She's going places!

Alana is a real life Roley Poley. We put her down on the floor and she rolls and rolls... Only one way but she is now very mobile and I can't turn my back on her for a second or she's gone! It's amazing how big she is getting! Every day it seems like it's something new!! She loves to laugh and smile at everyone and show off those two big teeth! Oh my big girl!

Sitting Up!

Alana is trying to master the art of sitting up! She see's the world in a whole different view these days!

Alana's First Christmas!

Hope everyone had a great Christmas this year! Alana's first Christmas was great! Full of family and love! We started of last weekend with the Harp side of the family at my aunt's house with all of my aunts and uncles and cousins. It was a nice day and always great to see everyone together! I have no pictures from it (shame on me, I know) hopefully I can get my uncle to email me some!
Christmas eve is always at Victor's moms house. We hang out and make Tamales (and eat them) and then close to midnight we open gifts!

We brought over our Wii so the kids could play.

Alana hanging out with Daddy.

I was helping with the Tamales


Alana had to get her first Tamale making experience in this year!


Caught red handed!

EARLY Christmas morning we got up and headed to Corona to see my parents, sisters and grandparents.

Alana was eating all the wrapping paper.

Christmas was really all about the kids this year!

Alana had a great first Christmas this year!

Thank you to all the cousin's, aunt, uncle's, grandparents and friends who got Alana a Christmas Present this year! She got a lot of great stuff from everyone and we are very fortunate to have such great family that cares so much about the kids!

Christmas Pictures

My friend Michelle turned me onto her Photographer named Angel and she did our Maternity shots. I LOVED her pictures and decided to ask her to do our Christmas pictures. I had a great idea of going to Disneyland and taking them because it was decorated and of course... wanted to do something different!! So I hope you enjoy the slide show of pictures!

Thank you Angel for taking the time to come to Disneyland with us and get these amazing shots! Angel is fabulous at what she does and I recommend her to anyone needing pictures taken for any occasion. Weddings, family shots, maternity, kids, portraits... she does it all, is very reasonably priced and is a pleasure to work with! Here is her website if you want to check out her work!

http://angelgphotography.com/

Yum, Yum, Yum

A lot of people have been asking how the "making my own Organic Baby Food" is going so I thought I'd show you!

The Farmers Market is out in the parking lot across the street from me every Thursday. Since they won't be open for the next 2 weeks because of the holidays I had to stock up!!! Alana is eating anything and everything I put in front of her! So I've made... Butternut Squash, green squash, green beans, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, avacado... pretty much any organic veggies I can find at the farmers market! And she loves it all! Her Dr. said to stay away from making fruits on my own, so we buy the organic fruit baby food in jars and then I get to keep the jars for my own baby food! So smart!!! It's all so easy, 20 minutes of steaming them and 2 minutes in the blender... and wa-la! Homemade baby food!! I feel that I want to be the best mom I can and feed Alana whats best for her. And hell, I stay home with her and have NO excuse to not do it!!! A few months down the road and I won't have to puree anything anymore and can just break things up and feed them to her!

Night O dancing!

My sisters Birthday was Tuesday so this past weekend we went out dancing to "kind of" celebrate her birthday! My sister, myself and Crystal have found that the three of us have TONS of fun together, so I'm sure there will be several more nights like this one!

Cheers!


Me and my sester!


Me and my "like a sester"

2 hot single chicks I picked up on the way!

It's Miley!


There was this guy that couldn't get enough of Jacquie and Crystal. He was wearing a blue suit and had a cool white hat on, so you know we had to steal it.

Party girl!

These ladies are single!!

Just me

Blue suit guy had some crazy shoes on...

I had a blast girls! Thank you for being my new dancing partners!

Daddy's Beanie

This is how Alana keeps warm when she hangs out with Daddy!

Bearded Baby

Thought this was a funny picture! Alana was hanging out in her bouncer and with the shadows of her toys it looks like she has a mustache and beard!

Happiest Place on Earth - Take II

Alana's first trip to Disneyland was when she was 2 weeks old and she slept thru the whole trip. Today she was wide awake (most of the time) and loved looking around at everything and all the Christmas lights that were up at night! We started early this morning and meet Angel, our great Photographer there. She got some family pictures for our Christmas cards (her pics coming soon). But here are a few of mine.

This is Alana in her "1st Christmas" outfit.


On Casey Jr. Circus Train with Daddy!


We also brought along the lovely Kali!


Family self portrait on the Snow White ride.


Me and the girls!


My beautiful baby!


"A" is for Alana


Alana's first set of Mickey Ears made her a very happy girl! Look at those 2 teeth! They are getting so big now!


It was a loooong ruff day for Alana, what can I say?

Da, Da, Da, Da!

Alana has started to talk ALL THE TIME and we finally got Da, Da out of her! Victor was so proud!!! She really has just started talking so much, yelling at smalls when she is licking her and to her toys. It really is SO cute!

To listen to the video without the music in the background, scroll to the bottom of my blog and push pause on the music and the scroll back up and play this video!

Thankful!

So.... Thanksgiving came and went this year and I never really got a chance to sit down and think about what I am thankful for! When I was little I remember Thanksgiving at my Grandma Rose's house (who is no longer with us) but the whole Harp family used to gather there. Before we sat down to eat dinner we would all stand around in a circle and pray and then each one of us would say a few or one thing we were grateful for. It was really nice to hear what people are thankful for. I remember those times like they were yesterday! No one really talks about what they are thankful for anymore. People say, oh, I'm thankful to still have my job, or I'm thankful to still have a place to live, and stuff like that. But who, still as adults, stands around in a circle and says what they are Thankful for at Thanksgiving? I miss that and I vow to make sure it happens next year! I'd like Alana to grow up being thankful for the things and people she has in her life! So what better time to start new traditions (that are really old one's) then now! So here is what I am thankful for this year!

First and foremost I am thankful to my husband Victor. Last year he worked his butt off so we could have the most beautiful wedding of my dreams. This year was no different. He gets up every day while Alana and I lay warm in our beds and goes to work everyday so I can have the time with Alana that is needed. Every day I am grateful that he has a job to go to. I am thankful that he actually does get up every morning to go (even though sometimes he may not want to). He does it for us and I am most thankful for that. I probably don't always give him the credit he deserves but I am thankful for him in many ways for all he does, continues to do, and all he is.

I am thankful that God blessed us this year with the most wonderful little person in our life. She is amazing and I do thank God for her every single day! She is little pieces of Victor and I mixed into her own little person. You can NEVER explain the love of a mother to a child, but I am so very thankful for our little Alana Rose. I am thankful for every day she wakes up with a big smile on her face.

I am thankful for my family. Every single one of them. My best friend, my mom... she has been there for me through it all and still never judges me. My dad, he is always there to make Alana smile when we walk in the door and to sing her every song from my childhood that I couldn't even begin to remember! My sisters and my brother. My sisters are very important to me. A girl would be lost without them! Julie, my older sister, even though she is in AZ, we still talk all the time and we support each other all the time. Jacquie, my younger sister, we talk every day and are closer now then we have been in a long time. We both share being a new mother and happy that our girls will grow up close to one another. My sisters have always been a big support to me and I am thankful to have two of them! My Aunts, Uncle's, Cousin's, Grandparents. They are all there for me all the time! I am very grateful for the family I have. We do put the FUN in Dysfunctional, but I still love them and am thankful for all of them! I am thankful for my in-laws. Not many people love their in-laws but I am lucky to have great ones! They raised a wonderful man, they can't be too bad right?

My friends... where would a girl be without her friends?? Ashley is in CO and I miss her all the time, but she is there when I need her, and here when I need her! From 2nd grade on, I am thankful she still puts up with me! Crystal, I haven't known her more then a few years but having her here every single day through the most important times of our lives sure did make us become close fast. I am thankful for all of her love and support. I have always needed my friends but in the last couple years they have grown to be more important to me then ever! Sarah, Haley, Jessica, I don't always speak to everyone of them every day, but when I need them they are there and they make my "girls night's out" a blast! I am thankful that I've gotten to know them so well and appreciate their friendship! AND... all the friends I have all over, the one's in LA, Orange County, Riverside, work friends, non work friends. I am thankful for them all!

All the best Family and Friends, what more could a girl need? I am thankful to all of you! Thank you and thanks for listening! (or reading)

Comment People!!!!

So today I visited SunCal because I had to drop off some important paperwork (That I forgot at home anyway), but of course lunch with Auntie Crystal is always nice too. As I was showing Alana off around the office so many people said to me, I look at your blog all the time!
It's weird cause sometimes I think, why do I update my blog I doubt very many people look at it... Rosemarie told me today I don't update it enough? So people, if you are out there blog stocking me (that's a good thing) leave us a comment so I know you are out there!! I love to read what people think of the pictures and messages I put up! Just click on the little link under the post that says "comments" and leave us one!!!

1/2 year old today!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's my half birthday today?


YEAH for me!


I'm such a big girl eating solid foods these days and sitting in my big girl high chair!


I'm rolling over and pushing myself up, getting ready to crawl!

And I ALMOST sit up on my own! Mommy still has to help me!

Happy Birthday Hailey!!!

Today my niece Hailey is the big 1-3!!! Teenage years, here she comes!! Happy Birthday dork! Here are a few of my favorite pictures through the years!

This is one of my favorite pictures of Hailey when she was little!

We were on the Farris Wheel at Disneyland! Look how cute and cuddly she is!

This is here a little bit older. I was scared and she was fine as we were about to go on the Maliboomer at DCA!

Not sure we have taken pictures anywhere but Disneyland :)

This is the most recent one I took of her just a few months ago! She has turned into such a beautiful young lady! Happy 13th Birthday dork!!! Aunt Meme loves you!

Winter!!!

Victor and I went snowboarding a few years ago and it was the first time I saw it snow!! It was a great day! I can't wait to get back up there this season to try out snowboarding again!