Santa's Village

Jason and I along with our friends Troy & Katie took all the kids to Santa's Village in Poway. You walk down a gorgeous lighted archway, alongside a lawn full of inflated snowman and a tower wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.
Usually there is a line full of hundreds of people, this year on account of the rain, we literally walked right up to Santa. But if we would have needed to wait we would have been provided hot chocolate and cookies. They girls were so excited and LOVED all the lights!

After visiting with Santa, in which we got our classic " Child screaming on Santa's lap" picture, the girls were given a candy cane and a toy!
Followed by a tour of there extravagantly decorated house. I must admit it is a bit overwhelming when you walk into each room, but when you take the time to stop and appreciate it you can see the time and energy that went in to making this experience possible.


The tour usually ends with a trip through Santa's Village in the back yard, but our tour was cut short because of the rain. If you have never been I encourage you to go! Your family will absolutely love it, and best part of all it's FREE!!!!They open around December 10th and run through the 22nd every night except Sundays from 6pm-8pm 17868 Joyas Court , Poway , CA 92064 .

New Moon November 2009

Yes I am one of those people. The crazy ones that waited nearly 7 hours in line to watch the midnight premiere of "New Moon". I must say I had a blast hanging out with my siblings, some close friends and my hubby. We allotted ourselves break while waiting, some of us shopped for a bit and others (ME) made necessary pit stops to Starbucks. They let us in the theater at 1130pm and by 1215am the movie began. Next year the plan is to buy tickets for the "review." It's where you watch the first two movies then stay for the feature movie, a much better offer than waiting in line for over 7 hours:) Can't wait for Eclipse in June 2010!!!

25th Wedding Anniversary Surprise!

This past weekend my siblings and I threw our parents a surprise anniversary party celebrating 25 years of marriage. We had over 60 of our closest family and friends there to join us in celebrating. We totally caught them off guard, my Mom was nearly in tears. We opened with prayer, ate a yummy dinner, watched a slide show, a few people gave toasts, we played a game and then had a great time of fellowship and pictures. My Mom and Dad got married at a very young age, they kept Christ at the center of our family and defeated all odds against them. I love you mom and Dad, I am grateful for all the sacrifices you have made for our family and for everything you have accomplished in life. You're commitment to each other and to our family is inspirational. Here's to another 50+ years!



1984



2009


This is less than half of the Jauregui Family

My Little Mommy

The cold season has hit the Winters family. Jason has it now, I recently recovered and it all started with the little ones who are both better now. When I came down with a cold I realized Mommy's don't get breaks when they are sick. Dora the Explorer and Little Einsteins were on 24/7 as I tried to relax on the couch. One of my sick days Nevaeh came up to me gently rubbed my cheek, kissed me on the forehead and said...

Nevaeh: " You sick Mommy?"
Me: " Yes Baby, Mommy doesn't feel good."
Nevaeh: " I kiss it and make it all better Mommy."
Me: "Aw thanks honey, Mommy need medicine and rest."

Nevaeh ran into the other room, came back to cover me with a blanket and handed me a glass of water.

Nevaeh: "Here you go Mommy."
Me: "Thank you Nevaeh"
Nevaeh: " Ok Mommy, now we have to pray. God please make Mommy better, Amen.You better now Mommy?"

I couldn't say anything after that, all I could do was hug her. That's my little Mommy for you. She and Trinity were fighting over a stuffed animal about 15 minutes later but in that moment I was a proud Mom, feeling like I am doing what I am supposed to be doing.

I am so blessed to have family and friends who have supported me in raising my kids to know and love the Lord. A good friend of mine once told me it takes a tribe to raise a child. In my case it's an amazing family, loyal friends and a blessed church family. I wouldn't be where I am, who I am, or have the kids I have if it weren't for all of you!

Let Go and Let God

This is a motto I strive to live by yet fail to do so on a daily basis. This may be no surprise to many reading this blog but I have an issue with not saying " no" to people, taking on way more than I can handle. I take on a lot and instead of leading God control my life I try to "take the reins." I find time and time again that me taking the reins gets me no where but stressed, burnt out, empty, tired and anxious. You think I would learn? I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work in Ministry, I try to remind myself that it is not my ministry it's Gods. He will provide the teachers, He will guide us, He will touch the hearts and lives of the children. He may use us as His tools to do so, but we have to "let go and let God." I have been blessed with an incredible husband and two beautiful girls. I often try to play the role of super mom/wife. Cleaning, cooking, errands, paying bills, taking care of the animals and more. But the second I make that a priority over my spiritual life I sink into anxiety, fear, sometimes even fits of depression. I am learning that I HAVE to "let go and let God." To anyone reading this blog, I do not by any means think I have all the answers but one thing I do know and pray for you to know also is this... We have a wonderful and loving God who is here to "take the reins" of our lives, we simply have to " let go and let God." Give Him your anxiety, your stress, your finances, your worry, your fears even your hopes and dreams. This is something I am learning daily. I just felt led to write about how AMAZING He is and how there is NOTHING absolutely NOTHING I can do without Him.

Paint & Plant

Nevaeh and Trinity got a set of Paint&Plant characters for their birthday from my good friend Janet. It is basically a Chia Pet that you paint, plant and watch grow. Today was a sick day for the Winters girls so the painting activity came out and the girls had a blast! Trinity painted herself more that the project but it made for some cute pictures. Tomorrow we will be adding the soil, plating the seeds, then the girls get to watch it grow. Thanks Janet, this activity kept the girls busy for over an hour!

Dairy Farm Fun!

We have been planning a trip to our friend Akke's Dairy Farm but for one reason or another we were never able to go. This week we finally made it happen and had so much fun! We pulled on to the farm and both girls yelled, " Look Mommy, lots of cows!" They were so excited. Akke gave us the grand tour, where they eat, what they eat, where and how they are milked, how the milk is processed and more. We even got to pet the baby cows (they are only 1 day old). We toured the vegetable garden area for a bit then the girls were able to pick out their very own pumpkins. They have a produce stand that is open to the public with lots of pumpkins, squash, yummy veggies, jams and breads. It's on Warnock on the right hand side if you're coming from San Vicente or on the Left if you are coming from Dye. The girls had a blast, it would be a lot of fun to make a play date with our friends out of this. You should check it out, we will definitely be going back!

NICKEL CITY!!!

I took my niece Kennedy, nephew Gavin and good friend Kolby to Nickel City for their birthdays. Neither of them have ever been and we all had a blast! The boys really liked all the car racing, jetski and shooting games while Kennedy and I stuck to the ticket games. My niece was a champ, she got (3)300 ticket jackpots! The other teenagers at Nickel City teased that they wanted her to play for them. We divided the tickets between the three of them and had fun picking out their prizes. We made a pit stop at the McDonalds drive thru for some Happy Meals and headed home. I had so much fun with the kiddos and enjoy the opportunities I get to spend quality time with them.

My Little Cowgirls

Every morning when i go out to feed the horses Trinity demands to tag along. So I set her on top of the hay and get to work. This mornings feeding inspired a photo shoot I wanted to do of the girls, with the hazy weather and country scenery I was bound to at least get one good picture. Here are the pictures I came up with.

Birthday Bonaza

Today we celebrated Nevaeh's 3rd birthday and Trinity's 2nd. We had a big top circus theme with lots of fun activities to do. An awesome friend of mine, Jessica saddled up her horse and gave "pony" rides. She made a fun "circus ring" and even painted dots on the horses' behind, it was so cute!

The kiddos had fun with balloon hats, face painting and a Jumpy Jump. Following lunch and our other fun activities we sang, "Happy Birthday," ate cake, then had some Pinata Fun. They all had a blast hitting the pinata, even Wyatt (he's 6 months old). Then it was present time, they were excited about the first two gifts then weren't interested. So I filled in as the gift opener. I must say however, as we put toys away tonight they were both super excited and wanted to play with all their new toys.



We all had an amazing time of fellowship, the teens and a few adults had some fun on the horses for a while then our guests headed home.

Thank you to everyone who came today, our girls are truly blessed to have so many people in their lives who love and care for them. Until next year!

Clay in the Hands of the Potter

I had an amazing time this weekend at the MVCC Women's Retreat. God really blessed me this weekend with rest, wonderful fellowship an incredible speaker(good job Lori) who He used to touch hearts with His Word. I got to meet new ladies and grow closer with both friends and church family. Lori's message was about being "Clay in the Hands of the Potter." Being moldable and willing for God to use. To give up our need for control, our tendency to worry and stress. To remember that God is in control and has a plan for our lives. Our days at camp consisted of coffee, food, worship, message, games, more food, crafts, more games, more food, worship, message, more coffee, more games and we managed to squeeze a little sleep in there too. It was so much fun, I am looking forward to next year!

Cutest Conversation

So Nevaeh, Trinity and myself were on a ride home from Escondido when Nevaeh (my almost 3 year old) says...

N: " Oh look Mommy, those mountains are beautiful. Jesus maked' them for me."
Me: " Yes, he sure did. You should tell him thank you."
N: " Where He at Mommy? I can't see Him."
Me: " That's because He lives in Heaven, but He also lives in your heart."
N: " No, No Mommy, He to big to fit in there, my heart."

I then spent about 5 minutes trying to explain that Jesus and God are the same. And that God created everything and is everywhere. She then spent the next 15minutes clarifying...
N: " Jesus on the mountain? Jesus on the rock? Jesus on the tree? Jesus with Daddy? Jesus at Mimi's house? Jesus in the car?
Me: ( My reply to all) " He sure is honey."

From Weekend Villa to 14th street she pretty much asked the question for every store, car, tree, stoplight and member of our family.
It was a really sweet moment spent with my baby girl.
I just put her to bed about 45 minutes ago and the book she picked out for her bedtime story was Tell me About Jesus. She picked the book simply because it had a picture of Jesus with two little girls on His lap. She said, "Look Mommy, it's Vaeh and Ti Ti with Jesus."
My heart melted.

Lord,
Help give me discernment and wisdom in how to effectively reach my children for You. My prayer for Nevaeh, Trinity and my future children is to know, love You and have a personal relationship with You. Thank you for the work you are clearly doing in their little hearts. In Your precious and Holy Name.
Amen

Hallelujah Jubilee

This past weekend Jason, myself and 4 other leaders took nearly 40 youth group kids to Magic Mountain for Hallelujah Jubilee. It's a special event weekend Magic Mountain puts on for church groups and other Christian organizations. We left the church at 3pm, ate dinner at 6pm and were in the park by 7pm. Jason and I rode X2, Tatsu, Viper, Deja Vu and Terminator Revolution the first night (which closed at midnight, way past my bed time). By the time we got to Lake View Church and got the kids to fall asleep it was nearly 2am. The lovely high school kids decided that 6 am would be a good time to wake up and get ready. We didnt have to be out of there until 730am, if it were up to me 7am would have worked just fine (I'm old). We stopped for a 2 hour breakfast then headed back to the park. Jason and I rode Goliath, Scream, Batman, Bumper Cars and Riddlers Revenge. We ended our adventure with The Afters and Project 86 concerts.
It was a fun weekend but a mentaly and physically exhausting one at that. Jason and I both teased about how the park is different when you get older. You pack differently too, Dramamine and Exedrin Migrane were on the top of both of our packing lists:)
Overall we had a great time and were able to build closer relationships with the kids and fellow leaders!

My Little Rock Stars

Nevaeh and Trinity have always loved music( even in the womb). They love playing the piano, Daddy's guitar and singing along to Dora and Veggie Tales. My girls have recently discovered the microphone, and that when you stand on a chair in the middle of the room full of people and start singing you are bound to get a lot of attention. Their latest performance included The ABC's, Itsy Bitsy Spider, The B-I-B-L-E,Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and Hush Little Baby. Watching them stand in the middle of my parents living room took me back about 14 years when Amber(my youngest sister) used to do the exact same thing! Trinity makes an amazing back-up singer. I'm sure, (like Daddy) we will see these two performing a lot together.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Family Fun

Our Fall ministry season is starting next week meaning that youth group Bible Study, youth trips, adult Bible Study, retreats ( men's, women's, marriage), weddings, Harvest Festival, Christmas play rehearsals and on top of all our regular ministry duties Jason starts school on Monday. The hubby and I were looking over our schedule, stopped and prayed that we would not go crazy, then decided that a fun filled family day needed to be initiated. Being that we both had Disneyland passes and the girls were young enough for free admission, we decided to spend the day park hopping between Disneyland and California Adventure
I'd have to say we had the most fun on this trip than any other trip we have taken to DLand. The weather was pleasant, the parks weren't crowded at all, the longest line was 15 minutes and the girls were well behaved the ENTIRE trip!!! There were no temper tantrums, no whining, no fighting, NOTHING!!! Nevaeh was really into the characters and the rides. After each ride she would say, " I wanna go on nother' ride please."

The only "big person ride" we went on was Pirates of the Carribean, but that was okay with us. We had a blast watching the girls have fun that none of the other rides mattered.
Happy children = happy parents. We truly felt like we were at the "Happiest Place on Earth." It was a fun filled family day we will never forget!