My Letter to Santa

My friend Sarah forwarded me this in an e-mail. Thought it was too fun to not share. ENJOY! Merry Christmas!

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children
on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold
Sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the
school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over Several
Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red Crayon, on
the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows
when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but
are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the
grocery store. I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the
seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television
that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a
refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide
to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mommy'
to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and
three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power
tools. I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat
in the Living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,' because my
voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be
heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time
to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of
eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Sty
rofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten
the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a
Vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if
you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding
payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet
under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe
trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry
off so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table but
don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,
MOM...

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my
children young enough to believe in Santa.

Joshua's School Christmas Party

Joshua is truly enjoying his kindergarten year! We are truly blessed to have the same teacher that Marissa had for kindergarten. Joshua just adores Mrs. Meyers! He had a fun class party where he got to create a reindeer sandwich and make a reindeer hat. It was pajama day at school, so it was funny to get up in the morning and tell Joshua to put on his pajamas so that he could go to school! We are now off til January 5th...Merry Christmas Everyone!

Feliz Navidad!

Wow, my early memories of Christmas surely came back when I made and ate homemade tamales. I found out that my friend makes tamales nearly every year with her family. My mom's family always made them when I was growing up. It was always the kids job to help. Now that I am a mom, I think that they put us to work to keep us out of trouble. As long as the kids are busy, no fighting was necessary. I did remember hating my job of cleaning the husks. Well, this was all done along with all the other grueling prep work was done by Sarah's mom. All I had to do was show up! I showed up ready to work and Sophia in tote. Sophia had a fun time playing with her friends and sneaking up on the Mexican Sweet Bread! My job was upgraded.....I got to be the matza filler. I have to say, it was a tricky job....can;t have too much or tooo little matza...it has to be just right! Thank you so much Sarah and Connie for allowing me help you out and demolish some good old fashioned tamales. My Christmas Wish certainly came true this year!

Family Christmas Pictures in Encinitas

This year we had our pictures taken on Moonlight Beach in Encinitas. The morning was beautiful and the beach is always very relaxing...well, except when you are trying to get a good picture that is Christmas card worthy. You see it is already difficult when you have an uncooperative 2 year old, but then add that to a clowny 5 year old...the combination is a disaster! We were very fortuate that Carol has the patience of a saint and she contined to snap away. Here are some of the better shots.... and the last one was a rather typical shot of Joshua that morning.

We bought our Christmas tree today!

The kids had a lot of fun going to get our Christmas tree today. Now we are all even more excited about Christmas. Sophia just loved roaming through the trees at Home Depot. It's a good thing we weren't out in the forest looking to cut down our own tree, or we would have lost her for sure. She was all over that tree lot. She loved playing around the little potted Christmas trees. The kids were so excited to get their tree home, eat their dinner, put their jammies on...and then decorate the tree. WOW, what a day!

A Very Disneyland Christmas!

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We had a nice family day at the Happiest Place on Earth on Wednesday! The kids get off early on Wednesdays so we decided to take advantage of it once again and hit Disneyland before the BIG Christmas Breaks. The weather was perfect and the place was not very crowded. The best part was that dad took the day off and got to go with us. It's always more fun with daddy there, but even more fun because daddy has a nose for treats! when he smells them, he has to have them. Therefore, we get to CHOMP our way through Disneyland. This time our major chomping was done at the Carnation Ice Cream Parlour on Main Street.
We had a lovely time and even got to stay for the Christmas Parade. The kids enjoyed the snow! Might be the only place in Southern California where it snows in the city. Now that's just one other reason to call it the Happiest Place on Earth!

Easy Yummy Festive Christmas Cookies

Here is a family Christmas Cookie recipe that is easy and fun. We love them!
ENJOY!

Raspberry Filled Butter Cookies

Cream 2 sticks of butter with 1/2 cup sugar
Mix 2 cups flour
Roll into 1" balls & place on a cookie sheet.
Put hole 1/2 way through top of each balls.
Fill with raspberry jam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

Thanksgiving 2008

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This year we are especially thankful that we got to spend Thanksgiving Day with the Bergeron's from Oregon. It was so nice to see everyone again. The feast was amazing and the company was wonderful. The kids had a fun time visiting with their cousins. They all get along so well. We were also very fortunate that my Mom and Frank were able to join us. Thank you so much to Gil and Charyla Olsen for hosting this BIG event.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Sophia!

Our little Sophia is now 2! She now has the official number to go with her attitude. She is definitely a TERRIBLE TWO! We love this little girl dearly. She truly does bring us so much joy. It is fun to see life through the eyes of a 2 year old. If we could all just be so egocentric at times, then life would be a lot of fun! Here are some pictures of our newborn Sophia 2 years ago (it seemed like yesterday), and some of her at her Birthday Party last Saturday. ENJOY!







This is one of Sophia's little friends! Isn't she cute??

Remembering Oreo Bergeron (May 1995-November 23, 2008)

It was a sad weekend at the Bergeron Home this past weekend. Even though we had the joys of celebrating Sophia’s 2nd birthday this weekend, we were still struck with hard news. A few weeks ago our 14 year old kitty, Oreo was diagnosed with kidney failure. We were told she’d have about 3 months to live. She went downhill pretty quickly. Last week she was not using her litter box and by Sunday AM she was miserable. She could not walk, and would lay her head in her water, milk or food. She would not meow and would look at me like she was very sick. It’s strange how you know a kitty so well after 14 years, it was like she was talking to me and telling me that she was not going to make it. We have dear friends that are Vets, that have taken care of Oreo for several years. They told us to call them anytime and they would take care of her. We saw them Sunday at church and told them the news. She insisted on taking care of Oreo for us. We got home from church and we said our goodbyes, took pictures and gave kisses to our kitty. The kids and I were so sad. They have only known this pet for their entire lives. This was the first pet I'd ever had. It was a rough day, and it will be tough for a while. Every time we go to the garage or her secret hiding places we are saddened to know that she is not coming back. We were truly blessed that God gave us an animal to love, Oreo was an important member of our family and she will always remain in our hearts. Here are some pictures of the kids with their pal Oreo on Sunday AM.






Joshua's was always so good about grooming his kitty. He'd faithfully brush her, even up to the last hour of her life.

The Bra

Yes, I said, "The Bra." Thought this was too funny not to post. I am thankful for this invention, but I have to admit...it's a pain! Here ya go:

Have you ever wondered why A, B, C, D, DD, E, F, G, and H are the letters
used to define bra sizes?

If you have wondered why, but couldn't figure out what the letters stood
for, it is about time you became informed!

(A} Almost Boobs...
{B} Barely there.
{C} Can't Complain!
{D} Dang!
{DD} Double dang!
{E} Enormous
{F} Fake
{G} Get a Reduction.
{H} Help me, I've fallen and I can't get up !

They forgot the German bra.
Holtzemfromfloppen

Ode to Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies

This week I have been obsessed with finding Mother’s Circus Animal Cookies! These have been my favorites since I was a tike. (I guess I forgot to add them to MY FAVORITES section on my BLOG. You bet they are there now! )My mom would buy these on occasion and they never lasted very long in our house.
When I was about 10 years old and I would visit my grandmother in Sunnyvale, my cousins would come visit too. That was back in the day when parents didn’t have to worry where their children went. We were able to go walk to the grocery store (and it was about a mile away) mid day to go pick up a special treat. Well, I was told I could pick out a candy bar, but my cousins would each buy those bags of Mother’s Animal Cookies! They’d share a few, but I always remember that I couldn’t wait til I was old enough to buy whatever I wanted and whenever I wanted it. We’ll that day came when I was a teenager and I have to admit, I bought my share of those bags of cookies and always enjoyed every single one of them. As an adult, they are still a favorite, but I have to maintain self control because I could very easily devour that whole bag in one sitting. Therefore, we only bought them on special occasions, such as: road trips in the car, when the Circus Animals changed to Christmas shaped cookies, and just when we wanted to have a little special snack in the house. Funny thing is…Kevin loves them too!
The “official” news came this week off my Facebook Page when a long time childhood friend confirmed that Mother’s Cookies had shut down fort overnight. You see, I had seen a sign on the cookie shelves at RALPHS a month ago that Mother’s/Archway had gone out of business overnight. I guess I just assumed they meant that they had temporarily stopped production and that they’d be back on the shelves in no time. Well, that was not the case. When Wendy said they were out of business, I googled Mother’s Cookie Company and found that because of the economy being in dire straits that they could no longer afford to stay in business. Therefore after 92 years.....they were gone.

I was really sad by the whole thought of those silly cookies being gone that I even started on my soap box at the playground, to my friend, Sarah. After she heard the news, she too became obsessed with finding the cookies. That gal has twin 2 year olds, as well as a 6 year old and she packed them up and went on a venture to find some cookies! They hit several stores. It wasn’t easy but she came back with some chocolate chip cookies, TAFFY, English teas, and maybe one other. She wasn’t able to find the Circus Animals that evening. So, after Kevin got home, I had to run out to Target for party supplies. As a last ditch effort to find those silly cookies, I decided to see if Target had any left on the shelf. Well, they did! (the checker was telling me she had a hard time finding those cookies…so, I told her they are on their way out…so, she ran to the shelf to get some too) You’d think I had struck gold. I bought 4 bags, one for Sarah and three for us. Aren’t I a nice friend??? I did share. It’s funny because now I am finding these bags on ebay for 9.99 and up PLUS shipping. I think the word is out and there is some sort of FRENZY, or maybe it’s my imagination.

Well, needless to say I’m still on the search for FLAKEY FLIX! Another awesome cookie from the Mother’s Cookie Company. Take it from a gal that use to work for Nabisco……those cookies knock Oreos out of the running. Sarah went out again tonight and found a few more bags of cookies. She brought me back the Circus Parade Assortment. There are lots of goodies in there! But, she came back with something even better....SOME PROMISING NEWS! She was talking to a lady who was stocking cookies and she did mention that the Mother’s Cookies wouldn’t be gone for too long because the Kellogg Company was going to take over production for them. So, hopefully that is true and we will see these beauties again in the near future (maybe a year), I would love for the traditions to continue on. Most people I have spoken with say they have great memories of the little frosted animal shaped cookies, dipped in frosting, with colorful sprinkles all over it. My new motto in life, “Good Things Come with Sprinkles.”

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like Christmas!

As you all know, I just love all holidays, but there is just something so magical about Christmas. The goodness and kindness seems to come from all people. I know some people get caught up in the hustle bustle and that can make them a bit SCROOGEY, but for the most part people are thankful, generous and giving. I wish we could all feel the Christmas Spirit all year. I could not even imagine Christmas without the most special gift of all! Baby Jesus was given to us so that we could live eternally in God's arms. He gave his only son for us. I could not even imagine giving my only son to anyone, but that's what Christ did for us! What a beautiful time of year to stop, think, and reflect on the Baby Jesus that was sent to us. We can only be thankful for that most wonderful and joyous gift!
I truly love to enjoy every part that Christmas brings, and in order to do that, I have to keep organized and stay on top of things. Therefore, some of my Christmas pictures are done before the mad rush. We will be taking our family pictures in a couple weeks. Here is a sneak peek at the kids in their Christmas attire. May you all take the time to be thankful for your friends and family this Thanksgiving and Christmas season. The Bergeron's are thankful to have each and every one of you in our lives! GOD BLESS!

The Wild Animal Park with The Young Family

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We had so much fun meeting up with Nicholle and kids at the Wild animal Park today! We got there early and spent the entire morning there. The weather was perfect and the company was fabulous! We are truly blessed to have such wonderful friends. It's really a bummer we cannot see each other more often. All of the kids get along so well. Marissa got an added BONUS!!! We got to take Sammie home for the afternoon. The girls played board games, watched Family Feud, and created bead designs! We'll have to do it again soon. What a wonderful way for us to spend our Veteran's Day. Thanks Young's for sharing your day off with us.

Carol Hebel Photography

Carol took some AMAZING pictures of Marissa this week. These were taken just outside our complex. If you are in need of having your family or children photographed (especially for Christmas), I HIGHLY recommend her. She does a beautiful job and her prices are very fair. Her link is on the side of my BLOG or you can copy her address into your web browser: http://carolhebelphotography.blogspot.com/ I cannot believe how old Marissa is looking. She's not yet 10, and look at her! They grow up so quickly!
Here are some of my favorites:

Election Day!

We have to say, that the kids and I had so much fun standing on the corner of Barham and Twin Oaks Valley Rd sporting a "Rebecca Jones for City Council" sign! The election day spirit was certainly in the air! We are truly blessed to live in a country which allows us Freedom of Speech! What a fun lesson for the kids to learn that we as citizens can make a difference by campaigning for something/someone we believe in! We're praying for a WIN for Ms. Rebecca Jones! BEST WISHES and GOD BLESS!!

Our lil' Turkey!

I guess there is a reason why this lil girl was born around thanksgiving! She is truly a lil turkey! I found this wrapper on the bottom of her treat bag. I guess that she decided to have more candy when she knew she wasn't allowed too. As you can see she sucked the candy out. There was not much left. I guess she would have eaten the wrapper too, but maybe she felt like she got caught and stashed it away. That Lil' TURKEY!!!

Happy Halloween!

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The kids had a fun time on halloween this year. Joshua had a bit of a stomach bug the night before, but perked up right before his class party. The kids were able to trick or treat and had a fun time. Here are some pictures from a day full of fun!