CALM Lights

This year, Justin's work had a special Christmas social night out at CALM lights. As the night approached we were nervous because the "BIG" winter storm warning was on and there was supposed to be some major rain. Thankfully, the rain never showed up and the weather ended up being perfect! We left as soon as Justin got home from work and made it back before 8pm so the girls could get their inner beauty rest.



We started the night with hot cocoa and cookies with Justin's co-workers. It was a yummy treat before all the fun!

 

Juliet was saving the leftovers on her lips while she waited for the carousel.



I love this picture because I can almost hear Aubrey saying, "Oh, just wait Jooj, this carousel goes super fast!"



"WHOA, sissy, you weren't kidding?!"






After the super spin carousel, we headed to the train. We had fun chugging along checking out the lights.

Then we headed along the trails to see all the displays.

The highlight of the night had to be the musical light displays. The girls loved dancing along.

CALM Lights is a yearly tradition that we love!

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer...

...is singing loud for all to hear!"





And for the FINALE...watch it all the way to the end...it's worth it! :)
{Can you tell there is a mirror across from her?)

In light of the holidays...

I read this scripture during my morning devotional, and though I've read it a million times before, I really FELT it today. My sister and I grew up in a blended (then reblended, then reblended) family. The holidays were always great for us, but they usally also brought about some conflict. I think as young kids we didn't totally understand it, and to be honest, we still don't understand all the drama. I think most drama comes from jealousy and envy. Jealousy and envy rob joy. I choose JOY!

I know some of you may not have family drama during the holidays...you may not celebrate four Christmases with 3 step-parents (one who doesn't really like you and one you barely know), but I do. And for me, this was profound:

Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good;
love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.
Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.
Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer.
Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.
Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.
Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are.
Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.
If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God; for it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord."
No, "if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads."
Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.


Romans 12: 9-23

Fall Wrap-up

A little late, but worth the wait. I was actually waiting to upload a couple of pictures and videos from my point and shoot camera, but it's either lost in the wasteland of my dirty mini-van or it got stolen when I left it in the car (with the doors unlocked). Either way, I figured I better get on it and put up the pictures that I had already downloaded.

Papa Steve finally came back to California from Washington, so we went and visited. My grandpa was also there and it's always nice to spend time with him. Fall is one of the only times of the year where my dad's house is bee free, so it's our favorite time to visit!

picking apples off the tree

A perfect picnic under the gazebo

Papa's buzzing babes (sitting on an old bee box...of course).

Aubrey's Apple Day

The kindergarten had the cutest apple day performance! I was so proud of our little performer. She's come so far from the preschool performances where she would just stand there or chew her clothes. :) I love kindergarten, and I'm so glad we started her early!

She really wanted a picture on the stage.

Pumpkin Patch 2010

Every year I border on making the pumpkin patch a miserable experience. I'm so picture obsessed that I don't really just relax and enjoy it. We usually head out to the patch at least 2 or 3 times, all the while, snapping away. This year, I'm happy to say, we only went once, and while I still took some pictures, I wasn't focused on getting the perfect shot. In fact, I don't think I got a single picture of Aubrey alone. She was having so much fun with Gracie and Breanna, that I just let the three amigas enjoy their imaginations. And you know what? I enjoyed myself better too!

Okay, okay, while the big kids were playing, I may have taken quite a few pictures of Juliet. :)

The whole crew- Ian, Breanna, Juliet, Gracie, Aubrey, Joshua

Halloween 2011

A beautiful bride inspired by a wedding this summer and a buzzing bee you  may remember from not so long ago...

Everything about this picture cracks me up. Brogan and Reagan acting the part, Juliet's chocolate smeared mouth (after house #1) and Aubrey being SOOO over the picture already. :)

I LOVE, love this pictue! Seriously, Papa Cc's is their second home. So thankful for him!

I think this picture should be an advertisement for trick-or-treating. It embodies all the excitement of Halloween night!

Lately...

• I can't get enough of the new show Two Broke Girls. Now, I know some of you have your shows. Sometimes I just don't get the appeal of certain comedies, maybe I am just too stupid to get the humor. But this show...oh man, I love it. It is just so stinking funny! Love the dynamic with all of the characters. Looking at this picture just makes me smile.

• I'm hooked on these peppermint mochas from Fresh&Easy. At $2 a pop, they are certainly not cheap, but they are about $1.50 cheaper than a Starbucks. And they are oh so yummy.

• I'm also hooked on $10 off coupons. I love the ones from World Market, JC Penney and Fashion Bug. Now most of the time, I probably wouldn't go randomly shop at any of these stores, but I go with a mission.
• Like this adorable winter hat from JCPenney. With my $10 off ANY $10 purchase, it was only $4!!

• And these adorable jeans from JCPenney for $15, and the boots from Fashion Bug for only $25 after coupon- for BOOTS!

• I also got Juliet some little pink sequin tennis shoes for $2.99 after the coupon.
• Now I need to make some Christmas list for other people so I can use these coupons on gifts instead of myself.
• I check my mailbox eagerly every single day. Not only is it almost my favorite mail time of the year...Christmas cards!, but I also passed along these winter accessory exchange letters and fun winter accessories keep trickling in! So far I've gotten a scarf, socks, a coffee cozy, and a Christmas bag. I love getting surprises in the mail!
• I've been brainstorming ways to teach Aubrey about this spirit of giving and serving others this Christmas. We've signed up to help with the Plaza Towers ministry that serves the elderly, and I also know I want to sponsor a family this Christmas. Unfortunately, we don't have a ton of extra money this time of year, so I needed to come up with a plan to earn some money. Originally, I toyed with the idea of trying to make some premade Christmas photo cards and invitations to sell and raise money to sponsor a family. I'm not very good at promoting myself, and I didn't really have much time to set up an etsy shop, so I gave up on that idea. However, if you (one of my 5 blog readers) are interested in having me design a custom card design, let me know. I would love to raise some more money to sponsor a family this Christmas.
• Here are some of my previous designs that I tweaked to make Christmas-y. We could work on a custom design for you, if you're interested.

• Instead of raising money by selling cards, Aubrey and I decided to make a cupcake and fruit punch stand (inspired by our muffin stand last year). This was a better idea anyways because I was able to get Aubrey in on the action.We set up near Grandma Kim's house right on the corner of a pretty main street. It was a great success! We sold out in less than an hour making $21. We plan on setting up shop as many weekends as we can! I'm hoping that we'll be able to raise enough money to sponsor a family with a couple of kids. I think my school will be selecting students to sponsor, but in case they don't, if you happen to know any other organizations where I can sponsor a family, please let me know.

One fine fall day...

a certain five year old woke up with big plans. After a weekend full of the stomach bug and windy, rainy weather, it was the perfect day for a visit to the park. Not just any park, a park with lots of leaves because what better is there to do on a fine fall day than jump in leaves.

We all worked together to pile the leaves.

 And then it was time to jump!  Our poor pathetic pile of leaves didn't phase this girl--she was excited.

Her sister thought it looked pretty fun.

 Time to give it a try!

 After a picnic, it was time for some more fun in the sun.

 Love these girls and their fruit punch mustaches.♥

A day in the life...

Today was one of those days where I felt I earned the title "grown up". Obviously, I know I'm a grown up. I have a kid in school for goodness sake! (How did that happen already?)

But you know what I'm talking about. It was a day where I earned my badge...so to speak.

It was like any other hustle and bustle day for the first 8 hours or so. We were all dressed, fed (for the most part), bags and backpacks packed, and out the door by 7:15am. Justin and I worked. They went to school and Carrie's house. Life was good.

I left work a bit late because of a grade level meeting that went a bit late. No biggie. I left the chaos behind to deal with tomorrow, picked up both girls, got home, and worked on the food situation. French onion soup was in the crock pot for Justin and I...just add a crouton and cheese. Mmm. As for the girls, dino nuggets, cauliflower and applesauce. We went through the usual dinner battle with our oldest. She was especially non-compliant today. I did not budge. She was going to eat her cauliflower.

We got bundled up and met Grandpa for a Veteran's Day celebration at Aubrey's school. We were excited for an evening under the stars. We loaded the sit and stand stoller and then it happened. We were crossing the street; Aubrey dropped the flashlight. Justin went to hand it to her again, and there was puke everywhere. Poor girl. She started balling. I was ready to book it home, but she begged and pleaded. "I'm FINE mom. It was just the cauliflower (I only forced her to eat THREE bites, I swear) . I really want to go to the Veteran's Day celebration. I can't miss school tomorrow. PLEASE, mom!"

It was an outdoor event, so I figured we wouldn't contaminate too many people. She seemed fine, so we kept going. The celebration was a beautiful tribute to the men and women who serve our country so courageously. I teared up as the little kids read their letters to their loved ones, thanking them for being their "heroes". I was so happy we decided to go. Juliet LOVED running around and making far too much noise as we tried to shush her. It was a fun night filled with kettle corn, family, and patriotism. Aubrey seemed fine through the whole performance. Maybe it was the cauliflower?!

Then it was time for the parade of flags to the front of the school. We folded up the blanket and JUST LIKE THAT...in a flash...Juliet was GONE! The three adults split separate ways frantically searching. There was so much commotion. There were so many people. AHHHHHHH!! I felt like I was running in circles. Finally, I headed to the stage, hoping the principal could make an announcement. A teacher saw my frantic look and calmly said, "Oh, the little girl...I saw her over in that direction getting water."  Sure enough Juliet had headed to the water jugs and was filling up her little paper cup. Little Miss Independent! SHEESH. Get that girl a leash!

We walked out with our flag, put it in the ground, and headed home about 20 minutes past the girls' bedtime.

It was time for jammies and snuggles. Or wait, maybe another round of puke! Poor Aubrey girl.

Which means clean up for mom and still some snuggles. Then it was time for lesson plans. Now to get ready for an early morning trip ALL THE WAY across town to organize the chaos that I left behind after a grade level meeting that ran late. Let's hope the sub survives.

All in a day's work.

I definitely earned my grown up badge today.