Our First Aniversary

So, for our first anniversary we got to eat our cake! It was still good, of course not as good as it was a year ago. I can't believe it even tasted half as good as it did sitting in our freezer for a year!



And for our anniversary we decided to go down to LA/San Diego for a week. First we went down to San Diego and visited Donnie's brother, wife, and kids. Very good to see them. We got to go to Sea World with them and downtown San Diego!

My favorite, the sting rays at Sea World that you could touch. They have the funniest mouths!


Then we went up to Anaheim and went to Disneyland for 2 days.

On the teacups


Donnie on the firetruck in Toonland


At the Blue Bayou, my favorite lunch with Monte Cristo sandwiches!

Already a year.

We can't believe it's already been a year since we got married. The year really flew by. We can't wait to eat our cake this week!

We went to the doctor's again and he's still a boy! I guess it was the ultrasound where they do lots of pictures for the doctors because it took forever. She was so nice though and told us everything going on and everything looks great!

Profile


Little foot!


Still a boy!

It's a boy!!!

We're so excited of course! Donnie and I went to a 3D place this past Saturday to make sure Donnie could go, since he's been at the Fire Academy for a while. It was so nice! We just went for a 2D to find out the gender, but I could see how amazing it would be to go for a 3D. I wish my doctor's office was like that!

I saw it was a boy right away, but I gasped and held my breath until the guy said it out loud! I didn't want to say it and then be wrong, but I SAW IT and the guy was looking at it for a while.


The nice guy did most of the session in 3D, even though we only paid for 2D. He probably wanted us to come back for a full session! He said he was a skinny boy, but probably because he usually does 3Ds in the 28th week of pregnancy. We're at the 18th week.



The funniest part was he kept going over my stomach back and forth for this picture and the skeleton head was popping in and out & freaking Donnie out!

Donnie Passed The Academy!

Donnie passed the Fire Academy! He's been there before, for the Engineer Academy in summer of '06, but now he had to go back for the Firefighter II portion for 6 weeks. He was offered a permanent position before he left, so all he had to do was pass the academy and come home to a permanent Engineer position at Napa station. We're VERY excited of course, Donnie never has to go back to the academy and now both of us have permanent jobs! With the pink slip scare in the school district and how hard the academy was, we're both so, so relieved it's all over and we're set for now.

Yup, it's true!

Donnie and I are expecting our first little one. We're very excited! The little blob, as I call it now, is due November 5th. It was hard to keep it a secret (Donnie and I both hate secrets), but we're excited to tell everybody now! And since we both hate secrets/surprises, yes, we will be finding out what it is and telling everyone soon.

"The Blob" back at 8 weeks in March


The blob becomes a big-headed-alien at 12 weeks in April

Donnie's Spring Break

We've had an eventful month. Just got back from my cousin's beautiful wedding. Always a great time with family.

Donnie just got back from a trip to Palm Springs too. He was asked to chaperon 4 high school kids going to the Fire Explorer Camp in Palm Springs. So he and another guy got to drive them down, hang out at camp when they wanted, and hang around Palm Springs for a week!

March

Well it's been a while since our last post, but because we've been busy working out our fat dog! Not all the time, but we've been spending a lot of time walking at the park. Just getting out and trying to get Jazmin back in shape. I don't know how a dog can be so big when she only eats 2 cups of food a day! Only 2 cups, but I guess she just sleeps all day when we're gone.

So, a great walk in Napa is Alston Park. Especially since they allow dogs off leash.



Nothing else new to report. My spring break starts next week! And is Donnie home to spend it with me? Nope, he gets to go to Palm Springs! Definitely exciting since he's never been, and he gets to go chaperon 4 fire explorers who're going there for camp. I get to paint whatever I want while he's away!

The End of February

Well, it has rained practically every weekday in February. Last year I would have been pulling my hair out with my horrible class, but I haven't really even noticed the rain this year!


Janet came up this weekend and I took her to a great place in town, Buttercream Bakery! We went for breakfast and it was packed. A great place in Napa for breakfast.

Afterwards we went upvalley for a little wine tasting. Stopped at the easiest winery to turn around in! Ha ha. It happened to be Robert Mondavi. A little more touristy than we usually do, but beautiful! I asked if they did Napa Neighbors, which most wineries do, and they stopped it. Napa Neighbors is usually some kind of deal that varies at each winery, that they reserve for people who live in Napa. But, the man was nice enough to do it for us anyways. Robert Mondavi is huge and beautiful, it looks like a big mission, and a great place to sit for a while.




Once again, this past Sunday, it was raining again. So, Donnie and I had trouble even getting out of the house, but I managed to convince him to take an outing to pick up some of our wine. We're members at Madonna Estate Winery because Donnie works with one of the family members. A great winery when you're driving into town in the Carneros Region. Our wine wasn't even ready (wrong month) and they didn't even have us on the list (seemed they had the wrong list). But, at least if you're members, while you're there you can taste all of their wines. And I mean ALL of their wines. So, we might be trying to pick up our wines on the wrong month again!

Balloons in Napa

It seems people in Napa are sometimes whiney. It's like life is easy enough here that they have to find something to occupy their time. Like complaining about the ballooners.

Personally, I absolutely love seeing the hot-air balloons on any given morning. Sometimes at school in the mornings, when all of the kids are lined up for the flag salute, anywhere from 5-8 can be seen in the sky. Yet another reason to love living here!

Donnie can hear them in the mornings on the weekend. I still laugh when he says, "balloon," when we're waking up, and I don't believe him. But, every time we run out into the yard and without fail is a hot-air balloon near our house. I don't mind it and love seeing them whenever this happens. I don't even hear them and would never hear them without Donnie pointing them out. But apparently, people get furious with them in the country. I happened upon a blog devoted to bashing the ballooners.
Citizens for Safe Ballooning

I guess I have never experienced what these homeowners have. But, I still think I would be understanding if a hot-air balloon had an emergency landing near us.

Sunday the 13th Burn

Do you know how the rich stay rich here in Napa? When they decide that their huge house isn't good enough anymore, they donate it to the fire department to burn down. The fire department can do training with it for a couple of days. The people donating get a huge tax write-off for it, and they get a free demolish of their house! So they can build their new huge house without having to pay for anything!

Donnie had one this past Sunday right down the street from his station. The houses they donate do have to be on a big enough property, so the neighbor's houses aren't effected. Lots of people line the streets to watch. I guess it would be exciting on a Sunday to watch your neighbors ugly pink house get burned down!