The Fessler Five

Love them

2011-02-20T09:51:00.000-08:00

I love them.

I love being their mom.

(I also love the guy who took this picture)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T15:48:00.000-08:00

"Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you;

He is the Messiah, the LORD."

Luke 2:11

Worth a thousand words

2010-12-23T23:11:00.000-08:00

This boy loves his dad.

makes me smile every time I look at this picture...

Three months old!

2010-11-26T22:35:00.000-08:00

Hey sweet baby girl... you're three months old today!

Why is it that you are growing so fast?

You are such a smiley baby, adored by your big brother and sister.

They are both so sweet with you.

Micah gives you many wet kisses, which is probably why you have a little cold right now! Aubrey loves to help give you a bath, loves talking to you, and is so aware of all your needs-especially when we are riding in the car. It is so sweet to look in my rear view mirror and see her speaking sweetly to you, or fixing your sunshade so that the sun is not in your eyes. Speaking of the car, I think you like the car/car seat worse than either of your siblings! I didn't think that this was really possible, as neither of them really liked it either.

My favorite thing that you are doing right now is cooing.

You have the sweetest little baby voice.

You are strong!

You hold you head and shoulders up high when you are on your tummy, and you have just started watching your hand--although I don't think you know it's attached to your body yet.

You love to snuggle and are becoming quite a content little girl.

Happy 3 months baby girl!

Thankful.

2010-11-25T21:03:00.000-08:00

We have much to be thankful for...

...prayers at a preschool feast,

...food and drink to fill our tummy,

...a sweet baby's first Thanksgiving,

...and sisters to wear matching turkey shirts with.

Yes, we have much to be thankful for.

They outnumber us.

2010-11-23T22:24:00.000-08:00

There are three kiddos in our house now.

That means they outnumber us adults.

and most days, that scares me!

Tale as old as time, True as it can be...

2010-11-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

We had a Beauty and the Beast theme going on this year for Halloween.

It was all Aubrey's idea.

Aubrey was Belle

Micah was (quite fittingly) the Beast

And Hannah was the enchanted Rose

It was super fun to make their costumes and even more fun to watch how happy they were to wear them. Well, Aubrey was ecstatic to wear her Belle princess dress and Micah tolerated his costume only because we bribed him with fruit snacks and candy. Hannah on the other hand could care less either way.

(This is one of Aubrey's Princess poses)

Fruit Snacks

I loved the themed costumes... I figure there won't be very many more years where everyone will be happy coordinating, so better live it up now.

Hope you had a great time dressing up too!

has it been too long?

2010-11-15T00:18:00.000-08:00

i've been contemplating a blog revival...has it been too long?

Preschool

2009-09-10T21:50:00.000-07:00

This is Aubrey on her very first day of Preschool.

Wait--how did she get old enough to go to preschool?

She is loving school!

She loves to paint, and sings songs that Mrs. Cindy, her teacher has taught her. She loves the sandbox and the swing and she is still excited about lunch and snack. Now if only she would actually take a nap during nap time...

Thank you Alisa!

2009-08-24T21:08:00.000-07:00

Aubrey loves anything to do with oral hygiene.

Toothpaste, toothbrushes, toothpicks, floss, mints, strong minty gum, gargling... you name it, she likes it. So with great anticipation and excitement came today, her first trip to the dentist!

She did awesome... greatly in part to my friend Alisa, who was her Dental Hygienist.

Alisa was so great, letting Aubrey help with my check up, cleaning, and x-rays, before it was her turn. It's pretty funny to look up from your position in the chair to see you 3 year old daughter holding the suction/spit straw in your mouth, clearly fascinated with everything going on.

This is Mr. Thirsty, the suction/spit straw.

She really liked Mr. Thirsty...talked about him all day.

Alisa explained everything she was doing, answered endless "why" questions, took her to the prize box, let her pick flavors for fluoride and toothpaste, paused for a bathroom break, made a blow up latex glove man, gave rocket rides on the chair, and sent her home with a full goodie bag including her very own princess toothbrush and princess floss.

Talk about an awesome experience!

Thanks Alisa,
for making Aubrey's first visit to the dentist such a positive one!

slacker

2009-08-22T21:47:00.000-07:00

In case you forgot...here's what we look like.

Please excuse our mom.

She has been enjoying her summer vacation so much that she has
not updated the blog in 3 months!!

We promise to take really long naps tomorrow so that she can catch you up on our fun summer.

A Trekkie Anniversary

2009-05-28T22:23:00.000-07:00

My wife, Rachel, is the one who normally makes postings on our family blog. But I'm sneaking on here to add some of my own thoughts on a recent experience. As of eleven days ago (May 17), Rachel and I have been married for seven years. Anniversaries, though, come with little fanfare these days because more time (and money) is given to our two kids--Aubrey, our precocious-makes-you-laugh-stinker-of-a-3-year old, and Micah, the happy-go-lucky-easy-to-handle-but-spits-up-a-lot-5-month old.

So, two days after the date of our anniversary, we lined up the grandparents as babysitters to head off for dinner and a movie. To describe how rare and hallowed a moment it was, I even ironed the shirt I wore that night! Dinner without the kids is rather unusual (and deafeningly quiet, I might add), but going to a movie at the theater is even more so. These days, our movie going experience doesn't go much further than a trip to the mailbox, hoping that the new red, Netflix DVD envelope has arrived.

We didn't want to waste a trip to the movie theater, and so we chose Star Trek--out of my devotion to William Shatner (in his pre-Priceline.com days), and Rachel's devotion to J.J. Abrams (she still longs for the good ol' days of Sidney Bristow and SD6). Thus, what I offer here are some of my thoughts on this next installment of the Star Trek franchise.

:: The storyline worked for me, especially because of the way it tipped it's hat toward the past (or is it future?) with such classic lines, characters and accents. I found myself feeling like I was at an old family reunion with Kirk, Spock, Zulu, Chekov, Scotty and McCoy. This, however, was my wife's first experience with anything Star Trek-related, and I wonder if she somehow missed out?

:: For all the movie critic buffs out there, here comes some technical "V" language. I will say that what I lacked in my voyeuristic (plausible) response to the movie, I thoroughly made up for with vicarious (emotional) and visceral (the thrill) connection to the movie. In short, some of the scenes and action sequences were too "out there" in believability, but I found myself drawn to the human drama that unfolded, as well as the simple thrill from the big "money" shots.

:: "Nero" is the name of the nemesis--no doubt an allusion to the famed emperor of Rome, who has garnered attention because he "fiddled while Rome burned" especially at the expense of the Christians in his empire.

:: the imagery of the Vulcan homeland was rather interesting, as it was shown just before destruction from the "red matter" that Nero implanted into the planet. The Vulcan leaders (among them Spock's parents) are in a "church-like" setting, and almost seen to be praying at the end.

:: The Vulcan race is known for (and prides itself on) its stoic nature and resolve--utter emotionless. I wonder--especially from the church-like setting that their leaders were found in--whether this is supposed to portray people of "faith"? Are we emotionless? Do we feel? Or, are we given to stoic responses? I think that is the tragedy of some who ascribe to God all the pain of life, as if He caused it and wanted it to happen and we are supposed to be "ok" with it all. As if we are to abdicate our feelings and responses just because we call ourselves followers of Christ? The bummer, though, is that kind of theology is too often prevelant amongst other Christians that its giving the rest of us a bad name.

:: At the end when Kirk throws Nero a "lifeline" in the face of his destruction--and he explains it to Spock as showing some sense of kindness. It reminds me of that passage in Romans where we are able to heap coals on the heads of our enemies when we show kindness (when, in actuality, we really should not be so kind).

:: The conversation on "faith" at the end of the movie between the older Spock and younger Spock is rather interesting.

:: Much of the movie is about how to deal with pain: 1) Nero from the death of his wife and witnessing of the death of Romulus; 2) Kirk from the death of his father at childbirth at the hand of Nero; and 3) Spock on the death of his mother. Which translates to so much of life. We are all (no exceptions, though we try to hide) figuring out how we respond to pain.

The moral of the story: its fun/good to go on dates with your spouse.

Thanks, Rachel, for seven great years of marriage. They are more important to me than any movie I'll ever see. But, I do love watching movies with you...

Calicinto Ranch

2009-05-24T22:40:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, we spent a fun family day at Calicinto Ranch in San Jacinto.
Aubrey got to ride a horse for the first time-- all by herself too and on an actual trail.

What a big girl!

Aubrey: My horse is Jo Jo. He is white with polka dots.

Sharing a "moment" with her favorite parent

There was an awesome petting zoo area with baby goats, chicks, ducklings, sheep, roosters, and chickens.

Poor duck...look at that death grip!

Bye for now!

don't blink

2009-05-24T22:30:00.001-07:00

Micah is growing so fast...

... such a sweet and happy baby
lots of smiles and belly laughs too

He has started sitting on his own,
reaching for and grabbing everything...

rolling all over the place, and flying like Superman too.

This one is growing too.

Climbing, jumping, definitely not afraid of heights

and she has perfected her cheesy camera smile.

don't blink...you might miss it.

2,557 days

2009-05-17T15:43:00.000-07:00

2,557 days ago was May 17, 2002

I love you more today, than I did 7 years ago.

I'd marry you all over again.

Happy 7th Anniversary to us.

giggles

2009-05-09T10:03:00.000-07:00

morning snuggle

2009-05-04T21:52:00.000-07:00

I caught this morning snuggle

(while watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse...still in pajamas)

...it warms my heart.

ps. Micah, where did all your hair go?

Not just for pillows

2009-04-12T23:09:00.000-07:00

This is the pillow case dress inspired by my ever talented sister. This one's not really a pillow case at all, but interestingly enough, it is the same pattern of my Hooter Hider Nursing Cover that I used at least a million times a day for the first year of this little stinker's life. I like to think it has come full circle... kinda fitting that she is now wearing the same pattern as a dress, I think.

It's called a pillowcase dress because you are supposed to make it out of an actual pillowcase. Pretty darn cute, if I do say so myself, and was easily whipped up during Micah's morning nap.

...and it makes this little girl happy.

3 Years and Counting...

2009-03-23T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy 3rd birthday to our sweet Aubrey...
We can't believe that you are no longer our tiny baby girl.
Thank you for making us laugh every day.
Here's a quick look at how you've grown.
We love you!

March

2009-03-18T15:30:00.000-07:00

3 months and almost 3

Stinkers...gotta love them.

Crayon Roll

2009-03-18T01:18:00.000-07:00

So I've been into sewing lately.

It's my new hobby, when I can fit it in.

I find it very therapeutic and I love the process of "creating" things, as much as I enjoy the actual finished product. I don't usually have any original creative ideas; my projects usually come from something I see and like, and I think, "I could totally make that...and for less money!" (The last part is thanks to my cheap/practical/Brenton speaking in my head side, not the creative side.)

Since Aubrey is turning 3 this month and we needed some birthday favors for her party (more on that to come soon) I decided to sew some crayon rolls to give to the kids as favors.

This is a crayon roll. Genius idea, isn't it? Wish I had one when I was a kid.

Aubrey helped by put in the crayons.

Don't the crayons look nice and cozy?

The final product: 8 completed rolls! Don't they make you want to just color something? Hope the kids enjoy them as much as I did making them!

Here's the link to the tutoria l I used, just in case any of you wanted to get creative and sew one yourself!

Wildlife

2009-03-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

On our recent trip to the San Diego Zoo, we got up close and personal with some of the wildlife!

We followed this beautiful peacock just crusin' around!

Watching the Orangutans play is one of Aubrey's favorite stops.

Can't beat a day spent with family and some of God's most awesome creatures!

Long time coming...

2009-03-13T22:00:00.000-07:00

This post has been a long time coming...

Some of you may recall my obsession with the Phil & Ted's stroller . You may have also been wondering (probably not) if I ever acquired said object of my obsession. Well, I did. My sister organized a group gift at Micah's baby shower back in the fall and a bunch of my "supporters" chipped in to buy us the awesome stroller!

Now that we have actually gotten to put it to use, can I just tell you that it is a-mazing?

We first used it in "infant-toddler" mode:

See, that's a baby under there!

Aubrey loved sitting up high, and the bassinet part where Micah is laying would sway gently side to side as we walked, which he seemed to love. It also kept him tucked out of sight and away from the "germs" of life.

Here is Micah at 5 days old, on his first trip to Disneyland!

We have now switched the extra seat to the back where Micah can sit up and be part of the action.

Love it.

Thanks to all who made it possible.

little man

2009-01-30T23:50:00.001-08:00

smiles and kisses

2009-01-15T18:54:00.000-08:00

Micah is six weeks old (already?! how did that happen?) and loves to smile...

He is over 12 lbs. and a happy boy!

Aubrey loves her baby brother. She likes to give him hugs and kisses, sings to him when he cries, is interested in everything I do for him, and refers to him as "her baby" (which is very cute).

She is adjusting well (considering the changes in her world) except that she doesn't really like to listen to mom and dad right now... :)

leaves

2009-01-11T18:51:00.000-08:00

Gotta love (or hate) those dang Santa Ana winds...we finally got our autumn here in Southern California, never mind that it's the middle of January.

We went a little crazy with the pictures of Aubrey playing in the leaves, but hey, piles of crunchy fall leaves are rare around here and just look at that face--pure joy!

trike

2009-01-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

Aubrey got a super cool new tricycle (just like her cousin Dylan's) for Christmas this year.

One of her most favorite features: the bell.

Another bonus: she can take her friends for a ride on the back. Here are Leo, Annie, and Rocket hitching a ride.

'Tis the Season

2008-12-23T11:55:00.000-08:00

A visit with Santa

When asked, Aubrey told Santa she wanted candy for Christmas--and he gave her a candy cane. (It's all about the instant gratification) When he asked what her baby brother wanted for Christmas, she said he wanted candy too--Santa gave her another candy cane for her baby brother. Way to work the system Aubrey.

Aubrey in her Christmas dress, and Micah in his vest and tie--Had to take the classic picture under the Christmas tree.

Now we're ready for Christmas!

Disneyland fun

2008-12-09T13:06:00.000-08:00

On our way out of the park, Aubrey caught sight of Dale. So we grabbed a pic with him.

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blessed

2008-12-05T13:16:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world, baby boy!

Micah Timothy Scott Fessler

2008-12-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Micah Timothy Scott Fessler was born at 1:49PM on Thursday, December 4. He weighed in at 10lbs 11oz. and measured 22.5 inches long.

Giant Christmas Tree

2008-12-01T10:57:00.000-08:00

After the carousel ride, we went to go check out the HUGE Christmas Tree.

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Fashion Island Carousel

2008-12-01T10:28:00.000-08:00

Spending good daddy-daughter time while mommy is at the doctor's trying to figure out when baby brother is gonna come out.

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parking lot christmas trees and 40 weeks

2008-11-30T15:54:00.000-08:00

Today we trucked it out to the remote and festive destination of our local Home Depot parking lot, in search of the perfect Christmas tree. I have to say, the first tree we picked up, ended up to be the tree we took home. I'm not sure if we just had good luck in finding it that quickly, or the fact that at 40 weeks pregnant in the hot sun, I just really didn't want to look any more. It was quick, painless, and just as thrilling to our 2 1/2 year old as finding it in a real forest would have been.

Tonight I will add Christmas decorating to the list of moderately strenuous activity I have been doing this past week in hopes of setting off labor, which includes:

1. washing/detailing my car (myself)

2. walking each level of the Brea Mall

3. lifting heavy things

4. cleaning the house

5. sewing 2 new carseat covers, 4burp cloths, a diaper & wipe case holder

6. Christmas Shopping (walking some more)

7. walking at Disneyland

8. sewing and hanging 2 sets of curtains at my moms house

9.cooking a second thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings (for leftovers, of course)

10. eating things with Balsamic Vinegar (not strenuous, but "supposed" to bring on labor)

Halloween 2008

2008-10-31T22:10:00.000-07:00

Every year, when I ask the question at school, "What is you favorite holiday?" one of my students will always answer "Halloween!" which will automatically be followed by a chorus of excited 7 year olds nodding and exclaiming their agreement.

Tonight, after watching Aubrey trick-or-treat, I realized why. I don't think she has ever seen or cosumed so much candy at one time.

I can just see her thought process: What?! people give me free candy for doing nothing but looking cute and saying trick-or-treat? And my mom lets me eat more than one piece of it without pooping in the potty or taking a nap first? This is the best day ever!

Live it up now Aubrey, because come tomorrow, mom is hiding your candy and making you earn it!

Harvest Fest 2008

Caramel Apple booth
Cowgirl

8 Ball

Showing off her stash

4th picture in my 4th album

2008-10-31T21:43:00.000-07:00

I have been tagged by Jen to post the 4th picture in our 4th album. The 4th album on our computer is the "Brenton and Rachel" album. Basically, pictures of us pre-Aubrey. The 4th picture in this album is of us at Hume Lake Jr. High Summer Camp 2004. This was taken on the last day of camp just before leaving for the 8+hour drive home. Back in the day I was a great youth pastor's wife and went on every youth trip/event. Not so much now that we have a kid...

transformation

2008-10-24T21:06:00.001-07:00

So we have been catching up on some home improvement projects over the past month...installing closet doors, painting, putting up moulding, etc. Brenton is quite talented when it comes to doing things like this around the house.

Of these projects, the most amazing transformation (and one of the most anticipated ones) has been the fireplace.

Here are some before (way before, like before we owned the house) pictures of the fireplace/mantle.

Can you see it? It's kind of hidden behind the recliner, sandwiched between the ginormous speakers, and blends right into the wall.

Here's one of the previous mantle. We tore that one out the 2nd day of demolition.

Here is one of Brenton and Aubrey, a year ago, in the middle of the major part of the home remodel. The fireplace/mantel has pretty much looked like this for the past year.

Well, like Owen Wilson said in Meet the Parents, "JC was a carpenter..."

Here is Brenton the Carpenter.

Here is the final product. With the help/guidance of a friend, (thanks Jimmy!) he was able to lay the stone, and build the mantle himself.

Amazing, isn't it? I love it, and am very proud of my husband.
And I finally got to put up all my fall decorations.

Next project...clean the garage!

Apple Picking

2008-10-18T21:24:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Oak Glen to pick apples with our good friends Ben and Jen, and their son Connor. We had a great time, even though we drove an hour and a half to pay about $6 to pick a tiny bag of apples...it's all in the experience, right?

The only orchard that was open for picking when we were there was the Granny Smith orchard, so when we had to convince Aubrey that the apples really were ripe even though they weren't red.

Another bonus was that we went to a SUPER Target on the way back home. I think Jen and I were more excited about that (Ben and Brenton...not so much) than the apple picking --I know total dorks, right? Laugh if you want, but if you know how much I like Target, you understand--and produce and groceries at a huge Target--what could be better than that! It did leave us a bit depressed that there is no Super Target in the OC...(sigh.)

30 weeks

2008-09-24T21:55:00.000-07:00

This week marks 30 weeks of the pregnancy with baby #2. 10 weeks to go...although, my doctor says, "everyone has been delivering at 38 weeks lately." That sounds good to me...

Waiting for the Parade @ D-land

2008-09-09T18:53:00.000-07:00

Aubrey said she was cold. She is a liar.

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At Disneyland on Rachel's 29th

2008-09-09T18:36:00.000-07:00

We decided to head to the happiest place on earth to celebrate Rachel's birthday. The day started with a homemade breakfast of biscuits & gravy.

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Swimming

2008-08-23T21:32:00.000-07:00

My childhood summer memories would not be complete without a pool or other body of water. We practically lived in the pool or at the beach as a kids, and when I think of summer, I can distinctly remember the feeling of the sun mixed with water on my skin. Well, it looks like Aubrey has developed a love of the water as well! Most of our days include a trip to our community pool, swimming with cousins and friends, or a swim at grandma's house.

Aubrey has also gotten very brave and is holding her breath and going underwater. She is very proud of herself!

150 Beats Per minute

2008-08-18T13:10:00.000-07:00

We went for another Doctor's Appointment to check on how the new baby is progressing.

All is well at 25 weeks.

We got to hear the baby's heart beat again.

Take a listen here...

Baby Jesus

2008-08-17T13:28:00.000-07:00

So many of you might know Baby Jesus.
I am not talking about Jesus our Savior, son of God.
I am talking about Aubrey's baby doll.
Here is a recent picture of her, with baby Jesus, at High School camp.

And here is a close-up, just for the full effect.
I would like to point out some things that make Baby Jesus, uh "extra special." Actually, I think strange is a better word. Now you may not think this is funny, but Brenton and I find it hilarious, so humor us.

First off, a little back story: This doll was given to me while I was pregnant with Aubrey. It is an Anne Geddes doll and it came in an egg. Picture a really large Easter egg that you unscrews to find a very realistic newborn baby doll scrunched up inside, in the fetal position. I personally found this a bit creepy, but we love the person who gave it to us, so I kept it. Well, Aubrey was about 1 when she found it and immediately attached to it.

1.) She named it Baby Jesus. The only reason I can think of for this particular choice of a name is that all the bible story picture books of baby Jesus show him sleeping and swaddled, with his blanket over his head.
2.) Baby Jesus is pink.
3.) Baby Jesus is dressed as a bear.
4.) Baby Jesus is a girl. We have recently come to this realization, and Aubrey will argue emphatically with you on this point if you try to tell her otherwise.
5.) Now Baby Jesus must come with us on any overnight trip. Aubrey will say "I need my baby Jesus. I need hold her."

So I guess we are stuck with Baby Jesus, although we feel the need to "explain" Baby Jesus to people when Aubrey talks about him, uh I mean her.

This is just one of the quirky things about my daughter that makes me laugh. She makes me smile every day, I wouldn't change her for the world.

ZOO

2008-08-16T21:48:00.000-07:00

This week we took at trip to the San Diego Zoo. We made the trip down south on Tuesday morning and spent the beautiful California day with the animals. Aubrey loved the elephants, giraffes, and the rhinos the best. She also liked the bus tour we took and the ride above the park in the sky buckets. We had such a great time and will definitely be going back soon!

My latest obsession

2008-08-11T15:25:00.000-07:00

This is my latest obsession (only not lime green--in red or black).

The Phil & Ted's Sport Buggy with the Doubles Kit. I thought I would devote a post to it on our family blog because hours of my time, as of late, have been taken up by researching it on the Internet. You can't find it in a regular store...it is that amazing. I have come to the conclusion that it is the double stroller that will solve *all* my problems. I am intrigued by it...I want it.

I know that I am officially obsessed because a.)If I see a mom pushing one in public, for sure I will stop her and ask her many questions about her amazing stroller b.)If we are out as a family and I spy one in use, you can bet that I will make Brenton walk by it (a couple times at least) to look at it "in real life." He will roll his eyes and humor me c.) Aubrey is napping/asleep for the night and I have loads of laundry to do, dishes to wash, and a house to clean, but I will convince myself that it is the most important thing at the moment to scour the Internet researching this stroller d.) I visit craigslist and ebay multiple times a day searching for a deal that will make this stroller mine.

This is it in all it's 4 position glory. And it will also hold the infant car seat.

And if you have read this far and are really a nerd like me, you can watch this video on how it works.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIn6hSs95BA

We have a good 4 months until the new baby arrives, so this will give me plenty more time to obsess (or overcome my obsession) about this stroller. Rest assured I will let you know if I make it mine.

I see Dorie!

2008-08-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

This past weekend we decided to take a trip to the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. Aubrey loves to watch fish and ocean animals (Finding Nemo is one of her favorite movies right now) so we knew she would have a great time. Don't let the zoned-out expression on her face fool you- she was thrilled to be there.

Aubrey got to touch and see so many beautiful sea creatures, including giant sea bass, otters, harbor seals, sea lions, sharks, rays, jelly fish, etc. Here are some pictures from the day. You will notice that all the pictures are of the back of Aubrey's head because she wouldn't take her eyes off the fish!

Concerts in the park

2008-08-09T14:14:00.000-07:00

Every Wednesday night in the summer, the City of Brea puts on a concert in one of our local parks. Our church cooks and sells tri-tip sandwiches to the public to help the city raise money for the concerts. We went this week and enjoyed the music, food, fun, and the warm summer night.

Back from Camp

2008-07-26T21:45:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a week at Forest Home for High School Summer Camp with our youth group. It was fun to see old friends and get to hang out with some of our awesome students. Aubrey and I stayed up at camp this year in our own cabin, so we got to spend lots of time with the "big kids". She is the center of attention when she is around them and I think it is going to her head. It was a great week, but boy am I glad to be back at home in my own bed!

The only sad part was that Aubrey got her first bee sting :( She was brave and was completely back to her self with in an hour...I guess it's good to know that she doesn't have a bee allergy!

collecting rocks at the lake with some of the girls in our youth group (Marissa, Hannah, & Taylor)

swiming in the lake

Aubrey on the Aqua Jump!

Potato Head + Cheesecake

2008-07-26T17:16:00.000-07:00

Aubrey with her new toy at Cheesecake Factory for dinner.

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WALL-E

2008-07-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

Today we took Aubrey to see WALL-E, her first movie in a movie thearter! She did great--sat through the whole thing and had a great time! She did keep asking "daddy turn it quieter" though. I think she was most excited about the popcorn...

Singing

2008-07-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Aubrey likes to perform for the camera. Here is a video clip of her singing (quite out of tune) The Itsy Bitsy Spider. Please excuse the nakedness :)

half way done

2008-07-16T22:30:00.000-07:00

This week marks the 20th week of pregnancy...I am half way through. We also had our "big" ultrasound yesterday and it was confirmed that the newest member of the Fessler family is going to be a BOY! We are so excited. Everything looks great so far, and it was so good to get to see our little bean again.

Thought this was an awesome picture of his spine. Isn't God amazing?

Profile shot- you can see his hand up by his face and his arm.

Aubrey laying on the ultrasound bed. She thinks the baby is in her tummy.

Working on the Family Blog

2008-07-16T00:09:00.000-07:00

Here's Rachel, hard at work telling people about the cool Fessler family.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

There's nothing like family time in Vegas

2008-07-05T22:59:00.000-07:00

We took a little family vacation to Las Vegas this week and had a great time getting away and hanging out together, just the three of us. This was also a time for us to be together before Brenton and I left for the H.S. Missions trip to San Francisco, since I was having major guilt and difficulty with the thought of leaving Aubrey for 8 days (definitely more my issue than hers). Some highlights include swimming at the pool, going to Build-a-Bear, Visiting the Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay, playing the wii (totally want one now) and of course outlet shopping! We had such a wonderful time even though the weather was hot, hot, hot! Thanks so much to the Rolhieser family for letting us use their beautiful Vegas home!

Posing on the giant bean bag.

We decided it would be fun to have Aubrey make a Build-a-Bear for her to have while we were away. We had decided that we would record a little message to put in it that she could play, in case she missed us. She chose the monkey and then chose the monkey sound to put in it's arm. She had such a great time making her monkey from giving it a heart, stuffing it, giving it a "bath", and then naming it.
Above is a picture of her loving "Monkey" (that's what she named him).

Walking with daddy, holding her Build-a-Bear box

swimming and sunbathing

Shark Reef Aquarium--so much fun! Aubrey loves ocean animals (thanks to Nemo) so really enjoyed the Aquarium. They had Crocodiles and Komodo Dragon, many different kinds of fish, sting rays, jellyfish, sharks, and sea turtles. Pretty impressive for a hotel, huh?!

Wow, that's a big shark!

huge fish

getting brave and touching the sting rays

Old Friends and Hand, Foot, and Mouth

2008-06-29T23:49:00.000-07:00

I was so excited this past week to have my best friend (since childhood) come form Texas to visit. Jen and her two kids Eddie (4) and Sophia (2) stayed at our house for a couple of days during their CA visit. We had a great time catching up and watching our kids get to know each other. Our house was full and noisy but I loved having the chance to talk late into the night after the kids had gone to bed.

In the middle of their stay, Aubrey came down with Hand, Foot, and Mouth which is a virus that causes painful sores (think canker sores) in the mouth, and on the hands and feet. Yeah, sounds bad doesn't it. It was. Poor thing was in a lot of pain, saying that her tongue and throat hurt and not eating much for a couple days (if you know Aubrey, you know things must be bad if she doesn't want to eat). Turns out that it is a very common and very contagious virus for preschool aged children. We still don't know for sure where she picked it up, but are glad that it was not a super bad case and that we didn't pass it on to Eddie or Sophia.

So this is the only picture I got of the 3 of them together... they were so ready for naps!

Fun at the park

Pretty Sophia

Thanks for looking!

Sugar Daddy

2008-06-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

Father's Day 2008
This year I took pictures of Aubrey at the park with a giant 1 lb Sugar Daddy. Sugar Daddies just happen to be one of her Daddy's favorite candies too!

I did have to bribe her with the promise of a ring pop, but we got some really cute shots. She, of course, is doing her classic "cheesey smile" in the first one and then looking sweet in the others. In this last one, you can see how pleased she is with her ring pop!

Hope that you all had a great Father's Day too!

Why the heck not?

2008-06-19T22:55:00.000-07:00

Well, thought we would try and be a 21st century family and create a family blog. Why the heck not!? Hopefully this can be a way to keep our family and friends (near and far) updated with the giong-ons of the growing Fessler family.

In case you didn't know, we will be adding one more little member in December of this year! Aubrey is going to be a big sister!