Christmas

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Santa came to the Williams home and brought Taelor a tricycle bike and Ethan a Tonka truck and a lot of other fun toys (cars, a princess castle, books and even Santa's elves left us all Christmas pj's on Christmas Eve). Taelor was so amazed and she said "santa bike", she was so excited and rode her bike the whole morning (well she can't really ride it quite yet so she scooted it with her feet). She also got a princess helmet that she wore the entire morning, she refused to take it off. Christmas day was another relaxing day, we hung out at home until mid afternoon and we headed to Grandma Sandie's house where we ate lots of yummy food and dessert. Taelor thought it was so funny when Sandie lit the Christmas pudding on fire, she loved it (of course we gave her a piece without brandy on it). Ethan was still feeling a little off but was still in good spirits. He was so exhausted by the end of the day as we all were. We are so thankful for all the wonderful gifts we received and for what the kids received, thank you! I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and will have a safe and Happy New Year!

Christmas Eve

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Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Christmas was so GREAT this year. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house, we ate yummy tamales (my mom makes chile and cheese ones also, so I am not left out). We hung out until the wee hours of the night opening presents and talking and enjoying the kids and their excitement. Seeing Christmas through a child's eyes this year was such an amazing time. Taelor and Ethan really enjoyed Christmas,Taelor was really getting into Christmas. We sang Christmas carols every day, I talked to her about the true meaning of Christmas, Jesus' Birthday, we took them around town to see all the Christmas lights on the houses (she calls them Santa lights). Ethan is a bit too young so maybe next year he will understand it more. The week of Christmas did not start off to well. Ethan started running a fever on Monday, Tuesday morning Taelor was throwing up, Ethan's fever was getting higher and by night time it was up to 104, then he started throwing up and as I was holding him, he began shaking, he did this 4 times and we began to worry, I knew sometimes they can get seizures from the high temp, so at 11 pm we took him to the emergency room (thank you to my friend Vanessa for coming over and sleeping on the couch while we went). This was our first trip to the emergency room and I am sure it won't be our last. Poor little Ethan got poked and at, he threw up in the room, all over himself and me. He ended up being just fine, he just had a stomach bug. They gave him something for his tummy and some Tylenol up his buns (he did not like that), and Motrin to get his fever down. Needless to say, I was glad we went in to know that he was OK. Taelor was sick for the day and Ethan finally was feeling better on Friday. You can tell by his pictures that he wasn't at his best. But that did not ruin our Christmas, we loved and enjoyed every moment. I am sad that it is over but I am looking forward to a New Year with new beginnings and new chapters in our lives to begin.

Fashion Island Christmas Tree

Cheers Daddy (Saul taught her that)

This past weekend we went to see the Christmas Tree at Fashion Island. This is a tradition Saul and I have been doing ever since we have been together. They have an amazing HUGE tree and it is so beautiful. We bundled up the kids, we grabbed a Starbucks hot chocolate and enjoyed Christmas all around us. Taelor and Ethan loved sitting on top of the big presents and enjoyed all the lights on the tree. If you have time this weekend you should take a drive down there to see it. Merry Christmas!

Cookie Time

Taelor and Ethan's friends Brody and Piper had a cookie decorating party. They had so much fun (or at least Taelor did) decorating thier cookies. Thank you Brody and Piper for inviting us, we can't wait to do it again next year.

Christmas Time

For the past few weeks I have been getting so excited about Christmas. Even though thier are many people who are going through some tough times (and we are one of them), I feel that I have the most spirit this year and there are so many things that have made me feel that way. Last week we had our Women's Tea at church and it was about remembering what Christmas is all about. I know sometimes we all get so caught up in the wrapping of presents, the gift giving, the baking, the parties and the chaos of Christmas that we forget to stop and enjoy Christmas for what it really means. We celebrate Jesus' birthday! Well this week I remembered I had a book called

Our tree is finally up!

Ethan just wants to pull everything off the tree and eat the bulbs!!

Taelor had so much fun decorating the tree

So normally I put up our Christmas decorations the weekend of Thanksgiving but this year was a bit hectic and so we finally got it up last night! I love this time of year Christmas is my favorite time of year, especially now that we have kids. Taelor loves looking at the Christmas lights on all the houses and Ethan just coos at them. Taelor had so much fun decorating the tree, she put 3 ornaments on the same branch and I just didn't have the heart to rearrange them. I am looking forward to this wonderful season! We wish everyone a wonderful Merry Christmas!!

Thanksgiving

So it has been a while since I have blogged, once again I have been really busy. Thanksgiving has come and gone and the holiday season is here....YEAH!!! We had a great Thanksgiving with our family and were thankful for the great company. In these hard economic times the one thing that always makes me happy, that doesn't matter how much money you have is family and friends. I believe that sometimes going through tough times brings people together more. I love my family and I am so thankful to have such a loving family who love us! Thanksgiving this year was a time for me to reflect on all the things I am thankful for. Here are a few:

1. 
   
   
   My loving husband Saul, my two wonderful kids Taelor and Ethan



2. 
   
   
   My family and friends who I love so much



3. 
   
   
   My job (even though I wish I was a stay at home mommy, many people right now are out of a job)



4. 
   
   
   For my faith and prayer- I know God answers all prayers and has a plan for everyone



5. 
   
   
   Being a mommy, what a blessing this has been



6. 
   
   
   Quiet times when I can get them



7. 
   
   
   I am thankful for all the wonderful people that have touched my life in one way or the other!

Remember to always think about what you are thankful for not just on Thanksgiving but through out the whole year. Enjoy the holiday season, do something good for someone else and make them thankful for you!

Ethan

This little boy makes my heart melt. Ethan is almost 9 months old and is such a sweetheart. Taelor and him have very opposite personalities, he loves to be kissed and cuddled and he is very mellow, two things Taelor is not. He is all over the place though now that he is army crawling everywhere. He is very different than Taelor was at this age, he is a true boy. He is into everything. Drawers, cabinets, door stoppers, and anything within his reach. He explores every inch of the house and manages to get his hands on everything. He pulls himself up on anything he can and has learned the hard way sometimes and falls right back down. But he is a true joy to watch grow and learn new things. You can tell he just wants to run after Taelor and gets frustrated when he can't keep up with her, some days Taelor gets on the floor with him and crawls and he gets so excited. He can feed himself finger foods and loves shoveling food into his mouth. I think he sometimes stores it in his cheeks for later because I find cheerios all over the place. Ethan is getting his own personality and is also a very strong willed child with a soft heart for anyone. His laugh alone will make you melt. I love him and look forward to his next milestones.

Taelor

This little girl makes me smile everyday and some days she makes me want to pull my hair out. But everyday I love her more and more. She is learning so many new things and talking so much. She is challenging on some days and so lovable on other days. She always makes us laugh and she can always make Ethan laugh. Tonight she grabbed her purse walked to the door and said " go bye bye, Target". Saul and I just laughed. She loves Target and we must go there too much for her to know it. Taelor will be 2 next month and we can't believe how fast time has gone by. Can time just stop or at least slow down!!! She is so independent and wants to do everything by herself, she is starting to dress herself and gets so mad when I try and help her, she doesn't even want me to look at her or even be in the room when she is putting her clothes on. Taelor is still not a touchy feely person and sometimes she doesn't even like people looking at her, but she does have a soft side to her, you just have to catch her in that mood. The other night she wanted to brush my hair and she brushed it and played with my hair for about 20 minutes, it was so wonderful and surprisingly relaxing. I love these moments with her and I love her for all that she is!

What a bond these two have...

I just love how much these two love each other. Ethan is the only one who gets kisses around here! The other morning, Taelor woke up not calling for mommy or daddy, she was calling for ETHAN to come get her! It was so cute! They have their own communication with each other and they just adore each other. I love it!!!

Indian prince and princess

Here are a few pictures of Taelor and Ethan with thier Indian hats on that they made at Chela's house. Taelor thought this was one of the best things!

Sniffles, Coughs and Earaches

Last week was a rough week. It started with Ethan getting in 4 new teeth over the weekend which made him into a puddle of drool that was dripping out of his mouth like a faucet. He then got a stuffy nose, which probably started from the teething. Tuesday night was the first night since he was a newborn that he did not sleep through the night. He was so miserable, he could not breath with his stuffy nose and his teeth were hurting him. I could hear him moaning every few hours, it really broke my heart. Wednesday didn't get any better and by Thursday he had a temp of 102. We took him to the Dr. and he had an ear infection that just started in his right ear. So he is now on antibiotics which has helped out so much and he his slowly getting back to himself. But then on Friday, Saul and I got sick (Saul is worse than I am) but we have this lingering cough that we are trying to kick before Thanksgiving. Taelor has been healthy so far but I did notice a little sniffle from her tonight. Hopefully she doesn't catch anything so she can enjoy Thanksgiving! So I guess I can say it has been a rough week, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving and a 4 day weekend!!

Sunsets

Saul and I love to watch the sunset at the beach. This has been one of our favorite things to and each sunset is always so beautiful and we enjoy the beauty of what Mother Nature has to offer, and the best thing about watching the sunset is it's FREE, what more can you ask for! Well on Saturday, Saul, the kids and I went down to Laguna Beach to watch the sunset. It was so beautiful and the weather was perfect. Even though the smoke from the fires was on the horizon, it was still breathtaking. I truly enjoy these moments with my family, I don't ever think I can get tired of sitting on the beach and watching the sunset. For those of you who rarely go see the sun set, I encourage you to take a night and enjoy the beautiful quiet breathtaking moments and then you will understand why we love doing this so often! Sorry I don't have any pictures to share, I left my camera in the car...oh well, next time!

Women's Retreat

This past weekend I went away on our Women's Retreat with my church. We stayed at the Carlsbad Beach Resort and it was such a great quaint hotel right on the beach. The speaker was amazing and touched my heart so much. It was a great uplifting weekend away with the girls and it is so refreshing to leave all your worries behind you for a few days and focus on what God is doing in your life. The theme for the weekend was "A diamond in the rough" and uncovering the value of your life. God has a purpose and a plan for everyone, some days I am still waiting to find out what my plan and purpose is but I know that there is a plan and I will keep waiting patiently. We had some free time on Saturday and a few of us went to the outlets shopping, then my friend Beth and I got a relaxing pedicure and then headed to dinner with a few other girls. Each night we stayed up chatting with a group of wonderful girls and we laughed until the wee hours of the night! Even though I missed my hubby and kids so much it was a nice refreshing weekend that I really needed. But I did love the part of sleeping in past 6 AM!!! Thank you Saul for watching the kids all weekend you are a great hubby and I love you!

Happy Birthday Saul

Today was my hubby's birthday! He is not a very big birthday person (and I totally am), so we keep it pretty mellow on his birthday (one day I will throw him a huge party when he least expects it). I made him one of his favorites, pork chops for dinner and his mom Sandie came over with a huge strawberry shortcake! It was yummy! All day Taelor was so excited that it was daddy's birthday and that we would have happy cake and boy did she like the cake, especially the strawberries. Ethan could barely stay awake for the birthday cake and he called it an early night and went to sleep right after singing to daddy. I wish you yet another wonderful year babe! I love you!

Happy Halloween

Halloween was so much fun! Taelor was a butterfly princess and Ethan was a cute little giraffe. Taelor wore her costume all day. We went trick or treating by our house this year. Our friends Dave and Theresa and their little boy Mason, their parents, our neighbors Stuart and Keri, Saul's mom and my sis Renae went trick or treating with us. Taelor loved it, she went up to every house, we had such a good time with the kids. Ethan just went along and was as good as ever. We look forward to next year when Ethan can join in on the trick or treating! Hope everyone had a wonderful and safe Halloween!

Tea time with Taelor

A few weeks ago when I was picking up the kids at Chela's house, Taelor and Lexi were sitting at the table drinking tea and she was having so much fun. I am a tea drinker, I have a cup every morning and she always says "mommy tea", and asks for a sip. Well on the weekends we have been drinking our tea together. I give her her own tea cup and she sips her tea with mommy. It is so cute, it must be the English in her. I love my tea time with Taelor!

Blankies

As most of you know Taelor is attached to her blankie. A few months ago, I finally was able to switch out her old blankie with the same exact one. I had been trying for months but she would refuse the nice clean new one. So one day I left the house with only the new one and now she is attached to the new one. I have washed her old one and put it in a box and will keep it forever, it is dingy and pretty yucky looking but it was her first blankie that she toted around everywhere. So when Ethan was born I bought him the same blankie in blue and chocolate brown, but I was smart and bought two. I use them both and he loves his blankie also. If anyone is looking for a good blankie I would recommend Patricia Ann Designs. They also have lots of other cute stuff, stroller blankets, moses baskets, car seat covers, bibs, burp clothes and more. They have a boutique right off of Lake Forest and they always have sales. I just thought I would share one of my kids favorite things with you.

A visit with the Tolbert Family

Today we visited my best friend Tally, her wonderful hubby Jim and their 2 adorable boys Gavin and Caleb. We haven't seen them in a while and they invited us over to hang out. The kids played with all the many toys they have. Taelor was in heaven with different toys to play with and Ethan loved playing with whatever he could get his hands on. We went to dinner at Olamendis (the best Mexican food restaurant). It was so great seeing them today. Sometimes life gets so busy and it will go months without us seeing each other and I miss them when I don't get to see them. Their boys are getting so big and I just love them to pieces. I love this family so much and I had such a wonderful time hanging out with them today and so did the kids!

Goodnite Ethan

This is the adorable little face I see everynight when putting Ethan to bed just before we close the door. He flips on to his tummy, pops his head up, we blow him a kiss and he gives us this big smile. This happens everynight, it is so cute and ends my night just right! I love you Ethan!

Chela, what a special friend she is to me

So today was a bit of a rough day for me. It started out with Taelor not wanting me to leave this morning, even though I know the minute I walked out the door she was just fine. Work was really busy and by the end of my day I was glad to be heading home to my kiddos and my hubby. As I was leaving Chela's house I must have had a look on my face that said I wasn't in the best of moods. Well I wasn't, I had a day of STRESS. Chela must have known this and right when I got home she called and wanted to say she was thinking about me and praying for me, it was then that tears started coming out, I couldn't help it, it was one of those emotional moments for me. I have been having a hard time with the fact that I am working full time and I don't get to spend much time with Taelor and Ethan, but today was an emotional one for me. It was so nice to hear Chela's words that she said to me and that God does have a plan for us and that I just have to be patient. A few hours later there was a knock on the door and there standing on our doorstep in her jammies was Chela with a slice of cheesecake for me and a brownie for Saul. It really made my night! She had some encouraging words for Saul and I and she just wanted to let us know she is here for us. Chela is such an amazing woman and I love her so much. She is a true friend to me and I appreciate all she does for us and for our kids. Thanks Chela, you made a special ending to an emotional day! I love you!

Ethan's Dedication

Today at church we had Ethan dedicated. He was so good while Pastor Ryan spoke. We feel so blessed to have such an amazing wonderful, son and we lifted his life up to God today. Some words that Pastor Ryan said that stuck out were to remember that God has Ethan's life already planned out, He has a plan for him and no matter were Ethan ends up in life, it is not up to us it is up to God. We know He has great plans for Ethan and we look forward to all the amazing plans He has in store for him. It was a very special day for us and we thank our family who came today, it meant a lot to us. We love you all very much!

My two cuties..I love them!

Just thought I would share these photos. They both truly love each other so much. It is so much fun seeing them together. They make me smile everyday! I love them both so much!