Playing Catch-Up

Here's some pictures to get you all caught up! They range from us packing, driving back to California,the Grand Canyon, dress-up with Andria,Evan's first big "boo-boo", 4th of July, Evan's 1st beach trip, etc. Enjoy!!!

Still Getting Settled

For those of you who have been asking about current posts, emails, etc... SORRY! We are still busy getting settled into the house here in Kingsburg. Bryan started his job, I'm going to start working a few early mornings at Curves in town, and Evan is working on molars! He had both of his lower molars pop through the gum this week and the fussiness is beginning to subside. Evan is adjusting very well and enjoys the extra room to run, a yard, and having so many family and friends nearby.

The three of us have already made a trip to Santa Cruz so we could enjoy the much cooler weather, the beach, and time with great-grandparents and friends. We look forward to many more weekend trips.

We've got all new living room furniture too! We love it. It's so nice to be able to buy new and be rid of the hand-me-downs we have so patiently lived with for two years. Now our own style can take root. YAY! It's been fun getting the house put together. I'll post pictures soon. I would have posted them earlier but the camera cord was accidentally thrown away at some point during unpacking and I just got a new card reader for the PC.

Anyhow, just a general update. I'll post pics and tell more later. I need to head off to bed soon so I can be ready to work at 6am. Feel free to email or leave messages for me to reply to. I've just been bad at initiating conversations with all of the chaos :)

God bless and have a wonderful week!

Happy Father's Day!

To the man I love! The world's greatest husband and father. Thank you for ALL you do for Evan and I. We love you so much.



Bryan got another controller to his Playstation 3 for Father's Day. Evan loves to sit in his lap and watch him play. Today we got to have a nice brunch at Cracker Barrel with our friends Sam and Dennis, did a bit of shopping together, and of course... worked on packing! It was a wonderful way to celebrate the day. And Evan must of known what today was because he was "daddy's boy" all day long! It was sweet.

Happy Father's Day to our fathers, grandfathers, and brothers. You are all amazingly strong men that we are incredibly proud of and love so much. Thank you for all that you have taught us.

Our 2nd Anniversary

Bryan and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary on Monday. After 10 days of Evan being very sick, we were able to escape for an evening and head to Louisiana. We drove to Bossier City to have dinner and play a few slot machines at the Harrah's Louisiana Downs Casino. We had a wonderful time and it was nice to spend some alone time together. It's amazing how quickly two years of marriage has gone by. We look forward to many more happy years together!
Us before leaving the house to head to Louisiana.
A picture of the front of Harrah's, famous for their Racetrack!

We had so much fun!

Evan Walking

Sorry there is no volume (I'm still working on figuring out videos on our digital camera), but here is a mini video of Evan walking. Enjoy!

A Final Trip To The Caldwell Zoo

We decided to brave the heat and Evan's teething, and headed to the Caldwell Zoo for one last visit before we move. We found some free time and enjoyed seeing all the animals once again. Evan was having a crummy day, but managed to get excited about most of the sights. When the animals weren't impressive, he found entertainment in playing with his seat belt in the stroller :) You can see here that he wasn't his normal perky self.One thing that did get Evan's attention was the Wild Bird Walk-About. He wasn't so sure of all of the birds at first and looked to Mommy for some assurance.
Daddy bought a seed stick so we could get the birdies closer to Evan. Evan was a little surprised they got SO close.

But then he got up the courage to move in closer...

And then actually touched one! We were so impressed that he was willing to get that close, and it was adorable to watch his reaction. Mommy was sure to get video of it as well.

Here are some other pictures from our day.

Although we got a bit too much sun (even with sunscreen), we had a great day and Daddy got to enjoy a yummy snow cone. I stopped by the gift shop to pick up a few souvenirs to scrapbook and also purchased a great beaded Texas state ornament to hang from our Christmas trees each year and remember our time living in Texas. It was a nice day and we look forward to many more zoo trips at the Chaffee Zoo in Fresno, especially since Daddy has never been to that zoo!

We're Moving Back to CA!!!

That's right... it's official! Bryan accepted the position at Reedley College and we will be leaving Texas on June 28th to head back to the Central Valley. We can't wait. It's taken a long period of waiting, a ton of prayer, and extreme patience for God to bring us to this point. Thank you to all whom have prayed along side of us and encouraged us from afar. We are truly blessed to have family and friends who care so deeply for us, lift us up spiritually, and celebrate in God's many blessings with us. We look forward to spending time with those of you in CA and crave seeing all of our family in WA very soon. We will keep you updated on this very exciting chapter of our lives as it is just beginning to unfold. God bless each of you.

Who Does Evan Look Like???

Does Evan look like...

Christina???

Does Evan look like...

Bryan???

Or does Evan look more like...

his Uncle Jeff???

What do you think? Leave us comments with your opinion!!!!

Rubber Ducky, You're The One

Thank you, Yukari, for my fun flashing duckies!

Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful ladies who have the blessing of being a mother... and to all of those who hope to one day become a mother.

I have been very sick this week with a sinus infection and horrible cough so I actually slept in this Mother's Day and spent the day recovering at home with Bryan and Evan. It was nice to just spend time with my boys. I got the most gorgeous rose, a hilarious card, and little gifts that I love... not to mention a special breakfast and lunch. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the joys of being a wife and mother.

A special Mother's Day wish to my mom, my mother-in-law, all of my sisters, and my grandmothers. All of you are such beautiful Christian women that I love and adore. Thank you for always being there for the love and support that I often need to be the best mom that I can be for Evan.

Rainy Day Fun

This afternoon we had quite the storm come through Tyler. The weather went from partly sunny to pouring rain almost instantly. With all the rain outside, we were limited in what we could do to stay entertained.

Evan was quite bored and as you can see... he was deep in thought over what he should do.

And then... it came to him!

He doesn't typically like to wear glasses or even put them on himself, but today he found it quite amusing. Mommy and Daddy helped him a bit and then he would try to have us wear them as well.

We both thought he looked pretty darn cute!

And he was having a BLAST!!!

After all the excitement, he climbed up to sit with Daddy before his late afternoon nap.

The End Of Another Semester

Sunday we celebrated the end of another semester by having the Student Athletic Trainers over to our place for a pizza party. They have been such a wonderful help to Bryan this year with so much going on with athletics, school, and family. It was nice to give most of them a break from studying for finals this week. Evan definitely enjoyed having people over to entertain as well. Tori was kind enough to introduce him to eating Cheetos... thanks! Luckily, Cheetos are not something we keep in the house and Evan will surely forget about them soon :)

Left to Right: Michael, Christy, Candace, Tori, Marz, Brandon, and of course... Bryan (Yukari and others were busy)

As for Bryan, he finished up his semester last night with a presentation and his last final. Now we can look onward to him finishing up his Masters of Education in Sports Medicine this summer. WOOHOO!!! He's worked SO very hard and he's almost done.

As for Reedley... we should hear something the first week of June and will keep each of you posted.

And for those of you unfamiliar with this blog and how it works... there is a comment section at the end of each blog where you can click on a link and leave us comments. Just be sure to put your name if you are not a registered user or it will just name you as "anonymous"... and we know a few people so please don't keep us guessing :)

Hospital Stay And Turning A Quarter Century

Evan had a 3-day hospital stay at Trinity Mother Frances in Tyler after getting severely dehydrated from what ended up being a very bad case of "gastroenteritis". It took days for doctors to pinpoint what made our little guy so ill, but finally he got to feeling better and we got to bring him home yesterday. Above is a picture of the animal border in Evan's room that he kept pointing at.

Evan got to spend Mommy's 25th birthday in the hospital. Here's the one picture we have of my birthday!

After 2 1/2 nights of Mommy sleeping with Evan on her chest, Daddy slipped in during the middle of the last night to allow Mommy a break from the uncomfortable hospital bed and numb arms from holding Evan. This is how Mommy found them at 8am.
Evan was SO bored from being stuck in bed and limited in movement... can you tell?!?! Daddy didn't look too thrilled to be there either! Just think how Mommy felt :)
Daddy let Evan sit in the windowsill and watch the rain and passing cars to occupy his time.

He had to be thinking, "LET ME OUT!!!!"

Thanks to all for your thoughts, prayers, and support during our stay in the hospital. It's made us appreciate being nearer to family and friends in times like these. If it hadn't been for my friend, Amanda, I would have been completely alone until Bryan made it back from CA. What a blessing it is to know we have so many people who love us and care about us! THANK YOU!!!