December nights...

Well things have been busy here to say the least. December is always a fun month for us. Between birthdays and Christmas, it seems like we hit the ground running come December 1st.

Here are just a few snapshots.

Roasting Marshmallows at the boat parade at Shelter Island.

Kids and bonfires...an entertaining combination!

A Carousal Ride at Seaport Village

Emily is a Carousal pro...I on the other hand have a hard time with the spinning.

Before Corey's Christmas Party for work.

...One of the best photos of us in YEARS!

New Family Photo

Sam having fun in the hutch...The resemblance to Corey is amazing!

She loved this I swear!

A quick thought on Family Christmas Photos..

They are so stressful! Last night Corey and I got the girls dolled up in their new Christmas dresses (handmade by a friend..thank you Connie!), put beautiful clips in their hair (also handmade by a friend..thank you Zoe). The scene was set. Picture two beautiful little girls in front of a perfectly glowing Christmas tree. All they have to do is sit sweetly in front of the tree and smile right?!
Well things just dont happen that easy around here. The meltdowns started fast and furious, boogers were running down small noses, and ornaments were getting tossed like Thanksgiving leftovers. To top it all off...I took about 30 pictures...after much jumping, singing and dancing (the only tricks I know to get my girls to smile for pictures.), and came out with not one good picture! NOT ONE!
I dont see why people do this to their kids anyway. I mean, life is not a perfectly posed photo in front of a tree. Life IS boogers, tantrums and beautiful, antsy children... at least ours is.
We are going to try one more time tonight, and if it doesnt go well... then prepare yourself for a Christmas card with beautiful girls, a fancy tree...and some boogers and tears!

Twirly Skirts and a CCR jam session!

We did a little house work the other night. We are a family that likes to whistle while we work...you know, a spoon-full of sugar and what not. So, we turned up the Creedence Clearwater Revival. Emily loved it! She is starting to develop her own style in regards to music and dance. She just so happened to get a HUGE kick out of CCR...and decided to let the music move her! I think she might have inherited Corey's fantastic sense of rhythm..LOL!

Here's just a small taste of the magic...Enjoy, I know I did!

*CAUTION* This one might make you dizzy!

November in San Diego..

can only mean one thing...BEACH TIME!!!! I love the beach in November. No crowds, no scavenging sea gulls, and best of all...I am under no obligation to go into the water. For all of you not familiar with the Pacific...IT'S REALLY REALLY COLD! I'm not even a big fan in the summer. However, now that I have kids, I must fulfill my H2O duties weather permitting. Sigh!



It was a blustery 65 degrees today, so we bundled up the kidlets in their sweatpants and t-shirts (ha ha to all of you freezing your buns off today!) and headed out.

Sam found her shadow to be fascinating

Samantha...doing her thing.

This kid knows how to relax.

Emily getting down to business!

Typically Corey and I take turns "fetching" water for sand castles. In the winter time however, it comes down to a frantic game of "rock-paper-scissors" to decide who the unfortunate party is.

Corey turns out to have Jedi-like skills...

...and unfortunately...I lost. Emily tried to be brave an go with me...

..but the second those waves came, she booked it...completely abandoning her poor mother.

Yay Mommy! Queen of the Castles!

The Navy Boys were out flying today. They were a little loud (as jet fighters should be) and Corey taught Emily how to plug her ears!

Surprisingly they fly very fast so these were the best photos I could get. They were doing some pretty interesting fly-bys.

Samantha Playing Possum!

See Ya later!

The Trouble with Popsicles...

...is that they are cold. The girls were thrilled the other day, when I decided to let them have Popsicles after lunch. Emily, being the true professional, devoured hers on top of the slide...away from little sister's grabby fingers. Samantha, being the Popsicle novice that she is, had a slightly harder time.
Now, I tried to explain to her that Popsicles where best held by the stick. But, in being determined to do things her own way, Sam decided the best way to hold her Popsicle was by the..well, Popsicle. This resulted in some major crying and blubbering on Sam's part. She wanted to eat the Popsicle more then anything but the pain that resulted from her tiny frozen fingers was almost too much for her to bear. Sad, I know.
Being the loving and nurturing mother that I am, I decided that this would be a good time to snap some photos.

Samantha and "the Popsicle" before things got ugly.




After she had thrown herself, and the Popsicle on the ground...

My little mess...of tears and grape Popsicle!

What kind of a mother would I be if I didn't capture these moments...

Till next time!

Disclaimer: No children, small fingers or Popsicles where permanently harmed in the posting of this blog.

A Day at The Pumpkin Patch!

We spent last Sunday at the pumpkin patch. We had a great time! Emily had lots of fun running around with her pal Rylan. We were busy in the petting zoo, riding ponies, and running through the pumpkin fields...and eating funnel cake of course!

Emily & Rylan "patiently" awaiting their turn in the petting zoo.

Braving the goose...a friendly gal but I still thought my finger was a gonner!

Emily had no reservations!

She loved the goats!

PONY RIDES!!!

Emily Reagan...Oh Excuse me! PRINCESS EMILY!

Princess Samantha and Jennifer

New Family Photo!

Sam loved the Pumpkin Field

She kept trying to eat the dirt on top!

Trying to find the best pumpkin...

...no matter what it takes.

It was a great day at the Pumpkin Patch!

Samantha's Birthday Party!

Better late then never, right?! Well Sam-bone finally had her birthday party! She had a fantastic day with our close friends...and yes, enjoyed her birthday cake. True to form, Samantha treated her cake daintily. Unlike her big sister on her first birthday. I should post a comparison picture!

She looks like she has a secret!

Emily teaching Sam the proper cake eating technique.

Not sure what to do with the candle!

"The Cake" Pre-demolition!

Happy Birthday Samantha Brianne!

Happy Birthday to Samantha Brianne! I cant believe it has been a year already! We didnt do much along the lines of celebrating today, we wanted to wait until Corey was home. Instead, poor Samantha spent the morning getting poked full of holes at the pediatritian's office. 4 shots and a blood draw. Yikes! She got through it like a champ though. Here is a picture of her at the doctor's office. It was taken on my cell phone, so sorry for the lack of crispness. Her cuteness shines through regardless. Dont you love the bow!

I will post more pictures after her real birthday celebration!

Samantha Brianne

Current Stats:

19 Pounds 11 Ounces

(Just shy of 20 pounds...so she wont get to turn her car seat around. Thats like failing your drivers test on your 16th birthday!)

29 Inches Long

I got a job!.... sort of!

Hello Everyone! Now this isnt going to be my typical post. Sorry, no new pictures of the girls. This post is going to be about little ol' me.

So I have just signed on to start selling Scentsy candles. For those of you who dont know what Scentsy candles are...allow me to give you the run down.

Scentsy candles are wickless, flameless candles. They are similar to your standard tart burners however these plug in so they are much safer. No smoke, no soot, no lead. They melt wax at very low temperatures so if any pets or kids happened to knock one over, there would be no serious incident of burns, ruined furniture and the like.

The bricks of wax that Scentsy manufactures are AMAZING. Now, I have typically been a huge fan of Yankee Candle Co. Until now, I truly believed that they had the strongest, most long-lasting scents. Thats no longer the case. These little bricks are amazing. Because they melt at such low temperatures, they have much higher levels of fragrances then your regular candles and tarts. The fragrances fill the room as soon as the warmer is plugged in and they last forever! (Ok. 60-80 hours)

So thats what Im up to these days! I swear! Emily has only been in school for two weeks and I have already decided that I needed something to fill up my time! So much for taking a break.

I have included a link on my side bar so that you can go directly to my site. If you click the "Place an Order" tab, you can check out what Scentsy has available. I know that you will love it if you try it! My website is still under construction so bear with me while I work out the kinks. I am really excited about this new little adventure of mine.

If any of you would like to host a Scentsy party, let me know and I would love to schedule a date that works with your schedule. Corey should be home through the holidays so I have a lot more flexibility with my time.
An alternative to the Scentsy party in your home, I can also provide you with a Scentsy basket filled with catalogs, a warmer, sample scents and all the order forms you would need if you wanted to do something at work or privately in your home. All hostesses earn free gifts, discounts and half-priced items depending on the amounts of sales done for your event.

Or...you can always just log on to my website and order directly from me.

Thanks for listening! Check out my site!

www.scentsy.com/sandiego

Preschool or Bust!

Hip Hip Hooray! Emily started Preschool this week! What a big day for our little girl! I cant believe how big she is already. She has been asking us about preschool since the day we took our tour. That was two months ago. Well, the big day finally arrived. Emily, of course, was ready for the challenge. We arrived at school a bit early on Wednesday morning, just to be sure that Emily had time to adjust to her new surroundings. It turns out, it was more for our benefit then hers. Emily walked into her new classroom as though she had been going there her whole life. We practically had to hold her down just to get a hug and kiss goodbye.

Sigh! What happened to our precious baby! I used to think this day would never come. Now that it's here, well, lets just say I wish I could turn back the clock a bit. Since the day Emily came into this world, her and I have been partners in crime. Attached at the hip, so to speak. She has been my daily inspiration to be a better person and to embrace the world around me, even with all its faults. She has taught me more about life and happiness then I ever thought possible. She has been my test and my accomplishment. Its amazing how much our children teach us. Here we arrogantly think that our children are here for us to shape and mold, that they are a direct reflection of us. It turns out that we are a direct reflection of them, if we choose. If we allow ourselves to embrace them and take the time to look through their eyes, see all the possibilities and wonder that they see. It can truly be an awakening experience.

Now that Emily has finished this chapter with me, I know that its time for me to let her go, as scary as that may be sometimes. I treasure every moment that she has shared with me. I look forward to watching her grow and change, and to see what she decides to mold and shape for herself.

Our little girl on her very big day!

Me and my Emily

Best Friends...She always does exactly as her Daddy does.

I really love this photograph.

It was a big day of sorts for Samantha too! Out and about with Mommy and Daddy... All by herself!