I too got sucked in...

Well, a good friend of mine, Laura, called me about 2 weeks ago to see if I wanted to go see Twilight with a bunch of girls.  I did want to see the movie but wasn't psycho about it since I haven't read the book.  I'm not much of a reader so going to see the movie sounded like a great alternative.  I honestly tried to ready the book before I went to go see the movie and had I had the time I probably would of.  I had only finished the first Chapter of the book before I saw the movie.  

I thought the movie was excellent!  Those who had read the book that I was with liked the movie but said that they enjoyed the book so much more. 

Well, after watching the movie I really want to skip to the second book to see what happens but everyone keeps telling me that I need to read the first book and then move to the second.  

So, my goal is to read Twilight.  I'm not going to give myself a time frame because I am so busy with photography right now that I just can't add more pressure but I think I am going to read Twilight.  Did I just say that??

My Baby Girl...

I guess I won't be able to say that much anymore because my "baby girl" turned 5 today.  I can't believe that Isabella is already 5 years old.  Time flies by so fast.  Actually, I will always call her that regardless of her age.  =)  

Isabella had a great birthday today.  I brought her a special lunch to school.  She wanted Taco Bell.  I even got her a soda.  =)  Then I brought in cupcakes to her classroom.  She loved it! (No that isn't Mrs. Tiede.  That is Mrs. Bora, Isabella's favorite sub because Mrs. Tiede was sick.) 

Then after school we went to see Madagascar 2 with the Casper's.  It was such a cute movie.  

Then after that Isabella got to pick where ever she wanted to eat for dinner and she chose, Tio Pepes.  So we went to Tio Pepes with the Casper's for dinner.  

The highlight of her day was at the very end when we came home from dinner and a present was sitting on the doorstep from Ronna.  It was a black kitten stuffed animal.  Ronna got her the perfect gift.  It had to sit in the bathroom during bath time and of course she went to bed with it.  =)

Isabella had a perfect day!

Lil Lancer's Practice

Yesterday Isabella, Serenity, and Makayla went to the Lil Lancer's practice.  Lil Lancer's is a fundraiser that the East Union Cheerleaders do.  Isabella loves doing it.  She was so excited that Serenity and Makayla were doing it with her.  They had a blast and were bummed to stop even after practicing for 2 hours.  Here is a video of the dance that they are going to do.  They look so cute doing this dance!   This is the first time they did it to music.  =)  Serenity was cracking us up because she loved to show off and do her own thing.

(Thanks to Clark and Angie for letting me borrow their camera!)

I hope...

I would love to document all of my feelings about what has transpired in the last two days.  I am going to try to be very optimistic.

1. I loved McCains speach last night.  It was amazing and so humble!  I hoped that he would have been voted in.  Such a bummer!

2. I am so thankful to live in a nation where race doesn't matter anymore.  I know that there are some that it does matter to but I am glad that a majority of our country can look beyond someone's skin color.  I wish that the same could be said for religious beliefs.  I hope that our nation can one day be accepting of others religious beliefs and not try and fight them for what they believe in.

3. I am glad that I was able to witness a part of history.  To be quite honest with you, I did not vote for Obama.  I really wanted McCain to win.  It is still cool to know that this will be in the history books and I was a part of it.  =)  I just hope that America didn't make a mistake.

4. I sure hope that Obama can live up to what everyone thinks he can.  He seems to be promising more than he can actually change especially in times like our country is in right now.

5.  I hope that the opponents to Proposition 8 will just give up and realize that California has voted twice on the same issue and has had the same outcome!   I am so thankful that all the prayers, fasting, hard work, dedication, and faith of many people has paid off in the passing of Proposition 8.  I just hope that we don't have to fight this battle again.  It was exhausting emotionally and spiritually.  But for now we have won the battle.    =)

Yes Man...

So those of you who really know me know that I LOVE Jim Carrey.  Not only is he a sexy man but he is hilarious.  I am so excited about this movie that is coming out on December 12th.  I can tell you right now where Danny and I will be on December 12th!  Check out the trailer it is so funny!

Today is the day...

Make sure you go out and vote!  It is so important especially if you are voting YES on Prop. 8.  =)  Even if you aren't make sure you get your voice heard!

Raggedy Ann and Andy

Well, I have so many things to update you on that I haven't blogged about but I had to skip to Halloween pictures.  

I took pictures at  the Gymboree Pumkin Patch Party again this year and brought my kids along on the last day.  Thanks to Grandma Hockey for coming and helping with the kids!  =) 

My kids were Raggedy Ann and Andy for Halloween this year.  The costume that Isabella is wearing is the costume that I wore at her age.  My Mom made it for me and I've saved it all these years.  I am so glad that I did.  She looks so adorable in it.  So since Isabella is Raggedy Ann of course I wanted Chase to be Andy.  He wasn't too happy with the costume at first but eventually warmed up to it.  At first he told me, "I hate Andy!"  "I will not put it on."  But, after talking to him for two weeks he warmed up to it.  I figured that this is probably the last time that I am going to be able to match them so I took advantage of it and I am SO glad I did.  They both looked adorable!  =)

The Crazy Chicken...

I just think that is the funniest name for a fast food place but I love their food.  We ate there tonight and I haven't eaten there in forever and I forget how yummy it is.  I really love how it is fast-food but healthy food at the same time. (depends on what you get.)

To top it off they gave us a 7 piece meal free.   They just made it up by mistake and we were the lucky car to get it.  Danny will have a great lunch tomorrow too.  =)

If you haven't tried it in a little while go check it out.  It is super yummy.

Football game

Here are some pictures from one of the football games in September.  Isabella was so cute that game.  Brittany had given her these "real" pom-poms, as Isabella calls them, and Isabella was up in the stands trying to copy what the cheerleaders were doing.  It was too cute!  That's why when she actually got to go down in the cheering area and cheer with Brittany she was too excited. (Not sure how this is underlined or how to take it off.)

Then I had to snap a pictures of Dacia (Grandma) and Kenzie.  They look so cute.  It is cute to watch Dacia talking in sign language to Kenzie.  What a special thing to have with your Grandma.

Then there is Chase.  He wished that he could go play football out on the field with Dylan, but I think he would have gotten smooshed.  Maybe one day.

Cheering with Brittany

On September 19th Isabella was so excited because she went down on the field and cheered with Brittany.  Brittany even brought her some "real" cheerleading pom-poms.  Isabella felt very special that she had the pom-poms.  She even took them to sharing time on Friday, at school, so that she could share with her class about the pom-poms and what she did at the game.   Here is one video of Brittany and Isabella cheering together.  I can't get the other one to upload.  I'll try again later.

Chase's Happy Birthday Day!

Okay, now I need to back up a little bit.  On Chase's birthday this year we let him choose to eat where ever he wanted to.  Chase chose Mongolian BBQ.  He loves that place.  This was the first time he has ever had his own bowl.  Now that he is 3 and we have to pay for him we told him that he could have his own bowl.

  Then we met the Casper's at Baskin Robbins for his free ice cream.  They all got the clown ice creams.  I remember always getting those as a kid.  =)

This was a great day because it was the first time in over a month that we hung out with the Caspers.  We won't talk about why...I'm just really glad we are hanging out again!  =)

The Circus on September 18th

When Danicia called me to see if she could take Isabella to the Circus I told her under one condition....that she take a ton of pictures.  I guess that is the photographer in me.  Here are some of the pictures that they took at the Circus.  

Isabella still talks about going to the circus.  She loved going with Ryan and Danicia by herself.  Chase wasn't very happy but he gets to go to the park, his choice, with Ryan and Danicia by himself.  He is excited about that!

We told Chase that he could eat anywhere he wanted to and he chose Elephant Bar and then we ran into the Casper's there.  That was perfect since he was so sad that sissy was at the Circus.  He had tons of fun eating with Gavin and Makayla.

McCain and Obama both support Prop 8....

It doesn't matter which President you are voting for they both support Prop 8.

Video about Prop 8, watch and educate yourself....

Preserve Marriage

We have a very big election coming up in November.  Not only are we voting for the president but we, in California, are voting on a huge legislative initiative to preserve marriage.  So, to Californians, please vote YES ON 8!

I know that this could create controversy on my blog and I would ask that those that disagree with me would please realize that w all have our own beliefs and I would like to be allowed the respect to share mine.

Here are the reasons that I think this proposition should be passed....

1. Californian voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 by more than 61%, saying that a marriage in California is between a man and a woman.  Earlier this year, four activist judges in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people's vote, legalizing same-sex marriages.

2. Gay marriages will be discussed and possible "promoted" in the public school system starting in kindergarten.  For those who think this isn't going to happen...it already has.  In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding.  Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.  The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5 and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding.  The wedding was officiated by San Franciscan Mayor Gavin Newsom, who arrogantly welcomed the arrival of same-sex marriage by saying, "The door's wide open now.  It's gonna happen, where you like it or not."  Not only will schoolchildren be taught about same-sex marriage if Prop 8 fails, it's already happening. 

3. Churches could possibly loose their not-for-profit status and will start being taxed if they don't agree to perform same-sex marriages.  I am not someone who hates gays.  I've actually had a few friends that were, but that doesn't mean that I agree with the choices that they are making.  Just like I loved my Dad but didn't agree with the choice he made to smoke cigarettes.  Something of this nature should not be something that we have to do or perform when we don't agree with it.   Plus, if the LDS church is taxed then they will have to stop giving the millions and millions of dollars of humanitarian aid that they give throughout the world.  That money will then be given to the government instead of those who are in need.   That would be horrible if that happened.

For those of you on the fence...a big reason why you should vote YES ON PROP 8 is because it doesn't take away the right of gay couple.  They will still keep all the rights they previously had...the only right that will be taken away are the rights of churches and us as parents.

Please vote YES ON PROP 8 so that we can restore the definition of marriage between a man and a woman.  It will have a lasting, long-term affect on our country, society, and families. 

Free Handbags...

Handbag Planet is almost here. To celebrate the October 15, 2008 launch, they are giving away a free handbag every hour for 24 hours on the day of the launch. Their high fashion, trendy handbags are inspired by popular designer brands and priced between $30 and $80.

There's absolutely no catch - this means no shipping/handling fees or credit card required. Yes, it's really that simple!

Click on the link below to sign up:

Free Handbags

My 300th blog entry...

Wow...I can't believe that I am posting my 300th blog entry....

Well, I just have to vent for a minute because I think hot weather follows us. When we were in San Diego they had record highs. It was SO hot until the day we left.

Then I thought, I will have relief when we go to Pismo, well, guess what, I WAS WRONGO!!! The high today in Arroyo Grande was 100. When the heck is it 100 degrees at the beach? Only when the Brandow's are there.

So my conclusion is...if you want it to be hot where you are...invite the Brandow's there. We'll make it hot for you. =)

(As I was thinking about hot weather Deanna reminded me that when we went to Tahoe during Labor Day weekend it was hot there too. We really don't have the best of luck with weather and vacation.)

Picture complements of Danny Stocks, my brother-in-law.

My potty boy...

I can't believe that I am even able to write this but our entire trip in San Diego Chase has not gone potty in his diaper. We still have a diaper on him just in case but he is doing awesome. A few months ago if you would have told me that he would be doing this now I would have laughed! He was anti-toilet. He wouldn't even sit on it and try and now he goes about every 20 minutes. It can get a little frustrating but he is trying so hard and doing so great. I haven't had to change a poopy diaper for over a week now. It is great!

So, if you need to potty train just go on vacation....it worked for Chase! =)

I'm on vacation...

For the first time ever Danny was able to get two weeks off of work, with a little prodding. We started our vacation on Friday, September 26 by driving to Bakersfield and then we drove to San Diego on Sunday, September 28th. We will be in San Diego visiting Legoland, Wild Animal Park, the San Diego Zoo, Sea World, my cousin Jeb, my Aunt Marie, Lealond, and hopefully my friend Emily, (haven't seen her in about 6 years) until Sunday, October 5th. On the 5th we will drive back to Bakersfield and do laundry. It was so hard to pack for two weeks for two different places. On Monday, October 6th we will be heading to Pismo to visit Danny, Deanna, Jordan, and Keanu, one of our favorite places. We will return back home on Friday, October 10th because I have a big photo shoot with 6 people on Saturday, October 11th. That will be a little stressful. So, this will be my last post until after I get back. Hope you have a great and safe two weeks while I'm gone! =)

Meet a Mother Warrior

After complications from a c-section.  Monica was diagnosed with necrotizing fasciitis, also know as flesh-eating bacteria.  Defying the odds, Monica survived, but many of her organs didn't.  The doctors had to remove her uterus, ovaries, gallbladder, and part of her colon.  Then it spread to her arms and legs and so she had to have both her arms and both her legs amputated.   After four months in the hospital, 37 surgeries, and grueling physical therapy, she was finally able to be released and go home to her family.   

The doctors expected a "why me?" breakdown from Monica while she was in the hospital and it never happened.  She did have moments that she wished she had one arm or one leg because it would make life a little easier but that is not what happened and she accepted that.  She was so thankful that she could still love her girls and that she was still here today.

I just think that her outlook on life is amazing.  She says, "What good are you to your children if you're miserable?  What are you teaching them?  That you give up?   That's not what I want to teach my kids.   I want my girls to know that their mother's a fighter."  

If you ever feel like giving up or that life is too difficult just think about Monica and if she can do it so can we!