Emmerson's Birthday Weekend

There was a reason why Baby Girl's birthday was as mellow as it was… her birthday weekend was action packed! On Saturday morning after Emmerson's birthday I took the kids and drove up to Orange County with my Mom to Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Jill's house. It was Clare's ballet recital and also Laurel's 2nd birthday celebration. 

Dustin left for San Diego to prepare for a marathon he was running the next day. 

 Clare looked absolutely adorable in her ballet costume!

 And the best surprise of all was that our birthday girl, Laurel, got to dance in Clare's recital too! Cuteness overload! Donovan was hilarious during the recital. He wanted to be up on the stage sooo badly! He danced in the aisles and had quite the audience of his own. Oh, this boy of ours. 

 Birthday girl Laurel with her Oma. 

 I can't believe she's 2 already!! Time for another niece or nephew Jill and Jonathan????!!!!! 

Pretty please!!!!! Ha! (I love you guys) 

Proof that we were there, although I'm not sure where my own tiny dancer was in this picture. 

Sunday morning, I woke up the kids bright and early and drove with my Dad to San Diego to watch Dustin run his second full marathon. Dustin's family drove down from Sacramento too so we all met up at their hotel before walking to the finish line. This is the one picture I got that morning. Donovan is always so excited to see his Daddy run races! Dustin set a new PR and did such an incredible job. He continues to amaze (and motivate) me!  

It was an action packed weekend but we were so grateful to be able to spend it with our families.  

Catching Up

So, let's see... the weeks of summer keep zooming by and I hardly feel like I can keep up. I think this is mostly due to the lack of nap time around these parts. (See post below) Donovan keeps me on my toes all day long. But I wouldn't have it any other way. Here are a few pics of what we've been up to lately. 

Hanging out with my family: 

Last weekend we had a last minute impromptu get together with everyone! (Minus the hubs, who's been working non-stop these last few weeks)

I seriously find SO much joy in being an aunt. I love my nieces more than anything and am so happy when I get to spend time with them. 

 Clare just steals my heart. I definitely get my girly fix when I'm with her. Here we are playing dress up dolls. 

 And this little love bug is making her debut on my blog, although you can see many more posts about her here or here. Let me introduce you to Miss Laurel Elizabeth. Is she not the cutest princess you've ever seen? I'm in love!

 And I was able to sneak in a couple of cuddles with her when she was over last weekend, which completely made my day. 

 Was Donovan ever this small? I completely forgot how tiny they are. So crazy!

Onto the next: Our anniversary. Dustin had to work that day but when he got home we celebrated in true Hein form... Roberto's burritos and the beach. This time we took the whole family and just ate in the car overlooking the ocean. We're classy like that. 

Daddy and Dono in the back seat.

 Our lovely view.

 Molly was there, too. 

 Me and my silly boy. 

 And a quick shot outside the 4runner to document the evening. 

 The rest of our days have been pretty laid back. It's been hot, so we've spent lots of days in our little back yard plastic pool or at the beach. 

Here we are playing in the afternoon, waiting for Daddy to get home from work. 

(P.S. thanks for the cute shirt Aunt Barb. Donovan loves showing off his big muscles!)

 And when Daddy gets home from a day of working at the golf course, guess what he does... MORE golf with his little sidekick of course. Watching my boys together always brings a smile to my face.

Next up: Some plans to redo a few things in Donovan's room. A little bit of painting and some fun projects to update his nursery a bit. And then a much needed get away with the Mr. this weekend in Palm Springs. (Compliments of Grammie who is babysitting for us!) Woo hoo! 

Summer, please slow down! These days are moving much too fast. 

cupcakes and happy dances

I brought Donovan a yummy treat home tonight. A vanilla cupcake. 

 Why the celebration you ask?

 Because Donovan's new cousin made HER arrival this morning!!!!

 Sweet baby Laurel is here. Isn't Laurel the cutest name ever? 

 Donovan and I approve whole heartedly! 

Happy birthday Laurel Elizabeth. We can't wait to meet you!