Peg’s Journal

Happy Friday! Since we couldn’t afford to actually see Hannah Montana live in concert, we were thrilled to find out that they had turned her concert into a digital 3-D movie experience - Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert. We bought the tickets a few weeks ago for this special engagement.

We (along with Grace, Lauren, and Taylor) went to The District early. We were so glad we did, because not only did we get great seats, but we got a chance to meet Emily Osment (”Lily” of Disney Channel’s Hannah Montana fame), for photo-ops and autograph pictures at the Radio Disney booth! I don’t know who was more excited…me or Ashlyn. HAHAHA!

meeting Emily Osment

The concert movie was way awsome! With our ultra stylish 3-D glasses, I felt like we were actually at the concert. It was probably even better than going to the concert, because we would never have gotten THAT close to the stage. It was also great seeing rehersal/candid footage and the backstage action. AND of course, the Jonas Brothers! *squeal*

our rockstar pose

Ashlyn and Lauren’s rockstar pose

my cutie - Summer

It was cute seeing all the little girls in the theater out of their seats dancing and singing along (including my little Summer jumping up and down in the aisle)! We all had a great time (even Aric, but *shhhhhhh*….don’t tell anyone).

It’s showing for one-week only, so click here if you’re interested in finding a theater near you.

Have a great weekend!

Tags: Disney Channel, friends, kiddies, pictures, starstruck

Another fun weekend came to an end. We got to hang out with lots of friends, accomplished errands and laundry, ate lots of yummy food, hung out with the in-laws, and relaxed at home with the kiddies:

Friday night we had dinner with Kimi, Aaron, and the boys at Go Roma (my new favorite eatery - kid friendly, fast and delicious food at great prices) at The District. Our friends lived over on the next street in our community, but moved to NorCal over the summer for Aaron’s work. They kept the house here and come back often, but we have not had the chance to meet up with them in almost a years time. It was great catching up. Kimi misses SoCal as much as I miss NorCal….how wonderful it would be if we could switch places. After dinner, we walked around and grabbed some sweet treats at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory.

Saturday night I went out with friends to celebrate Grace’s belated birthday. We went to Zov’s Bistro in Tustin, and had an amazing meal. It was an evening of leisure and abundant dining, wine and cocktails, shared stories, lots of laughs, and good times.

After leaving Zov’s, and unable to find a place to go for coffee/tea (aside from Denny’s or IHOP), we found ourselves at Honda-Ya for Round Two. HAHAHAHA! We were not quite ready to call it a night and just wanted a place to sit and have some hot tea….but we ended up ordering seafood salad, spicy tuna rolls, and yakitori skewers (shitake, beef, spicy wing, bacon wrapped okra, and meatball).
We finally went home around midnight. Yeah, it was pretty awesome!

Sunday was relaxing. We slept in, had a late lunch, went grocery shopping, hit up Home Depot, hung out with the in-laws, watched TV, had dinner, and geeked out in front of the laptop, and watched more TV. hehehe

Tags: birthday party, friends, weekend, yummy food

The holidays are over and we’re back to school. Our winter-break, surprisingly, felt longer than it was. We had spent the first four days of our break with my family in NorCal (driving back on Christmas night)….four gloriously fun, relaxing, and gluttonous days that went by much too quickly. Had we stayed longer, I’m sure the remainder of our winter-break would have flown by.

The last two weeks have been filled with time with my family, my in-laws, relatives, friends, lots of food, and tons of gifts!!! Needless to say, my kiddies were spoiled with an over-abundance of clothing and toys this Christmas. Ashlyn must have told everyone in the world that she wanted a guitar, because she got 4! hahaha Summer, who rarely asks for anything, got so much stuff that she’ll never have to ask for anything ever again.

I wonder if I’m the only one who does this, but I only let my kids open up and play with some of the toys they got. The rest, I’ll store away to open up at a later date. They lack excitement, desire, and appreciation when they get to open up everything. I remember after Ashlyn opened up ALL her gifts at her 2nd birthday, she had that look of: “that’s it?…what else can I open?” So now after they unwrap all their gifts, I let them select some and put the rest away. With the amount they both get at Christmases and birthdays, my storage space is turning into one huge toy store and I’m quickly running out of room. I’m not even kidding.
I’m trying my hardest not to raise spoiled children, but the truth is…they are spoiled. Aric and I give them what we never had as children, and our parents give them what they couldn’t give us as children. *sigh*

Anyhow, Ashlyn is lovin’ her guitars, Hannah Montana Concert Stage, her MP3 player, and Jonas Brothers CD. Summer’s having a blast with her Fisher Price digital camera, Gymnastics Divas Barbies, Disney Princess Dollhouse, and Crayola Color Explosion Board. Spoiled, I tell ya!

Click here for more holiday pictures.

As much as I love the holidays, I’m relieved it’s over. We rang in the New Year with our usual group at James and Grace’s. My poor hubby was sick (possible food poisoning from Taco Hell from lunch) that night and spent the whole evening sleeping it off on the couch. New Years Day was spent taking down our tree and decorations, cleaning up, and hanging out with my niece and her bf.

Aric and I have been watching movies lately - “I am Legend” and “No country for old men”, and “The Water Horse” with the kiddies. I love it!

The kiddies are getting back into the swing of things at school…as am I.

Tags: Aric, Ashlyn, family, friends, NorCal, pictures, Summer

2007 was a blessed year…full of laughter, love, growth, and amazing memories. After struggling with depression for the past few years, and the pain of my grandmother’s passing (in early 2007), I have found some healing, happiness, and peace within. I finally feel emotionally and mentally strong, healthy, and whole again. My outlook has been brighter than it has been in a long time. And if that wasn’t enough, physically, I had lost some weight and feel more energetic! *YAY!*
My husband, children, family, and friends have all contributed to getting me where I am today. *sniff* I am really lucky.

Highlights of 2007:
- my kiddies first visit to the snow
- a much needed hiatus
- Amanda & Christel’s return from Iraq
- Summer’s 3rd birthday
- Ashlyn’s Kindergarten promotion
- John & Angela’s wedding
- summer-break in NorCal
- an unforgettable Japan/Taiwan vacation with family
- Summer starts preschool
- Ashlyn starts 1st Grade
- getting a paycheck again (after all these years!)
- Cookie joins our family
- Ashlyn’s 5th birthday
- Sarah’s 30th Birthday in Napa
- 2 engagements
- 3 other weddings
- 15 births (9 boys, 6 girls)!!!
- 6 pregnancies announced (so far)

My top 10 resolutions for 2008
1. keeping in better touch with friends via phone
2. spend less/save $$$
3. exercise
4. blog more
5. blog more about Summer
6. respond to emails promptly
7. take more pictures
8. go to bed earlier
9. take my vitamins
10. nag the kiddies and hubby less (haha!)

Wishing you all the very best for a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2008!

Tags: Aric, Ashlyn, baby, family, friends, girlfriends, kiddies, Summer, vacation, Weddings

I’m recuperating from a glorious long weekend of feasting with family. I had only one meal today (dinner), because I’m seriously still full from the weekend. If I had lost any weight prior to Thanksgiving, I’ve already gained it back (and then some).

Right before our drive up to Norcal last Wednesday night, we had a pre-Thanksgiving celebration with Aric’s side of the family at Pat and Karen’s place. We enjoyed the traditional Thanksgiving fare (a huge turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread, candied yams, stuffing, and cranberries) along with several chinese dishes (homemade and restaurant bought), and FIVE different desserts! Click for pics.

Thursday was spent sleeping in (since Aric, the kiddies, and I finally arrived at my parents’ house at 5am), hanging with my parents, sisters, nieces, cousin, and cousin’s boyfriend, last minute grocery runs, goofing off, overindulging in food and drinks, and feeling the love. It’s always awesome to have everyone under one roof again. Click for more pics.

Friday and Saturday was similar to Thursday…quality time with family, eating, braving the crowds at the mall for some shopping, eating, visits with friends, and more eating. Aric, the kiddies, and I left shortly after dinner on Saturday night to avoid Sunday traffic. We got in close to 3am Sunday. Click for pics.

We slept in Sunday, had lunch and met up with friends at the Spectrum, drove to my in-laws’ for dinner and to pick up Cookie, then back home in time to put the kiddies to bed.

This year Aric and I did not participate in Black Friday shopping. Last year’s experience scarred me. HAHAHA

I don’t need Thanksgiving to remind me of what I am thankful for: my incredible family (parents, sisters, cousins, nieces, in-laws), my amazing friends, my hubby and kids whom I love more than anything. *sigh*

We had such a great long weekend…hope you did too!

Tags: family, friends, NorCal, pictures, weekend, yummy food