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Early morning randoms:

I've been getting up before the sun starts shining the last few days.  Kinda sucks, really.

Keira will start off sleeping in her own bed, but somehow wakes up in ours.

11.28.11: 12 hours, 152 scripts.  Boy, did my legs feel that.

A customer sincerely apologized to me yesterday for being rude and out of line with me last week.  That doesn't happen often, and apology was accepted.  And no, I wasn't being rude back or in the first place.

What part of "Limit 10 per customer" is hard to understand when you see 2 people walking out with 50+ Black Friday, 99 cent poinsettias between the two of them?  And how aggravating is it when the employees don't know about or even follow that limit?!

I want some boots, ones that come up just under the knee, in brown, with a buckle or two.

I bought my first pair of skinny jeans last week.  I just hope my bowleggedness isn't too obvious (but it probably will be).

I am almost done with HP:DH.  Almost.

Our real Christmas tree is up, as is our icicle lights above our garage.  The holiday decorating is in full effect.

I've also started our Holiday 2011 mini book.  I bought mine from here this year (and last year too).  I'm glad I'm continuing the memory keeping this way, especially since I fell off the Project Life wagon a long time ago.

Christmas gift purchasing is also in full effect.  Just purchased some mini diaries on Cyber Monday and can't wait to gift them to some close friends.  Have a few more ideas floating around that I need to execute, hopefully today or tomorrow.

I wonder if I'll be able to go back to sleep...eh, probably not.

Gobble Gobble....Burp

Keira's school had a Thanksgiving luncheon last week and while I wasn't expecting much as far as the food went, I was just glad I was able to go.

Miss Amalia keeping the kids occupied by singing songs before lunch.

Lunch consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, applesauce with cranberries, cornbread and pumpkin pudding.   Out of everything on her plate, she ate just the...pumpkin pudding.  Ew.

I loved seeing Keira in her element, interacting with her teachers and friends.  I always wondered what she did while she was there and I got to see just a little bit of that.  Most of the kids who had their parents there thought they were being picked up, and weren't too thrilled when we were leaving without them.  When I picked up Keira later, one teacher said naptime was nice since all the kids cried themselves to sleep!

Happy Thanksgiving from our little turkey to yours!!

it's the gobbly goo!

I'm always on the lookout for crafty ideas that would make for lifelong memories.  Something I can look back on 20 years down the road and say...wow, can you even imagine?

so when I found this idea for turkey handprints, I knew it was something I wanted to do right away.

Lucky for me, Keira can be into doing arts and crafts (thank you preschool!) and it's quick and easy enough that Mike won't get bored.  With Thanksgiving coming up, I decided tonight was the night to do it.

so here we go!!

I traced each of our hands on white cardstock, colored them in and backed each one on colored cardstock.  I wanted to put our turkeys in a frame like the original idea, but didn't have one on hand, nor did I want to buy one.  So I went with a garland instead and hung it from our mantle.  Once the holiday is over, into our family scrapbook it goes! I'm especially in love with capturing the size of Keira's hand now and having it to compare against later on down the road.

it's all about the memories, right?

family update

at the Kings games, 11-8-11.  they won!!

Keira: a funny story...I picked her up from school yesterday and the teacher told me that she built a gun out of Legos.  The teacher told her that that wasn't allowed at school and asked her where she learned to do that.  Keira's response?  My daddy plays with guns.  I lifted my head in "oh my goodness"-ness, and when the teacher asked if it was true, I had to say yes.  We let her play with a nerf gun once or twice a few months ago when Mike first got his, and somehow she figured out how to make one.

She is still enjoying school, learning new songs and making lots of artsy pictures.  She is still pretty opinionated and will cry and whine to get things, but is still a playful and imaginative girl.  She's starting to grow into size 3T clothing and is wearing pull-ups now, which means it is time to be serious about potty training.  Kai Lan is still one of her favorites and she likes telling us when she's "burped out of her butt."

Mike: He's still aiming to learn how to play a ukelele, and will spend an hour or so most nights learning chords and strumming.  He was a master chef this past weekend when we had several of his college roommates (and spouses and kids) over for a thanksgiving lunch.  He brined and baked a really good turkey (and I'm not just saying that), and had the best idea to serve it family style to our guests.  I loved being able to sit around with some of our closest friends, sharing a meal and stories from the past.  He still hasn't taken out our boat (and we've had it almost a year), but is still hoping to next summer.  We went to our first Kings game of the season last week...and they won!!  He installed a pot-style fountain in our backyard and has proclaimed it relaxing with the sounds of softly falling water.  Mike also recently spoke on a panel for Career Night at UCI.  I was so proud of him (he isn't a big fan of public speaking)!!

Jamie:  I celebrated my 34th birthday last week and have been baking quite a bit as of late.  The seasonal decorating bug has hit too, and I've been really getting the house into the spirit of the holidays.  A new work schedule rotation has started, which allows me to be home more nights during the week and have a 3-day weekend every other week.  It's taking some getting used to, but time with family is more important, so I'll have to deal with it.  I'm learning to drink coffee black (my mom would be so proud) and have most definitely figured out I don't like pumpkin pie.  I can't get enough of Harry Potter and have been watching at least one HP movie a day when I can.

just a few more pictures...

more pumpkins for our doorstep...it's fall!!

$181.77 worth in change...this is several years worth!

our thanksgiving feast with friends (11-13-11)

Keira at Disneyland with her two BFFs, Mia and Ava (11-10-11)

Keira's school is having a thanksgiving luncheon today and I get to go!!  Most of her school functions happen on a Thursday, and since I work every Thursday I hardly ever get to go.  But I am so excited that I get to spend some time with her at school, it's these moments I really cherish!!

33 months

this girl stayed home with me today, because she's had a runny nose and cough the last few days.  We are hoping its just because of those darn Santa Ana winds kicking up her allergies, but then again she is in school with other snot-ridden kids.  so who knows.

and when a kid gets a choice between going to school and staying home, what do you think they'll say?

so we spent the morning watching lots and lots of Disney Junior, drinking Zyrtec-spiked milk, and rubbing nasal mucous from one side of the face to the other.  Lunch of all-you-can-eat shabu shabu with mommy's work bestie, then home to make a new batch of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies.  She's still napping (it's 4:30 in the afternoon) and has been for 2 hours now, so I hope her bedtime doesn't get jacked up.

Can't believe I've been a mommy (and Mike's been a daddy) for this long.  When they say time flies...it sure does.

all things fall related

Hellooooooo November!  Where the heck did October go?

pumpkin chocolate chip cookies. The recipe is from a package of Nestle Toll House chocolate chips, but modified by our awesome neighbor who first let us try them.  Instead of 2 sticks of butter, she only used one and substituted the other stick with (canned) pumpkin.  She added some pumpkin spice as well, but since I didn't have any I just used cinnamon.

we bought a ukelele while in Hawaii, and Mike is set on learning a song or two by the end of the year.

Our little ice cream cone...or cupcake.  It can go either way.  Keira understood the concept of trick or treating this year, and went for a bit with Mike and my brother's girlfriend Julie.  She made out pretty good in the candy department and even walked most of the way too!

my girl in glasses.  melts my heart every. single. time I see this picture.

self-imagined skateboard. intelligent creature, she is.

her most favorite aisle at the Circle Store.

a new closet set-up, a la Mike.

and our November 2011 family pictures:

a family that can make faces together, stick together!!