Play-date Anyone?

We finished the girl's playroom at the beginning of the month and I just haven't gotten around to posting any pictures. This was our first room to refinish the ceiling...which is looking very nice popcorn free. We still need to do the trim, someday put in a new door, and someday very distant put in new carpet.

Here are a few before pictures:

And after:

The light fixture I bought to put above our dinning room table. Nick was not a fan. It turned out to be perfect in this space. P.S. I LOVE the color!

Nick built this handy bookcase, very charming. I sewed the bean bag, always good to point out my few contributions to things:

I repainted the girl's kitchen, isn't it amazing how paint gives almost everything a new life?

When we moved in I found the yard stick in the garage. Stain it up, add some spray painted clothes pens, super cute wall hanging! The girls have been loving their magnetic board and I have been loving my magnet free fridge.

The shelf on the left we already had, so Nick built the right one to match. I am loving having all the toys up and organized!!!

Having the girls' space organized and completed has made such a difference in the rest of the house. One more project down and so many more left...such is the life!!! Our living room is coming along nicely so stay tuned!

Paige's Special Day

*lunch with Dad at Chick-fil-a

*having a princess party with Evie

*nothing beats a killer whale cake...

*...ice cream just might

*redecorating the Christmas tree to be a birthday tree

*our first family pet- a goldfish named Nemo

*wishing everyone else a Happy Birthday

*loving turning the big #3

Nine Years and Counting

-Nine years of marriage

-Three sassy little blondes

-One college degree completed (thank-goodness you never wanted to be a doctor)

-Eight moves (we sure know how to pack a box, don't we?)

-One fixer-uper down and another well on its way (what were we thinking?!?!)

-Four cars (I still cannot believe Moe lasted that long and that we got $500 for it at that garage sale)

-Countless sleepless nights (ear infections suck)

-Over 11,000 miles traveled to Wyoming and back (remember when we were against DVD players in a car? Silly us!)

-Millions of perfect memories....

Happy Birthday Paige

Today my Paige turns three. She adds so much to our little family and I cannot imagine my life without her. We love you Paige!!!

Check out Paige's slideshow here.

Christmas Morning

What was your favorite part Christmas?

Dad: "Watching movies with all my girls."

Hannah: "Getting real lip gloss from Santa."

Paige: "Watching movies and eating candy."

Audrey: "Kicking everyone off of my camping chair."

Mom: "My new Popsicle maker!"

...while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads...

T'was the day before Christmas...

...and my amazing hubby was putting in our new floor. Merry Christmas to me!!!

Golden Cub

Hannah won a "Golden Cub" award at her school's monthly assembly on Friday. She was very excited and proud as she stood next to the principle, Mrs. Fagen. The principle read the following which Hannah's teacher wrote:

"Hannah always comes to school with a great attitude. She is kind, hardworking, thoughtful, respectful, and an amazing friend to her classmates. Thank you for being an awesome Kimberly Cub."

Nice job Hannah!!!

Deck The Halls

Away In A Manger

Hannah has been really concerned about our nativity this Christmas season. I often come out to the family room and see everyone standing at attention.

Joy To The World

...or at least joy at Disneyland...

Angels We Have Heard on High

Hannah's school held their annual winter program this past week and she did great!!! Check out the kindergardeners' performance here. She is on the second row, third over from the left. Enjoy!!

All I Want for Christmas is You

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

Our church held their annual Christmas Party where St. Nick always makes an appearance. Hannah still is scared to death of the guy but braved sitting on his lap anyway in pursuit of her perfect Christmas gift- lip gloss. Paige looked on pretty skeptical but got close enough to whisper, "I want lip gloss too" before backing away quickly. I guess we will see Christmas morning how good these girls have been...

All Is Bright

Let the season begin...

Thanksgiving Weekend

*Making Dad's favorite pie

*Ran in the Claremont Turkey Trot, my first 5K since high school

*Enjoyed fresh grapefruit from a stand two-blocks away

*A full fridge of leftovers kept everyone well feed all weekend

*Hannah was the Wish-Bone Camp

*Watched our fair share of football

Happy Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving Daily

I am surrounded by my Heavenly Father's generosity. I live in a house with four bedrooms, my husband and I own two working cars, I have access to clean water everyday of my life, I have a fridge and pantry full of food, I have a closet full of clothes, I live in a country where I get to exercise my individual freedom, I am blessed with health and a working mind, and the list could go on and on. Today am I thankful for the amazing life I blessed with and the opportunity I am giving daily to appreciate the bounty I am surrounded with. I love the latest Mormon Message and it's challenge to live in thanksgiving daily. Enjoy!

Pizza

While I am a no frills pizza gal, pepperoni and cheese, there is nothing basic about my love affair with pizza. I have decided it is not just the perfect bread crust, melted cheese, or just that touch of grease which makes me keep coming back for more, it is the memories. Growing up, pizza was an "all hands on deck" dinner. Rolling dough, poking holes in the crust, stirring the sauce, arranging the toppings, everyone had a job. Now, when my little family makes pizza, the girls eagerly help with each and every task. By the time the pizza finally reaches the table, there is at least 2 cups of flour on the floor, everyone has eaten 10 pepperonis to "taste" the sauce, and Paige has shreds of cheese in her hair. I am thankful today for yummy food and the memories I get to make with my little ones.

Nick's Job

When Nick started his job search while he finished college, I took it for granted he would have employment in his chosen field. He had a hand full of offers, as did every student graduated in the Construction Management Program that same semester. How quickly times change. Many of those who graduated with Nick are no longer employed, friends have had to make drastic career changes, or fellow employees (and friends) in Nick's current company find themselves looking for a new job. It is not uncommon for Nick to put in 14 plus hours day, to be driving at least 4 hours a day, or to go a week without seeing his kids because he left before they were awake and home after they are in bed. I am so thankful today for a husband who has such an incredible work ethic and for the job he has to support our family.

My Faith

Being Sunday, it only seemed fitting to focus my gratitude on a more spiritual topic. How blessed I am to know I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father. A Father who loves me and wants nothing but the most wonderful for me. I am blessed to know He has provided me with the necessary tools required to reach my eternal potential. I know His love is unconditional and it through His love that I find peace. Today I am thankful for my faith.

The Beach

Need I say more? Today I am thankful for the beach.

Our Phone

One thing I really struggle with, more so it seems around the holidays, is being far from any and all extended family. I am envious of the relationships my nieces and nephews are able to form with their cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents which my children miss out on. How blessed I am to live in an era where technology is so readily available which allows my little family to stay somewhat connected to our big family. House phones, cell phones, e-mail, blogs, or Skype all give us avenues to stay linked to what is going on back home. While I realize these are all far cries from being in the same room with our families, I am thankful for how accessible some form of communication is.

Dear Friends

Looking back over my life thus far, one consistent factor I see is always being blessed with amazing friends. In college I had roommates who encouraged me in my studies, helped me mend broken hearts, and inspired me to strengthen my testimony. During my short teaching career, I was surrounded my amazing educators who pulled me through some tough days. Since getting married, Nick and I always seem to be able to form friendships with the best people you could dream of. Many of these families and individuals, even after moving apart, still keep in touch and they continue to bless my life. After moving to California, our friends also act much like a family. They go on adventures with us, spend holidays with us, attend our kid's baby blessings and birthdays, bail us out of babysitting emergencies, and provide me with unconditional love and support. Today I am thankful for dear friends.

Our Tent

We took our first camping trip as a family to Santa Cruz when Hannah has not quite a year old and become hooked. Since then we have been to the Wind River Mountains, Pismo Beach, Joshua Tree National Forest, Arches National Forest, Carlsbad, and Big Sur to name a few. As a family we have seen amazing waterfalls, gone exploring, played at the beach, studied bugs, cuddled together in our sleeping bags, star gazed, and eaten more then our fair share of hot dogs and marshmallows. Today I am thankful for our tent.

My Husband

Today I am thankful for my husband and what he adds to our family of girls. I cannot imagine how outnumbered he must feel at times but you would never know it by the respect and dignity he treats myself and my daughters with. I love how secure, protected and loved I feel in my marriage. My husband inspires me to become a better person in every aspect in my life without ever making me feel inadequate. How blessed I am he took a chance on a silly girl from a small Wyoming town.

Photo by Andrea

My Girls

I am not going to lie. I have had a somewhat grumpy attitude of late. Keeping with the theme of the season, I decided to make posts between now and Thanksgiving to remember all the incredible blessings I have. Of course, I had to start with my girls...

Being a mom is, by far, the most challenging experience I have ever had. Unlike when I was a student or a teacher, there is never a weekend or a vacation or a even a textbook. Motherhood is truly making the most of the everyday. Being a mom has forced me to rely on my Heavenly Father and Nick in ways I never knew possible, allowing me to fortify those relationships and discover my own personal strengths. My daughters have taught me to savor the ordinary, because those are the moments our days are made of, and cherish the exceptional, because that is who they are. Today I am truly thankful for my girls.

Photo by Andrea

Fall

Hall Bath Reveal

I feel like we are close enough to completion on our hall bath to show off some pictures. The trim needs done (down the road) and the door replaces (waaaaaay down the road) but I am so excited with how things have turned out thus far.

So come on in, take a look around...

First lets take a quick look back...

We ended up tearing out the flooring, which was carpet (really?!?!?!? Who puts carpet in a bathroom?) and tore out the existing vanity. Nick also had to solve some unknown plumbing problems along the way. Isn't that just how projects go?

We tore out the medicine cabinet on the wall and sheet-rocked it in...

Nick also did some nice electrical work removing the recessed light and putting in a more central light and fan. He also added lights on the wall on both sides of a new mirror. You can also see in this picture the door we took out and sheet-rocked which was in-between the bath and laundry room...

Here is a cute pic of Paige just because...

And here is how our bathroom looks today...

I do want to just add in my contributions to the project. I painted the walls (twice, because the color was very purple the first time around) and sewed the curtains. Yea for me!! Thanks to Nick's brother Aaron, we were able to utilize all his tile tools to tile the room. I cannot even put in words how great it is to have tile in our bathroom! We ended up using outdoor lights on each side of the mirror. They were so much cheaper!!! I did have to spray paint them to get them white and I frosted their glass walls (just like spray paint.) The mirror we scored at Pottery Barn Outlet and we ended up spray painting it white as well. We ended up keeping the same green tile around the tub/shower, so I didn't take a ton of pictures of that area. By far the highlight of the bathroom is the vanity, which Nick made (I helped paint it...look at me!) He really did such an awesome job with it!!!

The drawer on the top is perfect for all the girl's bathroom stuff...

And the bottom folds down for a bit more storage and works as a stool so the girls can brush teeth and wash hands. PERFECT!!

It is so exciting to have one room down even though it took a good month longer then we planned, just like any good project does. On to the next...