destination disney

there are three things that our family loves

1. Jesus

2. coffee

3. disney

we love all things disney

mugs, toys, books, blankets, biographies, anthologies, figurines, puzzles, pictures, appliances, clothes, movies...oh the movies, video games, coloring books, towels, ornaments, holiday decor, documentaries, everything!

in fact I took some pictures of some of our disney stuff, just to prove it

See? I told you. And these pictures don't include the stuff at my husband's office, the dirty clothes in the laundry, toys around the car, and the countless hours of disney tracks on our ipods that we constantly listen to. Needless to say, we have a lot of stuff. And most of it isn't even for our kids. 

And there's still room to grow

In fact, I'd love to add some of these items to our collection

(by: Kaboodle.com)

(by: DealstoDisney)

(by: fireplaceshop.wordpress.com/ category/disney/)

And it has been a dream of ours to take the girls to Disneyland for more than one day. 

Even further, its been a personal dream of mine since 2006 to go to Disneyland when I'm 

NOT pregnant. 

It seemed like every single time I went to disneyland in the last 5 years, I've always been pregnant. 

Which means no Space Mountain, no Indiana Jones, no Star Tours, no FUN. 

But this is the year we're doing it. November 6th, the day after my sister-in-laws wedding, we're driving down to Anaheim and spending 4 days at the happiest place on earth. disney rides, disney clothes, disney food, disney music, disney shows. And I am counting the days.

So to get myself pumped for this trip I've included a countdown clock and will
include a disney fun fact at the beginning of each post until the big day arrives.

its destination disneyland, my friends

dedicated

"She said, "Oh, my lord! As your soul lives, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you, praying to the Lord. For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. So I have also dedicated him to the Lord; as long as he lives he is dedicated to the Lord."... 

1 Samuel 1:26-28

Yesterday was Haley's baby dedication at church. 

I remember standing on this stage three years ago for Aidan's dedication. 

It was such a huge step for me, which may sound kind of funny. 

But in the beginning of parenthood I really struggled with trusting the Lord with my kid's lives. More specifically, trusting the Lord if He decided to take their life. But I had to come to the realization that no matter what, I am not in control of their lives anyway. I can't be. I am a weak, fallen human being. 

But "there is no one holy like the Lord, Indeed, there is no one besides You, Nor is there any rock like our God." So no matter what God decides to do in or with their life all I can say is... 

TO GOD BE THE GLORY! 

And I am thankful to say that yesterday was not a day of struggle, 

it was a day of pure rejoicing and thanksgiving.

And a little bit of embarrassment considering I'm wearing the exact same denim jacket 

I was wearing three years ago. I think I need new clothes.

aidan's vocab + translation

I love my firstborn

I love her smile

I love her heart

I love her personality

and really love her language

Aidan's Present Vocab + Translation

"stop coughing me" = stop copying me

"chip stocks" = chop sticks

"alligator" = elevator

"mocamole" = guacamole

"brush teeth" = toothbrush

"chicken pox" = goose-bumbs

grandma's amazing chocolate cake

So on Wednesday Aidan and I made cupcakes for Haley's birthday, 

but we also made Grandma's amazing chocolate cake for Jason and I to enjoy. 

Its basically my mother-in-law's recipe for a black-bottom cake. And it is beyond delicious.

You start with these and a greased 9x13 backing pan

The cake is made in 4 layers

Layer 1: DEVILS FOOD cake mix, oil, water, and eggs. 

Mix with measurements as directed on box. And pour just 2/3 into your baking pan.

Layer 2: mix 2 eggs, 1/3 cup of sugar, 1tsp. of vanilla, 

and 2 packages of cream cheese until well blended. Pour over cake batter.

Layer 3: spread 1 cup of chocolate chips over cream cheese mixture.

Layer 4: top with the rest of the cake batter

Bake at 350 degrees for about 45-50 minutes. 

And refrigerate immediately. 

Tastes best when its cold.

Enjoy!

We enjoyed this for about a day...it goes fast in our house.

1st birthday

A year ago, Wednesday, the the Lord expanded our family and added Haley. 

My little Haley. 

My baby Haley. 

And now she's 1. And according to my Kaiser Permanente newsletter, she's now a toddler. Which makes me kind of sad. Its just too soon. But to celebrate, Jason took the day off and we all traveled...

*put on Buddy the Elf voice*

past the whirly swirly fog, 

through the spooky tunnel, 

and across the Golden Gate Bridge

(Okay, that was truly the cheesiest thing I've ever done)

to The Bay Area Discovery Museum. 

 Which is by far, the best place to take toddlers and preschoolers. The girls had a blast.

And about 2 minutes after we got into the car to leave...

We hadn't eaten lunch yet, and it was cold. I mean really cold. Maybe you think that 55 degree weather isn't cold, but when you live in 75 degree weather, 55 is super cold. And what does super cold weather call for when you're hungry? COMFORT FOOD!

And you ask "why would you go to a coffee shop for comfort food?", YOU DON'T. You only go to a coffee shop when you didn't get the memo that your beloved Marie Callender's closed, you can't find parking at Chili's, and you're dying of hunger. Needless to say, I'm still waiting for my chili and cornbread craving to be satisfied. But the birthday girl didn't mind that she only got toast for lunch.

 

Because for dinner she got her fill of spaghetti and meatballs. 

Which made a second appearance through her nose while she opened her presents. I think Jason thought it was one of the greatest moments of the day.

We sang a round of Happy Birthday, with our special birthday bear, ate some cupcakes

and opened presents

well...lets just be honest...Aidan opened presents. But Haley had a great time watching, and being pushed away every time she tried to help.

Psalm 127:3-5a

"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. 

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. 

How blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them;"

Happy Birthday little one! We love you so much! 

the screams of sanctification

First of all, let me just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my adorable niece.

She turned two today. Unfortunately we haven't seen her in almost a year, so I have no pictures. But you can take my word for it, she's a total cutie. Happy Birthday, Karleigh!

So back to today, Jason's working from home this week, so I wanted to take the girls out of the house for a while, so he could get some peace and quiet. So it was off to Toys R Us...

The girls always have a blast playing with the motorized cars. And of course we were having a great time up until the moment it was time to leave. Which is when it happened, major meltdown in the store by Aidan screaming, "Get Your Hands Off Me!" (First, of all I would like to point out that I was standing about ten feet away from her when she said this, so I really have no idea why she used this particular sentence.) Anyway, I put on my stern mommy look AND voice and started with, "I am your mother..."just to make things clear in case people came rushing with security, and we left.

(she's glaring at me, you just can't see it)

later on in the day, it was the little one's turn to meltdown.

And as much as I wanted to sit there and join them in their screaming, the Lord gave me some major understanding. He deals with the exact same thing with me, and He is ever patient with me. And it totally renewed my heart, for the response I needed to have with my girls today. I am so thankful for the opportunity He's given me to identify with Him as a parent; to understand what He goes through.

So yeah, it was a pretty good day.

Special times, and the moment of the week!

I got a BIG break from the chaos last Wednesday. I met up with the college girls from church at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse before they go back to school. We especially wanted to have a special send off dinner before two of the girls begin their freshman year. I love these girls, and I'm going to miss them all so much.

My girls make me smile, and this is why...

Earlier that day Thing 1 told us that she was reserving the car, because she needed to meet her friends for a meeting when they all grow up. I began to freak out about how grown up she's already acting, but my fears were quickly relieved when she called the mall elevator the "alligator". Whew, still a little kid, thank You, Lord.

I just had to take a picture of this. It was one of my favorite moments of the week.

Because soon, it would look like this again

We host a weekly college/career small group at our house which includes dinner. I enjoy cooking, and it gives me a great excuse to try out new recipes. This was one of my own copy-cat creations. Don't you just love lettuce wraps? I do! I love ordering them at restaurants, especially P.F. Changs. And I just always assumed they're really difficult to make, but I figured out I just make bad assumptions. So here ya go!

Start with some chicken breast cut into small cubes.

Keep the Kraft Asian Sesame dressing on the side. You won't need that until the end.

Then add some chopped celery, chopped onion, and garlic to the cubed chicken and cook. (no picture of that...sorry.)

Remove the chicken from pan, pour into a large bowl. Then just chop up some green onions, shred a couple carrots and add them to the cooked chicken mixture. Mix with a lot of that Kraft Asian sesame dressing, and scoop into some iceberg lettuce leaves. Then top with some crunchy chow mein noodles, and voila!

And if you have a really good recipe for this, please send it my way. I'd love to perfect my creation.

Spurgeon Speaks to my Soul

I've never come across a devotional i really liked, until I picked up Morning and Evening by Charles Spurgeon. Two devotionals a day, one for the morning, and one for the evening. Sermonettes for my soul.  

I cheat though, they're both read in the morning. Confession time: because as beautiful as Spurgeon's words are about our Savior, they tend to put me to sleep at night. 

Anyway, without fail Spurgeon spoke to my soul again this morning, with my prayer for the day (and what should be EVERY DAY).

"O Jesus, if Thou come not in person to Thy waiting Church this day, yet come in Spirit to my sighing heart, and make it sing for joy." 

-C.S. Morning and Evening

It's Time

It's time to join the blogging world. I was totally turned off by the idea of blogging after watching the movie Julie & Julia. If blogging meant that you had to be completely obsessed with finishing a goal...not for me. (Why? Because I'm a total planner, but I hate goals. I'm not against them, I just rarely finish them, and then it makes me sad. Don't ask me how being a planner and anti-goal maker goes together, but it does.) However, now that i'm a total blog reader, have blogging friends, a blogging husband, and a life I like to think is worth blogging about; I realize its just a fun thing to do, and YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A CRAZY LIFE GOAL OUT OF IT, so i'm in!

so welcome to my chaos...

I love them to death!