My Little Lovebugs

Valentine's Day isn't for a couple more weeks, but I couldn't resist taking some themed pictures of the kiddos. I had way too much fun planning the girls' pictures! Those tutus were NOT as easy to make as the tutorial I found via Pinterest told me they would be. I'm thinking because it's tiring having to make two of everything. ;)

 





 

 



Sending Some Christmas Love {Christmas Card 2012}

I have been wanting to post our Christmas card we sent out this year, but I've been waiting until I knew most everyone had received it! Here it is:



I had WAY too much fun designing this year's card. In fact, I changed my mind several times. I finally settled on this design and couldn't WAIT to take the pictures I had in mind to fit in the "frames." Jake was actually super cooperative when taking his Christmas card picture (maybe it had something to do with the candy corn bribes? Not sure...) Of course, the girls were sweethearts, but sticking them in a wrapped box poses its challenges. Good thing husband Danny was on hand to help out.

Just love this kid...

And the back:

I love having Photoshop knowledge to be able to design my own cards. And I love printing my cards using Persnickety Prints even more, because they print on the back for free! I placed my card order on the Saturday after Thanksgiving and received them on the following Monday. Love their customer service.

I have to share my Aunt Laurie's family Christmas card. The day before Thanksgiving we were discussing taking a picture of her kids on turkey day to send out for her Christmas card. She jokingly said she really wanted to send out a card of her kids texting and on their iPods, because that's pretty much a direct reflection of what they are "up to" nowadays. Too funny! I told her she HAD to do it! It wasn't too hard convincing them to sit near each other as they texted, and I quickly designed their Christmas card around Laurie's idea:

While I was snapping away, Jake decided he wanted to part of the Wades' Christmas card, as he rolled in on his trike with helmet on and sat for pictures. They wanted that picture of him on the back of their Christmas card because it's just too classic Jake, is it not?!

I think I'm obsessed with Christmas cards. They make me smile! It's like spreading cheer through the mail. The old school snail mail way...I just love it.

Finally, I have to share a couple of pictures I took for my sweet friend Kristina of her adorable daughter Payton. I edited about half the pictures from her "session," and then Jake pushed my laptop on the floor Monday night and I've been computer-less ever since. It will be a while before I'm able to get around to editing the rest, but at least I had already sent her some cute ones! Anyway, take a look at what an absolute CUTIE she is:

Merry Christmas, sweet family and friends! My prayer for you is that you are finding the peace of our Savior for whom we celebrate this joyous holiday, instead of all the holiday stress. Can't wait to see your adorable cards in the mail this year!

Meal Planning Monday

MONDAY: Easy Trader Joe's Meal {Chicken, Sweet Potato Fries, Broccoli}

TUESDAY: Penne with Roasted Vegetables and Prosciutto

WEDNESDAY: My gurrrl Pioneer Woman's Corn and Cheese Chowder

{Yes, we're serving it in a sourdough bread bowl. THANK YOU Trader Joe's for having individual ones, ready to eat and serve. Do you see why I love that store?!}

THURSDAY: Baked Chicken with Balsamic Salad

Basically, I season and bake boneless skinless chicken breasts. I whip up some balsamic dressing using *almost* equal parts olive oil and balsamic vinegar {more olive oil than balsamic}, season with salt & pepper, and whisk together until combined. I place some ready-to-go mixed green salad in a big bowl, toss with the balsamic dressing, slice the cooked chicken, and serve with chicken on top of salad.

Happy cooking!

Another Easy Peasy Trader Joe's Meal

My love for Trader Joe's continues. I'm going to share an oldie but goodie that we've been enjoying over the years.

We tend to eat a lot of chicken in this household, mostly baked or grilled. So I justify throwing in some yummy breaded chicken once in a while, because it's not like we have it all that often. In the freezer section, over by their chicken products, Trader Joe's offers a bag of breaded chicken ready to be popped in the oven that is oh-so-delish. Pair it up with some of their sweet potato fries (what?! you haven't tried them?! you must!), and a veggie of your choice (we tend to love broccoli in this household), and you've got yourself a great meal that's easy to put together after a long day.

This is all you'll need:

Give the sweet potato fries a head start in the oven. Pop them in at 425 degrees for 5 minutes:

Then put in the chicken and dial another 20 minutes on the timer:

 

When you've got about 5 minutes left on the timer, snip the corner of the broccoli bag and microwave it for 3 1/2 minutes. They'll be softer, but have nice deep color and crunch to them. Put the broccoli in a bowl with a pat of butter, some salt & pepper.

Even Jake loves this meal! (Actually, the sweet potato fries, notsomuch. I overdid it on the sweet potatoes when he was a baby. He's no longer their biggest fan.)

Easy peasy, right?!

Thankful.

I know my little family has so much to be thankful for. We give thanks to our almighty and powerful God whose plans are continually revealed to us in His timing. How blessed we are to have welcomed two healthy and joyful daughters into our family this year! We have our health, we have each other, we have extended family to rely on and support us, we have happiness in the walls of our home. We have so many, many blessings.

We all face times when our attitude of gratitude is a little more difficult to express. But I guess we have to be grateful for even those times, as it makes the joyful times that much more sweet.

So Happy Thanksgiving! My favorite day of the year! Giving thanks for all we have in our possession and in our hearts.

Let it be noted that I'm leaving my Black Friday adventures to the actual day of Friday. How is it Black Friday on a Thursday, anyway?!

What We've Been Up to...

November has been flying by! It already time to get our turkey on and give thanks next week! Our little family has been keeping busy with lots of park meetups and playdates with friends.  Here's a little catch up with some recent pictures.

It's always a fun family time when meeting friends at the Long Beach Aquarium of the Pacific. This is Jake at the shark tank:

Hiding in the snail shell at the outdoor playground:

Watching cousin B play baseball:

 Jake entertaining himself by jumping from the ottomans to his chair...

 ...and giving his trains rides on his tricycle:

Found these pink teddy bears on our couch, ready to go for a walk:

Ava and Jake having a blast at Chuck E. Cheese:

I ended my week with some definite Friday Fun. My Poppi watched Jake, and I dropped Chloe off at Danny's Grandma Sally's house so each kid got some quality time with a great grandparent. ;) I took Ava with me and met up with my Nana, aunt Stephanie, and cousin Lauren at the Williams-Sonoma at South Coast Plaza to get our new cookbooks signed...by INA GARTEN! {Barefoot Contessa} She's so adorable and sweet as anything. I mentioned that I took Ava with me because the line was RIDICULOUS (even though my fam got there at 9:00 to snag a good spot in line), and when they saw me with Ava they ushered us to the front of the line! Yay for baby! I ended Friday Fun with some quality BFF time watching Breaking Dawn, which concludes the Twilight series on film. *Tear* Felt like the end of an era. Now I'm itching to re-read the books again. ;)

I snapped a shot of adorable Ms. Ina signing books:

Never Would Have Guessed...

When husband Danny and I got married a little over three years ago, we would have never imagined three itty bitty bath towels hanging on the towel hook in our little guest bath. THREE. My heart smiles each time I walk by the guest bathroom and sometimes glance at them hanging there. I can't help but see each of my kids' huge bath time grin. It's funny, too, when I catch the towels out of the corner of my eye as I dash through the hallway, grabbing a third change of clothes because Ava or Chloe spit up *again,* or have a stack of diapers in hand because all three have a dirty diaper...at the same time. In the more exasperating motherhood moments like those, the three tiny towels remind me how very fast it goes. And how quickly they will be replaced by large adult-size bath towels. {Which will more likely than not be crumpled in the corner of their messy room rather than hanging neatly on the hooks}

Yes. Bath towels can hold this much sentiment. I promise.