15 On The 15th & 20 in 2020!

The title of this birthday post may be a bit cheesy but feel it is fitting for the new decade and new year! My middle daughter turns 20 and my baby girl turns 15 today! Time certainly has flown within the past few years with these two. I love how they continue to blossom in their own way. They are such a blessing in our lives and as each day passes become more mature and beautiful. They truly exhibit a light of love and no matter what comes their way they always try their best each day to live a good life. Happy Birthday to our two lovely daughters! 

Star Wars In Dolby Soho.

A couple of weeks ago we ventured out Dolby Soho to check out the Star Wars exhibit in dolby sound and it was epic! If you want to watch the movie Star Wars or any movie for that matter watch it in dolby sound! It is absolutely the best and worth the money too. We were given gift cards to watch it in dolby sound and we were all like little kids in a candy store. They even had a booth where we dressed up as jedi's and a Sith and pretended to fight each other with light sabers. It was the best! We had so much fun and so glad we ventured out as a family for this. Even though the Star Wars saga is over thank goodness for dvd's so that we can watch it over again and again. I will always be a Star Wars fan until the day I die! 

Pinewood Derby 2020.

Life as a webelo in scouts has been great for Noah this year. He has accomplished so much with his den and continues to enjoy learning new things, and becoming the best little scout he can be. Today they had their pinewood derby and each year Noah becomes more independent with the way he wants to design his car. He chose blue and black for the colors and even named it the "Blue Blaze." He is proud of his little car and it even won twice today! He brought home a trophy and Noah was so happy about that. I was excited for him but always remind him that it's not about the "trophy" but how he felt during the time of the derby. He was having fun with his fellow scouts, and throughout all the chanting and cheering he was enjoying every minute. And that is what should count as a Boy Scout! 

A Few Highlights From December 2019!

Even though a new decade has begun I'm going to rewind a bit and share a few highlights from Christmas that didn't make it to the blog in December. I love every single moment I capture with my family, and I'm beginning to slow down even more on the whole blogging thing. I love to write, and share stories and because Instagram is a lifesaver for me right now feel that it's a lot easier to share snippets of our life on the daily or on a weekly basis on that platform. So if I'm not consistent on blogging you'll know why. Check my Instagram for shorter posts since I have a feeling I'll be on there more often this year and decade than sharing on my little blog! 

Welcome To The 2020s!

Happy New Year everyone! So much has happened within the past ten years, and as much as I love and cherish those memories I am ready for a new decade with my grown children so that I can create more moments! 2019 brought both challenges and joy but without the guide of our loving Savior Jesus Christ wouldn't be able to make it to the end of the year alive! I know there will be more hurdles to jump, but I know that with hope and faith we can overcome anything! So happy for a new year, a new decade! Cheers to the 20's and all that it will bring!  

Road Trip to D.C. On The Last Weekend Of 2019!

The holidays continued to glow for us as we ventured out to Washington D.C. to see the temple lights and the People's tree on Capitol Hill. We try to go before Christmas Day but since Lexie flew in two days before Christmas went over the weekend. We are always so grateful to make time to come here along with eating at one of our favorite places! As usual I captured some moments of us during our day trip and it was exquisite! Even the blurry photos make this post perfect since our lives are not! Families are forever! 

Winter Glow.

One of the coolest and magical pop-up art installations we've seen this season is called Winter Glow. It is located at Intersect in the Lexus building. This is by far the best installation we've seen this Christmas. As soon as the elevators opened to the third floor everything was so bright and sparkly. If I had a backyard I would add all the twinkle lights, and hydrangea flowers. What a creative way to celebrate the holidays by adding a crystal reindeer, with gold and sparkle to the mix! This whole installation is set in one huge room and the best part of this exhibit is that it's free! It's open until January 5th for those who need some sparkle in their life! I snapped a lot of photos, and loved capturing the kids in them!

Christmas Morning.

And just like that, Christmas has come and gone. Ours was purely the simplest and sweetest Christmas. The kids didn't get too much gifts and they were totally fine with it which made our morning go by so fast! They all unwrapped they're little gifts and were done within 15 minutes! I loved every minute of this particular Christmas simply because it was filled with gratitude, humility, and simplicity. I captured a few moments of the kids but this pic is my favorite of the girls giggling. It is so nice for Chelsea to have one of her sisters home to laugh with. 

Chinatown, Philadelphia.

We hardly ever come to chinatown in Philadelphia but when we do it's such a treat. It may not be as big as New York city but at least parking is cheaper, and close to Market street where you can walk to Fashion District Mall where Candytopia was happening. The feeling of Philly is a total different dynamic than New York, but because we lived so close to Philly for eight years the city of brotherly love will always hold a special place in my heart! And we still love venturing out here! 

Gifting Our Kids With Experiences Instead of Material Things.

Growing up I didn't have many Christmases which is probably why I spoiled my kids with gifts when they were toddlers but now that they are all older gifts are becoming less and less. I have reminded my kids that although the things of the world are nice and all, happiness with those things won't last forever, and the memory of them will eventually fade. I love the fact that we live in an area where we are surrounded by endless culture and history which is why I love going to the city and venturing out to various places in the east. The kids seem to remember moments spent together as opposed to what they got for Christmas last year, two years ago, or even five years ago.

Santa At The Plaza!

     

Love the tradition of going to see Santa at the Plaza! Although I think Noah may be getting to that point where he feels he may be outgrowing Santa. (In other words he's getting too big to sit on his lap!) Oh, how I don't want our these days to end but eventually they will and then he will be sitting on the steps like his sister! Nonetheless the kids had a nice talk with Santa. I love how Santa tells them to mind your parents, and to be good kids. Gifts were mentioned but not as much as the gift of love he mentioned to our kiddos. Pretty much the same advice he gave to them last year. I love this santa! More pics below...