The Big 3-0!!!

Thirty. 3-0. Treinta años. 30!!! I have a good feeling about this new chapter, new decade in my life! Doesn't hurt that my 30th birthday was AWESOME!

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Sure, I had to work - but guess what.....I LOVE MY JOB! And I love the people I work with. I got to spend the whole morning enjoying the company of friends, and helping people get connected to a Growth Group. Pretty great way to start any day :)

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Following work I got to take a nap (yay!) followed by a D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S sushi dinner at King's Fish House in Carlsbad. I love sushi. Seriously. It was sooooooo good. Can't wait until my bro and sis-in-law are in town and I try some new rolls! I usually stick with the basics because I most often eat it by myself, or share a little with my parents :)

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Then. . .much to my surprise, I was KIDNAPPED! On our way out of the restaurant I was surprised by my friends Heather & Ana - they were kidnapping me for dessert and a girl's night! I have some amazing friends, I am so blessed to have them in my life! We headed to Vinakas in Carlsbad, where we met up with Ronya, Jessica & Sarah - we got dessert (S'mores bar, German Chocolate Cake, Snickers Torte + a chocolate malt, yum!) and had some much needed girl time. Such a blessing and so fun :) Love these girls, and the ones who weren't able to make it as well!!

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Then yesterday, day after my birthday, one of the friends I work with, Emily, surprised me with these lovely flowers and cute card :)

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Yep. The 30's are going to be pretty great. I can tell :)

2012 Finale :)

First and last trip of the year to the Safari Park :) Gigi blessed us with passes for Christmas, so we decided to spend the last day of 2012 there! It was a short trip, but sweet. Hopefully many more trips in this year :)

Christmas #2!

Since my precious new niece, Emma, was born just two days prior to Christmas (see post), the Williams/Duron clan decided to postpone Christmas to this past Sunday, December 30th! What a fun afternoon, filled with stockings, kids, babies, gifts, excitement, family and food. . .so much to be thankful for! 

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Baby Emma, just 1 week old! Matthew was in love - asked to hold her all night long, and was lucky enough to do so twice :) Kaylie was content just stroking her hair and trying to keep her warm with blankets and even gave Emma her puppy to keep her company :) These kids would loooooove a baby brother or sister. . . .hmmmm. . . .or maybe a puppy? haha. Only time will tell :)

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Uncle Rudy and Auntie Brittany, Emma's loving parents!! They are just amazing parents already - heck, they've already gotten Emma to sleep through the night several times - score! 

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Autie Cher taking a turn :)

 

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Matthew ALSO wanted to hold baby cousin Shiloh :) So did Kaylie - although she's just about the same size, haha, at only 8 months old! Love the pic of Shiloh and her mommy, Auntie Simone - look at those stunning blue eyes!!

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A pic of the Williams/Duron Clan - L-R: Emilio & Devinn (will be married this year!), Marcos, Josh, and Marcos' GF Leah - Not Pictured: Diego and his GF Alexa, Grandma Sandy, Grandpa Eddie, Ann, Morris, and the other Aunts and Uncles in the other pics :)

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Kaylie playing piggy-back with Uncle David

...and goofin' off with Uncle Rudy, as usual :)

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IT was a very Pinteresting Christmas (haha) - since we have so many stocking to fill at the Williams/Duron Christmas, I decided to get a little crafty. I "confetti painted" 10 small classes/tea light holders, added a tea light and voila. Also, did a few salt and pepper shakers :) AND made tutu's for all the little girls - 4 total, in 4 different colors - wish I had gotten a pic - but they were so fun :) Can't wait to take a cousin pic with them all together!

A Very Merry Christmas!

What joy! What a blessed Christmas, indeed! 

The festivities began Christmas Eve day - first, with a steaming cup of hot chocolate in Christmas mugs :)

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Followed by some Christmas Pop making for our Helton/Tilton annual Christmas Eve get-together - these were fun to make, I was pretty pleased :)

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Dressed in their Christmas best, we headed to my parent's house for dinner, fun and games with the Tilton family :)

Me and the kiddos! Unfortunately, Josh had to work all of Christmas Eve (Christmas Eve service at North Coast, which I heard was wonderful) - so no Christmas pics with daddy :( 

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I LOVE this pic of my parents with the kids - it really expresses their personalities - M the goofy one, K the sassy one, haha :) And I can't help but love my dad's christmas sweater t-shirt :)

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We love Gigi!!!

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First gift opening of Christmas 2012! They were beyond excited :)

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All ready for Christmas morning!

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Christmas morning - The kiddos got a little note from Santa ;) Loved opening their stockings and gifts (including the cradle josh made himself!) And didn't get a picture, but started the morning with a cinnamon roll birthday cake for Jesus and a breakfast christmas devotion :)

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Follow this with Christmas at the Helton house, complete with gifts and a delicious meal, it was truly a wonderful, amazing, blessing of a Christmas day. 

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And I couldn't resist posting a pic of our sweet niece Shiloh, can't wait to celebrate our Williams/Duron Christmas on Sunday!

1 Day - 2 Special Birthdays!!!

Wow, what a special day December 23rd 2012 was!!! Not only did we get to celebrate my Grandma Violet's 95th birthday (!!!), we also got the news that morning that our newest niece, Emma Rose, was going to be born!! We headed down to the hospital in the early afternoon, got to chat awhile pre-(major)labor with Brittany and Rudy, the nervous/excited parents-to-be, then waiting expectantly in the lobby until she was born at 5:56pm - 7lb 5oz 20in! After Ooohing and Aaahing over the precious new one, we headed back to my parents house for a birthday dinner celebration with my grandma. How fun to celebrate two special birthdays in one day. I've been blessed with such a wonderful family :)

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Doesn't my grandma Violet look amazing for 95??!? I sure hope it's in my genes, too!!

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 I prepared some chocolate peppermint cupcakes with lavender lace wraps and pretty pink butterflies, and hand painted a new vase in her favorite colors, which my dad graciously filled with flowers from his garden.

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Our newest niece, Emma Rose Hodges, so beautiful!