sick...

the little diva who is emily is sick. so is her brother, will. however, will is still running around and full of life whereas our sweet emily who is usually right in front leading her brother in adventures, stories and playing is on the couch in her pj's trying to smile and be full of life, but she's really just too sick to do anything. bronchitis : ( and a fever park her on the couch yesterday and i figure today as well.

a fun excuse to watch movies with them : ) although their little attention spans only watch it for a bit then play with other things while the movie is on. today's movie: letter factory movies (three of them! leap, lilly and tad's adventures in the alphabet and spelling and reading...) and cinderella. there wouldn't be a movie time without a princess story for our little princess.

please pray she feels better, that her congestion breaks up. at least she can sleep during naps and bedtime without coughing too much. and will has a double ear infection.

btw...anyone have thoughts on kaiser? we are considering changing to kaiser because it's about $300 cheaper a month for our family. we'd end up only spending $60 a month for our family of four-biola picks up the rest. i've heard a mixed bag about it. any thoughts? i'll welcome all.

i'll see if emily is up for a photo so you can see her little face. it's just so sweet, yet sad!! oh..and pray we (ry and i ) stay immune!! we have our valentines get away next week and i want to be well!! it's my year to plan and i can't wait! (if you don't know, we switch off years of planing anniversary and valentines. this year is actually ry's turn, but i took it from him because of the timing of things i can't type here just in the actual event ryan reads this blog!)

okay...off to post one more blog...

suprise

we ran into our dear friend kate at a local coffee shop and we used her photo booth and took this photo : ) here is an updated photo of the kiddos and me : ) the babes are sick at the moment, but still enjoying life : ) arn't they cute??!!

have a great week all!

sleeping...

i slept 9 hours last night!!! but i woke up at 6:15am!! i was going to pray and do my prayer/reading time, but knew i was going to do yoga in 1/2 hour...so i didn't start...either!! i posted a blog on food!! and now, it's 7:45 and i'm still the only one awake! how is that possible?? i should be asleep!!! : )

when was the last time you slept 9 hours? that was a gift. seriously. i've been sooo tired lately. i wonder why? ! grad school, two toddlers, ministry, husband...i think i'll go now and do the dishes from last night. we had the RA's over for soup and corn bread (such a treat!) yes, the soup was a giada dish. ry made it and he did amazing!!

ah...the door just opened...emily is awake!!

food...

do you like food? i happen to LOVE food and LOVE new places. people actually ask me often for referals on everything! breakfast, coffee, lunch or dinners...even dessert! so...if you ever need a place/recommendation, write me and i'll give you one!! i'll figure out someday when i have time to add a link on restaurants. here is a taste of my top picks...

breakfast:
brownstone cafe-downtown fullerton
anything there is amazing and the quaint atmosphere is almost other worldly. you feel like a mini vacation when you sit outside near the fountain, sipping coffee, eating the yummy anything (skillets are great, the french toast is dessert, it's just all yummy!)
go there!

Haute Cakes-costa mesa
if you want to people watch and see the OC that is portraited on tv, this is the place to be on saturdays!! it's amazing!! everyone is beautiful!! BUT...the food is AMAZING! by far, my favorite place to eat breakfast and lunch. HANDS DOWN!!! mid week its mellow and not so crowded by silicone and juicy sweat outfits... : ) what to order...oh my...brioche french toast bejewled with berries and hot real maple syrup...my favorite scramble there-pierre's scramble. it's scrambled eggs with feta cheese, carmelized onions and leaks. i have no words for how much i love this scramble. i may go this morning in fact because as i type this i am drooling!! fresh orange juice, strong coffee, top choice. beware of pricing...it's a bit pricey (it is newport beach unfortunately!) but its' so worth it. courtyard seating...you could even get a homemade cupcake or pastry and coffee and sit and enjoy the sun. there is also a great gardner/florist adjacent to the restaurant that is inspiring and totally overpriced, but buying a couple flowers is always a treat. my favorite morning-haute cakes, walking down the way to butera and wandering through the furniture store for inspiration (insanely pricey, but amazing ideas to duplicate!) and buying a coffee to go and walking around balboa island. sigh...

Lunch:
haute cakes as well as brownstone. both have great food!! brownstone-order the famous tomato basil soup. amazing!! haute cakes order the brie and pear sandwich. it's sweet with balsamic vinegar and just unique and awesome!
let's see...market city cafe on birch street...i LOVE their salads. caprese salad...mixed green salad with the soft fresh mozz. cheese and balsamic tomatoes with an arnold palmer YUM!!! then you can walk up and down birch street and shop!!

Dinner:
oh man..how do i narrow it down...
japanese:
midori-this little place in la mirada has such great deals on sushi and teriaki chicken...and quick service. i think they are believers or at least like "the fish" 95.9 because its what they play in the background. awesome prices and i spilt teriaki chicken between me and the kiddos and it's only 7 bucks!!! ry and i split the washington roll and you get free miso soup. the ambiance is nothing to write about...but it's yummy and quick!

italian:
by far my favorite food. i am a food network giada junkie!! but...where to go...MAGGIANOS!!
i am not one for chain places, i like to find little places...but their food is soooo splitable and soooo amazing i would be remise to leave it out. order the $10 appetizer of mushroom al forno for your entree, it's the perfectly creamy baked ravioli i've ever had and the perfect portion. the maggiano's salad (iceberg lettuce, pancetta, red onion, bleu cheese and some amazingly light sweet dressing that binds it all together!!) is the best thing to start out with. dessert...tiramisu. splitable...creamy, the best around in my opinion (and i try this dessert everywhere i go!) if you don't like ravioli, joey d's rigatoni is another favorite and even ordered 1/2 portion is splitable. make a reservation and you won't have to wait hours to enjoy this place!! costa mesa in the parking lot of south coast plaza next to sears.

roman cucina...amazing! a little loud...but unique and dark (great date night place!). do NOT order anything else but the lemon pasta. if you are not a fan of shrimp, then ask for chicken. this is SOOO worth the lactose intolerant tummy ache!! this lemony creamy goodness is the best and i have no other words to describe...just try it!! splitable too.
dessert-order the cannoli. ry's favorite cannoli around is this one. the tirimisu is not bad either, but maggiano's is still best. i order the italian wedding soup instead of the salad b/c it's very heavy on parmesan cheese. but, if you like parmesan cheese, this salad will be your favorite!! two locals-costa mesa and DT fullerton. GO!

mexican:
el farolito-placentia
this place i've gone to since i was 7 and now all the kids i knew who bussed the tables now run the family biz!! the best and most crowded hole in the wall mexican food around. if you have the guts...shrimp diavolo. order sour cream and milk on the side to calm your mouth down. the nachos supreme appetizer are a meal themselves...order with sour cream and guac on the side and seriously, everytime you order this the nachos will look different. piled mile high with carne asada, cheese, beans, etc...it's the best.

okay...so...that's my fav places so far. i know i have more. but...so far that's it!

kiddo update

will: is a talking fool! most of the time you can't make out what he is saying...BUT...he is talking! two-three-four words at a time. he was singing happy birthday today for some awesome reason. i loved it! he totally knows what he wants and doesn't want. "no, no, no...'k" he'll look at his options in front of him, say no a bunch of times till he gets to what he wants, then says sort of pittifully, "okay" or "'k". it's hilarious! he's into growling, mud, jumping onto-off from-into-on anything, rolling on anything, hugging his sister, singing songs...i just love this stage he's in.

em: is still soooo inquisitive. she asks questions all the time about anything, "mom, when was the last time you hurt your knee?" "mom, when was the last time you cried"? where does she come up with this? she's sooo compassionate. her heart is so kind and loving, it's beautiful. then, she can be a total little diva and not share and not be kind. but...90% of the time, she is just dreamy. they both are! she is into singing ariel a LOT, anything princess still is her favorite, she loves to pretend anything (cook, re-inact a disney princess scene with her dad who is the beast, prince eric, prince phillip, alladin...), paint, draw, jump, run, walk, talk...learn...listen to stories her dad makes up at night, sing songs at the top of her lungs (there really is no volume control to her-it's either loud or she's asleep!), she is just in love with life. it's contageous.

i'll post pics soon. need to download some and edit a bit. any thoughts on digital cameras? (i'd love a cheap one that is small, i have a great SLR camera i LOVE, but would love a little digital one...thoughts?

missing it...

do you ever feel like sometimes you are missing life? i have been so busy this past month trying to stay above water in a New Testament class...now school just started again and i feel like i can't catch up, things just keep happening...my dad has knee surgery tomorrow, my mom is sick, my sister just started a new job and i've not even called her to ask her how it was going this week, the kids are amazing but i feel like i'm missing them. i miss them because i have to get the laundry done, go grocery shopping, keep the house in order somehow...at some point see my husband...oh and study! so, besides feeling like i'm missing it, i feel like i am missing myself in all of it. how am i? fine? good? obfuscated (to quote our christmas letter)...how are you all? is anyone reading little blog? (i do need to put more blogs on here...)
anyway...those are my thoughts as i begin to assemble all my school work and get it in order so i have an idea of what the heck is going on this semester. don't get me wrong, i'm soooooo excited for this semester and the prospect of all i have ahead of me. this time last year i had no desire to work on anything, i just wanted to be with my grandma. now that she is no longer in pain and with our dear lord and great healer (and not to say waves of grief overwhelm me still, almost a year later), i am in a different place that last year. i look forward to learning more about myself and the Lord and all that is in between. anyway...thanks for reading my venting. it helped to get it out.

friends...

the children that are in this photo belong to three different couples (us included). two of the couples i would consider my 'life-ers'. meaning...we want to do life with them. live near them, have our children grow up together, do family meals together...do life together. the past few years we have been doing this, but this year has held some transitions. this photo is a constant reminder to me of the prayer in my heart that we can still do life together even though we are far apart. now, as of tomorrow morning, this photo is in need of an update. one baby is now walking that needs to be in the photo and one will be born tomorrow. i love that! i love that we are all experiencing our lives together. that is a gift. becky, michele, you are a gift to me and i pray i can be a comfort and safety net to you as you are to me. dan and greg, you both are men that i treasure are in my husband's life. he could not do life without you both. you effect me because of your care and friendship of ryan. thank you dear friends for your friendships.