A Special Gift From Papa

I mentioned earlier that Taylor received a very special gift from her Papa this Christmas....and here it is!  My Dad drove Tay and I back to La Grande this weekend and we brought with us Taylor's amazing kitchen!  I had already cleared a spot for it in her room and I just LOVE IT...and of course so does she!  We have been playing kitchen nonstop and she tells me..."Mama, I bake...I bake".  Thank you Papa for this very special kitchen that we will always cherish!

Follow the Yellow Brick Road...

To Debbie's 50th Birthday!
And oh did we ever!  This weekend we celebrated my Mom's 50th Birthday with a Wizard of Oz party...in case you don't know...it's her FAVORITE movie and a serious obsession.  We kept the theme a secret knowing that she would just love it and sent invites out inviting her friends and family to "Follow the Yellow Brick Road to Debbie's 50th Birthday".  When they arrived they were greeted with a rainbow, Dorothy & the Cowardly Lion ( first picture) and a yellow brick road (which I drew bricks on for 2 hours)!  The yellow brick road went up the stairs and you then entered the Emerald City with clusters of green balloons EVERYWHERE and a dessert bar with themed drinks and desserts galore!  Ruby Slipper Champage Cocktails, Wicked Witch of the West Punch, Poppyseed Cupcakes (for the poppy field in which the characters fall asleep), and many other treats and Oz decor!  Taylor wore her ruby slippers and we even had one of my Mom's friends show up in full Dorothy costume.  Did she love it?  Um...yes!  Happy Birthday Mom!  You are an amazing woman and I am proud to call you Mom and my Best Friend.  Taylor loves you so much and I just love that we get to see you so much more these days!  What a big month for you, turning 50 and celebrating your 30th Wedding Anniversary!  Love you!!!

A Weekend in San Diego

Last weekend Ryan & Annie presented at the American Historical Association's annual conference which was held in San Diego this year.  We decided to make a weekend of it and had a great time hanging out with Annie & Murry and taking in all we could of San Diego.  Gram & Grandpa D watched Taylor for the weekend, so we were alone and enjoyed a mini vacation together!  Oh and the weather was amazing, 75 degrees!  We ended up spending the majority of the holiday season in sunny weather, how the heck did we manage that?  Love it and love having a tan in January!

Happy 2010!

I really can't believe it is 2010.
My ten year reunion will be this year....what the???
We had a great New Years Eve this year as we had a chance to stay out all night with the help of Gram and Grandpa again!  Bryan & Courtney flew in from Maui and arrived just a few minutes after midnight to our little party we were at.  I even got to ring in the New Year a little early with Best Friend as we got ready at our hotel together!
2009 was a great year for us.  It brought a lot of big changes our way, but we have been blessed and are thankful for all that we have been given.  Happy New Year!

Playing in Vancouver

We have been having a great time just relaxing and playing around a bit!

Bryan & Courtney Are Engaged!

When Bryan first mentioned that he had a girlfriend and started talking about her I just started to smile.  When we hung up I looked at Ryan and said..."he is going to marry her".  Ryan just laughed and said "how do you know" and my response was "by the way he talks about her".  Then when Courtney came to visit us and we had a chance to finally meet her...we both knew for sure.  I had given Bryan a hard time about this new girl and told him that I had to meet her and approve...I mean if I was going to be giving up my status as being the only girl in the Dearinger family...I wasn't going to do that for just anyone.  As soon as I met her I knew that not only was she a perfect match for Bryan...but I was more than willing to accept her into her family!  Fast forward a bit and I am talking to Bryan about what rings to look at.  My advice was simple.  Nothing under a karat.  After assisting Bryan with selecting what we hoped would be the perfect ring I began to get more nervous than him!  He had decided that he was going to ask her parents for permission on Thanksgiving and then propose in Maui!  Ahhh...perfect.  After arriving in Maui and going to a beautiful dinner at The Plantation, Bryan proposed to Courtney on Napili Beach.  When they returned everyone of course was thrilled for them and wanted all the details.  I couldn't help but comment that I had never seen someone look at their ring so much...I guess we did a good job and I am happy that she loved it.  The wedding will be sometime this summer and we are all very excited for them...and yes I will adjust to no longer being the only daughter in the Dearinger family...but give me some time!

Blazer Game...8th Row Seats!

For Christmas Bryan & Courtney gave Ryan & I tickets to a Blazer Game...on the 8th row!  Decked out in our new gear, Gram & Grandpa D babysitting, great parking spot, dinner out, Blazers win...perfect!  Thanks buds for such a great gift and a night out!

A Custom Kitchen designed just for Taylor Ann!

Taylor just might be the luckiest little girl in the world.  Her Papa made her a custom kitchen for Christmas...and I mean..CUSTOM!  It has white and purple cabinetry, shaker doors, purple beadboard backsplash, moldings, stainless hardware, stainless appliances...I mean come on!  I actually had the first of these creations back in the day, however I think Papa stepped it up a notch this time around.  Of course Taylor Ann just loves playing with her kitchen and all the wonderful "accessories" that Grandma and Grandpa Dearinger gave her! Did I mention she actually has two?  Papa made her a kitchen to have at the beach as well all though that has all white cabinetry, tan beadboard accent and cabinet covered appliances instead.  I just love it, Thank you Papa.  Or as Taylor would say "Tank Ooo"!
***I will post pictures later...we haven't been back to La Grande yet to get it all set up!  I am not sure who is more anxious to play with it...me or Taylor?!?

A Red Radio Flyer Trike

For Christmas Santa brought Taylor a vintage Red Radio Flyer Trike and she LOVES it!  It took Santa's helper some time to put it together...but it was worth it.  Seeing her face on Christmas morning when she walked in and saw that shiny red trike with a big bow on it was just priceless!  She makes a "vroom vroom" noise when she is on it...not sure where that came from...but we love it.  The little push bar comes off when she is ready to go on her own...but for now it's so much fun for Ryan & I to push her around!