Point and Click Miracles

I had to take some pictures while driving (literally) up north.
From on top of the Rim through Heber and on into Show Low
the scenery was such that (lucky for me) I could just point and click.
Even areas once damaged by forest fire now appear completely majestic.
What an escape
(for a couple hours - Sydney slept most of the way!)
Click on these - the views are heavenly.

Oceanside, CA

Little Vocabulary Building

I love the new words and sounds Sydney is learning... It brings a big smile to our faces to hear her first bits of verbal communication. Doesn't it just make you excited, this stage??! Here are a few little words she has picked up between Grandma Mona, Baby Signing time and Mom & Dad reading to her. They are:
1. Bird! She spotted pigeons in Cali and would say bird, run over, or just watch for them in the sky. This is one Grandma Mona helped her with while reading her a book before we left.
2. Beach! That was a fun one... I'm sure she was meaning bEAch... HA!
3. Whoosh! Again, a sound from one of her favorite stories, The Ugly Bug. She turns to that page and looks at me while making the sound. That and OOEEAAH! for the monkey :)
4. Dad! She has said it for a while, only now she has added the sign for Dad. It's especially hilarious because I'll prompt her to say Mom which I know very well she is extremely proficient in saying and signing... So I say Mom and she immediately sticks her thumb to her forehead and smiles, "Dad!". Cracks us up!
5. Lastly, our favorite! "Read da book!" Yes, my friends, in the wee hours of one California morning, she came to our bedside with her little book in hand, handed it to me and said in her little voice, "Read da book". Pace and I flipped. It was so SPECIAL!! It is so fun to watch them grow, isn't it!

I'm ready for the beach, Mom!

Sunday we leave for our annual Rawlins Family Oceanside Vacation. We are excited! No one moreso than Pace, except maybe myself. Something about the beach... refreshing, calming... a true vacation. LOVE IT!

Fetch, I Mean Catch

SunSplash here we come

Pace and I are on our way to a "sun filled day" at the local waterpark. Should be fun! Yeah, I know we're crazy, but we're looking forward to a cool break. Pray it doesn't rain...

**EDIT**
So, I got whiplash on the enormous V-shaped Sidewinder ride... It's fast, it's furious, and now it hurts. But other than that we had a great time! Sydney loved the kiddie pool - we brought her for about a half hour before the storm came in. Thank you Brian and Lish for the passes!

An evening of exploring...

Pace in rare form...

Last night my sweet husband said to me (and I'll preface this by saying I brought on the tease by bugging him the way I do natuarally, every day) , "You are so lucky you were 'the one' cause otherwise I would have punted you while we were dating!" Then (just to get him back) he proceeded to show me his "titty dance" and asked me where the gym was. I love my husband!!! He cracks me up sometimes!

Treasured Moments

Why would I put a picture in here of my child on the potty??

Well, today she came into the bathroom where Aunt Ash was doing her makeup and tried to lift the lid on her potty chair all by herself. So Ash took off her diaper and put her on the chair.... Next thing I know Aunt Ash shreaked - Sydney went pee-pee on the potty! Here she is enjoying her reward... :)

"These are the things I love..."

Here are a few of Sydney's favorite things:

1. Playtime with Dad!

2. Watermelon and Aunt Ash! What a combination... :)

3. A screaming monkey and giggling bunny. Like her Dad always says,
"She is sooo precious!"

4. Bathtime with Mom :)

P.S. I finally got a camera! Can you tell I am making up for lost time?

Giggles...

Last weekend some roommates and I got together for a visit (one came in from Maryland and another is headed with her 4 kids to Germany where her husband will be serving for the next 3 years in the Air Force). Anyway I took this video - Sydney had a hay-day laughing with the older kids as they sang her favorite song only with a few new twists. It was hilarious to hear her sweet giggle so loud!

Here's a picture of us roommates chilling in the hotel where Cassie stayed, just goofing off. Love my roommates!

"Wow" Stories - Tag Your It!

Do you have a story? One that makes you say "Wow," and it makes you feel good to reflect on it, to remember it, and to possibly share it? I do! I thought we might like sharing them, so here is one of mine:

Pace and I were acquaintances only when I talked about wanting to take a trip, to get away. He mentioned he could get cheap airfare to Spain and soon we planned to travel with a few others to visit our missions in Spain. We thought about taking off New Years Eve 2004 and coming back a week or so later. However...once we learned there would be no one else coming with us, (even if we had still wanted to go) his parents of course would not have felt comfortable with us traveling together. There went our cheap tickets and trip to Spain. Anyway, long story short, we wound up kissing that New Year's Eve and by the following New Year's Eve (2005) we were not only hitched, but also pregnant with our first baby! But where did we celebrate the evening? In Spain! Dreams (and I mean this) dreams do come true, if we are patient and wait and prepare long enough, ultimately I feel, we all will receive what we dreamed of, perhaps even more than we ever hoped for.

What's your story, girlfriends? I tag Ashleigh, Jen, Auburn, Michelle and Kim!

Sydney is walking! & other "pictureless" news...

I have to get a video in here of our beautiful girl walking! She started taking several steps on her own last week and is now walking all over the place. (Any tips would appreciated as far as uploading videos)... We are so proud! She is too - she claps every time she falls down. Darling!
For now, here's an update on life in the Rawlins' home:
1. Sydney is completely over her sickness and I am so grateful. The bad news is...
2. Once Sydney was well Pace began showing signs of the same virus and yes he got it, only worse. Adult symptoms are more painful, very uncomfortable and longer lasting. He did get to feeling better, only...
3. Once he was nearly over that he noticed other pains and we ended up in the ER one evening because the infection he was fighting wasn't responding to the medicaton the doctor prescribed... So, long story short, he is almost well. He finally felt up to going back to work today. Luckilly he has all next week off to fully recooperate. RnR, gotta have it!
4. Last but not least, I need a new digital camera (hence the no new pics problem). I want one with quick picture taking ability because as soon as I push the button Sydney moves and I never seem to get the picture I want. Any preferences on cameras? Point and click, quickly, and I HATE having to change batteries so frequently. Any input is appreciated. Until next time... We're on to potty training. Wish us luck. :)

Sydney is Quarantined...

Our baby is sick... I thought she was teething, (drooling alot, fever, crying, putting her fingers in her mouth and saying "ouwee"). But yesterday she was crying hysterically, all day almost, couldn't sleep, wouldn't eat or drink, just really upset. So I called her doc and they got her in right then. Poor baby! He checked her throat and she has a virus that causes little canker-like SORES all over her throat! It is aweful guys. All he could do for her was prescribe some pain medicine and tell us what to feed and not feed her (things that wouldn't irritate the sores), keep her comfortable until her body fights off the virus. He said it has been going around. Anyway, she's quarantined, no other babies will get it from us. Today thankfully she is feeling better! Playing, drinking milk but still can't eat much, you can imagine. Poor baby!