Under Construction

I was getting the re-decoration itch and since I can't redecorate any of the rooms in my home right now, I decided to re-vamp the blog . . . check back soon for the finished product.

Picnic and Pumpkins!

Last week we met some dear friends at Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center to pick pumpkins for Halloween and have a picnic lunch. This was Dani’s very first trip to a pumpkin patch and will be her first Halloween. Unfortunately, Dustin had to work, so it was just the 4 of us. The kids enjoyed petting and feeding the animals in the small petting zoo and Dylan of course loved looking for the “perfect” pumpkin. One hour later, in the blazing sun, whilst Dani is having a meltdown, he found it. It weighed in an astonishing 134 pounds (and cost an equally astonishing amount!). We were told the record for the season was 210 pounds. Needless to say, it was a wonderful way to spend a beautiful afternoon and we are always happy to have an opportunity to see friends we don’t see often enough. Thanks J, C and B for a fun-filled day.

Dani's 2nd Birthday Pictures

Below are pictures from Dani's 2nd Birthday . . .but her very first birthday with her forever family. We hired a photographer to capture the moment so we could relax and enjoy this milestone in our daughter's life. As we had just lost one of our dogs, Duke, we opted for a small, family only celebration. We ordered Chinese food from our favorite restaurant and feasted! Dani loved all of the attention, presents and of course her very first birthday cake.

No More Apologies

Yes, it has been a L O O O O N G time since my last post. I'm done apologizing and beating myself up for it however; as life as a family of 5 is HARD! Summer has come and gone since my July post, though many San Diegans would argue that we never really had our summer. Unlike the beautiful, long sunny days we are accustomed to, this summer was mostly clouds and cool weather. August kicked off our 3 month back to back birthday celebrations beginning with Dylan’s 12th birthday on August 14th, Dani’s 2nd on September 14th and Dustin’s 17th coming up on October 14th. Pretty weird how they are all on the 14th huh?

The day after Dylan’s birthday, Chris, Dustin, Dustin’s friend and 2 of Chris’ friends departed for Scorpion Bay, Mexico for a 2-week surf trip and to visit Chris’ sister and her family, who live there. Unfortunately, their trip was cut short due to the drama unfolding here in their absence, but they were able to get a few days of surf in and enjoyed the journey and time spent together.

This summer also marked the passing of one of our beloved dogs, Duke. He developed a very aggressive form of metastatic cancer on his neck and two short weeks after being diagnosed, was no longer with us. This was a lot harder on the family than any of us were prepared for. He is survived by his sister, Roxy. They are brother and sister from the same litter and have never been separated until now. Roxy took it especially hard, not eating, not wanting to go out and lost 11 pounds.

I’ve posted some random pictures . . .some from Dylan’s birthday, Chris and Dustin's Mexico trip. Dani’s 2nd birthday pictures will be uploaded separately, and our Duke. We are now in the throws of Fall, back to school, and the upcoming holidays. I won’t make any promises on when my next post will be, but will do my best to keep the Bagalini Blog going!