Good Times With The Domingos

Way too Long!!

2011-09-20T12:00:00.000-07:00

Apparently, I am a woman of empty words because way back in May I promised to keep you all updated more with this blog and I never looked back. I have a few good excuses but I will get to those in a bit. So what has happened since May?

Liana finished Kindergarten. Got really sick the last week of school and had to miss her graduation.

I found out I was pregnant on Father's day. Well actually, I found out the day before but waited to tell James till Father's day. I am due Feb. 15.

The rest of the summer was a complete blur as I had horrible morning sickness so there is not much to say about that.

Lake Topaz. Video to follow soon hopefully. I finally started feeling better by the time we went up. We sent Liana up a week early with my parents. She had a pretty boring summer as I did not have the energy for anything.

Liana started 1st grade. She did not have the best experience last year, but got an amazing teacher this year and is loving school.

James got laid off from Maranatha and promptly hired by the Kieth Corporation which took over maintenance at Maranatha so he still works there, but not for them. He loves this as it has really defined his job description much better.

I also started watching my niece and nephew (Vienna and Benjamin) as Molly went back to work and since that was too easy I decided to add my friends 3 month old into the mix two days a week. ( No, I do not know what I was thinking)

Oh and because life is to slow, I took on Learning Program again this year at Club 21. The center that works with kids with Downs Syndrome and even added a class. This is just once a month and I love it.

I almost forgot, I am PTA treasurer at Liana's school this year which includes lots of meetings.

All of that to say, it has not been dull around the Domingo house. God has been doing great things in this family of mine. We are so thrilled to be adding a new addition to the family. Both James and Liana have their requests for Boys in. And no, we wont find out till it comes out. God's amazing timing is such a reminder that he sees the big picture and I need to trust in that. I have so loved being a part of the Women's Bible Study at church. God has really been challenging me to give him my all. I never realized how much I hold onto. He is an amazing God and I want to give him free reign in my life. I know that is easier said then done.

The Family is great. I am in constant awe of how our sweet Liana's mind works. She is such a smarty pants, especially in Math. She started Girl Scouts which is so fun. She is a Daisy. A lot of the kids are from her school which is great for me to get to connect with mom's that I don't normally see. She loves memorizing verses for Church and is actually really good at it. She loves playing school, riding bikes, and being the best big sister a mom could ask for. She is just plain awesome.

Then we have Abigail. Her name means " My father's joy" and she is truly that. A little stinker who gets into all sorts of trouble, but can't keep smiles off our faces when she is around. She adores her sister and loves singing. Her talking is finally taking off which is so helpful to us. She unfortunately has figured out how to open her bedroom door which makes naps a little trickier. She is a totally monkey and get onto and into just about anything. It is the "jungle" from her dad's side. I just love this little girl so much.

So that is a bit of what we have been up to. I am making no promises of when my next post will be. You will just have to wait and see.

Wow!!!!!

2011-05-05T16:05:00.000-07:00

So I got a friendly little e-mail from one of my aunts asking if I have stopped blogging and wondering if she should take me off her blog list. I have to admit that I didn't not realize that my last entry was before New Years. That is unacceptable. It is so much easier to do the whole facebook thing, but that doesn't give much detail into what we hav really been up to. So here it is. This is a quick re-cap of the past few months.

It wouldn't be New Years without walking down to watch the Rose Parade. Got to see Paula Dean as the Grand Marshal. It was a great day with wonderful southern California weather.
We had great seats.

Even though she hates waking up early Liana can't wait to go down to see all the cool floats.

The next day the girls and I made a very scary trip to visit Rachel. It started snowing lightly as we got on the grapevine, but then it turned into quite a scary scene which ended with us making it safely to the bottom but both Liana and I in tears. I also had to use the bathroom so bad, but everything along the grapevine was closed. Let's just say I should do a commercial for Pampers because one of Abbie's diapers holds a full adult bladder. Thats all I am saying about that. We always have such a great time visiting the Puffers. We went to story time at the Library.

We also went on quite a hunt for park, but the girls had fun.

While still on Christmas break, our local library had the rose princesses come and read. Liana saw one of her good friends from preschool which was fun.

James and I took the girls on the Gold line down to olivera street where we enjoyed lunch and walking through all the fun stalls. We then went to this new park that opened by the Rose Bowl which is so much fun.

My Grandpa Webster came for a very quick visit.

Liana's class went on a field trip to kids space which was so much fun.

We also finally signed Liana up for ballet classes which she is loving. It is really fun to see her enjoy this so much. I just wish it was free.

In March, one of James' friends organized this Kids fishing derby which he took her to. They had so much fun even though the fish were not biting. She did catch one though.

And she got a cool certificate.

A couple weeks ago, we took the girls down to visit my grandpa and his wife Merilyn at Quaker Gardens. Liana had the best time and talked about it for days after wards. We promised to visit again soon.

This is Liana and I at a school reading night event.

In April, my church had their women's retreat. We attend Thousand Pines and always have a great time. Even though we were a small group this year, we had so much fun together. I am really learning how important it is to take time for myself. I have such a hard time saying no to things and have been finding myself getting burned out quite often. The Lord has really been speaking to me about taking time to refill myself so that I can give more to my family and friends. They deserve the best from me. Anyway, I had the best time, even with spending 4hours in the ER with one of our ladies who broke her ankle hiking. The speaker was so on point and spoke to me right where I needed to hear it. It was wonderful.

Liana and I had the most fabulous spring break together. Monday=breakfast and library, Tuesday=kidsspace with cousins, Wednesday=Disneyland, Thursday=Took the boat out on Puddingstone, Friday=Park. It was so much fun and I was sad to see it end.

I don't know how this got in here, but it is of Grandpa putting with Liana.

Then came Easter. Rachel and Jason came down so the whole family was together. It was so much fun. I grew up so close to all my cousins and it is really fun to see all the cousins enjoying eachother.

The webster grandkids. We are up to 10 now
So that is only a small picture of all that we have been up to. I am not promising anything, but I am hoping to be better on staying up to date on this.

An afternoon with Abigail

2011-01-10T19:46:00.000-08:00

One of the many things that I love about our Abigail is how she keeps herself so entertained. She loves life and finds happiness in the simplest of things. Here are a few things that make me smile.

In this video, you get to see her lean on her head. You will find her in this position numerous times a day.

On to music time.

My parents got her this cute pull toy that she loves even though it tips over all the time.

There is no better sound then this girl laughing which she does all the time.

A wonderful December

2011-01-10T16:32:00.001-08:00

So, December was so crazy busy that I have had lots of time to read blogs, but no energy to actually add to mine. I will bring you up to speed. We started December off with a fun Church Christmas dinner.

James and I enjoyed a great dinner kid-free.

The next week we moved on to our Life Group Christmas dinner.

Always lots of fun.

Which then led us to Abigail's first birthday. I can't believe how quickly this year went by. This little girl never fails to add a smile to my face. She is a constant source of joy to anyone she is around.

Liana loved reading her cards to her.

Let the baking begin.

Christmas Eve service.

We had about 23 people over for dinner.

AFter the guests left, the Webster family exchanged gifts.

Christmas morning was quiet and small and very nice. We enjoyed a great breakfast and presents.

Liana had been asking for this Jesse Doll since she had seen it at Walmart. It was $30, but I found it for $12 at Big Lots.

We then spent Christmas day playing every Wii game around. So fun.

The next day, we were off to the Lindley Family Christmas.

Need I say more. This kid is stinkin cute.

We had a great Christmas. It was so relaxing and stress free. Although I look forward to next year when all my siblings are around.

Liana made Student of the Month

2010-12-06T11:30:00.001-08:00

Liana got Student of the Month for her class at Field Elementary. She was so excited. She got certificates for free kids meals at Islands and Maria's Italian Kitchen.

She recieved her award from the Principle during the Friday school assembly.

Staff Christmas Dinner

2010-12-06T11:28:00.000-08:00

Even though I only work very part-time at the Preschool they let me come to the Christmas dinner. I got to sit next to Silvia who I worked the last 8 years with. It was a great time together.

Tim always loves showing off his great gifts.

A Webster Thanksgiving

2010-12-06T11:13:00.001-08:00

Every year there is so much to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is probably my favorite Holiday. I love everything about it. Family, Good Food, Naps, and remembering all the blessings God has given us. This year, the Webster clan headed to Palm Springs. It was so nice having all the family together with all the grandkids. With Rachel and Jason living 5 hours away, those opportunities are not as frequent. We had an amazing and relaxing time together. That is, those of us who didn't get the stomach flu. The food was amazing as was the company. My dad Smoked BBQed the Turkeys and they were delicious.

The kids took every opportunity to get in the pool and jacuzzi.

Let's Eat!!!

Liana really only ate the Swedish Roll.

Both Darcy and Lincoln got the Stomach Flu so he had to take it easy. We celebrated the four birthdays we have in December on Friday night. Jason, Sophia, Abigail, and Caleb.

Abbie didn't really know what was going on, but she liked ripping the paper.

Liana and I took a night dip in the Jacuzzi which felt so amazing. It was contagious too because my parents, Darcy, James and Jason soon joined us.

Abigail spent most of Friday and Saturday throwing up so James got her comfortable in the a warm bath. Overall, it was a great time together.

What has the Domingo Family been up to?

2010-11-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

It has been much too long since i have done a post. It surely is not because life is boring and not that much has happened. Quite the contrary. I thought it was time to catch you up on all we have been up to seeing as my last post was from Lake Toaz in August.

Liana started Kindergarten at Field Elementary. After the first week of school she broke her arm which caused a not so smooth start to school, but once that came off, she was making friends and getting to be involved in all the fun things they do at her school.
This actually happened before School, but we got invited to Arrowhead for the day with some friends from Church.

Liana and I took advantage of our Disneyland passes and went for the day.

The grandkids with Papa at his Drum Corp concert in Long Beach.

My cousins, Josh and Kel were out visiting California and to see the most at one time we all had a Pizza night at Ben and Darcy's. This is their youngest Edyn.

The professional Pizza maker.

Liana got lots of signatures at the Party which brightened up her already bright pink cast.

You know James can't keep his hands off the babies. This is our niece Chamberlyn.

After hearing about Abigail having a seizure and Liana breaking her arm all in the same weekend, our great neighbors brought over books and stuffed animals for the girls to cheer them up. By the way, both have recovered great. Abigail eneded up having Rosiola and her fever just got too high. 105.9 to be exact and her body couldn't take it anymore. Hopefully the last time we have to go through that.

Not long after, she got a bad chest cold and had to be put on a nebulizer. Pretty amazing story, the girls insurance didn't cover the meds for Abbie so I called the Dr. after a friend told me to ask for samples. I explained our situation and they sent me home with 8 boxes which inluded 24 treatments. Such and answer to prayer.I have a picture of Liana doing this around the same age.

My sister Rachel came down for my dad and Brianna's brithdays. The sisters and my mom took her to a Thai resturant for her birthday.

Then back to her house for presents.

Of course all the cousins loved playing together.

Just love these girls.

Our Church had a Ladies Night Out at a local salon where a few of us even got mini makeovers.

I got a really great and much needed haircut.

Nicole who has crazy curly hair got it straightened.

Liana had a Halloween Parade at school which I got to help out at.

Liana on her way back from her parade walk to a bank. She told me she didn't know Spiderman's name, they just didn't want to get lost.
Tinkerbell and Tinklett
Liana and Makena at our Church Falloween Festival.
Too cute.
Liana with our neighbor Rachel.

So hopefully it will not be another three months before you hear from me, but I am not promising anything.

Lake Topaz 2010

2010-08-23T13:11:00.000-07:00

Disneyland

2010-08-04T14:10:00.000-07:00

Fun times at Disneyland

The Domingo Family all got annual passes to Disneyland. It was so fun. We went on Sunday and Liana go to drive on Autopia. James drove with her and said she was laughing like this the whole time. We are looking forward to lots more memories there over the coming year.

Vienna Joyce turns 1!!!

2010-08-02T10:36:00.001-07:00

I can't believe a year ago, Molly was calling to say they were going to do a C-section and would I be willing to go in with John. Everyday with this precious child is a blessing. Molly and John had a great party at a park near their house. My mom made Vienna this really cute tutu.

It was such a beautiful day and great weather to add.

These two are the best of buds. They play so well together.

Birthday Girl
She loved her cake.

Tea Time

2010-08-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

My Aunt Joan was out here visiting California and my Aunt Judi decided that would be a great time to get all us Lindley girls together and all our children for a Tea. It was so much fun being together.

We enjoyed pre-lunch scones and sparkling cider together.
We then all had an amazing lunch.

Liana was so excited to be able to sit at the adult table. She also has found a new love for ginger peach tea.

Dessert

Liana Turns 5!!!

2010-07-19T13:01:00.000-07:00

Five years ago, on July 18 at 7:55 pm, our lives were forever changed. Liana Danielle Domingo entered our lives and has been an amazing blessing ever since. I am truly blessed daily by being this amazing girls mom. It is not a job I take lightly. We had a great day at Church, Grandma made her this cool crown and bought her a new dress and then we had a few friends and family over for pizza and presents.

Her menu of choice was chips, pizza, and fruit salad.

We made these cute center pieces for the table. Boy time had flown.

I Put together a slide show which took forever but turned out really cute.

Her boy friend Mitchell ( he is 14 and from our church, but has stolen my daughters heart) gave her a gift and she got the biggest smile on her face when Aunt Bri told her who the gift was from.

My mom put together a cool game about Liana. Apparently my friends and family know her better then I do.

Aunt Bri made her chocolate cake with pink frosting.

It was a fun day and she felt very loved.

Swim Lessons

2010-07-19T12:49:00.000-07:00

I went to a Club 21 Fundraiser ( a non-profit serving kids and their families effected by Downs Syndrom) and won amazing swim lessons for Liana. The instructor is amazing and Liana was swimming by the third lesson. Plus she loves him. The first lesson, Liana was the only one not crying and this guy never raised his voice over a high whisper. Kept his cool the whole time. Even when one of the boys was trying to punch him while screaming. I have seen Liana make such amazing strides and feel so much better about her being around water. And there is no way I could afford these on my own. They retail at $375 for 9 30 min. sessions.

Fourth of July

2010-07-19T12:05:00.000-07:00

Okay, these pictures are totally out of order, but it all happened on the same day. Abigail enjoying the firework show.

Lindley trying to show James and John how to Hula Hoop.

And I am proud to be an American. I love 4th of July. This year was no exception. We went to Church, got to swim in the pool at the neighbors, and had amazing BBQ ribs, corn, and rootbear floats. It doesn't get more American then that. It was a fantastic day and fun was had by all.

Liana doing some serious ribbing.

James and Abigail hanging out in the pool.

We then went to Monrovia for a firework show.

She is only 50% American ( okay, not really as she was born here, but you know what I mean) and 50% Filippino, but she is 100% cute.

The kids loved dancing the music before the firework show.

Time sure Flies

2010-06-14T14:58:00.000-07:00

I am always so surprised how time flies. Days and weeks pass and I find myself wondering where it has all gone. I am into my last two weeks of work. It is a bittersweet time for me. I have been at Pasadena Christian Preschool for 8 years this last February. They have seen me get married and have two kids. They are my friends and have been through a lot with me so there is definite sadness in leaving. On the other hand, I get to be a stay at home mom for the first time ever. All this to say, I have not been on top of my blog so here is what we have been up to for the past month and a half. To start off with,, we celebrated Rachel and Lindley's birthdays when they came down for a short visit.

My good friend Angel graduated with her Masters from Pacific Oaks College. I am so proud of her.

Straight from her graduation, we headed down to San Diego to stay at my Aunt and Uncle's place while they were off in Hawaii. It was so relaxing.

It wouldn't be a family get together without some Settlers.

Lots of Crochet

Liana received an award for running four miles at the Jog-A-Thon

Our good friends, the Villegas family came out for a California visit. Jayden and Liana quickly hit it off again.

WE miss these guys so much.

Briahnna had a BBQ at her parents house with their awesome pool.

Memorial Day brought some more BBq and family fun.

Abigail turned 6 months on the 11th and is the happiest baby around. Our little "Chubby Cheeks" smiles at anything that moves.

She loves wrestling her sister.

The first weekend in June was Liana's End of the Year Picnic.

Liana with her balloon bracelet.

Brianna got asked to cater an 8th grade graduation night for E.V. Free Fullerton and asked me to help with her amazing dessert bar.

She is a genius and her desserts were a hit.

June also brought Josies's first birthday party which Abigail loved.I took a day off of work and went to the Beach with Molly, Vienna, and Brianna. It was cloudy most of the time, but it didn't stop us from having fun.

Hopefully it will not be another two months before you hear from me again.

My Creative Husband

2010-04-27T19:15:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows my husband knows he is one creative person. His first trip to the Lake he made a remote control boat out of meat styrofoam, a coke can, and a lollipop. And it worked. Well his new hobby is this crazy remote control car. Liana loves watching him race it, but together they found a fun way to play together. He even put Abigail on the porch in the Bumbo to get her in on the fun. I love seeing the family have fun together.

Eggstravaganza 2010

2010-04-27T19:09:00.001-07:00

Last year our Church wanted to do an Easter Party for those in the neighborhood. We were so pleasantly suprised by how many people came we decided to do it again. Again the Lord brought many new faces to the Church. We had crafts, egg dying, and of course a hunt afterwards. It was really fun and so great to meet new people.

Liana found 34 eggs.

Easter 2010

2010-04-27T18:59:00.001-07:00

I will start this blog by saying I forgot that I have to put the pictures in backwards so they are a bit out of order. You get the idea of what we did for easter all the same. We had a great Easter Service at church followed up by a great meal at the house.

It would not have been Easter without mom's Swedish Rolls

It would not be Easter without my Dad doing his planting. Anyone who knows my daughter knows that she loves her Papa, but also that she loves to help anyone doing a job. My dad was more then willing to get the help.

Liana was in charge of getting all the flowers out of the car.

We dyed eggs in our Life Group.

Have you met Lindley?

2010-03-16T11:52:00.000-07:00

Anyone who knows Lindley, knows what a personality this little girl has. She crackes me up. I had the Sunday night to Monday Night shift of helping with the kids while Darcy was in the hospital. Monday morning, Lindley tells me that Caleb does not have underwear on. Caleb tries to tell me that he doesn't have to wear underwear. I told him on my shift he did. Later that day, Rachel comes down and I am telling her this story. She asked me how I found out he didn't have underwear and I told her Lindley told me, we then asked Lindley how she knew and here is her response. " I tried to give him a wedgie and there was nothing to grab." You just gotta laugh. I love that girl. Maybe that is why Caleb has gone to commando, cuz he is sick of his sister giving him wedgies. I laugh every time I think of her answer. So funny.

Baseball Fun

2010-03-16T11:38:00.000-07:00

Caleb caught for a couple innings and it was hilarious cuz he kept telling the pitcher he was "throwing some real heat".

I swear it is like looking at my brother at the age.

Not so intrested in third base.

So in an effort to help Ben and Darcy out, we all pitched in to help take turns with the kids and with visiting Darcy. This also included going to one of Caleb's baseball games. Anyone who knows Ben knows that he was quite the baseball player in his day. Caleb seems to be following in his footsteps and is actually quite the catcher. Also a position Ben played. Above is one of his great hits of the day.

Welcome Chamberlyn Shay Webster

2010-03-16T11:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, March 12 and 1:14pm Ben and Darcy added member number 6 to their family. Chamberlyn Shay weighed in at a whopping 6 lbs. 9 oz and 19 in. This is Darcy's smallest baby yet. She is so sweet and looks a lot like her sister Lindley. With the ban on children in hospitals in effect we had to coordinate meeting at the hospital so we could take turns visiting Darcy who is doing amazing for her fourth C-Section. That woman is truly amazing.

Okay, there is a funny story that goes along with this picture. My mom came with us to the hospital so we could visit Darcy. James then went down stairs to relieve her of our two girls so she could come up. During that time, Molly, John and Bri show up so James offers to watch Vienna as well. On a side note, Liana was not feeling that well and had thrown up at Caleb's baseball game which we had thought was an effect of too many gummie snacks. I get a call from James to come down to the Lobby. As soon as I get out of the elevator, my heart broke for him. He is holding Vienna who is crying, rocking the stroller with Abigail who is also crying and Liana is crouched on the ground after throwing up again all over the lobby floor. Turns out, not gummy snack induced. What a trooper though and we all survived.

Aunt to number 6. She is the tiniest little thing.

Abigail is three months old

2010-03-11T14:37:00.001-08:00

Our Sweet Baby Abigail is three months old today. I can't even believe it. I have so enjoyed being able to stay home with this little girl for the past three months, but alas I have to go back to work on the 22nd of March. The good news is that it is only for three months and then I get to quit my job and be a full time stay at home mom. Well, I am going to stay on at my school as a sub. I am so excited about this next step in our family's life. Abigail is doing great. Growing every day. I think each month we add another roll to those great chubby legs of hers. She is super talkative. Loves talking to her dad the best. She also loves looking at herself in the mirror. She thinks she is hilarious and so did we. Just this morning Liana said "I just can't stand how cute she is." I feel the same every day. When I think of how long we waited for this little girl, it makes me all the more blessed to have her in our life. We love our little Abigail. Enjoy our short photo shoot.

Jog-A-Thon 2010

2010-03-11T13:41:00.000-08:00

Another Jog-A-Thon at Pasadena Christian School Water Break

Run Liana Run

Waiting to Start

We are so proud of our little Liana. Last year she outran me in her Jog-A-Thon. James, who is way more athletic than I am was in Liberia at the time and left me to do this alone with her. She still ran 12 laps/3 miles. Not bad for a 3 1/2 year old. This year I made sure he had no plans. The Jog-A-Thon had to be rescheduled this year because of rain so they ended up doing it at the elementary school. Liana was amazing and ran 32 laps which is 16 laps around a reg. size track and which is also 4 miles. We couldn't believe it. All in an hour. The funny thing is that she was smiling the whole time. At one point she ran up to one of the girls at her school who then said" Hey Liana lets just walk." Liana just kept running right past her. She is so awsome.

Another Trip to Hollister

2010-03-11T13:39:00.000-08:00

Check out our pics from our last trip to Hollister. Always so much fun. Just put the curser on the pictures to read the captions.

Abigail is two months old

2010-02-18T11:42:00.001-08:00

Time has sure flown and our Abigail is two months old. I took her to the Dr yesterday and got a glowing report. Abigail was so smiley with the Dr until the nurse came in for the shots that is. So she is 11lbs. 2.5 oz and 23in. long. She is doing really well. Letting us put her down more, sleeping great at night and generally getting into a good routine. I have to go back to work on March 22nd so I am coming to the end of my maternity leave and am savoring these days with my precious baby.

Catching up to her big sister.

Liana didn't have these Rolly thighs and I am loving them.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

2010-02-16T19:47:00.000-08:00

We had a very nice are relaxed Valentines Day in the Domingo House. It started out with a nice morning at church. One of the woman in my Church got Abigail the most adorable outfit for one of my showers. Her first mini skirt and cute shoes. She looked adorable as did Liana in her red dress.

I know I am so cute.

The Domingo Girls love eachother.

Stupid Human Tricks

2010-02-06T09:51:00.000-08:00

So Liana was changing into her jammies and came into my room saying " Mommy, look what I can do." The funny thing is that James can do the same exact thing. I tried to get him to do it with her for the video but anyone who knows my husband knows how shy he is. Pretty gross though.

One more Shower

2010-02-06T09:43:00.000-08:00

I have been truly overwhelmed by all those around me who have thrown me showers. This is my third one with Abigail. I am so grateful and appreciative as well feeling very loved. My work threw me a really nice shower last night.

Our yummy red velvet bundt cake.
They held it at The Only Place In Town.

They had to draw a picture of a baby on a paper plate ontop of their head.

Obviously harder then you think.

One of the teachers made Abbie and Liana matching dresses with bloomers. They are so sweet.

Angel was the mastermind behind the shower and my very great friend.

Tim got a hold of my camera when I wasn't looking.

Craft Day at the Hammers

2010-02-06T09:38:00.001-08:00

Don't get any ideas from the title of this post that I have suddenly become crafty. I haven't. What I have done is joined the craft day at my Aunt Judi's house. Her and her girls are all very crafty. I just go down to socialize and make them lunch. Liana and Abigail go with me and we have a fun day together.

Josie just hanging out.

Amy trying to figure out different stitching patterns on her mom's sewing machine.

Judi made a really cute pin cushion.

They all keep trying to tell me that I can make a craft, but I don't think so. I will still enjoy hanging out with them.

Fun with Abigail

2010-02-06T09:10:00.001-08:00

Even though she is only 8 weeks old, our little Abigail is getting to be so much fun. She is very attentive and looks right out you. She of course only has eyes for her dad. I just wanted to share some cute moments with you.

She loves her baths. Especially when given by her dad. She doesn't take her eyes off of him.
AS you can see, she loves anything to do with her dad. Even if it means looking online for car parts. Yes, she smiles in her sleep. It is the cutest thing ever.

Hanging out with Liana in the morning. Liana is a great little babysitter.

She has come to love her Boppy. I was all nervous at first because I thought Abigail was going to be one of these kids who you can never put down, but she is doing much better with that.
James loves making fun of Abigail when she is crying, but it sounds so cute like they are talking to eachother. Liana also decided to play ball with her. I don't think she understands that Abbie cannot catch quite yet.

It pays to have a preschooler teacher for a mom.

2010-02-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

I don't miss anything about work. Okay, maybe some of my coworkers, but I do enjoy having my rainy day goody bag of ideas to pull out of at home. Liana loves being outside and didn't understand why we couldn't play hopscotch in the rain. So her brilliant mom got some painters tape and made one in the kitchen. Liana then made numbers for all the squares. Very cute. Kept her busy all night long as well. For boys, you can use the tape to make a race track for cars. My kids always loved that in the classroom.

She also loves doing crafts and wanted to make a hat. I remember doing this with my kids a long time ago. You hold a piece of newspaper over their head and then wrap scotch tape around it to make it tight around their head. You then staple up the sides. Wahla. You have a hat. She didn't want to decorate it which is also a good idea.

Fun with my cousin

2010-02-03T13:24:00.001-08:00

One of the many things that I love about maternity leave is that I get to see more of my sisters and my niece Vienna. Molly comes over on Wednesdays for Bible study. Most of the time both girls are sleeping, but they get to play together after they wake up. Okay, so Abigail is not so much fun to play with, but Vienna doesn't agree. They are only five months apart and I can see them growing up being great friends. I have such amazing memories with my own cousins who I remain very close to. I am excited to see that in my own kids and their cousins. We are very blessed to come from a family that really loves eachother and loves spending time together. I never dread it, but always look forward to seeing my own cousins. I know our kids will grow up feeling the same way about eachtother.

You can't tell from this picture, but Abigail really does love Vienna.

Mommy's little smiler.

2010-02-03T13:06:00.001-08:00

I know most people will tell you that newborns only smile because of gas. I am not a firm believer in that cuz my little Abigail has smiled since the day we brought her home from the hospital. She smiles all the time and especially when James is talking to her. Her whole face lights up. She is her smiliest after her morning feeding. I lay her on the bed with Liana while I get ready and the two of them just keep smiling at eachother. It is so cute. I just needed to share it with you guys.

We call her "Chubby Cheeks" for obvious reasons.

Just try not to smile while looking at that cute face. I dare you.

Bad Weather Shelter

2010-01-23T16:22:00.000-08:00

Last night, our church hosted the Bad Weather Shelter here in Pasadena. It is our second year doing it. We basically set up all the beds and then make and serve the meal for all those who come. It is such a great opportunity to serve and also makes you so thankful for what you have.

James bringing in the groceries.
Since Brianna is so used to feeding the masses she was the head chef and got everyone going. WE couldn't have done it without her.

Some of the youth putting together utensil packs.

The men were in charge of setting up all the beds.

My dad and Tim getting the food ready.

There is a lot of down time as you wait for the next wave of people to come.

Our Assembly line.

Our Dishwashers.

We served dinner to 150 people. The got grilled chicken, rice, veggies, a roll, and a parfait for dessert.

We can't really take pictures of all the homeless in the gym, but I snuck one of them getting food by the kitchen. It was a really meaningful time of serving together.

Dress Up Time

2010-01-19T16:57:00.000-08:00

You never know what is going to happen on Monday Nights when the Webster kids come up. One thing I can guarentee is that at some point, Lincoln will find his way to Liana's room and you will never know what he will come out wearing. This last week he came out and Liana said " I am the daddy and he is the mommy." I know we shouldn't encourage this, but it is so funny. I have to say I had a hard time talking to him at dinner with that silly hat on.

Lincoln

Liana

Lindley " Need I say more"

Abigail is a month old.

2010-01-19T16:46:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it, but our Abigail is already a month old. It has gone so quickly already. We took her to the Dr. last week and she already outweighs how much Liana did at her age by two pounds and is an inch longer. We have taken to calling her chubby cheeks for obvious reasons. Abigail weighs 9lbs. 1.5 oz (50th %tile) and is 21in. (75th-90th%tile). Currently her intrests are boobies and sleeping. She smiles all the time and loves her big sister. She sleeps great. Already does a 6 hr. stretch at night and eats great. She also loves being held ALL THE TIME!!!!! Don't even think about setting this one down or she will let you hear it. I had lots of fears about being able to handle two and believe me, I have my moments, but for the most part I love it. I have to give a lot of that credit to Liana who is so amazing. She loves her sister so much and is the biggest help to James and I. We can't wait to see what all Abigail's personality will entail.

Chubby Cheeks

Any job I give James, he pawns off on Liana. She doesn't mind at all.

She especially loves changing the diapers.

I couldn't be any luckier. Oh, and for those who were wondering, the debate is over and we will be spelling it Abbie. James only calls her Abbie, but I love Abigail and will call her that as long as she lets me.

Rose Parade 2010

2010-01-07T21:07:00.001-08:00

Every year we have the pleasure of being bombarded by tourist who come to enjoy the Rose Parade. It is a really cool parade and worth coming up to see if you have never done it. We had such a late night the night before that Liana slept till 10:45 and we just caught the very end which was actually okay with me. She really loves the parade though.

Here we are with our girls. Abigail keeps sleeping through all these fun things we are doing.

Science Center and Natural History Museum

2010-01-07T20:56:00.000-08:00

Having James off of work during Christmas Break and me being on maternity leave allowed us to do many of the fun things during the week that we never get to do. We had heard great things about the Science Center and decided to take Liana there. It was really cool and fun for James probably more then Liana who just liked pushing all the buttons on everything. We then walked over to the Natural History museum which was really cool. Abigail of course slept through everything.

Listening to air through tubes.
One of the Discovery Rooms for kids.

Learning about Solar Power.

Dr. Liana

The Rose Garden

Liana and I with the Elephants and no I am not leaking, Abigail just threw up on me.

Who is bigger?

First Fire Engine

Christmas 2009

2010-01-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

So I started to download all my pictures from Christmas and realized that it would be easier to make a slideshow so here it is. I had an absolutely blessed Christmas. I was surrounded with all my family and had my baby here. I could not have asked for a better time. It was full of laughs, great food, family, and lots of games. It was a perfect Christmas. I am so glad that I was not stuck in the hospital with a newborn, but able to enjoy it all to the fullest.

Introducing Abigail Joy Domingo

2009-12-30T19:31:00.000-08:00

As many of you know, my due date was December 25. I was stressing a lot about this not wanting to be in the hospital over Christmas. This was the year that all my siblings were here for Christmas and I did not want to miss out on all the fun. Over the past month, my blood pressure had been getting increasingly higher. Not dangerous, but enough to where my Dr. had me coming in twice a week for non stress tests to monitor the baby and make sure that all was okay with her. On Dec. 10, I went in for my routine appointment and test. My blood pressure was the highest that it had been. My Dr. got really quiet and I asked her what she wanted to do. She told me that she wanted to get the baby out. She said that all was great with the baby and she did not want to wait until the baby went into stress. Now this was not at all what I was expecting when I went to the appointment so I was totally thrown for a loop. She went to call the hospital to make sure they could take me. She came back telling me I had a 4pm appointment to be admitted to the maternity ward to be induced. As I left, I started to really freak out. The weight of it all was becoming a lot for me to take. I tried calling James at work to let him know that he would have to get off early, but he wouldn't answer. After many attempts, I finally just drove to his work to find him. He was really excited to know we were going to meet our little one so soon. I then went home and to Target to get some last minute things and to pack my hospital bag. I tried to rest, but it was all too much for me to take. After what seemed like forever, I was finally going to put an end this long pregnancy and finally find out what I had been carrying for all these months.

It was so wierd going to the hospital with not having any contractions, but this whole thing went really well. I got some meds and hooked up to IV's and monitors to get it all moving. The Dr. anticipated that it would take a long time to get contractions going. Although, she did not know how anxious Abigail was to meet us. By 3am my contractions were getting really intense and I asked for the epideral. Now I did not have one with Liana, and let me tell you that I will never have another baby without one. Why go through all that pain when you don't have to. I don't need the bragging rights at all. By 6:30 am, my nurse who had been with me the whole night was ending her shift and checked me one last time to find I was fully dialted. 5 minutes later my water broke. The next nurse called my Dr. and once my dr. arrived, 3 pushes later, Abigail Joy was born. I cried like a baby and was overcome with complete thankfulness for our little sweetness.

Here I am before feeling anything.

Because it did take a while for me to have contractions, James got lots of time in on his PSP.

This is my great nurse Karen, who was with me the whole night and left 45 minutes before Abigail was born. She was on the night shift the next night so she came by to visit to see the baby. She was amazing and 19 weeks pregnant with her first. Hopefully I didn't scare her too much.

I am so glad to finally meet my beautiful daughter.

Dr. Kathryn Iwata. My great OB. She also deliverd Liana in the very same room.

Aunt B was my first visitor.

Even though he was hoping for boy, you can clearly see that he was not disappointed with our Abigail.

Aunt Darcy quickly made the trip up to meet her new niece.

Followed by Papa Bear

I wish I had gotten as much sleep as she did those first few days.

Arriving home while everyone was gone at Church.

Liana was so excited to finally meet her little sister that she had been waiting so long to meet.

She couldn't stop smiling.

Work Christmas Party

2009-12-30T19:24:00.000-08:00

On December 5, my work met again at The Only Place In Town in Old Town Sierra Madre for our annual Christmas party. It was a great evening with wonderful food, fun gift exchange and lots of laughs.

Jessica and Cindy.
Heather, Pam, and Sydney

Tim was super excited about his fuzzy gingerbread socks.

Tim and Daisy

Silvia and I

Thanksgiving and Sea World

2009-11-28T12:07:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I love being with family. I love food. I love naps. I love relaxing. That is exactly what this year's Thanksgiving was for me. James and I went down to my Aunt Jean and Uncle Dave's in El Cajon with other family from my mom's side and we had a really great time together. There is so much to be thankful for this year especially. I am always so thankful for my parents and their amazing generosity in allowing James and I and our ever growing family to live with them. I am so thankful for my amazing husband who never ceases to amaze me at what he is capable of doing. I am very thankful for this new baby that could be arriving very soon. James and I have wanted a second for so long and are so grateful that the Lord has allowed us to have a second in His timing. I am so thankful for all my nieces and nephews who always make me smile. I am so thankful that James and I both have jobs. I am just thankful. Here are a few pics of our wonderful thanksgiving.

Liana making pecan pie with Papa.
Liana reading There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie to Aunt Jean

Boys and Football

Jean had it decorated so beautifully for us.

Yummy Desserts

Yummy Lunch

It wouldn't be a Lindley gathering with games that required you to put napkins on your head. We are laughing at Grandpa who just tried to describe Barney as a place where you put your cows and horses.

The next morning, we enjoyed coffee and scones out by the pool in the great San Diego weather.

Enjoying the Sun and some Cereal

James and Liana at Sea World. Thank God I could opt out of that ride.

Can you find Liana?

Amazing how it was only the day after Thanksgiving, but they were already all decorated for Christmas at Sea World. Here we are with our Shamu Santa Hats.

Waiting in Line for the 4-D Polar Express movie. James looks cute, don't you think?

James and the gang on Atlantis

Here is our friend Angel's Daughter Allyson. Liana was making her laugh and it was too cute not to include. This was our last trip to Sea World with our passes seeing as they run out at the end of December. It was a fun day, but I was ready to get home and relax.

Stone Soup

2009-11-28T11:58:00.001-08:00

At my preschool, every year, our way to celebrate Thanksgiving with the kids is to make Stone Soup. It has a really cute story that goes along with it about a traveler who comes into a town very hungry, but everyone tells him they have no food to share. He tells them if someone gives him a pot with water he will teach them how to make soup out of a stone and share it with them. He gets the stone and tells them it smells good, but would be even better if it had a carrot. One townsman says he thinks he ones carrot left at home. I think you see where the story is going. All the villagers end up contributing to the soup and they all share it together vowing never to let anyone leave their town hungry again. So we have all the kids sign up to bring a vegetable and we make stone soup with them. It can be pretty crazy giving two year olds knives and all, but they did really well this year. Here are a few pictures of the fun we had.

We even set the table really nice for them for lunch. It was a fun way to celebrate with them.

Dave and Laura's Wedding

2009-11-22T15:11:00.000-08:00

Saturday, we got to go attend a wedding for a couple in our Church. They are great friends of ours and it was a really special night.

Liana looked so beautiful
Laura's sister Natalie and Dave's daughter Simone looked beautiful.

It was a short ceremony so it was standing room only.

The flower girls

The beautiful Bride

The Davenports.

Dave, Laura, James and I.

If you look closely, Liana is third from the back in the Conga Line

Liana dancing with the Bride

Liana dancing with her dad.

Liana dancing with Heather. So Liana loved dancing the night away as you can see.

Ladybug Birthday Party

2009-11-22T15:02:00.000-08:00

Liana was invited to a birthday party for one of the kids in her class this Saturday. It was a ladybug theme and very cute. In their basement, they had all kinds of ladybug coloring pages for the girls.

This is Liana with the birthday girl Kaitlyn. All the girls were to dress in black and they made ladybug wings for all of them.
Here are all the Ladybugs. Notice above the mantle. The goody bags were Eric Carle's the grouchy ladybug with ladybug stickers and a lollypop. Very cute.

Lunch time

Getting ready for the cake.

Trip To Hollister To Visit the Puffers

2009-11-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

Last weekend, James, Liana, and I made a trip up to see Jason and Rachel of course the cutest little Sophie. It is very important to us that even though they don't live 20 minutes away anymore, that we get together as much as we can. The drive is extremely boring, but not as bad as I was expecting and we had a really good, but too short of time with them. We all know Jason is not a city boy at all and as soon as we saw him, he radiates how happy he is up there. He loves his job, being home for dinner and getting weekends off. It was so good to see them in such a good place.

James hanging with the girls
Liana loved giving Sophie her bottle everynight. I think she is going to be a great big sister.

We went on a great picnic, but it was freezing and i let Rachel talk me out of bringing my sweater. We got a great view from the top, though.

Rachel and I were laughing at this picture. James and Jason are so involved in the conversation, that they do not realize that Liana is jumping off the side of the cliff.

The Domingo Family

Rachel put us to work and Liana was more then happy to help the apple cake dessert which was to die for.

Sophie felt a bit left out with everyone getting dinner ready so we put her high chair by the window so she could watch the boys BBQing.

Some good 'ole rough housing with Jason.

Jason's brother and family came over for dinner and some Settlers. Jason won.

The Girls

The Puffers. We can't wait to make the next trip with one more kid in tow.

Happy Halloween

2009-11-03T20:45:00.001-08:00

Our Halloween weekend ended up being a bit more crowded then was originally thought. My poor sister in law was admitted to the hospital on Thursday with viral meningitis. That meant we got the three kids for the weekend. Knowing it was Halloween and they had lots of fun stuff planned, my mom and I wanted to still make it special for all of them. Friday night we got the three younger ones in the mood by printing Halloween coloring pages off the internet. Caleb was not even slightly intrested in coloring. I was so impressed how long they all sat there keeping busy. Even Lincoln lasted a good 15 minutes with the girls.

Halloween morning, I woke up and made a big breakfast for everyone which included some very yummy pumpkin pancakes.

I woke up at 7:45 with Liana already dressed in her costume. Her generous Aunt B. got it for her and I wouldn't let her wear it until Halloween for fear of ruining it.

So here is my little Peacock. She was beautiful if I do say so myself.

These two just adore eachother. Lincoln loved his pumpkin costume.

Caleb only got in the mood when we headed over to Church for Falloween. Poor Lindley started to run a fever herself and had to stay home with Papa.

Here we are at our church Falloween Festival. Liana and Lincoln getting a hay ride.

James and I. He got hit after this picture for calling me Big Tummy Mama.

My sister Molly showed up with her sweetie Vienna. She borrowed Liana's first Halloween costume. It was a toss-up who was a cuter lobster.

I know. Big Belly Mama. Only 7 weeks to go.

Lincoln, Liana, James, and I also did some trick-or-treatings as well and the evening turned out a lot of fun. I feel bad that Lindley missed out, but she was feeling so bad that I don't think she even minded herself that much.

Brianna turns 30!

2009-10-26T17:41:00.001-07:00

My amazing sister Brianna turned 30 on October 15. Like only Brianna can, she threw one amazing party at her house. She truly puts any party planner to shame. She is so amazing at what she does and i was just so glad that I was able to go to it.

Darcy, Me, Bri, Molly, and Rachel
She got these great pillows and blankets which came in handy when it got colder in the evening.

She had these cute pictures of her framed all over her yard.

An amazing bar. Of course I stayed to the yummy spa water and fanta.

You almost did not want to eat off the table because it looked so beautiful. Luckily the food looked really good so i got over it.

The girl is a genius when it comes to catering.

She made homemade baked potato soup and meatballs. So yummy.

The best cheesecake ever.

Brianna's amazing red velvet cake.

James and John enjoying the food and the bar.

Okay, so I had worked all day on Friday and then rushed over after getting ready to help Bri get set-up. It hit about 10pm and I was starting to fade fast. James on the other hand wanted to party all night. It took me 40 minutes to finally agree to go home and he came about and hour and a half later with Rachel. That says a lot about what a great party Brianna threw. It was a really fun night and it was so great to see Brianna surrounded by so many people who love her and know how great she is.

Pumpkin Patch

2009-10-26T17:21:00.000-07:00

I find that every year I try to find another fun thing that our family can do as a tradition. Something other then going to Lake Topaz which is the ulitmate tradition, but I am always looking for something on a smaller scale. Last year, my good friend Angel and Anthony invited us out to this great farm and pumpkin patch out by their house. We had a great time together. When we got to October this year, we planned another trip together. I invited my niece Lindley up this time and we had lots of fun together.

Lindley and Liana watching the pig races.
Having fun at Underwood Family Farm

The fun Corn Maze. Okay, this looks really fun, but got ridiculous how hard it was to actually get out of. I was starting to wish we had James' GPS.

We got very cornfused

You can tell they are cousins, right? Here we are on our wagon ride around the farm.

The girls had a great time picking out their little pumpkins.

Whose is bigger?

Fun was had by all.

James' Jack-O-Lantern

Liana's Jack-O-Lantern

They kinda have the same smile, don't you think?

Lindley did not mind the slimey insides at all.

While everyone was outside carving pumpkins, my friend Angel and I were busy making pumpkin buns. Very yummy.

30 Weeks Down Ten To Go!

2009-10-11T16:42:00.000-07:00

I realized that I have not posted anything about my pregnancy on my blog. Maybe that is because the first 15 weeks I was attached to the toilet with all the horrible morning sickness. Today, I am 30 weeks pregnant. I am so excited to be only 10 weeks away from meeting our little baby. When Liana was almost two, James and I decided that it would be a good time start on a sibling. Unfortunately, the Lord had other plans for us. After 2 1/2 years of trying and a miscarriage we finally got a surprise last March that we were finally expecting. Now, I am not generally an pessimistic kind of person, but after having a miscarriage, I suddenly became one. I wouldn't let myself get excited. I was so sure that we would lose this one too. Of course I was hoping that would not be the case. At my first appointment at 8 weeks, Liana, James and I all got to see a very strong heartbeat. Then came my 12 week. They couldn't find one. I remember laying on the table thinking to myself that I could just not go through this again. My Dr. took me into the ultrasound room and immediately found a very strong heartbeat. That is when i got emotional.

The morning sickness hit me right away. And it was much worse then Liana. With Liana, I was sick for 21 weeks, but it would just be pockets of the day. With this one, it was literally from the moment I woke till I closed my eyes at night, I felt horrible. Only throwing up 4 times a day was a good day for me, but most was about 7-8 times. I was working with two year olds and the parents in my class were very supportive and so kind. But it was not fun at all. Once I finally started feeling better I started allowing myself to enjoy the pregnancy. Liana was amazing during this time. We would get home from school and she would tell me to go to bed and rest a while and that she would just go play in her room. She is a true blessing.

Everything has been going really well. James and I are really getting more excited about meeting this little gift. Of course, I am nervous. Liana was the best baby ever. She slept good and ate good and has pretty much been more then we could ever ask for. This has set the bar pretty high for this new one.

We don't know what we are having. It drives everyone else crazy, but I love not knowing. I am not a planner and organizer so it works out not knowing. We do have names picked out. Elijah Benjamin for a boy and Abigail Joy for a girl. My due date is Dec. 20 and we are hoping for early or at least on the due date. I am going to the same Dr. I had with Liana who I am really happy with.

So we will see what these next ten weeks hold. I dream of the day that I get to hold this little life in my arms that we have waited so long for. You will all be the first to know.

2009-08-28T09:01:00.000-07:00

Catalina

2009-08-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, Liana and I left with some friends of mine from work for a three night vacation on Catalina Island. I had not been there since I was 20 and I didn't stay in Avalon so I was really looking forward to the time away. We rented a house which ended up being only a two minute walk from the beach and downtown. It was perfect for us. James unfortunately was unable to come because they were black out weeks for his school. We missed him a lot, but had a great time. We enjoyed relaxing days at the beach, boat tours, and playing games in the evening. Liana had a fantastic time and really enjoyed the vacation as well. It is definitely a vacation we will have to take again.

Long Beach Jr. Concert Band

2009-08-27T12:24:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday, my dad invited us down to Bolsa Chica Beach to hear him in his drum corp. It is all people who were or are drummers in the Long Beach Concert Band. My dad started it when he was in Jr. High and is the oldest drummer to actually play. There was one guy older them him, but he didn't play. It is very cool. It is men of all ages and some of them are still in the current band. They all meet once a year at the beach to do this concert and it is so awsome. My dad's drum is the one with the orange tassles in the back.

He plays the snare drum and here is a picture of all the guys who are the snares.
Sophie loved it, but it was so loud that Rachel was afraid she would blow out an ear drum.

Liana didn't enjoy it as much. She hates anything loud.

Here is the fam before they started.

My dad getting ready.

The Domingo Family

Here is a small taste of what it was like. It was actually really cool and my dad was really glad that we all went there.

Vienna Joyce Swanson Arrives

2009-08-02T18:34:00.000-07:00

Saturday, July 25 started with an early morning phone call from my sister Molly. She had apparently been violently throwing up since 2 a.m. and after calling her Dr. was on the way to hospital to get checked out. There was an original thought that this could be the onset of labor which we were all hoping for. Unfortunately, things did not go so easily for poor Molly. Apparently, she had some bad stomach virus that was also causing her to have a high fever. After a long day of feeling horrible and being monitored, her Dr. recommended that they do a C-section and get this baby out. With Molly's fever and all they had no way of monitoring the baby to see if it was fighting the same virus Molly had. A quick call from Molly sent my mom and I flying to the hospital with the news that a C-section was going to happen. After literally just walking into the hospital I get a call from Molly asking if I would mind going into the operating room with John. Anyone who knows Molly's husband knows he is a bit squeamish and she wanted someone else in there in case John went down. I quickly agreed and got gowned up.

John did amazing. It was quite an amazing experience to be a part of. Molly kept asking John how he was doing and John kept assuring him he was fine and kept asking her how she was doing. He did amazing and to be honest, I probably did not need to be there at all. He was a star. Unfortunately, because of Molly's fever they let Molly kiss her quickly and John got a quick hold and then they rushed her off the NICU to do tests to make sure she was okay.

Her she is. All 6lbs. and 14oz. and 19 1/2 in. They had her on a lot of monitors and even had her on an IV for feedings, but it all was just precautionary until they got all the test results back saying she was free of any virus. Molly continued to feel bad and not being able to hold or even see her daughter for the first 48 hours was heart wrenching. But she is a tough cookie and held up great.

The nurses in the NICU were great and took wonderful care of our little one.

Molly and Vienna got to go home on Wednesday and are both doing well. Here is James holding his new niece and Liana loving on her new cousin. Any new mom knows that there is a lot to get adjusted to, but overall Vienna is doing great and she has two of the proudest parents around. It has been absolutely wonderful to see her proud daddy John. He can't stop smiling or bragging about her. She is stinkin' cute, though, so I don't blame him.

We have waited a long time to meet you, little girl. Welcome to the family.

Liana Turns 4!!

2009-07-25T14:33:00.000-07:00

Our Sweet little Liana is four. I can't believe how fast time flies. Every year seems to go quicker and quicker. We have been so blessed with having her in our lives, her amazing sense of humor, and just seeing ourselves in her just makes us love her more. We decided to take her and her cousin Lindley to San Diego for a fun weekend including a day at Sea World. We started the weekend with celebrating with her class at school on Friday.

She got to put candles on her cake before they sang her happy birthday. That is her teacher and my good friend Daisy with her.
Her great teachers Miss Daisy and Miss Jessica

Liana's birthday snack choice was Mochi and Pirate Booty. Not an appetizing combination if you ask me, but it is her birthday.

James picked Liana and I up from school and then we headed down to pick up Lindley. Thank God for DVD players. Kept the girls very entertained in Friday traffic.

Saturday morning we woke up and started the morning getting a sprinkle donut which is Liana's favorite.

Waiting for the Shamu show to start.

Lindley had a great time and loved all the shows.

Waiting for a ride in Elmo's Bay of Play

Since I am pregnant I got out of climbing with the kids.

The girls with Zoe

It was very hot so they had a great time in the water.

James with the girls in the Polar Bear Den.

One of the last shows of the day was the night time Dolphin show. Very cool.

Sunday was a great day as well. We were staying at my Aunt Jean and Uncle Dave's house and it ended up being a little family reunion as a bunch of cousins came down for the day.

James with the adorable Josie. My cousin Heidi's 6 week old.

And of course we enjoyed Jean and Dave's beautiful pool.

The boys enjoyed a game of Horse.

Lindley is a little fish and didn't get out of the pool for 5 hours except a small break for lunch. We had a fantastic weekend and hope to make it down there very soon again.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

I just love 4th of July. It always means good food with good company. This 4th, my sister Brianna invited us all over to her place for a very nice BBQ. It was so nice to all be together and we had a great time.

Liana and Sophie hanging out.
Ok. Sophie is just so stinkin' cute

I had to get in on the fun.

The girls reading while food is getting prepped.

Once Molly and John arrived, Liana found a good friend to relax with.

Enjoying the grub.

James, the BBQ master

Liana claimed John as her "Prince". She would not let him out of her sight.

Jamie, Liana, Rachel, and Molly

Brianna has done lots of work in her yard that made it really relaxing to hang out in.

My friend Tiffany came and did some face painting to help us get in the mood.

She looked so cute, I had to get one as well.

So, Pasadena says it is illegal to use fireworks, but that did not stop James and John from setting them off.

Liana loved watching them, but didn't like it when they got loud.

So the most fun is when John and James set up the ground finale and even played the national anthem from James' ipod. Molly as you can see really got into it.

While the guys went to go find firworks, the ladies played games.

The hostess with the mostess. Brianna gave us a great evening which ended with homemade ice cream and coffee.

Swim Lessons

2009-07-05T17:24:00.001-07:00

Liana has been getting private swim lessons. The school James works at has a really great indoor swimming pool. It also just so happens that one of the swim instructors who also goes to a church offered to give Liana lessons at a really great price. It has been really fun to watch our little fish and after every lesson we are able to see good progress. She still forgets to come up for air and swims mostly under water, but she is getting better and better. She has no meat on her bones, so she gets really cold really fast, but she loves it. She keeps telling us " I need to keep getting swim lessons so I don't have to wear my life jacket anymore." Good summer memories.

Vacation Bible School

2009-07-05T14:19:00.000-07:00

The last week in June was met with fun filled evenings at church participating in Vacation Bible School. We had a really good turn out and it was really fun to see some non-church members join us. We met the last week in June for 6:30-8:00pm. Most in our church work so we had to do it in the evening to get enough volunteers. It was a great time together. The theme was God Rocks.

Liana and Heather waiting for worship to start

Tim Led Worship and the preschool age kids loved going up to help him.

The theme verse was John 3:16 which the kids learned through a very fun song with motions.

Heather and I led the preschool age class. We had a really special time with the kids. What a privelege to teach these little ones about God's love for them.

Fun with an old Friend

2009-07-05T14:02:00.000-07:00

Do you like Facebook? After lots of pressure I finally got into it and I have to say I love it. It is a great way to stay connected with people that you might never see. So one day I was on facebook and saw my old friend from Austria was coming to California with her family on vacation. I immediately requested that we meet up. Erica's family was also missionaries in Austria and we went to the same school. She was two years ahead of me, but still a very good friend.

We had a great time catching up and meeting eachother's kids.

It is fun getting together with friends from the past, because it is like no time has passed.

Jog-A-Thon Award

2009-07-05T13:52:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know I have been missing for a while. I am 16 weeks pregnant and am finally feeling good for the first time in a long time. I decided I needed to catch you up on what has been going on with the Domingos.

So the beginning of June, Liana got to attend the PCS Jog-A-Thon Award cerememony. Back in March she rain 3 miles in our Jog-A-Thon. She recieved an award that had her name engraved on it which was really cool.

Dancing with the Stars (OK, with Lindley and Liana)

2009-05-02T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, Monday nights at our house involve watching Dancing with The Stars. As many of you know, my sister Brianna does the catering for the show. She gives us all the inside scoop on everything and everyone so we enjoy watching the show with her details in mind. On the nights Lindley gets to come up, her and Liana get so excited to watch. My mom and I are glad that they want to watch so we can take a break from the Disney Chanel and Noggin for a while. Last week they got all dressed up and then wanted us to score them after they danced. I think Carrie Ann might have taken some points off because there were some definite lifts, but still fun to watch. I give them a 10!

As you can see, Lindley is a born dancer. Ben and Darcy are not sure who to blame for her dance moves, but we all agree it comes from Ben. Lincoln totally got into it as well and wanted to join the fun. High Heels and all. Ben keeps telling us not to encourage him, but how can you not, he is so stinkin' cute. That's why we call him Stinkin' Lincoln.

Sea World here we come!!

2009-04-19T16:37:00.000-07:00

So my friend Angel and her husband Anthony had gotten four free tickets to go to Sea World. We organized a day to go down to spend time at the park together. It was such a fun and beautiful day. We had a fantastic time together. And because right now Sea World has a great deal, we got passes for the rest of the year so we plan on making many more trips down there.
James, Liana, and I actually came down on Thursday and spent the night at my Aunt and Uncle's so we did not have such a long drive in one day. We had fun at Elmo's Bay Of Play while we waited for our friends to arrive. Here Liana and I are on Elmo's equivelant of Dumbo.

They had those crazy mirrors. Here is what Liana would look like at 200lbs. It was so funny.

James and Liana waiting for the Dolphin Show. They were her favorite. It was such a beautiful day and not too hot. Perfect Day for Sea World.

Liana, Andrew, Ally, and Brandon. Even though there is quite an age difference, they all get along great. Brandon is in 6th grade, Andrew is in 1st, Liana is 3, and Ally is only 7 months.

Checking out the Tide Pools

The Domingo's with the Flamingos

We took the SkyRide which gives you a great view of the Park and the Ocean.

Back at the Bay of Play, the Seasame Characters came out and sang while James and Liana were waiting in line for a ride.

So the boys decided to go on Shipwreck Rapids and all got completly soaked. They were all freezing for the rest of the night.

They are still having fun here.

Angel, I ,and the girls did not want to get wet so we walked around the tide pools and the aquarium.

Liana loved this crazy Starfish

Liana and Andrew after buying their Shamu loot.

Brandon and Liana waiting for the Shamu Rocks show which is at night. Very cool show.

Liana did not quite make it to the end of the show, but it had been a long day for her.

Easter 2009

2009-04-19T12:22:00.000-07:00

I just love Easter. The pretty dresses, the cute hats, and of course celebrating the resurrection of our Lord. It all makes for a great day to celebrate. Our Easter started with a great service at Church.

Liana just looked adorable in her dress and hat. She has always loved her hats.
Okay, you can't look at this without cracking a smile yourself. Just try. She of course is laughing at her Uncle Jimmy who we call the Baby Whisperer.

Domingo Family looking their best.

Liana (31/2), Licoln (2), Lindley (6, almost), and Caleb (7)

Try to get 5 kids to sit and get a good picture of all of them. Sophie won because it was the cutest of her.

We put the men in charge of hiding the eggs and they sure made it hard. Even hiding eggs where the gas tank in the car is.

Liana is excited because she finally found one. Did I mention that they hid them really well.

Here Uncle Ben is trying to give Liana a hintof where to look.

James has an Uncle visiting from the Philippines and some of his cousins. We went to visit with them after lunch with my family. Here he is with one of his cousins.

Here Liana is with some of her second cousins. It is funny because she doesn't stand out as much with these cousins as she does with her own. They got along great. The one in pink is Sophia and is the same age as Liana.

Here James and Liana are visiting with another cousins. It made for a great Easter Sunday.

Foothills' Eggstraveganza

2009-04-19T11:56:00.001-07:00

This year, our Church, Foothills Community Church, held a neighborhood Easter Eggstraveganza. It was led and directed by Brian Imm who leads the Children's ministries at the Church. It was the first year that we did it and it turned out great. We had lots of neighborhood families and even a family as far as Hacienda Heights who saw it advertised on our Church website. It was a great morning of fun crafts, games, and of course an Egg Hunt.

Here the kids are lining up for the Egg Hunt.

Heather and Liana dying Eggs

This little girl won a prize for collecting the most eggs. She found 54.

Adam was a close second with 51 Eggs.

Liana played a game where you had to push the egg with your nose. She didn't win, but looked very cute doing it.

Brian had organzied for 4 different tables with all different crafts for the kids to do. They were a big hit.

It was funny to watch the families, because the parents got way more into the crafts and dying eggs then their kids did.

I was in charge of the coffee filter flower craft. All those years of working with preschooler finally pays off. We even used scented markers so the flowers smelled fruity.

James' Trip To Liberia

2009-04-04T08:54:00.000-07:00

I figured it is about time to fill you in on James' amazing trip to Yekepa, Liberia. He left on March 7 and after 21 hours of flying, 12 hours of layovers, and a 7 hour jeep ride, the team finally made it to African Bible College. They had a lot of work ahead of them which James dove into head first. He loved knowing what all this was going towards. He had the most fantastic time and I think was one of the only people on the team not wanting to come back yet. He loved all the people and made great friends in such a short amount of time. I tried to pick a few pictures that would give you a small glimpse of what all they did there.
In the Library a beautiful picutre of my Grandma Lois was posted along with a dedication of her life to spreading God's Word. James said it was really special having them look over all they were doing.

Here James is hanging the sign welcoming you to the Lois Lindley Memorial Library.

My cousins's husband Caleb worked furiously in getting all the computors networked. In a very unfortunate event, after gererators were switched without lowering the voltage, the school basically fried 32 of their new computors. Luckily, only two from the Library were actually plugged in at the time. The Library has 18 good computors they can still use. It was a huge loss.

The team had the opportunity to go visit a local orphanage. James had taken a suitcase full of toys and fun stuff for the kids. He was so sad to see how these kids live and overwhelmed with how much their love for God was so prevelant. Sometimes it seems it is easier to love God and trust in Him when you do not have worldly possessions to block your view of Him.

Here he is with some fo the kids. This is where they sleep. And the boy sprayed in white just got into paint is all.

Here my grandpa Verl is helping organize the books. Or maybe he is just trying to find one. I don't really know. I just thought it was a cute picture.

Liberia Team: James, Caleb, Judi, Doug, Grandpa, and Brad

Here is a great view of the Library almost done. Looks great, don't you think?

During the Dedication, my grandpa was made on Honorary Chief. Here they are with some of the students at the college.

The team were all given a ABC University T-Shirts as well.

This is during the dedication service. I love th picture of Grandma in the back.

James just figured out where they were taking him. Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support. It was a great and very meaningful trip for James as well as the rest of the team.

Fun at the Jog-A-Thon

2009-03-17T18:41:00.000-07:00

So this last Saturday, Liana's school had a Jog-A-Thon. Way back when I signed us up to help, James was going to be the one to run with her. Well, once I knew that he was not going to be there, I should have started training. I am the first one to point out how out of shape I am. Well, it was a fun day and Liana ran 12 laps totalling 3 miles. Crazy, I know. Needless to say, I could not keep up with this little girl most of the time and she ran most of it by herself. By lap 10 she had slowed down enough for me to walk with her. I am fully aware of how bad this is making me sound, but it is the truth.
As soon as she finished, she sat down and told us that her legs really hurt.

Here we are at the starting line. The Jog-A-Thon lasted an hour.

We are gearing up to go. It was still really early so she was not really in the mood to be out of bed and then needing to run on top of it.

My mom was kind enough to step in for James to help out punching the cards. Here Liana is checking in.

They actually have two different times you can run. I signed up to help at the 7:30 and got stuck at the water table. The sun had not come out yet, so it was quite cold. Liana loved helping out too.

So here is my little track star. She was so stinkin cute. James will be so proud of her when he hears about this when he gets home.

Team Liberia

2009-03-09T17:14:00.000-07:00

So my dear husband, my Aunt Judi, Uncle Doug, Grandpa, my cousins husband Caleb, and a man I don't really know except his name is Brad, are off to Liberia. My Grandma, Lois Lindley past away this last July. After her death, my grandpa took on the task of finding a way to honor my grandma's life. My grandma's greatest passion in life was to bring God's word to anyone she could. My grandpa decided with a Library for the African Bible College in Yekepa, Liberia. This school had been abandoned after years of civil war and over the past 20 years the jungle has taken it over. As a vision grew for the college to reopen, many have contributed to the rebuilding. After much fundraising and sending a container full of supplies and equipment, the work was on its way.

It was decided that a team would go to help in the completion of the Lois Lindley Memorial Library. My grandpa approached James in February and told him that he thought it would be great if he could join the team. He went to an initial meeting about the trip and came home very excited. I have been learning about how much I put God in a box and when I heard how much we had to raise in such a short amount of time, I told James this was never going to work out. Luckily, his faith is much bigger and he told me, let's just wait and see. God set out to show me just how big He was and in only 3 days James had raised over half his amount already.

After 21 hours of flying, 12 hours of layovers, and a 7 hour jeep ride, the team should have made it to the college. James will be do a wide range of jobs I am sure and lucky for them the man can truly do anything. He can even sew some curtains if they need them. James and the team will be there a little less then 2 weeks and will be home, by March 21. I will give some updates once I get them. Please pray for their team. Along with the work at the Bible College they are going to visit a nearby orphanage as well. I am so proud of my husband and for the amazing blessing he will be to all those that he comes into contact with.

Gotta Love the Classics

2009-03-04T18:43:00.000-08:00

So one of the great things about Liana attending Preschool is that she comes home with all of these great songs. They are the classics. All the songs we learned as kids. I thought you might like to take a listen because she is so stinkin cute. At least we think so.

" Down by the Station"

"Rise and Shine"

" I'm a littel Tea Pot."

Fun with our Little Liana

2009-02-17T19:54:00.000-08:00

So we decided to take Liana bowling with some friends on our day off yesterday. We had taken her on Valentines Day and she loved it so when some friends asked us to go again, she was very excited. Now Liana only weighs 28lbs. so it took her ball a very long time to get down to the pins and sometimes it wouldn't even knock them down, but just move them to the side. She had so much fun.

Here we are waiting for her ball to eventually get down to the pins.
She is so proud that she can do it all by herself.

We are thinking of starting our own league.

You tell me who you think has better skills at the bowling alley. Liana had so much fun and did not want any help.

Our 5th Wedding Anniversary

2009-02-04T21:15:00.000-08:00

This last weekend James and I went to San Francisco to celebrate our 5th Wedding Anniversary. It was a great time together. Our first getaway since our Honeymoon. I know that sounds so sad. It is just the first vacation with just the two of us. It was much needed. We had a fantastic time.

The Domingos at the Golden Gate Bridge
Fisherman's Wharf. We loved walkind around down here even though the fish smell could be overwhelming. We lunched at Boudin's which has the most amazing sourdough bread ever.

James being a tour guide on Alcatraz

A great tour which I highly recommend.

The famous Pier 39. They have great shops and restaurants and great seals.

So, we went to visit some great friends of ours who moved to Concord. They took us miniture golfing in Antioch which is where I was born. We of course had to find the hospital. It wasn't hard as it is the only hospital in Antioch.

Eric and James playing some WWII Wii game.

The Schumachers and Domingos at Golf And Games. We had a great time visiting with Eric and Yvette. It reminded us of how much we have missed them since they moved up there.

The trip was great and we hope to return soon and take Liana the next time. Here's to many more years of marriage together.

Raising a Reader

2009-01-24T17:08:00.000-08:00

Liana recently had a graduation ceremony at the Pasadena Public Library. Our school participated in their Raising A Reader progam. The kids each get a book bag from the library with four books which they take home for the week. They return it for a new bag with different books. At the end of the ten weeks we get to go to the library for a ceremony.
James, Liana, I , and Ms. Daisy (Liana's teacher).

The kids all get a certificate and a Library Book Bag. They are taking a bow for being Future Readers.

I know Liana has her eyes closed, but she is still cute.

Liana waiting her turn.

Enjoying some books on tape while we wait for the ceremony to start. And you are right when you think James is not happy about getting his picture taken.

Rainy Days at School

2009-01-24T16:56:00.000-08:00

So some people wake up and see the rain coming down and hate it. Lots of teachers wake up to the rain and probably hate it even more. I wake up and see the rain and get excited. I love everything about the rain except driving in it of course. I also don't mind the rainy days at work either. You have to be a bit more creative, but that is part of the fun. Here are some of the things we enjoyed on Friday.
The ever faithful playdough and two of my sweet little girls. The peg boards are always a hit. The kids get to stretch rubberbands over them. I have only lost one eye with this activity.

My school is equipped with a covered patio which allows the kids to get outside and not get wet. It is still cold, but they can't tell.

Okay, I found these suction cup balls at Target in the party favor section and they are in my rainy day bag of tricks. I love them. They stick great to windows and the kids love them. Plus they are so soft that if the kids get hit with them they don't hurt. And no I don't throw them at them on purpose.

Liana's class went on a rain walk. The school has a bunch of umbrellas for the kids and they love walking in the rain.

Liana loves walking in the rain and just got the cute raincoat as a hand-me-down from a co-worker. Just in time.

I need a sibling

2009-01-14T21:21:00.001-08:00

Anyone who knows James and I, you know we both come from big families. I am number two of five kids and he is number nine of eleven. We both have always imagined our lives together including a big family. We had only been married about 9 months when we got pregnant with Liana. In our minds eye, no matter how excited we were about it, we could not believe God's crazy timing. I had been working two jobs because we had so much trouble getting James a work visa and James had finally gotten a job he had only been at for about 3 weeks. But we did it and were blessed with an amazing daughter.

She is one of the best kids ever and even though she knows no different, our family just does not seem complete. Last July, we found out that we were pregnant. We were excited, but no near as excited as Liana was. Unfortunately, it was not in God's will for us and I had a miscarriage a few weeks later. James and I are very eager to have another, but know that there is nothing we can do if God does not want us to have another. So in the mean time, we get to let her enjoy being a big sister to her cousin Sophie.

Sophie was over for dinner with her parents and my mom started to give her a bottle. Liana quickly ran to the table and wanted to feed her. She is so sweet and gentle with Sophia and there is a part of me that is so sad for her that we are not able to give her that sibling she so desperately wants. Maybe she will be our only one for us. At least we got the best.

5 Things I am Thankful For.

2009-01-08T09:37:00.000-08:00

When I was younger and would be down in the dumps, my mom would have this way of getting us to realize that things were really not all that bad. She would make us name 5 things that we were thankful for. You would then have to go through the whole week waking up and doing that, not repeating anything from the days before. It sounds stupid, but it really helped. I am not down in the dumps today, but still feel that it is a good practice. It is so easy to look at what we want and not focus on all that God has blessed us with. So today, these are my five, in no particular order.

Sophia Grace Puffer. My newest little niece by my sister Rachel and her husband Jason. She is a constant reminder of God's timing and goodness in our lives. Well, and she is the cutest baby around.My amazing daughter Liana whose love for life is inspirational.

I am thankful that I have a job where I get to be in the same place as my daughter. I am thankful that I have a job at all with how things are going in our economy right now. Even though i feel at times God is pushing me to do something different, I am grateful for Pasadena Christian Preschool. Liana got the book Fancy Nancy from my sister's roomate. She took it to school and her amazing teachers got out all the dress up clothes so they could all be fancy nancy.

James. What can I say? I sure got lucky with this one. He is more then I deserve. God knew what he was doing when he sent me across the world to find him.

Everyday that Jason walks into our house, I feel like crying. I am so thankful that he is home from Iraq and back where he belongs. He is also now finished with the Marines officially after 7 years of service. Even though Jason came home in October, Liana still thanks God every night at dinner that Jason came back from "The Rack". Apparently she thought Jason was just taking a long nap.

So now it is your turn. It is really not hard. What do you have to thank God for today?

Family Fun

2009-01-06T20:13:00.000-08:00

You know how, Saturday comes around and you didn't have anything planned. I usually look forward to those kinds of Saturdays because I am always so busy. Anyways, I have started feeling like James and I are in a rut. On the days we can go out and do something, he usually ends up working on his truck or playing his video games and i just hang out at home. I decided that we needed to get out and do something so with some friends of ours we hopped on the Gold Line and went down to China Town and Alvera Street. Very fun, if you haven't done it you should go. We had a really great time.

Liana loved all the fun shops and no, I did not let her get the hat.

Enjoying Lunch at Hop Louie's.

James and Liana try on hats on Alvera Street. Note the back scratcher James bought in China Town.

Here we are in China Town with our friends, James, Liana, Pam, Tim, Brian, and Heather.

Even though, Liana's face does not show it, she had a great time riding the Gold Line Metro.

2009-01-05T20:36:00.000-08:00

Happy 2009

2009-01-05T20:32:00.000-08:00

So one of the many things that I want to do this year is keep in better touch with my friends and family. I figured having a blog would probably be a great way to do that. So who really knows what all this blog will be about, but it will keep you updated on the exciting times of the Domingo Family. I am sure there will be a few exciting stories of working with two year olds as well. Enjoy!