Happy 5th Birthday Jaelen!

Seems like yesterday he was just a little baby -- now he's a big boy wanting to help daddy do everything and anxiously waiting to be a big brother to Samantha Rose. He is going to be such an awesome big brother and helper to his Mo-ma!

Things he LOVES: football, new shoes, fixing things or working with his hands, cooking, saying prayers at night and his little sister!

back when he was just a baby...

Baby watch...

With the baby on it's way I thought I'd keep the blog updated. After 3 months of full time school, work and family -- I will finally have time to blog again. Well until I guess the baby ccomes...

I will try to keep you posted.

Currently I am 35 weeks (which in non-pregnant womens terminology equals over 8 months). Baby Samantha Rose is almost 6 lbs in the womb and on target for everything. She is already got a great sense of humor -- she likes to hide from the ultrasound and never gives us a good picture (hence no ultrasound photos since 3 months!). Or maybe she's just camera shy -- juet like her daddy.

Here's a photo of my "other" doctor -- Dr. Jaelen checking up on his little sister.

happy 10th birthday Trae!

Can't believe our oldest is in the double digits now and starting the 5th grade in 3 days! Where does the time go? I know Sam really feels old today!

We are truly blessed to have such a caring, respectful and handsome young man in our family and a great role model for Jaelen. We love you Trae-Trae! Love, Daddy, Ali & J.J.

if you don't know, now ya know...

If you don't know my husband and my in-laws, they are uber-baseball fans. They travel near and far to catch baseball games of all ages. Knowing them, it wouldn't surprise you to hear that they took a two week father-son-grandson summer vacation to Omaha, Nebraska to watch the College World Series. It was truly a trip that they'll never forget and a kind of a coming of age trip for Trae. Just Papa, Daddy and Trae in a hotel for two weeks, living off PB&J's and fast food, watching game after game after game.

I even took in some of the action for about 5 days -- but of course, I made them take me to a real sit down restaurant with waiters and no self-serve beverages and take me to the mall at least. I mean -- I do love sports more than the average woman but c'mon...I got to mix in some shopping and good food too!

Lucky enough, we got to cheer on the Champion Fresno State Bulldogs which included two players that Doobie (Sam) coached two years ago. One of them even got the MVP honors of the CWS. After the game, Trae looked at him so bright-eyed you'd think he was looking at Barry Bonds!

Best part about the trip is we got to celebrate Peanut! I broke the news over the phone while Daddy was in Omaha so I had to follow it up with a smooch. (I know, I know -- most of you probably threw up in your mouth a little.)

very happy anniversary to us...

May 12th, my sweetie and I celebrated our first anniversary together! As the second chapter (year) in my life began as Mrs. Sam Nichols, (btw, the first was the best year of my life) I was given the best gift of all -- the gift of life. After trials and tribulations of trying to get pregnant, we conceived our little peanut on or around our first anniversary.

Here's how the news unfolded with my hubby about the conception date:

"If I had known I was going to give you that on our anniversary, I wouldn't gotten you that camera..."

Here's how the news unfolded with my hubby on the baby due date of February 13th:
"Cool, guess I don't have to get you a Valentine's Day gift!"

So he's a little more practical than romantic... I still love him!

Here's our peanut at 8 weeks. He wasn't even as big as a peanut at this point but thriving with a super strong heartbeat! YEAH!!!

case closed...

The case is officially closed on the criminal who broke into my car and stole my personal belongings. After great detective work by my Aunty Joyce, the (paid) detective was able to put a strong case together for the DA. The female assailant that I i.d.'ed in a line up plead guilty to a felony charge and was sentenced to 120 days in jail and 3 years of probation. Here's to hoping her cellmate was "Big Bertha." Oh yeah, and her boyfriend plead guilty too along with some other criminal charges. Guess those two belong together. They can be pen-pals for awhile.

back from hiatus...

Just like every great t.v. show, I needed a hiatus (okay, so I'm pumping myself up a bit) -- but I'm back. So many fabulous things happened this summer so I'll try to catch you up to speed. P.S. The Hills makes it season debut tonight too -- but my life has way more drama. Stay tuned...

bad boys, bad boys, whatcha gonna do...

whatcha gonna do when they come for you...(COPS theme song)

Herein lies Part Two of my blog titled "rage against the machine:"

My phone rings and it's Detective Higginbothem with Ceres PD. He's calling me as they raid the house of the suspected auto burglars! They're in the house and found a boatload of giftcards. While he gives me a rundown of the names of the cards he's finding, my pulse quickens like I've got his back with my gun drawn as if the theives were going to walk in on "us" any moment. Some of the cards could be mine -- all very common gift cards like Target, Macy's, etc... But when he says Tiffany's Jewelry--I say "that's the guys." And in my head I say "book 'em."

Come to find out, my instincts were dead on. They arrested the two people I saw lurking in the parking lot before I went in. I went down to the station and i.d.'d them via a photo line up and "my partner" Aunty Joyce got the proof that the Tiffany's card was mine (she bought it).

My priceless belongings are at the bottom a dumpster somewhere in the Central Valley and I won't get anything back but my Tiffany's card since that's the only one I can prove is mine.

The best part about this whole event is that I can answer Jaelen's weekly question: "Moma, did the police catch the bad guys and put 'em jail?" -- YES!

Now, he's just stumped on why I didn't get my red purse back then?

The saga continues...

ladies, hold onto your hat...

gotta love SNL!