{ the infamous santa picture! }

every child needs to have an unhappy picture with santa, right?

i was expecting total disaster, but have to admit that our visit with santa actually went pretty well! (besides the 1 hour wait- we totally deserved it for waiting til christmas eve and not to mention the kid in front of us was screaming bloody murder!) but out out of the few pics we got to choose from, we picked this one because we thought it was so classic- a typical 3-year-old that wants nothing to do with a scary "stranger" and sitting on his lap. if you think about it, it's pretty terrifying for a kid, i remember being scared too! there weren't even any tears! there actually was a half-smile one we could've gotten, but this one was perfect. holland was looking too so we couldn't resist!

hayden told santa he wanted a "talkin tay-toe" (toy story's talking mr. potatoe head, not sure why but he's been talking about getting it for months even though he already has the regular mr. and mrs. potatoe heads) and he also told santa that his sister wanted a doll. afterwards, he was so proud and called grammy and said, "i did it!"

(i think this will be a great black mail picture in the future, don't you?!)

{ birthday cake }

happy birthday daddy!

dec. 6th was ricky's 31st birthday and we had such a fun day. i asked hayden what he wanted to do for daddy and he said, " i wanna bake a cake!" so off to the grocery store we went and i let him pick everything out- sprinkles, frosting candles and the cake mix- so happy he chose the funfetti mix! we came home and i made sure i let him do everything he safely could do, he did a fantastic job!

making a cake, hayden-style!

i was shocked at how good he was at cracking the eggs into the bowl. he was a trained-professional because no shells ended up in the mix!

stirring up fun

almost done!

holland enjoying watching her big brother bake away

hayden "dumping" the star sprinkles on the cake!

coloring a card for daddy

happy birthday daddy!

hayden had the idea to hide under the kitchen table and jump out and surprise daddy with the cake. he then ran upstairs and told daddy, " come downstairs! we made you a cake!" i took ricky out for a night on the town to dinner at "island prime" and we had a beautiful view on the water at downtown. we had a delicious meal and then came home and had some yummy cake!

{ 1 month! }

we just love having miss holland in our family! we love her so much and she is an angel baby. multiple family members have commented they haven't even heard her cry yet! hayden is very protective of his baby sister and he likes to always know where she is and makes sure he sneaks in some kisses. people have asked me what's different than having a boy, the only major things i've noticed is that she loves being held where hayden didn't mind hanging out in his papasan, and of course accessorizing! i'm having so much fun with the hair bows, flower clips and leg warmers!

{ 1 month milestones }

you love to smile daily

eat every 3-4 hours

wear 0-3 month clothes

transitioned from newborn diapers to size 1 diapers

your eyes get big when you hear mommy's voice

you track really well with your eyes

you sleep better with mom and dad

you snore just like your dad!

tummy time isn't your favorite

you enjoy bath time!

{ halloween happenings }

wow! what a busy month of october! fall is one of our favorite times of the year and what made it more special was having a newborn and adjusting to our new routine. ricky and i both have family leave so we had all the time in the world to be with each other and the kids. we took a trip to disneyland for a few days, visited 3 different pumpkin patches and got into the halloween spirit.

here's our adorable "tortoise and the hare" kiddos!

omi's pumpkin patch

hayden wanted to paint his pumpkin and make a potatoe head version

our pumpkins!

ricky's "hamburger" won the best pumpkin at l & c's party

ricky and i dressed up as the referees for the big race

all the cute cousins

victoria gardens

our silly little turtle

one cute little bunny

well, the hare didn't stand a chance, so it looks like the tortoise wins this one!

(there goes the moral of the story!)

bates nut farm

ricky hid in the cornstalks and hayden couldn't find him... BOO!

AHHHH! so appropriate for halloween!

our little pumpkin

hayden has gotten so great at writing his favorite letter, "H"

{ 3 weeks }

for those of you who know, i've had extreme vertigo the last 8 weeks since giving birth. this is something i've had my entire life, but never to this extent and this long. dizzy 24/7. i've seen multiple doctors and they believe i have "migraine associated vertigo." it's funny because i never get headaches and that's the key- it's a migraine without the headache pain that manifests itself into dizziness. weird i know. having your life upside down and spinning has been very debilitating, especially having a newborn and a 3-year-old to chase around. it's an invisible illness, i don't look sick but really my face should be green! if you've ever been motion sick, gotten off a boat and are still swaying, or dizzy on the teacups, you know what i'm talking about. i've been so thankful for my amazing husband and parents who have helped me so much- from driving me to doctor appointments to helping care for the kids. the good news is there are some medications that could help, the bad news is there are 40 to choose from so this will be a long journey of finding a possible treatment (there is no cure) but am grateful i even have a choice. i guess heavenly father might be trying to teach me something. i really have learned so much, but most importantly how amazing my family is, to slow down and enjoy life, and to be thankful for health.

i am trying my hardest to continue living and to not be stuck laying down in bed all-day. i do feel best being outdoors and walking. i appreciate all the prayers, fasts and thoughts. my neurologist started me on a new medication so hoping this works...

enough about me, let's get to our sweet daughter who we are absolutely smitten with! she is an absolute angel (she is 8 weeks today and still is!) and couldn't have asked for a better baby while going through this. forgive me for not posting more, it's hard to look up and down on the computer so am trying my best.

this is her at 3 weeks! heidi robbins took these gorgeous pictures for us.

ricky's cousins tyler and barbara wanted to test out some new camera equipment they'd just gotten and came over and took these precious pictures as well.

we love the wooden shoe!