Spotlight #2 DrewAnn

Here's a picture of Stephen holding DrewAnn (left) and Luke, Kyle's son (right), stay tuned for more...

Spotlight #2 is Ken's Goddaughter DrewAnn Devlin Bellis. Born March 27, 2007, this little one is about to turn one and we are excited for her return to San Diego for the big day. DrewAnn is the first to Ken's best friend Stephen and wife Leia. Ken and Stephen have been best friends for longer than I have been alive. Unfortunately The Bellis' moved to Washington last Fall so it isn't very often that we get to see them. They plan on coming down to San Diego for Easter and Drew's birthday, we are definitely looking forward to hanging out. I know Ken is hoping for an overnight fishing trip while they're here. I met the Bellis' about a week or two after Drew was born, we went down to their house in Chula Vista and out to Miguel's for Mexican food (best cheese dip in town!) I instantly liked this couple and could see right away why Ken and Stephen had been friends for so long. This is a friendship that will never end. DrewAnn was adorable, all tiny in her pink clothes. It was cute to see how the new parents worried about every detail with her, if I remember right they had to end up putting the baby carrier on a serving tray holder during dinner, Steve wasn't so happy about this so he checked her every other second. It was pretty cute. While The Bellis' were still here we able to do a few fun things with them like hang out at the beach. Drew loved the water!! She cried when Steve and Ken took her out of it, Leia and I got a good laugh at this. We also took a day trip to Mexico where Leia and I started our traditions of getting massages while the boys lounged by the pool. The last time we saw them was in Las Vegas in December for the boys birthdays. That was fun for everyone. Drew has gotten so big over the past year. We love getting the frequent photos from Washington to see her progression. Ken was honored to be named her Godfather and got her a special candle and everything, he still thinks he is deserving of a pinky ring, but until he controls the mafia that's just not gonna happen. Happy Birthday Drew, we love you and look forward to seeing you all next month!

Spotlight #1 DYLEN

Spotlight #1 is my niece Dylen Joy Ballard. Born September 30, 2006, this almost 2 1/2 year old is spunky and full of life to say the least. I will admit that being the youngest in my family I was a bit reserved in welcoming a new one (afterall, I was used to being the baby) so when Ryan and Misty announced that I was going to be an Aunt I had mixed emotions. Dylen was a little early which caused a scare. Dad, Mom and I drove up to Modesto the day she was born and I will never forget the feeling I had when I saw that tiny baby in the NICU. It was definitely love at first sight, from that moment on I have absolutely LOVED being an Aunt! It is amazing, all the fun with none of the responsibility:) Unfortunately they live in Northern California so I don't get to see them as much as I would like, but I love the trips that I am able to make up there or the visits down here in San Diego. Dylen has captured my heart, which allows her to turn me into her 24 hour playmate when I am around. Even though I'm exhausted by the end of a visit there is something about hearing that little one in her cute voice say, "Aunt Cari play with me", that makes it impossible to turn down. She even has Ken and I repeating her simple catch phrases like, "No way man" and "I ate it all gone." Ken was finally able to meet Dylen over Christmas when they came to San Diego for a visit which was a treat in itself. Obviously I love this kid, but hey, what can I say? She made me an Aunt and that is a bond that can never be broken. Here's to our little Dylie Bean!

The youngins who have captured our hearts

There are four people under the age of 3 that definitely have places in our hearts so I decided while getting ideas from other blogs to highlight each one of these kids that we love so much starting with the oldest to youngest, so over the next days look for them.

The big question...

So the biggest question I have been getting from those of you I haven't talked to in awhile is, "When did you get married?", followed by, "Congratulations." Since we do have a blog together that question is merited, since I have written at least 20 personal emails with the answer I figured I might as well post it...Ken and I are not married. There is talk though, so watch for future posts.... this picture is from a wedding we went to last summer.

Since I really haven't talked to everyone is so long I thought this would be a good time to tell our story...once upon a time there was a boy and a girl...

No really, this is us in a nut shell. We met through a mutual friend about 2 years ago now and then re-met a year later. As indicated by the first date post there are some discrepencies as to how we started, but let's just say the date was a success and we have been together ever since. We decided to become exclusive a month after dating, so on April 7th, 2007 our romance became official. Life has been bliss ever since. We are coming up on a year now and as happy as ever. Life really can be great!

My pictures are HUGE!

So the pictures I am trying to post come out huge, how do I make them smaller??

What am I doing??

So, this is new to me. Ken and I decided to create a blog, but I am not so great when it comes to computers...so I have no idea what I am doing. Any suggestions on how to make this easier let me know.