Saturday, October 4, 2008

An Organized Christmas

I just have to give a little reminder about a site a good friend referred me to three years ago.(Thanks Laurie!) It is called OrganizedChristmas.com. You can click on the link OrganizedHome.com to the right and scroll down just a bit to click on the Christmas Holiday plan link. I have done this for the last tree years and it is a huge help. It is all free and she gives a very detailed schedule of to-dos over the course of six weeks in order to break up all of the tasks of preparing for celebrations, sending cards, decorating, cooking and gift wrapping. This starts the last week in October so check it out soon to see if it will work for you. In addition to this, she also has a program called the Holiday Grand Plan which helps you turn your house inside out to prepare you for the Holidays. This plan started August 29th so you'd be a little behind but oh well. It is worth the shot for the sake of an organized home! Now we all know that my home is no where near what someone would call organized. But at least for the Christmas time tasks I have been able to use this site and yield some great results. Now I am just waiting for the organizednormalday.com site to pop up! Wouldn't that be nice?!

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

Summer Catch Up

We are nearing the end of the season for fun. (I have no idea why I am typing with an underline. I can't get rid of it. Bear with me.) As the Summer closes I'll catch you up on a few of the happenings around here. I realized that I have way too many cute pictures of the baby so I had to post most of them. At least I have pictures of my third, right?
Jaclynn with her funny little toothy grin.

  She is usually content enjoying her surroundings and watching her siblings play. Ahhhhh the joy of a content Baby. Or is it experience and age that have given me ease with this one?

Out for a drive in the Jeep. She actually thinks she will be ready for the open highway  when she's six. She also thinks she is ready for the real Jeep she has asked Daddy to buy her. We'll see.
Digging fun at the Zuniga-Bartlett-Andrews Family Beach Blast!
Play time at my parents house one recent hot weekend
Such a big boy now. Calvin is growing so quickly both physically and mentally. He is following along with Sydney absorbing new information and remembering it. How does it happen so quickly? Our little ones go from being so incapable and dependent to totally capable and independent of their Mamas. Way too fast.

Schools in! Our dear little Sydney started Kindergarten this year! I still can't believe it! She is doing well and is on her way toward becoming a reader! We decided years ago to home school our kids and and couldn't be more excited that we did. This experience so far, we are six weeks in, has been tremendous! I am thrilled to experience this kind of learning with my kids. It has been a wonderful blessing in our lives. We have been able to get creative with our methods of teaching and also change up the "classroom" a bit. The next few pictures are of a school day at the beach. Who needs pencils and paper when you have drift wood and sand?! 
More to come about our homeschooling adventure...



Happy Kid

 Steven and I were able to enjoy 
a date to an Angels game.
Always a good time had when I'm 
at an Angels game with my Hubby.

 This is our Baby Jack Jack, Jackie Snackie,  and many 
other silly names we all call this chubby little baby.
Our Calvinator
On her way to her first Dodger game. Pink bow, 
a must, she is always called a boy!
 Thanks for the bow Annie!
Twins? Looks like it huh? Actually Calvin is bigger. 
His legs are just a few inches shorter. 
Definitely can't tell they are twenty-six months apart!

Now we are well into Autumn and I am ready to abandon Summer altogether and move quickly into bulky sweaters and chilly mornings. Although my plans for the new fall are on hold as we suffer through temperatures soaring into the high nineties. So here at home we are still experiencing the joys of summer. Pool play days, trips to the beach, days locked inside sitting by the AC. The change of season never comes too quickly. As one ends I always find myself longing to be thrust into the next one. Especially the Fall. I love the summertime, but there is nothing like the cool, crisp and refreshing new mornings of the Fall.  
Thanks for stopping by!