Disneyland

For Christmas, Ben bought us a family vacation to Disneyland. Despite the FREEZING weather, CRAZY crowds and heavy rain, we had a BLAST. 

Sam was perfect. He never complained about the lines (including a 2 hour wait for the Cars ride!) and he enjoyed every ride we went on. He loved seeing and meeting his favorite characters and was so excited to spend so much time with all of us. 

We'll be going back soon, for sure!

Entering California Adventure. A sunny, but cold morning. 

At Monsters Inc with Auntie and our first steps into the Disneyland park!

In line waiting to ride the Cars at Radiator Springs. 

 Happy boy playing with Daddy. 

 Cars Land. 

 Crazy hair, serious Sammy and terrified Matty. 

Asleep on Papa waiting for the Haunted Mansion and all bagged up to keep dry in the rain. 

 Excited ladies. New Little Mermaid ride!

 On Main Street in California Adventure. 

Lots of lines.....

 Balloon Animal at dinner in Disney Downtown. This is supposed to be Bambi. 

 Buzz Lightyear ride!

Waiting for Splash Mountain (awesome ponchos) and our faces during the fall. Serious Sam, again. 

 Sibs on the Jungle Cruise.

 Staying dry in the Tiki Room.

 Space Mountain!

 Faces. After we had stopped I asked Sam if he liked the ride and he said, "Yeah, but I don't want to do that one again."

 We got to meet Wreck it Ralph!

 Shauna too. 

 Tomorrow Land. 

 Sam and Daddy on the rockets.

 Auntie and Sammy on Dumbo.

 Hitchin' a ride. 

 Riding Flick's Balloons in Bugs World.

 Tower of Terror.

29

Welp. I'm 29.

Sam asked me, "What are those things on your feet, Mom?"

"Those are veins, child. Thanks for pointing that out, on my birthday, no less."

So, my feet are aging, at the VERY least.

Thought I'd do a little survey to look back on.

1. What's your favorite movie?

I have a few, Amelie, Jaws, Scott Pilgrim and Australia. Whoa, those are very obscure. 

2. State the name that your parents almost named you:

BJ. If I was a boy. Good thing I wasn't.

3. Which of your relatives do you get along with the most?

I have a really awesome family so most of us get along great. But my Dad and I are a lot alike so we tend to work well together. 

4. What was your first job?

I was a fish specialist at a pet store. Which really means I cleaned a lot of fish tanks, but I LOVED my job. 

6. Did anything embarassing happen this week?

Yes, Sam walked into our room during a very....well, not good time. 

7. Do you have a favorite TV show?

I love Walking Dead, Revenge and 30 Rock. 

8. Do people praise you for anything?

People tell me that I am creative and talented. I wish I agreed more. 

9. What is your favorite color of clothing to wear?

White. Its easy and makes me look tan. But its a bad color to wear as a mom. 

10. How do you wear your makeup?

Boring. That's how.

11. What are some of your nicknames?

Hol. 

12. How many bedrooms are in your house?

3.  Only 2 of them are occupied :(

13. What position do you sleep in?

I move a lot, but I love sleeping on my stomach. 

14. Do you have a job?

I am a photographer when I can be, and a sign language interpreter on Thursdays. The rest of the time I'm a Mom. 

15. What are you most worried about today?

My mental health. I think, worry, stress, imagine, pine and plan too much. 

16. Do you work out every week?

I NEVER work out. I hate it. 

17. Did you brush your teeth this morning?

Does 1pm count as "this morning?"

18. What do you wish you could have done this year?

Adopted and traveled. 

19. Have you ever sang in front of a crowd? 

Many times :)

20. What kind of bathing suit do you wear?

I like polka dots. 

21. Do you like your eyes?

Yes, except for the cyst I have in my right eye. I dread getting it removed, but I guess I gotta. 

22. Who do you idolize?

Anyone talented in music, art, or comedy. I wish I was better at all of those things. 

23. Who was the last person you talked to in person?

Matthew. He just left for jiujitsu and kissed me goodbye. 

24. How much money is in your checking account?

Just finished Christmas shopping so very little....

25. What is a hobby you hope to have some day?

I think that I would enjoy paddle boarding and/or pottery. Haven't tried either.

26. Do you want/have kids?

YES. SO BAD. It's all I think about. Sam is the greatest kid and I just hope so badly for more babies to join our family.

27. What actors/actresses are you attracted to?

Oh man, Hugh Jackman is my all time favorite.

28. If you could own any animal, what would it be?

GOAT. 

29. Last movie you saw in theatre:

Rise of the Guardians with my boys.

30. Are you with the same person you were with last year?

Yep, Matty forever ;)

31. Where was the last place you traveled?

San Francisco and I would go back in a heartbeat. 

32. What color pants are you wearing right now?

Burgundy jeans. 

33. Last person you hugged?

Matty when he got home from work. 

34. What do you like to do in your spare time?

Pinterest or read. Im that lame. 

35. What is your favorite food?

Thai. Hands down.  

36. What’s the greatest thing someone’s ever done for you?

Matty surprised me with a trip to Hawaii where he proposed. I think that's pretty big. 

37. What holiday do you enjoy the most?

Halloween. Candy and costumes. 

38. What do you do to have a good time?

Matty and I like to go out for good food, and for girls night I enjoy seeing live music and gambling. 

39. What do you dream about most?

I dream a LOT about tropical places and babies. Not together, but most nights I'm either on a beautiful beach or holding a newborn. I really don't mind either dream :)

40. What kind of music do you listen to the most?

My favorite Pandora station is Beatles but I listen to a lot of folk/bluegrass too. 

41. If you won the lottery, how would you spend it?

Pay off debt, buy houses and babies. And a goat. 

42. What is your least favorite chore?

Cleaning the chicken coop when its cold out. 

43. What is your go to outfit?

I have a dress made out of sweatpants material. So it looks cute and is super comfortable. 

44. Favorite drink?

Room temperature water. For reals. 

45. If you could change anything about your body, what would it be?

I'd get boobs, maybe? 

46. What was the last book you completed?

Pompeii. Wouldn't recommend it. 

47. Would you re-live last year if you could?

NOOOOOO. 

48. What are you most looking forward to?

Disneyland!

49. Most recent failure?

My garden. Failed big time this year. 

50. If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Capistrano or in The San Juans. 

Little Chef

Sam is the only 3 year old I know that watches cooking shows for hours on end. And has a crush on Giada. 

He's just like his Daddy. I don't complain since I get yummy cookies and delicious dinners daily. 

Trimming the Tree

This week Sam and I put up the Christmas decorations. He loved hanging the ornaments on the tree and I enjoyed telling him the story behind each special one. 

Most people know that I have a very "bah-humbug"attitude during the Holidays, but seeing Sammy enjoy this time of year makes it a little better. 

To him, its all very magical.

He laughed so hard at his silly face. 

 When we were finished he stood around and just eyed the tree with pride. I can't wait to have another Christmas with my sweet boy!

Ten

Our sweet girl Brisbane turned 10 years old today. Isn't that like 70 in dog years!? Geez, geriatric!

(For those of you who are NOT dog people, go ahead and skip this post because its about to get really mushy and crazy. As a matter of fact, probably best that you just ignore this blog entirely because I post a lot about my puppies.) 

Now that the weirdo dog haters are gone, back to the good stuff. ;)

I can not imagine our family without Bizy. She is such a loving and loyal dog. From day one, we were attached at the hip and although it can be pretty annoying at times to always have a dog at my feet, Im glad to have such a great companion. 

She has surprised us with how much she loves Sam. She isn't the most social dog and is not the biggest fan of children but she is so patient with him.  

 Briz is one nervous dog! She is very high strung and afraid of the weirdest things. But, she has really calmed down in the last few years. It may just be from her old age, but I think that she has picked up a few good habits from her best friend, Brimley. 

They are so close. Brimley and Brisbane are good pals. They wrestle and play every morning and sleep near each other every night. It's so sweet to see them together. 

 Brisbane, despite her age is a very healthy, energetic dog. We are so lucky that she hasn't had any major health issues. It's hard to see them age and it breaks my heart that she can no longer make it up on the bed to cuddle with me at night, but Happy Birthday to Bizy anyway!!!

Party hard

This weekend we celebrated two awesome boys turning 4. 

We started off with a birthday party for Eli at Chuck E Cheese. Sam and Eli are really good friends. They are both obsessed with Super Hero's and love to pretend. 

Sam, Eli and Juan. Cute boys!!!

When the pizza had been fully digested we met up with Chase at Red Robin for dinner and then swimming. 

Chase and Sam are hilarious together. They are in the same class at school and get to hang out a lot. It's very apparent that they are good friends. 

 Silly, crazy boys.

Happy 4th Birthday Eli and Chase! We love you so much and are so happy that we are all friends!