Christmas Day

Christmas Day was a hit!! It was our very first time hosting such a big event at our home... it was stressful but we did it and we can't wait to do it again.

We started the day by waking Nevaeh up (please excuse the "bed head") and letting her know that Santa had left her a gift. She was a little confused but followed us in to the living room. She was shocked to see exactly what she wanted sitting next to the tree. She has been singing non stop and we can't get enough!!

That evening we crammed about 25 people in to our small home. Several people were just stopping by so that gave us a little more (much needed) elbow room!! The food was superb and the sweets were overflowing. Nevaeh loved showing off her piano skillz and made sure everyone watched her perform. We love having family around so we can't wait to do it again... even though we were stressed for a day or two before it was worth it.

Chargers Baby

Our wonderful neighbors invited us to join them at the CHARGER GAME! We were lucky enough to find a sitter for our precious Nevaeh on Christmas Eve and we headed off to a game. We sat club level and had a great time. It was nice to act like grown ups without having to look after a two year old.... and also nice to know that Nevaeh was being taken care of by her Auntie, Uncle and her cousins.
BTW, the Chargers beat the Broncos 23 to 3....

The Next big thing

Nevaeh asked daddy to sing with her!! He gladly agreed and they sang to No one by Alicia Keys... She loves to sing especially with her daddy!!

Disney

Yesterday Nevaeh and I met Tia Moni and Chloe at Disneyland. The girls had a blast and they behaved very well considering they did not have a proper nap. We were able to see all the pretty Christmas decorations and the Christmas parade.
We can't wait to go again!

So Sweet

Two really sweet things...
1) Yesterday when we were at Sea World we saw the Shamu show. When it started, Shamu and a smaller whale were swimming around the tank/pool together. Nevaeh saw that and told her daddy "Aw, look, like me and you". Super cute and super sweet!
She loves her daddy!!
2) As many of you know, Nevaeh loves to play pretend (example, she makes me call her Cinderella and she calls daddy "prince Eric").... Recently she has been watching Peter Pan and has now began calling daddy "Peeta"... All the kids have an English accent so that is how they say it "Peter".... "Peeta"!!

What a day

Well yesterday was quite interesting ( to say the least). I wake up and realize I had a playdate scheduled but notice it isn't until 11 so I thought I had plenty of time to get stuff done around the house. I make Nevaeh eggs for breakfast but she thinks they are poisonous and decided not to even touch them... since my home is not a restaurant I don't offer her anything else. At around 9:30 she asks for yogurt and I gladly obliged... she sat at the table with her yogurt and banana and watched Sesame Street. While she "ate" I took a shower and picked up my bedroom. At around 10 Nevaeh is screaming "mom, my neck, my neck", I run out there and she is COVERED in pink yogurt...
*side note: Nevaeh HATES being sticky*
I attempted to clean her up but I had to give her a bath. By the time we finish with her bath it was 10:30 so I rush to get her dress and I get out the door by 10:50. Before running out of the house I checked the computer and realize that I needed a wrapped gift for a mom and child!! I had to go to Starbucks and find a gift for both because I don't have time to go anywhere else!! I gave Nevaeh half a banana because she didn't eat breakfast. While waiting in line at the Starbucks Nevaeh decides to shove most of the banana in her mouth and CHOKED on it!!! Then she spit up the whole banana on me and it landed on the floor!!! Did I mention I was sweating like a pig!!! Finally, I pay and walk out to fresh cool air. We get to the car and I put her in the back and ask her to get in her car seat. When I shut her door and was getting into my seat I hear a loud KER-PLUNK!! Nevaeh fell down... between the back seat and the front seat.
To get her to stop crying I tell her that we are going to play with her friends at the park... it works, she stops crying.
I get to the park and it appears to be closed due to construction!!! Not only am I a little ticked off but Nevaeh starts crying because she wants to play with her friends... I feel like a horrible mother for getting her all excited about the park and her friends...
I call Jacob and he says that he is getting off early and we can go to Sea World. Sea World was a lot of fun but to top off the day... I got a cold!!! I woke up this morning feeling like I got ran over by a semi....

Nice....

Donating Toys

Last Friday Jacob and I went to our friend Trish's house for "game night". I had a lot of fun playing Taboo. Jacob and the rest of the men decided they were too cool for Taboo and instead watched a movie. Trish was a super hostess and made delicious appetizers, which I will make for Christmas!! Her home was super cute inside and out. BUT the most shocking thing was it is toy-free!! Is that truly possible with a child??
When I got home I decided to CLEAN HOUSE... well not that night because it was too late but the next day. As you can see Nevaeh helped me clean but all of the sudden her room was super cluttered. There was no way she could enjoy her room or her toys that way. I called my MIL and asked if her church was in need of toys and sure enough they were... so we packed up a bunch of Nevaeh's toys for donation. It was difficult for me to say "goodbye" to some of her toys because each toy had such a special meaning to ME!! For example, I didn't want to get rid of her Elmo boom box because that was her favorite toy on her first birthday and I didn't want to get rid of a little stuffed bear because she remembered that Ashley (her cousin) won that for her almost a YEAR ago!!! I managed to let go of the toys and I explained to her ... and myself... that the toys were going to the kids at Grandma's church.
I am happy to report that her room is now organized with the toys she plays with more often and the rest of my home is toy-free... well most of the time because she takes her toys all around the house and sometimes she "forgets" to take them back.

Anyway... thanks Trish for the inspiration.