Since I'm confined to my bed at the moment with stomach bug I figured it would be a great time to catch up here. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, it was very relaxing. It rained in the morning, the girls got on their coats and played in the puddles. Something we dont get to do very often! It was a great sight to see out of my kitchen window as I prepared our meal.

We had a suprise visit from my mother-in-law's sister who was traveling with her grandson from Austrailia. They were traveling by bus to New York! Such an adventure! And very fun guests! We had a great time learning about the dingo's and the brumby's! :)

Over the weekend I felt the holiday season in full effect! We went to Sea World and enjoyed Christmas Carolers, Christmas trees, and snow! However, here in San Diego, snow is made from a bubble machine!

We also went out and bought our tree. Aiana picked it out this year and it is probably the best tree we have had yet! So much better than our tree last year! It's full, stands straight, and smells soooo good! This year we decorated with shatterproof ornaments and suprisingly they look great. We also put up the advent calendar that Will's mom made for he and his brother when they were kids. Each day the girls find a little treat in the pockets as they count down the days until Christmas.

We celebrated daddy's birthday earlier this month. We had a picnic dinner out by our Christmas tree, enjoyed a cozy fire, and watched frosty the snowman. Then ended with an awesome gluten-free chocolate cake! (my new FAVORITE dessert).

With all the hustle and bustle of this month of December we are trying to savor each moment and stopping often to refocus our minds on Jesus, the reason for this joyous holiday.

Caylin had her first dance recital at Horton Plaza mall. We had a bit of trouble getting there and showed up right as her class ended! So I talked to the teacher and asked her if the girls can please do their dance again. Surprisingly, at the end of the show Caylin and her little girlfriend, Kaylee, got to go on a perform. They were the only girls left so they ended the show! It was SO sweet! We ended the day with dinner at grandpa's.

Anika is a big climber these days...but still not walking. So that little stinker gets herself into a lot of trouble. She can be found on the couch, fireplace, open dishwasher, etc...wherever she sees an opportunity to climb, she's all over it!

Aiana is excited for her upcoming small group meeting. The girls got to pick a secret santa and will be exchanging gifts, while sipping hot cocoa, and caroling around the neighborhood.

I absolutly LOVE this time of year!!!!

I'll end with a couple of Caylin funny's:

*In the car while I was praying outloud thanking God for all the wonderful blessings in our life "Mom, who are you talking to"

me: "I'm talking to God because I'm so happy that I have you in my life and we are healthy"

Caylin after a pause of silence "Umm, I dont hear him"

*Caylin was studying one of her barbies that has a bent arm and says "mom, her arm is broken"

me: "Oh no, that is the way she was made"

Caylin as she looks at her a little more and puts her arm up in the air "Ohhhhh, she is worshiping"

*Last night while I'm changing into my pj's "I see a weadgy" (you know she has an older sister)

Twenty dollar craft...

As we all know...it's rarely a good sign when a child is quiet...

Holiday fun

One of the things I miss about the corporate world is the holiday parties. Well, now that Will is back in the corporate world we were able to attend his company party last night. We had a great night out without the kiddos. While they were safe at home with mimi, we were out having a fun time! All dressed up and somewhere to go! There was a photo booth at the party that Will and I were having too much fun with :)

When Aiana saw these pictures she said "You guys have so much fun when you're not with us kids" (geez are we that bad??).

Elf dance

Gotta love the elf dances! No matter how many times I watch these things I still laugh! Have fun with yours! http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/hqRBBguQAyFHupcuxOwc

Girls day out

The girls are out of school this week so the other day we hung out with my mom and sister-in-law and cousin Kaila. We took the girls to a little place called All About The Girl. The girls got their hair, makeup, and nails done. There was pink, purple, glitter, feathers, boas, and flowers everywhere! It was so funny to watch the little girls mannerisms change once they were all "fancy". This place is too cute! I know some other little fabulous friends who would LOVE this place!!

Look at us now!

Anika trying to figure out what this is all about!

Aiana enjoyed herself too!
(side story...the white bandages on Caylin's arm are from a blood test she had to get for school...notice there are two...there's only suppose to be one but evidently her vien was hard to find...NOT FUN... She was horrified to take the bandages off. They finally came off 5 days later thanks to rubbing Aquafor all over them!)

12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

This has been a super fun giveaway!! Not to mention, I love the jewlery at Cinnamonsticks. Cinnamonsticks has been doing a daily giveaway and is now getting ready to draw for the grand prize. Check out her blog for super fun jewlery and for links to other very talented women!
http://cinnamonsticksboutique.blogspot.com/

Scare for the day...

While Anika was napping today, Caylin was watching a little Sesame Street. I left the room for a moment to run upstairs and on my way upstairs I could hear that Murray and His Little Lamb were on their way to visit gardening school. Anyway, when I came back downstairs, I couldn't find Caylin anywhere! I checked the whole house and the front yard. When I went out to check the backyard, I saw Caylin way down in the garden (which is about 3 flights of stairs down toward the canyon) with a rake! She was working away (in the garden of dry dirt at the moment) and told me she had to go out and check the beets!