The City by the Bay

Last weekend, we went to walk around San Francisco. We met one of Jason's former co-workers for lunch and then walked around Fisherman's Wharf. After that, we went to Japantown to meet up with a friend of mine who was also one of my bridesmaids. We had so much fun walking around the city. We are excited to go again. I think next time we are going to meet up with a couple from our FLOCK at our church in Edmond, OK who moved out to the Bay. We have plans to go see the Walt Disney Family Museum. Fun!

Trip to Modesto

Maddy and Maddie

Maddie and Abby had matching pajamas. So cute!

Two weekends ago, we took a trip to Modesto to visit some dear friends of ours, the Lee's. It had been over a year since we had seen them and it was so good to catch up. They also have a Maddy (Madelyn). The first time Madison met Madelyn, she (our Maddie) was only four months old. It was so much fun watching them play together now. I was also excited to meet the newest addition to the Lee family, precious little Abigail.
The drive to Modesto was not bad at all, so Jason and I are very hopeful that we will see our friends often. :)

Happy Hollow Park and Zoo!

Carousel

Granny Bugs

Mini Putt Putt

Today, Jason and I took Maddie to Happy Hollow for the first time. We were invited by some dear friends, the McCoy's, and we had so much fun! My favorite part was watching Maddie squeal with delight over the Granny Bugs ride. :)

The hawthorn hedge that keeps us from intruding,

Looks very fierce and bare,

When stripped by winter, every branch protruding

Its thorns that would wound and tear.

But spring-time comes; and like the rod that budded,

Each twig breaks out in green;

And cushions soft of tender leaves are studded,

Where spines alone were seen.

The sorrows, that to us seem so perplexing,

Are mercies kindly sent

To guard our wayward souls from sadder vexing,

And greater ills prevent.

To save us from the pit, no screen of roses

Would serve for our defense,

The hindrance that completely interposes

Stings back like thorny fence.

At first when smarting from the shock, complaining

Of wounds that freely bleed,

God's hedges of severity us paining,

May seem severe indeed.

But afterwards, God's blessed spring-time cometh,

And bitter murmurs cease;

The sharp severity that pierced us bloometh,

And yields the fruits of peace.

Then let us sing, our guarded way thus wending

Life's hidden snares among,

Of mercy and of judgement sweetly blending;

Earth's sad, but lovely song.

Excerpt from "Streams in the Desert".

Maddie's First Car

Maddie can drive just like mommy. :)

For Christmas, Maddie got a Little Tikes Cozy Coupe from her Uncle Brandon and Aunt Lacey. (My sister seriously spoils this child. hehe) Maddie was not too sure of it at first, but after I put her in and started pushing her around, she did not want to get out. She LOVES it! She kept saying, "whee!". When I opened the door for her to get out, she reached over and closed it. We are keeping the car at my grandparent's place because there is no room at our apartment. I think we will be visiting often. :)

Thank you Uncle Brandon and Aunt Lacey for Maddie's new car!

7 Years!

Beautiful bouquet of roses Jason had delivered to me today.

Chef Salad

4-Cheese Fondue

Teriyaki Sirloin, Wild Turkey, Buffalo, Himalayan Beef, Filet Mignon and Wild Boar

The Decadent One: Milk and Dark Chocolates, Espresso, Kahlua and Cream

Complimentary Champagne

Tonight, Jason and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary! I cannot believe it has been 7 years already. We had so much fun tonight looking back at our 7 years together as man and wife. We are truly blessed. To celebrate, we went to La Fondue in Saratoga. Above are some pictures of our tasty meal. :)

She is Growing Up So Fast!

Making friend's with Isabella at my parent's church.

This past weekend, for New Year's, we drove back down to Santa Maria to spend time with my parents. We left on Thursday and surprised them. Maddie loves visiting them and we left quite a bit of stuff at their house last week after visiting for Christmas. We has such a good time. While we were there I realized how fast Maddie is growing. We had to go out and buy her new shoes, she started saying 2 word sentences, and when it was time for nursery at church she took the nursery worker's hand and toddled away saying "bye bye!". Jason and I just kept looking at each other and saying, "she's so big...". Our baby is not a baby anymore. She is an adorable toddler. While we may miss how much she needed us as a baby, we are so excited to watch her grow. She continues to do new things everyday. She is becoming such a sweet little girl. She is so friendly and loving. She makes friends everywhere we go. We are so very proud of her!