Sugar

Sugar.

So.

My first race is coming up in April.

I haven't done a race since before I got pregnant with the twins.

This one is a half marathon.

So.

I'm trying to do without.

SUGAR.

To get my weight down.

A mom of three trying to do without sugar.

I was doing really really well, until this last week and weekend. 

When kiddos were sick and off of school.

So.

Now I'm back and trying to stick with not having sweets.

Not an easy discipline, especially for a mom on the go.

I have some fun pictures to post, but not much time right now.

Hope your having a great Monday.

i think i can. i think i can. i think i can.

My Valentine & Sugar cookies on a "stick"

I blog a lot, but don't talk about my wonderful husband as much as I should.

"I have a GREAT husband."

I just LOVE him so much.

I am so blessed.  God knew exactly what I needed. 

Marriage is not easy, but God really does know what is best for us.

Friday mid day I received the most beautiful roses EVER.

CRAZY.

Thank you honey what a "treat" to have such beautiful roses in the house.

Every Valentines day we make sugar cookies for teachers, neighbors and friends.
This year we turned them into sugar cookies on a "stick"

Now we have to do it in three parts due to our crazy life.
PART I

PART II

PART III

Happy Valentines Day!

Stickers. Not Exactly.

Do I need to say anything about these two photos?

The flu...and goldfish...

We were so healthy for SO long...not braggging...it's just been a better year for us than the last two...

We had one with a fever last week, one Saturday, then Sunday

then,

unfortunately, me on Monday.
All with the flu, the yucky icky flu.

Bummer.

I am the worst sick person. I just hate being sick. 
I just want to keep going and exercising. 

I'm also trying to get geared up and loose weight for the Santa Cruz half in April.
So.
This is a minor setback for that event as well.
O'well.

On another note:)
I attended a dinner last Friday for the children's ministry at church.  On each table they had a center piece with three or four real goldfish. After the dinner they welcomed us to take the fish home.  I thought about it and the fact that we still don't have any animals.  So.
I went for it and stopped by target on the way home to get a cool jar and food.
The kids were SO excited.  They gave us a bunch of goldfish i think we ended up with six. 
To make a long story really short in less than 36 hrs all six died. 
O'man.
Sunday morning we were laying in our bed listening to the kids in the bathroom.
"where did all the fish go?" 
Taryn, "they died"
Nolan, "no died"
Dylan, "sad all the goldfish died and this one is dead to, we need to put it it the toilet...pause..i can't flush it let's let mommy do it...."
O'it was so sad.
So we ended up getting just one fish more at the pet store a "hearty" little fish that would last longer.
Her name is "goldie" after the goldfish, but not a goldfish and she is actually "blue".
TOO funny.
Anyway.
That's all for now.
I know i need some pictures, but we have been so under the weather.

When life doesn't make "sense"

When life doesn't make "sense" is the third part of some sermons our pastor,

Chip Ingram is currently doing.

If you are suffering, have gone through some tough stuff or are going through some really tough circumstances in your life these sermons are just SO encouraging.

They are up on the Venture website right now:)

http://venturechristian.org/sermons.php

I hope they encourage you as much as they have encouraged us,

sometimes life just doesn't make "sense".

Surgery Update

Dylan's adenoid removal went GREAT!

God answered our prayers in many ways.

Thank you so much your prayers!

Waking up from the anesthesia went really well.

A funny thing that happened...

he asked to view his adenoids so the nurse went searching for them.

They were unable to display them for Dylan because of all the parts...yuck...which is okay with mom, but he was a little disappointed...too cute...

In any case, the surgery was a success.

The doctor said his adenoids were HUGE almost a four

(a four is when your airways are shut by the adenoids).

We are so thankful they are no longer going to cause Dylan problems.

We see a HUGE difference just this weekend and he is a little swollen still.

Dylan keeps saying to me,

"i can breathe through my nose now".

So cool.

YEAH.

Random December Photos

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Taryn and Nolan with a little boy/girl dress up.  Taryn and Nolan both got dress up this year, especially Nolan due to the family seeing him head to toe in ballet and girly dress up.

Taryn and her cute self checking out the tree Christmas Eve before Church.

Taryn and Nolan Kissing...

Butterfly's in Pismo with cousins.

Nolan and Dylan climbing a tree out front at my parents in SLO

 Nolan in all his cuteness at my parents with new buzz PJ's and Buzz plush.

 The kids opening stockings...

 So thankful for this wonderful Christmas holiday to reflect on Jesus's birth and what is most important.

Hope your Christmas was extra special this year.

Thermal Tote Sale + $1.50 Embroidery

January Customer Special

No minimium purchase

All

Thermal Totes on Sale :)

Check out some of the new spring colors...

PJ Suprise!

We started a new tradition this year. 

Christmas PJ's the first night in December!

I was reading in a Christian parenting magazine about some ways to teach kids to be more thankful and appreciative of their presents at Christmas; one other idea included starting a couple of days before Christmas and opening presents gradually.

It got me thinking so...

instead of opeing Christmas PJ's the night before Christmas, we decided to surprise them and let them wear their Christmas pj's all month long.

So they took a usual bath and then we sat them on the couch.

It was a perfect day to do this because they really had been especially great.

They were so surprised and SO Thankful.

I heard "thank you mommy and daddy" over and over.

(i bought these PJ's last year at the potterybarnkids end of the year sale for real inexpensive)...

too cute.

Wreath and ten foot tree for nine foot ceilings....

This last Saturday Jason and Dylan made a trip up to the Santa Cruz mountains to find a Christmas tree (we didn't go the twins were over tired and not feeling good).

He brought home a 10 and a half foot tree for our nine foot ceilings. 

HILARIOUS.

So he had to chop a bit off, pictures below...

This year Jason brought home a special surprise a beautiful wreath from the Christmas tree farm.

It's so large and SO beautiful and fresh.

I hung it as it was, but I'm wondering if i should put some beads on it?

So sweet of my husband.

 Finished.  Not sure how to fit the star?

Just smells so yummy in the house. 

I love fresh trees, do you?

It's a fun tradition.

Boys and Tanks...

There is a private collection (the worlds largest and most extensive apparently)

of Tanks in Los Altos.

So.

Of course Jason had to take Dylan and his buddy.

Check out this collection :)

Family pictures are not easy...

We are trying to get a family picture for our fireplace.

A friend took these...

Cute huh.

Funny.

What do I do with my hair?

Do you ever wish you could just have someone tell you?

or

Do you ever wish you could just have someone else's hair?

I have totally neglected my hair the past two years.

I didn't have time, nor the help to continue getting highlights,

which I had gotten since HS to make up for the lack of chlorine in my hair,

which made it lighter.

So,

I stopped getting them and let my highlights grow and grow out of pure neglect

If I am honest.

So.

Now what?

I would love to find a hair style that actually makes me feel attractive and compliments my hair.

So.

What do I do?

I have no idea.

All the great hair stylist are in Bakersfield,

which I have found a "fact".

Sorry bay area, but you are lagging way behind in my book.

I mean my first haircut up here after we moved back the

beautician used "dull" scissors, so I got my money back (literally).

But,

let's talk hair for a minute.

I have this problem.

Not only do I have "new growth" from having twins,

but I have hair that is somewhere in between curly and straight.

I've been cursed you see...with indecisive hair?

Now what?

Do I grow it long just to give it away, I'm almost there anyway

Or

Do I just search for a new hairstyle?

HELP.
At this point I just feel a little insecure going drastic...
You know.

Fall

Some Fall photos

Same spot as last year, different age...o'my...can you believe that tongue we had to nip that one in the bud...and Dylan was hanging with his buddy...

Yes i'm a dork i let Taryn and Nolan wear the same costume as last year and Dylan wanted to be the Karate kid so he borrowed his best friends costume.  It was a pretty low maintenance Halloween, but I have a great plan for next year. 

Cute though. 

All and all the kids really love each other, too cute.  

Extra MONEY in your pocket

Okay if you haven't heard about ebates yet here you go...

Ebates.com is a great way to get back some

extra

MONEY.

Just register and no gimmicks or catches you just save

MONEY

when you log on and order something from your favorite website

Gap, Oldnavy...whatever...

You get a percentage back in your pocket.

FOR REAL.

No Kidding.

Do you use ebates?

btw: for those family and close friends reading i've been behind on my blogging due to Nolan getting six stitches last week and a huge thirty-one party.  Whew what a week it was. I have some great pictures coming up from Halloween, a amazing tank (real tanks) collection the most amazing in the world, snuggle pictures and pumpkins...bear with me...

Carmel Apple Trail Mix

Have you tried the "Carmel Apple Trail Mix" from Costco.

YUMMY.

You have to like Carmel, Peanuts, Apples ect...

It's so delicious i don't think it would be wise for me to purchase again.

Anyone?

Yummy!

A little Taryn & Nolan Update

It's been awhile since I did a Taryn and Nolan post.

So here goes a quick one.

This last month we had a ton of activities and visitors.

So Taryn and Nolan got moved down by the fireplace in the kitchen to have space at the big table.  Here they are ready to pray...too cute...red shirts and plates...funny...

 We went through a super hero stage (and are still going through it).  Where every waking hour they wanted their blankets made into capes. FUNNY! 

The twins with my parents.

 Does it get cuter than this?  Nolan with his cape and CUTE blue undies.  Come on I know he's not your child and i'm biased, but isn't he adorable with those blue undies he looks like he is ready to fly.

 Okay and we are working on their room.  They have been officially moved to beds, but are both sleeping on the bottom bunk (they are actually asleep here).

I know i know the dark wood is dark, but we had to think long term...I wanted white anyway a lot of factors involved here than just their room.  Long story.  Now i wish i would of waited to buy the bedding until after the bed was purchased, o'well.  I'm thankful for the bed and the coverings. 
Still working on their room.

Too cute!

Adorable 2010 Gift Guide

Christmas orders need to be in by December 1st
Have fun shopping!

Thirty-One Gifts 2010 Winter Catalog is now available
(Fall Catalog is still also available).

Great gift ideas.

Check out the video below and if your interested in ordering anything feel free to do so online. 

Thirty-One Gifts.

If you would like to book a home or online party let me know; just started booking Christmas parties for November.

Mad Lab Birthday Party

This was probably one of my favorite parties for Dylan.
Dylan was super excited about it.
Dylan and i did some research online and came up with some fun ideas.
THEN.
I discovered
Steve Spangler Science
When planning a science party there is hardly anything out there for the "science" theme in party stuff.
However, when you get a little creative and go to Steve's Website you can get all sorts of ideas.  I also got tons of ideas online.
The caution stickers have a pdf file

Inside the test tubes are gobstoppers from the $1 store.
We made snow, slime, magic sand, made tornado's and set off coke bottles with mentos.

Kids came and went all afternoon.  Here's a shot of some of them.

This is Dylan "best buddy" a fifth grader named Eric.  He's our neighbor as well.

He is teaching and helping Dylan in so many neat ways,

great kid such a blessing to Dylan. 

 Mentos let off in a bottle.
 The front door. I just can not seem to throw a party without balloons. I know i don't need them, but it just doesn't seem like a party if we don't have balloons.

Some party decor, our science table before it got all messy.

 My attempt at some science cupcakes with a mad scientist. 
Got the idea online.

No laughing please!  J/k the kids loved them.
Dylan we love you and are just so thankful for you.
Happy Birthday!