My top 10 Favorite Fall Things... 

1. The weather. So Cal knows how to do Fall weather. The crisp air and falling leaves, cozy. It's beautiful and sunny and perfect.

2. TV's new Fall line-ups. It's new & exciting and it means the return of Parks & Rec, How I Met Your Mother, Modern Family, Amazing Race, The Office, SNL, the Vampire Diaries, etc. Welcome back old friends. *Bonus- the premiere of cool new shows! (30 Rock, wish I didn't have to wait until winter for you.)

3. Fall Football returns. (Even if the Cougs stink this year. Sad, but true.)

4. Yummy Fall foods and drinks: (caffeine-free) Chai Tea, white chicken chili, pumpkin bread, and the list could go on and on.

5. Getting to bust out my old and buy new sweaters, jeans and snuggly socks. Amen!

6. School supply shopping: the smell of brand new crayons. My Mom got me hooked. She buys me a box nearly every year for the heck of it and the smell. :)

7. Halloween: I start decorating on the 1st of October; free candy, pumpkin patches and costumes. Need I say more?

8. Perfect time to re-vamp a work-out routine. It's right before Thanksgiving and Christmas. What better time to start than before the holiday gorge fest begins.

9. Which leads me to my next favorite thing, holiday gorge fests! Bring on the turkey and pie.

10. Time to be with Family. It's what matters most.

May the Force be with You!

A Star Wars Party was definitely in order. The boys had their little friends over for a "Jedi's in Training" Party; it was a blast. First we played, "Don't Eat Luke!", then we had a Galactic Bean Bag toss, stick the explosions on the death star, a Star Wars treasure hunt and finally to prove you were really a Jedi, they had to rescue Princess Leia from the Darth Vader pinata. After Jedi Training, we ate Storm Tooper Pizza, had Yoda sodas (sprite/lime sherbet), and Star Wars cake pops. Then it was present time, oh boy! The boys' favorite part of their party without fail. It was kind of my first chaotic moment of the day, but we all managed to come out of it unscathed. 

Keane and Ethan play EVERYDAY with their Star Wars action figures.

This is what their room looks like, EVERYDAY!

In new Birthday Jammies and cool new floor puzzle.


I cannot believe they are 5!! We feel so blessed to have come so far. I'm thankful everyday for these sweet and outgoing little guys. Each day is a gift and I am so grateful. I'm so in awe of how fast they learn new things and grow. My little miracles for sure!

My attempt at Star Wars Oreo Cookie Cake Pops and chocolate suckers, mmmm...

Ethan is an excited Birthday Boy

Keane can't wait to start playing!

My 33rd Birthday was pretty great. My family took me to one of my new favorite places, The Malibu Cafe. It's in an outdoor setting with chandeliers everywhere; it makes outdoor seem elegant and pretty, and you don't have to lift a finger to cook. My kind of place. There are fire places to roast s'mores; a ping pong and billiard table to play if you choose. There is a pond with geese and ducks that you can take a walk around. It's what I would want my backyard to be.

I also had a lovely night out with "the girls" for my Birthday dinner at Cafe' Bizou. One of my favorite French Restaurants in LA. It is quaint and cozy and the food is delicious. Thanks ladies for a much needed night away from the chaos. Sad I didn't get pictures!!

Then I had a game night with friends in our Studio City ward. We had a fun time. It's been great getting to know so many new and wonderful friends here. My Birthday cookies were yummy K! Thanks for thinking of me on my Birthday!

Now I guess I'd better just embrace my new digits.

4 Years Post Transplant

Thursday we celebrated 4 years post Bone Marrow Transplant for the boys. We took a trip to CHLA to visit the nurses and doctors that took care of our boys. Through it all I learned to be extremely grateful for my beliefs. Without Faith, I would have fallen apart. Without Prayer I would have lost my Faith and through it all I emerged a stronger and more spiritually grounded person; all because of two little boys. We continue to move forward with each obstacle we face with courage, or at least we try to.

Congrats my sweet little boys. You are SO loved!!! We made it! You made it!

The First Day of School

It's hard to let kids grow up. Anyone that says otherwise hasn't raised kids. The first day of school was a roller coaster ride. I decided I didn't need Xander's help and thought I could handle it all by myself. Seriously, what was I thinking? Picture this, me and two overwhelmed kids crying. Me, running from room to room trying to get each boy situated. Let me just tell yah, it was a nightmare! When I got home, and I never thought it would happen, but I cried my eyes out. It has never been so quiet in my home before. I felt so alone. I actually thought I would enjoy my new freedom, but the grass isn't always greener.

But, the thing about new situations is that it always gets easier with time. One day, you look back and it hardly seems like a big deal at all. It makes you wonder what all the fuss was about in the first place. Ethan still asks me everyday after I pick them up from school if I cried that day. I can proudly say that I haven't.

Keane's GREAT Faith

There are some "touchy" conversations I'd like to have a little later on in life with my children. You know, like the ones about "The Birds and the Bees." Ever since the boys had their bone marrow transplants, we were told there was a 99% possibility they wouldn't have children. That was hard news to take then, and harder still to think about how I'm going to tell my boys someday. How and when do you go about discussing this with your children?? Xander and I have talked about this and decided when they were old enough (say 18 give or take), we would have this talk. Well, that all changed as of yesterday.

We were all sitting around the table eating breakfast when out of the complete blue, Keane turned to Xander and said,"Daddy, will I be able to have children?" Floored, stunned, taken aback, and speechless are adjectives that perfectly described this moment for me. In complete elation, Xander handled it all AMAZINGLY WELL! He looked at me in surprise, before he said this...

"Keane, I'm not sure if you will ever have children, but you can always adopt children who need a loving home and don't have one of their own." Tears started to well up in Keane's eyes as he listened to Xander tell him of the possibility that he might not have kids of his own. Xander then reminded him, that with great FAITH, ALL things are possible. Of course, I was trying to keep my emotions from spilling out all over the breakfast table, but I just couldn't help it. The tears ran down my cheeks and I had to hide behind Ethan, who was fortunately, sitting on my lap. I didn't want Keane to see me cry over this because I knew it would upset him.

A moment of silence passed and Keane said, "Daddy, I have really GREAT FAITH and I know that someday Heavenly Father will bless me to have kids of my own."

Richard C. Edgely, said, "Choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism.

A 1% chance to have kids is a daunting odd to face, especially for a 4 year old. But, I was grateful Xander handled it delicately. I'm especially grateful for Faith and the peace the spirit can bring. I know that with Faith, ALL things are possible. I certainly have 2 incredible miracles to remind me.

Time for a Change

I've decided to be proactive again and engage my inner writer. Figured this would be good practice before I dive back into my book. Yes, for those of you who don't know, I decided to write a book about my experience with twins and surviving a BMT. I've struggled with putting my experience about it down on paper. It's painful to recall some experiences I wish to suppress, but I know I need to do it and that it will be extremely therapeutic. Thanks to a very good friend and her Facebook pep-talk, I am back in the saddle and writing again. And also, largely in part to the fact that the boys will be in Kindergarten this year, starting Sept. 7th. I cannot even being to wrap my head around making it to this stage, but blessed is how I feel and very grateful. Now I will have oodles of time on my hands, so what better way to utilize that time than by FINALLY accomplishing my writing goal. Wish me luck!



Top 10 WORST MISTAKES...
1. Giving my hair a wavey perm, not once, but 2X! What was I thinking!!?
2. Getting your hair cut by some one who looks like Mrs. Dursley from Harry Potter, then rushes to get through the cut because she booked you too close to someone else and then says, "Uh oh!" under her breath and keeps cutting. Seriously!
3. Blogging when nobody can open my blog page. Thus, the blog change.
4. Eating TOO much junk. PERIOD!
5. Not exercising.
6. Staying up TOO late.
7. Spending money when I don't need to.
8. Being worried about things I cannot control.
9. Not showering for 3 days.
10. Losing my temper.