November 2014

November was about three things, promoting "James the Brave", going to Santa Barbara for a full week for Thanksgiving and getting ready for Christmas.  I love November because it is basically a month full of anticipation for wonderful things to come.  And who doesn't love to anticipate wonderful things?  I'm also a huge fan of Thanksgiving and all things turkey, mashed potatoes and homemade rolls.  Oh, and gratitude.  I am grateful for November!

"James the Brave"
The book was a high priority this month and the promotion of it became my focus.  I have been so blessed to have friends that are so willing to help me.  I have done a few giveaways on Instagram with Nena and Co. which has helped to expose the book to so many people.  I even had a woman in South Africa ask how she could purchase the book which was amazing.  It's been a gift to watch my idea become a fully illustrated story that I'm able to share with people.  I have some scheduled readings at schools coming up and a launch party in December.  Selling 1,000 books takes a lot of work but so far it has been tremendously rewarding.

I have so many wonderful friends supporting the book

A remote reading of "James the Brave" to Ms. Haak's class

"James the Brave" displayed in Rashelle Haak's Children's Literature Class

I attended a Blogger Dinner and met amazing women who are doing incredible things

One of the giveaways including "James the Brave"

Thanksgiving in Santa Barbara

We had a great week in Santa Barbara.  Scott was in much need for some time off and the weather handed us a glorious week of temperatures in the 80's.  We went to the beach as much as possible and everyday spent time in the sun.  Horseshoes were played, marathons (or a 5k) were ran and of course, too much food was consumed.  It was perfect.  

Grandma Time!  There is nothing like it.

Pop Pop Time!  There is nothing like.

On Thanksgiving morning we ran a 5K.  I fully intended on walking the entire way but surprised even myself and ran the second half.  Let me repeat, I ran.  One more time, I ran.  It was a Thanksgiving miracle.

The Santa Barbara Zoo is a favorite, I know, so out of character.   We rode the train, and did some sledding Santa Barbara style.  The boys even got their very own Gibbons to tie around their necks.

This beach day was so fun-filled and I wish I could repeat it.  Like tomorrow.  Probably my favorite day from the trip.  

Did I mention we went sailing.  Well we did and it was freaking amazing.

We even snuck in a family photo shoot with our favorite photographer, Christine.  Did I mention that it's pretty wonderful to have a professional photographer in the family?  She really proved herself this time because we had a whole lot of grumpy to deal with during the shoot.  But despite all odds she took some of our best photos yet!  

Getting Ready for Christmas

Not much to share here other than we are so very excited for Christmas and all the upcoming festivities.  We put up all our decorations before we left for Santa Barbara so our house would be Christmas ready when we got home.  Guess what else is Christmas ready?  ME!

Honorable Mentions:

• Foster now says "let's get cozy" and likes to "get cozy" all the time.  I like "getting cozy" with him too!

• The boys are both obsessed with the movie Frozen and watch it constantly.  Note that in the photo with the Christmas tree, Frozen is playing.  It is always playing.  Help me.  
• Scott will be changing jobs in January and will be working back in his old building.  It will mean less stress for him which is wonderful!

October 2014

October, oh how I love you! This month was such a treat. Not only is it the best month of the year for the fact that we celebrate Halloween and all things pumpkin. But we also managed to squeeze in two trips in October. I mean, October is so rad that I'm pretty sure December is jealous. 

We started the month with a trip to Big Bear, I spent four days in Palm Springs with the Olson ladies, we hit the pumpkin patch, and of course we celebrated my favorite holiday of the year...Halloween!!!

Big Bear

After our last horrifying trip to Big Bear, I was a little scared to go back. I mean, I figured no one would need intestinal surgery again but I was hoping the reminder of what we went through last time would not affect our trip. It sure didn't. We had such an amazing trip. Everyone of us loved being there and now I frequently get requests from James to go back to the bear house. 

We packed in all of our favorites; the big bear zoo, the lake walking trail, hikes and this year we added a boat ride. We also discovered the Big Bear candy store, which we visited more than once! But one of our favorite things of all, was getting cozy in the cabin, making dinner, followed by making cookies and watching movies. Overall, I'd say it was our best family vacation yet! 

The cabin 

Brother movie night

Foster at the Big Bear Zoo

Scare Crow contest 

Our favorite 5 mile walk

Views from the walk

Going out on the lake on Miss Liberty

The view from our boat of Big Bear's famous pirate ship! 

Checking out the local woodwork.

We should have bought this.

We should have bought this.

We definitely should have bought this.

Palm Springs Girl's Trip

Getting four days away from all responsibility is amazing but even better was spending four days with the lovely Olson ladies! From drinks poolside, to shopping, to more shopping and more drinks poolside...it was amazing. After four days in desert heaven I was ready to be a mom again.

Like I said, drinks poolside!

We need LeeAnn in this pic...she is the reason this fabulous trip happened!

Jamie's breakfast at Norma's. Yummmm.

Pedicures were a must.

Pumpkin Patchin'

We hit up two different patches this year, because one is not enough! We visited the patch in Del Mar with Darci, Charlie and June and also spent a Saturday at Bates Nut Farm.

Strong man contest.

James insisted on this picture. Looks like we need a little sister and our family will be complete. (Wink)

Halloween

The boys were dragons and had a blast trunk or treating and trick or treating. Moral of the story, kids like dressing up and eating candy. It's a win win.

September 2014

Is there anything better than the fall? Okay, okay, it would be nice if it actually felt like fall but I'm not complaining. The moment I see pumpkins in the grocery store, I'm a happy girl!

This month James started joy school, we celebrated my birthday and had our best beach day yet.

Joy school

Joy School has been such a blessing for James. He loves his little class and is progressing socially by leaps and bounds. He would go everyday if he could but for now, he's going twice a week. The boy is even participating in craft time. It's a miracle. We are so proud of our James!

My B-Day

If you know me, you know I love my birthday and this year was seriously amazing. I got to go on a date with my husband to an Italian restaurant we've been wanting to try. We ordered fancy sodas and walked on the beach afterwards. So it was basically a perfect way to celebrate. But that's not all, I got a night out at one of my favorite Mexican restaurant with my ladies. And to top it off, we celebrated with a rib dinner with my family. It was totally worth turning 36. 

Beach Days

I think our beach days are winding down at this point but we had some beautiful beach days in September. We even made it there for an evening picnic. Nothing better than spending an evening at the beach! 

Honorable mentions

•Got a visit from one of my favorite people, Jessica, and her adorable daughter Goldie. The boys and I fell in love with this little one! 

•I got the flu. Like bad. And of course I got sick while Scott was out of town. My mom saved the day and took care of me and the boys the entire day. I'm a lucky one.

• Scott was gone for about seven days in September. He went to Chicago on a business trip and had an amazing time discovering the delicious food Chicago has to offer. Then he went on a recruiting trip to Utah. He got to discover the beauty of sundance and spent some quality time with Jamie. Both great trips!

August 2014

Is it okay to say that I think August is my least favorite month? I don't mean to hurt August's feelings but to be honest, August, you're way too hot and you really seem to drag on.

So we had a lot of indoor fun and did our best not to let cabin fever set in. I also am getting closer and closer to publishing "James the Brave". My illustrator is quickly turning my ideas into reality which has been an amazing thing to be a part of. And sadly, we said goodbye to Farley in August. As much as I know that it was the right decision, we still miss her around here. But the house and my mind are quieter these days which I am thoroughly enjoying!

Indoor and a little Outdoor Fun

I don't know how you people in Arizona do it. Sitting inside day after day in the air conditioning (thankfully) is driving us all a little stir crazy. Lots of trips to Get Air and the mall have been saving us! We did manage to make it outside despite the heat. These pics pretty much sum up what we did this month.

Hanging with Leah and Annalise is one of our favorite pastimes. They even got James to hold hands, not an easy thing to do!

Spent a morning at the zoo and it was 15 degrees cooler and beautiful. I'll be doing this a lot in September! 

Discovering board games!

Evening beach time. 

"James the Brave"

It looks like the book will be wrapped up in about a month. I'm waiting on four more pages to get color and then it's a matter of printing and whala...it's done! My illustrator has pretty much nailed everything and I am so grateful I found her! Here's her illustration of my main character, James.

Bye bye Farley

I am so happy we bought Farley. She needed a good home and I would have always wondered what would have happened to her if we would have left her at the pet store. So after giving her all her shots, clearing her of two parasites, giving her a good grooming and two months worth of love, she was ready to go to her forever home with the Franz family. We hear they love her to pieces and have renamed her Poppy. We miss her but I don't miss the chaos and I yell a lot less these days! I think Bella is a lot happier to have her family all to herself. Lesson learned...no more dogs. And no more trips to the pet store!