Friday After-School Fun!

 After school on Friday, I took Jaxson, his friend Sam and Alyssa to Trafalga for a few hours.  I'm not going to lie.....we had so much freakin' fun!  While Jax and Sam played laser tag, Alyssa and did the miniature thing, rock climbing and messed around with a few games

 And then I broke down and bought tickets to bowl.  And bowl we did!  We ended up bowling three games and had the greatest time!  Here she is- my little bestie!

 After we got home, Jax went outside to help the dog eat.  Seconds later, he came bursting back into our home yelling that someone was letting lantern off from the park.  Jax can exaggerate a tad but what he was saying was so interesting, I had to run out to see what was going on.

So glad I did.

There were tons of beautiful lanterns being let into the air by a small group of people in the park.  It was like we were in the movie "Tangled".  Someone had the idea to get into the cold suburban and drive to the park for a better view.  So we did.

So glad I did.

It was even more magical!  The kids were nuts over it too.

 Last, before we went to bed, Taylor told Alyssa she wanted to have a "Sisters Sleepover" including nails, make-up, hair and fun dress.  I am very lucky to have these two little princesses in my life.  Love my little girls.

Move over, Martha Stewart!

I made this cute little Valentine tree.  I only burned off 3 fingers but my kids' raves about the "heart tree" made me think I was the new Martha Stewart (only not prison-bound).

Happy 1st Birthday to Tilly and Bryclyn!

 Our favorite Cedar Hills twins turned one last week!  Their aunt had the same birthday so it was a triple birthday!  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the evening:

 Dana and big brother Landon.

 My little Klein!  He is the spitting image of his 2 year old brother!

 Pretty, beaming mama with her 1 yr old baby doll!

 Yes, Austin, you are the number 1 six year old in the world!

Can't quit taking pictures of Klein!

January Blues and Ambitions

January got off to a GREAT Start for our family.  The kids were so good to be patient with all of the projects we had/have going on in our home.  Here are two faces I can't live without:

Dave surprised me some projects completed with Uncle Bob from LA.  A new faucet in my kitchen!

 I painted part of our 1/2 bath a pretty green.  Love the contrast with the antique white walls.


Taylor and I enjoyed a Mommy/Daughter Date with each other.  We went out for a burger and then to a movie.  I LOVE this girl.  What a little beauty!

Snow, Snow, Snow

My favorite January snack (thank you Pintrist).  Cottage Cheese, avacado, tomatoes, cucumbers and cracked pepper.

SICKNESS IN OUR FAMILY

During the 2nd week of January, our family got hit super hard with illness.  In fact, I was the only person not to get both strep and croup.  In a 24 hour period, I had 3 visits to the pediatrician's office.   Alyssa first and then Taylor and Jaxson all tested positive for strep and croup.  On our 3rd visit, Kimberly wrote both Austin and me out prescriptions for when we would get strep.  It took Austin about 7 more hours to get it.  And me?  As stated, I made it through!

Baby girl at the doctor's office

My Life as a German Teacher

One of the very most rewarding moments of my ongoing career has to be the sheer number of former students who continue to receive mission calls to Germany or choose to live there for a time.  Almost weekly now, I have students coming in my classroom to visit me.  And here is a picture of the most recent:  Matt Little!  This kid is amazing.  His sense of humor was incredible and he was super smart.  And when he walked through my classroom door, wearing Lederhosen and all, I couldn't stop smiling!  We had the greatest visit and spoke German the entire time (of course).  I went home and started searching for German programs to get my own kids into. 

My New Word for the 2013 Year: FAITH

Each year, around November, I begin contemplating what word I will live by for the upcoming year.  I liked my word "FOCUS" for 2012 but early into the year, I found myself completely taken off guard with the possibility of us uprooting our family and moving to Arkansas.  It was and has been a HUGE distraction for me as we have tried to figure our how life would look for our family there and what roles we would have.  After the 2012 election and Romney's loss, we both have felt less assured with our decision to move there and pursue a new career for Dave.  We have felt insecure with the direction of the economy under the direction of Obama and what it means for small business owners.  A few months ago, I was certain this would be my last year teaching at Oak Canyon Jr High; now, I believe I will spend many more years teaching in a school and community that I dearly, dearly love.

Okay, so now that Dave and I can focus on our life here, it is time to choose a word for me to live by.  And I have the perfect word for me.

FAITH

I NEED this word to lead me throughout this 2013 year.  In reflecting on my life over the past several months, it has become obvious to me that I don't have faith that all of the little things I do will bring me the specific results I desire in my life.  I believe that all aspects of my life will greatly improve if I apply faith to them.

Today I had each one of the kids make an inspiration board for the 2013 year.  We chose words, pictures, sayings that would help inspire us to become better versions of ourselves.  Here is what the kids and I created:

Going forward in 2013 with faith to guide me......

New Year's Eve 2012

This year, we decided to stay home and celebrate the new year coming in with just our little family.  For the record, I love social activities:  parties, get-togethers, outings etc, but at the end of the day, on this night, the people I wanted at my table were the ones I look at every day!

We brought in the New Year Swiss style:  with Raclette!  It was delicious and everyone's favorite meal.  We grilled shrimp, steak and a vegetable medley of mushrooms, onions and peppers. 

Afterward, we played board games and just laughed.  Too much fun!

In our small celebratory fashion, we brought in the New Year as a family.  And that is all that counts.

Sledding BRAZILIAN Style Dec 2012

On Saturday, December 29th, cousin Doug's family came over for the afternoon to go sledding.  Milton & Alesandra's family came too.  We had a lot of fun sledding until Austin got BLASTED by Alyssa and Ashlyn flying down the hill.  :(  Poor sweetheart! 

We had pulled pork sandwiches, hot corn/cheese dip with tortilla chips, potato salad and for dessert, Kneaders Raspberry Bread pudding with a warm vanilla sauce.  YUM!  Love my Brazilian cousins!