Digi Mom

January High/lowlights!

2012-02-02T13:30:00.000-08:00

January was a very interesting month. I met with some trials that I had hoped not to see. One being losing a friend and another being losing my job. I also started a Project 52 that I am sharing on Facebook and Flickr but want to share here as well. I am not caught up to date yet but here are a couple of my entries :-)

NYE Noon Edition!

2012-01-04T08:48:00.000-08:00

The kids and I had a New Years Eve party on NYE day! Instead of counting down to midnight, we counted down to noon. We used to do this with my old mom group in California so I thought we would bring the tradition back east. The kids had fun and the moms got some adult time. Win win!

Christmas Day!

2011-12-27T17:55:00.000-08:00

Christmas day was a wonderful day (despite me still be sick, sick sick!) We woke up at Nannie and Papa's house to find that Santa had come! We were all so excited to see the MANY gifts under the tree. The kids got everything they wanted and more and I even got my Epiphanie camera bag from my very own Santa :) Later in the morning the boys came over with their families and I got to see my cutie patootie nephews on their first Christmas! Next we headed over to Uncle J and Aunt L's for Christmas dinner. There were so many people there and we all had a great time! It really is wonderful to be with family for the holidays :)

Christmas Eve!

2011-12-26T06:19:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone. It's amazing how quickly the day goes by when you have done so much prep work! The kids were totally stoked by all of the family love and attention, not to mention the piles of gifts left by Santa! We spent Christmas Eve with my side of the family at Aunt Sue's and then Christmas Day at the MacDonald side of the family. It was just awesome, despite me being deathly ill and having to medicate to make it through...but I still managed to capture some of the moments in picture. Did you expect anything less, hahahaha!

Our wonderful extended family!

Christmas Eve

First Christmas Wonderment!

Elf on a Shelf

2011-12-17T18:29:00.000-08:00

I am one of those moms. The moms that have an Elf that is fun and creative....it's an obsession at this point and now it is also imperative. The kids wake up each morning and run into my room asking me where Elfie may be that morning. He was a bit of a slacker last night and ended up on a "shelf" with some Willow Tree figures. I think the poor kids were disappointed.

All moved in!

2011-12-14T20:00:00.000-08:00

We moved into our new house about two weeks ago! It's an ongoing process but it's been nice having our own space. We know that we will be here for at least a couple of years (thanks to NH laws changing so that we can't buy until 3 years after our short sale in CA!) We have decorated for Christmas and got our first real Christmas tree. Elfie has even come back to visit this year and to ensure the kids get on Santa's good list. They have been a bit iffy lately with the behavior but all in all they are just kids being kids, even if it drives me bonkers at times ;-)

Thanksgiving Feast!

2011-11-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving with family this year! It was our first back here in NH and the first time the kids ever got to spend it with family. We ate a lot, laughed a lot and were very thankful for the joys that life has given us.

Some of my favorite photos!

2011-11-17T19:26:00.001-08:00

These are some of my favorite photos from the past few weeks! We have been enjoying our time in New England and definitely seeing some of the weather that New England is famous for. From fall foliage to a freak Nor'easter, we are having our share of interesting!

Bad blogger, bad blogger!

2011-11-01T19:27:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness! With all the changes and craziness of moving back east, my blog is just totally neglected. There are so many things to post about with my crazy kiddos and our life here in NH. The greatest thing of the last month is my new nephew! He is now 2.5 weeks old and due to a power outage, I was able to see him over the weekend and get some newborn snuggles in. To welcome us to NH the weather decided to have a very unseasonable Nor-easter. We had about 5-6 inches of snow and wide spread power outages. No power for us from around midnight on Saturday to today (Tuesday) at around noon. Thank goodness for generators and that somehow our cable and internet stayed up!

Zach's 5th Birthday Party

2011-09-18T20:30:00.000-07:00

Zach had a great 5th birthday party with friends and family! We had a pirate theme and a big bounce house with lots of cupcakes and cake (thanks to Papa having to have half a sheet cake along with the 40 ish cupcakes!) We couldn't have asked for a better celebration of his 5 years of life. I just can't believe it has been 5 years. The only bummer of the day was that we can't find the Oregon jersey that we take his picture in each year :-( I guess year 5 may be the year that wasn't.

Happy 5th Birthday to Zach!

2011-09-15T18:53:00.001-07:00

Five years?! Seriously???? How is my little baby 5 years old already? I just constantly marvel at how fast the time goes by. He is such an amazing, smart and funny little boy who also has a bit of trouble controlling his more gripping emotions. I have no idea where he gets that ;-) Happy birthday to the little man that makes my world a great place!

Davis Farmland!

2011-08-24T19:47:00.000-07:00

We spent a day at Davis Farmland in Sterling, MA and the kids had a great time! Tay came with us so I wouldn't lose my mind and there was so much to see and do. We also met up with a long time friend from CA. The kids got to get up close with baby cows, goats, chicks and even a turkin (it looks like a turkey/chicken cross) or whatever it was called. There was even a pony ride that I would allow them to go on. I usually feel bad for the ponies but these ones got to walk along a big path and had lots of breaks. I was so proud of my big kids for riding all by themselves and loving every minute of it!

Peach Picking!

2011-08-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

We had such a great day peach picking with Nannie and Nana! We had to trek back a bit and Ava decided she wanted Nana to pick her up. It was a pretty comical site because Nana didn't realize she was so "solid"! It was a beautiful Summer Day!

Love This Girl!

2011-08-19T20:20:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how big my little Ava is getting. She is so pleasant to be around lately. She can be a little ornery when it comes to the pets and chasing them around, but she is just loving puzzles, new clothes, playing dolls and all things girly! I'm loving it!

My Nephew!

2011-08-05T16:37:00.000-07:00

The Forever Move

2011-07-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

My poor neglected blog! So much has happened in the last month with us moving back to New Hampshire. I made a scrapbook page about it but haven't had a chance to update my blog about our adventures. It started with me flying the kids back to NH so that they could stay with my parents and I could go to the baby shower for my new nephew Aryn (who is here now, btw!) Then I flew back to CA and got the best surprise! I got tickets to a live show of So You Think You Can Dance. Tanisha and I went in to Hollywood and it was just awesome! What wasn't awesome was when the moving company came a day early and charged us an extra $5000! All told we must have spent at least 10,000 on this darn move. If I had known it would cost so much I would have just got rid of more and bought a bunch of new stuff when we got here. Now it is a month later and the moving truck is still not here. We are all living out of suitcases and what I could fit in my Rav4. Andy and I drove across the country and got to make some fun stops on the way like the Grand Canyon and to see our friends Christ and Nicole and their two lovely daughters. We also got to see the Kay family for one last visit at the Grand Canyon. That was pretty cool! We got back to NH on a Tuesday and Andy had to fly back to CA on Saturday to tie up some lose ends at work and sell his car. My first week as as SAHM was pretty trying but I think we are finally falling into a routine now that he is back. The kids will also start going to school two days a week next week just to have some socialization and academics.

Belated Mother's Day Gift!

2011-06-19T19:31:00.000-07:00

Miss Liz at the kid's school made me a belated Mother's Day gift. I had seen the other 3 year old's gifts and was a bit sad that I wouldn't get one next year because we were moving. Isn't it so cute?!

The Start of the Byes :-(

2011-06-15T19:28:00.000-07:00

We met up with some of our friends from our old mom's group to say a so long for now. I shed a little tear as I drove home.

Pre-K Graduation!

2011-06-10T21:36:00.000-07:00

Zach had his preschool graduation on Thursday! It was just way to cute to watch them all singing and then walking across the bridge as a symbol of them moving on. He may not be starting kinder this coming year, but I wanted him to have this experience with his classmates. Since we are leaving that school in two weeks I thought it would be a nice way to end his time at Immanuel Day School. He has come so far in less than a year. He used to cry and not want to leave me for months, it seemed. I questioned if I had made the right decision to move him from his home based center. Now I realize that it was a wonderful learning experience for both of us. We had a very rocky start with the change but I couldn't love his pre-k teacher any more and I think we were blessed to have her. She really did so much to help with his growth in every way.

The lies she tells!

2011-06-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

Ava is barely three and already learning to lie! Right now she is not always good at it, but I can for see issues in our future if she gets any better at it. A week or so ago Ava got in trouble for something. She didn't like it and started to cry. Andy hadn't heard the conversation so when he asked her what was wrong she said "Zach hit me!" and I just about died! She flat out lied! Then last week she had a bit of a mess in her panties. She was trying to change them without us finding out but when I found them she said that a bird pooped in her underwear! She was outside playing at school and a baby bird just flew up and pooped in her pants! She says this with a straight face and honestly believing it is a good story. All the while I am trying not to crack up in her face but then I go down to tell Andy and we both have a very good laugh about it! I wonder what I did for entertainment on a regular basis before I had kids???

I am 34!

2011-05-28T23:18:00.000-07:00

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Where does the time go? I just read a quote that the days are long and the years are short and I couldnt agree more! I had a wonderful birthday starting by gifts in the morning, a luncheon at work, flowers from the kids teachers and dinner at Chili's (yeah, I love their hot wings!)

Mini Me!

2011-05-28T23:16:00.000-07:00

Hair up in buns, matching swim covers and a couple of cheesy smiles! Love my mini me!

Happy 34th to Andy!

2011-05-18T23:13:00.000-07:00

We surprised Andy with dinner with a bunch of his friends at a local restaurant. We managed to keep it a secret until we pulled into the parking lot and Zach asked what kind of car Scott drove! I was amazed he had been quiet for so long, haha! Check out the faces on my goobers :-)

San Diego Safari Park

2011-05-10T22:54:00.000-07:00

We had a great time in San Diego! We visited the San Diego Safari Park and the zoo. The kids really enjoyed spending time with their grandparents.

Cinco de Mayo with the Grandparents!

2011-05-06T20:05:00.000-07:00

Andy's parents came into town so we decided to take them to Market Night in Redlands on Cinco de Mayo. We had a great time walking around, eating yummy food and watching the folklorico dancers.

Mother's Day Brunch

2011-05-02T20:02:00.000-07:00

Zach's preschool put on a wonderful Mother's Day brunch and it was just so adorable! The kids each performed a song with their class, we had brunch and they presented us with a gift. It was so great to have time with just me and Zach!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

We were those last minute people yesterday scrambling to get pictures with the Easter Bunny and waiting in line for far too long but I am happy with how the pictures came out. My little photogenic babies love the big, furry white guy! After pictures we went to a party with friends and had a fun night. There was lots of food, tons of candy, an egg hunt and even peeps roasting over an open fire!

Today we celebrated with just the 4 of us. It will probably be the last of the quiet holidays! Ava and I are still feeling sick so being home was the best thing for us anyway. I hope you all enjoyed your holiday and time with loved ones!

Birthday Layouts!

2011-04-22T08:38:00.000-07:00

(made with Oh Deer by Amy Stoffel and Fuss Free Set 9 by Fiddle Dee Dee Designs)
(made with Ariana's Birthday by Wimpychompers Designs & Fuss Free Set 9by Fiddle Dee Dee)
( made with Petunia by LauraMarie Scraps and Sweet Spring Temp Set 1 by True Blue Studio)
(made with Ariana's Birthday by WimpyChompers Designs)

Little Mama!

2011-04-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

Ava loves being a little mama. She loves to feed her babies, change them and even rock them and read stories before she puts them to bed :-)

More of Ava's Birthday!

2011-04-10T21:49:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time celebrating Ava turning 3! Along with Ariel's Grotto we also went to build-a-bear where the kids actually build a lamb and a dog. Go figure, right! We now have Lambie and Wammie as new family members. We then came home to open presents, eat Ava's dinner of choice (pizza) and cake of choice (ice cream cake) She loved being in charge of her special day.

Ava is three years old!

2011-04-10T21:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet little princess! Three years ago at this time I was holding my 9 hour old brand new daughter. It's amazing how quickly time passes. We had a wonderful time celebrating today! We started the morning with Mickey Mouse pancakes then headed off to Disneyland to have lunch with a bunch of princesses! Ava was so excited because we saw her very favorites, Ariel, Aurora, Snow White, Cinderella and Belle. More of the days adventures to come!

Vegas Rocked!

2011-04-04T13:09:00.000-07:00

I went to Vegas for a digiscrapping convention this weekend and it was amazing! I met a ton of my digi friends from around the country and we had a blast. We learned a bunch, ate and drank a bunch and Tomasa even got a tattoo! Here are some fun pictures from our first day in Vegas. I still need to upload some and will be adding more to my digiscrap blog Scraps of Real Life.

Muffin Top!

2011-03-29T21:33:00.000-07:00

I am excited to announce that Muffin Top has been added to the dictionary, along with ginormous (see prior post!) I have been feeling muffin topish lately and it has not been fun! For those that don't know, a muffin top is just what it sounds like. The fat around your midsection has the appearance of a muffin top over your pants. It is NOT good! It generally means your pants are to small and you refuse to size up. For me it means it's time to lose weight!

(not me in the picture but it illustrates the point of it not being good!)

Ginormous Moon!

2011-03-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

I don't know the term for the big moon we had, but Andy was in Vegas so I decided to take the kids to an evening excursion to Target. On the way home we saw the moon shining in all it's glory! I got a couple of pictures before it hid behind the rain clouds, but that made me realize I really need to figure out more about my DSLR. It's one of those use it or lose it things and I have NOT been using it. It's been in auto far to much lately! I can't wait for Vegas and I am hoping that I will win the apprenticeship with Sarah Cornish by default because I will be the only one close enough :-)

St. Paddy's Day!

2011-03-18T21:28:00.000-07:00

I was working the Savvy Chic Kids Consignment sale on St. Patrick's Day but I made sure to snap some pictures of the kids in their cute shirts :-)

Fun at the Park

2011-03-07T14:29:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful So Cal winter day! The weather was beautiful and I was finally feeling better so we headed for the park to have some adventures :-) Then it was ice cream after. Perfect day!

Snow Play and Hot Chocolate!

2011-03-05T19:18:00.000-08:00

While I was laying in bed thinking I was dying from some crazy virus, Andy took the kids to see the snow in Oak Glen. They came back all excited to I made them some hot chocolate. I let them drink out of my coffee mugs and they were thrilled and so super cute :-)

Owl Hats and Photo Fun!

2011-03-02T09:36:00.000-08:00

The kids got new owl hats so we did an impromptu photo session. Zach is quite the little poser! He is up for anything!

Australia!

2011-02-28T19:06:00.000-08:00

Ava has been obsessed with Australia for the last month of so. Not sure exactly what got her started, but the commercial comes on and she just flips out! I told a digi-friend of mine that lives in Australia about this and she made the kids a penpal package of stuff from Australia! Kirstie rocks!

Cute Pictures from the Week!

2011-02-22T22:28:00.000-08:00

Sometimes they love each other!

Zach's drawing of me holding a basket and other fun imagination stuff!

My silly little love! Zach took this picture so she actually smiled!

Valentine's Day Pictures

2011-02-18T22:25:00.000-08:00

Poor Ava was sick for Valentine's Day so we spent the day at home. Zach had a lot of fun at his school party and he brought her bag of goodies home for her to enjoy :-)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

Valentine's for their classmates

We hope you are all enjoying quality time with your loved ones! We celebrated over the weekend with the thought that we would have work and school today. Ava is still sick though so the two of us are laying on the couch for our sick Valentine's Day. We did have some fun with chocolate covered strawberries yesterday though <3

Zach as 4 years and 5 months

2011-02-13T20:03:00.000-08:00

Zach is just learning so much in Mrs Michelle's pre-K class. He knows most of his letters and their sounds and is even starting to understand that the letters blend together to make words that he can read. He is very good at school and the teacher has told me he is one of her favorites and she thinks we are doing a wonderful job raising him. Don't know why he acts out at home but I think he bottles it all day and lets it out for us! His favorite food right now is french fries and watermelon, haha! His favorite drink is watermelon juice (his words just now because he is in a goober mood!) He loves to play with his transformers and enjoys watching Monsters Inc right now. He has been all about privacy lately which makes me laugh. He will close the door to his room and say "you can't see my privacy!" Hahaha!

Ava-ism's at 2 years and 10 months old!

2011-02-13T19:54:00.001-08:00

Ava is sick right now but even with a cold she is so full of funny things to say. Her favorite thing to say right now is "when we wake up, is it a home day or a school day?" No matter what the answer is she gets excited. She also loves to do "homework" with Zach. Her favorite song is Firework by Katy Perry. Her words "baby your the fireworks!" I just have to smile each time she sings it. She loves dance class until we are driving there when she decides she doesn't like it and is just going to watch. Once she is there she is fine and is easily bribed to participate. Her favorite food is chicken and rice (her words just now and a total shock to me!) Her favorite color is pink. Her favorite toy is forever changing and she loves to bring something knew to school each day because "my friends will really like this!" I can't believe she is going to be 3 in less than 2 months.

California Adventure!

2011-02-07T19:43:00.000-08:00

The boys laughing at us!

Me trying to pretend I wasn't terrified!

We decided to go to California Adventure on Sunday due to the crazy lines just to park at the Disneyland parking structure. We did some things we hadn't done yet and saw a few new characters. Ava was excited to see Jesse and Sully, but she got really scared when her turn came up for Sully. I guess I can see her point! Ava also ventured onto the Ferris Wheel for the first time. We let the boys persuade us to go on the swinging car and I should have just said no! We both hated every minute of it. We ventured the line for Toy Story Mania (my favorite ride!) and saw the Muppets 3D movie. The kids really enjoyed it so I may take a chance at the theater again in the near future. I can't wait to have movie buddies!

January 30th, 2011-My Brother is MARRIED!

2011-02-05T16:49:00.001-08:00

These are some of my favorite pictures from the day! It was a beautiful day and you could feel the love and excitement in the air. The only way it could have been any better was if Andy, Zach and Ava could have made it out. I got very lucky with the weather though. Got there just after a big storm and left just before a big storm!

My Brother is getting married!

2011-01-29T22:00:00.001-08:00

My little brother is getting married in about 14 hours! I can't wait to take a bunch of picture and post them because I am so proud of him and I can't wait to gain to sister. I've always wanted a sister :-)

Sad house :-(

2011-01-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

We had to say good-bye to Jasper this weekend. He was just making life too stressful in our new house with it being a rental. We couldn't seem to break him of the once in a while accidents and he continues to run whenever he gets a chance at the door. Saturday was the last straw for Andy so we had to drop him off at the vet who was then giving him to a rescue league. They promised he would go to a good home and that all homes are screened. That made me feel better, but it was still sad. Just tonight Zach told me he missed Jasper :-( He hadn't mentioned him in a couple of days. In good news I am heading to NH this weekend to go to my little brother's wedding! I am so proud of all that he is doing with his life right now and I am excited to celebrate with him and my new sister to be!

Adjusting!

2011-01-17T21:20:00.000-08:00

We are all adjusting to life in the new house. It is different from our old house but it certainly beats an apartment. Ava is doing ok in her new bed, most of the time. Today she took a long nap and is now getting out of bed repeatedly with tons of different stories. I need to pee, I need a drink, rock me, I'm sick. Wow, is she really only two years old?! The funny thing she is doing lately is trying to distract us when she is being disciplined. She has started saying "there's something in my teeth" whenever she wants to take the pressure off of herself! I think that is a higher level cognitive action so while I know what she is doing, I also know that is a very advance concept for her to have gotten! She also likes to discipline Zach. The other night he was crying in his room and she told him to "be quiet because I don't like it and mommy doesn't like it". Andy and I had to do all we could to not laugh uncontrollably! We are just 5.5 months away from the big move. It seems so surreal to think of all the changes we are going through and have gone through.

So Big!

2011-01-11T18:37:00.000-08:00

Ava was so happy to be in her new bed! She stayed up until 10:30 showing us just how easy it was for her to get up! Finally we had to put her in her room and close the door. She cried for a few minutes then finally went down. Then wouldn't you know she was up at 6:30 this morning!

Change, Change and More Change!

2011-01-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

We are all moved out of the old house. The house that holds so many memories. I've heard from a couple people that memories are of people, not of things. I am trying to tell myself this, but I am still a bit sad to have seen the inside of my little house for the last time. I walked around for longer then I needed to and just had a good cry to mourn the loss. The kids didn't understand, but they tried to be sympathetic. They are so darn cute sometimes. Poor Zach even cried a little because I was crying.

In other news, Ava is really a big girl now. First she gave up the pacifier with ease, then she started potty training and is doing really well. Now she is moving into a big girl bed. Her crib didn't survive the move so we are getting her a toddler bed. She has made a special request for a princess bed. I suppose I should go to bed now. This weekend of changes has been exhausting! We still have so much to do to get settled in our new abode. Wish us luck!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-08T23:08:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at Josh and Sara's for New Years Eve! The kids even managed to stay up until 11. 2011 is going to be a year of ginormous changes for our little family, but we all know they will be good in the end! I'm also going to be an Auntie on my side of the family and gain a sister in law this year! Here's hoping that 2011 is the year that things get good for everyone :-)

Blog Neglect!

2011-01-08T18:34:00.001-08:00

With the events of the last two weeks I have not had a lot of blogging time! We are moving into the new house today and tomorrow so I hope to get a little bit of time again to catch up here! My poor lil' blog :-( My designers have made some fabulous stuff in the last two weeks but I think it may be time to start a digi scrapping blog of it's own. With the kids and layouts my blog is getting super full!

ChristMESS time!

2010-12-26T22:55:00.000-08:00

The kids had so much fun on Christmas morning just tearing into their gifts and leaving a big mess! I told Andy to just leave it and enjoy our time in our little house. It is the last Christmas we were spending there so I wanted to remember it as a great time!

One of the cute pictures I took of Ava on Thoroughbred Street :-)

LIghts on Thoroughbred Street!

2010-12-25T12:30:00.000-08:00

We went to enjoy the lights on Thoroughbred Street one last time. We got there early so it wasn't too crowded but by the time we were leaving it was insane! The surfer Santa house was even better than ever! We then went to Pizza Factory with Scott and Jackie for dinner. On our way out we saw Gabby and Zoey walking in! The kids were so excited to see their friends :-)

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-25T11:45:00.000-08:00

A Holiday greeting from out family to yours!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Christmas Dinner with Friends!

2010-12-20T08:42:00.000-08:00

We went to an early Christmas dinner with some good friends. I love these people!

Designer Yumminess!

2010-12-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

They have done it again! My designers came out with some sweet kits/templates this week :-)

(Winter Heart by Lyndsay Riches)

(Captivated by You by Amy Stoffel)

(Frames, Frames, Frames Template by Scrapping with Liz)

(A Year in Review by Captivated Visions and Suzy Q Scraps)

(Forever Friends by Captivated Visions and mLe Card)

Early Christmas!

2010-12-16T21:43:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Early Christmas with Nannie and Papa! We opened presents then went to Kissui to get pictures with Santa Claus. I was pleasantly surprised at how well the kids did with Santa this year and how much they liked him :-)

Christmas at Disneyland!

2010-12-13T08:13:00.000-08:00

We just had to go to Disneyland at Christmas one more time. We got back from Jamaica late Friday night, spent Saturday with my parents, Andy brought them to the airport early Sunday morning and we went off to Disneyland for the day :-)

Jamaica, a small taste of photos!

2010-12-12T22:01:00.000-08:00

My poor blog has been neglected because I was so busy getting ready for our trip to Jamaica and dealing with selling our house. The good news is the house is pretty much sold and we are just waiting to hash out closing dates. The bad news is we will have to move right after the holidays. Despite all of this, we really enjoyed our week away in Jamaica! My wonderful parents flew out to stay with the kids and Andy and I had our first real vacation at least since having kids and, I think, ever! I know we have gone for a couple of days here and there, but this was a full week of bliss! Jamaica and Sandals was everything I dreamt it would be and more. We ate, we drank, we slept, we snorkeling and I even got to swim with dolphins! Mostly we just really enjoyed each others company :-)

Yo Gabba Gabba!

2010-11-29T22:10:00.000-08:00

There's a Party in my Tummy!

Like mother like daughter!

Raise the roof!

DJ Ava Rock!

Cool kid Zach in his gabba gabba beanie!

We took the kids to see Yo Gabba Gabba Live! They loved it and didn't want it to end :-) I have to say that I enjoyed myself as well and Andy was the good sport that he has to be, haha!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:37:00.000-08:00

Today and everyday I am thankful for my goobers, my wonderful family and my fabulous friends! Wishing you all a happy and fulfilling Thanksgiving!

My babies are having babies!

2010-11-23T19:41:00.000-08:00

Snuggling with Parker

Parker and Ava

Pretty girl Tegaen

While I was home for a somber occasion, I was also able to celebrate the beginnings of new lives! I was able to meet Tegaen and Parker. Tegaen is the daughter of a now man that I used to nanny for. I began watching him at 7 years old. Parker is the son of Amanda whom I have known since before she was born. Amanda is a twin and I met her mother when I was 12 and she was about 6 months pregnant with her and Ashley. They have been my "babies" since before I ever thought about having babies of my own! To be able to hold their babies for the first time was a wonderful moment.

A beautiful celebration of life

2010-11-23T19:30:00.000-08:00

The kids and I flew back to the east coast last week. We flew into Boston on Monday night and Papa the Original passed on Monday morning. While I wasn't able to see him in his final days, I was able to attend all of the celebrations of his life. I have never seen a wake as amazing as his. It went from 3:30 to 8 pm with hundreds upon hundreds of people coming to pay their respects. At some points the wait was upwards of an hour and half. I knew Papa was a beautiful soul, but to see how many people he touched in some way was nothing short of amazing. It made me so proud to be a part if his family and life. He leaves behind the most wonderful legacy of love and family. While his life ended far to soon, it was a full and good life. Something all of us should strive to accomplish.

Wait to me!

2010-11-18T19:29:00.000-08:00

Ava's newest cuteism is "wait to me!" instead of wait for me. So adorbs!

Rest in Peace, Papa the Original

2010-11-16T10:57:00.000-08:00

Our Papa was an amazing man! He was always making us smile and laugh :-) He will be missed so much and I am sad that my children were not able to get to know him better.

Binky Free!!!!

2010-11-09T18:47:00.001-08:00

I love this picture! These are what you call real belly laughs! (kit is Gratitude from LCC by Amy Stoffel)

Ava is officially binky free! Last week I went to wash her pacifiers and found them with holes in them. I told her before that we would not be buying any more so I made good with my promise. I gave her an old binky that she didn't like so she eventually just started refusing that one and is officially binky free. She has stopped even asking!

Happy Halloween!!!

2010-10-31T13:46:00.000-07:00

We are headed out to the safe trick or treat event in Redlands today! The kids can't wait to put on their costumes and I like that we can do it during the day so they won't be as scared.

A lot has happened since my last post! We went to Disneyland for Mickey's Trick or Treat night, the kids went to Oregon to see their family up there and I went to Vegas with Tanisha and had a blast!

Kit by Anna BV at Scrap Orchard

Kit by Captivated Visions at Scrap Orchard

Kit by Tracie Stroud and Template by Scrapping with Liz

Oregon Fun!

2010-10-26T13:52:00.000-07:00

Andy was brave and brought the kids to Oregon on his own! They were gone for 6 days and I didn't know what the do with myself the first couple of days. They had so much fun visiting with their cousins and grandma and grandpa! Andy also got to go to an Oregon Duck's home game with his friends. Of course he had a blast! Just check out the big smile in his picture :-)

Las Vegas!

2010-10-24T14:01:00.000-07:00

I went to Vegas for a whirlwind of a day last weekend! We got their late on Friday night, spent the day shopping, going to a museum, seeing the Lion King, eating and dancing at Tryst at the Wynn. Then we got up on Sunday and made the long drive back! It was a blast while it lasted!

Live Oak Pumpkin Patch!

2010-10-21T22:15:00.000-07:00

We went to Live Oak Pumpkin Patch on Sunday and it was a perfect fall day! The air was crisp and the rain was just barely holding off. We had so much fun just hanging out as a family. We each picked out a fun, different pumpkin, went to the petting zoo where Zach actually fed the animals for the first time, saw a little monkey dressed as a witch, rode the race cars and tractors, and just enjoyed each others company. It's a little sad to think that this may be the last year we go to Live Oak.

Fun new kits!

2010-10-17T13:48:00.000-07:00

My layout for the battle of the creative teams at DigiscrapAddicts.com I am on the team for Shanmomto4 Designs and this may be my favorite layout to date! I love that I love my designers! (www.funkyplaygrounddesigns.com)

I got a great opportunity this week to create for my friend Laura Marie of LauraMarie Scraps. This No Fear Heroes kit is adorable! (www.enchantedstudios.com)

Could this be any cuter? Little Spooks from LCC by Amy Stoffel. (www.scraporchard.com)

A modern kit for the Modern Baby! I have been meaning to scrap this picture of Zach because it's one of my favorites of him as a baby. Kit from LCC by Amy Stoffel

Our trip to the patch last weekend made me realize poor Zach didn't have a bunch of pages to document his life like Ava does. Here he is at 1 year old. Amy's Pick of the Patch (at sunshine studios right now for her guest designer gig) fit these pictures so well! Love the one of him eating the pumpkin!

These Fall Fun Templates by Scrapping with Liz are perfect for layouts with tons of pictures!

Pretty as a Princess by Amy and Tiny Dot Boarders from Liz work so well together.

Sweet Halloween by Lyndsay Riches (love those gummy bears!)

Yo-ho, yo-ho! A Pirate's Life for Me from Amy is perfect for Zach right now. He loves to play pirates and hit his daddy with swords.

Love this girl! The October Fruit Basket at Scrap Orchard is super fun to work with.

Changes

2010-10-13T07:49:00.000-07:00

Ava and Miss Misty putting the babies to bed so Ava would listen!

Already bored in the 2 year old room?!

Making a "princess castle" out of crackers!

The last week has been a whirlwind that I can hardly keep up with. In a nutshell, I stepped down as organizer of my playgroup, we put our house on the market and decided to move to NH/MA next year and Ava started at "big" school! I'm not sure what is going to happen to the group but we did get and accept an offer on the house. Now it is up to the bank. Ava started school on Monday and she LOVES it. She just walked in like she owned the place and started playing! Nothing like when I brought Zach for his first day. He is even doing better now that she goes there too. I think it just makes him feel better to know she is there. The teacher said he loves to see her on the playground as well. The teachers also said that she is "advanced" over the other two year olds. If she would potty train then she would be ready for the 3 year old room because some 3's came in to play and she talked more than them!

In other news, this is the relative of the black widow I found in the kids toy box! Another reason for the move!

More Fabulosity from my Designers!

2010-09-30T13:36:00.000-07:00

As some of you know, I have picked up a few creative team placements and I couldn't be more excited! Every week is like Christmas with these ladies and their fabulous new designs that I get to scrap with. Check out these super cute layouts that I was able to create thanks to their new stuff!

A Wavy Fun Temp by Scrapping with Liz and Kissing Frogs from Lyndsay Riches

Fairy Tale Dreams by Ziggle Designs

Big Doodled Numbers and Alphas from Scrapping with Liz

Crisp Autumn Air by Shanmomto 4 Designs at Funkyplaygrounddesigns.com

Fall Frolic from Shanmomto4 Designs

This layout uses the kit "this girl really ROCKS" by Lyndsay Riches and a template from the Wavy Fun Temps from Scrapping with Liz

Another of Liz's fabulous Temps with the uber cute Little Spooks kit from LCC by Amy Stoffel

Apple Picking!

2010-09-26T17:07:00.000-07:00

Caramel apple smile! (cherry choco-lattie by Julie Bullock)

First Apple of the Season (crisp days of fall from Lyndsay Riches & Julie Bullock; September hullabaloo from LCC by Amy Stoffel; crisp days of fall by Shanmomto4 Designs at funkyplaygrounddesigns.com)

Yesterday we went up to Oak Glen to pick some apples. It was a bit hot (90 degrees!) but we managed to still have some fun picking apples. We also got our annual caramel apples from Los Rios Ranch. Yum-o!!! I think eating the apples after lunch was probably the best part of the trip. We also made our very first apple crisp type thing. Those that know me know that I don't cook or bake except for one recipe that I do at Christmas. I added to my inventory! Woohoo! I am also hosting a Pampered Chef party so I hope that will get the cooking juices flowing.

Four Year Old and Family Pictures!

2010-09-20T22:01:00.000-07:00

We had the pleasure of taking pictures with Allie again! I got the pictures a little bit ago, but I have been making different layouts with them and having so much fun. Here are a few of my favorites :-) I did a couple more but have to wait for the kits to release this week!

(credits: 1 Tracie Strouds "Posey Pinwheel" 2: Lyndsay Riches "Party like it's your birthday" 3: Tracie Strouds "Calliope" 4: Lyndsay Rich and Julie Bullock Collab "Crisp Days of Fall" )

Birthday Fun Digi-scrap Style!

2010-09-20T21:55:00.000-07:00

(layout 1: template challenge with little sous chef kit by mLe Card 2:chopped numbers template by scrapping with Liz at Scrap Orchard, Kit is August 2009 collab from scrap orchard)

Zach is 4!

2010-09-15T22:12:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful day of celebrating Zach's 4th birthday! He woke up this morning and I wished him a happy birthday. He said "am I already 4 now and not almost 4?" He is so funny! We made cupcakes for his classmates and then we had a birthday playdate at our house with a bunch of his friends! I can't believe he is really 4.

Disney Birthday Remake!

2010-09-12T19:03:00.001-07:00

9/12/2010

9/12/2009

We went to Disneyland (big surprise!) today to celebrate Zach's 4th birthday a little early. We had breakfast at the Plaza Inn with Minnie Mouse and friends. Zach was a bit upset with it being Minnie's breakfast, but when we saw Captain Hook, Eeyore, Tigger, Pooh and Chip and Dale, he was beyond excited! Ava was a little character shy and would only talk to Minnie and Ariel. She tried to get up to talk to Pooh Bear but she fell out of her chair and was a mess for pretty much the rest of the breakfast :-( Andy convinced Zach to go on big thunder mountain railroad for the first time. He said he would buy him a sword. Zach was so proud and excited when he came off and when I asked him if he would do it again he said "NO!" LOL! All in all it was a good day!

Fabulous New Kits Released!

2010-09-12T16:20:00.000-07:00

"Indian Summer" Kit from LCC by Amy Stoffel and Designs by Kat at ScrapOrchard.com

"Garden Adventure" from Shanmomto4 Designs at FunkyPlayground.com

Another Garden Adventure

"Crisp Days of Fall" Kit from Lyndsay Riches and Julie Bullock at ScrapOrchard.com

"Me Hearties" Kit from Lyndsay Riches, Ziggle and Decrow Designs

Wordless Wednesday?

2010-09-08T19:21:00.003-07:00

Not really! I tried in this post but realized I had way to much to catch up on!

O G!

2010-09-08T19:19:00.000-07:00

Original Ganster! I almost died when he walked out with his pants almost around his ankles and his boxers hanging out. I couldn't resist turning the hat to get the full effect!

Family Dinner Night!

2010-09-08T19:12:00.000-07:00

Pretty Girls!

Telling Secrets!

Posers!

Driving at two years old!

Moms on the quest for balls (get your mind out of the gutter, I mean the little bouncy kind)

I always enjoy your family dinner nights at Uncle Howie's. It's a great place to eat where the kids can run around and be wild without anyone getting to offended!

So Much!

2010-09-08T19:03:00.000-07:00

Our friends new pup, Rufus!

Learning to write via Mr and Miss Mouse!

The definition of belly laughs!

We have had a busy time this week! More creative team news in that I am now on the team for Lyndsay Riches at Scrap Orchard! As soon as I can, I will post the layouts I just did with her fabulous new kits for the week. I love having this as my other job :-) Now I have three though so life is all about being busy. We hung out all weekend and I had a girls night with some of my besties on Saturday. Then we had our friends over to bbq on Monday and they brought their new pup, Rufus. He is quite the cutie pie!

New Creative Team!

2010-09-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

I am now getting creative for Shanmomto4designs at Funkyplaygrounddesigns.com. I am working on layouts with her gorgeous new kit that is releasing this week called Garden Aventure. I'm so excited to be on board my first full-time CT. I am also guesting for LCC by Amy Stoffel at scraporchard.com. I would love to stay on, but who knows what the future will bring. A girl can dream!

Some Layouts from this week:

(all layouts used supplies from www.scraporchard.com)

Disneyland!

2010-09-01T21:47:00.000-07:00

(products from scraporchard.com)

(kit by Suzy Q Scraps and template by Scrapping with Liz at scraporchard.com)

We made it back to Disneyland over the weekend! We had been blocked for the summer so it was fun to get back. It was to bad that the kids started melting down just hours after getting there. I blame Ava's darn upper two year molars that she has been working on forever! We met up with the Kay family and had a lot of fun in the beginning :-)

Shopoholic?

2010-08-25T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have a shopping addiction and the new kit from LCC by Amy Stoffel is just perfect for me! 5th Avenue is available at scraporchard.com and can be found in the fresh fruit for this week at 20% off. Nice!

http://scraporchard.com/market/product.php?productid=20831&cat=355&page=1

Agua Caliente!

2010-08-25T18:22:00.000-07:00

We spent Saturday at Agua Caliente with our good friends Karen and Pete and their gorgeous baby, Natalia! It was fun to hang out in the pool with a fruity drink, but it was sure different from the times we all used to have pre-children!

Happy Birthday to My Wonderful Mom!

2010-08-25T18:20:00.001-07:00

Today is my Mom's birthday! It's days like this that I am sad that we aren't able to be together. We sent her a gift and flowers so that is something :-) Mom and I celebrated in July by going to Laguna and the Pageant of the Masters. I love and miss my mom so much though.

We're getting by!

2010-08-19T19:13:00.000-07:00

This week has been all full of craziness! My poor blog has been abandoned as I delve deeper and darker into the world of digital scrapbooking and into a new book. I have very limited time with either because the kids and my job occupy the majority of my time :-) I have to say that last night was the night from h-e-l-l. Jasper (the new dog) decided to pee on Zach's upholstered chair and then I found the kids playing "doctor" of some sort. I believe it was just Zach trying to show Ava how to scratch her butt with a q-tip instead of her fingers, but still. I separated them and told them that they don't share their privates with others. I put Ava in her chair and left of a moment. I hear "look mom, look mom" and I come in to find that she had PEED in HER CHAIR! She showed no remorse and was actually giggling. I was fuming! I finally got everything cleaned up and we settled in for a movie. She took it upon herself to go to the potty and then try to empty it. It ended up all over the kitchen floor! How and why it got from the bathroom to the kitchen, I haven't a clue. It is for these reasons that I realize another baby is probably not in my future!

Meet Jasper!

2010-08-09T21:32:00.000-07:00

Jasper happened into our life today. I went to get food for Zave and started talking to the girl about Bella. She said they had a little boy poodle with silver hair and the same age as Bella that needed a home. They had found him wandering in the parking lot :-( Poor guy! Andy agreed to meet him and we all fell in love. Even Zave was ok with him. He is such a good, sweet boy. He is cuddled up next to me as I type. I think he was meant to be! Yes, his name is Jasper, after the Twilight vampire. Bella was Bella long before the books or movies, but I figured I would stay with the theme. Zach was calling him gopher for a while, but is starting to get Jasper :-) Zach also asked when his birthday is so we decided that today is his birthday because it is the day he came home!

Oak Glen

2010-08-09T21:31:00.000-07:00

We took the kids up to Oak Glen yesterday and it was a perfect day! We all had a lot of fun and we couldn't beat the weather.

Scrapping with Liz Template available at Scraporchard.com

Kit by Tracie Stroud at Scraporchard.com

Week in Pictures!

2010-08-07T16:47:00.000-07:00

It's been a fun and busy week. We had dance class, swim lessons and a playdate! Zach did great at his first swim lesson. He loved showing the teachers (both girls) how he would kick and go under water. Ava did better in dance class and we also had a playdate with some of our friends. Today Andy took the kids to the March Air Force Base museum, but forgot the camera.

Digital Scrapbooking Layouts!

2010-08-07T16:43:00.000-07:00

Some layouts from the week! I have been busy trying to keep up on Scraporchard.com. I love it there!

A Birthday and a Meetup!

2010-08-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our friend Scott turned 30 this weekend and his girlfriend threw him a surprise party at Hello Sushi. Of course we had to attend because Scott is the person that introduced us. If it weren't for meeting him, who knows where Andy and I would be right now. He is a very special friend to us and I hope he finds the same happiness in his life that we have :-)

I also drove to Santa Monica on Saturday to meet some of the girls from the online scrapbooking site I love, ScrapOrchard.com. It was great to meet a few of them in person and we had a ton of fun like we were all old friends!

Baseball and Angels!

2010-08-01T21:26:00.001-07:00

Andy took Zach to his first Angel's game on Friday! I am a Red Sox fan myself, but I said Zach can cheer for the Angels as long as they are not playing my team. They had a lot of fun even though I was so out of it that I forgot to remind Andy to grab Zach a jacket!

Polo Shirts and Mowhawks!

2010-07-30T07:19:00.001-07:00

My first full week of work in a long time! I'm exhausted. The good news is both kids did better this week at school and dance class. Zach likes to put on a show for me in the morning, but then the teacher sends me pictures on my phone to show me how much fun he is having! What a turd! Ava started potty training herself, however she just can't seem to get the concept of moving your clothes out of the way. Zach has a new obsession, polo shirts and mowhawks! Andy is taking Zach to his first Angels game tonight and they are both so excited. Hopefully he will get some good pictures (I think I have him pretty trained up, LOL!) Now, off to find some more polo shirts because the boy is recycling them and refuses to wear anything else.

Great Weekend!

2010-07-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

I had a great weekend this weekend! I keep thinking about that instead of the fact that I have to go to work tomorrow. I spent Friday night with Tanisha getting pedicures and watching Eclipse. Yesterday I did some scrapping them met up with my girls (Peterann, Tomasa and Aurora) for dinner. Today we went to the pool, I hit the gym and I found the shoes I've been wanting for 50% off! You really can't beat it! Oh, maybe you can, Miss Ava has been going on the potty all day today with no accidents! It may be a fluke, but fingers are crossed that we will have two toddlers out of diapers. I am happy and sad at the same time. They are just growing up way to fast.

Pool Play and Funny Feet!

2010-07-25T22:05:00.000-07:00

We met up with some of our friends from our moms group at the pool. Afterwards we went to the play area and I got this funny picture of the kids feet. From left: Sophia, Emma, Ava and Zach.