Strike a pose!

Today is school picture day at Sarah's preschool, and she's practicing her poses... :)

Fashion model in the making??!!!     :)

300th Blog Post!

I just noticed...   this is...

Wow!!


Woo hoo!!!
Here is some pretty confetti I am pretending to throw in the air:   :)

Sarah's favorite books

Every night as part of our tuck-in bedtime routine, I read a couple books to my daughter.  Up until a few months ago, they were the usual hardback or paperback kids books that my Mom read to me growing up.  Well, enter...  THE IPAD.  Now the app store has quite a few great books for kids, and we have found several that Sarah loves.  They are so fun and interactive! 

Here are a few of her recent favorites:

Hugless Douglas



When Douglas, a huggable lovable bear, wakes up one morning in need of a hug, he goes to try and find one… but none of them seem quite right...

* * *
Angelina Ballerina's New Ballet Teacher


Take center stage with Angelina Ballerina! Read, watch, play, and twirl alongside the world’s most delightful little dancer as she meets Ms. Mimi on her first day of dance class at her new school.
Ms. Mimi is nothing like Angelina expects her to be, and Angelina worries that she’ll never fit in at her new school. Can Angelina work things out with Ms. Mimi, or are her dancing days over for good?

* * *
Nighty Night 




All around the house the lights go out, and even the animals in the barn are tired. But who puts them to bed? Who turns out the lights in their stalls? That is the task for small children aged 1-4 years.
* * *

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed



As soon as they say good night to Mama, the five little monkeys start to jump on their bed. But trouble lies ahead as, one by one, they fall off and hurt themselves. Their Mama called the doctor and the doctor said, "No more monkeys jumping on the bed!"

* * *
She also has "Noah's Ark", where she gets to put all the animals in the ark, two by two, and then let them all out again after the flood is over.  There's several Dr. Seuss books as well!
Reading bedtime stories sure has changed since I was a kid!!   (And is SO much fun!) 

Bannister Park hike

We went for a hike through Bannister Park today, to the American River!


The weather was cool and cloudy, and perfect for a beautiful walk through the woods!

LINK TO MORE PICTURES - BANNISTER PARK

Gel nails

My nails were looking quite terrible, so I decided it was time for a manicure this morning!

I tried out a nail salon near our new house in Orangevale, and decided to try gel nails instead of having acrylics applied.  The whole process was MUCH faster and easier, and these are my own nails.  Since they have the strong gel top-coat on, my own nails will grow out stronger and will be longer soon.  They of course look MUCH more natural than acrylics since they ARE my own nails! 

I've been curious about gel nails for a while, and I'm glad I got them done!

On a side note, we discovered we have pumpkins growing in the garden section of the backyard of our new house.  I looked today, and I think there are about 5 or 6 good sized pumpkins growing!  - I see pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bread, and jack-o-lanterns in the future!!  

 

We got the key!

To...

Our new house in Orangevale!!

*More Pictures Here*

We're so excited and thankful!  Sovia called us yesterday and said it was official, and she met us at the house last night to give us the key!

We are celebrating this weekend, and are just so full of excitement, and know we are very blessed.

AND if you are looking to buy a home, Sovia is my Sister-in-law's Sister-in-law, (yes you read that right!), and she is a wonderful realtor and friend! 

Please stop by and visit her website:

Sovia Unterholzner - Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate in Roseville

We pray this home will be a place
Of serenity and peace
Somewhere to get away from all
The stress and pressing needs
And that this home will be a refuge
From life’s fast, and busy pace
With every room a reminder of
God’s awesome love and grace

Sarah's Butterfly

She colored this ALL by herself, with no help at all!

Can you say *Proud Mama!!??* 

Nice job Sarah!!

Princess/Teddy Bear Day! Spirit Week Day 5

She has a tiara, but didn't want to wear it for the picture.

You look beautiful princess Sarah!

Happy First Day of Fall!

Happy First Day of Fall!   I love Autumn.  It's my favorite season without a doubt!!

Pumpkins in the cornfields

Gold among the brown

Leaves of rust and scarlet

Trembling slowly down

Birds that travel southward

Lovely time to play

Nothing is as pleasant

As an autumn day!

Pajama Day! Spirit Week Day 4

Gotta wear the Dora jammies!

Our 7-year Meet-aversary!

Happy First Date Anniversary Honey!

Seven years ago today we met for coffee at the Lyon's Restaurant on Madison and Manzanita.

He was so sweet and romantic.  He held every door, and brought me a card, a teddy bear and a book of poems.  That was the BEST decision to go on a date I have ever made in my life!

Crazy Socks Day - Spirit Week Day 2

It was crazy sock day today at Sarah's preschool, and all the kids and teachers wore their craziest socks!

Rainbow socks!

New Keurig coffee maker

Our new Keurig coffee maker arrived today from Amazon! 

We tried it out tonight, and it was so fast and easy to use, and best of all,

the coffee tasted wonderful!! 

I tried the DECAF Columbian tonight.  (Didn't want to be awake until 2:00 am!) 

I think I'm going to go with the French Vanilla in the morning... Mmmm!!

And in other news as well...   we just signed papers on our

new house in Orangevale today!  We should have the keys in a

couple days.  - So excited!!

http://yerkes.smugmug.com/

Hat Day - Spirit Week - Day 2

Stylin!!

Sarah singing "Firework" song

Sports Day - Spirit week Day 1

It's Spirit week at Sarahs preschool, and they get to dress up with a different theme every day. Today is sports day.

GO TEAM YERKES! :)

David Garibaldi performance artist

David Garibaldi was at Bayside tonight, and it was amazing!

 

He painted that entire picture in about 5 minutes!

10 years - September 11th

September 11th - We will never forget!

"Time is passing. Yet, for the United States of America, there will be no forgetting September the 11th. We will remember every rescuer who died in honor. We will remember every family that lives in grief. We will remember the fire and ash, the last phone calls, the funerals of the children." -President George W. Bush, November 11, 2001

Happy Labor Day everyone!

Happy Labor Day!  Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

"The Help" movie

Steve and I went to see "The Help" today.  - I LOVED the book, and I was wondering

if the movie could possibly do it justice.  I wasn't disappointed!  They did a great job on the adaptation!  This has to be one of my favorite movies of the whole year.  It was the kind of movie where everyone stood and clapped at the end.  

I highly recommend both the book and the movie!