Fall Family Photos

Many kudos to our Photographer for taking such great pix.

My son is so handsome & my husband is just dreamy, but good grief, why is it that I am aging so much faster now that I'm a mom? Um -- hello, crow's feet! Grrr ...

I suppose crows are festive for Fall perhaps.

Happy Fall to everyone!

Look at that little turkey swingin' his foot. He was in heaven having all that independence on his step.

These Are The Days of Our Lives

I am not a Days of Our Lives guru, nor am I a fan of any Soap Opera. (No offense to those who are.) I do like to look at the characters while flipping through the channels, however, to determine if I think they're qualified to be a Soap Opera actor or actress according to my standards: beautiful, flowing hair with great features, flawless skin & a strong tendency to act very over-dramatic.

Although I am lacking all of those qualities - my hair is fragile & breaking courtesy of nursing, my coffee addiction/lack of water habit has led to less than flawless skin, my tendency to be over-dramatic isn't necessarily lacking. I've certainly had my moments these past few months (which is another story in itself).

Nevertheless, I do like the title of that particular Soap Opera because it just seems to suit our story these days -- these ARE the days of our lives, not because we're glamourous, but because it's truly the definition you choose it to be. Not like an obvious, literal definition - the days of our lives. But an "Ah [sigh], these are the days of our lives" definition.

And the definition of our days has just changed so dramatically from a few years ago. Not only did we stay put in one town, let alone one STATE for the majoirty of the year, I once wore heels & slacks everyday! Now I'm lucky to be seen in a pair of jeans & anything besides flip-flops. Make-up? Ha! I think that's how we've paid off the car -- I've saved us the expense of my make-up costs by rarely wearing it; therefore I rarely need to replace it. And slacks that need to be dry-cleaned? Dry-cleaning?! Such a thing of the past. Who can afford it when everything you wear is covered in snot? I know, I sure make parenting sound glorious -- and it is glorious for this Days of Our Lives girl, just not necessarily for an actual Days Of Our Lives actress.

(I do truly intend for these posts to not be so dang long & tangential.)

Anyway, we are just always on the go-go-go, covered in snot & goopy snacks in outdated wardrobes with unclean, greasy hair, sportin' no make-up. And most days, despite what I look like on the outside, when I think I have it together on the inside, come to find out, I've lost my over-dramatic (I prefer the word, "over-analytical") mind.

We did, however, manage to put another notch in our "traveling beltloop" with yet another flawless trip to Southern CA. Cashe did fabulously on all of our flights & I think I have officially mastered the technique of what to pack/what not pack, what to bring/what not to bring through security, what to check/what not to check -- you get the picture.

And get this! I was even helping other traveling moms on this trip -- offering advice on how to handle ear issues during take-off & landing, what the TSA requires of a child when going through security, what the TSA requires you put on the security belt vs what you can carry through the giant alarm thingy, how to change a goopy poopy diaper in an airplane bathroom while expriencing turbulence -- again, you get the picture.

(Yep, all that just so you can see that we went on another California adventure?)

And with that, here are a few moments we captured on our trip:

Mister Mister waiting for our plane

Cashe calling China


Our old stomping grounds - Rancho Santa Margarita Lake

Cashe practicing his Christmas carols - Fa la la la la la la la lahh ...

Shad works for a wonderful company, however they spare no expense for the rental cars.

I thought it was hystercial, but honestly, I really liked it.

A little fun time with Mom before jumpin' on the Autobohn, ... I mean Ortega Highway.

First trampoline jumps with the Mills boys & Auntie Heather

Cheers to nearly 20 years of friendship!


Helpin' Dad with his work

Lunch with the Gehrs

Best buds

Doug & Shad

Me & Em

How Life COULD Be ...

Shad & I rented a scary movie the other night called, Frozen. And I must say, I am one of the few girls in my realm of friends who really enjoys scary movies.

In addition, I've heard that as a mother, the whole desire to watch scary movies may diminish because you're now a responsible parent who is drawn to other forms of entertainment, like Modern Family (which is also true -- I'm hooked). Well, I won't say the desire is gone, I still look for the thrill of getting scared; however I no longer view the scary parts the way I used to.

Here's why:

All movies captivate you as if you're part of the story, right? That's the whole point of the movie industry -- to charm you with their characters & plots. We can all somehow relate to someone, something, or some place. Often, we are drawn to the entertainment of how life could be if:

... we were aliens
... we were rich
... we met Mr. Right in a taxi
... we met Mr. Right & he was super loaded & lived in a castle
... we went on a fun road trip with a bunch of friends, but wound up running from a man with a chainsaw
... we were stuck on a chair lift for a week

Well, that last scenario was the plot for Frozen (& believe it or not, it was a decent movie). I was on the edge of my seat. However, I wasn't the same girl who used to bite off all her nails on the edge of her seat.

THIS girl (who speaks in the third person) now freaks out because she's thinking:

... what if Cashe becomes an avid skiier? I want him to be a skiier.
... what if Cashe decides to take one last trip up the mountain? How will I stop him?
... what if they close down the mountain early & no one remembers Cashe?
... what if Cashe is left on a ski lift for a week? He must see this movie.

Oh, so THAT'S what happens to the entertainment of how life could be once you have kids.