It's a wrap up 2012

WE have enjoyed 2012! I cannot begin to tell you about all of our blessings this year. Here is a quick run down of our year....

January we traveled to Cancun, Mexico we had a relaxing trip with our cutie.  Kaden is getting so big!

Our cutie January 2012

February we began prepping for Kaden's first birthday and took a getaway to our new favorite beach location- Crystal Cove.

Enjoying the sand

March was a big celebration for our little boy. His first birthday was terrific. A candy themed party was a huge hit.

The handsome birthday boy

April we were chasing after a very active boy. He is walking all over the place. We also celebrated Easter!

Matt & Kaden with the Easter bunny. Kaden was not happy.

May brought tons more fun as Kaden was growing into an active toddler. It is amazing the progress from one month to the next.

His passion for books and Mickey Mouse

June we traveled to Walt Disney World and Puerto Vallarta. This little guy sure is a traveler. He is a trooper and does very well on the plane.

At the beautiful animal kingdom

Sand and water in Puerto Vallarta

July Matt and I took a much needed trip by ourselves to Las Vegas. It was a peaceful 3 days and 2 nights.

My sexy dinner date

August we had house guests- David and Sofia stayed with us. We enjoyed having them over!

Kaden and Sofia loving the jumper!

September we enjoyed our 5 year anniversary with a getaway. Shopping, food, and relaxation!

Loving our trip away

October we decided to transform Kaden's bed into a toddler bed. He is not a baby anymore (tears)

Thoroughly enjoys the bed!

November we voted! Talked to Kaden about voting (doesn't understand) but he loved the I Voted sticker!

This is where he wanted to put the sticker

December we celebrated Nancy's graduation and my birthday to a trip to San Francisco. Sister time shopping, eating, walking, and more shopping.

Riding in the BART

Looking forward to many more adventures and fun in 2013!!!

Date night

Been out lately? I cannot stress enough the importance of weekly date nights! Since having Kaden date nights are a MUST. Tonight my hubby and I went out and saw a movie. K stayed with a babysitter that adores him and he enjoys playing with her. It is the holiday season and I probably have more than 10 things to do on my list but we put everything aside and had a fun evening just the two of us. Here are some date night ideas:
*Go to see a movie, concert, theatre, musical, or even orchestra performance.
*Go out to dinner, appetizers, dessert or simply coffee.
*Take a stroll through the park and chat. It is wonderful to have an adult conversation without interruptions.
*Get errands done- I know this sounds crazy but two people accomplishing the dry cleaning run, grocery shopping, meal planning, and the joyful trip to Costco, is easier when both go. It really is not a date but finish off the list with your favorite scoop of ice cream and I am sold! Give me rocky road ice cream and I will tackle the to do list.

Married couples with or without children I highly recommend date nights to keep you sane. As a couple having some time alone is essential to a marriage and now I totally understand why. God orchestrates marriage and it is our part to keep it healthy and strong. So when was your last date? Plan your next one! You will be thrilled at how much fun you will have and you will feel a little bit refreshed (away from the kiddie/kiddos will be refreshing).

Christmas is the Season

2012 holds a different Christmas for my family. This year my grandma passed away. She was a key person in our family and since Grandpa passed away over 5 years ago it was a tough holiday season then and it is very tough this year. My mom's family tries to get together around the holidays and it is usually for New Years. This year I am hosting my mom's family for a Christmas celebration. We love having people in our home. At first I was a little apprehensive because having a gathering more than 20 people worries me. God knows that this gathering will be a great time to enjoy each other. It will not be a sit down dinner which helps me. Each family will bring something which helps me greatly.

We will be having a FIESTA! In Mexico there is a week long party- for one week each night there is a "posada". I'm pretty sure it has something to do with Mary and Joseph making the trek to Bethlehem. I am going to share the Christmas story that day and serve plenty words of encouragement from God's word. Looking forward to our fun filled day!

Continue to Pray for America

After hearing about the most recent tragedy at an elementary school in Newton, Conn. it brought me to my knees. Precious lives were lost today and I cannot imagine what the parents, family, friends, classmates, teachers, and community must feel. This brought me back to reality, the fact that we do live in a sinful world and holding our loved ones closer tonight. I am thanking the Lord for watching over and protecting us in our comings and goings.  Here are a few thoughts:

The children: "Jesus loves the little children!" The adorable kiddies will never say I love you to their parents, they will never graduate from high school, and never have the opportunity to celebrate this Christmas season. Innocent children that never hurt another person intentionally. How many of those children are an only child? Losing your one and only is so tragic. How many of those children were born at a great cost? I personally know many friends that endured hardships to finally conceive and then give birth to their adorable baby. These parents are in anguish as well. Classmates are mourning the loss of their friends in their own way. Many will need psychology help to process the tragedy. Siblings will be without their brother or sister. I can picture those sweet faces looking at their teachers eager to learn! They were going to celebrate their last day of school before the holiday break. As they went to school this morning they anticipated their holiday party and being off for a couple of weeks. Their gifts will be under the tree this Christmas as the parents mourn the loss. Christmas morning will never be the same.....

The parents: Receiving an emergency phone call at work stating that there was a shooting at your children's school. Parents rushed- ran to the school, cried on the way, drove frantically to get there as soon as they could. I could not put myself in their shoes and relay everything they must have thought or did. Tonight parents hold your gifts from the Lord extra tight, that adorable little boy or girl. Thank the Lord for his blessings and his unfailing love. Share with your older children the events that occurred today in a modified version and age appropriate and omitting specific details. The media will detail everything and placing your children in front of the television to learn what happened is not the best way. Something to this effect- Son or daughter: We live in a world where tragic situations happen, children and adults lost their lives today. Not sure as to why this occurred but we do know that we love you so much and there are people that protect us and keep us safe. We do not know why things like this happen but there is no need to worry. We love you and will do everything to provide safety.
Children are bound to hear more graphic details from friends or classmates. The best advice is to tell them in advance that there may come across these conversations and to walk away and not listen. Unfortunately children can pick up bits and pieces of information and pass them onto others as truth. Teach your children that you as their parents will provide them truth and they can always come to you.

I cried today and I am sure I will continue to cry in the upcoming weeks. Pray! PRAY!!! I cannot stress the word pray. Our country and world is not getting better. Sin is growing and it is up to us to stand up in our faith and seek God's word. Be a light in this dark world! My prayers go out to all of the families, children, teachers, school workers, and community. I wish I could be there to hug each one of them and tell them that God loves them and only HE can get them through this. Let us all join in and wish everyone our deepest sympathy and love.

Pray for America!!!

Packing Lite

I am so excited for my trip to San Francisco tomorrow! My sister graduated from college on Saturday so we are celebrating with a trip!! My birthday is tomorrow and what better way to ring in my 31st in a special way.

There are times I dread packing (mainly for trips that require warm clothing). I would much rather pack bathing suits and shorts than scarves, coats and boots. Nonetheless I have left my packing to the night before which leaves room for many items left behind. Thank goodness Southwest has free checked baggage! What are some must haves? On the top of my list is my coats, umbrella, and comfortable shoes (would rather take some cute heels). I never pack light so I will do a process of elimination, exactly what it entails I am not sure but I have to be done by tonight. My goal is done and ready by 9pm.

Any tips or must see while in San Fran?

Get carded

The holiday season is in full swing and I am excited to receive our first Christmas
Card for the 2012 season. Last week I was thinking of purchasing a metal card holder to place on a wall. I came across one of the best ways to display cards. It will have to wait for a couple more weeks, I have some important things to do before I can re create this beauty. The search is over and I cannot wait to get my crafty skills out!

Looking Old

I was beyond shocked last week when I found not one but three long white hairs! As you can imagine I flipped out. Who has white hair at the young age of 30. I began to realize that my body has changed quite a bit in the last two years. Having a baby changed my body and sadly I think it was not the best for my body. I can't bounce back as quickly as I thought. My metabolism has slowed down greatly and I think I have to be on a diet for the rest of my life and workout daily to maintain a steady body weight. In less than a week I will turn 31 and to be honest I am not ready for that. Getting old is not for me!