One of his favorite things...

All it takes is going for a ride and looking out the window to make him happy :)

Times Are Changing...

We are used to having a wait when we go to restaurants, but that's part of the fun. I think a crowded place means there's something good about it. Plus, you just go to the bar and get a drink while you're waiting...

BUT tonight we found out the hardest place in town to get a table on a Friday night: Souplantation.

Who would have known that the line would be out the door and you have to WAIT to be seated here!

Crazy how weekends already have transitioned to these sort of activities :)

Happy Birthday to Me!

Yesterday I turned yet another year older. I am now 26- closer to 30 than 20, which I'm totally okay with.

My birthday was good, thank you to anyone who sent me a message, text, phone call, card, present, etc! My coworkers decorated my cubicle and had a little cupcake party for me (delicious carrot cupcakes with cream cheese frosting courtesy of Janice-a cupcake making master). Then when I got home from work, I tried to take Diggy out for a nice walk to enjoy the beautiful weather, but it was too hot for him (he was panting and laying down after a block), so I went to the mall and got myself a few loose fitting spring tunics that I should be able to wear when my stomach gets big! Next, I went home, got ready, and Adam and I walked across the street to Roy's for dinner. We had some Hawaiian seafood and an overall good time.

So many people don't like getting older and even lie about their age, but I don't mind it, I feel like every year older I turn brings me closer to a new chapter to look forward to! 16 was for driving, 18 was for college years, 21 was for drinking (legally :), 23 I got married (sounds so young now!), 24 I got Diggy, and 26 I become a mom! I hope I have many more years where I have more kids, more pets, my kids' graduations and weddings, a face that shows emotion and isn't botoxed up, retirement, grandkids, many vacations, great grandkids, great great grandkids, etc. See, why be sad about being older? There's so much to look forward to!

Feels like 4th of July but it's President's Day Weekend

Oh man, I just had the best holiday weekend I've had in a really long time. I know the weather here is always "good" compared to everyone in the Midwest, but for San Diego, it's been sort of disappointing this winter. We have had lots of rain, it's been a little cool even when it's not raining, and there hasn't been an opportunity to go to the beach in months.

Well, since we both had today off for President's Day and yesterday was Valentine's Day, we decided at the last minute to take a little trip to the Palm Springs area for some R and R and to enjoy the hot weather. The 3 of us left Saturday morning and arrived that afternoon to 80 degree weather and a perfectly blue sky! I have had a relatively easy pregnancy, however my one complaint is that my skin has been soooo horrible. I was so excited to expose my face to the dry desert air, some chlorine, and some sun to zap away the zits, all while relaxing :) It was great! That night we went to a casino nearby to play Bingo! It was so fun...I was a nervous wreck, this wasn't regular get 5 in a row bingo. They had all different shapes you had to get and you had 12 cards going at a time, so it was so hard, haha. Neither of us won, but we both had a great time. By the time Bingo was over, it was already almost 10pm, so we ate a late dinner at a nice restaurant right in the casino, and headed back to our hotel. We woke up, took Diggs on a nice long walk, utilized the pool for a few more hours, and headed back to SD.

Valentine's night, we made a dinner at home. I did a dinner that's colors coordinate with V-Day (like I do with most holidays, hehe)- an app, semi-home made ravioli, and strawberry cheesecake (which by the way is one of my "healthy" recipes and soooo good, ask me for the recipe!). Diggy got some hotdog too. By the time I made all of this, it was about 9:30pm, so we had a late dinner. Adam brought me some beautiful pink roses, and I got him a game we can play that I read about in Rachel Ray Magazine called Life Stories :)

Today we woke up, and to my delight, the weather was BEAUTIFUL. 75 and perfectly sunny. We went to the beach in Coronado for most of the day, then went to happy hour at our favorite spot to get margaritas when it's sunny, they have a nice big patio that the sun hits perfectly . Adam got the marg, I got some Pinkberry on the way :)

It was one of the most relaxing and enjoyable weekends I've had in a really long time.

And maybe it's in my head, but I think 3 days of sun made my skin clear up a little too!

Love My Nieces and Nephews

Happy 3rd birthday Cal! I feel like he was just born...time flies!

On another note, I got a letter in the mail from Ellie Saturday. I had sent packs of Valentine's Day Nerds candy in the mail for them and said something like "Happy Valentine's Day to my Nerds"...well, this is what I got back, and she sealed the letter up before Katie got to read or see it :)

If you can't read it, it says:

deer miss Ralph

your the bigest nerd out of all of us!! smille! Look at me on the back --> (the picture is of me as a baby in my crib, I have no clue where she got it from!)

but I'm cuter! hahaha! (the picture is of her as a baby :)

Ahhh, this made my day. She is so funny.

Boy or Girl?

I went to my second doctor appointment yesterday for the baby. Everything looked good! I don't have gestational diabetes, my uterus seems to be the right size (weird how they can tell that just by pushing on your stomach), and the NP said the heartbeat was strong (we listened for a good minute, sounded like a wooshing suction noise to me). She didn't do an ultrasound, but I have one scheduled for next month.

There is an old wive's tale that says that if the heartbeat is fast, it's a girl and slow, it's a boy. This held true to all of my sisters' kids, the boys were slow and the girls were fast. After my first appointment, the heartbeat was in the 170's, which is really high. My sisters were sure it was a girl, which made me jump on the bandwagon and start getting excited about bows and girl clothes, shopping and nails, and all things moms and daughters do together. Well now, it was in the 140's which is getting to the lower side, so now I'm thinking it's a boy and excited about these little onesies at Gap that are like big boy polo/military looking shirts and thinking I should try to start getting some more boy friendly hobbies so I don't have a son that has to be dragged places like the nail salon. At least the beach is a good common ground to start with!

Either way, I'll be excited, but I just can't wait to find out. March 5 is the big day, only 4 weeks and 1 day to go :)

Museums and Football

Friday night and Saturday it was pouring rain here. It has been raining more than usual around here the past month, which sort of puts a damper on your normal weekend activities. We always start our days by going to get coffee and taking Diggy for a walk. We usually don't have to make big plans because we end up finding something to do on our walk that lasts a few hours.

Well, because it rained, we spent a lot of Friday and Saturday inside. Adam finished his puzzle (last weekend he decided he wanted to do a puzzle, bought a really ugly one, and stayed up every night this past week until about midnight working on it, NERD, haha), we watched "This Is It", and we did a lot of looking online for baby stuff.

When we woke up Sunday and there were blue patches and rays of sun shining through the clouds, it was very exciting. We decided to take a nice long walk to celebrate. We went up the hill to Balboa Park and went to the San Diego History Museum, where they had a fashion exhibit, then to the Museum of Man. By that time we were hungry so we walked down to Little Italy and went out to lunch. By the time we walked around a little more, it was time to go in and watch the Superbowl, which was alright since we had been outside, walking around, and enjoying the non-rainy weather for at least 5 hours.

Next weekend is a long one! Let's hope this week flies!

Family Business Sunday

Yesterday we spent the day taking care of all business family related. Since Adam nor I have had any experience REALLY using or buying any baby products, we decided it would be a good idea to head out and start getting ideas of things we need, want, what we like, dislike, prices, etc. for all the things the baby is going to need. What better place to start out is there than Babies R Us. We spent most of the time in the stroller section and walking around trying to figure out how we are ever going to decide or know which item you pick when there are about a zillion that all seem similar.

After Babies R Us we went to a sports store to look to see if there were any more outdoorsy/exercisey type strollers. We didn't have luck, but Adam got a shirt and I got some ideas on how much exercise equipment will cost to purchase for in our home. After the baby, I have a feeling it won't be as easy to take my daily trip to the gym :( so I'm thinking we might need to find a corner to stick an eliptical or treadmill in for when the baby's napping.

Next we went to Ikea, which has tons of cute baby room stuff!

After Ikea, we had to head to the jewelry store. My engagement ring has a little diamond chip that must have popped off, so we took it to be fixed. I'm "single" until Wednesday when I pick it up.

Next we headed to the mall, which was a big mistake because Adam made me go into the pet store, which is never a good idea for me to see puppies who need homes. To make matters worse, they had animals that needed to be rescued from a shelter outside the pet store. To make a long story short, I fell in love with a little, black, wrinkled, calm, well behaved, CUTE, angelic puppy who needs a home, Adam said no way and that we would be crazy to get another dog when I'm about to have a baby, and I left wanting to cry. Target wasn't so fun after that letdown.

Our last two stops were to this little boutique that has the CUTEST stuff ever. I found a diaper bag there that I love and lots of cute clothes for after I find out the sex. Last stop was Borders where I got a baby book to start filling out and putting my ultrasound pictures into. Believe it or not, every store we went to, I looked for a baby book and they all were SOOOO nerdy and most stores only had like 1-3 options. Borders finally came through.

It was an educational day for us! I learned that we need a TON of stuff, that I can't wait to find out if it's a boy or girl so I can start buying the stuff, and that I will be on the phone with my sisters A LOT in the next 6 months because deciding and knowing which brands and styles to choose is hard!