Time Flys (Part II)

Here we go again. This should catch us up finally. We left off in early September and this should take us to present time.

Homecoming - and Look No More Braces

Soup Day at Preschool

Field Hockey

Halloween, from left to right: Gambit, Young Vampire, and a Butterfly

Kids Finished Pumpkins

Isabel (Flapper) and her Friend Mallory (Hippie) on Halloween

Varsity Letter Ceremony for Field Hockey

Turning 5 was a Big Day for Phoebe

Boys Idea of Make-Up

Christmas Program for Preschool

Christmas Sunday

Christmas Eve with Pajamas from Grandma T

Christmas Day Opening Presents

Loving the Presents

"Favorite Game of All Time"

Who Looks That Cute on Christmas Morning

Dangerous Things Happen When I'm at Work and Trent is in Charge

We will see what good things February will bring. It is the month of love you know, supposedly.

Christmas-Is it over already?

Christmas Day

I promise I'm still here, I apologize for not updating more, every night I have good intentions to sit down and blog and every night I fall asleep. I can't believe Christmas is already over. It's come and gone in a blur for me this year. It seems like we were busier this year for some reason. We did have a great Christmas though and my kids described this year as the BEST CHRISTMAS EVER.

I didn't even get cards out this year so I thought, however impersonal I think it is -it's what I can do now-so here goes.

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday and that this finds you and your family happy and healthy. 2008 has had it's ups and downs for us this year, but as I sit here reflecting- I realize how truly blessed our family is. So here's a recap of what our family is up to.

Trent: By mid year we were happy to have Trent back with us(he'd been commuting to Reno since last September 2007) we were glad not to have had to move to Reno. But this past October the economy hit us and Trent was laid off from his job. He's a big help around the house but is antsy(to say the least) to get back to work. We hope this upcoming year will bring some luck and hopefully a job will be found. (I hope you'll keep reading, I promise it all won't be so down sounding) I will say on a positive note- Trent totally disciplined himself with a strict diet and exercise and lost himself 50 lbs!(he looks fantastic! I'm so proud, I just wish it could rub off on me.)

Elizabeth: I thought I was busy when I had toddlers and babies. I find myself this year feeling busier and busier trying to keep up with the kids and their schedules. I finally know what all my sisters have told me about becoming a driver. Let me just say that I love my calendar, it's the only way I can keep it all straight. I'm working part time in retail, trying to help out(I don't know how working moms do it all). Trent is great helping out at home and the kids have been super supportive(what can I say-they're the best). My two book clubs are a welcome relief, and with great and wonderful friends (you know who you are) and a fantastic family I keep my bucket filled.

Isabel: She's 13 now and in her last year of middle school(I'm still trying to come to terms with the thought of her in high school) She's busy with student council, National Junior Honor Society(she has to do 25 hours of volunteer work), and she's taken and loved dance class. She's a busy girl. She has started babysitting and loves the extra money(for the trips to the mall with her friends, a totally teenage girl thing to do) How do I know where Isabel is-I listen for the giggles!

Oliver: This year is the year where I discovered Oliver no longer looks like a little boy. He seems to get taller every time I look at him. One day I'll be looking up to him before I know it. He's 9 and in the 4th grade. He's enjoyed swimming lessons and is dying to play lacrosse in the spring (hopefully we can make that happen) He's always full of energy and wants to be busy all the time. He's discovered a love of reading and zips through books, he loves scouts, friends, nerf guns, and all things adventure.

Miles: My thinker-Behind those beautiful blue eyes of his-is a little boy who is always thinking, worrying, wondering something. He is 7 and in the 2nd grade where he is the class joker and the little girls swoon(I volunteer in his class every week and little girls come up to me and tell me that they love Miles) He still loves all things Marvel (superheroes) I thought he would grow out this phase, but not yet at least. He's enjoyed trying out karate and swimming lessons(he can't wait to stop swimming lessons to go back to karate). Miles has a mouth full of empty spaces(it seems like he loses them left and right). Even with all the gaps his smile still stops me in my tracks.

Phoebe: I don't even know where to begin. Let me just say she keeps me on my toes. She's full of questions and wants answers. She's all girl but can hold her own playing with the boys. She's 4 and thinks she's a big girl. She has an opinion about everything and a facial expression to go with every one of them( I wish I could capture them in pictures). She decided she wanted to wait on dance (maybe later, she said) and wanted to take swimming lessons like the boys(she's a daredevil) With all of her energy, she has a very sweet side-she loves hugs, and giving compliments, every time I come home, she meets me in the garage so excited to see me. I love, love, love it!

Happy Holidays wherever you are and now it's looking forward to 2009!

Christmas Eve pajamas

Annual Santa Visit

So it was the day for the annual trip to visit Santa. As you can see most of the kids were happy to sit with Santa and take a picture. Phoebe is scared to death of Santa and would not cooperate at all. She didn't want to even be near him, hence the lack of a smile on her face. I have yet to have one really perfect picture of all the kids with Santa. One of them has always been leary at one time or another. Isn't Santa supposed to be a friendly, lovable, guy that everyone adores? Not for my kids-he has to grow on them. Phoebe wouldn't look at or talk to, let alone sit on his lap. Maybe after the presents he brings her she'll love him a "little" bit more. I can always hope for a great picture next year.

Decking the Halls

I am finally done with all the decorating for Christmas. There's so many pretty things out in the stores that I pine over and wish for, but this year I decided(okay the decision really was made for me) I needed to decorate with what I had on hand. I had to dig a little into my brain to get a little more creative(not nearly as creative as some out there in blogland). So here is just a peek at what I did(I'm documenting mostly for me, so next year I can remember exactly what I did).

1. STAR-This is the only new thing I did-Very cheap,easy and so fun(just the way I like it). I did this project with my friend Melissa. Each of ours turned out very different but both so cute(if I do say so myself). I just have to find a place to put it, so I can show it off properly.

2.This is my twinkle jar. Just some lights and berry garland wrapped around each other in a jar-tucked away in a lonely corner to light it up.

3.My front door this year-using a metal stocking that I got last year. My version of saying Welcome, come on in.

4.My mantle-using stockings that Trent's mom has made each of us-and our collection of nutcrackers that we've collected over the years. The kids fight over which nutcracker stands watch over their stockings.

5.Remember my bargain lanterns that I filled with Fall things?-they now have been switched to being all Christmasy(I love those lanterns, what can I fill them with next?)

6.My corner window, where I can be reminded daily-the reason for the season.

7.My living room table( Trent recently painted it the happy blue, it looks so much better than the green it used to be).

8.This inspiration came from my trusty Souther Living Magazine-I filled the tray with split peas(bag for 67 cents, who knew that I liked those green peas after all?) put some little red fake berries in, wrapped some red string around the candles and voila-Christmas.

9.I think this might be my favorite-strung some garland I had around the light and hung some ornaments. It makes me happy to look at.

So there you go- Hope you liked the peek-I'm wishing I could peek into each of your windows and see what cute things you've done to bring Christmas to your house. Have you hauled out the holly yet and hung the stockings with care? If not-remember Christmas is only 16 days away!(eek! I'm not ready!)

1st Step-The Tree

Thanksgiving is over and it's time to move onto Christmas. The first step is decorating the Christmas tree. Our ornaments, we've collected over the years. Each year everyone gets a new ornament, so that when they leave home someday they will have a box of ornaments to take with them. It's a little eclectic, but it's always fun to open the box and the kids love to find "their" ornaments.

We totally let the kids decorate the tree by themselves-we just hand them the ornaments and let them go to town(I know, can you believe I let go of all my control issues?Maybe one day I will have the perfectly decorated tree-but not until the kids leave home-I figure it's their tree to enjoy).

The only thing I did to correct the decorating process is when Phoebe placed a bunch of ornaments on the same branch, which was also the lowest branch. Anyway we turned on the Christmas music, ate cookies, and for a few minutes at least, with no fighting everything was right with the world.

I love to hear the kids conversations, as they talk about all that they love about Christmas. Isabel said that decorating the tree is her favorite thing. There is something so peaceful about sitting around the tree with the lights off and just the twinkling of the lights on the tree. I totally love it!

Now tomorrow I tackle decorating the rest of the house..........(my way).