Santa came !

We had a very laid back Christmas at the Whitlock house. On Christmas Eve morning Lydia and Josh popped popcorn and watched my favoite, "How the Grinch Stole Christmas". For dinner, mom made chicken enchiladas, spanish rice, and "REAL" refried beans. We drank hot chocolate and ate more chocolate. We finished the night with reading from Luke, about the birth of Jesus. On Christmas morning , it took about 2 and a half hours to put together the Barbie Townhouse pictured above. Josh cursed Santa for not putting it together himself...but after it was finished, the Christmas spirit reigned again. Lydia loves it, and we're hoping it's structurally sound.
We hope everyone had a relaxing, happy Christmas. Now to focus on New Year's resolutions...

Christmas Fun

Singing "Silent Night"

She's already 'boy crazy"..we're in trouble

Making our yearly gingerbread houses with Grandma and Grandpa

Decorating Cookies at Lydia's school

Stuffed of stuffing

Being that the Whitlock's hate clean up and left overs, we decided to go out for our Thanksgiving dinner...and I'm so glad we did. We went to the North Harbour Club and sat as close as we could do the water without being outside. Our dinner had a Southern kick to it. I thought I would post the menu for the Arredondo girls, since we all love to cook and eat!

Started with:
Sauteed Carolina Crab Cake, Chickpea Mash
&
Seared Carolina White Shrimp
on Chipolte-Corn Cheddar Grits


Main Course:

Pomegranate Glazed Turkey
Honey Roasted Ham
Herb Marinated Top Round
Apple Cider Mopped Pork Loin

Creamy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon and Vanilla Bean
Slow Roast Nutmeg Scented Acorn Squash
Roast Autumn Vegetables with Thyme
Thanksgiving Stuffing
Southern Style Green Beans
Spiced Cranberry Relish
Turkey Gravy

For Dessert:
Toasty Pumpkin Bread Pudding
with Maple Pecan Praline, Spiced Ice Cream


I guess I'll be on the treadmill tomorrow ...
When we got home we made our Thanksgiving "paper" turkeys and listed 5 things we were grateful for. Josh and I wrote the obvious stuff 1.Health 2. Jobs 3.Family 4.Lydia 5.Mom/dad
We were excited to see what Lydia "drew", since she really can't write, or so I thought, but to my surprise she wrote 5 things too. 1. Poop 2. Poop 3. Poop 4. Poop 5. Poop
Either "poop" is the only word she can spell or she has a twisted sense of humor...
(see picture below )

Random pics from Thanksgiving

How Cute is She !!

Sadly, the soccer season has come to a close. But mom and dad have had fun cheering on the sidelines for "long-legs, Lydia", as Coach Katie calls her. Lydia was recently given the "Fierce Competitor and Team Leader" award for her soccer team. She's so much fun to watch, and of course, a natural athlete. Next on our list, dance!

Dorothy's not in Kansas anymore...

It was a beautiful night to be trick or treating last night. On the way down the yellow brick road we met a sumo wrestler, Octo-mom (yes, octo- mom, she had a black wig, fake Chanel sunglasses, and 8 babies attached to her), spider man, Darth Vader, and a crazy man in a grey sweatshirt and shiny white Pumas that kept wanting to take pictures of us....to name a few. Later that night, Josh decided to go through Lydia's candy to "make sure they were safe." Only problem was when he gave them back, most the candy bars were gone...?

Remember When....

I guess I'm just feeling nostalgic and sentimental tonight. The pictures speak for themselves. How they grow up so fast!

Happy Birthday my "Mini-me"

Okay, so I can't call her my baby anymore. Lydia has corrected me several times, "Mom I'm not a baby or a little girl, I'm a big girl." It's hard to remember how life was without her. It's seems like she has always been there, my little buddy
I guess I've been feeling a little nostalgic lately. It seems like only yesterday that we were in the small, cramped delivery room in Williamsburg, VA. Like many of you moms out there, I remember that day crystal clear. To summarize it, screaming like hell after pushing for two hours, but quickly forgetting about the pain once I finally held her in my arms.
We wanted to make her 5th Birthday extra special so we braved going to Chuck E Cheese on a Saturday night and invited 10 of her best friends. (We started with a list of 20) I'm thankful for her little friends who love her so much- by the way, most of them still call her "Wydia", which I think is hilarious. A few of mom's friends came too, which I am very grateful for. They have been so positive and supportive through the up's and downs.
Lydia woke up to a blueberry pancake breakfast, made by Grandma. We are very glad grandma and grandpa could visit too! She felt very special this weekend. To my sweet family in Texas and Utah, thank you for all your calls and emails.

Fall Is Here

Fall is definitely my favorite season. What do I love about Fall: the changing leaves, scarecrows, pumpkins, hay rides, candy, costumes, Halloween, and of course, Lydia's birthday. It's been nice to enjoy ALL the seasons in this beautiful part of the country.
Last week we went to Patterson Farms with Lydia's Preschool class. Despite a rainy day, we were still able to go on a tractor ride, pick pumpkins and visit their petting zoo.

Soccer Girl

Miss Lydia started soccer a couple of weeks ago! She is doing great and loving it and, of course, always looking super-stylish. She's on the Team Syndey Sharks. She gets soooo excited for practice and looks so cute running around out there. Her first game is September 12, and her and Dad practice in the backyard every chance they get.

Mama's Going Back to School

Lynchburg, Virginia.



I'm going to graduate school!!!! I got the news last week that I have been accepted into Liberty University's Masters Program in Professional Counseling. It will be 60 hours total. I will be doing the distance program option, meaning I will have to go to campus for 3 separate weeks during the program, and I will do the rest online. The nice thing is that the school is only 4 hrs away, in Lynchburg, Va (close to Charlottesville). I'm so excited to be able to do this and still stay home with Lydia. My first purchase will be a new laptop. ;) First class: unfortunately, Statistics. Then I'll get into the good stuff, like, Counselor Professional Identity and Ethics.

Thank you, Josh and Lydia for being very supportive of me!

Attention Ladies!

I feel superficial doing this post... but I really want to do something different with my hair. So I'll take any suggestions. About every 6 months I get ansy. Okay ladies: Bangs..no bangs..highlights... Should I just let the thing grow out???

Random Summer Pics

Here we have my new best friend, the Margaritaville Frozen Concoction maker. It makes the best daiquiris, smoothies, snow cones....etc The best kitchen appliance I ever purchased. Mmmm, couple that with Beach shrimp (below)-makes for a great party.