Wishing you...

A happy, healthy & prosperous new year!

Happy Holidays...

From our family to yours!

Silver Tidings!

This year I changed up our Christmas decor. I've been wanting to change it up for a few years now and this was the year. For the last couple of Xmases our tree was turquoise and silver while our other decor included light green and purple. Well, I found quite a few things on clearance last season and saved them. The thing is, I forgot I bought stuff and went out and bought more stuff this year. Our tree is tiny. Maybe just under six feet? But that's because we don't put on the bottom layer of the fake tree. However, next year, with all of our extra decorations I will be using the whole tree!

I also posted earlier on my DIY snowflake wreath, we also have some new stockings, and I filled our apothecary jars with silver ornaments. I love the way it all turned out BUT I really want a mantle! We don't have a fireplace so we hang our stockings on a mirror but I love decorating and we don't have room or a place to decorate so that's where a faux mantle comes in. Keep a look our for it cause when I get one I'm going to post all about it. Oh, and one of these years I'm going to go with RED, silver and white! Too late for this year.

Disneyland CandleLight Processional

Last week was a dicey week. Most of us were under the weather but we still made it to the Disneyland CandleLight Ceremony. As an annual passholder, I won wristbands for reserved seating, and it was amazing! We had awesome seats just 3 rows from the reader for the evening who happened to be none other than Disney great, Dick Van Dyke! He read the story of Jesus' birth and the choirs sounded great! We totally caught a lucky break! It rained the night before and the night after and it had been raining off and on the day of the ceremony. But by evening the skies had cleared! The crowd was also very light so we had a late night snack and took a ride on the Haunted Holiday Mansion. A super fun night!

Thoughts & Prayers

A horrific tragedy occurred today and 20 little angels are now in heaven. My thoughts, prayers, and love go out to the families whose loved ones were affected by this tragedy including those little angels, teachers, staff, and the community.

I have a heavy heart knowing that these little angels, just a tiny but older than Jacob, were innocent victims in a senseless act. Lives cut entirely too short. So tonight, hug your loved ones a little tighter...I know I will.

THAT time of year...

Isabella has been sick for a couple of months now. Don't worry, she's been to the doctor, all is fine. And Jacob has been sick a couple of times in the last few months. I know Bella's system is getting used to the preschool atmosphere and Jacob's already adjusted. Now me, well something is trying to get me. For the last couple of nights, I've had fevers and chills. And a little body ache but nothing else crazy major. Maybe a little nose issues but that's it. Unfortunately (fortunately?) we got complimentary tickets to a candlelight procession at Disneyland, and between our illnesses and the possible rain, I'm crossing my fingers that we make it! Keep your fingers crossed for us! Till then, we'll keep the meds flowing and the vaporizer roaring!

{DIY} Snowflake Wreath

This year I wanted a new wreath. My ornament wreath had seen better days and is now missing a bunch of ornaments. So, I searched Pinterest for something a little different. I found a ton of cute wreaths, however my main criteria for a wreath was to withstand extreme outdoor conditions. Okay, not really extreme but nothing made out of paper. So, a popsicle snowflake wreath it was!

I found the directions for my wreath from a few sites including www.craftnest.com but I followed the directions at www.ballardbunch.blogspot.com. Sorry if there are no links (posting from my phone sucks). You can find similar directions at both websites just pick one that works for your vision. Oh, and this wreath is ridiculously easy. The only time consuming part was getting the angles straight but that was my borderline OCD kicking in. But isn't it cute? I *love* it!

Off to the Dentist & Writings

We've been very busy at the dentist. Last week Jacob went for his usual twice yearly check up, and his teeth looked great! Except, he had a tiny cavity. So, we got it filled ASAP. He did extremely well without any laughing gas. The dentist kept praising him, and he loved getting a toy from the toy box. A green spiked ball to be exact, and he got to watch one of his favorite movies, Despicable me. This was his second cavity and I think the culprit was/is fruit snacks. He begs for them daily but he does not get them daily. Not like he used to, so we'll see if that helps anything.

And in other news, I'm a proud mom! Jacob can now write his name! It's not perfect but I'm proud. It took him about 2 months. I have no idea if that's good or bad but who cares, he can do it!

Bye Bye Binky!

Isabella finally gave up her binky, or as she called it, her mimis. She only used it when she slept for nap time and bed time. But it was time for it to go. I was tired of seeing the thing and if she dropped it she would get up. It had to go.

I started looking at ideas to get rid of it a few weeks ago. There are quite a few good ways to try to get rid of it. I heard tying it to balloons and letting the child send them off. Taking the pacifiers to Toys R Us to trade in for a toy. Giving them to another baby. Like I said, so many ideas. But I went with a "broken" binky. I cut off the tip of the binky so it was hard to suck on. I showed her it was "broken" and when she tried to use it, she couldn't. So, she threw it in the trash. But right after she threw it away she said we had to get a new one. Nope, sorry babe, the binky is done.

She went to sleep quickly. I was surprised since the night before she would not go to sleep without her binky. She had dropped it out of her crib and I wanted to see if she would give it up. But it was a no-go. So, we are done! Next up, moving her to her toddler bed. I've been trying to postpone this as long as possible.

Ketchup & Mustard

It's been ages since I've blogged last, and a lot of things are changing around here. More on that in a later post. But let's catch up (ketchup?)!

Isabella is finally potty trained! I didn't give up, but it did take a month. We've gone on outings like Disneyland sans pull-up and she's done great! Actually, she only wears a pull-up at night. We've don't have the night thing under control yet but I will!

I'm still helping out at Jacob & Isabella's school. And the kids had their school pictures taken! I love the way they came out but they look so BIG. I don't have babies anymore :( but we're having a lot more fun.

The kids had their first sleep over at their uncle's house. They've already had quite a few at their cousin Jasmine's house, but you can't compare cause their uncle lives 30 minutes away not 3! They did well despite Isabella being free from any confinement like her crib but it took her a mighty long time to fall asleep. Poor Jasmine. She had no sleep.

Speaking of Jasmine (my niece), we headed out for our annual Twilight movie night! However, this year my sister thought a marathon would be fun. OMG. I was not looking forward to this at all. In the end, it was a great idea! Time actually flew by, and we got to see the movie at 10p instead of midnight. My butt was a little sore for a few days after, but not having to fight with people and having a theater that was less than full, amazing!

The following weekend was thanksgiving! Woo hoo! The kids had a feast at their school and it was sooo good! We also had the chance to hear the kids sing and dance for us. The song was so catchy that we've all been singing it! "Do the turkey dinner dance, come on, come on, lets go..." Our turkey day was perfectly quiet and uneventful and the food was amazing. It's a good thing it's only once a year! Mmm, tamales are next.

So, I think I've caught up! Oh, wait! I did a lot of Black Friday shopping...all weekend! But I bought almost ALL of my gifts. Whew! The best and most fun part is shopping for the kids. I can't wait to see their faces on Christmas morning :) I hope Santa delivers! And, I know I'm late but, I hope you all had a blessed thanksgiving!

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a great halloween. I know I'm a day late, but better late than never! So, our halloween celebrations started the weekend before at a party and the day before halloween. The kids celebrated a day early at school. I kind of liked it. No crazy sugar highs to beat on the day of. This year I made exactly the same treat I made last year, Oreo mummies. I'm sorry but they're so easy to make. And Bella had 17 kids in her class. So cheap and easy it was. I also took mini cupcakes to Jake's class. I love that they do not allow candy to be eaten at school and their party goodies consisted of cheese, cold cuts, crackers, and fruit. Followed by a mini cupcake.

Halloween was mellow. We started trick-o-treating around 6p. The kids couldn't wait longer. And we only hit up 2 blocks before returning to Titi's (aunties) house to bake some cookies! The kids were in bed by their usual bedtime. But the highlight of my night was when all was over, and I was getting Jacob out of his costume, and he tells me, "Mom, that was the best halloween ever!" No it wasn't super special or fancy but he loved it!

This year, if you haven't noticed, Isabella was Minnie Mouse and Jacob was Darth Vader, they both loved their costumes. I was surprised Bella kept her ears on and that Jacob held out wearing his costume for over a month. The kid's got patience. Now I'm sure he'll wear it out to his hearts content. Now that this halloween is over, I wonder what they're going to be next year?

5 Years!

This past weekend the hubs and I celebrated our fifth wedding anniversary! To celebrate, the hubs and I headed to fabulous Las Vegas. I had the best weekend ever! We hadn't been in almost 3 years, and I was preggers with Isabella. Oh, but this time was sooo much better! We got into LV on Saturday afternoon. We had a nice dinner planned at Emeril Lagasse's restaurant Delmonico and a Cirque show after. Our dinner was amazing, and I tried pâté on a crostini with micro greens. It was really good but so rich. I couldn't finish it. Our steaks were delicious. The sides...yum! For dessert, we had complimentary sorbet, it was so fresh. Yum, makes my mouth water thinking about all the good food!

After dinner we then headed to our Cirque show, Beatles Love! Coincidentally, this year is also the 5th anniversary of Beatles Love! It was a great show and exactly what I expected from Cirque. This was our 4th Cirque show, and we try to see one when we are in town. I like the Beatles but I think I like them even more now!

If all that wasn't enough, we also did some outlet shopping, hit up our favorite Mexican spot, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, and a comedy show at the Laugh Factory. It was a fun filled weekend!

And, the hubs got me my first Michael Kors bag and wallet! I have been a long time lover of Coach, but I wanted something different and a little more sophisticated. I love it! And while I was in Vegas, I was also on a mission to fix my Louis Vuitton bag. She's old and her leather zipper pull broke, but it was a no-go in Vegas. Oh well. South Coast Plaza here I come!

I had a fantastic time celebrating our anniversary! I love my hubs dearly. He is truly my best friend, partner, and the best father to my kids. Here's to many more years! Thanks for everything, baby! Love you!

King of the Jungle Baby Shower

I recently had the opportunity to put together an adorable baby shower. The theme picked was called king of the jungle and it's all about a little lion king. I'd also found this theme when I was on a search for a theme for the blue & brown baptism I put together. This is a super popular theme, and you can find tons of adorable ideas all over the web.

For this party I designed the centerpieces and the candy table. I love the way everything came out. But I think my favorite item that I used was the banner I made. And, can I just say, I *pinkpuffyheart* love Cricut craftroom. I don't think I could have made those cuuute little lions faces or those little onesies without it. Well, for free at least. I love the way everything came together and I can't wait to do it again.

 

 

 

 

Isabella & Potty Training

A couple weeks ago, I decided, cold turkey, to potty train Isabella. I was just so tired of diapers, and I thought she was ready. She did really well the first week. She was pretty much PT, but then the following week...things changed. She started peeing outside of the toilet. Yes, outside. I thought this was only a boy problem, but according to my research, and a google search, it is not! So, because of this, Bella kind of regressed. She started having accidents. I also blame preschool. She does not go potty at preschool because of the comfort of her pull-up. But, I get her into her underwear as soon as we get home. And start the training process all over again. Oh, and forget about #2. I'm also using the same techniques that I used for Jacob - a potty chart with stickers and M & Ms. I upped the ante with #2 and offering a cookie. I'm thisclose to giving up. We'll see how long it takes us to get to the end of the potty training road. At the rate we're going I feel like it's going to be a year. They say girls are easier to PT, but Jacob was easier. 3 days and he was done. This girl is trying my patience.

A Blue & Brown Baptism/1st Birthday!

Last week, I had the privilege of putting together a baptism/birthday party for an adorable baby boy named James! It was my very first gig. I think it went exceptionally well, but there was one minor hiccup, and a few small things I would have changed.
The party was given by the God parents, and they gave me full reign over the decor. I had no idea what I wanted to do until I saw the invite. It was very simple, perfect for a baptism, and was blue & brown. So, I decided to do a color themed party. Colors were white with blue & brown accents. I also didn't want it to be too first birthday cheesy so I used his name throughout, and I wanted to keep the purity of the baptism with white.
The candy table was made up of candies in blue and brown with matching cupcakes and an adorable yummy cake to match. I was in charge of picking those out too.
I had a lot of fun doing this party and it was so easy since I was given the opportunity to pick what I thought would work. And since it was a success, I already have second gig lined up. Yay! A baby shower.

Isabella's in preschool!

This week Isabella started school at the same school Jacob attends. However, Isabella is only going 2 days a week, and only half day, just like her brother. At the end of her first day, I'd asked the teachers how she did, and to my surprise, they said she did fine. Such a relief. I thought my crazy girl would go nuts, but she didn't. Then again, it was only her first day. We'll see how she does this year!

Jacob's in PreK!

This week Jacob started prek, and this year he'll be going every day. Last year he only went 3 days a week. He also went to summer school so the transition back into prek was super easy. Almost like a regular day except now he's in a new class, and we're getting him ready for kindergarten next year! I can't believe he'll be in elementary school this time next year :( He's growing up so fast. This year I'll also be volunteering on a regular basis at his school. I'll be able to watch him grow and learn on the sidelines but at least I'll be there. So, we'll see where this school year takes us.