Christmas Dating...

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!!!

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!!!

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!

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!

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!

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!

...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!