MERRY CHRISTMAS

What a MERRY CHRISTMAS we had this year.  Everyone spent the night at my parent's house, so we could all wake up early together.   On Christmas Eve, we each get to open one gift while wearing our Christmas jammies.  Hannah was a little upset with everyone because she didn't see the need to stop.  Oh, 4 year olds!   After getting all of the kids ready for bed, and the cookies and milk ready for santa, Hannah snuggled in her make shift bed next to the tree.  Yes, Santa had to be extra sneaky this year.  Apparently, he succeded because Hannah claims Santa kissed her on the cheek in the middle of the night :)  You go Santa!!

Christmas morning was great.  Even cousin Austin who is not quite one, was getting into the festivities.  Olivia got a cookie dough set, a saxaphone, a shopping basket with food, some books, cloth bibs (long story), a purse, and some clothes.  Hannah got an art desk, clothes, a pizza kit, magnet dolls, cooking supplies, and of course some candy.   As for me and Chiki, as usual my sweet parents gave us way too much.  As from each other ... we are headed to NYC in a few weeks.  

I especially love having kids this time of year.  Although it seems like the rest of the world is consumed with money and gifts, it is the kids who keep the spirit of Christmas alive!!

The Polar Express

If you are in need of ideas of how to bring in the Christmas spirit, may I recommend taking a ride on the Polar Express.  A load of us gathered our hats, coats and blankets and headed south for the Heber Creeper in Heber City, Utah.  Events that occured between my parents house and the railroad, turned this activity into somewhat of a Griswald Christmas ... but once we all had our rumps in a seat our spirits once again quickly rose.   We sang Christmas carols, ate cookies and drank hot cocoa that had been made by "Mrs. Claus," read the Polar Express, and even stopped at Santa's village where he came onto the train and gave each of us a bell.  Here are just a few of the pictures that were taken that night:

Although, it was a complete circus getting there, and we almost missed the train ... we had a great time and hope to turn this into a new tradition!!

P.S.  If you are ever interested in going their last night, make sure you buy your tickets in July.  Yes, you read correct.  JULY

Have Some Bread

December 23rd, is my little sister Kim's birthday. She has always been such a trooper, having to share a birthday with such huge upcoming holiday. My parents have always tried their hardest to keep it separate from Christmas, but was always reminded when birthday parties were quaint and presents came wrapped in red and green.

Since Kim was scheduled to work that afternoon, and then we were all going to ride the Polar Express that evening ... her cute husband Jer planned up a birthday breakfast. Anyone who knows Kim, knows that she doesn't like to be fussed at. I think deep down inside she was really excited.

Anyhow, while we were at breakfast, our server surprised Kim with this ginormous cinnamon roll. I couldn't resist when it came to taking a picture. After all how many times do you see a cinnamon roll the size of a persons head

We love you Kim and hope that you had a GREAT day!!

Hamming It Up Along With Loads of Shopping

Hannah had her preschool Christmas program, this last tuesday. It was so much fun to go and watch her interact with her schoolmates. Her teacher informed me of how involved Hannah has been during the practices, and that she was born to perform. Boy, does Miss Beth know her. Hannah has been hamming it up since day one. We love our little Christmas star, and couldn't be more proud of her!





After Hannah's Christmas program, we headed to the mall to do a little shopping for ourselves. Since, Chiki and I have had the shopping all done for weeks now ... we decided to take advantage of all of the great deals. I absolutely must brag about some of the great deals : $2.15 for two bottles of lotion, $25 for a cashmere sweater, $17 for a puffy vest. Can you say AWESOME!! Anyhow, Olivia somehow got ahold of some of the shopping bags and insisted on carrying them around everywhere. She had everyone smiling. My little cutie in training!

Winterfest

Each year, the city of Thornton puts on a really cute festival called the Winterfest. It lasts 3 days and consists of Santa Claus, elves, old-fashioned carolers, fires, ice skating, ice sculptures, hot chocolate and yummy treats, fireworks, etc. All the things you associate with Christmas ... they have there.

This past friday, Chiki and I bundled up the girls and headed to the festival. Besides the non stop tantrum show that our youngest Olivia kept putting on, we had a great time.



We were able to get some cute pictures with some of the characters. Notice ... Olivia always has me as a barrier between the characters :) Yes, our little munchkin is a little scared of them all this year. She likes to look but not be touched!!





Happy Holidays Everyone!!

Bundled Up Cuties

Hannah & Olivia looked so cute the other night, all bundled up in their coats. I couldn't resist and just had to share ...




P.S. Yes, you are seeing correctly. Miss Liv is wearing a monkey leash. She is everywhere and into everything, in seconds. It has been great, and I highly recommend one to those of you who have a snoopy 1 year old.

A Little Sunday Football

Sunday Football takes on a whole new meaning, when you live in an area that has a professional team. When ever the home team plays, that entire day is consumed with get togethers, tailgating, lots of eating, and lots of yelling. Usually all of that alone, occures before the game. Afterwards, will follow with either lots of bickering or lots of cheering. No matter what happens, it is always fun to participate.



Chiki and I were offered some really good seats this past sunday, and we couldn't pass up the offer. They were AWESOME ... they were located on 20 yard line in the north stands, 17 rows up from the home team. Not only could we hear the irrate fans, but also the team.



It was freezing, the people were crazy, the snacks were yummy, and although the Broncos got their butts handed to them ... we still had a great time!!

Working Hard For My Money

What a girl. Olivia already knows how to double task. What should I make her do next??

Past Due Pics of the Birthday

It's official...I am 28 years old. My actual birthday was on the 4th aka Election Day. My little Nanner's loves to cook, and so with a tiny bit of assistance I let her bake me a cake. What a YUMMY cake she made too. It was yellow cake with chocolate frosting, and the decor consisted of lots and lots of colored sugar crystals. She was so proud of her complete project - I couldn't think of anything more that could have made my day!!

Hannah making me a cake was just the icing on the cake, many more things happened that day to make it GREAT. My mother-in-law was kind enough to watch the girls, so I could get some much needed grocery shopping done. Those of you who also have no choice but to shop with little tikes, know how much really gets done. So I just choose not to do it as often as I should. Thanks a bunch Victoria ... thanks to you we now have food in the cabinets.

Thanks to those of you who sent cards and gifts. And to Chiki and the girls, who gave me an allowance piggy bank for my much awaited girls trip sometime next year. I can't wait until the time comes for me to spend my "allowance." Ha ha and I will think of the 3 of you while I am spending it!!

Aren't birthdays great ... I can't wait for mine to roll around again next year!!

TAG - I'm it!!

Eight tv shows I like to watch
1- Grey's Anatomy
2- Dr. 90210
3- Worst Week Ever
4- Amazing Race
5- Anything on Food Network
6- The First 48
7- Little People Big World
8 - The Girl's Next Door

Eight things that happened yesterday
1- Made Chicken Marsala
2- Wrapped Christmas presents with Hannah
3-Went to Lowe's
4- Ate ice cream at Cold Stone
5- Baked cinnamon rolls - YUMMY!!
6- Bathed Livi
7- Played indoor soccer at 9 pm
8- Went to bed at 12:30 am

Eight places I love to eat
1- Melting Pot
2- Cheesecake Factory - I love their meatloaf -UMMM
3- Fredericos
4- Qdoba's
5- I'm going to have to go back to my roots and say Fredricko's ... I love their garlic bread
6- PF Changs
7- Morton's
8- Atlanta Bread Company

Eight things I look forward too
1- New York in January - although we are going to FREEZE our butts off
2- Going to Utah for Christmas
3- Next scuba trip
4- Running the Turkey Trot & Jingle Bell Run
5- Thanksgiving - I love turkey
6- Absolutely can't wait for Chiki to be done with school
7- When Olivia is potty trained
8- Vegas with friends in May

Eight People I Tag
1- Kim
2- Kandi
3- Andrea
4- Amanda
5- Cameron
6- Emily
7- Melanie
8-Sulema

Don't disappoint friends - ha ha!!

Hannah and the "REAL" Elmo

Yes, Hannah and Livi got the opportunity to meet the REAL Elmo (or so Hannah still thinks). Olivia would say Elmo, but refused to go stand next to the life sized character. Hannah on the other hand, ran right over while at the same time shouting for me or Chiki to snap a picture. She has been in love with Elmo, ever since I can remember. We have even had the privilege of attending a Sesame Street show. It is so fun to see her get so excited!

I just had to include some CUTE pictures of our little farm animals. Halloween was an absolute blast between pumpkin carving, Boo at the Zoo, Trunk or Treating, and then Halloween day. The girls got way too much candy, but no worries ... with me and Chiki around none of that will go to waste. Olivia was obviously worn out by Halloween night. Our sign that the festivities for the year were to come to an end, was when Livi would get up to the front porch and instead of saying trick or treat ... she would lay down and throw a tantrum. I am sure that was a real treat for people see as they were opening their doors. Olivia, you are a circus but we love you anyway!!

Olivia has WHAT up her nose?

First, I think I need to start off by defending me and Chiki. We do actually pay attention to our children, but one of them just happens to be a very quiet and mischievous little person. She sneaks around the house and gets into everything she can get her hands on.



Now to begin the story. Last night we had a really good friend in town, and so we took him to dinner. This particular friend and his wife, have opted not to have children. They are very patient around kids, but you can definitely tell when they are surprised by some of their actions. So here we are ... me, Chiki, Scott, Hannah and Olivia ... all sitting around the table. Scott carrying on the conversation. I just happened to glance at Olivia, who was sitting next to me. I noticed a bright green object hanging from her left nostril. WHAT ... was I seeing right. Surprised, I took a second glance. Sure enough, Olivia had managed to stuff the tip of a green crayon up her nose and was just sitting there like nothing was wrong. Not wanting to cause a specticule, I quickly scooped Livi up from her highchair and ran to the restroom.

For all of those of you who are familiar with me and how I react under pressure, know that I do not do to well. My logical ways of thinking, completely leave my head and panic sets in. All I could think on the way to the restroom, was "Oh poor Livi. This is going to result to having to take her to the emergency room." So hearing how smart I am in emergency situations ... I am now in the restroom at the restaurant. Not wanting to cause a scene, I tried to calmly push out the crayon. Smart, really smart. Livi has this fascination with picking her nose, and on her way to the restroom she had managed to push the crayon up a little further. I had discovered this, when her little nose started to bleed. OK, now onto plan B. I decided that I was going to cover her other nostril, and tell Livi to blow. I know, I know ... telling a 15 month to blow, is like telling me to fly an airplane. Needless to say, plan B was a flop. And so, with no other ideas, I decided that it was time to go get Chiki. Keep in mind that Olivia was now crying, tears flowing down her face, and doing that cute/sad little mumbling thing. Walking back to Chiki, we caught the eyes of many.

Good thing I married someone who can think rationally, during emergency situations. Chiki grabbed Olivia out of my arms, and took her into the men's restroom. From there, he covered her unclogged nostril, put his mouth around hers, and gave a slight blow ... just enough to dislodge the crayon. Chiki said that she was immediately relieved, and they walked out of the restroom like nothing had happened.

Thanks Chiki, for being the calm one out of the relationship. If it weren't for you, our crazy daughter would have had to go the the hospital to get the 1/4 inch crayon tip out of her nose. And although, Olivia has correctly been using crayons for awhile, she will no longer be allowed to use one until the pointy tip has been removed.

As for Scott, apparently we didn't manage to scare him away because he voluntarily came over to the house after dinner. What can we say ... there is never a dull moment when the Carbajal's are around!!

Why Wait ...

Most parents make their kids wait until they are at least 16, to drive. Not me and Chiki. Why wait ... the sooner they drive the sooner they can get a job. Just kidding girls. We definitely won't want to rush the driving issue. Until that day comes, we will let them play in go karts!!

Total Devastation

This past weekend, Red Bull sponsored a soap box race. For those of you who have heard of this event, or even have had the opportunity to see one know exactly how exciting this looks. Chiki and I had talked about attending ever since we found out it was headed to Denver. The races were scheduled to begin at noon on saturday. Hannah had a soccer game before and so we decided we would high tell it to Red Rocks right afterwards. We had only been in the car for 25 minutes, when we started to approach "the crowd." After finding a parking space out in the boonies, we began our hike up the hill to Red Rocks. This hill was pretty steep but didn't matter to me ... I was so excited to see the races.

We hadn't even been walking 10 minutes, when we were approached by some other people who were walking down the hill. Apparently, there were so many people crammed into the Red Rocks area, they were no longer letting people in. My heart totally dropped to the ground. I was so sad.

With our smiles now gone, Chiki and I turned back and began our sad journey back to the car. Can you say total devastation.

October

PUMPKIN PATCHES are always lots of fun. Fun for the young, and fun for the old. While Olivia was trying to carry each one around, Hannah thought it would be a great photo opportunity.




LITTLE SHOP 'O' HOLIC ... My girls run towards the mini shopping carts, whenever available. They look so cute, trying to fill them up. Little Miss Livi even giggles from beginning to end because she is overwhelmed with joy. Oh, the simple things in life!!

What Not To Wear

What Not To Wear. Have any of you seen this show? Until recently, I have not been able to get into it. I have started to watch it for some much needed fashion advice. Are any of you feeling like this ... I am almost 28 and so I shouldn't be wearing graphic tee's anymore, butty shorts were never my thing, nor polyester or elastic waist pants. I should no longer wear what the teens are wearing, but I am no where near ready to wear what my grandmother is wearing (grandma I love you :)).

PLEASE someone ... I am begging you. Turn me in to this show. I don't mind if you secretly follow me around with a camera, nor do I mind if you want to knit pick my wardrobe. Do what you have to do in order to get me on. Ha ha. No seriously, if any of you have any fashion advise that you would like to share ... I would greatly appreciate it.

Having Too Much Fun

Ok, so apparently we were having so much fun that I spaced adding a new and final post for Nanner's 4th birthday. My sweet parents came out from Utah, to help celebrate and the girls couldn't have been more excited. Hannah kept insisting that she have a Chukee Cheese birthday, and so that is where we headed for the day. Perfect planning on her part, because it poured rain all afternoon. We ate lots of pizza, and played lots of games. After that, we came home and ate some yummy ice cream cake (a favorite at the Carbajal house), and painted pumpkins. All in all, every one of us had a GREAT time and we owe it all to Hannah!!




I cannot even begin to express how much I love that little girl, and I am so grateful that she is here in my life. She has already touched so many peoples lives and I am sure there are many more to come. We love you HANNAH and hope that you had a great day!!

One More Day ...

Hannah was a super busy girl last year. Between gymnastics class, visiting cousin Allie in Portland, going to the lake, getting pampered, and of course the biggest event of all ... becoming a BIG SISTER!! Speaking of, Hannah is the best big sister. She is always making sure that "sister" is alright and is always updating me on her status. I appreciate what a little helper she is, and love how she is always keeping me company.

2 Down and 2 More To Go

Day 2 of the birthday countdown. Hannah did lots between the ages of 1 and 2, and it is so hard trying to narrow down the pictures. She was such an easy, social child that we were hardly limited to activities. Trips to the zoo, pumpkin patches, Aspen, Aunt Kim & Uncle Jer's wedding, Water World, bike rides .... you name it, we did it all and enjoyed every single minute.