Sydney Katherine

Disney Date NIght

2010-12-29T10:28:00.000-08:00

I love that quite a few friends have Disney passes, and it's such a bonus that we work together and that Garys' Auntie Barb loves taking him!! So every now and again we make a "date night' after work. Now you see why we call it "date night". I swear we are going to show this at their wedding slide show lol...
We all loved how Small World gets all decked out for the holidays

Our Disney Gang :)

An Unexpected Trip

2010-11-13T19:21:00.000-08:00

Towards the end of October we made a trip up to Northern California for Steve's grandmothers memorial, though it was a sad reason it was wonderful to get together with family and celebrate grandma's life. It was the first trip up there in 6 years for us, and Sydney's 1st and the first time she has met some of her cousins. Let's just say they hit it off right away and boy was it noisy (3 of Annie's + 3 of Leslie's +1 of ours and rain = one crazy house) Brothers and Sisters

Steve's dad came up too.
The In-laws

The Kids (the one of very few quiet moments)

and nothing says love like a bathtub full of family :)

A Jenny Hart Wedding

2010-11-13T19:10:00.000-08:00

My wonderful new co-teacher Sarah was married a few weeks ago, as you can see she was an absolutly beautiful bride and it was a great wedding.

The Jenny Hart Girls

Chaffey Marching Tigers

2010-11-13T19:00:00.000-08:00

As you can see, again I have a lack of posts, one of the many reasons is marching season is in full swing and it has been a whirl wind of competitions, shows and what not...and with Tatiana being a Captain she (as in us) have more things to do. But as always we love it and do it with smiles.

Tat even preformed at the Rose Bowl at the UCLA game

Tatiana and Jose (The Passion Within)

The girls at spirit rally

Sydney's a Purple Caterpillar

2010-10-10T14:07:00.000-07:00

Sydney has offically become a "pre-schooler" she started ast Jenny Hart as a Purple Caterpillar (3yr. old room) and has 2 wonderful teachers Ms. Laurie who shares her love of all animals and bugs and Ms. Michelle who is here "shop till you drop" fashionista sista , so in other words all bases are covered and they can tag team her and whip her into shape :) Ms. Laurie, Syd And Ms. Michelle

Sydneys' favorite thing to do at school (besides helping to feed Kobe the Gecko) is painting

and it's great to spend the morning in mommy's class

and of course the playground

Summer Catch Up

2010-10-10T13:13:00.000-07:00

Well I totally dropped the proverbial "ball" and completely ignored the blog so now it's time to play catch-up so here is our summer in a nut shell....

We had lots of fun with friends...

Went to the beach...

Had lots of yummy lunch dates

Worked in our garden which provided lots of wonderful veggies this summer

spent plenty of time in the pool

and took many, many Disneyland trips

and started our bi-monthly library trips

All in all it was a wonderful and busy summer, thank you to everyone we were luckily enough to spend it with!!

Ontario 4th Of July Parade

2010-07-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday morning on Euclid watching the Ontario 4th of July Parade it was a fun little parade and Tatiana even marched in it.
being a silly goose

Chaffey High Marching Tigers

Tatiana in the rifle line (and she didn't even drop) Syd waving to all here "tiger" friends

Papa's 60th Birthday

2010-07-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

We had so many celebrations in the last 2 weeks and this one was another GREAT one Papa turned 60 on the 1st so to celebrate we had a nice little party at his house in Alhambra. Complete with great family , friends and food! Papa and Grammie with all the Gran-girlsFinally an Erwin family picture

Syd and Papa dancing the night away

Discovery Science Museum

2010-07-01T10:17:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we were able to go visit the Discovery Science Museum. We had a great time with the Grammies and learned all about some funky body functions in the new Gross-ology exhibit. playing a giant game of operation

Sydney also loved the Tinker Toy exhibit

and we had to check out the dinosaur quest

Tatiana even layed on a bed of nails

Ladybug Pool Party

2010-06-27T13:18:00.001-07:00

So we waited until the end of June to have Sydney's "official" Birthday Party (we wanted to make sure it was nice and warm for the pool). When the time came for planning Sydney informed me that she was going to have a Ladybug party...so of course that's what we had. It was a great theme and surprisingly easy to do! And of course what's a pool party with out BBQ so that was on the menu. Every one had a great time and the weather was fantastic!!

All the girls hanging in the pool

it was a great turn out.

Papa and Grammie helping Sydney blow the candles out on her ladybug cake

and Sydney was so sweet she let her best buddy Casey help with the opening of her presents

Sydney K is 3

2010-06-27T13:14:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how fast time flies it seems like just yesterday she was a tiny little bug, but now she is this beautiful,(opinionated, bossy diva) little girl. We actually have a party planned for the end of June but the day of her "real" birthday we made a ladybug cake (per Syd's request).

Dream Car

2010-05-23T14:35:00.000-07:00

This is one LUCKY girl!! After much thought, consideration and searching Tatiana got her dream car she has always said she wanted a little Beetle but what 16 year old kid really gets the car they want the first time out. Well like I said after much thought we decided that she really did deserve it. The girl get excellent grades, is captain of her high school C. Guard and yes now has a job, so really why not. But just like any good parents it does have a price she has to pay her own insurance, gas, and maintenance, and all the while keep up with school (and those grades) and work. I think she can handle it and really just look at that face there is really nothing better that giving your child something they dream of!

Color Guard Captain 2010-2011

2010-05-23T14:33:00.000-07:00

It's official, Tatiana made CAPTAIN!!!! She also got the seniors No-Brainer award (what can I can I love her but she can be a little ditzy) lol... So it looks like another busy, busy Band year ahead of us.

As they announced her name as captain

Yes, you are awesome!

Captian Audition

2010-05-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Tatiana is going out for Captain of her High School Color Guard squad, and part of the audition process is to choreograph a 2:30 min. routine. I know I'm biased but I think she did a great job!! We find out Thursday if she gets it?? Fingers crossed

Family BBQ

2010-05-16T14:04:00.000-07:00

In honor of my niece Kayla's 12th birthday we had a BBQ at our house. As always we had lots of fun and of course food. It was a beautiful day that made it perfect for hanging out in the backyard. Just wish the pool had been slightly warmer. Tatiana and Sydney K practicing their flag work.

Playing our awesome new game Just Dance! This game is sooo fun

Family and friends

and of course the family

Meet Nemo

2010-05-16T13:48:00.000-07:00

Sydney has been very into pets as of late, so since we are done with any of the four legged variety we decided to get a fishy for her. She was so excited to go to the pet store and pick him out. She had to check out every single one to make sure and get just the right one

Found it!!

Sydney and Nemo (what else do you think a 2 yr. old would name her fish)

A Garden

2010-04-18T10:23:00.000-07:00

We decided to use a little patch of dirt to plant veggie garden. Sydney was so excited to help and she loves digging in the dirt, so now I hope watching the veggies grow will get her to actually eat them..(she will only eat broccoli, asparagus, and corn)
We planted tomatoes, lettuce, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, bell peppers, and of course strawberries

Ashleigh's Visit

2010-04-17T20:16:00.000-07:00

For Spring Break Ashleigh came down with her grandma to visit her Aunt which was great because that gave us a chance to have a visit with her. With the craziness of the house we have not had any chance to go out to Arizona and visit, but we will definitely have to make the time this year!! Sydney and Ashleigh just love each other so much and love that they are sisters :)Sydney showing Ash her big girl bedDaddy and his girls

Egg Hunt

2010-04-05T18:17:00.000-07:00

Saturday Sydney and I got together with my moms group to have and Easter Egg hunt. It was so much fun the kids started off by make a bunny craft then went off to find the eggs. There were a ton of eggs but boy they didn't last long those kids found everyone of them in about 2 min. flat!
On your mark, get set, GO!

Look at all that yummy sugar!

and boy does this girl love her chocolate

Colorful Eggs

2010-04-05T18:07:00.000-07:00

No matter how old your kids are they love to dye easter eggs. Sydney and Tatiana spent the night before easter dyeing eggs together, it was so fun and Tat was even nice to her little sis and let her have the last egg!

On the Mark "er"

2010-04-02T22:10:00.000-07:00

Sydney has offically graduated to a big girl bed last weekend, after being a super big girl and giving up her night time bottles. Anyway she was playing so nice a quietly in her room admiring her big bed and I thought nothing of it...Until I hear crying and Steve calling my name. As I get closer to Syd's room I see her holding on to her daddy crying and asking him not to tell mommy ( am I really so mean). Well long story short this is what I found!

Mini Guard

2010-03-27T18:51:00.000-07:00

At Tatiana's last competition there was a vendor selling mini flags and Syd wanting to be just like her big sister just had to have one. She looked so cute twirling it around I had to give in and let her have it. Tatiana going up for awards

Syd busting her moves

This is how it's done!

Dland W/ Gary & Barb

2010-03-25T18:49:00.000-07:00

I know I know, another trip to Disneyland but this time we went with Barbara and her cute little nephew Gary (who is also in my class). We had a great time just hanging out listening to the kids jabber away and decide what ride they wanted to go on.... We will for sure be going back with them many time over.

Prom

2010-03-25T18:35:00.000-07:00

What a surprise!!! Chantz asked Tat to prom in the sweetest way, he spelled out PROM? in 1000 tea lights. Then asked my to drive her by after practice. When we showed up he was standing there in a suit with roses. ahhhh

Cruella De Vil

2010-03-12T19:30:00.000-08:00

Sydney has been obsessed with 101 Dalmatians lately. As soon as we get home she always asks for Pongo and Perdita. So when we went to Disneyland on Monday and saw Cruella she was not so sure about it, but after a little coaxing and Cruella taking Boo hostage Syd talked to her. In the end she said "it not scary cause I not a puppy duella only mean to puppies and I'm a girl "

Winter Guard in Vegas

2010-03-09T19:26:00.000-08:00

This weekend I chaperoned Tatiana's Winter Guard competition in Vegas. Talk about a different side of Vegas, I never even stepped foot in the casino. These kids were great! We actually had so much fun and laughed all weekend, and the Teachers Mr. Yanick and Mr.Ryan are a blast. I really think keeping an eye on 12 High School kids for a whole weekend is easy compared to an evening with Syd sometimes :) On the road with shakes in hand!

Checking out the strip

Tat & Tony

Ending Pose

Chaffey Winter Guard 2010

California Speed Way

2010-02-21T11:29:00.000-08:00

Tatiana's Winter Guard has a fundraiser that involves volunteering at the California speed way during a race as an usher. Every parent is required to at least work one day. I'm not that into NASCAR but oh well, we (grandma and myself) chose to work Saturday which was the Stater Bros 300. It really wasn't as bad as I thought, and it was Danicka Patricks day to race so that was kinda cool. We also had a fun supervisor that made it even better, and we had a great view of the race.
The bad thing was it was cold as hell frozen over! At least it didn't rain.

Disneyland

2010-02-21T11:16:00.000-08:00

It was a beautiful day so where to go Disneyland of course! It was lots of fun and Chantz came with us which was lots of fun since he's only been twice before it was fun to show him some of our secrets. And he also likes the "scary" rides, so we went on some of those while Grandma and Syd took a break.
waiting for the Maliboomer

The change to tulips is one of our favorites.

Syd kept her 3D glasses on the whole time at the bugs life movie and tried to catch the little butterfly.

She also loved the view from the ferris wheel.

and no trip is complete without a ride on the merry-go-round.

Super Bowl Sunday

2010-02-14T18:18:00.000-08:00

It's a little late but here are some fun pics from our relaxing Super Bowl Sunday. We weren't planning on doing much but a few friends did end up coming over in the end. Starting the morning off with Mickey Mouse shaped pancakes, Sydney love to help cook just about anything and everything.

Brent, Chynthia, and Elizabeth came over to watch the game

Brent and Steve at the end of the game. lol

and finally enjoying some post game cupcakes.

Backwards

2010-02-10T18:21:00.000-08:00

Tatiana and Chantz had a week filled with fun "backwards" shinanigins. Then at the end of the week they went to the Backwards dance or as in my era Sadie Hawkins. We went to watch Chantz cheer for the Powder Puff game, he made a great pep squad boy ( and hey he can pull off a skirt even with majorly hairy legs. lol)
His teacher caught him with his wig on!

Sweet 16

2010-02-10T18:16:00.000-08:00

We thru one heck of a Sweet 16 for our baby girl Tatiana. It was a "Rave" theme complete with hundreds of glowsticks, candy necklaces, and a million ring pops! And I am so thankful that the week of major rain stopped just in time :)Getting ready for the crowd!

Tatiana and Chantz partied all night!

My Girl

Tatiana dancing with her baby sister, I may have a problem..my girls are just to social!

The Jenny Hart gang takes over! Whoo-hoo

In Stitches

2010-01-22T19:30:00.001-08:00

So you'd think by this picture we mean metaphorically as in laughing....not so much. This is actually a picture of Syd in the ER waiting for the Doctor to "fix her owie" and by that I mean REAL stitches . She slipped and fell on a shampoo bottle while getting out of the tub, a shampoo bottle can you believe that! Anyway she is a real trooper after a quick scream and a few minutes of tears she was all smiles again and ready to hit the ER (that actually made 2 trips for me in the last 2 weeks, Tat had to go on the 3rd because she passed out due to dehydration because of Strep throat). 4 stitches later she was wanting McDonalds when we left the hospital at 11:30pm, and did she get it...of course :) (wouldn't you)
And lot's of fun special Band-aids

Mickey Mouse Rockin' Roadshow

2010-01-22T18:42:00.001-08:00

Mickey's Rockin' Roadshow made a stop at the new Citizen's Bank Arena which is right down the street from us so we decided Sydney would totally love to go and boy were we right!! It was a fun show with a bunch of Disney friends and how they are trying to find acts for Mickeys talent show, some of the acts were , Buzz and Woody, Tigger, and of course Cinderella.We had great seats too!

Bouncing to Tigger's song.

The Grand Finale
and Syd loved Donald's big KaBoom at the end

In Daddy's Shoes

2010-01-10T19:04:00.000-08:00

Sydney loves to be just like her daddy (and boy is she in soo many ways).

Stay at Home Mom (just for this week)

2010-01-01T20:21:00.000-08:00

It's been a great week!! I love that I have off this week , I was actually able to play "stay at home mom", and we did all kinds of things like hit up another movie (this time Syd was in big girl panties and stayed dry the whole time) The Chipmunk movie (super cute), did a little shopping, lunched with the girls, and even tried Pump It Up. Syd (and Tat) really had a blast. Grammy even came for a visit and then took Syd for an overnight, (god I love that woman). It has been a wonderful break and will be over all too soon. Tat & Syd going down the BIG slide.

Playing a little basketball with grammy

Christmas Day

2009-12-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Wow another Christmas gone already, this year was a truly fun one Sydney was super excited that Santa came a left a ton of "princess" presents for her, though she was a little bummed she didn't get the chance to see him. She was quickly soothed by her 3 doll houses (actually 2 doll houses and a pet shop) and all the furniture that goes along with it.

Tatiana didn't do to bad either she loved her new camera (now maybe she'll leave mine alone ) and a slew of other teenage stuff.

Daddy loved his new boots, too bad they were 2 right feet..lol ...and he had to return one and get a lefty the next day.

and I was super excited about my new Wii game (anyone wanna have a Band Hero Party!!)

and now that all is said and done and all the princess are in a row, we hope everyone had as wonderful a christmas as we did.

2nd Annual Cookie Party

2009-12-20T09:00:00.000-08:00

We had our 2nd annual cookie party. This year we made 8 diffrent types of cookies. It was so much fun we even had my nicece Mikayla over this year and she was a baking queen. It was also nice to have a much bigger kitchen (even if we also took over the entry way for sugar cookie decorating) I can't wait until next year after the kitchen remodel.

mom's not a baker so she took over clean up duty and did a great job making sure we all had clean pans and anything else we needed.

Syd had her own little work station complete with sprinkles.

Decorating, time to get creative.

the final product. Everyone ended up with at least 7 containers of cookies each! That's alot of baking.

Now to find room for all the leftover supplies ???

Christmas at the Erwins

2009-12-20T08:43:00.000-08:00

We had a little Chirstmas get together at our house this weekend with some of friends and family and of course great food. It was nice to enjoy a little holiday cheer and good company.

The friends

The Family

Tatiana and Chantz

Kayla, Sydney K, & Isabella

We of course had to break out the Wii and have a kick butt bowl down

look at that form

Gingerbread House

2009-12-20T08:36:00.000-08:00

Sydney was so excited to do her gingerbread house, she loved putting on all the candies and even tried spreading the super sticky icing. It's now proudly displayed in the living room where everyone can see and she reminds them "no eating my house".

Princess and the Frog

2009-12-12T09:38:00.000-08:00

Sydney has been so excited about the Princess and the Frog she always asks "when we see it?" So we decided to try and take her to the movies (or the bigger T.V as Syd called it) for the first time. We were a little worried how she would do, but it was a huge success, she absolutely loved the movie and sat still and quite through the whole thing. YAY!! So now we are aiming to see the Chipmunks during Christmas break (I wonder if I could get her to sit through New Moon) lol.

Enjoying her popcorn and "spicy juice" aka sprite

Girls night at the movies

Thanksgiving

2009-11-29T08:41:00.000-08:00

We had a quiet Thanksgiving with the family at our new home it was so nice Uncle Juan and Grandma joined us.

New Home

2009-11-29T07:34:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's almost been a month since my last post and now less that a month till Christmas, but we are finally in our new home and slowly getting settled in and unpacked. We still have alot to do and are far from finished (it would be nice to have doorknobs on any door), and trying to find a place for everything (IKEA is my new best friend)but I'm glad we're "HOME".

and then the kitchen remodel start after the first of the year
SK's room and I finally have her curtian rod in so I can get rid of those ugly temporary ones :)

Jenny Hart Harvest Festival

2009-11-01T19:31:00.000-08:00

We had a great time at Jenny Hart. Sydney was the cutest little Tinker Bell and loved visiting mommy's work.

Tinker Bell and Wendy

Enjoying the book nook

WOW two Tinker Bell's

are we at Jenny Hart or Neverland

Pumpkin Carving

2009-11-01T19:29:00.000-08:00

Sydney was very excited about carving her pumpkin. The only problem we had was once I would scoop all the pumpkin guts out she would put them back in and tell me "No mommy he needs his brains." What a funny girl. That is a band-aid on her head she said "my hair hurts"

Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

We finally made it to the Pumpkin Patch just a few days before Halloween. (It's been crazy with house stuff but we are almost there). Sydney had a great time picking out pumpkins and of course checking out all the fun things to do. This one's mine.

Girl loves the bouncy house slide

and who could pass up the pony ride, though she did tell me the "horsey smell sour"

and what visit wouldn't be complete without a little hay tossing

Homecoming 2009

2009-10-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Tatiana and Chris went to Homecoming this year, the theme was Paris Nights. They looked absolutely gorgeous. Tatiana loved her dress especially the lacing down the back. Yet again she is growing up to fast. When did I get this old :) Well she will always be my baby, even when she drives me nuts.

Teen Diver

2009-10-15T21:22:00.000-07:00

It's official Tatiana is a driver in training. I can't believe how fast time flies, it seems like only yesterday she was starting to walk and talk now she's driving. Help I'm not old enough to have a teenage driver, and now I'll have even more gray..Hello Clairol

Tatiana and Chris went to get their permits together (ahh young love)

She even got to drive home from the DMV

Girls San Diego Night

2009-10-04T19:38:00.000-07:00

I was able to squeeze in a little break from home renovation to go to San Diego with the girls. We had a great time hanging out at the Bristol Hotel in the Gas light District.

Ready to hit the town

This is what happens at the end of a girls night..lol

Spooktacular Fireworks

2009-10-04T18:04:00.000-07:00

We decided to head on over and check out the Disneyland Halloween fireworks show and hit a couple rides, but OMG it was sooo packed it took us 1/2 an hour just to get into the parking garage. So instead we just did dinner and fortunately lucked out and got awesome seats outside at the Plaza Inn where we were able to watch the fireworks and have dessert at the same time what more could you need.

Sydney loved her special Mickey mug filled with pumpkin mousse

YEY here comes the show

A room fit for a princess

2009-09-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

One room almost down. We went from Spider-Man to Princess in just a few weeks. Sydney's favorite colors are pink and purple so that's what we gave her and we will be adding a white chair rail to finish it off.

The Cave

2009-09-27T09:41:00.000-07:00

And now the cave is transformed... with lots of arm breaking work we finally have gotten rid of the nasty brown walls, it only took some re-texturing (which I can now say I am pretty darn good at) and a million gallons of primer.

even Sk helped
Like I said a cinch :)

Now they are a lovely celery"ish" with a light butter cream accent wall. Okay all we need now are floors and some base boards

One Last Summer Outing

2009-09-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

It was such nice weather we had to have one last summer outing (and a definite break from home renovation) , so the whole family went to Raging Waters and had a blast. Sydney with her cousin Mikayla

Wow a giant mermaid or as she called her cereal aka Ariel

First Football Game

2009-09-13T17:29:00.000-07:00

So call me strange I am 34 years old and just went to my FIRST high school football game, and it wasn't even for the game Tatiana (as I have posted) made her schools' color gaurd team and their 1st half time preformance was last weekend. Oh and the game was pretty good to, we spanked Alta Loma 34 to 10 ... Go Chaffey Tigers

Pool Renovation

2009-09-07T20:21:00.000-07:00

When we first were looking for a house I so wanted a pool it was one of my "must haves", though the house we got had a pool I was afraid it was beyond help, but my fab honey said "we'll make it work" (I did not tell him that was A great (gay) stylish old guy's famous line) and know what he did, he is also now best buds with the team at Leslie's Pool Supply too :)

Before

Oh and thank you Carl for our killer house warming gift of Bottom Pete, (our new pool cleaner)

And of course what a pool isn't complete without a Labor Day pool party

Renovation... Where's the primer?

2009-08-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

So we have officially started renovation on our soon to be home, that's right it's still not "officially" ours we have hit every bump in the home buying road it has been more like an awful off road hell. This last bump has to do with the city and the fence into the backyard, it's not really a fence is the problem it's more like two big pieces of wood with a padlock across it to keep it closed which is not good because of the pool in the back, so the FHA won't sign off until the city inspects it and knows that we are aware of the problem and that we will fix it...god we know we know and we are going to fix it but it needs to be ours first god! But that all said the listing agent said we could go ahead and start our renovation as long as we didn't move in (yeah have you seen the place it needs a total overhaul before we can do that) which is why we need to start renovating like last week (when escrow was supposed to close.

This is what happens when you don't use primer, the paint is litterally peeling off the walls. Actually it's a good thing makes my job a little easier.

What are some people thinking??

Maybe we should use all those sheets of paint for a pool cover, lol

Vegas Part II

2009-08-22T09:47:00.000-07:00

I never thought I would enjoy Vegas with a child but it really was fun and Syd is the ultimate "party girl".
The Fremont Experience, downtown was rockin it was the 40th anniversary of Woodstock.

we met some friends at the pool.
and on the way home we totally had to stop at the famous Barstow Del Taco..YUM

Vegas Baby

2009-08-22T09:27:00.001-07:00

Our last summer trip was a girls weekend in Vegas, and we had a great time. We spent much of

the time in the pool as the weather was great, really warm but not unbearable. Sydney loved all the lights and of course tried to negotiate with us to play some of the slot machines. Sorry gotta wait 19 more years.

She loved running thru the casinos with all the music and lights, she would always want to stop and dance. The girl loves an audience.

She also loved all the mirrors, this is her Home Alone tribute.
Here we are in front of our hotel The Monte Carlo which is sooo awesome !! As you can see below they also had awesome pools yes pools they actually had 3, a lagoon style, a wave pool, a toddler pool and a lazy river. Now you can see why we were there all day!

Daddy Finally did It

2009-08-12T08:24:00.000-07:00

That's right Daddy finally got a Disneyland pass for himself. He just couldn't help it, he wanted to join the fun.

It was very cool we went on Haunted Mansion and it was the 40th anniversary of it's opening

Aug. 9th 1969

and of course had to show Daddy small world

Mom's Night

2009-08-05T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yay!! another Mom's Night out and we had a blast it started off as a Bunco night but then we had a few cancellations so we turned it in to a game night. We played Sing Star and Balderdash and had lots and lots of wine and good food.

House Warming

2009-08-05T20:32:00.000-07:00

Our friend Carrie recently bought her first house and has put in a lot of love and care in to it so now it was time to show it off!!! She Held an "open house" last weekend so we headed on down to take a look (and take some family pics of her sister and her family) and it was so pretty.

The 3 little monsters, SK, Ella. and Mason.

Giving Wella a big hug,

and of course the "family"

Sydney Kat and her "Cat" Scan

2009-07-29T15:10:00.000-07:00

As some of you may know Syd has this habit of randomly throwing up when she is asleep. There is no rhyme or reason to it, sometimes it happens for a week straight some times only 2-4 times a month and has been on going for over a year. She has been tested for Celiac Di ease, milk allergies, and just letting it work it's course yet it is still happening so finally at her last appt. her Dr. came up with a theory that maybe it's seizures!! WHAT??? So that meant we had to have a CT Scan. Our baby was so brave the only time she got truly upset was when they had to put the IV in which was a feat the 1st RN could get it and blew her vain so they took her up to Peids where they are so awesome with the little ones and were able to get it done with minimal screaming. The CT Scan it's self was not too bad it was just like a really bad carnival ride. Now we just have to watch for any reaction to the contrast (dye) they put in her brain. Next waiting for the results.....

Best Day Ever

2009-07-28T13:27:00.000-07:00

Okay even though we have been to Dland twice already this week we decided what the heck one more a day, and decided to take Grandma for an early Sunday treat. And we are so glad that we did it turned out to be one of the BEST trips ever!!! We got there bright and early (8am) and it was empty and we were able to get on tons of rides.

Like Dumbo

and Nemo (only waited 10 min WOW).

Then the best part, we surprised Grandma with lunch reservations at the Blue Bayou (the restaurant in the Pirates ride) and it was great, food, service, everything. And as we were waiting for the bill (which was a bit pricey) the manager came up and told us that they were very sorry but the building had to be immediately evacuated!!! We told her no problem we just had to pay our bill and she said not to worry about it sorry for the inconvenience and have a magical day, we even offered to come back later and pay but she said no thanks just have a great day. Can you believe it....turns out the reason for the evacuation was due to a small earthquake.

Then on our way out we hit the parade at the right time, even getting front row seats which meant Syd and I got to be apart of it all and walk in the Conga line. What a great day!

Another Day Another Pool Party

2009-07-28T13:15:00.000-07:00

We had another pool party at Auntie Kyss's this time we were joined by a few of our good friends, Wella, Justin, Grammy, Trevor and puppy Axel and of course...

our best buddy Ella bella (according to Syd) and Nina :)

Pool Day

2009-07-28T09:55:00.000-07:00

It has been so stinking hot here! So to beat the heat we have been going over to Auntie Kyss's house for mini pool parties. Sydney just loves her Auntie Kyss and gets so excited when we go, I'm sure getting to play with Tiffy cat and Rufus doesn't hurt .

Recreating a scene from Dirty Dancing

Loving Tiffy Cat

Ships in the Night

2009-07-27T12:55:00.000-07:00

Well more like strollers at Disneyland really. Amy, Jason and Ryan were down for a whole week (they were on a family vacation at Disneyland) so we met up with them for a few hours on Wed. Then again with Daddy on Fri. for a few more hours. Unfortunately they were very short visits, but they had lots of family commitments, so we took what we could :)

The girls (Amy's sister Jenny and her little Maddie met up with us both nights)

4th of July

2009-07-11T10:47:00.000-07:00

Seeing as the older girls of this crazy clan just got back from New Orleans the day before, we decided to have a very (and we mean very) low key 4th this year. We went and picked up a small pool for Syd (hopefully the last one we will ever buy as we finally found a house ,with a pool :) and have just started escrow ) and hung out.

Our little fish loves to jump and splash.

Taking a break and having a snack ahhh. what a relaxing day.

The City That Care Forgot...part 2

2009-07-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

Wow New Orleans was quite a trip. We were there for 6 days so you can imagine how many pics I ended up with so here are just the highlights. It was a great place to be everyone was just so friendly. We will surely be going back someday.

Tat & I hanging at the pool.

At the world famous Cafe Du Monde for cafe au lait & beignets. They really were the best in the city we even brought some mix home to try it ourselves. Needless to say it wasn't quite the same.

the floor was white from all the powder sugar they put on them Yummm.

We met this great artist Oscar at the french market who made awesome wearable art. They were so bright and so unique, and once again such a friendly guy. Check out his creations here
http://www.oscarofneworleans.com/

Walking along the Mississippi river

and you can't go to New Orleans with out visiting Mardi Gras World. The floats were absolutely amazing.

Tat channeling her inner Marylin...

The Big Easy

2009-06-30T07:02:00.000-07:00

As some of you know Tatiana, and I are in New Orleans. We tagged along with my mom who came for the SHRM conference. It is becoming quite a trip. It started off with missing our flight (midnight Friday means Friday am and NOT Friday night...duh) then after a red-eye our room was not ready ( though we paid for it to be ready at 3pm the day before). But now that we are here it is quite fun. The local history really is awesome, and everyone has a story and are totally willing to share it. Visiting Jackson Square

Tatiana on Bourbon St. It's pretty cool and fun, but boy is it stinky!!! We haven't really spent a lot of time here even though our hotel (Royal Sonesta which is BEAUTIFUL) sits right on it.

Walking back from dinner near Jackson Square we were hit by a crazy thunderstorm,(and pretty much we get one random a day) there was not much to do except keep walking. It was actually quite fun and it definitely cooled us down. It's not the heat that's so bad it's the darn humidity that's a killer, it's like breathing soup.

We took a swamp tour that was also pretty exciting as another boat broke down and we had to "rescue" it. But we did see lots of gators who knew they liked marshmallows!!

Father's Day

2009-06-30T06:31:00.000-07:00

I know it's a bit late but (house hunting is proving harder and more time consuming than we had hoped) for Father's Day everyone (and I do mean everyone) came over to our house for a BBQ.

Here Grandpa is with ALL the grand kids and as you can see the poor guys is surrounded by all GIRLS!!! Starting from youngest it's Brooklynn, Sydney K, Mykala, Mikayla, and Tatiana. (nope that's not a typo there are 2 "kayla's" )

Sydney's 1st Haircut

2009-06-30T06:19:00.000-07:00

We decided it was time to give Sydney her first haircut. Don't worry though it was only a little trim to even things out. I really thought about cutting it into a cute little bob she still has such wild hair for as thin as it is but I can't help it I just love long hair, and I love doing cute ponies and braids, and OMG the bows they have!!! Now if she would just be still long enough to let me do it.

Freshman No More

2009-06-20T12:52:00.000-07:00

It is official Tatiana is no longer a freshman. I can't believe my "big" baby girl is already in her second year of high school. Well here are some shots we took while hanging out in the Arts Colony. (Doesn't she look so grown-up), watch out America's Next Top Model...Your looking at your 2012 winner

A Birthday Picnic

2009-06-14T11:11:00.000-07:00

In all honesty we really did not have any specific plans for Syd's birthday this year, we had the huge 1st birthday day her being the 2nd child I know that it only gets bigger as they get older ( just ask the soon to be 16 year old) so when they are younger you can get away with not doing a whole lot. So instead we just planned the build-a-bear thing (see previous post) and then as an after thought decided to go a picnic at the park. As you can see we weren't alone some of SK's biggest fans were not going to be left out and came along, and it turned out to be just perfect...

Grammy & Bob brought Syd's best buddy Ella

The guys, Uncle Juan that's gross...

My auntie Kyss

Yummy cupcakes that actually started to melt....

Sharing her B-Day cupcake with Ella what a good friend

Sydney's B-Day Morning

2009-06-14T10:53:00.000-07:00

Well our little princess is officially 2. So to start off the birthday celebrations we took a trip to build-a-bear (it is quickly becoming one of SK's favorite places) and she picked out a cute super soft lamb, but it was quite a challenge to pick just one.
here she is putting her special heart into her lamby after a big kiss

Then she even picked out a special Princess outfit for her lamby complete with pink "glass" slippers and a happy birthday cupcake. Oh then as a final thought she had to grab a little purse with some make-up in it, and of course some pink hair pretties.

El Paso Swim Time

2009-06-14T10:43:00.000-07:00

Sydney really enjoyed swimming with grandpa she is just a little fish, and has no fear of the water at all. So it was not a big surprise when she wanted to get in the water wearing only arm floaties, then she told us, "no hold ... go away" so of course we let go and wow that little fish could swim. What a big girl, and boy is she fast.

El Paso Zoo

2009-06-14T10:33:00.001-07:00

While we were in El Paso Papa took us to all sorts of fun places like the Zoo. Where we saw all kinds of fum animals.

The sea lions swam right up to the glass.

and SK got up close and personal with the tigers

Then went on an elephant "ride" with cousin Hailey.

El Paso Part 1

2009-05-22T15:17:00.000-07:00

The first thing Sydney did when we got to Papa's was check out all Grammy Maria's figurines. Which was quite scary because she has this strange obsession with these things she thinks they are her babies, and she wants to hold them and love them and carry them all over .

Then it was on to the pool and Papa was nice enough to heat it up a bit for us.

and finally here she is checking out the view from Papa's backyard.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

2009-05-22T15:01:00.000-07:00

Normally this time of year we are headed off to our place in Mexico, but because of all the stuff going on down there we decided to go east instead. We got a plane ticket (Syd's 1st plane ride) and went to El Paso Texas to visit Papa instead.

SK watching the planes take off while we wait for our flight.

SK and Elmo sitting pretty. She was such the good little traveler( a bag of M&M's and an ipod full of Yo Gabba Gabba didn't hurt), the only time she got upset was when we had to get off the plane.

Bouncy, Bouncy

2009-05-15T05:10:00.000-07:00

Wow what fun. as you can see Sydney has gotten a new "toy" thanks to Grandma and Grandpa.

She just loves to bounce so the got her, her own bouncy house complete with slide. Now she spends hours in the backyard bouncing away.

A Day at the Farm

2009-05-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today we took a tour of Tanaka Farms ( I had seen such fun pictures on Maddie's blog we just had to check it out for ourselves). They have an awesome strawberry tour that takes you all over and shows you all the ins and outs of a real working farm.

There was all kinds of yummy things to eat at the farm like celery, green onions, carrots, snap peas, green beans, and even cilantro. We tried everything and it's true it tastes so much better fresh.

and then the best part we all got to pick our own basket of strawberries to take home and, all you can eat while your picking.

Daddy looking way cool as he's munching down a berry

this is how it ends :)

I'm a Princess

2009-05-02T18:52:00.000-07:00

I have to start off by telling you the funniest story. The other day Grammy took Sk to the plaza and she met a new friend Samantha. They enjoyed playing in the fountain and throwing pennies into it. When Sam's Grandma and Mommy asked Sydney what her name was she looked them straight in the eye and said Princess!!! Well ,we all know that is the truth. So I decided it was time to outfit the princess and like I said a few posts ago I'm pretty cheap so when I went to buy some dress up clothes they were outrageous. I'm pretty handy with a sewing machine so really how hard could it be to sew some tulle. (oh and on a side note when they left the fountain Sydney cried because she wanted her "monies" back from the fountain)

Here are the finished products. Pretty darn cute I think.

and of course what's a princess without her castle

all in all a day fit for royalty

Mom & Sydney D-land Date

2009-04-25T06:03:00.000-07:00

Sydney and I went to D-land all by ourselves this week, it was a bit nerve racking at first trying to maneuver a diaper bag a stroller and a toddler but in the end it was so great. SK and I had a lot of fun people watching and of course going on all her favorite rides.Sydney absolutely loves the teacups.

we finally got to go on Small World the wait is usually at least an hour but today it was only 10 min. gotta love the pass and a mid-week visit after work

It's Not Summer Yet!!!

2009-04-24T18:01:00.000-07:00

Who says California has no weather...It was a freakish 90+ degrees in the early part of the week and we have yet to get Sydney a pool for the season so I decided to look at water tables. Whoa those things are a bit pricey( $30-$80) for what they really are, a big fancy bucket, so I did what any awesome pre-school teacher/ cheap mom would do and improvised. I went to Wal-Mart and for a whole $4.00 I got the big underbed storage container and added some water...whatta ya know instant water table and SK loved it :) a few paint brushes + a few measuring cups = hours of fun

can't forget the cool shades

Relay For Life

2009-04-23T17:58:00.000-07:00

I'm converted! Last week was Pomona's 1st annual Relay for Life cancer walk (it's a 24 hr walk to raise money for the American Cancer Society). My mom has done chino's and fell in love with the event and was drafted into chairing the Pomona one, so that means I was drafted in to being the Registration Chair. It was a lot of hard work, and with 2 jobs, a family and no free time I really did not want to do it but but my sweet, conniving mother talked me into it and I'm so glad she did. It was so rewarding and hearing all the wonderful stories from survivors, and the heartbreaking stories from caregivers about this horrible disease makes my small part so worth it. And we raised over $19,000 whoo whoo.

Tat taking a break from walking

Go team Funky Monkeys.

Easter In AZ Day 2

2009-04-17T15:41:00.000-07:00

Well the freak rain storm drowned out any hopes of going to the Peoria Easter Egg Hunt so instead we opted to go to the Phoenix Children's museum (like everyone else) but the girls had a blast, then we went to squeeze in a visit with Ashleigh which is always nice. Sk is grown very fond of her big sister pretty quickly and it great because the feeling is mutual.

Next it was to our usual dinner at Claim Jumper. It is so crazy how many of these pics we have and how much they have grown, and not to mention how fast

Then Egg hunt in the play room. It was so funny after we were back home in Cali I went through all the eggs turns out SK got all the Cheerio filled one's while Ryan scored with all the chocolate filled ones, good thing the Easter bunny stopped by our house too.

The ONE chocolate egg she found

and finally dyeing eggs.

Easter In AZ Day 1

2009-04-17T15:30:00.000-07:00

Well it has been quite awhile since we have made the trek out to Arizona, so we took the Easter holiday as a great reason to head on out. The girls have not seen each other in 5 months and they have both gotten so big!!! They are also little chatter boxes now, that is when Ryan could get a word in with SK blabbing all the time , I swear she talks just to hear herself :) But it was a good weekend even though Ryan had to go to Urgent Care (turned out to be a painful ear infection) and it rained on our Egg hunt.

The girls helping make yummy "happy" cakes as Sk calls them.

Now time for the good part the eating......

Picky Picky

2009-03-31T05:19:00.000-07:00

Okay so SK is going to totally hate me when she gets older and sees this, but it is one of those great blackmail pictures, and if she is anything like her sister we'll need it!

Outside Fun

2009-03-29T17:13:00.000-07:00

Unlike a week ago it was absolutely beautiful this week so that meant plenty of outside time.

Here SK is hanging out in the front yard with kitty who now has to wear a diaper according to mommy Syd.

Look a bug

What's This???

2009-03-29T17:10:00.000-07:00

Okay so a week or so ago it was very cold and a bit wet so we were stuck inside, and Sydney is now at the wonderful age where being stuck indoors makes mommy climb the walls!! So being the most awesome pre-school teacher that I am, I whipped out some rice colored it and let her go. At first she wasn't quite sure what it was but then she totally went to town and gave Daddy a small heart attack :) with the great big mess she made.

Another D Day

2009-03-21T10:48:00.000-07:00

We decided to try D-land on a Friday night it wasn't that bad and Sydney was very excited about finally getting her Minnie Mouse balloon, and even though it was $7 for a balloon and it was gi-normous it was well worth it. It helped locate the stroller when we had to park it with the million other strollers, and now a week later it has not lost one bit of air that thing is solid..and really the best thing was the pure joy SK got out of it and still is :)

Waiting for her balloon

That thing is huge

Yum Dinner with Minnie

We finally meet

2009-03-12T05:17:00.000-07:00

On Sunday Sydney and I finally got to meet Ashleigh. She was down for spring break and went to Disneyland so on her way home we met up for lunch. She is a sweet little girl who has a very animated personality and is totally cute.

Sydney showing off the Mickey pin her sister gave her.

The Happiest Place on Earth

2009-03-01T14:10:00.000-08:00

What a great present... my mom got us all Disneyland passes for MY birthday how awesome is that, now we can celebrate all year long. It's like a never ending birthday party. So of course we had to brake them in. Even though it was a Saturday it really was not that busy, and the great thing about having a pass you can always leave and come back again, and again, and again...

All aboard the Disneyland train

Sydney loved the bugs life world at California Adventure.

(but we're not so sure grandma had as much fun look at her face)

So speaking of again, we just had to go again on Monday. Yup only two days later but this time we brought along Grammy and UB . Sydney loved meeting Minnie Mouse (even though she kept calling her Micky hey they both have big ears right?)

Grammy and UB have passes now too, so the fun will never end!!!

Baby Brooklynn

2009-03-01T14:08:00.000-08:00

We have had a new addition to the clan. Sydney's new cousin Brooklynn was born early Feb. and we finally got the chance to go to Uncle Juan's and meet her. She is so tiny (I really don't remember SK ever being that tiny). She is a sweet little thing who slept most of the time, and has lots of dark hair and these long little fingers. A few days later the family got together again for my birthday and we all went out to dinner. Here are Grandma & Grandpa with their two littlest granddaughters

Build a Bear

2009-03-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

What a busy month it has been, so now it's time to catch up on the blogging :) Well for Valentine's day we took Sydney to the Build-a-Bear workshop. There was so much to choose from but in the end she made a doggy named... what else, doggy to go with her kitty named ...of course, kitty.

Here Tatiana and Sk fluff up doggy and get him all pretty.

and now for his birth certificate.

and for dinner it was heart shaped pizza ahhh....

Mom's Bunco Night

2009-02-15T05:19:00.000-08:00

Last weekend I met with my mom's group to play bunco. It was lots of fun even though I tied for the most losses and then lost in the roll-off (guess that makes me the official loser, loser) Oh well it was good times, with good food, and awesome wine, can't beat that!

Play Date

2009-02-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

Our friend Brent has a sweet little girl Isabella who SK just loves to play with. Every time Brent comes over Sydney asks "bella bella..pay bella...?" So finally we made a play date, they had such a good time. They totally kept each other company which was nice because then the grown ups were able to play a little wii bowling :)

Trying on hats

cooking yummy dinner in the kitchen

"Pretty" Sneaky

2009-02-12T05:12:00.000-08:00

When it gets quiet that's when you start to worry.... Little Miss. Sydney K was playing so nicely in her room( so I thought) while mommy was on the computer, when i turned around to check on her I couldn't see her. So I called her name and up she pops with this look on her face Uh-Oh

the jig was up...of course she was quiet she was in heaven, in the land of pretties

Yard Sale

2009-02-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

Last weekend Carrie came over and we had a joint Yard Sale. It was a beautiful sunny day and we were able to sell quite a few of our "no longer needed" items.

Sydney was not quiet ready to give up her old baby bath.

Tatiana came over on her cruiser and of course SK wanted a ride. But don't worry after we put her in we only walked the bike around.

the corn man came around so we all stopped for a snack break.

and then it was over...

Wii Weekend

2009-02-01T15:56:00.000-08:00

Auntie Krysti came over to do a shoot last weekend and after we played on the Wii Fit. Sydney loves to play to as you can see, but she hasn't quite mastered the concept so instead we "made" her, her own Wii Fit board. It works great as long is someone else is playing she thinks she is doing all the work :) (it's really just a changing pad from one of her diaper bags. ) I love that they can be fooled so easily at this age and so sad that it only lasts a very short time.

Here Sydney and Tatiana are doing the Ski Jump

And Auntie Krysti practicing her yoga moves...go warrior pose

Aidan Turn's One

2009-02-01T15:35:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we went to our friend Aidan's 1st Birthday. It was so fun ,a small party where the kids had the run of the house (it had rained earlier in the day). So here the kids are playing with the new tent and tunnel set. SK loved this maybe we'll have to get one for her.

She also fell in love with the boys "rocking horse"

and finally the birthday party turned into a pajama party...Yea we all love jammies!

Kacie's Baby Shower

2009-01-18T11:12:00.000-08:00

Another busy weekend for the Erwin girls we went to a baby shower for Sydney & Tat's soon to be cousin Brooklyn. It was very fun and we got to see our Aunties Janice & Kathy and cousin Jennifer and Grammyria AKA Grandma Maria

SK sucking on the tiny paci necklace...she never did say baby but mommy did

and lost all her's to Tatiana.

Grandma and all her sissy's