:: Dolphins ::

Analise and I were on our usual morning walk today and we were able to see quite the sight. As we were talking with Francesco and Jesus (see post from a few weeks ago), they asked if we had seen the dolphins, to which I had replied that we didn't see any. For some reason, I always seem to miss the dolphins when they are here...

As we were chatting about Francesco's trip to Italy last year Analise started pointing to the ocean and saying "dat, dat, dat". We looked to where she was pointing and lo and behold...at least 12 dolphins were swimming in the water! They were going in slow motion. Up and down with the smooth precision that only dolphins seem to possess. Analise was so excited, shaking her hands all over, bouncing up and down, saying "dat, dat, dat". It was another glorious morning here in Aptos! No pics as I didn't have my camera, but you can imagine it with me. It was beautiful!

:: It Makes Sense... ::

I just came across this picture of me when I was about 18 months old. Being the youngest of six kids, it is the ONLY baby picture I have of myself. I suppose after six kids, they all look the same, so why take pictures. Ha ha!

Seriously though...this is the only baby picture I have of myself and when I looked at it today, it became clear to me why Analise shoves everything in her mouth! There really is hope that she will stop putting everything she sees in her mouth. After all, I don't shove everything in my mouth anymore...unless it tastes good!

:: Comedy Central ::

There are lots of things that Analise does that make Markus and I laugh. She loves to make us laugh. Analise thinks that she is REALLY funny! She will do the silliest things just to see how we will react. If we smile and/or laugh, she will do it more and bigger and try to out do her self.

Last night she entertained us for almost 40 minutes. She was just running all around the house with the ring stack in her mouth and making funny faces, trying to tickle us, dancing to the music that was playing, and rolling around like a crazy woman on the ground. It was pure joy watching her last night. Here are some pics of her on the move and being silly!

:: Boo! ::

Analise loves to run around the house, 'hide' somewhere, then pop out and say "BOO!". Her new favorite place is behind the ficus tree in the corner of our living room. She, like every little kid, thinks that if she can't see you, you can't see her. She goes behind the tree and waits for me to ask aloud, "Analise...where are you? I can't see you..." She then giggles and pops out and says, "BOO!" Needless to say...it makes me smile every time.

:: Just When You Think You Know ::

Just when you think you know what is going on in life...SURPRISE...not so much! Analise going on an eating strike for the past three days would be one example, however the most prevalent example has to do with an addition to our family!

We knew I was pregnant, which we are very excited about, however based on all things physical and probable, I was quite sure I was just 9 weeks along. I had a doctor appointment today and during my ultrasound, the technician says, "there is NO way that baby is only 9 weeks old...this baby is almost 13 weeks old!"

SURPRISE!!

For the past six weeks I have thought I was going to be having a baby on November 15th or so...well, now I am, Lord willing, going to have a baby on October 22nd or so...WOW! It is exciting, but shocking at the same time. It is especially shocking for someone like me who is somewhat OCD about numbers, dates, timelines, etc. Without going into detail, it is really a crazy chance that I am this far along...I am still baffled. I mean...being four weeks off is not any small number!!

Here is a terrible picture of our new little nugget. I tried to point out where everything is.

:: What a Morning ::

Today was a morning like most of our mornings. Each day just after Analise eats breakfast I get on my walking clothes, tell her I need to get my socks, to which she responds "SHOES!", and then we get ready to go on our morning walk. About three minutes into our walk, this is where we end up...just before going down the big hill. Not a bad view first thing in the morning!

This is one of my favorite times of the day (the other is late afternoon). The air is cool, the sky is most often times clear, and every morning I am able to look out upon the beautiful ocean and be thankful for where I live. I mean, come on...I am two blocks away from this beautiful Pacific ocean, about a 3 minute drive from the Redwoods, an hour from San Francisco, we have green, green grass, beautiful flowers, great trees, lovely neighborhoods...it really is great!

We walk down at Seacliff State Beach. The great thing about this beach is that there is an area where tons of RV's park and camp for the week (or more) along the water's edge. It is amazing how these people will literally 'move in' for a week or so down there. Most of them have satellite dishes, flower pots, lights, and some even set out little mailboxes for their stay. Needless to say, it gives us lots to look at on our walks, and allows Analise to say hello to quite a few people.

This really doesn't do it justice. Monday's are the days people leave and new ones come.

Our walk takes about 50 minutes. In this chunk of time we get to race down a big hill (going up is not as fun for me), walk along the water (for about 40 of those minutes), see LOTS and LOTS of dogs, watch the birds sing, play and fight, and get to meet lots of new people. We usually do it over again in the afternoon when Markus gets home. Here are some pictures of the beautiful scenes we get to see each morning...

One of the highlights of the mornings is that we get to see a lot of the same people. For the past few months, we have seen three older men every day. They talk to everyone along the way. Their names are Ezekiel, Francesco, and Jesus. They love to talk about their motherlands - Francesco from Italy, Ezekiel and Jesus from Spain. They love to see Analise every morning. They talk to her, make her smile, and call themselves the "Three Grandfathers". They are pretty cute. I took a picture of them today just to post on here and have Analise remember who was part of her life at one point.

This is Francesco (on the left) and Jesus. Ezekiel is in the Bahamas this week!

All of this to say, we love where we live, we love to walk, and we love to see new things and meet new people every day!

:: Stuck ::

I am on a blogging roll...I have been somewhat MIA the past few weeks, so I am on a roll today! Last weekend on Saturday morning, Markus got up with Analise so I could stay in bed (which is so nice, except that for some reason, I can never fall back asleep). While I was still laying in bed I heard a bit of a commotion. Analise was sort of whining...sounding really annoyed...until she finally started yelling.

I came out to find everything seemingly fine, until Markus showed me a series of pictures he had taken and what the previous fuss was all about. It is quite funny...and yes...this is what her hair really looks like every morning before I attack her with a hair clip! (Sometimes we call her our little sheepdog).

She looks like she just gave up and is waiting to be rescued!

:: Analise and Littles ::

Our cat's name is Littles. We have had him for 2 1/2 years, and he is a great cat. We weren't too sure how he would adjust to having Analise around, however he has handled it quite well...sometimes we think too well! Littles and Analise have a very special relationship. Every morning when she sees him she points and says, "ki-ki-ki" and gets so excited. Every time we get home from doing errands, walking--you name it, she is always excited to see her cat. Every single day!

Littles loves Analise just as much. He is always checking on her. If she cries, he runs to her side to see what is going on. When she used to cry at night, he would run to her door and scratch on the door and try to push it open to make sure she was fine. If she falls and says, "Uh oh", he gets up and walks over to her to see if she is hurt. He lets her pull on his tail, pat him pretty hard, poke his eyes and his nose, and he even lets her try to pick him up as she says, "UP! UP!" He is the most tolerant cat I have ever seen, and for that, I am thankful. These aren't the best pictures, but they capture how much they like each other. I often find her laying on the ground just staring at him and petting him.

This was just before she tried to give him a kiss

:: Balloons and Rings ::

Balloons and rings are some of Analise's favorite things. Monday's usually consist of me going to Trader Joe's and Nob Hill to do our weekly grocery shopping. The great thing about Trader Joe's (other than their fantastic food, great prices, and friendly staff) is that they give balloon's to the kids at the check out line.

As soon as we walk into the store Analise points at the balloons and says, "ball, ball, ball, ball, ball..." endlessly until we actually get to the check out line. A few weeks ago, I took some pictures of her with her balloon and with the set of rings that she got for Christmas. She is getting really good at stacking them in the proper order now...

:: Birthday Fun ::

Saturday would have been just another day, however Markus, Analise, and my friends made it a special day. I woke up to some nice birthday presents from Markus. We had a great morning - phone calls from Africa, Austria, Germany, New Hampshire, Arizona, Colorado and England. We took a long walk along East Cliff, then lunch at Hank's on the Hook. Our afternoon was very nice and relaxing, and in the evening I was blessed by most of my closest friends with a dinner on the Wharf at Olita's. It was a fantastic day...made turning 32 quite nice. As each new day comes I am more and more aware of all that I have to be thankful for. Listing everything would take up too many pages on this blog, however to name just a few, I have an amazing husband, a fabulous daughter, a loving family, and some of the most amazing women as friends. I couldn't ask for more!

Leave it to Jess to make my favorite box cake and can icing look amazing!

:: Easter and an Update ::

I am way behind in an update...it's been a busy, tiring week!

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. On Saturday we went over to the Hoff house. Jessica planned a really beautiful, thoughtful, and fun morning for the little people in our lives. The weather was just fantastic, and the kids were quite joyful over all. The morning started with the little ones cutting and decorating their own cookies with sprinkles. Analise and Ryan have never had a ball of fresh cookie dough just sitting in front of them...needless to say...they liked it!
While the kids were decorating cookies, the dads were hiding the easter eggs. Then it was an all out hunt for eggs filled with O's, fish crackers, gummies, m&m's, and some chocolate for the older kids. It was quite funny watching all of the kids walking around and finding eggs. Trying to convince Analise to pick up all of the eggs she saw was quite comical. She would just pick an egg up, shake it and drop it.

Analise even wore a skirt for the fun day! Her shirt (from her auntie Lisa) says Best Bunnies!

After the egg hunt Jess's parents told a wonderful, interactive, pint sized story about how much Jesus loves us and why we celebrate Easter.
We even got some of our only family photos. Jess snapped two of them. It is tricky to get one picture where we all look presentable!

We had a great weekend and we are looking forward to this coming weekend as well. I have a birthday coming, and Markus gets to play poker with the guys. Our friend Dan is coming down for the weekend, and we get to celebrate Jackson Lutz's birthday too! Analise now is saying "up", "duhk"(duck), "da"(that means dog). She also can sign 'please' and 'thank you'. If you ask her to tickle you, she will lift up your shirt and tickle your belly.

We walk every morning down at the beach and see flowers, birds and dogs. She likes to hold a flower, smell it, then start to eat it...until I take it away. She likes to point at the birds as they fly over her head. When she sees a dog she gets so excited, points and squeaks and stares at the dog as long as she can. Sometimes she even gets to pet the dogs. Even when I am so tired, she knows just what to do to brighten my day...like yesterday when I was on the floor and she walked over to me, gave me a kiss and a hug, then went back to playing with her books.

:: What Makes Me Smile ::

There are lots of things that Analise does that make Markus and I smile.

For example:

- When she tries to play hide and seek by running back and forth behind the couch and pops out saying "BOO!"
- When she lets Markus give her funny bubble bath hair do's:
- When she rubs her nose back and forth so she can hear it make a clicking noise.
- When she bounces up and down with excitement when Markus comes home.
- When she 'toots' and laughs about it.
- When she offers to give you an "O" or a fishy cracker, puts it in your mouth, then takes it out really fast and pops it in her mouth - little tease!
- When she says "SHOE" as soon as we ask where her shoes are.
- When she growls if you ask her what a tiger says.
- When she laughs so hard she can't stand up.
- When she RUNS to the bathroom before bed to get her teeth brushed.

There are SOOO many things that make us smile about Analise, but the thing that makes me smile every night when I check on her before I go to sleep is the way she sleeps on her tummy with her buns straight up in the air! (Not to mention the fact that she sleeps from 7:00pm to 7:00am! - that is worth smiling about!)

:: What? Me Quirky? Never! ::

I've been tagged by Erin. This is the first time I have been tagged, so this is a bit new to me. I have to post 6 quirks about myself...only 6!?!? Trying to narrow it down is tricky!

Here's the deal -

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post the rules.
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself.
4. Tag at least 3 people.
5. Make sure the people you tagged know you tagged them by commenting to them.

I am choosing to tag Jessica, Sarah, and Sally.

My quirks:
1.) I have a strange affinity for numbers. I memorize all kinds of numbers. I know all of my old phone numbers from everywhere I have lived. I know all of my old license plates. I know more birthdays and anniversaries than anyone should know. I count EVERY thing. I count my steps where ever I go. There are 15 stairs to get to my laundry room. It takes 17 steps to get to my car from the hallway (without Analise walking next to me), etc., etc.

2.) I am currently mildly obsessed with playing "scramble" (basically an online Boggle game). I like to win, and it challenges my brain. I like it.

3.) I have a very specific routine when I get ready for bed and I do not stray from it...ever...regardless of where I am. I remove eye makeup. I floss. I brush. I wash face with hot water and washcloth. I put lotion on face. I go to the bathroom. Every time. All the time. My morning routine is always the same too. Shower. Hair in towel. Face lotion. Body lotion. Hair out of towel. Run fingers through hair (no brush). Pull out loose hair. Put hair stuff in. Scrunch hair. Get dressed. Put make up on. Done. Every time. All the time. Markus used to find it charming. Four years later he just rolls his eyes.

4.) I LOVE cheese, and I LOVE eggs....HOWEVER, I can only eat a certain amount of cheese and eggs before they make me gag. For example, if I am eating an omelet (which I love) and I have had too much...there is always the one bite, it could be the last, or there could be quite a bit left, that I can barely choke down and swallow...it makes me shiver and shake my head like I am about to gag. Markus always laughs at me when this happens.

5.) I don't like bones. I can't stand touching bones with my bones. If I am sitting next to Markus and his ankle bone is touching my shin bone, I can't stand it. Hip bones, toe bones, elbows touching hips...ugh...can't stand it!

6.) I do not like any kind of water other than plain water. I do not like lemon or lime in my water. I cannot stand seltzer water, or fizzy water. I just like plain water. Can be from the tap, but most often times has to be filtered. I don't mind bottled water, but just don't give me any bubbles. Traveling in Europe is not ideal for this quirk of mine! I paid $5.00 for plain, non fizzy water in Switzerland once!

There you have it. Some random quirks about yours truly!

:: Big Shoes to Fill ::

Analise is like Markus in so many ways. Most of my favorite things about her are some of the same things that I love about Markus. She is so much fun to be around and makes us laugh quite a bit throughout the day. She absolutely adores Markus and wants to be near him all of the time and do the same things he does. Today Markus was working in the yard and she wanted to help. Every time he goes into the yard he puts on his shoes. Well, Analise wanted to put his shoes on too. She tried to put her little feet in his shoes on her own, but she just couldn't manage it. After a bit of frustration, and a little help from me, she was tromping around in Markus' shoes. She thought she was just the coolest little 13 month old alive!

Perfect Fit!Trying to make her point!

:: 4 Years ::

On Tuesday, Markus and I celebrated our four year anniversary, March 4th. We actually celebrated on Friday night so we could go on a long awaited date. We have not gone out much alone since the munchkin was born. We can't complain though, she is quite enjoyable to be with, and does great when we are out and about. My dear friends Sam and Staci babysat Analise while Markus and I went out to dinner and a movie. Sounds like a cliche and typical boring date night type stuff, but we had a great time. We both love to eat, and I LOVE going to the movies. We had a fantastic time together, talking, laughing, enjoying each others company, and celebrating all of the great things in the past year and in the year to come.

This is the beach in Raglan, New Zealand that we got married on.

We are both still amazed at how God brought us together. An American girl and an Austrian boy meeting in New Zealand! What a wonderful place to meet, and a wonderful place to get married. There are so many things about Markus that I admire and respect. He is honest, loyal, faithful, loving, kind, caring, funny, witty, dedicated, hard working, and a great dad...just to name a few. I am truly blessed to have him in my life. Of the many things I am thankful for in our marriage, one that comes to mind almost daily is how well we get along. We just REALLY enjoy being with one another. We like the same things, and are able to appreciate the things that we like to do individually. It has been a fantastic four years together, and we are both looking forward to many more anniversaries together!