Christmas Card Photos

It was time to drag the family out for a photo shoot for our annual Christmas cards. I'm thankful that my family doesn't complain about this and will still indulge me! It was a beautiful Fall day and I'm glad I got the chance to capture my "babies" as they continue to grow up.

 I can't believe how big these guys are getting. Where do the years go?

 I am so thankful to be a part of this family. :)

 One last picture...until next year!

Black Friday (sort of!)

We've never gone out for Black Friday shopping before, and didn't really want to today. However, Zoe was in desperate need of pointe shoes, so we needed to head to Orange County. I met my mom at the sports store with Jax and Cooper to look for some lacrosse gear for Cooper. Luckily the lines weren't too long. Then she took the boys home with her and Zoe and I set off to shop some more.
She found a beautiful pair of pointe shoes, although with a giant broken blister on her toe, it was a bit of a painful process.

Then we headed to Fashion Island to see the beautiful tree and do some Christmas window shopping.

Our main reason for coming here though was to visit the macaron shop!

 Nothing makes this girl happier!

We headed back to Mimi's house for dinner. Then Zoe won an Instagram contest at the macaron shop so on our way home we stopped back in to pick up her free macarons!

It turned out to be a great Black Friday. Tomorrow the decorating begins!

Giving thanks...

Another successful Thanksgiving meal was had by all. I couldn't have done it this year without the help from my kids. They helped clean, set tables, chop veggies, bake, and more. We took a break preparing to go see Catching Fire and spend some time with friends this week too, but we were ready for Thanksgiving day!

 It was a fun day with family!

 Cousin love...and the boys entertained themselves with a game of chess.

 My best idea ever was to invest in a triple crock-pot cooker. I was able to make several dishes early and keep them warm all morning until it was time to eat. It made the day much more enjoyable since I was able to visit and have fun with everyone.

 Time to eat!

 and make a sparkling cider toast...

 Zoe said grace and we enjoyed a delicious meal.

 It wouldn't be a meal without the desserts!!

 Megan and Max came for dessert, and since they are celebrating Hanukkah, they opened a few gifts too.

 After everyone left (except for Jax!), we cleaned up and the kids had a fun night playing old Wii games...even having dance offs and bowling competitions.

It was such a great day, and I feel incredibly blessed to have such a wonderful family, great friends, good health, a roof over our heads, jobs, and food to keep us nourished.

Season ending

Time for football playoffs! The Aztecs ended up as division champions heading into round 3. They had a terrific season, and had improved so much as a team.

 They battled hard and it was an intense game. We were ahead most of the game but the score tied up and we headed into overtime.

It was a tough OT, and the boys lost by one point in the last 5 seconds. It was heartbreaking and the boys were devastated since they were really hoping to make it to the final bowl game. We tried to focus on all of the positives though, and they really did play a fantastic game.

It was time to celebrate the end of the season with a fun pizza party.

These boys are silly! They enjoyed some food, played lots of arcade games, and had a ton of fun. Afterwards, Coach Robert gave a speech about each kid.

As QB, Cooper had a great season. He became a team leader, was able to make, call, and execute plays, and his arm definitely became stronger. On defense, he was a leader in flag pulls and made at least one interception in every game!

The boys were given trophies for being division champions. Cooper was so glad to have shared another season with his friend Nicholas.

Another football season comes to an end. It's a good thing basketball started last week! No down time for this kid. :)

Fun Friends!

I sure do love these girls!

They wanted to celebrate the 2 year anniversary of the day they all went on pointe together, so we met up at the yogurt shop for a fun treat and some time to hang out.

I'm so glad that Zoe has these girls in her life!

Fall Hike

It was a beautiful, warm Fall day and we decided to head for a hike in the local mountains.

 I loved seeing the gold leaves on some of the trees at the entrance of the trail.

 It was a steady climb up, and the views were fantastic.

 We stopped for a quick snack break and rest.

 We turned around about mid-way up. The sky was such a vibrant blue.

 We made our way back down, which was quite a bit faster!

Such a beautiful day outdoors!