3rd Annual Trip to the Beach

We just returned from the beach house near Monterey and it was a wonderful week! This year we were joined by our friends, the Cady Family and it was super fun! Matthew and Aubbie dug a giant hole on the beach and it is hard to say who enjoyed it more. He also went looking for pirates on the beach with Papa. I am happy to report there were no pirate sightings! Kayla has been talking about going to the beach since last year's trip and she LOVED the ocean. Kayla was constantly playing at the water's edge with Mommy and Daddy. We feel so very fortunate to be able to make these kinds of memories with our children and they loved sharing great times with Papa, Aubbie and good friends!

Beach House at Monterey

Kate Gosselin Book Signing

Kate Gosselin at Borders in Pleasant Hill!

I was sooo excited to meet Kate Gosselin at Borders. I arrived at Borders almost 2 1/2 hours early. By 6:30 I was inside the store. Kate walked through the store a couple of times and it was weird to see her in person. Once she started signing books the line moved pretty quickly. I bought two books and she autographed both for me. I told her that I loved her show and I thanked her for signing my books. She thanked me and said it was nice to meet me. The whole thing was over so fast. After she signed my books I was able to take a couple of quick photos. I really enjoyed the experience and I'm so glad I went!

Easter Sunday at Papa and Aubbie's House

Easter Celebration!

Easter was so much fun this year. Matthew and Kayla loved the egg hunt and they made two new friends this year in Gus and Lex. They loved playing with Lucy and Frankie as well. "Oliver the Magician" made this year's Easter one to remember as he amazed us with his sleight of hand. All in all, it was a wonderful day of family, friends and great food.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Happy Anniverary!

October 19, 2002....
When I think back to that day, six years ago, there are so many wonderful moments I remember and hold close to my heart...spending a few quiet moments with my brother Garrett early that morning...getting my hair done with my mom...seeing the groomsmen play "Chutes and Ladders"....listening to Marilynn sing so beautifully for us...my dad giving a never to be forgotten wedding toast...Devan and Ryan waltzing with their grandmas...but the moment I will treasure the most was when Mark and I became husband and wife. In the ensuing years much has changed our lives (Matthew 3 1/2 years old, Kayla-2 years old, a new house to treasure always) but our love has remained a constant. Thank you Mark for being the husband of my dreams, a loving and wonderful father and my best friend. I love you.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Sweet Memories!

Bless my mom for finding this picture! I have always loved this photo. Paige, Staci and I played so much together as children. I was the doll that Paige loved to undress! Its fun to look back and see how we looked back then. I see a lot of Kayla in me when I was her age.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

The End of Summer!

Its hard to believe it but summer is truly over. I went back to work at the end of August and so did the kids. Matthew and Kayla go to school three days a week. Matthew was so happy to see his friends again and have a new teacher, Ms. Melissa. Kayla has been doing great in Ms. Ellicia's room! She loves going to school and playing with the dollies there.
We have been working on the house...planting new bushes...adding new electrical circuits... buying a new refridgerator..all the typical new house stuff. Its fun to do all of these things. Mark is THRILLED to have a "honey-do"list. In the midst of all of this, the kids and I joined Papa and Aubbie on a drive to San Jose to see Jessica and Baby Jackson. It was great to see them. The days are flying by so fast now, I just want to slow things down a bit. Oh Well!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Surprise~

I pulled off the surprise of the century with a little help from our family. We surprised Mark with a party for his birthday. He thought we were going to a party for Deborah and boy was he speechless! It was a lot of fun to surprise him. Mark was really touched that our family and friends came together in honor of his birthday. As you can see from the slideshow, everyone had a really fun time.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Kayla's 2nd Birthday-July 21, 2008

It seems so hard to believe that two years ago Kayla was a tiny little baby just dying to be born. After 8 weeks of bedrest, Kayla decided that she could wait no longer! My water broke very early in the morning on July 21, 2006 and we went to the hospital. We had already known we were going to have a c-section so we only had to wait for the doctor to arrive and for an operation room to be available. After about 3 hours, we went into the operation room a family of three and came out a family of four! Kayla Staci was born at 6:47 a.m. Right away Kayla's arrival continued to launch us into a tailspin. She was having breathing difficulties and the doctors wanted to put her in the NICU for tests and observation. I had only a quick look at her before they took her away. I was able to hold her for the first time in the NICU about 1 1/2 hours later. She looked so fragile and tiny compared to Matthew and I felt very keenly that she was an absolute miracle. Well, as you all know, Kayla turned out just fine and was rooming with me by Sunday morning. The last 2 years with Kayla have been a precious gift for her father and I. We often think about everyone who helped while I was on bedrest and we know how very fortunate we are. Kayla is adorable, funny, spirited, dramatic, feisty, loving and another light in our life. Happy Birthday to our precious Kayla Staci Welch!

Our Beachhouse Getaway

We joined the Schonbergs from Utah for a week at the beach in Monterey. We had a wonderful time and it was so great to finally meet Baby Jackson! The kids had a great time on the beach and it was a very restful and relaxing vacation. Dad and Belinda came down for a couple of days and that added to the fun. At the end of the week, we had to return home but Garrett and Jessica were able to stay until Sunday. We had a great time visiting and the week passed by all too quickly. These photos make a wondeful remembrance of our trip.

Easter preparations began with a visit with Nana and Vovo. They came over to help us color eggs.

Easter preparations began with a visit with Nana and Vovo. They came over to help us color eggs.
Matthew was showing Vovo how to dye an egg.

Nana and Kayla making a beautiful egg!

I had so much fun coloring eggs with Matthew. He really enjoyed it this year!

Mark and I cannot believe how Kayla is growing up so fast.

Matthew loved putting the stickers on the eggs!

The evening ended with a story read by Nana. Does life get any better than this?

Disneyland in November!

Disneyland in November!
The Welch Family with Minnie Mouse

Disneyland Adventures

Halloween (Thriller) Night!

Thriller Night!

Well, Halloween was a frightfully busy day. Matthew and Kayla's preschool had trick or treating and a party. Later on of course, we took the kids out for trick-or-treating in the new neighborhood. Matthew and Kayla loved going door to door for candy. The rain fell, but not enough to dampen our spirits. Two special pirates joined us, along with Grama, Nana and neighbor Ardyth. I believe a good time was had by all.

Our 6th Wedding Anniversary!

Odds and Ends!