If you give a mouse a cookie

 Chances are he'll ask for a glass a milk to go with it...

 And if you are invited to see a play like that, chances are you'll want your friends to go with you.=)

 From left to right, Abby, Maile ( who refused to smile for the camera again), Audrey looking away as usual, and Lexie...just some of the friends in Maile's class that got to join us for this field trip.

 At the end of the play all of the kids got milk and cookies...YUMM!!

Audrey's present to momma

My sweet little girl presented me with one my first gifts this season during her Christmas play. I have to say my eyes got so teary. I wish I could keep her little like this forever but every time I suggest anything like that, she just tells me that she wants to continue growing up and that she will love me forever. And although I can't stop time, I can enjoy these little moments for as long as I live for I am a VERY proud momma.

Meet Dasher a.k.a Audrey

Our little princess also had a fun filled day. Her class had a little Christmas play at Ms. Kim's house and
Audrey got to play the role of Dasher which she was so proud of. For being almost a year younger then most of the other children in class I'd say she did fantastic.
We are such proud parents and are hearts are filled with so much joy not just this holiday season but always.

Maile's Christmas Party

This week has been so busy for us but oh so much fun!!! This morning we had Maile's Christmas Party at school and thanks to my sweet hubby who stayed home and watched the little one, I got to volunteer.
This was the second day in a row which only made Maile that much happier.
We had such a great time and we are so blessed to have Maile be a part of such a great class. Both the children, the teachers, and the parents are absolutely PHENOMENAL.

I was so busy helping I didn't get to take very many pictures but I am hoping to get a disc tomorrow from one of the parents who filled the role of the photographer at today's party.

Holiday Projects

Here's just a couple of the projects the girls have been working on this holiday season. Maile decorated the tree while Audrey made the snowman.

Puppy Party

 I can't say enough good things about the Pre-k program that Maile is in. Every day they learn something new. Every day they do new things that engage them and make coming to school an absolute joy.

Today they had a puppy party where they got to have their face painted, they had "doggy like" treats, drinks, they played puppy games and so much more.

I again had a pretty hard time getting Maile to look at the camera and smile for me but I did manage to snag just a few pictures.
Guess what this puppy's favorite food is??? QUESADILLAS!!!

A picnic at the park

It was such a gorgeous day today that a couple of my friends and I decided to take the kids to the park after school. We packed some sandwiches and drinks and we had such a good time.

Maile and Audrey loved eating outside and hanging out with their buddies. Now if only they decided to LIKE the camera again, and actually cooperate when I am trying to take their picture...

Oh well...I'll take what I can.

Happy 100th Blog

Wow, I can't believe I just wrote my 100th blog. If you had told me that when I first started this, I would've said you were crazy. I never thought of myself as a very good writer at all.
However, I started this because I really wanted to share part of our life andour children with the rest of our family and friends from far away. And I am so glad that I did...not just for them, but for us. I know that one day we'll be looking back at all of this and be so glad that we can revisit some of these AMAZING years with our 2 precious children.

I hope I can keep it up and I hope someday our own little girls will be able to look back and see just how loved they were/are and how special their childhood was.

Happy Monday

Today, Maile's class is having a PJ day at school. Unfortunately, my daughter hardly EVER wears PJ's so after a looong weekend of battling her , I decided she could wear a long sleeve nightgown.
At first when I brought it home from the store, she refused to even look at it, because she realized it had no princesses on it, but when she finally figured out that it was either that or regular jammies...she finally gave in.

This little girl is definitely giving me a run for my money when it comes to her clothes, her dresses especially. She could be wearing a dress all year long and she'd be the happiest little girl, however even in AZ it does get quite chilly in the morning so I didn't want to risk her getting a cold.

I am so glad I won this battle because I know that pretty soon that will start happening less and less.

I guess I'll just have to learn to pick my battles a little more carefully.=)

New ME

The new 30 yr old ME ( wiser hopefully...but just not this weekend) has been kinda playing with the idea of a drastically hair color change.
Sure enough, I went to Sally's this weekend, got some supplies, came home...Eric learned how to color ( or in this case DE-color) my hair.
After 4 failed attempts that included 2 bleaching processes and 2 attempts at color deposits...well..the result was pumpkin pie orange colored hair.

I was in SHOCK!!

However, my sweet hubby came through once again this weekend and pretty much sent me back to my hair stylist at Madison Avenue..

180 bucks later...I'd say we were able to fix things...but man talk about paying the price for your mistakes. I know I am not doing this again...at least not when I am going for such a major change.

Friends from the past

This past Friday, Eric got to visit with a friend that he hadn't seen since 1999, since living in Atlanta. Eric and Bob have been friends for a lot longer than that and they recently were able to reconnect through Facebook.
They actually were both in Russia the day of the Coup...

This weekend Bob was visiting from DC for a work conference and we had the great pleasure of meeting him for lunch and spending some time with him at Sheraton in downtown Phoenix where he was staying.

We had a great time and look forward to seeing Bob again...hopefully soon.

Apple butter Dessert Squares

A few weeks ago we were at a friend's house and she made this dessert for us using a Williams Sonoma Pumpkin Pecan Butter recipe which we all thought was delicious. The only difference was that the Williams–Sonoma recipe called for a product that they sell (Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter), which obviously has pecans in it and also comes in a 13.5 ounce jar. 

I decided to go ahead and try it with Apple butter instead, and I gotta say it was quite yummy. I know my kids loved it and so did my hubby who's probably got the biggest sweet tooth out there.

Apple Butter Dessert Bars

(adapted from Williams–Sonoma' Pumpkin Pecan Butter Squares)

1 package  Yellow Cake mix
1/2 cup butter, melted
3 large eggs
1  13 oz jar Apple Butter ( I only found the 20 oz jar so I used about a half of it)
2 tablespoon milk
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease and flour a 9 x 13 pan.

Divide cake mix, placing all but one cup in a mixing bowl. Stir the melted butter and one egg into the cake mix until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the pan.

In another bowl, mix pumpkin butter with two eggs and milk until combined. Spread pumpkin mixture over pressed cake mix.

Stir the reserved one cup of cake mix with the flour, sugar, cinnamon and chopped nuts. Add the softened butter and mix together until crumbly. Sprinkle over the top of the pumpkin layer.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until golden brown. Cool and cut into desired amount of bars.

Fire Station Tour with Audrey's class

Today I took Audrey on a fire station tour with her little preschool class. We had been to the other station on Williamsfield with the Mom's Club and today we went to another one closer to Ms. Kim's house. It was amuch smaller station comparatively but very nice and the kids has a really good time.

 In the firetruck...Audrey wasn't too sure she wanted to hang around too long..I wonder if she was afraid it would take off without mommy there??

 My little ladybug posing on the firetruck still eating her granola bar...hehe=)

 Posing with the firemen and Ms Kim

 Audrey decided to hold Kade's hand ( Ms Kim's son) as we walked out of the fire station.

I love these guys with all my heart

I often myself just at a loss for words when to trying to express just how much I love these 3. 

             They are my sweethearts...
             They bring me so much joy...
             I can't imagine life without either one of them in it.
             Life is perfect.

Happy Veteran's Day!

A heartfelt thank you to all the veterans out there who have served with such courage and honor for so many years. Your stories are great, your sacrifices are so selfless.

A big thank you especially to my wonderful nephew Michael who has paid a very high price, one that can't be seen physically but it is still most painful ( quoted his dad).
We are so grateful for your enormous sacrifice and love you bunches. 


Here is a poem I found that I think speaks volumes.


It’s the Soldier, not the reporter,
Who has given us the freedom of the press.

It’s the Soldier, not the poet,
Who has given us the freedom of speech.

It’s the Soldier, not the politicians,
Who ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

It’s the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag.

            (One of my favorite pictures of Michael, helping a little girl while in Iraq.)

Wordless Wednesday