Cute Alert!

I love the big gap in the front of his mouth! Too funny.

She is way too adorable! The boys better watch out! She's got a little attitude to match also!

I just got these cute new pics of Grant and Gretchen from Kate. Again, I love this blogging thing because it makes it so easy to keep in touch!

New background

I don't know what it is lately, but I've been craving sweet things! And I do not have much of a sweet tooth, but I am loving all the easter candy and cakes and cookies that are being passed around lately!
Yum, Yum, Yum.
So, my background now reflect this new change in me!
I'd better stick to my exercise plan to compensate for all these new calories!

Easter Weekend in Fresno

We spent Saturday at James' dad's house, where Mark grilled some really delicious rib eye steaks for us. Between the ribeyes and the easter ham, we ate way too good this weekend! And we have lots of leftovers for the week- yum!

This is Molly, Mark and Sue's little doggie, she's way too cute!

After our visit with Mark, we headed to James' mom's place to meet up with his brother and sister and all the little grandkids. James and little Emily blowing bubbles at Grandma Birley's on Easter sunday.

Harrison and Haleigh practice their putting while we get Easter lunch ready at Grandma Birley's.

Harrison opens up three easter baskets at once! All filled with peanut butter & chocolate!

Haleigh and Alexis find their Easter baskets!

Harrison's First Tennis Practice

Last week we took Harrison over to the tennis courts that we have been playing on. We did some drills with him and he really enjoyed it. He wished he was good enough to just play a regular game and got frustrated by the wind that would blow the ball off the tennis court. But all in all, it was a fun time! Sammie even enjoyed himself!

First Day of Spring!

Sacramento has these gorgeous "sour cherry" trees everywhere! They are so beautiful when they are lined up right next to each other down a street. It makes me think of the cherry blossoms in DC. They do give sortta bad allergies though- the only down side to them.

I've gotten to do a lot of traveling around northern california and the sacramento area for my job lately. And in both areas I've been going to, I am shocked by how beautiful and diverse the state of California is! While nothing compares to the view of Pipes and Swamis in Cardiff, there is something to be said for foliage, mountains, snow and the smell of fresh air from all the trees up here in northern california. I was out in El Dorado Hills, which is about 60 miles west of Lake Tahoe, in the rolling hills and trees, and it was gorgeous right at sunrise. Breath taking. Last week I was up in Shasta and they have huge orchards of olive groves up there. The smell is wonderful! I've never smelled olive groves before, but now I love it! It's amazing to learn and experience new things and the move to Sacramento has provided such a great opportunity for that.

Harrison has been here for a whole week now! Time is flying by! My mom was so gracious enough to stay for this week also and watch Harrison during the day (along with being my personal assistant!). I don't think I could have gotten through this crazy, hectic week without her help! She is amazing and I thank her for all her support! It was great to see her, spend time (alot of time) talking, good therapy sessions. I was sad to see her go, and even sadder that I didn't get to spend as much time as I wanted with her. But hopefully she will be able to come up again soon!

I've got plenty of pictures to post of Harrison's first week, but no time to do it. I'll get around to it this weekend. So check back soon!

The Ultimate Peep Show

I have to admit, I stole this off my counsin, Aly's blog because I thought it was too cute- I couldn't resist! How funny is it with the yellow chicks "lounging." Very creative!

Anyway, just wanted to say: 24 MORE HOURS UNTIL HARRISON AND MY MOM GET HERE! And I can't wait- can you tell how excited I am!?

My mom is flying with Harrison up here and will be spending a few days with us. Neither of them have been up to Sacramento yet, so it will be great to show them both around. I'm trying to get work done so that I can take some long lunches next week to visit with them during the day. We'll see how that goes- I guess blogging doesn't give me much of a chance to get work done, but it's a stress relief, and thus a necessary part of my life!

Since Harrison won't be with us on the actual Easter Sunday, I'll be making the easter ham and dinner this weekend. I've never done a ham before, but I can't imagine that it's that hard. So wish me luck! And if anyone has a killer scalloped potatoe (aka "funeral potatoes") please let me know!

Tennis: the new hobby

Grandma Allen would be proud! James and I have started playing tennis! Even as I write this blog, my right wrist and elbow are so sore from our first nights game. We have some tennis courts just across the street from our house up here in Sacramento. I've played somewhat when I was younger- even went to tennis camp during the summer. But its been a very long time...We tried playing a real game, but since neither of us are very good we decided just to hit it back and forth and practice our swings for the first night.

We told Harrison about the new tennis rackets we bought- and he was very excited. He asked for his own, and ofcourse we've got one for him. He really loves trying new sports, and I really admire that about him. He loves to play golf with us, and has probably grown out of the set of golf clubs we got for him 2 years ago. He also loves playing catch with Dad and basketball also. I think he's got a great athletic talent and I can't wait to see what he'll do with it in junior high and high school.