Happenings

Last weekend while I was in the temple with my parents, Hrishi and Ella went to "Madeline's Christmas," yet another delightful performance by the crew at Dallas Children's Theater, according to them. Both came back so happy and pumped and with these lovely pictures:

Ella and some of the beautiful and extremely talented young artists:

And with MADELINE!!!

This week has been so jammed pack of good fun things: school Winter Wonderland party, Legoland, Six Flags (first time for Ella), movie night with my parents, and the making of.... cozonac!!!

Six Flags: Ella had a blast with her friend Adwitta. They did quite a few rides together.

Look at those big smiles and I bet, lots of giggles too!

Happy as punch for winning their own stuffed toys at the "pop-the-ballon" contest:

Movie night with VIP treatment at Cinema Suites with my parents.  :)

and .... COZONAC!!! Looking and tasting like a "million-bucks"!!! lol! :) Unfortunately I can't "capture" the aroma that filled the whole house. Yumm....y!!

(and while I'm posting this, I'm doing some "visual eating"!!  ha-ha!)

Cinema suites, again but this time with Ella. We watched "Arthur Christmas." She was so happy!

Then we went to Sealife:

one more:

Tonight is Christmas Eve concert at our place.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!!!

inspiring blue skies

These beautiful blue skies are so amazing to me. They always inspire me. I gaze up and see my infinite potential in them. I see my life filled with all that is good, with tough times but also with many extremely rewarding experiences. I see the bright future ahead of me. I see the beauty of my existence here on earth.

What used to be or feel like an ordinary day to me, it is not anymore. I have purpose and I can remind myself of that every day and when I look up at these skies I realize nothing is impossible.

First day of Christmas break... is HERE!!

This afternoon I got to Ella's school and help in her classroom with the Winter Wonderland party celebrations this . I also got to sneak in and watch her play the fun games they had going on in the gym. Yeay, for me!!! I get to do this as I'm the only one in the family right now who has a "yellow" card, that is a volunteer card that allows me to step foot in the classroom or anywhere in the school building beyond the cafeteria point. I kind of like that! :) Lol! :)

Her food craft table, all ready for her:

They made a marshmallow-chocolate-frosting-candy-cane snowman:

More of this beautiful and oh, so sugary creation:

Dipping fruit and pretzel sticks in the frosting!! Oh yeah, that tastes good! :)

(So happy to have been there with you, honey!!)

Fun in the gym:

"Dog pile" on the teacher!! But she didn't seem to mind it one bit! :-)

She loves and appreciates her teacher so much and I'm so glad!!

(Happy as can be because mommy made it to the big celebration!)

Beauty, grateful heart, and Hanukkah

So grateful for this little beauty of mine who keeps creating beautiful things and making life so wonderful.

I love the little message that came with this lovely hand-painted globe by no other than our resident artist, Ella! (Greateful for the teacher that put time, effort, and creativity into this. I can imagine how not-easy must have been to get twenty-one children to safely and carefully hand paint glass globes!)

Christmas is fast approaching. I feel excitement, anticipation, wonder, and somewhat relief that we have made it fine, in fact wonderfully well through another year, and that we're all happy and healthy, and blessed beyond measure. I'm grateful that I can feel this way; that I can feel the gratitude in my heart.

And before Christmas gets here, we wish dear friends Happy Hanukkah!!! Ella drew/cut/colored a couple of beautiful manorahs and played with her dreidel:

Lots of love, warmth, and good thoughts to all!

The days...

... are passing by fast and furious and are filled with big and small things, chatter, quiet, music, goings and comings.  Christmas is almost here. The New Year is almost here. Where did the year go?

And in the middle of these comings and goings, I pause and take a picture and another picture, and another picture of the moments I hope to keep forever.

That smile:

and the gingerbread house. Somehow, we may be able to make our own next year! This store bought stuff is not too tasty.

 That look:

(Charm bracelet earned at school. Every day of the week the children were quizzed on various things: writing their name, birthday, logging in with the PIN onto the school website and library catalog, reading certain sight words, grouping, counting, tieing their shoes, etc. For each task done well, they would get a charm. Here is Ella proudly showing off her bracelet with all the charms.)

Another smile:

(We love our Christmas tree.)

And another smile:

At Lifetime Cafe, getting her favorite treats: popped chips and fruite leather.

And another smile and pose in the traditional "after-church-by-our-favorite-tree" picture:

The house will be soon filled with delicious aromas of sarmale,  pork roast (friptura), freshly baked home-made bread, cozonac, and other goodies. (We'll be preparing a lot of the dishes in advance to make Christmas Eve and Christmas only about Him.)

We'll have a family Christmas concert with piano renditions and Christmas carols on Christmas Eve, right there in our living room.

We'll be stuffing the little while stocking for baby Jesus, with our list of blessings for the year (a little tradition we started a few years back.)

We'll welcome Santa with cozonac and a glass of soy milk.

We'll be eagerly opening our earthly gifts, but hopefully thinking of and being  more grateful for our heavenly blessings poured out upon us all through the year.

We'll be feasting in the great comfort of family love and togetherness, this year having been blessed to have our parents/grandparents with us!

We'll be happy. We'll be grateful. We'll be determined and motivated to make life good.

Temple night

The temple was wonderful tonight. I'm sure it is this way, every day, every night, every session. Tonight we were there to soak it in. I am so grateful for the temple, for the covenants we make and renew there, for the peace, for the love, and Spirit that we can feel in our Father's house. It is not comparable to anything on this earth. (And see that beautiful moon up there?)

And of course, it was even more special as we don't get to be together in the temple every day!! :-)

It was wonderful to be there on the temple grounds together, with my forever-to-be family.

I'm very fond on this picture.

Beautiful nativity scene in front of the temple (granite statues of the Holy family, a donkey, and a sheep.)

To me, to us this is the brightest and most beautiful smile: MERRY CHRISTMAS, Sweet Angel!! :)

Spotlight: HRISHI!!!!!!!

Since gratitude for everything that I have in my life has been one of the things I've been trying to emulate and live every day this season, I figured I'd better have some "spotlight" posts on this theme! And since people, or I should say, the AMAZING people I have in my life, are the "stuff" that I'm most grateful for, I'm kicking off my "Spotlight" series with one of my most favorite person, ever: MY HUSBAND!! :)

I really would need hours to sit and type up all the things that move me about my him, but I'm making it easy on myself and highlighting the qualities that I've most recently noticed or grown to appreciate more! :)

His never ending kindness....

His amazing parenting skills....the other day at church, he gently got Ella to sing the opening and sacrament hymns, something that I'm very rarely able successful at.  Him taking quiet notes on his iPhone on Elder Nelson's talk on parenthood in Stake Conference last weekend, and his (again) gentle reminders to me to make family time, a happy time always.

(yes, we took a picture right before sacrament meeting!! :))

His sweetness and calm, his love for others....that always shines through everything he does and says.

Him loving me.... so much and inspite of all my infirmities.

Thank you, darling! I love you so, with all my heart and being!!! You are the best!!!!!!