The Vegas

We're back. Vegas was fun, relaxing and unbelievably mellow. We weren't in party mode and went to bed pretty early every night according to Vegas standards. We got there on Friday afternoon and had a ton of fun but when we called to check up on the kids Saturday morning our trip took a turn. Both kids had been throwing up and not keeping anything down. My poor mom sounded so tired and was trying to talk but with both kids crying it was hard to hear. We wanted to come home but she assured us she could handle it so we continued on but it was hard since the sound was lingering in our heads. We walked the entire strip and took some fun pics along the way. All in all, I was so happy to go and get away. I can't wait till next time. We met up with Santa and made sure Peyton and Drew were on the good list. Peyton was very happy to see the proof and is counting down to Christmas eve....

Off to Vegas

We're off! We'll be back Monday with good stories and pictures. I'm gonna be the ultimate tourist this time. Lots of pictures, margaritas by the yard, anything to make Mark embarrased.

Not enough time

There is not enough time in a day. I feel like I'm constantly running to keep up and by the end of the day I'm laying in bed thinking of what the first thing I have to do is because I didn't get to it the day before. I'm sure it's just the holiday stress. So, to catch up on a few things, Peyton got his kindergarden and soccer pics. I think they turned out so cute. He normally doesn't show his teeth but since his front ones are about to fall out he loves to show them off all of a sudden. Sure, being a thumb sucker doesn't help with his overbite but what kid doesn't have braces nowadays. By high school he'll have a colgate smile!

So it was a goal to have our Christmas cards ordered and mailed before we left this weekend. Here are some of the results of trying to get the kids to smile for the camera at the same time. It was a much better experience than last year but I'm still a big fan of last years card. Most people loved it and even called to tell us how funny it was but some but some hated it. My reasoning was that it was my reality at the time, we're not a picture perfect family and that was the best I could do after hours of trying. Looking back at it makes me laugh.

Confession

I need to confess. I'm a greenbean casserole junkie and I completely overdosed on it this weekend. I've been eating it since Friday for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack and in anywhere between. And now, it's all gone and I'm having withdrawls. Mark promised to make sure to make it more often during the year so I won't overdose next year. On the bright side I very carefully stepped on the scale this morning, peeked through my fingers and let out a sigh of relief. I didn't gain a pound during my weekend binge and and debating on making this my new fad diet. If there is a cookie diet there could be a casserole diet.

We had a good time with both of our families this weekend but not many pics. My Uncle Ruben came and took some really good pictures that I'll post when I get them. Peyton made so much artwork at school that we made a collage on our big empty entryway wall. He was very excited and made sure everyone noticed it when they came in. The other pics are from Jen and Christophe's house Thanksgiving day. Dinner was fantastic and the company couldn't be better. This is Drew with Christophe's nephew Arnaud. She was happy to pose with him and sat next to him most of the night.

Jesse and the kids

Jen Martha Douheret Stewart

Happy Thanksgiving

It's Thankgiving and I'm so excited. Turkey, Green bean casserole, stuffing, I CAN'T WAIT! It's the start to the holiday season and the most wonderful time of the year. Isn't that a song? Mark works today so we normally celebrate on Friday with our families in Tehachapi but this year they're headed out to the desert. You can't pass up this gorgeous weather.

We're lucky enough to get to celebrate today at Jen & Christophes house. This is our 4th year going there and it's become a tradition I really look forward to. Thanks Douherets for having us once again.

Just a quick couple of other things I'm Thankful for:

My Wonderful Husband. 11 Years together (7 married) and we're still going strong.

My 2 Kids who make me laugh more and more (on the days I'm not pulling my hair out)

Our Home and neighborhood. We have the best view of the mountains.

My Job (most of the days)

Kiddie Kollege and Desiree (Drew's daycare,who I don't have a picture for)

And of course all of our friends and family. If I put pictures up of all of them this could be the worlds longest post. I'm thankful that I have so many of both. I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving and enjoy the day with your family.

Very Special Birthday

A very happy birthday to my Grandpa. He turned 82 years old on Sunday. The things he's seen happen in his lifetime amaze me. He grew up on a ranch in Mexico without any electricity or running water. He got married and had 4 boys, one of which is my pops. He moved his family to America for a better life and has worked his way up the ladder. Still to this day he mows lawns and does gardening to keep himself busy. I give him so much credit. He hates to hear me tell him I'm tired. That's just not a word in his vocabulary. He's a great man and I look forward to the call he sends me every birthday. It's touching that he remembers it. Here is his with his only great grandchildren. Last year he had trouble with one of his eyes and had to wear a patch. Peyton remembers him as Grandpa the Pirate rather than great grandpa!

Jewel

Jewel was fantastic. Unfortunately, thats the best I could describe the whole night. I need to work on increasing my vocabulary. We left early and had dinner at the casino with Mark then went upstairs to the show. As we were standing around having a drink Christophe said, follow me. Low and behold we went behind a curtain and there Jewel was! We got to meet her, take a picture and shake her hand. Of course I wanted to grab her, sit her down and ask a million questions like, Where's Ty, Can I meet him, Want to have lunch sometimes, but, I kept my composure. She is short like me and very pretty (like me, hee hee). A bit shy, but I would be too if I had strangers gushing over me which surprisingly enough I don't. It was very exciting but Morongo was taking the pictures so I don't know when or if I'll get it. Seating was general admission but since Mark was working all day he had reserved ours which were 10 rows back on the aisle, center stage. Excellent. If you've never been to see Jewel I highly suggest you do. It's acoustic and she sings so effortlessly. And, she even yodels at the end which is quite a talent!

I wanted to say good luck to Lillie. She's having a baby girl tomorrow via C-Section. If you've never read her blog, click on her link. It's adorable. I'll be thinking of you Lillie!

The Weekend

Well, our weekends now consist of soccer on Saturdays, which is so much fun and I get more into it than I ever imagined. Sundays, which is supposed to be Sunday Funday, are now errand days and catching up with the housecleaning. Not very exciting. The Geckos tied this weekend for the first time. It was such an exciting game and Peyton got to play against his friend Magnus from school. They were so close to winning but the other team put a goalie in so our last goal didn't quite make it in. Tieing is just as good though since we're not supposed to be keeping score! I never knew the state of my competitiveness until soccer. It's almost embarrasing how much I'm yelling and jumping on the sidelines. Thank goodness he's not a teenager or he'd be horrified! :) I just love watching the kids. You can tell how much fun they are having and truly that's whats most important. Even though I'm really keeping score in my head.

Now, onto Sunday. I've been doing a lot of overtime lately for a new broker that moved to Merrill and with that, comes my kids. During the week I can stay but on the weekends they have to come with me. They've been really patient but today you can tell they were over it. I happened to have the camera in the car from soccer and Peyton looked like he just couldn't take it anymore. I just had to put a few hours in then we headed over to Jens for a playdate with the kids and girl talk with Danielle. This turned into a whole afternoon of gabbing, with the guys joining us into the early evening because we just weren't done. I feel like it was so rewarding, almost theraputic. It's true what they say, Woman need girlfriends. It's a fact of life. We need to cry on each others shoulders, laugh at our most embarrasing moments, and ask for the upmost honest advice. Sometimes friends like these are hard to come by but I know I'm lucky enough to have a few. Carly, Court, Jen and Danielle, here's my little shout out to you!

On a different note Jewel is just a few days away and I CAN'T WAIT!!! Notice I've mixed her music in. As I've said before it's a date that I've been waiting 4 years for and I know we'll have a blast.

And on another CRAZY note, Randy just called to tell me that he got in a fight at the San Diego Chargers game. Kind of wierd and completely out of his element but he's okay and I'm shocked. He's never done something like this so I know he had to be pushed to his limits. Way to end the weekend with a bang!

Summer Wedding

Back in July our great friends Scott and Rosa got married. I ordered this picture from their photographer right after the wedding but just got it today. There is so much history when I look at the picture that it makes me smile. Each person (except the bride) was at our wedding or in it as we were at/in each of theirs. The guys are Mark's childhood friends who all grew up together in San Pedro and have such a bond that even though our times are now far and few between they just pick up where they last left off. Friends like that are so important. Scott was one of the last of the group to get married and he picked the perfect match. I can't wait to see little Scott's and Rosa's running around!

HALLOWEENIE!

Halloween and come and gone. It's one of my favorites. I always loved dressing up as a kid and in our neighborhood the parents dress up with the kids for trick of treating. Perfect for me and Mark is starting to get the hang of it. The day started with going to Peyton's school for a parade, halloween songs and a classroom party.

This is Peyton with some of his good friends Magnus and Griffen, and his teacher Miss Joanne.

Then of course came trick or treating. For the first time I was a witch mainly because I loved the striped tights and the gaudy moon necklace from Forever 21. Would some really wear that? If you can't tell, Mark is not Tin Man but rather a very mature beer keg. His helmet even dispensed beer so it was quite convienent for him. He was worried he'd get thirsty from all the walking we'd be doing around the 1 block. Honestly, I loved that he wore that costume. I think it's a classic and he got lots of compliments from other guys. Jen got to finally fulfill her wish and dressed up as a great mariachi and Christophe an awesome pirate.

This was Drew's first time to trick or treat and it turned out that she was not afraid at all. She ran to each house with the boys, no stroller for her. "Come on mom, Come on mom" was what I heard all night. It was really the cutest thing and I was so happy. She wouldn't even put her costume on a first so it was a nice suprise. She was a little confused and kept taking candy out of her basket to give it to the house we were at, rather than getting a new candy to put in. Peyton started off a little timid which is normal for him. I think this year though it was mainly because the first house we went to the dad was dressed as Hellraiser and it kind of freaked him out.
So, it's now time to start planning for next year. Mark already know's what he wants to be! I think we might have to have a party with how into Halloween he's getting.