The Stewiagas

Reading to the guys…

2011-12-07T21:55:00.001-08:00

There’s always time to share a good story with friends.

Night Night Xavier…

2011-12-06T19:57:00.001-08:00

Tonight Xavier made himself a bed out of Chompy’s legos and snuggled in with a flannel sleeping bag and warm, cozy knitted blankie.

Coloring….

2011-12-06T08:12:00.001-08:00

Xavier drew Chompy a pretty Christmas tree last night

And, Chompy had a fantastic time with his Little People Nativity Scene. He was concerned though that Baby Jesus did not have an actual bed. BTW….this nativity scene is by far the cutest thing I’ve ever seen and I got it on sale! Score one for Momma!

You may be wondering why he has his paci, when his paci is supposed to stay in his bed. Chompy was a very sicky face yesterday, so he curled up on the couch with Daddy all day with his blankies, his “animals” (Monkey, Camel and Rabbit), and his pacis. Pooooor bubba head.

Just hanging around…

2011-12-04T22:02:00.001-08:00

Chompy is starting to get the hang of looking for Xavier when he wakes up. He thinks its “so silly”. Note…he thinks everything is so silly

December 3rd…

2011-12-02T20:30:00.001-08:00

So, when Chompy woke up, we asked him where his elf was. He looked at the spot where he was yesterday and with his hands raised said “I dunno. He gone”. We then went on a hunt and he was exstatic to find him hanging out in Chompy’s basketball net.

Here’s where Xavier will be tomorrow morning when Chompy wakes.

Silly elf, he’s sitting on Chompy’s stocking.

Tonight, we also decorated our Christmas tree. Chompy had a really fun time looking at the ornaments, figuring how how to put them on the tree, and making sure that Daddy put the star on the top.

Say hi to Xavier the Elf..

2011-12-01T21:12:00.001-08:00

This is his spying spot for tomorrow morning. Chompy thought that he should be named Mommy Elf and when we suggested that he maybe could think of another name, he came up with Daddy Elf…so Daddy named him Xavier. Xavier the elf.

Chompy thought that it was a pretty funny thing to have a “elf in my house Mommy. Dat silly!”. It’ll be interesting to see how long it takes him to find Xavier tomorrow.

Here comes Christmas…

2011-11-30T20:50:00.001-08:00

So, there is a tradition that is quickly becoming a fad for this year: Elf on the Shelf.

Momma decided that this would be super fun to do with Chompy. She’ll put the elf somewhere in the house for Chompy to find each morning. Hopefully, it’ll become a fun game for Chompy to try and figure out where the elf’s new spot is. Momma is not expecting that Chompy will understand the whole concept for a few years, and isn’t even sure if she’ll use the whole idea, but hiding an elf? That she can get into

Here’s how the elf will show up for Chompy tomorrow morning. This is his special seat in the living room, complete with his new Christmas place setting

Stay tuned to see Chompy’s reaction to the elf, what he names the elf, and where the elf decides to turn up

Welcome to the Christmas season, Momma’s soooo glad you are here!

Zion Video…

2011-09-23T22:00:00.001-07:00

Our friend Annie made a cute little video from our Zion Trip. Check it out!

I promise that I’ll get more pictures up soon.

Absolutely in awe!

Idyllwild camping…

2011-08-21T20:42:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures of our quick overnight camping trip this weekend.

We had a great time and will definitely be going back!

Chompy thoroughly enjoyed:

Playing in the dirt-throwing the dirt-kicking the dirt-making piles of dirt.

Splashing in the baby pool—it was the perfect size for Chompy!

Looking at the horsies

Hiking

Sleeping in his “my bed…tent” (yep, that’s how he sleeps…he’s a silly)

And above all….singing and dancing with Cowboy Jack at the campfire.

I’ll just leave you with this little musician.

Camping…

2011-07-30T08:36:00.001-07:00

Here are some pictures from our camping trip with the Stewarts in Pio Pico outside of Chula Vista. Lots of fun, relaxing and beautiful days.

Run through Redlands…a year in our lives

2011-04-10T20:52:00.001-07:00

2010 2011

Backyard Snow…

2011-04-09T09:08:00.001-07:00

It’s April and it snowed Weird, but very fun!

Hometown Snow…

2011-02-26T21:06:00.001-08:00

When it snows and rains and we feel icky, we are thankful for nice checkers at Vons who give us free balloons for us to chase.

Now onto the snow!

The only evidence that there was that there was snow at our house….our trash can.

But, we have pics of the hail. Not as exciting!

Hopefully Chompy will feel better even more tomorrow and we can go play!

More Snow…

2011-02-20T20:20:00.001-08:00

We love the Snow!

2011-02-19T11:51:00.001-08:00

More snow, more snow, more snow!!!!

Top 10 of 2010…

2011-01-02T15:09:00.001-08:00

10. Learning to sleep through the night! Hooray!

9. Falling in love with this smile

8. Watching Chompy and his “twin” Livy grow…

7. Disneyland with Chompy!

6. Chompy’s 1st Birthday! We made it through the year!!!

5. Family trip up the coast!

4. Family Trip to Zion!

3. Family Camp!

2. It’s a tie. Josh went to Kenya, met some great IT folk, and fixed computers for a great school.

Heather and Chompy ran their 1/2 marathon!

1. We got a house!!!!!

Central Coast Trip…

2010-11-21T20:05:00.001-08:00

We got to go on a mini-vacation a week ago to Central California for Terra and Josh’s wedding. We stopped for a day in Morro Bay/Cayucos to see Auntie Lissa and then went on our way to Mount Hermon.

Playing at the park by Morro Rock.

After we left Morro Bay, we headed straight for Natural Bridges State Park to show Chompy Momma’s favorite thing: Butterflies!

After leaving the butteflies, we went on over to Mount Hermon for the rest of our trip!

We hung out with our good friends the Millers. Chompy had lots of fun with their kiddos Ben and Bree who were our flower girl and ring bearer.

And, of course, we had to go hiking and walking through the redwoods.

We also hung out with our friends the Folkerts. Asher is 5 weeks younger than Chompy. They had fun playing at the park.

Then, it was wedding time!! The kids partied!!!

L.A. Zoo (a little late)…

2010-11-21T19:16:00.001-08:00

We went to the L.A. Zoo with the Erquiaga/ Barra family in late October for Boo in the Zoo. We had a great time getting the little boys together and playing around the animals.

Chompy, Papa and Grandma E. were pretending to be flying birds!

This is my cutie cousin Owen and his daddy David.

Papa and Chompy are looking at the seals! Chompy thought they were very fun!

There is lots to see and do at the zoo!

Like hang out with my family.

My little paw with the tiger’s big paw.

Tia got me!!!

Laughing and giggling cousins!

Pumpkin Patch…

2010-10-09T11:45:00.001-07:00

Yucaipa is well known in this area for the Live Oak Pumpkin Patch and Christmas Tree Farm. We’ve seen it every year that we’ve lived here but haven’t wanted to go mostly because of how crowded the off-ramp becomes and it just seems sooo busy. But, since we have a little boy who loves to run and be outside, and we now get an early morning start, we thought we’d go right when it opens and see what it was all about. :) The family had a great time. We saw goats and horses and a giant boa constrictor and the farm had lots of attractions for kiddos that Chompy enjoyed staring at :) There was lots of room to run and climb and play! Once again proving that autumn is my favorite time in the Inland Empire! :)

Goats Momma, Goats.

He loved the horsies!

Ok, ok. I guess we’ll be responsible for him.

I know how to climb!!! '

Watching the big kids on their John Deere tractors.

There’s so much to see that it was hard for momma and daddy to get smiley pretty pictures with Chompy. Oh well :) He’s still cute!

Checkin’ out the u-pick pumpkin patch!

See you later! Chompy and momma will definitely come here at least once more this season. It’s free and a fun way to be outside (and wear someone out for naptime).

New…

2010-10-02T13:15:00.001-07:00

Since we moved in we’ve been trying to revive the lawn and garden. We’ve had some successes in the roses starting to bloom again, but the grass no matter how often we water has only returned in patches. So, a couple of weeks ago, Josh and Chompy went and got some grass seed and lawn fertilizer and with a lot of water, we now have spots of green and spots of new grass. Yippee!

3rd Anniversary Trip!

2010-09-14T10:22:00.001-07:00

Josh and Heather took off for a night to the central coast to celebrate the wedding of our great friend Katie Flynn. Katie was one of Heather’s roomies during our year at Mount Hermon Outdoor Science. Katie is fabulous! She’s genuine, thoughtful, bubbly, beautiful, enthusiastic and full of love. Anyway, when we found out the date of the wedding, we realized that it was just a week after our anniversary, and thanks to Grandma and Papa E. who watched Chompy for us, we got our first night away since he was born.

We fit as much as humanly possible into the 24 hours that we were in town.

We got to San Jose and drove straight to one of Heather’s favorite places for breakfast-Walnut Avenue Cafe. The breakfast scrambles are amazing here-Heather got the tomato, basil, feta and Josh got Chorizo and Cheese :) YUMMY!!!

After breakfast we hurried over to the Patagonia outlet just in case there was something amazingly. Sadly for us, and luckily for our pocketbook, we didn’t find anything we HAD to have. But, it was fun to look around.

After shopping a little, we went and checked in to the beautiful Scotts Valley Hilton. Since it was an anniversary trip, we decided to splurge (and many thanks to the wedding rate for making this possible ;). Heather has stayed at the Hilton one other time, when we got married. It’s beautiful and nestled right into the redwood hills.

We changed quickly and headed out to do a little hiking. It is not possible for us to come to this area and not visit our old hiking grounds through Henry Cowell State Park.

We were out for a few hours and worked up quite an appetite, which was good, since we knew where we were headed next: New Leaf Neighborhood Market for sandwiches and then to Felton Railroad Park for lunch. MMMMM……

Then, it was back to the hotel to get spiffied up for the wedding! Katie and Mark got married at Roaring Camp like we did…so it was so fun to see another couple start their married life together in the same way. It was perfect. While our wedding was gorgeous and HOT, there’s was gorgeous and cold :) So much fun!

They had cotton candy and s’mores! YUM!!!!

We had a great time enjoying our friends and catching up with people we hadn’t seen in 3 years. Pretty cool!

Sunday morning we slept in—thank you black out curtains! :)

And…had breakfast at another of Heather’s favorite breakfast spots- Mollie’s Cafe in Scotts Valley. Holy biscuits and gravy batman! YUMMM!

We went for a little walk along Westcliff also .

Then it was time for church. We LOVED Community Covenant when we lived here, so we never miss an opportunity to go when we can.

It was then time to head out to San Jose, with a last minute pit stop at REI in Saratoga and then we were off to Chompy! Who, sadly, was the sickest he has ever been, the whole weekend! Poor Chompy and poor Grandma and Papa E.

Stay tuned for Santa Cruz Part II when we go back in November for Terra and Josh’s wedding! YIPPEEE!

More Family Camp…

2010-08-25T19:09:00.001-07:00

So, to sum it up, we had a fantastic time at Family Camp. This is one of the great perks of Josh working at FH. He gets a free conference each year, which means we got to go to family camp for free. As all of our friends have said though, we would completely pay for this experience, and understand how families do it every summer. We had a great time with Josh’s parents and all of our friends! Here are some pictures of the week. Chompy’s favorites included the creek, playing with his friends, chasing his Papa around the “den” (the indoor play space), and being awfully cute.

Checking out the big kids in their paper airplane flying competition…these three don’t look alike at all do they? ;)

The kiddos!

This was plaid day :) Can you tell?!

Chompy’s awesome CCA Rachel!!

All the kiddos again :) Kid Table :)

A Taste of Family Camp…

2010-08-22T15:06:00.001-07:00

more to come….

Big Bear Day…

2010-08-21T11:07:00.001-07:00

Last Saturday, we got to go up to hang out with Mamina, Grandpa Erquiaga, and Tia Margie/Tio Spencer for the day to celebrate the great-grandparents birthdays. It was a beautiful day!!!!

Keys!!!

2010-06-24T20:17:00.001-07:00

We got the keys!!!!!!

We have a home!!!!

We are in debt!! ;)

So excited!!!!!

House Pictures…

2010-05-25T14:40:00.001-07:00

Chompy and Momma went by the house today to water the flowers in order to try to save them ;)

Momma took a few pictures through the windows. They are a little blurry, but you get the idea.

Grass in front yard

Laundry room with a little glare.

Looking from the back windows of the living room….door on left-hall closet, door in middle-front door. then on left-1/2 bath

1/2 bath

Looking from the backyard into the eat-in kitchen. The hallway in the middle is the laundry/mud room.

Backyard!

Dare I say it…

2010-05-18T17:52:00.001-07:00

ESCROW!!!!

1 1/2 weeks ago, Josh and Chompy went house hunting while I worked a Saturday shift. Josh said that day that they were going to find a house for our family for Mother’s day. We are now one step closer.

First offer written, offer countered, counter offer accepted. Contract signed.

Escrow here we come…

Zion National Park Family Vacation…

2010-04-25T19:01:00.001-07:00

We did it! We had our first official little family of three vacation :) It was so much fun! We went to Zion National Park in Utah! We got there Thursday afternoon and played through Sunday morning. Both ways we stopped in Vegas to stretch our legs and give Little Chomp a car seat break. He did a great job considering that he’d much rather be hiking or in his stroller than in a car. We had all kinds of weather. When we left Redlands, there was snow on the mountains…then we met rain on the drive…it was cold, windy, and cloudy the first day at Zion and then became clear and in the mid-seventies. When we got home, it was in the eighties and perfect :) We also got to get in for free!! Apparently, the week of Earth Day all entrance fees to National Parks are waived. Yippee ;)

We went on 6 hikes in the three days and all of us felt that we can now do “real” vacations with Chompy without it being too stressful. Much of this is due to our hotel—Cable Mountain Lodge, which had a full kitchen that made feeding Chompy very easy! Well, that and the fact that we could bring baby food with us on the trail and give it to him as we needed to. :) And, that Chompy loves being outside!! We highly recommend Cable Mountain Lodge to anyone going to Zion. It was amazing! We also have two other plugs…we brought most of our own food with us. But, we ate two meals in local restaurants. We ate dinner at Zion Pizza and Noodle Company. Such yummy, yummy pizza and the atmosphere was awesome. Who doesn’t love a pizza and pub in a converted Mormon Church?! :) And, we ate brunch at the Spotted Dog Cafe Restaurant. Oooh, was it amazing. First of all, our table had a view of the mountain at sunrise. And, the food was incredible and a buffet! Perfection!

Here are a few pictures to show you a little of our adventures. For the whole set, check out Josh’s Flickr Site-- Click Here! :)

The Bellagio-too bad Chompy’s face is all cut off :)

I LOVE HIKING!!!!!!!!!

Soooo purty!!!

Momma, look there’s a big canyon down there!

Lookin’ out the back of the shuttle.

Hiking at dusk is fun!

Incredible!

Go see Josh’s site for more ;)

Playing at Ford Park…

2010-04-17T21:44:00.001-07:00

Not much else to say :)

Find the Fishy

How do you like our new lens? ;)

More Easter….

2010-04-08T08:14:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday we went to Papa and Grandma’s house.

We played at the park and then Chompy had soooo much fun with his Tias, Grandparents, Cousins and especially Cassidy!

Happy Easter Egg Hunting…

2010-04-03T16:44:00.001-07:00

Today was the annual Easter Egg hunt at the Yucaipa Community Park.

There were sooooo many kiddos!!

Luckily, the people running it were smart and separated the hunt by ages…so Chompy got to be in the 0-1 year old area with his friend Olivia.

And, they are off….

Crawling with the basket is hard work :) Thanks Grandma Nancy for the basket! It helped me get my eggs today.

Happy Babies with our eggies!

We stayed a little after to enjoy the park some more…

Momma and Daddy brought out the bubbles that Grandma and Grandpa gave me for Easter.

They are kind of funny things :)

Baby Photo Shoot Take 2…

2010-03-30T19:18:00.001-07:00

With the addition of Brody in February, our Thursday Night baby total is now up to 6!!

Here’s the newest photo shoot compliments of Heather Avis.

The first few are before Brody was available…he was getting beautified ;)

And, here’s Brody!!

Brody (2 months), Addie (2 years, 9 months), Iris (5 months),

Collin (9 months), Olivia (9 months), Macyn (1 year, 8 months).

Aren’t they soooooooo cute!!?!!

(Collin’s mad ‘cause he’s tired of being a pretty face, oh, and Olivia stole his paci). :)

Stay tuned for Baby Shoot Part III coming this summer with the upcoming birth of Baby Girl Beaver :)

Family Park Day…

2010-03-28T19:44:00.001-07:00

Rejoice, Daddy’s home!

So, we went to the park!

Have I mentioned lately how I love the park?!

My eyes tell you how much I love my Daddy.

I have a new game for exercising…it’s called the MommaGym. I climb up and get as high as I can.

Back home, resting with Daddy. We are both tired.

Chompy would like to announce…

2010-02-15T15:47:00.001-08:00

That he is very excited to be getting a new baby boy cousin in July 2010!

Baby Boy Barra is coming to play soon!

Congratulations David and Danielle!

Snowshoeing….

2010-01-24T16:37:00.001-08:00

So, today the road was still closed, however, we had to go up because Josh had to check on the computers. So, we got past the CHP this time.

Once we got up past the blockage, we realized why it was closed. It had nothing to do with the highway itself, that was pretty clear. However, there were multiple (6 to be exact) places where the power lines were down, in the snow and across the creek. And, there were several CalTrans and Southern California Edison crews working hard to get everything back together. Had they allowed the zillions and zillions of cars that wanted to get up to “play in the snow” up there, there would have been no way to keep everyone safe, and let the workers do their jobs. So, bravo, to the CHP for making this decision.

There is still no power or phone accessibility to the Forest Falls area. As one of our friends put it who lives up there…it was like being Amish. :)

Once Josh got all the computers squared away, we took Chompy out snowshoeing. Heather has been wanting to do this for a year!!!! She was soooo excited! Here’s some pictures. It was a gorgeous, serene day!

We definitely have an adventure boy on our hands!

He shows us every day how much he’d rather be outside!

Check out Josh’s Flickr site for more pictures from the day :)

SNOW…

2010-01-23T15:52:00.001-08:00

Well, in case you didn’t know…we’ve been having a little bit of a snowstorm around here.

Today, we tried our best to get up there to go snowshoeing with baby boy, sadly, all of the roads looked like this:

CLOSED!

So sad! We will try again tomorrow.

In the meantime, enjoy these beautiful views of the snow! :)

Houses…

2010-01-15T15:24:00.001-08:00

So we have offers in for two houses. Both have gone to their respective banks. One we have no estimate of when we will hear whether or not our offer was accepted. The other we will find out sometime mid-next week. We could really use your well wishes. We are getting tired of the cycle of looking at houses, putting in offers, getting rejected then repeat. Both of the houses that we put offers on are big enough for our family and beyond. They would both fit us well (well, so Josh says- Heather hasn’t actually seen the second one, but it’s Josh’s favorite house of all that we have seen in the last 9 months that we have been looking so that means it is AWESOME!). Heather has driven by it at least ;)

Happy New Year!!!

2010-01-10T09:46:00.001-08:00

Happy 2010!

(a week late)

We spent the new year with our Thursday Night group of friends in what affectionately became known as “Baby New Year”.

Here are some pictures of us at the party compliments of Annie (the group designated photographer ;)

Christmas x 4…

2009-12-28T15:23:00.001-08:00

Here are some pictures of our whirlwind Christmas celebration with our Amazing family!

Christmas Eve with the Erquiagas

Great Grandpa Erquiaga, Papa E. and Chompy

Presents :)

I’m so cute. Don’t you think so Camille?

Daddy and Chompy posed like Papa E. and Daddy did a LONG time ago!

Christmas Morning at home with Mommy and Daddy!

Opening Stockings is sooo fun!

Christmas Day with the Nixons

I love my Auntie Lissa!

Wrapping Paper is yummy!

Great-grandpa Tom.

Christmas with the Stewarts

I love Uncle Matt!

Cousins Brooke, Courtney and Megan kept me entertained. Thanks for playing girls!

Kayser Christmas

Grandma E. is awesome!

Tia Kixxy and I have the same expression.

Cousin Brandi and I are good friends. And Cassidy is my best buddy!

Talkin’ Planes with Great-grandpa Kayser

A very fun and eventful holiday!!!

Hiking in Caroline Park…

2009-12-20T13:48:00.001-08:00

We decided that Chomp is probably big enough for his Kelty Backpack now that he sits up so well. So, today, we went on a little hike in Caroline Park.

He LOVED, LOVED, LOVED it! We are continually amazed at how much this kid loves being outside. He giggled the whole time that we walked. (We think that he liked the bouncy sensation of the backpack).

This was a trial run for the snowshoeing that is to come this winter. Speaking of which, where is El Nino already?! Come on snow!! You’re only there on the tippy tops of the mountains.

We had a great time today!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree…

2009-12-17T07:25:00.001-08:00

We got our Tree! YAY!!!!!!

I’m a snow baby!

Christmas Tree smells funny!

Ta Da!

2 Reasons Why We Live Where We Do…

2009-12-08T16:14:00.001-08:00

These were both taken within the last week :)

Yes, these are the same mountains. The first picture is from last Friday at Yucaipa Community Park. The second is from our walk today in South Redlands.

Beautiful!!

Chomp and Momma took a lunch trip to the snow to visit Daddy today. But, you will have to wait for those pictures ;)

Christmas is coming…

2009-12-03T12:05:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Part I and II…

2009-11-27T19:55:00.001-08:00

Part I: Gosenson Home with the Erquiaga Side. 4 generations :) Lots of fun.

And part II with the Stewarts. Lots of food. Football. Good Times. These pics we took at home before we got there. It’s totally Heather’s fault that there’s only half of Josh’s face…she was trying too hard to get Chomp to look at the camera, she forgot to pay attention to what she was shooting. OOPS!

Thanksgiving Part III: tomorrow with the Kayser side :) Yummm!

Buddy Walk 2009…

2009-11-08T16:08:00.001-08:00

Today, we went to Buddy Walk 2009 at Anaheim Stadium with our friend the Avis’s to raise money for the Down Syndrome Association of Orange County and make sure that everyone knew how amazing Chompy’s friend Macy is! :)

We were a part of Team Macyn Hope!

We had so much fun hanging out with our friends, taking the 1/2 mile walk, and checking out all of the events on the field. We even got to go into the Angels Dugout! Woot!

Here are some cute pictures from today!!

How cool is the team sign?! Can you tell that Macy’s daddy is a graphic designer? :)

We love Macyn!!!

The Avis Family!

There were lots of fun things along the route, including a military hummer and the cast of Star Wars! Josh, obviously, was excited!

Picnicking on the field!

There was a exotic animal exhibit, Chompy wasn’t so sure about it. No worries, this looks closer than it is.

Yep, that’s us in the Angels’ Dugout! Chompy had no idea how cool this was :)

View from the dugout!

It was a great day!

Five Baby Shoot…

2009-11-07T07:23:00.001-08:00

So, our Thursday Night Community Group has been growing. We have had four little additions in the last year: Macyn, Collin, Olivia, and Iris to bring our Baby Total to 5. So, this Thursday we got them together with 2 year old Addie for our first baby shoot.

Here are some of the highlights. Thanks to Annie for the amazing photos!

Getting everyone situated.

Ta Da!!!!!

Olivia (almost 5 months), Macy (1 year, 4 months), Addie (2 years, 5 months), Iris (2 weeks), Collin (5 months)

WE LOVE YOU ALL SOOOOOO MUCH!!!!!!!

Stay Tuned for Take 2—coming in February with the birth of Brody!

Star Trek Family (sorry Daniellie)…

2009-11-06T19:21:00.001-08:00

So this was what Halloween was supposed to look like…Daddy won!

Look out though when we have a daughter- My Little Pony family here we come ;)

Little Chomp has a New Friend…

2009-10-22T07:17:00.001-07:00

Please Welcome to the World…

Iris Avenly Eaton!!!!!

We are sooo excited that she is here!! Congratulations to Mom and Dad Nate and Laura, and big sister, Adeline Rose! We love you guys and are sooo thrilled for you!

(oh, and thanks Annie for the picture).

The produce stands pictures as promised…

2009-10-20T11:09:00.001-07:00

Stand #1 :)

The produce from stand #1 :) I don’t know if you can see it but there’s a great red chile bush in the corner.

This is where we got the pomegranates. They had GIANT avocados today, but we had a ton at home already…oh well.

Fun Fact about Redlands…

2009-10-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

Redlands used to be nothing by orange groves---Everywhere Orange Groves. There still are quite a few, but it’s definitely not what it used to be. However, there is one thing about Redlands Culture that continues: sidewalk produce stands. Everywhere in our part of town are families who put out little stands in front of their homes where they put out their extra produce. No one mans these stands, the families just put out a tin can and a sign with how much the items cost. It’s awesome!! I hadn’t yet remembered to take advantage of it. But, today, I bought four pomegranates for 50cents each (when I was at the market today, they were selling for $2.83 a piece). I love it!! I’m getting good stuff that was made here for cheap! :) From now on, every time Chompy and I go out in the stroller, I’m going to take a couple of bucks with me. Who knows what we will find!?! I’ll post a picture of one Tuesday after we get back. In the meantime, enjoy this photo from one of last week’s journeys :)

Exercising Family…

2009-10-18T20:13:00.001-07:00

Baby Pushups!!!

Bike Riding!

Walking and Jogging!

Here’s to being outside on a warm October day! (Heather swears that she went out too—she’s just behind the camera and the stroller ;)

Disneyland…

2009-10-11T19:47:00.001-07:00

For Heather’s Birthday this year, we went to Disneyland. For those who don’t know, Disneyland now lets you into the park for free on your birthday if you register on-line. Heather’s birthday was a weekday this year. So, it was perfect!

Of course, in reality, it turned into Little Chomp’s first trip to Disneyland :) which Heather was just fine with.

He loved Disneyland- people watching and hanging out with the family. We met Papa and Grandma E. there for the day (and got to say hi to Tia Kimmy, Brandi and Cassidy). Thanks for lunch Great-grandma and Great-grandpa Kayser!!! He thought it was great and exhausting. He was awake and looking all around through the day, and slept through Small World. Disneyland has a whole baby care center. I never knew that before I needed it. It’s so great! It makes taking little ones to the park soooo easy.

Apples…

2009-10-04T20:19:00.001-07:00

Today we took a family trip up to Oak Glen for the Apple Farms. This is the third year that we’ve gone, and now we pretty much consider it a yearly tradition. We go to Riley’s Farm at Los Rios Rancho. They have everything apple, pumpkin, berry, and farm related. It’s a great treat.

A few weeks ago, there was a giant fire in the area. All of the farms in the town of Oak Glen were threatened. Standing on the property, it was easy to see the fire line and how close it came to being destroyed. Good job Firefighters!

Little Chomp has not been a happy guy in the last few days. We aren’t sure exactly what’s going on, but we know that he is getting upset more easily and it’s more difficult to calm him down. Luckily, we have a pediatrician appointment tomorrow. However, Little Guy was pretty excited to be outside on the farm. It was the first really cool day of the season. Cool as in 59 degrees and windy! Finally! Chompy enjoyed people watching, being held, and looking all around at everything on the farm. Oh, and ‘cause I’m a bragging Momma, a girl saw Chompy and said “Oh my gosh that it one of the cutest babies I’ve ever seen!” We agree!

Here are a couple of pictures from the day!

Hanging out in the pumpkin patch with Daddy!

Momma got artsy with this one :)

The fire line is on the ridge on the right.

Impromptu family shot!

We took our yummy Honeycrisp apples home and did some cooking.

We made some home-made applesauce for Little Chomp. (You puree it and put it into ice cube trays. Then, you put all of them together in a ziplock bag in the freezer until you are ready to use them). I was impressed with how easy it was. It probably took a half an hour to make about 24 ounces of baby food. Baby food jars are about 2 ounces and $1 a piece, so we saved about $10 after paying for the 6 apples.

Then, we made apple pie!! It was pretty good for our first attempt and it was also really easy! A Yummy day!

Heather Goes Back to Work…

2009-09-15T09:35:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was Heather’s first day back at work. A big adjustment for our family, as we now have a new schedule to get used to. We made lunches and got everything ready the night before, so the early morning would be easier. Heather left for work at 6 to get there by 7 to work her 10 hour shift. She’s going to work 10 hour days twice a week for right now. All of her friends at work were so welcoming and made her feel good to be back. Josh got Chomp ready and off to Kinder Care. Usually, Josh would then go to work himself and then pick Chomp up on his way home. They get to have Daddy/Son time until Heather gets home. But, our fridge decided to break at 9pm on Sunday, so he had to take a day off to buy a new one, get it installed, and getting rid of the old one. The old fridge was a great, cheap hand-me-down. Now to have this nice, big fridge with water/ice maker is awesome :) I know, we’re easily impressed! :) We all made it through the day and can call it a success.

A Fun Day…

2009-09-13T11:17:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, we had a fun outside family day with friends! Josh and his friends Ben and Dustin have been riding bikes on Saturday mornings the past couple of weekends. They met up at our house at 9:00am. Dustin brought Sarah and Baby Olivia with him so that they could go walking with Heather and Little Chomp. The boys rode off in the distance, and the ladies and Chomp walked a couple of miles together and got to chat! The guys went over to the Redlands Community Park to meet our friends the Avis’s. Heather Avis has been a Special Ed. Teacher for Redlands High and yesterday was the big flag football game for her students. So, Josh, Ben, and Dustin joined the “other team” to play against her Xtreme Team. So, much fun! The Special Ed. Students won 28-7! Sarah, Olivia, Chomp and Heather drove over to meet them and watch the game.

Then, we went to REI (our very favorite store) to look for winter boots for Josh for snowshoeing this winter and to wear around camp. Apparently, REI was just getting boots in, so we didn’t get any, but Heather found a total deal: a warm snowsuit for Little Chomp for $2.83! Yep, that’s right! $2.83. She was really proud of herself.

It's Completed...

2009-09-02T13:55:00.000-07:00

All of the tabs above should now work to get to our individual pages. YAY Josh!

Check out this page for all of the family happenings, and then visit our individual pages to see what each of us is up to.

Thanks Everyone!

-Us

The New, Exciting and Improved…

2009-08-29T16:43:00.001-07:00

We have made some changes to the website. We have blogs going on three different places right now between Josh’s, Heather’s and Little Chomp’s (the name that we are now using to refer to baby boy). And, it was getting to be a little much. So, bear with us as we integrate the three under the heading of: www.erquiaga.net.

This page will be referring to the goings-on of our family.

For now, feel free to use these links to go to our individual pages, and then we’ll let you know when everything is in working order for the merge ;)

The Adventures of Little Chomp

Momma’s Mosaic

Tech Notes by Josh

Little Chomp keeps on learning…

2009-08-26T14:08:00.001-07:00

This is a new development within the last couple of days! He’s so excited about it too.

Remembering Carroll Trego…

2009-08-23T04:08:00.001-07:00

On Friday, August 21st, we met the Trego family at the Riverside National Cemetery to honor Carroll Trego for his service to our country and his life. We saw family that we hadn’t seen in eight years. The military traditions were pretty incredible to see in person, and it was so great to see Carroll, a World War II POW, be given such respect and distinction. Check out my dad’s site for more pictures from the day. Here’s the link to a great story about Carroll’s military time as a POW. And, his obituary. He was a great man, and we are sad to see him go.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Kayser…

2009-08-21T21:30:00.001-07:00

This week we got to go to the Lawrence Welk Resort to relax with the family. Little Chomp finally got to meet his great-grandma and great-grandpa Kayser. They hadn’t met the little guy yet. Sadly, we didn’t get a picture of him with them. But, he was a pretty happy guy when he met them. We’ll have to remember the camera next time we get to visit. We spent the last few days hanging out at the pool, sleeping in, and relaxing. With grandparents, and many aunts/uncles, and cousins- Josh and I got to go see a movie and play in the pool while Little Chomp was in good hands. Welk Resort is beautiful. The family played tennis, went on walks, and got to enjoy beautiful pools and spas! Many, many thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Kayser for making this trip possible!!!!!

Here are a few pictures from the week!

Tennis!

Sleeping with Grandma!

Bath in the bathroom sink!

Relaxing on the porch!!

Cousin Cassidy and I are really good friends now!

Cousins!!

Tia Daniellie!

Cousin Brandi!

I think that there are some pictures of him at the pool somewhere, but I couldn’t find them tonight. So, stay tuned for those! All in all, a great few days!

Wubbanub…

2009-08-18T16:40:00.001-07:00

Here’s something that sounds completely ridiculous, but is brilliant! Wubbanub :) Collin has really only taken to the Soothie pacifiers. We have a bunch of other types, but these funky little pieces of blue plastic are his favorites! Wubbanubs are little stuffed animals that have a Soothie pacifier attached to them. They seem sooooo silly, and I’ll admit that I felt a little like a knick-knack gimmick lover when I bought it, but WOW do they work. The idea is that the little animal helps keep the pacifier in place and within the reach distance for newborns. And, then as the baby gets older, they use the animal as a little comfort object. Well, we have had our little frog friend for a total of one day. Here are the results. Collin has held onto his froggy when being picked up or when lying down. He also slept in his crib on his own for all three of his naps today. The first time EVER! (I will say that I checked on him often as I was a little skeptical of this whole idea). But, we are sold on them at this point. Here’s to very weird ingenious inventions. And, many thanks to Carissa, who let me know that these even existed!

Ok…tomorrow the family heads off to Lawrence Welk Resort in San Diego County for a few days of rest and relaxation with the Erquiaga/Rea/Kayser family! We’ll see you when we get back.

Josh’s Mini-Me…

2009-08-18T15:44:00.001-07:00

No additional words are needed.

BBQ YUM….

2009-08-18T15:42:00.001-07:00

We got lucky this weekend as the Erquiaga/Barra families played BBQ swap. Someone gave one to Rick and Kathy, who then gave one to Danielle and David, who gave us this beauty! :)

We were so excited that the first night we could, Josh BBQ’d chicken and steak kabobs with yummy yummy green and red peppers and onions!

Enoch Kim Photography…

2009-08-17T16:16:00.001-07:00

We love the marketing/graphics department of Forest Home! Today, we went to the lake and did a photo shoot with Enoch Kim one of the AMazing photographers working this summer. Check out his site!!! Leave a comment on his site sharing how much you like these :)

Little Chomp had a little bit of a tough morning before the shoot and was still waking up so smiling came less easily for him. Ironically, as soon as we got him home, he was smiling and giggling! Ah….children and having their own minds.

Anyway, Enoch got some great shots! And, we are very thankful that we got the pleasure of having these pictures.

Here are a couple of them to get you excited about the rest :)

Cutie in the Clubhouse…

2009-08-14T19:42:00.001-07:00

Daddy/Baby Matchy-Matchy!

And, yes, they make baby hats soooooo big!

Today, we went on another adventure (go figure!). We went up to Forest Home for the CCA pool day with a bunch of Heather’s friends and their babies and babies in-utero. It was great to see these ladies that Heather has known for a decade. Little Chomp got to be the only boy allowed at pool day. He thought that was pretty cool.

I love to read…

2009-08-14T07:45:00.001-07:00

A Fun Day!

2009-08-13T20:53:00.001-07:00

We had a great adventure day today.

First, we went on another long walk with our new BFF the BOB. Then, we went to Ontario Mills to meet our friends Carissa and Baby Hope. Hope is 9 weeks older than Little Chomp. Chomp did really well on his first trip to the mall. And, he got some cute stuff, and I got some presents for upcoming events. And, we had our Thursday Night traditional hang-out with the crew! Thanks for hosting Avis family!

Friends!!!!

The mall makes me happy!

2 Month Pediatric Appointment…

2009-08-11T10:12:00.001-07:00

Fuzzy Bubbles!

Little Chomp had his 2 Month Pediatric Appointment today with Dr. Smith. He’s doing well! He now weighs 12 lbs (50th percentile) and is 24 inches long (90th percentile). He is going to be one tall guy! He also got 2 shots (one that included Polio, HIB, Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis), and the Pneumococcal (the virus most causing Meningitis in kiddos). He also got a vaccine by mouth for Rotovirus. He did really well through the visit and the shots (as did Momma).

Keep growing Chomp! :)

Little Chomp talking to his friends on the ceiling…

2009-08-10T19:18:00.001-07:00

He was fed. He was burped. His diaper was changed. We swaddled him. He feel asleep in Josh’s arms. We put him in bed. Instead of sleeping, he found friends on the ceiling with whom to laugh :)

Silly guy!

Swimming Part Tres…

2009-08-09T10:10:00.001-07:00

We were sooooo warm and sticky after the wedding and the drive home that we all went to cool off in the pool. Chomp liked it again. He even got to practice some swimming strokes with Tia Kixxy!

Celebrating Adam and Ashley…

2009-08-09T09:43:00.001-07:00

We traveled to Lake Arrowhead yesterday with Tia Kixxy and our friend Diana (Laughing Sun) for the backyard wedding of our friends Adam (Moose) and Ashley (Whatcha).

It was a beautiful, hot day in the mountains. It was a great casual wedding where all the guests got to hang out with each other and have a really great time re-connecting with the couple and each other.

We had a great time!

Here are some pictures from the day! Esp. of Little Chomp and all of his Adventure Mountain aunties and uncles.

Chomp and the bride!

Toasting!!!

He loves his auntie Sarah!

Talking about the importance of stories with Billy Jack!

Yummy!

Tia!!!

Too Cute! I can’t stand it!

Auntie Alissa got to hold me for the first time!

Family Photo Time!

2 Month Bear Shot…

2009-08-06T11:21:00.001-07:00

Here’s the picture with my bear from Month #1

Here’s Month #2

So you guys know this child: he will not sit still for anything. This was the best that we could do. :) He’s gotten so big!!!!

The Dream Continues…

2009-08-06T10:47:00.001-07:00

We tried the next step in Heather’s grand plan of running with Collin today: a walk with the BOB stroller!! We’ve been going on walks with the little GRACO stroller/carseat frame because Little Chomp seemed to like it better at the beginning and it was easier for Heather to manuver after the C-section. The BOB infant converter puts Little Chomp leaning farther back and he isn’t quite as excited about it. But, after two 2 + mile walks in the GRACO, Heather decided that it was time for the two of them to brave a walk with the BOB.

We did it!!!!! It was like heaven! We went for 2+miles again. There was minimal crying, some cooing, a couple of smiles, and a lot of sleeping. Plus, Heather figured out that her Blackberry music is loud enough to be heard if she puts it in one of the drink holders. So, the 45 minute walk was pretty much her description of perfection: The BOB, a beautiful warm (but not hot) morning, a sleeping son, and Jason Mraz!!! :) Adding Josh to the mix would have really made the morning perfect!!!

He slept so soundly that he even stayed asleep in the car seat after the walk was over and I brought the seat back inside. This hasn’t happened in weeks as he does not like the car seat.

Pool Update…

2009-08-04T20:58:00.001-07:00

So, we went back to the pool. And, he didn’t hate it.

There were no tears and no need to hide from the pool.

Maybe next time we will get a smile :)

2 Months Old…

2009-08-03T18:12:00.001-07:00

Little Chomp is 2 Months Old Today!!!!!

We had a very adventurous day in honor of Chomp’s 2 month birthday!

We woke up late: 5:30am!

We played a lot with our toys!

Then, we went on an almost 3 mile walk!

Next, we gave Nana the tour of all of the houses for sale in Redlands/Highland (even though we aren’t moving).

And, when Daddy came home, we took my first trip to the pool!

I wasn’t so sure about it.

But, I looked darn cute!

I had to hide in my froggy blankie from the big, bad pool.

Wiped out from all the adventures!!

CATS…

2009-08-02T04:59:00.001-07:00

We went on a big trip to the Conejo Valley today to watch Matt, Heather’s brother, (he’s the orange cat at the top) in the Cabrillo Music Theatre’s production of CATS. He was Skimbleshanks. There was an entire song about him, where he got to sing solos and dance! It was a big time production for the area. He did great! The whole cast was amazing. The dancing was incredible as was the singing. Here’s a link to a review. I don’t know if anyone illegally recorded any of it for youtube during the 2 week run, but if so it’d be worth checking out. Oh yeah, and each cast member had to do his/her own makeup—insane how good it looks!

Oh, and he dedicated his performances to Little Chomp!!! How awesome is that?! We had him autograph the program for Chomp and because one day soon, he will be famous on Broadway! We will miss him a lot when he goes away to college in the fall. But, we know that he’s going to keep doing AMAZING things, and can’t wait to see what great adventures he gets to have!

So, we got to have a family day. We started out at home with Nana and then went to Granddad Mike and Grandma Nancy’s for the afternoon. Chomp got to meet his grand uncle and aunt, Sharon and Gordy, and hang out in the back yard. Then, Papa E. and Grandma E. watched him while we all went to the play. (I don’t think that he was put down during the whole time we were away :)

A long, but fantastic day!!!!

We Did It…

2009-07-31T11:21:00.001-07:00

We set out on our walk today and I felt like there wasn’t going to be a better time to try a longer walk than today. So, we did it. We walked past the turn off for our “around-the-block” walk and just kept going. 2.1 miles. No crying, just enjoying the morning. Not a bad start to our walking/jogging career :)

Success!!

Camou Shoes…

2009-07-30T23:21:00.001-07:00

Couldn’t Resist taking pictures in my first pair of camou shoes!

8 Weeks Old….

2009-07-29T09:04:00.001-07:00

Chomp is 8 weeks old today!

We love our happy, smiley, laughing little guy!

Walking…

2009-07-29T08:33:00.001-07:00

We haven’t been doing much walking because it’s been a trillion degrees out and Heather hasn’t been feeling all that great. Last night Little Chomp was pretty fussy so Josh decided to give him a change of scenery and take him out. He made it to the end of our street before he started crying. Heather thought that she’d try it again this morning and hoped for the best. It worked. He was awake the whole time and made it around the block without crying! YAY!!!! If this becomes a part of our routine maybe there will be hope for brisk walks and jogs in our future!! :)

By the way, it was 67 degrees during the walk…YAY! That might have had something to do with it. Hopefully it won’t hit 100 this next week.

Here’s Chomp chillin’ in his stroller enjoying the trees and smelling the fresh cut grass.

I’m a Cute Smiley Face…

2009-07-27T18:16:00.001-07:00

What use are diapers…

2009-07-27T17:30:00.001-07:00

The pictures say it all!

Front: Perfectly dry and clean!

Back: How did this happen??? (And, yes, I’m sadly for Little Chomp, that kind of mom who would take this picture before changing him). Poor guy!

Fun with the Canon Rebel…

2009-07-27T13:28:00.001-07:00

The beautiful baby boy!

Foot on my momma’s hand!

Love my Lips :)

Cutest ear ever!

My little hand with my momma’s finger. :)

This is what a paci looks like when I am using it :) Psychodelic :)

Burritos and Market Night…

2009-07-24T02:49:00.001-07:00

So, as most of you know, we get together with our community group on Thursday nights each week. Usually during the “school year” that means dinner, games, laughs and being Survivor addicts.

Well, during the summer, there is no Survivor and we vary things up a little more.

This week about 25 of us met at Chipotle, ate a great dinner and a bunch then walked over to Downtown Redlands for Market Night. Market Night is about four blocks long and is filled with food venders, crafts, and produce galore. It was really fun to just walk around, be outside (and not be baking), people watch and chat with friends. Chomp did pretty well through the night and seemed to like the lights on the street and noises.

7 Weeks Old…

2009-07-22T12:55:00.001-07:00

Chomp is 7 weeks old today!!!

He’s happy about that :)

Collin likes to kick :)

It’s been too long…

2009-07-21T19:12:00.001-07:00

Collin has a lot of growing to do :)

I’m just too cute when I sleep :)

We have had lots of visitors again in the last few days. Papa E., Grandma E., Danielle and Christina came to visit on Saturday. I was on my best behavior and played and let them all hold and cuddle with me. Then, today, Tia Kimmy, and cousins Ashley, Brandi and Cassidy got to meet me for the first time. It was so fun to play with the girls. (Mom and Dad keep forgetting to take pictures-shame on them!).

Papa E. brought some pictures that he had on his camera. So, here’s some additional pictures from the last few weeks.

Me in the NICU. I’m sooo glad that I busted out of there.

Hanging out with Dad is by far the best!

Awww…family!

Another family shot at Descanso Gardens.

More Chomp Pics…

2009-07-17T16:58:00.001-07:00

Another Cute Bootie Picture! :) These Carter onesies are just too much!

I’m a smiley guy ‘cause I’m pretending to sit up :)

Look at me, I don’t have to have froggy legs anymore :)

My new friend: My thumb!

Week #6…

2009-07-15T17:22:00.001-07:00

Little Chomp’s Six Weeks Old Today!!

So, of course, for his sixth week birthday we went to Forest Home. We hung out at the Lake with the Holzer and Blanck families. We then went to Adventure Mountain and introduced “Crusher” to the AM staff, and his “uncles” Cayman and Sporx, and “auntie” Alissa. We had a great time and think that we may make lunch at the lake a weekly event!

Hanging out in my safari hat and outfit!

My first trip to the lake!

Adventure Mountain Rocks!

I love Camp!

I like my uncle Cam!

It was a beautiful day on the mountain!

Daily Chomp Fix…

2009-07-14T08:27:00.001-07:00

Hey? What’s going on? Stop taking pictures of me!

Sometimes, I just don’t want to wake up, but go ahead and try to make me.

Baby Boy straight-jacket!!! The best invention ever!

Heather’s really great friend Kendy and her friend Tracey came and visited last night! YAY!!!

Family Photo time…

2009-07-11T21:48:00.001-07:00

We got to take our first family photos today at the re-wedding. Yay! Papa E. got some pretty ones in the garden too. We’ll post those when we get some copies :)

Descanso Gardens…

2009-07-11T21:43:00.001-07:00

We went to Descanso Gardens today for Jacqueline and Sergio Sais’s 25 anniversary wedding. It was a warm day, but so beautiful. Little Chomp got to hang out with lots of people who love him. Here’s some pictures from today!

Fresh from a bath in my Chicky Towel :)

Tio David and Tia Daniellie

Papa and Grandma E.

Great Grandma Mamina

Great Grandpa Erquiaga

Baby Hawk works again :)

Yay! Gazebo Pictures with Tia Kixxy!

Little Chomp’s Five Weeks Old…

2009-07-08T18:01:00.001-07:00

In honor of him turning 5 weeks, he decided to need 5 outfit changes today! (Yes, it does mean that I’m obsessed in that I happened to get pics of him in each one!).

#1-Baseball

#2-Crab Fishing

#3- Dinosaurs

#4 Green Peace

#5 Camo Safari Animals

Yikes!! That’s a lot! Maybe Mommy needs to get over changing you after you pee on yourself. ;)

More Cute Pics…

2009-07-08T15:07:00.001-07:00

So today, bless his heart, Chomp took two naps on his tummy on his mat. Every other nap he has taken has been on someone :) He does not stay asleep in his crib for naps yet. So, he was all cute and balled up and I got these pictures.

Check it out…

2009-07-08T05:48:00.001-07:00

Check out Granddad and Grandma’s blog for cute pictures of their visit yesterday!!!

http://www.stewsonthego.blogspot.com

Obligatory Cute Pics of the Day…

2009-07-07T21:23:00.001-07:00

I have a new found love of my activity center!

Ahh…Mom….don’t post a picture of my bum.

All Clean!

See I told you…

2009-07-06T04:28:00.001-07:00

I can lift my head up!

I’m amazing!

I’m Cute and Loveable…

2009-07-05T11:36:00.001-07:00

We were able to get a fun video of Chomp being happy in his bouncer this morning and talking to us.

4th of July….

2009-07-04T21:33:00.001-07:00

Here’s what I was up to on the 4th of July. We went and spent the afternoon hanging out with our friends in Yucaipa:

Check out my flip flops for poolside :) I have lots of room to grow :) And my cute little onesie for the 4th! Thanks to Heather’s boss Cindy for the onesie!

I finally got to meet my friend Olivia Janelle Gray! YAY!!!!!!! We are 10 days apart. Our daddies are soooo proud and in love with us! :) Oh, and both of us look just like our daddies. They think that’s pretty cool!

New bellybutton….

2009-07-04T12:13:00.001-07:00

Isn’t it cute! Much, much better!