Goodbye 2011...

It's always a little bit sad to retire my calendar at the end of each year but there is so much to look forward to in each new year.

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, And The Big Hungry Bear

My coworker Susie is lending us this book for Baby. It is a cute story and I can't wait to read it to our daughter.

Memories For Baby

My friend Kitty had this beautiful photo album made from the pictures at our baby shower. It is a special keepsake we will keep forever.

Crib For Baby

Ted assembled Baby's crib this evening. We need to purchase a mattress and then Baby will have a place to sleep.

Hall Pass

Ted and I watched Hall Pass this evening. It was a funny movie however the full frontal male nudity was not expected. It is a Farrelly brothers movie so I guess we should expect the unexpected.

World Wildlife Fund

More gifts from the World Wildlife Fund; one bookmark and two pocket calendars.

One Of A Kind

My boss Sharon gave me this one of a kind handmade mug for Christmas. The mug features a cat that looks very similar to Callie.

$150= 3 x $50

One $150 Vons gift card= one $50 gift card + one $50 Babies-R-Us gift card + one $50 Amazon gift card.

Gifts From Aunt Suzie and Uncle Quincy

We received a care package today from my sister Suzie and her husband Quincy. They sent a book, Winnie-the-Pooh rattles and lots of clothes that Baby's cousin Emiah has outgrown.

Baby's Changing Table Is Built

We received Baby's changing table in the mail today. Ted put it together (I helped a little bit) this evening. Ted picked out the crib and changing table and I like what he chose.

Sophie The Giraffe

We received Sophie the teething giraffe today in the mail from my coworker Michael. It will be while before Baby will need Sophie but I'm glad we have her when Baby starts teething.

Pink Roses

Ted bought these beautiful pink roses for Baby today.

$150 Gift Card

No bonuses at work this year but we did receive $150 gift cards to Vons.

Thank You Galore

We have lots of thank you cards to write after Baby's baby shower. It will take a while but we will get them done.

Horrible Bosses

Ted and I watched Horrible Bosses this evening. It is hilarious.

Dinner With Friends

We met our friends Joe and Rina at The Palace Grill for dinner this evening. We met them through Ted's cousin Edward, and we really enjoy their company, so we try and get together every few months. After dinner they gave us spun honey made with cranberries. I can't wait to try it on toast or biscuits tomorrow morning.
Picture #1: Rina and Beth.
Picture #2: Spun Honey.

Baby Shower

What a wonderful evening we had. My coworkers and friends Kitty, Francee, Sharon, and Cynthia threw Baby an amazing baby shower this evening. About 40 of my coworkers attended to help us celebrate the upcoming arrival of Baby. It is overwhelming and humbling to be surrounded by so many people who support us and are looking forward to the arrival of our daughter almost as much as we are.
Picture #1: The beautiful cake for Baby.
Pictures #2-3: We played a few shower games.
Picture #4: Cutting the cake.
Picture #5: My coworker Alex, his wife, and their two daughters.
Pictures #6-7: Beautiful gifts.

SBHRA Holiday Luncheon

Today was the annual SBHRA holiday luncheon. I was part of the planning committee and overall I think the event was a success. We collected nonperishable food and toys for the Unity Shoppe. We also raised over $1500 to donate to the Unity Shoppe.
Pictures #1-2: The holiday luncheon planning committee members.

Gift Basket

I don't typically receive gifts from vendors during the holidays but today I received this gift basket from the CPA firm my company works with in relation to our annual 401k audit. It was a nice surprise.

Dutch

Dutch is the final featured pet in my 2011 ASPCA calendar and he is a cutie. Fortunately I already received my 2012 calendar from the ASPCA so I will continue to see cute animals each month next year.

Crazy, Stupid, Love

Ted and I watched Crazy, Stupid, Love yesterday. We are both fans of Steve Carell and he and the rest of the cast did a great job creating a hilarious movie.

Petros

Ted and I had dinner at Petros, a Greek restaurant in Los Olivos this evening. The food was absolutely delicious and the restaurant ambiance was quite nice. We will definitely dine here again.

New Clothes For Baby

My coworker Liz bought these adorable onesies for Baby. I can't wait to start dressing Baby in all the cute pink clothes she has received.

Holiday Bookmark

We received this holiday themed bookmark from the World Wildlife Federation this evening. As much as I enjoy receiving bookmarks and calendars I hope they don't spend too much of the money they receive in donations on gifts for donors. Ted did say the last time he mailed in a donation the donation card asked what type of gift he wanted as a thank you for his donation and he checked "no gift" so I guess the bookmark is the low cost thank you gift.

21

Ted bought Adele's CD, 21, and it is very mellow and beautiful.

Game Pieces

We don't usually shop at Albertsons but Ted happened to stop by their the other day and they gave him a game board and game pieces. They have lots of fun prizes to win so we decided to shop their a few more times to see what we might win. Nothing I'm sure but it's kind of fun to play.

Harry Potter And the Deathly Hollows: Part 2

Ted and I watched Harry Potter And the Deathly Hollows: Part 2 last night. Sadly it is the final movie in the Harry Potter series, however we both think they did a really good job wrapping up the series.

Picking Out Paint For Baby

Ted and I are staring to work on Baby's nursery and we went to Home Depot yesterday to look at paint samples. We are not going to paint the nursery pink; we've decided to go with a more neutral color for her nursery.

*This picture was taken 12/3/2011.

Luxery Loo For Callie

We bought a new litter box for Callie. The litter box fits inside the cabinet so it makes it a bit more attractive even though it is still her bathroom. It looks so much better than a regular open litter box.

The Palace Of Versailles: Part Four

Ted and I had such a wonderful time in Paris that I wanted to share lots of pictures from our travels. Here we are almost three months later and these are the last group of pictures I wanted to share.
Pictures #1-2: The gardens at Versailles.
Picture #3: Beth and Ted in the gardens at Versailles.
Picture #4:
Pictures #5-6: Ted and I wrapped up the evening by having dinner at Mai Do, a Vietnamese restaurant near our hotel.

Callie's New Box

Callie is just like babies. She enjoys the boxes much more than the items that come in the box.

Colorful Turtle

We received this fun plush turtle today from my coworker Liz. It is so cute and will look great in our daughter's nursery.

Baby Bouncer

We received this baby bouncer from Ted's sister Nancy and her family today. Nancy said she used a bouncer with both of her sons and she could not live without it. We look forward to using the bouncer with our daughter.

Got Breast Milk?

Ted and I attended a breastfeeding class this evening. It was interesting and contained information that we needed to learn, however I did not care for the instructor. Her instruction method was a bit too aggressive for my taste. She made it sound like you are a bad mom if you don't breastfeed. I have every intention of breastfeeding our daughter, however I don't like being told that I will be a bad mom if for some reason breastfeeding does not work out.

Green Lantern

Ted and I watched Green Lantern last night and I will have to say I enjoyed it more than I thought I would, and not because it starred Ryan Reynolds, which Ted said is the reason I would like this movie.