things

Three things you are wearing right now:
1. Puffy vest I wear way too much 2. Skinny jeans I got at a clothing swap that are SO comfy (who finds hand me down jeans that fit great?! Woohoo!) 3. Ponytail...when am I NOT wearing a ponytail? :)

Three things you want very badly at the moment:
1. To find a library book that has disappeared. Frustrating. Frustrating. 2. Caramel frapp vintage my college days: Venti with whipped cream and caramel on bottom AND top plus more caramel around the cup.

Two things you did last night:
1. Went on another stroller Christmas lights walk. I'm kind of disappointed in our area this year. There are not many houses that went all out. 2. Received two plates of Christmas cookies from our neighbors. I love seeing what other people make. I tend to always go the chocolate route, so I was surprised to like a lime cookie included on one plate.

Two things you ate yesterday:
1. Vegetables topped with feta which Chris claimed "smelled worse than your normal veggie concoctions". 2. Skinny Cow microwaved with some graham crackers, topped with Cool Whip.

Two things you did yesterday:
1. Went to church 2. Went on a hike with my dad.

Two people you last talked to on the phone:
Mom, Chris

Two things you are going to do tomorrow: 
1. Go to Home Depot to hopefully get supplies for a craft I'd like to make. 2. Roast Smores over the firepit after our Christmas Eve dinner with my parents.

Your favorite beverage: 
Always Frappuchinos. Always.

Two things that have made you smile in the last 12 hours:
1. Watching Kendall's dance show she put on for me 2. Watching the kids' Advent activity for the day. Chris' aunt sent them a subscription to the most beautiful daily Advent activity on the computer. I actually love watching it with them. 

Two things you will do today:
1. Go to the library if I can find that stinkin book. I'm mainly upset because I don't want to have to pay for it yet we need a good load of books for our road trip up north later this week. :( 2. Watch a Breaking Bad tonight. We are making progress toward the end!

oreo cheesecake cake

*Today was the first day in a week that I felt like working out. So when I glanced at the clock at 5:00 am, I bolted out of bed excited to get back to it...OR...I rolled over and went back to sleep. :) I've actually decided to give myself an early Christmas present and continue my exercise hiatus until after Christmas. Will I pay for it after taking 2 and 1/2 weeks off? I'm sure I will. But oh how nice it will be until then. :)

*This morning's Advent bag included a note telling them that tonight would be, "hot chocolate in the stroller while walking to see Christmas lights". They loved it and I feel badly that this is the first time we've done it this season. It will need to be repeated. :)

*We are celebrating Christmas with my parents on the actual day this year. Among other dishes, my contribution (and most important of the meal) will be this Chocolate Truffle Pie. I made it a long time ago and my dad could not stop talking about it. It's really rich and good.

After Christmas we'll head up to Chris' parents where my contribution will be a dessert I have never tried but looks amazing.

Oreo Cheesecake Cake

*The other night I let Kendall drink way too much so close to bed. Upon entering her room in the morning and discovering she big time leaked through her diaper, she insisted that she had just "sweat a lot". I wasn't in the mood to argue so "sweating a lot" it was :). Sidenote: Even when she doesn't drink a lot right before bed, she still wakes up with a full diaper. Underwear at night still seems to be in the distant future. :(

p.s. Two of my friends were grossed out by my black bean cake I posted about. However after having them try a bite, they both agreed you could not taste the beans in the slightest. :)

black bean cake

*When it comes to paper products (paper towels, napkins, TP), we are middle of the road people. We don't by the most expensive, but not the cheapest either. I am regretting this stance as my nose goes raw from how many times I've been blowing it. I think we need to go primo in the Kleenex dept. next time. :)

*This past weekend we were suppose to have my in-laws stay with us for the night (which got cancelled due to being sick). They are eating grain free so I had experimented in making this Healthier Chocolate Cake. You'll never guess what replaces the flour. You know what? It was really good! It's not NEAR as fluffy as the picture (mine was dense and more flat), but I was quite impressed with the taste. I froze pieces of it and the kids enjoyed a piece the other night...and never knew the difference!

*Kendall is REALLY into "reading" us books. It is the most adorable thing I've ever heard. It's cute when she just makes up the story. However my personal favorite is when she reads a book we read all the time. I get to see how much she picks up on as she tries to retell it correctly. :) Yesterday I was baking cookies and she decided to keep me company with a good book. :)

*Over the years Chris and I have tried different TV shows. We like to watch ones together so I feel badly that I've nixed a lot that he would have liked to continue watching. I've realized I like ones with on-running plots. I don't like self-contained plots within each episode (like all those law/crime shows).

*Right now Kendall is up in her room crying while I wait downstairs for her with breakfast. She refused to wear anything I picked out, yet wanted me to keep helping her. So I left and we shall see A) when she decides to come down and B) what she'll be wearing. Ahhh...what a great start to the morning. :)

kid-free weekend

Yes, we basically had a kid-free weekend...but not so we could go on a mini-vacation. For the first time since we've had kids (or ever maybe) Chris and I got sick at the same time. My sweet parents came and got the kids Saturday morning and kept them until Sunday. We slept, rested, slept, etc. Nothing too exciting.

Yesterday afternoon we rallied and attended Kendall's first ballet recital. She did great, however I think she was probably equally excited about wearing her fancy dress and getting to wear makeup. :)

This afternoon the kids and I are headed to Costco:

*Almond Milk

*Frozen veggies

*Bananas

*String Cheese

*Chubs (ground beef)

*Skinny Cow

So I'm going to end this post with the cutest little note Cam made for us before my parents came to get them Saturday morning:

"Are you 100% sure that you are sick? Will, I'm sorry to hear that you are sick, I hope that you get better soon, I also wish there was 0% of germs. I Love you! To my sweet mom and dad PS, wash your hands every day so you can have 0% of germs for ever! 

Love your son, Cameron"

horses

*Last night was my second Jazzercise (of 10) and it left me feeling like my legs were made of Jello. For some reason it was much harder than my first time (maybe because I was more familiar with the moves?) While I was gone, Chris fed the kids dinner and let them sit by the tree.

I've wanted a food dehydrator for a long time and finally got one! A friend was moving and wanted to get rid of it. So far I've only made apples but they are delicious! I want to experiment with other fruits and veggies soon. The main issue is finding discounted fruit. I don't want to use expensive fruit to dry, so I have to wait until I spot bags of almost gone apples at our fruit stand, which isn't all that often. :(

Yesterday we went to a stable belonging to a friend of my mom's. The kids got to take a few rides around on her horse and they really enjoyed it. :)

The kids have been fighting coughs for a while and Chris got sick a couple days ago. Overnight it decided to hit me as well as I woke this morning with my bones just aching. I love kids' questions like, "Why are you sick?" :)

randoms

After church on Sunday my parents took us to Wendy's for lunch, where I was again reminded what a brilliant idea kids meal toys are :)

After lunch, we split up and I did some much needed Christmas shopping while Chris took the kids to Victoria Gardens. It was so nice to not have kids with me as I had several stops to make. I also knocked out a grocery store run with the elderly man I help out, so I felt quite accomplished by the time I got home.

Chris always does a great job in keeping me posted (via texts) on everything they do when I'm not with them. I just love this pic of the three of them. :)

Chris recently converted some points he had with one of his printers into Starbucks cash. I now have $75 loaded onto my card (which has had a zero balance for a long time!) and I couldn't be more excited! This morning when Kendall and I ran some errands, I treated us to a drink on our way. It was such a fun treat for both of us and I'm amazed at what a great mood Starbucks puts me in!

Sidenote: I'm normally hesitant to order a hot drink from Starbucks because despite my, "Can you make it super, super scalding?", they rarely make it hot enough. However this morning it was perfect! Drink choice? Tall Skinny Soy Upside Down Caramel Macchiato...extra hot :)

outings

Last night we met Jen's family for dinner and then attended the annual Christmas Tree lighting at Biola (all four of us graduated from there).  We had a lot of fun with them and the kids enjoyed seeing each other again.

The whole ceremony was about an hour and by far the highlight was the last 10 minutes, which included not only the lighting of the tree but "snow" pumped out onto the crowd. The kids (especially Kendall) loved it! Cam did great, despite the late night. He REALLY does not like to be out late and let kept us aware of this fact several times on the way home (he can get a tad obsessive about it). :) But it's good for him to be kept out every once and a while and even he'll admit the late night was worth the fun. :)

See us squinting in the sunlight? Yep, this is why we take our trips out to the desert, especially on days like today!! :)

The mall was extra crowded with Christmas shoppers, which made it more fun to walk around. We had some store credit at Children's Place and scored 3 pairs of jeans for Cam, which he was in desperate need of. I cannot believe how quickly he gets holes in those knees. :(

Both kids will head to bed early tonight seeing as neither slept in after last night (surprise, surprise).  Chris and I will separate after that since he has a "really good" football game he wants to watch. I have loads of Christmas movies which he wouldn't watch if his life depended on it. :)

stuff

*I've seen lots of recipes lately with "crispy sage". I'm wanting to try it but am a little intimidated.

*The other day Chris and a friend went to Slaters 50/50 in Rancho Cucamonga. For those of you who have never heard of it, they specialize in burgers which are 50% beef and 50% ground bacon. The funny thing is that the burger was not the highlight of their meal. Both guys raved about their cheesy artichoke dip with fried pita chips. Wow. Chris is determined to take me there soon to try it. The nice part is that since the burgers are so huge (meaning we can split), we will both be able to get out of there for roughly $20!

*Seconds before this pic was taken, Kendall had her head on Cam's shoulder while watching a movie. Ahhh...

*We've been doing advent this year. Each day the kids open their bag for the day. I've done "donuts for breakfast", "let's make a Christmas paper countdown chain", and a couple 99 cent store finds. They are so excited each and every morning to see what is in store for them. :)

*I did my first Jazzercise last night. It was really fun. I only did the 10 session Groupon, which I think will be a good amount. With my Jillian DVD's I'm done in 25 minutes vs. 50 minutes for Jazzercise.That's just too appealing to give up...as well as the fact that working out at home is free. :) However I'm still glad I'm doing something different for a change. :)

cauliflower pizza? why thank you!

I can't believe I did it AND it was SUCCESSFUL!!!! I have been wanting to make pizza using a cauliflower crust for a while and I finally attempted it tonight. I could not believe the reaction. Cam couldn't stop talking about how yummy it was and Chris loved it. Yes, Chris loved a cauliflower pizza crust. Say what??!!! This was sooo incredibly yummy.  Before I link the recipe, note that I cut the cheese down by 3/4 and it was still amazingly tasty (I also doubled this recipe).

I will say that it's rather labor intensive, but so worth it when you think about how much healthier it is. I will make this again FOR SURE!! Here you go...

Note: The pic above is from the blog I pinned it from. I topped mine with cheese and the kids and Chris with ham and pineapple.

thanksgiving

We celebrated the Sunday before Thanksgiving with my parents. My mom had a fun craft for the kids to do after lunch:

Wednesday we drove up north to be with Chris' family. The cousins pretty much were glued to each other the entire time. So fun to see.

Kendall was also glued to the tree swing. She went from person to person until she would find someone to push her :)

I love this picture of the kids out in the dirt. This is pretty much what they did...occupy themselves with anything and everything.

Setting up the Nutcrackers while decorating for Christmas.

Bonfire with hot dogs and smores.

Because there were so many of us, Chris' parents put us parents in a hotel so we got to sleep in each morning. :) One morning while we were still gone the kids played a little dress up.

The last morning we took our ending trip to IHOP.

 Another highlight was taking the kids to see Frozen. It was really, really cute. And lastly, we can't forget the mounds of yummy food that was consumed. As usual, my favorite were the homemade rolls...and this cake I made. :)

thanksgiving break and 4:50

Cam is on break this week. I had made a BIG deal about Monday being our decorating day. We'll be out of town for Thanksgiving so I thought it would be fun to come home to Christmas. The kids were beyond excited and it served to be such a fun morning.

Even with taking a scooter run break to the donut store, we were still done by 10:00, so we needed something else to do. :) I decided the weather was just too beautiful to not go on a hike. Oak Glen was perfect and was made more fun by all the other hikers who were on the trail. :)

Cameron has a tendency to wake up REALLY early when he is excited about something. Last night we told him not to look at the clock (he wouldn't let us take it out of his room) and that we would come in and get him. So wasn't it so great of him to come in and stand right by my face at 4:50 a.m. just to tell me that yes, he was in fact awake, but that he was trying to go back to sleep? :)

We'l be back on Sunday so I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!! :)

saturday

This morning Chris took Cameron to a lofthouse build (small homes our church pre-ensembles then takes down to Mexico to put together). He really enjoyed the hammering and drilling he was able to help with. :) Eventually we'll take him down to Mexico to see the follow through of the build and to see the families that are helped.

While they were gone, Kendall and I attended a family day at the library. Crafts, stories, and games made for a happy girl.

After receiving a Red Robin gift card a couple months ago, we've been meaning to go and finally made it tonight. Cam took this picture, which I thought turned out pretty well! :)

success!

Lately my new recipe experiments haven't yielded many positive reviews. Tonight I changed that with Roasted Red Pepper Pasta from Pioneer Woman. It was easy, though I think it took a little longer than her "16 minute recipes" show I saw it on. :)

Chris: 9, "This would be great for company!"
Kelly: 8
Cam: 9, "This is my second favorite pasta dish!" (first would be mac n' cheese)
Kendall: Who knows? She finished her allotted amount simply to get to dessert :)

dry pot pie and heavy duty push up

*Made my first individual pot pies the other night. I'm not overly excited to try again. The inside was dry and the corn bread topping was dry. Overall we would give it a 4 :(

It looked like it would be good, right?

*I ADORE Cam's teacher. She just always looks out for him in such a neat way. Yesterday he had a hard time during lunch. The kids were inside due to weather and it was very loud. It upset him, making him very anxious and emotional. She was so great with him in helping him create an "escape plan" for times like that. I've never heard him talk so fondly of a teacher. :)

*Chris has two bootcamp buddies, Christina and Matt. Christina invited me to do a Groupon Jazzercise for 10 sessions. I enjoy being done with my solo workouts by the time the kids wake up, but I've also wanted to be around people too. Anyway, we'll do once a week for 10 weeks starting after Thanksgiving. I think it will be fun even though it's short term.

*As we progress with Breaking Bad, it is becoming one of my all time favorite series. It will join Felicity, Friday Night Lights, and West Wing.

*Chris always tells me about the crazy exercises he does at bootcamp. The other night he decided to let the kids in on the action of a basic push up. :) Check it out...

*We will head up north for Thanksgiving so are celebrating early this weekend with my family. We aren't sticklers for HAVING to have the traditional meal. So on the menu is a tostada/burrito bar and apple pie/ice cream for dessert. And no, apple pie will not go on Kelly's plate...just ice cream. :)

pictures of stuff

*The past couple years of trick or treating we've done "candy breaks". We stop a couple times during our walk and each get to pick a piece of candy for a snack. It's a highlight for all four of us. :)

*When Chris took the kids to his parents a couple weeks back (while I was in Chicago), Kendall requested In & Out on the way up. Here's my thing with In & Out: It's a burger. It's good...but's it's a burger. What on earth is the obsession??? :)

*One of the highlights of our visits to my in-laws are the bonfires we have in the evenings. The kids LOVE them and always ask to have them. 

*A couple nights ago Chris took the kids to the Veggie Tales movie night at our church. They loved this and it's become a fun daddy/kid date night.

*I really want bangs like this. The problem is that once they start to grow too long, I don't know how to trim them and I don't want to pay to go to the salon simply for a bang trim.

dribble it, pass it, we want a basket

*Somehow in the middle of last night Cam banged his toe on something as he was getting up to go to the restroom. It was still quite painful this morning. After a call to the nurse hotline, it was recommended that he elevate it, wrap it, and stay off it to monitor if it had broken. Now the day is over, we think he is fine. :) I couldn't help snapping this sweet pic of him reading to Kendall this morning during his propped up position.

*He was actually kind of excited that today was the day it was my turn to host our preschool playgroup. Since we started it several months ago, he has always asked if he could attend :)

*Chris has never thought cheerleading was a sport. In fact, he doesn't think too highly of them in general. Well get on board, dad, because this wife would be super excited if Kendall followed in her mom's footsteps!! :)

*I go to the restroom on average 3-4 times a night. It's totally mental as every time I wake I go because I won't go back to sleep otherwise (even if I don't feel like I have to). It's kind of annoying.

*I love cool whip. I don't want to know how it's made.

yum, yum, then some more yum

Okay, I'll get to that picture in a second. Today we had hoped to go hiking with some friends, however I didn't feel right about putting Kendall around other children quite yet (still got the gunk). But that didn't stop us from taking a BEAUTIFUL hike at Wildwood State Park. There were lots of other hikers, bikers, and horse back riders which made it even more enjoyable. :)

There is an old abandoned house at our halfway point where we always stop for a snack break.

Afterward we ate our picnic lunch before leaving.

Okay, so now to the title of my post and the picture. A FB friend of Chris' had posted about these new Cinnabon Delights at Taco Bell. I thought it would be fun to give them a shot. HOLY COW. These little things are beyond delightful, they are scrumptiously wonderful!!! Imagine a slightly crunchy donut hole stuffed with cream cheese frosting. Wow. In case you aren't convinced, here is a 50 second food review from a couple of great kiddo critics. :)