holiday roundup: thanksgiving

the day before thanksgiving was spent at sky zone with a few other families. the adults played trampoline volley ball while the littles danced and ran around. i attempted playing until i wet my pants. it ended up being a really good thing i opted out because we took trampoline volleyball seriously!

eventually, carter came and sat down by me to watch the action. 
his face was priceless!

after volleyball was dodge ball. it was at this moment i was happy as a clam that i was 18 weeks pregnant and could not participate. does dodge ball terrify anybody else?! 

the next day was thanksgiving! my mom thought of this brilliant idea where the men take all the kids to a park while the women cook. it was amazing. usually the women are in high gear trying to prepare the elaborate meal with kids hanging on our legs with sticky hands or playing with their toys that we end up tripping over. it was really lovely to cook and chat with no distractions. 

that night we goofed around in the pool and around the house.

in the evening, per my brother's request, we had a "cultural event" where his wife dayana taught us how to salsa! this actually was a blast. we all felt so incredibly silly and died laughing at ourselves but everyone learned a lot! none of us could intimate that latin flare though. there is no doubt colombians are born to dance! 

^^can you spot my dad?

you bet i will never forget seeing him concentrating on shakin' those hips!

out of no where, ^^trevor decided to show us his salsa moves. 

sneaky mr took lessons when he lived in new york and definitely showed off for us!

that night, before we broke out all the yummy cakes and pies, i forced my mom and sisters to take a picture with me. i've noticed i have very few pictures with people i love the most (excluding daron and carter, i've got them covered!) and boy do i really love these amazing sisters and mom of mine...  

oh, and i almost forgot. 
for your entertainment, a blooper pic of daron's impeccable form. ha!

holiday roundup: halloween & "buzz wight year"

halloween in 2014 was a little chaotic because we moved to san diego two weeks before the holiday. i refused to let all of october go by without doing some of the classic festivities so somehow we fit in a few outings to the pumpkin patch and a night of carving pumpkins.  

the second pumpkin patch we visited, carter was able to try and catch these ducks for a prize. 

i thought he was going to explode from excitement.  

the night we carved pumpkins we announced we were expecting! daron was the mastermind behind creating this display. originally, daron's pumpkin (the one on the left) had these really cool eyes but then they fell out. the original eyes were cool but the new bug eyes cracked me up!

carter was introduced to buzz light year at disneyland and never forgot him. "buzz wight year" {as carter called him} made quite the impression. he must have told me about him 50 million times during the weeks preceding halloween. so naturally, i had to dress him up as buzz light year himself. 

^^to infinity and beyond!

not pictured were mine and daron's jesse and woody costumes. my friend made me the most incredible cow hide chaps and my homemade wig was pretty stellar too. daron, on the other hand, had a mini melt down the night of halloween when he realized i forgot "woody's hat" at my parent's house. 

"babe! i cannot be woody without a hat! they have a whole movie on how woody is not woody without his hat!" 

i convinced him to still dress up and we went trick or treating with new friends in san diego! it was a blast. carter could have trick-or-treated alllllllllll night. the older kids were throwing in the towel while carter was still sprinting to each and every house yelling "trick-or-treat" in his to-die-for-2-year-old-voice. the excitement of getting free candy was almost too much for him to bear.

my favorite moment of halloween was when i did a sneaky and slipped on this lovely halloween mask the morning of while daron was getting ready for work.

you should have seen his face when i rolled over to say good morning.

it was awesome. 

new year's resolutions

{photos by jennifer winder photography}

i think i'm one of the few that actually loves new year's resolutions. 

the beginning of a new year always feels really rejuvenating to me. 

i love the feeling of a fresh start!

this year, i want to declutter and organize my life.

simplify. 

(i blame the growing baby inside me for this resolution. my nesting urges with this baby have been out of control!)

i also want to focus on letting go. 

i want to let go of unrealistic expectations i have on myself and my life. that is... what my life is supposed to look like. sometimes, i find myself stressed about all these random arbitrary standards i have set for myself and i don't even know where they come from! i want to do better at focusing intently on what is right and best for my family because i know that ultimately, that will bring me the most peace. 

i have to say, i felt good about 2014 but i am feeling really good about 2015!

i look forward to meeting this baby girl i'm carrying, seeing carter grow as a big brother, enjoying living on our own again and all the twists and turns one year brings. 

{{oh, last year, my new year's resolution was completely inspired. the first half of the year, i did really well applying it to my life. come Christmas time though, i had forgotten what it was. (it would have been so helpful if i had remembered it the last 6 months of the year). so, this year i have a few tricks up my sleeve to help me not forget!}}

happy (belated) new years!

looking back at 2014

i am currently making our first-ever family yearbook! i have wanted to make a book of some of our favorite memories at the end of the year for about... hmm... 3 years now. i can't believe i am finally starting the tradition. as i go through the photos from the previous year, it's amazing to me some of the things that i forget. there are some moments/events/situations where i literally have the thought, "i am never going to forget this." and then, what, 6 months goes by and i have completely forgotten about it! how does that happen? my instinct is to blame "pregnancy brain" but since it happens every year... i, well, can't. ha!

a few highlights from 2014...

JANUARY

carter getting his walking on!

and this picture, because i love his face.

FEBRUARY

discovering crescent bay

disney dates sans carter

& my favorite valentine's day ever.

MARCH

carter's first signs that he may, one day, eventually like to cuddle. 

APRIL

daron and i celebrating 4 years of marriage!

MAY

our belated honeymoon to italy and greece

JUNE

girl time

and some major carter &  cousin savi cuteness

JULY

independence day spent on coronado island
{i had wanted to spend the 4th at coronado for some time, so this was a dream come true for me!}

AUGUST

an oh, so memorable trip to the high uintas

SEPTEMBER

turning a quarter of a century

OCTOBER

moving to san diego!

and announcing that we are expecting!

NOVEMBER

discovering carter's love for soccer

and finding out we are having a little girl!

DECEMBER

an unforgettable trip to NYC!

and enjoying a beautiful white Christmas!

this past year, i really enjoyed watching our baby become a toddler. that transformation was pure fun. of course it had its moments, but this toddler thing is totally where it's at for me. i also am so grateful that daron and i were able to take a few amazing trips this year! with a baby on the way and lots of nursing ahead of me, i don't see us going anywhere far soon. i was looking forward to 2014 being a simple year with not many surprises and for the most part, that is pretty much what it was. our one huge surprise was moving to san diego! i did not see that one coming. it's always fun when life keeps you on your toes.

looking forward to 2015!