Grandparent's Day

Bella had Grandparent's day in November at school. She was excited to have Grandma, Grandpa, and great Grandma at school. The class did a dance and skit for their grandparents, had an art and craft, and ate some snacks. Grandma and Grandpa told me that Bella was very shy and quiet while they were visiting, but that is pretty normal for Ms. Bella. She told me afterward that she had a great time. I am so thankful that they were able to take the day off and be with her. Yay to great grandparents!

Tamale day 2012

Our annual tamale day was so much fun, yet again! The only sad part was that Eric was not there, as he had to work. We start the day off by munching on appetizers, drinking some beer and working on the tamale line. The kids run around at back and play with their cousins. Once finished, we get to eat the yummy tamales and Tia Alicia's world famous beans. Afterward, we play a dice drinking game called CLR. The pot of $ ends up being over $120. This year my young 11 year old cousin won. We also sat by the fire and roasted marshmallows. It was such a fun day! It is not very often that our entire family is together, so it is always a good time when we do...

Train park lights

This was our 2nd year at the train park for Christmas lights. We LOVE it! The train takes you through a winter wonderland, and the kids get so excited. They loved meeting all of the cartoon characters. We can't wait to go again next year!

Decorating our christmas tree and outside

The kids were so excited to decorate the Christmas tree this year. I think that decorating the tree is my 2nd favorite day of the year, 2nd to Christmas morning. I enjoy the aroma of a fresh tree, putting on christmas music, and spending time with the people I love most. Eric was in charge of the outside, and he did a fabulous job! He added Hello Kitty blow up for Bella. Here are some pics from our decorating... COWBOYS ORNAMENT

OUR SADIE MARIE ORNAMENT THAT HAS BEEN ON OUR TREE FOR OVER 7 YEARS AND WILL ALWAYS PUT UP

THE FINISHED PRODUCT

Hair dresser Bella

Bella loves to play "hair dresser" with Eric and I. On this particular day, she chose to work on daddy with her blowdryer and scissors, and finished it off with some sunglasses for a cool look. I love that she used her blankie as a smock. What a fabulous daddy Bella has!

Dance recital at Glendale Glitters

Bella had the chance to dance at Glendale Glitters, so of course we jumped on it. Her nino, The Tortora's, Nino's brother and kids, and Jen met us there to watch her dance. She has only been practicing this dance for a very short amount of time , but I love that they have many chances to dance and practice their recital routine before June's big recital. She did a good job! Not only did we get to see her dance, but we got to go on the hay ride, drink hot apple cider by the fire, and see all the beautiful lights.

Thanksgiving 2012

My mom decided to go to San Diego again this year to spend the holiday with my sister and her husband. We always go to Eric's dad's house in the morning to eat Thanksgiving lunch therae and I usually host dinner for our friends, who really are family to us. This year, our friend Lula hosted. It was a perfect evening. We at outside, and boy, did we eat!! We had turkey and brisket with all the fixings. We had lots of wine and sat by the fire and made s'mores with the little ones. It really was a great Thanksgiving