Happy Birthday Mom!

On Sunday, we got together to celebrate my

Mom's 49th Birthday.

We BBQ'd hot dogs, hamburgers & brats, and even got to do a little swimming. We had a great day hanging out with each other.

We love you Mom

and hope you had a wonderful birthday!

Siblings

T Sampson turns 2!

On Saturday we went down to celebrate T Sampsons 2nd Birthday. It was so good to see all of them. The party was lots of fun with good food. A really enjoyed playing with T. They are so cute together. =) Mama S & T Sampson
Kisses bye-bye

mmm good cupcake

Make a wish

The Sampson Family

A Date with Daddy

D took A on a date to the movies on Friday. We bought the Harkins Summer movie deal, where you see 10 movies over 10 weeks for only $7 BUCKS, I know great deal. Well, last week they were showing Madagasgar 2, and D wasn't working so he took her. She was so excited all week to go on her date with her daddy.

Happy Fathers Day!

D had to work this year on Fathers Day, so I coordinated with the other wives to go to the station and make the guys lunch. We BBQ'd hamburgers on the grill, and had lots of fixings to go on them, we also had pasta salad, fruit and brownie sundaes for dessert. The current station he is working at has a big beautiful grass yard so we sat outside to eat and enjoyed the beautiful weather, it was actually just a hair chilly. A made him a few crafts during the week and gave them to him at the station and J got to call him. He says "It was one of the best Fathers Day's he has had". We hope all you other Fathers had a great day as well. The Bates Family
D & A

D with his gifts from A

The Short Family

The Bauman Family

27 Months!

It's been a while since I have done one of A's "monthly" updates, and I know you are dying to see her "chair" picture and hear all about her. =)

As you can see she is growing like a weed! I haven't weighed her in awhile but if I had to guess I would say shes right about 25 lbs and about 34 inches tall. I know still kinda a peanut. For the most part she is in 18 month clothes and a few 24 month stuff. =}

She is talking up a storm, and repeating and trying to do everything we do, and if we tell her her big sister does it or likes it then she really wants to do it. She is doing awesome going potty on the potty, we are still working on night time and going potty in public, but both are getting really close.

She has a huge love for music, she loves to sing, dance, play instruments and make her own music. She is either gonna be some kind of musician/entertainer or a veterinarian, because she has a huge love for animals as well, all kinds of animals even snakes, YUCK!

We have been very lucky to be having beautiful weather right now. A loves to be outside. She enjoys swimming, playing bubbles, drawing with sidewalk chalk, swinging, playing balls and jumping on the trampoline. I am so glad we finally have a yard for her to play in.

Well, I think I got you caught up, hope you are all doing well, we would love to hear from you. Enjoy the pictures!

June 2008 - 15 Months Old

15 Months Old-June 2008

Yee-haaw!
Riding her bike

Another cute picture-look at the attitude

CHEESE!

Our Anniversary

D and I celebrated our 3 year wedding anniversary on June 17th. He had to work so we actually didn't get to "celebrate" it until the day after. A good friend of ours, Rachel watched A so we could go to dinner and a movie, it was a nice night. We got to enjoy each others company, good food and a really good movie, Angels & Demons.

In three years we have had our share of ups and downs, which has made us so much stronger as individuals and as a couple. D, I love you more today then the day I married you. Honey you are an amazing, wonderful special man that still makes my eyes sparkle and heart flutter. You are my best friend, my lover, and a wonderful father to our children and I LOVE YOU!!! Thank you for all you are and all you do. I look forward to growing old with you. Happy Anniversary!

Daycare

D and I made a decision at the beginning of summer to place an add on craigslist for me to do daycare in our home. Probably like most of you right now, things are a little tight, and we thought this would be a great way to make a little extra money, and it still keeps me home with A. Not to mention I think it is easier with more kids, because they can play and entertain themselves. Well, we had the add up for a few weeks and really got no serious inquires, so we took it off and went on vacation. I re-posted it when we returned and the same day got a call, YAY! We met with them and we all seemed to be a good fit for each other. So I started watching Arlo (2 1/2) and Zeno (15 months) last Monday, the 15th. All three kids get a long very well, the boys are very well behaved, and I have had no problems. I am loving it! I am only watching them Monday's, Wednesday's & Friday's, which is really nice, because it gives me a break in between to get things done, relax and spend quality time with A. We are still working on little kinks with schedules but no complaints from me, that stuff takes time. If anyone has any suggestions for crafts, activities and educational toddler lessons I would love to hear them. As well as I am in need of another booster seat, and maybe some boy toys. Here are some pictures of our 1st week of daycare. =) Coloring awards for dad for Fathers Day
Lunch time
Arlo

A

Zeno

Our Vacation-Magic Mountain

Magic Mountain is one of our most favorite theme parks. The three of us absolutly LOVE roller coasters, we love the loops, the speed and all the thrills that come with them. We were really happy to have Nana, Tata & Kurstin join us. Nana & Kurstin are both thrill seakers as well, and Tata likes to watch, he was such a HUGE help with A. We were all able to get on the rides while he sat off with A, it was great. Our first part of the day really drug out, it took us six hours to ride 5 roller coasters, your probably thinking thats not too bad, and normally it probably isn't except for the fact they were only open for 7 1/2 hours, we still had a ton to do and in very little time. At this point in the day Nana and Tata were pooped so they took A in to toon town and let her ride some rides, and she just loved them, she even rode her first roller coaster ALL BY HERSELF, shes gonna be just like Daddy. Mommy & big Sissy. =) Anyway, back to the time thing, we had an hour and a half and wanted to ride 6 more coasters, let me tell you the race was on! We did it! We boogied from roller coaster to roller coaster, and lucky for us it was the end of the day so we just about walked on to every ride. J, Kurstin and D actually got 8 coasters in, but I only got 6 in. I really started feeling my age, it is a lot harder to do all those rides, i think I saw stars and was alittle dizzy after each coaster. But we had a blast!

After leaving Magic Mountain, we got to meet up for dinner with a good friend of mine that I went to ASU with who is now living & teaching minutes away from Magic Mountain, Evey. It was so great to see her and her boyfriend, Steve. We really enjoyed seeing you guys, thanks so much for meeting us.

D and his girls
Kurstin A loved drinking out of the camel pack

Me and Tata

Tata & Nana

Me & Evey

A eating her favorite (Marti's) cookie on the way home

Our Vacation-The Beach

As I said in previous posts we did not have the best "beach weather" while on vacation. Most of the week was cloudy and very cool, BUT we did have one sunny day, we were so excited that we were gonna finally hit the beach. Well we actually went to the beach twice once (to Laguna Beach) just to walk around and the sunny day (at Newport Beach) was to play. D was really excited he got to do some surfing, A loved building sand castles with Tata, J & Kurstin worked on there tans, Nana enjoyed a book and I as usual was the photographer and supervisor. =) J has always been afraid of the ocean, and has never gotten in passed her knees, until now she actually went in to her hips! YAY J! And Kurstin tried surfing for her first time, loved it and did great, made D a little jealous cuz she was getting all the good waves, and doing so good. =) While we were hanging on the beach we got to see some dolphins, they came super close and put on a little show for us, it was so cool! I love this picture
Kurstin riding in a wave

J and Kurstin playing in the water

Kurstin D & J

Surfer Dude - D =)

J working her way in

This one is super sweet too

A wants to be just like her big sissy

Tata

D waiting for a wave

Bathing Beauties

laying in the sun isn't the same without texting

In the car on the way back from Laguna Beach-isn't this a cute picture?

She's getting so big-shes just so beautiful!

Taking a walk

Man my feet are out numbered

J & Kurstin

Me and my girls

Tata & Nana