Cupcakes, birthdays and trucks, oh my!

Grandma came down and we decided that it was time to make cupcakes in celebration. We made heart shape cupcakes and then pulled out every sprinkle we had in the cupboard and decorated like crazy.
And then for the best part, we ate them!!

Then we went to Ellie's 2nd birthday party. We had yummy heart and star shaped peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, heart and star shaped zuchini with fancy sauce (aka ranch) and delicious cupcakes! Happy Birthday Ellie!!!

And then Uncle Kyle came by to visit. We hadn't seen him since we went back to Illinois in May so it was nice to catch up with him for a night before he had to get back on the road. Before leaving, he let us check out his truck. Wow, is it big!

We even got to sit in it and pull the horn! Tatum wasn't too happy about the horn but I liked it.

And then, after saying good bye to Kyle, we headed down to our favorite pond. What a pretty girl. :)

Gamma Dini comes to Cali!!

Gamma Dini came out to visit last Monday and we had a week and a half of fun with her! It started with slides at the park...

and then the zoo! The petting zoo area hasn't be Tatum's favorite place in the past but she did a great job this time and even touched a goat! (with help and coaxing of course)

Then we went out to dinner in Old Town where Tatum gave the Mariachi band a dollar and requested La Bamba. As you can see in this picture, she was in awe of the band. Quite impressed with their talent but a little disturbed by their choice of outfits. :)

Our little fashion guru says the man on the left needs a new look. :)

Next, Tatum got her second hair cut and loved it! What a diva. :)

And then we had to get down to the beach...

Tatum even put her hands in the sand! (if you know Tatum, she'll do anything to keep her hands clean so this was a big feat!)

And to finish out an amazing visit, we celebrated Easter early with a fun Easter Egg hunt in the front yard and a delicious Easter dinner of ham, potatoes, green bean casserole and Gulliver's corn, yum!!

Look at all the eggs Tatum found!

And there were wonderful surprises in the eggs like panties!! We're warming up to potty training so maybe these will do the trick! All in all, we had an amazing time with Gamma Dini and miss her immensely now that she's gone back to Illinois. See you in October Gamma Dini!!

Daddy's Birthday!!

Daddy's birthday was Sunday and he celebrated the day by participating in a St. Patty's Day golf tournament. Tatum decided to model his festive hat before he left. (again, Daddy letting Tatum stand on the couch without Mommy knowing. Bad Daddy)

Daddy also opened presents and enjoyed a delicious breakfast made by Gamma Dini before he headed out. Here's Tatum showing Daddy the card she made for him.

Daddy loved his gifts, especially his birthday hug from Tatum.

Then it was off to the tournament where he and three friends...

Ian... (nice tongue)

Todd... (I guess it's a trend)

and Nick played best ball and won third place!! Garrett had an awesome time and didn't let the fact that he is now officially in his mid thirties get to him. :) Hehe

Our bathing suit beauty

Tatum starts swim lessons on Tuesday and I was sorting through her bathing suit options from last year. I decided this one was too small but she begged to differ. She wanted to try it on, obviously too small, and said, "See Mommy, not tight." Ummm, yeah...

Then Daddy grabbed the camera and started taking pics of her running around the house and (while Mommy was downstairs and unaware) letting her jump on the couch! :(

They had to get out the favorite Princess beanie of course.

And then Tatum and Daddy were exchanging kisses on the cheek, cute.

Tatum is such a little ham. She has us laughing every day which is wonderful medicine for the soul. She's our little ray of sunshine and we love her to pieces.

Disneyland with Family and Friends

On Friday we took my Uncle Tom to Disneyland for his birthday. He hadn't been in many years and loved seeing the happiest place on earth and all that has changed.

Of course we had to go on the Winnie the Pooh ride, Tatum's favorite!

Then we headed back to Uncle Tom's senior living center for a birthday party! This is Tatum's cheese face. :) We're working on it.

Happy Birthday Uncle Tom! The big 75!!

Then we were back to Disneyland with some friends on Tuesday.

Here's Mandy and Ellie enjoying the Dumbo ride for the first time!

I had to get a picture of this because if you know Tatum, she doesn't like people in her space. And holding hands is definitely crossing the space line. But since we've enrolled in our music class, she's gotten a lot better with closeness and actually asked to hold Ramey's hand! How cute are they?!

We went on It's a Small World for the first time and loved it. We also caught the clock display, how exciting! Ramey loves the song and is dancing and Tatum's just amazed that so many little people can fit in that hole!

And it wouldn't be an ending to a perfect day without Tatum passing out with food in her mouth. Here, she had a bite of cookie and successfully got the only chocolate chip all over the side of her face. She kept asking for another piece of cookie and since I was driving, I just handed some back to her. When she didn't grab for it, I looked back and she was mumbling, "Piece of cookie... Another shop Mommy..." in her sleep. :) hehe

Beautiful Picture

Daddy came home from work one day last week and I had to get on the phone so Tatum and Daddy went to play outside. After a while, Tatum came up telling me she had made a "beautiful picture" for me. As most, I assumed it was some scribble or doodle but when I got downstairs, this large drawing covered our back patio. Daddy had helped of course but what a masterpiece! If you look closely, underneath the M, you can see where Daddy traced Tatum, with curly hair and all. I was very touched by my "beautiful picture" and it is still on the patio. Tatum never misses an opportunity to remind me of the "beautiful picture" she made for me. :)

Such a goofy girl

Tatum is such a silly girl with an amazing personality. Here she is on Valentine's Day helping me make heart shaped muffins. Check out that hair do!

Then she couldn't wait to eat her creation. Can you tell she loved her muffin?

And then she insisted on dressing herself and chose this outfit. Garrett and I couldn't help but snicker a bit since she looked like something straight out of Flash Dance. We had a fun time teaching her how to dance like a maniac. :)