Girly Girls!

Ryan saw these pictures and I think was hit once again with the reality that we have two girls - two girly girls. And me!
This was a fun photo shoot because it was totally make-shift and free! There was a photographer shooting the senior superlatives at the high school and since my mom was the one that used to do all the hiring of him he is very open to helping her out. So, in between his shoots, when he was just waiting, he was more than happy to take some fun pictures for us. And the ASB office is filled with fun colored balloons.

Natalie was being quite the little model. Noelle on the other hand was a little more distracted by all the things around her in the room. We still love the results.
My mom had to swap heads with the one great picture of Noelle to create this picture but the pose that they put themselves in was just too adorable!
And here's another one of Natalie hamming it up.
But the majority of the pictures look like this. It is so comical to watch because inevitably, at the moment one girl finally turns to smile, the other looks away or does something strange.
Like this...
And this...

But they are still fun and adorable!
...and girly!

Passes!

We had annual passes that ended in November. I originally decided that I didn't want to renew them but as time went on I really started to miss Disneyland!


I'm afraid that my hinting that I wanted to go back was not too subtle and turned into begging. I felt I needed to convince Ryan of all the reasons why getting passes was an excellent idea even though I had told him we didn't want them again.
So, for our birthdays he decided to give us the green light and partner with my mother-in-law and Grandma to get us all passes.
The thing I love most about it is just being able to go for a few hours with the girls and just take our time, doing whatever sounds fun at the moment. Noelle starts Kindergarten days until 3pm in the fall and I want to soak up this time of having littles at home with full days free as much as I can.

Wow, as I write this I am again reminded of how few people have an option like this and how little we really need such an extravagant option. We will soak it up though while we have it and make some really fun memories.

It was also great to realize that Natalie had forgotten some stuff in the past 6 months, for instance, that she hated It's a Small World and refused to ride it.

EASTER

I am excited this week for Easter. We celebrate the greatest day in history.

I adore Christmas but I sure did spend a lot of time in preparation for the presents and I feel thankful for the simplicity of Easter.

Jesus has rocked my life. I know a freedom that is unexplainable and a love that runs deep in my veins. Hope in him truly does act like an anchor for my soul.

Last night was passover. I only know that because my calendar said so. I overlook it mostly but when I saw it again on the calendar I wanted to look into it afresh and I was encouraged. The Passover Seder points to Christ in uncanny ways.

One particular point stuck out to me, where three pieces of matzoh are selected and the middle one is broken and then hidden. After dinner a child seeks and finds the matzoh to receive a reward. Someone suggested the childlike faith in which we must come to Christ and how rich of a reward we are offered. Another the idea that the Matzoh is pierced and striped.

I look around at our world and see the strife and the pain. I look to this Sunday with a renewed desire to reflect on the significance of the cross.

Crosses are everywhere and a Happy Easter message with a big cross can fool us into missing the depth and the breadth of Jesus' cross. If the cross holds some old, unhelpful meaning to you, I encourage you to look anew to the significance of the cross.

Knowing the cross, all that it represents and how the story unfolds, Easter Sunday takes on new meaning, fresh meaning that is unequally exciting.

Pizza Party!

When Noelle became convinced that she wanted her birthday at Chuck E Cheese I was willing to do a small family thing there but that was it. My plan was to have a joint party for her at our house.

This is a girl who knows what she wants and I'm going to need to learn to go with that.
Because I totally underestimated how much fun this whole Chuck E Cheese thing would be for her.

Rocking out with Chuck-E! Natalie was pretty into it too. She reallllly wanted to go in the ticket blaster! We might be going back for her birthday!


Because you need to have a minimum of 4 kids to do the birthday party package we invited our neighbors, Kaitlyn and Lilah. Kaitlyn is in Noelle's preschool class and Lilah and Nat are the same age.

I realized afterwards that she had seen the whole thing play out on a commercial and was ready! I started to explain the "ticket blaster" and she was like, "Yeah, I know. You put on goggles and then the tickets start blowing all around..."
I'm excited that the party is still coming up! This girl loves holidays so much and her birthday has been such a source of excitement. More fun to come!

TO PET OR NOT TO PET?

This girl is totally obsessed with animals. Whenever we've visited homes with animals she just can't get enough. We saw this cat in a friend's apartment complex and instead of running from the girls it rolled on it's back and wanted them to pet it. Noelle was totally taken, especially when the cat walked onto her lap.

Last week our little neighbor friends came running over to show the girls their lizards. The next thing we know they come back with this cage and ask if Noelle can have a lizard.
I told her they wanted to give her a lizard and even have a cage for her. She was literally gushing, "Oh my gosh. Thank you so much. I always wanted a pet. I'm so excited."

We kept the lizard for a few days and she loved him but then decided to let it go because it seemed a little too sluggish. After letting it go Noelle cannot stop talking about wanting a cat.

Ryan and I have never been animal people. I know for sure I don't want a dog. I might do a fish but I refuse to do a hamster/guinea pig, etc. But because of her great love, Ryan and I are seriously considering getting a cat. We would have it be indoor/outdoor.

I would really love some feedback though. Is this a good idea? Horrible idea? Are your kids obsessed with animals? Is it a phase or enduring? Did having a pet enrich your life? Are you a mom that wishes you didn't have a cat?

Give me your thoughts and advice!!

Sunny Day

Today we're making the transition to hot weather. The girls were just a little rusty with the lingo. Noelle comes running out with her bikini bottoms in hand and told me she needed to find the other piece to her "beenie weenie". Man, I'm cracking up just thinking about it. Then Natalie 2 minutes later said she hoped she didn't get a "sunset" from the sun outside. Better put on that sunscreen ;).

THE Dress

Natalie got this dress and really took a liking to it. It is comfortable and frilly - just the right combination. She wore it everyday for like two weeks and I only stole it away to wash it once. She cried and kept coming to me trying to convince me that it was ready in the wash every couple minutes.
I convinced her to wear other things and then the next thing I know she would come out in it again. My mom went back to Costco and bought her two more, which was very kind.
But on Sunday, before we could pick up the new dresses she again found her dirty dress and wanted to put it on. I told her it was really stinky and she said she didn't mind. Since we were about to go pick up the new dresses I let her put it on. As soon as she got it on, she said, "Mommy, the dress isn't stinky. It was just my breath. My breath is stinky." And off she went, happy as can be.

"Best Valentine's Party Ever!"

This year we had a Valentine's party for the kids in Noelle's preschool class and their families. It turned out to be really fun.

We played some games, one was really easy and cute. I cut out a ton of paper hearts and brought the kids inside while the adults hid them all over the backyard. The kids were in teams and searched for them. The winners got to decorate their cookies first.

I tried to keep it simple by just doing appetizers and dessert. And I took a friend up on her offer to bring something, always nice. For me, this party was a little victory. I think it was the first party I prepared for that their was not a moment where the stress or anxiety got to me. There always seems to be a point the day of where I get overwhelmed. But not today!

A random party doesn't hold the same kind of pressure as a birthday party and was easier to actually make about the kids. It was really fun to see the kids interacting since they are together so much but you hardly get to see it at school. Noelle's friend Cole, who is a favorite, came with his mom. He's in the red hat.

When we got to school the next morning, the kids were already lined up and when Cole sees us he puts a fist in the air and says, "Best Valentine's part e-ver!" As if he's been to other Valentine's parties. It was so cute. The teacher said they were all talking about it.

We're missing one or two in the picture. And Noelle and Natalie did have heart dresses on. They were playing dress up, but Noelle ended up in her jammies.

THE MARKET

Natalie was pretending to be Glenda from Wizard of Oz and was making up a beautiful lullaby. Noelle starts telling her that she can't sing that and that's not how you sing a real song. Then she starts making up her own song. I jump in:

Me: Noelle, don't even act like you have the market on what a real song is. Let Natalie sing whatever she wants.

Noelle: (with attitude) Yes, I DO have the market on all the songs in the world. I know just the songs to sing.

She continued her ranting but Ryan and I were laughing too hard at the fact that she figured out how to throw that one back at me that I can't remember what else she said.
We are in trouble. Not meaning, like we are in for it someday. Oh no, trouble started a long time ago with this sassy pants but we adore her ;).







Before she was even born, her Grandma Julie nicknamed her a "mighty mite." Still fits. She sure has a lot rolled into one little girl! She loves big too!

Super Bowl

The past 5 superbowls were not much for me and I don't think I watched more than a couple minutes here and there. We have also felt like we don't have a core group of friends that we would do a party with as well as no parties we were getting invited to.

So this year was really nice! We had our life group over and even though we had around 10 kids we still got to watch the game. Ryan carried on his dad's tradition of doing a drawing for all sorts of different prize options throughout the game, like the first 4 people to score a touchdown and everyone picks a name of the likely touchdown runners. It made it more interesting and the kids loved to pick the prizes.

My highlight was when the half time show started, Noelle and Natalie just start busting a move right in front of the TV. Noelle gets so intense when she's dancing it's so hard not to laugh. I missed her best moves though. And I don't care what the critics say, I thought the half time show was really entertaining!!

That Charlie and Lola again

Noelle: Do we really have those white squares that poke up above someone's head in our world?

Me: Like what?

Noelle: You know, the white squares above someone's head, like on Charlie and Lola.

Me: What's in the white square?

Noelle: It's when, like, you really want to do something and you can't, so then you see yourself doing it in the white square.

Me: No, we don't really have those in our world.

Noelle: Why not?

Me: Well (geeze, how do you answer all these questions?), in our world we know what we're thinking in our head but we don't know what someone else is thinking in their head. On TV they want you to be able to see what is going on in someone's head...

I'll spare you the details but I went on to try and make sense of this for her. I am constantly being asked questions that I have to think way too hard to try and answer :). But I enjoy her curiosity and attempt to make sense of this world.

JUMS

Noelle: Mommy, do I really have jums in my body?

Me: What? Drums?

Noelle: No, do I have jums?

Me: I don't know what jums are. Do you mean joints?

Noelle: No. You know like, sick jums and cold jums.

Me: Where did you hear that?

Noelle: On Charlie and Lola.

Me: (laughing) They're saying germs!

Those dang British accents. ;)

Purposeful

Tonight, someone had posted a video about the miracle of life. I watched it and my heart was awakened once again to the wonder of my two daughters, their precious little bodies and hearts.

I snuck over to their rooms and took a minute to pray for each one. As I prayed first for Natalie, I pictured God standing close behind me, gazing at her with me, saying, "She's really wonderful, isn't she?" "We just love her." I saw her through fresh eyes as an amazing person who God made and roots for and created her with a plan in His mind just for her. It was a sweet moment. This world gets so out of hand sometimes and I am so thankful for a moment of perspective.

His eyes are on you too.

Friday Night Lights!

Ryan's brother Ben called him up a couple of months ago to ask if he wanted to be part of a full-pads, friday night lights, alumni football game. He would have to drive out to Yucaipa for practices and they really had no idea what kind of a turn out or game day experience this would end up being.

When game day arrived we were all impressed by how legit it turned out being. The alumni organization covered all the bases and the guys had a blast! They competed against alumni from a rival school and won.

The highlight of the game was a connection between Ryan and his brother. Although they played quarterback and wide receiver, the 2 year difference kept them from ever really getting to play together like this. It was a long pass and Ryan had to really dive for it, almost making into the end zone. So fun!

We brought the girls with us and I was so excited to share with them the experience of being at one of Ryan's games. That lasted about 10 minutes. Then they wanted to leave but fortunately our niece was able to watch them back at Ben's house. Thanks Mary.

Till next year...

8 YEARS!

Ryan and I spent the weekend in LA this year for our anniversary. That now makes it: Yosemite (Fish Camp), Monterey, Santa Barbara, Laguna Beach, Big Bear, Del Mar, Napa and now Los Angeles. Any suggestions for next year?


We ended the trip with our first visit to the Getty Museum. Such a fabulous view.



Our hotel was in Santa Monica so we had a fabulous breakfast and cruised around. Unfortunately, we didn't check the weather and pack our bathing suits and sun dresses (well, not for Ryan) because it was 90 degrees.
We didn't bring the camera around the first day but we visited downtown and then dinner and an improv. Good times :).
The best part of the trip was the time we spent reflecting on the past year. You forget about so much until you really sit down and think about it. It actually took quite awhile to cover most of it and if I wouldn't have kept interrupting and jumping in it might've been a little shorter. Sorry, Ry. We're thankful for the new things we've learned on our parenting journey, even if there are still a million things we still would love to understand. We are also thankful for the new people in our lives this year, the new family members and the new sense of community we're finding in our neighborhood. We continue to be thankful for what God does in us and through us.

Video Updates!

Natalie showing off her newly learned dancing skills.


Singing a favorite tune.


Ryan decided to teach Noelle some football. He kept cracking up so I go in to see what's going on and he was just so surprised by her intensity. It's hard to tell because he's so big but she was really going for it and growling.

GAGA Hustle @ 24 Hour Fitness

Christmas Ideas...that provide a double blessing.

I have come across a handful of organizations that offer products that make remarkable gifts. These gifts are remarkable, not only because they are really incredible products but also because they come from organizations that are doing their part in bringing about hope and justice in our world. Check it out!!!



31 Bits
Jewelry made with recycled paper by Ugandan Women. Here is their mission statement:
31 Bits Designs is a socially minded business designed to give internally displaced women in Northern Uganda an opportunity to counter poverty. By giving our beneficiaries access to the international market, they are able to earn an instant income, providing homes, food, and education for their families. Our program equips women by providing literacy education, financial and vocational training, holistic care, and strong support systems, empowering individuals to further their careers and attain social equity.

Check out their website for more information about their story and the young women from Vanguard who started the organization. Most importantly share their story by wearing their jewelry.

International Princess Project

"International Princess Project advocates for women enslaved in prostitution, helping them restore their lives and empowering them to live free." The women involved with IPP in India, create these beautiful pajama pants that are sold in the US, with profits directly supporting the women. This organization has a beautiful and powerful story of restoration and empowerment on so many levels.



Laga Bags

I received this bag for Christmas last year and I get so many compliments on it! These bags are beautifully made by Tsunami survivors in Indonesia on Singer sewing machines. You can find more about their story and bags on their website (click Laga Bags)

Noelle figuring out the world

Today she is sitting in at the computer and yelling, "SHUT UP." I'm wondering where she learned the phrase and then hear that she's actually saying, "It's shut up!" And I realize that she means the computer has restarted and that the opposite of "shutting down" is "shutting up" therefore the computer was now "shut up" and ready to go :).

A little later she explains that the TV screen was "black just like the cupils of Natalie's eyes."

Recently I've posted on facebook 2 other endearing comments and wanted to jot them down here to hold onto.

I was talking about a woman named Carmen and Noelle said, "Carmen? That sounds like a boys name." I told her it was a nice girls name and she replied, "Why does it have "cars" and "men" in it?"

Noelle just said she was going to wear her "thank you" jammies to bed as she pulled out ones with camo print. I connected the dots but asked her why and she said, "because if you see someone with this kind of armor you always say thank you." :)

An opportunity to GIVE

MY LASIK STORY

As the majority of you all know, I won FREE laser eye surgery from Harvard Eye Associates. When I first heard about the facebook contest (thanks to my friend Dr. Jennifer Jensen) and started writing my essay, I started dreaming about winning and the opportunity to give away the money that we had started saving for me to get the surgery.

It was a crazy contest because there seemed to be some decent odds that I could in fact win but at the same time I had no idea how many people had voted for me and how many more it would take! It wasn't until a few of my family and friends decided to post the contest on their walls that I moved into third and eventually 2nd place. My cousin even started messaging all of her friends. And then in the last two hours of the contest I moved into 1st place. Turns out I won by only 9 votes!

I didn't know exactly what the prize would entail and wondered if there would be some kind of catch. There wasn't any catch and the team at Harvard Eye treated me like a celebrity and were wonderful. The entire process was included in the prize and they only asked to document the process for their facebook page.

So, here I am, 1 month later and feeling incredible with my new eyesight! It is the most remarkable gift to be given!! I am incredibly thankful and also pleased to donate money to a few organizations doing tremendous work in our world.

GIVING
It took me a little while to decide upon the organizations because there are so many great options. I landed on three that are dear to my heart and gave to them in various amounts, totaling over $1,000. I wanted a chance for all of you who voted for me and joined me in this journey to see where the donations went and what you helped contribute to!

1. Compassion International
A large portion of the money went to a program and an organization dear to my heart as a mom. When you have a new baby and are holding them in your arms, the thought of not having a place to live or food to feed them is completely overwhelming and yet that is the reality for so many across the world.
Compassion's 'Child Survival Program' meets the needs of mothers and their newborn babies in centers around the world among the poorest of the poor. They help provide basic education, nutrition, prenatal care, and income generating opportunities.

2. International Princess Project
"International Princess Project advocates for women enslaved in prostitution, helping them restore their lives and empowering them to live free." The women involved with IPP in India, create these beautiful pajama pants that are sold in the US, with profits directly supporting the women. This organization has a beautiful and powerful story of restoration and empowerment on so many levels. You can read their story and buy their "punjammies" @ www.intlprincess.org. They make a great Christmas gift!!!

3. The Soldiers Project
As a counselor, my heart is tugged for the men and women coming home from service overseas with mental and emotional wounds that need to be treated, inspected, observed, addressed, and healed. I can only begin to imagine what our soldiers are experiencing as a result of their service.
As my brother narrowly missed deployment to Afghanistan because of an injury, I pondered the impact of combat overseas on numerous occasions. And now that I had an opportunity to sit down and think of issues that I am passionate about and desiring to respond to, this one struck a chord. I was pleased to find this organization comprised of trained professionals who are donating their time to provide free psychological care to our troops. I hope this can help.
I made this donation in honor of my brother and cousin who have both served in the armed forces.

Thank you again to all of you who voted for my essay and to the team at Harvard Eye! I pray that God multiplies this money and uses it to bless people and to show them love, care and HOPE.