Ten Things to Smile About: April 2014

Ten Things to Smile About: April 2014

Being present by consciously enjoying where I am and running as much as possible.  LOVE IT

The specialness of the Lenten season.  I only make it to one service of Stations of the Cross each year, but   it touches me every time and is a Lenten tradition I will always cherish from this time in our lives.  The significance of Lent is really a special time in my heart. And I made it ALL THE WAY through without one mishap in my sacrifice of shopping.

Weekly bouquets of fresh cut roses from our garden

 

Spending a couple of nights in San Diego.  The kids and I have loved joining E at the end of the week now that he is working on a San Diego based account and we especially love hopping on the train on a Friday afternoon.

they pack for themselves and YES she is wearing a bathrobe

Our first Padres game of the season

A home cooked dinner that our sitter helped my people prepare for me.  Very yellow and delicious 

Stumbling upon the greatness that is Kid President. I shared his video earlier in the month HERE and found more that I shared with the kids later.  They especially liked Pep Talk.  He's my new hero!

This photo of our kids and our two dogs.  We lost sweet Kate the day after this was taken and I am so grateful that I snapped this photo before they all hopped out of the car.

Giving some extra love to our Hope.  She's gotten lots of attention, car rides and exercise this month!

Happy, healthy kids who delight in a milk shake after practice and prayers at bedtime.  We are blessed beyond words that they're here and they're ours.

  The world seems particularly cruel and unsettled to me right now and I am holding onto what's mine as tightly as I can.  Every month is a gift that may never come again.  God Bless all of the dear families all over the world that are missing their kids tonight for whatever reason.

 #bringbackourgirls

#redballoonsforryan

#PrayforMH370

Linking with Emmy Mom - late, like always.

Ten Things to Smile About: March 2014

Spring is in the air and the year is 1/4 done.  Wow!  March was another great month and there were way more than ten things to smile about.  Here are some of my favorites.

The world always looks brighter from behind a smile.  ~Author Unknown

Discussing our commitments at Lent as a family and holding each other accountable for our sacrifices and our purposeful prayer.  Everyone is especially enjoying holding me accountable for my sacrifice of any personal shopping.  It seems so trivial, but it is a wonderful reminder of God's sacrifices for us each time I see something on sale that I want but do not need.

My little girl who loves, loves, loves rain having a dance party in the rain early one morning

Giving our time and some very light labor to a local charity with The Athlete's classmates.

The third month of my commitment to self improvement through running and being present.  Every month has been better than the last and it is SO good for my soul. Not to mention the scenery!!

Using some rare weekend down time to do some planting and small household projects.  Down time is such a luxury to us and it's always nice to enjoy the work we do at home.

Using the remaining down time to enjoy our sandy backyard.  We walked to the beach two days in a row and enjoyed a picnic dinner to end a beautiful weekend.

Ladies Night cooking class

Celebrating the blessing of two STRAIGHT A students' report cards with Friday night at Disneyland

A super fun family birthday party.  Getting these cousins together is always such a blast.  They're all growing up so fast!

 Baseball season in full swing

Linking up with Emmy Mom for everyone's monthly recollections of goodness and smiles.

Ten Things to Smile About: January 2014

New year: new beginnings.

January was a great beginning to a year full of well intended smiles and being in the moment.  This is the year to count our blessings.  Every day. Every month.  Every moment.

Ten Things to Smile About

Choosing my One Little Word for the year and making a solid effort to live it

My Florida State Seminoles winning the BCS National Championship after an intense bowl game played at the Rose Bowl

Our darling Bob getting her braces off

Lots and lots of exciting basketball games

The Athlete bringing home all A's on his mid trimester report and being awarded "manner of the month" for showing respect through eye contact.

The breathtaking scenery that is right outside my front door.  Being present for me is all about being right where you are and not always moving to something else.  Right where I am has proven to be pretty magnificent this month.

#mybeachtrailyear

Bob proudly delivering her Indian project to school

Focusing a little more these two lovable beasts and giving them some exercise and fresh air

A late night date night with my {almost} 12 year old first born

An easy, drama free life.  It is worth noting (and smiling about) a month that doesn't include anything hurtful, intensely stressful or dramatic.  We're just here doing our thing and loving it.

Ten Things to Smile About; December 2013

Ten Things to Smile About: December 2013

Well, true to form I am way, way late on this post.  Again.  But December is so full of goodness for us it is impossible to move away from doing the good stuff to writing about the good stuff.  Any day of the week I'd rather be late to my blog than to miss enjoying life.  We are so blessed to have such a good and plentiful life.  Last month was so good it was hard to pick just ten things that were worthy of a smile.  Happy New Year!

Much to my dismay, I do enjoy how much the kids love the return of Arthur the Elf.   Their happiness does make me smile.

My sweet Athlete being recognized with high honors in his first trimester of middle school.

The beautiful Christmas cards we receive from friends and family.  I love, love, love Christmas cards and save them all.

An overnight in Santa Barbara for a business event.  It was a grueling drive home (5 1/2 hours!!) but it was so fun to see my close friends who I used to see every day in the office

Taking Bob to see Frozen on ladies night.  The cutest movie!


The start of basketball season for both of my boys.  It is a serious time commitment for Mr. Montoya and a lot of work for The Athlete but even I am surprised how much I love to watch basketball.  It's my favorite sport of the year!

Even after five years of fighting for a seat, hearing the same songs and seeing the same production at school I love the annual Christmas pageant.  Now that my first born is too old to be in it the hassle of it is a little less and I can cherish the opportunity just a little more.  I know I will be heartbroken when I don't "have" to go anymore. 

The safe arrival of Nana.  It is always the OFFICIAL start of Christmas when she's here

Touring model homes with my Mom and Bob.  It was fun to get inspiration from brand new, perfectly decorated spaces and someone sweet and sassy was ready to move in.

Seeing the Rose Parade floats up close as they were being built.  AMAZING!

 

Those polka dots were cranberries and blueberries.  All applied by hand!!

Hard Lock Down and Tough Love

Thanks to Facebook, Instagram and even the occasional IPC (in person chat) with a girlfriend I realize that I am not the complete lunatic that I sometimes think I am as a Mother.  I mean, sometimes I behave like a lunatic but it's not a chronic condition.  There's only so much you can do to protect yourself against the necessary lunacy required against a strong willed, sharp tongued nine year old girl.  Seriously, this girl could have pushed Mother Teresa to the edge.

So yesterday there was an email that circulated to school families about an Emergency Lock Down that happened on campus.  The message was brief but the closing message was that the suspect was removed without incident.  I was relieved and crushed all in the same sentence.  Relieved that no one in our school family was harmed and crushed that this is the place in time that we live.  Even in our tiny, parochial school, ocean view bubble on the Western edge of the continent. The kids filled us in after basketball that hard lock down meant that they turned off the lights, couldn't speak and all action stopped in anticipation of someone who shouldn't be in their hallways being there.  Even to type the words brings big, fat tears to my eyes.  I love that my kids are protected and hate that I am raising them in a world that even knows the words "Hard Lock Down".  The ultra crazy Mama Bear in me wants to run far and fast to somewhere . . . underground maybe . . . that things like this don't happen and eat ice cream and play board games with my sweet people all day for the rest of our lives.  Lunatic.  I know.  

And, on the flipside of my lunacy a mere 18 hours later was me turning around in the middle of the street and driving my daughter home to ask her Dad for a ride to school after she lied to me about her school uniform.  The uniform wasn't such a big deal, but I have a zero tolerance policy on dishonesty and I simply couldn't tolerate the disrespect.  In hindsight, she will grow up and tell her therapist what a crazy bat I was always flying off the handle and doing super dramatic things like dropping her on the front porch and telling her to figure it out, but she can truly get to me like no one else can.   

All of that has been eating at me while I am home sick today and the bottom line is that even though I'm a wee bit crazy there is nothing in the world I want more than to send wonderful humans into the world from our home.  I want to protect them from lock downs, drunk drivers, sun damage and mostly themselves and send them to their futures overly prepared and flourishing in the cruelness of the world.  Several hours of downtime haven't given me the answers to exactly how to do that so I'll just hold onto my lunatic card for now.  Sorry, Bob!

Ten Things to Smile About: November 2013

Ten Things to Smile About: November 2013

30 Days of Thankful
It is my favorite time of the year when I intentionally choose to find the good in every single day and choose to see the beauty of laundry, bickering children and food.  It is truly good for my heart to remember how blessed we are.


A surprise note from my sweet girl on my phone

A weekday trip to Disneyland.  We enjoy ourselves the most when we are reminded that these days with our children are fleeting.

A gorgeous family wedding.  

Seeing the sweet tags added to our Thankful Tree.
Bob is thankful for ice cream and her hamster.  The Athlete is thankful for basketball and his friends.

A girls night with Bob and her girlfriends at a live performance of Ivy & Bean.

Celebrating the 13th anniversary of my marriage to Mr. Montoya. 
LUCKY 13.  It's going to be a good year!

Date night with my sweet middle school guy

A peaceful, meaningful Thanksgiving Day with just me and my three complete with a homemade apple pie and an afternoon walk at the beach

A wacky night out with sweet friends that ended with these clowns wearing adhesive moustaches all the way home.