12.30.2011

Our Merry Christmas

Just thought I’d share a little Christmas layout I did of my cute boys. We went downtown a few weeks ago and did a little mini photo shoot.

Of course, since it was my boys, and they’ve been in front of the camera their whole lives, it was kind of a disaster! They wouldn’t listen or stop long enough to smile for the camera. I probably got 4 or 5 good ones out of a couple hundred! But such is the case when your mom is a photographer I suppose. Ah well, enjoy the layout!

christmas front door

Sing it again, Charlie!

At our house, we love Adele. Her voice is amazing and we’ve come to love her great songs. So when I came across this cover, I was in love! I don’t know much about the artists, but I was pleasantly surprised. It’s really great, you should take a listen…

I just love good music, sung by great voices. And these harmonies are beautiful.

12.29.2011

These days…

We’re relaxing and enjoying having the hubby home from work (even though he’s sneaking some in here and there) and spending time together. We’ve been:

IMG_0318IMG_0323
IMG_0321
-- making a shaken-soda-powered rocket skateboard (he didn’t get very far, ha)



IMG_0330
-- trying out my new BabyCakes maker (courtesy of Aunt Julee – thank you!!)
IMG_0334
-- building all sorts of things with our many, many, MANY new Lego additions (this Elmo courtesy of cousins Nate, Aidan, and Sophie Nana and Grandpa – thank you!!)
IMG_0097
IMG_0203
IMG_0224
-- building a Lego Pirates of the Caribbean ship and playing with the 4 new minifigs I got in my stocking! (Lego ship courtesy of Nana – thank you!!)
IMG_0196
-- eating delicious leftover ham and mashed potato sandwiches
IMG_0302
IMG_0305
IMG_0314
IMG_0311
-- painting on our new easel (courtesy of Grandma and Papa – thank you!!)
IMG_0239
IMG_0245
-- putting together lots and lots and LOTS of puzzles (courtesy Renee, Lewis and Janae – thank you!!)
IMG_0269
-- playing lots of fun games with siblings before they went home (including Killer Bunnies! and Qwerkle! and Settlers of Catan!)
IMG_0338
IMG_0350
-- driving to Redlands just to have some delicious Café Rio!
IMG_0229
-- and enjoying my new little camera that I have with me everywhere! Which is why I have so much documentation of these last few days. Love it! :)
I hope you’re having a wonderful, restful week between now and New Year’s. I’m looking forward to the fresh start that the New Year always brings, but not looking forward to taking down the Christmas decorations…

It’s on like Donkey Kong!

If anyone is interested, I’m joining up with my friend Ang to do a little weight-loss competition starting in January. You are welcome to join in, too! There will be prizes for various winners, including the most percentage of weight loss as well as the top point earner, so there are lots of ways to win cash! Also, if you’d rather just participate and not put in money, you can do that too.

I always find that it’s much easier for me to focus on weight loss and healthy habits when I’m in some sort of contest. I suppose I’m just too competitive for my own good! Luckily, this contest is not only about losing weight, but also about establishing and maintaining healthy habits, so that will be great too.

If you want to read more about it and get the official contest rules, head on over to Ang’s blog, Dropping the Plus from My Size. And make sure you tell her I sent ya!

Perhaps I’ll share a little about my goals in the coming days. We’ll see if I’m brave enough. :)

12.25.2011

Merry Christmas!

LBL_0414

This year we had a wonderful Christmas Eve party with the hubby’s family, and it was a blast! We ate yummy food, had a White Elephant gift exchange, opened presents, and played some games. It’s so fun to have lots of people over and I always tell myself to do it more often!

Of course, I don’t have any photos from that night, since I completely forgot to bust out my big camera, and I hadn’t opened my presents yet, so I didn’t have a handy one. Maybe I can steal some shots from my sisters-in-law. I’ll update if I do.

LBL_0726

After Christmas Eve was over, we cleaned up and got ready for Santa to come! Our Elf on the Shelf, Dave, went back to the North Pole and left us a note saying that both boys made it to the Nice list! Of course, they were excited to hear that.

Here are the kids ready and waiting to book it down the stairs!

LBL_0737

E had asked for a kid’s sized Jeep this year, but we knew it wasn’t going to happen, so Dave left him a note saying to be on the lookout for one next year, as per our request. E was so excited that Santa knew what he wanted that he didn’t mind having to wait another year! Phew.

W was easier to please, he only asked Santa for this stupid, horrible cute little game called Pop the Pig. The premise is that you feed this pig plastic hamburgers until his belly explodes. Yeah, like I said, stupid and horrible cute. We tried and tried to change his mind and gently persuade him that he wanted something else, but that’s all we heard for 2 months. So that’s what Santa brought W. He was over the moon. :)

LBL_0814

The hubby made out like a bandit with new clothes, 5 shirts, 1 sweater, and some socks. I guess it stinks being an adult at Christmas when you need new shirts and your wife wants to buy them for you but can’t find a good reason until Christmas comes around…

But he also got some fun magnet balls (like Bucky Balls), which he’s had a lot of fun playing with, a Kindle case, and some tools from the kids.

One of the coolest things was a LEGO Pirates of the Caribbean ship from my Mom and Dad, for him to put together with E. I’ll post a photo of the complete ship soon.

I love the little minifigs that come with it:

IMG_0200_vignette

I was extra lucky and got a brand-new digital camera! I’ve been wanting one for a long time now, because lately I’ve been having to choose between lugging around my big mama professional camera or my cell phone, and it seems like the cell phone was winning out more and more, just for convenience’ sake. So I got a little Canon Elph and I’m super excited. Not only does it take great photos and videos, but it’s so tiny that it fits in my pocket and I can carry it around with me wherever I go. No more missing the shot because I didn’t want to stuff my camera into a diaper bag! So while the quality of the actual photos will probably be less than stellar, the quantity will go up and I’ll have more to share! And that’s really what you read this blog for, right? Pictures of us?? :)  (And by “you”, I mean you, Mom. Because you’re the only one who reads this, I’m convinced…)

I also got a sweet Elder wand from you, mom, which is awesome in and of itself. I was on the phone with my family later in the day and my mom asked me what I was going to do with it. I said, “Cast magical spells on people, DUH!” I mean, what does she think it’s for, decoration? Don’t make me laugh!

IMG_0057_crop

IMG_0058

After we had opened our presents, we got ready for church and left. We had just a sacrament meeting, which was filled with wonderful music and great narrations about the birth and life of Jesus Christ. I do love getting to be centered again on the true meaning of the season and focusing on what it means for me and my family.

I was sad, though, that I couldn’t sing in the choir or do my duet with another woman in our ward. We had had choir practice on Thursday night, and I woke up Friday morning to a sore voice. I thought it would get better, but since we spent the whole day at Disneyland with two little kids, I wasn’t able to rest it as much as I wanted to. Needless to say, I woke up on Saturday morning with it even worse – I could barely make any sounds, let alone sing. I was so bummed! Especially since I had really practiced my song and was ready. Ah well, there’s always next year.

After church, we loaded up the kids and headed out to the in-laws for the rest of the opening of the presents, some dinner, and lots and lots of game-playing!

The kids got spoiled, of course, and had lots of great fun. I’m just going to dump a bunch of photos here and you can see for yourself. :)

IMG_0104

IMG_0105

IMG_0111

IMG_0116

IMG_0117

IMG_0126

IMG_0133

IMG_0142

IMG_0154

IMG_0157

IMG_0163

 

IMG_0165

IMG_0169

IMG_0176

IMG_0178

IMG_0180

IMG_0187

IMG_0189

Merry Christmas!!

12.21.2011

Where has the time gone?

I know, it’s been forever, but I’m trying to finish up my Month of Thanks and then I’ll be able to do a good month in review for December. I’ve basically been running into the ground with church stuff and Christmas stuff, so I’ll have more time once that’s over.

Hopefully. :)

So hang tight, I’ve got trips and visitors and fun kiddo stuff to blog about.

11.30.2011

MoT - 30

30. Today I'm thankful for my life. While I have challenges and demands and hard times, I know that I am truly blessed. I have a family that loves me, hobbies that interest me, friends who pick me up when I'm down, and lots of opportunities to serve others. 

I know the Lord loves me, and that's best thing of all.

11.29.2011

MoT - 29

We're closing in on the end! This has been a challenge for me, for sure. Not finding things to be grateful for, but remembering to post about them! Luckily Blogger is handy with their 'scheduling posts' features and I've been able to come back in and supplement the days that I missed. So retroactively, my blog is updated! Lovely. Here's to finishing, even if later than anticipated!

29. Today I'm thankful for Lego Harry Potter for the Wii. The hubby and I love playing these games and have a lot of fun doing so together. Even though it takes some pushing and pulling to do with two players, we have a lot of fun and it sure beats just sitting and watching TV together (or separately, as is sometimes the case)!

MoT - 29

29. Today I'm thankful for painters! We got the outside of our house painted and it looks great. I'm MORE glad that the hubby and I didn't have to do it, because it seemed like a big job. 

But we had a great company come out and with 3 guys, they tackled it in a day with no problems. Now the house looks refreshed and our Homeowner's Association is happy. :)

11.28.2011

MoT - 28

28. Today I'm thankful for Special K candy. It's so delicious and pretty easy to make, no baking required! It's perfect for gifts for friends and family this upcoming Christmas season, and it makes enough to keep some for yourself!

Here's the recipe, thanks to my sister-in-law Renee.

1/2 c. sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
1 c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 c. Special K cereal
1 c. chocolate chips (any kind)
1 c. butterscotch chips

In a pot, boil both sugar and syrup together for about 30 seconds. Don't let it change colors or boil any longer or it will come out hard.

Remove from heat and add the peanut butter and vanilla, mixing well.

Add the cereal to the mixture until it's well coated.

Grease a 9x13 pan (or smaller if you want it thicker) and add the cereal mixture to it, spreading it out to form a base.

In a small glass bowl, melt together the chocolate and butterscotch chips in the microwave, heating only for about 30 seconds at a time so it doesn't burn. Mix well after each heating until smooth. Pour on top of the cereal mixture and let it set up as it cools.

Then get ready for a party in your mouth! :)

Thanks, Renee, for the great recipe. It's definitely a tradition in our house now!

11.27.2011

Thankful

This Thanksgiving we got to spend the holiday in Cambria, which is on the coast a little north of us. The hubby’s parents invited us to go with them, and we jumped at the chance. We’ve stayed there before sans kids, and knew it would be a great place to go and just relax for a good portion of the week.

LBL_9593

We had beautiful views, really nice weather (not too cold and wet, like I expected it to be) and some really great family time together.

On the first day, E and I took a walk down to the beach to see what we could find. He was rocking Grandma’s sweater.

LBL_9587

He made me bring the remains of our popcorn to feed the birds. We weren’t successful. :)

LBL_9579

But he did find a cool walking stick that he kept the entire trip.

LBL_9596

When we got down to the beach, he used it to draw in the sand.

LBL_9617

We also had lots of fun climbing on the pieces of driftwood that were washed up, as well as some great big rocks. He loved every minute of it!

LBL_9612

LBL_9622

LBL_9629

LBL_9630

LBL_9621

It was so lovely outside, and I really liked having some one-on-one time with my big E. We don’t get that too often, and it was nice.

LBL_9590

(And yes, I know it’s a horrible photo of me, but I had to post it because he actually smiled! The impossible is possible!)

The next day we took a drive down to the pier by the Hearst Castle, and the boys loved being out on the ocean (sort of). They were really cute together, too. :)

LBL_9659

LBL_9679

LBL_9673

LBL_9683

But apparently the loud waves were too much for them. Go figure.

LBL_9704

LBL_9723

Then we drove down a little further to see if we could get a small glimpse of the sea lions that we heard like to come up on the beach this time of year. We weren’t sure what kind of a turnout we’d see, but we were hopeful.

And pleasantly surprised!

LBL_9789

“SEA LIONS!!”

LBL_9797

LBL_9802

LBL_9821

They were everywhere! Up and down the beach, making noise, playing in the water, fighting each other, it was crazy! The boys loved it.

LBL_9833

Afterwards, we drove back to the beach by our hotel and took another relaxing walk down by the water.

LBL_9871

LBL_9875

Ah, brotherly love. ;)

LBL_9912

LBL_9887

LBL_9880

Ending with a surprisingly good photo of the hubs and I that E took himself! :)

The last vacation day (besides traveling), we went to Hearst Castle to take a tour and look around. The hubby and I got to go without the kids and just enjoy having some time to ourselves. They had changed up the kinds of tours that they offer, so we only got to see a portion of what we saw last time, but it was still fun and we had a great time.

LBL_0027

LBL_0036

LBL_9988

LBL_9998

All in all, we had a wonderful vacation and really loved ‘getting away from it all’. :)