Special Date Morning

Monday morning Ben had a day off from school, but Nathan still had school. So my best friend Michelle and I decided that it was the perfect morning to take our "big" kids on a date. So, after dropping off the "little" kids, we loaded up in the car and headed out to breakfast. The kids ordered hot chocolates that were bigger than their heads LOL but it was a special treat so it was fun! 

After our tummies were full, we decided to head to the beach. We played at Marina Park, played in the sand, got wet in the waves and admired the weird weather. 

It was a great morning and I am so thankful that I got this special time with Ben! 

Pure Joy

Nathan insisted on wearing this hat to school today. Sure a lot of people giggled as he strolled down the path way and into his class, but he brought a smile to all those people's faces- so in my book... it's a win! 

I love your goofy personality Nathan James!!!

Splish Splash!!!

Huge bubbles and blue dyed water... what could be more fun!?!?!

Training Them Young

Dear Ben's Future Wife, 

You're welcome! 

Love, Your future mother-in-law

Soft Side

Ben can be loud and rough and everything else that accompanies the true meaning of a boy, but he also has a very sweet side. He is sensitive, kind, emotional, and intuitive. He loves to snuggle up and be cuddled. I love his soft side and I love when I catch him in little moments like this one: cuddled up with this best friend Ella, just doing life.  I hope, 30 years from now, they are still best of friends!

A Hiking We Will Go

No school, a beautiful day... what could be better than a hike, exploring and lunch with my 2 favorite little boys!

This morning, after breakfast, we put on our hiking clothes and shoes, packed up snacks, waters, and sunscreen and headed out. Soon, we were all on our way to Thousand Oaks to hike to Paradise Falls. We hiked about halfway there, before stopping for some snacks. Then we were back on the trail and before we knew it, we had made it to the falls. We climbed rocks, threw rocks into the pond, collected rocks, explored, got stuck in mud, got our shoes and socks soaking wet and just had a great time overall. Then, after a long hike back out, we tiredly stumbled into the car. Hot and sweaty, we decided to grab some smoothies and ice cream as we headed back home.
It was a  GREAT day!

partners in crime

such a sweetie

stopped for a snack at the teepee

paradise falls- gorgeous

climbed up here by himself 

throwing in rocks

he's getting SO big!

"Show us your guns Fella" haha

Piano Man

Nathan is our little drummer boy, Mr Piano Man, etc! He loves music, singing, dancing, and can remember lyrics like you wouldn't believe. So this month he has started taking music lessons with Jeff and he is just LOVING it! Stay tuned...

Oh The Joys of Raising Boys

I love sunny afternoons with my boys: bikes, scooters, giggles and squeals! 

Pretzel Making Fun

The boys were wanting to do some cooking so the other day I thought it would be a fun idea to make pretzels because it was something the boys could pretty much do without much help. They had so fun getting messy and doing all the steps by themselves. 

Thankfully, our friend Selena came over later that night and helped us with the rolling process (which was hard with a cast on). It was a fun time, getting messy and hanging out together making these little treats!

Snowy Adventures

When you're siting around with your bestie talking about what to do with the littles for New Years and all the sudden you decide to do a last minute snow trip... endless amounts of fun are bound to happen. We were probably crazy for throwing this trip together in a matter of a day (especially since most of you know I'm a planner haha) but hey, I've been working on being more go with the flo and what better way to test it out than a last minute snow trip with 4 kids hahaha! 

So we put on our supermom capes, packed bags, food, endless snacks, gassed up the car, made a last minute dash to get the kids snow clothes, and then crammed every child and item into the Tahoe praying that the doors would close haha! Soon, we were laughing at our madness but on the road, headed up to the cabin in Lake Isabella (gorgeous). 

Nathan's snow hat he picked out himself

crammed in but all cozy

He wasn't a fan of the 20 degree weather when we arrived haha

but then he was in heaven when we stopped for milkshakes
at this little diner we found

milkshakes when it's 20 degrees out? Sure, why not!

sleep boy

snuggled in, asleep in the cabin

they are just too cute

playing Spot It together after waking up- sweet friends

waking up to a light frost/snow outside- kids loved it

After everybody was awake, had warm beverages and a warm breakfast in their tummy, we bundled everybody up and headed for a day of play in the snow. The kids were overflowing in countless layers of clothing, excitement and giggles. 

Ben's face when he realizes how cold snow is- priceless

heading up the hill towards the real snow

besties!

Nathan realizing how hard it is to walk uphill with
all his snow gear on haha 

I love this girl! She pushes me to better, she laughs at me and with me when
I mess up, she encourages me, she loves me unconditionally, we laugh non-stop, she hugs me
on the hard days and she's the best partner in crime! 

Nathan looks so little here

Ben was looking like such a big boy in his
snowboarding pants

snow angel making 

sliding down hills

tossing snow in the air only to discover that
it hits you in the face on the way down hahaha

These boys are my world! Being a single mom makes trips like this challenging and sometimes stressful but hearing all their giggles, excitement, laughter and squeals made it worth it! When we got back home after our trip Ben told me "mommy, that was my favorite adventure ever" and gave me the biggest kiss--- PRICELESS!!! 

I might not be the most spontaneous person ever, but it is definitely something that I have been, and will continue to, work on about myself. This trip helped me to see first hand, the value of letting go, just being in the moment, and enjoying new experiences with my boys even if the process is a little messy! We had the best trip and the boys can't stop asking when we can go again so I'd call this trip a SUCCESS!