Tally and Aaron went to a Father Daughter ball and she was in Heaven- she helped him pick out his tie- that girl loves dates with her daddy! Sweet memories
My crazy french family loves to have celebrity parties- seems simple enough right? Did I mention everyone has to perform :) It made for a fun night of lots of laughs in Avila Beach
Aricin and his cousin Samuel are weeks apart and get on so well together. I saw this picture and thought I can just see them recreating this picture in 10 years when they are both 16 :) Maybe they can be roommates at Westmont some day
Tally Highjacked some head gear the night of the party
Did I mention she was so excited to perform "Let It Go" from Frozen for the whole family. She sings it every day but on that day she had an audience of around 50 people
Kids Helping Kids Benefit Concert featuring Ingrid Michaelson
I took this guy on a special date to the Habit and grocery shopping- seems simple- but it's amazing how much kids crave one on one time- he loved it
Aaron led a Zoo trip to Big Sur with 2 other families. We got to take the frog mobile- the kids were soo excited!
Checking the Elephant Seals in Cambria
Did i mention I HATE CAMPING? I tried to keep a positive attitude but, Oliver threw up the first night all over our small tent and day 2 he threw up all over himself and the car... It made for good times. Some how everyone else had the best time ever, I was the only grumpy one :)
Big Sur Camping Trip
Monterey Bay Aquarium
These little fish always remind me of Finding Nemo
Why do they grow so fast? I love these crazy, active, curious kids and am so thankful God has given us the gift being able to help raise them
Home- SB Harbor. We hang out here a lot
Aricin's Cub Scout Pine Wood Derby races
Baseball try-outs: Can you believe they actually make 6 year olds try out?? I kind of have a tough time with this. He did awesome despite wearing all Giants gear :)
HOME- SB- We've been walking a lot before the sun goes down. Is it wrong to wonder if Heaven will be something like Santa Barbara :)
Yes i took a picture of my food. Let me explain... My good friend Katie, flew into SB and the hubbies let us have a girls day that started with breakfast at Jeanine's in Montecito. This right here is my all time favorite breakfast dish- Lobster Benedict. Did I mention Sean and Catherine from the Bachelor were eating next to us and celebrating their one year anniversary.
My Oli Bear- This kid is crazy. I want him to stay my baby but he's obsessed with "Being a Big Boy" and doing everything himself. He reminds me everyday that I need to work on my patience :)
Zoo Days- I love Buttercup the baby giraffe and I love how the baby anteater hugs and holds onto his momma all the time. I also love the monkey lovin Gibbons that have been together 35 years.
Our friend Patrick Maxcy came out and next year will be providing Art for the Zoo Gallery. The kids had fun drawing with him and we love him and his funny ways
Jen Hatmaker Conference at Church- such sweet times with so many awesome girls
My first client is buying this brand new home- So excited for them!
And that was January. I hate to keep saying "we're so busy" because as shocking as it sounds we are trying to slow down or at least consider where are few moments of free time are going. It feels like we are surrounded by friends or people we know that are hurting and we want to have ears to hear those moments when God calls us to reach out and love on others or drop off a meal to someone who needs it. We are going through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace series right now at our church and we have made the switch to a cash only life style in attempts to try to pay down some school debt that has joined our family. It's been hard but good- just like life I suppose. It's often hard but it's through those hard times that we learn and grow the most. The kids are both in scouts and awanas and Aricin is starting baseball this week. I LOVE HOME SCHOOLING these guys Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays- they are so fun to learn with and I LOVE MY BREAKS on tuesdays and thursdays where they go to their Charter and get History, Science, and Art. This week they did state presentations (In transitional Kindergarten and 1st grade)- made poster boards with facts on their chosen states (Hawaii and Texas) and then presented their reports to the 5th/ 6th grade class. I keep busy with my Cultural Care families as well as Cultural Care Sales- did I mention they are flying me back to Boston the first week of March for training as being part of the Sales team? kind of fun. I'm also helping my first client buy a home which should close in the next few weeks. Yahoo! Aaron is busy with Zoo stuff, creating curriculum for a test prep ACT/ SAT tutoring company he's working with, PHD writing, and oh yeah he started an educational consulting company and just got a contract with Santa Barbara County. Yipee! God is good in all things. Hope you are doing well (anyone that might be reading this) please come visit- we love hanging out with friends :)
