I'm Back! Marissa's 5th Birthday (continued)

I never WANTED to stop blogging.....it just happened.

So I'm going to continue where I left off. I have lots of pictures of the kids and the family that I want to share and blog about.

I want the kids to be able to look at the blog in the future and see how everyone's changed (even if I took a break here and there).

So here we are looking at pictures from Marissa's 5th Birthday (nearly 2 years ago!). This was on April 30th, 2008 (her actual birthday).

Gina & I & the boys followed Marissa & Kathy to get Marissa's hair cut for the first time and to get her ears pierced. She was so excited about both events. She got her ears pierced at the mall so we were able to goof around a little with the kids. Then came time to get her ears pierced. It didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped. She freaked out just a little bit but Kathy ended up sitting with her and the deed was finally done. She was glad she got them pierced and she still loves to wear her earrings. I'm glad I got to be part of the event.

Marissa's Birthday Party....

When Garrett first saw Marissa with her princess makeover, I remember him saying, "wow, Marissa, you look nice".

We celebrated her birthday with family at John's Incredible Pizza. Actually, Jake & I ended up staying home because Jake had a high fever and wasn't feeling well at all. We were sad to miss it but Aaron was kind enough to take pictures for us. Nevermind that he almost lost my camera while they were playing games.

Princess Marissa.....

Here she is taking her picture at the photo studio. All of her pictures came out great. It was hard to choose a favorite. Here she is also with my mom who came along for the fun at Libby Lu's.

Marissa's 5th Birthday Present....

For Marissa's 5th Birthday present I took her to Libby Lu's to get a "princess makeover". She had a fun time transforming into a little princess. We also went shopping for a new outfit and got her pictures taken. She loved being pampered salon style and I had a great time watching her.

T-Ball with Lito April 2008....

Here are Garrett & Marissa on the T-Ball field with Lito. This was taken a year ago. The funny thing is that they are on the Green Team again this year but this time Jake is on the team with them. Aaron & Frankie are coaching the team too. So far so good.

And a picture of Jake enjoying the team goodies after their game. This is the part they enjoy the most.

The Best Part of T-Ball......

Here are the kids after one of their t-ball games. The best part of each game (according to the kids) was getting treats after the game and eating the treats on the bleachers with their team mates. The treats always consisted of a sugary snack washed down with a sugary drink. What more could you ask for? And even though Jake didn't play on the team with Garrett & Marissa, he always got lucky and "earned" a treat too.

Daddy's 34th Birthday.....

Here are pictures from Aaron's 34th Birthday on April 2nd. We spent it with the family by going out to dinner for family style Chinese food and then back to our house for cake and ice cream. We got him a golf net so he could practice hitting golf balls without hitting them at the house or over the house. He FINALLY got around to opening the golf net and setting it up this February (almost a year later).

T-Ball Season 1......

We signed Garrett & Marissa up for T-ball in the Spring of '08. This was the first t-ball experience for both of them. We weren't expecting much from them out there but they actually did pretty well.

The best part for them was getting "snacks" after the games. Marissa played with a right hander's mitt even though she is left handed. Jake loved being outside and playing in the dirt. Garrett was able to hit the ball without the Tee towards the end of the season. We are excited for t-ball this year because the 3 of them will be on the same team. It should make for some entertaining t-ball.

Easter Bunny 2008....

These pictures were taken on March 15th, 2008. We took the kids to the annual PG&E family Easter egg hunt. They all had a great time hunting for eggs, playing games, and eating Easter Candy. We can't wait to do it again in 2009.

Valentine's Day 2008....

Here are a couple of pictures from Valentine's Day 2008. Growing up, my parents always made Valentines day special for us. We always got some kind of "treat" that day. It was usually candy, See's Candy, and I always looked forward to that day.

I try to make Valentine's Day special for the boys and Marissa too. I know it doesn't mean much to them now, but I hope when they are adults, they will remember this day being made special for them too.

P.S. It's fun writing about this day almost a year later....look at Jake. He still looks "babyish". Marissa looks a lot younger too. They change so much. This is also a good reminder NOT to cut Jake's hair so short :)

Almost Famous.....

This is my niece, Marissa. When I saw this picture I had taken of her back in December, it immediately reminded me of one of my favorite movies, Almost Famous. I know it's a bit of a stretch because she really doesn't LOOK like Kate Hudson, but she DOES remind me of the character Kate Hudson played, Penny Lane. She's very stylish, laid back, spontaneous, and fun. Marissa personifies this character in this picture. She's has a lot of those traits and I know she'll be a hell of a lot cuter than Kate.