DTWTS- The Announcement

Yes, that's right, the contestants have been announced for the new season of Dancing With the Stars! I confess I have the season premiere marked in my calendar already(Sept 24). Should be another good season... I'm not particularly attached to any of the stars yet, but that usually starts to happen around week 3 for me. I guess the person I'm most curious about seeing on the show is Mark Cuban, owner of the Dallas Mavericks (and quite a Maverick himself). Amongst the others are boxer Floyd Mayweather, 90210's Jennie Garth, a Spice Girl (though not Posh), and Marie Osmond. Should be fun...

Here's the website if you are a junkie like me and want to check out the other dancers and who they are paired with... http://abc.go.com/primetime/dancingwiththestars/index?pn=announcement

Hopefully by Sept 24th we will have a functioning TV--Isaac pushed a few too many buttons and now it's at the repair shop...

Summer Fun

Yummy and sweet!!

Where's Isaac??

That's right, you won't find any pictures of Isaac on this page! Andre and I left Isaac with Omi and Opa for a night while we went to LaJolla to celebrate our anniversary (a few weeks late). We had a great time hiking at Torrey Pines, eating slowly, relaxing by the pool, reading the newspaper, and strolling on the beach. We stayed at a beautiful hotel, La Estancia, with a great pool and pretty gardens. We came back relaxed, refreshed, and ready to see our precious little one!

Like Father Like Son

Meet Emma Liu

Yesterday Isaac and I went to Pasadena with Andrea and Noah to meet precious little Emma Liu. Congratulations Debbie and Tony!! She's perfect! I know you are enjoying falling in love with her.

A Day in the Life

Today I decided to take a picture of Isaac each hour on the hour, no matter what he's doing. So if you ever wondered what a one-year old does all day, here is a little glimpse...

7:00AM Still sleeping...

**Out of order--for some reason I can't get this picture to move to its correct spot!!**

10AM We are off to CostCo to buy some chicken and a few other things.

8:00AM Woke up a few minutes ago, and now I'm ready to get out of here!

9:00AM Just got back from a run with Mommy and now I'm sitting in my wagon playing with keys.

11AM Lunch time...

12 Noon Time for a nap

1 PM Still snoozing...

2PM I just woke up a few minutes ago and now I'm playing on Mommy and Daddy's bed while Mommy puts laundry away.

3PM Mommy dragged me along to the mall to escape the heat and do a little shopping and now I get to play for a few minutes.

4PM My friend Noah came over to play while his Mommy is at the doctor. We are just enjoying a drink and a little snack.

5PM I'm really mad because Mommy won't let me take Noah's snack cup. She tried to give me one just like his but I want the one Noah has. Why can't she understand that?

6PM Yeah!! Daddy is home! Time to play!

7PM Time for a bath!

8PM Back to bed... I wonder what we get to do tomorrow...

True Friendship

Well, Willie and Frankie, you aren't the only ones who pee on those you love when you are excited to see them... (FYI- Willie and Frankie are Ty and Annika's Wiener dogs)

Last night the Proctors and some other friends came over for dinner so we decided just to bathe the boys together. When Noah got in the tub with him, Isaac got so excited he peed all over him!!!!!!!! Just for the record, Noah is not the first to be peed on by our little guy. In addition to Andre and I (diaper changes those first few months were VERY unpredictable), he also peed all over his first pediatrician, Dr. Green. She was very gracious about it and informed us it was OK because urine is sterile. Hopefully Noah is the last for a few years. Who knows, since he seems to have his Opa's personality, we may face a resurection of this habit in the teenage years...

Weiner Nationals

About a month ago we went with Ty and Annika (proud parents of wiener dogs Willie and Frankie) to the races at Los Alamitos for the annual "Wiener Nationals". There were a few horse races in between but the wiener dog races were definitely the main attraction. Hilarious!! You really should check it out one year.
Last year's winner, Princess Smoochy Gucci

Life's Simple Pleasures

Here are two:

1. Licking the spoon after making Rice Krispie Treats.

2. Growing your own tomatoes in your own backyard. Yum!!

My Parents Wedding Anniversary

Today we are celebrating the 40th anniversary of my parents wedding day. But what I'm truly grateful for is the 14,600 days since that day that they have stayed married. (yes, I figured that out all by myself-no calculator even!! Good old fashioned pen and sticky note) Now that is a lot of days. And that's what 40 years of marriage is made of. Over 14,000 pretty normal days of loving each other, communicating, having fun, and resolving differences. My sister, brother and I are fortunate enough to have grown up in a stable family with our amazing parents. My father, the life of the party, and my mother, full of boundless energy and optimism, are a great match. They have not just stuck it out, they have flourished in marriage. Anyone who knows them, knows they are truly happy together and still just simply enjoy one another's company. Don't get me wrong, they can irritate one another sometimes but after 40 years they are getting pretty good at accepting one another's shortcomings and laughing off their differences.

So Mom and Dad, here's to you.... (let's all raise our glasses) Thanks for saving us (your kids) from so much pain, insecurity, fear, etc by giving us an amazing, loving family to grow up in. Your love for one another and for each of us has shaped us more than you will ever know. We are eternally grateful. I'm so glad God designed us to navigate this life as part of families, not all alone out there in the world. Thanks for teaching me to..

• love life



• enjoy people



• swish a bottle in a circular motion so the centrifigal force makes it come out fast...



• drink lots of fluids



• always keep learning



• ride a bike (not that I remember, but I'm sure you did)



• drive a car (now that part I do remember-how can I forget that?)



• enjoy traveling



• speak some German



• make German Christmas cookies, and crumble, and lemon loaf

I could go on and on, but these are just a few that come to mind.

All this just to say, Congratulations and THANK YOU!!!! I love you both so deeply and am so grateful for the gift of your marriage.

Happy Day!

Today we are doing lots of celebrating!!

First of all, it's my little bro, Michael's birthday!! Happy birthday to you! We look forward to celebrating with you tonight. We are also celebrating my parents' 40th wedding anniversary tonight, but more on that later. Forty years of marriage deserves it's own blog entry!

I also hosted a small baby shower for my dear friend, Andrea, today. She is expecting her second son on my birthday in September!! We had such a fun, girly time today. There's not much better than a room full of ten of your closest girlfriends, chatting while you drink tea and nibble on finger sandwiches. We also had a really great time praying for Andrea, as she prepares to be a Mom of two!

Anyways, here are a few pics of our little tea party

Turning Two

Can someone please tell Isaac he doesn't turn two until May 17th?