Happy Halloween!!

Yesterday we started off our Halloween festivities with Isabella's "Trunk of Treat". I had no idea what a Trunk of Treat was until my dear Bianca told me I needed to decorate the trunk of my car so the kids could get candy from there. After I found that out, of course I HAD to do it! I just threw this together but it turned out really cute.

We tried the Snow White wig before preschool and it kept slipping off, so Isabella decided against it. Above is my beautiful girl coming out to Trunk or Treat. Mrs. Sandra and Isabella were twins!

Bella wanted her brother to dress up...so he did! Until he realized that he had his hat on and it promptly came off :)

Isabella told my Mom and me that she needed a cape to her dress because Snow White has a cape. Being the awesome Grammy that she is, my Mom searched hi and low for a darn cape. She even bought red material to make a cape, but Isabella told her Snow White's cape was black AND red. She certainly has her mind set, that girl. Anyhow, my Mom ended up finding two already made capes...one is red velvet (for Little Red Riding hood) and one was this magician cape. Isabella LOVES this black one.

The Preschool and Pre-k classes with their teachers and director.

Isabella and her friend Samantha.

Ms. Amanda looked so cute as Minnie Mouse. She had really cute yellow shoes too!!

After Trunk or Treat we went to Grammy and helped decorate Halloween cupcakes! Look at Vincent in the background...

He thought he was helping by getting stuff out of the cupboard.

And finally after dinner Daddy gave him some Mother-load cake from Claim Jumper. He had a "run-in" with the cake...but was SO UPSET when it was gone. I guess he was having a trial run for his birthday. And I told Daddy he had to clean Vincent up after he had the cake because he gave it to him. I helped just a little!

Happy Halloween everyone! Have a great day with the kids!

Holiday Cheer

Hi Ya'll! I just blogged on Grace Amore and RCE with new 2009 Holiday designs. Check them out if you get a chance. Let me know if you are interested or pass my information on to anyone that might be. You know I LOVE CHRISTMAS and that includes Christmas cards!!! Let the Season begin!

Pumpkin Patch 2009

Saturday we took Vincent's first trip to the Pumpkin Patch. Our parents came along and the only pumpkin patch we could find in Chino Hills was really tiny with no rides or petting zoo. But you know what, Isabella could care less. She had a wonderful time picking out a pumpkin and playing around. I guess sometimes the bells and whistles are for us adults. Then we made a trip to her (our) favorite Roscoes. Here are a few pictures from some great family time.

Our handsome lad and beautiful girl.

Daddy is always there to make us laugh!

Best Grandparents two kids could ask for!

Two big kids (Daddy and Popi).

Our Lil' Pumpkin growing in the patch...

Two Blog Inspired Halloween Projects

There was a plethora of Halloween craft ideas out there on the blogs this week. I found these two that I loved. The first one I found here at Tails and Trials blog. I needed something new for our front door since my former sign fell off and broke. I thought this idea was adorable and did my own take on it, since I love to mix patterns (with craft projects, NOT clothes!).

This second project I found here at Living Locurto. I thought this would be adorable for Isabella's teachers this year. The blog gave the free stickers and instruction sheets for download. It was super easy and turned out really cute.

I added both the blog buttons to my sidebar. I can't wait to find more craft projects to do on my own and with Isabella.

Star of the Week

Isabella was Star of the Week at preschool this past week. On Friday I was able to bring her favorite snack to share with the kids. Well, being that she put her favorite food was Ice-Cream, I thought there was nothing else better to bring than that! I brought "white" (Vanilla) ice cream with sprinkles, M&Ms and Jelly Bellies for toppings. Of course, I was the hit! It melted my heart to hear all the kids say, "Thank you Isabella's Mommy!".

It was adorable. Mikayla says, "Isabella is my best friend!" And then Cameron says, "Isabella is MY best friend too!" I am so happy my little girl is making friends!

A Small Project

That has somehow taken me 5 years to do! I always had the idea to print out our vows we said to each other on our wedding day and hang them in our room, but I never knew where exactly I wanted to put them. Then the perfect spot came about because I needed the mirror that was previously here for my vanity table that I brought home from my parents (picture later)! So I finally got that done!

Green Progress

So Meagan wanted an update to the "Going Green" blog. Here is it. I cleaned out underneath my sink. I will be honest, I just put every "bad" cleaner in a box in the garage just incase for some reason I hated the way this new green method was cleaning my house. I made a mixture for all-purpose and one for glass cleaning. I had also already bought an all-purpose cleaner and a furniture polish cleaner, both natural. In my tub is my hydrogen peroxide, castile soap, lavender and tea tree essential oils, and biodegradable cleaning towels. I was at Target the other day and needed paper towels and toilet paper. I did not have the options that Henry's or Trader Joe's would give me, but I was able to purchase 60% recycled on both! I figure that is a step in the right direction. I also now have a recycling trash can and a regular trash can. It is a total eye-sore to have both trash cans out, but I don't really have another option. If I don't see it, I will forget. Also, whoever said it was cool to have Stainless Steel did NOT have to clean it. I need to google a green way now and unfortunately even with the regular abrassive cleaners I can not make the streaks diasappear. Any suggestions there?

On a side note...Vincent & Isabella are still sick. Doctors appointments tomorrow afternoon for both of them :( I want them well!

Jason Crabb...AWESOME!

A while back my Dad gave me a CD of Jason Crabb, part of the Crabb Family, that he and my Mom had watched on a TV special. He bought a CD and video for each one of us kids. Anyhow, this Christian gospel music has really touched me. All the songs on this CD are so powerful and you can really relate to the lyrics. Whenever I feel low or anxious, I listen to this CD and sing praise. I listen to it so much in the car that Isabella even sings along. If you get the chance, I truly recommend listening to him.

Here are the lyrics to one of my favorite songs on the album.

Through The Fire

So many times I've questioned certain circumstances

Things I could not understand

Many times in trials, weakness blurs my vision

Then my frustration gets so out of hand

It's then I am reminded I've never been forsaken

I've never had to stand the test alone

As I look at all the victories the spirit rises up in me

And it's through the fire my weakness is made strong

(chorus)

He never promised that the cross would not get heavy

And the hill would not be hard to climb

He never offered our victories without fighting

But he said help would always come in time

Just remember when you're standing in the valley of decision

And the adversary says give in

Just hold on, our Lord will show up

And he will take you through the fire again

(bridge)

I know within myself that I would surely perish

But if I trust the hand of God, He'll shield the flames again

(repeat chorus)

And if you click this link, you can listen to the song on YouTube.

Through The Fire - Jason Crabb

It is tough being sick....

New Friends/Neighbors

Long story... A couple of weeks ago Chris told me, "Jeff's friends bought a house up the street from us and they have two kids." Jeff has been a friend of his since he started banking at UBOC. Then last week I was out on a walk with the kids and a lady pulled up in her car. She said she was meeting her daughter-in-law and son at their new house to drop off the kids, but she was driving around for 45 minutes and she forgot her cell phone. I let her use the house phone and even offered for her to come in and leave our phone number to have someone call her back (I figured the couple wouldn't answer because our phone says 'private caller'). So that was all of that and we wondered if it was the same people. Then last night the family came over and brought us a beautiful plant and introduced themselves and say Thank You for being so sweet to their mother. It was so nice! They live only about 4 houses up the street and they have a 3 year old girl and 8 month old boy. I am happy to have some friends on the street and look forward to seeing them again.

Going Green...Sort of

I picked up this book at Barnes and Noble the other day and I CAN NOT put it down! Gorgeously Green gives you 8 simple steps to a earth-friendly life. The book challenges you to only do what you can and make baby steps every day. Soon enough you will be living a healthy life. I have already made little changes before I picked up this book: buying organic when I can, feeding Vincent organic baby food, using reusable totes, using my Brita and BPA free reusable bottles instead of all the plastic ones we were going through, and using bare minerals makeup. Now that I bought the book, I have found out all of the hazardous chemicals in our cleaners and so forth. Today I bought all of the ingredients to make my own cleaners at home. I plan to purge under my sink (possibly tomorrow - however I might cry because of all the money spent on the cleaners!). Being totally honest, I know that I can not do everything- for example, I don't think I can give up paper towels or start a compost of my leftover foods - but I am going to go for it and see what I can do! I am happy to start doing my part to make this a Greener Earth and a healthier life for my family. I have posted a link to Sophie's website/blog in the sidebar. Check out the video of her on Oprah.