Snowman & Mittens

Well, having a snowman & mittens party in southern California when it's warm outside is actually fun for 4-5 year olds. There was lots of food, snowmen made from socks, mittens, caps and tons of laughs and excitement for our preschoolers.

Luca and his buddy Andrew. These two boys have a lot of fun and great conversation together. It's actually quite entertaining to listen to 2 little five year old boys engage in conversations. Oh how life used to be so simple. . .what happened?

After the festivities, it was time to wind down to some music. Mrs. Morales has the children lay down for 2 minutes of quiet time and music when it's been a rowdy and rambunctious day. (Isn't that every day?)

Catchin' ZZZZs With Jiggles

Okay, since Christmas it has been on rare occasion that Acacia sleeps through the night. In fact, it's not that she just wakes up once or twice, it's more like she wakes up more than she sleeps. The only thing that we could think of to help all of us get some sleep is to make a bed on the floor for her and for one of us. This way when she wakes up screaming every 15 minutes we can just pat her back until she falls back asleep. Talk about exhausting. Tony has been a huge help by staying with her on some nights. Between teething with 3 of her molars and having several rounds of some nasty cold it's been a six weeks from. . .well, let's just say somewhere down south! Actually, we've been really blessed to endure, but seeing as we wil be having a newborn in the house in a short 6 months, Acacia better get back to sleeping through the night PRONTO!!

One morning she actually ended up on our bed snuggling very closely with Jiggles. She loves this little bear. I just think it's precious how tightly she's holding him. Luca never really slept with or was attached to anything, so this is new to me.

FROGGY FINDS A HOME

We've had a fun little visitor every year, and Luca surely looks forward to his visit. We can hear him all through the day. Don't ask me how he gets in there, but it definitely excites the kids when they hear him and see him. Our visitor is . . . MR. Froggy.

On our way out to church one Sunday we could hear the frog, so Luca and Acacia got excited to see him. (Doesn't Luca look so excited?)

He lives in some green thing in our front garden. Tony says it's called a "hand hole". I'll have to take his word for it because I've never heard of such a thing.

She's just too darn cute to not take a picture.

DADDY'S GIGGLER

It's not often talked about, but I have to admit that my children are the most blessed little ones on the planet, because they have the Daddy every child only wishes they had. Tony is amazing with our children and they love him with all their heart. When Luca was little, I didn't think it was fair that he loved his Daddy more than he loved me, but as time has gone on, it has become very simple--his Daddy is the best Daddy on the planet. Of course he's going to be Daddy's boy. I've tried really hard to have Acacia be Mommy's girl, but sometimes I lose that battle too. Everyone always told me that Luca was "going through a phase" of being Daddy's boy. Well, if you call 4 and a half years a phase, I suppose they were all correct. But, I doubt it.

One thing is for sure. . .Luca and Acacia think the world of their daddy. He has been involved in every aspect of their life. I would call our children lucky, but the fact is they aren't lucky--they are extremely blessed!

PARK JUNKIES

Watching these two little tots is so much fun. I truly enjoy the way they love each other. They are little buddies and think the world of each other. I am so blessed to have children who are share such fun and enjoyment together.

Every time Acacia went down the slide she would find Luca's belly button and stick her finger in it. Luca's such a great big brother. Instead of getting annoyed or mad, he laughs and thinks it's funny.

TREE MONKEYS

Luca and Acacia love trees. We spent the afternoon in the park one day and they both spent a really long time climbing (Luca) and trying (Acacia) to climb the various trees. Luca goes super high in the tree, so he's been told by Daddy that he's not aloud to climb the trees unless an adult is watching him. He is our monkey boy! Of course, Acacia wants to do what her brother is doing, so she eagerly watches him awaiting her turn to get into the tree.

SILLY FACES

We took the munchkins to Quizno's the other week and these silly faces came with the kid's sandwich.

SO MUCH FUN!!

I WANT TO BE A FIREMAN WHEN I GROW UP!

We went on a field trip to the fire department. It's a really special firehouse because it is the original one in Redlands, only it's been remodeled and is pretty amazing inside. This is one of the best field trips we take.

Here's the entire class posing with their fire hats.
This was a really good demonstration by Mrs. Morales. She held a blanket over the kids' heads to imitate smoke and how you are supposed to stay close to the ground below the smoke so you don't inhale it. The kids thought this was pretty fun. Hopefully they really understood the importance of what she was teaching them.

This is the original pole in the firehouse. Luca was having fun climbing up it, so we thought we'd take a quick picture with it. I think this was the best part for some of the boys.

A special guest came out to show the children all the gear that firemen have to wear when they go to fight a fire. Talk about bulky clothing. What these firemen have to wear is no joke. It was pretty entertaining and the children were mesmerized.

Luca and Acacia were enjoying sitting on the back of the fire truck eating a little snack.

Thanks to all the firemen for their service!

STARTIN' YOUNG

Acacia went to preschool one morning with Luca and she was entertained the entire time. She such a great time roaming the room, trying out all the toys, and she even participated in the art time. It's such a precious time in my life to watch this little angel explore life and learn about new things. It really makes me smile & giggle inside.

The preschool has a lot of dress up clothes. Since one of Acacia's favorite things are hats, it's no surprise she found the fireman's hat.

This is a picture of Acacia enjoying "rug time" with Luca's class. She sat right down with the class and listened to Mrs. Morales' stories.

It's art time! Talk about being nothing like Luca. Luca never enjoyed crayons or drawing, but this little one loves to draw and color. She sat down at the table with the older children and fit right in.

PANCAKE BREAKFAST

It's a tradition at Luca's preschool to have a pajama pancake breakfast every winter. This year some of the mom's did a little something extra special for the children. Thanks to Nola's great recipe we made true homemade buttermilk pancakes, complete with strawberries, blueberries and whipped cream. Of course there was OJ, bacon and other yummies. These kids got spoiled for sure and had a ton of fun. I love being able to participate in these kinds of events with my kids. It's pure joy to see such bliss on the little ones faces.

This is Luca's little buddy, Xander. They met last year in school and have been great buddies ever since.

I have been blessed today

Today I had a fabulous experience. One I was not expecting and one that I was completely overjoyed with. I had the privilege of hearing the tiny, strong, rapid heartbeat of the baby growing inside me. Now, I've had this experience before--hearing my baby's heartbeat for the first time--but this experience was different. It was a powerful, reassuring experience that life is a miracle and I am ever so blessed to be privileged to carry such a special spirit into this world. I have known I'm pregnant for quite some time now, but it never seemed real until today. I am not a super emotional person, but my eyes welled up with tears as I listened to the miracle that was created out of a special unique kind of love. What a simple thing, a heartbeat, yet it's the most complicated and complex system that allows such a comforting and miraculous sound. I was unsure, until today, when and how to tell the world surrounding me that I had been blessed with such a precious gift. I am not one who craves or cares for special attention, but every baby, every birth, every pregnancy is indeed a miracle and should be cherished for what it is--life. joy.love. Excitement and joy filled my soul as I thought of becoming a mother, yet again, to this unique and choice spirit child of our Heavenly Father. What an endearing, amazing thing it is to be a mother--the hardest, longest, frustrating, exhausting, beautiful, rewarding, and significant calling/job there is. I have been blessed today.

K-Town Arizona

We made a trip to Kingman so that we could visit the family up there. Surprisingly enough, everyone lives up there except Kirk, so we were able to see most of the family for a few days. It was a nice and enjoyable trip. It's always nice to go home and have your mommy take care of you right?? It as a fairly relaxing trip, minus the part when I got locked out of the house for an hour when it was only 35 degrees outside. BRRRR. I'm a wimp when it comes to the cold.



Kirk got my mom and Dad this elephant for Christmas a few years back and the grand kids love it. Acacia thought it was a fabulous toy and she loved to ride on it.

Poor Poor Inky. Acacia mauled Inky like I've never seen before. You'd think with having 3 cats at home she wouldn't be so thrilled to see another cat, but she couldn't leave Inky alone. If Inky was in sight, Acacia would stop doing anything and go chase her and lay on her. I kept having to remind her to "be soft", but it didn't matter too much what mom said, because Inky was Acacia's to have. Inky is 19 years old now, so she doesn't move very fast. I was amazed at how gentle she was when Acacia was pestering her. Inky was my first little girl, so I'm glad my oldest little girl and my newest little girl got to bond.

Acacia gets really excited to put sweaters on because it means going outside. I thought she looked super adorable when she put Luca's HG sweatshirt on. Acacia thought she was something else too because she walked around the room modeling it for everyone.

Grandpa Henry had a fun box to climb in and play with. This occupied Acacia for quite some time. I tell ya, it's the simple things in life that are the best.

A New Experience

Christmas has a totally different feeling when you're a little kid than when you're an adult. I remember the sleepless Christmas Eve nights when the anticipation of the next day was just too much to bear. Boyhow that changes when you're all grown up. But ever since Luca has been old enough get excited about Christmas, it has really brought that excitement back into the holiday. I know that Christmas has a very deep meaning for

most of us, but the excitement on my childrens' faces as they walk intothe living room is priceless. Having these two beautiful blessings in my life has helped me appreciate the simple things in life much more than I ever thought possible. The simpleness of their lives and the innocence of their actions and thoughts make life so much more enjoyable. I am grateful to be a mother and I am even more grateful to watch my children experience the fun and exciting moments of being a child. Christmas is one of those seasons that has truly become more enjoyable since I've had children. I am grateful for our Savior, for his loving example and for the innocence of our little ones as they learn the most important and simple concepts of being children.

This little girl was the happiest about her new bicycle. She couldn't get on it fast enough and we haven't been able to get her off it much since.

Happy Moments

I love it when Luca and Acacia find precious moments to bond. Luca loves to play with his dump trucks and Acacia discovered the joy in the simple things in life. It was darling to watch Acacia climb into the dump truck and Luca push her around for a fun ride. I thought having one child was amazing, but having two has been such a more rewarding experience because of the way they interact with each other. Their bonding is simple, joyful, innocent and so very precious. It's a gift as a mother that I never realized I'd have.

At least I tried

I really wanted to get some cute pictures of the kids dressed up on Christmas Sunday, but try as I did, I was unsuccessful. Neither child wanted to cooperate, but these were the ones that turned out the best. I bought this dress for Acacia a year ago and was eager to dress her in it. I am so grateful for such a beautiful time of year.

Blissful Noise

Luca had a preschool performance that he was very excited about. He is quite the performer and loves to sing loud so that everyone can hear his voice. It really makes my heart happy and puts a huge smile on my face to watch Luca grow into such an amazing little boy. He is so talented and loves people. He's the friendliest little child I know.

Santa Claus made a special visit to the preschool.


Here's Luca singing his heart out. He knew all the words and was very eager to get up and belt out the songs his class was singing.

Just a typical goofball picture of Luca being silly.

Mama's Little Helper

Tony just couldn't resist taking a picture when he saw his little angel go sit at the table to help Mommy sew some burp cloths for a baby shower. Acacia loves sitting at this table, and she really enjoys trying to help Mommy with any project. Unfortunately, Mommy isn't sure that Acacia is actually helping. Nonetheless, I love her company and I hope I can teach her a few things here and there.