Party girl

Miss Sophie had quite the birthday celebration. We took a last minute trip to California. Sophie's ninos threw her a little pizza party. We had fun! Then we had the big party at Nana & Grandpa Bob's and then on her actual birthday we continued the celebration. 3 years old! The girl is beautiful, full of attitude, a big personality, smart, loving and fiesty too. Hmmm, where does she get that? 

My gorgeous girl

Jake went to the golf course with Grandpa Bob to practice his game

Nina got Sophie a new guitar...Thank you Nina ;) 

It came with cool rock star glasses and a microphone...I think I like playing with that thing even more than Sophie.  

Love this one...My osobear, Alec (now 18 years old) with my kiddos

Sophie's beautiful Dora cake...she was so proud

Happy Birthday! 

Cousins and Friends (left to right) Bella, Clarriza, Ariana, Jake, Aris, Sophie, Bella, Juniper and Maya. Jake said he was the only boy. I told him that was a good thing to be surrounded by the ladies. There were boys there too, they were just too cool to pose for my picture. 

Me and my girl, Clara and our baby girls. 

Build a Bear! 

Sophie named her bear, Princess Isa (after Isa the Iguana from Dora)

Playground fun! 

Until Sophie bit a kid, then we had to go home...

Dad brought Sophie a princess cake

Make a wish

Sophie's first bike! 

Jake had to get something too...John Deere of course

Happy 3rd Birthday to my gorgeous girl, Sophie.

May God Bless you and keep you, Always! 

We love you! 

Poolside...

My friend, Suzi was in town visiting. And, she happened to be staying at this really nice resort in town. It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day. So, we got to hang out poolside with her and the kids. It was great to see them. Thank you to Suzi for making time for us and inviting us to hang out at the pool. We had fun! 

Jake making his rounds...

Bathing beauty

Jake & Sophie, and Gemma on the side there, sitting on her Mama's lap

Jake, Jasper & Sophie

Kid stuff...

Slowly getting to know our surroundings...and found a restaurant called, Jake's. So we stopped in for a bite to eat. Jake said it was his restaurant and was very proud, so you know us...we had to take a picture. 

Jake's restaurant

Acting silly for the camera

Quick visit back to Albuquerque for the rest of our stuff...Jake & Sophie got bunk beds. So, when they visit Coco & Pa they have a place to sleep. 

A really cool farm...

We kept passing by this place about 10 minutes from our house and decided to stop today. It's an honest to goodness, old skool, farm. They grow peaches and you can go pick your own, but that's not until May. This is the coolest place...we will definitely be visiting again. We got to ride the train, take a hay-ride, play in a really cool playground and see some really cool stuff. Schnepf Farms is the place. So, when you come visit, we're taking you there, esp. if you have kids. 

Get ready for a train ride

Hey little pumpkin

Is that John Deere?

Peek-a-boo John Deere

Sister loves what her brother likes

Jake was in his John Deere glories

He was the only kid out there for awhile, so he lined up all the JD trikes and parked them all perfectly! 

Peach Tree Orchards

Peach Blossoms

Love it

Hmmmmmm....

Jake was in heaven surrounded by all these tractors

Getting Settled...

So long Albuquerque, Hello Arizona. Took us a big u-haul truck and a u-haul trailer. And, we still left some stuff behind. While we were packing it up, it was freezing. We were all bundled up with jackets and pants. The next day when we arrived in Arizona, we had to find our shorts because it was so warm. We have slowly been unpacking and getting used to our new surroundings. The neighborhood is nice, lots of kids and a park right down the street. Deon's commute is pretty long, so we are going to start looking to purchase a home closer to his job. Kids and I are exploring, playing, unpacking, organizing, etc. 

Always working...

The girl could swing for hours

Meltdown! Just wanted to document this for Sophie's reference

Sophie is enrolled for Preschool. We have until July 25th to be potty trained.
We're working on it! 

Back to Living my dream!

On my way back...to Living the Dream! This is my last week of work and hopefully we'll be ready to move into our new house in Arizona next week. Deon's been gone for about a month and a half and it's been stressful. It's hard for both of us, and the kids too. They really miss their Dad. But, we are so proud of him. He's such a hard-worker, so intelligent, so amazing, so strong. The longer we are together, the more he impresses me. So, we'll finish packing up, Nana Pat's coming out to help us make the move and then we'll be on our way.  Saying Goodbye to Albuquerque...we were here almost 5 years. Albuquerque was good to us, but now it's onto a new adventure, the next chapter of our life in Arizona. The kids were able to spend time and bond with their Coco & Pa. Deon was faced with amazing opportunities and basically all the stepping stones to get him where he is today. I will miss my job here, but I really feel like I learned  a lot and really found my niche. So, once my kids are both in school full time I hope to return to work. But, for now, my work is raising two amazing kids and taking care of my wonderful husband. God really works things out in your life. I truly believe he puts you where you need to be. So...here we go! 

Tow Truck Operator

JAKE OPERATED A TOW TRUCK! WHAT, YES, YOU READ RIGHT! 

Nana Mona & Grandpa Glen were visiting and had to call a tow truck...and this is what showed up. As you know, Jake is a working boy. He loves every kind of truck and one of the things he wants to be when he grows up is a tow truck driver. Jake just stood there watching closely and says, "I have been waiting all my life for something like this." So, as if this wasn't already one of the most amazing things in his short lifetime. The tow truck driver (who was also named, Jake) asked Jake to help him. Oh my gosh, Jake was beside himself HAPPY. I must also share another story. When Alec was little he had an imaginary friend named, Dugger (Dooger). Apparently he left him behind on one of his trip's to visit me in San Francisco. So, when I moved to Albuquerque I saw this tow truck and called home immediately to tell Alec that Dugger lives in Albuquerque and owns a towing company. It was cute! 

Posing with Dugger

Just like her BIG brother

Jake, taking the controls

Loading up the truck

Finishing up the job...