Trick-or-Treat!

This year was a fun Halloween for us because we had a houseful of kids to celebrate with!  Our family and good friends came over for our traditional chili and cornbread dinner.  Jeff and I have been doing this for the past five years and felt like this was definitely the most exciting year so far!  The adults got to eat, drink and chat while the kids played together before Trick-or-Treating together as army men, a frog, and a pirate with his little brother the parrot (who I didn't get a picture of...)  Despite all the candy and sugar, the kids made it to bed by 8:30, leaving the rest of the night for the adults to continue celebrating!  It was a fun, Fall night! 

Halloween Treats!

Pregnant mamas love any excuse to make sweet treats to eat!  What better way to satisfy some cravings than with friends and family?  Here are some of the Halloween goodies I made for us to enjoy...YUM!!

Fall Fun In Truckee!

I came to the realization a few weeks ago that our boys are growing up so fast (in fact, way too fast for their mama's liking!)  With the arrival of baby #3 approaching in less than two months, I know that doing the spontaneous things that I cherish so dearly will occur less and less frequently.  So, while I still have my little guys at home with me, I took advantage of spending some quality time together and with family in the mountains!  We traveled to Mimi and Papa's house and enjoyed a week full of fall sights, sounds and smells!  We are so blessed to have this "home away from home" to venture to whenever we need a break from our normal routine!  Here are some highlights: 

Casa Sonrisa

Okay, now that the apologies and explanations are out of the way, I can really start "Blogging!"  Yes friends, it's the simple things that get me so excited!

"Casa Sonrisa" you ask?  Well, glad you did...and for those who didn't ask and who know me well, you know I'll tell you the story anyway!  I figured what better way to know how we came to be as we begin "Round 2" of this Blogging thing!


For those who can't seem to remember back to their high school Spanish class days, here's a refresher: "Casa Sonrisa" loosely translated means "House of Smiles."  Five years ago, Jeff and I had the amazing opportunity to vacation in Costa Rica with family.  In Costa Rica, life is simple.  It's slow, it's intentional and it's full of joyful peace.  As you pass through the neigborhoods in the small towns, each house is identified by a name.  Literally, a name carved into a wooden sign that hangs at the entrance to each home.  When neighbors refer to each other, it's not by a last name but by the chosen name that identifies each family to all who pass by.  How wonderful...how could we get one of these names for our home too??  For the remainder of our vacation, we thought long and hard about how we wanted to be known and how we wanted others to refer to our family.  With Christ being the source of joy and "smiles" in our marriage, we prayed that soon we'd be able to share that same happiness with children in our own home.  And so it was decided - "Casa Sonrisa."  House of Smiles.  Smiles for the past, present and the future.  Smiles in the good times and in the bad.  Smiles in the times of plenty and in the times of need.  Smiles in sickness and in health.  It's what we commited to in our marriage ceremony three years earlier and as we prepared ourselves for starting a family, we knew it was what we needed to commit to for our future as well.

We took off one afternoon looking for a local artist who could sculpt those two words into a simple piece of wood for us.  We would eventually take home and post at the entrance of our house this "promise" to live our lives seeking the joy and peace that only Christ's love can bring in all circumstances.  It is a reminder to us be joyful in all things and to live our lives according to the purposes for which Christ has called us.  And now as we prepare for the arrival of our third child, it is our daily prayer that our home is a place where love, laughter and smiles resound through all we do.  Welcome to Casa Sonrisa...come along and smile with us!

Step Aside, Honey...I'm Taking Over!!!

To our dear friends and family out there who faithfully followed our 1st blog, let me take a moment apologize.  It was not my fault.  Really, it wasn't.  You see, my wonderful husband had the brilliant idea to capture our days in pictures and re-tell our adventures through the infamous world of blogging.  Yes, we had become official "Bloggers."  It seemed so new at the time and I was exited to join along in the journey of Jeff sharing our lives with the world from his candid, often humorous perspective.  I think the title of our first entry was something like, "Parker is Here!"  Well, isn't that sweet?!  Now almost two years old, Parker is getting ready to welcome a new baby brother in just 10 weeks.  Needless to say, I've officially decided to take the reigns of this blogging thing away from the man who initiated it all.  Let's just say, hearing comments like, "Wow, the kids sure haven't changed much" and "Do you know your blog hasn't been updated in a year" has started to wear on me (not to mention the fact that I always feel like I have "unfinished business" laying around.)  You know, kind of like that laundry pile in the closet that NEVER goes away?!

Soooooo....here I go!!  Step Aside Honey, I'm Taking Over!!!  We hope you enjoy the ride as much as we are!