Mommy Made

Mommy Joys.

2012-05-26T20:00:00.000-07:00

You can find more Mommy Joys Posts {here}!

#7 is a simple but wonderful joy.
Achievement Excitement.
Whether is their first steps, their first words, their first day of school, or graduation day
Achievements are always exciting! And a WONDERFUL joy for any Momma!
What is your fav achievement excitement memory from your kids so far?

Cuddle Bug

2012-05-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Dear Zander,

My son, you are such a blessing to me. Your presence brightens my day. Your smile makes my heart jump. Your silly faces make me laugh and remind me of daddy. Your personality is so amazing. You are SUCH a character. You are unbelievably smart. Today you came up to me and counted your pennies in Spanish, all the way up to 10! I had no clue you even know how to do that. :) I love our conversations, and the fact that you need to be sure I know what you are talking about. I love the way you tell me you love me, the way you want to compliment me (and others). I love the way you are HONEST. Like when I put on some "disguise" glasses, with a big nose and funny eyebrows, I asked you if I looked pretty. You started to automatically say yes, but then when you looked you said no. 'Yeea...NO! You not look pretty, you look scary Momma!' haha You crack me up. I love the way you want to cuddle and snuggle. And always want to give loves at any time. I honestly love that you can be so calm and just hang with Momma, in silence. Just chillin' and relaxin'. Because I believe you understand, that just being with me is enough. We dont have to be doing something fun or exciting. And yeah you are only 3, but you are completely awesome. You are such a blessing to me.

I thank God for bringing you in my life.

I love you sweet little cuddle bug.

Love Always,

Momma

Saturday Face Painting

2012-05-19T20:58:00.000-07:00

Today was a good day.

We went to a little carnival that was going on at my brother in law's work.

My said they were looking for people to face paint, and asked if I would do that with her!

Of course I said yes.

And of course, our kids were the first to get painted so we could practice.

LOVE that Kiah and Jazzy had to get their "stache" on! hehe

Brucey, showing off his cool shark I did. haha

I did a butterfly for my momma. Isnt my mom so pretty!?

And I even gave myself a little heart "tatt". Ha!

Later, Brucey wanted me to re-paint his face. He wanted to be just like his cousin Tyler!

HAHA Silly boys!!

Zander asked for Sponge bob, but I didnt think to get a pic of it.

Oh well, It wasnt that great anyways!!!

I did get this adorable pic of him chowing on a hot dog, though, so enjoy.

Well not 30 minutes after I repainted Brucey's face again, he wanted another NEW painting.

This time he wanted a dragon.... So a dragon he got.

Goodness, isnt he just SO flippin handsome!?!?

He looks so much like The Daddy. ♥♥♥

Yeah, so I'm not the best face painter... but it was really fun!

It was good to be outside with the kids watching them run around playing games & having a blast.

Thanks, Mona & Clayton, for asking us to join. :)

How was your Saturday?

A Trip To The Sacramento Zoo

2012-05-16T12:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Brucey,
Last week I had the pleasure of going with you on your very FIRST school field trip!
We went to the Sacramento Zoo, and you looked so adorable checking the Zoo map for what we would see next. You eagerly asked about every animal, and were excited to see EVERYTHING.
You seemed to like the flamingo's the most and were baffled by the way they stood. :) You were not very fond of me taking pictures of everything and trying to get pictures of you. But I hope that one day you will appreciate all these photos and memories I have captured from this fun trip. I am certainly loving them as I look over them over and over!! :) You are so sweet and handsome, my little love! Even though on the drive home, your constant talking and loud play in the backseat of the car sort of drove me crazy. haha ;) But I am so happy I got to go with you. I am so blessed to be your Momma. I am so lucky to have you, I love that you always want me around. I know its possible that will change as you get older. So I am cherishing it now as much as I can. ♥ I love you so much!! Thanks for asking me to come with you on this trip, bud. :) I had a blast.
Love always,
Momma!

They were feeding the Giraffes when we went to see them.

So we got a VERY up close view of them, which was so cool!

I got some really cute pictures.

I just LOVE this little smile on your face!!!

We took a break for a BIG slushy in a cool cup.

Had to get at least ONE of me & you. ♥

Oh I thought this was so funny...

This kangaroo was sleeping, but doesnt it look funny sleeping kind of like a person would!?

I had to get LOTS of Zebra pics from Kiah. ♥

Last thing of the day was a quick ride on the merry go round.

Such a wonderful, exciting and tiring day!
Hope you enjoyed ALL the pictures. :)

A Changed Heart

2012-05-13T19:54:00.001-07:00

Its almost hard to believe that I am a 27 years old (28 in August) mother to THREE amazing children. I must confess, when I was younger I always said I would never have children. I didn't want kids... I didn't even really like kids! *sigh* To be fair I also said I would never get married either or sleep in the same bed with my husband if I did happen to get married. Yet here I am... A married mother of three, (who does in fact sleep in the same bed as her husband) with a changed heart. Such a big love for my family and life - Just as it is - Just as I said I'd never have.

Who knew this would be me, my life, my heart? Certainly I did not. But God knew. God knew me and my heart from the start. Psalm 139:16 says God knew me and all my days before I was even born, and Psalm 44:21 says God knows the secrets of the heart. So God knew this once rough and tough "tom boy" of a girl would one day be a sensitive, emotional, woman with a job to care for three little blessings. Its funny how much a woman changes once she has kids. I remember when I was younger, never wanting to let my guard down, I never cried - not in front of anyone at least. And now goodness, it seems I cry over everything. Good or bad, happy or sad.. I'm crying over it. haha I sometimes wondered why God allowed me to have children...

One day a thought came to me... Maybe its silly or maybe its not, but sometimes I think God blesses us with children so that we know how He feels.. So that we can know and understand HIS heart more. Its a way to form our hearts to His. After all, He is our heavenly Father and we are His children! Think of the great love you have for your children. Even Before they were born, while they were still in your womb. You loved them so much! You planned and prepared for them. You think of their future and you only want whats best for them. You love them so much, nothing they could do could make you not love them... Its an unconditional love, (Agape Love). Thats how God loves us!

Now think of when your child disobeys, when they lie to you or get hurt or in trouble because they didn't listen to you. How does that make you feel? Sad? Frustrated? Disappointed? Mad? You wish your child would have just listened to you, understood that you know best, and only wanted to protect them from harm or hardship.... Right about this point, right before I start to get angry - that thought pops into my head. "I bet this is how God feels about me when I don't listen, when I disobey, when I SIN." Oh Man. *Totally Guilty!* Then I remember God's great love for me, his mercy and forgiveness. And I am humbled.

I'm left with a changed heart. Instead of punishing out of anger, or frustration... which is my natural worldly reaction, I am reminded I need to discipline out of love. Of course there are still times when I totally lose my cool, and have to ask The Daddy to step in, because discipline has never been my best attribute as a mom. I am in no way perfect. I am a constant work in progress! But I am definitely learning to be better. And I find it interesting that through my kids, God is teaching ME a lesson. He is molding me, loving me, disciplining me, and changing my heart... forming it to His. Not only to be a better momma, but a better me in general. Maybe this is one of the reasons I am a Momma. Its teaching me, and growing me... Ive got to be an example! Its a big responsibility to raise kids, and raise them in the way of the Lord. Especially when I fall short every day! But it goes to show, no matter who you are, no matter how old or young, you can be far in your walk with the Lord or a brand new Christian. When you open yourself up to God and His will, His plan, He can use you. And also never say never...You may think you have plans for your life, but sometimes you just might have a change of heart!

Laundry Tip!!

2012-05-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Source: mothersraisingboys.com via Maria on Pinterest

Ok so this post is probably going to sound like a commercial, but I dont care!

I found this product that I really LOVE and just had to share about it!

And just in case you were wondering, no, this isn't a sponsored post in any way. :)

Moving on....
I am sure I am not the only one who despises doing laundry.
Its my least favorite chore, I'd rather scrub toilets!
No lie.
BUT it must be done, I've got a family of five and dirty laundry piles up fast.
Now I wont pretend that laundry is so much more FUN ever since I discovered
Arm & Hammer PLUS Oxi Clean Crystal Burst Single Use Laundry Detergent Paks.

However, they are SO much more convenient that the liquid detergent I used to use.

I'm going to be honest, maybe I am just lazy or weird,

but I never liked having to measure out the detergent in the cap.

Its messy, it ends up leaking all over the container, and the top of my washing machine.

Also, because I have started teaching Kiah how to do her own laundry I was always

worried she would use too much or too little or make a mess.

Yeah I am a little paranoid like that.

Its the control freak in me.

So these pre-measured paks are amazing!

You simply just throw one in the washing machine and then add your laundry.

No mess, no measuring. Easy Peesy.

Plus, there are 50 paks, so you can do 50 loads!

Most bottles of the liquid only do about 32 loads, unless you buy the HUGE bottles.

But I love the small light weight package of Crystal Burst.

But my absolute FAVORITE things about this detergent is

that its for ALL machines including HE machines.

I used to get annoyed when I couldn't find a good detergent for my HE machine!

The other thing is that it has Oxi Clean in it!

So my clothes come out very clean and smelling SOO good.

I wont be going back to any other detergent.

Have you tried Crystal Burst yet?

If you haven't, you definitely should, its amazing!

Anyways, since we are talking laundry,

I thought I would leave you with some laundry humor. :)

Source: fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net via Maria on Pinterest

Source: someecards.com via Maria on Pinterest

Source: Uploaded by user via Maria on Pinterest

{Mommy Joys} The Random Things

2012-05-04T16:08:00.000-07:00

You can find precious Mommy Joys Posts {here}!

#5 Random Kid Compliments

You know those compliments... The ones that mean the most because they are so random?

Like when its first thing in the morning, you look like death, no make up, crazy hair..

And your son looks at you and just says "You're so pretty, Momma."

Aww melt my heart and make me cry! *Tears of joy of course*

One of the sweetest Mommy Joys ever!

#6 Randomly Singing The Theme Songs to Your Kids Favorite TV Shows!

Ok You SO just shook your head in agreement, didnt you?

I know I am not the ONLY momma who does this.

ALL.THE.TIME. haha Am I right?

It may seem silly and annoying at times, but the fact is, when those songs pop in my mind,

or get stuck in my head it is a joy because it reminds me of my kids.

And my kids are a joy and blessings!

Also, I must share a funny story.

When The Daddy and I were first married he thought I was CRAZY weird

because I always sang the Dora Theme Song.

It was Kiah's FAVORITE show. So naturally it was always stuck in my head!

After several years and a couple more kids (And Zander who is also a Dora Fanatic!),

The Daddy admitted to me what he thought of me at first, and then said sorry because he "got it" now.

And would catch himself doing the same thing, randomly singing the theme songs to the kids' shows. :)

Share with me your Mommy Joys!

Pirate Party And Snacks

2012-04-30T07:00:00.000-07:00

Okey dokey! So today I am sharing the rest of the Pirate Party photos from Brucey's 6th Birthday.

I had a lot of fun creating themed snacks and decor... So I am excited to share about it all with you.

Arent these "Pirate Ship" Jello snacks totally adorbs!? :)

I got the idea and FREE printable sails from {here}.

The only thing I did different was added one swedish fish candy to the jello, for a fun surprise!

The snack table was set up outside, and it wasnt as "picture perfect" as I had in mind,

because it was so darn windy that day... BUT all in all everything turned out great!

I filled little treasure chests full of goodies and snacks, like Gold Fish Crackers,

Chocolate "gold" coins, and fruit snacks.

The black treasure chest's, I bought from the Oriental Trading Company.

That place is amazing for party supplies, and the prices cant be beat!

Pirate eye patches and pirate rings are also from Oriental Trading Co.

The amazingly handsome BIRTHDAY BOY!!

Happy 6TH Birthday Buddy Boo!!

Pirate Shirt tutorial {here}.

Pirate stickers and tattoos, again, from Oriental Trading Co.

He wasnt too happy about all the pictures I wanted to take of him.

But can you blame me? He is just too stinkin cute!!

These were the adorable goodie boxes I also got from Oriental Trading.

The kids thought these were just too cool... And I did too! :)

See all about how I made the cake and his themed cupcakes {here}.

Blowing out the candles!

Pirate hat pinata from Target.

He has got a GREAT swing!!

Zander up to bat! lol

And Kiah....

DIY Bean Bag Toss, and we rented the HUGE awesome jump house from Gonzalez Jumpers.

The party was a total blast!

Everyone had so much fun, and I am glad cause I worked my butt off preparing for it.

But I feel blessed that I can even do this kind of stuff for my kids.

Its the best.

P.S. If you have a party, I TOTALLY recommend renting a jump house!

The kids love them and it keeps the safely occupied for hours. ;)

AND
another P.S.
Just for fun, This Momma even dressed up like a pirate for the party...
Unfortunately I forgot to have anyone take a picture!
Thankfully MY Momma snapped a quick pic on her cell. ;)
So, here I am....

Pirate Party Cake And Cupcakes!

2012-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ok So I decided to share the Pirate party pics in a few posts, so I dont overload you from all the photos!

Today I am going to share with you the indoor dessert table, how I created the cake & cupcakes,

and links to where you can find everything I did!

Swords and Pirate hat found in the party section at Target.

This is the Skull & Cross Bones Digital Paper, I used to create Bruce's picture frame.

I created this "Pirates Only" Printable just for the party.

I was inspired by {this} sign.

If anyone is interested in getting this printable to use for their own party,

leave me a comment and I will share the printable here on the blog for all to use!

I custom created these lables from {this} digital paper.

This pirate hat cake was actually SUPER easy!

Only made from a cleverly cut ROUND cake. :)

You can find the how-to {here} on Family Fun.

The Birthday Boy checking out Mommy's Progress!

I was a busy bee the morning of his Party.

I just LOVED this treasure map cupcakes idea from Family Fun.

You can find out just how they did it over at Family Fun, I did it pretty similar..

But used a few different candy than they did.

The "sand" was crushed up vanilla wafers.

The "treasure chest" was made from two mini snickers,

vanilla frosting (with yellow food coloring), and eatable decorator pearls.

The volcano was made from a kit kat bar, the same yellow colored vanilla frosting,

and for the red, I just took ordinary sugar and added red food coloring.

The palm trees are actually sour patch kids and a tooth pick.

The "X" marks the spot is also a sour patch kid that I rolled flat and cut to shape.

The dotted lines are made from cut up twizzler's pull and peal.

The fishy cupcakes was a last minute idea I had come up with and decided to go for.

I used vanilla frosting & blue food coloring.

The fish candy are Swedish Fish, and again I used the eatable decorator pearls for "bubbles".

I had SO much fun with this party theme, and everyone LOVED my cake and cupcakes.

So worth all the work!

I will be sharing the rest of the party and the snack table goodies tomorrow!

Bean Bag Toss Pirate Theme Makeover

2012-04-28T20:10:00.000-07:00

To date, one of the most POPULAR posts on this blog so far has been

the DIY Bean Bag Toss, The Daddy and I made a last year for Kiah's Birthday party.

So I thought it would be fun to share the little makeover I gave it for Brucey's party this year!

Brucey's party was PIRATE themed!

So I wanted to give the bean bag toss a treasure map feel.

{This} was my inspiration for how I wanted to paint it.

I didnt take many before and after paintings, because all I had on me was my cell.

And my cell phone was almost dead.

But all I did was spray paint the BBT with white primer to get it back to a "clean canvas".

Then started painting out the scene!

It was surprisingly easy to paint this pirate treasure map scene,

only took me about 2 1/2 hours. :)

And it was totally worth it to have a cute CUSTOM game for his party!

Below you see Zander standing next to it, to give an idea of size.

He was out playing and riding his bike while I was painting. :)

Today, I was able to grab my good camera and get some better pictures.

Here is a better close up look at the details.

And here is Zander once again... Playing and enjoying the game.

Well Ive got to go sort LOTS of party pictures!

Brucey's party was today and everyone had a BLAST!

I will try to share the pictures sometime this week, if not tomorrow. :)

Zander's Interview

2012-04-27T18:35:00.000-07:00

My kids are growing so much everyday.

There is so much I hope I never forget.

So much I want to remember about them at each age...

But I can be such a forgetful Momma, with 3 kids there is so much to remember.

So I decided to interview them!

I am hoping to do an interview with them each year, from now on.

Today I'm sharing Zander's interview.

*****************************

What is your favorite color?

Red

What do you want to be when you grow up?

"uuuhhhh BIG"

What is your favorite toy?

A Cowboy Hat, kangaroo, my dinosaur

Who is your best friend?

Mommy

What is your favorite thing to do outside?

Play on my quad

What is your favorite thing to do with mommy/daddy?

Mommy: When you read to me. Daddy: I like when he wrestles with me and we go boom!

What is your favorite book?

Go Go Bobo, Momins Little Book of Numbers, Green Eggs and Ham

Whats your favorite food?

mac n cheese

Whats your favorite song?

twinkle twinkle little star, and Jesus Loves Me

What do you love about Kiah and Brucey?

I love them so much!

What is love:

Being ok

If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?

A dinosaur because I would say ROAR and I would try to scare you!

What do you like to do for fun?

Play on the play park by myself because Brucey wont play with me.

(Aww poor sweet little buddy, he is so cute.)

DIY Pirate Shirts - NO SEW

2012-04-25T11:51:00.000-07:00

Brucey's 6th birthday is coming up (on the 29th) and I am working on a PIRATE themed party for him!

I of course wanted him to have a cool pirate shirt to wear!

I thought about buying one, then decided maybe this mommy should MAKE him one.

I had an idea and already had all the supplies on hand.

Here is what I used to create his totally SIMPLE, no sew shirt...

~ Plain white tee

(I usually buy the pack of fruit of the looms shirts for pretty cheap so I always have some on hand)

~ 2 pieces of card-stock paper or cardboard

~Pen or Pencil

~ Black felt

~ Red & white (or just red) fabric

~Scissors

~Liquid Stitch

~ Red & Black Puff Paint

(I hadnt decided if I would want to use the white or not

to do something on the eye patch, but in the end decided not to.)

First stick ONE piece of cardstock paper (or piece of cardboard) between the shirt.

This way you keep from gluing one side of the shirt to the other!

Then use the other piece of paper to sketch out your design.

I cut out the mustache I drew to have a pattern to follow when cutting the felt.

Right about this time Zander saw me working and asked what I was doing.

I told him I was making a Pirate Shirt for Brucey....

Naturally he wanted one too.

Since I had extra supplied and knew we had another plain shirt in his size,

I decided to go ahead and make Zander one too. :)

Anyways... so as you can see I then cut the mustache and eye patch from the felt.

To cut the eye patch I actually cut one long thing strip FIRST,

Then I cut a "pocket" like shape for the eye cover.

Next I cut the fabric for the pirates hat.

For that I didnt use a pattern, I just had an idea (from my sketch) of what I wanted it to look like.

Then just cut until I liked how it looked.

Its pretty easy and you cant go wrong, its fine if it isnt perfect.

After all this is a pirate, and they were pretty rugged!

Once you have all your shaped cut out, and arranged how you like on the shirt,

then you can start gluing everything on!

Right about this time, Zander had another question for me...

After all the gluing is done, wait just a few minutes to let it dry.

You can leave it as is, but I wanted to give it all an outline AND secure the fabric/felt too.

So I used puff paint to go around the edges of the cut outs.

I really think the outline really brought it to life more.

Once you have done that, everything needs to set and dry for at least 24 hours!

I just LOVE how they turned out!

And the best part is that Brucey is at school and didnt know I was making him a shirt.

So I know he will be super excited and surprised when he gets home. ♥

What do you think??

Roar!!

2012-04-21T14:16:00.000-07:00

October 2011 Zander was a Dinosaur for Halloween.

But every so often he likes to just get into his costume and be a dinosaur for the day.

My little Zandersaurus is what I call him. ♥

His favorite is waiting for someone to come walking along,

so he can scream ROARRRR!! And scare them.

His face lights up with delight and he laughs so loud when he "scares" that person.

He also LOVES shaking his dino tail!

Of course just lounging around, watching Dora is cool too.

He was slightly annoyed I wouldn't stop snapping pictures when he was trying to watch tv.

But this is just about the funniest site Ive seen in the dino suit. *hehe*

I love you Zandersaurus!

Mommy Joys #2

2012-04-20T10:36:00.000-07:00

Catch up on Mommy Joys {here}.

#3 Loves & Hugs, Just because.
That's the best stuff! Kids are just naturally so affectionate... at least mine are!
They always wanna give loves. Especially my boys!
They absolutely wont let me leave the house without a hug and a kiss.
And usually its "Hug-n-a-kiss Momma" and then "One more" and then "one more!"
The same goes for bed time... LOTS of huggies and kissies!
I love that so much. But its also the random times, they just wanna cuddle.
The times when they see I am having a bad day, or am sad, they just say "I love you",
Or just hug me. They dont ask, they just do it.
Now THAT is a BIG Mommy Joy!

#4 Being Called Their Best Friend.
Oh I just LOVE this. This brings me so much joy!
Who doesn't love being the BEST at something?
Being loved and trusted so much to be considered their friend is awesome.
Being their BEST friend... thats even better.
Now, the random loves and hugs with the addition of "You're my best friend Momma"...
MELT my heart, why dontcha!

What else is on YOUR Mommy Joys list!?

A Child's Logic

2012-04-17T07:39:00.000-07:00

Zander: Whoooo Whooo Whooo Whooo Whooo Whoo.....

I a owl. Whoo whoo whoo whoo.

Me: Oh, whoo whoo whoo wh...

Zander: NO! You not a owl!

Me: I cant be an owl? Why not?

Zander: 'ecuh my sun grasses are brokeh

(because my sun glasses are broken)

HaHa you gotta love a childs logic.

Bruce's Interview

2012-04-16T07:59:00.000-07:00

My kids are growing so much everyday.

There is so much I hope I never forget.

So much I want to remember about them at each age...

But I can be such a forgetful Momma, with 3 kids there is so much to remember.

So I decided to interview them!

I am hoping to do an interview with them each year, from now on.

Today I'm sharing Bruce's interview.

This is Bruce age 6 (on April 29).

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A football player.

What is your happiest memory?

Spending the night with Nani.

One word to describe you would be?

Fun.

What advice would you give your parents?

Let us have more ice cream.

If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?

A dog, because I like dogs.

What do you like to do for fun?

Ride my bike and quad.

Tell about a funny time in your life...

Right now I have 3 teeth missing at the same time.

And one more is about to fall out!

What is your favorite thing to do, and why?

Play football outside, with Daddy.

What do you love about Mommy & Daddy?

Mommy: I like you being sweet.

Daddy: I just love daddy.

What do you love most about your siblings?

For Kiah, when she lets me play her computer.
For Zander, he is sweet.

What is the nicest thing you have done for someone?

I always open the door for (you) Momma.

What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now?

Learning to drive.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

I like to go to the pool.

What do you think makes a person good looking?

Smelling good, long hair. I like everything on you (momma).

(he is so sweet)

What does love mean to you?

God.

What is the greatest thing you can think of?

The world, everything in the world.

Simple and well put Buddy!!
He is such a sweet boy. ♥

Rock Out & Eat Ice Cream

2012-04-06T07:00:00.000-07:00

My kids are growing so much everyday.

There is so much I hope I never forget.

So much I want to remember about them at each age...

But I can be such a forgetful Momma, with 3 kids there is so much to remember.

So I decided to interview them!

I am hoping to do an interview with them each year, from now on.

Today I'm sharing Kiah's interview.

This is Kiah age 9.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

A Model or an Artist.

What is your happiest memory?

The last time I saw Gramma Sherri.

One word to describe you would be?

Smart

What advice would you give your parents?

Take some time to rock out and eat some ice cream!

If you could be an animal, which would you be and why?

I would want to be a bird, cause I want to fly!

What do you like to do for fun?

Draw and color.

Tell about a funny time in your life...

When I was with my friends at my sleep over birthday party,
and we were doing crazy funny pictures on the xbox kinnect!

What is your favorite thing to do, and why?

Going to school, because I like seeing my friends.

What is your favorite thing to do with friends?

Act all goofy, tell jokes and inside stories.

What do you love most about your siblings?

For Bruce, he makes me laugh all the time.
For Zander, he's the most fun boy to play with!

What is the nicest thing you have done for someone?

I went around our school one day and just picked up trash.
No one asked me, I just wanted to do it to keep our school clean.

What do you think you will be doing 10 years from now?

Going to College.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

You get to wear shorts and you get to swim!

(This adorable skirt can be colored and recolored over and over to create a new look every time you wear it!)
Headband: Much Love Illy, Shirt: Target, Coloring Skirt: Roobys,

Pettiskirt: Walmart (during halloween in the costume section!), Shoes: Payless, Ring: "Mommy Made"

What do you think makes a person good looking?

Their hair. (She is a "belieber" haha)

What does love mean to you?

A special feeling inside of you.

What is the greatest thing you can think of?

Meeting Justin Bieber! ♥

(Told ya she was a belieber)

haha

Toys Are Alive!!

2012-04-05T10:52:00.000-07:00

When I was a little girl, I just had this feeling that my toys were really alive!

I would always make sure to treat my toys very well,
because I also had a fear that if I was mean to them they would come to life and take me away!!

I know it seems so silly and funny.

And even though I grew out of that kind of thinking,
there has always been a little of that whimsical thinking that has remained with me.

*just a little*

Which I why I would tell my kids to treat their toys nicely,
and not to step on them or throw them!

Of course, Ive never told them just WHY I expect them to treat their toys good.

I believe though, that after the fun Toy Story Movies came about they understood!
Now I am a fan of Toy Story, its SUCH a cute series, and reminded me so much of my own childhood.

Why am I bringing this up, you might be wondering?
Well because this morning, The Daddy noticed something odd and pointed it out to me.

"Hunny, come look at this bear over here?"
I peek around the corner from the sunken living room, into our sitting room.
As soon as I saw it, I burst into laughter!
"It looks like he was in the middle of climbing down when we came out and he had to stop!"
I was dying with laughter.

When I was up earlier this morning, I SWEAR that bear was SITTING on the couch!!

I remember picking him up and putting him there last night.

You cant tell me this isnt one of the cutest sites you ever saw!

Or one of the funniest!

How is he even hanging there like that??

PLUS its total PROOF, that Toys are really ALIVE!!

I felt bad for the poor little guy, and moved him back to the couch, so that he would be more comfy.
♥

I cant be the only one who has noticed proof or evidence of living toys...
Have you had any silly experiences that made you think twice about whether or not toys were real??
Please share your stories with me!! :)

Mommy Joys...

2012-04-03T22:14:00.001-07:00

Being a Mommy is an amazing gift and privilege.

There are so many wonderful joys to have in a momma's world.

Unfortunately... being a mommy is also very hard work.

There is worry, stress, late nights, early mornings, cleaning, cooking, little privacy...

and the list goes on!

Sometimes its easier to focus on the negatives when you are tired, stressed or having a bad day.

Its easy to complain, or get upset with the kids over silly things, or take them for granted.

Or maybe that's just me??

I decided I need to stop that.

I'm not going to be a "Debbie Downer."

I want to focus more on the good, the real JOYS of being a Mommy.

Joys you really can't get from anyone else but your little blessings.

So, I sat down and made a big long list...

Which I'll be sharing a couple of the things on my list once a week here on the blog.

I hope you find them encouraging.

Sometimes we all need a good reminder of all the things we tend to forget to appreciate.

#1. You know how you can understand your toddler clear as day, and

so many others are like "huh?"... I just LOVE that.

I feel like its a special bond/secret language that we have, just between us!

Not to mention they just sound so freakin cute!!

#2 I dont know about you, but mornings here can be hectic some times!
Im not really a morning person, but I sort of have to be.
One thing that makes it worth it though, is that sweet look of excitement and love
that comes across my kids face when they see me first thing in the morning.
Talk about making one feel special!
*Warm fuzzies*
I feel like the best Momma in the world at that moment.

Next week I will share #3 & #4 on my list!
What joys would be on YOUR list??

Zander Through The Years

2012-03-23T09:05:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about Zander's birthday and how he is THREE now.

Thinking back to when we first moved into our home here, he was only 5 months old!

Its hard to believe how much he has grown in such a short time....

I couldn't help but reminisce over some old photos, and share them here.

Here he is when we first moved into our house, here in RB.

He was 5 months old, was already crawling, and he has just learned how to sit up on his own.

Swimming in our pool. Zander LOVES the water.

Zander and Daddy

This is Zander at 9 months old, when he first started walking!

He has always been (and still is) SUCH a fast learner.

This pic below is one of my fav pics of him, its always reminded me of Ryan Gosling, for some reason. :)

The boys... all got a hair cut.

My handsome little man!!

He was snuggling with me in the morning. ♥

He was about a year and a half here.

He wanted to ride the big Quad.

Happier on the big quad. LOL

Here he is age 2.

He's got SUCH a fun personality!

Love him SO much!

Kids are SUCH an adventure.

They grow so fast... right before your eyes.

Even one month makes a HUGE difference!

I just love looking back and seeing how much they have grown, its astonishing sometimes.

I cant believe my baby boy is 3.

Zanders 3rd Birthday Party Pictures

2012-03-23T08:18:00.000-07:00

March 13th My Baby Boy turned 3 years old.

We had a small party for him with just family.

We got him a bike this year! He loves it so far.. but I haven't gotten any pictures of him on it yet.

He was so sweet, he got excited over every gift he got.

Oh and ah-ing and Woohoo-ing. It was so cute!

Yes, he even got excited about new clothes. ♥

A few days before his party I took him with me to go pick out a cake.

We looked through the WHOLE cake design book and it was down to Nemo, or Lightening McQueen.

He ended up going with Nemo.

And it was the cutest thing, he was wondering why we left that day without getting his cake.

So I told him, we will come back and get your cake on Sunday after church for your party ok?

He said ok, and each day after that reminded me.

"Momma, we get my nemo cake Sunday for my derday!?"

I'd say yes of course! And he would say Yay!

haha He was just SO excited about it, and being able to pick out his own. ♥

He was pretty happy about getting to lick the candles too.

Sweet Little Thing.

Happy Birthday Zander!

Dora In The Dark

2012-03-13T06:48:00.001-07:00

Zander and I are up early today. Around 5:45 Zander woke up crying, not feeling good. He was feeling warm, and said his forehead hurt. So I got him some medicine, stripped him of his jammies, and got him ice water, a light blanket and his pillow pet, so he could relax and watch some Dora.
Since he was obviously not going to be going back to bed. Poor little guy.

Of course, now he has ditched his blanket and is snuggling next to me at I type.
Which is nice, we get some extra snuggle time. ♥

He is so sweet, I feel so bad he is suddenly not feeling good. Especially today, since today is his 3rd Birthday! I told him that, and he said "OH! I am three." ♥ Fortunately we are not doing his party until Sunday... so hopefully he will be feeling better by then. But any extra prayers for him today would be wonderful! Well I better be off, Zander just said "Ow, my belly. Momma, I want something for eat". ;) I love the way he talks.

Mommy Made Oobleck! {Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss}

2012-03-02T18:10:00.000-08:00

As most parents of school aged children know, today is Dr. Seuss's Birthday!

Brucey told me today, they got to play with oobleck today in class

among several other Dr. Seuss themed activities!

I was in class with Kiah today, so I missed out on all that.

And Kiah said she wished she could have played with oobleck.

So I told her I knew how to make it and we could play with some at home....

Since it IS Dr. Seuss' birthday today and all... its only suiting that we celebrate! :)

Now in case you dont know what oobleck is,

Its a fun and silly substance that is both a solid AND a liquid!!

Its hard when you squeeze it or apply pressure,

but "melts" and acts like liquid when you leave it in your hand.

Its SO fun and fascinating to play with... even for a momma!

And if you dont know why we are making oobleck on honor of Dr. Seuss, well its because

Oobleck gets its name from the Dr. Seuss book Bartholomew and the Oobleck.

Which is a book where a gooey green substance, Oobleck, fell from the sky and wreaked havoc in the kingdom.

If you would like to MAKE your own oobleck, its extremely EASY!

You only need 2 ingredients:

2 Parts Corn Starch

1 Part water

I used 2 cups of corn starch, and 1 cup of water.

Now you can also add some food coloring if you would like to give it a certain color.

Brucey told us oobleck was green, so it HAD to be green!

Zander was a little iffy about the stuff.

It took him a few minutes before he would touch it!

Then when he did, he would make a face and ask for a napkin. :)

Haha little cutie.

I thought it was fun to play with!

Have you ever made oobleck before!?

Did you do anything fun to celebrate Dr. Suess' birthday??

Outside

2012-02-29T07:00:00.080-08:00

Dino Hat C/O: The Knotty Nani Boutique

This Winter has been a strange one.
Very warm for winter, even for a California winter!
Last night, though, it was insanely windy.
It started raining, and the lights flickered a few times.
I thought we might lose power!
I had a hard time sleeping, the wind and rain was so loud.
I ended up not hearing my alarm clock, sleeping in and waking up at 7:08 instead of 6:20.
It was a rush to get the kids ready and to the bus stop on time at 7:22!
The morning was very chilly and the clouds were still dark, everything was still wet outside.
I thought it would be dark and dreary all day.

Surprisingly, though, the sun came out for a few hours to brighten the day.
So Zander and I were able to venture out to play for a little bit.
He loves it outside, and though I am not much of an "outdoorsy" person,
I love being with him and watching him play and explore.
It was so nice, after having such a hectic morning and bad night.
It was a nice reminder to me to be thankful for the "storms" in life,
because they help me to appreciate the times of "sunshine", and not take them for granted.

2 Samuel 23:4 (NIV)

^" he is like the light of morning at sunrise
on a cloudless morning,
like the brightness after rain
that brings grass from the earth.’"

Birthday Girl (Outfit Post)

2012-02-28T07:00:00.002-08:00

Today my little Princess turned 9!
For her birthday we decided to do something small and more personal.
She invited a few close friends, for a sleep over.
They got all dressed up just for the fun of it.
I took them all out to a movie, we had pizza they played the kinnect,
and stayed up late talking and giving each other make overs. ♥
Cutest thing ever.
Kiah loved it and said she wanted to do the same thing next year for her b-day.

Since the girls were getting all dressed up I did Kiah's hair and makeup.
She got to wear her gorgeous new dress from, my sister, her Aunty Mona!
And I of course had to take a few pics of her modeling it.

Stunning little thing, isn't she?

Hope Necklace (Another b-day gift from Mona): Maurices

Giant Rosette Bobby Pin: Agape Love Boutique

Dress: Ross, Shoes: Payless Shoes, Cardy: Thrifted

If you want, you can see more from Kiah's Birthday Photo Shoot on my other blog {here}!

I also had to take a few pics of Kiah's friends. ♥

Meet the Friends... This is Katelyn & Jasmin

Jasmin is actually Kiah's cousin (Mona's daughter)

And they call each other "Best Frousins" (Think Friend & Cousins combined) too cute!

Sierra & Megan

All the girls...

Little Beauties!!

Excited to go out on the town!

P.S. Im gonna be Linking this post up to these places.

Check them out!! :)