Our Little Train Hobo!

Brian and I just returned from our trip to CA a few days ago, we had a great time! We got to see lots of family and attend my Grandma Bunny's (Brian's G-G-Ma) birthday party, Brian loved playing with his cousins at the party (more like terrorizing the restaurant patrons and staff but they had fun). Brian also had a fun morning with his "Uncle" Allan, his Aunt Laura's boyfriend, so I could bring my mom to the hospital for a little outpatient kidney stone blasting. She has a standing appointment with a kidney stone every decade, she got this one over with early. And we got to visit with my Grandma Mires a couple of times too.

Brian loves all trains! He would hear the Metrolink commuter train from my parent's house in the afternoon and evening and was super excited about it, so we decided to take it toward LA, to Burbank (about a 40 minute ride) where my mom and Grandma picked us up and took us out to dinner. Brian stared out the window the entire time and described everything he saw, sang every song about trains that he knows, screamed "all aboard" a few times, and was just generally thrilled about the whole experience.

Showing off my ticket! (actually mommy's ticket since little guys ride free)

Our departure station

Me showing Mommy what you do with your fingers when the train blows its whistle!

Here I am when the train starts moving having some concerns about not wanting to get off the train any time soon

Our destination station

By the way:

How awesome are the pictures taken with my new camera?

And how the heck do I have a child so blonde?

Siblings (in Utero) in 4D

We took baby Emily (and Mommy since that's required right now) for her 4D ultrasound yesterday morning. She's a little cutie but didn't want much attention. She hid behind her hands for a while and snuggled up with the placenta, but we still got a few clear face shots. The comparison pictures above are Brian on the left and Emily on right, both at 31 weeks in the oven. We remember that Brian drank alot of fluid and sucked his thumb while we watched him, Emily cuddled her hands, yawned, and smiled alot. I think she is going to have full lips like Daddy and Brian but I think her nose looks different. I think she looks girly though and my mom said "dainty." We can't wait to meet her!

Oh, and Brian came with us to the ultrasound, was totally and thoroughly uninterested in the pictures of his baby sister but had lots of fun with the toys he dragged in from the waiting room. We'd say "Hey Brian, look at baby Emily on the TV!" and his response was "yep, I see, nice, now back to playing I go." He did provide us with some rousing renditions of the "ABC song" during the ultrasound and by "rousing" I mean loud as hell! It was the first time we've ever heard him sing it all the way through correctly by himself though. Maybe Emily wasn't trying to hide behind her hands, maybe she was covering her ears?!

31 Weeks Pregnant! YIKES!

Shut up! I know what you're thinking, "Whoa!" I have gotten large and I have two months to plumpen up some more. I got huge with Brian! I don't gain much more than the average amount, my stomach just gets freakishly large. I'm going to run out of clothes that fit, my ankles are going to swell, my back is going to kill me, but I'm sure little Emily will be worth it (and I'm never doing this again! I'm done! Unless Steve finds a way to carry the next one or we adopt)

New Camera!

I finally got a new camera this week! We've been needing one badly, our old one is an ancient Sony, 5.1 mega-pixel and was so slow, Brian would be long gone by the time it actually snapped the picture! The lighting was always funky and the lens sometimes wouldn't open. So I did some research and figured out I wanted a Canon Rebel G XSi Digital SLR. I already had a nice lens from my old film SLR from college photography class days, so I just bought the body for now. Here's a few photos just playing around after tearing the Amazon.com box open friday night!

Brian's 3rd Birthday Party Weekend

Brian turned 3 on January 31st. Papa, Grandma, Aunt Laura and Uncle Allan came in from CA to help us celebrate. Aunt Laura and Allan brought Brian's newest cousin, a Pom-Chihuahua mix puppy, Harley along on the visit.

Brian and "Harwey!"

Aunt Laura and Harley

Bailey and Harley competing for lap space (Can you believe Bailey is a Pom and Harley is half-Pom? They look nothing alike!)

On Brian's birthday, we shared a party at the bouncy house place with Brian's best buddy, Mason, who is two days younger. Here are some pictures of the bouncy fun!

Brian's no.1 girl, Addy

Dylan

Brian climbing the obstacle course all by himself

Sliding down with Daddy in a move nicknamed the "Iron Lotus"

All the party people (little ones at least)

The birthday boys, Brian and Mason

Blowing out the candles

Party favor tins and dinosaur cookies

Dinosaur Train themed cake made by Mason's grandma Mary

Papa and Grandma

Aunt Laura, Grandma, Mommy

Mommies to be: Noelia (due July), Kelly (due April with Emily), Katie (due May with twin boys)

Uncle Allan and Aunt Laura

Mommies of the birthday boys

Brian's 3rd Birthday Photoshoot

Here are some unedited (I don't have time to edit everything, I'd be here all day) photos from Brian's 3rd birthday photoshoot at the end of January. We went to Portrait Innovations and they turned out pretty good, considering he was in a foul mood. I just hope the employees forget Brian pointing at the photographer, screaming "I don't want any pictures!" so maybe one day we'll be allowed back :) Good times!