334/365 Play Time!

With practice for The Wizard Of OZ all this week I am putting in lots of volunteer hours so I am helping

the girls in the dressing rooms all week.  It's really been fun.   I am still figuring out how to get Sophia's

hair into curls like they want it and the makeup is hard.  But it's been a blast as well as a real learning

experience.  The first picture they are in their Jitterbug Costumes and the second they are in their tornado

costumes.

333/365 A Couple Minutes of Fun

I met the ladies tonight for about forty five minutes.  My week is so busy, because Sophia has play practice

everyday for five hours!  She is going to be exhausted by the time this play starts.  Madison has soccer

practice, it's all exciting, but honestly I can't wait for Sunday night to get here so it will all be over!  About

tonight, I had a few minutes before soccer practice was over and I got to meet Kristin and Vanessa for a

margarita, it was exactly what I needed, just a minute to breathe.  And I got some handy tips on actually

learning how to use this great flash that Jer bought me last Christmas!  I'm sure everybody in the restaurant

thought we were nuts flashing away.  Only good friends will laugh through it and help me figure out how

to adjust my settings.  Thanks ladies!

332/365 Get a Haircut!

Another of Sadie's projects.  This little guy has been sitting on my kitchen window sill for a couple

months now and I just had to share him.  Sadie wants to keep him forever.  She is hoping his hair will

get long enough to braid.  I'm not exactly sure how that's going to work.

331/365 Chargers...Really?

I love you Chargers, but really?  Five losses in a row.  This one really hurt, our playoff hopes are crushed

and dreams are shattered.  There's always next year, but come on, just a few more wins, Please?

330/365 Fuyu Persimmons

Ok so I don't actually love these fruits (pronounced fooey), they are hard like apples and they taste weird to

me but I do love the way they look on my counter and the tree is beautiful in my yard so I can put them in

the love category, right?  Maybe this week I'll take a picture of the tree.  We have a super busy week next

week and taking a picture each day is going to be tough, but I'm getting towards the end and sometimes it

helps to have something in mind.  Now I'm rambling, sorry.  Without further ado...the Fuyu Percimmon!

329/365 Say Cheese!

Who's idea was it to do pictures after staying up all night shopping?  BROWN!!!!  Any how it was pictures

day for my Christmas card.  I thought I was going over to Kristin's to set up her studio with some props and

snap off a few pictures of the girls an that's it.  Not even.  Kristin took an entire shoot of the girls and did an

amazing job.  I will have tons of pictures to choose from.  And unlike when I take them they will be in

focus, and gorgeous.  Wahoo!  I don't know how she does her job?  Look at my girls they look like

squirmy little worms, wiggiling and making weird faces.  Thanks Kristin, I almost forgive you for having

pictures on Black Friday.  I can only post this picture because I don't want to give away my card entirely!!!

328/365 Shop Til' You Drop

So instead of the pictures I didn't take of the dinner that took me all day to cook.  You will get to see

what I did after dinner...That's right Black Friday.  Do we call it Black Friday, because we are out

shopping in the black of night?  Now this post qualifies for today because all but the last photo was taken

before midnight.  We had a laughing experience when we attempted to "quick run into Walmart."  The

crowds and barricades set us straight.  But the mall was just our speed.  We waited until the mall doors

opened at midnight.  Then we ran (yes ran) to Abercrombie Kids.  Thanks to Sophia's young legs we

were first in line when they opened.  We hit a couple more stores after that then decided around two to

call it a night.  I think Kristin hit Walmart on the way home, but Sophia and I turned in.  Thanks Vanessa

and Kristin for a fun filled night!

327/365 Christmas Card

I love and hate Christmas cards.  I really love them when they're done, but I spend so much time getting

them just how I want them.  And the pressure seems big...  This year will not be any different I will

resign myself to that.  So today I needed to go shopping for outfits for the girls for the Christmas pictures.

It didn't go as well or quickly as I had hoped, but 14 stores later, I think I have something.  Of course I had

to buy each kid about 5 outfits to get them back home to see what would work.  Now I will be returning

clothes all next week!

326/365 A Little Birdie Told Me...

I finally got my Halloween decorations down today, so I didn't really bother to put any Thanksgiving

stuff up.  I just felt like it would be weird to eat turkey dinner with bats hanging over the table.  In a

week or so we'll be decorating for Christmas.  So I just put out my normal red and blue everyday stuff

(which I love!) and will hold off for the next holiday season.  That being said, I did put a couple harvesty

looking items on my island tray.  This little bird came from this past weeks big red barn trip.  It was a

smokin deal at 12 bucks!  Now if I could just get this turkey thawed out...

325/365 Packing Up

I took a few pictures of the kids messing around this morning while we packed up the campsites.  It rained

like crazy last night, so the kids were collecting worms and jumping in giant puddles!  Fun trip.  Don't they

look a little homeless?

324/365 Camping and Daytime Smores!

We are having such a blast camping with all our friends.  It's a little chilly today and looks like it might

start pouring any minute, so we've had a fire going all day.  Which, of course, means daytime smores!

The kids are riding bikes and Alayna even learned to ride without training wheels today.  Madison seems

to be an expert at teaching that now, she should have little business cards made up or something.  What a

great day.

323/365 Mt. Woodsen

We are camping this weekend with the Brouwers, the Carlsons and the Thorns.  Everybody decided

hiking Mt. Woodsen would be fun.  I don't think I will ever do it again, man who know kids could run

up hill that fast!  I may need to start working out again.

322/365 Little Indians

Sadie got to dress up as a pilgrim and Indian for Thanksgiving today at school.  Her class (indians) had

lunch with the first graders (pilgrims), it was adorable.  Than they put on a little pilgrim play in her class

later.  The Junior High had red white and blue day.  Usually we put a little more effort in to the dress up

days, but they didn't even mention it until this morning!

321/365 Big Red Barn

I definitely look forward to the opening of the Big Red Barn. It only happens three Thursday's a year.  I

always find little dodads and things to make me smile.  I grab my coffee and make sure I am there when 

they open.  This year I bought a fall bowl, a little blue bowl, a sled for Christmas pictures, a trunk for a 

friend and a painting.  Quite a haul this year.  Now I just need to find a place to hang my painting.  Not a 

bad problem to have.

320/365 Barbie Bandits Party

Sadie had a great soccer season this year.  She loved her coach, the team played great, and she learned a

lot.  She is really fired up about soccer!  I am just hoping next year we will have as much fun.

319/365 Sadie's New Suit

Sadie was all about taking pictures in her new duds this morning!  She posed and posed for me.  She is

super excited because today after school she will be taking her first hip hop dance lesson.  She can't wait to

learn some new "moves."

318/365 Winter Blooms

It is always sad when the trees start getting bare and loosing their leaves and things start looking dead.  I am

always happy to look out into my yard to enjoy the winter blooms that are there.  Just a touch of color to

remind me that Spring will be here again before I know it.

317/365 I Love You Boots

I bought these boots 2 years ago around Christmas.  I wondered if I would ever really wear them and 

almost took them back several times.  But rainy days like this are warm and cozy with them on my feet.  

Thank you boots!  Without you I would be sad and soggy.

316/365 Super Rainy Soccer Saturday

It rained on and off through both girls games, and ended up being a bit of a sad day.  Both girls teams

finished 3rd in the tournament.  Sadie was goalie in the second half so she felt responsible for the loss.

Madison's team was in a penalty kick shoot off to see who would go to the finals, and they lost.  So there

were tears, but on the whole both girls had great seasons.  And now I get to spend a little more time with

them on the weekends.

315/365 Escondido Again

I missed the girls, but with so many friends with us I definately could have stayed longer!  I would love to 

say it's nice to be home, but I miss my vacation already.  The air is so dry here, but I will say the sunsets 

are beautiful.

314/365 Later St. Lucia!

Good Bye St. Lucia!  We have had the best time, but I think Sandals may be ready for us to go.  They 

are putting us on a 11:30 bus to catch a 4:45 flight.  For some reason they are putting us out just before 

the buffet opens!  Humm..... But we grabbed some cookies and pizza as we hit the road anyways.  Take 

that Sandals! (I didn't take the last picture, but it just cracks me up remembering the moment!)

313/365 Up Up and Away

Today we went on a zipline tour.  It was scary and really sweaty but amazing.  I took a little video even

on one of the lines.  The first time I went I was thinking I wasn't really sure I wanted to go after all, but

all my friends were there and so I was going!  I am so glad I did. Pier pressure used for the forces of

good!

312/365 We're On A Boat!

We went on the Joe Knows tour today it was a blast.  They took us to mud baths, a waterfall, snorkeling,

and had an amazing local meal.  What an awesome day.  This island is so beautiful.  We even got to see the

real Pitons!

311/365 Two Tanks

I love two tank dives, but I am such a baby and I always get cold on the second dive.  Jer and I dove with

the Brouwers and Kevin today.  It was our best dive of the trip.  We did a wreck and then a nice reef where

we saw two turtles.  They look so cool underwater, like they are just flying around.

310/365 Golf and Spa or Not?

Jer and the boys walked across the street to the golf course early this morning.  The ladies got up to go to

the spa early, guess what I did...NOTHING!  We paddle boarded and kayaked on the ocean and sat by

the pool for cocktails.  With all the activities we have planned for the rest of the week, I am going to grab

every last minute of relaxation possible!!!  By the way look at that Karyn paddle...Baby due in

January!!!  Look at that hot mama balance!

309/365 Just another day in paradise

Another dive today, it seems like the other group has recovered from their trip too.  It poured rain this 

morning for a while, but it's still nice outside.  The water is a little murky on the dives but we had another 

good dive today.  Jer stayed at the hotel.  I went out with Chris, Heidi and Kevin.  Later in the afternoon 

we swam around in the ocean for a while.  The sunset tonight was amazing.  After dancing the night 

away today we threw in the towel a little early, but not before running all over the resort goofing around.

308/365 Let the Good Times Roll

After one nights sleep I am really enjoying my vacation.  We woke up a little early this morning and took a

quick scuba refresher class, then hung out at the pool before taking a 1:30 dive.  Sandals is great and we 

seem to hang out a lot at the pool bar, surprise!  Tonight the rest of the group arrived and we went to a 

street party with great local foods.  It started raining while the band was playing, we just kept right on 

dancing!

307/365 Sleep Now?

After a red eye followed by a long layover in the arctic Miami airport then another 4+ hour flight we are

finally in St. Lucia.  I am exhausted, only one picture today on the the side of the road on the way to the

hotel.  Again pathetic, but once I get some sleep I'll be back to my snappy self.  Especially with a backdrop

like this!!!  Fell asleep during dinner tonight, how old am I???

306/365 See Ya!!!

Well we're off!  Jer and I are on our way to St. Lucia with 11 of our friends.  I've been packing and getting 

things ready for the girls while were gone so I have been a little lax on the photos, they are a little 

pathetic lately. Including this one, but I had to snap something quick on our way out the door!