San Diego Zoo

We were really blessed on our trip to San Diego...a family at the church where Jason was painting at offered to take us as their guests to the San Diego Zoo and the Wild Animal Adventure Safari Park since they have annual passes and are able to take one guest a day!! It was a huge huge blessing to our family. Thank you Tucker family you made our day!

Caelyn LOVED the zoo! It was pretty hot so at lunch time we decided to get our hand stamped and go eat lunch and go back to the hotel so that the girls could nap, and then we could go back in the evening when it was cooler. But Caelyn couldn't nap, she just stood in the pack and play saying every name of all the animals she had seen "Giraffe (her fave), lama, zebra, kitty kitty, lion, donkey, cheeta..." Needless to say the only nap she took that day was on the way too and from the zoo, she was just so thrilled to see all the animals! It was way fun!!

looking at the monkeys...making monkey noises with daddy :)

"wook mommy, wook!"

Flamingos...lots and lots of flamingos

Fun times with our chickadees

In the morning when we saw the lion and lioness they were both sleeping. But when we walked back by their cage in the evening they were up, and the lion started pacing!! We stood behind the glass...he is known to spray up to 10 feet, there is a sign posted!! He came right up to the glass before I was taping so we really got a good look at him, it was amazing!

Caelyn was really excited to see the elephants!

We saw them 3 times on this trip to the zoo! :)

Six months old already!

July 8th 2011

Aliyah is already half a year old!! Man how the time flies! She loves talking, watching her big sister, isn't sure what she thinks of rice cereal, likes to roll over and over, is really trying to figure out how to crawl, and we love to hear her giggle!! She is my sunshine, by tiniest beauty, my mini me!

I love you Aliyah.

Hugs and kisses, Mommy

Some pictures from San Diego- Sea Life Aquarium

We got a chance to go to Sea Life Aquarium in Carlsbad, CA on Wednesday when we were down in San Diego. Caelyn LOVES animals!! She especially enjoys seeing Pop's fish every time she is over at the McAlpin's home...and we figured it would cost us a lot less to go to the aquarium than it would to go to Sea World. We asked her if she wanted to go to the aquarium and see some fish, she squealed "ooooo Pop's house!" We all really enjoyed it! Caelyn picked out a lot of fish she wants her Pop to get...her favorite were the "shrimps".

(notice bottom left picture- We asked a lady to take a family picture of us...somehow I guess she didn't see Caelyn in the stroller because she didn't make the shot :)

Part of the fun of going to the aquarium is just to see their amazement at the handiwork of God!

The aquarium is located right next to LegoLand, so there are a lot of lego creations in the aquarium as well.

Fun times with Daddy, building a lego sand castle and looking at lots of fish

Caelyn LOVED the tunnel where the sharks, rays, and fish are swimming all around you! We went through the whole aquarium twice so that we could go back to the tunnel!! It was cute...she was watching the rays swim around in their tank (pictured-bottom left) and one ray swam up to the top of the water right in front of her and splashed a little and Caelyn told the ray "Careful ray, careful." Ever since she broke her arm she has been telling all of us to be careful...mommy, daddy, sissy....even the fish!!

There was a part where you could climb inside the fish tank and look up through a glass dome at all the fish...perfect video opportunity!! Too bad my battery was low and cut out too soon :( It was so cute she was waving and so excited to see me and Aliyah on the other side of the glass...so here is just the first 10 seconds that I got before the camera died for the day, it's still fun to see her trying to touch the fish!!

I'll post more when I get a chance of our trip to the Zoo, the Wild Animal Park, and Jason's fabulous artwork on the church's walls! Hope you have a blessed day!- Ang

Caelyn's fracture and the beginning of our much needed vacation!

On Thursday, June 23rd Caelyn fractured her left arm right above her elbow. This is how it happened:

It was getting close to bedtime, Uncle Greg and Aunt Alyssa were over visiting with little Naomi. We were all visiting / playing in the living room. Caelyn was getting goofy (tired but not ready to miss out on all the fun) and she was playing with Jason on the couch. She fell on her left arm sideways by the arm of the couch and had the worst boo boo of her entire 22 months of life. After a call to the advice nurse they thought we could bring her in Friday morning to be seen...she had settled down, was playing, could move her wrist and fingers but just didn't want to extend her arm the full way. There was some swelling by her elbow...she would hold her left hand and say "Elbow hurts...right here (while tapping her left wrist)." Needless to say it was late...10:30 and we were all tired...we gave her children's motrin and she slept until noon the next morning. When Jason went in to get her up so we could get to the doctor, she wanted him to roll her over from her tummy. They took x-rays of her left arm, wrist, and hand...which revealed the fracture by her elbow. Since she is so young they splinted it while we were in the office and gave us a referral to see an orthopedic specialist at the beginning of the next week. Caelyn was a GREAT patient, super sweet, wanting to blow kisses to all the nurses and doctors as we left!! Needless to say after a long weekend of high fevers (reaching 104...and at 105 you take them to the ER), trips back to the doctor to check the fever, no sign of illness but precautionary antibiotic prescribed (since she already had a hurt arm they didn't want to run too many tests), and a rash that broke out...it was almost more than I could handle. But by the end of the week she was doing much better, had a cute pink cast that she will wear for 3 weeks and we were off to San Diego!!! Jason was hired to paint a mural in a church/preschool's hallway and my office was closed for the week so we got to go paint together and have a fun family vacation down south!!!

When you don't feel good it is always nice to have Daddy around :)

Drawing on the chalkboard only requires one arm :) Caelyn wanted to draw our family so Daddy helped!! The sling they gave us at the doctor was the smallest one they had but still too big for Caelyn. Jason thought I should make her one...so with some help from my mom I made her a sling with some scrap pieces of fabric!

On our way to beautiful San Diego!

The last time we were in San Diego was for our honeymoon!!! Which will be seven years ago at the end of this month! And what a wonderful seven years it has been...looking forward to many many more. When we were on our honeymoon we pulled off of the road when we got close to the beach and took a picture in this exact spot, thought it'd be fun to take another one!

I love you Jason, you make my life beautiful and fun and wonderful and joyous! I'm glad to be on this journey with you :)

The beginning of the project! Had to take a break to eat an apple with Caelyn! We will post more pictures of the finished project and our trip to the aquarium and San Diego zoo when we get home!

Father's Day and family time in June

Caelyn and Aliyah are lucky girls to get to call Jason their Daddy. He is an amazing father and loves both the girls so much! Caelyn is a "Daddy's girl" all the way...she loves to be with her Dad, especially outside "working" in the yard. They have this little way of communicating...if she wakes up and is calling for us or crying he'll go "Ba-ba-ba" and she'll holler back "Ba-ba-ba" (it's like a little song)...so today he had to go run to get propane for our grill and he told her he'd be back in 5 minutes, she stood at the garage door the whole time while he was gone going "ba-ba-ba". I love it when he comes home from work (for many different reasons :) ) it is always fun to hear the giggle and squeal of excitement in her voice as she sees her Daddy. I love J for so many reasons but especially for the kind of father that he is.

Mommy and Caelyn have wild hair when we are playing in the red ball!!

Aliyah's first time in the pool! She loved it!!

These are our miracles, we are so blessed to be given the opportunity to love them!!

playtime :)

June 19, 2011 - Father's Day

Caelyn Elise- 22 months old & Aliyah Noelle- 5 months old

Some pictures from June and Memorial Day 2011

Aliyah is 5 months old!!! I can hardly believe it! She is trying to roll from her back to her tummy, laughing, loves to grab her feet, drooling more than ever, loving the jumperoo....she could jump all day, enjoying the swing on the patio, and my favorite- taking her two tiny hands and holding your cheeks in them (it is a heart warming moment everytime we are face to face). She has a very sweet disposition and is really easy going. I don't know if you can read her shirt but it says "Mommy's Little Sweetie" and she is every bit of that!!

Daddy was quick and able to get a picture of all 3 of us after the bubbles!

We were able to spend Memorial Day with the McAlpin side of the family! We are thankful for all the men and women who have served (and those who are currently serving) in the military. What a blessing to live in this great county with all the freedoms we enjoy, especially the freedom to worship our Savior! We are grateful for your service...and to all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice we remember you and your family with heartfelt gratitude.

the Buss girls with their Gma

sisters and cousins...I love you girls

Here is a little video of Aliyah talking to her Daddy :)

Naomi Rose Paradis

Our niece Naomi Rose Paradis entered our lives on May 20th 2011

(which is exactly 10 years to the day of Greg and Alyssa's first date)!!!!

She is so precious and so so so tiny! She weighed 6 pounds and 11 ounces on her birthday! Pure perfection...the handiwork of the Creator!

This is my favorite picture that Jason took of Naomi on their kitchen table during her first week of life!

Gma and Pop and their three grandaughters! Oh what fun these little girls will have growing up together!!

Uncle J and Auntie Ang

Here are some more recent pictures of my sweet niece, she will be 3 weeks old on Friday!

oh how I love her

the three cousins- our free entertainment, never a dull moment once you have kiddos that's for sure!

Naomi and Aliyah are only 4 months apart in age, I hope they will be close friends!

Naomi and her lovely momma! All snug as a bug in her moby....yea she likes it!! I prayed for her while I was sewing it, now it's so fun to see her in it!!

Naomi Rose I love you so much!! I was so privileged to watch you enter this world, and it was amazing...words can't even express the miracle that it was. I was nervous I would pass out, I do better as the patient most of the time, but this time I wasn't the one on the hospital bed! Your mom is amazing, simply amazing. She was so focused and so so so strong. She couldn't wait to see you. Neither could your daddy. He was a wonderful support to your mom during the entire labor. They love you so much. I didn't cry when either of your cousins were born (probably because I was just so relieved that I had lived through the experience:)) but I cried when I saw you. Tears of joy. Your daddy was emotional too, so proud, so in love with you and your mommy, the two women in his life. You are so lucky to be placed in the family that God has chosen for you. They love you and the Lord with ALL of their heart. I just want you to know that I feel so blessed that I got to stand by them when they said I do, and 6 years later in the moment that they welcomed you into their hearts forever!