Merry Christmas!!

I hope you have a blessed Christmas and enjoy spending time with your family. 

Have a Merry Christmas from my family to yours!

Oh Christmas Tree

Every year we pick out our tree, it is a family tradition that we love and look forward to every December. 

We love the fresh smell that it leaves throughout the house. 

This year we went a little late so we didn't get many pictures. It was cold out and the baby was getting fussy. 

The kids love to search for the perfect tree. It is such a special tradition  that we do together as a family.

Since we were all cold and a little cranky. We picked one out a little quicker this year and headed home to decorate our tree. 

The kids help out with the tree every year and I love how they get so excited putting up their ornaments that they have made. Our tree isn't filled with expensive ornaments but mostly homemade ornaments or ones that were given to us. Each ornament has a story and I love that. 

The kids and I love looking at the tree. Especially Daniel. He doesn't remember last Christmas since he was a baby, so it's like he is experiencing Christmas for the first time.

I love watching his eyes sparkle when he sees the tree.

 I hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Truth in the Tinsel Advent 2012

This year I really wanted to do Advent with the kids.
I want them to focus on HIM, our Lord and Savior and not the gifts.
December is really going to fly by and with the busyness of the holidays, and regular everyday life.
I don't want to miss the opportunity and not Focus on Him.
I would like to do activities and crafts that are meaningful, which bring our focus on Jesus.
I want to be intentional this December when we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior.

So when I came across the ebook Truth In The Tinsel, I thought this is perfect for our family.
The focus is on the true meaning of Christmas.
It is simple, easy and meaningful thanks to Amanda who has organized this beautiful Advent.
It starts with doing a craft and a bible devotion with the kids.
She has a supply list for the crafts which is pretty much things you could find around the house.
She has a bible scripture ready for you to read along with the activity.

Amanda has really done an amazing job putting this all together!
It is easy to understand and fun for the whole family to do together.
Please go to check out Truth In The Tinsel and Amanda on her blog.

It starts on Dec. 1st and the activities are 30 min. long, so that means this busy mama has no excuse why I can't complete it with the kids.
There are different plans that you can do to fit your family's schedule.
I'm excited to start this weekend, I really believe the kids will have fun.
I hope it will keep our hearts, eyes and minds focused on the true meaning of Christmas this year.

                         I will try to share our Advent journey here on the blog with you.

                                                        How do you celebrate Advent?

Thanksgiving Week 2012

We started off our week by finishing up some of our Thanksgiving crafts.

I love handprints and feet crafts.

Made homemade Pumpkin pie. 

I know there is some really yummy pies out there like Costco.

But I still like making ours with the kids.

We had our Thanksgiving with my hubby on Tuesday because he worked on Thanksgiving day.

Lots and lots of yummy food was eaten.

We went to Disneyland the day before Thanksgiving, we thought maybe there wouldn't be that many people. 

We figured people would be shopping for Thanksgiving dinner. 

Oh we were so wrong!!!

NOTE TO SELF.......

Never go to Disneyland on Thanksgiving week!

We had to park far, far away and be shuttled on a bus to Disneyland! 

Here is Sleeping Beauty's Castle all ready for Christmas. 

It is beautiful at night all light up. 

I really need to get a picture of it a night.

A Family picture, which reminds me we need to do our Christmas cards and pictures!

I better get on it.

Or we might be using this one. 

Thanksgiving Dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

This one came out blurry but thats life and I love his smile.

Des and the older kids went for a walk with there Grandpa. 

She took my iphone and came back with some cool pictures.

Ended dinner with some yummy pies.

Pumpkin is our favorite and when I remembered to take the picture, it was half gone. Oh well!!

And we ended the night playing board games and charades!

Can you guess which game I'm playing??

A blessed Thanksgiving week we had. 

I hope yours was as well!

thankful

I blinked and here we are on November 18th, days before Thanksgiving. 

Are you ready?

I'm not.

I wanted to do all these crafts with the kids 

and savor the moments of this month 

of celebrating 

GRATITUDE.

I know we still have a few days before we celebrate Thanksgiving, but

really I want to share and show the kids

its not just a day or month that we should celebrate being Thankful.

We should be Thankful all the time.

So I wanted to share what I am thankful for.

I am thankful for God, who blesses me each day.

I am thankful for our church.

I am thankful for my hubby, who works hard long hours each day.

I am thankful that I am able to be a stay at home Mom.

I am thankful for our home.

I am thankful for my family.

I am thankful for the " I love you's"

I am thankful for the hugs and kisses from my kids.

I am thankful for the stories that my children share with me.

I am thankful that when my washer was broken for the MONTH of October, my Mom came to the rescue!

She not only let me use her washer, she washed and folded my clothes many times through out the month. "Thank you, Mom."

I am thankful for my little shop and how it is growing.

I am thankful for my camera. That I am able to take pictures and document our lives.

I am thankful for the dirty dishes. It means that we have food for our family.

I am thankful for the mountains of laundry that need to be washed and folded. It means my family has clothes.

I am thankful for each and everyday God has blessed me with.

Have a great Thanksgiving week with your families!

Life lately

Thanksgiving is this week and I'm so excited. The kids had there last day of school, which I'm so happy because we all could use the little break.

Today the boys had their Rocket Races, so the little guys and I went to cheer them on.

They had half day of school this week but we still managed to be busy with orthodontist appointments, school projects and conferences.
Did I mention we so need a break of school.
But they still have projects to complete over the break......Really!!!Ugh!!

The little guys had eye appointments earlier in the week.
Here is Gabe with his sunglasses from the eye doctor.
Doesn't he look cool?
Gabriel did such a great job at the exam and Daniel did pretty well for a 16 month old.

My little shop is getting orders for Christmas.
So I've been busy working on them this week with my little helper.
I'm so blessed with each and every order.

I entered a giveaway for the Brave movie last week at Everyday Moments and I won!!!
 I've never ever won a giveaway before. We will be watching it this weekend!

These next few months are going to be busy with Christmas fast approaching
and my little shop is growing.
Which I'm so thankful for and I know God will give me only what I can handle.

                                       I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

Halloween 2012

 Here is a look at our Halloween this year.
 With everyone being busy with cross country, guitar and Tae Kwon Do practice we ended up carving our pumpkins the night before Halloween.

Actually we bought them the night before at the grocery store. Take a look at that price .29 a pound.

So much cheaper than our local Pumpkin Patch and especially when you need to buy 5!!

And here are the big kids pumpkins carved and the little guys painted theres.

And here is our annual pictures with the kids and there pumpkins.

This year we went as the Avengers.
Here is Jimmy as Hawk Eye.

And Desi as Black Widow.

 

Michael went as the HULk. Doesn't he look scary?

But my little  sweet Daniel went as Winnie the Pooh inside a Pumpkin. All my little boys have worn this costume and I had to continue with the tradition.

It was so hard to get him to stay in one place and smile for me. I had to be quick and chase him around. This is the best picture I could get.

Here is some of the before shots.

No interest in looking up at me.....at all!

Still not looking....

Trick or Treating

I hope you all had a great Halloween!!

Lots and lots of candy to hide now.

monday

My Monday.
This weekend was busy with parties and I was looking forward to hanging out with the littles this morning.
To just relax.
Before the after school rush of guitar practice, tae kwan do practice, dinner, homework  and cross country practice.
We have carpool with our neighbors which is AWESOME since the boy's school is 15 min. away from where we live and gas prices are through the roof.
Well that didn't happen.

20 min. after the boys left for school, I get a call that one of them forgot their project.

So of course I take it to them.... which I know isn't bad, it happens to all of us, but still such a pain.
Afterwards the littles and I run some errands.

My laundry from the weekend is still sitting in the baskets....looking at me.
Which 4 baskets still need to be folded and put away.

The kitchen is still a mess even though I cleaned it this morning from our busy weekend.
It can seem endless.

But you know what,
I truly Love it all.
I love that I able to be home with the kids
and take them to their after school activities.
I love that I'm here
and able to come to the rescue when they have forgotten their projects at home.
And need me to take them their projects that they have been working on for days.
That I'm able to see them break their boards at Tae Kwon Do.
That I'm there when they come running to tell me that they can play La BamBa on the guitar and it actually sounds like it!!
I love that I'm the first person they see after school and they are so happy to tell me about their day.
I love listening to their stories.

I'm blessed to be at home with them.
I wouldn't trade being a mama for anything.

A busy Monday but we survived!

Insta-Friday: A Glimpse of our week

Last weekend we spent the day at Disneyland and we got this cute Mickey Mouse Popcorn pail. 

Filled with warm carmel popcorn....oh so yummy!!

Then we ended with a nice family dinner. This was the only way I could get a family picture.

1.Daniel helping me with my orders. 2. Gabe playing with his Batman Cave. 3. Finishing up an order.

4. Love the way the sun was shinning in. 5. Gabe at his 4yr. old check -up. 

6. Sewing a onesie for my new niece 7. Family reading night. 8. James showing off his new shirt.

 9. Having fun in the bath.

What a blessed week!

How was your week?