The Forester's

Appendage to "The Last Three Months"

2011-06-22T19:31:00.000-07:00

Rather than uploading and rearranging all those pictures, here are a few that I just couldn't help but add.

She gives you this look if you are doing something she likes.

If you really make her laugh she'll give you this one.

Lila in her new bathing suit.

She was so happy to go play in the water.

She literally posed like that, I wish.

The past three Months

2011-06-21T07:22:00.000-07:00

I feel like so much has happened with in the last three months that there is just no way to get it all on the blog so we'll go backwards recite what has happened from the present to three months ago. Lila turned 11 months last friday and it defiantly was an eye opener for Alicia and I. She is just progressing so fast that we literally can't even keep up. She has started the war between walking and crawling and cannot decide which one she likes better. This past Sunday as a totally awesome Father's Day gift looked at me and said, "Hi, Dada." as clear as day. I loved it and the rest of my day was true bliss. This fall I'll start at BYUI by taking night classes until I get these P.E. and Science classes so that I can get my AA in Behavioral Science and start in the winter as a daytime student and then from there finish with my BA in Business Marketing. It's finally all coming together and I am so grateful for that. Alicia is yet again slaying her classes as has a 4.0 with 4 weeks left in this semester. Fafsa has finally granted us enough aid to make it possible to live without a job although I will still keep my 3 to 4 hours a week After school job one of the local elementary schools. Alicia is doing so well, along with her great grades she is also making one efficient and reliable Relief Society President and as of three months ago I was given my dream calling of a Clerk to the Bishopric. Don't ask me why but I've always wanted this calling ever since my mission. We have really enjoyed the spring time up here and have truly been blessed to attend the Lord's University. We greatly miss our family and friends, but have learned to welcome this new chapter in our lives and fully embrace the weather that comes with it. Here are some pictures from the last three months.

Here are some of Lila's new Facial expressions. I wish we could get more on film, it's so hard to catch.

She has also started singing in the cave in the morning, which consists of us pulling the blackest on our bed over our head and then singing primary songs and playing in her tunnel.

Lila last Friday when she turned 11 months.

Lila loves snuggling her mommy.

She has also picked up some multitasking skills, she does this when she has something in her hand and doesn't want to put it down to eat.

Lila Crawling

Her favorite thing; Taring everything out of the can and paper holder.

Our Garden.

We went to Red Robin for my birthday dinner and Alicia thought it would be funny to tie the balloons to Lila's Binki. It was so funny to watch, although people did give us looks like we were inhumane or something. I just kept laughing overtime she would reach for the balloons.

She loves playing the grass. Mainly she loves eating it.

Grandma's Feather Bed

2011-05-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

Do you realize how hard it is to find a positive song that mentions the word in-laws, so this was the best I could do. Although we didn't actually go to grandma's house, she and grandpa came to visit us last weekend. Alicia was ecstatic to have her mom and dad come join us for half a week. At the beginning of the trip we drove to Boise, Id. which proved not to be all that bad of a drive, which made us even more excited to have the possibility to see Ryan and Kristina more often. The reason for the trip to Boise was to see Alicia's cousin Mallorie off to her mission in Dallas, Texas. We know she will be such an amazing, personable, and loving missionary. WHile we were there we stayed with Alicia's Uncle Bryan and his wife Aunt Susan. We love them so much and are so happy to have them as part of our family. It was really nice to see just how happy to see everyone enjoying their time together. When we got back home to Rexburg the thing we most enjoyed was relaxing with Barbara and Kevin. Going out to dinner with them was a plus, but most of all we just really liked spending time with them. One day after Alicia's classes they drove to Yellowstone for the remainder of the day and saw some really cool things. Enjoy the pictures:

Aunt Susan and Crytal's cute little man Nixon.

This was in Uncle Bryan and Aunt Susan's Kitchen. Their house is so beautiful.

Lila loved the green landscape of Boise.

Lila loved eating the long grass.

Mallorie and Tyler at the Boise River.

I love my cute girlies!

Alicia reconnected with one of her old childhood friends. She owns a Motel with her husband in Yellowstone.

A bison at the river that runs through Yellowstone.

Alicia said it was so gorgeous.

Lila loved spending time with Nana and Grandpa.

Yes that is a Bison giving birth to a baby bison on the side of the road. What an amazing thing to experience.

Good ol' Faithful.

Alicia and Lila with old faithful in the background.

This is how we see Lila every morning. She stands up and yells until we come in the door to get her.

Saturday in the Park

2011-05-21T15:19:00.000-07:00

The weather was so amazing this Saturday and made for such a great day. We made it as American Dream as we could, the picnic included a classic Pb & J followed by a nice Henry Weinhard Root beer, and let night for date night we made buckeyes which the finishing desert for our picnic in Porter park. We wanted to ride the carousel at the park but there was way to many kids there today. We love warm Rexburg and feel so grateful to have this be part of our families history. We miss all of our friends and family so much and can't wait to see everyone this August when we come down to visit.

hey

2011-05-09T20:41:00.000-07:00

So I really want to try this but first need to find a shortboard and then get permission from my wife.

http://youtu.be/Uh5T-Rf2fPs

California please...

2011-04-28T17:28:00.000-07:00

We miss our beautiful state, now that Alicia, myself, and the yellow school bus have officially been made citizens of Idaho we miss you even more! Now will throw in three benefits and so far the only ones that make sense to me:

1. Our car registration went from $140 to $70

2. Auto Insurance went from $945 every six months to a shocking $253 for six months (Our six months issuance here is almost one months payment back in California.

3. Lastly an All Season sporting license out of State $150 per yr. now $25 per yr.

Were some might think that surrendering one's license might now be worth it, for us it was. Two weekends ago we went back to Claremont for a weekend at home and is was totally awesome. My Mom and Dad flew us out for Alicia's late birthday present. We were so excited to get to go back home even if it was for just for 5 days. We loved visiting our family and most importantly we were so grateful for how much excitement and support we received from our family. They dropped all their plans, gave us the all the attention, and really made us thankful to be part of the Forester clan. We were also excited to see Alicia's mom Barbara and all of her

nieces and nephews (Amanda's kiddos) because they were down for a baptism in Glendora. (Casey Johnson's wife Brianna) We were totally stoked to feel all that love that weekend and when we came back to our apartment in Rexburg felt a deep longing to be back there. Here are

some of the pictures we manage to take:

I was so excited to see my little girlies! They are so big now :(

My Mom and Helena who looks just like my mom when she was a little girl. (Rachel's)

All of my Mom's Cousin Aunt Sharon (we love her!) It was so fun hanging out with everyone!

Goofy picture of my cousins.

very morning I let Alicia sleep in and I took Lila on a trip. This morning we drove up to Mt. Baldy and man it was gorgeous.

The look over the valley was breath taking.

My absolute favorite house in Claremont.

The only house Alicia and I agree that we would buy in a heart beat. Every time we would pass it Alicia would say, "Do you think if I ask them nicely that they would sell it to us for $100?" The white house at the corner of 12th street and Indian Hill Blvd. Awesome House!

Lila at the end of our morning adventure. She loved the drive to Baldy and kept talking to the tree's it was so cute. She also loved this car seat in comparison to her one at home.

Lila and Lucy loved their bath time together, it was so cute watching these girls play in the tub.

Lila loves her uncle Brad. We really miss him.

"Do Not Remove"

2011-01-27T21:47:00.000-08:00

As kids we hear these first two words everyday until we finally have kids of our own and then once they reach that beautiful age of defiance, we find our selves saying it rather than hearing it on a daily basis. As for the last word this is only ever used in instruction manuals which brings me to my purpose for this post today. In my childhood I use to love to take things apart and then attempt to put them back to their original state, this dream hardly ever happened. As I got older I learned how to disassemble and reassemble pretty well, until I came across the "Magic Bullet". If you are new to disassembling things when you read the phrase "Do Not Remove" it usually means that if you take that screw out you are literally screwed and have lost all hopes of returning it back to working condition. In line with my true diagnosis of ADD, after I had concluded making Alicia and I late night smoothies, I noticed some of the shake had gotten into a part of the bullet I could not reach. So then I noticed some screws and took them off in an effort to perform a deep clean of the Bullet. In the process of removing those screws I noticed a wire and some more screws that if taken off would lead me to my destination. Needless to say after completely demolishing it in a sad attempt to restore it, I sat back and looked at it from a far hoping that I could get a better sense of where I went wrong. That's when I noticed those undaunting words, "Do Not Remove". That's right, the original screws that I had first taken off in a quick attempt to reach that spot for cleaning, were the very thing that lead to my defeat. So here's to you "Magic Bullet" you have humbled me and to the adage "Do Not Remove" I shall never ignore you again.

2 Fishes and 5 Loaves

2011-01-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

Man have we ever had a hard week. Ever since we moved up to "The Great White North" akaRexburg, ID. Lila has been having difficulties sleeping through the night and we (mainly Alicia) have been paying the price. Along with the long nights comes the long hours of staying up to finish our assignments and getting everything ready for when people come over to visit. Although it was a hard week we wouldn't have it any other way, a packed schedule is how we operate best for this that know us. We love to stay busy, but sometimes wonder why we plan so much stuff?! I blame it on our personalities and tell Alicia that we need to be more odd, but since the weather keeps you from doing a lot of things outside it causes you to feel like you are on house arrest because the weather forces you to stay inside. It's a vicious cycle and we just can't seem to get off of it. We made some friends this week named Brynt and Kelsey, they live in the apartment right below us and have a greater love for games than I do, which I never thought was possible. They are easy going Oregonians and have a great sense of humor. Also we had dinner with our friends Ryan and Sarah who are from Calgary and Salmon Arm, Canada. They are really fun people to hangout with and we found that we had a lot of things in common. In addition we also had Sunday dinner with Crystal and Chad and their kids, Ella and Jackson. We love having family so close to us and cannot continue to express how much we love Crystal and Chad, if it weren't for them I think I would have lost it by now and been in a deep depression. We love them so much! Since this weekend was so jammed packed with commitments, Alicia and I decided to make a huge Kahlua Pork in the crock pot. The 5 lbs. roast lasted us from Friday night and we still managed to have left overs tonight. Just to give you an idea of the magnitude of this roast, we had it Friday night with Ryan and Sarah, for lunch on Saturday, and then for dinner with Crystal and Chad tonight, and we still have leftovers. I feel like this roast is like the basket blessed at the sermons on the mount and it just keeps reproducing its self every time I look in the fridge. The only downside to this roast is that your house ends up smelling like the roast for the next week or so and nothing we have done so far has masked the smell of it. In other news we put together this awesome movie of Lila and the new tricks she can do. We hope all is well and we're grateful to have you as part of our lives, enjoy the movie!

One last note, tonight as we left Crystals and Chad's I was rounding the corner of their car port when I lost my grip on the freshly fallen snow and landed right on my butt. The only upside to this fall was watching Alicia come around the other side of the car in an absolute panic because I was carrying Lila's car seat with her in it. As she stepped onto the new snow, her feet slipped from under her body like a cartoon character stepping on a newly peeled banana peel. We sat there for a couple of minutes laughing at each other and then got up and limped our way over to the car. When we got home we examined our bodies and found everything to be in good condition. So it appears we're not completely snow people yet, but we have had our first slip in the ice, now the real question is what follows that? We shall see.

Back to School

2011-01-07T12:37:00.000-08:00

In thinking of what to write our first Idaho Post on the lyric's from Adam Sandler's "back to school" song keep playing in the back of my mind:

Back To School
Back To School
To Prove To Dad That I'm Not A Fool
I've Got My, Luch Packed Up
My Boots Tied Tight
I Hope I Don't Get In A Fight
Ohhhh
Back To School
Back To SchoolBack To School

Here's a picture of Alicia on her official first day of School:

None the less Alicia and I have hit a super long chapter in our family book of which we are totally and completely excited for. The duration of the chapter matters very little to us, but its the unknown adventure of it all that keeps our adrenaline pumping. Alicia has restarted college at BYUI and I am finishing my last express course at Citrus before entering BYUI's business program during the Spring semester. Life is so wonderful right now, we love our apartment, we love our ward, and especially the friends we have and have made since we've been here in Rexburg. We do however deeply miss our family and friends and wish often of a life as an independently wealthy family were we would fly to visit our friends over the weekend. If this were the case though the reunion or the savings accounts titled "Fly the forester's the Chicago" wouldn't be as sweet as we hope they will one day be. Adapting to new surroundings is always a challenge for anyone. Alicia is constantly shaking when outside, regardless of the amount of layers, Lila looks at us and I swear scowls at us with these eye's that seem to say, "I can't believe you took me from beautiful California weather, to this bleak and cold place?!" and as for me I feel that my PA skin is coming back. In Alicia's defense I feel like each and everyday she is learning to enjoy the beautiful scenery and she says now that the cold doesn't both her that much anymore (of course this is coming from her on a day where the sun is out and there are no clouds and its in the 30's) All in all we love our new chapter and will hope to have more posts coming soon like our first Rexburg sledding experience!

My Friends in Town

2010-11-28T22:10:00.000-08:00

So in the last post we alluded through pictures that Kristin, Alicia's Best Friend, was in town for Ann's wedding and we love having Kristin around. Personally I love having Kristin around because I can always have non typical conversation with her about something we heard on NPR or on whats going on in the world around us. Don't worry Jason you were missed too, I love being able to talk about anything under the sun and be elevated to deeper understanding of the topic being discussed. It was really fun watching Alicia and Kristin as mothers, they planned out Damon and Lila's future as if it where up to them and then talked about all the many changes that occurred as they enter this new chapter in their lives. It was so fun to see them and Damon's sweet temperament. I'm sure if they read this they would be laughing by now, but he truly is a sweet and vocal little man. I loved hearing Kristin and Alicia talk to the babies in their high pitched sounds, it was so tender and made me happy to be married to my beautiful wife and to have these people in our lives. The pictures are pretty pathetic because I realized Kristin was the one with all the pictures, but these will have to do.

And this one's from before Alicia and I were married, but I wanted it in here because it shows just how much fun these girls have when they get together.

Going to The Chapel and We're....

2010-11-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

So this summer many things happened but one thing that was really exciting was that both my good friend Brian Boyer was married to his sweetheart Narra (sorry if I spelled it wrong Brian doesn't tell us anything) and Ann Walker was married to Jeremy. These weddings we so much fun to go to and we were so happy to see our friends marry such amazing people. We can't wait for them to get settled in and see the joy's of married life. Congratulations guys it was all worth it!

LILA LOVE

2010-09-25T11:34:00.001-07:00

For those who don't want to hear me brag big time about my little lovey or see a million pictures than this is not the blog for you. Here is a taste of the first two months of Lila's life. We are absolutely in love with this little peanut butter. She is such an amazing new part of our family and we love every moment. You hear your self saying things you never thought would come out of your mouth, like "yeah you pooped" with such enthusiasm and excitement because you know her little system is working right.

Lila loves her Daddy she smiles and turns her head toward the sound of his voice.

So big trying to hold her head up. She is a pro at that now.

I think her little faces are so cute and hilarious.

She loves bath time is calms her down and she starts splashing away

A lot of these pictures were taken on my phone so I apologize for the poor quality.

This little girl sleeps anywhere and everywhere we go. (Just like her Mommy)

I would do anything to make her laugh and smile. She melts my heart.

She is mommy's little peanut and I am so grateful for the time I get to spend with her. She lights up our lives=)

No more Sixteen Candles!

2010-08-09T09:26:00.000-07:00

It's official, Drew has finally gotten his braces off. He says that they feel slimy and I can't stop staring at him. I wanted to post some before, during, and after photo's so that you can bask in the glory of the world of orthodontics. Dr. Brown has been so amazing, before treatment he was told that he would need jaw surgery and have to have his palate broken and expanded, yet 1 year and 7 months later no jaw surgery or palate breaking, it has been truly amazing seeing Dr. Brown and his team work there magic to give me him perfect smile. Drew was super self conscience about his teeth and has been wanting a perfect smile ever since he got home from his mission. He can truly smile with confidence now. In fact he never stops! Enjoy the pictures.

Be My Little Baby

2010-07-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

So the wait has finally ended, Lila Rose Forester has come! We had quiet the experience taking Alicia to the delivery room. Starting Tuesday morning she started having consistent contrations every five minutes, but they weren't painful. In true Alicia fashion she continued to go to work until the baby came. On Thursday we went to our appointment and she was very sad to say she was 2cm dilated and 60% effaced. After some damage control was done and many prayers were offered, Saturday morning July 17 she started having painful contractions. At about three am we went to the hospital where we were met with more disappointment, she was still 2cm and 80% effaced. After a hour of waiting and really really strong contractions she had dilated from a two to six cm and 100% effaced. So I thinking now was a good time to get our thank you treats we had prepared for the nurses, video camera and other things from the car I left. Upon my return I found that she had been moved to her labor/delivery room and was progressing rapidly. When I entered the labor/delivery room she was clenching to the side rail of the bed in pain and had progressed from six to nine cm and her water had just broke naturally. Poor Alicia by this time she was ready to push but because she had only had one bag of fluid and there was no time for the anesthesiologist to come, she couldn't have her epidderal. As the nurse told her she couldn't have the drugs I saw a her face fall and then with a little bit of coaching she agreed. Literally twenty minutes after and six strong pushes Lila was delivered. Words cannot express how amazed, dumbfounded, and absolutely stoked I was of what Alicia had just done and that Lila was now a true part of our family! Apparently in hiens sight Alicia was blessed enough to have a precipitous labor. Which means the actual active labor last no more than 3 hours max. At our discharge the OBGYN looked at me and said, "For your next child you should learn how to deliver just in case you don't make it to the hospital in time." I seariously nearly fainted and thought to myself well I'm not going to deliver, I'll just pay for the ambulance fee! Its been 10 days with our little sweetheart and we can't believe that she is finally here. Thank you all for setting the example, giving us the confidence, and help we needed to prepare for this beautiful joy in our life. Thank you to all of our wonderful friends who brought in meals and checking in on us. Also we want to thank of family for all the help!

It's all a blur!

2010-07-04T11:30:00.000-07:00

I don't really remember the last couple of months because they have been so busy! Thank goodness for my camera, otherwise I would not remember what we did or where we went. So here is my sad attempt to recount our doings. (I blame it on my pregnant brain)

The beginning of may we went to the bay area for the reopening of the Oakland Museum of California. Courtney has been working there for the last few years. She was been super butt off for so long it was good to see all her hard work pay off. On top of seeing the museum we had the chance to hangout with Kristina. We met her at this mall that can only be describes as a super mall because it was so tall and Nordstrom's alone took up 5 complete floors within this mega mall, it was crazy. We had such a fun time with her and her cute little girl Kaitlyn, I (being drew) do have to say that it was really impressive seeing these two uncomfortable pregnant ladies tackle that mall withou breaking a sweat. San Francisco was so much fun and it was nice to actually keep our promise to Kristina that we would visit soon. The following pictures are from the museum, enjoy:

I love my manly man!
They even match that is hilarious!
For Memorial Day Drew and I went camping with our friends Chris & Kendra. We had so much fun. The boys went surfing while we were there. I love watching Drew surf! We ate lots and had so much fun at the beach! We love Chris & Kendra.

Sunset looking over the cliffs. It was so beautiful. We didn't have the best site and the bathrooms were the worst I have ever experienced at a campsite.
In June Kristin, Ann and I had our first annual AKA trip. Years ago we decided we were going to have a girls trip every year visiting different locations. So this year Kristin was coming for a visit so Ann organized our trip to Solvang, CA. We stayed in the adorable hotel called the Svendsgaard's lodge. Our room had a fire place in the that was controlled by a switch. Ann loved that feature, fresh Danishes were served in the morning for breakfast from a local bakery. The weather was absolutely amazing. We walked all around Solvang. Ann did a fantastic job planning this trip!
I forget where this is some square?? Ann would know since she has been to Denmark before. But it was so pretty I had to post it.
We drove past lost of Winery's so we stopped at one and walked around a bit. They are so beautiful.
I know this is my anal retentiveness coming out but I love how straight the rows are. It makes me happy.
Well now its time for man new. Alicia is recovering from the effects of the baby delivery, so I have been instructed to finish this blog. Her trip was totally awesome. Following the trip the celebrated Kristin's baby shower. While they played house Chris, Jason, and I had so much fun playing Call of Duty and eating hot wings with them, it was great to have real man time. That night Kristin, Jason, Ann, Jeremy, Alicia, and I went out to dinner at Pizza & Such in downtown Claremont. It was so nice to see our friends, we miss them so much. Thank you so much for being such a huge part in our lives, we love you guys!

Slacker Part Two!!!

2010-04-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

In February we went to Rexburg to get a feel for the place since we haven't really spent much time there. As you know Drew loved it!!! My wonderful cousin Crystal and her husband Chad were awesome! We stayed with them and had so much fun with them that weekend. Ella & Jackson are sooo cute. Ella couldn't say Drew so she ended up calling him Screw which was hilarious. =)

For Valentines Day we went to the Mission Inn for dinner it was yummy and absolutely beautiful.
I love my valentine=)

We went to Arizona in March to visit our family. It was pretty windy that weekend so Kael busted out the kites. It was fun the kids loved it. While we were there Amanda has a birthday party for Mylee and Aiden. It was great she did a fantastic job. I love my family and had a fun weekend with them.
Emma is such a little string bean she is such a good big sister
My My is getting sooo big I love her Sass!
Aiden melts my heart

Kael was having a blast with the kites but he also was a very nice brother and shared.
Nana had lots of fun too.
Drew and I decided that there are so many temples in southern California we needed to visit them all (since I have only been to LA) This weekend we went to Newport. It was such a fun day. We did a session in the morning. It is beautiful I really enjoyed being in a smaller temple.
After the temple we were hungry when your with a preggy girl you tend to eat a lot. We found a little restaurant in Crystal Cove. In Crystal Cove they had all these great cottages you can rent. I so want to stay there sometime. We walked around and had lunch there. The weather was perfect, we wanted to go to the beach and lay out but unfortunately no one sells maternity swimsuits. You can really only buy them online. I have tried on a couple and they are awful. They make you look like a tent.

After spending time in Crystal Cove we went to the Upper Newport Bay. It was so nice we went on a little hike around this nature preserve. There were tons of beautiful flowers, birds and squirrels.

I was trying to blend in! I guess big pregnant ladies don't blend in real well.
I am so grateful for my wonderful husband. He has been absolutely wonderful during this pregnancy he helps me keep active, he puts my socks on every morning, gives me massages, makes me feel beautiful and is my food police. These are not easy tasks trust me=) He is the most wonderful man I know. He loves me so much and he is always trying to think of ways to make my life easier. I love him and can't imagine what I would do without him.

Wow I am a slacker!!!

2010-04-21T18:21:00.001-07:00

It has been months since I have blogged anything. My wonderful husband has been filling in for me. There are a lot of things I want to blog about since I haven't been scrapbookin either. Life has been fantastic lately. We have so much to be thankful for and I wanted to have them written down. Again this is more for me so I apologize if you are bored by all these pictures and events.

In October I had my Aunt and Cousins come by and visit me it had been years since I had seen them so I was really excited to catch up with them. They are amazing girls and incredibly beautiful.

In October our office went to PCSO (an orthodontic convention) that was held in Arizona. This was way fun because we got there a couple of days early so I had time to spend with my Mommy and Sissy Amanda. One night we went to a party that was held at this super cool old western town. Since it was October it was a haunted Western town. Dr. B had an extra ticket so he invited Amanda (A Dr. B alumni) to come with us.

In November Drew and I found out we were going to be blessed with a new addition to our family. So to celebrate we went to Disneyland. We are so excited we can hardly contain ourselves=).

For Thanksgiving we went to my parents house in Arizona. This is were the morning sickness kicked in. Poor Kimmi her shoes were unfortunately were the victim in a hit and run to the bathroom =) she still loves me though. I was super sick this weekend I thought I had taken pictures but apparently I didn't. That is very sad.

In December we had our work Christmas party at a delicious Italian restaurant in Claremont called Tutti Mangia sooo yummy. Dr. B and Sharon know how to throw fun parties.

We celebrated Christmas with Drew's family this year. It was super fun accept for the whole still having morning sickness. I tried to not be a total bum. Here are the cute babies on Christmas morning.

In January My Mommy and Sissy Amanda came to CA to find out if we were having a boy or girl. We were so excited to find out that it was a girl. That weekend as well I was super sick. It was a very sad drive home from the ultra sound place with my in the back seat throwing up. My family probably thought I was the biggest wimp ever because every time I spent time with them over those few months I got really sick. It was still fun. The pictures below are from the ultrasound unfortunately they are the only pictures until Lila is born.

Change of Plans

2010-03-11T19:27:00.000-08:00

So the last couple of weeks have been really hectic. We have decided to take our family up to the great white north in January of next year allowing us and the family more time with Lila. Also we can have a couple more months to save up some more money to help us with school next year. We're so stoked to have the ability to go to such an awesome school and have time to build our family there. Alicia is at her 22 week mark and Lila is now the size of a Papaya and her Average size is 10.5-11.8 in, 12.7-20.8 oz. As for Alicia she is nesting in her own little way and I get to put together all the stuff. So far I've set up the crib, changing table, and I really want to set up the swing, but Alicia says the room is to cluttered so I've stopped. All in all I love the fact that we have the ability to start our family and I am so looking forward to being a dad and teach my little girl all the things she needs to know, especially how to play a mean game of soccer. I can't wait for that. Thanks for reading and there will be more soon seeing as its almost Alicia's birthday and all.

The Glorious Trip to the cold North

2010-02-06T11:01:00.000-08:00

Alicia and I went up to Idaho to see Brigham Young University Idaho campus. On campus we found that the campus was exactly what I was looking for. The teaching model for the campus was just what I have been giving my Jr. College teachers for two years now. You must come prepared to class and ready to give your insight on the things you've learned through your assignments that week. In the religious class we sat in on (Brother Barron, if you know who he was he served as the Glendora Institute) required his students to create a blog on their daily scripture studies and thoughts. The campus was beautiful and the cold didn't bother me, as for Alicia she was constantly wearing 5 to 8 layers at a time. I can't express how right it felt while we were up there, Crystal and Chad (Alicia's Cousin and husband) were so rad and generous with their house, Ella, Jackson, and giving us the tour of Rexburg and Idaho Falls. We had so much fun with them and Chad's family as well. They made us feel so at home and we can't wait to help them and return the favor. We are so stoked to make our way up to the great white north and all the adventures it holds for us. Thank you for everyone that gave us idea's and insight into what BYUI has to offer.

Pictures of Campus Aerial View Crystal, Chad, and the kids coming soon.

The gender is out!

2010-01-24T16:14:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful weekend with Alicia's family. Her mom and older sister Amanda and her kids Kael, Emma and Aiden (aka: AA) came out to California to visit and be there when we find out the sex of our baby. On Saturday we headed to a private ultrasound place in Costa Mesa, where for what seemed like forever we battle with the little monster in Alicia's belly to attempt to declare the sex. After almost an hour or at least that what it seemed like to me the doctor announced that she was 80% sure it was a girl. We all smiled and declared that 80% is good enough for me and went along our way happy as could be. Alicia and I are so happy that we have been blessed to have a cute little baby girl. I am trying to stay positive and say that she's not going to be daddy's little girl , but I seriously doubt that. She's more than likely going to have me wrapped around her little finger and I am okay with that. Now I just need to learn how to play bad cop, another obstacle of mine to cross. Alicia is so ecstatic to be having a baby girl and of course can't wait until the next pay day to as she says, "Buy an outfit or two that are at a decent price." Who are we kidding she'll look at the bows and multiple shades of pink and loose it, but I'm okay with that she deserves it after all she is the one carrying the child. In addition to figuring out the sex we also decided on a name, Lila Rose Forester. I know its rad. The following are pictures from the ultrasound:

What could it be?!!

2010-01-21T10:40:00.001-08:00

So this weekend Alicia and I findout the sex of our baby and as the news spreads everyone keeps asking,"what do you want to have?" and my reply is always a young strapping boy to carry on the family name and all, but the truth is I really just want the kid to be hear already. The only experience I can liken this to is waiting for my mission papers to come from Salt Lake and tell me where I am going on my mission. Alicia is funny and cute as she keeps plowing over baby names from both family names and of course the websites don't help either. Needless to say I think she has the boy name pined down but if it's a girl she has no clue. This time in our life is so funny all we live for is our baby. In fact somehow it has already taken hold of our schedules and it's not even out yet. I guess we're just so excited for this baby. We'll keep you posted on what it is after this weekend!
Here is the picture I couldn't download last time that was at two months,enjoy there is more to come.

And here are the 3 month mark photo's:

And here is his/her back and butt:

Family Times

2010-01-10T22:30:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year was a blast with my family (the Forester's) We enjoyed great food, movies, and lots of laughs. A majority of our time as a family was spent playing Wii Sports and Sequence which should come as no surprise if you know our love for games. One story though that stands out is when my sister Courtney and her husband Cameron were leaving. They had come back into the house to say good bye to my grandmother, only to find she had left for the day. As they were saying goodbye the second time this is what happened:

Alicia: Cameron I think your car is rolling down the street?!

Cameron: What? No its not.

Alicia: Well then who's car is that (pointing out the big front window)

Cameron: You're kidding me. (He and Courtney run's outside)

Courtney: Did you leave the car in neutral?!

Lucky for them the car stopped its self on the curb before it hit the stop sign. I still think this was one the funniest things ever to happen.

Well there it is in a nut shell, we both very much enjoyed our long break and time together. As of now the baby is the size of a lemon and Alicia is showing only to her own dismay. She thinks she in the fat stage but its all baby. Regardless I think she looks beautiful and cute with her very very little belly. We find out the sex in February, we'll let you know then. Take it easy.

Long Time Coming

2009-12-19T00:55:00.000-08:00

So I didn't realize until my sister pointed it out to me but we have all together abandoned our blog. So like a sad puppy with its tail between its legs I return to shed light on the past events. The only one worth mentioning is that of Alicia and I becoming parents. No we didn't adopted, although we thought about it, Alicia is pregnant. We were going to wait to tell everyone, but anyone that knows us can understand that we can't keep something like this a secret for very long. She is now as of tomorrow 10 weeks along and the baby or as we like to call it "love bug" (I know we're cheese with everything) is healthy and very strong. The picture below is the love bug at seven weeks:

PICTURE COMING SOON WHEN COMPUTER WORKS

I hope you enjoy this post and that it doesn't take a threat to bring back to posting again. Hope all is well with you and thank you for making our lives so special, we truly are grateful to have you in our life.

Hawaii Part II

2009-09-18T12:35:00.001-07:00

Hawaii Part 2

Alicia is forcing me to blog, so here is my input. The Dole plantation was fun, seeing all the different kinds of pineapples were cool. There were big ones, small ones, and some as big as your head. Overall the place was really cool, but the train ride was a scam. In the words of Cameron Cunningham, "It was a teenage waste land of pineapple pollution." The plus of the whole trip was the fresh Pineapple Dole Whips which we ate with haste and were sad to see disappear so fast.

Alicia like the cute baby Pink pineapple. She loves everything that's small and pink.
Helena and my sister Rachel making faces in the cut out.
The next adventure we embarked on was a Catamaran and snorkeling extravaganza. The boat was totally awesome and to much of my surprise Alicia had so much fun and I was so proud of how brave she was fro snorkeling for so long and by her self even. We're slowly getting over that fear of the unknown. She's so rad!

This is Courtney and Cameron (aka; Brigham) on the Catamaran.
At one point the crew members passed around a Conch Shell and had us blow in it and try to make a horn sound. It was through this shell that most modern ship's now have that unique loud horn sound that they use to let other boats aware of where they are.

This was the main lagoon at the resort. It was really nice to sit in and lounge the day away, but for me I was sad that there were no waves to body surf on.
One night thanks to Alicia's Island obsession with virgin Lava Flows, we decided to make our own. Thanks Rachel for making these delicious drinks.This is us or me at Lani Kai Beach. In the background you can see two little twin Islands I forgot the name. I so wanted to swim all the way out there, but we ran out of time. The water was so nice and warm.
This is the back yard of the Cloward's House. The Cloward's are family friends that we connected with by way of the singles ward. I met Kelly and Kim when I got back from my mission and our families have connected and are so grateful to count them as our family friends. While we were there Kerry (their Dad) and Kelly took us out on the local break to surf some waves in their ocean kayak's. I also paddled out with Kerry but soon found myself far out and caught in a strong current so I paddled back in a grabbed a kayak to join Kelly out there. It was so much fun just being in the ocean. Truly this place is paradise.

The next day we went for a drive up the coast to see Sunset and Waimea Bay. Along the way we stopped and saw the turtles laying on the beach. It was so funny to see them army crawl up to the shore and then flop down and pass out almost instantly. It reminded me of watching my dad sit down to read his scriptures on Sunday afternoon.
At Sunset Helena got a face full of sand and it didn't even phase her. Rachel on the other hand did not find it as funny as Helena.
Ahhh...the sand was as soft as a cloud.

The Laie Temple was so rad, the missionaries were awesome and I think Alicia and I know where we want to serve one of our missions when we get older.
There's a special Spirit at that Temple. It always brought a smile to our faces.
On the way back from the temple my mom and dad where talking about when my Mom use to live there and how they ate at this one place 30 years ago. So thanks to James (Our GPS) we were able to find the same restaurant that they were talking about and had a late dinner there.
Upon our arrival home Alicia and I were in morning to have to leave that beautiful place and return to bitter reality.

Hawaii Part I

2009-09-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

Oahu, I wish I could start and end this post with just that one word but that wouldn't be enough for those that read this blog. (If there are any) Our trip to Oahu was so much fun. We stayed at The Marriott Resort at Ko' Olina beach Resort. Here is an aerial picture of the resort:

The first morning we went to breakfast at the hotel beach shack. Helena loves to eat dishes. What makes it especially hilarious is that the cup is clear and you can see her chowing down. She looks so cute in her sunglasses.

The first day we went to Costco to load on food for the week. Loading up is an understatement. It's way to easy to go overboard (which we did)
This is the view from the lanai. We had two beds and two pull out couches. Helena had her own little bedroom nook. Rachel slept in the pull out couch closet to Helena. Courtney, Cameron, Drew and I would take turns swapping between the pull out bed and the nice comfy bed. Rachel, Lynn, Helena and I all went and got or nails done.=)
Later in the day we hung out in the pool and that night we went to a little Luau sneak peak on the grass of the hotel.
Day two Drew and I spent the day at the Polynesian Cultural Center. I could not wait to take Drew there because he most days thinks he is Polynesian. This is what Drew thought about it "The PCC was amazing, I felt like my skin turned brown by the end of the day. I love my Poly's" When we visited the Island of Tonga they asked for a couple of Volunteers. Guess who was chosen to go up and preform? Yes that's right Drew was the best one up there.

He also learned to throw spears. Instead of arguing this specific island I can't remember which one would have a spear throwing contest.

So Drew and I are watching the canoe pageant and who should appear but my friend Esther! It was such a fun surprise we met up later that night. Her daughter is so adorable. It was nice to catch up with her.

My extremely happy husband at the end of a very fun day!!!

All aboard!

2009-07-13T14:06:00.000-07:00

So not to long ago Alicia and I had the opportunity to join Chris and Kendra Beery (Scott) for her mother's surprise Birthday party. Shout out to Heather for putting us on the guest list. I have been on one of these previously when I celebrated my best friends father's 60Th Birthday, I guess its an older person thing to do. Well if I had it my way I think its the best idea because here are all your friends stuck on the boat for however long you rented the boat for. Thus it forces your one group of friends to talk and mingle with the other group. Chris and I were having fun watching the two groups collide in an awkward but smooth transition. Needless to say we had a blast dancing the night away and pretending to be "Yachters". I hope you enjoy these pictures and who knows maybe one day you'll have the opportunity to be the one in other group trying to cross that line of silence.
We had a super fun night with Chris & Kendra.

Alicia looks beautiful and fits right in but as for me and my fro, well let's just say I stuck out like a sore thumb. I'm surprised I wasn't mistaken for the bust boy.
It was really hard to get a descent shot of the girls because they were rocking out so hard. So this is as good as it gets. These girls love to dance. I blame cheer.
Chris and I did have some moves of our own but were to fast almost as fast as a wild love tigress!
After the party we went and saw Angels & Demons, this was when it got funny at one point in the movie I leaned over to see the reactions of everyone and Alicia was in the fetal position, Kendra had her hands covering her eyes with one seem that she was peeking through , and Chris was a firm as an Ox not even flinching. As for me it was intense but worth it . As we walked away from the movie Alicia couldn't help but wonder if Rome was really like that with all the dead bodies buried under everything. This makes me think that when we go to Rome that Alicia will have no desire to visit the Vatican or St. Paul's Basilica. We'll have to see.

Cutie Pies

2009-07-13T13:22:00.001-07:00

In May I spent a week at my Mom's house. While I was there I went to the Zoo with my parents, Amanda & the kids. It was a little warm but really fun. My mom and I also did a lot of shopping=) I was able to see Kimmi she is fun I wish we could hang out more. I used to share a room with her (She used to make me sing her to sleep haha ) I love my sissy. I also was able to spend a lot of time with Amanda! She is such a good example for me I love her and her kiddies!

Emma had ballet it was so fun watching her dance she is a cute little peanut. It was kind of a bummer because now that Kael is old enough to be in school he wasn't around to much=(Aiden was being very silly while Emma was at her dance class.I don't have any pictures besides this but for memorial day we went to Santa Barbara for the weekend. We went to the beach, swimming & the Zoo. I love my family I wish I could see them more often.

The Seminary Kids

2009-07-10T08:39:00.000-07:00

This year I taught seminary. It was so much fun I had the best class! Through out the year Alicia & I were so impressed with this group of kids. Not only were they fun but they were very kind to one another. I have always wanted to work the youth of the church since I was a youth. I found great strength in my early years being able to turn my friends and leaders as an anchor to me as I traveled that hard road that we all must face at one point in our lives. My class always amazed me with the amount of knowledge they had gained at such an earlier age than I did. I would constantly be reminding them how fortunate they were to be this far in the game when it came to becoming a true disciple of Christ. Throughout the year we would play games and the following pictures are of our favorite game called "Chariot Races" (thanks again for the idea Sister B.)

The object of the game is to have your team guess the chapter and verse and then its up to two players to win the race. One player sits in the charriot and the other pulls to a table where they have to find the scripture mastery chapter and verse and then blitz back to their team to finish the race. We always had fun laughing with the kids who had fallen and the player pulling hadn't notice that he/she had been dragging them all the way to the half court mark. Love the games, love the kids!

Needless to say Alicia and I loved these kids with all our heart and hope that one day we can continue this great calling yet again. Thank you seminary kids for making our first year of marraige amazing, we love you and appreciate you.

Easter??? I know that's how bad I have been!

2009-07-08T21:40:00.000-07:00

This is more for me than anyone else since I have 4 months behind! It was nice to have the most of the family together but we missed Courtney & Cameron! See this is why you don't wait four months to blog about something because the details are a little fuzzy!=)

My husband is the BEST! Lynn bought matching dresses for the grandnieces. The most humorous part was the Zoe kept leaning over and trying to "love" Helena more like smacking her. Zoe would get so excited she would move her hands up and down and Helena just happened to be in the way. Grandma and Grandpa are so sweet to each other. Grandma Forester with the adorable little babies. We miss you grandma and we hope we can see you soon!

My First Ticket! booo

2009-04-24T15:13:00.000-07:00

I am by no means the best driver in the world. Some might say it's pretty scary in the passenger seat of my car. I have definitely improved over the years, but for the most part I am pretty good with following the laws of the roads...UNTIL the inevitable happened. Drew and I switched our scripture study from night time to mornings which turns out to be great. So I am on my way to work thinking about what a great way to start off my morning and singing out loud to myself. Totally oblivious to my speed, the road and obviously the police officer. Randomly while waiting for the light to turn green I glance in my rear view mirror and noticed flashing lights and it took me a couple of minutes to realize it was for me. Lame!!! I wonder how long he was following me. I always thought that the first time I got pulled over that I would ball my eyes, unfortunately I could not make the tears come. This did not help me at all, the officer came to my window asked for my license and registration and told my he would be right back. When he returns to my window he said "I clocked you going 50 in a 35 here you go (hands me the ticket) have a great day". I didn't even get a chance to plead my case. I am not sure what that case is other than I had a blond moment while driving to work but still no chance for anything. I still am not sure how much the ticket is for I am to scared to look. I hope that is the first and last of the driving infractions but I some how doubt that. =)

The Fam Bam Comes To Visit

2009-04-12T22:25:00.000-07:00

A couple of weekends ago my wonderful sister and her family came to visit us. It was so much fun to spend time with Josh, Amanda & the Kiddies. Friday when they came it was Aiden's birthday. We went out to dinner at Warehouse Pizza, after dinner we went and saw Monster's Vs. Alien's. It was super funny. Aiden is sure loving his pizza he was wearing it all over himself. Note to self white shirt and pizza sauce don't work. Lynn and the Grandma's also joined us for dinner. I know my post consist mostly of pictures but with these cute kids you can't help it so bare with me as I indulge myself.

The next day we went to Sea World. I know it seems that we go there a lot, but it was sure fun. See Mylee sure loved it
Of course the kids went to the sting ray touch tank they love love love that. I personally don't like touching slimming sea critters so I volunteered to take care of the baby while everyone played in the water. This kid is sooo cute I love him. He can sure make me melt for him.Drew and Aiden were watching the sea lions.
We butted into their family picture=)My sister is the best!!! As you can see we are wearing matching shirts. (she let me borrow her shirt and then because she is the best she let me keep it) I love this girl to death. She is such a great big sister she has always been the best example for me even when we were young and I would go through her stuff, she would get so mad at me but I knew she still loved me. I have always wanted to be just like her, she is such a good mom, a super hard worker and she always takes the roll of the big sister.Cameron and Danielle came I love spending time with them they are really fun and they laugh at my dumb jokes even when they are not funny ( I think they are probablly laughing at me but I pretend that it is my joke that is funny). They are nerds they sat in the soak zone and all 3 were soaking wet.Aiden kept lifting one leg like he was doing some kind of trick.Aiden was completly passed out by the time we got to the resturant so the owner of the resturant let us put him on the couch in the middle of the resturant. Our table was right next to the couches. By the end of the meal Kael was on the other couch and Emma joined Aiden on his couch. You could tell they all had a super fun trip with there favorite Auntie and Uncle in the world!

Birthday Part 2

2009-04-04T07:48:00.000-07:00

In the final blogs based on Alicia's Birthday, this part 2 includes pictures with our friends Chris and Kendra. The following day (Sat. 14th) our totally awesome friends came and treated us with a cake and night of fun. We are so grateful for them and we hope you enjoy these pictures.
~ disclaimer some of these picture may only be funny to those who are in them.

We love these guy's, simply the best.

Chris and I wandered for awhile around the Rancho Cucamonga Outside Mall (Victoria Gardens) when we were ambushed by the BFF's with matching shirt Nija's.Upon arrival we found out that Crate & Barrel was closed Alicia wasn't to happy , but this did not effect anyone else apparently.

Shout Out to our friends Chris and Kenra for being the coolest kids on the block. We are so blessed to have you guys as our friends. Thanks again for everything, you rock. The Beef will rock again!

You Say It's Your Birthday

2009-03-16T09:41:00.000-07:00

For Anyone who has ever been affiliated with my wife's birthday, you know that the word birthday does not make reference to just the day but month as well. I would like to call for a extension of of this rule apply to the posting date of this blog. With that being said Alicia's birthday on the 13th of march was awesome. Thank you to both sides of the family for making it possible, I couldn't have done any of the festivities without your phone calls, presents, and smiles. On her birthday we went to 21, Disneyland, and the House of Blues. The 21 Choices Yogurt was a first for this year. For those who are wondering what 21 Choices its a frozen yogurt place that is only located into three different places in California. Two in Our beloved Claremont and One in Pasadenna. They offer 5 different flavors everyday and two "staple" flavors. so needless to say on her day I workedout a deal and named a flavor after her for that day including her two favorite things peanut butter and chocolate. The following pictures are Alicia at 21 celebrating her birthday flavor:

After 21 we enjoyed opening Alicia's first birthday present with my brother in law Jorge and Sister Rachel. They along with my other sibling's got her a ipod Shuffle. She has since worked out with it and loves it!

Disneyland is always a great place for those who love living. It always amazes me how we still year after year find that our heart is intertwined to this historical icon. Thank you D-land. While there Alicia's longtime friend Kristina came with the rest of my family to celebrate at Disneyland. Kristina was a blast to have with us that day and I wish to give a Big Shout Out to her for being so Rad!

Once night hit we concluded at The House of Blues which was really fun. The food and cake from Somecurst was the perfect ending to a great day.

What Alicia really wanted for her birthday...maybe next year.

Rachel and Helena our new niece.

Tyler and Zoe and Us being silly.

Jorge and Rachel, who couldn't have fun with these guys?

My famous signature move shot with the camera on my shoulder shooting backwards.

Thank you to everyone that made this day special. Everyday I think to myself how lucky am I to have such a amazing wife. Thank you for always making me happy and making everyday just as exciting as the last one. I love you!!

Baby Helena

2009-02-27T13:08:00.000-08:00

Rachel and Jorge had there first baby. Helena Mia Ambrocio was born on January 29. We are all so happy to have a new addition to our family. She is such a sweet little snuggle bug. Drew and I are so happy to have so many wonderful nieces and nephews and can't wait for more! So hurry up already j/k. I can't push it or they will start telling Drew and I that it's our turn. We can't wait for kids of our own but for now we are sure loving all the practice we get with our nieces and nephews. (Chris that means you have to move back I don't know when we will have kids and we need all the practice we can get) Here are some pictures of the sweet little snuggle bug.

I love this one where she is semi smiling she smiles a lot more now that she is getting bigger

Our First Anniversary: My Husband is a Super Hero

2009-02-20T16:34:00.000-08:00

For our first anniversary Drew and I went on a day trip to Santa Barbara so we could go to the UCSB vs. BYU volley ball game. During the day we went to Solvang and walked around the town. We stopped at an ice cream parlor and shared a chocolate shake. On our way to Santa Barbara we had to stop and feed the ostrichs I thought that would be soooo fun! Boy was I wrong those suckers are terrifying. Drew being my big strong man (that's what I refer to him as) that he is fed the big nasty suckers with no fear! I on the other hand was freaking out the whole time.Look at the evilness that is in there eyes. We also stopped to see the monarch butterflys that are in Santa Barbara every winter. It is part of there migrating route. Drew took this picture I think it is really cool looking.Our friends Chris and Kendra came up later so they could come to the game as well. We went to stearns warf and went on a pirate boat ride. I don't know why we are all trying to seduce the skeleton pirate man. We packed so much in we were exhausted but we had so much fun together!
I am so blessed to have such a wonderful husband. He has changed my life in so many ways. I am so proud of how hard he works in school, work, seminary and in our marriage. He has such a gift for giving unconditional love for me and everyone he meets. He is so sincere and compassioante to everyone he comes in contact with. He is such a great example of Christ like love. He has taught me so much over the last year, important life lessons like seeing the Lords hand in our lives daily (even if I think life can be unfair sometimes) or silly things like which way to put the toliet paper roll on the toilet paper holder. He is so patient and loving towards me. I love him so much and grateful that Heavenly Father blessed me with such a wonderful man. We have had more fun in this last year then we ever have before and I can't wait to have even more fun in the years to come.

2009-01-25T09:34:00.000-08:00

So due to public sources Alicia and I have been told that my family is not well represented on our publications and for this fact I created this post. Here are some fun pictures of the Foresters and us having and creating memories. Take that Courtney! Ha.

OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS AS MARRIED FOLK

2009-01-16T16:13:00.001-08:00

So we didn't want to spend a lot of money on a Christmas tree so we found super cute little ones at target! At least it was big enough to fit on top of the car.

We tired to take a picture of our Christmas tree but they all came our blurry. Drew and I have a new tradition that is a lot of fun. When we go on vacation instead of spending money on silly trinkets we buy a Christmas ornament. I think it is fun.

On Christmas eve Santa Claus came and stopped by to make sure sure all the little ones were being nice. The kiddies consist of Amanda and Josh's 4 kids, Josh's brother Andy's 2 kids and, and his sister Laura's 3 kids. All of the kids were so excited it totally makes Drew and I so excited to have our own kiddies someday.Got to love that cute face he can do no wrong in my eyes=) (For now)

I wish Chris and his family could have been there we missed them tons! Chris always made Christmas growing up super exciting and fun.

Aiden was not happy about sharing with Uncle Drew.First Santa Picture!
Christmas Morning!!!

Thanksgiving.....Finally I know it's late

2009-01-07T18:07:00.000-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving Drew and I went to Arizona and spent the week with my Family. It was great fun! Here are a whole lot of pictures of our super fun trip.

To keep the kids busy while the cooking was going on Drew and I walked with the kids to a park around the corner from my parents house. We fed the ducks old crusty bread we save just for them. Its not like they care.=)

Kael is really into taking pictures with the camera so I let him push the button. I was afraid he would drop it into the pond. He did a great job once I tide the camera to his wrist.

Holy cow was it difficult trying to get a picture of all of them going down the slide. Aiden just wanted to go down he could careless about the picture.

My sissys ready to eat some Yummy Thanksgiving Dinner!

The day after Thanksgiving we decided to go to the Zoo. No we didn't go to the mall, we went to the real Zoo. Kael and Emma had the preferred way of traveling, on the backs of Uncle Cameron and Uncle Drew. (yes Drew is wearing a girl sweat shirt)

We brought left overs for our lunch the next day! Boy was it Yummy! Well there were a lot of bees buzzing around our table so we were all kind of freaking out when they would get near us or the little kids. One was hovering over me and my big strong man of a husband saved me from the bee. Screaming like a girl and jumping around sure makes the bees go running. Everyone was laughing so hard at him but I really appreciate his heroic efforts.

Petting the sting rays was a lot of fun Aiden really enjoyed it he didn't want to leave. As you can see he gets very excited and talks to the animals.

We also took a train ride that drove us all around the Zoo we saw Lions and tigers and bears Oh MY! Here are my parents enjoying the train!

I force Cameron to take pictures with me. He loves it!!!

Our Friends David and Jill just happened to be at the Zoo on the same day and at the same time as us. We got to meet there new little baby girl Ella. She is so stinkin adorable.

Kael and Emma crack me up with the silly things they say and do I love when it is documented on film=)

It was so fun to spend so much time with all of them. We are so blessed to have such great parents and siblings we love and miss you all!!!

RACE CAR YA-YAS

2008-12-04T19:23:00.000-08:00

If you are not a car person you might ask yourself is that Kit from night rider? You're sorely mistaken, Kitt was a Pontiac Trans AM, this is the new Chevy Camero. Two weeks ago, my parents, Alicia, and i went to the LA Car Show. Among some of the many cars there was this pretty one. Alicia's favorite part of this car are the head lights, she claims that they look like eyes. Alicia and I had so much fun looking at all the cars we could never buy, but that didnot stop us from pretending that we were rich and could actually afford these cars. So we hope you enjoy our dream cars:

This is the new Honda FCX Clarity. So Rad. It always amazes me how advanced we have become.

Alicia in her cute little mini.

The new Porsche Cayenne.

The BMW 750 Li wouldn't be that bad.

And Alicia thought that the red color and convertable wass more fitting.

This car is owned by Jerry Seinfeld and happens to be the same car that James Dean wass killed in. Its a 1955 550 RS Porsche Spyder. The upolstry was tweed and it looked so sweet.

I fell into a Burning Ring of Fire

2008-11-23T14:44:00.000-08:00

I know this blog is out of order, but we went through quite an ordeal trying to put together our Halloween party that I feel that it deserves to be blogged about. For Halloween Alicia and I thought it would be a good idea, since we have no cute kids to dress up, to through a party and movie night at the house we were house sitting for. We had originally planned for a fondue extravaganza but when we actually thought about the amount of money that involves we went back to the drawing board. We finally decided that we were going to do Tin Foil dinners like you use to do as a boy scout. This meal consist of ground meat of your choice, generic all blend seasoning, carrots, potatoes that have been microwaved for 6 minutes with a little bit of water to soften them, and onions for more flavor. Next you place the dinner wrapped in foil on hot coals for 15 to 20 minutes and wallah you have a Tin Foil dinner. The dinner was a blast, my whole family, Dustin and Stephany, and Chris and Kendra showed up. My favorite part was breaking up the ambers with my brother. We couldn't seem to do the job with the fire poke, so we tried a sledge hammer instead. Not such a good idea, if you look closely enough in the picture you can see where Tyler missed and hit the brick and broke it off. All this was done while i was trying to say "Watch out, be sure not to hit any of the bricks."It wouldn't have been a family outing if something didn't brake as a result of Tyler or I being there. It was a blast for all that attended. We followed up dinner with a movie called; "The man who new too much" by Alfred Hitchcock.

Fun With Chris & Kendra

2008-11-21T15:41:00.000-08:00

In the beginning of the month Drew and I were able to go spend the weekend in San Diego with our friends Kendra & Chris. It was soooo fun spending the weekend with them. The best part was when we went to Sea World on Saturday.

We were feeling a little warm (it was only like 78 degrees outside) so we thought it would be a good idea to go on the rapid ride to cool down a bit. Everyone we saw that got off the ride was a little moist but nothing too major. That wasn't the case for us, when we were 0n the ride we got soaked to the bone!!! We could not figure out how those people we saw before the ride were hardly wet and we were completely drenched? Oh yeah did I mention I was wearing a white T-shirt not such a bright idea. haha

Kendra and I froze all afternoon!!! We went to the Shamu show the boys sat in the soak zone while Kendra and I sat up in the sun.

The Shamu Show was cool to watch because it always amazes me how they can take an animal of that size and teach it to perform such detailed tricks. I also loved watching Chris and Drew get wet in the soak zone.

Real men eat sugar!

I can't remember who's idea it was , but we some how decided that a towel bra was the next needed accessory at the Sea World nik nak store. Here's our prototype:

All said and done, Sea World is still a place where you can be a kid. Thanks Chris and Kendra for the fun weekend!

Pomegranates Are Yummy!!!

2008-10-28T08:37:00.000-07:00

Allison Clonts gave us a big bag of pomegranates from her tree. Drew and I were so excited because we just watched "Good Eats" on the Food Network and our favorite guy Alton Brown taught us how to make juice, grenadine, and glazes. We decided to try out his crafty techniques.

First you cut the ends off each side then make four slices down the fruit. (don't cut all the way through or you will have a big mess)

The get a bowl of water and gently start breaking apart the fruit and remove the seeds. Place seeds in the blender (isn't my assistant so CUTE!!!)

Pulse a fews time to burst the seeds release the juice.

Now if you want to make Grenadine add fours cups of juice, 1 Tbs fresh Lemon juice, 1/2 cup of sugar and place over medium heat. Once the sugar has dissolved lower heat a little and let it cook for 50 mins or until if reduces to 1 1/2 cups.

You have juice and grenadine for Shirley Temples.

I feel like I am on food network. I thought it was fun and suggest you try it. Your kitchen may be covered in pink juice but it's so pretty.

"She Thinks My Tractor's Sexy"

2008-10-27T12:07:00.000-07:00

On Monday, October 6 Drew and I took a day to play! Some friends of ours the day before told Drew and I about this Underwood Family Farm in Moorpark. It sounded super fun so we decided that is what we were going to do on our day. After Seminary we went home and changed into our Farm attire and drove to the farm.

Next year we totally need to get cow boy boots.

We went on a tractor ride! It takes you through all of there different fields of fruits and vegetables. We drove through a tunnel of gourds it was so cool to see them hanging there. I thought they were going to fall and knock someone out.

The farm also had a corn maze. We thought it was going to be soooo fun until we couldn't find the hay pyramid in the middle of it. We stink at the whole maze thing because we were so annoyed with all the stupid dead ends. Finally we gave up and went through the exit and "found" the pyramid of hay. The sad part was the three little kids came a few minutes later going the right way through the maze. How sad are we=)

At the farm you also get to pick your own fruits and vegetable depending on the season. We picked sugar pumpkins to make homemade pumpkin pie. They had a couple large fields of all different types of pumpkins and squash.

On our way out of the farm we stopped at there farmers market and had a lot of fun buying all sorts of good food. This is our loot from the market. We bought beets, all sorts of different kinds of squash, 13 sugar pumpkin (10 for Drew's Mom), Strawberries, Apples and tons of different kinds and colors of pumpkins. Oh at the farm they also have there own Bee colony to harvest there own honey. Drew wanted to buy a couple of straws full of honey.....

Not a bad idea until, the big nerd that I am sat on them with my rump and broke them which resulted in my very own Honey Buns!!!!

* that was one of my favorite parts of the trip because it was all over everything and her rump was covered in it. I would like to think a scenario like this won't happen again, but I would be lying. ~ Drew

Soccer is for winners

2008-09-22T19:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend Drew and I flew to Arizona to visit our family. This was the first time we flew instead of driving. Man are we spoiled now!!!!!! Thanks to my parents they paid for part of our flight so we could come and see them. We got there on Friday night and the Kiddies were anxiously awaiting our arrival. On Saturday morning Drew and I were so excited to sleep in and not have to wake up at 5:00 am. Well at 7:00am we were wide awake. So much for sleeping in. After we got up and got ready we all went to Kael's soccer game. He was bummed that he didn't score three goals like the last game but he was right in the middle of all the action and throwing a couple of elbows here and there.

After the game all the families made the infamous tunnel! It was so cute because both teams kept circling around and around, they didn't care which teams tunnel they were running in.

During the game Aiden was playing with some kids soccer ball and "accidentally" kicking the onto the field.
She is just too stinkin' cute.
Aiden loves Drew especially when he throws him in the air. He had such a cute smile on his face.
Emma and I have the same hair cute we were twins!!!
After the game we went shopping and Amanda and I bought matching dresses and shoes. My Dad took us all out to this fantastic dinner at this place called "Joe's farm BBQ" (I think). It was featured on the food network diners, drive-ins dives or somthing like that any way it was sooo yummy!!! We sat outside which was really nice because all of the kiddies got to play and you didn't have to worry about them being bored or being to loud. My Honey looks so good in this shirt!!! I love him=)ooh see the tree in the backround well there is a sign on it that says not to climb in the tree because of falling scorpians. What a pleasant thought while trying to enjoy your meal.
We had such a fun time and we can't wait to see them again soon!!!

I LOVE COOOKIES

2008-09-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night Chris and Kendra came over to Drew's Parents house. Drew and I have been staying there because of our windows being replaced and it is taking forever!!! We both don't mind though because Lynn and John are so much fun. Lynn and John went to New York so Drew and I were staying with grandma. We made Sunday dinner but with most of the family gone it was Drew Grandma and myself with tons of food. So we invited Kendra and Chris Beery. After dinner we made Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies!!! They were fantastic. We all had super girlie aprons on.

After we made and ate cookies we decided to go on a Sunday walk down around the Claremont Colleges. It was a little cold out side so we brought sweaters but the only one we had for Chris was this tiny sweatshirt. He sported it like a champ. We always have tons of fun with them, they are such great friends.

Sea World

2008-09-18T20:06:00.000-07:00

Sorry this blog is so late, but I had to put it on my blog. At the end of the summer My Mom, Grandma, Sissy and her hubby and all the cute little ones came and went to Sea World!!! Drew, myself, Cameron and Danielle also went. It was so much fun!!!!

Kael and Emma loved loved loved the Shamui and Dolphin show. They of course had to sit in the soak zone. Mylee didn't like the cold water so much so we sat a little higher.
Aiden is so stinkin cute he would get so excited when he saw the animals get close to him. He watched them so intently. I love my little blue eyed baby.
This is my handsome husband looking mighty fine with his baby vest on. Real men where babies.

My Calling In Life

2008-09-15T14:51:00.000-07:00

Sorry our posts are few and far between lately. We are currently getting new windows in our place and are unable to stay there. Thankfully Lynn and John (Drew's parents) have been so kind to let us stay with them while that takes place. Even if we were able to stay at our place it wouldn't make much of a difference because we are also in the process of changing internet providers. We had a wireless phoneline with Verizon but never could quite get it to work right because we had horrible reception in our place. It is taking a long time to get internet because we can't decide who to go with. We like not having cable and a phone line and they all want to hook us with one of those. It will all be resolved soon.
For those who don't know Drew was called to be a seminary teacher for freshman and sophomore's (seminary is an 6:30am religious class that meets Mon-Fri for high school aged kids). This year we are studying the New Testament. Drew in turn has taken it upon himself to use his wife as a team teacher. So Drew and I prepare lessons each day and wake up at 4:50am for Seminary. We absolutely love it!!! Not the 4:50am part but we love studying the scriptures in depth each day and sharing what we have learned with the students. We are both so impressed with how enthusiastic they are and that they come ready to discuss the scriptures (even the sophomore's). Drew or BroFo as the kids call him love him and feel the spirit that is present each and everyday. I am so proud of how hard Drew is working with school, work, seminary and with all of that he takes time everyday for me to express his love and appreciation. He is the best Husband EVER! I love him so much and I am so blessed to be married to him. Now for a side note on the wifey; she is so rad! She always goes above and beyond whatever is asked of her and for that I am very grateful for. My wife is right, Seminary is totally awesome and I love every minute of it. I never thought getting up this early could be so rewarding. The Lord truly does qualify those that are called to positions in which they feel hesitant about.

New Beginings

2008-08-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Right before our trip to Virginia, my sister- in- law was due to have her baby. This was big doings in the forester household because it was the act that shut my parents up for awhile and we have all wondered what a Forester baby might look like. Zoë was born on July 11th 2008. My Dad has given her the appropriate nickname of "Slurpee". I hope you enjoy the pictures. We love you Zoe!

Bright Lights, Big City

2008-08-24T16:36:00.000-07:00

It was so fun to see Kristin and Jason we just love love love them!!!!

The changing of the Guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier was such an amazing thing to see.

The weather was pretty nice most of the time but this day was HOT!!!!
We went to both Air and Space Museums. I was soooo lucky j/k I enjoyed the second one much more than the first.

We kept trying to get this picture right but we aren't very coordinated.

I passed out any chance I got so Drew decided to take a picture of me. How sweet he was to put it on our blog. I look oh so lovely.

I love this house and I want to live there.

The Natural History Museum really cool.

The hope Diamond not as big as I was hoping although I wouldn't mind wearing it=)

We went on a moonlight tour of all the monuments. It was so cool because half way through the FDR monument (which was the first one) it started to rain very hard. We were soaked but it was super fun.
This is Taz

This last month my wife and I started a new tradition in our family, one big trip a year. For this year we went to Ashburn, Virginia which is just 20 minutes outside of Dulles, Va. We spent 10 beautiful days with my wife's friends family. Their hospitality was above and beyond what we had ever received. On our trip we visited Mount Vernon, The White House, The Capitol, Library of Congress, Alexandria, and much much more. I hope you enjoy our pictures and sorry it took so long to post them. We have since repented. BIG Thanks to Kristin( The Transporter & Tour Guide), Jason(the Brain), Randy(Chocolatier and drew's Father's Twin ), and Nancy( Our pie, Gettysburg, and ice slushy friend) And a big shout out to Mckenna "Named after the Colleges in Claremont, not the plumbing Company"

I like to ride my Bicycle

2008-06-27T08:48:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago our fun married friends from Arizona came to visit us. David and his cute pregnant wife Jill and Chris and his cute wife Carree. Chris and Carree got married one week after Drew and I did so they are newly weds like us. They went to Disneyland on Friday! Drew and I had to work so weren't able to go. On Saturday we had a claremont day, lunch at Pizza and such, a stroll through the streets and time spent is the folk music store. It was tons of fun to hang out and enjoy the weather. We also went on a bike ride, the girls all rode bikes while the boys skateboarded. Jill loves to ride bikes so she was super excited.
The boys got tired and decided to hitch a ride while their wives did all the work. Chris really wanted a Patty's burrito but when we got there at 6:30ish they were closed. Who closes on a Saturday at 4:00?nWe ended up going to a Thai restaurant in the Village for Dinner then rented a blue ray and went home to watch Harry Potter. It was so much fun except for the whole Drew crashing Chris and Kari's car. They were so sweet and understanding about it. We have such great friends. We were sad to see them go!

TODAY IS YOUR BIRTHDAY!!!!

2008-06-10T20:38:00.001-07:00

Drew turned 24 years old yesterday June 9. For Drew's birthday he woke up to breakfast in bed and me singing happy birthday to him. My singing is probably not the most pleasant sound to wake up to. Drew had a math final on his birthday unfortunately, so I went down to Disneyland with Lynn and our friend Heather. Drew, Courtney, Cameron and Rachel met us after Drew finished his final. Drew cut his foot surfing the Friday before his birthday so he brought his lovely old man cane with him. First ride of the day was Tower of Terror, the only way to start it off! Since it was Drew's birthday he got a whole bag of tortilla's from the tortilla factory in California Adventure. Before leaving California Adventure we had to take the famous Courtney pose. She loves jumping pictures so of course we had to take one they are so much fun. Once we got to Disneyland the birthday boy's foot started to really hurt so we got a wheel chair for him. The great part about Disneyland and wheel chairs is that you get to cut in line. Some attractions like the Buzz Lightyear Astro blaster is that the whole line is wheel chair accessible. Heather was so hardcore she had to have two blasters. It was so fun getting to spend the whole day with all the family (Heather is included in the fam). I love these girls!!! Drew said that this was his best birthday ever. What I have not yet mentioned is his long list of birthday presents from the family. They all spoiled him!!!! He loved it.

The Boys of Summer

2008-06-10T19:53:00.000-07:00

On Memorial Day Drew, myself, Kendra, Chris and Johnny went to Point Dume so the boys could go snorkeling. Kendra and I are running buddies and we were planning on bringing our running clothes down to the beach so we could run. Instead we spent the day basking in the sun. It was much more fun than running!!! The boys are so cute in their wet suits. Somehow in the mix of getting everything ready for our excursion the boys forgot one of the snorkel and snorkel mask, so they had to take turns. Chris and Johnny went first while they were out Drew sun bathed with us girlies. He tried sleeping but we wouldn't let him. He was pretending he was a beached whale so I sat on him and started to tickle him. When it was Drew's turn to snorkel Chris joined us on the beach and this really old and decrepit Pelican sat on the beach inching his way over to us. I fell asleep and when I woke up the bird was like two feet away. Chris had to scare it away from us many times. I like the pictures far more than the actual blogging. Hope you enjoyed our late blog of our beach trip.

Stickshifts And Safetybelts

2008-05-25T16:26:00.000-07:00

Three weeks ago Drew and I bought our first married car!!!!! We bought the yellow submarine from Van Mosely the front man of the classic rock group "The Answer". Most of you might remember the submarine's original name The Answer van. The small but spacious baby toured with the band to all their shows. This car gets great gas mileage, it's bright happy yellow & there is so much leg room for the passengers stuck in the backseat. (Apparently that is a bonus, little short legged people like me don't appreciate that feature) The interior is my favorite part because it is yellow and black leather. My mom says I bought this car because it is my way of drawing attention to myself. Ya right! Besides its former name the Scion has many new names such as, the short bus, the magic school bus, the bumble bee, the brave little toaster and the yellow submarine which is what Drew and I like to call it.
I have the nicest husband in the world. He has always said that the wife should always get the better car. I think after we bought this car he was kicking himself for saying that. Although I am very nice so we take turns driving around in it. We are so excited to take our brave little toaster on its first road trip!!!! Next weekend we are driving to Arizona for my cute little niece Mylee's blessing. I think it might be a little more roomier than the two door Honda accord. We love love love our new car and are so grateful for the love and generosity of Van for selling us the Answer van.

Stepping Stones

2008-05-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

The famous words by Neil Armstrong come to mind when I think of what i did this weekend, "That's one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind". On Saturday morning I headed over to my brother's Father in law's house to learn how to perform my first oil change. I would be lying if I didn't say that I haven't been looking forward to this for quiet sometime. The reason being is every time I take my car in to get an oil change I know I'm being ripped off. So thanks to Rick Dunham, I now have reach a higher level of manhood in this world. Hope you enjoy the pictures of this monumental occasion.

ONE YEAR!!!

2008-04-27T13:53:00.000-07:00

So this week Alicia and I had our first date Anniversary. To tell you the truth I didn't know what to do with myself, this was my first time doing this officially and I was puzzled at what to do and what kind of gift to get her. So as any normal man would do I went onto the Bluenile and found a piece of jewelery that I though was fitting for the occasion. The jewelry arrived on our anniversary date and she loved it! That nighwebsite t, we went out to eat on a gift card, thank you Dunkley's and also to our buddy Brad Jensen, who hooked us up with two 40 dollar tickets to the Angeles vs. Mariners game that same night. The seats were rad and the food was great. Although I do have to say I felt as though I had betrayed my childhood by it not being a Dodger's game, but the free aspect of the night swept the guilt away. Then to top off the night we headed over to Disneyland after the game and fireworks ended, but to my dismay it was a block out day for me and my happiness turned into a very sad kid. All and all the night was awesome.

Weekend with my Munchkins

2008-04-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

Last weekend my cute little babies came to visit! Drew and I thought we were living the life of luxury with our big two bedroom apartment and all, but with my Mom, Amanda, Drew, myself, Kael, Emma, Aiden & Mylee things were a bit tight. I wouldn't have had it any other way. I was so happy to have my family there with us. They came last Friday night and stayed until after church on Sunday. We also had a fun baby shower for Amanda and Mylee on Saturday. It was a great weekend even if it was 95 degrees and our apartment doesn't have the best AC. It felt like a pressure cooker. Drew and I are looking forward to the day when we will have our own little kiddies, however after this weekend that day won't be soon. =) Drew answered the call of "doodie" more than he would have liked over the course of the weekend. But with Emma in the process of potty training and both Aiden and Mylee in diapers he stepped up and took it like a man. He was a real trooper a pooper trooper that is. He is going to be the best daddy, I can't wait to see him with our own babies. We really want twins but neither of us have twins in our families so we are thinking twin thoughts!!!!

The arrival of the sparrows at San Juan Capistrano Mission

2008-04-12T22:58:00.000-07:00

This last weekend Alicia and I went, thanks to my grandma Forester, to Dana Point and stayed at the family time share right on the beach. The view was totally awesome as you can see in this picture. In the morning we were puzzled on what exactly we should do, because both of us grew up here we have basically seen everything. So we plugged in our wonderful GPS system, otherwise known as "James" and from there he led us to The San Juan Capistrano Mission. The following are pictures from our weekend trip, enjoy.

Fact: Did you know that at one time the mission was once owned by a man named Juan Forster, a man that originally migrated from England to Mexico? Very plausible that we just might be related. That would be cool.

~ As you can see by the picture, this mission was a Success. Happy wife makes for a happy husband.

That's Drew's graduation tie...

2008-02-10T16:09:00.001-08:00

See Tyler--Mom bought me that tie! Sucka!

Away we go...

2008-02-10T15:56:00.000-08:00

Well here is our attempt to conform, yet again to become technologically acceptable in todays society. Alicia and I were just married on the twenty eighth of December two thousand seven. Alicia grew up in Glendora, California along with her other 4 siblings, her being the middle child. She was a very creative girl which served her well in her High School years when she was the pep squad leader at her High School. Contrary to popular belief, she did attend a year and a half at Mt. Sac when she decided to finish her education in the office rather than a classroom setting.

As for myself I was given a comfy lifestyle in Claremont, California, where in my family I was the youngest and according to my sister Courtney, I was "the Lucky One". My summers consisted of rock bands, skating, and shows. Somewhere in between all that fun I went to Belize, The Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Following High School I served a two year mission for my church in Pennsylvania from 2003 to 2005. When I got home Alicia was the first girl I met and we started dating a year later. Currently I am attending Citrus and will finish at the end of this year with an AA in Business. From there, I will hope to attend a four year institution. The family life has hit in full force and we are loving every minute of it. We hope you will enjoy reading our blogs this is our way of keeping every posted. So tune in for more to come.