Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all of our loved ones near and far! Here's to a healthy and happy 2009!

twas two days after Christmas...

...and we finally left the house.

We ALL got a stomach virus this year...mom-mom, pop-pop, mommy, daddy and baby G. James had it 2 weeks ago so he was immune.

Silver lining: we all survived and we were together under one safe and warm roof...
Needless to say we did A LOT of laundry this weekend...;)

merry christmas!!

More pics to come of Grant and the grandparents. We have several people sick in the house - Grant, Mom Mom and Daddy. :(

Hope by Christmas morning the crew feels better.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Santa's coming! eeeeek!
xoxo

merry christmas

getting closer...

Well Christmas is fast approaching...we are close to having all of our shopping done, yeah! We have been very lucky to have my Dad visiting us since 12/9. My mom will join him tomorrow until the 29th! ;)
Both boys have been sick with nasty cold/cough. James came down with a stomach virus that took him out of school yet again this week. :(
Hopefully that is the end of flu bugs until the new year. :0)

I have not taken 1 single photograph for weeks and I am definitely going through withdrawal. By the time I get home everyday the sun has set....;(
I hope to get a lot of pictures over the holiday!

Love to you all and here's to a germ-free Christmas!

Sarah

zero cavity club

zero cavity club
Originally uploaded by {ssiripoke}

awww yeah! he was so not thrilled to have his pic taken. but a mom's gotta do what she's gotta do...

contemplation

contemplation
Originally uploaded by {ssiripoke}

sunday morning

sunday morning
Originally uploaded by {ssiripoke}

so behind...

I am so behind on blog posts...sorry friends and family.

I just got G down for a morning nap and now our neighbor has decided to do some very loud project in the driveway. Perfect.

Let's pray he sleeps through it because we BOTH need the rest. ;0)

The Siripoke family made it to Disney World 11/5-10. Wow does that feel like forever ago! We had a fabulous time and even with 2 cases of pink eye (mommy & grant) we made it to all four parks - Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom and Epcot! Its always a fun and magical place, no matter what age. We were lucky enough to go with my family - Mom, Dad and my brother Steve. We all agree that we must live each day to the fullest and take advantage of these opportunities to get together. Worth every mile of the 3000 mile cross country trip.

We stayed at the Disney Boardwalk resort and I would highly recommend it, especially with 2 small kids. The rooms had a small kitchenette with microwave - helped a lot with cleaning cups and bottles and small snacks.
The hotel had an awesome pool with a slide and James enjoyed it every day!

Ok time for laundry catch up!

Blogger is not uploading pics fast today so you can see the Disney shots here



xoxo,
Sarah

autumn

All is well in the Siripoke household.
Mommy is over her strep/nasty cold/cough combo! yeah for antibiotics!
James and Grant are over their respective colds too.
We are headed to Disney World this week!! Meeting Mom-mom, Pop-pop & Uncle Steve there for 5 days of fun with Mickey! We can't wait! James is excited to see his endless list of friends - Buzz, Lightning, Woody, Little Einstein's, etc.
We had a really fun Halloween! We got our annual visit from hundreds of San Jose trick-or-treaters. We finally estimated the amount of candy pretty well this year and we even had some leftovers. ;0)
Have a wonderful week!
Love,
S + boys

the amazing...

the amazing...
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography{ssiripoke}

spiderman!

little dragon

little dragon
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography{ssiripoke}

first real steps

first real steps
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography{ssiripoke}

my little boy

my little boy
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography{ssiripoke}

halloween preview

autumn discovery

autumn discovery
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography {ssiripoke}

chance meeting

A wonderful friend from high school, who know lives in Guam, with her husband and son was here in CA at a conference this past week and we were able to meet up for the first time in ~15 yrs! Don't do the math people! :0) HAHA

Marian, her husband and adorable son Johnathan met us in SF at the Ferry Building. We ate lunch, took pictures and caught up on old times. Marian and I had great high school memories of trips to Disney World, as members of the Notre Dame HS Tennis Team! Go Irish! and many more...

It was a once in a long time chance to see a long time friend and we were both a little emotional when saying goodbye. Even though its been 15 years its hard to think it would be another..but we promised to not let that happen. ;0) Facebook can take credit for reconnecting us after all these years....

genuine demolition

genuine demolition
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography {ssiripoke}

the end...of this series

the end...of this series
Originally uploaded by lucky gal photography {ssiripoke}

J said "mommy, watch this" and I was shown the karate kick...

big brother

James is a wonderful big brother and we can't believe how fast he is growing up....everyday he amazes us with new things...4 going on 24...

pumpkin patch!

I went to the punkin' patch with James' preschool class today for the second (his third, I missed last year since I had just given birth to G) and final year....boo hoo! My baby is growing up and next year will be celebrating Halloween with his Kindergarten class. OMG! ;0)

We had a wonderful, fun filled day...Happy Halloween!

I wasn't able to capture every child, but I got quite a few...

Grant's First Birthday!!

Today is Grant's First Birthday and we celebrated with a fun-filled family night! The celebration will continue throughout the week and into the weekend.

I got some bad press for my recent blog post about my day being robotic and

 let me just reiterate that the point of my post was to say how each day is a blessing and in the most simple of days, doing the tasks we repeat daily, that we are so blessed and lucky. I wouldn't want my life any other way...

I remember when growing up I would wish Christmas was every day but my mom would remind me that if it were every day it would no longer be special...our simple days, living our routine, makes days out of the ordinary that much richer.

Love to you all....happy birthday to my sweet angel Grant Steven...wow that was one FAST year...

picasso at work

on a happy, awesome note...

my dear, best friends gave birth to their first children...

On August 9th my dear friend since high school Jen welcomed Matthew Ryan who we were lucky enough to meet during our trip to NJ.

And on Sept 21st my dear friend from Colorado, Stephanie welcomed

William "Will" Tyler Sallee

Weighing in at 6 lbs, 13 oz and 19.75 inches long.

We are thrilled that both babies are here and healthy and doing well.

We send our love to them all.

hope

My days are robotic, happiness filled, but robotic. We get up, get dressed, go to school/work/grandma's, work all day, return to school/grandma's for pick up, go home, eat dinner, take a bath, play a bit, kids go to bed, mommy does laundry and checks email, falls into bed and then we do it all again the next day. Granted weekends are completely family focused but again busy. But at least we are busy all under the same roof and sky.
Every day that we are given is a blessing. But as a result of the busy schedule I don't have time to watch the news...so I feel a bit behind.
Today I learned about a couple from Utah that are slowly recovering from a private plane crash from which they suffered burns on the majority of their bodies. Their four beautiful children are being cared for by family as they recover.
Through some blogs and newsletters I am subscribed to I learned of the efforts to raise funds for this family and the nationwide effort to tell their story and more then anything, ask the public to keep them in their prayers.
I have added a link to fundraising and updates to the right.

This is just one horrific story in a world filled with a lot of suffering but I feel every little bit we do helps, and if we just add this family to our good thoughts and wishes, it will make a difference.
Every day is a blessing and we must not forget that...

Launched!

With a huge amount of love and gratitude to all friends and family who have supported me , I am proud to announce that I have launched my photography website! I am offering my services to the public (eeek!!)...

Starting slowly with humility in knowing I will always be perfecting my craft but the more I practice the better...so call me! Birthdays, babies, just because...

www.luckygalphotography.com

blog: www.luckygalphotography.blogspot.com

Love,

S

sickies

We have some sickies in the house and sadly had to cancel a trip to Vancouver BC this weekend to visit friends, Hollie, Jeff & Ella. But no way we were taking germies to a pregnant lady!

Miss you guys! We'll definitely see you all again soon.

the teeth keep coming!

Grant now has 2 emerging (slowly - these guys DONT want to show their faces) on the bottom and something brewing on the top. Plus the drool has reached another all time high....

Hope to capture a picture soon...but it's hard!

S

celebration with friends

My friend Helen has a birthday on 9/15 and we celebrated yesterday at a lovely party at her home...

and...WE HAVE A TOOTH!

Yes, almost 12 months in the making Grant has finally sprung a tooth!! We can't quite see it but let me tell ya, we can FEEL it!! ;0) We hope it has some neighbors soon!!

Last week while on vacation Grant go a little bug so we had to go to the doctor in NJ, and he weighed in at 22.2 lbs and 30.5 inches...no idea what the %'s are on that but he looks healthy...

Trying to take a picture, so far, unsuccessful!

cousin malia con flower

lucky

airplane tickets to NJ: a lot
dinosaur jammies from Target: $15
lego helicopter: $12.99
week at the beach with grandparents, cousins, rocks and beach outside the sliding door: PRICELESS

bi-coastal

silly & sweet

if you're happy and ya know it

Jamers

They really don't stand a chance
Originally uploaded by Nathiya

4th

cake!

James birthday party was a great success! We had a lot of fun in the backyard with friends and family! He made out like a bandit too! Lucky kid! Since I was the hostess I was only able to snap this and about 5 other shots...thats it! :0( I am far more productive at other people's parties! ;}

the whole ensemble

this was an early gift for James, whose birthday is Monday but the celebration starts tomorrow (Sun) with a family party, then continues on Monday with a party at school with all his schoolmates. ;0)

Is he four already!? And are we really married 5 years today??! Time flies...literally 5 years to the day, Saturday Aug 23rd, we were married here in San Jose, 10:00 a.m...wow.

Wish I had all family and friends once again gathered here, all in one place...it was a great day.

But now we are all a bit older, hopefully a touch wiser with new babies, jobs, homes, gray hairs, and god willing many more healthy years ahead. Love to you all.

S & the booooooooooy-za