Thanksgiving Feast

This last week, I was able to help with Reagan's class Thanksgiving Feast. It was so fun to see my little "Native American" sharing a poem and song, with the rest of the Pilgrims and Native Americans in her class. It was also fun to see the kids gobble up the feast. The traditional Thanksgiving donut holes were a big hit. :)


We are looking forward to spending time with our family this Thanksgiving....and eating way too much pumpkin pie.

Violin Recital

On Friday, Reagan participated in her first violin recital. She played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". She was the first to perform, and she did a great job.

Here she is pretending to play because I didn't take a picture of her while she was playing (I didn't want to distract her).

Here she is with her teacher and several other students.

And of course, Jenna was very proud of her sister.

Disneyland Trip

We didn't think that we were going to be able to do it (because so many before us have not), but we were able to go on a family trip that included our lawyer/daddy. I put lawyer first because we have heard many a horror story where a family plans a trip for months. And then last minute, the dad can't go because of work. So we beat the odds and took a FAMILY trip to Disneyland. We met Liz (Grandma) and Brooke (Ian's sister), Evan, McKenzie, and Brynn at the happiest place on earth.

While at Disneyland, we saw "The Mouse"! For us, Minnie is "The Mouse" because she is a female and females rule our roost. So the girls were excited about that.
***Sorry Mickey. I do acknowledge the fact that we saw and took pictures with you. And that was very special and all. But Minnie (and the Princesses) are what Disney is all about to these ladies.***



We rode a ton of rides. There were NO lines to stand in our first 2 days. It was perfect. But of course, now I will be expecting no lines anytime we go to Disneyland or World. (This was not only our girls first trip but mine also.)

We had breakfast with some characters. You can tell from the family photo above, that Jen was a bit nervous. And it is pretty darn obvious from the bear picture, that Reagan was about to burst with excitement.

So I had to through this picture in because this is how our life is (like many of yours'). Husband involved in family activity, meal, in bed, you name it and he is with his mistress Madam Blackberry.

We met a few fairies during our visit. (Jenna is starting to warm up to the characters.)

We spent some time with Princess Minnie.

We met just about every Princess. But our time with Ariel was probably the highlight of our character experience. She talked with the girls for several minutes and even played a bit. They loved it so much. It was worth it to stand in that line, just to see how excited and happy our girls were.

Another highlight for the girls, was spending time with their grandma and cousins. McKenzie and Brynn are their only cousins and we don't get to see them very often. The girls loved every second of their time with their family.

This picture of our last night together perfectly illustrates that despite the kids desire to live at Disneyland, it was time for them to go home. (Well, maybe Reagan and Brynn were up for Disney living but the other 2...they are a different story.)

We had a wonderful time with family at Disneyland. The girls are ready to go back. And I am ready for another vacation.

The President

Between falling asleep and being waken by my husband, I watched the votes come in. It is amazing and hard to really grasp the reality of a President Obama. I am excited to see what our country's future holds. I hope that he will bring prosperity and peace to our country and the world.

As a side note, McCain's speech was beautiful. He was very respectful and classy. And he understood the historical impact of such an election.

Being biracial, and just a minority, I feel overwhelmed. I now truly feel that no matter what your skin color or whether you are a woman or a man, you can be President. And that is a wonderful feeling for a mother of 2 little girls that have not only European but also Panamanian blood in their veins. I feel blessed to be an American. And I feel blessed to have witnessed this historic event.

Election Day Thoughts

In honor of Election Day (by the way, we voted the first weekend of early voting), I thought that I would share an article written by a regular over at Times and Seasons. I am sharing it because of several reasons.... 1. I am shocked to see an article written by someone who is LDS, that doesn't line up with what most of "us" think. 2. I am a staunch Republican. I have always agreed with everything that the Republican party has stood for. Well, that is until George Bush screwed up our country in so many different ways (and yes, I did vote for him both times. But I have decided that if something just isn't working, you need to try something new. And yes, I am still a Republican despite these feelings). 3. Years ago even before John McCain ran against Bush, I couldn't stand him. I have always felt that he is a Democrat in Republican "clothing". Ian and my parents could tell anyone that I have never liked the guy. 4. I soon discovered after Sarah Palin was added to the Republican ticket, that I knew more about politics than she did (I am talking about pre debate schooling). If I wouldn't trust myself (with the knowledge that I have on International and National dealings, laws, etc), how could I trust a woman that looked so sadly pathetic during simple interviews.

I know that being LDS, we have many values that line up with the Republican party. And I definitely still have those values. But I feel like our country just can't take another 4 years that are similar to the last 8. I think that the Republican party needs a shake down, and if voting against it is the only way to get us back to the old, or shall we say Reagan, Republican party, then so be it. Oh and let it be known that if Romney would have been the nominee, I totally would have stood by the man that would know how to fix this economy. I would have even possibly, just maybe, even voted for McCain if he would have chosen Romney as his running mate. But alas, he did not. So here I am, saddened by the party that I call my own....

Below is the article that I fist referenced. I hope that it will make you think rather than just react angrily. I found it to be very interesting and enlightening to read this from an LDS perspective.

9 Reasons I Love Halloween/October

I love the month of October. So much has gone on, that I haven't been able to blog about everything. But I did figure that I could share some things that I love about Halloween....


1. Dressing your kids up in fun costumes, makeup, and a crazy amount of hairspray. (Reagan is a Rock Star. Jenna is Ariel.)

2. Getting to dress up as an adult and go to parties that don't involve the whole family.

3. Church Halloween Activities. Who doesn't love a bowl of chili, one too many cupcakes, and some Trunk or Treating!



4. Work Halloween Parties (where we saw a lot of people from our Church Activity).




5. Group Violin Lessons -- Halloween Style




6. My Birthday (I don't like getting older but I do like all of the attention).
7. My Dad's Homemade Pumpkin Pie (It is literally the best you will ever try).



8. Pet Costumes. Bear is sporting a spider costume. I love it!



9. Family Visiting. (My Parents came to visit us for Jenna's birthday and my birthday. Who could ask for anything more...)

Happy Halloween Ya'll!

4 Things Tag

4 RANDOM THINGS I LIKE ABOUT MY HUSBAND:
1. He is very funny. He always says or does the silliest things to make me or the kids laugh (even when we are upset).
2. He loves me and I know it. (kind of dumb I guess but I feel his love in everything that he does)
3. He has great legs! ;)
4. He is a very responsible person...where as I am not.

4 JOBS I'VE HAD:
1. Waitress at On The Border (my first job and definitely my worst job. As I often tell Ian, I wasn't meant to serve but be served.) :)
2. Metabolife girl (I worked at a kiosk in the mall for Metabolife)
3. "Fragrance Model" for Cool Water. Fun title but I was a perfume girl. I worked for Cool Water and would go wherever they wanted me to go.
4. Dental Hygienist (this is what I went to school for and worked for about 3 years as a hygienist)

4 MOVIES I'VE WATCHED MORE THAN ONCE:
1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Enchanted
3. Legally Blonde
4. Oklahoma

4 TV SHOWS I WATCH:
1. The Office
2. Grey's Anatomy
3. The Soup
4. SNL

4 PEOPLE WHO EMAIL ME REGULARLY:
1. Ian
2. Jamie
3. My Daddy
4. Anita (my big sis)

4 OF MY FAVORITE FOODS:
1. Pumpkin Pie (must be homemade...preferably my Dad's recipe)
2. Tangelo's
3. Ravioli
4. Crab


4 PLACES I WOULD LIKE TO VISIT:
1. Italy
2. England
3. India
4. New York


4 THINGS I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO IN THE COMING YEAR:
1. Spending some quality time with my family (vacations).
2. Redoing our kitchen counter top
3. Paying off my car
4. Furnishing our home a bit more

4 PEOPLE I TAG:
1. Erica
2. Marcie
3. Marty
4. Cindy

Jenna

MY BABY IS 3!!!! I am in shock that my baby is not a baby anymore. Today is Jenna's 3rd birthday. Mama and Papa are visiting and helped out with a little party for her. She has loved her birthday weekend.

Jenna is a sweet little girl. She is very loving and cuddly. She loves to dance and sing. Shockingly, she loves everything princess. :) Jenna is one happy little girl. We are so blessed to have her in our family.

Here I am pregnant with Jenna. Reagan was so excited that Heavenly Father had answered her prayers by giving her a baby sister (she prayed for a girl every night).

Jenna's birth.

Princess Jenna.

Ready for church.

Jenna's 1st birthday was a costume party.
(cheerleading outfit was pre Dallas)

Jenna at her 3rd Birthday Party.
She was one happy princess.

10 Years

The other day, I received an email from my older sister, Anita, about a Breast Cancer Walk that she is participating in this weekend. I hadn't realized that it had been 10 years since our mother has been cancer free. It brought a flood of emotions to me.

My mother had breast cancer twice. The first time, I was in elementary school. I remember being in either 4th or 5th grade and having to go sleep at our friends' house (my mother's best friend with kids our ages). I remember saying goodbye to her as she and my dad dropped us off on their way to the hospital for surgery. I felt scared and sad. I didn't really understand it all but I knew that it was very serious. I have always been very close/attached to my family and just spending the night away from them was hard. Pam, Mom's best friend, did a great job at trying to keep us busy. Despite this, I was sad and scared the whole time.

My mother came home and things went back to normal. To a child, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

As a freshman in college, my mother found out that she had cancer again. All the memories came back to my thoughts. This time it was different. I understood the situation. I understood the possibilities, both good and bad. It truly was scary.

My mom had 2 surgeries the second time around. The first time they thought that they didn't remove all of the cancerous cells. So they had to go in again.

After she came home, I became her nurse (Daddy wasn't quite as gentle). I cleaned her. I changed her bandages. I fed her. Seeing your mother as the one that needs to be cared for is a humbling experience. You become like the parent, wanting to take the pain away from her. And you become the one that tells her not to worry, that her daughters will not go through what she has. That she doesn't have to be sorry about passing that gene on.

Now, here we are 10 years later...

My mother is one of the strongest people I know. I am greatful for her love, her determination, and her example. I know that she is one of the greatest blessings that the Lord has given me. He has blessed our family through her life. Thanks to Him, my children get to love this incredible woman and learn from her, just as I have.

Mommy/Mama, we love you!

2 Down and Hopefully No More!

Reagan got her cast off!

It is a miracle. My eldest child had her 2nd cast, in less than a year, removed. She is limping around (the doctor said for about a month) slowly. But she is getting to where she wants to go....which is nicer than me playing fetch. Reagan is on her way to a fast recovery and we are happy that our poor little girl will soon be running/dancing again.