebrating Ryan's birthday. A lot of people love Ryan. I can definitely see why.

Love this one

2011-06-23T21:33:00.001-07:00

It's Ryan's birthday tomorrow and I knew I wouldn't get the chance to write a few birthday notes to him with the festivities of the day.

I prefer Ryan's company to anyone else's.

I am in constant giggles sometimes when he's around. He can be really really funny.

Ryan has a tender heart just like mine.

Ryan doesn't mind being vulnerable or embarrasing himself. He doesn't let pride get in the way.

Ryan is a hard worker and is always looking to help. He doesn't even keep mental notes of who owes who like I sometimes do. You know us girls do that. Like if I watch the kids while he surfs then he owes me something, right? Well Ryan is too good for a point system. I need to work on that.

Ryan is the priest advisor at church and those boys love him. Ryan has this ability to make you see all the good in yourself and buy into the possibility that you are capable of anything. He really knows how to love people and follow through.

He has an awesome body without even trying.

Ryan has amazing faith. I am very strong and stubborn but when Ryan tells me he has faith in something, it is so easy to put all my trust in him. I know he will always put the right things first in his life.

He encourages me to do the things I love. He is always so supportive when I have to meet with clients, even when a whole week goes by and we haven't spent an evening together. He works out everything when I'm at a birth for days. And he is so happy and proud of me when I get home.

He reminds me constantly about what being in love is all about.

I pray every night and thank God for Ryan in my life. My life would be so different without him. He brings all the goodness and love into my life and I am so thankful he chooses to be with me everyday. Love you forever and always.

Afternoon in the sand

2011-05-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

This is the face Ollie makes when I tell him to look sweet. Works for me:)

Chubby baby bodies in the sand= happiness

Me and my kiddos
Dad teaching Amelie a thing or two about sand toys
Snuggles

and more snuggles
Sand really is so cool
Girlfriend's first bun. It was a fluke when I was putting her hair up because she moved and this is how far I got to pull it through. I decided to leave it cause it looked a little sumo-ish and Ami is packing on the pounds lately.
My sweetheart and I
Oliver is gearing up to throw a huge handful of sand at this bird but you could never tell by how serene the scene is:)

Oliver is his very first wetsuit. That deserves a shaka I believe.
Out to the waves
Devin and Ryan, the hubbies as we like to call them. I've decided that these boys look too young for thier own good. Will my husband always look about 10 years younger than me. Not cool. You know you've got a problem when the girls at church are crushing on your man. Hands off girls. Hands off.

Father and Son

2011-05-20T17:09:00.001-07:00

Today marks the first year that Ryan is taking Oliver to the Father & Sons campout! They are camping for the night in San Onofre, roasting marshmallows, eating hotdogs, and basically having some sweet male bonding time. I know that for Ryan growing up, the Father and Sons campout was special because they had 5 boys in their family and I'm sure it was a total blast! In my family, my dad got his one and only so I know it must have been a very special time. I am excited for Ryan to have these moments with Ollie and build those memories that will last his life. I mean isn't this the stuff that makes you who you are. What a lucky boy Oliver is to have such an awesome dad to do this trip with. Us girls are a little jealous at home but you know we'll find something great to do while the boys are gone. Maybe I'll paint Ami's nails and watch Clueless:)

Ode to Oprah

2011-05-09T13:07:00.000-07:00

Well, this should be surprising to most that Ryan, not Becky, is dedicating a post to Ms. Oprah Winfrey. As a small boy I remember my friends Moms talking almost obsessively about the latest Oprah. However, I never really knew what Oprah was really about until I married Becky.

As you all know, Becky is very passionate (one of my favorite qualities about her) and the 'O' show tailors to the passionate, intuitive viewer. Even before I found out that this was the farewell season, I had internally committed to get her to a show at some point in her life (thinking Oprah would live forever). When I heard that this was the end, I felt helpless. So in a final effort I sent the show an email:

Dear Oprah,

I am a 27 year old California resident. I have been married to my childhood best friend and the ultimate love of my life for the past 5 years and we have two beautiful children. Although my wife and I grew up together and were very close friends, I did not cue into her enthusiastic routine of watching your show until we were married. During our time together at the University, I would often find myself walking through the door of our small apartment in the afternoon after classes to an increasingly familiar sight. The first thing I would notice would be your show on the television in the background, then my gaze would focus on the teary brown-eyed girl sitting closer to me. She would look at me thoughtfully and then say, “Babe, come sit down. You will not believe this story!”. Sometimes the stories were sad, sometimes horrifying, sometimes hysterical but mostly they were inspiring.

It was the inspiring theme behind your show that first gave me the impression to one day write a letter to the Oprah Winfrey show so that my Baby could go there in person one day. Now to be frank, I feel that I’ve been unjustly dealt with to have this be your final season. Other husbands have had 20 plus years to write you and do precisely what I’m doing while their wives have been avid viewers of your show. I can’t help it that I was born in the 80’s. Regardless, I still have to try.

I wish I had a story to tell you, to grab your attention. I wish I could say something notable enough for this letter to stand out above the hundreds of thousands that will undoubtedly reach your studio this season. All I really have to say is that I love my wife, I love my family, and I love to see ‘the good’ in other people and be inspired to reciprocate that light. So I guess I want to say thank you: for magnifying ‘the good’ in people and inspiring the rest of us to do the same.

You will be greatly missed weekday afternoons but I wish you all the best in life as you strive to do your part among so many. God bless.

Sincerely,
Ryan Facer

I wish this is where I could say, Oprah read my email and is sending Becky to the next show! I sent this email back in November of last year and have not heard anything. I knew it was a shot in the dark among so many other people doing the same thing; but I had to give it a shot. I love my Baby, I want to do everything I can to make all her dreams come true. Anyway, I just wanted you to know I tried; and although it may seem funny, I will miss the afternoon Oprah myself. It's refreshing having someone with so much influence consistently trying to do so much good for others.

Mother's Day

2011-05-08T21:56:00.000-07:00

Today at church, we had a lesson about Mary, the mother of Jesus. We talked about what kind of person she must have been to accept the calling to raise and nurture God's son. She was guessed to be between 14 and 16. Can you imagine what an amazing young women she had to be at that young age to have the faith and say yes I can do this and am willing to. I was overwhelmed with today's lesson. I have no idea why, but once I started crying, I just couldn't stop. Maybe it's because lately I have been feeling overwhelmed as a mom. Like somehow I've been failing. I realized that I have spent time complaining when really it should be spent in gratitude. Obviously we all have our moments as moms where we just need to vent and say this is a lot. But I want to spend my time laughing at those moments that are too much and dropping what I'm doing to spend time with my kids, instead of feeling inconvenienced. Honestly, what could be more important.

I couldn't believe my eyes when my little Ollie stood in front of church with the primary kids singing their mother's day song. When did he get that big and brave? And Amelie, she is talking and is showing so much personality and is so smart. She is on the brink of becoming a full fledged toddler. They truly are growing up every day and there is nothing I can do to stop it. But I can live in each moment, and participate in every step. Soon they will be teenagers and I will be saying "remember when" with tears in my eyes. The times with little ones at home can have it's challenges for sure but aren't they some of the most tender moments you'll have as a mother. I know they are.

Seriously, I thought if I had been asked what Mary was asked, I would have said outright, I am totally not cut out for this. The reality though is that I have been asked the same thing. We all have as mother's. I mean not to the extent to raise this perfect being, the savior of the world, but we have been trusted with these spiritual beings full of potential and goodness and it's our job to teach them and love them. So when I get caught up in the hard work of being a mother, I am reminded of the privilege it is to do so. And reminded that there is no other job in the world that compares to the rewards and blessings a mother receives. I hope that I can have a more grateful heart and fashion the desires of it after Mary who was the ultimate example.

I am so grateful for my mom. I honestly have no idea how she did it. Not only did she survive 7 kids in 10 years, but I do have to say, we all turned out pretty great. When I had Oliver, I remember my mom being there to help me with all my first moments as a mom and teaching me, never judging me along the way. When she left, we were both in tears as she walked out the door leaving me to figure these things out on my own. The best part is I have never felt on my own with my mom by my side. She is always there to listen and I know she had her struggles as a mom, but that makes my struggles seem so much more bearable.

I am also so thankful for my sisters and the mother's they have become and the examples they are to me. I am so thankful for the good friends I have who laugh and cry with me when things get tough. I am so honored to be apart of that sisterhood. Being a mom is all it's cracked up to be, and so much more.

Happy Mother's Day!

Sea World!!!

2011-05-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

We went to Sea World yesterday with Cam's class and it was seriously the perfect day. Sad part was Ryan couldn't come because of work but that just means we'll have to go again soon:)

Ami and her little Shamu. Mom is sucha sucker

Oliver waiting pateintly for the dolphins to come over for us to pet. Oh and he got this sword and had not let it out of his sight since. Love the backshirt action.

While we waited the dolphins practiced and played. They are so amazing. This was the highight of the day for sure.

Check them out!

Ollie's first encounter!

He started talking to us and gave us this great smile:)

The kids looking like the last thing they want to do is pose for a picture. Oh well, I got one!

Ami checking out a sea turtle

Strike a pose. Doesn't this totally look like america's next top model for babies. Her stance and the background is so funny. I'd vote for her

Amelie and the starfishSharks!!!

Oliver decided he wasn't that scared after all. The verdict is still out on Ami

The reality of being too short. It sucks. Ollie next year is your year!One minute she was like this...
and the next...(luckily I had wiped off the dorito remains)

The group acting like tigers coming out of the jungle

After Sea World we wanted to get some local eats from a delish Mexican eatery. We headed to old town and had some yummy carnitas and definitely ate way too much. I think I'm letting Andrea's pregnancy rub off on my eating. It needs to get under control:) You got to take advantage of good food when you've got it! It was such a fun filled day and we all slept so well last night. We might need to get season passes...

Easter

2011-05-03T17:16:00.001-07:00

Easter this year we hid the kids baskets in the house on Saturday and had them search them out. I was leaving for Utah the next day so Ryan took the kids to the Facers for an Easter egg hunt. I was so grateful this year for my savior's sacrifice and ressurection and the hope that I too can overcome my weaknesses and be made whole one day. I am most grateful for these precious Easter gifts...

The coolest park in the world!

2011-04-30T17:23:00.000-07:00

This is what we commonly refer to as the coolest park in the world. Bluebird park is in the heart of Laguna Beach and it is really one of our favorite spots to play. While Laura and Chelsea were here, they went with us for a visit. Aunties are the best!

Ami exploring the tunnels...

My sweet Ollie boy. I'm pretty sure Oliver gets cuter and sweeter as each day passes. His kindness constantly amazes me. That boy is all heart.

I totally covet this turtle. I love sea turtles and mosaics and look at all those bright colors! Just makes me happy when I see it.

Ollie with his cute friend Danica

Trying to get Amelie to hold still for a picture is near impossible. Can't you tell?

Love this little exploring body. Ami is so adventurous and independent.

Happy girl

And a few shots of Laguna cause I can't resist...

Let the swim season begin!

2011-04-20T16:46:00.000-07:00

We like to swim in our family. My parents always said we were water babies and in Arizona growing up you better believe we always had a pool. We were all swimming by the time we were two so I have already made a goal to teach Amelie by the end of the summer. I have always been a good swimmer if I do say so myself and Ryan swims a ton while surfing. That's the next goal by the way...to teach Ollie how to surf like his Dad. Big stuff here folks. These two look like they're ready to take on the challenge:)

Swimming is such fun!
Always ready to make a splash!
Ami, where's your belly button?

Where's your nose?
Ollie always has a way of looking very mischevious at all times. Lately he has been really into "poop" humor. Like literally 20 times a day he says "mom, guess what? poop". Some times he cannot even get the words out before he loses himself in hysterical laughter.

This little lady is already getting so tanned for the summer. I love the tan lines that come from fat rolls, although she is losing a lot of them:( I am amazed with Ami lately. She is repeating almost all the words I say to her, english and spanish alike. She is one smart cookie.
Ollie has been so easy lately. He is like this sweet, happy child and I sure hope it lasts for a long long time. He is as sweet as they come and he makes life great.
Ready!
Set!
Go! Warm weather and water, here we come!!!

One year later...

2011-04-06T08:27:00.000-07:00

Crazy to think it's been a whole year since we moved here. Even though Ryan was still working in Santa Monica this time last year, we just knew we wanted to be here in the green hills by the beach and out of LA. We really didn't know this area well and just happened to see a listing go up the day we were driving around looking. So we stopped by and took a look and I peeked in the windows by the back fence and fell in love. I had the best feeling about moving here and basically knew nothing about the neighborhood or town. I also didn't know how ridiculously close we were to Laguna. Pretty good surprise.

This house has been the perfect fit for us. There are so many little things about it that I love that just make life more comfortable. I actually haven't had one complaint about this house. When we first moved in after living with parents for a while, we felt like we were on the vacation that would end. It really hasn't and there isn't a night that goes by that I don't thank my heavenly father for the blessing of living in this beautiful place and most importantly having a husband who works hard to provide it.

I feel kinda jinxed now though. You see, I've always been a traveling girl and have had a streak of fickle desires to move every year. When I was little, my parents moved often which I actually loved. I love the chance to discover a new place, reinvent yourself again, make new friends, and get settled just in time to step out of your comfort zone. I think change is good. Ryan and I have been at opposite ends on this one. He basically lived in the same house his whole life and just assumed that's what people do. They find a place they love, they settle, kids play soccer, you get invested into a place, and that's that.

I never really saw myself in this scenario. Until now. Ok ok, I'm not saying the traveling urge to move somewhere new is gone, trust me, I wish it was. But I am saying I get where everyone is coming from with the settling down thing. I LOVE it here in Orange County and honestly, can't really see myself leaving. Not only do we have the most gorgeous beach just steps away, but the air is clean, the hills are green and lush, the people are nice, there are tons of kids around, it's safe, and we have family all around. That's what you call a happy life. I think the only thing that would get us out of here is if Ryan got that amazing job offer in Hawaii, because let me tell you, there's no way I'm saying no to that face.

I am grateful for the people we have met this last year here. I have the greatest friends here. I remember the first Sunday at church here looking around and thinking, why is everyone so gorgeous, they must know they're gorgeous:) It's funny how you make assumptions about people and they are the ones that end up being your closest friends. Ryan's calling in the ward is with the young men and he loves those boys. I know he's looking forward to sending them on missions.

So there it is, I guess I've been converted and happy to say so. Guess this means that if I can't move to a new place every few years, we'll just have to do a lot of traveling:)

More fun with the family

2011-03-28T21:46:00.001-07:00

My lover boy

Oliver was so sweet and gentle with these little animals. He talked so softly to them and just wanted to take one home. It was so cute

Noelle and Oliver could have sat and played all day with the animals.

Carson holding Ami. These two are cut from the same mold. They could easily be brother and sister. Cute, that's all there is to it.

Laura's home!!!

2011-03-28T21:17:00.001-07:00

Back together again!!! Laura came home Saturday morning after 2 hours of waiting for her at the airport. We could hardly wait to see her and give her a huge hug. I got the first hug, I just couldn't help myself when I saw her walk out. It has been the best thing ever having her home and we celebrated the whole family being together by going to Disneyland on Monday.

The excitement on the tram ride. This was Ami's first time when she could actually get excited about Dland. She still didn't know what exactly was going on but she knew it was good

Doesn't Laura look like such a Korean fashion diva? She wins the best dressed return missionary award.

Annie, Gage, Mom, and Laura

Brian being such a cute daddy with baby Adam.

The jungle cruise ride. Usually this ride is the one you do cause there's always no line. This was the craziest day I'd ever seen and the wait for this ride was still like an hour. Insanity

I LOVE this baby. You can just tell he is going to have the funniest little personality. He snuggles with me every time I hold him. I love his cute momma too:)

Ollie and Ryan keeping each other entertained waiting in line.

and they lived happily ever after...

Can you tell these two were meant for each other. I had Amelie within days of Laura leaving. It was really hard for me not to have her there for Amelie's first 18 months. Catch up time:)

Ollie's fave rocket ship ride

The only place you pay to get stuck in traffic and you're happy to do it

Tea cups. I have to sit out on this one or I'll be sick the rest of the day. I remember when I was a little kid and loved this ride. Motion sickness is for oldies.

Disneyland fun for young and old. And as we like to say, the second happiest place on earth...

Ollie's 4th birthday party

2011-03-28T21:07:00.000-07:00

Check it...can you taste the excitement!

Ollie got a view of the bouncy house..excitement escalated

Ollie picked out a power ranger house because he said it "was for boys". He's never seen it but why would that matter. It just looks super cool.

Ami and Papa sharing a juice box

The gang of jumpers! Ollie had so many cute friends come to his party and we're so grateful to have so many people to love our little Oliver. And the best part was that a ton of my family flew in for Laura's homecoming for the next day so he got to have lots of cousins there. Parties are the best.

A seriously good idea

2011-03-28T21:01:00.000-07:00

I had a grand idea one night to lie our sleeping mats on the stairs to see just how much speed we could get going down the stairs. Well, it did not disappoint:) This reminds me so much of childhood...smile:)

Our baby boy is 4!!!

2011-03-17T08:10:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Ollie boy! You are 4 years old and we can hardly believe it. I can still see your chubby little body with your tan skin and dark hair on the first day you were born. I remember wanting you to stay small so I could soak in every minute of you. Little did I know each stage past that would be just as fun. I love that you're becoming your own little person. You are very compassionate and extremely sensitive to others feelings. You want to be everyone's friend and I have never seen you exclude others from play. Whenever you're watching a show and someone is sad or gets picked on, you literally well up in tears sometimes, it's the cutest thing ever. I love that every morning you ask where Dad is and when I say work, you say "but he wants to be here!"

You love your little sister and try your best to make her laugh when she is crying or pick her up when she is running towards the street. You two are good pals and you do a great job sharing with her even when it's hard having a baby around messing up your stuff. Ami thinks you are the coolest.

I love that when I get you dressed in the morning you ask, "where are we going". You're always up for an adventure and looking forward to the next thing. The world is so ready for you. You are a very good listener. When we walk through a store and you want something but mom says no, you just say ok in a very sad tone but walk away, usually, with no questions asked. You love your friends and regularly include the list of them in your prayers.

I love your little boy body and how it jumps and kicks and karates anything in sight. You are a boy through and through and a bit of a rascal which I love. I always told Dad that I wanted kids a bit rascally so they had some good personality and boy I sure got my wish. I love that you're my little twin in personality and looks. Sometimes I wish that we could have been friends when I was four. I bet we would have really gotten along.

I love that you have a tender spirit and already have reverence for things. Whenever I point out a beautiful sunset or sky to you, you say, "yeah mom, its like Jesus".

I couldn't have imagined a more perfect little guy for our family and I am grateful every day for your loving heart and sweet, round face. I love you.

Here's Dad's birthday note:

Feliz cumpleanos hijo! I truly can’t believe that my little Ollie boy is 4 YEARS OLD! Ollie is pure joy in our family. He is the most enthusiastic and happy of boys. He is always happy to see you and will give you a “King’s Welcome” as Papa calls it when you walk through the door. Ollie has an un-paralleled ability to put a smile on your face. I love that Ollie is already so excited to do whatever is going on; a great quality which will definitely draw people to him.

Ollie is a people lover. He always wants to make friends at the park and wants to include everyone. I love how compassionate and sensitive Ollie is (a trait destined to be in-grained into every part of his being as the offspring of Becky Kelley and Ryan Facer). This gift will be one of the greatest blessings of his life as it will allow him to be perceptive and receptive to the spirit.

I love that Ollie is a peace-maker. Even at 4 years old and as active as he can be, Ollie has a way to bring peace back. Sometimes when I’m getting frustrated Ollie will look at me and say, “Dadda, dont be mad. Let’s snuggle”. And without fail it calms me down and brings peace back to the room. Seriously, what maturity for a 4 year old to be able to help his Dadda regain his composure.

Oliver is sooo talented. First and fore-most his artistic talent already exceeds my own; literally. He can ride his bike, skateboard, swim, surf behind the boat and in the ocean with me, play baseball, soccer, and so much more.

I could go on and on about Ollie. I love him so much. I’m glad he was born 4 years ago and that he is sealed to our family for time and eternity. I don’t know what I would do without him. Te quiero mucho mi hijo!

Destro Cat

2011-03-04T21:58:00.000-08:00

Ok so I've seriously dropped the ball on blogging, I admit it. Just no motivation folks, sorry. But my dad did send me this pic from our trip to see Leah for Luke's blessing (pics to come). When I saw this cat I literally gasped. I mean I couldn't even believe my eyes. The picture does not do it justice but this was the most enormous cat I had ever seen. This is what happens when a dog and cat mate, or a cat lives by a nuclear power plant and morphs into something crazy. The best part was, it totally acted like a dog. It was not snotty or rude like cats usually are. It would have climbed in your lap or even sat in one of those lame dog purses people carry around. Secretely (or not so much) I hate cats but I would have taken this cat home. Awesome, just plain and simple.

Happy V Day

2011-02-14T15:56:00.001-08:00

These are my valentines and I love them. You are all my valentines and I love you too. I'm so grateful I have so many people to love in my life and in return I am so loved.

Happy Valentine's Day

In LoVE wiTh jOySChoOl

2011-02-11T10:22:00.000-08:00

Let me just say that there is a lot of LOVE at joyschool. Here are some funny pics of Ollie and his friends this past week as we talked about Valentine's Day. I just LOVE explaining LOVE to a bunch of two and three year olds. We had a lot of "oohhhh's" and "cute"(by ollie mostly) as I read stories about love. I am so grateful to know that these kids are truly LOVED, as ALL kids should be.

Skills

2011-02-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

This my friend's is a pic taken by my amazingly talented cousin Andrea. Seriously, I love her and I love how she see's the world. And I love that this day I was totally at a birth and Ryan dropped the kids off and she watched them the entire day and totally dressed Ami up in some of Cam's old clothes and then found the time to snap a few unbelievable photos. I am seriously lucky that they decided to move so close. My built in sister/best friend:) You're the best, love you...

Johnson time- Balboa style

2011-02-03T11:53:00.001-08:00

Then we decided a trip to the original Ruby's for lunch was in order. Eating in the sun on the end of a pier with the wind blowing and vast ocean to watch is heavenly. I swear it put me in some kind of trance. The kids watched people fish and they were fascinated.

We rented this little Duffy boat off groupons and it was actually pretty fun. We cruised around coveting other people's yachts and all the vacant houses that no one seemed to occupy.

Ryan and Mary decided to surprise us and come to stay in Dana Point for 10 days, ahhh we love them. So they've been here this past week hanging out and taking in the sights and sounds of sunny California. They are staying in a beach house just about 10 minutes away. I could definietely get used to that. The kids have been having a blast together.

Family pic with the newest addition of Halle. We love the Jonhson's!

Reunion weekend!

2011-02-03T11:38:00.000-08:00

Some of my all time favorite people came for a visit this last weekend. I happen to have met the best friends of my life in college and i seriously love these girls and wish that they all lived closer. Brooke came with her pregnant belly (baby girl Penelope) and Kristen came with her doubely pregnant belly (twins!!!) and Mary came to introduce us all to the newest addition to her family, 10 week old Halle. Actually all of Mary's family came down too but that's for the next post:) We were missing some of the allstars on this trip and they were indeed missed! Next time girls. It just happened that my client due in 3 weeks went into labor as well as my client who was due in 4, on the same night! It was insane and I finally got a real dose of the craziness of being a doula and having your life on call. Everyone was awesome and just had fun together while I was at the hospital. Here are some highlights of the trip...

-scotcharoo eating, of course. breakfast. lunch. dinner

-best of snl watching

-babymama viewing

-kristen laughing:)

-cheesecake eating

-beach going

-commonly used phrase "preggo time", when refering to kristen and brooke collectively

-lots of labor discussing

-"you can get with this or you can get with that" compliments of our sweet ride, the soul

Girls I love you! Thanks so much for coming to visit. I might need a quarterly girls reunion trip. Hmmm, maybe after all these babies are born. Wish I could be there:)

Kidspace with Dad

2011-02-03T11:26:00.001-08:00

We went to visit my parents a few weekends ago and spent the day at Kidspace. Ryan had never gone which was so weird to me considering how many times I've been. Such is the life of a Dad:) So he finally got to experience it with the kids and I took a few pictures to remember.

Saturday Afternoon...

2011-01-09T21:57:00.001-08:00

We headed down to Laguna to hit the playground at the beach and then discovered a kid's wonderland at the toystore, where Ollie bought a little kite to fly. It was one of those afternoon's that could have kept going and going without ever looking at the time. Oh and I found the perfect little rundown house in Laguna for sale...I'm gonna go stalk it today. Mom what do you say we go in on a house there together? You and Dad can put down 95% and we'll take care of the other 5:)

Orange County ZOO

2011-01-04T22:32:00.000-08:00

The kids and I decided to go explore the Orange County Zoo today. It was such a perfect little zoo for little ones and I was impressed by the variety of animals they had for such a small place. Best two bucks I've ever spent!

Ami was obsessed with this mountain lion...Proof. Actually her face was like this almost the whole time. She is an animal lover, that girl.

Petting Zoo, everyone's favorite part.

AJ kept poking these guys noses and they really didn't seem to mind at all.
They had little brushes for the kids to comb the animals.

He decided that my shirt was worth a taste. Really though, I was getting concerned for my clothes, he wasn't joking.

The zoo is part of Orange County Parks and I swear it's like our own little Griffith Park here in orange county. They have pony rides, paddle boat rentals, train rides, and a huge pond for duck feeding. I might have found my new favorite place with the kids.
Feeding the ducks!
Save some for the ducks Ami!
Can life get any better than these two?

This is a face that is very easy to love, and kiss:)
Oliver decided Ami needed a little protection across the bridge. What a good boy.
She was so excited to be out roaming after being pent up in the house all weekend. Check out the excitement on that face.
I love how green it is after all that rain.
My cute Ollie boy.

Here's to many future visits. I'm so glad our community offers fun things like this to do and I'm so happy to live in a place we can go out in January and enjoy a nice day. When it's 50 and I'm complaining, I need to remind myself of that:)

Sick kids

2011-01-04T22:17:00.001-08:00

Lately we've been fighting ear infections and bronchitis, so Ollie and Amelie get to both do these nebulizer treatments every four hours.We decided to pull out the mattresses, watch movies, and snuggle.

Really, what else do you need when you're sick.

Soon everyone starts to feel better:)

Some kisses from mom and dad and we had sick, but happy kids.

The next night everyone was feeling so much better and even slept all through the night! Yay!

Laguna Lovers

2011-01-02T09:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we were at Andrea and Devin's and everyone was so out of it we decided we needed a long walk on the beach to re-energize our souls. It totally worked! I don't think enough can be said about how much I love the beaches in Laguna. If it wasn't so artsy fartsy and expensive, it might just be my perfect place to live. But then I'd have to worry about my kids growing up like the one's on Laguna Beach and who wants to worry about that. I vote that the cool, middle class, normal folks move in and take over and claim it as our own. I might still hold out that some tiny little shack of a house will go on the market someday in a neighborhood where everyone is down to earth and doesn't mind screaming kids and maybe even has a few of their own. Oh how I love that place. If you've never been to Laguna Beach, go. It does not disappoint. I'm so thankful for my mom who brought us to Laguna growing up and taught us what a special place it is.

Photo courtesy of Andrea, thanks, love you!

Ollie and Noelle on a roller coaster

2010-12-28T20:28:00.000-08:00

So I took this video yesterday at Knott's Berry Farm when we went with my family of Ollie and his cousin Noelle on a ride. The ride was so fast and bumpy I couldn't believe I even got the video but oh man it was so worth it. Seriously hysterical. Sorry that it's sideways:) It's the video at the top that's 30 something seconds. Here's the link... knott's roller screamer enjoy!

Stop time

2010-12-28T20:10:00.001-08:00

Ok seriously, I realize I am totally blogging with mobile uploads and that is so annoying but I have really dropped the ball on bringing my camera with me lately places and my phone just happens to be ridiculously convenient. I just have to pause a moment and look at my sweet almost 15 month old baby girl and relish in the deliciousness of her age. I really could sit around all day and watch her. Oh wait I already do but really she cracks me up with the little lady she is becoming. She is so good natured and sweet. I especially love striping her down to a diaper and watching her miniature chubby body toddle around like she owns the place. She rarely ever complains but sometimes you can see the inner diva come out and you know this girl won't let anyone push her around. With a big brother like Ollie constantly playing spider-man and karate chop on the poor girl, she is quite the good sport and gets a big kick out of him, most of the time. Can I please just have her stay this age a little longer? I can't get enough. It's like I need to have my video camera on at all times to capture each little look and sound. I'm having one of those "mom moments". I love her love her LOVE her. Ps, today marks the first day she had her hair done in pigtails. Monumental indeed.

Ward Christmas Party 2010

2010-12-18T20:41:00.001-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Aloha from the rock

2010-12-12T21:01:00.000-08:00

Here we are!

The magical mountains on the windward side.

The first day coming to a close...

A cute little surprise performance in town that night.

Ryan's youngest brother Jeff is at BYU Hawaii so of course we had to go give him loves.Can you tell these brothers love each other or what?
My cousin Andrea and her husband Devin came and we got to show them around the island for their first time. They were seriously fun travel buddies. Andrea and I kept joking that we were each others photographers:)
Ahhhh Hawaiian recycling

First order of business. Find the surf. Being December on the North Shore, we didn't have to look too long.

Ryan and Mary Johnson...do you recognize this beach?? We will never go there again without you. Better yet, let's all buy our own little house there.

This reef was rad and kicked up the waves really cool.

So you can't see it well at all but there were so many sea turtles everywhere we went. Seriously, we'd be laying at the beach and they would just come up out of the water with the waves, baby ones and big ones. I wanted to cuddle them they were seriously so darling.

Ry coming out of the water for his first session in the waves looking very pleased.

Snorkeling at shark's cove.

Dole plantation love.

I've decided that living in Hawaii on the north shore fulfills all my dreams of simultaneously having a farm with lots of animals and growing an amazing garden and having the ocean at my doorstep. It's a tall order to fill.

Andrea and I went up to these sacred ritual grounds to take pictures one afternoon while the boys were surfing. It was a perfect afternoon with big, dark clouds on the horizon. We tried to conjure up all the crazy things that might have happened there.

Ritual grounds but couldn't this totally be the english countryside or something?
Watching the sets roll in.

Love all around

I love this picture of Ryan. I can honestly say that I don't think I see Ryan happier than when he is in Hawaii. That is reason enough to move there:)

Amazing sunsets, of course.

Ryan's cousin Ske (Matt) also goes to school at BYU so we met up to say hi. We love Ske.

Fall in Hawaii
We sort of fell in love with this little cove and Ryan had his best session of the trip here at Rockies.
I love all these little walkways to the beach.
Beautiful Waimea
We got to stop and see the newly remodeled Pearl Harbor Memorial. Very cool and so worth seeing.

Because you just have to get a picture straight out of the water.

One of many GIANT leaves.

Anyone recognize this beach?? Oh you know, from a show called LOST. Considering it is probably our favorite show of all time, I was a little excited.

Haleiwa at sundown.

So many vibrant colors

A true seasoned Hawaiian at the end of our trip.

One of my favorite spots on the north shore.

Pipe Masters Competition

It was fun to see the pro's out there surfing and making the best of the funny direction of the swell at pipe. I loved all the local kids running up to every guy as they got out to get autographs.

Pipe hopefuls

SO this whole trip was to celebrate the fact that Ryan and I will have been married 5 years on the 30th of this month! Seriously that is just crazy to me. People I meet here and there are always like, well how long have you been married and when I say almost 5 years, no fail they are always like, oh the first 5 are hard but it gets much easier. So obviously we are not perfect and we haven't always seen eye to eye on some things, but to this day, there isn't anyone more perfect for me than Ryan. I am honestly amazed every day at how he loves me. I get to fall in love with him all over again on these trips when I get to take off my mom hat. Everyone needs a chance to do that, being a mom is intense. So if you ever feel the need to be reminded of love, I would suggest a trip to the islands. And if the first 5 years are the hardest, I can't wait for what else is in store for us!

A Halloween Visit

2010-11-09T11:53:00.001-08:00

I forgot to post some cute pics of family visiting over Halloween weekend. We were surprised by Chelsea and Austin driving from BYU for the weekend. Ryan's cousin Luke was speaking at church that weekend about his mission and it happened to be Halloween so it was a good weekend to come down. We went to Aliso beach to carve pumpkins, and then carved more the night we got home. It's always fun to stay up late and hang out and Ollie was in heaven with his aunt and uncle to love. We love you Austin and Chelsea, thanks for visiting!

Ollie playing in fall leaves

2010-11-08T19:54:00.000-08:00

What a pefect fall day. Becky and Oliver and ami spent the day with us and here is the video.

Pretty amazing

2010-11-07T09:06:00.001-08:00

I was thinking a lot lately about how amazing it is to be a doula. Seriously, it really is for me, a total dream come true. I love meeting the new moms. I love seeing the home of the couple and how they've started this life together. I love hearing how they met.

I love seeing LOVE in action.

Being apart of the most exciting moments of their lives before they welcome a new one to the family is pretty priceless. Seriously, when I look back on those moments before Ollie or Amelie came, I remember this energetic hum almost, just waiting for this crazy, miraculous thing to happen. You want to relive it over and over again. And now that's exactly what I get to do.

But my favorite part is the Dad. I'm telling you I have to hold back the tears. I doubt that will ever go away. But the husband caring for his wife is the most wonderful thing to watch. It is love, dedication, commitment, basically all the things that are beautiful in life, all wrapped into one. I'm thinking you can tell a lot about a man by the way he treats his wife in labor. I have seen the very best so far. What an amazing thing to be apart of.

Halloween 2010

2010-11-01T20:54:00.000-07:00

The fam at the ward Trunk or Treat. Mom-flapper girl Dad-batman Ollie- Spiderman Ami- LionI have to say, these two make a pretty cute couple. I got Ryan's outfit from the goodwill that day and then his head thing was a book cover we cut out. Gotta love that.
Ami wants to be a big kid so bad. She wanted to play this game and wouldn't take no for an answer. All the big kids were being so patient with her as she held up the line. She is hard to resist after all.

We borrowed Ollie's costume from my cousin Andrea and it was so perfect. The mask was hilarious cause half the time he couldn't see a thing but I think he actually felt like spiderman with it on. It was so funny to see all the little boys beat each other up with their various super hero costumes. I thought they were supposed to be on the same team.

If this costume looks familiar, it is. Ollie wore this for his 1st Halloween 3 years ago, at 6 1/2 months old. It was my first and probably last true homemade creation. You better believe it will get recycled. Let's also mention here than Ami is twice the age of Ollie when he wore this and it was big on her. Miniature this girl.

Darling Ollie boy, 3 years ago. I think we make awfully cute Lion cubs.

Strands at sundown

2010-10-28T20:30:00.001-07:00

Amelie insisted on walking alone down the path. She is such a big girl these days, I can hardly believe it. She did end up falling face first, but she was still pretty proud.
It was getting so dark but the lighting was so amazing. I wish I could have seen well enough to focus the camera a little better but you get the idea of what an amazing night it was.
Our little Miss Sunshine

Ami and Dad star-gazing.

After two solid weeks of crazy rain the sun came out and the past two days have been totally breathtaking. We got to spend the morning at the beach surfing and then after a meeting Ryan had in the afternoon, we went back. Seriously, if you've ever lived here, you know that after the rain comes the most clear, clean air, and everything is so green. It was 80 today at the beach and it's almost November.

My Baby Dont Mess Around

2010-10-27T09:21:00.000-07:00

I LOVE these girls... But today this shout out goes to my one and only #1! That's right Baby, "it's your 28th Birthday and you're still smoking hot" (This is the official phrase of Becky's birthday this year so that's why it's in quotations and also the reason for the post heading because when I say Becky's 28th birthday phrase I think of that song:). Where do I start to talk about the love of my life? Out of the billions and billions of people on the earth past, present and future; I'm so glad that Becky was born on the 27th day of October 1982. Just think, if she had been a 1981 girl she definitely would have been out of my league and snatched up long before she realized I would ultimately be 3 inches taller than her (fun fact: Becky once said that if it weren't for the 3 inches that I've got on her, we wouldn't have gotten married) and acceptable to marry. Luckily October 27, 1982 placed me just 8 months behind her in the world; just enough time for me to grow up and convince her that she truly is the girl of my dreams and I wouldn't be able to make it without her. I can't exactly explain just how in love with this girl I am. Let's just say that she still catches me looking at her the same way I looked at her on the day I asked her to marry me; completely and hopelessly in love with this girl. Becky has gotten more attractive and more amazing with age; I'm not being facetious she really has. I always thought that I would be the more patient one in our marriage, the one who would really set the example. I was completely wrong. Becky constantly amazes me with the type of things she does as a Mother and especially the type of things she does for me. Becky is one of the most selfless people I know; she is constantly thinking about other people (an NF for sure). Baby, I really could go on and on and on but I'm trying not to be too corny. I love you so very, very much. You were always the one for me and I'm so glad you were sent 28 years ago today so I could find you just when I needed to and make you mine forever. Love you, love you, love you Baby. I hope you have the best day ever.

Take me out to the ball game...

2010-10-24T19:27:00.001-07:00

The cheering section.Ollie's team the "Angels".

Ollie has got a pretty good arm and is all around athletic I think. So this team is made up of 3 and 4 year olds and I tell you, some of those 4 year old are giants. My little Ollie boy is going to have to hold his own next to kids a head taller than him and you know what, I'm not that worried. But seriously, why do they group kids a whole year or more apart. A years a big difference when you've only got 3 under your belt.

Hitting was no problem. Running the bases however was quite a challenge at first.

Nice throw Ollie!

In case you didn't know, my husband was quite the baseball player in his day. The pitcher actually. No big deal. So Ollie's got a great coach to teach him all the neccessary baseball stuff like, "atta boy", bum smacks, chewing gum, spitting out sunflower seeds, and of course the technicalities of the game. There is something really hysterical about watching kids under 5 play sports. I really enjoy it.

Pumpkin patching

2010-10-18T14:38:00.000-07:00

My cousin Andrea's little girl Cambria had a school field trip and we were invited to go! We went to a place called Tanaka Farms in Irvine and it was so darling. We got to pick pumpkins (of course), pick vegetables, take wagon rides, and pet sheep and goats. Ps, these two are second cousins but couldn't they totally be siblings??

They said the kids could take a pumpkin as big as they could carry. I guess Ollie was trying to maximize his take home value.

Picking green beans.

Andrea and Cam. I love these girls and love that we get to hang out all the time.

Carrots are yummy. We came home and made soup from these.
Look at that pint sized body. She look so hilarious walking around because she doesn't look like she should be yet. Move out of her way though cause she can sure go.

A stray radish being put to good use.

So I've heard this rumor that California has no open space anymore and is too overpowered by smog to resemble a country side. Well here's proof to the fact that I think here is pretty awesome. This farm for instance is 10 minutes from Newport Beach. I would have to say that's called having the best of both worlds. Trouble is, we get to pay and arm and a leg for picking vegetables cause it's so "organic". I can't even begin to imagine what kind of money this farm is raking in. Literally.

Ollie found the center of the corn maze! I actually had no idea where he was and hoped I would turn the corner and find him. Luckily he was there. He was lost a few times throughout the day. Thank goodness I had a few other eyes watching.
Mom, come this way!
Amelie was not sure about being put up here with all these pumpkins. Can you tell?
Ollie and his cuteness. I love love love Halloween!

We did haircuts last night!

2010-10-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

Last night we decided the boys needed a trim. I love when Ryan's hair gets long but we're always a little worried about people at work thinking he's some kind of beach bum when clearly that's only who he is on the weekends. So he needed a refined, businessman cut. Oliver on the other hand was ready for a change and I was in an 80's type mood so this is what we got. Personally, I'm in love with it. It's fits his little personality so well. I'm sure the grandparents will all cringe:) Ahh the benefits of being the mom.

Coloring inside the lines

2010-10-15T12:14:00.001-07:00

(that face cracks me up)

I am completely AMAZED at how deliberate and careful Ollie is when he colors. He is getting to be so creative with his art, I really think we might have quite the little artist on our hands. All day he is asking to color or draw, he can't get enough. It is one of my most favorite things to watch him draw. Anyone know of a really inexpensive but awesome art class. Where's my sister Regan when I need her!

Our weekend

2010-10-10T10:29:00.000-07:00

The walk to trestles. Notice Ami's feet:)
Ryan checking out the non-existent surf. Usually after a long walk to Trestles we'd be bugged that there was no surf but today was exceptionally gorgeous.

Sandy babies...

and water babies.

The tide was so low there were lots of things to explore.

Cute Oliver...inspecting something as usual.

We got all the birds to fly all at once by throwing rocks. Not so nice but still very fun.
Amelie loves watching birds so this many at once was quite a sight to behold.

Then she tried to fly like one of them.

Just being cute with her cute Dad.

I am in love with the fact that these two can play together now. Life has officially gotten much easier.

My aunt said yesterday, "don't you love when parenting is team work". Ryan is the best at this. He is always there to do more than enough and makes my life as a mom so much easier.

Then later that same day we headed down to Strands to meet up with some of our favorites. See if you can spot Ollie all the way down the path. Mom and Dad do not move fast enough.

Ami feels very comfortable at the beach doing her signature crab crawl.

Art Friday with Andrea.

Checking out the many creatures on the rocks.

Boys being boys.
The color and glow of this evening was so pretty. It was a perfect October beach day. One more reason why October is the best.

After getting drenched and freezing, Dad gave Ami the shirt off his back.

And you just can't beat this.

What I found upstairs tonight...

2010-10-05T21:07:00.000-07:00

In case you were wondering how our little sleep experiement is going...

I guess being that much closer to mama's bed is totally worth it. Actually Ollie has been doing a great job sleeping in his bed all night long. Now if only I could get the both of them to sleep past 6:15, then we'd be talking.

Doula for hire

2010-10-05T15:23:00.000-07:00

I am finally ready to launch this doula career of mine! With a few births under my belt, I feel trained and ready to start taking on clients so spread the word to any who may need doula services in the orange county area. My website is in the works so I'll let you all know when that happens. I can't wait to have my very own website! My plan is to take two clients a month so there will be limited space. I currently have November open and another spot for December. If you'd like to give someone my name or info, write me a comment and I will give you my email and # privately. It is truly magical to be apart of something like this. I feel so lucky!

October is seriously the best

2010-10-04T20:10:00.000-07:00

It's official, the fall is the BEST season there is and I don't care what anyone else has to say about it. Today we woke up with rainy skies, drizzle, and blustery wind. We put up all our Halloween decorations, went to the library and checked out all the Halloween books we could get our hands on, and then made the most decadent homemade chicken noodle soup.

Both kids went to bed amazingly well tonight. Oliver and I drew up a picture about how he needs to stay in his bed all night instead of coming into mom and dad's room and wanting to sleep there (he has a little bed set up next to ours for the Ami crying nights). I realized today that Ami has been sleeping all night for a while now but Ollie still comes in at night. So I drew this picture of Ollie sleeping in his bed with a big smile on his face and Ryan and I sleeping in our bed down the hall with big smiles on our faces. We talked about how happy everyone is to sleep in their own beds. Ollie calls our bed "mama's bed" and he kept pointing out that Ryan gets to sleep there too then he'd say "wait a minute" and look for Dad's bed. So funny. After I finished explaining the picture to Ollie, he told me everything back almost word for word. He's getting to be such a smart kid. Let's see how tonight goes. I'm ready for a full nights sleep:) You wouldn't think waking up a few times at night would cause so much fatigue but it sure does for me.

In other news, this blog is going private my friends. I have totally been avoiding it because I sort of love that anybody can look at my blog but then I think about the crazy people that could be looking at my blog and it creeps me out. Actually, after watching an Oprah episode on a craigslist rape victim, I got a little spooked and decided better safe than sorry. Poor Ryan had wanted me to go private for a little while now and he was like now you'll go private for Oprah! I do love that woman. I love you more though:) But yeah, in my ideal world I am completely trusting of individuals but I realize that when it comes to my family, I can't always be that naive. I still hold fast to the fact that most people are totally trustworthy and good, but for those who aren't, you will not be invited into my life.

So please, if you do read this blog, send me your email and I will add you to the invited readers list. Since my comments must be moderated, your email will not appear for the public so have no fear. I think blogs are an amazing tool to connect with people and it really does make me sad to do this. Anyways, if you're there and read this, I love you! Keep reading.

Ami's Party!

2010-10-03T20:14:00.000-07:00

The birthday group!It doesn't get better than chocolate covered strawberries. The girls got good taste.

The menu inlcuded the above mentioned strawberries, cupcakes, rice crispy treats, spinach artichoke dip, cheese and crackers, grapes, and chocolate tort. Yum.
My cute client with her darling new addition and sweet hubby.

Ok so I got creative and I might need to show it off for a minute. It might not happen again anytime soon.

Ami got a birthday girl toss in the air. Seriously look at that excitement. I got 3 other pictures just like this. She could have gone all day.

Ollie needed a turn to make sure it really was as fun as it looked. It was.

Cousin love.
Our walking birthday gal.

These two sugar craving kids were probably the most excited of the group. Ollie and Cambria took full advantage of the food.

Thank you friends and family for coming. The day would have been so incomplete without your love. Amelie had a great time turning 1. So can time stop now??

It was someone's birthday yesterday...

2010-09-29T19:36:00.001-07:00

Our birthday girl enjoying her treat yesterday.

She walked around this place like she owned it. She must have known it was her bday.

So this is really happening. Amelie is officially a year old and I seriously can't believe it. Yesterday I just kept looking at her thinking, how did this happen, and how are you walking and jabbering and laughing and being such a big girl playing alongside your brother. This girl gives my life such complete joy, that's really all I can say about her. She emits happiness and joy wherever she is. I feel like she will bring so many people throughout her life that light that they've been looking for. She will make everyone so happy for knowing her. Seriously, what more can you ask for as a mom. Here are some of my favorite things about my sweet AmiJane...

-I don't believe for a second that she is shy but sometimes just for fun, she likes to tilt her head to the side, being bashful and grin. It is so cute, I could just eat it up.

-She is super tough. She has fallen in the pool (neglectful parent?) like 3 times this past week, nothing crazy but enough that most kids would be in tears. Well she pops right out of the water and looks around and smiles, like, mom did you see that?!

-She has been in this big pointing phase lately. I love to see all the things she deems point-worthy and watch her little chubby pointer finger pop up at the first sight of something interesting. Lately it's been birds, or anything in the sky.

-She greets everyone with a huge smile and both arms held high over her head.

-She follows me around the house all day, wanting to be apart of anything I'm doing. When I finally cave and pick her up, she sighs, puts her fingers in her mouth, and sometimes lays her head on my shoulder, like, finally mom, this is where I've wanted to be all day.

-She loves music, especially our Yo Gabba Gabba cd and will sit and listen to it until it's over. Sometimes I'll peek in and she's balancing on something and bouncing up and down with the beat.

-Lately she has realized that the louder you are in our house, the more attention you get (awesome). She was sick of being seen as this good-natured, quiet, submissive gal and has found her inner Oliver. Well those two can have some screaming matches just for the fun of it. Well it's mostly fun for Ami cause Ollie is usually saying "Ami, too loud", and she gets a kick out of this huge voice coming out of such a small body.

I remember that Ryan and I prayed, almost every night when I was pregnant, that we'd get sent this sweetheart baby girl of our dreams. A baby that would be easy, laid-back, happy, and joyful. Prayers are definitely heard and answered because we got just that. So to our big one year old girl, we love you and can't wait to see you grow into a more beautiful girl every day. Love you! Mom, Dad, and Ollie

Fun at the beach

2010-09-25T09:44:00.001-07:00

On Sunday night we all had a craving to see the ocean so we headed down just in time to see the sunset. It was seriously amazing. The kids played on the playground in the dark and us adults planned future trips.

Thursday we went to Leslie beach and enjoyed the afternoon. Ryan is still between jobs and basically doesn't have a whole lot to do on Bloomingdale's so he's been home early and we've been hitting the beach frequently. It has been heavenly. Ami said her first "bye-bye" to the train as it passed.

This is one of Oliver's favorite games, the Ami chasing game. The more kids there are to join in on the chase, the better. I cannot get enough of the squeals of delight on both ends of the chase.

Amelie practicing her walking skills on the sand. She is getting to be quite the mover these days. You can tell she's just so pleased with herself and is already planning on how to keep up with Ollie.

What is with 1 year olds and stairs? Well Ami is no different in her obsession with stairs lately. All she wants to do is go up and down, walking of course, none of this crawling business. I LOVE this walkway and I love the above picture. The future is so bright.

This is such a classic Facer face I can't even handle it.

Hello Gerber baby. Wait, I'm not sure if a true Gerber baby would be caught eating so much sand. To Ami's defense, her sand eating has actually calmed down a bit. She is much more interested in storing things in her mouth like rocks, coal, seaweed, shells, all that good stuff. Occasionally she starts actually eating the seaweed. She must think it's really tasty.

We stayed until dark and topped the night off with some sushi. Seriously what is with the sushi obsession lately? It is the only thing we want to eat lately. It just leaves you feeling so satisfied in the best way possible. I need to learn how to make some delicious sushi.

Go Angels!

2010-09-25T09:28:00.001-07:00

So Ryan got four tickets through work for the Angels game on Sept. 8 (totally behind, sorry) and we had casually mentioned to Ryan and Mary on the Lake Powell trip that they should totally come. In true Johnson fashion they booked tickets when they got home and planned a short, 22 hour trip, just to see us, oh and the game:) So we picked them up from the airport a half hour before the game and then took off.

This was the longest game in history, ok maybe not, but it seriously felt like it. It was actually a really good game with a couple amazing moments and then all the sudden we blasted through 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, all the way to 16 innings when finally the Angels won! So we got out of there late, decided to get some dinner in Laguna and luckily we found a restaurant that would serve us food. The next morning we went to the beach and just soaked in the serenity before they had to leave to the land of no ocean. Ryan and Mary were both ready for the airplane and I totally made them get up on the rocks to take pictures, especially of Mary's baby bump and they got soaked by the waves. It was really funny to watch but probably not that comfortable. I blame it on the lack of wave knowledge. I did not get wet when I climbed up:)

As usual, it always feels wrong when we leave each other. Let's not do that anymore.

Amelie at the beach

2010-09-08T12:55:00.001-07:00

And I HAD to mention the arrival of some very special people to our neck of the woods. My cousin Andrea just moved here with her family from Arizona and I am seriously so excited to have them close by, the town next door in fact. I can see the beach days and bonfires now:) Oh btw, she is an amazing photographer in case your in the market.

My son the artist

2010-09-08T12:40:00.000-07:00

Oliver calls this one car rocketship. I think it's absolutely amazing. As we all know, Ollie is a very active, energetic kid who most of the time has a hard time sitting still. Well if you sit him down in front of some blank paper and a pen, he creates some major masterpieces. His little hand is so focused and concise, I am amazed at watching him at work. He is truly an artist. Ryan and I are excited that out of the major artists on both our sides, Ollie inherited that talent.

Oliver decided one day that he was very curious about names and writing them. First he asked me to write grandma's name "suzie". Then he wanted me to write his name, "ollie". Well he exclaimed with pure excitement that grandma and his name had letters that were "same same". The i and e became the focus. He immediately was on a quest to write an e. The above was his first attempt, he got it on that last one. I am amazed at little minds learning.

These were the next e's. Pretty impressive.This is Ollie writing his whole name all by himself. A little out of order but you get the idea. What a smart kid. I can't wait for joyschool to start next week. Back to school and time to learn!

Out of my way, I'm walking here!

2010-09-07T16:25:00.000-07:00

I meant to post this a week ago but it got lost in the massive updating I needed to do, but watch out world, Amelie is almost an official walker. She has to date taken 8 steps on her own and frequently lets go of my hand to take a few steps towards her desired location. She might actually skip walking all together and take off running. With Ollie and his friends to watch, the girl is ready to get going. My sweet little baby girl AmiJane turns 1 on the 28th! Seriously, what's a mom to do! Anyone have any fun birthday party ideas?

*Ignore the horrendous video quality. I had our camera set on the wrong setting, so sad.

Powell time

2010-09-02T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here's what happens after a long drive and desperate parents. You give a 10 month old a piece of licorice and never look back. Well you only look back when it's over and you take full credit for the mess and of course snap a picture. Probably best 20 minutes of Ami's life thus far. We had time to kill before we met the Johnson's at the Wal-Mart in Page and so we went to the visitors center at the St George Temple. It was a good time.

Family Picture!
Team Cash and Ollie, back together again.

Captain Ollie and Captain Cash take the wheel to scout out our sweet spot.

Prego Mary looking gorgeous as always. I'm so excited to see another baby girl Johnson!

Ryan's totally rad 80's lifejacket. That jacket had Ryan written all over it.

Ollie sporting his own life jacket looking stylish.

Johnson family photo on Roxie.

This is basically how Ami was 80% of the trip; nacked, in the sand, playing by the water. The beach that we pulled up to was so perfect for the kids. It's funny being at a beach where you're not worrying about your kids getting taken out by waves. Kinda nice.

This water was the most glorious water, seriously. I have a little phobia about deep water. I admit, there may have been a water shoe purchase made before the trip on my account. I know, they are so dorky but they just make me feel safer. Well my friends, I did not put on my water shoes once. Not even while I went surfing. It's good to conquer your fears.

I just have to say that I can already see a connection being made here with Ollie and Marley. And don't even get me started on the love between Cash and Ami. So they might grow up feeling more life cousins than friends but is it still ok if we force them to date?

Mary charging the waves. You almost can't tell that she's carrying a baby bundle under that jacket. I must say that Mary and I both rocked at surfing, well until the second day when I couldn't get up and got frusterated. But that first day I was proud of myself.

My husband doing what he does best. Such a natural. And so good looking too.

Check it.

Playing in the water. Oliver is a water child in every way. He always wants to be in it and always wants to be doing whatever his Dad is...as you can see below. He is a fantastic swimmer.

He could have done this all day.

Just a couple sunbathers.

Ryan tubing with the three kids.

Marley Jane being cute.Well gente festejana (as Ryan would say). It was so much fun. Thanks for inviting us along. We can't get enough of you. When will we resolve this California/ Idaho issue? Or better yet, when will we vacation in Hawaii three months out of the year so we can all live in the water together. We love you guys, thanks for the awesome trip.