Cresa Christmas Partys

Wes and Carson - he is the happiest baby ever!

Avery and Landon with Santa

The Johnsons and me

The Harrelsons

Amber and me -She is the best cubicle buddy ever!

Some of my awesome co-workers

We had our annual kid's Christmas Party at the office last Thursday, which is something we always look forward to. We have some of the cutest kids in our office! We had Santa come and handed out presents for all the kids. My sister-in-law came with my niece and nephew and they had a blast! It was so fun to watch all the little kids running around the office with their new toys.

We also had our annual company christmas party at Morton's on Saturday night. Unofrtunately, Andrew couldn't go because he had to work...I was super bummed! But I got to sit at a table with Jana and Brian and Gigi and Josh, so it was fun to hang out together. It is so nice to work for such a wonderful company and I definitely feel blessed to be a part of it. Hopefully we will have a prosperous 2010...and maybe even a trip to Vegas if we are really lucky!

Welcome baby Hunter

We have been waiting very impatiently for baby Hunter's arrival for the last 10 months, so when Jana's due date of November 28th came and went, we were that much more antsy to meet the little guy! We had our annual girl's christmas party at my house on Friday night where we all got together to eat yummy food and spend some quality girl time. We were hoping that Jana was going to come with a baby but since he was "past due" she came with him still in her belly. We were just finishing up eating when Jana got up to get some more to drink and announced that her water had just broke on my kitchen floor! We all jumped out of our seats and ran to the bathroom. Everyone was talking at once and trying to figure out what to do next. We got Jana in the car and drove her home to meet Brian (her husband). They took off to the hospital where Jana spent the next 16 hours waiting for Baby Hunter to come. She ended up having a C-Section, since Hunter was a big baby and they were eager to get him out. He was born around 1:30pm and weighed 8 lbs 15 oz. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to the hospital until the next day because I was in Long Beach all day and night for a Christmas parade. So yesterday, we went to visit the Harrelson family and we finally got to meet little Hunter Thomas. He was perfect! He is such a beautiful baby and looks like his daddy. Jana and Brian are so excited to finally welcome the little guy to the family.

Hunter - you definitely made quite the entrance. It's not everyday that someone's water breaks on your kitchen floor - and quite frankly, I'm honored! Congratulations mommy and daddy. You two are going to be such great parents. I can't wait to watch him grow up. xoxo

Jana's Baby Shower

Let me start by saying that this post is a way over due!

On Saturday, October 17th, I threw a baby shower for one of my closest friends, Jana. She was due on November 28th, and had a baby boy - Hunter Thomas Harrelson. When she first told me I could help her cousin throw a shower for her, I was so excited! Usually, I am busy coordinating and planning weddings for people, so I was ready for a new challenge. Not to mention, I am always looking at cute stuff for baby showers, just in case I get the chance to throw one. Well, here was my chance!

Jana and her husband Brian, decided on a Kansas City Cheifs (football) theme for baby Hunter's nursery...which was obviously Brian's fabulous idea. I knew Jana was bummed that she couldn't do her baby blue, white and brown nursery so I appropriately decided to make that the theme of the shower. So everything, and I mean everything, had to be baby blue, white and brown.

Since I'm all about details, I had a lot of ideas for decorations. I made Jana a banner that said "Hunter" which hung over a clothesline of baby clothes...all blue, white and brown of course. The centerpieces were white diapers rolled up and tied with blue and brown ribbon. All the plates, tablecloths, napkins, cups and silverware were baby blue, white and brown.

One of my favorite projects for this shower was a "candy bar". I had all the candy jars and scoops leftover from my wedding so I decided it would be fun to have a candy buffet for the shower favors - especially since the mom-to-be loves sweets! I got all baby blue, white and brown colored candies - and of course, Junior Mints - Jana's favorite! I made little tags for all the candy jars and we set it up on the counter in the kitchen. It was a major hit!

We set-up a drink station of water, soda, lemonade and sangria. The food table included pasta salad, a walnut/strawberry green salad, artichoke dip, sandwiches and a fruit salad. And for dessert, we made cupcakes with blue and white frosting and brown sprinkles. I also ordered the most adorable hand-made cupcake toppers from Etsy.

All in all, the shower was a big success. Jana was so happy with how everything turned out and loved all the little details. We had about 40 of Jana's closest friend and family at the shower. It was so fun to meet some of her extended family that had traveled from Missouri. You could tell that Jana is so loved and that Hunter will be one spoiled little baby!

Jana - I know I've told you this a bunch of times, but you and Brian are going to be amazing parents! Baby Hunter is so lucky to have you both as his mommy and daddy! Thanks for letting me be part of this experience.

I love you both...

xoxo

Also - a big thanks to Nicole and Gigi for taking pictures all day. We had over 250 of them! Love you girls...

Belmont Shore Christmas Parade

On Saturday, I took Avery and Landon to the Belmont Shore Christmas Parade. We went with Nicole and her family - they go every year as a family tradition. We had a blast! When we got there, it was really cold and I was a little worried that the kids would be cold and miserable. But once we put down our blanket and chairs and got settled, it seemed to warm up a little. I think because there was so many people! We got to sit in the front row of the parade which was so fun for the kids. We ordered pizza for dinner and sipped on hot chocolate for dessert. The kids had so much fun watching all the high school bands, dance groups, and different kinds of cars. There was even a truck that came by shooting out fake snow...the kids went crazy for that! We will definitely be coming back to this parade next year. Thanks for inviting us Nic - we had an awesome time with you and your family!

I'm going to miss you...

On Thanksgiving morning, one of my close friends and boss, Clint Hubbard, passed away in a tragic accident. He was leaving a bar on Wednesday night, and was in an altercation with a couple that was walking to their car. He got punched in the face - one time - and that one punch, bursted a blood vessel in his head and he was left brain dead. His family took him off life support on Saturday, after donating all of his organs. Clint was an amazing boss and and an even better friend. I had the pleasure of working for him the past 2 and 1/2 years as his assistant. He made work so much more enjoyable for me. He was always making everyone around him smile and had such a contagious laugh. He treated me like a little sister, which of course meant that he teased me all the time. But he also looked out for me and always made me feel appreciated. He would always joke about giving me weekly "bonuses" for all my hard work - which were usually nothing more than a paper clip or a nickel that he would throw at me from across his office. He would often take Amber and I out to lunch to California Fish Kitchen and we would have a great time just hanging out and talking.

Today was the first day back to work since the Thanksgiving break. Staring at his empty office across from me, absolutely breaks my heart. I so badly want him to walk around the corner and for this all to be a big joke. Amber and I, and some of Clint's closest friends, went to California Fish Kitchen today to eat lunch together in memory of Clint. It definitely wasn't the same without him.

Clint - We had such a special friendship and I am going to miss you so much! You were way too young and had such a bright future ahead of you. You brightened my day and made my job so much more fun. I will miss the paper clips and coins that you threw at me more than you know. This office will never be the same without you. I know you are in a better place now and I hope you can look down on us and know how dearly you will be missed by everyone. We love you and will never forget you!

Love,
Kimberly "aka - Michael Johnson"

Genius!!

So I was looking at some of my friends' blogs this morning and came accross this amazing picture on Megan Spiers' blog. This is pure Genius! If only I had thought of this during my college years at UCSB!! I mean who wouldn't want a gallon of diet coke straight to the dome? Beer is so overrated anyways...

Happy Friday!

Happy Birthday Grandpa

My grandpa and I - I was probably 12 years old

My grandpa and I dancing at my wedding

Today is my Grandpa's 77th birthday. Sadly, he passed away just under 3 months ago in a boating accident while visiting family in Alaska. These past few months have been very hard for me. There are many moments when it suddenly hits me that he's gone...

Being the oldest grandchild, I was fortunate enough to have him in my life for 26 years. He was the best Grandpa a girl could have! He was such a big part of my life growing up. He always made it to all my soccer games, ballet recitals, award ceremonies, birthday parties, and any other important moments in my life. He had such a great sense of humor and was always telling stories and making me laugh. He lived such an amazing life and devoted so much of his time to serve the Lord and help others in need. He was such a good role model to my brothers on how to be a good father and grandfather.

The hardest part of losing him is knowing that he won't be around to see my kids. I wish so bad that my kids could have the chance to meet him and know how special he was to all of us. He would have been an amazing great-grandpa!

Since this tragedy happened, I have been reminded not to take my family (or anything in life) for granted. More than ever, I have realized how important family is and to enjoy every moment you have with them becuase you never know when it will be your last.

I miss you more than you know Grandpa - Happy Birthday!

Love,
your grandaughter
xoxo