Paloma Vs. Daddy - Round 25,095

Did you really think that Paloma would stop arguing with us simply because it was Christmas Eve? As her parents, we knew better.

Paloma is a strong willed, stubborn little girl. It is her way or the highway.
Now that is good for many different reasons
1) I can't imagine any little boys trying to slip one past Paloma - she will never get taken advantage of. In fact, watch out, she may be the one taking advantage of you!
2) Paloma will most likely never be the victim of bullying by a group of little girls on the playground. She will tell them their behavior is wrong and then properly recite how the "Bible says to not bully." Did you know that the Bible says to "not leave little sisters behind." Yep, it does. She told me so.
3) Paloma will be the one to speak up in class and perhaps correct a teacher on mistaught information. In fact, she already tried to do this with her preschool teacher - last year when she was 3.

But, when you are her parents and she believes that you are wrong every time you open your mouth, it can get a bit annoying. And David's face clearly showed that Christmas Eve. Boy, do we love that little girl though.

Mr. Grinch Delivers

As many of you may know, I'm not real good in the kitchen. That may be an understatement. For the first few years of my marriage, I didn't cook at all - except perhaps an occasional frozen pizza. But since Dave got his masters degree and took on the full time "worker" role, I took on full time "cook, cleaner, chauffeur, nurse, shopper, bill payer "(you get it right?) I actually kind of like cooking now and enjoy putting together meal plans for the week. I say that only if I get a free minute to myself of uninterrupted time by my children to search through cookbooks and online websites to do this kind of planning.
Well one of the websites I've fallen in love with is pinterest. I have tried to many recipes of there - desserts, dinner meals, beverages, appetizers. I decided to make "Grinch cookies" from a recipe I found on pinterest to take and share for Paloma's class party. Well, my family and I fell in love with them and I have made several batches since then.
So I thought I would pass along the recipe to you. Please let me know if you try and them and how you like them. They are amazing...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bettycrockerrecipes/4595758178/

Too Cute Tuesday

Happy Birthday Jesus

A very special thank you to all my friends who came out to join my family and I in celebrating the birth of Jesus. The girls and I decided this was the year to get all our friend together and throw a party. After all, my girls get a party to celebrate their birthday. Why shouldn't Jesus get the same?

















The kids enjoyed a plethora of food, birthday cake, Christmas crafts, fellowship and then good old fashion play downstairs in the kid zone area. It was so great to mingle with friends and watch our children gather around and blow out the candles in honor of our Lord. I am so confident there were smiles in heaven that afternoon!

The Look

Oh my goodness, can you believe that my 6 year old daughter is giving me "the look?" How dare I interrupt her study time.

Whew - there is the smile that I missed. Guess she was just kidding. What a wonderful toothless smile!

Paloma's Performance

Our sweet little Paloma also had her night to shine. Her preschool class, once again, hosted friends and family to show off skills and talents. The kids sang songs, recited scripture, and even led the crowd in a round of 'Hokey Pokey.' I bet you are all jealous of me...



Congratulations Miss Paloma. You were beautiful and amazing.



We can't call it a night without a special picture with pappa.



It is sad to think this is the last Christmas performance that Paloma and her best friend Jessie will be performing in together. They will be parting ways next year as both girls head off to Kindergarten. I'm not sure Paloma has quite gotten a grasp on that concept yet. She is pretty attached to Miss Jessie.

Paloma was given the very special role of performing sign language as the children sang Silent Night. She was so nervous and would come home rather anxious about her role. But being the stubborn little girl that she is, she refused to let me help her. But when the time came, she did absolutely fantastic. Good job Paloma. We love you and are so proud of you.

First Up - Matty Moo

Miss Mattea's 1st grade class was not putting on a Christmas program for the parents but rather a "special chapel' that we were all invited to. There would be a lot of singing and a definite celebration to honor Jesus. Mattea was so excited for her upcoming performance. She wouldn't spill any details or drop any little hint about what to expect.

Mattea's music teacher had done a fabulous job of organizing the children. We were very impressed and once again very grateful that Mattea is able to attend this Christian School. The children sang Christmas songs and closed the program with a loud and excited 'Happy Birthday Jesus.' I absolutely love that my daughter can wish Jesus a happy birthday openly in school. Praise God.

And of course, I couldn't leave without a photo op with the star performer. Good job Mattea. We are so proud of you.

Back In Business

Hello blog friends,

I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted. Our lives have been so busy and chaotic lately that posting has been the farthest thing from my mind. I have so much to catch up on though because despite the chaos, our lives have been pretty darn fun - I will admit.

To begin, Dave and I became "temporary" parents through Nov. and beginning of Dec. We were given the opportunity to foster two beautiful little babies. The first placement was a 4 day old baby boy and the second was a 2 week old baby girl. We were honored and had a blast taking care of newborns again - despite the sleep deprivation. Of course, that seemed to dominate our days/nights/ and every waking minute in between.

And then of course came the holidays. Thanksgiving, my birthday, Christmas parties and programs for both girls and then the wonderful celebration of our Saviors birth. Whew. That seems to be the last few months in a nutshell. So forgive me for being a bit behind but I do hope to catch back up rather quickly.

Sooooooo, let's go!