A Day to Remember Grandpa...

Our little family went down memory lane and it was such a remarkable day for me. I lavished in every moment of it and tried to capture all the fun we were having. Today, we packed up the car and headed to the city of Costa Mesa. This is where some of my most cherished memories are as a little girl being with my Grandma & Grandpa Hamborg. My little Laylie never got to meet my amazing Grandpa and I wanted her to experience the special moments I had with my sweet Grandpa - to show her the fun things we did together and why I have the fondest memories with him. I know he would have just adored her to pieces. I know Laylie would have sat in his rocking chair on his lap reading book after book for hours and soaked up all of his lullabies he would have sung to her. Yes, he spent countless hours doing this with me and those moments will never be forgotten. My Grandpa was the most remarkable Grandpa anyone could ask for and he truly was a man of love. He was the most caring man and loved his children and grandchildren with his whole heart. When I would visit my Grandparents just for the day or even for the weekend he would make sure we got our alone time in. He would make a sign with his fingers in the shape of a big “O” which always meant it was our time to head out for our special date together. The big “O” was the sign for doughnuts. And afterwards, that always included a little trip to a farm and also feeding the ducks at the nearest park with a pond. We did this for many years and I enjoyed every minute. He made me feel so special and loved.

I wanted to take Jason and Laylie on my Grandpa’s date and show them what we saw and did together. Our first stop was a little 4-H farm where the local kids get to raise animals and grow vegetables. It was so fun to see the little farm and remember myself running around everywhere just like Laylie did. We got to pet the animals, run through the gardens and go inside a red barn. It brought back a flood of memories and I had a huge smile just thinking of all the fun I had at this tiny little farm.


We met the sweetest angora sheep named Moco and i wanted to take her home with us. She loved being pet and adored Laylie. Look how cute this sheep is...




Our next stop was a beautiful park with a large pond. My Grandpa would always bring some bread to feed the ducks in the pond and that is exactly what we did. Laylie had so much fun throwing tiny little bread crumbs at the ducks and watching them dive to get it. It was such a blast watching the ducks swim and the thrill Laylie was having. I now know why my Grandpa enjoyed watching us feed the ducks because it really did bring so much joy to us and also him. I loved it!




Then, it was off to get our doughnuts. We stopped at the same doughnut shop we would go together and we ate the most delicious doughnuts in honor of my Gramps.

I wanted to take Jason and Laylie to my Grandma and Grandpa’s house before they moved to San Diego with us. I showed them where I spent every holiday, where all of my cousins would run around, and even the tree my grandma fell out of when she broke her hip. It was great to pull up to the house and see it so pretty.

What a perfect and wonderful day. I am just so thankful for all the memories I have with my sweet Grandpa and my heart is just over joyed that I got to show Laylie and Jason what our special date was all about. This is a date that I will always remember forever. I sure do miss and love you Grandpa and can’t wait to see you again.
Here are some photos of my lovely Grandpa...

Christmas Time

We had the most wonderful Christmas. We celebrated 3 days straight with family which we loved. As we do every year, on Christmas Eve we celebrated with my whole Troncone family and had the most special time. We gathered together for a lovely Christmas Eve service at Lisa and Jon’s new church in San Marcos where we sang Christmas carols and got into the spirit of the true meaning of Christmas….Jesus’ birth and the glory we get from Him being born. Throughout the night Jason and I would say to each other, “What do you think Mary was doing right now?” “What do you think Joseph and Mary are thinking right now?” I really thought about Mary and Jesus this season and I truly feel so blessed that God saved each and every one of us. Thank you Lord for giving us the best Christmas gift we could ever receive.

We headed back to my parents house for our Christmas gathering. My parent’s house is truly a Christmas wonderland with beautiful white lights and gorgeous Christmas decorations throughout every square inch of their house. We ate a delicious dinner, my mom read a Christmas story and we opened gifts from each other. It was so fun to watch Laylie open each gift from her aunts, uncles and grandparents and play with every gift she had opened. She got a sweet baby doll cradle, clothes and some super fun toys. We absolutely enjoyed every minute being with our family and cherished all the special moments that we had throughout the night. It was a perfect Christmas Eve!






Christmas morning we woke up super early (thanks to our beautiful daughter…maybe she knew it was Christmas) and we captured Laylie walking down the stairs looking at the lights of the tree and the shining gifts underneath. The three of us gathered around our small Charlie Brown Christmas tree to open our stockings and presents. We sang “Happy Birthday” to Jesus as we ate a pancake breakfast and read a story of his birth. I really soaked up the time we had together and adored being with the two most treasured people in my life on such a special day.







The next two days we celebrated Christmas Day and the day after Christmas with the White’s. We had the yummiest dinner and breakfast that we all took part in and savored every bite. Laylie really loved being with her 4 cousins and playing with all of their new and greatest toys. She received some amazing things too which she has been playing with ever since we brought them home with us. We had such a magnificent time on Christmas day. We are so thankful for our families and this wonderful Christmas of 2010.

These Rainy Days

This past week it has rained non-stop for the last 5 days. Laylie and I spent lots of time playing together inside our cozy home, going to friends’ houses for inside play-dates and trying to stay warm. With this weather it really made me realize how blessed I truly am to have a roof over my head to stay dry, a cozy fire to cuddle up to, hot water to have coco, wonderful family and warm food. Each morning I would wake up and just have a very grateful heart thanking our Lord for the little things that really seemed huge to me throughout this rainy week.
After a long week of rain there were a ton of puddles to splash in and get completely soaked in. So, I thought to myself, “Why don’t I get Laylie all dressed up warm and go out and have some fun.” Let’s just say, “She had a blast!” She laughed and smiled as she splashed in each puddle. She got completely wet and dirty from head to toe. But, what a fun day to go outside after being inside for a week and enjoy God’s wet creation. Thank you Lord for making me realize how blessed I am and making a fun puddle splashing time for our little Laylie! Here are some cute pictures of Laylie’s joy in the wet and muddy rain.

Family time is the BEST

This past week we have had some really fun adventures with the Troncone Gang.

On Wednesday night we all loaded up into cars and headed to San Diego where we looked at splendid Christmas lights. We stopped at Starbucks to get hot Christmas drinks before we walked the streets. We had a wonderful time oohing and aahing over the beautiful lights and laughing at some of the funny displays. Laylie enjoyed looking at all the bright lights and watching every house that went by as we walked. She also definitely delighted in her very first candy-cane while taking in the beauty. We then stopped at In N Out for a late night snack and then visited one last house which made the night extravagant. This house had lights that lit up to Christmas music. We sat in our cars for a while as we watched the fun display. It was such a fun night being together as a family and enjoying this Christmas season.

Our Group

Laylie hanging out with Uncle Jon and Aunt Lisa
Laylie being held by auntie Lila and eating a candy-cane...what a wonderful life.




This was in someones front-yard. It will CRACK you up:-)




Here are some beautiful well decorated houses. Enjoy!

On Friday we all went to Knott’s Berry Farm. There were 15 of us and it sure was a blast. Chris and Tim got everyone into Knott’s for $15.00 because it was firefighter appreciation day and it sure was worth it. We spent the whole day going on rides, seeing shows, shopping around and also enjoying all the Christmas decorations. Laylie loved being with her grandparents, aunties, uncles and cousin Dugan. We have done this adventure each year in December for the past 3 years and each year seems to get more and more fun. It really makes us thankful and very grateful that we truly have the most magnificent families. It sure was another Knott's Berry Farm trip to remember.

The WHOLE Troncone Family

Watching Charlie Brown Christmas Live with Auntie Lila

The amazing Christmas decorations at Knott's

Thankful & Merry Hearts

The holidays are HERE and I am just so thrilled about it.

The last two weekends have been tons of enjoyment, fun and good times. I am soaking it all up and trying to remember each moment that goes by. Every time I looked at my little Laylie as we are eating at the Thanksgiving table or picking out our Christmas tree or decorating the house my mind goes back to last year when my little angel was just a tiny little baby and now she is a full on toddler. Time really does go by so fast but each moment is a true joy.

Last weekend we spent the loveliest Thanksgiving at my parent’s house. We gathered together to enjoy yummy food, spend time with one another, do our annual traditions and really set our mind to have thankful hearts. My Mom did a fantastic job on the outstanding and beautiful dinner table which was set for 22 family members. It made everyone really excited to sit down and eat some delicious food together. We gathered around to do our traditions such as…singing all together and thanking our Lord, passing the acorn and expressing to everyone 2 things you are thankful for this year and my mom telling us all about how 5 corn kernels were all that the pilgrims ate for their first meal. After dinner we had a fun round of playing outside and just really soaking up this Thanksgiving. Thank you, Mom for making this holiday so memorable and wonderful.

We are SO thankful for this little girl....

The beautiful thanksgiving table...

Enjoying our delicious meal...

This week our little family got into the full swing of Christmas cheer. Wednesday night, we went to a special small lot that sold Christmas trees and we got to pick out the perfect noble Charlie Brown Tree. Laylie had so much fun running around the tree lot and touching all the trees - it really was a fun time. We were the only people in the whole tree lot so we received amazing service and there were no lines. They even carry your tree for you and put on/in your car. How nice! We headed straight to the store to pick up some mini doughnuts and hot coco since it has been a tradition in my family since I was a little girl: while decorating the tree, we always snacked on mini doughnuts and sipped on hot coco. It was such a joy to have Laylie enjoy the family tradition now too. Boy, did she like the mini doughnuts and loved decorating the house. I just love this Christmas season and my heart is always filled to the brim with happiness and joy. Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends!! We adore each one of you!!

Picking out our lovely Christmas tree...

Our yummy dessert while decorating....

Laylie eating her first mini powder doughnuts...

Our Christmas Home....