We're back...

Took a little holiday from our blog.

Don't frown my little minions...

Okay. It was more like a super long extended break.

 I'm ready to blog again-- yes, yes I am...

T'was the night before Christmas......

It's Christmas Eve and there was soooo much to do today.

 ----visit Santa (taking in one more visit before he takes flight)
 ---- Christmas eve lunch (love spending special moments like this with my little ones)
 ----make cookies and sweets (we're so excited for CHRISTMAS!!)
 ----set out luminaries along our driveway and sidewalk (taking a spiritual moment to reflect)
---- Calls to NORAD (North American Aerospace Defense Command) This North American defense follows Santa's route around the world.

We're beyond excited.

We wish you a very..... MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE

strolling among thousands of luminaries

May visions of sugar plums dance in your head

Be safe, be warm and have a good night......
(CLICK HERE to check out our Christmas eve blog from last year)

chilling....

Hurray for Winter Break!!!!!

Bam, Fifi, Cookie and Sweetheart are officially on holiday break all this week and next; up till after the New Year.

We are sooooo EXCITED.

We're happy to say good-bye (for now) to the morning rush hour

We're happy to stay in our pj's all day long (if we so please)

We're staying home today, making cookies (and making our home smell sweet)

Now if only it would SNOW!!

KINDNESS IS CONTAGIOUS

Random acts of kindness...

This morning at Starbucks.... someone paid for our Starbucks drinks.

Wow!?? That's so sweet.... so random.....SO RANDOMLY SWEET!

Of course, we continued the act of kindness forth to those behind us.

Committing random acts of kindness is absolutely contagious... on our way home we were thinking of other ways we can continue this thoughtful action.

you're safe to resume the rest of your life.....

What's the big idea behind this stone and clay Mayan calendar made in the fifth century B.C.

It was a calendar of calculations of seasons, drought, rainfall, gods and moon phases.

But to think that this calendar was a prediction tool for the demise of all known civilization??

WHAT??

Isn't it know that the Mayan had more than one calendar..... in fact several have been found.

Isn't it known that this isn't the end of LIFE.... but rather ONLY the end of the 13th b'ak'tun and the beginning of another cycle.

In light of the days leading up today....  from now on..... we should celebrated life.
12-21-12 is the beginning of anew.....
 a day to be kind to another.... be respectful.... smile..... and when you receive it...... pass it on to others.

I like this kind of prediction..... the prediction of a better tomorrow.....

What are you going to do???

sleepless in ABQ.....

Whew... what a day;

I helping my kiddos study for finals
I promised a good friend of mine with her furniture shopping

I'm so exhausted..... (uh oh) the little one is running a fever.
I guess bedtime will have to wait another night...

 oh how I look forward to winter break

laugh therapy.....

I have a good friend who decide she wanted to rearrange her house today.
She says I'm a good friend for helping her redesign her living space... (I think she's a good friend for trusting my decisions)

Any ways.... we've decided she needs new furniture.
She says she needs my eye for design.
I laugh when she says that...

Good friends are good to have.
Good friends are hard to find.
Good friends are GOLD

Darwin the monkey.....

Why is it when we go shopping we see angry husky dog with an attitude
 But when others go shopping they see a cute macaque monkey in a shearling coat!!

This macaque monkey is sooo CUTE......

Apparently he got lost his mommy while shopping in Ikea in Canada.

Poor little guy looks like a sad lost child wondering where his family is...
My kiddos and I agree that this little guy is soooo Crazy ADORABLE and we hope he reunites with his family before Christmas.
Oh my.....a monkey in a coat!!! Isn't that just so stinkin' CUTE!!

It's Christmas time...... in Costco

After school today we decided to get ourselves in the holiday mood...... So we headed to Costco--our favorite little place. (hahahaha.... Costco is hardly considered little)

...surrounded by several hundred poinsettias, wreaths, and thousands of Christmas decor and cheer. 
...we began to see people with that certain twinkle in their eye

Call it what you may....but I'm a late holiday shopper.

I'm not one those that shop in July or even the dreaded Black Friday.
If anything I like to begin my shopping the week before Christmas sometimes a little earlier.
As we left Costco I remind my children, "Remember SANTA is watching.....his elves are everywhere."

They laugh at their insane mommy....
I said, "You don't know. Santa's elves might be disgusted as a..... HUSKY

 

 

But then, the Husky stared an icy glare.
"YOU TALKIN' TO ME?"
We laughed so hard...

HOPE

What can we do to help Newtown, Connecticut??

With the intense media coverage of the horrific shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary we feel the need to do something.

Perhaps we need to push a bill to ban personal ownership of automatic and semi automatic assault weapons...

Perhaps healthcare could focus more on those with mild to extreme mental health or mental stability...

Perhaps we need to make our communities, towns, villages and cities more proactive...

We need to know our neighbors and our neighborhoods better....

Its time to begin the healing process....

Its time to honor those children and teachers. 

Its time for positive-random acts of kindness in their honor

Its time for HOPE and KINDNESS to shine brightly......

My girls giving a shadow of love to the kids of Sandy Hook

but momma they're kids just like me.....

When Cookie, Sweetheart, Fifi and Bam came home from school on Friday they had already heard about what happened at Sandy Hook Elementary school via the teachers,  smart phones, and from other students. This was the buzz...

They were sad for the murdered children and teachers from Connecticut.

It was true, I told them.

We talked about it the horrible, terribly awful thing that happened in Newtown, Connecticut.
Cookie and Sweetheart said, "But Momma, they're kids just like me. Why did he do that to kids??"

My heart tore...

I had to try to explain mental illness to my elementary school, middle school and high schooler...... People who suffer from mental illnesses have moments when they do not think like you or me. There is something in their brain that does not allow them to comprehend reality, common sense,or humanity; there is often a blurred definition of good or bad to them. Sometimes they know they suffer from mental illness and sometimes they don't know...

It's ALL so hard to explain.
The heart break is real.
Even though we're over 2,000 mi away, it still doesn't make it any easier to tell a child.

We hug, we shed a tear and we say a prayer...

unfathomable

zombie catfish chase....

After downloading pics from yesterday, I realized I wanted to mention our stop at McGaffey Lake.
Yesterday, on our way home, we took a detour drive by the lake...

The forest looked so inviting...

The drive is lovely.....

Bam in the lake or at least where the lake used to be......

It's sad to see the lake we once frequent many years ago but just a shadow of its former glory.

Looks to have been dry for some time now

piles and piles of dried dead crustacean

The crustacean aren't the only guys that where in the lake....

Eeewww...Bammy! Put that catfish down!!!

Bam had FUN chasing mommy and his sisters with the skeleton of a catfish...
So gross!


(Click here to see the blog from last summer when were at the Ranch)

my lil' entrepreneurs....

It's almost time for our summer vacation to NYC.

As you might know..... we drive to NY from NM every summer to see Grandma-Great.

It's the one thing we happily look forward to every single summer.

Believe me......we have a great time traveling from state to state..... sightseeing, museums, zoos, farmers markets, outdoor fairs, etc...

And there are plenty of stuff my kiddos want along the way and having four kids.....that stuff adds up!!! 

They usually have to careful decide what may or may not be worth their money.

So this year, in order to stretch their summer spending dollars, they've decided to sell a few things.

An arts and craft show of sorts with a few other things too.

We decided to head out to our local flea market.

My little entrepreneurs made some arts and craft items (made with love from their tiny hands) to sell along with some items they've out grown.

Fifi made hair clips and headbands from ribbons, feathers and beads....

Cookie made rings and keychains from small trinkets

Sweetheart hand knitted scarves and bracelets.

And Bammy acted as their banker, bookkeeper and cashier.

Sweetheart with her scarves and bracelet bar

Making the customers smile.
Along with every bracelet Sweetheart sold she recited a poem to the
 customer of friendship, love and best wishes as she puts the bracelet on their wrists.

I had so many compliments on my kiddos WONDERFUL business ethics.

very personable, very connective, great customer relations, unique, fantastically crafted items cuteness.

By days end... they did EXCELLENT... they had the satisfaction of a job well done......their crafts were a hit...... AND their profit margins were through the roof!

My little entrepreneurs.... they never stop making me PROUD!

(How about clicking here to see what we were up to last summer.....)

SIZZLING HOT TEMPERATURES....

Today Sweetheart and Fifi, had a soccer game.

It was a very good game despite the super HOT temperatures.

GO SCORPIONS!!

half time snap shot.... Keeping Hydrated

ALWAYS A GREAT GAME!!

Fifi and Sweetheart have enjoyed playing soccer......I know they've both had a positive experience.....this being their very first time playing on a coed soccer team.

I also know they've learned a lot about soccer....mostly due to having a great coach.

But...this game may likely be their last game. (before we leave for summer vacation)

I know they'd love the opportunity to finish up the season....(another two weekend games)....but we must make time for our vacation.

Because we drive to NYC.... we need a certain amount of time to make the round trip voyage.

If time permits....we might be able to squeeze in another game....we'll see.

But until then....Thank you Coach Tory for a great season!!

Both Sweetheart and Fifi would like to say they've had the BEST TEAM and the BEST COACH around.

They look forward to seeing you again...perhaps next summer!

(Take a peek HERE at a day from LAST summer)

our mountain is waiting....

We have a few obligations tying us up until next week.

Believe me....the anticipation of beginning our holiday is killing me!!

I don't like keeping a running schedule.... after all we're ruled by schedules during the school year.
Although I think we're certainly ready to schedule in our SUMMER VACATION!!

(Click here for last summer blog)

think happy thoughts.....

One week (and counting).... as I begin the prep for our vacation, I find myself staring off into space.

I just get so caught up in thinking of the stuff we'll need. 

Packing is so much fun for me.... (I know some people could careless)
Not I...
 it means I'm ready to set off on another adventure in life with some of my favorite little people......my children.

Bam, Fifi, Sweetheart and Cookie are so super excited.

Every turn is something new, every day is ready to bloom into something wonderful.

As I stand here smiling to myself, Sweetheart comes into the room and asks me if I'm okay

".....oh mommy is just day dreaming"

the anticipation and excitement fills my heart 

Summer vacation is a great escape from our daily lives and a well deserved time away.
 We all work very hard at school and at home.

Other than that....... what's life without some ADVENTURE and FUN once a year.

(Click HERE to see what we were we doing last year to date)

a sprinkle a day.....

Cookie says, "Sprinkles are like glitter.... for food."

This pile of colorful sprinkles are left over (spillage) from the cupcake decorating that went DOWN last night.

Sweetheart, Fifi, and Cookie invited some friends over for a HUGE slept over party (I don't think they slept much though..... plenty of giggle-YES)

It was more like a make-over, dress up, nail salon, cupcake kind of night.

The house smelled yummy from baking cupcakes.
If only they made a perfume from that scent.

Special thanks to Fifi, Sweetheart, Cookie and their friends who did a great job tidying up afterwards.
(Click HERE to see what we were up to last summer)

I wanna be a rock star....

This is my perhaps the cutest Rockstar pic ever.
This is Sweetheart, singing her heart out.
She's been hip hopping, her lyrical genius(ness) everywhere today.
Make room WORLD---- for the newest teen sensation
 Lil' Miss Sweetie Pi

I love her passion


(Click HERE to see what we were up to last year)

shivering in the summer

Cool thing about summer is how the sun lightens up your hair naturally.

The photo below is of my hair....completely sun kissed with colors.

I like that....

A messy summer bun for library day with my kiddos.

(I didn't even know Fifi snapped a picture of my head while I was driving..... I kind'a like that.)

We spent a good portion of the day enjoying the books at the library.

We even check a few to take home.

With the temperature outside in the upper 90's..... the library turned up the air conditioner to a chilly 60.

(Brrrr)

On the way home Sweetheart wrapped herself up in her snuggie in the back seat and snuggled up with a good book for the ride home.....

(Do you remember what you were doing last summer today??? We do. Click HERE to see)