What's The Difference?

I think I was about three weeks along when I found out I was pregnant this time around, and with my body now recognizing what was going on, I'm pretty sure it told my insides to relax and spread out ever since then. That isn't necessarily a bad thing in the beginning, but somewhere around month four, everything (to include the kitchen sink!) felt like it was pushing up towards my stomach and crowding that tiny space inside me... which unfortunately has made pregnant life very uncomfortable. Everything about this pregnancy just screams bigger - from the uncomfortableness inside me to the actual size of my belly! I definitely don't remember feeling so big or so uncomfortable with Allen, and I know every pregnancy is different, but it's hard not to make comparisons. 

Speaking of which... it has been confirmed, not only by me & what I feel and see, but also officially by the doctor... that Baby #2 is in fact slightly larger than Allen was at the same time in the pregnancy. Of course visual evidence certainly does help in this case! The pic on the left is me with Allen at 27 weeks, while the one on the right is with this pregnancy at week 26. So, what do you think? Bigger, right?

Unfortunately for me, the ever so annoying pregnancy symptoms reared their ugly head once again, although this time around the battle came much earlier than I expected. As with Allen, I experienced (suffered!) sciatic pain which definitely was uncomfortable but certainly manageable. But this time around it started a lot earlier and was much more of a pain in the butt (pun intended!) to manage. In the first trimester I would get stuck plenty of times in the middle of the room, trying to figure out how exactly to maneuver my way out of the excruciating painful position I so randomly found myself in. And more often than not, I was only getting up to go pee, so I can only imagine what I looked liked to Alec when he would walk into the room and find me just standing there in the middle of the room trying not to wet myself as I dealt with the pain and figured out how to move without hitting that nerve!

My annoying sciatic issues lasted a little longer than they did with Allen, but even then they finally went away after only about three weeks. But of course once I was relieved of the sciatic pain, I was greeted with a few more less painful symptoms. To say I was overwhelmed with fatigue would be a huge understatement! Needless to say, I was extremely grateful for Allen's two-hour afternoon naps. By five months I started to get very awkward and uncomfortable pelvic pain... which meant my afternoon walks (when I wasn't napping!) were pretty much over. It didn't bother me much being stuck in the house all day, but I really felt bad for Allen and hated that I couldn't take (walk) him to the park. Along with fatigue and pelvic pain came heartburn, and not just any heartburn either, it was a parade of fire along with breakfast, lunch and dinner!  Not being able to sleep, feeling like my food was going to come back up (and out!), and worst of all... not being able to enjoy a good meal and training myself to eat less (Boo!) and to stay away from a bunch of things that taste so darn good!

Wow, I just realized how horrible I'm making this pregnancy sound! Well, to be completely honest, it hasn't exactly been a walk in the park so far and there've been times where I've been utterly miserable, but I know the end result is going to be well worth all the heartburn & uncomfortableness! I know there are moms who absolutely love being pregnant... unfortunately, I'm just not one of them. But regardless, I feel incredibly huge with still a long way to go, and can't imagine this little guy being any bigger than Allen was. 

H2O

Summertime in Southern California with family can mean only one thing: lots and lots of time spent in the water! And there's nothing our pool loves more than the summer heat and visiting family... cause that's when it gets played in the most.

Can you say... Photo-Bombed!?!?

Sometimes Allen just likes to sit by himself, get some sun, enjoy a cool refreshing popsicle, and watch everyone else have fun in the pool.

After a very thorough check, it was confirmed that Catalina did NOT in fact have a set of gills... which judging by how much she loved being in the water, was a huge surprise!

William took the loss at putt-putt earlier that week a lot harder than expected... so he was determined to get out and practice, and eventually called in Allen to show him a few pointers.

William & Allen must have bonded big time while swinging the clubs... cause when it came time to hit the pool, they were pretty much inseparable!

"I like it better when you play with me Willy!

My Dad would've dunked me like three times already!"

Warm weather, a refreshing pool, family to talk & play with, and a bunch of things to float on... there really wasn't much more we could've asked for!

The kids loved being in the pool...

which made Allen want to be in it all that much more.

Allen and his pool chauffeur...

two very happy & handsome young men.

Unfortunately, snacks, lunch and drinks were not served to us out by the pool... so we eventually had to get out and head back inside to get our grub on.

Speaking of getting our grub on...

chocolate covered strawberries, Mmmmmm, delish!!!

After a full day in the sun and in the pool... nothing hits the spot like a good meal, a little wine, and some girl talk!

Amazing what a nap can do! Even after an entire day outside in the pool, Allen still found the energy for a little late night racing!  

"Duh, Sofi!  I've got the red Ducati... of course I'm going to win!"

And he didn't dare miss a chance to Skype with his Nino Jorge and show him just how much he loved playing with the airplane he'd sent him.

Of course the pool wasn't the only water the kids got to enjoy while they were here with us. Jei & I took the four kids out on the lake one morning...

...and if you couldn't tell from their faces alone, they were incredibly excited and thrilled to be out on the boat!

With the water being so warm and super smooth... there was no way I wasn't putting on the jacket, the board, grabbing the rope, and showing off a bit for the kids!

Leo's bowl of ice cream, handful of cookies, and two slices of cake he had the night before definitely came into play that morning!

Let's just say I didn't have to twist anyone's arm

to make them get into the water!

I did however, have to twist William's arm to get him to try to wakeboard. He eventually gave in and was a good sport about it... and definitely gave it his best shot, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Getting in the lake and enjoying the water put smiles on the kids' faces for sure... but when I gave each of them a turn behind the wheel of the boat, those smiles turned into perma-grins!!!

It's funny... with Sofia, I practically had to beg, plead, and bribe her to grab some throttle to gitty-up and go...

But with Leo, there was only speed: FAST!

Not so surprising though when you think about it.

As Jei would put it...

He was as happy as a bird with a french fry!

Seeing the kids as happy as they were and thoroughly enjoying being out on the lake with us sure did put incredibly big smiles on our faces!

It obviously wasn't as clear, clean, or blue as the pool water...

but we didn't care, for it made us all very happy!

Setting up the camera to get a shot of us all... on a constantly rocking boat... with no tripod proved to be more difficult than it seemed. But we eventually made it work and managed to get a really good pic.

Of all the fun, exciting, and entertaining things we did while the kids were here... getting out on the lake and having some fun on the boat and in the water was in my opinion the absolute best! And I'm not so sure any of the kids would necessarily disagree. In any event, our short time spent on the lake was well worth the trouble and was one of the best ways I know how to spend a warm summer's morning.

When I first heard that Michele & the kids were coming to visit, I was super excited. But then when I heard exactly how long they were staying, my super excitement dropped down a few notches to concerned excitement... for I couldn't possibly imagine how we would be able to entertain them for such an extended stay. Of course there was absolutely no reason for concern... cause in the end, they pretty much entertained us, and there were more than enough fun activities, events, trips, and outings for all of us to enjoy. Although if you ask Jei, her favorite was spending the afternoons cramped in the living room watching a movie and eating junk food while trying to be quiet while I slept.

To tell you the truth, their so-called extended stay seemed incredibly short! Time flies by when you're having fun... and we definitely had fun... which meant time unquestionably flew by. It was without a doubt one of the hardest goodbyes we've ever had as a family, but their time here visiting was up, and regardless of whether it went by too fast or not, we can honestly say our time together was as much fun as we've ever had. We thank you for visiting us for as long as you did... and pray you come back so we can do it all again soon! (Although next time you guys better bring Jorge along too!) We love you Felix family! 

Pink or Blue?

Earlier this summer, Jei had gotten a cake order from a coworker of mine whose wife was pregnant. They requested a pretty simple gender-neutral cake... so the outside was pretty basic and was no big deal (an Angel's baseball cake of all things), but the inside was what made it so special. The cake was for a big family party they were hosting, in which the guests were told that the gender of the expected newborn would be revealed at some point during the festivities. Well, little did the guests know that the gender of the baby would be revealed through the cake that they would soon be eating! I myself had never heard of such a cool & creative idea before, but apparently it is called a gender-reveal cake... where the colored filling inside reveals the gender of the baby (pink for girl and blue for boy).

According to my coworker, Jei's cake was beautiful, delicious, and it worked brilliantly at the party! Fast forward a couple of months... and when it finally came time for the technician to reveal our new baby's gender via Jei's first (and only?) ultrasound, we were blessed and so fortunate to have Michele and the kids still in town! Jei & I immediately thought about the gender-reveal cake she had made for my coworker, and thought what better way to tell the family what the gender is of our new baby than with cake!

Michele and the kids had just spent a week and a half up in L.A. with the girls when they arrived back at our house to stay for the remainder of their trip... which gave Jei plenty of time to make her very own gender-reveal cake. As you can see, the cake was nothing fancy or elaborate on the outside, but the inside most certainly held a very big secret!

Excited, anxious, and hysterical are three good words I would use to describe how the kids were feeling that night! I'm sure if the adults weren't as strict & cautious as we were, that cake would've been destroyed long before we were ready to cut into it. But they were good and had waited long enough, so we all gathered round the kitchen island for a group photo...

And then secretly started the video camera...

to record the big reveal!

Poor Allen had no idea what was going on... or that his family just learned that he was going to have a baby brother!

The reveal cake was such a great idea and it couldn't have worked out more perfectly! It was such a happy, memorable & special moment that we'll all probably never forget (thanks to the video!).

Of course the reveal wasn't even the best part...

for we got to eat the cake after the big celebration!!!

I can't imagine Allen or his little brother not liking cake!

A few days later, Allen put on his new shirt, grabbed his balloon, got up on the table and sat next to a cake that Sophia & Caty made... and as Momma Soch walked through the front door, this is how she found out she was going to have another grandson!

So a boy it is! Jei & I (along with most of the family) thought for sure it was going to be a girl, but we were pleasantly surprised and glad that Allen is going to have a little brother to play with, beat up, and annoy.

Not the best picture of the little guy... but wanted to put it up just in case there were any doubts about him being a boy! (Hee-hee!)

It was certainly nice (a relief) to get the gender reveal out of the way, and we are so happy and blessed to have another boy running around real soon, but now comes the hard part... coming up with another meaningful name! (Oh, and congrats to the one person who guessed right on the blog poll!)

Summer Family Fun

So on our summer family fun to do list, there were four pretty major activities/events Jei & I knew we wanted to do with Michele and the kids and definitely planned for. All we needed was some cash, a high capacity vehicle, and some good weather. Fortunately, we were blessed with all three! Our first activity found us in beautiful San Diego, on the bay at the U.S.S. Midway Museum.   

We of course had been there before... but this time Jei & I had a bunch of kids with us who we knew were going to absolutely love it just as much as we did! 

Not exactly toddler friendly...

Allen enjoyed being carried around most of the day!

"Go on ahead guys... I'm beat!

I'll take a nap & catch up with y'all later."

"Hey you... have my jet fully fueled 

and ready to go on the flight deck ASAP!"

Our afternoon flight briefings were a must!

Some of us behaved quite nicely while onboard...

and some of us did not!

Completely clueless in the engine room...

but it certainly did look cool.

Eat your heart out Maverick!

"Good Lord... another picture!? I gotta get out of here!

Now where the heck is that darn ejection handle???"

I just didn't have the heart to tell him

that wasn't the ship's steering wheel!

"Sorry guys... still not ready,

come back in ten minutes and lunch will be served!"

Allen & Sophia enjoy a nice cool breeze out on one of the decks.

We finally made it to the flight deck where we were greeted with lots of sunshine, some really cool planes, and an outstanding view!

Sisters don't shake hands...

Sisters gotta hug!!!

On the top of an aircraft carrier, on the bay, with family...

doesn't get much better than that!

We could not have asked for a better day to spend down in San Diego enjoying one of the coolest and most amazing museums. Fun was definitely had!

A group 'selfie' with San Diego Bay & the Coronado Bridge as our backdrop! I honestly didn't think I could get us all in... but it turned out surprisingly well.

The Midway was lots of fun... especially since the kids were so excited about seeing & being around all the cool military planes & helicopters on the ship! But after such a successful trip and a great time down in San Diego, we were kind of afraid the other three trips we had planned weren't going to compare and not be as much fun. Of course there was only one way to find out... so we all crammed into the truck, headed up to L.A., broke down on the side of the highway, and eventually got to our destination in plenty of time to enjoy our second planned event together!  

It actually was a big surprise... with only me, Jei & Momma Soch knowing exactly where we were going and what we were about to do. So when we suddenly showed up to a stadium and I handed each kid their ticket to go see the L.A. Galaxy play a live soccer match... their reaction was absolutely priceless!!!  

We quickly found our seats, grabbed some pre-game snacks & drinks, and settled in with huge smiles on our faces ready to enjoy a good game.

Fortunately, there really wasn't a bad seat in the house... so we were very pleased with our seats, which gave Allen a great view of the game... which he was surprisingly really into.

Come nightfall, it got a little chilly...

so the jackets went on and lots of snuggling ensued. 

Not only was Sophia, who happens to be the biggest soccer fan of the four, surprised that we had all planned to see a live game that evening, but she was also very grateful and extremely happy!

English superstar and former Galaxy player David Beckham was in the house watching the game with his sons in a private suite... and as you can imagine, once we (the women!) spotted him with the binoculars, Sophia completely forgot that there was actually a soccer game being played! 

It may have been a serious game out on the pitch...

but in the stands, there was plenty of silliness going on!

Definitely on the complete opposite end of the spectrum from a military aircraft carrier museum, but it was for sure just as much fun and exciting... and with the Galaxy pulling out a win that night, it made our trip that much more special!

As much fun as the soccer game was, it was time to head back to the other end of the spectrum again for our third activity. And while we once again had some great weather, we spent most of the day staying nice & cool indoors.

We found ourselves in Los Angeles yet again... and headed back to a museum, but unlike the planes we saw on the Midway, the one particular plane here is quite literally out of this world!

Jei & I had visited the California Science Center a while back... and it was definitely a fun and educational experience. But now that the Space Shuttle Endeavor is on display there, we were super eager to return and show the family a good time.

To be honest, I really didn't feel like seeing the shuttle so up close & personal was going to be that big of a deal. That is until I stepped foot into that hangar!

I'm pretty sure my jaw hit the floor as soon as I walked in. I guess I just wasn't expecting it to be that big... which I'm sure these pictures in no way do it any justice at all.

I was incredibly impressed and awestruck... and I'm pretty sure the kids had the same reaction and feeling as I did.

We made sure to take our time making our way all around the shuttle, and to soak in what exactly we were seeing... and of course taking lots of pictures.

Getting to see an old aircraft carrier, planes and helicopters that had all seen war back in the day was pretty darn cool... but getting to stand next to and underneath one of only four remaining shuttles that have actually been to outer space was truly remarkable!

Of course seeing the Endeavor wasn't the only cool thing to see at the Science Center. (Yes, Leo definitely could've been an exhibit himself, but no... he wasn't what I was referring to.)

Its massive aquarium was just as impressive

and definitely one of our favorites!

Speaking of favorites, once Allen saw all the fish moving behind the glass... he too became a big fan of the enormous fish tank.

"Hey... I think I've seen that on TV before!"

Allen & I sure did enjoy looking at all the fish swim by.

Especially the big ones...

there were a couple that were just as big as Allen!

"Hey Dad, how come we don't have

an aquarium like this at our house?"

After seeing a space shuttle up close, and then all the fish swimming around in the aquarium, not to mention all the other cool stuff the Science Center had to offer... Allen and the kids couldn't have been any happier!

And to cap off an amazing & entertaining day at the California Science Center, we had one last exhibit to go to... an incredible restaurant where we wore our sunglasses as we stuffed our faces with deliciousness!

Speaking of deliciousness... that brings us to our fourth & final activity. No aircraft, fish or museums this time, but there certainly was some good food, run rides, and fascinating entertainment for all of us to enjoy.

What would summer be without a good fair to go to?! Naturally, our fourth family outing brought us out near the coast to the Orange County Fair. It had been a long time since any of us had been to a fair last, and after hearing good things about this one... we were all very eager to go.

They of course had a petting zoo and lots of animals on display... which is where Allen found one of his favorites, a beautiful black stallion.

Sure, the horses were pretty and all... but there was no way they could compare or compete on the cuteness scale with the little baby piglets we saw!

And then there were the crazy fun rides! Allen sat this one out so that the four kids could enjoy it together... and get wet together too.

The rest of us chose to stay dry and ride something a little more on the tamer side... or so we thought anyway!

As with most fairs... once the sun went down, that's when things started to get a little wild & crazy! We made our way to the arena where we watched a full on demolition derby! I don't think Allen had a clue as to what was going on, cause he had this blank look on his face (pictured) the entire time!

The derby was a huge hit (no pun intended!) as we all laughed, screamed, rooted for our favorite, and had a good time watching old beat-up cars destroy one another!

So while the daylight was reserved for the kids and us adults to enjoy all the fun rides... the night belonged to Allen, as he found a bunch of cool little merry-go-rounds to ride.

I don't think Allen was all that comfortable with the rides... but regardless of whether or not he enjoyed it, the rest of us watching him certainly got a huge kick out of it... for his facial expressions were hilarious!

Funnel cakes, turkey legs, log rides, farm animals, fake tattoos, ice cream, demolition derbies, ferris wheels and one big happy family... add all that up and you get one heck of a good time!

Four very different events... four unbelievably fun family excursions!