Random

Random, sad, and surprising discovery on the beach during one of my morning jogs - yikes

Birthday Jog & Picnic at Crown Beach

Tuesday was my birthday......and now that I'm a 30-something full-time working mom of a toddler, I don't party and celebrate on my special day like I used to. But I made a promise to myself years ago that I would avoid working on my birthday at all cost if possible. So this year I was indeed fortunate enough to take the day off work - a rare day to myself amongst the other hectic, busy days of my life. I went for a lovely morning jog on Alameda Beach, had a picnic at the park in the sunshine with David, got a bunch of stuff done around the house (had to throw a little bit of productivity in there!), got my annual pedicure as a present to myself, and then David made me a yummy dinner. Overall it was a wonderful day. And an extra special thanks to Mother Nature for the gift of sunshine! :)

Not-so-tasty-treat

On Easter Sunday, amongst the egg hunting and the various meltdowns, Zoey also discovered the wonder of the Dandelion. David picked one for her and right as we thought she was going to blow on the puff, she somehow ended up with the whole Dandelion tuff in her mouth...ick! The pictures speak for themselves....
A not-so-tasty-treat indeed! I think Zoey much prefers her Easter candy. : )

Cousins!

It warms my heart to see Hayden and Zoey playing and laughing together - not only as loving cousins, but as friends too. Leah and I could want nothing more than for our girls to be close as they grow throughout the years. I know both of them will make great big sisters to their own siblings someday - but for now, they are just like "sisters" to each other. Precious!

Easter Weekend

We had a busy, fun-filled Easter weekend with all 3 parts of our family! Friday we had Norma & Gary over for yummy BBQ dinner (Grandma & Grandpa Buffon) : ), Saturday we spent the day in Pleasant Hill at cousin Tony & Megan's house with my dad's side of the family (what a perfect yard for an egg hunt, and so much fun watching all the kids play!), Saturday night David and I went out to dinner at Las Casuelas for an early birthday celebration for me, and finally on Sunday we headed up to Lodi for Easter brunch at Auntie Karen's house with my mom's side of the family. We had a great time with all our loved ones, had lots of yummy food, Zoey got tons of Easter eggs and candy, and many laughs were had. : )

Zoey's Clubhouse!

Daddy got creative and made a special, personalized clubhouse for Zoey! What a lucky girl!

Friends!

While it's understood that we all "collect" amazing friends from different facets of our lives - childhood, high school, college, different jobs throughout the years, activity groups, social sub-cultures, etc., it is a special treasure to have a particular group of friends who stick together over the years despite lifestyle changes, varying personal priorities, and the increased demands of our time and energy that adulthood - LIFE - presents to us. It doesn't matter if we see each other every weekend (like we used to "back in the day"), or once every month or so (like we do now) - regardless, we always pick up right where we left off. This groups of friends will always have a special place in our heart. Love you guys!

Our little firefighter : )

Simple, sweet innocence

Look at those curls! I love you Zoey, oh-so much. : )

Weekend walks....

One of my favorite regular weekend activities is taking long walk/jogs with Zoey in the stroller along Shoreline Drive here in Alameda. We love spending any and all time together as a family, but being outside in the fresh air and the sunshine (or the fog...), tops our list! Outdoor adventures are so much more fun now that that Zoey is so aware of her world (and oh-so curious!), and her vocabulary is growing by the day (she says over 60 words now!). She is so proud of herself when she spots an object that she knows, and enthusiastically exclaims and points, "Plane!", "Flower!", "Tree!", "Dog!", "Duck-Duck!" (for someone reason, she always says it twice), and "Baby!" (basically any other stroller we see gets this label). : )

Saturday was a bit chilly, so we bundled up before heading out - Z got to wear her cute new striped sweater-knit outfit that I love so much. We saw lots of planes and dogs, and yes duck-ducks too, and Zoey even found a pine cone. 18 months is such a fun age!

Our new living room art

What do you think? Zoey now says "flowers!" regularly, due in part to this new addition to our home. Pretty!

Another fun, family weekend in Manteca!

Eating yummy chicken tacos for dinner
I love my daddy!
Where's Zoey?! Peek-a-boo!
Playing w/Play-Doh for the first time!
I love to Swwwiiiing!
Enjoying the sunshine w/momma - it was bright!
Fun times at the park!
A fun night out with our dear friend Desi!
Elmo is my BEST BUD!