Fun, fun, fun

Today was a very busy day with several activites to do!

Last week I found a link to this website on Pinterest and after spending some time looking at it, I decided to create an account. After your account is created, they will send you one email a day (on the days that you choose) with an age ap...propriate developmental fun activity for you to do with your child. Best of all, it's FREE and uses every day objects!!! Today's activity was scooping. We were supposed to scoop cheerios from one bowl to the other, but I thought scooping ball pit balls with a bucket sounded way more fun!

The website is found here: Productive Parenting

 

Later that morning, we had a play date with some of Nicole's friends. She loved having other kids her age to talk to during lunch!

 What's better than some good conversation over chicken nuggets, mac 'n' cheese, goldfish, and graham crackers?!?

 They also had fun playing in the water.

Nicole is forever flirting with other babies (especially boys). Today she decided kissing and hugging this little guy sounded like fun. Thankfully his mom also found the humor in her actions!

At home, Nicole found my deoderant that hadn't been put away from camping. She was showing me how mom and dad put deoderant on.

 I guess she thought I smelled bad because she was lifting up my shirt to help me put some on.

After dinner, Nicole and I headed out to Tyler Mall to spend some time with Grandma Joan (who I think was going through some serious Nicole withdraws since it had been almost two weeks since she last saw Nicole) and Aunt Hannah (who flew down last minute to visit a sick friend **our friend could really use some extra prayers during this tough time as she battles cancer**). Grandma Joan and Nicole bought tickets to ride on the train. Nicole surprised me with how well she did considering it was after 8pm (she normally is in bed by 8).

She was a little surprised when the train started moving.

But after a minute or two she was so fascinated with everything around her, that she started to have fun. After a few times around the track, she started to laugh and wave every time she passed Hannah and me, but I didn't get any good pictures of that because I was busy laughing and waving back to her.

 

Well, this is a glance into the busy day that we had today. I am so blessed that I am able to enjoy the little moments with Nicole as she grows!

An Example to Follow

This was a very special weekend for us as we celebrated my grandparents 50th wedding anniversary! Their marriage has been a wonderful example of what a Christlike marriage looks like for many couples, including Nick and me!

The other awesome part of this weekend is that my sister, Kendra, and her husband and son came out from Florida to surprise my grandparents. Here are some pictures from the weekend.

 Here is Samuel letting Nicole know what he thinks of her hitting him....

 Nicole playing with the food that was on Nick's plate. I think she is wanting to start on solid food.

Nicole playing with Grandma Linda's cup.

 Grandpa Ron, Grandma Judy, Samuel, and Nicole.

 Nicole playing with Granddad's cup. She likes taking things that don't belong to her.

Karissa holding Samuel while we were at dinner at Lucilles.

The waitress brought out 2 sundaes to help us celebrate their anniversary.

Here is the cake I made for their party.

And the rest of the cake....errr....cupcakes. I made cupcakes since it was an open house party so people could take desserts as they came. The cake cutting was about halfway through the party.

Here are more cupcakes.....We had about 45 frosted cupcakes left over and another 20 or so that weren't frosted yet. At least we didn't run out!

Grandma and granddad cutting the cake.

My mom, Nicole, Aunt Susan, and me! We had a great time visiting with my aunt Susan (from my dad's side) who has known my grandparents (on my mom's side) for the past 50 years!

Granddad feeding grandma a piece of cake......No face smashing here!

What a long party weekend! Good thing Nicole had her dad to hold her and snuggle with her!

Nicole and Grandma Joan

I know I say it all the time, but we are SOOOOO blessed to live near family! We love being able to share in special moments and visit with our family! 

Richly Blessed

As I sit here tonight and reflect on our day, I see how richly blessed I am and how God provides for me.

1) AAA- Yes, today I had to call AAA since I had locked the keys in the van. He came quickly enough that I wasn't late for my appointment.

2) My mother-in-law (and sis-in-laws)- They were already planning on watching Nicole, but they were willing to drive all the way down to our house (instead of meeting in Corona) so they could pick me up in case the tow truck driver wasn't fast enough.

3) My Jeep- I never thought I would say this, but I missed having my car! I am so glad to have it back and running well!

4) My parents- They have been willing to loan me their van (I feel a little silly driving with 13 empty seats....) while my car has been in the shop for several weeks. They have also watched Nicole for the past 4 days while I made cakes, went on a date, and went to a job interview.

5) My job- yes, I said job......I signed a contract today to work as a temp specialist at a school in Corona!! I will be working with 1st, 3rd, and 5th grades. Also, if things go according to plan, I will have a classroom of my own to work in! I am praying that this job goes well and that it will be a great experience for me! I will miss spending my days with Nicole, but am very fortunate that she will get to spend her days with both sets of her grandparents.

I hope you are able to look into your days and see how richly God has blessed you!

Look Who Came To Visit!

Today we visited with Nicole's Aunt Hannah (my sister) who came down from Idaho to see Nicole (ok, she really came down for my uncle's wedding.......but we can pretend). I was busy making cakes for the wedding, so Hannah and Grandma Joan kept Nicole entertained for the day. Here are some pictures of the time together.

 Guess who bought her this little shirt
(It says: "I'm as cute as my aunt").

The best part of being an aunt!