It was the most perfect day to take pictures! My hair issue ending up working out and I went with a  medium/light brown.  My sweet niece Abbie came along to be my assistant and to help step up the shots. She was the best helper and being able to hang out with her the whole day was amazing. After dropping the boys off at school, we met up with Stacee at the pier. Right away I LOVED her sunny disposition and laugh. She was such an amazing photographer and easy to work with. We started off down in the sand, next to the waves. We got a lot of funny looks taking my bike down there, because who takes their bike down to the waves? All the time I spent planning out the props for each set, turned out great and helped us use the time wisely. I even changed on the street... to save time. I guess all the years growing up at the beach and changing at my car helped. Don't worry no one saw anything, other than me pulling pants on under a skirt. Towards the end of the shoot we stopped and got lemonade, which was delightful! 



So here is a sneak peek of the shoot with Stacee. She takes the best sunlit photos. All in all, it was SUCH a fun day spent with people I adore. If you live local to me... book Stacee. I'm telling you, she is a joy to work with!

I've mentioned it on my blog before, but when I was a little girl my Mom shared all her hobbies with me. I learned how to sew when I was 6. I was taught to love all forms of art and I practice calligraphy all the time. Plus we baked! My Mom would make the most amazing wedding cakes for clients and she taught me all her tricks. I even learned how to make frosting roses. Now that I'm a parent, I'm in awe of my mother. She went out of her way to share her hobbies with all 6 of her children. We even learned how to cut wood with electric saws! As for my Dad... he taught us how to clean a VCR, rewire lamps, fix cars and much more. He was a GREAT teacher!

School is totally important, and heck, we all need to know math and how to read, but when a parent shares a hobby...they teach their child something much more valuable. Life experiences! These loved hobbies are time well spent and perfected. Almost masters of the tread.

Somehow time has snuck up on me and I've been a parent for 9 going on 10 years. Wanting to follow in my parents footsteps, I've been working hard at sharing my hobbies with the boys. I teach them about art/crafting, how to build things, music and much more. As for Mr. Sonboul, he has taught them about technology, games, out door activities, catch, how to pin bugs, how to fix/take care of a bike and the most important... the love of reading. I love hearing him read to the boys and he has been doing this from the moment they were born.



 The other day Calvin came across a box in our closet. I told him "It's Daddy's special box and you'll need to ask him to look inside". With the boys next to him, Mr. Sonboul opened the lid with care.



The box was packed with collected comics. Vintage comics of hero's the boys have loved for years. I'm not sure when he started collecting these, but I've made a point in our marriage to always take care of this box. Mr. Sonboul has been waiting for years to share this hobby with the boys and the day had finally come.



They LOVED looking at them. LOVED THEM! He read a couple of his favorites and the boys hung onto every word. I even heard a few giggles.



Parenting can be such a BUSY job and I think we all know this! Running around town and helping with homework can take up a big part of the day. I would definitely never title myself as a "perfect parent", because Lord help me... I lose my temper from time to time just like everyone else. However, I do know that these little people are craving to learn and why not start with sharing what you love the most... our hobbies.

What hobbies do you share with your kiddos?

This morning at 5:30am Mr. Sonboul and I walked into our quiet living room (as the boys waited on our bed for us to call them). We plugged in the tree for the last time and set up the cameras to get their reactions to all the "Santa gifts". I always enjoy their surprised faces and yes, even Calvin's. Despite his naughty ways Santa paid him a visit as well, but he also left him a reminder for the next year. He got 2 pieces of coal, a "think twice nice chart" and a letter in his stocking of mini gifts and treats. I'm not 100% convinced we got through to him, but maybe it will help him be a little less feisty here and there. Oh how we can only hope! lol  The letter said this:



This moment was my favorite part of Christmas. Mr. Sonboul grew up with very little and he always wanted a Lazer Tag game. Santa did some research and tracked it down. Seeing him light up like a 9 year old was amazingly heart warming.

Mr. Sonboul has been working (for Enterprise Rent A Car) for about 13 year and we have been to a ton of Christmas work parties. The company spends major money on these parties and they are always enjoyable. There is delicious food, jamming music and friends to celebrate with. This company really knows how to party and having my name on the guest list is the best! This year the company decided to take ALL their employees to Medieval Times and I've always wanted to go there.



I was a little nervous about the food since I am a vegetarian and the joint is a meaty place, but to my surprise they had something for everyone. I think the funniest part is that you don't get any utensils and have to eat with your hands. As soon as we were seated in the Yellow Knights section, the show began and the food came rushing out. Every time we finished eating something, more food would show up.  To sum it all up... every moment was a blast and packed with cheering for our hero. I definitely want to take the boys here. There is no doubt, I know they will LOVE this place!

Hey everyone,

I just wanted to let you know that I'll be taking a small break from posting on my blog,  for about 2 weeks. I've decided it will give me some extra time to get things checked off my list before Christmas and to get back on track with weight loss goals, which will be awesome! Before I go I'm sharing ANOTHER REALLY BIG SNEAK! LIKE ACTUAL PAPERS ;)






I'm dying to know what you all think of my newest sneak of Special Delivery, so please leave a comment here and I'll pick 2 winners (Prize: 1 Pad of my Oh Happy Day collection). Fun right?! It's been really neat to see these papers getting published by you crafty ladies out there. Thanks for all your support!!!

On a very busy Saturday... we had a blast.