What We Have Been Up To..

Hello friends! This month has just flown by it seems like. The weather is FINALLY starting to cool off, thank goodness. And the trees are starting to change colors. I love this time of year. Thanksgiving has came and went and Christmas will be here before we know it. We spent our Thanksgiving at home, just the four of us. My husband got off duty that morning and was sick so he spent the majority of the day in bed trying to get better. Tay spent most of the day in her room playing Minecraft and iChatting with her buds. I grabbed a Fresh and Easy Thanksgiving meal that took me all of 15 minutes from start to finish. It was great, and dinner was outstanding! It was nice to have a low key day since were heading out in the morning for a 3 day hockey tournament in Simi Valley.

We were all in bed before 9:30! We woke up ready to conquer the day. Got up to Simi Valley around noon, checked in to our hotel and Tay was on the ice at 3:00. Out of around 30 teams, they were the only all girls team. It was great. I think many underestimated them and were quite thrown back when they played against us. We left coming in third place and the girls were happy with that. They all are such competitors that they are already talking about their next tournament.

As we come to the end of the month I am looking forward to the holiday season. Cold weather, scarfs, hot apple cider from Starbucks, and under cozy blankets on the couch.

Here are some pictures of recent Freestone doings. Enjoy!

Nevermind. Google wants to charge me for anything OVER 1GB!! WTF???

Dealing with being leftout

The Freestone Four do 99% of things together, as a family. No vacations just me and my husband, no date nights, and we are ok with that. This is the time in our lives where our main, and only focus is on our little family. We know that our girls will not be small forever and that we only have them to ourselves for such a short amount of time in both our lives. However, today I was feeling a little left out. Let me explain why...
Tay has been skating everyday for almost 2 weeks! All on her own, we are not forcing her. She has just wanted to work on stuff to make her a better player, so we have been at the rink for almost 14 days straight! So when she asked for a day off, today, we were totally ok with it. She has wanted to go to the movies and to an Ontario Reign hockey game. My husband is off today so he was going to take her to do both. There is NO way that my Em is going to sit still through a movie, so I had to pass on that. And she is not going to sit through a hockey game, so I had to pass on that also. I would just spend the majority of my time walking around the arena with her, watching the game from the tvs. Needless to say, I am feeling a little leftout. Wish I could go do fun stuff like the movies. But so happy that they get daughter/dad time. How am I dealing with it you ask? Just to remember that they are having a great time out and having fun, just knowing that makes me smile:)

November

Yeah for two days being able to blog in a row! It's the simple things I tell ya:) Tay is in her room and Emily is in there too, so I am getting a little break. I know it won't last long, but I love listening to them laugh and play together. I hope it stays like this..them being so close. Please, stay like this!

So, a little confession. I have been addicted, I mean addicted to this show called, Pretty Little Liars, anyone seen it? I am watching Season 1 on Netflix. The baby napped in the car today at the rink, I watched two episodes in the car. It was awesome! I'm a little weirded out though by one of the story lines. Let me give you a little background. The group of girls it follows are in high school, I don't know how old. Now, one of the characters is in a relationship with her very cute, English teacher. I have found myself rooting for them and hoping they don't get caught. They are such a sweet couple and I'd hate to see them break-up. But HELLO their relationship is so inappropriate, and not to mention against the law! What's wrong with me!!?? Maybe I am a little jealous that none of my English teachers were smoking like Mr. Fitz. Any time I get, when Em is napping I turn it on. Season 1 is like 22 episodes too, I think I am on episode 10. Yikes! Will they ever get caught?!?!

I feel like such a nerd watching this show!

Hottie English Teacher!

I think I am going to try and set some goals, well I don't know if I will call them "goals" but things I want to do this month. I wonder if I can set them and cross them off the list come November 30. Here they go:

1. Read a book (any suggestions?)

2.Get moving, walking, running, something, at least 3x's a week.

3.Wash my face before I climb into bed.

4.When folding laundry, directly take folded laundry and put it away. Don't leave it sitting on the washer AND dryer for forever!

I think I can accomplish these. They are small, nothing big. I'm so tired of saying I am going to do something and then not doing it. Anyone have any ideas how to do that?! Ha!

Have a great rest of the night Friends!

Halloween and a Husband's Point of View

Chalk up another Halloween over! Time has flown by. Every year the Freestones do everything on Halloween Day. I always tell myself I will decorate the house early, we will carve pumpkins early..yeah those things never happens. I guess life seems to get in the way:) We went over to the pumpkin patch this morning around 10. There were tons of people there! mainly kids from schools, there had to of been 20 school buses in the parking lot. We picked our pumpkins, we had specific instructions from Tay that her pumpkin had to be big and then she also wanted a tiny one to go with it. I knew her wheels were turning, on what she was going to do. I love a child's creative mind! My husband wanted to stop at the Halloween store on the way back to pick up some spider webbing.  I dropped him and the baby and I went over to Subway to grab lunch. As I swung back to pick him up he had both arms full of stuff. He got in the car and says, yeah I know, I was like a kid in a candy shop! I just couldn't help myself! He had signs, to window decals, to caution tape, glow sticks and more. He loves Halloween:)

As soon as Tay got home we were decorating the house. It actually came out great! Wish I would've snapped a picture. After decorating was done, it was pumpkin carving time! I carved one, Tay carved one and Em drew on hers. 

Then for the first time ever, we roasted pumpkin seeds! My husband did all the seasoning, they turned out great!

Soon after that it was time to get the girls dressed in their costumes and then off to our friend Tammy's house. Her daughter and Tay are best friends, have been since Kindergarten, and every year we go over to her house. She cooks and we eat and chat, the guys drink beers and then we take the girls trick-or-treating. It was another great time, great food, and great friends. So thankful for friends like we have!

This year both girls dressed up as monsters, which to me was so SO CUTE! My husband was a hot dog and I was the mustard. We actually got a lot of compliments, people thought our combo was cute. He had this ski mask on, I have no idea why. Scary wiener I told him! Em actually went up to houses and got candy, but then would just put it in Tay's candy basket. They both had a great time!

Lastly, I have been away from social media for about 2 weeks now. I am liking it. I was talking to my husband about it today. I was talking to him about IG and how I didn't want people to know where we were and what we were doing all the time, although I loved posting pictures. He is not a Facebooker nor a IGer, but said, it's not about where we are, it is about where we've been.

I love him.

The Freestone Four Take A Mental Health Break

Mr. Freestone needed to take a hockey coaches class since he is an assistant coach for Tay's hockey team. When we found out that it was going to take place in San Diego we were super excited and decided to all go. It couldn't have came at a better time too. We all needed a mental health day(s). We totally took ourselves off the grid. No Internet. No hockey. No phones ringing off the hook. Just us, with our girls, enjoying  and soaking up every second. We need these days every once in a while, I think all busy families do. We are so consumed by work, hockey, school, and running a household, that we often forget the importance of family and time together. We needed to stop and just talk and laugh together. I never really realized how much social media took over my life. I feel like every chance I got I was looking at my phone. Checking Facebook or Instagram.  I turned my phone off and left it in my car. I didn't grab it for 2 straight days. I loved it! I still haven't looked at either. I don't miss them. 

We stayed in La Jolla Friday night. The Embassey Suites has a Manger's Reception everynight for hotel guests. Which basically means snacks and open bar. A soda for Mama, a Shirley Temple for Tay, and a beer or two for Dad! Can't beat free drinks and food:) We got up super early the next morning, but all was good because they offer free breakfast, coffee, yogurt, oatmeal, made to order omlettes, etc. I showered and went downstairs and filled our coffee cups! It was nice to have coffee already made for you. He had to be at his class by 8:30. And then the girls and I were meeting my mom and sister at the San Diego Zoo for a day together and it was also my little sister's birthday. The weather could not have been any more awesome. It was a cool 70 degrees with drizzle! I dropped him and made my way to the zoo, about 10 minutes away. It was great timing because as soon as we pulled up, so did they. We bought our tickets and went into the park. We literally had the zoo to ourselves for the first half of the day. It was fantastic! No crowds, no people blocking you from seeing any of the animals. What a great day! Wish we lived closer, I'd get season passes! 

The zoo closed at 5 and we headed to our favorite eating spot in San Diego, The Chicken Pie Shop. I have talked about this place before. If ever in San Diego, it is a MUST try! Chicken Pot Pie, corn, mashed potatoes, warm rolls, coleslaw and for dessert, I chose Coconut Cream Pie! Holy cow, it was so good! We chatted over dinner about the coaches class and about moving, yes we are moving! Can't wait! Headed home with full bellies and precious memories. That is what life is all about...right?

Weekend Ended On A Good Note!

Sadly our weekend has come to an end, but it was a great one! We had a baby shower for our friend and his girlfriend who are expecting a baby boy in October. Exciting! We couldn't stay long since my husband had a hockey game in the early evening, we went, said or congrats, ate a little, my husband drank a beer and then we were off to the rink. I have been banned from the last bulk of hockey games due to thinking I was the bad luck charm for the team. Every time I was there they would lose and then every time I wasn't they were playing great and winning. So I sat the last handful out. I was glad that the curse somehow has been broken and they won with me there:) Afterwards we went to a pizza place, the guys drank massive amounts of beer and the moms chatted away and kept on eye of the group of kiddos. We got home super late but knew that nothing was planned the next day and that we would be able to sleep in!
The baby woke up at 7! But I made her go back to sleep and she didn't wake up again unil 9, that was what I was talking about!!!! I took both the girls to run some errands and we actually had a great time together. We hit up Staples and Barnes and Noble. Tay has been in dire need of a new computer chair, so I figured Staples would be a place to find a decent one. We found a pink one, $30. Awesome! We then headed to Barnes and Noble. Tay needed a couple books to get the years started, I had a couple in mind for her and then she had a couple books she was wanting. We had a great time reading the first pages of books and adding to our pile. And, I found a USA puzzle! Wasn't the exact one I was imagining but it will do. She has already played with it like ten times, score:)

Reading The Lorax:)

In the Disney section

My happy camper!

Look at this loot!

Daddy putting her chair together

Almost done...

Sissy testing out the chair!

She loves it:)

We came home to my husband on a mission to kill wasps. He had a plan of attack, he was going to spray the nest and then run fast around the back and into the house. He said there was a huge nest of close to 50 wasps. We opened the back and off he went. I heard the spray and then a crash, or like a boom, and like he dropped the spray can. Here he comes through the backdoor with a crazy look on his face and a bloody arm and hand. Knees all red. I was like,"did you fall???" He goes,"dammit, falling when you are 30 doesn't feel like when you fall as a kid!!" It was my running from wasps husband eating crap that I had heard! It took everything I had not to laugh. Poor guy, scrapped his knuckles, has a cut on his arm along with a big ol' bump on this arm. I am sure he will be sore tomorrow!!! Wish I could have seen it though!
We ate an early dinner, salmon and veggies. Broccoli, zucchini, carrots, and cauliflower. It was simple and so tasty. Both girls are bathed and in jammies. After this it is time to read with Tay and then bedtime. Hoping tomorrow there is no crying and I will never see those tears again.

Have a great rest of the night Friends!

Doing The Happy Dance!

I woke up yesterday morning and started walking downstairs to wake up Tay. Before I opened her door I stopped, took and deep breath, and said to myself, "no matter the mood, let's just get through the morning." Giving myself little pep talks are necessary sometimes:) I woke her up and said I'd meet her downstairs. 10 minutes later her she comes with a SMILE on her face, no tears. It was looking good already. I wasn't going to be completely sold until we arrived at school and she was in her classroom, tear free. We walked to school she talked about what baby brothers are like, random I know. She said that if we have a baby brother her and Emily will play in the kitchen while him and Dad play outside. Typical. No, I am not having another baby just yet, it is hopefully in our future but not at the current time. We got to her school she gave me a hug and kiss good-bye, hugged and kissed her sister and she was off. Just like that, no tears, no panicking, just the 10 year old girl I know. Confident, happy, and brave!

I know Monday will be the real test, hoping that the tears and fears are completely out of her system and mornings can return to normal. The Freestones have a busy second half of the day so I need to get going!

Have a great day Friends!

The Week Is Finally Almost Over

I let Tay sleep in an little bit today, knowing we stayed up a little late reading. We started reading books again together last night, something that Tay and I have always done and loved, but with the baby it has been a little tougher. The book we started reading was so good that we couldn't stop and before we knew it we had been reading for almost an hour! I only let her sleep an extra 10 minutes or so, but hey 10 minutes is 10 minutes, right?! I woke her like I do every morning and then went to go get ready myself. I hear her coming down the hall, and you guessed it, she was crying. Today was something different though, today was," I can't go to school because my stomach hurts and I have a cramp." This is nothing new to me, she has used this excuse before. She was being overly dramatic and I took a deep breath and said, "you are going to school," I was nice but very firm. Can that even be a combo? Ha! I continued to do what I needed to do and said that I would meet her downstairs. Still crying 10 minutes later about this cramp I told her that I would give her some medicine to help her stomach feel better. We have a prescription for Donnatal. It is for upset stomachs and also has a little bit of anti-anxiety meds in it. I only use it when it is absolutely necessary, today was a necessary day. She took it and 5 minutes later we were out the door. All the way there, there were tears. I talked to her about stuff, tried to keep her mind off her nervousness, I held her hand, I talked to her about how sad Mama gets that she's sad. We got to school, we said our good-byes and there she went to her class, tears streaming down her face. I wish I could say that today was better but I think it was a step down from yesterday. She started telling me she couldn't do it and started breathing all fast. I told her that she was going to make herself pass out so she needed to knock it off. I left feeling defeated and was trying to think of ways that I can approach it differently. I know that this will eventually go away I just wish she could wrap her head around the whole issue and just stop. Hoping tomorrow will be a better morning. 

After school she was like a different kid. Talking about how she is going to do a state report this year and she picked Massachusetts. Super excited to talk about the Boston Bruins and Boston University, where she wants to go to college. Setting her dreams high! I like that! She was saying that they are learning about where the states are and I told her how I learned where all the states were located, a USA Map Puzzle. You know the one with the little red knobs on the pieces? That is the way I learned so I have to go find one, I'm sure it won't be too hard to track one down. When we got home she wanted to sit down with Em and watch The Lorax, again. They both love that movie. Here are some pictures of their little movie on the couch date!

She went and got her blanket, climbed up on the couch and snuggled up in it!

How cute are these two?!?!

Have a great rest of the night Friends!!

New School Year, Old Habits

The calm before the storm.....

My oldest daughter, who is now 10 years old, has been going to daycare/school since she was 18 months. She somewhere along the school journey developed a habit of letting her nervousness turn into uncontrollable, can't get a hold of yourself, tunnel vision, on the verge of panic attack, type of thing. You'd think after many, many years of me dealing with with this it would get easier. Easy as for me to just give a hug and a kiss good-bye and off she would go. Soooo not the case. Still at the age of 10 and going into the 5th grade the habit that I thought would be gone, since she is now in the double digits, crept up and has returned. We were walking with her best friend and when it was time to go to her class the panicked face of sheer terror was there, in full force. I had a couple options. I could just take off and leave her. Wasn't really into that because I don't every want her to feel abandoned. I could give in to her drama and say, you're right Tay, let me home school you. Yes, she did ask that in the middle of her meltdown. Or I could talk to her like the 10 year old she is and say hey, you'll get through this day. And that is the option I took. I told her that it was perfectly ok to feel a little nervous on the first day, new teacher, new classroom, new desk, etc. But I assured her that she was going to be ok and that before she knew it school would be over. She turned toward her class with tears running down her face, it was a cry that was silent and I could tell she was trying to put on a brave face. I then took a deep breath and said to her, "you can do this." As I left the school I was thinking, were did I go wrong? Where did she learn this from? Does she have issues with being put in unfamiliar situations? I just don't want her to be known as the girls that is always crying. Today is day 3 and the crying is still there. She cries when I wake her up, she cries while she is getting dressed, she cries all the way as we walk the 7 minutes to school. But when it is time to say good-bye she does. Crying all the way to class, but she goes. I am hoping that this will be the last year I have to deal with this, the last year that she will have this anxiety habit of starting a new school year. It is funny because when I pick her up it is like nothing has happened. She says that she had a good day and that she is liking her teacher so far. Is she going to be going to Jr High and High School, crying? You'd think after this many years I would not only expect it but know how to deal with it it keep it from coming back. No such luck. Anyone else have this issue with their child???
On another note, I have started running again. It has been hard to get back into it, and my body is sore as all heck, but a good sore. I walk Tay up to school and then I just take off running from there. It is nice to get it over and done with early in the day. The baby falls asleep in the jogger so it is a nice and quiet run. By the time we get back to the house it is time for breakfast and then I sit with baby and play while I drink my coffee. As much as I hate to say this, I really like being on a schedule. It just makes the day run much smoother.
Alright, I am off. The girls are downstairs watching, The Lorax. They love that movie. If you haven't seen it, you need to. That Lorax is just too cute. I mean look at him...

Great movie!!

Here's to wishing a better, happier, less tearful morning tomorrow.

Night Friends.

The Freestone Four Do Summer Vacation

If you were wondering why I haven't written in awhile it has been because summer break was upon us! I write like I have 1,000's that read my posts:) Ha! I am lucky to have enough readers to add up to a double digit. But for those of you who are intrested in the ongoings of my life and my family, then you are in for a treat. We did MANY things this summer. We tried to cram in as much as we could in the little amount of time we had. Making memories for our daughters was on top of list, and that we did.

Welcome to the Freestone Four Do Summer Vacation:

 Memorial Day to me is the start of summer break. We have for the past couple of years gone to my father-in-law's house and had a pool party. We BBQ, swim, and have a great time. This year was no different! It is a great way to kick off the summer.

My handsome man....

Such a good big sister!

Grilling ribs! We tried Dr. Pepper BBQ sauce...so good!

Tay with her little cousin Samantha!

My sister-in-law, she loves are her crazy flavored beers:)

Who doesn't like to be tossed by their Dad in the pool?!?!

He was getting her really high!

This was all I wanted to do:)

Kisses!

More relaxing!

Chatting it up:)

Mama and Baby

The Robles Family:)

Not long after that, like the next week, T was out of school. One of the first things that we wanted to do was hit up a beach. My husband was on the hunt for a great beach for us to spend a day at. He came across Salt Creek Beach, out in Dana Point. We loved it! The weather was warm, it wasn't crowded and the girls had a blast! The baby actually loved it. She wasn't too into the water, probably because the water was so chilly, but she played with her bucket and shovel and played in the sand. T boogie boarded and dug holes, made sandcastles, you know, the usual beach activites:) We stayed pretty much all day long. It was a great day!!

Running after Sissy!

Love my two girls!

Doesn't know what to think about the chilly water!

Boogie Boarding!

Snacktime with Dad!

Just playing in the sand:)

Cheese!!

When did she grow up?!?!?

Cooling off with ice cream:)

They ate dinner in a jailcell:)

Had to post this cheesey grin picture:)

We love San Diego. Everything about the city, we love. So, San Diego was next on our list.  We did a day at the Zoo and then a day split between Lego Land and their waterpark. The weather was beautiful at the zoo, it was warm but the breeze was nice and cool. We walked around and saw as many animals as we could. The girls loved it. Emi's favorites were the elephants and the polar bears. Tay like the giraffes:) After being at the zoo we ate at our favorite restaurant, The Chicken Pie Shop. It's an old chicken pot pie place that has been there forever. We love it and always go eat there when we visit San Diego. The food is simple yet fantastic. If you are ever in that area, you must stop and eat there. After we filled our bellies we stayed at the Sheraton Carsbad Resort and Spa Great place, very family friendly. We got there around 7, threw our swimsuits on and got in the pool. The pool was at 80 degrees and perfect. We let the girls swim for about an hour, went back to our room and fell asleep. We were all burnt out from our long day. Well worth it though.

The next morning we woke up, we were in no rush to get over to the waterpark, so we took our time. We went and ate a great breakfast at the hotel and packed our stuff up and headed to the park. This hotel offers a special back entrance to Lego Land. It was awesome, no lines! We rented a cabana for the day from 10-6, that was well worth every cent we spent for it. They gave us nice towels that we were allowed to take home, a fridge full of juice, water, and sodas, and wristbands that let us skip to the front of the line on the big rides. Again, worth every cent!!! We played all day until our cabana time was up and then it was time to go into Lego Land until the park closed. Another fantastic day well spent together!

Sisters:)

Well hello Mr. Billy Goat!

Emi LOVED the train ride!

Out of sequence, but this is what happens after a long day of fun!

Love them!

Mama's pretty girl!

Tay telling Emi about the tigers.

Never too old to play around in caves!

Loved the elepants too!

Taking a snack break!

Hahaha!

Loved this guy!

Cuties!

Tay loved her ice cream treat!

The Chicken Pie Shop!!!

Our view from our hotel room:)

Night swimming!

On our way to Lego Land via the special entrance!

Their water park is great for all ages:)

Being brave!

Baby Lazy river!

Cheese DaDa!

Taylor and her lego set!

Next was a trip to Soak City, just the girls and I. We are closest to the one in Palm Springs so that was the one we went to. We hit the road early, knowing that it was going to be in the triple digits that day we wanted to get into the water as soon as possible. We got there before it opened and it was already scorching hot out. When the gates opened we found a covered patio with chairs, sunscreened and got in the water. It was SO HOT! It was so hot that you had to be in the water. We made the best of the heat wave and stayed until later afternoon. It was fun to hangout with my girls and have a great time, despite the heat. 

So good with her!

Cooling off:)

Emi is lucky to have such a great big sister!

She looks happy, but HATED that life jacket!

Fun!

Me and my other baby!

Before we knew it, June had come to an end. It was time for the 4th of July, one of our favorite holidays! July 3rd is our daughters birthday. We celebrate her birthday with just our little family on her actual birthday, and then a combo July 4th party and another birthday party for her the next day. It has always been like this, it works! I couldn't beleive when the day came though, my first baby was turning 10. Now in double digits and growing up so fast. In a blink of an eye it seems like. She wanted to go to BJ's and then to the movies. And that we did, we ate and then went and saw the movie, Brave. Now Merida is her new favorite princess! Great movie!!

Birthday Girl!

So big!

Make a wish!

Cheeeese!

 After Tay's birthday, the rest of the month was kind of a bummer. It seemed like every other week one of the girls was sick. So, the rest of the month was full of relaxing and trying to get them healthy!
In August we went to the Orange County Fair. What a great time that was! We walked around, ate a bunch, and enjoyed a live Michael Jackson tribute band at the end of the night. We met up with my husband's sister and her little family. They have a 3 year old daughter so it is fun to get all together, the girls play and we laugh and catch up.

Loves the farm animals!

Checking out the baby chicks!

Hello Mr. Sheep!

Gotta ride the carnival rides!

Love them!

Cheese stuffed bacon wrapped mushrooms, yes please!

The whole gang!

Cousins!

Our last fun outing was to a place called, Hot N Juicy Crawfish in Fountain Valley. We were watching Man vs Food and it was featured on it. We HAD to go! If you like seafood and are ok with getting dirty then this is a place you'll have to try! We ate and ate and ate! Crawfish, shrimp, and oysters. My husband and his sister ate the oysters, I'll pass on those. We really liked the Garlic Butter sauce, but we all paid for the garlic. I think I still smell garlic on me!! So worth it though!

So excited!

The non crawfish eating crew!

Get in my belly!

How cute is she?!?!?!

Sadly our summer has came and went and is now over. We start school on Monday and our weekend is full of hockey. Overall we had a very full, fun, happy summer! We made many family memories and that was the plan from the beginning. I am sad though for Tay to go back to school, back to being on a schedule:( I really love having her home. But I know all good things have to come to an end sometime.

Hope everyone else had just of a great summer as the Freestones did!! And I promise  not to go as long in between blogs:)

Have a great day everyone!!