Our So Called Blog

Friends...

2011-03-21T23:45:00.000-07:00

I am closing up this blog and moving to another one. Sad I know, but life, it is a changin. And it's exciting. so please join me on
http://lamplightletters.blogspot.com/

I know you will not be disappointed:) xoxo-kk

Focus

2010-11-15T11:42:00.000-08:00

I will have a TON of new things to post. I just got a new computer because SOMEONE spilled their chocolate milk on my other one (no it wasn't Scotty). So all of my info is being transferred over, including my pictures. For now I will leave you with this focus that Scotty and I taught to our Bible study this week:
In Matthew 8 Jesus and His disciples get on a boat together. A large tempest (huge windstorm- think Castaway) overtakes the waters. The disciples are frightened to death and they search for Jesus, who is found to be asleep on the ship. They panic saying "Save us we are perishing!!" (paraphrased) Jesus responds with "O Ye of little faith" and with a WORD calms the storm. They marvel at Him saying "Who is this that even the wind and the sea obey Him?!"
God is never surprised by our circumstances. He led the disciples onto the boat, surely He would protect them there. He knows our circumstances and He is in control of them. With a word He can speak anything into existence. Our Creator is in control of NATURE. How much more is He in charge of our small problems? This week let us all acknowledge His presence and Divine power over even the largest temptests in our own lives. God Bless you all. xoxo-KK

This Little Lucky...

2010-10-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

Had a two day birthday extravaganza this year at Disneyland! We splurged and got Disney passes in September and have been there no less than 20 times since then. It is so much more fun to go with your kids and see the reaction on their faces when they get excited about certain things!! We had an absolute blast. We started out with lunch at Goofy's Kitchen with my family and a few friends. All of the characters come around and say hello as you are eating. So exciting, yet terrifying for a two year old. Brinks chose to dress up as "Lella" (Cinderella) for the day.

We then came BACK the next day and met up with our friends Tim and Christine who LOVE to spoil this little girl rotten.

All in all, the best way to celebrate two years with our girl and all of the people who love and adore her almost as much as we do. She is such a blessing to everyone around her and Scotty and I feel so privileged to be chosen to be her parents.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

2010-10-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, there were two specific things calling my name in Oklahoma. I know, random, right? First of all, I have family that lives in a TINY little "town" called Welch. I use the word town here very loosely, as it is basically code for one gas station, and one general store and lots o land. My grandparents live on a farm here and I used to spend every summer there as a child. The other thing that was occurring in Oklahoma were two of our dear friends, Jeff and Chelsea's wedding! So, my father and B and I flew out to visit my grandparents at the beginning of the week and the Love flew out and met us at the wedding rehearsal on Friday. We had a lovely time with my grandparents, except for the fact that Miss B and I somehow got the stomach flu on the first night we got there! Little B didn't stop throwing up for FOUR DAYS. Poor B!! And poor 8 months pregnant me! I thought I was going to die! I was having nightmares of a preterm labor in the barn because the nearest hospital is hours away. Although both of us felt positively awful for a good portion of the time, we did manage to sneak in a few things I remember from my childhood.

fishing with great- grandpa

catching frogs

going on nature walks

finding walking sticks

picking wild flowers

searching for barn cats

i love my grandparents old barn and their property

It was amazing to me that Miss B could be so entertained by, well, NOTHING to be honest with you. We live such a different life here in southern California. We think our kids need STUFF to make them happy. Ipods, Ipads, XBOX, Wii, various sports, activities, playgroups etc for them to be content. But really, they just need a walking stick and the endless road. I think perhaps WE are the ones that need this stuff. That by purchasing it for them it somehow makes us better parents. Miss B could have entertained herself for HOURS picking up walnuts in my grandparents yard and putting them in a bucket. We saw a turtle lazily strolling by the road one afternoon. We picked it up and B was so happy to watch it move around slowly and eat what she put in front of it. She was enthralled by the cows in the pasture and the "horsies" that ran wild. It reminded me of a verse in Matthew,

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus said, "I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.

we complicate things so much as we grow up. But truly we can learn a lot from our little babes about being content. It was so fascinating for me to watch my little girl share some of the same experiences that I had had as a child. How simple life is. How simple life can be. The Lord calls us to have a child-like faith. One that seeks after Him with a pure and unadulterated heart.

Matthew 19:14
Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

He wants our fellowship. He wants a simple, innocent and humble relationship with His children. Let us all be reminded of this fact when we watch our little ones.

The wedding later that weekend, of course was a blast. Some highlight photos:

It's Been 2 Years...

2010-10-21T08:40:00.001-07:00

since this beauty came into the world.

And I was made the happiest mommy in the whole world. Happy Birthday to my sweet Brinkley. You have changed me in ways I didn't know possible.

Drawing us Closer

2010-10-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Last month the Love and I were able to get away for a weekend for our anniversary. It was a much needed time of catching up for the both of us since we had had my parents living with us for the better part of six months. SIX MONTHS. I once heard a saying that both fish and relatives stink after 3 days. Imagine what six months will do to you. Especially because we live in such a small place (2 bedroom) apartment. And really, we get along remarkably well with my family, but well, as I'm sure you could guess, living with that many adults in such tight quarters began to feel like a refugee camp. Anyways, so Scotty and I DESPERATELY needed some alone time and he surprised me and took me to Santa Barbara for the weekend. The entire trip was planned out. He told me to pack on Thurs night and then he drove me to the train station Fri morning (after he took me to get a mani/pedi). We rode business class to Santa Barbara and arrived at our bed and breakfast a few hours later. He had packed me plenty of magazines and snacks for the ride, and well, the time together was just perfect. Here are a couple photos from our trip...

So long story short, the Love and I were discussing what a whirlwind our life has been this last year. And it brought us to some very real conclusions about who our God is. And who I had previously understood Him to be before this year. Our God is a jealous God. He is jealous over our time, our attention, our focus and our lives. And though He doesn't always CAUSE the hardships to come in to our lives, He ALLOWS them for some very specific reasons. The most important of which is to draw us closer to Him. You see, I feel like before all of this happened in my life (some other major things that happened will be reserved for future posts) I knew God loved me, but I didn't really KNOW God loved me. There is so much inconsistency and turmoil in this world that the only REAL thing we can count on is Christ's love. That's it. I have read the book of James over and over and over again and I never understood why we were to consider it joy when we had trials. Yes patience is important, yes, testing our faith is important but I believe above all these things that the Lord wants to draw us closer to Him. He wants to use these trials as an opportunity to reveal Himself to us in a more intimate and personal way. If we never encounter difficulties, how is it that we can join in Christ's suffering and truly reveal His glory?

Phillipians 1:29 "It has been granted to you... to suffer for Him."

God chooses us to endure difficulty after difficulty in our lives so that we are reliant, dependent and completely desperate for Him. It is in these times that He can reveal to us His perfect peace, and His perfect love. Peace and love that come from nowhere else, but Him alone. So I suppose this was the greatest lesson I learned through my year. And yes, love and I had an INCREDIBLE time drawing closer to one another on our Santa Barbara trip. But we had an even more incredible time drawing close to our Lord this year.

"The human trials of life are burned into us numerous times, and through God's grace, beautiful colors are formed in us and made to shine forever." Cortland Myers

My Life as a SAHM

2010-10-14T10:30:00.000-07:00

Stay at home mom. Those words used to send shivers down my spine. "How boring." I used to think to myself. "What a waste of talent." And to be completely honest, I'm sure that is precisely the attitude that most of America has towards us moms that choose to stay at home. We are taught now from a very young age that we can "do it all," "have it all" and "become whatever we want." And to some extent... we can. But the question is, SHOULD we?! SHOULD we be spreading ourselves thin to everyone and anyone and give our kids and our husbands the leftovers? And not only that, can we without paying a price? The answer is NO. We become the tired, ragged, burnt out wife and mom that we won't let anyone else see. It's thought provoking, is it not? For the first year and a half after I had Brinkley I did precisely that. I did not cut back on any of my commitments, on any of my work hours, or on any of my pressing social engagements and I ran myself completely ragged. I felt exhausted all of the time trying to keep up with everything and everyone. And I felt time go by so quickly that I constantly felt torn between my family and all of my obligations. "Is this the way it is supposed to be?" I wondered. So I began to do some research. I dug in to God's word and examined other families who I admired and loved. The results came in staggeringly slanted to one side. TIME is such a precious commodity that it has to be guarded. It sounds like such a foreign concept. Guarding time.
The wise woman builds her house,
but with her own hands the foolish one tears hers down. Proverbs 14:1
What does this mean, to build a house? I think that it possibly means that our #1 commitment is first to the Lord and 2nd to our families. We are to be spending our time BUILDING our houses. Investing TIME in our families. What good am I if I am President of the PTA, room mom for my kid's class, and Sunday school coordinator, but my own family is suffering?
So with the Lord's help, this is what I have been attempting to do. Spend my time at home investing in my family. The sense of fulfillment and contentment that I have had has been overwhelming. So these have been some of the activities that Miss B and I have been up to...

met some friends to pick strawberries

Titus 2:3-4
3Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live, not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine, but to teach what is good. 4Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children, 5to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind, and to be subject to their husbands, so that no one will malign the word of God.

Busy at home. Occupying ourselves with our roles at moms and wives. In Voddie Baucham's book, Family Driven Faith (which I highly recommend to anyone who has not read it) he explains that "anything that causes you to sacrifice your family on the altar of prosperity is not of God." He encourages women that being a wife and a mother is an honorable calling. We are investing in the future. We have SO FEW years where our children are in our homes and under our influence. Why not make the most of them? Slowly, I have noticed my own attitude change. I look forward to my days with my girl, and also with my future children. I am proud of this life that I have and I wouldn't trade it for anything or anyone else's. I know that I am called to an honorable calling. And I am proud to fulfill that role. xoxo- KK

B and I spend our Mondays at ballet, then sometimes we meet up with Papa to feed the ducks.

P.S.

2010-10-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

Somehow I neglected to mention I am 33 weeks pregnant with a boy!! Due in Nov. Praise God!

It's Been a Long Time

2010-10-01T23:41:00.000-07:00

Hi Friends-
I have had a transformation. The Lord has truly brought me over to the other side. Though so much time has passed between my last post and this one, I can assure you that I have truly been seeking His will, His desires, and feel as though I have some direction and motivation to keep this blog going. I have learned SO MUCH in the past 6 months and am so excited to share it all with you, my blogging friends. The first of which is why God has called me to have this blog. I wholeheartedly have sought Him on this topic and feel as though He has a plan for it. Maybe just for me to be an encouragement to other women like me who are just trying to figure this thing called life out. Though how sweet it is to know that the Lord is the one who is directing my steps. It is so interesting to me that we all enjoy painting a picture of the way we feel our lives "ought" to be. And we become obsessed with living up to this ideal. Our marriage must look like this, or our children must have these specific talents, or behave in this particular manner. But life never works out this way, does it?

Isaiah 55:8
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.

And although initially as a younger, more immature Christian, I would have thought to myself "Darnit!!! Why can't God just do things MY WAY?!" I feel like there have been several situations where I can now look back and I think "PRAISE GOD that I didn't get what I wanted." I would have made a royal mess of my life by now, amen? He seems to know exactly what it is that we need, when we need it. So hallelujah that He has the master plan.

Proverbs 16:9
In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.

Lately, I've been so struck with this verse, because God has really shown me that although we have our desires, and our plans, life is ultimately not in our control. It reminds me of the ocean. Though we can predict high tide and low, and we enjoy playing in the water, or surfing, we ultimately cannot overpower the waves. And if the Lord MADE the waves, then why do we try to overpower His plans?

We may as well just enjoy the gifts He has given us, and likewise be a gift to others as well.

Sooooooooo, (drumroll please) this blog is now dedicated to all of you. Wives, moms, sisters in Christ. I hope this blog is real, a real depiction of my life as I try to follow Christ and live out all of these roles that God has called me to in this life of mine. I hope to provide some solace to you if you feel you are going it alone, and some inspiration to you, if you feel you have reached the end of your own. But mostly, I hope that this blog will be about a journey, and it will follow me as I follow Him. xoxo-KK

Life Lately...

2010-03-13T16:01:00.000-08:00

Has been a little overwhelming. Hence the no blogging. A quick rundown before I have to go...
-Scott played in his baseball alumni game for high school and shattered his leg in 9 places, he has been bedridden and drugged up.
-Little B has had a double ear infection and has been crying if I set her down for at even one second.
-Scott's brother borrowed his car and crashed it.
-We received a ticket in the mail of Scott running a red light. (not a big deal but annoying nonetheless)
and (drumroll please)
-my parents house burned down and they have moved in with us until it is repaired. - and though I have always had dreams of communal living, these aren't the conditions I imagined it under.
Please keep us in your prayers life at the Cheo's has been a little insane. I know God's up to something, just not really sure what.

LOVE this

2010-02-18T17:03:00.001-08:00

for you my Scotty.

Creepy

2010-02-16T21:14:00.000-08:00

Scotty and I LOVE making food together. Occasionally it gets a little out of hand. The other night we were making Valentine cookies. It came time to give Miss B a bath. I came back into the room and had noticed two odd amoeba shaped cookies on the baking sheet. After inquiring what the heck they were Scott informed me rather nonchalantly that he had resurfaced the Christmas cookie cutters and had made a "snow-star" and a "tree-man."

Love Day

2010-02-15T08:53:00.000-08:00

My love day was fantastic. How was yours?

the morning started off sweet... flowers for me and our little B. heart shaped pancakes made by chef Scott.

then Scott and I escaped for some alone time and, wait, what does that say?

Oh Scotty.

Oh yeah.

Then, as if that wasn't enough Scotty surprised us and took us to Sea World with our new passes! (please notice the new necklace in the last pic)

Then we would up back home and Scott and B opened up their gifts.

Really For Real

2010-02-12T20:46:00.000-08:00

Today I spent my day like this with my sick girl.

And I loved every minute of it.

Lately I have been learning so much about what it is to find contentment. Contentment in what we have, not continuously longing for more. It quite literally means; 1. the state of being contented; satisfaction; ease of mind.
2. Archaic. the act of making contentedly satisfied. What I gather from the second definition is that it's a process. It doesn't come naturally to most of us. We constantly want more than what we have. We are always looking towards the next big thing. And this is not necessarily negative. However, I've been learning the contradictory balance of "the act of making contentedly satisfied" and also being completely on the edge of my seat with what the Lord will offer me next. I find pearls of wisdom from the Proverbs.
"Proverbs 14:30
A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones."

"Proverbs 15:13
A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit."

This one I found particularly encouraging.

"Ecclesiastes 3:12-13
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil—this is the gift of God."

this was after a yummy dinner with old high school friends

Love and I having a great time

Although it is a continual, daily decision to remain content, to take joy in the blessings, and ultimately to place our focus not on the fleeting worldly things, but on the eternal perspective, there ARE so many things here on earth to be satisfied with. The gifts that we have received from God. Let's concentrate on those, no?

“Contentment is natural wealth, luxury is artificial poverty”- Socrates

For Real Friday

2010-02-05T21:38:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos taken throughout my week. Enjoy!

met friends for lunch in Laguna, paused for some photos

Scott being, well, Scott

the morning routine

what happens when the Northrups come over for Mexican food night

boho baby

fun dinner at Tiff's

B cleaning up the joint

Miss B's craft

some pics from our playdate with our new friends Toni and baby Presley!!

It's been a busy week everyone! Keep calm, stay focused, and concentrate on the important stuff.

and i don't wanna miss a thing

2010-01-25T20:35:00.000-08:00

I've done a lot of contemplating lately. Scott and I both have done a lot of talking and hashing out. What do we want our life to look like? When we grow old, what do we want to look back and say? What will our 80 year old selves say about our 27 year old selves. Did we live our lives to the complete fullest, recognizing that this day this moment would only last for a small split second in the grand scheme of our lives? Or would we just allow life to mozy on by us while we got caught up in the daily stresses and worries that we all have and wake up one day to regret it all? This has caused us to make some pretty interesting decisions. Decision #1 was obviously getting rid of TV, and I have to say that neither one of us miss it even in the least. Decision #2 was integrating different fun traditions during our week to look forward to that take the monotony of daily life- i.e. Sunday night soup, Miercoles Mexican night (it used to be Taco Tuesday, but now Scott has class on Tuesday so we had to move it to Wednesday, only nothing that has anything to do with Mexican food begins with W so we had to change it ok?) and even small little routines that we have- Mom does bath, Dad does bedtime with a song. Decision #3 has been to wake up every day together and do devotions with our coffee. Decision #4 has been for Brinkley and I to leave my phone and computer behind once a day and go down to the beach- or if it's raining into her room- and play together for an hour or so. I like going to the beach more, and I know B does too but sometimes you've gotta make do. All of this pondering came to a head tonight while I was doing my Monday night workout video. I thought to myself, "No one would really know if I only did 20 instead of 25 reps." Then I thought, "yeah but if I do 5 less reps per exercise I do, that's a heck of a lot of exercise I'm missing out on." And then I went so far as to think how less toned I would be at the end of the year, if I cheated myself out of that hard work. And then it struck me like a flash of lightning. No one would know if I skipped my hour playtime with Brinks outdoors one day. In fact no one would even know if Scott and I were just "too tired" to go in and get her one morning and let her cry herself back to sleep. No one would know if I got a babysitter so I could take off all the time on vacations with out her. (I am not referring to the occasional getaway, I recognize that this is deserved and pretty much needed) And it IS hard work. It's tiring. It's easier to hire help, or take off every chance you get, or do what's "best for you." But if I did all of these things, I would be cheating myself out of a heck of a lot of time without her. And Scott and I would be cheating ourselves out of a heck of a lot of closeness that we could have with her. And we would also be cheating ourselves out of a tight relationship that we could form with her early on that could last her entire life. So although it is a lot more work to pour ourselves completely into our parenting roles, I encourage you, mothers, your souls, just like my abs will be so much more refined.

not an uncommon day with my girl

For Real Friday... it's back.

2010-01-22T20:10:00.001-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos taken throughout my week. Enjoy!

holding my friend's newborn Joshua in the hospital when i visited her

decorated her house for her return from the hospital

some shots from baby Noah's first birthday party

some beauties of my flower child

my yummy homemade vegetarian pho for dinner

the morning routine

the end of my perfect week

A Birthday Dinner for the books

2010-01-14T20:43:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday night a group of friends (planned by my love) took me to Del Agave in San Clemente for dinner. It was a fantastic evening filled good food, good drinks and best of all good friends. Scott gave me a toast after dinner and we kicked off my 27th year and 2010 in the right way. Concentrating on the important, God, family, friends, experiences!

the surprise toast and thank you kiss

New York and a New Year

2010-01-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

You may remember that Scotty surprised me for Valentine's Day last year by honoring one of my lifelong goals to see the ball drop in Times Square on New Year's Eve. Well, after all of the Christmas craziness, the two of us left- sans bebe to the big apple for some romantic fun. Here are some of the highlights of our amazing trip. Well, the outdoor stuff ;)

the first night we got there we took advantage of the free wine and cheese reception at our hotel

we then headed off for a yummy italian dinner, dylan's candy shop, and serendipity

the next morning we headed off to the Guggenheim and then to Central Park and the Boathouse restaurant for lunch

that evening we headed off for a Ranger's Game- front row! and Rockefeller center

the next morning we awoke and snow covered the ground. security in the city was thick and we set out to find me a new years eve outfit. we went to South Pacific that night

we fought our way to Time Square and then...5! 4! 3! 2! 1!!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

we watched the ball drop live and in person!! we trucked back to our hotel and crashed. the next morning I awoke to breakfast in bed, a gorgeous bouquet of tulips and cards and gifts from my love. all in all- a perfect birthday. we spent the rest of the day shopping and eating and returned home to a very sweet little girl.

For Real Friday

2010-01-08T21:51:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos taken during my week. Enjoy!

the after effects of fingerpainting

the ordeal with cheerios

we've pretty much been to the beach every day this week

met our friends Jenna and her sister Stef and little boy Troy

I missed my girl so much when we were gone!! I spent every minute with her possible. Pictures from New York to come!! Stay tuned.

Start Spreadin the news...

2009-12-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

i'm leavin today....

Embracing the struggle

2009-12-23T22:09:00.000-08:00

pausing for some love with my true love

It seems to me that it is always easier to post on here the good things. The outings we attend, the amazing cookies we baked, the cute things our husband does for us. And these things are all well and good. But what about the hard stuff? What about the real stuff that life is sometimes made of? The struggle. None of us goes through life without it. None of us is exempt from our times in the desert. None of us has a get-out-of-trials free pass. The Bible reminds us that, (Matthew 5:45)

45That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

There you have it. We will all experience rain in our lives and seasons of difficulty. No matter how good you are! Do we acknowledge these things, or simply pretend that they do not happen, and cover them up with our pictures of crafts, fun get togethers and adorable children? Last week for me was complete insanity. And although I realize that my life is an incredible blessing, and I am so fortunate in so many ways, I feel that sometimes life has just climbed on top of me and strangled the living daylights out of me. I cannot seem to be all things to all people, contrary to what I would like to be. I am a "yes" person and tend to say "yes" without thinking far too often. There seems to be an endless list of things to do, parties to plan, people to meet up with, food to prepare, cookies to bake, gifts to buy and the list goes on and on and on. Meanwhile, I have my normal life to carry on with, work Monday and Wed, tutoring on Tues, teaching college group on Thurs, music class with B on Friday, teaching Sunday school on Sunday YIKES! I find myself being burdened with these things, tied down and worrying about, well, pretty much everything. And for some reason, last week seemed to me to be the pinnacle of the struggle. I just simply ran out of time. Gone. And then suddenly, I was forced to do something extremely odd and contrary to my type A personality. I simply let go. I realized that it was necessary to my own health and mental sanity. Psalm 55:22 says,
"Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken"

We serve a real and living God. Love and I were talking about it over our Tues morning coffee together and devotion, and we both realized that God is preparing us for something big. He always is. But in the meantime, He doesn't want us to be so put together. He wants us to be reliant on Him. Hints the struggles. His purpose, His plan. Instead of fighting this struggle, we need to go with it. Allow it, count it as a blessing. This is Scott and my wish for you this Christmas season. No matter where you are in your journey, that you would cast your burden upon Him and embrace the struggle that you are in. It is His plan and His will for you, and really, you could not ask for a greater calling. God Bless you all this Christmas. xoxo-kk

pausing for some love with my bebe

For Real Friday (on Sunday this week)

2009-12-20T22:33:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos taken from my week. Enjoy!

miss b's first pigtails

at a friend's house for dinner with a couple families (seriously like 4 families, they all have a gazillion kids- so fun!!)

some of my students after singing their rewritten Christmas carols- as per their final assignment

visiting the Polar Express train with friends at Irvine Railroad Park

dinner at Farrell's with my family after pictures with Santa (where B screamed)

3 Chicks With Looks Who Cook and Read Books

2009-12-15T21:33:00.000-08:00

a recent photo taken of the authors at a U2 concert last month.

IT'S OFFICIAL!! My friends and I have just published a cookbook. The idea was derived out of the monthly book club I started where a few of the besties get together at someone's house, discuss our book, and our hostess wows the rest of us with her amazing cuisine. The three of us that host these monthly soirees have experimented with dare I say hundreds of recipes. And so after many hours collaborating our favorites, we came up with about 40 and broke them down into actual meals, containing appetizers, salads, entrees and desserts. THEN, we separated them into categories, with our favorite book selections as the chapter headings and VOILA!! A book club cookbook. We chose to call it the very modest, "Three chicks with looks who cook and read books." Just in time for the holidays. Not to ruin everybody's surprises, but, well, Merry Christmas everyone. (hint, hint)

For Real Friday (a day late)

2009-12-12T22:32:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos from my week. Enjoy!

Miss B's first chocolate

Before Scott's work Christmas party

driving there

the gorgeous bouquet Scott had sent to my work to say "i love you to the hottest director ever"

pics from the women's tea at church- and the table I was in charge of decorating!!

Whatta man whatta man whatta man whatta mighty good man

2009-12-09T21:07:00.000-08:00

I wanna take a minute or two, and give much respect due

To the man that's made a difference in my world

Just thought I would give a little shout out to my man, the one and only love of my life who was featured this week in the San Clemente Sun paper. Yes, you see it would appear that there was a nice little write up for this love of mine who got a promotion and became San Clemente's very own "regional private banker." He attended a lovely little promotion dinner at Club 33 and was officially initiated into the private banking club. And even though I knew he got a promotion, he did not even tell me about being in the paper- I found out from a parent at my school. That's how modest my man is. HOT HOT HOT. He' so crazy, I think I wanna have his baby.

Where are Mommy's keys?

2009-12-07T21:19:00.001-08:00

For Real Friday

2009-12-04T22:45:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos taken from my week. Enjoy!
Christmas Tree Lighting on Del Mar

Our wild child playing a game with her dad that Scott likes to call "Tales from the Crib"

Miss B's craft for her Mimi

Meeting up for some Starbucks before choosing the tree

The "One"

Working on These Today

2009-12-01T21:05:00.000-08:00

"Owning little requires a practical approach – systematically decluttering your life and eliminating the unnecessary. Wanting little on the other hand is focused on the way in which we think, a far more blurred aspect of simplicity." - taken from ZenHabits

Super Easy Teething Biscuits

2009-11-30T21:05:00.000-08:00

I like to know everything Miss B puts into her little system. I do NOT like processed foods or artificial ingredients. So to insure that she is only consuming stuff I want her to eat, I make her food. This includes teething biscuits. The recipe is so simple that I thought I might post it for anyone who wants to make them as well.
1 cup organic flour
1 cup baby's cereal (i use organic barley cereal)
1 cup organic fruit juice (i use the leftover juice from when I steam her fruit in my Beaba, or I use 100% organic pomegranite juice)
Mix all ingredients together and roll into a dough. cut out into shapes. I used a snowflake cookie cutter because I think that the shape is perfect for little teething gums, and it's festive too! Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Let your little sweetie chew away!

You and I are not so different Liv

2009-11-29T21:52:00.001-08:00

I love my job. I love the kids, I love the parents, and I love being a mentor. But sometimes, in fact MOST times on my days off, I want to be left ALONE. I want to take off the teacher hat and put on the mommy hat. I want to walk down to the beach and play on the swings with my B. I want to go to Target without makeup on, or go to music class and talk with other moms, and NOT about how their kid can improve their grammar grade. I do not want to talk on the phone or feign interest in other people's kids. Though I really am interested in their kids on Mondays and Wednesdays, the rest of the week I WANT TO TALK ABOUT MY KID!!! This anonymity is becoming increasingly more difficult the more years that I teach. It seems I am always running into someone I know. And when I have the kid with me, FUGHETTABOUTIT. I stand there juggling my squirmy little B while I hear about recent soccer games, what dance class their kid is in, how they are doing in high school, what they are up to this weekend and on and on and I PRAY silently to God, that if my kid would just hold still for a minute and if she would just smile and act cute in front of my students and their families, and POSSIBLY let them hold her (seriously, people are always asking to hold her) that I would do MANY good deeds that upcoming week, including possibly answering my jury duty summit and not writing return to sender on the envelope any longer. And for the most part, Brinkster is her charming little self. But the stress that it causes is almost too much to bear. So all this to say, that sometimes, sometimes when I am just not feeling into it, I will occasionally put my sunglasses on, turn and walk in the other direction before I am bombarded with people. I know, I know. Evil right? Maybe not so. Last week I took Sprinkles to DIsneyland with my family. We were having a grand time, walking around the park, sharing in good times, eating a big fat churro and going on rides. We were in line for Peter Pan and Miss B was getting antsy. We waited in line for 45 minutes and this is a long time for a toddler. So to keep her busy I sang songs, tickled her, hung her upside down and did anything I could do to distract. When all of the sudden, I look two twists behind me in line and I see a student and her family. SO not in the mood at that point, and I knew that Miss B was not in a smiling giggling other people holding her kind of mood. So what did I do? I put on the Pradas. Yup. I stuck my sunglasses on, pulled my cute hat down and turned the other way. I hissed at my family members to not call my name out loud and we made it unnoticed through the whole line. Then an odd occurrence, well, occurred. We got to the front of the line, just about to get on the flying ship when the ride attendant put out her arm in front of us while a full ship stopped in front of us. A small party of 3 had apparently gotten on the exits. Miss B leaned back in my arms and giggled loudly while I tickled her, when I noticed the mom of the ship smiling at B, and then looking up at me. It was Liv Tyler. When I gave her that look of recognition after a moment of what I'm sure could have only looked like I was confused. (I always think I know famous people before I realize that they're famous, I sit there like an idiot thinking, did I go to high school with this person? did I teach their kid? did I serve them at RUby's back in the day?) As soon as the lightbulb went on she looked down and was off to the third star to the right and straight on until morning. I made sure to text my friends after this and even saw Liv (who is TINY by the way) walk off in her flannel shirt and jean shorts and fedora hat with her kid and husband, going around Disneyland unnoticed. When asked by everyone I knew WHY I didn't snap a photo with my phone or ask for her autograph, I simply told them, she just wanted to be with her family, put on the mommy hat and go unnoticed, just for one day.

Budgeting and other ways to take the fun out of Christmas

2009-11-28T22:41:00.000-08:00

The Love and I are going anti-consumerism for Christmas this year. As part of our focusing on the important things in life we have decided that Christmas should be a time to celebrate the more important things in life. Jesus, Love and family. We have come up with .....drumroll please.... a budget. Just the word alone puts a bad taste in my mouth. NO FUN my inner child yells inside me, I like to think of money as fluid, not an issue. It doesn't matter... and yet I know it is the right thing to do. And besides, what do I really need? my more logical side argues. I have everything a girl could want. But still, when I spend for others I like to be extravagant. In the spirit of giving the word BUDGET puts a damper on the whole situation. So, although I would technically like a million dollars for my many craft nights, dinner parties, Christmas luncheons, Christmas plays, brunches and gift exchanges that I host, I have agreed to stick to this foreign word, this budget. On the brighter side of things, I think that I actually began to enjoy things that are GASP! cheap or even free! I pulled together some great clothes out of our closets for our Christmas photos rather than running to Target or Forever 21 and purchasing new ones. please see below and vote for your favorite one:
Option #1

Option #2

Option #3

Option #4

My friend Megs and I even had a little craft night, where we went to the Dollar Tree and found adorable decorations and made home made wreaths instead of purchasing new ones this year. Please see below:

So although we don't have a big budget, we've turned a little resource decrease into an enormous heart-source increase.

For Real Friday

2009-11-27T20:24:00.000-08:00

A peek into my life based on random photos taken from my week. Enjoy!
a day off

kisses with the Love

music class with my girl

drama practice for the Christmas play I direct

a little holiday baking

Give Thanks

2009-11-25T23:05:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is the ONE time a year that most people set aside to actually put their focus on what they are grateful for. Usually it's the obligatory friends and family and roof over their head blah blah blah. Then on black friday they go out and forget to be thankful for what they HAVE and focus on what they WANT. How backwards is that, right? So, Scott and I have decided to express our gratitude for the every day things. The things we take for granted. What would it look like if we spent all year focused on our thankfulness and then only ONE day focusing on what we want? It's a pretty revolutionary thought, if I do say so myself. So I've decided to list a few things here that I'm thankful for. Scott and I have also decided that weekly (probably on our date night) we will verbalize to one another what we are thankful for.
-the coffee that Scott brings to my bed every morning and then takes Miss B out on a walk so I can have an extra 20 minutes of sleep
-the extra 20 minutes of sleep:)
-holiday socks
-snuggle nights with my Love
-hugs and kisses from my baby girl
-my parents living so close to us and getting to share in our child-raising
-having found my soulmate, my true love so young in life and experiencing everything with him
-my faith in God
-manicures and pedicures
-living on the beach and seeing the waves every day
-having a husband who's willing to fly away with me
-really good books
-having a job where I can use my creativity
-seeing the world through a new perspective in the eyes of my child
-chai lattes with soy from Starbucks
-Sunday night soup and Miercoles Mexican in our house and other "theme nights" we come up with
-craft nights with my girlfriends
-my book club friends
Once you start the thankfulness list, the possibilities are endless. What are you grateful for? Let's start a backwards thinking society.

One Year

2009-11-19T15:03:00.000-08:00

Remember this?

How did that turn into this?

It seems that the year has FLOWN by. But our little B turned 1 on October 21st. (i know, i know. i'm late in posting this. read my blog hiatus and understand that i have been OVER IT. i wonder if blogs gather virtual dust? my friend Priscilla posed that question and if it is true, then my blog needs a serious dusting) Anywho. Sprinkles' first birthday was at Tanaka Farms in Irvine. It was a gorgeous day and the kids and the grownups all had a lot of fun. Because B turned one, The Love and I had a long talk about the precedent we would set if we spent hundreds of dollars on our oldest child's birthday. Unrealistic and unnecessary. B doesn't even know she turned one. Nor does she care about the amount of money we spent. Scotty and I are not about that anyways. We have had multiple discussions about Sweet 16 on MTV and gag at the thought that these poor girls grow up thinking that money is the most important thing in life. Porsche's do not show up at the front door of most people's homes on their birthday. Character is a huge focus in our family and so with that in mind I had a couple of girlfriends over the night before and we made most of the decorations. With a little help from Miss B of course. She fingerpainted a painting to match the theme- Hello Kitty Halloween. It was perfect. Everyone got to go on a tractor ride, through the corn maze (how ironic. corn is also known as maize but there really was a MAZE, you know like the labrynth. i'm a nerd sorry) and pick a pumpkin as their party favor. It couldn't have been a better day.

Isn't it Ironic. A Life Lesson.

2009-11-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

A valuable lesson was learned by yours truly this month. So many, many things went down the month of October in the Cheo household. Least of which was Miss B turning (gulp) ONE. (pictures to come). Since I was working so VERY hard, I took some much needed time off. I left my little sweetie and my Big sweetie for one whole evening and painted the town red with some girlfriends. That's right. You heard me. I packed my Big and Sexy hair spray, my sequined dress, and my fake eyelashes and headed with my three besties to Vegas for a night to see our beloved Dane Cook. I had some reservations about leaving the homefront. 1- lil miss B had fallen and had an enormous bruise on her head. would it cause amnesia? would she remember me when I got home? 2- I had never left her for a whole night before. and while I trust Scott, I did not trust myself not to have a breakdown in Caesar's palace and start showing some Elvis look alike pictures of my little mama in the bath tub. I had visions of myself saying "look at those little buns!? aren't they adorable!!" But alas, I took off my mom hat and got into the car with the ladies without so much as a wayward glance toward my home. We got dressed up (and looked pretty bangin if I do say so myself) and went to the Hard Rock to go see Dane. Please see photos below.

The night went off without a hitch. UNTIL. we became lost and ended up in a shady area on our way back to the strip. You might be wondering why we didn't take a cab. Well, we did not want to wait in an hour and a half line (which is what the line was at the Hard Rock) to get back to the strip. By that time it would have been late. We're old. We can't stay up all night like we used to. So we trucked it. In my heels, in my sequined dress through gravel and construction sites. We walked and walked. There were people trying to pick us up in their cars. There were shady characters everywhere. My besties got scared. I did not. They relied on me to navigate the way back to the strip. I wondered why. Then it hit me smack dab in the forehead. I'm a mom. I got down to business and found our way back. Though I was 500 miles away from home. Though I wanted to not be a mom for a night. No matter where I go, I'm sure to find myself there.

Blog Hiatus

2009-11-12T12:38:00.001-08:00

I have been on a little blog hiatus lately. For reasons that I don't even know. I love blogging. I have a lot to say but for some reason I have not even been in the mood. I think perhaps I just feel like how many posts about lunches with friends, parties, concerts, etc can one person possibly keep up with? When I look back on my life and think how will my kids remember me, what do I want them to say? She was a great blogger. who cares? Scott and I have been going through a little bit of a transformation lately and it's incredible. We have been doing what we call "weeding out." We are getting rid of the clutter in our lives and focusing in on the important stuff. Simple right? no, not really blogging friends. We got rid of cable. Now when we have our "cookie surprise" (a routine that scott and i have nightly where I ask what we will have for a treat, he responds with, well maybe some broccoli? and i act disappointed only to be "surprised" by whatever cookie or treat he brings for us to enjoy) we talk until all hours of the night. We have never been big on TV and this just seems like the right thing for our family. We begun teaching college group at church, we are concentrating on molding our lives into something spectacular. I have a very wise friend who once told me that everything spectacular in life comes down to one word. Intentionality. This just seemed like the right time for us. We have always lived our lives by the seat of our pants which we love and will still continue to do but just with more intentionality. So what does this entail? Well this blog for one. It will henceforth be an effort that we concentrate on together. Kind of like our journal to one another this will be an account of our journey through our life together. Life is good blogging friends, and it's time to start giving an account of just how good it can be. Now, I don't mean to insult the blogs that post pictures of what they made every night for dinner. I have a passion for cooking as well, and perhaps if it strikes me, might post a meal or two as well. But don't you ever think that there is something more? We do. And that is exactly why we are going through this transformation. So stay tuned. Revolution is on it's way.

7 Years, and I'm not Itchy

2009-08-21T11:15:00.000-07:00

Today is Scott and my 7 year wedding anniversary. It seems really hard to believe how fast the time has flown. We have laughed, cried, had our first child, traveled around the world but most of all loved. This morning I awoke to breakfast and a DIAMOND RING in bed. Scott also wrapped up a framed photo of the stool at Ruby's that he sat on the first night we met. I can't imagine my life without this amazing man of mine. We couldn't be happier or more in love. Cheers to 70 more years together.

Grand Cayman Vacation

2009-08-18T11:02:00.001-07:00

As you all know, Scott and I love to travel together and were so excited to take our little Brinkster with us this year on the family vacation. We flew into Miami and stayed there for two days, and then headed to Grand Cayman. Brinks was on five flights in one day due to some stopovers we had. She did not cry ONCE. I was so impressed. The anxiety I had about taking my little girl on the go on so many flights where she would have to sit the whole time was astronomical. Luckily she was a little angel. And luckily I bribed her with treats. The Caymans were amazing. GORGEOUS does not even begin to describe it. We soaked up the sun and hung out with just our little family. Miss B seemed obsessed with licking the salt water off her body.
hanging out at the beach outside our hotel in Miami

first day in Grand Cayman (B loved the beach, I loved it too and Scotty loved his Angel- me)

some fun activities

we went to Sting Ray City. two words people STEVE IRWIN

we played, watched the sunset and had a little pre-7 year anniversary celebration ;)

Leaving On a Jet Plane

2009-08-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

Headed off for a little family vacay. Grand Cayman Island here we come.

Two Trips

2009-08-07T21:34:00.001-07:00

Since I have the summer off of teaching, I decided to take two mini vacations.
I went to Arizona to visit my aunt with my mom and my sister and Miss B. We drove out there in the blistering heat and had a lovely time just hangin with the girls. I know what you're thinking. Arizona in the middle of summer? And after going, I must agree. It was like 1000 miles away from the beach and across the street from hell.

The following weekend it was up to Los Angeles to visit my lovely Christine and her boyfriend Tim Rock. (you may recognize him from the Quizno commercials). Christine is going to be very busy for the next few months filming her new TV show FlashForward that is going to air on ABC in the fall. She wanted to spend her last weekend free with the Cheo family and we were much appreciative! We stayed in Tim's gorgeous home in Laurel Canyon. It was amazing. A weekend with friends, going out to eat, ordering in, swimming in the backyard pool. A girl could get used to this life.

2 More

2009-08-06T22:42:00.000-07:00

We met up with our besties Tiff and Lil and took photos in old town San Juan. What is it about chipped paint and distressed wood that makes me want to photograph it?

Ocean Festival in San Clemente
I love a good community activity.

2 Posts a Day

2009-08-05T20:29:00.000-07:00

I have decided to do two posts a day until I catch up with my summer. I apologize for the ones that are REALLY LATE. So here I go...

Every day I start off with a walk down to the beach with my girl...

sometimes we meet up with friends...

sometimes we play on the swings...

sometimes we just sit on the steps and look at the ocean...

how lucky am I?

We had an amazing 4th!!

ready to go!

B with her friends- Troy and Lillie

with the besties at the parade

made with love

walking to the fireworks

watching the fireworks with my fam- B loved them!!

Being a Mom is Embarrassing Pt 2

2009-07-23T14:53:00.000-07:00

This happened at the beginning of June, and I am just now blogging about it because it was SO HUMILIATING. Okay, deep breaths, here I go. At the end of the school year it is my obligation and pleasure to stand on the stage in front of the whole school and hand out diplomas to my graduating 8th graders. Their parents come to the stage and I stand off to the side while they say a few things about their amazing kid. During one of the speeches I started to think, "Wow, how embarrassing would it be if my milk let down right here on stage and seeped through my cute new tube top dress?" Then I mentally reprimanded myself and said," Quit thinking of that, the more you think about it the more possible it is that it will happen." And so my mental battle went on for about 2 minutes until finally I looked down and yup, you guessed it, a small puddle of milk was forming on my left breast. I turned to the PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD next to me and whispered," Um, I have to get off stage right now, I am going to leak right through my shirt." He just stared straight ahead and nodded. I then had to go figure out a way to hide the milk stain and GO BACK ON STAGE because the diplomas weren't over yet. I twisted my tube top to the side so the milk stain was under my armpit. I could have just died. Did I really lactate ON STAGE in front of my whole school, their parents, grandparents and other judgmental moms? Yes I did, friends, yes I did. And did I recount this story just for your listening pleasure? Yes I did friends, yes I did.

a photo taken later that night, milk stain cleaned up

Can You Believe This?

2009-07-23T10:20:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I have been a terrible blogger lately. I have not been in my own house longer than a couple of hours at a time! We have had such a busy summer. Though it has been really incredibly fun, I have been too tired to come home and blog about it. I've been too busy experiencing it. More updates to come. We're running out of the house for some summer fun!

Good Day L A

2009-06-28T16:55:00.001-07:00

Brinkley woke up like this Thursday morning because she knew that we were going to Hollywood to visit my bestie, Christine

At Christine's we do lots of important stuff like this...

There was also a lot of this happening

Then our friends Tim, Jenna, Lisa, Gavin, Megan and Lenny (not pictured, I was not going to spend all night taking pictures) came over and we all made yummy tacos and hung out. And watched the whole Michael Jackson drama unfold on TV. I will let you all know that on the way to Christine's house I was telling everyone in the car, "Ed McMann, then Farrah Fawcett, I wonder who the third is going to be." Then we took bets on who we thought. I won't mention any names but they were all good guesses. Then we got there and found out about MJ. So weird. I'm taking guesses on lotto numbers next.

8 Months...

2009-06-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

It dawned on me a couple of days ago while we were celebrating my dad's birthday at a bonfire on the beach that my little girl is 8 months old. 8 MONTHS OLD. Where has the time gone, I ask? It makes me sick to think that my little baby is going to be a year old before I know it. I blinked and 8 months went by. My little girl just said her first word a week or so ago. "mama." no joke. she says mama all day now. She pulls up on furniture, crawls around the house, goes from crawling to sitting to crawling to standing. It kills me to think all of the things she has learned in the past few months. WAY more than my dad has learned this past year. haha. just kidding. But here are some photos from the beach that night. It was the perfect night for a bonfire.

Palm Springs

2009-06-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

The besties and I headed down to Palm Springs on Thursday and stayed until Saturday night. It was so relaxing and fun. We ate, shopped, and laid out by the pool. B was the perfect angel all weekend. The Cabazon outlets happen to be 20 minutes away from our hotel... trouble. I went and threw some much needed dough for our upcoming vacation down the toilet... it was GREAT!! We might need to make it an annual trip. Note to self: leave credit cards behind when visiting J Crew outlet.

Happy Dada's Day

2009-06-21T14:52:00.000-07:00

to this amazing man...

who I love so very much. Thank you for being the most amazing dad and husband ever. Love you. (and thank you for the welcome back CDs you made me. you haven't lost your touch)

Going Away Present

2009-06-18T10:25:00.000-07:00

Me and the Brinks are taking off this weekend for a girl's weekend in Palm Springs. I got a text this morning from my honey saying "your going away present is on the coffee table." I looked and found this...

I don't know how many of you have seen Fireproof but it basically is a movie about marriage. Scott and I watched it and thanked the Lord for our amazing marriage and thought nothing of it. Scott bought this book which includes 40 days of love dares to do to your spouse. He did ALL 40 DAYS and filled out the book and gave it to me to read. I was in tears as I was reading it. What a guy I have. That's all I can say.

Bowling

2009-06-18T10:12:00.000-07:00

We went bowling with a group of people last Sunday. Now let me tell you people- I am NOT a fan of bowling. I find nothing fun about wearing stinky smelly shoes that other people probably with gangreen have worn, and grabbing a heavy ball and flinging it toward some sticks. I do not call this a sport. What I DO call a sport is the socializing that can be done at a bowling alley. I caught up with some friends including my cute friend Melissa (who is expecting her first baby. you can see her husband, Randy making a fool of himself behind us) and my Dad. I love my Dad. But I still hate bowling.

Last Week of School

2009-06-15T16:09:00.000-07:00

Hooray!! I am off work for the summertime:) I am so excited to have the summer off to spend with my babe. We have a lot of fun activities planned and I can't wait. Last week was my last week of school and there was no shortage of things that had to be done. First and foremost I had to finish the yearbook. Then I had my class trip to Disneyland as pictured below...(please don't judge the shirts. they were made by a student. the same one that sent me the flip flop if you were wondering)

Then I took my class toilet papering after the graduation night and banquet...

Then my aunt flew in and I took her to the outlets and we met up with our friends at Lucille's for Scott's birthday dinner...

Then I passed out.

Wise Men Say...

2009-06-11T23:33:00.001-07:00

Only fools rush in. But I can't help, falling in love with you. Scott and I were dancing to this song in the living room last night and I couldn't help but think of how much we've been through together. Who would have known that baseball boy who told me he loved me on our first date would end up becoming my husband six months later. Who would have known. It seems like this should be our song "Fools Rush In." But we both knew we were soulmates and 7 1/2 years later, we still know it.

LOOOOONNNNG Weekend

2009-06-09T21:35:00.000-07:00

I felt peer pressured into going to the Women's Retreat this weekend. I listened to comments like, "Come on Katelyn, don't be a party pooper." and "Katelyn adjust your attitude about it. You'll have a ton of people to help you." I should have ignored them. Resisted them. FLEED from them. Instead, I bent over and took it. And I decided to listen to peer pressure and go to the women's retreat with my baby. Though I will say that I enjoyed hanging out with other women and enjoyed not having to worry about making any meals but COME ON. I spent the entire weekend feeling like a single parent, trying to keep little B quiet during the sessions, trying to ward off the HUNDREDS of women that bombarded her every second. I am glad I did it, but NEVER AGAIN. I was happy to go home and even happier to receive a bouquet of flowers from my love upon stepping foot inside the door.

Happy Birthday Tiff!!

2009-06-09T00:29:00.000-07:00

My beautiful gorgeous bestie turned the big 2-8 two days after my hubbies birthday. The ladies, and Scott headed down to Ciao Pasta in San Juan for some yummies. It was a grand time for all involved.

Today, I received THIS in the mail

2009-06-02T13:57:00.000-07:00

That's right. My student, Lydia MAILED me a flip flop. Hilarious right? How cool is that?

Oh Happy Day.

2009-06-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Today was my man's birthday. We have had a few days of celebration. Yesterday with family. Today with church friends. Next Thurs with other friends. I wanted to take the time to tell you a little bit about this love of mine. He makes me coffee every morning and puts it next to my bed for when I wake up. He packs my lunch on the days I work. He makes me dinner at least once a week. He watches B so I can go out with my girlfriends. He plans elaborate, elaborate, romantic days for EVERY birthday, anniversary or even just a random day. He brings me flowers at least once a week, writes me love notes, calls me gorgeous, plays with my hair, rubs my feet and pretty much swims through shark infested waters just to bring me fresh lemonade. He is the man of my dreams. I could not be more in love with him. I wanted to take this time to say that I love you Scotty. You are the best husband and father a girl could ask for. Even more than what you do for me, it's just simply who you ARE. A man of amazing integrity, humor, intelligence... I could go on and on. Thank you for sharing another year with me. You big 27 year old you.

Coronado Island

2009-05-26T22:33:00.000-07:00

Scott and I were feeling romantic and spontaneous and so we took off for Memorial Day weekend. We stayed on one of our favorite romantic spots, Coronado Island. We had a beautiful weekend. We try to make it a point to take off every couple of months or so and regroup and make goals for ourselves and our relationship. We like to keep things new and fresh and so one of the things we have decided to start doing again is writing in a journal back and forth to one another. Each of us will take the journal and write to the other one love notes, a quote, or put a little something in it and give it to the other one. We will also be writing letters to little B. This way in 50 years we can look back at not only our gorgeous photos but we can see our personal thoughts that we had for one another at any certain time. We are so inspired by one another it seems only natural to document our love. But back to our trip. We stayed in a little spanish hotel called the El Cordova and had some amazing meals and had a lovely time. Scott took me in a paperie (seriously, could he be more perfect? he knows my love of paper goods) and bought me a Mom's Agenda book, our journal to one another and a cute pad of paper that says "got to be free to be me" on the bottom. I was in heaven. We also had an amazing Mexican dinner at the Zagat rated Miguel's. This is where I rekindled my love for mojitos and discovered my love of raspberry ones. All in all, a perfect trip, with a perfect man and baby.

me and B ready to go

in front of our hotel room

B with her new obsession- straws

Cuddling as a family on the beach

on the go in front of the fountain at the hotel

B stoked on her other love- water fountains

that's amore

I'm going to be on US weekly

2009-05-26T22:23:00.000-07:00

My bestest, bestest friend Christine Woods whom I've known since we kicked it oldschool in kindergarten is going to be a star on ABC's new soon to be hit Flash Forward. She has promised me that when she is filmed by paparazzi I can squeeze my mug onto there with her as well. She is such an amazing actress and even an amazing person, I could not be more proud of her. You can read all about it on the Hollywood Reporter. You are free to gaze at this potential shot for US weekly above.

Girls, girls, girls.

2009-05-26T22:17:00.000-07:00

My cute friend Allison (please see above) threw a little girl's reunion to the one I had at my house a couple of months ago. It was nice to get together with these girls again. We had a grand time. We all made our favorite foods with copies of the recipes and exchanged them. It is so inspiring to me to be around women. Growing up I would always hear girls say "I only get along with guys," or "I have so many guy friends." Not me boy. I LOVE hanging out with women. I am definitely a girl's girl. I love to be around them. I only have room in my heart for ONE special man. He gets all of me. In the meantime I have my girl time.

New York, New York

2009-05-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

Well... as if I didn't have enough on my plate, I decided to commit social suicide and yet again this year direct my school's talent show. I have been in charge of putting on this production every year since I have been at the school. In case you were wondering I am also in charge of the Christmas show (that I came back from maternity leave at two weeks this year to complete). The show's theme was New York, New York and it went off without a hitch. The kids are so talented and every year it gets better and better. It cracks me up because every year my ideas for the show get more and more grandiose. This year I decided to (with the help of some of the parents of course) BUILD my own set. I projected a New York skyline in the background and had a taxi and a ticket booth built. I also had different musical posters painted and put around the stage. All in all it was the perfect night. (Sorry the photos are so bad, I stole them off of someone's facebook. More to come) Anyways, "the best show that we've had yet!" is what some people referred to it as. The night's highlight was a surprise "ballet" performance by my dear husband that had the audience ROLLING. Don't worry it will be on youtube and then shortly thereafter, on here. All I can say is I AM SO GLAD THAT IT'S OVER. I can breathe easy. At least until next year.

One Down, One To Go

2009-05-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

It seems that our house is always a mecca of activity. There is always an occasion to throw a party. (holidays, birthdays, book clubs, random Tues night etc) There have been two things that I have been dying to do. 1- play something really sick on a grand piano. 2- make yummy cappuccinos for everyone. Today I purchased this from Williams- Sonoma...

you're welcome future guests.

I neglected to mention...

2009-05-14T09:49:00.000-07:00

This adorable little number-

... was made by my dear, dear friend Anna. She also makes her own beautiful kid's clothes. Did I mention she has FIVE of them? Her clothing line is Witherine. She sells on Etsy. Go buy lots of stuff.

Everyday Should Be Mother's Day

2009-05-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

The love of my life has delivered once again. Mother's Day began with me waking up to my favorite Starbucks, flowers and a magazine that I read while Scott and B made breakfast. We then went to church, where Sprinklepants was dedicated. Then my love had scheduled an all day spa treatment program for my bestie and I. We had deep tissue massages, detox wraps and facials at Burke Williams. I arrived at home later that evening and Scott had made creamy tomato soup with parmesan bread for dinner. (Sunday night is soup night in the Cheo household. Every Sunday we make soup together in the kitchen as a family) I then received my present which was a one night romantic getaway with my lover in Santa Barbara. Holla!! I am a very, very lucky girl. I am so spoiled, but don't worry so is he. wink.

Cinco De Mayo

2009-05-11T21:53:00.000-07:00

For the Spanish celebration of Cinco De Mayo we rallied up some buddies and headed to the pier for happy hour. It was perfect weather and a lovely time. San Clemente has the best climate in the world. (or so many license plate holders say) On this particular day there were $3 steak taco plates and $3 Coronas. We even ordered in Spanish, "Una mas steak taco por favor. Una mas cerveza por favor." Our waiter was not impressed.

Was this written for us?

2009-05-06T22:07:00.000-07:00

Scott and I are really in to experiences and seeing and doing new things together. Since our addition of our little Sprinkle we have been researching family things to do together that are exciting and new. Our motto since day one has always been "experiences over things." We found this book at our monthly trip to Borders. (We are nerds ok?) We have been addicted to it since then. Boy is our little B (and our future children) in for an amazing childhood.

Go Angels!!

2009-04-26T21:18:00.001-07:00

On Sat night our friends Randy and Melissa treated us to an Angels game in the boxed seats. Scott got to the game early to talk with his old baseball pal, Rob Johnson who now plays for the Seattle Mariners. Rob was there the night that Scott and I met and realized we were in love (yes they happened the same night!!! we said it two days later on our first date). All in all it was a perfect night. It was the Sprinkles first baseball game and she had a blast. Everyone kept telling us how cute she looked with her little baseball shirt and jean skirt on. It got a little chilly though so towards the end of the night her and I both cuddled inside our man's sweatshirt. Always the gentleman. We have been hanging out with Randy and Melissa a lot lately, and we have such a blast with them! Scott and Randy always joke that we all "complete" each other. Melissa and I think that they have a bromance.
the whole crew in our suite

Melissa caught us!!

look at little B in this one!

our cute fam

us girls in our Angel red

6 Months Old!!

2009-04-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Our little Sprinkle is six months old as of the 21st. I can't believe how fast the time has gone!! I feel like I was just pregnant yesterday! Some stats for you- she is 26 1/2 inches long- 75%, 14.2 lbs- 20% (poor thing). She is so sweet. She LOVES to be outside, play in the water, and play with the dogs. She laughs hysterically at peek a boo, Little Einstein videos, and being surprised. She generally sleeps from about 9 pm until 6:30 in the morning (don't get too jealous, this was only a recent thing) she is extremely shy and will smile at people when they stop us in grocery stores, and then generally hide her face on my chest or on my shoulder. She cries or pouts when entering a room with large groups of people. She has her two bottom teeth all of the way in and she is breaking two more through. She loves music and will sing with us and try to dance as well. She is scooting on the carpet, not very far though, and she rolls all around like a rollie pollie. (p.s. I spelled rollie pollie 5 different ways just now before deciding on this spelling and I still think it's incorrect) She is such a mommy girl and we spend our mornings cuddling and reading together. She gets very excited when dad comes home from work. All around we couldn't imagine our life without this sweetie. Above are some pictures I took of her today. Notice she still has her blue eyes despite Scott and my brown ones. They are SOOO blue I think they are for sure staying!!

It's Britney, B@#$%

2009-04-23T12:51:00.001-07:00

For my birthday, the besties (tiff, jen, megs) bought us tickets to go see my girl Spears at the Honda Center. We have been in eager anticipation for this event since my birthday on Jan 1st. (for future reference and gifts) My girl did not disappoint. Her show was awesome. It was such a production, and we had so much fun. (please see photos below) When I reenacted the show to Scott later that night he also agreed it was a great show. I know that Brit Brit has had her ups and downs, and many were skeptical of a comeback. I assure you dear, faithful readers, that she is back and better than ever!

Sun Worshippers

2009-04-23T12:44:00.000-07:00

Luckily my little B loves the sun as much as I do. We spent a couple days last week in the pool and at the beach. She LOVED the pool. She kicked and laughed and screamed and splashed water in her own face. I am so glad. I can't tell you how worried I was that she might end up like my sister, Jill. When we were kids Jill would grab a coke and sit under the umbrella with her soda and a bag of chips while I swam in the pool. Come to think of it, not much has changed!

Oh Yes, It's Ladies Night!

2009-04-21T12:13:00.000-07:00

all of us girls minus 2

some of the gifts and the blessing basket

me and my sis

some of the girls pigging out!

the food

how I found Cheo and B at the end of the night

Last week I decided it was time for the girls in my young adult group at church to get to know each other. I sent out invites and had them all over for an evening of getting to know each other. It turned out to be one of the best nights ever! Everyone came over to my house about 7 pm and people were still over after 1am!! I made a bunch of tapas including bruschetta, salad with homemade dressing, baked brie, better than sex brownies (whoever invented that name, well... I won't finish this sentence) and a bunch of other foods that I know that girls love! They arrived at my house and we played a starter game, where everyone gets a name on their back and they can only ask yes or no questions to try and figure out who it is. We made life maps which are too complicated to explain and had a lovely gift exchange. When they left I encouraged them all to take a "blessing" with them. This was a Bible verse that I prayed would be specifically for them. All in all it was a perfect night.

Being a Mom is Embarrassing Pt. 1

2009-04-16T09:21:00.001-07:00

The other night we were out to dinner with some friends at a restaurant that is VERY locally. The tables are close together, it's a little noisy, etc. Brinkley started to fuss a little bit and so I decided to stand with her next to the table and do the "mom bounce" to keep her quiet. I am bouncing and talking to our friends and not paying attention when all of the sudden I notice people in the restaurant covering their mouths and smiling and talking to each other behind their hands. I look down and notice that my little Sprinkle has taken a hold of the lady's hair at the table next to us and was proceeding to rip it out. I know what you're thinking, not so bad right? Well unfortunately this lady was clearly a 40 year old desperate housewife because she was wearing FAKE HAIR. Brinkley was ripping out her FAKE HAIR. What can I say, my kid knows how to spot a bad weave.

Easter Sunday

2009-04-14T21:39:00.000-07:00

searching for her basket

opening the basket

ready for church

My mom, sister, B and I

our sweet little family

sitting with mommy outside lunch

This year Easter was very special for us because we were able to spend it with our little easter egg, Brinkley. Scott and I always get baskets for each other and then hide them around the house. Every year, I am the first to find my basket. Every year Scott can't find his because I'm just too dang good at hiding it. B obviously is too young to search for hers alone, so Scott helped her. This year in my Easter basket, Scott put magazine subscriptions, Cadbury eggs (the best candies in the world) and finally... TICKETS TO SEE U2 IN OCTOBER!!!! I cannot wait. I am so excited. I gave Scott sunglasses, his favorite cookies, magazines, energy drinks and other fun trinkets. Brinkley's basket ranneth over with a bathing suit, clothes, toys, etc. Not to mention the tea set that was fedexed from my Aunt Kathy and the outfit my mom got her. Perhaps my favorite part of the day was our little family all dressed up for church. B wore a lovely gown in lavender and turquoise, I wore a turquoise dress and Scott wore a lavender tie. We were a vision. We went to church with my family and then met Scott's family for lunch. We then came home and Scott made us a yummy soup. It may have been the best Easter ever.

He "picked" ME

2009-04-14T21:34:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday my amazing husband watched our little B so I could have a night off and go out with the girls. My friends TIff and Jen and I went to a Gavin Degraw concert. In case you were wondering, Gavin sings some pretty sweet songs and is pretty talented. He played a very small venue and us girls managed to be in the front row, right up against the stage. At the end of his set, he handed ME his guitar pick. Thank you Gavin, I'll be keeping this for B so I can fool her into thinking her mom was cool once.

Two Teeth

2009-04-13T13:21:00.000-07:00

Brinkley has her two bottom teeth- all of the way in. She got them through about 3 weeks ago right before she was 5 months. Now they are in full ... bloom? Anyways, needless to say it freaks me out to think of how big she is getting. I don't know what made me feel nostalgic about it today, but I just can't believe my little Sprinkle is growing up so fast.

Scrapbooking is Becoming Overwhelming

2009-04-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have always loved to scrapbook. Let me actually correct myself. I love going to Michaels and different paper stores and BUYING scrapbook stuff. (remember my love of paper goods from earlier posts?) Anyhow, I have been printing out pictures to begin B's scrapbook and am realizing what a cumbersome task it is becoming. Especially when the love insists on taking photos of his girls every time we leave the house. But then I feel like I need to print those out because she is wearing cute outfits in them. These were taken last weekend. On our way to a wedding, before dinner at our local fave, Sonny's with our two buddies Randy and Melissa and on our way to go visit my grandparents who are in town. Of course you would never know this because they are all of just two people. Scott's girls.

Today, I have become my Mother.

2009-04-10T15:56:00.000-07:00

While looking at the month of May in my cute planner, I called out to Scott, "You know what I REALLY want for Mother's Day? A clean house."

A recent Photo taken of the Cheo family

2009-04-08T22:16:00.001-07:00

This photo was taken of us at a wedding this past weekend and has ended up on many a facebook. I think it describes our family perfectly. They always say a picture is worth a thousand words.

First foods!

2009-04-04T09:04:00.001-07:00

I have been doing a lot of reading and have made the decision to make all of Brinkley's food. My girlie Christine gave me a Beaba from Williams Sonoma and it works like a dream. I was trying to hold off on food for as long as possible but when Miss B shoved her hand in Scott's spaghetti last week and put a fistful of noodles into her mouth, I figured she was ready. We started off her cuisine with some organic brown rice cereal a la carte. As you can see she thoroughly enjoyed it.

Congrats Megs and Dave!!

2009-03-31T15:14:00.001-07:00

My Barbie of a friend Megan (please see photos above and guess which one I'm referring to) is engaged to a wonderful man, Dave. They had a FABULOUS engagement party on Sat night and Scott and I had a lovely time. As the maid of honor, I am thrilled to be in her wedding. If it's half as awesome as her engagement party was, it's going to be one heck of a time!!

Baby Noah

2009-03-31T15:04:00.000-07:00

My beautiful friend Caroline has a sweet baby (Noah) who is 2 months old now! This baby is all boy and so adorable! He is the size of Brinkley!! She asked me to take some pictures of them. So B and I hopped into the car and drove to her house. We then took a trip to Disneyland with the babies. (This was extremely brave of us, we had to lug around so much crap). All in all it was a beautiful day. Here are some pics from our photo shoot and also our time at Disney.

Maybe I have Adult ADD

2009-03-27T14:17:00.000-07:00

I think I have a problem. I am currently reading all of the following books.
This one for pleasure

This one for spiritual direction

Scott and I are reading this together for relationship betterment

This one for family betterment

This one for self-enrichment

This one for my book club

Not to mention the countless magazines I subscribe to and all of the books I have to read for my job and my daily devotional and my devotional that Scott and I do together. It's enough to make your head spin. Seriously. I have always loved reading. Even as a child I would hide a flashlight under my pillow and read until all hours of the night. But really this is just getting ridiculous.

I LOVE photography

2009-03-19T21:39:00.001-07:00

Especially when it's of this little cutie. Look at those baby blues... lucky girlie.

We heart Disney

2009-03-17T21:43:00.000-07:00

Scott and I have had passes to Disneyland since we first started dating. It's one of our favorite dates! We are so thrilled we now get to bring our little Sprinkle. She has a great time watching all of the characters and going on It's a Small World. I make sure to point out the Chinese dolls and tell her that is her heritage. By the time we get home she is so overstimulated that she kicks her legs and pumps her arms and makes high pitched squeals in her bed until midnight!! Fun for all of us! It's almost like battered wife syndrome- we just keep going back for more!!
all ready to go!!

Mom and B right by the A-hole. haha

Scott and the little cupcake on It's a Small World laughing at the silly Chinese

all of us on the ride together- looking like ghosts apparently

Congrats Susie and Ben!!

2009-03-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, my whole family attended another Holliman wedding. The last one little Brinkley was only 3 1/2 weeks old!! It was beautiful and we couldn't be more happy for them. Another perk to weddings- you run in to old high school friends!! It's like a grab bag, you never know what you're gonna get.

These are a Few of my Favorite Things...

2009-03-06T14:15:00.001-08:00

It seems like every weekend is taken up completely. We are so busy! From dinners with friends to family birthdays and always nights out. Honestly though- I wouldn't have it any other way. I am living my own dream right now. I know it's not for everyone. But I couldn't be happier with my friends and family and sharing our lives together. Life is so amazing sometimes I just can't stand it. Here are a couple of pics from my friend Megan's new apartment with her fiance. They had a few people over. Did I tell you I am her maid of honor in her wedding- CAN'T WAIT. I couldn't be more happy for her. Now to have a peaceful weekend... serenity now...

Some Inspiration for the Artist in all of Us

2009-02-28T14:04:00.000-08:00

I got this book for my birthday from my incredibly supportive husband. Everyone should read it. It helps you to harness and cultivate your creativity. For someone like me who is obsessed with creativity- it is perfect. Anyone can learn from and be inspired by it. What are you waiting for? Go and buy it! Live it, LOVE IT!

This one's for you Scotty...

2009-02-27T13:44:00.000-08:00

Words we can all live by.

Broomball

2009-02-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

So call me crazy but I thought a couple of weeks ago that it would be appropriate to take our little infant broomballing in the middle of the night. I know, I know... STUPID. Actually, B slept the whole time and was completely unscathed. I, on the other hand ended up with a bloody lip. The irony is, there was exactly one time that I attempted to be athletic, and it ended with a broomball stick in my face. The rest of the time, I, along with my girlfriends stood on the sidelines and watched my hot man run after the ball. (sigh) It was reminiscent of the olden days when men would joust for their loves. Or a bunch of grown men pretending to be athletes and hitting girls in the faces with their athletic equipment.

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4 MONTHS

2009-02-24T09:33:00.000-08:00

It appears our little Brinkle Sprinkle is growing up way too fast. In fact, the other day when she turned four months old, tears welled up in my eyes because I can't believe how quickly the time is going. The Love and I have been utterly transformed by this little girl and we are so blessed to have her. I can't believe how fast the time goes. She is now sitting up for short periods of time, giggling, belly laughing, reaching for and holding her toys and chatting with us all day long. Her favorite thing is her baby Einstein play gym that she sits in and plays with all of her toys. She is still a mommy girl but LOVES when her daddy gets home. She loves taking bathies and chewing her watering can. OH we just love this little girl!!

My Day In Haiku

2009-02-21T23:46:00.000-08:00

five poopy diapers
met scuderis for dinner
smooches with Lover

Years 7 and 8!! (Actual Love Day)

2009-02-19T08:44:00.000-08:00

On Valentine's Day I was under the impression that Scott had to work. I woke up and came into the living room and saw THIS...

And then got a text message that said "come out to the balcony- quick!" and I went out there and saw THIS...

(It says will you be my Valentine in the sand) And Scott was standing by it holding something shiny. He called me and asked if I wanted my present. I said "YES YES YES!!" So he brought up to me a picture frame that said YEAR EIGHT and had a question mark. When I looked closer there were two tickets to New York for New Years this year. Scott and I have been to NYC before but it has always been our dream to see the ball drop. He then made us a yummy baked vanilla berry pancake thingy. And also he made us some delish tomato creamy soup with crusty bread for dinner. All in all it was the perfect Valentine's Day with my perfect love.

Years 4, 5 & 6...

2009-02-13T22:44:00.000-08:00

Four was found at my mom's house when I pick B up from school, five was found in my car at the dentist's office yesterday and six was found on my front step. My love for Scott was so strong when I first met him that I thought it couldn't get any better. But guess what? It has!!!

Years two and three

2009-02-10T20:57:00.000-08:00

I found my year two frame with chocolates in my classroom Monday, and my year three frame in the bathroom with a bath drawn and candles, today. My Scotty just gets better and better.

Valentine's Week...

2009-02-09T06:20:00.001-08:00

7 years ago to this week I met my sweetheart. Scott and I always consider February our month, because it is the month that we met each other and we celebrate it all month long every year. I woke up yesterday morning and went in the living room and saw a huge bouquet of roses, and a large picture frame with the phrase "YEAR ONE" written inside of it. Around the words were pictures and memorabilia from our first year together. It's amazing how time flies. There were also little cut out hearts all around the floor. I am truly fortunate to have such an amazing man as my husband. He never lets a romantic occasion pass him by. I am just wondering what the rest of the week has in store...

San Francisco

2009-02-05T10:13:00.001-08:00

My beautiful, amazing aunt who works for an airline flew the ladies of our family to San Francisco last weekend. Yes, that's right. It's my 2nd time gracing San Fran with my presence this year. Us girls ate in China Town, shopped, ate at Ghirardelli, shopped and shopped some more. Lil miss B was a perfect angel the entire time and seemed to be completely unaffected by the flight. The flight attendants kept coming by to say how cute and well behaved she is and to play with her. All in all the whole trip was so much fun! And so needed!!

Disneyland with my family aka stroller hell

2009-02-05T10:03:00.000-08:00

My family picked one of the busiest nights of the year apparently to fraternize with Mickey and friends. The night before MLK day we decided to take a family outing to Disney. (Also please take a look at the man? woman? shim? standing behind my sister in the group photo. I think I will crop this so it is just her and him. who has pony tails like that still? please people) Scott and I have passes but my family doesn't so they haven't been in years. Probably since my sister and I were kids. Never have I seen my parents more excited to ride the carousel and storybook land and also watch Fantasmic. Though we were nearly pummeled with what seemed like billions of strollers, it was a fun night. My most favorite part was riding my first "big kid" ride in a year- Thunder Mountain Railroad. Honestly, I was a little nervous it had been so long. Please see my posed picture below. However, the magic of Disney does not disappoint, no it does not.

Birthday Dinner at Marrakesh

2009-01-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

As most of you know, it is one of my goals every year to try a food I haven't tried yet. So this year for my birthday, I felt as though I should torture my friends into doing the same. We went to Marrakesh in Newport for some Lebanese cuisine and a little belly dancing. It was reminiscent of Carrie Bradshaw's 36th birthday party in case anyone was wondering. And though I am ten years younger than she was that year, I like to think of myself as somewhat of a protege. And yes, I finished the night off with a little dancing myself.

She Could Be a Model...

2009-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

Miss B had her two month checkup yesterday. In case anyone was wondering, this is where the nurse forces you to hold your smiling infant down, and then they give them FIVE shots in the leg. I teared up but luckily B is so sweet she only cried for about a minute. I think I will never allow this to happen again. It's WAY too much for their little bodies. I felt peer pressured by the doctor, but not anymore baby. No way. I'm not a big fan of immunizations or medicine anyways. However, I did find out that our little sweetie weighs in at 12 pounds- which is normal, but she is 24 1/2 inches, which is in the 95 percentile. That means long and lean, a model. Ha.

Had To

2009-01-04T20:56:00.001-08:00