The Escandon's Family Blog

Saturday morning we all got out of bed and decided at the very last minute possible to go to mass and then to the pumpkin farm to pick out pumpkins and take a family photo. Actually, we were planning on going to mass in the morning and had planned to take the family photos the week before but got busy working on the back yard. So, we got all dolled up and scurried out of the house just in time to make it to mass.

After mass was over at about 9:45 we headed to the pumpkin farm in Wine Country. We quickly found a nice spot to take our photo. Paul took some test shots...

I have no idea what was so interesting over there.


Or what was so disgusting down there.


Whatever it was both girls got a look and didn't like it either.


This is typical. Clare's mischivious grin and Lucy's "What 'cha looking at face". I love test shots, don't you?


This is what we finally came up with.


I am very pleased with the way the photo turned out. I just love the bright blue sky and green grapevines in the background. The colors go well with the brightness of the pumpkins. I had the girls wearing coordinating outfits and they looked adorable. Clare had a great time checking out all the pumpkins and rolling around in the hay. This was her first time to the pumpkin farm. Last year we were out of state visiting friends so we didn't do the whole pumpkin thing. The "farm" also had pig races, a corn maze, petting zoo, pony rides, and a train ride. We decided to forgo all the paid attractions and we were better off. Clare had enough fun watching the pigs and running around the farm and through the corn maze.






Notice the hay on her bum.


She's looking for just the right pumpkin...

Are you in there???


Found it!


Truth be told this isn't the pumpkin she picked out. In fact, she didn't pick out any pumpkins. I had our pumpkins all pick out and ready to go in our wagon. It was already 11:00am and the sun was blazing hot (it was nearly 100 degrees that day). I was ready to GO HOME.

Tonight we got around to carving said pumpkins.



And ta-da! Paul's is on the far left, mine is to the right, Clare's is in the middle with Lucy's righ next to hers.

Labels: clare, Family Life, halloween, holiday, Lucy Rose, paul, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:50 PM | Permalink | Comments

Paul and I celebrated 3 years of marriage last week! Its amazing how fast the time goes. 3 years and we have two lovely beautiful daughters. Thank you sweet husband for being my very best friend. I don't know where I would be without you.


For your amusement... a few photos of us before we got married and our lives were forever changed. Not to mention before I got pregnant and gained 30 lbs, but that's another story.

Labels: Announcements, paul, rachael, Thoughts

Posted by MamaEscandon at 8:32 AM | Permalink | Comments

Yesterday we met Paul and his boyfriend John (or is it Jon?) for lunch. My brother came with. We love this place. Lunch is perfect because its half the price of dinner and the portions are a tad smaller... you still get stuffed but its not as much food as dinner time. As it was, we all waddled out of there. This was Clare's first Bonsai experience and I think it freaked her out just a tad.

Labels: clare, Family Life, Friends, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 7:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

Tonight while was getting Clare ready for bed I received a phone call from an unknown number. FYI, for our home purchase, my mom is handling the FHA loan we are going with. The conversation went a little something like this:

Me: "Hello"

Mom: "Hey, its Mom. We need to talk. We have a problem".

Me: "What is it?"

Mom:"Well, we are going to have to figure out what we are going to do. We aren't going to be able to do the loan on the house".

Me: "What?! Why not"?

Mom: "Well, FHA has some really strict guidelines."

Me: "Uh huh".

Mom: "And apparently Paul has a warrant out for his arrest".

Me: "WHAAAT?! For what? That's not possible". All I can think is "Great, now I have to call my Dad".

Mom: "I know, I thought he was so innocent."

Me: "What for"?

Mom: "I don't know you are going to have to talk to him".

My heart is pounding. At this point I am starting to freak out and I am pretty sure pre-term labor is starting.

Then, Paul comes in the room screaming:

"APRIL FOOLS!"

Yes, it was all his idea.

Labels: Family Life, Nonsense, paul, rachael

Posted by MamaEscandon at 9:03 PM | Permalink | Comments

I know its been quite a while. Not sure if anyone missed us. With my first trimester behind me, I have been spending a lot of time trying to catch up on the housework and chores that have been neglected lately. I plan on taking another hiatus from the computer starting Wednesday of next week and I won't be back until after Easter. So, I wanted to update and what's been going on around here.

Christmas was great. We spent Christmas Eve at my maternal Grandmothers with my side of the family. We had a delicious meal of pozole and tamales. Christmas morning we got up and went to Mass at The Mission, then went to my dad's for the early afternoon. We came home and all crashed for a family nap. Unfortunately, we do not have many photos. We were too busy enjoying our time. Plus, we didn't do any family gifts on Christmas. Both Paul and myself gave in and gave our presents over a week early. I bought him a rain coat he can use when he is filming in the rain, along with some fleece pajama bottoms. And I got an awesome HP laptop! We figure Clare was still to little to get the whole Christmas thing and we haven't decided on what traditions we are going to be celebrating so we just skipped buying her a present (read on... we make up for it). So we didn't have a Christmas morning at the tree. I will share the few photos we do have.





Paul went to the Rose Bowl with his father. Second year in a row, by the way.






The second week in January we took a mini-vacation to Big Bear Mountain. It was Clare's first time in the snow. Sadly, we forgot our camera so we didn't get the best photos. But I got two from my camera phone and a cute video of Clare and Paul sledding. I did try sledding but it was a little bouncy so I didn't want to do it again. I got a couple cute shots of her checking out the snow in her snow suit. She was really cute, she hated being inside the room in the lodge and wanted to be outside the whole time!



Clare is getting so stinkin' big! I can't believe it. She is no longer my baby but my big walking, running, toddler. She helps me all around the house and wants to do everything on her own. Her vocabulary is growing. She can now say baby, uh ooh, & mama (in addition to the words she was saying at Christmas time). She loves stuffed animals and loves to cuddle with them and take the small ones with her everywhere. Funny thing is that I don't care much for them. They are mere dust collectors. But hey, they make her happy and that makes me happy. I love watching her cuddle and kiss the animals. She is such a lover girl. She sees my belly and says "baby" and puts her lips out to kiss it! She loves other children also and wants to give them all love! I know she is just going to be a loving big sister. I can't wait! Here she is helping me rake the leaves in the front yard.



As I said, we made up for Christmas. I had been eying the Radio Flyer walker wagon for a while now... and I fell in love when Clare and I went to visit our friends in Washington (who happen to have one). So one Saturday afternoon we got in the car and drove down to Escondido to my favorite store. I am hooked to that store and we buy every gift for children there. They have a wonderful collection of wooden and classic toys. Just my style. They also carry organic baby and children's clothes, soft shoes, cloth diapers & accessories, baby slings, and so much other awesome stuff! Ok, commercial over. Clare loves her walker wagon. She plays with it more than her other walking toys. She loves to sit in it-even when playing by herself and loves to put her toys and stuffed animals in it and push them around. We took it with us one day when we went to mass so she could play with it afterwards. She and another boy from church had a good time. I blocked out his face because I did not get permission from his mother to post his photo on the internet.

And now there is me. I am currently about 14 weeks pregnant. Now that I am in the second trimester, I have a lot more energy to keep up on my wifely and motherly duties. The house is slowly starting to come together... although all it takes is a blink and Clare destroys or annihilates something. :o) She certainly is keeping me busy. I am being confirmed this Easter and that is exciting for me. I am attending RCIA with other converts to the Faith. So, my Lenten preparation for Easter I will be taking a hiatus from the computer and will be trying to immerse myself in prayer, spiritual reading, and my vocation. I hope to return with a new attitude on life and my Faith.

That's pretty much it for now... Paul's going to Las Vegas this weekend with work so Clare and I will spend the next 5 days or so trying to keep busy. I think a trip to the Wild Animal Park is in order!

Labels: clare, Family Life, holiday, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us, Thoughts, video

Posted by MamaEscandon at 9:09 PM | Permalink | Comments

Make a photobook - it's easy!

Please excuse our daughter's unruly hair! She won't let me near it with the brush. I tried putting something in it to hold it back and she pulled it out along with a chunk of hair! We had a great Christmas, I just wish we got some more/better photos. We were too busy enjoying ourselves! We went to my Grandmother's for Christmas Eve, went to a beautiful mass at the Mission, then to my Dad's for Christmas day. On Christmas night Paul's Dad came over to exchange gifts. We spent the rest of the time relaxing. Thursday night my sister in law and her bunch came over to hang out and exchange gifts. It was so much fun watching Clare have a good time playing with her cousins! She got to bed really late (almost 11pm) but she had a blast running around with them! Unfortunately, we didn't get any pictures. Maybe next time!

Enjoy the picture book!

Labels: clare, Family Life, holiday, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:24 PM | Permalink | Comments

Nuff said.

Labels: clare, Family Life, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

I thought I'd catch up a little here with what you missed this summer. I have been told recently that we actually have a number of readers! Yipppeeeeeee!

We went camping at a local campground this summer with my cousin Lisa, her boyfriend Greg, and friend Mary Carmen. We had a lot of fun... even though we were one of the few groups at the campground. We went camping at the La Jolla Indian Reservation. My cousin and I grew up camping there almost every year of our childhood. I remember it being a real "party" campground. It is owned & operated by the Native Americans on the La Jolla Reservation. The San Louis Rey river runs right through it and you can camp right on the water. The campground has inner tube rentals and you can start at the top and ride down the river on the tubes. Its a blast! Well, our trip was a little late in the season (after labor day even) so the water district closed off the water which left the river bone dry. We didn't know until the week of our planned trip but decided to go anyway. We had a great time. Although the tent we borrowed from my parents was missing some pieces so Mary Carmen kindly gave up her tent and bunked with Lisa and Greg. She is a brave women... after all we did have baked beans for dinner! Clare did really well sleeping in the tent and hanging round the campground. She just loved playing in the dirt! We played card games and sat around the campfire making smores. It was actually really nice having some piece and quiet.

Sadly, the recent fires here (Poomocha Fire) ravaged the La Jolla Reservation and I am unsure whether or not the campground was destroyed. There is no information on the website. If the campground survived, we plan on camping next summer a little earlier in the season to enjoy the water!

Labels: clare, Family Life, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 10:12 AM | Permalink | Comments

When I was writing this, I was waiting for Paul to finish putting Clare to bed and come downstairs to watch a movie with me. After about 40 minutes I went to check on him. This is how I found them both:



She slept for TWO HOURS STRAIGHT! Then woke up looking for Mama. We have been having a tiny problem lately though. When she wakes up we go in to put her back to sleep and the past couple of nights our roommate's dog (a lab mix) has been barking. He is a very well behaved dog and usually doesn't make a peep. But because we have been coming in and out of the room at night, he sees us and barks. Its just a couple of barks and he doesn't go on and on, so that's good. But even just 1 or 2 barks wakes up Clare and I think it scares her because it is after being woken up by barks she refuses to go back in the crib. I am hoping that as the dog gets to know us a little more he will stop barking at us. I try to play with him during the day but he isn't very excited about me and especially Clare! :o) I think I might have to continue to camp out in the room until Clare starts sleeping longer stretches on nights Jared and the dog are home and inside the house.

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 1:55 PM | Permalink | Comments

A few weeks ago my cousin Tawney had a 2nd birthday party for her daughter. This was Clare's first shot at the pinata!

Labels: Announcements, clare, Family Life, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 12:11 PM | Permalink | Comments

Hi everyone - this is Paul. Since my wife has taken over our blog I'm sure you all know everything about her including the meals she cooks and the household tips she has. Those are great and all, but don't forget she's only half of the Escandon's. It's time you learn what it is I do.

Without further ado, here is what I do...

Labels: paul, video

Posted by P. Escandon at 10:14 AM | Permalink | Comments

Labels: paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 3:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Warning, use of the "S" word ahead.

Last night at dinner we had this conversation:

"I keep getting emails from all the comments on the blog. I wanted this to be a family blog, but you took over."

"I post family stuff and pictures of Clare. You can post things too, you know."

"Can I have my own day too? How do I get people to link back to me? I can call it Shittin' Around Saturday".

-laugh out loud... almost choke on food-

"What are you going to write about?"

"About all the things I don't do on Saturdays"

Paul also refers to WFMW as Tip A$$ Wednesday. There you have it, our dinner conversation in a nutshell.

Labels: Family Life, paul, rachael

Posted by MamaEscandon at 9:01 AM | Permalink | Comments

Funny how when you start a family you have all these wierd names for things. For example, in this house we call slippers, slippies. We also call pajama's jammie jams or pajammie jams.

Totally goofy, I know... but that's what's so great about being a family!

My dad got Clare these camo slippers when he went on one of his bazillion hunting trips and we put them on her for a trip to the store because it was super cold out. They are already getting to small. Oh, and yes, those are little deer heads on the front... they even have eyelashes


And another one... just cause she's cute.

Labels: clare, Family Life, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 3:40 PM | Permalink | Comments

I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL! I'm going to the ROSE BOWL!

-Paul

Labels: paul, Thoughts

Posted by P. Escandon at 8:32 PM | Permalink | Comments

Unfortunately our brother Lee wasn't around for the holidays, so this post if mostly for him (but all of you can watch too). This is just a snippet of our Christmas festivities.

Labels: clare, Family Life, paul, rachael, video

Posted by P. Escandon at 8:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

A couple of adorbale photos of Clare and Paul... right before bed.


And, my favorite...

Co-sleepers really do have more fun!

Labels: clare, paul, pictures

Posted by MamaEscandon at 11:33 AM | Permalink | Comments

This was the first time that I ever "wore" her with this particular sling. Rachael got her to laugh... just watch...



Here is more of the same - Clare being Clare.

Labels: clare, paul, rachael, video

Posted by P. Escandon at 9:41 PM | Permalink | Comments

Almost everyone I know recieved one of these in the mail recently. Yes, we joined the ranks with the cheesy photo Christmas cards. My kid is a doll, what more is there to you say?

Oh, if you didn't get one, its because I don't have your address! Be sure to send us an email and give it to us.

(PS it is also our main blog photo)

Labels: clare, paul, pictures, rachael, The Three Of Us

Posted by MamaEscandon at 2:08 PM | Permalink | Comments