Letter From Santa

These days it is really hard to keep the spirit of Santa in our home. Alyssa doesn't "believe", and she informed Isaac who Santa really was this year! I knew that even though his sister told him Santa wasn't real in his heart he still wanted to believe. So a few days later Roxie received a letter in the mail from Santa! She was so happy. When Isaac read the letter to her, he knew Santa was real! He just wondered why Santa didn't send him a letter. I told him that if he doesn't believe in Santa, he won't send him a letter. Everyday he checks the mail to see if there is any for him. (I heard the letter is on its way) Thanks, Aunt Nancy for keeping the spirit of Santa in our home!!!

The Lights in Chino!

Yesterday we went as a family to walk the streets of Chino where the homes are famous for decorating for the holidays. Because it was so cold, most families stayed in their cars and just drove by to enjoy the lights. We had to get the full effect, so we walked along the sidewalk. The kids loved bundling up and seeing the houses full of lights! Roxie made it about 2 blocks before she fell asleep. That girl will sleep anywhere! We always enjoy being able to spend time together on Sunday as a family!

Thankfulness

I love this time of year, a time to reflect on all that we are thankful for. I definitely have a lot in my life to be thankful for - My amazing husband, my three beautiful children, my parents (including LaNore), my siblings, my forever friends, my job, my health, and the list goes on... Most importantly I am thankful for the Lord. I am forever indebted to Him for all the blessings he has blessed me with each and every day, including you :)

Below are pictures of our Thanksgiving weekend. Thursday we went to my parents and enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with my family. It didn't end there, we enjoyed another Thanksgiving feast on Friday with David's family. I enjoyed spending time with our families, and of course eating! (we all know how much I love that)

THE GUZMAN FAMILY

ALYSSA AND MOMMY

THE BALLANTYNE/ARANDA/GUZMAN FAMILY

OUR FAMILY :)

Halloween Fun!

Our family Halloween fun with carving pumpkins the Sunday before Halloween. They turned out great, however since it has been so hot they only lasted a few days before we had to throw them in the trash! We then got together the day before Halloween with Davids brothers, and their families. We ate dinner and the kids had a lot of fun playing in their costumes, and enjoying their goodies from Grandma! Alyssa dressed up as a baby (which was nice because she can enjoy her costume all winter long), Isaac was Captain Jack Sparrow (perfect pirate since he doesn't have very many front teeth), and Roxie was a pretty ballerina. The next morning Alyssa and Isaac dressed up for school and they had a great day filled with class parties and fun Halloween crafts at school. They came home and took their costumes off and rested for a short time, then back on they went for dinner and trick-or-treating with my family!

Roxie's Pumpkin

Isaac's Pumpkin

Alyssa's Pumpkin









Cousin Gnome

Guzman Cousins

Cammie the Fairy, and Roxie the Ballerina

I'M BACK!!!

Yes I am alive! Life has been so crazy since the kids are back in school. With work, homework, and dance, I haven't had much time to do anything! Anyway, first I need to catch up on some of the tags I have been tagged with. I have never been tagged before, so I am kind of excited :)

How to play this game of tag.Post these rules on your blog:List 3 joys, 3 fears, 3 goals, 3 current obsessions/collections, 3 random surprising facts about yourself. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names. Let them know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1st TAG

3 joys:
Spending time with my family
Going on dates with my husband
Cuddling with my children

3 fears:
I will lose my husband
I will lose one of my children
rejection

3 goals:
Spending time with my children
Finding true happiness within myself
Have Family Home Evening with my family

3 current obsessions/collections
Keeping my house clean
My Gift Card Collection
Texting

3 random surprising facts about myself
I hate putting laundry away
I love to clean when everyone has gone to bed!
I Love to take walks with my husband late at night!


2nd TAG

Answer the following with only one word.
Where is your cell phone?.........................................desk
Your significant other?...........................................HOT!
Your hair?........................................................short
Your mother?.........................................................caring
Your father?..........................................................giving
Your favorite thing?..................................................Family
Your dream last night..........................................none
Your favorite drink........................................Coke
Your dream/goal..................................vacation
The room you're in..........................................quiet
Your children?...................................................school
Your Fear?.............................................losingfamily
Where do you want to be in 6 years?......................happy
Where were you last night?................................home
What you're not?............................................perfect
Muffins?............................................blueberry
One of your wish list items?....................?
Where'd you grow up?..........................WestCovina
What'd you read last?.......................scriptures
What are you wearing?............................jeans
Your TV?..........................................flatscreen
Your pet?........................................dogs
Your computer?........................................crashed
Your life?...........................................blessed
Your mood?..................................good
Missing someone?..................................family
Your car?...........................................crv
Something you're not wearing?.................makeup
Favorite store?...................................Nordstrom Rack
Your summer?.....................................busy
Like someone?..........................LOVE
Your favorite color?.........................red
Last time you laughed................................Today
Last time you cried?...........................................yesterday

I am going to tag Lauren (the 1st one), Sarah, Soly (the 1st one), Traci, Adrienne

Fancy Nancy

My mom does so much for each one of us all the time, we can't but at least pamper her one day out of the year. Her birthday was on July 13th, so we decided to surprise her with a Fancy Nancy party. Since she shares her birthday the same day as our Grandpa Ballantyne, her and my dad went to Santa Ana to visit him. While they were gone my sisters decorated her house like the Fancy Nancy Children's Books. It looked so cute- the girls all wore princess necklaces and the guys wore top hats! My mom wore a tiara all day and a pink boa. (I can't take much credit for the decorating because when I got there it was almost finished, but I did help with the food!) We fixed a really nice dinner and even ate crepes and parfait for dessert! We had so much fun, and I think mom did too!

Day at the Beach

We have had a really busy summer, and I have slacked the last couple of weeks on posting our excitement. On July 15th me and my sisters journeyed to the beach with our kids! We had a blast! The kids loved playing in the water and sand, while we enjoyed talking and enjoying our time away! We even saw dolphins! Sarah, Alyssa, and I tried swimming as close to the dolphins as we could, but they were further away then we thought! Thanks girls for a wonderful day!

Me, Alice, Sarah
Mommy and Alyssa
Roxie and Cammie playing in the water
Isaac and Nathan playing football
Best Buddies
Cousins relaxing in the sand