Patchel's Place

Beach Camping: Take 2

2011-09-29T00:14:00.000-07:00

More pics from our second round at the beach this summer!

Never A Dull Moment...

2011-09-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Elliott is a ham. She has spunk. And can fall asleep anywhere.

Elliott and Auntie Candice

Hmmm...last time I trust you with a new jar of peanut butter.

And yes, she did go to sleep like this in her bed.

Beach Camping: Take 1

2011-09-28T23:34:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of our annual beach trip at San Clamente. Have to admit, not my favorite thing to do. But, I did have a lot of fun this year.

Here's Elliott playing hair with cousin Nixon

Braedyn cracks me up in this picture! She totally reminds me of her daddy right here.

Oh, how I heart baby toes!

Happy campers!

Food Slob

2011-06-30T02:57:00.000-07:00

Obviously Elliott's not the cleanest eater. Evidence from a camping trip where she stole her cousin's cupcake and feasted! Do you see her face?! She doesn't even care. She's only 1 in this pic so it's pretty apparent these messy habits were formed at birth.
Yup, she's pretty much a food slob.

This is so funny!
Seriously, I didn't teach her to eat like this.
I guess Elliott thoroughly enjoys her food...
as you can tell from this video.
Viewer discretion is advised.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rF9PTIeCaaw

2011-06-30T02:19:00.000-07:00

We went to Newport beach with our good friend Brittany. We had lots of fun! The first thing Elliott did when we got there was roll around in the sand.
She is definitely a California girl!

Beach bums!!!

So fun! Thanks B-Sauce!

Fun in the Sun!

2011-06-30T02:06:00.000-07:00

Patrick and Elliott cooling off on a homemade slip 'n slide! Daddy is so fun!

Happy June Birthdays!

2011-06-14T00:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me and Katherine (June 6) and Elliott (June 4)! We had so much fun celebrating with family and friends! Thanks for the great day everyone!

As per Elliott's request, here's her Powerpuff Girls cake, later completed with her Powerpuff girl candle. She had so much fun! While she was eating the icing off of her cake she said, "this is the best birthday party ever!"

Slumber Party!!!

2011-05-02T01:12:00.000-07:00

Just two peas in a pod!

Great People, Great Grandparents

2011-05-02T01:03:00.000-07:00

Elliott and Ferris are so lucky to have great grandparents around. Here are some pics...

Great Grandma Ann

Great Grandpa Louie

He even plays sock monsters!

Great Grandma Jackson

Great Grandma Marilyn, better known as Gigi

Great Grandpa Leonard

Stick It!

2011-04-27T22:16:00.000-07:00

I took Elliott to a gymnastics gym out in Moreno Valley with my sister Katherine. It was so fun!

Even though the parents couldn't go on any of the equipment, I had a lot of fun. It was totally worth $4 for an hour.

Baby Baths & Modeling Babies

2011-04-27T22:01:00.000-07:00

A few pics of my bathing beauties. Elliott helped me give Ferris her first "bath".

Here's baby and Daddy. Sometimes Patrick's pics look like he's in an ad for babies, the next few pics are prime examples.

This is Pat and Elliott, yet another great model pose.

Notice the fantastic tile work Patrick did in our bathroom. (Sigh) almost done, and only 3 years later.

Snow Day!

2011-04-16T00:06:00.000-07:00

Patrick was kind enough to give me a break from Elliott for a day by taking her to the snow a few days after Ferris was born. I got some quiet and Elliott got some much needed Daddy-daughter time.This was Elliott's first time playing in the snow. She had so much fun!

A Chrismas Miracle in February

2011-04-05T23:11:00.000-07:00

Two and a half years ago I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl...without an epidural. I'm not kidding you, it was the most traumatizing experience I've ever had in my life! This lack of pain management was not by choice. Apparently emergency c-sections take precedence over women who've been asking for an epidural since they were admitted into the hospital hours before so-called emergency c-section was even necessary.

So when I found out I was pregnant again you can imagine the emotions running through me. Mostly fear. So, I would randomly curl up in the fetal position and cry throughout my pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I was happy I was going to have a sweet little baby around to take care of again. But at that point the cons out-weighed the pros and I secretly wished I wasn't pregnant.

Luckily I was blessed with an amazing birthing experience all thanks to my epidural. I say, thank you modern medicine for the gift of no pain during birth! I think women who don't take advantage of this modern miracle are crazy. More power to ya if you choose the all natural route, but I still think you're crazy. Being on both ends of the spectrum I can honestly say that with an epidural I had a pleasant birthing experience that I got to fully enjoy because I wasn't writhing around in pure pain for hours on end. Thank you epidural!!!

Ferris Mae Jackson

Born February 24, 2011

at 5:50 a.m.

7 lbs. 9 oz.

20 1/2 inches long

Gettin Crafty

2011-02-18T10:40:00.000-08:00

I ordered some vinyl lettering from my sisters friend a few months ago. Now that I've been on maternity leave I've been looking for things to keep myself and my 2 1/2 year old daughter entertained. So I decided I would actually finish my vinyl sign instead of just keeping the lettering around for a while. I let Elliott do most of the painting for the basecoat because I knew you wouldn't be able to see any strange brush marks once the top coat was applied, so at least that kept her busy for a while. Application of crackle medium and top coat you should do yourself. She also helped peel the paper off of the vinyl.

Here's what we used:

vinyl lettering

wood

sandpaper

paintbrushes

Metallic Antique Gold acrylic paint

Khaki Tan acrylic paint

crackle medium

1. Lightly sand wood & dust off with a clean cloth

2. Apply a coat or two of your basecoat color & let dry (darker than top coat is recommended) This is where I used the gold
3. Apply one coat of crackle medium and let dry

4. Apply one coat of top coat and let dry, mine is the khaki color
5. Sand edges & corners to distress & dust off with a clean cloth
6. Apply vinyl lettering

I love these colors because they'll look great with any wall color we change Elliott's room to. And I love the rustic look of it!

Going Green

2011-02-17T23:11:00.000-08:00

I've been thinking about homemade cleaners for a while now and decided that some heavy duty cleaning may just send me into labor. False. But I did try something new that worked really well. The designated chair Elliott sits in to eat at the table is absolutely disgusting! She literally gives herself a facial with whatever she's eating and every time her hands make the rounds to her mouth a little more food gets in it. I don't know what her dislike for utensils is but at least she's not a picky eater. So I looked up a recipe for homemade wood cleaner.

Wood cleaner: 1 cup olive oil + 1/2 fresh lemon juice.

Before: (my camera isn't the best but there is coated grime and nastiness all over this beast!)

After:

It takes some elbow grease, well, maybe only if your child eats like mine. But the results were amazing and my hands felt great afterwords with all of that olive oil.

Finally telling my experience with Crohn's

2011-02-15T00:03:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone, it's me Pat, I know your like: "What!?!? This is Rachel's blog! get off!" I dont post on here often but I have been meaning to do this for a long time.Ok so I feel bad cuz I pretty much hijacked my friends post on FaceBook to share a quick personal experience and recommend a product that I buy and use personally. So I want to do it right and tell my story here. Here it goes...

A few years back I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. It took over a year, an unnecessary surgury, a plethora of the most humiliating tests and jumping from doctor to doctor due to insurance changes. A doctor finally confirmed it I had Crohn's disease. FYI: Crohn's disease is a chronic illness with no cure read more here, but be warned there are picturs and they are gross.

It is basically an auto-immune disorder attacking your colon and digestive system. Think of it as IBS on crack. Common symptoms are abdominal pain, painful and frequent bowel movements, loss of appetite, rapid weight loss, and it can lead to cancer.

My first specialist put me on a steroid I forget what its called, but it had a huge list of side effects like psychotic episodes and schizophrenia. I took the pills hoping to avoid these effects and it did ok with relieving my symptoms. I was fortunate that a friend spoke up and told me about the possibility of treating my disease with Omega 3 pills. He told me about K48 Plus a highly concentrated Omega 3 sourced from krill. I know you think of Finding Nemo right...

I began taking the pills and I noticed a difference in my energy level and mood first. Then I stopped taking my steroid pills and my symptoms did not return. I now have no major symptoms and I don't have to worry about side effects other than feeling better and sleeping better. My doctor did not tell me about this! Though to no fault of his own as the studies on Omega 3 are new and are still underway on the many benefits they have for our bodies. It has shown significant benefits for people with all kinds of chronic diseases and common ailments.

For more info PLEASE click here

Please feel free to ask me any questions about my experience, this was just a quick telling and there is much more to it. If you want to buy a bottle and try it for yourself please let me know. I became a distributor because I believe in this product so much. Again ask me anything about my experience or the pills. Seriously, I am an open book on this topic, ask me anything. Fire away, haha.

Mmmmm...Cupcakes

2011-02-07T01:25:00.000-08:00

I'm really not a cake kinda girl. I like cookies or brownies way better. But Patrick, on the other hand, loves him some cake! He really wanted to make cupcakes tonight so we busted out some mad skills and made strawberry cupcakes with homemade strawberry jam filling and vanilla frosting.

Yeah, they were good. Whenever I tried to put something back into the cupboards the door would hit my belly, haha. Lemme try to re-close that. Sometimes I forget how far pregnant bellies stick out. Anyways, we have both agreed that next time we'll try chocolate cupcakes with banana filling and peanut butter frosting, or peanut butter filling and banana frosting. Either way, it's a win-win situation.

P.S. Don't be jealous of mah gangsta chain! I like it (Candice made it for me for Christmas).

Baby Ryker

2011-02-07T01:17:00.000-08:00

Ryker Jason Horn

Born January 27, 2011 at 12:30pm

7lbs 12oz - 19 1/2 inches

Elliott was sooo excited to see and hold baby Ryker. Can't blame her, he's a cutie!

Braedyn was holding him and she said to Elliott, "it's your turn now." Elliott squeezed the pillow she was holding and said to Braedyn, "I'm so excited!"

Elliott and Eleanor

2011-02-07T01:11:00.000-08:00

Patrick's sister (Candice) and her daughter (Eleanor) came to visit from Utah. Elliott had so much fun helping take care of her cousin. It was great to have them down to visit! And yes, the e-l names get a little confusing sometimes.

And here's Elliott doing puzzles with Grandpa. They both love puzzles...and princesses.

Princess

2011-02-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

So, my mother-in-law got this dog a while back. It half chihuahua and half something else, maybe Pomeranian. It's small, stinky, and definitely an ankle biter. And her name is Princess. But Elliott was in love with her. Yes, I say was because after a few weeks Debbie gave the dog back. Yay! It was so stinky and trapped in a room all day. What? I didn't have time to take care of a dog AND a kid AND be pregnant. Too hard, not my dog anyways. Elliott would rarely put her down. She'd carry her around like a baby, push her in her shopping cart, make Princess play musical instruments, make her dance, the list just goes on and on. Here's Elliott and her BFF.

A Sign of Good Luck?...

2011-02-07T00:52:00.000-08:00

So I was making cookies and the recipe called for 2 eggs. One of the eggs had this!...

Two yolks! Well, I thought it was amazing. I'm pretty sure it's a sign that something great is going to happen to me soon. Hmmm...money? epidural with this birth? I don't know, but I bet it's gonna be AWESOME! Poor little twin chicks, they were delicious. It's the price they had to pay for some good luck to me.

John's Incredible Pizza!

2011-02-07T00:46:00.000-08:00

And it was. The food was really good. It's like Bullwinkle's but with better food and without the outside rides and miniature golf. Elliott had a great time at a birthday party for one of Pat's co-worker's kids (thanks Justin!). Except they had some inside rides the kids had to be at least 36 inches tall to ride and Elliott tried to reach her hands in the air and stand on her tippy toes to be tall enough. It was really cute but sad cause she was about an inch shy of being tall enough. Ooooh, looks like we won't be going back until she's tall enough!

Get it out!!!

2011-01-17T23:28:00.000-08:00

I'm so done being pregnant! Totally not enjoying it the same way I did with Elliott. First of all, my doctor always tells me I'm too fat. Duh! I'm pregnant...you idiot. Of course I'm too fat. Here's a short list of things I hate about being pregnant: I feel like I can't breathe, it hurts to do ANYTHING (walking, sleeping, sitting, etc.), I'm so hormonal and get stressed easily, swollen feet, kids at work using my stomach as an example of the word "enormous", watching shows about overweight people losing a ton of weight while I keep gaining weight, people suggesting baby names. Ok, I'll stop there.

Pros of being pregnant: I still look cute.

Me and Amber at Christmas time. I'm due February 16 (having a girl), she's due February 7th (having a boy). No, we didn't plan it.

Me and Elliott before church on Sunday, January 16. She thinks it's so funny when she gets to sit on sister and I bounce her on my belly.

I am excited to get this baby out, the sooner the better at this point. I'm excited to see what she'll look like, and for Elliott to have a sister. Maybe then she'll stay in her own bed at night.

Elliott, Take 1...

2011-01-17T23:10:00.000-08:00

She such a ham! Elliott loves doing her make-up with me. She says, "I wanna do my eyelashes, mom". So I let her put her own make-up on while I do mine. She looks like she's trying out for the next Avatar movie.

Here are pics from her "photoshoot". She said, "Take pictures of me mom." So I would say, "pose" and she would do a different look. None of these are prompted, she totally came up with these poses on her own.

A Few Of Our Favorite Things...

2011-01-17T23:03:00.000-08:00

Great Christmas vacation! Excited to get this baby out so I can stay home for good and not have to go back to work!

Prego pics with sister!

Elliott and I picked oranges in the rain and then juiced them

Her first Christmas where she actually knew what was going on. She definately had some favorite gifts.

After visiting with Grandpa Erroll we went home and made sugar cookies with the gookie cutters he gave us! Very yum.

So what if it took 3 years!!!

2010-12-01T22:27:00.000-08:00

This is in fact a Christmas miracle. I've been working on these stockings for 3 years now. Obviously not non-stop otherwise I would have been done along time ago.

You can check out my sister, Katherine's, stockings here.

The Best Thanksgiving Birthday Ever!

2010-12-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

Patrick's birthday is November 23 and sometimes lands on Thanksgiving. This year it didn't but we usually celebrate it when we have Thanksgiving because it's easier. He requested a turkey pinata. I couldn't find a turkey so Pikachu had to do. It was the funnest Thanksgiving ever! I was laughing so hard when the kids were swinging away at the Pikachu pinata. My bro Michael was the pinata operator and occasionally hit some of the kids in the head. It was so funny! I'm pretty sure we're going to have a pinata every Thanksgiving for Pat's birthday from now on. Not only was it fun for the kids to hit, but they don't really care for the pies so they had candy to snack on. I highly recommend it to add excitement to any holiday!

We also got some handstands in for Uncle Kevin...Go Megan!

She's also good at balancing cups on her head.

Mini Me

2010-12-01T22:00:00.000-08:00

Elliott is such a mini me. I loved to bake in the kitchen when I was little and still do. She is always willing to help...which means eat what's in the bowl or throw ingredients around. She did scarf down a lot of the graham cracker crust she was working on. I had to move the bowl to the other side of the counter cause she wouldn't keep her grabby hands out. She helped me make Patrick's pumpkin pie birthday cheesecake. And she looked mighty cute in the apron my mom made for her, I might add. Once again, just like me, adorable in aprons. Haha!

Pretend City, here we come!

2010-12-01T21:42:00.000-08:00

We went with my sister Amber to Pretend City. Lots of fun for kids...not so much for adults. We pretty much walked around making sure the kids didn't get into any trouble. Elliott had a lot of fun, though. And I think Pat did too. I'm glad I paid $11 for him to hang out with us for an hour and then go sleep in Amber's car. Oh well, that's what happens when you work the night shift and think you're a party animal!

This is Halloween! This is Halloween!

2010-12-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

I LOVE Halloween! Mostly I love Halloween decorations...and candy. We went to a pumpkin patch and Elliott called it a "Pumpkin Party" because there were big slides and a few rides there. She was brave and went down the giant slide by herself 3 times! The fourth time she chickened out and came back down. So we picked out our pumpkins, Elliott threw a fit on the way home because she had to leave the pumpkin party,

and we went home and carved our pumpkins.

Right when Elliott landed at the bottom of the slide she said, "I'm okay, I'm okay, I'm okay." She was a little freaked out, it was so funny!

Elliott is obsessed with the Power Puff Girls right now. Appropriately, I'm Blossom, Elliott is Buttercup, and Patrick is our arch nemesis Mojo Jojo.

Here's my Halloween craft! Thanks Megan Wolfe for posting this link on FB.

Ghostly hand prints, some of them ended up with 6 fingers and side ponytails. We all spent Halloween at my mom's and had LOTS of fun!

Comparing preggy bellies!

Happy Halloween!!!

Oh, Happy Day!

2010-10-27T22:59:00.000-07:00

Finally, Little Brother gets married. Here are a few pics from the day's events.

Annual Camping at San Clamente!!!

2010-10-27T22:51:00.000-07:00

Ok, camping at the beach is not exactly my favorite thing to do.

But, I do love watching Elliott have so much fun!
It was mostly cold and drizzling the entire week this year. No sun...at all.

Elliott and Nixon get tricky!!!

4th of July!!!

2010-10-27T22:41:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun! We watched the fireworks at Upland High from the Upland Stake Center. Ran into some good friends and had some good fun! And it was coooold!

Here's Elliott with "Baby Tucker"

Elliott with her BFF Leilani

Me and Lizeth! What What?!

I look so cool in my glasses!

Happy Sad Birthday, Elliott

2010-10-27T22:31:00.000-07:00

So...I'm a horrible mom. I didn't bother with my daughter's 2-year birthday. There was waaaay too much going on that took up her birthday month. How sad that it was other people's birthdays, a baby blessing, things that probably weren't as important but took up my time. Anyways, Elliott's Aunt Candice and Uncle Trevor took her to Build-A-Bear where she got to pick her own animal and "build" it. She had lots of fun! Thanks Candice and Trevor for doing something really fun for Elliott for her birthday!

Half Mer-Baby

2010-05-13T22:18:00.000-07:00

I thought I gave birth to a little girl. I may as well have had her in a bath tub cuase she loves the water. I mean LOVES the water. Elliott is not afraid to put her face under the water in the shower or blow bubbles in the bath water. I think she's part mermaid. This is what I can expect whenever we water the flowers...

"Hoot"er Hiders

2010-05-13T21:59:00.000-07:00

A mommy must-have when nursing! Here are a couple I made recently for some new mommies. Patrick suggested the owls, so I found special owl fabric to match each of the new mommy's personalities.

This one I made for my sis-in-law Candice. She reminds me of bright fun colors like these materials. While I was sewing it the leaves were reminding me of pot leaves (short 1 leaf, though)

and the big-eyed owls do look a little hopped up!

This next one I made for a friend at work who wasn't going to find out what she was having. I wanted the owls on the outside because they are so cute! But the fabric was very boyish. I was afraid she might have a girl so to play it safe I put the owls on the inside. Turns out her sonogram tech ruined the surprise and she's having a boy! So I offered to switch it so the owls were on the outside and she said, "No way!". She wanted her baby boy to be able to peek at the owls while nursing. Glad she loved it!

The Never-Ending Project

2010-05-13T21:45:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to organize my recipes. It's an ongoing process but I finally started it and am pretty happy with the results. I make all the cards on my computer. Now I have all my favorites saved on the computer with cute designs to accompany them. So instead of just adding any recipe to my box, my goal is to try it out first before I type it up. That way I know it's a fave that I'll use again and again instead of collecting random recipes that I never try or holding onto bad ones. When I finished the cards I couldn't find my recipe box because we have so much stuff packed up in storage. I found a small tin flower planter in the dollar section at Target that works out great. I love it!
Here's what I came up with...

Ewanore!

2010-05-13T21:32:00.000-07:00

Elliott's other new favorite cousin ,besides baby Megan, is baby Eleanore. Elliott loves her...almost to death. So we have to keep a good eye on her around Eleanore. Patrick is a very proud uncle. She is so cute!

Good job Trevor and Candice!

Mmmmm...giant pretzels

2010-04-12T22:37:00.001-07:00

These are the BEST giant soft pretzels I've ever made! Ok, it's not like I make giant pretzels all the time, but I have made them before and because they haven't turned out as amazing as I expected, I gave up. Then I discovered this recipe, and homemade giant soft pretzels are now everything I've ever dreamed of...try it for yourself.

Auntie Ann’s Pretzels
1 1/2 c. warm water
2 T brown sugar
1 1/8 tsp salt
2 c. bread flour
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 1/8 tsp yeast

2 T baking soda
2 c. warm water

2 T melted butter
coarse salt or
cinnamon & sugar

Dissolve yeast in water. Add sugar & salt, stir to dissolve. Add flour and knead dough until smooth. Let rise 1/2 hour.
Prepare warm water & baking soda, stirring often.
After dough has risen, pull off handfuls and roll into a long rope about 1/2 inch or less thick and shape. Dip pretzel into soda solution & place on a greased baking sheet. Allow pretzel dough to rise once more.
Remove from oven and coat with melted butter and sprinkle with coarse salt, cinnamon & sugar, or any topping your heart desires!
Bake: 10 min. @ 450˚ Makes approx. 8-10 pretzels

Happy Easter!

2010-04-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

Holidays are a million times better when you have a kid experiencing them for the first time. Elliott got to hunt for eggs this year and could do it all by herself. It was sooooo cute! She got an Easter egg hunt all to herself at Grandma Debbie's and got to hunt again later at Grandma Roxanne's. It was so much fun with all of the grandkids. Elliott has recently perfected the art of hopping. She would hop her way around the grass to the eggs. She was really in the Easter spirit this year. What a goof!

Naynan!

2010-04-10T22:41:00.001-07:00

My sister Katherine had her baby girl on April Fool's day. I went to her house to watch her boys while she was at the hospital and Norman kept asking me if it was a joke that mommy was at the hospital having her baby! It was cute. Megan Ann was 8 lbs. 5 oz. and 19 inches long. She is adorable. Now Elliott's new obsession is babies! She yells, "Naynan! Naynan seeping!" because Megan was sleeping almost the whole day while we were with her. I can't wait to have another one so she can be an amazing big sister.

A Day at the Zoooooo

2010-03-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

My sister Amber took me and Elliott to the L.A. Zoo today.
It was awesome!
Here's Elliott getting her first lesson on the birds and the bees...you naughty little meerkats.

Here's our lunch break at the park

Nixon, Elliott, and Braedyn croc hunting. (Australian accent) They caught one! Crikey!

At this point in the day I know exactly how this guy feels

Cake Connaisseur

2010-03-17T00:14:00.000-07:00

I help my mom decorate a lot of cakes for weddings or other celebrations. I have to admit, it's not my favorite thing to do because it can be pretty messy and painful. Yes, it hurts squeezing tubes of icing for a long time. Luckily my mom does what I think are the hard parts: baking and icing. But it's something I get to do with my mom. Gives us some quality time and we make a good team! Here are a few samples:

Barbie was for my sister-in-law's baby shower. I know right? Who has a Barbie cake at a baby shower?!...Candice!

This one was for my baby shower for Elliott.

These cakes were for a wedding. It was very Asian-themed.

Thanks for the talent, Mom!

Love is in the Air!

2010-02-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

Elliott with her BFF Tucker. I'm actually struggling to type this because I'm wrestling Elliott off of the keyboard so she doesn't tackle the screen to get to these pics of Tucker.

Finally, the real Christmas!

2010-01-10T23:47:00.001-08:00

We love Christmas Eve at Katherine's, especially eating the frosting for the gingerbread men!

Me and my sisters put together these silhouettes of all the grandkids for my mom's present. It turned out so cute!

Brent and JC brought their dog over on Christmas, Elliott was entertained all morning chasing Ponchito around. (The video wouldn't upload, but its soooo cute!)

Temple Lights

2010-01-10T23:33:00.000-08:00

We went with my mom to see the lights at the L.A. temple. There's a nativity scene there with some animals in it and when Elliott saw it she started yelling, "Sheep! Sheep!" But her version of the word sheep sounds more like she's cussing. So there was alot of people there witnessing my child cussing at baby Jesus.

We ran into Fawn, Jeff, and Sydney!

I swear I don't give drugs to my child.

A Chick Fil-A Christmas

2010-01-10T23:28:00.001-08:00

I'm not gonna lie, I was afraid of that Christmas cow too.

Little model Braedyn, Amber has trained her well.

Nixon and Elliott

Christmas with Grandpa Erroll

2010-01-10T23:09:00.000-08:00

The whole family, where's my matching pajamas?!

Stephen makes the best faces!

Elliott doing her favorite thing, sucking her thumb and playing with her hair.

The girls monkeying around.

Houdini

2009-12-28T17:12:00.000-08:00

One day I put Elliott in the shower and went to finish loading the dishwasher. I went back to check on her and she was gone! I checked all the back rooms of the house, called her name several times couldn't find her. After a few seconds of panic I saw the trail she had left from her escape and found her doing her favorite thing...watching T.V. with her accomplices hippo and turtle in hand.

Mommy's Little Helper

2009-12-28T17:03:00.000-08:00

Elliott loves to help with chores around the house. She always helps Grandma Debbie with dishes. And if she's taught me anything it's that you can always look your best while cleaning...notice the fancy shoes. She is a mini-Wonderwoman!!!

There's No Place Like Home...

2009-12-20T16:09:00.000-08:00

Trick-or-treating with Mommy and Daddy around the neighborhood as Dorothy.

Enjoying some candy, with her little dog too.

Pre-trick-or-treating prep, testing poisoness apples and taking pictures next to pumpkins for Mommy's sake.

"I don't think it's poisoness, I've had like 10 bites and nothing's happened."

This is Elliott's first apple. After this she wanted one everyday for the next 3 weeks.

"Now will you try some Tucker?"

Hulk Smash!!!

2009-12-20T16:00:00.000-08:00

Don't make me angry!...Elliott as the Hulk for a Halloween party.

2009-10-23T17:17:00.001-07:00

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

Picture Perfect

2009-09-30T23:27:00.000-07:00

My friend Becky took pictures of Elliott for me. Here are some of my favorites...

Special Thanks To:

Becky Holbrook for the awesome pictures!

Amber Horn for making the jewelry, it's beautiful!

And Patrick Jackson for his participation in providing me with this special baby girl.

Did I just?...whaaa? Don't think about it!

These are a few of Elliott's favorite things...

2009-09-30T16:42:00.000-07:00

Making funny faces!

Playing in the water!

Eating of course!

Even if it means stealing bread from innocent ducks.

Playing in Tucker's house.

Playing in dog food and dog water! Oh yeah, this is the best!

And Elliott's most favorite thing of all is doggie rides! Don't judge until you try it...

Beach Baby

2009-09-30T16:25:00.001-07:00

We went camping at the beach again this year! Only this time we had to actually watch Elliott and make sure she didn't drown herself. She had so much fun!

Elliott loves our friend Brittany. So does Stephen, he renamed her Brickme.

Daddy played with Elliott alot...or maybe he was just saving her life again.

She has no fear and would run straight into the ocean.

After finishing her own cupcake she finished Nixon's too.

Always travel in style and with a buddy while on vacation. It's so much funner!

Happy Birthday Kevin!

2009-07-06T22:30:00.000-07:00

Today is Kevin's birthday, happy birthday Kev! He went to fly in a wind tunnel. It was awesome. There was this skinny guy there whose cheeks were flapping everywhere and it looked like his arms would snap any second whenever he flew. So hilarious, we all laughed hysterically whenever he went in the tunnel. Anywho, Kevin looked like a pro, flappy face and all.

4th of July

2009-07-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

We had fantastic 4th of July! We traveled up to Grandma Anne's house in Newman and spent the weekend swimming and relaxing with relatives. So much fun!!!

Family pic at the Gustine 4th of July parade.

Don't let this picture of fun fool you, this was the worst parade we've ever been to.

Poor kid, she just doesn't know how bad it really was.

Grandma Roxanne and Elliott waiting for the fireworks.

Took to the water like a fish, she loved it!

Wonder who she got that sweet hair from?

Fireworks are amazing!

At the Races

2009-06-30T22:58:00.000-07:00

It's a miracle! We're updating our blog! So Pat and I went to a race with his family...who in their right mind would really get a rush out of watching a bunch of cars go around in a circle 50 times? Lame. My allergies kicked in, the air smelled of rubber and exhaust, my butt hurt from sitting so long, and it kinda made me dizzy watching those cars go in a circle. So suck it races! The only exciting part was waiting for cars to crash. Patrick and I passed the time by playing scrabble on his phone. He won.

Pat got hungry. Stupid cars, they just drove right into his mouth.

Us trying to look excited to be there.

Look at this Pat-sized car! It got jacked so they just picked it up and carried it away.

Sometimes I just carry Pat around in my pocket cause it's easier.

Bird's Backyard

2009-05-04T23:19:00.000-07:00

Here's the finished product! Kevin is amazing! All of the grandkids love the pond. We have to make sure there is always a lifeguard on duty (where's Michael when you need him?) to make sure they don't make a dive for it or slide down the waterfall.

The Newest Member of R.A.D

2009-04-02T23:51:00.000-07:00

I miss my brother Michael, we love R.A.D. (random acts of dancing). We would spontaneously turn on some dance music and just bust our moves! Not much R.A.D. has been happening since he left on his mission, but now that Elliott's got her moves down, I think I'm back in the game! Her other new moves are clapping, climbing, and drinking from a straw.

Bumps and Bruises

2009-04-02T23:05:00.000-07:00

Elliott got her first fat lip, and I'm talkin FAT lip. We went to Jodi's house for a baby shower on Wednesday night. Let's just say Elliott had a little too much cupcake, it was late...she was tired, one thing led to another, she lost her footing...and BAM! She hit the coffee table pretty hard and was drooling blood everywhere. It just happened to be on the day Jodi and I were both wearing fairly new white shirts. Well, our shirts are fine and so is Elliott's lip. A few minutes sucking on a yummy thumb does wonders...Elliott sucked her thumb too. Just kidding, I gave that up a long time ago...or did I? Anyways, it was Daddy to the rescue and then everything was fine.

Park Day

2009-04-02T22:52:00.000-07:00

What could be funner than a day at the park with Aunt Amber, Braedyn, Nixon, and Sydney?...Nuthin'!

Nothing like a nice cold sippie after a hard day's play.

Meet My Brother Kevin

2009-01-22T21:27:00.001-08:00

This is my amazing brother Kevin. Isn't he handsome? Not only is he good looking but he is a jack of all trades. Check out this cool pond he built in my mom's backyard. He loves the Discovery channel, mexican food, and his dog Nikki. He has not cut his hair since our brother Michael left on his mission and doesn't plan on cutting it until he gets home. Yes, he is truly amazing. An amazing man with beautiful hair! So if anyone knows a beautiful girl, who is an active member of the church and can take McGowen family humor, then let me know...he also does baby modeling on the side.

Kevin's turtle

Rudolph With Your Nose So Bright...

2009-01-05T20:29:00.000-08:00

Elliott carries on Mommy's family tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve.

We have so much fun at the Rasmussen's annual Christmas Eve party with food, games, and cookie decorating! Patrick is a pro...

Pat's not the only one who can make a good cookie. Here are our gingerbread look-a-likes.

Elliott had lots of fun her first Christmas.

Makin' a List, Checkin' it Twice

2008-12-24T10:03:00.000-08:00

Catching up on all the Christmas activities, we've been having hots of fun!

Ready for winter! Elliott loves Grandma Roxanne.

Went to see Christmas lights with Grandma Roxanne, Katherine, Norman, Stephen, & Henry.

Elliott met Great Grandma Joy for the first time! She loved hanging out with Grandpa Erroll.

But her favorite activity by far, was watching a UFC fight with Daddy. Tom's man-cave was freezing! But Elliott warmed up with some french fries.

Give Thanks!

2008-12-24T09:51:00.000-08:00

Elliott had a great Thanksgiving! She visited with her Great Grandpa Lewie and Great Grandma Ann. She had Henry feed her desserts when no one was looking (she loves chocolate pudding). She also caught up on her Bob the Builder reading.

Hot Pocket - Jim Gaffigan

2008-12-11T16:47:00.000-08:00

This is too funny. This is my contribution to our blog for this week! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do! HAHA This is dedicated to the old Michael McGowen that we all knew and loved, you know before he turned into a baptizing machine!

Get a Haircut Hippie!

2008-11-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

I've consulted Elliott's stylist and decided her combover was out of control. So we trimmed her up!

Here's Elliott before her makover, all draped up and ready to go!

No, she did not enjoy her salon experience.

She's like a brand new baby! She loved it so much she requested a picture with her favorite stylist.

Happy Birthday Patrick!

2008-11-25T13:47:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin umpkin cheesecake instead of cake.

Pat turned 26 on Sunday. He had a great birthday with his family! Thank you to everyone who came and helped out. He got some great Office gifts and ties from the Rasmussen's and a car from the wife, so I've been replaced. He's in love with it!

Happy Birthday Patrick!!!

Stephen's made a new friend with Grandpa Leonard.

Sean & Christina, so cute & fun!

Candice & Trevor goofin around...or does his face always look like that?

Rachel's replacement, a 1988 Toyota Celica

Wut da het!

2008-11-20T22:20:00.000-08:00

See it for yourselves folks...the amazing Elliott! Only 5 1/2 months. She catches up on her celebrity gossip. She pulls herself up on things! Watch while she tries desperately to escape the texture of real food! Coming soon to a living room near you...

Yes Peas!!!

2008-11-10T21:26:00.000-08:00

So far Elliott is just like Mommy...she loves food. And when she's hungry, she wants it fast. That's our girl! We're two for two with a liking for both peas and carrots. And boy can she pack it in!

A Fairy Fun Halloween!

2008-11-04T16:03:00.001-08:00

Elliott's first Halloween was spooktacular! She went to a church Halloween party where she met up with her friend Ashlyn (the cutest chicken we've ever seen!). Elliott looked cute all day in her pre-costume outfit, had fun with family, and tried to eat some candy. Next year we'll go trick-or-treating!

Nixon, You Got Served!

2008-10-30T19:05:00.000-07:00

The Horn family has beat us to posting a video of their baby Nixon almost crawling! I have to admit I was waiting to give my baby a bath before I recorded her on the move so she didn't look like a hobo baby. Elliott has almost mastered crawling. She realizes rolling is sometimes a faster getaway from an older sister and admits that it is not her strength. Since Elliott does not have the need of a fast escape, she has practiced rolling but is focusing on learning to crawl. Let's do this Nixon!!! (check out the competition at http://jason-amber.blogspot.com/)

Our Blog is Up!

2008-10-27T22:37:00.000-07:00

We're workin' it out and getting this blog done! We have spent the whole week crossing things off of our "To Do" list and we decided to cross this one off too! We will try to keep it updated with new entries and pics but we're not planning on going nuts and posting like two or three times a day... Rachel doesn't like anything I write... Or how i lay it out... In your face Rasmussen's and Horn's! Let the blog off begin...

Here's Elliott trying on her Halloween costume.