The fun is just beginning...

Two years later..

2010-12-23T13:48:00.001-08:00

Wow, I came upon a link to my own blog.. and I can't believe two years have passed!! I need to see if I can remember how to post pictures.. Lily is now the age Bella was in the last few pictures, amazing! Promise to get an update going here...

December Festivities - picture overload!

2008-12-19T21:26:00.000-08:00

What a month! Finally this week, the cold has arrived. BRR! Also, our favorite time of year. So much to do, but it's all in the Spirit of Christmas. I love hearing the kids talking about Jesus' Birthday, and everything else we love about this time of year. Driving around looking at lights is something we do almost daily, even it's just around the neighborhood.

But, before all that, December is special for another birthday! Liliana Grace just turned three! It does not seem like three years ago that she was born. Crazy! Silly girl came two days before she was scheduled to come - I should have known then the independent little girl I'd have!

We had about a week of celebration - Alex's family and my parents came over for cake and pizza about a week before Lily's birthday - and then on the 15th we celebrated at Disneyland, and on her actual birthday, the 17th, she chose Island's for dinner. The next days two of her friends came over and brought her a princess soccer ball! Perfect for my little soccer star!

Bella LOVES the characters at Disneyland (She even got to go last week on a special trip with my parents, overnight. They had TONS of fun !)

Lily was in complete awe of the princesses - she walked slowly towards them and just sat quietly :)

I have to say, one perk of going to Dland on a rainy day is the less than 10minute wait for the Princess pictures.
We also had dinner at Goofy's kitchen. Lily still wasn't sure about the characters, but Bella was totally into it .. except Aladdin! She ran and hid behind Alex. Too funny.

Birthday Celebration at the house...

That's all for today... lots more to come :)

Update coming...

2008-12-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

with Lily's birthday pictures, Disneyland pictures, and more!

We're still here!

2008-11-21T20:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it's been so long! I guess with facebook, etc I don't remember to update here as much - but I"ll do a quick rundown of the last 6 weeks, lol!

Let's see... I found out I'll be having TWO new neices in the Spring - no, no twins :) Jodie is due in March, and Alex's sister in April. What fun! They both have older brothers waiting for them, so I'm sure it'll be lots of fun.

Halloween was fun - here are a couple highlights! Lily was SO excited to be Elmo. She picked it and couldn't get enough! Mommy even got in on the fun one night...

Lily got her first haircut... not too much, and thankfully the curls didn't go anywhere!

Isabella got her first school picture back and I am THRILLED!! She loves her preschool class - they work on a different letter each week and do lots of other fun crafty learning type things!

Promise to be better! Thanks for asking, Missy!

Field Trip!

2008-10-08T20:12:00.000-07:00

Isabella's preschool had their trip to the pumpkin patch today... while it was lots of fun, there's just something "not right" about going to the pumpkin patch while it's in the 90's.. :) Where's fall???

Here are a few highlights... (not sure what Lily was looking at, but it sure wasn't me!)

Listening to the tour guide

Little sister soon joined in :) This is Millie the cow...

Train ride! Isabella ONLY wanted to ride with her teacher - Miss Cindy .. so Lily and I followed :)

Petting Zoo

Random

Swim lessons are over ...

2008-09-26T19:34:00.000-07:00

so I decided to take a few pics on the last day. Bella loved them! They went great, had about 4 kids in the class.. the only other girl was annoying as anything (yes, I said it) - all we heard for the majority of the class was "Polly*, stop that. Polly, get back in. Polly, get off the wall, Polly...." wow! I felt for the coach, but he kept it going.

Here's my girl!

Listening to "safety"

Walking with her coach -
Making sure she's all ready
kickboard - practicing Butterfly kick
diving practice from the side

Jumping off the diving board!

++ I can't seem to add comments -- the one with just a SPLASH is jumping and getting rings from the bottom.

Lily also had a blast each week, running up and down the grassy hill. Can't leave her out!

*names changed..just in case ;)

We're still here...

2008-09-20T13:38:00.000-07:00

Whew! Getting used to the running around is tough - seems like the only "down time" lately is nap/quiet time. We're still here, going strong!
Last weekend Alex and I were able to get away for a few days to his Marine Corp buddy's wedding in Carlsbad. The girls got to stay with Gramma and Baca and had a blast! Lots of swimming/dressing up/books, etc. We had a good time, too, but did miss the girls.
Swim Lessons go on for another week, and then our "busy-ness" will be confined to the mornings, so that will be nice, too.
tt4n!

That's it. I'm done...

2008-09-09T14:54:00.000-07:00

...buying diapers!! Woo hoo!! My friend Misty (not sure how to link ya..) blogged the other day about her son Caleb and potty training. Caleb and Lily are the same age, so I figured I'd take the chance and just go for it. We had been playing around with it, going when she wanted,but most of the time she'd tell me after she went - but was still excited to go sit on the potty.
So.. Sunday I just put her in chones - and WOW! I guess she knew that that meant it was time - she had one small accident on Sunday morning, and has been awesome since then - errands/soccer practice/dinner out included ! I'm still doing pullups/diapers for naptime... I don't mess with changing sheets in the middle of the night :)
We took her today to pick out some new undies, and she chose Dora - I'd love to post a pic, but I'm not sure I want that on the WWW :) But trust me.. it's too cute!

Also, Bella's first swim lesson of the summer went great last night! About 5 kids in her class.. she took a few minutes to warm up but loved it.

What a week! Lots of pictures

2008-09-04T21:38:00.000-07:00

So much has gone on - this was our first official week of.. well, craziness :)

I must begin with Gramma's return performance in the Pastire/Pastelle's concert :) Each summer for the last.. 3 years? A few pastors/pastors wives do an oldies concert in the amphitheatre - Lily and Bella needed to hear her voice before they'd get near her.. Great job, Mom!

Thankfully, we were able to start of with a wonderful Labor Day swim/bbq at Gramma and Baca's - we spent at least 2 hrs straight in the pool and the girls had such a blast playing pirates, hide and seek and other silly games with their grandparents.

Lily sure does love Baca's stories!

Soccer was Tuesday - both girls really enjoy it and I love watching them.. these are a few pictures from last week....

Wednesday was Isabella's first day at preschool! She was very excited to have the same teacher she did from summer camp - Miss Cindy. Miss Cindy has been teaching prek in the same place for over 20 years! She has a great reputation in the valley and we are so excited for this year.

Lily also started a little Mommy and Me type class on Wednesday - for the first hour they have lots of centers set up .. playdough, painting, coloring, cars, dinosaurs, etc.. and the kids can do as they please. For the second hour they have group sing, parachute, little games, etc. She warmed up after a bit and can't stop telling people that she "bainted in my claaaasss", which, a few times, has people thinking she fainted in class, until I jump in and explain, lol.

Today was the first day of our MOPS semester, and it went really well! Again, both girls loved their classes and I'm looking forward to getting to know my table!

Onto other babble.. the last few weeks have been terrible gym weeks, but this week I'm getting back into the swing of things - Tuesday night I did Everlast Shadow Boxing and Amp'd Abs (My shoulders still hurt from the jumproping.. I need to get one for home!! and, my abs are still thanking me :) ) Wednesday and tonight I did Turbo Kick Boxing. I'm going to link some videos to show off my addiction :) Sometimes I'm frustrated by the slowness of weight loss, but I happened to look back on my online Mommy board's fitness section, and saw that in Feb 06 (yes, I know, over 2 years ag0, but still) I was 21 lbs more than I am now. I guess I'll take slow and steady.

Random Summer Pictures

2008-08-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

Watching Ladybugs Together

I have a feeling we'll be seeing this again in 10 years or so :)
Soccer Practice
More soccer practice
Noah came to visit this week and LOVED the slide!

Vegas

2008-08-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

While putting the pictures together I realized there were a couple things I thought I should blog about.. funny things from the trip, etc.

One, the drive was GREAT! No traffic at all. Yeah! The girls were so excited the whole way and did wonderfully.
Hotel, etc was nice - we headed out to the pool as soon as we got there, but it was REALLY hot and at that time the sun was right overhead, so they only lasted about45 minutes. We had planned to be out there about two hours!
Onto eating... One thing we didn't think about was the difference in the temps inside and outside - to us, coming inside was heavenly - however, about 5 minutes into any given meal, the girls were literally shaking in their seats - freezing. Obviously we hadn't brought any sweaters,etc, so each meal was spent eating quickly and trying to get them to forget that they were cold. At one meal, Bella wouldn't even have the ice cream that came with her food- she was that cold!
We walked and walked and walked... thankfully we had the mind to bring little umbrella strollers for each girl- they would not have lasted a second, lol. This way, we didn't have to hear "I want Uppies!" all day long!
I was a little nervous about them sleeping in the same bed, but apart from the first night, when they were so darn excited that it took them about 3 hrs to calm down and fall asleep, their little eyes shut as soon as their heads hit the pillow :) Yeah!
On our way home we stopped at the Outlet Mall at Stateline - lots more walking, but it was fun! (and worth it.. see the last photo of the slideshow :) )
When we got home, my sister in law asked Bella what her favorite part of the trip was... ready for this??
"The Elevators"

Getaway slideshow

2008-08-22T12:47:00.001-07:00

Getaway pictures...

2008-08-22T11:34:00.001-07:00

I've realized that with two toddlerish kids, and two parents, that we take tons less pictures than we used too! Here are just a few pictures from our little getaway...

Also, I've realized how crazy it's going to get in the next week or so.. Isabella starts PreK Monday/Wednesday for a few hours, and during that time on Wednesday, Lily has a Mommy and me type class - Tuesday will be soccer for both girls, and for 3 weeks, Isabella will have swim lessons MWF...and MOPS each Thursday - I'm used to being very laid back and going with the flow, and it's not going to be like that for awhile!

Ok, back to pictures..

GRr.. anyone? I want to post a slideshow from photobucket and I'm having a hard time.. blogspot gives me an error message....

Happy Birthday...

2008-08-15T21:28:00.000-07:00

to me :)
Thanks to all the well wishes and singing messages :) (Mom and Jodie! lol!) I had a wonderful birthday - it was the last day of our little Vegas Getaway - spent driving, eating and a little shopping -
Vegas was great! The drive was wonderful- we didn't hit any traffic, and while the girls didn't sleep, they were really good. We swam, bowled, ate, walked, ate, walked, swam.. you get the picture :) I'll definately be getting back to the gym this week!

Also - I heard that Grammy went HOME yesterday! What a blessing!

Off to do laundry and sleep :)

So much going on!

2008-08-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Time just flies - I think I'll be better at blogging once this darn class is over and things slow down a bit - although it's taking me forever to get anything done it seems. 5 quizes, a paper, internet site reviews and writing a 30 question quiz and I"m done!

We are leaving on a little vacation tomorrow - three nights away. Yeah! Bad news, is that both girls came down with something this weekend. They seem to be improving with the aid of tylenol/motrin.. so we are taking the chance and sticking to the trip. Tomorrow will be lots of driving, so hopefully some rest for them, and we really hope that they are back to almost normal by Wednesday...Vegas, here we come! We're planning to do "kid stuff" while we are there. Swim, MnM store, Children's Museum.. and the hotel has a bowling alley and a movie theater, so I think the kids will really like it.

More good news! Grammy is doing GREAT and gets to go home Thursday!! I am so very proud of her. She has done wonders in rehab - and I think has pleased/surprised everyone there by doing so well.
Love you Grammy!!

That's all for a few days-
hard to believe that when we get back,I'll have gotten even further into my 30's!! :)

I almost forgot - this week welcomes Maxwell James Hollander!! He's so sweet- it's hard to be reminded how small our "babies" once were - Max is welcomed by big sister Maison and Big Brother Jaxon :) Congrats Josie and Matt!!

We made it !

2008-08-01T21:35:00.000-07:00

Ahh.. Alex was gone this week - he had a Cal Gang conference in Anaheim - so it was just us girls, Mon - Fri this week! He came home today and the girls were SO happy to see him- they didn't stop for quite awhile (Papi, watch this.. Papi, look what I did at camp.. Papi, Papi, Papi :)) It was very sweet!

Update on Grammy - she was moved to Rehab this week and is doing wonderfully! Her pain is now only from the surgery - and that should be getting better each day - I heard that today she played a round of "wheelchair volleyball". I'm so proud of her! She must be one popular lady, because all I keep getting are busy signals when I call!! I get my updates from Mom and Dad.

Also - I found out this week that I will be made an Auntie twice next year! Not only is my sister due in March, but Alex's sister just found out she's pregnant, and due in April! Busy baby year, here!! Congrats Jodie and Cindy!!

Grammy Update

2008-07-25T21:21:00.000-07:00

She's a tough one! Surgery went well - instead of 3 hrs, it turned out to be 6, as the surgeons found more damage than they had expected- but she came through fine. This morning she had her ventilator removed (early, they were very impressed) and today was moved to the "Presidential Suite" as she called it. She was sitting up in bed and was even able to eat a whole meal. Physical Therapy will start tomorrow and I know she'll do great!
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers :)

Missy - that's a funny memory - I don't doubt it at all!

Please pray for my Grammy

2008-07-23T18:49:00.000-07:00

My wonderful, 86 year old Grammy has been having terrible back pain for the last 12 weeks - as I understand it, she (at some point, not sure when) fractured her back. The drs have been trying to deal with it through medication, which has only been making her sick. Grammy has always been active, and up until 12 weeks ago, went to Jazzercise 3 times a week! This injury has really been hard on her. She now can't stand, let alone walk, and is in just terrible pain. About a week ago, her dr (with my dad's prodding!) finally admitted her to the hospital, and to make a long story short, she will be having a Lumbar Lamenectomy tomorrow morning. This surgery is to remove bone fragments that are lodged in her spinal chord, causing all of this havoc. The surgery should last 3 hrs, and will be performed by two surgeons. Please pray for all to go smoothly, and for peace for my Grammy. I know that she's nervous, knows thatGod is watching over her. It's hard to be so far away, so this is what I can do. I'll update tomorrow with news! (The surgery will be at 10am North Carolina time, so 7am our time)
Clarification from mom : "she will have a thoracic laminectomy (probably between waist and bra strap generally speaking) where they will remove the bone fragments and she will also have lumbar surgery apparently to repair or remove the bad disks...at any rate to stabilize the lower spine so she has the stability and the strength to be able to walk. Apparently, they are going to try to "wire" her spine together in some fashion. One dr is a neurosurgeon who will focus on preventing damage to the spinal cord...the other is an orthopedic surgeon."
Here she is in April on her first cruise to Mexico with my mom :

Lots of Pictures this week!

2008-07-20T15:28:00.001-07:00

I caught up on my "pro" picture taking this week - and got lots of pics of the girls - Just wanted to share a few!

Trying to be patient..

2008-07-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

:) I took the girls for pictures this week - I was being optomistic, because since about 18 mths old, Lily FREAKS if anyone (other than family) try to take a picture of her. We once drove about an hour and a half to meet Jodie to get pics of the grandkids.. and we didn't get one - she SCREAMED and cried the whole time. I was so mad! Bella used to be shy about it, but now she acts like a little model.
Anyway, my Picture People membership was about to expire with way to many benefits left on it, and I figured I'd just suck it up. Soooo, we went.. and the girls did GREAT! I got some awesome pictures and I'm just so excited. I'm just waiting for the email to let me have access to the digital prints to share with everyone!!
I must be crazy, but I'm taking them back tomorrow for Pajama Day. Isabella and Mr Cow - Lily and BLankie - it's a must for our family! Great way to use up my last free sheet and $10 off.
Yeah!

So proud of my girls!!

2008-07-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

I am always proud of my girls, but this week they both did things that I'd love to share, as a proud Mama :)

On the fourth of July, Lily realized she was ok without her inner tube, and once she realized she could move around with only her floaties, she was hooked! She's still perfectly content to leave her face dry, and we're working on that one!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Today at the zoo, my shy (just like her mama) Isabella volunteered for the Animal Theater! Once she got up on stage she was a bit timid, and didn't want to dance when it was time, but she still got up there, and was the cutest elephant ever!

Funny, when I asked her what her favorite part of the zoo was, she said being the Elephant and asked when she could do it again !:) She said she'd dance if Papi was there next time :)

Lazy Days

2008-07-08T12:23:00.000-07:00

I feel like we've had a few lazy days lately - few errands, swimming, relaxing - gotta love those days!
I finally put a few things up on ebay today - I have a drawer that just waits for me to get to it - It's not hard, I just put if off for some reason! When Lily grows out of her stuff, and it's still stainfree and nice (that is when and IF) I try to put it on ebay. Mostly Gymboree - other brands don't seem to be worth the hassle or selling fees, lol. I also put up my old phone- last time (yes, I break phones quite often, lol) I got about $25 for my broken phone! This time it looks like they are only going for about $5.. but why not? It's better than sitting in my drawer, and will help fund any other ebay purchases.
TIme to get ready to pick up Isabella!

Happy Fourth of July!

2008-07-04T10:21:00.000-07:00

We are looking forward to a day of pool, food, fun and relaxation - and probably more pool and food :) Jodie, Hylke and baby Noah are in town - so we'll all be at Mom and Dad's. Alex has to work, but I'm excited that he can at least join us for lunch! The girls don't really care for fireworks, so I think we'll skip those this year.
Hope everyone has a great day!

My Little Swimmers

2008-06-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Lily is a bit more laid back, lol - here she is taking leaves from one side to the filter on the otherside!
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

They both LOVE the water!

Two great sales!

2008-06-27T19:16:00.000-07:00

I don't have much to blog about - Summer's great, loving the cooler (90's!) weather, Bella's loving camp... same ole, same ole!

I went to the mall today because Isabella had some Disney Dollars from her birthday and really wanted to spend them. She scored! Disney store was having tons of sales, and 40 percent MORE off of alot of them. My sweet girl loves her sister so much - she insisted on sharing the loot. They each got a cup, some jammies, a beach bag for Bella, a toy mirror/brushes for Lily and a new dress up set/clothes for Isabella's little Disney pocket dolls.
I also went into Bath and Body Works, because I've recently discovered their air fresheners - and the ones I wanted were 75 percent off! Instead of the BOG0 at 12.50 I expected, they were $3.12 each. Woo hoo!

Ok, girls are showered and watching Ber ber ber (Blue's Clues) ... almost bedtime, yeah!

Things they say...

2008-06-21T22:03:00.000-07:00

This is where my terrible memory comes in - These girls say some of the cutest things (to me) and I always promise to remember/write down.. and I don't - here's two from Isabella today.

(While watching the gymnastic Olympic trials) WOw, Mommy! I want to do THAT when I grow up. (thinks) AND I'll be a mommy. I'll have LOTS of important jobs.

Too sweet!

(While getting in bed) Mommy, I loooove Hannah Montana. She roocks.
(Ok, the girl "knows" ONE song by HM, and where did she hear "rocks"?? ) Silly girl.

By request, last year's camp picture

2008-06-20T09:23:00.001-07:00

First day of camp and Father's Day

2008-06-19T22:16:00.000-07:00

This week Isabella started "summer camp" and has been so excited! She'll go Tues/Thurs for 4 hrs through August. They do crafts/songs/activities - just things that a four year old would love! I thought she would have a hard time but she did GREAT! Lily is the one that had a hard time, she wanted to stay with "mama" so bad. Next year she can go to the three year old camp - even though they insist they want to go to the same class next year. Silly girls, they sure do love each other!

The father's day picture I never posted :) Love my family!

Grocery shopping cont...

2008-06-17T11:34:00.001-07:00

I forgot to add, two other things that are pretty new:

www.shortcuts.com allows you to put coupons electronically on your store card - around here, it's just Ralphs - but you can add these coupons and even combine them with paper coupons!

Also, on Ralphs.com you can add P&G coupons to your card (lots of BOGO ones there) and again, they come off automatically, and you can combine them with paper coupons.

Grocery Shopping

2008-06-16T14:20:00.001-07:00

I'm getting back into my coupon cutting, sale watching mode. It seems like the cost of everything is going up, and with some planning I can really save money on my grocery bill. Here are a few things that I have been doing - hoping to share my ideas, as well as pick some up that you might be able to share!

1) coupon file - I have one that I add my coupons to each week.
2) store ads - I do check them out - but I also use these two website - both free -->
www.couponmom.com and http://www.afullcup.com/upload/ . The second covers almost any store you can think of and sometimes is a little intense (I can't believe people stockpile and shop daily!) but they are good to point out good sales going on and let you know which sales match up with recent coupons to get the best deals!
3)While I don't really "stock up" on things - unless it's a marvelous deal, I do for things like soda and meat - meat I seperate into freezer bags so that it's ready when I need it!

I hear Lily -I guess naptime didn't last too long!

Tomorrow is Isabella's first day at Summer Camp - I'm sure I'll have a few pictures so share!

Happy Father's Day!!

2008-06-14T22:18:00.001-07:00

I have two of the most wonderful fathers in my life that I get to celebrate -
My dad has taught me patience, kindness, and the ability to find a good deal on anything ! I will always remember early mornings (before school) watching "The Fugitive" in black and white - our Fails Donuts runs that included chocolate milk, and either an apple fritter or a "chocolate bar cream filled". Yum! I am proud to say that he is continuing to make these memories with his Granddaughters. I know that they will remember watching the hummingbirds with Baca and Bada/Gramma, walking through the Christmas lights and finding the dancing snowman, and curling up in the recliner for a good book. Thanks Dad, for the memories, and for being such an awesome example of what DADDY means! I love you!

(Sorry guys, I couldn't resist this one!)
The other father I have in my life is my honey. Alex is such a loving, fun Papi. The girls run to him whenever he comes home - and love to cuddle with him when he's sleeping in the morning. Lily's favorite part of the morning, I'm sure, is sitting on his lap for breakfast - one plate, one meal, two forks (or spoons). The best part? He doesn't mind one bit. He cherishes those times! Alex likes to make special memories with the girls. Going to the movies was once a Bella and Papi activity - only recently did Mommy get invited to join. Also, I think that the girls inherited my sweet tooth, because just about once a week, they beg Papi for "spinkle" donuts! They love going in their jammies and picking out their own treat.
Something that means the world to me is that Alex works so very hard so that I can be home with the girls - a true act of love for his family. I love you!
One year ago!
Happy Father's Day!!

Where do I start?

2008-06-12T19:31:00.001-07:00

This is the part of blogging that gets to me... I have SO many things on my mind, I don't know where to start!
*I had an awesome playdate today with a friend from high school. Jaime and I have girls just about the same age, and her sweeties, Ali and Mia and just too cute. I crack up at the four of them together! I forgot my camera, but I'm hoping we'll get together again soon. She was such a great hostess! Lots of fun. Crazy- does this mean we're "all grown up" now? Ah!
*I've waited 4 1/2 years to clear my credential, out of the five allowed. I really don't even know where to start with that fiasco, but I'm just praying that God allows for a smooth process and that I get it all done! This is one of those things that I'll do "next semester, when the girls are a little older"... and that time is HERE!
* The gym and I have been close this week :) I think I'm out of my slump. Yeah!
* My sweet Isabella does not like to go to sleep at night. It seems like bedtime takes forever! She asks sweet questions, but how can a girl who doesn't nap, and runs around all day, not be beat?? Agh!

I guess I had more to say than I thought... sorry it's random rambling, but isn't that what blogging is all about :) ?

GO LAKERS!!

2008-06-10T20:25:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said :)

and we have... pee pee!

2008-06-09T10:37:00.000-07:00

The challenge lately has been potty training. I'm not one to push - but Lily has been asking to sit on the potty and wear chones (Spanish for underwear), so I figure why not follow her lead. Problem is, she likes to sit there.. and then go play and pee. Not nice. I kept up on her this morning and we got it in the potty. Woo hoo! This means good things for the future, and a few tough days (weeks?) ahead.
Other plans for today?
We're off to see Kung Fu Panda with Papi today - yeah!

Happy Birthday Noah!

2008-06-08T10:14:00.000-07:00

Last week my sweet Noah turned one! We drove over to Redlands yesterday for his birthday party. He had so much fun! Here he is playing a little B-ball - . See you soon Noah!

Yesterday was also a big day for Carla - she graduated high school! Hard to belive she was SIX when I met Alex. I'll have to find a picture from way back then... here she is yesterday with Alexa (who, BTW, was three when we met - and is going to be a sophmore this year!) - Congrats hun, love you!

Picture practice

2008-06-06T14:08:00.000-07:00

Finally...

2008-06-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

I've really been wanting to start a blog .. for a couple reasons - One, to share pictures and stories with family and friends .. and two - because I seem to forget the fun things, the silly things, and the hard things that happen in our day to day life. I figured this was a great place to reflect on those things, and kind of "think out loud".

As I begin, I'm sitting in the computer room with Miss Isabella Samantha - my 4 1/2 year old Princess - she's on her little laptop working on greater and less than - and Miss Liliana Grace is enjoying a much needed nap! Papa Bear is about to go to work - so the girls and I will run some errands this afternoon.

I wonder if I"m brave enough to also use this as somewhat of an accountability tool in my weight loss/exercise/running journey.... we'll see!

As soon as I figure out how to post pictures, they'll be up!