around here....

we've been up to all kinds of fun here in bachmanville.

wanna see?

first up...

our church is super awesome.

they are currently working alongside schools to help kiddos in need.  one way they are helping in the holiday season is thanksgiving in a backpack.  we had the opportunity to fill one of the 1000 backpacks RH provided with food for a child to eat over the thanksgiving holiday.

i was so excited to talk to our kids about how blessed they are, and that there are other children who don't have food to eat, or beds to sleep in.  i'm not sure they completely understood, but it was a good place to start.  and we had a lot of fun buying food for the kids...jackson read our list and the girls got to put the items in the cart.

we are always looking for opportunities to teach our kids about how to love others.  i was so thankful for this practical opportunity.  it challenged me to look for more of them!

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pretty much every morning, bella wants to wake charlotte up.

of course, i tell her "no way."

so the minute she hears her make a peep, she runs into her room, so excited to see her little sister.

i love these girls.

(i have no idea what happened to bella's jammies.  i'm guessing she ate yogurt for breakfast?)

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some of our besties came to our neck of the woods.

yipee!

the jones took a family trip to disneyland, 

so we decided to crash their vacation for the afternoon.

bella & addy are best friends, just like their mommies.

bella asks me all the time if she can see addy, 

so you can only imagine her addy+disneyland excitement!

disneyland had just started all their christmas magic.  lovely love.

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friday morning i did this...

they're growing on me.

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friday night we took our kids to fashion island to see the christmas tree lighting.

we were joining friends + mickey mouse was going to be there!

what we did not realize was that a FUFILLION other people were also going.

it was bananas.

but "fun."

i'll be more prepared next year.

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saturday morning, the jones came over for a day of friend fun.

oh, what a happy day.

first up.....

acai bowls! 

(sorry... i have no idea how to put the cute little mark over the c.

and if you are like me who had NO idea how to pronounce, it is AH-SIGH-EE)

the first time i had them, i said jr & erin must eat them.

kinda jamba juice+granola+honey+fresh fruit+coconut+bee pollen (?!!?)

deliciousness.

then we headed down to newport beach for awhile.

seriously....

watching the kids play together + good conversation with a friend

=happy heart. 

there was something so special about having these people be here in my new life.  

it was so normal to sit on my bed with jr & chat about life...

i've missed that so much.

though short, their visit was so meaningful.

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saturday night, jeff and i got to go on a date!

woot!

this tuesday is his birthday, so we went out to celebrate a few days early.

we originally planned to see tyrone wells at the house of blues,

but then realized we are way too old for shows that don't start until 9:15.

so we ate a super-tasty meal at havens gastropub in old town orange

(i am in love with old town orange.  so cute)

 we ate brussel sprouts, braised pork belly, & the best burger i've ever had.  

(seriously.  with homemade ketchup.)

 it's great to have an evening with your husband and acknowledge he is the ONLY person on the planet you want to be married to.  he is pretty great.  i am so lucky.

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right now, 

daddy is at work 

and jackson is on his special trip with gramma & papa fresno for his 5th birthday.

(they take every grandkid to disneyland when they are 5.  

he is SO excited about staying in a hotel and doing whatever HE wants to do there :)

 i was feeling a little under-the-weather today,

so the girls and i pulled out every pillow in the house and had a princess movie night.

i'm always good for some snuggle time with my little ladies.

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i'm so excited about the next week:

*2 days with just my little girls to play with

*celebrating my hubby's birthday

*my fresno family coming in town

*thanksgiving!  food, food, food

*san diego to visit all the cousins

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that's what we have going on here.

what have you been up to?

*fyi-i used my iPhone for lots of these pics this time around :)  the beach, shopping, and some disney photos were on my real camera