December 2 - 25 Days of Christmas Blogging Challenge

Friday night, Elisan played in her first basketball game.  That girl is scrappy and not afraid to get in the mix of things.  Here she is shooting her free throw after being repeatedly fouled on.  She missed, but it was great experience for her.

I'll be the first to admit that basketball is probably NOT her sport, but I definitely wanted her to play and not let her size be a factor in her decision. 
 

Saturday, several soccer moms and I took the girls out to lunch and shopping for our end of season party.  We went to Cheesecake Factory (yum!) and then shopping at the Domain.  The girls had a great time and it was fun hanging out with the girls (and moms) OFF of the soccer field.

December 1 - 25 Days of Christmas Blogging Challenge

I'm excited! Today marks the first day of the "25 Days of Christmas Blogging Challenge".

However, I am sad to say, that my Danish counterpart, Charlotte, will not be participating this year! She heads up an organization that creates handmade Christmas cards to send to Danish troops stationed away from home.  It's a HUGE organization in Denmark, so she's spending her valuable time with that worthy organization.  Check out her blog Hjemme hos Charlie and Operation Skriv hjem blog here.

The girls were up early this morning decorating the Christmas Tree. I love how excited they get about the each and every ornament.  I told them to put the 'not so pretty' ornaments in the back, but according to them... there aren't any!  (LOVE those girls!)

Note: You know you have a pre-teen in the house when they get dressed and fix their hair before you take pictures to post on your blog... just sayin'...

It's that time of year again!

Time for the annual "25 Days of Christmas Blogging Challenge".  There will be no prize at the end of the 25 days, but I can guarantee that you will be glad you are not pressured to post a blog entry once it is all over.

Blog about anything, everything... Post pictures, jokes, cool stuff you found on Pinterest!  Anything!  Just post each day (even on the weekend!) leading up to Christmas.

The fun begins on Saturday!  So, grab my clipart and join the challenge.  And... be sure to let me know!

Zoom-Zoom-Zoom

This past weekend was Formula 1's United States Grand Prix Inaugural Opening Weekend!

Since we were not able to attend Saturday's pole position race and Sunday's race day, we opted to attend the Friday practice session instead. After seeing all of the media coverage of Saturday and Sunday... I'm glad we did the Friday practice, because the weekend looked crazy jam packed with people!  It's hard to do 117,000+ people with two kids.

Friday did not disappoint.  We were able to watch the drivers test the track for the first time AND they did two practice sessions, which was like watching them race two times.

The noise level was just... it was just unbelievable.  The speed was phenomenal.  The excitement was unstoppable!

Our seats were right in front of Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) and Lewis Hamilton's (McClaren) pit.  It was awesome.

We arrived about 8:30 and as you can see... the main grandstand was empty!  We literally had the whole place to ourselves.  The first practice run began at 9:00 a.m. and people began filtering in, but still... there weren't a whole lot of people in our section. 

Here we are enjoying the day!  Can you tell we were rooting for Sebastian Vettel?

 Elisan is holding up the Red Bull can as her official endorsement!

Here's Vettel's car zooming past us.

Thanksgiving Printable Banner

Need a quick banner for Thanksgiving?  Check out this freebie printable!

Plum Creek Feast

Here's Kyla in her pioneer outfit. I was able to make the skirt and bonnet from $4.00 worth of remnant fabric. The apron is from another costume I made for Elisan when she was in third grade.

I think it turned out pretty cute. It's up for loan if anyone needs a pioneer type outfit!

Whole lotta nuthin'

Ever since my friend (who shall remain nameless) mentioned that my ever popular "Blog Brain Dump" title gave her bathroom imagery, I've been hesitant to use it.  (Use it... the title... not USE IT... the bathroom.)

So,  I have no title other than what you see.  For now, it will do, but I'll be honest... it doesn't speak to me.

Randy's company sent him a FITBIT Ultra about a month ago as a nice little gift.  It's supposed to be a "we're a company that believes in healthy lifestyles" type thingy, which... hey, is pretty cool if you ask me.  Anyway... since Randy is not into wearing a little gadget that tracks his every move, he passed it along to me.

I have to say, I like the FITBIT. It will estimate your burned calories for the day, track your sleep (and sleep pattern  - awake/sleep), track floors climbed, etc.  You can also log your food intake via desktop or app and it will track your caloric intake.  Pretty nifty.  (Calculations are based on your age, weight, height, etc.)

Might be a cool little Christmas present for that hard to buy for person on your list!

Okay, so this is going to seem like a weird little story, but here goes.  So, I was browsing Pinterest the other day and a friend pinned a cute little pup on her Christmas Wish List.  The pup was a white fluffy and he looked remarkably like TJ... only the breed was a Coton De Tulear.  I had never heard of this breed of dog, but couldn't get over the fact that that dog looked so much like TJ.

See, here's the thing... I've always had a sneaking suspicion that TJ was not a true Maltese.  Why?  Well, because his coat is not silky like a Maltese's coat.  Instead, it is cottony and puffy.  Second, Maltese dogs are small and petite averaging between 5-7 lbs.  TJ is a whopping 10lbs.  Still small, but not Maltese small.  Even the vet agreed he was too big to be a Maltese.

We adopted TJ from a family that bought the dog from a lady who claimed that he was Maltese, but they didn't have papers yadda, yadda, yadda... so, it was by word of mouth that he was a Maltese.  I can just hear it now...

"Well, Bubba, whatcha think this here dog is?"
"I don't know Sissy... must be one of those fancy Maltese dogs because of it's white hair, dontcha think?"
"Well, I'll be... you must be right about that. He IS a Maltese dog then."

And so... TJ was declared a Maltese.

But, after researching the Coton De Tulear, we're under the distinct impression that he is NOT a Maltese, but a Coton.  Here's why...

• Coton is the French word for Cotton. Like the name suggests the most conspicuous feature of the Coton De Tulear is its coat, which is cottony or fluffy rather than silky. (White Fluffy Cotton)
• Height:  10-12 inches; Weight:  12-15 pounds (Yep and Yep!)
• Very friendly, gentle, affectionate, and alert. Very attached to its home and master. The Coton makes a great watchdog. (Like he's only the BEST dog in the world!)
• He's related to the Bichon Frise and Maltese but has his own distinct style. (Well, duh...)
• When your doorbell rings, the Coton may bark once, then politely accompany you to the door to greet your guest.  (I could have written this description myself!  This is exactly what TJ does!)
• He likes to "talk" to his people, using his own special language of unique vocalizations, including grunts and growls.   (Yep... he "talks" to us often.) 

And here's some pictures to prove it...
 

I mean... c'mon.  Any one of these dogs could pass for TJ, right?


So, we've decided that TJ is a Coton dog and will henceforth refer to him as such.  Who's gonna dispute it?

Formula One is coming up in less than two weeks.  Unfortunately, BOTH girls have soccer tournaments the SAME. EXACT. WEEKEND. as the race.  Que lastima.  Luckily, it's a three day event with pre-race practice sessions on Friday.  So, we've decided to take the girls out of school so we can at least enjoy some F1 festivities, since we can't attend the actual race.

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but we have front row seating in the main grandstand right in front of the finish line and pit crew area.  Should make for a fun and exciting day!

We'll be right here... with ear plugs...

 

That's all for today my friends.  Enjoy this beautiful day that the Lord has made.

So Proud!

 

Good To Know

Here's another installment of "Good To Know"... because sometimes you just want to pass along an amazing tip!

I recently had a conversation with Randy about an idea for an app.  My conversation pretty much went like this...

Erica: "We [as if we really could do this...] should develop an app that allows you to put in your lighting conditions, whether you are outside or inside and if your subjects are moving or not and then the app would spit out what the ideal camera settings would be for aperture, ISO and shutter speeds.  And, it would be for your particular camera!  That would be awesome.  We really should do that!"

As the saying goes....

Randy says:

Randy did a 5 second search in the iTunes store and found this app for me. I LOVE IT and it has helped me so much!

It's $1.99, but it's totally worth the two bucks! 

Gotta start somewhere...

So, my very first family photo shoot was this past weekend! I'll admit, I was a bit nervous because I've never taken photos of OTHER people... and them expecting greatness... or at least a photo where everyone is looking in the same direction, ya know?

Here are my favorites.  As I mentioned before, this family is absolutely beautiful and could not take a bad picture if they tried!

I'm a novice and I'm not going to pretend I'm a fabulous professional photographer, but everyone has to start somewhere.  So, this is my somewhere...

Blog Brain Dump Bullet Style

I'm not feeling very wordy today... probably because I'm just too darn tired.

Here goes:

• We celebrated Kyla's birthday on Sunday by bringing her to Sea World.  She rode the "Steel Eel" twice and was standing in line to ride it a third time and opted to get out of line.  She had had enough.  I'm proud of her for going on it at all. 
• We have two more volleyball games left in our season.  The girls are definitely improving and it's been fun... BUT, I'll be glad when it's over because I'm worn out.
• We had Elisan officially tested for gluten sensitivity last week.  She tested negative! Yay!  
• Kyla has begun reading "On the Banks of Plum Creek" by Laura Ingalls Wilder at school.  Lord, help me.
• I have my very first family photo shoot set for this weekend.  Thankfully, the family is the most beautiful family you could ever imagine so I could probably take pictures with my phone and they would turn out amazing.  I'll keep you posted how it goes.
• Look... if you are cutting through parking lots to avoid traffic lights then please realize I'm using you as an example to my kids by telling them that you think you are better than everyone else and that you think your time is more valuable than those around you. And, I'm also telling them that you are a law breaker who is a big 'ol loser and that you are not more important than the rest of us. Just sayin'...
• I love, love, love Kyla's 3rd grade teacher.  I want to be her BFF.  Unfortunately, I'm old enough to be her mom and she'd probably think that's weird.
• Our kids go through phases where they prefer one parent over the other... I'm sure it's something most kids do from time to time.  I'll admit, I'm always a little heart broken when daddy is the favored parent.  But, lately, it's been ME, ME, ME!  Elisan and I have been super tight lately and I'm loving every. single. second. of. it.  It's bliss and I'm soaking it in.
• I have plantar fasciitis which is a fancy way of saying I have heel pain resulting from inflammation of the tendon in my arch. Which makes it hard to run.  Actually it makes it hard to walk, stand, etc.  And, from what I've read, it can be hard to treat.  Great.
• Both girls are doing exceptionally well in soccer this season.  Makes this soccer mama proud.
• I'll be forty in 53 days or 1285 hours or 77127minutes or if you want to get technical...4,627,618seconds... now, 4,627,596 seconds.
• I finished all 8 seasons of Grey's Anatomy a week ago.  I think it took me about 3 months.  That's an insane amount of television to watch... Just sayin'...
• And, I'm just sayin' that I have no more to say.

Nine

 

Happy Birthday Kyla!  You are such a special girl! You are so beautiful, kind and thoughtful and I'm proud to be your mama.

Kyla you are so independent... it actually scares me a bit.  From the day you were born you did things YOUR way and in YOUR timing.  That can be somewhat challenging for us, your parents, but it makes you a strong person.  A fighter!

You are so much like your daddy that if anyone tells you you can't do something, you show them that you can!  And that you can do it well.  I love that about you.  I don't want anything to stand in your way of your dreams.

You are definitely the comic relief around our home. You are hilarious.  I mean... you are so stinkin' funny.  The other day I was telling Elisan to "smile like she meant it" and you said, "yeah Elisan, smile like you farted!"  You thought you would get in trouble for using the "f" word, but I was so busy laughing until I cried... I let that one slip that time!

If I had to compare myself to you, I would probably say that you are a people-pleaser like me. You work hard to earn the respect and love of other people.  But, be careful to not let people take advantage of you.  People pleasin' people oftentimes get their feelings hurt when others don't return the same amount of respect and care that we give... so just remember that sweet girl and don't let it change the way YOU are.

And finally... your daddy and I are amazed at your sheer athleticism. I know that there are people out there who would say that you can't determine if a person is athletic or not at age nine.  Well, I'm here to say that yes you can!  Daddy and I look at you in awe... knowing that you have the athletic potential to do anything you set mind on to do.  And, you have the potential to do it well!  All it takes is hard work and determination... both of which we already know you have.

So, baby girl... dream big... dream high... and don't stop dreaming.  We love you so much.

Wordless Wednesday (sortv've)

Here's Elisan in her prize winning t-shirt design.

She's so proud!

Not for the faint of heart!

Here's another installment of
"Soccer... it's NOT for the faint of heart!"

Good to Know

I'm kind of the "unofficial" photographer for Elisan's soccer team this year and I began looking for a website that would allow me to post an upwards of 60+ game photos each week.

After some research, I discovered that Shutterfly offers a "share site" option which allows you to set up a shared site for virtually anything!

I am not only able to share game photos & videos, I am also able to add team roster information, game schedules, game stats, etc.  It's such a great resource if you are a team manager... a homeroom mom... planning a family reunion... anything!

I've been using the Shutterfly share site for over two months and I really like it.  It's very user friendly and easy to use.

And no, I'm not getting paid for this glowing endorsement of Shutterfly's shared site option... I'm simply telling you something that is good to know.

Change is good

My poor neglected blog.  Surely...  Surely, I've had things to discuss, dissect and communicate with you, but alas... I've put you aside, my sad pitiful blog.  Forgive me?

So, what's new?  Well, the kids are back into the full swing of school... it's true... the odd number years are the hardest... and lucky us, Kyla is in 3rd grade, which if you've lost track... is an odd year.  Kyla now has full-fledged homework and is studying for tests now.  She had 4 tests this week.  FOUR! 

And let me just say for the record... Kyla is a very bright girl.  She's smart and catches on quickly.  BUT... the girl has the focus and attention of a 2 year old.  I've officially diagnosed her with B.S.O.S., which is "Bright Shiny Object Syndrome". Look it up... It's real.

Elisan on the other hand has officially lost her brain.  Or, at the very least, puberty has officially taken over her brain.  Same thing.


So, we've made a few changes around here.  I've left my beloved YMCA.  I was a member of the Y for over 5 years.  I loved it there and I made many, many friends along the way.  But, it was time to move on. I joined a gym about 3 miles from my house which is awesome because the YMCA was in the next town over, nearly 10 miles away.  I love having my new gym so close to home... and so close to where I run errands to the grocery store, the library, the pharmacy, etc. 

Another change that has taken place in our home is that we've changed churches.  We've been attending our new church since June and we all really like it.  The decision to leave a church is a hard one and finding a church that fits your desired needs is even harder.  This decision did not come lightly and did not happen over-night.  It was a long arduous process... one that Randy and I took very seriously. But, change is good and it's been good for us.

Randy and I are coaching 6th grade volleyball this year at Elisan's school.  Good times.  Randy is such an excellent teacher and coach.  He really has a way of making new ideas and strategies come to life.  I really think he missed his calling.  Also, he's the "good cop" coach.  I'm the "bad cop" coach.  I'm the one that has to yell at them to pay attention, wear proper clothing,  hustle into class.  Yep, that's me.  The girls tell me when I'm using my "mom voice".  But, that's okay.  I'd rather it come from me, than from Randy... and I'm guessing he's thankful he can remain "good cop".

And finally soccer is gearing up this weekend.  I love soccer weekends.  I truly used to loath soccer weekends, but now... I love them.  Funny how that works.  I guess the older they get, the more enjoyable the games are. 

Speaking of sports, I have a soccer mom tip to pass along.  Currently, between both girls, I am responsible for cleaning and caring for 11 DIFFERENT uniforms (including Kyla's school uniform).  Yes... 11.  Kyla has 5 and Elisan has 6.  That means, I have to keep them clean and ready to wear, sometimes twice a week.  After about 5 years of this, I've finally come up with a system that helps me stay organized!

This may seems like a simple solution and it is... however, I used to find myself putting the uniforms "away" after doing the laundry, rather than keeping them on hand for quick retrieval.  And once I put the uniforms and socks away... the girls would always have trouble finding matching shorts and a pair of socks.  It never failed.

So now, I hang the uniforms up with the jersey, shorts and socks on one hanger... AND, I keep them all in one location.

Them, "Mom, where's my soccer uniform?"
Me, "It's hanging up in the laundry room."
Them, "Mom, where's my soccer socks?"
Me, "Same place."

Brilliant.

First Day of School - Wordless Wednesday

My girl... the party planner

Elisan had her birthday party on Sunday. She was large and in charge for this birthday. I told her right away that she was responsible for creating the invitation and deciding upon the decorations and theme. She went with happy faces... which is no surprise to this mama.

She decided she did not want balloons or streamers... just puff balls in yellow and black.  Simple enough.

On the menu was pizza from Papa John's, brownies and fruit for dinner.  After pizza, the girls went swimming in the neighborhood pool.  I very nearly had to drag them away because they were having so much fun.

After dinner, she had a sundae buffet bar of all the toppings you would ever want on a sundae.  The girls (mostly MY girls) filled their bowls with so many toppings they could not possibly eat it all.

The evening was finished up with hanging out with the donkeys, jumping on the trampoline and just hanging outside.

It was a great party, with little (to no) input from mama.  I guess I've trained her well!

Go West - Day 10

On Sunday, we got on the road as quickly as possible.  We had a 5 hour drive ahead of us and we wanted to be sure to have plenty of time in historic Santa Fe.

When we arrived in Santa Fe, we were pleasantly surprised to discover that the 61st Annual Traditional Spanish Market was in full swing.  Downtown was bustling with thousands of people in this open air market.  Artists from all over were showcasing their work and it was amazing to see all of the different styles, mediums and designs.

After visiting downtown, we headed back to our hotel.  By this time, we were hot and tired and honestly... ready to unwind.  We brought the kids down to the pool and relaxed a bit.  Afterwards, we ate at the hotel's restaurant and went to be early!

The next morning, we woke up at 4:45 a.m. (yes, THAT early) to get on the road.  We had a 12 hour drive to get home and by that time... we were ready to get home.  We arrived home by 7 p.m. and it was soooo awesome to finally be home... even though I had this to tend to...

The girls did really well on this entire trip.  They were set up with plenty of things to keep them occupied.

• Audio Books (borrowed from the library and uploaded to the iPod)
• iPods (Games)
• White board w/dry erase markers
• Movies (borrowed from the library)
• License Plate Game (they found 46 states!)
• Road Trip Bingo
• Flip Book Scrapbook w/journaling pages (yes, I required them to journal "field notes")
• Yarn and Thread Crafts

The flip book scrapbooks worked out really well!  They collected brochures from each stop and added each to the ring binder.  It was a genius idea I found on Pinterest.  I created the scrapbook pages several months before the trip and printed them out the week before we left.  I laminated the front and back covers and placed the pages in order of our trip.  They LOVED the flip book and I think we've discovered a brand new way to memorialize our vacations!  (Once home, I printed some of their favorite photos to add to their flip books.  Again... genius!)

All in all, our Go West Road Trip of 2012 was a huge success!  In fact, we can't wait to plan our next trip!

Go West- Day 9

On Saturday, we ventured out on a 4x4 off road tour with Randy's uncle. During the Summer months, he works as a mountain tour guide.  He knows the surrounding mountains like the back of his hand and truly loves his job. Although, admittedly, there were times during our tour I thought we were going off the side of the mountain as he negotiated the switchbacks in the 4x4 suburban, all in all, it was a very interesting and at time, exhilarating trip!

As I mentioned earlier, Randy's parents flew out to Colorado and met us during this portion of our vacation. It was nice having them there and visiting with all of Randy's family.  (Uncle Steve is my MIL's brother.)

On the tour, Uncle Steve brought us to Velocity Basin, where Shaun White has his own "private" snowboarding pipe to practice on.  The girls are standing directly in front of Velocity Basin in the photo below.

The mountain tour was a lot of fun and we went very high into the mountains.  The girls loved the open top suburban and stood during most of the ride up and down the mountain roads.

And yes... it was cold.  (Well, it was in the mid-50's, which for this Texas girl... that was cold!)

After the mountain trek, we brought the girls to the Silverton Old Hundred Mine Tour.  This was neat to see how the original miners worked.  I would have to say that being an original miner was probably one of the most excruciating jobs ever... both physically and mentally.  I cannot imagine how they worked in a mining environment day in and day out.  Makes you think how "easy" we have it now.

Later that afternoon, my mother in law and aunt took the girls into the town and explored the shops.  The shops are in walking distance from Randy's uncle's house.  They literally live in the heart of town... as do most of the residents in Silverton.

Aunt Karla paints porcelain for a living and does incredible work.  The girls were very intrigued by her studio and artistic designs.  Karla has literally painted everything in her home... from the porcelain cabinet knobs, to the tile cabinet inserts in her kitchen to the bathroom sink!  She had these pieces ready for us before we left on Sunday.

Here's her website to check out more of her work. 

 The remainder of the evening was spent visiting with family.  This stop on our trip nice and relaxing!  The next morning, we headed out to Santa Fe, NM... the last stop on our trip.

Eleven

Wow.  Eleven years old. I can't hardly believe my eyes.

Elisan, you've become such an extraordinary young lady.  You are beautiful... inside and out. Your intelligence amazes me each and every day.   You are a loving, kind and caring person.  There are days when I strive to be more like you.  God has truly blessed our family with you and I cannot imagine life without you in it.  You make our lives brighter with each passing day.


You are so incredibly like your mom and you are so incredibly like your dad.  In fact, you are a perfect cross-section of both of us.  There are days when I sigh and think to myself...'you are soooo like your daddy!' and I'm sure your daddy does the same.  I love that I can look upon you and see myself, because you represent the best part of me. 

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't hear belly laughs from you... along with cheerful giggles and general happiness.  When you see a smiley-face anything, you always remind me that a smiley-face represents who you are...

Today I reminded you that you have 6 more years with us before you head off to college and live on your own.  You sighed and said, "I don't want to do that."  And I reminded you... "Oh, you will sweet girl... you will."  But rest assured, sweet girl, I will embrace these days and the coming 6 years with all my heart because I love you with my entire heart.  You are my heart.

So, happy birthday sweet girl.  I love you!
Mom

Go West - Day 8

On Friday, we headed out to Arches National Park in Moab.  Truly, another amazing sight.  It's unimaginable how long ago these arches were formed.

This park was easy to maneuver around with easy to moderate hikes to some of the more spectacular arches.  In fact, we would drive our car to the arch we would want to see, park and hop out for a 30 minute walk or (sometimes) hike.

The picture below shows probably one of the most famous arches... the "Delicate Arch". We did not hike directly to this arch because it was a 3 mile round trip hike and we wanted to make the most of our time.  The Delicate Arch looks comparatively small  to it's surroundings, but if you notice in the picture, the tiny people below it, you realize how amazingly huge it really is. 

We spent about 3 hours exploring Arches Park before we headed out for our next destination... Silverton, Colorado... about a 3.5 hour drive.

Randy's uncle and aunt live year round in Silverton. They built their home right in the middle of town.  We stayed with them two nights and Randy's parents flew in and joined us for this leg of our trip.  More later about our stay in Silverton.

Go West - Day 7

From the Grand Canyon, we traveled to Monument Valley, Utah... 200 miles or about 4 hours.  Monument Valley is a Navajo Tribal Park, which is the equivalent to a national park.

It was our intention to hike/explore Monument Valley, but the 17 mile driving tour which looped around the valley pretty much required an off road 4x4 vehicle.  Sadly, my poor mini-van was not cut out for the task!  So, the girls hopped out and I snapped a few pictures and we headed back on the road.

About 5 miles down the road, Randy pulled over and I snapped this picture (on the left).  Look familiar?  (Of course, if you look closely, you'll notice the movie poster picture is horizontally reversed.  Hmmm.)

Doesn't this look familiar as well?

The bottom pictures are of the "Mexican Hat" in none other than Mexican Hat, Utah.  The rock formation looks like an upside down sombrero.  Randy's being silly pretending it's balanced on his head!

The 3 hour scenic drive from Monument Valley to Moab was truly beautiful and amazing. 

We arrived in Moab mid-afternoon, checked into Red Cliff's Lodge, changed into our bathing suits and spent some pent up energy by the pool!   Oh, and check out that view from our lodge room.  That's the Colorado River in front of Randy as he's checking out the sunrise with me.  Truly magnificent!