Christmas Sunday

I love any excuse to buy my kids new clothes and dress them up.  Here are some shots on our way to church last Sunday...

Momma and her babies.

Couldn't you just squeeze those little cheekies forever?

The only way we got her to smile was to tell her to say "Thomas the Train!"

Handsome.

Beautiful.

All Aboard!

This weekend, Paul and I took Bella and Jonah to the Candy Cane Train with our friends Billy, Lori and their baby Will.  Bella was in train heaven.

Before the ride, the kiddies did a little tree climbing.  Will was surprised to find himself up in a tree (seeing as how he's only about 2 feet tall).
Bella and Jonah enjoyed their bird's eye view as well.
Having that many trains around was like a dream come true for Bella.
Jonah thought it was pretty awesome too.

Naughty or Nice?

Merry Christmas from the Speed Kiddies (and Santa)

A Child's Prayer

Last night, during family prayers, Bella said the following:  

"Please bless that we can have a good Wall*E."

I think God probably had a little laugh about that.  

Some things I am thankful for ...

1. Paul - Because he is the love of my life and I get to be with him for eternity.
2. My Kiddies (that's children, not kittens) - Because if anyone can give Paul a run for his money on having my heart, it's the three little stinks that I raise - Jason, Bella, and Jonah.
3. God - Because He gave me 1 and 2.
4. My Savior - Because He got me through the tough times so I could enjoy 1 & 2.
5. Family - Because when everything else goes to crap, my family still has my back.
6. Food - Because life is too short to not enjoy really amazing, Zagat rating of 30, melt in your mouth, to die for kind of food.
7. Shoes - Because no matter how ugly I feel elsewhere on my body, my size 5.5 feet will always look sassy in a pair of killer heels.
8. Friends - Because with true friends, time and distance know no bounds.
9. 5-Star Hotels - Because they exist.
10. My Home - Because it always feels good here.

What can you get for $250?

These gorgeous shoes ...

A night out for sushi ...

A fancy hairdo ...

About 3 tanks of gas ...
And this ... my new piano!!!  Yay for Craig's List.  I found this baby on there last week and now it is living in my home!!!  Thanks to all our strong workers who helped move this for me.  You're the best.  :)

WE'RE HOME ....

... and our house is still standing.  YAY!

More news ...

The fire is now 40% contained.  Over 200 homes have been destroyed or damaged.  Thankfully, our home has survived and we just received word that the evacuation order for our neighborhood has been lifted.  Assuming nothing changes, we will return to SB tomorrow afternoon.  

Tea Fire Update

So many of you have probably heard by now that Santa Barbara is in a state of emergency due to the Tea Fire which broke out last night right before 6 pm.  We first saw the fire at 6:30 last night as we were leaving dinner in Montecito.  We could tell it was close to our home so we rushed home, packed our stuff, and headed to Paul's parents' home in O.C.  We left just in time because our home lost power and then went under mandatory evacuation sometime during the middle of the night.  We are now just waiting and watching and praying our house will be safe.  The fire has grown to over 2500 acres and has burned over 100 homes.  We have several ward members/friends who live right where it started, and I hope they didn't lose their homes last night.  I will keep posting here as I have more info. 

I'm having a love affair ...

... with the seasonal pumpkin bread and muffin mix from Trader Joes.  Throw a cup of your favorite chocolate chips in there (I prefer Ghiradelli's dark chocolate chips) and you have an Autumnal treat to die for.  I made some last night and I've already eaten half the loaf ... BY MYSELF!

Goodnight, Moonie

This afternoon, Bella saw the moon in the sunny blue sky and said to the moon, "Why are you awake moonie?  You need to go back to bed."

She makes my day.

Halloween

Here are some shots of our Utah Halloween.

I was a little old lady ...

... and Paul was my yard gnome.

Rachel and Matt raided my parents dress ups and came out looking

 like this ... SCARY!

Bella was a cheerleader ... 

... and Jonah was a BYU football player. 

 Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of J in his "Blade Slayer" costume because he was running around with the neighborhood kids all day and all night long.  Needless to say, he came back with enough candy to last the rest of the year.

Cornbelly's Corn Maze Contributes to a Cacophony of Cousin Chaos and Fun

We went to Utah last week to visit my parents for Halloween.  One of the things we did while we were there was visit the Cornbelly's Corn Maze at Thanksgiving Point.  Here are some pic of the more memorable moments ...

 ... kicking back on the giant rocking chair ...

... all the grandkids in their truest forms ...

...Bella in her preferred transportation - a princess carriage ...

... Uncle Jon Paul working the fields ...

... Jonah just being cute ...

... Jason riding the cow train ...

... father and son bonding ....

... Matt and Rachel and the cow bonding ...

... Papa Jon, Bella, Mom, and Jonah sliding together ...

... Papa Jon and Bella doing a little climbing ...

... Jonah taking a ride on Uncle Jon Paul (because that's what uncles are for) ...

... and Jonah all bundled up for his first cold Halloween experience.

Adventures in Pumpkin Land

Today, Bella and I met some friends for a play-date at the Lane Farms Pumpkin Patch.

Lori brought her 4 week old baby, William.  He loved it (well, maybe not really)

We rode on the tractor hayride with our new friends, Cari, Grace and Ben Owen.  They just moved here from Arizona and I LOVE them!

Bella took a ride in the wagon ...

... rearranged some of the pumpkins ...

...got lost amongst the pumpkins ...

... showed mom a beautiful pose on the pumpkins...

... tried to climb into the animal pens ...

... and had a really great time despite the fact that it was 90+ degrees today.  Mmmm ... don't you just love that crisp fall weather?

The most thoughtful gift EVER

So, anyone who knows Paul, knows he is a clothesmonger and is fiercely loyal to brands that he loves (James Perse, Paul Smith, Dunhill, etc. anyone??).  Well, he loves the brand EVER (you've probably seen the logo pasted on him somewhere), and they just so happen to have a store in Montecito.  Apparently, he frequents the store so much and is such a fixture there, that they sent him a shirt and a get well note for his knee surgery.  Talk about charisma!  They are such nice people and do have GREAT clothes that are super comfortable...check it out when you can:  www.ever-us.com or 1145 Coast Village Road in town.

Katie Speed tagged me...

...so here are my six "unspectacular, quirky" characteristics:

1.  I count down from 20 when I am doing tasks or waiting for things (in my head)...Yes, I am a tad OCD.

2.  I rub my fingers together while I am eating...like brushing off crumbs even when they are not there.

3.  I eat 3 freshly baked chocolate chip cookies every night before going to bed--my nightcap, thanks to the Herleans.

4.  I love the corners on brownies, but I hate crust on bread.

5.  I would marry Paul all over again just to plan another wedding.

6.  I have mastered the craft of loading a dishwasher in the most effective way.

Now I tag:  Emily Erickson, Lindsay Lundquist, Jen Ross, Kristy Herlean, Jenni Speed, & Sarah Palin:)

Book Club

Time for kids to get in bed...where are they???  That's right, having an impromptu book club in Jason's bed.  Pretty cute.

My husband, the invalid ...

Paul had knee surgery on Tuesday.  It turns out that he crushed his meniscus and tore his MCL while skillfully jumping off of a customer's retaining wall while holding a 100 lb. tree.  You may ask yourself, "Doesn't he have employees to do these things?"  The answer is yes, but at least this way our worker's comp insurance isn't going up.  

He's recovering nicely (a lot of pain, but that's to be expected).  He's upgraded from using a walker to a pimp cane now so that's always  fun.  The best part of the whole deal is that he has been issued a temporary handicap placard.  He says he likes to wear it around his neck so that people will know he's too incompetent to make any important decisions on his own.

See, there's always a silver lining.

A soap box moment ...

I know most of you have heard of the Proposition 8 battle going on in California, but I would be remissed if I didn't speak my mind on the subject.

If Proposition 8 doesn't pass, my children will be REQUIRED to learn about same-sex marriage as early as kindergarten. They will HAVE to know that a daddy and a daddy are as normal as a mommy and a daddy. That is not okay with me!!!!

Since when is it okay for schools to teach my children moral values? Since when is it okay for schools to teach my children that something that I see as a blatant sin is okay? Since when is it okay for me to have to keep my mouth shut if I even dare utter a negative comment against homosexual lifestyle, but the school that MY taxes pay for will tell my kids that their religious beliefs are unlawful and illegal?!

It will be a cold day in hell when I stand for that. Satan is disguising his plan to destroy families in a pretty little package called "tolerance" tied with a nice bow of "equality". That's crap. There is a bomb in that package and it's being sent to MY KIDS!!!

So, to all you virtual listeners who can make an impact, vote YES on Prop 8. Protect MY family. Protect MY kids. PROTECT JASON, BELLA, AND JONAH AND EVERY OTHER CHILD HERE IN CALIFORNIA AS WELL AS THOSE SPIRITS WHO HAVE NOT COME YET.

Also, visit this website http://www.protectmarriage.com/.

Birthday Boy

Jason had his 9th birthday this weekend ...

  

We started out with his first flag football game on Saturday morning.  The good news is Jason's team, the fearsome "Dragons", won 24-6.  The bad news is... 

... it all happened in the rain (the first rain we've had since March).

After the game, we came home for a little General Conference followed by a spooky flaming-eyed ghost cake ...

... lots of balloons and presents ...

... and most importantly, a new nano i-pod just for the birthday boy.  Pair all that with a visit from Nana, Papa Mike, Aunt Bethany, and Jason's mom Gina, and I think it was a pretty good birthday.  

Unfortunately, we've lost him to the i-pod forever.  ;)

Happy Birthday, Jason.  We love you!!!