Party Time!

This year was Nicholas' first big boy party where the kids stayed without parents.  I wasn't necessarily planning on that... I was more used to being friends with the kids moms and the parties are a chance for all of us adults to chat too! Oh well.  The kids had a lot of fun and I felt a bit more relaxed, but the kids did still need help with getting their food, cleaning up, and moving between activities. I think 4yr olds are probably still a bit too young to be left.

Anyways, we had a great time at Nicholas' fish party.  The invitations read: "You are o-FISH-ally invited..." and Nicholas was really into the theme.  For food we had sandwiches in star shapes (so much more appealing than regular shapes), fish in water (Swedish fish in blue jello), of course goldfish crackers, fish eggs (grapes), and a few other things.

Nicholas was so happy to have his three school buddies, Kellan and Cade (twins), and Jack, in addition to his church friend Savannah, and other friend Andrew (who came later).  Ryker had a great time too, especially finishing off everyone's leftovers.

 They played a fun Go Fish game, went fishing for treasure in a shipwreck, and even watched some of our favorite parts of Finding Nemo.

  Nicholas loved his special Nemo cake and was so happy to be with his friends.

Happy Birthday Keke!

Four years ago today Jared and I became parents.  We were so worried our baby would be born on Christmas, that my mom would not be able to attend his birth (she was living in Holland at the time), and that Jared would not get much time off from his new job.  We were so blessed to have everything work out alright: my mom arrived on time, Jared's job was very accommodating and he was born 6 days before Christmas. 
We had struggled to choose a name for months and ended up naming him Nicholas after the incredible Saint who performed so much charity for others.

The last four years have been an adventure for us, learning all about this little guy and watching him grow.  He is stubborn and strong-willed, funny, and friendly and becoming very empathetic.  He is a great big brother full of patience, and always wants a hug when I raise my voice. We love our little boy!

Feeling Grateful for Goofy

This year for Thanksgiving we tried something new- not doing the typical Thanksgiving. Let me tell you, it was awesome! No slaving for hours in the kitchen (while the men watch TV) just for a meal that lasts 30 minutes! I fully agree the holiday should revolve around family time, togetherness and feeling grateful for all we have. What a better place for all of those things than Disneyland?

One might wonder why we would chose somewhere we've been a hundred times, and its exactly because we have been there so much.  We knew exactly what we wanted to do, where we wanted to eat, and how to get around.  Despite having a big group, the whole Cordon clan, we had a relatively easy time getting out and about each day.  

We spent three days at the park, the last being Thanksgiving.  The boys loved being back in our favorite spot, and were also good sports about waiting while we rode some of the bigger rides.

The big boys and the little boys

Minnie loves Nicholas

Keke being a daddy's boy

We watched the Christmas parade one night, World of Color another, and the Fireworks the last night.

Two mornings I had some quiet time with just the two little guys!

Keke loved driving the bumper cars, despite barely seeing over the steering wheel

A cute spot in New Orleans- I have a great shot in the exact spot of my brother and I from years ago

On the third day he became Nemo- he was a celebrity, with kids and parents everywhere saying hi to him.

Our Thanksgiving dinner at Goofy's kitchen

We ate all together. (And no, I'm not pregnant, just looking it!)

Nicholas loved being with his little cousin, Everett.

During the dinner different characters would come up and say hello.

The last morning we woke up, the girls went shopping, then we exchanged our Christmas gifts.

 We had so much fun!  Now I have to figure out if I want to renew my Disney pass.... 

Another Cordon!

Introducing 

Nemo Cordon

1 oz, 3 inches long. Black eyes and purple scales. 4 weeks old

and

He's not dead yet!

Grumpy Face

I have been loving this grumpy face.  How can I not kiss those chubby cheeks?

Somewhere Beyond the Sea

This year's Halloween was a lot of fun.  I vowed two years ago when I forced Nicholas to be a tiger that I would let him pick his costumes after that.  Naturally this year's choice was Nemo, his favorite.  He has been carrying around a stuffed Nemo (hidden in the photos) for months, calling himself his dad.  Ryker asked to be "Brucie" the shark.  We've had hours of fun watching the shark chase the fish around.

"Fish are friends, not food"

 "Intervention!!"

Back to being friends- Trunk or treat

Open!

The new blog is now open!

Feel free to browse and please let me know what you like or don't like.   If you like it a lot you are welcome to use the button I made as well :)

Moving Fashion Forward

One thing I have always wanted to do is to write a blog about fashion.  While I don't profess to be an expert, I have always had an interest in different styles, fits, and the more artistic sides of styling and designing.  When I became a mom I was more than a little confused about what kind of clothes I was supposed to wear being a mother and wife while still being young and hoping to look good.

Having figured out a bit of the retail side through outside and inside exposure I have been wanting to share tips on sales, different retailers pros and cons, and ultimately what kind of clothes are age-appropriate while still being functional for moms.  This new blog will be a bit of my fashion journal on what I am wearing, loving, and suggestions on how to look great without sacrificing all your money and comfort.  It is also a forum where anyone is welcome to ask for advice on certain topics, or how they could style and wear clothes they already have.  While it is aimed at moms it can also apply to women who are hoping to dress a bit more conservatively  for whatever reason, (and are over the mini skirt and tank top phenomenon!).

It a bit strange to announce a "launch", but I am looking forward to completing a bit more then opening the site up early next week!

http://whatmodernmomswear.blogspot.com

Some upcoming posts:
Mom jeans
Easy Outfit Updates
Seasonal Sales
Great Finds
Retailer Reviews

Primary Program

Last Sunday was our ward's primary program, where the little kids sit on the stand and sing songs and have speaking parts.

I had been helping Nicholas with his line, "I can be together with my family forever" for the last few weeks and he has never had a problem with stage fright or remembering his parts.

When it came to his class' turn, his teacher had taken a microphone and was asking the kids the questions they were to answer.  Nicholas said his part without a hitch.  The girl next to him had clammed up, and the teacher waited patiently for her answer.  The second time, the teacher asked again, "Where do we come from?"  and Nicholas piped in, standing in front of the mic.

"I'm from L.A.!"

Total highlight of the program....

(p.s. L.A. friends who remember the "choo choo!" incident are probably not surprised :) )

If No News is Good News...

Here's the good news and the bad news. Which do you want first?

I'm a bad news first kind of person...

Bad news: Jared is going to be working and living somewhere without us :( . Big bummer is that the project lasts only 2 months so its not worth it to move with him until we're sure that it turns into a permanent position. Aaaand we have to figure out where in the heck the poor guy will live for 2 months!

Good news: Jared has another project lined up, and this time its in LA! Yay! We are looking forward to going to see him and visit all our favorite places. One perk of being away from Jared is that he will be super busy with work so he will have plenty of time to focus. Also, he is not too far, so we will be able to visit relatively easy on weekends. Its going to be a crazy time but the job is good and we're hoping the future prospects are even better. He starts at the beginning of next month so I will spent the next few weeks trying to get sick of him.

Did I mention I'm starting my Anthro job soon too?

Playing "Real life"

Considering we have no idea how long we will be living up here in Nor Cal it has been a little tricky figuring out how to get back into normal life again. I debated about what to do with Nicholas for preschool, whether or not to enroll him somewhere, and whether we should start getting to know new friends and setting down some roots.

I was feeling a little sorry for myself (ok, maybe a lot), and determined I wasn't going to make any new friends- which is not a usual thing for me to determine. Thankfully, one day at the park I happened to run into a group of moms from one of the neighboring LDS wards. I met some very friendly girls and kids who have been so nice to include us in their activities.

Our favorite little outing was to Fairyland in Oakland. I was wondering if it would dwarf in comparison to our extensive love and experience with Disneyland, but I was wrong. It was so cute and the boys had a great time. I am hoping we can go back again. The concept of the park revolved around Fairy tales, and while the park was a bit "vintage", I found it to be totally charming.

Second decision made was to go ahead and put Nicholas in preschool. I had researched several but was concerned coming in late that we wouldn't be able to get him a spot. Again someone was watching out for us, and my first choice school for him happened to have one more opening and was very accommodating with us coming in last minute. They have been absolutely wonderful and his teachers are the sweetest women I have ever met. He loves it, and has even been lucky to have a boy we met from the park before in his class!

Another blessing has been being able to see my family that I love. In addition to seeing Jared's family, my aunt Emily and her family live just a bit away and we were able to see them and hug those adorable cousins of mine. We left them feeling so much gratitude for their great examples and love for the wonderful people they are.

Lastly, I have been focusing on improving our relationships as a family. My goal has always been to foster nothing but love and friendship between the two boys, and it is not often easy. They are great with each other but we keep working on it. We have started some fun new traditions and activities with them that make our weeks more exciting, like weekly pizza parties, sleepovers, and frozen yogurt dates. Its so funny how the boys have been sharing a room since they can remember but somehow calling it a "sleepover" and putting their beds together brings them so much renewed excitement.

I am hoping that our approach of jumping in with both feet will be as successful here as it was for us in LA, and that we can enjoy all the experience and location have to offer. I am very glad the boys are as eager to explore and have adventures as I am!