Amanda & Fidel

The main reason I went home was for my best friend Amanda's wedding!! I was honored to be one of her maids of honor! First we had the bachelorette party. We went to some very "interesting" clubs in Sac. Lets say they make for a good story. lol Everyone had their cameras but me so I will have to see those pics later.

The next day was her shower! It was so fun and I had a great time helping to plan it with Amanda's sister Rachel. It came out wonderful, good job Rach! She set up this photo booth and it was so much fun.

I love this next one. lol

It was so fun to help Amanda get ready for her wedding. Plus we got to take some early pictures! She looked so beautiful, the most beautiful I have ever seen her look!

(I stole a few pictures from Rach, I hope you dont mind! I love them all! You can steal mine if you want too. :)

After she got all ready we headed over to take girls only pictures before the ceremony. Below: classic car picture with me, her sister Rachel, her sister Jess and the bride!

The bride and her maids of honor! The bride and all her bridesmaids.

After we took girl pictures it started to rain!!! I mean rain hard! :( So Amanda headed into a car and the rest of us huddled under trees waiting for it to stop. My parents met me there with Cass. Special thanks to my parents who watched Cassidy for me during the ceremony and reception so I could do maid of honor things. She already misses her grandparents!

I was so sad that it kept raining on her wedding day but just as she was debating about what to do, the rain stopped. In that moment everyone hurried and sat down and got into place to start the ceremony. I was worried the rain would start back up in the middle but it didnt! It didnt rain the rest of the time and even warmed up a little! The bishop incorporated the weather into his speech and I totally agree that it was such a metaphor for life and marriage. Sometimes its stormy and dark but then the heavens will open and the sun will shine down on you! I am so proud of Amanda, she never cried or freaked out and in the end it worked out perfect. Plus I have heard that rain on your wedding day is good luck. :)

After the ceremony we all took group pictures. I cant wait to see how they come out!

Once we got to the reception there was a mariachi band playing, which Cass loved!!! She danced the whole time!

It was such a fun wedding and I just want to wish Amanda and Fidel a lifetime of happiness! I love you both!

CALIFORNIA

Cass and I went home to CA this last weekend for my best friend's wedding! It was so nice and even though I was crazy busy I got to spend some time with my family.

Thank goodness it wasnt a full flight and I got the seat next to me empty for Cass. I do not know what I would do if it was 100% full and she really had to be a "lap child." She loved getting her own seat and tray table. I would give her an A- for the trip down and the minus is only because she screamed for takeoff and landing because I was trapping her on my lap.

I stayed with my James and Melissa while I was doing wedding stuff in Sacramento. It was so nice to stay close and have them watch Cass. THANKS so much guys for your hospitality and for being a great Aunt & Uncle to Cass!

Cass loves to be outside so we spent a lot time outside playing. She LOVED her cousin Sage. They had fun on the swings together.

I never really thought they looked alike but in the bath I think they do a little!

On Saturday morning we all went to the zoo where I got to see this little guy!!! I cant believe he is turning 1 this Saturday! Happy birthday Donovan! He is the cutest little boy ever! James & Sage.Cass and I were checking out the giraffes. :)

Look at how close this chimp was to the glass?! He was even kissing the glass. Cass wasnt sure what to make of him.

Cass and Sage held hands in the car so much without us putting their hands together or anything. It was so precious!

Cass had such a fun time in CA with her grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles. I know she already misses them! We are coming back at the end of July which will be fun since I dont want her to forget them. On the way home I would give her a B. On the first flight from Sac to San Jose she screamed (luckily it was a short flight) and then on the second plane so cried until she fell asleep! I was so thankful since it gave me a chance to sleep for a few minutes! I was so tired from the weekend. We missed Aaron and it is great to be HOME but it sure was nice to visit!

15 Months

Cassidy turned 15 months on May 15th! Just a few pictures to document as usual. My new favorite thing she does now is when you ask her if she wants something she will either shake her head no or nod her head yes. It is so cute! I love how she is really starting to communicate her feelings! Her favorite thing remains being outside. In her stroller, playing outside in our backyard or at the park she doesnt care as long as its outside. :) Her favorite words to say are please, hi and duck. She says them all day long. I love our little toddler!

Oh yah and she still has NO teeth!!!!

Lucky

I consider myself very lucky. This past weekend was my second mother's day and my second wedding anniversary. The fact that I am a mom to the most precious little girl and a wife to my best friend makes me incredibly lucky. Life has ups and downs but at certain times you are reminded you have a lot to be thankful for and how great of a life you have.

For mother's day I wanted 4 things:

To take a nice peaceful nap- CHECK

To spend some time scrapbooking- CHECK
To go on a family hike in the beautiful outdoors- CHECK

To finish off the day with a nice long bath while I read my book- CHECK

Cass also made me an adorable scrapbook page at school with a poem and a picture of us and her handprints.

We hiked the Butte here and it is so beautiful. Cassidy is such a blessing and I am so happy that I get to be her mom!

For our 2 year anniversary, Aaron and I went out to a nice dinner together after work. Our friends watched Cassidy for us so we got to have a grown-up dinner. I believe all good marriages take hard work so I am incredibly blessed that I married my best friend. We have such a fun marriage and I look forward to spending time with Aaron everyday. I dont want to be all sappy but he is the best father in the whole world and I am so lucky that I know, without a doubt, my husband loves me more than anything in this world.

Of course we forgot to take pictures this year until I remembered once I had already put on my pjs but oh well, still cute!

After we kissed Cass felt left out so we had to give her a kiss too. I look goofy but I am putting it up since she looks so happy to be getting two kisses. It is hard to aim a camera, push the button and kiss at the same time! :)

I love you Aaron! Thanks for the best 2 years of my life! I cant wait for the next 80 together!

Swim Class & The Outdoors

Cassidy loves to play and read and snuggle and eat BUT nothing really compares to getting to go to swim class or be outside on a walk or at the park. Those are by far her favorite activities. It was time for a new swimsuit and she looks so cute in it!

She will now stand on the edge and step into my arms in the pool when I count to three. She laughs so hard! Plus she goes underwater and loves it now.

As you can see from the previous post, she loves to be outside. All weekend we worked in our backyard and she just walked around and picked up dirt and bark. She loved it and never wanted to go in the house. She is my adorable little tomboy. Here she is on a walk with me. She wore my scarf because it is still a little chilly here. It is getting warmer though! :) I cant wait for Spring to really start and then summer, she is going to be outside all day everyday!