These are a few of our favorite things

Doritos and Dancing

Really...what else is there?

Side note:

For those of you inquiring about the borders on my pictures:

I use picnik.com (it's free!)

Click the CREATE tab

Click the FRAMES tab

Click the BORDER tab

for a circular border, do the above and then

on the CORNER RADIUS scale, move button all the way to the right.

You can also choose border thickness, colors, and put borders upon borders.

It's so fun!

Three Girls Playing

Friends for Dinner

All it takes is a little TV and some snacks

Last night, the back (trunk) door of our van malfunctioned, nearly crushing me as I unloaded groceries.

Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration.

Anyway, it wouldn't stay open. It kept automatically closing. I couldn't get anything in or out. Grrrrr...

So tonight, the girls and I spent two hours at Toyota getting it fixed. Yeah, two hours. Grrrrr...

They were actually really, really cooperative. They did their "homework," played a card game with me, watched a few cartoons, and ate Doritos and M&Ms from the vending machine.

At 9:00pm, as we were driving out of the parking lot, Cutie said, "Mom, that's my favorite place. Can we come back again?"

I laughed and thought, "I hope not."

L.M.N.O.P.

I used to block out days on the calendar with LMNOP-that was my personal code for Let's Make No Outside Plans.

Cheesy, I know.

But it reminded Matt and me to take a day off, not make any commitments, not have a schedule, just be together.

Today was a day like that, and we all needed it. We kept it super mellow today-just the four of us, just hanging out.

Swim Party

Me: Jonah tried to run away from God. Was that a good plan?

Cutie: No.

Me: Where is God?

Cutie: Everywhere.

Me: What if you hide under your bed, could God see you there?

Cutie: Yes.

Me: What if you swam all the way down to the bottom of the pool? Could God find you?

Cutie: God would put on his swimsuit.

Not-so-baby Shower

Today some of the girls from church got together to celebrate our new family.

Some of the highlights included:

Playing Musical chairs and Pin the Princess on the Castle

Once Upon a Cupcake Cupcakes-YUMM-O

Lots of new dress up clothes

Fun water toys for the backyard-when we got home we played in the sprinklers, threw water balloons and blew HUGE bubbles.

Time with dear friends

It was an indescribably sweet time-I feel overwhelmed by the kindness we've been shown.

Thank you so much Laura and Robin and everyone who came!

Chatting it Up

There's just so many topics that need to be covered, so many questions, so many stories to tell and retell, so many songs to sing, numbers to count and silly words to make up...

They talk all day long, stream-of-consciousness-style. Their thoughts are often funny or affecting.

They even whisper to each other after we've tucked them into bed and turned out the lights.

I love that they do that.

Catching Our Breath

Forgiveness

We are trying to teach the girls the importance of forgiving others. When one apologizes, the other says, "I forgive you."
We want them to understand that forgiveness is the heart of the Gospel. Jesus knows our wrongs and he removes them, as far as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 Beautiful.
Sometimes, it seems the forgivess is even more difficult than the apology.

This morning I walked out of the kitchen to see Cutie up to her wrists in her milky, drippy cereal.

Me: Umm, Honey, what are you doing?

Cutie: I..I...I...

Me: Ok, {wiping up milk} don't touch anything, go wash your hands.

Cutie: I'm sorry, Mommy.

Me: Ok, go wash your hands.

{10 minutes goes by. Cutie has washed her hands, is playing quietly in her room, and then she emerges.}

Cutie: Um, Momma, I didn't hear you say you forgive me.

Me: {Heart melted.} Oh, Sweet Girl, I forgive you. I love you. {Hug, hug, kiss, kiss} I'm so sorry I forgot to tell you I forgive you.

Ummmmmmmmmmmm...huh???

After we feed Gracie, we open the back door so she can go outside and do her business. I left the door open while I was helping the girls with their preschool homework, and a mosquito flew into the house. It started hovering around the lamp near us.

Cutie: Ewwwww, it's a spider, a big one.

Me: Oh no, that's just a mosquito.

Cutie: Eeeeeeee, I don't like it.

Me: It's okay, don't worry.

Cutie: {{{insert more nervous noises here}}} Mommy, shoot it!

Me: Laughing.

Fours

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1. hostess at the Claim Jumper-by far the hardest job I've ever had!

2. tutor at a Korean after-school academy

3. after-school daycare supervisor

4. teacher

Four movies I have watched more than once:

1. So I Married An Axe Murderer

2. High Fidelity

3. Once

4. Pride and Prejudice

Four places I've lived:

1. Long Beach

2. college dorm

3. Fullerton

4. south Orange County

Four TV shows I watch:

1. The Office

2. Friends reruns

3. HGTV
4. The Wiggles-love those goofballs

Four places I've been:

1. Costa Rica
2. France

3. Spain

4. Guatemala

Four favorite foods:

1. iced tea with real sugar

2. frozen yogurt

3. fresh fruits and vegetables

4. gooey cinnamon roll

Four places I'd rather be right now:

1. I'm so happy right where I am!

2. sitting with Lisa in a restaurant having a meal

3. walking by the beach in Cambria

4. curled up on this couch taking a nap, which I plan to do in about 5 minutes.

Four things I'm looking forward to this year:

1. having a relaxing, unscheduled summer

2. spending time with the Cuties, learning more about them, learning how to be the best mom to them.

3. spending as much time as possible with my family and friends

4. rejoining my book club

Four places I love to shop:

1. Target

2. H&M

3. Anthropologie

4. Ross, Marshalls, TJ Maxx