I feel So Lucky...

    So lucky to have great friends! We hardly ever get houseguests since we live out in the boonies, so when we do we are always over excited! Our good friends Duston and Ashley we taking family pictures up in Oak Glen and we are right below Oak Glen, so they were going to stop by and we were going to watch the Boston Bruins game, which sadly they lost, and eat pizza and let all the kiddos play. Between our two families there were 6 kids! The two babies, Bentley and our E play so good together, we have playdates every couple weeks so they are buds:)
    We gobbled up the pizzas and the two dads drank up the beer, the two mamas just sat, chatted, and watched the babies play.  After they left the husband and I were saying how nice it was to have friends over. Hopefully they come back sooner than later! Good friends are hard to find so hold on to the good ones!!!

   Have a great rest of the night Friends!

Had a Great Birthday!

    I think as you get older birthdays aren't the same as when you were kids. There is no big celebrations, no parties, and no birthday cakes. Today was my 32nd birthday and it came and went, like any other day. My little one still is not sleeping well so I woke up this morning in a fog, wanting to hit snooze instead of getting out of bed. But I knew even my birthday wasn't going to stop me from getting my run in! I tried out my new Nike Running Jacket and running capris, LOVE THEM! My jacket is so light weight but kept me warm enough but not hot. It was great! It was chilly willy out there this morning too, I think since there was a little bit of a breeze it seemed colder than it really was. Anyway, I got my run in and was super excited to have it done before 9 am.
    All I wanted really for my birthday was a jacket, I need one for the ice rink. A comfortable one that wasn't too big but warm enough to withstand the chilly ice rink. My husband took me to Sports Chalet and the search was on. I zeroed in on a black one with a hood and it fit me like a  glove! I was so happy because all weekend I have been trying on jackets and all were put back on the rack due to my picky-ness! I can't wait to wear it:)
    We then went to lunch to my favorite place here in our little town, The Kopper Kettle, it is family owned and everything is homemade, from their pies to their breads. My favorite is their Turkey Cobb Sandwich on Homemade White Bread. So good! My husband opted for a bunch menu item and went with the Turkey, Spinach, Cheese, and Tomato Omlette. We shared our lunches with Baby and we all left with happy full tummies.
    The rest of the day was spent sitting on the couch relaxing with the family, there was a Boston Bruins game on, which they killed the Pens! A great way to end my birthday day! Now off to put the baby in the bath and then hopefully off to bed sooner than later!

Have a great night Friends!

A Great Birthday Weekend!

    My birthday isn't until tomorrow but I started out my birthday weekend down at my parents house. My sister had her birthday last month and mine is tomorrow so we celebrated together yesterday. My parents usually take us out to dinner, but as I get older I just want a homemade meal from my mom:) My sister wanted Fried Rice, and I wanted my mom's Fried Wontons! Afterwards she made a homemade Peach Cobbler, it was my Grandma's recipe so it was extra special. My mom NEVER bakes so I was pretty excited about how wonderful it came out! Here are some pics from yesterday!

We stopped at MC Donalds on the way down, my husband was on duty so it I hate making a big pot of coffee for one cup. I got a Vanilla Latte and T got a Peppermint Hot Chocolate! Our pretty Penny too!

E just stared at the doggies outside, that is my mom and dad's pug, Lucy and our yellow lab, Penny. These two are the best of friends!

Grammy bought T some Christmas jammies!

See how excited my sister was about her birthday dinner!

It was a meal fit for a king, or queen in our instance!

Mmom also took me shopping and I f=got a Nike Running jacket that I have been waning, some running capris, two sweaters and smelly wickless candle! It was a great day. A great , great day!

Busy Day!

    As my husband was leaving for work this morning at 6:30 am, he kissed me good-bye and said,"Oh yeah, by the way, the power is out." I was thinking, now I know why it is so freaking cold in our house! I knew that getting my girls out of bed was going to be drama cause it was so cold, but at 7:00, a 1/2 hour before I wake up T, the power kicks on. That was a close one! The heater ran for a good 10 minutes, I am telling you this house was so cold.

    The morning went well and Mama and Baby got some Christmas shopping done! I did however buy baby some much needed shoes. She is now what I would consider a walker. no, not the Zombie kind, but a little human walker:) I took her to Stride Rite I knew that her first pair should be a good pair since she will be basically learning how to walk in shoes. It was so cute, the sales lady had her stand and she measured her foot, E looked so big! We tried on a couple differnt shoes and decided on a cute little brown and pink leather Mary Jane type. I can't get over that my baby got her first pair of shoes!

    We actually did some damage today, and got to cross some things off our list. I love shopping when you find everything you need. Plus the mall was not very crowded so that made it more enjoyable.

    We ended our night by grabbing something to eat and are now winding down for the night. Well, Mama is trying to wind down anyway, can't say as much for this little one! She loves playing in the clothes basket, usually she stands at it and tosses clothes over her shoulder, tonight she just wants to be in the basket! Crazy kid:)

Have a great Friday night Friends, until next time!

Another nice day in So Cal!

WHat a beautiful day in so cal today! It seems a little hard to get in to the Christmas spirit when I am still wearing my capris and flip flops today:) I am enjoying the sunny cooler weather though, when it was still blazing hot in the beginning of the month I was thinking about how much I could not wait for the weather to finally cool off. Today was a perfect cool and sunny day!

Week 1 Day 3: We overslept this morning! We didn't wake up until 8:00, school starts at 8:15. I got up threw on my workout gear and didn't let the crazy morning keep me down. I walked the kiddo to school and started right into warm-up! Now, I don't know if I am really out of shape or what, but I was breathing so hard today! Got my heartrate up and stuck to the cues of the app I workout with. The colors at the park were awesome today!

This house is owned my an older couple, they have the most beautiful flowers in their yard, walking by I saw this rose bush peeking up over the fence, I had to snap a pic!

This kid crashes out EVERY time I run! It must be the constant motion! Such a great running buddy though:)

By the time I was done, I was more than ready to walk home and get some coffee, coffee that I had started before I left earlier. Genius. After my cup of coffee I made 1 egg and baked 2 slices of turkey bacon. And I glass of Simply Orange, that stuff is my FAV! I shared my breakfast with baby and so afterwards we were both happy campers.

The rest of my day consisted of catching up on the burning of all my pictures from my Mac to a cd and then filed away in this organizer I bought the other day. Thankfully I am finally caught up, now I just need to start printing and scrapbooking.

Alright Friends, I am off to start dinner. Tonight is Eggplant Parm, a recipe I got from my dear friend Lisa! Can't wait...

Have a great night Friends!

It was a beautiful day outside today!

I woke up this morning to my alarm but had to hit snooze, it was a long night! Up late catching up on the DVR plus a nursing baby who must be going through a crazy growth spurt equals mama getting little sleep:( But I threw on my workout clothes and tied my Nike's on anyway, I knew that once I got outisde my mood would change from wanting to crawl back under the covers with my husband, to, so glad I got out and started my day off right! By the time I got T to school I was glad that I had changed into my workout gear. I am trying to be more of a morning worker outter, it is a very nice feeling when I am done knowing that my workout is over and done with and I don't have to think about it for the rest of the day! I used to take T to school come home, drink my coffee, catch up on my recoreded shows and them workout. But like I said before, I am trying to get my sweat on early on in the morning. Haha, I made a little rhyme!

Week 1 Day 2: My calves were a little sore today when I woke up and my upper back. I knew my calves were sore due to my area I run in being hilly and I was charging up some of them yesterday, my upper back I think is from gripping my jogger? That is what I am guessing anyway. Even though I was sore I knew I had to get my run in. My husband swears that when you are sore you workout harder and you feel stronger. I'll keep that in mind and see if it holds true:) According to my workout app it said that you should only run 3 times a week, so every other day. But I knew I had to get a light jog in. So I lightly jogged and walked for my 30 minutes and then I head home. I was glad I got out though, the park was beautiful! A lot of people were walking/running today. Everyone was so friendly, saying Good Morning as we passed eachother. Man, I love my community!!

The rest of my day consisted of playing with little E, she is a busy bee! Thankfully she has taken good naps today so I was able to load the dishwasher and pick up a little. I had a couple of errands to run, so me and baby went out to Staples, the library, and then to the grocery store. By my huband's request I am making Chicken Fried Rice, funny thing is though, it isn't fried at all. I steam broccoli and carrots, bake chicken that's marinated in this Hawaiian sauce, scramble an egg and chop a green onion and mix it up with some Jasmine rice! My hunny loves it! Makes great leftovers for lunch too:)

Have a great rest of the night Friends!

The Start to a New Me!

I can't believe that it has been almost a month since I have sat down and wrote! Where does the time go, huh?! I guess November was a busy busy month for the Freestone Four.  A fun month, but busy!

My sister and I have decided to sign up for a 10k run that is on March 18th. We were going to just run the 5k at first, 3 miles isn't far, but she was like, "Let's just do the 10!" I am such a supportive sister that I quickly agreed and thought after I hung up the phone, "Can I really do this?!" First of all I am not much of a runner, yes I ran cross country when I was little, I was even on a cross country team, we were called, The Chino Valley Flyers. But even then I wasn't the best runner. However, I know what running can do to my body and know that if I had someone to hold me accountable I would be good to go. Running is just about the only thing that helps me lose weight. So,  if training for a 10k would make me a skinner me, then I was all IN!

We decided to download an app on our iPhones called, From Couch to 10k. A 14 week training program where you run 3 times a week. It combines running and walking until you gain your endurance and then by 14 weeks you will be able to run an entire 10k without stopping. So today was the day.....

Week 1 Day 1: It was a 25 minute workout, not long at all. It consisted of a 5 minute warm-up, where I briskly walked, and then it was 1 minute run + 1.5 minute walk (6 times), and then a 5 minute cool down. Looking at it before I started I was like, no problem! I was surprised at how this workout was no joke! It may seem easy just by looking at it, but it was hard work. Or maybe I'm just really REALLY out of shape?!?! Either way, I came home feeling accomplished! I was home before 9 am and my run was already out of the way.

I am suggesting this app for anyone, who is like me and is not a runner but wants to get out there and get their legs moving, plus the weather couldn't be more perfect for a quick jog!

Have a great day Friends!

The People of Subway.....

You know how there is the People of Wal-Mart? How about the People of Subway! Let me first say that I LOVE Subway! However, every time I go in there something bizarre always happens. I was talking to my husband and he said,"You shoud blog about it!" So that is what I am going to do...I know you all will find it funny, and entertaining to read! Every time I go in there I promise to come home and tell you what happened...looking forward to giving you a laugh or two!!
Enjoy Friends!

I have the "ick" in my house...

With my husband being a paramedic and always having to touch the sick I am surprised that he doesn't bring more sickness to our house. About 2 weeks after we came home from Vegas he started to feel yucky, but braved through it because sick or not sick, he still had to go to work. After working 6 out of 8 days he came home sick, tired, and in need of meds and lots of rest. Finally went to the doctors yesterday, he has bronchitis. Is on meds but still is feeling crummy. The baby got some of the sick, but it turned into nothing but a runny nose. Thank goodness!!! I hate when my girls are sick. I NEVER get sick, never NEVER get sick. The last time I was sick was a couple years ago I caught the flu. I have been good to go since then. But sadly I caught a little of what they had. Just a head cold, which is not easy to nurse when you have a 9 month old who is on the go to run after! Hopefully all this sick is on it's way out!

On another note tomorrow is Thursday and the weekend is close to being here:) The end of my week is full and will be busy through Sunday, I can't be sick, I have too much going on......

Enough of feeling sorry for myself. Getting sick every couple of years should be something I am thankful for, not complaining about, right?

Have  a great rest of the night Friends, keep the sick out of your house, wash your hands and keep the Clorox wipes handy! Here is a friendly reminder:

Happiness is...

This.....this is what life, well what my life is all about!! Pretty and healthy daughters:) We attended a birthday party for our friend's baby who turned 1. How they grow so fast, I can remeber when BOTH E and Bentley were in our tummies, it feels like just yesterday. I laughed at myself the other day becuase we had to go buy him a birthday gift and had NO clue as to what to buy a boy. I stood and starred for what seemed like forever trying to figure out what to get him. I called my husband, he'd know...trucks he said, all boys like trucks! So that is what I did. I found this set of four that were the material of a rubber ducky. Let me just say, he LOVED them, I was happy! We came home, I bathed the baby for the second time today put her in her jammies and put mine on too. T is in he bath now and soon it will be time to wind down and relax for the rest of the night. Hoping my girls are going to call it an early night, I know this mama is looking forward to her bed.....have a great rest of the night Friends!

Because....

Because it is Saturday night, becuase I am bored, becuase these are always fun, just...becuase that's why!!!

 Taken from a fellow blogger: www.pbfingers.com if you are into food and fitness you should totally follow her!

Last Five People I talked to on the phone:

    1. My Dad- he called to ask me to text my mom cause she wasn't asnwering her phone, he always says his classic line when you don't answer your cell phone, "Why have a cell phone of you aren't going to answer it?!?!"
    2. My Husband: he is working a loooong 96 hour shift so I wanted to say hello before we headed out for the day.
    3: Verizon Guy: our internet was down for 24 hours and he helped me get re-connected! Thank you Verizon Guy!!!
     4: My Sister: does Skpye count?
     5: My Mom: we iChat daily, which means she gets to see the girls daily, technology I tell ya!

Last Five Meals I Ate:

    1. Pumpkin Spice Coffee from Chevron, yes I count coffee as my breakfast!
    2. A half of a sandwich from The Yard House that I split with my mom, it was so good!
    3. Taco Bell burrito.
    4. Crock Pot Chicken
    5. A Cheese and Turkey Quesadilla that I shared with baby.

Last Five Places I have Traveled:
    1. Las Vegas
    2. San Diego
    3.
    4.
    5.
It is called," we have a baby and don't go anywhere!"

Last Five Workouts:
    1. Running
    2. Nike Training Center App on my iPhone. If you have an iPhone and love working out you need to download this one, it is FREE and has many workouts on it with videos and everything!
    3.
    4.
    5.
These are the only two workouts I do.

Last Five Things That Make Me Happy:
    1. my family
    2. Seeing my daughter kick butt at her hockey game
    3. Laughing
    4. Hugs
    5. Sleep, since I rarely get good sleep.

Next Five Places I will Go Outside My Hometown:
    1. Chino
    2. Riverside
    3. Rancho
    4. Redlands
    5. Corona

Saturday nights for me are no longer for going out and having fun, they are about staying in and hanging out with my girls. And hopefully getting to bed early, what can I say I'm pretty boring. But the good thing is, I'm ok with it all. I would rather sit in my jammies with my girls than go out and all I can think about is going home! Have a great night Friends!

How Much Is Too Much?!?!

 I turned on my tv yesterday after being on vacation for 4 days and  my DVR was packed with our shows that we watch but because we were gone, were all on there. I came to the conclusion that I watch many many MANY shows! I started to ask myself, "How much tv is tooo much??" So, to get a better perspective I will list all the shows we watch...now note, we do NOT watch all of these at one time, they are all spread out over different seasons. But as I was writing my list I seriously could NOT believe it...total number...I'm a little embarrassed.....20! Yes, we Freestones follow 20 shows! Bad? Cheap entertainment? I will let you all know that I watch tv if I am lucky 2 times a day. I try sometimes to watch in the morning while I drink my coffee and E plays. And then I try again after the girls have gone to bed. 19 shows seems like I would be glued to my tv day in and day out...that is not the case:) Family time comes first and then tv, you can be at ease knowing that! Hahaha! I was thinking of listing the shows I watch and then maybe you watch the same ones, just tv show commonality...it that even a word? :) here is goes.....in no particular order....

I love this couple, Jen and Bill. They always make me laugh! I love how they live their lives like everyone else, after all she is a NICU Doctor!! Talk about not letting size determine anything but what you want in life:) 

  Next is, yes, I watch this, America's Next Top Model...the truth is I only watch the beginning and the end, all the drama in between is just too much, plus those girls scream way too much! I like when they do their photo shoots, but that is about it. 

Yep! I am a total GLEEK, and proud of it! Plus, I have a HUGE crush on Will:)                                                 

                  Who doesn't love this show?! And who cries at every episode? Me! Such great success stories. I always workout after watching this show, and have gotten many good recipes, eating, and workout tips from watching.

                                               

       Guys from my husband's work were all watching this show and one day he came home and was like we need to watch this show called, "Dexter," it is about a serial killer who kills only bad people! When we heard of the show it was already toward the end of season two, so we Netflix'd Season one and caught up. It is one of my FAVORITE shows. I love rooting for the bad guy! Lots of blood...

          I don't even know where to start with this     show.....during prohibition, lots of blood. Great characters too.

This is more of my husband's show than mine, but I sit and watch it with him most of the time. This year was the worst storm season and they are seeing all these crazy tornados. They put themselves in these crazy, deadly areas for the better of the people. I think on the next episode they are going to Joplin, remember how bad that tornado was?!

                                      My husband HATES that I watch this show! I am loving this season so far, my favorite is JR martinez, man that guy can MOVE! Plus his story is a great one, a true soldier turned movie star (Soap Opera) turned inspirationalist. I hope he goes far in the competition.









Sadly, I am going to have to stop here. But there is more to come tomorrow:) I just hear my little one downstair playing with T and Daddy and I don't want to miss out on the laughter!

QUESTION: Are you a tv show addict like me?! Or am I a lone watcher?!

The Freestone Four Vegas Vacation

Day 1:
    A guy from my husband's work was getting married in Las Vegas so we took the opportunity to take T-Bone and show her the city since she has never been. I knew going that this was not going to be a trip for me, it is all about our kids after all. But I was in dire need of a get out of the city trip so I was willing to put my need for fun on the waist side and let my daughter and my husband have all the fun.

Dad was filling up the truck and we were ready to get out of town!!

We got there in less than 4 hours, nice! And the baby slept for almost the entire trip..double nice! T just watched the Harry Potter movies, she is all into them right now, I don't blame her, I too LOVE me some Potter! The first thing we wanted to do was go to the pool, the Mandalay Bay has the best pool area and I really wanted T to see it and play in the different pools that they have. Her first chioce was the Lazy River! 

By the time we got out to the pool the clouds were coming in, the sun had gone away:( But she still wanted to go in the water, kids never get cold anyway!

                                                     They are out there somewhere!

                                       Emi wanted to play in the water too, but it was too cold.

                                              So we just sat and watched instead:)

                                                         She played in the sand.....

   After the pool Taylor wanted to go to the M&M Store. This store was 4 floors, yes 4! Filled with everything from candy to coffee cups to clothes and kitchen sets:) All she wanted was the candy, I got myself a pretty green coffee mug, not only is green my favorite color, but she's the prettiest M&M!! T filled her bag with a bunch of different colors of M&M's, a child's dream! She also got a dispinser!

My happy girl!!!

Day 2:

 We let T decide what she wanted to do. She chose to go see the city. For some reason she wanted to see only 2 casinos, the Paris, and the MGM Grand. We got a good breakfast in and off we went!

                                                      How excited does the baby look!!??

 Starbucks Teas at MGM Grand

Mama and Baby taking a break while Daddy and T shop...

An Eiffel Tower necklace!

After a long couple hours of walking through casinos and shopping we decided to grab a taxi back ti the Mandalay. It was so worth the $10! There is no carseat law for taxis so I just seatbelted E in with me and whiteknucked it back to our hotel:)

Yep! Sunflower seeds and soda in a wine glass, hey whatever works, right?? The husband had taken T down to the Shark Reef I stayed in the room with my treat while the baby napped.....

So tuckered out! 

   We still had a wedding to attend that night so I knew this was a much needed nap, I think I actually caught a few zzz's as well! They came back from the reef after about an hour and a half, just in time for the baby to wake up and us to all get ready to grab dinner and get to the wedding on time. The wedding was beautiful! I love weddings. After the wedding was over the husband went to the party and I took the girls back to the room. They played in the bath, we played a game of Yatzee, and just watched tv. 

The girls saying good-bye to Las Vegas...how sweet are these 2!

Day 3: 

   We were leaving this afternoon so we ordered room service, the coffee there is SO good! Packed up and hit the road! Overall, a good trip. Like I said before, some vacations are to give your CHILDREN  experiences in life, and that is what this trip was all about. 

    

So thankful....

    So thankful that I am able to be a stay at home mama. I feel so lucky to be able to stay at home and be the best mom and wife I can be. I love doing all my mama and wife-ly duties. Cooking, cleaning, hugging, laughing, and supporting  to name a few. Here are just a few things that consumed my day:

                                                  Love love bath time!!!!

                                            Loves Passion Ice Tea Lemonade

Playtime!

                                Playtime with her present from the Hickle Family!

    She loves getting up on the dishwasher as I unload it! How could a mama get mad at this little face! Needless to say, I have had a great day with my baby girl! Mommyhood is def the greatest job on earth:) Hug your babies with all your might!

Mama and Me Cooking Class!

    Please tell me that I am not the only one with a kiddo who is the pickest eater ever?!?!?! My T is super picky and I can hardly ever get her to eat. I had read in past articles that  a way to get your children to eat is to have them help you in the cooking process and usually they will be more inclined to eat. I will try anything at this point! So, a commercial for Pillsbury. these little mini pizzas made from their Grand Biscuits. My kid loves pizza, I mean what kid doesn't, plus they were in these fun little mini sizes, I was hoping to hit the jackpot. She made her own little pizzas, and actually made one into a little pizza pocket. She gobbled them up!! Score for Mama!!!!
    For the husband and I, I bought Naan to use for our pizza crust. I piled it high with mushrooms, onions, garlic, and grape tomatoes. YUMMO!

                    

Target Naan, so good! 

   

We love mushrooms in our house!

If you have never had these little grape tomatoes on your pizza then you my friend are missing out! They get nice and sweet as they good, they are so good!! I chose a little piece of pizza with no sauce, little cheese but loaded on the veggies. And I opted for a way bigger salad than I made for my husband.

I can't forget to add apicture of the other cook in the kitchen, actually she was more of a supervisor:)

Got anything I can try?!

                                                         

    Overall it was a great meal, everyone was happy and everyone's bellies  were full. Makes for one happy Mama!