Merry Christmas Eve!

Well, This is our Christmas Card picture that never got sent out. Enjoy and Merry Christmas!We made cookies today for Santa.

This is the final tree (after Santa came and a bit blurry)

While visions of sugar plums...

Danced in their heads!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a GOOD NIGHT!!!

DISNEYLAND!!

So we took the girls to Disneyland for the first time! It was a surprise and they (Cheyenne especially) freaked out!! Daddy and the girls in the Beast's Chair

Cheyenne, Shelby and Bella( she came to visit from back home) waiting for the Roger Rabbit ride!

"It's a small world"~Christmas style! I love this ride and it was even better all dresses up for the holidays!

We had a great time and it was so much fun! Thanks Lexi and to her family for the "hook Up" on getting in! We love being so close to the "happiest place on earth". We can't wait to go back!

Happy Thanksgiving Birthday!

So this Thanksgiving was a bit different than most. We were without family which was sad for me but we had a special day due to the fact that the sweet baby girl in this picture turned 4!!! How this happened I am still trying to figure out!
Cheyenne, you have blessed my life so much in these past 4 years and I am so thankful for you and the sweet spirit and fire you bring to our home. Thank you for always making me laugh. You are such a great big sister and have become such a big helper. I can't wait for this weekend to REALLY celebrate you bday with a big surprise! (next blog post)
Happy birthday sweet girl! We love you so much!

SO Cute!!

Okay, so I have to document this moment in time~This morning Cheyenne and I were talking about her birthday in 9 DAYS! She is getting very excited about it. So anyway, this was how the conversation went.....
chey: "mom, when is my birthday?"
Mom: "In 9 days!!"
Chey: "When I go to sleep I am going to wake up on my birthday and have really long hair!"
Mom: (laughing) " O really?"
Chey: " Yeah, cause I'm gonna be 4".
I love that girl, it was the cutest thing she has possibly said to date!

The Downhill Stretch~ 21 weeks!

SO Since we are no longer in the bay area I wanted to post a picture of my ever growing belly! This was a week ago, but I look the same. It's not the best glamour picture, but just look at my belly! I am feeling good these days, just tired. I think part of that is having 2 crazy girls and busy days, but I get to squeeze in a nap every once and a while.

I am not as big as I was with the girls, and this past month I only gained 3 pounds! That was the best news! With Chey and Shelby I was huge and gained a ton O' weight. I guess that is the good part about having a boy~not a lot of weight gain.

Anyway, I love you all and I will keep you all up to date with the growing process!

Thankful!

I am copying my sister and being thankful out loud today. Thankful for my great and amazing husband Shane. He did something great for me tonight and I just wanted to publicly thank him for sticking up for me when I didn't even know it! You are an amazing dad who tries to be better each day. All the little things you do for your girls and me(even the ones I forget to notice) make such a difference in our life. You mom would be so proud of you baby! Everyday with you makes me happier than the last to have found someone like you. I love you so much. Thanks again!

100TH POST!!!!!!!

I wanted to make my 100Th post a good one!! And it is! It's official~we are having a BOY!!!!!

We are so thrilled and excited to have a fun little boy added to our family! I can't believe it, after all the girls we have in our family, we are finally adding to the boys side. He looks good and everything is going great. Now I have to change gears and start shopping for BLUE!

Shelby's eye

So this is what Shelby's eye looked like Sunday! She wouldn't open her eyes for me so you can't get the full effect..
At least she was happy after the yucky ER experience!

Too tired to title this one!

Okay, so I will post pictures tomorrow of my sweet little Shelby but for now you get the story! I love Sundays~Shane usually goes into work late so that gives us time as a family to play and hang out which I love. Church doesn't start until 1pm so I have the morning to relax and try and be spiritual. Well this morning was starting out the usual way~I was enjoying still being able to be in bed while the girls were playing Play-doh downstairs. Shelby decided to come upstairs and find me. I could hear her coming up the stairs when she started to cry.....now for us moms we know the difference between our kids cries. Well this one I knew was bad. I ran to meet her on the stairs and she was standing there with her eyes closed freaking out. I feel bad cause both Shane and I started yelling at Cheyenne asking what happened, when later I realized that she was still downstairs~sorry chey. I guess she somehow poked her eye~bad. Luckily she had nothing in her hand so I figured it was her finger. (good thing I clipped her nails the night b4). I took her to Shane and we tried to see in her eye. She just wanted me to hold her. Fast forward about a 1/2 hour. She finally fell asleep and we took Shane to work down the street. When I got home she woke up freaking out again~screaming rubbing her eye. I just felt so bad and it's one of the times that you as a mom really can't fix it! I called Shane and told him she wasn't better~so he said take her to urgent care. I put the girls in the car~locked up the dog and headed out. I was still planning on being at Church seeing as it was 1030am. We got to the urgent care by our house only to find out that it was open Mon~Fri! What, I thought urgent care was a 24/7 thing. Called Shane again almost in tears. Got directions to hospital. Found out that hospital has urgent care~WOOHOO! Went and didn't have to wait that long. Doctor said that we need to go to ER cause she thinks she see BLOOD behind Shelby's eye! Yikes! Take golf cart shuttle to ER and sign in. WAIT~Wait~finally we are called. Get put in room, then moved to waiting area, then back to room to see doctor. Doctor finally sees us and says that maybe Shelby has a piece of carpet in her eye? The more I thought about that statement later~it didn't make much sense to me. She didn't pick up a piece of carpet and shove it in her eye, but whatever. Then I have the great job of holding down my sweet little 2 year old while her almost 4 year old sister tries to help calm her. (Chey you are great, thanks for being such a big helper ALL DAY at the ER) We flush out her eye, and get something out (They think). Doctor still thinks Shelby has a scratch on her eye so we get instructions on how to help it heal. Shelby and chey get raspberry sherbet for their brave efforts. BTW~I am starving by this point, it's like 1 or 130. WE have to wait a little longer to make sure that she is doing better. SO far so good. Then we get sent to waiting area to wait for paperwork and discharge. AN HOUR LATER....Shelby has fallen asleep as well as Chey in my lap. Now I am thinking~how am I going to get both of them to the car??!!
Finally we get the OK to go home. Shuttle takes us back car and we drive home, missing church! I was bummed. Shelby had a very traumatizing day so she slept forever! Chey and I grubbed out on mac and cheese and some cereal followed by Halloween candy. I am pooped~I can't even tell if this entry made sense, but I had to document our first trip to the ER in our new place of residence!
She is doing much better tonight, she is almost back to her cute, spunky little self! Now I must go and check on her and make sure she is okay. (it's a OCD mom thing). Like I said I love Sunday's and I am really looking forward to next week and a more relaxing Sunday for me! Good Nite!

Trick Or Treat FUN!

I won't say much cause the pictures say it best! The girls had a lot of fun and loved the candy part the best! We were even more happy to have daddy home to go trick or treating with us!

Happy Halloween!
Shelby was a lady bug!

Cheyenne was Tinkerbell!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN..... FROM OUR CRAZY PUMPKINS..
TO YOU!!!

What we've been up to!

Going to our new Zoo (right down the street). Riding the Wild Boar
Magnum loves sleeping on our feet

Cheyenne and her NEW BIKE!

The apple of our eye!
(Palm Springs Street Fair)

Calling all cooks~chefs~bakers~etc....

Okay, so since I am not going back to work for a while I am in need of some new and easy recipes! WE are trying to be better about not eating out and I am excited that I have more time to be the cook in the kitchen. I know I have friends that are more talented than me in this area so help me out!
I am looking for some yummy~
Snacks
dinner ideas
chicken ideas
fruit & veggie dishes
Please give me all you got and remember Ashley is not the queen chef she soon will be so lets start slow!

I am excited to see what you awesome ladies make for dinner and snacks. Thanks for the help and I will let you know how it goes!

The heat makes you do crazy things!

SO no one warned me of how the heat makes you do crazy things~like Get A DOG!! This is Magnum~ a sweet little Black Lab. He kind of fell into our life. WE have always wanted to get a dog but never had the room or place that would allow us without huge amounts of $$ or room. He was the last of the litter and the family was giving him away due to the family's father's permanent disability. There was another couple wanting to look at him that same day~but the mom said that if we got there first we could have him. Well that couple never came and Magnum was ours!!
This is the happiest of the Losey bunch. Shane grew up with Labs and knew he was just right for our ever growing family! (He finally has some more testosterone in the house!)
Now, this may look like a sweet picture, and it is~but this little girl is Magnum's doom! I have found her carrying him by his head and hitting him with anything. We are in a learning phase that this fun "stuffed animal" could get very hurt if miss Shelby Lynn isn't nice! So far Magnum still loves her and all the harmful attention.

Reflecting

I have been catching up on friends blogs and have come across quite a few that have post that have to do with being thankful or reflecting on what they have, etc. So here I am doing the same thing. A lot has happened in the last little while and it's amazing how your life can change directions so quickly.
If you asked me 2 months ago about my life and where it was going I honestly could say I don't know. I mean I KNOW but there wouldn't have been much depth to my answer. I would never have guessed I would be living in the desert for starters!
I am in awe at how if you really rely on the lord and listen to what is next in your life, there is a real peace that comes. I consider myself a pretty happy person, I have a great family and great friends. I have a good job that allows me to still be a full time mom. I am able to provide for my kids. However, there was always this worry I had~that there was never going to be enough...never enough money, never enough food, never enough time, never enough hope! I was always worrying about something and it consumed me. I am the type of person that likes to have everything in place, to have order when and where I can. I was happy on the outside but was worrying on the inside.
It's totally different now, and in only a matter of weeks has my outlook on life and faith in the lord changed. I trust him. I trust in knowing that he WILL ALWAYS take care of me and my family. All i have to do is be faithful and obedient. I don't worry about much anymore. I am secure in knowing that there IS ALWAYS ENOUGH. I am a better mom, a happier wife, and more willing to get out and do things, and meet new people.
I know now and I did before that this is where we are supposed to be at this time. This time in Palm desert will help me grow as a daughter of god and mother and wife. I don't know what will happen tomorrow or next week, and I am okay with that. I feel at peace with my life and am able to focus on my kids more and worry less about making sure the laundry is done and put away. (it's been clean and folded for 4 days and I haven't put it away~and I don't care!)
Well, I feel much better having put this entry on my blog. I still get mad at my kids (including Shane), I still worry (a little), but just knowing that I am not alone anymore and never was helps me focus on my goals and future with my growing family. I love being able to blog and to know that all my close friends are able to share in my thoughts and life. I appreciate all of you and your blogs~sometimes that is all I need to get through a rough day. Just to know that I can see a fun picture or read one of your own entries helps me survive. I hope you all know that I love and adore you. I look forward to years of blogging with you!

My baby turns 2!

I had to show you all how much Shelby has grown (Cheyenne too). WOW~how time flies! It feels like yesterday that she came to our family, and yet it feels like she has always been with us. We (Cheyenne especially) can't imagine our life without sweet little Shelby!
We took the girls to Chuck E. Cheese by our new house~so much fun and it was just us. Even better~no stress of a big birthday party that most 2 year olds don't get anyway! It was my favorite part!
We came home and had cake and ice cream. I got Shelby this cute little Dora cake from Albertson's~one of the best cakes I have had in a long time! Cost=$8. SOO worth it. Shelby was kind of shocked that I made her wait to dig in~hence the facial expression!
And my favorite picture of the day~ that's my girl! Happy Birthday Shelby~we love you so much and are so happy to have your sweet, stubborn, funny, personality in our family. You make life so much fun! Thanks for being our little girl!

This is the LIfe..

I took this picture the other day from my phone. I love it! They have so much fun at the pool and it's so great cause there is nobody there but US! They were done swimmin' and needed a little sun break to warm back up~believe me~it doesn't take long here!

GONE!!!

Well, It's finally gone! Now that we are moved and the girls are somewhat settled I decided to do it! Get rid of the bottle! I had this same problem with Cheyenne, she was hooked on the bottle until she was like 2 1/2. I thought Shelby would be harder because she is so hard headed! I just started giving her milk in a new sippy cup and TA~DA! She is totally fine without it! Yeah me!


Now the next task~Getting rid of the "sass". This I know will not be easy!!! Wish me luck (and some serious patience)

THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN.......

YOUR ALMOST 2 YEAR OLD TRIES TO GO DOWN STAIRS ALL BY HERSELF FOR THE 1ST TIME!!! Yes, our new house has stairs. We love it, it gives us so much more room and space to spread out. Unfortunately Shelby thought she was really good at walking down the stairs. The horrible part was that I watched it happen and couldn't do anything about it! She fell from Oh, about the 5th stair out of 13 stairs. OUCH!
She was okay though~no ER trip for us on our first night here! She now holds on to the rail for dear life! I actually don't worry as much now that she ate it bad~I think she remembers it every time she gets close to the stairs!

Our New Home!

So we are finally here and happy! The girls and I like to snuggle on the couch and watch a few cartoons! They are adjusting well and fighting like any sister pair does. This is our front room~almost done~note the few boxes that have to go upstairs but too lazy and hot to get them up there.

This is out back yard/patio. We love it, I miss having grass but there is plenty of room for the girls to run around in and ride their bikes.
It's hot here (it's supposed to be 105 today!!) But the winter is coming with 75 degree weather all day and chilly nights! I can't wait! We miss you all and hope to see you soon either here or there!

STILL HERE!

Just wanted to let you all know that we are still here and alive. Moving is no fun and I wish I could just blog all day~soon! We are here for just a few more days, then it's off to our awesome new home in Palm Desert! We are excited and scared and everything in between. WE know this is the right thing and we are supposed to be in Palm Desert. It feels so good knowing that the lord has his hand is the planning of all this. It's allowing Shane to see the work of the lord in our life. I will update you all more and of course with pictures when we get there and are somewhat settled! We will miss you all and are excited to be closer to some of you! Wish us luck!

Guess where we're going?

SO this picture represents where we are moving to! YES, we are moving. Shane got a great promotion with Cole Haan and we're taking the adventure! PALM DESERT will be our new home for the next however long. How do I feel about it~well I'm okay. Yes it will be hot but there are plenty of pools around and we will have a/c, so I will survive! Shane is soo excited to have this opportunity to shine and show em' what he is really made of! I am so proud of him and I have always said that I would move to Tem~buc~tu(sp?) for him if it would make our goals more reachable.

SO here we go! We are leaving in a month~YES a month. We(or me) are going crazy trying to get everything in order and make sure we don't forget anything~like the kids!

I haven't really decided how horrible it will be not being so close to my family, but I am the last one in concord, so I guess it's my turn. I will be however, closer to my brother and his family in the LA area and also my little sis, Daphne who is busy working and meeting all the famous people. So that will be a good thing.

I am still kind of in shock about the whole thing but I can't sit around and try to figure out when the shock will fade~I'm just doing it!

Anyway, I am sad to leave you all but good thing for blogs and email, it will now be my lifeline to connect with you all and help me not be so homesick. More update will continue as things happen.

Lake Shasta!!

Sorry I have been MIA~We have been busy. He are some fun pictures of us at Lake Shasta this past weekend. One of my all time favorite pics. This will be framed and in Black & White.

The girls on the lake!
Breakfast on the houseboat! What a life!