Thanksgiving!

We had a very Happy Thanksgiving celebrating with our family. I love that both sides can be together and enjoy each other. We decided that we are all finding our niche and the dinners kept getting better! I had to throw up these pictures before they got lost in the birthday madness! Vincent seemed to be cranky all day yesterday. At the end of the night Isabella had a fever. In the middle of the night,Vincent woke up with a fever as well. I spent today getting ready for the birthday party tomorrow and holding a little guy. I am praying that he will feel all better tomorrow so he can enjoy his very first party! The fevers seem to be getting better...so hopefully the two are on the mend and Chris and I don't get it before tomorrow!! Chris made us dinner tonight (Cowboy Spaghetti - I told him he has to cook that one cooking club meeting!!) while I was decorating and cleaning and is now enjoying his new TV (ours broke this past week).

Sweet kids!

I love that the guys all congregate! And below are Ally and Taylor breaking the Wish Bone...it took them lots of tries. Haha.

Vincent chowin' down on his first thanksgiving dinner. And we celebrated Uncle David and Uncle Frank's birthdays!

Ahhh...what a good day!

Aunt Doris turns 90!

Last Sunday we celebrated Aunt Doris' 90th birthday. She is my Mom's Aunt, so our Great-Aunt. She was also married to my Grandpa for a short period of time. I have so many great memories with her growing up and I pray that I will lead such a long and blessed life!

THANKSGIVING...

On my list of 101 things to do was write 100 things I am thankful for. What better time to do this than on THANKSGIVING! Before you read my list, I would like to wish everyone a wonderful Holiday with their family. Please know I am Thankful for you all in more ways than I can explain!!!

1. God
2. Jesus Christ, his son
3. My faith in Eternal Life
4. That I was kept in this world only weighing 2.5lbs
5. That I have found my soul mate...
6. That I can share his laughter and life
7. My Father, who shows me a real man can be sensitive and strong, giving and loving
8. My Mother, who is selfless and encourages me and lives with struggle every day but tries not to complain
9. Motherhood
10. My Family
11. The ability...To See
12. To Touch
13. To Feel
14. To Love
15. To Hear
16. To Walk
17. To Smile
18. To Laugh
19. To Hope
20. My Isabella
21. My Vincent
22. My Sisters, there will always be a power of 3
23. Aunt Diane, who has shown me you can live happily even after loss.
24. Alice, who always has a smile on her face
25. Joe, who is always willing to help
26. Nick who has the best sense of humor over his disability
27. My in-laws (above) because they have welcomed me into their family
28. Old friends: Teren, Caitlin, Holly, Rebecca, Vanessa, Christie, Yolanda,Melanie, Amanda - Friends forever!
29. Bianca, who can always make me laugh and has been there countless times.
30. New friends: Meagan and Lauren; preschool moms and moms club friends
31. The sun shining
32. The fresh air
33. Our home
34. College saving funds and my husband who has already started them
35. The encouragement I am given daily
36. That I was taught the value of family and respect
37. Grandpa Vincent & Grandma Virginia
38. Grandpa Andy & Grandma Jessie
39. My college education
40. That I am an American
41. That there are still people who hold open doors for you when you are trying to push a two child stroller through
42. That there are still people who will say "thank you" when you hold a door open for them
43. Doctors and Medicine
44. That when I make mistakes, I learn from them
45. For my camera and the ability to document my children's life
46. For the computer, as it is an outlet for me and Chris
47. My Guardian Angels in Heaven
48. Always having food available
49. Traveling (Family Vacations) and the means to do so
50. Authors that write so many amazing books I love to read
51. For the emails I get from my Dad just to say he loves me and hopes that I am having a great day with Bella and Bub
52. For the time I get to spend with my Husband alone
53. Being happy
54. Creativity
55. When Chris says, "Who cares what they think!"
56. Blankets and Cold pillows at night
57. Laptops
58. Music
59. Disney movies and Disneyland
60. Hot Tea, Ice Tea, Coffee
61. The Anxiety I have battled, because it has taught me I can handle more than I think
62. Isabella's preschool and teachers - she can write her name by herself now
63. Facebook/My Blog so I can stay updated with friends
64. Isabella saying, "You are the bestest Mother in the whole world!"
65. Vincent's excitement when he sees me in the morning
66. Honesty and truth
67. Trust
68. Prayer
69. Childhood Memories - my Mom being there to pick me up and drop me off at school and my Parents being at every function - because it taught me I was/am loved
70. Baseball
71. Christmas and Holidays - Christmas songs
72. Family Traditions - there are no greater things
73. Phone
74. Smiles & Laughter
75. The colors on my walls - brightens my day
76. Roses and flowers; gardening
77. Random emails from friends
78. Isabella learning to pray and knowing "Our Father" and others
79. High School Cheerleading
80. College, Alpha Chi Omega, CSUF and meeting my future husband
81. Two napping children (even though it doesn't happen often)
82. When people tell me they love my work
83. Making Brides happy
84. Television; Reality
85. The wonderful Father Chris is and the smile he puts on our kid's faces
86. Google Chat
87. The wonder in my children's eyes
88. Having a Dad who can tackle any project
89. Having a Mom who is creative
90. The love my parents give Isabella and Vincent
91. Baby Kisses
92. Staying home with my kids
93. Nie Nie Dialouges
94. Higher patience levels
95. Movies and watching them on the laptop while Chris plays xbox and the kids play toys - the ability to multi-task
96. Watching Isabella become independent
97. Friday night dinners
98. Target
99. Wine and Candles
100. LIVING LIFE, LEARNING ONE DAY AT A TIME AND LOVING IT!

Friendship

I went on Teren's blog this morning and I read this....



Beck and I made this "pact" the other day.We would remain friends forever,this is very attainable.Cait is in the "pact" too, We have been friends for a long time,I am not worried.These girls have seen me at my worst and at my best.I have thought much on friends this week and their importance.Girlfriends are irreplaceable.I have learned that over the last few years,and the sad thing is I had to go through a horrible event to come to this realization.I was wrong for many years and pushed girlfriends who I loved very much out,I have grown up and I am blessed that those girls are now in my life again.Melanie and Kim.I had a great opportunity to spend time with Kim this weekend and it was like time had not changed us. We sat on the beach, past midnight, on a life guard tower, having a beer, and talking.I forgot how much Kim gets me, I am sad that I threw away those years of friendship.I have made new friends over the past few years that I treasure daily.Rebecca & Mariah.I know these girls will be in my life from here on, I am thankful for that.I will not purely sugarcoat things, I have lost friends too, but sometimes there are friends you need to put aside for your own health and well being, or maybe they put you aside. That's ok too.I have learned women can be very judgemental, yes, we gossip, sometimes over dramatize things, and are emotional. But women need one another, there are things that we can tell our husbands, boyfriends, dads, sons, brothers, etc. but there are also somethings only your girlfriends can understand, for they know your heart. So to my girlfriends, YOU ROCK!!!! xoxox



So to Teren and all of my girlfriends I want to reply:



Amen Sister! I have grown and matured so much as a women and friend over the past couple of years. I have put expectations aside and learned to accept what people can give, becoming more compassionate and understanding, while still giving as much as I can for you all. I have learned that I deserve respect and appreciation and the one gift I can give you is my honesty. If ever I do anything to make you mad or frustrated, please just say so. The mistake I have made twice is not sharing my feelings until I get to a breaking point. I have apologized and thank God that we can all be friends again and move past the mistakes. I have missed years just because of loosing touch. I have best friends in my mom and sisters who will always be there for me. I have seen my friends mature and become strong, independent, wonderful Women...you hold a special place in my heart and I love you all!

New neighbors + A MESS

So I haven't told y'all that we have the MOST AWESOME new neighbors! My prayers were totally answered. Lauren and David (our age) have 4 boys. Jacob is 10 (Lauren's stepson), Jared is 4, Connor is 2 and Carson is 5 months old. Since they have moved in, Isabella has been over to play several times. She loves "the boys". The other night them came over to play for a while at our house. Yes, we have mostly girl stuff, but they played Barbies, My Little Pony, the kitchen and Smart Cycle. The kids have a great time together. Lauren is super sweet!! She likes to scrapbook and I think we are going to take a sewing class together! WOO HOO for new friends! My mind is at ease having them next door to me. Another step in making Chino Hills more of our home!

The other day Isabella asked to take a picture with me :)

And tonight, while I was prepping some Enchiladas for dinner...Tornados Isabella and Vincent HIT the kitchen!!!! Isabella said it was a tea party and she was cooking pumpkin pie (see the pumpkin in the pan), etc. I love them so much and some how the Lord has helped me with my patience level! The joys of children. Vincent has been in every cupboard and drawer recently. So curious! Oh, and we cleaned this up and you would never know it happened!

And PS... Do you Redbox?! Isabella and I are addicted!!!! It is $1 per rental for the day. Can't beat that. Much better than buying her every DVD that she wants. When do I have time for movies you ask? Well...I am the queen of doing a bazillion things at once!

Road Trip

Friday afternoon, Chris was playing x-box and I was texting everyone to see if they were coming to Vincent's party. Well, we looked at each other and decided we wanted to go to Vegas. Spur of the Moment...we packed our bags, Chris booked a hotel and we were in the car within an hour. Pretty impressive, huh? Well there was a big fight over the weekend and we had to settle on Monte Carlo because our usual ones were super expensive. While it was a great location on the strip, we were disappointed in the rooms. We have come to realize that we are getting pretty spoiled. They just need some renovations, but that is what we get when we decide that day to head out. However, we always have a great time! The kids were super good on the car rides. They both took naps. I realized on the way there that in my rush to pack three people in like 30 minutes, I forgot to pack my jeans! Oops. So I had only my black velour "travel pants". Chris certainly thought I did it on purpose and it gave me a reason to shop. When we got there Friday night we just walked around and ate at the hotel. The kids and I settled in pretty early while Chris went to gamble, but Mr. Vince must have known it was the "city that never sleeps" so he stayed up really late on both nights. He absolutely loved all of the lights, hotels and people. We watched movies, colored and did school work. Saturday morning the kids were up really early. We headed out for breakfast at our favorite Grand Luxe and then I wore the kids out shopping the mall (picture of them sleeping in the stroller). I bought some Christmas presents, Vincent's Christmas outfit and yes, some jeans! Later that afternoon we took Isabella to Excalibur to play some games. She won a cow all by herself, whose name is "cowwee" and she will not part with. We found a new yummy Mexican restaurant at New York, New York for dinner. Had margaritas and headed back in for the night.

This morning the kids were up early again. So we packed up and went to breakfast at Planet Hollywood. Found a yummy buffet there because Isabella wanted "you know, that place where you can walk around and pick out your own food!". While Daddy watched the first half of the Rams game, the kids and I did some more shopping around the Miracle Mile shops. Then home it was time to head to Grandpa Bob's birthday dinner. (Below in the pictures it was so sweet because Vincent kept giving Sissy kisses).

Both mornings while we headed out early, Chris and I saw people just heading in from their wild nights. We commented on "that being the life" walking down the strip at 8 in the morning with beer. And it might have been a life we use to lead in the college days, but you know what, I wouldn't change our trips and life now for anything. I don't think Chris would either.

On our way home, we went to Grammy Alice and Papa Joe's to celebrate Great Grandpa Bob's birthday! We had fun visiting, eating yummy turkey and drinkin' wine. Oh, I also broke my phone when I slammed the trunk on its screen. So, don't text me. I will get a new one tomorrow. And over the weekend I read a really cute book called "Over the Holidays". Hmm...what to read next!?

Have a wonderful week everyone :) I have a birthday party to plan this week!! xox

Christmas Email

I got this email from my dear friend Christie while we were away this weekend in Vegas. I loved it, read it to Chris and will post it here

________________________________________

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

*Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,not Happy Holiday !

Quotes on Faith from a 4 year old...

• "God has the whole world in his hands...He sleeps holding it! And he protects us from Monsters getting on Earth."
• "The Angels hold the other side of the world!"
• "God is really sad when I don't listen to you Mom."
• "Mommy, is this food from God?" "Yes, Isabella." "Oh, THANK YOU GOD....this is YUMMY!!"
• "Mommy, I'm going to Heaven soon." "I don't think so Bella." "Yah, I am...because they don't have boo-boos in Heaven. And boo-boos really hurt me and make me cry!"
• "Is Jesus upset with me Mommy?"
• "I am a child of God."

Morning!

This morning when Isabella woke up we made muffins for Daddy and took them upstairs with some coffee for breakfast in bed.

Chris, Bella and Vincent ate the muffins in bed while I got ready for the day. As I was making the bed after they had all deserted the room, I picked up the plate and empty wrappers. There all over the bed were crumbs. I actually teared up. I was taken back to a time when I was about Isabella's age and my Grandma Piraino was really sick. We would lay in her bed together and eat Crackers. I have to ask my Mom why we always ate salteen crackers, maybe there wasn't much my Grandma could stomach or maybe I just liked them? My Grandpa Vince would always tease me saying, "Who got crumbs all over my bed?!"....An insignifigant memory to most, but I really don't remember very much of my Gradma because she passed away when I was still little. I do know that they would have LOVED Isabella to pieces because she would have reminded them a lot of another little girl.

Today we are watching Mikayla from pre-school. After I picked the girls up, we went to the park and had a picnic. They played for a while and we came home, where they have continued to play and play and play! So much fun to have a friend over! And Happy Veterans Day with a heartfelt Thank You to all of those who have so proudly served our country...namely, Popi and Papa Joe!

Romance in the Bay Area

What can I say? What a perfect Anniversary we had; such a lovely time. I know I have a tendency to romanticize everything, but romance truly was alive in the city! Being away with Chris always reminds me why I fell in love with him. Are you gagging? HaHa. We started out about 8 o' clock on Friday morning and headed to San Fransisco. We had rain for about 30 minutes right when we arrived and I was worried, but then it stopped and was gorgeous weather. Chris booked the 4 Seasons in Union Square for two nights. Friday night I felt very much like a lady as we got dressed up for a special anniversary dinner.

Saturday we slept in, went to the gym and headed out for some coffee. The weather was brisk and beautiful. We went shopping at Union Square Macys. Chris bought himself some ties (I LOVE shopping for ties) and picked out an adorable Christmas dress for Isabella. We took the Trolley down to Fisherman's wharf and had some yummy Clam Chowder! Funniest part: Chris was watching the boats off the pier and all of a sudden he got soaked by water, no warning at all!! Poor thing was freezing and sucked it up while I laughed "with" him! We went out for steak dinner that night and I even did some reading (read a really cute book over the weekend).

Sunday morning we headed down to the Ritz at Half Moon Bay. GORGEOUS! The Ritz gave me a rose for our anniversary. So sweet! We hung out, went to the gym and had a really nice dinner at the hotel and went back to our room to make S'mores on our patio fire pit. LOVED IT!! Monday morning we took a walk along the coastal trail, had breakfast and took off for home to see our babies!

Thank you Chris for a perfect weekend! I enjoyed our talks, walks, and time together! Thank you Grandparents for your willingness to watch our children so we could spend some time away! You are AWESOME and we love you very much!!!

What are you doing Belle??

"I just wanted to make you breakfast, Mom!"

And here is my breakfast of Tea (which I already had), yogurt with a kiddie spoon, and candy corns plus her painted pumpkin for decoration. The colored plates were not exactly what she had in mind, so she moved over to the other cupboard which has the white plates.

I love my girl!

5 years ago...

Before Chris and I were married we had to go to counseling classes with Father Mariano who married us. We sat in a room with a bunch of other couples and we completed this scantron test. The compatibility test. I was so nervous that day going to class. So many thoughts ran through my head, namely, 'what if we fail? will that mean we shouldn't get married?'. Of course Chris thought I was nuts for even having these thoughts. So we took the test and the next week or so we went back to meet with Father Mariano one on one. I was convinced he was going to tell us we were not a match. Do you know what Father Mariano said?? He said..."I have never seen a couple get this high a level of compatibility on this test"!!! And the area we were dinged on was something that I mis-read the question. THANK GOD! Chris hit my knee and I just started laughing....

Before we were married I wrote down all the things I love(d) about Chris. I recently found that list tucked inside a journal that told our engagement story through my eyes. Here is the list (I was not being grammatically correct):

1. The way he makes me laugh










2. Silliness and the ability to not take anything TOO serious










3. Positive outlook and optimism










4. Ability to turn my worst situation into something I can handle










5. Romantic nature










6. Way he makes me feel like the most beautiful woman in the world










7. Way he make me feel safe and secure










8. Hard work ethic and dedication - successfulness










9. Honesty










10. How completely comfortable I am with him - even doing nothing but watching TV










11. Way he stands up for the things he believes in and believes are right










12. How smart he is










13. His thoughtfulness of me










14. Man of character










15. How he has embraced my family as his own










16. Do anything to help his family/friends










17. Forgiveness










18. His way with children - know he will be a wonderful Father










19. His confidence in me...that I can do anything even when I think I can't










20. Humbleness - Doesn't care what others thing or about superficial things










21. Ability to march to his own drum

Five years ago I said these words to Chris on that most perfect day:

I promise to give you the best of myself and to ask of you no more than you can give.

I promise to respect you as your own person and to realize that your interests, desires and needs are no less important than my own.

I promise to share with you my time and my attention and to bring joy, strength and imagination to our relationship.

I promise to keep myself open to you, to let you see through the window of my world into my innermost fears and feelings, secrets and dreams.

I promise to grow along with you, to be willing to face new challenges in order to keep our relationship alive and exciting.

I promise to love you in good times and in bad, with all I have to give and all I feel inside. In the only way I know how, Completely and Forever.

Chris,

I meant every single word I said on our wedding day and on that list of reasons why I love you. I knew without a doubt that becoming your wife was what I wanted most in this world. But the funny thing is, my love for you has grown deeper and stronger than what I felt that day. I thank God for you. You have talked me through anxiety and fear. You have shared tears of joy with me when our children were born. You have experienced new sights with me. You have sat up and talked with me when I needed it most. You have let me cry to you. You have laughed with me at nothing at all. You have given me two beautiful children. You have provided me with the dream of staying home. You have overlooked my spending habits too many times without saying a word. You have forgiven my stubbornness. You have embraced my passion for throwing a party here and there that might go a little overboard. You have taught me not to care what others think, but to live my life as I think is right. You have put my needs and that of our children before your own. You have seen me grow from a college girl to a mother, from your friend to your wife. You have put your faith in me.

When I see your face when you walk in the door after work, I know the world is going to be okay.I know that I am going to be okay because I have you by my side. My heart melts when I see the smile our children put on your face and when we get to experience things as a family.They say girls marry someone like their Father. I can truly say that the qualities I am seeing in you as you grow into the man and Father I always knew you would be are the same ones I have admired about my own Dad. And if Isabella finds someone like you someday I know that she will be one lucky girl and that I will have nothing to worry about because he will fill her heart with so much joy and take care of her until no end...just as you have me.

Our future is as bright as we make it together. You complete me!

Happy 5th Anniversary!

Play Date

Today we had a play date with Mikayla and her mom Jeri from preschool. We had a blast!! We took McDonalds to the park for a picnic and then let the girls play. They enjoyed the swings, playing in the sand and watching the ducks. We look foward to doing it again soon.

Also, I LOVED my Halloween wreath so much that I had to make a Fall one :) It turned out cute!

Boo-tiful Halloween

Seriously, what a fun Halloween we had! Our family plus some awesome friends made it over for traditional chili, cornbread and treats. The kids had a BLAST trick or treating together and running around the house playing. Isabella woke up this morning and said, " I miss Halloween! That was SO GREAT Mom!" I always say it, but I will say it again...to entertain and hear family laughter in my house makes my heart so happy.


The yummy cupcakes we made the night before + my awesome cupcake stand from Grammy!

Snow White and Camryn the Witch!

Aunt Amy playing with Bub.

The Guys watching a little football.

The power of three!

All the kids before Trick or Treating minus Rebecca and her three, which we were so happy caught up with us along the route.

So excited to collect some candy.

Vince's first door!

This was hilarious. Popi would wheel Vin right up to the door. They would put candy in his tray and he would pick it up and put it in his bucket which I was holding. It was so cute.

My dear Caitlin! So happy to spend some time together!

I have a picture of Aunt Amy with Isabella on her first Halloween...of course I needed one with the Lil' Guy.

Oh Goodness, look at all that candy!!

PS...Happy November!This time of year always makes me nostalgic. We have a lot to look forward to this month...5th Anniversary, Thanksgiving, and Vincent's first birthday party!! Time is a flyin'.