We’ve Moved

This post is a month late.

Everything happened so quickly that we didn’t get a chance to tell everyone goodbye.

We will definitely be back periodically so we hope to see you everyone when we are up there.

Doyle received a job offer that we couldn’t refuse and so we are back in San Diego. His last job kept him away for half of each of these last 4 years so it is nice to have him around again. The boys are fully taking advantage of their dad being home. They really missed him these last 4 years.

The kids have adjusted well and love their new school. It is a small school (almost 400 students) and we all enjoy the “Little House on the Prairie” feel of it. :)

The boys especially love the house. More specifically, this is their favorite part of the house –

This picture is half of the backyard. I can’t blame them for wanting to be out there every day. DJ calls it “the neighborhood without houses”. LOL

My favorite part is the kitchen! I’ve never had a kitchen with so many cabinets that I couldn’t fill them. It is usually the opposite. Oh and hidden behind the fridge is a walk-in pantry. I often catch Cody standing in there scratching his chin, saying “hmmmm” and debating on what to snack on.

The boys’ second favorite place to be – their playroom/game room. It still has work to be done to it, but they don’t seem to mind.

See that cool bench/basket holder thing in the entry on the first playroom picture? My super handy husband made that.

This is the most popular room in the house – the family room. It is Lexus’ favorite room. :)

I don’t have pictures of the upstairs yet because we haven’t quite finished up there. There are 2 empty rooms upstairs, the master bedroom and the boys’ room. The rooms, including my craft room/office still need decorating work done.

Our Family's Portrait Session

For the first time since DJ was about 2 or 3 years old, we FINALLY got our family portraits taken. This is the first time Cody is included in our family portraits so I think this officially makes him a permanent fixture in our family. =)

We headed out to the Wooden Valley Winery with the awesomely talented Sharon of Homegrown Photography.

True to form, my boys wanted NOTHING to do with a camera! I can't imagine why. It isn't like they have had a camera on them almost daily for all of their lives. =)

Sharon was able to hold their attention and capture some beautiful expressions on my boys faces. DJ, of course, had to throw in his "cheese" smile. He's so funny!

I was going to post another family picture, but you will just have to wait for our Christmas card instead.

Look at my little stud muffin! He's so cute!!!!

At the end of our session, Cody found a twig and decided to draw on the dirt. He had an elaborate story about what he was drawing and in his own little language shared that story with Sharon.

Sharon stole Doyle and I for a few couple shots. This is my favorite! (For those that haven't seen his hair yet, YES, Doyle is now blonde!!!)

Meet 200

We have a new member in our family. He is only a few months old.

Meet 200…

Yes, that really is the bird’s name. It stays in theme with DJ’s odd naming conventions (our leopard gecko is named Danger Cookie, he wanted us to name Cody “9 o’clock and the next dog we get will apparently be named Mr. Pickles or Shrimp).

200 is an Indian Ringneck. We got him from my dad who breeds them and cockatiels. We weren’t expecting to get a bird again, but DJ convinced Papa to give him one.

Actually, he offered papa $200 for the bird even though papa was selling them for less. =) By the way, that is how the bird got his name. DJ never paid his papa, though, so the bird’s name should really be Zero or Freebie. =)

 

Uncle Jason

Before Uncle Jason deployed, we were able to spend a few days with him. The boys LOVED it! They hadn't seen him since summer and were happy to have him all to themselves!

DJ loved it because he had a new videogame buddy. We loved it because it was nice to see him again (and because him playing games with DJ meant DJ would not ask us to play games with him! =0) DJ is a video game pusher!!!)

A few nights before leaving, we invited Jason and his team to spend dinner with us. DJ gained a couple more video game partners and we enjoyed dinner with a great group of people before they had to leave for a few months.

Another thing that the boys had in common with their Uncle Jason is that they love wrestling. Uncle Jason didn't mind getting down and "beat up" by the boys.





And my favorite picture from the wrestling match...

We will hopefuly see you in a few months, Uncle Jason! Take care of yourself and come back soon!

It's Beginning To Look a Lot Like Christmas

We LOVE Christmas in our household! So much so that our tree was up (though not decorated) before Thanksgiving!!!

The outdoor decor is still not up, but the indoors is starting to have that Christmas feel. The 32 degree weather is helping make it feel like Christmas, too.

Not sure what we are going to do without a 70 degree Christmas this year! :)

We've Moved - Again

We recently moved into a rental home 1.5 miles from my folks' house. At first, DJ didn't want to move, but after he saw the house and realized he and his brother would have their OWN room, he was happy to move in with us. But, he also said that he was going to live with Papa and Mama from Sunday to Sunday. :) Um...ya.

The first night we moved in, we didn't think the boys would sleep in their room. This was THE FIRST time either of them had had their beds away from us. In San Diego, our master bedroom was big enough to fit our king size bed, Cody's crib and DJ's firetruck bed comfortably. That was not the case in this house so it was time for them to move into their own room.

Amazingly, both boys fells asleep in their own beds in their room without protest. Excuse the darkness of the images. The only light source was a night light. :)




Both have continued to sleep in their rooms since we moved in. Doyle and I were the ones having a hard time adjusting to the kids not being in our rooms. We jumped out of bed at every sound to check on them.

DJ was anxious to pick out the motif for his bathroom. After going back and forth between, he decided on a zoo theme. The bathroom turned out great with what he chose.

80's Themed Party

Last weekend, my cousin Marie turned 40 and to honor the big 4-0, her family and friends threw her an 80's themed birthday party. Teri and I were SO excited and couldn't wait to get dolled up for the event!

Doyle went as a Vanilla Ice wanting to look like MC Hammer wannabe. :) The pants were courtesy of Ebay. Don't you love the elastic ankle cuffs and velcro waist closure??

DJ was dressed in an Adidas outfit sporting his "DJ MC" shirt. Cody would have worn the same outfit had he gone to the party. We were going to be out late so instead he stayed home with mama and papa.

I couldn't get my hair to go as high as it used to be (it was about 1/2 what I could make it do before!). Maybe it's because I didn't have the right hairspray - aquanet! I spent at least 2 of my 3 years of high school wearing skirts over leggings so it was only appropriate that I pay tribute to my old fashion.



Don't you just LOVE Teri's outfit??? The color are almost blinding. And those jelly shoes...ah...flashbacks...

Funny thing about my brother's outfit is his is EXACTLY how he used to dress in high school -paisley shirt, suspenders, pegged pants and deck shoes (or whatever they are called).



Love the WHITE shades!



Run DMC never looked THIS good!





Teri and I had to do the ol' skool "posing on the stairs" shot.



Almost all the guests got into the theme and dressed up. There were famous people there, too.

George Michael



and Prince



Look at my man...girls...hold yourselves back!!!!



What a group...can you imagine if they all went to the mall dressed like this?





Marie's son as one of Run DMC.



Her hubby as the other part. :)



Oh so stylish!



The birthday girl is on the right. I hope I look half as good as she does when I turn 40!



Who you gonna call???

Ghostbusters AND a Jedi to help fight the ghosts and goblins!



The prom queen has arrived!



Isn't she just the cutest? I know you want to pinch those cheeks. What little girl's ensemble isn't complete without a sailor outfit? I know I had one in the 80s...okay the 70s, but whose counting?



The other DJ MC.



What's a party without dancing?

DJ once again proved what a little party animal he was by taking the center of the dance floor to bust a move. He even pointed out people he didn't know to battle them in a dance off. He won every time and made sure to tell me "mommy, I beat them!"

It's a good thing that dancing is something he didn't inherit from his dad. The boy has rythm!! You have done your mommy proud! :) You stay on the dance floor all night just like your mom!! :)



The back spin...GO DJ..GO DJ



DJ enjoyed Vanessa's moves and copied some of them, too!

A Visit with the Other California Slapes

We had the opportunity to spend Father's Day with Doyle's brother and his family. They live about 1.5 hours away, but will be leaving California in July.

Although the cousins hadn't seen each other in a few years, they were instant buddies and DJ and Jordan shared conversations about WWE and video games.

DJ and Zoey:



DJ, Zoey and Jordan and their funny faces while eating ice cream:



When we asked Cody how old he was, here was his answer:


Only 2 and trying to be older already!

A picture of Cody and one of his biggest fans!



What a sweet face!