*While it was rainy here yesterday, it was beautiful at Disneyland. We had a fun time with my parents and despite the crowds, were able to go on several rides and see a parade.

I love this pic of my mom and Kendall. Kendall looks so determined in her steps. :)

*I've been doing a little research on the cake I want to make for Kendall's birthday next week. She loves Disney princesses, but specifically Aurora. I could be biting off way more than I can chew, but I'm going to attempt this:

*Tomorrow night Chris and I are going out for a belated birthday dinner. We are sticking with our two gift card options, Red Robin or Claim Jumper. Despite both being very casual, Claim Jumper seems a little nicer to us, so I think we'll go with that. :) Beforehand we'll stop by the cake decorating shop to look for the doll head for my Aurora cake. Chris is very excited that part of his night away from kids will include browsing the aisles of a cake shop. :)

 *I made a double batch of these today. We are addicted!!

 *Some friends and I were talking the other day and I asked them if they would rather have:
A. A free massage every week
B. A free pedicure every week
C. Unlimited Starbucks every week

They all wanted a massage and I was the only one that said Starbucks. :)

 *Right now Kendall is napping and I'm vegging watching some 90210 reruns. My friend Jen and I always wanted to drive around and find Kelly and Donna's beach condo. Ahhh...a dream that never became a reality. :)

quick to forgive

Tonight when I was taking Kendall to bed she wanted a certain baby to accompany her.  As we were heading upstairs she changed her mind and wanted the baby to remain downstairs.  I didn't feel like going back down so I told her to just leave it on the floor.  For some reason she got upset and demanded it go back downstairs, to which I turned around and chucked it down.  Really, Kelly?  Did you actually think that would go over well??  :)

That started a spiral downward as she then screamed wanting the baby back (probably felt badly that I had been so violent with it!).  I got very frustrated and refused, then gave in, then got more frustrated because she still didn't calm down.  I was NOT the model of patience.

After plopping her in her crib without bedtime snuggles, she had HAD it.  I left in a huff and Chris went in to calm her down.  However it wasn't long before the guilt settled in and I felt really bad for how I had talked to her.  I went back in and told her I was sorry...to which she immediately forgave me.  How nice.  I dread the day when she is a teenager and I have to apologize, only to be met with rolling eyes.  I'm so thankful little ones will forget wrongs in less than a second. :)

p.s. She was still talking after half an hour in bed, so I went back up for some more "ease my guilt snuggles".  :)

couple food things

*I decided to try my hand at making my own beans, rather than buying them canned. We go through quite a lot considering I eat them frequently for lunch and puree them often for the kids pancakes/waffles. I also like the idea of not having any added salt. It was quite easy actually and a pretty good savings cost-wise. Basically I would normally spend about 80 cents on a can of black beans. For the same amount that comes in a can, I spent only 25 cents. :) Not bad!

*Tonight's dinner (Sweet Balsamic Glazed Pork)was a 10+++ for me. Chris gave it only a 7, but it could be that you need to have a liking for stronger tasting sauces. I honestly thought you could pour it over any meat and it would be amazing. :)

some weekend stuff

*I like to think my kids eat overall pretty healthy. However I am by no means strict to the point that I don't let them enjoy treats and eating the dreaded "white flour" products occasionally. :) Case in point? On Saturday at breakfast with dad, check out the size of the donut Cameron chose. Holy cow. Is this not the size of his head???



*My mom caught her neighbor about to throw away a patio table umbrella and rescued it for us!! We had some company last night and used it and it was great! Now if I can only keep it up and have our family eat out there more often. I always pull the ,"But I have to wash off the table if we eat outside..." card. :)

*After Kendall's nap on Saturday we went to a Golf Expo in Ontario. Our neighbor had given us some free tickets. It wasn't qite as kid friendly as the brochure had said, but the kids enjoyed the free popcorn and running around acting WAY too hyper. Plus afterward we stopped by Chick Fil-A and they played for almost an hour. So that made the trip more worth it.



*I made some Cookie Dough Dip last night and it was quite tasty. Kind of a fun/different dessert.



*Today was hiking club day, but due to the weather and not a lot of people able to make it, we'll have to reschedule. :(

graphic design

A while back Chris designed a flyer for our friend Jeremy's work (a non-profit health clinic) fundraiser. He and Ana invited us to attend with them. There were a couple dozen restaurants who all offered their take on tacos. It was fun to try the different ones and I came away from the night having sampled THE BEST taco I have ever had as well as THE BEST cheesecake I have ever had. The taco was shredded beef with the most amazing macadamia nut sauce. Oh my goodness. The cheesecake was plain, but just perfect. I went back twice for the cheesecake and headed back for a third time but they were out. :)

Here is the flyer he created for the event.


Anyway, we had a really nice evening with them and it was a different date night than our typical, "browse Barnes and Noble in Redlands then hit Claim Jumper." Not that we don't enjoy those nights...this was just a fun change. :)




When I tell people that Chris is a graphic designer, they often ask what that entails. I thought I’d share some of his work and talk a bit about what he does. Basically, anything that a company, church, non-profit, or anybody needs put into print or on the web, he designs. From branding (logos), flyers, postcards, mailers, newsletters, websites, he has the capability to do it all. Besides that, he also handles the printing for the majority of his clients, which is actually pretty unique for a designer. I'm constantly amazed at what he comes up with. I'm so proud of how talented he is. If you want to look more at what he does, take a look at his website. :)

my birthday

We started my birthday morning with a walk (kids road bikes) up to get donuts and Starbucks for breakfast (my donut complete with a candle brought by Chris). I didn't feel like going to speech so we played hookey and went to our library playtime. We are never able to go because of speech so it was neat to take the kids after it had been so long.

After school we all headed over to my parents' for a hike and birthday dinner. The hike was pretty warm so we weren't gone too long, but it's always fun to try new ones. Back at their house we enjoyed my choice for my birthday dinner and a yummy cake for dessert. Earlier in the day Kendall had requested that my cake have Tinkerbell on top, so my mom printed out a picture, colored it, and stuck it on top. Very cute. :)

I love how my dad looks like we added him in because of his wacky angle. :)


Overall I had a very fun day and felt very loved. :)

new recipe

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about wanting to try this Soft Chewy Wrap Bread recipe. I finally tried them and they were delicious!!!!! They are soft and taste like a homemade roll in a tortilla form. They are a tad time consuming, but worth it considering you can freeze them. I know that part of the reason they were so soft and fluffy was because I used all white flour. But I'm determined to try them again with at least 1/2 whole wheat (shhh...don't tell Chris!)



p.s. If you do try these, don't cook them until they get brown spots. That's too long and they'll break rather than fold nicely. Bake them JUST until they start to somewhat bubble up.