Preggos

My older sister Jess and I have both been pregnant together... We are 8 weeks apart and the best part is we are both having girls!!! When I found out Jess was pregnant my goal in life became to get tickets for the Ellen Mother's Day show for pregnant women so that both of us could go together!! We somehow scored tickets and here we are the day before Mother's Day, ready to head up to Burbank to dance on Ellen.

We had the best time... not only did I get a day away in Burbank alone with my sister (when does that ever happen?), and a fabulous little lunch at a street cafe with her, but it was pure comedy being in a room full of preggos, dancing and screaming. PLUS, we scored all kinds of baby gear giveaways from Ellen. Huge for my sister especially who is having her first baby and had nothing!!!

That was then and this is 2 weeks ago... I was 36 weeks and she was 28. I have clearly popped out a lot faster with this child and Jess is still so tiny and cute.

I dont think I will be braving any more pics with my sis as I am now completely enorme and not excited about getting my picture taken with a cute tiny little preggo. Im so excited that my sis is becoming a mom. We cant wait to meet little Stella.

Welcome Little Man

My best friend since birth (more like our fourth sister) Lindsay just had her third baby. My sisters and I threw her a "Mr. Man" shower to welcome baby Zachary and celebrate this precious new addition.

Here are Linds and Jackie holding their chocolate mustaches!

Yummy treats...

Hostesses... or should I say hosts?

Sweet Claire and Paige looking mischievous with their little mustaches... I love those things!

Our necktie picture garland. We had so much fun with this theme!

Sugar and Spice...

and everything pink!!

We celebrated the pending arrival of baby girl with this gorgeous, girlicious shower. It was so wonderful to be with all of my closest friends and get excited for this new baby girl that is about to enter our lives any day.

My sisters, the Hostesses with the Mostesses.

Pink Sweets!! so fun.

That day, I was truly overwhlemed to tears at all of these beautiful women in my life. I could not be happier to have this community surrounding me and my little ones. I am so excited that my daughter will look to these women as role models and mentors. I pray that she is blessed with as good of friends as I have been throughout every stage of life.

My high school friends... all of us mamas now.

Bella, my amazing mother in law... she is a God send.

My sister led a time of sharing... it was such a gift to hear the encouraging words from these women. I need it!! I have such a healthy fear of being a mother of two... now that Owen is showing so much of his own will, I realize how important my job is and how much I need God and the help and support of others in raising these little ones.

That day made it SO REAL for the first time that I am having a baby GIRL.

Mark felt it too when I brought home a car load full of things like this little number.

Baby girl, I cant wait to hold you and kiss you and see your face. Its going to be so much fun to dress you and play ballet and tea parties with you. My prayer is that you are a woman of beauty, inside and out unashamedly shining God's glory for the world to see.

El Capitan 2010

Here we are on the annual Burton family camping trip to El Capitan...

I LOVE, love this weekend and look forward to it every year. It is absolutely gorgeous at this campground and I love being outside, being with my family and relaxing all. day. long.

Owen LOVES this trip... he loves being spoiled with attention 24-7, he loves the sticks and rocks galore, sleeping in the tent, and this year he really loved the bocci and stomp rocket contests. My family learned that I am not exaggerating when I say that Owen is definitely TWO now... gone is the little baby boy with no opinions and no attitude. This is pretty much how he was the entire weekend, cup of cherrios (or cookie, if gramps had anything to do with it) in hand, completely spoiling any chance of a healthy meal.

The trip schedule is pretty much walk down to the camp market for breakfast, (love this long beautiful walk down there)...

Enjoy a LONG meal at the market, sitting around talking and eating (mmm... lattes and pancakes)...

Come back to the campsite and start a fire, and sit around outside playing cards...

relaxing in a chair with a book...

Or playing a competitive game of bocci.

(Notice there is a new boy in town, Emily's man, we love him).

In between breakfast and dinner, we talk, eat, walk down to the beach, and hang out and just enjoy being with each other in this beautiful place.

And Owen gets spoiled by his aunties...

Mark and Owen chillin in the tent. Gotta love having clean sheets, pillows and a mattress while camping. Notice the hand in the cherrio cup again.

He may have a new little attitude, but he sure is cute.

Thanks dad, we loved our family vacation and making lifetime memories together. We cant wait for next year. Two new little girl campers!!

Best Buds

Gramps is definitely Owen's BF. Owen loves going to Gramps' house (where he is the reigning king), and visiting him at school. Their favorite activities together are tackling, playing with balls, visiting the horsie down the street, eating cherrios while watching sports on TV, and playing at the park. A couple of weeks ago, Gramps took Owen to an Angel's game for bobble head night (each person entering gets a collectors bobble head of an angel's player) with my dad's best friend and his grandson. Gramps is making a new tradition to go to both bobble head games each season with O... I love it.

My Old Man

Mark "the bullet" Saukkola enjoyed a "Grumpy Old Man Day" with the fellas on Saturday complete with golf....

...and cigars

...ridiculous old man clothing

...bbqing

...Newspapers

...Whiskey and Scotch cocktails

...cake

... and shenanigans.

So good to be with good friends. Old friends.

Owen lounging in his lawn chair... this little boy wants to be an old man too.

Happy Birthday Bub.. I love my old man.

Not your average Tuesday...

Spent last night celebrating my man's Birthday. I love going to dinner with him, its one of my favorite things... We ate at The Cannery, our favorite restaurant, and seriously had one of the most amazing meals both of us had ever had. EVERYTHING we ordered was magic. I love sitting across the table from Mark and having an hour (or two!) of face-to-face, no interruptions, talking.

Every year this man gets better and better.

Here we are on the bay, full and relaxed.

Winding up the evening at Landmark with some wine and blow-your-mind Mud Pie.

PS... I think this is my first belly pic.

31 weeks preggo. Baby girl is coming soon. I cant believe it.