Snow Day

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

It has always been a tradition in my family for my Auntie Lulu to either make or purchase the stockings for my family. She made two beautiful needle point stockings for Amy and I when we were little, and now the tradition continues...she has purchased each of the boys their stockings reminescent of her handmade stockings. Thank you Auntie Lulu...we love them!

A trip to Candy Cane Lane

The boys and I were going stir crazy last week, so I decided to take the boys to see the lights on "Candy Cane Lane". It was so fun to get the kids bundled up for an evening in the chilly 60 degree weather :). Ryan and Blake found on particular house the especially loved...it had a singing and dancing snowman. It was so fun to watch then singing and dancing together.

Getting into the holiday spirit

Patrick and I (well mostly me) decided to not go to Home Depot or Lowe's to get our Christmas tree this year, but to drive to Yucaipa to get one of their beautiful trees. Hoping I would get some good Christmas card pics, I dressed the boys all in red. Blake and Ryan insisted on wearing their cowboy boots and since we only have one cowboy hat, we had to stop at Boot Barn to get Blake a new hat. I still can't believe I didn't get a picture of the boys in their boots...they are too cute! Anyways, here are some of the better pics I got. The tree is absolutely beautiful too and I will post when I put the finishing touches on it.

The start of my favorite time of the year....

So while the boys were away, mommy got to play! I was so excited to start decorating for Christmas. It has been so darn hot in the desert that I feel Thanksgiving has just crept up on us. I wasn't about to let that happen to Christmas....a few white lights will always put me in the holiday spirit. I have only scratched the surface...but this is some of what I have done so far.

Fishing with Daddy

Last Sunday Patrick took Ryan and Blake fishing for the day at Lake Hemet. It was great for them to spend some quality time with their daddy! The perk for me was a day spent with Evan and Christmas decorating! Yes I know it is a bit early, but I couldn't help myself. We are going to gone over Thanksgiving so I got a bit of a jump start.

It's an addiction!!

The Shower

The Gift

The Cake

The Diaper Cake

So, helping Tana plan her wedding definitely got the creative bug in me going! One of my dear co-workers Jennifer is having a baby and I was so happy that I got to plan her shower at work. I had always wanted to try making a diaper cake, so this was the perfect opportunity. I have to tell you...I had so much fun making it! It will definitely be one of my staples from now on. Jenn is not going to find out what she is having, so I went with lime green and polka dots as the theme. I have to admit it turned out pretty cute, especially since I only had two days to plan it. Seeing tears in Jenn's eyes when she walked in the room was the best part!! I can't wait to meet Baby Walton. On a side note....Miss Amy...get moving. I can't wait to plan your baby shower and to be an auntie again!

Sacred Heart Carnival

This past weekend was the Sacred Heart carnival. The kids had such a great time and I have to admit it was very well done! The weather was actually dare I say...cold! Which I have to say made it that much more enjoyable. It is always fun to see my student's outside of the classroom...they love to see my kids and can't believe I actually exist outside of our classroom walls. A fun time was had by all and I hope and expect that it was a huge success for our school.

Happy 5th Birthday Blake!

Blake's 5th birthday was on November 1st. I can't believe my baby is getting so old. I decided to not get a huge, expensive cake this year like I have done in the past. No one in our family likes cake and it just ends up rotting away in the refrigerator. So I found this cute little one in the market. Blake's comment when he sees it..."That is hugest cake I have ever seen in my entire life!" The tall candles must have thrown him off! My mom and I had to laugh...no more 40 dollar cakes for this kiddo : )! Happy birthday my sweet boy! I love you bigger than the whole world!

One Month Down

Patrick will be completing his first month of training tomorrow, and I have to say it has gone by pretty quickly! Although I miss him terribly on the weekdays, the boys and I are holding things together pretty well. Having the support of my mom driving out weekly just to do a load of laundry for me, Grandma Sue offering to keep one or two kids for me during the week, the housekeeper (such a wonderful gift), and the support and prayers of my friends and coworkers leads me to believe we may just all make it through these next six months. I am overwhelmed daily by the gifts in my life and the wonderfully supportive people I am surrounded by!

This week I have been feeling a bit more tired than usual, but I seem to be fighting off a bit of a cold. I am so grateful that Patrick will have four days off this weekend! The kids are really missing him, especially Ryan. Poor guy has been having some separation anxiety. He doesn't want to go to school in the morning and even at Grandma Sue's he is crying and wanting to be home. Sue took Blake tonight, so Ryan and Evan and I were able to have a "date night" and spent some quality time together. I am trying to remember that the kiddos need my undivided attention even more with Patrick gone, and that that one load of laundry can wait until tomorrow or after they go to bed. The problem is I have been falling asleep by 8:00 almost every night.

Tonight I am trying to turn my brain off and am not having much success...a good friend from work is getting married this weekend and I gladly stepped back into my wedding planning shoes. I forgot how much I truly loved helping brides and this whole process. It have been so much fun working with Tana and her family, and I am so glad I am able to help out such a wonderful, caring group of people. I will post some pictures of the wedding soon.

Well I guess I had better try and get some sleep...although I think I hear a child's cry...so much for that thought : )! Until next time...love to you all!

Happy Halloween...Boo!

A Trip to see Dr. Go

So I have had three sick kiddos for the past week. Thursday I finally braved taking all three together to the doctors, not something I would ever recommend. Thank God my mom was there to help! Here is a picture of them on their very best behavior.

Halloween Parade at Sacred Heart

The Preschool always comes over to our main school for a Halloween Parade. This year even Evan got in on the action. The older kids love to see the adorable preschoolers parading through their classrooms. One of the perks of having the boys at the same school I teach at is that I don't have to miss out on these special moments!

Patrick's Second Day

I spoke to Patrick yesterday and he was in great spirits! He said physically it was an easier day and he really enjoyed the classroom time. I was so thankful to hear him so excited...it made today a little easier, and I am not quite as worried for him. The boys have been champions this week as well. Ryan was a bit of a handful last night, but we got home around 6:00 had a nice dinner (thank you Grandma Sue), the boys had baths, and it was bedtime. I even managed to get a load of laundry done and put clean sheets on the bed. The girls at work are getting me a house cleaner to come to the house every two weeks! Their generosity was very overwhelming, but so appreciated. She will probably start next week, so that should help with the heavy duty cleaning. The girls want for us to be able to spend time together as a family on the weekends. I am truly blessed to have such support and friendship! I can't wait to see Patrick tomorrow night. I think it is definitely true...absence does make the heart grow fonder.

Fall Has Arrived!

I am so thankful fall has finally arrived in the desert! The boys had such a great time on Sunday dusting off their bikes, trikes, and razors. Blake is doing fantastic on his two wheel bike and can now start and stop without any problems. Ryan is amazing us with his balance and coordination on the razor. They had such a great time enjoying the the cooler weather and being outside.

One Day Down and Counting

Well, we all managed to survive Patrick's first day in the academy. I was able to get all three kiddos up, dressed, and out the door by 6:55 this morning....five minutes earlier than I had planned! The kids were super helpful and there were no tears and very few complaints : ). We dropped off Evan at Grandma Sue's and Blake, Ryan and I managed to make it to school on time.

I was so nervous for Patrick all day. Every time I looked at the clock I said a little prayer for him. As 6:30 approached I began to really get nervous...they were supposed to done at 5:00. Thank God for Ashley, Josh's wife, who called feeling just as worried as I was that she had not heard from him yet. About ten minutes later I got the call. I asked him how he was feeling and he told me he was dying a little more as each minute past! He said that it was far worse than he had imagined, but he made through and was in the top 20 or so of the class. He said every muscle in his body ached. The more we talked, the calmer he seemed. I just pray he gets a good night sleep tonight.

Mom and Dad to the Rescue Again

Sometimes I think my mom can read my mind. She gave me a call this week to see if she and my dad could take the kids for the day. It was perfect timing! With Patrick leaving for the academy next week, it gave us a nice quiet day to spend together and get organized. The boys had a wonderful time, and of course my mom had lot's of pictures to share. My dad also stayed the next day to watch the kids while Patrick and I went to the academy orientation. We are so lucky to have my mom and dad there to help whenever it is needed. I don't know what I or the boys would do without them. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa!! We love you.

Homework

Blake was sitting at the kitchen table the other night working on his homework and I had to get a picture. I can't believe how grown up he is getting! He loves having homework...now if only that will last for the next 13 years!

Talavera Community Event

This morning we looked out our front window and noticed our street was lined with police cars. About an hour later, the park across from our house was setup for a big community event sponsored by the police department. We took the boys over for some Pels (frozen lemonade) and face painting. The boys were so excited to see the police dog demonstration, the police cars, and the police motorcycle. The boys can't believe that their dad will soon be an officer with his own police car.

Beautiful Desert Sunset

I was outside watering the other evening and couldn't help but notice the beautiful sunset! This is taken from our front porch....I love our mountain view.

Congratulations to Patrick!

I am so proud of Patrick...we found out today that not only did he get hired as a Riverside County Sheriff, but he also starts the academy in two weeks! We are so thankful this long process is finally over, but not quite prepared for him to be gone for six months in two weeks. Blake and Ryan are so proud of their daddy. Ryan is now saying he wants to be a police officer too!

Depth of Gratitude

I have had some challenges this year at school and sometimes it is easy to forget all of the wonderful things i have to be thankful for. I found this and thought I would share it with all of you...just as a reminder that we are all so very blessed. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Abundance and gratitude are inextricably linked. By living with gratitude, you open yourself to life's immense abundance.

If you are a little bit thankful for this, and a little thankful for that, just every so often, you'll have glimpses of abundance. When you enable and allow yourself to be continuously thankful for every big and little thing, your life will be immersed in abundance all the time.

It may seem strange to feel thankful for those events in your life that appear to be negative. Yet it is precisely by being thankful that you can identify the opportunities for transforming the setbacks and obstacles into successes.

You may not think it's worth the time and effort to be thankful for all the little, seemingly insignificant things in your life. However, without the little things there would be no big things.

Seek to develop a depth of gratitude by seizing every opportunity to be thankful. Make genuine gratitude a constant companion to who you are, in all that you do.

As your gratitude grows deeper and more all-encompassing, life's abundance shines more brilliantly for you. Be truly, constantly thankful, and there is no end to the level of abundance that you will experience.

-- Ralph Marston

Sweet Boy

Evan is growing by leaps and bounds. These last couple of days he has started clapping his hands, shaking his head yes and no (instead of just no), and is trying so desperately to talk! In his mind he is speaking in full sentences...to us it still sounds like babble.

My Baby's Growing Up

Evan was sitting with Patrick this morning on the couch and when I glanced over at him I realized my baby boy is not a baby anymore. I cannot believe how quickly this past year has gone.

I have been feeling a bit nostalgic lately seeing my boys changing so much. Everyday is something new with one of them. I have stepped into my mother's footsteps, because it is simple times like these that I find myself rushing to find the camera. I want to save all of these sweet moments in life just like she captured Amy and mine. We are truly blessed to have all of our memories documented in pictures and I want my boys to have the same.

A Day in Oak Glen

We spent Labor Day picking raspberries at Riley's Farm in Oak Glen. The weather was beautiful and so was the scenery. The boys had a lot of fun with their cousin Olivia who was visiting with Auntie Kathy and Uncle Mike. Ryan had an empty basket when we were finished because every raspberry he picked went straight into his mouth and Blake of course only picked the very best, most perfect raspberries. Me on the other hand could only think about all of the snakes that had to be hanging around. After raspberry picking we went to the cute little town and the kids got to go on a pony ride. We ended the day with ice cream and caramel apples...absolute perfection! The best part, the kids slept the entire way home.

First Day of School

Today was Blake's first day of Pre-Kindergarten and Ryan's first day of Preschool. They were such big boys getting ready this morning. I was so proud of both of them. I can't believe I have two kids in school already...they are growing up way too quickly!

Our Beloved Central Coast

The family just got back from a wonderful trip to the Central Coast. It truly is our home away from home! Every time we go back, the harder it is to leave! We had a very busy five days and managed to make it to all of our favorite spots...Montana de Oro, Avila Pier, Avila Valley Farm, Grover Beach dunes, San Luis, Cypress Ridge, and Cambria.

We stayed for the very last time in the Bungalow. I can't tell you how sad I am to see that dear old place go! Talk about wonderful memories! My Uncle Denis (whom by the way is the best uncle a girl could have) let me stay there when I first moved to the Central Coast...what a once in a lifetime opportunity. One 19 year old girl on 400+ acres of an old dairy farm soon to be golf course. What a lucky (not to mention brave) girl! Anyways, Patrick and I really are going to miss the Bungalow (thank you Auntie Lulu and Uncle Denis) for our Central Coast getaway.

Unfortunately, Denis and Leona were on a month long road trip, so we didn't get to see them. We did get to see Patrick's sisters and their families. Laura just had her fourth child...a precious little girl they named, Sophia Rose. Between the three families we had eight kids to enjoy and entertain us...Brooks (16), Bailey (13), Olivia (5), Blake (4), Ryan (2 1/2), Ava (2), Evan (1), and Sophia (3 weeks). What a special treat for us to see all of the cousins together!