Don't worry . . .

I won't be quitting my day job anytime soon to become a professional cake decorator. Please don't let this end up on Cakewrecks.com! And my skills with frosting are in no way proportionate to how much I love my friend Rachel. (It's supposed to look like a scrapbook page. Skittle brads, frosting rubons, etc.)

Mandi and her cute "friend" Colin
A little backstory for this next picture. Josh and Mandi have a long-standing tradition of giving each other hilarious gifts for Christmas. It all started with the Sponge-Bob slippers that Mandi gave Josh. The next year Josh retaliated with a huge poster of the rapper 50 Cent with Napoleon Dynamite's head on his body. It only deteriorated from there. In December Mandi and Colin came over to watch Christmas Vacation with us. During the part where Clark Griswold is stuck in the attic watching old home movies Mandi commented how nice Josh would look wearing a teal turban. Josh laughed and said, "Mandi, if you can find me one of those, I will wear it all day on Christmas." Silly boy, challenging Mandi to find the tackiest, most outrageous gift on the planet. It took her all of three minutes to locate one online the next day. So Josh had to wear the turban to the party. Not his sexiest look. :)

Me, Mandi, Colleen and Rachel

Little Russian Lady

Last night we went to Mikado (for the third time this month!) for dinner with my mom and Chris. Trying to keep a one year old happy and entertained at a restaurant can prove to be a creative feat at times! Just one of the ways my mom came up with to make Sasha smile . . .

She just reminds me of a little old Italian or Russian lady. She is just so goofy. Sure glad I had the camera!

Somebody call Team USA

Job Update

I have an office! That's right, an actual OFFICE with four walls and, get this- a door! A door that locks! I feel so grown up and professional now!
Okay, I'm through being a nerd. But really, my new job is great so far. I started on Monday the 4th. It's been pretty slow this week, but next week is chock full of training so I'm looking forward to that. Everyone in the office has been very nice and helpful. The only sad part is not having anyone to eat lunch with. :( I got so used to going to lunch with Vickie, Kevin and Brian everyday that it's a little lonely from noon to 1 now. But I'll be fine. I'm really excited to dive in and really get to work. It's kind of nice to have a change, afterall I worked for the same company for 11 years.
In other news, Josh unfortunately did not pass his first exam for the CPA. He retakes it in a couple of weeks and we're keeping our fingers crossed. He wasn't feeling too bad about himself though. Apparently only 10% of people who take the CPA pass all the exams with one try. Hopefully he will have it all done by July.
Sasha is almost walking! The most she has taken is 7 steps, she usually does 3 or 4 then drops to her knees and crawls. She is getting so close! I think that going back to day care two days a week will help push her along. She started out really slow on crawling but it seemed like in a couple weeks at Ilona's she really took off. So hopefully we will see her cruising around in no time! Lilly still watches her 3 days a week. As long as my MIL is around I will always be number 2 in Sasha's eyes. This morning I was holding her before I left for work and Lilly came in the door. Sasha got so excited. Then started to cry when Lilly walked into the kitchen and she couldn't see her anymore. Even though I was right there holding her! It's just nice to know that she is always with people that love her.

Grandpa Don's

On our way back from Cali we stopped at my dad's in Mesquite for dinner. After that long drive we needed a break from being in the car! It's no secret that Sasha loves animals and that she is a total ham. Here are some examples. . . .

Merry Christmas!

We had a great Christmas this year. I feel very blessed to be where I am in life and that includes all those that I am surrounded by.

California Love

Here are some highlights from our recent trip to California. We spent most of the week in Carlsbad in a great place right on the beach. Then we went up to DisneyLand for a day! We met up with our friends the Perkins' and the Naccaratto's. We only hit about five rides, but it was still a fun day. More crowded than we thought it would be, but it was still fun. It was great to see the park all decorated for Christmas. One thing you can always count on with Disney- they go all out. No detail is ignored, they think of everything!

Our friends the Perkins'. They live in San Diego and met up with us for the day.

The castle looked so cool all lit up and sparkly! I wish I could get my house to look like that at Christmas, that would be awesome!

Our friends the Naccaratto's. They live in LA and also met up with us for the day.

I took this picture inside It's a Small World. They had it all decorated for Christmas , it was so cool!
We got to meet Mickey! Sasha was asleep when we went into Mickey's House so we woke her up just before we got in there to meet him. I think if she would have been more awake she would have looked happier in this picture. Her favorite cartoon to watch in the morning is Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. After we got our picture and were leaving she reached out and touched Mickey's hand and waved goodbye to him. It was so cute!

This was on our first ride- Winnie The Pooh. Sasha had her hands up the whole time, not sure how she felt about it all. After we did the Haunted Mansion she loosened up and by the time we got to Small World, she was having a blast!

This was dinner one night in La Jolla. A great restaurant called Burgundy.

Playing on the beach in Carlsbad. Sasha loves the beach!

She didn't really like the freezing cold water, but she laughed anyway. :)

Love this picture.

Hanging out at the hotel in St. George.

Eating some ice cream. She picked up on how to eat an ice cream cone real quick!

Family portrait at the beach!