Christmastime

Thanksgiving

Can I just say that this is 1/4 of the pies that were actually created and waiting in the fridge. It was heavenly indulgence. We had to shoo away the kids to actually cut into them.

There were 31 people there but it still felt very homey.



Maya is in a beginning dance class and she is really having fun.


Grandma's backyard

Our first month

our upstairs living area. You can see the loft above where the three kids decided to all sleep. We moved the bunk bed up there and are going to keep a mattress under the bottom bunk. I love that they all love being together and it works fine for now.


Our downstairs living and dining area. I don't think I got the rest of the house and I'm not sure why.

We are officially through with our first month here in Templeton/Atascadero. Kurt's practice is doing better than expected. There are a few minor things we are working through with one of the insurance companies. I am loving the weather here, the scenery, the schools. To be completely honest it's going to take more time to really like it since it's so new and it takes so long to get to know people. BUT I have started something that is building my character. I now wake up every MWF at 4:40 am to meet some girls for an hour long run. This area is really hilly and there are hardly any streetlights. We use headlamps to see. The other day we heard a large animal in the grass and my friend with the headlamp shined her light toward it like it was a light saber until it ran the other way. It was a deer-a very scary deer.

Kurt and Maya's birthdays were a huge highlight. We had a rainbow party for Maya at the park the Friday before her birthday. We had a pizza dinner,a rainbow pinata ,made fruit loop necklaces and I bought two big bags of skittles and separated them out to make a rainbow then everyone guessed on how many there were. The winner got the skittles. Kurt's parents and sister showed up to surprise him the evening of their actual birthday. Unfortunately we didn't buy our camera until after the Maya rainbow party. We do have pics of their b-day night though.

My amazing brother Steve is having an open house in Salt Lake City this Saturday. I wish I could be there but I live too far away. Sad, yes, story of my life... If any of you wish to see his this GORGEOUS house in Holladay, you can RSVP at tiekbuilthomes.com. I got to see the house when I came up to Utah this spring. It is soooo beautiful. I love all the custom work and original designs Steve came up with. You can see some of it on his webite and blog too. If you decide to go you HAVE to look at the before pictures of the house. You won't believe that it's actually a remodel.

after, before and after

I decided to redo this cabinet and mirror. I found them at an estate sale for $35. I thought about sanding down the whole thing and doing a watered down blue stain but after starting to sand realized there was only a layer of wood then laminate underneath. Plus the detail work would have been a royal pain to sand. So instead, I spray painted it. My camera doesn't do well with indoor lighting so you can't see the edges where I antiqued it. I think it turned out pretty good. I don't like having it right next to a different white (the door) but since we won't live in this rental forever I'm not too worried.


Here it is before...

and after.
Eventually I want to find a little sign about heading to the beach or something. Those are shells in those glass vases.

February

Disneyland in January

We went to Disneyland with the Owens in January. They flew down to see us and spend a vacation in California. The weather was so nice. Best weather for Disneyland we've had so far this year and it was in Jan.





Everyone was getting tired of walking by this point.

All of us on the Pirate's ride. Well, almost all...

We realized we needed to rearrange a few things if we wanted the stroller to stay upright even with Maya in it. Does this mean we brought too much to carry or that Maya needs to gain a few pounds. Both, I'm sure.