what's up with the Flaggs?

Welcome to 2010!

2010-02-12T09:06:00.001-08:00

Our camerea has just come back from a long hiatus at the repair shop. I can now begin posting with pictures again. Not that I posted without pictures, but that's beside the point. We are going to Reno this weekend, I shall return, with pictures.

Big Sur

2009-09-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

First off, check THIS out:
A CONDOR!, one of SEVEN that we were lucky enough to see while pulled over on the sde of the road. One was gracious enough to fly about 5 feet over our heads. So beautiful.

Julia Pfeiffer Burns Park is above.

Merielle giving stink eye to Daddy.

Andrew Molera state park, at the beach.

Everyone knows how I feel about sand.

I drove the RV back from Andrew Molera to home...geez.

Ryan followed us:)

Visit to Irvine

2009-09-13T19:13:00.000-07:00

Merielle being a ham, on her stage in Irvine at my parents house:)

With My brother's kids on the sofa:

Cuddling with Alexa..... she's great with Merielle always kept aneye on her to make sure she kept out of trouble.

It was about 90 degrees when we were on the carousel:

1st Plane Flight, before the crying.

I didn't take pictures of what came next....I'm sure you can imagine.

water baby

2009-09-13T18:44:00.000-07:00

Sunriver, Oregon 2009

2009-09-13T17:55:00.000-07:00

This August we went with friends to Oregon, had a blast. Here are a select few photos, which don't do the week justice.

Dancer

2009-06-16T19:10:00.000-07:00

I tried to get a video of Merielle hula dancing, but she won't let me...here's a slight preview, I'll get a better one when she's not paying attention to me.

14 months

2009-06-16T19:00:00.000-07:00

Merielle is growing like a weed. She is curious and into everything, talks up a storm, and loves to give hugs. She is eating by herself and getting very good at walking. She's amazing, we are so lucky.

Easter Hat

2009-06-16T18:54:00.000-07:00

Allie and Merielle

2009-06-16T18:46:00.001-07:00

Only eight days apart....I love getting them together. I don't take enough pictures of the two of them. They are hilarious.

Keri and Anthony are very good to Merielle!

Little Merielle.

So Demure and Pretty, Allie is a sweetheart.

Two Months and a birthday later....

2009-06-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

Merielle turned one on April 18th! We had a party for her in Irvine CA. She was a great kid, socializing up a storm and playing with her cousins and new friends.

Face first into the cake!

Sorry Uncle Bret, couldn't resist!

Some of the guests...who spoiled Merielle!!!

Family shot with the Birthday Girl

A happy one year old!

At the park

2009-04-02T14:36:00.000-07:00

YES!! She is standing....

YEP, riding the teeter totter too!

Even toughing the ground, GO Merielle!!

Hiking

2009-04-02T14:25:00.001-07:00

We took Merielle on a day long hike in Garland Park, here in Carmel Valley. It is close to the house, and very family friendly. We had signed up for a guided hike, but missed the group, we were able to meet up with them later and learned a ton about our local flora and fauna on the way down.

The backpack was lent to us. I highly recommend borrowing baby equipment as much as possible. It is great when people can form a circle and each has an item to lend. It reduces the amount you have to store and lets others enjoy your purchase. Just be prepared to replace it if you damage it:)

Merielle, the growing weed

2009-04-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

Merielle has figure out all the cabinets and which ones she can fit into....

She was so pleased with her self for getting in and out all on her own.

We have been able to get her more in tune with nature...here with Auntie Mary on the lawn.

New Header

2009-04-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Isn't my new header fabulous? Thank you to my crafty friend Jen (you can check out two of her blogs to the right....

New Toy's

2009-03-03T19:47:00.000-08:00

Since Merielle is standing on her own and furniture cruising, her grandma bought her a walker. From what I have read walkers are a little controversial...aka dangerous. Since we have dense carpet and she's under her daddy's watchful eye, we decided she could use this toy. She really likes it and seems to be taking it step by step (LOL).

The kid talks up a storm:

As a side note: She is being more vocal and expressive, but it's hard to know what she wants. I try to give a word to everything I do with her, so she can begin an association. Seems simple enough, and our communication is getting better. She is a professional at the command "up!"

playtime

2009-02-28T15:12:00.000-08:00

Merielle is very active now, she's standing on her own and very curious. She'll be walking in no time.

Last week we had our 1st ER visit. Merielle had a croup attack and we had to take her in bacause it was hard for her to breathe. Plus, the poor thing got a double ear infection on top of it all. She's recovering and getting better...but it was sad to see her so sick.

Pops

2009-02-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

Ryan's wonderful Grandpa, Pops, passed away January 5th. Merielle was very lucky to have known him and loved him. He saw her when she was just a few days old, and on New Years Day 2009. He will be missed....

Merielle's Baptism

2009-02-28T14:34:00.000-08:00

We had Merielle Baptised on February 15th 2009 at Church in the Forest, Pebble Beach. I was so overwhelmed by the support and everyone who came to show Merielle love. Thank you all. She's a lucky kid to have you. A VERY special thanks to her god parents, Nancy Collopy and Michael Colburn (not pictured..yet!), for accepting such a responsibility in our daughter's life.

With Grandma and Grandpa.

Aunt Nancy. Merielle loved all the new games Nancy played with her. Cousin Chris, up in the nosebleeds, provided us with spectacular shots like these:

in the basket....

2009-01-26T21:32:00.001-08:00

Merielle is such a little spitfire now, she is into everything and very curious. I love to watch her see something she wants and just zoom across the room to get it. She entertains herself, as you can see from the pictures, and laughs and talks to herself.

The Clapper

2009-01-26T21:22:00.001-08:00

I was preparing dinner, and noticed a new sound coming from the livingroom, Merielle has been getting into everything...like a little kitten...so I wondered what she was doing. I peek around the corner and she is clapping and singing to herself. This video was taken when we were playing with her.

jumping bean

2009-01-26T21:12:00.000-08:00

Friends let us borrow the "johnny jumper", Merielle has just now discovered she can really bounce in it.

Jen came to visit....

2009-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

We were SO excited when Jen came for a visit. Jen and Merielle became BFF's, Merielle even let Jen wipe her nose...with no complaints! True Friendship.

Pops....

2009-01-06T19:38:00.000-08:00

Merielle got to see her great Grandpa on New Years Day.....

I can crawl!!!

2009-01-04T14:34:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve Merielle decided she would show us that she can crawl.

And to top it all off, the kid sprouted two teeth in the past week. She has grown a ton so far in 2009!

making new friends

2009-01-04T14:26:00.000-08:00

Merielle is one with all creatures...she tries to understand every living thing....

Flapping like the birds,

licking like the dogs...
I think I should call the nature channel.

Holiday Party

2008-12-22T21:01:00.001-08:00

We went to the Stevenson Holiday Party this past weekend. Merielle loved the giant Christmas tree....

This is the biggest ornament she'll probably ever see....

Family holiday pose....

Christmastime

2008-12-22T20:57:00.000-08:00

Merielle saw santa for the the first time tonight, and she was very curious about him, but didn't cry.

Little Mermaid

2008-12-22T20:49:00.000-08:00

Stefany and I took Merielle to the aquarium. She is much more aware now and enjoys seeing the fish move.

Class of 2008

2008-12-17T21:15:00.000-08:00

This is Merielles class picture! She's in the lower left. Ryan and her attend Parent's Place every Wednesday morning.

Seven Months!

2008-11-11T22:02:00.000-08:00

Merielle will be seven months old next week!!!!

Allie and Merielle

2008-11-11T22:00:00.000-08:00

Here is the most recent picture I have of Allie and Merielle. They are so cute together, but Merielle is a little bossy.

Updates

2008-11-11T21:37:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot of stuff going on since the last post. First and foremost, Jeff and Kim got married!!! We had a blast down in Palm Desert for the wonderful extended weekend of fun. We were treated like royalty and had an amazing time. I don't have any pictures from that yet, but when I do I'll post a few. Here is Merielle basking with the ladies at the pool:

On to what I usually write about...

Merielle. She can sit up all by herself now and is working on her first crawl. We have started solid foods, carrots being her least favorite so far (not that she has had much variety)! She has changed a ton, and I think she's starting to look more like me.

We went and saw Ryan's Grandpa as well, Merielle took to him right away!

Whistler Duck

2008-10-16T21:05:00.000-07:00

Jeff got Merielle this before she was born....

Daddy and the pumpkin patch

2008-10-16T20:45:00.000-07:00

Ryan took Merielle to the pumpkin patch this week! They had too much fun!

pumpkin patch

2008-10-06T18:53:00.000-07:00

one of the perks of having a kid is making them pose with pumpkins.....

5 months old!

2008-09-21T17:35:00.002-07:00

Merielle is 5 months old now, and she's just growing and learning so much. Here are some current shots.

The Trio

2008-09-02T21:16:00.000-07:00

We finally got the three ladies together for a playdate. Allie, Rylee, and Merielle were all born in April . It was so cute to watch them all together.

We're rollin!

2008-08-20T21:15:00.000-07:00

Merielle is now 4 months old, and she decided that to mark the event she would roll from her tummy to her back! She is so strong!

just bragging

2008-07-28T19:54:00.000-07:00

high flying

2008-07-28T19:49:00.000-07:00

Merielle is so much fun! She loves flying.

Family visit

2008-07-28T19:35:00.000-07:00

The house is still not completely done...not a single picture is hung. For those of you who know our stuff...that means there is still a lot of work to be done. We went to Irvine last week, so Merielle could meet her Aunts, Uncle, and cousins. Here are some great shots from the week.

Here we are...

2008-07-12T22:18:00.000-07:00

Well we made it to Monterey, basically intact. It has been a little over a week and we are still unpacking those last few pesky boxes. They seemed to have multiplied in the truck. I started work at the county last Monday. So far it has been good, I work with some really nice people. It has been really hard for me to leave Merielle, but she has had no problems at all. I will put up a video of our new pad once the last box is gone...so it may be awhile. But until then enjoy a few pics of them moving the safe out of the apt...and of course a cute one of Merielle.

Rocker!

2008-06-30T07:54:00.000-07:00

Someone has started sleeping 8 hours everynight...someone has started laughing and making a lot of noise...AND someone is now grabbing toys! Someone is loved very much by her parents!

It's Official

2008-06-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

We are moving. Finally. After all the talk and wishing, it's happening, July 3rd. Ryan, Merielle, and I are moving to Pebble Beach (yes that's right folks). I have taken a job for Monterey County which starts July 7th. Pack your bags folks....reservations are being taken.

Meet and Greet

2008-06-24T16:54:00.000-07:00

Merielle got to meet her Great Grandma Dolores this past weekend, they instantly bonded!

Merielle and her cousin Allie! Aren't they just so cute together?

A BIG congrats to Cory and Ann-Marie, who got married this past month! Another shout out to Clay and Shea, who hosted a great wedding last weekend in Cambria. I was honored to be there, and just wish Merielle hadn't screamed through most of the festivities...

All the kids...

2008-06-10T09:10:00.000-07:00

Merielle had a play date with Rocco and Allie this weekend. Rocco is 3 months, Allie is 2 months, and Merielle is 1.5 months... They cause quite a stir at the pizza joint. Table for 12 please!!!

Dip in the Sea

2008-06-10T09:05:00.000-07:00

This past weekend was the Dipsea race, and our friends Jeff and Kim were runners! Kim's family welcomed us for an afternoon of sun, fun, and BBQ. Ryan took Merielle for her first dip in the ocean. Will she be like her mother and hate the sand, or like her father and love the surf...only time will tell.

Waking up!

2008-06-10T08:58:00.000-07:00

She does have her own bed, that she does sleep in, but doesn't she just make herself right at home?

tiny freckle

2008-06-10T08:55:00.000-07:00

Merielle's First Freckle!!!

Snoring baby

2008-05-28T10:43:00.001-07:00

Listen carefully and you can hear my little one blissfully snoring away the afternoon.... She loves her orange chair.

Yawning

2008-05-27T12:02:00.000-07:00

She's going to be a singer...look at those pipes!

passed around

2008-05-27T11:49:00.000-07:00

Merielle has met so many people....

Daddy's Girl

2008-05-27T11:41:00.000-07:00

Ryan and Merielle get along great, she loves to have "daddy time"! Especially when Mommy needs time!

1 month old!

2008-05-21T15:36:00.000-07:00

3 1/2 weeks!

2008-05-13T15:52:00.000-07:00

I hate to brag....but she is a wonderful baby!

my sweet Merielle

2008-05-07T09:13:00.000-07:00

She's 2 weeks old, and growing bigger every day!

Merielle Frances Flagg

2008-04-24T13:43:00.001-07:00

At 7:50am, April 18th, 2008 we welcomed Merielle Frances.

Little Allie

2008-04-15T19:14:00.000-07:00

We went and saw Allie Claire last Sunday. She's just a doll. Kaylah was so good with her, I may need to borrow that kid in a few days.

Oh Deer!

2008-04-15T19:09:00.000-07:00

This is a shot from our back deck. Last year this was a very tiny little guy, and look how big he is now! I love deer, I don't know why.

38 Weeks Along....

2008-04-15T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is my last week of work. I didn't believe I would make it this far...and now that I have I am getting really excited that baby Flagg will be here any minute (or 12 days).

She's Here!!!!!

2008-04-11T08:01:00.000-07:00

Welcome Allie Claire Loewen! Keri gave birth at1:21 am on Thursday April 10th. to a happy 7lbs 9oz little girl. Baby Flagg has it's cousin....now we just need Baby Flagg.

Cousins

2008-03-11T14:04:00.001-07:00

The Babies got together and played this past weekend!
We had a baby shower for Keri and Allie. It's hard to believe the two babies will be here next month.

San Luis Obispo

2008-03-04T19:35:00.000-08:00

I went to San Luis Obispo a few weeks back, and got to see all my friends one last time before the baby gets here. I was flying solo for the weekend, and it was so great to catch up with the ladies of the coffee shop. There are SO many stories, and I can't wait for the girls to tell our kids about "Guido", the christmas parades, and everything else!

Showered with Love!

2008-03-03T18:42:00.001-08:00

My mom threw a fantastic shower in Irvine, to which I was very lucky to be surrounded by my great friends and family. We are so lucky to have all the love and support, we couldn't do this without all of our friends.

I started my 8th month, only 8 weeks to go! It's hard to believe this awesome time is winding down, then we'll be onto the next phase....meeting the little person that is so kindly kicking me in the ribs. It'll be love at first sight, and all will be forgiven.

Get ready Dolores!

2008-02-04T08:30:00.000-08:00

Ryan's Grandma Dolores will be welcoming 3 great grandchildren all in the span of one Month! Ryan, his sister Keri, Kaylah, and myself all went to Reno this weekend to attend Bryna's baby shower (she's the one in the red). It was fun to get us all together and celebrate Bryna and Ron's new addition.

This week starts my 7th month, were in the home stretch now! Ryan and I are getting ready and learning lots and lots about babies.

A Boy and his Sister's dog

2008-01-28T20:46:00.001-08:00

Ryan and Beau. They love to play!

Jumping Fun

2008-01-28T20:16:00.000-08:00

Caleb turned 6 last week, and to celebrate he had a party at PB&J Jumphouse in Napa.

Everyone else was taking pictures of their kids...but since we don't have one yet, Ryan was my subject!Caleb was all over the place...a rare moment where he wasn't moving. He's a great 6 year old.Everyone lined up for a group shot, there were some cuties!

Is Ryan Shrinking?

2008-01-24T15:53:00.000-08:00

24 1/2 Weeks

2008-01-10T20:26:00.000-08:00

Okay folks, we're entering our 6th month now. The little one will be here before we know it. The baby moves a lot, something I didn't know to expect.
I'm really happy everything has been smooth and easy so far!

1st Anniversary

2008-01-07T20:41:00.000-08:00

Ryan and I were very lucky to spend our 1st anniversary at our favorite restaurant, Sierra Mar, at Post Ranch, in Big Sur California. The most beautiful place on earth! We were joined by Jeff (our best man) and his fiancee Kim (YEAH!!!) for dinner. What a great way to end our first year together, by passing the wedding torch onto our friends. I am so excited for them, I can't express it. We were also lucky to have one of our groomsmen, Matt, around as well. He works at the restaurant and the meal could have only improved if he had sat with us:) I feel that Ryan and I are blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful friends, who support and nurture us both. Thank you everyone!!

This is from the deck outside the restaurant!

Must see video

2007-12-26T18:02:00.000-08:00

Ryan and Caleb antagonize each other, this is just a sampling of it.....

P.S. no little boys were injured in the making of this video :)

Happy Holidays!

2007-12-26T17:48:00.000-08:00

Christmas 2007 was spent in Monterey. We really enjoyed being with family and our friends. A big thanks to Mary and Michael for putting us up for 4 days, and putting on a wonderful Christmas!

One of our favorite activities was our hike in Point Lobos, one of the most beautiful places on earth. We were told "bewitching " stories and beheld a beautiful day on the coast.

21 Weeks

2007-12-16T10:55:00.000-08:00

I think it's a little bigger :)

Body Worlds

2007-12-16T10:38:00.000-08:00

With little effort, I got Ryan and his Grandpa (Pops) to go see the Body Worlds exhibit with me in San Jose. It is where people have donated their bodies to under go Plastination, basically preserving the bady with plastic. Ryan thought it was fascinating, and Pops said he was going to talk about it at his bridge match. I was able to finally tie all those biology classes together and completely visualize how our bodies work.

friends

2007-12-06T13:18:00.000-08:00

Check out our friend links. We are lucky to know some amazing people, some of whom have very exciting news to share!

18 weeks

2007-11-28T18:58:00.001-08:00

I can't believe we are almost half way there! Incubating is hard work and I finally have a little something to show for it!

By the way, it seems that most people have voted for "boy"....so we'll see.

Kids...

2007-11-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

These two little girls belong to my brother....

Alexa loves to smile for the camera, meanwhile.....

Raya enjoys playing the game of smiling right AFTER you take your shot, and she knows when the camera is ready again, and she'll stop smiling. So, I decided to put this one up instead. Mean Auntie, I know.

If it's still November, then it's still my birthday!

2007-11-26T08:20:00.000-08:00

Thanks Kathy for the great shots! Ryan had a bowling shirt made for me. It was perfect!

These are my awesome girlfriends who made the trek up from Newport, Los Olivos, and San Luis Obispo, to help me ring in my 30. It meant a lot to have them there.
Let me point out that I own my own bowling shoes.... Do you know which feet are mine?

I had so much fun at my party, and I owe my husband a huge thank you for not only putting it all together, but making sure I had a great time. He's wonderful, and I love him very much.

Day at the ranch

2007-11-20T19:02:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we drove up to Petaluma to visit the McEvoy Olive Ranch. The scenery was beautiful. It was very crowded, so we are going to make a point to go back next spring for a smaller tour.

This lovely lady is Ryan's niece, Kaylah.

The rest of the afternoon was spent walking around Petaluma, taking in the river and shops.

Calling all Photographers....

2007-11-20T13:43:00.000-08:00

I still haven't gotten any birthday party pictures to post.......

November Fun!

2007-11-15T06:19:00.000-08:00

These past few weeks have been filled with activity and fun!
We were honored to be witnesses to Keri and Anthony's wedding in San Francisco....

And with as much dignity as I could muster...I accepted the dreaded Birthday Hat from Chevys. I had a great party on Saturday night, but not any great photos to prove it...so if any of you have them, please send them my way:) HELLO 3-0!!

more pictures

2007-11-02T08:56:00.001-07:00

in Muir Woods
At Rochioli Winery

These are from my sister of her trip out to see us.

Halloween

2007-11-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

These are the people that I spend my days with.... Before halloween and the after. It's hard to get all of us together at one time, but we still try anyway.

I missed out this year because I was home sick. I never realized how much I loved Sudafed, until I couldn't take it. I miss cold medication.

Chicago

2007-10-30T07:39:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to Chicago to pay a visit to my best friend all the way back to Junior High! We met in 7th grade and the bus ride home from school, and it was long overdue for me to visit.

Jen's condo has a view of Lake Michigan, so one afternoon we went for a long walk along the lake and then back through Lincoln Park. They have a free zoo there!

Naturally we hit up the miracle mile for shopping and lunch, ate great pizza, saw family, and went to a halloween party.

get your bowl on!

2007-10-19T18:44:00.000-07:00

We had another Ultrasound this morning. Here a few more pictures, more interesting views this time. I also threw in an old photo of Ryan and I in Fisherman's Wharf a few years back.

Both hands have all 5 fingers. You can make out a face too.

It was also nice to see 2 legs kicking all around, and what a cute little bum it has. Our technician was great, she showed us the brain, diaphragm, heart, and feet. She let us hear the heartbeat as well. We got a thumbs up for development so far.

Tonight we went by the spot where we are planning my big 3-0. It's definately your classic bowling alley, so I hope everyone is ready to get their Lebowski on and have a good time. You definately have to be in the mood! We tasted the pizza,ad plan on poppers,plenty of beer, and a full bar for all you non-preggos. Awesome.

Visitors

2007-10-17T18:06:00.000-07:00

About 2 weekends ago my sister, Nancy, and her friend, Gene, came to visit us. They had three days to see San Francisco, Marin, and Sonoma wine country. It was a whirlwind, but Ryan put together an itinerary that had us going every minute! Here are some photos from their visit:

I don't get to visit with my sister very often, so it was really nice to have her here all to myself. I look forward to the next time we get to visit.

Suprise!

2007-10-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

I think that for my first post I'll start off with something BIG. Ryan and I are having a baby! The little tyke is due on April 27th, 2008. We are very excited! As Ryan says "Magic is happening!"