40th

Last night we celebrated my parents' 40th anniversary. They aren't the big party type, but I wanted to plan something special for them. I decorated our table, bought some roses, and had a few other things up my sleeve. We first ate a super tasty and easy dinner I made from a recipe my sister gave me a long time ago.

After dinner I gave them each a quiz to take. The questions were mainly about favorite memories they had of their marriage as well as things they loved about one another. It was so sweet to hear. I then showed them a video of my nieces (who live in Germany) singing Happy Anniversary. Afterward I gave them the gift from my sister and I. It was a picture of their wedding day, with a message from each of us on it. We then ate cake and ice cream. I had borrowed a fun cake pan from a friend and it turned out really well.

Happy 40th, Mom and Dad!!! Thanks for giving Susan and I such a perfect example of what a loving-always talking kindly about one another-never arguing in front of us-enjoying to be with one another-loving Christ-marriage looks like. :)

V is for Vegas

The last time my in laws were in town, they told us to find a date this summer when we could go to Vegas and they would watch the kids. I can't tell you how excited we are, and it's still several months away. One day when we were feeling especially "kid drained," Chris came up with a good idea to put us in a better mood.

So...every time we are feeling frustrated or overwhelmed, we'll look at each other and flash our "V" sign. This not only makes us laugh, but it reminds us that a nice and relaxing trip to Vegas is in the near future. :)

quirks and habits

*When I dip into our jar of peanuts, I hate getting halves. I always pick out the whole peanuts.

*A big pet peeve of mine has to do with windshield wipers. I HATE when people have their wipers going full blast and it is only sprinkling. I'm constantly adjusting my speed when it rains and have been known to reach over and adjust them when Chris is driving.

*I put Kendall's paci in my mouth before I give it to her if it has dropped on the ground. I've read that this is bad due to the bacteria in my own mouth. But I would rather her have my bacteria than nasty hair/dirt from the ground!

*I recheck our oven about 3 times before I head to bed (if I have used it that day). I usually end up getting out of bed, "just to make sure" before I drift off to sleep. Not that an oven left on would start a fire...but you never know. :)

*I love the crumbs at the bottom of chip/cracker bags, especially Cheeze its. That is where the real saltiness is!

*An overcooked cookie is really not worth eating.

the beach

We just got back from a very exhausting, but totally worth it weekend at our aunt's condo in Port Hueneme. It was great to be in a different place, with different parks, within walking distance of the ocean...you get the picture. It was so nice of Noonie to let us use her place and we are grateful for the fun getaway.

We went to Santa Barbara on Sunday. There were some people raising money for a wildlife organization. They were letting people hold snakes in return for a small donation. Cam jumped right in and held one. He enjoyed it, but I think the snake was a little too boring for him. :)



We ate at our favorite restaurant, Palazzio's. What a sight we must have been. Kendall is in her yelling phase and exercised this throughout the meal. Then Cam was loudly asking everyone that passed by, "EXCUSE ME. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?". Luckily it wasn't too crowded so we weren't annoying that many people. :)


An after-meal dessert of frozen yogurt, minus the actual yogurt. Cam isn't a fan of frozen yogurt or ice cream, but boy he loves the toppings!


This is right below Noonie's condo. Cam loved walking on the logs.


Overall the car rides were awesome, as far as the kids were concerned. However, I was VERY ready to be out of my designated spot between the car seats in the back. Here we are about 30 minutes from home and VERY ready to be there. :)

snow day

While this probably isn't that big of a deal for many people, a day where they cancelled school because of the amount of snow was huge for us! We woke up to such a beautiful sight and it wasn't long before all the neighborhood kids were out playing in the snow.





Here was Cam's indoor, snow activity...take a look.

some bullets

*Helped out in Cam's class today. Each time he would pass me, he would say "Hola, mom!". He now says, "Hola!" to basically anyone he sees (it's from Handy Manny).

*Modern Family has got to be the funniest show on TV.

*I would highly recommend this toy. Cam got it for Christmas. It's great for the car. The little Caterpillar reads the book when you point it to the pages. You can also point to objects in the book and play games.



*Had a salad for dinner with some leftover feta cheese from my meatballs last night. So tasty! Feta has so much flavor!

*We are headed out to the Camarillo area this weekend to our aunt's condo. Will head to Santa Barbara on Sunday. We are excited to have something to do for the weekend as they can get kind of long. The week is filled with parks and trips to the store, so we often find ourselves wanting something different for the weekend.

*I'm watching The Bachelor for the first time this season. While I think many of the girls are a little pathetic, the premise a little cheesy, and the whole concept unrealistic (finding a wife that fast?), I'm officially addicted. I called my friend, Jen, today to discuss this week's episode. It reminded me of our high school days. We LOVED Lois and Clark and would always call each other right after the show to discuss.

*I think I could kiss Kendall's fat cheeks for an hour straight and not get tired of it.

*I blogged a while back about the jeans I tried on at Buckle and how much I loved them. I tried them on again this past weekend to get the size/style. I made an attempt at Ebay, but I still just can't bite the bullet and spend $80 on jeans. Maybe someday.

day

7:00 Both kids wake (woohoo for sleeping in!)
7-7:45 Breakfast and get ready for school
7:45 Chris and Cam leave for school. Chris then heads to get some breakfast and get an old phone we have reactivated because I dropped mine in the bath last night. :(
7:45-9:30 Entertain/keep Kendall awake. This includes changing rooms for a change of scenery and toys and sitting in the back of our SUV with the hatch up (she likes to sit and play with toys while staring outside)
9:30-10:45 Kendall naps (hooray for long nap!). While she naps, I have my quiet time (I'm trying to do this first thing during her first nap...trying), clean, and watch a little of some Tivo'd Gilmore Girls
10:45 I leave to pick up Cam
11:00 Off to Costco (in two cars) for lunch and a few purchases. These weekly trips are even more fun now that they have a playhouse on display. Cam LOVES this. :) Chris also observes a girl shoplift an $80 bottle of Tequila (he reported it, but they didn't catch her). Favorite sample: Kettle Corn
1:00 Chris takes Kendall home while I take Cam to the mall to play in the indoor play area. Also treat him to a few things from Sweet Factory.
2:30 We arrive home and play until Kendall wakes
3:15-4:00 Cam has "special room time" while Kendall and I play with toys
4:00 Cam watches a movie while I take Kendall to the grocery store to get some ingredients for...

Tapas Meatballs with Orange Marmalade



Pretty good, but a lot of work. I gave it an 8.5. Chris, an 8.

5:00 Kendall and Cameron take a bath together
5:30 Kendall goes down for bed, Cameron eats dinner
6:00 Playtime with Cam: Puzzle, read, play on computer
6:45 Chris puts him down while I finish up dinner
Ahhhh...dinner and catch up on some Tivo (Friday Night Lights, to be specific)