Pearce Family Update

Okay, I lag. I thought about blogging a bunch of times in the past month...that counts for something right?? So, I guess since the actual posts were never written I have A LOT of catching up to do. The truth is most of the time during the past month my feelings toward moving and our transition here have been so jumbled, you probably would have got whiplash from reading my emotional roller coaster. Lets just say its better I am starting here and looking back at the last month. Don't get me wrong, things have been awesome here and we are really happy but there is the occasional feelings of being homesick that creep in and the occasional melt down of still being in this apartment with two dogs, two kiddos and virtually none of our stuff. Stuff is stuff but when you miss home, having your own bed to sleep in at night makes it a little easier. All that aside, our transition has gone MUCH easier than I could have ever dreamed. We are nearing the home stretch of our new house being complete (9 days in case you're wondering), meeting so many wonderful people and having fun exploring our new surroundings.
It has been awesome getting to reconnect with my good friend Liz since she moved to the Dallas area over 5 years ago. Its been nice to have someone from home here. We met up with her and her hubby Josh at The Texas State Fair and to say Gigi had a good time is an understatment...she's still talking about the rides! She had such a great time! I have been able to meet up with Liz for some girl time too and her and Josh were so super sweet and came down to watch our kiddos for us so we could go out to dinner and celebrate our 5 year wedding anniversary.
We are still really loving our new church and people are probably sick of us saying how similar The Avenue and our home church in Fresno The Well are but seriously they are! In fact, there are a lot of things about The Avenue that I like better which I never thought I would say. One of the hardest things about leaving Fresno was leaving our church so finding a new home church so quickly has been heaven sent to say the least. We have joined a really awesome couples life group where we have met some great people and I have joined a women's bible study that has allowed me to meet some truly amazing and supportive women. The kids love the opportunity to get to play at church during the week too. (Let me rephrase...Gigi does. Jensen is entering the awesome phase of separation anxiety which is a story for another time.)
We participated in the churches Trunk or Treat Fall Festival which was so much fun! They had pony rides, bounce houses, food and of course candy so Gigi, I mean Snow White, was in heaven! Its awesome to see her meet new friends too...she really misses her buds back home. :( Daniel was in heaven too since our trunk was Cowboy themed. People here are shocked that a family from CA were Cowboy fans before we moved here but for those of you who know Daniels family you know they are life long fans so Daniel is totally excited.

 During the week, me and the kids scope out new parks and try and to find new things to get involved with. They already have their favorite and Jensen is getting old enough to where he is getting into the park thing too. As I have said before the weather here is so crazy! Its hard to tell at the beginning of the day what the weather will end up being by the end of the day so I have learned to keep a wide variety of extra clothing for us and the kids at all times.

I love the weekends since moving here because we have a new little tradition of getting up Saturday morning and driving over to our new house and seeing what progress has been made on it. We feel so blessed to be able to buy a new home and its nice that with home prices the way they are here in Texas we are able to buy a house with a little more room than our house in CA. We really love the neighborhood to and have heard from many people that the schools in Midlothian (where are new house will be) are awesome. In fact the elementary school that Gigi will go to, Longbranch, is just up the road from us. We are scheduled (fingers crossed that nothing hold up the process) to do our walk through on the 19th and move in on the 21st. I said I hoped that we would be in by Thanksgiving and we will be just one day shy!  I CAN'T wait to get in and start getting settled. I feel like a home is the final piece to our transition and it has been a crazy almost 8 weeks of transition.

Then it will be the holidays and Jensens birthday (NO, I can't believe he will be 1!) and we have family coming at various times throughout November and December and January and I feel like that will definitely be the icing on the cake.
Overall I can't say enough how blessed we have been to have had so much love and support from our friends, new and old and our family and can I just say thank goodness for FaceTime! We are really loving Texas but are equally really missing California at times. I know the next month or so will be crazy busy but I will definitely try to blog more often to keep everyone posted on all thats going on. Thanks for the prayers and love! xoxo

Life As We Know It

To be honest with you, moving to Texas hasn't been the easiest thing I have ever done but I do have faith that its one of the best things I have ever done. Leaving behind everything you know, all of your comforts, all of your routines, everyone that knows and loves you and trading it in for the unknown, a bunch of faces that don't know you or your story, definitely exposes any weanesses or insecurities you have harbored in your heart. I have asked myself a million times, did we do the right thing? Are we going to be able to make this a home? Will we make new friends? Will we find a new church we will call home? Will my kids be okay here? But, when I lay in bed at night and talk to God, I know the answer to all of those questions is yes! I know this because I have faith that we are right where we are supposed to be. Ultimately, we as a family decide all of those things I listed above. This experience is what we make of it but thats not to say that it won't be hard and that we won't miss the life we left behind either. That being said, there has been a lot more smiles than tears and a lot more laughter than anything else.
This last weekend was really the first time that we were able to get a glimpse at what our new normal will be here and I must say it was so refreshing. We met some really nice people and their families that Daniel works with at his company picnic that just so happen to be members at the church we had planned on attending Sunday. Sunday we showed up to The Avenue Church and experienced a mixture of relief and surprise at how similar it was to The Well, our church in California. We were invited to join a couples life group that evening which we went to and met some more wonderful people and then we went out to dinner afterward with a couple of the families. It was nice to have some adult conversation with someone other than Daniel and I know Gianna really enjoyed being around other kids. The whole experience gave me hope that this place might actually start to feel like home soon.
I can tell you what will really help this place feel like home will be having a home...which as of yet we still don't have. We did go into escrow on a new home that will hopefully be finished in the middle of next month if all goes well which is definitely a step in the right direction! Buying a home unleashes a bunch of its own stresses but I am trying my hardest to focus my mind on the end result...a home! I know that life shouldn't consist of stuff but having your own stuff when everything around you is so unfamiliar would definitely help. I know this to be true for Gianna...there are a lot of times she asks for some of her toys that are in storage and I know that she would feel a little more secure if she had all of her things that make her feel like she is at home...her bed especially. It has been hard to explain to her where all of her stuff is.
It is a HUGE relief to have found a house! Its a step in the right direction for sure! And I must say I really do love the new house and the community it is in. It is definitely much more house than we are used to and a much bigger yard too. I can't wait to get into it and to start making it a home. While we are very fortunate to have this apartment, it has been a challenge to make it feel like home. I do wish we had found something in Waxahachie, but we ended up buying in neighboring Midlothian. Its so close to Waxahachie it may as well be in it though. (By the way...we were mistaken on the pronounciation of Waxahachie...perhaps thrown off by the accents but we have been informed that it isn't Wuh-xahachie but Waxahachie with the "a" sounding like the a in walk. Truthfully, our California accent can't really make that sound so we try in all cases to just avoid saying it. Dead give away that we aren't from around here. lol So, perhaps its a good thing we are moving to Midlothian.)
So, thats whats new with us. Life as we know it is changing and evolving daily and its exciting to see where this journey will take us and who we will meet along the way. So very grateful for the internet and FaceTime though because communication with our friends and family in CA has helped keep things more normal and helped me maintain my sanity. We definitely miss everyone so much! Until next time.... :)

Welcome to Texas!

"Welcome to Texas!" This is the first thing everyone says as soon as they find out we aren't from here. I swear Texans are the nicest people. Its made me realize that I really need to work on my eye contact. I am so accustomed to just shuffling along doing my own thing, people bumping into me and not saying excuse me, that people here must question my shocked expression with all the eye contact and "how y'all doing?" Its refreshing.
So, we are here in Waxahachie, Texas (pronounced WUH-xahachie) a LONG way from home and I think we are settling in okay. Its definitely different. For one, we are in corporate housing for the time being (a furnished apartment) and all of our stuff is in storage while we search for a home. Daniel will be working in Corsicana which is about 35 minutes south of here and Dallas is about 25 minutes north. Its a town of about 29,000 people and for the most part its pretty country compared to what we are used to. Everything you need is on one stretch of road or in the downtown area and everything else is just open land and small subdivisions of homes. Most of the homes are on acre lots or more which is so much land compared to our 9,000 sqft. lot we had in CA.
The downtown area is really cool! The buildings are beautiful and there are a lot of old victorian homes surrounding it. On Friday nights everyone goes to the enormous high school football stadium for the game a la "Friday Night Lights" and we hear there are tons of traditions and markets and parades that go on that everyone is apart of. Its definitely different than anywhere we thought we would ever live but are so excited that we have ended up here. It definitely seems like the perfect place to raise our family not to mention the schools are awesome here!
Really, getting here was the hardest part of the move. We had all of our stuff packed up and on the truck a whole week before our actual move date. We needed time to have the house and carpets cleaned to prep for our renters to move in and we had the wedding of our good friends Vinny and Jenn in beautiful Santa Margarita the weekend before. So, we literally were living out of suitcases and homeless for a week but between the hotels and my parents house we tried to make it as comfortable and normal as possible for the kids. Daniel left in the car with the dogs on Monday and made the long trek to Texas by himself while I tied up some loose ends and flew out with the kids Wednesday. There were a lot of sad good byes, stress and making sure we had everything before we left that had me a little frazzled but I think we all did pretty good and made it out here in one piece.
The kids did great on the flight over here and Daniel did awesome and made sure to be here by Wednesday just in time to pick us up from the airport. My good friend Liz who lives in Dallas was sweet enough to take time off from work to come help us out too. It's SO awesome that we will be able to see more of her now!
When we got to our apartment we were relieved to see that it was decorated nice and we had pretty much everything we needed except of course food and toiletries. We pretty much bought the entire Walmart our first night here. We had to buy everything from salt to soap and everything in between. Our apartment is in a nice area off the one street that has everything which makes it pretty convenient. Gianna loves it and calls it our "hotel house". She has her own room and bed but Jensen has a little pack n play in a corner of it where he sleeps for the time being. She is not a fan of him sleeping in her room but it's temporary and a good lesson in sharing. While its a much better living situation than we anticipated, I am anxious to get a house and get out of here. We could only pack so much stuff with us in a few suitcases.
I think Gianna is doing pretty well adjusting although she still hasn't fully grasped how far away Texas is from California. She has asked to go to her grandma's a few times and when I said she is in CA she said she could just get on the plane and come here. Tonight was great because Daniel's brother and our sister in law, Derrick and Nikki, were actually in Dallas to go to the Monday night football game tomorrow (a trip planned before our move) so they came down and had dinner and saw our place. Gigi was super excited but I think she was a little confused at how they could stop by after I just explained that people won't be able to just stop by. lol. She will get it. Its an adjustment for all of us.
I really do think we are going to like it here once we get settled. It is definitely a nice change of pace. I will say that I am for sure not in a hurry to go through a cross country move again. It was definitely one of the most stressful things I have ever done and I must say I am more than relieved that it is over. Fingers crossed we find a home soon and can get back to normal. Well...a new normal....

Countdown to Texas

In less than a week a bunch of movers are going to come into my house and pack up my entire life and relocate it to Texas. We will be left behind for a week to tie up some loose ends but then we will  board a plane and a short 3 hours later we will officially be Texans. How did having almost 4 months to plan and get ready become 12 days so quickly? Rather than checking things off my list, I feel as though my list of things to do are growing exponentially. It's crazy what all is involved in moving a family of 4 plus 2 dogs to another state. I must say as much as I know I will miss California, I will be in no hurry to do all of this again and move back.
Despite having a little stress and a little more chaos than usual there is a lot of good coming in the next 12 days. Spending as much time with family and friends including our going away party this weekend is definitely on the top of our list of things to do. Leaving somewhere you have been all your life really makes you appreciate the wonderful people that surround you even more than you usually do and as much as you normally should. We are truly, truly blessed with the best parents two people could ask for and I think more than anyone, we (especially Gigi) will miss both sets of parents so much. But no doubt they will be out to visit, we will back to visit and thank goodness for modern technology such as FaceTime which will for sure make this transition easier. The same goes for our families and friends and all of their kiddos....life won't be the same but we know visiting will be that much more fun because we will get to see all of them too! And so I guess from these last few sentences you can see where my heart has been focused lately. Despite the excitement of our new life ahead of us, the trust in the Lord's plan for us and the million and one things still left to do before we board that plane, my heart is continously focused not just on how much we will miss everyone that we are leaving behind but how truly blessed we are to have them in our life. The love and support that we have recieved as we embark on this journey has made our decision to take the plunge that much more easier. To know that despite the miles between us we still have an awesome support team here that will be sending us there love and prayers to Texas is so great.
My head is in a million places at once while we are on this home stretch but I can tell you my heart has been focused on trusting in the path that has been laid out for us and this scripture has been my constant mantra: "For I know the plans I have for you...plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11 Of course the adventurer in me is thrilled at the opportunity ahead of us and for the new people we will meet and new experiences we will get to be apart of. I know that home will always be here but opportunities may not be so we are excited to partake in this new journey together as a family and make a new home in Texas but knowing full well our hearts will always be at home in California.

I Wish For More

As a child in school when December 7th would roll around, my teachers would sometimes but not always mention Pearl Harbor. Truthfully, it sounded like a sad, scary, action packed story but of course I had no real emotional connection to it. If it wasn't for my history classes in college the date would probably never stick in my head unless I would hear a blip of it on the evening news on the day of.
Of course the actual story of Pearl Harbor is one we all know now as adults and most anyone can quote that part of FDR's speech, "...a day that will live in infamy..." Oh and of course there was the Hollywood movie starring Mr. Ben Affleck that helps us to get a better understanding of that day. But have you ever seen an interview or talked to someone that was there, or someone that could just tell you where they were when it happened? Have you ever noticed the unmistakeable glint of pain in their eyes when they speak of that day? It's always there.
If it weren't for September 11, 2001, I may have never understood that look but I am sad to say that I do. I know it well. It's the same look our generation gets in their eyes every September 11th when the day inevitably rolls around and the news starts in with the clips and everyone starts in with their "I was (here) when I first heard (or saw)" stories. It's the one day when we can therapeutically talk about the pain that still lies hidden in us these 11 years later. A pain that's still quietly visible in our ongoing war and our still unsure citizens even though we have come so far. It's a pain that has and inevitably still is shaping our country and generation and a similar pain that shaped the Pearl Harbor generation even though it's not obvious in our daily lives.
But truthfully, who wants to live in a world shaped continuously by pain, fear and anger? I know what's done is done and tragically we cannot undo the past and we cannot fully reshape our views of the world as the real damage has already been done but as the years pass by I pray with all that I am that our generation can find healing for our minds and our hearts and that above all that my children's generation will watch documentaries and news clips of December 7th and September 11th and never fully understand our reminiscent looks of pain as we remember and never forget. They will never fully understand because they will live in a world void of terrorist, the threat of airplanes flying into buildings or wars threatening nuclear weapons and ultimate destruction of entire countries.
I know this is an absolute peaches and cream vision and that ultimately pain and suffering will always be known to us in some degree. So, I guess what I really hope is that whatever it is that my children's generation has to endure its not bad enough to redefine and completely reshape them as September 11th has done to us. I simply wish for more for them.
So tomorrow is the day that cannot help but flood all of us with emotions that often time take us by surprise and memories that we wish we could just wash away. But it brings optimism too! The glint of hope that I have seen grow year by year is a resolve to remember that day but to never have to experience that day or a day like it again. So many of us can say that we are stronger for it and I pray we are. Because I want nothing more than for my children to grow up in a world that wishes for more for its children and knows a greater peace than we were able to know.

Gianna Leigh Just Turned 3!

It's hard to believe that Gianna has already celebrated her 3rd birthday. It was such an awesome birthday for her because this is the first year that she really understood that her birthday was coming and what it entailed and she fully enjoyed the whole experience. Seriously, the weeks leading up to it we got to hear ALL about what she wanted for her birthday..."A Unicorn Dream Lite and a princess dress." She sang the theme song to Dream Lite constantly and pretty much had a heart attack everytime the commercial came on. This year we decided to throw her party at the inflatable party house Pump It Up which she was SO excited about as was I...little to no planning, set up or clean up....what's NOT to love!? What I loved most about her birthday though was continuing traditions and creating new ones. I LOVE birthdays and nothing makes me more happy than being able to remind Gigi how special the day she was born is and how special it is to us too.
Gigi got a cute princess piggy bank when she was born and it has become the depository for all lose change in our house. On her first birthday we emptied it out and put the change in her bank account but last year and this year we let her take the change out and by something at the toy store. This year she was REALLY excited to do this as she had $57 whole dollars to spend. It was fun to see how seriously she considered each toy and asked how much it was and if she had enough money. After picking a few toys (notice from the below picture that she is into ALL things girly!) she had money left over and absolutely melted my heart when she said that Handsome could pick out something with her money. (By the way she pretty much only calls Jensen Handsome...this is the cutest thing to me. xoxo)

On the night before her birthday Daniel and I decorated her room with streamers and balloons in hopes to suprise her on her birthday. However, she woke up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and came into my room to let me know that someone had left a bunch of balloons in her room while she was sleeping and then went back to sleep. :) So, the suprise wasn't as big as I had hoped but she still loved it. In the morning we gave her Dream Lite and as you can see from the picture she was in shock. lol I must say it is actually a really cool toy! We also gave her a bunch of new dresses because as I mentioned earlier that is all she wears so I have given in and only buy her dresses. She was in heaven!

Then we dressed her up in her favorite new dress from Grammy that said, "Gigi Leigh Cute & 3" and we took a few pics of her with her birthday balloons. It was so much fun!

This year we started a new tradition that I found on none other than Pinterest that I am SO excited to continue and do with both Gianna and Jensen. Basically, I came up with 20 questions that I will ask the kids every year and each year I will put there answers into a book along with a picture from their birthday. They recommend that you start at 3 so I started this year with Gigi and it was so much fun! She is used to me asking her lots of questions as I get a total kick out of her answers and its a fun way I quiz her on colors and numbers and what not so here are the questions I chose:

1. What's your favorite color? Pink and Red
2. What's your favorite show? Doc McStuffins
3. What's your favorite snack? Turkey Sandwiches
4. What's your favorite thing to wear? Dresses (SHOCKER)
5. What's your favorite book? Penny Loves Pink
6. What's your favorite toy? Princess Castle
7. If you could be an animal which one would you be? Giraffe
8. What is your favorite ice cream flavor? Strawberry
9. What is your favorite movie? Snow White
10. What game do you like to play? "I Get You I Get You" with Dad (This is a game that they play every day when Daniel gets home from work which consists of Daniel throwing Gigi in the air.)
11. Who's your best friend? Vinny
12. What makes you laugh? Funny Jokes
13. What's your favorite song? Old McDonald
14. Which holiday do you like the best? Easter
15. What do you like best about your brother? Helping to feed him his bottle.
16. What is your favorite thing to do with mom? Bake cupcakes
17. What is your favorite thing to do with dad? Play "I Get You I Get You"
18. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Play in the pool
19. What is your favorite thing to do inside? Play hide and seek
20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Ice Cream Lady

I absolutely cannot wait to see how these answers change every year!

Than we went to the big party! Gigi and all her little friends had a blast bouncing the night away! She got more dress up clothes and awesome toys than a little girl could dream of. I loved watching her expressions as she opened each gift...so happy so appreciative. The best part of the day to me was thinking she had fallen asleep in her bed only to see that she was laying in her bed with her hands behind her head with a sweet smile on her face staring at her princess dresses laid out in front of her. She was on cloud 9! Then she looked at me and asked me, "Mom, I get to turn 4 too?!" I laughed and told her that she did but she has a whole year to enjoy being 3. I know I will do my best to enjoy every moment of it too because I still can't believe that its been 3 years since I held my 7lb. 13oz. baby girl for the first time. What a truly amazing 3 years it has been.

Update: The Perfect Pancake

I promised I would let you all know if and when I discovered the perfect pancake recipe. I am sad to report that after at least half a dozen recipes, Gigi and I have not found the perfect recipe. We did however go through a TON of flour and find some decent recipes though. But fear not! I am not here to disappoint! I have found an amazing, darn near perfect, delicious pancake and this is not a joke...you just add water.
You read that right. After trying and trying various recipes, on a whim and an effort to make my morning easy and satisfy Gigi's love of pancakes I purchased instant pancakes (just add water) from Walmart and inadvertently discovered the yummiest pancakes!!!
Not only are they instant, they are Walmart brand and SUPER cheap. I promise you that your family will LOVE these pancakes as they are fluffy with just the right amount of buttermilk flavor. I know this is cheating but my quest has come to an end. Why spend the morning making mediocre pancakes when you can just add water and have pancakes that are super delicious!? Let me know if any of you out there agree...oh and your welcome! :)

Texas Update

This weekend we headed back to Dallas for a quick trip before our big move next month. This time we decided to take the kids with us and can I just say, my kids are AWESOME travelers! I definitely prepared myself for the worse and it turned out being the exact opposite. The plane ride is a straight 3 hour shot from Fresno so thankfully no plane changes and Gigi did great and played and colored the whole time while Jensen alternated sleeping, eating and flirting with surrounding passengers. We had smooth flights both ways but truthfully if it were not for some very kind and understanding passengers it could have been a bad experience. Because we didn't book too far in advance, we were actually given seats all throughout the plane not sitting together including Gigi! Thankfully, people were very accommodating and we were able to sit in the row with three seats both ways. (Jensen sat in my lap)
Gianna was so excited to FINALLY get to go on an airplane and because we prepped her pretty good before hand she was very prepared and telling us how everything was working along the way. She loved taking off but pretty quickly became bored with the whole thing. Surprisingly she wasn't even that interested in looking out the window. Jensen on the other hand loved looking out the window. Especially on the runway...typical boy v. girl. :)
When we got to Texas, Daniel had to head straight to the plant in Corsicana to work for a bit so me and the kids hung out at the hotel. Gigi loves hotels! She doesn't care where we are staying as long as there is a hotel she is happy! She loves the pools, talking to the staff, jumping on the beds...the whole thing is a total adventure for her.
We went out and had some dinner in a nearby town, Mansfield, just to check it out and just did some driving around. The next day we spent checking out houses in and around Waxahachie (where we will be living) and went and checked out our temporary living situation. We decided the best thing for us to do is to take advantage of Daniels companies offer to put us in corporate housing (a furnished apartment) for a few months while we get situated and can take our time determining where exactly we want to buy. We have a really good idea since we have been working with a realtor in the area but we want to make sure before we make such a huge purchase that we are exactly where we want to be. This will be great for us in that regard but two kids and two dogs in an apartment with all our stuff in storage sounds a bit crazy BUT it's short term and I think we will be really busy trying to get situated and buying a house that it will go by quickly (fingers crossed). Plus, how often do you have the opportunity to have someone else pay for all your living expenses for a few months!? Totally worth it.
Gigi was super excited that we would be living in a big hotel for awhile with a pool. I mean technically that's what it is so I can see why she is so excited. She also loved the houses that we looked at. All of the houses there are brick and stone and she just thought that was the coolest thing!
Saturday we took the kids to the Dallas Aquarium and explored downtown Dallas, Fort Worth and Arlington. Going and seeing Cowboy Stadium in Arlington was an obvious highlight for Daniel as he is hoping to see his team play many games there in the future. It's the little things. :)
Than that was that! We took a late flight Saturday and were home in time for bedtime. But landing in Fresno was when it kinda hit me. Next time we are in this airport it will be with a one way ticket to Texas to a new home. And the next time we fly into Fresno we wont be at our home...we will be visitors. It had me a little sad. I know that ultimately this is a great move for our family and a really good move for Daniels career but it's a BIG change! A change that I don't think I will fully be able to wrap my brain around until we do it. I have no doubt that we will meet some awesome people but we will definitely seriously miss our amazing friends and family we will be leaving behind. Truthfully, I could not be doing this without the moral support of our friends and family here and 100% faith in the plan God has for us. All I have to say is I am thankful for the technology that's out there like FaceTime and email and Facebook all of which will make this transition just a little bit easier.
For now we are just ready to make the most of the short time we have left as Californians but I know I will always be a Cali girl at heart. :)

On the Menu Monday: Banana Nut Bars

In keeping up with my new plan to try a new recipe once a week, I decided to make this uh-mazingly delicious dessert that I stole from none other than Pinterest (originally from The Girl Who Ate Everything). Seriously...this is SO good...you must make it! Yesterday was Daniels birthday but today we were celebrating with my family so I needed a dessert. Every year on his birthday, Daniel likes banana nut cake with cream cheese frosting as his birthday cake so this year I decided to mix it up with these Banana Nut Bars with Brown Butter Frosting. Yum!
The recipe didn't call for anything I didn't already have and the brown butter frosting for the tops of the bars sounded awesome. Truly, I tell you these bars were for him and not me! ;)
They turned out so ridiculously good that I will definitely be making these in the future! The birthday boy was definitely happy!
I do reccommend that you make doubly sure that they are cooked all the way in the center as I did not and had quite a few non-edible pieces. I think it's REALLY important to make sure the batter is spread even to ensure this doesn't happen since it is so thick...live and learn! I hope you enjoy these delicious bars as much as I did. Enjoy!

Banana Nut Bars:
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. butter, softened
2 eggs
1-3/4 (3 or 4) ripe bananas, mashed
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)

Brown Butter Frosting:
1/2 c. butter
4 c. powdered sugar
1-1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp. milk
*This frosting is SO delicious and easy I will most definitely be making it again.

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375F. Grease and flour 15x10-inch pan. For the bars, in a large bowl, beat together sugar, sour cream, butter, and eggs until creamy. Blend in bananas and vanilla extract. Add flour, baking soda, salt, and blend for 1 minute. Stir in walnuts (optional).

2. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

3. Meanwhile, for frosting, heat butter in a large saucepan over medium heat until boiling. Let the butter turn a delicate brown and remove from heat immediately.

4. Add powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk. Whisk together until smooth (it should be thicker than a glaze but thinner than frosting). Using a spatula, spread the brown butter frosting over the warm bars (the frosting will be easier to spread while the bars are still warm).

Makes: 2 dozen large bars

10 Tips for Taking Your Kids Pictures

Over the past few years, I have had lots of practice taking pictures of kids. My poor kids have had to deal with having a paparazzi like mother from day one. They will thank me some day right!? Well, regardless if they see the importance now or ever, they grow up SO fast that I just can't imagine not taking every advantage to capture their sweet little smiles. I have also been very fortunate to have my friends, family and friends of friends entrust me with taking their little ones pictures over the last few years. Now that I am moving I have had lots of people ask me for tips since I won't be around to take their kiddos pictures anymore. While I still have TONS to learn when it comes to photography here are some helpful things I'd like to pass along that I have learned along the way.

1. Get down at their level! Seeing things the way your child does helps make for a great shot.

2. Don't make your child say, "Cheese!" You will always get a cheesy, canned smile that's not natural. Sing them songs they like, or use funny phrases that get their attention. My kids always like, "1, 2, BUCKLE MY SHOE!" to get their attention and my 3 year old loves a good knock, knock joke. Another fun one for babies is just the good ol' fashioned, "So BIG!" This is especially true with older kids where they have always been taught to give the canned picture smile. For a more authentic smile...just talk to them.

3. Don't take their picture near nap time....before or after. Give at a minimum, a 30 minute buffer in either direction. I'm not happy when I am sleepy either.

4. If you want to take naked baby pictures make sure your house is warm! Who's happy when they are cold?

5. Take pictures in shaded areas or with the sun to their back. No one likes a squinty face or the sun in their eyes. Natural lighting is always best so if your in your home, look for an area with the best light. Kids aren't really fans of the flash....especially babies.

6. Try not to pose them too much. Kids especially toddlers don't like to be too contrained. Give them an area to explore, get down at their level and start snapping.

7. Remember that just because they aren't looking at the camera doesn't mean you can't capture a great shot.

8. BE PATIENT! Kids are especially sensitive to stress. If you keep the mood happy and lighthearted the chances are so will they. If they are absolutely not cooperating don't push it! It will only lead to them resenting the camera and be more likely to act negatively next time you pull it out.
               - A side note to this is know when to throw in the towel. You aren't going to get good shots with a tired, frustrated little one.

9. If you have a DSLR camera, don't be afraid to experiment with the manual settings. That's what they are there for. You will never learn anything new if you're afraid to move outside of the auto setting.

10. Keep snapping...and snapping...and snapping! Most little ones move a mile a minute. Your best chances to get that one great shot is to keep up with them.

Hope that all you moms out there find these tips to be useful. A few seem pretty common sense but they can be easy to forget in the moment. Feel free to ask me any other questions you may have. I'd love to help! Happy Snapping!

On the Menu Monday: Sausage, Bell Pepper, Tomato & Red Potatoes

With the amount of recipes I pin on Pinterest, you would think that our family eats ridiculously amazing meals every night but the truth is...we don't. I do however make dinner about 3 to 4 nights a week which isn't too shabby but most of what I make is the same ol' tacos, chicken and rice, spaghetti...nothing super fancy. Don't get me wrong, I do try out the occasional new recipe but I aspire to try more and more often. I want to make dinner something everyone looks forward to. But, baby steps. In an effort to ease my way into this I have decided to try something new every Monday thus, "On the Menu Monday."
(Feel free to hold me accountable)
So today, I decided to make my own creation based on what we already had in the fridge and pantry and I must say it was delicious!
First off, I had some bacon from this weekends breakfast as well as some sausage that I had a free coupon for (new Hillshire Farms brand, yum!) I also had a couple bell peppers, a few red potatoes and a can of stewed tomatoes with onion.
This dish can be made spicy or not but I definitely like it spicy and the sausage already had jalapeño in it so it had a great kick. All in all, the prep time was about 15 minutes and the cook time was 40 minutes so this was definitely not a quick dinner but believe me it was worth the time.
First, I cooked 3 pieces of bacon in a large pan. Then I cut the bacon up into small pieces but left the bacon (I drained some of the grease) in the pan. Then I chopped 2 green bell peppers and the whole package of sausage (4 sausages) and added them to the bacon. Then, I added the can of stewed tomatoes and let all the ingredients cook together for about 10 minutes.
While the meat, bell peppers and tomatoes were cooking up I finally sliced the red potatoes and lined the bottom of a large baking dish. I drizzled olive oil and sprinkled salt and pepper on top. Before I poured the sausage and bell peppers on top, I seasoned with cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and a little garlic salt.
I poured the sausage on top of the potatoes and then covered with foil. I cooked at 400 degrees for 40 minutes until the potatoes were tender. Voila!
I ate mine just by itself in a bowl but Daniel ate his in a tortilla...both delicious.
So here is the recipe for my first "On the Menu Monday"

Sausage, Bell Pepper, with Red Potatoes Dish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Preptime: 15 minutes
Cooktime: 40 minutes
Serves: 4

*Package of sausage of your choice
*2 green bell peppers
*3 large red potatoes
*One can of stewed tomatoes
*3-4 pieces of bacon
*Salt and pepper to taste
*Garlic salt to taste
*Pinch of cayenne pepper
*Drizzle of olive oil

Yum!!

A Childlike Faith

As a Christian, I do my best to talk about God with Gianna as often and as truthfully as I can. But truthfully I don't talk to others about God as I should. In the last 6 months, her understanding and vocabulary have grown as has her curiosity for all things related to God. Before bed and in the car is where I find the majority of our conversations take place, mostly because I have her undivided attention here. One day as we were driving and Gianna was rattling off her new favorite list of questions to me, "Who made that tree? Who made that dog? Who made that shadow?" All to which I reply God of course, she stopped and said, "Mom, God is SO awesome! I want to see him!" I chuckled and told her that someday she could but that right now we just have to see him through all the wonderful things he has made. She said, "Well, lets call him on your phone!?" I told her that would be nice but that God doesn't have a phone. (This she couldn't believe) I said that God is always listening to her and whenever she wants to talk to him she can through prayer. I could tell she wasn't satisfied but the conversation ended here.
Fast forward a few weeks later, we are driving in the car one morning and Gianna tells me that she saw God last night. Aw, how cute I think to myself and tell her how awesome dreams can be. Then she tells me that it wasn't a dream, it was real. Without hesitation, she broke into a very long very detailed story about an angel that was SO big and SO beautiful that came into her room. The angels name was Pashio and she let her pick out her own wings and Gigi chose butterfly wings and then she flew her up to see God. When they got there the angel put Gianna on God's lap. God told Gianna that he loved her SO much and then kissed her on her head and her hair turned to gold.
Uh, okay. I must admit I sat there dumbfounded trying to process her elaborate story. I asked her, "So, what was the angels name again?" in an attempt to test her. She replied, "My angels name is Pashio. That's a nice name huh mom?" Yeah, its really pretty I told her kind of stuck on the fact that she said HER angel and that she repeated this very weird name to me again. My mind went in two different directions. First, this girl has a super good imagination. Second, I read the book "Heaven is for Real" (which is a great little book that everyone should read) and I am a believer, so why should I discredit this account?
In the book, "Heaven is for Real," a pastor, a man who has devoted his life to the teachings of Christ, has a hard time believing his son when he says that he went up to heaven and sat on Jesus' lap during a surgery that he had. The child then begins to recount things that he saw from his seat above on Jesus' lap which make the pastor really question whether or not it could be a true account. What I got most from this book was the fact that we as adults struggle with having a "childlike faith" free of skepticism. Mark 10:14-15--“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” I have since tried to have more of a childlike faith. Remove the skepticism and pessimism and replace it with an open minded optimism.
Later that day, I told my mom about the story and how her imagination or dream was so detailed. My mom asked her to repeat it and to our surprise she told the story over again almost exactly as she had told me hours ago. Did I mention she's 2? Even if it was a story she thought up could she really repeat it? Possibly, but I kept getting stuck on Pashio. Such a weird name to remember. She went on to tell her dad about it later as well and then we just kind of went about our way and never really talked about it again. Until yesterday.
When we were driving down the road a man pulled out on his bike right in front of me to cross the street and I had to slam on my breaks so I wouldn't hit him. Gigi looked up from her coloring and asked what happened. I told her, in absolute frustration, that some jerk had pulled out in front of us and I almost hit him with our car. She asked me what the mans name was. I told her I didn't know and she said maybe it was Pashio. What? I asked her, Pashio the angel? She said yeah. I said That man didn't look like an angel honey. She said Pashio could be anybody and went back to coloring. I sat there in silence....humbled by my 2 year old. Of course that man could be an angel, of course anybody could be and I should know better than to respond so negatively to anyone. To be so quick to anger. Wait a minute. Who's teaching who here? And where does she get this stuff!?
I laid in bed last night rethinking what had happened and being utterly shocked that Pashio's name had come up again. Why is this all so perplexing to me? Am I not a believer? Am I not on a daily basis teaching my child to believe that which she cannot see? Regardless of whether or not Gigi has a really good imagination and memory or not why am I so shocked by her telling me something that coincides with what I already know and believe?
Then, I thought about why as an adult we, or at least I, struggle with the idea of the unknown so much. As a child we are taught the stories of Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, the Easter Bunny, all along with the stories of Jesus. How magical and exciting it all is! Then as we get older we slowly are told the truth that the magic we have embraced and understood to be real is a hoax a farce...all just for fun. Oh, except Jesus, all that walking on water and what not, that stuff is real. Uh, what? See what I mean? Our adult sense of skepticism really starts the day we learn Santa is made up and you silly have been believing a lie. Now, I by no means think that the miracles and truths of the bible are equal to that of the make believe land of the North Pole. I of course know that is absolutely not true but here is what I do struggle with. Getting back that "childlike faith". Miracles happen every day, Gods love is revealed to us in many ways every day but if someone other than I child told me that an angel visited them and told them that God loves them, I might be quick to hand them the number of the closest looney bin....wouldn't you? And even when my own child tells me that she was visited by an angel I can't help but think man, she has a great imagination. But, what if? What if Gianna was visited by an angel named Pashio. Why should I or anyone doubt her?
What if we all lived our life with more of a childlike faith? I know I could certainly benefit from this. Seeing the innocence in more things, seeing strangers as angels instead of jerks. Its hard to say you really are a believer if you don't, well believe. I'm not talking about whether or not you or I believe in God, I'm saying believing 100%, all the time that God is interacting with us and revealing his love to us in ways that may not seem conventional. If we open our hearts and minds and have a childlike faith we will see the world for more than what our post-santa believing pessimistic selves may see it. We may read this and believe what Gianna believes that an angel named Pashio, "Flew me up to the air to see God."

An Ode to my Montreal Expos T-Shirt

I have a Montreal Expos T-Shirt. Don't ask me why, but it's my favorite shirt...ever. I bought it at a garage sale when I was 15 during my I'm kinda grunge (but not really) and secretly wish I was from Seattle stage of life. I was really into thrifting and I stumbled across two vintage sports tees. One a hideous orange and black Philadelphia Flyers tee the other my prized Montreal Expos tee. I absolutely have no clue about either of these sports teams (do the Expos still even exist...no idea.) This is completely irrelevant because at the end of the day who knows what happened to the flyers tee but I do know that at 30 years old I am blogging about my love of my Expos tee as I wear it. What's so special about this tee you might ask? It's only the most comfortable shirt ever! The cotton is so ridiculously soft after my 15 years of wearing it and who even knows how long it's been around before I owned it.
Truthfully, it's not even something I can put into words as I have tried to explain to my husband many many times why I insist on keeping this shirt despite the fact that it is now thread bare in spots. It's simply become a part of me. Who am I without my Expo tee? It's seen me through literally half of my life and for sure the more exciting half. I definitely write this with a heavy heart because after all these years and the holes showing through I think this might be the time, now that I go through all my things with our upcoming move, that we finally part ways. *tear*

So, to my Montreal Expos Tee I say, thank you for keeping me comfy as I cried over silly boys in high school, as I stayed up all those late nights studying through college, as we drove all those times to visit Daniel in L.A., as I sweated my ass off during spin class at the gym, as I traveled through Europe, as I started my career, as I married the love of my life, as I bought my first home, as I stretched you over my pregnant belly not once but twice (sorry about that), and as I sit here drinking my coffee and watching my two beautiful kids play together. You have been more than just a great thrifting find...you have really been a part of some of the best parts of my life and for that I say thank you. You will be missed.

We're Moving to Texas Y'all!

It's been a long time since I've blogged and as you can see from my blog title, a lot has happened in the last two months! In the middle of May one day I received a text from Daniel, "How do you feel about moving to Texas?" my response, "Call me..." :-)The funny thing was that on some level I think I sensed that change was coming. In fact, that week my weekly devotion had encouraged me to pray that God unsettle my life to help me be where and doing what I am supposed to be doing. And literally, days before this question, I asked Daniel what the odds were of his company moving us since when he started it was mentioned that moving up could mean relocation. Now, here we were with relocation looking us in the face.
Daniel recieved a call from the plant manager of their Corsicana, Texas plant and he asked if Daniel would be interested in relocating to take the position of the Inside Sales Manager. I have always told Daniel that I would be willing to relocate for his job if it made sense and if the kids were still young but truthfully Texas wasn't on my top 5 list of places I wanted to live. (We all know I'm a CA beach girl at heart and Texas is even further than Fresno!) I definitely didn't let that hinder my excitement for a possible new adventure so I told him that I definitely thought we should check it out and see if it was something that we wanted to do together as a family.
The next few weeks were filled with a lot of discussion and a lot of prayer...what if's and what not. And it was hard to think that very shortly we could be moving to Texas. Who do we tell? Do we keep it under wraps for now? What will our friends and family say? How will Gianna take it? Should I make plans to do anyhting in August? Agh! So much to think about it but definitely lots of excitement was discussed too about the possibilities. We did tell a few friends and our family, all of which were sad but extremely supportive.
At the end of June, Daniel and I flew out to Dallas which is an hour north of their Corsicana plant and drove down for Daniel to meet up with the Plant Manager and other managers within the company. Before flying out we had done some research and realized very quickly that we wouldn't really want to  live in Corsicana and Dallas was too far of a commute so next on our agenda was to check out some of the towns south of Dallas north of Corsicana. Let me just say first that while I was open minded about the idea of moving to Texas I definitely didn't expect to like it as much as I did and do. Daniel had never been to Texas at all and I had only been to Austin so we went in not really knowing anything. I must say we were both pleasantly surprised.
First and foremost, Daniel really liked the people who he would be working with, secondly the people EVERYWHERE we went were SO stinkin' nice, the schools are awesome, the houses we looked at that we could afford with our real estate agent were mansions compared to what we afford in California and the list went on and on. The icing on the cake is that my good friend Liz whom I have been friends with since junior high and her husband live in Dallas so we already know friends there! The downside, our friends, family, church, our entire support system is in California...definitely hard to be away from all of that.
But, we had a blast exploring the Dallas area for a few days and decided that we really like the town of Waxahachie (pronounced WUH-xahacie) which is about 30 minutes south of Dallas and has a population of 30,000 which is super small town compared to the 500,000+ in Fresno but it really had everything we would want for our family. And did I mention how nice everyone is!? lol!
By the time we boarded our flight back to California, it was really pretty much decided besides a few details and that has been the best part about it. There wasn't really much of a discussion after Texas, we both knew and felt it was the right move for us in our hearts.
Once we got back, there was a lot of details that needed to be worked out between Daniel and his company so we still didn't want to tell everyone about it but now it's official! Daniel starts October 1st (which thankfully is a lot further away than we had originally thought) and the Pearce family is packing up, dogs and all and headed out to Texas! I still haven't wrapped my head around it completely mostly because I don't think I can really know what we are getting into until we are there and living it. In the meantime, moving our entire lives from California to Texas is occupying a lot of my time and thoughts. There are times when I get sad thinking about leaving all of the amazing friends and family here...literally we have the BEST friends and family! And mostly, I get sad for Gigi because I'm not sure how much she will really understand and I know she will miss her grandparents, cousins, friends, church, gymnastics, etc. terribly. But the adventurer in me is excited about the opportunity for change and meeting new people and exploring new places. And most importantly, I have faith that God is putting our family right where we need to be. It might not be forever...it might be...but Fresno is a quick 3 hour straight flight away. :-)
And I gotta say it is pretty funny seeing how Daniel was born and raised a Dallas Cowboy fan...I guess it was meant to be! haha!
So, the next few months will no doubt be busy with packing and what not but I definitely want to take this time to spend as much time with everyone here that we love. It is most definitely going to be a bittersweet change for the Pearce family and I know that we will continue to recieve all the love and support that we are so blessed to have from everyone here even when we are in Texas. I will also make a point to be MUCH better about blogging and plan to blog our entire experience so stay tuned. Watch out Texas! The Pearce family is on its way! :-)

The Perfect Pancake

Sometime ago while I was pregnant with Jensen, I decided that I could both feed my sweets craving and give Gianna a lesson in baking and measuring by making desserts by scratch with her. Truth be told, the only dessert I had ever really made by scratch before was my grandma's pumpkin bread (mmmm...pumpkin bread) and good ol' fashioned Rice Crispy Treats. I found that I really enjoyed it and have made some really yummy treats much to the chagrin of my waistline.
In our household, Daniel is the cook and a very good one I might add but he likes to really get in and take over if ever I try to cook. However, baking is where I have him beat...he's not into the whole measuring thing so I have found my corner of the kitchen in baking.
Awhile back I decided that I wanted to make some delicious homemade pancakes...easier said than done. Apparently, I am a pancake snob! None of the recipes I have tried have been to my liking. I feel like Goldilocks...this one is too flat, this one is too dense but I have yet to find my JUST right. So, I am putting it out to the public in an effort to spare myself from eating anymore mediocre pancakes on Saturday mornings. If am gonna down the calories I want it to at least be worth it. If you have or know of a recipe that meets the following criteria please pass it on. In the meantime, I will keep trying and will post if I find it first.

Criteria for the perfect pancake:
*Fluffy
*Not made with wheat...just doesnt have the right texture.
*Not too dense
*Thick not thin
*Not too sweet
*Minimal amount of ingredients

Thanks in advance!

Family Verse

Two years ago we dedicated Gianna at our church and next month we will be standing in front of our friends and family and dedicating Jensen. When we called to meet with our pastor we assumed that what we would discuss would be much of the same as what we did with Gianna. However, this time when we were getting ready to leave he challenged us as a family to find our "Family Verse."
I haven't really ever thought of a family verse before but Daniel and I thought what a cool thing for us to find together. And now, that Jensen has completed our family and he is being dedicated, its also the perfect time to find it.
A family verse is something of a family motto that either describes or embodies what your family stands for or perhaps what you strive for in everyday life. Almost like a coat of arms made up of scripture. I loved the idea but didn't really realize what a challenge it would be. How do you sum up what you want to teach your children or what you want your family to embody in one verse of scripture?
At first I started going through all my highlighted favorite verses in my bible and that just seemed to be kind of cheating. Also, none of them really stood out or spoke to me...maybe because I had read them so many times but either way I knew I had to go about it another way. Daniel and I had talked about characteristics that we felt we had as a family and I looked those up in the index and read related scripture. That didn't really work too well either. Than one day after doing my daily devotional I flipped to the next page and read the short book of Colossians.
I have read Colossians before but this time the whole book just spoke to me and then...I found our verse...it just lept right off the page at me! Daniel and I sat and read it together and it resonated with both of us. Simple and perfect for us. "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Colossians 3:17.
Seems silly but I was really excited to find it and now am even more excited for our family to find ways to utilize it and apply it. Such a simple task and yet it spurred so much thought and discussion within ourselves and our family. I appreciated the challenge and know we will cherish our new family verse as another one of the many and awesome traditions we are starting as a family.
So now, I challenge you if you haven't already, to sit down and find your family verse. If you find one, I'd love to hear what you decided on.

Mom, CEO & President of Household Operations

Time flies! A year ago, I walked out of the corporate world and into the awesome world of being a stay at home mom. The next day I found out I was pregnant with Jensen, making my decision to stay home that much more easy. (Especially getting to be at home through morning sickness...blah!) I admit my initial transition was a little harder than I thought it would be but I think that would be the same in any career change...losing one identity and gaining another. What made the transition even easier was having a husband that was and still is 100% behind our decision for me to stay home. He is so supportive and understanding of just how demanding, challenging and yet, oh so rewarding my job is that its awesome.

I have always been a creative person trapped inside in the flourescent lighting of a business office dying to get out. Now, I have the awesome responsibility of keeping my 2 1/2 year old learning and having fun while doing it which gives me so many ways to be creative. Being hands on and watching Gianna grow and learn every day is a better bonus than I could ever get at any job that I have had. (Not to mention the all day hugs and kisses!)

Jensen is now 4 months old, the same age Gianna was when I went back to work. I can't help but count my lucky stars every day that I don't have to worry about leaving him like I did with Gianna. (Although thanks to my awesome sister Chelsea, I never had to worry much about Gianna.) Getting to spend my day playing with him on the floor and listening to him giggle at his big sister is absolute music to my ears! I also have more time to invest in things that I love like photography, which I have mentioned before has really grown into something much more than I could have imagined and I no doubt never would have had the time to nourish this passion as I have if I were still working.

Now looking back at this last year, its amazing how much has changed in such a short time. Our family has gained a sweet and handsome new member to complete our now family of four. I have learned the ropes of being a stay at home mom including the hours of the zoo, story times at the library, all the cool play groups in town :) and now, how to get two kids down for a nap at the same time. (Its harder than it sounds!) In all seriousness, the worlds of a working mom and stay at home mom are really not able to be compared...they are very different and both have challenges and great rewards. Now that I have had the chance to do both, I feel fortunate to make my career in the one I love best. I will say that there are challenges to being home both financially and mentally but I'll take those challenges any day over the alternative.

I really never thought I'd be a stay at home mom because I knew how much I loved to work although I never found a job I truly loved. Who knew I'd find my calling in exactly what I didn't think I wanted and love it so much?! I truly couldn't imagine my life any other way than doing exactly what I am doing. I am excited to spend my days watching my kids grow, laugh and learn and even more excited to see what I will learn from them.

Some Kids Have a Binkie...Mine Has a Car Seat.

Poor Jensen has really bad acid reflux. Luckily we have been able to keep it under control with medication and a few minor things such as keeping him elevated to prevent the acid from coming back up. When he was about 3 weeks old, the doctor recommended that we let him sleep in his car seat (in his bed) since its the perfect angle and it would prevent him from choking in his sleep. It worked great! He stopped making his weird little grunting noises in his sleep that were keeping us awake all night, it seemed to help his reflux and he started sleeping through the night by 3 months old. (Every parents dream!)Jensen just turned 4 months old and for those of you who know the not so little guy, he's a bit of a tank. In fact he's 17 pounds now (Gianna in comparison is 28 pounds) which got me thinking that he is going to outgrow this car seat pretty quick here. Also, he is trying really hard to sit up and that includes when he is in his car seat so this last week I thought its time to try the bed. He has taken naps in his bed (brief ones) with the mattress elevated but never slept the night in his bed. In fact, he loves his car seat so we hadn't seen the need to not let him sleep in it. The second his head hits the seat he's out! He's kind of snug in it which I think every baby would like to be when they are sleeping and of course I make it comfy by laying down a blanket and putting the seat belts out to the side.
It never dawned on me (although it should have) that we would have a hard time getting him away from sleeping in it. This last week has been rough. I have had a sinus infection and Jensen, who like I said usually sleeps through the night, has been up two and now last night, 3 times! At first I thought it was a plot against me (the sleep deprived mind of a sickness ridden mother can think of weird things in the middle of the night lol) and then I started thinking it was this weird weather we've been having. (Its hot, it's cold, it's hot, it's cold) that's making him uncomfortable and then last night on my third time up out of desperation I grabbed the car seat and threw Jensen in and low and behold the kid was asleep in 30 seconds flat. Oh no! He has a security....car seat?
How do you get rid of one of those!? Laying in bed I started thinking of what could happen as a result of us letting him sleep in his car seat. Maybe he will never outgrow it and as a result, instead of a bed we will have to buy him one of those weird oval chairs as seen here. LOL! (See weird sleep deprived thoughts)

Well, if we could get rid of Gianna's binkie, I thought, I am sure we will be able to get rid of Jensen's car seat. Unfortunately, we can't just throw it in the trash like we did the binkie....he rides in it (well, sleeps in the car in it) everyday! In the meantime, I guess we will just have to kiss our precious sleep good bye while he gets used to sleeping in a regular bed. Any suggestions from my fellow moms would be greatly appreciated. If you have seen the style of my home, you know that one of those oval egg chairs just wouldn't fit the decor.

Loving Bella B!

When I first started taking pictures again after a long hiatus from my favorite hobby, I never thought I'd be were I am now. Just for fun I started taking pictures of my friends and family and clearly I had a lot to learn (and still do) but they were all so supportive of me and I have been fortunate to learn more and more as I go along.
Last week I had 4 photo sessions including a wedding and hours upon hours of editing from the previous weeks.
As I look through my portfolio, I am amazed at how far I have come and how my work has evolved in such a short time. I feel truly blessed to be able to do something I love and make a little extra money on the side too.
I feel like I am happy with the amount of work that I have now because my priority hands down are my kids but I so look forward to learning new techniques and meeting new people so that maybe, one day, I can grow my business into something bigger and better.

I love capturing a families memories for them or freezing their little ones innocence forever in time...how many other people can say they have the honor of being a part of something so special. For now I don't really mind that I'm not the best photographer...I know I have a lot to learn. I just love sharing my passion with people and love playing a small role in another families memories.

What I love more than anything in the world though is taking pictures of my kids. Its weird because my reasoning is different with them than it is with other people. Sure its awesome to capture their sweet little expressions so I can always remember the way they are now but with them its more. I truly hope that one day they can look back at the pictures of them that I took and see how I saw them through my eyes, how much love I have for them. They are truly the most amazing blessing and while I love taking other peoples photos, they will always be my favorite subjects hands down.

I definitely look forward to seeing where the future takes me with photography but for now I love where I am with it.

Dear thinner me from a year ago,

I applaud your intentions of wanting to get rid of your bigger size jeans so as to not find yourself "accidentally" fitting in them again. However, you forgot one thing...you were planning on getting pregnant. Which you did. Which leads me to now, starring at all these jeans in my closet that are 1 to 2 sizes too small.
I know that we are still the same person to some degree because I refuse to go buy more jeans in my current size that is 1 to 2 sizes bigger as I am afraid that I will like them and well, not care as much to fit in the smaller ones.
In the mean time I am stuck wearing the same few pairs of pants over and over again which is, in a way, encouraging but maybe leaving yourself a little more variety for that post pregnancy self would have been nice.
Geeze!
Sincerely,
Your future heavier self who can't wait for the rest of this baby weight to fall off!!!

Playtime!

Being a stay at home mom definitely has it's challenges. One of them is finding ways to keep playtime fresh and as educational as possible. I think I am a pretty creative person by nature but often times I find myself getting stale. It's even more of a challenge having a 2.5 month old that can often derail your plans. For that reason I am SO grateful to idea sites like Pinterest and mommy blogs for all the amazing and helpful ideas.
I recently started scheduling out the ideas on the calendar to help to keep me on track and give me something to get Gigi excited about for the next day. I am gonna try to blog periodically and if I remember, take pics to share so that I can hopefully inspire other moms the way I have been inspired.

Example: Book Nook Read and Feed

Today after nap we took a bunch of cozy blankets and pillows and closed off a corner of her room by her book shelf. Than we got a couple bowls and filled them with goodies, popcorn, tangerines, and jelly beans. (She picked the treats)
Then we took her new library books that we got yesterday, cozied up and read. Then she "read" a few books to Jensen and then we sat and made up our own silly stories.
It was great for both Gigi and Jensen because she loves to read and he loves to listen to me read. (I'm very animated...accents and all) which makes both of them laugh. Surprisingly he sits and listens through the whole thing!
It was definitely a great afternoon that was both educational and fun and got Gigi using her imagination all of which make for successful playtime!

Hello Blog...We Meet Again.

I love to blog. I miss blogging. It's a nice little creative outlet for me. But these days I barely have time to do my makeup much less blog. Jensen's 2 1/2 months old now and I'm ready to start carving out some more time for me. I am quickly realizing, however, that my definition of me time has definitely evolved. In fact, blogging on my phone while waiting at the doctors office right now can technically be considered "me time" by my new standards.
Nonetheless, I'm blogging again. We will see how I do and whether or not I can keep it up but here's to giving it another shot.