There's A New Estep Girl In Town... Almost!

We just found out that my step-brother, John, and his wife, Erin, are expecting a little girl at the end of the year! YEAH!!! Below if a picture of their first born, Tommy at Disneyland a couple of days ago. He just turned 2 in Feb-08, so he'll be almost 3 just after his little sister gets here. He's going to be such a great big brother. He is already so gentle with Brixie Lee every time that we visit. Love you guys and congrats!

Check Your Car Seat!

This weekend we got a new car seat for Brixie Lee and put the old one in Grandma's car (thanks Grandma!). When we were changing the seats we noticed that the adjuster strap (comes up from between the child's legs) on the old car seat was showing a lot of wear. It's hard to see in the picture below but I wanted to show you which strap.
We didn't think it was a huge deal, but it did give me some concern. I just got off a 4 minute phone call with Britax and they said they would ship a new strap and that we should have it in 3 days. WOW! What was the best customer service I've had in YEARS!!! No muss, no fuss, they just needed to verify my address.


We also ordered a new buckle because Brixie Lee had spilled so much junk in the old one that it was starting to stick. So, for $10 we're going to have what feels like a brand new seat for Grandma's car. YAY!!!! If only everything in life was that easy.

Bottom line, check your car seat and be sure your straps are looking good. Replacements and peace of mind are cheap and fast!

Big Girl Bed!!!!

Last night was Brixie Lee's first night in her new Big Girl Bed! The shipment finally arrived yesterday afternoon and we all worked hard to get the bed put together so she could spend one night in it before we head off to Bakersfield. Looks like she's got a little of her Mommy's handy side huh!


Here she was telling us that the sheep was "up-side-down." Smart girl!
Nothing better than enjoying the fruits of your labor! Ahhhh relax!!!
My Big Girl Pillow, on my Big Girl Bed, with my Big Girl Bunny and my Big Girl Sheets! Such a Big Girl!

She's even started sitting on the toilet like a Big Girl (no child's seat and no help from Mommy). I just can't believe how fast she's turning into our Big Girl.

He Proposed!!!

My very best friend, Tracy Lynn Voorheis, is getting married!!!!! Her long-time boyfriend, Charles Vasquez, proposed to her tonight after a beautiful dinner out in New York City! He's such a romantic. Congratulations to you both and we couldn't be happier for you guys! See you soon!!!!


I know these pictures are old, but I couldn't find Tracy's Birthday pictures! You guys look great anyway! What a smashing couple :)

Preggo Update - 16 Weeks

Today I'm 16 weeks along in this pregnancy and things are progressing very well and very fast. I had an appointment with my Doctor today and she said that last round of ultrasounds came back normal (well, as normal as could be expected for a child of Don's... hehehe... love you Honey!).

Back on point, I've packed on quite a bit of weight, but the doc says that I'm still very much in the normal range and that I have nothing to worry about. So, I boxed up all my skinny clothes and said goodbye to them for at least a year. I washed every bit of my old maternity clothes and now I'm into comfort 100% of the time. According to the books, Baby #2 should only be about 4 1/2 inches long now, so I can't really explain why he (we don't know it's a he, but I'll explain more later) requires me to eat a 2nd breakfast, a 2nd lunch, and a 2nd dinner. I know I didn't eat this much when I was pregnant with Brixie Lee so I'm sure that I'm going to start making my scale scream shortly.

Brixie Lee still has no clue what's going on. We tell her about the baby in Mommy's tummy, but she just looks at us like, "you guys are silly... it's just a belly button... see mine!" She has been playing with my old Cabbage Patch baby dolls (the really, really little ones) but she seems afraid of them most of the time. Maybe it's the big plastic heads and the small fabric arms that turn her off. Right now she just puts the baby nite-nites all the time. I guess it's time to start getting some advice on preparing Baby #1 for Baby #2.

Don Lee and I on the other hand keep forgetting that I'm preggo. We are just so busy with our day-to-day lives and Baby #2 just isn't all that noticeable yet. I mean, aside for the loss of energy, lack of sleep and addition of weight. I would show you what I mean, but that would just not be a pretty picture right now. We'll start taking pictures at 20 weeks because right now I still just look fat and tired... because I am fat and tired.

Now for the hot topic. The sex of Baby #2! We just made our appointment today for a Sept 4th ultrasound to find out the sex of the baby. Now, be warned, I'm not going to post the sex of the baby until the evening of Sept 5th because we're having some fun with this in my Stroller Strides class. The mama that comes up with the best after class lunch idea (see everything revolves around food) will be the only mama that I tell the sex of the baby to on Sept 4th. Now, I'll tell my family and a couple close friends, but everyone else will have to hear it from my winning mama. It should be fun! Some of the mama's have been thinking about their lunch date submissions for quite some time. Love my mamas!

So why are we convinced that Baby #2 is a boy... we just don't have a plan for a boy. We have all the clothes and gadgets for a girl. I mean, I have a brown and PINK stroller for goodness sakes. We have a name picked out if it's a girl (Helene Marie... and I don't want to hear anything else about another girl name... Grandma D that means you too!) and we have NO IDEA what to name a boy (aside from a HUGE list of absolutely-not's). We would probably end up calling him Boy. There are a couple of really cool things about a boy. First, we would have a Mathewson boy to carry on the Mathewson name. Second, I would spend so much less time doing hair in the morning. A boy would be buzzed all the time to match Daddy! Love that!

Until next our Sept 5th update... nite-nite!

Concert in the Park - R&B

Tonight we went to another Chino Hills concert in the park. Brixie Lee just loves going to these because she gets to rock out all night and go to bed late.

Bakersfield Spa Party!!!

Today we celebrated Papaw's Birthday... Bakersfield Style!!!

4 Kid Cups - $4
1 Hose Ring - $5
2 Doggie Pools - $10
1 Bakersfield Spa Experience for Brixie Lee - PRICELESS!!!!

Check out the video and you'll understand!

Mathewson Crew!!!

Today the Mathewson Crew got together to celebrate Papa's Birthday. Each of Don Earl's 8 grand kids were at his house in their stars and stripes. From left to right, top to bottom we have Donovan, David, Robert, Jack, Brixie Lee, Grady, Annalise, and Henry! What an awesome crew!!!!
Brixie Lee found Daddy's old tricycle and kept saying "pedal, pedal, pedal." Her legs were too short to reach the pedals, but she loved having Mommy push her around the yard. We love this pic!
She also took some time to feed Papa's tortoise. He ate so much lettuce that we thought he was going to pop out of his shell. Silly tortoise!
Thanks for an awesome afternoon Papa! The burgers were great!

Happy 6th Anniversary Honey!!!

Six years ago today Don Lee and I promised to spend the rest of our lives together. If only I had known then what I know now... I would have done it twice!!! Don is an amazing husband and an outstanding dad. He works so hard to make sure that we have everything we need and almost everything we want. I'm still waiting for those diamond earrings that we saw 6+ years ago when we picked up his wedding ring, but I can wait! I love you honey and I'm looking forward to the many, many, many more years we have together. Love, Wife

Here is our story that was printed in our wedding program...

Their story started at the wedding of Mark & Claudine Hollack in Prague on September 14, 2000. It was one of those nights that you only read about in love stories, where boy and girl stroll all through the night in a land far, far away. Their first kiss, overlooking the historical Charles Bridge, was lit by the light of the moon. The nights’ story ends with the break of day as the two, not quite strangers, return to their lofts to pack for a group trip to Munich.

In Munich, the two spent more time together talking about their lives back in “the real world.” They realized that they wanted to spend more time together, so an exchange of one phone number was made.

Back at home, Don’s phone rang for the first time from Brixie, and numerous calls after has resulted in the meeting of us all here today.