The pfefferkorns

Monday Insta-grams

2012-02-13T11:32:00.000-08:00

We had a great week. A little sprinkles and then a lot of warm sun.

This week was the home school week at the Outdoor Science School at Mount Hermon. Although we don't home school our kids, my good friend Suzy runs the program and let Sydney tag along for the afternoons. She loved it. This is the kids hanging out in a tree after the afternoon classes.

I love that our girls still love to climb. Really climb on anything that is climbable. We are fortunate to have a bouldering wall close to the house.

Me getting my daily dose of Vitamin D.

Playing at the park with our fun friend Savannah.

I love seeing the canopy tour support around town.

Such a great big sister.

We have still been very busy making all sorts of valentine crafts. The girls really love doing crafts. It is so fun to see how each of their projects really reflect them.

Insta-gram Monday

2012-02-06T18:37:00.000-08:00

We were very busy one day making valentines with doilies. We painted them on white paper with water colors. Then we took the doilie off and had a colorful surprise on the paper and on the doilie.

Magic messages appear when there is love in the air!

The girls are still spending endless hours in the saw dust from the tree that was taken down in the front yard. It is like playing in the snow except you dont get cold and eating it is not a good idea.

Already cherry blossoms!??

This is the loot after visiting an allergist/pulmonologist. Still not quite sure why the girls are still getting pneumonia. Next step: round of allergy testing.

Morning Fort.

We have been going down to the field every friday afternoon. Lots of girls there to play with and lots of good friends being made.

Lots of beach time this weekend. Both days it was around 70. We were HOT. It was great.

Instagram Monday

2012-01-23T11:57:00.000-08:00

It has been a good week. It rained!! We don't know what to do with ourselves. ;)

Playing in the 'backyard'. The creek never gets old. Always so many ways to be imaginative.

My sweet Stella.

It was the Santa Cruz Mountians Wine Passport day this weekend. The kids did great. Brought their backpacks and were up for an adventure of finding fun places to run up the vineyards and find the best snacks.

Instagram Monday

2012-01-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

I was a little surprised when I plugged my phone in that I didn't take more pictures this week. Sad. Well here are this weeks instagrams:

Afternoon snack snuggle.

At work with Dad.

Really long day at Ikea.

New favorite beet salad. Roasted beets,oranges, lime vinaigrette and feta.

A great night out with some very special ladies.

A little vacation

2012-01-12T14:54:00.000-08:00

We stayed around here for the holidays this year. This is the first year in our 12 years of marriage we stayed home. It was really great to wake up in our own home on Christmas morning and make some new traditions here.
But staying home for the break gave me a little cabin fever. We did some day trips around the coast, but I was feeling like a little vacation was in order.
We headed down to Avila Beach, just outside of San Luis Obispo. It was pretty perfect.

We enjoyed some breweries in SLO.

Our room was pool and ocean side. We heard the waves crashing from our bed. It was fabulous.

The first morning the girls were up at 7:01 and ready to go for a swim. They were so excited to be on vacation. It was so fun to watch.

The pool, the room with closets with 'real' doors, the breakfast buffet, the beach and snow cones. The excitement was over flowing.

It was the perfect ending to the Christmas break.

Insta-gram Monday

2012-01-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here are this weeks Insta-grams. Had a great week!

And here are some scary ones from the new CamWow app that have me rolling on the ground laughing because they are so wrong!

Funny.

A great afternoon

2012-01-04T23:25:00.000-08:00

There are so many moments living here that I really can't believe we live so close to so many beautiful things. Today was one of those days. Suzy and I tried out a new beach with our kids. They were up for an adventure and it was summer like outside. Truly beautiful. Unfortunately my good camera ran out of batteries on the hike down.Thankfully this beautiful of a place doesn't need a 'good' camera.

We hiked down a narrow trail and found this at the end.

Somehow we were able to make some first tracks. Not the normal kind of first tracks you make in January. The kids loved running and exploring the coves and rocks. I loved running and trying to climb the rocks!

Just a wonderful day soaking in the sun, exploring, running with the waves, chatting and being so thankful we only live 15 minutes from this new 'favorite' beach.

Insta-gram Monday

2012-01-02T09:55:00.000-08:00

I got an early Christmas present. An I Phone. I was so excited to have a much more modern way of communicating. Texting does not sound like I am playing pinball anymore. And now I can take some really fun pictures with Instagram. I am going to try to do Instagram Mondays (thanks for the idea Christi). Here is a glimpse into the last 2 weeks.

New Years Eve

2012-01-01T12:33:00.000-08:00

This is where we played for New Years Eve day. It was absolutely beautiful. We had the beach and trails to ourselves. This is one of our favorite spots to go exploring, soak in the sun and be in awe of the God's creation.

Every time we have been here we have found at least one heart rock.

Picture taken by Sydney.

One loved Daddy.

Happy New Years from The Pfefferkorns!

Stella's thougths on preschool

2011-11-09T16:27:00.000-08:00

I should have posted this a while ago, so I will play catch up. My baby started preschool! She was so excited to start. This was taken the day befiore her first day with out me there.

Summer is over...according to the school calender

2011-09-19T20:56:00.000-07:00

This was our second summer here in Mount Hermon. It was a good, good summer. I am sad to see its freedom go. We had such good times and made some sweet memories.

Here are some things that were memorable:

Sydney and Stella were transformed into fish. With the pool only a short hike through the redwoods, we tried to spend as much time as we could in the afternoons there. Unfortunately, this summer was not as hot as I remembered last summer, so we didn't go every afternoon like last summer.

Sydney learned how to swim under water. She swam and swam and swam. She LOVED being under water. She would dive in for underwater rings for 30 mins. Take a 20 second break and then be at it again.

Stella loved being in the water doing her own thing. She did not want to be held or swam around . She bobbed along the side, played on the steps and became the best ring thrower ever!

While we were on vacation in Northern California, both girls were able to go horse back riding. Sydney surprised us and hopped right on. Stella watched for a long time silently and rode the horse with out any hint of a smile.

I even was able to ride with both girls. Craziest moment for me was dismounting the horse over its rump. scary.

I think this little Cowgirl will want to come back for horse camp!

On this same vacation I was able to go rock climbing. It had been since Sydney was a mear 16 weeks in my belly that I had been climbing outdoors on real rock. I was due. It was one of the most beautiful spots and a great climb to get my hands dirty.

Nate and I were able to go on an amazing mountian bike ride in Lake Tahoe. It felt so good to be on some crazy single track.

We saw lots of snow this summer. And took some amazing hikes.

We had lots of great time with visiting family.

Just a little snip-it of why we love living here. So many other great things we did this summer. Kinda bummed I didn't do a better job blogging about it.

Watch out!

2011-08-09T15:51:00.000-07:00

2011-07-31T13:30:00.001-07:00

2011-07-30T18:04:00.000-07:00

Family vacations RULE!!! More pictures to come.

2011-07-15T14:05:00.000-07:00

Some phrase Stella has been saying that I don't want to forget.

Snow-fee = Snow white
Pee-no-no = Piano
pa-punzel = Rapunzel

Monterey

2011-07-14T05:00:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we drove to Monterey to bike along the coast trail. It is a fun easy little trail that goes for miles along the rocky, sandy beautiful coast.

We could have spent the whole day explore the tide pools, climbing on the rocks and finding shells. Stella would climb to the top and shout, "I am queen of the rock!".

These little purple shells where every where. The ones in the water had fun little crabs in them. I made Stella almost jump out of her skin after she had a pocket full of these shells and I told her to remember to look inside to see if there is a little animal living inside before she puts it in her pocket. Luckily we were collecting them on the sand first.

Sydney loved climbing over all the rocks. She would point to a rock cropping and say, "lets go to the top".

Stella LOVED these dried pieces of seaweed. She pretended they were snakes around her neck. She had about three around her neck at one time. She thought they were so cool.

2011-07-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Just a little boat ride through the redwood forest. I am loving my girls imagination lately. They can make any atmosphere into a place of wonder and play. It is so fun to watch were their journeys take them. Who or what they become. What they find and what it turns into. Imagination is a good good thing.

2011-07-12T10:39:00.000-07:00

Hope you are enjoying all the wonderful things of summer!

Happy 4th Of july!

2011-07-04T21:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Hollow

2011-06-06T06:00:00.000-07:00

While Nana was here for a visit, we went to Happy Hollow in San Jose. I had heard some about it from Aunt Birgit. Her architectural firm that she worked for developed the plans for the park. I am not sure what part she played in the park, but I know she was responsible for the awesomeness of it. :)

They had rides, animals, huge playground, and puppet shows. It was sized perfectly for the girls. They lasted almost the whole time the park was open. They had a blast.

Nana's Visit

2011-06-05T13:45:00.000-07:00

We took Nate's mom to one of our favorite places to explore along the HWY 1. It is so beautiful and it always seems like it is our own private beach.

There are lots of rocks to turn over, shells to find, tide pools to explore and rocks to climb.

Guess who didn't want to stop for a picture. Perfect photo!

Lemonade!

2011-06-03T09:00:00.000-07:00

There was a huge yard sale where we live over Memorial Day weekend. The girls set up their first lemonade stand. Sydney was so excited. She talked about it for days before. She made a rough draft of the sign and then had me sketch it out and then both girls painted it. They made some good money and gave lots of it away to some special friends!

new friends

2011-06-02T14:42:00.000-07:00

Found this little friend the other day during lunch. We spent a good 30 minutes watching him, talking to him, following him. I love living in the woods.(even if it means my house is WAY dirtier)

Still fighting some sickness over here. Stella now has a mild case of pneumonia. She will have a much faster recovery than Sydney. We are so thankful that Stella's was caught earlier.
We are still have some fun in the meantime.

bubbles!

2011-05-04T19:53:00.000-07:00

Aunt Laura and Uncle Josh got Sydney this super cool bubble makers. Just follow the directions on the package for the ultimate bubble juice and you get really cool bubbles.

It was so fun to see how each bubble took its own personality, shape and color.

It was hard to stop. You just wondered how big the next one would get or what shape it would take.

Things are looking up!

2011-04-27T10:07:00.000-07:00

Bubbles, Popsicles and sunshine always makes life seem a little brighter. Sydney continues to heal. She is regaining her energy and getting back to playing as usually. We go back to the doctor today to see how her lungs are progressing. Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts.

Not much energy to write

2011-04-23T08:31:00.000-07:00

Just thought I would post some pictures from Sydney being in the hospital. I didn't take very many pictures but this is what I have.

We had a lot of special visitors while we were there. She was lavished with balloons, cards, art work, teddy bears, flowers, books, and cupcakes.

While we were in the hospital, the IV was in her right hand. So she was not able to do very much art. She did some and I was amazed at how well she can use her left hand. She was so happy to have the IV out. The minute we got home she did two things. She ran to her room and jumped on her bed and she ran to her art supplies and started creating and writing.

I love this one. She hung this one right behind her bed.Pretty much sums it up.

And this one shows how happy she is to be with her whole family.

I think this one is my favorite. She is happiness! Love it.

We are still healing. The Dr says we have a long road ahead of us. Her lungs are still pretty sick. Please pray that she continues to get healthy and her lungs clear up.

Wimpy Californians.

2011-04-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is what we have become, Wimpy Californians. Sydney had spring break last week and Nate had some time off to use so we had made plans to go camping down south on the beach just west of Santa Barbara. As the time came closer and we were checking the weather forecast rain lurked. Rain and temperatures in the mid 50's. WHAT?! Thoughts of sitting in a tent freezing and wet. Didn;t sound like to much fun. It was a 50 % chance of rain. We cancelled our camping trip and decided to do a staycation. Yes we wussed out. We cannot handle rain,or as Oregonians call it, a mist. We cannot handle temperatures below 60. We freeze. Who is typing this. Seriously, what a year can do to you.
Anyways, we ended up having a great staycation. The weather was a bit windy and a few sprinkles. We were glad we didn't go camping.
One of the first days of spring break was HOT. Like 80 hot. We spent the whole day at the beach. I got sunburned. We played in the waves, with friends, and make sandcastles. It was a great day and made us super excited for summer days.

We went to Point Lobos just south of Carmel. Of course we had to stop in Carmel at one of my favorite places to get a soft pretzel. They are SOOOO good. I always feel out of place in Carmel. Lots of old rich people. :)

There was a lot of wild life to see, Seals, otters, birds and whales ( we didn't see any whales).

We had a great time hiking and exploring. And yes I know that Stella is WAY to big for the backpack. She is a bit heavy, but it beats carrying her every other minute. This is the only way we can really get any sort of hike in. Plus there was poison oak everywhere. So I get a little workout and Stella gets a good view.

The next day we went to Davenport Beach. One of our favorites. It is a little north of Santa Cruz, so it is hardly ever crowded and there is a lot to explore.

I didn't get any pictures of the beach. I was too busy playing. The next day we went to Castle Rock State Park for a little hiking and climbing. It is such a great place to go with kids. There are boulders everywhere to climb on and little holes to hid in. They loved it.

A little hobbit hole.

Can you find the big girl who is almost 3 years old? How did she get so big?

I even got a little climb in and Sydney was the photographer. Nice picture, huh?

Stella was such a good rope manager. She was right by Nates side making sure there were hands on the rope the whole time. It was pretty cute. She wasn't quite ready to give a shot at climbing on real rock yet.
We had more plans, but Sydney had a high fever the afternoon after rock climbing. This fever turned into a cough, which then turned into pneumonia. So all in all we were really glad we didn't go camping so we could focus on getting Sydney healthy. She is still recovering. She wishes she was playing but for now we are hanging around the house getting healthy.

Discovery Grove

2011-03-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

For the past month or so we have been hearing chain saws, seeing wheelbarrows of wood chips passing by our back windows, hearing drills, seeing lot of ladders and caution tape. Why you say?

Discovery Grove

The Discovery Grove Kids Course is now finished and open! The girls are so excited about this new challenge here on camp and right below our back yard. Could a kid ask for anything better than a climbing wall, bouldering wall and a challenge course out their back door?

Sydney was asking for weeks when it would be done and if she would be able to be the first kid on it. Having your Dad be the Director of Adventure and Recreation has it perks (see The key man post) Sydney was a part of the measuring, the height placement and the fun factor of the planning. Well, finally she was able to test it out.

Stella's 'Tough face'.

Loving Life.

Stella was encouraging Sydney the whole time. Watching and jumping up and down for her. We asked her if she was ready to go on the course. She just replied. " Not yet".

Syd was feeling so comfortable up there she was hamming it up for the camera. Love that kid.

This was the beginning of the tough part. She had already done the beginning twice. She was pretty tuckered out. She tried and tried to get across this part. She was showing a little fear on her face, but she was determined.

Nate trying to help Sydney out.

She absolutely loved it. She took to it like eating a piece of cake. She couldn't get enough. She was so confident and adventurous. This is the look of pure joy. After it was all over, we asked her what her favorite part was.
"Well, that wood cookies part was really really hard and I got stuck. but Dad and Nick helped me. I think that was my favorite part."
She is such an amazing kid that she loves the challenge. Sees how it pushes her, and loves it.

Reading

2011-03-21T14:19:00.000-07:00

Sydney is a BIG time reader! She really can read just about everything. She has been reading to Stella before nap time, reading chapter books, magazines, e-mails. You name it. Last night she was reading a book to Nate about owls, which included the words; species, nocturnal, Australia, and talons. She read them all like cat and the hat. It is so fun to see her love of reading grow even more.

dirt

2011-03-15T13:28:00.000-07:00

A little dirt never hurt.

My girls are off making fairy cakes, mud soup, and collecting rocks, pinecones and leaves. There is lots of dirt. Lots of laundry. Lots of dirty fingernails. Lots of fun. Lots of imagination. I wouldn't want it any other way.
Some of my favorite childhood memories playing at home are in my backyard. Playing in the tiny creek. Pretending to fish with a stick. Making damns, digging in the dirt. Walking through the 'jungle' down the creek.
So happy my girls get to make the same sort of memories.

2011-03-03T08:48:00.001-08:00

CAUTION: Lots of Potty talk below.

We have started to do potty training with Stella. I really wish I remembered more of potty training Sydney. I just don't. It just seemed so easy. So I feel that I am at such a loss with Stella. She wants to go on the potty, she doesn't want to go on the potty. She pees in the corner, she pees in the potty.

Today she was in undies for the morning and was doing great. She went pee pee 2 times and was SOOO proud of her self. We were playing and she ran into the bathroom saying, "I have to go poo poo!!!!!!". Sydney and I ran in cheering. Stella wanted some 'privacy'. So we left and I told her to tell me when she was done so I could help her wipe. She came out of her bedroom ( one of the bathroom doors lead into their bedroom) and said, "momma, I need you to get a Kleenex to pick up my poo poo."

I was very confused. i heard her get on the potty. My mind in now spinning. I go into her room and find a little poo poo sitting halfway on halfway off a wet wipe on the floor.

So many things to say about that,

Stella you pooped on the floor!

Good job for not going in you undies!

It is on the carpet!

Thank you for putting a wet wipe down.

Ahh potty training...... maybe I need to wait till she can run pantless outside?

Look what came in the mail.....

2011-02-25T15:01:00.001-08:00

I am so glad that I took the time and the $$ to get this done. It is such a keepsake and turned out way better than I could have imagined. This is something I will do every year for sure. Check them out. It was a great program, very easy to use, and excellent quality.

Happenings around the house

2011-02-24T09:50:00.001-08:00

These little guys appeared after I was given the chance to sleep in.

Stella is on a drawing, cutting and taping rampage. She loves drawing on these little pieces of paper....

and taping them to the walls all over the house.

Sydney has been doing very detailed work coming up with new ways to fill blank space.

A walk in the neighborhood

2011-02-23T15:00:00.000-08:00

Last week it rain almost all week. It didn't just rain it poured. Buckets, sheets, waves of rain. Not only was it yucky outside, inside the kids were still getting over being sick. I was experiencing major cabin fever. I was so happy when the rain cleared and the noses and coughs subsided and we were able to get outside and play with friends.

Love Day.

2011-02-16T14:07:00.000-08:00

I was not anticipating how excited Sydney was for Valentines day. She was excited! Like Christmas excited.
She woke Nate and I up saying Happy Valentines day in a sweet soft voice. Jumping in bed saying how much she loved us and how she loved that we were her momma and dadda. It was great. Stella bounced around saying, "Happy Balentines Day" and " I weally love you". Such a sweet holiday to celebrate the love we have in our lives. I think the best part was laying in bed at the end of the night thinking about how excited Sydney and Stella were about the day and realizing it had nothing to do with presents. It had everything to do with showing their love.

February beach days!

2011-02-16T13:54:00.000-08:00

It has been so beautiful this Feb. I think I can handle this type of weather. Now I know it is not always like this. As I type this it is a mixed sun/rain day outside. But I still am in the mode of when it is sunny out you play hard because it may be a while before you see it shining again. A lifestyle left over from living in the Northwest for 8 years.
We really took full advantage of the weather and were at the beach every chance we could get. I actually got sun burnt on my chest. Crazy.
One day we went to the beach with some friends and they buried each other in the sand. Stella LOVED it. She had a cute little smile on her face the whole time. She laid as still and a rock. Sand being poured everywhere. She loved it.

I have always loved the beach and the ocean. it was my happy place to think, soak up the sun, listen to the waves, to just be. I now love it for more reasons. The minute we set our feet on the sand the girls come alive. No matter how much whining, grumpiness, or fighting happened in the car or at home before the beach bring laughter, exploration, fun and peace. So thankful for God's creation.

sisters

2011-01-25T12:46:00.000-08:00

I love seeing these girls become friends. They play, the fight, the laugh, they scream, they wrestle, they read, they love eachother.

Saturday night

2011-01-22T19:59:00.000-08:00

Beautiful Saturday sunset out on West cliff. HUGE waves. Whinny sick kids. Salty air. Short on patience mom. Hopefully the ocean air will help us sleep well tonight and wake up healthy and full of love and patience. Thank you God for using you creation to heal our bodies and mind. Amen.

Big week

2011-01-20T14:10:00.000-08:00

We had an interesting week of injuries. Sydney has not (knock on wood) had any major injuries. Cuts and scrapes, bruising etc. But there has never been a moment where I have had the inner thought of, " Oh my goodness if this wasn't my child I would be making a big OH NOOOOOOOOOO, That looks horrible face." But Today was that day. Sydney was down at the bouldering wall outside our backyard. She goes down there often to boulder around, play in the mud and just watch the trees. Today she came running up the hill whimpering. I heard her and then she rounded the corner and I saw this:

This picture is after I cleaned it up, but it was quite a shock since she wasn't hysterically crying, just a whimper. It is the biggest goose egg I have seen on either of my kids. Stella has had a couple good ones

She was a trooper. Sat with some ice on it and the swelling went down for a while. But around dinner time it looked like the swelling had started up again. We iced and by morning there was just a small bump. Pretty bad . Oh, she was running toward the bouldering wall, tripped and head butted the wall........OUCH!

Then Stella looked like this for most of one morning into the afternoon.

She had a one of three cavities filled. Yes , THREE cavities. Poor kid. I swear we brush her teeth. Maybe not everyday twice a day, but they do get brushed. She did so great at the dentist. She had Novocain, laughing gas, and quite a bit of tooth drilling. I was so proud of her. She laid on my lap and didn't even flinch. Just sat and did what the dentist told her to do.

I love that the side of her face is slowly drooping. It was pretty cute.

I think I have some tough kids!

2011-01-13T14:43:00.000-08:00

While we were eating pizza the other night, Stella's piece on her fork was attached to another piece of pizza by a long string of cheese.

"Look a zip line pizza!"

Then the cheese string broke and she said, "Oopps, now a broken zip line."

Only our kids.

Stella

2011-01-11T14:26:00.001-08:00

We went to the beach after dinner. It was a calm clear sky night. The sun had set a bit a go and there was a lingering purple layer. The crescent moon was shining bright in the sky. Stella sat on my lap looking up at the moon as we sat on the rocks at the waters edge and said,

"Mom I want to ride on the moon! I think it would just be silly." Her eyes were sparkling with the thought of such an adventure.

Church

2011-01-10T09:39:00.000-08:00

On Sunday went up Highway 1 a bit yesterday to see if we could see any elephant seals and play on the beach. It was a gorgeous day! We found a great little hike along the cliffs with some rock filled coves to explore.We did see one elephant seal on this beach. it is almost right out from Sydney's elbow. It looks like a big clump of seaweed or a rock. it moved a bunch for us. The girls loved it. Stella, I think, was a little disappointed when she saw what an elephant seal REALLY looked like. I would have loved to see the picture she had in her mind

There were a ton of shells and flat rocks everywhere. We all had pockets full of tiny treasures.

While we were eating lunch Sydney said, " I am so glad we did this rather than go to church today!". I too was glad that we weren't sitting inside a building , but tried to explain and start to impress on her brain that Church is not just on Sundays in a building. She thought about that one for a bit and responded, " Oh yea, right!".

I was so thankful for the beautiful creation around us. The crashing waves, the tiny intricate shells, the warm sun, and my wonderful family. I am not sure I have had a better Sunday morning at Church.

Christmas time at Mount Hermon

2011-01-03T15:00:00.000-08:00

There was so much Christmas fun at camp leading up to Christmas. The main road was decorated with lights, the canopy tour launched its 'Twinkle tours' complete with a caroler in the trees with a guitar, school programs, and a visit from Santa at the staff dinner. It was so much fun and brought so much anticipation to the season. Here are some of my favorite shots and a video.

Sydney as a Angel in the school program. She was the angel bringing the good news to Mary and Joseph. We were so proud of the way she said all of her lines with confidence. You never would have guessed she was the girl a year ago who would have cried at all the noise in the room and shyed away from being in front of such a large crowd. Wow has she grown.

I couldn't find the pictures of the 'reindeer' Nate had stationed at the Canopy tour for the Twinkle tours, but this is Nate and his Interns Bart and Cassie. Nate had them wear these outfits on the tour. Good to be the boss.

Sydney and Khenya had a blast eating a TON of candy and cookies, and cupcakes and brownies and..... at the staff dinner. I love this video of them sitting waiting for Santa! Sydney's face says it all. Christmas magic.

Can't wait for next years pre Christmas celebrations!

She has it all figured out

2010-12-14T13:42:00.000-08:00

Sydney came up from quiet time the other day with this piece of paper. It is so simple and it IS that simple. I have so much to learn from my daughters. It is so beautiful to learn about God from them.

Some new traditions

2010-12-11T19:52:00.001-08:00

We went to the Santa Cruz Holiday parade the other weekend. Wasn't quite what I was hoping for but the girls loved it because they, "GOT CANDY!!!" as Sydney would say. It did say a California Christmas all over it.
We also went to the Santa Cruz harbor to check out the lighted boat parade. This was really fun and festive. Not a lot of boats, but it was fun to be outside and not freezing.

Mid week we went to check out the Oakland Zoo lights. It was a bit of a drive but we stopped for some great wood oven pizza and cupcakes on the way.We love traditions with our girls. So fun to have things to look forward to the next year and fun to look back on the past. We are just so thankful for our family and the time that we get to spend together, thankful for this place and time in our lives.

A visit from Grandma

2010-12-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

My mom came in for a visit last week. The girls love it when grandma comes to visit. They play and play and play. My mom has a great imagination and loves to really get into her 'part' of the scene. We played Dr, had ballets,made Christmas ornaments, played with 'hamsters'...the list goes on. One day we checked out the Seymour Science Marine Lab in Santa Cruz. It was so cool. The girls loved seeing all the marine life.

They had a touch tank where you could touch a swell shark. Sydney was a little scared, but braved it after my hand was not chomped off. Grandma also treated to take Sydney to her first movie in the Theater. We had a great time watching a really cute movie, eating popcorn and making new memories.

Our first Christmas in California (...as a family of 4)

2010-11-29T19:39:00.001-08:00

Loving every moment of the process!
Remembering favorite ornaments, remembering funny ornaments, remembering/learning how to put ornaments on the tree.

Santa, aka. the one who fills this house with art work, already left some presents under the tree.

So excited for this season with my family. Starting a new set of traditions with some old ones mingled in between. What are some of your holiday traditions?

Sydney Monday

2010-11-29T19:37:00.000-08:00

Life through Sydney's eyes.

Fall?

2010-11-17T14:12:00.000-08:00

We have been having beautiful weather and have been savouring it down at the beach. And I am pretty sure it is November, right? Crazy!

Ahhhh...Avila Beach

2010-11-16T19:49:00.000-08:00

We had a great little get away on Sunday and Monday to Avila Beach just outside of San Luis Obispo on the ocean. Since Nate has to work most Saturdays we took advantage of the off season and mid week rate at a funky little hotel. The whole time Nate and I kept saying that it felt like we were in Mexico- in a good way. Everything was just a little funky. Our room had a view of the ocean and french doors that opened up to a small balcony (I made sure the kids didn't lean or step on the railings. Mexico-remember) But I LOVED going to sleep with the doors open hearing the waves crashing. Ahhhh.. It was perfect. The weather was also perfect. It was in the 80's. We played on the beach in our swimsuits and Syd had her first taste of boogie boarding- kid style.

We loved being together as a family. Although both kids were just getting sick when we left, it felt like we really got away.

Little bit of Stella

2010-11-12T14:39:00.000-08:00

Scene #1: It was about 2 hours after Stella went to bed. She was moaning and starting to cry. Nate went in to see what was going on. She was hot. She needed help getting her PJ pants off. Nate helped her, tucked her back in and said good night. As he was walking out the door stella says in her 'cartoon voice', as nate calls it, " Buenos Noches, dadda". Seriously, Spanish after you have been sleeping for 2 hours.

Scene #2: Sydney and her were playing with Moon Dough for the first time, (ugh I now hate moon dough) when Stella turned to Sydney and said, "Honey, you are making a big mess."

Scene #3: The girls like to play animal. One pretends to be an animal and then chases the other around the house. Lots of growling and screaming. Sydney was the animal and was chasing Stella . Stella collapsed on the floor. Sydney growled and 'ate her head off'. Stella started crying, like you do when you lost you helium balloon and are watching it float up higher into the sky. She was REALLY crying. MOOOOM, Sydney ate my head off!!!!!! NOOOO SYDNEY!!!! Sydney and I looked at each other and couldn't help but burst out into laughter. But like a good sister, Sydney walked over to stella and gave her her head back. Stella was instantly happy again. Silly girl. So rich with emotion.

She is the source of so much laughter in our house. I love seeing Sydney laugh at the silly things Stella does.

2010-11-04T16:02:00.000-07:00

5 Years ago nate and I welcomed this little peanut into our lives. What a blessing Sydney has been to us. She is so beautiful inside and out. She is creative, thoughtful, loving, caring, sensitive, fun, adventurous and growing like a weed. Happy birthday my sweet girl!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-31T14:48:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween from a clown, jellyfish, pirate, and train conductor!

2010-10-30T09:39:00.000-07:00

This last weekend we went up to Occidental for a little work and pleasure. Nate was taking some of his staff to a Tree Climbing workshop for 3 days so the girls and I decided to tag a long and add a day or two on and make a mini vacation out of it. The first two days it rained and rained! The rivers and streams were swollen and water rushed over most of the roads. It was pretty fun since it was the first real rain we have had since last spring. Hard to imagine, but yes it has not stormed since last spring. We spent some time exploring the cute little towns in the area and driving through wine country and the rolling hills. It was so beautiful up there!

We watched Nate and his 'crew' learn about tree climbing. It was pretty impressive to watch them 'swarm' the tree like a spider hanging its web.

Sydney was loving it. She was not expecting the ropes to climb the trees. She said that she wanted to climb with her hands and feet on the tree not just with ropes. She did get to taste a little of what it was like to climb with the ropes. She got the hang of it pretty quick!

We also checked out Bodega bay. Beautiful coast line with grainy sand and big waves.

2010-10-28T15:58:00.000-07:00

Could our God create anything more beautiful? How lucky we are.....how blessed we are...... I am so thankful for His creation that washes any worry I have away and brings utter peace to my soul.

More to come from our mini vacation to Occidental, Ca.

Sydney Monday's

2010-10-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

Life through Sydney's eyes.
Playing farmers market.

A day out

2010-10-17T20:37:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to find this great little apple orchard just north of Santa Cruz. It was our own private little orchard. There were about 15 or 16 rows of different apple variations. Each girl took a paper bag and went picking! They did such a great job looking for just the right apple. We munch on a few and took a few.

On the way home we stopped at a little winery. They happened to be having a wine and food pairing. We ran into some friends and they were able to get us in on the food and wine. It was great. We sipped wine and the girls played in the field and small creek. It was a great day!

Pumpkins!

2010-10-14T14:54:00.001-07:00

Even though it is 90 degrees outside, the date on the calender tells us that it is fall and fall means pumpkins! We went to Half moon bay to get pumpkins with a family from camp. Sydney and Khenya are best buds. And Stella and Brady love each other too. We have been really lucky to be able to connect so quickly to this family. I love their kids and so enjoy the friendships of Suzy and Todd.The weather was a little bit like fall. It was foggy for part of the time but then beautiful and sunny! The kids loved running through the pumpkins and feeding the goats.Afterwards, our family went into the town of half moon bay and had a picnic by the harbor and did a little tourist browsing through the shops.

We stopped at Waddel beach on the way home and watched the kite surfers. It was absolutely beautiful.

Have I mentioned how much I love living here! I can't express how thankful I am for this place that really brings so much joy to my soul and the time we spend as a family is truly priceless. Sometimes I feel like standing at the oceans edge with my arms out wide shouting THANK YOU GOD!!!!!

The key man

2010-10-12T20:05:00.000-07:00

When you Dad is the Director over all of the Recreation and Adventure at a very large summer camp, He has a lot of very important keys. Keys that make it possible for you to do a lot of really cool things. One of them being climb on the indoor wall after dinner.

Syd made it to the top. She worked really hard and was sweating when she came down. Nate and I both were able to get a climb or two in. As I was climbing, I realised how hard this wall was and that my 4 year old daughter just climbed to the top.

Stella put a harness on and walked around a lot with a helmet on, but didn't quite make it on the wall. The haul cord kept her attention for most of the time.

You know your kids are totally spoiled and used to the lifestyle of getting to do a lot of really cool things just because your Dad has the right keys when, you are driving by the beach boardwalk and your 2 year old is wanting to go on the rides and you tell her you can't because it is closed and her response is; " daddy has keys?".

Sydney Monday

2010-10-12T13:58:00.001-07:00

Life through Sydney's eyes.

2010-09-29T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that Stella is able to go to Bible Study Fellowship. Sydney went for 2 years with her Nana in Portland and learned so much about God. I can't wait to hear all that Stella is going to learn!
Today after Bible Study Fellowship, we were walking to the car and I was asking her about her class. I knew that they sang songs and hymns from when Syd went so I asked her if they sang any songs. This was her reply:

Stella- Uh huh, holy holy holy.
Me- You sang holy holy holy?
Stella- Yes, holy poly poly......

Words on the screen can't describe her cute little voice trying to sing this song in tune. I can't wait to hear in Stella's words what she learns about God.

2010-09-28T20:11:00.000-07:00

Sydney and Papa at her first car show.- 2006

Conversation with Sydney while walking out of Trader Joes to the car.

Sydney- Mom, look at tha cool truck! ( pointing to a hot rod truck in the parking lot)

Me- Wow, that is sweet!

Sydney- No Mom, that is RAD!

We see the light!

2010-09-28T19:51:00.000-07:00

We are very thankful for the place we get to call home. Yes, you did remember correctly. I was not very excited about this house when we first saw it. But I have grown to love it and am so thankful for it every day. One of the great things about it is less than a 100 yards away through the trees and down a small hill is the climbing wall. Throughout the summer Sydney would go down to the climbing wall in the afternoon and truly climb her little heart out. This has been so much fun for us to watch. The very first day she only went about a foot off the ground. Now she is doing true climbing moves and ringing the bell at the top of the climbs. Since the summer family camp season is over, she has been really missing the climbing wall. So we decided to take her and Stella climbing on real rock. We headed to Castle Rock State Park. Nate and I climbed here when we lived here before. We weren't so sure what was in store for us going back with kids.

It was such a great day, Nate and I are still talking about how much fun we had as a family. We all got a little climbing in. Even Stella put a harness on and got to about my shoulders before she was ready to get down. Sydney wanted to climb and climb and climb. She could not get enough. "More more more" she chanted. We were so proud of the both of them ,They did a great job hiking and exploring and just hanging out climbing. We have seem the light at the end of the tunnel. More climbing trips are in our future!

unfortunatly, my camera had little to no battery life left. So these are the only pictures we have of the climbing and Stella's big debute is blurry. Boo! next time check battery before leaving!

Sydney Mondays (a day late)

2010-09-28T19:50:00.000-07:00

Life through Sydney's eyes.

2010-09-15T13:18:00.000-07:00

There is pretty much art going on in our house every hour of the daylight hours. My girls both love to do art. Sydney has really been into drawing. There other day we were listening to some instrumental music and she said that it sounded like winter to her. The next song came on and she jumped up and started to draw what she heard. I love how she is so creative. Her grandpa has given her some books on how to draw animals and funny people. She has really enjoyed drawing from these books. I think they have really helped her learn about spacial aspects and drawing things to size. Here is her latest drawing session with dad. She will work on these drawings with you for a good hour. It has been so much fun for nate and I to be able to do this with her.
Stella has been into painting. She loves it. She gets very serious about her paintings and she paints with intensity. She holds her brush just right and very delicately. Just like any 2 year old, she usually paints more than the paper.

Sydney mondays

2010-09-13T20:32:00.000-07:00

Life through Sydney's eyes. Self Portrait.

Green Thumbs

2010-09-13T20:13:00.000-07:00

We tried our hand at a little bit of gardening this summer. This was my first time ever having a garden. I grew some strawberries when I was a kid, but besides that this was new territory for me. We had a lot of fun picking out seeds, planting seeds, making plant name tags and now EATING the small but yummy bounty of veggies!

We have three boxes. We planted tomatoes, 2 kinds of cucumbers, carrots, onions, beets, peas (which were eaten by a deer, boooo) peppers, cilantro, basil, and sage. I think we went a little over board in our variety. The boxes were a bit crowded and the little hands that put the seeds in the soil didn't care much for the spacing guidelines. So we ended up with pretty short and small veggies. Stella was a little disappointed when she pulled out the beets. Not quite like the beets at the farmers market.

But we all had fun planting and picking. It even proves that if you allow your kids to take part in their food they are more likely to eat it. And boy did Sydney surprise us. One night for dinner she ate raw carrots and raw beet slices. FOR DINNER!! no gagging. just "mmmmmm's" . That is proof enough for me to want to make our whole yard into a veggie garden. Maybe next year???

2010-09-09T16:12:00.000-07:00

Sydney- " mom, I don't want to go to college."

Me- " You don't? Why not?"

Sydney- "because at college you have to have breakfast there and you don't get to spend time with your family in the morning."

Me- " You can go to college and still have breakfast with us here at home."

Sydney- " YOU CAN?! Okay, I want to do that."

2010-09-08T20:39:00.000-07:00

Thankfully we were able to hang on to summer a little longer than others around here. Sydney's preschool doesn't start till Monday. I am excited to be back in a routine again, but also sad to be back in a routine again. It is such a bitter sweet feeling. I have LOVED every minute of summer here. It has felt like a vacation. I wonder if it will feel like that ever year? We have had so much fun. I have loved seeing the girls grow to understand how to play together. They have so much fun together. And yet on the flip side, they have really learned how to push each others buttons and have really had some strong feelings for each other.

But summer is coming to a close. I have had to explain for about 2 weeks now to the girls why the pool, climbing wall and craft house have been closed. They have fully embraced the summer camp kid persona.

Here are some memories from this summer

We will miss you summer and can't wait till next year!

Sydney Mondays

2010-09-06T14:41:00.000-07:00

Life through Sydney's eyes. Her favorite cars. Hot pink and Hot red.

The Boardwalk

2010-09-03T14:45:00.000-07:00

Dollar night at the boardwalk!!! We were so excited to ride the rides for a dollar each. The girls faces lit up when we told them our evenings activity.

And they jumped up when we told them we were going with Ocean and Selah. Sydney and Stella love playing and hanging out with those girls. There was lots of cheering, chanting, wheeeee-ing and smiling from those four girls. It was really fun to watch.

Sydney's favorite rides were the swings and the Ferris wheel. She wasn't so sure she wanted to go on the swings. " Mom, I kinda want to go on the swings, but I am really scared that it will be too fast." We were so proud that she did it and LOVED it.

Sydney loved the Ferris Wheel, but Stella did not. She cried most of the time and cried for momma!

Stella loved the planes and the helicopter. I love the look on Stella's face in this picture. She was SO excited to be on the rides.

It was not only $1 rides it was $1 cotton candy!Unfortunately, I can not go on most of the rides there. Just looking at them make my stomach turn. So poor Nate had to go on them with the girls. By this time in the evening he had almost had it.

It was a great night with new memories made. We are so excited that we got to share it with a great family.

L O V E

2010-09-01T14:18:00.000-07:00

Absolutely in love with my family.

I feel so blessed to be a part of their lives.

Sydney Monday's

2010-08-30T20:47:00.000-07:00

Sydney was given our old digital camera to takes her own photos of life. I have loved scrolling through the photos at the end of the day when she is tucked away in her bed. The persepctive from her little view of life is heart warming. Even if it is of a pile of shoes or of a diaper on the floor. She felt it worthy of a photo. She is an artist in so many ways. I hope that this camera is a new way for her to express herself. So, I am going to try to dedicate Mondays to her photos. Life through her eyes.

The weekend in pictures....LOTS of pictures

2010-08-29T21:50:00.000-07:00

Always trying to get that shot of me and the girls. Never quite turns out the way I think it should. But I think I am learning to love this type of family photo.

Painting

2010-08-28T14:57:00.000-07:00

After a bottle of paint emptied out by stella, numerous paint containers tops pulled off and paint all over stella and I , it turned out to be a beautiful morning for painting and some great art to show for it.

Playing at the park

2010-08-19T14:19:00.000-07:00

A trip to Dennis the Menice Park in Monterey. The train was Sydney's favortie. While playing on the train with Nate, syd said , "Dad thanks for taking me here. This is the greatest thing ever!"

Happy Wednesday

2010-08-17T21:15:00.000-07:00

Oh no!

2010-08-16T08:35:00.000-07:00

beryy picking- Sauvie Island Oregon

2010-08-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

We loved to go berry picking on Sauvies Island when we lived in Portland so we went despite the rumors of not very many berries left to pick. And as you can tell by Sydney's empty baskets, there were not too many left. They were either not ripe yet or already picked. We did manage to eat lots of handfulls fight off the bush, but we didn't make is home with our crate full like we had hoped. But we all still had fun and had our purple finger tips to prove it.

Oaks Park- Portland Oregon

2010-08-14T17:21:00.000-07:00

Don't mess with me or my sister. I got you in my sight!

Sydney loving the 'belly dropper'.

It was really fun going to Oaks park with the girls. What a difference a year makes. Last year stella was big enough to do much of anything. This year she went on a lot by her self and Sydney. They loved it. They went on the rides over and over again. What a fun place to go. We miss Oaks Park and the unlimited rides for $6 compared to the Santa Cruz boardwalk where it cost $6 for both girls to ride 1 ride.

2010-07-13T22:05:00.000-07:00

Me- I just love your little legs! They are soo cute!
Stella- Jesus made them.
Me- He did?
Stella- Yeeea! Toes too!

2010-07-06T21:02:00.000-07:00

Sydney wrote this for Stella all by herself. No help sounding words out, no copying of words. Just Sydney writing to her sister.

new favorite place

2010-06-27T19:54:00.000-07:00

Just a short hike from our house is our new favorite spot. The river. Some call it a creek. It was such a fun little adventure. I think as is gets hotter this is going to be a good way to spend our mornings!

Art Projects

2010-06-22T15:55:00.000-07:00

I have decided that I am going to start doing some more directed art projects with Sydney each week during Stella's nap. I say directed because there is always art going on in our house. Sydney is always cutting, glueing, coloring, etc. And stella is always drawing on herself with markers. Here is one of Sydney's latest projects with staples, cutting and construction paper. It is her with pig tails, boogers in her nose and she can sing in her microphone.

That project was not directed. But I found this great web site that has some art projects for the different age groups. We have tried a couple and Sydney has really loved it. You should check it out. http://www.deepspacesparkle.blogspot.com/

Here is some of Sydney's projects:

2010-06-22T15:54:00.000-07:00

Sydney loves to create. She will create new ways to play games, new songs, books, art projects and recipes. She was in her create something to bake mode and wanted to cut a bunch of basil out of the garden and mix it with all sorts of weird stuff. I really didn't want to use our basil for something that was not going to be edible, so I told her that if she wanted to make something we needed to follow a recipe so we wouldn't waste any ingredients. So of course in Sydney fashion, she gets paper and a pen and says, "How do you spell recipe?". She made her own recipe which didn't even have basil in it.

talkin'

2010-06-20T16:14:00.000-07:00

As I had mentioned in an earlier post, Stella loves to talk. She has been stringing so many more words together. She copies almost anything Sydney gets her to say.
She has been using some phrases lately that have been really cute and ones I want to remember. Nate calls it her caveman talk.
If she wants to do something she says, "Me do dat"
If she wonders where you are she says, " Daddy goin?"
If she wonders what you are doing, she says, " What doin'?" or "what dyney doin'?"
She has commentary on everything and it makes every day so much more fun to hear it through her eyes.

milestones

2010-06-17T21:05:00.000-07:00

Sydney worked so hard and final learned to skip!

Busy Couple of Days

2010-06-14T20:45:00.000-07:00

Here are a couple of snap shots of the last two days. We have been busy, but so loving every minute of it. Not included in the pictures is VBS, Bounce Houses, playing in the creek, playing in the field, reading books, playing with play dough, going to the beach, napping and eating plouts. :)

2010-06-13T14:39:00.000-07:00

Went to Wilder Ranch today for a bike ride. Butterflies criss crossed the trail, salt water filled the air. The sun warmed our backs. My heart glowed with thankfulness. ' This is where we live!' I said to Sydney. 'I know mom, they dion't have this in Portland'.

Time as a family. Time in God's creation. Time to reflect on his goodness. Time to be thankful. Time for Fun. Not to shabby this place we call home.

San Francisco!

2010-06-05T14:02:00.001-07:00

We also went to San Francisco. We rode the trollys, Went to Alcatraz and ate alot of yummy sourdough bread!

2010-06-05T14:01:00.000-07:00

Birthday part 2

2010-06-05T13:59:00.000-07:00

So part 2 took a little long to post but here it is. We went to the Monterey Aquarium. The girls had a great time. There was so much to see. Sydney's favorite part was the flamingos, my favorite part was the seahorses, and Stellas favorite part was the jellys (Jelly fish).

Stellas Birthday Weekend Part 1

2010-05-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

Canopy Tour at mt Hermon with Nates 82 year old Gramma, Mom and Uncle.

classic 2 year old

2010-05-26T13:34:00.000-07:00

I love this video.

2010-05-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

Stella's birth was a fast one. I started having contractions around 9 pm. I wasn't even sure they were contractions. Nate and I watched a movie, I made some cookie dough ( of course) and then about half way through the movie I thought I should try to get some sleep because this was going to happen soon. I laid in bed for an hour or so timing my contractions. Around 11:30 We called Nate's mom to come to the house because we thought we should go in. The worst that could happen is they send us home. By the time Nate's mom got to our house, 20 min later, I could hardly move without a contraction. I remember pausing by the kitchen sink on the way out the door. Breathe Breathe.

I hope I make it to the hospital. I realized then, I WAS IN LABOR. It was the longest car ride I had ever been on. I had no way of getting comfortable. I could not move. Pain was taking over. I was breathing. one two three. deep breath.

We got to the hospital 12:30 am. Left the keys in the car, I barely was able to walk in. I had to pause 3 or 4 times. Got to the front desk and they treated me like I was there to pick a book up at the library.

We finally got to the room, they checked me. I was at 8 centimeters. The nurses couldn't believe it. I knew it. An 2:30 am Stella was staring up at us.

I will never forget the pushing and the indescribable moment when she was out and there she lay with my chin, pink beautiful skin and eyes gazing back and forth between Nate and I. What a moment.

We love our Stella so much. She has added so much laughter and joy to our lives. She is the funniest kid I know. She loves to laugh, be silly, snuggle, get dirty, eats any and everything. She truly is a shining star in our life. Happy Birthday sweet girl.

2 years ago today

2010-05-22T16:48:00.000-07:00

Whoa momma!! This was me exactly 2 years ago today. We went for a walk around a garden hoping to get some things going in the Labor department. Stella was due the next day, May 23rd. I was feeling and looking ready to pop! I was really big. It is so weird that we can walk around with a baby protruding out from us so far. Pretty amazing.
I remember this day. I was so excited to meet our little girl. To see what she would look like. To see what she would be like. The anticipation of God's creation. The hours and days leading up to birth are such precious times. That evening brought many contractions.......... until tomorrow.

2010-05-19T20:47:00.000-07:00

Everywhere I go with Stella at least one person will comment on "what a talker' she is. Today 4 people at the grocery store said something to me. She loves to talk. She talks all the time and narrates everything. 99 % odf the time I love her comments on life. 1 % of the time it gets really exhausting. She also has been playing mocking bird. She says phrases that we use. The latest is 'Oh my Goodness'. She is turnign two on Sunday. I can hardly believe it. Stella always leaves us smiling.

Lunch

2010-05-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

We have been spending a lot of time outside. Actually most of our days. My mom bought the girls this cute little table. They love it. What great buds those two girls are. They are loving playing together outside, exploring everything and getting dirtier than I have ever seen them. I am so tired of the dirt. Really done with it. We all have been as dirty as you get when you go camping and you rely on wet wipes to get clean, except we have sinks and showers! The area where the girls play the most is pretty much all dirt. So their feet are black, there face is smudged with dirt and their fingernails scream for scrubbing. Hopefully the dirt quota for the day will shrink. We are in the works to get some gravel down. I have been and still will be sticking to my motto that ' a dirty kid always tells you they have been having fun!' . So even though we will be seeing less dirt, I still expect to see a dirt ring in the bath tub at the end of the day.

SUN!

2010-05-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have a yard here that gets sun. Living in the Redwoods means lots of shade. The redwoods are so tall that they leave little room for anything underneath to grow. But we have sun in our front yard and our backyard.

I have been wanting a garden for a couple of years now. We were getting ready to do a front yard garden in Portland before we moved. I was so excited to see our new backyard and all the sun that it got. Here is the start to the raised beds. I love having a husband who can build just about anything.

Nate is putting gopher wire down. We really are not sure what we will attract with our garden. Hopefully it will just bring over friends for dinner.

mothers day

2010-05-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

My mom and ken came for a visit for mothers day and to check out the great place we get to live. We had a great time exploring and being together. I had envisioned a great photo with my mom and the girls. It is a very true to life photo!

Trying to get a shot of everyone was pretty funny, But I think it shows all our personalities best!

I am the luckiest mom around!