2007 was THE year of transitions. Not only did we move in June, but on September 9, 2007, our daughter Aspen Vance Ayala Gregson was added to our family. At 3 1/2 months, we've been blessed with a happy, vibrant, and interactive baby girl. To cope with the added stresses of moving while pregnant, we were so fortunate to have grandparents, Fernando and Yolanda, to help our during the transition with moving and after Aspen was born. Their tireless support was incredible and deeply appreciated. Fallon grew closer to them while they were here. Fallon turned 3 on September 8. She has been going to gymnastics every Saturday with Daddy and soon, she'll try ballet and indoor rock climbing. Since I knew I'd be so busy with the baby and business, we enrolled her at Merryhill Preschool. She loves it. It's a small class who all seem advanced - great for her language and socialization skills. She loves her teacher and all her new friends. It has also helped her adjust to the baby. It took her a bit to understand nursing and now asks, "Mommy, when you're done feeding the baby, can you come and play with me?" She has developed a sarcastic sense of humor that can entertain any adult and does it like a 6-year-old. She also has a very bright imagination. One of the many funny stories her teacher told me recently occurred during a Play-Doh session. Her classmate was squeezing out the Play-Doh from one of the tools and Fallon said, "Push! Push! Here it comes! Here comes the baby!" Her current interests include princesses, cooking, baking, imaginative play, building and painting. Even though she's a lazy eater, she is quite the foodie. We try to expose her palate to every type of food. Her favorites are: crabs, gyros, steak, pancit, Japanese food, (esp. tofu) and brie cheese. All in all, we are so lucky to have an easy, happy, affectionate, expressive, articulate, strong and funny girl.
Another big change was when Jonathan finally transferred out of FIX restaurant and into the The Light Group office, working on restaurant design and development. His hours went from 15 hour days to M-F/9-7. What a miracle! He's still getting no sleep as usual due to the baby's hours and is happy to wake up with Fallon before she goes to school. It's very strange to include him at the dinner table and to see him on the weekends! We are truly grateful for his presence this Holiday as Fallon is very much into Santa and because it's Aspen's first Christmas. Jonathan is definitely an involved, fun dad to the girls. He has been great about caring for them both on the weekends if I need a break.
As for me, I remain at home with the kids and continue running my little business, Plain Zane. I finished a tiring, second year. It started out as a "side" thing, but it has seemed to take over every bit of free time and then some. I was so fortunate to receive some press from Las Vegas Home and Design magazine twice: in the May/June issue, in the Sept/Oct issue and on FOX5 TV Las Vegas. It was the boost needed to reach more customers. I also did 8 shows and 1 trunk show at Bleu Gourmet. It was a successful end to the season and the most fun show to date. I want to thank everyone who has been supportive via referrals or by giving products to their friends.
Last, but not least, we are settled into our new, modern home. We tried our best to incorporate sustainable materials and build it as green as we could. Since we still have our old house and braved the double mortgage for a while, we had to postpone some projects. In the first month, I experienced feelings of buyer's remorse, but we're all used to it now and love it more each day. We have unobstruced views of the Red Rock mountains and of the Strip from the sky deck. Within the next few months, we hope to finalize the landscape/pool design. It's coming together and you are all welcome to our home anytime!
2007 was packed with fun events despite our erratic schedule and my pregnancy. Here are more highlights:
- 1/07: I was pregnant with #2.
- 2/07: Fallon became potty-trained!
- 3/07: Fallon and Jonathan rode a horse for the first time.
- 4/07: Ashley and I made a road trip to LA sans kids!
- 5/07: Jon, Fallon and I went to LA.
- 6/07: We vacationed in NYC/CT/OH to visit Jonathan's family and attend his cousin, Kim's wedding. She also met her baby cousin, Michael (Liz and Dave Audie) for the first time. Fallon experienced all that NYC has to offer - cab rides, subways, Chinatown, trains, etc. She especially got an idea of how well I can shop within 2 days. We then made a quick trip to my parents in Ohio and met Roman Elizaga and Max Valderrama. We moved into our new house.
- 8/07: Fallon started school.
- 9/07: Fallon turned 3 on Sept 8 and I delivered Aspen the next day.
As the year comes to an end, I can't help but reflect on how time flies and how precious family and friends are. Our blessings as a family are truly valued. So, my New Year's resolution is to make more time for friends and family. May health, happiness, and fortune be with you this holiday and for the New Year.
When Fallon saw Aspen's announcement photo, she said, "Look Mom. Aspen is signing the letter "A" for Aspen!"
