We spent a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday at my mom's house with my sister and her family.  My nephew, Russell, and little Emme had a wonderful time playing together.  This was the first time that they were really able to talk to each other and play for hours on end.  Russell is a delightful little boy!  We spent Thanksgiving together last year, too, only it was in a hospital in Sacramento where Russell had just been diagnosed with Burkitt's Lymphoma.  He is a testament to the saying, "What a difference a year makes!"  Not only is he alive and well, but thriving and happy!  We are all that much more THANKFUL for good health and the chance to be together as a family this year.  Even so, we never stop thinking of and praying for the children and their families who are still fighting to beat childhood cancer.

Knowing we'd have family around to take a photo for our Christmas cards, I set a plan for what we'd be wearing.  It's easy for Mom and Dad to come up with something reasonably festive and simple, but I love for Emme to wear something more whimsical and bright.  When I came across this tutorial on a crafty mommy blog called Ruffles and Stuff, I knew I had found the just the thing I was looking for.   I whipped up a little scarf for Russell to match Emme and the two were quite a sight! 

We several fun holiday events coming up this month.  A kids Christmas Craft Party, A Teddy Bear Tea with Santa, and A Holiday Boat Parade will be the highlights!  I am also looking forward to whipping up enough sweet treats to gift 18 of our friends, family and colleagues:)

Hope you are looking forward to a wonderful Christmas season, too!

We celebrated our little friend Niel's first birthday last Saturday.  He was born the day Obama was elected to the Presidency.  His parents were thrilled to have their son born on such an auspicious day for our Nation.  Emme had a ball playing with her fellow musketeers, Neil's big brother, William and Evan!

On a walk through our beautiful Nature Center, Emme set out to find Tinkerbell's Fairy Home.  She called out to Tinkerbell as we wandered through the trees.  I tried to convince her that Tinkerbell (and our fellow walkers) didn't appreciate being shouted at!  Our walk was cut short due to some trail renovation, so I thought we might not find Tinkerbell's home on this particular day.  Much to Emme's delight, we spotted a place down by the lake, where some mud had washed away beneath a tree root.  A "fairy home" had taken shape.  Emme could not have been more pleased!

We kicked off Autumn on October 3, 2009 at the Kidspace Pumpkin Festival in Pasadena, CA.  I am a big fan of the Kidspace Museum and the proceeds of this fun event benefit the museum and it's kids programs.  After 45 minutes waiting in line, Emme refused the pony ride, but we found a pony tethered to the fence and they let us put her up on it.  Clearly, Emme was thrilled by the experience and shouted "Neigh, Neigh!" the entire time.  The pony was followed by a turn in the bounce house, dancing to a live band, ice cream, a Sleeping Beauty tattoo, and carnival games.  And, the measure of success after any such event:  We had one sleepy little girl in the backseat on the way home!

A favorite new song of mine is Taylor Swift's, The Best Day.  Recently, my mom and I spent the day together.  We had lunch, shopped, and sat out by the pool.  As I packed up to head back home for the night, I said, "This was the best day!"  This song reminds me of all those "best days" in the past and still to come with  my own mom and with my own sweet and mishchievous little Emme-Em...

I just learned about a fun site called Rollip, where you turn any photo into a fun vintage poloroid for free, from your desktop.  To double the fun, you can then upload it directly to your facebook, email it to a friend or download to your computer.  Some pics come out better than others.  There are many different effect opitons, and I just used the first effect option listed.  It seemed to be the most basic. Poloroid's would be so fun to use on this year's holiday card or on birthday cards or invites:)

Although, we've all seen these beach pics by now, they were just what I needed to test out Rollip today....Enjoy!

Ever since our recent trip to Eugene, we've making smoothies in the morning.  Thanks to the inspiration of Auntie Nana/Candyce's tasty blueberry concoction, we are getting the day off to a healthy start.  Emme has come to expect her morning smoothie (as has her Daddy) and loves sitting on the counter next to me while we dump the ingredients in the blender.  If you know me, you know I love Dr. Sears (aka America's Favorite Pediatrician) parenting advice.  It is sometimes tough to follow, but I am surprised how easy it is to follow his recommendation for making smoothies for the whole family in the morning.  Our recipe is very similar to his, though he suggests a whopping 20 oz serving per person!

For 2 adults and one toddler, we use the following:

A handful each of 2 different frozen fruits (mango, peaches, blueberry, strawberries, raspberries or blackberries)
1 cup plain yogurt (not frozen)
4 tablespoons ground flax seed or flax seed oil
2/3 - 1 cup juice or milk
2 bananas
NO ICE  (the frozen fruits makes it just icy enough and makes for a smoother blend)

Here are pics of Emme and I making this morning's smoothies.  As you can see, Emme put on her jammies herself.  The first pic showcases her "I just woke up and you'd better make this smoothie fast and put it in the right Hello Kitty cup on the first try!" face.  Her attitude had much improved by the second pic:)  Oh, and Elton's smoothie is missing because he spent the night in Vegas as the Shop.org convention! 

Emme derives so much joy from a simple facepainting!  It makes her feel special and beautiful and she walks with her head held a little higher.  Now what woman doesn't like to feel like that?  If only a little facepaint would do the trick for the rest of us.  Here she is at the farmer's market last Sunday morning.  She loves walking through the market tasting samples of grapes and peaches and melon.  She savors every bite.  As you can see from the pics, the girl also takes her face painting very seriously. 

In the meantime, I derive joy from the colors, tastes and smells of a Farmer's Market.  I love market photos that capture the beautiful bounty of the season.  We are finding, as we try to cook nearly all of our meals at home, that a Farmer's Market can be a great place to get inspired to cook with fresh, healthy ingredients.  This day we came home with fresh rosemary, carrots and celery (for lentil soup) and white nectarines.  All were so delicious!