Cortes Fam

Kaylie and Sophie Ism's

2011-12-08T10:27:00.001-08:00

So over the last year or so I have started keeping a list of some of the funny things the girls say and do as a way to remind myself of how precious these moments are. I thought I'd share them with you and you could have a laugh too.

Kaylieism's
• Kaylie did the cutest thing yesterday. I got her a corndog for dinner and just gave it to her. She looked and it and told me open open. I took a bite and she proceeded to take the corndog peel off the breading and it it.
• We were watching Alvin and the Chipmunks and it was at the point where Dave's song was rejected and Kaylie said don't worry we'll help you sing songs.
• We were at Cuca's for dinner and the little girl at the table next to us was having a birthday. Kaylie saw her cake looked at us and said you want some? We got her a doughnut at the shop afterwards.
• Kaylie was saying a blessing on the food and must have really enjoyed our activity today because as she was praying she thanked Heavenly Father for stickers, Mickey, Donald, goofy, etc.
• Kaylie got hurt in nursery today and kept asking for "My Lindsey"
• Kaylie was tired of being in her pajamas (She wore them all day b/c of conference) She went to her room got a new matching pair, put on some underwear and then proceeded to dress herself. When she couldn't get the pants on independently she went down to Erick and had him help.
• We are lying in bed and Kaylie comes into the bathroom holding what was a poopy diaper saying "Mom I pooped" I went to check an d she had put the poop in the toilet like I do.
• Kaylie always says "oh so cute" towards her baby sister.
• Kaylie was looking in the mirror yesterday and went I'm gorgeous!
• Kaylie was about to go to the bathroom and saw a little bit of poop on the bottom. She exclaimed look mom its chocolate on the toilet.
• We were getting ready for Church and planning on going to a super bowl party at our friends house afterwards. She doesn't celebrate birthdays (That is all we talk about lately) so we told her that we weren’t going to talk about birthdays for the day. She thought we were saying she wasn't going to have a birthday party and burst into tears.
• Kaylie wants to go swimming. She was talking to Erick and I about it and she said (Speaking of swimsuits) Kaylie wears this one, Charly wears this one, Sophie wears this one, Mommy wears hers and daddy goes nudie bootie.
• Kaylie has a favorite song right now that is Country Song Backwards. In the song is spells the word C-R-A-P and it was so funny because Kaylie said in her prayers the other night thank thee that I can spell the word CRAP. Fortunately she doesn't really know what it means!
• Kaylie got her face painted with a butterfly today. It started to come off so we told her to wash it off. The little miss went into the bathroom to wash it off and apologized to the butterfly for having to wash it off.
• We dropped some cookies off to the neighbor and Kaylie announced to him. I have guns. (She was talking about the squirt guns we had filled for FHE.)
• Kaylie just told me my job is to clean my bedroom and I can do it myself. I don't need help. (Wonder who she's been hearing that from.=)).
• Kaylie told Erick and I yesterday after we got back from a night away that we could leave Sophie with Grandma and the 3 of us would go next time.
• Kaylie saw me putting Sophie's dress on without a shirt underneath (She was going to have a sweater over it) and said no mommy you have to put a shirt underneath it. PROUD MOMMY MOMENT!!!
• After singing in Stake Conference Kaylie was just beside herself that she couldn't see me. She told me next time I couldn't sing but could sit down with her and watch daddy sing.
• Kaylie told me that before she lived on earth she lived on the moon. She said her friends could come visit her. There was a bit more of the conversation but I forgot the details. I think it had something to do with her family living there too. What a cutie!
• Kaylie just said she is scared of Lord of the Rings because it is too mountainy.
• Kaylie was waiting with us after church. We were sitting next to Jade Vernon. Sophie started to walk away. Kaylie went to get her and turns to Jade and says "can you watch my mom for me?"

• Sophie's favorite thing to do is climb up the stairs and play with her house at the top. She will smile and laugh for as long as we will let her.
• Sophie loves cheerios. When she finishes her breakfast she will start throwing them on the floor.
• Sophie blows kisses now. (She likes to blow them at Erick best)
• Sophie loves to climb on the couch and get as high as she can.
• When Sophie wants to eat something but doesn't want me to feed it to her she will start to cover her face with her hands and get mad and refuse it until I let her feed herself.
• We were at church and it was time for the prayer. I told Sophie to fold her arms and she obediently folded her arms.
• Sophie will give you a "high five" when you hold your hand up to her.
• Sophie has been so cute learning to walk. She is at the point where she takes 4-5 steps independently and then gets scared falls down and claps for herself.
• Sophie loves chicken strips.
• I came into the kitchen after breakfast to a ton of Trix on the floor and Sophie with a cute look on her face.
• Sophie loves to hop into the bathtub with no water and will just play and play in there if I let her.
• Sophie was taking her bath this morning and got mad when I said she couldn't unplug the water anymore. She tried to put her head down like an ostrich and then realizes it is wet, gives me a look and starts to cry.
• Sophie loves eggs. She can eat a whole one.

Our trip-Part 1

2011-11-11T19:18:00.001-08:00

It'll probably take a few posts to really our trip recorded so I will go ahead and take a bit of extra time to do them.
We left Wednesday and took our flight. It was on time (Thankfully!) and we had no real troubles other than the fact that we were traveling with two young children and had the usual troubles (i.e. temper tantrums, poopy diapers, etc.) For the most part it was tolerable. Driving is easier though!
Thursday bright and (semi) early we packed up Uncle Dan and Auntie Ana's amazing mini van (Yes it solidified that I want to be a mini van mom) and headed to Maryland. Many a stop and 5 states later (Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, West Virgina and Maryland) We finally arrived at our hotel at about midnight. Needless to say we skipped the wedding breakfast the next morning.
Friday we had a blast going into WA DC. It was awesome! I haven't been there since I was 12 and it brought back some great memories. We had our first experience with the DC Metro and Amtrack. We saw Union Station (HUGE!!!) the Capitol Building, and the Smithsonian, unfortunately we only had time to visit two museums. (The Museum of Flight and The Museum of Natural History) They were both amazing and fun. We had to get back semi early for a shower for the bride and groom so we took off back to Union Station. We saw our train was leaving in minutes so we headed straight for the train and asked the conductor if the train was going to Baltimore. He said it was. Did you know there are two trains that go to Maryland? Yeah. Neither did we. Next think you know we got on the wrong train! Oh goodness! Our train was going to take us to the Ghetto! Thankfully there was a stop near our hotel (not in the ghetto) and we were able to get off. Poor Uncle Dan and Auntie Ana had to rescue us! Oh I forgot to mention our car was at the other station so they had to go pick that up and then come rescue us. They were totally awesome about it even though we made them 2 hours late for the party. Needless to say we learned our lesson on that one. We had a great time at the party though. Here are some pictures of the first 3 days of our vacation:
Kaylie on the carousel at the Mall
Kaylie at the Museum of Flight
Capitol Building
Us at Union Station (Sophie is on my back)
Waiting in the train station to be rescued

Sophie's birthday

2011-08-15T08:00:00.000-07:00

Yeah. It was a fun birthday for Sophie.

Family update

2011-08-15T07:45:00.000-07:00

Its been awhile since I have updated our blog. We have had a wonderful summer! It started with a quick trip to UT to visit family and friends. We brought my good friend Chaulle back to visit for a week so we had fun with that. However on the way home my car broke down. Not just a little break down but a major had to replace the entire engine. Thankfully it is now fixed and running well again. We had an enjoyable visit after that initial problem. Unfortunately I don't have pictures right now because I misplaced my camera.

More highlights of the summer include:

A family party on 4th of July
Ballet
Park days
A Birthday Celebration at La Habra Children's Museum and John's Incredible Pizza
A fun family birthday party
A trip to Great park of Irvine

It's May. I'd say its about time to update our blog

2011-05-16T19:19:00.000-07:00

I have been a blog slacker lately. No real reason I think I kind of just keep hoping it will magically update itself. Probably the easiest way to update will just be to do a general update on each month. I hate to admit I might have to go back to pictures and journal entries to remember what has happened exactly. I just know it has been a few very good and enjoyable months. Here goes:

February: We renewed our passes to Disneyland and had a few trips there. We love it!

Hello all!
March: Kaylie celebrated her 3rd birthday and Erick his 33rd. We had an ice cream party for Kaylie and she (as you can guess loved it!) She continues to grow and get so smart!

April: We enjoyed general conference, stake conference, and my birthday and Easter. We also enjoyed playing in the snow with our cousins. We did Disneyland again (We go through withdrawals if we don't go often enough) We also made earth day cupcakes. That was pretty fun. It was pretty awesome not having to plan anything for Easter as my sister took care of it all! Thanks Amanda.

Finally May has been a good month so far. Kaylie has started ballet. It is one of the cutest things ever! She just loves it! Its fun watching her and how cute she is. I got my wisdom teeth out and have been very blessed to have a speedy recovery with minimal pain and swelling. I know that is the Lord's hand in my life. All in All I am so grateful for in laws who have taken care of me and a wonderful husband. And for my mom and sister who both were willing to bring me dinner. Thanks guys. =)
One final thing is Kaylie has a new favorite show Jake and the Neverland Pirates. Its cute how much she loves it. I love that kid.
Sophie isn't much into T.V. But thinks she is a big girl and refuses to eat baby food. She is eating what we eat. Its pretty cute. Gotta love my girls!
I think I've reached my limit on pictures so I will post ballet ones next time. Lindsey

Smiling my way through a head cold...Make that a family with head colds!

2011-01-27T19:13:00.000-08:00

We have all been sick the past two weeks. Kaylie was first...Pretty light at first now seems to still have the cough two weeks later and run a fever in the evenings. Poor kiddo. She is starting to feel better. Sophie was next...Can't be outdone by the older sister =) She had a super stuffy nose and a light fever and a cough. Not very much fun. Erick decided to not be left out of the mix and joined in with a cough and all around aches. I held out the longest (residual effects of constantly being surrounded by germs when I was working full time) And was hit super hard. Major headache, runny nose and unfortunately my nickname of Rudolph is back! Thankfully mine seems to be kind of short. Is it just my family or does anyone else feel like they have been hit hard this cold season? Uggh! I'm just not used to getting sick so much.
The one thing I will say is being sick has made me appreciate my health so much more. I never realized how much I take it for granted until it is gone for a time and I have to still work through daily life with it. I am so thankful for it.

Tricycle fun

2011-01-09T21:32:00.000-08:00

Kaylie got a new trike for Christmas. Unfortunately we are having an unusually cold winter here in Southern California so she hasn't gotten too many chances to ride it outside. (She takes it around our living room like a pro) Last weekend we finally took her to the park by our house. We got some pretty cute attempts of her trying to ride it.
Here is an update for the rest of us. Sophie is growing and learning a lot everyday. I can't help but think how fast she is growing! She is sitting up with assistance, rolling over and loves her toes! She loves her baby oatmeal and I can't wait until I get to feed her baby food.
Erick has been super busy at work. He still enjoys it quite a bit.
I have been trying to get stuff done. I feel like little by little I am improving and getting better at my daily chores. It will come. It will! It has to eventually.
All in all we are doing well.

A New Year!!!

2011-01-03T08:53:00.001-08:00

Well, it is the new year. 2010 is gone. It was a good year. We had fun and learned a lot. I had a new baby, stopped working (out of the house) full time and have been enjoying extra time with Kaylie and Sophie. I have high hopes for 2011 but am just finding it hard to get into gear! (Please tell me I'm not the only one feeling this way!) So I have devised a plan to help me....You wanna hear it? It is just do it!!!! Get my butt in gear and do it! It will help more than anything if I just do one thing at a time so that is what I am going to do. I started by updating the blog now I will go eat breakfast....I really hate breakfast. Oh well just do it I guess. Hope you all have a happy new year and can accomplish a lot.

Christmas and December update

2010-12-26T14:59:00.001-08:00

We have had a wonderful month. I really enjoy my family and all the fun they bring into my life. I don't think I would smile nearly as often without them. I feel truly blessed because of them.
Anyways Christmas!!!!! It was our first Christmas with Amanda and Stephan permanently back so that was nice. We all celebrated Christmas eve together along with my parents. We had our traditional steak and shrimp with pizza for the kiddos. I love family traditions especially when they taste so yummy! We exchanged presents and just had a wonderful night.
Christmas day was wonderful too. Santa came and Kaylie was in heaven. Sophie obviously didn't get the whole thing but enjoyed sticking anything and everything she got in her mouth. We had a nice relaxing day and then went off to more fun Christmas celebrations at Erick's sister's house. We thoroughly enjoyed a delicious dinner and had fun opening presents and being with family.
Overall it was a wonderful day and we sure have enjoyed this month even the torrential downpours that made finishing shopping a challenge!

A couple of things about the pictures:
Sophie got a dog toy from her cousin (He picked it out himself) and she just loves it! (Don't worry Chloe isn't allowed near it.)
Sophie loves her Moby wrap and would be content to be in it all day! I must admit I love it too!
Kaylie really enjoyed helping to decorate the tree, however, most of it that she can reach is undecorated because she loves the ornaments.
Kaylie loves the snowman that is just her size.

November is already done? Where did it go?

2010-11-28T20:06:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful month this month. Unfortunately I'm not all that good at taking pictures so....You will have to tolerate verbal explanations of what we did and then I will give you some pictures of our trip to the mountains.
This month seemed to be jammed packed with fun things. We went to Oak Glen twice (Kaylie enjoyed the petting zoo until the goat tried to eat her coat) and continued preschool, did a lot of shopping, some cooking and just enjoyed our time together. Thanksgiving was nice. We got to have Erick home for a couple of extra days. He enjoyed being able to spend extra time with us.
Yesterday we went up to Big Bear and Lake Arrowhead. It had been a while since we had gone (I had never been to Big Bear) so we took a beautiful drive and enjoyed the day taking a very cold walk and visiting Lake Arrowhead Village. We had some cocoa and dinner. All in all it was a good family day.

October 2010

2010-10-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

We have had a good month. Kaylie has a new hobby. Its pretty sweet. She likes to scrapbook! She is pretty good at it too. (I will post pictures soon). What happened is that she started really being interested in my scrapbook supplies so Erick suggested I let her try. I figured I have a lot of stickers, paper and other supplies that weren't being used so I might as well let her use them. She also loves the game Candyland. I'm really proud of how much she is growing and learning everyday. I truly love her. One more quick Kaylie story until I go on to Sophie (I could talk about my girls for hours) Today at church Kaylie took the bread during the Sacrament. It may not seem like a big deal but Kaylie doesn't like bread. We have been talking about the importance of the Sacrament and today she took it. Its little moments like those that you really think yeah she's starting to get it. What a blessing. She brings so much joy into our lives. I love my little miss!
Now onto my other little Angel Baby. Sophie!! Sophie is a doll. She is growing a personality of her own and I love to watch her. She is usually pretty content and mellow (I get asked if she is always so content and for the most part yes she is) However, she is starting to realize when Kaylie is asleep and she wants all my attention! Its kind of funny. I love her so much though and she is so fun to coo at and snuggle that I don't mind finding other time to work on projects and chores. She brings joy into our life with her innocent love and smiles. She hit 3 mos yesterday and I keep pinching myself to see if it really has been 3 mos. I am so grateful to have her in our lives.
Well since I updated you on the girls I might as well throw in a bit about Erick and I. We are doing well. We finally got an entertainment center! I was so excited! It is very pretty and hold's the T.V. quite well and now we get our filing cabinets to be filing cabinets. Yeah!!! I am really excited about that. I am enjoying being at home but still struggling to find my place in the "at home" world. Its hard to know how much time to spend being with my babies, how much to spend cleaning the house, how much to devote to projects and just how to be at home. I'm not used to not being as structured as I usually am. It has been a blessing though. I am having a chance to learn about myself and what I need to do and want to do. I am thankful for the opportunities to learn that I have on a daily basis. All in all the Cortes Family is doing well.

September Happenings

2010-09-26T22:51:00.000-07:00

September has been a good month. It brought the realization that I'm not going back to work this year which was pretty neat. It was nice to be at home and play with my girls instead of going back to work. We have kept pretty busy this month. Erick took a quick trip to Vegas with Stephan to the Mr. Olympia convention. It was a nice break for him and I enjoyed a day of shopping with my mom and sister. We had our primary program today and it was really nice to see the kids singing their little hearts out. I really liked seeing our hard work pay off. We have been having fun with the cousins being in town and are so excited they decided to move to Yucaipa. Its pretty close! All in all life is good. Here are some pictures to highlight the month. They will probably be on top because this website likes to do that now.

Sophie's Blessing

2010-09-06T13:41:00.000-07:00

We were very blessed to be able to bless Sophie yesterday. It is amazing how much peace and joy I felt as Erick gave her her name and a blessing. As I was listening I realized that it is my job as a parent to make sure the promises given are fulfilled. What a big responsibility it is to be a parent. The more I am a parent the more joy I feel in the journey and the important role of being a mother. Heavenly Father loves us and will guide us through the Holy Ghost, Scriptures and especially praying for guidance. I am so grateful that I have all those available to me to help me as a parent. It truly is the most important job I will ever hold. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy of our little family. My little bit of "Heaven on Earth."

2010-08-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

Kaylie is getting cuter everyday. She has been saying some rather funny things lately. Here is a sample of what I am now recording as "Kaylieisim's"

I got Kaylie a corn dog for dinner and just gave it to her. She looked and it and told me open open. I took a bite gave it to her and she proceeded to take the corn dog peel off the breading and it it.

We were watching Alvin and the Chipmunks and it was at the point where Dave's song was rejected and Kaylie said don't worry we'll help you sing songs.

Sophie Marie Cortes

2010-08-23T17:05:00.001-07:00

Sophie is here! She was born July 23rd at 3:22 A.M. weighing in at 6 lbs 11 oz and 19 inches long. She is a little doll, overall a very good baby but tends to spit up a lot! We really love her and are adjusting to life with two kids and enjoying it. I have really been enjoying being at home with the girls and find there is plenty to do to keep busy. I truly feel blessed to be able to be at home.

Waiting for baby update

2010-07-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

We are waiting for baby Sophie (Hopefully she looks like a Sophie because we don't have any other name options!) to come. Summer is not a fun time to be pregnant as you can probably guess. Kaylie and I have been trying to stay cool and really enjoying our neighborhood pool. It is fun being able to stay at home with her and I am really excited for what the next year will bring. I've been trying to be energetic but that pretty much is gone! So mainly I'm trying to get her to nap when I need to. Kaylie had fun riding the carousel at Victoria Gardens and also visiting the Apple Store to get my Iphone fixed because she set a passcode on it and I couldn't get into it for almost a week (Perfect timing to not be able to make calls. Right before you are about to give birth!) All in all we are having fun together.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:40:00.000-07:00

I want to write a tribute to the great woman in my life I am able to call mom. Not everyone is as lucky as I am. I have had a mom who has always supported me, encouraged me and been my best friend and shopping buddy for years. I know I gave her trouble as a teenager but she has always loved me regardless of what I have done or how I have acted. I especially appreciate the sacrifices she made when we were younger to stay at home with us when I know working outside the home probably would have been easier and we would have had more money. I know that because you stayed home with us you have taught me the importance of staying home and caring for my children. I truly appreciate your sacrifice and know that I am who I am because I had a mother who was so willing to be there for me. Thanks Mom. You are the best and I hope you realize it!

I had a great Mother's Day. I woke up thinking ummm Lindsey you're 7 mos pregnant why did you ever consider having so many people over to your house for dinner? Fortunately I have an awesome husband who BBQ'd and everyone brought side dishes so really my work wasn't too much. It also helped that I had a wonderful Mother in Law who helped me to clean my house yesterday! I really enjoyed myself. We played my favorite game Rummikub and Kaylie joined in and it was so adorable. It made me happy because hopefully she will be a game player like her mom when she gets older.

April Happenings

2010-05-02T21:12:00.000-07:00

Kaylie's latest picture face.

Kaylie toilet training her doll

More toilet training her doll

We have had a good month. Erick was able to perform in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with or Stake. He did a great job and even had a solo! I was really really proud of him. Kaylie loved it! So did everyone who saw it. We were able to take a trip to Disneyland (I know I know we go all the time). It was also my birthday which makes it special. It was an extra special day this year as I was able to go out shopping with my mom and leave Kaylie with her dad. What a nice thing. Erick and I decided that I am going to take a leave of absence from work next year after the baby is born. I feel so blessed for this decision. My time at work has been so much easier knowing this. I am actually enjoying my job again! Thank goodness because I was pretty worn out on it. I look forward to spending some time with Kaylie and the new baby. Here are some pictures to update our blog. I'm kind of worn out on blogging lately so I need to get back into the swing of things.

Easter and general update

2010-04-10T14:39:00.001-07:00

We had a nice Easter this year. We were able to watch some of conference and then we went to my Sister in Law's house for a very yummy Easter dinner. While we were there Kaylie got to go on an Easter Egg Hunt. She really liked that. She thought she was so cool getting candy inside eggs! Daddy helped her find them. After that I was lucky enough to have my cousins from UT meet up at my house for an Easter Dinner. They got here earlier than expected so thankfully my Aunt and my mom helped me get things ready! It turned out lovely and was so nice to see my family again. It was back to work as usual this week. I wasn't quite sure how I felt about that. It was hard because last week it was so nice to just spend time with Kaylie on my own timeline and schedule. I have had extra support in my classroom to help me with the couple of really challenging students I have have. That has been such a blessing. I have been very thankful to those who have been able to help out. The pregnancy is progressing well. The baby keeps growing and kicking a lot. Its a fun feeling to have again. Kaylie is working on potty training with quite a bit of success. I am very proud of her. Erick has his play this week (Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) so we are getting super excited to see him perform. They have practiced really hard and from what I have seen it is going to be wonderful. That's about all that is new in our household right now.

catch up

2010-03-31T08:43:00.000-07:00

Wow! It has been a busy month. Kaylie turned two and is starting to act even more like a two year old than ever before. It is actually really fun and I am learning a lot about being a parent. Thankfully I have gotten some good advice from others. We had her birthday party a few weeks ago. It was really fun. Last week we went to the zoo and Kaylie liked all the animals but her favorite were hands down the giraffes. Erick and I were able to escape for the weekend to a friends wedding in Vegas. He was the best man. We enjoyed a quick break from Kaylie and I know I came back feeling refreshed. Its amazing what a few extra naps will do for energy and stamina. I have been on Spring Break this week and really enjoying my time off. I am thankful that it came when it did because I was pretty worn out and don't think I could have taken much more work. We are working on toilet training Kaylie and it is going quite well. It will probably be a few weeks before she totally grasps it but I know she will. Every day she proves how smart she is getting. I am in constant amazement with the funny and cute things she comes up with. She is developing a mind of her own and has been on a kick where all she wants to wear are pants. Every morning if I try shorts or a dress she says pants and refuses to back down. I'm going to be having her wear capri's a lot. All in all things are going well in the Cortes household and the pregnancy is progressing as it should. I'm not the world's most patient pregnant woman but that's okay. I am learning a lot from it.

Kaylie's first haircut

2010-02-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

Kaylie got her first haircut today! I know you are probably thinking isn't she about to be two? Yes she is. Unfortunately she got my very slow growing hair and so she hasn't had a need for one until now. We took her to the salon and she sat on the booster chair. As soon as this happened she got scared and started to cry. We tried to comfort her but she wasn't very happy. They did her hair which she actually didn't wiggle too much for. We discovered the trick was the singing flower they had. All in all it wasn't too bad of an experience for her and she certainly enjoyed getting a treat from candy machine afterward.

Getting ready for the cut

Daddy can I drive home? I just got my first haircut.

Haircuts are hard work. I'm tired.

Kaylie's latest escapades

2010-01-24T16:25:00.000-08:00

Kaylie has been on the move lately and tending to get into situations that are funny but not exactly good. Lets see this past week she has:

Realized she loves to knock over block towers

Found out that the dog's cage is just the right size for a little girl

Realized that you get a funny mustache when you color on yourself with a permanent marker.

Yeah my eyes are having to be a lot more careful and I am having to watch her more closely. The worst day will be when she learns to open the doors.

Our house is sick!

2010-01-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

Yeah so we have some sort of fever/cold going around our house. I'm not sure where it came from or how long it will last but poor Erick and Kaylie both have it. I've not got the fever or cold but I've got nausea from this pregnancy pretty bad. I am thankful though I get an ultrasound on Friday! I am super excited. I think its still too early to see if the baby is a boy or a girl but it will sure be nice to have a more tentative due date! Its a little lame having to tell people I think I'm due some time in July. I am glad to have the chance to have another baby.

Exciting news in the Cortes Family!!

2010-01-07T19:52:00.000-08:00

Just an update to let you know I am expecting our second child to be due in July! We are super excited as you can probably assume. I have been feeling alright however, I have had more sickness with this baby than I did with Kaylie.

Christmas

2010-01-02T15:37:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas here at the Cortes House. Kaylie was at just the right age to not quite understand Christmas and Santa but love the presents and fun stuff the little spoiled miss got! She just loves her kitchen set which we spent all month finding and choosing. She also loves her drum, purse, and every other thing she got. Did I mention she was a bit spoiled by all this Christmas? Erick and I enjoyed watching the sheer joy on her face as she saw more and more of her toys and it brought back memories for me of being a child and having santa come. It truly is so much more fun to see things through the eyes of a child.
I think for me though the best part was Christmas Eve. We had our parents over and surprised them with a super yummy dinner of steak and shrimp which was enjoyed by all. We then sang tons of Christmas Carols and opened a few presents. The next day we went to my in laws house for a nice enjoyable dinner with family. Overall it was a wonderful Christmas with plenty of good memories.

Graduation and winter break

2009-12-21T16:53:00.000-08:00

I did it. I finally got my Master's Degree. It felt so nice to be able to walk and have that moment where I could really say Wow! My goal is accomplished. I did it. I will admit now I don't quite know what to do but I haven't had too much trouble finding things to fill the time. I am really enjoying being primary chorister and coming up with ideas and games to teach the kids the songs. I also am finally on Winter Break which is good because I was really tired and not quite enjoying my job because of this. I have been scrapbooking this afternoon which is always one of my favorite activities. I am also enjoying spending time with Kaylie and look forward to when Erick gets Christmas Eve and Day off. I hope Christmas is good for all of you. Here are some pictures of my graduation and other things that have been going on with us.

2009-12-05T17:19:00.001-08:00

Just thought you would like to know I passed my COMPS!!!!

An update because I feel like it

2009-12-03T17:17:00.000-08:00

I figured I was grumpy today and maybe looking at some cute and happy pictures and thinking about fun stuff like Disneyland would make me happier. It seems to be working a bit. I had a rough day at work. Students were challenging and aides too. It probably doesn't help that I was out late last night at my favorite place (Disneyland). So I came home checked my Facebook and found out Grandma Jenson was in the hospital. Not much to make me happy. I called my mom to get an update and proceeded to vent to her about my day. (Thank goodness for Mom's!!!!) From there my day did start to get better. I found a frozen Lasagne in the fridge and decided to get vegetables for a salad so we are going to have a super yummy dinner tonight. I threw a load of laundry in. I then took Kaylie to the park where she really enjoyed sliding down the slide and figured out how to climb up to it on her own. Now I'm going to call Meghan as soon as she's off I hope I don't interrupt the basketball game because I always have uncanny timing and I don't think she has DVR. So here are some of the pictures that made me happier today.

A sampling of my life the past few weeks!

2009-11-23T13:53:00.000-08:00

I have had a very busy few weeks. I had my Grandma Barnes pass away unexpectedly on Oct. 30th. So I took an unplanned trip to WA to have an unplanned but wonderful family reunion with all my cousins and aunts and uncles plus all my Grandma's siblings. I think it was exactly as she would have liked it to be. It was a loving tribute to her.
When I got back from my quick trip to WA we had my sister and her family come to visit. It was so fun! We were so busy and really enjoyed getting to spend some time with them. Amanda and I worked on quite a few adorable hair bows for our girls.
We did a quick day at Disneyland and the kids loved it! Sam was so cool with wanting to go on Space Mountain. She definitely takes after her dad and not her mom in her fearlessness!
I forgot to mention that during this entire time I was busy prepping for my COMPS. It seems like when it rains it pours.
I took my COMPS about a week ago and I feel that they went well. I haven't thought much about them since then so hopefully that is a good sign.
I was called as the primary chorister in the middle of all this. It is going to be good. I really had fun conducting on Sunday. I think it is fun to be able to use my teaching ability on General Ed kids as something different. I also really enjoy coming up with ideas to teach songs. Did I mention I have never known how to lead music. We are very lucky to have a nice pianist who is understanding of this. Thank Goodness! I don't know what I would do otherwise.

COMPS

2009-11-14T07:53:00.000-08:00

I take my comps today. Wish me luck! Lindsey

The Incredible Grandma Barnes

2009-11-11T19:05:00.000-08:00

My Grandma Barnes was an incredible lady. She lived an incredible life and was an incredible example. I could spend hours going on and on about her wonderful example and what I learned from her but instead I am just going to say a few key things.

Grandma made the best cinnamon rolls one of my favorite memories of her was when they lived in Cheney and we went out to visit. Her cinnamon rolls were not ready yet and it was time to go home. I didn't like this at all. I devised a plan to stay the night at grandma's house just so I could have some! (I didn't admit to my mom till the next day the real reason I wanted to stay was the cinnamon rolls)

Grandma always had candy and olives. I think all the grand kids were shocked when grandma and grandpa admitted that neither of them liked olives but they had cases in their basement just to please the grand kids. Grandma always had smarties and red licorice in a "hiding" place which every grand kid pretended not to know but would go sneak it before dinner.

Grandma was always there to cheer me on. I can't imagine it was fun to sit through my plays in high school or 2 graduations on the same day (My mom and I graduated High School and College the same day) but she was always there with her camera to take pictures of those things. She was at my college graduation and cheered me on so much in getting my Master's Degree. She always told me how proud she was of me for sticking to it and getting my education. I actually would usually send my grandma important papers to look over and comment on. She was a great editor.

Grandma and grandpa were able to come for Kaylie's baby blessing. She loved to see Kaylie so much and loved holding her. It was so neat. The last time we saw her was at the Barnes Family Reunion this past summer. She made sure to cook some of our favorites, her baked beans, cottage cheese with green onions and radishes, and of course her world famous buttermilk dressing. (Mine just isn't as good as her's was)

She was a good woman who loved her family, loved her genalogy and loved serving the Lord. She will be greatly missed and I am a better person because I had her in my life. Thanks Grandma. You will be missed.

Read me

2009-10-25T16:20:00.000-07:00

Kaylie pulled the stool over to get the sweet treats. Yep thats my girl!

Kaylie is officially binky free! It wasn't nearly as bad as I had expected. It was about 3 days of crying and throwing fits (add to that learning to climb out of her crib) and then she kinda settled down about it.
I have been studying super hard for my COMPS (Which come on Nov 14th) and feel like I have a good handle on things. I feel that if I study I'll be fine. Its just a matter of making sure I take the time to study.
Erick has been having to work a few nights here and there again but it is nothing like it has been in a while so I don't mind too much.
That's basically all I can think of with our life at the moment. We are just busy busy busy but that seems to be the story of our life.
We have had some fun decorating cupcakes and enjoying Halloween so here are some pictures:

Like Father, Like Daughter

2009-10-04T07:42:00.000-07:00

Kaylie is gradually becoming more and more of a Daddy's girl. She likes to climb up on his lap when he plays Rock band and she tries to use the computer just like him. He usually is the one who rocks her to sleep at night. She also likes to sit and "play" the PS3 with him. Here are some pictures of her recent cuteness.

Family Pictures

2009-09-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Erick and I decided that now that Kaylie is 18 mos old it was way past due to get new family pictures. Kaylie was a little doll about gettting her picture taken and I will post some of our cutest. Don't worry I got copyright released pictures so I can legally post these!

Family Night

2009-09-23T21:12:00.000-07:00

Monday we had family night. It is one of the funnest ones we have had. Kaylie is getting old enough that it really feels like we can teach her little lessons and do activities with her. She enjoyed the game Kerplunk we "played" with her. (actually we set it up and let her pull the pieces) She was so cute I couldn't resist taking some pictures of her.

Nursery

2009-09-23T21:02:00.000-07:00

Kaylie had her first day of nursery on Sunday. I was so excited because I could finally go back to Sunday School and Relief Society which I have felt like I haven't been to in weeks. So I get settled into Sunday School listening to a very good lesson and then comes the peeking in nursery leader with my poor little red-faced angel baby. She was scared (I would be too there are 17 kids all older than her in there). So mommy and Kaylie went back to the nursery together to get used to the nursery some more. Kaylie refused to let me leave her if she noticed I was gone so I think I'll spend a few more weeks in the nursery. Relief Society you're not just all a dream....someday you will be a reality again. I must say though my little miss looked very cute for her first day of nursery. She helped me unload the dishwasher while still in her dress here are some pictures:

Kaylie's new bracelet

2009-09-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

You can see the bracelet on her wrist. She doesn't leave home without it!

Kaylie got some new bracelets. I didn't think she would like them. I just bought them because my cousin Amanda made them and I loved them (the website is ellabellacinderella.etsy.com) So does Kaylie! She wears them everywhere! She refuses to take them off and gets mad when she has to go to bed without them. She puts her wrist out everytime after she has a bath so that I can put it right back on her. It is really cute. I love it! She is such a cutie.

Yesterday Kaylie took her shampoo and put it in her hair while it was dry so she came out with a cute little look on her face and needless to say she got her bath which is what she wanted.

A wedding and a funeral..Yeah it was a busy week

2009-09-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

This past week I had quite an eventful time of it. First was my sister-in-laws beautiful wedding. She was a gorgeous bride! Everything went quite well with the exception of a little glitch when Kaylie freaked out five minutes before the ceremony was about to begin. She did manage to walk down the isle but I pretty much took her out after that. I felt bad about that but she's only 18 mos old what do we really expect? I realized later she was really nervous about all the people. It taught me a lesson about understanding her. The party was great afterwards. The food was super yummy and my favoirte part had to be the strawberry bar where you could either get pre-dipped yummy strawberries or make you own dipped ones. You can guess who enjoyed that (I'll give you a hint Kaylie was already asleep) It was amazing! It was also great to see family we haven't seen in a while. I can't quite figure out how to post the pictures from the web so when I do I'll put some more up. Kaylie was a beautiful flower girl.

So here comes the funeral part. The same day as the beautiful wedding I found out my grandpa died. This kind of put a damper the day for me. So we had fun at the wedding, spent the next day going to family stuff and packing and then left for Utah at about 4:00 Sunday Morning. We were there for the viewing and the funeral on Monday. I sure loved both of them. I know that sounds morbid but I thought it was just like my Grandpa Jenson would have liked it. It was fun and people were talking and just enjoying each other's company. I loved seeing those I hadn't seen in a long while. It was wonderful because my sister was able to come from North Carolina and then my brother surprised everyone and came from Washington. He was only able to stay for a minimal amount of time but it was good to see him again. Its been a few years.
We were able to stay a couple of days and we went to temple square. Kaylie loved the reflection pond and did not want to leave. As soon as I get pictures from my sister I will post them. Overall we really enjoyed our trip to UT and Kaylie was an excellent traveler.

My few weeks off

2009-08-29T16:32:00.000-07:00

I just went back to school. I really enjoyed my time off. It was interesting to go back. I'm still not quite sure how I feel about it. I have a really great class this year though so that makes it nice. While I was off Kaylie and I had a blast! I love my time off because I get to have more time with her and I always have so much fun playing with her and doing my hobbies which keep some how expanding. So here is a list of some of the things Kaylie I have done:

Played tea party
Got a new piano
Went to the zoo
Worked on Kaylie's Scrapbook
Sewed some PJ's for Kaylie
Went to the park
Cleaned the house
Finger Painted
Watched some cute movies
Cooked a lot

Needless to say we had fun. Kaylie is such a doll and it was great to be able to spend some Mommy daughter time with her.

Kaylie saw this pillow at Sam's Club and just had to have it. She loves how soft it is.

This is Kaylie when she climbed up on the table because she wanted the chips.

Kaylie has been learning sign language and is actually picking up on it quite quickly. She has more and please and has the cutest little way of signing cookie. She will also say thank you with prompting and eat. I think we will work on drink soon. She also tries to verbally say the words and it is just really fun to see.

Oops!

2009-08-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Please note that the last 3 entries were supposed to be entered in chronological order but it did not work out that way. So really we went on vacation, had an adventure with bees and then got a dog.

Bees, Bees, Bees

2009-08-10T20:32:00.000-07:00

Okay. Bees are very pretty as a decoration on a wall or a cute little scrapbook embellishment but not when there are thousands of them in your attic!!! So Erick saw some bees and thought humm that's not good they look like they have a hole they are going into so he called a bee exterminator to come and look at it. (Me I was thinking why? Its just a few bees) Yeah turns out there was a hive in our attic. So we had they guys spray what they could then and then they came back on Saturday to remove the rest and the 40 or so pounds of honey right above our closet. Here are some pictures of the process:

Step 1
Notice an unusual amount off bees around your house

Step 2
Call an exterminator Step 3
Kill the bees
Step 4
Extract the honey

Step 5
Discard the honey (sorry all you honey lovers we didn't get to keep it)

Vacation

2009-08-10T20:08:00.001-07:00

Erick and Kaylie on family picture day

Kaylie Ella and Adam loved the sand toys

Kaylie watching the fireworks

Kaylie and the pinata

Our day in Spokane at the park with Meghan

At a beautiful garden in Spokane

Kaylie is a little over zealous in her kiss for Mommy

Kaylie on her way to Spokane

We were able to take a wonderful trip to Washington State for a family reunion. We had a lot of fun. It was great to see everyone and on the way up there we enjoyed a stop in Utah, Boise, and McCall Idaho where we spent the night and enjoyed the view of Payette Lake. I seriously wouldn't mind retiring there. Here are some pictures from our wonderful trip.

New with the Cortes Family

2009-08-10T18:36:00.000-07:00

So here is an update on the Cortes family. We got a new dog and named her Chloe. She is a totally mellow awesome dog and with the exception of a little bit of nipping at Kaylie she totally is great! We still love our house and enjoy having a place of our very own. Erick has kept busy fixing sprinkler heads and keeping up on the lawn. I'm attempting to get used to cleaning a bigger house. It seems like there is always something to be done!

We are busy as always, but right now Kaylie and I are busy having fun! I'm off work for the next week or so and so I am taking time to do some of the things I really enjoy but get to distracted for during the school year. I've been learning to sew and have made Kaylie 3 pairs of pajama pants that actually turned out!!! I also am working on an apron but I didn't realize that when you are supposed to line it up with a fold it is so that they can stay together! So that one will probably have a few more hems than necessary but hey there is always a learning curve. I really am starting to appreciate Ether 12:27 which is about turning weaknesses into strengths. I couldn't cut for anything when I was younger and now I'm sewing with some success. It is such a great feeling to watch a project come together and actually look good. I'm very proud of myself. (Well the good kind of proud).

Father's Day

2009-06-23T17:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great father's day. My mom and I made a scrapbook album for Erick and each of the grandpa's. It was a great surprise for them and they all loved it! We made the day special by letting Erick enjoy a nice simple day with no real responsibilities to deal with. We had one of his favorite meals (Shredded Beef Tacos with all the fixings) with our families at our new house. (I love love love my new house) and we had fun with Kaylie. It was a great day.

2009-06-18T14:56:00.000-07:00

Yeah so I have been staying at home this week. I have to start by saying how much I admire you all who stay home everyday!!! You are amazing you deserve awards!!! I love the time I get to spend with Kaylie but I feel like 2/3's of my day consist of cleaning the house. It could just be because it is a new house and I'm still getting unpacked but seriously, it feels like all I have done. Kaylie and I did have fun though yesterday with a trip to story time at the library (She is still a little young but her elephant pictures she colored are so cute!!!) We also went and fed the ducks (I almost accidently typed dorks what a slip that would have been!) at the park. Kaylie can't quite get the crackers out of her hands to throw them so she ate them. Oh well I guess they were her goldfish. We have had fun this week even if it seems we have spent most of our time cleaning!!! I'm glad I had a little extra incentive to get the house clean today because the relief society pres. coming to visit. Nothing like guests coming to really make cleaning a reality. Now thats it!!!! I'm done cleaning for the day. I'm going to bake something. I love to bake. After that I'm going to make Kaylie bows so that she can pull them out of her hair. Kinda dorky I know but I love to do it.

I never know how to title these things!

2009-06-14T19:27:00.000-07:00

This week was great! I finished my last week of teaching and school. I am so thankful. I'll be glad to have the summer off of CSUSB to prepare for my COMPS in the fall. Then I will have my Master's Degree. I'm excited. Erick Kaylie and I have been having a good time in our new house. We haven't quite gotten unpacked but that's okay. Now that I have some time off I should be able to get some done. We like our new ward. Its nice. Its fun. I'm glad to have a lot of other people that are my age and in a similar stage in life as me.
Kaylie has done quite a few cute things this week. Here are just a few of them.

She "worked" out in the backyard with me and put leaves in a pile
She "helps" make dinner
She bounces in her bouncy chair to get to sleep
She eats with a spoon
She drinks from a cup

2009-06-05T15:34:00.000-07:00

We moved into our new house. Erick and I love it!! It is nice and spacious. We haven't had a lot of time to unpack because Erick has had a crazy work schedule and I've had class two nights a week. But it is coming along slowly but surely. Kaylie continues to grow like a weed and learn so much every day. She keeps me busy and entertained all at once. We have a lot of fun together. I'm still working full time but get off next Wednesday which is a relief to me because I'm becoming grouchy teacher and I hate that feeling!!!! Erick has been installing his project at work and so that has meant the evening shift for him most nights. It is finally starting to get back to normal. All in all we are excited to be in our new house and just love it!!!

Moving

2009-05-15T21:20:00.000-07:00

Ought to update this blog. All is well in the Cortes home. We are busy packing, and prepping to move into our new house. Kaylie has been very patient with moving. We just finished having it painted and get it carpeted next week. We plan to move next Saturday.

Kaylie's pictures

2008-10-26T20:34:00.000-07:00

Kaylie got pictures done by Erick's cousin David Richardson and they are phenomenal. I love them! She made the cutest little model. She loved to pose for pictures and really enjoyed having her picture taken. She is a little doll!

Kaylie is 7 mos old

2008-10-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

My baby is 7 months old! She crawls, she plays, she tries to stand up! She is a doll. We got some pictures done of her recently and she is beautiful. I will post them soon. All in all things are busy and stressful but good. I am so grateful to be a mom and spend time with my dear husband and daughter.

No real title

2008-09-05T17:16:00.000-07:00

Kaylie has had a good week. We started on carrots. She likes them but ends up with more on her face then in her mouth. She has been having fun laughing and smiling and is a total cutie! Erick and I are staying busy and enjoying our time with Kaylie. We are looking forward to going to Disneyland next week. I'll post pictures.

Kaylie eats carrots and loves to hold her spoon!

Kaylie enjoys looking at her reflection in our entertainment center.

Kaylie is sitting up!

2008-08-31T18:25:00.000-07:00

Kaylie had a busy week this week. She tried some green beans (Not a big fan yet.) Had some watermelon (Loves it) and most importantly started sitting up! She suprized us by staying up when we put her in that position. She did it more at church today while she was avoiding listening to Daddy's talk in the foyer. All in all she is doing really well. Total Cutie!

(Picture Kaylie and Mommy chillin' together)

Update

2008-08-24T20:40:00.000-07:00

Kaylie is so excited to be back at Grandma's during the day! She is my sweet happy baby again. She turned 5 mos. old last week. I can't believe how quick she is growing up. She had fun with us at Lake Arrowhead on Saturday where we fed the ducks, ate lunch and the best part ate dessert. She played peek a boo on her own yesterday. It was so cute. She hasn't done it too much since then but she has smiled a lot. She acts like she wants to crawl so I can't decide whether I'm ready for that to happen yet. I hope she will wait a bit more time. Here are some pictures because I love to show how cute she is!

Pictures:

Kaylie likes carrots for teething.

Kaylie wearing a hat.

Kaylie which side of the bottle works again?

Pictures

2008-08-13T15:40:00.001-07:00

Kaylie is cute. I love to show off my baby so here are some cute pictures of her. The first one was taken by my sister in law and the second one is at her blessing. I'll update more soon. I just misplaced my cord.

My first blog

2008-08-13T15:22:00.000-07:00

My sister and I were talking last week about blogs. I said I thought they were stupid and a waste of time. I thought if I wanted to keep a record I would write in a journal. Then I thought about it and saw all the cute pictures my cousins were posting and decided to try it for myself. So here goes this is my blog.

This is my favorite picture of Kaylie that we have ever taken. She is a doll!