Giving thanks...

As many of you may know, the Southern CA area was hit with a stream of wildfires recently, as it usually is every year around this time. They were rather large and close this time though, which sent a little panic our way. Many people lost their homes and all of their belongings within minutes. Thankfully, our home and possessions are still in tact and we are thankful for that!

Moments like this make you realize that all you have is such a blessing. How appropriate for this "Thanksgiving" time of year. We were able to get together with friends and family, and even eat some wonderful food! Here is a summary of our Thanksgiving week....

Thanksgiving morning I ran my second 5K, and beat my first 5K time! Aside from it starting late due to rain, and us getting soaked before the race, it was a fun time for Keton and me! There is something nice about seeing your husband cheering you on at the finish line...

Stella had her first feeding...already. She went to her doctor's appointment this week too and she is a healthy 17.5 lbs and 27 inches! Obviously we have a larger than average 4 month old...:) But she is truly happy and content (maybe because she is eating???).

We tried for a family photo on Thanksgiving but of course the girls did not want to cooperate at all:) But that is why we love this picture!

And a few more shots...

What a wonderful time for our family...

We are Thankful for it all!

One month down...

It has been one month, practically, and I have not graced this blog with stories from our lives. My apologies, but life has just taken up my time (as it does to us all!). The other day I was sitting in my car driving to work, and I glanced over at the passenger seat to make sure I had everything I needed. As I glanced at my purse, I was rather shocked to see it busting out at the seams with "stuff". Then I started thinking about something. Have any of you ladies out there noticed that purses have increased in size over the past few years? Years ago, all you could fit was a wallet, some gum, maybe a mirror and lipstick. Now all you see are women of all ages with purses that look as though they are ready to go away for the weekend at a moment's notice. Sadly, I have become one of those women. But truthfully, I need all of that space! It is not only amazing that I have a purse so large, but that it is actually filled. To me this means that we are living in a day and age where we have so much to do, so much we need and so much that we carry as burdens, literally, on our shoulders. I have two calendars in there, one for work and meetings, and one for personal things. Of course my phone, for who can live without a cell phone? Admit it, whenever you accidentally leave yours at home you feel as though you are missing a part of your anatomy. There are pens, random receipts, hair bands, and a make up bag. On occasion there are burp rags, bottles, diapers, wipes, and spare pairs of little girl's underwear in case of any "accidents". And of course emergency snacks to be given when you need to just get through the check out line at Target, and your little one is fussy and getting loud. In a nutshell, our new large-and-in-charge style purses are filled with the essence of daily life. As my good friend calls it, the "mundane" parts of life. When did life get so complicated!?

This complex daily routine is truly the reason for my lack of blogging lately. Too much to do, not enough time, and when that happens blogging is too much of an indulgence. Thankfully, I decided to finally give in and blog! After all, I need this outlet as a way to vent, communicate, remember, share, and celebrate the happenings in our lives.

This past month a lot has been going on, and since my last blog we have had Halloween (Gracie went as Audrey Hepburn, I thought it was cute but Keton said she was one of those kids that had the dorky costume that no one recognized because it had too much "thought") and Gracie got a little candy that her father happily devoured when she had her head turned. We enjoyed the evening by seeing my mom and my husband's family, which is always a good time!

I even penciled in the eyebrows...too cute! That same weekend I ran my first ever race, a 5K in the local area for education. My goal was to finish running, and I did! It felt great to accomplish something and try something new. I am running my second 5k on Thanksgiving morning, and the goal is to break my previous time! It has been great to get back into shape, and I have been truly feeling the wonderful benefits of daily exercise. Marathon, here I come??? Who knows...but for now, this is enough!

The next weekend we took Gracie, Stella and their cousin Isis to the zoo, and they had a blast seeing all of the animals and habitats. Okay, so maybe Stella could have cared less, but the other girls thought it was the greatest! It is always fun to go to places like the zoo with little ones, because they help you to see it in a way that you used to when you were a little child. The day ended with a carousel ride, how could anyone have more fun?

That same weekend we attended my husband's first cousin's 21st birthday bash, and aside from her turning 21 making us feel old, we had a great time.

So yes, we have been busy little bees...I am sure you have too. Stella has grown so much, and I sure at her doctor's appointment on Monday she will be "off the charts" yet again. We have grown to just LOVE her beyond words. Her manner is so peaceful and calm. She definitely takes after Dad!

So keep checking my blog when you can, and I promise to do my best to share more than once a month!

Making Memories....

It was hot. In the 90's. We needed shorts, sunscreen, and lots of water. Shade was sought out constantly, and we were soaking up the rays almost everywhere. No, we were not at the beach. And no, we were not in the desert in mid-summer. We were apple picking. In late October. The very last weekend of apple season, to be exact. But then again, this is southern CA, and we like to be "special". While the rest of the country is bundling up and lighting fires in their fireplaces, we are sweating it out in good old CA. Keton and I took the girls apple picking, and we were really excited because we have been wanting to do this for a long time. Even though the weather did not provide us with a perfect fall day, we made the best of it anyway and had a wonderful time!

The farm was called "Riley's Farm" and it was full of children and adults hunting for juicy apples. There was a cider press, BBQ restaurant that served everything fresh off of the farm, and a general store straight out of "The Little House on the Prairie".

Stella slept through most of it, but Gracie was happy to pick some apples on her behalf and chomp on them while finding more to put into the bag. It is amazing how much more delicious the apples are straight off of the tree. It really got me thinking about how important it is to eat food in the form that God intended (if possible!). It is so much healthier, tastier, and truly keeps your body running at it's best. Although our family strives to eat healthy, and I consider it a necessity to provide nutrition to them, we still tend to snack on refined foods for convenience. But I have to tell you, snacking on those apples this week has been pretty satisfying...and adding some organic peanut butter makes it almost a dessert.

We had a great weekend seeing our girls, as well as the rest of Keton's family, at his grandfather's birthday gathering. My mom was able to make it as well, and it was truly nice to have everyone "together", which just does not happen much anymore.

Gracie and her cousin Isis love to mess around with my brother-in-law Colton. It works out because it turns out that he is more fun than I am:) It has been great to be with family again, and it has been nice for them to get to know the girls. They do grow so fast! So thank you all, for a wonderful fun family weekend, where more memories were made!

My new relationship...

I have begun a new relationship. One filled with drama, that is certain. My new partner is running. A few weeks ago I was talked into this silly idea of signing up for a 5k in our local area. Now, if you know me, you know that I am not really a "runner" nor am I "fast" when I do venture out and run. My sister-in-law talked me into signing up for the 5k, "Come on! It is for education!" Well, being a teacher, how can I turn that down? So here I am, involved in a very give-take-love-hate relationship, one which I have had to truly commit myself to. I began the actual running (fine! jogging....whatever) a few weeks ago, with a slow jog through the local cemetery (it is actually pretty, and it was during the day) and I made it through ten minutes before having to walk a little. Wow, I thought. Ten whole minutes, and I am in pain already. I might be walking for education. I did pick up some jogging towards the end of that run, and so I felt okay about it. Since then, I have been running almost everyday, some days better than others. With my crazy schedule and children, and hubby, I am able to get my run in only in the evenings, which is where the drama comes in. My new partner wants to go out, but I want to stay in and cuddle with my hubby, and kiss my girls. But this new partner is relentless! And so, off I go late in the evening, running through our neighborhood, or at the park where Keton plays softball. And I have to say, the first ten minutes of our outing is just brutal. I am so ready to pack it up and head home! But after that awkward beginning, I have found that I hit my stride. And there is almost a calm peace that comes with my jogging. So freeing, and it feels good to know that each step is making me healthier (and removing the baby weight!). And if I miss a run, boy do I hear it from my partner the next day. It is almost as though this little voice inside pokes at you until you lace up your sneakers and hit the pavement again. Then it is silenced and the feeling of accomplishment fills you up. Maybe I am dramatizing this just a little, but it does feel so good to accomplish this one little goal of mine each day. I know that running the 5k, and finishing it, will make me feel like I have succeed at something, even if it is small. So I supposed I owe my sister-in-law a thank you for introducing me to my new friend. Hopefully I can work on building a lifetime relationship with my new buddy. As long as my new buddy keeps my bottom looking good....

A little romance....

I think one of the most romantic things that you can do as a couple is attend a wedding together. The ambiance is lovely, the vows bring back memories, and the "new" love hanging in the air makes anyone feel as though they are newlyweds again. Keton and I just returned from our friend's wedding, and we had such a wonderful time! We dropped off the girls with my mom (thanks again mom!) and headed off to a weekend of socializing, shopping, eating and sleeping without any interruptions or big responsibilities. Even though the schedule was full, it was a very fun weekend! It was great just to have time to focus on each other. So rare. We enjoyed some delicious food and wine, and danced the night away without any inhibitions or cares. We went to the outlets near our hotel and actually had the chance to shop separately and try on clothes AT THE SAME TIME! But truth be told, we loved our rented freedom but missed our girls terribly. It was so great to pick them up on Sunday and squeeze them until the begged us to stop! Okay, maybe Stella could not comment, but Gracie sure did. Funny how they seem to grow up just within a few days. We are now back to our regularly scheduled lives, but the memories of our romantic weekend away seem to distract me often:) I am so blessed with a wonderful husband!

Time Standing Still

We are going on a mini-vacation this weekend! Keton is in a wedding, and on the way up to Northern CA (where we will attend a wedding at a vineyard/winery, yay!) we are stopping in Central CA to drop the girls off. You know what that means for my week. Laundry. TONS of it. Packing, for four of us now! Lots of, "Where is my other black heel????!!!" "Why is it in Gracie's toy bin?" "Does this dress go with these shoes?" " Why is everything I own black?" "Do we have the bottles/food/diapers/underwear for our almost trained munchkin?" "Why do we have eight bags for one trip???!!!"

You know the routine. Craziness. Lots and lots of craziness. With a little fun mixed in of course. So tonight Stella has been fussy, which is rare, and Gracie was just in the mood to entertain. Meanwhile Keton is out playing his weekly softball game, and I am trying to orchestrate chaos at home. I am running here and there and doing a million things at one time, wondering why Stella won't stop squeaking and Gracie won't lay down and SLEEP. Then, as I was putting clothes away in Gracie's room and listening to her tell me about the book she was reading, it occurred to me that she is so cute and this is one of those moments that I need to just STOP and enjoy. She was so adorable with her words and mannerisms ("Mommy, I read to you." "Horseys have naked butt."). We sat and talked and she recalled the scenes from "Polar Express" which is currenlty the favorite movie (yet again...last year we had it memorized by October) and she lovingly calls it "Polar Press" or "Polar Breast" if she is really excited. She gets really into the scenes and gets very animated, it was a great moment.

Life just happens if we don't take the time to enjoy it. We need to SLOW down and take in the moments with our children, our spouses, or friends and family. I don't know about you, but I often get soooooooooo busy and into a "groove", that I don't like to stop and slow down for anything or anyone. Go go go go!!! is my daily mantra. But tonight, I was reminded of how wonderful it is to stop and savor a sweet moment with my little Gracie. After all, she will have grown more by tomorrow. Moments like tonight are what I really remember, and what really matters. The laundry can wait, and who cares if I have to pack some things last minute? Time stands still when I am in the moment with my family. I hope I get to stop the clock tomorrow...and the next day...and the next.

Stella

Each day when I come home from work, I am greeted by my little Gracie running up and hugging me (or yelling at me...). It is one of the best feelings in the world to come home to your children, and have them be happy to see you and show that they missed you. But little Stella is unable to run up just yet. However, when I get home I try to spend a little time with just her. Which can be a challenge because Gracie tends to take up all of the space, time, energy in the room. But with my husband's wonderful assistance with Gracie, I can usually steal a moment away to be with just my darling Stella. She has become such an important member of our family. Just the other night Keton and I were discussing how strange it is that it feels as though Stella has always been a member of our family. What would we do without her? And she has only been here, in the flesh, for two months. But as you moms know, once that little one is here, it is as if they have always been. If I had one word to describe my little Stella it would be "sweet". She is so easy going, and gentle in manner. Just the most polite little lady if there ever was one. All fussing has a true reason, unlike our other little firecracker! During our "moment" yesterday, Stella and I just stared at one another and talked about our days. I used full sentences while she used the adorable little "cooing" sounds she has discovered. She was all smiles and giggles too. Even this early on, she is interacting so well and just loves to smile and flirt with us. She is so aware, and in-tune to her surroundings. We had such a special moment yesterday; I truly think I fell more in love with her in just the few minutes we spent together! She is just such a tremendous blessing. My heart aches as I write this because I cannot just run over to her and give her a kiss and a snuggle! The Lord has blessed us again! We just LOVE our little Stella...