Auntie Tashi and Uncle Ty!

We were so happy to have these two come and visit us!  The whole time went something like this, "Auntie Tashi!  Watch this!  Uncle Ty!  What this!"  It was wonderful!  The girls love their auntie and uncle so much!  So do we! :-)

Christmas Prep

Red Robin with the family (I just love Cate's enthusiastic face, Jeez LOL), pictures with Santa, and a little bit of shopping.  Oh!  That's why the face, I just remembered.  We left the shoe store without her precious Sofia tennis shoes.  She actually got really sad, but se la vei! ;-) 

 

First Snow

It snowed only 1 inch, but it just happened to be on late start Friday, the last day before Winter Break began, and it was still coming down.  We got a snow day!  I was so happy to have the girls home and cozy with us.  Bronwen and Ava stayed out for a few hours, but Cate came in the moment her boot fell off and her socks got wet (understandably). ;-)  She got in a nice warm bath as mommy kept her company.  LOVE~

 

Selena Gomez

During the summer I felt like crying because Bronwen and Ava's favorite singer, Taylor Swift, was in town, but we couldn't get tickets.  I literally found out less than a week before she was coming, and at that point tickets were over $150/person.  We just couldn't swing it.  So...when I found out that their next favorite singer, Selena Gomez, was coming in November, I jumped at the chance!

 

We had the most memorable time.  What makes my heart so happy is that Conrad and I got to take the girls to their first concert.  I feel blessed that we love our girls so much and get to experience these "firsts" with them. 

 

Thanksgiving

After almost 6 years of living out here, we finally went down to OR to celebrate Thanksgiving with my family.  It was so wonderful and all I kept thinking was that I wish we had done it sooner.

 

Dance

Bronwen and Ava doing their fabulous hip-hop moves, while Cate and I chill in the lobby.  What a cozy, cozy life! :-)

 

Christmas Crafts :-)

I take Cate to an arts and crafts class every week and we always get to do the cutest projects themed around the holidays.  I wanted my big girls to get to participate in the action too, so got the traditional gingerbread house kit and fun "Santa Going Down the Chimney" cupcake set.  The cupcakes were delicious and I got to toss the house out the next day LOL!  That was disastrous! ;-)

 

Ava's Birthday

In all the excitement with the holidays, I got behind on updating our blog! :-)  

Ava's birthday was amazing!!! :-)  

For several months she'd been asking for a parakeet.  We told her she had to wait until she got a little older.  Wink - wink! ;-)

To get her present, we told her it'd be a surprise, so she needed to wear a blindfold.  We loaded everyone in the car (Bronwen and Cate were blindfolded too because we knew Cate would yell, "We're at Petsmart!"  LOL!

We got there and walked into the store, straight in front of the parakeets.  We took off the blindfold and yelled, "Surpise!"  She picked Thunder, a cute parakeet.  Unfortunately, I have to add an update -Thunder died within two weeks of us getting him.  What's funny is that when she picked him I said, "Are you sure?  That one looks sick."  I called it. :-(  But, I'm happy to say that we have since gotten two more parakeets, Lilly (or Willy, as Cate says) and Melody, that are a few months old and are happy and healthy.  The next day we went to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 with our neighbors, Betsy and Jacob.  On her actual birthday, Cate and I went to her school and brought cookies for the class.  It was wonderful!

I'm so proud of my special little girl.  She is my heart with feet and a genius.  

I love you, my miracle baby! :-)  I'm the luckiest person in the world to be your mom.