Happy New Year!

As we say goodbye to 2009, one of the hardest years to date for us as a family. We are excited about moving forward to 2010. The things we would like to put behind us: diapers, sippy cups, tantrums, sleepless nights, long work days, short weekends and bad habits. The things we are looking forward to: better careers, more vacations, finished inventions, a cleaner house and the best of all...summer!

We wish you all the best in the New Year and can't wait to snap a lot of pictures of you, us and them. This blog has been a great source of enjoyment for us and to look back at the last few years is always a good laugh :)

We love everyone so much!!!!

xoxoxox - The Castillo's

an early morning pre showing of the Rose Parade floats, so amazing!!!!!!

Jingle Bells :)

Macy and Remy had their first school performance this year. Remy was much more interested in being the class clown and Macy wanted to sit on papa's lap. For the few minutes they were on stage it was priceless!!!!

Christmas 2009

There is nothing better than spending time with family and enjoying the holidays. Thanks everyone for making this year so special for us and the girls. They were so into it this year and can't wait to see Santa again next year :)

Just Cute!

Story Time with Marty

We had a great visit with the Cohen family over the weekend and the girls got a real special treat, books and a reading by Marty. The girls were really into it and just love their new books.

Thanks for the great lunch and and even better the great company :)

Ginger Bread House's

During a little shopping spree at Target I came across these really cute and simple Ginger Bread Houses. I am always up for a little art fair and with papa game we got busy helping the girls with their very first candy houses. The hardest part was the frosting. It was melting and the houses were sliding apart...it was hilarious! But with a little help from the fridge they survived and will be nibbled at throughout the week :) Great memories and great job girls and papa you are so creative!

Wrapping Paper

Our first rainy day and we got crafty. I had this idea for the girls last year but never got a chance to do it. I thought it would be super fun and cute to have the girls customize their own holiday wrapping paper. Remy was a good little worker bee but Macy had her own idea for her production line....one! It was great to see the girls express themselves through art that can be shared on Christmas. Hope you enjoy it!

Cookies

Our little friend Henry got into the holiday spirit with some cookie baking. Henry did a great job decorating his cookie. Macy and Remy always seem to have a hard time getting the frosting to the cookie :)

The Four Seasons, SB

OMG...this place was amazing. Aunty Beth was able to once again get us an amazing deal on a room at the Four Seasons. We were lucky enough to have some super great cousins and aunty Lori to watch the girls so we could have a night off in luxury in Santa Barbara :) Mike picked the girls up early on Sunday morning so we could let the girls go wild on the beautiful grounds, it was amazing! Thanks everyone!!!!

San Louis Obispo Parade

We took a last minute trip up North to see the San Louis Obispo Christmas Parade. Mike and I stumbled upon this parade years ago and always talked about how fun it would be to take our children. The girls had a blast and wore us out! The following morning we took a walk through town and ran into Santa Claus. The girls enjoyed meeting him and were all smiles! Looking forward to next year :)

Cheese anyone?

Thanksgiving Dinner

This was the first year of many that we did not split the day up between the Castillo's and the Ostermann's. We sure did miss Nana and Pops and the entire gang! We did however have an amazing dinner with Grandma and Grandpa, cousins, aunts and uncles, and friends. I did not get enough pictures this year and the ones I did get were fuzzy!!! The girls kept me super busy while papa enjoyed a much needed break. We came home stuffed and I came home with a super caffeine buzz, yikes!!!! Thank you to Grandma Kay that put in so much hard work...everything was wonderful!

Try, try again!!!

Out first attempt at Christmas Card photos this year. Maybe we will try again next weekend :)

The BIG move!!!!

Grandma Suzanne made a big change in her life and moved to Palm Springs, something she has wanted to do for many years. She was recently let go from her job and a beautiful and super affordable home became available and she could not pass it up. We are all so happy for her but the only problem is she hurt her back a few weeks ago and landed herself in the hospital and was not able to move herself. Thankfully Bruce has been working in town and was able to get mom packed up and moved with no problems. Macy and I made  a trip down on moving day to help get mom settled in and all the basics taken care of so she could rest and recover. She is going to have to take one day at a time and know that she will get herself set up just the way she likes it even if it is one box a week :) Good luck mom with your new home and new life! The best move you could have ever made and thanks Macy for being such a big helper!!!!

Just Silly!

Happy Birthday Kay and Brad!

Thanks to Lori for putting together a super fun Birthday celebration for Kay and Brad. The dinner she cooked was super delicious and those coasters were super fun!!!! Not too sure we will let the girls eat caffeinated cake agian...they were freaking out the entire ride home and fell asleep just as we were pulling into our driveway, eeeek! Happy Birthday Kay and Brad :)

Halloween Night!

Our Halloween festivities just don't seem to end. Halloween morning we were invited to yet another pumpkin patch with our friends Val, Stu and Johnny. The girls had a blast in the gigantic jumper and Macy loved getting a little creative with the sand art :) Johnny was super cute in his penguin costume!

After the pumpkin patch we headed over to the new mall for some bath toys and ended up going Trick-or-Treating throughout the mall. It was so perfect. After a total sugar rush we landed in Target and spent a small fortune on new toys for the girls. Like they need anything more, YIKES!

Halloween night we dressed the girls wagon with lights and music. Amanda, Randy and London joined us for more Trick-or-Treating on Rialto. The girls were a big hit and Remy was hilarious. Every time she would receive a treat she would blow kisses, SO CUTE!!!!! Macy was not too sure about all the spooky houses but with a little help from Papa she managed to fill her bag with treats.

Not sure what happened to Remy but Sunday morning she woke up with a horrible rash all over her body. We are pretty sure it was sugar over load. Remy ate more candy Halloween night than she has eaten in her entire life. OOPS! But we had a great time and all is well. Can't wait for next year but happy to end the Halloween festivities for this year :)

School Party and Lunch

It was so cute seeing all of Macy and Remy's school friends dressed up. There are some pretty creative people among us :) LUV it! Remy of course had to be up front and center...she loves the attention :)

Pumpkin Carving

Halloween is not complete without Pumpkin carving. The girls loved pulling out all the goop :)

Happy Birthday Dylan!

Great party as always. I am always shocked at how fast everyone is growing up!!! We had a blast :)

Totally Inappropriate Toy

No words can describe how hilarious this was!!!!
So wrong in so, so many ways!!!!

Dude, the doll, was my mascot for my Bachelorette party, thanks Jenn!  Also he escorted Mike and I to Burning Man a few years back. When I was pulling out all my halloween decorations I came across our little friend and decided no party is complete without him...I think the girls and Henry agree :) lol!!!!!

Pre-Halloween Fun

Just some random pics from the weekend. We had a little Halloween party and had some great laughs with all our neighbors. Gettin primed for next weekend...wish the dry ice would last longer TOO cool. Can't wait for Halloween night!

Tahoe 2009

Last Friday could not have come any sooner. Mike and Macy had been in Tahoe with Nana and Grandpa for an entire week. Remy and I missed them like crazy. When you would ask Remy where Papa and macy were she would say Costco...sounds like Tahoe :) Cute!!!

Mike and the gang had a wonderfully relaxing time in the mountains. Lots of exploring, cupcakes and laughs :)

We hope to go as a family next year. Don't think I can do another week apart!

Oh Henry!!!

While papa and Macy were still in Tahoe, Remy and I had the pleasure of joining Henry and family for a birthday celebration. Our cute little friend Henry just turned 2 and Remy was his date, so cute. They had a blast running around at the Venice Boardwalk before dinner and enjoyed some yummy finger foods and cake :)

I can remember the days when Henry was just a little, little guy with the coolest hair.... business up front, party in the back!

Happy Birthday Henry!

Greatful!

Today I am so grateful for everything in my life. Grateful to my wonderful husband, my beautiful and healthy children, the roof over our heads, my job and my sanity. 


I usually only post things that are "wonderfully interesting", it has been said that by the looks of our blog we have the perfect sort of life and we do for the most part, I love our life. But we are human and we all have our ups and downs. 


This post is to mark a change in my life. I want to be more responsible and accessible to my family and my friends. It is easy to get wrapped up in everything life throws at us that we overlook some of the most obvious and damaging things. I deeply apologize for that and will be making huge efforts to make sure everyone in our lives close and far know they are loved and respected, myself included. 


I am excited and feel blessed that I can find fault within myself and have the ability to make change. To be a better wife, a better mother and a better friend. 


I end this post with my favorite quote, a quote that has pulled me through many dark nights...

"Today is the first day of the rest of my life!"

The author is unknown, but my mom was the first person to tell me this quote, thanks mom.


xoxoxo - Beth 

Happy Halloween!

We are sooooo ready for Halloween!!!!

Gettin' ready for Halloween!

The girls had a blast getting all dressed up in their Princess dresses and Sombrero's they got from Cabo. Gave mommy time to get the house all decorated and into the Halloween Spirit! Macy and Remy were so darn cute this weekend !!!! Not sure they took to all the spiders all over the house....if they end up with arachnophobia later in life I will know the source! EEEEK :)

Wedding Bells!

Jamie and Ryan finally tied the knot :)

What a beautiful wedding and even more beautiful was the bride!

The girls had a blast being a part of such a special day. It was a little tough to get them down the isle but with a little help from mama and papa we made it! Little girls in BIG dresses is absolutely adorable!!!!!

Congratulations Jamie and Ryan!!!

Cabo San Lucas

Nothing was going to stop us from getting to Cabo this time...not even a sick toddler!!!! We dragged poor little Remy to Mexico with the flu. The resort house keeping was not too thrilled about all the laundry coming out of our suite the first three days but we made up for it with good tips :)

Unfortunately we didn't get as much family time as we were hoping for but we got some great memories and good stories to last a life time!!!!

Thanks everyone for an amazing trip, great fish dinners and lots of laughs :) xoxoxoxox

My Avon Walk for Breast Cancer

 What an amazing event this year! I trained hard and it all payed off in the end. I was able to reach my goal of going the entire distance of 26 miles on Saturday. I must have really been walking fast because I ended up #176 to reach the Wellness Center out of 2000 walkers.

After a little trip to the Medical Center to heal my wounds and a little bit of dizziness, Mike and I decided I had met my goal and I should should be proud of my accomplishment and head home for some much needed rest and ice soak.

It was amazing having Mike meet me at the finish line, I had him come solo since I knew I would need all his help. I missed the girls a lot but along the path I picked up lots of little keepsakes for them and it helped push me along.

Going alone this year was a little intimidating at first but right from the start I met some really wonderful women. The first lady Lucy, was walking not for breast cancer but for her father that passed of colon cancer a few years ago. The second lady I met was a cancer survivor and cancer free for 6 months, first time walker and solo. The third solo walker was another cancer survivor, cancer free for 11 months and first time walker. The woman who came across the finish line with me had made a commitment to do 8 walks a year. She must have been in her mid to late sixties and has no personal experience with cancer, she just loves the cause....an amazing woman!!!!!

So many stories of survival, perseverance, dedication, endurance and passion for the cause. I am glad to announce that I am already signed up for next year in Santa Barbara. I can't wait to do it all again :) 

Thank you to everyone that supported my efforts in this years walk :) I love you! 

Happy Birthday Grandpa!

Thanks Kay for putting on a wonderful party for dad. We had so much fun visiting with the family and celebrating dads 75th birthday...is this the age that the clock starts going backwards? lol!!!! 

The Happiest Place on Earth!

It really is and we had the best time with Bruce, Jenn, Aiden and Aubrey! Mike and I planned a little surprise visit to Disneyland and the look on Bruce's face was the best :) Jenn was in on the deal and was great at keeping Bruce and the cousins on time so we could get a full day in at the park. For a holiday weekend it was surprising how fast we got on the rides and with the Fast Track deal it was really cool! Mike scored us some vip passes that put us at the front of the line for two rides. It was so fun having all the cousins together to share such a wonderful day. Aubrey is a roller coaster champ, only 4yrs old and did Space Mountain twice with her hands up the entire time. Aiden loved, loved the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and Macy and Remy totally enjoyed Its a Small World. Great memories to last a life time!!!!!

Time to celebrate...

Mike passed his Real Estate exam and we could not be more proud of him! 

Congratulations baby, we love you!!!!

Remy is climbing the walls!!!!

Artists/Gardeners in the making...

Another fun thing I planned for the girls this weekend was painting and planting their very own flower pots. Macy loved to mix all her colors up and Remy loved to see how much paint she could get all over her body! They did a really great job with the painting and the planting :) What little monkey doesn't like paint and dirt!!!! 

Lets Make Cookies!

With Papa at school for his last push to pass his Real Estate Examine on Saturday, the girls and I had endless hours of play time. I thought it would be really fun to have the girls decorate cookies. I never thought that they would eat all the decorations before they made it on to the cookie. Never the less it was really fun watching them get all messy!!! 

Weekend Reads...

Macy loves the gossip magazines just as much as papa :) 

Wheely Bugs!

Nothing is more fun than scooting around on your wheely bug with a diaper hat on!!!!

Beach Day, our Sunday

Nothing beats being with your family at the beach enjoying the simple things in life...sand castles and laughs. Papa and mama worked hard at building a large moat around the girls sandcastles to keep them from being washed away with the ever approaching tide. It was fun however when the tide did finally reached us and we could see all our hard work, work!  

Cribs

The cribs that lasted about an hour in their true form. Macy and Remy got these super cute cribs at Christmas but I put them away until a few days ago and good reason...the girls destroyed them within an hour. Now they are more like chairs...poor little cribs had no chance!!!!

Peek-a-Boo!

A Weekend with the Walkers

Last weekend we were invited to join Amanda, Randy and London in Idlewild. Amanda was teaching at a music summer camp and had rented a perfect house for all of us :) The girls had a blast playing with all of London's toys. London was a true gentleman and never argued one time with the girls about his stuff.  It was a perfectly relaxing weekend with wonderful company, pool time and quiet evenings. Thanks for having us up! 

Our LIttle Angel!

Remy thought it would be a fun idea to take a little dip with all her clothes on. I am so glad Papa had the camera at arms reach :) 

At first glance I thought Remy was going pee standing up! Thank goodness all she was doing was sucking all the toothpaste out of the tube!!!

 Again, thanks to papa's new affection for the camera we are getting some amazing shots of the girls doing what two year olds do :) 

Santa Monica Pier Arcade

We love taking the girls to the pier. They are so into the arcade now it is hilarious! But what is even more hilarious is what the car has written on it, lol!!!! I didn't even see that when I took the picture. We are looking forward to the day we can actually get the girls on the real roller coaster. 

Sweet Little Girls

I love, love these dresses Grandma Suzanne got for the girls. They are so vintage looking and got lots of compliments at a friends birthday party. Macy and Remy will hopefully be wearing these for years to come! Thanks Grandma :) 

Beach Day

We had a great beach day with Ron, Angela, Dylan and Delanie. It was so much fun having the cousins together. It reminded me so much of the times I had spent with my cousins when I was their age. Such good memories :) we can't wait to do it again before summers end. 

Weekends

What a fun filled weekend we had with family.

My Friday started out with a date with my twin brother Bruce. We went and saw the new Harry Potter movie. It was amazing. Usually Mike and I have "Friday Family Fun Night" but since my brother was in town and staying the night I could not resist the opportunity to see a movie with a true Harry Potter fan :)

Saturday morning my mom aka Grandma Suzanne came over for breakfast and a little visit with the girls. She brought some goody bags for the girls that have entertained them all weekend. They were spoiled in the wardrobe department this weekend. They got some super cute stuff form Nana earlier in the week that they wore over to Grandma and Grandpa Ostermann's house and Grandma Suzanne bought them these ridiculously cute dresses that I can't wait for them to wear next weekend :)

Saturday afternoon we all headed out with Uncle Bruce to Grandma and Grandpa Ostermann's house. Grandpa had surgery Monday on his arm and was ready for some company, he looked great! The girls entertained as always, never a dull moment with them! Papa D and the twins took a little dip and enjoyed the new $3 dollar big wheel we scored from a garage sale down the street, thanks Uncle Bruce and thanks Grandma Kay for taking such good care of Dad!

A few weekend side notes...keep an eye on your child when small pools of water are available on a hot day, clothes or no clothes...ferns make really cute headbands...and no beach house is complete without a super cool outdoor shower, Remy and Papa can't get enough of the out doors suds me down, don't think Papa has showered indoors in a week!

Inspired by the sea...

After our trip to Costa Rica we decided it was time to give Remy and Macy a room makeover. I had this idea for their room since I was pregnant but alas we are almost there. The girls really love it and it was fun putting it all together, thanks papa :)

The New Ride...

Papa D has a birthday coming up and he wanted a new board but not sure he is going to get it away from the girls. Remy can't seem to get enough...she has spent more time on the board than her papa. Happy almost B-Day papa :) We love you!!!

The First Day of School

That's right...the girls are school girls now. We found a wonderful Montessori School in Culver City and Macy and Remy seem to be really enjoying it. There are three other children that were enrolled from their daycare and the girls are loving having their friends there. I can't wait for the arts and crafts projects to start rolling in :)