Happy New Year 2012!

2011 I think was one of the fastest years of my life and quite a ride.  We had our ups and downs, but without them it wouldn't make life interesting.  One of the best things that came out of 2011 was adding to our family. A Great Dane we named Hadley Marie. I love waking up to her every morning chewing her nails waiting for the alarm to go off because she knows that Mom is awake and its playtime. 

We rang in 2012 at my favorite NYE destination, Glamis.  We met up with some friends and had a great time in the dirt playing in the dune buggy's. 

I am excited to see what 2012 has in store for us.  I know for certain the summer is going to be killer since Christopher & Natasha and Catherine & Tater are getting married!!!!

Cheers to a great and eventful 2012 friends!

Happy Mother's Day

My Mommy is my rock, my best friend and partner in crime.  There isn't a day that I don't talk to my Mommy at least 3 times throughout the day and sometimes up to 10 (especially if I'm grocery shopping or cooking).  The conversations range from making sure I know the morning traffic report for my drive to work, how my evening was, or other random moments.  I would not be the person I am today without her.

For Mother's Day we spent the day at Angels Stadium.  We had so much fun from walking the stadium, enjoying the game, and being able to witness Mike Scioscia's 1,000th win as a Team Manager for the Angels. Oh and the best part....our awesome floppy hats!

:::Love the waterfall:::

:::Our floppy hats:::

Feliz Cinco de Mayo

Yes, I have lost my marbles BUT you can not tell me the Charleigh and Maverick do not look absolutely adorable in their Cacti and Chili Pepper headbands to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Blog Date & Christmas Lights

My blog idol Catherine has told me that my blog needed some help, so we have been planning on getting together to have a blog date to add some cuteness to it.  It is still a work in progress, but I think it is quite amazing right now just need a few more frills.  I just want my blog as cute at Catherine's and Teri's so I need to figure out how to add photos and the fancy collage aspect to it. Our date got interrupted when the cousins came over to tell us that we were going to go look at Christmas Lights. I LOVE looking at Christmas lights so we finished the blog date and went out.

We went to one neighborhood that the entire cul-de-sac had lights that danced to the music...it was fantastic!  Then we went to my favorite house in Murrieta.  He is an older gentleman that starts decorating his house on Labor Day weekend.  There is absolutely no one part of his house that is not covered in lights.  He even lets you in his house to see his village and backyard that has a train and how to say Merry Christmas around the world.  His show lasts about 10 mins. complete with music, dancing lights, and video.  I can't wait to see what he has in store for Christmas 2011!

New Year 2011

Josh and I celebrated New Years Night instead of New Year's Eve.  We had a wonderful dinner at Claim Jumper and then came home and watched the movie Hurt Locker. It is a great movie and deserving of the awards that it received.  I wanted to take more pictures at dinner, but Josh said. "What, are we our own paparazzi now? You are going to draw attention to yourself."

New Years Eve 2011

Josh had to work is last night shift on New Year's Eve, so I spent the day with two of my favorite people. We had some other plans fall through, so my parents and I just hung out around the house and had an awesome dinner, homemade hamburgers and french fries.  We watched the Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest show to watch the Ball drop and stuffed ourselves full of popcorn and ice cream.  It was a mellow New Year's Eve, but just what I like.

 ::Enjoying popcorn:::

 :::My Daddy:::

 :::We are a lively bunch:::

 :::He was told to lay on his bed:::

 :::Charleigh is too good to go on her's:::

 :::Finally settled down watching the ball drop:::

 :::Loving Grandma:::

 :::Maverick giving Grandma Kisses:::

...My 2010...

As this year comes to and end I figured that since I didn't start my blog until the end of the year I would do an overview on what an amazing year it has been.

...Started escrow on our first house...

...Charleigh Grace turned 2...

...Closed escrow on our FIRST home...

...Moving day...

...Family trip to Pismo Beach...

...Maverick Thomas turned 2...

...Trips to Lake Havasu...

...Family Pool Parties...

...Birthdays, Birthdays, and more Birthdays...

...Trips up to Monterrey, Modesto, Sacramento...

...Motor Home trips...

...Glamis trips...

...Decorating the house for Holidays...

...Finally agreeing on a Dining Room table and other furniture..

and

...Many wonderful hours of family time...

Now that I have written this out it doesn't seem like we had a very exciting year, but I don't think we ever stopped.  Needless to say another year is in the books and we are excited to see what 2011 has to bring to our family. 

 HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas 2010 Part 2 & 3

This was the strangest Christmas I have had in my last 27 years of life.  We celebrated with my family earlier in the week, so when Christmas Eve and Christmas Day rolled around it wasn't what I am used to.  Every year since I can remember we would open the presents from my Mom and Dad on Christmas Eve and Santa the following morning and then go up North to visit family.  This year Christmas Eve was just any other night that I go over and hang out at my favorite Aunti's house (Josh's Aunt Marti) with his cousins.  Don't get me wrong I had a blast, but it was weird not to open presents and be with my parents and brother. I did however get to be an elf for the first time and help set up a Kitchen for a wonderful little girl.  We did Christmas morning with Josh's parent's and sister and then went up North to see my parents again.

Christmas Part 3

We celebrated Christmas again with Josh's side the day after Christmas so that the entire family could celebrate Christmas together.  We did breakfast and stockings (which I finally got my Penguin pillow pet thanks to Josh's cousin) and then spent the day with the family watching Football.  

Overall the meaning of Christmas is not what presents you give or receive, but about being around people that you love and cherish...and mine was just like that 3 times over...

Deglmann Christmas 2010

This year we celebrated Christmas early with my family becuase Christopher and Natasha had a trip planned to spend Christmas back in England.  Everyone came up to the Wagner Penguin Encounter.  My mom made her famous Chicken Tacos and we opened our gifts.  It was a great night with a lot of laughs and great conversations. It is weird as we grow up how the holidays change, but what matters most is that you are surrounded by loved ones.

 :::Tash, Oliver, & Chris:::

 :::My Daddy:::

 :::My Mommy:::

 :::Another penguin is added to the Encounter:::

Wagner's Penguin Encounter

I LOVE decorating the for all of the holidays.  Since we moved into our own home in February I have had so much fun decorating the entire house for all the holidays. Although I have been secretly waiting for Christmas because I have the most decorations for this holiday. On Black Friday I made Josh get all of the Christmas boxes down so I could start decorating the house.  I had no idea at how much I have collected these past few years until I started unwrapping everything.  Needless to say I have a TON of penguin paraphernalia....example....3 cookie jars, 7 coffee mugs (I don't even drink coffee), tons & tons of dishes, and other odds and ends.

Once I started putting items into place and stood back and took a look I got the feeling that I was at the Penguin Encounter as Sea World.  Here are some pictures to prove it....Living room, Family room, Kitchen, Bathrooms, Kitchen table...you get the picture.

I am just a little obsessed...

 :::My Mom getting in on the action:::

 :::Josh adding the tree topper:::

 :::1,200 Lights:::

 :::Penguins in the Hutch:::

 :::Found lighted garland, oh and another penguin sign:::

 :::Love Penguin's so much I covered up the Bloodhound calendar:::

 :::Family Stockings minus Josh's:::

 :::Penguin's invaded the bathroom as well:::

:::Our front yard:::

Our 1st Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is one of the holidays that has never been the same year to year.  In years past we would always celebrate the weekend before Thanksgiving with the Deglmann side of the family so that my parents could get their "adult vacation" for 3 days out at Glamis.  My brother and I would spend the days with my Grandma Deglmann who always and the days filled with adventures or just plain lazy days.  Once we were old enough to got the privilege of going out to the desert as well.  Then the desert trips ended and we would go up to our close family friends house.  Then came Josh...we would always split the holidays between our families.  We would plan out the day on who's house we would go to first and how much time was spent there before we were off to the second house.

This year was different...Josh wanted to host dinner at our house since it was the first big holiday and we recently purchased our dining room table.  Now I am not a party planner nor do I like telling people what to bring, but the day turned out nice.  We were able to have the entire family here and able to fit everyone comfortably.  Luckily my parents came up the night before to help with the final touches and for my mom to do the turkey to make sure that it would be done in time for dinner and that it would be edible.  She did a fantastic job!

So now maybe next year I will be able to cook it like she does, but hey lets not get ahead of ourselves.

Happy Birthday Gramma Honey!

My Gramma Honey had the best birthday.  Why do you ask...because it is Halloween!  Now, my Gramma Honey passed away back in 1998, but our family still celebrates.  It is more of a bittersweet holiday for us.

To honor my Gramma's birthday every year my Mommy and I purchase something that reminds us of her.  Normally it's a Witch and if it has purple on it it is a double bonus because that is her favorite color. Needless to say I have about 12 different Witch related items decorating my house and every time I see one it puts a smile on my face. We always go up and visit her grave site and put flowers and sometimes we eat Taco Bell with her.  Today my parent's and I went up to visit her and my Uncle came too so it was great little visit and shared a few memories of my Gramma. 

I think of my Gramma everyday and wonder how she is doing, but then again I know she is having a fantastic time up in heaven watching over us.  A quote from my favorite movie Top Gun she is, "Communicating. Keeping up foreign relations. You know, giving  the bird!"

Gramma Honey...I love you and hope you had a wonderful birthday!

"Perhaps they are not stars, but rather openings in heaven where the love of our lost ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy." ~Eskimo Proverb~