Happy Labor Day!

I decided I don't like packing!

It is a little overwhelming to pack for yourself, your dog, and 2 toddlers for 8 days.

Luckily, it's a car trip so space is not as much of an issue. (Although, we will be doing this for a plane trip in November, so it's good practice!)

I just have to keep reminding myself that it's no big deal if I forget something because we can always go shopping!

So, I think I am set for now...

I even have my list of morning to-do's made!

So, why am I blogging when I should be sleeping?

Oh, yeah; because I'm going to grandma and grandpa's house...

I can sleep-in, read books, and sleep some more while they enjoy their grandkids!

WOOHOO!

Happy Labor Day, everyone!

Here's a random video of Allison helping Natalie. (In case you can't understand her last line, Allison tells Natalie that she's very "Brave and fearless." :))

My Latest Addiction

I love Trader Joe's! Today Allison and I headed there to get some yummy snacks for our upcoming road trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house. The truth is, Daniel was actually at Target earlier and could have picked up some snacks, but I have a new addiction; Trader Joe's Belgian Dark Chcolate Mini-grahams. We ran out 2 days ago, so I had to make another TJ's run today to stock up! With a hot cup of coffee with cream... Can you see me drooling?

No-schedule Thursday

Today was our 3rd day of preschool. Allison still loves it! Each day has gotten a little better for Natalie! As for me, I really enjoy it too, but I do miss our "freedom." Yesterday we had nothing on the schedule, so we were back to our old routine...

Took the dog for a jog

Played at the park for a long time

Went to the mall to play in the fountains

Came home and made smoothies

Went outside in the evening to play with the neighbors

I suppose it's inevitable to have a schedule... Even if I do homeschool, it will be structured, and the kids will probably have sports and music lessons, etc. Schedules are unavoidable! It's just that I've been so spoiled for the last 3 years! I feel like I've turned a new page and we're starting a new chapter. Enjoy the pictures! And, Grandpa... here's a special video just for you!

Garage Makeover Complete

It's official... our garage makeover is complete! Of course, there will always be a little more organizing to do, but with the completion of the epoxy floor, we are definitely done for now! Daniel did an AWESOME job. Here's his quote:

"It's not perfect, but I'm happy with it."

The girls had a blast riding their bikes around, and being able to play on the "Yehground," again. (I didn't realize what an important role the "Yehground" played in our daily routine until it was taken away!) They also loved just running circles on the smooth surface while Natalie yelled "Poxy shiny! Poxy shiny!"

Buckets of Fun

Last night after dinner, the girls got their first taste of an orange creamsicle. I remember just loving these as a kid! It was a smart idea to bring them outside, because they got covered in orange! Afterwards, they thought it was pretty exciting to play bubbles and then in the sandbox in their underwear before bath time. Needless-to-say, I got them nice and sticky for their bath!

What Did I Find?

This morning was wonderful... After coming home from the park, the girls played by themselves for a full hour! I was able to call a few friends, make my crockpot lasagna, and clean-up the kitchen! Then Natalie was done... so, she and I played and read a few stories, then I made lunch. I then asked Allison if she wanted to join us, and she said she wanted to play in her room by herself. Hmmm... a little suspicious. I kept checking-up on her every few minutes; all was well! Until I found this...

And, for those of you interested, here is our awesome crockpot lasagna recipe. It is yummy!

Crockpot lasagna

1 lb ground beef

1 large onion, chopped

2 garlic gloves, minced

1 can (29 oz)tomato sauce

1 cp water

1 can (6 oz) tomato paste

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried oregano

1 package (8oz) no-cook lasagna noodles

4 cps (16 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 1/2 cps (12 oz) small-curd cottage cheese

1/2 cp grated Parmesan cheese

In a skillet, cook beef, onion and garlic over med. heat until meat is no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, water, tomato paste, salt and oregano; mix well. Spread a fourth of the meat sauce in an ungreased 5-qt slow cooker. Arrange a third of the noodles over sauce (break the noodles if necessary). Combine the cheeses; spoon a third of the mixture over noodles. Repeat layers twice. Top with remaining meat sauce. Cover and cook on low for 4-5 hours or until noodles are tender. Yield: 6-8 servings.

First Day of School

Surprise! Most of you probably didn't know Allison was going to preschool, because we just decided less than a week ago to do it! It's actually a special program through Chaffey Adult School, and is unique in that parents stay and participate. Therefore, it is also very affordable! And, "tag-alongs," (a.k.a. Natalie), are allowed, as well.

Today's activities included:

• playing with shaving cream


• dot painting


• stamping


• dress-up


• song time


• story time


• show-and-tell


• snacks

Allison had a wonderful time, and is excited to go back. Of course, her favorite activities were the dress-up as well as the crafts. Natalie struggled a bit, but will hopefully get more comfortable. Here are a few pictures:

Allison requested blueberry oatmeal pancakes for her first day of school.

Natalie liked snack time!

So did Allison!

Show-and-Tell. (I forgot to have Allison bring something: oops!)

My two "big girls"

Movie Preview

Since having kids, I believe Daniel and I have seen 2 movies in the theater. While it's true that neither of us is really a movie person, it's also because when we think about actually going to a movie we never even know what's playing! That's why I am so excited about an upcoming movie I just heard about that I think will be perfect for both Daniel and me. Why?
Daniel: It's about a firefighter
Cara: It's starring Kirk Cameron. (Woot woo!!!)
Both of us: It's a Christian film about marriage
The movie is called "Fireproof" and is in theaters September 26. Here is the link: www.fireproofthemovie.com. So, does anybody want to come hang out with 2 adorable little girls that day? :) They're lots of fun; I promise!

Is it Fall, yet?

Is anybody else out there as excited as I am that the Fall season is about to begin? What am I looking forward to the most? Great question!

• Decorating the house


• Pumpkin-scented candles


• Halloween costumes for the girls


• Going to the pumpkin patch


• Baking banana bread


• Cooking homemade soups and crockpots


• We have 3 vacations coming up: San Francisco, Texas, and Minnesota/Wisconsin... (Yes, I get to be in the midwest this Fall... is there anything better?)


• Warm coffee on the porch on a chilly morning


• Wearing jeans


• Football season
• Meeting all the new babies that are due this Fall

Ok, I'll stop now to spare you a never-ending list! I hope this got you excited, too!

PEEK-A-BOO

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Summer Fun

"Run around, girls... play... jump in the sprinklers!"



"Look what we found... can we paint?"

Hmmm... more "crafts??" Who would have guessed?? At least Allison had fun in the sprinklers a while before they decided to paint. Even Triscuit enjoyed both the sprinklers, as well as making paw prints with the paint. :)

Love language...

I'm sure a lot of you are familiar with the 5 love languages... while my husband is an incredible "gift giver" as well as an awesome "acts of service" guy, he struggles with the love language of "words." He's great at writing them, but not so great at saying them. So, I have come to not expect much in the way of words, but just realized that God gave me a daughter who is awesome at giving words of love. I remember the first time I was blessed by Allison's words: we were in a dressing room, (not my favorite place), when I heard a little 2 year old voice say, "You look beautiful in that, Mama."
I was reminded of this again 2 days ago while painting the walls. While I am busy painting the walls, Allison paints with me on a paper taped to the floor. As I was painting, I suddenly heard a 3 year old voice tell me, "Wow, mom... that looks really good. You did a great job." Awww... I am so blessed! And, here is Allison's masterpiece:

Natalie turns 20 months!

My baby is 20 months old, today! Hard to believe… yet, recently she has seemed completely like a “big girl,” and not like a baby at all. She even looks a little silly in her crib. (Allison is anxiously awaiting Natalie moving into her room so they can have bunk beds and a slumber party every night!)
Some of her more impressive achievements this month include singing her ABC’s, recognizing colors, and repeating almost anything you ask her to say. My favorite part about her maturing, however, is watching the relationship between her and Allison develop. They definitely know how to push each other’s buttons, but more often than not you can find Allison “teaching” Natalie things, and Natalie happily responding. It is so sweet! Of course, since Natalie doesn’t always understand what’s happening, Allison will often tell her, “Natalie, say ‘yes,’” and Natalie will… whether she means it, or not! If you ask Allison, her “best friend” is “NADIES!”
By now you may be thinking that all we do all day is sit around and do crafts and take videos… well, you’re right! The girls beg me to take videos now. So, here is another one for you:

Painting part 4

My first attempt at painting on the walls, (something other than a simple color), was doing Hello Kitty and her friends as well as 32 giant bubbles in Allison's new big girl room. I can't believe that was a year ago, already! Since then I ventured on to dog prints in the laundry room; (simple since I used a stencil!) Next came lettering our "Yeh family art museum" in the hallway. And now it's time for a new "project..."


This time, I decided to do giant berry-like branches in our living room. I drew my inspiration both from our curtains as well as an episode of "Design Star." I consulted my good friend who is an awesome painter ahead of time, and she advised me on the type of brush I should use. What a difference! And, I am no longer as nervous, so my hand doesn't shake like it used to.


Here's a sneak peek for ya. I am not done yet, but hope to finish tonight! I love having something creative to work on... it's like a little break from my role as mom!

We're back!

Oh, what a weekend!

Cara: It was the longest I have ever been away from the girls, and we all survived just fine! I had a fabulous time bonding with the incredible women at the MOPS leadership retreat in Big Bear. We worshipped, prayed, laughed, bonded, and even went down an Alpine Slide. And, of course, we ate lots of yummy food. One lady had to remind us that there was no need to get up, nor shove the food down because the kids weren't there!

Daniel and the girls: They had an awesome camping trip with our good friends from small group. I tried all afternoon to download a video for you, but it didn't work. So, for now here is a cute story and some fun pictures:

Apparently, the girls asked to go to bed and happily went to the tent on their own. (So much for me worrying about them sleeping in the tent!) After Daniel tucked them in and left, he said they just kept talking and talking. Our friend Deena walked by and heard Allison say "Don't worry, Natalie. I'm right here, ok? If you need anything, let me know, ok Natalie?" Oh, how that melted my heart!! And, they slept great... straight through the night! Praise God!!

Kudos to my husband for being so brave and doing such an awesome job. Luckily, he had lots of help from our friends' little girls who took over as babysitters.

Kylie and Allison

Kylie and Natalie

The four girls!

Message for grandma

Ok, grandma...

I'm going on my MOPS leadership retreat tomorrow, so you may not get to see your grandchildren for a few days...

This is just a warning so you don't waste too much time checking. :)

I'm sure there will be some great pictures and stories when I come back, because my brave husband is going to take them camping!

In the meantime, here's another video to tide you over:

Twins?

Recently, a lot of people have commented on how much Allison and Natalie look alike. Just last night we were walking at the mall, and some kids thought they were twins. (They were riding in the stroller). I see the resemblance, but I think they look very different. Is it because I'm the mom? What do YOU think?

Sister dejavous

You know how it goes, my mommy friends... your kid does something adorable a million times, and then when you finally have the presence of mind to get out the video camera... no more! Well, at least that seems to be the case for us! This happened again recently for us, but we were at least able to capture a bit of Natalie "reading" her favorite library book. She's growing up so fast! (Sniff, sniff). Ironically, this was Allison's favorite library book, as well. Unfortunately, I didn't even attempt to video tape Allison reading it when she was that age. Watching Natalie read it is like deja vous! Here she is:

Natalie "reading," take 1:

Natalie "reading," take 2:

What a Guy!

My husband is so awesome... I am so blessed! He has been home for 4 days now and here are just a few of the things he accomplished:

Cooked
Let me sleep-in

Took the girls and the dog for walks
Did laundry

Mowed the lawn

Baked an awesome fruit tart

Went to the drug store late one night to get me tylenol for my cold

Cleaned the kitchen after it was overrun by ants

Went grocery shopping

Almost finished his shed, while letting the girls help, when it would be much easier to do with no "help."

Yup...I'm a BLESSED girl~

Tomatoes galore

Last year we made the mistake of planting too many tomato plants and being overwhelmed with a jungle of tomatoes we ended up letting rot. This year we got smart and planted just one grape tomatoe plant. What made it even more fun was letting Allison plant it from a seed. Yesterday, we harvested almost the last of our tomatoes, and we have thoroughly enjoyed them this season. One of our favorite new recipes we have already made several times, and I have to share it with you:


Corn, Avocado, and Tomato Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice (We got to use limes from our tree :) )
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels, from about 5 ears (I used frozen and it was still yummy!)
1 1/2 cups diced avocado (1/2-inch pieces)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cup finely diced red onion





Step 1: In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, cilantro, salt, and pepper.





Step 2: Add the corn, avocado, tomatoes, and onion and toss to mix. Serve at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Oh, Happy Day!

It has arrived...

After much anticipation...

I've been waiting and waiting...

Time to work some OT, Daniel :)

Fast Mondays

A couple of months ago, Allison suddenly started to have trouble sleeping through the night. Little did I know at the time, that for 5 weeks straight she would be getting up several times a night. It was like having a newborn, again! The lack of sleep not only affected my physical state, but my mental state, as well... We were both exhausted!
The good part about all this? Trials, of course, seem necessary sometimes to drive us to our knees. And, I mean that literally... I pray on my knees! But, I decided I wanted "more power" to my prayers. So, I decided I would fast every Monday for my girls.
I really don't know much about fasting, but I want to learn! It's been 6 or 7 weeks now, and I can honestly say I don't like it at all! (I love my food!) But, I believe it's necessary. So far, here's what I've found:

• Self-discipline doesn't come easy, and this is helping in that area!
• Allison is indeed sleeping just fine, again! (But, I'm still praying about it!)
• Scripture seems to come to mind more easily on days I fast.
• Ironically, fasting helps take my mind off myself. (Though, I am still looking at the clock and counting down until I can eat dinner!)
• I recently felt the need to write down some specific things I wanted to see come out of this. Most importantly, I wanted Allison to want to pray. She has wanted nothing to do with praying for several months, now. This is so awesome: This one was answered, immediately! She went from not even wanting to repeat a prayer, to wanting to pray on her own! Wow! I was blown away...

So, I will continue my Monday Fast, despite my lack of knowledge and understanding. I feel God calling me to do it, so I will obey. And, I really am excited to learn more about fasting through personal experience. It is a crazy time to raise kids, but I know God put my family and me in this time and place for a reason and I am excited about watching His plan for our lives unfold. His grace is sufficient!

Painter Natalie's Debut

Every day should be craft day... oh, wait! Every day IS craft day around here! Normally, I wait for Natalie to go down for her nap before we do any craft other than coloring. Today, however, I decided it was time to let Natalie have a go at painting. And, I am so glad I did! She was very careful and did a beautiful job... I now have a new piece to frame and hang in the Yeh Family Art Museum! Not to mention, Natalie had a blast! Does this mean I have 2 crafty girls? (And to think I wanted boys... God certainly knows best!) Check her out:

The Many Looks of the Yeh Girls

As I've already shared, my girls love to dress-up. I decided to go back a bit and pick out some of my favorite dress-up pictures. I've also included one video: ENJOY!

The Yeh Rescue Squad

Ever since Allison began watching "Diego: the animal rescuer," our family has become "Yeh's: the animal rescuers." If you're a crazy blog reader like me, you probably already read about our rescue of "Little Pup." This week we added "Cali," the little kitten and "Pedee," the shitzu to our list of rescues. If it were up to Allison and Daniel, we would keep every animal... Thankfully, Natalie and I are a voice of reason. Here are our little furry friends:

"Moodies"

The girls and I are smoothie addicts, thanks to grandma and the "Vitamix" blender she gifted us with a few years back. We probably have smoothies 5-6 times a week. Natalie even enters our house from our morning jog and announces, "Moodies!"

We always start with ice, a banana, fresh oj, and a yogurt; those are our "staples." We then add whatever fruit is on sale at Henry's that week. Aaah, Henry's! I have to give a big thanks to them, as well... they have such great prices on fruit, and several fruits I've never even heard of before. This week, (thanks to Henry's), we had casaba fruit smoothies. I am also fascinated with fruit and how God takes a simple flower and produces a juicy fruit... amazing! Check out the cool pattern the seeds make on this casaba melon:

Ok, I'm off to enjoy my smoothie!