nutcracker finale

This was Camryn's third year performing in the Nutcracker ballet with her dance academy. We are so blessed to be a part of Claylee's- everyone is absolutely wonderful! It's truly been amazing to watch her enthusiasm grow for ballet. She has found her passion, for sure.
As an angel and soldier she always had a beautiful smile on her face- one definitely meant for performing! :)
I sense MANY more years to come for us with the Nutcracker....

pure joy... to the world

This year Christmas has definitely snuck up quickly... and we're ready! The kids were so excited to get our boxes out and start decorating.
We've had a blast figuring out what our month was going to hold, considering we put "the books" away to focus solely on Christmas. There's been a lot of decorating, baking, caroling, giving, hot chocolate drinking, singing, and creating going on. It's been so special to do all of these things totally together this year. I wouldn't change a thing and am so grateful to infuse the birth of our Lord into our every day. We are blessed!

giving thanks

Three days of celebrating Thanksgiving was a bit much, but definitely needed and deserved. We have so much to be thankful for- our God is SO good!!! Every day I hear stories about things happening and am so grateful for everything in our lives. We are blessed beyond measure.
This year I decided to take it to another level and do something I've been dying to do on Thanksgiving- SERVE. We want our kids to realize how blessed we are, and there's no better way than to give that thankfulness to others. It is SO incredibly important to me. Our church hosts a dinner and clothing drive at a local elementary school every year and it was out pleasure to be a part of it. The kids had a blast, and while the boys were "done" after a little while, I was SO proud of their helpful attitudes. This will definitely be a tradition from now on!!
We also went to the fire station to visit Daddy and the guys on TG- always a fun time! ;)

dancing at disney

We LOVE mommy-daughter days in this house. So any excuse to make one is always appreciated- trip to the store, whatever. That's what made this one SO special. Camryn's dance studio was performing at Disneyland, and while it would have been fun for ALL of us to go, we decided the budget would be better suited to make it just her and I. How much more fun is that??? We enjoyed every minute, and it was awesome to be able to indulge her by herself for once (not often done with 4!). We rode rides, ate lunch, and shopped... and had an amazing time just the two of us. I'm treasuring these moments with her as she grows up, and wondering what's to come. It's times like these that I'm so thankful she's mine.

luke & max

I couldn't wait to get my hands on these new little nephews of mine. After being in the NICU for two weeks, they are finally home and doing so wonderfully! We took a trip out to visit last week (and bring some yummy dinner, of course), so I was beyond excited to hold these little guys!
I've gotta say, Nicole and Peter have got these two down... They are such a great team!! I was so in love and probably could've held and squeezed them all day! I'll leave that for another day... I'm so looking forward to watching these dudes grow up and so thankful to God for His hand watching over them and their mama.

silliness

these days have been calling for a little silliness... keeping it fun!! :D

democracy

the kids and I went to vote the other day. I wasnt expecting much for the kids, but was loving the idea of them coming along to see what it's all about. They kept asking "do we get to vote?" and "who do you vote for mommy?", and while I wanted to share I just explained the whole process I stead. ;)
Our polling place was at the church down the street so we headed out on foot- at least the weather was nice! When we got there the volunteers were SO nice! They showed the kids the process of voting, and even had a kids "sample" ballot where they could cast their votes in different categories (albeit a little outdated with nominees such as Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett... "Who???";). We had an unexpected fun time- better than the fit-throwing, boring trip I expected. So the kids had fun AND learned a little something... I'd call that win-win.

sugar & spice

A couple of weeks ago our little girl turned 10. I can't believe it!!!! I am so filled with mixed emotions over it...
When she first came into our world 10 years ago, we were so smitten- with love, amazement, and fear! I look back now and laugh to myself... We were so young! But I wouldn't change a thing. She has brought so much joy into our lives that I can't even begin to describe. Everything that I hoped and prayed she would learn and become has come true so far. She is smart, always helpful, SO observant- always soaking everything in, a wonderful helper, thoughtful and caring, and most importantly- filled with love for the Lord. What else can we hope for? I see big things in this girl's future... We are SO blessed to be her parents and love her beyond words.

Happy Birthday Camryn Nicole!!

double header di sommas

One of my best girl friends Nicole and her husband Peter are expecting their first... TWIN boys!!!!!
I was honored and SO excited to host a baby shower for these little guys! It was vintage baseball themed (of course!) and turned out exactly how I envisioned it.
We love you guys so much and can't wait to meet little Luke and Max!!

what a difference 30 days makes...

So, we are done with our first month of homeschooling! It's definitely been a road- sometimes nice and flat, sometimes windy, though overall we are all loving it!
Our kids have learned so much- from how to treat and respect one another, to helping out, to getting house and school work done. It's been such a blessing to see all of our hard work and prayer starting to pay off. I know we will always have different challenges to face, but I'm confident we can get through it together. We have such an amazing support system to lean on as well!!
Here are a few pics of some fun things we've done so far!