An Incredibly Long, Gotta Catch Ya Up, Post.

WOW!! Life has been so busy for the us this past month! I realized I hadn't updated my blog in forever!!

If you can bear all of the pictures, then buckle up and take a stroll with me down December's memory lane :)

We started the Christmas Season off by going with my Dad, Step Mom and Brother to an indoor Christmas tree decorating extravaganza!! It was so awesome! My Dad's company had a tree decorated so we had to check it out! We looked at all of the beautiful trees, watched some dance performances and snapped some pretty cute pictures of our boy!

That same night, after the Christmas trees my dad took us out to eat at OOKAS, it was seriously delicious!Owen loved watching the man cook and make mini volcano's out of onion rings!

Owen LOVES his Cooper! He spends a lot of time doing that....

Our Christmas spirit continued when we decorated the inside of our home! I love Christmas decorations, I especially loved making some of my very own this year! This year has been full of creative juices for me :)

We headed to The Mission Inn to check out their awesome lights! This is a tradition that we do with my mom and step dad every year, we were so happy that we got to do it this year! It's nice to be close to be able to go on these fun family outings!

Owen loved looking at all of the lights!

We always get these little mini donuts that are to die for!!!

Owen went in for his 6 month check up! He did great!! He ate a ton of paper before the Doctor came in! He is in the 89% for height and 49% for weight! He is 28 in long and 17lb 12oz, my big ol' turkey burger!

He was a champ for his shots too!

We also went on a little outing with the MOMS Group! We had so much fun  playing with Wendy & Danielle's girls! We met up at Fingerprints Youth Museum and had a blast. It is almost like a mini Pretend City. It had a police station, fire station, grocery store, bank, post office, and all sorts of other pretend things! Owen just enjoyed crawling all over the place!

We have taken many baths! Owen loves him some tub time!!

We met up with my lovely cousin Sarah, and her turkey burger, Ely! We took the boys on a walk and the park. There is a beautiful park in Irvin with ducks and an awesome playground. The boys had fun feeding them star puffs and swinging! We got some coffee, and headed back for some more baby party action at her place! I love that my cousin and I get to be mommys together! and that she lives just over the Ortega making seeing her pretty simple! :)

Owen also took his first airplane ride!! We spent a long weekend in Oregon! and we LOVE IT!!! We have always talked of moving to OR one day, but going there and staying made that thought just more permanent! It was absolutely beautiful and fit right on in with our desire to live a slower paced life! We would love to own a home on some land one day, and OR is the perfect place to do that! We had so much fun visiting Jolene and Ken and checking out their town, Corvalis! We got to go to Mcmennamins!! We porked out on Cajun Tots and I was in heaven sippin on a Ruby! YUMMY!!!

We went to Cabellas and the guys got to explore their heaven! We went with the Monte's to chop down a tree and spent some time crafting at home! Owen did great on the airplane both ways and was a pretty awesome traveler! One day we will get there!!!

Owen did some naked crawling! :)

I participated in a local craft show which was awesome!!

My studly husband hung our Christmas lights and they are magical every night!!

I also turned 24 :)

On my birthday we kept it simple, hung Christmas lights, and went to dinner with the family at BJ'S! The next day, we woke up and went to the farmers market it Temecula.  We got coffee and a delicious breakfast crepe!!! We strolled around the antique shops and hit up an awesome garden!! When we got home, I was surprised to see my sister pull in shortly behind us, we came in and chatted for a minute and then she asked if she could see something she knew was in my room, I said sure! When I opened the door to our bedroom I was absolutely surprised to find that she had made my sewing corner that I have been dreaming of!! I was so so so so SOOOO surprised! Jeff did amazing!! I am pretty hard to surprise so for them to pull this off was awesome! I love my man, and my sissy for doing this for me. I totally cried and ooooed and ahhhhed over all of the details they put into it!

Then Sunday I got to go to Renegade with my gal pals! Renegade was seriously my heaven, I felt like I had found my people!! I was amazing!! I had so much fun driving up with Jen, Lex and Caty, we booty bumped it all the way to LA! We met up with Jen, Bethy, Sue and Marty also! We all checked out the fabulous vendors, and I scored on some sweet finds! So inspiring!!

We headed to Santa Monica to finish the night off with some dinner at the Counter and a trip to Anthro (My other heaven)

I had an incredible 24th birthday filled with TONS of love, SO much laughter and way to many surprises!!!

We picked our Christmas tree and took it home to decorate!!

This dude brings us TONS of Joy all of the time! Ain't he just so cute chewing on that sign??

He is getting way to big can I just say!! His second tooth is in the process of busting through! He stands up on everything and walks along the couch holding on! Who is this kid??? 7 months!! Hello!! SLOW IT ON DOWN!!!

My man, who is amazing, did I mention that?? Built this awesome fire pit in our side yard! We have been soaking it up, having some late night fires with coffee. it is rad. he is rad.

PHEW!!! You still with me?? Cheers to you if you are!

Christmas is only a week away and I am constantly reminded and overflowing with gratefulness for the things that God has blessed us with! I am mostly thankful for salvation, for grace, for forgiveness and for love, His love. Even though this season is full and busy we are constantly reminded of our God, and are thankful that we celebrate the birth of Jesus!!

Thank you Jesus for all we have!!

Amanda Nicole Littlejohn

I feel like I have been putting off this post because it just doesn't seem real. It has been almost 3 months since that day... A day I lost one of the greatest friends I have ever had.  Last night I woke up because I was dreaming that some how I could save you, some how I could keep you here. It just doesn't feel real. The last time I saw you, you were yourself, sure a little different physically but completely yourself. We laughed, and watched some TV, we ate some Del Taco, and you snuggled Owen. You told me; "Guess what we are having for dinner tonight, and by we I mean not you, my family??..." hahahaha only you would say that Amanda. Only you.

I remember when we became friends in third grade! You were my very best friend. It took me awhile to get used to your humor, and your sarcastic tone with everything you said... Remember Amanda D. and Amanda L.hahah You were always my favorite Amanda.

You were my closest friend when my parents got divorced. I remeber learning multiplication with you, and how we used to have to get tested! I was never too good at math... Or at lunch when you would sit on your jelly sandwiches!! I remember in fourth grade when you lost your thumb ring, and we convinced Mrs. Johnson that I NEEDED to help you look for it in the leaves, I'm pretty sure we did look for it, and we also grabbed huge piles of leaves and threw them up in the air! I remember the first time I ever went to your house to play! You had this little doll house on the wall with little furniture and you would hide dollar bills all throughout it! I remember the first time I went to sit on "Nala's" chair, you just about had a heart attack!! You would leave a glass of water on your night stand for the cat.

How about the time I went to the beach with your family, and my bathing suite filled up with sand!! You laughed at me so bad!!! And your dad drove your family's green van super crazy on the Ortegas! :) Or how about when your entire family yelled at me for biting my fork at the dinner table!! BAHAHAHA, or the time your dad ordered Extra pizza sauce on the pizza!!!

I remember going through middle school with you too! When you used to tell me how much you loved Chris Perez, and the time you thought I liked him and you carved "I hate KD" on your desk!! Or when we would walk the mile and talk about all sorts of things!Your Ben Affleck Wall!!! How about meeting up for lunch and you would pick everything off of your pizza and eat the dough, and BBQ chips that you would chew and pat into a ball then eat like an apple!! You were always the most picky eater I had ever known! 

You never like leaving home, and I spent the night on your trundle be a bunch, but you did sleep over at my dads house once with me! We watched The Candy Man and The Man In The Crack, and ate a ton of candy then were seriously super scared that night!!

We had a ton of good memories in high school too! Like our "bench" that we met at every day for lunch! You ate the chicken patty and a DP. How about when you drove my Blazer to your house with Lex!!!! Remember Halloween at the Queen Mary, and how I ruined all of the mazes because I was grabbing your arm telling you where all of the scary monsters were!! I loved  that you always came to my dance recitals! I remember our talk at Dennys it was the first time I ever saw you cry. Our talk that night was priceless to me and a treasured memory. I wish we could have spent more time together after high school but life just seemed to suck us both in. I was so happy you came to my baby shower, I think about you when I give Owen baths in his tub! I always tell him Amanda got it for him and he chews away on the little monkey!

I think of you often, and I look at the pictures of you I have in my house all of the time! I miss you. I wish you were here. I wish you could come over to my house, my Zonk! I hate that there is so much that we will never get to do.

I know you are in heaven and that gives me peace to know that one day I will see you again, but it doesn't take away the pain of now. I think about your family and pray for them often. I know how much you love your mom, she is pretty lovely! Remember how I would always say she reminded me of Sandra Dee! :)

I just miss you. That's all. I  don't think there is any other way to put it...

At your memorial it was amazing to me to see how many lives you touched. You were a fighter, and you lived life with joy even when the times weren't too joyful. You hold such a special place in my heart, my dear sweet friend. I will tell my kids about my crazy friend, and all of the memories I have with you! 

I know you are watching over all of us, everyone who loves you and misses you. I know we will see each other again. I am thankful for that. 

Thinking of you always and missing you

At my baby shower

your name that i wrote on the floor of our church before they carpeted it, i committed to praying for you to know Jesus that day. God answered that prayer!

Good ol' high school days

These are from my senior scrapbook!

loved doing the senior walk in with you!

you got me this journal for my 16th birthday, I still have it

at our bench! this one is in my living room

you with my Owie bean!

love you Amanda!