Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas! We have been very blessed by the love of friends and family this year. We hope this card finds you well and that you feel the love of our Savior during this special time of year when we celebrate His birth.

Videos, As Promised

So here are the videos that I had so much trouble with for my last post. They include j* riding his 'no pedals' bike and some of l*'s first steps. Enjoy!

Milestones

The past few weeks (okay, month and a half) have been very busy. Here's a little update:
J*- one word...finals
graphic design for invites and holiday cards. Here's one example:
T*-opened an etsy shop for her new hobby...making headbands (http://www.everythingoes.etsy.com/)

j*- turned 3!

loves to ride his bike and explain to anyone "it has no pedals and no training wheels!

www.bootscootbikes.com

loves doing projects. Here is our Tom the turkey project

l*

lounging on his chair

walking

(vided to come)

Happy Halloween!

We hope you each enjoyed a spooky and sweet holiday!

We celebrated in our version of Goldilocks and 'da Three Bears

aren't vertical stripes supposed to be slimming?!?

the candy sort!

p.s. I was two different versions of Goldilocks for different parties.
(Those who know of my costume phobia might be shocked, but it worked out alright.)
Here's a peak at the more traditional, and almost totally homemade version.
I told you I was getting into sewing.

Passing the Time

It seems like the boys have grown up quite a bit over the past few months. We've been passing the time lately with some of these fun things....

...clearing the pantry shelves several times a day. I know, you might suggest child locks, but I say, "look at that face, he loves it so!"
...surfing the wave at a Pepp event

...resting in between adventures. (This seems to be the only form of nap that j* is willing to take these days, so I enjoy every minute of it!)

Back in the saddle again...

My last post was in July?!?! How did that happen? It is not for lack of life being full of cute moments, adventures, and stories. Maybe it is because it is so full. At any rate, I am officially back in the blogging saddle.
To kick it off, a few of our highlights and some pics.

j*

-potty trained!!!

-mixed his own 'dough' today while I was changing a diaper (it ended up being about 1 CUP salt and 1 cup flour!)

-favorite phrase: "What we do next Mommy?"

l*

-standing on his own. (I know, I missed the crawling milestone...that happened about August)

-finger foods- for now cheerios and animal crackers are the faves.

-this one's a thinker. He checks people and situations out from a distance. Once he has it figured out, he is off.

-Still gives cuddles.

J and I

-Have made the most of his free Friday afternoons with trips to the beach for the past two weeks!
-I have walked several days a week, while pushing the boys all the way around Pepperdine campus. (For those who have not been here, there are some major hills here.)

-Making time to play tennis with friends. (Even if that means that both boys are playing on the court next to us.)

A Miracle

I know many of you have offered prayers of support for my neice, Izzy, over the past 2 and 1/2 years. Last Friday was her last dose of chemo, and the cancer is in remission! What a wonderful miracle!

It has been an incredible journey for her and her family! Here is a link to her blog which has a new video to document and celebrate this life changing chapter! I hope it reminds you of the miracles in your life!

http://izzycostley.blogspot.com/