Merry Christmas :)

So, on Christmas Eve we all talked and said that we would get up when Kayden came to get us. Casey of course wakes me up at 7 am to say "Merry Christmas" and I had to send him back to bed. By 9:30 it was obvious that sleeping beauty was not waking up and needed our assistance. Once downstairs she became really excited and the paper ripping began. It was so cute..whenever she was opening a gift her dad would ask, "what is it?" and she would reply.."its mine!!!!"  It was a beautiful day filled with lots of love and smiles. My kids are growing up way too fast :(

The Stockings were hung by the Chimney with Care

Santa has arrived! The stockings are overflowing with candy and goodies for the kiddos. I love that my older kids still fully participate in all the Christmas rituals. They both went to bed early with Kayden. :)

Rockband

                                                        Carvel Chocolate ICe Cream Cake

Casey had a blast at his Rockband Birthday Party! Those kids played nonstop for over 4 hours!! I love rockband. It brings out the rocker chick in me..ha ha Casey and I often play Rush songs together which is alot of fun. Last night he asked if we could do it again for New Years. We'll have to see about that :)

Costco Pizza

Where else can you get a large, 16 piece pizza with as many toppings as you want for $10.99! I love that you can get a gimormous hotdog AND a soda for $1.50. My kids love it. My weight watchers diet, not so much!!!

Christmas on the Corner

Okay..so I took this picture w/ my phone and as you can see its kinda blurry. But I LOVE IT because it makes me giggle everytime I look at it!! Kayden can never just smile. She always has to make a face or be silly. This face is particularly goofy. We decorated our version of 'Mater (bobs 1970 something truck) for the ECW Christmas on the Corner. We all had a great time. I am so glad to be back to blogging..moving has kept me busy and I also cannot find the cord that allows me to transfer pictures from my camera!! But I will find it this week because I have lots of pics to share :)

Snow Ball Fight...pee wee style

 

 Kayden had such a great time in the snow at the ECW Christmas event! She loved playing with all the other lil ones and especially loved throwing snowballs at me and her Maw Maw. Good thing I wore a water proof jacket!  I am looking forward to the next big, cold rainstorm because that will mean snow up on Sunrise Highway. Kayden will love the snow and we will be able to make snow angels then too.

Its a Small World

Christmas is upon us!! We always make sure we go through "It's a Small World" when we go to the happiest place on earth. The lights are so beautiful! At the top of every hour they darken the lights and play an amazing music and video show on the walls. It will never get old. Ever!

Thanksgiving Feast

Every year, we go to Disneyland for Thanksgiving with our best friends. My family lives in Washington so instead of making a big ol dinner we decided to let someone else cook and clean up for us! The Thanksgiving Feast at the Disneyland hotel is amazing! It is held in the Grand Ballroom at the Disneyland Hotel. They have so many different foods from traditional, to a kids bar, to crepes, etc. The dessert table is so incredible. I love the mini pumpkin pies and red velvet mini cupcakes. They also have music and Disney characters there to entertain. Afterwards we head off to the park for the holiday parades and fireworks to start the holidays off with a bang! (In the background you can see a bottle with Mickey ears..thats lotion they have in the bathrooms!)

Church Bistro

Today was the annual church bistro and it was yummy! I had spaghetti and meatballs.Looking around I realize how we have so many wonderful people at our church. I just love our church family. Pastor Steve led each table in a sing along to "Thats Amore" and our table won. The only thing that was missing was Alison and Special K. I know they would have enjoyed it :)

Moving In

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind!! We are finally out of our old house and into the new one. let the unpacking begin!!!

Halloween

                                                                  Sleeping Beauty

                                                         Justin Bieber and Taylor Swift

                                                                             Punkins

Every year we go to our best friends Halloween Party where we eat yummy tacos, and see all the cute Halloween costumes. Kayden was a princess and Katy was Taylor Swift. It was a nice break from the moving :)

Cake Topper

As you know we are getting ready to move. So with it has been many hours of packing and sifting through boxes to determine whats going with us and whats getting a one way ticket to the dump. My hubby found our wedding box today and in it was my dress, veil, guest book, champagne glasses, katy's flower girl hairpiece and basket, invitations,partyware and our cake topper. Its hard to imagine that we have been married almost 15 years. Seems like a lifetime and yet not even a minute ago. That day was special. I can laugh now but our family was going through some stuff and well some moments were incredibly awkward but hey its all better now! My friends Heather and Sherrie made my 3 tier wedding cake. They had been taking decorating lessons. I remember picking the cake out in a bridal magazne and voila! they made it. I will have to scan some of the cake pics so you can see them. I really loved this lil topper. Its survived well, much like Bobby and I have :)

Rainy day at the beach

I just love the weather we have been having lately! The clouds and cool drizzle are announcing that fall is here. I grew up in the Seattle area and so the weather we are having is very similiar to what they have up there just about everyday Fall through Spring. The beach shot pictured is across the street from one of our favorite restaurants, Las Olas. I have mentioned it in earlier posts. The charbroiled chicken taco platter is awesome and their yogurt salsa is to die for. I was so thrilled when the waiter asked,"flour, corn or wheat tortillas?" Wheat?? yay!!! Fiber is a major plus on the WW plan so I was excited.  It really is one of my top 5 favorite retaurants. As for the beach, its Cardiff-by-the Sea, so its more rocky than most but still a beautiful place :)

Faith Stones



Faith Stones

With Casey in band there is LOTS of fundraising. I found these stones in his recent fundraising catalogue and absolutely had to have them! I was so excited when they came in today. I plan to carry them in my purse and when I have a weak moment, a moment where I am floundering, I plan to stick my hand in the bag and pull out a stone and concentrate on the passage it has for me. Here is what the stones say:

" You have been saved by God's grace".- Ephesians 2:5

"We walk by faith, not by sight."-2 Corinthians 5:7

"I will be with you always". - Matthew 28:20

"God can do all things".- Matthew 19:25

"My soul finds rest in God alone."- Psalm 62:7 

and my FAVE verse ever:

"Be still and know that I am God".- Psalm 46:10

Box Houses

I remember as a kid we moved alot..so we used the boxes to create houses and castles and one time we made sleds and went sliding down steep grassy hills on them. So imagine my delight when I found my pumpkin hanging out in her "house".  She must have stayed in that box for at least 30 mins to an hour. I love her imagination...I hope she never loses that!!

Young Padawan

The force seems to be very strong in this one :) Watch out dark forces!!!

Pocahontas in training

Disneyland is always so much fun! Everytime is different and now that we have our lil pumpkin it makes it all new again. When she asked to go on the canoes, I was actually surprised. I mean she is just a little person and I wasn't sure if she would be scared. She had so much fun. She was the littlest person on the boat, too. She kept going all day and all night until the park was about to close. I love our Disney memories.

Points

So about 2 weeks ago, I decided to start Weight Watchers Online. I have some friends that use it and they have had success and so I decided I would try! I was amazed at how easy it is and how you don't feel deprived. You quickly learn that the high fat foods are going to use up all your points so you learn to make healthier versions of your fave foods! I have lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks. I figure, it took some time, (and 3 10-11 pound babies) to put on this weight so its gonna take some time to get it off. Slow and steady wins the race is my motto!  So, this is my trusty notepad. I carry it everywhere and write down every bite I eat. I used the online food diary at first, but really like this the best. Now I just gotta get moving more!!

Staples

Staples: of prime importance; principal.

How appropriate that a picture of my savior be in my Staples box at work. The box sits by my monitor and is an ever present reminder that when work gets tedious or frustrating, I just need to rely on the main staple in my life: Jesus.

My job requires me to deal with all kinds of problems. Residents come to me with their troubles and are needing me to help them fix it. Somedays and some troubles are a bit overwhelming to me. Its then that a simple glance to my staples box and voila! I realize that God is very much a part of all of it. He's been here before me and I need to trust Him.

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. – Psalm 46

Alpine Viejas Day Parade

Today was Casey's first parade. He was so nervous! The parade was a small town get together. I loved seeing all of the local businesses and their floats and banners. There were horses and fire trucks and american flags. GHHS was the only band in the parade and they did a stellar job. I cannot say enough how hard these kids work! Next weekend is homecoming..Go Eagles!!

Strike a pose

Kayden is liking her new fall clothes! She was modeling her new outfits and having fun doing it :) I really like the flannel and plaids that are out this year. The shoes are so cute on her too. I wasn't sure if she would like them once they were on but she did. The leggings are always a cute look because just about any top goes w/ them. Shopping for her was a lot of fun..can't wait for our next girls night out!

Kaydens new kicks

I had an awesome coupon to my fave childrens clothing store, The Children's Place, so a shopping we went. The clothes were so adorable that my 19 year old wanted to know why they couldn't have their clothes in HER size! ha ha ha Being 4, Miss Kayden is ready to pick out her own style. These kicks are some of the few things we picked up. She was so excited and couldn't wait to wear them when she got home. Being an 80's kid these shoes so remind me of Punky Brewster!

Hard Knock Life

Kayden Mae took over my bed last night. She was watching Sproutlet on my laptop when she said to me, "mama, you know big kids like pancakes". I said, "really so do you want some?" She replied, "ya and some chocwat milk too pwease". She settled for a waffle but was enjoying being the queen for the night.

Packing Up

We will be moving at the end of October to a cute house in a quiet neighborhood. Its a change that has been needed for quite some time. After praying about it, God has provided a way. So we are packing. We figure if we start now, then moving day won't be so bad. Its bittersweet though. We have lived here almost 9 years and in the same neighborhood 16 years. I mean we are only moving 3 miles away but its a whole other neighborhood. ( Listen to me blubber..my blogging buddy packed up and moved to Fla.!) God is good and I know He has made the way ahead of us. I feel so blessed. :)

SDSU Band Night- Marching with the Big Boys

When Casey and I talked about the SDSU Band night last month, I don't think he really realized what an amazing event it was. HS bands from all over the county come in for the day to rehearse with the Aztec Marching band. Then during the halftime show they perform together. The excitement could be felt as they took their places to march onto the field. Casey had such an amazing time. After the game, it was the KGB sky show which was amazing as well.

If there is one thing I can say about HS Marching band..these kids work hard! Before school even started they were in band camps. They practice in class everyday and also practice Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:30 to 9:00. Every weekend is filled with performances at football games, parades and field tournaments. These kids had to actually get a sports physical clearance to participate! The funding for these events come from parents and businesses and endless fundraising as the district does not provide help for that. I am so proud of these kids and I am so looking forward to Casey's performances in the weeks to come. Next up is the Alpine Parade. Its next Sunday for those who would like to check it out!

Date Night

We had a LONG over due date night this evening! With the kids busy with their activities and working full time its tough to get away together. It was nice to sit and laugh with my honeybunny. It was Olive Garden's never ending pasta bowl for $8.95 that got us out tonight. I had the wheat linguine with meat sauce and the appetizer was stuffed mushrooms, calamari and zucchini. We brought home alot of leftovers for my madre and katy and kayden. I love date night!!