Merry Christmas!

Hi everyone....I'm sending out my Christmas greetings via this blog this year. I can include more photos and more text this way...plus, it's a "green" way to send some "holiday cheer"!

We are pretty much ready for the big day....the outside lights went up Thanksgiving weekend, as did all the inside decor. I like to put decorations up as early as possible, to prolong this wonderful season as long as I can!

Our plans include having Christmas Eve dinner at Kirsten and Adam's new home located in downtown San Diego (they are renting a condo there, and Kayla has moved in with them), and a Christmas Day brunch here at our house.

We've had a whirlwind year with Kirsten and Adam's wedding in Oct. (Brandon was married in Feb., but , as most of you already know, the marriage did not work out, and he is now divorced...which ended up being a GOOD thing...) Kirsten and Adam's wedding turned out just beautiful, and the newlyweds are well and happy and settling in to married life. Adam works for Progressive Insurance as a claims adjuster, and Kirsten works in the provost's office at San Diego State University.

Kayla is still loving her job as a social worker with Child Protective Services in San Diego. She just moved in with Kirsten and Adam, (so they both can save money on rent...condos in San Diego are expensive!), and she is still dating her boyfriend AJ. Kayla and Aj have been traveling alot this year. They traveled to San Francisco, New York City, Alcapulco, Mexico, EUROPE (London, Paris, Barcelona and Rome in 10 days!) and they went to Vancouver and Calary, Canada, over Thanksgiving weekend!

Brandon is working on his teaching credential and master's degree all at once, and is working as a substitute teacher. He's a great dad to McKenna. He has her every weekend, and she loves it when he takes her to the park.

Travis is doing pretty well. He's still maintaining a pretty positive attitude, and he is looking forward to taking more college classes in Jan. He has a job, pushing people in wheelchairs to the cafeteria every morning and evening. We are looking forward to visiting him next weekend. We try to visit him every other month. (it's a 5 1/2 hour drive) He has about 20 months left.

Mark is still with Southwest Traders, and he is on the board of the local NJB basketball league, and he's also coaching a team. He enjoyed singing in a "community Christmas concert" a few weeks ago. His favorite pastime is playing with McKenna!

I am celebrating my almost 18 years with Close To My Heart! Business is still pretty good, and I still love my job, and it keeps me pretty busy.

I also LOVE being a "grammy", and I'm having so much fun with McKenna! She is so smart and funny and keeps us laughing constantly!

McKenna is now 2 1/2, growing so fast, and is just a sweet little girl! She's at our house every weekend, and we see her several times a week. She can count to 20 and knows her ABC's, colors and numbers, loves to sing, and LOVES to watch "The Lion King" movie! (she's obsessed....even acts out the parts and sings the songs...it's so cute!)

Our wish is that you have the most wonderful Christmas ever, with family and friends close, and the "reason for the season" in your heart! We love you all....keep in touch! We love hearing from you!

Much love,

Mark and Cindy Baker

Halloween Fun!

I'm a little late with sharing these Halloween photos, but better late than never...

First, we took McKenna to a local pumpkin patch the week before Halloween. She LOVED the little petting zoo they had there. Here she's checking out a goat and a duck....
This was hilarious....I was trying to get some feed out of the machine, to feed the goats and chickens and the duck, but this smarty pants goat was lying under the machine, and when I put the quarter in the machine, she stood up and kept her mouth right under the flap...I couldn't get the food out! I had to just open the flap and let her have all of the feed. I was laughing so hard, we gave up and went to another machine to get the feed...that goat was NOT moving!

This creature was a strange mix of what looked like a goat and a sheep....sheep's wool, but a goat face and horns...weird!

Feeding the goat that was behaving....

Our little punkin' trying to choose a punkin'!

On Halloween Day, McKenna's day care/preschool had a Halloween party. Here she is dressed like a cat, saying "Meow"....but it was more like a roar...

With one of the staff at ABC Child Care...who dressed like a kitty, too!

A kitty in a purple tu-tu!

On our front porch before she went trick or treating! She had a blast trick or treating!

With Pa Pa and his "costume"...not sure why they were making the number "3"...

Trick or Treat!

It was a fun Halloween, because McKenna "gets it" now and really loved it! She is now looking forward to Christmas...she is already seeing toy commercials on TV and saying..."Santa will bring me that"!

Just have to share a funny thing McKenna said the other day. She wanted to take a doll with her in the car, as we were on our way to preschool, and she had it in her hand. She dropped it though, and I said, "Don't you want to take your dolly with you in the car?", and she says...."Um, actually not." !! A 2 1/2 year old saying, "actually"?! She's one smart "cookie"!

Take care!

Cindy

Kirsten and Adam Tie the Knot!

Hi everyone....the wedding was a huge success and turned out beautiful! It went fairly smoothly, with only a few small glitches. (okay one BIG glitch....Kayla put her bridesmaid dress on and the zipper completely broke! We had to sew her into the dress just minutes before the ceremony!)

Kirsten and Adam are SO happy, and everyone seemed to have a really good time at the reception. Here are a few photos that I was able to take...we are anxiously awaiting proofs from the two photographers, and I'll let you know when they are up on the photographer's websites.
This was the ceremony site: (Carmel Mtn. Ranch Country Club)


The bride and groom

Mark walked Kirsten down the aisle, then officiated the ceremony. I caught him with his eyes almost closed here...he really wasn't sad or anything!

After the ceremony....Brandon, McKenna and Kirsten

The happy bride!

At the reception....the "wedding tree"...it's hard to see the crystal strand hanging from the branches...it was stunning!

The "candy buffet"....guests scooped out the candy and filled little boxes to take home as one of their party favors...it was really fun!

One of the centerpieces....we used the bridesmaid's bouquets on six of the tables at the reception.

The other six tables had these wire trees, with crystals hanging from them...those crystals are hard to see! The food at the reception was awesome, and the DJ was AMAZING! Everyone had a great time! (if anyone local ever needs a good DJ, I can totally recommend ours!)

The newlyweds and their first dance!

The cake!

Kirsten and McKenna (flower girl)

Cutting the cake

The happy couple

Leaving the reception under a canopy of sparklers!

Woohooo! We did it!

The lovebirds are now sitting on beach somewhere in the Dominican Republic, on their honeymoon, hopefully relaxing and getting some much-needed rest. They will be back on Friday.

Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate this special day with us, and to everyone who helped out. We couldn't have done it without you!

Again, we'll let you know when we have more photos from the photographers to share! ( I definitely need more practice taking photos!)

Cindy

Life Is About to Get a Little Easier....

Hi everyone...I just had to share some exciting news....life here in little 'ole Menifee, SoCal., is just about to get a WHOLE lot easier....THIS is coming Oct. 12...in 4 more days....!!!!
Yes, that says "SUPER" Target...that means GROCERIES, in addition to all of the other wonderful "retail therapy" items that will be displayed on the shelves! Truly a one-stop shopping dream! AND, all of this retail therapy is only 1/2 mile from our house! 1/2 mile!! I can see if from my backyard! That means...no more driving to Temecula (15-20 min. drive) or Murrieta (10 min. drive...with no traffic...) to get my retail therapy! Heck, I could WALK to SuperTarget! Oh wait, that's going a bit too far....I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to carry all of those retail therapy bags back home...I guess I'll have to take the truck...(LOL!)

OH! And THIS is already open! Haven't been yet....but I'm sure we'll visit soon!

And THIS is now open, as well....boy, am I in trouble...

This is coming, too...

And this one.....(check out those GINORMOUS clay pots...they are all over the shopping center...kind of cool!)

And Mark is excited about THIS opening at the end of the month....

And I'm pretty excited that office supplies will be close by as well....

And.....need I say more??? Opening any day....

Still to come: Probably the thing I'm MOST excited about...WAMU! Yes, I now won't have to drive to Murrieta or Temecula to complete my banking transactions! (there was no sign up on WAMU yet, so I couldn't take a photo) YESSSSS! Ooopps....it's not WAMU anymore, it's now called JP Morgan....but I don't care....it's close by!

Also coming: Best Buy! Marshalls! Lane Bryant! Panda Express! Chipotle Mexican food! Maybe TGIFridays! Sports Chalet.. (okay, not so excited about that one ) and lots of other fun shops and restaurants.

OHHHH! And how could I forget....yes, my friends...the ultimate store that will be 1/2 mile from my house, and I won't have to drive to Temecula to visit....MICHAEL'S!! (crafts) Not till after the first of the year, or so they say, but it's coming and I'm one happy girl.

So, here's to retail therapy that is less than 1/2 mile from my house! LOL! I won't have to spend so much $$ on gas, so there will be more money to pay for that retail therapy!

Hope all is well with you!

Cindy

I must be old...

Brandon and McKenna!

Because I have a kid that is now 28!!! As in, almost 30! Brandon turned 28 last week, on the 11th. (yes, his birthday is 9/11...he turned 21 on that horrible day 7 years ago...) So, I'm guessing that makes ME pretty darn old...I'm on the "down side" of 49...will hit the big "5-0" in a mere 6 months...I can't even bear to say it out loud...

And if that isn't bad enough, in a week and a half, I'll have another kid that is 27 years old....Kirsten's birthday is Sept. 25th! Man, time really does fly by....seems like just yesterday the two of them were babies (being only 1 year apart....), and Mark and I "tag-teamed" them most of the time...he'd give Brandon a bath every night and put him to bed, and get up with him in the middle of the night, while I fed and rocked Kirsten....(and rocked, and rocked...she didn't sleep much the first few months of her life...hence, I don't remember much of that time with two babies....I was too tired! LOL!)

Okay, so then, our wedding anniversary is Sept. 28th...(we had this thing for Sept, I guess!)...and it is the 29th anniversary, as in, almost 30 years of marriage! Wow.....

And now I have this wonderful little person calling me "Grammy"....and I'm just feeling pretty stinkin' OLD right about now! LOL!

Brandon celebrated his birthday mostly with friends, but McKenna was sooo excited that it was Daddy's birthday! She couldn't wait to sing to him and eat cake with him! Happy Birthday, son!

Brandon is coaching JV girls volleyball right now, and we went and watched his games last Friday. The girls are still learning, but they did win. I had never seen a high school volleyball game...it was fun, but...when we lived in Utah, we went to quite a few BYU volleyball games, both men and women, and these high school games just don't compare to collegiate volleyball! We had a BLAST going to the games at BYU...never thought I'd be a "volleyball fan"!

Kayla made it back from Europe, and she said she didn't want to come home! She loved it, and wished they had more time in each city they visited. She took over 700 photos!

Wedding preparations for Kirsten's wedding are in full swing right now...we've finalized with the reception venue, worked on some decorating details, and are working on a seating chart for the reception dinner, plus about a gazillion other little details! Wow...it's AMAZING how many things one has to worry about when planning the big day! It's been pretty fun, though...exactly 30 days away tomorrow!

The bridal shower is scheduled for Sept. 27th, so we're planning that, as well.

We just found out my brother Jeff and family will be able to attend the wedding! We are so excited! They live in Chattanooga, Tenn., and we don't get to see them very often.

My Close to My Heart business is keeping me pretty busy, as well. I have 3 regular "scrapbook clubs" that meet once a month, plus I'm also teaching some extra classes this month, training a brand new recruit, etc. I've been with CTMH over 17 years now, if you can believe that! It's been an amazing ride, and an awesome business opportunity, and I'm still loving it!

Mark is involved with the local NJB youth basketball, on the board. He really missed being involved with youth sports, so he decided to get involved again, even though we don't have any kids playing.

That's it for now....love to all family and friends! Keep in touch! I'll post again soon!

Cindy

I'm a bad blogger...haven't posted anything since EASTER!! What's up with that?? I'm a slacker, but will try to do better and updating this blog regularly from now on. I'll still send emails, when it's updated, as it will probably take all of you awhile to get used to checking the blog for updates, since you all probably gave up on that a LONG time ago! LOL!

We're busy as usual! Here's a brief overview of what's been going on with the Baker's...since EASTER!! (sheesh)

McKenna turned 2 in April, and we celebrated with a "Dora The Explorer"-themed party! She LOVES Dora and Diego! She had a blast swinming in her new pool (a gift from Auntie Kayla), eating cake, and playing with balloons.
McKenna playing with balloons at her party!

A little shy as we were singing happy birthday to her!

It was a fun little party, and now she sings Happy Birthday all of the time!

In May, we took McKenna to the San Diego Wild Animal Park. Kirsten and Adam and Kayla and AJ went with us. It was a really hot day, but we had fun...McKenna loved seeing the animals, but her favorite part was in the gift shop afterwards. She wanted to take every stuffed animal in the shop home with her!

Mark, McKenna and Cindy...and the flamingos behind us! Minutes before this photo was taken, AJ was "dive-bombed" by a very large bird! It flew over and brushed his head! It was so funny!

Kirsten and Adam "monkeying" around....

At home, after a fun day at the Wild Animal Park...McKenna decided that her new stuffed elephant and tiger were hungry, so she had to "feed" them...at the dog food bowls...too cute!

Brandon graduated from Cal. State Fullerton in May! It was a long, hard road, but he did it and we are very proud of him! It was another extremely hot day, but it was a nice ceremony, and McKenna was a trooper, even in the heat.

Mark, Brandon, Cindy and my mom after the ceremony. Brandon is now working on getting his teaching credential and Master's Degree through National University, and started working at Heritage High school a few weeks ago, as an on-campus substitute, JV girls volleyball coach, and assistang basketball coach.

McKenna LOVES her Auntie Kayla! This was in July at Mark's dad's house in La Jolla.

We have a new addition to the family....isn't he just so cute and cuddly?? Meet "Diego"! (McKenna gave him that name...since it's her favorite cartoon character) He's a Desert Tortoise, and he now lives in our side yard. He basically eats twice a day, and "burrows" the rest of the time. That's it...that's all. He doesn't do tricks or anything...yet, anyway. I think Mark may be secretly trying to get him to "sit"...LOL! Desert tortoises are endangered, and we adopted him.

We spent the 4th of July at Dad and Elaine's house. It was a really fun pool party and BBQ! Here's Mark relaxing....

And McKenna having fun in the pool!

oops...I couldn't figure out how to turn this photo around...so you'll have to turn your head to see this recent cute shot of our sweet McKenna! LOL!

This month we traveled to Utah for a weekend to attend a bridal shower that Kirsten's friends gave her. We also went up to Park City one day, as Adam had never been there.

.Kylee, Kirsten and Lindsey at the bridal shower. Lindsey is one of Kirsten's best friends, and Kylee is Lindsey's sister and Kirsten's friend as well) and hostess of the shower! It was a really nice party and so sweet of her friends to do it for her.

It was really great for us to be back in Utah, for the first time since we moved back to Ca. We still miss living in Utah alot! We were able to visit with our old neighbors and see our old neighborhood and our wonderful Utah home...miss that, too!

We are busy with wedding plans....the invitations went out today! (Oct. 17th is the date!) I told Adam it's too late to back out now....

Kirsten has the dress, we finalize with the reception venue next week...it's getting so close...8 weeks to go, and I'm getting a bit nervous....I've never hosted a wedding before! But I know it will be just beautiful....

We'll be having a bridal shower for Kirsten here next month, so Kayla and my cousin Jody are busy planning that event!

Kayla is actually in Europe right now! She is spending 10 days there...went to London first, and arrived in Paris last night for a day, then on to Barcelona for a few days then ROME!! Her and AJ are having a great time! (she's been emailing us...)

That's it for now...again, I promise to update this more often!

Hugs and love to all!

Cindy