NINE ONLINE

Christmas Dating...

2010-12-12T16:13:00.000-08:00

You see… rules are rules….and rules are,

that you have to be 3 years old

in order to go out on the

Official Christmastime Daddy- Daughter Date,

not that we are purposely mean to our 2 and unders,

but truth isthey usually dont give a rip at that age.

But this year... Charlotte was 3 and she was ready!

They kept it simple with dinner, chocolate ice cream

and plenty of Christmas lights

in downtown Santa Barbara.

(note to self: steer clear of white outfits on future 3 yr. old dates involving chocolate ice cream)

Daddy came home smiling saying,

"Our girls are so completely different".

They both had so much fun. Char likes to party.

Nevaeh requested the same date spot as last Christmas.

Stick with what you know, thats the safest way,

besides who wants to deal with the unexpected?

surprises?...way too much stress for this 5 year old.

In the minutes before they headed out the door,

conversations in are house were as follows…

"Soooo, this is My date, right? So that means I'm the boss, right?

So I can order lemonade if I want to, right?

I'm the boss? Am I the boss?

I am a princess and the princess is always the boss." :)

They had dinner in Thousand Oaks and then visited the

outdoor ice skating rink again.

This year she says she was "a SO much better ice skater"

and of course thrilled

that she needed a bigger skate size then last year.

Daddy always brings his dates home way too late

and completely exhausted!

They wake up a little when getting them into bed

and they fall back asleep with

little smiles on their faces…it's so precious.

I think its my turn next!

Charlotte Turns Three!!!

2010-10-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Few things in life have brought us more joy than our Charlotte.

She has us laughing all the time.

Her blonde wild curls match her personality perfectly

and we are always asking ourselves where this child came from.

Often shy around people, few get to see the real Char.

She is smart, sneaky, funny, and always up for a good time.

She loves to dance and sing.

Her night time prayers are so long we almost

always have to cut her off gently. She loves her daddy.

She is always looking out for #1 and nothing and no one is sacred,

the girl will turn on you in a heartbeat!

She usually strips as soon as she walks in the front door

and plays dress up daily,

complete with a knife tucked in her chonies, to fight the bad guys.

She wants nothing to do with babies

and has made it clear she does NOT want one in our house:)

She asks almost everyday to go to the candy store.

She thinks the world of her big sister,

but makes it perfectly clear who rules the relationship.

We love you Charlotte Elizabeth and couldn't be more thankful

to God for making you so wonderfully special.

You are perfect for our family!

Happy Birthday Cheese!

Kindergarten!!!

2010-09-03T17:18:00.000-07:00

The post you've all been waiting for…right?!

Monday, August 30th Nevaeh got up bright and way to early to go to her first day of Kindergarten! Can you believe it?! She was so stoked she couldn't sleep the night before. And now here we are at the end of the school week and she's totally bummed that its friday and that she doesn't have school tomorrow!

…I wonder how long that will last? So does she like school? …YES! She loves it

and actually requested to sleep there and I could pick her up on her birthday next year!

Al and I dropped her off together and I joined the group of Kindergarten mothers as we hovered over our little ones while they made their way into their classroom. We huddled in the corner in a photo snapping frenzy as the most adorable group of babies in uniforms took their

seats marked with their names and a pencil box filled with school necessities. I feared I would be an emotional wreck, but to both Al and I's surprise we were completely at peace and felt as

though we were leaving her with family, and now, just one week in, we are confident that we did:)

WARNING:

If you are uneasy when it comes to cuteness you might not want to look at the photos below

Check out Nevaeh's amazing school here:)

Carousel…check!

2010-09-03T17:05:00.000-07:00

I believe this was the last box that we checked on

Nevaeh's Dad Vacation checklist.

Summer vacation was a success! So fun!

Yosemite…check!

2010-09-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

We took a fairly quick turn around trip up north to find ourselves some "really BIG trees". We went to Yosemite with Al's grandparents for the day and had a fabulous time!

We are so thankful for them and for this trip!

Bike…check!

2010-09-03T16:26:00.000-07:00

Nevaeh has been itching to take her training wheels off, because she's 5 and all. We tried a couple months ago….no go. The girl will swing her leg over the back of giant beast of burden, grab the reigns and kick him to 'Giddy Up', but she is scared to fall off a bike where her feet touch the ground….go figure:) So anyways, Daddy(my more patient other half) took it upon himself to teach her to ride her two-wheeler before school started. It took two days of practice, a patient daddy, lots of encouragement, a video camera and she was off and riding in no time!…."Giddy Up"

Zoo…check!

2010-08-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

...white sandy beaches, wide open enclosures, carefully simulated environment

…this could very well be the Santa Barbara Zoo!

The ant hill was the highlight of our visit,

you grab a piece of cardboard, climb to the top and

weeeeeee!

Beach Picnic…check!

2010-08-11T21:58:00.000-07:00

The girls and I go to the beach often,

but you see apparently Mommy is boring and Daddy is fun,

so this trip was especially…special.

this is Char's "having a blast" face

Dog Beach...

re-named by me, in light of the buttzillion unleashed dogs that ran full

speed up to my children,

and were almost were wrangled by my protective husband.

They were all nice dogs of course, but "you never know".

One sneaky lil devil swiped our tennis ball from between my feet as I lay there pleading for the the sun to come back, literally blowing at the giant cloud in hopes of giving it a little boost.

I had sworn to protect Nevaeh's ball from the dogs. Mommy fail:(

Phase 2

2010-08-02T21:57:00.000-07:00

"Surprise! Happy Last Work Day Daddy!"

…the girls and I yelled as he came through

the door last friday evening.

We threw him a lil party with homemade pesto pizza and cookies and all of his favorite things. The Lord has been faithful, the body of Christ so generous, the season so sweet. My 'Mover Man' can rest for a bit…we move on to phase 2 of our roller coaster ride.

We're up, we're down, we're uncertain what's around the next bend,

but we are having a blast and we would totally get in line all over again!

Al will start on Staff with Reality Carp On Sept 1st.

Hungry for a little Daddy time, Nevaeh had been praying for Al to have 10 days off work before she starts school, Jesus answered her prayers x3!

We now have 31 days of Daddy time, and we couldn't be more thrilled!

Thank you Jesus!

Nevaeh made a list of things she wants to do during Daddy's vacation

she was persistent that her list needed a bow

…"Why?" i asked impatiently

…."because its a gift from God" she said

(enter heart melting here)

I hope to keep you updated on our adventures

…buuuuut you know me…

"Now that I'm FIVE….

2010-04-12T07:37:00.000-07:00

...I need to take my training wheels off"

...I should be in school"

...I can pour my own milk"

…I can wear a regular seatbelt"

…I can roller skate"

...I can put my own clip in my hair"

…I can swing…I'm FIVE, why isn't it working!?"

...I can enter the password by myself"

…I can go to horse camp…I need cowgirl boots mom"

...I need a real backpack"

…I need a new bed…do u think mine is long enough?"

...I can reach stuff"

…I need a two wheeler scooter, the fast ones"

…I can play on a baseball and soccerball team"

…I can move up to the five year old class"

...I need five year old clothes...what size do five year olds wear?"

Nevaeh Jane Abdulla turned FIVE on March 27th, and in the past two weeks I have heard all of the above and a gazillion more I have forgotten. This girl is stoked to be FIVE. She has changed so much in the past year, from a shy and quiet introverted lil preschooler into an active FIVE year old, real life kid, who will hug anyone who looks nice and rarely stops talking EVER!

She already has a list of things she wants to accomplish in life,

that is getting increasing longer as I type this.

She wants to be a veterinarian, a cowgirl, a painter, a really good artist, walk dogs, own a horse and a unicorn, go to horse camp, build houses, ride a bird, go for a hay ride, be a farmer, be a princess, fix things, work at the zoo, work at taco bell, work at the dog pound, train a puppy, work with Shamu, act in movies, build a snowman, change a babies diaper, play guitar on stage, sing, drive a car, be a ballerina, ride in a boat, a train, a plane, a helicopter, a hot air balloon, and a dog sled, go to school, read, go on a water slide, sew stuff, fix computers, paint our own house, sleep in mommy and daddy's bed, pet a lion, be a mommy, cut her hair, never wear jeans again, and she asks every single day for a dog.

She is brave where she was once so fearful, she is strong where she was once weak, she succeeds where she once failed, she is constantly discovering new things and is completely fascinated by each one. She is a volcano of questions every time we leave the house.

A week before her birthday, as we were saying our night time prayers, Nevaeh told Al that she wanted to pray to ask Jesus to be her Shepherd and her King. It was so precious. As I was saying goodnight and reminding her of the party in heaven that Daddy told her about she began to cry. When I asked her what was wrong she said,

"I dont know... you know how some people cry even when they're not sad, like when they're happy about stuff?"

"Yes" i said, "what are you happy crying about?"

She answered, "You know just about Jesus and stuff"

She's amazing…more than any mama could ask for.

Happy Birthday Goose.

2010-04-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

PART TWO

Jason & Sara

2010-04-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

PART ONE

I was so stoked to be able to take some photos of my beautiful sister

Sara and her hubby of 7 years, Jason.

Sara and I met in the 2nd grade and quickly became BFF's. We we're inseparable... blood sisters, pen pals, teammates, dance partners, nintendo rivals, amateur song writers and co-conspirators. But in jr. high our childhood dream of becoming family became a surprising reality when her dad married my mom!…weird huh?

We were born to be sisters :)

Here's some photos of our time together

….a lot of photos.

Sara and Jason recently rescued and adopted their 1st child, a little guy named Spike!

www.fresnobullyrescue.org

Um…Jason you have a goegeous wife sitting next to you.

Stop kissing the dog!

We had So much fun :)

Spike is very timid and always nervous, but he was such a

good boy and even smiled for me a few times.

….PART TWO coming shortly

Today in the Car...

2010-03-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Nevaeh: "*Gasp* Mama! Look at that dog!"

Mama: "I see him. He's all by himself,

he doesn't have a leash does he"?

Nevaeh: "THAT is a safety violation!"

Mama: "Hahaha! A what?"

Nevaeh: "A safety violation...why are you laughing?"

Mama: "haha, because that's funny."

Nevaeh : "Mom. A safety violation is not funny."

….somebody get this girl a badge.

Sometimes...

2010-02-17T09:45:00.000-08:00

at night...

we watch comedy...

online...

it's good for the soul...

My Valentine

2010-02-16T09:02:00.000-08:00

On Saturday...

I took my valentine hiking!

It was a beautiful warm day.

Gorgeous views of the hills and Pacific.

Outdoors, sweating, exercising, talking, laughing.

Just our kind of day.

We ended up hiking a different trail than we intended,

but at the top of our 'mistake' trail

we found this...

Happy Valentines Day

My Love.

Night and Day

2010-02-09T20:11:00.000-08:00

The differences in my two girls couldn't be greater

...I love it that way

Nevaeh has been sick since thursday, poor thing. I have never seen her so sick. Charlotte now has the cough that Nevaeh has but not the sick fever stuff that makes it so bad. Nevaeh is down and out. Charlotte has not stopped or skipped a beat. Nights have been rough.

Nevaeh trotted like a pink "triceratops" across the livingroom floor tonight...a good sign that she's on the mend. Charlotte yelled, "on ya mas...ge set...GO!" a hundred times

as she flew past the pink triceratops...

it's 8:30 and I'm going to bed.

Seriously though...

2010-02-04T21:56:00.000-08:00

How cool is felt?

hair clip/hat clip

And we all know that when you are wearing

cute felt flowers on your hat,

one must...

...take one's baby for a walk

The Official Christmas Post

2010-01-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas Everyone!

...cricket.. cricket.. cricket

'Better late than never' right?... I suppose that all depends on what is coming huh? Well I appreciate the patience of all my blog readers frothing for new posts and photos!(sarcasm) So here is a quick rundown of the Christmas time festivities at the Abdulla household. The girls got sick Christmas week and so we had to cancel our plans to visit with friends and such. Bummed and tempted to milk the 'alone on Christmas' sob story, we realized how much we have to be grateful for this past year and how blessed we truly are just to have each other. We decided to make this year special for our little family and indeed it was(:

The countdown begins.

The tree is up and the decorating begins,

the camera is out and so the posing begins as well(:

Cookie making!

Potty training!

Two little kitties!

Crafting!

(accepting requests for owl ornaments

for those who did not receive one)

Daddy-Daughter Date 2009

(see www.alabdulla.net for more photos)

We began a new Christmas Eve tradition

BBQ S'mores!

Ta da!

Keepin' it real

Christmas morning!

Thank You Aunt Sara

Hot bird! Hot man!

I did it Hourik!

Christmas Dinner...scrum dum delicious

Lesson learned this year...

Jesus is SO awesome and loves us SO much

that he gives US presents on HIS birthday!

...how cool is that.

Noviembre

2009-12-03T08:07:00.000-08:00

Well, November has come and gone, as if a gust of autumn wind swooped it up.

If anyone knows where it went let me know.

October...well we wont talk about October.

It seemed simple enough, but it SO wasn't. November was better.

Thanksgiving was a blessing

...and leaves are really really fun(:

Disneyland Birthdays

2009-09-23T21:13:00.000-07:00

September 21st 1981

Its weird to think that as Al was blowing out his candles on his 5th birthday, not to far away his wife was being born...ME!

This year we spent our birthday with our beautiful girls at the happiest place on earth...

Disneyland!

You never know how these sort of outings might turn out. Pretty much everytime we leave the house with the sole purpose of having fun...there is potential for disaster.

But not on this day!

Despite the heat, the naplessness, the long waiting in lines, the ever taunting cotton candy, the monotonous buckle in, unbuckle routine in the stroller.... our girls rocked!

Not one tear, not one whine, not one pouty face.

It was such a blessing to spend the day blessing them and in return we were SO blessed!

Our family had and awesome day riding rides, meeting characters, drinking smoothies and watching interesting people(:

Nevaeh ran to Pooh Bear, she couldn't believe she actually met him!

Charlotte loved flying in Dumbo

Goofy's silly piano

Al blew stuff up

Mickey kept hitting me in the head with his ear

Night Light

2009-09-09T17:20:00.001-07:00

Cast your burden on the LORD,

And He shall sustain you;

He shall never permit the righteous to be moved.

Psalm 55:22

Catch-Up

2009-08-30T09:43:00.000-07:00

We have been quite busy these past few months...as you may have assumed. So lets do a little catching up shall we?

At the end of September we will be moving to Carpinteria to join the family at Reality.

SO excited about this.

The girls spent 8 days with Bapa & Ada, see their adventures here

Al and I missed them terribly.

We had an amazing time on the East Coast. It was a first for both of us. Pennsylvania, NewJersey and New York.

I loved Pennsylvania... I want to live with the Amish and learn to milk cows

...this is why he loves me.

Al loved NewYork. He wants to master the subways and possibly become a DJ

...this is why I love him.

But I think to much of either one would get old really fast(:

Our Rachel got married and our whole family was honored to be in the wedding. Check here soon for wedding pics as I'm sure she will blog about it upon her return from Jamaica!

We have also been doing alot of this...

2009-07-31T10:50:00.000-07:00

Bad Bad Blogger ...I am. Bad, Busy Blogger. New Post soon, I promise.

2009-06-08T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have one word for y'all...

(ok actually a combination of letters and numbers)

P90X

I am fan of working out, ok well, maybe not a fan, but I do it... and when I do it, I like it. Especially when its over. Weight lifting makes me feel strong, Pilates is wonderful and relaxing, a nice run(Al says I jog...whatever) is a great pumpup, I love bootcamps.
But never...ever...ever...

could I have been prepared for this little demon that snuck it's way into my home.

My butt is officially kicked.

I'm so gonna be ripped...

P.S. I am so sore, it hurts to breathe.

Strawberries

2009-06-08T15:17:00.000-07:00

While visiting her Bapa and Ada in March, Nevaeh had the opportunity to help out in Ada's garden and to plant her very own strawberry plant. She was counting on receiving photo updates of how her little plant was growing, since she, being so far away would be unable to care for it. In April we celebrated Nevaeh's 4th birthday, Bapa and Ada came down for her party...and so did her strawberry plant! She has watered, pruned, picked off caterpillars(actually I did, she wouldn't touch them) and faithfully kept Charlotte away from her strawberry plant. Two months later she is finally seeing and tasting the fruits of her labor.

So far we've picked two little ones that apparently were a little sour.
We have four more on the way!

Last Sunday

2009-05-31T22:20:00.000-07:00

Nevaeh: "Daddy's home, Daddy's home!!!... Yay!" (squeals of joy) "Daddy we should do something special today, what can we do that is special?"

Char: "Da-yee Da-yee, bup, bup, bup"

Daddy: "How about after your nap we will go on walk, and we will see if we can find something really special."(wink wink)

Nevaeh: Oh! Kay!

Char: Oh! Tay!

On our walk ...we found something very special indeed.

Nevaeh: "Thank you Daddy!"

Char: "Dah-Doo"

Evening sun

2009-05-21T17:17:00.000-07:00

I think its important that the girls have alone time, whether with mommy or daddy or just...alone. Nevaeh loves to do art projects and Charlotte loves to destroy them. So while Nevaeh peacefully painted on her easel in the backyard, Char and I kept busy inside enjoying the evening sun beaming through the back doors and with the light just so...I couldn't resist.

Waiting...

2009-05-19T15:26:00.000-07:00

...for me to stop taking pictures so we can play.

Charlotte

2009-05-11T16:53:00.000-07:00

absolute favorite mug

2009-05-07T12:27:00.000-07:00

Inspired, as I often am, by CrynFiction's recent post of the glorious combination of cookies, coffee and the ones you love. I decided to dido her, and post a photo of MY absolute favorite mug.

This is my absolute favorite mug because...

1. It was my mother's mug and I stole it when I left home.

2. It brings back fond memories of my childhood, I remember always seeing this mug in the locations mentioned below.

3. It is from the 70's ...and how cool were the 70's? (i wasn't there but I've heard they we're)

4. It is small. (the hot beverage of choice stays warmer, because u drink it faster, because there is less in it)

5. It matches my house(:

So lets have some FUN people!!!

My challenge to all of you out there is to grab your camera...got it?... head to your kitchen, bedroom , bathroom, patio or... wherever. Grab YOUR absolute favorite mug, out of the cupboard, the sink, the dishwasher, off the counter, the desk, the back of the toilet or... wherever. Take a photo and then share it with the rest of us along with why this mug above all others is your

... absolute favorite mug.

dont forget to leave a comment so we can find your blog, if you don't have a blog,

now is the time ladies and gentlemen.

hEaVeNs dAiSy

2009-05-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

I made these flower clips for the girls...aren't they cute.

I wear them too (:

for photos of clips in action see here

learning the ropes

2009-04-29T23:30:00.000-07:00

For Bapa...

2009-04-24T20:41:00.000-07:00

Capturing Love

2009-04-22T09:46:00.000-07:00

I recently had the opportunity and pleasure to photograph Josh Kuhn and Rachel Bailey in their pre-marital bliss. I am used to taking photos of my active toddlers, having to whoop and holler to get their attention and going to ridiculous lengths for a smile or a glance in my direction. So taking Josh and Rach's Engagement photos was a breeze. We had a blast. It was so much fun I can't believe people actually get to do this for a living! Rachel is gorgeous and so photogenic that all of the hundreds of photos taken were practically perfect. Josh was such a sport, most guys would have had a dragging face after so many poses and smiles. They are so in love and I feel so honored to have been able to capture it (:

He Lives...He lives in me.

2009-04-15T19:47:00.000-07:00

The girls and I spent a quiet Easter morning at home, opening baskets (thank you bapa & ada), painting eggs, hiding the plastic ones, and swinging in our hammock (a new fav pastime). Daddy snuck out of the house at 5am all spiffied up in Easter Sunday's best, to usher the sunrise service and to teach at Refuge. The morning was warm and glorious and our yard was exceptionally beautiful. Though I am NEVER alone, it is often easy to feel so when in the contsant company of toddler chatter and preschool fanstasies. It seemed that on this special day my home should be bustling with family and children all decked out and sugered up way to early and excited for the long awaited hunt (I'm pretty idealistic). But not so, my family was far and my husband was 'working'. Although I was tempted to 'go there' I didn't. I knew I was NOT alone and I couldn't think of a more perfect day to bask in and enjoy the presence of Jesus then on the day we remember and celebrate that He is indeed ALIVE!

I had a wonderful Easter Sunday...I spent my morning with Jesus.

...and these two lil crazies

Party Animals

2009-04-13T21:38:00.000-07:00

Nevaeh knew months before her birthday arrived that she wanted to have a 'horsey party'. Its so funny how my little girl is so her own. I was never a 'horse girl' as were some of my childhood friends, and so I never imagined I would have a daughter that would be a into horses. I mean we don't live on a farm we live in orange county. Someone asked me recently when this horse affection began and I honestly dont really know. But one thing is sure, Nevaeh loves horses. If she's not riding one, bathing one, or tying one up, she IS one.

We enjoyed a wonderful afternoon with family and friends celebrating 4 years with our little 'horse girl'. She is such a blessing to us and to so many others as well. I am amazed at the beautiful, gentle, obedient spirit that God has given her. I am so thankful to be her Mama and I look forward to watching her grow and mature into just who God wants her to be

...hopefully not a horse.

NevaeHeaveN

2009-04-13T09:31:00.000-07:00

Nevaeh Jane Abdulla

4 years old

...our little piece of heaven

March Madness

2009-03-29T10:19:00.000-07:00

To start out the marvelous month of March, I got sick with a chest cold-flu yucky, I was down and out for a few days. Al stepped up to the plate like a pro, taking wonderful care of me and the girls. Cooking, cleaning and caravaning the girls around town. He excels at Mr. Mom and he made it look so easy!

On March 4th my youngins and I headed up north to visit the fam in Fresno. Al headed up to HS Winter camp a few days later. In Fresno the girls got to play with all their cousins and I got to hang with my sisters. They played 'bats' with Nana in the backyard.

We celebrated Grandpa Fain's 85th Birthday, and enjoyed hanging with the Fain Family.Uncle Jack did Elmo impersonations for Charlotte, and we all enjoyed Sara's amazing German Chocolate cake.

My friend Carly used the girls and I to practice her photo skills. We got some amazing shots in an orchard in full bloom with pink flowers.

I was beyond excited when Friday the 13th rolled around and I drove downtown to the train station to pick up my Man. It was so wonderful to be with him again and to hear of his amazing trip to Seattle and the Acts29 Conference. My parents watched the girls and we went out to catch up and to grub on our favorite fresno cuisine Me n Ed's pizza!
"Distance in Love is like water on fire,

a little quickens it but to much will put it out"

On Saturday night Nevaeh enjoyed a pre-birthday party from Al's mom (grandma Liz) at Al's Grandparents house. Complete with banners, balloons, cake, pin the tail on the donkey and Tinkerbell presents!

The next day, Sunday, we packed up our caravan and headed northwest to the tiny town of Los Banos to visit Al's dad and his wife Linda. We stayed one night and then left the girls with them and continued north ALONE!...Yes....alone!

We toured Marin county and spent time with wonderful friends in Santa Rosa.
It's beautiful up there.

On Wednesday we fueled up on Americano's at the Flying Goat and began out trek back to the southlands. (After we almost crashed, and ran out of gas at Bodega Bay, which I'm sure is very pretty but it was way to foggy to see anything)

Back across the Golden Gate we faced an unexpected toll and got ticketed for not having any cash:( come on, who carries cash these days?

... apparently those who live in SF.

We did alot of driving!

Back to Los Banos to see the babes! We stayed the night again and the next morning March 19th, not feeling like driving all the way back to OC we headed to fresno instead. Al and I had another date night and enjoyed a long walk along a canal bank in North fresno, we talked and prayed and had another amazing time together.

On Saturday March 21st we headed for home.

And the following week was and still is complete caos...Nevaeh got sick, then Charlotte , then Al! The girls had fevers, horrific sounding coughs and ear infections. Night times were rough for a while. It seems 24hrs a day something is happening...it begins first thing in the morning and continues until bedtime where we just fall down and crash in the middle of our messy house
....my suitcase is still packed.

Nevaeh had a birthday!
On March 27th Nevaeh turned 4! We had planned to plant flowers on her birthday but we spent the afternoon at the Doctor office instead:( she didn't seem to mind though, she got a lollipop. She wanted a tacobell burrito for lunch and a smoothie. Daddy brought home In & Out, a chocolate milkshake, a silver slinky that she has had her eye on for sometime and her first pack of bubble gum!

We will celebrate with a horse party this weekend ...she "really very can't wait".

So that's what we did this month...we're off to plant some flowers (:

Last Thursday...

2009-02-25T10:31:00.000-08:00

Last Thursday my wonderful husband planned a daytime date for us to the J. Paul Getty Museum. We do date nights often, but a daytime date?... this was a whole new concept. I didn't realize that it would be much different then our usual dates of dinner and shopping....but lo...it was! Being together alone, during the day, for an extended period of time was just what the Dr. ordered. I strongly recommend this to any married couple with small adorable life-sucking children (kidding). For those of you who dont know, the Getty Museum is in LA, therfore we spent the majority of our day in traffic, which if you continually tell yourself to relax and enjoy eachothers sweet company can be managable....even enjoyable. We had lots of time to talk over our desires, goals and exciting possiblities for the future of our family. The Getty was really cool too! Amazing paintings, sweet photography and beautiful gardens and cityscapes (which were my favorite), and a not so great tuna salad sandwich and coffee for way too much money. Our favorite exhibit was called 'Captured Emotions', Baroque paintings from the 1500-1700's. Most of the paintings were scences imagined from biblical stories. Above is a painting of the Return of the Prodigal Son from this exhibit.

Here are some photos of our day

The girls were very well cared for SeraBella (follow link for pics of thier day) and later Bri and later Rachel! They were all my hero's and the girls were thrilled to spend the day with them.

PSALM 33

2009-02-11T08:55:00.000-08:00

"Rejoice in the LORD, O you righteous!

For praise from the upright in beautiful.

Praise the LORD with the the harp;

make melody to Him with an instrument of ten strings.

Sing to Him a new song;

Play skillfully with a shout of joy.

Our soul waits for the LORD;

He is our help and our shield.

For our heart shall rejoice in Him.

Because we have trusted in His holy name.

Let your mercy, O LORD, be upon us,

Just as we hope in You."

2009-02-09T10:49:00.000-08:00

I found Matt's blog through aol...I think. But anyways Matt and his wife Liz were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Madeline on March 24th of last year. The following day Liz died. Matt's blog broke my heart and since I found it I have been praying for him. I do not think that Matt is a Christian given the fact that he curses like sailor...make that 2 sailors.(: So if you do not want to expose yourself to profanity, steer clear of his blog and just pray or just look at the amazing pictures. The ad at the right is Liz's foundation, helping families finacially who have lost a loved one.

Matt and Maddy

Big Boo-Boo

2009-02-04T21:45:00.000-08:00

Oh my Charlotte, what will I do with you?

This evening Charlotte flipped over the back of the couch and landed face first on the hardwood floor. She has a swollen lip and nose and both were bleeding. Can a baby break her nose? So hard to tell cause its just all squishy. Surprisingly she only cried for a moment and then was happy to be able to chew on the ice pack(which was good for her lip). I iced her face the best I could and kept her up for an extra half-hour just in case. She seems fine. She's a tough one. Oh my.

Love

2009-02-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

"She opens her mouth with wisdom,

And on her tongue is the law of kindness."

-Prov 31:26

If I belittle those whom I'm called to serve, talk of their weak points in contrast perhaps with what I think of as my strong points; if i adopt a superior attitude, forgetting "Who made thee to differ?" and "What hast thou that thou hast not received?" then I know nothing of Calvary Love. - Amy Carmicheal

LETS PLAY!!!

2009-01-21T14:14:00.001-08:00

When it comes to life, sometimes I feel like I can never catch up. I feel like there is always something running behind me and at the same time I am scurrying along to catch what is in front. Its the feeling of trying to sit and enjoy a movie when you know you have a huge paper due the next morning that you haven't even started. Like I can never have all the laundry done, dishes washed, house clean, spirit filled, children fed and happy, all at the same time. I am always saying that I feel like I can just never get on top of things. I believe that there is a way of life where daily activities flow smoothly without stress, because they are scheduled and items do not get strewn about because they have a home and are organized. I strive towards this life. Which often leaves me tense and frustrated. I have a hard time accomplishing nothing during the day, and I often throw playing into that catagory. Yesterday the girls and I enjoyed a day out in our beautiful yard. We had planned to pick oranges but they weren't quite ready. So we just played. At one point I just sat in the sunshine (in shorts/83degrees) and read my book while I watched the girls tackle eachother and laugh. It was a very fun and relaxing afternoon.

I took pictures so that I was actually doing something(:

~Matthew 6:33~

The Lord often gives me this verse when I am trying to hard.

My fearless one...bring it on!

My delicate one...keeps a white lamb clean outside!

Psalm 107:8-9

2009-01-07T10:02:00.000-08:00

photo by deAlba

"Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness,

And for His wonderful works to the children of men!
For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness."

Daddy Date

2009-01-05T09:49:00.001-08:00

Al and Nevaeh have been going on breakfast dates several times a month for over a year now. But this daddy date was extra special. Nevaeh dressed up as a princess and Al was her prince. They went out to dinner at In & Out, to Build-A-Bear at Dowtown Disney and had a Churro while they listened to a band play. Nevaeh wore her special princess dress from Grandma Liz and her Ruby necklace from Ada (which she's never worn before).

She was very excited about this day and was so looking forward to it, mentioning it every few hours! The cool part is that she had no idea what they were going to do, and she really didn't care. She was just excited to go on a date with daddy at night time. Al will continue to date Nevaeh and eventually Char too, until the day that some scum bag(as he puts it) takes his place. By then the girls will know what a date is, and how they should be treated on one

...nothing short of a princess.

Her date wiped her out

Our Christmas

2008-12-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

Greetings!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and is looking forward to a Happy New Year! Speaking of the new year, the fresh start, the time of cleaning, organization and empty promises of a workout routine, I hope to have a few posts boasting of some organization in my home...mostly paperwork and toys which have recently multiplied and taken over everything...everywhere! I write that now so that someone will hold me accountable to actually doing it!

So here are few pics of Our Family's Christmas time. The four of us were joined by Al's dad(Bapa) and later by our friends Abe & Danielle(Ham & Yell) for Christmas Dinner. We enjoyed a Mexican dinner of steak tacos, beans, rice, chips, salsa, quacamole, cocunut shrimp with pineapple salsa, and Danielle's award-winning first timer tamales which shall never be forgotten.(they were amazing!) We finished off with a slice of pumpkin praline cheesecake, which was also amazing.

Christmas morning was magical for Nevaeh as she came out of her room to find our tree littered with gifts "Look , hmmm.. this one has a name on it, whose name is that?... hmmm, I think this says Nevaeh on it, hey does this says Nevaeh or somethin?" After patiently waiting for us to officially wake-up and coffee to be brewed, she joined us in prayer and praise to Jesus as we sang "Happy Birthday" and thanked our God for sending us His Son and for the wonderful year He has given us.

These are our new horses(we now have 5), Coco and Andrew

(and NO I did not buy any of them)
Kissing Coco

The Longest Blog Ever..

2008-12-15T09:53:00.000-08:00

Wow! What a month! and its only half over! I feel I could post.. hmmm just about a gazillion posts and pics to fill you in on all that has been going on in our lives as of late. A family , friends, fun filled cold wintery trip to our hometown, Al's near death experience in El Salvador(riptide), Christmas decorating extravaganzas, Rufuge Chrismas Party at our house, and Amaryllis bloomed beautifully... and then died a smelly death.
I'll let the pictures speak for themselves...Enjoy! And Merry Christmas!

Our trip began with a 7hr (traffic) drive to Los Banos to spend Thanksgiving with Bapa and Ada. (note to self - never travel on the day before Thanksgiving ever again)

It was sooo relstfull, we spent the day cooking? Oh no no...not this year..we spent the day in our comfies, drinking coffee, playing tetrus, walking to the park, eating pizza and watching the firetrucks from the neighbors who almost blew up their house trying to deep fry a turkey.
(oh the things some people will due for extra calories)

The Park

Visiting Bapa at work

Next we headed to Grandma & Grandpa Terrasas' and Grandma Liz's house to enjoy a beautiful fall day and of course the train!

Al's Grandparents in their beautiful backyard with their train

As Al made his way south to El Salvador(and home again safely thank God after a riptide scare in the ocean, rescued by a man in a speedo) with the HS missions team, the girls and I made our way to Papa and Nana's house!

Cousins!
Neveah loves having cousins, she knows that they are like friends but better. She was always looking for her cousins. " Mom, where are my cousins?" "Are my cousins here yet?" " "Hey, Cooousins where are you ?"

More Cousins!

The Coplin Kiddos
Char joined baby Myles on the floor

Amaryllis grew and grew and finally bloomed several bright red flowers, unfortunatly due to miscommunication Amaryllis was over-watered and and we came home to a flooded, floating stinky and very dead flower. But she was beautiful while she lasted... we will probably get another.

Happily Before and After

2008-11-18T10:01:00.000-08:00

BEFORE

AFTER

Progress!...Oh the joy of a little progress. This is my breakfast nook, aka 'the pretty room'...and now it really is. Wicker chairs I bought on craigslist and spray painted them red. Chair pads from Pier 1 bought with a giftcard (thanks Mom). Table is from craigslist as well and I offered half the asking price and got it! Orchid complements of Mrs. Tara Harman. Though not completed I thought I'd share with you my progress.

Childhood Fun

2008-11-17T10:18:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Nevaeh discovered one of the great wonders of childhood... What happens when you blow into a straw in a cup of milk...Milk Bubbles! She thought this was so funny she was histerical. She couldn't believe it was happening, "Mom do you see this?! Do you see what my milk is doing?!"

Amaryllis Update

2008-11-17T10:12:00.000-08:00

Just two weeks and Amaryllis has two buds and shot up almost a foot! This is very exciting!

Funny Crying Faces

2008-11-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Well... my second born is quite the drama queen and I couldn't decide which funny crying face to post. So here are a few of Charlotte in her 'could've been better' moments. Thanks for the challenge Corynne!

"Stop taking pictures I need a nap" face

"Your not feeding me fast enough" face

"I hate grass" face

"I said I didn't want a birthday hat" face

Sea World....again

2008-11-12T08:50:00.000-08:00

Planting Amaryllis

2008-11-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

Nevaeh and I are trying our hand at growing and indoor Amaryllis bulb. As we were following the steps to planting, I would say "And then we do this....And then we do that..." And Nevaeh would say , "And then we will wash our hands...And then we will wash our hands" She really had some tactile issues with all that soil. But she made it through to the end and was very relieved to wash her hands! We will keep you updated on he progress of our new little friend. Nevaeh checks on it and waters it, but says she "really very can't wait anymore for her flower to come".

Marty and Melman

2008-11-02T08:48:00.000-08:00

Marty the Zebra and Melman the Giraffe made their way from the set of Madagascar to our house! Nevaeh loves to act like animals, as most of you know, so she really enjoyed dressing up as a zebra. She wore her costume days ahead of time prancing around on all fours shaking her tail. Charlotte wore the cutest little Giraffe costume (complements of aunt Brandi), however she was not quite as excited about it as the rest of us were. When she was due to make her adorable animal debut she layed on the floor and refused to get up. She wanted nothing to do with that Giraffe head on top of her own. It was quite funny and I couldn't help but snap a few quick pictures....poor baby.

A couple of days pre-halloween, Nevaeh and I bought bags of candy and tied little 'Jesus books'(as she called the little tracts) to them. As I expected our neighborhood was booming with little princesses', transformers and a few horrid looking creatures. Nevaeh really enjoyed all the kids coming to our door dressed up and giving them candy and a 'Jesus book'. So much so that we had to convince her that she could go out and get some candy too! It only took 1 house for her to catch on to this amazing process. This was her 1st experience with trick or treating and though she did not want to say 'trick or treat' she loved receiving the candy.

learning the 'thriller' dance

PUN-KINS!!!

2008-10-19T09:21:00.000-07:00

I love Irvine Park Railroad! It's a huge park that makes you feel miles away from city life complete with pony rides, a lake with boats and ducks, a zoo, lots of wide open play spots and of course a train. This time of year they also have a pumpkin patch! Nevaeh loves horses and going to the park to ride on Dan (a pony) is just about the greatest thing she can imagine. You get to ride whatever pony is available and Nevaeh has ended up with Dan everytime we have gone! Charlotte enjoyed running around and picking up pumpkins and sitting on them. I had this vision of adorable fall pumpkin pictures in these cute little matching orange sweaters.... problem? it was like 90 degrees! So determined to have the sweaters I put the girls in shorts and tanks which made them look a little okie-ish, but made for some cute pics anyway. Al eventually made me take the sweaters off our roasting children. I love the fall season and am so ready for overcast days, crisp mornings, colored leaves, warm soups, scarfs, and pumpkins!

Charlotte climbing pumpkins

How tall this fall!

'Whats with this guy?'

Al, Neaveh and Dan!

Classic Char...food in hand...pants undone.

My Baby is ONE!

2008-10-12T19:43:00.000-07:00

brown and pink tutu idea complements of corynne escalante, props.

While Oct 6th came and went a while ago, we just celebrated our little Charlotte's 1st Birthday yesterday. A small gathering of friends and family, to lavish our love on the little one. She was a little emotional at first(imagine that), but she cheered up and seemed to enjoy her first birthday party. It seems no 1st birthday is complete without a few tears. Charlotte is amazing and has been a welcome lively addition to our family. She keeps us on our toes...constantly and at 1 year old is ready to take on the world! She waddles around from one end of the house to the other, with her feet barely able to keep up with her determination. Anything in the way gets vigorously shoved aside or momentarily crashed into. Her eyebrows speak volumes and are often times intensly furrowed. Not to many people meet Charlotte without commenting on her chubba wubba cheeks! ( which are currently red and chaffed from a rather blustery day) Her favorite birthday gift was probably her cell phone, which she walks around with saying "HEWWO" is a strangly deep voice. She really loves her daddy and is always the first one to greet him when he comes home. She is our little snuggle bug baby and we couldn't love her more.

Leading the pack

Bapa grillin' burgers

Friends enjoying those burgers Birthday Cake Mmmm!www.cakesbydanielle.net (aka the cake ninja)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY CHAR!

Movin' and Groovin'

2008-09-16T11:44:00.000-07:00

So for those of you who haven't heard, we are finally moving! Yes! We fell in love with a little house in Santa Ana and the Lord totally opened the doors for us to be able to rent it. (Isn't it the cutest?) So as crazy as things can be around here at times, this is like nothing before. I started packing on Friday and the boxes are piling up quickly. (not to high of course because Char pushes them off eachother!) Which brings me to another point. How do you pack a house with children around? Brandi? Erica? Carly? Any ideas would be appriciated. The girls NEED all day long, they need to eat(multiple times a day), they need to play, they need to be outside, they need my attention, they need to cuddle, they need to be kept safe from stacks of boxes and everything that was once hidden away in a closet or drawer and is now at their disposal. And somewhere in the midst of all this I am to pack up my entire house, succesfully? Yes. Yes I am. And obviously I have even been able to take a little blogging break! God is Good and I am in the packing Groove. It may sound strange but I actually really enjoy packing things! I like the way everything gets wrapped up and fits snuggly in a box and then that box is stacked neaty with the other boxes of completion. I love going through and organizing and throwing away things that I know I do not need and will never wear or use. Those of you with similar personality types are sure to understand. And...... I like using the packing tape dispenser.... I like the sound it makes(:

What a Trip

2008-09-16T09:19:00.000-07:00

The girls and I made a quick trip to Fresno last week. It was shorter than most of our trips but still very sweet. My sister Brandi and her fam are now officially Californians again and it was great to have all the cousins together. They played non-stop! Which was really good for Nevaeh. She had them all acting like animals! And surprisingly she held her own while interacting with her cousins who have been described as 'professional kids'!

I also had the privilege of meeting the newest member of the Coplin family. My friend Carly gave birth to her second boy, Myles Everett on Sept 8, and he is just simply precious.

Wasting No Time

2008-09-03T20:52:00.000-07:00

She just took her first steps a few days ago and already this little Chubba-lub is on the move. It seriously seems like she is getting better and better every hour. This video was taken yesterday and today she is much improved and has been working on her 360.

Look at her go!

Princesses in Training

2008-08-31T09:54:00.000-07:00

Nevaeh was in the princess mood yesterday. Dresses, crowns, shoes and plenty of dancing!

"Aren't I such a beautiful Princess mama?"

she asked, as she practiced her twirls in front of the mirror.

"Ya gotta turn dis way, dis way, then all the way round!"
"Dance with me mama!"

"Char will be the prince!"

Char can never be left out of anything and so she had her turn to be a princess too! Charlotte is really into putting things on her head lately. Yesterday she crawled in the room with a onesie on her head that she had fished out of the laundry basket....never a dull moment with that one. She has also taken a few steps and prefers to walk down the hall holding on to the wall as opposed to crawling...she should be taking off any day now. No rush....absolutely no rush.

Girlz in Curlz

2008-08-18T15:36:00.000-07:00

Mother-Daughter Bonding.

Can you believe she has enough hair for curlers?! I thought this day would never come. My little bald baby in curlers! Its really weird having a daughter that's like a real person now. I look at her often, several times a day at least, and think ,

"Wow I can't believe your my little bald baby, with little eyes as wide as they can get, little heart so soft and timid"

Black Attack

2008-08-18T15:03:00.000-07:00

Well ladies and gentlemen...I finally did it. My once white Shabby Chic Antique table is now BLACK! Ok well, I didn't actually do it myself, my dad (Ernie, to specify between the many) painted it for us and did a marvelous job. It turned out really shiney which is okay with me it just means that everything shows up on it and I have to clean it often...which is a good "have to" for me. You would think that a white table would require more cleaning attention.. but Oh So not so...white hid the crumbs, which fall my the tons around here, much better. But I was so tired of my white table and chairs that Al and I bought 7 years ago just before we were married. We found the table at an antique shop in Reedley, Ca. For those of you who think Fresno is small town, you should visit Reedley. I think we paid like $200 for it which seems like alot now seeing as how there were no chairs, but at the time it felt like a steal! We found our four matching chairs at "Wisteria" a quaint little shop in Fresno's Tower District, next to the guy with the used bookstore who looked like Peter Jackson when he directed Lord of the Rings. That was a great little store, its gone now...Anyone know where he went? Anyways My table is Black and I like it.

The Ministry of Motherhood

2008-08-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

I've been reading this book called "The Ministry of Motherhood" and have been so incredibly blessed by it. It's written by a woman named Sally Clarkson, mother of four, and author of several motherhood books and teachings. She describes a day when she and her husband sat down and realized that they needed a plan in raising their children, they needed a goal and they needed to be on the same page. To actively "raise" and disciple their children with a purpose as opposed to just living day to day aimlessly and hoping they turn out okay in the end. In that sitting they came up with the acronym GIFTS -the gift of Grace-Inspiration-Faith-Training-Service. She begins each of the 5 parts with and example of Jesus and how he implemented each one of these in the lives of His disciples. Each part is filled with explanation, examples and funny stories from her own life and at the end of each part is a page for study and discussion. Its been really enlightening and encouraging for me ...so for any moms out there in need of a little direction I recommend this read.

"They don't need sweet platitudes of faith that will momentarily placate their emotions. They need the authentic strength that comes from the true foundation of a biblical world-view and a proper understanding of the real Christ who is worthy of their worship. They need an unwavering, internal, moral and spiritual compass that will help them weather today's storms and tomorrow's and will guide them for the rest of their lives. They also need to see what real faith looks like when lived day in, day out, so they will have a pattern to follow. The process of providing such GIFTS to my children is what I've come to think of as the ministry of motherhood. " -SC

Post by Nevaeh

2008-08-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

My Bapa and Ada came to our house....cause they live far far far far away. Lets see.....what I do. I just played. They live far away. And then I play with Char too. Hmmm.... did I bring Dan (her horse) or something? Where did we go to? Did we go to the store or something? We ride the Horsies! and Char cried...and hey I know, what about we spell it! what about we read it! I saw a monkey and and... and what? And a I saw an alligator, fishies and snake. Did we... um we played Moses! In the basket... and I just lay in there and he put the blanket up. And then uh ....he take it off! I had a little sippie when I took a nap.....umm.... maybe we uh....thats all. I think thats all.

Pool & Pizza

2008-07-27T17:43:00.000-07:00

POOL! We have been enjoying our pool this year like never before. On many 'Daddy's day off days' you'll find us splashing around out there. Char floats in her little boat, but prefers to be held, and splashes and laughs...and cries, she loves the water...really. Nevaeh loves to wear her floaty-suit so she can swim all by herself...like a fish. She likes to swim on my back but hates to go under the water.

PIZZA! Well, who doesn't love pizza? No one in our family. Nevaeh says its her "very favorite". Char had her first piece of pizza (or should I say piece and a half!) and was headed back for more but I decided to let her fill up on some friut instead... this won't come as a surprise to most of you...the girl can eat, if you can't tell.

Deal of the Day!

2008-07-27T10:01:00.000-07:00

Nevaeh (my 3 yr old) is growing like a sunflower (sunflowers grow fast, so do weeds but sunflowers sounded better) and, as would be expected, so are her precious little feet! So it was time to go out and make the big new shoe purchase. While waiting for little sister to wake up, I decided to check Craigslist for little girl shoes, just to see, which I never do. And lo and behold, I found this lot of 6 adorable shoes, size 9, her size! Originally I was just after the rainboots(Nevaeh has a thing for rainboots), going for $3, but all the others fit so we scored the whole lot for just$14. I would have paid that, retail, for just the rainboots alone! Nevaeh was so excited about her bundle that she called her Aunt Sara on the way home to tell her that she got a pair of red shoes (Aunt Sara has a thing for red shoes). So that was our deal of of the day...pretty sweet huh?

See below for pics from our fashion show!

INTRODUCING......

2008-07-20T11:05:00.000-07:00

.....the newest members of our Family!.... Minnie, Sunny, and Muchacho!!!

We have started afresh on our fish family adventure. We hand selected our new friends (two girls and a boy) from the PetsMart tanks filled to overflowing with little Platys and such desperately wanting to be chosen to leave the over populated mayhem and rest comfortably in a large house with a porch swing and a yard in the secluded countryside......Oh wait, thats me....I mean a fresh water tank filled with rocks and plants for hiding. Where the fight for food is not so intense. "It's okay guys, there's enough for everybody", we tell them. Nevaeh named them herself(with rachel's help) while waiting with the fish in the car at In & Out. She is much more attached to these ones, due to her age I suspect. Which has me a little more concerned for the day when one of them makes its journey down the tubes, if ya know what I mean. But... we'll cross that bridge when we get there. So here thay are....

Minnie... is a mickey mouse platy(like Mick was) she is small and dark orange with mickey mouse on her tail.

Sunny...Is Bright yellowish Platy with blackish freckles and a black tail.

Muchacho... is the man of the tank and he is a bright orange high-tailed platy with a big black top fin and tail and a little black Mariachi mustache!

Our Play Day

2008-07-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

We were oh so delighted to have some much anticipated visitors in our home today. We were blessed with the company of 3 cheery Escalante's and of course our Rachel. Corynne, Elliott and Caiden's spontaneous adventure to the OC landed them in our living room for an indoor picnic, adventure walk, pool feet dipping, and a slew of pictures! Take a peek in on our always exciting time together.

CAIDEN KEATS & CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH

ELLIOTT SATCHEL & NEVAEH JANE

GREAT FAMILY RUN !!!

2008-07-15T09:27:00.001-07:00

Ok ...so I scored this really sweet jogger stroller on craigslist for a great...a good... ok.. a reasonable price. And I was so excited to take our first run as a family! So last night we headed off to Huntington and ran the path along the beach. It was a wee bit crowded but what do you expect on a summer night near Huntington Pier. I'm not sure how far we went but I do know that I was left in the dust a few times. Al knows that I hate to be passed up, I like to win, even a simple jog on the beach is a race to me. And as always he pushed me to my maximum limit, which I love and hate at the same time. The girls seemed to enjoy it as well, they played together, giggled and laughed as little girls do. I am excited about our new hobby and hope that it sticks around for a while. We are eager to find some less crowded beach or bay running trails that are both cool and beautiful. So if you know of any let us know.

We asked some guy to take a picture of us after our run, we should have taken it before....we were beat!

Playing with Preschool

2008-07-14T14:49:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Nevaeh and I dug out her Magnetic Letters and began to learn how to spell her name, and some simple words. I was excited at how quickly she learned and her eagerness to do so. She played with the letters for much of the day asking me to spell this or that. If I gave her the letters to spell DOG, CAT or PIG, she could sound it out and put them in the right order (with a little help). I am clueless as to where she should be academically when and if she starts preschool next year. And I don't want to be one of those parents that pushes their children to excel above what they are able to handle for their age. But I figure that since she is so eager to keep going I might as well let her lead and keep teaching her ...right? I was also encouraged and a bit excited at the prospect of homeschooling her when the time comes. One of my fears of homeschooling is spending the day butting heads with my daughter and getting nowhere fast. But she and I had a lot of fun learning and playing together yesterday. Al and I are still undecided as of now, we go back and forth weighing the pros and cons, ultimately the Lord will decide what is best for our kids so we will continue to wait and listen for His decision. Where do you stand on the issue?

We also played trains...with laundry basket traincars.

Saying Goodbye

2008-07-12T10:45:00.000-07:00

We lost a dear friend this week. Our little platy fish, "Mick" went home to fishy heaven via the plumbing(try explaining that to a three yr. old). Mick got sick rapidly with a internal bacterial infection. He began to retain water under his scales and started puffing up like a blowfish. A condition called dropsy. I researched his condition on the internet and realized his outlook was dim and by the time they start the pineconing stage (scales stick out) its just to late. The fish experts recommended the most proper way to euthanize a fish is to put them in the freezer! I couldn't even imagine doing this to our little Mick. I prayed that he would suffer no longer and asked the Lord to please take him quickly, the following day he died. So I'm sure you all are wondering how Nevaeh is doing with the loss of her second fish. (We lost Mick's brother "Rocko" earlier this year, actually Mick killed him, sort of a Cain and Abel situation) I was able to tell her before he died that Mick was sick and he was going to die. She went to his tank and said with such empathy, "Aww Mick , I'm so sorry". I told her when he died that we can go to the fish store pick out some new fish for her tank! And Mick quickly became a distant memory! I on the other hand am mourning the loss of our little pet, I get attached to anything, it doesn't even have to be living! ( I once got attached to a hiking stick, that I named, at girl scout camp and was brought to tears when my troop leader wouldn't let me take it home)
photo below is not Mick, but it looks just like himMick was a "Mickey Mouse Platy"

he had the black mickey mouse emblem on his tail.

Good bye Mick ... you will be missed(for a week or so).

Girls Day at the Beach

2008-07-10T16:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Rachel and I packed up some lunches, a blanket, towels, camera, buckets, ball, frisbee, and two adorable children and made our way down to Pirate's Cove at Corona Del Mar Beach. Those of you who've been there know that this is no easy feat...But we did it! and it was Fun! Nevaeh was a bit leery when it came to the water and even declared earlier that, "I don't like the beach anymore, It's scary." (She was a a little fish last summer...how quickly they forget) It only took a few clever moves of Rachel the Child Whisperer and she was chest deep in the frigid waters of the cove! Charlotte wasn't on the ground for but a few seconds before she darted off the blanket and, as if she were a starving child with a bowl full of rice, ate handfuls of sand like a scavenger! I waited for the "Yuck this is gross, why did I eat this" look to flash across her face but....it never came. Lo, I had to intervene. Char spent the majority of the time in my arms(thus my buffness;). She weighed in at 23lbs 29in. at her appt. today...must have been all the sand! All in all we enjoyed ourselves and the overcast day watching the sailboats drift by, trying to collect shells carried out to quickly by the mild waves...And Rachel and I took turns yawning all the way home.

My "sweetface"

"Child Whisperer"

Lil' Scavenger

Everybody was KUNG-FU FIGHT-ING!!!!

2008-07-03T21:12:00.000-07:00

Kung Fu Panda!!!.... Al and I had the chance to take Nevaeh(minus Char) out on a little date last week. We took her to the movies for the first time(that she can remember) and she loved it. It was a little loud for her at first, but she adjusted in no time. It was really fun and she kept saying "I'm so Sited!" Of course we were a little late(the norm for us) and so we had to run from the parking lot to the theatre, which in hind sight just added to the fun! We got there just in time to miss all the 'who knows what you might see' previews. I believe that when a little girl watches Kung Fu it translates a little differently in their minds, more of a form of art than of violence and so Nevaeh (who likes to be the Panda) and I (who like to be the Tigress) have been doing lots of Kung Fu Dancing!

Home Sweet Home

2008-06-30T22:53:00.000-07:00

OK ...so I've heard that in the blogging world there is only one thing more annoying than a blogger who doesn't blog and that is a blogger who apologizes for not blogging with every new post. So I will continue to post at will and not apologize for my lack.......

....OK OK I'm really sorry, but here's my excuses and I have really good ones. We have been home sporadically for only 14 days this month. Add in - 3 meals a day, dishes to accompany them, coffee press twice a day(pure joy), laundry for 4, packing, unpacking, laundry, re-packing, unpacking, laundry, 2weeks of home-made baby food, 15 hrs of work on a new tattoo(not mine), one accident on the carpet(again not mine),two sick babes, several sippies full of milk, 300 sit-ups a day(who am I kidding), a new love for veggie tales, multiple cheerios between the toes (which badly need to be painted), vigorous house hunting, an ever increasing list of blogs to check, which often inspire me to keep going, communicate with husband, throw in daily Bible reading, prayer in the shower, and the ever exciting trip to check the mail! Which consists of dodging brightly colored dragonflies, scaring timid turtles, watching baby duckies grow, counting fish, and picking flowers in our beautiful little oasis....(Oh why do they have to raise our rent!)

So we are home now...and it is ever so sweet!

Daddy's Day Off Day

2008-06-02T10:55:00.000-07:00

Our favorite day of the week! This week (technically last week)we went to the park and had a picnic, followed by baseball, swinging and some intense jungle gym playing! Nevaeh learned to swing on her stomach(which she's always been afraid to do), played in the sand, climbed trees and said "watch me" 10 million(not and exaggeration) times and Char... ate the grass. It was a great Daddy's Day Off Day!

Rain or Shine

2008-06-02T10:37:00.000-07:00

Papa & Nana's House103 degrees!

A few days later it was 65 and raining?

iPhone

2008-06-01T21:58:00.000-07:00

It's official. I need (need?Hmmm) an iPhone. It would be so much easier to keep up with my blog and you all would reap the benefits. So any contributions to the iPhone fund are welcome.

Kidding

.....kind of

more interesting informative posts to come...
I promise.

All Growed Up

2008-05-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure how long this one is going to last, but as of right now Nevaeh is "too growed up to take a bath". So she has been taking showers (aka 'the rain') because she's "just bigger". So wet floors and a high water bill is in store for us. Her first shower we caught on tape because it was just about the cutest thing ever! It consisted of several rounds of 'Hakuna Matata' and NKOTB dance moves complete with a "yeah, shake my booty!" Don't know where she learned that one.

Sickies

2008-05-17T14:34:00.000-07:00

Forgive me for the laspe in Blogs. My littlest gem has had her first real illness and has consumed every ounce of my time and energy over past week. You'll all be pleased to know though that she is feeling much better and is once again on the move and into everything. She pulling up on anything she can these days. And as Sir Isaac Newton was so clever to discover, what goes up... must come down and therefore our days are filled with many bumps and bruises as well.

Sometimes I dont know what's worse for her, the pain of the fall or the frustration that she fell....again. Oddly enough, I can identify.

Green Thumb

2008-05-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

Could it be that the generational curse of the black thumb(sorry mom) has been lifted?

Two months ago I received this African Violet from my Uncle's memorial celebration, as did most of the other women in my family. As we headed out the door together, my African Violet and I, I looked upon him(he's male) with pity, knowing full well the inevitable fate that awaited him. I found myself apoligizing that he got stuck with me. It was then that I made a promise to myself and to my new leafy friend, that I would do all that was in my power to keep him happy and alive. "They like to be watered from the bottom and placed in indirect sunlight" was all the direction I had been given (thanks to my cousin Jen, the botanist). Simple enough, you would think. Well, he survived the 4 hour drive back home, bouncing along in the back of our SUV with a screaming baby and a blaring Disney Cars DVD, so I knew he was stronger then I was...Yes, this could work ...he's a fighter. It wasn't long after being in my care that the curse of the black thumb took hold and his health began to rapidly decline. He lost all of his beautiful violet flowers and it seemed that each morning a new leaf began to wither. I pleaded with him mercilessly to hold on... and ran to the internet for help. Come to find out he needed less water and more sunlight, I was drowning the little dude and depriving him of some much needed photosynthesis. I began to move him around to different spots in house, until he found one that suited him best. So there he stays, flourishing, happy as a lark and I beam with pride every time I see him. Alas! the curse is gone and I believe my thumb is turning green!

Diva Disaster

2008-05-04T09:36:00.001-07:00

A girl can never have to much lip gloss...

...or can she?

Move over Rembrant, Van Gogh, Picasso....

2008-05-04T08:32:00.000-07:00

....there's a new artist on the rise!
Painting is so much fun! It was all I could do to not hog the whole easel!
Nevaeh was given this really cool art easel and I think this just might be the start of something really cool. Perhaps when she is famous and her artwork is displayed in the finest museums around the world, we will look back and remember this day, this easel, this masterpiece!

Gotta love the Chub.....

2008-04-30T22:13:00.001-07:00

Charlotte Elizabeth.......she's just amazing.

Everybody Screeeeeam!!!

2008-04-30T21:42:00.000-07:00

Every child should be able to scream at the top of their lungs every once in a while (every person for that matter). Well, with baby sister around and the chains that apartment living puts on a rambunctious three year old, Nevaeh's screams have been stifled as of late. That was until today. You'll all be glad to know that her scream was freed this afternoon at the park, freed and then freed again and again...and again.

Thrifty's

2008-04-30T20:03:00.000-07:00

I was raised on Thrifty's Ice cream. "Chocolate Malted Crunch anyone?" Some of my fondest childhood memories involved Thrifty's Ice cream. Actually, one of the worst too. --We were in line at Thrifty's once when it was robbed by two 'Vato Locos' with big guns. Not guns like my hubby's arms either....real ones, with bullets! Thankfully no one was hurt and my sister and her BFF had been "scopin' out these hot homies" so they were able to give a thorough description of the assailants to the police. Remember that girls?...Of course you do. -- So Tragedy aside -There is a feeling of excitement that comes when you peer over the ice cream counter into all of those round bins full of different colored wonder. I remember this feeling well and I was joyfully reminded of it today as I witnessed the widening eyes of my little girl, Nevaeh as she too experienced the excitement and wonder of Thrifty's. Rainbow sherbet in a cup with the cone on top...doesn't get much better than that.

NEVAEH!!!

2008-04-27T10:02:00.000-07:00

" Baby, don't jump on the couch like that!......Wait! Do it one more time ...let me get my camera."

BigBird

2008-04-19T19:55:00.000-07:00

As I was walking home this morning I happened upon this beautiful crane in our pond. It was clear that he cared not that I stood and gawked at him, I think he may have even enjoyed it. (: So I ran upstairs to get my camera and got some amazing shots of this glorious, ginormous bird.

Prayer, Praise & Promises - April19th

2008-04-19T19:14:00.000-07:00

" The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry" -Psalm 34:15

"God is ever mindful of your needs, and He will act when it will do the most good. His delays are preparation. Are you waiting for Him to answer your cry? Trust in Him and wait patiently. He will answer you" - Warren Wiersbe

Up and ...Crawling

2008-04-18T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yes its true! Baby Charlotte is on the move. And she's got rug burned knees to prove it. (for a solution to rug burned baby knees check out http://www.babylegs.net/) It began a week or so ago with a very intense army crawl that could put an experienced marine to shame. Nothing was out of her reach, with this new ability to meander about the room, is was as though the world were at her fingertips. Then all of a sudden... up she popped, onto all fours, resting the weight of all that chub on her tiny fingers and toes. This was exciting for a while, but realizing that making any real progress in this itsy-bitsy-spider like stance was near impossible at this stage in her development, she dropped to her knees. Rocking back and forth with such ferver and chanting ( i think she was psychin' herself up) she finally put one hand in front of the other and began to crawl. Each move is slow and delibrate, often reverting back to her days in the army when speed is of necesity. Getting to and tasting one of Nevaeh's ponies for example, before anyone notices, would call for the swift army crawl.

For footage of an experienced crawler check out the feats of Miss Caiden Keats.

Though I am proud of the accomplishments of my littlest one, I secretly fear having two mobile children. Yes... that is my lens cap on her head.

Up and Running

2008-04-16T21:17:00.000-07:00

Well Hello there Everyone,

Welcome to my new Blog! (I new it would feel weird to say that, and indeed it did)

I suppose that there are endless purposes for one to become a... "blogger"? is it? Fair warning that mine is not intended to bore you with my innermost thoughts and concerns for the world, things that should probably be spoken in utter solitude and perhaps darkness. The purpose of my blog, i pray, is to give you some insight into the goings and comings of me and my little gang. My girls and I would be delighted for you to take a peek into our storybook whenever you find the time to do so. I will try my best to keep it updated with the latest adventures of our household. Life as a mother and wife, though often mundane, can be filled with amazing little treasures, glorious jewels(the sparkley kind that I find daily all over the carpet and stuck to various parts of my body and those of my children), and priceless memories that cannot be traded for all the free time and money in the world, if only you have the eyes to see them. And this my friends it what I wish to share with you through my new adventure as a blogger. So if your interested, check back as often as you like...we'll be here!