Ella's 1st Day of Kindergarten!

I tried posting this last week, but right before I pressed "publish post" all of the pictures were erased and now they look like this. No more pictures, but a whole bunch of computer gibberish!! I'm still trying to fix it, but at least you can read about her first day for now! Sorry!!

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Here she is! My beautiful Ella on her first day of Kindergarten! I can't believe my baby is growing up so fast! The night before her first day, Ella set our her outfit, we packed her lunch with some of her favorite things (a "Meat Sandwich" (ham, cheese, mayo, mustard, lettuce, and tomato), fruit snacks, cheese crackers, some marshmallows, and a CapriSun). Then, we had our nightly scripture study, read a few bedtime stories, said family prayer, and Daddy gave Ella and Avery a special Father's blessing.

The next morning, we woke up bright and early and got all ready to go! I think the picture above is my favorite from that morning! Ella is sitting outside of our complex as we waited for our Taxi. She looks so grown up!

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Here is another one of her right outside of her school. And yes...that is Avery climbing like a monkey on the bricks. She's always a model child!

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Behind Avery's cute little self, you can see Ella while she waited in line to walk in to her classroom. This is what they do every morning before school starts.

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Ella wanted to be the photographer, so she took a picture of her Tinkerbell backpack. It's bright and glittery, which is perfect fit for her!

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Here she is after her first day! A little raggedy, but happy!

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Her teacher gave each of the students a special folder to take home each day. Ella's just so happened to be pink which she was very excited about!

The next few pictures are of Ella's classroom.

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Ella loves to paint, so she was really happy to see this painting cart!

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This picture is super blurry (which obviously means that I was not the photographer!), but here is the Pledge of Aliegance.

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The kitchen area.

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Lots of books to read!

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And finally, a shot of her playground!

Ella loves school but has one complaint...it's too long! The Kindergarten here in Korea is a full day, from 8am until 2:30pm. It will definitely take some time to get used to our new routine! I secretly think she's gone too long, too! I miss her terribly while she is away, and I know Avery does too! A part of me wishes she didn't have to go to school, and I could just keep her home forever! But I know she is where she needs to be!

Her teacher has told me several times how well behaved Ella is. She was the ONLY student in her class to go up to the "Blue" phase (that means she's a step above good behavior). I am so proud of her, and I know she is going to have a great year!

Our First Day of Adventures!

We spent our first day in Korea trying to catch-up on some much needed sleep!

By the second day the girls were itching to get out and have some fun! There was a "Grand Re-Opening" of the PX (similar to Kmart) here at Camp Casey, so of course we came by to take part in all of the festivities! The girl's got to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog...

And Avery just hid from him behind our basket! She stayed as far away from Clifford as she

possibly could!

Next, we met a multi-talented clown on stilts, that also made balloon animals! Here is Ella with her corsage!

And of course, Avery got a "Poodle Puppy!" That darn poodle is still hanging around our apartment, although it is pretty deflated! She dosen't quite understand that it is a balloon, so she thinks it is going to last forever! I still don't understand why she liked this crazy balloon/clown guy but couldn't handle seeing Clifford?! Very strange!

As you can see, we had lots of fun! Overall, I think Day 1 was a success! Don't you?

We Made It!

We're finally here in South Korea after our 16+ hour flight! Safe and still in one piece! I only managed to snap one photo of the whole trip (yes, it was that bad!), and even Ella had a hard time putting on a happy face for me! We were all tired, grumpy, and emotional...but we made it!

Before we left, Auntie Kailey made each of the girls their own activity binder full of coloring pages, cards, stickers, and other fun things to do. They were a lifesaver during the flight! You can see Ella working hard on her binder in this picture...of course she's coloring! We were at the very back of the airplane, right next to the bathrooms. There was a small area where we could stand up and stretch our legs right next to our row. And believe me, we (meaning Avey and mommy)were up and down constantly! Once we got off of the plane, we were VERY happy (and grateful) to have help from another American family that were traveling on our same flight. They helped us with our 9 huge pieces of luggage and all of our carry on baggage. They even helped us find Carlos! We were very happy to see Daddy waiting for us as we passed through customs! Thank you to all of our friends and family who have had us in your thoughts and prayers! We were definitely blessed throughout this first of many adventures!

We're still here!

I know it's been quite some time since my last post, but we've had a lot going on! Carlos came home for a few weeks after his job training, and then he left to South Korea in early July. We searched and searched for the "perfect" apartment in South Korea, and got Ella enrolled in Kindergarten. We had part of our belongings shipped overseas, and the rest were put in long term storage. My mom and I made a record **5** trips to the fragrant and very scenic Riverside County Dump. I know, I know...you're all jealous! And now we're closing accounts, cancelling phone services, and pack, pack, packing away! We leave bright and early Monday morning, and have only 1 short lay-over in San Francisco! (Hooray!) From there, we have a straight 17 hour flight!

Once we get there, and are some-what settled, I will post LOTS of pictures of our first few days in Korea! So...stay tuned!!

"Mover Avery"

I'm sure a few of you Mom's and Dad's out there have seen the "Imagination Movers" on the Disney Channel.

If not...I'd be happy to introduce you. We have, "Mover Smitty", "Mover Rich", "Mover Dave", and our good friend, "Mover Scott" (the one all the way to the right, with the sweet red goggles).

Now, meet meet the newest member of the group..."Mover Avery".

Pretty amazing likeness, don't you think?

This one is priceless.
Sweet blue goggles and picking her nose. Can't get much better.

And, yes. I am her proud mommy.

Mother's Day

I have THE best husband! For Mother's Day, Carlos surprised me with a beautiful bouquet of fruit from Edible Arrangements. It was delicious! He knows that I would take chocolate dipped strawberries and pineapple over flowers

any day!

This one is for you, Carlos! You can even see a few of the sticks that the girls gobbled down before we could even snap a picture!

I love you, honey! Thanks for making my Mother's Day so special!

Easter

The Easter Bunny made his yearly stop at our house, and the girls had a blast looking for their baskets and searching for eggs!

The Easter Bunny left Ella & Avery a special note with important directions!

After we found our baskets, we searched all over the house for our CANDY easter eggs!

Eggs, eggs, eggs!

Lots of candy and presents!

The only thing missing was Daddy, but he did send us a DVD as an Easter gift! You can never go wrong with a Chipmunk movie (at least in our family)!

Happy Easter!

Egg Hunt

I know I'm really far behind, but here are a few picture from our family Easter extravaganza!

Some of our beautiful eggs!

Having fun!

Nicole working hard!

Hmmm...is this really fun?

Avery's Masterpiece!

And finally...the Egg Hunt!

Carlos' Graduation

Our little family has been super busy the last 2.5 months! Lots of exciting changes that have kept me away from the good ole' blog! Anyways, over the next several posts I'd like to get all caught up on the happenings of our family. Back in March, Carlos graduated from BCT at Ft. Jackson in South Carolina, and I was able to attend his graduation. He worked so hard while he was there, and we are so proud of all he was able to learn and accomplish!

After his graduation, I drove him from South Carolina to Ft. Lee in Virginia where he is currently at AIT. We miss him terribly, but luckily he is able to call every day now that he is out of BCT. Less than 2 months until he comes home! Then on to our next adventure...South Korea!!

Cute as a button!

So...my little sister Stacy and her hubby Adam are having their first baby in May! It's a boy, and his name is going to be Max (which I absolutely love :). Ella & Avery are over the moon excited to have a new baby cousin, and I'm a little excited to spoil another little nephew too!!! So, as I was browsing through some of my favorite sites I came across the cutest candy buttons over at bakerella.com!





Aren't they just too cute?! She even provided a link to the Bake It Pretty site for a free download for the button toppers, and where to buy all of the supplies that you will need. Needless to say, I WILL be making these for my sister's baby shower! Bakerella even showed this cute idea for displaying them on a little stand.



What a great idea, huh? I'm planning on making mine out of white chocolate, and I'll probably use the same blue, orange, and yellow colors to go with the baby boy theme. Oh, how I love making favors!! Sorry, Stacy! I know you don't really want a baby shower, but I can't resist!

Love This.....

Sometimes having good taste is just plain too expensive! I love perusing sites like Pottery Barn, Crate and Barrel, and CB2. The only problem with that is that I find AMAZING stuff that is outrageously priced! So one of my goals this year is to try and make my own version of my favorite finds, but on a budget that I can afford. Here are a few projects that I've been wanting to take a swing at. They're all wall art and from one of my favorite sites, Fawn&Forest. And since my hubby is gone until July, I have some extra time in the evenings to work on a few crafty projects once I put the girls to bed!

First, I want to hang one of these gorgeous alphabet wall hangings in our play room. It's from the Fawn&Forest site, which I absolutely adore:) I plan in using PhotoShop and some really beautiful digital elements when I try and re-create this baby. Let's just hope I can find what I'm looking for! Oh, and I can't decide which one I love more...pink&blue or orange&green? Tough one...

Next is this fab family tree, also at Fawn&Forest. Such a simple design. I LOVE how they incorporated all of those cute little pictures of each member of the family. Why didn't I think of doing this? Again, I'll probably give my CS2 a try, or I could even pull out my Cricut Expression. I could cut out a tree, leaves, picture frames, and any other decorative elements I want to add. Lots of ideas rolling around in my brain!

And last but certainly not least, this beauty you can find here. Also from Fawn&Forest. I'd love to see this one hanging right by my front door, or in each of the girls' rooms. Again my trusty CS2, or Cricut Expression will certainly come in handy! LOVE it!

I was so busy looking for other ideas today, that I didn't make it out to the craft store to buy the supplies for my hoop.de.do's that I mentioned in my last post. But that's okay. Things happen and people get distracted! And it's probably good that I didn't make a trip because I have officially become a fabric snob. Now that I've seen all of the beautiful patterns and designs that are available on the Internet, JoAnn's fabric just doesn't cut it anymore! I'll probably buy the fabric online and get the rest of the supplies locally. So, all of these projects are officially to be continued......

P.S. I'll be sure to post my creations once they're finished!!

Hoop.De.Do!

So...I've been eyeing these GORGEOUS fabric hoops that double as bulletin boards for quite some time now. So unique, simple, and beautiful! I found them here when I was browsing Etsy (don't you just LOVE that site?!). The shop isn't currently selling any hoop.de.do's, but I knew I could do it myself and do it on a budget!

I'd like to put 3 or 4 of them in each of the girls' rooms (just like in the picture) and hang their artwork, party invitations, pictures, or anything else they'd like. I've decided that TODAY is the day that I'm going to do it! I'm heading to the craft store to buy the hoops, fabric to match the bedding/colors in the girls' rooms, and all the other supplies that I'll need! I'm super excited, and can't wait to get started! I'll even post a few pictures of my finished hoop.de.do's! Fun, fun, fun!!

This is how you know...

...that your family has been sick. When your 2.5 year old takes a nap all on her own. No forcing. No begging. No drugs.

All 3 of us have had a pretty nasty case of the cold/flu virus going around. It started with Avery and worked its way through Ella, and finally on to me Saturday and Sunday. Luckily my parents came and brought the girls to their house yesterday (Sunday) so that I could have a break and take a much needed nap! More to come soon.....

We've Got Mail!!

Every evening, right before dinner, we go on our nightly adventure to the mail box. We always have a letter or two to send to Daddy, but we cross our fingers and hope that there are a few letters waiting for us!

That's my littlest mail carrier, Avery, with her basket full of letters for Daddy!

Yesterday we hit the JACKPOT! There were 2 postcards, and 4 letters from Daddy (I think that's a record)! The girls each rode home with a big smile on their faces, and carried one postcard and a letter in their bike baskets. It's so nice to hear from Carlos and know that he's doing well! We miss him, but are finding joy in the little moments we share together through the mail!

Ezra's 3rd Birthday

My sweet nephew Ezra turned 3 on Wednesday! He's such a neat little boy, and I am so grateful for the special relationship that he and Avery have! They're not only cousins but best buddies! We celebrated his birthday at Chuck E. Cheese, and everyone had a blast! Poor Ezra was a little under the weather, but he was a trooper anyway! The pictures are a little out of order, but you get the idea!!

This is Ella "helping" him open his presents.

He was completely spoiled...of course!! His favorite things right now are Toy Story (he calls it "BuzzWoody"), Cars, Handy Manny, and Trains. We got him a few quiet books for church, a Cars coloring book, and 2 "Max & Ruby" DVDs (another one of his favorite things).

This was Avery's favorite part of the night! She went on that horse ride at least 20 times! Sorry about the fuzzy picture, but it has to be my favorite of the night!! Can't you see the excitement on her face?!?!

Ezra's Cookie Cake & Candles

Happy Birthday little man! We love you!!