andiland

Two two wheelers.....

2012-01-28T03:06:00.001-05:00

Our little Cambria learned to ride a two wheeler! She has been so uninterested in it for the last year. We would ask her every now and then if she wanted to try & she'd just say 'no thanks!' If we were riding or walking to get the mail or to the spa, she would always ride the razor scooter. But then Sunday she just decided she wanted to try...& within 20 minutes she was riding by herself. She does things in her own time. Always has. I am so proud of her.

Watching them both zip around with Devin running behind Cambria, I just couldn't believe that they were both on two wheels. I still think they should be this old! But it is sure fun watching them grow.

Five months? Say it ain't so!

2012-01-24T15:37:00.000-05:00

This sweet girl is already growing too fast.....& we just can't get enough of her.

Our San Clemente Saturday.....

2012-01-24T15:29:00.000-05:00

I love that we're just a 10 minute drive from San Clemente. We go there often for food & the Ripcurl (& now Jack's) outlet! Saturday morning we met friends at Pipes for breakfast & then walked down the Pier and hit the swings....per Cambria's request!

Cam & her good friend Devan.

The betrothed babies....Jasper is putting the moves on Mara.

Checking out Amtrak prices....maybe we'll take a day trip somewhere?!

Sweet Mara after a long day at the beach!

So hard to say goodbye......

2012-01-24T15:12:00.000-05:00

Our sweet cousins are moving to Hawaii. We are very very sad to see them go, the kids have become like siblings & all get along so well. Andin loves little Ami & has become a little babysitter always following her around and making sure she's safe. (Sometimes a little overly worried I'd say!) It's everyones dream to have your cousin live right by you & have your kids play & grow up together...& your husbands be surfing buddies...and that's what we've had. Becky is seriously one of my best friends and I am so worried about how life will be once she's off the mainland ;) The only thing getting me through this is knowing we have many a Hawaii trip in front of us to go visit them & soak up as much Facer time as possible! Love you guys so much!

Monterey: Take two......

2012-01-13T12:09:00.001-05:00

We took the kids back to the Monterey aquarium while we were so close. (Good thing we bought those annual passes.....) But this time we went with Devin's parents, Aunt Heidi, & devin's cousin Haley. It really is such a wonderful aquarium , it's so calming to be there. I love cannery row and all the cute shops. We ate at Bubba Gumps & just enjoyed the gorgeous town. I love it there.

All three kids loved having their Aunt Heidi around all weekend. She did Cam's hair, showed them fun apps on her ipad, & had some major snuggle time with Mara. (I wish I took a photo of them together! Darn.) Aren't Aunts the best?!

We'll miss you Nana.....

2012-01-13T11:34:00.000-05:00

We drove up to King City again last Saturday to be there for Nana's funeral. It was a very emotional weekend for us all. Nana was so special to each of us. It was a beautiful funeral though. She had lots of people who loved her dearly attend, including her sweet hospice nurse Joann. Everyone was telling funny stories about her as they wiped their tears away. She will be very missed.

The kids were very tender all day. So sweet.

The Sais family.

Cousin Jonah who is such a sweet boy! He is a great example to my kids....especially Andin. He plays with them nonstop when we're there and sends the kids off with all kinds of fun things he's outgrown. What a fun cousin.

I am so grateful for the Plan of Salvation. I am so grateful to know that there is more than this life, & that we will be reunited with our family members again. Even knowing that leaves us sad because we'll miss that person so much! Andin kept saying, "I miss Nana & her sweet tea!" She was a big sweet tea drinker. She would always pour you a glass & the kids loved how she made it with a TON of sugar. She was sweet just like her tea & we will miss her.

Happy New Year!!

2012-01-01T03:22:00.000-05:00

There's nothing that says Happy New Year like a giant pack of fireworks. At least that's what everyone here was thinking. My parents entire street looked & sounded like a warzone, there was a thick smokey haze floating in the air above the streetlights. Ashley had her own pack of magic so the whole family went out to the street after midnight & started lighting them off! Andin was a huge fan, but Cambria was a little nervous. She decided to watch from my sister's bedroom window where she would be 'safe.' But Grandma kept her company!

We drove into town & surprised my family for New Years. It has been so fun spending time together! We had lots of games, food, puzzles, & of course our traditional Chinese dinner to celebrate. This year at Pei Wei....so delicious. I am excited to welcome the new year. I love how it motivates us to try to be a little better, do a little more to help others, & make healthier choices. I can't wait to see what it brings! Happy New Year's to you all!!!

Christmas eve in California.....

2011-12-26T23:20:00.002-05:00

I love our Christmas eve tradition of surfing & beach time. December is a magical month at the beaches here. It's gorgeous & clear, warm enough for the kids to run around in their swimsuits but cool enough to wear a sweatshirt at night. Perfect. It was low tide at Strands & just beautiful! Cambria caught sand crabs & Andin lost a whole bag of pretzels to about 15 hungry seagulls. Mara was a little angel baby in momma's arms while daddy surfed.

Ok and how hysterical is this picture of Mara! I've never seen this face before, Devin & I seriously died laughing when we saw it!

Next was an amazing dinner at Aunt Suzie's house. So delicious, & so fun to be with the family. We had a little navtivity, where Cambria was Mary & Mara was baby Jesus! Carson & Oliver & Andin were darling too. And sweet Amelie was the angel. We sang carols & opened a few gifts!

Suzie loving on Mara....she has a way with the babes!

Next we went home for our tradition of opening pajamas & a game and then playing the game! This year it was 'headbandz' the kids were thrilled. So fun.

Cambria was so funny playing this game. She would give the most obvious clues!
Andin with his card saying spaghetti....Cam says, "I'll give you a clue, it has spaghetti sauce on it!"
Devin with a snake card....Cam says, "I'll give you a clue, it has a long tail....actually it is just a tail."
Me with a toaster card....Cam says, "I'll give you a clue, you put toast in it!"

The kids had an extremely hard time falling asleep this year! They are such good kids & so full of imagination and wonder. I am a lucky momma! I really do love Christmas eve. So much anticipation & excitement. And such a great night to think of Jesus's birth! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas as well.

Christmas day....

2011-12-26T04:59:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas! We had a wonderful day together. It was so amazing to have Mara with us this year.....we just feel more complete! I am so grateful for my beautiful kids & their unique personalities. I have really loved watching Andin & Cambria become such loving & kind older siblings. Mara is so special to them & there's not much I like more than watching Andin holding her on his lap, or Cambria baby talking her in the swing as she gives her the pacifier! So glad we are all together at last. Here are some photos I took of the kids after church today. Melt my heart!

I love that little tummy.....so precious.

Monterey Aquarium.....

2011-12-26T03:30:00.000-05:00

Vintage quilt.....

2011-12-26T01:43:00.002-05:00

While visiting Devin's Nana we stayed at his Aunt Marsha's house. She showed us a beautiful quilt his Grammy (Great Grandma) had made of her old dresses & her husbands shirts. I loved it! I had to snap a few shots of Mara on it! A vintage quilt will get me any time!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T05:25:00.004-05:00

Christmas is here.....

2011-12-24T05:25:00.000-05:00

December has been a wonderful month! We have had lots of fun together showing Mara what Christmastime is all about. After Thanksgiving we drove back home & the next day we were at the tree lot picking out our tree!

We went to visit Santa with some friends. They have the actual westcor Santa in their neighborhood & he and his wife so kindly invite their neighbors and friends to come visit him at his home! They had the yard all decked out & the photo machine from the mall was there as well! It was Mara's first time on Santa's lap!

The crew of kids! (Photos of the kids on Santa's lap to come!)

We also went to visit Devin's Nana. She is sick & we really wanted to spend some time with her. The kids adore her. Her apartment is next to Devin's aunts house so each morning the kids would bundle up & head up the wooden stairs to Nana's house. Their favorite thing next to Nana was the ice cold pitcher of her famous sweet tea that is always in her fridge! We cherish every moment we've had with Nana & feel very lucky to have had more time with her so recently.

Cambria picked out this Rudolph stuffed animal at Safeway while we grabbed some groceries for Nana. She is obsessed with it! It hasn't left her arms for very long since she got it! So cute.

All the kids with Nana. Andin has a big bite of banana bread in his mouth in this one! This one was taken with my phone...not too bad!

Lots of love......

2011-12-23T13:47:00.000-05:00

Blessing day....

2011-12-07T03:25:00.001-05:00

Our sweet Mara was blessed Sunday at our Church. It was such beautiful sight to see Devin, my dad, his dad & Grandpa, his cousin John, my cousin's husband Ryan, & our good friend John all surround our little precious baby in a circle. It was such a visual reminder of the support that Mara will always have in her life from the power of the priesthood & those righteous men who will be looking out for her always. What a blessing to be a member of this church, & to hold families so dear. We had a wonderful day together with our families & really celebrated this sweet baby! She looked so pretty in the same dress that I was blessed in as an infant & then later Cambria as well! I hope the kids will use this same dress when they someday bless their own children.

I could just eat this baby up....we all are addicted to her!

The whole group! Thanks to all who came, (especially Heidi who flew all the way from Indiana!) & we missed everyone who couldn't be there!

Such fun! Thanks to all who came!

Thanksgiving.......

2011-12-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at my parents this year. Great food & so much fun to spend time with the Knudsens. It was my sister's first Thanksgiving home from her mission, so we were excited to have the whole family back together again! The kids made their apple turkeys like we do every year, & we basically ate all day long....just like you are supposed to!

I made the sweet potatoes that Nana taught me to make 3 years ago....they are so delicious & scooped into an orange half. I also made the cranberry sauce, cranberry salsa, cheese ball, & helped my mom with the rest! She made her amazing rolls, which are the BEST ever (chris....) with Cambria's assistance. We had a great time.

Little Greyson & Mara meeting for the first time. Greyson is only 5 weeks in this photo, & Mara is 11.....but she is about a third his size! Cute little babies.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Sunday afternoon with friends......

2011-11-21T04:12:00.001-05:00

We spent the afternoon at the Scottsdale Artfest! My friend Lisa, who just moved to Arizona from Huntington with her adorable family invited us & we had so much fun seeing them in their new habitat. Lisa is such a sweet & amazing person, & I can already tell they are going to love it here & find all kinds of fun & adventure along the way. It was a perfectly breezy sunny day & the kids loved running around & spending time with Hailey. Lisa's little girl Chloe is too cute & kept us entertained with her awesome dance moves. I was so happy to see them & Becky....you know we were wishing you were there too!!!

So happy to see her!

Chloe....what a darling girl. So looking forward to their photo shoot later this week ;)

Yes...that is a pig..on a leash...with a rhinestone collar. How completely random. But the kids were loving her.

Lisa & Mara meeting for the first time.

My pretty Cambria posing on our way out of the festival!

Oh the classic kindergarten feast.......

2011-11-18T05:47:00.001-05:00

Don't you feel like this is some sort of rite of passage? The Kindergarten Thanksgiving party, whatever it may be. I always hate how Thanksgiving gets pushed aside every year after Halloween......it is one of my favorite holidays. I love the food, I love the colors, I love all the things my kids & I can make out of construction paper, I love gratitude. I remember my own Kindergarten party, I looked a lot like Cambria! Painted face & I chose to dress as a 'Native American' as well. Cam gets really into Thanksgiving with me. She wanted me to paint her face & she wore her furry boots after our research about the Wampanoag tribe showed that they wore moccasins quite similar to them. I am so sad I forgot to take a photo of her poster board she did for school. She worked so hard on it & it was darling. She drew on one paper all the foods we eat at Thanksgiving now, & on another all the foods that were actually at the first Thanksgiving feast. Then there were photos of the tribes & what they wore, she colored them & glued feathers on their heads.

Her class party was adorable. One class dressed as the Indians, & the other class was the Pilgrims. They each got a plate of all the Thanksgiving fixin's & a whole lot of sweets. Their little brown bag costumes were darling. I got a little photo happy since that's what I always do, & because I started a snapfish photo room for the class that I want to fill up! She has so many cute kids in her class.

Cambria's class

The Pilgrims & Indians greeting each other!

My pretty Cambria!

Cambria's friends Kameryn & Livvy. Aren't they adorable?!

Cambria and her new friend Ruby, who she adores.

Yay for Thanksgiving!!!!

I am (we are) basically obsessed.....

2011-11-18T04:35:00.001-05:00

We are just having all too much fun with this sweet baby. She is already 3 months old...I can't believe that. She is now smiling at us & making those cute little baby noises. Instead of going right back to sleep after eating she likes to be unwrapped so she can move her arms & legs like crazy. She is a huge snuggler and is just such a sweetheart. But she has a good feist about her just like she did from the beginning....she'll let you know if you are not doing what she wants or if something is not up to her standard. The poor little thing has had some tummy issues so I am adjusting my diet a bit to see if that helps, I hate seeing her fussy & uncomfortable...but even at it's worst she's still very easy & sweet. Cambria & Andin are so adorable always wanting to hold her or talking to her in a baby voice. Cambria tonight was holding her & said in her most high pitched baby talk voice, "You're such a sweet Mars, Marzapan, you're a Peter Pan you know that?!" So funny. We have many nick names for her just incase you wondered ;)

The happiest place on earth.......

2011-11-16T22:47:00.001-05:00

For the last year we have enjoyed our annual passes to Disneyland, I mean REALLY enjoyed them. We've had so many good times & funny moments....lots of good memories. But most of the time we go & I leave my camera at home. It's just big & an ordeal & we go often enough that I justify not bringing it. So we take photos on my phone, which is great and all.....but so doesn't replace the real thing. Our last visit I brought my camera & swore to myself that I'd take a whole ton of photos. Well-- I had forgotten about daylight savings and the fact that 1 hour after we got there it would be dark. So anyway--we got the classic shots, minus the teacups & called it good. We even had their ears that time!

Some of the fun times we don't want to forget.....

Mom's

*The first time we went on Pirates Cam wasn't sure about the "hills" as she calles them, (drops) but her second time she squealed, "I love the hills!!" She asked what ride had the most hills & I said Splash mountain had one really BIG hill. She decided she wanted to go on it. I had to ignore the pit in my stomach waiting in line because I seriously hate that ride! But Cam was serious business about going on it. Right about the part where all the animals get sad & you start trekking up that crazy slope she became concerned. She started crying & the guy in front of her felt so bad but there was obviously no turning back. She was fine but it was really quite the memory!!

*My first time on Space mountain with Andin.....so so exciting & proud. (In the front row, of course!)

*Fun times with the cousins & eating those delicious $8 corn dogs!

*Cambria's birthday dinner at Ariels Grotto & especially the amazing World of Color tickets that came with our reseration! So magical holding Cambria in my arms with the music & beautiful lights & fountains.

*All the fun parades. They get a little crazy at times & it's fun to exchange glances with Devin when we're overwhelmed.

*When it snows at Disneyland. I love it! They play a Christmas song & it's a real tear jerker. The kids eyes get bright & excited.

*All the competitive wars on the Toy Story game. I almost beat Devin once.

*Our trip on the ferris wheel with Baba.....we were all a little scared..it's so high!!! (All except for baba.)

*Being so baby hungry there. Disneyland is a bad place to go if you are yearning for a baby. There are so many adorable babies surrounding you. We were there when I'd be waiting to hear back on an adoption, or the day before I planned to take a pregnancy test. I remember it vividly. It's a good memory because I can tote my sweet Mara there now.

*Riding Peter pan is always special.

*Watching Devin on the teacups with the kids. I love it!

*Snow White with Cam, I don't know why but that is her favorite ride!

*The week of Halloween. It was decked out with Pumpkins, the Haunted Mansion was filled with The Nightmare before Christmas. The park closed at 8pm that night but Mickey's Halloween Trick or Treat party started at 8 so we got to see it all decked out even further & all the fun costumes people came in.

*Anytime we are lucky enough to have a churro. So good.

*The rainy day we went there with my Dad. On that day it was miserable, I was wearing my sanuks when it all hit & got so desperate I found myself looking in gift shops for socks! But it was fun with my dad....we had a great time together.

*All the many many weekdays we went when we didn't have to wait in a single line. That's the way to do it. The only way we'll do it now.

Andin's

*"My favorite was when Star Tours opened. The line was about two hours and thirty minutes (in reality it was 45!) When I went inside it was very fun, they have a secret spy that scans everyone and it stops randomly choosing someone to be the spy.....and it was Cam! "

*Getting treats! (Because it doesn't happen very often!)

*Using his $10 spending money on 3 tries at a game in the arcade where you could win a DS. Sad....

*The first time he was tall enough to ride Indiana Jones!

*Getting to go on Dumbo in his own elephant :)

*The first time he was picked for Jedi Training. He was so adorable & SO excited.

Cambria's

*Going on the Ariel ride with mommy for the first time

* Riding Dumbo SO HIGH!

* The time daddy bought her lollypops or anytime she gets cotton candy. The girl loves sugar.

*The time she was the spy on Star Tours.

*Going into Minnies house with Andin.

Daddy's

*Going on Star Tours twice in a row with 2 of my kids without waiting in any lines!

*The time we got on the bus & he had Mara all snuggled up in his sweatshirt like it was a Moby. So I had to fold the stroller which is usually his job. I royally stunk at it and ended up not being able to hold it shut & I was standing in the middle of the isle with a whole bunch of tired people behind me wanting to get their kids home after a long day. And I just froze and stared at Devin...this nice lady next to me helped me pull it up on my lap & get our bag under the seat! So embarrassing but funny. (All the bus rides back to the parking lot are funny. People go there all excited & smiley, camera around their necks & ears on their head. Then the leave in a daze, their kids have candy or are sleeping in their strollers, they've bought $60 hats that they'll never wear again, they've lost control! We love the people watching.)

*Fantasyland with the kids.

*Getting Benyas at Downtown Disney.

Pumpkin cranberry muffins lined with parchment paper......

2011-11-15T11:49:00.000-05:00

I love these muffins. They are so sweet, yet have the tartness of the fresh cranberries. Perfect for a crisp fall morning with a cup of cocoa or cider! Doing the parchment liners really makes them look like they're straight from the bakery.

4 eggs
2 cups pumpkin puree
1 cup vegetable oil
31/2 cups sugar
4 1/2 cups flour
2 T pumpkin pie spice
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
4 cups cranberries

coarse sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F

In a bowl combine eggs, pumpkin puree and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add cranberries and mix well. Divide dough in to 24 muffin cups, or 2-3 loaf pans. Stick a few cranberries on the tops of the muffins & sprinkle with coarse sugar. Bake for 50 minutes.

To do the parchment liners cut parchment into 5 inch squares. Spray the muffin cups with non stick spray to help the parchment stick, place the square in the cup & press into the cup bending the paper to lay flat against the edges. I love doing this because it just looks so good & reminds me of Starbucks!

Del Mar......

2011-11-15T11:35:00.001-05:00

I love Del Mar! It's an adorable street in San Clemente that leads down to the pier. There are tons of boutique shops, & some of our favorite restaurants. There are always a lot of people walking their dogs there....it's a dog friendly place. A lot of times you'll see a cute dog sitting in front of a restaurant with his leash tied to the gate, while his owner eats lunch inside. The kids love to pet the dogs as we pass them & see all the different breeds on their walks. We went on a walk there the other day a few hours before sunsets, browsed the shops for some Christmas ideas. Such a beautiful day at a beautiful place, spent with my favorite people.

Snapshots......

2011-11-15T06:24:00.001-05:00

Snuggle mornings with my girls......

2011-11-02T12:54:00.001-04:00

Every morning I roll out of bed to send Andin off to school....well actually that's not true. Lately Devin will send him off if I am dead to the world tired after a night of feeding Mara. But I like to at least make an appearance, to at least kiss his cute face & drop a note (with a riddle written on it) in his lunch. Then I sneak back into bed. Usually by this time in the morning Cambria has already migrated into our bed right next to me, Mara on my other side. I am sandwiched by these two adorable warm bodies. When one of them wakes up we all wake up. Usually 8:30ish. Then it's dream telling time & snuggle time. Today Cam told me about her amazing dream of walking on top of a blue whale & how cool it felt on her feet as he swam her & I to school. Love that one. Mara is starting to coo & smile, so Cambria and I gaze at her for a bit before we all head down for breakfast. I love these snuggle mornings with my girls. I wish we could all just stay home all day together. School sometimes seems like a life ruiner....I hate how late they get home. I want to keep them small & snuggle all the days away in our fluffy bed. But that is just my dream I suppose.

Trick or treat......

2011-11-01T16:58:00.000-04:00

Oh Halloween...how we love you!

Our morning started off with a lot of Gryffindor colored items & some Harry Potter glasses, which obviously ended up on the baby for cuteness reasons. We had Harry Potter & Hermione Granger as well as Harry's cute little owl Hedwig. The kids had an eventful day at school celebrating "literature day," everyone dressed up as their favorite book characters which worked perfectly for us! I didn't make homemade costumes this year, which I am fine with. But the kids just looked darling & Cam loved having her hair wavy like Hermiones. Andin convinced us to let him have black hair. He is so funny dressed like HP. He really gets into character & actually won the Halloween costume contest at his karate party because of his awesome moves.

Their room moms did wonderful jobs at their class partys & I realized how very lucky we are to be at this school. So many great parents working hard for the kids to have a great experience at school. We brought our witch hats & were ready for fun!

Andin and his friends waiting in line for their Halloween feast!

Cambria's class where her teacher read them the book, "A Bad Case of the Stripes." (She dressed up like the character from that book...very cute.) I love Cambria's wavy haired little head tilted up & listening so contently.

Cambria's class party was at the park right next to the school, it was very fun & all the kids were ADORABLE all dressed up. I love Kindergarten.

Pin the face on the Pumpkin! My friend Brooke & I were in charge of this station....very fun.

Next up was the parade.....the whole school had a chance to walk & watch the parade.

Andin & his class! His teacher is adorable. By this time his hair was starting to get all grey and patchy!

Cam's class! All the kids carried their books for the parade.

Next event was what really matters....the Trick or Treating! We continued our chili dinner tradition and had some friends & my cousin Becky and her family over. Then set off on the candy hunt!!!

Lilah's costume was killing me.....so cute.

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween too!!!

No sleep for Mama.....

2011-10-25T14:58:00.000-04:00

...this little bean doesn't want her mom to sleep. She definitely prefers to be in Mama's arms over any other spot ie swing, porta crib, beds, bouncer seats. So here she is on my lap, it's 11:46 am and I am still not showered or dressed, there's a stack of dishes in my sink, papers all over the place from school, & my bed is a mound of laundry. Not to mention I didn't brush my teeth last night, I have 2 packages to send, & I need to finish the kids costumes!

But I've got this under control........I hope!!!

I watched this wonderful video again for a little inspiration. I love it. Holding Mara is a million forget me nots & I love that reminder. This time is special & the messes will come back, but this time won't.

Although I think I had better brush my teeth.

Cambria's Halloween mobile......

2011-10-24T17:37:00.002-04:00

Cam & I brought out the art box today and got to making Halloween decorations. She is such a great artist. I love watching her come up with all these brilliant characters. Her ghost eyes, pumpkin mouths, candy corn & that mummy....so great. Our mobile is easy, just draw & cut out the spooky creatures you want to hang on it.

Find a paper plate. Cut a spiral, punch a hole at the very top & a few going down the spiral.

Back the creatures with Halloween colored paper & punch a hole at the top of each one.

Then tie a small string of yarn to each one, attaching them to the plate through the holes. Then it's ready to hang up!

By the way- Cam is wearing one of Devin's shirts in this photo....typical pj's for our kids even though they have a drawar full of cute pajamas I've bought them. They just love wearing t-shirts to bed!!! I did the same, my sister and I called them night gowns ;)

We love decorating for Halloween! Especially home made crafts.....so fun.

Sleepy Mars Bar....

2011-10-24T03:39:00.001-04:00

Mara sleeps best on my bed. Basically the only way she will fall asleep is if I am holding her or laying right next to her on my bed. I mean really, I have no control....she's the boss. I love it & that's why I don't fight it. This particular day we had played a bit of dress up before she dozed off so I decided to take the photo opp, even though the lighting wasn't great. I love the photos I got because I will never forget that moment....little sweet girl all passed out & tired from all the fun we had trying on bows. Arms back & eyes not quite completely closed. Just like Andin & Cambria sleep to this day. Little wrinkly feet & curled up hands....and that cute little nose.

A fall weekend.......

2011-10-23T01:29:00.003-04:00

We spent last weekend at Lake Arrowhead & Big Bear Lake. It was so very amazing to get out of our house, out of town & just go somewhere!!!! When we got back I realized I had been in some kind of fog that I now feel like I am out of. For our anniversary every year after we moved away from Ohio, we've gone on a fall trip. We've done Toronto, & back to Ohio. This time we had to stay closer to home & I wasn't sure if it would satisfy me....but it was gorgeous! Most importantly we got to celebrate our anniversary together with our three sweet kids. I really know how lucky I am to be so in love with my husband & to have these cute kids around to hang out with too. We had a nice beatles sing a long session on the way up & the kids got right to jumping on the bed, & filling the ice bucket at our hotel. We also enjoyed cartoons in the morning, the yummy breakfast, & keeping the room freezer cold. Oh how I love hotels. The next two days were spent exploring the towns, eating yummy treats, fishing, & relaxing. It was oktoberfest so Lake Arrowhead had a crazy German band playing at their village, the kids picked a toy at Mr. G's toy shop, & we got caramel apples & yummy roobus tea from the tea house. I felt like we were way up high in the Swiss mountains, it was so pretty!

Cam found that little white pumpkin right when we got there, & insisted on spending her money on it. (Devin gave them each $20 spending money.) I told her to put it somewhere where we could find it again, but that she should look around first before deciding. That little girl did NOT forget about her pumpkin, she made sure to remind me that we had to go back for her pumpkin every three minutes! So she was very happy to be reunited with it a few hours later!!! She held it in the car & had to bring it in at night to the hotel. The next day Devin opened the hatchback of our car & her pumpkin rolled out & started rolling down the highway....seriously the vision of him chasing that pumpkin will never leave my mind. So classic. Cam was very relieved to have it back.

Sweet baby Mars sleeping away the day. She was such a good baby all weekend.

Loved this sweet shop. Pumpkin pie fudge?? Please, it was so good.

Yay for fall!!!!

Sunday evening walk......

2011-10-11T14:16:00.001-04:00

One mom, one dad, one big brother, one big sister, one baby, & a dog. Wow. We're quite an ordeal now. But in a very very good way.

Good morning pumpkin......

2011-10-11T05:09:00.003-04:00

Thanks to pinterest, & the not so small collection of cookbooks that sat on the shelf collecting dust while I was down, I have been eating a lot of not-so-healthy items lately. But...it's been fun to start baking again, (& taking photos of food again....) especially since my little helpers love it too. We had a weekend full of sweets, and these were one of the recipes we tried out. Super yummy & easy too. It is from the girl who ate everything blog....which I am loving lately. Click on that link to see all her great recipes. I used my instant yeast (1 T) and let it rise a little longer than recommended to get them nice and fluffy. I was thinking next time we might add in some mini chocolate chips before we roll them up!

1/3 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 egg, beaten

1 (1/4 ounce) package dry yeast

2 cups bread flour

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons melted butter

caramel frosting

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 dash salt

3/4 cup sifted powedered sugar

Directions

1. In small saucepan, heat milk and 2 tablespoons butter just until warm and butter is almost melted, stirring constantly. In large mixer bowl, combine pumpkin, sugar, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Add milk mixture and beat with electric mixer until well mixed. Beat in egg and yeast.

2. Add half of the flour to pumpkin mixture. Beat mixture on low speed 5 minutes, scraping sides of bowl frequently. Add remaining flour and mix thoroughly (dough will be very soft). Turn into lightly greased bowl, then grease surface of dough lightly.

3. Cover and let rise in warm place until doubled, about 1 hour. Punch dough down. Spray a surface with cooking spray or turn onto floured surface. Knead a few turns to form a smooth dough, sprinkling with enough additional flour to make dough easy enough to handle. Roll dough into 12x10 inch rectangle.

4. In small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon. Brush surface of dough with melted butter. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Beginning with long side of dough, roll up jellyroll style. Pinch seam to seal. With sharp knife, cut roll into twelve 1- inch slices. Place rolls, cut side up, in greased 11X17 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, 30 to 45 minutes.

5. Bake rolls at 350 degrees about 15-20 minutes or until golden. Remove from pan to waxed paper-lined wire rack. Cool 10 to 15 minutes. Drizzle with Caramel frosting. Makes 12 rolls.

Caramel Frosting:

In small saucepan, heat butter until melted. Stir in brown sugar and milk.

Stir in brown sugar and milk. Cook over medium low heat 1 minute.

Transfer to small mixer bowl and cool mixture. Stir in vanilla, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and confectioners' sugar. Beat with electric mixer until well blended. If necessary, add more confectioners' sugar for desired consistency.

Little bundle.....

2011-10-07T19:54:00.001-04:00

.....nothing sweeter than a sleeping baby.

While they're at school.....

2011-10-06T12:08:00.000-04:00

These days I am not getting much done. The kids are gone at school for a lot of the day & Mara isn't really 'into' letting me do much other than hold her. I'll set her down to sleep & sneak away to fold a load of laundry, or I don't know..take a shower maybe!? But...it doesn't really happen for me. She loves to be held. But who am I kidding....there's not anything else I'd rather do while Andin & Cam are away. I mean look at that face.

A small outing or two.....

2011-10-05T22:32:00.001-04:00

We haven't been leaving the house much these days. With a baby that's still a smidge under 6lbs we can't risk her getting sick! But with some pretty major cabin fever going on we decided to try out Mara's stroller & take a walk to get the mail. We made a little stop at the green belt too for a game of kickball. I nursed her under a fluffy blanket & felt normal in that moment. Just out with the family, like old times.

That was so much fun that we decided to do it again a few days later...but at Salt creek! Seeing the ocean again was very very nice. I hadn't seen it since the day we left Mara at the NICU, Devin drove by it on the way home to try and cheer me up, but it didn't work. This time was different. We pushed Mara, who was all bundled up, around & let the kids kick the soccer ball & run around like crazy people.

I haven't had much time for blogging, but I am trying to keep up on these little moments.

But for now... baby is crying & I must be going.

A fall treat.....

2011-10-05T21:32:00.000-04:00

Pumpkin Dip

8 oz pkg cream cheese, softened
7.5 oz can pumpkin (half can)
1/4 t pumpkin pie spice
1/8 t nutmeg
1/4 t cinnamon
2c powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese with mixer until smooth. Add pumpkin and spices to cream cheese mixture; beat in powdered sugar. Chill before serving.

This is yummy with gingersnaps, graham crackers, & apple slices.

Sweetness.......

2011-09-30T22:07:00.005-04:00

Little Mara is melting all our hearts these days. Andin held her tonight with the boppy & just gazed into her eyes and stroked her bald peach fuzz little head. Cambria is always running right to her after school, after I make her remove all her clothing...minus underwear & wash her hands up to her elbows. (Paranoid...me?!) Here are some things I'd like to always remember about her right now.....

*I love how she always has her fingers spread out. Up in her face, or up in the air when we pick her up, & even when bundled up she manages to get those little hands out.

*I love the face she's making in the photo above....cute little lips in the shape of the letter O. Usually right before she poops, or sometimes just because it's fun.

*I love her little cry, it sounds like Andin's did..."nay nay nay" when she's mad.

*The girl lacks patience. She doesn't like to wait for anyone! And she likes to be held. A lot! She is definitely the more demanding of the three babies we've had! But not naughty of course. Not Mara.

*I love when she smiles. Whether or not it's intentional at this point it's darling & it honestly just melts my heart into a puddle.

*She is so alert for such a small little bundle. Her eyes are wide open most of the time, just taking it all in, not wanting to miss a thing.

*She loves Cat Stevens & the beatles. Just like the rest of her family. When all else fails, sing her Moonshadow by Cat. She'll love it.

*As much as I don't love that her nights & days are still mixed up, I sort of do. It reminds me of when I was pregnant with her. I would worry all day about her not moving enough, but when I'd wake up in the middle of the night I'd always feel little kicks. She's a night owl like her mama. Although these days I like to sleep at any moment.

*She's just sweet & that's that.

Andin & 2nd grade.....

2011-09-30T19:05:00.001-04:00

Andin wasn't keen on my wanting to do "back to school photos." So instead of fighting it, I snapped two very mediocre photos on our front porch. I'll go there later....when I have more energy! But...I had to have something to show for his year of 2nd grade. What a cute boy, he's just looking so very grown up, all the baby fat is gone & he's getting so tall. 2nd grade. Wow.

Some things about him right now that I don't want to forget.....

*He is so smart. He comes home on Monday with his new list of spelling words, they always take a test that day before they even look at the words, just to assess what they know. He usually misses at least half, maybe more of the words on that initial test but by the first 15 minutes of us studying them that night...he's got them all down. It's amazing.

*He is a very gifted chess player. He actually taught me recently. He is known for beating full grown adults or letting them know when they've got him in a check mate. (Before they were aware of it themselves.) We often play games before school in the morning, I really look forward to our games :)

*He is sweet as can be. He loves his mommy & runs to me after school with a big hug & kiss. He is also the best snuggler.

*He is so passionate. Whenever he gets into something whether it be Star Wars, Pokemon, Harry Potter, or when he was 2 the Wiggles! He gets into it 100%. He learns all about it & finds out facts about the characters or memorizes all the spells.

*Ever since I can remember he has loved play food. He has a "shop" and plays that more than anything else. He actually collects random containers from restaurants like a pizza box, mcdonalds sandwich box, starbucks cup, etc. He's basically got a recycling bin under his bed. He likes to take my cell phone upstairs & then have me call it from Devin's cell phone to place my order togo. Great customer service.

*His mind works very entrepreneurially. It's always about how he could sell something. We'll make brownies that are really good & he'll come up with some plan of how we could sell them. He actually came home from school once & said, "Mom, me & Nick made a business plan at recess today."

*He's super giving. After the conversation of selling the brownies he would add, "and then we can donate the money to the hospital."

*He is pretty dang competitive, but mostly when he's competing against a person who is also competitive.

*He is a very sweet big brother, exactly what I wish I had growing up. He already is watching out for Cambria at school & loves to hold his baby sister Mara.

*Not many people really know Andin, adults I mean. He's such a layered person, an old soul...yet full of imagination & adventure. He won't open up to just anyone, so when someone "gets" him I really like them. Because he is a kid worth getting.

*I adore him.

{wacky hair day}

2011-09-29T16:08:00.000-04:00

Snow cones after school.....

2011-09-29T15:50:00.001-04:00

While Devin's parents were here we decided to pick the kids up from school & take them for a treat to this great shaved ice shack by their school, called Sno on the go. (It's no Matsumotos but it's very tasty.) We even brought little Mara for her first outing ever....other than 2 trips to the Pediatrician. It's outdoor seating so I thought it was ok, but I was very nervous about it!!! She just slept the entire time & did great!

Cambria has been so hyper lately...it's so funny to watch her, her personality just explodes. Especially right after school...and when you give her a cup of ice with sugar syrup on top of it.

Mara snoozing away.

Cam and Baba.

Good to the last drop ;)

Lots of excitement.....

2011-09-24T23:24:00.000-04:00

Andin lost his first front tooth! What a milestone! I shed a few tears when he started talking with a mini lisp & looking so cute and full of gaps. He has been losing so many teeth lately & seems to have more empty spots than teeth. I love this boy like crazy. He is so very excited about life & is so contagious about it all.

While I was taking photos of Andin's new mouth, Cambria ran out in front of the camera looking like this. This kid brings a lot of joy to our lives. What a little goof.

Little Mara Jane had an exciting day as well. Devin put his glasses on her & even let her sit in her boppy like a big girl. She was held by mom, dad, Aunt Erin, Grandma, Anna, & Cambria today! She is not lacking love or attention & that is for certain. We are all looking forward to taking her out in the world & showing her off a bit....once she gets bigger of course. But she is doing very well & we are all in love with her.

Happy girl....

2011-09-23T23:36:00.000-04:00

Post bath, swaddled perfectly, & a pacifier equals one happy little baby girl. She always has her little hands by her face, even when we put the little mittens over them. Such an angel baby.

Hanging out, new baby style....

2011-09-21T23:53:00.000-04:00

Life has been this. Cuddling, snuggling, feeding, changing, loving. It has been wonderful watching Andin become a big brother again & Cambria becoming a big sister for the first time. Very sweet indeed.

Things have been crazy yet again. Friday night I had to take a scary trip to the ER because I was hemorrhaging. Not fun. I stayed the night & ended up having to have a d&c. I was so thankful for my Aunt Suzie who drove me there & made sure I was cared for, & my cousin Becky who stayed while I had surgery & all day afterward. My mom was here the next day & has helped me as I finish healing again & try to regain my strength, which has been hard. A friend of mine dropped off flowers today & mentioned the phrase "when it rains it pours." But she also mentioned that the most trying times of life are usually when the greatest blessings come. It is so true. I thank the Lord for all the blessings that have poured over us.

First day of Kindergarten.....

2011-09-21T22:43:00.000-04:00

Just looking through these photos, now 2 weeks after the first day of kindergarten, & I still cannot believe how grown up Cambria looks. She has turned into such a big girl who is full of life & happiness as she always has been. She is brave, funny, loves to dance, loves to make up jokes, & loves to spend time with her mommy, & loves to eat! So we went on a little date before school. We went to Starbucks for Pumpkin Chai latte's & I took some photos of her outside the shops. I love this girl like crazy & I have been so proud of her as she goes off to school each day. She's amazing & I am so lucky to have her as my sweet daughter, & best buddy.

A name for our baby....

2011-09-20T17:24:00.001-04:00

Mara: Gaelic for the sea
Jane: Hebrew for God is gracious

Sibling bags.....

2011-09-14T11:35:00.000-04:00

I put together these sibling bags for Andin & Cambria a few days before the baby came. I had all these high hopes of sewing bags, homemade gifts, & things like that...but this was what I could do & the kids loved them! Basically it was just an assortment of fun things to do while they were at the hospital with us, & a few things from Mara too ;) The bags were found at the dollar spot at Target.

For Andin.....

*bubbles

*snacks

*Pokemon cards & figurines (Oh boy...when will this phase end?)

*Star wars silly bands

*Fabric markers & a few preemie onsies to decorate for Mara & a few t-shirts to decorate for the kids! They ended up making matching sets, so cute.

For Cam....

*people crayons (you can find them & the adorable people popsicle sticks at Lakeshore learning. I love them.)

*The same fabric markers with onsies & shirts to decorate.

*Stickers

*Snacks

Then we also had a book called, "I love you through & through." With a special message from Mara written inside requesting them to read the book to her very soon!

Decorating their shirts & onsies, Cam put her onsie on the little doll she'd been carrying around for the whole month prior!

So much fun to be a big brother or sister!!

Mara Jane......

2011-09-11T18:29:00.008-04:00

Mara Jane

August 24, 2011 at 1:05am

3lbs 5oz

These past 18 days have been exciting, emotional, draining, scary, wonderful, & amazing. This little girl has been dreamed & prayed here for years & it still sometimes surprises me when I wake up that she's real & she's all ours to snuggle & stare at. It was not the easiest road getting to where we are now, but I know it was all worth it & I just feel so blessed that she is healthy & strong & has the feist she needed to make it home this soon!

It all started at my perinatologist's office on the 23rd where she checked the size of the baby, she found that the baby had not grown much at all in the previous 2 weeks and told us it was time for her to arrive!! She said it would be that afternoon or later on in the night & predicted her to weigh about 4lbs We were a little frantic but we pulled together & thanks to amazing friends and family, were able to figure out a place for Andin & Cambria while we would be at the hospital. I even had to go take a shower at my friend Morgan's house because our water heater broke while we were at the doctors!! We got to the hospital at 8pm, my OB was waiting with a big smile on her face. She knew how excited we were. I got hooked up to my IV, the nurse brought me some jello, (I forgot to eat dinner in my nervousness!) & Devin & I just talked and laughed.....then they put me on the pitocin around 10pm. Devin had ran down to the cafeteria to grab a snack. He got this Santa Fe wrap with tons of onions....it's hilarious because the whole labor as he'd comfort me & talk me through the pain I was thinking, his breath smells horrible!!!! But, that man is amazing. He can just put his hand on my stomach during a contraction & it calms me down. I never have understood how labor is portrayed in movies where the wife is tearing her husband to pieces & suddenly hates him. It's so not like that for us. Never. 10 minutes later I was asking the nurse if my Doctor would likely break my water or wait & she said probably break it later on in the night. Then in strolls my Doc with the creepy looking long tool telling me she's going to break my water now. I was a little panicked....I admit. It seemed too soon & I was freaked out that I hadn't even had any serious contractions yet but that I was hooked up to pitocin AND my water would be broken. Two sure fire ways of the pain starting fast & hard! But I let her do her thing & just waited for the sleeping monster to stir. I won't lie......it was horrible!!! She was posterior & when those contractions started pounding in I realized they were worse than I'd ever felt & the nurse told me I was having back labor! Oh...so this is what it feels like, I've heard all about...but wow. I pretty much felt like I was dying and had no meds to speak of, by the time I mentally gave up & decided I would get an epidural I suddenly felt pressure like no other & the nurse checked me.....a 6. So they sent for the drugs....I hear choruses of angels singing as I wait for that glorious needle. But it just isn't coming fast enough and the contractions were. I wanted to die. HAHA! I seriously did. Then I have the craziest contraction & feel like I need to push, this is like 20 minutes later. They don't want to check me so soon but when they hear me say push they all come in & check me.....suddenly there is panic . A 10. So in rushes the Doctor & all the many nurses. All I can say is, "Does this mean I don't get that epidural???!!" No. "What about some pain killers in my IV??" No time. A freaking IBprofin, something...anything!!! No time. So there's that pushing urge again & it's insane. One contraction & two of the most intense pushes I've ever experienced & that baby was out. She was pink & crying & beautiful. They checked her right away to make sure she was breathing on her own, the whole NICU crew was there ready for anything. That feisty little thing got a 9 on her Apgar & they placed her on my shaking chest. I stared into her beautiful face, into her big beautiful eyes. Her mouth was wide open and her pink tongue was sticking out as she stared right back into my eyes. I won't ever forget that moment. She just stared at me. I didn't cry, although as I type this I most certainly am crying, but I was just so amazed at how alert & beautiful she was. I wanted to nurse her so bad, the little thing had her mouth wide open. (She came out hungry just like her big sister!) But they had to get her upstairs for evaluation so I had to watch her carted away in her little isolette, Devin right behind them. I had intense hemorrhaging after that, & couldn't tell you much of what happened for the next 10 hours, except for that it hurt & I was really dizzy. But thinking of little Mara's face got me right through it. Devin was amazing as usual. My favorite moment with him was when a nurse came in to check my blood pressure one of the mornings we were at the hospital. He had crawled into my hospital bed next to me & we had the rolling table on our laps & were sharing my mediocre hospital breakfast watching The Price is Right. We were giggling like high schoolers & all she could do was laugh & say "You two are cute." Hah.

The next few weeks were visit after visit to the NICU. Pushing the up arrow outside the elevator then 5 for the children's intensive care floor. Picking up the phone outside the NICU and saying we were there for Mara. Scrubbing up in the wash room & putting on our gowns. Feeding Mara, changing her....with her tiny little legs in the air, avoiding all the wires & iv's as we changed her tiny clothes, getting to know a new nurse every different 12 hour shift. Monitors beeping & not knowing what they meant. Doctor telling us her platelet level is high & they want to do an ultra sound to check her brain for bleeds. So tired, so hormonal, so scared. Missing the kids, but feeling like my heart was right there in that isolette in front of me. So helpless. The day I was discharged came too soon, the nurses down at labor & delivery all kept me there for as long as they could, but eventually I had to be discharged. We stayed at the Ronald McDonald room a few nights while my parents watched the kids, but on Sunday the rooms were both full & Devin told me I needed to come home. I needed to see the kids, take a shower at our own house, and get some rest. I must have looked like a zombie. Leaving that hospital was one of the saddest hardest things I've ever done. That sounds so dramatic I am sure, but dude....I had some crazy hormones going. I sobbed, my face red & eyes drooping & when I saw my mom outside I lost it even more & basically melted into her. We were back and forth from our house to the hospital from then on, bringing milk.....taking the kids to their first day of school....eating out so many times it was pretty gross. But it got better. She got stronger. I learned that her heart rate can go up to 201 & it's ok. And that just because her monitor beeps doesn't mean she's not going to be ok. Her labs all came back normal. (Thank the Lord.) She started eating more & gaining. Then one day we get there & she's in an open cradle in the "almost ready to go home room!" She gained 4 oz in two days. We were so excited. Everyday after that seemed like they'd tell us she was going to go home in the next two days, then two days later they were saying it again. It was getting to that point where we were just ready. I was done. I wanted to be the one feeding my baby, & comforting her, & picking her up at 2am when she was crying for someone. I worried she'd forget me. (again...don't forget I was crazy..still probably am.)

Anyone who's seen Devin with little Mara knows he's smitten. It is precious.

The kids first peek in the NICU to see their baby sister for the first time.

Getting stronger.

Friday morning I get the call. She's finally made it over 1800 grams. Yes people....that's not even 4lbs & we're excited. The doctors are saying it's discharge day. But we have to wait for the call of what time & if it's for sure. I had my doubts, but we were all really excited. Devin's parents had just got here the night before so they took us to Ruby's by the hospital for lunch. I had been nervous & sick all morning. Still healing & stressed. I took some of my pain killers with not enough food apparently & threw up in the parking lot. Twice. Cam told everyone. And now so did I. Awesome. I think I was just nervous too!!! Right as we're finishing up I get the call that we can come pick her up!!! We were all so excited & so ready.

My three babies, together at last. Mara rolling in her super cool wagon that all the NICU babies are discharged in. Then the moment we've been waiting for....the car pulls up to the curb, kids inside with the biggest smiles you've EVER seen!

Baby Mara is coming home!!!!

She's been doing great. Eating well, keeping her temperature. She already loves her very protective older brother, & her super excited big sister. It's so cute how Andin & Cambria each have their own ways of loving her & being excited about her. Andin will show her toys, or make sure her swing is playing music. He'll make sure we are all washing our hands & worry if she's not happy. Cambria is right by her side most of the time. She has held her several times & makes sure that she has her blanket wrapped around her correctly or that her pacifier isn't falling out. She calls her "baby Mara" & honestly is just in love with her new baby sister. Devin & I are so excited to have them all together finally. As a family like we should be, a family of 5... crazy! Lot's of blessings in our life that we are so grateful for. Thank you to everyone for the well wishes & calls & love & prayers. We feel so loved & appreciate you all!!!

Book copy.....

2011-08-22T23:29:00.000-04:00

Book copying is such a great activity for kids to practice their art. Cambria just started a new one this week & I am amazed at her attention to detail....as gets better with each page.

I saw this idea a while back on some art blog & immediately fell in love with it. It's a great project that can be done over days, weeks, or months with any book. The kids will pick a new book & get started cutting the paper to the matching size & page amounts, then getting started on the art page by page. It really improves their drawing & their imagination when they draw their own creations.

The dancing girl.....

2011-08-17T23:27:00.000-04:00

Had to post this video, just so it's on the blog for us to watch over & over again. I've been spending a lot of time lately with the kids looking back through the blog & remembering all the fun moments that have passed so so quickly. So grateful to have it to reflect on.

Today Cambria & I finished watching Tangled & when the credits started rolling & this song started playing she went into a dancing craze!! I love all her little moves that she invented as she went....so classic. Especially climbing on the entertainment center to hold a pose & shake her booty. Love her to pieces.

{baby shower-mom & cam}

2011-08-15T22:10:00.000-04:00

I decided I had to post at least one photo from my shower! I don't want to forget this time & especially that Cambria was there. A friend of mine suggested to have her come. She said that with her kids she always had her daughters come along to celebrate at the shower, a little mommy & daughter time. I am so grateful she told me because it really was wonderful to have Cambria there. She felt so special & was very helpful in unwrapping all the presents! She also was in heaven since there was a chocolate fountain present! I was completely spoiled with all the amazing gifts, & food. My friend Jenny Tucker threw the shower & out did herself (as usual) with a great party. It was so much fun & I'll always remember it.

Hello again.....

2011-08-11T21:56:00.002-04:00

Well, well, well. I never go this long without blogging. I have however been very busy making crafts, writing lists, & working on my double chin sitting or laying here on bedrest. I must admit I've got up a bit more this last week, not much, but just to avoid going too looney. Also because I am now 35 weeks! The doctors appointments are three times a week now as well, this baby is very photographed already.

I had a beautiful baby shower where I was very spoiled. Maybe someday I'll share those photos, but honestly, I am a chunk. Not really feeling like sharing via the internets all my extra pounds these days! But.....Cambria is cute so here is a photo of her modeling a beanie I just made my niece Emmi! She lives in Indiana & I can't wait to see a photo of her wearing this in the fall leaves. I also made one for her little cousin Halle, just for fun.

And because I've had all this time (& love to spoil her) I also made her some cute felt clips & headbands....and a tooth pillow that I hope makes it there before she loses that thing.

The baby has fallen below the 10th percentile in weight, so she is being watched very closely. It is nerve racking because she is not much of a mover. But, she does get the hiccups quite often which is reassuring. She will be very small, but is very healthy. We're hoping for at least 4 lbs & I will probably be induced in the next 2 weeks. Very exciting & emotional. We can't wait to meet this little girl.

Blankets for the baby.....

2011-08-04T19:22:00.001-04:00

I finished two receiving blankets for the baby this week. I am in love with this adorable Hawaiian fabric I found on etsy. It's darling. The other side is a warm cotton flannel & will be nice and cozy for her on a chilly night at the beach this fall.

Start with washed fabric. Sew the fabric, right sides together, leaving a 4 inch opening to turn with. Trim corners & turn....press & top stitch. Super easy!

Can't wait to wrap her up & snuggle her in one of these.

Just for the Library......

2011-07-27T22:40:00.000-04:00

......Last summer I made the kids Library totes. They loved them. We took them to the library each time we went, & it made it easy to limit their book choices to 10 or so....since they were responsible to carry them :) Each week we'd go back & trade them for new stories & even movies. (Which were usually scratched...darn those library dvds.) Sadly Cambria's bag was lost during her preschool year, & even more sad...it had her cute preschool journal in it. I still hope it will turn up someday, but until then Cambria needed a new book bag! So here's what we came up with. I found the tote at Michaels & used a 40% off coupon for it. So it cost about $6, it's a really nice quality bag with lots of space & really nice handles. Cambria picked the colors of the fabric & I told her she could paint the other side! She's showing more interest in these projects lately. Now she can't wait to go back to the library!

Felt flowers.......

2011-07-23T17:50:00.001-04:00

I made these cute felt flowers last night after the kids had been put to bed. Devin went to a movie with some friends, so I just watched a redbox & got to work. The pattern I used was found at this great blog called Make it, Love it.

This is what surrounds me these days, not so bad I suppose......at least I am getting things accomplished.

A tooth pillow for Cambria.......

2011-07-22T23:14:00.003-04:00

I whipped up this pillow yesterday with some of my new fabric. I love this idea of having a special pillow with a pocket to place a freshly lost tooth in for the tooth fairy. Someday Cambria will find it filled with money & treats. The embroidery didn't turn out perfect, but it was my first go at it. Cambria adores it so that's enough to make me happy! Plus it kept me occupied for a bit! The idea is from Martha's craft encyclopedia, which I love. It's such a great resource for all types of crafts, sewing & otherwise. Andin currently has his third loose tooth and is excited for me to start his next!

{bedrest}

2011-07-20T21:12:00.001-04:00

So if you haven't heard I am on bedrest. It's come. We knew it would, even though I got all over confident around 30 weeks thinking maybe I'd fly under the radar this time around. But two days later I had my sentence. Things have been going well....it's day 9 & today was the first day I had a moment where I just wanted to scream out loud because I can't stand sitting here anymore!

There have been high moments, like when Andin snuggles up next to me and we read Harry Potter. Or when Cambria made us a bunch of snacks (ie ritz crackers smothered in p. butter, dried mangoes, chocolate chip cookies, & oj) that we ate while watching 'The Little Mermaid,' during which she confessed that she didn't like the Sea Witch's boobs. Or how I have been obsessing about this bird nest just outside my window, watching the little tiny birds be fed everyday & leave their nest. But there have also been low moments, like the fact that I've watched the entire first season of The OC on hulu in the last week....and not finished one book. Or when I had to send Andin downstairs with a letter taped too his shirt written to Devin, that explained through Andin's perspective that he had no more clean underwear & needed help with the laundry.

Poor Devin too, juggling all his work, getting the kids food, getting ME food, & getting the kids to all their activities. Our church ward has been wonderful too, there was one day that 4 different people stopped by with cookies, coke, treats, or flowers, oh and dinner! Seriously, we feel so loved & are so very grateful for such good friends & family.

I also have a bit of a confession about my recent etsy addiction. I spent a little more than I should have on a stack of fabric, (pictured above....) it hasn't all arrived yet so when I hear the UPS man pull up I have to admit that I get really excited....then I hear the kids scurry up the stairs with my parcel. {joy} Packages are REALLY exciting when you can't get up. Usually I thrift all my fabric, so this was a change for me. I started on some projects for the baby today, which was really fun. The kids are helping me too, they are both showing an interest in learning to sew lately. Here's the blanket I started today, Devin's Nana showed me how to make these & I love them. I remember the last one I made....doesn't seem like that long ago. So excited to be making one for our own little baby now, it's unreal.

The all famous nest. Any friend of mine that calls these days asks me about them. I am sure I seem like some twisted form of a cat lady, but I am sorry.....I love them. But, they are all gone now. This little guy was the last to leave his momma's nest. Devin & I called him Buster, referring to Arrested Development ;) The mom tried to scoot him out of the nest for days but he wasn't going anywhere! Finally he took his brave flight & evidently didn't do so great because he was later found hoping around our backyard trying to fly. We are keeping an eye on him but I really hope he makes it alright. Poor little guy.

Last matter of business for this post....all the creative things these kids are doing while their mom forms bed sores (joking....) This lego situation was found a few days ago & I had the kids explain it to me. It's a tennis game. Isn't that nice of Harry, Luke, Doby, random Pirate man, & R2 to show up for it? All the vehicles left of the court are how they all arrived. There was also a "skyping room" where lego guys were sitting with a box in front of them with a head in it, it freaked me out at first until I realized the boxes were computer screens & they were all skyping. I love these kids. Love their imaginations, & their patience with this situation. I know I say it all the time, but I love my family, & I can't wait for this sweet baby girl to join us.

Crock Pot Lasagna anyone?

2011-07-11T20:41:00.000-04:00

This recipe is a life changer. Who doesn't love lasagna & who doesn't like the ease of the crock pot? This is a total Sunday meal for us, it cooks while we're at church & then we add some yummy french bread, ceasar salad, & watermelon. It's also meatless....which we are into. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c shredded mozzerella

1/2 c cottage cheese

1/3 c grated parmesan

1 egg, beaten

1 t dried oregano

1/4 t garlic powder

pinch of parsley & thyme

16 oz jar marinara sauce

1 1/4 c diced zucchini

no boil lasagna noodles (or regular lasagna noodles cooked half way)

fresh basil

optional: spinach, mushrooms

Spray inside of crock pot with non stick spray. In a bowl mix together the cheeses, egg, and spices. Spread 3-4 T of marinara sauce in bottom of crock pot, sprinkle half the zucchini over the sauce, op with 1/3 of the cheese mixture. Break noodles into pieces and cover cheese. Spread more sauce over noodles, layer half the spinach & half the mushrooms. Repeat layering, ending with cheese mixture & remaining sauce. Firmly press ingredients into the crock pot. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Garnish with basil!

Summer Chores.......

2011-07-08T23:34:00.001-04:00

.........A while back I went to this great Relief Society meeting (through our church) about kids chores & the responsibilities that kids should have at different ages. It was really great to hear all the different mom's opinions & methods on the subject.

We have our chore charts which work great most of the time, but for the summer I decided to add a little something to our routine.

These are chore sticks & we have two sets of them in cute vintage tea cups sitting on our table. Every morning the kids each pick 3 from one of the tea cups, those are their chores for the day. There is laundry, kitchen, organize, clean room, bathrooms, & dust. I help them fold a load of laundry, or have them wipe the counters in the bathroom, today Andin re organized my pantry & his book shelf while Cambria dust their room. It's great because it keeps me on my toes with what I should be doing too. Once they finish their stick, whenever that is during the day, they put it back in the teacup. The other teacup of jobs is brought out every night after dinner. Everyone picks 2 and we have a quick clean up while we blair music & dance.....a lot. It's fun & I love the sense of teamwork it brings, also that my house ends clean every night. Who would complain about that?

Elementary Art Friday #31- Homemade hardening clay

2011-07-08T22:11:00.001-04:00

I know it's been a while since I've posted an Art Friday! So sorry! We have been doing art, but I haven't been great at blogging it. I am hoping to be back, but until the baby comes & we get settled Art Friday's might be less than once a week....but we'll see.

This week we made home made hardening clay which in itself was seriously fun. The kids shaped it into all kinds of different things & we baked it, then once they cooled painted them! They made some pokemon characters, a pretzel to add to their "store," some cute charms for necklaces, & even a dog bowl for Lola.

The recipe is so simple!

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 cup water

Mix the flour & salt together, slowly add in the water while stirring.

Once the dough comes together knead it for a few minutes until it's smooth & not so sticky.

You can put it in a ziplock & use it again & again like play dough, or you can mold it and let it harden. 3 days room temperature will work or, if you want it faster.... 1 hour at 300 degrees. Which is what we did since the kids couldn't WAIT!

Once they're out of the oven & cooled you can paint them however you want. So fun & simple. I promise your kids will be exceptionally happy about it ;)

Swim days.....

2011-07-08T15:01:00.000-04:00

Another day at downtown San Juan......

2011-07-01T23:57:00.000-04:00

I will never turn down a day here. Walking the historic streets, all the photo opportunities, & of course our children's obsession....Zoomars, the quaint little petting zoo that they talk about to every visitor we've had for the last ever. Well Erin got to come with us & it was a wonderful time!

Cambria's "collection," as she called it. Once she gets comfortable picking up those guinea pigs & rabbits there's no stopping her. She picked them up one by one and set them on a bench. I think it got up to about 15.

She looks so innocent.

The turtle that didn't look like it would ever move in a million years, but ended up snapping lettuce out of the kids hands!

I am loving the face on Cambria in this photo. Seriously.....hilarious.

Homemade Pretzels.....

2011-07-01T23:34:00.000-04:00

These pretzels are delicious! Seriously, they are just like a pretzel from the mall! You have to try them! I added the cup of wheat flour, but if you don't want to just replace that with regular flour.

1 T instant yeast

2 T brown sugar

1 1/8 tsp salt

1 1/2 c warm water (110-120 degrees)

1 cup whole wheat flour

3 cups white flour

1 cup warm water

1 T baking soda

Melted Butter

Kosher Salt

1. In a mixing bowl dissolve yeast, brown sugar, & salt in 1 1/2 c warm water. Stir in flour, & knead for 6 minutes....or until smooth and elastic. I used my kitchen aid. Put the dough in a greased bowl, turn to coat. Cover & let rise for an hour or until doubled.

2. Combine the remaining cup of warm water & baking soda in a square dish or wide bowl. Line a few baking sheets with parchment paper.

3. When the dough is risen, cut into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a long thing rope. Twist into a pretzel shape, and dip into the baking soda mixture. Place on parchment covered sheets & let rise for 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F

4. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. As soon as they are out of the oven, generously brush with melted butter, & sprinkle with the kosher salt. You can also do cinnamon sugar.

Pretzels & a baseball game......

2011-07-01T22:55:00.002-04:00

We went to a Angels game on Wednesday! We have been wanting to go to a baseball game for a while now so it was the perfect time to go while Erin was here. In preparation for the game we basically thought about food all day. (Pretty normal business around here.) We bought a huge bag of peanuts at costco & made homemade pretzels! The kids were so excited to make their own pretzels...but to make sure we had it down we decided to first practice our pretzel skills with some play dough :)

Then for the real deal......the dough. Cambria was so funny rolling it out, she turned out to be really good at it. Andin was asking her to help him roll his dough out long & skinny like hers. She was so graceful & confident helping him saying things like, "Don't worry Andin, you're really good at it too.....but let me show you how to make it more skinny." As she speedily rolled the dough out.

And our finished product....they were SO good! I post the recipe separately if you want it!

Then came the ball game. It was sunny & bright & Cambria brought her pom poms to cheer on the Angels. Andin loved the game more than anyone, he was really paying attention to the score & the game. Of course we all enjoyed eating our pretzels & peanuts too.

The Angels won! The kids were so excited! I guess we have to be fans now that we live here.....although we are not kidding anyone with our lack of sports knowledge. Not really our big thing. But we do love to go to a game here and there!

Brazilian lemonade= liquid joy......

2011-06-24T23:18:00.001-04:00

We're starting the summer off right with a delicious beverage. My sister Erin & I found the recipe in this great cookbook my mom gave me for my Birthday! (Yes, I just turned 27 & didn't even blog about it.) Since Erin just got home from Brazil she confirmed that it was indeed, authentic. She had some the first week of her mission & said she couldn't believe how delicious it was, apparently Brazilians use their blenders for everything. So this way of making lemonade is much different than our American way, also it uses limes opposed to lemons & uses 'leite condensado' (sweetened condensed milk.) But I have to say......I am thinking it's better than ours. It's completely refreshing & perfect for a hot summer day.

Here are the kids helping me make it. Our kitchen is being renovated a bit so our countertops & kitchen sink are missing currently. So please ignore our plywood counters.

Brazilian Lemonade

6 cups cold water

1 cup sugar

4 limes

6 T sweetened condensed milk

1. Mix the cup of sugar into the 6 cups of cold water until dissolved.

2. Wash the limes with water & a little bit of dish soap. You don't take off the rind so you want to make sure it's nice and clean. Slice the ends off the limes & cut in half, then into eighths.

3. Pour half the water/sugar mixture in your blender along with half of the lime pieces & pulse several times. Strain into a pitcher with a fine strainer. Then repeat with remaining water & limes.

4. Mix in the 6 T of sweetened condensed milk. At this point Erin says you have to put it back in the blender to get it nice and frothy. I agree.

5. Pour into a glass full of ice & garnish with a lime wedge. Seriously, you'll laugh when you try it. It's that good.

We used some of the lemonade to make popsicles too, so if you have any popsicle molds lying around you might want to try that out too!

Swim lessons......

2011-06-23T23:31:00.001-04:00

Cambria finished her first session of swim lessons today! We heard great things about this teacher, Mrs. Barbara. Stories of kids who were afraid of the water & could swim across the pool after one of her two week sessions. Well, Cambria has always been a little shy in the water....so I went skeptical. But am happy to join the bandwagon of Mrs. Barbara fans. She worked wonders with our little Cam. She now can do the back stroke, butterfly, frog, & normal strokes! Her dive is pretty pathetic, but we'll work on that!! I am just happy that she is swimming & was excited to go everyday! I am super proud of her. Her Aunt Erin, Ashley, & Grandma were all able to come watch her swim too. So she was so proud to show off her new skills. She actually is quite graceful in the water! I think she has a future in this :)

Summer's here.......

2011-06-23T21:20:00.004-04:00

Finally! I've been waiting for this for months.

School. Is. Out!

I feel like this year was just dragging on. I think it might be the pregnancy, or maybe the fact that we've had so much family in town (as usual!) I don't know why exactly, but as the mom's in Andin's class cried today & the kids hugged each other & said their goodbyes.....I was thinking quietly about all the fun things we have planned & things I want to sew for this baby & how I was ready to go home. Andin peaced out pretty easily too. We're just fresh out of emotion for this one I suppose.

I thought I'd post some of the photos from all the end of the year festivities.

First up. Andin's class performed the annual 1st grade play of "The Little Red Hen." It was darling & Andin played the part of one of the baby chicks. He sang, "Mama, mama, mama, we're hungry as a hog. Mama, mama, mama, we're hungry as a dog. Hungry as a bear, hungry as a horse. But we are not those creatures, we have little chicken features, we're your little chicks of course. PEEP! PEEP! PEEP! PEEP!" It was pretty much adorable & it was really good timing that my parents & siblings were all here to see it!

After the show with some of his friends. (Classic bunny ears applied.)

Next up.....preschool graduation! Cambria has finished her pre-k year at the amazing Mrs. Laurie's preschool. I cannot believe how much she's learned & how blessed we were to find Mrs. Laurie after living here for only 7 days before school started! She has been such a wonderful, nurturing teacher & has taught Cambria many things including how to read! It's truly amazing.

I love this one.

All the kids attacking Mrs. Laurie with hugs.

It's been such a fun year. Andin started the year crying every day when we dropped him off, & making great friends with his sweet Principal who basically gave him Golden Spoon gift certificates everyday to get him to want to come to school!!! Now he's full of confidence & independence. His teacher always comments on how obedient & kind he is. Also, how he makes friends so easily & was quite the social butterfly in his class. What a difference this year has made for him. He's really such a smarty pants and I adore him. I've been busy all year doing Leapfrog testing & being one of two room moms for his class. Field trips, lunch recycling duty, & being called 'Goldilocks' by his class. (So cute.) Cambria has learned all her letters & to read, she knows many facts about animals & is always teaching us all a thing or two about them. She has a great memory & is just so passionate & excited about learning new things. She has really grown into a big girl this year & is loved by all her friends. Mrs. Laurie today told me that whatever teacher gets her next year is the luckiest teacher around, that she is such a sweetheart & was so easy to love this year. I will always be the first to admit how amazing that girl is. Well. That's the year wrap up. After typing it all I guess I do feel a little emotional, I've gone and done it. But I won't let myself cry. There's too much fun to be had ahead of us!

Happy Summer to all!!!

One of my favorite spots with two of my favorite people.....

2011-06-18T12:37:00.001-04:00

My sisters & I went to my favorite used book store in Laguna & found many treasures. Their vintage book section is amazing & the best thing is....all the books are super inexpensive. We're talking 25 cents- $3 or $4 max. It's amazing & thrilling & they all smell so GOOD! We were in there for quite some time & on the way out decided to take some photos of our finds....& yes, there are photos of me with my baby belly.

Surf day.....

2011-06-14T19:20:00.006-04:00

This day of surf began at Doheny beach on a chilly marine layered morning, with tiny little waves. Erin went out longboarding for the first time with Devin, my dad, Uncle Brian, & adorable Chelsea. Got to love the classic surf board photo ops.

Look at Erin standing up! She did so great! All of them did.

Later on in the day when the sun came out, we headed to Strand for another surf session. Devin treated himself to a very elaborate, early Father's day present. The new 2011 Channel Island board....."the neck beard." It is pretty much beautiful, and he looks at it longingly often. He cuddled it on the couch as he put on the new pad & waxed her up. I was a little jealous, I'll admit it. Ryan also got a new board & these are the giddy boys before their first surf with their new boards.

Ryan. I love that wave behind him, it's amazing.

Devin. Loving his new board.

We had fun playing on the beach, as we always do. Hailey was being wild & crazy.....which is what the beach does to children.

Such a fun day.

bubble girl.....

2011-06-10T21:02:00.000-04:00

....just something that she does that I don't want to ever forget! Boy do I love that smile.

Sunday.....

2011-06-07T22:17:00.004-04:00

We spent our evening in Laguna at a new park we just found. Cambria & Andin loved the swings, & Devin & I loved the view. We snacked, played frisbee, played tag. A little girl was doing the monkey bars super fast & even backwards, Andin asked her how old she was and she said six. He wasn't pleased with this since he had not yet done the monkey bars from start to finish & by himself yet. So when he found out she was YOUNGER than him...he couldn't let that be. He tried over & over & over again until he did it! We were really proud of him, I realize he's a little late on that train, but he did really good!!

Check out the face on this girl! She's got quite the personality...I took a great jump shot of Andin too but he made me promise not to post it because his hair was going pretty crazy. I seriously laughed so hard with Devin when I uploaded it. Maybe someday I'll get the ok from him to post it ;)

Andin enjoying the most amazing cookies ever. The recipe is seriously life changing & I will have to post it someday soon.

Beautiful Laguna.

Next we walked across PCH to one of my favorite beaches.

Andin & his bird watching/picture taking obsession. I love it.

Nothing beats having cousins in town........

2011-06-05T14:12:00.000-04:00

We had a busy weekend full of fun with Devin's family in town! Having the four cousins together is always so fun. They all play great together & are pretty adorable if you ask me. We hit Disneyland, Selma's at Del Mar, the beach, Ruby's, and had plenty of time to just hang out together. Andin & Cambria were up far too late 3 nights in a row & we paid for it as Cambria was an emotional wreak several times...but she'll recover. I went a bit photo crazy on this post...but we never know when these four cuties will be together again so I feel it's justified ;)

Cam & Jake have the cutest relationship, she loves her "Jakey."

Our sandcastle....I was going for a 'Troy' look, what do you think? Andin insisted that it had 2 jails. Emmi & Cambria worked on the garden on the sides of our city.

Always love when Andin runs up to me all crazy & then looks at my belly & stops his hyperness to give the baby a kiss & a little rub. He's going to be a great big brother.

Anna & Baba with all the Grandkids!

Elementary Art Friday #30- Fish in the sea

2011-06-03T23:55:00.001-04:00

My adorable niece Emmi is here with the rest of the family visiting us this weekend. Emmi loves to do art & I love that she loves to do it with me! I always try to do crafts with her & have several sweet memories of making things with her. This craft is super easy & fun...but it also helps kids practice cutting & drawing shapes. She, Cam, & I had fun doing it together.

All you need....

*White paper
*Blue tempura paint
*Sponge brushes
*Dot paints
*Mod podge or whatever glue you have on hand
*Pencil

1. Start by painting one of the white sheets with the blue tempura paint. This is the ocean background for your fish. Use a sponge brush so you can get the texture just right.

2. Next...and sorry I missed some photos...use another white sheet of paper & cover it with dots using your do-a-dot paints. Once it dries use a pencil on the other side to draw fish shapes, then using scissors cut out the fish.

3. Last, paint the glue on the back of your fish & put them in your ocean. So cute.

Harry Potter on my couch......

2011-06-01T22:25:00.001-04:00

....I was cleaning the bathrooms upstairs today & the kids were watching a show downstairs. I walked downstairs when I finished to find Andin in his complete Harry Potter costume, on the couch, holding his wand, with his little socks still on from school, laughing at Phineas & Ferb. It was as if this was a normal occurrence, which I think it probably will be.

He makes me smile.

Home cookin'.......

2011-06-01T11:41:00.003-04:00

Monday I was in the mood for soup. So I simmered a rotisserie chicken I had in the fridge with some veggies & salt & garlic to make the broth. I love that smell. It's just so cozy. We also had some garlic focaccia a bread with melted butter & Parmesan cheese....Mmmm.

But. It got me thinking. I think my chicken soup recipe could be improved. It's tasty, but I want it to be tastier. I do wonder if it's just because I am the one who made it, I am really weird with meat. Pulling the meat off the bones just creeps me a bit. But I still think I need some help, does anyone have an all time favorite chicken noodle recipe to share!?? I want to try something new.
Help me!?

Memorial day, San Clemente style.....

2011-05-30T22:29:00.004-04:00

Ahh Memorial day. What a good day. Always filled with family, food, & if you're lucky...the beach. We spent ours in San Clemente & it was a perfect day. Clear skies, perfectly warm, & oh...Kelly Slater. Yeah. He was surfing right in front of us!! I couldn't believe it! I also couldn't believe how amazing he was, I mean of course I knew he'd be, but when you're actually watching him it's unreal! The boys didn't go out right away to surf because they couldn't stop watching him...also I am sure because they didn't want to surf next to Kelly Slater. But eventually they ventured out & got some surf in. When Kelly got out of the water I made Devin go get a photo of Cambria with him, I mean how often do you get to see a surf legend!? We wanted Andin in the photo too but he was being shy, then later in the day he told me he wished he would have just done it. Poor guy! Maybe we'll run into him again someday.

After that excitement we went back to jumping in the waves, throwing beach balls, & getting a lot of sun.

After the beach we headed to Aunt Suzie's for a delicious BBQ & talked about baby names for far too long. I do love the conversations we have with Becky & Ryan :) Good times!

I must also mention how grateful I am for all the many souls who have sacrificed their time & even lives for our country. How blessed we all are to live with such freedom.

Orange belt.....

2011-05-29T14:01:00.000-04:00

Andin got his Orange belt Friday!! He's been working so hard & is really doing great with Karate. I always am amazed at how quickly he picks up what they teach him & how much more coordination he's acquiring. Mostly what I admire about Andin is his intensity & determination to learn. He really tries his best & that is something to be proud of. Now that he's an Orange belt he will be starting Sparring once a week. He's got all the gear for it now & hopefully he's ready to get a little roughed up! I really don't know much about Karate so I am learning as it comes, but we are loving it so far!

Field trip to the OC Zoo......

2011-05-29T13:50:00.000-04:00

Andin's class had their field trip last week to the Orange county zoo. We had never been there so it was fun to see it for the first time. It's so quaint & really cute because of it's size. It reminded me of the Nature center we loved so much in Bay Village, Ohio...but of course a bit bigger than that. It was really beautiful in the parks surrounding the zoo as well. That is something I love so much about living in Orange county. You can be in a great area with tons of homes & shopping, the beach a few miles away but then drive 30 minutes inland to the country. It's really the best of both worlds.

I was in charge of Andin & three of his friends & we spent our time winding through the different exhibits & filling out our fact sheet about the animals. We ended up in the petting zoo, where the goats were getting a bit out of control trying to eat papers out of my hands! They are so funny. Andin was so proud to have his mommy there & of course that made me very happy. Who knows how much longer I have of him wanting me around his friends!

I didn't get many photos, I should have taken more!

A bit of gardening.....

2011-05-23T19:10:00.001-04:00

My calling in our ward is Activity days with my friend Cindy....it's so fun working with the 8 & 9 year olds. Today we decorated pots & planted some herbs & vegetables. Cindy made some yummy dirt cups for the girls too. After they all left we let the kids decorate their own pot. I got all the star wars scrapbook paper out & Andin told me he actually wanted it plain....but he ended up deciding to paint a pokeball on it. How things change...one minute your kids obsessed with Luke Skywalker, next it's Pikachu. I have to admit I liked Star Wars much more. Cam did choose some star wars paper & painted over the girly paper with black paint. She is something that kid. We are happy to be home after our trip to Az, but missing the family already!

East coast.....

2011-05-14T18:27:00.000-04:00

The other day Cambria wore her new swimsuit & sun hat with some white Jcrew cutoffs. She pretty much strut her stuff at the beach. I commented to Devin that she looked totally East coast, & we were laughing at her attitude. She really isn't a girly girl at all, she is the kid that rolls in the sand & picks up crabs. But she had some major sass that day :)

A night in Laguna.....

2011-05-14T18:13:00.000-04:00

Where we saw.........

I know the photo doesn't do much but we saw it blow water & swim right by. This beach is the spot we always see dolphins, seals, & whales! Pretty amazing. We had just ate lunch & took off, then on the drive there the baby decided she was very starving so I made Devin stop at Whole Foods! (Laguna is not known for quick & easy food....) I grabbed an amazing blue corn & pepperjack tamale, some black bean chili, & a chai tea. It made my night at the beach even more pleasant!! Andin & Devin played frisbee & Ami was up to her mischief as usual trying to wander off & become a missing baby. Cambria was learning a lesson about how babies like to destroy sand castles as much as she enjoys to build them. She has a big life changer coming don't you think? We all do I suppose! But it's a welcomed change by all of us.

Ending the day with this kind of view is always humbling.

Field trip.......

2011-05-14T13:15:00.008-04:00

After spending hours getting to watch & even pet these adorable dolphins so close up we decided that Seaworld may be the happiest place on earth! Seriously, look at these beautiful creatures. They are so social & friendly, they are by far my favorite animal. I loved watching the kids wait so patiently for the dolphins to swim their way. Cambria's preschool class had their annual Seaworld trip & we were so happy to be a part of it this year! Andin got to miss school & we all headed town to San Diego!

At the seal & bird show.

The kids thought this was pretty funny, the fish eating romaine lettuce underwater.

We headed to old town San Diego afterwards and ate at a delicious Mexican restaurant & explored all around that area. There are so many cool buildings & a million authentic Mexican restaurants. There are seriously ladies making tortillas on the streets. It's amazing. I have a million more photos, but that's always the story.

Then...what a great ending to such a fun day driving by this beauty on our way home! I haven't taken a good out the window on the freeway shot for sometime now. Got to love them.

Busy Saturday.....

2011-04-30T17:00:00.002-04:00

We spent the afternoon at our favorite beach & watched the amazing boats sail by, saw a lot of dolphins & watched the kids dig holes & throw the frisbee.

After the beach we went to check out a new spot! Casey's cupcakes in Laguna Beach. It was super delicious & so cute inside. They were just setting up for a little girls birthday party & I about died when I saw the table all set up. Adorable!

The boys trying to decide what to get!

We went with the dark chocolate......

The reaction to the first bite of Caribbean Coconut......he looks pretty excited.

And last but not least the espresso & raspberry! If you live anywhere near this place it would be worth your time to go have a taste for yourself!

Cambria has been at her concert all day & we are now getting ready for the 7 o clock concert that we have tickets to. It's in a huge venue & the kids are singing 'Jesus is my Shepard,' & 'Popcorn popping!' I can't wait to hear it with the entire orchestra & with the kids all in their uniforms! It's going to be fun! Here's a sneak peak of Cam in her cute outfit with her friend Lexi. I love this girl.

Elementary Art Friday #29- Oriental Scroll Paintings

2011-04-29T21:45:00.001-04:00

Back when I trained to be an official "Art Mom" the lovely Pat of Fuller elementary showed us this fun project. I miss going into the classroom each week, but it's fun keeping up at home. These Oriental scrolls are very fun & teach a lot about perception & depth. We chose an ocean theme. Here's all you need.....

*tempura cakes (or if you don't have them, watercolors.)
*watercolor paper, or card stock cut in halves.
*paint brushes & water

1. Start with your long piece of paper. Begin painting at the bottom of the sheet with darker more condensed paint, then work upwards using more water and making the pictures towards the top lighter. Teach the kids about perception & how we can show depth by the darkness or size of what we paint.

2. After you've drawn your fish, add some sea floor, seaweed, or whatever else. Begin filling in the water around the fish, remembering again to have the more condensed dark paint at the bottom & grow lighter at the top!

And that's it! If you want to dig deeper into this way of painting, show your kids some examples of Oriental scroll paintings. Teach them in depth about shading & how to use water to make different shades of one color! Have fun!

Rascals.....

2011-04-27T22:22:00.004-04:00

Our little angels are quickly turning into rascals! I am not kidding that about 2 months into this pregnancy as I thought how "under control" we had things......all a sudden Andin couldn't stop talking to take one single breath....also the copying everything I said thing started. That gets old pretty fast. Oh and the "Cam said I am being selfish....." Or Cambria saying, "Mooooom....Andin says I can't have a turn." Also they run & run & run whenever we're in a store or public place & they are so LOUD!!!! I don't know if it's my hormones or what, but I have moments where I just feel like I need to run the other way...fast, and to be honest I've never felt that way yet in motherhood.

But let's be serious, these kids are so sweet. I adore them. They play well 98% of the time...used to be 99...and I get more kisses in one day than I ever deserve. I can't wait to see them hold their little sister. I am pretty sure my heart will grow a hundred times it's current size when I see that moment happen. It's been something I've dreamed of for a while now.

For now I'll enjoy the present. The crazy stages we're in & the funny faces that are constantly being made. I'll even try to enjoy the moments of attitude and drama a bit more. Why not?

Party time- Easter style......

2011-04-26T07:49:00.000-04:00

We did Cambria's birthday party this year with an Easter theme. It seemed appropriate since her birthday fell 3 days before Easter & the fact that she is OBSESSED with egg hunts & candy. We did it at Salt Creek beach park & as luck would have it, it was a perfect day for it. We did the hunt, painted eggs, played the egg in spoon relay, ate some fruit & snacks, had a giant egg pinata, & ate cupcakes! It was a lot of fun & all the kids were beside themselves with all the candy they had access to. My favorite moment of course was the moment the pinata broke & the chaos unleashed itself. Such a classic.

Cambria's friends are so cute, they all were so polite & sweet. We did have one that kept sneaking away, which was giving me a bit of a panic attack, but he is just very social!! I love my Cambria & am so glad she had such a fun party!

Easter Sunday.......

2011-04-25T17:13:00.004-04:00

On the way home from church we stopped at a place called 'Rattlesnake hill,' which is currently covered in yellow flowers. A lot of the hills here are. It's so beautiful and was a perfect spot to snap some photos of the kids in their Easter best. We had a wonderful Easter, and though we missed our families...we had a delicious dinner with friends that was so fun. I love this time of year, & the opportunity to start fresh & remember the resurrection of our Savior. I hope you had a wonderful Easter too!

Elementary Art Friday #28- Spring Flowers

2011-04-22T23:33:00.000-04:00

These spring time flowers are perfect for Earth day, Easter, or just a spring day. They look so cute stuck in a pot with soil or in the garden!

Here's what you'll need.....

*Jumbo size popcicle sticks
* Card stock
*Paint (we used glitter paints & tempera cakes)
*Scissors
*Cupcake liners
*Tape or glue

And here's what you do.......

1. Paint the jumbo sized popcicle sticks green...these are your stems :)

2. Cut the card stock into flower shapes, we did tulips & daffodils. Paint the flowers whatever colors you want.

3. For the daffodils we painted, very lightly, the cupcake liners. Then glued them onto the painted flower. Scrunching them a bit to make the right shape. Aren't they darling!?

4. Lastly glue the dried popsicle sticks to the back of the painted & dried flowers. Now you have an adorable spring flower! Stick them in the garden, hang them in the house, tape them on a paper painted with grass & trees, use them as puppets, whatever you want!

The way it should be.......

2011-04-20T23:16:00.002-04:00

Every birthday should start out like this....don't you agree?

With a nice box of fresh donuts. Cambria requested these to bring to her preschool class as a celebration of her big day. My sweet girl is FIVE today!

It was a very laid back day compared to past Birthdays but it was nice. She invited her friend Devan over after school & had tons of fun playing for hours with her. Then Anna & Baba arrived & let her pick a restaurant for dinner! She chose Rainforest Cafe & even though it was loud & slightly annoying to the adults...she LOVED it. (Even though at one point she said, I didn't know it was going to be THIS loud!) Andin really loved watching the fish, he found an eel in the tank & made sure we all saw it. They wanted me to take them on a walk around the whole restaurant to see all the animals.

The brownie volcano dessert came after dinner....lit with a sparkler for her to blow out. That whipped cream was so tasty!

Enjoying every morsel, as usual.

After dinner we went back home to open presents! It was already 9 by the time we got back, the poor girl had waited all day. She was so ready to rip into those things! (Notice her crazy disheveled hair from being crazy.)

What a day! And really...what a girl. She's the sweetest girl I know, & enchants everyone she meets. I am so grateful for her joyful spirit in our family. Happy Birthday to my sweet buddy Cam, & for the love of everything...can't we just stop growing please!? I can't take this anymore.

I heart San Juan......

2011-04-19T21:46:00.002-04:00

I am falling more and more in love with where we live. I love finding new spots & fun places for the kids. San Juan Capistrano is so gorgeous, it's got so many fun things to explore & visit. We went to Zoomars yesterday, a very quaint sweet little petting zoo. The kids loved feeding & holding all the guinia pigs & rabbits, they also fed the goats, cows, sheep & horses. Cambria was in love and actually cried when we left, I had to promise her we'd go back soon. She LOVED it! Andin was a little weary of the animals but definitely took time to feed them & especially watch them & follow them around.

All around this little petting zoo are tons of historical homes that you can walk by & even some you can go inside. There are a million things to see & take photos of & the gardens are breath taking. I took about 250 photos & had to just grab a few since I don't have time to go through them all!! I love that we can be 5 minutes from the beach but still have these country like places to visit. It really is the best of both worlds for me! Even better, my aunts & cousins were there too! We walked over to Ruby's after our Zoomars visit & long walk around the neighborhoods. It was a gorgeous day & I can't wait to go back!

Silly cousins at the beach.....

2011-04-16T22:48:00.001-04:00

85 degree Saturday spent at the beach with cousins. They play so well together & are so silly! Cambria dug a big hole in the sand & was very excited when she found a lot of water down there.....but a few minutes later as the hole got bigger she mentioned her concern of finding a shark in the hole! I love that kid & her cute little accent & imagination. Andin is showing a lot of interest in boogie boarding but decided that he'd wait for a wetsuit. Oliver loves when I take his photo, he asked me to take one of his silly face & this is the result.....

Sweet Amelie Jane in all her mischief.

After the beach we headed to my Aunt Suzie & Uncle Brian's new house. They've got a killer view & I could literally spend my life on their back patio. Suzie is so sweet to our kids, she gave them big slices of watermelon as soon as they walked in.....and that is a good way to make friends with these two. I LOVE them! Even when they make me crazy I LOVE them so much it's nuts! Happy Saturday everyone!!

Ariel's Grotto & photos of food.....

2011-04-16T13:03:00.001-04:00

We splurged major & took Cambria to Ariel's Grotto for her early birthday dinner! Every time we have walked by it she says, "Can we go there someday for my Birthday?!" So I was a sucker & booked a reservation. It was so much fun. We had a delicious dinner & the kids were so full of energy & excitement it was a bit out of control. We had to tell them to calm down at least 50 times, no exaggeration.

Cambria's roll covered in butter......

The kids loved the sugared chicken skewers on a edible sugar cane stick! Who wouldn't I suppose.

Birthday girl! The dessert plate was unbelievable.....it had an assortment of passion fruit or mango mousse's, lava cakes, tiramisu, & cakes. It was any pregnant lady or child's dream! There was also a very fancy film strip with all kinds of disney scenes all made of chocolate, yeah the kids ate it in about 30 seconds. I realized quickly that we need a family night where we talk a bit about manners! Seriously. The reservations come with a pass to the World of Color in a fancy "premier dining" section & it was so (yes I am going to say it....) magical.

I think she had fun.....what do you think?

World of Color clip....

Beauty all around.....

2011-04-14T10:34:00.001-04:00

The other night we went to Aliso creek beach. The wind was perfect for a little kite flying & the sunset was unbelievable. Lola had her first trip to the beach & LOVED it! I got some really cute videos of Cambria tugging her along, trying to get her to go in the water. These moments are so precious. I love my little family & feel so lucky to be the mommy of it! What an important thing to do. I can't think of anything else I'd rather be doing.

Bunny pancakes.....

2011-04-09T09:43:00.001-04:00

At our house (if you haven't already noticed) Saturday mornings usually involve pancakes. We always have fun coming up with more ways to make them! Today was 100% whole wheat, & applesauce pancake day. The kids used our Easter cookie cutters to cut them into bunny shapes, added some blueberries for the eyes, & whipped cream for the tail, and there were some very happy kids around our kitchen table.

Then we slathered them with this homemade Blueberry Syrup.......

2 cups blueberries

1 1/2 cups water

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 tsp lemon juice

Blend in blender or food processor until thick, then heat up on stove or in microwave.

Spring break is basically over, it's bittersweet because it's just another check off point to get to summer! But I wish we could have add another week off ;) Happy Weekend.

Good times in Arizona....

2011-04-07T16:30:00.002-04:00

I didn't take one photo the whole time we were there until the last day! Meaning I have no proof of all the fun we had at my parents, watching conference, cooking delicious fajitas, seeing my Grandma Knudsen, bowling & playing arcade games, the kids going crazy playing pokemon with Hailey. But it all happened. We also went to good ole Joe's BBQ with both sides of our family & got to see Devin's Grandparents too! It is fun to see everyone while we're there. These are some photos I took at Devin's parents. The kids with Baba in the pool (who btw took a day off from work to spend time with them) & some of the kids with Anna & ALL the dogs! So funny. We love our families!!

On the way home we stopped in Phoenix because Devin had a client he had to meet with there. The kids & I had fun going on a nature walk & coloring photos inside Catapult studios.

We made a sonic run & headed back HOME!! Road trips are always fun in our family, we stopped at a nature rest stop & gave Lola some water, I looked down at my baby bump shadow & couldn't resist a photo. It's one of the only belly shots you'll ever see on this blog!

Cambria fell asleep for half the drive & Andin nurtured his Angry birds obsession. We stopped at Sizzler for dinner. Good times! But now we're home & let me tell you I LOVE it here!!!!