Father's Day in the Dirt

What better way to spend Father's Day...

than hanging out with my boy at the motocross track?!

Actually, the annual Police & Fire Championships were held the day after Father's Day this year, but since we showed up to camp & practice the day before the races, it just worked out perfectly that I could spend my special day enjoying the two things I love best... riding my bike and hanging out with my son!

"I'm up from my nap now Dad...

I'm all ready to play!"

Allen loved to cheer me on from trackside and yell at me for going too slow!

The little guy is catching on pretty quick I tell ya! After thinking I had misplaced my riding gloves, I finally found them... on Allen! He of course had them on opposite hands, but he's definitely learning!

After figuring out the gloves...

maybe he'll move on to the boots next?!

God forbid we leave home without 'Knuffle Bunny!' Such a big boy already... sitting in the chair reading his favorite book all by himself!

If Allen wasn't in the trailer reading...

then he was definitely outside playing in the dirt!

Allen loves playing in the dirt...

just like his Daddy.

But eventually he got bored with all the small little rocks around our camp, so he got his little wagon and set off by himself to find some bigger and better ones! 

Allen eventually wondered back and noticed I was out riding,

so he took full advantage of the shade and the empty bike stand!

"Look Ma... I can ride just like Daddy!"

Time to go racing!

Once again... racing all by myelf.

(Perhaps moving up a class wasn't such a good idea afterall?!)

Battling it out for...

second to last place!

I didn't do as well as I had hoped, but I'll take chips, salsa and beer

over a lousy piece of gold plated plastic any day!

Allen being silly as usual...

Like father like son I guess.

Coming back from the awards ceremony... empty handed of course,

but according to Allen - I was a winner in his book!

The next morning Allen geared up...

and was ready to hit the dirt!

And that's exactly what he did!

That is what you look and feel like after racing for an hour straight! Hot, tired, sweaty, thristy... and so glad that was the last race!

Being at the track with my family, riding, camping, and enjoying some really great weather... I don't think I could've asked for a better Father's Day!

Proof

Just like with Allen Jess, we couldn't wait to get actual proof that there was indeed another teeny tiny little baby inside Jei's belly. Even after five pregnancy tests all confirmed that we were indeed pregnant... we really needed some visual reassurance for some reason. Jei's eating habits had already begun to change, she was a little moody, and all of sudden taking naps with Allen... so those were all definitely helpful signs, but I think we were both really looking forward to our first doctor's appointment.

It was nice to see our doctor again, especially because he had remembered us... but also because he totally reminds us of the actor Jack Black. Jei & I agreed we felt like we were just there getting our final checkups before Allen was born! Amazing how fast time goes by. It was a short visit but definitely an important one... for our first sonogram of the new baby was performed! And after six weeks of eagerly but patiently waiting to see our new little baby, there he/she was in black & white. We got to hear the heartbeat too and everything was perfectly normal. So not only was it a big relief to finally get visual confirmation that we were in fact pregnant... but a much bigger relief to confirm that there was only just one little 'Butter-bean' in there and not two or three or even more! And last but certainly not least, the doctor gave us our due date... which started out on Christmas Day (as seen on the picture below), but then after some more information and another calculation, the doctor gave us a new date of December 31st! So, whether it's a Christmas baby or a New Year's baby... we'll gladly welcome him/her with open arms! We are now officially excited!!!

Hmmm... looks like a boy to me! =)

Merry Birthday & Happy Christmas

Soon after Allen Jess was born... the question everybody wanted to know - started to be asked, and has been asked ever since. "So, when are you guys having another?" It was mostly friends & coworkers asking... but I'm sure family were asking the same question in their heads if not out loud. And our answers? "We have no idea!" Jei & I had never really sat down and discussed baby #2... even though it was always just assumed that there would definitely be a #2 at some point in the future. 

It really was a tough question to answer. Half the people we spoke to about it told us to have the second right away so that they'd be close in age as they grew older... and then the other half told us to wait and spread them apart so that the first is out of diapers. To be honest, I really didn't care all that much. I didn't want them back to back... yet I didn't want the first to be graduating from high school by the time the second got here! So if I was the one who really didn't care, then it was my better half that was doing all the caring for the both of us! After all, she was the one who so eloquently said, "That baby isn't poppin' out of your Who-Hah!," when I tried to put in my two sense worth!   

Finally, after agreeing that 2013 would just be (feel) too soon, we both agreed that 2014 would be the year our little family grew. Now... any normal family would leave it at that, figure out the math, and hope for a baby to pop out sometime in 2014. Well, we are by no means a "normal" family (did you SEE the Harlem Shake post?!?!)... so that is not what we did believe it or not. No, Jei & I decided to be picky birthday snobs and actually try to plan our new baby's birthday month through the process of elimination! Sounds ridiculous, right? Don't worry, you're not alone!

So, out of twelve months... there were only a couple that made it through the vetting process and were considered for our new baby's birthday in 2014. Why wouldn't a particular month make it through the process you ask? The number one criteria... other family members' birthdays! April? Heck no, that month belongs to Jei & I! March? Hah, no way... half of Jei's family is born in March! July? Nope... half of my family is born in July.  January... Hamp & Sam, September... Allen & Michele, June... the other half of Jei's family, August... Joanne, October... Oscar Sr., November... too close to Christmas, and finally, the one month that we both agreed we absolutely positively unequivocally did not want our baby to be born in... was the month of December! In our opinions, there would be nothing worse than celebrating our child's birthday in the same month, week, or even the same day as Christmas! Our poor child would totally be robbed of big birthday bashes, parties and gifts... cause Christmas would get in the way and no one would care! (I can see your eyes rolling!)

So, if you read carefully, you would've determined that only two months made our short list... February & May. We decided that between the two, May would've been just a tad bit too far down the road for our liking... and with absolutely zero birthdays in February, and after much discussion, the Valentine month was our winner! We quickly did the math, and then like idiots, planned pretty much the rest of the year out honestly thinking that we would get pregnant and have our baby exactly when we wanted to... and we would live happily ever after! And at that exact moment... God looked down, pointed right at us, and began to laugh uncontrollably!

It was mid-April... and all three of us were up in Allen's room playing on the bed one afternoon on an absolute gorgeous day.  Allen was super happy, which of course was totally infectious... and with all three of us laughing, giggling, and smiling from ear to ear, it was just one of those perfect moments when you couldn't imagine being any happier or loving life any more. And as I dove in again to give another round of belly-kissings to an already giggling little boy, Jei called my name and I immediately looked over my shoulder. She had a weird mischievous grin on her face which I'd rarely seen before, so I knew either she had something important to say, or she had to fart! Fortunately for Allen & I, she had something important to say... and certainly didn't waste anytime saying it.  "I'm pregnant!" 

What an intensly strange moment... when I should've been jumping up & down in overwhelming joy, I was in complete and utter shock instead! The first thing I remember thinking about was the math... and all of a sudden my jaw hit the floor. Somehow, Jei knew exactly what I was thinking... a December baby... exactly what we didn't want the most! Our brilliant plan was ruined... and to be honest, Jei & I were disappointed. But we eventually got over it, became excited about the new addition to the family, and eventually saw a bright side (the one & only?) to our new baby's December birthday: at least he/she will be with (extended) family on his/her birthdays! Of course keeping such a big exciting secret all to ourselves just isn't any fun... so the most exciting part for us was coming up with a clever way to tell everyone the big news.  Nothing too elaborate, crazy or creative... just a simple picture. And that's all it took to spread the word. (I swear I still hear the Big Guy Upstairs laughing at us!)

Three Generations

Not sure which is happening faster... time passing by or Allen growing? Kind of a silly thought really... for I'm pretty sure both are happening just as fast! I swear it seems like just last week we were in Florida celebrating Christmas and Allen was still crawling around. Allen is of course much bigger (heavier!) now and is walking (running!) around like a mad man... and we're now in the month of May! With the months going by so fast, I only knew it was May because of the warmer weather moving in and all the shopping & gift buying we were doing for a few special ladies! Mother's Day always seems to creep up so darn fast, and this year was no different. Lucky for us though, we had three generations of mothers to celebrate, honor, and give thanks to... so the day was spent up in L.A. where all three mothers were showered with love!

A Mom & Wela sandwich...

Allen's favorite!

Three beautiful and happy generations...

of extraordinary mothers!

Meanwhile... Allen & I hungout and relaxed watching movies together on my phone while the girls opened gifts, ate icecream, and complained about how they should get more than just one lousy day for all the hard work and trouble they have to go through to be such great mothers!

Here's to all the great Mothers in our family...

who make the world go round, make life so much better,

and for making little boys so very happy! 

Random Cuteness (part 16)

It's that time again... a little bit of randomness,

a bunch of cuteness, and a whole lot of good times!

Swinging at the playground...

the perfect recipe for a big smile!

Tigger & Allen enjoying some afternoon cartoons

on an unusually hot day.

Coming home from work and finding

my two favorite little people still asleep... love it!!! 

All dressed up to celebrate JR's & a Cousin's birthday!

Jei's Cousin has a two-year-old...

who just loved to feed Allen!

She was obviously smitten over him...

but Allen just played it nice & cool!

I'm not so sure he knew about his 18-month doctor's visit early that morning... cause if he did, Allen definitely wouldn't have been sportin' that cute little smile!

"Hmmm... I think I'll go with the Porterhouse...

with a side of mashers & some broccoli."

Yum!  Allen loves eating with a fork now.

All dressed up and happy as can be...

for what ended up being a wonderful Easter Sunday!

Our firefighter neighbor invited us to Murrieta's annual BBQ!

A future firefighter perhaps???

Ming totally photo-bombed us!

Fruit, TV & crazy hair...

a typical morning.

Outside enjoying fantastic weather...

hard not to be happy!

Allen loves when his Wela visits!

Our own little Magellan exploring the weed infested backyard.

"Hmmm... now was it a right or a left turn at the dandelion?" 

Allen isn't the only one learning these days! Daddy's learning too... learning to share his food! And when the end result is a super happy face, I guess sharing isn't all that bad.

Thank God for the iPhone... seeing as how half of all these photos were taken with it, but at the same time... damn the iPhone! Allen loves playing with it. He even has his own page full of apps!

What is the deal with cats and the top of refrigerators???

Afternoon nap on the recliner...

looks like he's been taking some pointers from Ming!

Allen patiently and happily waiting for lunch...

an extremely rare sight! 

"Mom! Open the gate... I wanna come upstairs!"

"Pwetty pwease?! I pwomise I'll be good."

"One day son... this will be yours!"

"Gee, I don't know Dad... I think I like the black one!"

Bing basking in the sun...

on our dining table...

in our serving trey.

I swear these cats rule this house!

Trust me... he has his tantrums, meltdowns, and fits,

but for the most part... Allen's one happy little Dude!