I think I broke my toe!

This is my toe right now. I stubbed it on a card table out for Thanksgiving this morning and it has swelled and turned purple. We went online and deduced that it broke (I heard it pop when I stubbed it-lovely!) and we needed to tape it together. After talking to Dr Mark (Ashley) tonight he said it should be working again in a week and healed in three. Stink! It is a little hard to carry a baby in a bjorn and drive a four year old to dance (while Adam is at work from 8:30am-8:30pm) with a broken toe and of course I can only wear these bad boys... Thanksgiving service here I come.

My 120 hours of Credential Nonsense

Guess what I am doing? Finally getting to those 12 units I keep harping on-isn't procrastination great! I am watching hours upon hours of stale, poorly produced videos on Cross Cultural Teaching in the California Classroom to get my CLAD certificate before the California Credentialing Committee changes the rules and I have do do something much more involved to meet this requirement, which is given by most districts to hire (including mine). I have to finish by the end of the year and send it off in January-which means I get to work through the holidays. It is a BURDEN to keep up these California Teaching Credentials, but at this point I feel like I have invested so much money and time I can't let it go...can I get an AMEN from anyone in education? This stinks.

A new Cel Arts Assistant in my future

Isn't she cute? This is Christina Ellis and she is going to take on the task of coming to work full time in the Cel Arts Department. I am looking forward to working with her through my (now limited, but growing as my girls do) participation as pastor's wife in our ministry. I am soooo excited because she has aways been one of my visual artists that I call for great work to display. This means that she can take my dream of a Visual Arts Gallery and make it an ongoing reality since I cannot devote the attention this needs while raising my family, balancing a job (and this semester 12 units for my credential CLAD certificate), and being an artist myself. She is organized which my husband greatly needs AND musical so she can chart things and stuff I cannot even begin to understand. I am so excited and can't wait to have her on staff. She is going to come on right before our Christmas Production...good times for her cause productions are a bit crazy! But our Post-Christmas Cel Arts Staff party will have a fun new member with Scott and Christina. Fun.

Mommy Shoes

Aren't my new shoes cute? They are my new mommy shoes-comfy (aeresoles-my favorite brand), flat (good for baby carrying) and cute (good for me). I love them :)!

Dinner and a Show

Friday we went to Disneyland with the girls. Gwyn is beginning to explore the world so much and she was so fun. We went to the Pirate Island (Old Tom Sawyer Island) and she LOVED the foliage. Her arms were continually outstretched from the baby carrier to try and grabbed leaves as I walked the paths. I let her grab a couple and she pulled them off and carried them around with her, inspecting them with great enthusiasm. She sat straight up on Small World, holding the front bar, and watched with open mouth (with drooling spilling down her chin) in amazement. She also loved the Tiki Room-but it was time to nurse and she was hungry and tired...so she would nurse a little and then pull off, turn around, watch the show, nurse a little, watch, nurse a little...it was like dinner and a show! Babies are so sincerely interested and curious-it is a beautiful thing.

My Mother's Journey

My lovely mother has left for a 6 week trip. She is going to see family and spend time healing and listening to God. I am so proud of her for taking this period of unexpected freedom to deal with a difficult life change. She could have just moved on, gotten a place to live, stayed with the same unhappy job, tried to make the best of it. But, she didn't. She stepped out in fear and faith at the same time. She packed everything up in storage, she quit her job and she went. I am amazed at her strength and trust. I know she feels so unsure of where the ground is and where she will land, but taking this time to find it will make it all the more solid. These are cupcakes we made for her on her FREE DAY as we named it. She is free to find who God truly wants her to be. I know she won't find all that purpose on a trip, that takes a lifetime of searching...but I am glad she is brave enough to really start the journey.

funny looking

Am I really that funny looking? Adam took this while driving of me with that stupid cell phone thingy in my ear! (which by the way cost $90 and now I have to replace my phone-because it has water damage from a baby bath incident-for $50...pretty expensive to talk on the phone and be a safe driver) When you see a picture of yourself in such a revealing way, you wonder, is that how I look all day? I gotta wear lipstick!

My first 5K

I did it! I ran my first 5K in the annual Mission Inn Run. I ran with Adrianne Ashley who has run a marathon-but she stuck with me! I finished in 34:25 which is 3 minutes faster than I have ever run that distance before. I am so glad I did it, now I just have to keep it up to get rid of my last 18 pounds of pregnancy gain!

My amazing daughter ran the Kids 1/2 K without stopping! She was so cute running out there on her own. Gwyn and I cheered from the finish line and Gammy started her off. She was so proud of herself which is so great to see beaming from your child's face.

We are all, Adam included, going to run the Fairmount Park Raincross Run on Saturday, Feb 23. Come cheer us on! Adam and I will do the 5K and Aggie the 1K!

Thanksgiving at Pilgrim's Place

We found this quaint little festival in Claremont called the Pilgrim Festival at Pilgrim Place. Aggie learned about the Pilgrims and Indians by riding on this fun Mayflower ship build on a Cadillac that held at least 40 people, doing fall crafts, seeing Pilgrim costume on the seniors working the festival, and visiting a Indian Camp with a hut, skins to dry, fish model over a fire and story with craft. So fun, hey? There was this great drumming circle that traveled the country doing their half hour presentation. They were intense. They had an opening incense ceremony, wore certain colors, and took their song very seriously. They were kinda goofy, but because they took it soooo seriously they were cool. Isn't that funny how that happens? We read Thanksgiving books on the drive and when we got to Indian story time my cute, little daughter promptly answered CLAMS when asked what the Indians ate. I was so proud of my little unschooler. Sometimes I am impressed with what she hears. I feel like she is not listening, but-oh-she really is.

On that same subject I have totally infiltrated her little brain with my Christian Equality. She now "plans" to be a "woman pastor at the Grove because there are really not girl pastors and she has to help change the world like Mulan and Ruby (one of the first Chinese Women to attend university)". Part of me is proud and amazed at how much she listens to me, and part of me is scared for her as I have set her up with high goals that may take a bumpy journey to accomplish.

The pap from hell...almost

If you are a guy, you may want to stop here, unless you are OK with pap-smear/OBGYN and nursing/boob talk. I had a pap scheduled for tomorrow, but it had to be rescheduled for today. It would have been easy to slip away by myself tommorrow, but not today cause Adam works and we have to get Aggie to preschool. Gwyn fell asleep 20 minutes before I had to leave, I was late because I didn't want to wake her, she was crying and wanted to nurse rather than hang with Adam, things were stressful to say the least. I just wanted to be alone! Finally Adam was able to slip away with her (after I nursed in a gown with a drape over my lap-fun) and I fell asleep waiting for my doc on the table (ahh, sleep deprevation). Then I was having an embarrasing girly problem I had to voice out loud to my doc (again-fun) and he tells me I have low estrogen levels like menopause! So that is why I found a wisker growing out of my chin yesterday! Adam said he would tummy bump me later cause I feel so manly. Turns out nursing turns down the estrogen and mine is extra low. Nursing is crazy. I love it and think it is beautiful and amazing. But, low estrogen levels? It is great because it makes it harder to get pregnant which my body needs a break from biologically, but bad for my feminity. I also just got over a breast infection. Crazy fun there. I had to hang over a sink of hot water with my boobs in there to help them let down and release the plug that was causing the infection everytime I was going to nurse. Embarassing. I made everyone leave the room...but can I say it felt amazing. Only a nursing mom would understand that-but seriously, being a woman is wierd sometimes.

Jamie Lee Curtis me

Have you ever seen Freaky Friday with Jaime Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan? Well, me and Jamie Lee can now stroll the market together looking like crazy people talking to ourselves. I vow to only wear this in the car. If I show up to playdate with this thing in my ear, bean me.

GERD on its back!!!

Here is my beautiful baby girl on her back in a bed! She is almost 6 months and I think her GERD is getting better. She has gotten too big for her swing and has started sitting up. We don't want her to fall out so we transitioned her to her co-sleeper yesterday. She is doing so well. Aren't babies so beautiful when they sleep? And all that change combine with cutting a tooth (her first came in yesterday) and managing a cold with a cough. Crazy all the stuff going on with her sweet little body and she still smiles. Wish I were the same way!!!

My little 80s girl

I dressed Aggie for school today and she picked this adorable outfit for picture day. Doesn't she just look like she should be hangin with Debbie Gibson? Adam started singing Tiffany...Running just as fast as you can, holding onto one another's hand...Funny how style comes back around. The pins on her jean jacket with the pink cons. Such nostalgia.

Riley's Old Joe Homestead Tour

On Friday we visited Riley's Farm in Oak Glen with The Grove Homeschool Group. It was so great because we could do things that a class would be able to do with the group like go on the Tour. We went on a hayride, ate a carmel apple, made buttermilk butter, made apple cider, dippled wax candles and had a wonderful Fall day. The leaves are beautiful there. I love Oak Glen in the Fall!

Halloween Carnival

Here is the fam on Halloween. We left our serene neighborhood and went to a crazy carnival at our church. Adam was playing so we wanted to support him, but can I just say CRAZY!?! It was fun and sucessful if you like that sort of thing, but it is too fast for me. Bounce houses are crazy, cattle drive candy lines are crazy, thousands of people are crazy. Can't wait to stay home, get to know neighbors and pass out candy next year.