The apple doesn't fall far from....

Have you ever had that moment in your life when you realize you ARE your MOTHER? It can be terrifying or exhilerating.

For example, my Mom goes crazy with decorations at Christmas. The bathrooms are even full of seasonal cheer.

Nick has always made fun of my copious amounts of Christmas decorations. Well, we put all of our decorations in our spacious townhouse and realized we didn't have as many as we once thought. So, this definetely called for a trip to Michaels. Thirty dollars later and a basket full of stuff I hummed merrily home (listening to Christmas music of course!).

This morning I was happily stringing garland and poinsettias all over when it hit me. I am my Mother. I wasn't quite sure how to react. I realized it was a good thing. My Mom is one of the most creative, organized and fun people I know. She always has a smile on her face and makes everyone around her laugh.

Thanks Mom. Your influence is very prevalent in our home this time of year! It is "Christmasized."

Give your Mom a hug or a call today.

Family Pictures

So, it is Christmas card season and I thought I'd let Costco do the work for me! So we had a friend take our pictures (Thanks Leigh!). She got some great pictures.

Aren't we cute!

Cake Decorating!

I've always enjoyed decorating cakes and took the first Wilton class a few years ago. I finally decided to finish the remaining courses and just finished the second course (there are 4 courses). Here is my final exam cake. It was really fun!

Technology is Amazing!

Well, the word is out and its true. We are expecting another baby on June 3, 2009. Amelia is still pretty clueless and looks at us like WE are clueless when we try and describe to her that there is a baby inside Mamma. Nonetheless, we are very excited for the new arrival. Here are some 3D ultrasound pictures we had taken today.

The kid was moving around like crazy and it was entertaining to watch the frustrated lab tech get the measurements she needed. A rebel even in the womb. Perfect.

The head is on the upper right and that baby's hands are propped up behind the head. Kickin' back. Nice.

The Incredibles.

We LOVE Halloween. It is such a fun time to dress up, chat with neighbors and the guilt-free chow down on processed sugar!

Here's our costumes. (I think they rock!)

Dash (a.k.a. Amelia)

Mr. Incredible (a.k.a. Nick) and Dash

And, last but not least, Elastagirl (a.k.a Rachel)

Pumpkins

We carved pumpkins for FHE. Here's the process and the final result!!

Our finished products!

Nick's finished monster.

Natural History Museum

On a rainy day we decided to visit the Natural History Museum. It is such a fun place for all ages. Amelia loved it.

Here's her new BFF.

The world is such an amazing place!

Distinctive Comfort Design

I've started my own business! I'm selling home decorating items at discounted prices. My Mom, Sister and I have a favorite home decor place in our home town. I found out the wholesaler and signed up with them. So, now you don't have to wait till "after holiday" sales to a pay a decent price for home decor.

Anyway, here is the blog address http://www.distinctcomfortdecor.blogspot.com/.
Log on and see the great deals. Just email me or post a comment and we can arrange payment and shipment!

Have a great one!

Annual Virginia Beach Trip

Every year for Nick's birthday we go camping in Virginia Beach. It is SO FUN. It is off season and still really nice. This year Nick's sister Sami was visiting so she came along. Friday and Saturday were kinda stormy but we were able to see an air show (with the Blue Angels!) and hang out. On Sunday, we went to the beach. We all had a great time.

THE COOLEST PLACE EVER

A few weeks ago, some friends invited us to Cox Farms in Centreville, VA. It was AMAZING. Definetely worth the $6.00 to get in. There was a hay ride, apples, cider, pumpkins, animals and playground galore. It farm combined with an amusement park. Ami had a great time. She ran and ran. She even got to feed goats (ended up wrestling with them really) but she had fun.

Here are some pictures.

We have fallen to The Office

For 4 consecutive seasons we have had friends (yes, that is you Eric and Marc) that have RAVED about the hilarity of NBC's The Office. We tried watching sporadically and it honestly didn't do anything for us. We thought it was dumb.

Well, with the summer TV season being the way it was we put Season 1 on our Queue. We watched it and thought. Hmm, that was fun.

Then we did Season 2. Crap. We're addicted. It is 11:10p.m. on a Saturday night and we are trying to think, "WHERE CAN WE GET THE THIRD SEASON THIS LATE ON A SATURDAY." Super.

Thanks...Eric and Marc. :)

Mi Casa Su Casa

Here are some pictures of the new place. We have so much space!

This is what you see as you enter the house.

Here is the master bedroom.

Here is Amelia's Room

The spare bedroom.

Here is the kitchen and the dining room.

Here is the living room.

Storage room/Laundry room and the Downstairs room.

And last, but not least, the Tiki Bar.

We moved!

I hate moving. I don't know if there is anything worse then moving. We didn't even move very far, yet I loath it. Amelia wasn't quite sure what to think. The boxes were fun...at least one of us thought so.

Puh-jum

Amelia is a fish. She loves to swim (or whatever toddlers do). Anyway, she has recently found it is fun to jump from the side of the pool. Her word for "jump" is "puh-jum". Yeah. Here are some pictures of her "puh-jum"-ing.

Bowling!!

Nick is doing a summer associateship with a D.C. Firm. The firm had a family bowling night. It happened to be Amelia's first time bowling. She had a great time. The only thing we had to worry about was having her drop the bowling ball on someone. Nick and I bowled horribly, but Amelia had a great time!

Bees for the Nursery

It was our Sunday to do snacks in nursery. And, I didn't want to bring boring pretzels or goldfish. My Mom gave me this idea. Thanks Mom!

4th of July in Washington, D.C.

Hands down, 4th of July is the BIGGEST holiday in D.C. So, it is always fun to get involved with the festivities. We went to a parade, and I'm not sure if it was more fun to watch Amelia watch the parade or watch the actual parade.

We also attended a breakfast with our Ward. I brought firework cupcakes. You frost the cupcake, roll the top in colored coconut and then stick a piece of licorice in the top. Very cute. To color the coconut you put 1/2 C of shredded coconut in a ziplock bag and put in 2-3 drops of food coloring. Seal the bag and shake. In seconds you have colored coconut!

Ballerina

Amelia received a tutu for her birthday from her best friend. She wears it CONSTANTLY. We recently had a battle because she wanted to be a ballerina in the tub...uh no. ANYWAY, she recently learned how to pirouette. Very cute.

Asian Festival

One of the many advantages of living in Northern Virginia is that there are always cultural festivals going on in the city. We recently went to an Asian festival and had a chance to sample Eastern foods, games and cultural activities.

Amelia even had her hand painted!

Conversations with a 2 Year Old

We love our daughter. She is beautiful, strong, smart and funny in oh so many ways. Recently she has discovered the insect kingdom. Unfortunately in her mind all bugs are bees.

Amelia: Mamma a bee! (and doing a buzzing noise while waving her hand in the air)

Rachel: Honey, I think that is an ant.

Amelia: Bee

Rachel: Ant

Amelia: Baby bee?

Rachel: I'm pretty sure it is an ant sweetheart.


Amelia: No, bee.

Rachel: Uh, sure. (watching as the two year old crawls after the "bee")

Ants are related to bees right?

Busy Month!

This last month has been busy in every sense of the word. The end of May we went to Idaho Falls to visit family. It was a whirlwind of two weeks that included Joe's (my brother) mission farewell and departure, Great Grandpa Bodily's surprise birthday party, a trip to Bern to see Aunt Rissa graduate from high school, and a little party for Amelia and Grandma's birthday (pictures later). We partied.

It felt great to get home and be back with Nick and our life. Amelia's birthday is on June 3 and we got home on the 4th. So on June 6th we had a party with some of her friends at Hayes Park in Arlington, VA. It is a spray park, so water is spurting out everywhere and kids can run through the fountains. We also had a sandcastle cake. Everyone had a great time even though it was 100 degrees F.

Exploring Williamsburg

Over Spring Break, we decided to take a trip to Williamsburg (about 3 hours away). It was so fun. We rented a little cottage right outside the City of Williamsburg and were minutes away from old town, Jamestown and Yorktown. Here are some of the pictures.

This is a picture of Williamsburg while standing at the Governor's Mansion.

I "volunteered" to be a part of a court demonstration in the old Williamsburg courthouse. They must know trouble when they see it.

This is Amelia making flour in Jamestown. We start them early in this family!

Best Buds.

Finally, it isn't a vacation without a trip to the hotel's swimming pool.